WEBVTT 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:13.779 When you look at life and circumstances, do you 00:00:13.779 --> 00:00:16.339 tend to look at the positive, the upside, or 00:00:16.339 --> 00:00:18.399 do you tend to look at the negative side? You 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.940 may not think it makes much difference, but after 00:00:20.940 --> 00:00:23.640 today's broadcast, you might learn it makes all 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:28.339 the difference in the world. Stay with me. Welcome 00:00:28.339 --> 00:00:31.100 to this weekend edition of Living on the Edge 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:34.020 with Chip Ingram. The mission of this daily program 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.719 is to intentionally disciple Christians through 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:38.859 the insightful Bible teaching of Chip Ingram. 00:00:39.420 --> 00:00:41.500 And a few days ago, we kicked off his series, 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.640 I Choose Joy, based in Philippians chapter 1. 00:00:44.899 --> 00:00:47.520 For the next week, Chip will explain how to develop 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:50.100 a healthier perspective toward our circumstances 00:00:50.100 --> 00:00:54.460 and have supernatural joy no matter what. Today, 00:00:54.520 --> 00:00:56.619 we're revisiting the first program from this 00:00:56.619 --> 00:00:58.899 teaching. So go in your Bible to Philippians 00:00:58.899 --> 00:01:02.399 chapter 1 as we join Chip for his message, Understanding 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:06.590 the Power of Focus. You know, it's pretty easy 00:01:06.590 --> 00:01:10.430 to choose joy when things are going well, but 00:01:10.430 --> 00:01:13.730 it is pretty tough to choose joy when circumstances 00:01:13.730 --> 00:01:17.290 are very, very difficult. And what we're going 00:01:17.290 --> 00:01:19.370 to learn in this series is that it really is 00:01:19.370 --> 00:01:23.530 a choice, that God will give us everything that 00:01:23.530 --> 00:01:26.489 we need regardless of how devastating the circumstances. 00:01:27.609 --> 00:01:29.569 Tell you what, when it's really, really hard, 00:01:29.670 --> 00:01:32.650 it's just easy to look inward, to fall into self 00:01:32.650 --> 00:01:35.730 -pity. and to just watch your life spiral down. 00:01:36.510 --> 00:01:38.069 And what we're going to learn, it doesn't have 00:01:38.069 --> 00:01:41.069 to be that way, but we're going to talk about 00:01:41.069 --> 00:01:44.909 the power of focus. I brought a little pitcher 00:01:44.909 --> 00:01:48.609 of water, and if we took a little contest, and 00:01:48.609 --> 00:01:52.090 if I said, is the pitcher half full, or is the 00:01:52.090 --> 00:01:59.250 pitcher half empty? The answer is yes. Right? 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.439 Some people will spend their entire life, no 00:02:03.439 --> 00:02:05.700 matter what's happening, focused on what they 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:08.340 don't have, what's wrong, what they wish were 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:11.319 better, on and on and on with what they don't 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:13.580 have, what God hasn't provided, and what they 00:02:13.580 --> 00:02:19.099 think would bring joy and happiness. Other people 00:02:19.099 --> 00:02:22.580 have learned to focus on what they do have, and 00:02:22.580 --> 00:02:24.780 they recognize that everybody's life has some 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:28.099 emptiness. Everybody has struggles. Everyone's 00:02:28.099 --> 00:02:30.960 going to suffer. Everyone has some problem relationships. 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:33.719 Everyone eventually will have some health issues. 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:38.300 Everyone has struggles at work. They either define 00:02:38.300 --> 00:02:43.360 you or... You learn how to focus and to think 00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:46.759 and to trust God in such a way in order to choose 00:02:46.759 --> 00:02:49.120 joy. Pull out your notes, if you will, and I've 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:51.479 got to tell you a true story that at times I 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:54.060 can hardly believe it's true. He was a neighbor. 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:56.939 He was a friend. We got pretty close, got to 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:00.259 talk about a lot of things. In private conversation 00:03:00.259 --> 00:03:02.120 at this point, he wouldn't care that I share 00:03:02.120 --> 00:03:05.360 this. He was a backslidden Christian. I mean, 00:03:05.379 --> 00:03:08.740 he knew God. He used to go to church regularly. 00:03:08.939 --> 00:03:11.680 He used to serve in a church. And he kind of 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:14.639 had slidden away from all of that. And poor guy 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:17.139 got, you know, his new neighbor was a pastor, 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:20.599 me. And so we get to know one another. And he's 00:03:20.599 --> 00:03:25.680 a great guy, very gregarious. He just lived right 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.900 across the street from Teresa and myself. And 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:29.599 so he was out in the yard. We got to know each 00:03:29.599 --> 00:03:32.139 other well. And I'll never forget the day that 00:03:32.139 --> 00:03:34.900 he got a phone call, walked out in the yard, 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.520 and he had found out that someone had, he was 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:40.159 a cabinet maker. And I mean, top of the line 00:03:40.159 --> 00:03:43.120 cabinet maker and put in these, I mean, super 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.259 expensive cabinets into these super luxury homes. 00:03:46.909 --> 00:03:49.430 And he had hundreds of thousands of dollars of 00:03:49.430 --> 00:03:51.650 his cabinets that he'd already made that he was 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:53.909 going to be putting in these homes along with 00:03:53.909 --> 00:03:56.770 his material. And someone arsoned his warehouse. 00:03:57.069 --> 00:04:00.849 He lost everything and had no insurance. And 00:04:00.849 --> 00:04:03.150 I saw him out in his front yard and he looked 00:04:03.150 --> 00:04:06.689 like someone literally had just died. And he 00:04:06.689 --> 00:04:09.129 went into clinical depression. He ended up having 00:04:09.129 --> 00:04:10.949 to go to the doctor. I remember I would take 00:04:10.949 --> 00:04:13.770 walks around the block and he had a big bay window. 00:04:13.830 --> 00:04:15.469 And if you've ever seen someone like sit in a 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:20.230 chair like this, I mean, life was over. He had, 00:04:20.290 --> 00:04:23.430 I mean, it was everything he had was gone. Fast 00:04:23.430 --> 00:04:25.250 forward three and a half years, he's a pretty 00:04:25.250 --> 00:04:28.699 resilient guy, quite the entrepreneur. And so 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:32.300 he built his business up again and got another 00:04:32.300 --> 00:04:35.339 big contract, made a bunch of money again. And, 00:04:35.399 --> 00:04:36.819 you know, there's people that kind of have this 00:04:36.819 --> 00:04:41.079 gift. And so he's got, you know, 12 or 14 master 00:04:41.079 --> 00:04:43.839 craftsmen. And he's got another big set of super 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:46.319 luxury homes. And he has a big warehouse again. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:48.839 Are you ready? You guys, anybody feeling what's 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:51.879 coming here? So one of his employees, you know, 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:53.319 they really love him. He's great to get along 00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:56.360 with. So he goes in to help out. And so he sweeps 00:04:56.360 --> 00:04:59.129 up all the salt. dust, and then there was one 00:04:59.129 --> 00:05:01.430 of those things that you torch, whatever you 00:05:01.430 --> 00:05:04.290 call it, when you weld things, and he was cleaning 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:07.449 some stuff out, and so he lit that to empty something, 00:05:07.629 --> 00:05:12.310 and it sparked, it hit the sawdust, and within 00:05:12.310 --> 00:05:17.170 minutes, everything he had again was gone. His 00:05:17.170 --> 00:05:19.370 wife, I still remember the morning, I think it 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:20.810 was a Sunday because it was pulling out, and 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:24.370 she comes out, you know, and this is what's happened, 00:05:24.470 --> 00:05:29.160 and he had a tiny bit of insurance. He didn't 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:32.920 get clinically depressed this time. He said, 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:34.860 I heard the news. I've been through this before. 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:38.180 My whole life was about things before, and I 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:40.399 realized they couldn't satisfy. And he says, 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:43.139 everything in me just wanted to break down, and 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:45.920 I just decided. I told my wife, stay right here. 00:05:46.040 --> 00:05:48.040 I'm going to walk around the block. He said, 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:49.860 I started to walk around the block, and I don't 00:05:49.860 --> 00:05:53.420 know why, but this came into my mind. Naked I 00:05:53.420 --> 00:05:55.860 come into the world, and naked I will return. 