A Memorial Before Us

The Value of Affliction - Lesson 3 - ... from God

2007-03-17T20:25:00.000-04:00

I’ve said it before and I am sure this will not be the last time I say it.
We do not have a tit for tat God.

Isaiah 55:8-9, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’

We are not rats being trained to run a maze being rewarded with food pellets.
We are not Pavlovian dogs being trained
To salivate at the ringing of the bell

And we are not insane asylum patients
Being given electric shock therapy to bend us into submission.

We were created for more than that.
We can’t even comprehend what is in store for us.

1 Corinthians 6:3, ‘Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?’

If you weren’t destined for greatness
The enemy would not be threatened by you
And would leave you alone.

You are a threat.
You are not a dog
You are not a rat
You were created for something greater.

Opening thoughts…

At this point we are ruling out the problems in your life
that are a consequence of sin
Those you have to put into another category
and deal with them separately.

We are talking about the Value of Affliction from God.
What is He doing with you?
What is He molding you into?

Deuteronomy 8:5, ‘Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.’

Let’s think of it in a less abrasive way.
As a man moldeth his son, so the Lord thy God moldeth thee.

What are your thoughts to that paraphrased interpretation?

Psalm 127:3-5, ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’

Let’s think about those arrows.
Made of wood.
Branches do not always grow straight
They bend and twist.
Because of their environment

Because of lack of sun light
Poor soil conditions
They could have been broken and mended.
Some grow straighter than others.
Better soil
Better light
Better protection from harsh elements.

The mighty man would select his branches
Young saplings to turn into arrow shafts.
Depending upon the amount of the defect
Would determine the amount of time needed to mend
That branch straight.

When the arrow was ready
The mighty man, the skilled archer, would take aim.
The archer would have to take into account
all other data when he took aim.

Wind speed
Distance
Is the target moving?
Are there obstructions in the way?

We often look at this verse with us as the parent and our children as the arrows
Let’s look at it now in terms of the father being the mighty man
And us being the arrows being shot into the world.

Let’s read those verses again…

What caliber (quality) of arrows are we?
Is it the Lord’s fault?
The wind’s fault?
The moving target’s fault?

If I do a word association game what is the first thing you think of?
Job – Probably patience.
But that is only stated once in James 5:11

However when Job was being confronted by his 3 ‘friends.’
He appeared to be humble, patient and sorrowful
It does however turn rather prideful.
In Chapter 31 he is almost shaking his fist at God
As to his righteousness.

At that point Job’s 3 ‘friends’ were quiet
Possibly they had said all they had.
I believe they were silent because they finally god Job
Where they wanted him.

At that point the young Elihu speaks.
He speaks for 6 chapters uninterrupted
And let’s Job know that he is puffing himself up
a little too much.

And reminding him how we cannot understand the Lord.
After Elihu is finished.
The Lord appears in a whirlwind
And sums up more eloquently than Elihu the same
And goes on unanswered for 4 chapters.

The final chapter 42, Job admits his wrong
Then he is rewarded.

Job 6:4, ‘For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.’

Here he is talking about his pain in his physically body
and his pain in his spiritual body.

How are you during physical pain?
How are you during spiritual pain?

Next verse of Job

Job 6:5, ‘Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?’

The donkey isn’t freaking out when he has something to eat.
The ox will plow when his feed bag is full.
If I was at rest, at ease, and happy, I would not complain.

Can you relate to Job here?

Conclusion

We do not have a tit for tat God.
You are not a trained rat.
You are not a dog.
You are not a mental patient.

You were created for more than that.
I believe possibly more than you are aware of at this time.
The enemy knows your potential.
As also does the Lord.
Are you aware of your potential?

2 Chronicles 32:31, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.’

The Value of Affliction - Lesson 2 - Chastisement

2007-03-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

‘Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.’ – Author Unknown

There is a difference between chastisement and punishment
Punishment would fall under the category of
A negative consequence for your actions
With reward being a positive consequence for good actions.

Chastisement is for your good
Chastisement has a character building outcome
If you choose to accept it.

If you run from chastisement
Or deny it
You will not learn the lesson.

If you don’t know if you are being chastised or punished
I believe you are probably being punished.

Hebrews 12:5-8, ‘And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.’

I don’t chastise others children,
I may correct them when they are wrong
But when it comes right down to it
I am not trying to teach them a lesson
I only want them to stop doing what they are doing.

Which are you?
Are you the Lord’s child who he is helping to grow
Or are you just being asked to stop doing what you are doing?

This is not differential equations
Or learning another language
It is up to us to decide how long it takes us to learn a lesson.

Deuteronomy 8:5-6, ‘Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.’

I understand that we don’t want to change
We say words like,
‘I’ve always been like this.’
Then we justify our sin
And compare it to someone else who has a ‘worst’ sin.

That is why we don’t like change
So why do we deny growth?

Job 33:19-20, ‘He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.’

Verse 20 has the answer,
Can you elaborate…

Psalm 94:12-13, ‘Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law; That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.’

Like a soldier going through boot camp
The soldier would not be ready if they just gave him a pep talk
and sent him off to war.

In turn they also cannot test him in every possible scenario
He needs to be put in extreme situations
With no apparent means of escape
When the soldier in training completes the assignment

Confidence is hopefully learned or a lesson in
Team building skills
When he learns he has to trust in someone else

Prov. 3:11-12, ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’

Any further thoughts here?

John 15:2, ‘Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.’

No chastisement is pleasurable when it is happening.
The husbandman is never closer to the branch than when he is pruning it.
So if you think you are alone, you are not.

Does the term ‘every branch’ mean every person
Saved and unsaved?
Or does every branch mean every Christian

I believe it means Christian.
I don’t believe the unsaved would be plugged into Jesus.

Having said that
This verse says the branch that is not bearing fruit will be taken away.

Your thoughts on that comment…

Then the second part of that verse mentions
that the productive branch will be purged
I take that to mean that the hindrances we have will be taken away.

Your thoughts on that comment…

1 Corinthians 11:31-32, ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.’

We worry too much about everyone else.
When I say ‘we’ this time I mean ‘we’
All of us.

Let me paraphrase that verse.
‘If we worry about ourselves, others won’t worry about us.’

Your thoughts…

Revelation 3:19, ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.’

Zealous meaning: enthusiastic, passionate, fervent & eager.

What advice do you have for us here?

I have said it before
I believe that as soon as you acknowledge that you are under chastisement
The Lord will alleviate some of the pain.

When we behave as the strong willed child.
The Lord will win and break our spirit.

I believe it is also possible for the time frame to pass
The Lord will stop trying to teach us the lesson he wants to learn.
As with His fruit analogy
He will give it to someone else.

By Him leaving us on the branch and keeping us alive
We are stealing nutrients from someone who could produce fruit.
Rather than us sucking the life out of the vine.

I don’t want to be a hindrance to producing what the Lord wants
I also don’t want you to be a hindrance.
If you are a hindrance I don’t have to worry about you.
John 15:2 will take care of that.

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The Value of Affliction - Lesson 1 - Introduction

2007-03-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

‘Anyone can give up; it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that’s true strength.’ – Author Unknown

This is to be the conclusion to each of these lessons as the answer is given.
But as usual we need practical application to put into practice.
Even when we don’t like the answer
We often know it to be true.

The Lord knew our struggles from the beginning of time.
He knew our weaknesses
And He planed our rewards.

As I said when we hear the answer and know it to be true
We don’t like it
We seldom embrace it right away.

I believe as long as we don’t run from it
As long as we don’t deny it
There is a chance for us to grow.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

‘And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.’
‘For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.’
‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’
‘Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’

In those verses is the answer to our afflictions
It’s the best answer I have.
I don’t like my afflictions
I often don’t see the good that can come out of them.
Either I trust Him or I don’t.

You’re opening thoughts…

Now let’s look to our example.
As we read it we know we are to be more like Jesus
However if you are anything like me
You relate more to the disciples.

Matthew 26:36-46

‘Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.’
‘And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.’
‘Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.’
‘And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.’
‘And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?’
‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’
‘He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.’
‘And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.’
‘And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.’
‘Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.’
‘Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.’

There it is your Conclusion at the beginning.
Now let’s dissect what we have in front of us
And find a way to apply it – practically.

Value - worth price cost charge rate assessment importance significance

Affliction - suffering difficulty burden problem hardship pain trouble misery

Yeah I know what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.
Usually we are given that advice when we don’t want to hear it.
Possibly from someone
who truly doesn’t know what we are going through.

Also quite possibly someone who has exhaled themselves above measure.
Thankfully we don’t have to worry about them.
As the Lord will.

Maybe I don’t feel like growing.
I just want to get by for a little while.
I need a break.
I need to catch my breath.

Job 14:1, ‘Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.’

How’s that for an answer.

Your thoughts here…

We can read earlier how Job handled his situation.

Job 1:20, ‘Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,’

I’m not going to ask if this is how you handle your trouble,
But what advice do you have
for someone like myself who does not react this way?

We often think we are alone
At times we are
A spouse who doesn’t understand
Friends who don’t understand.

Exodus 3:7, ‘And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;’

Why is it we think we are alone from God?

Psalm 119:50, ‘This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.’

Is that why?
We cant hear Him because we are not listening (reading)?

Psalm 119:143, ‘Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.’

Your thoughts here?

2 Corinthians 4:8-10,

‘We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;’
‘Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;’
‘Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.’

What is our hope?
Where are you putting your hope?

Usually we read verses that that talk about
(If I may paraphrase)
This world is going to be bad,
You just have to wait till heaven for happiness.
Listen to this verse closely,

Romans 8:18, ‘For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.’

In us means in us.
Possibly through us.

There is a revelation He will give us
If we don’t wait we might miss it.
I don’t know when enough is enough.
I know when I have had enough.
I know when I’ve had more than enough.

I don’t like it.
I hate it.
I can’t stand it.

read Romans 8:17-25

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The Value of Affliction - Index

2007-03-02T18:41:00.000-05:00

‘Anyone can give up;
It’s the easiest thing in the world to do.
But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart,
That’s true strength.
– Author Unknown

Lesson 1 - Introduction
Lesson 2 - Chastisement
Lesson 3 - … from God
Lesson 4 - Tested by the Lord
Lesson 5 - Blessings in Disguise
Lesson 6 - … Sometimes Prolonged
Lesson 7 - Divine Delays
Lesson 8 - Faint Not
Lesson 9 - Fear Not
Lesson 10 - Divine Encouragement
Lesson 11 - Be Strong
Lesson 12 - The Refining Influence
Lesson 13 - Conclusion

‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

2 Corinthians 12:9

Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 13 - Conclusion

2007-02-26T19:21:00.000-05:00

Introduction

From almost 3 months of this topic here are two stumbling blocks
I believe we have that hold us back or hinder our contentment level.

1. We have a fear of the unknown.
2. We feel we deserve to be happy.

With our fear of the unknown…
That stems from our comments or thoughts that sound something like,
I do trust God, but…

Or our prayers are aimed at heaven
As a blueprint of how things are to be designed
And any deviation of those plans through us into a tizzy.

With our feelings of deserving to be happy…
We are to be content
As in at ease, pleased and comfortable.
Not in terms of elation and physically satisfaction.

You’re opening thoughts or rebuttals…

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

Content with what we have
And still wanting more spiritually
In terms of serving the Lord.

Your thoughts…

Content in terms of Poverty

Proverbs 14:30, ‘A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.’

Do we read these verses and skim over them as they don’t apply to us.
We need to read them as everyone is for us
As they are.

How can we use verses like this to help keep us in check?

Content in terms of Abundance

Matthew 13:12, ‘For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.’

We treat our children like this.
If they don’t use properly or respect something
We tell them we will take it away
Or give it to some little boy or girl who will appreciate it.

When we originally reviewed this topic before I proposed to you
What if the Lord said that about your spouse…?

Your thoughts on that or a similar topic…

A New Beginning

James 1:23-24, ‘For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.’

Every night when we go to bed we say tomorrow will be different.
We look at ourselves in the mirror and promise today will be different.

What advice do you have for us on days like that?

The Mind’s Eye

How we see ourselves
And how we remember the past

1 Corinthians 13:11, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

What advice do you have for those of us
who may still be holding on to those old comfortable habits?

With Others

Hebrews 11:25, ‘Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;’

You have a problem at church
You are not alone.
You are under attack at work
You are not alone.

You are under attack from your spouse
You are not alone.
Your children are not under subjection
You are not alone.

Do you think your problem will go away or get better
if you return to the comfort of your favorite sin?

What help can you share with us on this one…

With Ourselves

Hosea 10:12, ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.’

We only have to worry about ourselves,
Get the soil ready
Plant seeds
Possibly even maintain the soil
The rest is up to Him
Not us

What advice do you have for us when we think so highly of ourselves?

The Answer

2 Timothy 3:16-17, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.’

This verse doesn’t necessarily apply to when someone else is wrong.
We should turn this verse to ourselves.
We can correct and reproof ourselves before others have to.
Or before the Lord will.

As we may be perfect.
That is up to us.
The Lord has given us the user’s manual.
We can review it for preventative maintenance

Or we can ignore it until a crisis is eminent
and we are in no position to learn.

Let’s be proactive
Instead of reactive.
Let’s institute a preventative maintenance program
As opposed to working damage control.

It is less expensive to maintain a boiler
Than it is to have a repair man fix it on the coldest day of the year.

We never have enough time to do it right in the first place
But we always have time to go back and fix it.

Let’s keep our priorities in order.
Let’s be content with what the Lord has allowed us
And still want to do more for Him
And do more for those He has put us together with.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 12 - Perfect and Entire

2007-02-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Introduction

We have reviewed how to be content in our poverty and
How to be content when we are experiencing abundance.
And as we battle ourselves in our own ‘Mind’s Eye.’

We have also reviewed how to be content with others
With our own service to the Lord
And with our walk with the Lord.

So far most of the answers have reduced down to it is a heart issue
And to do what the Lord asks of us
And trust Him to produce the result.

What I have also learned is that we are to praise him for the outcome
Regardless of the results.

That is hard to do but we need to do it.
It is that true test of our trust.
No conditions
No ultimatums.

1Thessalonians 5:18, ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’

Opening thoughts…

Are you better at being content now than you were when we started this series?
Are you quicker to trust the Lord than you were earlier?
Do you truly trust Him to produce the best results?

James 1:4, ‘But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.’

It appears that patience has to be established for the rest to follow,
Your thoughts?

Job 1:1, ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.’

What can we learn from Job to be closer to the design
that the Lord has planned for us?

1Kings 8:61, ‘Let your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day.’

What advice do you have for me so I can apply this to my life?

2Corinthians 13:11, ‘Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.’

When we feel alone or separated from the Lord
what can we check to make sure or get back on track?

Philippians 3:15, ‘Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.’

Do you pray for that or do you pray for the Lord to change the other person?

Colossians 1:28, ‘Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:’

Missed opportunity
I speak of this often
It is easier to live with ourselves
when we have done all that has been asked
Or all that has been told to us to do.

What practical advice do you have for us here?

2Timothy 3:16-17, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.’

Do you know what the least read book is?
Your car’s user manual.
When do you or when would someone read it?

What about us and our user’s manual?

2Chronicles 32:31, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.’

The Lord has not left you.
He is as close to you as the day you were saved.
Even if you walked away
Or are ignoring Him.

What have you learned about the content of your heart?

Conclusion

Don’t wait for a breakdown before you go to your user’s manual.
Don’t wait for a catastrophe to get back on track

Don’t overlook the missed opportunities
When striving for something that wasn’t laid out for you.

Don’t wonder where the Lord is
When you know where He is.

Know what is in your heart
Good or bad
Work on the good and do not ignore the bad.

Cleanse what you can with His Word
And continually ask Him to help.
Don’t be afraid of how He will do it.

Know that He wants you to grow
And it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help.
I believe it is a sign of strength.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 11 - ... with this Life

2007-02-13T14:51:00.000-05:00

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?
Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?

Those are rhetorical questions and I know the answers to them
As do you.

Do you trust Him to give you all you deserve?
You are afraid that He will give you all you deserve.
We deserve Hell.
We do not deserve to serve Him.

Content yet still wanting in terms of this life…
We are to be content with what is physically handed to us
And still want more spiritually.

We are to be content with our children’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

We are to be content with our spouse’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

The Lord never holds us back from being all that we can be.
Do we ever hold others back from being all that they can be?
Maybe not directly
But on a passive basis do we?

Are all our words uplifting and edifying? (Eph 4:29)
Or do some cut so they can know how we feel.
‘Oh yeah you think that hurt, try this one on for size.’

Your thoughts on being contend and still wanting with this life…

Deut. 7:6, ‘For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.’

Above all people
Not that we are better than others
But as we learned before
We are to be held to a higher standard.

I just want to be like everyone else.
They seem happy,
Not a care in the world.

What advice do you have for me?

Luke 12:48, ‘But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.’

The given part came first then comes the requirement on our part.
It’s not like the Lord is asking us to be good,
Then He will reward us.
We are expected to be good
Because of what we have already been given.

What advice do you have for someone who flip-flops that in their head?

Psalm 4:1-4, ‘Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.’

As a mother and a father can’t you hear your child’s voice over others?
As a man aren’t you able to decipher noises in the middle of the night
As being the house creaking or possible danger?

Verse 3 says, ‘…the LORD will hear when I call unto him.’
Do we have that same confidence
that our Father will hear our voice?
Or do we compare Him to others who have let us down?

1Corinthians 1:26, ‘For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:’

Not many have answered the call.
Some ignore it and some deny it.
Some drag their heals
And some embrace it.

Which are you?

Let’s read on to find some more answers.

1Corinthians 1:27-29, ‘But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.’

However you are called,
And to which ever degree you serve Him
Do it humbly,
You are merely the pipe where His water flows.
He is allowing you to do His work.
You aren’t really all that special.

If you think about it in humble terms
You are doing what you are supposed to be doing
Quite possibly the bare minimum
What could you possibly brag about?

Your thoughts…

Ephesians 1:4, ‘According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:’

Get yourself holy and make yourself without blame
this morning when you are called to the alter.
Stop beating yourself up
Stop making excuses for why you can’t do
what was asked of you.

What advice do you have for someone
who is acting like a child who doesn’t want to clean their room?

James 2:5, ‘Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?’

How can you help us to understand this verse?
Poor of this world
Where your treasure there will your heart be also.

Do you remember the story of Hosea

1Peter 2:10, ‘Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.’

Hosea 2:23, ‘And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.’

The Lord looks at us and says we are still His bride.
He deserves to get rid of us
But He won’t.

We have obtained mercy.
We often think the Lord can’t forgive us that easily
So we punish ourselves some more

Or when things are going good we get nervous
And possibly sabotage the situation.
We don’t feel comfortable when things are going too good
Based on the past
we know something bad is going to happen.

What final advice do you have for us in our level of being content?

Conclusion

As bad as things have been you have never gone without
The Lord has never let you down.
Even if you don’t understand all that is going on
Or what possible good can come out of a given situation.
We are to be physically content and want more spiritually.

We are to be content with our children’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

We are to be content with our spouse’s actions
And still want more for them spiritually.

The Lord never holds us back from being all that we can be.
Let’s see to it that we never hold them back.

We are to be held to a higher standard.
And I assure you are never alone.
Even if you have turned your back on the Lord
He is still there for you.

As a parent can hear their child’s voice in a crowded situation
The Lord can definitely hear yours.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 10 - ... with our Ministry

2007-02-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

The first portion of this lesson is a review of the previous lesson.

Introduction

Dissertation on Hurt

I am sure you could all tell stories of similar pain and hurt
Some possibly more painful.
Most of this pain we bury below.
We forget about it for years.
And it possibly erupts at inopportune times.
Possibly focused on the wrong person.

Also we may focus the retaliation on ourselves
As we are the one who allowed us to get hurt.
Possibly we put up a wall and never allow anyone in.
It will be safer that way.

No one can ever hurt us if they are never close enough to.
They can’t break our heart if they never get to see it.
We could even sabotage the relationship
Before they have a chance to.

Opening thoughts on Hurt, Others and Ourselves.

Lam. 3:40, ‘Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.’

Last week we spoke of how we do the same things over and over again.
Even though they have not worked in the past.
We think, ‘maybe they will this time.’

Your thoughts on turning again to the Lord.

We are worried about what our parents possibly put us through,
When maybe time has exaggerated what we went through.

We want to break our children of the habits we have.
We expect other Christians to perform flawlessly
when we are under the Lord’s grace.

Matthew 7:5, ‘Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.’

Unless we take care of our own vision
Our children are going to turn into us
And we are going to turn into our parent’s.

Other Christians will drive us crazy
And we will not be able to worship the Lord.

What practical advice do you have for us
To apply this verse practically to our lives?

1 Cor. 11:31-33, ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.’

Elaboration on three verses…

If I can substitute the word examine for judge it would say,
If we examine ourselves
We would not be examined.

Possible we feel like we are held to a higher standard than others
Is that because we expect more from others
than we expect of ourselves?

Do we worry about others too much?
Do we not trust that the Lord will take care of them?
Do we think He has assigned us the task of fixing them?

Is that possibly because we don’t want Him to fix us?
We want to fix ourselves.

Jeremiah 4:3, ‘For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.’

He is telling us to fix ourselves.
I believe however that there is an allotted time.
He will help us if we ask.
Are we afraid to ask?

What is your advice for us in breaking up our fallow ground?

I believe that if we do not break up our fallowed ground the Lord will.
I am using the following verse to defend that case.
Numbers 32:23,
‘But if ye will not do so, behold,
ye have sinned against the LORD:
and be sure your sin will find you out.

Hosea 10:12, ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.’

Your thoughts on this verse?

Galatians 6:3-4, ‘For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.’

What advice can we take away from this verse?

Now that we have examined ourselves
Let’s apply this to our ministry…

We have been called to something.
Otherwise we would be dead already.
Possibly train and send off our children.
Possible lead that one person to salvation.

Let’s think about if you are currently walking in the vocation
the Lord has called you to.
Are you Jonah going in the opposite direction.
Are you a stubborn child sitting in a corner.

Or are you gradually taking steps toward the specific calling
That He intentionally made you for.

Ephesians 4:1, ‘I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,’

That word beseech means to beg or plead.

To what degree are you walking worthy of the vocation He called you to?

1Corin. 7:20, ‘Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.’

The word of God does not change or return void.
If He told you to do something I have reason He did not change His mind.
Do you think if you ignore Him long enough
He will forget what He said?

It gets frustrating.
If it were easy everyone would do it.

How is your consistency as it applies here?

Matthew 22:14, ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.’

I believe chosen to be a special class of the called.
Each one of you here is in the chosen class.
You are held to a higher standard.

What advice do you have for us when times get tough?

Luke 12:48, ‘But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

Conclusion on being content yet still wanting with ourselves
and as it applies to our ministry.

I know I sleep better when I have done all I could in one day.
I don’t bring work home with me
when I have done more than was asked of me.

I don’t bring home to work with me
When I have done all or more than was required of me.
I can rest in my parenting when I have taken care
Of the lives the Lord has entrusted in me.

I can also rest in my relationships with others
When I have acted in a way that brings glory and honor to the Lord.

Why do we beat ourselves up?
We don’t believe the Lord has forgiven us.
Is that because we haven’t truly asked Him to?
Or is it because we don’t believe He can?

Ask Him to forgive you.
Believe that He can.
And know that He has.

Why are we critical of others?
Because we suffer from a similar affliction.
Otherwise we would lovingly encourage them,
And share the techniques we have learned.

Instead we mask our flaws and try to snip theirs in the bud.
We exalt ourselves above measure and brow beat them.

Advice
Reassess your value system.
If it works and it lines up with the Word of the Lord
Keep it.

If it doesn’t work and it lines up with the Word of the Lord
Don’t give up – keep trying.

The Lord has great things planned for you.
Better than you can imagine
And better than you deserve.
Accept what he has for you
And say thank you.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 9 - ... with Others

2007-02-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

Introduction

Dissertation on Hurt

I am sure you could all tell stories of similar pain and hurt
Some possibly more painful.
Most of this pain we bury below.
We forget about it for years.
And it possibly erupts at inopportune times.
Possibly focused on the wrong person.

Also we may focus the retaliation on ourselves
As we are the one who allowed us to get hurt.
Possibly we put up a wall and never allow anyone in.
It will be safer that way.

No one can ever hurt us if they are never close enough to.
They can’t break our heart if they never get to see it.
We could even sabotage the relationship
Before they have a chance to.

Opening thoughts on Hurt, Others and Ourselves.

Lam. 3:40, ‘Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.’

We do the same things over and over again.
Even though they have not worked in the past.
We think, ‘maybe they will this time.’

Your thoughts on turning again to the Lord.

We are worried about what our parents possibly put us through,
When maybe time has exaggerated what we went through.

We want to break our children of the habits we have.
We expect other Christians to perform flawlessly
when we are under the Lord’s grace.

Matthew 7:5, ‘Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.’

Unless we take care of our own vision
Our children are going to turn into us
And we are going to turn into our parent’s.

Other Christians will drive us crazy
And we will not be able to worship the Lord.

What practical advice do you have for us
To apply this verse practically to our lives?

1 Cor. 11:28-30, ‘But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.’

As we know this verse applies to the Lord’s Supper
What are some possible ways where
we are bringing damnation on ourselves?

1 Cor. 11:31-33, ‘For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.’

Elaboration on three verses…

2 Cor. 13:5, ‘Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?’

Reprobate meaning – unapproved, rejected, worthless, castaway,
rejected, good-for-nothing, troublemaker.

Your thoughts on this verse…

We just read about examining ourselves
Thinking about a doctor’s exam
Then follows the diagnosis
And then the steps to take and correct the problem
Or in rare cases keeping up the good work.

Jeremiah 4:3, ‘For thus saith the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem, Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.’

What is your advice for us in breaking up our fallow ground?

I believe that if we do not break up our fallowed ground the Lord will.
I am using the following verse to defend that case.
Numbers 32:23,
‘But if ye will not do so, behold,
ye have sinned against the LORD:
and be sure your sin will find you out.

Hosea 10:12, ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.’

Your thoughts on this verse?

Galatians 6:3-4, ‘For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.’

What advice can we take away from this verse?

Conclusion

Content yet still wanting in terms of ourselves.
I know I sleep better when I have done all I could in one day.
I don’t bring work home with me
when I have done more than was asked of me.

I don’t bring home to work with me
When I have done all or more than was required of me.
I can rest in my parenting when I have taken care
Of the lives the Lord has entrusted in me.
I can also rest in my relationships with others
When I have acted in a way that brings glory and honor to the Lord.

There is your practical application.
I challenge you to prove me wrong.

Why do we beat ourselves up?
We don’t believe the Lord has forgiven us.
Is that because we haven’t truly asked Him to?
Or is it because we don’t believe He can?

Ask Him to forgive you.
Believe that He can.
And know that He has.

Why are we critical of others?
Because we suffer from a similar affliction.
Otherwise we would lovingly encourage them,
And share the techniques we have learned.

Instead we mask our flaws and try to snip theirs in the bud.
We exalt ourselves above measure and brow beat them.

Advice
Reassess your value system.
If it works and it lines up with the Word of the Lord
Keep it.

If it doesn’t work and it lines up with the Word of the Lord
Don’t give up – keep trying.

The Lord has great things planned for you.
Better than you can imagine
And better than you deserve.
Accept what he has for you
And say thank you.

next chapter

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 8 - ... with Others

2007-02-05T16:54:00.000-05:00

Introduction

I stated my goal for this class in the beginning as:
I want us to bear prosperity with meekness,
and adversity with contentment.

Let’s play the synonym game.

I want us to bear success with humbleness,
I want us to bear wealth with modesty,

and hardship with happiness.
and difficulty with satisfaction.

And our foundational verse.

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

Opening thoughts…
Are we better now than we were two months ago?
Are we only hearing verses and beating ourselves up each week?
Do we sit and listen as these verses do not apply to us?

Content yet still wanting with others.
‘…reasonably happy and satisfied with the way things are…’
‘…willing to accept or comply with a situation or course of action…’
Those are not sentences I would use to describe my state
at any given moment.

Quite possibly I have never felt that way.
That is to let you know I don’t choose fluffy Sunday school topics.
I don’t choose them to promote my own strengths
It may sound selfish but
I choose them so I can grow.
And in turn as we are more alike than we are different.
We can hopefully grow together.

Heb. 10:23-25, ‘Let us hold fast the profession of [our] faith (1) without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;) And let us (2) consider one another to (3) provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, (4) as the manner of some [is]; but exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, (5) as ye see the day approaching.’

What is your advice for us hermit crabs?

Hebrews 11:25, ‘Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;’

I understand the ‘…enjoy the pleasure of sin…’ for three months comment.
What can you share with me about the first part of that verse?

Matthew 18:20, ‘For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’

Just because we are in the same room doesn’t mean we are together.
Just because we are part of the same church family
doesn’t necessarily mean that we re brothers and sisters.

How can we come together and make sure we are gathered in His name?

Luke 24:15, ‘And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.’
(Luke 24:13-31)

Are we any different than these disciples?
Jesus is right there and they don’t even know it?

As humble as we want to be we still think a little too high of ourselves at times.

Luke 14:8, ‘When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;’

How can this action help us in terms of being content with others?

Jesus summed up the ten commandments
And for that matter the whole law with what words?

Galatians 6:2, ‘Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.’

How can this help us in being content with others?

Conclusion

I want us to bear prosperity with meekness,
I want us to bear success with humbleness,
I want us to bear wealth with modesty,

I want us to bear adversity with contentment.
I want us to bear hardship with happiness.
I want us to bear difficulty with satisfaction.

We cannot do that when we are focused on ourselves.
We cannot do that when we are scheming what is in it for us.
We cannot do that when we are trying to lighten our load.

As we are taught to pray:
Acknowledge God.
Ask for forgiveness.
Pray for others.
If there is room left over we may pray for ourselves.

Possibly our actions should follow the same course.
If we are to be a lighthouse it should.
If we are to be a living witness we better.

If we do what we are supposed to we will get what we deserve.
If we do what is asked of us we will be content with the outcome.
If we care for others with no thought of anything in return
I propose to you, our needs will be met
with a measure more than we can imagine.

Serve others as you are serving the Lord.
Expect nothing in return.
And I challenge you to prove me wrong
That you will not be blessed
In the Lord’s time.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 7 - The Mind's Eye

2007-01-13T19:45:00.000-05:00

Introduction

The phrase "mind's eye" refers to the human ability for visual perception, Imagination, visualization, and memory, or, in other words, One’s ability to "see" things with the mind.

I believe our memory gets distorted over time.
Some things we block out and start to eventually forget.
Some things we amplify and make worse.

Do you have a victim mentality?
Is everyone out to get you?
Are you where you are in life because of someone else?

You are in control.
You cannot always control what is around you.
But you can always control how you react to it.

I believe that we allow our mind to control us.
Our mind holds us back.
Our mind reminds us of past pain and paralyzes us.
Our mind reminds us of past failures
And holds us back or even
Sabotages us from future ventures.

Your opening thoughts…

Proverbs 23:7, ‘For as he thinketh in his heart, so [is] he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart [is] not with thee.’

Evil thoughts – you are evil.
Happy thoughts – you are happy.

Agree or disagree?

Happiness never comes when you make it the goal.
Happiness is a byproduct of doing what you are supposed to do.

1Co 13:11, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

I used to believe in Santa clause and the tooth fairy.
I don’t any more.
I used to believe I was going to have a corvette
And live in a log cabin.
I don’t anymore.

Do you see a difference there?
Some things we need to forget.
Some things we forgot that we shouldn’t have.

What do you have to say about this verse?
Is there something you are still trying to put away?
Is there something you put away that you probably shouldn’t have?

Newton's first law of motion is often stated as:
An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

Is there any sign that you are a work in progress?
Or are you in the same or weaker spiritual state than you were a year ago?
Are you an object at rest?
Are you an object in motion?
Are you moving in the right direction?

Proverbs 12:5, ‘The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.’

Which are you?
You are right and know you are in line with God.
Or do you go around taking a census with everyone you know
To see if they are in agreement with you?

Proverbs 21:5, ‘The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.’

Diligent and hasty sound pretty similar.
Let’s look at some synonyms.

Diligent: hard-working, industrious, assiduous, meticulous, conscientious, thorough, attentive & careful

Hasty: quick, speedy, hurried, swift, rapid, rushed & fast.

Which category do you fall into?
If you answer diligent, you have to give us advice.
If you answer hasty, you have to tell us what you are going to do different.

Romans 12:3, ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.’

Earlier I spoke about us thinking too low of ourselves
What about here where we are warned
about thinking too highly about ourselves.

What are some examples where we might be guilty of this?

For some people we come across it is hard to find something positive to say.
They are down there letting their kids run around
Like loquacious spider monkeys.

Their kid knocks over our child and they think it is funny.
I can’t even compliment them on their outfit,
I don’t even like what they are wearing.

What advice do you have for me there?

Here is another group of eight (new beginnings)

Philippians 4:8, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.’

What practical advice do you have to help me apply this to my life?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. – Benjamin Franklin

Romans 12:2, ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.’

What advice do you have for us here?

Let’s not use this as an excuse,
Yes it is a process,
No we will not ever achieve perfection,
Let’s not use that as an excuse to justify minimal growth,
To not grow.
Or to blatantly backslide.

Transformed, meaning someone we haven’t seen in a while
Should notice a difference in us.
And not say things like,
They are more miserable now than I remember.
They complain more now than they used to.
I can’t believe they haven’t had a heart attack yet.

Renewing meaning:
Renovate, refurbish, repair, restore, mend, make good, replenish, revamp,

Is your mind renewing, in the simplest meaning, to be new again.
Or is it the same as it has been for years,
Just as bitter,
Just as negative,
Just as critical,
Just as cold,
Just as defensive?
Conclusion

Our minds eye is not real.
It is distorted.
Either we distorted it over time,
Or others or situations have distorted it.

Has television distorted it by what we have seen?
Let’s not blame the TV.
We have distorted our mind by allowing it in.

Has my peers at work distorted it.
Again, I cannot blame them as I was there egging them on.

Let’s not be the victim.
If we believe we are a victim to those around
We then believe we are helpless to change anything around us.
You are not a victim.

You may have gone through something traumatic
That we will never understand
You may have been a victim at one time,
But you are not a victim.

You are in control.
You are a survivor.
And you are never alone.

You cannot always control what is around you.
But you can always control how you react to it.

Do not allow your mind to hold you back.
Or to paralyze you to inactivity.
Focus on the promises He has given you.
Focus on what He has asked us to focus on.
He has an awesome plan for you.
Don’t give us as He hasn’t given up on you.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 6 - Found Wanting

2007-01-13T19:41:00.000-05:00

Introduction

It is not from nature, but from education and habits that our wants are chiefly derived. -Fielding

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?

Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?
All that you deserve?

Let’s search the scriptures together as God teaches us
to bear prosperity with meekness,
and adversity with contentment.

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

To paraphrase the beginning of that verse…
I know how to be humble and I know how to behave when I have plenty

How would you rate yourself with that statement?

Now my question to you is,
How would the Lord rate you?
As He is a discerner of our hearts
He knows who we really are.

Daniel 5:27, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’

Found wanting, meaning:
Deficient, inadequate, imperfect, not good enough,
Not up to standard, not up to scratch & defective.

If the Lord were to rate us right now, at this moment,
How would you rate on the found wanting / adequate scale?

Ecc. 1:15, ‘[That which is] crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.’

I’m sorry but you’re not what we are looking for at this…
You didn’t make the cut…
Quite possibly you can convince yourself and tell others
That you are over qualified.

That which is crooked can be used,
It is not garbage.
Don’t read into the verse what it doesn’t say.

If you have some slight imperfections you can be used for greatness.
If you are found wanting, or deficient,
You cannot.

Your thoughts…

Psalm 23:1, ‘The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.’

Your thoughts…

James 1:2-4, ‘My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.’

Sounds like we have found the answer in patience.
Now is the time when you all state why you don’t have patience.
You’re working on patience,
You’re praying for patience.

Now that we have found the answer let’s stop making excuses.
Let’s stop calling disobedience to the Lord a character flaw.

What commitments are you prepared to make to the Lord
In terms of your patience?

Palms 86:1, ‘Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.’

He knows our needs,
What truly have you gone without?
Or what are you currently going without?

Constantly choose rather to want less, than to have more. -Kempis

How few our real wants, and how vast our imaginary ones! –Lavater

Hosea 4:6, ‘My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.’

There are consequences for our actions.
Usually negative consequences for bad actions or decisions,
And hopefully positive consequences for those that are good.

What are your thoughts here to think about God forgetting us?

Matthew 26:11, ‘For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.’

He was talking there to the disciples,
What about with us?
What about when He leaves us alone during those quiet times?

What are your thoughts about being without the Lord?

1Thess. 3:10, ‘Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?’

We read previously that it is probably a problem with our patience.
Here we learn it is a problem with our faith.

What are your thoughts here?

Conclusion

Found wanting
- Content yet still wanting
- Content yet still deficient
- Content yet still inadequate
- Content yet still imperfect
- Content yet still not good enough
- Content yet still not up to standard
- Content yet still not up to scratch
- Content yet still defective

Your right.
Stop making excuses for your deficiencies.
Stop making excuses for your inadequacies and imperfections.

Stop reasoning why you are not good enough and defective.

Be content with you’re rewards
Be content with your consequences
Be content with what is handed to you.

Don’t be content with what you are delivering
Don’t be content with your service
And don’t be content or complacent
With the excuses you may be making.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 5 - A New Beginning

2007-01-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

Introduction

What is holding us back from our new beginning?
That new beginning that we have waited all year to begin
And are going to start fresh tomorrow morning?

What is going to make tomorrow different
Than any previous day?

Will it be easier to start fresh tomorrow?
Will our obstacles be gone tomorrow?
Will our flesh be stronger tomorrow?
Will our spirit be stronger tomorrow?

Are we setting ourselves up for another fall?
One additional milestone that will probably last a week
But will most likely end within a month?

Your thoughts on New Year’s resolutions…

James 1:23-24, ‘For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.’

We forget who we are based on the promises of God.
We clearly remember who we were,
We see the results all around us,
As David said, ‘my sin is ever before me…’

What can we do to remember what manner of man we are?

1Cor. 13:12, ‘For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.’

We may have to wait until we get to heaven to see who we really are.
I believe that we can gradually know who we are becoming.

Your thoughts…

The Believer as a New Man

We have learned before that what goes into a man’s mouth doesn’t defile him,
but what proceedeth out.

We have also learned that what the heart is filled with
proceedeth out of the mouth. (Matthew 15:18)

Psalm 40:3, ‘And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.’

If we are struggling in this area is it possible
that He didn’t put that new song in our mouth?
Possibly it didn’t take root in our hardened heart?
Or is it that we are not letting it out?

