Balancing Life's Demands - How To Keep First Things First, Part 1

Most of us are working on something in our lives.

You know some of his others is working out others, it's family devotions are getting into God's word or bring more deeply what I know is true about all of us is that we start off well. We make these commitments that are very sincere and then we seem to fade quickly. Usually we don't last more than three or four days or maybe a week if you want to learn how to not just put first things first.

Keep in first stay with that. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with the mission of these daily programs is the site of Christians Bible just a minute he'll continue his current series balancing life's demands with the message called getting life something entirely with her sister plays out with God about maintaining our priorities before we begin, let me encourage you to use chips message was the hope you get the most out of what you're about to hear downloadable broadcasts about LivingontheEdge.org Lister staff fill in that strip with today's talk from Hebrews chapter 12 putting first things first is one thing keeping first things first.

That's a whole another thing to talk about what how do you keep first things first. The problem is many start well, but few finish.

Well it's one thing to make a commitment and to really mean it. It's quite another thing to keep it sustained over a significant period of time so that those things that you know you want to do you know God wants you to do you find yourself little by little by little, putting a week together into a month and a few months into year and a few years into a decade and a couple decades and that's how you leave a legacy.

That's how life really plays out. That's what I'm doing today with the view to God's calling his purpose and legacy in my life and you know whether it's a scanning you know you can look read the characters in this book, and a lot of them start well I mean I'm reading through right now. Just my personal devotional time just in his first and second Samuel, first and second Kings. I got news for you. There's a lot of kings start well but I can only find a handful finish well. Sampson starts well doesn't finish well. Solomon starts will doesn't finish well. Dimas started well didn't finish well in the second half of life.

Some people that we all have admired seem to something happens a lot of churches start well don't finish what a lot of businesses a mean member the book and search for excellence by Tom peters.

There were 10 companies he profiled in that book.

This is excellence. I could be mistaken but at least 9/10 of those currently out of business. I started well in a season they were doing some things well, but wasn't sustainable so you know that's really think I look at me like gosh, I'm glad there's the good news for this session.

No one else is finishing well but somehow hit all right. That's the problem. In fact, closer to home. Lotta marriages start well. Lotta parenting starts with a lot of it doesn't finish well and now that we got the problem isolated, what's the solution, suggests that the solution apart from your own relationship with God.

There's no quick easy but for people who really want to follow Christ for people that want to honor God for people who want to balance their life and do things God's way for his glory and for their good and for others. The two words I would give you his biblical accountability, biblical accountability, let me give you definition biblical accountability is enlisting the support of those who love me, to help me keep my commitments to God. In other words, it's biblical as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. It's not simply accountability that that's in some ways a negative word to this is not getting a group of people that harass you.

This is not get a group of people.

He can meet with on a regular basis to make you feel guilty.

This is not calling it were involved in accountability groups, but everyone goes about all a little past the first superficial layer but you never really get down to what's really going on.

This is where you ask you invite people into your life and you say this isn't about expectations of other people. This is where you say I want to be in my case I want to be a man of God.

I want to be a great father. I want to be a great husband. I want to be in the eyes of God, a great pastor and a great friend.

Will you help me keep my commitments to God.

I don't want to fulfill your program.

I don't feel what you think. I'm asking you, would you enter into my inner world because of our relationship and our trust will you help me keep my commitments to God.

I'm going to open my life. I'm going to be honest, I'm going to be vulnerable to share my victories on your share my struggles. Will you help me. That's biblical accountability and I like to suggest that there is no way to fulfill anything we talked about without its powerful Ecclesiastes for 9 to 12 cyst two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. If one falls down his friend can help them up but pity, pity the man pity the woman who falls and you know you in a fall has no one to help him up also to lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone, though one may be overpowered to can defend themselves.

A cord of three is not quickly broken. We have an American individualistic mindset about spirituality and walking with God that is rooted somewhere deep in the heart of John Wayne pilgrims is very is not a good imitation by later and God. I'm going to do it all by myself.

You see, that was a little bit better. I want you to know that every New Testament command that I can find is in what's called grammatically. The second person plural had be this kind of a husband you all men be this kind of a life walking purity you all second person plural means you can't do it alone, it is implied is not hard. It is impossible to be a man of God, a woman of God, the kind of husband. The kind of pure single person, the kind of employer employee church member Elder Deacon it's impossible impossible to do what God called you to do.

