Download - Life's Little Roadmap

© 2009

by John Odziemek

and Geoff Pope. All rights

reserved.

No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

in any way by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the copyright holder,

except as provided by USA copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version,

Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing

House. The “NIV” and “New International Version” trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offi ce

by International Bible Society.

To fi nd out more about the authors, please visit www.johnodz.com and www.geoffpope.com.

Life. Who said it was

easy? It’s not. But life can be better—

much better than you ever imagined! Life can be

excellent when you follow a godly lifestyle. That’s why Geoff

and I wrote Life’s Little Roadmap. This short book is an encouraging and

precautionary guide to help you get through

life’s journey—kind of like a road sign on the side of the highway on your summer

vacation. Road signs are strategically placed to offer directions, warnings,

rules, and other information to get you safely to your destination.

So buckle up, put on your driving gloves, and get

ready for a most excellent journey:

Life.

Props.To my loving

wife, Alison and our dog, Brinkley:

two of the best road trip companions a man

could ask for! And to Mr. Young, my driver’s education

instructor, who taught me the fear of God while I was learning how to drive.

<John>

To my dad, who taught me how to drive, and who has driven in style as long

as I can remember: Mercury Cougar, Ford Thunderbird,

Porsche 914, Mazda RX7, Lincolns, Cadillacs,

and now a Jaguar.

<Geoff>

Life’s Little Lesson

#1

How can s t u d y i n g

and further-ing my education

make my life better?

#1: Further your education!Before you proceed with any project,

passion or vision, learn the proper lessons and get a valuable edu-

cation. Never stop learning!

Proverbs 19:2“It is not good to

have zeal without knowledge, nor

be hasty and miss the

way.”

Go!W r i t e

d o w n some ideas

on how you can complete or fur-

ther your education:


#2

How can you keep

an honorable lifestyle with so

much peer pressure?

#2: Obey the rules!You’re cruising along and think, “If I go

faster, I can get there quicker!” Then all of a sudden you get pulled over and

receive a ticket. All it takes is one slip up, and you’re busted.

Hebrews 13:17“Obey your lead-

ers and submit to their au-

thority.”

Go!L i s t

s o m e benefi ts of

obeying rules, and consequenc-

es of breaking them:


#3

What are some things

that can cause you to lose your

way in life? How can you get back on track?

#3: Ask for directions!When you are struggling for direction in

life, don’t be afraid to ask others wiser for advice. They’ve probably been

down the same road before.

Proverbs 3:13“Blessed is the man

who fi nds wisdom, the man who

gains under-s t a n d -

i n g . ”

Go!Name a

few people you can turn

to when your life’s direction is off-

track:


#4

Ever run into a Dead

End? How did you get out of the

situation?

#4: Don’t take shortcuts!There’s nothing worse than taking short-

cuts, then expecting the end result to turn out positive. Keep the course—

even when it’s diffi cult—and see your character grow.

Hebrews 6:12“We do not want

you to become lazy....”

Go!L i s t

some ways you can better

attain excellence at work or school:


#5

H o w does poor

planning affect opportunities for

achievement?

#5: Find the best route!Lewis and Clark were great trailblaz-ers, and without tireless planning

their mission would have failed.

Psalm 33:11“But the plans of the Lord

stand fi rm forever, the purposes of his

heart through all generations.”

Go!W r i t e

down a major life goal

and the best route to get there:


#6

W h a t h a p p e n s

when you get sidetracked on a

project or goal?

#6: Keep your eye on the road!You might not arrive at your destination

because of too many distractions.

Hebrews 12:1b-2a“...let us run with perserver-

ance the race marked out for us. Let us fi x our

eyes on Jesus, the author and per-

fecter of our f a i t h . ”

Go!L i s t

s o m e ways you can

achieve your life goals without getting

too distracted:


#7

Why is a good work

ethic so impor-tant? How can you

improve it?

#7: Life takes hard work!No matter what your job is, do it with the

best of your ability, knowing later on a job well done will be rewarded.

Colossians 3:23“Whatever you do, work

at it with all your heart, as working

for the Lord, not for men.”

Go!Get in-

volved with assoc iat ions

related to your career. Name a few:


#8

How can n e g a t i v e

friends and ac-quaintances dis-

rupt your life?

#8: Careful who you ride with!The people you choose as friends can liter-

ally make your life better or cause you to crash and burn. Choose them wisely.

Proverbs 18:24“A man of many com-

panions may come to ruin, but there

is a friend who sticks closer

than a broth-

er.”

Go!List a

few posi-tive attributes

of good friends and acquaitances:


#9

How do n e g a t i v e

movies, songs, or TV programs

affect your attitude?

