WEBVTT - Stepping Up to Your Calling-Part 1 0:00:00.650 --> 0:00:03.680 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. We're learning how 0:00:03.680 --> 0:00:06.230 to use our full potential for the Lord. 0:00:06.440 --> 0:00:10.850 He has already shown us mercy. And so our service 0:00:10.850 --> 0:00:15.470 and gratitude and servitude and offering to him is not 0:00:15.470 --> 0:00:20.000 to gain favor with God. It's because we have favor 0:00:20.000 --> 0:00:22.520 with God. There's a big difference. 0:00:34.370 --> 0:00:38.269 Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe, senior pastor 0:00:38.270 --> 0:00:40.880 of New Life Community Church and president of Moody Bible 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:44.330 Institute here in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well, we know 0:00:44.330 --> 0:00:47.930 everyone is uniquely and wonderfully made and everyone has something 0:00:47.960 --> 0:00:50.450 to contribute and offer to God. So, Mark, let's talk 0:00:50.450 --> 0:00:53.510 about the the concept that God calls us to something special. 0:00:53.600 --> 0:00:56.810 When I talked to so many people that have this 0:00:56.810 --> 0:01:02.160 idea that there's the called ones and then just regular people. Yeah, but, 0:01:02.190 --> 0:01:06.690 you know, that's such a fallacy because everyone that's a 0:01:06.690 --> 0:01:09.720 follower of Jesus is called, first of all, to live 0:01:09.720 --> 0:01:12.149 for him, but then called with some unique gifting. 0:01:12.150 --> 0:01:13.020 I believe that too. Yes. 0:01:13.050 --> 0:01:16.890 And purposes. And so Romans chapter 12 really highlights that 0:01:16.890 --> 0:01:19.620 Paul is telling us, hey, you are called now use 0:01:19.620 --> 0:01:21.780 your call, step into it. And I'm talking to someone 0:01:21.780 --> 0:01:25.470 today that you don't view yourself as a called person, 0:01:25.470 --> 0:01:27.690 but I want you to erase that image and I 0:01:27.690 --> 0:01:30.450 want you to embrace. You are a person with a 0:01:30.450 --> 0:01:31.770 purpose and a calling. 0:01:31.770 --> 0:01:33.959 Maybe this is the very issue you've been thinking about 0:01:33.959 --> 0:01:36.420 in your own life. Let's listen to God's Word now 0:01:36.420 --> 0:01:37.980 stepping up to your calling. 0:01:39.510 --> 0:01:48.090 I recently read that the shuttle Columbia made a discovery 0:01:48.300 --> 0:01:51.930 as a scientist took a new look at the Earth 0:01:51.930 --> 0:01:57.660 from a different perspective. They studied the topography of the land, 0:01:57.660 --> 0:02:01.730 and they made an amazing discovery. They Discovered that in 0:02:01.730 --> 0:02:07.910 the Sahara Desert, the Sahara Desert is part of northern Africa, 0:02:08.090 --> 0:02:11.630 right below Spain. And if you look at a map, 0:02:11.630 --> 0:02:14.959 what you'll see is just desert after desert after desert, 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:23.360 just miles and miles of arid sand land. Nothing grows there. 0:02:23.750 --> 0:02:27.799 It's very dry. The people that live there are rugged 0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:32.990 and nomadic, and they are in desperate need of water. 0:02:33.470 --> 0:02:37.460 As a scientist studied the earth from the Columbia explorer, 0:02:37.460 --> 0:02:41.389 what they discovered through some of their new instruments of exploration, 0:02:41.389 --> 0:02:49.310 that they were 26 lakes underneath the Sahara desert. It's 0:02:49.310 --> 0:02:54.740 heartbreaking to think that there are people that are starving 0:02:54.740 --> 0:02:59.630 and famished when what they need is right beneath them. 0:03:00.300 --> 0:03:04.050 26 lakes that could provide water, but they have not 0:03:04.080 --> 0:03:07.020 yet learned how to tap into the resources that are 0:03:07.020 --> 0:03:13.230 right beneath them. That's a great picture. I think of 0:03:13.230 --> 0:03:18.209 many of our lives. Many of our lives live or 0:03:18.210 --> 0:03:27.869 lived in practical dryness, scarcity, barely surviving, not realizing that 0:03:27.870 --> 0:03:33.390 beneath somewhere very close, there is an abundance of resources 0:03:33.389 --> 0:03:37.650 that we have much more than what we know we have. 