WEBVTT 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:04.519 C .S. Lewis once said, pride gets no pleasure 00:00:04.519 --> 00:00:08.859 out of having something, only out of having more 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:11.900 of it than the next man. Today, we're going to 00:00:11.900 --> 00:00:14.619 learn about the subtle dangers of self -importance 00:00:14.619 --> 00:00:17.519 and how we can shift our focus off of ourselves 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:22.100 and onto living fruitful lives of joy and impact. 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:28.260 Stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:28.260 --> 00:00:31.250 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Our mission is 00:00:31.250 --> 00:00:33.810 to inspire Christians to be genuine followers 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:37.109 of Jesus and to empower them to be active disciple 00:00:37.109 --> 00:00:40.030 makers in our world. Thanks for joining us as 00:00:40.030 --> 00:00:42.130 we near the end of our series, Get Out of Your 00:00:42.130 --> 00:00:44.909 Head, taught by our guest speaker, Jenny Allen. 00:00:45.149 --> 00:00:48.049 You may recognize Jenny from her If Gathering 00:00:48.049 --> 00:00:51.189 events or any of her popular books. For the past 00:00:51.189 --> 00:00:53.950 few programs, she's helped us combat the toxic 00:00:53.950 --> 00:00:56.409 thoughts that pollute our minds and break our 00:00:56.409 --> 00:00:59.189 connection with God. If you've missed any part 00:00:59.189 --> 00:01:01.670 of this insightful teaching from Jenny, let me 00:01:01.670 --> 00:01:03.750 encourage you to go back and catch up anytime 00:01:03.750 --> 00:01:07.849 at livingontheedge .org or wherever you listen 00:01:07.849 --> 00:01:10.629 to podcasts. Well, she has a lot to share today, 00:01:10.730 --> 00:01:13.010 so get your Bible and notes ready as we join 00:01:13.010 --> 00:01:15.769 Jenny with her message, The Antidote for Pride. 00:01:17.250 --> 00:01:19.769 As we are beginning here, I want to start with 00:01:19.769 --> 00:01:21.370 Scripture. I just want to start with the truth. 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:24.790 It's in Philippians 2, 5 through 11. It's so 00:01:24.790 --> 00:01:26.609 powerful, some of the most powerful Scriptures 00:01:26.609 --> 00:01:29.290 in the Bible. Have this mind among yourselves, 00:01:29.489 --> 00:01:32.109 which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he 00:01:32.109 --> 00:01:34.349 was in the form of God, he did not even count 00:01:34.349 --> 00:01:36.849 equality with God a thing to be grasped, but 00:01:36.849 --> 00:01:39.170 emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, 00:01:39.310 --> 00:01:41.530 being born in the likeness of men and being found 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:43.969 in human form. He humbled himself by becoming 00:01:43.969 --> 00:01:46.849 obedient to the point of death, even death on 00:01:46.849 --> 00:01:49.719 a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted him 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:52.579 and bestowed on him the name that is above every 00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:55.459 name, so that the name of Jesus, every knee shall 00:01:55.459 --> 00:01:57.879 bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 00:01:57.980 --> 00:01:59.900 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:03.480 Lord to the glory of God the Father. And I don't 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.980 know if there's more powerful words because I 00:02:05.980 --> 00:02:08.300 don't know if there's a more powerful story that 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:13.199 this is the thing that makes our God unmatchable. 00:02:13.550 --> 00:02:15.949 that he would take on the form of a servant. 00:02:16.009 --> 00:02:18.509 He would be born in the likeness of men, and 00:02:18.509 --> 00:02:20.449 he would humble himself to the point of death 00:02:20.449 --> 00:02:22.189 on a cross. I don't know that there's another 00:02:22.189 --> 00:02:24.189 story that's more beautiful in all the world. 00:02:24.629 --> 00:02:28.129 This is it. Our faith hangs on this, and it is 00:02:28.129 --> 00:02:31.449 the most exquisite, incredible thing. It's what 00:02:31.449 --> 00:02:33.870 he set before us as people that follow him, as 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:36.659 people that serve him, that love him. To live 00:02:36.659 --> 00:02:39.520 like this, that it says when we're talking about 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:41.419 the mind, when we're talking about fixing our 00:02:41.419 --> 00:02:43.659 mind, he starts the verses with that. He says, 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:45.599 have this mind among yourself, that this is how 00:02:45.599 --> 00:02:47.860 we're to think. We're supposed to think. And 00:02:47.860 --> 00:02:49.620 that not only are we supposed to have this mind, 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:52.379 that it is our mind in Christ Jesus. God has 00:02:52.379 --> 00:02:55.659 given us the mind of Christ and that we are to 00:02:55.659 --> 00:02:58.680 think like this, but we have the power to think 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:00.819 like this because of what Christ has done for 00:03:00.819 --> 00:03:04.599 us. Self -importance. We love this one. It feels 00:03:04.599 --> 00:03:07.719 great to be important. It is deep in our bones 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:09.879 to crave it, to want it, to fight for it, to 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:12.639 live for it. I would