00:05:56.300 --> 00:05:59.339 The Lord gives. The Lord takes away. Blessed 00:05:59.339 --> 00:06:01.959 be the name of the Lord. And he said, for 30 00:06:01.959 --> 00:06:04.240 minutes, I kept walking. I started, thank you. 00:06:04.259 --> 00:06:06.480 I have a wife that's loyal, that cares with me. 00:06:06.519 --> 00:06:08.480 Thank you for my son. Thank you for my grandson. 00:06:08.660 --> 00:06:11.480 He said, I just started choosing. And all I did 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:14.980 was for 30 or 40 minutes, I just focused on what 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:20.459 I actually did have. Before his. Other workers 00:06:20.459 --> 00:06:22.639 were, everyone was discouraged. Everyone was 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:25.800 out of work. Within 48 hours, he had found jobs 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:28.459 with his competitors for all 12 of his craftsmen. 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:32.300 I'll never forget out in the front yard less 00:06:32.300 --> 00:06:34.620 than a week later when before he was in a kinetotic 00:06:34.620 --> 00:06:37.600 state of just depression. And he was out in the 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:39.459 front yard playing with his little grandson who 00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:41.680 was about three or four at the time. And I said, 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:43.519 Gary, how are you doing? He goes, you know, it's 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:46.000 hard. And then he looked at me and he looked 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:49.430 down at that little boy and he said, But I got 00:06:49.430 --> 00:06:56.990 a lot. I got a lot. What's the difference? Fire 00:06:56.990 --> 00:07:00.730 number one, his focus is inward. Fire number 00:07:00.730 --> 00:07:05.449 two, it's upward, and then it's outward. Question, 00:07:05.689 --> 00:07:09.129 where's your focus? How do you deal with the 00:07:09.129 --> 00:07:12.170 tough circumstances in your life? Notice on the 00:07:12.170 --> 00:07:14.490 front, there's a little divine equation. The 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:18.899 divine equation is C plus P equals E. I mean, 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:20.459 I want you to get that. Some of you might, you 00:07:20.459 --> 00:07:22.800 know, write that somewhere, put it on a card, 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:26.740 put it in lipstick on a mirror. C plus P equals 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:30.519 E. Circumstance plus perspective equals your 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:33.500 experience. Living above my circumstances occurs 00:07:33.500 --> 00:07:36.959 when my perspective interprets my circumstances 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:40.779 rather than my circumstances determining my perspective. 00:07:42.180 --> 00:07:46.129 It's true, isn't it? Either I look at life Through 00:07:46.129 --> 00:07:48.129 the lens of, this is my circumstances. When they're 00:07:48.129 --> 00:07:49.810 kind of good, I'm kind of happy. When they're 00:07:49.810 --> 00:07:52.930 kind of bad, I'm kind of sad. Or I look at my 00:07:52.930 --> 00:07:54.930 circumstances through the perspective of the 00:07:54.930 --> 00:07:59.449 lens of God's promises, God's power, the lens 00:07:59.449 --> 00:08:02.129 of a sovereign God, a good God, who's going to 00:08:02.129 --> 00:08:04.269 take even the worst and most difficult things, 00:08:04.350 --> 00:08:08.269 and he's going to use them for my good. The fundamental 00:08:08.269 --> 00:08:12.019 question is, How can we develop the kind of perspective 00:08:12.019 --> 00:08:15.079 that transcends our circumstances? How do you 00:08:15.079 --> 00:08:17.540 do that? I'm going to suggest that it's going 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:22.120 to be C plus P equals E. And we're going to learn 00:08:22.120 --> 00:08:27.000 from a man who models this for us like nobody's 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.439 business. Key number one, jot the word in, focus. 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:38.460 The question is, where is your focus? Now, I 00:08:38.460 --> 00:08:40.080 want you on the left side of your notes, I want 00:08:40.080 --> 00:08:42.460 you to put a little box, and I want you to imagine 00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:45.039 that's a whiteboard in your mind, and I want 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.240 you to write one or two words. And if you're 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:51.100 next to someone that happens to be the problem 00:08:51.100 --> 00:08:53.600 that goes into that box, I would maybe not do 00:08:53.600 --> 00:08:56.299 that right now. But what I want you to do is 00:08:56.299 --> 00:08:58.500 actually think of what's the most difficult, 00:08:58.580 --> 00:09:01.860 challenging circumstance or relationship that 00:09:01.860 --> 00:09:04.679 you have right now. I mean, what is it that gets 00:09:04.679 --> 00:09:07.559 you down that if you could say, God, either fix 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:10.080 it or take it away, what would be in that box? 00:09:11.259 --> 00:09:14.929 Have you got it? You're listening to Living on 00:09:14.929 --> 00:09:17.210 the Edge with Chip Ingram, and he'll be right 00:09:17.210 --> 00:09:19.710 back to continue our series. But quickly, if 00:09:19.710 --> 00:09:22.090 you're eager to do a deeper study of Philippians 00:09:22.090 --> 00:09:24.789 chapter one, check out Chip's newest book, I 00:09:24.789 --> 00:09:27.889 Choose Joy. And right now we have a special deal 00:09:27.889 --> 00:09:30.210 exclusively for you, our faithful listeners. 