The Life You Live Is the Lesson They Learn

On today’s episode of The Morning Charge, Joshua teaches on the power of example and the reality that our lives are always teaching somebody something. Whether we realize it or not, our words, reactions, habits, priorities, home atmosphere, marriage, parenting, work ethic, worship, private life, and daily choices are leaving an imprint on the people around us.

This episode challenges listeners to stop asking only, “What am I saying?” and start asking, “What am I showing?” If our lives are teaching, then we need to live submitted to Jesus in a way that models faith, truth, repentance, consistency, kindness, courage, prayer, surrender, and integrity.

Key takeaways from this episode:

• Your life is teaching somebody whether you mean for it to or not.
• People learn from what they see repeated, not just what they are told.
• Your home is one of the first classrooms God has given you.
• Inconsistency teaches people that truth is optional.
• Your private life eventually shows up in your public life.
• Jesus is our highest example of how to live.
• You can change what your life is teaching starting now.

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Real Talk. Real Jesus. Real Life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to the Morning Charge. This is your moment to slow down, breathe, and get your spirit aligned before stepping into the day ahead. Life moves fast, responsibilities pile up, voices compete for your attention. But before the noise of the world takes over, this is where we come back to what actually matters. This is a place for honest conversations about faith, life, purpose, and everyday battles we all face. No pretending, no religious performance, just the truth. Because following Jesus was never meant to be complicated. It was meant to be real. So whether you're driving to work, you're getting the kids ready, or simply taking a quiet moment for yourself, you're in the right place. This is real talk, real Jesus, real life. This is the morning charge. Father, we pray over this study this morning. Father, we I just pray right now, Lord, that our hearts would be open, our eyes would be open, our ears would be open to see and hear all that you have for us as we go through your word today. Father, Lord, that it wouldn't just be her uh words that we hear, but Father, it would be words that we use as action for our feet to begin to walk things out in our life. Father, so that you can bring healing, so that you can bring restoration, so you you can bring the prodigals home, God. We stand in faith this morning and we say, Lord, let it be so and let it be done according to your word in our lives in the name of Jesus. Amen. All right, y'all. Let's jump in and let's see what God wants to say to us this morning. As I was going through some notes and praying and seeking the Lord this morning, he began to talk to me about how the life that we live is actually teaching somebody. The life that you're walking out, you're teaching somebody something just through the life that you are living. And whether you mean to or whether you don't, your life is teaching. Teaching your children, teaching those that are around you, because people are looking. Whether you realize it or not, people are watching you. I know that's you're thinking, me, like who's watching? No, people are watching you and they're watching your life and they're watching how you live. Your words, they teach. Your reactions, they teach. Come on. The Lord began to give me some of these things this morning. Your habits, the things that you do is teaching somebody something. Your priorities and the way you prioritize your life and the way that you live your life is teaching somebody. The atmosphere you have created in your home when people enter your home, it's teaching them something. Your marriage, your parenting, uh, your work ethic, your uh the way that you worship. Even when you're just sitting in the silence, when people observe your life, they are learning something from you. And this could be this could be good or this could be bad. It goes one of two ways. The things that you do, the things that you say, the ways that you act, what is it, what is it doing? What is it doing? So the question that we should ask ourselves today is not, am I teaching? You know, am I teaching? Am I showing somebody something? No, no, no. Your question needs to be, what is my life teaching? What, what, what am I teaching other people just by the way that I'm living my life? So, so let's kind of pick this apart this morning and see what God wants to say. Because a lot of us, we don't ever slow down long enough to think about these things. You know, what are people learning from me? We we just we just go and we do life. We're doing life, and a lot of us feel like we're just doing life the very best we can do it. I'm doing it, you know. Maybe you didn't have anybody teach you about certain things, and so you're just kind of out here just doing it, and you're sort of figuring your way out. Luckily, we have a guide that helps us in this life if we read it and if we apply it. Because, I mean, what you're doing, your children are learning from you, your spouse is learning from you, your team at work, or if you're a coach, you may not