be so bold as to say that 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.939 if you don't know God and you don't know Jesus 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.099 and you don't have this different way that Philippians 00:03:17.099 --> 00:03:20.020 talks about, that this is the goal of your life. 00:03:20.180 --> 00:03:23.060 And now we chase it in different ways, different 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:25.680 forms, but ultimately it is to make ourselves 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.139 seen, known, loved, important, that that is what 00:03:29.139 --> 00:03:30.659 we are chasing, whether it's through relationships, 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:34.750 addiction, fame. all different things, we're 00:03:34.750 --> 00:03:37.669 ultimately wanting to be or disappointed that 00:03:37.669 --> 00:03:40.969 we aren't important. It is an addiction in our 00:03:40.969 --> 00:03:44.930 day. And I believe if we do not notice this in 00:03:44.930 --> 00:03:47.509 ourselves, if we don't notice this in our ministries, 00:03:47.530 --> 00:03:50.710 if we don't notice this in our following of Jesus, 00:03:50.930 --> 00:03:53.569 then some subtle things happen. One of those 00:03:53.569 --> 00:03:57.129 subtle things is that we start to care a lot 00:03:57.129 --> 00:04:01.479 about how people view us. We care a lot. And 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:03.620 we're constantly find ourselves thinking about 00:04:03.620 --> 00:04:05.500 that. We find ourselves thinking about if people 00:04:05.500 --> 00:04:08.180 like us, if people notice us, if people like 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:11.039 our post, if people support us. And we're just, 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:13.439 our eyes are darting back and forth, kind of 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:16.199 noticing what people are noticing about us. And 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:18.920 that's so exhausting because largely they're 00:04:18.920 --> 00:04:23.579 not. And they're not noticing us. And also largely 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:25.779 it's a mixed bag of what kind of opinion they're 00:04:25.779 --> 00:04:27.680 going to have no matter how you're living. So 00:04:27.680 --> 00:04:31.439 I remember. deciding this when I was in my young 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:34.040 30s and I was a pastor's wife. I remember getting 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:36.560 to a place where I had become so addicted to 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:38.839 people's approval that I was spending my life 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:41.079 on it. You know, it was waking me up. I was anxious 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:43.610 about it. And it's the most exhausting pursuit 00:04:43.610 --> 00:04:46.970 to try to be like, to try to be great with everybody 00:04:46.970 --> 00:04:49.029 because you can't be, right? Like that's never 00:04:49.029 --> 00:04:50.829 going to be fully achieved. It's not something 00:04:50.829 --> 00:04:53.470 that's always in our grasp or controllable by 00:04:53.470 --> 00:04:55.769 us. But this idea of self -importance can express 00:04:55.769 --> 00:04:58.129 itself in so many different ways. And what the 00:04:58.129 --> 00:05:00.269 enemy is ultimately after is what he was after 00:05:00.269 --> 00:05:02.189 in the garden with Adam and Eve. With Adam and 00:05:02.189 --> 00:05:03.910 Eve, the way that he tempted them, the way that 00:05:03.910 --> 00:05:06.550 he twisted the plans and the will of God for 00:05:06.550 --> 00:05:09.839 their lives is that He made them want to be like 00:05:09.839 --> 00:05:11.959 God. He said, hey, if you eat of this fruit, 00:05:12.160 --> 00:05:14.160 then you'll know what God knows. You'll be like 00:05:14.160 --> 00:05:16.980 God. And God's holding something out on you. 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:19.279 And so this idea of self -importance that, hey, 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:21.519 I want to be like God. What caused the devil 00:05:21.519 --> 00:05:24.540 to fall from heaven was that. He wanted to be 00:05:24.540 --> 00:05:26.879 like God. He wanted people to worship him the 00:05:26.879 --> 00:05:29.379 way that they worshiped God. So this idea of 00:05:29.379 --> 00:05:31.540 becoming like God, I mean, go back to the Tower 00:05:31.540 --> 00:05:34.019 of Babel early on in scripture when there's now 00:05:34.019 --> 00:05:36.740 a human race and there's multiple people on earth 00:05:36.740 --> 00:05:39.100 and they come together and they build a tower 00:05:39.100 --> 00:05:41.519 to get to God. Everything is about becoming important 00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:44.139 from the very beginning of time. And we all kind 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:46.279 of do this in our own way. We all kind of build 00:05:46.279 --> 00:05:47.860 our Tower of Babel and say, hey, look at me, 00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:49.639 look at me, look at what we can do. Look at what 00:05:49.639 --> 00:05:52.860 I can do. I can matter. Now, what's interesting, 00:05:53.129 --> 00:05:56.069 is this is really closely tied to obedience, 00:05:56.329 --> 00:05:59.009 right? Like we can start to put... godly words 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:01.610 on things that look like obeying God when it's 00:06:01.610 --> 00:06:04.009 really just becoming important. And so that's 00:06:04.009 --> 00:06:05.990 where it gets sneaky, I think, from the enemy's 00:06:05.990 --> 00:06:08.889 point of view, is that he is coming at us with 00:06:08.889 --> 00:06:11.670 good things to build the kingdom of God even, 00:06:11.810 --> 00:06:14.470 to put God's name on it. But ultimately, it's 00:06:14.470 --> 00:06:16.629 for ourselves that we would be more and more 00:06:16.629 --> 00:06:18.970 important, that we would matter more and more 00:06:18.970 --> 00:06:21.730 and more. I got an email from someone this week, 00:06:21.750 --> 00:06:25.120 and she was on the... borderline of death and 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:28.060 had fought cancer. And she came out of that and 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:29.779 she said, I was in this place where I just wanted 00:06:29.779 --> 00:06:32.060 to matter so much. She had this fear of like, 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.379 you know what, I'm going to die and I need my 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:36.079 life to matter more than it does. So I got this 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:38.839 urgent, I've got to do something important. I've 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:40.319 got to build something important. I've got to 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:42.620 start a nonprofit or do something. And it was 00:06:42.620 --> 00:06:45.680 this urgency she wrote about leaving a legacy 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:49.060 for her life. She said, Jenny, I had gotten to 00:06:49.060 --> 00:06:51.540 a place where I was chasing that instead of loving 00:06:51.540 --> 00:06:53.079 my kids and the people right in front of me. 00:06:53.120 --> 00:06:55.220 I just wanted to do this important thing. And 00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:57.860 I didn't even know what to do, really. And she 00:06:57.860 --> 00:07:00.980 said that. She had read Restless, which is actually 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:03.019 about dreaming and obeying God and doing big 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:05.060 things. But her takeaway from it was, you know 00:07:05.060 --> 00:07:07.579 what? My big thing is my kids and loving them 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:09.120 well. And that's going to be my legacy is like 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:11.259 obeying God right in the trenches where nobody 00:07:11.259 --> 00:07:15.279 sees. And I think we've got to realize that ultimately 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:17.759 God is after our obedience and He's after His 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:20.939 glory. And so His stories for us are not to lead 00:07:20.939 --> 00:07:23.860 us to... our kingdoms and building our names 00:07:23.860 --> 00:07:27.180 and building our stories, but they're to build 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:30.939 His. And what humility does is it gives us a 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:34.000 posture to do whatever God wants us to do no 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:36.459 matter what. There's a submission in humility. 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:39.720 There's a disregard for our life and our story 00:07:39.720 --> 00:07:42.259 in it. And so it's not that we never do things 00:07:42.259 --> 00:07:44.459 that look important to the world. I remember 00:07:44.459 --> 00:07:46.839 my publisher, when I was given the chance to 00:07:46.839 --> 00:07:48.899 write, she was like, you need to put your picture 00:07:48.899 --> 00:07:51.019 on your website. And I was like, no. This isn't 00:07:51.019 --> 00:07:53.819 about me. This is about God. And I don't want 00:07:53.819 --> 00:07:55.500 to, you know, I don't want anybody to know me. 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:57.759 And there was something noble in that, but there 00:07:57.759 --> 00:08:00.480 was also something just not smart about it. And 00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:01.939 she was like, Jenny, people just need to see 00:08:01.939 --> 00:08:03.439 you so they know if they can trust you or not. 00:08:03.560 --> 00:08:05.819 And I was like, okay, okay. But I think sometimes 00:08:05.819 --> 00:08:08.040 we can dismiss ourselves and diminish ourselves 00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:11.579 to the point of it being still about us. Like 00:08:11.579 --> 00:08:13.740 I wanted to, let me be real clear back then. 00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:17.720 I wasn't just about God's glory. I was about 00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:20.560 not looking prideful. I didn't want to appear 00:08:20.560 --> 00:08:23.180 prideful. It still had a selfish motive to it. 00:08:23.259 --> 00:08:25.759 I just wanted to look humble. I want to have 00:08:25.759 --> 00:08:28.500 the appearance of humility in my website, in 00:08:28.500 --> 00:08:31.600 my life. And I didn't want to buy into this thing 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:33.600 where everybody thought I thought I was a big 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:35.860 deal. And I mean, it still was a controlling 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:38.539 of a narrative that was about me. And so we can 00:08:38.539 --> 00:08:41.679 look humble and we can build a story that kind 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:43.580 of tells the world, hey, we are humble people. 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:45.940 And it's still completely self -importance and 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:49.179 pride. And this is not about necessarily the 00:08:49.179 --> 00:08:51.419 decisions we make outwardly in our life. This 00:08:51.419 --> 00:08:53.399 is about the state and the posture of our heart 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:55.759 before God. And when that's right, you know what 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:59.679 happens? It doesn't matter as much about what 00:08:59.679 --> 00:09:01.419 people even think about you, if they think you're 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:03.940 humble or not. You know, when you put your head 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:05.519 on the pillow, that you're right with God, that 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:07.259 you're right with the people that know you and 00:09:07.259 --> 00:09:10.080 love you. And there's a freedom in that. Humility 00:09:10.080 --> 00:09:14.480 typically looks a lot like great confidence because 00:09:14.480 --> 00:09:17.200 that confidence and truly humble people comes 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:19.639 not from themselves and not from hiding their 00:09:19.639 --> 00:09:22.940 gifts or over promoting their gifts. It comes 00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:25.980 from a dependence on Jesus and a belief that 00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:29.159 this life is all about Him. And that everything 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.539 we do, everything we say, everything we are, 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:37.740 it's about Him. It's not about us. You're listening 00:09:37.740 --> 00:09:40.679 to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Jenny 00:09:40.679 --> 00:09:43.200 Allen is our guest teacher for the series Get 00:09:43.200 --> 00:09:45.720 Out of Your Head. And real quick, if you'd like 00:09:45.720 --> 00:09:48.080 to learn more about Jenny's popular book that 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:50.399 this series is based on, keep listening after 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:52.899 the teaching. Chip will join us in studio with 00:09:52.899 --> 00:09:54.960 all the details, so be sure to stick around. 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.600 But for now, let's get back to Jenny's talk. 00:09:58.759 --> 00:10:01.580 I was just listening to my friend Earl preach 00:10:01.580 --> 00:10:04.899 recently and he's a pastor in Dallas and he talked 00:10:04.899 --> 00:10:07.100 about, you know, we're the Amazon bag, you know, 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:11.019 like we carry the good thing, but we're a bag. 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:14.820 Like we're not the main event. Like nobody is 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:17.399 going for the Amazon bag and thinking to themselves, 00:10:17.659 --> 00:10:19.480 oh my gosh, look at this bag that just arrived 00:10:19.480 --> 00:10:20.980 at my house. Like they're going for the contents 00:10:20.980 --> 00:10:23.370 and the contents of our lives should be. The 00:10:23.370 --> 00:10:26.690 mind of Christ, which is someone willing to lay 00:10:26.690 --> 00:10:29.429 down their lives, someone willing to be emptied 00:10:29.429 --> 00:10:33.129 out, being humbled to the point of embarrassment, 00:10:33.389 --> 00:10:35.909 being humbled to the point of being misunderstood, 00:10:36.230 --> 00:10:38.730 being humbled to the point of, in Christ's case, 00:10:38.769 --> 00:10:42.470 death, that we are producing the fruit of Christ 00:10:42.470 --> 00:10:44.909 because we have the mind of Christ. That's what 00:10:44.909 --> 00:10:48.500 should be known of us. And why? Why? Is that 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:49.940 what should be known of us? Why should we be 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:51.639 motivated to live this way? This sounds like 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:54.139 a miserable way to live. And one, it's because 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:56.320 it's the most free way to live. Honestly, like 00:10:56.320 --> 00:10:59.860 not caring if we're important is so helpful. 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:02.240 And I think that's the posture you get to enjoy 00:11:02.240 --> 00:11:05.120 with humility, which is I'm not in this to impress. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.379 I'm not in this to perform. I'm in this for the 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:09.860 glory of God. I'm in this to love. And I can 00:11:09.860 --> 00:11:12.379 rest in that. There's a rest that comes over 00:11:12.379 --> 00:11:15.159 us with humility. The other thing that comes 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:18.669 with humility is What this verse says is so that 00:11:18.669 --> 00:11:21.070 the name of Jesus, every knee would bow in heaven 00:11:21.070 --> 00:11:23.250 and on earth and under the earth and every tongue 00:11:23.250 --> 00:11:25.509 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:27.769 of God, the Father. The ultimate thing that comes 00:11:27.769 --> 00:11:29.970 over us with humility is people see God. They 00:11:29.970 --> 00:11:33.250 see God in us and they see God because of our 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:35.929 obedience. And that's what motivates me is I 00:11:35.929 --> 00:11:38.470 don't want people to see me. I think that was 00:11:38.470 --> 00:11:40.850 part of the girl's heart, you know, that just 00:11:40.850 --> 00:11:42.970 was starting publishing back there, that little. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:46.360 naive girl in her 30s, I think she had that heart 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:48.019 too, was I just want people to see God. I think 00:11:48.019 --> 00:11:50.279 there was a naive sense that my face would distract 00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:52.460 from that. And you're not going to steal an ounce 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:54.059 of the glory of God. Like, good luck. Like, you 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:57.580 can't really show off enough to steal the glory 00:11:57.580 --> 00:12:01.179 of God. And that's true. However, what can steal 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:03.299 the glory of God in our lives and through our 00:12:03.299 --> 00:12:05.740 lives, it won't steal the glory of God in eternity 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:07.980 and on this earth. It will not. But what can 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:10.279 steal the glory of God being reflected in our 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:12.639 lives is pride. And that's a state of the heart. 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.340 That's not a state of your actions. That's not 00:12:14.340 --> 00:12:17.200 a state of your words. That's not a state of 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:19.120 people's opinions about you. That is a state 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.840 of your heart. And honestly, only you and God 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:23.960 can work that out together. You've got to decide 00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:26.980 like, is this something where I care more about 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:29.080 what people think about me than I care what they 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:31.340 think about God? And that is the question you've 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:33.100 got to constantly ask yourself. And you have 00:12:33.100 --> 00:12:35.980 to ask yourself regularly because on one day 00:12:35.980 --> 00:12:38.440 that might be true of me. And two days later. 00:12:38.879 --> 00:12:41.159 It no longer is because something has captured 00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.360 my mind and my affections more than God. And 00:12:44.360 --> 00:12:47.460 so back to our weapon number one, which was stillness 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.840 with God and time with God's word. That is why 00:12:50.840 --> 00:12:53.379 that matters every day because it sets priority 00:12:53.379 --> 00:12:56.159 in our life that God is first and I care more 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.700 about him and what is known of him than what 00:12:58.700 --> 00:13:01.059 is known of me. Because here's the truth, guys. 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:03.340 We think it's going to come through being important 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:05.539 and being known, being famous. I mean, this is 00:13:05.539 --> 00:13:07.799 something. My son is obsessed with, he's 11. 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:10.480 And I mean, what does he do? He talks about famous 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:11.940 people with his friends all day. They talk about 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:13.220 football players. They talk about basketball 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:15.899 players. They talk about musicians. They all 00:13:15.899 --> 00:13:19.720 talk about famous people all day long together. 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:22.440 And so there's this goal in his mind set before 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:24.639 him of like, that's arriving. That's when you're 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.120 important. That's when you're going to matter. 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:28.659 That's when you're going to be happy. And at 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:31.039 the end of all of it for us, y 'all, even... 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.519 You know, I look at people driven by this in 00:13:33.519 --> 00:13:35.600 social media right now. Like there's this idea 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.220 we don't ever consciously think it, but it's 00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:40.740 subconscious. But we're obviously thinking that 00:13:40.740 --> 00:13:44.360 the more we get known, noticed, loved, seen, 00:13:44.519 --> 00:13:47.059 the more we're going to be happy. When that is 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:50.539 not what is true. It's obviously not true. And 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:52.919 the deception that we buy into somehow is that 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:55.940 joy will come if we get known, if we get power, 00:13:56.100 --> 00:13:59.370 if we become important. What scripture says is 00:13:59.370 --> 00:14:01.470 that joy comes when we lay down our lives. It's 00:14:01.470 --> 00:14:03.309 the opposite. It's when we lay everything down 00:14:03.309 --> 00:14:05.690 on earth that we think matters. When we lay down 00:14:05.690 --> 00:14:07.389 our name, when we lay down being understood, 00:14:07.590 --> 00:14:09.870 when we lay down even our own lives, that joy 00:14:09.870 --> 00:14:12.009 is in that, that there is a freedom that comes 00:14:12.009 --> 00:14:14.509 through that. And that is a supernatural reality. 