Springhill Church

Series: Spiritual Growth

  • Made For More – Part 3

    Ephesians 2:10 AMPC (10) For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

    Has the thought ever crossed your mind that you wish you had the level of access that Billy Graham had with God? Or Mother Teresa?

    All of us that have received Jesus Christ as our Savior, have access to everything there is in Heaven and sometimes we shrink back from that access. What would happen in your spiritual life if you believed that you have the same influence with God that Billy Graham has?

    • God has already granted us complete access to all the resources of Heaven!

    Ephesians 1:1-3 TPT Dear friends, My name is Paul, and I was chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus, the Messiah. (2) I’m writing this letter to all the devoted believers who have been made holy by being one with Jesus, the Anointed One. May God himself, the heavenly Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, release grace over you and impart total well-being into your lives. (3) Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts!

    The scripture teaches that there is one level in Heaven.

    • There is only one level in Heaven’s domain and every child of God from the saintliest preacher or missionary to the freshly washed addict have the same access!

    Hebrews 12:22-24 NLT No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. (23) You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God Himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. (24) You have come to Jesus, the One who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

    But here in this life, this is what all this means:

    Hebrews 4:14-16 MSG Now that we know what we have–Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God–let’s not let it slip through our fingers. (15) We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all–all but the sin. (16) So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

    In this life now, we need to know that Jesus is representing us so that while we are still here, we can have access to all Heaven has to offer right now.

    • We access this place by prayer.

    The minute you bow your knee before God, you are transported in spirit to another realm where you have an audience with an all-powerful, all-knowing God.

    God does not see you kneeling on earth but kneeling before His throne.

    • Some are better at prayer, not because they are more worthy, but because they have learned their way around.

    Sometimes we confuse maturity in someone else with them being more worthy.

    We all have the same level of worthiness. In this life there are many levels of maturity.

    It is because this worthiness is attained by what Jesus Christ did for us.

    • Every follower of Jesus Christ is given the gift of righteousness (worthiness), receiving a standing that you cannot improve.

    It is difficult for humans to fully grasp this concept because most of our relationships with authority figures are performance-based.

    We have learned how to maintain our right-standing and approval with authority figures by obeying the rules.

    Even though we hear in church that Jesus forgives us of our sins, we have a really difficult time believing this because it does not happen that way in life.

    • God expects new and different behavior from us after we receive Christ, but it was not and is not our behavior that gave us a place in Him!

    We receive favor with God because of faith in what Jesus did for us.

    • It is our faith that pleases God.

    Hebrews 11:6 NKJV But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

    Prayer then is not a performance.

    Prayer is not about talking God into anything.

    Do you believe that God hears your prayers?

    If you belong to Jesus, you have the same standing with God as any hero saint that has ever lived.

    There are three things that you need to know that will boost your confidence in prayer:

    1. God chose you!

    Ephesians 1:4 NLT Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.

    If you had been the only sinner on the earth, Christ would still have come to die on a cross and pay for your sins.

    He still zeros in on the one even while dealing with millions at one time.

    1. God cleaned you!

    God decided to make us holy in His eyes and without a single fault through what Christ did for us.

    Ephesians 1:4 AMPC Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.

    We are so completely washed, that God does not see our past sins. We are blameless and above reproach. (Reproach – to be a cause of blame or discredit to)

    The same grace that cleansed us from our ways of sin in the former life is likewise available to cleanse us from the spots of sin we deal with now.

    1. God adopted you into His family.

    Ephesians 1:5 TPT (5-6) For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace—for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!

    If you are an adopted kid, in one way, you have it better than other kids because you were picked by choice. Your parents just had to deal with whatever showed up but adopted kids are hand-picked.

    God even puts into you His DNA!

    God did not choose to start a club. He chose to start a family!

    We are not on a team, a fraternity or sorority. We are in God’s family!

    There is no tighter bond than a family relationship.

    We have been hand-picked by God, cleaned from top to bottom and brought into His family!

    When you know this, you can go to God in prayer with all kinds of confidence.

    • Quit acting like you are company! You are one of the kids and you belong in His house.

    Dare to start asking God for things He has already promised you.

    Quit praying as though your request is going to bankrupt heaven!

    • You will never enter the more that you were made for until prayer becomes your first resort – not your last.

    Quit focusing on your disappointments and make an appointment to pray with confidence to your Heavenly Father.

