Authentic - The Best Advice I Ever Took, Part 1

Today I'm going to share with you five things five habits that have literally shaped my life.

I mean change my life there nothing profound or not mysterious is not some super smart guy.

But there are five things that I've done pretty consistently for the last 25 or 30 years, got his shoes and revealed his grace to me like nothing else I'd like to share those five things stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with tripping the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disable Christians Bible teaching. If you thanks for joining us as we begin a brief two-part series called best advice I ever talk let me tell you this message is when you're going to want to pay close attention to because it's really simple yet profound truth absolute change before we begin let me in. Try using chips message notes while you listen. They contain is outline Scripture references and much more.

Chips notes will really help you remember what you hear and maybe even share what you're learning Fidelity's message notes just go to the broadcasts about LivingontheEdge.org app listeners Fill in notes with all that said, here's Chip with today's talk had 11 upright and godly life in this present age grace. It teaches us how to do it.

You don't learn it all at once is a process and so if you open your notes and turn the page.

I want to talk about how grace works out. This is not about please don't hear this through the lens of I'm to start doing these five things to try harder, try harder, try harder. No no no I want you to hear.

I want to trust God more deeply. Grace begins to come into play when you are desperate when you say God I can't do this. I tried to get up and I can't read the Bible. I tried to cut down my drinking and I can't stop no one knows about it, but I do have a drug problem. I know I'm a leader in the church but in the wee hours in the morning I'm logging onto porn sites. I feel guilty I feel terrible.

I don't like me. I want to stop and I can't Grace is coming to the point where you say God I can't do it. I am desperate.

I need you, but that doesn't mean that he just gives you a magic grace pill and the grace imagine grace like water. It comes free and it always flows downhill. Grace always flows where to a humble heart.as opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God he might exalt or lift you up and grace. Imagine water just doesn't float around.

It comes through you know a hose or comes through a sprinkler. There are different vehicles through which grace comes to us when the when the Bible is taught we received grace we come with tender hearts and share the Lord's supper. We received grace when were in a small group and authentically share our hearts and our lives we received grace and I want to give you five habits that cultivate grace. This is the best advice that neither of ever take and will give you five habits tonight. Cultivate grace in your life.

The best advice I ever took advice number one. Are you ready for this by an alarm clock by an alarm clock. Some of the best advice I ever took was to buy an alarm clock know many of you are much more mature your sophisticated your way more godly than me, but I've actually met two people here that I knew during college days. Brandon Christian did not grow up in the church never open the Bible times 18 went to college campus met a bricklayer begin to meet with me and teach me how to get into the Bible. This was most of my college life. For the first two years see if you can remember this, it's college sports Monday for you. The alarm goes off. Thank God for a snooze button snooze one snooze two snooze three snow sports news 5-5 times when you look at. You can't dress. You can't shower you run in and sentence college you put on sweatpants. You can't shower so you put on a baseball cap.

You can even brush your teeth so you grab some you run across campus. You are sweaty and stinky next to the lovely girl who's been up for an hour, making herself beautiful for this class. Your three minutes late again and the professor goes in anger and that's how I started my day. No breakfast time with God rushed the first battle every day is this mind over mattress you gotta win that battle. A man introduced me to a habit by which God has been pouring grace into my life the last 31 years and I want to tell you it'll come hard, you may not do very well for a while but this bricklayer named Dave Marshall. Every Tuesday morning came down and he would knock on my door at 7 o'clock or 7 o'clock Monday three in the morning for me. I would pretend not to hear him and feel very guilty most of that day but about every two out of three times. I would say brother areas and I would put on my baseball Drama sweatpants and we would go into a little kitchenette. Everyone was asleep he was not cool he was. Not dynamic. He was ordinary he was doing this after he got up, had time with God ate his breakfast was gonna lay brick all day and he would open a Bible and I would open mine and we would read a couple paragraphs and we would talk about it and we would pray and like a little toddler that didn't know what he was doing. He spiritually led me along and taught me how to talk to my father and then we would read and I would say wacky stuff that the Bible didn't say and he would bring me back and say no. Would you read that again for me and every Tuesday until he got me to the point where 3/7 mornings.

