WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:04.559 This is the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, brought 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:07.719 to you by Living on the Edge. In this podcast, 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:10.539 you'll hear Chip's teaching unedited and from 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:14.199 beginning to end. Now here's Chip Ingram with 00:00:14.199 --> 00:00:17.000 today's message, How to Get God's Best for Your 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:20.780 Life. Have you ever wondered why there are so 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:26.460 many decisions and so few disciples? Here's what 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:29.550 I mean by that. What I know historically right 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:32.490 now in the next 24 hours, tens of thousands of 00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:35.250 people all across the world will make decisions 00:00:35.250 --> 00:00:38.990 to follow Christ. They'll get it where you realize 00:00:38.990 --> 00:00:42.350 I've sinned before a holy God. Christ died in 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:45.310 my place. He rose from the dead. And you place 00:00:45.310 --> 00:00:46.909 your faith in him and he takes you from the kingdom 00:00:46.909 --> 00:00:51.369 of darkness to the kingdom of light. But I'm 00:00:51.369 --> 00:00:53.490 guessing that we all have either a short or long 00:00:53.490 --> 00:00:55.549 list of friends. And for many of us, I've certainly 00:00:55.549 --> 00:00:59.729 been there myself where That's a reality. His 00:00:59.729 --> 00:01:02.609 spirit came into your life. You begin to make 00:01:02.609 --> 00:01:06.069 some progress. You started to grow. But then 00:01:06.069 --> 00:01:09.469 things kind of got not so good. And the great 00:01:09.469 --> 00:01:11.769 majority, at least statistically, of people that 00:01:11.769 --> 00:01:14.709 genuinely know and love God, who are followers 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:18.590 of Christ, their life isn't quite matching up. 00:01:19.349 --> 00:01:22.269 I got an email from a lady. It's a picture of 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:25.349 this, and it's interesting. She said, thank you 00:01:25.349 --> 00:01:28.680 for your message this morning. on Romans 12 .1. 00:01:29.560 --> 00:01:32.040 Now listen to her story and see how much you 00:01:32.040 --> 00:01:34.599 can identify with. I came to Christ when I was 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:36.540 13, but I've gone through a lot of hard times 00:01:36.540 --> 00:01:38.959 throughout my college, and my relationship with 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:41.840 God has been up and down ever since. Lately, 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:44.099 I've been feeling lethargic and distant from 00:01:44.099 --> 00:01:46.920 God. I woke up this morning, and I asked myself 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:49.959 this question. If I died today, would people 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:54.959 say that I was a Christian, that I was a messenger 00:01:54.959 --> 00:01:59.379 of God, or Would they even say or know that I 00:01:59.379 --> 00:02:02.459 followed God at all? Well, I happened to turn 00:02:02.459 --> 00:02:06.200 on your program, and as I, in my inner life, 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:09.560 have struggled both with alcoholism and immorality, 00:02:09.740 --> 00:02:16.039 I heard what it meant to go all in. Bold letters. 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:20.280 I decided to give all myself to God and completely 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:24.099 surrender to Him. So thank you, and God bless. 00:02:24.900 --> 00:02:27.710 Now, that email is, Sort of, there's some really 00:02:27.710 --> 00:02:31.830 wonderful, neat parts. But isn't it kind of sad 00:02:31.830 --> 00:02:34.349 that someone would come to a saving knowledge 00:02:34.349 --> 00:02:39.449 at 13 and have the next plus or minus 20 years 00:02:39.449 --> 00:02:44.969 described by up and down, distant, lethargic, 00:02:45.110 --> 00:02:49.409 looking for the satisfaction that only God can 00:02:49.409 --> 00:02:52.210 give and for reasons maybe she didn't understand, 00:02:52.289 --> 00:02:56.659 finds herself. relying on alcohol and then multiple 00:02:56.659 --> 00:03:02.740 sexual relationships only to discover, oh, God 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:05.900 has a good plan. God wants to give me the best. 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:09.539 And for many people, they didn't know. It does 00:03:09.539 --> 00:03:12.419 require a moment where you say to him, I'm going 00:03:12.419 --> 00:03:16.300 to trust you. And here's what Romans 12 .1 said. 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:18.879 Therefore, I urge you, my brothers, in view of 00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:21.400 God's mercy. Remember 11 chapters of his love 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:24.659 for you? Offer your body a living and holy sacrifice, 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:27.860 well -pleasing to God. This is your spiritual 00:03:27.860 --> 00:03:29.379 service. In other words, that's what God really 00:03:29.379 --> 00:03:34.379 wants. But here's the question. It's one thing 00:03:34.379 --> 00:03:37.460 to give God what he really wants. Second question 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:41.139 is, how do you get the very best from God? And 00:03:41.139 --> 00:03:43.259 it's interesting, that's verse two. He's gonna 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:46.539 say, and do not be conformed any longer to this 00:03:46.539 --> 00:03:49.569 world. but be transformed by the renewing of 00:03:49.569 --> 00:03:51.889 your mind that your life, in other words, your 00:03:51.889 --> 00:03:54.710 lifestyle, what you actually experience, would 00:03:54.710 --> 00:03:57.330 be the good, well -pleasing, and perfect will 00:03:57.330 --> 00:03:59.389 of God. So I'm going to ask you to open your 00:03:59.389 --> 00:04:01.449 teaching handout, and what I want you to do is 00:04:01.449 --> 00:04:03.990 know that we're going to ask and answer the question 00:04:03.990 --> 00:04:06.090 that I think is one of the most important for 00:04:06.090 --> 00:04:09.009 any Christian. How do you get the very best from 00:04:09.009 --> 00:04:11.280 God? What you're going to see, the structure 00:04:11.280 --> 00:04:13.000 of this passage, there's a negative command. 00:04:13.580 --> 00:04:16.319 Stop literally allowing the world to conform 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:18.839 you to its mold. Then there's a positive command. 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:22.620 But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:25.300 And then there's this purpose clause. There's 00:04:25.300 --> 00:04:28.980 a reason. Why? So that you personally, not someone 00:04:28.980 --> 00:04:32.660 out there, so you could experience the good, 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:36.529 well -pleasing, perfect will of God. So you got 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:38.629 your study out. Let me do a little Bible study. 00:04:38.709 --> 00:04:40.930 It's a bit more technical than normal, but I 00:04:40.930 --> 00:04:43.810 think it's worthwhile. The negative command is 00:04:43.810 --> 00:04:46.089 do not be conformed to the pattern of this world. 00:04:46.189 --> 00:04:49.629 And the main verb is do not be conformed. It's 00:04:49.629 --> 00:04:52.290 grammatically in what's called the passive voice. 00:04:52.509 --> 00:04:55.290 And I'll be technical just for a minute. The 00:04:55.290 --> 00:04:58.509 passive voice means in Greek, it means that the 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:02.149 subject is being acted upon. The active voice 00:05:02.149 --> 00:05:04.709 would be the subject is doing something. The 00:05:04.709 --> 00:05:07.970 subject is being acted upon. The imperative simply 00:05:07.970 --> 00:05:10.430 means that it's a command, and the present tense 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:13.949 means the subject that is being acted upon, it's 00:05:13.949 --> 00:05:16.610 happening continuously. And so what I did is 00:05:16.610 --> 00:05:19.370 I took that and gave you sort of the Chip Ingram 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:21.990 translation from that grammar to just fill it 00:05:21.990 --> 00:05:24.790 out a bit. Literally, the Apostle Paul is saying, 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:28.189 stop allowing yourselves to be molded by the 00:05:28.189 --> 00:05:30.750 influence and pressures of this present world 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:34.560 system. It's really what he's saying. Now, by 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:37.120 the way, when he says world system or the values 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:38.839 of this world, he's not talking about the world, 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:42.240 the geographical world. He's talking about a 00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:46.680 system of values, a mindset, a worldview that's 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:50.000 energized by the enemy of your soul whose goal 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:53.079 is to kill and to steal and destroy. to mess 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:55.660 your life up, to ruin your relationships, to 00:05:55.660 --> 00:05:58.279 separate you from God, to make you be emotionally 00:05:58.279 --> 00:06:00.860 depressed, to cause you to physically go in areas 00:06:00.860 --> 00:06:03.540 that will ruin your life. I mean, the whole goal 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:07.920 of the world system is to destroy you. And so 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:10.779 the Apostle Paul says, stop allowing this system, 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:14.930 this set of values. that's antithetical to everything 00:06:14.930 --> 00:06:17.649 God wants for your life, stop allowing it to 00:06:17.649 --> 00:06:19.990 squeeze you into its mold. So grammatically, 00:06:20.069 --> 00:06:22.670 he's telling us this is currently happening in 00:06:22.670 --> 00:06:25.949 the church at Rome. And we know it's happening 00:06:25.949 --> 00:06:29.930 right in our lives. I mean, imagine a little 00:06:29.930 --> 00:06:32.310 boy or a little girl or a young woman or an older 00:06:32.310 --> 00:06:35.339 man. You hear about Jesus the Messiah. You come 00:06:35.339 --> 00:06:37.540 to Christ. You live in Rome. There's an emperor. 