Ps Darin Browne @ Ignite Christian Church

Ps Nev Neilson- I Can Do All Things Through Christ

Join ps Nev Neilson as he shares this wonderfully encouraging message, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Learn great truths that will encourage and bless you as you face life's difficulties in this excellent message...

What is Your Legacy in Life?

Like it or not, everybody leaves a legacy of some sort behind them. Every action, everything we say and do causes a ripple effect, and yields some kind of fruit, either good or bad, often lasting generations.

 

Last week Fiona’s father passed away. This prompted me to think about the kind of legacy we leave behind us. It seems when we are confronted by our own death and mortality we start to think about our legacy, in other words what we leave behind for our children and for generations to come.

 

Paul faced this very situation in 2 Timothy 4. He faced imminent death, imprisoned in Rome awaiting execution, and this prompted him to look back on his life and ministry, but also to look forward to what was to come after death…

 

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (ESV Strong's)

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

 

WHAT LASTS FOREVER?

 

So many of us spend so much time doing things that ultimately have no value! I look back on my life, and see many great highlights. I have received accolades, awards and achievements … nice at the time, but quickly they lose value as people and life moves on. We’ve bought things, invested and made money, and also lost loads of money. We’ve made great friends, and lost a few also through the years.

 

What lasts forever? Some songs tell us love for a woman or man lasts forever. Some tell you that making money lasts forever. Don’t listen to what man says, why not ask the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient God what lasts forever?  God says only 3 things last forever…

 

1.      GOD HIMSELF

 

Psalms 90:2 (ESV Strong's)

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

 

God always has been and always will be. He has no beginning and no end. God lasts forever, in fact, God defines forever! That is why we worship Him, and will for all eternity!

 

2.      HIS WORD

 

Isaiah 40:8 (ESV Strong's)

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

 

This Bible, God’s Word, stands forever. That’s why I encourage you strongly to read it. Do the Bible reading plan, read a little bit every day, and absorb the Word of God into your life. Any second you invest into God’s Word is an investment in eternity.

 

3.      THE SOULS OF MEN AND WOMEN

 

I once heard a comedian say, “I’m going to live forever… so far so good!” He may not realise it, but he’s exactly right! The Bible teaches that people are eternal, and that we face either eternity with Christ in heaven, of eternity in hell, separated from God…

 

Matthew 25:46 (ESV Strong's)

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

When you die you face judgement. God will look at you and He will see only 2 types of people. He will not see good and bad. He will not see right and wrong, He certainly will not see successful and unsuccessful people.

 

He will only see those who have received His Son, and those who have rejected His Son. Those in Christ go to Heaven. Heaven is being with the Lord for eternity. What’s it like? I’m not entirely sure, but I do know it has God, therefore it has everything to do with God. Heaven is love, light, peace, joy, blessing, hope, etc.

 

Hell is where God is not, and therefore it’s the exact opposite of Heaven.

 

I hear people say, “Hell will be ok, my mates will be there, we’ll bring a pack of cards, drink a few beers and have a great time.” NO THEY WON’T!

 

Hell is hate, fear, isolation, there’s no mates in hell! It is pain and torment for all eternity, and perhaps the greatest torment is looking back in all the times you could have accepted Jesus, but didn’t! The souls of men and women last forever, in either Heaven or hell!

 

So unless we invest our lives into either of those three things, we are not investing in a lasting legacy!

 

WE START TO THINK ABOUT THIS LATE IN LIFE

 

When we are young, we rarely think about our legacy, we just live for the moment, but as we age we start to think more and more about what we leave behind for future generations of those we love. Trouble is, by late in life many of us have created a toxic, horrible legacy, and our legacy is tainted long before we start to think about it!

 

Proverbs 13:22 (ESV Strong's)

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

 

Memory is a funny thing, but there are 2 qualities of memory that I would highlight…

 

1. We tend to remember the good times more so than the bad. Our minds seem to filter out a lot of the bad, Rose coloured glasses and all. Remember the good old days? I was there for some of them, and they were not that good! No cell phones. No internet. No colour TV. No computers. The Cold War, etc.
2. We remember the last things rather than the older things.

 

Don Bradman was the world’s greatest batsman. His highest score was 452 not out, he scored 117 centuries, 37 double centuries with 6 of those over 300. What a batsman! But many remember most his final innings… bowled for a duck. Had he scored just 4 runs he would have averaged 100 in Test matches. As it was, he averaged 99.94, which is still awesome next to 51 for Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh!

 

If you have lived a life that leave a poor legacy, this is great news. There’s a chance to redeem it, no matter what you’ve done, because God can restore life and legacy!

 

WHAT WILL YOU BE REMEMBERED FOR?

 

So what will you be remembered for?

 

Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV Strong's)

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

 

Your legacy, what you leave for your children, is directly dependent on your behaviour. If you have honoured and cherished your kids, and shown them this, then your legacy will be vastly different to if you have abused or manipulated your children. When it comes to your legacy, your values and behaviour are instilled in your children, and then on into your grandchildren and great grandchildren. In legacy, you truly reap what you sow…

 

Hosea 8:7 (ESV Strong's)

For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.

 

If you live a life of immorality, that’s the legacy your leave your children. Adulterers father adulterers. Single mums beget single mums who beget single mums. If you sow the wrong thing in your life, don’t expect your children to be any different, unless something major happens, like you come to Christ and change your legacy.  So what kinds of things do our kids inherit from us? Not just eyes or ears.

 

1.      HOW THEY THINK

 

When your children are young, you condition how they think about all kinds of things. If you vote liberal, often so will they. If you work hard, they tend to do the same. If you’re in business, often they will be too, if you’re a Christian,…

 

Psalms 78:3-4 (ESV Strong's)

things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

 

2.      HOW THEY LIVE

 

Children are great imitators, so give the,m something great to imitate in your life!

 

If you swear, so will they. If you are dishonest and lie, or sleep around, or smoke, they will tend to do the same. The moral standard you set, they tend to follow. But here’s the great news, if you have a vibrant relationship with Christ, the chances are much higher that they will too!

 

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV Strong's)

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.

 

3.      HOW THEY CHOOSE

 

Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV Strong's)

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

 

If you choose life, if you choose Jesus, if you choose blessing, the chances are much higher that they also will choose life, not death. They watch you and your decisions, and do likewise. My dad made very wise and godly decisions, and I saw the result and wanted to do the same in my life, and for my children.

 

4.      HOW THEY PARENT

 

Psalms 78:5-6 (ESV Strong's)

He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

 

How we parent affects how our children parent. If we are distant, ignoring our kids, busy with our own lives, they will grow to be that way. Remember the song “Cats in the Cradle.” It was written by Harry Chapin and talks about fathers not having time for their kids. His wife challenged him about his touring schedule, and he said he would spend time with his son after his summer tour. He was killed in a car crash before how could make time for his son.

 

5.      HOW THEY RESPOND TO THE JESUS

 

Acts 2:38-39 (ESV Strong's)

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

 

If you accept Jesus, and if you make Him Lord of your life, chances are your children will too. If you reject Him, chances are much higher that they will too. Listen to this poem …

 

Daddy had a little boy; His soul was white as snow.

He never went to Sunday school Cause Daddy wouldn’t go.

He never heard the Word of God. That thrills the childish mind,

while other children went to class, This child was left behind.

And as he grew from babe to youth, Dad saw to his dismay,

a soul that once was snowy white, Became a dingy grey.

Realising that his son was lost, Dad tried to win him back.

But now the soul that once was white had turned an ugly black.

Dad even started back to church, and Bible study too;

He begged the preacher, "Isn’t there some thing that you can do?"

The preacher tried, and failed, and said "We’re just too far behind;

I tried to tell you years ago, But you would pay me no mind."

And so another soul was lost, that once was white as snow;

Church on Sunday would have helped, But Daddy wouldn’t go.

 

ARE GENERATIONAL CURSES REAL?

 

A generational curse is something talked about in Christian circles. Some say they’re not true, but I believe they are

 

Exodus 34:7 (ESV Strong's)

visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

 

But then later Ezekiel says,

 

Ezekiel 18:20 (ESV Strong's)

The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

 

I think generational curses are a fact of life. The fact is, if you leave a poor legacy, you only have yourself to blame! It’s your decisions, it’s your lifestyle that they saw, imitated and started to live. And the effects of your bad decisions in the past, not only affects your children, but it affects generations to come…. Compare these 2 men who lived at the same time, the early 1700s…

 

1. One man, Max Jukes, did not believe in religion and married a girl of the same opinion. From this union came 1,026 descendants. Studies showed that 300 died prematurely; 100 were sent to the jail; 190 sold themselves to vice, that is gambling, sex and hard living; 100 were drunkards, and the family cost the state of New York $1,100,00.00 (massive sum of money then!)

 

2. Another man, Jonathan Edwards, believed in God and in his Christian training and married a girl of like character. From that union 729 descendants were studied and they discovered that 300 were preachers, 65 were college professors, 13 were university presidents; 6 authors; 3 U.S. Congressmen and 1 was vice president of the United States.

 

Are generational curses real? You bet, you see them all around every day. Can you break the curse? Absolutely, because God can restore the years the locusts have eaten, for generations to come!

 

AT SOME POINT YOUR KIDS DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES

 

Let me pause to offer some hope to those of you who tried to bring your children up as believers only to find them rejecting Christ. You can do all the right things, teach them well and train them in the things of God, but at some point you relinquish responsibility and they are old enough to make their own decisions.

 

If your children have walked away from Christ, don’t get angry at God, and stop beating yourself up about it, even if your decisions have added to their predicament. Whatever their upbringing, they reach a point where they must take responsibility for their actions and decisions. They will not stand before God with you, with their spouse, friends or anyone else. They will stand alone and give account for their words and deeds. Bu the Bible says this...

 

Proverbs 14:26 (ESV Strong's)

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.

 

So don’t beat yourself up, instead pray and believe for their salvation. Pray with everything you have, believe with all your heart. They may appear to be rejecting Christ right now, but it ain’t over till it’s over! Many walk away, then come back to Christ to live powerful , effective lives!

 

IT IS TIME TO BREAK THE CURSE

 

Having a bad legacy passed on to you by your parents does not condemn you to repeat the same sins! You might be unsure of how to break the curse cycle, but God isn’t!

 

Galatians 3:13-14 (ESV Strong's)

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

 

Jesus Christ paid the penalty for your sins, even the ones you may see, to have inherited from your upbringing.  Breaking God’s laws incur curses that can last many generations, and the devil has a field day messing up whole families for generations. But if generational curses are real, how much more are generational blessings?

 

So how can you break a bad legacy?

 

1.      RECOGNISE THE CURSE

 

How many times have you said, I’m not going to be like mum or day, then find yourself taking to your kids sounding exactly like your parents! Behaviour and actions are passed down, right?

 

But a spiritual curse is more than just irritating behaviour. There can be demonic influence from your parents passed to you, and you need to recognise that this is not just a modelled behaviour, it is a spiritual attack…

 

Ephesians 6:12 (ESV Strong's)

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

 

You cannot fight a spiritual generational curse with the flesh… recognise it for what it is, a spiritual attack not just a series of modelled behaviours!

 

2.      DECIDE TO FIGHT

 

So many people roll over and cop out of big changes or decisions, and blame their parents or upbringing. They say, “I drink because dad did.” Or “I have bad relationships like my mum did.”

 

If you recognise a bad legacy passed down from your parents, you need to decide that you’ve had enough of this curse. You need to decide to fight, and the only way you can successfully overcome a spiritual legacy is to turn to Christ, and ask Him to fight for you!

 

Isaiah 54:17 (ESV Strong's)

no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.

This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

 

If Christ is for us, who can be against us? If you come to Jesus today, if you repent and seek to serve Him, He will empower you to triumph over the enemy, because…

 

1 John 4:4 (ESV Strong's)

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

 

3.      PRAY, SEEK, SPEAK

 

Pray and seek God, and begin to change the way you speak. Stop saying, “My parents made me do it,”

 

Galatians 5:1 (ESV Strong's)

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

 

You can be set free from the curses of a bad legacy. It will often times not be a one off prayer but a long journey seeking God, but He promises to empower and sustain you…

 

Matthew 6:33 (ESV Strong's)

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

4.      SEEK SUPPORT

 

Trying to break words spoken over you or bad legacy by yourself can be a long, hard, lonely road. But here at Ignite there are people who will stand with you, people who love you, will be there in the good and the bad and will hold you up when you think you are going to fall!

 

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV Strong's)

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

 

5.      KEEP ON GOING

 

Overcoming an evil legacy is not a once off thing. You will have to persevere, to keep going even when you fail and fail again. With loving support around you, with the power of the Holy Spirit within you, you can overcome curses in your life, if you do not give up.

 

Galatians 6:9 (ESV Strong's)

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

 

 

THIS IS YOUR LIFE, THIS IS YOUR LEGACY

 

You get one life, and you reap what you sow. Take a few moments and look back at the whole of your life. Are you happy and satisfied? Do you feel like you are creating the right legacy for your children and their children?

 

Psalms 103:17 (ESV Strong's)

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children's children,

 

Serving Jesus is the best way to leave a legacy for your children which will last eternity! We’ve established that we reap what we sow, later than we sow and more than we sow. Some of you look back at your life with regret, knowing that in the past, maybe even now, you’ve said and done things that you cannot take back, that have driven your children away from Christ.

 

Proverbs 13:22 (ESV Strong's)

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.

 

YOU’RE A NEW CREATION… ACT LIKE IT!

 

If you have not made wise decisions, if you have driven your children away from Christ… and ultimately coming to Jesus is the ultimate spiritual legacy you can leave… then there is hope. When you come to Christ you are a new creation!

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

 

Money can be restored, property can be restored, cars and paintings and photographs and even reputations can be restored. It takes time and effort, but it can be done. And your legacy is no different. No matter how bad your behaviour, or how bad your speech or how tragic your lifestyle or legacy, God can and will restore to you the years the locusts have eaten. I can’t do it, you can’t do it, but He can!

 

No matter what has gone before, Come to Christ this morning and He will start to restore your legacy. Let’s pray and believe God for our kids, and their kids for generations to come!

 

When I die, I don’t want them to write on my grave, He was a good optometrist, or he was a great pastor, or musician. I’d like to think they might write something like, He walked with God. But my legacy will not be a pile of ashes or a fallen down headstone. It will be reflected in the lives of my children, and their children for generations to come!

 

If you have blown it when it comes to your kids, I want to pray for you today.

 

If you feel that your parents have passed on something, some habit, some mannerisms that you don’t want in your life, I want you to come to the Lord this morning, and we will begin the process of throwing off that bad legacy, and embracing your new life! You’re a new creation and you do not have to put up with what gets passed down to you.

 

The Machine Gun Preacher- Sam Childers

The Machine gun preacher Ps Sam Childers joined us for a very special evening at Ignite Christian Church. Sam is famous for the Machine Gun Preacher movie, but he is also a real person quite unlike what you saw portrayed on the big screen.

In this special event, Sam shares his heart about the nations in central Africa where he serves, and the various ministries he oversees in places like Uganda, Sudan, and surrounding areas.  He also shares his own struggles and testimonies and reveals exciting truths about God in very honest and real terms.

So come and join us for this very special event with one of the world's great speakers, and hear Sam Childers share this life-changing message...

Masterclass 5- Master Your Tongue

We’ve talked about mastering the various aspects of your life, and I know this week you are going to wince a bit for sure. We have looked at mastering your past, your time, your mind and your money. Today we look at the age old Achilles heel for mankind… mastering your tongue.

 

James 3:3-12 (ESV Strong's)

If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

 

STICK OUT YOUR TONGUE

 

Everyone, stick out your tongue and hold it. That’s what we are endeavouring to do this morning…

 

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV Strong's)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

 

With the tongue Caesar sent armies to war, Adolf Hitler incited mass genocide and cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons sprang up. With the tongue Wesley preached to thousands, Winston Churchill inspired a nation to stand firm and Billy Graham brought millions to faith.

 

The tongue can be an instrument of great peace, great inspiration or great destruction and devastation, on the world stage or in your life. How many times have you said things and regretted it? How many times have you spoken out and wished you could take the words back? So many people I know, have so many regrets about what they have said.

 

I have to confess that both Fiona and I at times have used our tongues against each other. I recognise that we should stick out our tongues and hold them more often. In a marriage, our tongues don’t just lash out, they have barbs and they stick into each other’s flesh, restricting us like barbed wire, cutting us down to size and holding us back!

 

Master your tongue or it will master your life, ruin your reputation, and destroy your relationships. If you want to look to master your tongue, we can read nothing better than the passage of James I shared before.

 

FOUR FUNCTIONS OF THE TONGUE

 

Why is the tongue so important? James lists four functions of the tongue:

 

1.      THE TONGUE IS A BAROMETER

 

James 3:1-2 talks of the tongue as a barometer or spiritual meter. Teachers are judged by their tongues and what they say. The tongue is a gauge for our maturity because our faith and maturity will never register higher than our words! If you want to know how mature someone is, listen to their tongue and what they say!

 

2.      THE TONGUE IS A  BRIDLE

 

James 3:3-5 likens the tongue to a horse’s bit, a rudder on a ship and a spark in a forest. These are all small, yet the great power of a horse, or a mighty ship or a bush fire is controlled and guided by a small thing. If we can bridle or control our tongues, we can bridle the entire body.  If we can learn to control it, we can control our lives, and no matter which way the wind is blowing, we can steer our ship to safety.

 

I once owned a 17.5 hand high former racehorse named Monty. Big, strong, powerful and fast, a terrifying prospect to face. Yet when I placed this small bit into his mouth, I could steer him, slow him or make him thunder across the paddock. I nearly killed myself coming down with a ton of horse at a full gallop, but I loved him! All that power and energy controlled by a tiny piece of metal.

 

3.      THE TONGUE IS A BONFIRE

 

James 3:6-8 talks about how powerful and potentially destructive the tongue is. The results of the tongue powerfully impact our lives like a massive bushfire. It can cause devastation or immense blessing. At the recent “Father of the Year” award, I realised how my words through the years have built my family up. Many guys I talk to have discovered that the words their tongue has produced have destroyed their entire family. Truly death and life are in the tongue.

 

Four reporters, looking for a good story, were having a few beers in a Denver bar in 1899 they decided to concoct a false story, set it far away so no one could verify it, to meet their paper’s deadline.  So they invented a tale that American engineers were about to consult on how to dismantle the Great Wall of China.  Unwittingly they provided the spark that ignited the Chinese and caused the infamous Boxer Rebellion, resulting in thousands of western and Chinese lives lost?

 

 

4.      THE TONGUE IS A BROADCASTER

 

James 3:9-18 talks about how the tongue can reveal and broadcast what we actually have inside. Our tongue can be a guard protecting our integrity, or it can reveal the evil inside our hearts. So what about your tongue? Does it produce peace or reveal hypocrisy?

 

The type of person you are is reflected by your tongue. When we say hurtful things, when we lash out at those we love, we are revealing what’s really inside us. Your tongue gives you away! You can claim to be godly, claim to be righteous, but if you’re talking yourself up, at some point the truth of your life will give the game away.

 

Proverbs 17:28 (ESV Strong's)

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

 

Or as Mark Twain paraphrased this verse, “It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.”

 

SHOULD YOU BE TONGUE TIED?

 

If we are to become mature in Christ we need to manage our tongues. When it comes to causing havoc, the tongue punches way above its weight.

 

Proverbs 21:23 (ESV Strong's)

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

 

If you can tie up your tongue you can master your whole body. However, James points out that the tongue is basically untameable, and that it is itself set on fire by hell.

 

James 3:6-8 (NIV-WS)

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

 

The Greek word for hell here is Gehenna, which is the valley of Hinnom, the garbage dump of Jerusalem, where the fires are never quenched, where they burned everything from garbage to criminal’s bodies. If you stop and listen to the things people say, even things you sometimes say, you will see the stamp of Hell fires upon it. We tame animals, says James, but we cannot tame this tiny piece of our bodies!

 

And it’s a poison, a deadly poison! How many relationships have been destroyed by the poison of the tongue? So let’s have a look at some of the ways your tongue causes destruction…

 

1.      GOSSIP

 

Right at the top of the list of the tongue's destructive power is gossip. Gossip is what sells magazines and keeps the internet clicking, and we as Christians are not immune.

 

Gossip is usually thinly veiled with acceptable phrases like, "Have you heard about...?" or "Did you know that?" or "Keep this to yourself, but I heard…? or "I don't believe it's true, but I heard that . . ." or even, "I wouldn't tell you, except that I know it will go no further."

 

Of course, among Christians the most infamous gossip prelude says, "I am telling you this so you can pray." This seems so pious, so religious, but I’m telling you now, the heart that feeds on bearing evil reports is a tool of Hell, and it leaves flaming fires in its wake.

