Embracing God's Purpose Through Life's Journey
Summary
### Summary
Today, I shared my journey from South Louisiana to Alabama, emphasizing how God uses our life experiences, both good and bad, to shape us for His purposes. Growing up in a Cajun culture, I learned the importance of family, food, and celebration. Despite my mischievous youth, God had a plan for me. I gave my life to Christ at 13, but faced many challenges, including family issues and personal failures. However, God is a God of second, third, and even fourth chances. He redeemed my life and used my business acumen for His glory.
I spoke about my ventures in the fintech space, where I created a product that revolutionized the automotive industry. Despite initial success, my first business failed, teaching me that competence without character is unsustainable. This failure was a turning point, leading me to rely on God's Word and build my faith. My marriage was restored, and I found true success in my family and legacy, not just in business achievements.
Moving to Birmingham at 50 to volunteer at a church was a leap of faith, but it opened doors for me to mentor others and unite pastors and business leaders. I emphasized that every role, whether in business or ministry, is equally important in God's kingdom. We must be faithful with what's in our hand to unlock what's in our heart. I encouraged everyone to avoid the bait of offense, to seek fulfillment in God's purpose, and to be generous and open-handed.
In closing, I urged everyone to pray and ask God for their part in expanding His kingdom. We must be fearless, faithful, and committed to finishing well, trusting that God will use our lives for His greater purpose.
### Key Takeaways
1. God Uses Our Journeys for His Purpose: No matter where you come from or what you've been through, God can use your life experiences to shape you for His purposes. Your journey, including the pain and failures, is not wasted. God is a God of second chances, and He can redeem any situation for His glory. [10:20]
2. Competence Without Character is Unsustainable: Success in any field requires both competence and character. My first business failure taught me that while skills and knowledge are important, they must be underpinned by strong moral character. This failure was a humbling experience that led me to rely more on God's Word and build my faith. [14:28]
3. Faithfulness Unlocks Greater Purpose: Being faithful with what God has placed in your hand is key to unlocking the greater purposes He has for your life. Too often, we chase what's in our heart without being faithful to our current responsibilities. God honors faithfulness and uses it to prepare us for greater things. [28:42]
4. Avoid the Bait of Offense: Offense is a trap that can hinder your spiritual growth and effectiveness. Choose to be unoffendable, letting go of grudges and trusting God to be your vindicator. This mindset allows you to live joyfully and focus on God's purposes rather than being bogged down by negativity. [38:08]
5. Generosity and Open-Handedness: True fulfillment comes from being generous and open-handed with what God has given you. Whether it's your time, resources, or talents, giving them away for God's kingdom brings exponential impact. Remember, God gives seed to the sower, not the keeper. [44:07]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[09:46] - Growing Up in Cajun Culture
[10:20] - God's Redemption in My Life
[11:25] - The Louisiana Ferris Bueller
[12:55] - Early Business Ventures
[14:28] - Lessons from Business Failure
[15:43] - The Power of God's Word
[17:01] - Family and Legacy
[18:31] - Moving to Birmingham
[19:58] - The Role of Business in God's Kingdom
[21:16] - Volunteering at Church
[22:34] - The Importance of Worship
[24:44] - Learning from Failure
[26:00] - The Value of Scars
[27:23] - Mentorship and Generational Impact
[28:42] - Faithfulness in Small Things
[30:02] - Eternal Return on Investment
[33:18] - Praying with Your Spouse
[34:18] - Being Led vs. Driven
[35:37] - Building Legacy Over Dynasty
[36:49] - Choosing Joy and Generosity
[38:08] - Avoiding the Bait of Offense
[41:06] - Pursuing Fulfillment
[42:27] - Trusting God in Giving
[44:07] - Faithfulness and Generosity
[45:56] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Reading
1. Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
2. James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
3. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 - "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
### Observation Questions
1. What does Romans 8:28 say about how God uses our life experiences? How does this align with the speaker's journey from South Louisiana to Alabama? [10:20]
2. According to James 1:2-4, what is the purpose of facing trials and challenges? How did the speaker's business failure contribute to his personal growth and faith? [14:28]
3. In 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, what is the principle of sowing and reaping? How does this principle relate to the speaker's emphasis on generosity and open-handedness? [44:07]
### Interpretation Questions
1. How can Romans 8:28 provide comfort and perspective during difficult times in our lives? Reflect on a time when you saw God work something for good in your own journey.
2. James 1:2-4 speaks about the testing of faith producing perseverance. How can we practically apply this perspective when we face personal or professional failures? [14:28]
3. The speaker mentioned that competence without character is unsustainable. How does this idea connect with the biblical principle of sowing and reaping in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7? [14:28]
4. The speaker emphasized avoiding the bait of offense. How does this align with the teachings of Jesus on forgiveness and reconciliation? [38:08]
### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own journey. How has God used both the good and bad experiences to shape you for His purposes? Can you identify a specific instance where a failure led to personal growth? [10:20]
2. The speaker mentioned that faithfulness in small things unlocks greater purposes. What are some small responsibilities in your life that you can be more faithful with? How might this faithfulness prepare you for greater things? [28:42]
3. How do you handle offenses and grudges? What steps can you take to become more unoffendable and trust God as your vindicator? [38:08]
4. Generosity was a key theme in the sermon. What are some practical ways you can be more generous with your time, resources, or talents this week? How can you cultivate a cheerful heart in giving? [44:07]
5. The speaker talked about the importance of mentorship and generational impact. Is there someone in your life you can mentor or someone you can seek mentorship from? How can you take a step towards building this relationship? [27:23]
6. The speaker shared about praying with his spouse and the power of unity in prayer. If you are married, how can you incorporate more intentional prayer time with your spouse? If you are not married, how can you find a prayer partner to build this discipline? [33:18]
7. The speaker encouraged everyone to ask God for their part in expanding His kingdom. Have you prayed about your role in God's kingdom recently? What steps can you take to seek God's guidance and be obedient to His calling? [44:07]
Devotional
Day 1: God Uses Our Journeys for His Purpose
God can use every part of your life, including the pain and failures, to shape you for His purposes. Your journey is not wasted, and God is a God of second chances. He can redeem any situation for His glory. Reflect on how your past experiences, both good and bad, have prepared you for where you are today. Trust that God has a plan for you, and He is using your journey to fulfill His greater purpose. [10:20]
Jeremiah 18:4-6 (ESV): "And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.'"
Reflection: Think about a difficult experience in your life. How can you see God's hand in shaping you through that experience? How might He be using it for His purpose today?
Day 2: Competence Without Character is Unsustainable
Success in any field requires both competence and character. While skills and knowledge are important, they must be underpinned by strong moral character. Reflect on the importance of character in your own life and how it impacts your success. Consider how relying on God's Word and building your faith can help you develop the character needed to sustain your competence. [14:28]
Proverbs 11:3 (ESV): "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them."
Reflection: Identify an area in your life where you have relied more on your skills than on your character. How can you begin to prioritize character development in that area starting today?
Day 3: Faithfulness Unlocks Greater Purpose
Being faithful with what God has placed in your hand is key to unlocking the greater purposes He has for your life. Too often, we chase what's in our heart without being faithful to our current responsibilities. God honors faithfulness and uses it to prepare us for greater things. Reflect on how you can be more faithful in your current responsibilities and trust that God will use your faithfulness to unlock greater purposes in your life. [28:42]
Luke 16:10 (ESV): "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much."
Reflection: What is one small responsibility you have been neglecting? How can you be more faithful in that area starting today?
Day 4: Avoid the Bait of Offense
Offense is a trap that can hinder your spiritual growth and effectiveness. Choose to be unoffendable, letting go of grudges and trusting God to be your vindicator. This mindset allows you to live joyfully and focus on God's purposes rather than being bogged down by negativity. Reflect on how holding onto offense has affected your life and how you can begin to let go and trust God to handle it. [38:08]
Ephesians 4:31-32 (ESV): "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Reflection: Think of someone who has offended you. How can you begin to let go of that offense and trust God to be your vindicator?
Day 5: Generosity and Open-Handedness
True fulfillment comes from being generous and open-handed with what God has given you. Whether it's your time, resources, or talents, giving them away for God's kingdom brings exponential impact. Remember, God gives seed to the sower, not the keeper. Reflect on how you can be more generous and open-handed with what God has given you and trust that He will use it for His kingdom. [44:07]
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (ESV): "He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God."
