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2008-03-11 - Be Still My Soul - Time Away

Jesus often withdrew

Jesus often withdrew - Luke 5:16
Spent the night praying - Luke 6:12
Jesus was praying in private - Luke 9:18
Jesus... took Peter, John, and James .. to a mountain to pray - Luke 9:28
Withdrew to mountain by himself - John 6:15

When was the last time you withdrew an entire night, day, or week?
We wonder why we are stale, unmotivated, joyless, and weary and have not grown
It takes awhile to detact from the world

A retreat can be unforgetable, life-changing time
You have to plan it to make it happen, Satan will try to stop you

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

2008-04-05 - 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?

2008-04-12 - Falling in Love with God - Our False 'Gods'

Here are some false 'Gods' we can create in our mind:

He get "attitudes" when we misbehave
He does not really forgive
His power is limited to people's choices
He has no reason to his plan
He does not always answer prayer; too busy
He thinks we ask for too much stuff
He does not want to "over-bless"
He will bless when you have earned it
He looks are the results of our performance
He barely tolerates our presence

All of these ideas are false, contridict the Bible, and are from Satan

If this is my "Father", I will have a turbulent relationship with "him"

2008-04-14 - Falling in Love with God - Holy Spirit is everywhere

We may suffer more from our neglect of God's Spirit than through any other spiritual problem

We need to be aware of the spirit all the time

A look through the Bible:

Spirit was present at creation
God anoints men with his Spirit
Spirit credited with giving David the plans for the temple
Engendered Jesus in the womb of Mary
Was at Jesus' baptism in the form of a dove
Lead Jesus into the dessert
Did the healing in Jesus' ministry

2008-04-23 - Falling in Love with God - Discerning God's voice

Thought	Worst that could happen	Truth	Scripture
I'll never change	I could try and fail	God can do anything	Ephesians 3:20
I'm and idiot	I could look foolish	We all look stupid; It won't kill me	Psalms 139:14
How can I help anybody?	Help but nothing changes	God will work one way or another	2 Corinthians 5:20
I don't feel God is with me	Go through a time feeling disconnected	God promised he would never leave	Matthew 28:20
Why would allow this to happen?	I have to experience pain from time to time	God has a great plan for my life	Romans 8:28
You'll never amount to anything	Your expectations don't become a reality	God has a dream for you	Jeremiah 29:11

God's word contains God's voice

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

2008-05-23 - 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

2008-05-31 - Purpose Driven Life - What Makes God Smile? (Part 2)

Noah was an example of making God smile (continued):

When we obey him wholeheartedly
- Noah was given detailed instructions on: size, shape, number of animals, and materials
- Completely, wholeheartedly, without delay, without explanation, joyfully, with enthusiasm
- Wholeheartedly = completely and exactly
- Partial obedience is disobedience
When we praise and thank him continually
- Noah built an altar to the Lord - Genesis 18:20
- We are to offer a sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving - Hebrew 13:15; Psalms 116:17
When we use our abilities
- God enjoys every detail, not just "spiritual" activities - Psalms 37:23
- Reject yourself, you reject God's wisdom in creating you
- There are no nonspiritual abilities just misused ones
- Children do not have to anything special to make their parents happy

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:

Good and loving - Job 10:12
All powerful - Job 42:2; 37:5, 23
Every detail of his life - Job 23:10, 31:4
He is in control - Job 34:14
Has a plan for my life - Job 23:14
He will save me - Job 19:25

Trust God to keep his promises
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

2008-06-18 - Purpose Driven Life - Transformed by Trouble

God has a purpose behind every problem

God uses problems to draw you closer to himself
Lord is close to the brokenhearted - Psalms 34:18

God had the ability to kept:

Joesph out of jail
Daniel out the lion's den
Paul from being shipwrecked 3 times
Young Hebrew from being thrown in a furance

... but he didn't

Problem force us to look to God and depend on him
None of your problem could happen without God's permission

Romans 8:28-29 (NLT)

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.

"God causes everything" - God is behind everything
"to work together" - work together as part of God's plan
"for the good" - the end result is for our hearts to be more like Jesus
"of those who love God" - those who are obedient
"according to his purpose" - the purpose is "become like his Son"

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

2008-06-23 - Purpose Driven Life - Dont Get In A Hurry

Believe God is working in your life - Expect gradual improvement

Keep a notebook or journal of lessons learned

Write down insights God teaches you
Reason we must relearn lessons is forget them
Keep a firm grip on what you have heard - so you don't drift - Hebrews 2:1

Be patient with God and your self

There are many examples where God goes through the process of maturing
It took over eighty years to mature Moses
Don't try to get out of anything prematurely - James 1:4

Don't get discouraged

Things God plans don't always happen right away, just be patient - Habakkuk 2:3
A delay is not denial from God

2008-07-11 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 3)

Your mission give your life meaning

The nest use of your life is to spend it for something that outlast you.
My life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me - Acts 20:24
The is some people that only you can reach

God's timetable is connected to the completion of our mission

Some are focus on when Christ will come
No one knows (or will know) the day or hour of the end - Matthew 24:36
It is not for us to know; it is up to us to witness - Acts 1:7-8
Jesus quickly switch the conversations from prophecy to evangelism

Satan would rather have do anything besides sharing your faith
Expect Satan to throw all kinds of diversion at you
Anyone who lets themselves get distracted from God's plan is not fit for the Kingdom of God - Luke 9:62

2008-07-23 - 30 Days at the Cross - It Keeps on Cleansing

The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin - 1 John 1:7
"Purifies" = present tense as in a da by day, constsant cleansing

His blood was the only thing that could possibly attain forgiveness for me - Ephesians 1:7
Blood make atonement for one's life

Imagine the priest persuading an Israelite to trust God's ways and offer the lamb
Do we have more faith in our weak, self-invented sacrifics than we do in God's plan fo grace?