#9: Listen to the right music!You’ve heard the saying, “Garbage in.

Garbage out.” Music affects us in many ways, including our attitude, so make

positive entertainment decisions.

Psalm 34:1“I will extol the Lord at

all times; his praise will always be

on my lips.”

Go!W r i t e

down how musicians and

movie stars can af-fect the way you feel:


#10

W h a t can you do

today to get more exercise

and stay healthy?

#10: Maintain your vehicle!Regardless of your make and model,

keep yourself in good condition; you’ll run, look, and feel much better.

3 John 2“Dear friend, I pray that

you may enjoy good health and that

all may go well with you....”

Go!A s k

s o m e o n e to help you

stay on track with your fi tness commit-

ments. His/her name:


#11

W h a t are several

types of food you know you

should eat, but don’t?

#11: Fuel up with good food!Even if you can’t gas up with the recom-

mended fi ve servings a day, eat plenty of fruits and veggies, and your body

will thank you—sooner and later.

Genesis 1:12“The land produced veg-

etation…and trees bearing fruit….

And God saw that it was

good.”

Go!Put the

f o l l o w i n g fruits and veg-

etables on your grocery list:


#12

What ir-ritates you

on the road of life? How can you

be an overcomer?

#12: Don’t get distracted!On life’s road, people and things can bug,

delay, and even enrage us. Never-theless, stay focused and deter-

mined to overcome all bumps, annoyances, and obstacles.

Proverbs 17:27“…a man of

understanding is even-tem-

pered.”

Go!J o t

down some ideas on how

you can stay in control in frus-

trating situations:


#13

W h a t two or three

things would help you be more

restful and at peace?

#13: Make a rest stop!We live in such a driven and fast-paced

society. Change lanes, slow down, and take time to be refreshed.

Psalm 16:9“Therefore my heart is

glad and my tongue rejoices; my body

also will rest s e c u r e . ”

Go!T a k e

a break, a walk, a

nap, a vaca-tion. Make a sched-

ule that includes rest:


#14

How can you get

back on track after setbacks and

disappointments?

#14: Have patience!It appears at times that we will never reach

our destination, especially when there are no promising signs in sight. Keep

your eyes on the road ahead, and patiently keep going.

Colossians 1:11“...that you may

have great endur-ance and pa-

tience....”

Go!N a m e

two ways in which

you can exer-cise patience when

the going’s slow:


#15

Is there a person or

point of view that confuses you?

#15: Discern right from wrongPeople will give you wrong advice that can

mess up your life permanently. Bypass them, avoid those people, and stay

on the right course.

Proverbs 4:27“Do not swerve to

the right or left; keep your foot

from evil.”

Go!L i s t

ways you can remain

discerning, ready to dismiss destruc-

tive routes:


#16

What are two ma-

jor tragedies that you have

experienced in life?

#16: Accidents happen!Accidents occasionally happen. Certainly,

the journey may take longer, but remem-ber that it is not over, and “all things

can work together for good.”

James 1:4“Perseverance must fi n-

ish its work so that you may be ma-

ture and com-plete....”

Go!Despite

m i s h a p s and mistakes,

write down ways you can recover and

move on:


#17

W h a t do you

know in your heart of hearts is

your biggest dream?

#17: Go for your dreams!There’s nothing worse than journey-

ing 99% of the way, then giv-ing up right before your goal is

reached. Never, ever give up!”

Philippians 3:14“I press on toward the

goal to win the prize for which God

has called me....”

Go!N a m e

some spiri-tual gifts God

has given you to serve in His King-

dom:


#18

W h a t keys help

ignite love and power in your life?

#18: You’ll need keys!Like needing a key to start your vehicle

on any given day, you will need keys that lead to daily godli-

ness and lifelong victory!

Matthew 16:19“I will give you the keys

of the kingdom of heaven....”

Go!Find and

use spiritu-al and practi-

cal keys that lead to abundant life:


#19

How can you better

yield to God’s will today and

the rest of your life?

#19: Yield to God!Human nature says, “Me fi rst.” God

says, “Submit to Me.” To please Him, we need to continually surrender

our will and lives to Him.

James 4:7“Submit yourselves,

then, to God. Resist the devil, and he

will fl ee from y o u . ”

Go!H o w

close are you to God

right now? List some things you need

to surrender to Him:


#20

W h a t “ r o a d

sign” would aptly describe

your life right now?

#20: Pave the way with praise!Congratulations! You have almost fi nished

this short journey. Now apply the prin-ciples to your life, and add more

when you are traveling the road of life. And do it with praise!

Psalm 63:4“I will praise you as

long as I live.”

Go!Sear ch

the Bible and write down

a “life verse” which you can call your own:

Download - Life's Little Roadmap

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