CommonGround Church Podcast

IF                                                                                                                    WHAT IF WE DON’T GIVE UP Galatians 6:9   9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.   NIV Galatians 6:9    So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.     MESSAGE   Galatians 6:7-9  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. NIV WATCH WHAT YOU ARE PLANTING.  WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.  Galatians 6:7  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Deceived – planao (plan-ah'-o) – to lead away, to stagger, to be led off course; or to be led by someone’s outside influence and led in a wrong direction. Galatians 6:7  . A man reaps what he sows. Sows - speiro (spi'-ro) any seed that is sown, but it is nor singular – it means to sow and to sow and to sow…. Reaps is also not singular so it means to reap and to reap and to reap….. Galatians 6:8   The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Destruction - phthora (fthor-ah')   decay and ruin Eternal Life - zoe (dzo-ay') life that is truly life, - today, tomorrow and forever QUITTING WILL ENSURE THAT YOU LOSE. Galatians 6:9   Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Weary - ekkakeo (ek-kak-eh'-o) to give in, to surrender, to let something bad defeat you Do not give up - ekluo (ek-loo'-o) to loosen up, to relax  

IF                                                                                  IF YOU REMAIN IN ME John 15:1-8   "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.     NIV MOST OF OUR PRAYERS REVOLVE AROUND US.   Parable of the Sower  Mark 4:3-20 The word remain is in these scriptures 8 times. It means to be still. Exodus 14:13-14   But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."       New Living  It means to be expectant. Haggai 1:14    So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel …    NIV It means to wait.  Acts 1:4   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.    NIV John 15:7    If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.    HOW TO HAVE THE WORD REMAIN IN YOU 1.  READ IT. 2. STUDY IT. 3. MEDITATE IT. 4. MEMORIZE IT. 5. PERSONALIZE IT. 6. PRAY IT. 7. DO IT. 

IF                                                                                                                     IF GOD IS FOR US Romans 8:31   If God is for us, who can ever be against us?   New Living  HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS FOR US??? He didn’t spare his own Son. Romans 8:32   Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,       NLT 1 John 4:9-10   This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.      NIV His blessings keep coming. Romans 8:32   …won't he also give us everything else?     NLT Romans 8:28    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.     NIV He gives us right standing. Romans 8:33   Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.    NLT 2 Corinthians 5:21   God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.     NIV Jesus is pleading for us. Romans 8:34   Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.    NLT And the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26-27    In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.       NIV He won’t let anything separate us from His love. Romans 8:35-39    Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.     NLT

IF                                                                                                                                ONE TOUCH Mark 5:24-34    So Jesus went with him.  A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.  30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"  31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."     NIV WHAT WILL TRY TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR BREAKTHROUGH THE PAIN 1 Peter 5:9-11   Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. 10 The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ — eternal and glorious plans they are! — will have you put together and on your feet for good. 11 He gets the last word; yes, he does.     MESSAGE THE PAST Isaiah 43:18-19   Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. 19 Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.    MESSAGE THE PEOPLE Galatians 1:10   Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.    New Living  HOW DID SHE GET HER BREAKTHROUGH SHE WAS DESPERATE. Matthew 5:25-26 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.   SHE WAS DETERMINED. Matthew 5:27-28  When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."   SHE WAS HEALED. Matthew 5:29   Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

IF                                                                                                                               IF WE OBEY – GOD WILL BLESS Hebrews 11:17-19   It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.    New Living  HE HEARD GOD SPEAK. Genesis 22:1-2   Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"  "Here I am," he replied.  2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."    NIV HE PREPARED FOR WHAT GOD TOLD HIM. Genesis 22:3   Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.    NIV HE ENDURED THE PROCESS. Genesis 22:4  On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.    NIV HE SPOKE FAITH. Genesis 22:5  He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."    NIV HE TRUSTED GOD’S PROVISION. Genesis 22:7-8    Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"  "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"  8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.    NIV HE HAD FOCUSED OBEDIENCE. Genesis 22:9-12   When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"  "Here I am," he replied.  12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."     NIV HE EXPERIENCED GOD’S BLESSING. Genesis 22:13-18   Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."  15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your  offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."    NIV

HABITS                                                                                                                   DAILY HABITS Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message EVERY DAY:  LIVE IN GOD’S GRACE. Philippians 3:3   For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,    New Living  THE TRAP – LEGALISM Philippians 3:2-6   Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!  5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.      New Living  EVERY DAY:  REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS MOST. Philippians 3:7   I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  New Living  THE TRAP – CULTURE. Philippians 3:8   Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.      New Living  EVERY DAY:  WALK WITH JESUS. Philippians 3:10-11   I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!       New Living  THE TRAP – BUSYNESS. Psalm 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God;”    NIV EVERY DAY: PUSH FORWARD AND DON’T QUIT. Philippians 3:12   I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.   New Living  THE TRAP – PRIDE AND LAZINESS. 2 Corinthians 13:5   Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.     MESSAGE EVERY DAY:  FORGET WHAT CAN’T BE CHANGED AND FOCUS ON THE FUTURE. Philippians 3:13-14     No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  New Living  THE TRAP – REGRET AND UNFORGIVENESS. Isaiah 43:18-19   "But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”     New Living 

HABITS                                                                                              ALIGNED WITH MY PURPOSE Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message Keep my life aligned with my purpose. Because I have a purpose.  Psalm 139:16  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.    NIV Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   NIV We live by design not by default. Because there is competition for my time and attention. Ecclesiastes 4:6  Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.    NIV  Because time is short.  James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”     NIV 1. Decide what is important. Philippians 3:7-8  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.    NIV Most of our lives are not defined by the important but by the urgent. 2. Give time to the important things.  Psalm 90:12  Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.    Living  Make a list of what is important. 3. Eliminate the non-important things.  Hebrews 12:1   Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.    NIV 4. Regularly take inventory.  Psalm 39:4-5  LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you;     New Living

