Light House
Ps.18:1 “I love you, Lord; you are my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety” [with emphasis]
Are you looking to man to be the light that brightens and brings illumination to the dark places in your life? Are you depending on a human being for protection or for energizing? Listen, you are setting yourself up for trouble. Even if the person is your spouse or your parent, you are still setting yourself up for trouble. There is no man or woman that is capable of being your light [illumination, protection and energizer], only God can. It is when you make God alone your light that you will have no fear. If you make another Read the rest of this entry
Line of Sight
Ps.27: 1 “The Lord is my Light and my Salvation. I will fear no one.” [GN, with emphasis].
Jn.12:42-43 “…many believed in Jesus. But they would not admit it for fear of the Pharisees… They were more concerned to have the approval of men than the approval of God” [Ph].
The last damaging effect of the fear of rejection that we will be looking at is: it Produces depression and unhappiness. Being more concerned about the approval of men rather than the approval of God produces depression and unhappiness.
What’s Your Concern
Jn.12:42-43 “…many believed in Jesus. But they would not admit it for fear of the Pharisees… They were more concerned to have the approval of men than the approval of God” [Ph, with emphasis]
Today we will continue with the damaging effects of the fear of rejection. Another damaging effect is the fear of rejection makes us bow to peer pressure. So to avoid peer pressure we imitate other people. When I started pastoring, every pastor I knew wore a tie. I do not have a problem with wearing ties but sometimes I just did not feel like wearing a tie. A lot of people find themselves acting, talking, or dressing in certain ways just to be accepted by others.
A Snare
Prov.29:25 “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety” [with emphasis]
Life always presents us with something to be afraid of. It appears that before every next level there is a fear to conquer. A young person dealing with peer pressure gives in to pre-marital sex. A lady, laboring under the yoke of her parents that say she will never amount to anything. A wife that continues to give in to the absurd demands of an abusive husband. A husband that continues to entertain and endure the damaging demands of his wife. The person whose schedule is overbooked because he or she cannot manage or say no to Read the rest of this entry
Do Right III
2 Cor. 9:6 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” [NIV, with emphasis].
Only a crazy farmer will buy three hectares of bare land and get angry because there is no crop on the land. A lot of people want to get out of financial challenges but are not willing to sow. Keep praying but prayer alone will not change the situation. This is another truth you need to know and action you need to take. You need to give. When you have a need you sow a seed. Why? There is a seed for every need and the seed will meet the need.
Do Right II
Heb. 13:5 “. . . Be content with what you have, because God has said, `I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” [with emphasis]
This is the key to contentment, understanding that it is God that has provided what you have currently. So keep your eyes on Him and not on what every other person has or does not have. For some people, what they are wearing is great until they step out of their house. And then what they have suddenly becomes inadequate because they have given into the trap of comparison. Comparison is the greatest source of discontentment. Be content in your connection with God; be content in your connection to the source of all things.
Do Right I
Prov.28:20 “The man who wants to do right will get a rich reward. But the man who wants to get rich quick will quickly fail” [LB]
Before you pay for it, pray for it – that is how I run my life. For something as simple as buying a T-shirt, I ask God for it first. I have discovered that shockingly sometimes God does not want me to buy it. Or God may not want me to pay for it from my own pocket. There are many times while I am praying before paying, God says “I will give it to you” and He does. So I do not have to pay for it. Sometimes God says watch this miracle and you walk into the miracle. And somebody you do not know and have never met shows up Read the rest of this entry
First Things First!
Phil.4:19 “God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” [with emphasis].
God will meet all your needs if you pray and expect an answer. This is very crucial. Yes God wants us to pray but He wants us to go beyond and actually expect the prayer to be answered. Matt.7:11 “If you, though evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him“ [with emphasis]. In forty different places in the New Testament alone God says ask. Why would the all knowing God say ask? The Word of God says, “We have not because we ask Read the rest of this entry
Most Wanted
Matt.6:32 “The thing you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you” [ICB]
If God has promised to meet every need then why do we still have unmet legitimate needs? Before we answer this question, you need to realize that for every promise in the Bible there is a premise [a condition]. God’s love is unconditional but the promises of God are conditional. This is one of the truths that you and I need to know and it births actions that we need to take. These actions are the premises that need to be fulfilled. What conditions guarantee God will meet my needs? Jesus shows us five things we should do, five Read the rest of this entry
Playing God?
Phil.4:19 “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”
You are not to worry about your finances because it is unreasonable, it is unnatural, it is unhelpful, it is unnecessary, and it is unbelieving. The truth is that worry shows unbelief. Matt.6:30 “So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly Father knows that you need them” [with emphasis]. If you are an unbeliever, the Bible is saying you should be worried. But if you are a believer your Father will Read the rest of this entry
