Prayer: God Guides You To Be More Like Christ

CURRENT TEACHING SERIES Can You Hear Me Now?

Prayer: God Guides You To Be More Like Christ By Rick Warren — Mar 11, 2015 “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 NIV) If you want to recognize God’s voice and figure out whether you have an impression from him or not, first you need to ask if the idea agrees with the Bible. Then, you need to ask, “If I follow through on this impression, will it make me more like Christ?” Philippians 2:5 says, “In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus” (NCV). God’s goal is to make us more like Christ, so he would not give us an impression that would lead us in a direction opposite that goal. James 3:17 is a great checklist for helping you to see if something is an impression from God when it comes to the character qualities of Jesus Christ: “The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (NIV). If your idea or impression is impure, then it’s obviously not from God. This may sound pretty simple, but you wouldn’t believe how many people I meet who are trying to convince themselves that an impure impression is somehow from God. Is the impression peace loving? God’s going to give impressions that promote harmony and not conflict. Is it considerate? When God gives you an impression, he is concerned about the impact that impression is going to have on somebody else. He’s not going to give you impressions that mess up other people’s lives. Is this impression submissive? That’s not a word that we use very much, but it simply means humble, teachable, and not arrogant. If you’ve really heard from God, then you’re not going to be afraid to test that idea by sharing it with others and getting their input. Is it full of mercy? I’ve met a lot of people who think they have heard from God and yet they’re the most judgmental, condemning, and negative people. Those people haven’t heard from God. They’ve heard from their own prejudices and anger. If you really hear from God, it makes you full of mercy. Is it impartial and sincere? An idea from God won’t make you manipulate and control others. Checking an impression against these seven character qualities of Jesus Christ will help you know if your idea is from God and if it will make you more like Jesus. PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over How do you show God that you want to be more like Jesus? What is an idea or impression that you believe God has recently given you? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7Vf7BguyhIDoes it hold up to these seven qualities of Jesus? How does your opinion of an idea change when you think about how it affects other people? It’s All on the Inside TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “...The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria When you become a believer in Christ, He begins to work in and through you automatically. Inside, you are becoming a completely new person. No one else around you may notice the change, at least immediately, because people usually only see the outside of a person and what they can see and hear. Sometimes, you yourself may not even see or feel the change. But the fact is that God changed you when you became a believer, and He is still changing you because you belong to Him. Today, don’t be discouraged if others around you don’t seem to notice the work God is doing in your life. You just remember that a life-changing transformation has taken place in your heart. God sees the difference, He knows what’s inside you and He is bringing victory to every area of your life! A PRAYER FOR TODAY God, thank You for Your life-changing power and strength. Give me eyes to see myself and others the way You see them, from the inside out in Jesus’ name. Amen.