The Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans: You know why many of us haven't arrived at our destiny? We're too committed to the culture.

Guest (Male): Dr. Tony Evans says society's emphasis on independence can prevent us from leaning on the Lord. The problem with the God of the Bible is you must humble yourself.

This is the Alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.

Whether our kids follow Christ or our culture depends a lot on who we're following. Let's join Dr. Evans as he takes us to Deuteronomy chapter 6 for a look at how to cultivate a family-based faith.

Dr. Tony Evans: When you came to Christ, you switched teams. It's a new team, the church. It's a new coach, Jesus Christ. It's a new playbook, the Bible, leading to a new philosophy. The challenge is that if you've gotten ingrained by the old coach, and your best friends are still part of the old team, and you're still reading out the old playbook, you're going to have a problem adjusting to a new system.

God has put together a new system by which life is to be lived and by which decisions are to be made. We talked to you about Moses' discussion with the children of Israel as they were preparing to go into the promised land. And he says, "Now I want you to love God, and I want you to do what he says the way he says it."

And I want this to be your modus operandi, I want this to be your method of operating, and I want you to transfer this through your families. I want parents to teach children. Verse 7, he says, "You shall teach them diligently to your sons. You'll talk about them when you sit in the house, when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gate."

In other words, don't have any member of your family who doesn't keep running into me. Create a bungee cord effect so that if they try to run from me, they've got to bounce back to me because they have been so saturated with me. He wants them to know. He says, "Now Moses, you teach them, but you tell the families to transfer it."

Remember, there are three movements here. There was deliverance out of Egypt, there was development in the wilderness, and then there was their destiny, Canaan, the promised land. We said that the promised land is not heaven. I mean, that is an ultimate, but the promised land he's talking about was God's provision and purpose for them on Earth.

And God has that for every believer who's here today. The reason he didn't take you to heaven the moment you got saved is because you have a destiny on Earth prior to your eternity in heaven. You have a calling, you have a divine role to play in the unfolding of God's divine plan. So he's saying, "I want you to orient the family, to orient to the children, the dissemination of the faith and of a divine worldview through understanding my ways and through loving me."

In verse 10, he says, "When you come into the land that he swore to the family, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I'm going to give you great and splendid cities that you did not build, houses full of good things that you did not fill, huge systems that you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant. Then watch yourself that you do not forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

How do you know when you're getting into your destiny? How do you know when you're coming out of the wilderness and into this place of supernatural calling for your life? How do you know when you are arriving? He tells you. He says because when you get to the place I'm taking you, you will be in cities that you did not build.

You will have houses full of good things that you did not put in it. You'll have plants and vineyards growing you did not dig. In other words, when you arrive to the place I'm calling you, I will have already set it up. Arrangements will have been made. I will have so orchestrated things that it will be ready for you when you arrive there.

Now, the way he did this with Israel is he got the Canaanites, the Jebusites, the Hittites, and all them other ungodly people to build nice cities. He got the ungodly people to build nice houses. He got the ungodly people to plant nice vineyards. He got it set up by the unrighteous until the righteous were ready for it.

Now, the bad news is it took the righteous 40 years to get ready for what the unrighteous had already set up. Because they weren't developing in the wilderness, they couldn't get to the destiny that was prepared for them. You see, a lot of us are stuck in the wilderness and we wonder why God has not taken us to our destiny. And God is saying, "Because you won't pass any test. Every time I give you a test, you fail."

What do you do when you fail? Repeat the grade. So they're going in circles over and over again because they haven't passed the test. But in the meantime, God's got the unrighteous hooking it up, keeping it up until the righteous were ready to cross over. He says, "And when you get there, when you get there," at the end of verse 11, "you're going to be satisfied."

Contentment. You know you're in God's place when you're at ease, when you're not panicky, when you're at rest. Paul says, "I've learned the secret of contentment, being in the place God wants me to be." And he says, "All the time that doesn't mean I'm rich." He says, "I know how to be rich, I know how not to be rich, but I know how to be at rest. I know how to be content at ease because I'm in the place God wants."

But it is a place of blessing. And he says it's a place of plenty. Now this brings up the question of prosperity because he said, "You're going to have cities and good houses with good things, prosperity." Okay, let's get this prosperity thing straight. God is not against prosperity. He's not against you doing better than you did last year.

He's against blessing you with a bed so comfortable you don't want to get out of it to come to church. He's against blessing you so much that you don't heed the words of verse 12: "Watch yourself." That sounds expressive. He says, "Watch yourself. Pay attention to yourself that you do not forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt."

What do you say? He is saying God's blessing can cause you to forget him. That sometimes the goodness of God can get in the way of God in our lives, turning a blessing into a curse. See, you have to understand, not only can God bless you, but the devil can bless you. Isn't that what the devil told Jesus? "All these kingdoms I will give you and their glory."

So you have to understand the devil can bless you with a new house. The devil can bless you with a new car. The devil can bless you with couture clothes. The devil can bless you with a better job. The devil can even bless you with a mate. See, some of you knew what I was talking about then. When you disconnect the goodness of God from the God who is good, when his provision—cities you didn't build, houses you didn't—when I set it up for you, I didn't set it up for you to leave me.

Chapter 8, verse 11, he says, "Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his ordinances and his statutes which I am commanding you today." So here's what God means by forgetting him. He doesn't mean that you didn't pray this morning. That's not what he means. He means that his guidelines no longer govern your decisions.

Verse 19: "It shall come about if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify to you today you will surely perish." Have you ever seen children who forget the role of their parents in helping them to get where they are? They think they woke up with a degree. They came out the womb with a job.

When if they would pause and think back, you wouldn't be here if somebody else wasn't changing your clothes. You wouldn't be here if somebody else wasn't fixing your food. You wouldn't be here if somebody else wasn't putting a roof over your head. You wouldn't be here if somebody else wasn't working to provide you clothes for your back.

You wouldn't be here if somebody wasn't footing some level of the bill for your education. In other words, if there were not some folks somewhere, you wouldn't be here. You're only like a turtle on a fence. Have you ever seen a turtle on a fence? Somebody put it there because turtles can't climb fences. Somebody put it there.

So you see a turtle on a fence talking about, "Look at me. Look at me. I'm living life. I'm way up here." Fool, the only way a turtle gets on a fence is somebody else has to go down, pick it up, and put it up there because it's too clumsy, too big to get up there on its own. God says, "Don't you ever think when you come into your destiny that you arrived here without me. Don't you ever think that."

Guest (Male): Dr. Evans will return with more on cultivating a family-based faith in just a moment, including why recognizing God as our true source is an essential lesson to pass on to our children. Before we get to that, I want to tell you about a special parenting package that goes hand in hand with what we've been learning this week.

The centerpiece is Tony's current two-volume, 13-message series, "Parenting on Purpose." Through these messages, you'll learn practical ways to cultivate respect, responsibility, spiritual growth, and strong family relationships rooted in God's truth. When you make a donation to help support the Urban Alternative, we'll send you this audio collection as our thank-you gift.

And as a part of this special package, we'll also include Tony's highly acclaimed book, "Raising Kingdom Kids." It's a resource that's helped countless parents understand how to raise children who see life through a kingdom lens and develop a faith that stands the test of time. Get all the details at tonyevans.org or call us at 1-800-800-3222. Again, that's tonyevans.org or by phone at 1-800-800-3222.

I'll repeat that contact information for you after part two of today's message and this. Sunlit beaches, calm blue waters, and a week set aside just to breathe again. That's what's waiting for you on an unforgettable Caribbean cruise with Dr. Tony Evans. From February 28 through March 7, you'll set sail on a seven-day Caribbean journey visiting Nassau, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and relax away Half Moon Cay.

