Just a Moment | Letting God's Will Guide Us

A New Beginning presents a new book from Pastor Greg Laurie. We are offering a brand new resource called The House of David Devotional and it's based on the great Psalms of David as well as the life of David. So I'm going to put this brand new devotional in your hand so you can learn from this man of God. Or your gift of any size at harvest.org.

It's the official companion resource for the new Amazon TV series also called The House of David. What kind of life are you living with? What are you doing with this precious gift called life right now? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie brings us face to face with the reason we're here. We need to pause for a moment to consider just what we're living for and who we're living for.

When a person is truly coming to a relationship with Christ it will be reflected in the way that they live and you will want to do God's will. Many of us remember the stress of driving in an unfamiliar area before GPS. Do we turn at the next signal or the one after that?

Or is it the one we just passed? Life got a lot simpler when our dashboard told us where to go. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the joy we can discover when we let God's will tell us where to go.

We're thinking big picture things today as Pastor Greg takes us to James chapter 4 in his new series, Walk This Way. One of the things that strikes me about life is how quickly it passes. You know when you're young doesn't it seem as though life moves at a snail's pace? I vividly remember being in elementary school bored beyond comprehension. Just waiting, waiting for the clock to strike the right number and we got up for recess or we got out of school.

It seemed like I was in elementary school for 30 years right. Every day seemed to take forever. Now time goes by so quickly. Weeks go by. What it's Sunday already? What it's the month is over already?

What it's a new year already? Billy Graham was once asked what the greatest surprise of his life was and he said the brevity of it. I think that's true. And so as life goes by so quickly it just seems as though it's it's speeding up.

It really isn't. Scientists tell us the reason life seems to go faster when you're older is because you're not having new experiences. You know you're you get into a routine and you go to the same restaurant and you sit in the same table and you order the same thing off the menu and you come to church and you sit in the same seats and I know where you all sit by the way. I know when you're not here oh well so-and-so's not here today.

Where are they? Someone is in their seat. We we like routine but when you're young you're more open to change and new opportunities. I read an article yesterday in the paper about signs you're getting old.

Two thousand adults were polled. One of them was you forget people's names. Oh that's so true isn't it?

That even happens when you're young right? You're talking to someone how are you? Hey good to see you. I don't remember their name. And you're hoping they'll use their name in a sentence. You're just waiting.

Just waiting. Just say your name in some way and they don't say it. Good to see you.

See you next time. You start forgetting things like that. Here's another sign of aging. You groan when you bend down.

It's just automatic. You sit down you get up another sign you're getting old is when you're bending down. You wonder what else you can do while you're down there. Like I don't want to come down here again. So let's get it over with now. Here's another sign of getting old.

You don't know any songs in the top 10. I have to admit that may be true of me right now. Another sign of getting old is you avoid lifting things because of back concerns. By the way this is a great way to get out of lifting things too. I can't my back you know. But seriously I'll think if I take the other end of that sofa am I going to pay for this later? Because you throw your back out.

It's a situation right? Another sign of getting old you fall asleep in front of the tv every night. Just last night I was watching something. I fell asleep. Kathy says to me Greg are you sleeping? I'm like no I was.

Why do we deny it? It's not a sin to sleep unless you sleep all day. But and here's another sign of getting old. Complaining about things more.

Complaining. Another sign taking a nap every day. I actually kind of like to do that. But that's a sign of getting older.

Here's one final one. You start driving very slowly. I mean really slow. Like way too slow. Like just stop.

Hurry. And you're always in a Prius. You know it's true. It's true.

I'm telling you this is totally true. There's something wrong with Prius drivers. How many of you drive a Prius?

Seriously? Get out. No don't. You probably get much better mileage than the rest of us.

So congratulations on that wise car choice. And let me just say to you in closing drive faster. No don't.

No do. Especially if you're in the fast lane. But life passes so quickly. Job 14 one says how short is life.

How full of trouble. We blossom like a flower. Then we wither like a passing shadow.

We quickly disappear. Now I know some of you who are young and thinking oh Greg come on this is a message for old people. I've got my whole life in front of me. Yes you probably do. And I hope you do. And I hope you live that life well. But you never know right. I read a true story a tragic story about a singer Richard Versailles age 63 singing at the Metropolitan Opera.

He climbed up on a ladder for a scene and he was singing these lyrics. Too bad you can only live so long. They didn't get a heart attack and died on the stage in front of everybody. How sad though. Too bad you can only live so long. And that's so true.

Too bad. But the brevity of life is what James is addressing now. And the importance of living your life in the will of God. James 4. Let's read a few verses.

I'm reading 13 to 17 from the New Living Translation. James says look here. You who say today or tomorrow we're going to go to a certain town and stay there a year. We'll do business there and make a profit. How do you know what your life is going to be like tomorrow asks James. Your life is like the morning fog.

It's here for a little while then it's gone. What you want to say is if the Lord wants us to we will live and do this or that. Otherwise you're boasting about your own pretentious plans and all such boasting is evil. Remember James says it is a sin to know what you want to do and not do it.

We'll stop there. Point number one if you're taking notes. Life is short. Live it well.

Life is short. Live it well. James asks in verse 14 how do you know what your life will be like tomorrow. Really what really what James is asking is what kind of life are you living. What are you doing with this precious gift called life right now.

It's an important question to answer because life goes by so quickly. Job 9 says my life passes more swiftly than a runner. It flees away filled with tragedy.

It disappears like a swift boat. You've heard of William Shatner. He played Captain Kirk in Star Trek and he made this statement a while ago quote I'm so not ready to die it petrifies me. I go alone.

I go to a place I don't know. It might be painful. It might be the end.

My thought is that it's the end. I become nameless and I spend a lifetime being known end quote. Someone needs to tell William Shatner that there's a God in heaven who loves him and he can know where he's going.

He can go to heaven if he puts his faith in Jesus Christ and he can live long and prosper. David says the same thing in Psalm 39. He says my life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you. Human existence is but a breath. We're merely moving shadows and our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend and so Lord where do I put my hope?

My only hope is in you. Wow. So now James is addressing Christian business people. People who are out there working hard to make a living. In this particular instance he's talking to successful Christian business people. Those who had done quite well. He's commending them for it but he's also reminding them to keep God at the forefront of their lives and remember that everything they've accomplished has come from the Lord because sometimes people forget about the Lord.

Bringing me to point number two. We should plan for the future but put God's will first. Yes plan for the future but put God's will first.

Sometimes people may think it's unspiritual to plan and actually it's very spiritual to plan. Proverbs 6 says take a lesson from the ants you sluggard. Learn from their ways and become wise. They labor hard all summer gathering food for the winter. Hey check out the ants before you step on them. They work hard. They're always busy little ants moving big stuff around ants getting ready for the future. Take a lesson from the ants. You know it seems right now that in our nation there's a trend toward laziness.

I think it was always there but certainly COVID accelerated it. Add a bunch of government money given to people and a lot of people are not returning back to the workforce today. I don't know if you've noticed but there's a lot of employment opportunities out there.

It's getting hard for a lot of folks out there to find people to come and work. And we're losing that very principle our nation was built on. Our nation was built on the importance of personal responsibility, innovation, and working hard. It's called the Protestant work ethic. It's a good thing. This is why we live in a strong and prosperous nation.

If we lose it we have problems. And the Bible tells us in Romans 12 11 never be lazy but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. So I don't know what you do for a living but you should be the best at what you do. You should work harder than anybody else. You should get in early.

You should leave a little bit later. You should work cheerfully and you should do everything you do for the glory of God wherever it is. God has not called everyone into so-called ministry.

He hasn't called everyone to be a preacher but he has called us all to minister and serve the Lord and give honor to God whatever our profession is. If you're a doctor do it for the glory of God. I'll tell you what if I need surgery I don't need a preacher. I need a godly surgeon who knows what he's doing.

Right. I may need a Christian attorney. I may need someone else in another field in building and in music and in art and in politics. We need strong believers out there to represent us well. And so this is what we all are called to do to work hard and to honor God. But the problem with these folks James is addressing is they're believers but they're living like practical atheists. And by that I mean they're not factoring God into anything. They're just making their plans and forgetting about God. So James is reminding them hey keep God's will at the forefront of your life. Paul told the believers in Ephesus he would return to them if God wills. And then he wrote to the Corinthians he planned another visit to them if the Lord will.

So it's okay to make plans but just always factoring it. This may change. We'll see what God has in mind. But if the Lord wills.

Now some people take this too far. You know you say hey you want to go out to lunch after church. I don't know if the Lord wills. Well if God speaks to you we'll be at In and Out Burger okay. Can you get there? Are you going to get a burger? I don't know if the Lord wills. There's not a lot of other options here. This is In and Out Burger okay.

It's pretty much a burger or another variation of a burger. But you know you can use a sort of spiritual jargon. That's not what he's saying. The idea here is just factor God's will in whatever you do. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment.

Don't miss House of David a brand new original television series on Amazon Prime. Can one stone change the course of history? I will tell you the story of David who became one of the most famous kings who ever lived. It's not about the greatness of the giant. It is about the greatness of God.

Can one stone change the course of history? Well if you listen to A New Beginning you know that I like to tell Bible stories. I try to tell the story as accurately as I can then get the context of the background of it and then apply it to our life right. So in the same way we have something very special that we have put together called Beyond the House of David. It's a companion piece to the series streaming on Amazon right now called House of David. And in Beyond the House of David I go on the sets. I go to the places where they shot the film and I apply the teachings of David's writings and the Psalms and the principles from his life to the listener, to the viewer, to you. So we kind of pick up where the series leaves off. It's beautiful, it's cinematic, and it's something I think you're really going to enjoy. You can watch it with your whole family. So go to Harvest Plus, that's our streaming platform. Download that app and you can start watching our special new documentary series Beyond the House of David right now. Well we're in James chapter 4 today as Pastor Greg brings his message just a moment.

Let's continue. It should be the joy, it should be the delight, it should be the desire of every Christian to do God's will. When a person is truly converted, and by that I mean when a person has truly come into a relationship with Christ, it will be reflected in the way that they live.

Starting with the repentance from sin, there'll be a humility there, a desire to pray, you'll have a new love for others that wasn't there before, and you will want to do God's will. David wrote, I delight to do your will, oh my God, do you delight to do God's will? Here's the problem is we think God's will isn't as good as our will.

We think our plans are better than God's plans and that's because we don't understand the Lord as we ought to. I think if you do your job well and put God first, God will bless your career. Yes, he can bless you financially.

Yes, he can bless you in every way. I mean I just think of a few companies that have put God first and look how well they've done. Take Hobby Lobby.

You ever been to a Hobby Lobby? Right, so this is a Christian-owned company the Green family and they've been very successful financially. So they went and built something called the Museum of the Bible in Washington DC. It's incredible. If you're ever in DC, visit it.

It's just amazing. They also invest in the work of a ministry in evangelism. It helped churches. They've even invested in our crusades financially and we appreciate that. That's a company that's successful and they honor God and with their prosperity they invest it in the work of the kingdom of God. Then there's Chick-fil-A, Christian-owned company. Also make a great chicken sandwich. There's always a line at Chick-fil-A.

In fact, I want one right now. By the way, when we talk about the will of God, there are certain things in the Bible that are clearly God's will for everyone. This doesn't vary from person to person.

This is a very very from person to person. You might want to write these verses down. Number one, it is the will of God that you are filled with the Holy Spirit each and every day.

Did you know that? That's God's will for you. Ephesians 5 17 says, don't act thoughtlessly. Understand what the will of the Lord is.

Don't be drunk with wine because that will ruin your life. Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit. By the way, in the original language that's a command. God is saying I command you to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Then also in the Greek it speaks of something that's continuous. Meaning do it over and over again. God is saying I command you to be filled with the Holy Spirit again and again and again. A great way to start your day, maybe when you're still laying in bed you just say, Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit today.

Give me all the power that I need. Number two, God wants you to be holy and as a result sexually pure. First Thessalonians 4 3 says, God's will for you is to be holy so stay away from all sexual sin and each of you would control his own body and live in holiness and honor not in lustful passions like the non-believers who do not know God.

Okay, what does this mean? Pretty clear. No premarital sex. No extramarital sex. The only sex God will bless is the union of a man and a woman in marriage. End of story. That's it. Anything outside of that is not God's will.

Here's another one. God calls each and every one of us to pray and give thanks. First Thessalonians 5 17 says, pray without ceasing and everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

So put God's will first in your life. Important precepts from scripture today here on A New Beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie is presenting his message called Just a Moment from our practical studies in the book of James. Pastor Greg has been offering some foundational truths about living the Christian life today, but it's an important time to ask, are you living the Christian life? Or to be more candid, are you a Christian? Have you ever come to the Lord to ask him to forgive your sins? Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person who's listening who's just not sure if they've ever come to the Lord and asked him to be their Savior?

Yes, I think they need to make this commitment to Christ. Here's what the Bible says, whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So you need to reach out to God, not just think about it, not just say one of these days I would like to, just do it.

In fact, you can do it right now. You say, well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord? You do it through prayer.

God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know him.

He wants to reveal himself to you. So you just need to call out and say, Lord, save me and help me. How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me, you can pray it out loud if you like, you can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God and you could pray it after me right now.

You ready? Pray this after me. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior and I want a relationship with you. So as your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking you to save me from my sin.

And I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank you for loving me and sending your son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen. And if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord. Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believers Bible. It's a special edition of God's Word for those who are new to the faith, with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg. So get in touch and ask for the New Believers Bible. We'll send it to you free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click the words, Know God. You know, Pastor Greg, we hear from people all the time who tell us how these daily studies have impacted their lives. So many have found the Lord and been encouraged through this teaching.

That's right. And we hope our listeners might pray about many of these and pray about making an investment so these studies can continue. Yeah, it's really true, Dave. You know, and even a little bit helps. You know, people need to hear the gospel so badly. They need to hear the teaching of the Word of God. It changes everything because it changes us. And I'm so passionate about it, and I'm called to do it, and I'm thankful for it. But I can't do it alone.

So I'm going to ask folks that are listening, if you think more people need to hear the gospel, if you believe more people need to hear the teaching of the Word of God, then perfectly consider investing in Harvest Ministries and maybe even become a Harvest partner, which means you're someone who stands with us every month in your faithful giving, and that opens up a lot of new opportunities for us. So thanks for that. Yeah, that's right. And we really are thankful for your partnership. And reach us any time day or night at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, more insight on the importance of following God's will wholeheartedly. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Lauren.