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Searching for "god," in the Quiet Time Archive
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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:

  • Am I productive?
  • Have a recently had a victory?
  • How do people around me feel about me?
  • How long has it been since I committed a particular sin?

Relationship questions:

  • Do they feel loved?
  • Are we connected?
  • Have I been sensitive?
  • Am I listening?
  • Will this activity help our relationship?

 When we drift

1. Combative - Psalms 55:20-21
2. Uncaring / Apathy (Harding of our hearts) - Psalms 36:1-4; Esphesians

Presedes sin / sensual gratification

  • "I deserve this"
  • "I am tired"
  • "I am missing out"
  • "I know what I need"

3. Hopeless - Job 3:11-13

Hopelessness is godlessness
If deeply in love with God, whispering to me promise after promise
If walking with him closely, he is meeting my needs for strength and faith



2008-04-04 - Falling in Love with God - Doing vs Being
Remembering the height from which you have fallen - Revelation 2:1-7
Doing the right works does not mean you are doing good

Not a substitute for dealing with our heart

Satan's plan: Damage our relationship with God, then damage our faith about our ability to change

Ephesians
  • Are Hardworking
  • Have Persevered
  • Are Intolerant of Evil
  • Endured persecution
We can not draw near to God by activity

2008-04-16 - Falling in Love with God - Holy Spirit in our lives
Jesus was intimately connected to the Holy Spirit

If we are to fall in love with God, it is only be through the Holy Spirit

Examples of God's spirit involved with restoration of David:
  • David knew he could go nowhere to escape God Spirit - Psalms 139:7
  • Spirit lead David to "level ground" - Psalms 143:10
  • David pleaded for God's Spirit to remain with him - Psalms 51:11
With the Spirit the road becomes impossible to navigate

2008-04-20 - Falling in Love with God - Communion
Biblical communion at some meals:
  • Here a dinner was given in Jesus' honor; he reclining at the table with them - John 12:2
  • Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table - Luke 22:14
  • Here reclined at the table with them - Luke 24:30
To fall in love with God, we need to relax and "recline at the table" with our maker
We need to let our guard down

Our relationship with God must be a feast, not a protein shake or an energy bar

Intimacy with God must a priority above all else

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

2008-05-12 - 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
Peter was forgiven and Judas would have too if he had not killed himself

Mistakes are part of the growing process

  1. Performance mind-set - try to minimize our failures (no risks)
  2. Terminal thinkers - avoid calling them mistakes

Gospel allows us to start over and over again
Failure to achieve dreams is one our greatest challenges from our past

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



2008-05-18 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Spiritual vs Doctrinal Thinking, part 2

Goal is the be focus on personally knowing God, being changed, and helping others to do the same

Doctrine is important - Must watch it - Timothy 4:15
Must have sound doctrine - 1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 1:13; Titus 1:19, 13, 2:1
Our study helps us understand the heart of God and imitate it


Doctrine thinking Spiritual thinking
Arrogance
Humility
High blood pressure Inner peace
Division Unity
Leads people to hell Leads people to heaven
Man-centered God-centered
Unspiritual Spiritual


2008-05-23 - Purpose Driven Life - You Are Not an Accident

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



2008-05-25 - Purpose Driven Life - Made to Last Forever

This life is preparation for the next - realizing this will help you live differently

  • Place a higher premium on relationships
  • Use your time and money more wisely
  • Your priorities will become reordered

God has planted eternity in the human heart - Ecclesiastes 3:11

The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears

The most damging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking
Only time most people think about eternity is at a funeral

This world is not our home - Hebrews 13:14
Every moment in this body is time spent away from our eternal home - 2 Corinthians 5:6



2008-05-29 - Purpose Driven Life - Planned for God's Pleasure
You are planned for God's pleasure
He chose to create you for his enjoyment
Bringing enjoyment to God is the first purpose in life
He considers valuable enough to keep you for eternity with him

Bringing pleasure to God is called worship
Anything you do that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship to God
Worship is a universal urge - if not worshiping God, it will be something
Worship is not for your benefit, not "I got a lot out of it"

Worship is far more than music
Worship music is not limited to a particular style of music - nothing to do with volume or speed of the song
Style of the music says more about you than it does God

Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life
Every activity can be transformed into an act of worship
Whether you drink or eat or whatever... do it all for the glory of God- 1 Corinthians 10:31

2008-06-21 - Purpose Driven Life - Overcoming Temptation
Refuse to be intimidated

