PowerPoint

Guest (Female): Welcome to PowerPoint with Jack Graham. Most of you listening to me right now want to do God's will. I mean, if you had the choice, you really want to do what God wants you to do. But you just need to be certain that God is leading you. On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about the incredible plans God has for your life. Now here's Dr. Graham with his message, "Discovering Your God-Given Dream."

Jack Graham: Take God's word and turn to the eighth chapter of the book of Acts, Acts chapter eight. The last time we were together, we spoke of Philip and we met him here in this eighth chapter of Acts. Philip was a godly deacon, a layman, who was mightily used of God, serving and sharing the love of Christ within the congregation.

But he had the heart of an evangelist and so Philip was engaged in personal evangelism first up in Samaria where he was involved in a great work of Christ in that place. The Spirit of God was moving in a mighty way and many lives were being changed and miracles were taking place.

But then something very unusual happened as Philip was led by the Spirit out into the desert. It didn't make sense at the time to leave all the action at Samaria where the presence of God was so thick you could cut it with a knife and to go out into a desert place, out into a kind of unknown zone. But Philip without question obeyed God and there he met one person and the entourage of this individual, an Ethiopian man who was an associate to the queen of Ethiopia returning from Jerusalem having worshiped or attempted to worship God there and yet going back empty.

And it was there that God connected because Philip listened to the Spirit and because the Spirit was also working in the life of this Ethiopian man that God connected them and Philip was able to lead this man to Christ. And the interesting thing is that history tells us, Christian tradition tells us, that this man that Philip led to Christ there in the desert went back to Ethiopia and God mightily used him to preach the gospel and to share the gospel with all of North Africa.

So you never know what can happen if you simply stay in sync with the Spirit in your life. In verse 26 of chapter eight, I want to just pick three verses out and this really is a follow-up to the message that you heard last time. But there are three verses. One, verse 26: "Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, 'Rise and go to the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.'" This was an angelic being, an angel of the Lord prompted by the Spirit of the Lord to go and Philip was listening and therefore he was led by the Spirit.

And then down in verse 39: "And when they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away and the eunuch saw him no more." Earlier we're told that the Spirit told him to go join himself to the chariot. Look at verse 29: "And the Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and join the chariot.'" So on three occasions, Philip was led by God. He was prompted by the Spirit.

So the question I believe we should answer today is, does God still do that today? Does God still lead us, prompt us, urge us to move by his Spirit? I believe the answer is yes. That God's Spirit certainly speaks through his word objectively, personally, and there's so much leading of course in the word of God because God's word is what breathed out by the Holy Spirit. So when you read God's word, you are listening to the Spirit.

But beyond that, in addition to that, there is this inner voice, this inner leading of the Spirit. You say, "Is this thing an audible voice of God?" No, it's louder than that. This inner leading, which is much more than just gut instinct or human intuition or intuitiveness. This is something that God does when we are in step with him, when we are in sync with him. That God's Spirit provides motivation and inspiration, wisdom as we walk with him.

So the question is, how do we hear from God today? That's the question I want us to ask and answer because I'm certain that most of you listening to me right now want to do God's will. I mean if you had the choice, you really want to do what God wants you to do. But you just need to be certain that God is leading you. You need to know his plans and his purposes for your life.

There are so many decisions that we have to make today. Decisions regarding your career, decisions regarding your children, decisions regarding your relationship, your marriage—should I marry this person or not marry this person—decisions regarding your ministry, what involvement, what kind of ministry will I get involved in, and decisions regarding who I'm going to share my faith with. Those are all decisions that matter most and there are many others. We need to know that we're hearing from God and doing what God wants us to do.

So how do we do that? I want to mention several ways that you can hear from God. Number one, begin by offering your life to Christ every single day. The key word there is offering. I'm talking about yielding your life to Christ on a daily basis. Too many of us think that the will of God has something to do with fate. Que será, será, whatever will be, will be. That we have become a sense in one sense fatalists. That what's going to happen is going to happen and we can't change it or we can't correct it in any way. That's not the view of the Bible.

Certainly God providentially leads us but we are not fatalists. And the will of God is not just a matter of fate nor is it a matter of fortune. It's not good luck or bad luck. And the will of God is not the fortuitous conjunction of circumstances in our lives. Things that just happen. The will of God is not fate, it's not fortune, nor is it a formula. I mean I can't stand up here and give you six ways that absolutely you can know the will of God in your life or in this circumstance. It's not a formula. It is following Christ day by day.

It is seeking first his kingdom, putting Jesus first in our lives and following him. That's where the will of God begins. It begins every day by turning your life over to Christ and trusting in him, knowing that if you trust in him and acknowledge him in all your ways, he will direct your path. That's Proverbs 3:5 and 6.

And so when we talk about offering our lives to God on a daily basis, you say, "Well, I did that a long time ago. I gave my life to follow Christ." Well, that's like the fellow, his wife was complaining that he never told her that he loved her anymore. And he said, "Look, I told you I loved you when I married you. If anything changes, I'll let you know." Don't try that at home because every relationship must be renewed constantly of course. And certainly our relationship with Christ, our love relationship with Christ, each day should be renewed as we open our hearts and yield our lives to him.

What does the scripture say in Romans chapter 12 verse one? That we are to offer ourselves, present ourselves as living sacrifices unto God. Of course you know the problem with a living sacrifice, don't you? The problem with a living sacrifice is that a living sacrifice keeps crawling off the altar. And therefore we have to bring ourselves back to the altar, back to that place of surrender and sacrifice that we might live for Christ.

That is an offering of your life. When you wake up in the morning, what are your first thoughts? So often we think that we can know God's will and live in under the leadership of the Spirit on the run. But that's impossible. If we're going to hear the still small voice, the inner voice of the Spirit, that means taking time out and time away to listen to him. And so to offer yourself to God each day is to simply come before him and say, "Lord, I don't know what's ahead of me in this day exactly. I have a schedule, but I want to be on your schedule. I want to walk with you. Lord, I give myself to live under your lordship. I surrender myself to stay in step with you. I will follow after you."

And if you will begin each day just simply offering your life once again to Christ, giving your day to him, it opens up a new world of possibilities and potential for your life to listen to the Spirit of God, to his promptings, to his nudgings, to the open doors, to the opportunities that are around us each day.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "Discovering Your God-Given Dream." Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible.

As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now let's get back to today's message, "Discovering Your God-Given Dream."

Jack Graham: Not only offering your life to Christ each day but opening your heart to new possibilities and potentials each day of your life. That's what happened to Philip because Philip was sensitive and in step, in sync with the Spirit of the Lord. God led him to another person and an opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.

And if you will get up every day and offer yourself to God and then stay in step with him, open to new possibilities in your life each step like the dawning of the day and the sun gets brighter and brighter and brighter throughout the day, so will your life as you follow Christ.

Here are some questions that I believe the Spirit of God could use in your life to help you detect, discern, and then do the will of God for your life. Perhaps the Spirit of God with every decision or choice that you make, number one, would ask you, is this in accordance, is this in alignment with the moral will of God for my life? Now let me tell you what I mean by that, the moral will of God. Is this in alignment with the moral will of God in my life?

1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, "For this is the will of God for you, even your sanctification." Now sanctification is a long word which means to be set apart. And sanctification is the process in which the Spirit of God enables us to be more like Christ each day. So of course if that's the purpose of the Spirit, if the Spirit of God if it's his will to make me more like Christ, then I need to always be asking myself with every decision I am making, is this in alignment with God's moral will to make me more like Christ?

So that's the first thing the Spirit is going to ask us. Secondly, is what I'm about to do in harmony with the commands, the truths, the principles of the word of God? God will never lead us beyond what he has already revealed to us in his word. And so the scripture says in verse two of Romans 12: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God." Our minds are renewed in the scriptures.

And of course God would never lead us to do anything that would be in defiance of what he has already revealed in his word. Thirdly, have I sought godly advice? Key word there, godly advice, because there are many people who have opinions and there are many dispensers of advice. But when you have a decision to make, you should make it in concert with people you can trust who know and love God and the wisdom of God.

The scripture says that in a multitude of counselors there is safety. You certainly ought to ask for godly advice. Then the Holy Spirit would ask, does this decision fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission in my life? Does it help me fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission? The Great Commandment is what? Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and your neighbor as yourself. The Great Commission is to go into all the world and make disciples.

And on these two planks we walk each day. So if I'm making a decision, we should ask, is this helping me, is it moving me expeditiously down the track in fulfilling the commandment to love God with all my heart, to love people, my neighbors as myself, and to assist me in sharing my faith with others? Every decision we make in life should consider that consequence.

Next, how will this decision affect my immediate relationships? Ephesians 5:33 says, "Let each one of you love his wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband." You say, why do you quote that verse? Because that's right on the heels of understanding what the will of God is. Be filled with the Spirit. So in immediate relationships, whether husbands or wife, fathers and sons, mothers and children, and so on, we should always make decisions based on what is best not just for me but those that I love. Those immediate relationships around me. How's it going to affect my children if I do this? How's it going to strengthen our marriage if we make this decision and so on?

Next, will the ultimate outcome of my decision bring glory to God? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that it is the will of God that we give thanks. Am I doing something for which I can give thanks to God? The Bible says whatever you do in word or in deed, whatever you eat, whatever you drink—this is 1 Corinthians 10:31—do it all to the glory of God.

So if there's something I'm considering, a choice that I'm to make, I need to know is the ultimate outcome of this going to bring glory to God, will it magnify Christ in my life, will it be cause for thanksgiving in our family? Next, will the result be—the result of my decision—be in keeping with my priorities of giving my best energy, my gifts, my talents, my energies? In other words, if I make this decision, is it compatible with my gifts, with my talents, with my abilities, the energies that I have?

Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." So if I'm going to make a decision, is this in keeping with that ultimate priority and the priorities and the energies of my life? And then next, what is my motivation for making the decision? The Bible speaks of doing the will of God from the heart. Is this a heart decision? Is this something that I know I can do with all of my heart? What's the motive in this? Is this all about me? Is my motive just more money? Is my motive just more fame? Is my motive just more stuff? What is my motive? I need to know that my motive is to do the will of God with a pure heart.

