Holy Ambition - Create a Strategic Plan, Part 2

Are you frustrated you have a desire or dream in your heart you sense God wants to do something in your life. Maybe it's a job made during your marriage.

Maybe it's a change needs to happen with the kids. Maybe it's a whole new direction in your singleness desire but you don't know how to get there. How do you develop a plan to move from point a where you are, to point B, where you know God want you to arrive that day how to develop strategic plan. Welcome to this Tuesday. Addition of living on the good ship serves as our Bible teacher on this daily international discipleship program on the brewery in the series were in right now is called holy ambition, turning God shaped dreams into reality chips in the process of explaining six necessary conditions for that to happen today were in the middle of the fourth. So if you list any of the previous messages in the series. You can hear them online anytime by visiting our website LivingontheEdge.org just click listen now with you go to Bible Haley open it now to the book of Nehemiah chapter 2. Let's join ship for part two of his message create a strategic plan where God's agenda is championed God's resources flow were God's agenda is championed. His resources flow don't start thinking about the how just get focused on the what and on the why God take care of the house will 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 of the 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 just very clean, very clear.

He didn't say to me back to preach the ultimate back to a revival today what, there's a physical issue. I'm a 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 we 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 telling people I'm gonna need. Here's about how long a better poodle 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 where what you know God want you to do the 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 will give me timber to make the beams of the gates of the Citadel by the temple for the city wall and from the residence that I will occupy key needs provision translation king I need your MasterCard guy 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 was because I'm a great leader was because unpersuasive not because I had this great big vision, the people want 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 in 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 to give you staff you need ideas to get the ideas God will direct God will fund God will resource it. I wrote it very specific line my notes on a 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 the gods just looking for a man for a woman and he'll give you eyes to see later written here. Nehemiah say what he shared with the people what God put in his heart. There are needs that prick your heart like no one else's. But 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 in 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.

The biggest mistake we make is we wait for God to dwell God when you bring all the people all the resources then will go nothing happens there all those Old Testament pictures is the water parts when what happened. They step into the water. It's mom's going. I think my holy ambition needs to be first and foremost, my family and then I think I'll connect with children are. I think I'll connect with women. It's guys saying first and foremost my vision. I'm to be a man of God, a man of integrity.

But I've got some baggage and can help smother men get out of their addictions. Like I got out of my so in the next couple pages. Nehemiah will give us I think is good as any leadership book and I've I don't have any formal training in it. I just read everything under the sun to try and learn about strategic planning and leadership.

And I will tell you what points three and four. Nehemiah gives it as good as any book I've ever read. He's gonna say your strategic plan must be berthed in private must be berthed in private.

Follow along with me. In verse 11. He says I went to Jerusalem after staying there three days so is gone from Susa. He went to the guy with all the timber and said here's how many trees were gonna need king says so. Here's his credit card and now he's arrived in Jerusalem and after staying there three days, I set out during the night with a few men hide not told anyone what got it put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was writing on, and by night I went out through the Valley gate toward the jackal wall. The dung gate and I was examining the walls of Jerusalem, which is been broken down and it is gates which have been destroyed by fire, and then I moved on toward the fountain gate in the king's pool but there wasn't enough room for my mount to get through.

So I went up the valley by night, examining the wall and then finally I turned back and reentered to the delegates. We literally counterclockwise.

If you had a map of the city, he goes all the way around the entire wall.

Some places are so much trouble. He can't get through and he's examining the extent of the damage and what the situation is and the notices last line. He said the officials did not know where I am gone to start doing it. Secrecy or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests of the nobles or the officials or others who would be doing the work there some confidences and I haven't talked to anyone yet but these are all the people you do the work there some faith. So imagine he's coming to Jerusalem and you get a picture.

This week we get. He's like not quite the vice president. But I mean this is he's coming from the right hand man, a most powerful person in the world to a broken down city and for three days he goes dark, he is not like he came press conference what you know guys God spoke to me.

Get king's credit card. You make the thing happen you just listen to me guys and we can do it for three days.

He says nothing. In fact, when he wants to find out the real lay the land he does it at night so people don't even know what's happening three principles flow out of this of birthing your strategic plan number one is silence to listen.

Verse 11.

It was after three days. Verse 12.

I told no one. Verse 16.

I said nothing. Once you get a God-given vision, a burden that he wants you to respond to a need that you believe he wants you to meet. Don't go blabbing about it don't get this idea in his heart and pray for a few days, and six were to reach inner-city kids start this ministry can do this with just listen close what the client.