HABITS                                                                                                            SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.   Message RELATIONSHIPS CHOICES Nurture my important relationships.  1 Peter 4:7-8 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.   NIV Restore my broken relationships.  Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.   NIV Sever any harmful relationships.  Proverbs 13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.    NIV Initiate some meaningful relationships.  Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.   NIV     HOW TO DEVELOP RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS 1. Develop my relationship with my church.  Ephesians 2:19    You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.   New Living   2. Develop my relationship with godly friends. Acts 2:44-47   And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—    New Living  3.  Develop my relationship with a team. Ecclesiastes 4:8-9  There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.    NIV 4. Develop my relationship with God.  Jeremiah 29:13  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.    New Living

HABITS                                                                                                      FIRST THINGS FIRST MOST PEOPLE HAVE UPHILL DREAMS BUT DOWNHILL HABITS. Hope for the future.  Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    NIV  Repentance from the past.  Philippians 3:13  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.    NIV Formation of uphill habits.  Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message   Habit #1 Focus on what I do first. 1. Put God first.  Genesis 1:1   In the beginning God…    NIV Exodus 20:1-3   And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”    NIV 2. Give God the first of everything.  Leviticus 27:30   A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.    NIV Deuteronomy 14:23   The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your life.    Living Bible The first of my year.  The first of my month.  The first of my week.  The first of my day.    3. Expect God to bless the rest.  Proverbs 3:6-10   In all your ways acknowledge him…Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.   NIV

BREAKTHROUGH SUNDAY   2 Samuel 5:17-25 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked the Lord, "Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"  The Lord replied to David, "Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you."  20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "The Lord did it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through"). 21 The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.  22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the Lord replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army." 25 So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.      NIV     STEPS TO GET YOUR BREAKTHROUGH   RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE AN ENEMY.   2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him.        GO TO GOD AND LISTEN TO HIS DIRECTION!!!!    2 Samuel 5:19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”  The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”      TAKE ACTION ON WHAT GOD SAYS.   2 Samuel 5:20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there.                        TAKING ACTION – TAKES FAITH     GIVE GOD ALL OF THE GLORY!!!!   2 Samuel 5:20 "The Lord did it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through").         DO IT ALL AGAIN.      1 Samuel 5:21-25 The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.  22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the Lord replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army." 25 So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.     

CAROLS   “O Come All Ye Faithful”   WHO DOES JESUS CALL?   1. Jesus calls the weary and burdened.   Matthew 11:28    Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.    NIV   2. Jesus calls the sinners.   Matthew 9:12-13    On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."     NIV   WHAT DOES JESUS HELP US BECOME?   1. JESUS HELPS US BECOME MORE FAITHFUL.   Hebrews 12:2    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…    NIV   Isaiah 43:2-3    When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;  the flames will not set you ablaze. 3 For I am the LORD your God,  the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…     NIV     2. JESUS HELPS US BECOME MORE JOYFUL.   Galatians 5:22    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,…      Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus!   Luke 2:10-11    But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you… NIV   3. JESUS HELPS US BECOME MORE TRIUMPHANT.   Isaiah 9:6-7    For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever…      NIV

THE BOOK OF DANIEL – 6                                                                      How Will All Of This End Matthew 24:3  As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”      NIV Matthew 24:12-15   Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand.”    NIV The 70 Sevens  Daniel 9:24-27  “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (This hadn’t happened yet – it was prophetic – it is in the Books Nehemiah and Ezra which are written after Daniel)  until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’(49 years look in the history books and see how long it took them to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls – 49 years) and sixtytwo ‘sevens.’(434 years, it is the exact amount of time from then until Jesus gave His life on the Cross)  It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.(In AD 70 the temple that they came and rebuilt was torn down again) The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.(At this point there is 1 seven left)’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”    NIV 70 sevens – 490 years of prophecy                                                        483 of the 490 have been fulfilled                                                            49 years to rebuild the temple                                                                434 year until Jesus died on the cross                                                      7 years left BOOK OF REVELATION 10 EVENTS 1. The Church Age -  Rev. 2-3     2.  The Rapture – Rev. 4:1   3.  The Rise of the Anti-Christ  - Rev. 6       4.  The Tribulation  -  Rev. 6-19    5.  The Second Coming of Christ – Rev. 19    6.  The Marriage Supper of the Lamb – Rev 19   7.  The Millennium – Rev. 20:6   8.  The Last Rebellion – Rev. 20:7-10  9.  The Great White Throne Judgement – Rev. 20:11-15  10.  Eternity – Rev. 21-22 How Will All Of This End?  Daniel 12:1-4  “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.  (The time of the Great Tribulation)  But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. (Rapture) Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Great White Throne Judgement) Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, (this is who we are supposed to be – people reaching people) like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”(    NIV Daniel 12:8-13  I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?” But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means. “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days! “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”   NLT 2 Peter 3:10-12 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”     NIV    1. Follow God, not culture.  1 Thessalonians 5:23   May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.    NIV 2. Be ready for Christ’s return.  Matthew 24:42  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.     NIV 3. Make the most of this life.  Ephesians 5:15-17  Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.   NIV

THE BOOK OF DANIEL – 5 CULTURE’S GREATEST NEED Daniel 6:1-5   It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss. Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom. At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel…”     NIV YOU CAN’T MAKE A DIFFERENCE UNLESS YOU ARE DIFFERENT!!!! Exceptional Qualities  2 Corinthians 3:17-18   Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.    NIV Revelation 4:6-7  In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.   NIV Ezekiel 1:10   Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.  NIV  1. The Ox – the face of a servant.  1 Corinthians 9:19   Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.   NIV   2. The Man – the face of love.  John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”    NIV 3. The Eagle – the face of respect.  Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.    NIV 4. The Lion – the face of boldness.  Proverbs 28:1  The wicked flee though no one pursue but the righteous are as bold as a lion.    NIV Matthew 16:17-18  Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”   NIV   How Should We Respond to Culture? John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.    NIV Grace because we all need a Savior. Truth because it’s the only thing that can set people free.