 

A pastor in a small town had a notorious gossip in his church, and she turned her gossip on him. One day she felt convicted, so she came and asked the pastor for forgiveness. “Of course”, he said, but then he asked her to do something strange… “Please take a pillow, cut it open and go to the top of the hill overlooking our town and throw the feathers into the wind. She thought this strange, but she did it, and the feathers floated across the whole town. Then the pastor said, “One more thing… could you go and pick them all up please.”

 

Gossip is so destructive, and you can’t take all those words back, and you cannot undo the damage.

 

Proverbs 16:28 (NIV-WS)

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.

 

Fiona and I have been victims of gossip often. When I took on this Church as pastor, many were told horrible gossip, all untrue, about me. I could not fight it, I could not defend myself, I could only trust the Lord and let Him vindicate me… which I feel he has done.

 

2.      INNUENDO

 

A close cousin of gossip is innuendo. It is like gossip in that it spreads destruction, but it insinuates something and leaves the listener to draw their own conclusions… bring on Chinese whispers!  “I saw the two of them together, and they did seem very close. Now I’m not saying there’s anything in it, but…”

 

Psalms 52:2-4 (ESV Strong's)

Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit.

You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

 

Some gossipers use innuendo to feel better about their sin.  It’s the word left unsaid, the awkward silence, the raised eyebrows, the quizzical look – you cannot master your tongue half heartedly!

 

3.      FLATTERY

 

Gossip is saying behind a person's back what you would never say to their face; flattery is saying to a person's face what you would never say behind their back. The Scriptures warn us repeatedly against flatterers, for they are destructive people, who use their tongues to say something nice to get what they want.

 

Romans 16:18 (ESV Strong's)

For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

 

Beware the flattering tongue!

 

4.      CRITICISM

 

Now I know some of you think you have the spiritual gift of criticism, but I’m telling you now it’s the wrong spirit! Jesus said,

 

Matthew 7:1-2 (ESV Strong's)

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

 

Criticism is judgement, and opinions are like noses… everyone has one, and most of them smell. If you want to experience criticism, become a pastor! I’m blessed because most of you encourage rather than criticise me, but I’ve had a truck load of it in the past.

 

5.      SARCASM

 

Sarcasm and sarcastic humour can also be destructive. Beware this one, especially guys. It’s nice to be funny, but not at someone else’s expense.

 

Ephesians 5:4 (ESV Strong's)

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

 

6.      MEANNESS

 

Proverbs 14:14 (MSG)

A mean person gets paid back in meanness, a gracious person in grace.

 

Meanness is always taking a negative view of anything. It is unkindness, ungratefulness and unfairness, and some people use their tongue to create a cloud of misery over every circumstance and every person they meet. Some of us are Grumpy old men!

 

7.      BOASTING

 

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV Strong's)

Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”

 

Boasting is exactly what James claims the tongue does… that it is small, but makes great boasts. I’ve achieved things, and so have you. But let us not boast in these achievements, let’s focus on serving selflessly. I’ve  ministered with some famous Christian musicians and singers, and their humility was something I noticed, despite their achievements! Let someone else blow your trumpet, not you!

 

STEPS TO MASTER YOUR TONGUE

 

Learning to master your tongue is an important step towards Christian maturity, in fact, and maturity.

 

1 Peter 3:10 (ESV Strong's)

Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

 

When you master your tongue it not only blesses those around you, but it protects you from harm, and it opens the doors to greater blessings for yourself and family. But as we have seen, the tongue is impossible to tame… that is without the power of the Holy Spirit. So where do you start?

 

1.      RECOGNISE THE CREATIVE POWER OF WORDS

 

God spoke, and the world’s sprang into being. Words have power, immense creative power.

 

Hebrews 11:3 (ESV Strong's)

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

 

If you speak negative all the time, if you lash out at others, if you gossip or start fires, your tongue becomes a weapon of mass destruction. (George W Bush Turkey) If you speak words of life, it becomes Gods instrument.

 

2 Corinthians 4:13 (ESV Strong's)

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak,

 

The words we speak with our tongues  create life, or death. They say “sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me,” but that is absolutely not true! Words can devastate your life long after broken bones are healed, as many of you well know!

 

2.      UNDERSTAND YOU WILL BE JUDGED

 

People think they can say whatever they want, whenever they want without impunity, but this is simply not true. Jesus said,

 

Matthew 12:36-37 (ESV Strong's)

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

What you have said will be weighed, not by me, but by God. Imagine having to give account for some of the damage your tongue has carried out. Imagine others having to give account for what has been said to you. This is a terrifying prospect, isn’t it?

 

 

3.      BE SLOW TO SPEAK

 

James 1:19-20 (ESV Strong's)

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

 

Much of the damage your tongue causes is when it is used in haste. When you get angry and lash out, your words can cut someone you love to ribbons! Husbands, wives, this is an important issue for every marriage, and every relationship.

 

Here’s a great idea… when you get angry, walk away for 15 minutes. After 15 Minutes to cool down, it is likely that what you say is going to be more kind and far less destructive.

 

4.      REALISE THE PERMANENCE OF THE DAMAGE

 

Our words have power, and they last. You cannot just say things, blurt them out and then walk away as if nothing has happened. What we say can’t be retracted easily, that’s why I’m suggesting you should be slow to speak, thinking through what you are about to say instead of exploding in anger!

 

Take a toothpaste tube and you can easily squeeze the contents out onto a table. But what if I ask you to put the toothpaste back into the tube? You can’t do it can you, and you can’t replay your life and choose your words better. You cannot take words back!

 

Proverbs 15:4 (ESV Strong's)

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

 

Your perverse tongue yields permanent results that are extremely hard to undo, as I’m sure many of us have found! This is why you need to…

 

5.      WEIGH EVERY WORD

 

Proverbs 15:28 (NIV-WS)

The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

 

The Hebrew word for “weighs” is haga, which means to weigh, to meditate and to think through the implications. Wise people weigh their words, they think before they speak and they hold them in a balance, thinking through the implications of the various scenarios.

 

So if you want to master your tongue, start by taking time out before you speak, weighing what you are about to say and making sure it will bring life, not death.

 

6.      SPEAK ONLY WHAT IS ENCOURAGING

 

Paul recommends, and it is good practice, to only ever speak words that are encouraging…

 

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV-WS)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

 

This means dirty jokes, swearing, accusations, insults, etc. are not OK for your tongue to utter. It doesn’t mean that you don’t have an opinion, it means that you deliver even a rebuke in love.

 

So let’s try an experiment. Take a look back at the words your tongue has uttered over the last 24 hours. Have they always built your audience up? Have they brought life or death? Have they encouraged, or have they hurt others?

 

Questions to ask yourself before you speak… think about it… THINK…

 

T is it truthful?

H is it helpful?

I is it inspiring?

N is it necessary?

K is it kind?

 

BEWARE THE SECOND PHASE… GOSSIP

 

If someone hurts or offends you, you face a choice in how you will use your tongue. Will you lash out and try and hurt them back, or will you hold your tongue. Now if you hold your tongue, you’re not out of the woods yet, because here comes phase 2 of the tongue’s evil… when you start telling others.

 

Ok, sometimes we need to unload and get things off our chest. But even then, we often choose the wrong person, and then we give them a completely biased view in our favour, right? This is where the spark becomes the bushfire, where your feelings of injustice gain fresh ground…

 

Proverbs deals with the sin, let’s call it what it is, a sin of gossiping…

 

Proverbs 18:8 (NIV-WS)

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.

 

Let’s face it, we all like to know secrets, to be in the know! But you have no idea of the trouble it can cause!

 

Proverbs 26:20 (NIV-WS)

Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.

 

You know it takes 3 people for gossip to happen… one victim, one listener and one carrier!  You might think speaking ill of others is just a little sin, not a big one like murder or adultery, but listen , God is serious about this sin. It is not a minor misdemeanour it’s a major felony, something that blows families apart, friendships apart and yes, even churches apart!

 

Proverbs 19:5 (NIV-WS)

A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.

 

If your tongue is involved in gossip, and I know of none happening here at Ignite, but if it is this fans conflict into explosive flame and can separate friends, loved ones and churches…

 

Proverbs 16:28 (NIV-WS)

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.

 

So the final advice from Proverbs is to not even entertain a gossip, but avoid them

 

Proverbs 20:19 (NIV-WS)

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.

 

As a pastor I sometimes have people say hurtful things to me about others, but I try not to repeat the words, and instead look deeper into the one with the complaint. It might be true, it might be a misunderstanding or misconception, but I have decided as your pastor to not to be the one who propagates gossip. Fiona is a counsellor, but I don’t even ask who she is counselling, let alone what was discussed!

 

IS YOUR FAITH WORTHLESS?

 

James 1:26 (ESV Strong's)

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.

 

We want to be godly, we want to shine for Jesus… but listen, don’t ignore what the Lord is saying today. If you cannot master your tongue, James says your faith, not matter how good it looks, is worthless. Some of us here are reaping the pain and destruction our tongues have created over years with friends and loved ones, and some are bearing the scars of someone else’s tongue, but nothing is beyond God’s healing hand.

 

If your tongue has been an offensive weapon in the past, I want you to pray a prayer to master your tongue once and for all. It’s not a once off prayer, it’s a continual, day by day prayer, but some here need forgiveness and restoration for the damage their tongue has done. God is calling you to master your tongue!

 

Also. If you have felt the pain of someone else’s tongue, and those words whether true or not have cut you to the core. I am praying today specifically for healing for you.

Master 4- Master Your Money

I have been running a series on mastering various aspects of your life, and we’ve talked about mastering your past, your time and your mind. All of these are important aspects to bringing control of your life, but today’s message is one that can often completely dominate our lives, but we never speak about.. mastering your money.

 

Understand I’m not trying to make you give money to the church, and (disclosure) I’m not trying to give financial advice. I just want to talk about the fact that money masters many of us rather than us mastering money, and discover what God says about how we can control money.

 

WHO’S SERVING WHO?

 

In the 1960s a United States Senate committee predicted the work week would be down to just 14 hours by 2000, with at least seven weeks off a year. That clearly has not happened, because what they failed to factor in is the incredible greed people have to get more and more! So rather than relax, we choose to do more Work to get more money to have more stuff we have less time to enjoy!

 

Mark 10:17-22 (ESV Strong's)

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

 

This young man thought he had great wealth, but in fact his great wealth had him! Do you possess your money, or does it possess you? And by the way, don’t think you even need money to have it possess you! Some poor people are more obsessed with money that’s those who have it!

 

Let me point out that money in itself is not evil, it is neutral. It’s not wrong to have money. It’s not evil to be wealthy, neither is it necessarily a sign of God’s blessing. Since time began, people have believed that being wealthy is a sign of the blessing of God, and sometimes it is, but I know very wealthy people who have lives, marriages and children who are falling apart.

 

Money doesn’t buy happiness, you can just be miserable in comfort. I’d rather be happy.

 

The San Francisco Federal Reserve reports that, all else being equal, suicide risks are higher in wealthier neighbourhoods, a demonstration of the folly of trying to “keep up with the Joneses.”

 

AFLUENZA

 

Let me introduce you to a contagious disease that affects all of us. We are all infected with afluenza, the disease that makes us insatiably crave more and more.

 

How many of you here have a new generation iPhone, android or tablet? How many have a car less than 5 years old? How many of us have rooms in our house we haven’t been in for months! That new TV, that new computer, ouch, whether we can afford it or not, we’ve got to have it and we’ve got to have it now. Saving for things is so old, delayed gratification is so last century, right?

 

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (ESV Strong's) (Paul says this…)

godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

 

Money is not the root of all evil, the love of it is! And our society teaches us to love that stuff from the very beginning of life. People love it so much they will do anything to get more of it! They sell their time, they sell their bodies, they even sell their souls for money, but we spend it faster than we make it!

 

Even in the first century, Paul was concerned about afluenza, and he didn’t even own a credit card! Today it’s all, “Buy now, pay later,” and instead of waiting and saving, we want it all now, many times putting in credit things we don’t need but we do desire, even when we know we will not be able to pay them off!

 

Australia has more than 16 million credit cards accruing a debt nationally of over $33 billion. Combined with personal loan debt, Australians now owe $109 billion, that’s more than $4300 for every man, woman and child in the country.  More than 10% of us are expecting to live with that debt our whole lives and never escape it! Many of us have been caught in the debt trap!

 

Christians say that the things of this world don’t satisfy, that only knowing and serving God can satisfy, but do we live like it? Paul said the rich fall into a snare, and the wannabe rich do also, but he also suggests that godliness with contentment is great gain. Let’s get specific, he is saying that we should be content with a roof over our heads, food on the table and cloths on our backs.

 

THE CONTENT OF DISCONTENT

 

Discontent is an all pervasive thing in 21^st century life. Marketers realise that the basis to advertising and hence our economy starts by inflaming discontent. No advertisement I’ve ever seen says, “Hey, you’ve got the best car, don’t buy ours!” “Hey, your phone is still current, don’t bother checking out the new iPhone.”

 

We are so intent on our discontent.  No one is contented these days, we all want more and more.

 

Hebrews 13:5 (ESV Strong's)

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

 

Listen, we grow content when we see God as our sole Provider, and we grow discontent when we focus on gratifying our desires rather than looking only to our genuine needs. (Not unlike the 2 year old who says, “But I NEED chocolate!”)  Paul wrote…

 

Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV Strong's)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

 

We often want to quote, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me,” but did you know that that verse is about being content with your life and serving God? Paul is saying, “I can do both poverty and wealth through Christ who strengthens me!”  If we truly value our relationship with Christ over our fleshly desires, we can learn to be content regardless of what we do and don’t have. Paul faced many trials, and was blessed in many ways, and his joy and contentment did not depend on what he had, or had not.  That’s the secret…

 

Proverbs 30:8-9 (ESV Strong's)

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches;

feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you

and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

 

True wealth is not about having more, it’s about desiring less!

 

TIPS TO MASTERING YOUR MONEY

 

Master your money, or it will master you! Jesus told us in Matthew 6 that we cannot serve two masters, we cannot properly serve both God and money. One of them has to be our master, and the other by default becomes the slave. We go to jobs we don’t really like, doing things we don’t really enjoy to buy things we don’t really want… I ask you, are you the slave or the master of the dollar?

 

Matthew 6:24 (ESV Strong's)

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

 

Our society demands that we serve money, but Jesus says we cannot serve both God and money. Jesus didn’t say it would be difficult to serve both; He said it would be impossible. We cannot serve both, so therefore, we must choose.

 

So what are some tips to help in mastering your money?

 

1.     RECOGNISE WHO OWNS WHAT

 

The crazy thing is that your money isn’t really yours at all!

 

Psalms 24:1 (ESV Strong's)

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

 

God owns it all. What does that mean in practical terms? First, it means that God has the right to take or use whatever He wants, whenever He wants. We are simply managers of the resources He entrusts to us.

 

Secondly, if we recognise God’s position as the ultimate owner, then every spending decision we make becomes a spiritual decision. Instead of asking whether or not we can afford to buy something, our questions should rather, “Does God want me to use His resources in this way?”

 

Job was a rich man, but he recognised that whatever happens to him, God is the ultimate owner.?

 

Job 1:21 (ESV Strong's)

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

 

2.     SPEND LESS THAN YOU EARN

 

This is debt reduction 101, but most Aussies don’t get this… you need to spend less than you earn. Simple mathematics.  Stop buying things and putting them on credit! Pay for it or don’t get it.

 

No matter how much money people have, there will always be unlimited ways to spend it. Spending less than we earn is the number one key to achieving financial freedom and security-regardless of what happens in the overall economy. Simple, easy to apply and it makes sense.

 

Proverbs 21:20 (ESV Strong's)

Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man's dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

 

Spending more than you earn devours your financial life. Be wise and spend less

 

3.     AVOID DEBT

 

The average family devotes 25 percent of its spendable income-the amount left after taxes-to paying off outstanding debts, much of it as interest! Not only does going into debt presume upon the future, but it pre-commits our resources, limits our financial flexibility, and dictates what we can (and cannot) afford to do down the road.

 

Proverbs 22:7 (ESV Strong's)

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

 

Going into debt makes you a slave to the banks and credit companies. Now some debt is what we call good debt, because you into debt to finance something that will eventually make you money. Your home, for example, is usually considered good debt. Investment or business debt can be good, as long as the investment is sound (talk to a financial advisor).  We got a loan to buy this church, and have paid over $70,000 off the property. But anything that doesn’t earn income is not smart debt. Borrowing for cars, holidays, consumer goods or fun toys makes you a slave to someone else!

 

4.     HAVE PLASTIC SURGERY

 

Proverbs 17:18 (ESV Strong's)

One who lacks sense gives a pledge and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

 

Credit cards are very convenient. I now have them on my phone, so I don’t even need to carry cards.

 

Buying consumer debt on a credit card is foolish. If you cannot control your spending, credit cards are an explosive trap that will ruin your life, with interest up to 4 times higher than house loans. You need to be able to pay it off, and do so fast.  Some of us here need to have some plastic surgery… cut up those cards. Pay off that debt, and never use the things again!

 

5.     PLAN YOUR FINANCES

 

Setting financial goals makes a lot of sense. Most of us don’t set such goals, we just stumble along from crisis to crisis, overcommitting ourselves and then becoming slaves to debt.

 

Proverbs 21:5 (ESV Strong's)

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

 

Think twice or three times before you commit once. Do you really need that debt now? Is it good? How do you put the pieces of your financial future to fit together.

 

Money experts also suggest that we make one goal building liquidity. What is liquidity? It’s cash, or assets that can be readily and quickly converted to cash.  I meet so many older people who are asset rich and cashflow poor.  They live like paupers but stay in a too big house they own worth a million dollars.

 

A cardinal sin in finances is to max yourself out, committing so much to ongoing debt or payments that you cannot live a reasonable life. If your mortgage payments are so high you cannot afford to buy the new curtains for the lounge, they’re just too high! If anything goes wrong, you’re exposed to great loss. We must live within our means, either spending less or earning more or both.

 

6.     BALANCE THE BOOKS

 

I’m a businessman, and I can tell you the two basic solutions to your financial woes… either spend less, earn more or both! Whether it’s working and extra few hours, taking in a border, mowing lawns or selling eggs or honey, earning a little more can make a big difference.

 

If you are overspending, it is a fools paradise and cannot last forever, unless you’re a government! You will slide into debt and like more than 2 million Australians, never find a way back out. Money has a nasty habit or luring us in, and we usually spend up to our means. We start with little in the way of finances, and we live simply and keep it tight. When we start to earn more, we spend more also, buying more. If however our income reduces, we most often fail to reduce spending with it…

 

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (ESV Strong's)

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

 

In the 1870s, then richest man in the world John D Rockefeller was asked, "How much money is enough money?" He replied, "Just a little bit more." Nothing has changed!

 

STEPS TO MASTERING YOUR MONEY… THE WAY AHEAD

 

If you are struggling with your finances, bad debt or spending, if you feel like your money is mastering you, here are some ways you can start to master your money and move ahead?

 

1.     DECIDE TO MAKE A CHANGE

 

I have a cousin who is financially very badly off. They live in a rented house too small for their family, never have any money to spare and life is a real struggle. He loves coffee, and when they stayed with us, I have a very nice coffee machine which makes excellent coffee.

 

Yet every day, every single day, he travels to the store and buys a designer coffee. That’s his priority, but to my mind it’s a place they could save some money, up to $40 a week.

 

The first step to mastering your money comes when you decide to make little changes.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV Strong's)

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

 

Do the same thing and you get the same results. Decide now you want to live as master of your money, not the servant, under the control of money and banks, and commit to making changes.

 

2.     LISTEN TO THE RIGHT ADVICE

 

Some are like this picture… Whether you see a financial advisor, one of several christian groups offering debt reduction ideas, or a trusted friend or mentor, seek advice from people who know what they are talking about…

 

Proverbs 12:15 (ESV Strong's)

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

 

Seek advice from people who are trustworthy, not your mates at the pub!

 

3.     MOVE AHEAD SLOW AND STEADY

 

Aesop said, “Slow and steady wins the race.” Most money problems are not solved instantly, but there is a long road and you need to be committed to to see results. Make slow and steady progress, make changes and stick to them and be prepared for a long haul as you wrestle control back from your money and give it to God.

 

Zechariah 4:10 (NKJV)

For who has despised the day of small things?

 

Chances are your money problems won’t be solved by winning the lottery or robbing a back. Start small, be consistent and purpose in your heart to see it through.

 

4.     BE GENEROUS

 

When money controls you and you’re tight for money, the tendency is to be tight with your generosity too. I think this is a trap, because the more you focus on what you don’t have, the more it starts to master your thoughts, and your life.

 

I am not a proponent of the prosperity gospel. I don’t believe that if you give to God you can demand financial riches or “name it and claim it”. I don’t believe in giving to get, and I guarantee you, neither does God. But, when I put Him first, when I have a generous spirit, all I can tell you is that God just seems to bring resources and blessings into my life, financial and other, at the right time.