You God. Your Bible, you need people. I need people but not people that I don't like not people that know you superficially, not people that you let in on just certain things in the real deep struggles and the secrets and the difficulty and the pain and the hurts never get out on the table. You were never designed, it is impossible for you and impossible for me to make it apart from other people. We all agree to meet at this point, I love your face is your telling me I grieved it intellectually. Everyone agrees with biblical accountability onion back to you are your brother's keeper. Our experience affirms it works. Some of you will look back and you could say you know what I would not be the person I am today apart and you think of a real close friendship, a mentor, a small group a season. At times it was just like wow and there is connection open honesty you are motivated a history affirms me. We got the Moravians the westerlies the Korean movement. The small group movement.

I mean that in column Methodist for nothing. It was their methodology. You were in a small group you shared in in Methodism, people would meet twice a week and it would have corporate confession. This is where I send this week wetting renters to introduce that see how it works. The Moravians did something very similar. If you if you see that the mushrooming of the church in Korea built around the small group movement of holistic small groups really ministering to one another. In fact, the world has learned.

They know that overcoming certain things you if you go to AA right if you go to Al-Anon if you go to celebrate recovery if you go to Weight Watchers if you go to Jenny Craig I mean what what has the world learn people don't make lasting change unless they are together with other people loving, encouraging and holding one another accountable and yet the great majority of all the Christians do not have, or experience biblical accountability.

I mean, you know what they do in the group counseling rehab centers. It is, isn't it at ever been through everything around someone's been through 12 step program. Unbelievable. I mean the level of honesty. Never forget this power of accountability. We started to celebrate recovery program, Santa Cruz is where I pastored for 12 and half years. I mean if you had an addiction. We had you in our church.

I mean, it is a wild crazy crazy place and so we started this in the sky never met came up afterwards and had a notebook in his hands and says excuse me hi he said can I do my fourth step with you and I said I don't know what the fourth step is. He said why I go to celebrate recovery here and it was on Friday nights in a whole group of people that have made it quite the church.

Yet there make a lot of progress and you know doing worship and God was working and thinking I should know more about this so I said sure Sybil it'll take two hours a civil you want to get with my assistant will figured out so we blocked off into the foreign later that week he came in he came in over sat down he goes. I may not know, like, hey, how you doing are you ready yeah I said exactly what is the force that it says it's a total moral inventory were I go back to my life and trying to discern and I've asked you know it's not a higher power.

Here, we believe Jesus is the higher power.

He is my God and I've asked God to reveal to me anything I've ever done to hurt anyone at any time and I will not own the responsibility for what I've done and stop blaming anything or anyone, including God, and you gotta get specific. I said okay and he had that you know a yellow pad. All hand written when I was seven years old. He started when I was 11 years old and I mean he he told me stuff on thinking I would not mean you know I'm thinking here, pastor of the church. I have staff. We talk about vulnerability and ending on thinking I think were doing like a C- in terms of honesty and vulnerability compared to the sky and that's that's why the secrets get out and strongholds are broken. We need one another.

If we agree we need one another so much we know it works. Question why don't more believers have authentic biblical accountability that allows you to sustain the discipline and the arenas that God is revealing to you that you know you want and you long for him to change and and I would like to give you five reasons why accountability is essential for spiritual success and what you can find is working to start right where we were in the last passage I'm I'm to make the case that the apostle Paul, one of the greatest Christians, if not the greatest Christian of all time is going to say here's my greatest desire and here's my greatest fear and his greatest fear is that he would blow it and then he's going to teach us their first week in chapter 10 the necessity and the reasons for biblical accountability and at the very end. I'm say okay I mean you have ever had someone say you know I think they're trying to sell me. I think they're trying to persuade me right now you know.

I'm not sure I want you know I am okay all I mean all you know, no holds barred. I'm going to try and convince you from Scripture, and by I pray the spirits energizing power in his word when I get done in about 20 minutes going to these passages I hope you'll go. I got have biblical accountability. I mean, whatever it takes I get a habit and I'm to give you just a little game plan, some practical ways to get it operational and in the balls in your court. I hear you five reasons accountability biblical accountability is essential for spiritual success.

Number one because we never outgrow the need for personal accountability.

We never outgrow the need for personal accountability is a chipboard you get that. Well, let's listen one more time what the apostle Paul said, he says, verse 24 chapter 9 first Corinthians, do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize run in such a way that you win and everyone competes in the games as Olympic Games exercises discipline or self-control in all things will they do it to receive a perishable wreath that we do it in imperishable. Therefore application I run in such a way not without aim. I box in such a way as not beating the air clear cut goal. I buffet my body and I make it my slave discipline less, possibly after I preach to others, I myself should be disqualified. Paul's greatest desire.

Great use for Christ. Paul's greatest fear I think I might myself get disqualified all get off track here is the principal. If Paul had those concerns, how much more should we. I'm thinking to myself, can you imagine, I mean if it was possible, can you just imagine what the apostle Paul, just showed up in the flesh. Imagine sit down across from him I would. It would never enter my mind that this guy down deep in his heart is concerned that some day some way through subtle deception.

