What's stopping you
are you too tired didn't get enough sleep
don't have enough energy don't have enough time is that what's stopping you right now
don't have enough money is that the thing or is the thing that's stopping you you
excuses sound best to the person that's making them up stop feeling sorry for yourself
you got a problem with your life you got a problem with your environment do something
about it excuses sound best to the person that's making them up what are you gonna do
if you want it go get it is this going to be the year you stop making excuses
I can't I'm too old I'm too young I'm too fat I'm too thin I can't right I can't
there's all I I hear this all the time all the reasons that you can't do something
don't don't tell me you can't don't give me excuses
my mother abandoned me my family hates me I didn't graduate college
I'm too young I'm too old man we can come up with all kinds
of reasons why we won't let Jesus change our life
what's the reason you've given yourself why you can't be successful and you can't be better
let me tell you something I've learned it's way easier to blame someone else than to get
honest with yourself what's the reason what have what excuse have you bought into what
excuse have you believed that's not allowing you to live the life God's called you to live
I got to have the courage to stop making excuses
courage is not the absence of fear it is moving forward in spite of it
life is scary marriage is scary raising children scary nobody tells you that
you know when God wants to work in any one of our lives
there are two responses that you and I can make we can either say yes Lord here am I I will do it
or we can say I can't or I won't often accompanied by a because of this an excuse every single person
it's common to humanity all of us can come up with excuses why we don't want to do something
but when it comes to God's working in our life when it comes to fulfilling God's purpose for our
life we have to be careful that we don't give in to excuses and excuse ourselves from what God is
calling us to do but that we move forward in faith that we move forward in enthusiasm that we move
forward in an obedience that says God whatever you want to do in my life I'm in I'm on I want it
what do you want I have to decide I have to I have to decide I want to get better you know why
most people's lives aren't any better because they don't want a better life they want an easier life
this is why so many of us are miserable because we keep asking for an easier life
God I don't want a better marriage I want an easier one
man if you're a young person today oh Lord I want easier life no no pray for a better life
because in order for you to have a better life you've got to have a bigger
relationship with God it's got to be bigger you got to trust in him you got to believe in him
I have to decide circle the word I I have to decide somebody can't want it for you are you
willing to change are you willing to look at life through his eyes are you willing to trust him
what's he calling you to do what is he what is he calling you to leave
where is an area in your life where your crippled where Jesus is trying to make you well
think of all the excuses that we make all the reasons that we give for what we can't do Jesus has a
great question for us here's his question do you want to get well do you want to get well
what is it that keeps you from moving forward and growing and becoming that new person why is
it another year and the same you the bible says in Proverbs 22:13 the lazy person is full of excuses
here's the first one I'll start tomorrow
it's a good goal it's a good plan I think I'll start tomorrow
the problem is for many people tomorrow never comes God's answer
to all start tomorrow is three words that will change your life do it now
Ecclesiastes 11:4 says if you wait for perfect conditions you'll never get anything done
there will never be a perfect time to start on that change
do it now don't wait to start and you say well I can't do it now but when things settle down
when things settle down I'm going to start a daily quiet time I'm gonna read my bible every day
you're never going to do it learn to read your bible when things are unsettled
when things are settled down I'm going to spend more time with my kids that won't happen
until they're grown and gone that's when things settle down because they cause the unsettledness
when things settle down I'm going to re-establish the connection with my spouse and we're going to
work on our marriage if you wait until things settle down you won't have a marriage to work on
well when things settle down I'll be serious about losing weight
if you wait until things settle down you'll eat yourself to death
when things settle down I'll quit smoking I'll quit drinking I've got news for you things aren't
going to settle down that's life start now stop waiting for the perfect day you get mad at your
kids when they procrastinate on their homework quit doing the same thing with your life if you
need to do something start right now start today don't wait until you have time start now
You don't have time
that's a lie
don't believe the lies believe the truth and the truth is you have time you have the skill
you have the knowledge and the support and the willpower and the discipline to get it done
here's the next excuse I don't have time
I'm busy I don't know how other people find the time to exercise every day I've got too much going
God's answer to I don't have time is make time set aside time every day
don't expect it to happen automatically make a plan you say that's not in the bible yes it is
Proverbs 21:5 the plans of the diligent lead to profit is surely as haste leads to poverty
do not those who plot evil go astray but those who plan what's good find love and faithfulness here's
the principle your plans reveal your priorities if something matters you'll make time for it
you had time you just had a different priority
set aside time for God every day set aside time for your family set a time to aside time to get
healthy plan for it you'll never have time till you make time growth is not accidental it's
intentional it's about desire not intelligence or ability you will only grow and change if you
plan to grow and change I don't want to fail I've tried before and failed I've tried to quit
smoking I've tried to quit drinking I've tried to lose weight I've tried to be faithful and I
fail what if I fail again what will people think I'm not going to try because I don't want to fail
and the possibility of failing can make you afraid of being embarrassed in front of other people so
to keep safe from failure you just don't try let me take the pressure off no one's perfect
you're going to have setbacks you're going to have problems you're going to make mistakes
you're going to have defeats and losses you will failure is not falling down failure
is staying down Proverbs 24:16 says though a righteous man falls seven times he rises again
you only fail if you don't try again God's answer too I don't want to fail is keep going
Proverbs 24:10 says if you give up when trouble comes it shows that you're weak
fight the fear of failure with faith faith is not the absence of fear faith is moving forward
in spite of your fear confident in your God trust in the Lord keep going it's too difficult
I didn't plan on the pain I didn't expect it to require this much discipline it's hard God's
answer to it's too difficult is trust me there are things to do and places to go God has a plan for
you and God knows you can't do it by yourself and so God says don't even try to do it alone
trust me it is too difficult for you but you're not alone God is on your side
I've tried it before
here's God's answer new you new you forget about what's happened before God
says don't think about the past it's over don't dwell on it the books close let's go let's move
see some of you think God's fixated on your past
that he wants to remind you of everything you've done wrong and that because of that
you can never move forward you're wrong God is way more interested in your future than in your
past you need like if you still have a calendar go dig a hole in the ground and bury it in the
ground and say God I'm going to bury the mistakes and the failures of the past right here because I
believe you have a new thing for me you see we we can make a choice and I would suggest to you that
rather than letting problems create obstacles that cause us to excuse ourselves from God's working in
our life that in every situation if we'll walk by faith and believe God has a purpose and God's
going to go before us God will show us his power in an amazing way this is what God is saying
listen there's no place for excuses God can use you you the way you are God can use you