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Searching for "personal" in the Quiet Time Archive
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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?


2008-03-21 - Be Still My Soul - The Pattern (Part 1)
What are we to pray about and in what order?
God has not left such crucial issues to guesswork

Matthew 6:9-13 - Above all other scripture on prayer - understand this one

Things to remember:
  • Pattern, not a formula - not meant to be recited, rebuked by Jesus
  • May seem awkward at first - stick with it
  • Be prepared to spend more time in prayer when you use this prayer - wider range of subjects
  • The structure reveals the genius of God - Begin looking to God; then deal with ourselves; once again focus on God
  • Notice the use of "us" - personal, but not self-centered


2008-03-30 - Be Still My Soul - Psalms You Sing
Nothing is quite as effective as music in improving our moods and softening our hearts
  • I will sing and make music - Psalms 57:7
  • I will sing and make music to the Lord - Psalms 27:6
  • Make music to your name - Psalms 92:1
  • Extol him with music and song - Psalms 95:2
  • I will sing and make music with all my soul - Psalms 108:1
  • The Lord is my strength and my song - Psalms 118:14
Use of music in our personal devotions is of utmost importance and is possessed of immense power
Frees us from a mere intellectual approach
Humbles us, especially those of us who are vocally challenged
Get a songbook and start singing during your quiet times

If your relationship with God seems dry and lifeless, music may be the missing element

2008-04-19 - Falling in Love with God - Intimacy
Dictionary definition of Intimacy:
  1. Marked by close acquaintance
  2. Relating to one's deepest nature
  3. Innermost
  4. Marked by informality
  5. Very personal
Respectful, but must not be formal - personal

"Quiet Times" OR "our time with God" assumes there is formal meeting / impersonal only
Do we treat friends or co-workers this way?

God desires to know who we are at the deepest level

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



2008-05-17 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Spiritual vs Doctrinal Thinking, part 1

Can major in the minors and minor in the majors
Tendency to be doctrinal focused - 1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:14-19; Titus 1:5-11; Titus 3:3-11
Can come from a desire to be leaders, takes focus off our personal lives

Numbers 12:1-15
  • v1 - Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses
  • v2 - Hasn't God also spoken through us?
  • Had a personality conflict but did not want admit it - fought over doctrine
  • v9 - Lord anger burned against them and left them
Unity of believers is the acid test of whether we are really his disciples - John 17:20

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


2008-06-02 - 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

2008-06-10 - Purpose Driven Life - A Place to Belong
You are called to belong
Relationship with Christ is personal but not private
Your organs are connected to other organs to fulfill a purpose
Organ severed from the body will shrivel and die
 
Christ loved the church and gave his life for it - Ephesians 5:25
 
Church is Christ's bride
Can't say to Christ "I love you but I do not love your wife
 
Why you need a Church Family?
 
1. Identifies you as a genuine believer
 
2. Move you out of self-centered isolation
 
Lab for practicing unselfishness
Learn to care about others
If one part suffers, all suffer - 1 Corinthians 12:16
We ought to lay down our lives for our brothers - 1 John 3:16
 
3. Helps develop spiritual muscle
Isolation breeds deceitfulness
 
4. Body Needs you
 
5. Share in Christ's mission - He works through us
 
6. Church family will help you from backsliding
 
"Mind your own business" - not a Christian phrase
It is your responsibility to help those who need help
 
Difference between a church attender and a church member is commitment

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)

 



2008-06-29 - 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

 



2008-06-30 - Purpose Driven Life - Using What God Gave You

Begin by assessing your gifts and talents

Take a long honest look at what you are good at
Try to have a sane estimate of your abilities - Romans 12:3
Make a list and ask other people

Experiment with different areas of service
When it doesn't not work out, call it an "experiment", not a failure

Consider your heart and personality
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given - Galatians 6:4

Examine your experiences and extract lessons you have learned

Remember today what you have learned about the Lord - Deuteronomy 11:2
Forgotten experiences are worthless
Paul - "Were all your experiences wasted? I hope not! - Galatians 3:4

