Ever experience sleepless nights- How many sleepless nights have you had recently- Have you discerned the cause of the restlessness- You know your mind is racing. What is wrong, you think I know I need to sleep I just can't. These restless nights are cause for being tired and worn-out feeling the next day. What are these restless nights all about- Maybe you're thinking about the task of the coming day, or events coming up. Could it be bills, could it be your job, your relationships, or your marriage. What exactly it is that is causing you this restlessness, you very well may be still trying to figure out yourself. The truth is many of the things could be the cause of this restlessness you are not too often likely to be willing to confess even to yourself even that which you may be thinking it could be. This should throw up a red flag on your flag pole. See it could be any one of those things or any number of them but least we forget that it could also be God demanding our attention and this is where it can get well let's say really deep. God could be seeking your attention in relation to things happening in your life related to the list we discussed or countless other possibilities. But then as we will see in our passage this evening it could even be something totally different.

Have you ever experienced defeat in your life- Ever had one of those days, weeks where everything you touch seemed to go wrong- What is it that comes first to your mind you may feel that you are suffering defeat- You may sometimes feel as if you want to just give up, that is not the answer. I do presume that you can admit that there have been times in your life where you were truly defeated- As stubborn as the flesh is see there will always be times in our lives that we are allowed to suffer defeat, our plans, our dreams, great ideas go up in smoke. Why because we were head over heels involved in just that our plans, our dreams, or our ideas. We were more concerned with what makes us happy instead of what would be pleasing to God. This is where we may even be counting on Philippians 4-13 right -I can do all things through God who strengthens me.- Ok one problem see defeat comes when we say even though you may lay claim to that verse, yet In reality what we are doing is really saying I can do all things that I set my mind to. We are on a self serving mission, God is nowhere to be found in it, why because we choose to leave Him out at times it is for self-gratification. God however desiring to bring you back to His plans for your life, by getting your attention just may allow defeat into your life, can you accept that- God may allow you to become defeated in all hope that your attention is brought back around to Him. It is important that we all recognize that with God the the strong and mighty in their own might or ones standing in their own stature are not usually the ones that God ends up using to fulfill His good and perfect plan.

As we have seen examples as to how disruptions in live events and tragedy can be examples of just How the Lord may choose to get our attention it is important that we take notice of His desire to get our attention and turn towards him in humble submissiveness.----This message this morning is not directed again towards anyone but to all. As you hear these examples from scripture however I believe most of you at least should be able to make some clear connections. How is God going to get your attention- Will it be through Disruptions, tragedy, Disappointments or will it be something else. How will the lord speak to you through is message this morning. What will He revile to you through past experiences or the next thing you experience- When will we learn to look for God in everything, give Him our undivided attention. Truly putting Him first place in our lives and forcing everything else taking a back seat. These examples from scripture this morning again we should be all too familiar with for as a church family we have seen firsthand these examples. Atlas in part. God should have gotten our attention as at least twice in the context of this message we have had the opportunity to see how God worked a miracle through many disappointments. Disappointments can come in many other ways than what we are seeing here but we must learn to make connections of life events to God's hands upon our lives.

God as we have been looking at wants us to give Him our undivided attention at all times. May we know this, maybe we don't but it is true. When we put Him I first place in our lives we can successfully do just that. As we go through this group of messages I hope that we will learn to better give Him His rightful place in our lives. Always knowing that He knows exactly where we are in our relationship with Him and what level of Faith we have in Him. When we understand this fully we should also realize that this will always mean that God the father will always know just exactly what it will take to get our attention. With the examples we have looked at thus far as things god will use to get our attention we could fairly say that His always knowing just exactly what it will take to get our attention turned directly toward Him means that He knows if it will take a simple distraction, a little disappointment or a huge tragedy. But then those are not all as we will examine tonight see sometimes and again He will know when even a blessing even an unusual blessing is just the key to get your attention. -God I have expressed in times past knows how to get my attention. Just maybe I have also become very keen or picking up on really quick when God is trying to get my attention. As I lead to this morning when we begin to take notice of the things occurring in our lives and the things we do the things we say the actions we take the things that happen the blessings that occur it all begins to become clear that it all plays a part in Gods revelation of Himself to you.

The messages we have been given lately have much to say about how God is truly desiring our attention. Have you been aware of things going on around you just may be taking place because God is desiring your un-divided attention- Do you ever take into account that the things that are happing in your life are the result of God reaching out for your attention- Listen to this have you said when things happen in your life no matter what they are good or bad circumstances, -God are you trying to get my attention through this event-- though much of our message today will direct us to see disruptions in our lives. God also uses blessing to get our attention. We as Christian's need to learn to pay attention to God. We also must be willing to learn the ways and things God uses in order to get our attention, hopefully through this series of messages will help us see this. The truth is when God wants your attention trust me He will get it. Thing happen in our lives the fact remains that it was God who allowed the event in your life to get your attention in the first place. What we are hearing here today is that far too often God does not even get credit for the thing which He used to get your attention, and weather you consider them good or bad God intends all things to our benefit and to his glory even those things which may hurt are to keep us from making a bigger mistake, or the blessing that He allows that you should praise Him for such great provision. What we need to learn to recognize is God in all aspects of our lives.

