I want to talk to you about the lies that have tried to keep you small. These are part of the spiritual warfare we all face.

I grew up in a church in Chicago, and in my formative years, I was taught a version of Christianity that took a true teaching from the Bible and pushed it too far. That true teaching was the virtue of being humble.

My version of Christianity pushed it too far, to a point that left no room for my dreams.

My version of Christianity...
Left no room for greatness, because good Christians were humble.
Left no room for wealth, because good Christians were poor.
Left no room for achievement, because good Christians were lowly.
Left no room for ambition, because good Christians were meek.
Left no room for toughness, because good Christians were mild.

And it's not just the church.

And the world preaches the same sermon, just with different words: that you don't matter because you're not pretty enough, strong enough, or good enough.

The message from both sides is the same: Fold your hands. Sit still. Lower your expectations. That is the story of your life. The end.

And, tragically, one of the primary weapons they use to keep you in that prison is the Bible itself. They'll take a verse like the one we're looking at today and twist it.

 

Here it is:
"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus," (Philippians 2:3-5)

Hearing that, you can see how they do it. They use verses like this to make you believe that God wants you to be a doormat.

I am here today to tell you that is wrong. Dead wrong. It is a radical misinterpretation of Scripture.

Here is the truth of the Gospel. Please let this sink in:
You matter, and therefore your choices matter.
You matter and therefore your desires matter.
You matter and therefore your hopes, your dreams, your prayers, your plans... it all matters ...

...because God made you, and when he saved you, he put a crown on your head, set you as the captain of your ship, and said, now go get the life of your dreams... and then he promised:

"Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4)

How would you feel if the desires of your heart came true? What would your life be like? Your relationships? Your mental health?

So it all comes down to this.

The only thing that changes your life is making a decision. So the only thing the devil has to do to keep you from your heart's desire is to distract you, tame you, deflate you, or isolate you out of ever making the decisions.

That's what this whole series, is about.

It's about tapping into the power to make those high-agency, dominion-unleashing, life-changing decisions.

And that brings us to our message today, which I'm calling: Quit Waiting Around in the Prison of Brokenness When You've Already Been Set Free

Let's look at this verse together and see how Paul exposes 4 plays in the devil's playbook, and gives you the path to your dreams.

Let's get into it.

There are 4 words in the New Testament for ambition (philotimia, zélos, spoudé), and this is the only negative one, selfish ambition (eritheia).

Ambition is a good thing. God put a fire in your belly. He gave you a holy ambition to build, to create, to lead, to provide, to make a mark on this world for your blessing, the world's benefit, and His glory. That is a good and powerful thing.

The devil hates ambitious Christians, so he made a counterfeit.

The Greek word for selfish ambition isn't for an emotionally healthy drive; it's eritheia. This is a clawing, scheming ambition rooted in rivalry. This is the mindset of people so desperate for power that they would burn down the whole village just to rule the ashes.

Selfish ambition doesn't spring from the desires of your heart, it comes from the woundedness of your heart. From the script saying...

You're not enough. You're falling behind. You don't have what it takes, so you better start scheming. You're stupid so you better fake being smart. You're weak so you better bully your way into looking strong. You're unlovable, so you better manipulate that relationship and exploit that person... or hide in the shadows all your days.

Here's the difference:
SELFISH AMBITION reflects an insecure DRIVE for validation through dominance or withdrawal. It is rooted in painful wounds of the PAST—arising from a fractured sense of identity and worth.

It leads to relational breakdown, fractured community, moral compromise, and lingering pain.

It leads to relational closeness, healed community, moral integrity, and enduring love.

Which one do you think will lead you to achieving the deepest desires of your heart? Which one will lead you away from the deepest desires of your heart?

The only thing that changes your life is making a decision.

So... Making the decision to bring your heart to Jesus again and again is the one decision that makes every other decision possible on the journey to your dreams.

In the first play, the devil distracts you. In the second play...