PDL 36 (1/30/2017 - 7:18pm) - Made for a Mission

  • You were made for a mission.
    • Your ministry is your service to believers. Your mission is your service to nonbelievers. Your mission is God's fifth purpose for your life.
    • Jesus started his mission at age twelve and died at 33 after completing it.
    • Our mission is to introduce people to God!
      • Wow, I literally came up with the Nonbelievers small group last week before I knew what my mission was. It's weird that I've felt that I've been sort of one step ahead of this book in my actions during the past month. It probably means that as you fulfill your life's purposes in the correct order, you will naturally progress to your next goal.
    • "Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making other his friends also."
      • "We have been sent to speak for Christ."
      • We are the messengers of God's love and purposes to the world.
  • THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUR MISSION
  • Your mission is a continuation of Jesus' mission on earth.
    • We are to continue what Jesus started.
    • He calls us not only to come to him, but to go for him.
    • "Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you."
    • "You must warn them so they may live. If you don't speak out to warn the wicked to stop their evil ways, they will die in their sin. But I will hold you responsible for their death."
  • Your mission is a wonderful privilege.
    • We are privileged to 1) work with God and 2) represent Him.
  • Telling others how they can have eternal life is the greatest thing you can do for them.
    • It's like having the cure for AIDS and withholding it, except it's much worse to hold back the Good News.
    • One problem long-term Christians have is that they forget how hopeless it felt to be without Christ.
      • We must remember that no matter how contented or successful people appear to be, without Christ they are hopelessly lost and headed for eternal separation from God.
  • Your mission has eternal significance.
    • It will impact the eternal destiny of other people, so it's more important than any other job/achievement/goal you will ever have.
    • "All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end."
    • God wants you to share the good news where you are.
  • Your mission gives your life meaning.
    • "The best use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it."
    • There are people on this planet whom only you will be able to reach, because of where you live and what God has made you to be. If just one person will be in heaven because of you, your life will have made a difference for eternity.
  • God's timetable for history's conclusion is connected to the completion of our commission.
    • No one knows when the Second Coming will be. Not even Jesus. So don't worry about it.
    • We do know that Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good News has heard it.
    • The moment you become serious about your mission, expect the Devil to throw all kinds of diversion at you.
  • WHAT IT COSTS TO FULFILL YOUR MISSION
    • Abandon your agenda and accept God's agenda for your life.
    • Yield your rights, expectations, dreams, plans, and ambitions to him. Stop selfish prayers and pray for help to do whatever He is blessing.
    • He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
  • ONE MORE FOR JESUS
    • Make that the focus of your life because nothing else will make a greater difference for all of eternity.
  • QTC: Fear of rejection sometimes holds me back. I'm slowly getting over that as I begin to share more and more about my life and my coming into the faith. I do want to be careful not to cram it into people's faces less it makes them turn away even further.

 

 

PDL 37 (1/31/2017) - Sharing Your Life Message

  • God has given you a life message to share.
    • Testimony, life lessons, godly passions, Good News
  • Your Life Message includes your testimony.
    • Talk about how Christ made a difference in your life.
      • Witnesses - only share personal experiences
      • NOT an attorney
    • Personal testimony is more effective than a sermon, because unbelievers see pastors as professional salesmen, but see you as a "satisfied customer," so they give you more credibility.
    • Personal stories are also easier to relate to than principles, and people love to hear them.
    • Shared stories build a relational bridge that Jesus can walk across from your heart to theirs.
      • They bypass intellectual defenses.
      • "Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, but do it with gentleness and respect."
  • Your Life Message includes your life lessons.
    • Lessons and insights you have learned about God, relationships, problems, temptations, and other aspects of life.
      • David prayed, "God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course."
    • While it is wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experience of others. There isn't enough time to learn everything in life by trial and error. We must learn from the life lessons of one another.
      • "A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than… jewelry made of the finest gold."
    • Mature people develop the habit of extracting lessons from everyday experiences.
  • Your Life Message includes sharing your godly passions.
    • As you grow closer to Him, He will give you a passion for something He cares about deeply so you can be a spokesman for Him in the world.
    • Whatever it is, you will feel compelled to speak up about it and do what you can to make a difference.
      • You cannot keep yourself from talking about what you care about most.
      • "A man's heart determines his speech."
    • God gives us different passions so that everything He wants done in the world will get done. You should not expect everyone else to be passionate about your passion. Instead, we must listen to and value each other's life message because nobody can say it all. Never belittle someone else's godly passion.
  • Your Life Message includes the Good News.
    • The Good News is that when we trust God's grace to save us through what Jesus did, our sins are forgiven, we get a purpose for living, and we are promised a future home in heaven.
    • Most important, you must learn to love lost people the way God does.
      • God has never made a person He doesn't love. Everyone matters to Him.
    • Whenever you feel apathetic about your mission in the world, spend some time thinking about what Jesus did for you on the cross.
      • If you've been afraid to share the Good News with those around you, ask God to fill your heart with His love for them.
    • Your mission field is all around you. Don't miss the opportunities God is giving you.
      • Imagine the joy of greeting people in heaven who you helped get there.
    • Your fifth purpose can only be done on earth.
  • QTC: Everyone. I'm not sure. Immediately probably Izabela, Saba, Tyler. Anyone who makes their way to my nonbelievers group.

