. (1316 found)
2008-02-23 - Power of Gratitude - Trees, Clap your hands
Cows and birds do a far better job of praising God than most humans - they function the way God wants them to function.
Are at least half our times with God directed toward praise?
Pray though Psalms about praise - Read 1-2 verses at a time
- Psalms 8, 24, 29, 47, 92, 93, 95, 96, 98, 100, 104, 113, 135, 147, 148
The more we talk about something, the more it becomes reality to us.
|
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
|
2008-02-25 - Power of Gratitude - Solitary Places
When gratitude cause us to rise early to spend time with God - seeing one of the greatest fruits
No one says that QT must happen in the morning - it always goes better than the days when trying to work out another time during the day
I learned to pray when I sensed that I would come apart at the seams emotionally unless I didn't
Three things helped with prayer life:
- Solitary place - no bothered for a curtain amount of time
- Can walk and pray
- Can pray out loud
writing can help - proven by therapists - helps with negative thoughts
There is no gratitude without prayer
|
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
- Not the content of their character
- Basis of conformity to rules
- Majored in the minors and minored in the majors
Religion that is performance based is doomed
- what must we do to please God
- Condemn others outwardly
- Condemn ourselves inwardly
- Everything becomes a matter of right and wrong
- Hearts focused if we have done enough and have done it right
1 Corinthians 15:10 - I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me
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:
- Fear - only for a while
- Christian fellowship - until other's disappointments and failures
- Ambition - until our disappointments and failures
NOT: Measure up and I will accept you
YES: I'll accept you, now let's walk together in my strength
|
2008-02-28 - Power of Gratitude - Thank God Im a Country Boy
What ever background we have, we can not change it
Cultural heritage - Jesus from Galilee and Nazareth
Job - Jesus was a carpenter son's
Appearance - Jesus "nothing in his appearance that we should desire him" (Isaiah 53:2)
Speech - Disciples "are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?" ( Acts 2:7 )
Why?
"God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise" (1 Corinthians 26-29)
Jesus understands and sympathizes - No one knows more about temptation than he.
Let he happy for how God made us and use it for his glory
|
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
|
2008-03-02 - Power of Gratitude - Making Peace with the Past
Putting the past behind us is very important to maintaining the attitude of gratitude
God is the God of new beginnings
Also also need to put past sucesses behind us - if glory days are in the past, so is our gratitude
Sins in the past - either what someone did to you or what you did to other/God
Dealing with past - goal to find how the past is messing up the present not to live in it
David psalms - he struggled at the beginning of many of the psalms and figured it out at the end during most
Writing feeling to help resolve the past - not new, David did it centuries ago
Forgetting the past was never to be inclusive of past blessings
What were you worry about a year ago? Don't know? God brought us through it!
|
2008-03-09 - Be Still My Soul - Early Morning Time
Jesus went to God early in the morning
If Jesus needed to do this, how much more should we?
Excuses:
- I'm not a moring person
- I have to leave for work early
- I have to get the kids off to school
- I don't want to be legalistic
How does spending the early morning with God help build a closer relationship with him?
- Show the priority of this relationship
- Our waking thoughts determine the tone and course of our day
- Quietest times of the day
- Emotion have had time to recover
- Able to clear our consciences of guilt
- Cast our burdens upon the Lord
- Able to draw from his power for the day ahead (Psalms 5:1-3)
Hard time getting our of bed?
- Go to bed at a decent hour
- Set a definite wake up time
- Be responsible for getting out of bed - your responsibility
- Do whatever it takes to wake up
- Take an early morning shower
- Two clocks, far from bed
|
2008-03-10 - Be Still My Soul - Quiet Time
Jesus deeply valued his time alone with God
Jesus sought out quiet time
"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest" - Mark 6:31b
"Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" - Luke 5:16
Occasional devotions are OK but should never replace our private time with God
Jesus found a quite place
"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father" - Matthew 6:6
If you have no quite place - your relationship will be shallow and limited
Jesus urged alertness
Jesus pleaded with them to be awake and alert in prayer - Mark 14:37-42
Be "clear minded and self-controller" so that we can pray - 1 Peter 4:7
How long? until a sense of peace and closeness with God
How much time in prayer and study? mix it up; our relationship should not become stale
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you" - John 15:4-8
|
2008-03-12 - Be Still My Soul - Time Outdoors
Do you realize that nearly all of the people we read about in the Bible spent most of their time outside?
- Star-studded evening would tell how many descendants Abraham would have - Genesis 15:5
- Looking at God's creation - humbled Job's pride - Job 38:4-7
FInd park, trails, and open spaces.