And then next, am I totally committed to whatever, whenever, wherever God leads me as I seek him? Am I willing to say, "Lord, your will anywhere, anytime, any place?" Because if I'm not, why should God show me his will and his way for my life if I'm not willing to do it at the outset? I mean this isn't multiple choice. "Lord, show me what to do and then I'll decide whether I'm going to do it or not." No, if you really want to know what God wants you to do, then you start with this: say, "Lord, wherever, whatever, whenever you lead me to do, I will do by your grace and your power exactly that."

And then finally, if you're making a decision and listening to the Spirit in your life, the Spirit of God will ask you, do you have true peace in this decision? It is that sense of well-being, of knowing that what you're about to do is pleasing to God. Colossians 1:10: "Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him." I love what the psalmist said in Psalm 23 and verse two: "He leads me where? Besides what? Still waters." And so when we are walking with him, there won't be a lot of noise and a lot of turbulence and distractions. There will be that sense that we are walking by still waters and the stillness of the soul as we are walking with God. That will be evident. There will be genuine true peace in our lives.

So is the Holy Spirit leading you? Very quickly, there's one final word and that is if you want to hear from God, not only offer yourself every day and open your life up and your heart up to the work of the Holy Spirit in you but obey the will of God that you know and then wait on the rest. Most of us know more of the will of God and the ways of God in our life than we're doing right now. And often the Holy Spirit prompts us to do something and we choose not to do it and therefore we are in disobedience to God. How can I expect God to lead me if I'm not willing to obey him? God will not lead you one step farther than the measure of your obedience to him and your willingness to obey him.

And often the Spirit of God prompts us to do something and that means that we have a choice to obey or not to obey, to believe or not to believe. So many times the Spirit of God may bring up a name in my mind and I don't think that's just an accident because so many times I'll think of someone and I may pick up the phone and call that person and that person will say, "Jack, you'll never know what this call means to me because I've just been going through such and such in my life and your call is a godsend."

Or maybe the Spirit of God prompts you to write a note or send that email. Something just occurs and reoccurs in your mind and in your heart that you ought to reach out to that person. Or maybe it's that person down the hall at school or across the aisle at work or whatever and God is prompting you to speak to that person. Go invite that person to church, go give that person a gospel tract or buy that person a Bible and give them to—I don't know what the Spirit of God may be prompting you to do.

But if you are listening not in just the big things about careers and callings and consequences but in choices that we make every day—I can't tell you how many times I may get up in the pulpit and the Spirit of God may prompt me to say something that wasn't planned necessarily but I believe prompted by the Spirit and inevitably somebody will walk up to me and point out that one scripture or that one verse or that one idea and say, "Have you been reading my mail? Because that was for me. God was speaking to me."

I'm telling you God still leads his dear children along. And if we will obey him—you say, "Well, Pastor, I've made mistakes and missteps in my life and missed the will of God. There was a time when I dreamed and desired to do the will of God, but I'm out of it now." Well, let me assure you that God can even take your mistakes and your missteps and according to Romans 8:28 cause all of that to work together for the good to those who love the Lord and who are fitting into his purpose for their lives. God takes the good and the bad and the ugly and by the chemistry of the cross mixes it all together for his perfect will. And where God doesn't rule in your life, he will overrule if you will listen to him and follow him.

Guest (Female): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "Discovering Your God-Given Dream." Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God's word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible.

As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we'll send you Dr. Graham's brand new book, "The Lord is My Shepherd." In this incredible study of Psalm 23, Dr. Graham shows how the good shepherd provides, guides, and stays with you even through life's darkest valleys. Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789.

Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It's a study of God's word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham's devotional every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: It really is possible to be in sync with the Spirit every day of your life. But as we talked about in today's program, being in sync with the Spirit is more than just responding to some gut feeling or heeding your own human intuition. It comes about as you really abide or stay connected to Christ every day. Jesus said, "Abide in me and I in you."

So let me ask you an honest question. How often do you think about the Lord Jesus throughout your day? I think one of the biggest problems among Christians today is that there are a lot of us who do the God thing on Sunday morning and then we live the rest of the week without giving Christ our lives, our desires, our hopes, our ambitions. We don't think much about Jesus.

But to live in step and in sync with God and to know his will for our lives every day, we need to learn how to focus on him. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths."

Now I know that your life is extremely busy. I know that there are many diversions and distractions every single day. But I really want to challenge you to start giving Jesus the first thoughts of every morning and that you would think of him throughout the day and throughout your week. When your feet hit the floor in the morning, begin praying and thanking God and committing your day to him. When you walk into a meeting at work, ask God to guide your speech and your thoughts and to give you wisdom as you make decisions.

When you are leading your children or parenting your children, ask God to give you what it takes to be the right kind of parent and the best example to your children. When you lay your head down on your pillow at night, thank God that you have lived another day and breathe a prayer of appreciation and thanksgiving for the opportunity to live for Jesus. And as you begin focusing more and more on God every day and throughout your day, you're going to see how he is leading you each step of the way.

Guest (Female): And that is today's PowerPoint. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how to make your God-given dreams come true. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.