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:42.120 Many people spend a good portion of their lives talking 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:46.800 about what they don't have. Just listening to a conversation 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:51.450 at a bus stop or an office water cooler conversation 0:03:51.450 --> 0:03:53.460 and you'll hear a lot of talk about, I wish 0:03:53.460 --> 0:03:57.210 I had. I don't have enough. It would be nice 0:03:57.210 --> 0:04:02.000 to have what they have. One day, maybe I will. 0:04:05.060 --> 0:04:08.630 A lot of conversation seems to revolve around what we lack. 0:04:09.650 --> 0:04:14.090 The emphasis of Scripture is not on what we don't have, 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:17.120 but the emphasis that God gives is on what we 0:04:17.120 --> 0:04:21.380 do have. God will never hold you responsible for what 0:04:21.380 --> 0:04:25.670 you've never had. God will only hold you responsible for 0:04:25.670 --> 0:04:29.900 what you have and what you do with what you have. 0:04:30.290 --> 0:04:34.640 Here's what I know. I know that the great majority 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:41.510 of us here have enough intelligence to get ahead. I 0:04:41.510 --> 0:04:44.690 know that most of us here have enough love to 0:04:44.690 --> 0:04:48.799 be able to share with our our spouse and with 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:53.720 our children. I know that most of us don't utilize 0:04:53.720 --> 0:04:58.669 the majority of our brain, that we under utilize our gifts, 0:04:58.670 --> 0:05:04.049 that we underestimate estimate our body, that we underutilize our faith, 0:05:04.050 --> 0:05:08.490 that we do not develop our vision, that we don't 0:05:08.490 --> 0:05:13.349 use to the max, our money and our finances. I 0:05:13.350 --> 0:05:16.890 know that the great majority of us here live well 0:05:16.920 --> 0:05:22.590 beneath our potential. And so today, as we look at 0:05:22.589 --> 0:05:24.960 Romans chapter 12, I'm going to talk to you about 0:05:24.960 --> 0:05:31.680 stepping up to understand what you have and to move 0:05:31.680 --> 0:05:34.710 from being a consumer that simply looks and says, I 0:05:34.710 --> 0:05:37.890 have need to be in a contributor to say I 0:05:37.890 --> 0:05:43.260 have something to give. And the apostle Paul, who wrote 0:05:43.260 --> 0:05:46.950 the book of Romans, was writing this letter to Rome, 0:05:47.130 --> 0:05:50.370 the believers that found themselves in the most powerful capital 0:05:50.370 --> 0:05:53.790 of the day, which was the city of Rome, that 0:05:53.790 --> 0:05:58.080 was that, the epicenter of the Roman Empire. He was 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.070 writing to a church that was composed of people from 0:06:01.070 --> 0:06:03.950 all walks of life who had not discovered how much 0:06:03.950 --> 0:06:08.060 potential they had. And I'm going to begin reading in 0:06:08.060 --> 0:06:11.750 verse one of Romans chapter 12, and I'm going to 0:06:11.750 --> 0:06:14.540 ask that you simply stand for the reading of God's Word. 0:06:20.750 --> 0:06:24.350 It says, therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of 0:06:24.350 --> 0:06:29.120 God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, 0:06:29.120 --> 0:06:33.710 holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act 0:06:33.710 --> 0:06:38.030 of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern 0:06:38.060 --> 0:06:42.470 of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of 0:06:42.470 --> 0:06:45.469 your mind. Then you will be able to test and 0:06:45.470 --> 0:06:51.050 approve what God's will is his good, pleasing, and perfect will. 0:06:52.370 --> 0:06:55.580 For by the grace given me, I say to every 0:06:55.580 --> 0:06:58.190 one of you, do not think of yourself more highly 0:06:58.190 --> 0:07:02.550 than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, 0:07:03.089 --> 0:07:06.239 in accordance with the measure of faith that God has 0:07:06.240 --> 0:07:09.239 given you the word of the Lord. You may be seated. 