WEBVTT 00:00:11.470 --> 00:00:14.169 Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:16.969 Do you feel like you're in a rut? You know, same 00:00:16.969 --> 00:00:19.629 job, same people, same ministry, day in, day 00:00:19.629 --> 00:00:22.109 out, same old stuff. The nagging feeling that 00:00:22.109 --> 00:00:23.870 things are never going to change or get better. 00:00:24.089 --> 00:00:27.890 And so you really just quit trying? You stagnate. 00:00:27.989 --> 00:00:30.230 Would you like to learn how to overcome those 00:00:30.230 --> 00:00:32.990 feelings of stagnation? Would you like to rekindle 00:00:32.990 --> 00:00:35.189 the flame of motivation in your life and relationships? 00:00:35.469 --> 00:00:38.250 It can happen. Stay with me. Let's talk about 00:00:38.250 --> 00:00:43.159 it. Life is dynamic. You're either growing or 00:00:43.159 --> 00:00:46.179 you're dying. There's no middle ground. Yet many 00:00:46.179 --> 00:00:48.820 Christians feel stuck in a spiritual rut, going 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:51.960 through the motions without real progress. I'm 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:53.820 Dave Drewy, and today on Living on the Edge, 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:56.340 Chip Ingram reveals seven powerful principles 00:00:56.340 --> 00:00:59.259 that will propel you beyond personal stagnation. 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.259 In our series Experience Breakthrough, we're 00:01:02.259 --> 00:01:04.879 discovering how to stop feeling confined by life's 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.920 biggest barriers. Today's barrier? Stagnation. 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:10.459 that frustrating sense that you're not moving 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:13.159 forward spiritually. But here's the good news. 00:01:13.239 --> 00:01:16.379 God has a plan to get you unstuck. Well, here's 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:18.739 Chip Ingram with his message on how to overcome 00:01:18.739 --> 00:01:22.180 personal stagnation. Does your life honestly 00:01:22.180 --> 00:01:25.099 feel more like an adventure? Does your life feel 00:01:25.099 --> 00:01:30.140 more like a rut? See, life is dynamic. Life is 00:01:30.140 --> 00:01:34.560 dynamic. It is not static. You are either growing 00:01:34.560 --> 00:01:39.500 or dying. It's true physically, it's true intellectually, 00:01:39.719 --> 00:01:42.319 it's true relationally, it's true spiritually. 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:48.219 All living things are either growing and increasing 00:01:48.219 --> 00:01:52.319 toward maturity or they are deteriorating toward 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:55.840 decay and death. There is no middle ground. The 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:58.700 myth in life is that we think there is. When 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:01.560 we think the status quo is where we are, we are 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.099 just sliding backwards without knowing it. See, 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:07.650 growth is exciting. Do you remember when your 00:02:07.650 --> 00:02:09.569 kids, those of us that are married, do you remember 00:02:09.569 --> 00:02:11.330 when your kids start growing and they, Dad, will 00:02:11.330 --> 00:02:13.889 you measure me? Will you measure me? Right? They 00:02:13.889 --> 00:02:15.590 don't come and say, oh gosh, Dad, I grew another 00:02:15.590 --> 00:02:19.110 three inches. When you grow intellectually, and 00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:20.509 for some of us, when you get on that computer 00:02:20.509 --> 00:02:22.849 and you actually punch the writing buttons and 00:02:22.849 --> 00:02:24.909 something comes up, what happens? Wow, this is 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:28.389 neat. When you're involved in a relationship 00:02:28.389 --> 00:02:31.169 and you sense it growing and intimacy coming 00:02:31.169 --> 00:02:32.990 and you work through issues, what happens? You're 00:02:32.990 --> 00:02:36.439 excited. When you begin to come into a relationship 00:02:36.439 --> 00:02:39.300 with Christ like 20 to 25 people did last weekend 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:42.900 alone, and when they learn who he is and what's 00:02:42.900 --> 00:02:46.099 going on, they get excited. We need to remember, 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:49.819 though, that growth only comes from God. We can 00:02:49.819 --> 00:02:51.960 get in the right environment and we can apply 00:02:51.960 --> 00:02:55.740 ourselves, but growth, especially spiritual growth, 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:58.060 it's supernatural. You can't make it happen. 00:02:58.419 --> 00:03:00.819 You can just position yourself where God can 00:03:00.819 --> 00:03:05.000 do it. It's not automatic. My experience is it 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.120 is very difficult. It doesn't just happen. There 00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:12.199 are no magic pills. And the other thing I've 00:03:12.199 --> 00:03:17.219 realized is that growth can be stymied, thwarted, 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:22.460 stagnated, and retarded. You know, you can take 00:03:22.460 --> 00:03:24.500 a plant out of the sunshine and put it in a closet. 