Quiet Times Search

• Not position
  
• Not recognition
• Not performance
• Not respect

• Physical blessings
• Family blessings
• Spiritual blessings

What is fasting? - voluntary abstinence from food in order to draw near to God

Fasting - frequently practiced by those who have walked closely with God:

• Moses - fasted for 40 days as he received the law (Exodus 34:28)
• David - fasted for the life of his newborn (2 Samuel 12:15-22)
• King Jehoshaphat - declared a national fast under a miltary emerency (2 Chronicles 20)
• Esther - called for God's people to fast during a extermination attempt (Esther 4)
• Daniel - fasted to confess his and God's people sin (Daniel 9)
• Nehemaih - fasted for the condition of Jerusalem to improve (Nehemiah 1)
• Jesus - fasted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry (Matthew 4:2)
• Antioch church leaders - fasted for to bless their ministry efforts (Acts 13:1-3)
• Paul and Barnabas - dedicating newly appointed elders (Acts 14:23-24)

 Jesus warned about the mere appearance of fasting - Matthew 6:16-18

Advice

• Decide how long before hand
• Begin  with shorter fasts
• Be care with those taking medication or those with a background of anorexia or bulimia
• Do not indulge in a large meal immediately after a fast

A "world fast" is an idea to remove yourself from movies, sports, television, newpaper, other outside info

 Reason to fast:

• Humble ourselves
• Show our dependance on him
• To devote time and focus to our spiritual lives
• To ask for God' guidance
• To ask for God's help
• To overcome spiritual lukewarmness
• To pray for a particular need
• To express gratitude and thanksgiving
• Breakthrough in our faith

• Your relationship with God does not depend how you have a quiet time
• We should learn to pray short prayers throughout the day
• If we don't remember God throughout the day, can become legalistic about our quiet times

Reasons for a journal:

• It give you a jump start to your day - helps to remember and build on previous QTs
• Can build on a thought or a theme
• Reveals our spiritual progress
• Keeps us focused on our goals and convictions
• Becomes a seedbed of great inspiration and insight

Practical advice about journals:

• Set aside a notebook  - better than random pieces of paper
• Have a place to write down random thoughts and things that need to be done so you are not distracted
• Keep our goals before you

• We are longer slave but sons ans daughters
• We can approach him with confidence because of Jesus

• With Jesus as the high priest,  we can confidence to enter the into the throne room of God
• Can gain a heavenly perspective
• Praise God that his resources there are limitless

• Being holy, set apart, above us
• Prayer is not just asking for something but for honoring Him

• Kingdom has not come to every nation and place nor every person
• Pray for God to open doors, speaking boldly, with wisdom
• Pray for those who server and in leading roles

• God wants us to pray about surrendering to his will
• Challenges is our life must not be avoided but have a surrendered life
• Read some command and ask yourself if you are following them
• Jesus never asked for strength to go to the cross but only that he might surrender
• Besides pride and rebellion, unbelief keeps us from doing God's will

• Bring specific needs to God
• Must depend on God daily for our spiritual and physical needs
• Pray thorough your todo list and details
• Jesus said we could do nothing apart from God - John 15:5

• Lack of confession results in a hardened heart
• We will not mature if do not do this soul searching
• Be specific; ask others for forgiveness if needed
• Extend forgiveness; can not be forgiven by God otherwise

• What are your weaknesses? Have you faced them?
• Draw on God's power before Satan strikes

• Return again to praising and glorifying God
• All power rests in his hand

• Handle it ourselves
• Turn to God superficially; mentioning thing to God
• Turn to God - pouring out our hearts

• Get in the habit of telling God how you feel
• Be in a private place
• Take a period of time away
• Allow yourself to cry - frustration, sorrow, or joy

We "should always pray and not give up" - Luke 18:1

Disciples who are not close to God are simply not being perisistent

Examples of persistent prayers:

• Elisha - prayerd 7x before the promised rainfall came down  -1 Kings 18:42-45
• Jesus - returned three time to the garden of Gethsemane to surrender to God's will - Matthew 26:36-FF
• Paul - prayed three times before given an answer he did not want - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
• Early church - prayed all night for Peter's deliverance - Acts 12:1-17

• Elijah - with his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42)
• Daniel - knelt in prayer three times a day (Daniel 6:10)
• Peter - knelt in prayer for the life of Tabitha (Acts 9:40)

• Moses - for 40 days (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25)
• Daniel - fell prostrate before the angel Gabriel (Daniel 8:17)
• Jesus - fell on his face in prayer at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36)

• David - Psalms 28:2, 63:4, 88:9, 119:48, 143:6
• Ezra - Ezra 9:5
• Moses - Exodus 9:29
• Solomon - 1 Kings 8:22

We must wafe through our fog of experience and except the truth about God

We can not love a God who is created in our own image

God's timing doesn't always make sense to us:

• Sarah - 25 years before blessing her with a son
• Moses - was 80 years old before God
• Joshua - 40 years of preaching outside of Jersalem
• Jesus - 40 days of tempation in the dessert for about 1000 days of ministry

Some of us have bad days, maybe years. How do we return to God?

Our only hope is to believe in his promises more than we believe in our own perceptions

Get Out of Here

Sometimes the first step in restoring our hearts is simply to get out of the house
Why go outside?

