blueprint

Volume 1 Issue 2 Dec 2011feb 2012

I k no w t h e p l a ns I h a V e fo r yo u . . . J er em i a h 2 9 : 1 1

purpose
your spiritual calling

who does God say you are?

identity

does it matter what you believe?

revelation

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blueprint
I k no w t h e p l a ns I h a V e fo r yo u . . .

lcome We
purpose &
9 14 30 five things you THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS BUT REALLY DONT spiritual calling flowchart a different beat...

f e

General Editor Doug Mauss Managing Designer Scot McDonald

With special thanks to RJS Design Studio Cover Illustration istockphoto; Scot McDonald

contents

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord plans ractive to Blueprint, anininteor teens. to prosper tian magaz e f you and not chris to harm you, for you. We believe that God has a purpose ty, and plans to give Every one of us has a unique identiaccomplish you hope and God has crafted your identity to at are a future. specific things for His kingdom. Wh
your talents, your passions, your callings? His plans Come explore how God has revealed unity for you. Discover the specific opport . you have to change the world for God
Jeremiah 29:1 1

identity &
4 24 34

WHICH KIND OF FREE? Who are you really? quiz different christians, same christ
51

Photos iStockphoto; Shutterstock; Getty Images; p10 (top right) Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Sports/ Getty Images; p26 Timothy A. Clary/AfP/Getty Images; p30 (middle) Jeffrey Vock/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; p34 Leigh Davidson; p48 (top) Charles Hewitt/Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Illustrations p4, 62 Scot McDonald; p20 Mark Demel; p51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 59 Stephanie Sheildhouse; p58 Chris Dall Copyrighted material; permission required to reproduce. All rights reserved. Printed in South Korea. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise stated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com Contact us with questions, comments, or material. Please provide your name, age, address, and phone number. All contributions become the property of David C Cook. blueprint@davidccook.com

Revelation &
51 55 58

how revealing is it? Comfortably warm hell is no party

Bible Studies

7, 11, 17, 19, 27, 31, 37, 41, 47, 49, 53, 57, 61 8, 12, 18, 20, 28, 32, 38, 42, 48, 50, 54, 58, 62

Timeslice
8, 28, 50 59 54

55

Daily Faith Devos

Survey Books
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Which Kind
4
DEC JAN FEB

Nothing in life is free. this fundamental truth defines every facetofhowtheworld works. From snack vending machines, to college tuition, to the 99 apps for your

& &I d e n t i t y &

phone, everything costs something.

Sure, you might not think it costs you anything. After all, you may very well go to high school for free, download your music for free, eat your moms cooking for free. But there are costs all through the system, whether you realize it or not. That high school you attend is paid for out of taxes. It has costs for teachers, materials, athletic uniforms, etc. And people may often pirate music, bragging that it didnt cost them a dime. But it sure cost something for that original musician to make, for that studio to produce, for the local radio station to airall so your ears could benefit from the latest American Idol-popularized tune. And of course you realize that your

cost. Because you could have spent that time on something else. Lets say a friend had an extra free ticket to a movie, but you had a test the next day you hadnt studied for. You decided to go to the movie because, hey, free movie! But the next day you get a B on the test instead of the A you know you couldve gotten if you studied. That free movie cost you valuable time, which cost you a letter grade, which cost you a lower GPA, which could conceivably cost you a scholarship. That could turn out to be one expensive free movie! What about those commercials that sell large appliances and furniture? They advertise FREE FOR SIX MONTHS, or promise no payments for a year. Of course, you see the

