In this chapel service, I want to share with you Seven Power Factors for a Successful Journey with the Lord. You already have a zeal for Christ, or you would not be attending this service today. How can you perpetuate that for the long run? What are the essentials for a fruitful ministry in the days ahead? Seven principles that will empower you to fulfill God’s calling on your life and finish well.
I didn’t get this message from a book. I got it on the messy, muddy road of my own journey. Sometimes, I slipped and fell; sometimes, I came short of what I am going to share with you today. But each time by the grace of God, I got up and continued the journey. I am not sharing these touchstones as one who has lived it out perfectly. I share with you as a fellow disciple who has learned the importance of these things by experience.
If I could share nothing else with you, I would tell you this one thing today: No matter what is going on in your life, keep coming to God. If you are succeeding, keep giving God the glory for that success. It would not be there without him. If you are failing, keep coming to God for help. He is the one who can supply the strength to get up and finish the race. The devil is a master at tripping us up, then standing over us with arms folded, saying, “You just as well give up; you can’t do this thing called Christianity.” He is a liar; he is an accuser; he is a discourager. Of course, you can’t do it; but God can strengthen you and give you victory. His strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
In John 6, Jesus gave a challenging sermon. People did not like that sermon. John 6:66-67 says: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’” Peter’s answer sets an example for all of us. Verse 68: “But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’” If you fail, there is no better place to go than to the one who loves you and gave himself for you. In the ups and downs of life, we keep coming to Christ for his grace and mercy. We keep coming with hearts of gratitude for that grace and mercy.
This is one of the big differences between King Saul and King David. David failed God miserably in his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. It was an ugly blot on his personal testimony. It was a sin worthy of the death penalty according to the Law of Moses. But when the prophet Nathan called him out on it, he did not try to justify himself. He repented and threw himself on God’s mercy. Consequences for that sin followed. But God forgave him. His relationship with the Lord was restored, and his life ended well. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul sinned by disobeying God’s commandment to him. When he was confronted by the prophet Samuel, he did not humble himself. He did not repent. He justified himself and blamed others for what happened. His relationship with the Lord was never restored. He died in defeat.
My counsel to you is this: No matter what happens, keep coming to the Lord. Do not draw back from him. He alone has the words of eternal life. He alone can reach down and pick you up. Keep coming to God. Keep coming to God. Philippians 2:13: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”
Now for these Seven Power Factors for godly living. The first is:
I. ENCOUNTER
We cannot live on abstracts and theory. We cannot live on religion. We must encounter the Living God in a personal way. Jesus told the Woman at the Well: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth [or in spirit and in reality]” (John 4:23-24). Millions of professed Christians have no reality in their relationship with God. Some are Catholics, some are Protestants, all are religious. They have bought into a religion. They have bought into a stated set of rules and beliefs. But they have never experienced God for themselves. They were talked into a religion, and people who have been talked into a religion can be talked out of it.
In contrast, those who have personally encountered Christ are not so easily persuaded. Someone wisely said: “A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument.” In my studies, I have read liberal, atheistic theologians and philosophers. Their error ran off me like water on a duck’s back. Why? I have experienced God for myself. All the arguments in the world will not change that. I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him (2 Tim. 1:12).
There is a knowing that comes in your spirit that is more reliable than the gray matter between your ears. Paul pointed this out in 1 Corinthians 1:21 when he said: “The world through wisdom did not know God.” I’m not saying there is no place for rational thought. In fact, our belief in God is more rational than the atheist’s unbelief. But knowing God comes to us by revelation in our spirit, not just in our mind. “The hour is coming, and now is,” Jesus said, “when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him [external religion is not enough]. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
Paul was going the wrong way until he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). That encounter turned him around, and his life was never the same. Job struggled to understand the events in his life. He had long philosophical conversations with his so-called comforters. But when Job had that personal encounter with God toward the end of his book, he was changed. “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,” Job said, “But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). One encounter with Jesus can put to rest a multitude of questions.
