WEBVTT 00:00:00.940 --> 00:00:04.620 This is the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, brought 00:00:04.620 --> 00:00:07.759 to you by Living on the Edge. In this podcast, 00:00:08.019 --> 00:00:10.580 you'll hear Chip's teaching unedited and from 00:00:10.580 --> 00:00:13.820 beginning to end. Here's Chip with his message 00:00:13.820 --> 00:00:17.160 on how to overcome inferiority and low self -image. 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:21.480 Did you know that according to personal observation, 00:00:21.699 --> 00:00:26.140 it is almost impossible for a human being to 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:29.140 walk by a mirror and not look at themselves? 00:00:31.239 --> 00:00:34.920 Did you know that when you are giving a photo 00:00:34.920 --> 00:00:37.939 to someone and their picture is in it with a 00:00:37.939 --> 00:00:39.899 group of people that the very first person that 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:43.840 they look at is themselves? Did you know they 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:45.979 did a study of five and six year olds and they 00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:50.039 found that how a child views him or herself is 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.460 a higher determinant of success than even their 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:59.759 IQ? Did you realize that how you view yourself 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:05.040 is pivotal in the quality of your life and the 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:08.560 quality of your relationships. It's what I call 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:11.260 mirror madness. We're all involved in it every 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:15.060 day. We're all asking and answering questions. 00:01:15.219 --> 00:01:16.780 Sometimes it's physically and we look in the 00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:19.439 mirror, but more often it's emotional and psychologically 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.140 as we look into people's eyes and we have these 00:01:22.140 --> 00:01:24.620 thoughts as we look into the mirrors of life. 00:01:25.500 --> 00:01:29.060 And some of the questions we're asking are, who 00:01:29.060 --> 00:01:35.200 am I? Where do I belong? Do I fit? Am I okay? 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:38.120 Am I competent? Am I a somebody? Am I significant? 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:41.719 What are other people going to think of me? So 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:43.200 let me ask you, when you look at the mirror, 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:47.980 what do you think? When you look into the mirror, 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.379 what do you see? Do you see someone that is unique, 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:56.980 beautiful, wonderful, full of potential? Or do 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:58.640 you look in the mirror and say, oh, I wish I 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:01.519 was a little taller, a little shorter? A little 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:07.420 thinner. A little stronger. When you walk around 00:02:07.420 --> 00:02:09.979 in your world, what are the messages that you 00:02:09.979 --> 00:02:12.120 say to yourself? Do you look at other people 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:14.000 and say, boy, I'm glad they're the way they are, 00:02:14.039 --> 00:02:18.740 but I'm glad who I am. Or do you kind of unconsciously 00:02:18.740 --> 00:02:21.419 say, they all look happy. They've got it together. 00:02:22.340 --> 00:02:24.639 They have lots of friends. I don't think I'd 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:26.960 fit in. I don't think I'm worth very much. I 00:02:26.960 --> 00:02:28.979 hope no one asks me anything because I'm sure 00:02:28.979 --> 00:02:31.060 I don't have much to say. If I really got to 00:02:31.060 --> 00:02:33.719 know them, I know they wouldn't like me. Do any 00:02:33.719 --> 00:02:35.319 of those thoughts ever float through your mind? 00:02:35.699 --> 00:02:41.280 They do for most of us. See, the problem with 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.919 the mirror madness is that there's more distorted 00:02:44.919 --> 00:02:47.319 mirrors out there than there are good mirrors. 00:02:48.069 --> 00:02:50.490 And distorted mirrors will destroy our lives 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:52.750 because a distorted mirror doesn't tell you the 00:02:52.750 --> 00:02:54.930 truth about who you are. A distorted mirror, 00:02:55.030 --> 00:02:59.629 it gives you a picture of what's not true. Have 00:02:59.629 --> 00:03:01.090 you ever gone down to the boardwalk and gone 00:03:01.090 --> 00:03:02.849 through like one of those fun houses or at a 00:03:02.849 --> 00:03:05.129 carnival? And they have the section where they're 00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:06.669 the weird mirrors, you know, with all the bends 00:03:06.669 --> 00:03:08.550 in them. And you stand in front of one mirror 00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:10.229 and you look like you're about one foot tall 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:12.810 and like nine feet wide. And you all laugh and 00:03:12.810 --> 00:03:15.229 go, ah. And then you go to the next mirror and 00:03:15.229 --> 00:03:17.259 they. Do it differently and you look like you're 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:19.460 about three inches. That makes some of us feel 00:03:19.460 --> 00:03:22.080 pretty good. But you're like nine feet tall. 00:03:23.060 --> 00:03:26.180 Those are real funny. Except you know what the 00:03:26.180 --> 00:03:30.539 reality is? The reality is for most of us, all 00:03:30.539 --> 00:03:32.659 of our lives, through our culture, through the 00:03:32.659 --> 00:03:35.020 media, through multiple relationships and family, 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:38.300 we have distorted mirrors that have been telling 00:03:38.300 --> 00:03:42.069 us stuff about us that is totally untrue. Can 00:03:42.069 --> 00:03:43.909 you imagine living if the only mirror, what if 00:03:43.909 --> 00:03:46.810 there was never a real true mirror, and you walked 00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:49.490 around looking like you do, but you thought in 00:03:49.490 --> 00:03:53.030 your mind, I am one foot tall and I'm nine feet 00:03:53.030 --> 00:03:57.509 wide. Now, the reality wouldn't change, but if 00:03:57.509 --> 00:04:00.069 you thought that way about yourself, just imagine 00:04:00.069 --> 00:04:03.969 how you would buy clothes. Imagine certain places 00:04:03.969 --> 00:04:06.849 you would never go. I mean, the beach would be 00:04:06.849 --> 00:04:11.500 out for you. Let me give you three distorted 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:15.840 mirrors. The first is the appearance mirror. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:19.319 We are shot through with it, especially in this 00:04:19.319 --> 00:04:22.540 country. It says my value depends on how I look. 00:04:22.680 --> 00:04:25.300 So we find pretty people and we give them millions 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:28.120 of dollars. We give them all kind of makeup, 00:04:28.379 --> 00:04:31.300 wind machines and multiple surgeries so they 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:34.980 fit this ideal. And then we all try and be like 00:04:34.980 --> 00:04:40.980 that person. It's how you look. Second distorted 00:04:40.980 --> 00:04:43.120 mirror is the performance mirror. My value depends 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:45.579 on what I can do. You got to be good. You got 00:04:45.579 --> 00:04:47.660 to be successful. You got to be a great athlete. 00:04:47.740 --> 00:04:48.899 You got to be a great student. You got to be 00:04:48.899 --> 00:04:50.180 a great artist. You got to be a great this. You 00:04:50.180 --> 00:04:51.439 got to be a great that. You got to be able to 00:04:51.439 --> 00:04:54.459 do, do, do, do, do. And so your whole life, your 00:04:54.459 --> 00:04:56.819 whole value revolves around your performance. 00:04:56.899 --> 00:04:58.439 If you do well, you're great. If you don't do 00:04:58.439 --> 00:05:01.959 well, you're a loser. Third distorted mirror 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:05.019 is the status mirror. My value depends on what 00:05:05.019 --> 00:05:09.240 other people think of me. And so we dress. talk, 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:13.180 drive, buy, go to certain groups, don't go to 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.860 certain groups, eat certain things, don't eat 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:18.860 certain things. Why? Because it matters what 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:24.259 everybody thinks. Those three distorted mirrors 00:05:24.259 --> 00:05:29.560 are tools that will destine you and destine me 00:05:29.560 --> 00:05:33.540 to feel inferior. Because the rules always change, 00:05:33.620 --> 00:05:40.279 don't they? It's a no -win situation. We're talking 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:42.939 about how to overcome inferiority and low self 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:45.600 -esteem. My thesis is until we see ourselves 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:50.160 as God sees us, we are destined, not maybe, we 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:54.220 are destined to feel inferior. Until you and 00:05:54.220 --> 00:05:58.160 until I can see in my mind's eye that can sink 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:01.639 down into my emotions how God looks at me as 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:05.000 the true mirror of who I really am, that my value 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:08.360 doesn't... depend on how good I am, my value 00:06:08.360 --> 00:06:10.980 doesn't depend on how I look, and my value doesn't 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:13.000 depend on what other people think. Until you 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:16.819 get three of those things, you are destined to 00:06:16.819 --> 00:06:19.199 feel inferior. Now, before I go on, let me highlight 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:22.420 something. What I've said so far, most of you, 00:06:22.439 --> 00:06:24.399 you haven't nodded because it would be embarrassing. 00:06:25.920 --> 00:06:28.180 But in your hearts, most of you have been going, 00:06:28.259 --> 00:06:30.980 yeah, man, that's right, man. I don't like me 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:33.379 very much. I mean, real down deep. But there's 00:06:33.379 --> 00:06:37.160 a small percentage of you and you wouldn't say 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:38.660 this either because it would be more embarrassing, 00:06:38.779 --> 00:06:43.899 is sort of like, I like me. In fact, I wish most 00:06:43.899 --> 00:06:45.680 people were like me. In fact, the world would 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:48.100 be a lot better like me. And you look in the 00:06:48.100 --> 00:06:51.100 mirror and you say, this is how people I love. 00:06:52.939 --> 00:06:55.540 And when you go to work, everyone's slower than 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:56.740 you, and you're thinking, man, if they could 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:00.399 just get with the ball game. And these kind of 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:03.949 people often project ultimate confidence. And 00:07:03.949 --> 00:07:06.129 like they've really got it together. Can I tell 00:07:06.129 --> 00:07:11.829 you something? Everyone feels inferior. Inferiority 00:07:11.829 --> 00:07:16.550 just wears multiple masks. Paul Turney in a book 00:07:16.550 --> 00:07:19.089 that literally transformed my life. The book 00:07:19.089 --> 00:07:21.209 had one thesis and then the rest were stories. 00:07:21.610 --> 00:07:24.069 He's a Swiss psychologist of many years ago. 00:07:25.009 --> 00:07:27.209 Books out of print. But the book was called The 00:07:27.209 --> 00:07:30.689 Strong and the Weak. Thesis of the book. Every 00:07:30.689 --> 00:07:36.500 person is desperately inadequate. And all of 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:38.720 us as human beings will either express that with 00:07:38.720 --> 00:07:42.540 strong reactions or weak responses. So we're 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:45.139 all insecure. We all have this feeling that something's 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:47.220 wrong, that we're inferior. And so some people 00:07:47.220 --> 00:07:51.220 will be shy, withdrawn, low self -esteem. I'm 00:07:51.220 --> 00:07:53.660 not worth much. No one wants to hear me. I probably 00:07:53.660 --> 00:07:55.500 wouldn't do very well. I don't want to try because 00:07:55.500 --> 00:07:58.259 I'd probably fail. I know they won't like me. 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:02.420 To cover their insecurity. But there's another 00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:04.600 group of people who are just as desperately insecure 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:07.079 who say, man, I got it together. I'm going to 00:08:07.079 --> 00:08:08.540 be on top of this. They're powerful. They're 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:11.240 aggressive. Hey, get out of my way. And you know 00:08:11.240 --> 00:08:13.800 what those strong things are doing? Covering 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:18.560 the same insecurity. I know I was that person 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:25.420 growing up. Arrogant. Loud. Pushy. Because I 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:27.680 was so afraid if anyone saw who I was really 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:31.860 like inside, I knew they'd reject me. Here's 00:08:31.860 --> 00:08:35.360 what I want to do today. I want to tell you that 00:08:35.360 --> 00:08:40.039 you do not have to be in bondage any longer to 00:08:40.039 --> 00:08:43.779 the distorted mirrors of our world. But you can 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:46.740 do three things, three keys God's going to give 00:08:46.740 --> 00:08:48.519 us today. Now, it's going to be a lifetime of 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:50.919 working it out, but you can get the data today. 