you're a coach doesn't go out on the field and play. A coach coaches and is a mentor for the team that can go out to the field and play. So if you're in some sort of a coaching role, your team is learning from you, there's people watching. So let's dive in. An example and being an example is one of the strongest forms of teaching. Of course, a teacher gets up and instructs verbally, but the example that you are is the strongest form of teaching. People don't the people do not only learn from what they're told, they learn from what they see repeated over and over. Patterns are what are learned and what are picked up. You could tell somebody you need to pray. I could sit here and be like, you guys need to you need to pray and you need to get in your secret place. But if you never saw me pray, and obviously you're not here to see me in my secret place, but my my kids can see me reading the word, and they can hear me praying and they can hear me talking about God. Brandy hears me talking about the Lord. We talk, we have God conversations together. You can tell somebody, and we had that old saying growing up, y'all remember it, and and we sometimes we're not careful, we still use it today. Do as I say, not as I do. That that is does not work, by the way. I don't know where we came up with that. I don't know who came up with that to justify they could keep doing what they're doing, and hopefully their kids won't do it. Because, I mean, nine times out of ten, mostly, your kids grow up and they begin to do the very things that they saw done. You are their teacher. You're their first teacher. Uh, you could tell somebody to be kind all day. You need to be kind to people, you need to watch how you uh respond instead of react. You need all the things that we sit here, but wouldn't it be a tragic thing if if I gave you all this advice and I showed you all in the Word where we can do these things and and being rooted in our identity and whose we are and who we are and all the things we talk about on the morning charge every single morning, wouldn't it be a tragic thing for me to point you all in the right direction? And when I when I turn off the live stream, I'm a completely different person. I don't live by any of that. I'm just gonna, I'm just teaching you. You need to do as I do, or do as I say, not as I do. What? You probably would not listen to me very much after that. This guy can't even live what he's teaching what he's talking about. That would be terrible. And my conscience would be eating me alive, for goodness sake. But you can tell people to do things, but you're showing them what to do by what you're doing. See, this is why it's important. We have to we have to assess what it is we're doing. You could tell your kids you need to love Jesus, you need a relationship with Jesus, but if if Jesus is not the center of your home, if Jesus is not the center of your relationship with them, if Jesus is not the center of your marriage and there's they don't see that modeled, they will they will learn something else. They're gonna hear words, and words are gonna pass on through. They're gonna be taught by what they're looking at. So what you practice every day is gonna teach louder than what you're saying every day. What you practice teaches louder than what you say. Because there's a lot of people that think teaching only happens with just words, but teaching is happening through your everyday life, your patterns in your life. That is what people pick up on. All right. Another key point I want to throw at you this morning is scripture calls us to live as examples. And Sean Jesus was the major. He was the main example. He was a major example in our life. He's the main one. Becky Bear, welcome in. Anybody I've missed this morning, you guys welcome in to the morning charge, y'all. But scripture calls us to live as examples. First Timothy four and twelve. Don't forget, all of these scripture references will be up on the Branjo Collective blog here in just a little while, around 11 a.m. Central Time. It's going to be the kind of the nail point time for me to sort of clean up the notes and put them up. So, but just you just go if you want to write them down now, great. If not, they'll be available for you later. All right, 1 Timothy 4 and 12. Paul tells Timothy to be an example in what? In word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. All right, notice that, not just in preaching. He said that you need to be an example in life. All of those things are everyday life, is what Paul is talking to Timothy about here. Titus 2 and 7, Paul says to show yourself as a pattern of good works. All right, so take note of this. God never called us to just speak the truth, he called us to model the truth. We're not just to speak it, we are to model it in everything that we do. That means this Christian life is not just about believing in right things. I believe in the right things and I hear the word of God. And yes, we believe those things. No, this Christian life is about living in a way that gives people a visible pattern of what walking with Jesus actually looks like. You're pointing people in a direction. Hopefully, it is the right direction. The next thing I want to tell you is something I mention all the time, is that your first true