AS we continue this series of messages focused of the methods God uses to get our attention let us remember this morning's message directing us to be aware of the fact that God will allow disruptions in your plans in order to get your attention or at least draw your attention away from your plans for a bit. I also hope that you will remember to read and seek in prayer the revelation unto yourself the passage from 1 Corinthians 1-18-27. If we will only take to heart the truth of the word of God and set our sights on Him over the things of the world how wonderful a time we shall have in glorying in Christ and god the father.- -This evening we will look at the truth that yes even tragedies in our lives are allowed by yes our loving and caring God. This can be most difficult for many people but it is a fact many do not like to think of. Yes God is in control again of everything. Yes the very breath we take is a gift from Him. As we look at some of the tragedies from the bible have you considered what part have tragedies played in your life. Could or has God allowed tragedy to bestow you in order that He might get your attention fully back on him in a pleasing manor. Again I want to remind you that as god is in control of all things we must accept that He allows tragedy in our life for a reason. Does it get our attention- Does it bring us to think about how short life is- Does it bring us to terms with the supreme power in the hands of an all mighty God-

Last Sunday we looked at developing our relationship with God and how we ought to pray. In all of this we did get the chance to touch see somewhat how Humility plays a great roll in this process. Humility we must see though is really the expression that leads one to recognize the need for salvation along with the setting up the right condition of the Heart for a true desire to submit therefore wholly to God. Humility however is not simply a thought and made up expression but must be a heartfelt expression. This means that it comes from the heart which lives on a humble mindset. So I must describe for you the humble mindset. We need to see humbleness and lowliness, think of an absence of self. See selfish ideas and selfish plans do not conform to the humble attitude. This first passage should allow us to see humbleness at work look with me at Colossians 3-12.-12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, obowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering- 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any- even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.-Do you see this tells us humbleness is a mindset more than merely and outward attitude- So then we ought to see humbleness as a state of the heart. I will tell you this if you are not a humble person you will find it most challenging to fulfill the commands found there in Colossians 3-12.

There are many people today who have some sort of hang up when it comes to prayer. Now if you are here and you say well he's talking about me this morning, I will remind you as I have said before any message I deliver is for all who will hear them not just anyone of you. The idea that someone might better understand the need, the importance, even the how to pray as being about bringing glory to God and not attention to one's self is key. If I may help you here see one of the first things I would like to bring to your attention is that there should not be the first consideration that your prayers might not be good enough. You should never think this if your prayers are made in humbleness and sincerity. I will direct your attention to see that humbleness in prayer is key, which means that what man thinks should be the farthest from your mind. I want you be begin to understand Satan is intent on lessing your prayer time and discouraging you from prayer. This is from the truth that you cannot serve both God and man. Next it is key that we always remember by whose hand it is that our prayers are answered. This should motivate us to recognize the great need and benefit of praying for those around us. Seeking that God wraps them in His loving arms. So many ways there are for us to offer up prayers that direct God's blessing, peace and protection upon His people, this is especially good to remember during those time when we find ourselves separated from those we love and care about.

This question gets many different answers today. Some say that being or even attempting to be obedient is works orientated. Yet I say it is not about works but faith and the belief that Gods word stands true. That scripture applies to us from cover to cover in the Bible. That His Holy word is intended for us to help us grow in knowledge and trust in spiritual things. God's word is given unto us to allow us to be able to see the need for change in the life of one who comes to Christ as a believer. This as opposed to their continuing to live in the flesh, and their sinful life styles of what should be the old-self. -Obedience unto God should be seen as a desire a want to please God. That is of one should want to obey God, because our obedience brings Him glory. As children of God it should be our desire to glorify Him by acting and doing things in a way that God is glorified with our way of life. This is what seems too many as foolishness in their feeble minds.-What I hope you can recognize without become confused is that it is not about being good enough, which some try to make a need to be obedient out to be. That is not what it is about. The truth is, and scripture confirms it that no man can ever be good enough. We do I think understand that this is the reason Christ died on the cross because God understood that no man would ever be good enough. This though does not in any way release us of the fact that God does call us to seek to live our lives in obedience. Can you understand that as a believer you should recognize sin as sin and therefore feel a need to flee from such sin by the power of God which rest upon all believers-

Have you ever asked yourself this question, what is Christmas- What do you think about when you think about Christmas, this can be very telling as it pertains to how one looks at Christmas. What does Christmas mean to you is a very important question to ask yourself. Is it all just about gifts and party's- Your answer will reveal much about how your life mirrors the real meaning of Christmas as God pleasing or are you rather taking a Christmas focus that is instead more self-pleasing. If you follow along with the general idea in today's society Christmas is most likely seen as about everything except Christ. The world or Satan rather wants to take Christ out of Christmas. It is no secret that the time around when we celebrate Christmas is shadowed with accent pagan traditions some of which we examined last week. Certainly Satan was well pleased with the celebrations with those pagan traditions, but when Christians adapted and began to recognize Christ birth then redefining the use of certain items used in pagan ritual it turned the focus up on Christ. This by no means made Satan very happy as he wants to reduce the influence of bring glory unto Christ and reduce the amount of exposer Christ gets in all things and Christmas is a big one because it is our reminder of the birth of the Christ child. A birth that is Satan had got his way would have not happened.-I will add before we dive in today that scripture does not give us a date for Christ birth. Remembering his birth for us should be precluded by a desire to make recognition of the greatest gift that was given to all, that all who would come to believe and trust on Him.