 

 

PDL 38 (2/1/2017 - 7:02pm) - Becoming a World-Class Christian

  • The Great Commission is your commission.
    • Worldly Christians look to God for personal fulfillment.
      • They are saved, but self-centered.
    • World-class Christians are eager to receive a personal assignment and be used by God.
      • World-class Christians are the only fully alive people on the planet.
      • They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways. Their joy, confidence, and enthusiasm are contagious because they know they're making a difference.
      • Getting involved as a world-class Christian will allow you to experience a little of what heaven will be like in advance.
      • The only barrier is the way we think.
  • Shift from self-centered thinking to other-centered thinking.
    • Children only think of themselves; grown-ups think of others.
    • The only way we can make this paradigm switch is by a moment-by-moment dependence on God.
    • Develop the habit of "breath prayers" for those you encounter.
      • "Father, help me to understand what is keeping this person from knowing you."
      • Your goal is to figure out where others are in their spiritual journey and then do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ.
  • Shift from local thinking to global thinking.
    • Begin praying for specific countries.
    • Prayer is your most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love and reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like a missile, you can aim a prayer at a person's heart whether you are ten feet or 10,000 miles away.
    • The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers.
    • Pray for missionaries and everyone else involved in the global harvest.
    • Read and watch news with "Great Commission eyes."
      • People are most receptive to God when they are under tension or in transition.
    • You need to reach out to your community, your country, other cultures, and other nations.
      • Mission trips will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion, and fill you with a kind of joy you have never experienced.
  • Shift from "here and now" thinking to eternal thinking.
    • This will keep you from majoring on minor issues and help you distinguish between what's urgent and what's ultimate.
    • Don't trade your life for temporary things. So much of what we waste our energy on won't even matter in a year.
    • Use what money God gives you to bring people to Christ. Help bring people to heaven and they will welcome you when you get there! That's the only real thing you can invest in when you're here on earth.
  • Shift from thinking of excuses to thinking of creative ways to fulfill your commission.
    • Many Christians have missed God's plan for their lives because they have never even asked God if he wanted them to serve as a missionary somewhere.
    • If you want to be like Jesus, you must have a heart for the whole world.
  • QTC: The timing is incredible. I'm going to India to Ruby Nelson Memorial Hospital (SDA) in Jahlandar at the beginning of March to help fix kids with CL and CP and polydactylies, etc. I hope this experience really opens my eyes up to God, and helps me find new ways to spread His Word (without getting stuck or imprisoned or whatever in India).

 

 