Don't assume you have all the answers. That's why he listened. Don't assume you know all the facts. Discover what other people think what their views are what's coming you what he did. He didn't come in with a bunch answers. He came in and said what's the lay of the land what's going on here. The second is secrecy to assess you have to do your homework. We want to jump into make stuff happen. Evaluate the extent of the need. What are the available resources. What are the attitudes what's the climb is one of the issues that examining the wall is like a surgeon looking at the extent of the damage before he operates and so you get secret not to hide something from people but to really understand not what other people say is going on but you find out firsthand what are the real issues. What are the real needs and then third is solitude to strategize and develop a team to come up with specific strategic plan, you have deadlines have specific goals. Here's where we want to be in five years.

Here's where want to be in three you know it's all in a change of big picture the next 12 months is what we gotta do when one hears how much it's going to cost her steps were gonna take.

Here's the first steps God blesses specific plans, not vague general ideas, and so solitude is for strategizing to develop a specific means to implement. More specifically, just so we get it down to the grassroots level. Many of shared sort of the journey of coming from homes where we really do know how to do marriage or family and let let me give you about a year year and 1/2 in my marriage. Here's how I came up this with the strategic plan for my marriage silence. I listen to to Teresa listen to her frustrations and her telling me what she needed me to be this painful.

I spent the first year and have tell her what she needed to do and become make our marriage work. She's make me nuts. Great, she love God I love God, but not working very well after the silence that was secrecy to assess.

I went away and got quiet and owned my part. Realizing I could not change my wife and she had a lot of baggage and so did I. So I went to Prof. Gunning, prof Hendrix is been a mentor into a guy who's teaching pastoral psychology at the seminary and said I think this is what I need to own my best understanding from what I've learned is this is where she's coming from what I'm coming from. This is kind of homeless come home. I know two things we can't communicate and we can't resolve anger. I know that's not good. So we you help me regardless if she ever changes in any way. Will you help me secrecy assess how can I be the kind husband responded that and they did. And then last one was solitude to develop a plan and I got away and she got away and we went to some counseling and then we came up with the strategic plan for our marriage, and it involved because of us.

This isn't necessarily for you but for us. We need at least 15 minutes every day. Sometimes a lot more after supper or we talk and share how are you really doing and connect we needed one date a week. I made it Friday mornings for about three or four hours we breakfast together and were to spend time together every Friday we needed to have what we call a conference about twice a week we asked these three questions that teach about communication. They were on the calendar and we went out and did them together asking these three questions we learn to communicate and we plugged in two times a year to get away for at least a couple nights despite how poor we were. We would trade off kids with other people because we realize if we didn't invest in the romantic side of our marriage, and get away. It wouldn't work.

I came up with my wife for strategic plan for a marriage of where the burden of my heart and what I believe is biblical. We did the same thing for kids. We talk about strategic plans, this isn't just about church and ministry and growth. This is about what you need to do I need to do. We need to do you need a strategic plan for your own spiritual life, but it has to be birthed in private. It takes times of silence, times of secrecy in times of solitude and so strategic planning begins. You must have a vision to you champion God's agenda and he'll cause the resources to flow your way people wisdom.

Whatever you need its birth in private and then finally it needs to be launched in public notice and two versus Nehemiah gives us an amazing way to launch things in public. It says that I said to them you see the bad situation we are in the Jerusalem is desolate and gates are burned by fire come.

He says he speaking to the group of people. He's going public.

Now there's a big group of people.

This guy came was a coming from even hiding out for quite a while now is gone public duty to God, look at this easy to see the big rocks you see this is gates sending no one's worshiping no one lives in the city didn't use to see the situation. The Jerusalem is desolate. Gates burned by fire come challenge. Let us together build the wall of Jerusalem why that we may no longer be a reproach. This is a disgrace to God's name.

This is a disgrace to us and I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he spoke to me. Then they said response. Let us arise and build so they put their hands to the good work. Get your pan out as I go through these quickly. I want to give you in those two verses how to launch your strategic plan, you prayed. You recruited team you dream to dream you're forming a team or you, working through some of those private areas number one clearly defined the problem people get used to living in messes they get used to marriages that are dysfunctional to get used to kids that have bad attitudes and slammed the door and live in front of videogames well on what the conflict people get used to the walls being burned down. You define the problem first and foremost.

Do you see he says the answer was they didn't see.

Second, identify what the problem. Notice he says it's our problem. It's not yours. You see the bad situation we are in third proposing we solution. He didn't blame any sedan with the kids what we can do about this. You sit down with your wife. What are we going to do about this.

You get with the government. What are we gonna do about this. Number four. Give a clear strong challenge. He asked big things.

So what what I want you to ask people for big things. If you feel me asking you for big things your hearing very clearly where to go then motivated the deepest level, there's no soft sell.

He didn't say we get the walls built in your businesses will go better or later on I get the king to give you good retirement. He says do that we may no longer be a reproach to motivate from within. Scott to be about what kind of believers do we want to be.

How seriously do we take the name of Christ and his church.

What kind of difference do we want to make for his glory. And then you help other people see God's hand me the reason I told you some of the stories were God's hand showed up this year and finally you explain specifically how everyone can be involved.