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:39.699 There's the gladiators. There's idols everywhere. 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:41.860 There's brothels everywhere. You can have any 00:06:41.860 --> 00:06:43.920 kind of sex with any person, anytime, anywhere. 00:06:44.779 --> 00:06:50.199 It's a violent culture. 80 % of the entire people 00:06:50.199 --> 00:06:52.339 group are slaves that are treated as less than 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:56.279 human beings. Women don't even make it. They're 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:59.360 just a piece of property. Babies are killed because 00:06:59.360 --> 00:07:03.649 of gender with no thought. He says, stop allowing 00:07:03.649 --> 00:07:08.050 the values of this present world in Rome and 00:07:08.050 --> 00:07:10.930 now today in America or wherever you are in the 00:07:10.930 --> 00:07:14.829 world to squeeze you into its mold. Now, sometimes, 00:07:14.970 --> 00:07:18.149 this is really exciting for me, sometimes there'll 00:07:18.149 --> 00:07:21.310 be a phrase in Scripture and someplace else in 00:07:21.310 --> 00:07:25.189 Scripture, it'll define it very clearly. So the 00:07:25.189 --> 00:07:27.750 application is very clearly is that we are to 00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:31.449 be separate from the world's values. If you wanna 00:07:31.449 --> 00:07:33.810 understand how to give God what he wants the 00:07:33.810 --> 00:07:36.970 most, we need to be surrendered to God. But when 00:07:36.970 --> 00:07:39.470 you wanna understand how to get God's best, we 00:07:39.470 --> 00:07:41.569 need to be separate from the world's values. 00:07:41.870 --> 00:07:45.009 And then in 1 John 2, 15 through 17, I've put 00:07:45.009 --> 00:07:47.350 the text right in your notes, he will literally 00:07:47.350 --> 00:07:51.089 define and explain what are the world's values 00:07:51.089 --> 00:07:54.350 and how's it work. Follow along as I read. Do 00:07:54.350 --> 00:07:56.529 not love the world or the things that are in 00:07:56.529 --> 00:08:00.040 the world. If anyone loves the world, The love 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:02.480 of the Father is not in him. And now he's going 00:08:02.480 --> 00:08:04.240 to define. So what's the world? For all that 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:06.199 is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:08.939 of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life is 00:08:08.939 --> 00:08:10.699 not from the Father, but it's from the world. 00:08:10.800 --> 00:08:14.459 And then notice this commentary. The world is 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:19.420 passing away and its lusts or passions. But the 00:08:19.420 --> 00:08:23.620 one who does the will of God lives forever. Now, 00:08:23.639 --> 00:08:25.300 if you have a pen, I'd like you to pull it out. 00:08:25.420 --> 00:08:27.920 And every time you see the word love, why don't 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:32.610 you circle it? He who loves the world. If anyone 00:08:32.610 --> 00:08:37.029 loves the world, the love of the Father. Because 00:08:37.029 --> 00:08:39.250 what I want you to understand is sometimes, at 00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:40.929 least historically in the church, when people 00:08:40.929 --> 00:08:42.990 have talked about the world system or the world's 00:08:42.990 --> 00:08:46.250 values or worldliness, it somehow gets translated 00:08:46.250 --> 00:08:48.590 into here's a list of things you can't do or 00:08:48.590 --> 00:08:50.690 here's another list you can't do or it's all 00:08:50.690 --> 00:08:54.129 these external things. I want you to understand 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:57.750 the values that he describes and the powers, 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:01.720 pull at your flesh and mine are far deeper. It's 00:09:01.720 --> 00:09:05.279 about relationship. It's about where is your 00:09:05.279 --> 00:09:08.100 love? Where are your affections? And he says 00:09:08.100 --> 00:09:10.419 the world system has three components. You notice 00:09:10.419 --> 00:09:12.860 I put it in bold. There's the lust of the flesh, 00:09:12.899 --> 00:09:14.460 the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:17.679 The lust of the flesh is merely the passion to 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:20.179 feel. It's this desire we have for pleasure. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:22.460 And that pleasure can come out in sex. It can 00:09:22.460 --> 00:09:24.779 come out in food. And by the way, all these desires 00:09:24.779 --> 00:09:27.919 are legitimate. But what the enemy wants to do 00:09:27.919 --> 00:09:30.539 is create a world system to deliver legitimate 00:09:30.539 --> 00:09:33.000 needs and illegitimate ways to destroy your life. 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.139 The lust of the eyes is the passion to have or 00:09:37.139 --> 00:09:42.960 to possess. I gotta have that. The boastful pride 00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:46.080 of life is the passion to be. It has to do with 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:51.710 position. I gotta be a somebody. And so... In 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.830 summary, the world system seeks to seduce us 00:09:54.830 --> 00:09:58.549 from our love for Christ by pleasure, possessions, 00:09:58.850 --> 00:10:03.110 and position. Some people put it this way. The 00:10:03.110 --> 00:10:08.009 world is really about sex, salary, and status. 00:10:09.129 --> 00:10:11.710 Or I heard an older missionary, this is like, 00:10:11.769 --> 00:10:14.509 you know, I was in another country, and it said 00:10:14.509 --> 00:10:16.870 young men, we were all young men playing basketball 00:10:16.870 --> 00:10:20.190 in South America. And he says, guys, it's all 00:10:20.190 --> 00:10:24.850 about girls, gold, and glory. And he said, those 00:10:24.850 --> 00:10:26.870 are the things, you know, girls, you can flip 00:10:26.870 --> 00:10:30.490 that around and figure it out. Here's what I 00:10:30.490 --> 00:10:33.809 want you to get. There is a system that comes 00:10:33.809 --> 00:10:37.129 on almost every commercial, every billboard, 00:10:37.169 --> 00:10:41.139 in every magazine, where you work. that tells 00:10:41.139 --> 00:10:44.759 you that if you could possess that, if you get 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:47.220 this position, if your kids get in this school, 00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:50.460 if you can have these things, that security and 00:10:50.460 --> 00:10:53.059 significance and meaning and happiness and purpose, 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:56.120 it's all for you. In fact, every time you walk 00:10:56.120 --> 00:10:58.759 out of the checkout stand, it screams the world 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:00.940 system. Because here you are, you got your little 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:03.100 groceries and you're at the local grocery store 00:11:03.100 --> 00:11:05.460 and they got all the magazines and this magazine 00:11:05.460 --> 00:11:08.210 number one is either Cosmo or Men's Health. And 00:11:08.210 --> 00:11:10.230 if you're a guy, you look more at Cosmo than 00:11:10.230 --> 00:11:14.190 you do men's health. And all the girls, literally, 00:11:14.370 --> 00:11:15.889 they're all the same from the neck down when 00:11:15.889 --> 00:11:19.149 you look at the cover of Cosmo. Some of you will 00:11:19.149 --> 00:11:22.230 get that a little bit later. And it just says 00:11:22.230 --> 00:11:25.330 sex, man, if you have that. Or part of this, 00:11:25.350 --> 00:11:27.490 look at men's health and say, man, if I had abs, 00:11:27.590 --> 00:11:30.129 if I had abs like that, man, the women would 00:11:30.129 --> 00:11:33.940 love me. And the girls don't know whether I should 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:35.659 look at Cosmo and I'm supposed to look like that. 