July 12 2015 Renewing The Inner Passion

Renewing The Inner Passion

2 Kings 2:19-22 – The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look our Lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” “Bring me a new bowl, he said, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.  Then he went to the spring and threw salt in it saying, “That is what the Lord says,” I have healed the water.  Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive and the water has remained whole to this day.

THREE STEPS TO INNER PASSION

1. Notice the condition.

Verse 19 – This town is well situated, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.

The people were confronted with what Jericho could be and what it was.  (This is sometimes symbolic of our lives.)

Matthew 23:25-26 – Jesus said, “Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!  You clean the    outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. First clean the inside of the cup and dish and then the outside also will be clean.”

Matthew 15:9 –“These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.”

2. Notice the cure.

Verse 20 – Bring me a new bowl, he said, and put salt in it, so they brought it to him.

Hebrews 12:1-2 – Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and Perfector of our faith.  

3. Notice the conclusion.

Verse 21 – Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive and the water has remained wholesome to this day.

Ezekiel 11:19-20 – I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them.  I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  Then they will follow my decrees.

Acts 15:9 – Peter said, “He made no distinction between us and them (Gentiles) for He purified their heart by faith”.  

John 7:37-39 – If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink, and out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

January 11 2015 Getting Unstuck In My Finances

GETTING UNSTUCK IN MY FINANCES

Owe nothing to anyone except love.” -Romans 13:8

Debt Danger Signs

• Living on credit instead of PAYING CASH.
• Delaying payments or paying THE MINIMUM DUE.
• Unable to TITHE or SAVE.
• Extravagant Spending
• Looking for GET RICH QUICK SCHEMES.

NINE STEPS OUT TO BECOMING DEBT FREE

1. COMMIT TO BECOMING DEBT FREE NOW!

“The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.”- Psalm 37:21

2. LIST ALL I OWN & ALL I OWE.

“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established.”- Proverbs 24:3

3. HAVE A SALE!

“Get rid of your idols...”- Ezekiel 20:7

4. START PAYING GOD & YOURSELF FIRST.

Mathew 3:8-11, Proverbs 3:9-10, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 - Tithing & Saving

“The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives.”- Deuteronomy 14:23

Definition of UnStuck: Moving forward in my life because I am willing to give God complete control.

5. SET UP A REPAYMENT PLAN.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity…’’- Proverbs 21:5

“Get advice if you want your plans to work.” - Proverbs 20:18

6. DECIDE TO DO IT IN HALF THE TIME!

“What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God.” - Luke 18:27

7. SHARE MY PLAN WITH MY MY CREDITORS.

“When the ways of people please the LORD, he makes even their enemies live at peace with them.”- Proverbs 16:7

8. ADD NO NEW DEBT!

“Be satisfied with what you have. . .”- Hebrews 13:5

9. STICK TO IT AND TRUST GOD!

Memory Verse: “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.”- Galatians 6:9

“We owed a debt because we broke God’s laws. That debt listed all the rules we failed to follow. But God forgave us and took away that debt and nailed it to the cross.”- Colossians 2:14

April 27 2014 How Can I Forgive Myself

How Can I Forgive Myself? 

“None of their past sins will be brought up again…” – Ezekiel 33:16a

Example of Peter:

“Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went away, crying bitterly.” – Matthew 26:75

1. COMING TO GOD FOR FORGIVENESS.

“But the angel said, ‘Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter.’” – Mark 16:6-7a

Five Ways God Forgives:
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1. God forgives SPECIFICALLY.
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2. God forgives INSTANTLY.
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3. God forgives COMPLETELY.
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4. God forgives REPEATEDLY.
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5. God forgives  FREELY.

“He has forgiven all of your sins. He has utterly wiped out the evidence of broken commandments which always hung over our heads and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross.” -Colossians 2:14

2. CHANGING MY PATTERN.

“The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” – Acts 4:13

Memory Verse: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13

3. REALIZING GOD HAS A PURPOSE FOR MY PAST.

“[God] said, ‘My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

Romans 8:1 “There is no condemnation for those who live in union with Jesus Christ.”

December 1 2013 Showing I Care For My Family

Showing I Care for My Family

Open Before Christmas Part 1

MEMORY VERSE: Matthew 25:40 “When you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me.”

I Timothy 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

FIVE CARE PACKAGES THAT I CAN GIVE TO MY FAMILY.

1. PRAY for my family.

Ezekiel 22:30-31.

Philippians 1:3. “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.. Whenever I pray, I make my request for all of you with joy.”

2. KEEP IN TOUCH with my family.

Philippians 1:9. “I pray that your love for each other will overflow, more and more so that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding.”

3. HONOR my parents.

Ephesians 6:1--Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord. And this is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother, this is the first of the ten commandments that ends with a promise. And this the promise. If you honor your father and mother, you will live

4. FORGIVE my family.

Ephesians 4:32. “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Matthew 6:12-15 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

5. EXPRESS LOVE TO my family.

Luke 6:38. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I John 4:19. “We love each other, because He loved us first.”

January 6 2013 How To Know The Real God

HOW TO KNOW THE REAL GOD
Exodus 20:4-5

The second commandment is a natural extension of the first.  Once you understand that God is to have first place in your life, the natural question is:  What kind of god is God?  What is He really like?

Step two to the Better Life in 2013:
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything, you shall not bow down to it or worship it.”

The principle things are to be used, but not loved.

I.  What happens when we turn things into “gods?”

3 Consequences

1.  Things will disappoint you.
Jeremiah 10:14 - Those who make idols are disillusioned because the gods they make are false and lifeless.

Hebrews 2:8 - What’s the use of an idol?  It’s only something that a man has made.  What good does it do for its maker to trust it?

2.  Things will deceive you and lead you astray.
Ezekiel 14:3 - They have given their hearts to idols and are letting idols lead them into sin.

3.  Things will begin to dominate you.
Psalm 115:8 - Those who make idols will become like them, and so will those who trust them.
Jeremiah 2:5 - They worshiped worthless things and became worthless themselves.

II.  How to know the real God.

Isaiah 40:18 - To whom, then, will you compare God?  What image will you compare Him to?

Acts 17:29 -  We should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by man’s design and skill.

2 Corinthians. 4:4 - Christ is the exact likeness of God.

Colossians 1:15 - Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

Benefits of Worshiping the Real God

1.  There is fulfillment.
Romans 10:11 - Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.

Psalm 37:4 - Seek your happiness in the Lord and He will give you your heart’s desire.

2.  There is freedom.
John 8:31-32 - Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

Galatians 5:22 - The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy and peace.

3.  You become like God.
2 Corinthians 3:18 - As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him.