I did not grow up in church. Our home was full of alcohol, sex, and violence. But when I was 14 years old, our family visited a little Pentecostal church. One Friday night during a revival service, God convicted me of my sinful condition and brought me to repentance. I had an authentic experience with God that changed my life forever. Our whole family surrendered to God, and it was like the difference between light and darkness. That was over 60 years ago, and it still affects everything I do. Since that day, I have lived in a personal relationship with God. For me, he is more than a set of religious beliefs. He is a person. He walks with me and talks with me. There is daily communion with him, and there have been additional defining encounters with him. When we call people to salvation, we are calling them to that kind of relationship with God.
My first question for you is this: Have you had an encounter with Christ that convinced you of his love, mercy, and rightful authority over your life? If you have not experienced God in a personal way, seek him until you do. He is already drawing you, or you would not even be hearing this message. What will you do with the message? God made this promise in Jeremiah 29:13: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” If you will get serious with God, he will mercifully forgive you and show you his love. God is no respecter of persons. What he has done for me, he will do for you. Personally encountering God is not only possible, it is essential. That is the first power point we must embrace. The second power factor is:
II. PURPOSE
Do you know why you’re here on planet earth? Have you discovered God’s calling on your life? Israel wandered 40 years in the wilderness walking through life in circles—failing to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. How many Christians are just walking around in circles, living for their own pleasure and comfort—living with a lack of real purpose? They never ask the big questions. The magnitude of your life depends on the magnitude of the questions being asked. How can I get a new car is a little question. How can I get people to like me is a little question. How can I fulfill God’s purpose for my life is a big question. How can I know God more and more intimately is a big question. What does God want me to become as a result of my life journey is a big question. If you will ask God the big questions, he will progressively reveal to you answers to those questions. And his answers will revolutionize your life.
Did you know that God has already planned great things to do through you in this life? Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Think about that. God has created you “for good works,” and he has already planned and prepared those works for you to fulfill. What good works does God want to fulfill through you in this lifetime? Discovering those by living in daily obedience to him is the great adventure of life. It’s no wonder to me that unbelievers drink themselves into a stupor and drug themselves up. They are not living the adventure that God had planned for them. Life in Christ is not boring. It is the adventure you were made to experience.
According to John 4:34, Jesus lived to finish the work the Father had given him to do. Toward the end of his life, Paul was able to say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). God has a course for you to run, and you want to be able to say at the end of this life: “I have finished my course.” In Philippians 3, Paul talked about motivation in life. He was so consumed with his relationship with Christ—so consumed with knowing Christ better and better—so consumed with God’s purpose for his life that the things of this world lost their attraction for him. In verse 12, he wrote: “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Paul pressed through the challenges of life because he was consumed with fulfilling God’s call on his life. And God has a call for each and every one of us.
There is power in living for a cause greater than yourself. The passion for that cause will drive away a multitude of temptations. When you are occupied doing what God has called you to do, you’re too busy to listen to and follow Satan’s suggestions. David did not fall into sin when he was being a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He fell into sin when he was neglecting his duty and lounging around in the palace. The proverb that says, “Idleness is the devil’s workshop” is not in the Bible in those exact words. But the principle is there. Read the Proverbs of Solomon. Consider Paul’s instruction to the Thessalonian Christians. Some of them were caught up in gossip and idleness. Paul commanded them to get to work. Get so busy doing what God has called you to do that you don’t have time to gossip. Let God fill your heart with his purpose for your life. Power point number three is:
III. DISCIPLINE
You will have to say no to yourself at times. Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). A love for Jesus will enable you to do that. A passion for fulfilling his destiny for you will enable you to do that. Our flesh wants things that will sabotage God’s will for our lives. That’s why Paul said in Galatians 5:16-17: “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”
As long as we are in these mortal bodies, there will be this battle between the flesh and the Spirit. But I want you to look at Galatians 5:16 closely and observe the order of the words. He does not say: Do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and you will walk in the Spirit. That is the way many well-meaning Christians understand it. That understanding easily leads to legalism. Paul is putting the positive command on the front burner: “Walk in the Spirit,” and what will follow is this: “you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
How do we walk in the Spirit? Romans 8:5 tells us that we do it by setting our minds on the things of God instead of the desires of the flesh. Keep your mind occupied with God and his calling on your life, and that will insulate you from a multitude of temptations.