ministry starts at home, which means that your home is one of the first classrooms that God has given you. You learned, and then you are now teaching what you learned. That's why it's important to have the washing of the word over your mind because some of you, some of us maybe didn't have the best classroom experience growing up in the home. And if we are not careful, if we're not careful, we are going to fall into the same patterns of teaching with our own kids. What are you passing down to the generations? Are you passing down all of the hurts, pains, and wounds and trying to parent the way that your parents parented? Or are we trying to pick up kingdom principles, unwire some things in here and toss it out? What are we doing? Because the home is always teaching. What are children learning? Children learn many different things in the home. They learn how to handle stress, good or bad. They know how to talk to people, good or bad. They learn how to handle correction, good or bad, how to respond to different pressure. The right way or the wrong way is what I really should be saying. How to view God. They learn how to love or not. They learn how to they learn how to fight, forgive, how to how to treat the truth in many different situations. They learn how to value prayer or not value prayer. All of this depends on the examples that are being there in front of them. And all of the things that I mentioned, they don't come from a formal lesson. Today we're going to learn about love. I mean, maybe you sit there and you go through the word of God together. But all of this is just how you handle stress and how you talk to people and deal with situations, all of those things. They all come from, they all come from the atmosphere of the home and and the example that you are setting. Deuteronomy 6, 6 through 9 says the the the word was meant to be taught in the home. It's taught when? The word of God should be going out when sitting down, when walking, when lying down, when rising up. Y'all remember this scripture. Your home is always teaching something, even when no lessons are planned. You're teaching something in your life. That's why your home life matters so much. All right, good examples build, bad examples tear down or they damage. All examples are not equal. All right, so let's go through this. Some examples will inspire faith, but some examples will produce confusion. Well, you said this, but you're acting like this. You stated this the other day, but now you're doing this. It's confusion. So now you're bringing confusion to your family and to your children. We have to watch our our mouths. We say we don't we say we don't gossip and we don't this, that, and the other. But your your kids may be sitting there. Now you're sitting here talking about somebody, and they're like, wait, I thought we said that we weren't supposed to. Real life examples. This is real talk, real Jesus, real life, y'all. Some examples will build stability in the family unit and in your life and in your kids and your marriage. But some examples create chaos. What are you doing and what are you creating? Some examples make holiness look beautiful, but other examples make compromise look acceptable. You see, in 1 Corinthians 11 and 1, Paul says, Imitate me just as I also imitate Christ. So why did Paul why did he have the authority to say that? Because Paul was one who was living with integrity. He was one that was living based upon the Holy Word. He was another magnificent example. So he could say, Imitate me as I also imitate Christ. Can any of us sit in here today and really say that to someone? Imitate me as I also imitate Christ. Imitate me. Could you could you say those words? Can you if there's not, see, that is where that is when you begin to write things down. When you ask yourself this question, why can I not say that in my life? Because I am living in compromise. What's the compromise? You begin to list the compromises. I could not say imitate me because I am saying one thing and I'm doing another thing. A strong example points people to Christ, not just toward just something that sounds good. A strong example should be one that actually points them to Christ and they see Christ in you because of how you live your life, how you stand, how you handle stressful situations, how you're walking things out, how your faith is in your life. If your life teaches people to depend on your mood or your opinions or your control or your image, well, that that is not it. You've missed it completely. The goal is that your life should help point people towards Jesus, how Jesus lived. Why do you think this is the year that I have chosen to adopt the lifestyles of Jesus? I've known Jesus, I've walked with Jesus, I've always tried to live in holiness by keeping my eyes upon him. But this is the year when I'm truly we're examining how Jesus lived and how he walked and how he talked. Many of the things we've heard before, but we've got to hear this again and again and again and again. Remember, I told y'all, seven times somebody must hear something before they truly take action on something. Why do you think I repeat a lot of the same things here on the morning charge? Because we need to hear it and we need to hear it and we need to hear it and hear it again seven times