00:09:30.389 --> 00:09:33.129 So stick around after the teaching to learn more. 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:36.289 With that, here's Chip to finish this insightful 00:09:36.289 --> 00:09:39.330 message. Now we're going to look at Philippians 00:09:39.330 --> 00:09:42.149 chapter one. But before we read it, I want you 00:09:42.149 --> 00:09:44.429 to get the circumstances of the author. It's 00:09:44.429 --> 00:09:49.070 A .D. 62 -63. He's in a Roman prison. He's a 00:09:49.070 --> 00:09:53.049 little past midlife. He has already been beaten 00:09:53.049 --> 00:09:55.830 three times. He's been overnight in the sea. 00:09:56.190 --> 00:09:59.289 He's been stoned and left for dead once. He got 00:09:59.289 --> 00:10:02.669 some revelation in Arabia. He is taking the gospel 00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:05.210 and his mission, his plan, his circumstances 00:10:05.210 --> 00:10:07.990 are God has called me to take this message to 00:10:07.990 --> 00:10:10.169 the whole Gentile world. And instead of going 00:10:10.169 --> 00:10:12.509 to the whole Gentile world, he's stuck in a cell. 00:10:13.570 --> 00:10:16.429 Which what we know is he ends up writing a lot 00:10:16.429 --> 00:10:18.129 of letters that reach the whole world, but he 00:10:18.129 --> 00:10:20.590 doesn't know that. All he knows is God told me 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:22.970 to do this. I wanted to do that. Every time I 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:25.309 try and do it, people beat me up or they stick 00:10:25.309 --> 00:10:28.070 me in prison. And you would think Paul would 00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:31.299 be discouraged. And he would be if he looked 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:36.139 through the lens of circumstance. But his perspective 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:40.039 is not that. Follow along Paul's circumstance. 00:10:40.139 --> 00:10:42.360 Paul and Timothy bond servants of Christ Jesus 00:10:42.360 --> 00:10:44.779 to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in 00:10:44.779 --> 00:10:47.799 Philippi, including the overseers and the deacons. 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:51.460 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and 00:10:51.460 --> 00:10:54.059 the Lord Jesus Christ. So this is a church that 00:10:54.059 --> 00:10:58.279 he has a real heart connection with. And they've 00:10:58.279 --> 00:11:00.120 heard you're in prison and they're concerned 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:02.559 about him. And so they sent a financial gift 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:04.639 through one of their members, Epaphroditus. And 00:11:04.639 --> 00:11:06.620 this is really a thank you letter. And they want 00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:09.139 to know, well, how are you doing? And so Paul's 00:11:09.139 --> 00:11:11.980 going to explain his circumstances here. He says 00:11:11.980 --> 00:11:14.679 in verse three, I thank my God and all my remembrance 00:11:14.679 --> 00:11:18.399 of you, always offering prayer with joy in my 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:21.240 every prayer for you all. Well, why? In view 00:11:21.240 --> 00:11:23.220 of your participation in the gospel from the 00:11:23.220 --> 00:11:26.539 first day until now. For I'm confident of this 00:11:26.539 --> 00:11:29.220 very thing, that he who began a good work in 00:11:29.220 --> 00:11:32.740 you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 00:11:33.299 --> 00:11:36.419 I'd like you to circle the word thank. I'd like 00:11:36.419 --> 00:11:39.419 you to circle the word remembrance. I'd like 00:11:39.419 --> 00:11:42.440 you to circle the word prayer with joy. I guess 00:11:42.440 --> 00:11:45.139 that's a phrase. Circle the phrase prayer for 00:11:45.139 --> 00:11:47.720 you all, and then circle the word confident. 