PDL 39 (2/2/2017) - Balancing Your Life

  • Blessed are the balanced; they shall outlast everyone.
    • Your life is a pentathlon of five purposes, which you must keep in balance.
      • Love God with all your heart. (worship)
      • Love your neighbor as yourself. (ministry)
      • Go and make disciples. (evangelism)
      • Baptize them into… (fellowship)
      • Teach them to do all things… (discipleship)
    • You can keep your life balanced by joining a small group for accountability, by regularly evaluating your spiritual health, by recording your progress in a personal journal, and by passing on what you learn to others.
  • Talk it through with a spiritual partner or small group.
    • The best way to internalize the principles of the book is to discuss them with others in a small-group setting.
      • "As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other." Proverbs 27:17 (NCV)
      • "Put into practice what you learned."
    • Small group allows you to give and receive feedback, discuss real-life examples, pray for/encourage/support each other.
  • Give yourself a regular spiritual checkup.
    • God places a high value on the habit of self-evaluation.
    • "Take yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups… Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it."
    • Use the PDL spiritual health assessment.
  • Write your progress in a journal. (That's what I'm doing!)
    • Keep a record of life's lessons that you don’t want to forget.
      • "It's crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we've heard so that we don't drift off."
      • "Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through your fingertips."
    • As David did, record your doubts, fears, and struggles with God.
      • Whenever problems occur, remember that God uses them to fulfill all five purposes in your life. They force you to focus on God, build fellowship and Christlike character, provide opportunity for ministry, and give you a testimony.
    • Every problem is purpose-driven.
  • Pass on what you know to others.
    • If you want to keep growing, the best way to learn more is to pass on what you have already learned.
    • "The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped."
    • Those who pass along insights get more from God.
    • The more you know, the more God expects you to use that knowledge to help others.
      • "Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning."
      • Knowledge increases responsibility.
      • Passing along the purpose of life is more than an obligation; it's one of life's greatest privileges.
  • QTC: I will need to start doing the spiritual health assessment. Requested it from Rick today.

 

 

PDL 40 (2/4/2017 - 8:57pm) - Living with Purpose

  • Living on purpose is the only way to really live.
  • Write a life purpose statement to summarize God's purposes for your life, points the direction of your life, defines "success" for you, clarifies your roles, and expresses your shape.
  • What will be the center of my life?
    • When God is at the center of your life, you worship. When He's not, you worry.
    • Worry is the warning sign that God has been shoved to the sideline.
  • What will be the character of my life?
    • God is far more interested in what you are than what you do.
    • Don't get discouraged and give up when you stumble. It takes a lifetime to build Christlike character.
  • What will be the contribution of my life?
    • While you are shaped to serve others, even Jesus didn't meet the needs of everyone while on earth. You have to choose whom you can best help, based on your shape.
  • What will be the communication of my life?
    • Your mission statement is a part of your life purpose statement. It should include your commitment to share your testimony and the Good News with others.
    • If you are a parent, part of your mission is to raise your children to know Christ, to help them understand his purposes for their lives, and to send them out on their mission in the world.
    • Our lives must support and validate the message we communicate. Before most unbelievers accept the Bible as credible, they want to know that we are credible.
  • What will be the community of my life?
    • The more you mature, the more you will love the Body of Christ and want to sacrifice for it.
  • In addition to writing a detailed life purpose statement, it is also helpful to have a shorter statement or slogan that summarizes the five purposes for your life in a way that's memorable and inspires you.
  • "What about God's will for my job/marriage/school/etc?"
    • These are secondary issues, and there may be multiple possibilities that would all be in God's will for you. What matters most in that you fulfill God's eternal purposes regardless of where you live or work or whom you marry.
    • Focus on God's purposes for your life, not your plans, since that's what will last forever.
  • At the end of your life, it isn't going to matter at all what other say about you. The only thing that will matter is what God says about you.
  • "David served God's purpose in his generation."
    • David dedicated his life to fulfilling God's purposes on earth.
    • You are called to do the eternal and timeless (God's purpose) in a contemporary and timely way (in your generation).
    • Neither past nor future generations can serve God's purpose in this generation.
  • When fulfilling your purposes seems tough, don't give in to discouragement.
    • "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
  • QTC: Now. See below. (Not included; I'll probably release my full journal at a later date.)

 

 

PDL 41 (2/4/2017 - 11:57pm) - The Envy Trap

  • You cannot fulfill God's purpose for your life if you envy the lives of others.
    • The way you fulfill those purposes - the time, place, plan, and style - is absolutely unique.
    • Envy distracts your focus away from what God wants to do in your life and refocuses it on all that you don't have. Every time you envy, you take your eyes off what God created you to do.
    • Envy is actually a form of spiritual rebellion based on ignorance and arrogance. It assumes that I have a better plan for my life than my Creator does!
  • FOUR HARMFUL EFFECTS OF ENVY
  • Envy denies your uniqueness.
    • When you envy others, you can't see the amazing value of your own unique shape. Envy blinds you to yourself.
  • Envy divides your attention.
    • If you are always preoccupied watching what others do, or wishing you had what they have, you will miss seeing what God is doing in you.
  • Envy misuses your time and energy.
    • It is the reason why most people overwork!
    • Envy is the enemy of contentment.
    • Many people work themselves to death trying to match or surpass those they envy.
  • Envy leads you to other sins.
    • One of the 7 deadly sins - it is a root sin that other sins grow out of
    • "Where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."
    • Envy infects everything inside you and affects everything around you.
  • STEPS TO ERADICATING ENVY
  • Stop comparing yourself to others!
    • Comparing is the root of all envy.
      • "When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they show how foolish they are."
    • Comparing leads to one of two negative reactions: pride or envy.
      • You can always find someone you think you're better than, and you will be prideful.
      • On the other hand, you will always find people that you think are doing better than you, and you will become envious and discouraged.
    • God doesn't judge you for talents you don't have or for opportunities you didn’t get. He evaluates your faithfulness by how you lived and what you did with what you were given.
  • Celebrate God's goodness to others.
    • Instead of resenting others, rejoice with them!
      • "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
      • It's much harder to celebrate others' success, especially if you aren't succeeding in that area.
    • One reason we often find it hard to "rejoice with those who rejoice" is because we fear that there is only a limited supply of God's goodness and grace, so if others get a bigger slice of cake, then I may not get as much. But God's grace is boundless. There is plenty to give to everyone and still have an infinite amount left over!
    • The embarrassing truth about envy is that the people we envy most are usually those who are closest to us.
    • If you would like to increase the amount of happiness in your life, learn to enjoy the success of others.
  • Be grateful for who you are and whatever you have.
    • Everything you have is a gift from God.
    • Envy is based on a popular myth that having more will make me more happy.
    • Happiness is a choice. You are as happy as you choose to be. If you don't know how to be happy with what you have, you will never be happy with more.
    • Envy asks, "Why them? Why do they get what I don't have?"
      • Gratitude asks, "Why me? Why do I get all that I have?"
    • Having ambitious dreams, a desire to be better, and faith goals are all good things, if they come from God, benefit others, and are pursued in faith for his glory.
      • You should want to make the most of your life, create beauty, and help others.
  • Trust God when life seems unfair.
    • Anytime we accuse God of unfairness, we are actually doubting his goodness.
    • Anytime you envy others, you are doubting that God knows what's best for you.
  • Remember:
    • Everything I have is an undeserved gift from God. I wouldn't even exist if it weren't for God's grace.
    • I should trust God because I can't know what He knows or see what He sees.
    • Life on earth in unfair because of sin, not because of God. This isn't heaven, where everything works perfectly.
    • God sent Jesus to save us from the judgment day when he will balance the books, right all wrongs, and administer justice.
    • It was not fair for Jesus to die in my place for my sins, but he did.
  • "Stop resenting my grace to others, be grateful for what you've got, and move on with your life now!"
  • QTC: I usually compare my time with what others have right now. I work what feels to be a stupid number of hours and for less money, and sometimes I feel like I should get more. I used to struggle a lot more with resenting other staff for complaining about their hours and time and whatever because I worked way harder and didn't have the luxury of free time to do what I wanted to do.
    • Now I know and understand that I am called to serve in a unique way and my service will be rewarded by God. He blessed me with the talent to operate and I will use it to the best of my abilities to serve His will.

 

 

PDL 42 (2/5/2017 - 1:44pm) - The People Pleaser Trap

  • "It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe." Proverbs 29:25 (TEV)
  • "If I were still trying to please people, I would not be Christ's servant." Galatians 1:10 (NLT)
  • Whose approval are you living for?
    • Because God wired us for relationships, each of us carries a desire to be loved, to be valued, and to be appreciated.
    • This longing for belonging, the desire to "fit in" and feel connected to others, is the driving force behind many of the choices we make.
    • There is nothing wrong with our desire to be accepted, appreciated, and approved by other people. Without the affirmation of others, we never fully blossom into our full potential. Our growth is stunted. We can only become what God created us to be with the help of others.
    • Encouragement is absolutely essential to your spiritual health and development.
  • The desire for approval can be misused, abused, and confused. It can become an obsession that dominates our life and a fear that destroys our soul.
    • The disease to please can consume all our time, energy, and happiness.
    • People-pleasing says, "I must be liked by you to be happy."
  • The fear of disapproval - fear of being criticized or rejected by others is the most common reason people get detoured from the path God planned for them.
    • This fear of rejection is often such an overwhelming force that we back away from what we know is the right thing to do. It is why peer-pressure is so effective in controlling what we do and say.
  • In matters of behavior where God allows great freedom, "We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be considerate of the doubts and fears of those who think these things are wrong."
    • It is unloving to ignore how our choices affect others.
    • But the Bible also warns us not to let the fear of disapproval keep us from doing what we know God wants us to do.
    • The people-pleaser trap is baited with a lie. The lie is this: "If I can just get everyone to like me, then I'll be happy!"
  • THE DANGERS OF PEOPLE PLEASING
    • People-pleasing will cause me to miss God's will for my life.
      • "Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts."
      • God is always more interested in why you do what you do rather than where or how you do it.
        • You can do all kinds of good work, but if your motive is just to impress others, gain recognition, or avoid their disapproval, you miss the point of doing good.
    • People-pleasing prevents my faith from growing.
      • The fear of disapproval keeps me from taking risks in faith. Without risk-taking, my faith cannot be stretch and developed.
      • Many people never even take the first step to faith in Christ because they fear their friends or family will disapprove or look down on them.
        • Never allow anyone else to stand in the way of your relationship to Christ.
      • "The fear of human opinion disables." Proverbs 29:25
        • However, when God's approval matters most to you, the views of others lose their grip on your life.
        • When you value anyone's opinions more than God's, you give that person power and authority that belongs only to God.
    • People-pleasing leads me to other sins.
      • Pilate, even thought he knew Jesus had done nothing worth of punishment, allowed Jesus to be crucified because he feared the disapproval of the crowd.
      • Confess your cowardice to God:
        • Pray the words of King Saul, who said, "I've sinned! I've trampled roughshod over God's Word and your instructions. I cared more about pleasing the people. I let them tell me what to do."
      • If your friends are causing you to downplay your commitment to Jesus, deny your beliefs, compromise your values, or give up on the dream God gave you, you need to find new friends!
        • "Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong."
        • "If bad companions tempt you, don't go along with them."
        • Friends who discourage your walk with God are not true friends.
        • "Bad company corrupts good character."
    • People-pleasing causes hypocrisy.
      • Do not compromise your convictions in order to be socially acceptable and politically correct.
      • "You are always making yourselves look good, but God sees what is in your heart. The things that most people think are important are worthless as far as God is concerned."
    • People-pleasing silences my life-message.
      • It causes you to be reluctant in sharing the powerful message god wants to communicate through you. Your testimony will be stifled, and you will miss out on life's greatest privilege: being used by God to change the eternal destiny of another human being.
      • If you are always reluctant to share your faith with others, you have a problem with people-pleasing. For the sake of others and their eternal destinies, you need to ask God to help you break free from the trap.
  • HOW TO BREAK FREE FROM THE PEOPLE-PLEASER TRAP
    • Repentance - "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."
      • Truth - cultural lies conform us, but eternal truths transform us
      • "The truth will set you free."
    • Remember that even God can't please everyone!
      • Only a fool would try to do what even God can't do.
      • It is impossible to make everyone happy at the same time.
    • Remember that I don't need anyone's approval to be happy.
      • It is a fact of life that on our broken planet filled with broken people, there will always be those who will demean how you look, dislike what you do, disapprove of what you believe, dispute what you say, and disrespect who you are.
        • But they cannot control your emotions unless you let them.
      • Some people are unappeasable.
        • Instead of focusing on them, refocus on Jesus, who accepts you unconditionally.
      • If you are looking to any human being to either make you happy or keep you happy, you are going to be disappointed eventually. No human being has the capacity to meet all your needs and keep you constantly happy.
        • If you expect them to meet the needs that only God can meet, you are being unfair to them, you are setting them up for failure, and you are setting yourself up to become bitter.
    • Remember that what seems so important now is only temporary.
      • "The world and everything in it that people desire is passing away; but those who do the will of God live forever."
    • Remember that I only have to please one person!
      • If what I do pleases God, it is always the right thing to do, and I can stop worrying about everyone else's reactions. This dramatically simplifies life.
      • An idol is anything I put first in my life before God.
      • This truth, that I have to please only God, is an important key to becoming resistant to being manipulated by disapproval from others.
    • Remember that one day I will give an account of my life to God.
      • In those moments when you are tempted to water down the truth, compromise your beliefs, or deny your faith, remember that Jesus didn't deny you. He died publicly on the cross for you.
    • Remember that God shaped me to be me, not somebody else.
  • QTC: I now live only for God's opinion and God's approval. No one else comes first. Even Julie unfortunately. I need to sit tight and do what God has called me to do, which seems to be the small groups that this time.

 

 

Week 5: You were Shaped for Serving God

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