Open your eyes, listen, breath the realivily clear air
When is the last time you:
- Took in a sunrise or sunset
- Watched the changing cloud formations
- Listen to the songs of the birds
- Strolled through the leaves of fall
- Listen to the snow fall as they gently fell to earth
- Took a good look at the flowers of spring
- Stopped to watch the a powerful thunderstorm
- Stood in awe of the sparkling stars
Psalms 19:1-4; Psalms 65:8-13
Time outside with God is just what many of us need and nothing else will suffice
|
2008-03-13 - Be Still My Soul - Times of Fasting
What is fasting? - voluntary abstinence from food in order to draw near to God
Fasting - frequently practiced by those who have walked closely with God:
- Moses - fasted for 40 days as he received the law (Exodus 34:28)
- David - fasted for the life of his newborn (2 Samuel 12:15-22)
- King Jehoshaphat - declared a national fast under a miltary emerency (2 Chronicles 20)
- Esther - called for God's people to fast during a extermination attempt (Esther 4)
- Daniel - fasted to confess his and God's people sin (Daniel 9)
- Nehemaih - fasted for the condition of Jerusalem to improve (Nehemiah 1)
- Jesus - fasted for 40 days at the beginning of his ministry (Matthew 4:2)
- Antioch church leaders - fasted for to bless their ministry efforts (Acts 13:1-3)
- Paul and Barnabas - dedicating newly appointed elders (Acts 14:23-24)
Jesus warned about the mere appearance of fasting - Matthew 6:16-18
Advice
- Decide how long before hand
- Begin with shorter fasts
- Be care with those taking medication or those with a background of anorexia or bulimia
- Do not indulge in a large meal immediately after a fast
A "world fast" is an idea to remove yourself from movies, sports, television, newpaper, other outside info
Reason to fast:
- Humble ourselves
- Show our dependance on him
- To devote time and focus to our spiritual lives
- To ask for God' guidance
- To ask for God's help
- To overcome spiritual lukewarmness
- To pray for a particular need
- To express gratitude and thanksgiving
- Breakthrough in our faith
|
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)
|
2008-03-16 - Be Still My Soul - Keeping a Journal
Reasons for a journal:
- It give you a jump start to your day - helps to remember and build on previous QTs
- Can build on a thought or a theme
- Reveals our spiritual progress
- Keeps us focused on our goals and convictions
- Becomes a seedbed of great inspiration and insight
Practical advice about journals:
- Set aside a notebook - better than random pieces of paper
- Have a place to write down random thoughts and things that need to be done so you are not distracted
- Keep our goals before you
|
2008-03-18 - Be Still My Soul - How to Study
God intends for every disciple of His to delight in His Word - Psalms 119:18
Ways to study:
- Study one book of the Bible - Make a simple outline; sometimes we lose patience in our understanding - keep working at it
- Study a section of a book - ie Sermon of the Mount; Jesus and the disciples in the upper room
- Study one chapter of the Bible - Hebrews 11, 1 Corinthians 13, and others
- Study one verse - This is really deep! compare it, cross reference words, look up meanings
- Study one topic - understand and master; use topical, chain-reference, and concordance
Take notes and review each day
|
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
|
2008-03-22 - Be Still My Soul - The Pattern (Part 2)
Our Father.
- We are longer slave but sons ans daughters
- We can approach him with confidence because of Jesus
In heaven.
- With Jesus as the high priest, we can confidence to enter the into the throne room of God
- Can gain a heavenly perspective
- Praise God that his resources there are limitless
Hallowed be your name.
- Being holy, set apart, above us
- Prayer is not just asking for something but for honoring Him
Your kingdom come.
- Kingdom has not come to every nation and place nor every person
- Pray for God to open doors, speaking boldly, with wisdom
- Pray for those who server and in leading roles
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
- God wants us to pray about surrendering to his will
- Challenges is our life must not be avoided but have a surrendered life
- Read some command and ask yourself if you are following them
- Jesus never asked for strength to go to the cross but only that he might surrender
- Besides pride and rebellion, unbelief keeps us from doing God's will
Give us today our daily bread.
- Bring specific needs to God
- Must depend on God daily for our spiritual and physical needs
- Pray thorough your todo list and details
- Jesus said we could do nothing apart from God - John 15:5
Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.
- Lack of confession results in a hardened heart
- We will not mature if do not do this soul searching
- Be specific; ask others for forgiveness if needed
- Extend forgiveness; can not be forgiven by God otherwise
And lead us not into temptation.
- What are your weaknesses? Have you faced them?