Your thoughts…

Ezekiel 11:19, ‘And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:’ (16-21)

Let’s hear your thoughts… because you may not like mine…

Here the Lord talks about giving his people one heart. With a new spirit. If you don’t have a new heart and a new spirit are you possibly not one of His people?

Romans 6:4, ‘Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.’

Should walk in newness of life.
I’m not knocking resolutions
We need them we need them every day
And the clock changing to 07
Is a clear demarcation to start fresh.

What is your advice for us to walk a little newer?

Romans 7:6, ‘But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.’

Stop holding yourself back,
Serve in newness of spirit.

What might your new year’s resolution be?

2Corinthians 5:17, ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’

Your thoughts…

I believe the answer we are supposed to give is...
We can’t do it
The Lord has to.
Having said that I believe we have to let Him.

Ephesians 2:15, ‘Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;’ (14-17)

Enmity meaning hostility, hatred and bad feelings.

Should our resolution be to make peace?

Colossians 3:10, ‘And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:’ (8-10)

Renewed: changed, converted or new and improved.
It can also mean being transformed or rehabilitated.
It can be quickly or overnight.

My advice for you in your resolution is to be transformed
To be rehabilitated.
Don’t beat yourself up
Or give up after a mistake or a slip up.

Your thoughts…

Conclusion

There is nothing holding you back from your new beginning.
You have possibly been thinking about this new beginning
For quite some time,
You can start it fresh right now.

Tomorrow will not be any different than today.
The struggles will be the same.
The temptations will be the same.
You will be as weak as you are today.

It won’t be any easier.
The same obstacles will be in place.

The only thing that might change is your decision.
Decide to do what you are supposed to do.

Decide to let the Lord help you.
Decide to trust His assistance.
Decide to trust His outcomes.
Decide to go to Him when you need forgiveness.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 4 - The Reason

2006-12-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

We know He is the reason for the season
But I ask you what is your reason.
What is your purpose?
Why are you here?

Is it your purpose to go to work, come home
Go to bed wake up and do the same thing over again.

Is it your purpose to take care of your loved ones
And get little or no recognition for it.

We have learned that the proper response to that question is that
We were created to worship the Lord.
How are we to do that?

Your input…

I believe you were created for a reason.
Possibly multiple reasons
And I believe that reason is bigger than you are living right now.

Maybe I am wrong,
Maybe you are doing exactly what you are supposed to do
And that is all you are ever going to do.
However I don’t believe that.

I believe each one of us can look back and see things in our lives
That when they were happening to us
Had no reason why and then some period of time later
We realized that we needed what was previously learned.

Personal testimony.

Myself

Cody

I don’t know what that plan is yet…

Hebrews 13:5 ‘Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’

Never means never…

What can you share with us when we are going through one of those quiet times?

It says He will never leave thee,
Does that then mean that we have left Him?

We like hiding behind big words,
So let’s break this one down.
Some synonyms for the word forsake:
Abandon, desert, leave, disown, renounce, relinquish,
Give up & turn your back on.

Does anyone else have some further thoughts here…

Proverbs 15:16, ‘Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.’

Possibly you can be saying, ‘I am not seeking great treasure.’
Ok, you aren’t looking to win some lottery,

What victory are you striving for that is causing you or your family possible trouble?

When you gain what you are striving for will that change everything?
Will that make everything all better?
Will that make your problems go away?

We can look around and see people who have been saved less time than we have
And are spiritually stronger than we are.
We can also look around and find people
Who have been saved longer than us and we are stronger than.

Philippians 4:11, ‘Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’

I have learned,
Sounds like a process.
I believe we can learn our lessons as quickly or as slowly as we choose.

What advice do you have for us on this verse?

Psalm 131:2, ‘Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.’

Are you that spoiled child in line at Price Chopper that is screaming
for a piece candy at the check out isle?
Or are you able to contain yourself?

If you are doing what you are supposed to be doing you can rest in that.

Isaiah 32:17, ‘And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.’

Your thoughts…

Stillness is essential to Reception of Instruction

Do you trust the Lord to reveal His plan when you are ready?
Are you the person that opens there presents Christmas Eve because you can’t wait?

Are you trying to skip ahead to the next level of your training
Before mastering your current level?

Job 37:14, ‘Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.’

Stand still
‘Shut up’
‘Be quiet’

Are you so busy taking that God can’t get a word in edge wise?

Pastor Moses I believe gave the best explanation for the word ‘Selah.’
Stop, look and listen.

Psalm 4:4, ‘Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.’

Any additional thoughts?

Psalm 46:10, ‘Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.’

Your thoughts?

Closing thoughts

Do what the Lord has asked you to do.
If you think you have done all He has asked you to do
Pray to Him and ask Him to reveal to you if there is something He has told you to do
And you have not done it yet.

Keep in mind that you may have been created for something
Larger than what you are among right now.
Stop trying to expedite the process by skipping some steps.

Expedite the process by taking care of the little things right now.
You cannot be His steward over the big things
until you have mastered the little things.

If you are not where you are supposed to be
Get where you need to be.
If you don’t know how to get where you need to be ask Him to help.

He has an awesome plan for you.
I believe we will look back on this day and laugh.
And say remember when.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 3 - Abundance

2006-12-17T17:01:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 28:19-20, ‘He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough. A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.’

What are we focused on?
He that tilleth his land.
He takes care of what he has.
And it says here he will have bread
He will not be hungry.

What advice do you have for us to help stay focused?

We don’t understand how the Jewish followers could forget all that God has done for them.
We don’t understand how people who walked the planet with Jesus could not follow Him.
Let’s think of it this way
The Jews are God’s chosen people.
The disciples were chosen.
What are we?

Jeremiah 2:7, ‘And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof and the goodness thereof; but when ye entered, ye defiled my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.’

How are we when things are going well?
Do we read less?
Do we pray less?
Do we love others less?

How are we different than these chosen people wandering aimlessly?

Let’s think of what has been given to us.
Our children are not ours they are the Lord’s.
When it is time to give them back to Him
Will they be in the same, better or worse condition?

Even our spouse,
Our spouse was given to us from the Lord.

What do you tell your child if they don’t respect
Something that you gave to them?

If you don’t take better care of your toys,
I’m going to take them back,
Or give them to some little boy who doesn’t have as many toys.

Matthew 13:12, ‘For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.’

Your thoughts here…

Luke 6:38, ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.’

I believe that speaks of the good along with the bad.
I’m not saying the inverse to be true.
If you are receiving bad it is because you are giving bad.
The verse does not say that and we are adding to if we say that.

It says we should expect criticism if we are being critical.
We should expect distance if we are giving distance.
In turn we should expect love if we are giving love.
And we should expect respect if we are giving respect.

What advice can you give us in relations to this verse?

1Corinthians 15:58, ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’

The previous verse I told you, you should expect what you are handing out.
Possibly love, respect, charity.
Going out of your way for someone else.
It doesn’t mean it is going to be a tit-for-tat scenario.
If you give it in the morning you will be rewarded in the evening.

Thankfully with the Lord we don’t get to pick the consequences for our actions.
And in turn we don’t get to choose what our reward will be
Or when we are to receive it.

What can you share with us to help us endure?

We use and hear the words grace and mercy.
The best definition I have found for these words is…

Grace is when you don’t get what you deserve
And mercy is when you get what you don’t deserve.

What ever you are asking the Lord for,
Ask yourself how it will bring glory and honor for the Lord.
Is it a job or a raise?
Is it a house or a car?

Is it for your children to behave a certain way?
Your spouse to act a certain way?
Those around you a certain way?

Are you praying for a ministry you want to do?

Philippians 4:19, ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’

What advice do you have to help us keep things in perspective?

We spoke of poverty and we spoke of abundance.
We withhold certain things from our children
Until they have proven to us they are ready to be trusted.
Is the Lord possibly treating us the same way?

Are there blessings right around the corner and
We just have to mature a little to be worthy of receiving them?
Are we praying for things that will bring us glory and honor?
Do we trust Him to make things right in the end?

James 4:3, ‘Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.’

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 2 - Poverty

2006-12-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?
Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?
All that you deserve?

Let’s search the scriptures together as God teaches us
To bear prosperity with meekness,
And adversity with contentment.

This week we will be reviewing poverty.

Testimony of poverty?

Bend in the road, what fruit has become evident.

Psalm 37:7, ‘Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.’

Maybe I am the only one who thinks this way.
No one seems to agree with me when I see others appearing to prosper.
I have to admit they do make me fret.

Can you help me with this one…

Proverbs 14:30, ‘A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.’

Looking at that verse if we have the opposite of envy we should have a sound heart.
What would the opposite of envy be?

What practical advice do you have for us?
And don’t say just don’t have envy.

Was anyone saved in his or her best days?
Everything was perfect in your life then you knew you needed the Lord?
Can you truly be thankful if you have ever gone without?

If we are in physical poverty is there a lesson not yet learned keeping us there?
If we are in spiritual poverty, I know the answer to that question.
What about if we are truly without physical needs?

Is it possible the Lord is asking us to trust Him?
We say we do with our lips,
Then the next words out of our mouth is ‘but…’

Anyone want to comment here?

Proverbs 15:15-17, ‘All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.’

I believe we are too focused on the negative that we overlook the good.
I have been in the homes of more than one Christian man
that has left his house in the evening without kissing his wife goodbye.

I have also been in the home of more than one Christian man
that has not kissed his children goodnight and prayed with them before bed.
We take way too much for granted.

Can you help us get back on track if we have wavered?

Ecclesiastes 4:6, ‘Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.’

Your thoughts…

Philippians 4:11, ‘Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.’

‘I have learned…’
It is a process,
Where are you on this scale?

1Timothy 6:6-8, ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.’

We may have godliness
And we may have contentment
Where are we with both?

Where are you with both?

Proverbs 30:8-9, ‘Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.’

That is a bold prayer.
It is my desire that we grow stronger in our Christian lives.
Stronger in our walk and stronger in our prayer lives.

Would you be able to pray a prayer like that?
If so help us to be like that.
If not, what steps are you prepared to take.

Ecclesiastes 2:24, ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’

I know I rest better when I did all I could in one day.
Rather than fret and not be able to sleep over all I for got
Or review the list of all the things I should have done differently.

Possibly we take too much credit for the good in our lives?

Your thoughts…

Ecclesiastes 5:12, ‘The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.’

Your thoughts…

Proverbs 14:14, ‘The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself.’

To slide back you must have been further along.
A baby Christian is a baby Christian, they are growing.
We are a little further along now.

And here it says a backslider in heart,
Not a backslider in actions.
Possibly serving in a ministry our actions are still there
But our heart has left the building.

Are we serving because others are watching?
Do we come to church because we want to
or because someone is keeping attendance?

Can you help us with this verse?

Is it up to our children to make us love them?
Do we perform to make the Lord love us?
Are we trying to maintain our salvation?

1Samuel 2:7, ‘The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.’

If only I…
If only my wife…
If only my husband…

Your thoughts here…

Conclusion

We did not save ourselves.
We cannot maintain our salvation.
We cannot make the Lord love us more.

We can however do what He asks us to do.
We can also do what He tells us to do.

We need to do what is required of us to do.
We need to do more for Him today than we did yesterday.
We need to trust Him more today than we did yesterday.

There are blessings all around us.
Every moment of every day.

Yes there is bad.
I can point out every flaw in everyone.
As can you.

I can nit pick and criticize everything I see.
I can also choose to see the good.
Choose to see the opportunity.

You can choose to trust Him.
You can choose to be content.
You can choose to trust Him more today than you did yesterday.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Lesson 1 - Introduction

2006-12-17T16:41:00.000-05:00

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?
Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?
All that you deserve?

Let’s search the scriptures together as God teaches us
To bear prosperity with meekness,
And adversity with contentment.

Opening thoughts…

You say, "If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied." You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. -Spurgeon

Let’s review some areas of discontentment:
What would you want more of,
Will that truly make you more content?

With Godliness is Great Gain

Psalm 37:16, ‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.’

Help us to understand the price of something verses the value of an item…

1Timothy 6:6-8, ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.’

It appears raiment can be used to describe clothing.
It also appears it can be used to describe covering,
That leaves it open for debate that a house is covering
And we are promised a house or a place to live.

We are not content with the necessities,
We need the little extras
Possibly even the luxury items.
We tell our children that they don’t need to have stuff to impress their friends.

Do we take that advice or are we trying to impress someone other than the Lord?

We Should Exhibit Contentment in our Respective Callings

Anything but that,
That’s not in my job description,

1Corinthians 7:20, ‘Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.’

Eph 4:1, ‘… that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called…’

What advice do you have for that person who argues with God
over what they are asked (or told) to do?

We Should Show Contentment with Appointed Wages

Everyone can do your job better.
Just like you can do everyone’s job better than them.
I know aids complain about LPN’s.
LPN’s about RN’s.
And RN’s about Doctors.

The same is true in the plumbing field as
As it is also in husband and wife relations.
I am sure it is in the restaurant and mortgage business.

Luke 3:14, ‘And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.’

How content are you with your wages?

If there is any level of discontent, whom is it directed at?
Does that mean that you don’t trust God…

Let’s think of the term wages to mean,
Compensation for your services.
Now let’s look at your reward for your husbandly duties.
Or your reward for your wifely duties.

Here it says we are to be content with your wages.
My question again

How content are you with your wages?

Do you then blame God for any lack of compensation?

We should display contentment with what things we have

Hebrews 13:5, ‘Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’

In the beginning I asked it in a rhetorical sense I am asking it for real here…
Have you ever really gone without?

The Wicked Want Contentment

Isaiah 5:8, ‘Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!’

Some people look for happiness with world domination as it appears in this verse here.
Where do we look for happiness?
Or contentment.

Is it truly in doing what the Lord asks and resting in that fact?
Or are we as bad as the world
In looking for our contentment in the applause of others.

My question to you is…
How are we any different than the world in looking for contentment?

Two sayings for you to consider:
Flowers bloom where you plant them and
The grass is always greener over the septic tank.

Ecclesiastes 5:10, ‘He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.’

Your closing thoughts…

Conclusion

Here is my desire for us over the next few month,
That we can truly say and mean that
God has taught us to bear prosperity with meekness,
and adversity with contentment.

During this process I want us to remember…

We are not to give thanks for our struggles.
We are to give thanks in our struggles
During our struggles.

I believe when we are truly content with what is measured out to us
We will be allowed to enter the next phase of our growth.
The next phase of our walk.

To be discontent is to doubt god.
To manipulate the outcome
Consequences or rewards of others or situations
Is also to doubt God.

I don’t like when my children doubt me
So I can only imagine how a perfect father feels when His children doubt Him.

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Content Yet Still Wanting - Index

2006-12-17T16:38:00.000-05:00

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more? Have you ever really gone without? Do you trust Him to provide all your wants? All of your needs? All that you deserve? Let’s search the scriptures together as God teaches us to bear prosperity with meekness, and adversity with contentment.

Lesson 1 - Introduction
Lesson 2 - Poverty
Lesson 3 - Abundance
Lesson 4 - The Reason
Lesson 5 - A New Beginning
Lesson 6 - Found Wanting
Lesson 7 - The Mind’s Eye
Lesson 8 - … with Others
Lesson 9 - … with Ourselves
Lesson 10 - … with our Ministry
Lesson 11 - … with this Life
Lesson 12 - Perfect and Entire
Lesson 13 - Conclusion

Philippians 4:12, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 13 - Conclusion

2006-12-17T15:44:00.000-05:00

Introduction

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be.
In addition to that we are either living in the past or in the future.
Are we studying the scriptures for ourselves to live our lives?
Or do we trust what we have heard others say?
Let’s search the scriptures and find the balance,
that safe place where we can reside.

That was my goal for this 13 week lesson.
And here was our foundational verse…

Proverbs 11:1-3, ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

Opening thoughts…

Answer – It is a heart issue.
Prayer will reveal the answer in the gray areas.
The revelation will not contradict His written word.

I believe we blur the lines
and turn the black and white into the subtle shades of gray
that make others not want what we have.

One foot in the white,
One on the black.
If the world sees us we can simply lift our white foot.
If our church friends see us we can lift our black foot.

Let’s not live in the gray.
Let’s find the answer in His Word.
Confirm it in prayer.
And walk as He has told us to.

Here is what I believe the progression of our spiritual growth should be.
What I am basing this on is how my spiritual progression has gone,
Backed up by other men in this church I spoke with.

- We start out as a dry brittle sponge. Every message we hear was written for us. We soak it all in. How did Pastor know I needed that? Much like that dry sponge soaking up any moisture found, our new spirituality is ready to receive anything given to it.
- We aren’t as absorbent. Some messages are for us, some don’t apply. We are not the new person in church.
- We grow in our spirituality, we need Sunday evening and Wednesday evenings as we realize Sunday morning is more specifically for the unsaved or the newly saved Christian.
- We need help from ‘Study Bibles’ and commentary notes to help us understand the Bible better
- We outgrow commentaries as we find them to not always be accurate as they are one man’s opinion, or a consensus of men’s opinions.
- We seek the Lord’s understanding to reveal His Word to us. He gives us a deeper understanding of scripture. Ideas that we feel we are the first person to come up with. Later we find out that others have thought that too. Either way we were given that inspiration independent of someone else’s opinion.

Additional thoughts…

Let’s look at that as it applies to Husband and Wife relations

1 Peter 3:1-2, ‘Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.’

Even before you say it, you are right.
Us men don’t deserve your subjection,
However the Lord put it here.

No, a husband is not allowed to blame his wife for his lack of growth,
Just as a wife is not allowed to blame her husband.
With that in mind we are not to take that for granted,
And hinder the other.

What advice do you have for us here?

1 Peter 3:7, ‘Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.’

Two parts here.
Give her the honor she deserves as the Lord commands.
That our prayers be not hindered.

Women what advice do you have for us men as how we can honor you?

Men, why would we want our prayers hindered?

We are also not allowed to blame others for our sin.

That’s what Adam and Eve did.
Eve blamed the serpent,
And Adam in a way blamed the Lord,

Genesis 3:12, ‘And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’

What advice do you have for us when we want to blame others?
Even when they are to blame?

Where is the balance between authority and responsibility?
When I worked at Pipe Solutions I had a problem with that balance.
My boss made me totally accountable for my workload.
I had to take full responsibility for it.

The problem was with the authority factor.
I did not have total control over the project.
I did not control manpower.
I did not control finances.

However I did have to accept responsibility for the project as a whole.
And be able to give account for anything that went wrong on the project.
I was also not allowed to make excuses or assign blame.

Can anyone relate to that?

Philippians 4:8-9, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’

I asked you before how much time do you spend thinking on these things
and the consensus was not enough.
Asking that question a few weeks later how would you answer?

Galatians 5:16, ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.’

There is the answer.
What is your advice as to how we are to practically apply that verse?

Conclusion

Manage your strengths or they will manage you.
And ignore your weaknesses and they will trip you up.

I don’t want you to stumble,
And I need help at times,
Let’s work together, growing in one accord,
To be the individual He designed us to be
And the part of the body He also designed us to be.

Any additional thoughts?

Next week we will be starting
Content yet still wanting
With the foundational verse…

Philippians 4:2, ‘I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.’

How well do you balance being content and still desiring more?
Have you ever really gone without?
Do you trust Him to provide all your wants?
All of your needs?
All that you deserve?

Let’s search the scriptures together
as God teaches us to bear prosperity with meekness,
and adversity with contentment.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 12 - pre - Conclusion

2006-12-17T15:39:00.000-05:00

Introduction

Some of our Biblical boundaries are clearly defined as pertains to our relationship with God.
Our relationship with our parents and our relationship with others.
Even our relationship with our spouse.

Even if we don’t like what those boundaries are they are clearly defined.
We can modify them in our minds but they are clearly defined.
We can even say, ‘we don’t believe that that’s what the verse means.’

If the boundary is not clearly defined or if ‘we don’t think’ it is clearly defined
We can know the right direction.

Even in so-called “gray areas,” we can determine biblical boundaries
through the application of God’s Word.
From a practical standpoint, we can do this
by asking ourselves questions based on biblical truths.

Once again here are our eight guidelines for establishing Biblical Boundaries

· Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
· Am I edifying myself or others?
· Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
· If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
· Would it cause a brother to stumble?
· Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
· Dose my conscience condemn me for it?
· What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

Opening thoughts…

Testimony of why I wanted to do this class

Our foundational verse is…

Proverbs 11:1-3 ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

Does anything jump out at you in those verses that you would like to share?

Pastor Moses told us before from the pulpit,
If the Bible has an opinion about a matter –
Than we have an opinion about that same matter.
If the Bible is silent on a matter –
Than we are to be silent about a matter.

2Peter 1:20, ‘Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.’

So how is it that people can disagree about what a scripture is saying?

I don’t speak Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic.
I speak English.
You will hear words like,
‘Well what that means…’ or
‘If you read the original text…’

My answer.
I don’t care what you think it says or what others think is says.
What does it say?
In addition read the context.
The whole sentence, paragraph and chapter.
Then let’s see what it says.
Living between the extremes.

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be.
In addition to that we are either living in the past or in the future.
Are we studying the scriptures for ourselves to live our lives?
Or do we trust what we have heard others say?
Let’s search the scriptures and find the balance,
that safe place where we can reside.

I have heard people say that McDonalds is sin.
Mormons believe that coffee is sin.
Down south the major cash crop is tobacco and they smoke.

Jesus’ first miracle was to turn water into wine.
It doesn’t say He drank it,
Does he condone it?

Matthew 15:11, ‘Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.’

What advice do you have for us here?

Let’s focus more on that,
What comes out of our mouth.
Others are watching what we do.
The unsaved world to let us know when we slip.
Even our ‘friends’ at church.

I can’t worry about your co-workers.
I also am not going to worry about those people in church
who are going to gossip about you.

Let’s assess our heart and make sure our motives are true.
Let’s review the scriptures to make sure our heart is in check.
Let’s not be driven and motivated by things like:
Guilt, shame, intimidation, coercion and other such words

Having said all that
let’s make sure we are not the person
doing the intimidation and the shaming.

1 Corinthians 8:9, ‘But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.’

Again thinking about living between the extremes,
What advice do you have for us here?

Some questions to consider…

- Are you stronger spiritually today than you were a month ago, or a year ago?
- Do you struggle with the same problem areas of your life as you did before?
- A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out of it. Are you in a rut?
- If so are you attempting to climb out or do you feel comfortable there?

1 Corinthians 8:13, ‘Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.’

Your thoughts here…

I believe because of the pain we have gone through previously
we are quick to point out others faults.
We are also very quick to point out when we are right.
Possibly because we never received the praise we deserved.

Romans 14:13, ‘Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.’

I stated before that I believe some people get out of bed in the morning
with their shoe laces tied together.
Then they want to blame us when they trip and fall.

Let’s rule out those people with this verse they are in a different category.
How can we use this verse as it applies to our true brothers and sisters?

Conclusion

We can please some of the people some of the time,
And we can please all of the people none of the time.
Rather than proving to others that we are always right
Let’s rest in the fact that the Lord knows we are right.

next chapter

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 11 - so-called "Gray Areas"

2006-12-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Once again here are our eight guidelines for establishing Biblical Boundaries

· Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
· Am I edifying myself or others?
· Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
· If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
· Would it cause a brother to stumble?
· Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
· Dose my conscience condemn me for it?
· What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

Let’s test this filter with a ‘gray area.’

We have free will and our actions bring about consequences.
Following sin will bring consequences
As will following the Lord bring about ‘consequences.’

Your choice will result in glory to God one way or another.
You will be either a vessel of honor or dishonor.
The choice is yours.

II Timothy 2:20, ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour’

Which are you?
Gold, silver, wood or earth?

Let’s elaborate on this one.
It doesn’t say vessels of differing degrees of honor.
It says some vessels are to be dishonored.
In the church there are those not of lesser honor
But that are to be dishonored.

Any additional thoughts?

Let’s still look at this one further.
Even the vessels of gold and silver can be put to bad use.
Is the television good or evil?
Is the Internet good or evil?

What about vessels or wood and earth.
Are they only used for garbage?
Or are they to be used for harder tasks?

Your thoughts about that line of thinking…

Romans 9:21, ‘Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?’

The same clay is used to make a cheep ashtray
As is used to make the china that is only used once a year
And is displayed prominently.

What say does the clay have over the end product?
What say do we have over our end product?

II Timothy 2:20-21, ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.’

Sounds like it is also up to us in verse 21.
When it says purge … from these, what does ‘these’ mean?

Let’s shift our focus on our liberty
Our free will.
In discipleship lesson 13 the question is asked…

How do I achieve a balance between my liberties and other people’s needs?

Romans 13:8-9, ‘Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’

The answer is given in that lesson as…
You can achieve that balance ONLY through the power of the Holy Spirit
as you walk with Him.

II Corinthians 3:6, ‘Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.’

Made is past tense.
We are all ready capable of doing what He has asked.
Or what He has told us to do.

Has there been something asked of you that you are postponing?

II Corinthians 3:17, ‘Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’

He wants us to be free.
He wants us to not bog ourselves down.

Are you growing in this area or are you strong and ready to give us some advice?

Romans 7:6, ‘But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.’

I think it is going to take time.
Here the word used is ‘should.’
We should serve in newness of spirit.

Think of your child learning a new task.
We assign a time frame on it when they should have mastered the task.
Whether it is potty training or tying their shoes.

If they are in their early teens and still not potty trained there is a problem.

How much time should the Lord expect us to learn the task of serving in the spirit?

Romans 6:1-2, ‘What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?’

The sin that you thought of when that passage was read
Run it through our filter.
Is it sin?
Is it a bad habit?
Is it taking away from something else?

Any thoughts…

Romans 3:8, ‘And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.’

Let’s get this one out of the way.
Two wrongs don’t make it right.
Some times people say ‘It was of God.’
When some part of His word was violated.

Can young women start a dating ministry
Where they date unsaved men in order to get them saved?
Should I drive 100 mph to work to be on time to have a good testimony there?

Your thoughts on what I said…

Or your thoughts more importantly on our verse…

Conclusion

We have been given a free will.
We will reap consequences or blessings from our actions.
When we perform badly we don’t get to choose those consequences.
Just like we don’t get to choose our blessings.

We can be vessels or gold, silver, wood or earth.
What we are made of doesn’t dictate what we will be used for.

We can only live a balanced life in between the extremes with the help of the Holy Spirit.
If that trust is coupled with us walking with the Lord.

We are already capable of doing what the Lord has asked us to do
Or told us to do.
We are not doing the Lord’s work
He is doing it through us.
Or you can say we are doing it with Him.

Others will speak slanderously about us from time to time.
If we are right they will be punished by Him, in His time.
Let’s not behave wrongly to bring about a desired result.

Let’s be a lighthouse to help guide others.
Stay strong.
No need to beat others up.
And never doubt that He has left you.

next chapter

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 10 - Biblical Boundary #8

2006-12-17T15:27:00.000-05:00

What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

Sure I’m not as bad as he is.
I’m a better wife than she is.
At least my kids aren’t doing what their kids are.

Who are we comparing ourselves to?
Are we comparing ourselves to other’s weaknesses?
Or are we comparing ourselves to what the Lord has laid out for us.

I believe there are no neutral words.
Your words are either lifting up
Or they are tearing down.
We can have different degrees of course.

You can have a sharp tongue and rip them down
and they know they have been verbally assaulted.
You can do it more subtly and when they get home they are thinking to themselves…
Did they mean that the way they said it?

So when we ask, what is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?
I also believe there are no neutral actions.
Our actions we will either have to give account for to the Lord or
They are actions we will be rewarded for.

Those who are in the wrong defend themselves.
A homosexual will say what they do in the privacy of their own home isn’t hurting anyone.
Someone smoking marijuana says it isn’t hurting anyone.

Those sins are easy ones we don’t suffer from those two.
It’s easy to point to them and say how bad they are.
What about us when we defend our more socially acceptable sins?
We sound just like them.
The only person we are fooling is ourselves.
And we don’t even do a good job at that.

Opening question…
Have we learned anything from our previous 9 weeks on this topic?
Or have we wasted 9 hours of our lives that we can never get back?

Last week I ended with the comment that
we have spent our whole lives programming ourselves a certain way.
And with the Lord’s help we can de-program it.
Or re-program it if you will.

About two months ago I suggested we should keep track of others around us
and note their negativity.
I also mentioned after we took an inventory of how negative they were
we should make note of ourselves and rate our negativity level.

Did anyone do that?

Rather than telling you to re-program it and leave you on your own
Let’s find out how we are to do that.

Remember what the number 8 represents when we come across it in the Bible?
New Beginnings
Here is another grouping of 8

Philippians 4:8-9, ‘Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.’

My rhetorical question that you can answer in front of all us is…
How much time do you spend thinking on the above-mentioned list of 8?

What are we going to do about that?

Can’t we pray for the Lord to help us focus on these things?
Why do people let us down so often?
Because we expect them to.
And we are watching their every move for an offence.

I have encouraged you to pray more expectantly and more specifically.
I believe we do that very well for others.
I expect Him to protect my children.
I expect a blessing at church during the service.

Do we pray Lord forgive me of my sins and give me a good day?
Or do we ask the Lord to forgive us for our specific sins?
And ask the Lord for the specifics of our day?

I think I know the answer here but would anyone want to answer?

Let’s see if this verse helps…

1 Thes. 3:7-15, ‘Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith? Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.’

Can’t we pray for the Lord to focus our thoughts?
Or are we afraid of what He might do if we give Him full control?

Our thought for today is what is good or right about this thing that I should allow it in my life?

2 Timothy 1:13, ‘Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.’

Your thoughts…

I think we look for happiness in the wrong places.
If we are not looking for happiness or comfort
Maybe we are looking for some mind numbing exercise
to keep our mind off the reality.

Romans 14:23, ‘And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.’

Let’s overlook the eating analogy here.
Let me paraphrase…
Why do we do what we do?
I’ll do it because you told me to but I don’t think it will work.

What kind of an attitude is that?
When our kids act like that we want to spank them.
How does the Lord feel when we act like that?

2 Corinthians 5:6-8, ‘Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’

I said before that I believe we focus on the negative.
How often do we focus on being in heaven?

You know when the Lord tells you to do something and you start arguing in your head?
Or when you men read about you husbandly duties in the Bible
and you start thinking about all the things your wife doesn’t do for you?
As you are justifying your inactivity.

Or wives when you read what you are supposed to do
and then you look over at him sitting on the couch
and then look over at the stack of bills on the desk.

Let’s read here…

James 4:17, ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’

Your thoughts…

We trust Him with cancer
We trust him with salvation
We trust Him with the big things.

Why can’t we trust Him with what are possibly the lesser matters.
Someone’s attitude?
Someone’s heart?
Someone’s mouth?

Do we like having our God in a box only to come out on special occasions?
Like a genie in a magic lamp.
We only get three wishes so we better make them count.

Galatians 5:6, ‘For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.’

Your advice here…
Here’s my advice here.
In stead of praying for your spouse to change their attitude
Or that person you are in conflict with.
Let’s pray, Lord I hope I never act like that,
If I have please reveal it to me. And Lord please comfort that person’s heart
as they appear to be in pain and reveal to me what I can do to help them.

I believe this has been a good series.
A supernaturally put together series.
Because as I told you before I put together the title for the chapters earl on
and picked out the verses just as early on.

And here they are laid out for us with practical advice.
Not just slaps in the face and rebukes for what we are doing wrong.

Galatians 5:16, ‘This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.’

Can you give us some closing thoughts to help us apply what we have read today?

Let’s meditate on the eight items previously read:
Truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, things of good report; things of virtue, and that which is worthy of praise
Let’s think on those things we walk with the Lord.

Rather than he should have done that
She should have done that
Why didn’t the Lord
Why did the Lord

Let’s not compare ourselves to other’s weaknesses.
Let’s not keep the Lord in a box
Or a magic lamp as it were.

Let’s truly allow Him to work in our lives.

next chapter

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 9 - Biblical Boundary #7

2006-12-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

Biblical Boundary # 7
For helping us find direction in those gray areas.
Does my conscience condemn me for it?

This is an area of degrees.
Your conscience will convict you heavily about murder.
Your conscience may convict you less if you are speeding
and going along with the flow of traffic.

There are two examples and there are many.

Is the conviction less if the consequence is worth the pleasure we are going to receive?
Think of a child disobeying.
They heard you and they know they are going to get a spank on the hand
or go to bed early and they went ahead and did it anyways.

Did they believe they were going to get the consequence
Or did they not believe the consequence would be handed out
because of their parent’s inconsistency?

It might be easier if every time we sinned
the Lord handed us the same punishment every time.
At the moment of the offence.

We get away with speeding.
Some of us have gotten caught,
But we have gotten away with it.

We have told our children they would go to bed early
And let them stay up to their normal time.
Do our past experiences dictate our level of conscience in this regard?

Opening thoughts…

When we are caught doing something we don’t like it,
But we understand the consequences.
What about when we are falsely accused of something
Or misunderstood of doing something?

1 Peter 3:16-17, ‘Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.’

How often do we truly suffer for our well doing?
Based on this verse it should be more often than it probably is.

Can you help us to understand our conscience?

I mentioned speeding and everyone doing it.
I believe the nazi soldiers used that same defense.
The same is true with mob psychology during riots.
Individually the people would never have done things like that
They were caught up in the moment.

What about our children.
At a church function in the gym.
We tell our children not to run
Don’t play so rough.
Others are doing it.

Our children are in a room with other children.
Does our children rub off on the others and they rise to a higher standard
Or do our children do what the other children are doing?

Titus 2:7-8, ‘In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.’

Our children need to learn that from us.
As we should have learned it from Jesus.

What practical advice do you have for us here?

With our children I believe we have to be proactive teachers
Rather than reactive disciplinarians.

Rather than criticizing others and pointing out what they are doing wrong
Maybe we need to be a little more proactive and give advice before a situation comes up.

Hebrews 13:18, ‘Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.’

I think we should pray a little more for each other in this room.
We are a team

Can you elaborate on any advice?

Our worldly wisdom tells us that we probably won’t get caught doing what we are doing.
No one knows what we are thinking.
Just like the world has trained us of this over time.
We can train or re-train ourselves to remember
The Lord is watching.

2 Corinthians 1:12, ‘For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.’

How can we re-train ourselves to this way of thinking?

1 Peter 2:19, ‘For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.’

It is hard to do but again we read we need to do it.

Can you give me some advice as to how I am to endure this?

Sometimes we are good with this.
Other times we don’t want to hear it.
That implies inconsistency.

Some of us are good at handling the big problems,
But freak out at the little things.
Again incinsistancy.

1 Timothy 1:5-7, ‘Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.’

Don’t tell me, it’s a heart issue.

What can you share with us here?

We expect the unsaved to act unsaved.
We expect the baby Christian to act like a baby.
We expect other peoples children to not act as well as ours.

We expect our spouse to act better than other spouses.
We expect our children to act better than other children.
How does the Lord expect us to act?

1Timothy 4:1-3, ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.’

Your thoughts...

That is not talking about the unsaved world.
All in one sentence it says some shall depart.
Depart means that you were already there.

Still the same sentence
Speaking lies – well it was just a little white lie.
- I didn’t lie; sure I withheld some critical information.

If you burn a part of your body bad enough
The nerves get damaged and you cannot feel that area any more.
You cannot feel hot or cold
Pleasure or pain.
You are numb there.
There is also probably a scar that others can see.

Let’s not be one of those dearly departed.
Let’s ask the Lord to restore that scar.
Let’s ask the Lord to return the sensitivity that was taken away by a harsh burn.

Possibly the sensitivity was taken away gradually.
Like a callous.
Over time skin cells have grown over that area
Making it less sensitive to the subtle changes.

We expect more from our children and we should
We know what they are capable of.
As we are the Lord’s children how much more should He expect of us.

We expect more from the one we are married to
How much more should the Lord expect from us?

Let’s ask Him to help us when we are weak – as we are week
and even before we know we are going to be weak.

That physical scar that has lost it’s sensitivity can be healed if He chooses to.
That callous can also be healed as He chooses.

As we have programmed our mind based on past events
I challenge you to re-program your mind based on the promises we have read.

He wants to help you
He can help you.
Let’s pray together for wisdom to make the right decisions
and the strength to follow through with them.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 8 - Biblical Boundary #6

2006-12-17T15:15:00.000-05:00

Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?

We know that some people we come across
Had their shoe laces tied together
When they left the house in the morning.

We learned last week that we are not allowed to blame others for our mood.
We are also not allowed to blame others for our sin.

That’s what Adam and Eve did.
Eve blamed the serpent,
And Adam in a way blamed the Lord,

Genesis 3:12, ‘And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.’

Now what of others?
When the shoe is on the other foot.
How are we to be when others are blaming us?

Opening thoughts…

1 Cor. 10:31-33, ‘Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.’

‘…that they may be saved.’
Is our primary focus to prove ourselves to be right?
Or is it to give glory and honor to the Lord?

Your thoughts…

I mentioned bringing honor to the Lord.
Let’s think of the word please.
Here are some synonyms:

satisfy, gratify, give pleasure to, make happy, delight, make somebody's day, thrill and entertain

Would the Lord use those words to describe us?
What about our neighbor?
are our actions for the good of others or
our own gratification.

Romans 15:2, ‘Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.’

Can you give us a practical example as to how we can do this?

In trying to please men we should not be trying to gain applause,
and we should not strive to please them any further than will be for the glory of God.

So what is another way of saying bring glory to God?
People getting saved.
Troubled Christians getting back on track.

1Corinthians 9:19, ‘For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.’

So what practical advice can you give us here, rather than saying you need to serve others?

Have you ever been with someone that rubs you the wrong way?
Been with someone who puts you down with his or her little verbal jabs?
Have you ever been that person?

I have learned that I need to communicate with different people in different ways.
My wife one way,
Children another,
Big Mike and John Pertell another,
People in the store another.

It’s not me changing or being different.
It’s me communicating in the way that is most effective.

1 Corinthians 9:22, ‘To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.’

I gave the example of verbal communication,
Can you give us an example here?

What’s in it for me?
What can I get out of this marriage?
What can I get out of this friendship?

Will this look good on my resume?
Will others give me a pat on the back when they hear about what I’ve done?
How will God reward me for this?

1 Corinthians10:24, ‘Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.’

Two parts there.
If we are seeking our own wealth we are wrong.
If we are not seeking someone else to increase we are wrong.

What advice do you have for us here?

This lesson’s Biblical Boundary is,
Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?

1 Timothy 4:1-5, ‘Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.’

Verse 1
Let’s make sure we are not the departed.
Let’s be careful of seducing spirits,
They are all around us.
Whispering in our ear, talking on the television and at work.
Wrong doctrine is also all around us.
Let’s be aware and prepared.

Verse 2
Lies are also around us.
In advertising,
In the media
Even in Christian circles.
Let’s make sure our conscience is still clear.
Let’s also be aware of those who are seared.

Your closing thoughts…

Conclusion

Answer – It is a heart issue.
Prayer will reveal the answer in the gray areas.
The revelation will not contradict His written word.

