November 29 2015 How To Earn The Respect Of Others

How To Earn The Respect Of Others

Proverbs 22: 1 (NCV) "Being respected is more important than having great riches. To be well thought of is better than silver or gold..

A good reputation is built on CHARACTER not IMAGE

1 Samuel 16:7

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WE RESPECT

1. Speak with INTEGRITY

Proverbs 17:7 (GN) "Respected people do not tell lies."

Proverbs 25:15 (GN) "Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.

Proverbs 10:9 (GN) "A man of integrity walks securely.”

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2. Serve with INTENSITY

Proverbs 14:22 (GN)"You will earn the trust and respect of others if you work for good.

Proverbs 11:17 (GN)"If your goals are good, you will be respected "

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3. Share with GENEROSITY

Psalm 112:9 (GN)"He who gives generously to the needy and shows kindness will be powerful and respected

Proverbs 11:25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

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4. Succeed with HUMILITY

Proverbs 29:23 (GN) "Arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected "

Proverbs 27:21 (NEB) "Praise is the test of character. "

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Proverbs 10:7 (GN) "Good people will be remembered as a blessing but the wicked will soon be forgotten."

August 16 2015 The Place Of Consecration In Renewal

THE PLACE OF CONSECRATION IN RENEWAL

1 Samuel 7:3,4,12,13
  
God never asks us to give more, He asks us to give all.

THE PROCESS OF CONSECRATION

1. Remove all that hinders your relationship with God.

Vs. 3 – Then rid yourselves of the foreign gods.

Christians don’t push God from #1 position all at once, He’s gradually edged out.

What causes us to remove attitudes and things which come before God?

(1) The place of helplessness.

(2) When we’re given hope.

2. Direct your heart towards God.

Vs. 3 – Commit yourselves to the Lord.

What had captured Israel’s attention?

(1) The Philistines.  (Sometimes all our attention is directed towards our problems.)

(2) The stolen Ark.  (Your mind is sometimes directed to our religious symbols instead of God)

Samuel wanted all attention to be given to the Lord.

3. Serve the Lord alone.

Vs. 3 – Serve Him only.

Service is love in working clothes.

4. Rest in God and watch Him work.

Vs. 12-13 – Thus far the Lord has helped us.  So the Philistines were subdued and did not invade Israelite territory again.

May 4 2014 The Source Of Self Confidence

The Source of Self Confidence 

Verse 5 – My God has been my strength. (Confidence.)

Unreliable sources of self-confidence

1. Appearance

Proverbs 31:30 – Charm can be deceptive and beauty doesn’t last.

1 Samuel 17:7 – Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

2. What I own

Proverbs 11:7 – Confidence placed in riches comes to nothing.

3. Achievement

Jeremiah 9:23-24 – The Lord says wise men should not boast of their wisdom, nor strong me of the strength, nor rich men of their wealth. If anyone wants to boast, he should boast that he knows me and understands me.

Luke 16:15 – For what men think is of great value is worth nothing in God’s sight.

The reliable sources of confidence

1. God made you unique

Psalm 9:5 – You (God) made man inferior only to yourself, you crowned him with glory and honor.

Psalm 139:13 – You (God) created every part of me, you put me together in my mother’s womb.

2. Jesus died for you

Romans 5:8 – God has shown us how much He loves us. It was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us.

1 Peter 1:18-19 – God paid a ransom to save you. He paid for you with the precious life-blood of Christ.

3. God has a plan for your life.

Ephesians 2:10 – We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Corinthians 12:4 – God gives us many kinds of special abilities but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all.

2 Thessalonians 2:17 – May our Lord Jesus Christ inspire you with courage and confidence in every good thing you say or do.

January 19 2014 The Great Influence

The Great Influence 

Matthew 5:13
4 Pillars of Truth

1. Christian influence is a positive force.
Verse 13 – You are the salt of the earth.

• Salt preserves
• Salt makes people thirsty

Matthew 23:4 – (Jesus) They crush people with impossible religious commands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.

2. Christian influence is permanent.
Verse 13 – But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

John 17:15-16 – My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world.

3. Christian influence is precious.
1 Corinthians 1:27-28 – But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are.

Genesis 2:7 – And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.

1 Samuel 17:40 – He took a staff in his hand; choose five smooth stones from the stream.

Luke 2:7 – She gave birth to her first-born, a Son, she wrapped in clothes and laid Him in a manger.

4. Christian influence must be planned.
Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, Holy and pleasing to God.

Prayer:
Lord take my life and make it wholly thine,
Fill my poor heart with Thy great Love Divine,
Take all my will, my passion, self and pride,
I now surrender, Lord in me abide.

September 15 2013 The Art Of Cursing

The Art Of Cursing

“The Tongue has the power of life and death.” – Proverbs 18:21

UNDERSTANDING ‘THE CURSE’ BEHIND CURSE WORDS

Hebrew: herem - Greek: anathema

- The serpent was cursed (Genesis 3:14 – 15)
- Cain is cursed (Genesis 4:11)
- Curses are completely under God’s control (1 Kings 8:31 – 32)
- A curse cannot be placed on an innocent person (1 Samuel 14:24; Proverbs 26:2)
- Unfaithfulness is the source of all curses
- Faithfulness to God removes the curse (Deuteronomy 33:8-10)
- The greatest curse is the curse of sin (Romans 9:3; Galatians 3:10,13; Galatians 21:23)
- The cure for the curse of sin is the cross of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:10,13)

HOW TO TURN CURSING INTO BLESSING

1. BE AWARE OF THE TRUTH ABOUT CURSING 

James 3:8-10 “[The tongue] is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth...this is not right!”

2. LEARN TO THINK BEFORE I SPEAK

Proverbs 15:23 ““What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion!”

Memory Verse: Psalm 19:14 “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

3. ENCOURAGE OTHERS WITH MY WORDS

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “So speak encouraging words to one another”

Proverbs 18:8 “The words of a gossiper are as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down to the inner parts of the heart.”

4. SURRENDER MY LIFE TO JESUS CHRIST

Galatians 3:10 - 13 “But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse...Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keepthe law. ...But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."