  • Made For More – Part 2

    Ephesians 2:10 AMPC (10) For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

    Romans 5:15 NKJV But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.

    Romans 5:17 NKJV For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

    It is God’s plan for us to experience more in our walk with Him!

    But there is something that will work to keep you from experiencing the more God has planned for you.

    These are our feelings.

    Introduction:

    As a child we let our feelings express everything. We cry when we are happy, we cry when we are mad, when you need to eat or when we don’t need to eat…

    Have you ever been in a situation where your feelings mislead you?

    Since becoming a Christian, have you ever had those times when you did not feel like God was with you? You felt like He was busy with something else way off away from you?

    Have you ever confessed a sin and repented genuinely but you did not feel like God really had forgiven you?

    Have you seen that couple that is so lovey-dovey before they get married and then after they get married all of a sudden you find out that their marriage did not last, and they end up divorced and hate one another?

    • One of the more difficult things we do in the human experience is learning to navigate through our feelings.

    Childhood really is a process where we are supposed to learn that we don’t make decisions based on our feelings.

    How many of us had days when we did not feel like going to school.

    • Sometimes our feelings can fool us!

    God has promises in His Word that are really awesome but our feelings can sometimes be contrary to them.

    • People who live by their feelings are very selfish!

    People who live by their feelings always make selfish choices.

    How many times do we hear about people making bad decisions that hurt a lot of people because they were following their feelings?

    If following your feelings was a safe way to live, then why do we have classes where we teach ethics or we endeavor to create structure and order in the environments where we live and work? Why do we need to do that if all we need to do is follow our feelings in every situation?

    • Even a born-again follower of Jesus Christ is capable of having really rotten feelings!

    Some of us are under the impression that when we become a Christian that is supposed to get fixed when we become a believer.

    We are not teaching you that you should not have feelings.

    As a matter of fact, we are not supposed to live like Spock from Star Trek where we suppress and ignore our feelings and only live by logic

    God did not give us feelings for us to snuff them out and never have them. He just never meant for us to make our decisions based on our feelings.

    • Feelings were never meant to be decision makers.

    Proverbs 30:21-22 NIV (21) “Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: (22) a servant who becomes king…

    This verse tells us what happens when you put something that was not meant to be the leader in the place to lead. It causes great hurt, harm and destruction.

    Feelings are great but they are not supposed to be the leader in your life.

    Feelings are designed to follow your decisions, not make the decisions for you.

    • Your feelings are not leaders; they are followers.

    Philippians 4:8-9 NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (9) Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me–everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

    If you want peaceful feelings, you have to learn to think right. The reason people do not have peaceful feelings is because they do not think on the right things.

    • Peace comes after we learn to think correctly.
    • What you think about will eventually affect your feelings.

    Until you learn to think right, you will never be able to receive the fullness of what God has planned for you.

    The only tool that the devil has to work against you is deception. He cannot get you to make a decision to follow him unless you are deceived. The way that he works this deception is through the power of suggestion in our minds. He will strategically try and orchestrate thoughts in your mind to get you to begin to think in a certain direction that he knows will produce certain feelings for you. If he then can get you to follow those feelings and make that decision, then he has won the battle.

    This is what kept the Children of Israel in trouble most of the time.

    There is the example of Children of Israel murmuring every time they ran out of water or food. Instead of knowing God has their back, they were moved by their feelings and whined and complained.

    Hebrews 3:19 AMPC So we see that they were not able to enter [into His rest], because of their unwillingness to adhere to and trust in and rely on God [unbelief had shut them out].

    This is how he is going to come against you. He will suggest to you and if he can get you to dwell on it long enough, you will begin to have feelings along those lines and if you follow your feelings, you will get into trouble.

    • God wants us to move out of feelings and over into faith.
    • Feelings are always based on what I am seeing and hearing.
    • Faith is always based on what God has already said.
    • Your feelings are meant to follow you as you believe and do God’s Word.

    When you begin to control your feelings and stop letting them dictate to you, you will begin to enter the more that God has made you for!

  • Made For More – Part 1

    Ephesians 2:8-10 AMPC For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; (9) Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] (10) For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

    God has a good life that He has prearranged and made ready for us to live.

    No matter how good our lives may be, there is always more for us to become.

    When did He prepare those things for us to walk in?

    Ephesians 1:4 NKJV just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,

    There is just one problem in all of this.

