Live Free with Josh Howerton - Heaven Starts Now | Ep. 158 | Wednesday, September 13, 2023

Episode Date: September 13, 2023

Want to live a life that is flourishing? Your life can be transformed by recognizing the connection we have with God. His presence within us changes everything when we simply stay focused on that truth. It all starts with simple reminders and establishing the habit of living in the reality of His presence. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.comit. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Hey, welcome to the podcast. My name is Bro, and men, I hope that you're back to school, back to work, back to juggling schedules is going great.

Thanks for taking the time to hang with us for just a few minutes. We're here Monday through Friday, just trying to get to know the one who loves us a little better. And we're about two-thirds of the way through our 21-day encounter of carving out intentional space to pray and worship and fast and express gratitude and serve other people as a 21-day experience where a whole bunch of us are just saying, God, I just want to know more of you. And we've been hanging on the podcast in recent days on just three words that came off the lips of Jesus. It's when Jesus said, remain in me. It's recorded for us in John 15.

Let me just read it once again. He says this, remain at me and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it's severed from the vine. And you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the, vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. We've been talking about how a connected life is a flourishing life, a life that produces real and long-lasting kind of fruit. The key, as we've been saying, is to keep the remain thing, the main thing. In one of the episodes we went back to the high school botany class, we talked about how the sap of a tree contains all kinds of essential

nutrients to every branch. The xylem and the flowam act as sort of a cardiovascular system of a plant or a tree, moving those nutrients where they need to go. So we've been using the word sap that teach out some benefits of remaining in the vine. We talked about how the S stands for security, and I struggled for a lot of years with insecurity thinking, man, I'm too small, I'm too weak, I'm too slow, I'm too dumb, I'm too old, them, too young, I'm too fat, I'm too whatever. It can do a number on your soul, and it hinders you from being who God uniquely created you to be. And that's why Jesus says, remain in me, and you'll know who you are. You will know that you are enough.

You will know that you are priceless, that you are chosen, that you are deeply loved, that you are my masterpiece. You're a much-loved woman. You are a much-love man. Security and a humble confidence. They begin to flow through your veins as you stay connected to the vine. Last episode, we began talking about the A in the word, app that stands for awareness.

And I just want to pick up where we left off yesterday. This whole idea of living in the awareness of his presence every day, all day, is key to a life that flourishes. And for every follower of Jesus to know that he is not only with you, but in you, oh man, that is life-changing. You see, Jesus came to offer us more than just a resting place in heaven when we die. He came not only that you and I, when we die, we would know we had eternal life. but also that every day we lived on this earth.

No matter what this life would throw our way, we would know that Jesus Christ would be enough. That his love would be our love, that his courage would be our courage, that his kindness would be our kindness, that his wisdom would be our wisdom, that his life would be our life. You see, the very life of the Son of God

is not just with you, but in you. There's a really cool verse in Colossus 117 that says this, to them talking about the people that have been rescued by the grace of God. God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles, in other words, this good news for everybody on the planet, every race, every nation, every language, the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Now, when it says the hope of glory, some think that means the hope of heaven, and I think that's part of it. But I believe he's talking about the hope of a lifestyle, the hope of a life change, the hope of a transformation, the hope of a different way of living. living that reflects the light and the glory of God, the hope of flourishing, producing fruit,

and becoming God's best version of you and me, is Christ in you. That's the only hope for that. Again, there's no hope in me saying, come on, bro, you don't need to stay connected to the vine. Just be your own branch, man, just bear down, try harder, suck it up, and apply yourself. No, the hope of me ever living, a glorious, God-honoring, flourishing, fruit-producing life is Christ in me. You see, two significant things have happened to me. God took me out of sin and darkness and put me into Jesus Christ. And if that wasn't enough, he took Jesus Christ and put him into me. Now, I know that this old Christ in you may sound a little strange to some of you.

You're saying, you mean like Jesus is sitting like cross-legged on my liver? What are you talking about? No, what we're talking about here is the supernatural presence of God's spirit living inside of you. I'm talking about the same spirit. that pursued you day after day trying to get you to see your need for God. The same spirit who put people in your path that gave you the hope of a different kind of life. The same spirit who gently began to convict you of your sin and your personal need for a Savior. I'm talking about the same spirit who revealed to you that God is love

and that you are the main object of that love. That same spirit is now in you, breathing, working, stretching, teaching, molding, leading you from the inside. out every day all day long. That's the hope of living the kind of life that Jesus called life to the full. And I'm telling you, living in that awareness throughout your day is an absolute game changer. So if you're starting your day today, maybe you're heading to work, heading to school right now, you head to the gym, or you're headed out to run some errands, why not just pray this simple prayer? Father, keep me aware of your presence in me today.

help me listen well, help me to respond. Father put someone in my path today that needs a touch from you, and when you do, help me notice them. Let's do life together today, God. Remind me that everywhere I go today, you are going with me because you are in me. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you,

would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out? For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.