Perspective:
What we see based on our circumstances
The reason I bring up perspective is…
This series has been all about “LIVING WITH PURPOSE”
What that purpose is will be determined by your PERSPECTIVE
In the first week, we learned the important foundational truths concerning our PURPOSE
God created the world ON PURPOSE and FOR A PURPOSE
The ULTIMATE PURPOSE for EVERYTHING and EVERYONE is to GLORIFY GOD
Isaiah 43:7
…everyone who bears my name and is created for my glory. I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”
Last week, we found out that we all have a PERSONAL CALLING
A personal calling is simply God’s tug on our hearts toward a particular thing. It can be for a specific situation, a season of life, or a lifetime.
Finished last week with some best practices around finding out that calling
Acts 13
2 As they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.
Today, we are talking about one of the most difficult aspects of following your calling
Overcoming FEAR
Your calling will be out of your comfort zone…
Any time we are pulled out of our comfort zones, we will have to deal with fear
- Leaving things we like behind
- Meeting new people
- Changing locations
- Changing friends
Your calling will be out of your comfort zone but is accompanied by God’s peace and Provision
To help us understand this, I want us to think of fear as a VOICE IN OUR EAR
- This voice has some lies that it tells us
Voices of fear around calling:
Voice #1: I don’t have what it takes
Often in our calling… WE LIMIT WHAT WE BELIEVE GOD CAN GO THROUGH US
Let’s look at someone who experienced this
Moses:
- Raised in Egypt
- Ran away and, for 40 years, kept sheep
- Burning bush
- God calls Moses to go and free His people
Exodus 3
11 But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”
Exodus 4
10 But Moses replied to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish.”
Here is that voice of fear… “I DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES…”
- I can’t do this
- I can’t overcome my issues
- I can’t speak well enough (Moses)
This is the WRONG PERSPECTIVE
11 The Lord said to him, “Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say.” 13 Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else.”
This voice of fear can be strong
- Moses talking to God in a bush on fire
- He begs God to send someone else
14 Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. 15 You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do.
This is what it means that God’s calling will be out of your comfort ZoneThis is what it means that God’s calling will be out of your comfort Zone
Fear can paralyze you
- It keeps you out of God’s will
- Miss out on God’s purpose for your life
Key Question:
How do we overcome this voice?
By understanding:
What we lack, God will provide
But this is IMPORTANT
God’s provision always FOLLOWS obedience
God is patient with our struggles
- See how patient he is with Moses
- Explains his power and authority
- Sends aid through Aaron
Don’t fall for the incorrect thinking that…
“God will never give you more than you can handle”
- This is wrong
A better way of thinking is…
“If you can handle it without God, then it’s not from God”
We get to see Moses mature as he follows God
- Leads the people for 40 years
At the end of his life, he gives Joshua and the people this wisdom…
Deuteronomy 31:6,8
6 Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.” 8 The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Follow Him… Trust Him… Seek Him
- And He will lead you
Voice #2: It’s not worth the trouble
Worth the trouble:
The benefits, outcomes, or results of an action or effort are sufficient to justify the time, energy, and difficulties involved in carrying it out.
We make this decision ALL THE TIME
- Is this conversation worth the trouble?
- Is this friendship…
- Is this job…
- Is apologizing…
- Is forgiving them…
- I’m trying to help…
Let’s look at a story about someone who felt the same way…
Jonah 1
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.”
Jonah was a prophet of Israel
- God called him to go to Israel’s enemy, Nineveh
Here is how Jonah Responded…
3 Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the Lord’s presence.
This voice works because we want to stay comfortable
- Because we can be lazy
The way this voice often sounds is…
“I like where I am in life right now”
“God wants me to be happy, so he’s not calling me to do this”
“If I say yes, then everything in my life is going to change”
I don’t like them enough to help them
These are all the WRONG PERSPECTIVE
There are consequences when we say NO to the voice of God and listen to the voice of fear instead
- We don’t want to be out of God’s will
We will be “SWALLOWED UP” by CHAOS
Back to Jonah
- Swallowed by the great fish
- Spit out 3 days later
- Goes to Nineveh and preaches
- The city turns to God and repents
Jonah 4
2 He prayed to the Lord, “Please, Lord, isn’t this what I said while I was still in my own country? That’s why I fled toward Tarshish in the first place. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and one who relents from sending disaster.
This is the God that Jonah was running from
He knew God would forgive them
It’s also why God didn’t destroy Jonah when he tried to run
How do we overcome this voice?
Hebrews 12:1-2
1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I’m so glad that Jesus didn’t look at us and say…
- “They’re not worth the trouble”
- They are always messing up
- They are always hurting each other
- They are always hurting themselves
No…
He saw us at our WORST and still said, “THEY ARE WORTH IT”