Often I let myself off the hook by the "nobody's perfect" mindset, instead of getting serious about living a life with zero defects, where no failure to live up to the standard is excused, rationalized or accepted.

If you worked on an assembly line and you were told that they expected a 95% error-free rate, then you would know that you can make a certain number of errors, say ten errors a day. So, as you start out in the morning, you make your first error. How do you think? "No problem, I've still got nine to go.” Right? As the day progresses, the errors start to mount; three, five, six—but you're still operating within the error tolerance, so those quality misses don't worry you that much.

Now consider how you would respond if you were working under the zero defects philosophy. Your goal now is to see how close you can come to perfection. No errors. Would that first mistake bother you? Undoubtedly a lot more than when you knew you had nine more to go. Do you think you'd be more conscientious, more careful, more motivated to do it right? I think so.

What differences would it make in my life and yours if we got serious about being holy and blameless—zero defects? Suppose you approached each day with the idea that you wanted to get through that entire day without any errors; you truly wanted to be like Jesus, holy and blameless.

Don't you think you'd come a lot closer to achieving that goal than you would with the "nobody's perfect" mindset which most of us have? Don't you think you'd be more careful about what you say, about your attitude, about how you work, about integrity and honesty? And do you think those around you would see the difference if you operated with a zero defects standard?

I want to encourage you not to settle for the "nobody's perfect" mentality. I realize it looks like mission impossible to live a holy life, but what God calls us to be he empowers us to be. First Thessalonians 5:24 tells us that “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Our God knows we can't be holy on our own; we'll never make it. But if he calls us to be holy, he is prepared to show us how to reach holiness; otherwise, God would be mocking us, and he doesn't do that.

Can you be perfect? Can any of us? I’m quite certain we all would agree that nobody’s perfect! And yet there are many passages in scripture that tell us to be holy and blameless. Peter said we should be holy...

Can you be perfect? Can any of us? I'm quite certain we all would agree that nobody's perfect!

And yet there are many passages in scripture that tell us to be holy and blameless. Peter said we should be holy in all we do; for it is written, "Be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16b). Now, if you've ever considered these passages at all, have you ever as a Christian taken them seriously? Isn't it true that most of us consider perfection an impossibility, and therefore we never even give it a thought, much less set it as our goal?

In business there is a theory known as zero defects. The objective is that the product or service be produced with absolutely no defects. Some companies may have a 98% error-free rate, or 92%—or whatever. In other words, they expect and plan for some defects. But if you operate under zero defects, it means that no quality failure is acceptable, not one percent, not even one.

Now, you may ask, is there any company who actually has a zero defect rate—whose product or service is always 100% perfect? Not likely. But the ones who approach quality from a zero defects mentality do a much better job than those who expect and plan for a certain percentage of defects. When you expect some defects, guess what: you'll have them.

Now, I would propose to you that we need to approach our walk with God from a zero defects mindset. God said we should be holy for he is holy; we should be in the process of continually becoming conformed to the image of Jesus, as Paul tells us in Romans 8. So, if we are being conformed to the image of Jesus, we would have to have a zero defects mindset—right? No shortcomings, no imperfections in our lives should be planned for, excused, or accepted. Not if we want to be like Jesus.

Have you, like me, often excused yourself with the "nobody's perfect" rationalization? If so, you have probably settled for a lot less in the quality of your walk with God than you should. "But, Mary," you say, "it's true: I can't be perfect. Are you trying to lay guilt trips on me?"

No, but I think it's time we stopped excusing ourselves so easily, and consider this call to be holy. Let’s see if we can get a better handle on what it means to adopt the zero defects philosophy, and how we can start down that path.

An urge, as you know, is a strong desire or impulse. And all-too-often we are victims of our strong desires or impulses—our urges—which take us down the wrong path and cause trouble. We all have them, so I simply want to point out some urges we need to be aware of and by God’s grace, resist.

1. Resist the urge to let your emotions and enthusiasm launch you into unwise action.

I begin with this one because I recognize that too often this has been my modus operandi. I get a bright idea, an emotional urge, and I think it must be the right thing to do because I feel so strongly about it. And then, without proper thought or consideration or prayer, I plunge headlong into a project or start trying to do something that is either unwise or poorly planned.

Certainly we want to be people of action; we don’t want to sit on the sidelines talking about what we might do, handicapped by fear of making the wrong move. Walking by faith will take us outside our comfort zones and lead us to attempt things that can only be done with God’s help. Following Jesus is never a risk-free life. But at the same time, the Bible tells us that God does things decently and in order, and we need to be cautious when we move too quickly based mainly on how we feel about something.

Feelings are not always to be trusted, you know. Someone has said that feelings have zero IQ, meaning they may be strong but they’re not necessarily smart. Allowing your feelings to drive your actions is not being brave and courageous so much as it is being foolish and naïve.

