. (195 found)
2008-03-19 - Be Still My Soul - Seven Questions to Ask
Having difficulty finding any treasure in your personal Bible study?
Here are seven questions to ask:
- Is there a promise to claim? What are the conditions?
- Is there a command to obey? Is there something God expects me to do?
- Is there sin to avoid? Am I guilty of this?
- Is there a teaching that need to believe?
- Is there an example to follow or avoid? Learn from some examples, record your responses to these examples
- Is there a difficulty to explore? Don't let difficulties throw us, let inspire to study further
- Is there something in the passage I need to pray about?
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2008-03-22 - Be Still My Soul - The Pattern (Part 2)
Our Father.
- We are longer slave but sons ans daughters
- We can approach him with confidence because of Jesus
In heaven.
- 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
Hallowed be your name.
- Being holy, set apart, above us
- Prayer is not just asking for something but for honoring Him
Your kingdom come.
- 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
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- 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
Give us today our daily bread.
- 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
Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.
- 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
And lead us not into temptation.
- What are your weaknesses? Have you faced them?
- Draw on God's power before Satan strikes
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
- Return again to praising and glorifying God
- All power rests in his hand
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2008-04-08 - Falling in Love with God - Jesus: Their All
1 John 1:1-4
Jesus: that which:
- Was from the beginning
- We have heard
- We have seen with our eyes
- We proclaim
"No one ever spoke the way this man does" - John 7:46
Christ was their happiness
Christ was their peace
Christ was what they wanted to experience in life
They were committed to experiencing Christ
Paul's joy of completing the task the Lord Jesus has given him - Acts 20:16-24
They did not chafe at the cost of following Christ - cost was a chance to grow
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2008-05-08 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Ambition: from God or Satan
Depending on the motive:
There is positive ambitions - Romans 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:11
There is negative ambitions - Galatians 5:20
There is pure spiritual ambitions with bad motives:
Matthew 20:20-28 - wanted their shot at the left and right seats of Jesus
We often want the right things for the wrong reasons
- Too focused on positional goals in the church
- Excel at work or school - not working for the Lord but working for self - Colossians 3:23
- Too much pressure for a child to succeed - Train a child in the way he should go - Proverbs 22:6
- Allowing secondary motivation become the primary motivation
Examples of primary and secondary motivations:
| Subject |
Primary |
Secondary |
| Job |
Glorify God |
Make money; Career |
| Following God |
Love God with everything we have |
Learning Bible facts, being disciplined, spiritual goals |
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2008-05-13 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Power of Negative Thinking
They are stronger than we are; we seem like grasshoppers - Numbers 13:31-33
- Negativity oftn excites stronger emotions
- Easily swayed by the negative report
- Forgot God's amazing miracles and victories
- Negative thinking is a pervasive tendency
- Majority of people inevitably practice negative thinking
- No wonder so many people reacted negatively to Jesus
- How many were confident that the resurrection would follow? Next to nil
- Negativism is deceptive to observers - seems normal
- Negatives are often mixed with positives to sound better
- Leaders have a responsibility to determine the thinking of the group
- Negativity is tragic in its results - destroys faith and unity of the group
No one remembers the names of the spies, we do know the name of those who avoided or overcame negativeness
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2008-05-24 - Purpose Driven Life - What Drives Your Life?
