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May 10, 2022 6:00 am
God put a dream in your heart dream for a kind of marriage that you know would honor him dream for kids that walked with God and turn out in a way to disable God, thank you dream that has to do with your work and him using you to reach others for Christ but down deep in your soul you say I don't know how to turn even my God given dreams into reality.
If that's the case, stay with us.
Welcome to this edition of living only with permission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians the Bible to thanks for joining us as we continue our series holy ambition. The process of explaining how to turn on God -shaped, by highlighting six key conditions of this program will cover the fourth strategic plan to assure some really practical advice today so let me encourage you to use as message notes while he was blue-chip's brief outline and all the supporting Scripture references.
It will really help you remember what you and maybe even help you share what you're learning to download this message notes just go to the broadcasts stab@livingontheedge.org Listeners Fill okay.
If you have a Bible open a Nehemiah chapter 2 storage for stock.
Why is it that so many people sincerely desire to do so much and usually accomplished so little mound is going to go out on the limb and think that many of us who had some sincere desire to do nothing God might want us to address this issue in our marriage or you know we need to address this with one of our kids are you there's this person at work and holy ambition. I think God wants me to do something here worker. I'm new in a neighborhood least I am right now and sincere desire I have is to you to invite the neighbors over and get to know him but I also know me that I've had that sincere desire before and live next to people and not got to know him very well. So why is that and you might jot in your notes. The answer is, good intentions, good intentions, and I want to be my that is that there's there's I think there's this psychology I can explain any other way. When God speaks to me or when you have a very genuine and sincere desire, and you really believe that you are going to do it. You think you actually accomplish something just could have the desire you with me.
There is like I really do care more about my neighbors and I used to care about Omar. I really do want addresses marriage issue and so yeah, I haven't really done anything. But that's a big step to get there and so I think what happens is we think we did something when really what we did is we got aligned to do something.
Second question, why is it that others who carefully prepare to do even a little, maybe not very much for the carefully prepare to do a little accomplish so much more than they even imagined. And the answer is a strategic plan strategic plan to let that word scare you don't have to be in graduate school, go to Stanford or get a MBA from Harvard hi Brenda find that some of the best strategic planning and thinking in any literature anywhere is a Nehemiah chapter 2 and you gonna find a man with leadership gift that has an impossible situation with a ragtag group with zero resources when he starts out is used by God through the strategic plan after his heart is dislocated his broken spirit and he takes his radical step of faith were God does through an ordinary person exceedingly abundantly beyond what he could think or imagine. And that's for Hillerman how to develop a strategic plan to open your notes or as many of you are already there. I'll catch up with you this for things that were in to see in this chapter of chapter 2 verses five through about 18 I put the text in there for you and will write a scissors for things very critical to developing a strategic plan and this is what will take you to that. Good intention about your marriage that good intention with one your kids that good intentions, a single person to reach out to really get connected that good intention at work that good intention that you really want to come in your neighborhood. A strategic plan is what will turn that good intended God shaped God deposited idea or heart that he gave you into reality. First, it must begin with a vision. It must begin with the vision now that words thrown around and lots of different literature.
So let me use it in sort of the way I'm describing it here. A vision is a God-given burden to see what could be and should be in a person, place or situation.
If God's power and God's grace was unleashed and it that's what I'm talking about vision here that's what I mean. It's a preferable picture of the future. What would happen if you if God's power and God's grace was unleashed in your marriage or in your parenting or in your singleness or of his grace in this particular difficult situation or in this need. It's a God-given burden almost all great visions flow out of there's a big need. There's a big need the walls are down the gates are burned by fire, there's a big need this whole group of unwed mothers, there's a big need of Christians who have come and gone through the motions and grown up in church and rejected Christianity and they've not met and authentic real Christ follower or what we call our 12 Christian so it's a big need. What is the preferable future. If you had unlimited resources and a group of people were standing behind you and they would line up to help you and they have gifts that you don't have what's the biggest need was the biggest burden that you can't even explain new kinds of people start talking about interview maybe see something on TV or even a movie that touches on it. You just find emotions coming out that you can't shake so you don't need to solve the problems of the whole world. You need to be sensitive to what is it in your heart that when you're close to it and when you slow down long enough and when you get out of the business.
