Oasis Church Bradenton

2 Peter 1:5-8 NLT

5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In a house rebuild, we pick up our tools and get to work. In our spiritual rebuild, we pick up our cross and follow him.

Acts 19:1-7
The Passion Translation
The Apostle Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos was ministering in Corinth, Paul traveled on through the regions of Turkey[a] until he arrived in Ephesus, where he found a group of twelve followers of Jesus.[b] 2 The first thing he asked them was “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

“No,” they replied. “We’ve not even heard of a holy spirit.”

3 Paul asked, “Then what was the meaning of your baptism?”[c]

They responded, “It meant that we would follow John’s teaching.”

4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was for those who were turning from their sins,[d] and he taught you to believe in and follow the one who was coming after him: Jesus the Anointed One.”[e]

5 When they understood this, they were baptized into the authority of Jesus, the Anointed One.[f] 6–7 And when Paul laid his hands on each of the twelve, the Holy Spirit manifested and they immediately spoke in tongues[g] and prophesied.[h

Proverbs 18:1-3 ESV

18 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonor comes disgrace.

The first step of a fixer upper, is assessing what needs to be removed. It is the same with our spiritual life.

Matthew 7:24-27 NLT
24 “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 doesn’t obey 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.”

Todays Reading comes from the book of Lamentations chapter 3 and verse 22-24.

A successful fixer upper can only work if you have the right tools. Trying to fix your life up without them, only leads to frustration.