You Can Make A Difference (Part 3)

In this post, I start with some more insights from Rick Warren, move on to Suzy Silk's sermon (which I find particularly helpful), then end with habits for thriving vocationally and Bill Hybel's advice from 'Wiser in our Work'. Enjoy!

Rick Warren: 7 ways to test an impression/idea/thought: is it God’s will?

An idea must pass all 7 of these tests to be proven with certainty that this is God’s will.

1. Does the idea agree with the bible? God’s will will never contradict His Word (Galatians 1:8). Truth is eternal (Luke 21:33) and it never changes. Truth never changes, but opinions do change. God cannot lie. You may not like that, but it doesn’t make it untrue.

2. Does this idea make me more like Christ? Jesus should be the standard to judge all aspects of your life against, because God put you here to see how you can grow in Christ-likeness! God is more interested in your character than your comfort, and he wants you to grow up and become more like Jesus. Philippians 2:5 & 2 Corinthians 10:5. Jesus is the standard. God gives us a checklist in the fruits of the Spirit. James 3:14-17 is an acid test. It is not an idea from God if it is:

a. Motivated by bitterness or envy (retaliation, getting even, getting revenge, or making others jealous of you).

b. Motivated by self-ambition. God doesn’t give you self-serving ideas, like becoming the richest or most powerful person. God will not serve your own personal ambitions. Ideas from God are:

i. Pure and impartial,

ii. Peace-loving, i.e. promoting harmony, not conflict or division or war. All gossip is satanic, including criticizing others.

iii. Considerate, i.e. not hurting or harming anyone else.

iv. Submissive, i.e. humble, teachable, willing to have your idea checked by someone else (what do you think about this idea?). If you aren’t willing to share an idea, it isn’t from God.

v. Full of mercy. It’s going to make me more forgiving of you and more gracious to you. God has given me an awful lot of slack, and so I should do the same to my family and others; I should not be critical or judgmental of others. It takes maturity and wisdom to find the beauty in everybody else!

vi. Impartial and sincere. Don’t use what God tells you to manipulate other people. Don’t be hypocritical. Be consistent.

3. Does my church family confirm it? Ephesians 3:10. ‘Through the church’. Ask other mature believers what they think about it. If they agree with you, it probably is from God. Proverbs 11:9 ‘The wisdom of the righteous can save you.’ Build Godly relationships into your life, e.g. join a small group. Proverbs 11:14.

4. Is it consistent with how God shaped me? God made you to be you, distinctly and uniquely you, and God shaped you for your specific work he has laid out for you. Ephesians 2:10.Your shape determines and reveals your purpose. If you are musically inclined, use that talent for God’s glory. If not, don’t try to entertain the public with your music. Romans 12:6. Just because you like it doesn’t mean you should actually do it. Focus on what you are really good at (shaped for) and do that. You cannot be whatever you want to be, but you can be all God shaped you to be.

5. Does it concern my responsibility? If it is not your responsibility, why should God talk to you about it? He will talk directly to whomever it is intended for. John 21:22. WITTY = What Is That To You? Don’t judge others; just get your act together. Listen for you and things you need to change, not what you think must change in somebody else. Romans 14:4, 10,13. Never say “God told me to tell you….” Or “God has revealed to me…about you”. You are not the Holy Spirit. Do not assume God’s role to others. There are 3 guidelines to follow if God is going to speak to you about somebody else:

a. Be patient and pray. Don’t immediately go to others. Wait and give God a chance to speak directly to the other person. God is probably telling you things so you can pray for others to be receptive to what God wants to say to them.

b. God will use you to confirm what He has already said to them.

c. God usually uses you without you being conscious of it. Something you say in small group could have an impact on someone else without you even knowing or intending it.

