April 17 2016 Breaking Free From Debt

BREAKING FREE FROM DEBT

Proverbs 21:20 & Selected - When your outgo exceeds your income your upkeep will be your downfall.

Proverbs 21:20 (Living Bible) "The wise man saves for the future but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. "

(The Good News) "Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it.,,

Proverbs 27:20 (Good News) "Human desires are like the world of the dead - there is always room for more. "

1. Having more things will make me MORE HAPPY.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-11 "He who loves money shall never have enough. The foolishness of thinking that wealth brings happiness! The more you have, the more you spend... " 

Ecclesiastes 6:9 "It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else. " 

2. Having more things will make me MORE IMPORTANT

Luke 12:15 "Be on your guard against greed in any shape or form. For a man's real life in no way depends on the number of his possessions."

3. Having more things will make me MORE SECURE

Proverbs 11:28 "Those who depend on their wealth will fall like the leaves of autumn. " 

Proverbs 19:18 (Living Bible) "The rich man think of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!"

1 Timothy 6:9 "When we long to be rich we are a prey to temptation We get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions which eventually plunge us into ruin. '

HOW DO YOU ENJOY LIFE MORE ON LESS?

1. I find my happiness in HELPING OTHERS.

Acts 20:35 "Jesus said, 'There's more happiness in giving than in receiving"'.

Matthew 5:6 "Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God -will satisfy them fully. "

2. I find my self-worth in KNOWING GOD.

Isaiah 43:4 "God says, 'You are precious in my sight!"' 

Matthew 6:26""Your heavenly Father feeds the birds. Are you not more valuable then they?',

Romans 5:8 "The proof of God’s amazing love is this: while -we were sinners Christ died for us. .

3. I find my security in TRUSTING GOD.

Hebrews 13:5 (Good News) "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, I will never leave you nor abandon you. "

October 21 2012 The Choice Of Satisfaction

THE CHOICE OF SATISFACTION

Matthew 5:6 - Happy are those who are hungry and thirsty for true goodness, for they will be fully satisfied.

Why Are So Many So Unsatisfied?

•  You don’t find lasting satisfaction in
Pleasure

Ecclesiastes 1:8 - No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are never content.

Hebrews 11:25 - The pleasures of sin last a short time.

•  You don’t find lasting satisfaction in
Performance

Ecclesiastes - What does a man get for all his hard work?  Days full of sorrow and grief and restless nights.

Ecclesiastes - (Man) is always working, never satisfied.

•  You don’t find lasting satisfaction in
Possessions

EcclesiastesHe who loves money will never have enough.  The foolishness of thinking wealth brings happiness.

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

How To Experience Satisfaction In Life

1.  Recognize my real hunger.
Deutoronomy 8:3 - God humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna.  He did this to help you realize that real life comes by obeying every command of God.

2.  Stop eating junk food.
Isaiah 55:2 - Why spend your money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?

3.  Start looking to Christ.
John 8:35, 51 - Jesus said, I am the Bread of Life.  Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.  If anyone eats of the bread, he will live forever.

John 4:13-14 - Jesus said, whoever drinks water will get thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again.  I will be in him a spring of living water.

September 30 2012 The Choice Of Happiness

The Choice Of Happiness

I. The Popular Idea of Happiness:

Having the right circumstances. Ecclesiastes 2:1-26
Vs. 1 - (Solomon) I have decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is.

Dead Ends
• Accumulating things Vs. 7-8
• Experiencing pleasure Vs. 3, 10
• Achieving success Vs. 4-6, 9

Vs. 17 - All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

II. God’s Way to Happiness:

Having the right attitude. Matthew 5:3-12

The Beatitudes, Eight Secrets of Happiness

Blessed Means: Happy

The Point of These Contradictions

My happiness is not determined by what’s happening around me, but rather what’s happening in me.

III. The First Step to Happiness:

Be humble.

Vs. 3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

How Humility Increases My Happiness:

1. It reduces stress.

2. It improves my relationship.

3. It releases God’s power.

James 4:6 - God gives strength to the humble, but sets Himself against the proud.

Matthew 5:3 - Happy are those who know their need for God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

John 13:17 - Now that you know the truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice.