828 Church

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. Mark 10:17-18 NLT

As long as we see God as good and not as God we’ll never follow Him with the passion and intention He desires and deserves.

Looking for minimum requirement is no way to experience maximum possibility!

But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’” “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” Mark 10:19-20 NLT

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Mark 10:21-22 NLT

Don’t buy the lie that you can live a nominal Christian life.

Settling is a sure way to set yourself up for temptation and trouble.

I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! - - So be diligent and turn from your indifference. Revelation 3:15-16 & 19 NLT

God enables us to choose diligence over indifference, and passion over passivity!

I’ll choose passion over passivity all day every day!

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 2 Timothy 1:6 NLT

Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master.
Romans 12:11 MSG

Compromise is a fire extinguisher to Godly passion.

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12 NLT

Since he know’s he can’t win straight up, our enemy’s aim is to convince us to give up.

No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 MSG

You’re not God’s test dummy or guinea pig. (Picture)

Me + God = Limitless Load

God is always there to help us overcome, and to find our way to forgiveness when we don’t!

The dilemma is that in our broken state we often find it difficult to make the obvious choice.

Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself.
Matthew 27:3-5 ESV

He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him… Hebrews 7:25 ESV

You are never too far gone for the help and forgiveness found in the presence of our gracious, loving God!

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9 NLT

It takes a faith focused on Jesus to avoid the deception and destruction of the devil.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 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. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT

God is there to help us avoid or escape every deceptive pitfall we could ever encounter.

Any perspective that doesn’t pass through the lens of the Holy Spirit’s leading is prone to distortion and set up for deception.

In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” Psalm 10:4 ESV

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 NLT

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! 2 Samuel 12:7 NLT

The traps that tend to trip us are usually subtle but seldom sudden.

The road of right living bypasses evil; watch your step and save your life. First pride, then the crash the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. It's better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous. It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God. Proverbs 16:17-20 MSG

“My Will” in Flames

Luke 22:42 Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done. NKJV

Gen 2:16-17 "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden — except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."

Gen 3:6 She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. NLT

4 Keys Choosing God’s Will over Your Own

Help #1: Ask God to help you

Key #2: Be a student of God’s Word

I’m most likely to choose my will over God’s will when I’m confused about what He has said.

Key #3: Fill up your life with Godliness

Luke 11:24-26 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." (NIV)

Key #4: Find your delight in the Lord.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He’ll give you the desires of your heart.

If you’re gonna allow difficulty to be a deterrent too following Jesus to Freedom, prepare to be deterred and detained.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT

Three part plan for Pressing Forward…

Press In!

Press into His Presence

Posture is important.

Humility is huge when it comes too coming to God.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 ESV

God’s presence is a place of preparation for God’s purpose.

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 NLT

Press Through

Pressing Through with Persistence

The number one reason we fail is because we quit or we just stop acting like we’re trying.

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 NLT

Press On

Press On to Impact

We must first be impacted to be impactful.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you Matthew 6:33 ESV

When the pathway seems long, When temptation is strong, When your strength's almost gone That's the time to press on. - Hess

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:7 ESV

To Burn the Ships is to commit yourself to the process of progress that leads to breakthrough, transformation, destiny and purpose.

Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5 NKJV

It takes honesty, ownership and surrender to set a new course.

We have to be willing to get real to get right!

There’s no point worrying about the hole in your pants if you're still hanging with barbed wire.

The Lord directs the steps of the Godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.. Psalm 37:23-24 NLT

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. Proverbs 16:9 ESV

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:4-5 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 ESV

Our tendency to run back to brokenness and bondage is mind-boggling

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. Proverbs 26:11 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 ESV

Once our course is set we can count on being greatly challenged and greatly graced. What we do with each will in large part determine the outcome of our lives…

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Exodus 14:10-12 ESV

One good thing about being chased; it means your enemy is behind you not in front of you.

I would rather die fighting for freedom than to die comfortably bound.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. Exodus 14:13-16 ESV

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7 ESV

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. Phil. 3:12-14 MSG


We couldn't carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it, even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God's law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting Christians; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God's law Book. The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant refuse. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ. I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it. Philippians 3:3-11 MSG

Having a Plan B is one sure way to undermine Plan A.

Choose to be decisive about the things that God’s decided.

Grace will always give you the determination needed for a God directed decision.

Plan A: Find out and believe in who Jesus says I am! Let the God who created me LEAD, GUIDE, and GUARD my heart. Let HIs Word will be my source for all wisdom and direction from now until eternity, and never develop a Plan B.

James 4:1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?
There is an Internal problem way before there is an External one.
verse 2. ​You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them..
Problem:
1. Self-Centeredness​.
Don’t deal with only the surface issue when God wants to deal with the deeper issue of the heart!
Second part of verse 2 and verse 3. ​Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
Problem:
1. Self-Centeredness
2. Self-Sufficient attitude​.
Verse 4 and 5​ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.
Problem:
1. Self-Centeredness
2. Self-Sufficient attitude​. 3. Self Consumption.
You Could be consuming what God is calling you to contribute!
Matthew 5:28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Galatians 5:24 (NLT) Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Passion in the wrong direction causes problems while passion in the right direction causes progress!
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Sin and the world separates us from God while prayer and fasting brings us closer to God
James 4:6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
James 4:8 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. 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.
James 4:8 “...Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time”
Psalms 119:9-11 How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word. 10 I have tried hard to find you— don’t let me wander from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
James 4:17 (NLT) Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
We must Line up under the authority umbrella of God if we want His promises.
You don't realize the things that have a hold on your life until you give them up!
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