Quiet Times Search

Search Quiet Times via a keyword or string
Keyword(s):
Number of Studies:


Searching for "everyone" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "0" to "25". (88 found)

2008-03-07 - Power of Gratitude - Day-Tight Compartments
Sentence of death is on us and everyone we know

Matthew 6:34 - Focus on today, live in day-tight compartments, rather than worrying about tomorrow

The most important factor in remaining effective and thankful as we get older is to stay busy doing things that matter to God

Women of noble character was busy from dawn to dusk - Proverbs 31
Being happy with our lot in life and our work - Ecclesiastes 5:19-20

Worried about aging and death - No, because I would be ungrateful for all the blessing God has given me
Every good and perfect gift is from above (people in our lives) - James 1:17

What percentage of your thoughts focus of past regrets and future worries?

2008-03-23 - Be Still My Soul - Pour Out Your Heart
We can to one of a few things in challenging times:

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

Pour out your hearts - Psalms 62:8
I pour out my complaint before him  - Psalms 142:2

How can we be close to someone if we have not poured out our hearts

God is all-knowing but unless we tell him our feelings we will never draw close
Everyone has feelings; it may be difficult at first

Jesus: offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears - Hebrews 5:7

Suggestions:
  • 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


2008-05-03 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Rest of the Story
The first person who presents a case - seems right - Proverbs 18:17
  • Marriage counseling - one view, then a different view
  • Forming opinion without all the background information
  • Good leader - realizing he does not know everything about every subject
  • Been hurt by others - assume others are the same way
Good thing to say: "I have seen something which concerns me, but I haven't heard your side yet"

Involving everyone on a decision will help others to feel valued and for you to consistently have good decisions

We have trouble listening to other opinions besides our own

Can you get hurt by other that love you? Yes
 - Double indemnity insurance policy against unresolved issues (Matthew 18:15-17 and Matthew 5:23-24)

2008-06-02 - Purpose Driven Life - The Heart of Worship (Part 2)
What it means to surrender

Surrendering is not for cowards
It is not repressing your personality
Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience.
To say "no, Lord"- can not call Jesus your Lord
 
To trust God means doing without knowing where, when, how, or why

Most difficult area to surrender is money
Retirement is not a goal of a surrendered life
Surrender is hard work - Warfare against our self-centered nature

The blessing of surrender

Blessings of surrender
 
  • Peace
  • Freedom
  • Experience God's power
Surrendered people are the ones God uses
Everyone surrenders to someone or something
You are free to choose but not free from the consequences
Nothing else works - All other approaches lead to frustration
Must make it a daily habit (maybe more than 50 times a day)
May be inconvenient, unpopular, costly, or seem impossible

2008-06-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Experiencing Life Together
Life is meant to be shared
 
Fellowship - now refers to casual conversation, socializing, food, and fun
Jesus knew that 12 was the maximum size for a group for everyone to participate
 
In real fellowship people experience...
 
... Authenticity
  • Honest with who you are - otherwise we are just fooling ourselves - 1 John 1:7-8
  • Requires courage and humility
  • We only grow by taking risks - being honest is a major risk
 
... Mutuality (Romans 1:12)
  • Depending on each other
  • Sharing responsibility
  • Mutual accountability
 
... Sympathy
  • Sharing pain of others (Colossians 3:12)
  • Meet needs of being understood and the validation of our feelings
  • Self-Pity dries up sympathy for others
  • Times of crisis, grief, doubt when we need each other the most
 
... Mercy
  • Can't have fellowship without forgiveness
  • Bitterness and resentment always destroys fellowship
  • Never be asked to forgive someone more than God has forgiven you
  • Energy for retaliation or resolution?
  • Forgiveness immediate; Trust takes time


2008-06-17 - Purpose Driven Life - Transformed by Truth

The truth transforms us

Spiritual growth is the process of replacing lies with truth

Everything around you exists because "God said so"
Job - I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread (Job 23:12)

Must accept the Bible's authority

  • Compass to be relyed on
  • Counsel to listen to
  • Benchmark for evaluating

Unrealiable authorities (at the Garden of Eden as well):

  • Culture - "everyone is doing it"
  • Tradition - "we' ve always done it"
  • Reason - "it seems logical"
  • Emotion - "it just feels right"

