Walker Joseph W - Reset Your Life : Make a New Start

2015 Joseph W. Walker III

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson.

Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotation marked RSV is taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. 1946, 1952, and 1971 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-7180-4176-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015910542

ISBN 978-0-7180-4175-5

15 16 17 18 19 RRD 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Any book worth reading is a dialogue. It is a place where author and reader meet, where words on a page or screen invite reactionthought, contemplation, imagination, emotion, and, ultimately, action. Whats more, if a book has a spiritual aim, as this one does, there is a third party in the conversation. God is part of the equation, for where two or more meet in his name, he is there (Matt. 18:20).

This book is an outgrowth of my ministry and that of my church. It aims to engage you in the process and possibilities of being reset. I hope you will allow the three-way conversation about to take place between you, me, and the Spirit of God to serve as the doorway to rejuvenation and renewal. Let this be your opportunity to go back to that place where, as a new Christian, you were on fire for the things of the Lord, where prayer and love and service excited every cell in your body. I see such renewals happen every Sunday in my churches in Nashville, and I want to extend that possibility to everyone who reads this book.

To get the most from this book, ask the Holy Spirit to be part of the process. Wherever you are reading thisin your quiet place at home, on your lunch break from work, in an airplane, or on the beach:

Pause for a moment and prepare yourself mentally to engage with what you are about to read.

Put yourself in the stories as you read them, looking for phrases and situations that speak to you.

React! Let the stories and text excite you, let them make you think, let them press your buttons!

Then ask yourself, Why is this story having such an effect on me?

Finally, and most importantly, ask, How can I apply this in my life?

Ask the Holy Spirit to be part of the process.

Our dialogue will be facilitated by discussion points at the end of every chapter designed to get you thinking and to allow you to draw on your knowledge, experience, failures and successes, disappointments, and dreams, for it is only when youre fully engaged that this three-way conversation can carry you forward.

Where are we headed? We are aiming for reset. Were looking for that place where you slough off your old skin and walk, fresh and invigorated, into the joys and challenges ahead.

I hope all of that sounds inspirational, but I hope even more that it sounds eminently practical because thats what I have in mind. This is not a theological text. Its not an academic treatise. This is a book about the Christian life and how to live it successfully, drawing lessons from the people whose stories inhabit the Bible. These were people who sometimes found that the new had worn off. They sometimes lost their edge. They resisted their calling. They were willing to settle. In other words, they were men and women just like you and me. At some point, though, they heard the Spirit of God calling them to renew. When they said yes, they were changed, just as you can be.

That doesnt mean it was instantly easy for them, or that it will be easy for you. But you will see, time after time, how heeding the call to renew can make you into someone capable of miracles, someone for whom the extraordinary, the awe-inspiring, can be not just possible but a way of life.

So how can you approach this book on a practical level? What can you hope to gain from it that will change your life and how you live it? Lets start with what youre facing right now. What are the stumbling blocks in your life? What are the questions you find difficult to answer? Here are some of the questions people commonly face as they grapple with life:

Did I choose the right major?

Should I stay in this job?

Is it too late to change careers?

Why is it so hard to find and keep a good relationship?

Why is this marriage so difficult?

I feel like Im always pouring myself into other people and their problems. When will it be my time?

What could I do with my leisure time that would make me feel useful to my neighborhood, my city, the world?

Why do I feel so stale spiritually?

Why dont I take more responsibility for my own health and well-being?

What is my purpose here on earth?

Once you know what the questions are, you can start looking for answers.

Once you know what the questions are, you can start looking for answers. Remember, we cant fix what we wont face. Once you can put a name on it, you can start to apply the principles in this book to it, and once you do that, you can start walking with God toward a better life.

So as you read, underline. Highlight. Take notes. Write in the margins. Read this book with a friend, your spouse, your book club, or a small group at church. Look for ways to bring the principles here alive in your own life.

And prepare to reset.

How to Read the Bible for Reset

We dont have to fly blind when it comes to the process of being reset. We dont need to reinvent the wheel. Countless men and women have been on the path before us. This book draws on the experience and wisdom of so many people I have known through the yearsthose who did it right and those who did it wrongas well as many people who were reset in the pages of Scripture. I have taken their lessons and tried to present them in a way that gives you a clear picture of the path to reset, the process of reset, and the results of reset.

As we prepare, there are specifics I can share that may help light your way. Allow me to distill some of the mind-sets and techniques that you might find helpful.

Lets start with Scripture. Reading the Bible is an art and a science. It is where we interact with the living God. The Word is such that each of us can glean from it the lessons and principles we need. God sometimes states rules, but the Bible consists largely of stories, because God knows that is how we as human beings learn best. We will be visiting a number of people in the Old and New Testaments, interacting with them and with their stories as presented by writers indwelt with Gods Holy Spirit.

For instance, we will be reading about Saul, whose reset turned a violent enemy of the Way, as early Christianity was called in his day, into the man who would write most of the letters found in the New Testament, teaching us how to walk the path Jesus laid out for us.