When You, Then God: 7 Things God Is Waiting to Do In Your Life

by Rusty George, Kirby Heyborne (Narrated by)

Overview

God loves you unconditionally . . . but could it be true that some of His promises have strings attached?
In the groundbreaking tradition of Not a Fan and Jesus Religion comes this provocative new book from pastor and debut author Rusty George.

Beginning with the Old Testament and walking through the life of Jesus, Rusty unpacks seven core promises of God—and reveals what you need to do in order to unlock them. What is it God wants from you? When you do it, what can you trust He will then do in response? And how can you confidently move forward in life without wearing yourself out trying to guess God’s will or somehow earning His unconditional love and boundless grace?

Come to know all this and more in When You, Then God—a dynamic call to obedience, an invitation to partner in God’s work in your life, and a fresh way to experience His blessings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633896192
Publisher:	christianaudio.com
Publication date:	04/05/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 5.44(h) x 0.56(d)

Read an Excerpt

When You, Then God

Seven Things God is Waiting to Do in Your Life

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By Rusty George, Michael DeFazio

Tyndale House Publishers

Copyright © 2016 Rusty George
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4964-0604-0

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CHAPTER 1

ready to JUMP?

When my daughters were young and we'd go to the pool, we would often play that game where Dad stands about four feet from the side, in chest-deep water, and tries to convince the kids to jump to him. From the father's perspective, there is zero risk to this game, but you wouldn't know it by watching the kids quivering and shivering on the deck.

Like most little kids, my girls would inch forward toward the edge, filled with equal parts excitement and anxiety, and we'd start the familiar exchange.

"Jump," I would say.

"Daddy? Will you catch me?"

"Yes! Just jump."

"Are you sure you'll catch me?"

"Yes! Trust me! Just jump."

"Are you sure you'll catch me?"

"Yes. When you jump, then I'll catch you. But I can't prove that I'll catch you until you jump!"

This banter would go on for some time while I waited patiently for one girl or the other to crank up enough courage to fling herself from the side of the pool. All the while, I was moving closer and closer, until finally they could simply fall into my arms and let me ease them into the water.

As grown-ups who can stand up in four feet of water and who know how to swim, we may laugh at the little kids cowering on the pool deck. But let's be honest: Jumping can be scary business. Especially when we can't see exactly where we're going to land, or when we're not entirely certain that Daddy is going to catch us. Let's talk about some of the things we fear when it comes to trusting God.

Maybe we're afraid because, deep down, we're convinced that God is angry with us — that he wants to punish us. We know we're not perfect; we know we don't quite measure up to God's perfect standard, and maybe — just maybe — he wants to teach us a lesson by letting us hit the water and go under. If I think God is angry with me, I'm probably going to stay on the side of the pool. Wouldn't you?

Or maybe we're not afraid of God's anger as much as we're fearful of what we might have to give up if we fully surrender our lives to him. Do I have to quit my job and become a pastor or a missionary? Do I have to downsize my house or move to the inner city? Do I have to get rid of my Mercedes (or at least put a fish decal on the back)? What about my dreams, my aspirations, and my desire to succeed in life? Doesn't God allow for those things?

Many of our fears surround our occupations. We fear losing some relational advantages at the office if people find out we've become Jesus followers. Or we might be afraid that, by choosing a life of loving God and loving others, we'll lose our killer instinct at work and endanger our livelihood. Perhaps we fear that a transformation of our ethics and values will adversely affect our business.

Sometimes our fears are centered on our reputation. We could lose social status, jeopardize lifelong friendships, or risk rejection by certain clubs or social groups. We might even be perceived as weak, unintelligent, and out of touch or as bigoted, judgmental, and mean.

Maybe our fears are based simply on our desire for pleasure and comfort. If we decide to go all-in on following Jesus, will we have to give up our new car, downsize our home, or change our vacation plans? What will God call us to do if we decide to take that leap? Whatever it is, we're afraid that he'll somehow let us down and that we'll regret our decision to jump.

Or maybe at the heart of it, our fear is exactly the same as the one we have when we're perched on the side of the pool: We're afraid that Daddy isn't going to catch us. Maybe we've already jumped once or twice and it didn't turn out so well — at least according to our expectations. Maybe we're thinking that God hasn't come through for us or that life would be easier if we could go back to the way things used to be. Maybe things would be better if we could ease up on the Jesus stuff and take back control of our lives. That's fear talking. And it's perfectly natural.

But the Bible says that perfect love drives out fear. So how do we get past it? Let's go back to the pool and see what helped my daughters to overcome their fear and trust my ability — and my commitment — to catch them when they jumped.

First of all, when I seemed really far away (maybe four feet, in reality), they were far less inclined to jump. So I started gradually moving toward them. In a sense, this is the same approach God has taken with fearful humanity down through the ages.

Throughout the Bible, we're able to see how, after the Fall, God began to draw steadily closer to humanity again. At first, he was a voice from beyond the clouds. Then he became visible as a pillar of fire and a massive cloud leading the way through the wilderness. Next, he came into the midst of the people in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple once the Israelites were permanently established in Jerusalem. When they still didn't quite get it, he came so close that he was human — Jesus! But then he said, "I'll get even closer. I'll move right into your life ... and I'll unleash the transformative power of my Spirit to change you from the inside out." Imagine that: the very Spirit of God taking up residence inside us.

