Do you desire to please God with your life? Do you also struggle with sinful thoughts and habits? In Gal. 5:17 Paul reminds us that the flesh is in conflict with the spirit – and the spirit is in conflict with the flesh. They are opposed to each other making it difficult to do what is right. In Romans 7 Paul talks about how the things he wants to do, he doesn’t; and the things he doesn’t want to do he keeps on doing. Can you relate?
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
Do you desire to please God with your life? Do you also struggle with sinful thoughts and habits? In Gal. 5:17 Paul reminds us that the flesh is in conflict with the spirit – and the spirit is in conflict with the flesh. They are opposed to each other making it difficult to do what is right. In Romans 7 Paul talks about how the things he wants to do, he doesn’t; and the things he doesn’t want to do he keeps on doing. Can you relate?
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
Do you desire to please God with your life? Do you also struggle with sinful thoughts and habits? In Gal. 5:17 Paul reminds us that the flesh is in conflict with the spirit – and the spirit is in conflict with the flesh. They are opposed to each other making it difficult to do what is right. In Romans 7 Paul talks about how the things he wants to do, he doesn’t; and the things he doesn’t want to do he keeps on doing. Can you relate?
Welcome to the Point of Purity Podcast! I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #162 . In this episode we continue our mini-series on Glorifying God as we discover how our thinking impacts our doing. This week’s Episode is entitled “Do, Doing, Done.”
As we begin this week’s episode, I want to remind you right off the bat that this life isn’t about you. King Me will try to convince you otherwise, but I assure you - the King is wrong. Revelation 1:6 declares that all glory and dominion and power belong to God and God alone. King Me is nowhere to be found. Revelation 4:11 proclaims, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will (note that – by God’s will ... not King Me – by God’s will) they exist and are created.” Revelation 5:12 tells us that the angels say with a loud voice “Worthy is the Lamb (don’t miss this now – not King Me, but worthy is the Lamb / Jesus Christ alone) to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” Paul writes in Romans 11:36 that “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him (NOT King Me – To God) be the glory forever. Amen!” And in Romans 16:27 he writes “To the only wise God be glory forever more!” Hopefully by now you realize, hopefully by now you begin to grasp and understand the fact that GOD and God alone receives all the glory all the time.
Based upon that truth in Scripture, if you truly believe that only God is worthy to receive glory, honor, and praise, then your life will be a daily reflection of that. No matter what you do, when you do it, or where it’s being done, always do it for God’s glory. Just think about that. God is not expecting us to live a life that occasionally, or even mostly, glorifies Him. Every aspect of your life, every moment of every day, is to be lived in a way that He (and He alone) receives recognition, praise, and honor. God doesn’t want partial honor or some of the glory. He alone is worthy of all of it. So, giving 90% of the glory to God isn’t enough. God deserves 100% of the glory, 100% of the time.
Now that’s a tall order. I mean, living a life that in every way and at all times glorifies God is certainly a noble and holy endeavor. But is it really possible? Can you actually function in a way that every thought, every word, and every action is in every way (100% of the time ) reflecting to the world around you the absolute greatness, majesty, wonder, and supremacy of the Almighty God of the Universe? My answer to you is, yes—yes you can! Philippians 4:13 assures us that we can do all things through Christ who gives us His strength.
Ok. So, I have a question for you that at first might seem off-topic. Have you ever had that eerie feeling that someone’s watching you? You whip your head around to see who it is, only to discover that there isn’t anyone there, or that the people around you aren’t even looking your way. Creepy.
The fact is people are watching and observing your life every day. In my younger years, I did a fair amount of stage acting. One thing my director drilled into our minds was the fact that at all times on that stage—whether you have a speaking line or not—people are watching you, so always stay in character. This is a great lesson for life as well. No matter what you may (or may not) be doing, people are watching you – so always be godly.
In Colossians 3:17 Paul says, “whatever you do in word or deed.” What exactly is a “deed” and how do I make it glorify God? Usually, we think of a deed as a specific activity or task that we accomplish. Typically, we define a “deed” as something tangible that we do. For example, we may think that helping out in the church nursery or going on a short-term mission trip or raking the neighbor’s leaves as good deeds. They certainly can (and do) include those things; but that simple word “deed” in Colossians 3:17 refers to so much more. A “deed” is also something as simple as a scowl on your face, an over-exaggerated sigh, crossing your arms to make a point or offering a friendly pat on the back for encouragement. It refers to any type of physical action you may perform – including your body language. Did you ever consider the fact that even your body language should glorify God?
When you stop to think about it, this is a very powerful word! Paul is simply saying that each and every individual thing we do, no matter how insignificant we may think it is, is considered by God to be a deed that should glorify Him. Yes, even the raising of an eyebrow, the shrug of our shoulders, the glaring of our eyes, or even a smile are all deeds that should be done in a way that honors and glorifies God – not King Me. In short, every aspect of even our body language is to be considered a deed that should bring honor and glory to God and God alone.
An impossibility? No. The same truth applies here as it does with our words. For your deeds to glorify God, your thoughts must first glorify Him. It begins in the heart. What you think becomes what you do. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (see Proverbs 23:7 KJV). “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person” (Proverbs 27:19 NLT). It always begins with dethroning King Me and letting God take His rightful place upon the throne of your heart. Whom are you worshiping, and why?
It is also important for us to realize that these deeds are not referring only to the ones seen by others. It includes each and every deed done, whether in public or in private. Even the things you do when you’re all by yourself are to be done out of a heart that is intentionally focused on glorifying God. 1 Samuel 2:3 tells us that “the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” Consider that verse carefully. God knows each and every one of your deeds, both public and private. He is also fully aware of the reason (motivation of your heart) behind each deed. He not only knows what you do, but why you’re doing it.