6. Is it convicting rather than condemning? Conviction comes from God. He gives it to us to correct us because He loves us and wants us to live the correct kind of way. He provides us with guidance on how to live well. Condemnation comes from Satan, just to criticize and confuse you. It is feeling vaguely guilty and bad, with no guidance for improvement or getting out of it. It doesn’t go away or get better. Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” God never attacks your value. He will point out your sin, but he won’t belittle you. He tells you what is wrong, and then how to correct it. Revelation 3:19. Jesus took our condemnation for our sin, and in Him we are forgiven, so the penalty for our being convicted of sin is forgiveness through faith in Jesus. This sets us free.

7. Do I sense God’s peace about it? If you feel pressure, overwhelmed or confused about a decision, it is because you are caught up in yourself and not what God wants. 1 Corinthians 14:33 “God is not the author of confusion.” As any parent does, God wants us to understand what He wants us to do, so He won’t confuse us in His messages to us. If you are unsure, ask God. Philippians 4:6-7. Proverbs 22:17 tells us to listen to God’s advice, follow it, and then pass it on to other people.

If you aren’t hearing God clearly, you have allowed sin to come between you and God, blocking the clear transmission of His messages to you. Confess that sin and open up the communication channels.

Per John 8:47, if you haven’t found salvation, you will not hear God speak to you.

How do we balance a job of work, earning an income, with being ‘on mission’ for God and focusing on Him?

Per Bruce Martin, we need to remember that we have a foundational primary responsibility to provide for our immediate family (and ourselves).

God created and ordained work to be a good thing, but, after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin, work has unfortunately become often painful and frustrating, and it produces sweat, thorns and thistles.

Work sets us up to pursue all that God has in store for us aligned with His mission (His calling on your life).

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On the topic of discovering God’s calling on your life, from the sermon ‘A Missional Life: Your Calling’ by Suzy Silk.

Only God can show us the motives of our hearts, so we should Listen to God’s voice. We thus need to learn to hear God’s voice.

In Isaiah 6:8 God’s voice is calling out inviting someone to join Him in the mission He has. God also called out to Abraham, and he responded and God sent Him on a mission. An invitation, then God awaits a response, then an instruction from God sending them out on a mission. He also did this with Jonah and with the disciples.

The word ‘vocation’ comes from the word ‘call’. All people can respond to God’s call on our lives. Romans 8:28-30 mentions God calling us into His good purposes. He has a purpose for every single one of us, to know and glorify God and enjoy Him forever and bring His Kingdom; to become more like Jesus; to love God and one another, living a holy life (2 Timothy 1:9) by studying and obeying the scriptures and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. The scriptures are full of wise counsel on how to live your life.

John 15:16 Jesus has called you, chosen you and appointed you to spiritual produce fruit, to bring people into the Kingdom.

Micah 6:8 advises us how to live God’s good purposes for your life, i.e. “to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”

Per 2 Peter 1:3, “God has given us everything we need in order to live a Godly life.”

Simply say ‘Yes’ to Him, and He will lead you in the good purposes He has for you.

In reality, we mostly don’t know our calling until in hindsight, e.g. Joseph and what he does for the first part of his life in Egypt in obedience to God not giving in to temptations until he helps his people during the plague. God will keep establishing our steps until we end up where He wants us to be at.

Mary Magdalene is the first person to see the resurrected Jesus because of her desire to be close to Jesus at all times up to that point.

Say ‘Yes’ to Jesus and obey Jesus and you will walk in the plans he has for your life.

Psalm 139 says that you weren’t an accident; God designed and created you in a unique way, for His good purposes. See also Ephesians 2:8-10.

Psalm 90:12 in effect advises us to offer each day to the Lord and in so doing discover what God has planned for us, one day at a time (each day is valuable).

Proverbs 16:9 advises us that, although we plan, the Lord establishes our steps.

What has God uniquely put into us? Ask yourself the questions:

1. What are you good at?

2. What do you love doing?

3. What does the world need? Areas of brokenness in the world you are attuned to/want to make a difference in.

4. What can you can get paid for?

Does your work enable you to do your calling (do you have margin for it, after supporting your family?), or is it sucking life from you so you cannot do what God has put on your heart. Move from angst in your career to something that is helpful for your calling.