With every step closer, God proved his love for us. He proved his commitment to us. He is a faithful God who deserves our trust. As we stand on the edge of the pool with our shaky faith, our heavenly Father moves close enough for us to fall into his arms. But we still have to step off the edge. As we contemplate the roiling surface of the water and ask, "Can I trust you?" God stands ever so close and says, "When you jump, then I'll catch you. But I can't prove it until you jump."

Okay, but how do we know for sure that we can trust God to keep us from drowning? In a word, it comes down to love. When my daughters stood shivering on the side of the pool, trying to exercise their faith in me, they already knew that I loved them with all my heart — I'm their daddy. They already knew I would do anything to protect them. They already knew I wouldn't let them sink to the bottom of the pool. Well ... they were pretty sure about that last one.

It works the same way with God. If we know that he loves us, it's a whole lot easier to trust him with our lives. But what if we don't know? What if our faith is more theoretical than actual — more abstract belief than true knowledge? Trusting someone with our lives, our hopes, and our dreams can seem counterintuitive. It's hard enough to trust the people we live with every day, let alone a God we've never seen. We all know what it's like to pray big prayers yet cross our fingers. And when it comes to trusting that God really loves us with no strings attached, it feels like we're taking a big gamble. I once heard a preacher say, "God has revealed himself enough to inspire trust but hidden himself enough to require faith." As much as I take comfort in that, he could help the trust part with a little more revealing.

When someone tells us to trust God, it's easy to assume that it's all our responsibility. We picture God as some kind of talent scout, looking for prospective stars — as if he's watching from afar, waiting to see whether we're worth his time. In my case, viewing God this way caused me to doubt that he was trustworthy.

Love Deficit

I'll never forget the day I realized that I didn't believe God really loved me. And that I didn't love him either.

Even though by that point I had been a Christian for more than twenty-five years and a pastor for more than ten, most of my life had been built on rules and regulations — performance-based measures — and it had finally caught up with me.

My family was about a year into a new ministry in California; and with the logistics of moving across the country, the challenge of leading a young church, and the excitement of living on the West Coast, I hadn't paid much attention to the condition of my soul. Not long after I started the new job, I knew I was in trouble. I felt dead inside. I was doing all the right things as far as I knew — reading my Bible, praying, working hard at teaching and leading — but it felt like I was swimming in peanut butter.

In hindsight, I knew I had been feeling this way for a long time — I just hadn't wanted to admit it. Though I talked about God as a loving Father, I honestly had a hard time accepting his love for myself. No matter what I did, I felt there was so much more I could and should be doing.

Some years earlier, I had spent a day at a monastery in the hills of Kentucky, several hours from our home at the time. I'd heard stories about the monks and their devotion to God, and I thought, Why not drive out there and spend some time with the monks? Maybe they'd know something that would help me. I owned a pair of Birkenstocks, and maybe that was all it would take: walking the hillsides for a few hours in some hip sandals and soaking in the atmosphere. Sure enough, after a time of reading and praying and walking, I felt closer to God. But as I drove home, the familiar pressure returned, and any sense I'd had of God's pleasure in me vanished. And I was even still wearing my Birkenstocks!

In more recent years, I remembered some great days of ministry when I thought our weekend service really hit it out of the park. We served people, we led them to Jesus, and we exalted his name. In the afterglow, I sensed that my heavenly Father was smiling at me. But when Monday morning dawned, I was back to square one again. How could I duplicate or build upon what had just happened? If I'm honest, the thought that kept running through my head was this: What would I do next to impress God? As it had been throughout my life, my mind-set was one of trying to change the world for God. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, I felt as if it were all up to me.

On a hot, windy day in the middle of March, I hopped on a plane at the Burbank airport and flew to Las Vegas to spend the day with an old friend and fellow pastor. Shane was pastoring a growing church that had strong similarities to my own. I wish I could tell you that I went to see him because I thought he could help me in my relationship with God, but truthfully, I went to see whether he could help me get better at my job. Deep down, I still believed that if I did my job better and tried to be a better person, then God would be happy with me. I had no idea how much this mind-set affected every decision I made.

As I made my way through the Las Vegas airport, I saw Shane waiting for me. He gave me a huge hug, told me he was glad to see me, and suggested we get some lunch. It had been five years since I had seen him, and his hair was grayer and thinner than I remembered. But I guess mine was, too. Shane and I had grown up in the same church in Wichita, and we had taken very similar paths into ministry. We'd attended the same Bible college in order to become pastors — though he was four years ahead of me — and now we both were serving at churches in places way out of our comfort zones.

Because Shane's church was about a year ahead of mine in seemingly every aspect, I thought, Who better to teach me how to lead a growing church than a close friend who knows where I'm coming from? I went expecting to get a tour of his new building and pick up a few good tips about how to succeed in church growth and strategic planning. Surely Shane could help me become more successful so that I'd feel more successful.

