WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.040 Most of us are working on something in our lives. 00:00:04.200 --> 00:00:06.900 You know, some of us it's a diet, others it's 00:00:06.900 --> 00:00:09.320 working out, for others it's family devotions 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:12.000 or getting into God's Word or praying more deeply. 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:15.419 But what I know is true about all of us is that 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:18.260 we start off well and we make these commitments 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:22.120 that are very sincere and then we seem to fade 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:25.160 quickly. If you want to learn how to not just 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:27.519 put first things first, but keep them first, 00:00:27.660 --> 00:00:32.590 stay with me. Welcome to this edition of Living 00:00:32.590 --> 00:00:35.689 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We are an international 00:00:35.689 --> 00:00:38.469 discipleship ministry devoted to helping Christians 00:00:38.469 --> 00:00:40.929 worldwide live out their faith for the glory 00:00:40.929 --> 00:00:43.710 of God and the benefit of all people. Thanks 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:46.009 for joining us as Chip continues our series, 00:00:46.210 --> 00:00:49.109 Balancing Life's Demands, with his message, How 00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:51.600 to Keep First Things First. Because, you know, 00:00:51.659 --> 00:00:54.259 making something a priority is one thing, but 00:00:54.259 --> 00:00:56.740 being able to keep it that way is always much 00:00:56.740 --> 00:00:59.380 harder. So keep listening today as Chip digs 00:00:59.380 --> 00:01:01.700 into God's Word to help us learn how to better 00:01:01.700 --> 00:01:04.680 safeguard our priorities. Okay, if you're ready, 00:01:04.780 --> 00:01:08.739 here's Chip with today's talk. Putting first 00:01:08.739 --> 00:01:12.079 things first is one thing. Keeping first things 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:14.780 first, now that's a whole other thing. So we're 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.579 going to talk about, well, how do you keep first 00:01:16.579 --> 00:01:19.629 things first? The problem is many start well, 00:01:19.709 --> 00:01:22.730 but few finish well. It's one thing to make a 00:01:22.730 --> 00:01:25.609 commitment and to really mean it. It's quite 00:01:25.609 --> 00:01:28.930 another thing to keep it sustained over a significant 00:01:28.930 --> 00:01:33.189 period of time so that those things that you 00:01:33.189 --> 00:01:35.450 know you want to do, you know God wants you to 00:01:35.450 --> 00:01:38.310 do, you find yourself little by little by little 00:01:38.310 --> 00:01:41.390 putting a week together into a month and a few 00:01:41.390 --> 00:01:44.510 months into a year and a few years into a decade 00:01:44.510 --> 00:01:46.909 and a couple decades. And that's how you leave 00:01:46.909 --> 00:01:50.209 a legacy. I mean, that's how life really plays 00:01:50.209 --> 00:01:53.609 out. It's what I'm doing today with a view to 00:01:53.609 --> 00:01:56.370 God's calling, his purpose and legacy in my life. 00:01:56.969 --> 00:02:00.049 And, you know, whether it's scanning, you know, 00:02:00.069 --> 00:02:02.609 you can look, read the characters in this book, 00:02:02.650 --> 00:02:05.769 and a lot of them start well. I mean, I'm reading 00:02:05.769 --> 00:02:07.450 through right now just my personal devotional 00:02:07.450 --> 00:02:11.250 time, just finished 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings. 00:02:11.669 --> 00:02:13.629 And I got news for you. There's a lot of kings 00:02:13.629 --> 00:02:15.509 that start well, but I can only find a handful 00:02:15.509 --> 00:02:18.819 that finish well. Samson starts well, doesn't 00:02:18.819 --> 00:02:20.860 finish well. Solomon starts well, doesn't finish 00:02:20.860 --> 00:02:23.900 well. Demas started well, didn't finish well. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.479 In the second half of life, some people that 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:32.819 we all have admired seem to, something happens. 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.039 A lot of churches start well, don't finish well. 00:02:37.139 --> 00:02:39.560 A lot of businesses, I mean, remember the book 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:42.580 In Search for Excellence by Tom Peters? There 00:02:42.580 --> 00:02:46.319 were 10 companies he profiled in that book. This 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.900 is excellence. I could be mistaken, but at least 00:02:49.900 --> 00:02:51.979 nine out of ten of those currently are out of 00:02:51.979 --> 00:02:55.620 business. They started well. In a season, they 00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:58.240 were doing some things well, but it wasn't sustainable. 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:02.639 So, you know, that's really, you can kind of 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.979 look at me like, well, gosh, I'm glad there's 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:08.280 the good news for this session. You know? No 00:03:08.280 --> 00:03:10.180 one else is finishing well, but somehow, you 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:14.419 know, right? That's the problem. In fact, closer 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:19.650 to home. A lot of marriages start well. A lot 00:03:19.650 --> 00:03:23.770 of parenting starts well. A lot of it doesn't 00:03:23.770 --> 00:03:28.550 finish well. And now that we've got the problem 00:03:28.550 --> 00:03:32.319 isolated, what's the solution? I want to suggest 00:03:32.319 --> 00:03:35.080 that the solution, apart from your own relationship 00:03:35.080 --> 00:03:38.419 with God, there's no quick, easy, but for people 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:40.860 who really want to follow Christ, for people 00:03:40.860 --> 00:03:43.379 that want to honor God, for people who want to 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:46.419 balance their life and do things God's way for 00:03:46.419 --> 00:03:48.500 His glory and for their good and for others, 00:03:48.599 --> 00:03:50.939 the two words I would give you is biblical accountability. 