How do I do this?

a) Move from frustration to mastery and flow (to what you are good at).

b) Move from grinding it out to joyful energy. Does it drive you or give you energy?

c) Move from self-centered to other-centered. How to leverage your life to help others.

d) From the margins to the center. Can you do your calling for a living, or allow your day job to help support your calling? Paul worked as a tent-maker most of the time to fund his ministry.

The goal in all the above is moving from self-actualisation towards Kingdom expansion, from being the best version of yourself having the best life ever (world view) towards becoming who God has called us to be so that we can live sacrificially for Him. So, how do I leverage my life for the Kingdom?

Bring your ideas to God and ask for His advice/guidance on it. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in the following areas:

a) Spiritual Gifts. What gifts has God given you?

b) Prayer Burdens. Where has God given you a piece of His heart, i.e. what moves you emotionally?

c) Kairos Moments. When has God slowed down time for you, i.e. really meaningful/inspiring/weighty moments.

d) Divine Appointments. People God puts in your life.

e) Unexplained Favor. Situations where things just fall into place = God giving you favor.

Finally, look at the season of life that you are in. Your calling can work out differently at different times/seasons. There might be stages in your calling, i.e. exploring, committing, building, sustaining, evaluating, or changing. Identify what stage of your calling is relevant in which season of your life, and through that you can discern how to live. See the story of Abraham and Sarah, and him having a child with their servant because of impatience/a lack of trust in God’s timing.

Obey the Lord, and your calling will weave itself into that.

Also, you may have some mini-callings (seemingly tangential assignments) in a season, e.g. Elijah. Listen to the calling and say ‘Yes’ to Jesus.

How do we actually live this out?

1) Once we have figured out how God has uniquely called us, lean into it (2 Timothy 1:5-9. ‘Fan it into flame’ = develop your spiritual gifts, gather knowledge of ‘the thing’.

2) Give it back to Him and let Him sanctify and empower it. Proverbs 16:9

3) Respond by saying ‘Yes’ to God’s invitation, and he will lead us in the path we are meant to take. Isaiah 6:8.

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From the ‘Thrive Participants Guide’ section 6 on Thriving Vocationally at Common Ground Church 2019.

‘Vocational’ refers to our work-life. It includes all the major roles and functions that fill up most of our time. We will focus on our life at work in this session. There might be 100 different jobs or careers God has for you. Regardless of which job you’re in…

HABIT 1: Work enthusiastically wherever you are.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart. (Colossians 3:23) To grow enthusiasm for work, remember 3 things… This job is a test from God. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much... If you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? (Luke 16: 10-12) God is watching. Work hard so God can say to you, “Well done.” Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work. (2 Timothy 2:15 TLB) My attitude determines my joy.

The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work. (Proverbs 12:24 MSG) Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. (Romans 12:11 TLB)

HABIT 2: Understand who you are really working for.

Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 NLT)

HABIT 3: Concentrate on building your character, especially caring for people you work with. In God’s economy, success is more about character than career. What you become in your work is more important than what you do. This especially applies to how I treat people I work with.

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From ‘Wiser in our Work’ by Bill Hybels (‘Wiser’ series).

‘God will pour his favour on those who work diligently and honestly.’ See Proverbs 12, 13 etc.

Attitude matters, so do your work joyfully, not reluctantly nor sulkily. Bring enthusiasm and energy into it.

Develop yourself – take responsibility to get better.

You gain credibility in the workplace by adding value to your organisation, and then you will have the most influence in that organisation. This is how you can have the greatest impact for Christ in the workplace, because people will listen to good performers. You then have both favour and influence. Weak contributors don’t get much of a hearing with others.

In Colossians 3:23 Paul said ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.’

God’s favour matters most in your life, and he will only pour it out to you if you are both diligent and honest.

Proverbs 27:12 ‘A wise leader foresees dangers and takes precautions. Fools go blindly on and suffer the consequences.’ Strategize, look forward, and take precautionary steps.

God’s favour could take the form of a new idea, a new contact, a restructuring of the business that changes your business, or career or opportunities for the better. When you are being blessed and favoured by God, the sky’s the limit.