I believe we blur the lines
and turn the black and white into the subtle shades of gray
that make others not want what we have.

One foot in the white,
One on the black.
If the world sees us we can simply lift our white foot.
If our church friends see us we can lift our black foot.

Let’s not live in the gray.
Let’s find the answer in His Word.
Confirm it in prayer.
And walk as He has told us to.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 7 - Biblical Boundary #5

2006-12-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

If the boundary is not clearly defined or if ‘we don’t think’ it is clearly defined
We can know the right direction.

Even in so-called “gray areas,” we can determine biblical boundaries
through the application of God’s Word.
From a practical standpoint, we can do this
by asking ourselves questions based on biblical truths.

2Peter 1:20, ‘Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.’

Here is what I believe the progression of our spiritual growth should be.
What I am basing this on is how my spiritual progression has gone,
Backed up by other men in this church I spoke with.

- We start out as a dry brittle sponge. Every message we hear was written for us. We soak it all in. How did Pastor know I needed that? Much like that dry sponge soaking up any moisture found, our new spirituality is ready to receive anything given to it.
- We aren’t as absorbent. Some messages are for us, some don’t apply. We are not the new person in church.
- We grow in our spirituality, we need Sunday evening and Wednesday evenings as we realize Sunday morning is more specifically for the unsaved or the newly saved Christian.
- We need help from ‘Study Bibles’ and commentary notes to help us understand the Bible better
- We outgrow commentaries as we find them to not always be accurate as they are one man’s opinion, or a consensus of men’s opinions.
- We seek the Lord’s understanding to reveal His Word to us. He gives us a deeper understanding of scripture. Ideas that we feel we are the first person to come up with. Later we find out that others have thought that too. Either way we were given that inspiration independent of someone else’s opinion.

Opening thoughts on my opinion of growth…

Where might you be on that scale if you believe it to be accurate…

Here is our 5th guideline for establishing Biblical Boundaries

Would it cause a brother to stumble?

Let’s look at that as it applies to Husband and Wife relations

1 Peter 3:1-2, ‘Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.’

Even before you say it, you are right.
Us men don’t deserve your subjection,
However the Lord put it here.

No, a husband is not allowed to blame his wife for his lack of growth,
Just as a wife is not allowed to blame her husband.
With that in mind we are not to take that for granted,
And hinder the other.

What advice do you have for us here?

1 Peter 3:7, ‘Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.’

Two parts here.
Give her the honor she deserves as the Lord commands.
That our prayers be not hindered.

Women what advice do you have for us men as how we can honor you?

Men, why would we want our prayers hindered?

Romans 14:13-23, ‘Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died. Let not then your good be evil spoken of: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak. Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.’

There is a lot there.
What jumps out to you?

Remember we are talking about a Biblical boundary,
Would it cause a brother to stumble.
I’m not talking about that person who walks into church
with their shoe laces already tied together.

I’m not talking about the Arabs who will be offended by the Jews
no matter how much land they give them.

I’m talking about offending someone else in this room.
Someone in another classroom.
Someone who doesn’t go to Sunday School
And who only comes to church three times a month.

Romans 15:1-4, ‘We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.’

Verse 2 jumps out at me.
Pleasing our neighbor.

What are your thoughts here?

God made us all different.
Some are analytical and drive themselves crazy
looking at everything from every possible angle.
God made us that way, we are to walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise.

God made some more lackadaisical,
Things don’t bother them like water off a ducks back,
Or in one ear and out the other.

Some have no tolerance for nonsense.
Some have no expectations of others and expect them to act that way.

God made us different for a reason.
He made me one-way and you another.
You are not wrong because you are not like me
And vice versa.

Galatians 6:1, ‘Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.’

Here it says a fault.
Something we can attach a scripture to.
Not, ‘I don’t think you should have done that.’

Spirit of meekness.
Think about setting a broken bone,
You have to be very careful so it heals properly.

Can you give me some advice as to how I am supposed to do this?

1 Cor. 8:10-13, ‘For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.’

Why do we fret over these matters?

There’s enough black and white that we don’t have to dabble in the grey.

So which is it?
I won’t do it in front of you, or I won’t do it?

Here is something I read this week in the book ‘Made to count.’
Manage your strengths or they will manage you.
And
Ignore your weaknesses and they will trip you up.

I don’t want you to stumble,
And I need help at times,
Let’s work together, growing in one accord,
To be the individual He designed us to be
And the part of the body He also designed us to be.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 6 - Biblical Boundary #4

2006-12-17T15:05:00.000-05:00

If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?

I have spoken previously about my theories of the DVD selections when we get to heaven.
When we have to give account of our actions will they be on display for all to see.
Scripture says yes.

Just like others ask where we were on September 11th
Will they ask where we were when we were raptured?

What if the Lord walked into our homes at any moment?
What if He visited us at work?

What if Pastor visited us at home when we were not expecting it.
What if our children hid a video camera in the home?
What if we were secretly on some reality program?

We think about what if the Lord returned at any moment.
But what about the thought of Him living inside us.
What do we put him through?

Our foundational verse is…

Proverbs 11:1-3 ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

Do we have manic-depressive tendencies?
Traveling from one pole to the other?
Are we either on fire for the Lord
Or raging as the heathen?

Would we be pleased if our children acted like us?
Is the Lord pleased with our actions?

Opening thoughts

1 Corinthians 1:8, ‘Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

As a parent is responsible for the actions of their child up to a certain point
Or a certain age.
For how long is the Lord responsible for our actions…
If ever?

Our own worst enemy is our mind,
Looking back we think things and do things that don’t seem like it was us.
Sometimes awesome things that the Lord does through us
And sometimes the opposite of awesome things that
We are not proud of.

Colossians 1:21-22, ‘And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:’

Alien… not us
Now let’s look at those words again.
We see the past tense, present tense than the future tense.

Where do you reside?

We trust Him with our salvation
We trust Him with protecting our loved ones when they are away.
We trust Him to keep our cars in tack and
The airplanes we fly in to stay also in tact.

Why then do we think it is up to us to walk the perfect line.
Why do we think it is salvation by faith and then
Maintenance of salvation by works?

1Thessalonians 3:13, ‘To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.’

Are we afraid to ask the Lord to keep us strong?
Because we might not like the way He will do it?

Your thoughts here…

1 Corinthians 5:5, ‘To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’

Are we in the early stages of Job?
Hurt everything around him, but don’t touch his body.
OK, you can hurt his body but don’t kill him.

Scripture also talks about if your eye offendeth,
To pluck it out.
Can we then imply that He will pluck it out if we don’t?

We also know that ‘talents’ will be taken away from us if we don’t use them wisely.

My thought were are that if we aren’t asking the Lord to help us with our problems,
Someone else by default is ‘helping’ us with our problems.

What can you share with us here?

1 Thessalonians 5:23, ‘And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Your thoughts…

God saved us.
Yes, He also gave us a free will.
We have liberty, but not a free pass to sin.

God works through us,
And He allows us to do His work.
We are not doing His work.

I believe we are afraid to ask Him to help in certain areas.
Answer.
Say you are sorry,
Ask forgiveness,
Then ask Him to help.

I am not going to fill in the blanks.
You can in your head.

If He returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
Our children hurt us a times,
Our children anger us,
Our children annoy us,
And our children try us.
Do we love them any less?

Do we punish them and not feed them – No.
They may not have their favorite meal but they will eat.
What about our heavenly father?

Do we pluck our children’s eye out – No.
If they play with sharp sticks long enough they will pluck it out themselves.
What about our bodily pain?

Is it our children’s job to make us love them?
Is it our children’s job to make us proud?
What about our relationship with Him?

If shame, embarrassment, guilt or any of those things are creeping in,
Get them right at that moment.
Ask Him to help you.

There in lies the balance.
Work like it is all up to us,
‘ and pray as if it is all up to Him.

Live like He is returning at this moment.
Get a WWJD bracelet.
He is ready to help you be stronger today
Than you were yesterday.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 5 - Biblical Boundary #3

2006-12-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

Introduction

I believe we are caught between the person we are
and the person we want to be.

As we struggle in this area
we are looking for the balance where we can safely reside
and be who we are.

In this search to find ourselves
we either beat ourselves up about the past
or live in the too distant future
with hopes of getting out of the rut we find ourselves in.

We need to stop digging
and start climbing.
As that rut will soon become our grave.

Questions to consider:

- Are you stronger spiritually today than you were a month ago, or a year ago?
- Do you struggle with the same problem areas of your life as you did before?
- A rut is a grave with both ends kicked out of it. Are you in a rut?
- If so are you attempting to climb out or do you feel comfortable there?

I don’t want you to be in a rut.
I don’t like to be in a rut.
Like driving in hard packed snow in the wintertime.

You cannot easily steer your vehicle.
You are not in control.
The Lord is not controlling you.

The path you are in is controlling you.

Opening thoughts…

Once again here are our eight guidelines for establishing Biblical Boundaries

· Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
· Am I edifying myself or others?
· Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
· If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
· Would it cause a brother to stumble?
· Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
· Dose my conscience condemn me for it?
· What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

Biblical Boundary #3
Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?

Colossians 3:17, ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’

All means all.
There are some things we don’t ask the Lord to help us with
because we don’t think He will approve.

Then on the other side of the extreme we tell people
the Lord told us to do something so they will not give us as much flack.

Do you fall into one of those camps?
If yes, let’s talk about it.
If no, please give the rest of us some advice.

Acts 24:16, ‘And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.’

Always means always,
We spoke last week about how some people wake up in the morning
and decide that they are going to be offended.

What can you share with us about our offences toward God, and men?
Let’s look at the beginning of that verse.
What is exercise? Doing something repeatedly to get stronger.

Acts 23:1, ‘And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’

That is a powerful statement.
Your thoughts…

2 Corinthians 4:2, ‘But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.’

The hidden things of dishonesty;
What follows dishonesty?
We feel shame;

Shameful deeds we practice secretly,
Because we are ashamed to have them known.

Then the Bible gives us some examples:
Walking in craftiness…
Handling the Word of God deceitfully…
Watering down the Word of God to please everyone…

This week we are talking about our clear conscience,
Shouldn’t the past pain of shame be enough to keep us accountable?
How can we renounce those hidden things of dishonesty?

We make things more difficult than they need to be.
We believe that if something seems too good to be true
It probably is.

Why is that?
Because of past failures.
Because of others letting us down in the past.

Because of that past,
I believe,
We are comparing God to those who have hurt us.

2 Corinthians 1:12, ‘For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.’

The scars of the past are real,
How do we distance ourselves from that
And trust the simplicity of what the Lord has put before us?

1 Timothy 1:5-8, ‘Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:’

faith unfeigned: faith that is sincere,
faith that is real,
faith that is genuine,
faith that is heartfelt,
faith that is authentic,
faith that is truthful

‘From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;’
‘Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.’
‘But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;’

We often compare our strengths with the weaknesses of others,
We are to compare ourselves against the responsibilities the Lord has given us.
What advice do you have for us here?

1 Timothy 1:19-20, ‘Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.’

Has our conscience been so seared that we have been turned over?

1 Timothy 3:9, ‘Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.’

Yes this is for deacons,
But let’s hold ourselves to this same standard.
A mystery,
Even if we do not understand it all,
We trust it.

It is easier to live boldly for the Lord with a clear conscience.
Rather than acting like a dog left home alone who has gone through the trash.
As soon as the master comes home they cower and hide
Rather than running up and lovingly greeting their master.
The one who feeds them.
The one who provides for them.
The one who loves them.

Closing Thoughts …

As we struggle in our battle over the extremes
we are looking for the balance where we can safely reside
and be who we are.

In this search to find ourselves
we either beat ourselves up about the past
or live in the too distant future
with hopes of getting out of the rut we find ourselves in.

We need to stop digging our own rut
and start climbing out of our potential grave.

Let’s not compare our virtues with the moral blemishes of others,
Let’s not compare our moral strengths with the weaknesses of others;
Let’s compare our own achievements and ourselves,
Against the responsibilities given to us by God.

Furthermore, let’s realize that we measure up to God's standard only with God's help.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 4 - Biblical Boundary #2

2006-12-17T14:55:00.000-05:00

Pre-introduction

Am I edifying myself or others?

Meaning to lift up or to build up.
How do we do that?
Here are some synonyms.

Enlighten, inform, educate, instruct, improve & teach,

Definition - One of the words in the Bible used to describe Christian growth is edification. Edification is the process of spiritual growth in a Christian who is living according to the plan of God and who is fulfilling the command to "grow in grace and in the knowledge" of Jesus Christ.
http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics/edification.html

Introduction

For the sake of this introduction I will use the word ‘we’ instead of ‘I.’

Are we too worried about defending ourselves
that we don’t care about others?
Do we rehearse all possible excuses
in the event that we are challenged?

Do we compliment someone on Sunday morning,
Only to criticize them on the ride home with our spouse,
In front of our children?

How do we feel when others treat us the way we treat them?
When they lift them selves up
when they almost break their own arm patting themselves on their back?

My friend Mark Hunt described these people as ‘Pin People,’
Because they are always trying to burst your bubble.

Your thoughts on are we edifying others or ourselves?

Story of the Hermit Crab.

Let’s not be the aggressor hermit crab.
Then how are we to behave if we are the attacked hermit crab?

1 Corinthians 10:23, ‘All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.’

History on this verse

As taken from Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

‘There were cases wherein Christians might eat what had been offered to idols, without sin. Such as when the flesh was sold in the market as common food, for the priest to whom it had been given. But a Christian must not merely consider what is lawful, but what is expedient, and to edify others. Christianity by no means forbids the common offices of kindness, or allows uncourteous behaviour to any, however they may differ from us in religious sentiments or practices. But this is not to be understood of religious festivals, partaking in idolatrous worship. According to this advice of the apostle, Christians should take care not to use their liberty to the hurt of others, or to their own reproach. In eating and drinking, and in all we do, we should aim at the glory of God, at pleasing and honouring him. This is the great end of all religion, and directs us where express rules are wanting. A holy, peaceable, and benevolent spirit, will disarm the greatest enemies.’

Let’s read this verse again…

Are we giving our enemies ammunition?
Or are we disarming our enemies?

So with this in mind and also keeping in mind the topic of this class,
‘Living Between the Extremes’ are we to act one way in private
and another way in front of ‘younger’ Christians?

1 Corinthians 8:9, ‘But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.’

Just because we can do something, does that mean we should do it?

1 Corinthians 8:13, ‘Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.’

Do you believe this is a hypocritical statement,
Or is this a principal we can practice?

Romans 14:13, ‘Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.’

Instead of deciding on our brother or sister’s conduct,
let’s decide to not lay a stumbling-block before them.

Your thoughts on this verse?

As I believe I say in each class,
It is a heart issue.
What is the intent of our heart with our actions?

Romans 14:20, ‘For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.’

Do we hear people say things like,
‘I’m going to do this and I don’t care what anybody thinks?’
Do we think those same words ,
Or say them out of our own mouth?

Can you share your thoughts here?

The topic of this lesson is are we edifying ourselves or others?

Galatians 5:1, ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’

Bondage, what are we bound to?
What is holding us back?
What is controlling our decisions?

Do we have a pet sin that we perform that we cannot go a day without?
Do we allow ourselves a little sin on that bad day to pick ourselves up?
Is our guilt holding us back from boldly serving in ministry?
Is our sin holding us back from some of the Lord’s blessings?

Is our family missing out on the Lord’s blessings because of our “Liberty.”

Can you share a little bit about that yoke of bondage?

Galatians 5:13, ‘For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.’

Occasion to the flesh,
What occasion do we allow our flesh?
(when I say our, I mean you.)

1 Peter 2:16, ‘As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.’

Are we serving the Lord or do our needs come first?

1 John 2:10, ‘He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.’

If we are unsure we should err on the side of caution.
Is it better to ask permission or to ask forgiveness?

Conclusion

Do we defend ourselves as if we are in a court of law?
Do we always have to get in the last word?
Do we always have to be right?

Do our needs come before the needs of others?
Are we the hermit crab climbing up the wall
Or the crab getting pulled down?

Are we the one with the balloon or the one with the pin?

If we are unsure if what you are doing is offending someone else –
We probably are.

Let’s understand what the Lord has directed us to do.
There is a time and a place for everything.
Is that time in front of others?
Is that time when we are home alone?
Is that time never?

We can please some of the people some of the time,
And we can please all of the people none of the time.
Rather than proving to others that we are always right
Let’s rest in the fact that the Lord knows we are right.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 3 - Biblical Boundary #1

2006-12-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

As inspired by Discipleship Lesson 13: Liberty in Christ

Some of our Biblical boundaries are clearly defined as pertains to our relationship with God. Our relationship with our parents and our relationship with others. Even our relationship with our spouse.

Even if we don’t like what those boundaries are they are clearly defined. We can modify them in our minds but they are clearly defined. We can even say, ‘we don’t believe that that’s what the verse means.’

If the boundary is not clearly defined or if ‘we don’t think’ it is clearly defined we can know the right direction.

Even in so-called “gray areas,” we can determine biblical boundaries
through the application of God’s Word.
From a practical standpoint, we can do this
by asking ourselves questions based on biblical truths.

2Peter 1:20, ‘Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.’

Once again here are our eight guidelines for establishing Biblical Boundaries

· Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
· Am I edifying myself or others?
· Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
· If the Lord returned at this moment, would I be ashamed?
· Would it cause a brother to stumble?
· Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
· Dose my conscience condemn me for it?
· What is good or right about this thing that I would allow it in my life?

What does the number 8 represent?

Our 1st Biblical boundary

Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?

1 Corinthians 6:12, ‘All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.’

Once again,
Are we being brought under the power of something
that should not be controlling our life?

Testimony of drinking

Any body else?

James 3:1-6, ‘My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.’

Let’s look at these verses

1. Who is your master, or do you have many masters? A master for different aspects of your life?

2. Are we able to control our mouth? Luke 6:45, ‘…for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.’ So if you can’t control your mouth who is controlling you?

3. Are you the stubborn wild horse that will not allow the master to put a bridle in your mouth?

4. Are the fierce winds directing your path? Or are you governed by the rudder? Which the master is steering?

5. Are you a boaster? A fiery tongue? Or perhaps a sharp tongue?

6. Is something controlling us? And in turn controlling our lives? Is the Master controlling us and in turn Controlling our lives? Or do we go to him when it is convenient?

Do we cling on to scriptures that defend our point?
And overlook the multiple scriptures that are very clear?

Regardless of what has been controlling us
Or directing us,
Or even nudging us.

Let’s look for the answer…

2Peter 1:4, ‘Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.’

Regardless of what you think, you have escaped.
Stop saying you don’t deserve it.
Like that gift you get at Christmas,
‘Oh you shouldn’t have.’
OK give it back then.

Just learn to say thank you
Keep the gift
And no you cannot have the receipt.

2 Peter 1:5-7, ‘And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.’

In a diligent manner
· Faith
· Virtue
· Knowledge
· Temperance – restraint, self-control (opposite – excess)
· Patience
· Godliness
· Brotherly kindness
· Charity

Again the number 8 – new beginnings.

2 Peter 1:8, ‘For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’

Sounds great, but what if I don’t have these qualities?

2 Peter 1:9, ‘But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.’

Answer – I am blind and have forgotten the free gift.
Maybe if I beat myself up I will deserve it more.
Maybe if I go through enough nonsense I won’t feel guilty about taking the gift.

Any thoughts here?

2 Peter 1:10-11, ‘Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’

Rather than worrying about it.
Just make it sure.
Just do it.