Were rarely see God's good purpose - John 13:7

Run with patience the particular race that God has set before us - Hebrews 12:1

Satan can steal our joy by:

  1. Compare your ministry with others - others doing a better job
  2. Conform your ministry to the expectations of others - you are doing better and you full of pride

Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God's commendations - 1 Corinthians 10:12-18

 



2008-07-12 - Purpose Driven Life - Sharing Your Message (Testimony)
Your message includes testimony

Tell other of the difference he made for you - 1 Peter 2:9

Witnessing = simply sharing your personal experiences regarding the Lord

In court witness are NOT expected to:
  • Prove the truth
  • Argue the case
  • Press for a verdict
Witnesses simply report what happened to them or what they saw
You will be my witnesses - Acts 1:8

Personal stories:
  • Easier to relate to than principles
  • Capture our attention
  • People are naturally curious about experiences they never have had
  • Builds a relational bridge
  • Bypasses intellectual defenses
Be ready to all times to answer for your hope - 1 Peter 3:15-16

Four parts of your testimony:
  1. What my life was before Christ
  2. How I realized I needed Jesus
  3. How I committed my life to Jesus
  4. The difference Jesus has made in my life


2008-07-15 - Purpose Driven Life - Becoming a World-Class Christian (part 1)
Your choice:

Worldly
  • Personal fulfillment
  • Self-centered
  • Goes to enrichment seminars
  • Avoids missions conferences
  • Prayers focused on our needs
World class
  • Saved to serve
  • Eager for personal assignment
  • Only one who is truly alive
  • Makes a difference
Great Commission is for "every race, tribe, nation, and language" - Revelation 7:9
Go everywhere in the world and tell the good news - Acts 14:15
Experience is a little piece of what heaven might be like

Many opportunities today: missions, easy travel, and "e-vangelism" (email, facebook, chatting, etc)

2008-08-07 - 30 Days at the Cross - Spectators or Sacrifices

Sacrifice - we think of pain, suffering, loss, and the uncomfortable concept of denying self
We hear: "Do what feels good"

Sacrifice is a voluntary presentation of ourselves to God to be used for his purposes
Jesus sacrificed his comfortable position with God to serve, heal, love, preach the good news

 We can respond in serveral ways to the sacrifice of Jesus:

  • Pretend it never happened
  • Can decide to hide from the challenge
  • Immerse ourselves in other thoughts
  • Stand back with our arms folded
  • Understand the facts but no personal acceptance or responsibility

Christ love needs to compel us - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Hiding is dishonest. Spectating is hypocritical. Committing is powerful.

What happens when you offer your body as a living sacrifice?

  • It produces many seeds - John 12:24-25
  • Life truly becomes life
  • Our joy is multiplied
  • It effects us and other for enternity

What types of sacrifices is God asking of you right now?
Is there is anyone, anything, any place, or any position you are holding on to?



2008-10-01 - Man of Prayer - Father (part 2)

Addressing God as the Father seems pretty normal - not the case in Jesus' day

Sometimes David prayed:

  • O God
  • O Lord
  • O my God
  • O my Lord

...but nowhere will you find David addressing the living god as "Father"
Gabriel was sent to respond personally to Daniel's great prayer in Daniel 9 - yet he did not address God as Father

Patriarchs, the prophets, and the priests of Israel were all men of prayer - never addressed their prayers to God as "Father"
Jesus gave believers the right to become children of God

We begin our time in prayer with a father-child relationship



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

2008-11-13 - Man of Prayer - Beyond the Basics

Nothing we experience in the physical world will ever give us the the joy of our experience in the presence if God

David - "In your presence is the fulness of joy" - Psalms 16:11

Fullness of joy is what all men long for
There is one preeminent way to be with God - prayer

Some men have been created with personalities that are very logical and others are oriented to feeling and intuition
These inherent distinctions will shape our relationship with God

