“How are YOU Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God?”

 

I'm an ex………alcoholic, drug addict, criminal, hustler, womanizer, fighter, liar, manipulator, player, drug dealer, thief, abuser, hypocrite, and a worldly, confused individual.

My name is Ben Lively. I'm not who I was before.

I'm a born-again child of the Most-High God!!  Anointed, Chosen, Set Apart and called to represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I teach Christians the Truth of Gods' Word.

I'm a mouthpiece for the Lord Jesus Christ.

I will not compromise, play any games, or waste time with this mission from on High. I know that in and of myself I am Nothing. I need God for every breath I take and every move I make.

I have Christ living in me and I'm burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, I'm different now and forever more.

This earth is not my home. I know that and I declare it, boldly.

I'm strong in prayer, praying in Power and in the Spirit.

I will preach, teach, deliver, evangelize, prophesy, baptize and build up groups of believers as God allows. HE IS working through me as I'm surrendered to His service as an instrument of righteousness.

And if you know me or get to know me you realize that I take no credit for this but God gets ALL the GLORY. In Christ, I live and to Heaven, I will rise...

 

 

 

Thank you so much for tuning in and Welcome everyone – Hope you’re well!  I’m your host, Ben Lively, and you’re listening to “Shaken Awake” – Episode #20! 

 

I just want to thank you for tuning in, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing right this very moment.  And listen - If you find any value in today’s episode – please pass the news, pass the podcast name and link to a friend, family member, or colleague that you feel would benefit from this show, and become blessed as you are through the words that the Lord shares through these messages.   You can also find these episodes on YouTube, by searching “Shaken Awake Podcast” and clicking on the “subscribe” button. 

 

As always, I promise you another great show – But, more than anything, my HOPE for you today, and always, is that you have an actual encounter with the Lord - He’s is always right there with you, even when you think He’s not.  So, let’s get ready to invite Him in with us, right here, right now and allow Him to speak directly to your heart and minds.   

 

So here goes, here is today’s topic: “How are YOU Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God?”

 

 

I think we can all agree that for some or if you’re like me, MOST, of our lives, we’ve been living life with the intent on making it as pleasing to us and sometimes our inner circle, as is humanly possible.  I’m not referring to living a life of luxury, per se, but doing the things necessary to ensure that our comfort level is good, our plans come to fruition, our days and nights are as fun and relaxing and stress-free as possible.   Who wakes up every day thinking, “How can I make my life harder for me today?”  No one…hopefully!  However, on today’s episode, we’re going to focus on the HOW, and the WHY, and ask ourselves a different question – Why aren’t we waking up every day thinking, “How do I live today for the Lord and do the things that are pleasing to Him?”

 

If this sounds familiar to you, this episode should really help shed some light on what God wants you to do, how He wants you to live your life, and what He desires of all who love Him.  After all, aren’t those the most important things, we as true Christians, should aspire to live for and strive for?

 

So, who wakes up early for work, has a routine in getting ready and perhaps your kids ready for their day, the proceeds to go to work, work all day, make it home, make and/or eat dinner, relax a bit, talk about your day, scroll through your social media, get online, maybe do a little prep work for the next day and some house work (laundry, dishes, vacuuming, straightening up, etc.), hopefully reading your Bible, and then getting yourself and/or everyone else ready for bed and then rinsing and repeating the same each and every day.  You live for the weekends to get errands accomplished, maybe sleep in a little, go out and enjoy a nice meal or two out, go shopping, enjoy the weather outside, or in your pool, or with the kids inside, and then in a blink of an eye, or what feels like 6 hours, it’s Sunday evening already and it’s time to prep for the work-week ahead, get everyone settled in, and then repeat that prior work week.  Most of your “change” in life happens from day to day and usually occurs at work, where you spend more time with that crowd that often times your own family.  Does this sound familiar to you?  Perhaps.  Perhaps not.

 

The question I posing is this, which is one God and The Holy Spirit posed to me and helped convict me on this issue in my own life:  If I’m getting 8 hours per night sleeping, that’s 1/3 of my life, asleep.  What am I doing with those other 2/3rd’s?  Well, I’m working MINIMUM of 8 hours per day, sometimes 10, so there’s at least another 1/3 of my life occupied in the duties of my job responsibilities and workday for my employer.  The real question came down to – what am I doing with that ONLY 1/3rd of “freedom” I have to choose to do whatever I want with?

 

In my old life – it was drinking, smoking, watching tv, social media, definitely no Bible reading (not because I refused, but I simply had zero interest), watching movies, listening to great secular music, and spending as much time as I could possibly squeeze into my days to have fun and rest and relaxation and live in my little comfort zone and perfect surroundings, I had built for myself.  Then as the years went by, I spent most of that time drinking and building businesses to help me become wealthy, financially secure, and be able to give myself and my family more time to have the lifestyle that was pleasing to us!  Oh, we went to church on Sunday’s, from 11:00 – 12:15.  Can’t forget about that!

 

My new life in Christ has totally transformed my relationship with Him, my life here on Earth, the blessing’s I’m receiving both here on earth and those being stored up in Heaven, and my entire reason for living each day.  It’s given me an actual purpose.  The best part is, it’s pleasing to the Creator of the Universe.  The Father that loved us so much before the Earth was even formed that He spared us, came down to Earth from Heaven in human form, went about doing nothing but good, saving all of mankind, defeating death and the grave once and for all, offering us salvation and eternal life with Him in paradise, because Why??   Because He loves us so much.  You cannot state that the only perfect Being in the entire universe, God, is at all wrong – He’s PERFECT, He’s Omniscient, He’s Omnipresent, He’s all powerful, He’s the Creator of the Universe, Giver of Salvation, and the Lord of all – He CANNOT be wrong….in fact, the only thing He IS, is PERFECT and PERFECT in every single way.  And so therefore, so then is His love, His salvation, His grace, His promises, His kindness, His mercy, His forgiveness, His blessings, His protection, His Word, His provisions, and His ways.   So, my conviction was this – Why on His earth would I choose, willingly (remember, He gives us free will, the right and privilege and blessing to choose this over that); why would I choose willingly to replace (whatever) during my days and evenings with anything other than what He’s asked of me and what’s pleasing to Him?  After all, isn’t that a million-dollar question – what’s more important?  Money, fame, rest, things, job, health, pleasures?  Let’s hear what God’s word says, never mind what I think.

 

So, most of what I’ve learned, which we’ll be diving into next week, is what the Word of God, the Voice of God through the Word of God, and The Holy Spirit has shown me throughout the Scriptures.  They’ve provided the clear path, God’s path and blueprint, for living a life that’s pleasing to Him and one that is an outward display of faith.  Remember, faith without works is dead – that’s from Jesus, not me!  Sometimes, works, is what it takes to live a life that’s pleasing to Him.  Think of it in this way, as this is MY OWN analogy for this – we can either live a life of our own works to achieve a life that’s pleasing to us, OR, we can live a life of works to achieve a life that’s pleasing to God.  But we can’t choose both.  You can only worship one master.  As Matthew 6:24 states:  “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”  My whole life, I served myself, placing me and my needs above God’s.  Not anymore – thank God!

 

The Bible states in Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that He rewards those who seek him.”

 

            So, faith is needed, drawing near to him is needed, and those who seek him are rewarded.  There’s one answer straight out of God’s Word!              Faith, Drawing Near, Seeking Him.

 

·      Faith – without it, it’s dead – faith is stepping out and by your works, actions, and words, it will be revealed by the faith you have. 

            

            Drawing Near – If I believe in Him and want to please Him, I draw near to Him by going meeting Him where He’s at, as He does for us.              He’s in the Word, He’s in prayer, He’s in our hearts, He’s in our church groups/small groups.  He’s everywhere that we draw near to Him             in.

            

            Seeking Him – How can you seek something if you don’t go looking??  How do you seek something on your social media, or in a bottle, or         in the bar, or on television, or in the news, or while you’re out having “fun” or concentrating on self for your own needs?  You cannot.

 

 

·      So, if you and I believe He exists, we will draw near to Him.  If we lack faith, we won’t.  Therefore, it will be impossible to please Him without it.  You may be saying or thinking right now, “But no, Ben, I believe in him and I have faith and believe He exists, but I don’t exactly seek Him.  Then my question back is:  Why would you not earnestly seek God, who you believe in, have faith in, and draw near to Him?  Is it because you don’t feel like it?  Is it because you don’t take the time to think about it or care to?  Is it because your life is more important?  Is it because, like me, you never were convicted of this because like me, I’d never cracked open my Bible and read these words of Truth?  If the shoe fits – KICK. IT. Off.

 

As Paul states in Galatians 1:10 – “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

 

            Man is also us – you and I.  Man is also people in the world – both those close to us, in our lives, and outside our lives.  He’s plainly asking himself, who am I really         serving here, because if it isn’t God, I’m not truly a servant of Christ.  But if I am a servant of Christ, which I am, that it is impossible to live a live trying to please man,         including ourselves.  You cannot serve two masters.

 

This is the realization that I was convicted of.  I cannot remember when, but perhaps this was the verse The Holy Spirit convicted me with.  More than likely, it was but one of MANY that He used.  I looked deep within and quickly realized that I was trying to please me (man) and my prospects and career (man), without serving Christ one bit.

·      So, we are to be a servant of Christ, but HOW?  HOW do we then live a life that’s pleasing to God???

            Start to do what the Bible teaches. James 1:22, " But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

 

                        Pray for wisdom and revelation. Ephesians 1:16-17, "  I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my             prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the   knowledge             of him"

 

                        Follow your conscience. Acts 23:1, " And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all        good conscience up to this day.”

 

                        Keep your eyes pure. Luke 11:34-36, " Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of             light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full      of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light."

 

                        Keep your heart. Proverbs 4:23, " Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."

                        Associate with the wise. Proverbs 13:20, " Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer             harm.”

 

                        Keep yourself in the Word of God and it will build you up. Acts 20:32, " And now I commend you to God and to the word of his             grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

 

                        Desire to do God's will and you will supernaturally know God better. John 7:17, " f anyone's will is to do     God's will, he will             know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.”

 

                        Start to praise God. John 14:28, " If you loved me, you would have rejoiced..."

 

                        Put God first. Matthew 6:33, " But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

 

                        Be detached from worldly things. Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your             mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

 

                        Consider the word of God. Philippians 4:8, " Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just,             whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about             these things."

                        Forget the past. Philippians 3:13-14, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I   do: forgetting what             lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

 

                        Recognize that God loves you more than you could love yourself. Be willing to give your temptations up to follow a             righteous path. Jeremiah 31:3 says, "I have loved you with an eternal love." And Proverbs 8:17 says, "I love those that love me." God has             loved you for thousands and thousands of years. It was then that He decided to put you in this generation and in this place. How many other    people He could have created and did not. He truly wanted you to be. You have qualities and talents that, when transformed into Christ, will      give a grace and a glory to God and the Church for all eternity. You are important             to God and to the whole world. God does not love you          any less because He loves millions of other people. You are unique and God loves you as an individual. God rejoices every time you think         of Him, when you consider His Word and when you do what is right. God knows that His word will transform you and make you like Him.

 

                        Check your own life. You must believe and know that you are already washed away by Jesus and you must make sure you have not       sinned against him yesterday.

 

                        Get involved in a small group, local church or house church and serve God. It is where we can praise His name and thank Him             for His goodness in our life. Be willing to understand and help those who lack faith. Be a shepherd like He was. Take care of His people and      ask Him to empower you each day.

 

 

1 Thessalonians 2:4 – “but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

·      You have heard that it is the heart that God looks at and which The Holy Spirit searches out.  We’ve also heard that what comes out of the mouth of a man defiles him, as what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart.  What is your mouth speaking daily?

·      Life and death come from the tongue, so what is your tongue speaking daily?  We also serve God by speaking life.  

Romans 8:8 – “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

            There’s nothing left to interpretation or misunderstanding here.  Whether you take the Bible literally, figuratively, or both, you cannot misinterpret this scripture.  It plainly states - YOU CANNOT PLEASE GOD WHEN YOU ARE LIVING IN THE FLESH.  Living in the flesh:  The flesh is our internal enemy and it’s a seed of corruption that lingers in us until our glorification following death. In short, the flesh is our fallen internal resistance to obey God and put self-interests above God’s interests.  Flesh sometimes means a physical body, as when the Word became flesh in Jesus Christ.  The sinful actions of the flesh come from every part of our person.  Paul uses flesh to refer to our inherent tendency to sin against God; he says that the flesh is the seat of our sinful passions, the realm of sinners, and the source of our evil desires.

The Bible commands Christians to respond to the flesh in 3 ways.

(1) We are to recognize that we are no longer under the flesh’s bondage.  Jesus’ death for our sin and his resurrection for our salvation give us a new nature and a new power from God the Holy Spirit that enables us to say “No” to our flesh and “Yes” to God.

(2) We are to walk in conscious submission to the Holy Spirit.  Because the Holy Spirit is more powerful than our sinful desires, he alone can get us out of unholy sin and into holy worship.

(3) We are to put to death our sinful desires.  The opposite of putting sin to death includes excusing sin, tolerating sin, or merely wounding sin by attempting to manage it.  Death of sinful desires is Holy Spirit-enabled conviction, followed by repentance of sin, faith in God, worship of God, and perseverance in holiness so that sin remains dead and joyremains alive.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

            It’s your and my right to choose and choose daily and consistently – do we conform and live to the desires of self and the world, or do we conform and live to the desires of God?  It’s truly THAT SIMPLE, but why do many complicate it?  Why do many ignore it?  Why do many choose to conform to the world and self, and not God? 

 

Further reiterated by Paul in Romans 8:5 – “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

You’ve heard Jesus claim others are double-minded.  “You who are double-minded”.  He does not say this in love, but with disgust.  Double-minded are those that live by their own understanding yet abandon what God says, regardless of their intentions.  The term double-minded comes from the Greek word dipsuchos, meaning “a person with two minds or souls.” It’s interesting that this word appears only in the book of James (James 1:8; 4:8). Bible scholars conclude that James might have coined this word. To grasp the full meaning of this word, it is best to understand how it is used within its context.

James writes of the doubting person that he is “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:6–8). A doubter is a double-minded person. Jesus had in mind such a person when He spoke of the one who tries to serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). As such, he is “unstable,” which comes from a Greek word meaning “unsteady, wavering, in both his character and feelings.”

A double-minded person is restless and confused in his thoughts, his actions, and his behavior. Such a person is always in conflict with himself. One torn by such inner conflict can never lean with confidence on God and His gracious promises. Correspondingly, the term unstable is analogous to a drunken man unable to walk a straight line, swaying one way, then another. He has no defined direction and as a result doesn’t get anywhere. Such a person is “unstable in all he does.”

Those who are double-minded do not have the faith spoken of in Hebrews 11:1, 3: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. . . . By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” We cannot be both “certain” and doubting, as is the double-minded person. One part of his mind is sure of something, while the other part doubts. 

Jesus declared, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). God and the things of this world are of such opposite natures that it is impossible to love either one completely without hating the other. Those who try to love both will become unstable in all their ways. If someone struggles with being double-minded, he or she should read, study, and memorize the Word, for it is the Word of God that produces faith (Romans 10:17). And he or she should pray for faith. God freely gives what is good to those who ask Him (Luke 11:9–12), and it’s good to ask for an increase of faith (Luke 17:5; Mark 9:24).

 

Negligence of God’s desires for your life will be no excuse when you are in front of Him giving an account of your life!  Do know what’s right, and chose wrong.  Don’t chose wrong because you do not know what is right.  Don’t live your life believing it’s desiring to God, but not dwell in His Word to find out what He truly desires of you and how you live your life.

 

So, my final questions to you are then this:  - How are you living your life to please God?  WHO by your actions are you pleasing?  And finally, is there any area of your life that you can pray and seek the Father’s guidance and direction, in order to serve and please Him, or are you maxed out; meaning, you have nothing more to give to God in your life?

My final statement is this:   The enemy works overtime to create a world of creature comforts that are self-serving and a world of pleasure and the pursuit of happiness within the world.  Take a look around – he’s done a pretty good job at taking God out of everything and the putting the world into everything.  We are now what Jesus warned of as being how people will be living their lives at the end of the age – as they were in the days of Noah.  The enemy is the master of deception, the master of lies, portrays himself as the angel of light, and is hell-bent on stealing souls from God and His Kingdom and devouring all which is good.  Jesus Christ is the only answer for salvation and eternal life.  So which master, by your actions and faith, are you truly serving and pleasing?  There can only be one answer.

 

 

So, before we end today’s show, I just want to thank you all again for tuning in and I HOPE you were touched by God through today’s message and scripture.  I’d like to ask you a favor only IF you received any value out of today’s show – would you tell at least one person you know – call them, text them, email them, talk to them – tell them to give this show a listen.  It may just help them in their walk with Christ.  

 

Also, I really need your support - If you could give me a quick star-rating on your phone app - it takes literally 3 seconds.  I’d love that help and support for you guys, which will allow the Lord and the Holy Spirit to reach even more lives through this broadcast.

 

If you’d like to get ahold of me, you can write me a note on www.shaken-awake.com/contact you can also email me directly at ben@shaken-awake.com or even call or text me directly for any reason at (407)-493-3208 (repeat).  I want feedback, questions, ideas, requests, criticisms, corrections, - if it’s important to YOU, it’s important to ME.  

 

Also, If you’d like to be a guest of this show, please reach out to me, as well.  If you have a life and/or eternity-changing story you’d like to share, please let me know and I’ll schedule you in.  We don’t hear enough of the TRUTH these days or the POSITIVE ways of God and Jesus Christ these days, and this podcast is going to help change that up – Id love your help with this where you can.

 

Next week’s episode is another powerful and DO-NOT-MISS episode – thanks for joining!  

 

Until next week, take great care of yourself and each other, and God Bless You all.  

 

Outro music.