God really begins to whisper to you I want you to help that group a way to help that person for me it's the church. I don't mean just church work. I mean churches actually being the church of Christ. Christians who actually live out their faith every time I get around people when I see genuine life change. When I see churches that just won't accept the status quo and see the biggest needs in their community and want to make a difference. I just tell you something deep inside of my heart. That's what I want to give my life to subverting that's my bird that's my vision. What's yours is the second thing is that it grows out of need, but there's a process of the heart. There's a process of the head, certain things have to happen in you that was chapter 1 and then certain things have to happen through your little charts let me show you how this gets borne out in everyday practice. In chapter 1 there's a problem right. The walls God's agenda. Chapter 2 really get a solution in chapter 1, it's in Susa it's in the comfort zone. May he live in the lap of luxury. Chapter 2 he's in Jerusalem he's out of his comfort zone, but he's in the excitement in the center of God's will.
Chapter 1 it's about prayer.
It's the process of discernment and formation, only one person got what he wanted to chapter 2 there's an answer.
God confirms this is what I want you to do. Chapter 1 there's a promise is God and I know you have an agenda, just like today we know God has agenda for the world's agenda for the poor kids that Jennifer Christians given agenda for people don't knowing think chapter 2 goes from those promises to actual provision and God's can a resource that burden that is put on his heart. Chapter 1 there's a purpose he clearly articulates this is why I'm here.
God wants me to rebuild out wall chapter 2. There's a program there's timelines of people's resources chapter 1 it starts with an individual. One guy just one guy.
One business guy goes me.
What can I do well after four months of praying he is okay him to go before the king help of my life on the line. I'm going to leave my comfort zone here. My send me in the way it always happens in a movement starts versus a small group and then pretty soon you can see by the end of this chapter. All the people of that city say let us arise and build in chapter 1. It's a perceptual it's just an idea. Someone to do something about that. But chapter 2 practical is a game plan. Chapter 1 it's a heart issue but chapter 2 it's the head.
God did something in them. Now God's going to do something through so what's your vision and what's what's the vision that you feel like is the top priority. By the way different seasons of your life, it looks different and it might be on that not only just ministry vision as you think about will ministry at work or ministry here at the church. Work may be ministry that you're involved in.
I'm talking about unit. The first and foremost ministry. If you're married is with your mate. Next ministry this most important is with your kids. The next ministry outside of that is being the kind of person that shows up at work actually live like a Christian loves people and authentic ways. My wife had a pretty difficult childhood and her holy ambition is very, very focused.
She sets boundaries better than anyone I know and her holy ambition was that God would give us the opportunity to raise kids that would walk with him, love him with all their heart find mates that love God as well and then raise the next generation of kids that would make a difference for him and that was her holy ambition.
Now she you know being married to me a been involved in lots of stuff that she never felt compelled to run the women's ministry or do this or did you now cheat sheet discovered her gifts and she was involved in different ministries but I'm telling you when we ate at 530 we read stories to our kids when they were little we we had a very specific plan that we were checking off all the years that they were in our home.
We had a plan about how they will learn about the opposite sex. We had a plan about how they can learn about money.
We had a plan about what friends and who their candidate with a plan about sending them out on crazy things got really risky. That scared us to death that we knew that was the only way that they would really discover and own their faith for themselves. But I'll tell you her holy ambition has been focused and praying and investing in and we know that we can control that they can make decisions but that was her holy ambition and dream, and now what I can tell you is because of that kind of focus in a very dislocated heart broken spirit radical steps of faith and a very clear strategic plan.
