Bringing your Life Together

 Developing active exhilarating faith  experiencing God's intervention in our daily life.

Hebrews 11:1 Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see (NLT).

 Confidence something will happen  Assurance, Guarantee of something

 Faith is to believe that God will do what God has said He will do.  Three Keys points to active faith: ◦ Know what God has said He will do ◦ Know under what conditions God will do what He has said He will do ◦ Believe that God will do what He says.

 God is who He says He is  God can do what He says He can do  I am who God says I am  I can do what God says I can do  God's word is alive and active in me

 Synchronizing Our Reality And Doctrine  What is Our Reality ◦ What we experience from day to day.  What is Our Doctrine ◦ What proclaim about ourselves that define our relationship with God.  For most Christians, Our reality and doctrine does not agree.  What we truly believe is evident in our reality  It is time to synchronize what we say we believe (our doctrine) and what we truly believe (our reality).

 Faith in God Know that God has constraints on himself Understand that there are times God has no choice Working within the constraints God has placed on himself Putting God on the spot I am unable to change God – Believe God – Believe His Word.

 We are at war!!! – There are giants in the Land ◦ This is not a drill or child’s play. ◦ 2 Corinthians 10:3 ◦ Ephesians 6:10  The enemy (Satan) is out to destroy you ◦ John 10:10  We must equip our selves for victory ◦ Ephesians 6:10 -18

 Faith does not make God do anything He did not already plan to do  We can never manipulate God to give us what we want  We must cooperating with God so that He can give us what He wants.

 Faith like the muscles of the body are built via exercise. ◦ The more you use it the strong it gets  3 exercise to build your faith ◦ Practise raising your shield ◦ Increase your personal level of sanctification ◦ Keep a journal of God-stops

 God is not who we say He is  God is not similar to who He says He is  God is not almost who He says He is  God is exactly who He says He is

 Confidence in God is possible only after we accept that He is who He says He is  We must give up our neat package of who we see God is  I need to always remember that God is the LORD not me.  We need to understand that God is very wild at heart.

 God is not explainable  God is mysterious  God is not predictable  What we know of God is only partial ◦ We are like a little boy on the beach who is trying to put the entire ocean into a hole he has dug on the beach.

 God can do what God says He can do ◦ God is willing to do what He says He will do ◦ God is committed to do what He says He will do ◦ God desires to do what He says He will do  NOTE: God is committed to do what He says NOT what we want

 God can do what He says He can because He is who He says He is  Who we believe God to be and what we believe God can do, controls if we will believe that he will do what He is committed to do.

 Give us this day our daily bread (food, shelter, clothing, comfort, healing....) ◦ It gives God glory that we depend on him to give us our daily bread  Before “Give us this day....” comes “Thy kingdom come thy will be done” ◦ In order for God to answer “Thy kingdom come....” He sometimes withholds the answer to “Give us this day......”

 There is an A, B, C List  The things on the “C list” will be done if and only if it does not hinder the things on the “A list” or “B list”  The things on the “B list” will be done if and only if it does not hinder the things on the “A list”

 Release yourself ◦ Dare to have hope ◦ Dare to have faith ◦ Dare to expect God to do the impossible  The glory of God is available for us if we will only believe ◦ John 11:40

 False ways we see ourselves ◦ I am what my past defines me to be ◦ I am what people have said I am ◦ I am what the everyone says I am ◦ I am who I feel like I am ◦ I strive to be who God says I am.

 John 3:1 ◦ See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.  I am a child of God  God is my father  God is responsible for me

 I am the righteousness of God – I am right with God ◦ 2 Corinthians 5:21 ◦ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.  I am made right with God through Christ (NOT MY ACTIONS)  My Actions do not change my being right with God  I am not a sinner!!!!!  I am not a slave to sin – I am free  I need to confess who God says I am

◦ Accomplishing good things is part of God’s plan for us. ◦ Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ◦ Our accomplishment bring praise to God ◦ Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength ◦ What ever God has entrusted to me I can accomplish it by the strength that Jesus provides ◦ I need to trust God’s judgement ◦ I need to rely on God  To provide the opportunity and resources

 God is responsible for providing the money. ◦ The opportunities and resources needed for productivity  God does not expect us to do above our ability  It is our responsibility to develop our abilities

 God alone is the one who empowers you ◦ Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.  God alone is the one we should desire to please ◦ Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.  God alone is the one who choose you ◦ John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.  If we live with these three critical points we will over come fear and discouragement and get our lives together.

 Fear ◦ Antidote of fear is “Fear of the Lord”. The reverence (not terror) of the Lord.  Everyone who has accepted Jesus as Lord is in the right relationship with God ◦ God supervises everything that happens to his children ◦ Love not dread/terror will empower us to be obedient to God

 Faith is not denial of reality ◦ It is acknowledging the physical reality and choosing to believe God’s reality that God’s word presents.  God says in my presence is the fullness of Joy ◦ So keep praising until your joy comes  God says ask and you will receive ◦ So you keep asking expecting until the answer comes.