You Are the Way You Are Because of the “Why” You Are
Scripture Lesson:
Jeremiah 29: 11-14
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity…”
Prayer:
My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you, to renew my place in you, my allegiance to you and to receive from you all the grace, all of the mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign and I surrender every aspect of my life, totally, completely, unreservedly to you. I give you my body as a living sacrifice. I give you my heart, soul, mind and strength. I give you my spirit also. I cover myself now with your blood; my spirit, my soul, my body and I ask you holy spirit to restore my union with you, to seal me in you and to guide me now in this time of prayer.
Holy Spirit, I sincerely receive you as my counselor, my comforter, my strength, and my guide. Thank you for sealing me in Christ. I honor you as Lord and I ask you to lead me this day into all truth. To anoint me today for all of my life and my walk, and to my calling and to lead me deeper into Jesus today. I fully open up my life to you, Holy Spirit, every dimension and aspect of my body, my mind, my heart, my will, my spirit, choosing to be filled with you, to walk in step with you in all things. Apply to me, Holy Spirit, all the work, all the triumph of Pentecost. Fill me afresh. I receive you with thanks and I give you total claim to my life.
Amen
The Daily Prayer
Taken from Waking the Dead by John Eldredge
Many of you are aware that my family and I just returned from Colorado and that while we were there I attended a men’s retreat. The prayer I prayed is an excerpt from some of the material I received while at “Boot Camp” based on John Eldredge’s Wild at Heart and much of my material this morning is either draw from or inspired by that particular experience. The Daily Prayer to its entirety can be found in Waking the Dead by John Eldredge.
“You are the Way you are because of the “Why” you are”
“Huh?” “What is he talking about?” “What is he saying?”
In a nutshell, God has placed the desires, passions, skills, personality traits, and curiosity needed to carry out His plan or purpose for your life.
Max Lucado in Cure for the Common Life says it all too well. “You cannot be anything you want to be, but you can be everything God wants you to be.”
Someone who doesn’t get great satisfaction out of balancing a check book “to the penny” most likely should not pursue an accounting position. Are you someone who is good with their hands, loves to tinker, fix, tear down or build? Aha! What excites you? What are you passionate about? What are you good at? These are really good questions to ask yourself. Will this give you answers? No, just perspective.
A GPS unit is able to give you your position on the globe by triangulating your position with at least three known positions in space. To help to discover your position in God’s story, you also need three reference points. STORY/DESIRE/JOURNEY.
STORY
What have you done in your past well? that made you come alive? Your childhood? Young adulthood? What are some of your accomplishments? What have you done?
DESIRE
What are you passionate about? What makes you come alive? What do you enjoy doing? How do you spend your free time?
Radio host Gil Bailey has said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that. What the world needs are men that are alive!”
Psalm 139: 15-16
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
These are built in. They are a part of His plan.
Philippians 2: 13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
He uses those desires as a part of His story/plan.
Ephesians 2: 10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Your part of the story is already built into His strategy. St. Augustine said, “Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.” He needs us to do our part. He is counting on us. He trusts us because He put it within us to do so.
JOURNEY (I should’ve titled the message “The Journey”)
Where are you? Where are you in God’s Plan? Where do you want to be? But understand there is a process or journey to get there.
Of the four speakers at my Wild at Heart weekend, one truly spoke to me. His name is Gary Barkalow. He is an average height, small framed man in his early 60’s. He seemed most reserved of the four. He identified himself as a pack mule er I mean horse. Meaning he carried the burdens of many in order to try to prove his worth. He spoke on our three reference points. He feels strongly about our Calling or purpose. While listening, my heart sank. Throughout the weekend I had begun identifying times in my life where I had let Satan sideswipe my life and steal my hopes and desires. I thought to myself, “I could be that guy. I can see myself doing exactly what he is doing.”
I was relaying this story with my buddy Jon who invited me and my family to stay with his family in Colorado. He reminded me. The Journey. Don’t forget the journey. He asked me how old I was. I started to take offense. You see Jon is several years younger and I hate to admit wiser. However he pointed out that Gary has several decades on me and he has only there because of his journey. Your journey could yet take you there. God hasn’t been able to spend the time to prepare me for that position or assignment.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn a Russian writer and social activist who stood up against the Soviet Union talks about his role and his voice:
“I felt as though I was about to fill a space in this world that was meant for me and had long awaited me, a mold as it were, made for me alone but only realized and found by me at this very moment.”
Wow! Talk about being in tune with God’s plan.
Psalm 25: 12, 14
Who, then is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.
Psalm 32: 8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.
Jeremiah 29: 11-14
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity…”
All verses say that He will instruct us or show us the way or be our guide. If that is all we see here we will miss out. Probably most of us are missing out. Notice the action required by us… in order to receive that direction. We must “confide,” “seek His counsel,” and “call upon Him.” This is what we studied in grade school called “two-way communication.” This is not, “God, please tell me what to do.”
As I mentioned earlier Gary Barkalow, really spoke to me through his message.
Gary was working in a ministry prior to the Ransomed Heart team. That ministry had hired a new employee and we will call him “Ted.” Ted had been assigned to work with Gary in his department. Gary wanting Ted to know his mind and heart would have many conversations relating to their goals. Gary would then ask Ted, “How do you think we should pursue these goals? What action should we take?” After several weeks, Ted said, “That is enough! Just tell me what you want me to do, and I’ll do that.” Gary had realized that was how Ted dealt with God and how many of us approach our walk with God.
This is all too often how we seek God’s will. We often seek God to tell us what He wants from us. “What is it that you would have me to do?” We fail to realize that He seeks to engage us into conversation. He knows the desires of our heart. He trusts us. He put those desires into our hearts. God would prefer to hear, “God, I really would like to start this new ministry at our church. How do you feel about the timing or need or whatever detail?” He put that desire into your heart. He desire to give direction such as “think of this before jumping in” or “you’re not ready, you need to work in this area of your life” or “have you thought of so-and-so or so-and-so to help.”
I challenge you to pursue God’s heart. Ask him to reveal areas in your life that need healing or direction. Then repent and ask Jesus to come in and heal those areas. Finally you’ll need to bind the powers of Satan against that area in your life through the work and blood of Christ Jesus. Kick Satan out let God in. This is the Journey. Taking ground for Jesus Christ in your own life.
I don’t mind sharing a little of what God said to me in my journey that wonderful weekend outside of Buena Vista, Colorado. He told me to sell off excess to reduce and payoff all my debts. That was not His yoke. He did not desire me or my family to live under my debts. I responded basically “yeah God that sounds pretty good, but what is your calling on my life?” What is your plan for me?” I felt Him tell me, “you’re not ready for me to tell you just yet. I need you to unload and be ready and we will continue to work on your heart and the pain/wounds you carry. I want to give you healing. I have something wonderful planned for you.” And He treated me with great delight as a father would his son. I felt His loving embrace as He watched me grow.
He is our father and we all know “Father Knows Best.” He is waiting for you. You have been invited. He gave of Himself for you so that you may know Him. Come let us seek Him in prayer.
