Why are Outward Habits Important?
Outward
habits are those habits that other people associate with our personality. These are those habits that people see and know
us by.
The Bible has a lot to say on the subject of the outer man and how pwople perceive us is how they will perceive God
to be.
Read these verses and list what the Word of God says about the inner man
We cannot hope to lead others into the Kingdom of God if we have not taken the time to show others the love of
Jesus in our actions and not just our words. This means that we must stop thinking about being a Christian and become
a Christian in all we say and do. The person you are seen as in public start by building a good foundation in the inner man. That is why before you step out of your comfort zone and start to be the person God
has called you to be you must let God help you shape your inner man. The inner
man you become will shape the outer man you are. We are our inner habits. We are our thought life.
The New International Version of the Bible states in Proverbs 23:7 “ For as he thinketh in his heart,
so is he”. Solomon knew to be man of God you must first change the inner
man, which we already talked about, once you have done that your life as the outer man of God will take on a whole knew meaning
and it will be time to develop the 5 Habits of outward that will show
in action who you are at heart.
The five outward habits that are detailed in the following pages are:
|
Habit
# 6 Vision |
|
Habit
# 7 Empowerment |
|
Habit
# 8 Character and Values |
|
Habit
# 9 Communication |
|
Habit
# 10 Initiative
As an outward man of God what are your
strength and weaknesses?
Take the time list
the ones you know and then ask God to reveal to you those outward traits that you may have never thought you had or didn’t
have. You list may include such traits as encouragement, discipleship or a lack
of confidence in your abilities in leading others to Christ. Remember there are
no right or wrong answers. This exercise is designed to get you to think about
the type of person you are seen to be.
Next pick a person you are close to and
ask them to make a list of what they feel are your strengths and weaknesses. Remember
do not take the list personally; this exercise is designed to help you see yourself as others see you.
Now take both lists and compare them,
see if your view of yourself matches someone else’s. I think it is going
to be really humbling for you to see yourself through the eyes of another person.
Use the lists to help focus on your strengths
and then use those strengths to further the Kingdom of God here. In addition
ask God to help you with your weaknesses that they may also be used for His glory. Remember
your strengths may help to build up another’s weaknesses and in turn their strengths may help you with your weaknesses
It is time become the outward man and witness
that God has called you to be |
Read
and Remember
"The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe
" (John 1:7)
“And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John
15:27)
“You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:15)
These verses remind us that as Jesus Freaks our witness should always be centered on leading others to the truth
of the Gospel of Christ.
Take a moment to examine your life.
What or who is at the center of your daily life?
You might be surprised by the outcome.
Apply It
Listen to His Voice
It is one thing to hear the voice of God, but it is quite another to listen to that voice and act upon what you
are told. To many Christians hear the voice of God but fail to act upon
His advice they continue on their merry way acting as if everything was ok. It
is like the driver who sees the road sign that signals the bridge but drives around that sign and continues on his way. Sooner or later up ahead that person is going to find himself or herself in
trouble wondering why they ignored the sign. Faith must equal works, because
as we have often heard faith without works is dead.
So as men of God we must put of the old man and use those gifts that God has given us to build up the body of Christ. This means not only developing the inner man as we have briefly talked about but also
utilizing the outer man for the service of the Lord. It is time to look at your
life in the mirror of God’s word and then set out on the path He has laid out for you.
In short it is time to listen to God’s voice and put your faith to work.
God’s Word says that you should, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
This means that we must follow the lessons
God has laid out for us, the outer lessons that show us for who we are.