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:56.120 Biblical accountability. Let me give you a definition. 00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:59.199 Biblical accountability is enlisting the support 00:03:59.199 --> 00:04:02.879 of those who love me, to help me keep my commitments 00:04:02.879 --> 00:04:06.860 to God. In other words, it's biblical. As iron 00:04:06.860 --> 00:04:10.680 sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. It's 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:13.259 not simply accountability. That's, in some ways, 00:04:13.340 --> 00:04:16.259 a negative word too. This is not getting a group 00:04:16.259 --> 00:04:19.389 of people that harass you. You know, this is 00:04:19.389 --> 00:04:20.949 not getting a group of people that you can meet 00:04:20.949 --> 00:04:23.149 with on a regular basis to make you feel guilty. 00:04:23.490 --> 00:04:26.209 This is not calling it, we're involved in accountability 00:04:26.209 --> 00:04:28.870 group, but everyone goes about, oh, a little 00:04:28.870 --> 00:04:31.490 past the first superficial layer, but you never 00:04:31.490 --> 00:04:34.410 really get down to what's really going on. This 00:04:34.410 --> 00:04:40.009 is where you ask, you invite. people into your 00:04:40.009 --> 00:04:42.810 life and you say, this isn't about expectations 00:04:42.810 --> 00:04:46.310 of other people. This is where you say, I want 00:04:46.310 --> 00:04:49.589 to be. In my case, I want to be a man of God. 00:04:49.790 --> 00:04:53.709 I want to be a great father. I want to be a great 00:04:53.709 --> 00:04:57.069 husband. I want to be, in the eyes of God, a 00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.810 great pastor and a great friend. Will you help 00:05:00.810 --> 00:05:04.120 me? Keep my commitments to God. I don't wanna 00:05:04.120 --> 00:05:06.800 fulfill your program. I don't wanna fulfill what 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:10.100 you think. I'm asking you, would you enter into 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:12.420 my inner world because of our relationship and 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:16.079 our trust? Will you help me keep my commitments 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:19.600 to God? I'm going to open my life. I'm going 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:22.019 to be honest. I'm going to be vulnerable. I'm 00:05:22.019 --> 00:05:23.680 gonna share my victories. I'm gonna share my 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:28.300 struggles. Will you help me? That's biblical 00:05:28.300 --> 00:05:32.720 accountability. And I'd like to suggest that 00:05:32.720 --> 00:05:36.980 there is no way to fulfill anything we've talked 00:05:36.980 --> 00:05:40.699 about without it. It's powerful. Ecclesiastes 00:05:40.699 --> 00:05:44.459 4, 9 through 12 says, two are better than one 00:05:44.459 --> 00:05:46.139 because they have a good return for their labor. 00:05:46.439 --> 00:05:48.980 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:51.959 But pity, notice that, pity the man, pity the 00:05:51.959 --> 00:05:53.899 woman who falls. And you know you're going to 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:57.410 fall and has no one to help him up. Also, if 00:05:57.410 --> 00:05:59.829 two lie down together, they will keep warm. But 00:05:59.829 --> 00:06:02.790 how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be 00:06:02.790 --> 00:06:05.750 overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord 00:06:05.750 --> 00:06:09.930 of three is not quickly broken. We have an American 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:13.430 individualistic mindset about spirituality and 00:06:13.430 --> 00:06:15.910 walking with God that is rooted somewhere deep 00:06:15.910 --> 00:06:20.129 in the heart of John Wayne. All right, pilgrims, 00:06:20.129 --> 00:06:23.110 it's me. It's not a very good imitation, by the 00:06:23.110 --> 00:06:27.250 way, either. And God? And I'm going to do it 00:06:27.250 --> 00:06:30.089 all by myself, you see. That was a little bit 00:06:30.089 --> 00:06:35.269 better. I want you to know that every New Testament 00:06:35.269 --> 00:06:38.490 command that I can find is in what's called grammatically 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:43.730 the second person plural. Hey, be this kind of 00:06:43.730 --> 00:06:46.629 a husband, you all men. Be this kind of a wife. 00:06:46.850 --> 00:06:49.529 Walk in purity, you all. Second person plural 00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:54.470 means you can't do it alone. It's not hard. It 00:06:54.470 --> 00:06:56.870 is important. impossible to be a man of God, 00:06:57.009 --> 00:06:59.709 a woman of God, the kind of husband, the kind 00:06:59.709 --> 00:07:02.189 of pure single person, the kind of employer, 00:07:02.290 --> 00:07:05.709 employee, church member, elder, deacon. It's 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:09.189 impossible, impossible to do what God's called 00:07:09.189 --> 00:07:13.790 you to do. You, God, your Bible. You need people. 00:07:14.149 --> 00:07:17.560 I need people. But not people that are at a length, 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.060 not people that know you superficially, not people 00:07:20.060 --> 00:07:22.620 that you let in on just certain things and the 00:07:22.620 --> 00:07:24.920 real deep struggles and the secrets and the difficulty 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:27.439 and the pain and the hurts never get out on the 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:32.199 table. You were never designed, it is impossible 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.620 for you and impossible for me to make it apart 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:39.660 from other people. We all agree. I mean, at this 00:07:39.660 --> 00:07:41.240 point, I love your faces. You're telling me, 00:07:41.259 --> 00:07:44.259 I agree with that. Intellectually, everyone agrees 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:46.240 with biblical accountability. I mean, back to 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:50.300 you are your brother's keeper. Our experience 00:07:50.300 --> 00:07:54.379 affirms it works. Some of you will look back 00:07:54.379 --> 00:07:56.560 and you could say, you know what, I would not 00:07:56.560 --> 00:07:59.540 be the person I am today apart. And you're either 00:07:59.540 --> 00:08:01.779 thinking of a real close friendship, a mentor, 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.180 a small group, a season at times that it was 00:08:05.180 --> 00:08:07.879 just like, wow. And there was connection, open, 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:11.240 honesty, you were motivated. History affirms. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:13.680 I mean, we've got the Moravians, the Wesleys, 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:16.199 the Korean movement, the small group movement. 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:18.879 I mean, they didn't call them Methodists for 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:22.240 nothing. It was their methodology. You were in 00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:25.959 a small group. You shared. In Methodism, people 00:08:25.959 --> 00:08:27.720 would meet twice a week and they would have a 00:08:27.720 --> 00:08:29.560 corporate confession. This is where I sinned 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:32.659 this week. Reintroduce that, see how it works. 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:36.240 The Moravians did something very similar. If 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:38.840 you see the mushrooming of the church in Korea. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:41.820 built around the small group movement of holistic 00:08:41.820 --> 00:08:44.500 small groups, really ministering to one another. 00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:47.299 In fact, the world has learned it. They know 00:08:47.299 --> 00:08:49.519 that overcoming certain things, you know, if 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:53.460 you go to AA, right? If you go to Al -Anon, if 00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:56.960 you go to Celebrate Recovery, if you go to Weight 00:08:56.960 --> 00:08:59.220 Watchers, if you go to Jenny Craig, I mean, what 00:08:59.220 --> 00:09:02.940 has the world learned? People don't make lasting 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:06.500 change unless... They are together with other 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:09.539 people, loving, encouraging, and holding one 00:09:09.539 --> 00:09:13.639 another accountable. And yet, the great majority 00:09:13.639 --> 00:09:18.259 of all the Christians do not have or experience 00:09:18.259 --> 00:09:22.440 biblical accountability. I mean, you know, what 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:26.620 do they do in group counseling, rehab centers? 00:09:28.379 --> 00:09:29.899 Isn't it? Have you ever been through? Have you 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:31.100 ever been around someone who's been through a 00:09:31.100 --> 00:09:36.519 12 -step program? Unbelievable. I mean, the level 00:09:36.519 --> 00:09:39.960 of honesty, I'll never forget this. Power of 00:09:39.960 --> 00:09:43.759 accountability. We started a Celebrate Recovery 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:46.559 program. Santa Cruz is where I pastored for about 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:49.259 12 and a half years. I mean, if you had an addiction, 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:51.840 we had you in our church. I mean, it's a wild, 00:09:51.899 --> 00:09:54.620 crazy, crazy place. And so we started this, and 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:56.340 this guy I never met came up afterwards, and 00:09:56.340 --> 00:09:58.360 he had a notebook in his hands. He says, excuse 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.279 me. I said, hi. He said, could I do my fourth 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.190 step with you? And I said. I don't know what 00:10:04.190 --> 00:10:06.110 the fourth step is. He said, well, I go to the 00:10:06.110 --> 00:10:08.190 Celebrate Recovery here and it was on Friday 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:10.330 nights and a whole group of people that, you 00:10:10.330 --> 00:10:11.769 know, they hadn't made it quite to church yet 00:10:11.769 --> 00:10:13.769 and they were making a lot of progress and, you 00:10:13.769 --> 00:10:15.990 know, doing worship and God was working. And 00:10:15.990 --> 00:10:17.769 I thought, you know, I should know more about 00:10:17.769 --> 00:10:19.970 this. So I said, sure. He said, well, it'll take 00:10:19.970 --> 00:10:21.990 two hours. I said, well, you know, why don't 00:10:21.990 --> 00:10:23.429 you get with my assistant? We'll figure it out. 00:10:23.490 --> 00:10:25.450 So we blocked off from two to four and later 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:27.809 that week he came in and he came in over and 00:10:27.809 --> 00:10:31.250 sat down. He goes, I mean, no, like, hey, how 00:10:31.250 --> 00:10:34.720 you doing? Are you ready? I said, yeah. I said, 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:37.379 