 

Proverbs 11:24 (ESV Strong's)

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

 

Even in our worst possible financial moments, Fiona and I have made it our practice to be generous. So if I meet you at a coffee shop, I will always be the first one to try and pay, because I want to bless everyone and be generous, and I trust the Lord that He will take care of us. And He does!

 

Let me for a moment talk about tithing. I am frequently asked questions about tithing, because nothing upsets people like a money hungry church. Once again, I err of the side of being generous.

 

I won’t tell you what you should do, but this is my standard…  Personally, I don’t just tithe. I give 10% of my income to this church, but for me that is the baseline. Then I start to give, and give and give, generously. Why? Am I trying to get something from God? No, I’m trusting Him!

 

If you want to master your money, stop trying to use it to manipulate God! He says this…

 

Malachi 3:8-10 (ESV Strong's)

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

 

I’m not after your money, but I also don’t want you to rob God, and miss His blessing and provision in your life. He asks you to test Him with your generous heart, and if you do, He promises to provide above and beyond. I am living testimony of this, so if you want to master your money, try trusting instead of tithing.

 

Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV Strong's)

Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

 

5.     DECIDE TO SEEK GOD FIRST

 

Jesus says that where our treasure is, our heart is also in Matthew 6:21. He even says not to worry about our provision, our clothes and food, because God has it all under control. Then He says this…

 

Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

I work for money, you work for money, but in the end, money comes and goes. Becoming pastor of this church has allowed me to prove this point in my life. I have stepped back from consultancy jobs, cut out business groups, scaled back my own practice and Fiona has given up her job. We have given these up to seek first His Kingdom in this church, and to be honest we haven’t felt any financial loss.

 

Even though officially I am earning less money, it doesn’t feel like it. Why? Because God loves me and appreciates that I seek Him first, rather than grasping for more and more money.

 

I am serving Jesus and trusting Him to take care of me and my family money needs, and true to His promises, He does. This is the secret of mastering your money… seek first His Kingdom, and leave the rest up to Him. Be generous, be wise with money, get out of debt and learn to delay your gratification, but in the end if you live for Christ, that’s the main thing you care about, right?

 

If you are tight for money, facing financial difficulties or being mastered by your money, or your lack of money, stand up and let’s give this to Jesus now!

 

And godliness with contentment is great gain.

The Heart of the Father- Father's Day 2018

Happy Father’s Day. This is a day when we honour our fathers, and let’s face it, father’s can be quite unique, with their own way of doing things, and their own brand of lame jokes.

 

Here’s the top ten things a father will never say…

10. Take my wallet and GO CRAZY shopping. 
    
    9. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring. Now quit complaining and let's go to the mall. 
11. Here honey, you use the remote. 
    
    7. Well, how 'bout that? I'm lost! Looks like we'll have to stop and ask for directions. 
    
    6. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend ... you might want to consider throwing a party. 
    
    5. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend. 
    
    4. Hey, let me hold your purse while you try that on. 
    
    3. Let's watch a chick flick tonight! 
    
    2. Honey, I know you’re tired. You stay home and relax while I take our child to the school speech night.

and the Number 1 thing you'll never hear a Dad say:
1. When I was growing up, we had it really easy!  

 

As father of the year this year, I was greatly honoured by my girls.  That they think so highly of me really touched my heart, and as I heard them describe me on camera, I wondered who they were talking about.

 

Since receiving this award, I have done a number of interviews on radio, and each time I am asked for my advice as a father. I answer this question in a profound way… that we father’s must love our children unconditionally!

 

1 John 3:1 (ESV Strong's)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God.

 

We live in a world where fathers, like everybody else, love conditionally. Some of you have grown up with this, and understand it very well. Conditional love is love if, love because. I love you if you are obedient, I love you if you do well I’m your exams, or I love you because you’re so pretty, or so smart.

 

But the greatest love, the highest form of love is agape love, unconditional love. This love says I love you, no matter what. No matter what you do, or say, or achieve, or fail at, or become I love you and I will always love you. This is the kind of love the father has for us.

 

Many of us here do not really understand this love. You may have only ever experienced conditional love, love tied to how you perform or how you look. In conditional love, if you don’t perform up to the standard, as set by your parents, your partner, your kids or anyone else, the love is withheld.

 

Unconditional love has to be modelled on the ultimate Father’s love, God’s love for us. So let’s have a close look at God’s love for us as we examine a beautiful passage on the Fathers Heart…, and no other passage illustrates the Father’s Heart like this one…

 

THE PRODIGAL… LOST AND FOUND

 

Luke 15:11-24 (ESV Strong's)

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

 

You might remember, the brother wanted justice, he wanted this wayward brother punished for his sins. But the Father loves the boy unconditionally, and forgave his sins despite the cost, and welcomed him home.

 

 

1.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS GENEROUS

 

If this parable we see the father being generous with his sons. Great fathers are generous.  The younger son asked for his share of the inheritance early, and even though the father knew that his son was going to squander it, he remained generous. In their culture, asking for your inheritance early is like wishing your father was dead, yet despite this hurtful request, the father remained generous in heart.

 

John 15:13 (ESV Strong's)

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

 

I would lay my own life down before I would sacrifice any one of my girls. Yet our Heavenly Father generously chose to offer His one and only Son, the most precious thing He had, in exchange for us…

 

John 3:16 (ESV Strong's)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

 

 

Sometimes we feel like God is holding out on us, punishing us, withholding blessing from us, but the Bible teaches us that we serve a generous and loving God. The heart of the Father is always generous, always giving and far beyond our comprehension.  The Father’s heart is so big, and so generous that He gave His one and only Son to die in our place. In our daily life, we lose sight of how generous God really is…

 

Ephesians 3:20 (ESV Strong's)

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

 

The heart of the father is exceedingly abundantly generous!

 

2.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS NOT CONTROLLING

 

10 Rules for Dating my Daughter, from an overbearing dad…

1. Get a job, and keep it
2. Understand, I don’t like you
3. Be home 30 Minutes early… If you’re not early, you’re late
4. I’m everywhere, and I see everything
5. She my princess not your conquest
6. Break her heart and I break your legs
7. I am a lie detector… don’t even try to lie to me
8. I own a glock
9. I don’t mind going back to jail
10. The reality is, she will always love me more

 

 

The father in the parable gave his son his inheritance early, without conditions. He didn’t say, “OK, here’s the money, but you need to invest it. Or tithe it to the church. Or buy me a new mower.” It was given unconditionally, and this takes courage as a parent!  Jesus said,

 

Matthew 5:43-45 (ESV Strong's)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven (ie, have the same love as your Father in Heaven has) For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

 

God blesses all of us, without controlling us, even those who hate Him, because His love is unconditional. Fathers, I urge you to show the same love to your children, even if they are in rebellion! Don’t get all religious on them, don’t kick them out or reject them, love and accept them, even if everything they are doing is against your beliefs. You don’t have to agree with them, just accept them. If you reject them, you cannot be a force to reach them.

 

One of our foster girls decided to turn into a boy, and she asked if I love her, and if I would agree with and support her. I replied, “Yes and no. Yes I love you, I will never stop loving you, no matter what. However, I cannot and will never agree with your lifestyle choice, but will love you anyway.”

 

Parents, I know many of you grieve over your children, that they have rejected Christ. You brought them up the right way, but there comes a time, when they make their own decisions. Fathers and mothers, listen… stop making yourself feel guilty for the decisions your children have made. You may have made mistakes, and you could argue that the father in the parable made a mistake trusting his son.  Ultimately, the decisions they make are not your fault… it is their decisions. That being said, we are responsible to pray for our children’s salvation!

 

This father demonstrates unconditional love. He was generous and not controlling, and this led to…

 

3.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS BROKEN

 

Psalms 78:40-41 (ESV Strong's)

How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!

They tested God again and again and provoked the Holy One of Israel.

 

God’s Heart is broken and He grieves when we rebel against Him. Imagine how the father in the parable felt when this wayward son took his inheritance and headed off to blow it all on partying. This father who had nurtured and provided for the son, brought him up in all the right ways, found the son he love had it thrown back in his face! If you love someone it’s always risky, because your heart can be broken.

 

Some of you here know exactly how that feels. Some of you fathers understand this, because your kids have rebelled against what you believe is true, and squandered their lives and broken your heart! If that is you as a parent…

 

Psalms 34:18 (ESV Strong's)

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

 

When I rebelled against my parents for a short time, I wasn’t thinking of their pain. I was just having what I thought was a good time; parties, girls, drink, etc.  I broke my parents heart, and in my selfishness I never even saw it… until I became a father.

 

We are like the prodigal son when we walk away from our Heavenly Father. Some of you here have been breaking God’s heart for a long time. While you plunge into the life you choose to lead, you are plunging a dagger into the heart of people who love you, and especially God, who loves you and paid the price to buy you back from your foolish sin and lifestyle!

 

 

 

 

4.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS PATIENT

 

So the father in the parable lost his son to a foreign country, where the son squandered all the father’s money on sex, drugs and rock n roll. Like so many of us, he just did what felt good. Do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be, yeah!

 

Many of us have tried to live a life satisfying our own desires, and when we live this life we start to understand how shallow it really is. In a heartbeat you could die, and have nothing to show for the life you’ve lived except a trail of broken hearts and disappointments. When you stand before God, and you will, the only thing that matters is whether you have asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Saviour. Nothing else counts. Not money, prestige, fame, cars, houses, even family… nothing else counts. God either sees you, or He sees His Son.

 

Right now, God is waiting for you. He waits for you to turn to Him…

 

2 Peter 3:9 (ESV Strong's)

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

 

God doesn’t want you to perish. If you die in your sins, it will break His heart because YOU will have chosen to go to hell. He gave the best of heaven to stop you going to hell, and waits patiently for you to respond.

 

Look in your heart. That emptiness, that hole which is never filled, that’s a God shaped hole, that only God can fill. If you want your life to count, if you want to live in peace and have your soul prosper, come to Jesus today. He awaits patiently, with arms open.

 

5.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS SEEKING

 

Once the son left with the loot, the father didn’t just go back to life as usual. I believe that from the very day the son left, the father was actively seeking him. He was praying and looking out for him, asking God to bring his son home.

 

Ezekiel 34:16 (ESV Strong's)

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak,

 

Luke 15:4 (ESV Strong's)

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?