00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.909 This is Paul's upward focus. He's in jail, his 00:11:53.909 --> 00:11:56.110 circumstances. Where's his heart? Where's his 00:11:56.110 --> 00:11:59.750 mind? He says, I pray. Did you notice how? I 00:11:59.750 --> 00:12:02.830 pray with joy. I'm remembering what it was like 00:12:02.830 --> 00:12:05.110 with Lydia. I remember when the little church 00:12:05.110 --> 00:12:06.970 was birthed. I remember that night when that 00:12:06.970 --> 00:12:09.149 jailer was ready to kill himself. Stop, don't 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:12.590 do it. Stop, don't do it. We're all here. And 00:12:12.590 --> 00:12:14.929 we went into his house and he cleaned me up and 00:12:14.929 --> 00:12:17.529 his whole house was baptized. And we don't know 00:12:17.529 --> 00:12:19.909 all the story, but it's a church where God did 00:12:19.909 --> 00:12:23.500 a great thing. And he says, I pray with joy in 00:12:23.500 --> 00:12:26.539 all my remembrance of you. And it wasn't just 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:28.940 what he did. He says, in view of your participation 00:12:28.940 --> 00:12:32.000 in the gospel, we were in it together. We saw 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:37.860 God work in that Roman colony in Philippi. And 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:41.720 his just focus is, God, thank you for them. And 00:12:41.720 --> 00:12:44.379 then his focus is still about them. I'm confident 00:12:44.379 --> 00:12:47.360 of this. You know, God's in control. Where's 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:49.399 his concern? His concern isn't, well, it's really 00:12:49.399 --> 00:12:51.419 tough. There's a lot of rats. I'm chained to 00:12:51.419 --> 00:12:53.879 this guy. It wasn't really fair. I'm completely 00:12:53.879 --> 00:12:56.659 innocent. There's no blaming. He doesn't blame 00:12:56.659 --> 00:12:59.360 God. He doesn't blame people. His concern is, 00:12:59.379 --> 00:13:02.320 I'm confident of this very thing that he, Jesus, 00:13:02.419 --> 00:13:05.259 who began a good work in you, he's going to perfect 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:10.539 it until he comes back. Where's his focus? It's 00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:14.509 upward. And it's outward. Notice his focus continues. 00:13:15.009 --> 00:13:19.250 Paul's outward focus. He says, for it is only 00:13:19.250 --> 00:13:21.389 right for me to feel this way about you all. 00:13:22.529 --> 00:13:26.889 Why? Because I have you in my heart. Since in 00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.289 both my imprisonment and the defense and confirmation 00:13:29.289 --> 00:13:32.990 of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace 00:13:32.990 --> 00:13:36.629 with me. For God is my witness how I long for 00:13:36.629 --> 00:13:40.190 you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. I'm 00:13:40.190 --> 00:13:41.909 going to ask you to do Bible study one more time 00:13:41.909 --> 00:13:46.970 here. Circle the word feel. Then circle the word 00:13:46.970 --> 00:13:52.490 heart. Circle the word partakers. It's a Greek 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:54.769 word that means people are connected to one another. 00:13:55.649 --> 00:13:59.409 Circle the word long. And then circle the word 00:13:59.409 --> 00:14:03.409 affection. And what I want you to get is, can 00:14:03.409 --> 00:14:08.860 you imagine someone Maybe in our day, in bondage, 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:12.980 in a hellacious prison, maybe in another country, 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:16.580 who's discovered they have cancer, and you write 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:20.320 to ask how they're doing. And you get this letter 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:24.720 back, oh, every time I think of you, I'm praying 00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:27.879 for you. I remember when we spent this time together. 00:14:28.080 --> 00:14:31.120 And then to say, I long for you all with the 00:14:31.120 --> 00:14:35.320 affection of Christ Jesus. I memorized this passage 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:37.539 many, many, many years ago, and I remember praying, 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:40.080 Lord, I don't know that I could ever say that 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:42.120 to anyone, but I would love to be able to say 00:14:42.120 --> 00:14:46.860 that somehow, someday. To love someone, to long 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:51.299 and care for someone in the same way that Christ 00:14:51.299 --> 00:14:55.600 cares for me. This guy is filled up with his 00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:58.879 love for other people, so much so he just seems 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:01.299 to be almost unaware of the difficulty of his 00:15:01.299 --> 00:15:05.409 own circumstance. Finally, out of his outward 00:15:05.409 --> 00:15:08.990 focus and love, notice he prays for them. So 00:15:08.990 --> 00:15:11.350 he takes his concern and he goes, and this I 00:15:11.350 --> 00:15:15.029 pray, that your love may abound still more and 00:15:15.029 --> 00:15:18.809 more in real knowledge and all discernment. And 00:15:18.809 --> 00:15:21.450 then there's a result, so that. Put a little 00:15:21.450 --> 00:15:23.370 box around the so that. It's very important. 00:15:23.909 --> 00:15:26.990 So he says, Here's what I'm praying. I'm in prison. 