• Quiet - able to meditate
• Parents - able to get up before the kids do
• Nature is full of inpsiration
• Much more freedom outside

Turning back the clock

 Rewrite the sins and people I sin against; what I was forgiven of (not an exercise in guilt but gratefulness

Secret Scriptural Weapon

You have to work at understanding the cross
Insights of yesterday about the cross need to be consistently refreshed
God never spoke louder than he did on Calvary

Memorizing scriptures and writing them on index cards

Ephesians 3:20 - When each word is accented, the scripture can have new meanings

Best for Last

Create a treasure chest:

• Baptism photos
• Special note from friends
• Wedding Vows
• Memorabilia from children being born

Scrapbook of the heart of God - testament to God

Can easily become sentimental when talking about salvation:

• Family, people you are emotionally connected with
• Thinking about people in remote parts of the world
  • It would be cruel to share the gospel with someone who hadn't heard it and was saved
  • Like not throwing a life jacket because you think they will be alright
• Religous people - would you be willing to stand before God with - infant baptism or non-disciple life?

All have sin and have fallen short of the glory of God - Romans 3:23

Being "broader" than the Bible puts you on the wrong road

God will be the judge and he has given us the basis of his judgement - John 12:48

Extremes:

• We become judgmental and reason like Pharisee; we are policeman, God is the judge
• Lose our conviction religious doesn't equal salvation

• Discover your identity and purpose through Jesus
• God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about him
• Purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose

God planned:

• Where you would be born
• When you would be born (waiting patiently for Juniper)
• How long you will live
• Who your parents would need to be for you to come the way you came

God was thinking of you even before he made the world, that is why he created the world

God's purpose even took in account sin and human error.

If there was no god, we would all be accidents

The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us - Romans 12:3

• Gift-envy - wanting a gift that someone else has
• Gift-projection - expect others to the same gifts as we do

• Enthusiasm - what you love to do; no one has to motivate
• Effectiveness - passion drives perfection

Begin by assessing your gifts and talents

Take a long honest look at what you are good at
Try to have a sane estimate of your abilities - Romans 12:3
Make a list and ask other people

Experiment with different areas of service
When it doesn't not work out, call it an "experiment", not a failure

Consider your heart and personality
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given - Galatians 6:4

Examine your experiences and extract lessons you have learned

Remember today what you have learned about the Lord - Deuteronomy 11:2
Forgotten experiences are worthless
Paul - "Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not! - Galatians 3:4

Were rarely see God's good purpose - John 13:7

Run with patience the particular race that God has set before us - Hebrews 12:1

Satan can steal our joy by:

1. Compare your ministry with others - others doing a better job
2. Conform your ministry to the expectations of others - you are doing better and you full of pride

Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God's commendations - 1 Corinthians 10:12-18

• Prove the truth
• Argue the case
• Press for a verdict

• Easier to relate to than principles
• Capture our attention
• People are naturally curious about experiences they never have had
• Builds a relational bridge
• Bypasses intellectual defenses

1. What my life was before Christ
2. How I realized I needed Jesus
3. How I committed my life to Jesus
4. The difference Jesus has made in my life

Joy set before him endured the cross - Hebrews 12:2-3
Jesus was a joyful person; even at the cross - at the cross it seemed that everything was going wrong

Yet joy joy was still in the heart of Jesus:

• He knew God was in control
• He didn't agrue with God
• He didn't need explaination
• He didn't need to justify himself
• He entrusted himself to the one who judges - 1 Peter 2:23

When we try to take over God's role - there is no joy
Jesus prayed for his disciples to have the full measure of his joy - John 17:13

Even the violent scene of the cross brought about joy and hope
What will you allow to steal your joy?

Three verse opened a whole new way of understanding Jesus:

• Jesus praying: Abba, Father, everything is possible for you - Mark 14:36
• We can cry Abba, Father  - Romans 8:15
• Because you are sons we can cry Father - Galatians 4:6

Prior to Jesus it was never used as a reference to God; even scandalous if used
Simular to "da-da" in English
Before Jesus, there was no one who could tell us what he could about God

1. He included people in his prayer struggle
2. He was totally honest with all of his feelings before God and other men - limiting Satan's power - John 3:19-21
3. Jesus stated his preferences to God very clearly
4. Prayed until his surrender was complete - surrender is not completed without this kind of prayer - Philippians 4:6-7

The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge and and ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or a curse!

Prayer is the difference between being spiritually dynamic and spiritually dead; between being victorious over Satan and being victimized by him

Three wasy to pray that makes a powerful difference:

Pray according to God's purpose
God wants us to pray about things that mean the most to him

Pray in Praise of God
Our God stands in greatness before us and how we pray is as important as what we pray
When we pray in praise to God, he always makes a difference in our lives

Pray for the Passion to Produce
He is Lord of the Harvest and it is also God's will that there be a harvest - Matthew 9:38

We must understand how important prayer is in the eyes of God

• Before dawn - Mark 1:35
• Sometimes all night - Luke 6:12
• He remained to pray - Matthew 14:23

• Such a life is attractive
• They will want to be like you
• Will see something inside is real
• Will see the difference

4. Temporary loss of possions or privileges

Talk about it with your spouse and come up with a deprivation of activity or possession plan
Most important aspect of this is thinking clearly through it and talking to your spouse before opening your mouth
Don't take away item on every offense - this diminishes the impact

5. Extra work or jobs to do

Clean up their mess, doing extra work to pay off something - creates a deeper sense of responsibility
Punishment is actually a form of restitution