WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.940 Are you or someone you know going through a really, 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:08.160 really hard time right now? Do you feel down? 00:00:08.279 --> 00:00:11.359 Are you discouraged? Do you simply want to know, 00:00:11.439 --> 00:00:14.580 oh God, how do I get out of this? How do I get 00:00:14.580 --> 00:00:17.280 perspective? Well, stay with me. That's today. 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:24.199 Thank you for being with us for this edition 00:00:24.199 --> 00:00:27.440 of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Chip 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:29.800 serves as our Bible teacher for this global teaching 00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:32.340 and discipleship ministry, helping Christians 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:35.500 develop an authentic faith. Well, in just a minute, 00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:37.460 we'll pick up where we left off in our series, 00:00:37.600 --> 00:00:41.320 I Choose Joy. As Chip asks, with all the uncertainty 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:44.399 and anxiety in today's world, how do you endure 00:00:44.399 --> 00:00:47.740 and have genuine, lasting joy? Well, today you'll 00:00:47.740 --> 00:00:50.469 discover how. But first, to help you get the 00:00:50.469 --> 00:00:53.270 absolute most out of this critical message, download 00:00:53.270 --> 00:00:56.049 Chip's message notes. They contain his outline, 00:00:56.329 --> 00:00:59.289 scripture references, and more. You can get them 00:00:59.289 --> 00:01:02.350 under the broadcasts tab at livingontheedge .org, 00:01:02.490 --> 00:01:05.790 app listeners tab, fill in notes. Well, with 00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:08.069 that, here's Chip to share part two of his message, 00:01:08.250 --> 00:01:11.489 Understanding the Power of Focus from Philippians 00:01:11.489 --> 00:01:16.150 chapter one. How do you develop? an upward focus. 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:18.450 And I'm going to suggest right from this passage, 00:01:18.549 --> 00:01:23.569 number one, it's a choice. It's a choice. And 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:28.069 the choice is gratitude. And the way you do it 00:01:28.069 --> 00:01:31.349 is you choose to remember and you thank God for 00:01:31.349 --> 00:01:35.390 significant relationships. In the mornings, our 00:01:35.390 --> 00:01:38.049 whole staff comes down here and we have a prayer 00:01:38.049 --> 00:01:40.890 time. And different pastors, actually different... 00:01:41.069 --> 00:01:43.909 people on the staff lead it. And we all sit here 00:01:43.909 --> 00:01:45.510 and he goes, here's what we're going to do for 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:47.909 the first 20 minutes. I want you to write on 00:01:47.909 --> 00:01:51.290 these three by five cards, everything that you 00:01:51.290 --> 00:01:56.109 can possibly thank God for in 20 minutes. Just 00:01:56.109 --> 00:02:02.450 don't stop writing. I filled out five. God, thank 00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:04.829 you that you forgave me. God, thank you for your 00:02:04.829 --> 00:02:06.469 word. Thank you that your spirit lives within 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:08.830 me. Thank you for Teresa. Thank you for Eric. 00:02:08.949 --> 00:02:10.830 Thank you for Jason. Thank you for Ryan. Thank 00:02:10.830 --> 00:02:13.909 you, right? God, thank you for this church. Thank 00:02:13.909 --> 00:02:15.770 you for the people I get to work with. God, thank 00:02:15.770 --> 00:02:18.849 you that, you know, in the midst of a crazy world, 00:02:18.949 --> 00:02:21.069 this is where we live. I mean, it was easy. I 00:02:21.069 --> 00:02:24.710 had five of these filled front and back. And 00:02:24.710 --> 00:02:28.490 I had this weird experience afterwards. I had 00:02:28.490 --> 00:02:32.360 a great attitude that day. It's just a weird 00:02:32.360 --> 00:02:34.900 experience, you know? It's just like, you know, 00:02:34.919 --> 00:02:40.979 hey, you know? Why? Here's why. I spent 20 minutes 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:44.840 focusing on what God has provided instead of 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:48.680 my humanness like yours is to always focus on 00:02:48.680 --> 00:02:52.680 what is missing. Second, it's an action prayer. 00:02:54.259 --> 00:02:58.199 Prayer. By the way, remember he said, I willfully 00:02:58.199 --> 00:03:05.460 chose. Willfully chose to remember the past youthfulness 00:03:05.460 --> 00:03:09.400 and the partnership. See, I think we think prayer 00:03:09.400 --> 00:03:11.080 is always going to be some ooey -gooey feelings 00:03:11.080 --> 00:03:12.979 and these wonderful, great connections with God. 