"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God." (1 John 3:21 NIV)
You've probably noticed that your confidence ebbs and flows. It varies greatly from day to day — one day you're up, and one day you're down. What causes that? In part, it's about what is going on inside of you. The Bible teaches, "If our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God" (1 John 3:21 NIV). When we face life's hurts, habits, and hang-ups, it's important that we walk out of self-condemnation and into the faithful confidence that God forgives us. What causes self-condemnation? Unresolved guilt. King David wrote, "There was a time when I wouldn't admit what a sinner I was. But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration" (Psalms 32:3 TLB). This reminds me of a sign I saw the other day: "A clean engine produces more power." That's true in humans, too. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the man who wrote "Sherlock Holmes," once pulled a prank on 12 prominent Englishmen. He sent them an anonymous note that said, "All is found out. Flee at once." Within 24 hours, eight of those men had left the country! Guilt destroys your confidence. Unrealistic expectations. This is also known as perfectionism — the feeling that I must be flawless, that I must be perfect, that I must please everybody, that I always have to do more, that I'm not allowed to relax. If you're a perfectionist, your favorite phrase is, "I should ... I must ... I ought to ... I have to …" You're always doing more. If you're an average person, you have three things on your daily "to do" list. You get one of them done, you leave one of them unfinished, and the third one you just forget about. You go home and put your feet up at night and feel good about yourself. If you're a perfectionist, you have 29 things on your daily "to do" list. You finish 28 of them and you go home and feel like a failure! The Bible says, "Even perfection has its limits, but [God's] commands have no limit" (Psalm 119:96 NLT). Both guilt and perfectionism cause a lack of confidence in our lives. Tomorrow we'll look at how we can replace condemnation with confidence. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of
others.” Philippians 2:4 NCV We live in an ADD world. It seems like everybody’s got Attention Deficit Disorder because our tools and technology have left us perpetually distracted, and we no longer pay attention to the people around us. When you walk into a meeting, how many people are sitting there looking at their phone and texting? Our heads are always down, engrossed in a video or word game, and our earbuds keep us from hearing the people around us. How many times have you been in a restaurant with friends, but you’re more concerned about your “friends” on Facebook or Twitter? If you want to have happier relationships, you need to learn the lost art of paying attention. The Bible says in Philippians 2:4, “Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others” (NCV). This doesn’t come naturally, does it? By nature, I may not care what you’re interested in. By nature, I may want the attention on me, not you. But the greatest gift you can give somebody is your attention because your attention is your time, and your time is your life. You’re never going to get it back, and that’s why it is so precious when you give it. This is a simple but powerful tool in growing strong relationships. Are you interested in what your kids are interested in? Do you listen to what your partner has to say? Do you give your coworkers your attention when they speak to you? Do you notice your neighbor as you walk by him in the morning? Learning the lost art of paying attention is an act of love. It will transform your relationships and help you live a happy life. “Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame.” Proverbs 4:25
You don't need to walk around carrying a load of guilt. The Apostle Paul says, “Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us ‘not guilty’ of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins” (Romans 3:23-24 TLB). God wants to forgive you. Imagine a giant blackboard with all of your sins written across it; God comes along with a giant eraser and erases it all. It's like an Etch A Sketch: You turn it upside down, shake it, turn it back up, and the slate is clean. God’s forgiveness is the same way, and that's good news, isn't it? But we need to accept God's forgiveness. We may know about God's forgiveness intellectually, but we have to believe it, deep down inside, accepting in faith that it is true — because it is! One thing that often blocks us from accepting forgiveness from God is that we are unable to forgive ourselves. You need to forgive yourself for your past failures and sins, for the habits and hang-ups that led you to sin. Forgive yourself! God teaches us, “Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame” (Proverbs 4:25 TEV). Have you ever committed a sin and asked God to forgive you, and even though you know he's forgiven you, you still feel lousy? What do you do in that situation? Do you go back and ask him to forgive you again? Do you confess it over and over again? No. You only have to confess a sin one time, and it's forgiven. But you may have to forgive yourself a hundred times and say it over and over until it sinks in: "God's forgiven me. It's over.” Still, we want to keep reminding God of things he's already forgotten. Someone once asked Eleanor Roosevelt, “How did you accomplish so much with your life?” She responded, “I never waste time with regrets.” Don’t waste time with your regrets. Accept God's forgiveness, and forgive yourself. “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24
Receiving, reading, researching, remembering, and reflecting on the Word of God are all useless if we fail to put them into practice. We must become doers of the word (James 1:22). I understand this is a hard step, because Satan fights it so intensely. He doesn't mind you going to Bible studies as long as you don’t do anything with what you learn. We fool ourselves when we assume that just because we have heard or read or studied a truth, we have internalized it. Actually, you can be so busy going to the next class or seminar or Bible conference that you have no time to implement what you've learned. You forget it on the way to your next study. Without implementation, all our Bible studies are worthless. Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24 NIV). Jesus also pointed out that God’s blessing comes from obeying the truth, not just knowing it. He said, “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them” (John 13:17). I cannot overstate the value of being a part of a small Bible study discussion group. We always learn from others truths we would never learn on our own. Other people will help you see insights you would miss and help you apply God’s truth in a practical way. The best way to become a doer of the Word is to always write out an action step as a result of your reading or studying or reflecting on God’s Word. Develop the habit of writing down exactly what you intend to do. This action step should be personal (involving you), practical (something you can do), and provable (with a deadline to do it). Every application will involve either your relationship to God, your relationship to others, or your personal character. "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him." Philippians 2:13 NLT