    Have you ever seen the movie called “I Am Legend” that stars Will Smith?

    He is a scientist that is living in a post-apocalyptic world and there are hoards of people that have been affected with a “virus” and are trying to attack and eat any living creatures that remain. If you are bitten, you become infected and there is a transformation that begins to take place. Because of this “virus”, they have been turned into something they were never meant to be. The infected people became these monster-like creatures.

    We have been told that many things such as education is the answer to this virus.

    There were more advances made in technology during the 20th century than at any other time in history but yet the condition of humanity sunk lower than any other time before.

    We have been told that wealth is the answer to this virus.

    However, we have seen over the last few decades people with untold amounts of wealth that could not get enough and turned into different people as their greed drove them to pursue more money.

    • The truth is that we and people all around us have been infected and affected by the “virus”.

    That is exactly what happened to humanity when the “virus” of sin was introduced into the world through Adam and his sin. Humanity became infected and in almost an instant transformation took place and changed humanity forever.

    Adam’s first sons Cain and Abel were affected by the virus of sin. Within one generation, the first murder took place.

    • When sin entered into the world, it brought its companion called death.

    Romans 5:12 NKJV (12) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned–

    Death manifests itself in many shapes and forms. It does not just mean an eternity separated from God in Hell nor does it mean just the death of the physical body.

    All of us have been affected by sin to some level or another!

    • Sin will never let you become who you were meant to be.

    Romans 7:18-20 NKJV For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. (19) For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. (20) Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

    • Sin has this way of making you into something you were never meant to be.

    Sin will take you farther than you want to go, it will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

    We are all damaged goods.

    • Christ came to this earth, died on a cross, and rose from the dead so that you could become who you were meant to be.

    A relationship with Jesus Christ is the doorway the first step to becoming who you were meant to be. This is where we must all begin.

    But there is a danger in this once we have been saved for a while to begin to think that just because our eternal condition is secure that “we are good” and we are just going to ride this thing out until I go to Heaven or Jesus comes back; one or the other.

    • God’s plan for your life is that you become the you that He always planned you to be.

    Even the Apostle Paul knew that he could not “coast” but rather he needed to change.

    We see this in the life of the Apostle Paul. As we read about Paul in the Book of Acts we see all that God did in his life and how he was brought into one of the greatest ministries known to humanity perhaps second only to Jesus Christ Himself.

    Paul wrote the following verses in the Bible:

    2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

    2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

    1 Timothy 1:15-16 TPT I can testify that the Word is true and deserves to be received by all, for Jesus Christ came into the world to bring sinners back to life—even me, the worst sinner of all! (16) Yet I was captured by grace, so that Jesus Christ could display through me the outpouring of his Spirit as a pattern to be seen for all those who would believe in him for eternal life.

    Paul knew that God needed to work in his life if he was going to become who God wanted him to be.

    Philippians 3:12-15 AMPC Not that I have now attained [this ideal], or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own. (13) I do not consider, brethren, that I have captured and made it my own [yet]; but one thing I do [it is my one aspiration]: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, (14) I press on toward the goal to win the [supreme and heavenly] prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward. (15) So let those [of us] who are spiritually mature and full-grown have this mind and hold these convictions; and if in any respect you have a different attitude of mind, God will make that clear to you also.

    • Sin will make you an opposite.

    Jesus wants to release from within you who you were meant to be and make you an opposite.

    When Jesus came into my life I became an opposite.

    If you are a critic, God wants to make you a helper.

    If you are a downer, God wants to make you an encourager.

    If you are filled with bitterness and anger, God wants to make you someone who can love others unconditionally.

    • For you to become who you were meant to be, life-change must be an ongoing, daily process.

    We read in the Scriptures about the wonderful man of God that Paul became but what we fail to realize is that even though we can read about it in a couple of hours, the process took over 30 years in Paul’s life.

    Becoming who you were meant to be is a process.

    We need to let the process begin.

    Jesus took a man that was fervently and publicly persecuting Christians and turned him into one of the greatest Apostles that has ever lived.

    Ephesians 2:10 NLT (10) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

    “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” (Michelangelo)

    God knows what is simply on the inside of every one of us that needs to be unlocked so you can become who you were meant to be.

    • The good news is this: you were made for more!

  • Start Here – Part 6

    Part 6 – How Do I Hear from the Lord?

