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Sunday, April 01, 2007

-Drawing close to God-

After we pray for something, we put a responsibility to:
1. God
2. ourselves
We must first have the spirit of excellence, doing, working our best so that God and help us… How could God help us if we do not even want to help ourselves?

Heb 11: 17 – 19 in Isaac his name is called

God is testing Abraham to offer up his love, offering his son. As Abraham has given his son Isaac, we become Abraham children. As we become Abraham’s spiritual children, God gave His best - He gave us His only begotten Son so that we might live…

Faith reasoning put together all promises and hope of God

If really Isaac is to die, God will raise Isaac up OR
There will be provision coming after He show us His way

If it is God’s will for us, we sow giving our best, Abraham is obedient all the way till the end, so will God gives us His best!!!

How to Grow as a Christian

NO short cut to spiritual maturity, it measured by our behavior.
Most people grow beyond the level of obedience

Phil 2: 12 – 13 we need to work out our salvation, for it is God who works in you
This is a partnership. Like a sail boat, we must position ourselves but unless God

1 Tim 4: 7 exercise yourself godliness
1 Tim 4: 8 for bodily exercise profit little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come

Train yourselves to be Godly

Training gets you do what by will power could never accomplish

It is impossible to live the Christian life just by trying. Trying à in Greek (gymnasos) like gymnastic

What Jesus engage in (activities)
Discipline of engagements

1. Discipline of Celebration: choice to count your blessing

Phil 4: 4 Rejoice in the Lord always, rejoice! This is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it.
After delivering a woman Paul praise God
*** the festival of praise..
Joy is placed on the fact that no matter what happen, happiness is on the circumstances.

John 15: 11:12 Look back and be grateful
*** count your blessing one by one and you will surprise you of what God has done.
Keep replaying the good things God has done in your life

2. Discipline of prayer
Ps 62: 8 Trust in him at all times; you people, pour out your heart before him: God [is] a refuge for us. Selah.

Prayer: “Jesus would you be in my world”. This transforms our heart

3. Read the word of God (Bible)
a. Correction
b. Pour of love
c. Redemption

SOAP principles:
- Scripture (write down the scripture)
- Observation ( what does it speaks to you)
- Application (applying to my life)
- Prayer (Pray about this verse and how to apply in my life)

4. Discipline to fellowship
Acts 2: 42 you and I need one and another. It is in the relationship that our character grows. (God put us in the world so that we could grow in grace in faith)

5. Discipline of Serving
Jesus comes to serve not to be served!

Discipline of disengagements
6. Solitude
Luke 5: 17 Jesus always slowly withdrew from to pray
Connect in God, and clarity of what is happening and what is to be done.
Great clarity comes from solitude

7. Discipline of Silence
Ecc 3: 7 there’s a time to speak and a time to listen
God speaks out of silence.
Quick to listen, slow to speak (we are given 2 ears and 1 mouth. Listen twice as much as we speak. Your hearing, magnify.

8. Discipline of fasting
Matt 6: 16 – 18
Strengthening our wills from temptation
If you pray and your watch

9. Discipline of sacrifice
Rom 12: 1 – 2
1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship.
2. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The woman gave one coin in the temple.

10. Secrecy
Mat 6: 1 – 6, 16 – 18
V 1 – 2 Take your heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you will have no reward from Father in Heaven…

V 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Do not have the approval addiction. We learn live for the approval of One… That is God. It may not speak to your ego but it speaks to your soul.

Downplay your achievement. My value comes from the fact that I come from a child of God.

All these engagements or disengagements:
1. The more we do it, the results or fruits we see we will feel like doing it more. A runner who just started to train to run, all the way till she sees the result of training.
2. They are not a way to earn favor with God. They are for us, means of grace, to position ourselves
they are not a measure of maturity, the key is who you are becoming

*** Ruthlessly eliminate hurry
Busy is an outward state but hurry is an inward state.
“We might be busy but never in a hurry.”

nvSTOPsmiLinG
|12:22 PM|