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:53.799 There's three keys to getting what I call a healthy 00:08:53.799 --> 00:08:57.279 biblical identity or a healthy self -concept. 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:02.379 The first one has to do with knowledge. You must 00:09:02.379 --> 00:09:05.840 get God's view of you. You've got to see yourself 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.519 from God's perspective. It's knowledge. Remember 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.279 what Jesus said? You will know the truth and 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:14.320 the truth will set you. Good job. If you don't 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:16.139 know the truth about you, you'll believe lies. 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:18.960 But knowing the truth doesn't change your life. 00:09:19.759 --> 00:09:25.159 The second key is you must believe God's view 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:29.379 is true. So you can know it, but think, oh, that's 00:09:29.379 --> 00:09:32.549 like for everybody else, but not me. And then 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:37.070 third, you must discover the you that's true. 00:09:37.169 --> 00:09:39.570 You've got to experience. You've got to get involved 00:09:39.570 --> 00:09:43.029 in some risky, out of your comfort zone relationships 00:09:43.029 --> 00:09:46.289 where you actually experience through people 00:09:46.289 --> 00:09:49.929 being deeply loved and deeply affirmed. And we're 00:09:49.929 --> 00:09:52.549 going to talk about how to do that. So now, by 00:09:52.549 --> 00:09:54.789 the way, what I've given you today, you can do 00:09:54.789 --> 00:09:57.190 a Bible study for the next week or two. I'm going 00:09:57.190 --> 00:09:58.789 to just highlight because what I want you to 00:09:58.789 --> 00:10:02.519 do is get big picture. I'm going to give you 00:10:02.519 --> 00:10:07.179 five reasons why you are very significant, regardless 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:09.539 of what the world may or may not say. You're 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:13.120 significant first because you are unique. Jot 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:17.500 that down. Genesis 127 says you're made in the 00:10:17.500 --> 00:10:23.000 image of God. Psalm 139. 13 and 14 say, for you, 00:10:23.179 --> 00:10:27.159 God, created my inmost being. You knit me together 00:10:27.159 --> 00:10:29.580 in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:32.299 fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are 00:10:32.299 --> 00:10:35.139 wonderful. I know that full well. You're unique. 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:40.500 You are not one in a million. Your DNA is different 00:10:40.500 --> 00:10:43.659 than any other person on the face of the earth. 00:10:43.980 --> 00:10:48.720 God created you uniquely. That makes you significant. 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:52.029 It's like an original piece of artwork. You know, 00:10:52.029 --> 00:10:53.570 there's an original piece and there's prints. 00:10:53.809 --> 00:10:56.389 God doesn't have any prints. You're an original. 00:10:56.889 --> 00:11:00.710 So you're significant. Second, you're significant 00:11:00.710 --> 00:11:06.929 because you are loved. Jeremiah 31 .3 says, The 00:11:06.929 --> 00:11:09.970 Lord appeared to us in the past saying, I have 00:11:09.970 --> 00:11:12.429 loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn 00:11:12.429 --> 00:11:16.409 you with loving kindness. Because of some things 00:11:16.409 --> 00:11:18.769 in my background, I have a hard time with that. 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:23.340 The performance trap is mine. I feel loved when 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:26.860 I do well and I feel not loved when I don't do 00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:29.860 well. That's a lie. I have been working at letting 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:32.480 it soak into my mind, seep into my heart and 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:37.759 realize God loves me unconditionally, not because 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:40.779 of anything I ever have done or I ever will do, 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:44.220 but because he is creator. I am creation and 00:11:44.220 --> 00:11:48.120 I am the object. I am the object of his love 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:52.179 and compassion. See, God doesn't love somebody 00:11:52.179 --> 00:11:56.000 somewhere out there. He loves you. He's totally 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:58.960 committed to you. He knows your situation, your 00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:02.259 struggle, your hurts, your depression, your relational 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:04.899 chaos, your dysfunctional background. And he 00:12:04.899 --> 00:12:07.279 looks at it all and he says, I love you. And 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.299 I want to be close to you. Third, you're significant 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:13.879 because you are valuable. First Corinthians 6, 00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:17.059 19 and 20 says, do you not know that your body 00:12:17.059 --> 00:12:20.759 is a temple of the Holy Spirit? who is in you, 00:12:20.899 --> 00:12:24.220 whom you have received from God, you are not 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:27.120 your own. You have been bought at a price. Therefore, 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:31.059 honor God with your body. See, we always evaluate 00:12:31.059 --> 00:12:33.779 things by what they cost, right? Now, I would 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:36.320 never want to be a slave of any kind in any situation. 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:41.340 But if I were a slave and they were selling us, 00:12:41.460 --> 00:12:46.639 I'd like someone to walk up and say, I'll give 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:50.759 you five. A million dollars for Ingram. Because 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:52.480 if I'm going to be a slave, I want to be a valuable 00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:54.340 one. I mean, I don't want someone to walk up 00:12:54.340 --> 00:12:56.159 and say, I'll give you $5 .95 for him. I don't 00:12:56.159 --> 00:13:00.200 think he could lift a thing. You know, the fact 00:13:00.200 --> 00:13:05.299 of the matter is, though, we're all slaves. Before 00:13:05.299 --> 00:13:07.980 you trusted Christ, the Bible pictures you and 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:10.440 pictures me as being in the slave market of sin, 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:14.460 bound by desires and lusts that we can't break 00:13:14.460 --> 00:13:18.320 out of. And the Lord walked in as he saw you 00:13:18.320 --> 00:13:21.100 on the block in the slave market of sin. And 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:23.059 he says, I'll take this one, this one, this one. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:26.240 No, you know what? I'll take them all. Price 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:30.419 tag, the death of my son. The blood of Jesus 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:34.059 paid on the cross as your substitute. That's 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:37.960 how valuable you are to God. And, you know, we 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:39.860 get uptight like, oh, God doesn't care about 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:42.019 me. And won't he show me about what's going to 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:43.419 happen in the future? And what am I going to 00:13:43.419 --> 00:13:45.379 do about this? He that spared not his own son. 00:13:46.250 --> 00:13:51.090 How will he not with him freely give you all 00:13:51.090 --> 00:13:54.070 things? Our problem is not that God doesn't love 00:13:54.070 --> 00:13:55.809 us. Our problem is we don't believe he loves 00:13:55.809 --> 00:14:00.570 us. Fourth, you are significant not only because 00:14:00.570 --> 00:14:03.610 you're unique, loved, and valuable, you are secure. 00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:07.870 Things that last have a lot of value. Paper plates 00:14:07.870 --> 00:14:11.029 aren't worth much in my home. You eat them all, 00:14:11.070 --> 00:14:14.960 they're done. It's priceless heirlooms. They're 00:14:14.960 --> 00:14:18.799 going to last. That's what's valuable. You want 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:21.159 to know how long every believer in Jesus Christ 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:24.500 is going to last? How secure? Ephesians chapter 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:28.120 one, verse 13. It says, and you also were included 00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:30.139 in Christ. Speaking of believers, people have 00:14:30.139 --> 00:14:33.000 come to Christ. Well, when did this happen? When 00:14:33.000 --> 00:14:36.779 you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your 00:14:36.779 --> 00:14:40.120 salvation. Having believed at a point in time 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:41.940 in our life we need to come to where we believe 00:14:41.940 --> 00:14:45.120 in Christ that he died in our place and we receive 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:48.899 him as our Savior. Having believed, notice this, 00:14:49.139 --> 00:14:52.460 you were marked in him with a seal, the promised 00:14:52.460 --> 00:14:56.799 Holy Spirit. You're secure. The word picture 00:14:56.799 --> 00:14:58.559 here meant a lot to people when this was written 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:01.779 because in Roman days they would put a seal on 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:04.590 a document. You know, the wax and then the emperor 00:15:04.590 --> 00:15:06.289 would put his ring on it. No one could break 00:15:06.289 --> 00:15:09.090 that document except the power and the authority 00:15:09.090 --> 00:15:12.110 of the emperor. God says when you trust in Jesus 00:15:12.110 --> 00:15:14.129 Christ and accept the free gift of salvation, 00:15:14.450 --> 00:15:16.850 you are sealed, but not with wax and not with 00:15:16.850 --> 00:15:18.950 a ring, but it's with the authority of God himself. 00:15:19.230 --> 00:15:21.970 He seals you and marks you off by the Holy Spirit. 00:15:22.090 --> 00:15:24.049 In fact, the scripture says that the Holy Spirit 00:15:24.049 --> 00:15:27.090 is a down payment or literally it's earnest money. 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:30.659 To remind you of how valuable you are and that 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:32.700 every promise God ever made to you in scripture 00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:36.120 is going to be true. People put, I've heard of 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:38.059 people, they're putting their house on the market 00:15:38.059 --> 00:15:40.399 and they get two or three bids. They're getting 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:42.840 more than they're asking. And as they do that, 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:44.879 what do you ask people to do? To put down earnest 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:48.419 money. You know, you put $50 ,000 down on a house, 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.600 you're pretty interested. And you know what God 00:15:50.600 --> 00:15:54.379 has done? He's put down earnest money. He's placed 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:58.039 the Holy Spirit in you as a believer, as a deposit 00:15:58.039 --> 00:16:00.940 to let you know he's committed and you're secure. 00:16:02.220 --> 00:16:04.220 Now, wait a second. Do you really think this 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:07.159 way about yourself? Do you believe that you're 00:16:07.159 --> 00:16:09.480 loved, that you're secure, that you're valuable, 00:16:09.659 --> 00:16:11.419 that you're unique? Let me give you one more. 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.460 According to God, when he looks at you, not the 00:16:14.460 --> 00:16:15.860 person next to you, we're talking about you, 00:16:15.960 --> 00:16:22.600 you are indispensable. Indispensable. Ephesians 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:24.559 chapter 4, the Apostle Paul is talking about 00:16:24.559 --> 00:16:26.580 the church and how God put it together. And the 00:16:26.580 --> 00:16:28.940 church isn't a building. It's just a place where 00:16:28.940 --> 00:16:31.820 anytime believers are gathered, that's the church. 00:16:32.779 --> 00:16:35.340 I encourage you to take those passages and do 00:16:35.340 --> 00:16:38.399 a little Bible study and let it sink down through 00:16:38.399 --> 00:16:40.419 your mind into your heart. First, you need to 00:16:40.419 --> 00:16:42.720 understand faith is built on God's Word. Hebrews 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:45.500 10, 17, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the 00:16:45.500 --> 00:16:48.549 Word of God. I do not understand this. I don't 00:16:48.549 --> 00:16:50.529 understand it, but I'm telling you that when 00:16:50.529 --> 00:16:52.730 you expose yourself to the Scripture, when you 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:55.450 hear the Word of God, when you read the Word 00:16:55.450 --> 00:16:58.250 of God, when you put Christian music on that 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:02.129 has content and lyrics and truth, faith grows. 00:17:03.509 --> 00:17:05.509 Secondly, though, it's not enough just to be 00:17:05.509 --> 00:17:07.509 exposed to the Scriptures. It grows when you 00:17:07.509 --> 00:17:11.769 renew your mind. Romans 12, 2 tells us that don't 00:17:11.769 --> 00:17:15.160 be conformed any longer. To distorted mirrors. 