At a quaint Italian restaurant in the heart of Las Vegas — who knew that a restaurant on the Strip could actually be quaint? — we reminisced about our youth-group days in Wichita, shared stories of friends past and present, and caught up with news of each other's family. Even though it had been years since I'd seen Shane, we picked up where we had left off. Shane had always been like a big brother to me, a mentor in life and ministry; and the years and distance had not diminished his ability to influence my life. As the meal concluded, we sat back with cups of hot coffee and began to get into church matters. It wasn't long before Shane began to unpack some church-growth secrets his church had found successful. We talked about sermon prep, calendar planning, and strategic processes.

After lunch, I was anxious to see their new building. At Real Life Church, we were in the process of planning our first construction project, and I thought I'd get some great ideas. It never hurts to ask the question, What would you do differently?

We arrived at the beautiful campus of Shane's church, which has a panoramic view of the desert and the Las Vegas skyline off in the distance. The church is strategically located in the suburbs where much of Vegas's workforce lives and raises kids. We walked the campus, and he showed me the offices, which were well laid out with room to grow. He showed me through the children's-ministry space, perfectly situated near the auditorium and with outdoor play areas for each room. And then we entered the auditorium, a fantastic space that not only held hundreds of people every Sunday but also could be reconfigured for events during the week. I officially had church building envy.

I was ready to pepper Shane with more questions, but I was not prepared for what happened next. He led me toward the back of the auditorium and into a decision room designed for people who want to pray or talk with someone after a service. When Shane suggested that we sit and talk some more, I grabbed a seat on one of the comfortable couches, and he sat down across from me in an oversize armchair. Before I could say another word, he started asking me some questions that, quite honestly, made me a bit uncomfortable.

"How's your relationship with God?" he asked.

"Good, I guess," I replied. That might have been an exaggeration.

"Define good."

"Well, you know ... I miss my quiet time once in a while, but I'm studying for messages."

We laughed at my answer. We both knew the issue was bigger than that.

Shane continued his inquiry. "What are you afraid of?"

Part of me wanted to check my watch to see whether it was time to leave for the airport yet. But part of me was glad that someone had finally asked me the question.

What was I afraid of? Shane was digging right into my fear of failure, my insecurities about leading a church, and the overwhelming inadequacies I faced every day.

After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, during which I thought of every possible way to change the subject and move to a more comfortable topic of conversation, I decided to answer Shane's penetrating question.

Even though I'd been at the church in California for a little more than a year, I knew I was in way over my head. I had a church staff who looked to me for leadership and vision; I had a congregation who looked to me for spiritual depth and understanding; and I had a young family at home who looked to me for security and provision every single day. This was way more than I had learned about in Bible college, and I was feeling overwhelmed. I had trouble sleeping. I spent many nights wondering whether God was just quiet or whether I'd made him mad and chased him away. I still believed that God had led me to California to pastor this church, but I was beginning to wonder whether he had come with me. The more I tried to do all the right things, the more pressure I felt and the more it seemed I wasn't measuring up. Nothing seemed to help.

Shane was sympathetic. He leaned back in his seat, kicked up his feet onto the coffee table between us, and began to unpack a short and simple passage of Scripture for me. I had heard it before, but never quite this way.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from When You, Then God by Rusty George, Michael DeFazio. Copyright © 2016 Rusty George. Excerpted by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Foreword Kyle Idleman xi

Preface: not that kind of book xiii

1 Ready to jump? 1

2 Thou shalts and never minds 17

3 When you trust God's love, then God will invite you to partner with him 37

4 When you walk with Jesus, then God will help you look like Jesus 57

5 When you relax, then God will guide you 79

6 When you notice God, then God will reveal his presence 101

7 When you invest in God's kingdom, then God will invest in yours 123

8 When you show kindness to others, then God will show them grace 147

9 When you place your hope in God, then God will give you hope 169

10 The when/then partnership life 187

Discussion guide 209

Notes 219

Acknowledgments 223

About the author 227

What People are Saying About This

Gene Appel

Rusty George is the real deal, a humble and sincere follower of Jesus. In this book, he vulnerably shares some of his greatest discoveries—not about serving God, but about knowing God and embracing God’s love deeply, personally, and transformationally. It was life changing for Rusty, and it will be for you, too.

Jud Wilhite

Rusty George is the real deal. He’s a tremendous leader and a powerful voice for what it means to walk in faith in today’s complicated world. In this book, Rusty’s transparency will move you to experience more of God and his incredible hope in your life.

Larry Osborne

One of the most overlooked principles in Scripture is the simple fact that how we respond to God actually matters. The Bible is filled with if/then statements that somehow get turned into blanket promises and empty threats. In When You, Then God, Rusty George unpacks many of the most important, most forgotten, and most misunderstood conditional statements in Scripture.

Jon Weece

Rusty is fluent in the language of freedom, and he offers a map to every reader seeking a grace-filled journey toward hope. The pages of this book will lead you into the parts of your head and heart that need to be explored if you are to experience the life that Jesus died to give you. By the end of the book, you’ll find the rest you’ve been looking for.