August 7 2016 Prevailing In Personal Relationships

Prevailing In Personal Relationships

Romans 12:14-21

Six Ways to Win in Personal Relationships

1. Return good for evil.

Romans 12:14 – Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.

Matthew 5:44 – Jesus said, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

Two Examples:

• Jesus
• Stephen

2. Identify with others.

Romans 12:15 – Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

3. Be open minded to others.

Romans 12:16 – Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.

4. Treat others with respect.

Romans 12:17 – Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

5. Do all you can to keep the peace.

Romans 12:18 – If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Two Qualifications

• If it is possible
• As far

6. Remove revenge from our life.

Romans 12:19-21 – Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: It is Mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord.  On the contrary if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Three Reasons

• It’s the Lord’s task.
• May move that person to Christ.
• Vengeance means we are conquered by evil.

February 21 2016 Daring To Grow A Deep Soul

DARING TO GROW A DEEP SOUL

Daring Faith: The Key to Miracles – Part 7

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Matthew 22:37 (NIV)

Spiritual growth is a process in which GOD AND I EACH HAVE A PART.

1. GOD’S PART: HE INVITES

MY PART: I RESPOND

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."

James 1:21b (NJB) "Humbly welcome the Word which has been planted in you and can save your souls."

2. GOD’S PART: HE IS FOUND.

MY PART: I SEEK HIM.

Jeremiah 29:13­14a (NIV) "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord . .

Psalm 27:8 (NIV) "My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek."

3. GOD’S PART: HE TEACHES ME.

MY PART: I LEARN.

John 16:13a (ESV) "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth."

Hebrews 5:11­14 (NLT) There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is dif icult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word.[a] You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the dif erence between right and wrong

4. GOD’S PART: HE BRINGS GOOD OUT OF EVIL.

MY PART: TO ENDURE.

Romans 8:28 (NJB) "We are well aware that God works with those who love him, those who have been called in accordance with his purpose, and turns everything to their good."

Colossians 1:11 (Msg) "We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory­strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy."

Jeremiah 17:7­8 (NLT) "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord, and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing

Philippians 1:11 (Msg) ". . . bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and

GOD’S GUARANTEE: GOD WILL FINISH WHAT HE HAS STARTED.

Philippians 1:6 (Amp) "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ (right up to the time of His return), developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you."

June 28 2015 Making Freedom Last

MAKING FREEDOM LAST

Luke 8:39 - Return home and tell how much God has done for you.

FOUR WAYS TO MAKE FREEDOM LAST

I. Stop thinking your present position cannot be changed.                                

A) Verse 27 - For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tomb.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR THINKING

1.  Stop listening to the voice of the past.

Philippians 3:13 - Forgetting those things which are behind.

2. Decide to break out of the rut.

Philippians 3:13 & 14 - Strain towards what is     ahead and press on toward the goal.

EXAMPLES

Peter - Matthew 26:75

Samson

II. Start to understand your personal value.

A)  Verse 30 - Jesus asked him what is your name?

HOW TO SEE PERSONAL VALUE

1.  Listen to what God says.

Matthew 10:30-31 - The hairs of your head are all numbered.  You are worth more than many sparrows.

2.  Listen to your friends.

Proverbs 17:17 - A friend loves at all times.

III. Step into the power of Christ.

A)  Verse 28 - When he saw Jesus, he cried and fell at His feet.

Verse 30 - My name is Legion.

HOW TO STEP INTO POWER

1.  Confess our need.

1 John 1:9

2. Surrender to the authority of Christ.

Romans 12:1 & 2

IV. Shoulder the price of permanent change.

A)  Verse 39 - Jesus sent him away saying, return home and tell how much God has done for you, so the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

HOW TO MAINTAIN THE NEW POSITION

1.  Replace old habits with new ones that help.

Romans 12:21 - Overcome evil with good.

2.  Let discomfort become part of your life.

Nehemiah

3. Double up.

Hebrews 10:25 - Let us consider and give attentive courteous care to watching over each other, studying how we may stimulate each other to helpful deed and noble activities.

4. Determination.

5. Depend on God.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For the Spirit that God has given us fills us with power, love and self-control.

Philippians 2:13 - For it is God who is at work within you, giving you the will and the power to achieve His purpose.

February 16 2014 Becoming A More Loving Person

BECOMING A MORE LOVING PERSON

Galatians 5:22 –But the fruit of the Spirit is Love.

Misconceptions About Love:

• Love is a feeling.
• Love is uncontrollable.

Facts About Love:

• Love is a choice.

Colossians 3:14 – Over all these virtues, put on love which binds them all together in perfect unity.

• Love is a matter of conduct.

1 John 3:18 – Let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.

Five Steps to Becoming a Loving Person:

Step One – Experience God’s love.

Ephesians 3:17-18 – I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you, as you trust in Him May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love, and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love really is and to experience His love for yourself.

1 John 4:19

Step Two – Forgive your enemies.

Colossians 3:13 – Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.

Step Three – Think loving thoughts.

Philippians 2:4-5 – Don’t just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others too, and in what they are doing. Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Christ Jesus.

A fact of life: Hurt people hurt people.

Step Four – Act in loving ways.

Luke 6:27-28 – Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Four Ways To Act Lovingly:

• Overlook their faults.
• Do good to them.
• Bless them.
• Pray for them.

1 Corinthians 13

Step Five – Expect the best.

1 Corinthians 13:2 – You will always believe in Him, always expect the best of Him.

Taking the First Step

• Remember God loves you.

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall have everlasting life.

• Repent and turn to God.

Acts 3:19 – Repent then, and turn to God.

• Trust Jesus for forgiveness and power.

John 1:12 – All who received Him, He gave the power to become children of God.

September 2 2012 How To Face Your Future

HOW TO FACE YOUR FUTURE
James 4:13 -17

Everyone is interested in the future. James warns us about common mistakes we make regarding the future.

Three Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Mistake #1 planning without God.
Vs. 13 - Now listen, you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city; spend a year there, carry on business, and make money.

The Solution: Include God in your planning.
Vs. 15 - Instead, you ought to say, if it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that.

Proverbs 16:1 - We may make our plans, but God has the last Word.

Proverbs 16:9 - We should make plans, counting on God to direct us.

2. Mistake #2 presuming about tomorrow
Vs. 14 & 16 - Why you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

Isaiah 56:12 - Come, each one cries, let us drink our fill of beers and tomorrow will be like today, or even better.

Proverbs 27:1 - Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

The Solution: Live one day at a time.
Matthew 6:34 - So don’t be anxious about tomorrow, God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

3. Mistake #3 putting off doing good.
Vs 17 - Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.

The Solution: You need to do it now.
Proverbs 3:27-28 - Do not with hold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, “come back later, I’ll give it tomorrow” when you now have it with you.

2 Corinthians 6:2 - Right now God is ready to welcome your today. He is ready to save you!

Luke 12:16-20 - Parable of a Foolish Man.