* We must be intentional about growing our spirits in Christ.

* If we neglect our relationship with God (or any relationship for that matter) it creates a pattern that will be followed.

* 1) Drift - if you’re not moving forward you’re moving backward and you’ll end up where everyone else ends up.

* 2) Dullness - what’s truly important just doesn’t matter anymore, nothing really does.

* 3) Doubt - you will begin to question the things you once believed was true.

* 4) Disobedience - you’ll act on your own desire.

* 5) Despiteful - you now become a scorner and mocker in your heart, wanting nothing to do with God.

* 6) Defiant - you’re now ready to defy God to His face and tell Him you’re done with everything that resembles Him.

* PLEASE don’t neglect your relationship with the Lord. You will regret it!

* Your faith becomes effective as you grow in the knowledge of what’s inside you.

* The only way to grow in faith is to grow in the “fellowship” of your faith.

* This means we must identify with other believers.

* For Philemon this meant identifying with his slave Onesimus as a brother in Christ.

* They were both changed on the inside through salvation.

* Now they had to identify with that change and recognize each other as brothers.

* If you want to have effective faith you must identify with other believers, seeing them as brothers and sisters and serving them as such, and you will begin to grow in the knowledge of what’s inside you.

* You don’t get saved and then become an island unto yourself.

* You’ll never grow in faith that way.

* Notice the two keys Paul lays out as to how Jesus saves us:

* 1) Regeneration - this is being born again.

* When we surrender to Jesus we are “regenerated” into God’s kids.

* Our spirits come alive and we become brand new people.

* This is justification - God looks at us “just as if” we never sinned.

* 2) Renewal - this is where our minds catch up with our new identities.

* We replace the lies of the devil with the truth of God’s Word.

* It’s when we allow our reborn spirits to lead our souls (mind, will, emotions).

* This is sanctification - we become more like Jesus every day.

* Salvation isn’t just a one time event - it’s also a process whereby we grow in our understanding of who we are as saved people.

* vs 6 - The Israelites saw a giant too big to fight but David saw a giant too big to miss.

* Why?

* Because David saw God in the midst of the battle.

* He saw Goliath representing the devil and him representing God.

* When you’re tempted to give into fear remember to focus on the strength of God and not the size of your issue.

* vs 14 - God is our:

* 1) Strength to live a heavy thing.

* 2) Song to lift a heavy heart.

* 3) Salvation to lift us out of heavy sin.

* You’ll experience heavy things but you won’t be crushed under their weight.

* vs 24 - the secret to seeing properly is to be bossy with your soul.

* David says, “we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (NKJV)

* He’s saying when things get bad here’s what he’s going to do.

* It’s a done deal, no questions asked - we will tell our souls to “shut up” and “line up” with God’s truth.

* The young king Jehoiachin didn’t reign long before he was taken captive.

* His dad, Jehoiakim, was an evil king.

* Now his son was a displaced king living in enemy territory.

* The king of Babylon treated Jehoiachin well - he got new clothes and a seat at the king’s table.

* He was now a powerless man dining at the king’s table!

* This is what happens when you sin - you may come to a place of influence and authority but you’ll have no influence or authority in that place.

* Our assignment is to “study” to show yourself approved.

* This means we are to spend time studying God’s Word to show others that we are followers of Christ.

* This assignment will determine what we do with our time.

* I can’t spend several hours a day watching TV and only a few minutes reading my Bible.

* The key is to know the Bible well enough so you can then teach it to others.

* This is how we disciple people.

* Oswald quote.

* Darkness isn’t a thing. It’s simply the absence of light.

* We have flash lights, not flash darks.

* Fear is not a thing. It’s simply the absence of power, love, and a sound mind.

* When we’re not living by the power of the Holy Spirit with a love for people and a sound mind bent on truth then fear will fill the void.

* God made our spirits fully capable of power and love, but we have to walk in it by having a sound mind.

* So what do we do to keep fear out?

* We renew our minds in God’s truth, fueled by our love for Him and others, so that we can walk in power against the threats of the enemy.

* Power, love, sound mind.

* “Those who DESIRE to be rich fall into temptation…”

* “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not WANT.”

* Money doesn’t make people discontent - the desire for it does.

* It’s not money’s fault - it’s the person’s fault who wants it.

* If you crave money then you will discover money will never satisfy you.

* Why? Because money isn’t what you want - it’s what the money represents: safety, security, prosperity, freedom, etc.

* We are to find our safety, security, prosperity, freedom in God.

* If we desired God He gives us all these things and He may even give us money too.

* Why money? Because it’s the one thing that can replace God in your life the most.

* Money is the world’s method for sustaining people.

* We all need it to function, but we aren’t to long for it.

* We are to long for God and then use money to bring Him glory.

* Desiring God allows you to have lots of money but not be ruined by your success - because you find your security in God and not in your money.

* Biblical meditation is about emptying your mind of worldly concerns and hyper-focusing on God and His truth.

* It’s being thankful and accountable to God and allowing your mind to be bathed in His Word.

* What you think about in your mind directly affects the health of your physical body.

* Dr. Caroline Leaf has proven the value of worship on our brains - it literally remaps our brains so they are physically changed for the better to bring health and life to our bodies.

* ex: my blood test about my cortisol levels.

* When Paul tells Timothy to pray for all people, he specifically mentions governing leaders.

* He tells us to be mentally and spiritually engaged in upholding political leaders in prayer.

* Why?

* So that we can all live quiet and peaceful lives.

* Governing leaders are in the business of creating and sustaining the environment in which we exist as a society.

* They create laws, and those laws should be based upon God’s laws.

* If they are then we get freedom. If not then we get bondage.

* Think “America vs North Korea.”

* When we pray our heart will gravitate toward who and what we pray about.

* We’ll be rightly concerned about the course of our nations.

* This is also why pastors should be authorities on the “issues of the day.”

* So they can equip their people on how to live faithfully in the midst of their particular culture.