We oNly Got 86 400 secoNds iN a day to turN it all arouNd or throW it all aWay.
mom had to buy all those groceries, and spend a fair amount of her time cooking that meal. Ahh, theres another cost: time. There are only 24 hours in any given day. And you already spend a third of those hours sleeping. How are you going to spend your precious waking hours? Or as Kris Allen put it: We only got 86 400 seconds in a day to turn it all around or throw it all away. (Why must all these American Idol songs be so catchy? You can never get them out of your head!) Economists put it this way: even spending your time on something that is otherwise free has an opportunity hidden catch. After six months, they charge way more than what the price would have been if youd just paid for the futon in cash. Theres one more misconception about free that people have. Its when something is provided free because of work that somebodys done. The classic example is a high school athlete getting a free ride to college, because of their talent. Is this really free tuition? Not really, because it still had to be earned. A better way of looking at it is that a

nd of Free?
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by Doug Mauss
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college-caliber athlete provides more value to the college than the cost of his tuition. Say that tuition is $20,000 per year. But the university fund-raisers think that if their sport team wins the division, alumni will happily donate about $20 million. By spending the $20,000 on the students tuition, theyre really earning $19.98 million. Is that free?

twisted and warped the concept of free. Its to the point where if you see an ad on the Internet flashing Free Gift, thats the surest sign its a scam. We cant trust the word free anymore, because the concept has been polluted. Which is why its so hard to understand when the Bible tells us that salvation is free. We cant take that statement at face value. Which kind of free? Deferred payments free? Hidden

cost Himself. Jesus Christs sacrifice on the cross two thousand years ago covered the bill once and for all. It turns out that salvation is free like Mom cooking dinner is free. She happily buys the groceries and puts in the time because she loves you. Even though it costs her something, she doesnt pass those costs onto you. You dont have to earn dinner. (You might have chores and other things you work for, but dinnerdinneris free.) It costs God something to pay the

Free salvatioN just doesNt maKe seNse. those rules areNt coNsisteNt With aNythiNG We see oN earth. everythiNG costs somethiNG, riGht?
Nope, thats just paying you by not charging you. A lot of supposedly free things work on this tuition model. If you get a good grade, maybe your parents take you out for a nice dinner. If you perform well in the school play, you get accolades. If youre funny, people like you. If you make sacrifices for your friends, maybe they wont ditch you if times ever get hard. Thats right; even friends arent free. Theres an assumed quid-proquo, the idea that if you invest in a relationship, the other person will invest back. How many of your friends would stay friends with you if you never talked to them, hung out with them, did nice things for them, shared interests with them, invited them over? Relationships are never free. Though you cant pay for friendship (unless youre in a clich 90s high school movie), youre still hoping to get a return on your investment. Even if that return is in the form of something like loyalty. We think we understand the word free. But in reality, our society has fees free? College tuition free? In fact, most Christianseven the really mature onesarent able to believe salvation is free free. They automatically assume that salvation is on the college tuition model. If you behave good enough, then you get to go to heaven as a reward. They think, Sure, we dont have to pay anything to go to heaven. But we better go to church, avoid smoking, donate money, and be nice to homeless people! Partly, this is because so much of our identity is built around what we have to do. We define who we are by the things we do. We play soccer, or go to church, or hang out with the emo crowd. We define ourselves by being on the honor roll, or in the choir, or by what movies we like. So its hard to get past a no-stringsattached free thing like salvation. Even as we admit that its free, we still try to figure out what were supposed to do to earn it. Free salvation just doesnt make sense. Those rules arent consistent with anything we see on earth. Everything costs something, right? Its true. Everything does cost something. Even salvation. The miracle comes in this: God decided to pay the price for sin. But because He loves us, He chose not to pass those costs onto us. Of course, its beneficial for us to do good things. God likes it when were nice to homeless people. Just like your mom likes it when you take out the trash. But it doesnt make you any more deserving of heaven. Doing good things helps make you a better person. But your heavenly entry fee has already been paid for you. And you never have to earn it back. We know this because God gets to make the rules for His universe. And heres His rule: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you cant take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Eph 2:8-9, nlt). p