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:37.259 And I wonder how many surgeries that would require 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:40.820 or how many time in the work, in the workout 00:11:40.820 --> 00:11:43.919 room. And so we're just told, I mean, we're just 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:47.559 told, your body, you gotta be attractive and 00:11:47.559 --> 00:11:50.779 sexual and beautiful. And there's whole industries, 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:52.679 multi -billion dollar industries. I mean, all 00:11:52.679 --> 00:11:54.820 you're trying to do is buy some groceries. And 00:11:54.820 --> 00:11:57.019 it says, you don't look like this. You ought 00:11:57.019 --> 00:11:59.559 to look like this. And some of us look at all 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:01.240 that and realize, you know, I may never get there. 00:12:01.710 --> 00:12:03.570 And so then it's People Magazine. That's the 00:12:03.570 --> 00:12:06.309 next one on the rack. And if I could be famous 00:12:06.309 --> 00:12:09.490 like them. I mean, it's just like, how in the 00:12:09.490 --> 00:12:12.889 world did we go from actors and scripts and drama 00:12:12.889 --> 00:12:16.470 and thinking and entertainment to 80 % of everything 00:12:16.470 --> 00:12:19.870 reality shows? Everyone wants their own reality 00:12:19.870 --> 00:12:22.690 shows. We've got people who do illegal things 00:12:22.690 --> 00:12:25.090 to create false stories to try and create their 00:12:25.090 --> 00:12:30.809 own reality school. Why? If people knew me, fame, 00:12:31.049 --> 00:12:35.929 glory, then I'd be a somebody. And as you kind 00:12:35.929 --> 00:12:37.870 of get the yogurt and the bread and the milk 00:12:37.870 --> 00:12:40.470 across and, you know, you've been to Cosmo and 00:12:40.470 --> 00:12:42.850 Men's Health and now here you are and you're 00:12:42.850 --> 00:12:44.470 thinking, my lands, you know, I don't, People 00:12:44.470 --> 00:12:46.490 Magazine, those sure are pretty people. And if 00:12:46.490 --> 00:12:48.730 you check the pictures and she's with so -and 00:12:48.730 --> 00:12:50.049 -so, she used to be so -and -so, now she's with 00:12:50.049 --> 00:12:51.850 so -and -so and she's pregnant. Oh, she's got 00:12:51.850 --> 00:12:54.029 the baby bump and the names and faces change 00:12:54.029 --> 00:13:00.590 and right? And as you get a little older, some 00:13:00.590 --> 00:13:02.590 of you are going, oh, they forget that. Well, 00:13:02.769 --> 00:13:05.570 there's Forbes and there's Fortune. If you had 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:14.190 that, man, right? And so money, sex, power, position, 00:13:14.230 --> 00:13:17.649 and then we create worlds so that our kids can 00:13:17.649 --> 00:13:22.470 get money, power, sex, and position. So we work 00:13:22.470 --> 00:13:25.250 like crazy, don't see one another, spend most 00:13:25.250 --> 00:13:29.470 of our time staring at screens. Have relationships 00:13:29.470 --> 00:13:31.929 that don't work, work hours that are insane, 00:13:32.250 --> 00:13:35.110 be in the gym for long hours to become and look 00:13:35.110 --> 00:13:38.629 like someone so someone will love us. And all 00:13:38.629 --> 00:13:42.370 the while, the people that have the most money, 00:13:42.470 --> 00:13:46.710 with the sexiest bodies, with the largest houses, 00:13:47.009 --> 00:13:50.509 who've won the lotto or are the celebrities, 00:13:50.830 --> 00:13:55.269 when we look carefully at their life, we see 00:13:55.269 --> 00:13:58.920 the highest percentage of depression, divorce, 00:13:58.920 --> 00:14:02.460 suicide, and emptiness. It's like this crazy 00:14:02.460 --> 00:14:05.080 picture of everyone following the great rainbow 00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:07.740 for the pot of gold with possessions and power 00:14:07.740 --> 00:14:10.460 and position. And those that have it would come 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:17.539 out and say, it's empty. It's empty. And I can 00:14:17.539 --> 00:14:19.919 tell you, whether it's in South Africa or Korea 00:14:19.919 --> 00:14:23.299 or Hong Kong or Indonesia or the Silicon Valley 00:14:23.299 --> 00:14:27.379 or Nebraska, The great majority of Christians 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:31.399 are not experiencing God's best. And they're 00:14:31.399 --> 00:14:33.600 not experiencing God's best because their heart 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.379 has been seduced away from their Savior and we've 00:14:37.379 --> 00:14:40.039 bought the lies that these things will fulfill 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:44.840 and they don't. And God brought you into this 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:48.240 room on this day to say to you, I want to give 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:52.559 you the best. So negative, stop allowing yourself 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:55.909 to be molded. By the world. So get aware. But 00:14:55.909 --> 00:14:58.049 that's not enough. Turn the page. Second, he's 00:14:58.049 --> 00:15:01.830 going to say, start allowing yourself to be transformed 00:15:01.830 --> 00:15:06.049 by the renewing of your mind. Notice the positive 00:15:06.049 --> 00:15:08.669 command. He says, be transformed. Remember, I 00:15:08.669 --> 00:15:11.549 think it's about ninth grade biology, metamorphosis, 00:15:11.590 --> 00:15:14.429 right? Meta, the Greek word, with. Morph is to 00:15:14.429 --> 00:15:17.750 change. Remember, and I know there's a very technical 00:15:17.750 --> 00:15:19.549 word because people always correct me, but I 00:15:19.549 --> 00:15:21.370 call them green caterpillars and I know it's 00:15:21.370 --> 00:15:23.830 technically not a caterpillar, but you know the 00:15:23.830 --> 00:15:26.629 little caterpillar that puts it in its cocoon 00:15:26.629 --> 00:15:28.110 and then this beautiful butterfly comes out? 00:15:29.029 --> 00:15:31.309 What do we call that process? Ninth grade biology. 00:15:32.549 --> 00:15:34.570 Metamorphosis. It's change from the inside out. 00:15:34.990 --> 00:15:38.279 This is what God's saying. Don't allow the world, 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:40.600 the externals, to squeeze you and their values 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:43.240 into this false belief and system of lies that 00:15:43.240 --> 00:15:46.620 lead to death, but allow yourself, by the transformation 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:49.460 of your mind, to be changed from the inside out. 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:52.200 Then notice the grammar. It's exactly the same. 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:56.159 It's in the passive voice. What's that mean? 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:58.480 It means, so in other words, God has to, you 00:15:58.480 --> 00:16:02.179 can't change yourself, but it's a command. So 00:16:02.179 --> 00:16:05.350 God says, there's a part that you have. that 00:16:05.350 --> 00:16:07.490 you cooperate with me, but I'm the one who does 00:16:07.490 --> 00:16:11.149 the changing. And then notice it's in the present 00:16:11.149 --> 00:16:14.809 tense. So notice the translation here of this 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:18.350 command is, but allow God to completely change 00:16:18.350 --> 00:16:21.429 your inward thinking and outward behavior, how? 00:16:21.830 --> 00:16:24.789 By cooperating wholeheartedly moment by moment 00:16:24.789 --> 00:16:28.529 with the Spirit's renewing process. It's supernatural. 00:16:28.669 --> 00:16:31.610 It's not self -effort and trying hard. Here's 00:16:31.610 --> 00:16:33.409 a model and a picture like Jesus. I'm gonna try 00:16:33.409 --> 00:16:36.509 and be kind, try and be loving. No, no, it's 00:16:36.509 --> 00:16:40.649 internal. It's supernatural. It's the spirit 00:16:40.649 --> 00:16:44.210 of God taking the word of God, renewing your 00:16:44.210 --> 00:16:47.149 mind in the context of community, of real life 00:16:47.149 --> 00:16:51.389 relationships where the very personality of Jesus 00:16:51.389 --> 00:16:54.710 and his character where you're loving and kind 00:16:54.710 --> 00:17:00.429 and peaceful and gentle. and generous and other 00:17:00.429 --> 00:17:03.549 -centered and have self -discipline. And the 00:17:03.549 --> 00:17:05.930 fruit of the Spirit, which is really the life 00:17:05.930 --> 00:17:09.390 of Christ, progressively becomes more how you 00:17:09.390 --> 00:17:12.990 think and how you act. It's not trying hard to 00:17:12.990 --> 00:17:15.109 be like Jesus. It's allowing the Jesus living 00:17:15.109 --> 00:17:17.869 in you by the Holy Spirit to transform you from 00:17:17.869 --> 00:17:21.329 the inside out. And so the application is really, 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:23.650 I put it in the form of a question. Are you shaped 00:17:23.650 --> 00:17:28.900 more by the world or by the Word? I think I know 00:17:28.900 --> 00:17:32.200 the answer for most of us, but I thought, why 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:34.619 don't we, let's let this one just rest for a 00:17:34.619 --> 00:17:41.500 second. Ready? So before we just go on, let me 00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:45.319 just ask you, okay? Ready? If I just put a little 00:17:45.319 --> 00:17:48.819 stick man on a line and an arrow this direction, 00:17:48.940 --> 00:17:52.400 an arrow this direction, and on this side would 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:56.319 be the words influence in my life, truth, God's 00:17:56.319 --> 00:17:59.180 word, God's people. You're the little stick man 00:17:59.180 --> 00:18:03.200 or stick woman, and this is the world. Which 00:18:03.200 --> 00:18:07.039 one is having the most influence? The world is 00:18:07.039 --> 