Course: Sacred Pace
Overview:
How do we hear from God and discern His will when it’s time to make big decisions? Terry Looper shares a four-step process for doing just that – a process he has learned and refined over thirty years as a Christian entrepreneur and founder of a multi-billion dollar company.
At just thirty-six years old, Terry Looper was a successful Christian businessman who thought he had it all—until managing all he had led to a devastating burnout. Wealthy beyond his wildest dreams but miserable beyond belief, Terry experienced a radical transformation when he discovered how to align himself with God’s will in the years following his crash and burn.
Sacred Pace is a four-step process that helps Christians in all walks of life learn how to
- slow down their decision-making under the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
- sift through their surface desires and sinful patterns in order to receive clear, peace-filled answers from the Lord,
- gain the confident assurance that God’s answers are His way of fulfilling the true desires he has placed in their hearts, and
- grow closer to the One who loves them most and knows them best.
Sacred Pace is not another example of name-it-and-claim-it materialism in disguise. Instead, it walks Christians through the sometimes-painful process of “dying to self” in their decisions, both big and small, so that they desire God’s will more than their own.
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Notes:
Part 1: My Journey to That Sacred Pace
Chapter 1: Collision Course
Chapter 2: The Crash
Chapter 3: A Way to His Will
Chapter 4: My First Test Run
Chapter 5: In Step with God
Chapter 6: Trust and Believe
Part 2: Four Steps to a Sacred Pace
Chapter 7: Step 1: Consult Your Friend Jesus
Make Jesus your friend.
- Read the Word to learn more of Jesus and His dreams for us.
- Speak to Him in prayer.
- Journal
- Worship
God speaks to us through worship, teaching, circumstances, and the love of others.
Chapter 8: Step 2: Gather the Facts
Facts not opinions or our biased lens that we see reality.
The facts include:
- The unchanging truth of Scripture
- The truth of who I am (such as my temperament and talents, my values and principles, and my healthy passions and convictions).
- The godly counsel of others
Facts are important but be careful not to get into analysis paralysis and never make a decision. Pray that the holy Spirit gives you enough to make a decision.
Create a pros and cons list. Eliminate any pros and cons list that are fear-based or sinful.
If you feel distant from the Lord, ask yourself these questions:
- Do I know His Love?
- Do I feel His Love?
- Am I including Him in my day-to-day life?
- Do I really trust Him?
Continue in prayer as you ask the Lord for direction. Pray before, pray while you’re slowing down, pray as you’re following through and pray as you obey.
Ways to practice His presence:
- Sit with the passages in the Gospels where Jesus calls the children to come near. Put your wounded inner child in that scene and imagine what it would feel like not only to be near Jesus, but for Jesus to take you in His lap and talk with you.
- Expect Him. Look for Him. Anticipate Him, just as you do anyone you long to see.
- Ask Jesus to direct your thoughts to this moment and to be in it with you.
- Treat Him as you would a best friend.
- Get to know Jesus via the four Gospels of the Bible – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
- Evaluate at the ned of each day: “When did I feel Him most present? When did He seem most distant?”
- Invite Jesus into your worship, your times of waiting and, your work.
- Revisit scenes of Christ’s affection for you.
- Develop a grateful mindset.
Chapter 9: Step 3: Watch for Circumstances
Let our circumstances play out before you respond to it.
Chapter 10: Step 4: Get Neutral
Actively work on getting to a place of neutral where you truly want what God wants and your agenda isn’t in play.
You’re okay with whatever the outcome is going to be.
Part 3: Lessons Learned Along the Way
Chapter 11: Is it the Holy Spirit or Intuition?
Chapter 12: When to Slow Down
Chapter 13: How Can I Help Myself Stop the Hurrying?
Delay tactics to making better decisions:
Wait one day:
- Responding to a significant request – Way a day before responding.
- Sending a difficult email – Wait until the next morning.
Wait one week:
- Doing anything with a “great” new idea that comes to mind – Wait at least a week . Write down all the ideas and then wait a week. Review it to see if it still sounds like a good idea.
Wait one year:
- Any life-changing even before making any related decisions. – i.e. lose a spouse, wait at least a year to date again or sell a house.
- Any material increase in your income before making any further moves or large purchases – i.e. receiving an inheritance or selling a business. If you sell a business or make a large sum of money wait 12 months before you buy anything major to get your pride in check. This typically makes us make wiser decisions.
Never:
- Never decide to buy while you’re in the “showroom.” – If you’re looking to buy real estate never commit to buy when you’re walking through the place. If you’re looking at buying a car, don’t make the decision to buy while sitting in the driver seat. Get away from the place and wait until tomorrow. Never buy on first sight.