God is prepared to give direction and resources wisdom.

If you can find a man or woman whose heart is fully his ship will be back in just a minute so my application for today's teaching but if you're just joining us for listening to Living on the Edge with shipping room and the message you just heard create a strategic plan is from chip series. Holy ambition turning God shaped dreams into reality.

The six part series helps you discover how extraordinary things for God can be accomplished by very ordinary people in it. Chip explains six key conditions for anyone who longs to make a difference longs to know God's will for their life and then see it actually lived out that's you or someone you know this series. Holy ambition is the perfect voice to start chip walks you through a step-by-step process that will bring clarity and intentionality to everything you do. There are several holy ambition resources available and all are discounted right now. Not only that, but we know not everyone is in the same place on their spiritual journey. So when you go to our website. Click on. You were made for more find all of the resources were currently discounting. We hope you discover your spiritual gifts and what's next on your faith journey. Give us a call at 1-888-333-6003 or visit us online at http://livingontheedge.org for holy ambition and you were made for more will check when you talk about the holy ambition, then laying it out like you are.

It sounds like a little bit like step one step to step three. Does it really play out. That simply and easily.

What you you picked up on that and absolutely not. In other words, were looking at a man's life were looking at. Years and years of a man's life and what we have here in Scripture is how God will take ordinary people to do extraordinary things, and in the life of Nehemiah. He gives us a pattern for how that happens. So yes it does start with God dislocating our heart and it does begin with, you know, praying prayers were we get aligned with God and it will require a radical step of faith and in a strategic plan and all the things we talked about, but it is a process and and it happens faster and and and slower depending on the person and their stage of life and what God's doing and so that's why of all the series of ever taught. Actually, this was the very first book I ever wrote. Because it was literally my kind of my life story and from that we develop some small group material and I have seen literally thousands and thousands of people go through the holy ambition and praying and asking God because the real issue behind this series is what's my purpose.

Why did you make me what do you want me to do and what I find is people long for that. And when they discover it. It's absolutely amazing what God will do and what he's done. I can tell you stories about people that have started orphanages about a lady that helps down syndrome kids because she started a little ranch. She had no money, no Landon wanted to take courses to help down syndrome kids. I could talk to you about a stay at home mom who begin a ministry in her neighborhood about a man who is holy ambition was to help homeless people and got thousands of people in our church to donate coats.

In other words, when you discover a purpose that God has for you. It will rock your world.

And so, let me encourage you if your reader get the book. If you're a listener get the MP3s of the CDs. If you really want to see God work find a handful of people that you like and say let's go through this small group together and as you rub shoulders with one another and go through this process, I will just tell you from historical precedent, God will show you your purpose and man alive.

It'll be great but it's chip will now would be a great time to get a few friends together and dig into holy ambition as a small group pursuing a holy ambition isn't for the faint of heart.

It'll take to termination, perseverance, and a group of people to support and cheer you on. So let me encourage you go to our website LivingontheEdge.org we'll find the holy ambition video resources either DVDs or online streaming with study guides and get your group started. If you have questions or need more information can always just give us a call here at 1-888-333-6003. We'd love to talk with you now with some final application. Here's chip as we close today's program. I am acutely aware that there are some people that when I speak about strategic plans. It is so natural for you to think this way that it's like oh yeah, and especially for those in business for those who are in areas of leadership for some of you this is so, I mean basic for many of us, this is like how to get my arms around this and so I want to remind you that silence you have to listen ponder, ask questions, it's getting alone. Second, it's secrecy you need to do an assessment and let those things bubble up where you see what needs to be done and why.

And then solitude you need to get a loan to come up with that strategic plan, but after you get a loan, you may desperately need some help. Often, gotta put something on your heart, but you'll need a team of people and you need to share you know this one gal who had this dream to help disabled kids through horseback riding and it was a dream, and she had all this emotion but she got with the her husband and another man who was a strategic planner and they found a plot of land and and what they did is they went from an idea and a passion that was in her and she got a group of people and now are you ready there's a ranch there's horses, there's all these disabled kids. They're getting loved and then there hearing about Christ and their parents are there listening to Jesus because of her holy ambition but she needed help for the strategic plan.

So let me encourage it may be ask God, who do you know that might be good at helping you formulate this, don't do it by yourself. In fact, if you wonder how to get there this series that I'm teaching right now is in a small group DVD format that you could just go through this with a group of people and I think your strategic plan will come to light. We long to help you fulfill the dream because, put on your heart. Do you wish you could hear Living on the Edge when it fits into your schedule.

You can for those of you who want to listen to Living on the Edge whenever and wherever you want. Download the free trip and grow map you'll find the chipping remap at Google play or the app store today will be with us again next time when chip continues our current series told them this is Dave Drury saying thanks for listening.

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