The Cart's before the Horse

The Cart's before the Horse I was once approached by a brother in the Lord who told me that he was terribly frustrated with where he was in his walk with God. He went on to tell me that he felt like he should be much further along than he actually was and could not figure out why he could not seem to get any further along than he was. When I asked him why he felt the way he did, he said. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I'm in Church every time the doors are open, I play a part in a number of Church programs and am attending several classes each week, I've cut out watching any bad television shows, I listen to wonderful preachers and teachers on TV, CD and tape, I study my Bible, I'm eating healthier, I tithe and even give offerings when I am able and still feel as if God is nowhere around. Keith, what am I doing wrong?" As I listened to the very lengthy and somewhat noble list of things that he was doing to try and grow in God it became abundantly obvious that he had left out the most important step of all. He wasn't diligently "seeking" God! Just as so many in the Church are doing today, he had fallen into the deadly trap of religion or works over a personal relationship with God. He was "in deed" putting "the cart before the horse!"

Don't get me wrong! I am very aware that James teaches us, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:18) But I know that James never intended for his profound proclamation to be misinterpreted to the point of being used as a wedge to be driven between us and our personal relationship with God Himself. You might ask how I can so readily recognize this ever growing problem? Because I have been and can be a "chief" offender of this very thing if I don't daily pursue my close and intimate relationship with Him. You see, I was raised in a home where my Dad was a tremendously talented and successful corporate executive who would eventually be over the worldwide sales of a Fortune 500 company. Therefore, by a very young age, I had already been acclimated into a production oriented mentality. By the age of twenty five I was working as sales manager of a boat dealership where I lived solely on commission. The pressure to produce was intense! If I didn't sell, you guessed it, I didn't eat! Until I entered full time ministry, straight commission sales was all I had ever known. Although I do enjoy applying many of the things that I have learned in business to making my ministry more effective, I have to continually remind myself that hidden within my strengths are my greatest weaknesses.

For example, at one point I was working a full time job as an outside sales rep for a large Washington DC area printing and graphics firm while at the same time I was also pastoring a rather large and growing youth group, playing with the church praise and worship team four services a week, teaching a school of the Bible class one night a week at church, holding a Bible study at my home, rehearsing and traveling with my own contemporary music outreach band, periodically promoting large concerts, counseling folks individually throughout the week while still having to eat, do my laundry, sleep and do everything else required in daily living. As much of a desire as I had to serve God and his people, I eventually learned the hard way that even though I might have been doing a lot of good things, I wasn't doing the right thing! Because I was so busy, I seemed to stay in a state of exhaustion. It was because of this state of constant fatigue that I had stopped putting forth the time and the effort needed to seek and spend time with God. And when I did take the time to be alone with Him it was very rarely that I could even hear His voice. It was also that same fatigue that resulted in my making some pretty bad choices that I would have never made if I had not allowed myself to wander so far away from God and His Word. "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalms 119:103-105)

This is why the vast majority of the Church is in the shape it is in today! If there has ever been a time when we need to pray for Her it is now! Satan's move to distract and separate us from God is escalating rapidly and is resulting in thousands of our precious brothers and sisters in Christ being swept away daily into a miserable lifestyle of busy ineffectiveness, i.e. doing good things at the expense of the right thing! Luke witnessed firsthand possibly the best example in the entire Bible of this very thing when he noted; "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42)

Just like Martha, the Church today has also become encumbered about with many things! The very institution that is supposed to be raising the standard of intimacy with our Heavenly Father has instead chosen to trample it underfoot in its anxious pursuit of countless numbers of distracting programs thinking all the while that it is doing God a service. As I heard one preacher say, "Our beloved Church has gone from being a living breathing organism to being a lifeless organization." For example, in an attempt to appear fruitful many church leaders are now choosing to not preach Jesus boldly fearful that if they do they will "offend" people, the very people that God has entrusted to them to reach with the uncompromised truth. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) There is only one way to reach people and that is to lift up the wonderful name of Jesus Christ as high as we possibly can! Jesus gives us the key to effective evangelism when he said; "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) What He was saying didn't only apply to the time of His crucifixion but applies just as much today as it ever did! An old pastor friend of mine says, "Sometimes, in order to reach a person's heart you will have to offend their mind!" Sadly enough, the reason the church in America is "dis-eased" and is in many cases dying is simply because it has either never put forth the effort to seek Christ diligently or has allowed itself to be, as I had, separated from Him! Either way, a life without Jesus is in fact no life at all! Jesus says; "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (John 15:4-8)

The sad thing is that thousands of misguided and uninformed people kneel at altars every week at Church services across this nation unknowingly professing an allegiance more so to Christian institutions or to a Pastor rather than to Christ Himself. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5) Whenever we take our heart's eye off of Jesus, death is soon to follow! "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." (Proverbs 21:16) It is for this very reason that our once Christian nation has now become a stronghold of religion populated in most part by people who at best know about God but don't know Him intimately. Paul writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, said "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-7)

This trend toward dead religion not only leaves one lifeless but holds for those who practice it the most horrifying of all final destinations. Jesus Himself says; "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23). Jesus begins this scripture revealing to us just who was going to qualify for eternity with Him. He said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." What does it mean to do the will of the Father? Are we talking about a list of good works? No!! Jesus tells us, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:27-29)

It is also the will of God that we know and love Him intimately! How can we do the will of God if we can't hear his voice? How can a soldier follow an order if he refuses to listen to his commanding officer? Paul writing to the Church at Rome made a profound statement that I'm sad to say has been taken out of context in many circles and keeps the Church in this country chained to a "religion over relationship" mentality. He said, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) More often than not I have heard this scripture taught that faith comes by reading the scriptures. As true as that is it still falls short of what Paul was really wanting us to grasp hold of. When he said that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" he was telling us that "true faith" comes when we actually hear God's voice for ourselves! The fact is that we will never be able to fulfill the will of God as individuals or as a body if we are so busy that we don't stop to spend quality time with Jesus! If we don't spend time with Him, we will never hear or know His wonderful voice hence we will not be able to follow Him into "His" plan and will for our lives.

Jesus heavily emphasized the importance of our being able to hear and know His voice when He said,"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." (John 10:1-5)

God loves us and stands ready to bless those who seek Him with all of their hearts! Paul teaches us that "God is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) If there is anything or anybody that is hindering you from diligently seeking and spending time with God, I encourage you to make whatever changes are necessary to position yourself at the feet of Jesus. Always remember, the joy God feels when we lay our accomplishments at his feet, will never compare to the joy that He feels when we lay ourselves at His feet!


