If your body has what you might call a "problem area" you can go to the gym and ask for a coach. This person will observe those areas of your body and develop and exercise program which targets the problem. Let's just say, if you are carrying a bit more in the .....er.... derriere area than you would like, your coach might have you doing lunges and other such exercises that will tighten up the muscles in your buttocks. There seems to be specific exercises for certain parts of your body.

It is also so in the spiritual world. The Holy Spirit is our coach. If He observes that you are having trouble with a certain area of your spiritual life, He may well provide some "exercises" to work on those areas. For instance, if you have a problem with submission, you better believe God is going to put you in situations time and time again where you will be required to submit! I have had some personal experience with this one, trust me!

If your problem is being selfish and stingy, you may find yourself faced with areas of need over and over again where you will be given an opportunity to open up your wallet and give. You see, God is working in our lives to make us like HIM! He wants His image to be reflected in our lives, and He has a "exercise program" specifically designed for each of us.

Maybe your problem is telling lies. If so, God is getting ready to call you to accountability. He is going to reveal things that you have hidden and give you a chance to make things right.

When you invite God's presence into your life, you need to be prepared for change. Why does He do this? Because He loved you too much to leave you the way you are. He believes the best of you, and He wants you to reach your highest potential. Maybe you weren't all that serious about it when you prayed and ask God to take control. But, GOD is serious about it. He will never force you, but if you have agreed to let Him be Lord, than He is going to take you up on that.

(Col 3:10 MSG) Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with His label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.

My husband likes to work with wood, and sometimes I have been handed a piece of sandpaper and ask to help smooth off rough places. It is hard work, and I am sure if the wood could talk, it would be screaming, but the finished result is beautiful!

So.... are you ready to let the Holy Spirit go to work in your life? Are you willing to begin the process of being refined and "toned up" in your spiritual life? I promise you, although it may be a bit painful, the end result will be beautiful!

(2Cor. 3:18 NLT) So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

How can we ever think, as Christians that the message of the gospel only requires that we INVITE people? How can we possibly think we can get by living for God without becoming INVOLVED?

How thankful I am that Christ was willing to get INVOLVED for me. Nails through your hands? That's getting involved. Beaten until your back is raw and oozing? That is involvement! Thank you Jesus!

The Good Samaritan got involved, didn't he? He took time to help someone. He spent his own money to do it. What a great example of someone who did what a Christian should do.

But most of us stop with the invitation. There is not risk to inviting someone to church. "I invited them, but they didn't come. Not my fault." Oh COME ON! If we are not willing to involve ourselves in the lives of the lost, we are never going to do what God asks His church to do! Don't just INVITE people to church -- offer to pick them up! And, while you're at it, let them know they are coming to your house for dinner after the service is over. How many of us are willing to go that extra step from invitation to involvement? Or, are we too worried about something messing up our plans and putting too many demands on our time? Last time I checked, it isn't about US anymore. If you gave your life to God, it becomes God's life.

It is so easy and safe to say, "I will pray for you." It's much harder to say, "Let me come over and watch your kids for you so you can get a break. Let me stop at the store and do your shopping. Let me help. Here's my phone number. Call if you need me, and I promise I will come." Most do not want that level of commitment. Most of us are too busy. Most of us think of OUR time, and OUR space and OUR comfort and OUR needs and pretty much forget about the needs of others. And, we have all these reasons lined up why we SHOULDN'T get involved. Yeah.....

But Jesus stopped. He got involved. He saw needs and He did something about them. He didn't just speak a quick word to Zacchaeus, He said, "Come on, let's have dinner together." He didn't just promise to "remember the lepers in prayer," He TOUCHED them, and He made them whole. Honestly, I can't find anywhere in the Bible where Jesus just invited people to church.

Whether we feel comfortable about it or not, the "Great Commission" is for the whole church; ALL of us, not just a few missionaries. All around you there is a world that doesn't know Jesus. All around you are those who are hurting, lost and alone.

(Mark 16:15 MSG) Then he said, "Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all."

GO is an action word. GO requires us to get ourselves out there and become involved with other people. How do we think they are going to hear the Good News? How are they ever going to understand the love of God if we do not demonstrate it to them?

(Matthew 7:12-14 MSG) "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life--to God!--is vigorous and requires total attention.

Thank you. I just had to get that out there! Now, can someone please help me down?