0:07:11.580 --> 0:07:13.260 So today, I want to talk to you about four 0:07:13.260 --> 0:07:17.520 steps to move you from consumer to significant contributor and 0:07:17.520 --> 0:07:22.230 understand the potential that every one of us has. The 0:07:22.230 --> 0:07:25.950 first thing I want you to know as you sit 0:07:25.950 --> 0:07:30.630 there and I sit in so many times in my life, 0:07:30.660 --> 0:07:34.560 have just sat there under-utilizing my potential. The first thing 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.990 I want you to know from this passage is this 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:42.480 we begin. We start out using our full potential for 0:07:42.480 --> 0:07:49.350 God by offering your whole person as an act of 0:07:49.350 --> 0:07:53.700 worship to God. Notice what it says in verse one. 0:07:54.210 --> 0:07:59.010 He says, therefore, anytime you see the word therefore in Scripture, 0:07:59.010 --> 0:08:01.430 you need to ask yourself, what is it there for? 0:08:02.510 --> 0:08:07.790 Therefore means I'm building on a previous thought. Therefore means 0:08:07.790 --> 0:08:11.390 I've talked to you about something, and now building on 0:08:11.390 --> 0:08:13.610 what I've talked to you about. I'm going into the 0:08:13.610 --> 0:08:18.380 next thought. This is chapter 12. The Apostle Paul has 0:08:18.380 --> 0:08:21.860 12 chapters he's building on. What has he been talking 0:08:21.860 --> 0:08:24.830 about in the last 12 chapters? He's been talking about 0:08:24.830 --> 0:08:29.540 how good God is. He's been talking about how people 0:08:29.540 --> 0:08:35.030 have been changed and justified and given gifts. So he's therefore, 0:08:35.030 --> 0:08:38.420 I urge you, because all I've told you about God, 0:08:38.420 --> 0:08:44.000 I'm urging you now, brothers, in view of God's mercy, 0:08:44.330 --> 0:08:48.050 what Paul is telling them is this God has been 0:08:48.050 --> 0:08:54.979 so good to you because God has been so good, 0:08:55.429 --> 0:08:59.600 because God has done so much, because God has given 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:05.099 us so many opportunities. Therefore, we need to look at 0:09:05.100 --> 0:09:09.480 serving him back. We need to look at giving back 0:09:09.480 --> 0:09:13.590 to God because he has been so good to us. 0:09:14.309 --> 0:09:19.620 What has God done? What are his mercies? Well, if 0:09:19.620 --> 0:09:22.679 you look at the previous 12 chapters in Romans, he 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.740 talks about justification. In other words, how all of us 0:09:26.250 --> 0:09:29.970 have sinned. And he made the way through Jesus to 0:09:30.000 --> 0:09:34.949 justify us before God. He talks about adoption in Jesus, 0:09:34.950 --> 0:09:38.400 that when we were slaves and on our own road, 0:09:38.400 --> 0:09:42.449 Jesus came and we've been adopted in God as sons 0:09:42.480 --> 0:09:46.410 and daughters of God. He talks about his grace instead 0:09:46.410 --> 0:09:48.600 of the law. We are no longer under the law 0:09:48.630 --> 0:09:52.830 that brings condemnation, but we're under grace, the favor of God. 0:09:52.860 --> 0:09:55.890 He talks about the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit. 0:09:55.890 --> 0:09:59.850 You have been given God Himself to dwell inside of 0:09:59.850 --> 0:10:02.959 you as an incredible gift. He talks about how he 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:06.680 helps us in the middle of our trials and afflictions. Uh, 0:10:06.710 --> 0:10:09.770 he talks about how God has chosen us before we 0:10:09.770 --> 0:10:13.760 chose him. He talks about the certainty that Christ is 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:17.150 coming back again. And he talks about in in Romans 0:10:17.150 --> 0:10:22.100 chapter eight, the confidence that nothing or no one