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God’s Gracious Love “ But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
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Total HealthChapter 15
Building Your Spiritual MusclesApril 3, 2012
• “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”
2 Corinthians 6:14
God’s Gracious Love
“ But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
Define
• Demonstrates• Love• Sinners• Christ• Died
In the light of Easter…..
• Remember to really daily think about this verse this week;
• Look at the other bible versions of this verse;• Let your meditations turn into prayers, talking
with God;• Ask God to reveal and show you special things
about it; • Consider defining key words in the verse;• He may encourage or correct you;• Write down what you think He may be telling you
about this verse
Blood Drive
• April 10, 2012 – Our last one of the year.
• For every person you bring that donates blood, you will receive 5 extra points added to your final grade.
• Wear your Blood Drive T-Shirt and receive 5 extra points to your final grade.
A Fence
• Is a barrier used to mark a boundary. Imagine two property lines. On one side of the fence you have those who want to serve God and on the other are those who want to serve themselves.
• The Fence is the position of neutrality or indecision.
Are you stuck on the Fence?
Are you trying to decide if you want to live to please God or live to
please yourself?
It is time to get off the fence of indecision and make a choice!
Take a moment right now and evaluate where you stand with God
• Is everything all right between you and God?
• If the answer is “no,” ask God right now to help you have an open mind and heart to Him.
• Tell Him you want to get off the fence because you have decided to walk with Him.
• If you are struggling with a lack of desire to know God, then your prayer might be, “Lord, give me the desire to desire more of You.”
• If you pray for more hunger for the things of God, watch out!
• He is faithful to give it to you!
“God has highly exalted Jesus and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee must bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2: 9-11 AMP
“If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just
to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.”
1John 1:9
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
2 Chronicles 16:9
Spiritual Fitness
• The meaning of the word exercise in the New Testament is: to exercise or to train the body or mind with a view to godliness.
“…and exercise yourself rather toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”
Does this mean that physical exercise is worthless?
• No. However, the most important area of life is the condition of your spiritual health.
• If your physical body is strong and healthy, then you can give God more years of your life on earth to serve Him.
Think of yourself as a Spiritual Athlete
• You have spiritual muscles that must be exercised in order to keep them fit.
• If you do not pay attention to your spiritual muscles, you will experience spiritual atrophy and you will find yourself weak and unprepared for spiritual activity.
Signs of Spiritual Atrophy1. Have you been feeling like God is far away?2. Have you been struggling with temptation
and sin lately?3. Have you have difficulty getting along with
someone? Maybe a family member?4. Have you had little desire to read your bible?5. Have you had little desire to pray?6. Have you had little desire to attend church or
church activities?
If you answer “Yes”
• Then you have joined many other Christians suffering from spiritual atrophy.
• You have neglected the spiritual exercised necessary to live a victorious Christian life.
• Getting on a “workout schedule” will get you back on track and strong.
Training in Righteousness
• “…But you, O man (and woman) of God, flee these things and pursue (seek) righteousness (virtue, uprightness, God’s right way of doing things), godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.” 1 Tim.6:11
• It is a daily struggle to keep spiritually fit just as it is a daily struggle to keep physically fit.
It requires discipline to follow all that the bible says about knowing
God.• You can listen to sermon after sermon and
read book after book about how to have a strong devotional life, but ……
• Unless you discipline yourself to be a doer of the Word and not only a hearer, you will not grow in your relationship with Him.
Knowing God
• If you draw near to Him in a personal relationship, He will draw near to you and cause you to desire more and more of Him.
Training in Righteousness
1. Daily Bible reading and meditation on the Word.
2. Private prayer times and being quiet in His presence.
3. Fellowshipping with other believers; church and other activities.
4. GIGO: God in – God out; serving and telling others about God.
5. Praise and Worship
Bible reading and Meditation on the Word of God
“…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 bring forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”
Psalm 1: 2-3
The True Purposes
• Of meditating (reflecting on or thinking about) on the Word of God is to know God, to know Jesus Christ whom the Father sent to die for mankind and to developing hearing the Holy Spirit speak to your spirit. Spirit to spirit.
• To know the will of God (is the word or God) for your life.
• “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, (Jesus) that if we ask anything according to His will (Word), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
1 John 5:14-15
• Biblical meditation will transform your life by transforming your thoughts and your heart.
• The problems of this world will seem less troublesome as you place God’s Word on the throne of your heart.
Practical Steps to Bible Reading
1. Have your own bible. You should choose a translation that you feel comfortable reading.
2. Where Do I begin?
It is important to make a definite reading program for yourself.
If you have a “system” you are following, you are more likely to stick to it.
FLC’s schedule, 31 Proverbs, Topical, one chapter in the OT and one chapter in NT
3. Choose a specific time of Day
Preferably in the morning or the beginning of
the day so His word can help you through your day.
4. Pray, ask God to help you as you read.
He may inspire you to go away from your daily schedule and lead you to other verses that may minister to you personally.
That’s God speaking to you, His Rhema word.
5. Mark your Bible or take notes
In a notebook (Your prayer journal!) when
scripture speaks to you about something specific.
I promise, God will speak to you in that way.
6. Put the Bible to memory
Choose scriptures that encourage you and begin to memorize them. Hide them in your heart.
You not only need to know Scripture in time of hardship but also when sharing with others and for your own personal edification.
“If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
-John 8: 31-32
Personal Prayer Time
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4: 6-7
Although the Word of God is revealed within the pages of the Bible, the heartbeat of God is found in His presence.
Spending time with God can bring you into an intimate and personal relationship with Him.
• The desire to pray is not something you can make yourself feel.
• Just as the desire to read the Bible must come from God to your heart, so it is with the desire to pray.