00:03:24.539 --> 00:03:27.860 What happens? You can take an arm that is growing 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:29.599 well and have it injured and put it in a cast. 00:03:29.659 --> 00:03:33.960 What happens? Atrophy. Some common reasons that 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.219 I've found that growth is stymied is sometimes 00:03:37.219 --> 00:03:40.460 we just don't get motivated. Other times there's 00:03:40.460 --> 00:03:42.479 that initial inertia, we can't get through it. 00:03:42.979 --> 00:03:45.219 For others, there's no sense of progress, we 00:03:45.219 --> 00:03:48.659 get discouraged. Sometimes there's just no inspiration, 00:03:48.840 --> 00:03:52.300 it just seems like... For others, we get stuck 00:03:52.300 --> 00:03:56.520 and we need guidance. For others, there's a time 00:03:56.520 --> 00:03:58.039 of change and we don't know how to get through 00:03:58.039 --> 00:04:00.879 that period of change. I don't know what it is, 00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:04.120 but this is what I know. I know that everyone 00:04:04.120 --> 00:04:07.120 in this room finds their self at some point in 00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:10.740 time, in some area, morally, spiritually, relationally, 00:04:10.819 --> 00:04:13.500 intellectually, or emotionally, where you get 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:18.600 stuck, where you get stagnated. And when you 00:04:18.600 --> 00:04:22.480 do, and when I do, then that area of your life 00:04:22.480 --> 00:04:24.779 begins to shrink. But God wants you to grow. 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.699 So here's my question. How are you growing today? 00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.230 How are you growing? How are you growing in your 00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:34.569 relationship with God? How are you growing in 00:04:34.569 --> 00:04:36.509 your relationship with people? How are you growing 00:04:36.509 --> 00:04:39.029 in your family life? And here's the question. 00:04:39.329 --> 00:04:42.269 Would you like to learn how to break through 00:04:42.269 --> 00:04:46.250 those barriers of personal stagnation, especially 00:04:46.250 --> 00:04:48.930 in your relationship with God and people? I want 00:04:48.930 --> 00:04:51.910 to give you seven principles from Scripture. 00:04:52.050 --> 00:04:55.209 There may be 20. There may be 100. But as I've 00:04:55.209 --> 00:04:58.110 examined Scripture and lived life and watched 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:01.250 people who grow, It's obvious that people who 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:04.350 grow have at least these seven things in common. 00:05:05.269 --> 00:05:08.990 People who grow, number one, live daily with 00:05:08.990 --> 00:05:13.209 the end in view. People who are really growing 00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:16.250 are motivated. In fact, this principle is the 00:05:16.250 --> 00:05:18.850 key to motivation. One of the great problems 00:05:18.850 --> 00:05:21.490 with believers is some believers think that their 00:05:21.490 --> 00:05:24.610 goal in life is to get to heaven. People, that's 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:26.310 not your goal in life. That's your destination. 00:05:27.470 --> 00:05:31.149 Your goal in life is to become like Christ. Romans 00:05:31.149 --> 00:05:33.730 8, 28 says that God takes every situation, every 00:05:33.730 --> 00:05:36.750 relationship, every hardship, every single thing 00:05:36.750 --> 00:05:38.689 that comes into your life, and he works it together 00:05:38.689 --> 00:05:41.569 for good to those who are called, to those that 00:05:41.569 --> 00:05:46.649 he loves. Why? Verse 29, not nearly as often 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:50.610 quoted, because he is preordained to conform 00:05:50.610 --> 00:05:54.730 you, to conform me to the image of his son. God's 00:05:54.730 --> 00:05:57.310 game plan is to make you like Jesus. That's the 00:05:57.310 --> 00:06:00.290 goal. In fact, notice Jesus' words on the Sermon 00:06:00.290 --> 00:06:03.329 on the Mount, Matthew 5, 48. Be perfect, therefore, 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:05.949 as your heavenly Father is perfect. You might 00:06:05.949 --> 00:06:08.430 circle that word perfect. Other translations, 00:06:08.629 --> 00:06:13.170 it says mature. It means fully grown. It means 00:06:13.170 --> 00:06:15.790 ripe. The Greek word is teleos, and I only tell 00:06:15.790 --> 00:06:17.930 you that because you get the idea of a telescope 00:06:17.930 --> 00:06:20.750 or those in philosophy who are familiar with 00:06:20.750 --> 00:06:23.970 the teleological argument. It's the idea of something 00:06:23.970 --> 00:06:28.759 arriving and coming to its full, God is saying, 00:06:28.819 --> 00:06:32.720 Jesus is saying, be ye perfect. Come and become 00:06:32.720 --> 00:06:36.180 all that God designed you to become. The Apostle 00:06:36.180 --> 00:06:38.100 Paul will say, that's in fact why the church 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:41.199 is designed. Ephesians 4, 13, he's going to say 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:43.579 that these relationships in the body are all 00:06:43.579 --> 00:06:46.319 designed in order to help you and to help me 