But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) When you pursue something at the expense of everything else in your life, it becomes your god. In fact, whatever you put in that first place makes your decisions for you. For example, if you put your career first, you’ll work instead of choosing family or church. If a shift becomes available but it conflicts with a church or family event, your decision is made. You’ll choose work because it holds the first-place position in your life. If you prioritize pleasure, you’ll choose what gives you immediate gratification instead of thinking of others. The problem is that pleasure makes a terrible god. It …

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NLT) The feeling you get when you help someone find Jesus is incredible. We know it’s the best news we could ever share, yet many people hesitate to share it because they assume they don’t have the personality for it. In reality, you can reach people for Christ without being an extroverted people-person type. You’ll reach people that those outgoing types could never reach—people who prefer a softer, more subtle approach. If you always have your antenna up and ask Holy Spirit to show you the people He wants you to …

The goodness of God leads you to repentance. Romans 2:4 (NKJV) Recently I walked through a park where a man was reading Bible scripture over a loud speaker. I sat in that park for a while and I really wanted to unplug his speaker because every verse he read was about hell. No one in the crowd talked to this man. He had set himself up in a high traffic area of the park, but not one person stopped to ask him a question. In fact, they all went out of their way to walk around him. I’m so tired of this kind of approach because it negatively influences people who don’t know Jesus. Because some seem to think you have to slap the sin …

Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people! Matthew 4:19 (NLT) We tend to give coincidence a lot more credit than it deserves. Meanwhile, a good portion of the good luck that happens to us was planned beforehand by God. The Amplified version of Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God prepared paths ahead of time for us, and that if we walk in them, we live the good life He prearranged and made ready for us to live. In other words, God prearranged a good life for you, but you have to choose to live it. Living this amazing life includes fulfilling the exciting purpose God has for you. Jesus summed up this purpose in Matthew 4:19 when He called …

Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life. Matthew 28:18–20 (MSG) Yesterday we introduced the fact that God has two purposes He wants to fulfill in your life. The first is your specific purpose, which involves what you do for a living, how you choose to spend your time, and how you help out at your local church. The other purpose God has for your life is one you share with every believer and it’s non-negotiable. It’s something Jesus Himself asked us to do in Matthew 28:18–20. We are to share Christ with the world. I find that many people focus only on their specific purpose without paying any attention to this shared purpose. The problem is that …