He might no longer be God's man walk with but that's what is Thomas right here.

Leaders are among the most susceptible about the way the more responsibility 11 gets the more accountability that you need. Leaders have more time alone than others.

The more you lead and by the way can be in your family giving your churchmen your company. People start assuming you been in the Lord a long time people go to for you for wisdom in this and that no one asking the hard questions anymore. In fact, it would be embarrassing to some of the people, the hard questions because I mean, you're so mature, so godly you would never have those thoughts right wrong and so we never outgrow the need for personal accountability and the greater the responsibility you have, either spiritually family wise by the waist when I say leaders.

Ladies don't click into that some of you will I do most my leaving home is that not like the most important leadership role isn't that all future generations.

So you know I need this you need this. There is great pressure as you lead and therefore great opportunity for compromise. So the first reason is you never outgrow it.

The second reason we need biblical accountability for spiritual success is because past successes are no guarantee of future faithfulness.

Past successes and this is very subtle-walk with God for years and I read my Bible. I pray I go to church.

My families done this and you not know what I mean. I'm a man, or you have a fuel struggles here and there, but I'm not having big problems with Internet coming. Hey, you know like not guy I may not just I'm okay. Past successes are no guarantee of future faithfulness and you say will where you get that I get from what Paul said. After Paul. Just then she tell me I'm afraid I might blow it.

He reaches back into the Old Testament and he's going to go back and look at while let's take a look at the Israelites and let's get some lessons from them about people that had some pretty cool experiences mean that that's an past success. How do you like to be on the I went to the Red Sea team got a T-shirt at the end I was there or the others on the manor team 40 years you know the picture of your your logo� You know I eat special kind read for 40 years and never will. Or how about I was on the I watch Cory get swallowed up on team you know member that part or member, or maybe the group that has a little insignia of a snake. When those people were crumbling and the serpents and I mean oh yes, I was on the fire by night and the Shekinah glory by dating. Did you realize how many amazing, overwhelming, super natural experiences. The children of Israel had. I want a simple write this down your spiritual experiences will not sustain you. God's works will not sustain you only his ways will sustain you in this in the nose but jot down Psalm 1037. After that great introduction about not forgetting and blessing the Lord there's almost a weird verse because it like, what, where does this fit, it's the hinge of that song and after talks about remembering all of God's works is works is works is works is works and then after verse seven.

It's all about us characters.

Faithfulness is love. As far as East is from the west and all that. There's this funny verse he made known his ways.

Moses is asked to the sons of Israel, God's acts, you know he killed your boy of cancer. They came to the car wreck. You didn't go into bankruptcy. I mean these amazing acts we we could pile them up God's on so many things and yet two months later two years later you have a crisis. What happened to God, where are you. It's no different than the Red Sea and the man in the serpents and all the rest.

It's his ways that sustain you. That's why Moses wasn't saying God give me one more great experience.

He said Lord I want to see your glory. I want to know you.

I want to know what you're like.

I want to know your heart, so he reaches back in the Old Testament and noticed the connecting word for. He's giving a reason. He says that I should be disqualified as Paul's looking back and saying if those people with those amazing experiences can get disqualified through my thesis, for I do not want you to be unaware brother that our fathers were all under the cloud, they all passed through the sea and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea and they all ate the same spiritual food. The man and they drink the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them in the rock was Christ underline the next word. Nevertheless, nevertheless, with most of them God was not well pleased, for they were laid low in the wilderness, walking with God in the past is no guarantee that you walk with him in the future. Yesterday's experiences and you do not make you useful for tomorrow. There is no such thing as spiritual autopilot. We now have over 30,000. Some feed you can lean back but if you Selectric you walk with God for you.wrong you either growing or shrinking spiritually for all of us.

You could tell me stories of some of your great heroes pastor, a mentor church leader that I mean you just mean somewhere in your spiritual journey. They were like will pay someday some white I want to be in right now their moral failure right in and you will have at least one I got more than a few of people that I will tell you far more gifted than me love God far more than me who were not only not in the ministry, but the not married to the same person are involved in horrendous things. I mean other. There's people that have led thousands of people to Christ and had amazing impact who somewhere along the line thought there was a new set of rules for them generally apply to me. I'm under a lot of pressure. I have, the more freedom than other people and avoid sad the third reason is because we constantly underestimate the power of our own sinful passions. I mean, it begs the question, how can some of the most committed, gifted people in all the body of Christ, both in Bible times in our times.