THE BOOK OF DANIEL – 4                           HANDWRITING ON THE WALL Daniel 5:1-5  King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote.   NIV Daniel 5:23    Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven.      NIV Daniel 5:25-26 “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. This is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.”   NIV We forget that our days are numbered.   Daniel 5:27  “Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.”     NIV We allow our lives to get out of balance.  Daniel 5:28 “Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”   NIV We ignore the warning signs.  Psalm 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God;    NIV     CHANGE OUR DIRECTION  Daniel 5:29-31 Then at Belshazzar's command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.    NIV 1. Live with a sense of purpose and urgency. Psalm 39:4-5  LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath.   New Living 2. Put first things first. Matthew 6:33   But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.      NIV 3. Do it now.  2 Corinthians 6:2   I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.   NIV

THE BOOK OF DANIEL – 3                                                                    CRAZY THINKING Daniel 4:1-3 (NIV) King Nebuchadnezzar, To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation. CULTURE’S CRAZY THINKING WE’RE SELF-SUFFICIENT INSTEAD OF GOD-DEPENDENT. Daniel 4:4 (NIV)   I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.   OUR PRAYER LIFE WILL SHOW HOW DEPENDENT WE ARE ON GOD.   WE GIVE OURSELVES THE CREDIT INSTEAD OF THANKING GOD.    Daniel 4:25 (NIV)  You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.  MY ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE WILL KEEP MY HEART RIGHT.   WE THINK WE KNOW BEST INSTEAD OF ACKNOWLEDGING THAT HEAVEN RULES.  Daniel 4:26 (NIV)  The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules. OUR SURRENDER TO GOD LEADS US DOWN THE RIGHT PATH. GET RID OF CRAZY Daniel 4:34-37 (NIV) At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: “What have you done?” At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.    1. Exalt the King of heaven.  2. Acknowledge that God does everything right and all His ways are just.  3. Walk in humility.

THE BOOK OF DANIEL - #2               THE TEST OF WORSHIP Daniel 3:1-6   King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it. Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."    NIV Daniel 6:5-9   Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” So the administrators and the satraps went as a group to the king and said: “O King Darius, live forever! The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or man during the next thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the lions' den. Now, O king, issue the decree and put it in writing so that it cannot be altered--in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.” So King Darius put the decree in writing.   NIV  The Battle Over Worship  2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 1. Exalt man above God.  Daniel 3:16-18  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”    NIV 2. Stop the worship of God.  Daniel 6:10-12  Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before. Then these men went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and spoke to him about his royal decree: "Did you not publish a decree that during the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or man except to you, O king, would be thrown into the lions' den?" The king answered, "The decree stands--in accordance with the laws of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed."    NIV Culture’s Greatest Test  Mark 12:30    Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'   NIV HEART AND SOUL – WHAT DO I LOVE THE MOST?                         MIND  -  WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE MOST?                                S STRENGTH –  WHAT DO I DO THE MOST? WHO YOU WILL NOT WORSHIP? 2 Chronicles 16:9   For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.   NIV WHO YOU WILL WORSHIP? John 4:23  Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.    NIV   WILL I CHANGE THE WORLD OR LET THE WORLD CHANGE ME?

THE BOOK OF DANIEL              DON’T FOLLOW THE CROWD Daniel 1:1-6  In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility-- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king's service. Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.     CULTURE CHANGES – GOD DOESN’T     WHEN YOU FOLLOW THE CROWD 1. It will try to rename you.  Daniel 1:7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.    NIV Daniel – “God is my judge”                                                                              Belteshazzar – “Lady, protect the king”                                                                 The world wants to change the focus from God to man. Hananiah   -  “Yahweh has been gracious”                                                                                                     Shadrach    -   “I am fearful of God”                                                                         The world wants to change the focus from God is good to God is bad. Mishael   -    “Who is what God is”                                                                                                             Meshach   -    “I am despised, contemptible and humiliated”                             The world wants to change the focus from confidence to cowardace. Azariah   -    “Yahweh has helped”                                                                                         Abednego   -    “Servant of Nebo”                                                                             The world wants to change our focus from son and daughter to slave. 2. It will try to tame you.  Daniel 1:8    But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.   NIV 3. It will try to claim you.  Daniel 1:11-14  Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.  NIV Ten Times Better  Daniel 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.    NIV Will I change the world or will the world change me?    Will my identity come from God or from the world?  Romans 6:3  For sin’s power over us was broken when we became Christians and were baptized to become a part of Jesus Christ.   Living Bible

FIRST FRUITS                                                                                                        GENEROUS LIFE 2 Corinthians 9:11    You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.    NIV THE MARKS OF A GENEROUS LIFE Luke 10:30-37    In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"  37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."   NIV LOVE IS WILLING TO LOOK BEYOND ITSELF.    Luke 10:33   “he took pity on him”  -  TRUE GENEROSITY IS A HEART ISSUE   LOVE IS WILLING TO INVEST TIME IN OTHERS.    Luke 10:34  “He went to him”   INVESTING TIME IS ONE OF THE MOST GENEROUS ACTS THAT YOU CAN DO – WHAT WOULD LIFE LOOK LIKE IF WE INVESTED INTO THE LIVES OF OTHERS –    LOVE IS WILLING TO USE IT ABILITIES AND RESOURCES.    Luke 10:34  “bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine”  MANY SAY IF I JUST HAD IT THEN I WOULD GIVE - START GIVING FROM THE PLACE THAT YOU ARE THE BENEFITS OF A GENEROUS LIFE 2 Corinthians 9:6-12    Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:  "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.  12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.     NIV   1.  THE FAVOR OF GOD.    Psalm 5:12  For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.     NIV   2.  REAL PROSPERITY.    Proverbs 11:25   The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.      MESSAGE   3.  A LEGACY OF IMPACT.     Psalm 37:25-26   I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.  26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.      NIV   4.  TREASURE IN HEAVEN.    1 Timothy 6:18-19   Instruct them to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. 19 If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.     Amplified