00:14:14.629 --> 00:14:16.309 That is not something you can understand until 00:14:16.309 --> 00:14:18.289 you've tasted it. But when you've tasted it, 00:14:18.389 --> 00:14:22.070 it's like this loss washes over you like a wave, 00:14:22.090 --> 00:14:24.830 like, oh, I just gave up something on earth. 00:14:25.370 --> 00:14:27.649 And then it comes back out. And there's this 00:14:27.649 --> 00:14:31.570 piece that follows it of, and I'm okay. Yes, 00:14:31.769 --> 00:14:34.370 somebody misunderstands me. I'm not important 00:14:34.370 --> 00:14:38.230 to them. That's hurtful. And then it washes back 00:14:38.230 --> 00:14:41.129 out and you go, and I'm okay because I'm loved 00:14:41.129 --> 00:14:46.350 and I'm known by God and my hope is secure. And 00:14:46.350 --> 00:14:49.970 that is the joy of self -forgetfulness, that 00:14:49.970 --> 00:14:53.549 there is a freedom. that comes when we are not 00:14:53.549 --> 00:14:56.230 the center of our own minds, of our own lives. 00:14:56.669 --> 00:14:59.809 How do we change this? You guys, you ready? You 00:14:59.809 --> 00:15:03.289 go out and you serve people and you love other 00:15:03.289 --> 00:15:05.769 people. I look back at my life before I had four 00:15:05.769 --> 00:15:08.129 kids, before, I mean, even before I had Cooper 00:15:08.129 --> 00:15:10.789 because he is more consuming than my other three 00:15:10.789 --> 00:15:12.730 kids. And I just had so much time to think about 00:15:12.730 --> 00:15:15.049 myself. I just did. I thought about myself all 00:15:15.049 --> 00:15:17.789 the time. But what four kids did to me in the 00:15:17.789 --> 00:15:20.129 thick years of every minute trying to take care 00:15:20.129 --> 00:15:23.440 of them is... I didn't have time. I was thinking 00:15:23.440 --> 00:15:25.419 about the next thing I had to do, the next person 00:15:25.419 --> 00:15:26.840 I had to take care of, the next problem they 00:15:26.840 --> 00:15:29.759 had. And it was helpful in the sense that I wasn't 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:31.659 as consumed with myself. And I think mission 00:15:31.659 --> 00:15:33.860 can do that. And it certainly doesn't have to 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:35.759 be motherhood. It can be anything that you set 00:15:35.759 --> 00:15:38.500 other people's needs before yourself. And what 00:15:38.500 --> 00:15:40.419 happens when you do that, I remember at Kanakuk, 00:15:40.539 --> 00:15:43.539 they used to have the saying, put God first and 00:15:43.539 --> 00:15:45.500 others second and yourself third. And so I am 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:47.659 third was like the award at camp and all this 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:50.840 stuff. And I just remember, being like trying 00:15:50.840 --> 00:15:52.539 to will that into being. Well, let me tell you 00:15:52.539 --> 00:15:54.480 how it comes into being. It comes as you serve 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.320 people, as you actually get up out of your chair 00:15:57.320 --> 00:15:59.720 and you clear the table, as you actually get 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:01.679 up out of your chair and you love and invite 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.059 your neighbors in and get to know them. It comes 00:16:04.059 --> 00:16:05.960 as we think about other people. And all of a 00:16:05.960 --> 00:16:09.759 sudden we are more obsessed with what God's doing 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:11.500 in other people's lives and what he could do 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:13.460 in other people's lives than what he's not doing 00:16:13.460 --> 00:16:16.580 in ours. And it is a... change and a shift and 00:16:16.580 --> 00:16:18.899 you realize that loving other people is so much 00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:21.159 better than loving ourselves so much, that there 00:16:21.159 --> 00:16:23.419 is a freedom and a joy that comes because of 00:16:23.419 --> 00:16:25.639 it. And so today, what I want you to do is I 00:16:25.639 --> 00:16:27.399 want you to do something crazy. I want you to 00:16:27.399 --> 00:16:30.539 love somebody that you would not normally love. 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.820 I want you to go love your neighbors in any which 00:16:32.820 --> 00:16:35.919 way. Take them food, go to coffee, have them 00:16:35.919 --> 00:16:41.480 over, go mow their lawn. I don't care. Just go 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.730 love people in a radical way. Do something for 00:16:44.730 --> 00:16:47.629 someone today and watch your mind shift from 00:16:47.629 --> 00:16:50.710 caring so much about yourself to loving other 00:16:50.710 --> 00:16:53.629 people. And I'm telling you, that's where the 00:16:53.629 --> 00:16:59.629 freedom is. You're listening to Living on the 00:16:59.629 --> 00:17:02.690 Edge with Chip Ingram. Jenny Allen was our guest 00:17:02.690 --> 00:17:05.549 teacher for this program, The Antidote for Pride, 00:17:05.849 --> 00:17:08.369 which is from her series, Get Out of Your Head. 00:17:08.690 --> 00:17:10.869 Chip will join us in just a minute to share his 00:17:10.869 --> 00:17:13.609 application for this message. Let me ask you, 00:17:13.670 --> 00:17:16.210 what drives your thought life? What influences 00:17:16.210 --> 00:17:19.180 the way you think? Is it anxiety, loneliness, 00:17:19.579 --> 00:17:22.599 insecurity? Whatever it is, do you feel trapped 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:25.819 by it? Like no matter how hard you try, your 00:17:25.819 --> 00:17:29.119 mind drifts back to these harmful patterns. In 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:31.660 this series, author and speaker Jenny Allen calls 00:17:31.660 --> 00:17:34.680 out seven toxic thoughts that derail our connection 00:17:34.680 --> 00:17:38.059 to God. Discover the powerful antidotes God's 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:40.920 given us to break free from these dangerous mindsets. 