Must assimilate its truth

Allow yourself to be transformed by the truth

  1. Receive God's Word - Consider carefully how you listen - Luke 8:18
  2. Read God's Word - Read it as long as we live - Deuteronomy 17:19
  3. Research God's Word  - Write down insights, ask questions
  4. Remebering God's Word - Remember what is important to you; memorize; resist tempation
  5. Reflect on God's Word  - Meditate, focused thinking

Must apply it principles

  • We can fool ourselves that studying is doing
  • Applying the Word is hard work
  • Alway good to write down an action step from the result of your studying
    • Personal (involves you)
    • Practical (can be done)
    • Provable (deadline)

 



2008-07-01 - Purpose Driven Life - Real Servants (part 1)

We server God by serving others
Everyone wants to lead; not many want to follow - we would rather be generals than privates

How can you know if you have the heart of Jesus?
You can tell what they are by what they do - Matthew 7:16

Real Servants make themselves available to serve

Like a soldier, always by for duty - 2 Timothy 2:4

  • Do what is needed
  • Do it when it is inconvenient
  • Gives up control of their schedule
  • Not frustrated because it is whatever God wants

Real servants pay attention to needs

Always looking out for ways to help others
Great opportunities to serve never last for long
Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now - Proverbs 3:28

Real servants do their best with what they have

Servant never make excuses, procratinate, wait for better circumstances
If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never get anything done - Ecclesiates 11:4
Less-than-perfect service is better than the best intention



2008-07-05 - Purpose Driven Life - Gods Power in My Weakness (part 1)

God loves weak people and everyone has weaknesses

We usually deny, defend, excuse, hide and resent weaknesses

God wants to use our strengths and weaknesses - 1 Corinthians 1:27
Your weaknesses are not an accident
Being "poor in spirit" is the #1 attitude he blesses - Matthew 5:3
God is never limited by our limitations

Admit your weaknesses

Might be a good idea to list them

Two great confessions:

  1. You are the Chrst (Matthew 16:16) - we need a savior
  2. We are only human (Acts 14:15) - we are not God

Be content with your weaknesses

I am glad about my weaknesses, so the power of Christ may work - 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Reasons to be content:

  1. Causes us to depend on God - the less I have, the more I depend on him - 2 Corinthians 12:10
  2. Prevents arrogance - So I wouldn't get a big head - 2 Corinthians 12:7
  3. Encourages fellowship
  4. Increases sympathy

 



2008-07-14 - Purpose Driven Life - Sharing Your Message (Godly Passions)
God passionately loves some things and passionately hates things other thing
The closer you are to God - you will share these view

Jesus - Man's heart determines his speech - Matthew 12:34
David - Zeal for God's work burn within him - Psalms 69:9
Jeremiah - Cannot keep silent - Jeremiah 20:9

Are defend the defenseless, those who can not speak for themselves
Should not expect everyone to have the exact same passion as you

It is fine to be zealous, provided the purpose is good - Galatians 4:18

2008-08-17 - 30 Days at the Cross - Do not Come Down!
Jesus was tempted with the words, "save yourself, come down from the cross
If they understood the eternal significance of the moment, they would have cried "No, Jesus! Do not come down!"

Jesus was tempted:
  • Simply save himself and let everyone fend for themselves
  • Come down in hope that they would believe
  • Settle on improving their lives but not saving them
What kept him up there?
  • Jesus also loved the world that he gave his only life - Love
  • He cared deeply for others
  • He knew he could bring salvation to many

Our mission is the same (Luke 9:23) - must deny self and lose our life for others
We must quit looking for some new,easy approach and decide to love

The world is screaming out: "Save yourself! Come down from the cross!"
Jesus cries: "Do not come down!"

2008-08-18 - 30 Days at the Cross - Turning the Tables

Jesus came to turn the tables on Satan
He came to deal with the greatest of all questions and fears - death

  • He spoke about it in great length - John 5:21-30
  • He claimed to be the only solution for death - John 6:53-57
  • He raised the dead - John 11
  • He believed his death would bring others life - John 12:23-25

When he died, almost everyone thought evil won

Satan pulled out all the stops.
Jesus was in his deadly sights at all times - waiting for a bad day

7 moves to turn the tables:

  1. Pray - he is listening - Hebrews 5:7
  2. Read - he is speaking - Luke 4:1-13
  3. Believe - he is able - Hebrews 2:18
  4. Trust - he is willing - Hebrews 4:15
  5. Fight - he knows what you can bear - 1 Corinthians 10:13
  6. Seek - he has provided a way out - 1 Corinthians 10:13
  7. Find - he gives grace in time of need - Hebrews 4:16
Jesus death turned the tables on Satan