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:16.259 Part of my rehab on this fusion on my back was 00:03:16.259 --> 00:03:18.699 walking, walking, walking, walking until I could 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:22.479 walk for an hour. That's a lot of walking. And 00:03:22.479 --> 00:03:23.719 I just have to tell you, there's times when, 00:03:23.740 --> 00:03:26.680 one, I didn't want to walk. Two, I bummed out. 00:03:27.310 --> 00:03:30.069 And just, I mean, honestly, a little pity party. 00:03:30.189 --> 00:03:33.629 God, you know, why me? Trying to serve you with 00:03:33.629 --> 00:03:37.310 all my heart. Wimpy, wimpy, chippy, chippy, you 00:03:37.310 --> 00:03:41.870 know. Just like you guys do. And then I remember, 00:03:42.009 --> 00:03:44.250 I walk in and I listen to some worship songs 00:03:44.250 --> 00:03:46.889 and I pull out those earplugs. Father, I thank 00:03:46.889 --> 00:03:49.090 you. And I started quoting verses. And then I 00:03:49.090 --> 00:03:51.689 started praying for people. I just started praying 00:03:51.689 --> 00:03:53.509 for people. I started praying for a lot of you. 00:03:53.610 --> 00:03:55.610 I prayed for our staff. I prayed for the city. 00:03:55.689 --> 00:03:57.650 All of a sudden, I realized, you know, this isn't 00:03:57.650 --> 00:03:59.150 the best time praying I've had in a lot of years. 00:03:59.610 --> 00:04:03.189 Why? Because I had to walk. I don't know what 00:04:03.189 --> 00:04:04.810 you're going through, but it's not an accident. 00:04:06.210 --> 00:04:09.449 You can develop an upward focus by choosing to 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:14.090 give thanks and by the action of prayer. And 00:04:14.090 --> 00:04:16.089 third, there's an attitude, and the attitude 00:04:16.089 --> 00:04:20.980 is confidence. You know, I remember like toward 00:04:20.980 --> 00:04:23.959 the end of my walks, what I realized was, you 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:25.779 know, I've been through a lot of hard times. 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:29.480 I'm getting older. And I've had God's promises 00:04:29.480 --> 00:04:31.819 and God's character, God's promises and God's 00:04:31.819 --> 00:04:33.459 character. And, you know, I have these little 00:04:33.459 --> 00:04:35.420 packets where I've memorized verses over the 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:37.519 years. And I started reading some of these old 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:41.740 verses and I found one, 1978, God's promises 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:44.980 for Chip and Teresa. I mean, that was like a 00:04:44.980 --> 00:04:47.660 month before we got married. And God gave me 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:50.060 this passage, this Old Testament passage. And 00:04:50.060 --> 00:04:52.899 I was reading through that. I thought, like, 00:04:52.920 --> 00:04:56.720 are you kidding me? I mean, my life is like 100x 00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:59.500 better than I ever, ever, ever dreamed. But it 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:01.199 doesn't matter how good it is because if I have 00:05:01.199 --> 00:05:04.060 a really great day today left to myself, I just 00:05:04.060 --> 00:05:08.879 want it a little bit better. Right? And so do 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:13.060 you. But I want you to know that you choose. 00:05:13.240 --> 00:05:17.860 You choose joy by being grateful. by being prayerful 00:05:17.860 --> 00:05:20.860 and being confident of the future, not because 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.100 you've got it all together, not because your 00:05:23.100 --> 00:05:25.379 circumstances are going to change, but there 00:05:25.379 --> 00:05:28.639 is a God who put his spirit within you who says, 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:31.620 I'm confident of this very thing, that he who 00:05:31.620 --> 00:05:35.240 began a good work in you has promises and character 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:38.389 that he's going to see you through. And I don't 00:05:38.389 --> 00:05:40.230 want to be morbid, but the very worst thing that 00:05:40.230 --> 00:05:43.089 could happen is you die and end up in the presence 00:05:43.089 --> 00:05:46.290 of Christ with no more pain and the best atmosphere 00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:49.930 forever and ever and ever. Say, our hope isn't 00:05:49.930 --> 00:05:53.670 in this world. There's three observations that 00:05:53.670 --> 00:05:56.730 I see out of this passage that have been both 00:05:56.730 --> 00:05:59.790 helpful and convicting to me, so I want to share 00:05:59.790 --> 00:06:03.730 the wealth. Observation number one from verses 00:06:03.730 --> 00:06:06.230 seven and eight are that difficult circumstances 00:06:06.230 --> 00:06:10.990 reveal our true affections. Fire number one, 00:06:10.990 --> 00:06:14.870 he was depressed because he lost his stuff. And 00:06:14.870 --> 00:06:17.209 he was a believer, but he got caught up in stuff 00:06:17.209 --> 00:06:20.970 and money and prestige and flying to Vail and 00:06:20.970 --> 00:06:25.790 skiing and luxury vacations. And fire number 00:06:25.790 --> 00:06:31.180 two, he had a different set of affections. Second 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:33.060 observation is living above our circumstances 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:35.220 occurs when our hearts are so full of people, 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:39.160 there's no room for self -pity. That's what happened 00:06:39.160 --> 00:06:44.220 in fire number two. 48 hours later, all 12 of 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:47.560 his master craftsmen had jobs with his competitors. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:52.360 Paul, when you squeeze Paul, Paul's like a sponge. 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:55.800 You squeeze Paul with pressure and chains and 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:59.899 difficulty. And what oozes out is who he really 00:06:59.899 --> 00:07:02.560 was. And who he really was was a man who loved 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.000 God with all of his heart and cared so deeply 00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:10.100 about people. When pressure and difficulty and 00:07:10.100 --> 00:07:12.600 circumstances, whether it's work or health or 00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:15.560 problems in your family, when the vice of pressure 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:18.000 and circumstances come into your life, whatever 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.720 oozes out, that's who you are. That's who you 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:24.540 really are. If you're negative, if you're critical, 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.459 if you're blaming, If you're down on everyone, 00:07:27.639 --> 00:07:31.399 I mean, it's easy to have a great attitude when 00:07:31.399 --> 00:07:38.279 things are going great. God uses affliction sometimes 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:42.160 to allow adverse circumstances to realign our 00:07:42.160 --> 00:07:46.540 affections. I mean, we all want to change, right? 00:07:47.600 --> 00:07:51.519 This whole deal I've been with on my back, if 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:55.180 you would have asked me before all this, I would 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:56.459 have said, you know, I'm working on some things, 00:07:56.579 --> 00:08:01.459 but God revealed some blind spots in my life, 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:06.079 and I'm so glad he did. And actually, my wife 00:08:06.079 --> 00:08:10.459 was very kind the way she did it, and my children 00:08:10.459 --> 00:08:13.740 as well, and a couple friends. Basically, these 00:08:13.740 --> 00:08:15.899 new revelations I had about these blind spots 00:08:15.899 --> 00:08:18.100 that I needed to address, they kind of looked 00:08:18.100 --> 00:08:22.610 at me like, oh, really? You just found out? So 00:08:22.610 --> 00:08:25.009 you just got that you're driven, over -the -top, 00:08:25.009 --> 00:08:28.970 productivity -centered, nuts, in a loving kind 00:08:28.970 --> 00:08:32.429 of way? You know, sometimes God loves you so 00:08:32.429 --> 00:08:34.649 much that you're praying, oh, God, take it away, 00:08:34.769 --> 00:08:36.289 take it away, take it away, take it away, take 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:40.909 it away. He's going, no. My goal isn't to make 00:08:40.909 --> 00:08:42.830 your life comfortable. My goal is to make you 00:08:42.830 --> 00:08:45.870 holy. And the only way you'll ever really be 00:08:45.870 --> 00:08:48.009 happy is if you're holy. And the only way you're 00:08:48.009 --> 00:08:50.549 holy is if you see what needs to be addressed 00:08:50.549 --> 00:08:53.529 and allow me to forgive and cleanse and empower 00:08:53.529 --> 00:08:58.549 you. The summary on the first portion of this 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:00.690 section was that our feelings always follow our 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:05.230 focus. In case you missed that, our feelings 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:09.389 always follow our focus. So how you are emotionally 00:09:09.389 --> 00:09:11.809 is always going to be determined on what you 00:09:11.809 --> 00:09:15.190 focus on. And then here, our focus always follows 00:09:15.190 --> 00:09:19.809 our affections. See, my focus is my affections. 00:09:19.809 --> 00:09:24.149 My affections were, and not uniquely, but my 00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:27.350 blind spot was my affections were around that 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:31.389 being productive is what gave me value with God 00:09:31.389 --> 00:09:33.870 and people. Not solely. I mean, it wasn't like 00:09:33.870 --> 00:09:36.710 I was just completely in left field. But there 00:09:36.710 --> 00:09:39.730 was a lot more of that than I ever dreamed. And 00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:44.629 what I want you to know is that God is not down 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:47.690 on you and the difficulties that we have in our 00:09:47.690 --> 00:09:50.070 life and the circumstances in a fallen world. 