before you start getting that inkling of, oh, the things I'm hearing are now going down to my feet, which means I'm now walking things out. Inconsistency teaches as well. A lot of people think only the big visible sins are something to learn from, but inconsistency is something that is also teaching those that are watching your life. All right, if you're hot one day and you're cold the next day, that says a lot about you. You're up one day. God is good all the time. This song of praise in this heart of mine. And then one little thing comes along, and the next day you're, you're, you're, you're down in the you're down in the dumps. Oh, he's left me. He's not here. You can't be up one day and down the next day, and up one day and down the next of being very double-minded. What does James 1 and 8 say? A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. There's a lot of people that hear words from the Lord. I heard from the Lord, and this is what we're going to do. And then it doesn't happen in the next day or two, and then they say, well, that must not have been from the Lord. You know there's a process of walking things out, right? Things are going to be awkward and they're going to be, you're going to have to get used to some things and maybe learn some things and really put some things in order to be able to walk some things out. If you're saying one thing and you're doing another thing, it's inconsistent. You have to be consistent in your life because inconsistency teaches people that the truth is optional. Your life of inconsistency, one talking about Jesus walking with Jesus, but you're up and down and all over the place and you're saying one thing and doing another thing, you're teaching people that, well, the truth is optional. And you don't ever want anyone to look at your life and you talk about Jesus one minute and you look and act like the world the next minute because I've heard comments made of, well, if that's what it looks like to walk with Christ, I don't want any part of it. That looks like what I'm already doing. You have to stand apart. You must be set apart. The Bible says we are set apart people. All right. We are a peculiar people. In other words, peculiar people look different, they talk different, they act different. Now it doesn't say we were weird people. It said we are peculiar, which means we are different and we should be. What kind of fruit do you got going on out there? Hello? People will remember your life before they remember your words. Now, if your words and your life line up together, they may remember both. But people are often going to remember more of who you were by your actions. When that day comes and they're there at your celebration of life service, you've gone to be with Jesus face to face to face to face at that point. What do you want people saying about you? People are going to forget those lectures you gave, or they might remember the words. They might forget the exact advice you gave, the exact wording it was, how you said different things. But what people will remember, they're going to remember how you treated other people. He was an honorable man. He always, he always, uh, he was very helpful and he treated people with respect and kindness, no matter their stature in life or what they had going on, or that guy. He did not like people at all. He was always cursing and shouting. And what do you want people to say about you on that time? They're they're going to remember how you how you handled pressures. They might remember some things you said in those moments. They're going to remember whether you were genuine or whether you weren't. Ooh, man, that was a cheater of a dude. Let me just tell you this one time. Your life gives context to your words. Your life is what gives context to your words. Context means the circumstances, the background or setting that surrounds an event, statement, or idea. So your words are words, but the context of your words literally were the things that were built around what you said. What did you build around what you were saying? Why in the world do you think I say your character and your integrity matter so much and you must uphold those things? If you said it, do it. If you said it and you can't do it, you need to make that right. A-SAP. Clear the air. Forgive when you need to forgive. Ask for forgiveness when you need to have forgiveness, but your integrity matters. What you do in private, your private life always comes out in your public life, one form or another. In other words, usually by the fruit that you're bearing. I can usually shake hands with somebody and look them in the eyes and sort of tell where they are. That's a very big indicator. If someone cannot look at you in the eyes and have a conversation, they got a little something going on. Okay. We can blame it on timidity and all of these different things, but usually there's a deep-rooted issue there. Your private life matters. It always comes out. Help hold your integrity. That's why your everyday faithfulness matters. The very things that we talk about here all day, well, not all day, but every day. Deny yourself.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Pick up your cross daily and follow him. If you want to go with me, Jesus says, this is what you've got to do.