    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV) (16) Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

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    • Prayer can and should be a two-way conversation.

    (Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV) ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

    (John 10:14, 27 NKJV) I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

    • You are a spirit, you have a soul, and you live in a body.

    1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT (23) Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

    • When you were Born Again, your spirit was made new.

    (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) (17) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

    • God is a Spirit.

    (John 4:24 NKJV) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

    • God lives in you.

    (1 John 4:15 AMP) Anyone who confesses (acknowledges, owns) that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (lives, makes His home) in him and he [abides, lives, makes his home] in God.

    God lives in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit.

    We need to become God-inside minded.

    • The Holy Spirit wants to help you and speak to you.

    (John 14:16-18 NKJV) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– (17) the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (18) I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

    (John 16:13-15 NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

    • Anything that you receive from God will always be in line with His written Word.

    (John 1:1 NKJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

    (1 John 5:7 NKJV) For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

    God and His Word are one and they will always agree with each other.

    (John 14:26 NKJV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

    As we deposit God’s Word in our hearts, we give the Holy Spirit something to work with in helping us and speaking to us.

    • You must quiet yourself to hear from God.

    (Psalms 46:10 NKJV) Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

    (1 Kings 19:9-13 NKJV) And there he went into a cave, and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (10) So he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (11) Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; (12) and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. (13) So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave.

    (1 Kings 19:12 NLT) And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

    God is the perfect Gentleman. He will not yell at you above the noise of your life to try and get your attention.

    God speaks in a gentle whisper because He is so close to us.

    You must invite Him to speak to you.

    Examine your life and see if there are distractions or noise that could be keeping you from hearing from God.

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  • Start Here – Part 5

    Part 5 – Prayer that Brings Results

    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV) (16) Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

    The Bible does not tell us to “believe in the power of prayer.” The Bible does teach us to believe in the power of God and His promises to us.

    Just because you pray does not mean you will receive an answer. There are loads of people that pray and do not receive an answer because they pray wrong.

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    • You don’t have to sell Jesus on how bad you are hurting.

    (Hebrews 4:15 AMPC)  For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.

    Here is the difference between God and us: He feels what you feel but His not moved to action by His feelings or your feelings. If He was, then He would not be fair in His dealings with man because we could figure out how to appeal to His emotions to get the amount of help that we need.

    Sympathy is not what you need. You need an answer and help!

    • God is no respecter of persons.

    (Acts 10:34 AMPC)  And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons,

    • God does respect faith.

    (Matthew 8:10 NKJV) When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

    (Mark 6:6 AMPC)  And He marveled because of their unbelief (their lack of faith in Him). And He went about among the surrounding villages and continued teaching.

    • God responds to faith.

    Smith Wigglesworth said, “There is something about believing God that will cause Him to pass over a million people to get to you.”

    (Romans 4:16 AMPC)  Therefore, [inheriting] the promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of grace (unmerited favor), to make it stable and valid and guaranteed to all his descendants–not only to the devotees and adherents of the Law, but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, who is [thus] the father of us all.

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    Prayer that Brings Results!

    1. Find out what God’s Word says about your situation and base your prayer on God’s Word.

    (John 15:7 NKJV) If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

    You cannot pray beyond your faith and you cannot have faith beyond the Word that you know and have in your heart.

    1. Ask God for things you desire and believe that you have the answer.

    (Mark 11:24 NLT) I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

    When you ask you MUST believe that you receive the answer at the time that you pray.

    1. Meditate constantly on the promises upon which you based the answer to your prayer.

    See yourself in possession of what you’ve asked from and make plans accordingly as if it were already a reality.

    Example of promise from your boss about a pay raise and we will go out and buy something based on that promise BEFORE we have seen one dime of the increase.

    (Proverbs 4:20-21, 25-27 NKJV) My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; (25) Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. (26) Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. (27) Do not turn to the right or the left…

    1. Let your words affirm that you have what you ask.

    (Hebrews 4:14 AMPC)  Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].

    (Hebrews 10:23 NKJV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

    1. Continually thank and praise God for the answer as though you already have it, because you do!

    (Philippians 4:6 TLB) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers.

    It is thinking faith thoughts and speaking faith-filled words that leads the heart out of defeat into victory.

    Don’t undo your prayer of Faith!

    Smith Wigglesworth said, “If you have prayed seven times for any one thing, you prayed six times in unbelief.”