can 0:10:22.100 --> 0:10:26.839 separate us from this incredible love of God. So he's 0:10:26.840 --> 0:10:30.230 been talking to the believers about how much God has done. 0:10:30.230 --> 0:10:33.979 And he says, therefore, because God has done so much, 0:10:34.340 --> 0:10:39.110 because God has shown so much mercy. I challenge you 0:10:39.110 --> 0:10:42.530 to give back to God because he's given so much 0:10:42.530 --> 0:10:47.510 to us. I want you to notice he does not say, 0:10:47.510 --> 0:10:51.860 I want you to give to God so that God 0:10:51.860 --> 0:10:55.760 will be good to you. He says, God has already 0:10:55.760 --> 0:10:59.360 been good to you, and because God has been good 0:10:59.360 --> 0:11:04.080 to you, We are using our gifts to serve him, 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.949 not to earn credit before God, but because God has 0:11:07.950 --> 0:11:12.449 already given us credit. Do you understand the difference? Many 0:11:12.450 --> 0:11:15.989 people spend their entire lives trying to gain God's favor, 0:11:16.020 --> 0:11:19.680 feeling like if they do good works. Walk a little 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:24.479 old lady across the street. Give to charity once in 0:11:24.480 --> 0:11:28.320 a while. Listen to Christian music on the radio. Throw 0:11:28.320 --> 0:11:34.140 a couple quarters into the Salvation Army, can serve for some. 0:11:34.140 --> 0:11:39.120 Volunteer in some non-for-profit organization. They think, well, maybe if 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:43.410 I do enough, God will look at me and have mercy. 0:11:44.730 --> 0:11:47.069 What Paul is saying is no God out of his 0:11:47.070 --> 0:11:50.010 own generosity, out of his own goodness, out of his 0:11:50.010 --> 0:11:53.040 own heart, out of his own love. He's already shown 0:11:53.040 --> 0:11:56.489 us mercy. We didn't earn it. We didn't deserve it. 0:11:56.520 --> 0:11:59.069 We didn't merit it. We didn't gain favor. He has 0:11:59.070 --> 0:12:04.490 already shown us mercy. And so our service and gratitude 0:12:04.490 --> 0:12:08.240 and servitude and. Offering to him is not to gain 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:12.890 favor with God. It's because we have favor with God. 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:16.490 We serve him because he's first loved us. We give 0:12:16.520 --> 0:12:19.160 back to him not to gain favor, but because we 0:12:19.160 --> 0:12:22.609 already have favor. There's a big difference. 0:12:27.740 --> 0:12:30.439 You're listening to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Today's message 0:12:30.440 --> 0:12:33.950 is called Stepping up to Your Calling. We will continue shortly. 0:12:33.950 --> 0:12:35.540 But you know, if you are looking for ways to 0:12:35.540 --> 0:12:38.510 help reach your full potential for God each week, be 0:12:38.510 --> 0:12:41.179 sure to sign up for Mark's encouraging email devotional, The 0:12:41.179 --> 0:12:44.959 Bold Stepper Weekly. It's absolutely free, delivered right to your 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:47.480 inbox Monday mornings, and it will help you get to 0:12:47.510 --> 0:12:50.270 stepping in your walk with Christ. Mark, thanks for doing this. 0:12:50.300 --> 0:12:53.959 Absolutely. When our team comes together and we're trying to 0:12:53.990 --> 0:12:58.100 think through ways where we can just help people live 0:12:58.100 --> 0:13:03.699 in this, sometimes very challenging world without missing a step 0:13:03.700 --> 0:13:06.550 in their walk with God. And so The Bold Stepper 0:13:06.550 --> 0:13:09.490 Weekly is just one of those tools. It's an email 0:13:09.490 --> 0:13:14.709 with resources that comes out every Monday morning. Again, I've 0:13:14.710 --> 0:13:17.440 said it before, let me say it again. It's free. 0:13:17.559 --> 0:13:21.760 It includes a devotional thought. Um, there's some links to 0:13:21.790 --> 0:13:26.200 like a one minute bold step. There's you can listen 0:13:26.230 --> 0:13:30.130 on audio if you're driving or working out. We also 0:13:30.130 --> 0:13:32.949 have it in Spanish in a written form. And so 0:13:32.950 --> 0:13:35.290 this is just our way of saying, hey, we want 0:13:35.290 --> 0:13:38.260 to make sure that you're getting a good start to 0:13:38.290 --> 0:13:40.809 your week and that you are keeping in step with 0:13:40.809 --> 0:13:41.380 the spirit. 