00:18:09.619 saying, get, get, get, accumulate, accumulate, 00:18:09.859 --> 00:18:14.160 impress, impress, impress. The word is saying, 00:18:14.299 --> 00:18:21.259 give, give, give, be authentic, love, care. The 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:24.859 world is saying, it's how you look. The word 00:18:24.859 --> 00:18:28.769 is saying, it's who you are. The world is saying 00:18:28.769 --> 00:18:33.589 you don't measure up unless you have. The word 00:18:33.589 --> 00:18:37.769 is saying you already measure up and your value 00:18:37.769 --> 00:18:43.950 isn't how you care. The word comes to you in 00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:46.710 the beauty of nature, primarily the Bible, the 00:18:46.710 --> 00:18:49.450 word of God, and out of the relationships of 00:18:49.450 --> 00:18:51.630 other believers where Jesus lives inside of them. 00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:55.009 All those things wooing you and drawing you. 00:18:55.480 --> 00:18:58.559 to allow Christ be formed in you. And the world 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:05.299 comes at you in smartphones, computer, TV, Netflix, 00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:12.839 billboards, romance novels, relationships where 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:15.519 people kind of look at you and say, unless you 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:17.720 have this, unless you look like that, unless 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:20.000 you can do this, unless you can form that, you 00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:22.880 don't really measure up. And you're in the battle 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:27.480 of your life. external forces like this saying 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:31.519 to you, conform, conform, conform. And an internal 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:33.980 supernatural power saying, be transformed, be 00:19:33.980 --> 00:19:37.900 transformed. And I don't say this, this is not 00:19:37.900 --> 00:19:39.599 like, oh, I want everyone to feel guilty for 00:19:39.599 --> 00:19:43.079 like 30 seconds. I just want you to look at the 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:45.859 little stick man in your mind and say, is the 00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:48.799 input of God's word and God's people and those 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:52.140 things influencing your time, your priorities 00:19:52.140 --> 00:19:56.079 and your focus? Or is it more the world? Now 00:19:56.079 --> 00:19:59.059 nationwide, it's pretty obvious. About eight 00:19:59.059 --> 00:20:01.720 to nine out of ten Christians, it's more this. 00:20:03.299 --> 00:20:07.119 Can you imagine in heaven how God must feel about 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:09.539 that lady and about us of a 13 -year -old girl 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:12.140 that comes to know Jesus and his love and he's 00:20:12.140 --> 00:20:14.980 got this amazing plan for her. But she hears 00:20:14.980 --> 00:20:16.920 that unless you sleep with your boyfriend, you 00:20:16.920 --> 00:20:19.339 don't measure up. And so she does. And she feels 00:20:19.339 --> 00:20:20.880 guilty because when the Spirit lives in you, 00:20:20.900 --> 00:20:23.579 there's this battle. And she did it to be loved, 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:25.700 and well, then she feels bad about it, and so 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:27.279 to get it to sleep at night, she starts drinking 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.539 a little bit, and she wants to be a part of things, 00:20:29.599 --> 00:20:32.539 so she hangs with the crowd, and down deep inside 00:20:32.539 --> 00:20:34.900 of her soul, she has this lack of peace, and 00:20:34.900 --> 00:20:37.880 then finally she just realizes, I've spent 20 00:20:37.880 --> 00:20:39.819 years with the Spirit of God living inside me, 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:44.900 and I've never gotten God's best. I wonder how 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:48.279 many Christians sitting in this room today are 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:52.069 living right there today. Because boy, I'll tell 00:20:52.069 --> 00:20:58.869 you, I've been there. So application. And the 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:02.410 goal of application is there's movement. God 00:21:02.410 --> 00:21:04.809 is going to nudge you about taking some steps 00:21:04.809 --> 00:21:07.950 to what? Saying no to the world and beginning 00:21:07.950 --> 00:21:10.589 maybe some baby steps to say yes to him changing 00:21:10.589 --> 00:21:18.710 you. Notice Jesus when he was facing this. You 00:21:18.710 --> 00:21:20.009 know, it's interesting. You think this isn't 00:21:20.009 --> 00:21:22.650 new. If you take the lust of the flesh, lust 00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:24.769 of the eyes, and the pride of life, and if we 00:21:24.769 --> 00:21:27.869 could take a video camera back to Genesis 3, 00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:30.869 Adam and Eve, and you study the passage very 00:21:30.869 --> 00:21:33.390 carefully, Adam and Eve, how are they tempted? 00:21:34.630 --> 00:21:36.569 Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of 00:21:36.569 --> 00:21:40.990 life. Take the video camera out of time. Go over 00:21:40.990 --> 00:21:44.230 to Jesus with Satan, Matthew chapter 4, and he's 00:21:44.230 --> 00:21:47.900 being tempted. Three temptations, how's he tempted? 00:21:48.200 --> 00:21:50.480 Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of 00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:55.079 life. How did he win? They lost, he won. Why? 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:58.839 It is written, it is written, it is written. 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:01.799 Each time, from memory, he reached back into 00:22:01.799 --> 00:22:05.859 Deuteronomy and the lie came, bam! He knocked 00:22:05.859 --> 00:22:09.259 it out with the truth. And so in Matthew 4, 4, 00:22:09.299 --> 00:22:11.619 it says, he answered Satan and said, it is written, 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:13.980 man should not live by bread alone, but on every 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:22.630 word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You 00:22:22.630 --> 00:22:27.890 cannot experience God's best for your life without 00:22:27.890 --> 00:22:33.170 making this truth a part of your experience on 00:22:33.170 --> 00:22:37.650 a very regular basis. You don't have the power. 00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:40.670 I don't have the power. You must take the raw 00:22:40.670 --> 00:22:43.609 material of God's written word and get it into 00:22:43.609 --> 00:22:46.490 your mind. And share it with other people so 00:22:46.490 --> 00:22:48.529 the Spirit of God can take the written word and 00:22:48.529 --> 00:22:51.250 make it the living word and change you and change 00:22:51.250 --> 00:22:53.549 your desires in ways that you can understand. 00:22:53.690 --> 00:22:56.130 It's supernatural. In fact, the Apostle Paul 00:22:56.130 --> 00:22:58.349 would say, it's not only supernatural, but it's 00:22:58.349 --> 00:23:00.670 a process. There's not like you can just turn 00:23:00.670 --> 00:23:03.470 a switch and now I'm like Jesus, you know? What's 00:23:03.470 --> 00:23:05.690 he say? In 2 Corinthians 3 .18, I put the passage 00:23:05.690 --> 00:23:08.230 there. But we all, speaking of the difference 00:23:08.230 --> 00:23:09.930 between the old covenant and the new covenant. 00:23:10.899 --> 00:23:12.880 Between, you know, the law when it was given 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:15.079 in Sinai and now with the Spirit living in us. 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:17.839 But we all with unveiled faces, beholding as 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.500 in a mirror the glory of the Lord. Notice the 00:23:20.500 --> 00:23:24.200 tense of this verb. Our being transformed. How? 