It is the Holy Spirit's job to produce Christ-like character in you. You cannot reproduce the character of Jesus on your own strength. New Year's resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough. Only the Holy Spirit has the power to make the changes God wants to make in our lives. The Bible says, "God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). Mention "the power of the Holy Spirit," and many people think of miraculous demonstrations and intense emotions. But, most of the time, the Holy Spirit's power is released in your life in quiet, unassuming ways that you aren't even aware of or feel. Christ-likeness is not produced by imitation but by inhabitation. We allow Christ to live through us. How does this happen? Through the choices we make. We choose to follow Jesus in all situations and then trust God's Spirit to give us his power, love, faith, and wisdom to do it. Since God's Spirit lives inside of us, these things are always available for the asking. “We will never turn our back on you; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!” Psalm 80:18 MSG
Psalm 80:18 says, “We will never turn our back on you; breathe life into our lungs so we can shout your name!” (MSG Breathing is one of the few functions of your body that you do automatically — but it can also be done mindfully. When you remember to breathe deeply, you can actually clear your body and mind. By slowing your breathing, you can lower your heart rate and your stress level! Breathing is a powerful way to strengthen your body. Mindful breathing is a reminder that your need for intimacy with God is like your need to breathe in air. King David sang, “I live and breathe GOD” (Psalm 34:2 MSG). God can breathe new life into you and your efforts to become healthier. He says, “I will put breath into you and bring you back to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD” (Ezekiel 37:6b TEV). “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.” Hebrews 13:21 NLT
Once upon a time, there were some animals that wanted to start a school for animals. They decided the courses would include running, climbing, swimming, and flying. Then they decided that all of the animals should take all of the courses. That’s where the problem started. The duck was better than his teacher at swimming, but he only made passing grades in flying and was very poor in running. So they made him drop swimming and stay after school to practice running. This caused his webbed feet to be badly worn, and his grade dropped to average in swimming. But everybody felt less threatened and more comfortable with that — except the duck. The rabbit started at the top of his class in running, but because of so much make-up work in swimming, he caught pneumonia and had to drop out of school. The squirrel showed outstanding ability in climbing, but he was extremely frustrated in flying class because the teacher insisted that he start from the ground up rather than the treetop down. He developed Charlie horses from over-extension, so he only got a “C” in climbing and a “D” in running. The eagle was the problem student and was disciplined for being a nonconformist. For instance, in climbing class, he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but he insisted on flying to get there. Finally, because he refused to participate in swimming class, he was expelled. The point is that God has designed specific animals to excel in specific areas, and he doesn’t expect them to do all the other things. When you expect everybody to fit in the same mold, all you’re going to get is frustration, discouragement, mediocrity, and failure. A duck is made to be a duck and not something else. And you were made to be you. God has given you unique abilities, and he wants you to use them the way he intended. Your abilities are the map to God’s will for your life. It points the direction. When you know what you’re good at, then you can know what God wants you to do with your life. The Bible says in Hebrews 13:21, “May he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him” (NLT). “Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed.” (Proverbs 16:3 NLT)
Whatever you want God to bless, you give to him first. Dedicate it, consecrate it, hallow it, and then God will bless it. As a pastor, I want you to succeed in life. Obviously I want you to succeed spiritually, but I also want you to succeed in your work. I want you to be a witness at your work. I want you to use your platform for the glory of God. When you dedicate your business to Christ, he gets involved with decisions. He tells you what to do. He becomes the chairman of your board. He gets the glory. “We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, ‘Be reconciled to God!’” (2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT) Just as I’m the minister of Saddleback Church, you’re a minister of a church — at your workplace. Your job is to be an ambassador of Jesus to the people around you. The blessings that God pours out in your life — in your career, in your business, in your finances, in your family, in your health — they all come because of Jesus Christ. “Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world” (Ephesians 1:3 TEV). “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:17 NLT)
Every day I talk to people who say, “If there is a God and he allowed me to be born and I’m still alive, what is his plan for me? Why am I here, and what am I supposed to be doing? How do I find out God’s will for me so I don’t waste my life?” The Bible says this: “So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. Don’t be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do” (Ephesians 5:15–17 TEV). It’s wise to figure out why I was put on Earth. It’s foolish to go through life without a clue. Fortunately, God doesn’t play games with us. He wants us to understand his will for our lives. When we look toward the wrong things, we create barriers to discovering God’s will. For instance:
First and foremost, God wants you to get to know him, like he already knows you. Once this relationship is established, everything else — career, family, goals, recreation, ambitions, finances, health, and friendships — will begin to fall into their proper place. Have you been acting as if God is totally unaware of your faults?
The truth is, God know your faults and failures, but he still loves you unconditionally. In fact, God knows your feelings and frustrations, and he sees your hurt more than anyone else can. God knows your future, so he can tell what you need to know. God knows your fears, and he wants you to hand your worries over to him. God knows your faithfulness, because he sees every good thing you do. The fact that God knows everything means nothing I face will hinder his ability to help me; nothing that is to come will catch him by surprise; nothing I fear will be too big for God’s strength; and nothing I do in his name is ever done in vain. God says, “I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG) |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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