0:13:41.380 --> 0:13:43.870 We are a full service ministry, aren't we? That's right. 0:13:43.900 --> 0:13:45.580 All right. Well, let me invite you to sign up 0:13:45.580 --> 0:13:48.250 for The Bold Stepper Weekly today. Visit our website at 0:13:48.250 --> 0:13:51.370 Bold Steps. Org and if you are already receiving the 0:13:51.370 --> 0:13:54.550 Bold Stepper weekly, here's an idea why don't you share it? 0:13:54.550 --> 0:13:56.650 Forward on to someone else. The link is right at 0:13:56.650 --> 0:13:58.870 the bottom there. You can easily copy that link and 0:13:58.870 --> 0:14:00.470 send it to someone else that you think might be 0:14:00.470 --> 0:14:03.200 interested in receiving it. So check that out. The Bold 0:14:03.200 --> 0:14:06.530 Stepper Weekly from Bold Steps. Now getting back to our 0:14:06.530 --> 0:14:09.470 message for today. It's titled Stepping Up to Your Calling. 0:14:09.470 --> 0:14:11.210 And here's Mark Jobe again. 0:14:15.740 --> 0:14:19.670 So he says, in view of God's mercy, I challenge 0:14:19.670 --> 0:14:24.860 you to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy 0:14:24.860 --> 0:14:30.110 and pleasing to God. This idea of offering our bodies 0:14:30.110 --> 0:14:34.490 as a living sacrifice. The Jewish people understood what a 0:14:34.490 --> 0:14:39.230 sacrifice was because in the Old Testament, and even during 0:14:39.230 --> 0:14:42.800 the times of Jesus, when people approach God in the 0:14:42.800 --> 0:14:47.000 Jewish temple, they would have to offer an animal sacrifice. 0:14:47.360 --> 0:14:52.670 They would kill a lamb or slaughter a dove, and 0:14:52.670 --> 0:14:57.020 they would offer it on a sacrifice and burn it 0:14:57.020 --> 0:15:02.320 before God. And and it was their way of interceding 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:05.560 for their sins. It was their way of making a 0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:11.440 live offering for their sins. In those cases, there would 0:15:11.440 --> 0:15:15.520 be a a rock altar, the blood would be spattered 0:15:15.520 --> 0:15:19.660 on the altar, and the animal would be killed, of course. 0:15:19.720 --> 0:15:24.400 Paul is using a different imagery. He's using the imagery 0:15:24.400 --> 0:15:26.110 of an altar, but he's saying, I don't want a 0:15:26.110 --> 0:15:32.110 dead sacrifice. I want a living sacrifice. I want you 0:15:32.110 --> 0:15:39.040 to visually place yourself on that altar and say to God, 0:15:39.040 --> 0:15:41.770 I'm not offering a pigeon or a lamb, because we 0:15:41.770 --> 0:15:44.140 don't do that anymore. That was Old Testament. We're in 0:15:44.140 --> 0:15:47.859 New Testament, but now we are offering ourselves before God, 0:15:47.860 --> 0:15:50.830 and we're saying, God, I belong to you, and I'm 0:15:50.830 --> 0:15:53.980 going to live my life as though I'm consecrated to you, 0:15:53.980 --> 0:15:58.180 as though, as though I'm a living sacrifice unto you 0:15:58.180 --> 0:16:00.590 and who I am and what I am. I belong 0:16:00.620 --> 0:16:06.020 to you, God. Now Paul says, offer your bodies. In 0:16:06.020 --> 0:16:09.560 other words, your whole person. That's fill in the blank. 0:16:09.590 --> 0:16:14.420 Offer your whole person as a living sacrifice unto God. 0:16:14.570 --> 0:16:20.180 Notice what he says a living sacrifice that is holy 0:16:20.180 --> 0:16:24.979 and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. 