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:48.579 become full grown or mature. Look at it with 00:06:48.579 --> 00:06:51.860 me. It says, until we all reach unity in the 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:54.560 faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:57.300 And become, here's our word again, same word, 00:06:57.500 --> 00:07:01.480 mature. Circle that. Attaining to the whole measure 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:06.180 of the fullness of Christ. It's God's goal. And 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:09.319 when you lived with the end in view, that's who 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:11.720 you want to become. The question in life when 00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:14.120 you get up every morning is not, what am I going 00:07:14.120 --> 00:07:17.540 to do today? The question in life every day when 00:07:17.540 --> 00:07:20.680 you get up is, who am I going to become more 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:23.829 like today? When you put that out there, that 00:07:23.829 --> 00:07:25.610 target on the wall, when you live with that end 00:07:25.610 --> 00:07:27.629 in view, you know what will happen? You'll be 00:07:27.629 --> 00:07:30.709 motivated. I'm extremely motivated because do 00:07:30.709 --> 00:07:32.170 you ever reach it? No, the Apostle Paul says 00:07:32.170 --> 00:07:35.089 what? I attain, I strive, not that I'm already 00:07:35.089 --> 00:07:37.790 there. You'll spend the rest of your life until 00:07:37.790 --> 00:07:40.649 Jesus comes back or you go meet him. Going after 00:07:40.649 --> 00:07:43.949 the prize of becoming more like Christ. Second 00:07:43.949 --> 00:07:46.930 characteristic of people who grow is they make 00:07:46.930 --> 00:07:51.709 a personal commitment to grow. is the key to 00:07:51.709 --> 00:07:54.910 overcoming inertia. A lot of us don't grow because 00:07:54.910 --> 00:07:57.670 we feel stuck. Newton was right, I think, both 00:07:57.670 --> 00:08:01.129 spiritually and in the laws of physics. A body 00:08:01.129 --> 00:08:04.410 at rest tends to stay at rest until there's an 00:08:04.410 --> 00:08:07.290 action upon it. And often what we need in growth 00:08:07.290 --> 00:08:09.389 is not some big thing. We just need to get moving. 00:08:10.029 --> 00:08:13.709 But how do you break that inertia? I believe 00:08:13.709 --> 00:08:15.810 the scripture teaches and that as I observe people, 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:20.000 they make a personal commitment to grow. Notice 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:23.240 that Jesus called for that in Luke 9, 23. He 00:08:23.240 --> 00:08:26.939 didn't just teach. He called for specific commitment 00:08:26.939 --> 00:08:31.420 to grow, to follow him. Verse 23 of Luke 9, Then 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:33.639 he, Jesus, said to them all, If anyone would 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.879 come after me, he must deny himself, take up 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:38.960 his cross daily, and follow me. Did you hear 00:08:38.960 --> 00:08:42.519 that? That means you sign up. I want to grow. 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:46.009 Jesus, I want to follow you. Take up your cross 00:08:46.009 --> 00:08:50.830 means you die to your agenda, your goals, what 00:08:50.830 --> 00:08:53.129 you think is best, and you say, I'm signing up 00:08:53.129 --> 00:08:56.990 and I want to be on your game plan. Notice the 00:08:56.990 --> 00:08:58.509 reason being. It's because he loves you, not 00:08:58.509 --> 00:08:59.789 because he wants to keep something good from 00:08:59.789 --> 00:09:03.169 you. For whoever wants to save his life will 00:09:03.169 --> 00:09:07.049 lose it. But whoever loses his life for me will 00:09:07.049 --> 00:09:10.320 save it. Notice his rationale. What good is it 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:13.100 for man to gain the whole world and yet lose 00:09:13.100 --> 00:09:16.940 or forfeit his very self? See, what God knows 00:09:16.940 --> 00:09:20.120 is this, is that you're being bombarded day in 00:09:20.120 --> 00:09:22.080 and day out in a fallen world, and we all grow 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:23.940 up with this baggage and these agendas, and we 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:25.759 think if we could make a list of these 25 things 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:27.100 that would work out in my life, then we'd be 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:30.480 happy. Seeking our life. I want to be this. I 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:31.559 want to be that. I want to be this. I want to 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:33.000 be that. I've got to have that. If I only have 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:35.600 this. And what he's saying is you need to lose 00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:39.519 that. Let go. Because if God in the next 50 years 00:09:39.519 --> 00:09:42.139 gave you everything on your list, you would end 00:09:42.139 --> 00:09:44.240 up with everything you ever dreamed of and be 00:09:44.240 --> 00:09:49.379 absolutely an empty shell and realize your ladder's 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:52.159 against the wrong wall. But he says, by contrast, 