SPEAKER_00 21:27

If we're not doing those things daily, we have got to get our priorities back in order again. And of course, we've already stated this. Jesus, of course, is our highest example. The goal is not just to become a better example, or in the general sense. The goal is to look more like Jesus. John 13 and 15, Jesus said, For I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. Salah. Is there anything else we need to say this morning? I mean, that sort of sums it up. He's like, I've given you the example. Are you going to adopt the lifestyles that I've left you? The example that I have shown you, how to handle people, how to handle situations, how to have faith in the Lord, how to pray, how to walk, how to talk, how to do. You need to now do what I've done to you. The examples I have been for you. 1 Peter 2 and 21, Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps. See, the strongest life is the life that reflects Jesus well. You want to live a good, fulfilling, strong life, be one that reflects Jesus well in all things, in all situations, in all circumstances. You need to reflect Christ in such a way that people can see, you can they can see what he is like through the way that you are living. People should look at you and be like, you know what, there's something different about you. I can't quite put my finger upon it, but there's something so like, what is it? What is it that is so different about you? I've had I've had somebody tell me that before. And my thing is, do you really want to know? Because I will open up and share that with you. And I was able to open up and share that. We should look different, we should sound different, we should be different. We have been set apart. If your life is teaching, then you must live a life that is fully submitted to God. If people are actually learning from your life as we're talking this morning, your life can't just be, you can't just be willy-nilly out here doing what you want to do when you want to do it. You have to ask yourself, what am I showing my kids? What what am I modeling to my spouse? You need to ask yourself, what atmosphere am I building here in my home? The things that you do in your home build your atmosphere? What is my reaction under pressure teaching those around me? What what what what does my my money habits and my money handling uh teach other people? What is my prayer life teaching those that are around me?

SPEAKER_01 24:18

What is my private life teaching others when I feel like nobody's watching? A submitted life becomes the only example.

SPEAKER_00 24:32

The only real example. A submitted life. I should say is a true example. When your life is submitted to Jesus, your example becomes stronger, clearer, cleaner, and your example shows that you are a trustworthy person. Submitted. With my life laid down, I'm submitted now. Brandy mine says 293. 293. Oh, never mind. Okay. Okay. I gotcha. I was like, uh, that's OTT. Mm-mm. Technology's great, y'all. But there is hope. I know we're talking about this. And don't be sitting here beating yourself up thinking, oh, well, well, I've really blown it. You know, I mean, you might be older, you might be, well, no matter what age you are or whatever. Don't be sitting here thinking, oh, I've blown it. This is it. You know, I should have. No, no. When you know better, you do better. It's one thing to not know and to do. It's another thing to for your eyes to be open to the truth and you still continue to do anyway. When you know better, you do better. You can change what your life is teaching starting now. Starting to, you you have, you can stand up and arise out of this and be like, nope, I'm gonna make some, I'm gonna make some better goals. All right. This brings hope to us. All right, maybe as you're hearing this, the Holy Spirit could be showing you some places where your example has not been a very healthy example. Okay. Don't get crushed by it. You need to get honest with yourself and with the Holy Spirit today. Philippians 2, 12 and 13. Work out your salvation, for it is God who works in you. Something we've been saying here recently, okay? You may not be able to rewrite yesterday. You can't go back and rewrite the story, but God can redeem it and you can start living differently right now. But you are the one that has to stand up and make the choice that I'm not going to talk that way anymore. I'm not going to speak that way anymore. And don't you try to be perfect in it, but say, Jesus, I need your help with this because I haven't been able to do this on my own. I'm going to keep my eyes upon you and I'm going to press into holiness. And Lord, I know when I fall, you'll be right there to pick me back up. And your goal is to keep your eyes on Jesus as you're walking forward. None of us are perfect. So stop trying to be perfect. That is where we're getting this wrong. All right. That's now that's not an excuse for greasy grace. So you can go do what you want to go do and just say, oh Lord, forgive me over and over 15 million times. No, no, no. This is for a heart that is truly changed and turned towards him that's now pressing into Jesus. And when you do fall, ah, Jesus is going to pick you back up and be like, okay, here's where we went wrong. Here's what we're going to do better today or tomorrow. And you continue to walk out your salvation with the Lord. Today you can begin to speak differently. You can begin to love differently. You can apologize. You can start leading in a better way. You can start praying to the Lord more faithfully and setting aside the right time to do that during your day. You can choose to respond instead of react. You can start building better. And over time, that new life begins teaching something new. So stop beating yourself up today. And on the flip side of that, stop thinking that your life is only affecting you, the things that I do, the things that I that only affects me. It affects everybody who is around you and everybody who is tied to you. Your life is leaving an imprint on somebody. The patterns that you have in your life are leaving an imprint. Your priorities, how you have stacked your priorities and your day, those are leaving an imprint. The atmosphere that you have created in your home and everywhere that you go is leaving an imprint on someone. This life doesn't just affect you, it affects all of those that are around you. And whether it is good or whether it is bad, somebody is learning the way that you live and they are following in your way. If Jesus is our example, we've got to keep our eyes on him and follow his way because you got people behind you, whether you realize it or whether you don't. So stop asking yourself, what am I saying? You need to start asking yourself, what am I showing? What am I showing? And am I doing what I'm saying? We must live a life that is teaching faith and truth, repentance and consistency in the Word of God. We must be showing others kindness and courage and prayer to the Lord and surrender. Real talk, real Jesus, real life. That's how we're living. That's what we should be living every day. So ask yourself those hard questions today, and then let your life preach. I should not have to walk around and tell everybody, I know Jesus, he's the best man ever. And 15 million scriptures to somebody who is not thumping and going and moving and shouting and when people look at me, they should see how I'm helping other people, how I'm walking this walk out. Hey, I saw you walking and talking. You good? Oh yeah. I'm just talking to the Lord. He is the one that keeps me rooted and grounded every single day. Have people asking you some questions about some different things and let the things that you do begin to preach. So, Father, I just thank you, Lord, for reminding us this this morning. Holy Spirit, I just ask right now, Lord, that you would just that you would that you would grip our hearts today, that we would just get alone with you, assess where we are, assess what we're doing, assess what it is that you need to pluck out of here so that you can come and plant the things that need to be planted, God, because what is deep-seated in my heart, Lord, those are the things I'm walking it out and I'm talking out.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Lord, show me the way. Holy Spirit, show me the way.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

