Holy Ambition - Grow a Courageous Soul, Part 2

Are you feeling discouraged right now doesn't feel like what you do doesn't really matter.

It's hard to get the drive and the passion just continue to do what you believe God is prompted you to do. You're not alone. Discouragement comes today when you learn how to overcome. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge ship living on the informational discipleship start helping Christians live just a little rough up our six part series William Bishop learn something from the series you take a minute after the message in shirt friend but your finger mouth by downloading the free MP3 find living on the whole that lets your part two chips message grow greater so as we get going.

Trip continues to remind us that we tries to mess up our God shaped you have a Bible turned out to Nehemiah chapter 4 let's dive right while the enemy second punch God's program in our lives is the uppercut of discouragement.

Follow along as I read verses seven through 12, but when Sambol into the walls have built in San Bella Tobiah, the Arabs, the ammonites and the men of Ashdod heard that the repairs of Jerusalem walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed. They were very, very angry. They all plodded together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against but we notice again pray toward God and posted a guard at night to meet the threat. Meanwhile, the people in Judah said the strength of the laborers is getting out and there's so much trouble that we can't rebuild the wall.

Also, our enemies said before they know it or before they see it. We will be right there among them, and we will kill them and we will put into the work then the Jews who live near them came and told us 10 times over. Wherever you turn, they will attack you see what's going on here.

I mean it's it's built halfway. And now there's an offense and now you have a group of people that did you hear some of those phrases. Now they're looking at instead of the wall have built what is all he only sees the rubble.

There's too much to do. It says that they lost their strength there tired, they lost perspective and now they're hearing these whispers. Rumors are wherever you are if you are aware of your thinking to come they can get you and and Jews. Some of their Jewish brothers are coming and feeding in these lies feeding these lies.

Let me give you the four things that flow right out of this passage that will absolutely discourage you. The four causes of discouragement. Let me give you all for and then develop the first one is loss of strength, the strength of the laborers is giving out and write down the keyword fatigue.

Sometimes we over spiritualize things when you push it when you work hard when you're up early when you're up late when they're stressed when there's a lot of demand and you're going at it and then you minister after that and you get tired or vulnerable.

Your to be or vulnerable to the first thing that happens when you get really tired and really wiped out in your vulnerable you get discouraged. The second is notice the loss of vision notice for the sake there's so much trouble, but there are other half done, but all they say is it there's all they can see is what's left to do in the keyword is perspective. Think of where they were just probably a week or two earlier. I mean there was model everywhere this in the MIF let us arise and build our God will do that for me. They were fired. The people work with all their heart.

They get half done there fatigue and under and that doesn't happen. You you lose perspective like you to something I was really in a week, going that marriage counseling thing that we been to three sessions now, instead of we made progress in this is a long-term deal. You start setting some boundaries for some your kids and you know it can be really Harding is a not you know working to do it this way, and the pushback pushback pushback you start to see some results. You thinking what this is just too much friction. So forget this you fly your flag at work in you know you you begin to share your faith a little bit let people know what's happening and you know there's this inner sense insert get up in the morning and you want to meet with God and then you know this happens and that happens and you oversleep a couple times and there's extra big pressure at work in your up half the night and you really tired is like you know what got I just write happens to us, and it discouraged and and then these little voices I see guys I can use you. I mean that not someone like you. That whole idea that missions trip them stupid issue.

The gone should have signed up, see if you can get out of. By the way, all the monies not in right but I'll tell you something. Maybe I don't want to go and maybe or maybe God really has some great when you get discouraged.

The next thing is notice there's a loss of confidence as a source of discouragement. Look at the phrase there in verse 10 we cannot rebuild the wall your half done, but we can't do it in the keyword there is faith before they believed by the power of God. This is going to happen and now they lost their confidence and then finally look at verse 12, the enemy will surprise attack you 10 different times they have a loss of security and and in fear when you get tired when you lose perspective when your faith begins to waiver and then when you have fear let me tell you something, you get discouraged by the way, it's very interesting I'm I'm doing this will study for the fallen.

