Lessons Along the Journey

5 Popular Stops Along Your Spiritual Journey

1)New Hope (God is Distant)

2)No Hope (God is Non-Existent)

3)Found Hope (God is Present)

4)Lost Hope (God is Silent & Indifferent)

5)Renewed Hope (God is Permanent & Prominent)

7 Lessons for the Road Ahead

1) Your past doesn’t define you, but it should refine you.

Don’t bury your past

Refining means taking out the impurities

Our past mistakes teach us just as much as our past successes.

John 8:10–11 NLT

10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

2) Develop your own view. Don’t lose your identity.

Your view of life is often dictated by others and not a true reflection of yourself.

i.e. racism in family

Often times we reflect who we think others want us to be

Romans 12:6–8 NLT

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

3) Care more about pleasing God than pleasing people.

Why do we care so much about what other people think of us?

We can spend a lot of time trying to please people who don’t even think twice about us.

Galatians 1:10 NLT

10 Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

4) Learn to listen more than you speak.

True knowledge and wisdom is found with ears, not the eyes and mouth.

Listening to people prepares us to properly listen to God.

James 1:19 NLT

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

5) Decide in advance what your non-negotiable items are.

This will establish healthy boundaries in your life and protect you down the road.

What hill are you willing to die on?

Acts 15:19–21 NLT

19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”

6) See people the way that Jesus does.

Not for what they can do for you

Jesus saw through to the heart

Jesus was a master of seeing invisible labels

What can Jesus do through their lives?

How can God use them for His glory?

John 9:3 NLT

3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.

7) Enjoy the ride and bring people along with you.

A road trip alone is very lonely because there is no shared experience.

Allow others to experience the joy of the ride with you.

Romans 15:13 NLT

13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.