exactly what is the fourth step? It says it's 00:10:37.379 --> 00:10:40.919 a total moral inventory where I go back through 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:43.700 my life and try and discern. And I've asked, 00:10:43.860 --> 00:10:45.679 you know, it's not the higher power here. We 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:48.399 believe Jesus is the higher power. He is my God. 00:10:48.559 --> 00:10:51.879 And I've asked God to reveal to me anything I've 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:55.299 ever done to hurt anyone at any time. And I want 00:10:55.299 --> 00:10:58.139 to own the responsibility for what I've done 00:10:58.139 --> 00:11:00.879 and stop blaming anything or anyone, including 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:04.870 God. And you got to get specific. I said, okay. 00:11:05.669 --> 00:11:09.990 And he had a yellow pad, all handwritten. He 00:11:09.990 --> 00:11:12.610 goes, when I was seven years old, he started. 00:11:12.750 --> 00:11:15.570 When I was 11 years old. And I mean, he told 00:11:15.570 --> 00:11:20.509 me stuff I'm thinking, I would not, I mean. You 00:11:20.509 --> 00:11:22.830 know? And I'm thinking, here, I'm a pastor of 00:11:22.830 --> 00:11:25.210 a church. I have staff meetings. We talk about 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:27.389 vulnerability. And you know, I'm thinking, I 00:11:27.389 --> 00:11:29.509 think we're doing like a C minus in terms of 00:11:29.509 --> 00:11:31.710 honesty and vulnerability compared to this guy. 00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:37.740 And that's why the secrets get out and strongholds 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:41.879 are broken. We need one another. Well, if we 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.580 agree we need one another so much, we know it 00:11:45.580 --> 00:11:51.860 works. Question, why don't more believers have 00:11:51.860 --> 00:11:54.679 authentic biblical accountability that allows 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:58.659 you to sustain the discipline and the arenas 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:01.179 that God is revealing to you that you know you 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:03.539 want? and you long for him to change in you. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.240 And I would like to give you five reasons why 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.360 accountability is essential for spiritual success. 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:13.740 And what you're gonna find is, we're gonna start 00:12:13.740 --> 00:12:16.360 right where we were in the last passage. I'm 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:19.019 gonna make the case that the Apostle Paul, one 00:12:19.019 --> 00:12:20.700 of the greatest Christians, if not the greatest 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:24.379 Christian of all time, is going to say, here's 00:12:24.379 --> 00:12:26.740 my greatest desire, and here's my greatest fear. 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:28.960 And his greatest fear is that he would blow it. 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:32.279 And then he's going to teach us through 1 Corinthians 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:37.080 10, the necessity and the reasons for biblical 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:39.879 accountability. And then at the very end, I'm 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.139 going to say, okay, I mean, you know, have you 00:12:42.139 --> 00:12:44.019 ever had someone say, you know, I think they're 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:45.759 trying to sell me. I think they're trying to 00:12:45.759 --> 00:12:48.679 persuade me right now, you know, but I'm not 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:53.639 sure. I want you to know, I am. Okay, I mean, 00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:56.840 all, you know, no holes barred. I'm going to 00:12:56.840 --> 00:13:00.500 try and convince you. from Scripture, and by, 00:13:00.580 --> 00:13:03.600 I pray, the Spirit's energizing power in His 00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:06.240 Word. When I get done in about 20 minutes going 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:08.940 through these passages, I hope you'll go, I got 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:10.580 to have biblical accountability. I mean, whatever 00:13:10.580 --> 00:13:12.419 it takes, I got to have it. And then I'm going 00:13:12.419 --> 00:13:14.539 to give you just a little game plan, some practical 00:13:14.539 --> 00:13:17.279 ways to get it operational, and then the ball's 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:20.840 in your court. All right? Here we go. Five reasons 00:13:20.840 --> 00:13:23.639 accountability, biblical accountability is essential 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.259 for spiritual success. Number one, because we 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:29.080 never outgrow the need for personal accountability. 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:33.759 We never outgrow the need for personal accountability. 00:13:34.100 --> 00:13:36.240 And you say, Chip, where do you get that? Well, 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:38.059 let's listen one more time to what the Apostle 00:13:38.059 --> 00:13:40.940 Paul said. He says, verse 24 of chapter nine 00:13:40.940 --> 00:13:43.379 of 1 Corinthians, do you not know that those 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:45.840 who run in a race all run, but only one receives 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:49.820 the prize? Run in such a way that you win. And 00:13:49.820 --> 00:13:51.799 everyone who competes in the games, those Olympic 00:13:51.799 --> 00:13:54.019 games, exercises discipline or self -control 00:13:54.019 --> 00:13:56.679 in all things. Well, they do it to receive a 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:58.980 perishable wreath, but we do it an imperishable. 