Do you have any advice for us here?

This verse applies today and also,
will lead us into next week’s topic,
Am I edifying myself or others?

1 Corinthians 10:23, ‘All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.’

Possibly a little pride is controlling us?
What’s in it for me?
They don’t deserve that.
I do more than them.
I’ve been doing it longer than them.

Are our words lifting the Lord up?
Lifting others up?
Or lifting our selves up?

Let’s set the boundaries for what is controlling us.
Our thoughts.
Our words.
Our wants.

Let’s allow ourselves to be molded by
Those 8 diligent characteristics found in 2 Peter
And let’s allow the Lord to control our lives a little more today than yesterday
And a little more tomorrow than today.

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 2 - re-Introduction

2006-12-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

We are free to do what is right, no what we want.

Romans 6:12-18, ‘Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.’

Galatians 3:24-25, ‘Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.’

Galatians 5:1, ‘Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.’

Galatians 5:13, ‘For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.’

Pure heart

Romans 14:22, ‘Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.’

Titus 1:15, ‘Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.’

If you are saved you will be used by God one way or another.

II Timothy 2:20-21, ‘But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.’
‘If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.’

8 questions to establish biblical boundaries (as taken from Discipleship I)

1 – Am I being brought under the power of something that should not be controlling my life?
2 – Am I edifying myself or others?
3 – Can I ask God to bless it with a clear conscience?
4 – If the Lord returned at this moment would I be ashamed?
5 – Would it cause a brother to stumble?
6 – Would it be cause for a lost person to reject the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior?
7 – Does my conscience condemn me for it?
8 – What is good or right about this that I would allow it in my life?

We can only achieve this balance through the power of the Holy Spirit as we walk with Him.

II Corinthians 3:6,17, ‘Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life... Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’

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Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 1 - Introduction

2006-12-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

A couple of questions to consider…
Are we any better off than others?
Would anyone want what we have?

Here is why I believe we need this series of Lessons…

What is worse adding to scripture or taking away from it?

Revelation 22:18-19, ‘For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’

I don’t wish to call these people Legalists or Liberalists.
I am going to call them Adders and Subtractors.
Legalism takes one part of scripture, emphasizes it and overlooks others.

Liberals do the same thing.
Unsaved people would say I am on the legal side.
Others who see my CD and movie collection
Would say I am on the liberal side.

- It doesn’t matter what I say.
- It doesn’t matter what you think.
- What does the Bible know?

Introduction

This first class is an overview of what we will be covering in later classes.

Proverbs 20:23, ‘Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.’

Let’s think of the word tolerance
Not in the form of tolerate but in terms of degrees.

When you set a thermostat in a home it has a tolerance in it
Of approximately one degree over and one degree under.
It would be next to impossible to maintain an exact temperature.
If it were possible the furnace would be on then off, on then off.
Making the efficiency of the device tremendously less.

Are we too rigid?
Do we have no tolerance?
Not in terms of tolerate
But in terms of a plus and minus?

Job 31:6, ‘Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.’

Are we searching the scriptures for ourselves?
Are we parroting what others have told us?
Running with something we heard on a tape or the radio?

I Corinthians 13:11, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

We mature or at least we should.
Not saying the child was wrong,
But he may have been.

Pastor Moses said this before…
‘If the Bible has an opinion about a matter, we have an opinion about a matter.’
‘If the Bible is silent about a matter, we are silent about that matter.’

Mormons don’t believe we should drink caffeine, are they right?

They use this verse to plead their case…

I Corinthians 3:16-17, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.’

We use those verses to beat up smokers so which is it.
We use that verse for one, both or neither?

Let’s review what defile means…

Mark 7:20-23, ‘And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’

From within

Hebrews 12:15, ‘Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;’

Bitterness – again internal

James 3:6, ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.’

Tongue – from within

Possibly we use that polluting the temple verse out of context.
Maybe we should whip that verse on gossipers.
“No I like Gossip.’
‘No I like Caffeine.’
‘No I like to Speed.’
‘No I like watching boot-legged movies.’

Let’s read Jesus’ own words on defilement.

Mark 7:15, ‘There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.’

Conclusion

We used to be children
And we believed as children.
We believed what we were told.

As we got older we were able to think for ourselves.
We saw that people have lied to us in the past.

Things we used to believe were not true.
Other things are locked into our memory banks.

Some truths in our memory banks need to remain there.
Others may be untrue and we don’t want to let go of them.
We like them.
They make us feel good.
They make us feel comfortable.

We think those ideas make us better than them.

Proverbs 11:1-3, ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

If they are truths, hold onto them.
If they are ideas – rethink them.

If they are true they will stand up to scrutiny.
Possibly we are afraid of putting them to the test.

Let’s find the balance.
Let’s find the safe area
Where we can rest.

next chapter

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Living Between the Extremes - Index

2006-12-11T18:50:00.000-05:00

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be. In addition to that we are either living in the past or in the future. Are we studying the scriptures for ourselves to live our lives? Or do we trust what we have heard others say? Let’s search the scriptures and find the balance, that safe place where we can reside.

Lesson 1 - Introduction
Lesson 2 - re – Introduction
Lesson 3 - Biblical Boundary # 1
Lesson 4 - Biblical Boundary # 2
Lesson 5 - Biblical Boundary # 3
Lesson 6 - Biblical Boundary # 4
Lesson 7 - Biblical Boundary # 5
Lesson 8 - Biblical Boundary # 6
Lesson 9 - Biblical Boundary # 7
Lesson 10 - Biblical Boundary # 8
Lesson 11 - so-called “Gray Areas”
Lesson 12 - pre - Conclusion
Lesson 13 - Conclusion

Proverbs 11:1-3, ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 13 - Conclusion

2006-12-10T15:09:00.001-05:00

If actions speak louder than words, I believe our inaction screams.

Take a moment to reflect on your own thoughts and fealings about: fear, disappointment & laziness.

A question came to me,
‘Actions Speak Louder Than Words - but how do I do that?’

There are three steps:
- Trust
- Actual Action
- Perseverance

Galatians 6:9, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

Trust:

Psalm 37:3-9, ‘Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.’

99% Loyalty is 100% disloyalty

Do you have any examples where you can better help us to understand trust?

Action:

Timothy 3:4-5, ‘One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)’

James 1:22, ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’

Can you give us an example of where you put your spiritual walk into action?

Perseverance:

We are all weak of flesh.

Mathew 26:36-46, ‘Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.’

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak-Verse 41
Is it reading or praying or not giving up our vices?
Stop beating your self up, it is not supposed to be easy.

There is strength in numbers.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’

Lean on family, fellow Christians, Teachers, Deacons, and Pastor
Or have the courage to get yourself an Accountability Partner

Use the tools.

Ephesians 6:10-11, ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’

Prayer, Holy Bible, Church

Conclusion

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be
Trust more today than you did yesterday and more tomorrow than you are today.

Act on what you know is right, using all the tools the Lord gave you as assurance, right now, not tomorrow morning, not after the kids are in bed, now is the time for bold action.

Persevere and you will be rewarded:

Winston Churchill said to a group of college students in a famous speech:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.

I believe this was inspired by...

Galatians 6:9, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we fain not’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 12 - How do you Rate?

2006-12-10T15:01:00.000-05:00

I believe we are caught between the person we are and
The person we want to be.

Most of us either live in the past
Or are trying to live in the future.

How consistent are we in our actions?
Are our bad habits more consistent than our good habits?
Have we yet to develop those good habits?

I end most classes with the comment…
I want us to be stronger today than yesterday
And stronger tomorrow than we are today.

Can anyone give testimony of this?

If not I expect an honest confession of how you are working on this.
I don’t want to think of this class as a waste of time.

It appears as if we struggle more than others.
We see others driving nicer cars,
Living in better homes,
Their children appear to be in order,
There spouse seems to admire them.

Is this a façade or are they really this prosperous?

Job 8:20-21, ‘Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers; Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.’

It says He will not cast away a perfect man,
Will He however cast us away?

Illustration of a boxer in the ring with his enemy.

Now are we honestly in the ring with the enemy?
Or are we hurting ourselves?
Are we developing self-fulfilling prophecies?
Are we setting ourselves up for the big fall?

Proverbs 11:7, ‘The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubeleth his own flesh.’

As I don’t like definitions, here are some synonyms for cruel
Unkind, mean, nasty, brutal, pitiless, malicious, spiteful and vindictive.

Your thoughts…

Testimony of my personality.

I mentioned self-fulfilling prophesies,
We spoke before about the thoughts in our head preceding our actions,
Either intentional or subliminal.
How are our words programming our actions?

Proverbs 15:7, ‘The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.’

Our thoughts are more powerful than you know.
The brain cannot tell the difference between what someone says about us,
What we say about ourselves,
Or what we think about ourselves.

Elaborate on this point.

Once again how are our words programming our actions?

Matthew 7:24-27, ‘Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.’

The book of Job tells us that it rains on the just and the unjust.
The rain should not bother us.
Substitute rain for your biggest trouble.
The rain should not bother us.

Verse 24 says the Lord will liken us.
Are we letting Him or are we getting in the way?

Possibly illustration of passing the hat.

Quiet times.
How are you when the Lord is silent?
Is He silent because you need to cleanse yourself?

Is He silently waiting for you to stop being the boss and let Him take over?
Possibly you said, ‘I gave it to the Lord.’
But did you.

Possibly His is silent because He knows you are capable of handling this one on your own.
Here is my supporting verse for that statement.

2Chronicles 32:31, ‘Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.’

Expound on this verse.

If you are waiting on the Lord,
Than wait on Him.
Whether it is finances,
Work,
Your spouse,
Or your children.

As you are waiting read and search your heart.

Isaiah 40:31, ‘But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’

See that we are renewing our strength.
Not the Lord supernaturally giving us a recharge.
If we are truly waiting we will be growing by searching His word.

Let’s read that again.

Your thoughts…

Then we see our action words in that verse,
We are to be running and if we cannot run we better be walking.
Rather than beating ourselves up so bad that we are just going to sit and sulk.
Possibly take it out on our spouse or children.
Possibly sin, that will make us feel better, only if for a moment.

Galatians 6:9, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

Illustration of the runner who falls.

Conclusion

Are we tired because of all our well doing?
Are we holding others to a higher standard than ourselves?
Are we holding ourselves to a higher standard than God has laid out for us?

Are we living in the past by relishing on how things used to be,
Either good bad or indifferent.

Are we living in the future
And saying things will be different when…

Here we are today.
The past is behind us
The future is before us.
It is mostly up to us what happens to us
It is all up to us as to how we react to it.

Thank you for letting me share these series of lessons with you.

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 11 - ... in Ministry

2006-12-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

Introduction

The definition of minister from the American Tract Society Dictionary… 12 verses to back up

One who attends or waits on another, Mt 20:28; so Elisha was the minister of Elijah, 1Ki 19:21; 2Ki 3:11. These persons did not feel themselves degraded by their stations, and in due time they succeeded to the office of their masters. In like manner, John Mark was minister to Paul and Barnabas, Ac 13:5. Angels are ministers of God and of his people, Ps 103:21; Heb 1:14. The term is applied to one who performs any function, or administers any office or agency: as to magistrates, Ro 15:16; 1Co 4:1; 5:5; and to teachers of error, 2Co 11:15. Christ came to minister, not to be ministered unto; and is called in another sense a minister "of the circumcision," Ro 15:8, and of the heavenly sanctuary, Heb 8:2.

James 1:22, ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’

1 Samuel 15:1-23, ‘Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.

‘Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying, It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal. And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. ‘Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.’

Jeremiah 48:10, ‘Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.’

Revelation 22:18-19, ‘For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’

Psalm 1:1-3, ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.’

1 Samuel 15:23

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 10 - ... in Prayer

2006-12-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

This is a very similar lesson to lesson 4.

Actions speak louder than words with our prayers.
How is your prayer life?
You don’t have to answer that question but the answer is,
It could be better.

Are you the person who prays when you are in trouble
And ignores God when things are going good.

Or are you the person who also ignores God
when things are not going so well because you are mad at Him.

Do you have wimpy prayers that carry with it less strength
than a child blowing out his birthday candles and making a wish.

Are your thoughts the same as the Lords?
Are your priorities the same as the Lords?
Are your prayers in line with His Word?

James 5:16-18, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’

Effectual: capable, effective, able, powerful and efficient
With the opposite meaning incapable

Fervent: keen, avid, ardent, eager, enthusiastic, passionate, zealous, and fanatical

1 Kings 17 ‘And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’
2 ‘And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,’
3 ‘Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.’
4 ‘And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.’
5 ‘So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.’
6 ‘And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.’
7 ‘And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.’

8 ‘And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,’
9 ‘Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.’
10 ‘So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’
11 ‘And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.’
12 ‘And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’
13 ‘And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.’
14 ‘For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.’
15 ‘And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.’
16 ‘And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.’

17 ‘And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.’

18 ‘And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?’
19 ‘And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.’
20 ‘And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?’
21 ‘And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.’
22 ‘And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.’
23 ‘And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.’
24 ‘And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.’

Vs. 1-7, Elijah did what God told him to do and the Lord took care of him.

Vs. 8-16, Elijah went where God told him to go and he was taken care of.
In addition those around him were blessed.

Vs. 22, the Lord heard Elijah’s voice,
so he was praying out loud and there was nothing hindering his prayers.
I also believe he was expectantly praying.

Vs. 24, She now believed he is a man of God.
In addition she now believes the word of God.

We see that the boy would have died if Elijah had not done what he was told to and I also believe that the woman would have died.

Vs. 1-7, Elijah did what God told him to do and the Lord took care of him.

Psalm 3:5, ‘I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the LORD sustained me.’

Psalm 55:22, ‘Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’

Vs. 8-16, Elijah went where God told him to go and he was taken care of.
In addition those around him were blessed.

Vs. 22, the Lord heard Elijah’s voice,
so he was praying out loud and there was nothing hindering his prayers.
I also believe he was expectantly praying.

Psalm 66:18, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:’

Psalm 66:19, ‘But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.’

Isaiah 59:2, ‘But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.’

Vs. 24, She now believed he is a man of God.
In addition she now believes the word of God.

Acts 4:13-14, ‘Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.’

We see that the boy would have died if Elijah had not done what he was told to and I also believe that the woman would have died.

John 5:19, ‘Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.’

We can look at this from two perspectives.
1 – If we are one of God’s children we should act like him.
2 – Is it quite possible that our children are acting like us.

Conclusion

Our actions should speak louder than words with our prayers.
I want your prayer life to be stronger today than it was yesterday.
I want you to call on the promises of God.
And believe than He wants to give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 20:4-5, ‘Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.’

Psalm 21:2, ‘Thou hast given him his heart's desire, and hast not withholden the request of his lips. Selah.’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 9 - ... in Thoughts

2006-12-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 23:7, ‘For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…’

Psalm 40:17, ‘But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.’

Proverbs 23:6-8, ‘Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.’

Psalm 12:1-4, ‘Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?’

1Corinthians 10:12, ‘Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.’

1Corinthians 13:4-7, ‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 8 - ... in Actions

2006-12-10T14:38:00.000-05:00

Why do we do what we do?

Do we do it because we are afraid of the consequences?
Do we do it because we are in want of the reward we may receive?
Do we do it for the praise?

Do we do it because someone asked?
Do we do it because we were told to?
Do we do it because no one else will?

Do we do it because we are obligated?
Do we do it because we are getting paid to?
Do we do it because we always have and don’t exactly know why?

Do we do it because this option will hurt less people?
Do we do it because it will benefit more?
Do we do it because it is what we want?

Do we do it because God asked us to?
Do we do it because it is right?
Do we do it even though no one else is watching?

Let’s look at our actions and more specifically our intentions with those actions.

1 Samuel 2:3, ‘Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.’

1 Samuel 16:7, ‘But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.’

Psalm 94:4, ‘How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?’

Ephesians 6:6, ‘Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;’

Colossians 3:22, ‘Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:’

Psalm 15 ‘LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usery, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be move.’

1 Corinthians 6:18, ‘Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.’

1 John 2:17, ‘And the world passeth away. And the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.’

How well lit is your path?

John 3:20,21, ‘For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 7 - ... with Others

2006-12-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

Apology for last week as we did not review actions with our spouse.
We only spoke of words.

Introduction

3 purposes of Bible Study
- Take away excuses
- Promote thought
- Encourage

Let’s review the Major excuses and get them out of the way.

Promote thought, I will do that usually by asking you loaded questions,
Or rhetorical questions that I want you to answer.

The encourage part is difficult.
First off I don’t know how to do it and make it sound real.
I believe it is to remain a goal of these classes,

Let’s take away most excuses with this verse.

Ecclesiastes 7:20, ‘For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.’

I hear some nonsense about when New Orleans or San Francisco has a problem
about it being from God it makes my skin crawl.
What’s that say when a Southern Baptist Church gets burned to the ground
Or a Christian Girl Gets raped.
Can I use that same logic there?
I’ll answer that question – no.

Matthew 5:45, ‘That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.’

2Chronicles 7:14, ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’

I went to the Discipleship 1 lessons for the following material
As it is some items I strongly believe in and we most often forget of lesson.

As taken from discipleship Lesson 9, Other Christians

While you should be ready to forgive your brother or sister if there is true repentance, reconciliation and restoration cannot take place without this repentance on the part of the offending party. God made forgiveness possible when Christ died and rose again.

That forgiveness becomes operative only when we repent and receive His forgiveness.

My question to you is,
Can I forgive someone if they do not ask me to forgive them?

Luke 17:3, ‘Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.’

As taken from discipleship Lesson 15, Relating to Unbelievers

Your opposition will come from those closest to you, those who know you best – friends, family, fellow workers and acquaintances.

Mark 6:4, ‘But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.

They should view you as moderate in all things, but not so peculiar that you lose influence. This would include your dress – moderate, not weird.

Philippians 4:5, ‘Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.’

Once again as taken from discipleship Lesson 15, Relating to Unbelievers

They should view you as moderate in all things, but not so peculiar that you lose influence. This would include your dress – moderate, not weird.

I Corinthians 9:22, ‘To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.’

Ezekiel 18:24,27, ‘But when the righteous turneth away from the righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shell he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 6 - ... with our Spouse

2006-12-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

Introduction

Actions speak louder than words in our ministry.
We are to be a lighthouse.
Does a lighthouse run around beating people up.
Does a lighthouse go around telling everyone else all the good they do.

A lighthouse stands firm.
A lighthouse does it’s job and does it well.
Quite often a lighthouse will go unnoticed
until the lighthouse is not doing it’s job.

No one ever thanks the lighthouse.
The lighthouse may be compared to other lighthouses.
One might be taller, or thinner or better looking.

Some might have better locations.
Some prominent and some in less used places.
They remain constant on beautiful sunny days,
And are expected to be just as constant on those foggy stormy days.

A lighthouse could have the brightest flame burning in it,
But the windows are so dirty that the light barely gives off an orange glow.
The lighthouse can be the most spectacular display
And most photographed on that beautiful sunny day.

But in the dark there is no evidence that it is there.
Where are you on that lighthouse scale?

Husbands and Wives

Story of the three men eating lunch on the roof.

‘Oh yeah well if you did this for me maybe I would do that with you.’
‘If you stopped doing that, maybe I wouldn’t do this to you.’
‘How do you like it when I do it to you.’

‘You never listen to me anyway.’
‘You only point out the negative.’
‘You don’t see all the good.’
‘Maybe if you were more like him or her.’
‘You’re just like you’re mother.’
‘You’re worst than your father.’
‘You never…’
‘You always.’

