Are you ready for a Flashpoint?

Are you ready for a flashpoint? That is Stephen Arterburn’s basic question in his book, Flashpoint.  Someone gave me this book and I can say I really needed to read it.  At times we get to a place in life which I would call a “funk” and need new direction.  I will have to go back over this book but here are some of the highlights and insight which I gained (or was reminded) from Arterburn.

A flashpoint is that point in a fire where everything combustible will suddenly ignite.  Sometimes we think we’re in a funk but in reality we are in the heat of life and are just on the cusp of a flashpoint experience.  But sometimes we snuff out the spark that could ignite something incredible in our life.  Arterburn talks about this.

I don’t want to oversimplify the idea of a flashpoint but a flashpoint is basically a point of change.  Life brings something to you – usually bad – and you are discouraged, frustrated, beat-down, or otherwise in a funk.  If this somehow describes you then you’re in need of a flashpoint experience.  I don’t want to steel Arterburn’s thunder, but be careful not to give into the voices of fear and doubt which plague us.  God stands ready to help, push, prod, and deliver.  The flashpoint maybe waiting on us to learn something (such as character, grace, patience, a vital skill, etc.) or we need to remove something negative from our lives (e.g. anger, fear, worry, or guilt).  Don’t quit on God during this time.

Take a look at your health, marriage, social life, spiritual life, and mental life.  Are you growing?  Then perhaps this is what the flashpoint is waiting on.  Perhaps you need to grow in some area.  What about you health?  Do you need to lose weight, or get in better shape or eat better?  What about your spiritual life?  We sometimes complain about things – and God – but maybe God is waiting to talk to us through His word?!

We need to develop a heart of expectancy and inspiration.  Then with this perspective of faith we need to evaluate where we are in these various areas and begin to simplify.  Make changes to what we know we need to improve.  Focus on the thing that you want to do and look for the flashpoint in that area.  Don’t quit.  Arterburn recommends that we don’t let fear, worry, or guilt stop us from moving forward.

That’s a few thoughts now off the top of my head about the book.  It at least he made me think and pray …

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