00:15:27.049 --> 00:15:29.710 My focus isn't on me. It's on God, but it's on 00:15:29.710 --> 00:15:31.830 you. And when I'm praying for you, I want you 00:15:31.830 --> 00:15:33.450 to know this is what I'm praying. I'm praying 00:15:33.450 --> 00:15:37.190 that your love and your relationship would grow 00:15:37.190 --> 00:15:39.549 deeper and deeper in the, it's a really powerful 00:15:39.549 --> 00:15:42.730 word, in the epigonosco, in other words, in the 00:15:42.730 --> 00:15:46.110 experiential knowledge of God, and that you would 00:15:46.110 --> 00:15:48.649 have all discernment. In other words, that you 00:15:48.649 --> 00:15:50.649 would get so close to God in the midst of this 00:15:50.649 --> 00:15:53.450 corrupt Roman empire and all the junk coming 00:15:53.450 --> 00:15:59.059 at you, So that, why? You could approve the things 00:15:59.059 --> 00:16:02.000 that are excellent. In other words, so when the 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:04.080 world's coming at you, you would know this is 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:06.360 right, this is wrong, this is true, this isn't 00:16:06.360 --> 00:16:08.639 true. So you would have discernment to know how 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:11.279 to live your life. And then there's a purpose 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:14.379 clause. In order that you can be sincere and 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:16.480 blameless until the day of Christ. Underline 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:19.139 sincere and underline blameless. We'll come back 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:22.340 to this just a little bit later. Having been 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:24.740 filled with the fruit of righteousness, which 00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:27.740 comes through Jesus Christ to the glory of God. 00:16:28.379 --> 00:16:32.519 So all I want you to see, Paul's circumstances, 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:35.019 I'm guessing, are as bad as anybody's in this 00:16:35.019 --> 00:16:38.220 room of any kind. In fact, what we're going to 00:16:38.220 --> 00:16:41.259 learn a little bit later is he's sort of right 00:16:41.259 --> 00:16:44.860 on the crossroads of, am I going to be executed 00:16:44.860 --> 00:16:49.899 or not executed? He doesn't know. And in the 00:16:49.899 --> 00:16:55.179 midst, of imprisonment, facing execution, upward 00:16:55.179 --> 00:17:00.779 focus. God, I thank you. Outward focus. I'm confident 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:07.200 of this. I remember you. God's for you. I'm praying 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:10.380 for you that you become the kind of followers 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:13.700 of Christ that understand what's wise, what's 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:16.920 unwise, and that your lives would be so transformed. 00:17:17.420 --> 00:17:20.670 Outward focus. Now what I want to do is kind 00:17:20.670 --> 00:17:23.390 of roll up our sleeves and ask ourselves two 00:17:23.390 --> 00:17:26.390 or three questions to help us get, hey, Paul, 00:17:26.529 --> 00:17:28.130 I'm glad you can look at it that way. It's pretty 00:17:28.130 --> 00:17:33.009 tough for me, right? How do you develop an upward 00:17:33.009 --> 00:17:35.309 focus? And I'm going to suggest right from this 00:17:35.309 --> 00:17:39.650 passage, number one, it's a choice. It's a choice. 00:17:40.490 --> 00:17:45.049 And the choice is gratitude. And the way you 00:17:45.049 --> 00:17:48.029 do it is you choose to remember. and you thank 00:17:48.029 --> 00:17:52.410 God for significant relationships. In the mornings, 00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:54.529 our whole staff comes down here, and we have 00:17:54.529 --> 00:17:57.789 a prayer time. And different pastors, actually 00:17:57.789 --> 00:18:00.529 different people on the staff lead it. And we 00:18:00.529 --> 00:18:02.450 all sit here, and he goes, here's what we're 00:18:02.450 --> 00:18:04.390 going to do for the first 20 minutes. I want 00:18:04.390 --> 00:18:08.470 you to write on these 3x5 cards everything that 00:18:08.470 --> 00:18:12.130 you can possibly thank God for in 20 minutes. 00:18:12.910 --> 00:18:19.450 Just don't stop writing. I filled out five. God, 00:18:19.529 --> 00:18:21.750 thank you that you forgave me. God, thank you 00:18:21.750 --> 00:18:23.470 for your word. Thank you that your spirit lives 00:18:23.470 --> 00:18:25.809 within me. Thank you for Teresa. Thank you for 00:18:25.809 --> 00:18:27.849 Eric. Thank you for Jason. Thank you for Ryan. 00:18:27.930 --> 00:18:30.950 Thank you, right? God, thank you for this church. 00:18:31.029 --> 00:18:32.470 Thank you for the people I get to work with. 00:18:32.569 --> 00:18:34.730 God, thank you that, you know, in the midst of 00:18:34.730 --> 00:18:37.410 a crazy world, this is where we live. I mean, 00:18:37.430 --> 00:18:40.250 it was easy. I had five of these filled front 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:43.890 and back. And I had this weird experience afterwards. 