The disciples of Bible study, prayer, meditation, and fellowship with other believers help us manage our thought life effectively. Be careful about what you take in through your eye and ear gates. With the internet, temptation is one click away. Set up barriers so that the line is more easily maintained. Discipline is something nobody’s flesh likes. But without it you will not finish well. When our hearts are filled with a passion for the vision and calling God has on our lives, then, we are able to choose long-term goals over instant gratification. Power factor number four is:
IV. COMMUNION
Paul concluded his second epistle to the Corinthians with these words: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14). The word translated communion may be familiar to you: koinonia. It is often translated fellowship. It is the word John used when he wrote: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship [koinonia] with us; and truly our fellowship [koinonia] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Notice the horizontal and vertical communion that John talks about in that verse. First, there is the horizontal communion among believers that John invites people into. We need that for a successful journey in life. We need fellowship with others of like faith. We need the encouragement that we can give one another. Don’t allow the enemy to isolate you from that. If he can cut you off from an edifying community of believers, he has significantly weakened your ability to fulfill your calling.
Secondly, John talks about his vertical communication “with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” Of course, this is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit in us so that it involves the whole Trinity. We must live in that communion. In John 15 Jesus said to his followers: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). The word translated abides is meno; one of Strong’s definitions is “to continue to be present.” Do you practice the presence of God? In addition to your designated prayer times, do you commune with God in your heart throughout the day? If you do that, you will draw on God’s grace through that interaction. Your fruitfulness in ministry is found in this abiding: Jesus said, “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Ministry fruitfulness by God’s standards is not found in busy activity but in continued abiding. Power factor number five is:
V. TRUST
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” As your Good Shepherd, he will guide you and provide for you. With the limited time we have, I want to talk with you about trusting God for your financial needs. The principle works for everything in your life: trusting God for ministry opportunities, trusting God for a spouse, trusting God for protection, etc. But have you made the decision to trust God for the material things you need in life?
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matt. 6:24). People in the world are driven by a love for money. Why do they want money? They trust it as their source for the things they want and need. Their faith is in the power of money. Sadly, many who profess Christ think the same way the world does. Because their trust is in money, they make their decisions based on money. Jesus says: You cannot have it both ways. You cannot love, trust, and serve money, and at the same time, love, trust, and serve God. Too often, one will take you down a different path than the other.
When I was in my early twenties, I came face to face with this verse. I had career opportunities that could have earned me a lot of money. But I also had a call to ministry that would take me down a different path. I choose to put my trust in God and let him take care of the money. I have never regretted that decision. I am 76 years old with no retirement except Social Security. I have never lacked for anything that I really need. I could spend the rest of our time sharing testimonies of God’s miraculous provisions in my life. People who put their trust in the money they can accumulate don’t get to have those experiences.
I am not suggesting that we be frivolous about the way we earn and spend money. I’m talking about where your trust is and how you make decisions in your life. I worry far less about provision than millionaires who I have pastored. I don’t worry about whether the stock market goes up or down. I have better things to occupy my mind with. I don’t worry about whether I will be able to pay my utility bills in the future. I am willing to work, and God is willing to take care of all my needs. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” or as one version puts it: “I will always have everything I need” (Easy-to-Read Version).
Let’s see how this worked in Abraham’s life. His shepherds and Lot’s shepherds were finding over who gets to use the best grazing land. Abraham met with Lot in Genesis 13 to resolve the dispute. Even though he was the senior and had the right to choose which direction he would go, Abraham gave the choice to Lot and trusted God for the outcome. Genesis 13:10-12 says:
“And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.”