• Ask God to plant the desire in your hear to spend time in prayer.
It is a matter of the will….
“Only the heart that is melted in devotion is pliable in My hand.”
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.”
- Proverbs 3:7
This is all part of a maturing process
When you were younger, it was you parents daily discipline of devotions, hopefully getting you into the daily habit of bible reading and prayer.
Now as you are growing older, your parents may continue as a family with devotions, but this is your faith in God developing your relationship with Him.
Why Pray?• Prayer gives you strength to face the challenges
of life.• Prayer causes you to see yourself as you truly
are; in deep need for God.• Prayer can bring health and healing to bodies
and minds. • Prayer causes you to become more like Him.• Prayer is one of the hardest disciplines of the
Christian walk. It receives little recognition and results may not be realized immediately.
Frances J Roberts writes….“I do not ask you to take time for Me with the
intention of placing a burden upon you in requiring you to do so (to pray). Rather than adding a requirement, I seek to lift your load. Rather than burdening you with a devotional obligation, I desire to take from you the tensions of life.”
What If I don’t have Time?You have heard that everyone has the same
number of hours in a day and if you really want to do something, you can fit it in.
It just depends upon your priorities.
Take 5 minutes to pray in the morning before you start your day. It may seem like an effort to give Him the time. Stick with it and those five minutes will increase because you enjoy spending time with God.
Frances J Roberts writes….
“Wait not for an opportunity to have more time to be alone with me. Take it, tough you have to leave the tasks at hand. Nothing will suffer. Things are of less importance than you think. Our time together is like a garden full of flowers, whereas the time you give to things is as a field full of stubble… Seek Me above all else.”
Will you be smelling of Campfire?
What if I have sinned?
You have a choice – you can let it go, in which case you will continue to be troubled by spiritual unrest and ineffectiveness.
Or you can make things right with God and others and clean the slate.
God is faithful
God is faithful to forgive you of your mistakes if your confess them to Him. Saying, “I am sorry” and “please forgive me,” are some of the hardest words to say.
But when you release that burden, God forgives you and never brings it up again.
Why do I keep thinking about it though?
Because we are human and in the flesh. We know the truth contained in God’s word. These thoughts of condemnation are attacks from the devil. You put him down by repeating the Word of God.
It may take a few times, but he will have to leave.
Here is the sword of the Spirit as we put up our shield of faith to quench all the fiery
darts of the evil one.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9
Bill Bright writes …
“In order to stay physically healthy, we must exhale to cleanse the waste air from our systems (carbon dioxide) and then inhale to replenish the good air (oxygen). In a similar fashion, Christians need to “breathe spiritually” to stay spiritually healthy. The moment the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, we should “exhale” by confessing that sin to God…After exhaling the impure, we can “inhale” the pure and receive God’s forgiveness.
What if I don’t feel like praying?Feelings and emotions are hard to control. Feeling
tired, depressed, anxious, in a hurry, angry are real feelings that can keep you away from prayer.
If you come to your prayer time each day and ignore your feelings, you will reap the benefits of spending time with God.
Remember, praying is work; it takes commitment and discipline. Your feelings change with each day but your commitment to prayer should not.
What if I am distracted during prayer?
Having mental distractions is common. Confess to God that you have a lot on your mind, then give your concerns to Him.
What if I don’t think God will answer me?
Faith or lack of faith for answered prayers is a battle that every Christian faces. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, so read what He says about His faithfulness to answer prayer.
Remember, God will answer your prayers, butt it may not be the answer you might have wanted or expected.
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, if we ask anything according to His will (word), He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
- 1 John 5: 14-15
What If I don’t think God cares about me and my problems?
“….casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all you heart.”
-Jeremiah 29: 11-13
Practical Steps to Prayer
Step One: Tell God how great you think He is! If you do not know what to say, read Psalm 47 and 48 out loud to God.
This is a form of praise and worship!
A man after God’s own heart
• David in the book of Psalms, is a good example for you and me when learning how to pray.
• He cried out to God, confessing his sins, telling Him his fears, and speaking faith in God through worship and praise.
• David sang songs, prayed out loud and through everything he remained honest and humble before Him in prayer.
Step Two:
• Pray for forgiveness. Think of areas in your life that God might not be pleased with you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal those hidden areas to you.
• Confess them honestly believing God forgives your sins. Then ask Him to give you strength to overcome temptation and teach you His ways.
Step Three:
• Pray for others. • Pray for your family and those who are
close to you. • Pray for people who don’t know God.• Pray for problems in your country as well
as those in places around the world.
Step Four:
• Pray for the areas that affect your life.
• Tell God about the things that concern you.
• Do you have any needs?
• What problems do you face today, tomorrow, in the future?
Step Five:• Pray the Word of God – the Bible.
• When you speak the Word of God out loud in prayer, you know that God hears you because it is God’s will written for you.
• Speaking the Word of God out loud in your prayer time will increase your faith in all that God can do!
More reasons to pray God’s Word…
• The Word of God is the power of God unto salvation (Roman 1:16) in whatever area you apply it to.
• When you pray the Word of God over a given situation, you are actually applying the power of God to that situation.
"Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, HEARKENING UNTO THE VOICE OF HIS WORD.”
-Psalm 103:20
• God confirms His Word
• God has exalted his Word even above the name of Jesus
• The Word of God breaks into pieces the rock of most stubborn resistance.
• The Word of God will never return void.
“So will My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, with accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”
- Isaiah 55:11
Homework
• Read pages 389 - 399
• Answer Explain Questions: 1 – 6
• Prayer Journal Entry Daily
• Begin lining up family and friends to donate blood on April 10th.
