2008-02-27 - Power of Gratitude - Free at Last MLK - as bad as slavery was - there a slavery that last for eternity 2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus might become sin for us As existence of righteousness does not ensure we receive it Satan tries everything to help us miss this opportunity Jews after saw their failures in the past - created many regulations so they would not sin
Religion that is performance based is doomed
Romans 7-8 - Focus is not on themselves but on him who died for them; Because they are saved James 1:23-25 - Law points out their sin clearly / making them feel more indebted to God Motivation to last a lifetime - Our love responding to his grace Other motivations:
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-02-29 - Power of Gratitude - Bon Appetit Satan works to both deceive us and accuse us - People tend to have a deceived or an accused conscience Too many of us seem to think that God turns away from us when we are doing bad and turns back when we repent Fathers are much more engaged when their kids are not doing well God ran to the Lost Son - Luke 15 Gave his only Son when we were not doing well - John 3:16-17 Christ died for the ungodly - Romans 5:6-11 At the point the mind changes - our conscience should be cleared Sin is serious - that is what the cross is all about Feel the burden of sin long enough to be convicted and move to repentence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-03-02 - Power of Gratitude - Making Peace with the Past Putting the past behind us is very important to maintaining the attitude of gratitude God is the God of new beginnings Also also need to put past sucesses behind us - if glory days are in the past, so is our gratitude Sins in the past - either what someone did to you or what you did to other/God Dealing with past - goal to find how the past is messing up the present not to live in it David psalms - he struggled at the beginning of many of the psalms and figured it out at the end during most Writing feeling to help resolve the past - not new, David did it centuries ago Forgetting the past was never to be inclusive of past blessings What were you worry about a year ago? Don't know? God brought us through it! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-03-05 - Power of Gratitude - Is your Job Sacred or Secular? A large percentage of our waking hours on the job God expects even a slave to be happy with their lot in life - Colossians 3:22 Whatever you do, do it in the Lord's name - Colossians 3:17 Offer your bodies as living sacrifices - Romans 12:1 Full-time ministry We are full-time if we are disciples Others have gifts not in "up-front" roles No child of the King of Kings should feel like a second-class citizen
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2008-03-23 - Be Still My Soul - Pour Out Your Heart We can to one of a few things in challenging times:
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:
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2008-04-01 - Falling in Love with God - How Bad It Can Get A mission of Satan is undermine my relationship with our Father Must ask all the time: How are God and I doing? Typical doing questions:
Relationship questions:
When we drift 1. Combative - Psalms 55:20-21 Presedes sin / sensual gratification
3. Hopeless - Job 3:11-13 Hopelessness is godlessness | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-04-17 - Falling in Love with God - Experiencing the Spirit What does it mean to NOT experience the Spirit? Paul had six questions (Galatians 3:15)
Our works will never validate our relationship with God Only relying on the Spirit, can we feel free to have deepening relationship with God Spirit helps with: Help not have a heart of stone - Ezekiel 36:24-27 Speak to us not to fear - Haggai 2:1-5 Encourage one to return to God - Isaiah 44:22 No phone calls, sermon, nor spiritual book can move my heart live the Spirit Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing - John 6:63 We are never alone on this journey - constant source of strength, wisdom, truth, and refreshment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-04-21 - Falling in Love with God - Communication Talking to God is the best way to break the chains that our hearts captive Tempted to everything but talk to God Sometimes we feel that we need to get everything "just perfect" before going to God God listens to complainers - Job, Jeremiah, Jonah, Abraham, and Moses God prefers honest agreement to dishonest submission Psalms 42 - Half of psalms like David telling himself what he should be thinking and feeling Deepest parts of him longed to connect with what is deepest with God | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-04-23 - Falling in Love with God - Discerning God's voice
God's word contains God's voice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-04-25 - Falling in Love with God - Heaven in Focus In heaven every knee will bow Our hope and citizenship is there If we are in love with God, we will be ready God's idea of heaven may not be "recreational" Our purest motivation to going to heaven must be to be with God On the deepest level, he longs for us to be with him The goal of our faith is salvation that we might be with him Not just peace in heaven Not just the promise of no tears or no trials So many times we want heaven on earth - 2 Corinthians 4:13-18 Focus on the eternal - feel refreshed Focus on what is seen - feel unsure, clouded and drained | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-05-03 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Rest of the Story The first person who presents a case - seems right - Proverbs 18:17
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) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-05-06 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Emotions and Spirituality Emotions are God-given and a blessing Some refuse to get open and honest with their true feeling - from pride and fear In times of crisis, we usually get past our emotional blockage and express ourselves much better Negative emotions are not to be trusted Unless you allow others to break into your closed system of reasoning, the illogical will continue to seem perfectly logical Satan can use emotions in a damaging way - need to allow others to gain perspective Emotions are needed and seen in Jesus:
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2008-05-11 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Escaping the Performance Trap Performance trap - termed as perfectionism (not measuring up = sin) Guilt and imagined guilt come from performance based - must learn to understand God's grace Good thing to do our best but when mixed with pride is a wrong turn Rejection (or fear of) - is the root of most of our insecurities Performance-oriented tries to conceal insecurities with a superimage of self Unless we are open about our negative points we will never reallty feel loved Paul opened up his life: 2 Corinthians 6:11-13
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2008-05-12 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Don't cry over split milk Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead - Philippians 3:12-14 Much of our challenge is in accepting failures without feeling like failures Peter and Judas were both betrayers Mistakes are part of the growing process