00:09:51.009 --> 00:09:53.950 In a fallen world, there's storms, there's tsunamis, 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:57.190 there's earthquakes. The issue will be, what 00:09:57.190 --> 00:10:01.269 do you focus on and how do you respond? As I 00:10:01.269 --> 00:10:04.789 think about saying, okay, Lord, I want to choose 00:10:04.789 --> 00:10:08.009 joy. I understand I need to have an upward focus 00:10:08.009 --> 00:10:12.450 and an outward focus. And I get to have an upward 00:10:12.450 --> 00:10:14.710 focus. I need to choose to be grateful. I need 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:19.029 to talk to you. And I understand that there's 00:10:19.029 --> 00:10:21.769 some things that adversity reveals. But here's 00:10:21.769 --> 00:10:23.590 the last question I want to address. It's this, 00:10:23.649 --> 00:10:28.110 is how... Do you develop this outward focus? 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.850 How do you get where under pressure you're praying 00:10:31.850 --> 00:10:34.389 for other people the way Paul prays for other 00:10:34.389 --> 00:10:37.169 people? How do you do it where it becomes a habit, 00:10:37.250 --> 00:10:39.710 where it becomes who you are, not just a thought 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:42.570 under some pressure? And I'm going to suggest 00:10:42.570 --> 00:10:45.149 that the Apostle Paul is going to address that 00:10:45.149 --> 00:10:50.240 in verses 9 through 11 specifically. You're listening 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:52.940 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and he'll 00:10:52.940 --> 00:10:55.320 be right back to continue our series. But quickly, 00:10:55.440 --> 00:10:58.139 if you're eager to do a deeper study of Philippians 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:00.860 chapter one, check out Chip's newest book, I 00:11:00.860 --> 00:11:03.940 Choose Joy. And right now we have a special deal 00:11:03.940 --> 00:11:06.259 exclusively for you, our faithful listeners. 00:11:06.460 --> 00:11:09.179 So stick around after the teaching to learn more. 00:11:09.580 --> 00:11:12.360 With that, here's Chip to finish this insightful 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:17.320 message. Number one, think about those who've 00:11:17.320 --> 00:11:21.909 loved you the most. When you are really discouraged 00:11:21.909 --> 00:11:25.710 and really down, just think, who are the people 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:29.509 that have loved me the most? It's what he does 00:11:29.509 --> 00:11:33.330 in verse three. I thank my God in all my remembrance 00:11:33.330 --> 00:11:36.769 of you. They've just sent a financial gift. And 00:11:36.769 --> 00:11:38.049 you know, when you're in prison back in those 00:11:38.049 --> 00:11:40.549 days, they didn't like serve food. If you didn't 00:11:40.549 --> 00:11:42.029 have friends to bring you food, you'd just die. 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:46.309 And he was just, you think about the people that 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:49.440 have loved you the most. Instead of the people 00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:52.700 that rip you off the most. And then here's something 00:11:52.700 --> 00:11:56.720 interesting. You pray for those you think about 00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:00.559 the most. And put a big circle around prayer. 00:12:02.179 --> 00:12:04.519 And by the way, there's a couple different ways 00:12:04.519 --> 00:12:09.120 to pray. I had a good friend who really struggled 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:12.360 with, if this was this full, he could focus on 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:15.700 that much being empty. I'm not a very good counselor, 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.159 but I gave him a few shots, you know, and tried 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.759 to help him. And so I just said, well, are you 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:22.919 praying? He goes, yeah. And so I said, well, 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:26.279 he goes, it doesn't help. I said, well, let's 00:12:26.279 --> 00:12:28.320 pray right now together. I'll never forget this. 