    Andrew Murray said, “It is not good taste to ask God for the same thing over and over again.”

    Murray also said, “If, when you do pray again, what you’ve prayed for hasn’t materialized, don’t pray for it again in the same way because that would be unbelief. Remind God that you have already asked for it, and what His Word says, and tell Him that you’re expecting it and thank Him for it.”

    The more you give thanks for the answer, the peace of God will become a guard over your heart and mind.

    (Philippians 4:7 TLB) If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

     

  • Start Here – Part 4

    Part 4 – Teach Us To Pray

    (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) (16) Rejoice always, (17) pray continually, (18) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

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    • The more you understand something, the more you can desire and love it.
    • Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

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    (Luke 11:1 NKJV) Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

    (Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV) In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. (11) Give us this day our daily bread. (12) And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (13) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

    1. Connect with God relationally.

    “Our Father in Heaven”

    (Romans 8:15 NLT) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.”

    1. Worship His Name.

    “Hallowed be Your Name”

    (Proverbs 18:10 MSG) GOD’s name is a place of protection– good people can run there and be safe.

    (Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV) (9) Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    1. Pray His agenda first.

    “Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

    (Matthew 26:39 NKJV) He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

    1. Depend on Him for everything.

    “Give us this day our daily bread.”

    (Psalms 121:1-2 NLT) A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. I look up to the mountains–does my help come from there? (2) My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth!

    (Psalms 68:26 NLT) Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the LORD, the source of Israel’s life.

    (Acts 17:28 NLT) For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

    1. Get your heart right with God and people.

    “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors”

    (1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

    (Mark 11:25 NIV)  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

    1. Engage in spiritual warfare.

    “And do not lead us into temptations but deliver us from the evil one.”

    Better translation: “And when we are tempted, deliver us from the evil one…”

    (Ephesians 6:12 NIV) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

    (James 4:7 NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

    (James 4:7 MSG) So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.

    1. Express faith in God’s ability.

    “For yours is the Kingdom and Power and Glory forever.”

    (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV) “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

    (Revelation 5:13 NIV) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

     

  • Transformed – Part 6

    (Romans 12:2 NLT)  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

    (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV)  (23)  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    How do we undo wrong thinking?
    1. Spend enough time in God’s Word for Him to make a suggestion of faith to you.
    2. Meditate on that suggestion over and over. (“You are a mighty man of valor”)
    3.  Contradict boldly every one of those thoughts that are contrary with the Word of God.
    4. Imagine your life being experienced that way that God wants you to live.

    Imagine breakthroughs. Imagine getting a raise. Imagine a great marriage. Imagine good, strong, godly children.

    Begin to put your words to it.

    Behavior will follow!

    Don’t Let Emotions Dictate Your Faith

    By Sarah Hahn for Relevant Magazine

    Growing up having attended numerous Christian conferences, retreats and the like, I’ve heard the following phrases repeatedly by many of my Christian brothers and sisters:

    “I feel so close to God.”

    “My relationship with God is really strong right now.”

    “I can definitely feel the Holy Spirit at work in my life.”

    These expressions can also commonly be heard from recent born-again Christians who are newly on fire for God or right after someone has experienced some divine encounter, such as a miraculous healing.

    It’s so easy for Christians to get fired up for God when we are surrounded by other Christians or when things are going well. Emotions run high. We really feel God’s presence. However, once we leave that place and return to our regular lives filled with distractions and responsibilities or circumstances begin to take a turn for the worse, quality time with God tends to get put on the back burner.

    Feelings are inconsistent. They’re unreliable. We can’t base our relationship with God on some wavering feeling or connection.

    Thus, the above expressions are often followed by one or more of the following several weeks later:

    “I feel so spiritually dry right now.”

    “Why can’t I hear God’s voice?”

    “I’m unable to feel God’s presence in my life.”

    The problem with so many Christians is that when this so-called spiritual high begins to wane, we immediately go back to doing the exact same things we did prior to that “feeling” we had. We prioritize our books over our Bible, we would rather connect to the Internet than connect to God, and we become too “lazy,” too “tired” or too “busy” that we run out of time for quiet time. As a result, that spiritual high you couldn’t stop talking about just a few weeks ago gradually starts to dissipate only to regain strength at the next retreat. This is what happens when we base our relationship with Jesus on our emotions.

    (Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/dont-let-emotions-dictate-your-faith#rQ3fF2XvAQ3zzqWf.99)

    God does not want us to learn how to suppress or even kill our emotions and become like Mr. Spock of Star Trek.

    Feelings Really Do Matter!

    Your feelings provide the impetus behind your decision making process.

    God’s plan for us is that our faith and our feelings work hand in hand.

    God designed you that way. He designed you to “feel something” about whatever it is you are making a decision about and then those feelings are designed to give you the moving force or stimulus to move forward.

    It is only when our feelings are contrary to what God’s Word says are we to adjust or ignore our feelings.

    Three areas of our lives that uncontrolled feelings can have a disastrous effect:

    1. Uncontrolled feelings will kill your faith.

    You can strongly believe something but react to certain impulses differently from what you believe.

    Example of knowing and believing that “love never fails” but responding out of anger or resentment incorrectly will kill what you believe about walking in love.

    Unless I can control my emotion, I will not be able to act in correspondence with my faith and it will kill my faith.

    (James 2:17 AMP)  So also faith, if it does not have works (deeds and actions of obedience to back it up), by itself is destitute of power (inoperative, dead).

    1. Uncontrolled feelings corrupt the decision making process.

    Feelings are never to be the basis for your decision.

    We do some things because “I felt like it.”

    We don’t do some things because we don’t feel like it.

    Example of military training for dogs in combat environment, determines how they will respond to certain stimulus, which generate responses. They can learn not to bark in combat situations when their instincts want them to bark.

    1. Uncontrolled feelings will cause you to improperly judge other people.

    (Matthew 7:15-20 NIV)  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  (16)  By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  (17)  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  (18)  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  (19)  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  (20)  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

    The danger for us is to judge people’s hearts and not their fruit. We must judge their fruit.

    You must judge the fruit of someone’s life to determine if you can fellowship with someone or not.

    We try and judge someone’s motives (heart) by our emotions and determine whether a person can speak into our life or not, thus closing off channels of blessing that God is trying to bring into our life.

    How do you cultivate the correct feelings that you need?

    1. What you think about the most is what you feel the strongest about.

    Feeling is generated by thought.

    Your feelings confirm and support your thought processes.

    (Proverbs 23:7a BBE) For as the thoughts of his heart are, so is he:

    1. Renew your mind to the Word if you feel differently from what you are renewing your mind to.
    1. The mind renewal process is not complete until your desire and feelings line up with what you are renewing your mind to.

     (Psalms 37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

    1. Start your day by creating feelings that line up with the Word of God.

  • Transformed – Part 2

    Transformed – Part 2

    (Romans 12:2 NLT)  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

    The Bible is very clear in teaching us that the way that we change is by changing the way that we think.

    So, if there are behaviors, habits, etc. that we have in our lives, then they can be changed or eliminated by changing the way that we think.

    Why is this so important?

    (Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NLT)  (19)  “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!  (20)  You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

    The quality of life that we have today is a result of the choices that we made yesterday.

    Those choices, either good or bad have been shaped by the decisions that we have made.

    The things that exercise the greatest amount of influence in our lives, are the things that help shape the decisions that we make on a regular basis.

    (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV)  (23)  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Your soul is comprised of your mind, will, and your emotions.

    How is your soul intended to operate?
    • Your Mind

    The mind has the God given capacity to perceive and understand and come to a logical conclusion on something.

    Measure and evaluate the information that God brings to you

    Based on the information that is presented to you make a decision – hopefully the right one.

    Two primary sources of input for your mind:

    Your body – that lives in this natural temporal world perceiving information through your five physical senses.

    Your spirit – which is alive unto God and provides information that cannot come to you through your physical senses but has to do with present and future intent from God.

    • Your Will

    Based on the information that you are presented you make decisions in your life which determine both the quality of your life and your destiny.

    Those decisions can be right or wrong based on the information that we have at that moment and that is why it is sometimes prudent to not make a decision in haste or under pressure.

    • Your Emotions

    The information or perception that we have about something will invoke an emotional response.

    OR Your emotions respond to whatever you spend time thinking about.

    Emotions give you momentum towards the things that you have decided to do.

    Your mind interacts with your emotions or how you feel to produce desire and desire is the foundation of your decision-making.

    Your most consistent behavior will always reflect your strongest desire.

    Your desires are based on what you think about that situation and how you feel about that situation.

    I think, I feel and therefore I choose.

    How Do I Renew My Mind?

    So if I want to make better choices for my life that are in line with God’s plan for my life, then I must renew my mind or change my thinking. How do I do that?

    Renewing does not mean learning. Paul was writing to people who were Born Again and had a basic knowledge of the Word of God.

    (Psalms 131:1-3 NLT)  A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.  (2)  Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.  (3)  O Israel, put your hope in the LORD–now and always.

    “Hope” in Hebrew means “trust”.

    Trust is probably the most important aspect of our relationship with God.

    We do not get to a place of trust until we are weaned in our souls.

    There are things that your mind says it is dependent on in order to be able to live, be happy, be content and be satisfied in this life.

    Your mind will tell you that there are certain things that must be exactly so in order for you to be happy.

    The weaning of the mind is a weaning from the dependencies that have to be there in order for you to be happy.

    Six things that seem to be most prevalent in most people’s minds that we need to wean our minds from:

    1. We must wean our minds from trying to figure everything out.

    (Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV)  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  (6)  in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.  (7)  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

    1. We must wean ourselves from a losing mentality.
    2. We must wean ourselves from a selfish thinking.
    3. We must wean ourselves from pity parties.

    (Philippians 4:4 NIV)  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

    1. We must wean ourselves from pride.

    (John 15:5 NIV)  “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

    1. We must wean ourselves of critical thinking.

    (Luke 6:37 MSG)  “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults–unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier.

    Your mind is the deciding factor in which course you will follow.

    (Romans 8:5-6 NIV) Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  (6)  The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.

    How do we get from being carnally minded to being spiritually minded? The process is called to renewing your mind. How do you renew your mind?

    It is a process of taking out and putting in. (Housecleaning and refurnishing)

    Don’t have a mental garage sale, just burn it.

    You would not go out and buy new furniture and then squeeze it in next to the old furniture and make it fit, no you get rid of the old and replace it with the new.

    (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV) (3)  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:  (4)  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)  (5)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

    Three Levels of Mental Activity:

    1. Thoughts
    2. Imaginations
    3. Strongholds

    There is no place in the Bible that says that Satan is able to place thoughts in our minds. That premise implies that he is omniscient.

    There is only One who knows the thoughts and intents of the human heart and that is the Lord.

    (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV)  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

    Our thoughts are a process of moving through the circumstances of our everyday life.

    There is no such thing as a blank mind. Your mind is in operation all the time.

    Thoughts are introduced to you by the circumstances of life.

    1. The first level of mental activity is the selection of thoughts.

    (Matthew 6:31 KJV)  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

    You determine the thoughts that you take or reject.

    You take a thought by attaching words to it and saying it out of your mouth.

    (2 Corinthians 10:5b BBE) …causing every thought to come under the authority of Christ;

    1. The second level of mental activity is imagination.

    Imagination – the process of mental imagery.

    Mentally imaging your circumstance and the thoughts you have taken building an image of what your life can be as it relates to that thought pattern.

    This is the level where behavior comes into play as you begin to visualize your life in one way or another.

    (Genesis 11:6 KJV) And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

    The process of visual imagery is what leads to behavior.

    Patterns of behavior that can be defined as habitual, start this way.

    1. The third level of mental activity is called a stronghold.

    We are created by God with the ability to create habit patterns to make us more efficient so that eventually you can do things without having to consciously think about them.

    Example – when we were young we had to remind ourselves or someone else remind us to go and brush our teeth in the morning.

    Habit – an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become involuntary. It literally can become an enemy fortification if Satan becomes involved.

    Realize that there is an anointing available to you to help you tear down those strongholds in our lives by casting down imaginations and go through the process of renewing your mind.

  • The Cave of Adullam – Part 2

    (Review of last week’s material)

    •  When you are out of the will of God, you make very bad (dumb) decisions.
    •  Understand that your sin never affects just you. It affects those around you too.
    • When you aren’t listening to the Spirit of God, or following God’s Word, you are listening to your flesh or emotions.

     In the cave of Adullam, it was God and David period.

     These are the Psalms David wrote while he was in the Cave of Adullam:

     (Psalms 142:1-7 NLT)  A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer. I cry out to the LORD; I plead for the LORD’s mercy.  (2)  I pour out my complaints before Him and tell Him all my troubles.  (3)  When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.  (4)  I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.  (5)  Then I pray to You, O LORD. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.  (6)  Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.  (7)  Bring me out of prison so I can thank You. The godly will crowd around me, for You are good to me.”