Gospel allows us to start over and over again Shock > denial > anger > depression, apathy, or peace (grace of God) BIG PICTURE - being right with God, growing in our relationship with him, and helping others | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-05-27 - Purpose Driven Life - Life is a Temporary Assignment Life is a temporary assignment It is descriped as a mist, a fast runner, a breath, a wisp of smoke Compared to eternity, life is extremely brief With this understanding. worries lost their grip on our lives In order to keep us from getting too attached God allows us to feel much discontentment and dissatisfaction in life
Some would consider them foolish and lost everything but they gained everything - God and heaven In heaven we will ask ourselves:
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2008-06-03 - Purpose Driven Life - Best Friends with God God wants to be your friend God's ideal relationship - Adam and Eve (no rituals, ceremonies, or religion) Moses, Abraham, David, Job, Enoch, and Noah had intimate relationships with God Most in the OT had just the fear of God You are not longer servants but friends - John 15:15 Through constant conversations Make it a habit to have daily devotion time but it more than just that God wants to be included in every activity in your life (Some think you have to get away) Key to the friendship is not changing what you do but your attitude toward what you do Pray all the time - 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray as often as possible Help me trust you You are here with me I'm depending on you You are my God How awesome you are! Pray as often as possible Your goal is not a feeling but an awareness of the reality that God is always present Through continual meditation Thing about His Word throughout your day - who God is, What he has done, and what he has said Meditation is simply focused thinking - Worry is a form of meditation Friends share secrets God told his secrets to Abraham, Daniel, Paul, his disciples, and others friends When you read your Bible or hear a sermon - develop a practice of review the truth in your mind | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-06-04 - Purpose Driven Life - Developing Your Friendship with God You are as close as you choose to be to God Must work to develop your friendship Must choose to be honest ...about your faults and feelings No one in the Bible was perfect:
We may harbor resentment toward God He wants you to hold back nothing about how you feel Choose to obey John 15:14 - You are my friends if you do what I command We are not equals - We obey obey God because we love him True friendship isn't passive; it acts "Great things for God" - Great things come once in a lifetime; small things come everyday Must choose to value what God values What does God value the most? His lost children Must desire a friendship with God more than anything Longing, yearning, thirsting, hungering - that was David Nothing matters more NO: What is it worth to you? NO: What cost is too much? Problems are wake-up calls for you come back to him | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-06-06 - Purpose Driven Life - When God Seems Distant Easy to worship God when things are going great God matures relationship by times of separation - Job, David, Jesus God promises to never leave you or forsake you Sin separates - Friendships are tested by separation and silence Sometimes distance from God is not because of sin - feelings may be off It is not a feeling, God will remove your dependence of feelings Tell God how you feel God can handle your doubt, fear, anger, grief, confusion, and questions Remember: God is unchanging: Job praised God in these ways:
His promises do not change despite circumstances Remember what God has already done for you Even if God will not do anything else for you (very unlikely) He gave his son | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
... Mutuality (Romans 1:12)
... Sympathy
... Mercy
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2008-06-13 - Purpose Driven Life - Restoring Broken Fellowship Relationships are always worth restoring God has given us the ministry of restoring God gave everything (his son) for restoring relationships Does not mean avoiding conflict or appeasement Talk to God before talking to the person God may change your heart or their hear - James 4:1-2 Tell God your frustrations Most conflict is rooted in unmet needs; some needs can only be meet by God Always take the initiative God expects you to make the first move - Matthew 5:23-24 Abandon your offering at the alter and go make things right first Acting quickly reduces the spiritual damage Bitterness is only hurting yourself Sympathize with their feelings Use your ears more than your mouth - Philippians 2:4 Focus on feelings and not facts Start with sympathy, not solutions Confess your part of the conflict Ask "Am I the problem?" - Matthew 7:5 The way you handle a conflict creates a bigger hurt Attack the problem, not the person How you say it is important as what you say Cold War - country decided on weapons that should never be used Cooperate as much as possible - Romans 12:18 Sometime it cost our pride, self-centerness Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution Reconciliation focuses on the relationship Takes a lot of effort to restore a relationship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-06-16 - Purpose Driven Life - How We Grow God wants you to grow up - some grow older but never grow up (Ephesians 4:14-15) Nothing shapes your life than the commitments you make God's part and your part Our part is to: Continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling - Philippians 2:12-13 Our role = "work out" salvation (grow - in a body workout we have our body but we make it better) Changing your autopilot Becareful what you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts - Proverbs 4:23 Going on a diet, exercising does not work if you do not change your thinking - "I am going on a diet" The way you think determines the way you feel - which influences how you act - Ephesians 4:23 Babies by nature are completely selfish It is not the amount of biblical information and doctrine you know | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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" Must accept the Bible's authority
Unrealiable authorities (at the Garden of Eden as well):
Must assimilate its truth Allow yourself to be transformed by the truth
Must apply it principles
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2008-07-07 - Purpose Driven Life - Gods Power in My Weakness (part 3) Honestly share your weaknesses Paul modeled vulnerability:
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2008-07-18 - Purpose Driven Life - Balancing Your Life (part 1) God 5 purposes for your life:
Churches do the same thing Habits to stay on track: Talk it through in a spiritual group Helps you to internalize information Helps with accountability - Iron sharpens iron - Proverbs 27:17 Helps you put in the practice what you learned - Philippians 4:9 Helps encourage each other - 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Give yourself a regular checkup Test yourself - 2 Corinthians 13:5 Take a look at the way you are living - Lamentations 3:40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008-07-21 - 30 Days at the Cross - Unconditional Love Feels good to feel loved - insecurities come from not being sure or for some reason other than unconditional love In our worst shape, God demonstrated his love for us - Romans 5:8 Love you enough to have his son killed for you - while you (and me) were enemies of God If God loves us this much, we should as love this way - 1 John 4:11 Paul - Christ came to save sinners and I am the worst - 1 Timothy 1:15
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