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:02.759 Therefore, application, I run in such a way, 00:14:02.759 --> 00:14:06.259 not without aim. I box in such a way as not beating 00:14:06.259 --> 00:14:10.000 the air, clear -cut goal. I buffet my body and 00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:12.940 I make it my slave, discipline, lest possibly 00:14:12.940 --> 00:14:16.080 after I preach to others, I myself should be 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.519 disqualified. Paul's greatest desire, great use 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:24.659 for Christ. Paul's greatest fear, I think I might 00:14:24.659 --> 00:14:28.840 myself get disqualified. I'll get off track. 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:32.820 You're listening to Living on the Edge, and Chip 00:14:32.820 --> 00:14:35.620 Ingram will be back to continue our series, Balancing 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.399 Life's Demands, in just a minute. But let me 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:40.639 quickly tell you that we are more than a broadcast 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:43.139 ministry. We're supporting pastors globally, 00:14:43.440 --> 00:14:46.220 developing helpful resources, and sharing the 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:48.940 gospel with this next generation. So if you'd 00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:51.299 like to join us in these efforts, become a monthly 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:55.919 partner by going to livingontheedge .org. Thanks 00:14:55.919 --> 00:14:59.600 for your support. We'll hear again as Chip. Here's 00:14:59.600 --> 00:15:03.220 the principle. If Paul had those concerns, how 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:06.340 much more should we? I'm thinking to myself, 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:08.860 can you imagine, I mean, if it was possible, 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:11.460 can you just imagine, what if the Apostle Paul 00:15:11.460 --> 00:15:14.019 just showed up in the flesh? And can you imagine 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:16.600 sitting down across from him? It would never 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:18.879 enter my mind that this guy down deep in his 00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:22.799 heart is concerned that someday, someway, through 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:27.500 subtle deception, he might no longer be God's 00:15:27.500 --> 00:15:30.009 man and walk with him. But that's what he's telling 00:15:30.009 --> 00:15:34.649 us right here. Leaders are among the most susceptible. 00:15:35.389 --> 00:15:38.090 And by the way, the more responsibility one gets, 00:15:38.389 --> 00:15:42.129 the more accountability that you need. Leaders 00:15:42.129 --> 00:15:45.070 have more time alone than others. The more you 00:15:45.070 --> 00:15:46.870 lead, and by the way, it can be in your family, 00:15:46.909 --> 00:15:48.370 it can be in your church, it can be in your company. 00:15:48.690 --> 00:15:50.549 People start assuming you've been in the Lord 00:15:50.549 --> 00:15:53.029 a long time. People go for you for wisdom and 00:15:53.029 --> 00:15:56.639 this and that. No one asks you the hard questions 00:15:56.639 --> 00:15:58.620 anymore. In fact, it would be embarrassing to 00:15:58.620 --> 00:16:00.379 ask some of you people the hard questions because, 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:03.299 I mean, you're so mature, you're so godly, you 00:16:03.299 --> 00:16:06.799 would never have those thoughts, right? Wrong. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:10.940 And so we never outgrow the need for personal 00:16:10.940 --> 00:16:14.559 accountability. And the greater the responsibility 00:16:14.559 --> 00:16:18.659 you have, either spiritually, family -wise, and 00:16:18.659 --> 00:16:20.419 by the way, when I say leaders, ladies, don't 00:16:20.419 --> 00:16:23.639 click into that. Some of you will. I do most 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.279 of my leading at home. Is that not like the most 00:16:26.279 --> 00:16:28.480 important leadership role? Isn't that all future 00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:34.200 generations? So, you know, I need this, you need 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:38.720 this. There's great pressure as you lead and 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:41.980 therefore great opportunity for compromise. So 00:16:41.980 --> 00:16:44.360 the first reason is you never outgrow it. The 00:16:44.360 --> 00:16:47.919 second reason that we need biblical accountability. 00:16:48.860 --> 00:16:51.919 for spiritual success is because past successes 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:57.259 are no guarantee of future faithfulness. Past 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:00.679 successes. I mean, and this is very subtle. I've 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.360 been walking with God for years. I read my Bible. 00:17:03.419 --> 00:17:06.519 I pray. I go to church. My family's done this. 00:17:06.619 --> 00:17:10.039 And you know what? I mean, I'm a man or, you 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:11.359 know, I have a few little struggles here and 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:13.940 there, but I'm not having big problems with internet. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.960 I mean, hey, you know, lighten up, guy. I mean, 00:17:16.980 --> 00:17:23.420 I'm just, I'm okay. Past successes are no guarantee 00:17:23.420 --> 00:17:26.400 of future faithfulness. And you say, well, where 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:28.259 do you get that? I get it from what Paul said. 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:31.500 After Paul just finished telling me, I'm afraid 00:17:31.500 --> 00:17:34.420 I might blow it, he reaches back into the Old 00:17:34.420 --> 00:17:36.900 Testament, and he's going to go back and look 00:17:36.900 --> 00:17:39.579 at, wow, let's take a look at the Israelites, 00:17:39.900 --> 00:17:43.240 and let's get some lessons from them about people 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:46.750 that had some pretty cool experiences. I mean, 00:17:46.769 --> 00:17:48.930 that's in past success. How would you like to 00:17:48.930 --> 00:17:50.750 be on the, I went through the Red Sea team and 00:17:50.750 --> 00:17:52.910 got a t -shirt at the end. Hey, I was there. 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:56.190 Or the, I was on the manna team, 40 years. You 00:17:56.190 --> 00:17:57.549 know, a little picture over here, you know, a 00:17:57.549 --> 00:17:59.789 little logo that says, you know, I ate special 00:17:59.789 --> 00:18:02.930 kind of bread for 40 years and never. Or how 00:18:02.930 --> 00:18:05.829 about, I was on the, I watched Corey get swallowed 00:18:05.829 --> 00:18:08.509 up, you know, on team, you know? Remember that 00:18:08.509 --> 00:18:10.849 part? Or remember, or maybe the group that has 00:18:10.849 --> 00:18:13.109 a little insignia of a snake. Remember when those 00:18:13.109 --> 00:18:15.289 people were grumbling and the serpents and... 00:18:15.690 --> 00:18:20.130 I mean, oh yes, I was on the fire by night and 00:18:20.130 --> 00:18:23.470 the Shekinah glory by day team. Do you realize 00:18:23.470 --> 00:18:26.430 how many amazing, overwhelming, supernatural 00:18:26.430 --> 00:18:31.890 experiences the children of Israel had? I want 00:18:31.890 --> 00:18:35.130 to tell you something, but write this down. Your 00:18:35.130 --> 00:18:41.019 spiritual experiences will not sustain you. God's 00:18:41.019 --> 00:18:44.779 works will not sustain you. Only his ways will 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:47.039 sustain you. And this is in the notes, but jot 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:51.359 down Psalm 103, seven. After that great introduction 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:53.900 about not forgetting and blessing the Lord, there's 00:18:53.900 --> 00:18:57.000 almost a weird verse because like, where does 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:01.019 this fit? It's the hinge of that Psalm. And after 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:02.759 he talks about remembering all of God's works, 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:04.799 his works, his works, his works, his works, and 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:07.240 then after verse seven, it's all about his character, 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:08.839 his faithfulness, his love, as far as the east 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:10.779 is from the west, you know, all that. There's 00:19:10.779 --> 00:19:15.420 this funny verse. He made known his ways to Moses, 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:21.140 his acts to the sons of Israel. God's acts. You 00:19:21.140 --> 00:19:23.720 know, he healed your boy of cancer. They came 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:26.099 through the car wreck. You didn't go into bankruptcy. 00:19:26.480 --> 00:19:29.440 I mean, these amazing acts, we could pile them 00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:32.099 up. God's done so many things and yet two months 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:34.400 later, two years later, you have a crisis, what 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:37.819 happens? Oh God, where are you? That's no different 00:19:37.819 --> 00:19:39.640 than the Red Sea and the manna and the serpents 00:19:39.640 --> 00:19:43.000 and all the rest. It's his ways that sustain 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:46.079 you. That's why Moses wasn't saying, God, give 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:48.500 me one more great experience. He said, Lord, 00:19:48.619 --> 00:19:52.369 I wanna see your glory. I want to know you. I 00:19:52.369 --> 00:19:54.289 want to know what you're like. I want to know 00:19:54.289 --> 00:19:57.690 your heart. So he reaches back in the Old Testament 00:19:57.690 --> 00:20:00.369 and notice the connecting word for. He's giving 00:20:00.369 --> 00:20:03.569 a reason. He says that I should be disqualified 00:20:03.569 --> 00:20:06.150 because Paul's looking back and saying, if those 00:20:06.150 --> 00:20:08.609 people with those amazing experiences can get 00:20:08.609 --> 00:20:11.930 disqualified, who am I? He says, for I do not 00:20:11.930 --> 00:20:13.930 want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers 00:20:13.930 --> 00:20:16.430 were all under the cloud. They all passed through 00:20:16.430 --> 00:20:19.190 the sea. And they were all baptized into Moses 00:20:19.190 --> 00:20:21.769 in the cloud and the sea. And they all ate the 00:20:21.769 --> 00:20:23.809 same spiritual food, the manna, and they drank 00:20:23.809 --> 00:20:26.170 the same spiritual drink. For they were drinking 00:20:26.170 --> 00:20:28.250 from a spiritual rock which followed them, and 00:20:28.250 --> 00:20:31.730 the rock was Christ. Underline the next word, 00:20:31.950 --> 00:20:36.769 nevertheless. Nevertheless, with most of them, 00:20:36.789 --> 00:20:39.549 God was not well pleased, for they were laid 00:20:39.549 --> 00:20:44.710 low in the wilderness. Walking with God in the 00:20:44.710 --> 00:20:48.160 past is no... guarantee that you'll walk with 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:51.299 him in the future. Yesterday's experiences do 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:54.079 not make you useful for tomorrow. There is no 00:20:54.079 --> 00:20:56.740 such thing as spiritual autopilot. We now have 00:20:56.740 --> 00:20:58.819 him, we're at 30 ,000 feet, if you can lean back, 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.079 put up your slate tray, boop, you will walk with 00:21:01.079 --> 00:21:04.700 God until you die. Wrong. You're either growing 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:12.400 or shrinking spiritually. For all of us. You 00:21:12.400 --> 00:21:15.059 could tell me stories of some of your great heroes. 00:21:16.329 --> 00:21:21.950 a pastor, a mentor, a church leader, that, I 00:21:21.950 --> 00:21:24.009 mean, you just, I mean, somewhere in your spiritual 00:21:24.009 --> 00:21:26.349 journey, they were like, whoa, someday, someway, 00:21:26.410 --> 00:21:29.109 I want to be. And right now, they're a moral 00:21:29.109 --> 00:21:32.829 failure, right? And we all have at least one, 00:21:32.910 --> 00:21:35.690 I've got more than a few, of people that I will 00:21:35.690 --> 00:21:38.970 tell you far more gifted than me, love God far 00:21:38.970 --> 00:21:41.509 more than me, who are not only not in the ministry, 00:21:41.589 --> 00:21:43.029 but they're not married to the same person or 00:21:43.029 --> 00:21:48.900 involved in horrendous things. I mean, there's 00:21:48.900 --> 00:21:51.079 people that have led thousands of people to Christ 00:21:51.079 --> 00:21:54.680 and had amazing impact who somewhere along the 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:57.339 line thought there was a new set of rules for 00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:01.700 them. Doesn't really apply to me. I'm under a 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:03.279 lot of pressure. I have a little more freedom 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:09.720 than other people. And boy, it's sad. The third 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:13.500 reason is because we constantly underestimate 00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:17.700 the power of our own. sinful passions. I mean, 00:22:17.700 --> 00:22:21.019 it begs the question, well, how? How can some 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:24.160 of the most committed, gifted people in all the 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:27.140 body of Christ, both in Bible times and our times, 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:30.859 how in the world can you get off track? And hopefully 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:34.180 in your heart of hearts, you're saying, I don't 00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:35.599 ever want to get off track, and I don't know 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:37.859 how I could get off track, but gosh, if Paul 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.980 thinks he could get off track, and if all those 00:22:39.980 --> 00:22:42.079 people, the nation of Israel got off track, and 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:43.940 some people that were my heroes got off track, 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:48.369 I guess I could. But how? I mean, what happens? 00:22:48.490 --> 00:22:52.430 You and I underestimate the power of our own 00:22:52.430 --> 00:22:59.430 sinful passions. So let me ask you, do you have 00:22:59.430 --> 00:23:03.430 genuine, authentic relationships to keep you 00:23:03.430 --> 00:23:06.029 personally accountable? I mean, I use the illustration 00:23:06.029 --> 00:23:09.049 of David, a man after God's own heart. I mean, 00:23:09.069 --> 00:23:11.869 a man who knew God's word, a man that God used 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:15.740 to actually speak God's word to us. If he can 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:18.759 blow it in the right circumstances, at a weak 00:23:18.759 --> 00:23:22.019 time, in a moment where his guard is down, that's 00:23:22.019 --> 00:23:24.569 true of all of us. And so I want to ask you two 00:23:24.569 --> 00:23:28.410 questions. Number one, where are you most vulnerable? 00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:31.990 And number two, do you have at least one person 00:23:31.990 --> 00:23:34.849 in your life? Let them see the good, the bad, 00:23:34.910 --> 00:23:37.609 and the ugly. Know that you will not be judged 00:23:37.609 --> 00:23:40.829 and get the secrets out and say, I need help. 00:23:40.990 --> 00:23:43.849 Will you help me keep my commitments to God? 00:23:44.109 --> 00:23:47.970 Do you have that person in your life? We all 00:23:47.970 --> 00:23:51.430 need that person. Otherwise, You do slip. You 00:23:51.430 --> 00:23:53.549 do struggle. It starts with a little thought. 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:56.509 It starts with just an idea. And then it begins 00:23:56.509 --> 00:23:58.690 to germinate in your heart. And then you act 00:23:58.690 --> 00:24:01.410 on it in some very small little way. And maybe 00:24:01.410 --> 00:24:03.950 it's a visual issue or a financial issue or, 00:24:03.990 --> 00:24:06.190 you know, a coveting issue. And then it starts 00:24:06.190 --> 00:24:09.210 to grow inside your heart and inside your mind. 00:24:09.309 --> 00:24:11.950 And then the enemy creeps in and begins to bring 00:24:11.950 --> 00:24:14.309 the condemnation. And you call yourself a Christian 00:24:14.309 --> 00:24:17.009 and then begins to entice what could happen and 00:24:17.009 --> 00:24:18.789 how sweet it would be and what you can have. 00:24:19.759 --> 00:24:22.579 you in a period of days and weeks and months 00:24:22.579 --> 00:24:25.579 you can have an interior and an exterior life 00:24:25.579 --> 00:24:27.960 that are going two completely different directions 00:24:27.960 --> 00:24:30.960 and then you think it could never happen to you 00:24:30.960 --> 00:24:34.559 you would never seriously do that whatever that 00:24:34.559 --> 00:24:39.210 is and yet you find You make a mistake in a moment 00:24:39.210 --> 00:24:41.569 of weakness with the right circumstances that 00:24:41.569 --> 00:24:45.289 destroys your life, destroys your relationships, 00:24:45.609 --> 00:24:48.829 mars God's reputation. And so I appeal to you 00:24:48.829 --> 00:24:51.789 today, what is the area where you're most vulnerable? 