0:16:25.910 --> 0:16:29.030 Some people think that they go to a Sunday service 0:16:29.060 --> 0:16:33.650 to worship. Maybe you've used that expression. I'm going to 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:39.050 a worship service. Uh, some. Sometimes even in church bulletins, 0:16:39.050 --> 0:16:44.900 they'll say worship starts at 11. But really, if you 0:16:44.900 --> 0:16:48.860 understand worship, worship is not an activity you engage in. 0:16:48.860 --> 0:16:52.340 It's a lifestyle that you engage in. Uh, worship is 0:16:52.340 --> 0:16:56.780 about how you live your life. Do you realize that 0:16:57.020 --> 0:16:59.450 it's not just coming into a service and having the 0:16:59.460 --> 0:17:01.770 songs going and raising your hands to God and saying 0:17:01.770 --> 0:17:04.410 how good you are, God. But do you realize that 0:17:04.410 --> 0:17:09.300 worship is worship is any act of service you do 0:17:09.300 --> 0:17:12.689 to God. Anything that you dedicate to God is an 0:17:12.690 --> 0:17:16.050 act of worship. Do you know that you could be 0:17:16.050 --> 0:17:21.090 washing dishes as an act of worship? You're washing dishes 0:17:21.090 --> 0:17:22.830 and say, Lord, I do this unto you. That's an 0:17:22.830 --> 0:17:26.370 act of worship. You're offering whatever you're doing to God. 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:28.500 Do you know that you can drive your car as 0:17:28.500 --> 0:17:30.630 an act of worship? I need to work on that 0:17:30.630 --> 0:17:35.879 one still. Do you know that your job, whatever you 0:17:35.880 --> 0:17:40.170 do for a living, that as you offer the way 0:17:40.170 --> 0:17:42.210 you do your job, if you do it with integrity, 0:17:42.210 --> 0:17:43.770 if you do it with the right attitude, if you 0:17:43.770 --> 0:17:46.290 do it with the right heart, that you are worshiping 0:17:46.290 --> 0:17:49.919 God through your job, then pretty much anything in life 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:51.989 that you do when you offer up to God and 0:17:51.990 --> 0:17:54.660 you do it for his honor and his glory, you 0:17:54.660 --> 0:17:58.530 are engaging in an act of worship. Worship. The word 0:17:58.530 --> 0:18:02.389 worship is from an Anglo-Saxon word. We get our English 0:18:02.390 --> 0:18:06.560 word worship from an Anglo-Saxon word that means worship, that 0:18:06.560 --> 0:18:11.330 you are giving someone worth and value. When I give 0:18:11.359 --> 0:18:15.200 God worth and value in what I do, I am 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:20.090 giving him my worship. So therefore, you don't engage in 0:18:20.090 --> 0:18:24.140 worship on a half hour while you're singing on Sunday morning. 0:18:24.170 --> 0:18:27.170 Hopefully what Paul is saying is, I want you to 0:18:27.170 --> 0:18:30.740 see your whole life as an act of worship. When 0:18:30.740 --> 0:18:34.159 you get up in the morning. Good morning Lord. Let's 0:18:34.160 --> 0:18:38.870 do this day together. When you're making lunch for your 0:18:39.109 --> 0:18:42.320 sixth grader, that's on his way. Lord, I pray for 0:18:42.320 --> 0:18:45.200 my son, and I do this unto you. Whatever you do, 0:18:45.230 --> 0:18:48.230 you do as an act of worship unto God, you 0:18:48.230 --> 0:18:54.140 offer it to God. So therefore there's no dichotomy between 0:18:54.140 --> 0:18:58.040 the secular or the sacred. Some people make a big 0:18:58.040 --> 0:19:00.950 difference between the secular and the sacred. They think that 0:19:00.950 --> 0:19:06.560 praying is sacred. But, um. Hammering a nail at their 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:10.430 work is secular. What God tells us and shows us 0:19:10.460 --> 0:19:14.209 is that praying is sacred. But if you hammer a 0:19:14.210 --> 0:19:18.320 nail and you're hammering, and you're doing your job with 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:21.320 an attitude of trying to please God and doing everything 0:19:21.320 --> 0:19:23.330 you do for the glory of God, that hammering that 0:19:23.330 --> 0:19:26.450 nail can be as sacred as praying a prayer, because 0:19:26.450 --> 0:19:28.760 you're doing it for the glory of God. Are you 0:19:28.790 --> 0:19:34.430 tracking with me? This is really important. Some people have, 0:19:34.460 --> 0:19:37.040 they confuse. They think that certain things are holy and 0:19:37.040 --> 0:19:39.380 certain things are not