Quiet Times Search

Living means living for Christ - Philippians 1:21

Death is near the top of most people's list of fears

Death for the believers is nothing more than moving on to new location

Paul faced the distinct possiblity of death but there is no hint of fear in his letter

He knew

• If he lived, could continue his work
• If he died, he would simply move to his new location in heaven - Phippians 1:21-24

Paul couldn't decide which of the options he preferred

Paul never forgot God superinteneded everything that happened to him

When you live free from the fear of death or life, you will never have to worry about what lies ahead.

Run from all these evil things - 1 Timothy 6:11

Every competent military strategist needs to understand when to retreat

Retreat does not mean defeat but simply makes room for a later victory

Pau's battle plan called for Timothy to handle certain types of temptations with a retreat

It wasn't just a retreat but a counter attack with something good - fath, love, perseverance, and gentleness

This pursuit would shelter Timothy from temptations of the world

God instruct you to retreat from certain kinds of tempatation and pursue things that hold out the promise of a spiritual productive future

Bartimaeus: He only shouted louder. "Son of David, have mercy on me!" - Mark 10:47-48

Babies cry, that is what they do to get their needs meet

Bartimaeus heard stories of Jesus' miraculous healing and he knew he had one shot to get Jesus' attention

He commited a breach of etiqutte by crying out so loudly to Jesus that it annoyed the crowd

Bartimaeus did care what others thought, he simply wanted Jesus to meet his need

Because of his loud persistence, Jesus turned his attention and with command, he could see

Never let etiqutte stand in the way of crying out to Jesus Christ

I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman - Job 31:1

Sexual temptation burns many men simply because they are careless

Job took some time for self-examination

He knew that

• God's gaze penetrated far deeper than his own
• The importance of keeping his body aways from sexual sin

Those who have no interest in pleasing the Lord will say, "Hey, there's no harm in looking" but the man commited to God knows better

Job's advice if you want to keep your body and mind pure: Don't even look

The Lord counted him as righeous because of his faith - Genesis 15:6

Faith is the foundation of everything you want to do

Abraham habitually took God at his word and believed that He would do just what He promised

God made him the father of many great nations

God made Abraham some big promises:

• Abraham had no way of knowing how He would keep them
• He remained focused on God's nature rather than how He would bring things about
• Abraham simply believed God would always do what He promised

One day he disappeared because God took him - Genesis 5:24

Enoch walked with God and simply disappeared but before he was taken up he was known as a person who pleased God - Hebrews 11:5

He pleased God because Enoch walked with him daily:

• Relied on him
• Enjoyed his companionship
• Obeyed his commands
• Put God in the center of everything he said and did

God changed his mind and did not carry out the destructionhe had threatened - Jonah 3:10

Jonah disliked God's command to warn Nineveh of its coming destruction and became angry with God for sparing the city after the Ninevites heard Jonah's preaching and repented

I knew you were a merciful and compassionate God; you are eager to turn back from destroying people - Jonah 4:2

Jonah hated the Ninevties and wanted them killed because he saw them as a treat to his people

God's deviated from Jonah's perfect plan

Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city? - Jonah 4:11

Jonah was God's servant, not his advisor

You will be more happy and peaceful when you simply do what God tells you to do and leave the results to him

They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind - Matthew 4:22

James and John didn't waste so much as a minute when Jesus called them to his side

They didn't even ask about their destination or agenda, they simply dropped their nets and followed

Suppose Jesus came by your place of business today and said "Follow me"

Could you immediately follow and serve him, whenever he went and whatever he asked you to do?

Jonah went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord - Jonah 1:3

God gave specific instructiions to go to Nineveh and warn them about god's judgement

Jonah simply did not like the assignment and wanted them dead

Jonah wondered why he should warn them, go ahead and judge them

When Jonah ran, his life went nowehere but down:

• Down to the seaport
• Down to the hold of the ship
• Down to the depths of the sea
• Down to the belly of the fish

When Jonah came to his senses, he obeyed God's instructions

What marching orders had God given you that seem to make little sense?

We will start rebuilding this wall - Nehemiah 2:20

God gives men the vision, the faith, and the ability to get things done - we must act on what we know

Nehemiah first realized Jerusalem's walls needed rebuilding:

• Bathed his vision in prayer
• Planned with counsel
• Acted in faith

He knew he was faced with a daunting task:

• Long hours of hard work
• Neighbors with outspoken opposition

Nehemiah approached the work with absolute confidence simply because God called him to the task

Has God given you a vision of something he wants you to accomplish?