Verse:
Romans 6:16
"... you are that one's slaves whom you obey ..."
Lesson:
1. The first thing I must be willing to admit when I begin to examine what controls and dominates me is that I am the one responsible for having yielded myself to whatever it may be.
2. If I am a slave to myself, I am to blame because somewhere in the past I yielded to myself. Likewise, if I obey God I do so because at some point in my life I yielded myself to Him.
3. If a child gives in to selfishness, he will find it to be the most enslaving tyranny on earth. There is no power within the human soul itself that is capable of breaking the bondage of the nature created by yielding.
4. For example, yield for one second to anything in the nature of lust, and although you may hate yourself for having yielded, you become enslaved to that thing. (Remember what lust is — "I must have it now," whether it is the lust of the flesh or the lust of the mind.)
5. No release or escape from it will ever come from any human power, but only through the power of redemption.
6. You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.
7. "... He has anointed Me ... to proclaim liberty to the captives ..." (Luke 4:18 and Isaiah 61:1).
8. When you yield to something, you will soon realize the tremendous control it has over you. Even though you say, "Oh, I can give up that habit whenever I like," you will know you can't. You will find that the habit absolutely dominates you because you willingly yielded to it.
9. It is easy to sing, "He will break every fetter," while at the same time living a life of obvious slavery to yourself. But yielding to Jesus will break every kind of slavery in any person's life.
Most Meaningful Statement :
You must yield yourself in utter humiliation to the only One who can break the dominating power in your life, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thoughts :
1. I am responsible for yielding to whatever controls me. If I obey God, it is because I yielded myself to Him.
2. Selfishness and lust are one of the most enslaving control over us. Their hold over us cannot be broken by anything we can summon ourselves. No release or escape is possible by human power.
3. Only Jesus can break any dominating power in our lives. By living in total humilty to Christ, He will break any slavery we have.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Obedience to the "Heavenly Vision"
Verse:
Acts 26:19
"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
Lesson:
1. If we lose "the heavenly vision" God has given us, we alone are responsible — not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth.
2. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
3. The only way to be obedient to "the heavenly vision" is to give our utmost for His highest — our best for His glory.
4. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God's vision.
5. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life — sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.
6. "Though it tarries, wait for it ..." (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself.
7. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it.
8. Waiting for a vision that "tarries" is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical busy — work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.
9. Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen.
10. Let God send you out through His storm, and don't go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
11. It is essential that we live and "walk in the light" of God's vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Most Meaningful Statement :
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
Thoughts :
1. If we do not have spiritual growth, it is not likely that we are able to achieve the vision that God gives us. Without a vision, the people perish.
2. We need to apply our beliefs to the issues facing us on a daily basis, especially when the rubber hits the road. Otherwise, we believe one thing but do another when it comes to daily living.
3. The only way we can live out the vision of God is to always do our best for Him. We need to have a determination to remember that vision.
4. The acid test of our faithfulness to the vision God has given us is obedience to the vision in all details of our everyday life. Not just during our quiet times or church services and events.
5. We cannot fulfill the vision through our own efforts. It is also not something that is instant. We must live out our lives under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. This may take years, but we must tarry and wait. All this tarrying is a true test of our faithfulness to God.
6. We need to let God use storms in our lives to plant us where He wants us to be. If we select our own spot to be planted, we will prove ourself to be unproductive. We also find ourselves in the wrong place and out of the will of God.
7. However, if we allow God to plant us, we will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
Acts 26:19
"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
Lesson:
1. If we lose "the heavenly vision" God has given us, we alone are responsible — not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth.
2. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
3. The only way to be obedient to "the heavenly vision" is to give our utmost for His highest — our best for His glory.
4. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God's vision.
5. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life — sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.
6. "Though it tarries, wait for it ..." (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself.
7. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it.
8. Waiting for a vision that "tarries" is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical busy — work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.
9. Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen.
10. Let God send you out through His storm, and don't go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
11. It is essential that we live and "walk in the light" of God's vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Most Meaningful Statement :
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
Thoughts :
1. If we do not have spiritual growth, it is not likely that we are able to achieve the vision that God gives us. Without a vision, the people perish.
2. We need to apply our beliefs to the issues facing us on a daily basis, especially when the rubber hits the road. Otherwise, we believe one thing but do another when it comes to daily living.
3. The only way we can live out the vision of God is to always do our best for Him. We need to have a determination to remember that vision.
4. The acid test of our faithfulness to the vision God has given us is obedience to the vision in all details of our everyday life. Not just during our quiet times or church services and events.
5. We cannot fulfill the vision through our own efforts. It is also not something that is instant. We must live out our lives under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. This may take years, but we must tarry and wait. All this tarrying is a true test of our faithfulness to God.
6. We need to let God use storms in our lives to plant us where He wants us to be. If we select our own spot to be planted, we will prove ourself to be unproductive. We also find ourselves in the wrong place and out of the will of God.
7. However, if we allow God to plant us, we will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
Obedience to the "Heavenly Vision"
Verse:
Acts 26:19
"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
Lesson:
1. If we lose "the heavenly vision" God has given us, we alone are responsible — not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth.
2. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
3. The only way to be obedient to "the heavenly vision" is to give our utmost for His highest — our best for His glory.
4. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God's vision.
5. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life — sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.
6. "Though it tarries, wait for it ..." (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself.
7. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it.