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:28.140 From glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the 00:23:28.140 --> 00:23:33.200 Spirit. He's saying, Moses, when he was up on 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:36.019 the mountain with God, see, you become like whoever 00:23:36.019 --> 00:23:38.859 you hang out with. And after 40 days hanging 00:23:38.859 --> 00:23:41.200 out with God, he just glowed. He just radiated 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:43.420 with the glory of God. And so when he came down, 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:45.019 people couldn't take it, so he put a veil over 00:23:45.019 --> 00:23:47.319 his face so he could talk to them. And then in 00:23:47.319 --> 00:23:49.779 his hypocrisy, when it started to fade, he kept 00:23:49.779 --> 00:23:51.480 the veil on because he wanted people to think 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:54.640 he still had it. None of us ever do that, of 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:57.920 course. We don't do any image management or any 00:23:57.920 --> 00:24:01.599 of those sort of things, but Moses did. And Paul 00:24:01.599 --> 00:24:04.859 says, you know, we, with an unveiled face, Beholdings 00:24:04.859 --> 00:24:06.740 in a mirror, it's not direct, but we get these 00:24:06.740 --> 00:24:09.759 reflections and snapshots and moments where Jesus 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:12.359 reveals himself and a passage comes out of the 00:24:12.359 --> 00:24:14.460 word and you're in a Bible study and someone 00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.099 speaks a word or accepts you in a way that you've 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:19.259 never been accepted and you are vulnerable or 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:22.180 you're supported or someone in love actually 00:24:22.180 --> 00:24:25.299 rebukes you and calls you on the carpet for something 00:24:25.299 --> 00:24:27.599 that in your heart you've known and you realize 00:24:27.599 --> 00:24:30.059 that open rebuke is better than love concealed 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:33.140 and you find a safe place and God changes you. 00:24:34.089 --> 00:24:37.170 But it's from glory to glory. That's like four 00:24:37.170 --> 00:24:39.589 steps forward, two steps backward. We're all 00:24:39.589 --> 00:24:42.430 in process. And notice, who brings about the 00:24:42.430 --> 00:24:45.390 change? From the Lord, the Spirit. And so here's 00:24:45.390 --> 00:24:49.150 the key, what I want you to get. Review. Stop 00:24:49.150 --> 00:24:52.150 allowing the world to conform you. Start being 00:24:52.150 --> 00:24:55.150 transformed. Here's what I want to camp on. How? 00:24:55.849 --> 00:24:59.190 What's your part? We said we can't change ourselves. 00:24:59.549 --> 00:25:02.049 Allow yourself to be transformed how? Here's 00:25:02.049 --> 00:25:05.420 our part. The renewing of our mind. Mind renewal, 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:07.500 I think, has three key components. The first 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:10.240 component of mind renewal is renewing your mind 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:13.460 as a continual refocus of the Romans 12 .1 perspective. 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:16.559 Colossians 3 says, set your mind on the things 00:25:16.559 --> 00:25:17.920 that are above, not on the things that are on 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:22.220 earth. It's a worldview, it's a mindset that 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:24.799 has eternity in mind, that has Christ in mind, 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:29.799 about what matters in mind. See, when you come 00:25:29.799 --> 00:25:31.579 to that moment where you say, God, I'm all in, 00:25:31.640 --> 00:25:34.299 I will do whatever, it's authentic, it's real, 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:36.299 it's sincere. You make great decisions in that 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:39.099 moment. But then there's Monday morning, right? 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:41.940 And that was two football games and an argument 00:25:41.940 --> 00:25:43.720 with your roommate or your wife or with your 00:25:43.720 --> 00:25:45.819 husband and a kid who treated you dirty and a 00:25:45.819 --> 00:25:48.700 boss who wasn't very nice ago. And a different 00:25:48.700 --> 00:25:51.460 person shows up after that, right? And so you 00:25:51.460 --> 00:25:54.599 renew your mind to keep that focus. And all of 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:56.640 us have different issues that we face that keep 00:25:56.640 --> 00:26:00.269 us conformed to the world. Let me give you an 00:26:00.269 --> 00:26:05.890 example. As I grew up in my home, my family of 00:26:05.890 --> 00:26:09.329 origin, I have one, you have one. The enemy uses 00:26:09.329 --> 00:26:12.150 the world in some ways in my life different than 00:26:12.150 --> 00:26:17.190 yours. I mean, there's people that can walk into 00:26:17.190 --> 00:26:19.930 a bar, love friends, have no problem, never think 00:26:19.930 --> 00:26:22.210 about this, this, that. I mean, my dad was an 00:26:22.210 --> 00:26:26.640 alcoholic. Alcohol shaped our home. There's some 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:28.500 people that you're not performance -oriented 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:31.259 at all. Man, you are just balanced and laid back, 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:34.059 and you go to work, you shut it off, no problem. 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:36.460 You're not a people pleaser. You know, you're 00:26:36.460 --> 00:26:38.579 just so healthy, relationally and emotionally, 00:26:38.900 --> 00:26:44.059 and I envy you. And so I realized that I was 00:26:44.059 --> 00:26:46.559 a workaholic, that I was insecure, that I was 00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:48.460 always trying to please people, and then after 00:26:48.460 --> 00:26:50.099 I got married that I was very insensitive to 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:51.960 my wife. Other than that, as a Christian, I was 00:26:51.960 --> 00:26:55.440 really doing well. Now, I'm dead serious. I mean, 00:26:55.480 --> 00:26:58.099 I didn't have a porn addiction. I wasn't putting 00:26:58.099 --> 00:27:00.880 cocaine up my nose. Okay, but I'm saying those 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:03.460 were real. And when I started reading the Bible 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:05.640 some and I wanted to follow Jesus and I kept 00:27:05.640 --> 00:27:09.359 trying hard. I tried hard not to be a workaholic. 00:27:09.380 --> 00:27:12.019 I tried not to be insecure. I tried to be more 00:27:12.019 --> 00:27:15.000 sensitive to my wife. On my best days, and I'm 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:17.680 pretty disciplined, willpower, I could only keep 00:27:17.680 --> 00:27:20.680 that up for about two weeks because I didn't 00:27:20.680 --> 00:27:23.920 understand. Transformation isn't about just trying 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:28.099 hard. It's renewing your mind. And so I wrote 00:27:28.099 --> 00:27:31.920 down on some cards the truth. And now I prayed, 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:33.940 I asked God, does it mean there's not self? Of 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:36.319 course I had to make effort. But for example, 00:27:36.440 --> 00:27:38.960 I thought, am I gonna be insecure my whole life 00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:41.440 or am I gonna get my mind renewed? And so I wrote 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:43.039 down this on a card. I read it in the morning, 00:27:43.059 --> 00:27:44.539 the night, put it in my pocket, read it multiple 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:47.359 times a day. I'd like to be more authentic in 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:52.039 every aspect of my life. You know, I was trying 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:55.359 to please everyone and I am what I am by the 00:27:55.359 --> 00:27:57.680 grace of God. And his grace didn't prove vain 00:27:57.680 --> 00:27:59.440 toward me, but I labored more than all of them, 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:02.880 yet not me, but Christ in me. You know, when 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:05.059 you keep reading over, I'd like to be more authentic 00:28:05.059 --> 00:28:07.539 in every relationship. You know what happens 00:28:07.539 --> 00:28:10.339 that gets in your mind? You catch yourself when 00:28:10.339 --> 00:28:13.460 you're posing. You catch yourself image managing 00:28:13.460 --> 00:28:16.859 and God begins to birth where you say, you know, 00:28:16.920 --> 00:28:18.839 I think I'm just gonna like who God made me. 00:28:19.180 --> 00:28:23.400 Got a long way to go. Transformation. My people 00:28:23.400 --> 00:28:25.759 pleasing. I mean, anybody here ever struggle 00:28:25.759 --> 00:28:28.079 with like, everyone asks you to do this and you 00:28:28.079 --> 00:28:29.740 either feel guilty if you don't or you're trying 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:31.420 to do everything and you're multitasking and 00:28:31.420 --> 00:28:33.460 you're up early and you're back late and you 00:28:33.460 --> 00:28:36.039 know, I wrote this on a card. I want to stop 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:38.380 caring what others think and apply myself and 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:40.680 my schedule to what will make me the best I can 00:28:40.680 --> 00:28:43.769 be to honor God the most. I want to grow free 00:28:43.769 --> 00:28:47.150 of the invisible expectations that I allow to 00:28:47.150 --> 00:28:49.890 hinder my joy, my freedom, my schedule from pursuing 00:28:49.890 --> 00:28:54.170 the best. These invisible, like I had this gun 00:28:54.170 --> 00:28:59.210 to my head. Still struggle some. But if you live 00:28:59.210 --> 00:29:01.990 your life to please people, it'll kill you. But 00:29:01.990 --> 00:29:06.410 it's the world. So you refocus. My next one was 00:29:06.410 --> 00:29:11.220 on my workaholism. I just thought. working a 00:29:11.220 --> 00:29:14.400 lot, performing, getting stuff done, I got approval. 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:17.460 And so that was how I did everything. I even 00:29:17.460 --> 00:29:20.299 did the ministry like that. And so I wrote on 00:29:20.299 --> 00:29:23.500 this card, I read it over. I want to learn, this 00:29:23.500 --> 00:29:25.640 is almost sick to have to learn this. I'm going 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:27.819 to learn to take time and schedule in enjoyable, 00:29:28.079 --> 00:29:31.200 fun, refreshing activities without feeling guilty 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:33.960 about them or caring what other people think. 