00:17:15.299 --> 00:17:17.079 Don't be conformed any longer to this world, 00:17:17.180 --> 00:17:20.599 but be transformed how? Metamorphosized from 00:17:20.599 --> 00:17:24.220 within. Changed by the renewing of your mind. 00:17:24.339 --> 00:17:27.380 That your life or your lifestyle could demonstrate 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:29.839 what the will of God is. That it's good. That 00:17:29.839 --> 00:17:31.680 it's acceptable. That it's perfect. The key is 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:35.000 the renewal of your mind. See, one of the things, 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.839 you know, I've got some real problems with the 00:17:36.839 --> 00:17:39.819 whole positive thinking movement. I mean, they 00:17:39.819 --> 00:17:41.880 promise pie in the sky. You think it. Think and 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:43.619 grow rich. Think and do this. Think and do that. 00:17:44.469 --> 00:17:46.650 A lot of that is thinking by their books and 00:17:46.650 --> 00:17:50.230 they get rich is how it works. But there's a 00:17:50.230 --> 00:17:52.869 tremendous kernel of truth in the positive thinking 00:17:52.869 --> 00:17:55.230 movement. You know what it is? You are what you 00:17:55.230 --> 00:17:58.589 think. You are what you eat. And you are what 00:17:58.589 --> 00:18:01.849 you think. Whatever you think, eventually, because 00:18:01.849 --> 00:18:04.390 that's scriptural. Proverbs 23, 7, As a man or 00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:08.509 a woman thinks in his heart, so he or she becomes. 00:18:09.650 --> 00:18:13.460 Now ask yourself, You watch 20 to 25 hours of 00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:17.119 TV. You read three or four cheap novels. Make 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:18.900 sure you get in the sports page, the business 00:18:18.900 --> 00:18:22.099 section every day or four out of five days. And 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:24.640 you put all that information combined with all 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:26.980 the commercials, all the billboards and all the 00:18:26.980 --> 00:18:30.920 people you meet. And their agenda is to say your 00:18:30.920 --> 00:18:33.400 value depends on your appearance. Your value 00:18:33.400 --> 00:18:35.900 depends on your status. Your value depends on 00:18:35.900 --> 00:18:37.480 your performance. What do you think you're going 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:43.089 to believe? Lies. But if instead you took some 00:18:43.089 --> 00:18:47.630 of that time and you begin to take seriously 00:18:47.630 --> 00:18:51.369 mastering the English Bible, in fact, memorizing 00:18:51.369 --> 00:18:54.829 key passages and studying it and getting God's 00:18:54.829 --> 00:18:57.710 view of you, you know what will happen? You'll 00:18:57.710 --> 00:19:00.589 be transformed. You'll be transformed because 00:19:00.589 --> 00:19:05.910 you're going to be what you think. You only have 00:19:05.910 --> 00:19:09.309 168 hours every week. And if you think that 45 00:19:09.309 --> 00:19:12.910 minutes or an hour or so here together is going 00:19:12.910 --> 00:19:15.430 to offset the content of what's going into your 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:22.029 head, the other 167, you're dreaming. For some 00:19:22.029 --> 00:19:25.849 of you, memorizing some scripture in the next 00:19:25.849 --> 00:19:28.130 four to six months, if you got real serious about 00:19:28.130 --> 00:19:31.930 it, could change and transform how you think 00:19:31.930 --> 00:19:34.650 about life into how you feel. And that would 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:38.680 change all your relationships. But it's hard 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.000 work. In fact, more than renewing your mind, 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:42.799 I think you have to come up with a plan. Notice 00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:45.140 three, develop a plan to remove the distorted 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:48.500 mirrors of the world with the mirror of God's 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:54.500 word. I stole this material from my wife. I watched 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:58.319 my wife for over five years read this every morning. 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:01.019 And read it every night. These are affirmation 00:20:01.019 --> 00:20:04.240 statements from Scripture about appearance, belonging, 00:20:04.660 --> 00:20:07.200 worthiness, security, and competence. I mean, 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:09.099 she didn't try. It wasn't legalistic. She didn't, 00:20:09.140 --> 00:20:11.359 oh, I've got to read this this morning. She wanted 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:14.700 to see herself how God sees her. And so she would 00:20:14.700 --> 00:20:16.819 read in the morning, appearance. My physical 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:19.400 appearance and my unchangeable aspects is beautiful 00:20:19.400 --> 00:20:22.319 or handsome in God's sight. He is my designer 00:20:22.319 --> 00:20:24.440 and maker. And then she kept reading it over 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.720 and she memorized the passage underneath. Belongingness, 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:30.700 I am wanted, appreciated, and loved by God, the 00:20:30.700 --> 00:20:33.640 most important person in my life. She affirmed 00:20:33.640 --> 00:20:35.920 that. She'd pray and just let it wash over her. 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:39.380 Worthiness, I am now a righteous person in God's 00:20:39.380 --> 00:20:41.859 sight since I've trusted Christ. I am covered 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:43.900 by the robe of his purity and goodness. Also, 00:20:44.200 --> 00:20:46.700 since I have a new nature, I am a good person 00:20:46.700 --> 00:20:49.859 in my general practice of life as I continue 00:20:49.859 --> 00:20:52.849 to grow in Christ. And she would read this over 00:20:52.849 --> 00:20:54.650 and read it over. And you know what happened? 00:20:54.750 --> 00:20:58.710 I watched my wife like a flower bloom. Years 00:20:58.710 --> 00:21:01.809 it took to where she began to look in the mirror 00:21:01.809 --> 00:21:04.710 and say, I'm unique. I don't have it all together. 00:21:04.930 --> 00:21:08.630 I've got a lot of room to grow. But I'm not a 00:21:08.630 --> 00:21:11.970 bad person. And what other people think of me 00:21:11.970 --> 00:21:14.529 is their own personal business. I will not give 00:21:14.529 --> 00:21:16.450 it the power to determine whether I'm an okay 00:21:16.450 --> 00:21:19.390 person or not. I put that in there because some 00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:21.509 of you, some of you, what we're talking about, 00:21:21.569 --> 00:21:24.170 if we were one -on -one and we knew each other 00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:26.230 better, tears would be coming down your cheek 00:21:26.230 --> 00:21:30.490 right now. Because you don't like you. You don't 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:33.069 like you at all. And you're hurting down deep 00:21:33.069 --> 00:21:35.049 inside. And you know what's amazing? Some of 00:21:35.049 --> 00:21:37.569 you that feel the most this way are some of the 00:21:37.569 --> 00:21:40.910 prettiest, most talented, gifted people in the 00:21:40.910 --> 00:21:44.059 room. There is no correlation. No correlation 00:21:44.059 --> 00:21:47.019 whatsoever between how you really look, act, 00:21:47.140 --> 00:21:51.140 feel, competence, and what goes on inside. I've 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:54.299 learned that over the years. But God can change 00:21:54.299 --> 00:21:58.180 you. How does it start? You get God's view of 00:21:58.180 --> 00:22:01.380 you, number one. Number two, believe God's view 00:22:01.380 --> 00:22:04.759 is true. Now, three, here's the kicker. And my 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:06.559 wife told me to warn you all, especially those 00:22:06.559 --> 00:22:07.799 of you, this is hard, all right? So I'm going 00:22:07.799 --> 00:22:11.039 to warn you. She said, Chip, make sure when you 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:13.700 get to number three, That you let people know 00:22:13.700 --> 00:22:15.599 they may not be able to do this one alone. They 00:22:15.599 --> 00:22:18.059 might need a coach. They might need a cheerleader. 00:22:18.740 --> 00:22:20.980 Chip, we're different in personality and you've 00:22:20.980 --> 00:22:23.660 got to make sure to tell people. For some people, 00:22:23.740 --> 00:22:28.279 this is really a scary thing. And what I want 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:30.220 you to know is that I'm going to ask you to do 00:22:30.220 --> 00:22:33.420 some things that will be real hard for some. 00:22:33.460 --> 00:22:38.400 But if you'll do them, God will show up. Because 00:22:38.400 --> 00:22:40.670 see, you can know it. You can start to believe 00:22:40.670 --> 00:22:43.710 it, but some things can never, ever become a 00:22:43.710 --> 00:22:46.609 part of your psyche and your life until you experience 00:22:46.609 --> 00:22:50.329 them. So you have to discover the you that's 00:22:50.329 --> 00:22:52.650 true. Jesus taught this way. Remember when Peter 00:22:52.650 --> 00:22:54.289 was in the boat and Jesus was walking on the 00:22:54.289 --> 00:22:57.390 water? He believed. Is that you, Lord? He said, 00:22:57.430 --> 00:23:00.309 yeah. Peter said, well, if it's really you, I 00:23:00.309 --> 00:23:04.349 believe, then have me walk out to you. What did 00:23:04.349 --> 00:23:06.589 he learn when he was walking on the water? It's 00:23:06.589 --> 00:23:09.900 true. It's true. And then he did what we do. 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:13.180 Then he looked around and said, uh -oh. But that's 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:15.839 how faith grows. It's true, it's true, uh -oh. 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:18.880 It's true, it's true, uh -oh. That's life. The 00:23:18.880 --> 00:23:20.799 spiritual life isn't this. The spiritual life 00:23:20.799 --> 00:23:25.180 is this. But notice the direction. Lots of ups 00:23:25.180 --> 00:23:28.799 and downs. Remember when they were fishing? Jesus 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:30.200 let them experience it. They've been fishing 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:31.779 all night. They heard a sermon. He wanted them 00:23:31.779 --> 00:23:33.960 to have some faith in who he really was. You 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:35.839 have to discover it. You have to experience it. 00:23:35.900 --> 00:23:37.480 So Jesus says, hey, why don't you take your nets 00:23:37.480 --> 00:23:38.920 and throw them out on the boat on the left side? 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:42.220 They're professional fishermen. Their basic answers, 00:23:42.359 --> 00:23:43.839 look, we've done this a little bit ourselves. 00:23:44.839 --> 00:23:47.559 We've been out all night. They don't bite at 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:49.160 this time of day. You can almost hear them say, 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:53.099 and there's no fish here. And you can almost 00:23:53.099 --> 00:23:54.880 hear, you know, as you paint the text in your 00:23:54.880 --> 00:23:57.450 mind. Jesus sort of looking at him like, humor 00:23:57.450 --> 00:24:00.509 me, guys. You know, just humor me. Just throw 00:24:00.509 --> 00:24:02.410 the net out. And they do, and you remember what 00:24:02.410 --> 00:24:05.390 happens. I mean, it's so filled with fish that 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:07.950 the nets start to break. How did he teach him? 00:24:08.410 --> 00:24:11.430 It wasn't just lecture. It just wasn't intellectual, 00:24:11.630 --> 00:24:14.130 cognitive faith and belief. You have to discover 00:24:14.130 --> 00:24:17.029 it. Here's the axiom. Here's how a lot of things 00:24:17.029 --> 00:24:20.660 transpire in your life. The principle is Luke 00:24:20.660 --> 00:24:23.920 638. Give, and it will be given unto you. Good 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:26.500 measure, pressed down, shaken together, running 00:24:26.500 --> 00:24:30.880 over. For by whatever measure, the idea is, you 00:24:30.880 --> 00:24:34.160 know, a scoop, or by whatever measure you give, 00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:37.640 in that same measure, it will be given back to 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:40.480 you. Now, that passage is often quoted with reference 00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:43.319 to money. It's true. But that passage is not 00:24:43.319 --> 00:24:46.359 a money reference in Scripture. You go read Luke, 00:24:46.440 --> 00:24:48.920 and you'll just find... It is in a section of 00:24:48.920 --> 00:24:53.700 scripture that talks about how life works. When 00:24:53.700 --> 00:24:57.519 you give away friendship, what happens? People 00:24:57.519 --> 00:24:59.299 want to be your friend. When you give away a 00:24:59.299 --> 00:25:02.079 listening attentive ear, what happens? People 00:25:02.079 --> 00:25:04.099 want to listen to you. When you give away compassion, 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:07.200 what happens? People are compassionate to you. 00:25:07.480 --> 00:25:12.259 When you give away short, quick, abrupt, rude 00:25:12.259 --> 00:25:14.460 actions toward others, what do you get back? 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:20.220 It's axiomatic. Some things can only be learned 00:25:20.220 --> 00:25:23.640 by experience. I'm going to give you five things. 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:28.579 By the way, this is a mouthful. Someone asked 00:25:28.579 --> 00:25:30.579 me, how long does it take to prepare messages? 00:25:30.819 --> 00:25:34.880 This one took about 20, 25 years. I'm dead serious. 00:25:35.420 --> 00:25:37.559 These are things I've been learning for 25 years. 00:25:37.720 --> 00:25:39.500 And I'm just skipping over the mountain peaks 00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:42.220 and encouraging you to go back and study. Because 00:25:42.220 --> 00:25:44.339 all I want you to get is the big main points. 00:25:45.359 --> 00:25:48.369 See yourself the way God does. Believe what God 00:25:48.369 --> 00:25:51.549 says about you is true and then discover the 00:25:51.549 --> 00:25:54.549 you that is true by experiencing it. Let me give 00:25:54.549 --> 00:25:58.269 you five key ways to begin to experience what's 00:25:58.269 --> 00:26:01.029 true of you. Number one, unwrap your spiritual 00:26:01.029 --> 00:26:08.349 gift. First Corinthians chapter 12, verse one 00:26:08.349 --> 00:26:11.250 says now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I don't 00:26:11.250 --> 00:26:13.849 want you to be ignorant. God wants every person 00:26:13.849 --> 00:26:16.349 in this room to know that you have a supernatural 00:26:16.349 --> 00:26:18.970 ability. If you've trusted Christ, if you're 00:26:18.970 --> 00:26:21.609 a part of his family, he's saying every believer 00:26:21.609 --> 00:26:25.130 has a supernatural ability at least once. When 00:26:25.130 --> 00:26:27.190 you put that on on the playing floor of the body 00:26:27.190 --> 00:26:30.730 of Christ, boom, stuff happens. People get loved. 00:26:32.410 --> 00:26:34.390 And you know what happens when you exercise your 00:26:34.390 --> 00:26:37.069 spiritual gift and you see people moved and changed 00:26:37.069 --> 00:26:40.710 through you? Guess what happens to you? God used 00:26:40.710 --> 00:26:44.119 me. Maybe this is more real than I think. Second, 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:47.700 unleash your spiritual passion. Psalm 37, 4. 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:50.220 Delight yourself in the Lord. He'll give you 00:26:50.220 --> 00:26:52.240 the desires of your heart. Some of you have these 00:26:52.240 --> 00:26:54.819 desires, but you've never shared them with anyone. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.480 You've got a desire to see disabled people reach 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.119 for Christ. You've got a desire to see what could 00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:01.720 happen in third graders. You've got a desire 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:04.039 for an Hispanic ministry to grow. You have a 00:27:04.039 --> 00:27:05.900 desire for people to meet in homes all over the 00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:07.799 county and study the Bible and become close friends. 00:27:07.980 --> 00:27:10.099 You have all these passions and desires. Nobody 00:27:10.099 --> 00:27:12.960 knows what they are. And you've not put them 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:15.200 out on the playing field. You know why? Because 00:27:15.200 --> 00:27:16.779 no one would ever want to listen to someone like 00:27:16.779 --> 00:27:19.339 you. And if you tried it, of course, it wouldn't 00:27:19.339 --> 00:27:22.700 work, would it? Of course not. An inferior person 00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:28.339 like you, like me. Hey, unleash them. Unleash 00:27:28.339 --> 00:27:30.779 them. Get them out there in the playing field 00:27:30.779 --> 00:27:32.700 of the body of Christ and see what God will do. 00:27:33.460 --> 00:27:35.440 This is the part where those of you are thinking, 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:39.640 this guy's nuts. Teresa was right. This is scary. 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:45.740 You're right. Give and it will be given unto 00:27:45.740 --> 00:27:51.759 you. Third, use your God -given talents. Speaking 00:27:51.759 --> 00:27:53.660 of the building of the temple, the Lord says 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:56.759 in Exodus 31 .3, And I have filled him with the 00:27:56.759 --> 00:27:59.779 Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:02.819 in all kinds of crafts. Some of you can work 00:28:02.819 --> 00:28:05.099 with wood. Some of you can crochet. Some can 00:28:05.099 --> 00:28:08.319 work with computers. You have all kinds of talents. 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.519 You know where a lot of the talents are in this 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:17.519 room? Buried under the floor. We don't even know 00:28:17.519 --> 00:28:21.700 what you can do. Because you think, oh, well, 00:28:21.700 --> 00:28:23.200 I mean, that's, you know what? When you're really 00:28:23.200 --> 00:28:26.880 talented, here's my almost 99 % experience with 00:28:26.880 --> 00:28:30.319 talented people. Everyone here has talents. But 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:32.400 the one that you're good at, because you're good 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.980 at it, you say, oh, shucks, that's nothing. Yeah, 00:28:35.059 --> 00:28:38.079 for you. For the rest of us, it's like, whoa. 00:28:38.430 --> 00:28:40.490 Where'd you learn how to do that? Oh, well, my 00:28:40.490 --> 00:28:42.410 dad played the guitar, and I just started picking 00:28:42.410 --> 00:28:47.190 a little bit. And you know, you're saying, oh, 00:28:47.190 --> 00:28:48.990 well, I don't know much about computer. I just 00:28:48.990 --> 00:28:53.950 taught myself. You know? I don't build anything. 00:28:54.130 --> 00:28:57.309 I just tinker out in the garage. Yeah, it's 4 00:28:57.309 --> 00:29:01.549 ,500 square feet. I did it in a week. Hey, get 00:29:01.549 --> 00:29:04.569 your talents out there. Let us know what they 00:29:04.569 --> 00:29:08.289 are. Put them into play. Serve people. Take your 00:29:08.289 --> 00:29:10.750 gifts and say, I want to serve people. Get your 00:29:10.750 --> 00:29:12.970 passions out on the playing floor. Take your 00:29:12.970 --> 00:29:15.130 talents and say, hey, God, I'll help somebody 00:29:15.130 --> 00:29:16.650 with these. I don't think it's much, but I'll 00:29:16.650 --> 00:29:20.109 put them into play. Fourth, embrace your God 00:29:20.109 --> 00:29:22.930 -given personality. 1 Corinthians 2 .11, the 00:29:22.930 --> 00:29:26.029 Living Bible says it well. It says no one really 00:29:26.029 --> 00:29:28.829 knows what anyone else is thinking or what he 00:29:28.829 --> 00:29:32.349 is really like except that person himself. And 00:29:32.349 --> 00:29:34.930 no one can know God's thoughts except God's own 00:29:34.930 --> 00:29:37.680 spirit. You know what? There's different personalities. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:39.920 There's not a right one. Have you got that down 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:42.900 yet? You don't have to be upfront, outgoing, 00:29:43.220 --> 00:29:46.440 visible, motivating people. And you don't have 00:29:46.440 --> 00:29:53.819 to be sly and cool and reserved and stoic. You 00:29:53.819 --> 00:29:59.160 can be you. If you're funny, be funny. If you're 00:29:59.160 --> 00:30:01.819 laid back, be laid back. If you're driven, get 00:30:01.819 --> 00:30:04.369 driven in the right direction. Just, you know 00:30:04.369 --> 00:30:06.069 who the most attractive personality in the whole 00:30:06.069 --> 00:30:10.829 world is? You! There's only one of them. Why 00:30:10.829 --> 00:30:15.349 copy something else? Put it into play. Pull off 00:30:15.349 --> 00:30:18.710 the mask. Just be you. A sanctified you, Lord 00:30:18.710 --> 00:30:20.529 willing. A spirit -controlled you, Lord willing. 00:30:21.170 --> 00:30:24.289 But just be you. The person that people will 00:30:24.289 --> 00:30:28.109 most be attracted to is not you trying to fulfill 00:30:28.109 --> 00:30:31.210 what you think they want. It's you being who 00:30:31.210 --> 00:30:37.359 you really are. Fifth, leverage your past experience. 00:30:38.140 --> 00:30:51.299 Romans 8 .28, great promise. It says, Some of 00:30:51.299 --> 00:30:54.339 you have educational experience. Some have vocational 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:56.759 experience. Some of you have marriage experience. 