Reflection: What is one resource or talent you have been holding onto? How can you begin to be more generous and open-handed with it starting today?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "You see the shiny stuff, the stuff on Instagram, the stuff on social media, but it's in the journey in life that makes you, and so growing up in South Louisiana, you know, I was a mischievous character. I was going 150 miles an hour with my hair on fire, and always, if you ever saw, did y'all ever have the movie back in the day? I'm going to date myself, but there was a movie called Ferris Bueller. You ever heard of Ferris Bueller? You ever heard of Ferris Bueller? You ever heard of Ferris Bueller? Huh? Do you raise your hand if you ever heard that movie? Well, you're looking at the Louisiana version of Ferris Bueller, and my wife hates when I say that, but it's true. I lived life to the fullest, and I never knew that God would ever want to use me, ever." (42 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "You need competence to be successful, but you need character to stay successful. You cannot have competence without character in the long game. And so, God took me on this journey. And that first business, when it failed, took me on this journey of God really taking me on. And it was hard. It was a very public failure. It was, you know, I could give you 10 different reasons why in the natural why it failed, but that business became my God, and it became my identity. And God's not going to play in that game. He's a jealous God." (39 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "If you don't quit, you win. Some of you wanting to quit, you win. Some of you wanting to slow down. Some of you wanting to settle. Some of you that are older in age, he's like, you know what? I've done my part. Let me tell you what, there's a generation behind you that needs the wisdom that's in your life. They need the experience. You know what else they need? They need to see the scars in your life because scars have wisdom if you keep your heart right. Wounds do not. You got to get wounds healed, but scars can have wisdom." (29 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "The world will always want your challenges. The world will always want your defeats, your failures to define you. God doesn't work that way. God wants it to refine you. So I took what I learned because there's a return on failure. I think you can have a greater return on failure than sometimes success because the value of failure is learning, but the value of learning is improvement." (30 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Choices lead, feelings follow. I'll say that again. Choices lead, feelings follow. I'm going to make a choice. God, I'm going to trust you. Even giving of my life, it's an exchange of trust. Even faith, it's an exchange. It's an exchange of trust. I'm believing in God's word that I cannot see certain things, but I'm standing on his word as it is true. It is just, it is right." (26 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "It was the Word of God that really was the life-changing thing for me. If you're not going to be a student of the Word, I'd even be so bold as to say, you're not going to make it. Because it's the Word of God that builds our faith. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the Word of God. And isn't it amazing that when we go through a journey, Pastor Luke, we go through a tough journey, or we go through this situation in life, and then we go to God's Word. We have a child that's maybe making some bad choices, and there's nothing like kid pain as a parent. And so, you're going through, and you're watching this, and you go to God's Word, because you're looking for a lifeline. And then what happens is faith starts to arise. The situation doesn't change immediately, but faith starts to rise. And then things start turning around over time, and then we start fainting a little bit. And then something happens again, and we get back into it. And where God's just saying, you know, son, you can have that time with me every day. You can have that moment. You can have that moment. You can have that moment. You can have that moment. You can have that faith continually building." (65 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "God really is positioning his church where he's bringing pastors and business people together, and it's a formidable force, because pastors set vision, but business people set the pace of it. Pastors set vision to reach a city. They set a vision to reach the world for the gospel, but it's that business leader that sets the pace. That LED screen, that didn't happen just because it happened. A business person got involved. And when I'm using the phrase business leader, I don't care if you're working at a coffee shop, or being a barista serving coffee, or you own 50 coffee shops. God can use you and wants to use you. He created you, giving you a divine lane to run your race in. Your lane's different than mine. My lane's different than Luke's, but don't see your lane as a limitation. See it as an invitation from Almighty God to a massive world." (54 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "If I could encourage any of you is what are you doing with what's in your hand? Pastor references in the video where he talked about being faithful to what's in your hand. Too many of us are laying down what's in our hand to chase something that's in our heart. And we can never get to that place that's in our heart without being faithful to this that's in our hand. Give you an example. If I would have quit after that first business and go work for somebody and just say, oh, I'm a failure. I don't know if y'all have Winnie the Pooh in New Zealand, but Eeyore, I could be like Eeyore, the donkey who just had the negative attitude. And I call it an Eeyore spirit. And so I could have that Eeyore complaining all the time. And, but I didn't choose that. But if I would have quit after the first business failure, I wouldn't have had the platform to do what I'm doing now. But because I didn't quit because I didn't give up and now I'm giving my life away and helping people around the world where we're seeing pastors and business people unite. And it's effectuating, hear me, hear me. It's effectuating billions of dollars being funneled to the kingdom of God to see people come to Christ." (72 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "I think understanding the difference between calling and purpose, understanding the difference between being led versus being driven. I think if I had some defining moments in my life, I look back and number one would be praying with my wife. I'd say number one, that's my secret weapon. I call it the fullness of oneness. I think when we pray by ourselves, we pray in half the strength. And those of you that are married, when you pray with your spouse, because the two have become one is when you, when you pray with your spouse, I think you operate in the fullness of oneness of all the power God has. And I've seen that work in our own lives. And it was awkward at first. I would look at her and say, okay, let's pray together. I'm not talking about blessing the food. I'm talking about really praying like her praying for me before I leave to go to work saying, Lord, give Lee wisdom, give him favor with his appointments, bless him. And she wasn't really like, she didn't like praying out loud, but God started to build our faith in this." (54 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "I will not take the bait of offense. You can slam me. You can hate me. You can do whatever you want to do. I am not taking the bait because you know why I'm made a Teflon. That stuff just flies right off of me. I ain't taking the bait. You can, you can do whatever you want to do. I'm going to stand just the joy of the Lord is my strength, man. Well, weren't you that guy that 30 years ago, that business failed? Man, it was the best lesson in my life I ever learned. And look at what God's done. And so I'm not going to take the bait of offense." (32 seconds)(Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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