00:29:36.259 --> 00:29:38.279 Anybody here feel like you should have more margin, 00:29:38.339 --> 00:29:40.000 that you're not enjoying life enough, that it's 00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:41.900 work, work, work, and yeah, you're gonna do that 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:43.920 later, but you're just so focused and so geared, 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:46.960 and you pick up your kids, and you're on your 00:29:46.960 --> 00:29:49.200 phone, and everybody's kind of an interruption. 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:54.039 My final one, what I'm telling you, I just, I 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:58.440 kept reading this over. What happened was, I 00:29:58.440 --> 00:30:00.880 just found putting it in my schedule. Pretty 00:30:00.880 --> 00:30:02.400 soon, I didn't feel guilty about having fun. 00:30:02.850 --> 00:30:05.470 Pretty soon I found out I had fun and enriching 00:30:05.470 --> 00:30:07.490 relationships. And when I came to work, it didn't 00:30:07.490 --> 00:30:09.430 take as much time. And it was like, wow, this 00:30:09.430 --> 00:30:13.150 must be a part of God's plan. Finally, with my 00:30:13.150 --> 00:30:16.029 wife, I realized I was insensitive. And so I 00:30:16.029 --> 00:30:18.150 wrote on this card, my desire is to love Teresa 00:30:18.150 --> 00:30:20.529 sacrificially and in a way that makes sense to 00:30:20.529 --> 00:30:24.420 her each and every day. And so I just kept reading 00:30:24.420 --> 00:30:26.700 that over and a weird thing happened. I started 00:30:26.700 --> 00:30:29.359 seeing little times on this day and on Sunday 00:30:29.359 --> 00:30:32.119 night and on this day where I could be more sacrificial. 00:30:32.200 --> 00:30:34.319 Now, believe me, from glory to glory and with 00:30:34.319 --> 00:30:37.980 plenty of relapses. But are you seeing how it 00:30:37.980 --> 00:30:40.940 works? You seeing how you refocus, your mind 00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:43.559 gets renewed? Second thing is I want to tell 00:30:43.559 --> 00:30:46.200 you it's a battle. Renewing your mind always 00:30:46.200 --> 00:30:50.769 involves a battle. The spiritual life, the battle 00:30:50.769 --> 00:30:53.190 for your soul, primarily is happening between 00:30:53.190 --> 00:30:57.589 your ears. The Apostle Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 00:30:57.589 --> 00:31:00.269 10, 4 and 5, the weapons of our warfare, listen 00:31:00.269 --> 00:31:02.509 to that language. He's in a battle for his soul. 00:31:02.690 --> 00:31:06.309 The weapons of our warfare are divinely powerful 00:31:06.309 --> 00:31:09.250 for the pulling down of strongholds and every 00:31:09.250 --> 00:31:11.190 lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of 00:31:11.190 --> 00:31:17.309 God. People pleasing, workaholism. Having, possessing, 00:31:17.309 --> 00:31:19.950 working like crazy, accumulating, impressing, 00:31:19.950 --> 00:31:26.490 image management, addictions. The weapons of 00:31:26.490 --> 00:31:30.269 our warfare. He's talking about the power of 00:31:30.269 --> 00:31:33.529 the word of God. Community, fasting, prayer. 00:31:34.369 --> 00:31:38.150 I mean, the world's powerful. There's a battle. 00:31:38.769 --> 00:31:42.210 And it's for your soul. There's a reason why 00:31:42.210 --> 00:31:45.410 the second most... Optimal time for couples or 00:31:45.410 --> 00:31:48.650 divorces is about between 20 and 25 years. Because 00:31:48.650 --> 00:31:51.450 she buys the lie that it's me and the kids and 00:31:51.450 --> 00:31:53.329 all that I do for them. And he buys the lie that 00:31:53.329 --> 00:31:54.950 someday, someway, if I can work, work, work, 00:31:55.029 --> 00:31:57.150 do, do, do, do. And then they wake up 20, 25 00:31:57.150 --> 00:31:59.410 years, they don't know each other. They've not 00:31:59.410 --> 00:32:02.930 shared anything. He feels middle -aged and like 00:32:02.930 --> 00:32:04.369 he doesn't have it anymore. And what makes him 00:32:04.369 --> 00:32:06.150 feel like he might have it is some young, good 00:32:06.150 --> 00:32:08.069 -looking chick is interested. He's got some money, 00:32:08.089 --> 00:32:10.269 can pay his way, try and make it happen. And 00:32:10.269 --> 00:32:12.509 he does stuff either online or actual in the 00:32:12.509 --> 00:32:16.009 office. And she starts realizing, you know, I 00:32:16.009 --> 00:32:17.410 don't look the way I used to look and I don't 00:32:17.410 --> 00:32:19.170 feel very attractive and she signs up and gets 00:32:19.170 --> 00:32:21.230 a personal trainer and now she's gonna go at 00:32:21.230 --> 00:32:24.910 it again and they don't have anything. And they 00:32:24.910 --> 00:32:28.829 both bought a lie. And they used to teach a Sunday 00:32:28.829 --> 00:32:30.730 school class and they've been married 30 years 00:32:30.730 --> 00:32:32.589 and their kids now are young adults who grew 00:32:32.589 --> 00:32:34.410 up in that home and mom and dad divorced and 00:32:34.410 --> 00:32:37.789 they're going, what in the world? I guess this 00:32:37.789 --> 00:32:42.049 Jesus stuff isn't true. That's reality, people. 00:32:42.440 --> 00:32:43.960 That's for some of you, that's your experience. 00:32:45.259 --> 00:32:47.059 The third thing you need to remember is that 00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:48.920 renewing your mind is supernatural. It's a work 00:32:48.920 --> 00:32:52.980 of the Spirit. You know, reviewing cards, reading 00:32:52.980 --> 00:32:54.920 the Bible, doing this, doing that. I got news 00:32:54.920 --> 00:32:57.900 for you. The Spirit of God has to take the Word 00:32:57.900 --> 00:33:00.339 of God and do something in you. All of these 00:33:00.339 --> 00:33:03.039 things are about a heart -love relationship with 00:33:03.039 --> 00:33:05.640 Him. Romans 8 says the mind set on the flesh 00:33:05.640 --> 00:33:09.799 is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life 00:33:09.799 --> 00:33:13.950 and peace. And so in summary, let me just tell 00:33:13.950 --> 00:33:17.630 you, for me, for you, for every believer, you 00:33:17.630 --> 00:33:22.069 are what you eat, period. You are what you eat 00:33:22.069 --> 00:33:24.789 physically and you are what you eat spiritually 00:33:24.789 --> 00:33:27.750 and intellectually. You tell me how much time 00:33:27.750 --> 00:33:29.849 on your phone, how much time in video games, 00:33:30.009 --> 00:33:31.890 how many movies you watch and the messages in 00:33:31.890 --> 00:33:33.869 those movies, time, what are you putting into 00:33:33.869 --> 00:33:37.930 your mind over against, how much truth, how much 00:33:37.930 --> 00:33:39.910 of God's word, how much renewing relationships. 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:42.940 And you know what? Plug, plug, plug, plug. It's 00:33:42.940 --> 00:33:47.799 pretty easy. I can tell you your lifestyle. Because 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:50.240 you are what you eat. So my question is, what's 00:33:50.240 --> 00:33:56.359 your diet? Are you getting God's best? Now, let 00:33:56.359 --> 00:33:59.319 me walk through now and give you some very practical, 00:33:59.359 --> 00:34:02.119 specific ways to renew your mind. Because it's 00:34:02.119 --> 00:34:03.900 one thing, those are the principles. That's the 00:34:03.900 --> 00:34:08.000 truth. Here's some practical methods for renewing 00:34:08.000 --> 00:34:11.000 your mind. To say no to the world. Say yes to 00:34:11.000 --> 00:34:14.400 God. First, hearing God's word. Romans 10, 17 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:16.820 says, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the 00:34:16.820 --> 00:34:21.000 word of God. You have to, on a regular basis, 00:34:21.099 --> 00:34:24.880 you must hear God's word. It births faith. One 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:27.119 way to do that is, this is a novel idea for some 00:34:27.119 --> 00:34:31.519 of you, come to church regularly. I mean, I'm 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:33.440 not down on you. I just, first three years I 00:34:33.440 --> 00:34:34.880 was a Christian, if I made it twice a month, 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:37.179 I'm high -fiving myself. Way to go, Chip. I never 00:34:37.179 --> 00:34:41.090 did that before. Second is, Use your time in 00:34:41.090 --> 00:34:43.909 the car wisely. Hear God's word. My seminary 00:34:43.909 --> 00:34:46.889 training hasn't stopped. Second, read God's word. 00:34:47.789 --> 00:34:50.150 Revelation 1 .3 says, blessed is he who reads 00:34:50.150 --> 00:34:52.510 and those who hear the words of the prophecy 00:34:52.510 --> 00:34:55.269 and heed the things which are written in it for 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:58.429 the time is near. And in your notes, if you don't 00:34:58.429 --> 00:35:00.349 know much about the Bible and need some structure 00:35:00.349 --> 00:35:03.230 and a plan, first 15 years at least I was a Christian, 00:35:03.289 --> 00:35:06.449 I read the Daily Walk Bible. And I just tell 00:35:06.449 --> 00:35:08.150 you, it was just like, okay, here's the structure, 00:35:08.329 --> 00:35:10.570 here's what it means. Here's an overview, but 00:35:10.570 --> 00:35:12.989 you dig in for yourself. Or go on the internet. 