Uncover Your Passion – How to Overcome Complacency and Apathy audio video notes. Let’s define passion as the God-given desire of the heart to make a difference. The passion of Christ was his God-given heart’s desire. Some translations translate it as suffering. You will suffer for your passion. Suffering is one of the identifying aspects of passion. The passion is what Jesus came to do. He did so many wonderful things, but had he not done his passion, he would have made little difference
Uncover Your Passion – How to Overcome Complacency and Apathy
By Pastor Delbert Young
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Uncover Your Passion – How to Overcome Complacency and Apathy
Scriptures: Acts 1:3, 1 Corinthians 12:4-7, Galatians 1:15, 16, Psalms 37:3-5, John 15:7
Acts 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
PASSION DEFINED – CHRIST’S PASSION
First let’s define what I mean by passion. Perhaps we could call it the purpose. Or maybe you have been taught to call it vision or calling. Whatever we call it, something desires to come out of us to fulfil our existence. Uncover Your Passion.
Let’s define passion as the God-given desire of the heart to make a difference. The passion of Christ was his God-given heart’s desire. Some translations translate it as suffering. You will suffer for your passion. That is one of the identifying aspects of passion. The passion is what Jesus came to do. He did so many wonderful things, but had he not done his passion, he would not have made the difference that he made. Inside of him was this desire, this passion, to do something that would make a difference. There is a passion within each of us. Uncover Your Passion.
Allow me to add this to the mix. Had Jesus not gone to the cross, would he have gone to hell or heaven? He would have gone to heaven. He loved the Lord God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind. Also, He loved people. But how horrible it would be to come to the end of our days and know that we had not fulfilled our life’s mission and purpose and passion. Uncover Your Passion.
Today’s lesson is a hunt to uncover your passion.
Uncover Your Passion
AM I A BAD PERSON?
I was in the nation of Haiti to minister at a kingdom conference. We were in one city where the poverty level was extremely high. A Haitian pastor was showing me his church, church school, two new outside toilets, and his tiny dwelling to which he had recently added a new room. The pastor had six children which he and his wife had raised in the tiny house that was maybe 12′ X 12′. I was literally moved to tears as I viewed the mats on the floor for beds and the cots in the corners.
I was deeply touched and wept, and I have so much in America and this pastor had so little. A few days later I boarded an airplane and flew back to the States. Within a few days after returning I was back into my pattern of pastoring, studying, teaching, and working with my church. I seldom think of that Haitian pastor or his children now. Does that make me a bad person? Am I an uncaring person?
I hope it does not mean I am a bad person. The fact is that I cannot care about everything equally. There are some things that I care about more than other things. That does not mean that my issues are more important than others’ issues. It simply means that my heart is drawn to certain things more than it is drawn to other things. Why is that?
While I was honestly moved for the Haitian pastor and felt pity for him, foreign missions are not my passion nor my purpose. It is not a God-given desire of my heart to make a difference in that area. Uncover Your Passion.
PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT PASSIONS
I have met people who felt that ministering to the youth was an all-important ministry. They say, “We need to do more for the youth.” I have talked to others who felt that ministering to the homeless and providing a soup kitchen was the answer. They say, “We need to have a soup kitchen for the street people.” I have talked to others who believe that we need to be more involved in “The Right to Life.” They say, “We need to protest in front of the abortion clinics.”
Some want the church to be more politically involved. Others want to care for the elderly. Some think music is the vital cord. Some say, “No, brother. Peaching is what makes the difference.” We could go on and on with an endless list. All of these are wonderful. Uncover Your Passion.
DIVERSITIES
Because we are not involved in all or most or any of these, does that make us bad people? No. It simply shows our diversity.
Uncover Your Passion
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
We have the God-given right to be different. We have the same Spirit, same Lord, and same God, but we are different. If I can help you discover your passion and help you and support you in moving in it, I will profit. Our ministry will profit. The kingdom of God will profit. Everyone will profit. If you can help me and support me as I move in my passion, you will profit. How many have profited by some of the things I do like the Temperament study or the Revelation teaching? It is extremely liberating and fulfilling when you know you are in your passion.
Our different interests make us a body and make us function. So, what about you?
What do you care about most?
For what do you have a passion?
Where would you like to see your life make a difference?
GOD-GIVEN PASSION IS BUILT INTO US
Understanding our passion is the key to true fulfillment in life. Without understanding our passion, we can never know if we are in God’s will for our lives.
Our God-given passion is built into us by God. Our passion is not something that merely happens. It is not something that our environment created. It was built into us by God. Before you even received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, your passion was there.
Uncover Your Passion
GAL 1:15, 16 But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man
Paul recognized that from birth, he had been given grace. Paul was to preach Jesus among the Gentiles. It is not an afterthought that God has for us. He has a plan and a purpose for our lives from birth. It is like a magnet inside us that draws us toward our purpose. That magnet is our passion.
Do you know your passion?
Do you know what your passion is? If you do not, you are most likely fulfilling the passion of someone else. That’s not totally bad, but why not pursue your own? How would you invest your time, money, and talents so that at the end of your life, you would have led a totally fulfilled existence? What is it that at the end of your days, you would know that you had made a difference for the kingdom of God?
Do you have a clue? Maybe you think you know but suppress it. Perhaps you have even shared it with a few people and have heard things like:
“Why on earth would you want to do that?”
“You are not smart enough (or spiritual enough, or old enough) to do that.”
“But you are a woman.”
“Where would you get the money?”
You can suppress it, but it will not go away. It may never be allowed to come out, and you may die having never followed your passion, but it will not go away.
Uncover Your Passion
Evaluation
Let’s spend a few minutes attempting to uncover your passion. Once uncovered, we will look at it and see where it fits into the body and kingdom. Then we will need to then help you fulfill it.
PASSION EVALUATION
NAME ______________________________________________________________________________
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I am at your house, and we are having a conversation.
We have been talking about several things in the course of our conversation. We move to a new topic, but when we begin talking about this topic, you begin to do most of the talking. Your words speed up. Your voice has some fresh excitement in it. You become animated with your hands. You are talking about ______________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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After you lie down to go to sleep, you begin thinking about an issue.
Thinking about this subject in bed is common. Sometimes as you are driving, you begin thinking about this subject. You can see yourself doing it. You can hear yourself saying it. Sometimes you think about this subject and say to yourself, “What if . . . ?” What is this issue or this subject? ________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Uncover Your Passion
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Make a list of your greatest achievements.
Be certain these are accomplishments that you enjoyed doing and received a lot of fulfillment. They can be anything from organizing a benefit to teaching a class, writing books, keeping a nursery, etc. It can be something that others applauded you for accomplishing, or perhaps they did not see it as that big a deal. We are looking for the achievements that brought you joy and fulfillment. What are those achievements? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What hobbies or things are you involved in?
When we are doing things that we find enjoyable, we lose track of time. We look at the clock, and hours have passed that seemed only like minutes. Also, when we are in our passion, we do not notice things going on around us, and time does not matter. What do you do that is like this? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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What do you do that seems to have the greatest positive impact on others?
Our God-given passion will affect people positively as we touch their lives in various ways. Where do you seem to have the greatest positive effect on others? __________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Uncover Your Passion
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What do you do that seems to give you energy?
Your body can be tired, but when you begin doing this, it is like a switch has been turned on and a burst of energy comes into your mind and body. What is it that energizes you? __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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We are attempting to identify your God-given passion.
By now, you should have a good idea of what it is. To ensure that it is your God-given passion, we will ask it in two parts.
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Does it glorify God? Yes__________ No__________
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Does it edify (build/help) others? Yes__________ No__________
If the answer was “NO” to either part, then we still have not identified your “God-given passion.” We have identified a desire of your heart, and that is not bad. However, we have not identified the passion that will bring you fulfillment in life. The promise of the Lord is that if we delight in him, he will give us the desires of our hearts. Uncover Your Passion.
Psalms 37:3-5
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:
Jesus said it this way,
JOH 15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Uncover Your Passion
Probably about now, 80 to 90 percent of us have identified our God-given passion. The rest of us are confused. Let’s see if we can clarify some of the confusion.
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Surrounding environment and people.
Often, the expectations of others and the comforts we have become accustomed to can suppress our passion. Ask yourself this, “If you knew there would be no judgment by family or friends and you could keep your comforts, what would you do?”
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Sometimes, people have more than one passion listed.
If you have several listed, first look for a theme or a word that weaves through all of them. Also, talk to a close friend that you know only desires God’s will for your life.
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Terminology.
Perhaps you use the term of calling, God’s will, dream, vision, etc. Don’t let terminology throw you off track.
If you believe you have identified your passion then you now know in what direction you should point. For example, if your passion was “Children,” then what should you do in the kingdom? Involve yourself in a ministry that will impact the lives of children. If your passion was “teaching God’s word,” then what should you do in the kingdom? Prepare yourself and involve yourself in a ministry that will equip you to teach.
My passion is _________________________________________________________________________, so where should I be serving?
In a ministry committed to __________________________________________________________________________________.
But our church does not have that ministry. This is one reason we did this today. If we don’t have it and it is your passion, then let’s talk and see if we can begin it or hook you up with one that is functioning.
What is your passion? What is it within you that will make a difference in the kingdom of God? You can Uncover Your Passion.
Uncover Your Passion – How to Overcome Complacency and Apathy
Uncover Your Passion – How to Overcome Complacency and Apathy
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