Jesus' sacrifice for our sins must be accepted first for the joy of our sacrifical life to make sense
His blood is keeping us cured as we openly confess, repent, and appeal to God for our forgiveness - 1 John 8:2-6

Where does your value come from? As a blood-bought sinner or my ability to produce a perfect life

2008-07-25 - 30 Days at the Cross - Always Remembering

Passover - it meant freedom for the Jews (from Egypt)
Jesus choose Passover to bring freedom to all through his death

It was a new relationship with God and man
God loved mankind but man hurt God with his sin

Jesus: with my life and death, you have a new relationship, now remember this
It will be forgotten in our lives if we don't make plans to remember

In the midst of our activities and pressure of life, we forget:

How much he went through for us
That we can be forgiven and start over again and again
Why we are doing things we are doing

He took bread and gave thanks for this very reason - Luke 22:19

Give thanks and examine yourself - 1 Corinthians 11:28
Don't forget that in Christ there is no condemnation - Romans 8:1

2008-07-26 - 30 Days at the Cross - Wisdom and Power of God

Will the cross ever make sense to the world?

Will all the wisdom of the world, no one has found God
Man destined to frustration by God himself to show themselves helpless without God

Jews sought a miracle worker general ignoring scriptures like Isaiah 53
Greeks described god as apatheia - total inability to feel; looked don on uncultered Christians

God's plan was never to impress prideful scholars or to find acceptance among the rulers of the ages

Some things never change:

Graduate student in the laborary for 100 hours - OK
Athlete who trains 6-8 hours a day - OK
Executive working 60 hours a week - OK
Someone passionate about Christ - Bad

Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing
Man without the Spirit does not accpet spiritual things - 1 Corinthians 2:14
God has blinded the minds of unbelievers - 2 Corinthians 4:4

God didn't come to impress the world. Are you?

2008-08-24 - 30 Days at the Cross - United Hearts

Unity has an immense impact on our lives

Tower of Babel - God said nothing they planned would be impossible for them - Genesis 11:6
House divided against impossible for them - Mark 3:25
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit - Ephesians 4:3

What are the obstacles to unity?

Misunderstanding and wrong assumptions (Israelite tribes) - Joshua 22
Selfish ambition (James and John) - Matthew 20:20-28
Inferiority and insecurity
Jealousy and selfishness (brothers of Joesph) - Genesis 37
Ingratitude and unforgiveness (older brother of the prodical son) - Luke 15

Sin is the ultimate cause of all disunity. Forgiveness is the ultimate cure.

It defies our nature
Reflects a surrender that trusts God's justice
Demonstrates a humility that cares less for one's own rights than for the good of others

Who do you need to totally forgive?
Forgiveness is the key to bing reunited
We need a daily "state of our unions"

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

2008-09-06 - Teach Us To Pray - Praise and Thanksgiving

God's plan is a blessing and not a burden - 1 John 5:3
Once we lose our gratitude, we have lost everything

Growing in Gratitude

Realize God has chosen you - Choose you for the purpose of telling the world about him - 1 Peter 2:9
See God in everything - Train your mind to look at God and not self - Colossians 1:11-12
Express and verbalize your gratitude - Psalms 39:4-5

Challenge: Pray for 30 minutes just thanking God for specific details in our your life

2008-09-13 - Teach Us To Pray - Sin and Transgression

God both forbids and forgives

Clearly forbids - Genesis 2:16-17
We know well what sins and God says no
He forbids to protect - we choose to transgress his infinitely perfect plan

We must understand that sin hurts God deeply - Jeremiah 8:20-9:3

In his infinite wisdom, he found a way to forgive the unforgivable. Forgiveness is an undeserved gift

2008-09-16 - Teach Us To Pray - The Church of Jesus

Disciples must have a deep commitment to pray for the needs of the church:

Church "universal" - all congregations
Church "militant" - war against evil
Church "triumphant" - the mission God has given us

Praying is hard work. Let's get practical:

Pray with variety, creativity, and perseverance - Ephesians 6
Pray for all the saints - Philippians 1:4
Pray for upcoming meetings
Intercede for world leaders - 1 Timothy 2:1-2
Tour your city - Get a map; drive around pray for the different parts
Incorporate biblical themes
Tour the world
Pray for your elders
Pray for the church's work among the needy of your city
Pray for the special ministries within your church
Pray for new church plantings

2008-09-24 - Teach Us To Pray - Plans to Prosper Us

God has plans to prosper you - Jeremiah 29:10-13

Quiet time about things that happened in Flavio and Renee Uribe's life as they trusted in God. The found out that their plans and prayers didn't come about on their timing.

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