FIRST FRUITS                                                                                                                       WATCH MY ATTITUDE 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  NIV              THE WORD BELIEVE IS IN SCRIPTURE 272 TIMES, PRAY – 371, LOVE – 714 AND GIVE – 2161. 2 Corinthians 8:1-12  Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. 8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. 9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.     NLT     ATTITUDE OF GENEROSITY  1. Be a joyful giver.   2 Corinthians 8:2  But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.    NLT  2 Corinthians 9:7  Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.     NIV 2. Be a selfless giver.     2 Corinthians 8:3-5   For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.    NLT 3. Be a willing giver.     2 Corinthians 8:5  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.  NLT 2 Corinthians 8:12  Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.     NLT 2 Corinthians 9:10  So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.   NLT 4. Be a generous giver.      2 Corinthians 9:6-8   Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.  7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.   NLT

FIRST FRUITS                                                                                        The Principle of the First Proverbs 3:9-10   Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.    NIV Exodus 13:1-2    Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 "Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me."     New Living    THE FIRST MUST BE SACRIFICED OR REDEEMED. Exodus 13:12-13   You are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.     NIV Malachi 3:8-12   "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.  "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the Lord Almighty.      NIV THE FIRSTFRUITS MUST BE OFFERED. Exodus 23:19    Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.      NIV Genesis 4:2-5 When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.     New Living  THE TITHE MUST BE FIRST. Leviticus 27:30    'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.      NIV Exodus 13:14-15     "And in the future, your children will ask you, 'What does all this mean?' Then you will tell them, 'With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery. 15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.'   New Living 

JOY UNSPEAKABLE                                                                                           IN HIS PRESENCE THANKFULNESS AND REJOICING Ephesians  5:18-20   Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.          New Living  Psalm 69:30   Then I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving.   New Living    REPENTANCE, BROKENNESS AND SURRENDER James 4:8-10  Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.             New Living    REVELATION AND DREAMS COMING ALIVE Jeremiah 33:1-3    While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: 2 "This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it — the Lord is his name: 3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'     NIV FREEDOM 2 Corinthians 3:16-18    But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.       New Living   

JOY UNSPEAKABLE                                                                                        Joy Killers  John 10:10   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.    NIV Sin steals our joy.  Psalm 32:1-11  Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!   NIV Sin kills our lives.  Psalm 73:18-19   Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!     NIV Sin destroys our identity. Psalm 38:4, 6   My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear… I am bowed down and brought low.    NIV The Daily Choice  Acts 3:19-20  Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord.    NIV 1. Daily choose to put to death my old sin nature.  Psalm 51:2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin  NIV.  Romans 8:12-13   Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.   NLT 2. Daily release my past and take another step toward freedom.  Psalm 51:7   Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.   NIV  James 5:16 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.    Message 3. Daily pursue God’s plan for my life.  Psalm 51:10   Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.    NIV Romans 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.    NLT  4. Daily live a life that impacts others.  Psalm 51:12-13   Restore to me the joy of your salvation… and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.    NIV JOY IS MORE THAN A FEELING, IT IS A WAY OF LIVING!!!!!

JOY UNSPEAKABLE                                                                                           Choose Joy Isaiah 61:1-3    The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.  2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.    NLT 2 Corinthians 6:10   …sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  NIV Make The Choice  Philippians 4:4-5 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.   NIV 1. Prayer replaces worry.  Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer…  Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”      NIV 2. Prayer lets go of control. Philippians 4:6-7  …by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.   NIV Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.    NIV 3. Prayer changes our thinking. Philippians 4:8  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.”    NIV Colossians 3:2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.    NLT 4. Prayer reveals contentment.  Philippians 4:12   I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.    NIV Psalm 23:1  The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.   NLT 5. Prayer relies on God.  Philippians 4:13  “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”    NIV Philippians 4:19   “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”      NIV Proverbs 16:20   Those who trust the LORD will be joyful. Prayer doesn’t move God toward us. Prayer moves us toward God.     NIV

ALIGN                                                                                                        Align My Dreams With God’s Dream Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.     NIV Jeremiah 29:11    I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.     Message Plans - machashabah (makh-ash-aw-baw') a contrivance, a plan, a dream, an intention; Contrivance - the use of skill to bring something about or create something, (synonym – plan, tactic, scheme, move or device.) I have - chashab (khaw-shab');literally to weave or to fabricate;    FIND GOD’S DREAM FOR YOU!!! Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,… Psalm 37:4   Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.   NIV Delight - anag (aw-nag'); to be soft or pliable,  THE DREAM DOESN’T DIE WHEN I GIVE IT TO GOD. IT GROWS IN POTENTIAL AND IN PURPOSE. GOD DID NOT GIVE ME MY DREAM TO COMPARE IT BUT TO FULFILL IT. COMPARING IT WILL IT ME DISTRACTED FROM THE DREAM. GOD’S DREAMS FOR YOU ARE GREAT!! Jeremiah 29:11   For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.     NIV Prosper - shalom (shaw-lome'); safe, well, happy, friendly; to have health, prosperity, peace. Ephesians 3:20    Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,      NIV Immeasurably more - perissos (per-is-sos'); superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality)   GOD’S DREAMS FOR YOU AREN’T JUST FOR YOU!! Genesis 12:1-2   Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”    ESV Mark 16:15   He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.      NIV Acts 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."      NIV

ALIGN                                                                                                              Align my Heart with God’s Heart Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)   For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. SURRENDER OUR HEART TO GOD. Psalm 51:10-12 (NIV)  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. NIV James 4:7-10 (The Message)   So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. 8 Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. 9 Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. 10 Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.      BE TRANSPARENT AND DO INVENTORY. Psalm 139:1-4 (New Living) O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. 2 You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away. 3 You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. 4 You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.     What are some things that are in my life that shouldn’t be?                 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What are some things that are not in my life that should be?                  _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________                                          HATE WHAT GOD HATES AND LOVE WHAT GOD LOVES. Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIRV)  There are six things the Lord hates. In fact He hates 7 things. 17 The Lord hate proud eyes, a lying tongue and hands that kill those who aren’t guilty. 18 He also hates hearts that make evil plans and feet that are quick to do evil. 19 He hates any witness who pours out lies and anyone who stirs up conflict in the community. John 3:16-17 (NIV) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”     1 John 4:10-12 (NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.     GOD LOVES PEOPLE AND WE ARE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT HE LOVES.

