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Searching for "having" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "0" to "25". (74 found)

2008-02-24 - Power of Gratitude - Badly out of Focus
Children - they notice the one toy they do not have even with having a dozen other toys - how do we do?

Gratitude and ingratitude are based on our focus in life
  • Negatives - ingratitude
  • Positives - gratitude
You can tell the size of the person by the size of things it takes to make him angry

Philippians 4:8 - think about these things
Philippians 4:12-13 - secret to being content in any and every situation

Being content is a decision - 10% what happens to us; 90% how we react to the situation

Romans 8:38-39 - nothing can separate us from the love of God

2008-03-15 - Be Still My Soul - Exciting Personal Bible Study
What happen to the days when you could not wait to learn more from God's word?
When was the last time you regretted having to close your Bible and go on to other activities?

Excuses:
  • Days of excitement are for young Christians
  • Mature means being dead and lifeless
  • See other older Christians not doing well and assume that is our fate
Paul: "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12-16)

The only way to a deep, growing relationship with God - which includes feeding on His word.
Some are not put forth the effort required to dig deeper; have become lazy
Some are satisfied with what they already know and are content being spoon-fed.

"Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity" (Hebrews 5:11-6:3)
We need to train ourselves (1 Timothy 4:7; Hebrews 5:14)
"This the one I esteem he who ... trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2)

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?


2008-04-05 - Falling in Love with God - Faithful Follower
Israel - when in the dessert, they did not need plant to know that God

In the end they were wishing they could be back into slavery

The way back from wandering is not found in activity but pulling out the scrapbook and remembering
When we had the conviction - "God will take care of me"

Remember:
  • Holiness was a simple issue between you and I God; not "having to be open"?
  • When your relationship with God was more private than public?


2008-04-29 - Falling in Love with God - Seeking Only Him

If God's people will humble themselves pray and seek his face, he will hear from heaven and forgive us - 2 Chronicles 7:11-16

Even after the temple was built, God was concerned whether his people will still seek him

God himself was often "felt" but not "found" - He has the same concern today

Difference: being members / having a deep personal and individual relationship with God

In his pride the wicked does not seek him - Psalms 10:1-4

One thing I ask: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, gaze upon the beauty - Psalms 27:1-9

Nothing will satisfy like seeking his face



2008-05-02 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Forgiveness, part 2

1 Peter 2:18

  • Our first response to others must having nothing to do with how they treat us; love is unconditional
  • Our response to those who mistreat us must be based on the example of Jesus
  • Our response when we are hurt is to think how to extend an opportunity of repentance and forgiveness
  • The more we suffer with grace and mercy toward our offender, the more they are drawn to God

1 Peter 3:8-9

  • Taking up our cross means we suffer at the hands of others without retaliation and with repect
  • Offenders will be melted by our gentleness and hopefully
  • Even if no repetance, they at least have an opportunity to repent

Taking the way of the cross accomplishes:

  • Refines our character, making us more like Jesus
  • Works on those who sin against us by bringing them to repentance
  • The greater the hurt forgiven, the greater the impact of the one forgiven


2008-05-14 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - I was Born this Way
Son will not share the guilt of the father - Ezekiel 18:20

Environment or heredity - most likely both
Must be slow to judge situations we do not completely understand otherwise may bless us with an understanding in a way we do not want

Other extreme - develop a victim mentality regarding ourselves or others
Can lead to being angry, use drugs, being immoral, or just about anything else
We have difficulty applying this to a murder

Answer: despite it being more difficult and having different backgrounds, the standard is still the same
He does not ask us to do anything he will not enable us to do
Identify the sin > repent of it > start relying on God grace > formulate a plan to overcome sin
Psychology can find root causes but it is powerless to find a cure

Hezekiah and Josiah were righteous amount a line of kings that were evil

The promises of God are far greater than our past and present challenges

Pray that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way - Colossians 1:10-12

2008-06-14 - Purpose Driven Life - Protecting Your Church
It is your job to protect the unity of the church
 
Supreme model for unity is the Trinity
Jesus' final moment was thinking and praying about the church's unity
Make every effort to keep the unity - Ephesians 4:3
 
Focus on what we have in common
 
We share the same life, salvation, and same future
Conflict - focused on "disputable matters"
 
Be realistic in your expectations
 
People become disillusioned with church
Should not be surprised - made up of sinners, including ourselves - 1 Corinthians 1:10
Reconciliation - not running away - road to stronger character and deeper fellowship
If the church must be perfect to satisfy you, that same perfection will exclude you
 
Choose to encourage rather than criticize
 
It is always easier to stand on the sidelines than get involved
Judge another believer:
  • Lose fellowship with God
  • Expose my pride and insecurity
  • Set myself up to be judged by God
  • Harm the fellowship
 