Maybe I got up 15 minutes early and it was 20 minutes early. Finally I decided when I started my day and allowed the grace of God to pour into my life by stopping and asking since you are all-knowing and all-powerful and I'm your child and you love me and you know every person, every that every circumstance is this going to come into my life. I think I'll talk to you about this day before I go running around. She's very arrogant to do otherwise, but I can get out of bed and so first I put the alarm clock on the dresser, but I found that I was so nimble and quick in those days I could snap snooze alarm and jump back into bed and so then I put it in the bathroom still to no avail, and after a while and I'm playing with you but I developed the habit to spend about 20 minutes every morning with God revolutionized my life and then is the time would go is a half-hour and after about 20 years. I found that I don't use alarms anymore God wakes me up in the first hour or two because of my job and my needs and the pressure in my study of the Scriptures. My best times in all the world I received grace from God. In the morning if you want your life to change, you must put first things first, I challenge you to set your alarm back 20 to 30 minutes and don't get down on yourself. If you only do it two or three times this week and don't give up and find one person to hold you accountable to get the call on the phone talk to each other but you make God your number one priority and you meet with him and you talk with him and you get honest and you pray through your day and pray for the people that you love and say Lord of newness it quietly now, we reveal anything to me. You want me to, and you read his word and you do that and you give me an email tell me how bad your life is what I'll tell you is if you do, your life will change you be a different person at work. Thoughts will come to like maybe to eat some maybe donuts and coffee probably are not best for this temple to stick in my body. Maybe I should be driving zooming in and out be under a rush all the time. The spirit of God does not work in people's lives are characterized by rush and hurry the spirit of God leads calmly and gently wisely.

He's under his got everything under his control and he wants to lead us. You don't need to run so fast. Our desperation in our hurry reveals our lack of trust in our lack of trust is because many of us have not cultivated the habit of buying an alarm clock and by the way parents early on my kids by the time they got junior high I don't like him up, got their own alarm clock in early on 910 1112 not duty, not obligation not legalism but every one of my children. We cultivated and built in time not only for breakfast but for them to spend 10 1012 minutes to just say this, the singular most powerful evidence of God's grace in transforming my life personally was I bought an alarm clock and not that I make it every day.

But it's become such a habit. I just can't remember the days I miss because it's not that I thought you should or Godzilla gets in the lab get brownie points. It is so now enjoyable.

It started out as a pain became a duty later became a habit is now the light.

Are you ready first habit you are going to not bad not good enough that the first habit you do is very good. Alright. Are you ready habit number two take out the trash or just leave it right there is a good sloppy visual that will just bother the obsessive-compulsive on the side of the room, probably for the entire night's gonna be one lady nudging her husband should pick that up. I don't know if I can listen until those bags go back inside their five pastor little town called Kaufman Texas Kaufman was a little, 4000 that didn't have a stoplight. We start at about 35 people in the country and we watched God and see it growing and family came in that were really hurting and I he was is an older gentleman and his wife, and they had about three kids and he came after services that we really need some food, and so we had little pantry again will be to food in about two weeks later, when you read some food. I mean we are worth the end of our rope and I know this is a Bible teaching church and pastors, spot these people. It was it was semi-legit but it was like it was not like we really need and could you help us it was understand Bible teacher and you don't give me food you're really in big trouble with God and I want food I want now and I like a little bit of money will got my car to so I member with I said we need to check this out. As I said honey once you go with him. Not sure what's gonna happen. Probably shouldn't go to some like this along. We drive out to the country. We pull in this long gravel drive and there's a house and as we pull in. There's a there's a horse out there and I notice there's a bag were oats were someone put some oats in there and then I looked and there was three dogs fairly well fed dogs is about best I could tell. And then we went inside, and I would never ever gone on vacation and and and left something in the refrigerator for like three weeks that spoils and you open it and just let me just want unit is like the entire house.