8. Waiting for a vision that "tarries" is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical busy — work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.
9. Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen.
10. Let God send you out through His storm, and don't go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
11. It is essential that we live and "walk in the light" of God's vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Most Meaningful Statement :
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
Thoughts :
1. If we do not have spiritual growth, it is not likely that we are able to achieve the vision that God gives us. Without a vision, the people perish.
2. We need to apply our beliefs to the issues facing us on a daily basis, especially when the rubber hits the road. Otherwise, we believe one thing but do another when it comes to daily living.
3. The only way we can live out the vision of God is to always do our best for Him. We need to have a determination to remember that vision.
4. The acid test of our faithfulness to the vision God has given us is obedience to the vision in all details of our everyday life. Not just during our quiet times or church services and events.
5. We cannot fulfill the vision through our own efforts. It is also not something that is instant. We must live out our lives under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. This may take years, but we must tarry and wait. All this tarrying is a true test of our faithfulness to God.
6. We need to let God use storms in our lives to plant us where He wants us to be. If we select our own spot to be planted, we will prove ourself to be unproductive. We also find ourselves in the wrong place and out of the will of God.
7. However, if we allow God to plant us, we will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
Acts 26:19
"I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision."
Lesson:
1. If we lose "the heavenly vision" God has given us, we alone are responsible — not God. We lose the vision because of our own lack of spiritual growth.
2. If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
3. The only way to be obedient to "the heavenly vision" is to give our utmost for His highest — our best for His glory.
4. This can be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God's vision.
5. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our everyday life — sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings.
6. "Though it tarries, wait for it ..." (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot bring the vision to fulfillment through our own efforts, but must live under its inspiration until it fulfills itself.
7. We try to be so practical that we forget the vision. At the very beginning we saw the vision but did not wait for it. We rushed off to do our practical work, and once the vision was fulfilled we could no longer even see it.
8. Waiting for a vision that "tarries" is the true test of our faithfulness to God. It is at the risk of our own soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical busy — work, only to miss the fulfillment of the vision.
9. Watch for the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen.
10. Let God send you out through His storm, and don't go until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant you, you will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
11. It is essential that we live and "walk in the light" of God's vision for us (1 John 1:7).
Most Meaningful Statement :
If we do not apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has given us will never be fulfilled.
Thoughts :
1. If we do not have spiritual growth, it is not likely that we are able to achieve the vision that God gives us. Without a vision, the people perish.
2. We need to apply our beliefs to the issues facing us on a daily basis, especially when the rubber hits the road. Otherwise, we believe one thing but do another when it comes to daily living.
3. The only way we can live out the vision of God is to always do our best for Him. We need to have a determination to remember that vision.
4. The acid test of our faithfulness to the vision God has given us is obedience to the vision in all details of our everyday life. Not just during our quiet times or church services and events.
5. We cannot fulfill the vision through our own efforts. It is also not something that is instant. We must live out our lives under its inspiration until it fulfills itself. This may take years, but we must tarry and wait. All this tarrying is a true test of our faithfulness to God.
6. We need to let God use storms in our lives to plant us where He wants us to be. If we select our own spot to be planted, we will prove ourself to be unproductive. We also find ourselves in the wrong place and out of the will of God.
7. However, if we allow God to plant us, we will "bear much fruit" (John 15:8).
Saturday, July 03, 2004
Being an Example of His Message
Verse:
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word!”
Lesson:
1. We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us.
2. The Son of God was His own message — “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63 ). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message.
3. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God's purpose to make a person's life a holy example of God's message.
4. There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God's truth.
5. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost.
6. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God's message in the flesh. “... you shall be witnesses to Me ...” ( Acts 1:8).
7. Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God's message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you.
8. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.
Most Meaningful Statement :
God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose.
Thoughts :
1. God doesn't save us to be His agents or servants. He has angels to do that. God saved us to be His sons and daughters. We then become His message, not just messengers.
2. In what state must we be in order to become Holy messages of God? We need to be crushed into submission to God's purpose. There is no other way to do this.
3. Sometimes we have preconceptions of what our lives should be. Sometimes God shows us a vision for our lives and again we mentally put that vision into our own mould, our own mental framework.
4. However, God wants to take us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and shapes us according to His purpose.
5. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach us something, but to make us the incarnation of what we preached so that we would literally become God's message in the flesh.
Only then would His message be powerful to the people we touch daily.
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word!”
Lesson:
1. We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us.
2. The Son of God was His own message — “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63 ). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message.
3. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God's purpose to make a person's life a holy example of God's message.
4. There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God's truth.
5. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost.
6. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God's message in the flesh. “... you shall be witnesses to Me ...” ( Acts 1:8).
7. Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God's message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you.
8. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.
Most Meaningful Statement :
God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose.
Thoughts :
1. God doesn't save us to be His agents or servants. He has angels to do that. God saved us to be His sons and daughters. We then become His message, not just messengers.
2. In what state must we be in order to become Holy messages of God? We need to be crushed into submission to God's purpose. There is no other way to do this.
3. Sometimes we have preconceptions of what our lives should be. Sometimes God shows us a vision for our lives and again we mentally put that vision into our own mould, our own mental framework.
4. However, God wants to take us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and shapes us according to His purpose.
5. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach us something, but to make us the incarnation of what we preached so that we would literally become God's message in the flesh.
Only then would His message be powerful to the people we touch daily.
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