2008-08-20 - 30 Days at the Cross - I Am Not Alone
Stress, word for the modern world, everyone has too much of it
Synonymical cousins: worry, frustration, and impatience
Vacation sometimes causes it
Sociologists and Psychologist make a lot of money because of it
Jesus never was described as stressed
Jesus was tempted in every way as we are - Hebrews 4:15

How did he conquer stress? He was not alone - John 16:31-32

Allowing stress to overwhelm us is sin - focus on ourselves
It tempts us to let our emotions lead over our convictions

Worry - always be thousands of reasons to worry - still sin
Frustration - thing don't go the way we think it should - we need faith

We too can overcome stress - we too are not alone

2008-09-01 - Teach Us To Pray - Hungry and Thirsty (part 2)
We must Desire God Alone
Many people fail to have satisfying prayer lives because they are double-minded when they pray
Must do our best to rid ourselves of distractions
Unless you passionately fight for time alone with God, it will not happen

God Blesses the Hungry Heart
When we pray righteously, it allows God to work powerfully in our lives
  • Blessed are those who hunger for they will be filled - Matthew 5:6
  • Everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds - Matthew 7:7-8
  • You have not because you ask not - James 4:2
  • Judah sought God, and he was found by them - 2 Chronicles 15:15
  • Sometimes we need to wrestle with God to show how much we want it - Genesis 32:26
Power of prayers are dependent on the hunger in your heart
No hungry heart will ever be turned away

2008-09-17 - Teach Us To Pray - The Harvest Is Plentiful
Jesus promises a great harvest but the worker are few (Matthew 9:35-38):
  • Even when there was a large crows of disciples - Luke 6:17
  • Even when the is a entire town gathered - John 4:2
God controls the harvest
Fruitfulness limited primarily by one thing - God himself

Gratitude control the harvest
Luke 9 - The charge was to preach the kingdom and heal the sick
They gave to everyone who had need - Acts 2:43-47
Salvation wasn't just a doctrine rather a reality in their lives
Jesus spent much of his time meeting physical needs, feeding, comforting, healing, serving
As a result, people spread the word even more
Reflects the power of meeting needs and our heart as a worker

To acquire this heart, we need to pray:
  • For the strength to live this way
  • For the trust needed to believe
  • For the supplies necessary to meet every need
  • For the godliness to live as the Bible directs


2008-09-29 - Man of Prayer - Pattern

Lord's prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11

  1. Our Father in heaven (Matthew 6:9) - Getting Started
  2. Hallowed be your name (Matthew 6:9) - Getting Focused
  3. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10) - Experiencing Divine Intervention
  4. Give us today our daily bread (Matthew 6:11) - Praying for Provisions
  5. Forgive our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us (Matthew 6:13) - Experiencing Forgiveness
  6. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one (Matthew 6:13) - Developing Spiritual Protection
  7. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glry forever. Amen.  (later manuscripts of Matthew) - Final Issues

Each will be addressed in detail in later chapters

 



2008-12-19 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 1)

vWhat are we to do when our children disobey us?

  1. Verbal correction or reprimand
  2. One-warning rule - if your instructions are not followed, give one verbal warning
  3. Immediate Correction - the closer to the time of the offense, the more effective the action; delays also creates a tense, fearful atomsphere
  4. Temporary Isolation

Great with kids who love to be in the middle of the action
Don't let them ruining everyone else's fun

One way they learn to gain control over us - let them have their way
We are going to have a great time - they will realize that no one is mourning their loss



2008-12-31 - Raising Awesome Kids - How to Nuture Confidence (part 1)
Only proper foundation is their relationship with God
Develops confidence without cockiness

Stress a relationship with God
Focus on character - Tell your children over and over again that heart and attitude matter to God

Applaud effort than ability
Two of three men were successful because of their efforts not their ability - Matthew 25

Enough openness
  • Because of failure, they can hide things from you or even themselves
  • Ask them if they anything on their mind
  • Work through things until they are confident
  • Share some of our worse blunders - draws them closer and assures them that they are not alone
Encourage achievement
Search out your kids strengths - everyone has at least some
It is your job to help children discover and succeed in those things



2009-01-14 - Raising Awesome Kids - Fabric

Refers to the building a structure and rhythm into our famiy schedule
Times when the whole group gets together

Mealtimes
Everyone is there for dinner - someone is missing, there is a very good reason
Talk about significant things that happened during the day
It is the simple things that build fabric

