Making of a man/woman of God, part 3

Theme: Become a more loving person.  

How can you grow in love? 

1. Experience God’s love

You cannot give something you have not experienced. In order to love someone in the manner God loves them you have to experience God’s love first hand. One of the hardest lessons I have learned is that people who are far from God and who have in some cases never heard of or experienced God’s love can express love. A mother nursing her child or lovers sharing their first kiss is an expression of love. But it is a human level love, or what the Bible calls brotherly love. It is true, real, and genuine but believers have a supernatural ability to express a higher level of love. This is why Jesus said the world will know you are his disciples by the way you love other believers. Sadly, we have fallen short of that in the church but that should not prevent you from seeking to love others with God’s love. The only way you are going to be able to do that is to experience God’s love in a personal way on a regular basis. Daily wash yourself in God’s love so it will overflow to others.

2. Change the way you think about love 

You will never love others with God’s love unless you think differently about love. You must be convinced that love is an action not a feeling, that you chose to love someone not accidentally fall in love with them. You have to get the focus off of yourself and onto God and your neighbor. One of the reasons Jesus taught you to deny yourself and take up your cross is because your flesh hinders you from love. You crucify your flesh so that God’s love can flow through you.

I find it interesting that when Jesus taught to love your neighbor he did not chose someone who looked, believed, or acted like them. He chose someone of a different race, culture, and religion. Your neighbor is not someone who lives next door to you, who looks like you, and acts like you. Your neighbor, in Jesus’ story, was from a different culture, race, and religion. To love like God loves you have to get out of your comfort zone and love someone who is different than you are. Be proactive, take the initiative and seek to love someone that looks and acts differently from you.

3. Seek to love the unloveable person in your life

Jesus taught in 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.” These are easy verses to teach but hard teaching to live.

Loving your enemy means to love the person who has harmed you or means to harm you. Loving your enemy means loving the person who mistreats your family. Loving your enemy is a God level, supernatural love, but it is the kind of love that separates the men from the boys. Jesus said anybody can love people who love them but only people who have received God’s love can truly love their enemies

Jesus commands you to do good to those who hate you. Hate is a strong word. This person is at odds with you may have done bad to you. Men/women of God do not live to get even. Men/women of God do not keep a record of wrongs, they keep short accounts. They take the high road, walk the narrow path. Do good to those who hate you.

Bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. I have a question for you, who is on your prayer list? Does it go beyond your family and friends? Does it include those who have mistreated you? Years ago, I decided to pray for someone who was out to get me. Every time I drove by the place they worked or by their home, I would ask God to bless them. It took a long time but eventually my heart changed towards that person. It is difficult to stay angry at a person you are praying for. Then after even more time, their heart changed towards me. Today they are not my enemy, they are my friend. God’s love turns your enemies into friends. God’s love transforms your heart and hopefully, eventually, theirs.

 Now for a little disclaimer loving a person is not the same as enabling that person. Love does not enable someone to participate in self destructive activities and it does not mean to enable someone to participate in behaviors that are harmful to others. Remember love speaks the truth. I read one time when you have to confront someone be hard on the issue but soft on the person.

There are many things you can aspire to be or do in this life. I hope you aspire to become a more loving person. My desire for you is not fame or fortune but that you will become rich in relationships and famous to those who know you the best. My vision for your life is that when you come to the end of yours, that you will be surrounded by people who love you and people you loved greatly. 

5 People who Help me Stay Pure

This is an article written  by Mark Dance.  You can find his material at lifeway.com

I believe most pastors love God and want to honor him with their minds and bodies. Some have given up by giving in.

Over 20% of male clergy accessed porn at least twice monthly (Texas Tech, 2009). Older studies say 35-50%. I don’t put a great deal of stock into what pastors tell pollsters because of our propensity to be overly optimistic (exaggerate). If I’m right, the numbers are worse than we read.

Because most men are fighting to stay pure, including pastors, I want to encourage you by sharing who has helped me the most.

Janet

My wife’s name is Janet. She is my number one advocate in the fight for purity. No only my love and commitment to her, but also her love and commitment to me. Our physical relationship is crucial to my being able to maintain purity. Scripture addresses this very directly:

But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman should have sexual relations with her own husband. A husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise a wife to her husband. A wife does not have the right over her own body, but her husband does. In the same way, a husband does not have the right over his own body, but his wife does. Do not deprive one another — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control. (1 Corinthians 7:2-5 CSB)

If you are married and not experiencing consistent sex with your spouse, you and your marriage are unnecessarily vulnerable.

You

This may sound cheesy and even a little weird, but pastors are significant motivators for me. I believe God has called me to equip and encourage you and other church leaders like you. I’m not a celebrity, or even a particularly good writer or speaker, but I do have a national assignment that puts me in front of pastors and seminarians. If I were the devil, I would go after me because of how much he hates you.

Me

Only God and I know the true condition of my heart. I know who I am when no one else is looking. I have heard many fallen pastors say they never thought it would happen to them. I am going to assume that I’ll only be out of the woods after my funeral.

I suggest that you take some initiative this summer to control technology before it controls you. You can take a digital fast for a week or month to clear your head and your heart. Use this time to allow God to restore your soul, renew your mind, and rekindle your love for him.

Paul

Integrity issues often only get addressed after they are exposed.

Why not expose potential danger preemptively by sharing your struggle with someone who loves you and can help you win? Self-regulation is important (integrity), but it is much harder to lie to my accountability partner of 35 years, Paul Coleman, than to myself.

Paul and I just had our weekly accountability call a couple of hours ago. If the devil wants to take me down, he will have to go through Paul and Janet to do it.

Jesus

Everything I wrote up to this point can be chalked up to moralism or humanism without the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The devil lost the battle for my soul on June 12, 1980—but he wants to taint my testimony and shortchange my ministry, so he keeps shooting arrows.

Jesus is our first and best defense against any attack of the enemy. Our spiritual maturity and moral integrity are intrinsically connected to our walk with him. Jesus reminded us that without him we can do nothing (John 15:5), and with him we can do anything (Philippians 4:13).

Making of a man/woman of God, part 2

Theme: Become a more loving person.   

Introduction:

When I think of the character of God, the first thing I think of is love. God is love. To become a man/woman of God, you have to progressively become a more loving person. You grow in love.   

A stumbling block to growing in love is a misunderstanding what love is. Many people think love is a feeling or that you fall in love. Some think love is enabling others to be involved in destructive behaviors, that you never correct or discipline another. The fact is these are unloving behaviors. If I love someone, I will speak the truth to them, even if it causes temporary pain. I look at like this: if I am a doctor and someone I love has cancer, then I will do everything in my power to tell them the truth and to remove the cancer. Sin is a spiritual cancer, the most loving thing you can do, is empower someone to cut the sin out. That will bring life to them.

What is love?

1. Love is a choice

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians‬ ‭3:14‬ ‬‬‬‬‬

God would not ask you to do something unless it was possible for you to do it. When God instructs you to put on love, he is saying chose to love. You do not fall into love, it is a choice of your will. That means there is no person beyond your power to love. No matter what he/she may have done to you, you can choose to love them.

2. Love is an action verb.

Love is not a feeling, it is an action, a behavior. I heard a man say that he and his wife no longer felt in love. The counselor said there was an easy solution. What? Love her. But we don’t feel in love. His reply was to love her.

Feelings follow actions. Marriage is a covenant, you don’t just treat your spouse well when you feel like but you choose to love her everyday. You can choose to be kind to someone. You can choose not to strike out in anger. You can choose to do the dishes. You can choose a multiple of things to express love to a person without feeling like doing it.

3. Love seeks the highest good of another. It is unconditional, giving, sacrificial love.

Love is not about what you get out of it but what you can put into it. It is not about getting your needs met but about meeting the needs of others. Love is a great opportunity to practice sowing and reaping. Sow seeds of love into a relationship and you will reap a harvest of love. Focus on meeting the needs of others and your needs will be met. The highest level of love is unconditional and sacrificial. I think of those who care for their spouses when an illness comes, that is love. Their spouse is incapable of giving back but that is not the issue. They entered into a covenant that said for better or for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. So they choose to love!

Today Remember:

1. Love is a choice

2. Love is an action verb

3. Love seeks the highest good of another. It is unconditional, giving, sacrificial, love.

Today’s action step

 Do an act of kindness to your roommate(s) this week without expecting anything in return.

*Next time we will discuss how you can grow in love.

Set "Be" Goals

Most of our goals are geared for doing, accomplishing a desired task like “ I want to get my masters degree in leadership by May of 2020.” These are great and desirable goals that will enable you to accomplish great things. But do not forget about “be” goals. There are a little more vague and can be harder to set but in the long run they can help you reach your goals not by helping you accomplish a task but by becoming a great person. It one thing to accomplish great things it is another to be a great woman/man.

An example of this to set a goal of being a great parent, for me it would be “to be a great dad while I am serving overseas.” This is a great goal that is more important to me than completing my to do list. The challenge with “be” goals is how do I measure progress? This is where habit goals are vital. It is hard to define what a great dad is and how to measure progress but there are things I can do. One of my goals to being a great dad is to communicate regularly with my children while I am on the field. I can text daily and Skype weekly. I can look for articles, books, and other resources to send them on a monthly basis. We can plan to have a vacation together each summer. These are things I can measure that will assist me in determining if I am making progress in becoming a great dad.

 You can do this with anything that is important to you. If I want to “be” a man/woman of God. You can measure things like studying the fruits of the spirit, develop a plan to implement them into my life and then asking for feedback from those close to you if you are growing in the fruit. To be honest there are lots of things you can do to measure the “be” goal of becoming a woman/man of God.

You can set all kinds of “be” goals like being a better witness, being a great roommate, being an encourager to those around me. The question is what kind of person do you want to be?

So challenge of the week.

1. Set some “be” goals this week

2. Determine how you will measure progress

3. Seek feedback from those closest to you

One of my definitions of success is to progressively become the person God called me to be. My vision for you is that you determine the kind of person God wants you to “be” then set some goals, develop a plan, and become! Success is more about the journey than the destination.

Making of man/woman of God

A man/woman of God is a person who is at peace. They are not filled with fear, worry, or anxiety. There is something special about them, they are solid, don’t get overly excited, stable, and their presence gives reassurance. A person who lacks peace is antsy, nervous, has the jumps. It is God’s will that you know four types of peace. 

1. Peace with God

Your sins have been forgiven, you have been redeemed, and are a member of his family. There is no longer any conflict between you and God. This happened at the moment of your salvation. You became God’s son, he loves you and is pleased with you. You are at peace with God.

2. Peace of God 

Experiencing the peace of God means there is no worry or anxiety in your life. It is not based upon my circumstances but on my relationship with Jesus and the peace only he can give.

“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.: (Philippians 4:7 NLT)

These verses teach us there is a way to overcome worry, fear, and anxiety. God wants you to experience His peace. Not only are you in a right relationship with him but you are at peace with life, your past, present, and future. His peace rules your heart and guards your mind and emotions.

3. Peace with others 

There is no doubt that relationships can bring stress in your life but God has other plans. He wants you to have no broken relationships and when you do experience conflict, you are able to repent, forgive, and reconcile. If you have been offended you go and make it right, if you become aware you have offended someone else, you go and make it right. You have decided that you will not live with broken relationships and experience unspoken strife and division. You will do everything in your power to live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18.

4. Peace with self 

Being at peace with yourself is being content with who God made you to be and not trying to be someone else. Humility is not having a need to be or appear to be more than you are. You are content with who you are, your lot in life, what God has assigned you to do, and where God has placed you. You are a steward not an owner. A steward is responsible so you must do the best you can at what your hands find to do but you do not own it so it does not own you. You are owned by God who redeemed you by his blood. When only God owns you, you have the freedom to be the real you.

How do I receive peace?

1. Trust God with all your heart

Proverbs 3: 5-6 

Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. You do not have to have everything figured out or understand the why or what to what is happening. You have to trust him, place your hope in Jesus, not people or organizations. Acknowledge God as the supreme ruler of the universe and the authority over your life. Committing to submit to God’s leadership over you life brings peace ahead of time. You have already chosen. God will reduce your stress and anxiety because he will make your paths straight. You will know were you are going and the next step to get you there. 

  2. Spend time in his presence 

Jesus is the prince of peace, spend time with the one who is peace. When the disciples were in the storm, they looked for peace in the wrong place, peace was asleep in the back of the boat. When Jesus was awoken, the storm ceased. Jesus is your peace, so spend extravagant time with him. Allow the prince of peace to produce peace in your life.

3. Fill your mind with God’s promises 

Fear is focusing on the bad things you do not want to happen, faith is focusing on what God said he will do. When things go bad or wrong in your life, fill your mind with his promises. Read God’s word, study the Bible, speak it, memorize it, and mediate on it. Allow God’s truth to saturate you mind and heart.

4. Keep his way

Psalm 37:34 says wait on the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land, when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.

In the middle of your crisis do not give into the temptation to rebel, take matters into your own hands, or to quit. But wait for Him. Jesus is on his way and when He arrives he will act on your behalf. While you are waiting, keep your integrity, live with character, keep his way. Because you do not have to promote yourself, Jesus will promote you. He promises that if you humble yourself in his presence that at the proper time, he will exalt you. You will see the wicked cut off, your enemies will be defeated by Jesus. So rest in Jesus, keep his way. I encourage you not to allow the circumstances of life or the actions of others to determine your response. Always take the high road, do what is right, and wait on the Lord. 

Four Benefits of Praying in the Spirit

1.You build up your spiritual muscles 

“One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesies edifies the church.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭14:4‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Praying in the Spirit has the same effect on your spiritual man as lifting weights has on your physical man. It makes you stronger. You are empowered t:o  

A. resist the deviL

Paul instructs us to stand firm in the power of His might. Praying in the Spirit enables you to accomplish this. If edifices you spiritually, giving you supernatural ability to stand against the devil’s schemes.

B. to live victoriously 

The Holy Spirit empowers you to be (Acts 1:8). As you pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is producing and developing his character in you. You are becoming more loving, will experience peace with God and the peace of God, will be filled with joy, etc.

C. to minister effectively. 

The Holy Spirit empowers you to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). You are unable to persuade persons to become a believer, it takes the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit convicts of sin, draws people to Christ, and accomplishes the work of salvation. These are things that you are unable to do on your own. You are dependent on the Holy Spirit. Praying in the Spirit flows out of a humility. You recognize your dependence on Him, so you spend time, allowing the Spirit to pray through you.

2. You strengthen your faith 

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,”. ‭‭Jude‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

God has given each of us a measure of faith but did you know your faith can grow. One of the ways your faith can increase is by praying in the spirit. Not only does it edify you but it increases your faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith you will receive answers to prayer. Without faith you will not fulfill the calling, God has places on your life. You need to increase your faith to live from glory to glory. Praying in the Spirit builds yourself up on your most holy faith. As you pray in the spirit the Holy Spirit will build your faith. You will live a more God pleasing life, you will receive answers to prayer, and you will realize those dreams God has deposited in your heart.   

3. You open yourself up to receiving supernatural revelation 

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:17‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 

“For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12:8‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬ 

Praying in the spirit opens you up to receiving supernatural revelation. Notice in Ephesians 1:17, it says the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. In 1 Corinthians 12 it says the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge through the spirit. Praying in the spirit gives the Holy Spirit an opportunity to impart revelation, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and discernment into your heart. Praying in the spirit is one of the most practical things you can do. The Holy Spirit can reveal to you:

A. the causes of problems and how to solve them.

As you pray in the spirit God will pull back the veil from your spiritual eyes and reveal to you the root causes of your problems. You will face issues that will beyond your intellect and your training. The root cause of your difficulties will be hidden from you and you will spend time dealing `

B. Dreams and visions

C. Understanding of how to effectively minister to another person

D. Discernment in which direction to go or in what decision to make

4. You partner with the Holy Spirit in effective intercession  

“In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” ‭Romans‬ ‭8:26-27‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The Holy Spirit knows exactly what our loved ones needs. I know many times as a parent my children face issues where I do not know what is best for them. I do not even know how to pray for them but the Holy Spirit does. There are times when I will simply pray Father I do not know what is best for my child. I do not even know how to pray for them but I ask that right now the Holy Spirit will begin to pray through me the your will for my child.

Or I may pray, Father I am facing a circumstance and I do not know how to solve it. I do not know which way I should go but I ask that your Holy Spirit will pray through me according to your will

Do you know the exciting thing about this? I John 5 promises us that if we ask anything according to the will of God, we can be confident that we will receive it. Praying in the Spirit enables you to partner with God in effective intercession. 

Overcoming Sexual Temptation

I read this article by Rick Warren on Pastors.com.  This website is a great resource.

We’re struggling! More people than ever before are falling prey to sexual temptation, especially through viewing pornography.

Unfortunately, many pastors admit (anonymously) to viewing pornography as well.

If this is a temptation for you, here are some steps to take . . .

Be honest when you’re fatigued and take a rest.

When you’re tired, you are vulnerable to a lot of things – discouragement, depression, and temptation. The Bible encourages us to work for six days and rest on the seventh. If you’re not taking a day off every week, you’re breaking the fourth commandment. Take a day off.

It’s particularly important to take some time off after a spiritual and emotional high. No doubt you’re familiar with the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18, where he had a big God contest with the prophets on Mt. Carmel. Right after that, he’s in the desert saying, God, I want to die. Take my life. Fatigue is a hazard of being in the ministry, and it lowers our resistance to temptation.

Don’t believe your own hype.

In ministry, you’re put on a pedestal with lots of people admiring you. After one high-profile leader sinned sexually and stepped down temporarily from ministry, William Martin, in People magazine, said, “I’ve seen him change over the years. He seems to have been seduced by the power and the fame.”

That fallen pastor himself said, “I forgot that I was human. I thought I was more than human.” Never forget that you are human and just as susceptible to sexual temptation as anyone else.

First Corinthians 10:12 in The Living Bible says, “So be careful. If you are thinking, ‘Oh, I would never behave like that’ – let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin.” The morning I start saying, I’ve conquered that problem, is the morning I’m openly vulnerable to temptation.

Keep a close watch on your spiritual temperature.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT). When I am tempted, I remind myself of God’s omniscience and omnipresence. God sees everything in my life, and he is always with me. The Devil says, No one will ever know. If God is always with me, and he sees everything, that is my motivation to practice his presence in the midst of temptation.

Continually guard your mind.

Science reports that there is no difference between when you imagine something or if it actually happens – they both have the same effect on your mind. Neurologically, there’s absolutely no difference. The battle against sin always begins in your mind. If you lose the battle in your mind, then you’ve already lost the battle.

• James 1:14-15 – “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (NIV).

• 1 Peter 1:13 – “Prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit” (NASB).

• 2 Corinthians 10:5b – “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (NIV).

• Romans 13:14 – “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

• Matthew 5:28 (Jesus speaking) – “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Remind yourself regularly of the damaging consequences of moral failure.

When you are tempted, think like this: minimize the pleasure and maximize the consequences.

Hebrews 11:25 says there is pleasure in sin for a season. Of course sin is fun. Nobody would do it if it weren’t fun. You wouldn’t be tempted if there wasn’t some kind of pleasure in it.

The writer Randy Alcorn says:

Whenever I feel particularly vulnerable to sexual temptation, I find it helpful to review what effects my action could have:

• Grieving the Lord who redeemed me.

• Dragging his sacred name through the mud.

• One day having to look at Jesus the righteous judge in the face, and give an account of my actions.

• Following the footsteps of people whose immorality forfeited their ministries and caused me to shudder.

• Losing my wife’s respect and trust.

• Hurting my daughters.

• Destroying my example and credibility with my children.

• Causing shame to my family.

• Losing self-respect.

• Forming memories and flashbacks that could plague future intimacy with my wife.

• Wasting years of ministry training.

• Undermining the faithful example and hard work of other Christians in our community.

• On and on.

Take the necessary precautions to protect yourself.

In Matthew 26:41, Jesus says, “Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (BSB). It’s interesting that he doesn’t say, “Watch and pray so you will not fall into sin.” He says, Watch and pray that you don’t even fall into temptation.

Don’t even put yourself in a situation where you can be tempted.

First Peter 5:8 in The Living Bible says: “Be careful – watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart.”

Let me be clear on this – most sexual temptation in the ministry will not be from something overtly sexual in nature. It will come from someone you genuinely care about, from someone you love.

We need to pray for each other and support each other. We need to remember that the moment we think we’re beyond sexual temptation, that’s when we’re most vulnerable.

Mindsets

A key to thriving in cross cultural living is to think well..  Research says that successful people think differently than others.  As a follower of Jesus I believe it is important to have Biblical mindsets.  

A. We need to have a Biblical worldview or to see our world through the lens of the Bible.  

B. We also need to have a  positive attitude.  

 

1.  How I think determines who I am

Proverbs 23:7

“For as he thinks within himself, so he is. 

2.  I am transformed by the renewing of my mind

Romans 12:2

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” 

3.  I can determine how I think

Colossians 3:2

“Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth.”  

4.  Reject negative thoughts

2 Corinthians 10:5

“casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,”.

A. Do not villianize people, places, or things in my mind

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”  Ephesians 6:12

5.  Fill my mind with the word of God

Psalm 1:1-3

“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

A. Hear God’s Word

B. Read God’s Word

C. Study God’s Word

D. Memorize God’s word

E. Speak God’s word

F. Meditate on God’s Word

G. Live God’s Word

Get the Bible in your head, heart, mouth, hands & feet

Live Simply, Trust Wildly

Lesson: live simply and trust wildly

Book: thriving in cross cultural ministry by Carissa Alma

Observation 

1. Make every decision count. Don’t “just let” things happen! Pray about every purchase you make, every lifestyle decision you make, and every single major choice you are given. Think about it! Does it lead you closer to your goal of engaging in cross-cultural ministry?

2. They have become slaves to their lifestyle, feeling trapped and unable to do anything but to maintain the status quo.

3. Simplify your life for the sake of the gospel so that you can release funds for the Kingdom of God. Train yourself to be satisfied and content with little. This will also allow you to better identify with 90% of the entire rest of the world.

4. think it is impossible to hold any kind of discussion on supernatural provision and simplicity without mentioning radical giving and the ability to live unattached to money and materialism.

5. I see two very common streams of thought among Christians today when it comes to finances: the “prosperity gospel” and the “spirit of poverty.” The more common of the two, the prosperity gospel, teaches that: “God wants you to be happy. He wants to bless you with nice things and wants you to be comfortable.” In a nutshell, this ideology says that God wants us to be prosperous.

6. In addition to the prosperity gospel, there is another school of thought amongst many Christians today regarding wealth. I call it the spirit of poverty, and it may be something they ascribe to without even knowing it. Basically, although it is somewhat hard to define, it’s the idea that it’s somehow more spiritual to be poor than to be rich. It is a kind of reverse glorification of poverty (real or perceived) because of sacrifice unto the King.

7. The truth is that the bondage to money is the root of both the messages of prosperity and poverty.

8. In order to last the long haul with joy, let me encourage you to live simply, to trust radically, and to give extravagantly.

9. John Wesley said about money: “Make all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can,” and “When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.”

Main point 

Live simply, trust wildly

* I have combined my love for reading and my love for workers to write a blog. This week's lesson is from the book Thriving in Cross Cultural Ministry by Carissa Alma.  It is available on Amazon and IBooks.

Fixing your Focus

Philippians 4:8

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

I have found that what I focus on determines my attitude and mindset.  If I focus on the positive, I am usually positive.  If I focus on the negative, my attitude can turn sour.  When adjusting to cultural stress, changes in ministry, or life's difficulties I have to determine what I focus on.  Focus is a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity.  Here are five places to fix your focus.

1. Focus on Jesus not yourself

 Live the crucified life not the self life by putting Jesus on the throne of your heart.  He is your savior and your Lord, the supreme authority over your life.  Make him your first priority by spending extravagant time with him.  Die to your wants, desires, and dreams and live for Him and Him alone.  

2. Focus on what you have gained not on what you have lost.

We all make sacrifices in working overseas and you can make your sacrifice your focus or you can focus on all the blessings you have received. It is not about what you have to do, it all about what you get to do.  Set your eyes on what lies before you not on what is behind you.  Vision is always looks forward, don't spend the rest of your life looking in the review mirror.

3. Focus on what you can do not on what you can't.

There tends to be a lot of restrictions on what we can do where we live.  There are laws working against us, shortages of resources, people, etc.  We can focus on what we can't do and what we don't have or we can get up every morning and ask ourselves, what can I do today to glorify Jesus and expand  his kingdom?  The choice you make will determine your fruitfulness.  There will always be obstacles and reasons you can't, the people who make a difference discover what they can do and then they do it.

4. Focus on your responsibilities not on perks, privileges, and titles.

Never begrudge another person's blessing.  I have been given an assignment and that is to be what I focus on.  I do not concern myself with what a colleague may or may not be doing.  I am responsible for myself and I am to serve with the best of my abilities.  Jesus is the master and we are His servants. Servants have no rights or privileges. Servants serve.

5. Focus on giving not on receiving.

Always give more than you receive. Never focus on what you can get, always focus on what you can give. Find  a need and fill it.  Don't be self centered but other people centered.  Life shrinks when your eyes are on you and life expands when your eyes are on the world around you.

What are you focusing on today?

Cathy's Corner

Delight---such a beautiful and rich word.  But what does it really mean?  Do we in our daily lives really delight in anyone, anything, anywhere?  Over the past few weeks I've been praying and meditating over this verse.  

Psalm 37:4--Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 

It's a delightful thing as we come to the place where we hear Him call us to Himself and to follow His plans marked out before us.  But what happens when we set out on the journey and things don't always look the way we expected them to look and even we are not asked to do what I felt God called me to do.   Do we begin to question our leaders, the process, maybe even the LORD?  

In the beginning I stopped with verse 4; then one day I noticed the first word in the next verse is "commit".  

V.5--Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act.  

When The Lord calls I must also trust His plan, His provision and His process.  He knows what must be put in me and what must be taken out of me to prepare me for what is in store for the days ahead.  When He called David to be king I wonder if he thought hiding in caves would be part of the preparation? Or if Esther could see she would one day be used to save her people, when it looked as though her purpose was to daily fulfill the desires of her earthly king?  

We must "commit" ourselves to Him and "trust" that He will act.

So fret not, my friend, at whatever task you find yourself attending to daily. Even if it seems you are serving an earthly king that serves no "kingdom" purpose; delight yourself in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.   And remember that what you see today with your eyes, is not all that He is doing! 

So don't give up or grow weary in your well doing...HAVE FUN---life can be "delightful" if you're looking through His eyes! 

Sent from my iPad

Four Keys to Healthy Friendships

To cure loneliness we need to take the intiative and develop deep friendships.  What are the skills needed?  What if we have never seen deep friendships modeled or experienced one ourselves? Here are the four keys to healthy friendships.  

Key #1 Vulnerability 

 Vulnerabilth is the willingness to be hurt, to open yourself up to another person to the point your heart is defenseless.

Lack of vulnerability can happen for a number of reasons: 

A. Past trust violations, 

B. Relational hurts, 

C. Lack of exposure to authentic connections.”

This is important because without mutual vulnerability, one person becomes the counselor and the other the counselee.

Key #2 Time 

Best friendships require time to grow and produce the great relationships we need. There simply is no substitute for time. We need both quality and quantity.

The three stages of time in friendships are:

1. Caught up. 

You spend enough time with each other that you are caught up on the essential events of your lives: family, relationships, job, health, and so forth.

2. Connected. 

Whatever it takes to stay emotionally connected, that is your frequency minimum. Caught up and connected are not the same thing. One is about significant life events, and the other is about intimacy.

3. Caring

Truth is something BFs value and prize with each other. It is feedback and perspective that comes from a rich source of time and experience. It can be trusted. Honesty, however, takes time—probably more time than catching up and connection—and can be difficult to say and to hear

Key #3 Honesty 

1. Be truthful about yourself.

There are two kinds of honesty dynamics in best friendships. The first one is being truthful about yourself. It is when you tell the truth about yourself to your friend, warts and all.

2. Be truthful about the other person.

The second type of relational honesty is harder than the first: being truthful about the other person. It is harder because of the risk involved, but it is also extremely valuable. Close friendships require this type of honesty to help both of you be the best people you can be. Who else is going to tell you that you have spinach in your teeth? Or that the guy you are dating is a creep? Or that sometimes you come across self-absorbed?

Two people who genuinely care about each other can actually give and receive the truth, and still feel close and supportive of each other. It will take a little work, practice, and courage, but it is worth it.  Best friends are completely honest with each other and push each other to grow.  One of the most meaningful things you can do with a best friend is to see the potential in her and be part of helping her reach it. You may notice a blind spot that is hampering her life. Or you may see that she doesn’t see something awesome that she is capable of. Get in the mix and help her be a new person!

Key #4 Values

Values are simply representations of what is most important to us—the things that matter most. Those things of lesser importance might be opinions or preferences, but they aren’t values.. It is impossible for you to become "best friends" without shared values.  You can only go so deep, so far.  

What are the benefits of a healthy friendship?

1. “good to great,” business guru Jim Collins calls it Good to great refers to those capacities and potentials you have that aren’t yet realized. An ability, a dream, a passion, or a possibility that has stayed at the “OK” level, but could go to the “fantastic” level.

2.  “broken to good,” referring to the healing process. We not only have unrealized potentials, we also have baggage, issues, hurts, and wounds. These can be emotional or relational scars from the past, where harmful experiences changed how we looked at life.”

How do I increase the intimacy in my friendships?

“First, become the one who models honesty about yourself, so that you both know that the truth can come out without anyone getting hurt. Bring up your own realities. 

Secondly create a culture of acceptance

Having deeply accepting friends helps us beyond the fact of being accepted by others, and then by ourselves. When our deepest relationships know us and accept us anyway, we are now free to deal with our weaknesses as a problem, rather than a condemnation. We can stop the darkness when we aren’t ducking from the stings of the judge. When we aren’t accepted, we are more likely to simply avoid the judgment than dig into the issue.

Third, you are not a victim

Take responsibility for yourself and your relational world.

*I have taken my love for reading and for workers and created a blog.  I read books and write what I have learned concerning thriving in cross cultural living.  The book for this article is "How to be a best friend forever" by Dr John Townsend. It is available on Amazon and IBooks.

The Cure for Loneliness

As Cathy and I travel and visit cross cultural workers, we hear common themes. One of them is loneliness, especially at the beginning of careers.  It makes sense, you have left your relational connections and moved to a new country, meeting new people, and learning new language and culture.  You become isolated.  How do you cure loneliness when you go on the field?  By building new friendships.

What is friendship?

Friendship is hard to define but easy to describe: friends are people we go to with our deepest dreams, needs, and questions, and who are lifelines to us. Friends are people who bring us life.

Why don't people have friends?

1. Isolation

One is that many people are simply isolated in the first place and, though they want more close relationships, they’ve learned to live without them.

2. Lack of awareness

Others are simply not aware of their deeper need.

3. Lack of skills

Some people don’t possess the required skills and abilities to deepen a relationship.

How do I develop strong friendships?

1. Knowing. 

You have objective information and personal experience with the person. You know where they live, their marital and parental status, what they do for work, their hobbies, their faith. On a personal level, you may know their history, their likes and dislikes, and their dreams and hurts. Knowing provides the foundation of whether or not this relationship will be a friendship, and how deep it can go. 

2. Liking. 

You want to spend time with each other. You are drawn to each other’s presence. When life happens, for good or bad, you want them to know about it, and you want to know about their life.  Chemistry with another person cannot be forced but you will never become best friends with someone you do not enjoy spending time with.

3. Presence. 

Friends spend time together. That is how knowing and liking happen. It may be a phone call, a lunch, an evening, a bike ride, a vacation. But time together is essential. The more time together between two good people, the better the relationship. There is a mutual commitment to be with each other, and you gladly pay the price for its benefits.

Application

You can neglect the care and maintenance of the relationship either in quantity (not enough time) or quality (what you do with the time). You may not notice it immediately, but friendships will either improve or diminish, depending on how proactive you are. Take initiative, and you will reap the rewards.

Questions:

1. Who are you building a friendship with?

2. What can you do to take the friendship to the next level?

*I have taken my love for reading and my love for workers and created a blog.  I read books and write what I have learned concerning thriving in cross cultural living.  The book for this article is 

"How to be a best friend forever" by Dr John Townsend. It is available on Amazon and IBooks.

Three Relationships every Cross Cultural Worker needs

It is vital for you to connect with others.  You were made for community and isolation is  the enemy.  You need friends that you can pour out your heart, weaknesses, sins, dreams, and passions to. You need people to hold you accountable, enable you to adapt to a new culture, and pray with you when you are in need.  There are three relationships that every cross-cultural worker needs.

1. Relationship with your partners 

It is crucial that you have a strong relationship base in your home country. You need a community of people back home who are praying for you, with whom you are in regular contact, and who you know will back you up whenever you need it.  

Do not get discouraged if after a few months that you stop hearing from some of your supporters or even close friends.  I found myself struggling with the fact that they seemed to depend upon me to initiate contact when I felt that I was the one who left everything and everyone that was familiar to me.  But remember, these friends, churches, and communities have a lot going on in their own lives, and relationship is a two way street. It’s up to us to communicate well and to communicate often.  

2. Relationships with co-workers

Community at home is vital, but also ask God for life-giving community with those from your home culture where you live.  It is important to have people you can communicate with in your heart language.  You need accountability partners that you can speak truth to and will  speak truth into you.  God surely meets us in our seasons of loneliness, teaching us reliance but you were created for community.  Take personal responsinbilty to form these relationships.  You want to be praying for and open to any friendships God gives you, making time and room to strengthen such relationships whenever possible.

3. Relationships with nationals

Getting refreshed by westerners/ people from you own culture is awesome, but I am advocating balance. If you want to last a long time in cross-cultural ministry, you must cultivate rich and deep relationships with people from your host country.  There are some things you need that only a national can help you with.  

It is also important that people in your host country know you need them.  Many workers tend to see themselves as benefactors: givers of money, givers of wisdom, givers of knowledge, givers of truth. Very few see themselves as receivers. You will win their heart when they know you need them as much as they need you.  

Application 

Take time to cultivate all three of these types of community, for all three are equally important. A home community who backs you up 100% is crucial. Friends from a similar culture to yours living in your host country are a gift. True friends from your host culture are invaluable. Many “casualties” of cross-cultural ministry seem to have in common a lack of life-giving community. Pray for this community, and seek it out. Give yourselves to it. Fight for it. You will be glad you did, and you will last longer in ministry. Life giving community is one of the secrets to lasting the long haul with joy!

*Excerpts for this article are taken from a chapter of the book "Thriving in Cross Cultural Ministry" by Carrissa Alma.  You can purchase the book on Amazon.  I highly recommend it.

The Key to Success

August 8, 2015

Scripture 

Ezra 7: 6, 9, 29; 8: 18

This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the LORD his God was on him. 

( NLT)

He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him.

And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles! I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the LORD my God was on me. And I gathered some of the leaders of Israel to return with me to Jerusalem.

 ( NLT)

Since the gracious hand of our God was on us, they sent us a man named Sherebiah, along with eighteen of his sons and brothers. He was a very astute man and a descendant of Mahli, who was a descendant of Levi son of Israel. 

(NLT)

Observation

Ezra gave glory and credit to God.  Four times in two chapters he said "the gracious hand of our God was on us.

Gracious- pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.

1. The key to Ezra's ministry was the favor of God.  God's hand of blessing was upon him.  Favor, blessing, grace, approval was on Ezra which made him successful.

2. The prayer of Jabez expresses this same sentiment:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. (I Chronicles 4:10 NKJV)

Application

1. I must seek and ask for the favor and blessing of God.

2. Daily ask for his blessing

3. Believe in faith I have it.  

It is an act of grace not merit.  I do not earn God's favor, it is given as a gift.

Prayer

Bless me and bless me much.

I ask for your favor, blessing be upon me.  Bless and keep me.  Make your face shine upon me and be gracious to me.  Turn your face towards me and give me peace.  I will not let go until you bless me.

Enlarge my territory

Increase my influence in your kingdom.  Empower me to bring you glory and enlarge your kingdom.  May I live for your glory and your kingdom not my glory or my kingdom.  Enable me to make an impact on this earth for you. May I lift up and exalt Jesus.

May your hand be with me

I ask for a fresh filling of your Spirit, fill me afresh and anew.  Increase my anointing.  Do not promote me beyond my competence or capacity.  Empower me to accomplish the tasks you set before me.

Keep me from evil

Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil.  Enable me to resist the devil and to flee temptation.  Purify me,  make me pleasing to you. I desire to be holy righteous, a man of integrity. Remove any and all offensive ways within me.  Examine me, search me, purify me.  

Partnership

August 7, 2015

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 3:6-9

I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. (NLT)

Observation

1. Some people plant, others water, but God gives the increase.

2. It is not important what role I play, what is important is that God makes the seed grow.

3. The sower and water work together with the same purpose.

4. Will be rewarded for their hard work.

5. We are both God's workers

What is important is God's blessing and favor.  He is the only one who can give the increase.

I am to work hard, will be rewarded for my labor, am in partnership with others.

Appication

1. Accept the role God has given me.

My role is not the traditional role a worker plays and at times it is hard to explain and some times I demur.  I have to believe what I do is important and significant. 

2. Work hard. 

3. Don't compare myself to others

4. Be content

Contentment is a choice

5. Be passionate 

What enables longevity and productivity?  How do we equip people to stay longer and be more fruitful?   Not just called to live overseas, not putting that down, because it takes a skill set.  But we are called and sent to complete a task.  People are not giving their hard earned money so we can live overseas but to fulfill the great commission.  

6. Grow

Learn how to do what I do better.  

Prayer

Do a work in me.  Make me satisfied, content, passionate, and a learner.

God directs your steps

August 6, 2015

Scripture 

Proverbs 20:24

The LORD directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (NLT)

Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way? 

(MEV)

Observation

1. God directs my steps, my goings are of the Lord

A.  God is sovereign

a person who has supreme power or authority.

B. This is comforting

I am not in control, God is.

He will get me exactly where I need to be when I need to be there.

3. It is faith building

I trust God.  I can take risks, not fear mistakes, go for it

4. It takes the pressure off

I don't have to figure everything out or have all the answers

5.  It is liberating

I am free of the demands and expectations of others

Application

1. Trust that God brought me here for this time and in this ministry.  Believe that I am in the center of the will of God.  

2. Don't try to figure everything out.

Don't worry about who holds what position, what others are thinking about me, what is going to happen

3. Find fulfillment in what I am presently doing.

Don't look into the past, don't try to figure out the future, live in the moment.

4. Learn, grow in my professional development.

God has placed me here right now in member care. It is not leadership but it is a field.  Become an expert in my field.

5. Do it with all my heart.

Work hard, passionately, diligently

6.  I can even trust God with my purity.

Question: is this my place?  Am I going to do this for the rest of my life?  Truth is I don't know, can't know.  God directs my steps, I cannot understand my own way.  So live in the present.  Take steps towards what I am doing now. Don't hesitate because of what might or might not happen.  

Prayer

What do I do?  For now?

You are free

August 5, 2015

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 1:30

God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.  (NLV)

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— (NKJV)

Observation

1. I am in Christ

United with him in his death and in his resurrection 

2. Jesus is wisdom from God.

Jesus is the evidence, proof, wisdom, knowledge about life, how to live life, everything.

3. Jesus made me right with God

4. Jesus made me pure and holy

5. Jesus set me free from sin

This is a powerful verse that represents a powerful truth.  Jesus made my salvation possible.  He set me free from the penalty of sin.  I am no longer on my way to hell but am on my way to heaven.  That would be enough but it is not all.  He also set me free from the power of sin, made me pure and holy.  How can I live this God-pleasing life? By being in Christ, being united with the him in his death on a cross and in his resurrection from the dead.  Water baptism is a great illustration of this:  when I was submerged into the water it symbolized my death, when I came out of the water, it symbolized my resurrection.  My old man, nature has died, I am a new creation, a new man.  

Application

1. Count myself as dead to sin and alive in Christ.

It begins with my thinking, my beliefs.  I have to believe I am dead to sin and alive in Christ.  My behavior will never surpass my beliefs because belief systems determine behaviors.  I am transformed by the renewing of my mind.  

2. Abide in Christ.

Time in his presence will transform and empower me.  The Holy Spirit empowers me to be: to progressively become the man God has called me to be.

3. Spend time in the Word.

The Bible is my guidebook in life, it gives me the principles to live by but it is also a living book that gives life.  I receive life, strength by allowing the Bible transform me.

4. Spend time with other believers

The fellowship and accountability with other believers strengthens me.  I receive life, strength, when I spend time with like minded, same hearted people.

Prayer

I am right with God, pure, holy, free from sin.

How to stay strong till the end

August 3, 2015

Scripture 

1 Corinthians 1: 8-9

He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NLT)

who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. ( NKJV)

Observation 

1. Jesus will keep me strong to he end

Confirm me to the end

Confirm-to make firm or more firm; add strength to; settle or establish firmly: Their support confirmed my determination to run for mayor.

2. I will be free from all blame on the day Jesus returns

3. God is faithful. 

He will do what he says.

4.  He has invited me into partnership, fellowship, communion with Jesus.

Application

1. Trust in God, he is faithful

2. Depend on Jesus who will keep me strong and blameless in the end.

3. Rely on and ente in my partnership, fellowship, communion with Jesus.

Prayer

I depend upon you.  I desire for you to be my partner.  I desire communion with you.  Come near to me, please.  Make me strong and keep me blameless till the end.

Your one thing, only thing, everything

August 3, 2015

Scripture

2 Chronicles 34: 3, 31-32

During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images.

The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the LORD’s presence. He pledged to obey the LORD by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. The people of Jerusalem did so, renewing their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors. (NLT)

Observation

1. When Josiah began to seek God, his desire for purity increased.

Seeking God with all my heart, soul, mind, and body will increase my desire for purity.

2. When leaders take their place of authority, the people's desire for purity will increase.

The people began to cleanse their lives when Josiah took his place.

Speed of the leader equals speed of the team.  The people will never surpass their leaders.  My desire for Jesus, my desire for purity will set the pace.

Application

1. Abiding has to be my first priority.  Seeking Jesus, abiding in his presence is everything, my one thing, the only thing.

2. I have to set the pace, leaders set the bar for the rest of the team.

Pace of the leader, pace of the team.  

Prayer

Holy Spirit, increase my desire for the Father.  May I burn inside for Jesus.  May he my number one priority, my one thing, my only thing. I want more of Jesus.

Spiritual Warfare

August 2, 2015

Scripture 

2 Chronicles 32: 2-8

When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also intended to attack Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military advisers, and they decided to stop the flow of the springs outside the city. They organized a huge work crew to stop the flow of the springs, cutting off the brook that ran through the fields. For they said, “Why should the kings of Assyria come here and find plenty of water?” Then Hezekiah worked hard at repairing all the broken sections of the wall, erecting towers, and constructing a second wall outside the first. He also reinforced the supporting terraces in the City of David and manufactured large numbers of weapons and shields. He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate. Then Hezekiah encouraged them by saying: “Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people. (NLT)

Obaervation

Hezekiah found himself under attack by the Assyrians.  How did he respond?

This is a great example of how to respond to spiritual warfare.

1.  He consulted with advisors.

A. He was not a Lone Ranger.

We are a part of the body of Christ.

B. Sought wisdom

Trusted friends and advisors.

2. Hezekiah worked hard

A. The Bible teaches to work out your own salvation

We depend upon the Holy Spirit and work out our salvation. It is and/both not either/or.  I am to be 100 percent defendant on Jesus and I am to work hard

B. Work ethic

The men and women who have made the biggest difference for the kingdom of God worked hard, sacrificed greatly, left it all on the field of battle.

3. He had faith that God would bring the victory.

Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!” 

A. He worked hard while believing God would fight the battle fkor him.

B.  He believed in the power and greatness of God.

4. As a leader Hezikiah encouraged the  people.

A. Then Hezekiah encouraged them by saying: “Be strong and courageous! Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people

B. One the greatest gifts a leader can give his followers is encouragement.

To have heart.

Human beings need to be motivated, encouraged.

They need to be challenged to be brave, strong, and courageous 

Application

1. Have a strong work ethic

2. Remember theology tends to be both/and not either/or

3. Be 100 percent dependent on Jesus

4. Have wise advisors and seek out their counsel

Have them before you need them

Consult them even when you think you got this

5. Be an encourager

Anyone can suck the life out of others, but you be a person that speaks life into others.

Prayer 

May I work out my own salvation and depend 100 percent on you.