She is been the writer of our home. You when our kids woke up at 530 in the morning they saw their mom in front of the couch on her knees praying for them main sheet she just had this holy passion about family and I will tell you this kids now by God's grace are all walking with God have all married mates that have a heart for ministry and in different ways her own ministry mean one does it through physical therapy and other through preaching ones right song.
The other works for the nonprofit, but I just as were talking about vision.
What's your vision and what I one of observed and I mean this respectfully does this happen to me so many times is what you get a vision for your home, you get a vision for work to get a vision for ministry.
What happens is when you think about what it will really take you start thinking will these people 90 some space will have a big wet action might need some money here might need some people a lot smarter than me and you look at all the resources and then we see all the resources you sell well this Cimino, it can never happen to me. I'm just one housewife. How can I help those people in inner-city are you not just one business person. What can I do you not just on the software programmer.
I'm just a doctor and you know my life is so full already.
I there's no way that I've got this burden.
Most visions die on the operating table of God's plan because when we see how much resources. It will take.
We give up thinking God can't do it. So you had this dream for an ethnic group. You have the stream for women you had this dream for kids yet this dream for kids around the school, you had this dream for your family. You have this dream for other men that have addictions you had this dream at all, here's what I'm telling you where God's agenda is championed God's resources flow were God's agenda is championed. His resources flow don't start thinking about how just get focused on the what and on the why God would take care of the how you bring people dream a dream.
Form a team. He will resource the vision and he'll do something in you in the process.
Nehemiah shows us how it works. Chapter 2 verse five and I said to the king pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me the radical step of faith where to the city and Judah were my fathers are buried so I can rebuild it. That's his mission. That's his circle and I can rebuild it, just very clean, very clear. He didn't say semi back to preach the ultimate back to a revival today what, there's a physical issue, business person I got leadership gift I've been praying about it. Send me to rebuild it.
Then the king with the Queen sitting beside them asked me how long will your journey take and when will you get back it please the king to send me so I set a time circle the phrase so I set a time and he knew I can only set a time when I know here's the extent of the damage here's a resource I need.
Here's how many people I'm gonna need. Here's about how long a better foothold margin and buffer into it. So he had a strategic plan. Strategic plans don't have all the details. It has all the major building blocks and steps of how to get from where you are to wear what you know God wants you to do goes on. So I said to him, if it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of the trans-Euphrates, so they will provide me safe conduct until I arrive in Judah needs protection and may I have a letter to a soft keeper of the king's forest, so he'll give me timber to make the beams of the gates of the Citadel by the temple for the city wall and for the residence that I will occupy key needs provision translation king I need your MasterCard okay and he has a broken spirit. He understands it's not about him. Here's his reason why he is so bold and because the gracious hand of my God was upon me. The king granted my request wasn't because of a great leader was because unpersuasive because I had this great big vision the people to get behind is because the good hand of my God is upon him, and he knew his good hand was upon them because for the last four months is been fasting and praying and seeking God and us that this isn't about Nehemiah. This is about your agenda and is championing God's agenda. So I went to the governor, the trans-Euphrates. I gave him the king's letters and the king. Also, this is the exceedingly abundantly beyond when God provides the key to the vision becoming a reality is a strategic plan. The key to a strategic plan is first and foremost, what's your vision, you must have a picture of a preferable future. What is the burden on your heart that could be and must be in a person, place or situation. If the grace of God and the power of God was unleashed in it and were God's agenda is championed. His resources flow and here's how you get his resources. You asked the king when he minded. I mean he went from an idea to a prayer meeting to a game plan to can I go and he says yes and they said about why would you finance really you finance it. Kinko's yeah you have a king that's a lot bigger than the king of Persia cofinancing you need.
Staff will give you staff you need ideas to give you ideas. God will direct God will fund God will resource it. I wrote it very specific line my notes. I want to read to you great movements of God are not look not lacking because of lack of resources, but because lack because of lack of vision and radical faith with a clear-cut strategic plan to accomplish them.