00:09:52.299 --> 00:09:55.539 the paradox of life is if you choose to sign 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:58.600 up for what's on his list, and there may be ones 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.179 that are very similar, you sign up for what's 00:10:01.179 --> 00:10:04.539 on his list and you let go, you will find your 00:10:04.539 --> 00:10:08.059 life. You will become all and beyond what you 00:10:08.059 --> 00:10:10.960 ever dreamed of becoming. Because what would 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:14.639 it gain for you or for me to have the whole world 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:17.700 and yet forfeit, not just your soul spiritually, 00:10:17.980 --> 00:10:20.059 but notice this translation. It's a good one. 00:10:20.100 --> 00:10:24.820 It's your self. You're listening to Living on 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:27.460 the Edge. More from Chip Ingram in just a moment. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.240 But first, if today's teaching is resonating 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:32.779 with you, don't keep it to yourself. You can 00:10:32.779 --> 00:10:35.320 easily share this message with friends and family 00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:39.200 by visiting livingontheedge .org. There you'll 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:41.700 find not only today's program, but an entire 00:10:41.700 --> 00:10:44.059 collection of biblical resources designed to 00:10:44.059 --> 00:10:46.460 help you experience breakthrough in every area 00:10:46.460 --> 00:10:49.980 of life. It's all available at livingontheedge 00:10:49.980 --> 00:10:53.470 .org. Well, let's continue with Chip's message. 00:10:53.830 --> 00:10:56.409 Notice it's a specific point in time the Apostle 00:10:56.409 --> 00:10:58.529 Paul will write in 1 Timothy 4, 7, and 8, have 00:10:58.529 --> 00:11:01.470 nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' 00:11:01.549 --> 00:11:07.929 tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. There's 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:12.169 a decision involved. Train yourself. Follow me. 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.190 For physical training is of some value, but godliness 00:11:16.190 --> 00:11:18.850 has value for all things, holding promise both 00:11:18.850 --> 00:11:22.970 for the present life and the life to come. Let 00:11:22.970 --> 00:11:25.710 me ask you now, has there ever been a point in 00:11:25.710 --> 00:11:29.350 time for all of you since you've become a Christian 00:11:29.350 --> 00:11:32.929 where you have driven a stake in the ground and 00:11:32.929 --> 00:11:36.210 said, I'm going to grow? I mean, come hell or 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:38.879 high water. Come good relationships, bad relationships. 00:11:39.100 --> 00:11:42.179 Come good circumstances, bad circumstances. I 00:11:42.179 --> 00:11:44.960 am going to follow Christ. It's kind of like 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:47.600 what Joshua said. As for me and my house, the 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.299 whole world can go a different direction. All 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:51.100 my friends can go a different direction. But 00:11:51.100 --> 00:11:53.820 for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. 00:11:53.879 --> 00:11:55.840 Have you ever done that? Now, I know what you're 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:59.259 thinking. It's what I've said it for years. I'm 00:11:59.259 --> 00:12:01.559 not ready for that. I'm not ready for that. You 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:04.159 know what the misbelief is? The misbelief is 00:12:04.159 --> 00:12:06.909 that we grow toward commitment. That's not true. 00:12:07.610 --> 00:12:11.809 The way you grow is you build on commitment. 00:12:12.710 --> 00:12:15.690 Now, some of you, many in this room are married, 00:12:15.769 --> 00:12:17.750 so you said I do before a group of people, right? 00:12:18.429 --> 00:12:20.370 And you said, I'm going to stick with this person 00:12:20.370 --> 00:12:22.269 come thick or thin. Now, do you know what the 00:12:22.269 --> 00:12:24.049 thick and thin is when you signed up for it? 00:12:24.850 --> 00:12:27.750 Heck no, you didn't know. In fact, some of you 00:12:27.750 --> 00:12:30.299 wish you would have known. But the fact of the 00:12:30.299 --> 00:12:32.960 matter is you build on that commitment. You don't 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:34.240 build toward it. You don't live together for 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:38.639 49 years and say, you know, honey, I think this 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:42.940 is going to work. You build on commitment. How 00:12:42.940 --> 00:12:44.840 many of us, when you had your first child, felt 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:47.000 like, we're ready for this. We got this wired. 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:51.240 You know, it's like, and then the second one 00:12:51.240 --> 00:12:54.019 comes. You know what you do, though? You don't 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:56.320 have what you need, but you're committed as a 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:59.190 parent to making it. Let me ask you, have you 00:12:59.190 --> 00:13:01.470 ever done that? See, that's how you break through 00:13:01.470 --> 00:13:04.950 that initial inertia. You make the commitment 00:13:04.950 --> 00:13:06.830 and say, I'm going to go for broke. I'm going 00:13:06.830 --> 00:13:08.870 to follow Christ. And you think, well, what about, 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:10.389 what about, what about? He'll give you, he'll 00:13:10.389 --> 00:13:13.269 show you what to do. But that's, there's people 00:13:13.269 --> 00:13:14.690 that have spent their whole Christian life waiting 00:13:14.690 --> 00:13:16.450 for when they're more mature, when they're really 00:13:16.450 --> 00:13:18.990 ready. You'll wait till Jesus comes and you'll 00:13:18.990 --> 00:13:23.149 miss life. Third, people who grow not only live 00:13:23.149 --> 00:13:26.129 daily with the end in view, and so it's the key 00:13:26.129 --> 00:13:28.669 to motivation. Not only do they make a personal 00:13:28.669 --> 00:13:30.669 commitment, which is the key to overcoming inertia. 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:34.950 Third, they value process more than event. And 00:13:34.950 --> 00:13:37.769 that's the key to progress. See, what happens 00:13:37.769 --> 00:13:40.870 is we think growth happens in these huge spurts. 00:13:40.870 --> 00:13:43.129 We think that there's a magic pill. There's a 00:13:43.129 --> 00:13:45.950 seminar. There's a book. There's a secret teaching. 00:13:47.080 --> 00:13:49.740 There's a second experience. There's something 00:13:49.740 --> 00:13:52.179 somewhere, somehow. There's an area of the country, 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.580 and if you go visit that area of the country, 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.179 you get holy, and you get powerful, and everything's 00:13:56.179 --> 00:14:00.080 going to change. You dream it. That's not the 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:03.860 way life works. So if people who really grow 00:14:03.860 --> 00:14:08.299 understand it's the everyday nickel and dime, 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:11.960 tiny little decisions you make, it's the process 00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:16.200 that produces real growth. Notice the writing 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:17.899 to the Hebrews written to a group of people that 00:14:17.899 --> 00:14:20.559 had stopped growing. They started to grow. They 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:22.539 were Jewish Christians and then the heat turned 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:24.500 up and there was persecution and they were moving 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.419 back into legalism and to the law. And the book 00:14:27.419 --> 00:14:29.320 of Hebrews is written to this group saying, hey, 00:14:29.340 --> 00:14:32.059 Christ is superior to the law. Christ is superior 00:14:32.059 --> 00:14:34.779 to the priesthood. Christ is superior to angels. 00:14:34.980 --> 00:14:37.539 Christ is superior to Moses. He's saying, hey, 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:40.139 get with the program. It's grace, baby. There's 00:14:40.139 --> 00:14:42.820 a new covenant. And he writes to this group of 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:46.620 people, verse 11, and it's sort of a, A little 00:14:46.620 --> 00:14:49.639 rebuke. He says in chapter 5 of verse 11, we 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:51.740 have much to say about this, talking about spiritual 00:14:51.740 --> 00:14:54.460 growth, but it's hard to explain because you 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:57.700 are slow to learn. They're not growing. In fact, 00:14:57.700 --> 00:14:59.480 though by this time you ought to be teachers. 00:14:59.679 --> 00:15:01.720 You need someone to teach you the elementary 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:05.360 truths of God's word all over again. He goes 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:09.100 on to say, you need milk like babies, not solid 00:15:09.100 --> 00:15:12.899 food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:14.980 infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:18.659 righteousness. Now get the next verse. Notice 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:20.679 how growth occurs and look for the concept of 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:24.320 the process. But solid food is for the mature. 00:15:24.340 --> 00:15:28.419 Circle it. That's our word again. Teleos. Solid 00:15:28.419 --> 00:15:30.820 food, spiritual food, is for the mature. Now 00:15:30.820 --> 00:15:36.299 get this. Who by constant use have trained themselves. 