Quiet Times Search

• Gospel of John - John 13-17
• As a young ministry intern, Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus
• As a mature Christians, David and the Psalms
• After failure, Isaiah 40-66
• Entering forties with cynicism and anger, Book of Ecclesiastes
• All the time, study of Jesus

We can not be close to God in prayer if we deal only in generalities
God indeed wants to answer our prayers - how will we know what God is doing if we pray in generalities?

Abraham - Genesis 18 - prayed to save the city if there were 50, 45, 40, 30, 20, even 10 righteous people

Our lack of specific praying reveals a distance in our relationship with God

• More specific in your gratitude - become more grateful
• More specific in confession - understand the sin you are commiting
• More specific in your requests for friends and family - see how God will work

• 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

• Answered prayer
• Blessings of family and friends
• Health
• Material blessings
• Church

• 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?

• "We are not compatible anymore"
• "We have both changed"
• Think about an old boyfriend or girlfriend

• Because of Jesus we can be one with Him
• He has not changed
• He is thinking of me, I am I thinking of him?

• Was from the beginning
• We have heard
• We have seen with our eyes
• We proclaim

• The good news that Jesus is the Christ - Acts 5:42
  
• Proclaimed the Christ there - Acts 8:5
• Jesus is the Christ - Acts 9:22
• "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" - Acts 17:3
• Testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ - Acts 18:1-5

• Who can be against us? No one
• Who will bring any charge against us? No one
• Who is he that condemns? No One

When does seeking really start?

Romans 3:11 - there is no one that seeks God
John 6:44 - No one can come to me unless the Father draws him

Studying the Bible is simply allowing ourselves to be sought by God

If it was our own effort - baptism may seem like the end of the quest

We need to active learners

When we were young, we understood obligation  - "I gotta go to school"
After high school, we may go to college and narrow our focus of learning and become passive learners

• We listen to the voice of our experience as the final authority
• We learn mostly from our mistakes
• We learn when we are forced to out of control - crisis, illness, death

Treasures are for those who will continue to seek forever; not for those who want tips and tricks for being "effective"

If there were ever a moment to be a passive learner, it would be when you walk with Jesus

Luke 11:1-13 - where would we be if the disciples had not asked about praying to the Father? - not know how to address the Father

We need to take responsibilty to get deep and ask questions

Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead - Philippians 3:12-14

Much of our challenge is in accepting failures without feeling like failures

Peter and Judas were both betrayers
Peter was forgiven and Judas would have too if he had not killed himself

Mistakes are part of the growing process

1. Performance mind-set - try to minimize our failures (no risks)
2. Terminal thinkers - avoid calling them mistakes

Gospel allows us to start over and over again
Failure to achieve dreams is one our greatest challenges from our past

Shock > denial > anger > depression, apathy, or peace (grace of God)

BIG PICTURE - being right with God, growing in our relationship with him, and helping others

• Negativity oftn excites stronger emotions
  • Easily swayed by the negative report
  • Forgot God's amazing miracles and victories
• Negative thinking is a pervasive tendency
• Majority of people inevitably practice negative thinking
  • No wonder so many people reacted negatively to Jesus
  • How many were confident that the resurrection would follow? Next to nil
• Negativism is deceptive to observers - seems normal
• Negatives are often mixed with positives to sound better
• Leaders have a responsibility to determine the thinking of the group
• Negativity is tragic in its results - destroys faith and unity of the group

• Discover your identity and purpose through Jesus
• God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about him
• Purpose of your life fits into a much larger purpose

• Abraham - offering his son
• Jacob - working for Rachael
• ...and many others

• Adam and Eve - failed when tempted
• David - failed several times
• ...and many others

• Major changes
• Delayed promises
• Impossible problems
• Unanswered prayer
• Undeserved criticism

1. When we love him supremely
   • Noah did it when no one else did
   • God wants a relationship with you - Hosea 6:6
   • It is the greatest commandment
2. When we trust him completely
   • Problems that Noah could have had:
     • Noah had never seen rain
     • Lived hundreds of miles from the ocean
     • Rounding up all the animals
     • Many discouraging days around people
     • Children were probably embarrassed
       

• Family name, likeness, privileges,
• Inheritance - since yo are his child, everything he has belongs to you (Galatians 4:7)
• Will be with God forever - 1 Thesslonians 5:10
• Be like Christ - 1 John 3:2
• Freed from all pain, death, and suffering - Revelation 21:4
• Rewarded and reassigned positions of service
• Share in Christ's glory - Romans 8:17

There is always a way out
He will not permit any temptation that you could not overcome - 1 Corinthians 10:13

Refocus attention on something else

By resisting, you actually reinforce it
Don't fight the though, change the channel
Power of suggestion - the more you think about something, the stronger it takes hold of you
Temptation begins by capturing your attention - Satan can't get your attention when you are focused on something else

Reveal your struggle to a gold friend or support group

If you fall, a friend can help you up - Eccelesiastes 4:9-10
Hiding your hurt intensifies it
Satan wants you to think that your temptation is unique - We all fight the same temptations - 1 Corinthians 10:13
The reason we hide our faults is pride - everything is under control

Resist the Devil

He will flee when you resist - James 4:7
Without Christ we are defenseless against the Devil
Satan can not make you do anything, he can only suggest
Use the Word of God as your weapon against Satan - Jesus simply answered Satan with scriptures
Don't ever try to argue with Satan - he better at it

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

• 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

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

All God's great people in the Bible were weak but did not stay that way:

• Moses: Weakness was his temper BECAME "the humblest man on earth" - Numbers 12:3
• Gideon: Weakness was his low self-esteem BECAME a "mighty man of valor" - Judges 6:12
• Abraham: Weakness was fear BECAME "the father of those who have faith" - Romans 4:11
• Peter: Weakness was weak willed BECAME "a rock" - Matthew 16:18
• David: Weakness as a adulterous BECAME "a man after my own heart" - Acts 13:22
• John: Weakness was arrogance BECAME "apostle of love"

Honestly share your weaknesses

Paul modeled vulnerability:

• His failures: "When I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway" - Romans 7:19
• His feelings: "I have told you all my feelings" - 2 Corinthians 6:11
• His frustrations: "We were crushed" - 2 Corinthians 1:8
• His fears: "I was weak and fearful and trembling" - 1 Corinthians 2:3

Feels good to feel loved - insecurities come from not being sure or for some reason other than unconditional love

In our worst shape, God demonstrated his love for us - Romans 5:8
Love that surpasses knowledge - Ephesians 3:19
The is not of higher value than unconditional love
Not a testimony to God's softness on sin
We will be changed if we understand God's love

Love you enough to have his son killed for you - while you (and me) were enemies of God
How much is his love toward you now that you his child?
Be imitators of God, as dearly loved children and live a life of love - Ephesians 5:1-2

If God loves us this much, we should as love this way - 1 John 4:11
Do you only love God when perform as you think he should? He doesn't!

Paul - Christ came to save sinners and I am the worst - 1 Timothy 1:15