Winging It

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable…”
- 2 Timothy 3:16

“So, you just get up there and wing it?” I have been asked this question many times in my life, because I rarely use notes when I speak. The answer: No, I don’t just wing it!

Few people understand how many hours, days and years I have studied the subjects I speak on to build (what I hope is) a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Nor do they realize how much time I put into working out how best to communicate in a way people can readily understand. I don’t always get it right, but I work hard to communicate effectively.

Pardon my self-focused insight into this topic. Winging it has been a criticism I’ve encountered my entire life. Winging it means “doing or trying something without much practice or preparation.” It ruffles my feathers when people think that is what I’m doing. It should also ruffle all of our feathers when we discover we are doing it in our own lives. I’m talking about being the church.

“Winging it” comes from the theater. It was first used to describe an actor who was unprepared for the role they would play. Thus, they would have to periodically step off stage to the “wings,” on the side out of sight from the audience, and quickly consult the script; or receive prompts from someone reading the script from the wings.

I find that many of us wing it in our Christian lives. We spend little time in study and preparation of the script—the Bible. We neglect exercising in practice daily the beliefs we hold. And we become dependent on stepping to the wings from Sunday to Sunday to review the script and figure out how to negotiate the scene for the week. This is not what church was meant to be.

Church was meant to be a gathering you come to as a contributor, not just a consumer; a giver, not just a receiver. It is important we both give and receive. However, that requires the study and practice being done throughout the week. Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…”.

What is the purpose gathering together as the church? To holdfast the confession and worship our Lord who is faithful. To consider each other. To stir up love and good works. This is why we gather. To give and contribute of all the gifts God has given us. He who promised is faithful.

We are just winging it if we never study the script (Scriptures). Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” That does not mean just listening in church. The word of God is the Bible. The passage is saying that faith comes from understanding the Word. No one else can do that for you. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

I am so grateful you take the time to read the devotions I write. However, if you are not spending time in the Word of God…do that first! It is where life is found, faith and hope are strengthened, and life change is brought to be. It is how we come to know our Lord and Savior!

The living Lord lives in and through His children, and will teach you in all things.

“But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and is just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27)

Don’t wing it in your faith and let someone else provide the prompts to make it through another week. Study the script (Scriptures) and live the role Christ created you to live. Know Him and allow Him to work through your life this week. Because He created you to be an unique expression of Him in this world.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Eternal vs Everlasting Life

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
- John 3:14-16

Many are faithfully expectant of eternal life, but what they are actually called to is an everlasting life.

What is the difference between eternal and everlasting life? In John 3:14-16, the same Greek word is used in both instances. It can be translated as either eternal or everlasting life. But why repeat the same point? Because it is not the same.

Since the same Greek word is used, as is often the case in the Bible, you have to use context clues to determine what the author actually means. It is no different than if I said the following: I hope you have a full life (meaning: many years of life) and a full life (meaning: a meaningful life during the years you have). “Full” in this context has two meanings. You can only determine what I mean if you take in the complete context of our conversation.

This is the type of usage we have in John. Where the Greek word means both eternal and everlasting. But what is the difference? Context is key.

The first usage of the word is in conjunction with Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness when the Israelites were dying from venomous snake bites after rebelling against God. (Numbers 21:4-9) He affixed a bronze serpent on a staff, and anyone who looked to it in belief was saved.

Moses believed the Word of God and his faith was accredited to him as righteousness. Although for Moses the Savior had not yet come, he believed in the Word and placed his faith in the promise of eternal life. An eternal life that was in the future and would be obtained after his death. Christ being “lifted up” on the cross was the satisfaction of Moses’ faith, and thus all who believed in the Word of God for eternal life.

However, those of us on this side of the cross know the Word of God as Jesus Christ. He was lifted up as the serpent, but was a final and perfect sacrifice. All those who believe in Him have everlasting life. Meaning a new life in Christ that begins now and continues through eternity.

This part of Christianity is missed often. I know of many Christians who feel like they are on there own in this world, but expectant of an eternal life to come, much like Moses. This view does not align with scripture and robs many Christians of the extraordinary life they have in Christ.

Unlike Moses, we are able to abide in Christ. We are in Him, and He is in us and desires to live through us. The Holy Spirit is joined with us and cannot be separated. Our hope is not in a future promise, bur rather a promise with a future. Our eternity is meant to begin now and be everlasting.