Stop letting people read the paper, watch TV or do homework during dinner
Disallow running off to different rooms
Stop making appointment that take you away
Allow no phone calls
Make dinnertime an event - work hard to keep it special

Create family traditions - do things that uniquel to our family
Make birthdays a big deal - does not have to be expensive



2009-01-16 - Raising Awesome Kids - Atmosphere (part 2)

If we can laugh together, then we like being together, which adds up to unity

Idea: have a "joke night" - everyone tell jokes

Happy heart makes the face cheerful - Proverbs 15:13

Cheerful heart has a continual feast - Proverbs 15:15

Cheerful look brings joy to the heart - Proverbs 15:30

Cheerful heart is good medicine - Proverbs 17:22

The phyical environment need to be pleasant
Dirt, filth, and clutter do not create an atmosphere of closeness

The environment says, "we don't care", then people stop caring about each other



2009-01-24 - Jesus with People - Feeling the Pain

Luke 7:11-17 - He said, "Don't cry", Jesus chose to be vulnerable to everyone's pain:

  • His heart ached for a woman whom he had never meet
  • Immediately felt her pain
  • Was not oblivious to other's pain
  • He gave her reason to rejoice - through his death

Jesus compassion knows no bounds
How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ - Ephesians 3:18

Are you praying to stretch the capacity of your heart to feel deeply with many others?

Is your lack of openness (rooted in fear of the sin of pride) blocking your passion and compassion?



2009-02-03 - Jesus with People - Give or Take?
World seem to be divided into givers and takers
Usually we feel as though we are the givers and everyone else is a taker
We can draw back and become cynical - before long we cling to possessions, our rights or our feelings
At that point we have become takers
We would never admit it - and many of us do not see it

Jesus meet a man that was a taker - Matthew
Matthew was no different than us - he probably had a family with mouths to feed

As he left the office and crept closer toward the crowd surrounding Jesus
He heard the words - You must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me
Jesus then walked up to Matthew and said "Follow me"
His life changed forever - became a disciple of Jesus

How did Jesus know? do it? Jesus knew that he was sick and need to get well - Mark 2:17

We need to see people as they ready are and what they can become
Is there some in your life you can share with but haven't because you don't think they are open?

2009-02-19 - Jesus with People - What is Truth?
Upon hearing the charges made by his fellow Jews, Jesus did not even rely to a single charge - Matthew 27:14

Governor was amazed; Jesus' self-control stumped Pilate

Ill-fated Jews were forcing Pilate to face "truth" head on
All he wanted to do was avoid another political blunder; he responded - What is truth?

Jesus stood before him as the truth

For this reason I came into the world, to testify to the truth - John 18:37

Everyone on the side of truth listen to me - John 18:37




2009-05-09 - No one like him - His Submissiveness
Not a characteristic most see in Jesus

Mark 1:4-9 – Jesus was submissive to John – standing in line with everyone else

Submission comes to tests our hearts

Isaiah 53:7 – Jesus submitting to arrogant/self-center religious/non-religious when he was on his way to die

2009-08-24 - Wild at Heart - A battle to fight
Christ draws the enemy out, exposes him for what he is, shames him in front of everyone
Nice guy? Egyptians – plagues … Samson – killed a lion with bear hands, stripped thirty
Philistines, killed 1,000 men
Every man is from a victorious stock
He is an original

Who are you?
Are you bored by him?
What impact does he have on others?

Are you too nice?
Jesus was one with out fear – Did not shrink back but faced things head on - John 18:4-8
Jesus was no paled faced alter boy
He commanded the loyalty of dockworkers
Will return on a white horse
There is something fierce in the heart of God

2009-11-26 - Master Plan - Association (part 2)
  • Reasons for departures:
    • Oppositions from Pharisees
    • Hostility of Herod
    • Jesus wanted to be with disciples without distractions
  • In Gethsemane, disciples were only a stone’s throw away - Luke 22:41
    • Family: near each other in a time of departure
  • Every minute cherished because the growing realization of He would be with them no more
  • He spent more time with His disciples than with everyone else put together.
    • Ate with them
    • Slept with them
    • Talked with them
    • Walked with them
    • Prayed with them
    • Worshiped with them
  • Ministering to the mass – disciples learned the lessons and then got an explanation afterwards
  • Jesus had little time to call His own
  • Only exceptions was when He kept to His own personal devotions with interruptions - Mark 46-48
  • He wanted to be with them
  • They were His spiritual children


Next 25 >>