RE-CAP OF THE LAST 3 WEEKS:
In Parts 1-3 of this series, we named the tension you’ve felt; more success hasn’t silenced that inner restlessness.
We exposed the reality that ambition isn’t the problem and explored the difference between Restlessand Rested Ambition.
I argued that higher levels of success are achieved through deeper levels of peace and how contentment is the ally of success not the enemy of it.
Today, I want to make this practical for you.
UNDERSTANDING THE SHIFT
Moving from Restless Ambition to Rested Ambition is a process.
There is no shortcut, hack or magic pill.
We never “arrive” there and suddenly we’re “good”.
I still struggle on a daily basis to live this out. However, by God’s grace, I am radically different in this arena today than I was even a year ago.
WHAT IS REQUIRED TO MAKE THE SHIFT
Surrender is the path to peace.
However, putting God on the throne of your life is not a one-time decision; it is a daily conscious choice to take up your cross, die to yourself, and follow Jesus.
- But you will never surrender your life to Someone you don’t LOVE and TRUST.
- You can’t trust or love Someone you don’t deeply KNOW.
- You will never know Someone without spending TIME in their presence.
What you need is to KNOW God
Not knowing about God, but knowing Him personally, intimately, and experientially.
And that requires
“Practicing the Presence of God” in your life.
MAKING IT PRACTICAL
Practicing the presence of God puts our hearts in a position to be changed by God.
I won’t be able to exhaust this topic today, but let me give you a few keys to practice God’s presence in your everyday life.
#1 – SHIFT YOUR DAILY ROUTINE
Jesus before phone.
Before you touch your phone, spend at least 10min in prayer and/or Scripture.
Not emails.
Not texts.
Not social media or ESPN.
Prayer Pauses
Pick an event that happens multiple times throughout your day and let that be a cue for you to pray for 10 seconds.
Perhaps it’s sitting at a red light in your car.
Waiting in line.
It can be quick. It doesn’t have to be profound.
This recenters you back to God throughout your day in incremental ways.
Delete Social Media Off Your Phone
Sometimes addition comes through subtraction.
I’ve had dozens of clients do this, not a SINGLE client has ever re-added it back to their phone.
They’re less distracted and frazzled.
They’re more present with their spouse/kids.
They’re learning to slow down and enjoy God.
#2 – SHIFT YOUR PRAYER LIFE
We go to God with requests,
we confess our sins
we thank God for blessings,
but we have forgotten how to gaze, behold, and enjoy God in prayer.
Yet THAT is where all the juice is found in experiencing God!
When a groom’s bride walks down the aisle, what’s the expression on his face?
Disappointment? Indifference? Anger?
NOPE.
It’s sheer delight. Joy. Love.
What if when you turned your face to God in prayer, you considered His gaze back at you?
What if God looked at you like that groom looks at his bride?
“Look at Him, Looking at You”
Sit in silence, even for just a few minutes, imagining God looking at you
(how He sees you through Christ)
until you heart is warmed by the thought.
Prized possession. Beloved child. Delighted in. Forgiven. Redeemed. Loved. Pleased. Known.
It’s hard to take it in.
It’s hard to believe sometimes.
But let yourself sit emotionally in those truths until you feel His face shining on you as you start your day.
Contemplating the beauty, goodness, and magnificence of God will align you to the heart of God, grow your trust and love of Him, allow you to more willingly surrender to Him, giving you greater PEACE.
That’s the soil where Rested Ambition starts to take root.