00:18:45.349 --> 00:18:49.329 I had a great attitude that day. It's just a 00:18:49.329 --> 00:18:52.029 weird experience, you know? It's just like, you 00:18:52.029 --> 00:18:57.490 know, hey, you know? Why? Here's why. I spent 00:18:57.490 --> 00:19:00.349 20 minutes focusing on what God has provided 00:19:00.349 --> 00:19:05.470 instead of my humanness like yours is to always 00:19:05.470 --> 00:19:09.569 focus on what is missing. Second, it's an action 00:19:09.569 --> 00:19:13.500 prayer. You can develop an upward focus by choosing 00:19:13.500 --> 00:19:18.640 to give thanks and by the action of prayer. And 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:20.640 third, there's an attitude, and the attitude 00:19:20.640 --> 00:19:24.380 is confidence. You choose joy by being confident 00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.400 of the future, not because you've got it all 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:29.240 together, but there is a God who put his spirit 00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:32.259 within you who says, I'm confident of this very 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:35.559 thing, that he who began a good work in you has 00:19:35.559 --> 00:19:38.440 promises and character that he's going to see 00:19:38.440 --> 00:19:44.200 you through. This is Living on the Edge with 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:46.319 Chip Ingram, and you've been listening to Part 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:48.759 1 of Chip's message, Understanding the Power 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:52.460 of Focus, from our series, I Choose Joy. Chip 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:54.640 will be back shortly to share some helpful application 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:57.920 for us to think about. It's safe to say we all 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:00.660 want a little more joy in our lives, right? But 00:20:00.660 --> 00:20:03.269 what does that look like? Is it just about finding 00:20:03.269 --> 00:20:06.130 happiness or pleasure in something? Will those 00:20:06.130 --> 00:20:08.650 feelings really sustain us through the hard knocks 00:20:08.650 --> 00:20:11.450 of life? In this eight -part series, Chip explains 00:20:11.450 --> 00:20:14.609 why joy that comes from God is more than just 00:20:14.609 --> 00:20:17.769 an emotion. Discover how it can change your perspective 00:20:17.769 --> 00:20:20.809 on life and profoundly strengthen your faith 00:20:20.809 --> 00:20:23.589 in challenging times. To learn more about this 00:20:23.589 --> 00:20:26.990 study in Philippians chapter 1, visit livingontheedge 00:20:26.990 --> 00:20:30.680 .org or the Chip Ingram app. Well, our Bible 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:32.779 teacher, Chip Ingram, is with me now in studio 00:20:32.779 --> 00:20:35.519 to share a quick word with all of you. Thanks, 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.339 Dave. You know, we're living in very uncertain 00:20:38.339 --> 00:20:41.339 and at times volatile times. The stock market 00:20:41.339 --> 00:20:44.819 goes up crazy and then down. We got social issues, 00:20:44.960 --> 00:20:47.680 political issues, a lot of division. And then 00:20:47.680 --> 00:20:51.319 you have an enemy who has darts of fear and uncertainty 00:20:51.319 --> 00:20:54.730 that he brings to people's mind. There's an antidote 00:20:54.730 --> 00:20:57.190 to that. Regardless of where you are and what 00:20:57.190 --> 00:20:59.829 you've been through or what the people you love 00:20:59.829 --> 00:21:03.150 have been through, you can choose joy. You don't 00:21:03.150 --> 00:21:05.789 have to wait for it to happen. We're not a victim 00:21:05.789 --> 00:21:08.410 of our circumstances, but we need to understand 00:21:08.410 --> 00:21:13.069 how do you really experience joy even when all 00:21:13.069 --> 00:21:16.049 the external things are challenging? How do you 00:21:16.049 --> 00:21:19.490 combat anxiety and depression and you don't measure 00:21:19.490 --> 00:21:22.210 up and life's not worth living? Let me encourage 00:21:22.210 --> 00:21:25.650 you. I just wrote a brand new book called I Choose 00:21:25.650 --> 00:21:28.930 Joy. It's based on Philippians chapter one. And 00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:31.109 if you know someone that's hurting, let me encourage 00:21:31.109 --> 00:21:33.789 you to get it. Well, we are really excited about 00:21:33.789 --> 00:21:35.930 this new book, Chip, which is why we're doing 00:21:35.930 --> 00:21:38.029 something special for our listeners this week. 00:21:38.730 --> 00:21:41.910 Absolutely, Dave, because we believe so strongly 00:21:41.910 --> 00:21:44.450 in the life -changing power of choosing joy. 00:21:44.730 --> 00:21:47.630 We want you, the Living on Edge family, to get 00:21:47.630 --> 00:21:50.910 this new book before anyone else does at a discounted 00:21:50.910 --> 00:21:52.990 price. Dave, could you take