You will never outgrow temptation
Temptation is a sign that Satan hates you
Paul says, "WHEN you are tempted..." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Jesus was tempted, but never sinned - Hebrews 4:15
The closer you grown to God, the more Satan will try to tempt you

Recognize your pattern of temptation

Know what exactly what trips you up - Stay alert, Satan waits til you are napping - Matthew 26:41
  • When am I most tempted?
  • Where am I most tempted?
  • Who is with me went I am tempted?
Don't give the Devil a chance - Ephesians 4:27
Plan carefully what you do... - Proverbs 4:26-27

Request God's Help

Call on God in times of trouble - Psalms 50:15
Jesus is sympathetic; he understands our weakness - Hebrews 4:15
We can be embarrassed to ask God for help after failing over and over again, but let us have confidence when approaching - Hebrews 4:16

2008-06-29 - Purpose Driven Life - Using Personality and Experiences

Personality

You are very unique 102,400,000,000 in DNA terms
All the particles in the universe is less than 1076

It is obvious that God loves variety
God works through different people in different ways; achieves his purpose through all - 1 Corinthians 12:6
So many personality conflicts between just the 12 disciples

It is easier to  work with the grain than against it
Mimicking someone else exactly does not work

Experiences

  • Family experiences
  • Education experiences
  • Vocational experiences
  • Spiritual experiences
  • Ministry experiences
  • Painful experiences

Greatest ministry comes from our most likely come from your greatest pain
God allows you to go through painful experiences for ministry of others

When others are troubled, we will be able to give them the comfort God has given us - 2 Corinthians 1:4

Paual was honest with his bouts of depression
He eventually put everything into the hands of God, who alone could save us - 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

If Paul kept his experience to himslef, millions of people would have never benefitted from it

Don't waste your pain, us it to help others

 



2008-07-13 - Purpose Driven Life - Sharing Your Message (Lessons)

David - "God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course" - Psalms 119:33
Solomon - gave us books of Proverbs filled with practical lessons

Here are some questions to help you remember the lesson God has taught us:

  1. Taught us through failure
  2. Taught us through a lack of money
  3. Taught us through pain and sorrow
  4. Taught us through waiting
  5. Taught us through illness
  6. Taught us through disappointment
  7. Taught us through people (family, friends, church, critics)

 



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 that surpasses knowledge - Ephesians 3:19
The is not of higher value than unconditional love
Not a testimony to God's softness on sin
We will be changed if we understand God's love

Love you enough to have his son killed for you - while you (and me) were enemies of God
How much is his love toward you now that you his child?
Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and live a life of love - Ephesians 5:1-2

If God loves us this much, we should as love this way - 1 John 4:11
Do you only love God when perform as you think he should? He doesn't!

Paul - Christ came to save sinners and I am the worst - 1 Timothy 1:15

 



2008-08-23 - 30 Days at the Cross - Consumed with Reconciliation
Bible makes it clear: God is consumed with reconciliation
At the cross: it reconciles us to God, then reconciles us to each other

There must be humility on both sides:

God humility (did not need to go the human level but he did for our sake) - Philippians 2:5-8
  • Made himself nothing
  • Took the very nature of a servant
  • Was made in human likeness
  • In the appearance of a man
  • Obedient to death
Man problems with humility
  • Consumed with finiding fault with God
  • Reject God rather than questioning ourselves
  • Thinks he could do a better ob
Only with humility from both God (yes) and man (sometimes) can reconciliation occur.

Do you want to resolve a conflict in a relationship?
Do it Gods way:
  1. Start with a fresh look at the cross
  2. Remind yourself of the humility shown by Christ
  3. Want reconciliation more than anything
  4. Confess your sin first


2008-08-29 - Teach Us To Pray - The God who Enjoys Hearing and Watching Us

We enjoy accomplishment: meeting a deadline, A on a test

Imagine the incredible feeling God must have experienced when he first viewed his own creation:

  • Enjoyed developing Israel into a beautiful bride - Ezekiel 16:1-4
  • Joyously san through the angels when his Son was born - Luke 2:8-14
  • When the church was born - Acts 2

How would iy affect your prayer life if you had a deep conviction that God enjoys his relationship with you?
Sometime I feel like a bother to God, a frustration to him or a source of disappointment

God Enjoys Hearing Us Talking to Him
The longer we are in the Lord, the more secure and real we should be in our prayers
David communicated whatever he felt - God was able to discipline him to be the "man after his own heart"
Do you enjoy the fact that you can be totally real with God?