DEC JAN FEB

Paul's profile
Acts 26:9-20

was In e apos desc Pa conv Why to he d zealous in Who the Gospel?thtodays text hetleribed hisul?ersionwasHeroso Agrippa.
spreading plete Pauls profile. Use the verses in parentheses to com

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NAME: Saul (also called Paul) BIRTH DATE: for sure, but according to Approximately a.d. 1 (We dont know thiswas likely in his early thirties at chronologies based on known dates, Paul the time of his conversion.) BIRTHPLACE: (Acts 21:39) ADDRESS: ersion. Lived in Jerusalem at the time of his conv FAMILY BACKGROUND: (Rom. 11:1) CITIZENSHIP: (Acts 22:25-29) EDUCATION: (Acts 22:3) RELIGION BEFORE HIS CONVERSION: (Acts 26:5; Gal. 1:13-14; Phil. OCCUPATION: (Acts 18:1-3) EARLY EXPERIENCES: (Acts 7:54-60; 26:9-12) DETAILS OF CONVERSION EXPERIENCE: (Acts 26:12-19) PURPOSE OF HIS MISSION: (Acts 26:16-20) VIEW OF WHATS INVOLVED IN CHRISTIAN LIVING: (Eph. 4:1-4)
3:4-6)

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Acts 26:9-20 9 I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 10And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. 11Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. 12 On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 15 Then I asked, Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied. 16Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. 17I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. 19 So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. 20 First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

cut here

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1 Bible Study

lesson 1 Bible Study

mon
devos

tues wed

What is the calling we have received? Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and 1 John 3:2 for starters. Get a concordance and look up other references in the Epistles to called or calling. Meditate on what you learn.

fri

Read Ephesians 4:1-4. Paul was under house arrest in Rome when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians. Why does he call himself a prisoner for the Lord? How does our view of ourselves affect our priorities and choices in life?

sat

An important thing to remember is that we are new creations. Thats why its so important to get rid of the sin in our lives. Is there something you need to confess? Ask God to forgive your sins today.

Review what you learned about your calling in Christ. Remember who you are today. Youre a new creation.

thurs

What does your life say about you? If you really believed you were a child of God and destined for perfection, how would that affect the way you live today?

Sometimes Christians are anxious to live a life worthy of their calling to holiness but gloss over areas of sin in their lives. What old things do you need to let go of?

new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17

If anyoneisisa in Christ, he

other stuff was happening while Paul was writing letters

COU in th authoriistyUSED KLEENEX Pauls even h that PEOPLE. HEAL

reat was so g LD e Spirit

Also, s ters, to lots of . He was ived a stoning.s that stole hi g let n writin etting in of Jesus es. He surv ay who it wa . ee In betw was g name ultiple tim doesnt s regret it Pauluble in thaned shipwreckneddnmaked. Histohrays since come to troeaten, lashed, e was cold a e that person b e point h an assum at on es, but we c cloth Tent-maker by day, adventurer for the

Lord by . . . well, um, by day.

At night he had angels break him out of jail cells.

Paul a in the ngered the from tmiddle of the people in Da Sp he out night, b mascus s y peopelecifical y, the He lat er wal s being o much tha he was god H qu e er trie . lowere t he had d to c are aotg Winston just a m ermes. Af d in a to escape apture od, you Zeddem an, they ter he h the Ro bread the city ad Ru say, Y ore, W then tr ad conv baske nner w es! hen so ied to inced t t ith an meone kil him he Acme anvil. asks if . To

Paul w

as onc

e mista

ken for

a god.
you

DEC JAN FEB

5 Things
& &C h r i s t m a s &

(five)

5. It Happened in December

You Think You Know About

Christmas...
Really

There it was, December 24th, Zero a.d. Snow sprinkled gently on the rooftops, while Jewish kids went ice-skating on the Dead Sea, before making snowmen in the yard, and drinking mugs of kosher hot chocolate before bedtime. The next day, after an eventful delivery, Joseph headed down to the local Roman Consulate and got a nice official birth certificate scroll, saying December XXV, in the XXVIIth year of the reign of Caesar Augustus. First name: Jesus. Last name: Christ.