00:35:13.090 --> 00:35:16.449 There's enough reading plans. Just log on on 00:35:16.449 --> 00:35:19.849 the App Store Bible, believe me. 2 Timothy 2 00:35:19.849 --> 00:35:21.929 .15 says, be diligent to present yourself approved 00:35:21.929 --> 00:35:24.670 to God as a workman that need not be ashamed, 00:35:24.989 --> 00:35:28.909 handling accurately the word of truth. And you'll 00:35:28.909 --> 00:35:31.730 notice, I had this a little bit later, but this 00:35:31.730 --> 00:35:35.369 is a little tool to help you study. And take 00:35:35.369 --> 00:35:39.039 this really well. God wants the best for you. 00:35:39.739 --> 00:35:42.860 Some of us have been so trained, we eat all processed 00:35:42.860 --> 00:35:46.000 food. Can you imagine if you ate just only processed 00:35:46.000 --> 00:35:48.280 food instead of the kind of organic, real good 00:35:48.280 --> 00:35:50.900 stuff? Or the picture that comes to my mind is 00:35:50.900 --> 00:35:51.940 some of that, you know, some of that processed 00:35:51.940 --> 00:35:54.940 cheese and you take it out of that plastic and 00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:56.360 you think, I don't know where this has been. 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:03.239 Well, it's a good start, right? But processed 00:36:03.239 --> 00:36:05.679 spiritual food is like, there's a little book. 00:36:06.030 --> 00:36:07.710 and it's a good little book, and it has two or 00:36:07.710 --> 00:36:09.710 three verses, and then someone who's studied 00:36:09.710 --> 00:36:12.429 a lot tells you a little inspiring story and 00:36:12.429 --> 00:36:13.769 tells you a little something about those two 00:36:13.769 --> 00:36:15.889 or three little verses and says, and now here's 00:36:15.889 --> 00:36:18.369 what you might do, and you read for, like, it 00:36:18.369 --> 00:36:19.949 takes almost three minutes to read these little 00:36:19.949 --> 00:36:22.170 things, and then you go, oh, Jesus, Jesus, help 00:36:22.170 --> 00:36:23.889 me, help me really follow you. I have really 00:36:23.889 --> 00:36:26.949 renewed my mind. Now, I spent, you know, 40 minutes 00:36:26.949 --> 00:36:31.909 in the Wall Street Journal. But now I've spent 00:36:31.909 --> 00:36:33.750 my four or five minutes. What I know is what 00:36:33.750 --> 00:36:36.670 someone else thinks of that passage. The little 00:36:36.670 --> 00:36:39.309 card is how you can study God's word on your 00:36:39.309 --> 00:36:41.849 own. I learned this from a missionary about 30 00:36:41.849 --> 00:36:43.510 years ago. I think it was Brazil. It's called 00:36:43.510 --> 00:36:46.690 the two pro app method. And that's just an acronym. 00:36:47.510 --> 00:36:49.530 And I'm not gonna go through it all other than 00:36:49.530 --> 00:36:52.769 just to say, if you would choose a New Testament 00:36:52.769 --> 00:36:55.349 book, the book of John, the book of Mark, one 00:36:55.349 --> 00:36:57.849 of the small ones, and just read a paragraph 00:36:57.849 --> 00:37:01.789 or maybe two, and the P, pray, God, please help 00:37:01.789 --> 00:37:04.389 me. The second P, preview it. Read it quickly 00:37:04.389 --> 00:37:06.230 just to get a feel. It's all written on here. 00:37:06.429 --> 00:37:10.230 And then the R is read it slowly, methodically. 00:37:10.679 --> 00:37:13.380 Then the O is read it one more time and underline 00:37:13.380 --> 00:37:15.179 maybe words that are alike, the thoughts that 00:37:15.179 --> 00:37:18.079 you have. The A then is that what application 00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:21.300 from this paragraph is God showing me? Then realizing 00:37:21.300 --> 00:37:23.199 since I don't have the power to do it, you pray 00:37:23.199 --> 00:37:26.079 again. God, will you help me to, it says be generous 00:37:26.079 --> 00:37:28.139 in this passage, so will you help me be generous 00:37:28.139 --> 00:37:30.420 in some way specifically today? And then the 00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:33.699 T is tell someone. It's just a very simple way 00:37:33.699 --> 00:37:36.800 to study. Here's what I can tell you. Processed 00:37:36.800 --> 00:37:38.840 food is helpful, and if you're just beginning, 00:37:39.039 --> 00:37:43.170 that's fine. When you are tempted sexually, when 00:37:43.170 --> 00:37:45.329 you want to break out of habit patterns, when 00:37:45.329 --> 00:37:47.150 there's addictions, when there's a crisis in 00:37:47.150 --> 00:37:48.809 your marriage, when you got a kid who's going 00:37:48.809 --> 00:37:50.449 through a terrible time and you're trying to 00:37:50.449 --> 00:37:54.090 cling on to God, you have to have him speak directly 00:37:54.090 --> 00:37:56.949 from his word to you because that's where convictions 00:37:56.949 --> 00:37:59.710 come from. It's great that those people who wrote 00:37:59.710 --> 00:38:01.789 those little devotionals, that's what they believe. 00:38:01.949 --> 00:38:04.150 What do you believe? And what do you believe 00:38:04.150 --> 00:38:08.150 under pressure? It's birthed in study. The next 00:38:08.150 --> 00:38:12.510 is memorization. Notice it says, Psalm 119, 9 00:38:12.510 --> 00:38:15.710 -11, how can a young man, a young woman, keep 00:38:15.710 --> 00:38:19.690 your way pure? By guarding it or keeping it according 00:38:19.690 --> 00:38:21.889 to your word. Your word I've treasured or hid 00:38:21.889 --> 00:38:24.829 in my heart that I might not sin against thee. 00:38:25.769 --> 00:38:27.809 I don't know if there's any greater return in 00:38:27.809 --> 00:38:30.510 the Christian life than memorizing scripture 00:38:30.510 --> 00:38:33.369 or one that's probably more neglected. I can 00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:37.579 tell you a brief little story. I was in a school, 00:38:37.599 --> 00:38:38.940 and I think I've shared it, where there was like 00:38:38.940 --> 00:38:42.039 four girls to every guy. And I've started to 00:38:42.039 --> 00:38:43.880 grow. So now I've been a Christian like three 00:38:43.880 --> 00:38:46.460 years. And so I'm reading the Bible like three 00:38:46.460 --> 00:38:48.000 or four mornings a week. I'm starting to go to 00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:51.280 church, which is really radical for me. And I'm 00:38:51.280 --> 00:38:53.519 making progress in a number of areas, but not 00:38:53.519 --> 00:38:56.280 in one in particular. My roommate is going to 00:38:56.280 --> 00:38:58.989 go to this Christian... summer something where, 00:38:59.110 --> 00:39:02.250 you know, it's a parachurch organization that 00:39:02.250 --> 00:39:04.090 they go there for training and they get a job 00:39:04.090 --> 00:39:06.849 and share Christ and learn all good stuff. And 00:39:06.849 --> 00:39:08.969 I didn't want any part of that. But before he 00:39:08.969 --> 00:39:12.090 could go, he had to memorize these 60 verses. 00:39:12.530 --> 00:39:14.849 It was called the topical memory system put out 00:39:14.849 --> 00:39:17.710 by a group called the Navigators. And I'm just, 00:39:17.769 --> 00:39:20.289 I've always been very competitive along with 00:39:20.289 --> 00:39:23.630 being insecure. And so he left the room one day 00:39:23.630 --> 00:39:25.110 and I just thought, because he was going to memorize 00:39:25.110 --> 00:39:28.570 one or two verses. And he had it planned out 00:39:28.570 --> 00:39:31.369 30 weeks. And I just thought, you chump. So my 00:39:31.369 --> 00:39:34.250 goal, secretly, he leaves. I literally copied 00:39:34.250 --> 00:39:36.050 all the verses down on these little cards. In 00:39:36.050 --> 00:39:39.889 fact, I still, these little cards, I still have 00:39:39.889 --> 00:39:43.909 them. And I got these 60 verses down. And then 00:39:43.909 --> 00:39:46.510 I had an amazing gift. I had a psychology professor 00:39:46.510 --> 00:39:49.389 that was about 99 years old who'd been tenured 00:39:49.389 --> 00:39:52.670 for like 40 years because he couldn't get a job 00:39:52.670 --> 00:39:55.679 anywhere. And so he would drone on and on. So 00:39:55.679 --> 00:39:57.860 I would put my psychology book up an hour every 00:39:57.860 --> 00:40:00.420 day. I memorized one verse the first day. So 00:40:00.420 --> 00:40:03.260 I decided, 60 days, I'm going to be done. And 00:40:03.260 --> 00:40:04.840 I'm going to have them perfect. Because here 00:40:04.840 --> 00:40:05.980 was the goal. I was going to say, okay, hey, 00:40:06.019 --> 00:40:08.000 Bob, how's it going with that thing that your 00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:10.079 training program is going to do? Why don't you 00:40:10.079 --> 00:40:11.920 go ahead and start and list the verses. And I 00:40:11.920 --> 00:40:13.659 was just going to go, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, 00:40:13.699 --> 00:40:18.739 60 in a row, you know. Is that sick or what? 00:40:18.960 --> 00:40:21.940 I mean, you know, memorizing God's word to impress 00:40:21.940 --> 00:40:23.659 someone out of your ego and your pride. Well, 00:40:23.780 --> 00:40:28.159 okay. To show that God can use anybody, even 00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:32.219 in our nuttiness, it's day 21, and I mean, I'm 00:40:32.219 --> 00:40:34.260 like getting into this, so I can still remember 00:40:34.260 --> 00:40:36.579 hearing my cleats when I was running to baseball 00:40:36.579 --> 00:40:38.960 practice like this, you know, putting it in the 00:40:38.960 --> 00:40:42.539 back. Day 21, I walk around the corner, and there's 00:40:42.539 --> 00:40:44.480 a very beautiful young co -ed involved in the 00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:46.789 ministry. And what men will tell you, if they're 00:40:46.789 --> 00:40:49.429 honest, is that we struggle deeply with lust. 00:40:49.610 --> 00:40:52.250 And I was struggling very deeply. The external 00:40:52.250 --> 00:40:54.210 things were changing, but my eyes were going 00:40:54.210 --> 00:40:56.070 everywhere and my mind was going all kind of 00:40:56.070 --> 00:41:00.090 places. And when you lust for a girl that's not 00:41:00.090 --> 00:41:02.550 a Christian, you feel guilty. When you lust for 00:41:02.550 --> 00:41:05.570 a very godly girl, you feel really guilty. And 00:41:05.570 --> 00:41:09.630 so, oh no, this is her. Turned around the corner, 00:41:09.769 --> 00:41:11.750 we started to talk, and we had a little conversation. 