00:17:41.140 --> 00:17:43.880 Join Jenny to learn what you can do to fight 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:46.670 and win the war for your mind. Well, before we 00:17:46.670 --> 00:17:49.670 go on, here's Chip. I'll be right back in just 00:17:49.670 --> 00:17:51.509 a minute, and I want to share a few thoughts 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:54.670 that I have about Jenny Allen's message. But 00:17:54.670 --> 00:17:56.950 before I do, I want to let you know that the 00:17:56.950 --> 00:17:59.549 things that you're hearing in this series is 00:17:59.549 --> 00:18:02.529 a bestselling book that Jenny wrote called Get 00:18:02.529 --> 00:18:05.349 Out of Your Head. And one of the reasons I wanted 00:18:05.349 --> 00:18:08.190 her to share was I believe with all my heart 00:18:08.190 --> 00:18:10.710 that the greatest battle for this generation 00:18:10.710 --> 00:18:13.920 is what's happening to their thinking. their 00:18:13.920 --> 00:18:16.740 minds, their worldview. And what Jenny's going 00:18:16.740 --> 00:18:18.740 to do in this book and what she started to do 00:18:18.740 --> 00:18:22.240 already is she starts talking about seven toxic 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:26.160 thoughts that really draw us away from God and 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:29.279 his word and truth. And what I love is she can 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:31.339 say it in a way that I never could, right? First 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:34.299 of all, I'm not a woman. But second, she's targeting 00:18:34.299 --> 00:18:37.059 and reaching an age group. You know, for some 00:18:37.059 --> 00:18:38.500 of you, you're listening and think, I've got 00:18:38.500 --> 00:18:40.059 to get this. And for others, you're thinking, 00:18:40.160 --> 00:18:44.259 this book. This content is what my daughter or 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:47.079 my granddaughter needs. And let me just whisper 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:50.440 something. What she's actually saying just doesn't 00:18:50.440 --> 00:18:53.519 apply to women. These toxic thoughts are ones 00:18:53.519 --> 00:18:56.400 that I've sure had. If you're seeing those that 00:18:56.400 --> 00:18:59.839 you love really shaped by our culture more than 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:02.220 by God's Word, and some of the things you're 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:04.740 hearing you realize, wow, I need to study this, 00:19:04.900 --> 00:19:07.660 then let me encourage you. Get the book, dig 00:19:07.660 --> 00:19:10.380 in together, and as Jenny would say, get out 00:19:10.380 --> 00:19:12.509 of your head. Thanks, Chip. Well, to get your 00:19:12.509 --> 00:19:15.970 hands on Jenny's insightful book, visit livingontheedge 00:19:15.970 --> 00:19:22.269 .org or call 888 -333 -6003. Her words will challenge 00:19:22.269 --> 00:19:25.250 you to take every thought captive and find freedom 00:19:25.250 --> 00:19:28.130 from toxic thinking. Again, to order your copy 00:19:28.130 --> 00:19:31.049 of Get Out of Your Head by Jenny Allen, go to 00:19:31.049 --> 00:19:37.529 livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 00:19:37.809 --> 00:19:41.019 App listeners tap special offers. Well, with 00:19:41.019 --> 00:19:43.359 that, Chip, let's hear your application for what 00:19:43.359 --> 00:19:46.420 Jenny shared today. As we close today's program, 00:19:46.759 --> 00:19:50.019 I wish we could have the visual of Jenny as she 00:19:50.019 --> 00:19:53.940 taught. I could just hear her passion ramping 00:19:53.940 --> 00:19:59.420 up as she called out to me and to you, just get 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:02.259 up out of your chair, right? Just get off yourself. 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.279 I love the illustration she used that she learned 00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.579 from camp. I am. third, you know, God first, 00:20:08.700 --> 00:20:12.240 others second, I am third. And it's interesting, 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:15.680 what she shared is so true. And I don't want 00:20:15.680 --> 00:20:18.500 to minimize or give you an illustration that 00:20:18.500 --> 00:20:22.299 is so trite, but I travel quite a bit and I've 00:20:22.299 --> 00:20:24.500 got a few back problems that don't seem to fully 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:28.400 go away. And so I tend to find myself struggling 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.160 and being self -focused because one, I'm on a 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:33.519 plane and when I sit, it hurts. And then I'm 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.769 walking through airports and it hurts. And, you 00:20:36.769 --> 00:20:40.009 know, pain of any kind, right, we all tend to 00:20:40.009 --> 00:20:43.109 focus on it. And I've just found a few little 00:20:43.109 --> 00:20:46.210 tricks that have helped me. And I was traveling 00:20:46.210 --> 00:20:49.190 last week, and I was getting ready to go, and 00:20:49.190 --> 00:20:51.950 I was like, oh, man, I was really excited about 00:20:51.950 --> 00:20:54.089 where I was going to go. I just wasn't excited 00:20:54.089 --> 00:20:57.210 about getting there. And so I got in line to 00:20:57.210 --> 00:20:59.369 the coffee shop there, and I was waiting on my 00:20:59.369 --> 00:21:02.039 plane. And a thought came to me. I mean, just 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.680 a thought, because I found myself unconsciously 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:06.960 like, oh, wow, I'm going to have to sit for five 00:21:06.960 --> 00:21:09.480 hours on that plane, and this is how my back's 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:11.119 going to feel, and, you know, blah, blah, blah. 