00:30:57.160 --> 00:30:59.779 Some of you have... parenting experience. Some 00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:02.279 of you have suffering experience. And you've 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:05.960 been through the agony of just cancer or of a 00:31:05.960 --> 00:31:09.559 divorce. Or you've been through a childhood that 00:31:09.559 --> 00:31:14.660 was just unmentionable. God doesn't waste pain. 00:31:14.940 --> 00:31:17.940 2 Corinthians chapter 1 says that the comfort 00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:20.200 and the grace God gave to you through your pain, 00:31:20.339 --> 00:31:23.000 He wants to take that so you can comfort others 00:31:23.000 --> 00:31:27.720 in the same way. God doesn't use people's strengths 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:31.119 normally. He usually uses your weaknesses. You 00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:32.539 know, when someone has it all together and says, 00:31:32.599 --> 00:31:33.779 hey, do you want some help from me? I'm really 00:31:33.779 --> 00:31:35.259 good at this. Most of us say, no, not really. 00:31:36.920 --> 00:31:38.619 But when someone walks up to you and says, boy, 00:31:38.700 --> 00:31:40.960 I struggled with that too. And you know what? 00:31:40.980 --> 00:31:44.180 My dad left when I was five too. And I've surely 00:31:44.180 --> 00:31:46.259 had some struggles. And kind of here's what the 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:48.200 Lord showed me as I've grown up without a dad. 00:31:49.500 --> 00:31:51.039 Leverage your experiences. Do you hear what I'm 00:31:51.039 --> 00:31:54.950 saying? Let's get out of the cubicle. Let's move 00:31:54.950 --> 00:31:56.829 out of the little TV room with the entertainment 00:31:56.829 --> 00:31:59.470 center. Let's get out of the fences that go all 00:31:59.470 --> 00:32:01.869 the way around to keep our life safe. Let's get 00:32:01.869 --> 00:32:04.750 out of making sure our 401ks and all those things 00:32:04.750 --> 00:32:06.190 that we think are going to keep us secure that 00:32:06.190 --> 00:32:10.789 won't. And let's serve other people. Let's get 00:32:10.789 --> 00:32:13.970 our focus out on others because here's the axiom. 00:32:14.950 --> 00:32:20.829 Ministry is how God makes what's true of us true 00:32:20.829 --> 00:32:24.880 in us. Think of that. Ministry, giving it away, 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:30.880 is how God makes true in us what's already true 00:32:30.880 --> 00:32:35.619 of us. Sometimes it's only in the act of loving 00:32:35.619 --> 00:32:40.339 others that we can fathom that we ourselves are 00:32:40.339 --> 00:32:44.900 loved. Sometimes you can only fathom how deeply 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:51.900 loved you are when by giving love to another, 00:32:52.660 --> 00:32:57.980 God lets you see how very real it is. I struggle 00:32:57.980 --> 00:33:00.880 with grasping that God loves me unconditionally. 00:33:01.579 --> 00:33:04.059 For even the Son of Man came what? Not to be 00:33:04.059 --> 00:33:07.799 ministered unto, but to minister, to serve. Are 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:11.779 you hearing it? Believe what's true, but discover 00:33:11.779 --> 00:33:15.079 it by giving away what he's given you. Risky? 00:33:15.099 --> 00:33:17.680 Yes. Need a cheerleader? Probably. Need a coach? 00:33:17.839 --> 00:33:21.759 Yes. Need help? Absolutely. But according to 00:33:21.759 --> 00:33:25.299 a Gallup poll, only 10 % of all laymen are involved 00:33:25.299 --> 00:33:27.740 in ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ. 50 00:33:27.740 --> 00:33:29.980 % of them said they have no interest. I feel 00:33:29.980 --> 00:33:33.160 sorry for them. I feel really bad for them because 00:33:33.160 --> 00:33:35.279 they're ignorant. I don't mean bad ignorant. 00:33:35.960 --> 00:33:37.819 People that have no desire to be involved in 00:33:37.819 --> 00:33:40.079 ministry, they're going to miss out on the richest 00:33:40.079 --> 00:33:44.079 blessings of life. But 40 % of them said, no 00:33:44.079 --> 00:33:47.019 one's ever asked me or I just don't know how. 00:33:49.390 --> 00:33:51.029 I'll tell you what, if you're involved in ministry 00:33:51.029 --> 00:33:53.490 here, I'd start asking people to join you. People 00:33:53.490 --> 00:33:57.269 just need to get hooked up, put their gifts into 00:33:57.269 --> 00:33:59.950 play, get their talents on the playing field. 00:34:01.549 --> 00:34:08.030 You must get God's view of you. You must believe 00:34:08.030 --> 00:34:12.769 God's view is true and you must discover the 00:34:12.769 --> 00:34:19.539 you that is true. Let's go for it. This is Living 00:34:19.539 --> 00:34:22.500 on the Edge with Chip Ingram. As we continue 00:34:22.500 --> 00:34:25.159 this series on experiencing breakthrough, you 00:34:25.159 --> 00:34:27.400 might be realizing you need to build a stronger 00:34:27.400 --> 00:34:30.219 spiritual foundation. Well, that's exactly why 00:34:30.219 --> 00:34:32.440 we're offering Chip's free online devotional, 00:34:32.539 --> 00:34:35.340 Psalms of Hope. Here's what makes this resource 00:34:35.340 --> 00:34:38.059 different. Chip doesn't just explain the Psalms 00:34:38.059 --> 00:34:40.340 to you. He teaches you how to study them for 00:34:40.340 --> 00:34:43.300 yourself. Each day for 10 days, you'll spend 00:34:43.300 --> 00:34:45.659 10 minutes learning from Chip, then 10 minutes 00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:47.699 applying what you've learned through prayer and 00:34:47.699 --> 00:34:50.840 meditation. You'll journey through Psalm 1, Psalm 00:34:50.840 --> 00:34:54.739 15, and Psalm 23, passages that speak directly 00:34:54.739 --> 00:34:57.760 to finding stability, experiencing God's presence, 00:34:57.940 --> 00:35:01.320 and building authentic relationships. This isn't 00:35:01.320 --> 00:35:03.460 about adding another obligation to your schedule. 00:35:03.579 --> 00:35:06.139 It's about creating a daily rhythm of connecting 00:35:06.139 --> 00:35:08.820 with God that can transform your entire life. 00:35:09.019 --> 00:35:12.780 And it's completely free, online at livingontheedge 00:35:12.780 --> 00:35:17.869 .org. Just search for Psalms of Hope. Now, creating 00:35:17.869 --> 00:35:20.190 resources like this takes financial investment. 00:35:20.429 --> 00:35:22.489 When you give to Living on the Edge, you're not 00:35:22.489 --> 00:35:25.070 just supporting a radio program. You're helping 00:35:25.070 --> 00:35:27.369 people around the world discover what it means 00:35:27.369 --> 00:35:30.610 to truly walk with God. If this ministry is making 00:35:30.610 --> 00:35:33.010 a difference in your life, please consider giving 00:35:33.010 --> 00:35:36.630 today. Visit livingontheedge .org to give or 00:35:36.630 --> 00:35:40.349 write to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 3007, 00:35:40.510 --> 00:35:45.480 Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. You can also call 888 00:35:45.480 --> 00:35:50.539 -333 -6003. Join us again next time for another 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:53.300 insightful Bible lesson here on the Chip Ingram 00:35:53.300 --> 00:35:59.639 Sermon Podcast. Today's program is produced and 00:35:59.639 --> 00:36:01.500 sponsored by Living on the Edge.