    (Psalms 57:1-11 NLT)  For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time he fled from Saul and went into the cave. To be sung to the tune “Do Not Destroy!” Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to You for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of Your wings until the danger passes by.  (2)  I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill His purpose for me.  (3)  He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth His unfailing love and faithfulness.  (4)  I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey–whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.  (5)  Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May Your glory shine over all the earth.  (6)  My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude  (7)  My heart is confident in You, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing Your praises!  (8)  Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song.  (9)  I will thank You, Lord, among all the people. I will sing Your praises among the nations.  (10)  For Your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  (11)  Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May Your glory shine over all the earth.

    In the Cave of Adullam, David did the following:

    • He turned loose of his own strength
    • He turned loose of his own ideas
    • He turned loose of his own wisdom
    • He abandoned himself completely to the will of God

    The Cave of Adullam is where David quit and God took over.

    The Cave of Adullam is the line where David’s life being David’s responsibility and became God’s responsibility. It is where he came to the end of himself.

    This is the place in our lives where we quit trying to make God’s plans and promises come to pass and we surrender and let God bring to pass His own plans.

    David repents and God is able to begin a work of restoration in David’s life:

    (1 Samuel 22:1 NIV)  David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.

    • Notice that the first thing that God restored back to David was his family relationships.
    • David tells the Lord that he does not have an army and God brings to him 400 messed up miss-fits.

    (1 Samuel 22:2 NIV)  All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.

    • God then began to bless David materially as David and that small army began to conquer other armies and spoiled them.
    • David had a great capacity to not only confess his guilt in the things that he caused, confess his sins before the Lord, but he also had a great capacity to forgive himself and go on.

    (1 Samuel 22:20-23 NIV)  But one son of Ahimelek son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to join David.  (21)  He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD.  (22)  Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family.  (23)  Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.”

    Look at another incident that David caused:

     (2 Samuel 12:19-24 NIV)  David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.”  (20)  Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.  (21)  His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!”  (22)  He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.’  (23)  But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”  (24)  Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The LORD loved him;

    If this was you could you receive your forgiveness and then forgive yourself and move forward if you were guilty of these things?

     It doesn’t matter how big your mistakes are, the forgiving and restoring power of God is always greater!

    When you get to the cave of Adullam and you quit and give up to God, that will begin the turn-around in your life.

    • Moses had his Cave of Adullam experience after he killed the Egyptian and spent 40 years in the wilderness and when he surrendered is when God could use him to become the leader He wanted Him to be.
    • The woman with the issue of blood had been to many physicians and spent all that she had and rather grew worse BUT when she had heard of Jesus she came to Him and was healed.
    • Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus came to himself when the Lord confronted him.

    (Acts 9:5-6 NIV)  “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.  (6)  “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

    Turn loose of yourself and let God bring it to pass.

    (Philippians 1:6 NIV)  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

    The thing that David did right this time was to wait on God and let God make the ruler over all the nation of Israel.

    (Luke 1:31-33 NIV)  You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.  (32)  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,  (33)  and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

    God even brought Jesus into the earth through the lineage of this great king and as the scripture says, Jesus will one day rule from the throne of His father David. Notice it does not just say that God will give the throne of Israel but He will give Him David’s throne. 

    • God will restore relationships, restore your strength, and God will begin to bless and increase you like never before. 
    • He will take those failures and mistakes and turn them around and cause your ending to be so much better than your beginning!

  • NEXT – Part 3

    Part 3 – What Matters

    (Psalms 90:12 NIV) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

    (Ephesians 5:15-17 NLT) So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

    WHAT MATTERS

    • God matters

    (Philippians 3:7-8 NLT) I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ…

    (Luke 12:20-21 NLT) “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

    • People matter.

    (Galatians 5:13-15 NIV) …serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

    (Matthew 25:35, 45 NIV) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in… ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

    • Eternity matters.

    (Luke 12:15 NIV) Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

    (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

    LEAVE A LEGACY

    1. Know your purpose.

    (Psalms 139:13-15 NIV) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well… All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

    (Colossians 1:16 MSG) For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible…everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.

    1. Grow to your potential.

    (Proverbs 27:17 NIV) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.

    1. Sow the seeds that benefit others.

    (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, 11 NIV) Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver… You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.