2008-02-27 - Power of Gratitude - Free at Last MLK - as bad as slavery was - there a slavery that last for eternity 2 Corinthians 5:21 - Jesus might become sin for us As existence of righteousness does not ensure we receive it Satan tries everything to help us miss this opportunity Jews after saw their failures in the past - created many regulations so they would not sin
Religion that is performance based is doomed
Romans 7-8 - Focus is not on themselves but on him who died for them; Because they are saved James 1:23-25 - Law points out their sin clearly / making them feel more indebted to God Motivation to last a lifetime - Our love responding to his grace Other motivations:
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength |
2008-02-29 - Power of Gratitude - Bon Appetit Satan works to both deceive us and accuse us - People tend to have a deceived or an accused conscience Too many of us seem to think that God turns away from us when we are doing bad and turns back when we repent Fathers are much more engaged when their kids are not doing well God ran to the Lost Son - Luke 15 Gave his only Son when we were not doing well - John 3:16-17 Christ died for the ungodly - Romans 5:6-11 At the point the mind changes - our conscience should be cleared Sin is serious - that is what the cross is all about Feel the burden of sin long enough to be convicted and move to repentence |
2008-03-11 - Be Still My Soul - Time Away Jesus often withdrew
When was the last time you withdrew an entire night, day, or week? A retreat can be unforgetable, life-changing time |
2008-03-22 - Be Still My Soul - The Pattern (Part 2) Our Father.
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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:
Relationship questions:
When we drift 1. Combative - Psalms 55:20-21 Presedes sin / sensual gratification
3. Hopeless - Job 3:11-13 Hopelessness is godlessness |
2008-04-03 - Falling in Love with God - Fear The other emotional response that undermines our love for God Perfect love drives our fear - 1 John 4:18 Fear one of the most powerful and universal tools Satan uses for:
There is healthy fear (like fearing God) but unhealthy fear is one that controls us and causes us to turn away from God's direction
God understands the destructive nature of fear |
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
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2008-04-12 - Falling in Love with God - Our False 'Gods' Here are some false 'Gods' we can create in our mind:
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" |
2008-05-04 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Buy Now and Pay Later Many struggle with the route of least resistance - CHARGE IT Satan invented the mind-set: Sin now and pay later God is not short-term but long-term Pay up front and gain big dividends later Righteousness is an investment of life Without perseverance through hard time times we will not grow - Romans 5:1-5, James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12:5-14 God does not "zap" change into you: Change requires:
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2008-05-06 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - Emotions and Spirituality Emotions are God-given and a blessing Some refuse to get open and honest with their true feeling - from pride and fear In times of crisis, we usually get past our emotional blockage and express ourselves much better Negative emotions are not to be trusted Unless you allow others to break into your closed system of reasoning, the illogical will continue to seem perfectly logical Satan can use emotions in a damaging way - need to allow others to gain perspective Emotions are needed and seen in Jesus:
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2008-05-07 - Power of Spiritual Thinking - In Touch and Out of the Pit Talking help condenses our thoughts but writing focuses our thoughts further in a more compact form David - controlled his emotions by pouring them out in writing Anguished spirit > Full of faith We need to work through our past by writing and talking about things that hurt us Our undealt-with hurts always result in anger and bitterness May also discover many forgotten positive memories Ultimately, blame goes to Satan - separate sin from the offender (some responsibility) By God's grace, healing can occur Be clear minded so you can pray - 1 Peter 4:7 |
2008-06-07 - Purpose Driven Life - Formed for Gods Family You were formed for God's family God desired to have a family but didn't need a family God became our Father Benefits of being part of God's family:
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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:
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 |
2008-06-19 - 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
Temptation follows 4 steps:
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2008-06-20 - Purpose Driven Life - Defeating Temptation There is always a way out Refocus attention on something else By resisting, you actually reinforce it Reveal your struggle to a gold friend or support group If you fall, a friend can help you up - Eccelesiastes 4:9-10 Resist the Devil He will flee when you resist - James 4:7 Realize your vulnerabilities The heart is deceitful above all things- Jeremiah 17:9 Don't carelessly place yourself in tempting situations, avoid them - Proverbs 14:16 |
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
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 |
2008-06-30 - 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 Experiment with different areas of service Consider your heart and personality Examine your experiences and extract lessons you have learned Remember today what you have learned about the Lord - Deuteronomy 11:2 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:
Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God's commendations - 1 Corinthians 10:12-18
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2008-07-08 - Purpose Driven Life - Gods Power in My Weakness (part 4) We are naturally drawn to humble people If people see your strengths but not your weakness, they can not relate
Decide wheather you want to impress people or influence people Glory in your weakness When Satan points out your weakness, agree with him and praise Jesus - 2 Corinthians 12:5 "If you want to be blessed by God and use you greatly, you must learn to walk with a limp" - Joacb |
2008-07-09 - Purpose Driven Life - Made for a Mission (part 1) Your mission is both shared and specific Mission = Latin word for "sending" As the Father has sent me, I am sending you - John 20:21 Jesus understood he was on a mission:
We have been sent to speak for Christ - 2 Corinthians 5:20 Your mission is a continuation of Jesus' mission on earth He call us not only to come to him but go for him |
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 |
2008-07-28 - 30 Days at the Cross - Life through Death Voluntary surrender is not easy; never comfortable nor enjoyable Rebellion comes from man's desire to be God Only when we are sick of our old nature will we be convinced to totally sell out to God Most of our cires are designed to produce our surrender So how do we go about taking up our cross?
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2008-08-08 - 30 Days at the Cross - Problems or Possibilities Suffering is a problem for us:
We spend too much time asking questions:
We should:
The issue is how you respond and how you will respond in the future |
2008-08-18 - 30 Days at the Cross - Turning the Tables Jesus came to turn the tables on Satan
When he died, almost everyone thought evil won Satan pulled out all the stops. 7 moves to turn the tables:
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2008-09-03 - Teach Us To Pray - Surrender Not what I will, but what you will - Mark 14:35-36 Surrender means to put oneself and one's future totally into the hands of God Surrender is unconditional and total - nothing is held back Worst scenario possible and is still willing to pay that price What can we learn from Jesus is this most difficult night of surrender?
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2008-09-12 - Teach Us To Pray - In Marriage and Family Unless the Lord builds, its builder labor in vain - Psalms 127:1-2 Powerful benefits of daily prayer with one another:
Prayer in family life:
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