It's a private island known for its peaceful beauty and white sandy shores. This time of year, the Caribbean offers the perfect escape. Warm weather, gentle breezes, and a setting that invites you to slow down and truly rest. And while the destinations are incredible, what makes this cruise truly special is what happens on board.

You'll experience powerful Bible teaching, meaningful worship, and authentic connection with friends and family of the Urban Alternative. It's a chance to step out of the routine and step into renewal. Come be refreshed, encouraged, and renewed. Find out more today at tonyevans.org. That's tonyevans.org.

Dr. Tony Evans: You only have one source, that's God. Everything else is a resource, that is a mechanism God uses to deliver. God has multiple delivery systems, but he's the source. First thing he says is, "Don't forget me when you come to your destiny." And you can only realize your destiny if you're transferring the faith and if you're operating by my governance.

Second thing he says is, "Fear me." Verse 13: "You shall fear only the Lord your God, and you shall worship him and swear by his name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the people who surround you. For the Lord your God in the midst of you is a jealous God. Otherwise, the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you and he will wipe you off the face of the Earth."

The problem with the God of the Bible is you must humble yourself. That's the problem with the God of the Bible. The reason we like other gods is we can be in control. The Bible calls that pride. We can call the shots. And God hates a haughty look. A prideful person that is a person who is unwilling to submit to the divine mandate. God says, "I want you to know something about me," his final verse, verse 15, "I'm a jealous God."

What does that mean? He wants an exclusivity clause on your life. "I will not share the honor that is due to me alone with another god, be it a person, place, or thing. In fact, I won't even share it with you. I won't even let you be your own god. I'm not going to let you do Nebuchadnezzar on me."

You remember Nebuchadnezzar. "Look at this great Babylon that I have built." In other words, "I'm god. Look at what I did. I am so bad." God said, "You are so dumb." For the next seven years, the Bible says God made him insane. Trying to make yourself god will make you crazy. The Bible says he went insane seven years. God let him come back to his senses.

First thing he said when he came back to his senses is, "Let it be known, no god but that God. I ain't god. Don't call me god. Don't look at me like that." Remember Daniel. Daniel chapter 1, he would not eat the meat offered to idols. So he made a decision not to go with the culture. I know the culture's eating this meat, but that's been offered to an idol. I'm not going to eat that meat. I'm not going with the culture on this one.

The next verse says, "Now God." After he dealt with the idol issue, it says, "Now God kicked in." And God rearranged things in the government so that he miraculously worked on Daniel's behalf, delivered Daniel, gave him a high-paying job in the government, and made him a man of distinction when he decided not to go culture. You know why many of us haven't arrived at our destiny? We're too committed to the culture.

We're too committed to the culture. We want what the culture wants the way it wants it. I'm not talking about the good things. I'm talking about the things that bring in idols. We want the culture's god so bad, we'll give up our God to have it. And you can give up your God to have the culture's god. The problem is the culture's god not going to come through for you.

So if you buy the culture's materialism, you can get a house. You're just going to be miserable living there with the folk there with you. You can get a good-paying job that's eating your heart out. He says, "You are not to follow the other gods in the culture that are surrounding you." And he's talking about the place of destiny. This was the promised land. He says, "Because I am a jealous God. I'm the only one for you. No other gods."

A soldier one day went to the doctor. He was disturbed because he was a chain smoker and he couldn't get rid of it. He tried to get rid of smoking so bad he couldn't do it. He said, "Doc, these cigarettes are killing me. I'm smoking two packs a day and I'm hooked. Doc, do something. I need something to deliver me." The doctor looked at him and said, "Okay. On my lapel, you see some insignias on my lapel. What are they?" He said, "Well, they're two bars."

He says, "What do the two bars represent?" "Mean you're a captain." Because this is a military doctor. "You're a captain." He said, "I'm a captain?" Said, "Yeah, you're a captain." "What are you?" He said, "Well, I'm a private." "Then who's in charge here?" "Well, you are because you're the captain." "Well then, as your captain, I command you to stop smoking permanently, beginning right now, and you must obey my orders."