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:14.240 And, you know, I was sort of developing my own 00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:18.259 little pity party. And I looked over, and I can't 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:19.859 remember even what the guy looked like, and I 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:22.779 just sort of impulsively, it's kind of what Jenny 00:21:22.779 --> 00:21:25.339 said, you practice these things, you go into 00:21:25.339 --> 00:21:27.609 training. And I turned to the guy and I just 00:21:27.609 --> 00:21:29.569 ordered, you know, can I get a medium coffee? 00:21:29.950 --> 00:21:31.809 And I said, hey, what are you getting? And he 00:21:31.809 --> 00:21:34.029 looked at me like, who are you and why do you 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:38.049 ask? He goes, well, I'm getting a latte. I says, 00:21:38.150 --> 00:21:41.130 well, what size do you want? I never get that. 00:21:41.150 --> 00:21:44.049 He goes, really? I said, yeah. He goes, well, 00:21:44.069 --> 00:21:46.150 I usually get a medium. I turned to the person, 00:21:46.250 --> 00:21:50.049 can I get, add a medium latte to that? This guy, 00:21:50.089 --> 00:21:53.170 now, I mean, yes, it cost me three bucks. I can't 00:21:53.170 --> 00:21:56.289 remember what it was. He lit up. He lit up and 00:21:56.289 --> 00:22:00.509 said, wow, thank you. I mean, thank you very 00:22:00.509 --> 00:22:03.710 much. And in that moment, what I realized, my 00:22:03.710 --> 00:22:05.970 back didn't hurt at all. In that moment, what 00:22:05.970 --> 00:22:09.430 I realized, just taking my focus off of me for 00:22:09.430 --> 00:22:12.809 that 30 seconds. And here's how it works. Once 00:22:12.809 --> 00:22:15.849 you take some steps like that, my brain started 00:22:15.849 --> 00:22:19.710 thinking a different way. It went down a different 00:22:19.710 --> 00:22:26.180 path than the me, me, me, me, me. You see, pride 00:22:26.180 --> 00:22:31.220 is very easy to spot in others. It's very hard 00:22:31.220 --> 00:22:35.059 to spot in ourselves. And I could give you lots 00:22:35.059 --> 00:22:38.119 of verses about humility, right? James 4 .10, 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:40.759 humble yourselves before the Lord and what? He 00:22:40.759 --> 00:22:44.160 will lift you up. He will help you. But as I've 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:47.519 battled pride in my life, and it has been an 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.960 enemy. I mean, it is for all of us, but boy, 00:22:50.119 --> 00:22:55.319 it can be so subtle. that rather than focusing 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:58.960 on my pride or even trying to be humble, I love 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.259 what she said, and I would say the same thing. 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:06.640 Just serve. My wife was struggling recently, 00:23:06.680 --> 00:23:11.500 and I came home, and she had baked cookies. And 00:23:11.500 --> 00:23:12.680 I said, what are you doing? She goes, I'm going 00:23:12.680 --> 00:23:14.759 to take that to our neighbor. That's great. And 00:23:14.759 --> 00:23:16.200 then I did these, and I'm going to take that 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:18.440 to these other people. She was getting out of 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:22.160 her head, and she got out of her head to care 00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:27.299 for someone else. So I think I heard our teacher 00:23:27.299 --> 00:23:31.440 and speaker today specifically say, love someone, 00:23:31.619 --> 00:23:34.240 right? Just do it. Do something for someone, 00:23:34.460 --> 00:23:37.740 whatever it is. Neighbor, friend, someone at 00:23:37.740 --> 00:23:41.559 work, get out of your chair, walk across, do 00:23:41.559 --> 00:23:45.960 something, some act of kindness, serve someone, 00:23:46.259 --> 00:23:50.039 volunteer at church, meet a need, and let's see 00:23:50.039 --> 00:23:53.240 what God does. Really practical challenge, Chip. 00:23:53.279 --> 00:23:56.339 Thanks. As we wrap up this program, Living on 00:23:56.339 --> 00:23:59.079 the Edge depends on listeners like you to help 00:23:59.079 --> 00:24:01.700 us continue encouraging Christians to live like 00:24:01.700 --> 00:24:04.220 Christians. So would you consider becoming a 00:24:04.220 --> 00:24:06.799 monthly partner to help others benefit from this 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:09.220 ministry? You can set up a recurring donation 00:24:09.220 --> 00:24:13.799 at livingontheedge .org or by calling 888 -333 00:24:13.799 --> 00:24:21.889 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:24:21.889 --> 00:24:25.690 .org. App listeners, tap donate. And thanks for 00:24:25.690 --> 00:24:28.549 doing whatever the Lord leads you to do. Well, 00:24:28.569 --> 00:24:30.509 be sure to join us next time as our guest teacher, 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:33.029 Jenny Allen, wraps up her series, Get Out of 00:24:33.029 --> 00:24:35.789 Your Head. Until then, this is Dave Drewy saying 00:24:35.789 --> 00:24:38.369 thanks for listening to this edition of Living 00:24:38.369 --> 00:24:39.130 on the Edge.