May 10 2015 Freedom In Communication

FREEDOM IN COMMUNICATION

Proverbs 15:2 – When wise men speak, they make knowledge attractive.

SEVEN STEPS TO FREEDOM IN COMMUNICATION

I. Step One: Choose the right time.

Ecclesiastes 8:6 – There is a right time and right way to do everything.

II. Step Two: Plan the presentation.

Proverbs 16:23 – Intelligent people think before they speak.  What they say is then more persuasive.

TWO THINGS TO PLAN

1. Introduction.
2. Illustrations.

III. Step Three: Begin with their needs.

Ephesians 4:29 – Speak only what is helpful for building up others.

IV. Step Four: Learn to listen first.

Proverbs 18:63 – Listen before you answer.  If you don’t you’re being stupid and insulting.

James 1:19 – Be quick to listen, and slow to speak.

V. Step Five: Say things positively.

Proverbs 16:21 – A mature person is known for his understanding.  The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.

VI. Step Six: Clarify your conclusions.

Philippians 4:2 – Agree with each other in the Lord.

VII. Step Seven: End with encouraging words.

Proverbs 12:25 – A word of encouragement does wonders.

REAFFIRM THREE THINGS

1. Your commitment.
2. Your love.
3. A sense of Optimism.

March 8 2015 Thirty Days To A No Regrets Life part 3

Thirty Days To A No-Regrets Life (part 3)

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

The Mountain of  Misunderstanding

The Mountain of Me First

The Mountain of Mistakes

THREE STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING RELATIONAL MOUNTAINS SMALL

1. THE ROPE OF Acceptance

Memory Verse: "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." Romans 15:7

Acceptance: Stop trying to Change me and start cherishing me

Genesis 2:25 "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame."you

2. GAIN TRACTION WITH Loving Actions

• Consideration

Philippians 2:4 (GN)"And look out for one another's interests, not just for your own."

• Cooperation

John 13:1 "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of his love."

• Comittment

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)"For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him."

3. TETHERED BY Forgiveness

Colossians 3:13 (NCV ) "Get along with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you."

1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

October 12 and 19 2014 It's A Different World (parts 1 and 2)

IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD!

1 Chronicles 12:32 (NLT)“All these men [the men of Issachar] understood the temper of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”

KEY IDEA: We’ve got to parent to THEIR CHANGES

Proverbs 22:6 (NLT)“Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older,

IN TODAY’S WORLD ... AMAZING KIDS NEED

1. They need affirmation.

Proverbs 12:6 (NLT) “The words of the wicked are like a murderous ambush, but the words of

2. They need communication.  

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NLT) “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.”

3. They need to be taught responsibility.

• Chores (Dougfields.com\amazingkids)

Proverbs 27:12 (NLT) “A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

• When natural consequences are too dangerous
• When natural consequences don’t exist
• When natural consequences are ineffective

Proverbs 3:11-12 (NLT)“My child, don’t ignore when the Lord disciplines you and don’t be discouraged when He corrects you for the Lord corrects those He loves just as a father corrects

WHAT DO PARENTS NEED?

1. Parents need to battle wisely.

Proverbs 2:3-4, 6(NLT) “Cry out for insight and understanding. Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure... the LORD gives wisdom!”

2. To Not give up, but hang on.

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)“God began the good work within you, and will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.”

3. They need to get the right relationship right.

Colossians 1:20 (NLT)“...by him [Jesus] God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross.”

Romans 5:1 (NLT)“Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

August 25 2013 Beyond GPS: U-Turns Allowed

Beyond GPS: U-Turns Allowed

Seven Truths About God’s Will:

1. God's will NEVER CONTRADICTS God's word.

2. God expects me to obey His word BEFORE He shows me His specific will.

3. It's God's will that I live a PURE, disciplined life-style.

4. It's God's will that I maintain an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.

5. It is God's will that I be a LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

6. It is God's will that I BRING OTHERS to Jesus Christ.

7. It is God's will that I COMMIT MYSELF to God and other believers.

The EIGHTH Truth About God’s Will:

God Allows U TURNS

Definition of God’s Will:

God’s will is the direction I would choose if I could see things from God’s perspective.

HOW TO GET BACK IN GOD’S WILL:

-ADMIT THAT I AM OUT OF GOD’S WILL

Psalm 139:23“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I'm about.”

Symptoms that “may” show that I’m out of God’s Will:

Frustration 
Fatigue
Feelings of emptiness 
Failure
Feeling distant from God 
Lack of Fulfillment
Anxiety 
Not enough time for God
Quick-tempered 
Avoidance of spiritual habits

-ACCEPT GOD’S FORGIVENESS

1 John 1:9“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”

-ASK GOD FOR REVISED DIRECTIONS

James 1:5“If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.”

Memory Verse: “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”
– Psalm 32:8

-Act quickly ON THE STEPS THAT GOD GIVES

Philippians 3:13-14“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.”

2 Timothy 4:7“ I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

August 25 2013 Trusting God When You Need Guidance

TRUSTING GOD WHEN YOU NEED GUIDANCE

I.  Five Unreliable Sources Of Guidance

1.  Don’t rely on culture.
Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Exodus 23:2 - Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.

2.  Don’t rely on circumstances.

Jonah 1:1-3 -The Word of the Lord came to Jonah…go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.  But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish.

Acts 27

3.  Don’t always rely on counsel.

Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the wicked or stands in the way of sinner or sits in the seat of mockers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord.

4.  Don’t rely on the counterfeit.

II Cor. 11:14 - For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
I John 4:1 - Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

5.  Don’t always rely on conscience.

Prov. 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Psalm 119:105 - Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path.

II.  The Completely Reliable Source
·  God’s will is found in God’s Word.
·   God’s will never contradicts God’s Word.
·   God expects me to obey His Word before He shows me His specific will.

This Is God’s Will For Me

1.  That I have eternal life.

John 6:40 - My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life.

2.  That I be filled with the Spirit.

Eph. 5:17-18 - Understand what the Lord’s will is:  Do not get drunk with wine, instead be filled with the Spirit.

3.  That I live a pure, disciplined life.

I Thes. 4:3-4 - It is God’s will that you should be holy, that you should avoid sexual immorality, and learn to control your own body in a way that is holy.

4.  That I maintain an attitude of gratitude.

I Thes. 5:16-18 - Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you.

5.  That I be a law abiding citizen.

I Peter 2:13-16 - Submit your selves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men, for it is God’s will that by doing good, you silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

6.  That I bring others to Christ.

II Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that everyone comes to repentance.

7.  That I commit myself to God and others.

II Cor. 8:5 - They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to us in keeping with God’s will.