Chiseled by God [The Skit Guys]

We saw this skit in church Sunday and thought it was worth sharing, hope it blesses you as it did many of us who saw it today.

Chiseled by God [The Skit Guys]

Influential thoughts

Sunday, July 18, 2010 by Rick Warren
Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts. Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)

The Bible says our thoughts influence our lives. For instance --

My interpretation influences my situation -- It's not what happens to me that matters as much as how I choose to see it. The way I react will determine whether the circumstance makes me better or bitter. I can view everything as an obstacle or an opportunity for growth - a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

My beliefs influence my behavior -- We always act according to our beliefs, even when those ideas are false. For instance, as a child, if you believed a shadow in your bedroom at night was a monster, your body reacted in fear (adrenaline and jitters) even though it wasn't true. That's why it's so important to make sure you are operating on true information! Your convictions about yourself, about life, and about God influence your conduct.

My self-talk influences my self-esteem - We constantly talk to ourselves. Do you run yourself down with your self-talk? Stop doing that: "As he thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV).

Perspective - Protects

Perspective Protects Us From Error by Rick Warren

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective.

Colossians 3:1-2 (MSG)

• Perspective protects us from error. If there was ever a time that Christians need to be grounded in the truth it is today. We live in a society that rejects absolute truth and accepts every opinion as equally valid.
• Pluralism has created a very confused culture. The problem is not that our culture believes nothing but that it believes everything.
• God intends for us to have his wisdom and perspective. The result of this will be believers who are ROCK solid.

"Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth."

(Ephesians 4:14 LB)

http://www.purposedriven.com/

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This is the TRUTH...

Very interesting reading.  Watch it all the way to the end....and the begining.  Hmmmm.

The TRUTH | CLICK

We Need One Another

"To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” - 1 Corinthians 12:7
The Holy Spirit uses believers to minister to other believers.


Right in line with modern culture’s emphasis on personal independence, it’s often easy for one to say, “If I have the all-sufficient Holy Spirit living within me, that’s all I need to live my Christian life.” That is true, but because you are not completely sanctified, you do not always allow the Spirit to fully do His work. Therefore, God needs to use other believers to minister the Spirit’s correction, exhortation, or encouragement.

 The Bible is very clear about this. The Epistle to the Hebrews says God wants followers who do not waver in their profession of faith. And a primary way Christians will fulfill that is by regularly meeting together and seriously stimulating one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:23-25).


We don’t have to look far for the proper setting in which to meet regularly and encourage one another. It’s any Bible-believing local church that is exercising its spiritual gifts. These special gifts are simply the loving channels through which the Holy Spirit ministers to those within the fellowship of believers. Today’s verse suggests that each of us has a gift, and this truth is explained a little more in verse 11: “One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” Here the apostle Paul reveals yet one more way in which the Holy Spirit sovereignty helps us and others to become more mature.


What’s remarkable about the Spirit’s working through us is that we become extensions of His voice. Perhaps you’ve thought of that comparison at times when you’ve shared the gospel with the lost. But the analogy fits equally well when you reach out and minister to someone within your church. The idea of being an extension of the Holy Spirit’s ministry ought to encourage you toward greater faithfulness in using your spiritual gifts to help other believers. Likewise, it should make you more sensitive to the Spirit’s correcting and edifying work in your life as others come alongside and minister to you (Collosions 3:12-13).

For Further Study:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. What kind of example did the Macedonians set regarding aid to other believers? How should that motivate us (v. 7)?

Inserted from <http://www.gty.org/Resources/Devotionals/strength>

Meditate, Pray or Both

Finding the time and a place to "quiet" myself enough to hear God's voice has been a challenge for me lately.  There are so many other influences that seem to consume my time and energy, distracting me from what I know I need to do more of.  Below is a great article on meditative prayer which is helping me refocus my priorities and seek more quiet time...

WE NEED TO FIND A QUIET PLACE TO

BE WITH GOD

AND HEAR HIS WORD

CLICK | "Meditative Prayer" article

"We have some idea, perhaps, what prayer is, but what is meditation? Well may we ask, for meditation is a lost art today, and Christian people suffer grievously from their ignorance of the practice. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God."—J.I. Packer

STAND FIRM

1Co 16:13 - Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

This is a great way to start your day, I've been reading this men's devotional for several years and I am constantly amazed on it's revelance to my present circumstances.  It's a great format designed with a man's walk with God in mind.  The physical copy I usually get is now unavailable, so I checked online and found it in a free PDF format. 

Check out PDF version @ STAND FIRM Daily Devotional for Men
To Order, go to:  www.lifeway.com/standfirm

Here is a little WORD study on some "Stand Firm" verses found in the Bible...

Journaling...it does your spirit good!

Tonight we discussed the benefits of journaling at our men's bible study.  For some, they like to read one chapter of Proverbs each day and use that reading to start the journaling.  Many times the words would take on it's own direction as they wrote, it became a conversation between the writer and the Lord.  Since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, it is a great source for devotions for each day of the month.  Others, used it to record what was going on that day and offer a prayer need or praise.  In later entries it strengthens their faith when they saw those prior prayer request answered.  Now that it is recorded, these words can remind us of  God's faithfulness, helping us get through present struggles or doubts.  When we are feeling down, it is sometimes hard to see a way out.  Our ability to remember God's faithfulness is clouded by our despair.  The journal can be the light that can replace hopelessness with hope. 


It was at the prior meeting that we were first challenged to start journaling.  Most of us did and tonights testimonies of the benefits were inspiring and encouraging.  My own writing has been sporadic thus far.  After tonight's meeting I received a stronger desire to continue with greater regularity.  My time has been divided between writing this blog, Facebook, Live-journal and a written journal.  I'm hoping in the next few weeks I will acheive an appropriate balance. 


The gleaming I get from those who have been journaling for a while is that there is a special dynamic that takes place in writing the words out on paper that isn't quite as powerful in other formats.  I will yield to their experience and wisdom and strive to put more effort in the written journal. 


If you are  journaling how has it benefited you?  If you don't, will you consider joining me?

Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and receive instruction so that you may be wise in later life.

Proverbs 16 Nuggets

There are so many nuggets of truth in this chapter, it's worth reading the whole thing.  Here are three(3) verses that I have been pondering over of since I was a teenager and have found them to be trustworthy and true.

1. PROV 16:3  "Commit your ways to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." NIV  -  I first learned this verse in the King James Version which upon reflection speaks more to me than the NIV.  PROV 16:3 "Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established"  KJV  -  Wow, that is powerful!  I have seen God work in my life this way.
2. PROV16:9  "A man's heart deviseth (plans) his way:  but the LORD directeth his steps" KJV  -  Aren't you glad that the circumstances in your life can be directed if you trust in Him, that it isn't just fate?
3. PROV 16:20  "Whoever gives heed to instruction (handle a matter wisely - kjv) prospers, and blessed is he who trust in the LORD."  NIV

A bonus verse for my son Chris who recently became engaged!

Proverbs 18:22

"He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD."

Congratulations Chris & Danielle!

Common Sense and Tested Faith

from SUBLIME INTIMACY by Oswald Chambers  MUHG-  Aug. 29

The contrast between faith and common-sense are discussed here.  It helped clarify the substance of faith for me and I thought you may benefit from this as well.  ~  Dave

"Didn't I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?" John 11:40

Every time you venture out in the life of faith, you will find something in your common-sense circumstances that flatly contradicts your faith. Common sense is not faith, and faith is not common sense; they stand in the relation of the natural and the spiritual.

But, I Don't Want To...

Tom Landry, legendary head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, said  "The job of a coach is to make players do what they don't want to do, in order to achieve what they've always wanted to be."   There are many application you can get from this philosophy, both practically and spiriually.  I can see it in my kids as they work hard at their education.  I can apply this to my work as well. 

But when I find myself in hard times, I have to ask myself, "Is this a trial meant to test my faith or discipline from my heavenly coach?"  Stuggles by their nature, strenghten our faith and confidence as we get through them.  Discipline on the other hand, ignored can weaken and isolate us. 

God's dicipline is not meant to get us back for doing wrong, He wishes to draw us back to Him.  Most of the time, my struggles, especially financial right now, are a faith challange in perseverence.  Because He is faithful, my needs are being met, sometimes at the last minute, but met.  Other times I need to REFLECT and ask God if I need to repent and yield to Him.  Recently I had a tooth pulled, it HURT, but I am better off now that the decaying tooth is gone.   It's often the same with repenting.

Blessing!

Dave

PROVERBS 3:11-12

Abraham's Stars

Abram was questioning God on how he was going to be blessed by Him since he had no heirs. Our Lord said to him in Genesis 15:5 "Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "Your offspring will be that [numerous]." v6 Abram believed God and it was credited unto him as righteousness.

My first assumtion is that Abram can count and secondly that it was night time. Yet the second assumtion would be incorrect, it must have been daytime for in verse 12 we find that later the sun was going down.

Abram had to look up at the sky and believe the stars were there, even though he could not see then.

Has God shown you his faithfullness is the past, remind yourself of those times and believe God to be faithfull always, even when you can't see it now.

May God's word strengthen your faith today!

In Christ,

Dave