One of the ideas I had was to stop I'm going to do, but was to take all these different attributes of God and see where they came out in the life of Christ and and I went through one morning I read Matthew and Mark and just I read it very quickly, but I read it just to find out times when people were in stressful situations and what did Jesus do in a sinner and he says fear not, fret not. But most common when I saw was to courage your grounding to courage Peter looking for ways to courage to courage see courage. Courage is even though there is fear even though there's opposite position. Courage is the willingness to step out. Trusting God and to do what you know is right even when everything around you or inside you is scaring you to death what he say to Joshua strong encourages be strong and courageous. Do not tremble. Don't be dismayed. So when you lose your courage and so what is discouragement. This is just removing the courage for you to hang in there. So you threat you want to give and you give up.

We start going to the motions.

I told you the story about going to seminary my third year.

Let me tell you exactly where was I was sitting in my seat is in theology class teacher was Dr. Charles Ryberg and so you should listen to him because he wrote his own Bible. The robbery study Bible brilliant brilliant guy really enjoyed his class and know where I went to school to have these large lecture halls where you note that went down like stairstep with these long things and so there's probably couple hundred guys in the class and have you ever been so tired and so discouraged that you go into like a stupor used and and I can you know I probably didn't get my money's worth. I can tell you thing he said is all. All I remember doing is sitting there gone I can do this anymore. I was fatigue probably gone for maybe five hours sleep Max.

But for a lot for probably two to half years lost perspective completely. My calling. Who cares what my calling and I'm just life stinks. I only had one year left. It was like I can do one more year. My faith is faltering. My confidence that I was afraid. I think you know why not. I probably will be good pastor anyway and I was in that stupor and I was just sitting like this and apparently the class it ended and everyone was gone because as I sat there I felt this tap on my shoulder and I looked up and was Dr. irie and I looked around and no one was in the room and God used him to save my life and save my future is very short conversation. In fact, it was a one-way conversation.

Chip gifts are don't make any big decisions in the next 24 to 48 hours. I don't care what to do.

Go home and get two or three good night sleep in two or three good meals don't make any decisions yes or and I figured he wrote the Bible out of duty says and you know I had of course a big paper due and I just know okay and I slept deeply for 23 nights got to three Ford really good meals is an amazing thing God reminded me that you've been yet three years on your belt. I called you to do this. Here's the plans I have for you and you know what I re-upped about you which one of these things is causing you get discouraged for some of you met many just need to stop what what you decide I need I need to rest up. I need a good meal. I need a couple good workouts I need to not make any decision I got get off this treadmill to stop. I get perspective when I went away.

Sometimes I want to get too much done too fast and so the very first day I mean I had so many thoughts and so an afternoon.

Tonight I study all morning and afternoons are trying take a walk with Teresa that we did every day and and so the very first day I remember walking and walking walking. We walk about 25 minutes and return around 25 minutes and we got about you two like the 40 minute marker and Teresa said something like, wow, aren't these trees beautiful and I looked up I realized I had walked 40 minutes.

I had not noticed the trees. I have not noticed the mountains but not noticed my wife. I'd not noted in our unit we had little chitchat I make little brain and I was going going going going and I remember just stopping and send you know what Ingram just lighten what you need to do is stop and I watch the trees in the next 24 hours. I just spent time with God and shut off all the media and set you know what I'm going to trust that by the time I had down this hill, three or four days later you will give me crystal clear idea of what you want to say to your people and you know what, I took a nap that afternoon I got a workout later that day I ate good. I limited how much of that box.

I watched and I just was amazing. It's amazing the renewal that happens Nehemiah's response teaches us how to come off the ropes in rule the ring.

Let's look at verses 13 to 29 to 20 actually and just just notice some very specific things he does says therefore okay he's discouraged. People of lost it, that it may, they think were done snogging to happen. There's threats and you know all the murmuring down the miser guy that we can't keep build mission or Bob already left.

You know he and his family. They took off and I mean if you ever been a leader and and things are falling apart. It's not a good situation, especially if you use a like the head of the family male or female, but you're the head of the family and really had a ministry where you have a project at work. Notice what Nehemiah does.

Therefore, I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall and expose places posting them notice by families with their swords, spears and bows. After I look things over. Notice evaluation. Notice families are together. Relationships I stood up and said to the nobles to be officials and the rest of the people. Don't be afraid of them. Stop being afraid why. Remember the Lord who is great and awesome and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters are wise in your homes, words, what's at stake.

Let's remember. Why were here.

What were doing when our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it. We returned to the wall, each to his own work. From that day on half of my men did the work while the other half were equipped with spears and shields and bows and armor it.