How in the world can get off track and hopefully in your heart of purchasing. I don't ever want to get off track and I don't know how I can get off track but gosh if Paul thinks he can get off track and of all those people nation of Israel got off track and some people were my heroes got off track. I guess I could what happens you and I underestimate the power of our own sinful passions.

So let me ask, how about you how are you doing do you have genuine, authentic relationships to keep you personally accountable.

Have you face those areas, you know, it says the very last point was we constantly underestimate the power of our own sinful passions and I use the illustration of David a man after God's own heart mean a man who knew God's word.

Amanda God used actually speak God's word to us if he can blow it in the right circumstances at a weak time in a moment where his guard is down. That's true of all of us so I want to ask you two questions number one, where are you most vulnerable and number two. Do you have at least one person in your life that you can unzip your heart literally lay it on the table, let them see the good the bad and ugly know that you will not be judged and get the secrets out and say I need help. Will you help me keep my commitments to God. Do you have that person in your life. We all need that person. Otherwise, you do slip, you do struggle. It starts with a little thought.

It starts with just an idea and then it begins to germinate in your heart and then you act on it in some very small little way and maybe it's a visual issue or a financial issue or you not coveting issue and that starts to grow inside your heart and inside your mind.

And then the enemy creeps in and begins to bring the condemnation you call yourself a Christian, and then begins to entice what could happen and how sweet it would be and what you can have and I will tell you in a period of days and weeks and months you can have an interior and exterior life that are going to completely different directions and then you think it could never happen to you. You would never seriously do that, whatever that is. And yet you find you make a mistake in a moment of weakness with the right circumstances that destroys your life destroys your relationships, Morris God's reputation so I appeal to you today.

What is the area where your most vulnerable.

Is it lust of the flesh. Is it lust of the eyes is the pride of life. I mean, is it the warning of more is at work is that money is it sex or is it being a big shot. I don't know what it is we all struggle identify it today and then find one close friend, maybe even have to make a phone call. Maybe it's an old college roommate. Maybe it's a pastor that you had the last church find someone that you can be honest with today and say here's what's going on in my life.

I just needed to share it openly. I've asked God to forgive me. Will you help me keep my commitments to God. Confess your sins to one another. Jane says that you might be healed.

The only thing that keeps me from doing this personally is my pride, my private.

I don't want anyone to think that I would quote still struggle in that area or in that way, but grace flows toward humility. Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God that he could lift you up. He wants to help you today deal with it and be glad you did. Click strip your listening to Living on the Edge in the first part of chips message how to keep first things first.

From our current series balancing life's demands. Do you long to get out from under the pressure to do more, have more and achieve more in this five-part series cheer provides practical biblical steps to help you move your life from chaos to contentment will discover what it means to prioritize your hopes around God's hopes for your life and how to not only put first things first, but keep them there. You're not going to want to miss a single part of this series for limited time the resources for balancing life's demands are discounted and the MP3s are always free. For more details go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, or LivingontheEdge.org app listeners Special offers which if it's no secret that this is been the most disruptive season. Her history and you know for a lot of people.

It's become a real challenge to get plugged back in spiritually know what you recommend for people looking to find that rhythm again with Dave. I think most people would say start reading the Bible spend quality time with God take maybe some passages where you're struggling and memorize a short chapter.

I think all of those would be great places to start. But most of us are struggling with the lack of community isolation has killed us the enemy. That's his goal to get us isolated to get us discouraged to get us looking inward and the only way to experience the life of the Holy Spirit is to be with people. We need to get in a room with a group of people centered around the word of God and say were going to meet every week or every other week working to do life together you to be [to be honest for you to dig in and apply the scripture to our lives and we can encourage one another. It's been a really really hard last 18 to 24 months. We need each other and so let me encourage you to go to our website and choose the small group study that best meets the needs of your family or a group of men, a group of women or group of couples that we have studies to help you get back in sync get in rhythm get in community because there is life there and God longs for us to experience the very life of Christ, but we can't do it alone. Click strip will we have a growing library of small group resources on a wide range of topics in there so easy to use cheer provides the teaching, then you'll have time to discuss what you've heard alongside her helpful study guides. We even offer some insights for leaders to leave their groups well. So if you're not in a small group, you are you aren't sure what to study. Next, let me encourage you to check out our resources as chipset for limited time we've discounted all of our small group resources so you can get into community starting today to learn more, go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003 or LivingontheEdge.org app listeners top special offers before we go. Let me remind you of an easy way to listen to our extended teaching podcast here chip anytime on Amazon's Alexa echo and echo.just say Alexa open Living on the Edge and you'll hear that these extended teaching any time you walked well for Chip and everyone here. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge