Page 20 - Faith-Based Workbook 8-27-18

TOPUCU Adult Faith-Based Workbook
The scales of motivation are truly evident here.
“…And in the fourth watch of the night He
came to them, walking on the sea. When the
disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they
were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And
they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus
spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I;
do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:25-27 (NASB)
The disciples initially expressed fear and
shrunk back into shells at the idea of a ghost
approaching their vessel because they had
never witnessed a man walking on the water.
But they were immediately encouraged
when Jesus identified himself. In fact, Peter
was so encouraged and motivated he made
this declaration, “Lord, if it is You, command
me to come to You on the water.” Matthew
14:28 (NASB)
Jesus, of course, did command his disciple
to come to him. And as Peter considered
the hard work of having enough faith and
courage to walk on water, he weighed that
against the reward of an opportunity to
commune with his Lord and Savior and
determined that the odds of success were
pretty high, especially if it was truly Jesus
that was calling him out. He probably
thought to himself, “there is no way in the
world He would let me sink into the water
and drown.” So Peter steps out the boat
and begins to walk to Jesus. And just like
we discussed, while things are going well,
motivation is running at an all-time high. The
situation however changes for Peter: “But
seeing the wind, he became frightened, and
beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save
me!’” Matthew 14:30 (NASB)
When Peter felt the hard work had gotten
too hard, he did a quick calculation, decided
that his odds of success were zero and he
stopped working at all. Instead, he cried out
for help. Jesus would then reach down
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and pull him out of the water, telling the
young disciple that his doubt is what
caused him to sink.
When the scales of motivation are tipped
against us, it is because of doubt, which
is the opposite of faith. But now you see
how it’s all tied together in a spiritual
and practical manner. You now know the
motivation formula. And that’s a great first
step! But the true key to becoming a finisher
is learning how to tip the scales in your favor
on a continuous basis. This is the secret that
champions have been using for years. First,
they decide they want that reward and then
they determine how to increase their odds
of success. And guess what – one way to
increase your odds of success is by working
harder. By increasing the amount of time and
energy you put into achieving your reward
you increase the chances of getting that
reward. Champions know that hard work
always pays off.
As a Christian you can dramatically increase
your odds of success through faith. If your
faith level is high your belief level will be high
also, tipping the scales in your favor. David
knew this when he fought the Lion and when
he slayed Goliath. Noah knew it when he
built the Ark and endured the storm. Joseph
knew it when he was sold into slavery by
his brothers only to eventually become one
of the top officials in the country of Egypt.
They all knew that in order to increase their
odds of success, they would have to walk in
faith and through their faith work harder. You
can use these same principles to help you
achieve the goal you're working on.
There is a rather well-known quote that
states, “Luck happens when preparation
meets opportunity.” What are you doing
to get prepared? What are you going to
do when that opportunity arrives? Are you
staying motivated by actively trying to tip
Lesson 2: Part 2
"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord
and not for men." — Colossians 3:23 (ESV)
the scale in your favor? Are you doing what The next 5 lessons will continue to build
it takes to increase your odds of success? on what we have learned so far, so it is
These are the questions champions ask important you take some time to internalize
themselves each and every day. These are and memorize this concept. This isn’t a game.
the tools champions use to stay motivated. This is life. And motivation is a foundational
tool for successful transformation in your life.
When you’re feeling unmotivated it’s
because one of these components is out of The image we want you to memorize for this
order. Maybe you haven’t fixed your eyes on lesson is the scales of justice. Whenever you
the right reward. Maybe the amount of work find you are lacking motivation, think about
it’s going to take seems insurmountable. the scales. Are you tipping them in your favor
Maybe you’ve already calculated that your and increasing your odds by working harder?
odds of success are too small. Each day you When you're not, look at your wristband and
have to figure out which part of the formula remember – The Only Person U Cheat is U.
needs to be adjusted and that’s how you TOPUCU
will stay motivated.
LESSON 2: QUIZ
1. Most habit change doesn't succeed 5. Name someone you admire who motivates
long-term because it's dependent you to work hard and meet your goals:
on external motivation.
True or False (circle one)
NOTES:
2. The harder you work, the greater your
of
3. Luck happens when
meets opportunity.
4. A well-known question champions ask
themselves is “Are you doing what it takes
to increase your odds of success?”
True or False (circle one)
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