It's this this is real warfare for many of us, this will translate into spiritual warfare. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah, who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other hand, in each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked with the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me. Then I said to the nobles to be officials and to the rest of the people. The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall whenever you hear the sound of the trumpet.

Join us there so we say look at were stationed here. We've made preparation were ready to fight you got people protecting you. Here we going to the most strategic, vulnerable spots, but we don't know where it's can happen when you hear the trumpet that's were ready to gather very strategic very clear. He has a plan. He goes on to say, so we continue to work with half the men holding the spears and till Dawn from the first of Dawn till the stars came out at night translation there is times that you busted in your life and your ministry in your walk with God and it starts at dawn and ends when the stars come out at that time. I also said of people have every man and his help her stay inside Jerusalem at night so they can serve as guards by night and working by day in the notice. This modeling neither I nor my brothers nor the men nor the guards with me took off their clothes each had his weapon even when he went for water element give you for very practical things to do when you're discouraging for some of you, this can't come too late because today was like a discouraging day.

Or maybe it was a very depressing day or maybe you're thinking about some stuff and what I've shared tonight is like on believable you send yourself that's exactly where I am number 1B pro active notice. Nehemiah did not wait around wondering how wonderful her to come. I wonder when and what can happen. He was pro active do something practical and positive notice that he put people in the places where they were most vulnerable. Notice that he got a mindset of battle. It wasn't just getting the work of the task done.

He realized there's a battle going on. There's a battle going on for your soul. There's a battle going on for your family. There's a battle going on for your sexual purity. There's a battle going on for the ministry that God is a holy ambition and Satan wants to cut you early and hard as he can be proactive and so for me, this can mean taking a walk, writing a letter to encourage someone texting someone that I care about that and think I just haven't thought about a little towards something positive. I will go work out. Also, listen to Christian music Hall call someone that I know very well and say hey this is Chip, I'm discouraged.

Would you just listen and they do but you gotta do some positive discouragement and depression are like a cloud when the cloud comes on you.

Can you how you can kinda feel it coming and you sink in, and you're sinking in the something deep and ugly in our souls whether something almost like self-pity and it's coming down in is really hard and is a terrible place to be and I really hate to be here, but I will some of you know when you get about here. You need to get a minute I put this off. I'm not going there and it's a choice you don't feel like going there it's arousing and asking the spirit of God to give you courage. Second, remember who's on your team.

He says our God will fight for us here, God's child, your loved you matter you plan for you. He loves you is got a ministry for you. Remember who's on your team remembering God's great faithfulness in the past will empower you to trusting him for still greater things in the future and that's what the Psalms are all about third fight fight fightand see what's at stake, fight for your mothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, your homes, your brothers fight. We lost that. If you haven't noticed, there is no easy way to accomplish anything of any value. The reason so many of us get sucked into the tube is because it's something that we can do completely passively.

That's why kids who watch a lot of TV early and play lots of video games often have real problems thinking because they can't wait on anything anymore to get a fight. It takes your will is like a muscle and you ask God to you. I don't feel like doing this and you know went. When I caved into that you are either a slave of your body or your body is a slave to you. That's what the apostle Paul said, I will make my body my slave, your body, your appetites need to do what you say not you doing what it says otherwise your prisoner. I have to watch this. I have to drink this to have to eat this, I have to be with you. I have to let people use me. I've let people walk all over me.

I have to I have to I have to unite a victim fight fight fight and you know the areas where God is speaking to you and and finally, never fight alone.

He put them in families.

He put them together. He put them was someone behind them to protect them. What we know from Scripture and experiences the people that get connected and I don't mean just going to a small group you go to a small group and keep it superficial till Jesus comes. The people that get connected in a small group who learn to minister who roll up their sleeves and do something for other people.

It's bigger than themselves together to share hearts who share God's word, who tell one another. The truth will hold each other accountable with a gentleness and a love those are the people whose lives progressively with all the ups and downs that you can have and I have are transformed become what Jesus and by the that's the game plan that you be conformed to the image of his son.

You have a heavenly father who thinks so much of you.

He thinks I mean because he's infinite. If you think of all the sand there is in the sea, all the stars, the billions and billions his thoughts toward you are that many.

You got somebody else you because you matter because your love. He died for you. You raised from the dead.

He has a plan for you and he invites you coming to me walk with me.

Let's do life together, but he's going to show up. Certainly in the pages of Scripture.

But the Spirit of God lives inside of me in the spirit of God lives inside of you. And when we sit around together openly and honestly and can put aside our pride in our ego and allow the Christ in me and the Christ in you to share with one another worse shape than love the way he's going hug you that you might have a big supernatural experience and praise God for as many as I can get of those but most of the hugs him to get from God or you have flesh on the good be a regular person and when God listens to me as often get me to the ears of a kind, compassionate person is what the enemy wants to do is get you off by yourself. And when you're alone, you get discouraged when you get discouraged you do stupid stuff in your vulnerable and we all do but to hear my heart.

God is a holy ambition.

What years what years are dream because it's God's dream is to mobilize one hundred percent of the people to discover the God shake dream that he's forming in your heart and have you connected with other people and doing something that you would say 3 to 5 years from now I could never imagine God using ordinary person one to accomplish his love and grace in extraordinary ways. Reality, though you may be asking yourself what does it mean to have a holy ambition. Those two words seem to be contradictory as well understand through trips to drink else called us to be both holy and ambitious through the biblical story of Nehemiah ship him back. So God develops unique passions and desires in us so that he can then work through us. Discover how you can be used by God to accomplish the extraordinary know if you missed any part of our series, holy ambition, the chipping roadmap is a great way to catch up anytime or Bible teacher Chip Ingram is with me now and should before we hear your application and I was wondering if you take a second and talk to a specific group of people they been listening to the series they think they have a dream, but they are confident in it, or their own sure it's even one God placed on their hearts. Know what advice do you have for them all day but I love talking to people there and just that spot because I think as God is birthing something in us. We usually have a barrage of doubts and I mean that's gotta be for someone.

I remember thinking, way smarter than me and way more holy than me and and and as I taught through for the very first time holy ambition, I watch different people. Like a coach get a view of it and then a businessman and he launched a group for businessmen and and then a teenager and I saw what they did in their school and it was just so exciting and so after that series. It a few years later became a book and everyone I've talked to just has this issue. I remember getting to teach this.

It where I went to seminary and there was a young man there named name Zach and Zach said can I come out for maybe a couple days just hang out with you what you said about holy ambition deeply resonated with me and so Zach came out.

We spent a couple days together and little that I know that he was married to a lady named Jenny and it was Zach and Jenny Allen and Zach and Jenny are both just excellent leaders and Jenny actually took this concept of holy ambition overwhelm with lots of doubts and could this be me and she walked through that process that we walk through in the book and it's been amazing to see the if gathering grow out of that and now she speaks and is an author and an Zach is an entrepreneur building disciples so I would just say it if you don't know Donna where you go from those vague sort of sense of promptings. I don't know if is really from God. How do you get it clear, and where you go, that is exactly why we turned the series into a book called holy ambition how to turn God -shaped dreams into reality. They want to take just a second let people know how they can get it to 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.

Now 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 hapless nurse Special offers. Now here's Chip with some final thoughts from what we heard today as we wrap up this program and the series I just want to remind you that this idea this holy ambition that we talked about is not just for me or people in ministry is for every single one of you listening you know in it. We went through a process that God uses you dislocate your heart dumb and you start caring about something and then you realize you can't do it and you develop this broken spirit and you come before God and pray and then at some point he has you take this radical step of faith to say okay Lord I'm going to give it a whirl and then he ask you to develop a strategic plan and often he brings other people into the mix so you get the help that you need and then you make a very personal commitment say God is really called me to do this and this is my part on the wall of God's kingdom in this is the part that he wants me to play and then finally when you do that as we talk. The last couple days. Boy you need a courageous soul because it really does get harder before it gets easier. But here's what I would say more important than anything else. Ask God to show you what he wants you to do with your life that is holy, that makes a difference in loving others that makes a real impact whether anyone else sees it or not, let me encourage you, whether it's launching something big or something inside your house.

Ask God for your holy ambition and then do it. That's a great reminder Chip as we wrap up the series will before we go. Let me take just a second to thank the generous people who make monthly donations to support the ministry of Living on the Edge your faithful gifts help us inspire Christians to live like Christians and every gift makes a huge difference. If you haven't partnered with us yet. Would you prayerfully consider joining the Living on the Edge team make a one time gift or set up a recurring donation by going to LivingontheEdge.org or by calling us a triple late. 333-6003 that's LivingontheEdge.org or triple late.

333-6003 hapless nurse top Tony.

Until next time, this is Dave really saying thanks for listing this Edition of Living on the Edge