There was 19 cats inside the house open open, you know, you know, not dry food. You know what the little you know meow meow type stuff open cans of stuff garbage laying around. I mean it was like I don't think I can take this and they invited us in and then they started to tell us about all their need and how much food they wanted. I started doing math like how much for these cats eat yet how many do you have 19 I said I would be like out there but if you ever thought of having few less cats will more food for you because you have member going through their and it was the smell in the dirt and the trash was so overwhelming I almost threw up. My wife just kind doing you know what amazed me then see been smelling you see, if you live with trash and junk long enough you get completely desensitized to it, and if the first one gave us the principal priority. The second one is the principal transformation. Romans 12 to Susan, don't be conformed to this world but be trance find transformed house by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Don't be conformed. Don't be squeezed literally to the passive tense. Don't allow yourself to be squeezed or pushed around by the world but the world system of the cosmos by all the advertisements. While the books all the magazines at the checkout sound, MTV, VH1 by the news. Let the world and the world system about what's true about what's right but what's only what's pure what's not don't squeeze you into its mold but have your mind continually flushed out or renewed out by God's word so that your lifestyle how you actually live you drive, how you speak. I.e. I get talk how you relate to your wife how you think about your kids indicates and demonstrates or proves the word for prove there is a word for testing of metal to find out the genuineness so that your life would demonstrate the genuineness of the reality of God's will, which is good and acceptable and perfect and I want to make. I just want to say this real nicely because it's gonna sound a bit harsh, but I would like you to consider how much junk is in your mind this like 19 cats trash all over the floor and it smells bad and it is polluting your heart and your soul.

But you've just gotten so used to it that you don't even know it's there anymore. How many of us can walk into a theater pay 7 to 9 dollars be told by other people's really good except for this this this this is only one really nude scene a little bit of violence but everyone says it's great. I hear Christians talking like that and then after you paid your eight dollars, which is God's money, not yours. You to steward and you sit in a reclining chair and then you watch in the sky comes on the screen and for people to slow-motion the goat and body parts and blood spores against the glass and we say that we believe in the sanctity of life and we are so desensitized that we not only allow that to go into her mind.

We paid to get it into her mind.

I think Jesus would say I died for that person in that body that was casually killed and when any culture comes to the point where they think blowing up people for entertainment produces some sense of pleasure and there is not a repulsion of their heart. It means they have so slid apart from my view of mankind and the holiness of life that they become calloused in their heart and I take no pleasure in. I like to call us together to literally take out the trash and I like you to and you know what this is. I'm not talking about legalism. You can't do this and you can't do this you can't do this I'm talking about. You are what you eat. And you will be what you put in your mind the most important decision you will make on any single day is what you allowed to go into your mind, because no man or woman thinks in his heart so he or she becomes the mind set on the flesh is death. The mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things of earth, where Christ is, that's where your life is hidden in him. We need to get some holy shock we need to look at prime time and say we don't watch that here for my mom. Why did you know what because it doesn't honor God doesn't put the thoughts in our minds and you just take the junk and you say that magazine no that cable station no. When I walk out the checkout counter. I discipline myself when not to go there. We put a filter on the website were to be a little bit radical really people with pure minds so that our lives will demonstrate God's will.

You know we can't figure out why we can't break out of certain things when our minds are stuck with so much junk inside and so I would encourage you to first combine alarm clock and second take out the trash.

Third, are you ready for this one.

I would encourage you to do your own dishes right you know you take a glass of water below that is thick and sinking in someone else's that they stick in the sink and then later have Amelia put that in the sink and piercing it up above the counter and probably never happen in your house, but on rare occasion, has an ours and I would encourage you to do your own dishes. What I'm talking about here is the principal responsibility joint insurance application just to be listening to the first part of his message. Best advice I ever told, which is from his series authentic how to be a Christian without being religious you tired of trying and trying to change something in your life, only to be met by feel your again and again feel like you're stuck in a spiritual root. You can find your way out. Will this short series chip highlights five simple yet profound behaviors that changed his perspective that will help you to you'll be blown away by how these attitudes not only make a difference in your day-to-day life. But how they'll strengthen your relationship with God to for more information about the best advice I ever took. Go to LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org Listeners tap special offers will chip were nearing the end of 20, 21, and as we look back. It was amazing to see how God is used this ministry in the last 12 months feels like we've all been through the ringer pandemic social unrest separation. In fact, is there still a lot of turmoil out there, but you seem to have a sense of optimism. Why is that absolutely Dave don't get me wrong, the chaos, the difficulty did things that you've described. I don't dismiss those in any way, but there is something that always happens a momentous moment is when people in the world and institutions are open to change a Jesus came at a momentous moment. It was a time when the Roman empire and culture and philosophies and religions were bankrupt and were in that time we've never seen people more responsive to the gospel.

We've never seen people cry out for God's word and be hungry, like they do today.

I we've introduced some new things like the daily discipleship for some teaching to pastors around the world that the response has been beyond anything we could've ever thought or imagined. So what were doing is were responding in God does great things in the midst of hard things and so what were asking this month is for people to help us of the opportunities are beyond anything we've ever seen, but it requires finances staff resources as God is open these doors all across America and around the world. So let me just ask you if you've been benefiting from the teaching of Living on the Edge.

If you have a heart for people that are in need here in America and around the world. This is a great time to give every dollar you give up to December 31 at midnight will be doubled dollar for dollar. I like the words sees this divine moment. That's what we want to do and I'm asking for your help to do it with a great challenge will if you want to help us pursue our mission to teach God's word does a great time for you to become a financial partner because right now, thanks to a small group of friends of the ministry. Every gift we received between now and December 31 will be doubled. Your 40 becomes 8400 becomes 800 to make a donation.

Just give us a call at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, or if you prefer to give online. Our web address is LivingontheEdge.org app listeners just Donate. Thank you for praying and doing whatever the Lord leads you to do chip as I listen to this message. I think the thing that struck me was the idea of taking out the trash. It's really convicting. Could you take a minute maybe give us some pointers about the how that really works absolutely Dave mean the fact of the matter is, is that just like in our house or in a like that story I talked about was so messy.

I mean, it is little by little, is that you know there's a pile that starts in on your desk and then pretty soon it's another pile and for for those of us that are always going to get to it later. You know, we crisscrossed the papers and then there's a pile on the floor and those kind of things happen to our soul and there's just times where we need to not just clean off our desk, but in our soul and in our life. We have to get a take out the trash. You know piece of trash can be there but after three or four days. It's not just trash it starts to smell and I like to think about. There's good trash and there's bad trash and they both need to be taken out and I think for for us who are followers of Christ.

There may be a bit more seasoned. You know we sell yeah you know the pornography unit. The alcohol addiction. The outrageous dead the busyness the workaholism the you know neglecting of my family. The eating disorder of the prescription drug addiction that I had any dozer big, you know that's bad trash and anyone who's listening now needs to understand that if those are the trash that needs to be taken out. I'm just going to say you deciding today with willpower that you gonna do that will probably not be a good solution.

You can have to choose and then you can have to talk with someone and you have to get some help.

Those are the kind of things that require more than one person to take that kind of trash out because those have happened over time and they are addictive and they are deep and you do have to take them out and then I think for me there's another kind of trash and I call it good trash because we even get rewarded for another words like hey were involved in sports as a family and now we don't go to church as often in fact we don't eat as a family is often but good things begin to take on a life of their own and sometimes it's hey we've got these big things happening in church and ministry takes over your life. Or sometimes it's over, to start a company or I'm involved in a start up or I'm I'm doing some really good things. I'm beginning to help some other people.

And as I talked to one guy recently.

It was like and were really helping people get involved in ministry and now I'm exhausted. I'm not dating my wife anymore every free moment is filled with all kind of people's needs and I'm not sure what it's like to be burned out, but I'm as close to it as you can be. If I'm not already there so I would say to some others who are dealing with.

What are some really good things in your life, your technology can be a really good thing but is there some technology trash that needs to be taken out and and what are some of those things that need to be substituted. Quality time with God alone, quality time with our mate if were married, unhurried time margin in our life were our soul can get recalibrated. How do we make sure our body where we get exercise and enough sleep and you know we just start skimming in so many areas that pretty soon a lot of good things take on a life of their own. So let me encourage you if you got some bad trash make a call, text, a friend and say this is what I'm dealing with. And I need help. If you have some good trash.

I would encourage you to write down what are some good things in your life that are really squeezing out the best and have a very honest talk with God and then a serious talk with someone close to you and then take out the trash. Just before we close. Would you pray for those who are feeling challenged to respond to trips words right now. There's always a spiritual battle when we feel prompted to draw near to God, thanks for taking a minute to do that if there's a way we can pray for you.

Would you let us know. Call AAA to 333-6003 or email chip that LivingontheEdge.org. We'd love to hear from you. One selects time for everyone here is saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge