October 4 2015 The Prayer Of Surrender

THE PRAYER OF SURRENDER

Matthew 6:10 – Thy Kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

SOURCES OF STRESS:

• Uncontrollable circumstances.
• Uncooperative people.
• Unexplainable pain.

God’s Kingdom is Wherever Jesus is King.

Surrendering to Jesus means:

1. Letting go of control.

Psalm 46:10 –Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time accepting hardship as a pathway to peace taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with You forever in the next.  Amen. (Reinhold Niebuhr)

Romans 8:6 – The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

2. Learning to be content.

Philippians 4:11-13 – I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens.  I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens.  I can do all things through Christ because he gives me strength.

Psalm 37:7a – Surrender yourself to the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.

3. Laying down my plans.

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.

Romans 6:13 – Give yourselves to God.  Surrender your whole being to Him to be used for righteous purposes.

Matthew 6:33 – God will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

4. Leave the future to God.

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

Psalm 37:18-19 – The Lord takes care of those who obey Him, and gives them eternal rewards that last forever.  They will survive through hard times and will have more than enough even in a time of famine.

Luke 14:33 – Jesus said, “You must give up everything you have to be My follower”.

Mark 10:29-30 – But let Me assure you that no one has ever given up anything for love of Me and to tell others the Good News, who won’t be given back, a hundred times over, and in the world to come he shall have eternal life.

August 9 2015 Trusting God For Every Need

TRUSTING GOD FOR EVERY NEED

God's Answer to Your Needs ­ Part 8 of 8

Matthew 6:9­ "This, then, is how you should pray: "‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

­ God is waiting for you to ask!

GOD'S ANSWER TO ...

1. My inferiority: His PERSON

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . .

2. My confusion: His  PLAN

"Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

3. My worry­ His PROVISION

"Give us today our daily bread.

4. My guilt: His  PARDON

"Forgive us our debts. . .

5. My strained relationships: His PEACE

... as we forgive our debtors.

6. My temptations: His PROTECTION

"And lead us not into temptation. . .

7. My fear: His POWER

"but deliver us from evil"

PRAYING THE LORD'S MODEL PRAYER

I can't say "OUR FATHER" unless I've been born again into God's family. (John 1: 12)

I can't say "HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME" unless Christ has first priority in my own life.

I can't say "YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH" unless I am committed to doing his will all the time.

I can't say "GIVIE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD" without a willingness to share it with those in need around the world.

I can't say "FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS" if I am holding onto an unforgiving attitude toward others.

I can't say "LEAD US NOT INTO TENDTATION" if I continue to expose myself to compromising situations.

I can't say "DELIVER US FROM EVIL" unless I really desire to walk with integrity and purity.

July 12 & 19 2015 Getting Rid Of Guilt

GETTING RID OF GUILT

God's Answer to Your Needs - Part 5 of 8

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

HOW DOES GOD FORGIVE?

1. God forgives INSTANTLY

Nehemiah 9:17 (LB) "You are a God of forgiveness, always ready to pardon, gracious and merciful...full of love

Isaiah 55:7 (GN)". . . God is merciful and quick for forgive. "

2. God forgives COMPLETELY

Colossians 2:13-14 (Ph) "He has forgiven all 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.”

Jeremiah 31:34 (LB)"I the Lord will forgive and forget their sins."

3. God forgives REPEATEDLY

1 John 1:9"If we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right; he will forgive our sins and make us clean from all our wrongdoing."

Hebrews 7:25 (Ph)"(Christ) ... is always interceding on our behalf "

4. God forgives FREELY

Romans 3:23-24 (LB)"All of us have sinned ... yet now God declares us “not guilty of offending him IF we trust in Jesus Christ, who freely takes away our sins."

Ephesians 2:8-9 (GN)"For it is by God's grace that you have been saved, through faith. It is not your own doing, but God's gift, There is nothing to boast of, since it is not the result of your own effort.”

HOW TO BE FORGIVEN

• Admit
• Believe
• Commit

Romans 8:1 (GN) "There is no condemnation for those who live in union with Christ Jesus."

July 5 2015 The Antidote To Anxiety

THE ANTIDOTE TO ANXIETY

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Three Keys to Overcoming Worry

Philippians 4:6 (LB) "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything; tell God your needs. "

1. Ask FOR GOD’S ASSISTANCE

Give us today our daily bread.

Memory Verse: James 4:2"...You do not have because you do not ask God!"

Numbers 16:32 (GN)"God is the source of all life..."

God is my source... 

Source of Wisdom (Psalm 36:9) 
Source of Strength (Isaiah 48:5) 
Source of Happiness (Psalm 43:4) 
Source of Hope (Romans 15:13) 
Source of Peace (Romans 15:33) 
Source of Patience (Hosea 15:5) 
Source of Salvation (Hebrews 5:9) 
Source of Encouragement (Romans 15:5)

2. Remember GOD'S RESOURCES

"Give us today our daily bread.”

Philippians 4:19 (Ph)"God will supply all that you ever need from his glorious resources in Christ Jesus.

(JB) "...as lavishly as only God can.

Matthew 6:32-33 (LB)"Don't worry at all about having enough food and clothing .... our heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and He will give them to you if you give him first place in your life. . . "

Romans 8:3 (LB) "Since God didn’t spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us  all, won't he also surely give us everything else?"

3. Trust GOD’S TIMING

"Give us today our daily bread.

Matthew 6:34 (LB)"Don't be anxious about tomorrow.  God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time”.  

(NIV) "Each day has enough trouble of its own!"

Psalm 68:19 "Praise the Lord... who DAILY bears our burdens”

TWO RESULTS OF TRUSTING GOD AS YOUR SOURCE

1.You become more AT PEACE. 

2.You become more GENEROUS.

Matthew 7:11 "If you were asked by your son for bread, would you give him a stone?  How much more likely is it that your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him?"

June 28 2015 God's Answer To Your Needs

God's Answer To Your Needs

Matthew 6:9-13 “This, then, is how you should pray:   ‘Our Father in heaven,  hallowed be your name,  your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Ephesians 1:10 (GN)"God's -purpose, which he will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together..with Christ as head.  " 

WHAT IS GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MY LIFE?

1. God made me to KNOW HIM                    

Ephesians 1:4-5 (GN)"Before the world was made... God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would bring us to himself as his children -- this was his pleasure and purpose.  "

2. God made me to BE LIKE HIM            

Romans 8:28-29 (LB)"We know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.  For from the beginning God decided that those, who come to Him . .would become like his Son. . . "

3. God made me to SERVE HIM        

Acts 13:36 (GN)"For David served God's -purpose in his own generation, and then he died "

Romans 12:1-2 (GN)"Offer  yourselves ... to God, dedicated to his service .... then you will be able to know the will of God, hat is good, pleasing and perfect.  "

Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:58 (GN)". . . Nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless.  "

John 6:40"(God's) will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life"

Matthew 6:33 (GN)"Be concerned above everything else with God's Kingdom and with what he requires, and he will provide you with all these other things."

4. God made me to LIVE WITH HIM SOMEDAY

2 Corinthians 5: 1,5 (LB)"For we know that when the 'tent we live in on earth is folded up, there is a home built by God for us, an everlasting home in heaven .... This is the purpose for which God made us ... !"

John 6:40"(God's) will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life"

Matthew 6:33 (GN)"Be concerned above everything else with God's Kingdom and with what he requires, and he will provide you with all these other things.  "