I’m humbled by the many days I walked (and sometime continue to walk) this world alone under my own strength. What a shame of lost time I have allowed to be captured by selfishness. I have the living Lord who desires to walk with me, work through me and be a part of every moment of my life. Every moment should be an eternal moment. Yet, how often I allow it to be a temporal moment going it alone.

For the Christian, eternity is not something in the future. It is now and is meant to be everlasting. If we could only grasp this truth, oh, how our lives would change!

This week I’m focused on making every moment an eternal moment. Living life in the everlasting promise of Christ. Inviting Him to join me, work through me and make every moment possible an eternal moment. I know I won’t get it all right, but every next step is an opportunity to walk in the eternal, if I just open myself up to Him working in me. Eternity started the moment we believed in Christ and it is everlasting!

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

The Shiny Heinie Club

“When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.”
- Proverbs 11:2

At the lake, one of the most ignoble clubs you can join is the Shiny Heinie Club! Induction involves being pulled violently behind the boat on a tube (or anything) at such a speed that impacting the water rips your swimsuit off and you have to reenter the boat shiny heinie and all.

In my younger days, Wendy and I would regularly go to the lake with three other couples. It was always extreme. We would barefoot ski until I would return home with bruises from my shoulders to mid-thighs. However, I always took precautions to guard against admittance into the Shiny Heinie Club. I would wear long shorts and tie the draw string extra tight every time I entered the water.

One day, I was bragging about my prowess on the water. Brian responded with a smirk that he could throw me off a tube in a heartbeat. I laughed. I entered the water, climbed on the tube and prepared for what would be the most intense ride of my life. Throttle to the max, he was flying across the lake. He would turn and I would swing to the side. At times the momentum would hurl me in front of the boat. Then the slack would catch and it felt as if my arms would be ripped off. On those frantic swings the only way I could stay on the tube was to intentionally barrel roll with it skipping on top of the water. Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, he hurled me from the tube.

As the boat pulled up to gather me, my entire body was both numb and tingling at the same time. I climbed into the boat. I walked from the back of the boat to the front where my wife sat. No one said a word. It wasn’t till I got to the front of the boat and turned around to sit down that my wife started in exclamation. The shorts I was wearing had a pocket on the back. As I was skipping on the water, the water caught the pocket and ripped the entire back of my shorts off. I could’t feel it because I was beat to a pulp and numb. It was a long rest of the day enduring the hazing of having joined the Shiny Heinie Club!

It is too easy to succumb to pride. We sail along with winds of success and accomplishment powering our progress. We develop a sense of competence. With self-confidence and assurance in our pocket we take the wheel and say, “Watch this!” It is that very self-confidence and assurance that ultimately leads to ripping away our protection and exposing us to shame.

Proverbs 11:2 warns us, “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.” Pride led me to believe I was challenging Brian, but I wasn’t. I was challenging a boat that had more power than I could ever handle. It was filled with fuel that would outlast any effort I could ever muster.

How easy it is for us to do the same in life. We think we are dealing with people we can beat, outsmart, outperform, outwit and control. Yet, the truth is we are dealing with powers far beyond our meager efforts. Ephesians 6:12 tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Yet, we want to grab the wheel and say, “Watch this!”

Being humble means seeing yourself as you truly are in the world. Neither greater, nor lesser. True humility is understanding everyday we face powers far greater than what we can see or comprehend. Understanding we can not overpower them on our own. If we try, we will be exposed and left in shame. Humility is coming to the point we realize we need someone else to drive the boat! Someone who cares deeply for us and only wants what is best for our lives.

Humility becomes wisdom when we relinquish control. Walk by faith, trusting in our Lord to work through our lives. No matter how powerful the forces against us may be, they are nothing compared to Jesus Christ. There is no shame to be found when we trust the One who has told us, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

You Are Here

“The Lord will guide you continually, …”
- Isaiah 58:11

Spiritually, an inability to accurately identify your position (and more importantly how you arrived at it) can undermine your growth. Everyone has made decisions which led to our current position. Understanding where we are enables us to chart a new path forward.

Reading maps is becoming a lost art. I love maps. In fact, my journals are filled with several maps I’ve drawn from towns and villages in which I worked overseas. I see things in my head as a map. GPS has changed all that for most people. We type in an address and follow the line never seeing more than a couple miles in front of us.

I’m always humored by maps at attractions like parks. They have all the normal indicators you would find on a map: North, structures, landmarks, legend and map scale. However, the most prominent feature on those maps—usually in red—is the marker “You Are Here.” It denotes the physical location of your current position.