Boom Roasted  Jesus Vs. The Woman At The Well  John 4:1-42 NIV 3 Reasons Why Jesus Roasted Her   She Was Living In Sin   -John 4: 10-14 NIV “10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”  11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”  13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”   -Galatians 5:19-21 NIV “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”     She Needed A Life Change   -John 4:16-18 “He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”     Jesus Wanted To Use Her   -John 4:28-30 “28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. -John 4:39-42 “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony,  “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” -Jesus saw greatness in her and wanted to use her for His glory!

The Inner Vow   - Words are powerful  Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV) 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.  Proverbs 13:3 (NKJV) “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”  Matthew 12:36-37 (MSG) Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”  What you are saying today is shaping your tomorrow The Inner Vow = Self Directed Promise Whats the big deal? Matthew 5:33-37 (NKJV) 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.  Why is it evil to swear?  You just became God in that area of your life.  Inner vows prohibit learning and growth and they cause extremes. How to overcome Inner Vows 1. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you made vows 2. Repent  3. Submit that area to Jesus

God is Our Healer - Brian Leonard   God heals to increase our faith   Luke 17:11-17 Jesus Heals Ten Men with Leprosy 11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan 17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?”19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”   God Heals so that the works of God might be displayed.   John 9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” 10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. 11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”   God still heals today   John 14;12 – Very Truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name. so that the father may be glorified.

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GOD                                                               Ephesians Prayer Part 2 Ephesians 3:14-21    For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.      NIV In the Ephesians 1 prayer we look at the enlightenment or the eye opening. In the Ephesians 3 prayer we look at the empowerment to do!!! STRENGTH from God.  Ephesians 3:16  16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, Strengthen – krataioo (krat-ah-yo'-o);  to empower, increase in vigor, to make powerful. Power -  dunamis (doo'-nam-is);  force, miraculous power, a miracle itself. Acts 1:8   But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."     NIV DEPTH in our relationship with God. Ephesians 3:17  ..so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, Dwell - katoikeo (kat-oy-keh'-o) to house permanently, to reside, to be at home. Established - themelioo (them-el-ee-o'-o); to lay a foundation.    FULLNESS of God’s love. Ephesians 3:17-19   And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Grasp - katalambano (kat-al-am-ban'-o); to take eagerly, to seize, possess.  Filled - pleroo (play-ro'-o); literally to cram, level up, satisfy,  finish.    GREATNESS of God’s ability. Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20   God can do anything, you know — far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.     Message

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GOD                                                             Ephesians 1 Prayer Ephesians 1:15-21     For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. NIV Ephesians 1:18  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened… Enlightened -  photizo (fo-tid'-zo);  to shed rays, i.e. to shine or to brighten up. ENLIGHTENMENT COMES FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT. Ephesians 1:17  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. ENLIGHTENMENT COME TO OUR HEART. Ephesians 1:18  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened… OPEN MY EYES TO…. KNOW GOD BETTER. Ephesians 1:17  I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.   KNOW HIS CALLING.   Ephesians 1:18  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you,     KNOW HIS INHERITANCE.    Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,   KNOW HIS POWER.  Ephesians 1:19   and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GOD                                                               BOOK OF ACTS PRAYER Acts 12:1-18    It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.    5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.  6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.  8 Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.  11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"  15 "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."  16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place.  18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.         NIV Ingredients of Effective Prayer  1. Where there is pressure, prompting or pain.  Psalm 18:6   In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.     NIV 2. With passion.  Hebrews 5:7-9   During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.     NIV  3. With persistence.  Jonah 2:1   From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God.    NIV  4. In partnership with others.  Matthew 18:19    Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.     NIV 5. Focused on Jesus Christ.  John 14:13   You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.        NIV

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GOD THE PRAYER OF THE SHEEP Psalm 23   The Lord is my shepherd,  I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  NIV YOU ARE MY SHEPHERD.          JEHOVAH-RAAH                                            John 10:14   I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—      NIV   YOU ARE MY PROVIDER.          JEHOVAH-JIREH                                        Philippians 4:19   You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.     Message YOU ARE MY PEACE.          JEHOVAH-SHALOM                                                                                   John 14:27   Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.      NIV YOU ARE MY HEALER.          JEHOVAH-RAPHA                                                                               1 Peter 2:24-25   He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. 25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.     New Living YOU ARE MY RIGHTEOUSNESS.          JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU                                                                1 Peter 1:14-15   So you must live as God's obedient children. Don't slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.    New Living  YOU ARE MY CONSTANT COMPANION.          JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH                                                   Hebrews 13:5-6  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."  6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"       NIV YOU ARE MY DEFENDER.          JEHOVAH-NISSI                                                                         2 Thessalonians 3:3   But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.     NIV YOU ARE MY SANCTIFIER.          JEHOVAH-M’KADDESH                                                                        1 Peter 2:4    But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.     New Living   

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GODThe Prayer of Jabez 1 Chronicles 4:9-10   Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.      NIV 1. Pray for blessing.  1 Chronicles 4:10    “Oh that you would bless me…”    NIV Psalm 18:35   You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.   NIV   Genesis 12:2  I will bless you…and you will be a blessing to others.    New Living “Lord, bless me so that I can be a blessing to others.”    2. Pray for influence.  1 Chronicles 4:10     “…enlarge my territory…”       NIV Ephesians 1:18   I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.      NIV Psalm 2:8    Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.      NIV “Lord, show me your purpose for my life so I can live a life bigger than my own.”  3. Pray for presence.  1 Chronicles 4:10     “Let your hand be with me…”        NIV Acts 11:21    The Lord’s hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.      NIV Exodus 33:15-17    Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked.”     NIV “Lord, be with me  for what you have called me to do is too big for me.”   4. Pray for protection.  1 Chronicles 4:10   “…and keep me from harm.” NIV 1 Peter 5:8   The devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.   NIV Romans 8:35-37   Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.    NIV Lord, strengthen me in and protect me from every attack of the enemy.  Prayer isn’t about God moving toward us. Prayer is about us moving toward God.

PRAYER – CONVOS WITH GOD                                                                Tabernacle Prayer Exodus 25:8-9 (New Living)Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.     Exodus 33:11 (New Living)Inside the Tent of Meeting, the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.      Matthew 5:17 (NIV)“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”  1. The Outer Court: Give God Thanks.  Psalm 100:4 (NIV)Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.      2. The Brazen Altar: Focus on the Cross.  Romans 5:6 (NIV)When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.  Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.     3. The Laver: Offer every part of my life to God.  Romans 12:1 (NIV)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 act of worship.    4. The Candlestick: Invite the work of the Holy Spirit in my life.  2 Timothy 1:6-7 (New Living)This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.      5. The Table of Shewbread: Claim the promises in God’s Word.  Matthew 4:4 (NIV)Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”     6. The Altar of Incense: Worship His Name.  Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.      Proverbs 18:10 (NIV)The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.     7. The Ark of the Covenant: Intercede for others.  1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV)I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

BAGGAGESTAYING FREE Luke 11:24-26  “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ʻI will return to the person I came from.ʼ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.”    NIV Keys to Stay Free  Galatians 5:1  “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”      NIV 1. Humility James 4:7-8   So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.    New Living. Psalm 51:17   The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.      New Living  2. Honesty  1 John 1:9-10   “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”     NIV James 5:16   Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.      New Living  3. Holy Spirit  Romans 8:9    “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.”     NIV ONE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE Genesis 32:24-30 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacobʼs hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face…”    NIV A new strength.  1 Corinthians 2:3-5   “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spiritʼs power, so that your faith might not rest on menʼs wisdom, but on Godʼs power.”    NIV A new identity.  2 Corinthians 5:17    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”     NIV A new joy.   Psalm 16:11   “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”     NIV

THE BAGGAGE OF WORRY Worry - merimnao (mer-im-nah'-o)  to be anxious about: to divide the mind. WORRY ERODES FAITH.   WORRY FEEDS FEAR. WORRY DESTROYS HEALTH. WORRY STEALS JOY. Philippians 4:6-8  Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 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. 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.   New Living  GETTING RID OF THE BAGGAGE OF WORRY 1. REFUSE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING.      Philippians 4:6   Don't worry about anything….. WORRY IS UNREASONABLE.    Matthew 6:25  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?     NIV WORRY IS UNNATURAL.    Matthew 6:26   Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?    NIV WORRY IS UNHELPFUL.   Matthew 6:28    And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.   NIV WORRY IS UNNECESSARY.     Matthew 6:30    If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?   NIV 2.  TALK TO GOD ABOUT EVERYTHING. Philippians 4:6   … instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need…     New Living 3.  THANK GOD FOR THE ANSWERS. Philippians 4:6  … and thank him for all he has done.    New Living 4.  WALK IN GOD’S PEACE. Phillipians 4:7     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.    New Living 5.  FOCUS ON WHAT IS TRUE!!!!! Phillipians 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.    New Living Matthew 6:33    33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.       NIV

THE BAGGAGE OF GUILT Psalm 38:4   My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear.     NIV Matthew 11:28   Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”      New Living  WHAT KEEPS GUILT IN OUR LIVES? HOLDING ON TO IT. Acts 7:54-58   When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."  57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.     NIV 2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!    NIV NOT ACCEPTING GOD’S FORGIVENESS AND CLEANSING. 1 John 1:9    But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.    New Living HOW TO LIVE FREE OF GUILT REALIZE THAT GOD DOESN’T EXPECT US TO BE PERFECT BUT FORGIVEN. Hebrews 10:22   Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.      New Living  DO OUR PART TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT. Matthew 5:23-24    "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”     NIV LET GOD SET YOU FREE!!!! Romans 7:19-8:3    19 I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. 21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.   8 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.       New Living    “Failure is an event. It is not a person. So never let yesterday use up today.” Zig Ziglar

BAGGAGE                                                                                              Relational Baggage Genesis 11:27-28 “This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.”    NIV Genesis 11:31-32  “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.”    NIV Keeps us from our potential.  Psalm 73:21-22   “When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant…”     NIV Pollutes our other relationships.  Hebrews 12:15   Make sure no one gets left out of God's generosity. Keep a sharp eye out for weeds of bitter discontent. A thistle or two gone to seed can ruin a whole garden in no time.     Message • It makes us defensive.  • It makes us distant.  • It makes us demanding.  Destroys our relationship with God. Mark 11:25  “When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.”     New Living Matthew 6:12, 14    “Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors. . . . For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”    NIV The Healing Process  Psalm 147:3   “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”    NIV 1. Reveal the hurt.  Psalm 32:3   “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.”     NIV Psalm 39:2   “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.”     NIV 2. Release the people. Matthew 18:21, 22    Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus said “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”     NIV 1 Peter 2:23    “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”      NIV 3. Refocus on Godʼs plan. Genesis 50:19-20  “Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”      NIV