Why are we so worried about how we are treated.
What do we tell our children when they say,
‘It’s not fair.’

It’s not fair.
Life is not fair.
Do you expect more out of your children or from the neighbor children?
So what should the Lord expect from you.

James 4:17, ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’

Should I give the men a list of things they are not doing for their wives
and they know they should be doing or can you men volunteer some.

Women, I offer the same question to you.

Class input

Genesis 2:18, ‘And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.’

Why are we beating each other up.
If we are not beating each other up
Why are we not lifting each other up.
Either we are on the same team or we are not.
Team mates can disagree.

Story of the correction officers and disagree.

Your thoughts

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.’

What advice do you have for us here…

1Corinthians 7:3, ‘Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband.’

Kindness, compassion, generosity, goodwill

Malevolence, wickedness, malice ill will, evil

We make excuses and justifications for this one.
When we don’t put the Lord first in our lives we are commiting spiritual adultery.

What are we doing when we do not put our wives second in our lives?

Ephesians 5:22-23, ‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.’

Ephesians 5:25, ‘Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;’

Ephesians 5:28, ‘So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.’

Conclusion

I want you to be a bright shining lighthouse.
One that others know they can go to in times of trouble.
I don’t want you to be the best lighthouse in the world.
I want you to be the best possible lighthouse you can be.

That is also what the Lord wants.
You deserve that.
And more importantly your spouse deserves that.
And others who you don’t think are paying attention,
Are looking to you.

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 5 - ... with our Children

2006-12-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Story of paint truck

Want to leave a mark,
A lasting impression that others will see.

Actions speak louder than words.
We can talk about leaving a lasting impression,
We can talk about all that we want to do with our children,
We can make excuses for why we didn’t do what we wanted.

Or we can start doing it now.

Joshua 4:1-9, ‘And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take ye up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.’

Elaborate on the memorial.
Something to remind the children to ask us
because we will forget to teach them.

Duties of a parent
Most specifically fathers,
that require action:

To teach,
to train,
to provide for,
to nurture,
to control,
to love and
to correct.

To Teach

Deuteronomy 6:7, ‘And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.’

To Train

Proverbs 22:6, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.‘

To Provide for

2Corinthians 12:14, ‘Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.’

To Nurture

Ephesians 6:4, ‘And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.’

Colossians 3:21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

To Control

1Timothy 3:4-5, ‘One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)’

1Timothy 3:12, ‘Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.’

To Love

Titus 2:4, ‘That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,’

The Correction of Children

Proverbs 19:18, ‘Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Proverbs 17:6, ‘Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.’

Additional verses

Proverbs 13:24, ‘He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.’

Proverbs 1:8, ‘My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:’

Proverbs 3:12, ‘For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’

Hebrews 12:7, ‘If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?’

Proverbs 22:15, ‘Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.’

Proverbs 23:13, ‘Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.’

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 4 - ... with our Prayers

2006-12-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

Actions speak louder than words with our prayers.
How is your prayer life?
You don’t have to answer that question but the answer is,
It could be better.

Are you the person who prays when you are in trouble
And ignores God when things are going good.

Or are you the person who also ignores God
when things are not going so well because you are mad at Him.

Do you have wimpy prayers that carry with it less strength
than a child blowing out his birthday candles and making a wish.

Are your thoughts the same as the Lords?
Are your priorities the same as the Lords?
Are your prayers in line with His Word?

Matthew 26:36-46, ‘Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.’

My personal DVD thoughts on this verse

Are you a prayer warrior like Jesus
or are you like the 3 He chose to stand watch?
Or do you hopefully lie somewhere in between?

You thoughts…

(I used to sit in Pastor Paul’s class and stay silent when I thought I needed to say something, I would be mad at myself for at least the rest of the day. I don’t want you to do that to your self. If you are worried about talking too much or saying something wrong, what is personal and stated in this class stays in this class.)

Verse 41. ‘…that ye enter not into temptation…’
If we cannot endure a little fatigue when there is no suffering,
how will we do when a strong temptation, a trial or a storm comes?

Your thoughts …

‘…watch and pray…’
Watch, that we are not caught off guard
and pray, that when it comes we may be able to bear it.

Your thoughts …

‘…the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak…’
I am sure your intensions are good
I am sure you are truly sincere,
However of this good will be overpowered by your timidity.

We wish to continue unwavering in our obedience to the Master,
but in our own strength our fears will lead us to desert Him.

So what kind of prayer will help us with this?

Vs. 44 Jesus is praying a third time.

2 Corinthians 12:8-9, ‘For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

Where is the balance between fervent prayer
and the thought that possibly the Lord didn’t hear us the first few times.
Has the Lord told us ‘No’
Or has He told us not yet?

Your thoughts…

Philippians 4:6, ‘Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.’

‘…be careful for nothing…’
Meaning, having no anxiety.
So then if we are anxious and have anxiety
does that mean we do not trust the Lord?

You can sit there and say I don’t suffer from anxiety,
Then let me give you some synonyms:
nervousness, worry, concern, unease, apprehension, disquiet, fretfulness,
angst, restless, fearful.

Now let me ask,
How confident are you in your trust of the Lord when you go to Him in prayer?

Matthew 21:22, ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’

Let’s not read into this one more than we need to.
All means all.
Believing means believing.

If we are praying in the will of God and calling on His promises
we will then know and believe it in our heart.

Then it just comes down to the fact that we have to wait on His time.
He did not say no or maybe, it was more of a not now.

Example with our children.

Your thoughts …

Matthew 7:9-11, ‘Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?’

James 5:16-18, ‘Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.’

I want you to stop wishing for God to answer your prayers.
I want you to stop hoping for God to answer your prayers.
I want you to search the scriptures and know you are praying in His will.

Our actions should speak louder than words with our prayers.
I want your prayer life to be stronger today than it was yesterday.
I want you to call on the promises of God.
And believe than He wants to give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 21:2 & Psalm 20:5

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 3 - ... in Trusting Ourselves

2006-12-10T13:59:00.000-05:00

What is the farthest you have gone out of your way for someone else?
Possibly in giving them a ride somewhere.
What has been the longest you have waited for someone
and remained quiet and happy when they arrived?

What is the most inconvenienced you have been for someone else
And expected nothing in return.

You don’t have to answer this question out loud,
Have you ever fasted?
Have you ever gone a day without eating?
Have you ever chosen to skip a meal.
What is the longest you have gone without eating?

Possibly you don’t trust the Lord.

Any comments?

Opening thoughts Part 2

1 Corinthians 4:20, ‘For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.’

We have been talking about our actions for the past two weeks.
We can try to convince others of our heart’s intentions with words like…
I wanted to do that …
I was trying to do this …
I should have …
I was going to …

As we have titled this series of lessons.
Actions speak louder than words.

If actions speak louder than words, I believe
Our inactivity screams

It is easier to make a decision follow through with it and have it be wrong.
Than to live thinking,
What if …
If only I …
I should have …
I was going to …
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.

What about our inactions?
Does anyone else have any opening thoughts?

When I speak of inactivity I don’t necessarily mean slothfulness
Or as Mike likes to call it … general malaise.

Possibly we forget.
Possibly we got too busy.
Possibly we got too tired.

Galatians 6:9, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

Can you share any advice with us here …

It does get tiring,
It does get exhausting,
But if you are anything like me you are your own worst enemy.
And by the time you are done beating yourself up
You have little energy to do anything else.

Don’t give up.
If it is of God, He will give you the strength to do it.

Hebrews 12:3, ‘For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.’

Your thoughts …

Testimony of asking Pastor to give me an example of a blessing
as I did not know what one was.

Here is something I just got in the mail the other day.
I am reading this to you to not give up.

Article from Cody.

1 Corinthians 15:58, ‘Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.’

Don’t give up.
I only get to tuck Cody in at night and do bed time prayers with him 4 times a month.
Autumn and Becca 6 times a month.

Don’t ever be too tired to remind your kids to brush their teeth at night.
If they ask you to read with them don’t you dare tell them you are too tired.
And don’t ever be to shy or nervous to talk to them about boys or girls.
And don’t ever make excuses for not praying with them.

James 1:22, ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’

Sometimes we come up with some pretty extravagant excuses.
We exhaust so much energy rehearsing them.
The Lord doesn’t believe them what of others?

What have we been fooling ourselves with for too long?
Does anyone feel lead to share something here?

by: Chris Kilroy

January 13, 1982 brought one of the worst blizzards in history to Washington, D.C. Businesses closed early, schools closed their doors, and even Congress recessed early. Washington's National Airport had been closed all morning, but re-opened by 12:00 pm. Sitting at gate B12 was Boeing 737-222B, in command of the aircraft, were Capt. Larry Wheaton and First Officer Roger Pettit, both relatively young pilots enjoying their new jobs at Air Florida. The flight was scheduled to depart at 2:15, but both men knew that time would come and go Just before 1:40 pm, the airport was closed so that crews could plow the field's one instrument runway,

It was scheduled to re-open at 2:30. Despite the delay, Air Florida elected to begin the boarding process, and all passengers were on board by 2:30. Meanwhile, Capt. Wheaton had ordered de-icing to begin. The tower told him to expect a further delay, and he requested that de-icing be halted. 'Palm 90' was number 11 for departure when the airport reopened.

At 3:00, Wheaton instructed de-icing to continue, and the job was done by 3:10. Ground personnel reported only a "light dusting" of snow on the wings. At 3:23 pm, 'Palm 90' was cleared to push from the gate and the towing equipment was attached. Due to the deep accumulations of snow, however, the TUG was unsuccesful in its attempts to push the aircraft, and contrary to company policy, Wheaton elected to use the reverse thrust to back the airplane out of the gate. The reversers were engaged for a minute and a half, but only succeeded in sucking large amounts of storm debris into the engines. Finally, cooler heads prevailed, and a TUG with chains attached was called in. The aircraft was successfully pushed back.

'Palm 90' then proceeded to taxi into position behind a New York Air DC-9, the last of sixteen aircraft in line for takeoff. With a light snow still falling, Wheaton decided to use the hot exhaust from the preceeding DC-9's engines to melt the snow off the wings, which in the end only had the effect of pushing it to the trailing portion of the wing to refreeze. The aircraft's anti-ice system was unable to de-ice this portion of the wing, not that it made any difference.
While running through the takeoff checklist, the following conversation took place:CAM-2: Air conditioning and pressurization?
CAM-1: Set.
CAM-2: Engine anti-ice?
CAM-1: Off.

When the Cockpit Voice Recorder tape was played back after recovery, there was much disagreement about Capt. Wheaton's response to "anti-ice." Many of the investigators could not accept the fact that, despite the freezing 20 degree temperatures and 25+ inches of snow on the ground, Wheaton said "off." The tapes were taken to the FBI Labs in Washington for analasys, and it was concluded that the word was, in fact, "off." Apparently, despite the weather, the crew had forgotten to activate the anti-ice systems.

At 3:59 pm, 'Palm 90' was cleared for takeoff with the remark "no delay on departure, if you will, traffic's two and a half out for the runway," added a few seconds later by ATC. Pettit advanced the throttles, and quickly responded "real cold, real cold," implying that the engines reached the takeoff EPR of 2.04 before the throttles had been fully advanced. Throughout the entire takeoff roll, the First Officer tried to inform the Captain that something wasn't right, but it was in vain. Wheaton was sure everything was in order:

15:59:51 CAM-1 It's spooled. Real cold, real cold.
15:59:58 CAM-2 God, look at that thing. That don't seem right, does it? Uh, that's not right.
16:00:09 CAM-1 Yes it is, there's eighty.
16:00:10 CAM-2 Naw, I don't think that's right. Ah, maybe it is.
16:00:21 CAM-1 Hundred and twenty.
16:00:23 CAM-2 I don't know.
16:00:31 CAM-1 Vee-one. Easy, vee-two.

At rotation speed, the aircraft pitched up sharply, causing Wheaton to reply "easy." It was a known fact that ice buildup on the wings of a 737 can cause a tendancy to pitch up. Pettit's correction of the nose-up attitude, however, failed to resolve the problem and the stickshaker immediately began to sound. Wheaton called "Forward, forward, easy. We only want 500," refering to the altitude at which the airplane had to be to make the 40 degree turn to the left around the Washington Monument and the restricted airspace over the Capitol.

"Come on. Forward, forward. Just barely climb," exclaimed Wheaton as the aircraft continued to stall. Moments later the aircraft was no longer climbing, but falling back to earth.

"Stalling, we're falling."
"Larry, we're going down Larry."
"I know it."

These are the last words spoken from the cockpit of 'Palm 90.' The aircraft came down directly on top of the 14th Street Bridge, which spans the Potomac River and is a major route from the Virginia suburbs into the city. Four automobiles were crushed, resulting in five deaths on the ground. The aircraft then impacted the icy water and quickly sank to the bottom. In the hours after the crash, only four passengers and a Flight Attendant would be pulled alive from the icy water.

The investigation of the crash concluded that the combination of the crew's use of thrust reverse on the ground, and their failure to active the engine anti-ice system, caused the crash. By failing to activate the engine anti-ice, the large amouts of snow and ice that were sucked into the engines during reverse thrust use was allowed to remain there, unchallenged. The ice buildup on the compressor inlet pressure probe, the probe which measures engine power, can cause false readings, as was the case here. The indications in the cockpit showed an Engine Pressure Ratio of 2.04, while the power plants were in reality only producing 1.70 EPR, or about 70% of available power. The combination of the ice covered wings and low power caused an immediate stall on takeoff that resulted in 74 lives lost.

Actions speak louder than words.
They have lasting effects.
Some good and some bad.

There are no neutral words and I also believe no neutral actions.

Inactivity speak louder than words also.
With just as lasting effects.
Mostly bad.
And usually affect others and if we are alive we have to live with it.

Sure time will heal the pain.
Eventually you will dwell on it less and less.
Hopefully forget about some events all together.

Psalm 34:14, ‘Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.’

If any of you saw the rescue footage from that accident here is what you could witness.

Story of the man jumping the fridgid water...

How long can you stand by and do nothing.
What is the distance you will drive for someone else and still not be inconvenienced?

I don’t want us to be those people on the bridge
watching those people fight to stay alive and eventually die.
Sure we can say we tried to help.
Sure we could say we did all we could.

I want us to be the man who jumped in the water.
I believe he would rather have died trying to save that woman
than live with the fact that he did nothing.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Closing thoughts

Let’s stop beating ourselves up about the past.
In the words of Autumn Starks, build a bridge and get over it.

Let’s stop making excuses.
If we did the best we could we can rest in that.
If we did not do all we could we can ask the Lord to forgive us
And then rest.

Don’t give up.
Do more today than yesterday.
Do more tomorrow than today.
And if you are doing what the Lord has asked you to do
or told you to do
you will not be doing it alone.

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 2 - ... in Trusting the Lord

2006-12-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

Testimony of Witness:
- Grandmother,
- Grandfather,
- Jim Kelly

Moral of the story –
You do not want to live a life of regrets.

‘The trust game.’

Ezra 8:21-23, ‘Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was intreated of us.’

Elaborate on this story.

How does this apply to us?

Psalm 37:3-9, ‘Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.’

Testimony of the courthouse.

How are you with fretting?

Psalm 40:4, ‘Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’

This verse applies to us,
We get a little proud at times.
We also get turned aside by lies.
We don’t like when our children do it.
How do you think the Lord feels when we do the same things?

Your thoughts here…

There is nothing I hate more than going to someone,
with a problem I am struggling with
finally get up the courage to get help and their only advice is,
‘You can’t act that way.’
‘You shouldn’t do that.’

I don’t ever want to do that to you.
Some times we need to read the scriptures for what they say for that advice.

Isaiah 26:3, ‘Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.’

When we struggle what percentage of the day are our thoughts on the Lord.
If our problems are occupying our every thought where is the room for the Lord?
We are all proud of ourselves for praying twice a day for three minutes,
And we don’t know why we are struggling
with the same nonsense we were a year ago.

We also wonder why we aren’t growing stronger spiritually,
We read our Bible every day,
Well most of the time,
Well some of the time
All right once last week.

What advice can you give us here from Isaiah 26:3?

Psalm 62:8, ‘Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.’

Pastor Moses explained to me that he believes Selah to mean,
Stop, Look and Listen.
So his advice to us was to read a verse again when it has Selah in it.

Is God your refuge or do you go to Him as a last resort after you have tried everything?

Psalm 84:11-12, ‘For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.’

As I said last week I believe my purpose is to take away excuses, encourage
And promote thought.
If we look at this verse closely does it say or imply that
if we have things withheld from us we are then not walking uprightly?

I also want us to read the Bible for ourselves,
Not just parroting what others have told us a verse to mean.
I also do not want us to take a verse out of context
or read half the verse and run with it.

I believe when you read you will find that the promises of God
have a condition for us before His promise is handed out.

Proverbs 3:5-6, ‘Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’

Having read those two verses there are three things we are to do
before the Lord is obligated to fulfill His promise.
He can fulfill it even when we do not deserve it.

Can you share your thoughts here or give a testimony…

Definition of Grace and Mercy.

Grace is when you get that which you do not deserve and
Mercy is when you don't get what you do deserve.

Closing thoughts.

How do you feel when your spouse doesn’t trust you?
How do you feel when your children don’t trust you?
How do you think the Lord feels when we don’t trust Him?

Even if you feel you are trusting the Lord as much as you can, remember,
99% loyalty is 100% disloyalty.

We are God’s children, He loves us more than we deserve.
He wants what’s best for us.

Do you trust Him?
Do you truly trust Him?
Even when you can’t see the road up ahead?
Even when you feel you have prayed long enough?

Don’t give up,
Don’t stop trusting,
Trust more today than you did yesterday
And more tomorrow than you are today.

Because He will not give up on you.

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Lesson 1 - Introduction

2006-12-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

Purpose of these Lessons

- Promote thought
- Take away excuses
- Encourage

1 Corinthians 4 ‘Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it? Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye have reigned as kings without us: and I would to God ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me. For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church. Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?’

Our actions should speak so loudly that others cannot hear what we say.

Examination of self
- Guilty
- Criticism of others
- Examples
- Focus on others
- Spouse & Children
- Or are we as the Ostrich

Bring Damnation

1 Cor. 11:29-34, ‘For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.’

Does the Lord hear the prayer of an unsaved person?

Does the Lord hear the prayer of us in living in sin?

Psalm 66:18, ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:’

Notice the semicolon,
The sentence or the thought is not yet complete.

Psalm 66:19, ‘But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.’

Method of Prayer

The Lord is a discerner of hearts
We are not fooling Him as we may be fooling others.

No hand of protection.
Ouija example.

For you men – Prayers hindered

1 Peter 3:7, ‘Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.’

In Conclusion

What is holding us back?

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be.
The past is ever before us.
Either in the form of physical scars,
Mental scars,
Or even from the hurtful reminders from a loved one.

We even have the enemy whispering in our ear
Asking us who we think we are.

We are also either living in the past or we are living in the future.
We need to live in the present.

So I challenge you to live now.

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Actions Speak Louder than Words - Index

2006-12-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

I believe we are caught between the person we are and the person we want to be.
The past is ever before us, either in the form of physical scars, mental scars,
or even the hurtful reminders from a loved one.

We even have the enemy whispering in our ear asking us who we think we are.
We are also either living in the past or we are living in the future.
We need to live in the present. Let’s search the scriptures together and
get some practical advice as to how we can put actions to our words.

