Impact
What mark are you leaving
I believe that God expects you and me to be more than ordinary. In fact, to live a life of impact. We are to be light in the darkness, salt to the world, and ambassadors of Jesus Christ so that we can impact the people around us.
If Jesus is, the Lord and love of your life, then you have power, resources to live a life of impact. God will bless you in eternity and use you for His glory here on Earth. You can enjoy life and have it in abundance. And so, to be used by God you need to start over, begin afresh. If you haven’t yet turned from your sin and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life, you need to do that first.
I have yet to meet a Christian who walks in the power of God, we can raise the dead, heal the sick, cast out demons by this power, yet…. Do we?
Question: So…. How is your life right now?
Are you living an extraordinary life or just average at the moment?
Are you satisfied with where you’re at in your life’s journey, or are you asking God to open a new door?
Are you living for God’s glory, or for you?
Turn with me to
1 Peter 2:11-12
“Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us”
All of us want to make a difference. We want to make an impact while we are on planet earth. Life is so short, no one lives forever. We want to be sure that we didn’t waste it on things that don’t matter.
In Mark 8:36 , Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” now that is a frightening thought because it means you can be rich and famous and popular by the world’s standards, you can be at the top of the career ladder, and come to the end of your life only to hear God say, “It didn’t amount to anything.” If the soul is lost, the whole person is lost. You can’t make a deal with God to get your soul back after it is gone. There will be no crossing over from hell to heaven as we have previously said. When you forfeit your soul, you will never get it back.
So much is at stake; we need to hear what God has to say. Peter says, “Don’t be surprised if times are tough. You are aliens and strangers in the world. It’s not supposed to be easy here.”
Since unbelievers watch us all the time and draw their own conclusions, we need to:
- Abstain from sinful desires.
The phrase “sinful desires” in verse 11 refers to the temptations that arise because we are still living in the flesh and we all struggle daily choosing between good and evil. If you are a Christian, you are living in a war zone and the real battle is not on the outside; it’s on the inside. Every believer is at war with the desires of the flesh that drag us down. All sin starts in the mind. If you can win the battle on the inside, you can win the battle on the outside. As resident aliens, we cannot and must not accept the world’s standards. As citizens of heaven, we will always be square pegs in round holes. The danger is that we will try to look and act like everyone else. The heart is where the real battles of life are fought. And if we are to make a difference in the world, we must abstain from fleshly desires. That leads me to ask some pointed questions:
- Do you ever feel like hating someone because of their skin color?
- Do you ever think about having an affair?
- Are you ever tempted to cheat at work?
- Do you hold grudges against those who mistreat you?
- Do you ever think, “I wish I weren’t a Christian just for a few minutes so I could do whatever I wanted to do?”
Don’t do it! Don’t surrender to sinful desires. They are out to destroy you. Note that this is a warning to believers. Becoming a Christian doesn’t end the battle. In many ways, the battle doesn’t even begin until you come to Christ. And it doesn’t end until the day we die. Maybe we need to pray:
Lord, don’t let me become bitter. Lord, deliver me from arrogance. Lord, don’t let me become cranky. Lord, teach me how to love others. Lord, free me from a critical spirit. Lord, I want a merciful heart. Lord, use me to win others to you.
Where do we begin?
- 1) Be honest about your struggles.
We will all spend a lifetime fighting sin in various forms. From that battle there is no relief as we do it on our own, however with God’s help, we can be changed, and through grace we can fight and we can win the battle.
- 2) Live an excellent life.
Live your life so that even unbelievers are impressed by your behavior.
Christians ought to be the most honest people on earth, the kindest, the most gracious, and the most trustworthy. Unfortunately, it’s often the opposite; people do not want to interact with Christians, why, because they are turned off by the way Christians act.
Whether we know it or not, like it or not, unbelievers watch us all the time. They study us from a distance and they pay attention to how we do things. People who don’t know Jesus are watching.
- How you handle problems at work.
- Whether or not you laugh at dirty jokes.
- How you dress.
- How you spend your money.
- How you raise your children.
- How you respond when tragedy strikes.
- How you deal with difficult people.
Usually you aren’t aware you’re being watched until much later. Years may pass and then you receive a letter telling you that someone knew you way back when, and your Christian example played a big part in their coming to Christ.
- 3) Don’t be surprised when you are unfairly attacked.
Peter adds an important phrase that we may tend to overlook. He reminds us that we are to live morally excellent lives even “though they accuse you of doing wrong.”
The same thing happens today in repressive societies around the world. In the West, anti-Christian sentiment is dangerous. The threat we face involves a concerted attempt to remove all references to God from public life. We read in the news a story with the following headline: “Students Free to Thank Anybody, except God (as long as it is not God).” No God allowed in schools.