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:30.220 And if you've heard this story, you need to hear 00:12:30.220 --> 00:12:32.159 it again because it was like, are you kidding 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:36.120 me? And so it was in my little apartment. And 00:12:36.120 --> 00:12:38.720 so Bob and I both get on our knees. I said, Bob, 00:12:38.820 --> 00:12:41.379 you pray first and then I'll pray. And so Bob 00:12:41.379 --> 00:12:45.289 gets down. Oh, God, you know the terrible childhood 00:12:45.289 --> 00:12:48.629 I had. You know how bad my father was. You know 00:12:48.629 --> 00:12:51.169 how the kids teased me all my life. You know, 00:12:51.169 --> 00:12:53.789 and I mean, he went on and on and on and on and 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:55.669 on. I mean, he didn't pray at all. He was whining 00:12:55.669 --> 00:12:58.610 in the presence of God. I mean, at one point, 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:00.490 I just opened my eyes and go, like, for real? 00:13:01.730 --> 00:13:05.250 You know, and you know that, you know, I haven't 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:07.129 been able to hold down a job, and I think everyone 00:13:07.129 --> 00:13:09.269 doesn't like me. And then finally, hey, Bob, 00:13:09.330 --> 00:13:11.110 Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob, let me, let me, can I cut 00:13:11.110 --> 00:13:16.980 in here? God help Bob. Amen. Okay. I said, Bob, 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:19.419 that's how you pray, right? He said, well, yeah. 00:13:19.539 --> 00:13:21.659 I said, I got news for you. You can pray till 00:13:21.659 --> 00:13:23.519 the cows come in. God's not answering that one. 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.779 Bob, that's just, that's not prayer. That's you. 00:13:28.039 --> 00:13:30.340 You're telling God all this. You've told me this. 00:13:30.759 --> 00:13:32.860 And I've heard it once or twice or three times. 00:13:32.919 --> 00:13:34.519 And now, have you noticed that people in this 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:36.039 fellowship, like when you come around, they start 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:38.480 going, yeah, it's terrible, isn't it? I said, 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:42.200 there's a reason, Bob. He said, what's the reason? 00:13:42.340 --> 00:13:45.120 I said, you're like a recorder. All you do is 00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:47.480 whine, complain, whine, complain. We try to help 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.659 you once, but he said, Bob, okay, let's try a 00:13:50.659 --> 00:13:54.100 different prayer. Pray something like this. And 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:58.000 this I pray. God, would you help Bob's love, 00:13:58.200 --> 00:14:01.820 his passion, like never before, to understand 00:14:01.820 --> 00:14:05.159 who you really are, how much you love him, and 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.320 have discernment about what truth is in life. 00:14:08.559 --> 00:14:12.529 In order that, Bob could approve the things that 00:14:12.529 --> 00:14:15.429 are excellent. He might know what are the best 00:14:15.429 --> 00:14:17.429 things for him and the people and the things 00:14:17.429 --> 00:14:19.809 that are worse for him so that his life could 00:14:19.809 --> 00:14:22.149 be blameless. The word means tested by sunlight. 00:14:23.850 --> 00:14:25.909 Sincere, tested by sunlight. Take that back. 00:14:26.070 --> 00:14:29.389 And blameless means morally pure. In other words, 00:14:29.470 --> 00:14:32.730 what Paul prays and what we can pray, I pray 00:14:32.730 --> 00:14:35.730 this for my kids. I pray this for me. I pray 00:14:35.730 --> 00:14:39.519 this for Teresa. I pray this for our staff. I 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:41.120 mean, sometimes I think we have these prayers. 00:14:41.220 --> 00:14:42.980 God, help so -and -so, help so -and -so, help 00:14:42.980 --> 00:14:44.460 so -and -so, help so -and -so. God knows all 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:46.080 that, and I'm not saying we shouldn't do it. 00:14:46.840 --> 00:14:50.019 But when Paul prays, Paul prays, this is what 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:53.419 I'm praying. I pray this for my adult kids. Lord 00:14:53.419 --> 00:14:56.600 God, would you give them an experiential, genuine 00:14:56.600 --> 00:14:59.720 knowledge of you where they feel you and experience 00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:03.620 you like never before in such a way that in the 00:15:03.620 --> 00:15:06.259 world and all the pools that are coming at them, 00:15:06.360 --> 00:15:08.179 they would understand, I don't want to go that 00:15:08.179 --> 00:15:10.740 direction, but I want to go this direction. And 00:15:10.740 --> 00:15:12.679 God, that each one of my boys, that you would 00:15:12.679 --> 00:15:14.759 keep them pure in their hearts and their minds. 00:15:14.860 --> 00:15:17.620 And each one of my daughter and my daughter -in 00:15:17.620 --> 00:15:19.779 -laws would have such a love for you and understanding 00:15:19.779 --> 00:15:22.100 that as everyone tells them they ought to be 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:24.539 this. ought to be that, that when you look like 00:15:24.539 --> 00:15:27.639 sun coming through a pane glass window, they 00:15:27.639 --> 00:15:30.220 would be pure before you and morally pure so 00:15:30.220 --> 00:15:34.960 that they would be the kind of men and women 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:38.340 that would love one another and honor you and 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:41.259 create an environment so my grandkids could see 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:44.460 Jesus in their life. And if you look at this, 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:48.679 he has a request. Then he gives the reason for 00:15:48.679 --> 00:15:51.480 the request. And the last phrase, he gives them 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:55.000 the resource, having been filled with the fruit 00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:58.240 of righteousness. It's what's called a passive 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.700 perfect participle for those of you that are 00:16:00.700 --> 00:16:03.639 English majors. Passive means the action is upon 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:06.100 you. Perfect is something that happened in the 00:16:06.100 --> 00:16:09.419 past that continues on into the future. And what 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:12.600 he's saying is, Philippians, it's a hard world, 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:16.360 but let me tell you something. I'm praying that 00:16:16.360 --> 00:16:19.019 you'll know God like never before. And I'm praying 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:22.259 you'll get it so crystal clear that all the trash 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:25.519 and all the temptations that you'll see, that 00:16:25.519 --> 00:16:28.480 is not the way I want to go. And that instead 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:31.039 you will walk with God in such a way because 00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:36.019 when you received Christ, the old man died, the 00:16:36.019 --> 00:16:39.159 Spirit of God came into your life, and the righteousness 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:42.379 that he purchased, the fruit of it, this is how 00:16:42.379 --> 00:16:45.549 God sees you now? And it's not about trying hard 00:16:45.549 --> 00:16:48.490 to be a good person. You actually possess the 00:16:48.490 --> 00:16:51.669 righteousness of Jesus Christ. And by faith, 00:16:51.750 --> 00:16:54.649 you live out what's already operating in you 00:16:54.649 --> 00:16:57.570 until the day of Christ, which is when he returns. 00:16:58.110 --> 00:17:01.409 And so it's a deeply theological and personal 00:17:01.409 --> 00:17:05.609 prayer. You start praying that kind of prayer 00:17:05.609 --> 00:17:09.089 for people you care about, and your self -pity 00:17:09.089 --> 00:17:14.420 will go, and your woe is me will go. And it won't 00:17:14.420 --> 00:17:16.259 just be, you know, some of our prayers are, oh 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:18.319 God, help them sell their garage, help them sell 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:20.359 their house, help their back to get better, help 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:23.859 this to get better. We think that sometimes when 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:26.059 I listen to myself pray and some of you is that 00:17:26.059 --> 00:17:28.660 the only goal is that God would make life better 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:32.440 or easier. What if the bigger goal is he makes 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:36.380 us more like Christ so that we are actually change 00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:40.019 agents that change everything and everyone around 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:46.539 us? C plus P equals E. Question is, where's your 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:53.759 focus? I mean, okay, in that box? When you think 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:57.200 of that box, is your focus upward God? What do 00:17:57.200 --> 00:18:00.000 you want to do in and through this? And is it 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.700 outward God? How are you going to use me? Or 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:06.759 what's happening in other people's lives? I got 00:18:06.759 --> 00:18:09.019 a tough situation, but maybe at work. Or maybe 00:18:09.019 --> 00:18:11.359 the unwed mother. Or maybe the lonely person. 