But

DonT

With the spot for fathers name left suspiciously blank...

hristmas today is a joyful time, to say the least. From the first snowflake of the season to the post-Thanksgiving shopping sales, most of us spend several months anticipating the big day. But somewhere along the way, our visions of sugar plums are replaced with just-before-Christmas final exams, crowded shopping malls, forced house decorating, and being made to go to parties wed rather not attend. And its precisely for those reasons that most of us feel burned out after the holidays are over. And so we find ourselves reflecting on the very first Christmas, oh-so-long ago. That original Christmas was a simpler, quieter, more spiritual time. When we reflect on what Christmas truly means, we find that our sense of giddiness and anticipation cant be sated with gifts or shopping bags, or stockings crammed with goodies. When we clear up our misconceptions about the purpose of Christmas, we find ourselves much more satisfied with the truth. So, in the spirit of getting back to the heart of the holiday, weve compiled a list of common misconceptions of the Christmas season. As it turns out, a lot of things we think we know about that first Christmas are completely untrue. You might realize that a lot of Christmas pageants, movies (and maybe even our well-intended Sunday school lessons) have misled us about a lot of the facts of that first Christmas. Lets get into what really happened.

What really happened: Nobody actually knows what day Jesus was born. Jews and early Christians cared more about His death and resurrection than when He was born. In fact, it was considered pagan to care about birthdays, because the Roman Empire made a big deal about birthdays.

I came, I saw, I had cake.

So it wasnt until a couple of centuries later that people really even started asking about the date. Most early suggestions were between March and May. Which makes sense.

3 continued on page 10

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3 5 Things You Think You Know ... continued from page 9

If the shepherds were out with their sheep, it wouldnt have been winter; it was most likely spring. But even though that is a logical conclusion, a spring birthday just never caught on. Eventually, church leaders decided on December 25. Why? Well, there are two theories: either they stole the date from a pagan holiday, or its because of the power of math. So early Christians started thinking: If Jesus died on a certain date, maybe He was conceived on the same date?

celebrate Christmas
in South Africa
Christmas is a summer holiday. People often use the Christmas break as an opportune time for camping.

By this logic, we can assume that Tim Tebow will win the Super Bowl on August 14th.

in Alaska
Christmas songs are ended with a blessing in the Aleut language: Mnogaya leta, which means, God grant you many years.

Or maybe they just did this.

in Argentina
the traditional Christmas beverage is a drink prepared with different kinds of fruit, cut into pieces, and mixed with juice and cider.

in Australia
Christmas celebrations down under include an annual televised Carols by Candlelight concert in Melbourne.

in Brazil
Papai Noel (or Father Christmas) is the Brazilian version of Santa Claus. Since its hot at Christmas, he doesnt wear a red fur coat, but lighter, silk clothes more appropriate for the summer heat.

You may not realize it, but lots of our current Christmas traditions are adapted from pagan religions: the Christmas tree, the Yuletide log, mistletoe, stockings by the chimney, etc. So it would make sense for the date to be adapted from another pagan holiday. In this case, the Romans worshiped a sun god named Sol Invictus. They celebrated his day on December 25. Why would anybody celebrate a sun god in the middle of winter? Well, as we all know (or should if we paid attention in science class!), December 21st is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Every day after that is longer than the one before. So the Romans celebrated their sun god when the days started getting longer. The theory goes like this: when Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of Rome, they were already used to celebrating on December 25, so he designated that as Christs birthday, to trick the Romans into celebrating for Jesus. But most modern scholars now think that we decided on December 25 because of some simple arithmetic. As you may have noticed, God seems to do things in number patterns. Elijah spent 40 days in the wilderness: Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. Jonah was in a whale for 3 days: Jesus was dead for 3 days. There were 12 tribes of Israel: there were 12 disciples of Jesus.

Since it was believed that Jesus was crucified on March 25, then that meant the Holy Spirit came to Mary for the Annunciation on March 25, as well, 33 years earlier. Add nine months of pregnancy to March 25, and you get . . . DECEMBER 25! (Orthodox Christians use the dates April 6 and January 6, but the principles the same.) So you can thank early Christian mathematicians for the reason we celebrate Christmas in the winter instead of the spring.

4.There were 3 wise men, and they were on time

We can blame a lot of our wrongness about Christmas on popular Christmas songs. We know all about We three kings of Orient are, and nativity scenes always show us three wise men, generally in an aesthetically pleasing, tiered display: one kneeling low in worship, one kneeling normally, and one standing.

The fourth king, who walked like an Egyptian, is generally not pictured.

3 continued on page 16
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DEC JAN FEB

walk in thaeianspirit lat s

dG lections from Acts an se

rie lk in provide a was Paul formula for making Pauls exapestian. ncesthe Spirit, very goodsexample of how the it Wa guides Chri
Holy Spirit ion of ys text we travel with Paul on a port as a Christian in everyday life. In toda his walk in the Spirit.

& Read Acts 13:1-4.

same were led by the Holy Spirit to do the How many people in this gathering rmation of Gods leading? p serve as a confi thing? How would being led as a grou does after the Spirit spoke to them? What What did these people do before and its leading? sensitivity to the Spir this say about how to increase your

Acts 13:1-4 1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. 3So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
6

& Read Acts 16:6-10.

ch the ened if the Spirit had led Paul to prea What do you think would have happ Gospel in Asia instead of Europe? How do you think Paul felt, wanting to do another? Spirit to do one thing but being led by the

? say about Pauls relationship with God What does this kind of discernment the incident? Make a list of the ways that How was Paul led by the Spirit in this y. Holy Spirit might lead Christians toda

Acts 16:6-10 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, Come over to Macedonia and help us. 10After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25 16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

cut here

& Read Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25.

by the result in our lives if we are being led According to these verses, what will Spirit? Spirit? What is the opposite of living by the in this passage as a test for whether How can you use the characteristics being led by the Spirit? you are

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2 Bible Study

lesson 2 Bible Study

So how do we know when its the Holy Spirit leading us? Here are some things to remember when youre looking for Gods guidance.

SPIrit
The
.

devos

How do you

mon

know when God is leading you and its not just indigestion? Or worse, maybe the force behind your impulse is supernatural, but not friendly. Weve all heard that Satan can masquerade as an angel of light, appearing to be trustworthy, but having evil intentions.

We are promised the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives when we open our lives to Christ. Those who know Christ have a divine guidance counselor at all timesno appointments necessary! Thank God for this precious privilege.

tues wed

The Holy Spirit helps us to make sense out of the Bible. Is there anything in the Bible you find difficult to understand? Ask the Lord to help you with it. If necessary, ask a mature Christian about it.

. . Its More Like Guidelines, Really

Code

s s

thurs fri

The Holy Spirit usually guides us through Gods Word. Romans 12 gives great insight into Gods intent for our lives. Read through it today, looking for specific ways you can follow Gods will right now.

good shape. God s Make sure your relationshiptowith God isofinunconfessed sin will usually lead Christians take care before leading them to do anything else. A strong impulse is not necessarily an indication of the Spirits leading. Feelings come and go. But a consistent passion lasts in spite of finding out about the less fun parts that come with any calling.

Sometimes what is true isnt all that obvious; it takes some work to discover it. Write down a big decision youll make this year. Then dig through the Scriptures and find three relevant references that could affect your decision. Ask the Lord to keep you diligent in your search for truth.

are being led by the s If you create a conflict withSpirit to do something, it will never the Scriptures. God would not lead you to break one of His commands. If you feel that youre being led to do something, run it by a few people who are older and wiser in the faith than you are. If they show a lot of resistance to your leading, do some serious rethinking.

sat

Since the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts as Christians, our lives should also reflect Gods truth. How do your actions reflect the Spirit of truth? Ask the Lord for an opportunity to demonstrate His truth.

The Holy Spirit uses others to teach us. Call or write someone who has helped you in your Christian walk. Thank that person for how they have equipped you. Pray that God would strengthen and encourage that individual.

you can be certain of leading s Sometimes the only wayand see how He led youGodswhole is when you look back the time. This is a great confidence builder. When you need Gods direction in the future, remember the ways He has led you in the past.

Sthe Spirit,live ince we by let

us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25

12

DEC JAN FEB

For

we are Gods workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

EPHESIANS 2:10
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Spiritual Calling Flowchart

Christians talk a lot about following the Holy Spirits direction. But what does it mean to truly seek spiritual guidance for the decisions we make? If theres a decision you need to make, this flowchart can help give you a good idea of how to test that decision spiritually.

Psalm 143:10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me in a clear path.

Your Decision
How did you come up with this decision?

Well, its certainly not a bad idea.

You just lied about reading the Bible! May God have mercy on your soul. Try again.
NO yes

That one doesnt count.* Find another verse.

yes NO

I read the Bible.

Really?

Was it the verse about God giving you the desires of your heart?

yes

TV is fiction; characters on TV make decisions for entertainment purposes and to get higher ratings. They are never good models for real life.

My favorite TV character did it this way.

You know TV isnt real, right?

NO

Forget figuring out the Spirit, you still need to learn about this thing called reality. My wise Christian friends

Whats the motivation behind this decision?

My friends told me.

Which friends?

My good-fornothing friends who my parents dont like

Not a good enough reason. (Psstand make different friends!)

My gut tells me.

Whats your guts track record?

I dont always end up grounded after listening to my gut.

God told me directly in an audible voice. Then why are you even reading this chart, Gideon?

My gut knows things. Sometimes I think my gut has ESP.

* Psalm 37:4 is not a blanket promise that God will give us whatever our hearts desire. First we have to transform ourselves into the kind of people who are delighted by the Lord. God doesnt give us the desires of our heart until weve already conformed our desires to Him. At that point, we dont need this chart.

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DEC JAN FEB

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Romans 12:2 Dont copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (nlt) Galatians 5:22 The spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (nlt) What do other people think of your decision?

They think Im crazy.

They think its awesome.

Not Spirit led

yes

Personal fame and glory.

At the expense of someone else?

NO

Probably just worldly wisdom. Not necessarily bad, but not Spirit led. Nope, Im really just in it for the people.

In a God is calling you to awesome things kind of way? Hmm. Two-way communication with God requires practice. You need to make prayer a discipline if you want to hear Gods will. Try again.
NO

yes

Cause it looks good.

Are you trying to please God, or other people? For Spirit-led decisions, God is the one who counts.

Are these people Christians whom you trust and respect?

yes

NO

I guess it would also please God.

NO

To please God.

You sure its not just because it would look good?

Do they have clearly-stated spiritual reasons why this is a bad idea? nothing
yes NO

yes

What do you feel when you pray about this decision?

Then they have no understanding of what God might be asking you to do.

peace

I am passionate about it. angels screaming in fear At the expense of someone else? Im supposed to pray?
yes

It would make me happy.

NO yes

You should reconsider. Most of the time you should trust wise, spiritual authority. But occasionally, if you are firmly convinced of the Spirits calling, Gods call overrides peoples opinion.

Gods calling is often scary. And Gods wisdom can seem like foolishness to the world, even to some Christians.

Not Spirit led Not Spirit led

NO

But finally, here is the ultimate litmus test for any major decision: Would this action honor Christ?
yes

Make a different decision.

(But always keep testing your actions and motivations through prayer, Scripture and the Spirit.)

Spirit Led