God Enjoys Watching Us
Parents enjoy children playing soccer, sing in a play, and read the Bible
God is the same way



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

2008-09-05 - 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

2008-09-07 - Teach Us To Pray - Honesty and Openness
Honest communication is crucial element to any great relationship: God, spouse, children.

Consider how ludicrous it is to not be real with God:
  • He knows what is in our hearts
  • He knows what we are really seeking
  • He knows what we need
Only honesty with God makes sense!

Moses:
  • He questioned the wisdom of God's choice
  • Argued his lack of eloquence
  • Says he does not want the responsibility
  • He is honest - he gives God something to work with - Exodus 4:13
David - example of his Psalms:
  • Why do you hide yourself in trouble? - Psalms 10:1-2 - logically does not make sense but this is where David was
  • Later, he works it out in prayer (v17) - LORD, you have heard the request of the oppressed; you make them feel secure because you listen to their prayer.

It is in our openness that we hear our faithlessness and can turn away from it.

God wants a relationship with you
He wants to know our longings, aspirations, problems, anxieties, doubts, and even our sin

2008-09-18 - Teach Us To Pray - Courage and Boldness
Prayer reminds us God is in control
It is his battle, I belong to God, and God will make me successful
God will not let me be tempted beyond what I can bear - 1 Corinthians 10:13

To pray for boldness and courage:
  1. Trust - We are exactly the way God wants us to be; he will make up what we are not - 2 Timothy 1:7
  2. Righteousness - Righteous are as bold as a lion; god can not hear us if we cherish sin - Psalms 66:18
  3. Action - do what the word says; Keep praying until you act
Does our faith come from our results or our results come from our faith

God's work cannot be done in this world without courage

2008-09-20 - Teach Us To Pray - Power for our weakness
Weakness include:
  • Physical sickness - Philippians 2:26
  • Weak faith - Romans 14:1-2
  • Weak conscience - 1 Corinthians 8:11-12
If you are not aware of your weaknesses, then God can not make you strong

Prayer is simply the key that unlocks the door to God's free reign in our lives
He reigns whether we like it or not, but he will not take away our free will - we have to surrender it
Getting rid of weakness is not the point - it to humbly submit yourself to God, depend on his power, and to rely on his strength

2008-09-25 - Teach Us To Pray - Warriors Who Change the World

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



2008-10-05 - Man of Prayer - Name
In Jesus' day, a person's name reflected one's character
God had powerful encounters with an individual, he would change the person's name with the change in them

Halllow mean to treat with great reverence
Focusing our thoughts helps lead to a response of worship

Many focus on telling God their needs, need to focus on God
Seek first his kingdom - Matthew 6:33

In interpersonal communication, remember a person's name is very important
Moses asked God, "Who shall I say sent me?"
God answered, "Tell them I AM has sent you"

YHWH (Yahweh) is the proper name of the living God
God is the God who is, who causes to be, and who will be who He will be
Thinking about God in this way gets my focus on Him

2009-01-30 - Jesus with People - Greatest in th Kingdom
I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom  of heaven - Matthew 18:1-4

Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost - Matthew 18:12-14

We need to become like children in a very specific way
Our human nature wants to be first and to have control
Matthew 18 were driven by the same desire - they asked Jesus "Who is the greatest?"
When become like little children, we become like Jesus

Paraphrase - Because of your power-hungry pride you guys are not even in the kingdom of God, and nothing will change this fact unless you start imitating this child

After Jesus' sacrifice, all his teachings made sense
Having a child's humility is impossible until we understand the cross
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends - John 15:13

Must see other brothers and sisters in Christ as God's little spiritual children who must be cared for
God's heart is that not a single person be lost
Do we feel the personal responsibility for others?

Who do you know who is struggling spiritually? What can you do to help them?

2009-03-09 - Promises of God - The Problem is Me
Deuteronomy 4:29 - Find God when we seek him with all of our heart

Repentance must be proven by our deeds - Acts 26:20
Praise God for his faithful correction - Proverbs 3:11-12

God hates sin, takes sin of idolatry, personally - Deuteronomy 6:15

Sin comes when we lower the standard of commitment in our lives and allow ourselves to become lazy, selfish and self-indulgent

Being idolatrous and lukewarm is a serious sin against God - Revelation 3:16
Against God, his church, and the souls that are not saved as a result

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