a minute and tell 00:21:52.990 --> 00:21:55.049 our listeners a bit more of what we're doing 00:21:55.049 --> 00:21:58.019 for them and why this is so important? Be glad 00:21:58.019 --> 00:22:00.579 to. Well, like Chip said, we want you to truly 00:22:00.579 --> 00:22:03.380 experience the joy the Apostle Paul talked about 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:06.400 through every circumstance of life. So to help 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:09.119 you do that, we're giving you, our faithful Living 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:11.940 on the Edge listeners, early access to this new 00:22:11.940 --> 00:22:15.420 book at a special price. So visit livingontheedge 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:21.559 .org or call 888 -333 -6003 to take advantage 00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:24.559 of this exclusive offer. You'll be glad you did. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:27.519 Well, before we go, here's Chip to share a final 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:31.839 word. As we wrap up today's program, let me just 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:34.740 ask you, where is your focus today, right now? 00:22:34.859 --> 00:22:37.799 I mean, just in general life right now. We talked 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:42.619 about C plus P equals E. Circumstances plus your 00:22:42.619 --> 00:22:46.220 perspective equal your experience. And we talked 00:22:46.220 --> 00:22:48.779 about our focus can be one of three places. It's 00:22:48.779 --> 00:22:51.640 either inward, right? I mean, you know, things 00:22:51.640 --> 00:22:54.279 are happening, so you get mad or you complain 00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:57.420 or you sink, you get discouraged, you get depressed, 00:22:57.640 --> 00:23:00.900 or it's either upward and outward. And we're 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:03.400 going to talk about how to actually go into training 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:07.000 to help our minds and our attitudes, even when 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.380 things are difficult, even when people around 00:23:09.380 --> 00:23:12.559 us are being less than kind, less than fair. 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:16.700 that our focus can be upward and outward in a 00:23:16.700 --> 00:23:20.180 way that we actually choose joy. And we're going 00:23:20.180 --> 00:23:21.980 to go through that journey and talk about how 00:23:21.980 --> 00:23:25.759 circumstances will change over and over and over. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:29.259 But what God can give us is the ability to look 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:33.200 upward, to be grateful, to thank him, to see 00:23:33.200 --> 00:23:35.839 what we, are you ready? The part of the glass 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:39.039 that's half full, what we do have instead of 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:41.259 focusing on what we don't have. Hey, it will 00:23:41.259 --> 00:23:43.180 take some practice, but let me encourage you, 00:23:43.240 --> 00:23:46.339 stay with us for this whole series. You actually 00:23:46.339 --> 00:23:49.619 can learn to experience joy regardless of the 00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:52.430 circumstances you find yourself in. Looking forward 00:23:52.430 --> 00:23:54.710 to it, Chip. Hey, before we close, I want to 00:23:54.710 --> 00:23:57.069 thank those who support us financially. Your 00:23:57.069 --> 00:23:59.890 generosity helps create programs like this one. 00:24:00.359 --> 00:24:02.400 But if you haven't partnered with us, there's 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:04.940 never been a better time. Between now and June 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:08.539 30th, every gift we receive will be matched dollar 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:11.680 for dollar. And making a donation is easy. Just 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:17.599 go to livingontheedge .org or call 888 -333 -6003. 00:24:17.799 --> 00:24:23.519 Again, that's 888 -333 -6003 or visit livingontheedge 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.900 .org. App listeners tap donate. For Chip and 00:24:27.900 --> 00:24:30.579 everyone here, thank you in advance for your 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:33.220 generosity. You've been listening to a selected 00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:35.420 program that we wanted to share from this past 00:24:35.420 --> 00:24:38.359 week. To hear more from Chip's series, I Choose 00:24:38.359 --> 00:24:42.460 Joy, go to livingontheedge .org or the Chip Ingram 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:45.619 app. Until next time, I'm Dave Drewy saying thanks 00:24:45.619 --> 00:24:48.440 for listening to this weekend edition of Living 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:49.180 on the Edge.