As our prayer lives develop, we each need to discover what dimensions of prayer are most effective for us
Lord's prayer provides a framework



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



2008-12-02 - Raising Awesome Kids - Teach Them About God's Love
They should be taught from infancy that:
  • God cares for them
  • God knows all about them
  • God takes delight in them
  • He longs to be close to them
Your children's view of God is the most important lesson you will ever teach them
It shapes their whole view of life and reality

Continue teaching, do not foist your past (if bad) on your child:
They have been assigned a personal angel to look after them - Matthew 18:10

2008-12-15 - Raising Awesome Kids - Disarming Disobedience

They crack you up laughing while he or she is disobeying you
If we let a child control us by smiling and laughing, we will cry and mourn later
We are creating a monster - who will manipulating others for personal gain

Never let them do whatever just because they are cute or charming



2008-12-21 - Raising Awesome Kids - Power of Discipline (part 3)

What does the Bible say about spanking?

He who spares the rod hates his son - Proverbs 13:24
The rod of discipline will drive folly far away - Proverbs 22:15
If you punish with the rod, they will not die - Proverbs 23:13-14

Message is clear - Spanking is vaild, employed with wisdom and love

  1. Spanking should be an event
  2. Explain beforehand the reason for the spanking
  3. Cool off before spanking a child - must be complete self-control and not retaliatory
  4. Use a designate paddle - do not hand spank - too personal
  5. Spanking must result in change, contrite heart
  6. Bring things to resolution
  7. Do not spank for every offence - children in elementary years, spanking is less appropriate
  8. Spank on the safe backside or thigh
  9. Start as soon as the child begins to understand the word no; about 14 months


2008-12-24 - Raising Awesome Kids - Gods Training Plan (part 2)

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

These Commandment (v. 6)

Bible is the underlaying basis for all training
It is the very word of God:

  • To be revered
  • To be loved
  • To be believed

Paul said of Timothy  - from infancy you have know the holy scriptures - 2 Timothy 3:!5

Love the Lord your God (v. 5)

Training flows from a relationshop of love with the personal God
Not  "do-it-ot-else" mentality - missed the point
Bible should be used continually, not just for some "extra" authority is needed



2008-12-26 - Raising Awesome Kids - Specifics

Character

  • Start early to build on good points and strengthen any areas of weakness
  • Even a child is know by his actions

Beliefs and faith in God - Trust God in prayer / stand for the truth

Attitudes

  • Teach them to love life
  • Expect them to do their best
  • Teach them to expect God to move powerfully

Values - good morals - honesty and purity - if learned young - they will not abanon them

Personality, demeanor, and manners

Train them to have a pleasant personality traits
  • Some need to realize that our kids are not likable
  • Don't let your kids be social outcasts, weird, or rude
  • Some kids think they are hilarious when they are not
  • Other act strangle to get a attention
  • Some are are bland wall flowers


2009-01-03 - Raising Awesome Kids - Foundations of a Spiritual Family
Spiritual = to be on the inside what we trying to do one the outside: to be genuine, not to live a pretense of religious performance but to function out of a sincere relationship with God

A spiritual family is where:
  • God is honored
  • God's presence is sought and experienced in daily life
  • Prayer is an ongoing reality
  • The Bible faithfully read and obeyed
  • There is love for God's church and is fully involved in its fellowship and ministry
  • There is times of worship, praise, and study
  • The children have their own times of personal Bible study
  • The parents spend regular times with each child to disciple them to Christ
  • A group that is dedicated to helping other become disciples of Jesus
Much more than being good, nice, or church-going family - be those things and not be spiritual

We can not take our families where we have not gone
Children can spot a fake

We must be:
  • Genuine in our love for God
  • Consistent in our walk with him
  • Wholehearted in our dedication
Six areas to be discussed:
  1. Prayer
  2. Discipling times
  3. Family devotionals
  4. Devotion to Church
  5. Evangelistic lifestyle
  6. Children's Quiet Times


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