In orienteering (using only a map and compass) there are three primary things you have to know: 1) your current location, 2) your destination, and 3) how to identify landmarks to guide your progress; i.e. reading a map. Normally, you have to identify landmarks to figure out where you are on the map at the start. Attractions save you this trouble by placing the largest identifier on the map there for you with “You Are Here.”

Sometimes, we want the same identifier in our spiritual life. Just tell me where I am. Yet, it is crucial to be able to identify the markers along the way that got you to this point. It is vital to align those with the map—God’s Word—and calibrate them with the compass—Christ—to gain an understanding of our current position. Otherwise we are just as likely to make the same decisions, turns, and take the same paths that led us to this point.

Praise God, as Isaiah writes, “The Lord will guide you continually,…”. However, to be guided we must refer to the map. We must utilize the compass. A major part of the effort is to identify where we are on the map. What was the path we took to get here? But where you are is not the most important thing on the map. It is all about where are you going.

You can’t go down the same old path to get to a new place. You can’t keep making the same decisions and expect a different outcome. You can’t remain who you are and become you desire to be. You have to identify where you are and leave those things behind to experience the new and glorious.

If we took a moment to consider, often we would find we are where we are because we have expected Christ to join us, rather than us joining Him. His Word is our map. He is our compass. As Colossians 2:6 encourages us, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.”

How did we receive him? We had nothing to offer. We could not bring anything to the table. We had to put all that we are into His hands. And He worked in and through us for our salvation. We are to walk the same. Not according to our own plans, desires, passions or opportunities. We are to put each step into His hands. We are to consistently refer to the true map and compass, and allow Him to work through our lives.

It is of little import where you are on the map beyond having a starting point. Nor does it really matter what route you take. What does matter is that you read the map, trust the compass and follow the route they chart. That route is for your good. It is for your benefit.

If you desire to be all God created you to be, you cannot remain who you are today. Perhaps it is time to pull out the Map, consult the Compass and chart a new direction. And know if you trust Him, “The Lord will guide you continually,…”

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Hard Questions

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
- James 1:5

Hard questions abound. Whether you are talking about understanding God, yourself, your spouse, your kids, the world or even trying to figure out how to make a $100 in the bank account cover a $400 payment due. Some of the hardest can come from the lips of a child armed with only one relentless, unending question: why?

We all struggle with hard questions. Some are hard because they are unanswerable, impractical, lost to history, marred by our past, limited by our resources…shall I keep going? Some are hard simply because we are ignorant. I don’t mean that as a disparaging comment. I mean it literally; we just don’t know what we need to know to answer the question.

None of us have all the answers. Some days I’m just content to have one. As a speaker I have been confronted publicly with many hard questions. Sometimes my answers just stink. Other times I have none. I’m not alone. None of us are perfect.

Martin Luther is well documented as having had an “abrasive, contentious, and often vulgar, communication style”. It has been said that he was once asked by a student, “What was God doing before He created the world?” Luther quickly responded, “He sat under a birch tree in the woods cutting switches to punish people with nosey questions!” (Several variations of this quote exist. I utilize a paraphrase from memory out of the audio book by historian Daniel J. Boorstin, The Creators, 1992)

Why is it we feel we have to have all the answers? Why is it we think we cannot fully commit to our Lord if we have any doubts?

Socrates is considered by many to be one of the wisest people who ever lived. However, his entire philosophy was built on the concept that he had no answers. Only questions. The Socratic paradox was his statement, “I know that I know nothing.”

I want to know everything. Yet, everything I learn only leads me to more questions. And that is a good thing.

Never fear ignorance or the inability to answer hard questions. What we should fear is being satisfied with what we know. Being comfortable with our knowledge. What a tragic position to be in to be comfortable in our limited understanding.

Even worse is when, in our ignorance, we simply adopt what others say. Others may lead, challenge and enlighten. However, in all the information they share, you will never find the answer you truly desire. It can only be found in the Word—in Christ.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Questions and doubts are meant to bring us to the Lord. They are ever present to draw us to Him. They are a catalyst.

Questions and doubts can unlock spiritual growth if we handle them properly. By that I mean, if we take them to our Lord. As James 1:5 states, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

The Lord is the Word. The Word of God is the Bible. The Bible is our constitution. A constitution means a document that establishes. Truth is established in God’s Word. His answers will always align with His Word. THE ANSWER can only become OUR ANSWER when we ask Him, seek Him and knock at His door.

Got hard questions? Ask. Seek. Knock. The wisdom you need for this moment to walk in Christ will be given to you! Then keep asking—moment by moment, day by day.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.