“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10)
“The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
God is the one “who sees the heart and the mind” (Jeremiah 20:12 ESV). On the scales of God’s holy justice our deeds are seriously considered, but God places more weight on the motivation of our heart, on the thoughts we are thinking and whom we are worshiping as we perform each deed and speak each word. What are you watching? Does it glorify God? What are you listening to? Does it glorify God? What are you reading? Does it glorify God? What activities are you participating in? Do they glorify God?
God not only searches our heart, but he “examines the mind” (Jeremiah 17:10). Yes, our deeds are important to God. “So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). However, God is not going to reward our deeds, no matter how great they might be if the thoughts, worship, and heart’s motivation behind them is wrong. In order for our words and deeds to glorify God, our thoughts must first glorify Him.
We should be able to confidently say with the psalmist “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind” (Psalm 26:2). God loves you, my friend, and His purpose in your life is to refine you to make you more and more like Christ. As you discipline yourself to daily dig into His Word and choose to yield to the moving of His Spirit in your heart, God will reveal to you what needs to be changed, tweaked, and adjusted. He wants you to daily think in a way that glorifies Him so that you will daily choose those things that bring Him glory. After all is said and done, you should thank God that He sees your heart and that He tests it, because His deepest heart’s desire is always and only for your good and His glory.
As we continue our study of Colossians 3:17 note that Paul is saying that each and everything you say, as well as each and everything you do is to be said and done in the name of Jesus Christ with the sole intent of glorifying God. Let me once again repeat a concept that has saturated this podcast. To glorify God in everything you say and do you must first glorify Him in everything you think.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27)
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
How much of your life is to glorify God? All of it. How many of the things you say and do each day are to glorify God? All of them. “All” means all and that’s all “all” means! You see, even the most mundane, routine, non-spiritual things you think, say, and do are to always be thought, said, and done in a way that glorifies God. Understand this: to glorify God in our everyday living, He must first and foremost be glorified in our every moment thinking.
The foundation we have been building and will continue to build upon throughout the entirety of this Point of Purity Podcast is this: You were created to know God and live a godly life that brings honor and glory to Him in everything you say and do. That is the primary purpose of life. And when you choose to do what God created you to do, then (and only then) will you experience the fullness of joy God wants you to enjoy.
There is a direct connection between glorifying God in every thought you think and glorifying Him in every word you say and every deed you do. What you think eventually becomes what you say and do. To live godly, one must first think godly. Yet all too often we focus all of our attention on changing only our outward behavior. This can lead you dangerously close to legalism as well as feelings of discouragement and defeat every time we fall short and fail.
Let me encourage you that constant and consistent victory is possible. You do not have to live a defeated life. Believe me, I know. For years I focused all of my attention on changing outwardly. I tried to behave the way I thought I knew God wanted me to. I tried to live a life that impressed everyone around me with the things I knew about God and godliness. During that time in my life, I constantly struggled with the nagging feelings of defeat and failure. I repetitively cycled through playing with my temptation, sinning, confessing, playing with my temptation, sinning, confessing; over and over again. I can boldly declare and honestly exclaim: No more! Once I finally faced my temptation and identified it for what it was (idolatry: the worship of a false god – King Me), I could develop a plan to stay far away from it. You can too!
In a lot of ways, The Pure Man Ministry and everything we do in it is a direct result of my personal journey through Scripture, learning that the sin we battle with is not stronger than God. The temptations that seemingly overwhelm us are actually powerless over us. You can live a consistent godly life. You can learn how to walk in lasting victory over sin, living a godly life that glorifies God in everything you think, say, and do. The solution is found within the pages of God’s Word.
It’s hard to develop a pattern of life that consistently glorifies our Heavenly Father; hard, but not impossible. To glorify God in everything you say and do you must first glorify Him in everything you think. Jesus put it this way, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27). There is a powerful connection between glorifying God in every thought you think and glorifying Him in every word you say and every deed you do. Tens of thousands of thoughts cross our minds each day. Each one of these thoughts impacts and influences us. Our thoughts, our perceptions, and our assumptions dictate how we react emotionally to an event. Our emotions strongly determine our behaviors.
OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our miniseries on How to Glorify God. In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry, be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.
One of those resources I would like to highlight for you here is my book entitled “Purely Satisfied: Discover how to live in genuine purity” available right now on Amazon. When you find yourself sexually “thirsty” and feeling like you’re going to shrivel up and die if your “need” isn’t met, what do you do? Where do you go to find satisfaction? Yes, you are “thirsty,” but you are not thirsting for sexual fulfillment. You are not thirsting for physical satisfaction. You are not thirsting for a pop or rush that those sexual hormones are providing you. Your thirst is for something different, something deeper. Your soul is searching for something only God can give. This is why lust, porn, and masturbation are continuously failing to genuinely satisfy. This is why you keep going back for more, never having that thirst quenched.
“Purely Satisfied” makes it clear that men need to catch God’s vision for life, and the only way to dethrone me and allow Him to be King is through an intimate relationship with Jesus. “Purely Satisfied” touches the nerve-endings of where men are today with fresh insight and the secret to real healing. This is a must read for all men.
So let me strongly encourage you to go to our website, ThePurityCoach.com, and check out our resources page, or go directly to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “Purely Satisfied” today.
If you have not yet subscribed to this Point of Purity Podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!
So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.