 

If you are not walking with God, God is actively seeking you right now. Don’t reject Him again, but run into His arms of love. You are loved, no matter what you’ve done, no matter how ashamed you are, you are loved by God. You don’t have to become good enough for God, just accept His free gift of salvation…

 

Luke 19:10 (ESV Strong's)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

6.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS RESPONSIVE

 

Once the son hit rock bottom, he came to his senses and decided to return home and just become a servant, knowing he had ruined any chance he had of being a son. He knew the Jewish law…

 

Deuteronomy 21:20-21

‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones.

 

But the son took a chance on returning to the father. You need to take a chance and return to your Heavenly Father this morning, because I can assure you He’s not out to punish you, He is seeking you to love you and accept you.

 

Luke 15:20 (ESV Strong's)

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

 

The father was ready to respond in love. Jewish fathers never run like this, but this one did! This father ran and embraced the son, and your Heavenly Father is ready to respond in the same way with you right now. Whatever you’ve done, whatever you’ve fallen to, God loved you today…

 

 

7.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS WELCOMING

 

The father’s heart is welcoming. When the son offered to just be a hired servant, the father lavished his love upon the wayward son. If you come to Jesus today, I believe He will lavish His love upon you in the same way!

 

1 John 3:1 (ESV Strong's)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

 

We don’t deserve such love, but the generous and unconditionally loving father lavishes spiritual riches and blessings upon us, and gives us eternal life. We deserve death, you and I, but if we repent and come to Jesus, He gives life, and life to the full!

 

Luke 15:21-24 (ESV Strong's)

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

 

What  a welcome! This is not what the dejected prodigal son expected. He expected at best a lukewarm welcome and a job, more or less the welcome his brother would have given him, just punishment for his behaviour… but the father had other ideas…

 

 

8.      THE FATHER’S HEART IS RESTORATIVE

 

This father not only forgave his wayward son, but he restore him to the position he had originally despised and cashed in on. There was no  retrospective punishment, there was no penance required. The father didn’t have a list of rules to follow, or a set of standards or a contract the son had to sign, there was only the restoring love of the father.

 

Isaiah 61:7 (ESV Strong's)

Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.

 

See the amazing love God has for you! He will restore the life you should have led all along, a double portion, more than you deserve, more than you could even imagine!

 

 

SOMEBODY WANTS YOU HOME

 

Here’s the true story behind a popular song from the 1970s…

 

"A man was sitting in a railroad coach next to a young man who was obviously depressed. Finally the young man revealed that he was a paroled convict returning from a distant prison. His imprisonment had brought shame to his family, and they had neither visited him nor written often. He hoped, however, that this was only because they were too poor to travel and too uneducated to write. He hoped, despite the evidence, that they had forgiven him.

 

"To make it easy for them, however, he had written to them asking that they put up a signal for him when the train passed their little farm on the outskirts of town. If his family had forgiven him, they were to tie a white ribbon in the big apple tree which stood near the tracks. If they didn't want him to return, they were to do nothing, and he would remain on the train as it traveled onward.

 

"As the train neared his hometown, the suspense became so great that he couldn’t bear to look out of his window. He exclaimed, 'In just five minutes the engineer will sound the whistle indicating our approach to the long bend which opens into the valley I know as home. Will you watch for the apple tree at the side of the track?' His companion said he would; they exchanged places. The minutes seemed like hours, but then there came the shrill sound of the train whistle. The young man asked, 'Can you see the tree? Is there a white ribbon?'

 

"His companion said, 'I see the tree. But there’s not one white ribbon, there’s hundreds. Son, someone surely does love you, and wants you home.'"

 

 

Today there are a hundred white ribbons tied to the old Apple tree, and they are all just for you! Your Heavenly Father’s heart is breaking for you, longing for you, waiting for you.

 

Some of you here have never asked the Lord into your life. You’ve been spending your life doing whatever you choose to do, just like the wayward son, but today the faithful Father is calling you home to Himself. Those hundreds of ribbons are tied to the tree, just for you see, so give your heart to Him today! He says come, come to the water and drink, come to the Lord and let Him show you how you can live a life beyond anything you could possibly imagine. He has a plan and purpose for you, so come to Jesus today and live!

 

Some of you here know the Lord, but have not been walking closely to Him in recent times. Father’s Day is a great time to bless your Heavenly Father’s heart and tell Him that you love Him. His arms are outstretched, and He is calling you today. Recommit your life to Him, come to the Father on Father’s Day.

 

Now, let’s finish by praying for our kids who are not walking with God.

Masterclass- Master Your Mind

We’ve been talking about mastering various aspects of your life.  Mastering your past, and mastering your time. If you don’t master these things, they will master you. Today let’s look at one of the greatest challenges to every Christian… mastering your mind!

 

It seems we suffer a perpetual onslaught in our minds, a battle that never seems to cease or let up. Advertising, media, movies and TV assault our eyes, music, gossip and negativity assault our ears, and the God of this world assaults through these and other means assaults our hearts time and time again. He wants to manipulate your mind to manipulate your life, but if we can win the battle of the mind, we will win the battle of life, so mastering the mind is essential for every believer!

 

THE POWER OF THE MIND

 

Many people have talked about the power of the mind, whether it was Uri Gellar bending spoons or Allan Turin inventing the computer. The Bible says,

 

Proverbs 23:7 (KJV Strong's)

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he:

 

The Hebrew word for think is sa’ar, which means to reason, spilt open or calculate, and interestingly also means to act as a gate keeper. It implies that we choose what we let into our minds, and then when we think, we become what we think!

 

Even secular teachers recognise the power of the mind. Napoleon Hill, the author of “Think and Grow Rich” said, “We are the Masters of our Fate, Captains of our Souls, because we have the power to control our thoughts.”, “Success comes to those who are success-conscious, Failure comes to those who indifferently allow themselves to be Failure-Conscious.”

 

If our mind is like a computer. It was once thought we used only 10% of our brains, but modern brain mapping as disproven that, because most of our brains are active all the time. However, 95% of our brain activity is beyond our conscious awareness! We only consciously use 5% of our minds, so the battle is raging beyond our conscious mind all the time.

 

We might only consciously control 5% of our minds, but it is through this 5% gate that the enemy can attack and control your thought life, and we must be constantly on guard, gate keepers if you will.

 

Any computer, no matter how powerful and effective, must have the sight software running. It also has to protect itself from external attacks like viruses and malware, so if you want your computer to run well you need to constantly maintain it, or renew it with system updates and virus protection.

 

YOUR MIND AFFECTS YOU AND OTHERS

 

Your mind is amazing! It affects your health, with doctors now attributing up to 80% of all physical illness to the mind. Things like ulcers, blood pressure, diabetes, heart attacks, even skin diseases and cancer all having their basis starting in your mind. Ever felt sick after receiving bad news?

 

Your mind also affects your behaviour. If your mind is filled with positivity, love and kindness, you will treat people with kindness and see the best in them. If your mind is filled with anger and violence, that’s how you too will behave.  I spoke to a police officer recently who admitted that her default position was suspicion and to expect the worst in people. As a pastor, mine is to see the best. Your mind governs the type of fruit you produce.

 

Matthew 7:17-18 (ESV Strong's)

So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

 

YOUR MIND IS CREATIVE

 

Your mind is incredibly creative, and that’s because we are made in the image of God. God created everything by simply speaking… He thought it and spoke it and the world’s sprang into being…

 

Jeremiah 10:12 (ESV Strong's)

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.

 

Our minds are reflected in our words, and they too have power, incredibly creative or even destructive power. Our words, of course, come directly from our minds and our hearts.

 

Luke 6:45 (ESV Strong's)

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

 

ATTACKS ON YOUR MIND

 

So how does the enemy attack our minds, and how can we successfully defend ourselves?

 

1.      DIFFICULTIES

 

1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV Strong's)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

 

We all face difficulties in life, and the Bible calls on us to rejoice. Now I don’t know about you, but I find this hard sometimes. Well, you are not called to rejoice that you’re suffering, but to rejoice in your suffering, rejoice in faith that God is working all things for good.

 

One of the chief weapons satan uses to attack your mind is difficulties. When you face difficulties you also face a choice… believe God, or believe satan. These attacks will come, so get ready.

 

John 16:33 (ESV Strong's)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

 

Many of you face difficulties at the moment, and if you are not careful this will affect your mind. But make no mistake, you choose to be overwhelmed by it, or triumph over it.

 

2.      DOUBT

 

Doubt is the opposite of faith.  Doubt knocked at the door. Faith answered. There was no one there!

 

If you get enough hits, enough troubles and enough bad experiences, doubt starts to rise up instead of faith. And doubt starts to toss your mind back and forth…

 

James 1:6 (ESV Strong's)

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

 

Some of you here are experiencing doubt in your mind right now. You try to believe God, but doubts overwhelm you. And these give rise to…

 

3.      DISCOURAGEMENT

 

An extension of doubt is discouragement. The enemy loves to discourage believers because when he attacks their mind causing discouragement it can affect every aspect of their lives.

 

Proverbs 13:12 (ESV Strong's)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

 

When what you hope for and work for and long for is deferred, when the goalposts keep moving, discouragement is the inevitable result.

 

Some of you here have battled for a long time, hoping for a breakthrough, and your mind is discouraged. Perhaps you’ve asked God and believed for business success, or a loved one to come to Christ, and because it hasn’t happened you get discouraged.

 

4.      DEFENSIVE STRONGHOLDS

 

Another military word for a stronghold is a redoubt… there’s that word doubt again. If we get enough discouragement and doubt this can set up areas of our life we call strongholds, and these are specific areas where we doubt more strongly and really struggle to overcome the doubt in our minds.

 

Anti Christian world views such as materialism, hedonism, Darwinism, secularism, relativism, communism, atheism. All of the different -isms and philosophies are mental strongholds that people set up against the knowledge of God.

 

For you, strongholds start with the thoughts in your mind and this leads to belief systems.  Negative thoughts set up negative thinking, so a thought like, “I never see answers to my prayers,” becomes a stronghold of thinking “It’s not worth praying, because my prayers never work.” Or if you fail often enough, a stronghold of “I’m always a failure” is set up. In the same way a series of bad relationships causes a stronghold of thinking, “there is no one out there who will love me,” and failing again and again in some sin entrenches that in your mind, seemingly unassailable and unconquerable. Strongholds are powerful, but…

 

2 Corinthians 10:4 (ESV Strong's)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

 

Some of you here need to destroy some strongholds this morning. These strongholds are not made by flesh but they are spiritual, and need spiritual solutions to break them down.

 

5.      DECEPTION

 

Many times the devil tries to deceive us, yes even us Christians are not immune. Jesus said one of the signs of the end of the age is when

 

Mark 13:22 (ESV Strong's)

false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray (deceive) if possible, the elect.

 

Deception is all around, even in this very day. When some church leaders can justify a homosexual lifestyle from Scripture, there is incredible deception. When evils like abortion or premarital sex are not only tolerated but justified by pastor’s and leaders, there is deception on a scale never before seen! In Romans Paul talks about many of the sins we currently overlook saying…

 

Romans 1:32 (ESV Strong's)

Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

 

6.      DELUSION OF SELF

 

Self deception or delusion is one of the signs of this age. Never before have people deceived themselves and talked themselves into self deception as much. With the wrong input we can convince ourselves of all kinds of things, because

 

Jeremiah 17:9-10 (ESV Strong's)

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

 

We have people who have messed up their lives thinking they are right about everything, we have girls thinking they are boys and boys thinking they are girls, we have messed up, deluded people talking like experts on Facebook. The enemy attacks us and causes self deception. They honestly believe they are right, when common sense and decency show them clearly wrong!

 

1 John 1:8 (ESV Strong's)

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

 

THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL

 

You can see how the progressions works, right? A sound mind, a godly mind, a Christlike mind, is attacked by difficulties, causing doubts, them discouragement, then defensive strongholds, opening the way to allow deception into your mind and ultimately delusion, where despite all the evidence you convince yourself that you are right, your actions justified and your mind is shut off from the Holy Spirit. You become,

 

James 1:8 (ESV Strong's)

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

 

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV Strong's)

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

To live a godly lifestyle today you need to master your mind! So how can we do this?

 

HOW TO MASTER YOUR MIND

 

Satan attacks your mind because that is the gateway to your heart and soul. If he wins that battle, he can neutralise your life with Christ, ruin your life and destroy the people you love. Mastering you mind is one of the most important tasks you have in our modern world, so what strategies can we employ to win the battle of the mind?

 

1.      DON’T PUT GARBAGE INTO YOUR MIND

 

The first strategy to master your mind is to be wary of what you put into it. The old computer adage “Garbage in, garbage out” applies here. Remember the Hebrew word for think?  It means be a gatekeeper of your mind. You and you alone decide what you let in, and what you reject, so step one is lifting your game in this area.

 

Psalms 101:2-4 (ESV Strong's)

I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.

 

Now, pause for a moment and think about what you let into your mind. What you let into your mind shapes your mind, and opens you to all kinds of attacks on your mind. Many studies have shown a link between heavy metal music and suicide, and violent films or video games increasing aggression in teenagers. This is not surprising… garbage in, garbage out.

 

So the first step to mastering your mind is to carefully watch what you put into it. What TV shows do you watch? What movies do you watch, what music do you fill your mind with? What junk do you let in via internet sites, Facebook, or other social media? What friends do you let into your life?

 

Proverbs 4:23 (NIV-WS)

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

 

2.      RENEW YOUR MIND

 

Just as your computer needs to be constantly updated (especially windows) and your virus protection needs to be current, so too your mind needs to be constantly updated or renewed.

 

Romans 12:2 (NIV-WS)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

 

The Greek word for pattern is “syschematizo” which is a pattern or a mould, and that’s a great description of how the devil acts on your mind. He tries to squeeze you into the mould of this world, to make you conform the the pattern of morality and thinking that everybody else has. Don’t believe me? Try getting on Facebook and saying that you are against gay marriage and wait about 5 Minutes… you will soon see people trying to mould you into their pattern!

 

The Greek for renewing is “anakainosis” which means renew, to make new again and to conform your thinking to make it like God’s thinking. So how do you renew your mind?

 

Read the Bible. You renew your mind by daily Bible reading.  If you are a believer and you don’t read the Word of God daily you are not renewing your mind. Through reading the Bible the Holy Spirit not only speaks to you, but He washes your whole life. Renewing is washing, regenerating, rebirthing!

 

Titus 3:5 (NIV-WS)

he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

 

In Israel there are two Great Lakes or seas, both fed by the Jordan river. Galilee has fresh, clean water, and it is full of life and fish. The Dead Sea is exactly that… Dead. It has lethal concentrations of salt and nothing lives in or even near the Dead Sea. What’s the difference? Galilee has an outflow, so the waters are constantly renewed, but the Dead Sea has no flow out. It is never renewed!

 

Daily Bible reading with our reading plan is a great place to start renewing your mind. I challenge you to do it. Got no time? Do the loo challenge… surely you spend at least 10 minutes a day sitting down there.

 

Renewing your mind means putting godly things into your mind. Coming to church, listening to worship music, reading the Bible and other Christian books, watching wholesome movies…

 

Philippians 4:8 (ESV Strong's)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 

3.      GUARD YOUR MIND

 

Reading the Word of God renews your mind, but you will still suffer attacks, so when you are renewing your mind you also need to guard it. How can you guard your mind from satanic attacks?

 

Prayer… Not the shopping list of things you order God to do for you, the two way dialogue where you pray and His Spirit speaks back to you. This is what we are studying in our course, how to hear the voice of God! When you hear Him, your mind is renewed, and you are filled with peace and love.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV Strong's)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

Prayer and Bible reading not only renew your mind, they guard your heart and mind, protecting you from the attacks of the evil one in your life! They help you master your mind.

 

4.      BE ACCOUNTABLE

 

Coming to church, hanging out with fellow believers not only insures more good than bad things are deposited into your mind, it also keeps you accountable. I have long noticed that people drift away from church when they are dabbling in sin, because they are embarrassed and convicted.

 

Being accountable to mature Christians is a great way to guard your mind and keep you on track as you master your mind.

 

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV Strong's)

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

 

In this church I have several people to whom I am accountable, notably my board and some of the elders. Some pastors act like a dictatorship, but I do not fire off and make decisions by myself.  I lead as part of a team, and I am constantly accountable for my behaviours and decisions.

 

5.      STAY POSITIVE

 

If you do not master your mind and start to be squeezed into the mould of the world, you will notice often times that negative thoughts begin to crop up and take charge of your life.

 

I am not a proponent of the positive confession doctrine, but I firmly believe that we should think and speak positive words, and that we must remain positive and filled with faith instead of being filled with negativity.

 

Whatever the circumstances,  Christians can stay positive. I ask people how they are going and they often say, “Pretty good under the circumstances.” Then I ask what they are doing under there, they should be living above the circumstances.

 

Whatever the circumstances, you can choose how you respond. Negative, with doubt and fear. Or positive with faith. Whether you feel it or not, you can choose to remain positive, and your words have power. 10/12 spies gave a negative report on the Promised Land, but Caleb said this…

 

Numbers 13:30 (ESV Strong's)

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”

 

They all looked at the same fortified cities and giants that lived there. But their perceptions were different. Their minds were different.  Most of the spies who were sent out perceived the fortified cities and giants as threats and intimidation. But Caleb perceived them as opportunity to conquer.

 

Your problems, your adverse circumstances are either fear and doubt or an opportunity to shine for Jesus. When Fiona and I lost everything including our home in an investment collapse, everyone was watching us, to see how we would react. It hurt, is was fearful and intimidating, but we chose to see the positive and chose faith instead of fear.

 

Job 13:15 (ESV Strong's)

Though he slay me, I will hope in him;

 

How can you stay positive in the face of pain, doubt, fear, heartache, sickness, breakups or whatever you are now facing. You do this by filling your mind with positive things. Just as you can fill it with negative things from TV, Facebook, etc, you can choose instead to fill it with the positive…

 

6.      TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE

 

Mastering your mind is not a once off event, but a steady, ongoing and vigilant process. You have to constantly be on your guard, because when you think you have the devil pegged and you recognise his influence, he sneaks up on you another way! He’s a cheat and doesn’t play fair. All’s fair in love and war, and this is a war for your thoughts and your mind! It’s a spiritual battle for your mind… So how do we deal with all this?

 

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (ESV Strong's)

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

 

When those negative thoughts pop into your mind, take them captive and make them obedient to Christ! Don’t entertain the, don’t invite them for dinner or to stay with you, capture and neutralise them! Say, “I’m not going to listen to you, Jesus says I’m more than a conqueror, so you have no effect!”

 

7.      STAY FOCUSSED ON JESUS

 

When Peter stepped out of the boat, his eyes were on Jesus. Then he stopped and looked around at the wind and waves, started to doubt and started to sink.

 

Matthew 14:29-31 (ESV Strong's)

He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

 

You can master your mind if you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

 

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV-WS)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

 

YOU CAN WIN THE BATTLE OF YOUR MIND!

 

If you are struggling to master your mind, don’t give up… fight the good fight. If you look to Jesus you can win the battle of your mind.  I know many here struggle to stay positive and fill their minds with good things, but today is the day we say to the devil ENOUGH. We are choosing to fix our eyes on Jesus, we are choosing to take negative, destructive thoughts captive and we are going to master our minds!

Masterclass- Master Your Time

Last week we looked at mastering our past, and this week I want to examine mastering your time.

 

This would be one of the single biggest challenges for myself personally, especially so when I took on Ignite as a pastor. Honestly, if you gave me 48 hours in every day I would fill them up! Part of the problem here is that most of us just slide into the maelstrom that is time and commitments without a plan, without a safeguard and basically without a clue! Yet time is like money, and can be managed and invested wisely or foolishly.

 

Imagine if you had a bank that invested $86,400 every day, but did not carry the balance to the next day. What would you do? You would draw out every cent while you could, wouldn’t you?

 

The bank of time is like that. 86,400 seconds invested every morning, but no rollover to the next day.

 

THE CLOCK… FRIEND OR FOE?

 

Most of us live by the clock… appointments, schedules and rushing. We even rush when we have no need to rush! How do you feel when the lights turn green and the little old lady driving in front takes 3 seconds to start slowly moving? “They’re not getting any greener, lady!”

 

Benjamin Franklin said, “Do not squander time, for it is the stuff life is made of.”

 

Most of us are continually frustrated seemingly always fighting the clock, habitually, as a way of life. We stay up too late, we sleep as late as possible then rush frantically to school or work, gulping down an unhealthy breakfast in the car, applying make-up (or using a razor) at the stoplight, talking on our phone at the same time.

 

Yet Jesus, tasked with the most important job in all of eternity, never seemed to be in a rush! He took time to sit with children and bless them, time to connect with friends, time to spend communing with His Father in prayer, and He did it all without a smart phone, a watch or a PDA! Time was His friend, not His enemy! Consider Psalm 90…

 

Psalms 90:4 (ESV Strong's)

For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.

