No More Normal: Be the 2 Not The 10
Our normal is broken and lackluster. God’s normal is Perfect and Powerful.
God uses moments like these as spiritual catalysts in our lives.
Philippians 3:7-14, notice the contrast he makes to what is behind him and what is in front of him, “7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Every life season has a shelf life. The challenge of leading your family and leading yourself, is knowing when to stay put and when to move forward.
Numbers 13:26 – 14:4 “26 They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.” 30 Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32 And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33 We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”
The Power in a Name.
· Shammua = “The report of God” – God tells the truth.
· Shaphat = “He has judged” – God has already determined the destiny of the situation.
· Igal = “He redeems” – God finishes what He starts.
· Palti = “My escape is God” – God is my way out.
· Gaddiel & Gaddi = “My fortune is God” – God is my bountiful reward.
· Ammiel = “God is my Kinsman Redeemer” – God is my nearest and most resource-filled relative.
· Sethur = “Sheltered by God” – Covered is my constant condition.
· Nahbi = “My hiding is God” – I am safe in God.
· Geuel = “The majesty of God.” – Nothing outshines God.
· Joshua = “to save” – God is active.
· Caleb = “loyal” – God sticks.
Fear is never satisfied being alone – it always wants company and it needs company to survive. But you can starve fear and feed courage. You can remove yourself from the company of fear and find a new company of courageous people. Be the 2 not the 10!
7 Facts About Fear & Faith
1. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Pain.
2. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Failure.
3. Faith & Courage Can Be Hardwired.
Numbers 14:24 says, “but because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to and his descendants will inherit it.”
7 Facts About Fear & Faith
1. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Pain.
2. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Failure.
3. Faith & Courage Can Be Hardwired.
4. Faith & Courage Can Be Learned.
We learn faith through knowledge + experience/time.
7 Facts About Fear & Faith
1. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Pain.
2. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Failure.
3. Faith & Courage Can Be Hardwired.
4. Fear & Courage Can Be Learned.
5. Fear Shrinks God and Inflates Opposition. Godly Courage Keeps Perspective.
You will never be safer where you are than where God is leading you not matter who or what stands in between.
7 Facts About Fear & Faith
1. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Pain.
2. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Failure.
3. Faith & Courage Can Be Hardwired.
4. Faith & Courage Can Be Learned.
5. Fear Shrinks God and Inflates Opposition. Godly Courage Keeps Perspective.
6. Fear & Courage are Both Contagious.
Crowds are loud and unsettling. Courage is calm and settling.
7 Facts About Fear & Faith
1. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Pain.
2. Fear is a Learned Behavior. We Learn it Through Failure.
3. Faith & Courage are Hardwired.
4. Faith & Courage Are Learned Behaviors.
5. Fear Shrinks God and Inflates Opposition. Godly Courage Keeps Perspective.
6. Fear & Courage are Both Contagious.
7. It Takes A Fight to Transform Fear into Courage.
The beauty of each new win isn’t just the added fighting experience, it is the added faith experience.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
2 prayer prompts & 1 action item.
· Ask Jesus for a new name.
· Ask Jesus for His normal of perfection and power.
· Don’t run from the fight, run to it. Move forward in courage.
o Trust what He has promised you.
o Trust what He is telling you.
o Go where He is leading you.
BE THE 2 NOT THE 10