Quiet Times Search

• 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

• 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?

• God teaches love by putting unloving people around us
• God teaches peace by allowing times of chaos and confusion

1. Satan identifies a desire within you - Comes from within - Mark 7:21-23
2. Satan tries to get you doubt what God has said about sin - Don't let your doubt turn you from God - Hebrews 3:12
   
3. Satan tries replace truth with lies - He is the Father of lies - John 8:44
4. Our disobedience - Drawn away and trapped by our own desires - James 1:14-16

1. We are slow learners - Israelites are a great example of this
2. We have a lot to unlearn (bad habits) - Taking off the old self and putting on the new self - Romans 13:12 

• We can not grow without a humble, teachable attitude

3. Growth is often painful and scary

• There is no growth without change
• There is no change without fear or loss
• There is no loss without pain
• Must let go of old ways in order to experience the new way

4. Habits take time to develop - Practice and devote yourself to growth - 1 Timothy 4:15
   

• 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
  

• Gift-envy - wanting a gift that someone else has
• Gift-projection - expect others to the same gifts as we do

• Enthusiasm - what you love to do; no one has to motivate
• Effectiveness - passion drives perfection

David - "God, teach me lessons for living so I can stay the course" - Psalms 119:33
Solomon - gave us books of Proverbs filled with practical lessons

Here are some questions to help you remember the lesson God has taught us:

1. Taught us through failure
2. Taught us through a lack of money
3. Taught us through pain and sorrow
4. Taught us through waiting
5. Taught us through illness
6. Taught us through disappointment
7. Taught us through people (family, friends, church, critics)

1. Love God with all your heart
2. Love your neighbor as yourself
3. Go and make disciples
4. Baptize them
5. Teach them to do all things

• Love for enemies and pray for them - Luke 6:27-28
• Sacrifice of sleep for someone
• Be flexible and inconvenienced for others

• Help me be a better person
• Help me to change
• Help me to love you more

• Before dawn - Mark 1:35
• Sometimes all night - Luke 6:12
• He remained to pray - Matthew 14:23

There is no greater privilege and responsibility than to pray for our spouse and children
It boggles the imagination to see how the quality of our family life can be affected by exercise this privilege

Powerful spiritual forces of evil try to undermine God's foundational institutions like the family

Bible clearly teaches that our struggle come from the spiritual forces outside conscious perception - Ephesians 6:12
Praying sometimes make things worst (at the beginning) because Satan is on the attack

Each of us need to realize that how we pray for our spouse is limited only by our creativity
If you want the kind of relationship that God intended you to have with your wife, prayer will be a major factor in seeing that desire realized

When we have been faithful in praying for my children, we have a great sense of peace about their lives
Christian dads have a tremendous privilege and a straggering responsibilty to pray their children

God provided manha day after day for 40 years to the Israelites
They could not take more than a day's portion - otherwise it would rot
Manha means "it is what it is"

It was to teach them that man does not live on bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord - Deuteronomy 8:2-3

It is NOT inapproprate to ask God to provide for our needs
He is YHWH - jireh - the Lord will provide

God delights in our dependence on Him as the source of our provision
We often do not have because we have not asked - James 4:2

• Don't reject him
• Don't ridicule him
• Teach him to relate confidently to other boys
• Teach him sports and manly skills

• God cares for them
• God knows all about them
• God takes delight in them
• He longs to be close to them

Must be taught and expected earily
Lays the foundation for obedience to all other authorities in life and ultimately to God

Children who are rebellious, defiant, and disobedient to parent later will demonstrate those same attitudes towards all authorities

It is easiler to teach children to obey while they are yound than to begin later when the habit of disobedience is deeply established

Israelites - if only we had meat; we never see anything but manna - Numbers 11:4-10
Any grumbling we do is really grumbling against God

God met the needs of the Israelites but he punished them for their attitude - Numbers 11:33
God did want to their needs to be known
Complaining springs selfishness and ingratitude

Must teach our kids to be grateful
Also teach them to express their wishes, opinions, likes and dislikes in a pleasant, positive tone of voice

These commandments... are to be upon your hearts (v. 6)

Should train from the heart level
in their minds and on their minds - Hebrews 10:16

Impress them on your children (v. 7)

Training with the Scriptures must be done with great conviction, sincerity and earnestness
If you want it to stick, you will need to give all you have

Talk about them always (v. 7)

Train consistantly - everywhere, anytime, anyplace

About teaching our children how to live life - not nagging about their misdeeds

Make it fun, doable, effective

Most training should be spontaneous

Never underestimate how many times we will have to say the same things over and over again

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

• 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

• What happens when there is someone else better lookig?
• What if their suffer a disfiguring injury?
• What happens when they get older?

• Give God credit for every gift God has given your child including appearance
• Teach them continually about this - gives them a humble appreciation
  
• Teach them the value of what is inside

• Women of Proverbs 31 - skills ranged from homemaking to business and management
• David - shepherd, soldier, political leader, songwriter, and musician

• Teach your children to act differently - to not turn people off
• Or steer them to toward another group