Here is one thing I’ve learned that has helped to curb my tendency to launch into something prematurely and ill-advised, and it’s pretty simple: Just sleep on it. It may look like the greatest idea you’ve ever had today, but a good night’s sleep could totally change your perspective. That may mean literally wait until tomorrow, or it may mean keep sleeping on it until you have clearer thoughts and plans.

Proverbs 15:22 gives us very good advice: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” If your idea or plan is of God and it is good, it will stand the test of time. So, seek counsel from the right people, and of course, mainly seek God’s counsel. Pray much and ask God for guidance from his word. We can save ourselves a lot of unnecessary trouble and avoid wasted time if we resist the urge to launch into something based solely on our emotions.

Here’s another common urge that can get us into trouble:

2. Resist the urge to wait for everything to be perfect before you take action.

I just reminded you to resist the urge to launch into something based solely on your emotions or enthusiasm. Well, this is the flip side of that urge—and that is the idea that we can’t possibly make a move or get anything going until all of our ducks are in a row and we have every resource we need to make it happen.

Whether it’s on your job or in your personal life, seldom will everything fall perfectly in place as you pursue something new or challenging. Sometimes we set up preconditions for moving forward that are either unrealistic or simply an excuse for staying put! I can tell you that no matter how much homework you do, no matter how careful your planning process is—and it should be—things will not go exactly according to plan. And most often you have to get going before you have everything you think you need.

I am now in the midst of guiding a project that needs careful planning. We’ve already done tons of planning, including a detailed strategic plan, lots of counsel with wise people, educating ourselves in many ways. But I can tell you that God has already made it clear that we make our plans, but it is God that guides our path.

Proverbs 19:21 says: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

An urge, as you know, is a strong desire or impulse. And all-too-often we are victims of our strong desires or impulses—our urges—which take us down the wrong path and cause trouble. We all have them, so I simply want...

In the past months we’ve all gone through a lot of “what ifs,” haven’t we? Facing a global pandemic can cause you to imagine all kinds of “what ifs.” And this has caused fear to grip our country and the world.

Now we are living through the aftermath of what fear can do. It brings out the worst in people, doesn’t it? It causes those in authority to place lots of restrictions on us because they fear this disease and what it could do. I wonder if you have been caught up in the “what ifs” of fear?

I’ve been encouraging you to replace your “what ifs” with “even ifs”, and recognize that even if the worst happens, it doesn’t change our God and his promises to us. The book of Habakkuk in the Old Testament is full of the “what ifs” of the people of Israel. Their way of life was being threatened, but listen to what Habakkuk said to them:

I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound; decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled. Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us. Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior (Habakkuk 3:16-18).

Notice that he recognized and confessed his fear and the effect it had on him. It affected him physically and spiritually, as fear always does. And he lays out all the bad things that could happen to them; they could be wiped out. But Habakkuk declares that even if that happens, he will rejoice in the Lord and be joyful in God. He sets his will to do what he knows he should do—trust God and be joyful.

Can you do the same? Will you say, “YET I will rejoice in the Lord,” even though your prayers have not been answered or your dreams haven’t come true? Rejoice because the joy of the Lord is your strength, and remember that even if your “what if” becomes a reality, God will not change and he will see you through. Instead of what if, set your heart to know that even if. . . you are in the hands of Almighty God and he will never leave you or forsake you.

In the past months we’ve all gone through a lot of “what ifs,” haven’t we? Facing a global pandemic can cause you to imagine all kinds of “what ifs.” And this has caused fear to grip our country and the...

What if the day comes when you and I will be truly persecuted because we follow Jesus? That is not a far-fetched possibility, is it? We have seen our religious liberty seriously threatened, especially this last year. What if you will have to choose between keeping your job and standing true to your commitment to Jesus Christ? What if you will be ostracized or isolated or mocked because you claim to know and love Jesus? What if you are required to agree to certain politically correct principles that you know are wrong and false?

These are real possibilities for us, even here in our free country, and some are even facing these situations already. This is a “what if” we need to think about, and it can be frightening. Here is what Peter tells us about suffering for Jesus:

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil (1 Peter 3:13-17).

I’ve been suggesting that we need to go from “what if” to “even if”, and this is a good example of what that means. Even if we are called to suffer for our faith in Jesus Christ, Peter says you are blessed. And Jesus addressed this possibility clearly in his Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:11-12).

So, even if you find yourself suffering in some way because you are standing firm for what you know is true and righteous, you have this promise from Jesus of a great reward in heaven. So, don’t dwell on the “what ifs” of being persecuted for righteousness sake; focus on the “even if” and rejoice and be glad that you are qualified for a great reward.

What if the day comes when you and I will be truly persecuted because we follow Jesus? That is not a far-fetched possibility, is it? We have seen our religious liberty seriously threatened, especially this last year. What if you...

What happens to us when we’re caught up in the “what ifs” of life? What if this happens or that doesn’t happen? This “what if” condition is really just fear, isn’t it? When fear grips your mind, it can paralyze...