00:18:12.109 --> 00:18:14.609 or maybe a relative, or maybe there's someone 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:18.069 I know in this body whose difficulty and challenges, 00:18:18.190 --> 00:18:22.329 you get your heart filled with loving other people, 00:18:22.390 --> 00:18:29.769 and I will tell you, joy. Joy. Not because things 00:18:29.769 --> 00:18:34.710 got better. It's because joy is the evidence 00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:38.349 of Christ's presence operating freely in your 00:18:38.349 --> 00:18:45.420 heart. It's a gift of the Spirit. You're listening 00:18:45.420 --> 00:18:48.460 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And the 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:51.019 message you just heard, understanding the power 00:18:51.019 --> 00:18:54.680 of focus, is from our series, I Choose Joy. Chip 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.559 will join us in studio to share some insights 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.960 from today's talk in just a minute. How do people 00:18:59.960 --> 00:19:02.319 know you're a Christian? What is it that sets 00:19:02.319 --> 00:19:05.079 you apart and causes others to say, I want to 00:19:05.079 --> 00:19:07.880 be like them? Through Chip's study in Philippians 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:11.079 chapter 1, he reveals the supernatural work of 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:13.880 joy in a Christian's life that intrigues those 00:19:13.880 --> 00:19:17.259 around us. Discover how joy can affirm your purpose, 00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:20.480 energize your expectations, and renew hope in 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:22.880 your life. If you've missed any part of this 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:25.039 series or want to share one of these messages 00:19:25.039 --> 00:19:27.339 with a friend, check out the Chip Ingram app. 00:19:28.359 --> 00:19:30.619 Chip's back with me in studio, and Chip, you 00:19:30.619 --> 00:19:33.250 know most people when they think about joy. They 00:19:33.250 --> 00:19:35.930 associate it with happiness. I'm finally getting 00:19:35.930 --> 00:19:38.430 married, or we finally bought the house, or I 00:19:38.430 --> 00:19:41.190 got the dream job. But you've got a little different 00:19:41.190 --> 00:19:43.670 definition of joy. Could you break it down for 00:19:43.670 --> 00:19:47.049 us? Absolutely, Dave. We often associate joy 00:19:47.049 --> 00:19:49.890 with happiness, and that's normal. But happiness 00:19:49.890 --> 00:19:53.250 is built on the word happenings, and it's temporary. 00:19:53.609 --> 00:19:55.869 And it's more of our emotional response. And 00:19:55.869 --> 00:19:57.970 by the way, I want to be happy. I like being 00:19:57.970 --> 00:20:00.529 happy. So don't get me wrong. Happiness is a 00:20:00.529 --> 00:20:04.039 good thing. But joy is an overarching, deep, 00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:07.740 soulful abiding. That's the byproduct of our 00:20:07.740 --> 00:20:10.680 relationship with God, regardless of the circumstance. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:14.920 I recently have written a book, I Choose Joy. 00:20:15.630 --> 00:20:17.710 And this book was birthed out of one of the most 00:20:17.710 --> 00:20:20.710 difficult times in my life when I didn't feel 00:20:20.710 --> 00:20:23.410 like being joyful, when I'd been through two 00:20:23.410 --> 00:20:25.869 back surgeries, a number of very, very difficult 00:20:25.869 --> 00:20:28.789 things, and yet I was called to teach a passage 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:31.849 of the Bible where the Apostle Paul, having way 00:20:31.849 --> 00:20:34.750 more difficult situation than mine, kept saying, 00:20:34.789 --> 00:20:38.470 rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. And out of that was 00:20:38.470 --> 00:20:41.039 birthed a book. that in the world that we're 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:43.220 living in, I think will really help people because 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:45.720 people are hurting. And you know what? If they're 00:20:45.720 --> 00:20:48.079 waiting to be happy, they may wait a long time, 00:20:48.140 --> 00:20:51.259 but this book will help them know they can actually 00:20:51.259 --> 00:20:54.400 have joy regardless of their circumstance. That's 00:20:54.400 --> 00:20:56.279 right, Chip. We're really excited about this 00:20:56.279 --> 00:20:58.319 new book, which is why we're doing something 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:01.339 special for our listeners this week. Absolutely, 00:21:01.599 --> 00:21:05.099 Dave, because we believe so strongly in the life 00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:08.000 -changing power of choosing joy. We want you, 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:10.579 the Living on Edge family, to get this new book 00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:13.279 before anyone else does at a discounted price. 00:21:13.680 --> 00:21:15.680 Dave, could you take a minute and tell our listeners 00:21:15.680 --> 00:21:18.319 a bit more of what we're doing for them and why 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:21.089 this is so important? Be glad to. Well, like 00:21:21.089 --> 00:21:23.549 Chip said, we want you to truly experience the 00:21:23.549 --> 00:21:26.650 joy the Apostle Paul talked about in Philippians 00:21:26.650 --> 00:21:29.170 chapter 1. And to help you do that, we're giving 00:21:29.170 --> 00:21:31.390 you, our faithful Living on the Edge listeners, 00:21:31.670 --> 00:21:34.990 early access to this new book at a special price. 