BAGGAGE                                   John 10:10    A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.      Message Unfulfilled expectations. Proverbs 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” NIV Untreated pain.  Jeremiah 6:14 “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ʻPeace, peace,ʼ they say, when there is no peace.”  NIV Unhealthy view of self.  Romans 12:3   “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.”  Message    Unrepented sin.  Psalm 32:3-4 “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah”    NIV   2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”     NIV Stronghold - Ochyroma (okh-oo'-ro-mah); A prisoner locked by deception. Living life by something that is not true.  John 8:32 “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”    NIV   I LOSE BY BAGGAGE WHEN I REALIZE….   1. God still loves me.  John 3:16-17 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help.”     Message  2. God can free me.  Romans 8:1-2 “You no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.”      Message 3. God will restore me.  Psalm 71:20   “Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.”    NIV

SEARCH FOR WHAT IS LOST Luke 15:1-24   By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently. 2 The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends." 3 Their grumbling triggered this story. 4 "Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? 5 When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, 6 and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' 7 Count on it — there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue. 8 "Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!' 10 Count on it — that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God." 11 Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons. 12 The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'  "So the father divided the property between them. 13 It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. 14 After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. 15 He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. 16 He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.  17 "That brought him to his senses. He said, 'All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death. 18 I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; 19 I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.' 20 He got right up and went home to his father.  "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 The son started his speech: 'Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.' 22 "But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, 'Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time! 24 My son is here — given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.       MESSAGE WHAT WAS MISSING WAS OF GREAT VALUE. Titus 3:3-5   Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—"When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.     New Living  WHAT WAS MISSING WAS WORTH THE SEARCH. Luke 19:10   For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.     NIV BECAUSE GOD LOVES PEOPLE, WE SHOULD ALSO LOVE PEOPLE ENOUGH TO JOIN THE SEARCH.     WHAT WAS MISSING WAS WORTH THE CELEBRATION.              Luke15:24    Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.      Message

ENDGAME                                                                                              ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:13-18      13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  NIV HELMET OF SALVATION                      Ephesians 6:17     Take the helmet of salvation… A Roman soldiers helmet looked more like a piece of artwork than a piece of metal to protect their head.  Why does God use the helmet to refer to our salvation?  Our salvation is the most beautiful gift that God has given to us. Salvation - soteria (so-tay-ree'-ah) rescue or safety (physically or morally):  deliverance, preservation, salvation. 1 Timothy 1:15-16      Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.     NIV Colossians 1:13-14     For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.     NIV Don’t just see salvation as a future event, see it as an every day experience. SWORD OF THE SPIRIT Ephesians 6:17     …the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Word - rhema (hray'-mah); an utterance. Luke 4:3-13      The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."  4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'"  5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.   7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."  8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'"  9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:  "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;  11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"  12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.      NIV FINANCES –   My God shall supply   -   Philippians 4:19 PEACE –    My peace I give you   John 14:27

ENDGAME SHIELD OF FAITH Ephesians 6:16     In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  NIV    In addition – Above all – En pasin (en’ – pas)  out in front of all or covering all. Faith -  pistis (pis'-tis) persuasion, conviction of  or the truthfulness of God, especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; reliance on what God says, a guarantee, to have faith in. With which you can - dunamai (doo'-nam-ahee)  to be able or possible:  miraculous power!!!!!    You can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.   FAITH COMES. Romans 10:17      So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.    New Living   The Shield of Faith is held on by the Belt of Truth. Without the Word of God in your life, your Faith will not come.   1 Thessalonians 2:13  Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn't think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.     New Living    FAITH GROWS. Romans 4:20-21      Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.    NIV     FAITH SPEAKS. Romans 4:17     As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed — the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.      NIV   FAITH SEES.   Joshua 6:2    Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  NIV   FAITH ACTS. James 2:26     As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.    NIV   Mark 9:23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."     NKJV

ENDGAME                                                                                                                ARMOR OF GOD Ephesians 6:10-16   Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.       NIV BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Ephesians 6:14     …with the breastplate of righteousness in place,     Proverbs 4:23     Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.    KATEGOROS- a prosecutor in a lawsuit; one who speaks in a derogatory way against another (Revelation 12:10-12)  Slanderous accusations against the mind and emotions.  Condemning thoughts and false emotions of unworthiness.  Feelings of worthlessness. Hopelessness with regard to an overcoming life. The breastplate of righteousness is designed by our heavenly Father to protect our hearts from such attacks. 2 Corinthians 5:21     God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.     NIV FEET FITTED WITH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.                              Ephesians 6:15     …and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.    Peace - EIRENE- essentially means peace and tranquility; a condition free from disturbance, whether outwardly, as of a nation from war or enemies, or inwardly, within the soul.  Peace with God because our lives are right with God because of salvation through Christ.    Rom 5:1   Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.        New Living  Peace that is to affect our relationships with other people.    Ephesians 4:1-3    Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.     New Living  Peace within, a state of freedom from anxiety and inner turmoil regardless of outward circumstances.     John 14:27    Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.      NIV Philippians 4:8-9      Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

ENDGAME                                                                                                                       ARMOR OF GOD - 1 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,      Ephesians 6:11-14   NIV BELT OF TRUTH. Ephesians 6:14     Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,    NIV John 8:32   Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."      NIV John 8:32    You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.     NIV 2 Timothy 3:16-17     All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Love for God's truth is essential if you are going to successfully stand against the deception of the evil one. IF GOD’S WORD IS NOT A CENTERPIECE IN YOUR LIFE EVERYTHING CAN EASILY START FALLING APART. WHO HAS EVER HAD A VERSE HOLD THINGS TOGETHER IN YOUR LIFE ?  WHAT IS THAT VERSE? Hebrews 4:12      For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Ephesians 6:14     …with the breastplate of righteousness in place,     Proverbs 4:23     Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.    KATEGOROS- a prosecutor in a lawsuit; one who speaks in a derogatory way against another (Revelation 12:10-12)    Slanderous accusations against the mind and emotions.  Condemning thoughts and false emotions of unworthiness.  Feelings of worthlessness. Hopelessness with regard to an overcoming life. The breastplate of righteousness is designed by our heavenly Father to protect our hearts from such attacks. 2 Corinthians 5:21     God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.     NIV