holy. And I want to say 0:19:39.380 --> 0:19:42.170 that whatever you do in Jesus name with an attitude 0:19:42.200 --> 0:19:45.140 towards God to please him and offer it to God, 0:19:45.140 --> 0:19:48.620 you do it. It becomes holy. So your entire life 0:19:48.619 --> 0:19:53.629 becomes a living sacrifice of worship to God. That doesn't 0:19:53.630 --> 0:19:55.700 just kick in. When you enter into a building with 0:19:55.700 --> 0:19:58.250 a cross and a steeple on top, but that you 0:19:58.250 --> 0:20:02.060 are constantly engaging in worship, not just when you're singing, 0:20:02.060 --> 0:20:05.659 but whatever you're doing is an act of worship to God, 0:20:05.660 --> 0:20:10.669 because you've chosen to offer it to God and to 0:20:10.700 --> 0:20:15.260 show that you're doing whatever you're doing for God. You'll 0:20:15.260 --> 0:20:20.870 notice that in in verse two it says, do not 0:20:20.869 --> 0:20:23.540 conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but 0:20:23.540 --> 0:20:28.100 be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The second 0:20:28.100 --> 0:20:33.680 step in utilizing your potential is you need to renew 0:20:33.710 --> 0:20:37.730 your mind so that you can understand your new purpose 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:43.130 and your calling in life. Many of us don't understand 0:20:43.130 --> 0:20:46.970 our calling because the world is pressuring us to live 0:20:47.000 --> 0:20:50.090 a certain way and to act a certain way, and 0:20:50.119 --> 0:20:54.890 we've bought into their mold, and we're peer pressured into 0:20:54.920 --> 0:20:58.280 what everybody else is doing without understanding that we have 0:20:58.310 --> 0:21:02.010 a unique call. Do not conform any longer to the 0:21:02.010 --> 0:21:04.830 pattern of this world. That word conform is the word 0:21:04.830 --> 0:21:10.710 to fashion, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 0:21:12.330 --> 0:21:17.520 Many of us, we come to Christ. You've opened up 0:21:17.520 --> 0:21:19.020 your heart and you say, God, I want you to 0:21:19.050 --> 0:21:21.840 come in and change my life and turn me around. 0:21:21.840 --> 0:21:24.510 And you start off with that new energy to turn 0:21:24.510 --> 0:21:28.560 your life around. But somewhere in the process, you get stuck, 0:21:29.010 --> 0:21:33.630 you stop changing, or sometimes you can revert to old patterns. 0:21:33.630 --> 0:21:38.340 Why not? Because God isn't faithful. Not because God isn't good. 0:21:38.340 --> 0:21:44.400 Not because Christianity doesn't work. Your spirit has been changed. 0:21:44.490 --> 0:21:48.690 But something more than your spirit has to change. Your 0:21:48.690 --> 0:21:53.820 mind has to be renewed so that your life continues 0:21:53.820 --> 0:21:59.990 to be changed. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 0:21:59.990 --> 0:22:04.160 In other words, you are thinking the way you process life. 0:22:04.160 --> 0:22:07.880 The truth, what your brain thinks about what your thoughts 0:22:07.880 --> 0:22:13.160 are about has to be transformed into the way that God, 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:16.369 God's principles, and God's words in order for you to 0:22:16.400 --> 0:22:22.280 maintain the change that's happening in your life. So the 0:22:22.280 --> 0:22:26.780 Apostle Paul says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 0:22:26.780 --> 0:22:28.910 You can't renew your mind without getting into the Word 0:22:28.910 --> 0:22:30.800 of God. The Word of God is truth, and the 0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:34.700 truth of God renews our mind. We meditate on the word. 0:22:34.700 --> 0:22:38.030 We study the word. We allow the spirit to process 0:22:38.030 --> 0:22:40.609 the word in our life. We start changing old ways 0:22:40.609 --> 0:22:44.960 of thinking for new ways of thinking. Um, that takes time. 0:22:44.960 --> 0:22:49.730 It doesn't happen overnight. It says, then as your mind 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:52.340 is renewed, then you will be able to test and 0:22:52.340 --> 0:22:56.060 approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. 