Lesson 1 - Introduction
Lesson 2 - … in Trusting the Lord
Lesson 3 - … in Trusting Ourselves
Lesson 4 - … with our Prayers
Lesson 5 - … with our Children
Lesson 6 - … with our Spouse
Lesson 7 - … with Others
Lesson 8 - … in Actions
Lesson 9 - … in Thought
Lesson 10 - … in Prayer
Lesson 11 - … in Ministry
Lesson 12 - How do you Rate?
Lesson 13 - Conclusion

1 Corinthians 4:20, ‘For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.’

Striving for the Prize - Lesson 13 - The Prize Won

2006-12-10T12:32:00.000-05:00

II Timothy 4:8, ‘Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.’

Matthew 25:21, ‘His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

Matthew 25:23, ‘His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 12 - The Home Stretch

2006-12-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

II Timothy 4:7, ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 11 - Toward the Goal

2006-12-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Philippians 3:14, ‘I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 10 - Endurance (part 2)

2006-12-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Have you wearied?

Jeremiah 12:5, ‘If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 9 - ... not be Weary

2006-12-10T12:23:00.000-05:00

Why are we weary?
Are we weary from all our well doing?
Are we weary from doing everything the Lord has given us to do?

Are we ‘burnt out?’
I believe there are enough hours in the day
to do everything the Lord has given you to do.

Galatians 6:9, ‘And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.’

What can you share with us here?

Rocky…

‘I ain’t goin’ down no more.’

You only have to last 10 seconds longer than the enemy.

Job 3:20. ‘Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul;’

Apart from getting weary, tired and worn down,
We also can get bitter.

Can you share anything with us here?

We are in a battle.
The enemy is real.

I’m not saying we don’t get tired and we don’t need to take a break at times.
We need to plan those quiet times.
I believe in the morning,
The Lord wants our first fruits,
Not our left overs.

Psalm 127:2, ‘It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.’

If you have no rest,
If you have no peace,
Might you not be His beloved?

Your thoughts…

Job 6:11, ‘What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?’

Job didn’t have the Holy Spirit.
The Old Testament saints were not sanctified, and sealed as we are.

What can you share with us here?

Job 7:6, ‘My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.’

What is your advice to us when we feel like this?

Job 10:1, ‘My soul is weary of my life; I will leave my complaint upon myself; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.’

I believe our complaints are sinful,
Showing that we don’t trust God.

What advice can you give us if we are in a critical state?

Ecclesiastes 2:17, ‘Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.’

We will not get any satisfaction from our works in life
if they are not what the Lord has given us to do.

Adrian Rodgers said, ‘If a man is called to be a Pastor and he is a Plumber he will be miserable.
And if a man is called to be a Plumber and he is a Pastor he will be miserable.’

What can you share with us here?

It is not our children’s job to make us happy,
Not our wives or husband’s.
Not our boss or our peers.

If we are serving in a ministry to get a pat on the back we need to get out of it.

Isaiah 40:31, ‘But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’

Closing thoughts…

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 8 - ... not To and Fro

2006-12-10T12:19:00.000-05:00

Daniel 12:4, ‘But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’

Amos 8:12, ‘And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it.’

Luke 16:13, ‘No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’

1Corinthians 10:21, ‘Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils’

James 1:8, ‘A double minded man is unstable in all his ways’

James 4:8, ‘Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Psalm 128 1-6, ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion: and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.’‘Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children, and peace upon Israel.’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 7 - ... not to the Swift

2006-11-11T01:11:00.000-05:00

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better. I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches, I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated. I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car. And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in. I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room, but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him.
I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.
I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books. When you learn to use computers,
I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like. May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend. I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays. I hope your mother punishes you
when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Written with a pen. Sealed with a kiss. I'm here for you. And if I die before you do, I'll go to heaven and wait for you.

signed, Paul Harvey

Opening thoughts on what we are passing onto the next generation …

1Corinthians 9:24-27, ‘Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.’

We have talked about hindrances, obstacles and other dilemmas that we make excuses for.
The Lord does not accept our excuses,
And I tell you that those who hear them do not accept them.
Are we teaching the next generation to do the same.
Are we handing them our set of crutches.

Ecclesiastes 9:11, ‘I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.’

We all have the same amount of hours in a given day.
We have the same scriptures
The same laws of gravity, etc.

What does this verse say to us?

Ecclesiastes 9:12, ‘For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.’

Next week will be September,
Two weeks will be September 11th,
Four years since the attack on America.

What are we waiting for?

Jeremiah 9:23, ‘Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:’

We may not totally glory in our good but we want recognition.
What does this scripture say to that?

Jeremiah 9:24, ‘But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.’

He wants to reward us,
Why can’t we wait for His rewards?

Jeremiah 9:25, ‘Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised;’

Sometimes those who oppose us occupy too much of our time,
After they have left us and are fast asleep and not thinking of us,
We are up tossing and turning,
Mulling over what we should have said or done,
And possibly rehearsing what we are going to say or do
Next time we see them.

Can you help us here?

Matthew 5:43-48 ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’

‘… rain on the just and on the unjust…’

Malachi 3:5, ‘And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.’

The Lord however is swift,
Your thoughts …

Amos 2:14, ‘Therefore the flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not strengthen his force, neither shall the mighty deliver himself:’

I believe we have to stop focusing so much attention on our strengths and our talents,
Even on our mental abilities or knowledge of scripture.
We need to remember who gave those positive attributes to us
And allows them to be maintained.

Your thoughts …

Amos 2:15, ‘Neither shall he stand that handleth the bow; and he that is swift of foot shall not deliver himself: neither shall he that rideth the horse deliver himself.’

Any additional comments?

Amos 2:16, ‘And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the LORD.’

Let’s not worry about others,
Whether they are enemies or friends.
Give them to the Lord.

Let’s worry about giving thanks to the Lord for the strengths He has given us.
Let’s apologize for misusing those strengths.
Let’s tell Him we are sorry for not growing, as we need to.
For not growing in areas where clear-cut instruction is given.

Let’s also not accept excuses from others,
Let’s encourage them with scripture and as we do,
Let’s be honest enough to look at ourselves
To make sure we do not suffer from the same character flaw
As the Lord may have put that person in front of us
So we can see what we look like to others.

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 6 - Endurance

2006-11-11T01:07:00.000-05:00

Remember we are in a race.
It has already started and it is not yet finished.
Has anyone put thought into where they are in that race now?

Opening thoughts…

Illustration of training horses and runners…

Running Alone

I Peter 4:4, ‘Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:’

We want our children to be stronger than us in this area.
Even if we say we do not give into peer pressure
We can all tell a story where we got caught up in something
We knew we should not have.

What is your advice on peer pressure?

Here is our advice…

Hebrews 12:3, ‘For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.’

Do you have anything to add there?

Exodus 18:23, ‘If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.’

Sounds like if we are doing what God has directed us to do we will have the endurance we need.
Possibly we are exhausted because we are doing it alone.

Your thoughts…

Psalm 73:26, ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.’

I often pray for wisdom in making the right decisions and the strength to follow through with them.

What advice do you have for us here?

1Corinthians 3:2, ‘I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.’

We get frustrated with our children when they want to grow up too quickly.
Sounds like the Lord goes through that with us.

Your thoughts…

1Corinthians 13:4-7, ‘Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.’

I have learned and understand that charity means love,
I need to grow in this area so I need you to help me here.

What is your advice?

2Timothy 2:3, ‘Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.’

Other than telling me to quit my crying and complaining,
What advice do you have for us here?

James 5:11, ‘Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’

I know I forget this when I am in the heat of battle.
I start to get a little mad.
I want to blame others.
I criticize others for my poor performance.

I want to be able to rest in the fact that I am enduring
and doing what I am supposed to be doing.

Talk to us about being happy when we are in such pain…

Romans 9:16, ‘So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.’

Help me put this in perspective please,
It sounds like we have to work as if it is all up to us,
And pray as if it is all up to God.

Your thoughts on this verse…

Closing thoughts…

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 5 - Destined to Run

2006-11-11T01:04:00.000-05:00

Whether you want to be or not you are in a race.
It has already begun and you have not yet completed it,
so that puts you somewhere in the middle.

Are you ready?
Have you prepared?
How is your focus?
How is your endurance?

Are you running from something or
are you running toward something?

Let’s search the scriptures and
Let’s become better prepared for the race we were designed to complete.

Rather than running on our own strength
and rather than running the race we think we need to be in
we need to check our motives
and see if we are running the race He has set before us.

We need to run via the Commandments
We need to run our motives through His filter.
Have we submitted ourselves to Him and done what He asked
Or have we done what we wanted and said,
‘There Lord, I did that for you.’

Psalm 119:25, ‘My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.’

Quicken, we have spoken about this previously,
A couple weeks ago I challenged us to go to Him sooner.
Here is a prayer asking to be quickened.

Have you ever prayed that?

Or can you give testimony of going to the Lord in prayer
sooner than after we have tried everything else?

Psalm 119:26, ‘I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes.’

Can you give us some advice so we can also pray this boldly?

Psalm 119:27, ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works.’

I believe we pray for the Lord to help us understand
His Word and what He is trying to teach us.
Do we pray as often for Him to help us talk of His wondrous works?

Psalm 119:28, ‘My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.’

We pray for strength,
Do we also pray for Him to reveal why our souls are so heavy?
Or are we afraid of what He may reveal.

Psalm 119:29 ‘Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.’

Maybe we wouldn’t classify ourselves as liars,
Do we exaggerate some portions of the truth?
Do we withhold other portions of the truth?

Your thoughts…

Psalm 119:30, ‘I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid [before me].’

I want us all to be able to pray this boldly,
Can you give us some advice here?

Psalm 119:31, ‘I have stuck unto thy testimonies: O LORD, put me not to shame.’

It takes a lifetime to build a reputation,
And only a moment to tarnish one.

What advice can you give us here?

Psalm 119:32 ‘I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.’

There is that filter I spoke of earlier,
I believe we need to run out thoughts through this filter.
Our words should be filtered.
Our actions should be filtered.

If we don’t ‘run the way of thy commandments,’
If we don’t filter our lives through the commandments,
And we are truly saved, He will.
It will be a lot less embarrassing and a lot less shameful if we do it.

What can you share with us here?

We are Destined to Run

Story of Joshua 4,
We need a memorial before us.

Habakkuk 2:1-2, ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.’

I believe we loose site of why we are running.
How do you suggest we keep our why in front of us?

Habakkuk 2:3-4, ‘For the vision [is] yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul [which] is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’

Who’s faith are we living by?

Psalm 147:15, ‘He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.’

Your thoughts…

Conclusion

How truly swift is our race?
Are we full of excuses when we trip?
Do we volunteer excuses as to why we have not started?

Do we occupy ourselves with nonsense, time-consuming tasks
to justifying us not doing all that we are supposed to be doing?

We are destined to run.
If we are not doing what the Lord has laid before us we will be miserable.
When we are doing what He asks,
Or what He has told us to do,
We are at peace with those around us.

If we are serving in VBS because the Lord asked us to
the nonsense around us shouldn’t matter.
We are not to be in it for a reward or a compliment.

If we are serving our spouse as the Lord tells us to
their behaviors should not matter.
We are not to serve them to get something in return.

Let’s use these verses as model prayers for our lives,
Rather than the wimpy, wishy-washy prayers we may have been delivering.
Let’s live better today than yesterday and in turn
Pray bolder tonight than we did last night.

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 4 - Spiritual Guides

2006-11-11T00:59:00.000-05:00

Let’s think about our Christian race.
When it comes right down to it, how hard are you actually running.
Just because we are tired when we go to bed at night
and we still haven’t accomplished all we need to..
Is that because we are exhausted from our Christian race?

I believe we are too busy doing the urgent things
That we don’t have time to do the important things.

Rebecca is behind on her reading.
I have wanted to read with her more one on one for over three years.

Cody failed 8th grade.
I’ve wanted to work more with him one on one each weekend.

I’ve wanted to talk to Autumn more about boys,
Her purity and her testimony.

What have I been too busy doing?
What have you been too busy doing?
How have you justified your actions in you race?
What excuses have you convinced yourself of,
But your children, spouse and certainly the Lord
are not buying?

Opening Thoughts…

Testimony of my introduction to the Psychiatrist…

After that introduction let’s talk about running in vain
Or more specifically not running in vain

Galatians 2:2, ‘And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.’

Your thoughts…

Anything worth having is worth fighting for.
It would be easier to parent and not care.
It would be easier to detach from your spouse
and merely stay together for the children.

Is what God gave you worth fighting for?
Is the plan He laid out for you worth laboring for?
Or are you convinced of the excuses you rehearsed in your head
and have shared with others?

Philippians 2:16, ‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’

Can you give us some advice here when we get tired?

Have you ever said this or thought this…
‘I deserve to be happy.’
Did the Lord whisper that in your ear or someone else?

1 Thessalonians 3:5, ‘For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.’

Your thoughts…

We make it difficult don’t we?
We struggle with the balance of freedom to sin and liberty in Christ.
We struggle with grace and mercy.

2 Corinthians 11:3, ‘But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Can you help us here?

Psalm 127:2, ‘It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.’

Let me give this verse as translated by Jeff.
Your alarm goes off at 4:30 so you can get to work on time
and you leave the house without praying or reading my Word.

You stay up late watching movies until you fall to sleep on the couch
and you still haven’t read my Word
or told your children how proud you are of them and love them.

You feel sorry for your self in your mind,
Tell others at work so they feel sorry for you,
And you convince yourself that you deserve a good sin
to cheer you up until the guilt of chastisement kicks in.

Why do you think you can’t fall to sleep at night?
Why do you think I wake you up in the middle of the night?
I have something to say, you need to listen.
When you do so I will give you the most satisfying night’s sleep,
You will feel refreshed,
And you will have enough time in your day
to do everything I have told you to do.

Do you agree or disagree with my interpretation?

Divine Guidance is promised
to the Obedient In Making Decisions

Psalm 25:9, ‘The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.’

Meek, meaning: gentle, humble and lowly.

Why do we have a hard time understanding what He is telling us?

Psalm 32:8, ‘I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.’

Your thoughts…

His Divine guidance is promised
Unto the End of Life

Psalm 48:14, ‘For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.’

Your thoughts…

His Divine Guidance is promised
By the Still Small Voice

Isaiah 30:21, ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’

Your thoughts…

His Divine Guidance is promised
In the Midst of Uncertainties

Isaiah 42:16-17, ‘And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.’

Your thoughts…

His Divine Guidance is promised
By Divine Illumination

Luke 1:79, ‘To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’

Your thoughts…

John 10:4, ‘And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.’

Your thoughts…

We need to seek His Divine Guidance

Psalm 5:8, ‘Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.’

Psalm 25:5, ‘Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’

Psalm 27:11, ‘Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.’

Psalm 143:10, ‘Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 3 - Obstacles

2006-11-11T00:58:00.000-05:00

Hindrances to the Runner

Galatians 5:7, ‘Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?’

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Striving for the Prize - Lesson 2 - Preparing

2006-11-11T00:55:00.000-05:00

Striving for the Prize - Lesson 1 - Introduction

2006-11-11T00:53:00.000-05:00

Striving for the Prize - Index

2006-11-11T00:50:00.000-05:00

Call of the Wild - Lesson 13 - Conclusion

2006-11-10T23:16:00.000-05:00

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Call of the Wild - Lesson 12 - Strong & Brave

2006-11-10T23:14:00.000-05:00

Horses

Psalm 32:9, ‘Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.’

Psalm 33:17, ‘An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.’

Lions

2Samuel 17:10, ‘And he also that is valiant, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt: for all Israel knoweth that thy father is a mighty man, and they which be with him are valiant men.’

Proverbs 30:29-31, ‘There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.’

Bears

2Samuel 17:8, ‘For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they be mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field: and thy father is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.’

Proverbs 17:12, ‘Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.’

Proverbs 28:15, ‘As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.’

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Call of the Wild - Lesson 11 - Quiet Creatures

2006-11-10T22:49:00.000-05:00

What is holding us back?
Things that have been told to us?
Things we have heard?
Things we have thought?

Past experiences.
Have they strengthened us?
Or have they crippled us?

Do those experiences make us stay up late, afraid to start a new day?
Do they keep us in bed afraid to start what we need to?
It is safer to not attempt something great,
Then there is no chance at failure.

However if we do not attempt anything great
We can never accomplish anything worthwhile.

We need to learn from our past experiences.
We need to incorporate them into our personalities for strength.
Not as a reminder of what will happen again.

Winston Churchill said,
‘Great success always comes at the risk of enormous failure.’
And I will tell you,
‘We were created for more than mediocrity.’

Let’s press ahead and commit to do what the Lord has created us for.
Something more than simply existing.

What are your opening thoughts?

Where do you hope to grow in your Christian life?

Where do you want to be in one year?

What do you want to gain from this class?

We used to be in the wilderness of ignorance
Led by our own sin,
Wanting what we want,
When we want it.

Are we better now?
Do we trust the Lord to help us when we are wanting?
Or do we scheme to get that little moment of pleasure?

I Peter 2:25, ‘For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.’

‘… For ye were as sheep …’
What does that say for us now?

So we used to be as sheep,
Docile, quite, polite respectful …
Not to bright but not too harmful either.
So if we used to be like that how are we now?

Acts 8:32, ‘The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:’

We can’t wait to open our mouth.
We can’t wait to tell you what we think.
So I think we used to be like the less attractive qualities of sheep.
And I believe we are now to be like their more attractive qualities.

What sheep like qualities are we to resemble?

We cannot become like sheep on our own.
Having said that, the Lord is continually helping us to grow in this area.
So I say to you if we are not growing it is not the Lord’s fault.

II Samuel 22:33-34, ‘God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.’

I believe God wants us to have sure footing and be upon high places.
So if our footing is unstable or we are in the dumps,
It is probably because of us.

Possibly chastisement.
Possibly for a heart issue.
Possibly for an unlearned lesson,

He has something so great planned for us
that we cannot comprehend it as why He would use us
to be the vehicle to give Him glory.

Please give us a testimony or comment on your thoughts here …

Psalm 42:1, ‘As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.’

How often can we say this?
Is it only after a month of pain?
Is it only when a thread is holding our marriage together?
Is it only after a tragedy has happened to our child?

How often can we wake up in the morning and say this?

How often are going to start saying this?

John 15:5, ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’

We all know this verse.
We hear it at least once a month.
Some of you probably have it memorized.

Why are we like a two-year-old child
That wants to do everything themselves?
And then cries when their father tries to help?

Please give us some advice here …

II Corinthians 12:9, ‘And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’

This doesn’t mean glorying in our sin,
Or our chastisement of it.
It is a good feeling to totally trust Jesus for the outcome.

Can you give us a testimony here to help us understand how to rest in Him?

That means trusting Him.
People say the Lord told me to do this,
The Lord told me to do that.
I say to that person, ‘The Lord speaks through His Word,’
‘So which verse did you find that in?’

The Lord has given us enough to do in the Bible,
Rather than waiting for some private, job specific revelation.
We can do what ever we want as long as it does not violate His Word.
And the outcome will bring Him all the glory
And none for ourselves.

Philippians 4:13, ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’

Please give us a practical application of this verse …

Closing thoughts …

I believe we are our own worse enemies.
We old ourselves back.
We make excuses.
And we look for secret messages from the Lord
Rather than doing what He has already revealed to us.

We need to learn from the past rather than being held back by it.

We used to be like sheep.
Ignorant, following the crowd.
Running away for no reason.
Getting stuck in pricker bushes.

We are now also to be as sheep.
Following our Master.
Looking for His staff
And being comforted by His voice.

We need to remain huddled together with other sheep
as there is safety in numbers.
And continually rest in the fact that our master
Would never lead us astray
And would never let harm come to us.

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