00:41:12.150 --> 00:41:14.090 We got done, and I remember walking away. I got 00:41:14.090 --> 00:41:19.329 about four steps. I didn't lust. I didn't know 00:41:19.329 --> 00:41:22.110 the correlation. I had no idea. I didn't know 00:41:22.110 --> 00:41:24.110 about mind renewal. I didn't know how to change. 00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:26.329 All I knew was following Jesus is really hard, 00:41:26.429 --> 00:41:28.050 and a lot of it's not working very well for me. 00:41:28.590 --> 00:41:30.909 Some things undeniably are radically changing, 00:41:31.030 --> 00:41:33.010 but some other things, I just feel I was stuck 00:41:33.010 --> 00:41:36.909 forever. Day 21, I'd memorized 21 verses, word 00:41:36.909 --> 00:41:39.579 perfect. And what I didn't understand was the 00:41:39.579 --> 00:41:42.559 supernatural work. God had taken the written 00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:44.260 word and made it the living word and changed 00:41:44.260 --> 00:41:47.099 my want -tos and my attitudes. And I, with my 00:41:47.099 --> 00:41:49.920 eyes, looked at a sister in Christ in the eye. 00:41:50.159 --> 00:41:52.500 And a new relationship with women completely 00:41:52.500 --> 00:41:55.780 changed my life. When I got to 60 verses, I was 00:41:55.780 --> 00:41:58.000 like a drug. I couldn't stop. Then I started 00:41:58.000 --> 00:42:00.719 memorizing chapters. And then I put my own topics 00:42:00.719 --> 00:42:03.559 together. And for the next five years, probably 00:42:03.559 --> 00:42:07.000 more than anything else, I memorized God's word. 00:42:07.820 --> 00:42:09.960 And I will tell you, all I can tell you is how 00:42:09.960 --> 00:42:12.800 I looked at the world was completely different. 00:42:14.079 --> 00:42:16.659 Completely different. And there was a level of 00:42:16.659 --> 00:42:18.860 peace and joy. I remember I'd have a question. 00:42:18.880 --> 00:42:20.699 I'd be praying. And as I was praying, God would 00:42:20.699 --> 00:42:22.719 bring a verse. Oh, that's the answer. Or I'd 00:42:22.719 --> 00:42:24.639 be in a conversation and I wouldn't know what 00:42:24.639 --> 00:42:26.260 to say or what's going on. And God would bring 00:42:26.260 --> 00:42:29.880 a verse. And all of a sudden I realized we have 00:42:29.880 --> 00:42:32.980 the mind of Christ. The Bible says that we have 00:42:32.980 --> 00:42:35.699 the mind of Christ. But most of us don't know 00:42:35.699 --> 00:42:40.360 what his mind is. But it's in his word. The final 00:42:40.360 --> 00:42:43.599 thing he says is that you meditate. See, this 00:42:43.599 --> 00:42:45.159 isn't like you do all these little things and 00:42:45.159 --> 00:42:47.039 become a little religious robot that drives other 00:42:47.039 --> 00:42:49.739 people crazy. I mean, there's some people like 00:42:49.739 --> 00:42:53.380 that. This isn't about how many verses or how... 00:42:53.380 --> 00:42:56.360 And the word meditate here, it's the idea of 00:42:56.360 --> 00:43:00.039 ruminating. It's a picture a cow has four stomachs. 00:43:00.039 --> 00:43:02.099 It's a cow chews on some truth, swallows it, 00:43:02.199 --> 00:43:04.929 regurgitates it. Swallows it, regurgitates it. 00:43:05.409 --> 00:43:07.769 This is reading and God speaks to you through 00:43:07.769 --> 00:43:10.090 a verse and you write it on a card and you stick 00:43:10.090 --> 00:43:11.590 it in your pocket and then as you're driving 00:43:11.590 --> 00:43:13.110 to work, you try and see if you can remember 00:43:13.110 --> 00:43:16.789 it or so you're at a light and you're at a doctor's 00:43:16.789 --> 00:43:19.349 office and you just bring it up and something 00:43:19.349 --> 00:43:22.250 happens. This book of the law shall not depart 00:43:22.250 --> 00:43:24.170 out of your mouth, but you should meditate on 00:43:24.170 --> 00:43:27.090 it day and night in order that what? So you can 00:43:27.090 --> 00:43:31.269 obey it. For then you'll have, you'll be prosperous 00:43:31.269 --> 00:43:34.619 and have good success. And so on the back, I 00:43:34.619 --> 00:43:36.619 put a few tools that I think would be very helpful 00:43:36.619 --> 00:43:40.760 to you. Can I just close with this? Why, why, 00:43:41.059 --> 00:43:44.940 why, why do this? I mean, if you're listening, 00:43:45.059 --> 00:43:47.260 you're thinking to yourself, you mean I'm gonna 00:43:47.260 --> 00:43:49.300 limit my games and limit my movies and limit 00:43:49.300 --> 00:43:50.880 this and limit that and limit that and limit 00:43:50.880 --> 00:43:52.679 that and say no to some stuff that's just a part 00:43:52.679 --> 00:43:54.900 of my life and start saying yes to God's word 00:43:54.900 --> 00:43:56.380 and do some things probably some of you have 00:43:56.380 --> 00:44:00.960 never, ever done. Why would I do that? So that 00:44:00.960 --> 00:44:03.480 you could get the best from God. So that you 00:44:03.480 --> 00:44:06.699 could experience and taste what he wants normally 00:44:06.699 --> 00:44:13.199 for every person. His good. His good means winsome, 00:44:13.199 --> 00:44:17.159 beautiful, attractive, richly satisfying will. 00:44:17.480 --> 00:44:20.219 Well -pleasing. Well -pleasing to him and well 00:44:20.219 --> 00:44:25.320 -pleasing to you. Perfect. There's a will. That's 00:44:25.320 --> 00:44:28.659 according to a specific design. Just for you. 00:44:28.780 --> 00:44:31.840 That when you fulfill it. You explode with joy. 00:44:32.079 --> 00:44:39.260 Live with peace. How does that happen? No. I 00:44:39.260 --> 00:44:42.519 won't be conformed to this world. Yes. I'll be 00:44:42.519 --> 00:44:46.119 transformed by the renewing of my mind. So that. 00:44:46.380 --> 00:44:51.380 Would you like that? As I close. Here's two questions. 00:44:51.920 --> 00:44:53.780 Because you could feel overwhelmed. I don't want 00:44:53.780 --> 00:44:59.659 that. What one thing do you sense God is saying 00:44:59.659 --> 00:45:03.139 you need to say no to? What's going into your 00:45:03.139 --> 00:45:05.699 mind or what relationship or what's one thing 00:45:05.699 --> 00:45:08.739 that woos your heart away from God? And just 00:45:08.739 --> 00:45:14.099 say, first step, no. And what one thing of all 00:45:14.099 --> 00:45:17.519 the, you know, hearing, reading, studying, memorizing, 00:45:17.599 --> 00:45:21.119 meditating? Because we're all in different places. 00:45:21.400 --> 00:45:24.980 What one thing? Do you sense God would want you 00:45:24.980 --> 00:45:27.699 to take a baby step and begin to renew your mind? 00:45:28.199 --> 00:45:32.139 Lord, I pray that you'd show every single person 00:45:32.139 --> 00:45:39.000 right now what they need to say no to that is 00:45:39.000 --> 00:45:42.519 drawing their heart away from your deep, abiding, 00:45:42.519 --> 00:45:46.280 amazing love. And Lord, what you want them to 00:45:46.280 --> 00:45:50.800 say yes to in order to enjoy and experience your 00:45:50.800 --> 00:45:55.010 grace, your goodness. Will you please do that, 00:45:55.070 --> 00:45:57.469 Lord? And then will you birth faith in people 00:45:57.469 --> 00:46:00.230 right now? Would you even give them the idea 00:46:00.230 --> 00:46:02.150 of what one person could they share this with 00:46:02.150 --> 00:46:04.829 and ask them in a couple days, will you give 00:46:04.829 --> 00:46:07.510 me a call, will you text me, and I'll tell you 00:46:07.510 --> 00:46:12.110 how I'm doing? Oh, God, what would happen if 00:46:12.110 --> 00:46:14.949 hundreds and then thousands of people started 00:46:14.949 --> 00:46:19.090 to experience your good, well -pleasing, and 00:46:19.090 --> 00:46:22.989 perfect will? That's our prayer. In Jesus' name. 00:46:24.080 --> 00:46:30.420 Amen. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. 00:46:30.579 --> 00:46:33.380 Friend, for over 30 years, Living on the Edge 00:46:33.380 --> 00:46:36.219 has been committed to one mission, helping believers 00:46:36.219 --> 00:46:39.119 understand what it truly means to follow Jesus. 00:46:39.380 --> 00:46:42.699 Not religious activity, not trying harder, but 00:46:42.699 --> 00:46:45.599 relational, practical, measurable Christianity 00:46:45.599 --> 00:46:49.949 that transforms every area of life. Messages 00:46:49.949 --> 00:46:52.829 like today's exist because partners believe this 00:46:52.829 --> 00:46:55.610 mission matters. When you give to Living on the 00:46:55.610 --> 00:46:58.150 Edge, you're helping Christians discover God's 00:46:58.150 --> 00:47:01.230 power, peace, purpose, presence, and perspective. 00:47:01.710 --> 00:47:04.429 You're investing in clear biblical teaching that 00:47:04.429 --> 00:47:07.690 moves people from confusion to clarity, from 00:47:07.690 --> 00:47:11.170 exhaustion to experiencing God's best. Would 00:47:11.170 --> 00:47:15.349 you join this mission today? Give online at livingontheedge 00:47:15.349 --> 00:47:21.440 .org or call us at 888 - 333 -6003. You can also 00:47:21.440 --> 00:47:24.500 mail your gift to Living on the Edge, P .O. Box 00:47:24.500 --> 00:47:30.519 3007, Atlanta, Georgia, 30024. Want more content 00:47:30.519 --> 00:47:33.619 throughout the week? Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, 00:47:33.900 --> 00:47:37.340 and YouTube. Just search for Living on the Edge 00:47:37.340 --> 00:47:40.699 on Facebook and Instagram. 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