From: The Pastor’s Heart
To: You
Title: “Sweat the WEIGHT Off!”
This morning while I was out on my five-mile jog, I did so with an additional workout
apparatus, the plastic sweat suit. Those who’ve worn it know that almost immediately after
you put it on you begin to perspire and the goal is to progressively lose inches and reduce
body fat by the water that leaves your body. The more I ran the more I sweat and the more
I sweat, the more encouraged I felt. Now I don’t know, with absolute certainty, how much
more this actually assisted in my ultimate goal, but trust me when I tell you, it did
something for my way of thinking. I kept telling myself, “No matter how tired you get,
keep going because it’s working!”
Sometimes we get discouraged because we carry around too much carnal weight and too
many heavy burdens. When we should be walking in courage we walk in fear. When we
should be walking in confidence we walk in doubt. When we should be walking in peace
we walk in pain. The more we move the more it feels cumbersome and unproductive, but
that’s because many of us have acquired more weight than we should. Not physically, but
spiritually.
We are reminded by Moses that God is and has always been with us to defend and protect
us from those confrontations that we don’t have to try and handle ourselves. He said, “For
the Lord your God is He that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to
save you.” It was tougher on me this morning not only because of the sweat suit, but
because I allowed some of the weight I loss to come back. The same way that we have to
fight to maintain our physical shape,we must do that even the more to maintain our
spiritual shape.
We cannot and we dare not get lazy and undisciplined in doing the things we were once
passionate about that please God. If you have noticed a decline in the time you spend in
reading your word or the intensity of your prayer life, then you need to get back on it
RIGHT NOW! Don’t permit the enemy to tactically and scurrilously pull you back to a
place where you take God’s grace and mercy for granted. Don’t use the excuse that you’re
too tired from working on the job you asked Him to give you, or the time put in with the
family you asked Him to bless you with, or the vacation you’re taking that you prayed for
Him to provide you with.
If you are not careful and purposeful, the enemy will slowly add weight to your life that
will then become unbearable and the fire you once had for the work of the Kingdom, will
dwindle down to a non-effective puff of smoke. Put on the whole armor of God and
“Sweat That Excess Weight Off!”
EVERYTHING WE DO MOVING FORWARD WILL BE INTENTIONAL AND DRIVEN WITH
PURPOSE TO REPRESENT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE BEST POSSIBLE LIGHT!
NOTHING WILL BE DONE WITH ENERGY LESS THAN OUR BEST AND EFFORT BELOW
OUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL.
OUR SERVICE IS LOCAL, BUT OUR REACH IS GLOBAL – SO WE CANNOT REDUCE OUR
PRESENTATION DOWN TO WHAT’S CONVENIENT, BUT RATHER WE MUST RAISE IT TO
THAT WHICH IS EXPLOSIVE!
Get ready for major change that’s coming systematically, intellectually, purposefully, and
professionally. Nothing we do moving forward will be done haphazardly, sloppily, poorly,
or carnally.
We Are the LIGHT!
Sincerely,
Pastor J.E. Chandler, Sr.
(CEO/Pastor of MLCM)