Lot was trusting money for his future. Abraham was trusting God. Lot thought he won that negotiation. But as we read on, we find that Abraham was the winner. Genesis 13:14-15: “And the Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: ‘Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are — northward, southward, eastward, and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.” Let me give you Richard’s paraphrase of that: And the Lord said to Abram, I like the way you handled that resolution with Lot. Lot thought he got the best land, leaving you with the leftovers. But I’m giving it all to you. You trusted me with the outcome, and that is my decision. It belongs to me, and I give it to you. In the end, Lot got nothing. He selfishly grasped for the well-watered plains. But when Sodom was destroyed, he barely got out alive. That is the difference between living your life for money versus living in faith toward God. The sixth power factor is:
VI. COVENANT
Covenant is not a word we frequently use in our society. But in God’s economy, it is an important word. Through the vows you took at your wedding, you entered into a covenant with your spouse. Other covenants and promises in life may be less significant, but God expects us to faithfully fulfill all our covenants.
In Malachi 2:13-15, God corrected his people with these words:
“And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the Lord with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands. [Have you learned that obedience is better than tears? Have you learned that your crying is no substitute for just doing right?] 14 Yet you say, "For what reason?" [Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?] Because the Lord has been witness Between you and the wife of your youth, With whom you have dealt treacherously; Yet she is your companion And your wife by covenant. 15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.”
Get one godly woman. Marry her. Treat her with love and respect. And treat all the other women as mothers and sisters. Stay faithful to your marriage covenant. Keep your word when you promise something. Be a faithful friend. And be faithful to your ministry team. One of God’s accusations against the ungodly in Romans 1:31 is that they are “covenant breakers.” The NKJV says untrustworthy.
Faithfulness is a key to God entrusting ministry to you. Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:12: “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.” Can the Lord count on you to be faithful? Can your Lead Pastor count on you to be faithful even in the little things assigned to you? In Luke 16, Jesus talked about faithfulness. The NLT translates verse 10 this way: “Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities.” God typically gives us a small assignment to test our faithfulness before trusting us with greater ministry responsibility. The seventh power factor is:
VII. GRATITUDE
The Bible is full of exhortation toward gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise. First Thessalonians 5:18: “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” The NIV says: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” One version translates it: “Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus” (Easy-to-Read Version). There are a lot of things I may not be able to excel in, but this is something any of us can do if we choose to do it. Psalm 103:2: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.”
Thanksgiving will elevate your perspective from doubt and unbelief to gratitude and faith. Thanksgiving will calm your fears and shield you from pride. When honor and glory come your way, take that to the Lord and give it to him through your praise and thanksgiving. Every good gift comes from him (James 1:17). If you were able to do it, it is because he enabled you. So, give him the glory for the success.
Do you remember Jesus’s miracle of feeding the 4,000 in Matthew 15? What preceded that miracle? Verse 36 tells us Jesus “took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples.” Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. That is a foundation for worship. It is inconsistent to think that you can complain and grumble all week long, then launch into rich worship on Sunday morning. Worship flows out of a heart of gratitude. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18).
Conclusion
We have touched upon seven power points for living a successful Christian life over the long run.
1. Encounter: You need a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That is available to anyone who will receive it.
2. Purpose: Giving yourself to God’s calling on your life will not only shield you from a multitude of temptations, but it will also bring a rich sense of fulfillment in your soul.
3. Discipline: You will have to say no to some things in order to receive better things. The power for discipline is found in the passion for the purpose God puts in your heart.
4. Communion: Fellowship with God through prayer and fellowship with people of like faith will fortify you to win the daily battles.
5. Trust: Trusting God’s guidance and provision will relieve you of anxiety and bring peace to your soul. Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
6. Covenant: Be faithful to your marriage covenant. Be faithful even in the little promises that you make.
7. Gratitude: Cultivate an attitude of gratitude. It will elevate you perspective on everything that is going on in your life.
Let’s Pray.
Father, thank you for the divine enablement of the Holy Spirit. We could do none of these things without it. But in your grace, we can live above the storms of life and the temptations of the flesh. In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Amen.