Can the Excuses | Crosstraining 1.7.14

Luke 14:18-20 “Excuses are like buttholes, everyone has one and they all stink.” It may not be the most poetic saying ever, but it’s still true. As I look back on my life, I see countless times when I’ve made excuses for myself. Excuses for why I did or didn’t do something. Excuses to get out of things I didn’t want to do. Excuses for when I messed up. Some more than others, but we all do this. We make excuses for our addictions. We make excuses for why we aren’t the people God wants us to be. The problem with excuses is that there is often some level of reality associated with them. “Things have been really stressful at work, so I needed this to take the edge off.” Sure, things may have been stressful, but using it as an excuse to feed into your bad habits is nothing but destructive. One big excuse we all point to is: “I just can’t do it” or “I’m just not strong enough.” The Bible says that we can do everything He asks of us through Jesus. He’s there for us, ready and willing to empower us to overcome our excuses. Are you ready to can your excuses? // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: Make a list of your most common go to excuses and share or journal about them. Why do you make the excuses so often? What do you need to do to get over them? Pray: As you begin your prayer time today, take a few minutes sharing with God the list you made of your most common excuses. Ask Him to empower you to overcome your excuses. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: Mark 3]]>