Lessons I Have Learned - Part 2

If there's one thing that I have learned over these years, it is this.

This is the most precious thing on the face of this earth. This is the revelation of Almighty God. And the apostle Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. But he says, I've learned that it's the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes. God knows exactly how to empower you, instruct you. He knows exactly how to give you discernment, spiritual understanding in every single circumstance of life.

It's easy for us to learn facts about historical figures, but it's obviously impossible for us to know them personally. But God is different. He is alive and wants you to know Him fully.

Today on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. We'll roll back to September 1997 and hear him continue reflecting on the lessons he had learned from God. The Bible is full of great principles, godly principles by which our Lord wants us to live.

In fact, you could go from Genesis to Revelation. And there's one principle after the other that God has given us because you see, this is God's instruction book for living. And so what I want to talk about in this message today is simply this, and that is lessons worth living by.

And I want to begin with the very first one, the one that my grandfather taught me when I was 17 years of age. He didn't even realize the impact he was having upon my life. But he laid this principle before me in a very simple fashion. Obey God and leave all the consequences of your obedience to Him. I do believe that is the most important lesson that I've ever learned. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him. It takes courage to be obedient when you don't know what the consequences are going to be. It takes faith to be obedient when you don't have any idea what the consequences are going to be. And oftentimes when we try to picture and foretell in our own mind and our own thinking from a human point of view what we think the consequences might be, so often we are absolutely totally in error because only God in His omniscience knows what the consequences will be. So if you remember, obey God, leave all the consequences to Him, Almighty God is totally responsible for the consequences of our obedience. Second lesson I would mention is simply this, and that is learn to trust the Lord for every single thing in life that we need.

Now, this is one of those lessons that you and I do not learn early in life and we don't learn probably for several years. And oftentimes it is difficulty and failure that teaches us how to learn to trust Him. God is going to send us enough difficulty and hardship in our life. He's going to send us enough trials and tribulations in order to teach us to trust Him. How would we ever know how to trust Him if we didn't face circumstances and situations in which we didn't feel helpless and hopelessly lost apart from the divine intervention of God? You can trust Him for every single need.

You can trust Him to protect your nervous circumstance. The third lesson that I think is so very important is this, and that is learning to wait upon God for His direction and His timing. One of my favorite passages is also in Isaiah 64. If you're not familiar with that, I want to encourage you to turn to it because this verse has blessed me over and over again when he says in the 64th verse and beginning in verse 4, he says, For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God beside thee. Speaking of Jehovah God, listen to this, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

Can you think about that? The Bible says that God, listen, He acts in behalf of those who wait for Him. When you and I are willing to wait upon the Lord and trust Him and don't move before He says move, He says God intervenes. God acts in our behalf.

He's in control. He moves things and circumstances in such a way that will be the greatest blessing to us. And so I would say lesson number three, very important lesson, learn to wait for God's direction and for God's timing in your life. The next one I would simply say is one that is so very important and so what is this principle? This principle is this, give generously to the Lord's work. Anytime you get to holding on to anything and money becomes a priority in your life, mark this down, you're going to lose it. God is going to see to it that you lose it.

Money is not our goal. Our goal is to walk obediently before God. But if you and I will walk obediently before God and follow His principles of giving, here's what He will do. He will prosper you in ways you'll never be able to imagine.

Here's something else. It will protect you from greed. It will protect you from selfishness. It will protect you from becoming materialistically attached.

I'm telling you what's wrong with this whole nation of ours is that we've become a greedy nation somehow. Somebody's convinced and persuaded us if we have enough things, enough of this and enough of that, enough of the other, we will be happy. There is no happiness, no joy and no peace in things. It is to be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. Well, I think another principle that's so very important to me, one of the things that I think is probably the most liberating truth that I've ever discovered over these years is this, and that is I cannot live the Christian life. It is Christ living it through me.

Most believers will go to their grave in the bondage of trying to please God, trying to perform, trying to live up to, trying somehow to be good enough to get His acceptance when it is absolutely impossible. Remember what grace is all about. Grace is all about the fact that God loves us in spite of who we are. God has forgiven us when we don't deserve it.

It is not living up to, performing or trying to measure up to anything. One of the most liberating lessons is it is Christ in us. When I think about all these principles and think about what God has done in my own life, I think about one of the most reassuring ones of all is the fact that God loves us unconditionally. Probably that's one of the most difficult lessons for me to accept because I tell you I was in my 50s before I ever could accept the fact as truth in my life that God loved me unconditionally. I know what he says, for example, in John 17, chapter 23 verse, he says, as the Father loves me, he says, so He loves us. And when I read that verse, I'll think, no, wait a minute. God, you mean to tell me that you love me like you love your son? That's what Jesus said when He was praying in that 17th chapter. Well, if you love me like you love your son, how did you love your son? Absolutely perfectly and unconditionally. How does He love us? The same way.

You know what? Most people go to their grave not believing that. Somehow they'll look at their life and say, how could God love me? They'll look at their experiences in the past and say, how could God love me? They'll look at their past. They'll look at their behavior. They'll look at their conduct. They'll look at their mistakes. They'll look at their sins and say, how could God love me unconditionally?

Listen carefully. The reason God loves you and me unconditionally has nothing to do with what we are, who we are, how we act. It has to do with His nature. It is the very character and nature of God to love with all the fullness and all the potential that the divine love has to offer. It has nothing to do with us.

It has to do with Him. You see, He's the one who gets the glory and the credit and the praise. It is God loving us in spite of us and loving us through, and loving us not because of anything within us, but simply because He's the God He is. Well, the next principle I want you to notice is this, and that is that God is in absolute control of every circumstance of life.

I don't know of a more comforting thought than that. And all of us know what Romans 828 says, and different versions say it in different ways. But this is a verse that oftentimes we turn to, and yet when things get rough, we say, well, yeah, I believe Romans 828, but how often have we read this? And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who call according to His purpose. That is, He's engineering every single circumstance for our good and His glory. Now listen, if God is sovereign, what does that mean? And He is sovereign. But the fact that He is sovereign, it says that God is in absolute total control of every single event in life, which means nothing can happen to you and to me who are His children without His permissive will. If God allows difficulty and hardship into my life, He's got a purpose for it. He's going to turn into something good, and I can profit from it if I will respond by faith and trust Him. He says He causes all things to work together for good. He may permit some things in my life that are painful, difficult, hard to understand, things I don't like, things I wouldn't choose, things I'd like to walk away from. But you know what? If you and I respond in the godly fashion, which is to say, Lord, I don't understand this. God, I want you to change this, but I know that you're in control.

You don't make any mistakes. If you have allowed this in my life, you have allowed this in my life for a good reason. Maybe I need to be sifted and sanded. Maybe I need to be sculptured a little bit.

Maybe I need to be pruned. Whatever your purpose is, your purpose is good. Your purpose is right. Your purpose is holy.

Your purpose is for my best, no matter what. I believe one of the most comforting thoughts that I've ever had is simply that, that God is absolutely in total control. He says no weapon formed against you will prosper. Not any, He says.

Why? Because He's in control. What appears to be oftentimes something that is against us or something that would destroy us in some fashion, God knows exactly what is happening. You and I, listen, we live under the canopy of His divine omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. He is in absolute control of every single facet of our life. If I didn't believe that, I would quit preaching the Word of God because it would mean that we are now victims and the world can do this to us and the world can do that.

And therefore, just anything can happen. Then where is faith? Where is this Jehovah God who is absolute in faithfulness and infinite in power? If He's all the Bible says He is, He is absolutely sovereign.

Therefore, He's in total control of every single thing that happens. Next lesson is this, and that is the importance of absolutely depending upon the Holy Spirit for everything. Every single one of us has been gifted by God to enable us to do what He's called us to do.

He came in order to enable us to become the persons God wants us to be and to do the work that God has called us to do. Therefore, He is responsible for gifting us in any position that we have. It is responsible to gift us, to equip us to be able to do that. But it isn't only important we receive the gift.

It is important that you and I rely upon Him. He wants us relying upon Him, trusting in Him, for strength, for energy, for wisdom, for knowledge, for perception, for discernment. That's the work of the Spirit.

Who teaches us the truth of the Word of God? It is the Holy Spirit working on the inside of us now. I think one of the most profitable lessons is to realize I don't have to do anything in my spirit. I don't have to do anything in my flesh.

I don't have to do anything in my strength. There is the indwelling, supernatural power of God that indwells every single believer. Whatever He calls you to do, you can do it well and you can do it in a way that will make an impact because that's the way God designed you and me to live, that He will live on the inside of us, His life through the Holy Spirit enabling us to accomplish whatever it might be. That's why none of us can take any credit. You can't take any credit if God is the one who's doing it. And so pride is a heinous sin. In fact, God says He hates it. He hates it because it steals Him of His glory.

He hates it because of its destructive element in a person's life because when a person ceases to depend upon God, they must depend upon themselves and once they do, I'll tell you, Satan has a hook in that person's life and they're headed down. Well, as I think about all these principles and how important every single one of them is, I think about this very important principle and that's this. What I believe is the priority of life and that is one of the most important lessons you'll ever learn is this. Listen, that your personal time of meditation with God should be the priority of your life.

Listen, you cannot do anything in the Christian life more valuable, more fruitful, more productive because it underlies every single one of these other principles. And that is the time that you and I spend on our knees before God. And listen, the time that you and I spend on our knees with the Word, not just praying. You can pray all kinds of stuff. You can get off on all kinds of tangents praying. But if you're praying with the Word of God, reading the Scriptures, asking God to speak to your heart, God speak to my heart about this, show me the truth about this, what are you saying to me?

Here's what happens. God loves us and He wants us to Himself. He wants us to spend time alone with Him. Just like every man and every woman who really loves each other, they want time alone when there's nobody else there, just the two of them.

They want a fellowship and have that kind of relationship. God wants you and me alone with Him. The most valuable time you and I can spend in any given day is time when we spend alone being quiet, listening to Him, praying, crying out to Him.

The beginning of the day is like the rudder of the day. You and I get up in the morning, we get in the Word of God for a little while and talk to the Lord, give Him the day, go over the schedule for the day, lay it all before Him. And how often I've had to lie on the bed and say, Lord, I don't feel like getting up, but I'm going today in the strength of the Lord my God.

That's what you said I could do. I just want to thank you and praise you, roll out and get on my knees, talk to the Lord, open the Word of God and read two or three favorite passages of Scripture or some passage that I hadn't read before with any real meaning for me at a particular time in my life. I've got some of those that when I'm real weak, I turn right to them. I've got some of those that when I think, God, I don't know how to handle this day, I know exactly where to turn.

Just to remind myself that my God who wrote this book is absolutely faithful to keep every single promise in it no matter what. I cannot tell you how important your own personal private meditation is. And oftentimes pastors will say to me, well, if you just have one thing to say to me as young pastor, what would you say? Tell them all the same thing. The most important thing in your life is the time you spend alone with God on your knees in the Word for yourself, not looking for a sermon, but you're looking for God to speak to your life.

Cannot tell you how important that is. You dads want to teach your children how to do that? Before they go to bed at night, you go in there with them and open the Word of God with your children. Read them a passage of Scripture. Now you can read them other books too, but listen, don't neglect the Word of God. So early in life they can't even remember when they saw this book. You read a little passage, pray with them, talk to them.

Listen, they'll grow up with a faith that is strong early in life because what you did is you fed them on the Word of God. You instructed them in the things. What you're saying by using this book is, listen, this book is important. This message is important. This is the Word of the Living God, which brings me to the last principle. I simply want to state it, and that's this. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, when clearly presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, can penetrate the most hardened heart regardless of culture, belief, past sins, transform that life, and change their eternal destiny.

If there's one thing that I have learned over these years, it is this. This is the most precious thing on the face of this earth. This is the revelation of Almighty God. And the Apostle Paul said, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but he says I've learned that it's the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes. And as I think about so often, a simple message, you can speak to several hundred people or several thousand or several million people. You know what?

It's amazing. They all hear. They all hear what God is saying to them, those who are listening. And God can take my voice or someone else's voice, put it in some other language, let somebody else say it doesn't make any difference. It is the awesome power of the living Word of God. It can transform a life.

It can absolutely transform a person's eternal destiny. And my friend, if you want life at its best, I've just laid out some principles to you that I know that work. I've seen them work in other people's life.

I know they work in my life. Every single one of them comes from this book. You ask God to show you the principles for your life, He'll add some to those.

He may not give you the same ones. They're all the truth. If you want life at its best, you go to the best book.

You go to the instruction book. You go to the revelation of God. This is God's mind put in human print in order for you and me to understand who He is and to be able to come to Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. If you've never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, this is the way you do it. You accept the testimony of the Word of God which says that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son. He sent Him into this world to down the cross, placed upon Him all of your sin so that your entire sin debt, past, present and future, He took with Him to the cross. When He down on the cross, He paid your sin debt in full. The way that you're saved is this. You ask the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sins. You accept His death as full payment for your sin. You tell Him that you're receiving Him as your personal Savior. And the moment you do that by faith, you become the child of the living God and grow up with the Holy Spirit, sealed into the day of redemption. And then, listen, you have the wonderful privilege of joining all of us in the greatest adventure of life, and that's living the Christian life by allowing Jesus to live that wonderful life through you moment by moment, day by day. I can tell you, my friend, this is the only light that really counts.

This is the only light that really works. This is the only light that, listen, not promises, but provides the joy, the peace, the happiness and contentment in good times, bad times, in pleasure and in pain. Our God never changes. So wherever you are, I want to encourage you to whisper a simple prayer, asking Him to forgive you and telling Him that you're trusting Him as your personal Savior today. And my friend, one thing for certain, you ask Him, He is ready to save you, ready to change your life.

Now I want to make a recommendation to you. There are ten of these principles. I want to challenge you to take number one, start tomorrow. When you get up tomorrow morning, you just turn to Acts chapter 5 verse 29, the disciples said about obeying God, or just take the notes that you have there, obeying God, leave all the consequences to Him.

Second day, you take the one on trust that you go through ten. Listen, I challenge you, if you'll take these ten principles, meditate on them, one a day for ten days. And just ask God, Lord, now how do you not work this in my life? God, how does this apply to me at this point in my life?

You know what? After ten days, you won't be the same. And here's what will happen, you'll be going over them again and again and again. Now listen, I am sure you have heard the principles this morning. This I know, if you'll take them and apply them to your life, you cannot be the same. God will bless you in ways, I cannot tell you. He will take you through storms that you will not be hindered, you will not be hurt no matter what. I plead with you in Jesus' name, take these principles, apply them to your heart, one at a time, and see what God does.

I know what He'll do. He will bless you with His very, very best. Thanks for joining us on In Touch, the teaching ministry of Dr. Charles Stanley. It's one thing to hear biblically based principles, but to bring about change, we also have to apply them. As the Holy Spirit leads you to reflect on these suggestions, ask God how you can incorporate them into your life. Charles Stanley often encouraged us to make obedience to God the foundation for all decisions.

But how do we know what God wants us to do? You can find help for that quest on our website, intouch.org. And to order a copy of Dr. Stanley's complete message, Lessons I Have Learned, visit our online bookstore. Again, log on to intouch.org, or call 1-800-IN-TOUCH.

To write to us, address your letter to In Touch, post office box 7900, Atlanta, Georgia, 30357. Believers don't have to live with feelings of rejection. Through faith in Christ, they're forgiven and accepted. Keep listening for today's moment with Charles Stanley. In Lebanon, an In Touch audio Bible is played, and Kurdish believers hear Scripture for the first time in their own language.

Learn more at intouch.org slash messenger. The Christian life is an exciting journey with great joys and challenges. We don't always know the right questions to ask or the best way to approach Scripture in search of answers. Dr. Stanley's Handbook for Christian Living is an easy-to-use help system that will bring Scripture to life so you can see God moving powerfully in your life.

To order, call 1-800-IN-TOUCH, or go to intouch.org slash store. If you're a Christian experiencing feelings of rejection, it's time to see yourself the way God sees you. Here's a moment with Charles Stanley. Your position from God's viewpoint is this, you belong to Him. Your position from God's viewpoint is that you're so valuable He died for you.

Your position from God's viewpoint is you have the infinite power of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you to enable you in every circumstance of life. That being true, here's what we say, God, I want to thank You. You love me unconditionally. You've forgiven me completely. You've accepted me totally.

I'm a whole person. Now, you say, well, now how's that going to get me out of this? I can tell you exactly how.

Watch this. The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God takes truth. And when we allow Him to put that into our minds and we go to bed at night, what's happening?

That last thing we put in there is working all night long. And so when you go to bed at night and you say, Father, I want to thank You. Thank You, dear God.

Look at, I want you to watch this. Thank You, dear God, that You love me unconditionally. I'm going to sleep with that. Thank You, God, that You just absolutely have forgiven me of everything in my life and that You have accepted me totally. Well, think about that.

Go into bed and affirming in Your mind and heart and sing it to Him. I want to thank You. Here's what You've done. And look at those words, unconditionally, completely, and totally.

I'm a whole person. That is the truth. We're not, this is not mind over matter. Watch this. Not mind over matter, it's truth over error.

That's what it is. God has made you a part of Himself, poured out His love, builds us up, desires to use us in some fashion or whatever it might be. We're completely forgiven from every single sin. We're a complete person in Him.

Have you allowed Christ to complete you as a person? Learn more about living the Christian life at InTouch.org. If you'd like to hear today's message again, you can find it in the radio section of our website, plus an entire library of messages in our audio archives. You can also download a podcast of our program to your MP3 player and take it along with you. Our web address again is InTouch.org. We trust today's program has encouraged you to cement Proverbs 3 verse 5 in your heart and mind. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. We look forward to bringing you another message from Dr. Stanley next time on In Touch. This program is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia, and remains on this station through the grace of God and your faithful prayers and gifts.