0:22:56.090 --> 0:23:00.720 As your mind is renewed, you start discovering the will 0:23:00.750 --> 0:23:04.320 of God, how to live for God, how to have 0:23:04.350 --> 0:23:07.770 what your purpose is, what your destiny is. As your 0:23:07.770 --> 0:23:11.910 mind is renewed, you start learning the will of God 0:23:11.910 --> 0:23:15.360 in your life. But it takes the renewing of our mind. 0:23:24.210 --> 0:23:27.300 Tomorrow we'll hear the exciting conclusion of this message about 0:23:27.330 --> 0:23:30.540 reaching your full potential. So please join us then. This 0:23:30.540 --> 0:23:33.690 is Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Have you really thought 0:23:33.690 --> 0:23:36.570 about how you can live out your true calling? That's 0:23:36.570 --> 0:23:39.030 what we've been talking about today. But if you're still 0:23:39.030 --> 0:23:41.010 a little fuzzy on the details, we'd love to send 0:23:41.010 --> 0:23:43.830 you a copy of our latest Bold Step gift, because 0:23:43.830 --> 0:23:47.310 the world seems more chaotic and unpredictable than ever. Did 0:23:47.310 --> 0:23:50.250 you know that throughout history, times of crisis have often 0:23:50.250 --> 0:23:54.120 preceded times of spiritual awakening? In the book titled A 0:23:54.150 --> 0:23:58.770 Non-anxious Presence, Mark Sayers reveals how today's challenges might actually 0:23:58.770 --> 0:24:03.170 be setting the stage for tomorrow's renewal? As leaders and believers, 0:24:03.170 --> 0:24:06.649 we often try to control what feels uncontrollable. But what 0:24:06.650 --> 0:24:09.139 if God is using this season of uncertainty to shape 0:24:09.140 --> 0:24:12.170 something new in your church, maybe in your community, and 0:24:12.170 --> 0:24:16.280 even your relationship with him? A Non-anxious presence offers a 0:24:16.280 --> 0:24:20.510 hopeful perspective on leading through turbulent times, requests this bold 0:24:20.510 --> 0:24:23.960 step gift and discover how to navigate change while maintaining 0:24:23.960 --> 0:24:28.700 spiritual steadiness. Just call us at 800 D.L. Moody. That's 0:24:28.700 --> 0:24:35.300 (800) 356-6639 or give online at bold steps. Org. Now to 0:24:35.330 --> 0:24:38.150 send your gift and request the book a Non-anxious presence 0:24:38.150 --> 0:24:41.450 in the mail. Write to us at Bold steps. 820 0:24:41.480 --> 0:24:47.000 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 606 ten. And when you 0:24:47.000 --> 0:24:49.970 give a gift, each month of $30 or more will 0:24:49.970 --> 0:24:52.640 add your name to our growing list of bold partners 0:24:52.640 --> 0:24:55.250 and will also send you a signed copy of Mark's book, 0:24:55.280 --> 0:24:58.430 Unstuck Out of Your Cave and Into Your Call, plus 0:24:58.430 --> 0:25:03.150 several other perks like the bi weekly bold partner post, video, email, 0:25:03.150 --> 0:25:08.220 and 50% off any item from Moody Publishers online store. 0:25:08.369 --> 0:25:11.280 Thank you for your generous investment in the media ministry 0:25:11.280 --> 0:25:13.350 of Bold Steps. Be sure to sign up today when 0:25:13.350 --> 0:25:17.550 you visit Bold steps.org. And before we sign off, let 0:25:17.580 --> 0:25:19.890 me remind you that all of these daily messages and 0:25:19.890 --> 0:25:23.010 the faith building resources can be found anywhere, any time, 0:25:23.010 --> 0:25:26.730 by downloading the Bold Steps app. So do that today 0:25:26.730 --> 0:25:29.850 by searching your app store for bold steps with doctor 0:25:29.850 --> 0:25:32.909 Mark Jobe. I'm Wayne Shepherd, inviting you to join us 0:25:32.910 --> 0:25:36.030 again tomorrow for the exciting conclusion of Mark's message. Stepping 0:25:36.030 --> 0:25:38.850 up to your calling. Learn how to use your unique 0:25:38.880 --> 0:25:43.350 abilities to fulfill your highest calling. Tuesday on Bold Steps 0:25:43.350 --> 0:25:48.210 with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, 0:25:48.240 --> 0:25:50.669 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.