00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.669 Does that sound like a process? to distinguish 00:15:39.669 --> 00:15:43.750 good from evil, who by constant use, not a big 00:15:43.750 --> 00:15:47.649 event, a little here, a little there, constant 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:53.230 use have trained themselves. The secret to your 00:15:53.230 --> 00:15:57.450 future is hidden in your daily routines. Luke 00:15:57.450 --> 00:16:00.929 16 .10 says, He that is faithful in a very little 00:16:00.929 --> 00:16:03.970 thing will be faithful also in much. He who is 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:07.009 unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous 00:16:07.009 --> 00:16:09.519 also in much. You know, people tell me, oh, I 00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:10.820 really want to walk with God. God doesn't care 00:16:10.820 --> 00:16:12.639 about how I drive. God doesn't care about whether 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:14.399 I talk this way or do that. God doesn't care 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:16.120 about those little decisions. God doesn't care 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:17.919 about this or that. I got news. God cares about 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:20.039 that. Because if you're not faithful in little 00:16:20.039 --> 00:16:21.679 things, if I'm not faithful in little things, 00:16:21.820 --> 00:16:26.320 why would he entrust you with more? God wants 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.279 you to know it's the very little things, the 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:33.299 tiny attitudes with people, the tiny disciplines 00:16:33.299 --> 00:16:36.600 with him. The little things, a decision here, 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:40.580 integrity here, relationship here, and you build 00:16:40.580 --> 00:16:43.919 on them. One Russian philosopher said, a man 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.259 spends the first half of his life building habits, 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:50.919 and the second half of his life will be determined 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:53.940 by the habits he or she builds the first half. 00:16:54.940 --> 00:16:58.799 I'll tell you. The most profound beyond words 00:16:58.799 --> 00:17:02.899 impact in my life in terms of whatever usefulness 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:06.240 God has for my life now and in the future was 00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:09.460 not a big event. It was not the schools that 00:17:09.460 --> 00:17:13.140 I've been to. It is not any great spiritual awakening. 00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:16.059 You know, the greatest impact when I look back, 00:17:16.059 --> 00:17:18.640 if someone said, what's the one thing that has 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:20.460 shaped your life, Chip, more than anything else 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:24.460 other than people? I would say it was a bricklayer 00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:27.119 with a high school education shortly after I 00:17:27.119 --> 00:17:30.019 became a Christian who came to my dorm room and 00:17:30.019 --> 00:17:34.000 taught me how to have a daily quiet time. And 00:17:34.000 --> 00:17:36.799 I couldn't get up for the first year or so. And 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:38.920 in the next year, I spent five to seven, maybe 00:17:38.920 --> 00:17:41.680 ten minutes with God every morning before I went 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:44.819 off to school. But the discipline of on a daily 00:17:44.819 --> 00:17:47.519 basis, not big deal, not mastering the Bible, 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:50.500 not memorizing at all, but on a daily basis reading 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.759 systematically through the Bible, meeting with 00:17:53.759 --> 00:17:56.559 God before I meet with people. You know, you 00:17:56.559 --> 00:17:59.259 are what you eat, and it's true physically, it's 00:17:59.259 --> 00:18:00.980 true psychologically, and it's true spiritually. 00:18:01.980 --> 00:18:05.000 I miss a day, of course, here and there. But 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:06.839 it's kind of, you know, I miss a meal now and 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.490 then too, but not many. And so it's just become 00:18:09.490 --> 00:18:10.910 a part of my life. You know what I've learned? 00:18:11.130 --> 00:18:13.349 Is over the years, I just get up and I read the 00:18:13.349 --> 00:18:15.170 Word and I ask God. Sometimes it's emotional. 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:17.630 Sometimes I don't feel much. But I say, God, 00:18:17.730 --> 00:18:20.190 I want you to speak to me. And I want to learn 00:18:20.190 --> 00:18:22.210 who you are. I want to draw close to you. And 00:18:22.210 --> 00:18:23.970 I know that you're more important than the whole 00:18:23.970 --> 00:18:26.289 world. And the only way I can demonstrate that 00:18:26.289 --> 00:18:29.450 is stop and be with you first. And then I pray 00:18:29.450 --> 00:18:31.930 through my day. And then I sit quietly and I 00:18:31.930 --> 00:18:33.630 ask Him to search my heart and sometimes jot 00:18:33.630 --> 00:18:36.549 down some things He makes aware of. I would feel 00:18:36.549 --> 00:18:38.440 overwhelmed. But you know what I know? I'm going 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:39.559 to get up tomorrow and I'm going to meet with 00:18:39.559 --> 00:18:40.960 God and he's going to show me what to do next. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:44.460 I don't have a clue. There's situations as a 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:46.079 parent, you know, we've had financial struggles, 00:18:46.220 --> 00:18:47.960 we've had marital struggles, we've had, I've 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:50.779 shared most of them. But you know what the constant 00:18:50.779 --> 00:18:52.819 has been, the rudder of my life? God shows up 00:18:52.819 --> 00:18:56.259 every morning when I do. And you know, inch by 00:18:56.259 --> 00:19:00.140 inch over the years, little by little, that has 00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:04.759 been the primary shaper of my heart, my life, 00:19:04.839 --> 00:19:08.240 my values, and my relationships. Doesn't happen 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:11.059 overnight. Seven keys to personal growth. The 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:13.420 first, live daily with the end in view. It's 00:19:13.420 --> 00:19:15.920 the key to motivation. Second, make a personal 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:17.779 commitment. It's the key to overcoming inertia. 00:19:18.099 --> 00:19:21.119 Third, value process more than event. It's the 00:19:21.119 --> 00:19:24.000 key to progress. So you get discouraged thinking 00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:25.519 you're not making progress. You're making progress. 00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:31.220 Real growth is slow. Fourth, cultivate stimulating 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:35.480 relationships. It's the key to inspiration. Growing 00:19:35.480 --> 00:19:39.240 people. to arrange their lives and their schedules, 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:43.839 are you ready? To be around growing people. To 00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:45.799 be inspired, to be challenged, to be stretched. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:48.359 Every time I rub up against people that are walking 00:19:48.359 --> 00:19:52.019 with God and they're ahead of me here and they're 00:19:52.019 --> 00:19:53.799 making progress there, every time I get near 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:57.009 them, I want to lean forward into it. And there's 00:19:57.009 --> 00:19:58.710 times where there's people that have huge needs, 00:19:58.869 --> 00:20:00.829 and I feel inadequate. I don't know, but when 00:20:00.829 --> 00:20:03.369 I get involved in their life, and I get stimulated, 00:20:03.490 --> 00:20:05.670 and I realize God can use a regular guy like 00:20:05.670 --> 00:20:10.049 me. He can use a regular person like you. This 00:20:10.049 --> 00:20:13.029 is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, and we're 00:20:13.029 --> 00:20:15.250 in our series called Experience Breakthrough. 00:20:15.529 --> 00:20:17.769 Today, Chip shared the first four principles 00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:20.930 of spiritual growth, live with the end in view, 00:20:21.210 --> 00:20:23.910 make a personal commitment, embrace the process, 00:20:24.210 --> 00:20:27.450 and cultivate stimulating relationships. Chip 00:20:27.450 --> 00:20:29.630 has more to say in just a moment, so stay with 00:20:29.630 --> 00:20:32.390 us. You know, that third principle is so important. 00:20:32.509 --> 00:20:35.589 Growth happens through constant use, not through 00:20:35.589 --> 00:20:38.349 big events. It's the daily discipline of meeting 00:20:38.349 --> 00:20:41.170 with God that shapes us over time. And if you're 00:20:41.170 --> 00:20:43.410 ready to build that kind of daily rhythm into 00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:45.630 your life, I want to point you toward a resource 00:20:45.630 --> 00:20:48.789 that can help. It's Chip's free 10 -day devotional 00:20:48.789 --> 00:20:51.829 called Psalms of Hope. Now, this isn't about 00:20:51.829 --> 00:20:54.450 adding another task to your already busy schedule. 00:20:54.589 --> 00:20:56.950 It's about learning how to connect with God in 00:20:56.950 --> 00:20:59.809 a way that actually sticks. Chip will guide you 00:20:59.809 --> 00:21:03.809 through Psalm 1, Psalm 15, and Psalm 23, showing 00:21:03.809 --> 00:21:06.289 you not just what these passages mean, but how 00:21:06.289 --> 00:21:09.339 to study Scripture for yourself. The format is 00:21:09.339 --> 00:21:11.980 simple. 10 minutes of teaching from Chip, then 00:21:11.980 --> 00:21:14.079 10 minutes of personal reflection and prayer. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:17.920 20 minutes a day for 10 days. That's all it takes 00:21:17.920 --> 00:21:20.240 to start building the kind of consistent spiritual 00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:23.759 habit that produces real growth. Get started 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:26.259 in the Psalms of Hope devotional study today 00:21:26.259 --> 00:21:30.400 by going online to livingontheedge .org. Just 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:34.000 search for Psalms of Hope. Every resource we 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:36.539 create depends on the faithful support of listeners 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:39.339 like you. When you give to Living on the Edge, 00:21:39.420 --> 00:21:41.700 you're investing in biblical teaching that helps 00:21:41.700 --> 00:21:44.400 people grow spiritually, not just in theory, 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:47.539 but in real practical ways. Would you consider 00:21:47.539 --> 00:21:50.539 giving today? To give, visit livingontheedge 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:53.799 .org or mail your gift to Living on the Edge, 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:59.700 P .O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. You 00:21:59.700 --> 00:22:05.990 can also call 888 - Well, now once again, here's 00:22:05.990 --> 00:22:08.670 Chip. You know, if I ask you over a cup of coffee 00:22:08.670 --> 00:22:11.690 today, would you like to stay stagnant? I mean, 00:22:11.710 --> 00:22:12.950 you don't want to grow. Don't want your marriage 00:22:12.950 --> 00:22:15.109 to grow. Don't want your relationship to Christ 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:16.809 to grow. Don't want any of your kids to grow. 00:22:17.529 --> 00:22:19.549 You've sort of arrived at a place in your work 00:22:19.549 --> 00:22:20.890 and you think, you know, I'd like to be here 00:22:20.890 --> 00:22:23.190 the rest of my life. What would you say? Well, 00:22:23.210 --> 00:22:25.190 you'd laugh at me, wouldn't you? You'd say, of 00:22:25.190 --> 00:22:28.410 course I want to grow. Well, let's talk very 00:22:28.410 --> 00:22:31.190 candidly about what growth is going to look like 00:22:31.190 --> 00:22:34.190 in your life. It has to begin with getting the 00:22:34.190 --> 00:22:37.789 end in view. If you live week to week, day to 00:22:37.789 --> 00:22:41.170 day, you will get in a rut. It's human nature. 00:22:41.349 --> 00:22:45.250 You must get the end in view. The key to motivation 00:22:45.250 --> 00:22:48.990 is getting that target, who you want to become, 00:22:49.190 --> 00:22:52.369 who you long to be. It starts with the end in 00:22:52.369 --> 00:22:54.650 view. And then second, you know what? It doesn't 00:22:54.650 --> 00:22:58.220 happen automatically. It demands a personal commitment. 00:22:58.700 --> 00:23:01.539 Now, I'm not trying to get you to rev up your 00:23:01.539 --> 00:23:03.559 emotions and say, okay, I'm going to try really 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:06.480 hard, really, really hard. And then two, three 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:08.359 or four days from now or a week from now, you're 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:12.059 right back where you were. Let me share a concept 00:23:12.059 --> 00:23:15.799 that I alluded to. Growing isn't so much about 00:23:15.799 --> 00:23:19.660 what you're going to do today. Growing is thinking 00:23:19.660 --> 00:23:23.339 differently. It's who am I going to become today? 00:23:23.980 --> 00:23:26.000 I recently did something with our staff, and 00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:29.140 what I told them was, too many people live with 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.559 a to -do list. And I challenged our staff, don't 00:23:32.559 --> 00:23:34.559 start with a to -do list. Start with a to -grow 00:23:34.559 --> 00:23:37.559 list. And what I told them, I've actually done 00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:40.119 this over the years, is I start every week with 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:42.960 a to -grow list. Where do I want to grow? And 00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:44.519 I think, okay, if I'm going to grow in my relationship 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:47.299 with God, then I plug that in. Okay, these mornings, 00:23:47.420 --> 00:23:48.980 I'm going to study the Bible, and I'm going to 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:52.559 pray. afternoon, I'm going to spend that time 00:23:52.559 --> 00:23:54.500 with my wife. I want it to grow in my marriage. 00:23:54.700 --> 00:23:56.680 I'm going to grow intellectually, and so I've 00:23:56.680 --> 00:23:59.220 got a list of books that I'm going to read. Now, 00:23:59.240 --> 00:24:01.480 none of these things are going to accomplish 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:05.720 any of this week's objectives. What it accomplishes 00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:08.759 is making me more and more the man I believe 00:24:08.759 --> 00:24:11.500 God wants me to be. Now, I plug all that in first, 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:13.759 and here's the deal. I've got to get my to -do 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:16.160 list done, and so do you. But when I plug in 00:24:16.160 --> 00:24:19.460 the to -grow list and then build my to -dos around 00:24:19.460 --> 00:24:22.740 that, You know what happens next month? I'm a 00:24:22.740 --> 00:24:25.259 little bit different person. Next year, I'm even 00:24:25.259 --> 00:24:27.500 a more different person. I want to challenge 00:24:27.500 --> 00:24:30.099 you. What would it look like to make a to -grow 00:24:30.099 --> 00:24:33.299 list? What one area do you know God wants you 00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:36.200 to grow? God, show me where and how you want 00:24:36.200 --> 00:24:38.960 me to grow. Come up with a plan, not to accomplish, 00:24:39.119 --> 00:24:42.200 but to grow. And you're going to see some exciting 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:44.880 things happen. Ready to become a progressive 00:24:44.880 --> 00:24:47.809 risk taker for God? I'm Dave Drewy, inviting 00:24:47.809 --> 00:24:50.789 you to discover what that means next time on 00:24:50.789 --> 00:24:56.410 Living on the Edge. Today's program is produced 00:24:56.410 --> 00:24:58.670 and sponsored by Living on the Edge.