- Draw on God's power before Satan strikes
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
- Return again to praising and glorifying God
- All power rests in his hand
|
2008-03-23 - Be Still My Soul - Pour Out Your Heart
We can to one of a few things in challenging times:
- Handle it ourselves
- Turn to God superficially; mentioning thing to God
- Turn to God - pouring out our hearts
Pour out your hearts - Psalms 62:8
I pour out my complaint before him - Psalms 142:2
How can we be close to someone if we have not poured out our hearts
God is all-knowing but unless we tell him our feelings we will never draw close
Everyone has feelings; it may be difficult at first
Jesus: offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears - Hebrews 5:7
Suggestions:
- Get in the habit of telling God how you feel
- Be in a private place
- Take a period of time away
- Allow yourself to cry - frustration, sorrow, or joy
|
2008-03-28 - Be Still My Soul - Postures
Prayer is not only for our minds and hearts, but our bodies
Types of prayer postures:
Kneeling
- Elijah - with his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42)
- Daniel - knelt in prayer three times a day (Daniel 6:10)
- Peter - knelt in prayer for the life of Tabitha (Acts 9:40)
Standing - Jesus gave instructions and standing in prayer (Mark 11:25)
Prostrate
- Moses - for 40 days (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25)
- Daniel - fell prostrate before the angel Gabriel (Daniel 8:17)
- Jesus - fell on his face in prayer at Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36)
Lifting and spreading out hands
- David - Psalms 28:2, 63:4, 88:9, 119:48, 143:6
- Ezra - Ezra 9:5
- Moses - Exodus 9:29
- Solomon - 1 Kings 8:22
Gazing upward - Jesus looking up to heaven (Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, 7:34)
Out loud and silently - Esther 4:1, Hebrews 5:7, James 4:7-9 / 1 Samuel 1:13
If prayers are not offered from a variety of postures then we are not praying as we ought
We can not separate our bodies from our hearts
Author has developed the ability to pray with great concentration and intimacy while running
|
2008-03-29 - Be Still My Soul - Praise
Thanksgiving is praise made practical
- We always thank God - Colossians 1:3
- Overflowing with thankfulness - Colossians 2:6-7
- And be thankful - Colossians 3:15
- Being watchful and thankful - Colossians 4:2
What should we be grateful for?
- Answered prayer
- Blessings of family and friends
- Health
- Material blessings
- Church
Our appreciation grows, our anxiety decreases, and our joy abounds
Never known a person who habitually expressive of gratitude to be afflicted with continual discouragement and depression
Good idea to start and keep a gratitude list
|
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
|
2008-03-31 - Falling in Love with God - Intro
Loving God is a journey
Father draws us to himself - John 6:44
Father does not change - James 1:17
Hard to understand God when we are so inconsistent
It is OK for a journey to have highs and lows
Why love God?
Why not just obey him?
Why not just "gut out" our journey with God? Because we are commanded to
What touches you most about God?
- He never quits
- Always a refuge
- Always will take you back
- He will make sure you know where you are
- Champion of the truth and the underdog
- Tender with the weak and brokenhearted
- Hammer the arrogant and pround
- Never makes a mistake
Despite all the good qualities of God - our relationship with God still takes work
|
2008-04-02 - Falling in Love with God - Bitterness
An emotional response (along with fear) that succeed at undermining our love for God
A result of an uncard-for emotional wound
Matthew 18:15-17 - can resolve most issues
Sometimes we are just called on to forgive
Not forgiving is like allowing a physical cut become infected
Examples
- Esau wept bitteryly when he failed to receive the blessing - Genesis 27:34
- Israelites incrediblity harsh and treatment from the Eyptians - Exodus 1:14
- Naomi changed her name to Mara, meaning "bitterness" (losted husband and sons) - Ruth 1:21
- Hannah wept "in bitterness of soul" because of her infertility - 1 Samuel 1:10
- David's men because of the loss of their children - 1 Samuel 30:6
- Job while not understanding the discipline of God - Job 7:11
- Missing the grace of God cause bitter root - Hebrews 12:15
- Envy becomes bitterness - James 3:14
Bitterness will actively oppose any attempt to restore our love for God
Bitter or better - a channel of curses or blessings
Disciples need Jesus' example to overcome the pain of the cross
Jesus wants us to have his attitude toward suffering
- What form do we expect our Christian suffering to take?
- Are we looking for a Christianity that does not involve suffering?
Bible command us to get rid of all bitterness
Two ways to overcome bittereness:
- Forgive - Ephesians 4:32
- Trusting God is at work in all things for our good - Romans 8:28
|
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 greatly affects our ability to love; renders lifeless our love for God
Fear one of the most powerful and universal tools Satan uses for:
- Keep man from the knowledge of God
- Experience of God's power
- Experience grace in our lives
- Taking our eyes off of God and onto our circumstances and insecurities
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
Fear is rarely rational
- Why are you so afraid - Matthew 8:26
- Don't be afraid - Matthew 14:27
- Don't be afraid - Matthew 17:7
- Don't be afraid - Matthew 28:10
- Don't be afraid - Mark 5:36
- Don't be afraid - Luke 5:10
- Don't be afraid - Luke 8:50
- Don't be afraid - Luke 12:7
- Don't be afraid - Luke 12:32
- Don't be afraid - John 6:19-20
- Don't be afraid - John 12:15
- Don't be afraid - John 14:27
God understands the destructive nature of fear
He simply commands us to deal with our fears through our relationship with him
|
2008-04-06 - Falling in Love with God - Rediscovering each other
Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him - Luke 24:13-32
They did not see Jesus because they lost hope and did not see him in a new light
There is no joy like rediscovery - ex. rediscovering your spouse
Some today:
- "We are not compatible anymore"
- "We have both changed"
- Think about an old boyfriend or girlfriend
We need to "rediscover" our spouse if we have lost hope
We need to "rediscover" Jesus if we have lost hope of connecting with him again
- Because of Jesus we can be one with Him
- He has not changed
- He is thinking of me, I am I thinking of him?
|