	I was once approached by a brother in the Lord who told me that he was terribly frustrated with where he was in his walk with God. He went on to tell me that he felt like he should be much further along than he actually was and could not figure out why he could not seem to get any further along than he was. When I asked him why he felt the way he did, he said. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong! I'm in Church every time the doors are open, I play a part in a number of Church programs and am attending several classes each week, I've cut out watching any bad television shows, I listen to wonderful preachers and teachers on TV, CD and tape, I study my Bible, I'm eating healthier, I tithe and even give offerings when I am able and still feel as if God is nowhere around. Keith, what am I doing wrong?" As I listened to the very lengthy and somewhat noble list of things that he was doing to try and grow in God it became abundantly obvious that he had left out the most important step of all. He wasn't diligently "seeking" God! Just as so many in the Church are doing today, he had fallen into the deadly trap of religion or works over a personal relationship with God. He was "in deed" putting "the cart before the horse!" Don't get me wrong! I am very aware that James teaches us, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:18) But I know that James never intended for his profound proclamation to be misinterpreted to the point of being used as a wedge to be driven between us and our personal relationship with God Himself. You might ask how I can so readily recognize this ever growing problem? Because I have been and can be a "chief" offender of this very thing if I don't daily pursue my close and intimate relationship with Him. You see, I was raised in a home where my Dad was a tremendously talented and successful corporate executive who would eventually be over the worldwide sales of a Fortune 500 company. Therefore, by a very young age, I had already been acclimated into a production oriented mentality. By the age of twenty five I was working as sales manager of a boat dealership where I lived solely on commission. The pressure to produce was intense! If I didn't sell, you guessed it, I didn't eat! Until I entered full time ministry, straight commission sales was all I had ever known. Although I do enjoy applying many of the things that I have learned in business to making my ministry more effective, I have to continually remind myself that hidden within my strengths are my greatest weaknesses. For example, at one point I was working a full time job as an outside sales rep for a large Washington DC area printing and graphics firm while at the same time I was also pastoring a rather large and growing youth group, playing with the church praise and worship team four services a week, teaching a school of the Bible class one night a week at church, holding a Bible study at my home, rehearsing and traveling with my own contemporary music outreach band, periodically promoting large concerts, counseling folks individually throughout the week while still having to eat, do my laundry, sleep and do everything else required in daily living. As much of a desire as I had to serve God and his people, I eventually learned the hard way that even though I might have been doing a lot of good things, I wasn't doing the right thing! Because I was so busy, I seemed to stay in a state of exhaustion. It was because of this state of constant fatigue that I had stopped putting forth the time and the effort needed to seek and spend time with God. And when I did take the time to be alone with Him it was very rarely that I could even hear His voice. It was also that same fatigue that resulted in my making some pretty bad choices that I would have never made if I had not allowed myself to wander so far away from God and His Word. "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalms 119:103-105) This is why the vast majority of the Church is in the shape it is in today! If there has ever been a time when we need to pray for Her it is now! Satan's move to distract and separate us from God is escalating rapidly and is resulting in thousands of our precious brothers and sisters in Christ being swept away daily into a miserable lifestyle of busy ineffectiveness, i.e. doing good things at the expense of the right thing! Luke witnessed firsthand possibly the best example in the entire Bible of this very thing when he noted; "Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42) Just like Martha, the Church today has also become encumbered about with many things! The very institution that is supposed to be raising the standard of intimacy with our Heavenly Father has instead chosen to trample it underfoot in its anxious pursuit of countless numbers of distracting programs thinking all the while that it is doing God a service. As I heard one preacher say, "Our beloved Church has gone from being a living breathing organism to being a lifeless organization." For example, in an attempt to appear fruitful many church leaders are now choosing to not preach Jesus boldly fearful that if they do they will "offend" people, the very people that God has entrusted to them to reach with the uncompromised truth. "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32) There is only one way to reach people and that is to lift up the wonderful name of Jesus Christ as high as we possibly can! Jesus gives us the key to effective evangelism when he said; "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32) What He was saying didn't only apply to the time of His crucifixion but applies just as much today as it ever did! An old pastor friend of mine says, "Sometimes, in order to reach a person's heart you will have to offend their mind!" Sadly enough, the reason the church in America is "dis-eased" and is in many cases dying is simply because it has either never put forth the effort to seek Christ diligently or has allowed itself to be, as I had, separated from Him! Either way, a life without Jesus is in fact no life at all! Jesus says; "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (John 15:4-8) The sad thing is that thousands of misguided and uninformed people kneel at altars every week at Church services across this nation unknowingly professing an allegiance more so to Christian institutions or to a Pastor rather than to Christ Himself. "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." (Matthew 24:4-5) Whenever we take our heart's eye off of Jesus, death is soon to follow! "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead." (Proverbs 21:16) It is for this very reason that our once Christian nation has now become a stronghold of religion populated in most part by people who at best know about God but don't know Him intimately. Paul writing to Timothy, his son in the faith, said "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." (2 Timothy 3:1-7) This trend toward dead religion not only leaves one lifeless but holds for those who practice it the most horrifying of all final destinations. Jesus Himself says; "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23). Jesus begins this scripture revealing to us just who was going to qualify for eternity with Him. He said, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." What does it mean to do the will of the Father? Are we talking about a list of good works? No!! Jesus tells us, "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:27-29) It is also the will of God that we know and love Him intimately! How can we do the will of God if we can't hear his voice? How can a soldier follow an order if he refuses to listen to his commanding officer? Paul writing to the Church at Rome made a profound statement that I'm sad to say has been taken out of context in many circles and keeps the Church in this country chained to a "religion over relationship" mentality. He said, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) More often than not I have heard this scripture taught that faith comes by reading the scriptures. As true as that is it still falls short of what Paul was really wanting us to grasp hold of. When he said that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" he was telling us that "true faith" comes when we actually hear God's voice for ourselves! The fact is that we will never be able to fulfill the will of God as individuals or as a body if we are so busy that we don't stop to spend quality time with Jesus! If we don't spend time with Him, we will never hear or know His wonderful voice hence we will not be able to follow Him into "His" plan and will for our lives. Jesus heavily emphasized the importance of our being able to hear and know His voice when He said,"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." (John 10:1-5) God loves us and stands ready to bless those who seek Him with all of their hearts! Paul teaches us that "God is rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) If there is anything or anybody that is hindering you from diligently seeking and spending time with God, I encourage you to make whatever changes are necessary to position yourself at the feet of Jesus. Always remember, the joy God feels when we lay our accomplishments at his feet, will never compare to the joy that He feels when we lay ourselves at His feet!
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