00:21:35.289 --> 00:21:40.009 So visit livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 00:21:40.009 --> 00:21:43.930 -6003 to take advantage of this exclusive offer. 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:47.130 You'll be glad you did. Well, here again is Chip. 00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:51.710 As we wrap up today's program, I wish we could 00:21:51.710 --> 00:21:54.309 sit down literally and have a cup of coffee. 00:21:54.970 --> 00:21:57.849 And you could tell me, hey, Chip, you know, here's 00:21:57.849 --> 00:22:00.490 what I'm going through. And here's a couple of 00:22:00.490 --> 00:22:02.470 relationships that are really difficult or my 00:22:02.470 --> 00:22:05.190 work or a health issue. And I could really, really 00:22:05.190 --> 00:22:08.210 listen and ask a few questions. And then I could 00:22:08.210 --> 00:22:11.549 turn around and tell you, hey, you know, here's 00:22:11.549 --> 00:22:14.119 some things I'm going through right now. And 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:16.119 then at the end of our time, I think we would 00:22:16.119 --> 00:22:19.680 go back to what we heard taught today, that difficult 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:23.440 circumstances really do reveal our affections. 00:22:23.539 --> 00:22:26.619 You know, the Apostle Paul, you see the core 00:22:26.619 --> 00:22:29.980 of his attitude. He's going through horrendous 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:33.849 circumstances. But his focus is so upward. His 00:22:33.849 --> 00:22:36.170 confidence is, you know, God's going to use this 00:22:36.170 --> 00:22:39.130 for good. And they're outward. Now, he thinks 00:22:39.130 --> 00:22:41.349 to himself, you know, this is really hard on 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:43.490 me right now, but think of the impact it's going 00:22:43.490 --> 00:22:46.250 to have for other people. One of the things that 00:22:46.250 --> 00:22:49.650 hit me about this was the truth that our feelings 00:22:49.650 --> 00:22:53.730 always follow our focus. You know, when I'm looking 00:22:53.730 --> 00:22:56.769 at things half empty and that's my focus, my 00:22:56.769 --> 00:23:00.799 emotions go downward. But then... The next thing 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:03.980 we learned was that our focus is always determined 00:23:03.980 --> 00:23:08.819 by our affections. Paul's affection was God's 00:23:08.819 --> 00:23:12.779 heart, God's agenda, God's will. And what I want 00:23:12.779 --> 00:23:15.480 to confess to you is when I really struggle with 00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:18.400 perspective and when I get down, what I realize 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:22.660 very subtly is my affections are around my happiness, 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:26.579 my agenda, my plans, and what I want to happen 00:23:26.579 --> 00:23:29.809 for me. And I don't mean that in a derogatory 00:23:29.809 --> 00:23:34.230 way, but I would just ask you, as we study Philippians 00:23:34.230 --> 00:23:37.450 chapter 1 together, could your affections have 00:23:37.450 --> 00:23:40.670 drifted? Could some of your challenges, your 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:43.710 emotions, your negativity really be centered 00:23:43.710 --> 00:23:46.430 around that your affections have gotten a bit 00:23:46.430 --> 00:23:49.710 off of following and honoring Christ and a bit 00:23:49.710 --> 00:23:53.109 more on you and your happiness and what you want 00:23:53.109 --> 00:23:56.259 to happen? And if so, could we pause today together 00:23:56.259 --> 00:23:59.960 and say, Lord, will you help us? You know everything 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:02.799 about us. We want our affections to be on you. 00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:05.819 Would you help us to look upward and outward? 00:24:06.079 --> 00:24:08.420 And would you give us your perspective today 00:24:08.420 --> 00:24:13.000 for your glory? In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Thanks, 00:24:13.019 --> 00:24:16.000 Chip. As we wrap up today's program, if you've 00:24:16.000 --> 00:24:18.339 been blessed by Chip's teaching and you'd like 00:24:18.339 --> 00:24:20.880 to bless others in the same way, let me encourage 00:24:20.880 --> 00:24:23.359 you to partner with us financially. And right 00:24:23.359 --> 00:24:26.000 now is a great time because every dollar we receive 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:29.380 between now and midnight on June 30th will be 00:24:29.380 --> 00:24:32.200 matched. dollar for dollar. To join the team, 00:24:32.259 --> 00:24:35.519 go to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:43.900 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:48.640 .org. App listeners, tap donate. For Chip and 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:51.059 the entire team here, this is Dave Drewy thanking 00:24:51.059 --> 00:24:53.500 you for listening to this edition of Living on 00:24:53.500 --> 00:24:56.039 the Edge, and I hope you'll join us next time.