Satan is the accuser of our brothers
Other Christians are not the real enemy
Any time spent for comparing and criticizing should be used for building others up
 
Refuse to listen to gossip
 
People who gossip to you will also gossip about you
Great wounds usually come from other sheep, not wolves
 
Practice God's method for conflict resolution
 
Go to the person you are having issues with - Matthew 18
Takes a man of courage to speak the truth in love
 
Support your pastor and leaders - Hebrews 13:17
 
No perfect leaders
They are accountable but so are you
You will give an account on how you obeyed your leaders

2008-09-14 - Teach Us To Pray - Our Daily Bread
Many of us have little concern about having food
Other things can distract us like: finding a job, paying off debt, development of our children
Satan schemes to blind us God

Worry definition:
  1. to torment oneself
  2. to fret
  3. uneasiness or anxiety
What daily worries plague me?
If the enemy can get us to be preoccupied, it destroys our effectiveness as disciples

He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom - Isaiah 40:28-31
Our Father is the God of the universe; nothing is too great for him

2008-10-14 - Man of Prayer - Into His Court

Focusing on God - source of incredible joy in our lives
This is worship - fundational to the prayer experience

Psalms 100:4 - his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise
Presence is fullness of joy - Psalms 16:11

Focus is a vital part of an effective prayer life
Having moved into His presence - sharpens your spiritual focus - His Kingdom

 



2008-10-24 - Man of Prayer - Praying for Provision (part 1)

By nature, fathers are designed to be providers

Jesus instructed the disciples to pray "Give us this day our daily bread"

Father knows our needs already - Matthew 6:32
Preoccupation with our needs reveas a lack of trust in God as provider - Matthew 6:25-32
Our priority is God's kingdom - Matthew 6:33

First phrases of the prayer all point to God:

  • Hallowed be your name
  • Your kingdom come
  • Your will be done

Then topics having to do with us:

  • Give us this day
  • Forgive us
  • Lead us

 



2008-11-30 - Raising Awesome Kids - Have Fun, Be Hip
What is wrong with having fun? Nothing!

Jesus was a fun person:
  • He went to parties
  • He told jokes
  • He nicknamed his guys
  • He loved children and they loved him
  • Pharisees even rebuked Jesus for letting his disciples get too happy
Children love fun people
If we are fun people, our kids will have fun
If we let them have fun they will love our leadership

You need to be hip to what is happening
We show love when we are interested in someone else's world
Be coming all things to all men - 1 Corinthians 9:22
Take a look at the current youth scene and not ridicule it
Confront the sin but accept the style

2009-01-09 - Raising Awesome Kids - Childrens Quiet Times
Having their own quiet times is the best way for them to know God and enjoy him personally - develops their own faith

Younger years (preschool and early elementary) - sit down with them a couple of mornings a week

Later elementary - they can begin to have them on their own - 10 minutes a session
Create a structure for them
Write down what they learn
ACTS like prayers
 
Older - direct them toward Proverbs, Psalms, and the Gospels - always keep up with how it is going

Pushing them too quickly = overwhelmed kids
Not challenging them enough = leave a vacuum for them to be filled by the world

Pray for wisdom, get wise counsel, and trust God will guide you

2009-01-10 - Raising Awesome Kids - Close Family
Is there any place where our weaknesses are exposed more than in our own homes?

Most families are not that close
Many families merely exist together without any deep love or enjoyment of one another

  • Cain and Abel - murder by his own brother
  • Jacob and his twin brother Esau - folly from their parents' favoritism
  • Jacob's sons turning against their younger brother Joseph
  • Family of David - torn apart by lust, rape, incest, murder
God is showing us what will happen if we are disunited

Four keys to having a close family:
  1. Respect
  2. Openness
  3. Fabric
  4. Atmosphere


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?

2009-02-20 - Jesus with People - People Pleasing Pilate
After having found Jesus innocent of the charges, three times Pilate "appealed to them"
In the end surrender Jesus to the will of the crowd - Luke 23:13-24

Jesus still let Pilate know that he was guilty of sin - John 19:11

Instead of seeking an escape, Jesus testified to the truth about God
He was still preaching and reaching out the lost - even his executor

Jesus had an impact - from then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free - john 19:12

Pilate lived and kept his job - for a little while, but his name was written in infamy

How do you fare under negative chatter about your Christian conviction?

2009-02-28 - Promises of God - Being Fully Persuaded
Abraham shows us that faith is all about having confidence in the promises of God

Yet he did not weaver through unbelief, being fully persuaded that God had the power to do what he had promised - Romans 4:20-21

Abraham was justified by faith - Romans 4:13

We must learn God's promises and never waver in unbelief in trusting them.