Peter’s answer is simple: Don’t be surprised when your faith is attacked unfairly. Live so that no one can make an honest attack on you, do good works anyway, and leave it all in God’s hands.
This brings us back to a basic biblical truth, it’s not about us, and it’s not about the people we are trying to reach. It’s all about God and his glory. We are to live in such a way that we make it easy for others to glorify God with us when Jesus returns.
When those without Christ, See peace in us, See joy in us, See truth in us, See forgiveness in us, See strength in us, See purity in us, See compassion in us, See hope in us.
When they see this, they will sooner or later ask “What makes you different?” And that opens the door to talk about Jesus.
- MAGNIFY YOUR VISION
First off, stop thinking small. People of little significance pray little prayers, expecting God to not do very much. Understand that God is greater than you can ever imagine. It is not more challenging for God to cure you of cancer than it is to find you a good parking spot at the mall.
- DISCOVER YOUR TRUE IDENTITY
You were created in the image of God, placed on Earth to live for His glory, and He saved you. When you finally exhale your last breath, God will bring you home to Heaven where Jesus has built a heavenly room…just for you. God wrote your name down in the Lamb’s Book of Life. He died for you, He took the full blunt of the Father’s wrath for your sin and what you are still going to do, and none of us are perfect. Who are you in Christ?
- DEFINE YOUR SELF-IMAGE
What do you see when you look in the mirror? (Get that image in your head for a moment.) Now, what do you think God sees when He looks at you? Begin asking yourself questions like,
What do I really want my life to look like or become?
What kind of person do I want to be?
How can I serve God in that greater capacity?
- OVERCOME YOUR PAST
You are not your past failures. Yes, you’ve made mistakes and sinned and you’re going to make more mistakes and sin more in the future. But God has forgiven all of it. God forgave you, so begin your extraordinary life today by forgiving yourself. And once you forgive yourself, and then forget the past failures.
- ESTABLISH A NEW COMFORT ZONE
The way things have always been for you. It is the expected routine of your life. It is the same old job, the same bad decisions, the same environment, not to worry I do not have to do it, the pastors will. Rubbish, get off your backside and do what you need to do.
- PREPARE YOUR HARVEST
Plow the Fields of Opportunity (Search out new ways to get what you want out of life, and don’t give up until you know exactly what you need to do.)
Sow Seeds of Success (Once you’ve determined which opportunity to pursue, begin planting your seeds in that area.)
Watering and Weeding (To water your opportunities means they need to be massaged and managed. Get yourself a weekly schedule and pull up the weeds in your life that are sucking away the time from your day. Focus!)
- LIVE YOUR LEGACY
Your life is not for you. Your life is to be a blessing to other people! Your purpose in this life is to direct people to know the Savior; to worship God, to fellowship with other believers, and to minister to others around the world. You need to be a mentor to someone in need, to motivate the people around you, and become a person of influence. To live an extraordinary life means to leave a legacy of impact.
Remember…..you are not your past. You are not your failures. And if someone sinned it against you, that is SO NOT your fault! Surround yourself in God’s grace and do what you can to forgive your dad, forget the past, and move forward. God does not desire for you to be shackled to the past. He has amazing things planned for your present and future.
Think about whom you know who needs to know God more and who you can bless and encourage. Pour yourself into that person’s life! That includes each smile, prayer with a stranger, encouragement of anyone, response to God’s nudging to pray, call be there for someone. These things aren’t spectacular. They may be seen as ordinary Christian life.
You can make the world a better place through your life, and you don’t have to be in worldly positions of influence (such as Hollywood or Wall Street) to do so. When you rely on God to help you impact the world, His power will start to work through you in your neighborhood, workplace, and everywhere else you go – impacting the world around you significantly.
Here’s how your ordinary life can make an extraordinary impact on the world:
1. SEE AS JESUS SAW
2. FEEL AS JESUS FELT
3. PRAY AS JESUS PRAYED
4. DO AS JESUS DID
Do you want to make an impact with your life?
Two men in the Old Testament stand as examples for us. One wanted to make an impression, the other desired to make an impact. Let’s begin with King Saul.
Making an impact or an impression is a heart issue. If God has your heart you aren’t seeking to impress others, but you desire for Jesus to impact the world around you through you. David was one through whom God could make an impact.
1. Fear the Lord. When we truly acknowledge who God is, we will fear Him.
2. Serve the Lord. If we truly fear the Lord, we will serve Him
3. Listen to God’s voice. This is more than reading and hearing God. This is obedience! Immediate obedience!
Will the world remember that you were in it? That’s really the wrong question. Will the world remember that Jesus was in it because of you?
