In one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, both Jerry and George’s parents are considering moving to a Florida to the retirement community of Del Boca Vista.  Frank Costanza gets the impression that the Seinfelds don’t want them to live there.

“You think you can keep us out of Del Boca Vista…we’re moving in lock stock and barrel.  We’re gonna be in the pool, we’re gonna be in the clubhouse, we’re gonna be all over that shuffleboard court…AND I DARE YOU TO KEEP ME OUT!!!”

Just to spite the Seinfelds?  And he yells in reply, “JUST TO SPITE THE SEINFELDS!”

Do you ever find yourself reaching that point (or living for years at that point) where you’re constantly puzzled by finding the truth of being where God truly wants you to be and doing the things that He wants you to do?  Feeling like perhaps you’re doing the right things but doing them poorly?  Thoughts of scaling back and simplifying your life creep in or sometimes come over you like an avalanche.   Tired of making excuses and wallowing in mediocrity.  “MAN, I SUCK AT______.”  God desires excellence and I give him excuses and half-done………everything.

I recently told my middle school basketball players that this would be one of the most important quotes/lessons they would every hear from me:

“Your confidence on the court cannot be based on your performance or your ability level.  Your confidence must come from your level of effort and determination.  When this happens, there is no failure.”

Practice what you preach, coach.  Performance, results, people-pleasing, excess of self-reliance or self-confidence………they all cloud our vision of simply doing what is right by God’s standards.  Obedience rarely equals comfort and popularity.   In a life of Christian faith, I suppose we could substitute the word “peace” for “confidence”.  A peace that comes from maintaining a high standard of effort toward pleasing and obeying God.

What God desires for us to do, he also equips us to do.

He desires excellence in all things from His children.  Discouragement, stress, overload, fear of failure……these are lies of Satan.

Don’t scale back.  Don’t retreat.  Know that you are where God wants you to be.  Stay there.  Try harder.  Trust more,

JUST TO SPITE THE DEVIL (but truthfully, just to please our Heavenly Father).

DETERMINATION= “I am gonna do this.”  +  FAITH= “My strength is not enough, but my Lord will become greater in my weakness.”  EQUALS…….Satan loses every time