This man who'd been smoking two packs of cigarettes a day for a long time stopped smoking on a dime because now he was talking to his captain. He went to a doctor. He wanted the doctor to pop him some pills, give him some medication. But the doctor that he went to was also a captain. The doctor, rather than going into his medical chest, reached out based on his authority.

He says, "You're my subordinate. I am your superior. I command you as your commanding officer, and not as a physician, but as your commanding officer. I am a physician, but I'm also your commanding officer, and I command you right now to stop smoking because I said it." The man stopped smoking and never smoked again because his commanding officer said so. In other words, he switched who he was talking to.

He started talking to a doctor, he wound up talking to a commanding officer. And when he recognized who he was talking to and allowed the captain to be the captain over him, he was able to overcome something that he hadn't been able to overcome for however long he struggled with it because he changed who he was talking to. I know people like you do who will tell you they can't go two hours without a smoking.

But put them on a plane to England and they'll go eight hours without smoking. How can a person who can't go two hours without smoking get on a plane for eight hours and not smoke? Because the commander of the plane said, "This is a non-smoking flight. You can't smoke on this plane. So if you're going to get from here to there, you're going to have to give up what you say you can't give up."

And you're going to give it up not because you don't want to, you're going to give it up because the commander of this ship has said you're not going anywhere unless you do what I say. See, our problem is not an inability to change. Our problem is we don't know who we're talking to. Because if we really knew who we were talking to—that is, the commander-in-chief, the jealous God—then we would find out power to do things we didn't think we had power for, ability to do things.

But because we just want Jesus nice and sweet, Rose of Sharon, we just want that nice stuff. We don't want King of kings and Lord of lords, and we don't want Master of Shipman and Captain of Faith. We don't want that one. We just want a nice lullaby Jesus. But if you look at the stripes, or better yet, if you look at the holes in his hand, and the scar on his side, and the holes in his feet, and his death on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead, you'll see that God has highly exalted him.

And made his name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father, and you'll have to say, "Yes, sir." So that is what God is calling us to in our relationship to him.

Guest (Male): If you're just coming face to face with what Jesus' death and resurrection mean in terms of your own salvation, stay with us. Dr. Evans will have more to say about that in just a moment. First though, as I mentioned earlier, today's lesson comes from Tony's two-volume series, "Parenting on Purpose." This 13-message collection offers practical biblical guidance for anyone who wants to build a stronger family and leave a lasting spiritual legacy.

And for a limited time, when you make a donation to the ministry and request the "Parenting on Purpose" audio collection, we'll also include Tony's popular book, "Raising Kingdom Kids." Together, these resources can help you navigate the challenges of parenting with greater wisdom, confidence, and purpose. Make your request today at tonyevans.org or call our resource center at 1-800-800-3222.

Team members are available around the clock to help. That's 1-800-800-3222 or online at tonyevans.org. Some of the issues you struggle with today had their beginnings long before you were born. But tomorrow, Dr. Evans shows why we're not doomed to pass generational problems on to our kids. Those cycles can be broken once and for all. Be sure to join us for that. Right now though, let's listen as Tony shares these final words for today.

Dr. Tony Evans: If you've been listening to the broadcast and you have yet to accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior, we can resolve that right now. I'm going to say a little prayer. I want you to pray it after me, but you've got to mean it for yourself. Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner and I know I need a savior because I can't save myself. So right now, I trust you alone because you died for me and arose for me to be my sin-bearer.

You are now my substitute. And I am believing you to forgive my sin and to give me eternal life. Thank you for the free gift of salvation that you have given to me. Help me to live a life to please you. In Jesus' name, amen. Welcome to the family, and we'll keep ministering to you for your spiritual growth through our broadcast. God bless you.