YOU Podcast

“Greatest of all time.” This is an on-going debate in the world of sports. Who is the G.O.A.T.? What is often unaddressed in this debate is the fact that success is most often accompanied by failure. Sometimes the failures outnumber the successes. Michael Jordan is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time with six NBA titles, six final MVPs, five regular season MVPs, and ten NBA scoring titles. We lose sight of the fact that he missed more than 9,000 shots, lost more than 300 games, and missed far more game-winners than he made. He had more failures than successes.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we will also experience our share of failures and successes. Failure, however, doesn’t need to define us. We may blow it from time to time. When that happens, it is critical that we keep moving forward, knowing two important facts: God is a God of the second chance. He will neither forsake us nor stop loving us. He’s pulling for us.

We will experience our share of failures and successes. Failure, however, doesn’t need to define us…God can use those failures for good in our lives and for good in the lives of others.”

Secondly, God can use those failures for good in our lives and for good in the lives of others. As demonstrated in the relationship between Eli and Samuel, through failure we can learn important lessons. Those are lessons we can pass on to others.

Who influenced you as you were growing up? For me, it was my former youth/young adult pastor. He noticed me dancing one day when he came to speak on my college campus. I was headed to hear his convocation when he stopped me and said, “Yo! Y–you dance?” From that day forward he became a mentor; he even discipled me. He got me connected to the church’s men’s ministry at a crucial point in my development, opened the doors to his life for me to get a candid look at real life, and provided unbiased, godly counsel when I was in need of wisdom.

I am forever grateful for the lessons he taught me. The effects of his investments ring through to the present. In fact, if it were not for him and his wife who did premarital counseling with me and my wife, I am almost positive my marriage would not be nearly as foundationally stable as it is today.

God positioned this man as an example of how to lead my family and love the people in my generation…like Joshua was a product of Moses’s mentorship.”

God positioned this man as an example of how to lead my family and love the people in my generation. This session provides a look at how God did a similar work through Moses for Joshua’s sake. God used Moses to mentor Joshua, who became a strong leader that followed God’s counsel. Joshua was a product of Moses’s mentorship.

We have a choice: we can learn from experiences, or we can learn from others. Learning from our own experiences can often be painful, frustrating, and time consuming, not to mention costly. Learning from others saves time and resources and lessens pain and frustration. A wise person does the latter.

We can learn from experiences, or we can learn from others… A wise person does the latter.”

We need three types of people in our lives.

Friends. Those who walk alongside us whom we can mutually support and encourage. Friends help us to boost our self confidence and self worth.

Mentors. Those we learn from as they share wisdom and life lessons. They challenge us to grow and fulfill our potential. Mentors can help us toactualize our deepest dreams and fullest potential.

Mentees. Each of us ought to be mentoring others, people with whom we can share our experiences. As we have been mentored, we can do the same for someone else. We should not discount what we know, especially when sharing what we knowinspires others to be better.

Today’s session looks at a brief incident of mentoring in the life of Moses. Without the mentoring that took place, Moses’s life could have been quite different.

It was over twenty years ago, but I still remember the email. We had announced a difficult ministry decision for the church, and though I imagined some might not be happy, I wasn’t prepared for what I received: a long— very long—email from a church member, full of words that would shift a film from PG-13 straight into R. It was full of unbridled fury, even calling into question my credentials as a pastor.

Thankfully, he and I were able to come together and talk through these issues. At the same time, I often come back to that as a sobering reminder of the impact of this kind of criticism. To be clear, it wasn’t that I was beyond criticism. Rather, the way this person responded could have caused serious damage to our relationshipand our larger work for the kingdom of God.

There is a place for honestly confronting otherswhen done in a loving and gracious way. Yetmaturity means learning to guard our heartsfrom an unhelpful critical spirit.”

There is a place for honestly confronting others when done in a loving and gracious way. Yet maturity means learning to guard our hearts from an unhelpful critical spirit as we’ll learn in this story of Miriam and Aaron’s criticism of Moses.

Tuskegee Airmen servicemen were the first African American flying unit in the U.S. military. Their first mission was on June 2, 1943, when they launched a strafing attack on Pantelleria Island, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. Later that year the army activated three more squadrons who joined in 1944 and constituted the 332nd Fighter Group. These men fought in the European theater and were noted as one of the Army Air Forces’ most successful and most-decorated escort groups.

Altogether, 992 pilots graduated from the Tuskegee Airfield courses. They flew 1,578 missions, destroyed 261 enemy aircraft, and won more than 850 medals.

Our enemy, the devil, is vicious, but in Christ, our victory is sure. The battle against temptation means we must be strong, suit up, and stand firm.”

The Christian life is also a battle. In Ephesians 6:10-18, the apostle Paul uses an analogy of military armor and relates it to the spiritual armor God has provided for the spiritual battle we face. Our enemy, the devil, is vicious, but in Christ, our victory is sure. The battle against temptation means we must be strong, suit up, and stand firm.

Anyone who has ever purchased a home knows there can be a big difference in what the buyer or seller sees and what a certified home inspector sees. We may try to look beyond the things that appeal to us—the layout of the house, the size of bedrooms, and so forth—and see a crack in a ceiling or a door that doesn’t shut well, but the inspector doesn’t stop there. He’ll investigate why the ceiling is cracked. He’ll crawl under a house and see problems we don’t. His trained eye sees things we can’t with our limited view.

If you think God will forgive your sin because it’s no big deal, your view of God is too small. If you think God will not forgive your sin because He is a harsh and angry God, your view of God is too small.”

We can also have a limited view of God. For example, the way you deal with sin says a lot about what you believe about God. If you think God will forgive your sin because it’s no big deal, your view of God is too small. If you think God will not forgive your sin because He is a harsh and angry God, your view of God is too small. Let’s discover the right view of God, one that will move us to run to Him when we sin.

We enjoy those moments when good things happen to us. We feel good whenwe’ve accomplished something. With those accomplishments and good experiences, we naturally want to tell others. Unfortunately, in the process of telling others, our words can easily turn into, “LOOK AT ME!” We don’t have to utter those exact words, but it can certainly come across as exalting ourselves. Social media sites are overrun with posts that make the person look really good. And the more “likes” a person gets for what he or she has said, the better this person feels.

Social media sites are overrun with posts that make the person look really good. And the more “likes” a person gets for what he or she has said, the better this person feels.”

Self-exaltation is deceiving and fleeting. What happens when our next posting doesn’t get as many “likes”? We can feel defeated.

Jesus was tempted to exalt Himself in a way that was not right. Jesus certainly deserves our praise and exaltation, but He would not seek it in a way that was outside His Father’s plan. As we consider this temptation before Jesus, we’ll discover the joy that comes with making much of God rather than ourselves.

Sometimes believers give God specific ways He must respond to their prayers. They will even seek a confirmation from God, saying, “God, I will know it’s what You want if a cardinal lands on the fence three times.” That may sound a bit humorous, but some of us will test God that way. We dictate the specificity of our prayers. This reminds me of the tale of the drowning man who prayed to God to rescue him. Two boats and a helicopter came by and offered the man assistance, but he refused and ultimately drowned. When the man got to heaven he asked God, “Why didn’t You miraculously save me?” God responded, “I sent two boats and a helicopter to rescue you and you refused.” Because the man was looking for specific signs and wonders, he missed God’s provision.

God is faithful. We don’t need to test Him or dictate how He should respond. We simply need to ask Him for what we need and trust that He can handle things the way He chooses.”

God is faithful. We don’t need to test Him or dictate how He should respond. We simply need to ask Him for what we need and trust that He can handle things the way He chooses. Remember what He has done for you in the past; He will do it again.

Advertisers often make self-indulgence a part of their marketing strategies. We want to drive this vehicle, wear these shoes, or carry this credit card now. In recent years, instant gratification has become more than just a tactic to appeal to us; it has become a reality. The Internet has redefined shopping. Media like books and music can be downloaded and enjoyed immediately. Online purchases can often be delivered the next day—and in some areas, you can receive your order the same day. Instant gratification has become far more instant!

From the beginning, Satan has used instant gratification to entice us. He used it with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), he tried it on Jesus, and he’ll try it on us. Use spiritual discernment to see these tactics for what they are; tricks packaged as treats.”

Advertisers were not the first to use this strategy. From the beginning, Satan has used instant gratification to entice us. He used it with Adam and Eve (Gen. 3), he tried it on Jesus, and he’ll try it on us. Use spiritual discernment to see these tactics for what they are; tricks packaged as treats. Further, as we look at how Satan made cunning attempts with Jesus and study Jesus’s responses, we can learn to trust God and what He provides rather than fall for the “okey-doke” to gratify ourselves.

We all have a favorite food or foods. Some of us prefer sweets such as grandma’s famous sweet potato pie or that mouth-watering pound cake. While others like so-called comfort food such as mac and cheese. The aroma and the visual appeal of these foods can draw us in, while that satisfying feeling we get when we take that first bite can hook us. Before we know it, we have had one too many slices of pie, cake, or that extra serving of mac and cheese. That is how temptation works. It is alluring and beckons us to come and indulge. Temptation promises something good, but it delivers something harmful, even deadly.

As we wrestle with various temptations, we may want to blame Satan, saying, “The devil made me do it!” We sometimes give the devil credit for things that are in our control… “Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin . . . Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.”

As we wrestle with various temptations, we may want to blame Satan, saying, “The devil made me do it!” We sometimes give the devil credit for things that are in our control. However, I am reminded of the lyrics of a hymn by H.R. Palmer which has a reminder for us all. “Yield not to temptation for yielding is sin . . . Look ever to Jesus, He will carry you through.” Yes, trust and believe that “Jesus will carry you through.”