Oh, I thank you, Lord. I thank you, Father, that there can be a turning of the tides, Lord, in people's lives, God. Lord, that they can arise and they can knock the dust of yesterday off and they can stand up and say, I'm not going to take this anymore. I'm going to begin to arise above my situations and the things that I am in. And I am going to have strength in you, Lord, because you said the joy of the Lord is my strength. So, Father, help me maintain my joy today and rise above all of this mess and begin to walk different and talk different and live a life of an example that you have called me as I keep my eyes on you, Christ. I want to be like the Apostle Paul that said, Use me as an example, as I have used him as an example. You can watch me because I keep my eyes upon him and I'm doing what he says, and I'm going where he says, and I'm saying what he says. Lord, let our homes reflect you. Let our marriages and our parenting and our work ethic, God, Lord, and the things that we do in private, God, Lord, let all of those things reflect you in our lives so that when we are around others, Father, we are shining by the light of heaven. And we are now ones that are peculiar, and we are those that are set apart. Because that's what you've called us to. And Lord, let the people around us learn something beautiful about Jesus just by the way that we're living. Lord, those that need a refreshing today, Lord, bring a refreshing right now. I just speak a blessing over those on this live stream this morning. Lord, those that need renewal and refreshing, those whose eyes have been opened to the truth of God. I pray right now, Lord, that you would move upon their lives today, that your wind would begin to blow upon their lives today, God. You would stoke the fire in their hearts again. Lord, they would be the burning ones and the wild ones for you. Those that truly are standing on truth right now. Holy Spirit, come down. That's today's morning charge. Before you move on with your day, take a moment and let what you've heard settle into your heart. Faith isn't just something we talk about, it's something we live out in the ordinary moments of everyday life. Wherever today takes you, remember this. You don't walk into it alone. God is already ahead of you, working in ways you may not even see yet. Stand firm, walk in wisdom, lead with love, and don't forget who you belong to. Until next time, keep your heart anchored, keep your faith strong, and keep living out real talk, real Jesus, real life. We'll see you on the next morning charge.