What shouldn't drive our life (will miss God's purposes for your life):
People are driven by guilt
Allows the past to control their future
God's purpose is not limited to our past
God turned a murder (Moses and Paul) into a leader and a coward into a hero
God specializes in giving people a fresh start
People are driven by resentment and anger - Resentment always hurts you more than it does the other person
People are driven by fear - from unrealistic expectations and high-control situations
People are driven by materialism - Your value is not determined by your valuables
People are driven by the need for approval - those who follow the crowd usually get lost in it
Living a purpose driven life, knowing your purpose:
- Gives meaning to your life
- I have laboed to no purpose - Isaiah 49:4
- My life drags by - day after hopeless day - Job 7:6
- My life makes no sense - Job 7:16
- Simplies your life
- You have just enough time to do God's will - too much to do means you doing things you shouldn't be doing
- Focuses your life
- Motivates your life
- Prepares you for eternity
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2008-06-19 - Purpose Driven Life - Growth Through Temptation
Happy is the man who does not give in - will be rewarded with the crown of life - James 1:12
Every temptation is an opportunity to do good through the path of maturity
How does the Holy Spirit produce fruit in our lives? - Galatians 5:22-23
By allowing you to be tempted by the opposite opportunity
- God teaches love by putting unloving people around us
- God teaches peace by allowing times of chaos and confusion
You can not claim to be faithful if you've never had the opportunity to be unfaithful
Temptation follows 4 steps:
- Satan identifies a desire within you - Comes from within - Mark 7:21-23
- Satan tries to get you doubt what God has said about sin - Don't let your doubt turn you from God - Hebrews 3:12
- Satan tries replace truth with lies - He is the Father of lies - John 8:44
- Our disobedience - Drawn away and trapped by our own desires - James 1:14-16
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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
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2008-07-19 - Purpose Driven Life - Balancing Your Life (part 2)
Write down your progress in a journal
We remember what we record
Writing helps clarify what God is doing in your life
Moses kept a written record of their progress - Numbers 33:2 (NLT)
Moses recorded the stages in their journey - Numbers 33:2 (NIV)
Don't just record the good things
David recorded his fears, doubts, and struggles with God
Write down for the coming generations what the Lord has done - Psalms 56:8
Pass on what you know to others
He who blesses others is abundantly blessed - Proverbs 11:25
Paul told us spiritual things so we tell others - 2 Timothy 2:2
Knowledge increases responsibility - James 4:17
Teaching other followers = a good servant of Christ - 1 Timothy 4:6
We learn for God's glory and the growth of the kingdom
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2008-07-24 - 30 Days at the Cross - Freedom of Forgiveness
True forgiveness - made possible by God
Jesus forgave when it was most difficult by:
Facing the truth
Jesus didn't expect life to be fair
He expected God to be fair
He accepted everything from God without question (in the end)
Judas only received kindness from Jesus
Taught forgiving your brother should be limitless - Luke 17:1-5
Feeling the pain
Jesus was totally honest with his feeling both God and man
Greatest test was at the garden of Gethsemane
Freeing his heart
He trusted his Father and focused on him rather than on his own pain
He yielded to God's sense of justice in the most unjust situation
1 Peter 2:23
- He made no treats
- He did not retaliate
We must follow Jesus example:
- He honest and call sin, sin
- Allow ourselves to feel the pain - fear or anger
- Surrender to God or be bitter, resent, or even apathy
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2008-07-29 - 30 Days at the Cross - Denial Without Regret
self-denial - decision to consistently lay down our lives - not a popular topic
No one can follow Jesus without it
Jesus' struggle in Gethsemane was fought and won in prayer - Matthew 26:36-46
Without self-denial there would be no cross and no salvation:
- Forgave his tormentors - Luke 23:34
- Ministered to a criminal - Luke 23:34
- Provided for his mother - John 19:27
Any limitation we put on self-denial will surely limit our usefulness to him
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2008-07-31 - Questions and Answers - Part 1
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Who purchased the potter's field?
- What was the nationality of the woman who was seeking Jesus?
- Was hatred to the Edomite sanctioned or forbidden?
- Is the Christian yoke easy?
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2008-08-01 - Questions and Answers - Part 2
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Can God be found by those who seek them?
- Can we call someone a fool or not?
- Do miracles prove a divine mission?
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2008-08-02 - Questions and Answers - Part 3
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Do we bear one another's burdens or not?
- Does God command or forbid robbery?
- Does God dwell in temples?
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2008-08-03 - Questions and Answers - Part 4
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Does God know the hearts of men?
- Does God tempt men?
- How did Judas die?
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2008-08-04 - Questions and Answers - Part 5
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- How many kinds of did Noah bring into the ark, two or seven?
- How many sons did Abraham have?
- How many women came to the tomb?
- Is all scripture inspired?
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2008-08-05 - Questions and Answers - Part 6
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Is marriage approved?
- Is there one God or more than one God?
- Should our good works be seen or unseen?
- Was Christ's mission peace or not?
- Was Christ's testimony of himself is true?
- Was Keturah Abrahams' wife or concubine?
- Where did Cain get his wife?
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2008-08-06 - Questions and Answers - Part 7
Answered the following questions in the Q & A section:
- Did God put all rulers in power?
- Is God present everywhere, sees all things, and knows all things?
- Should we observe the Sabbath?
- Should we practice physical resistance?
- Should work be done on the Sabbath?
- Was Jesus the only one to ascend into heaven?
- Was John the Baptist Elijah?