00:24:51.950 --> 00:24:54.690 Is it lust of the flesh? Is it lust of the eyes? 00:24:55.009 --> 00:24:58.829 Is it the pride of life? I mean, is it the wanting 00:24:58.829 --> 00:25:01.710 of more? Is it work? Is it money? Is it sex? 00:25:02.539 --> 00:25:04.980 Or is it being a big shot? I don't know what 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:08.480 it is. We all struggle. Identify it today and 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:11.259 then find one close friend. Maybe you even have 00:25:11.259 --> 00:25:13.380 to make a phone call. Maybe it's an old college 00:25:13.380 --> 00:25:15.619 roommate. Maybe it's a pastor that you had at 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:18.500 the last church. Find someone that you can be 00:25:18.500 --> 00:25:20.980 honest with today and say, here's what's going 00:25:20.980 --> 00:25:24.460 on in my life. I just needed to share it openly. 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:27.859 I've asked God to forgive me. Will you help me 00:25:27.859 --> 00:25:32.670 keep my commitments to God? Confess your sins 00:25:32.670 --> 00:25:36.150 to one another, James says, that you might be 00:25:36.150 --> 00:25:39.769 healed. The only thing that keeps me from doing 00:25:39.769 --> 00:25:43.390 this personally is my pride. My pride that I 00:25:43.390 --> 00:25:45.250 don't want anyone to think that I would, quote, 00:25:45.250 --> 00:25:49.230 still struggle in that area or in that way. But 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:53.130 grace flows toward humility. Humble yourself, 00:25:53.309 --> 00:25:55.309 therefore, into the mighty hand of God that he 00:25:55.309 --> 00:25:58.369 could lift you up. He wants to help you today. 00:25:58.750 --> 00:26:01.549 Deal with it. You'll be glad you did. Great word, 00:26:01.609 --> 00:26:03.730 Chip. Well, if you've been challenged to deepen 00:26:03.730 --> 00:26:05.930 your relationship with God, we'd love to support 00:26:05.930 --> 00:26:11.269 you. Go to truespiritualityonline .org and check 00:26:11.269 --> 00:26:13.730 out our resources. You can order Chip's popular 00:26:13.730 --> 00:26:16.569 book, True Spirituality, get the small group 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:19.769 study, or watch countless helpful videos. All 00:26:19.769 --> 00:26:21.910 of these tools were designed to show you the 00:26:21.910 --> 00:26:24.490 clear path to becoming a genuine follower of 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:27.150 Christ. So check them out today. The website 00:26:27.150 --> 00:26:31.299 again is truespiritualityonline .org. dot org 00:26:31.299 --> 00:26:33.759 well chip before we go i can see you're wanting 00:26:33.759 --> 00:26:35.940 to jump in here one last time to share something 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:39.329 with our listeners thanks so much dave As we 00:26:39.329 --> 00:26:41.430 wrap up today's program, I have to tell you that 00:26:41.430 --> 00:26:43.269 one of the greatest things that happens through 00:26:43.269 --> 00:26:46.049 Living on the Edge is people make Jesus the Lord 00:26:46.049 --> 00:26:48.289 of their life. And I've read literally thousands 00:26:48.289 --> 00:26:52.130 of emails. And the change that happens is just 00:26:52.130 --> 00:26:54.569 absolutely amazing. And it's a chain reaction. 00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.910 And so I just want to thank all of you that support 00:26:57.910 --> 00:27:00.430 the ministry financially. Because when someone 00:27:00.430 --> 00:27:02.670 makes Jesus Lord, their marriage changes, their 00:27:02.670 --> 00:27:05.349 parenting changes, who shows up at work changes. 00:27:05.690 --> 00:27:08.289 Thank you very, very much for your financial 00:27:08.289 --> 00:27:10.220 support. support. And, you know, if you have 00:27:10.220 --> 00:27:12.500 not supported us or haven't supported us in a 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:14.920 while, or we just kind of like to make it a habit, 00:27:14.980 --> 00:27:17.599 maybe do it monthly, today would be a great day 00:27:17.599 --> 00:27:19.900 to say, you know something, Christians need to 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:21.839 live like Christians, and I'd like to help Living 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:24.099 on the Edge. Thanks so much for whatever God 00:27:24.099 --> 00:27:26.440 leads you to do. Thanks, Chip. Well, if you're 00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:28.839 already a financial partner, thank you. With 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:31.180 your help, Living on the Edge is ministering 00:27:31.180 --> 00:27:33.740 to more people than ever. But if you're benefiting 00:27:33.740 --> 00:27:36.119 from Chip's teaching and haven't yet taken that 00:27:36.119 --> 00:27:38.759 step, now would be a great time to join the team. 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:41.359 To send a gift or to become a monthly partner, 00:27:41.619 --> 00:27:45.319 go to livingontheedge .org or call us at 888 00:27:45.319 --> 00:27:53.960 -333 -6003. That's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:27:53.960 --> 00:28:22.900 .org. App listeners tap donate. On Apple Podcasts, 00:28:22.900 --> 00:28:25.400 Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 00:28:27.049 --> 00:28:29.869 us next time as Chip continues his series, Balancing 00:28:29.869 --> 00:28:32.930 Life's Demands. Until then, I'm Dave Drewy saying 00:28:32.930 --> 00:28:35.369 thanks for listening to this edition of Living 00:28:35.369 --> 00:28:36.190 on the Edge.