2009-05-06 - No one like him - His servant heart (part 1)
People dream of having servants

Most consider a servant’s life a life to avoid

Jesus was willing to go to the lowest position
  • Born in a barn (Luke 2:4-7)
  • Made himself nothing (Philippians 2:58)
  • Did not come to be served, but to serve (Mark 10:43-45)

Jesus’ disciples were looking for a forceful liberator

Suffering, serving were on Jesus’ agenda

2009-05-22 - No one like him - Kingdom Attitudes (part 2)
Those who mourn

After seeing the impact and the hurt we have caused -
Having godly sorrow - 2 Corinthians 7:10-11
Taking ownership

The Meek

No one wants to be meek
Meekness - horse that has been broken
Gentle, Humble, Teachable
Defensive spirit gone
We must remember we have been cleansed from our past sins - 2 Peter 1:9
"will inherited the earth" - will make the most of our lives on this earth

2009-05-26 - No one like him - Kingdom Lifestyle (part 2)
Different Righteousness – Matthew 5:17-6:18
Righteousness for the Pharisee had became having the correct facts and outward performance
Not about memorizing more scriptures or fasting three times a day
Righteousness was all about attitude
When scriptures is not exact, we should on these attitudes in situations in our lives – to please God
Different priority – Matthew 6:19-34
The pursuit of God’s will should be the overriding passion of our lives
No can serve two masters – Matthew 6:24


2010-01-04 - Kingdom First - Making Peace with Others
Having peace with God - story is not over
We are in a world to wage peace just as God does

Jesus is our example
Courage and honesty destroy barriers
Openly expressing his thoughts and feelings pulls down superficiality and distrust

Jesus expressed his:
  • Fears - Matthew 26:36-46
  • Disappointment - Matthew 11:14-17
  • Anger and Frustration - Matthew 23
He wanted people to be totally united, regardless of differences

If you want real peace, don't avoid conflict
Do whatever is required to settle matters quickly

2010-01-20 - Kingdom First - Handle Prayerfully (part 2)
Not like the hypocrites
Jesus wants us to be real - not having our hearts far from him - Matthew 15:8
Are genuinely struggling with God in prayer?
Are you honest with God when you do not want to do his will?
Never let religious word/action define your prayer life

In Your Room
Jesus wants us to be isolated so we are without interruption
We should feel freedom to be ourselves and to be deeply honest

No Babbling

Who babbles?
  • Two-year olds
  • nervous people
  • lazy-minded
  • superficial people
  • self-conscious people
Disciples should be this way in prayer:
  • Confidence
  • At peace
  • Clear-minded
  • Alert
  • Deep and Focused


2010-01-24 - Kingdom First - Wise Investing

Jesus is not interested in our obedience outwardly without having our hearts set on heaven
All the ancient were longing for a better country

Living a Christian life is more than living up to a standard of behavior
Meant to ask deeper questions of motivation and heart with an understanding a heart properly movtivated - actions will follow

We should develop a heart that does not store treasures in heaven
Jesus makes a case that does not make sense to store up treasures here because they will not even last here - Matthew 6:19-21

No moth, no rust, no thief, not even Satan himself can diminish our treasure in heaven
It is an incredible freeing feeling to let go of the "treasure" here on earth

Will you miss services to get overtime in?
Do your children see a joyful parent excited about the kingdom of God?

Invest all you have and all you are - Romans 12:1

 



2010-03-10 - To Live is Christ - Having the Same Love

Paul wanted to remind the Philippians of the blessings of their relationship with Jesus - Philippians 2:1-4
He called them to "be like-minded, having the same love" for each other

By this all men will know we are Jesus' disciple by our love - John 13:35

"Sharing in the common life" ws his heartfelt vision for them

He applealed to them to be one to initiate this kind of love
To love like Jesus is to love first
We love because he first loved us - 1 John 4:19
God did not wait for us to initiate and get an attitude because we didn't

It is not natural to love this way
Jesus does not ask of us something he did not do or something we cannot do

Will we trust the message he lived and taught?
Will we be the kind of friend to others that he has been to us?



2010-03-11 - To Live is Christ - Just Like Christ

In the midst of the discussion about unity, Paul continues by talking about having the mind of Jesus - Philippians 2:5-8

The only way to have unity is to be like Jesus

We were called to follow in his steps - 1 Peter 2:21

Jesus willingly because a servant
Greek literally says, "he emptied himself"'

  • He poured out his diviniy for us
  • He gave up his rights
  • Jesus was not just playing a role, he was showing us the depths of this heart

Jesus came not to be served but to serve - Matthew 20:28

 



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