- Was there one or two men seeking Jesus?
- What is God's anger like?
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2008-08-16 - 30 Days at the Cross - Trusting in Trial
Living by faith is not easy:
- What will happen?
- What will I get?
- Will I be happy
To follow Jesus Christ we must live by faith - Romans 1:17
The cross was a test of faith for Jesus
- Experienced the slience of God
- Beaten and hung on the cross
- Believed in the resurrection that he could not see
- Could only see the blood, pain and faces of mockers
We see faith was under seige, also see that faith endured
Situations of life:
- Positive - grow quickly
- Difficult - the questions surface
- Tragic - faith needs to accept the situation, ask for help, and believe that God's power will be sufficient
Do you see your difficulties as burdens God shouldn't allow, or as tremendous opportunities to demonstrate faith?
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2008-08-19 - 30 Days at the Cross - Prayer and Purpose
Because of the cross we are able to pray
Looking at Christ's humble submission to the cross that we can learn we can learn how to pray
Thank God for the incredible opportunity that we have to talk to him because of his grace
He shows us the attitude we must have as we follow Christ in prayer - right perspective on suffering
After praying, he was able to face the mock trial, jeering, and the beatings
Disciples, who failed to pray, fled and desperation - they were powerless
Jesus purpose of praying was to make sure that we could be saved
Our main purpose to pray is not complaining but for others
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2008-09-05 - Teach Us To Pray - Eager to Act
Nehemiah 4:6-9 - Nehemiah prayed to for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt
Nehemiah turned his theology into biography
He prayed to a powerful God, but it did not end there; he was ready and eager to act
Many times we pray (talk) and then sit back (no walk) waiting for a miracle to happend
Nehemiah prayed often and spontaneously - 1:4, 4:4, 5:19, 6:9, 13:14, 22, 29, 31
He is prayers were followed by:
- Decisions - Nehemiah 2:5
- Plans -Nehemiah 4:9-16
- Actions - Nehemiah 2:18
What closes God's ear to our prayers is not the depth of our sin bu the lack of our eagerness to act upon his Word
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2008-11-21 - Raising Awesome Kids - Strength and Conviction (part 1)
But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord - Joshua 24:15
Fathers should be the rock of our family
When the call goes forth in the kingdom of God for response and sacrifice, we must lead the way
Our personal walk with God and our zeal should be an inspiration
Our responsibility to initiate, plan, and conduct family devotionals
If we have convictions, our family will have them
Natural thing for children to want to follow the lead of their father
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2008-12-19 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 1)
vWhat are we to do when our children disobey us?
- Verbal correction or reprimand
- One-warning rule - if your instructions are not followed, give one verbal warning
- Immediate Correction - the closer to the time of the offense, the more effective the action; delays also creates a tense, fearful atomsphere
- 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
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2009-01-12 - Raising Awesome Kids - Genuine Appreciation
Appreciation for one another does not come about by accident
Must teach it, talk about it, show it and confront the ways the kids are not expressing it - only way
Cultivate appreciation by creating as many situations as possible where it expressed in words
Build up one another sessions - each person encouragees every other person specifically
Thank you nights - give thanks for different things other family members have said and done
Encourage your family to begin expressing respect, appreciation, and encouragement - whole atmosphere will change
Pleasant words are sweet to the soul - Proverbs 16:24
Teach your older children how to lead and teach your younger ones how to follow
Children's weaknesses tend to come out more with each other than with us
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2009-01-19 - Jesus with People - Through the Roof
When the paralyzed man came down through the roof - damaged the house of Peter and Andrew - how would you respond?
Jesus demonstrated his love for people in the way he deals with the crowds
Everywhere he went, Jesus drew a crowd
He spoke with authority, conviction because he deeply cared about people
We need to care enough to gather a crowd - People need to be our focus
They need to be in our homes, in our Saturday plans, and focus of our lunch hour
Jesus with the Religious
Their slavery to legalistic minutiae angered him - Matthew 23:23-24
Their stubborn hearts distressed him - Mark 3:1-5
Jesus desire was for them to be saved
Jesus with the Faithful
Jesus gets the greatest joy from interacting with people who believe
Centurion - the faith he was looking for - Luke 18:8
What fires Jesus up? Faith
If we follow Jesus, the smallest seed of faith that we see in others should encourage and excite us.
Who big is your crowd?
Do you see the faith of others?
Is Jesus amazed by your faith or your lack of it?
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