ENDGAME                                                                                              KNOW YOUR ENEMY Ephesians 6:10-12    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.     NIV OUR ENEMIES NAMES Devil  - diabolos (dee-ab'-ol-os)  a traducer or an accuser. Satan   -   Satanas (sat-an-as') the accuser or the adversary.  He is also called the tempter (Matthew 4:3), murderer and liar (John 8:44), angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) and god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4). Ephesians 6:12   For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   NIV Rulers   - individuals who hold the highest and loftiest positions of rank and authority. Authorities  -  lower ranking who have delegated authority. Powers of this dark world  -  raw power harnessed into order. Spiritual forces of evil  -  something that is bad, vile or malicious. Ephesians 6:10-11    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.     NIV Take your stand – dunamis   -   explosive ability and dynamic strength and power. Schemes  -  methodus -  with a road or on a road. 2 Corinthians 2:11   in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.    NIV Schemes – insidious plots and wicked schemes, to bring deception. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5  he weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.    NIV Romans 6:6-8    We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.        New Living  Romans 6:6-11     Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: 8 If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. 9 We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. 10 When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. 11 From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.         MESSAGE

ENDGAME                                                                                                         WE HAVE AN ENEMY Ephesians 6:10-13    Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.    NIV John 10:10   The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.   NIV THE DEVIL IS REAL. Revelation 12:7-9   And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.   NIV THE DEVIL IS AT WAR WITH US. 1 Peter 5:8-9   Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.     New Living  THE DEVIL IS LOOKING FOR AN OPENING. Ephesians 4:26-27    "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.       NIV Foothold - topos (top'-os)   a spot occupy. BATTLING DARKNESS DON’T TREAT OUR ENEMY LIGHTLY. Jude 9    But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses' body.)      New Living  LOOK FOR A WAY OF ESCAPE. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13   If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.        New Living  DON’T FIGHT WITH OUR POWER BUT WITH GOD’S AUTHORITY. James 4:7-8   So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.      New Living  DON’T FIGHT FOR VICTORY BUT FROM VICTORY!!!! 1 John 4:4   You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.       NIV

THIS IS US                                                                                                                                          BUILDING A HOME                         Proverbs 24:4  A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense.     New Living  MODEL FOR YOUR CHILDREN WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE. Deuteronomy 6:4-9   Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. 5 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. 6 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 8 Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 9 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.       New Living    GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME. Luke 5:18-20    Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn't reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, "Young man, your sins are forgiven."   New Living  SHOW NOURISHING LOVE. 1 Corinthians 13:1-4    If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.  4 Love is patient, love is kind.    NIV   CULTIVATE AN ENCOURAGING ENVIRONMENT. 1 Thessalonians 5:11    So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.    New Living  Build up - oikodomeo (oy-kod-om-eh'-o); to be a house-builder, to construct.    BE STRONG BUT NOT MEAN. Ephesians 6:4   Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.     New Living    COMMUNICATION OPENS UP DOORS. James 1:19   Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. New Living    PRAY WITH AND FOR YOUR CHILDREN.

THIS IS US                                                                                                        THE SECRET OF MARRIAGE Ephesians 5:21-33  And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 For wives, this means submit your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word. 27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. 29 No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. 30 And we are members of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, "A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one." 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.      New Living  A HUSBAND’S DEEPEST NEED IS UNCONDITIONAL RESPECT. A WIVE’S DEEPEST NEED IS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. HOW DO YOU LOVE YOUR WIFE? 1.  COMMUNICATION. 1 Peter 3:7    In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.    New Living  2. LEADERSHIP. Ephesians 5:23-26  For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. 24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. 25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word.  New Living 3. SECURITY.  1 Timothy 5:8   But those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.      New Living  HOW CAN YOU RESPECT YOUR HUSBAND? 1. SUPPORT. Ephesians 5:24  As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.     New Living 2.  CONTENTMENT. Proverbs 21:20  It's better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.     New Living  1 Timothy 6:6   Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.    New Living  3. AFFIRMATION. Proverbs 10:21  The words of the godly encourage many,      New Living

THIS IS US                                                                                                 HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE Matthew 7:24-27    "Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."      New Living  Proverbs 14:26  Those who fear the Lord are secure; he will be a refuge for their children.    New Living    LOVE WITH UNSELFISH LOVE. Philippians 2:3-8    Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross.    New Living  Ephesians 5:25   Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.   NIV Ephesians 5:25   So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.   New Living  CHOOSE TO FORGIVE. Matthew 6:14-15   If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.     New Living  “A happy marriage is the union of two good forgivers.”  Ruth Graham Colossians 3:13-14   Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.   New Living  Trust is earned but forgiveness is given.   KEEP JESUS AT THE CENTER. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7    Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.    NIV John 3:30   He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.      New Living  Romans 12:9-10     Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. 10 Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.     MESSAGE

FIRST                                                                                                           LIVE A GENEROUS LIFE John 3:16   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life    NIV  Believe – 272 times                                                                                                             Pray – 371 times                                                                                       Love – 714 times                                                                                          Give – 2,161 times GOD IS GENEROUS AND WE ARE CALLED TO BE GENEROUS Proverbs 11:24   The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.    Message  ï The generous are happy.  Proverbs 11:25   The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.    New Living Proverbs 21:26   Some people are always greedy for more, but the godly love to give!     New Living  ï The generous are compassionate.  Proverbs 29:7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.      NIV Proverbs 21:13 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.    NIV  ï The generous are blessed.  Proverbs 22:9  Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.      New Living Proverbs 28:27  Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.   New Living ï The generous are rewarded.  Proverbs 19:17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!      New Living Revelation 22:12   “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds.”  New Living LIVING A LIFE THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE Psalm 112:9   They share freely and give generously to those in need. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. They will have influence and honor.    NIV Psalm 112:5-6 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.    NIV 2 Corinthians 9:11   You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.    NIV  1. Generous with our time.  2. Generous with our talent.  3. Generous with our treasure.   Luke 6:38   Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.   NIV