God's just looking for a man for a woman and he'll give you eyes to see.
Later we can hear Nehemiah say what he shared with the people God put in his heart. There are needs that prick your heart like no one else's that make you tear up when you give yourself time to really think about it.
There needs that desperately need the grace of God and the love of God and the compassion of Christ to move into and you are made differently than any single person and often God's provision is how he confirms that you're on the right track right back with his application for the stitching from a series holy ambition, turning God -shaped dreams into reality. Do you long for your life to make a difference is God's doing something in your soul but you don't know how to get started will through this series trip explains how those deep-seated convictions and promptings can become God -shaped realities stay with her sister plays out a six step process for ordinary people like you and me to follow God's calling and impact our world in unbelievable ways.
For more information about holy ambition or are series resources to go to LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA to 333-6003 that's AAA 333-6003, or LivingontheEdge.org app listeners Special offers one joint in studio now by our Bible teacher chipping room and ship as you continue to teach on this topic of holy ambition, you know, there may be some people out there who were uncomfortable with that word ambition to them. It feels a bit unchristian, almost like there's an element of arrogance or maybe even greed involved. Explain what you mean when you use that word.
While Dave only be very very clear.
Because the truth is in all walks of life and business, entertainment, meeting with the rise of social media and even in the world of a kind of Christian celebrity pastors or musicians. There's kind of this underlying you know how do you build a platform.
In fact, allow young pastors asked me how did you build your platform. I tell them I didn't do it. What I had was a holy ambition and God begin to put some dreams on my heart. And then I struggle with them. Honestly, Dave, and I think a lot of people do, because for me that word ambition was negative and I already knew I was arrogant I thought.
I don't want to pour ambition on top of it and I remember having this this thought in my mind of pastoring a large church and I talked to a mentor who is the pastor of a large church is about 20 years older.
He said ship small churches, medium churches, large churches, you know no one's any better than anyone. God gifts different people for different size churches. The key is to walk in humility and what I would say to people is maybe we have plenty of selfish ambition but what we really need is a holy ambition from God, and what this book does. It helps regular ordinary people develop holy ambitions.
God uses great ways so Dave could you take just a minute and tell people how to get this book we go to trip to order the newest addition of holy ambition go to LivingontheEdge.org or call us at AAA 333-6003. Through this resource. Triple walk through a step-by-step process to turn your dreams and good intentions into a God infused reality know during this series, we discounted this latest edition of Chip's book so order yours today. Simply go to LivingontheEdge.org or give us a call at AAA 333-6003 app listeners Special offers will that ship let's hear your application for this message. As you listen to today's program. How are you gonna turn your good intentions into strategic plan out what area, what is it that begin to bubble up in your soul.
What came to your mind as you listen today's program and as we think about that together. I want to remind you of the two points we covered today in order for strategic plan to be used of God. It must begin with a vision.
What is your vision what you need in some other person in some other group sparks something so deeply in you that as I was talking today, it came right to your mind, your heart started to beat a little faster and you said yourself, wow I didn't think I was a person that had vision but maybe that's it.
Let me encourage you pursue it, pursue it, ask God go after that. See if in fact he isn't in that second thing, don't be afraid okay member what we learned, don't be afraid if you will champion God's agenda.
What's the promised God will resource you are right. He's looking for someone just like you, whose heart beats fast for a specific need, and you step out and you'll find there's other people get excited about that and he will bring you what you need when you step out money, time, resources, keys for you. He loves you come up with that strategic plan. I hope you'll be with me on our next broadcast because were going to talk about how to turn those good intentions into that strategic plan likes to just before we close. I want to thank each of you who's making this program possible for your generous giving 100% of your gifts are going directly to the ministry to help Christians really live like Christians a few friendships teaching helpful, but you're not get on the team.
Would you consider doing that today to donate. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org Donate on the app or give us a call at AAA 333-6003, let me thank you in advance for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do: select Stuyvesant to say thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge