Living on Mission – Walking In Power with Nate Ortiz

Hey, once Nate were teased here with another walking in power and I'm actually on the road

and so I'm in this hotel room, but I want to at this campground, but I want to share this

word with you today about living on mission.

You know, it's so hard when you have a vision, when you have just something in your heart

that you feel called to do and you have to live on mission.

There's so many distractions, so many things, I'll try to cut in your way, cut you off,

or just really discourage you, just even from pursuing what you feel like is in your

heart.

And so when you live on mission for Christ, it's so much more of a battle, a spiritual

battle takes place.

So there's things that naturally come against you and there's things spiritually in your

life where sometimes you're just feeling defeated, you're feeling overwhelmed, but we

have to understand that Christ is with us and he is always with us in everything that we

do.

And I want to read something out of 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 1 through 5 today as we

talk about living on mission.

It says, but realize this that in the last days difficult times will come.

It doesn't say might come, maybe will come, difficult times will come.

For people be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedience,

appearance, ungrateful and holy, unloving and recasible, malicious gossip without self-control,

brutal haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited lovers of pleasure rather than lovers

of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, avoid such people

as these.

So I read a long list of all these things that people be lovers of themselves, disobedience,

appearance, ungrateful and holy, un-un-un-un-un, but the last part that really struck me was

the part of holding a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.

I think there's so many people who have a sense of God that they've formed in their own

mind or they created their own narrative around, but there hasn't been this really heart-changed

within them.

They still want to live the way they want to live, they still want to deal with unforgiveness

or bitterness or whatever it might be, but they really haven't took this real, this real

mind shift changes, heart change to say, God, I really want to make some changes to get

closer to you and not just close enough to be associated with you.

When you walk with God and you live in our mission, you have the Holy Spirit with you to

help you grow and develop who God's called you to be.

So listen, you can have a form of godliness in your life, but deny its power, that you

have power and prayer, you have power in your words, and we have to steward those things

our lives.

We just can't walk around this life, just saying what we want to, whoever we want, but

there has to be this element within us that says, God, what is your will for me today?

What do you have me to do?

How can I live on mission?

How can I really speak a life into people?

How can I really encourage people or how can I be that person that has to bring discipline,

but also love to someone to help them reach their full potential.

It's not always just about just being loving, gracious, which you absolutely do those things,

but also there's times where you have to get that love to someone that says, hey, I see

more in you and I want to help you get to what God has for you and say what people have

done for me and they've done it for you.

So we have to be the type of person that we recognize God's goodness, God's power in

our lives because I think for other Christians, we discouraging when they see people not

holding up to standard the Bible lays out, not people with the Bible lays out.

I'll let this quote by Charles Ellicott.

It says, these by claiming the title of Christians, wearing before men, the uniform of Christ, but

by their lives dishonoring his name, did the gravest injury to the Holy Christian cause.

There's people all the time, there's people saying their Christ followers, but they don't

really live that standard.

And I think the only way to get there is that when you read the word, when you take your

time, you say, God, allow this word just really penetrates my heart, my thoughts, my motives,

my actions, all those, my attitude, all those that you can really then say, God, I'm really

putting my focus on you and I want to honor your name and not bring this honor to it.

That's the kind of people that we should strive to be in this life.

And so there's three things I think about when you live on mission, which you have to realize,

which you have to grab a hold of, for really to keep that in check throughout your days.

The first one is that it's not about you.

When you live on mission, you have to realize that I say all the time, but with the serve

people, it's not about you.

It's not about what you want, but I believe when you take care of people, God takes care of

you.

And I really strongly believe that.

And there's times where you want to be selfish.

There's times where you want to say that person doesn't deserve it.

But God sent his son, Jesus, the Father crossed for our sins, that we would have eternal life.

And if we got really what we deserved, we wouldn't be happy about that either.

So realize this, in this life, try to push selfishness away, pride, right?

And the criticism will praise the people.

Like you have to push that away and not let that really just eat at you, please.

And say, that's not about people.

How can I serve people?

How can I care for the people, even in the midst of my own hurt or the midst of my own challenges?

So live on mission, it's not about you.

The second thing is, I gotta say, in certain people, it's always about people.

Jesus lived his life.

He had lots to do, but he always stopped for people.

Are we too busy to stop for people?

Are we just running through our day, or can we take a phone call from someone who really needs

help?

Or can we, you know, maybe we can't take it in the moment, but can you circle back?

Because if we can't take care of people on a practical side, just to say, you're spiritually

having a praying for you, how can I walk with you?

How can I help you through this tough time?

That I think we might be missing it.

Well, God intended us to live our lives.

And I think the third thing that when you live on mission, there's always going to be a

level of sacrifice.

No matter what you do, if you want to live a life that is honoring and pleasing to God,

you have to sacrifice.

People always want to have great things in life or accomplish great things.

If you aren't willing to sacrifice, then your ability to do this, the ability to live

this life and honor and serve people, you're going to struggle because you're always

going to be thinking about it's me and I need more, but you have to be willing to sacrifice.

So I just want to share with you, I hope, this is a blessing to you that you live on mission

state.

It's not about you, it's about serving people, and it's about learning to sacrifice.

Because God will always take care of you when you take care of His people, when you sacrifice,

and you give your best to them.

So I pray you have a great day and I'll talk to you all soon.