 

A man was speaking to God and he asked him, "God is it true that to you a thousand years is a minute?" "That's true," God replied. "And is it true that to you $1,000,000 is like a penny?" "That's true," God said. "Well, you see I'm a poor man and I was wondering if you could give me a penny," asked the man. "Sure," said God, "in a minute."

 

Psalms 90:10 (ESV Strong's)

The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

 

Psalms 90:12 (ESV Strong's)

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

 

The God of all eternity, the God who is beyond time and space, I believe He has something to teach us about time, from His perspective rather than our limited perspective… T.I.M.E

 

T…TREASURE

 

Time is precious, more valuable than money. How valuable?  Treasure every moment that you have!  Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  Today is a gift.... That’s why it’s called the “present!”

 

A.W. Tozer wrote:

“Time is a resource that is nonrenewable and nontransferable. You cannot store it, slow it up, hold it up, divide it up or give it up. You can’t hoard it up or save it for a rainy day–when it’s lost it’s unrecoverable. When you kill time, remember that it has no resurrection.”

 

You can lose money and regain it. You can make more money, but you cannot make more time. You can’t rewind time and do it again. You can’t replay it and use it more effectively. When it’s gone it’s gone. It’s so precious, yet we often squander it and let it slip through our fingers. We invest in the wrong things, things that ultimately do not matter!

 

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV Strong's)

 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

“The Cat’s in the Cradle” was a famous song written by Harry Chapin, and it talks about a man who never had time for his son, then later when he had time, his son never had time for him.

 

Maybe you’ve heard the song, but here’s the rest of the story: Harry Chapin’s wife, Sandy, actually wrote the words to that song after their son Josh was born. It became a self-fulfilling prophecy. When their son was 7, Harry was performing 200 concerts a year, and Sandy asked him when he was going to take some time to be with his son. Harry promised to make some time at the end of the summer. He never made it. That summer, a truck hit Harry’s Volkswagen bug and he was killed… Time is precious!

 

I…INVEST

 

1. You can’t save time - you can only invest it

 

Time is more valuable than money, but it’s like money in that it can be spent and invested. It’s different from money though, because while money can be saved, time can’t.

 

It you don’t use time, you lose it. Forever. In the early 1970s Jim Croce wrote a song that said, “If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, is to save every day ‘till eternity passes away–just to spend them with you.” Those are great lyrics, and it would be nice if we could save time, but you simply can’t. In fact, a few months after he wrote that song, Croce was tragically killed in a plane crash at the age of 30. You can’t save time.

 

2. Where you invest your time reveals what is most important to you

 

There are 168 hours in each week. The average person will spend about 56 of those hours sleeping, about 24 of those hours in eating and personal hygiene, and about 50 of those hours working or traveling to work. That means there are only about 35 hours a week of “discretionary” time left over. That’s about 5 hours per day. Where are you investing those hours?

 

If I were to follow you around and observe you for those 5 hours, after about a week, I could tell you what is most important in your life. You might not like it, or agree with it, but for some of you, Facebook or surfing the Internet is most important to you. For others of you, watching television, or playing computer games is what’s most important.

 

Where are you investing your available time? One study of 1500 households found most fathers spend as little as 8 Minutes a day with their young children. Some might argue that it’s quality time that counts, but it is both quantity and quality that your child remembers. If I offered you a hundred dollar bill, would you say, “No, it’s wrinkled.” I’d rather have that new, crisp $5 because it’s of better quality.” I doubt it!

 

Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV Strong's)

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

 

Are you investing your time into what is really important?

 

M… MANAGEMENT

 

Managing the scarce resource of time is what I am going to share with you in a few moments.

 

I’m reminded of the old demonstration, where a jar is filled with big rocks and the teacher asks, “Is it full?” Yes, replies the student. Then pebbles are added and the same question is asked. Yes says the student. Finally sand is added and the teacher asks again if the jar is full. Then he fills it with water. The lesson is not that you can add more things to your schedule, the lesson is that the big rocks must be added first or they will not fit. What is important must be scheduled first, or you will have no time for it!

 

Steven Covey, who wrote “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People wrote, “The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.”  You cannot add to time, slow it down or have it again. So we need to manage ourselves to maximise the opportunities we have in our limited time. Put the important things in first. And trust me, if you don’t manage your time, it will manage you!

 

E… ENJOY

 

James 4:14 (ESV Strong's)

yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

 

Our life is fleeting, so we should not only invest is the right things, but make sure that we enjoy the little time we have. Yes, there’s work we need to do. Yes there’s ministry to be done. Yes there are souls to be saved, but don’t waste your life being miserable… enjoy the journey, not just the destination! You get one life… have some fun along the way!

 

Even work can be fun! When you work within your ministry gifting, you enjoy life so much more. One of the reasons our church is so happy and bubbly is that people are doing things they love, with people they love!

 

Some things you won’t enjoy but you have to do them. I understand… that’s life! Just make sure you build in and around these things time for what you love. Do things that are fun with the family. For example, rather than forcing my girls to clean the house up, we would put the music on and do a rock n roll clean up, dancing and singing loudly. Make fun, however that looks to you, a part of life!

 

I work hard at my secular job, and also as the pastor of this church. But I am trying to build in time with people I love that relaxes me and I can have fun with. We bought a caravan, specifically to let me disengage from the pressures of my life and to have fun.

 

So even if it’s hard work, make sure you have fun along the way and enjoy the journey. You won’t get another opportunity to enjoy the same part of the journey, because life is fleeting!

 

I THINK I CAN MANAGE…

 

So how can you manage this valuable resource we call time? Here’s 7 ideas…

 

1.      CONTROL TIME KILLERS

 

A great first step is to take control of the time killers that are currently controlling you! There are things in our lives that are supposed to help us manage time, but that actually manage us and squeeze us into their mould. Number one in this is the cell phone.

 

Colossians 4:5 (ESV Strong's)

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

 

When you phone rings or a text comes, step back for a moment and ask yourself if that is the best use of your time. If you didn’t answer that call or text, would it really matter in eternity? The devil has us convinced that every call, every text, every Facebook status update is important!

 

For most people, their smart phone is like a drug.. it controls them, it robs them of what is truly valuable and it has them convinced that they cannot live without it! I know it’s hard, I have hundreds of calls and texts as a pastor, but sometimes managing your time means turning it off.

 

Psychology venue has a new term called nomophobia, the fear of being separated from your phone, and more than 60% of us suffer from that condition (Psychology Today)

 

2.      COMPARTMENTALISE

 

One of the greatest time destroyers is worry, and the thing about worry is that it spills from one section of your life to another. Managing your time means managing worry… and placing each worry in a separate compartment can free your life dramatically!

 

But this involves treating various aspects of your life as completely separate.  We find this incredibly hard to do, and so a conflict at work plays on your mind and affects your ministry and home life.

 

Matthew 6:34 (ESV Strong's)

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

 

Jesus says that each day has enough trouble, so we should not be piling up these troubles layer upon layer until we collapse. Managing your time properly means not wasting it worrying about things you are powerless to change. Turn it off, stick the problem in an air tight compartment and enjoy another aspect of your life with freedom.  As Jesus says,

 

Matthew 6:27 (ESV Strong's)

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

 

When you come home leave the day’s crises at work. Ideally, your home life and your quiet time should be unaffected by your work or ministry. Easy to say, but hard to do!

 

3.      BUILD IN MARGINS

 

Driven people like me love to set targets and time frames, and that’s fine, but you need to recognise that this behaviour stresses you out!  We’re a piled-on, stretched-to-the limit society. We’re chronically rushed, chronically late, chronically exhausted. Many of us feel like Job did when he said,

 

Job 3:26 (ESV Strong's)

I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” [it keeps coming!]

 

We are stressed out in life… but Is there a solution? Yes. The solution is to put some margins into your life. Margins are breathing room. It’s keeping a little reserve that you’re not using up. We usually jam so much into our lives and run late for everything.

 

 Being “Marginless” is when you’re 30 minutes late to the doctor’s office because you were 20 minutes late getting out of the hairdresser because you were 10 minutes late dropping the kids off at school because something unexpected came up and ruined your perfectly timed out plan. That’s being  marginless.  Managing your time needs a good plan leaving some margin… room for error!

 

“Margin is having breath at the top of a staircase, money at the end of the month, and sanity at the end of each day.”

 

Proverbs 16:9 (ESV Strong's)

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

 

So what does adding margins bring to your life?

 

Peace: When you’re not hurrying and worrying all the time, you have time to think. Time to relax. Time to enjoy life. You have peace

 

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV Strong's)

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

 

Health: Unrelenting stress harms our bodies resulting in all kinds of stress related illnesses. We all know that, yet we let it continue day after day after day. Many times the only time we get margins in our lives is when the heart attack almost happens or does happen or the blood pressure skyrockets.

 

Your body needs downtime to heal and maintain health. Even racing cars make pit stops, because it is hard to repair something at 200 miles an hour! Margins give us time to build our health up!

 

Stronger relationships: In a world where performance rather than relationship is the premium, building margins into your life give you the chance to also build relationships. Margins allow time to sit, listen and talk.

 

Usefulness in ministry: When everything is a rush, you only think about yourself and your next activity, and just getting through the day. You are unavailable to God, and not free to follow His lead to minister to others in unexpected ways.

 

So building margins into your life not only lowers your stress, it helps you connect with others and opens ways that God can lead that you may not have expected. Don’t cram so much in that you perpetually run late and live under stress… place margins in your life.

 

4.      PRIORITISE

 

When you’re not managing your time properly you get deflected from doing what is really important in the long term by the urgent, the complainers or the current crisis. You find yourself doing what is urgent, what is pressing, but not what is important. Prioritising can give you the right perspective.

 

Prioritising means that you have to make a value judgement about what is demanding your attention. So what is the criteria needed to prioritise?

 

Matthew 6:31-33 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

 

Priorities must be based on God’s agenda, not ours. Ask yourself, Is this task important, or just demanding? Is it eternal, or just temporal? Is it the Lord, or just pressure?

 

If I know that something is not really important in the long run, in eternity, I can breathe easy and relax instead of stressing! Why not sit and write a list of what is really important in the long run, then decide what time resources you want to devote to each of those items. Don’t win the world and lose your soul!

 

5.      PROGRAM BREAKS

 

It’s ok to relax! It took me ages to understand this one point, so if you are a busy, driven person like me, recognise that it is ok to take some time out to relax.

 

Psalms 23:1-3 (ESV Strong's)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 

Come Ye apart or come Ye apart… if you don’t, you will! Some of us, myself included, need to take the time to sit by still waters. I’d rather grab a canoe and shoot the rapids, but still waters give time for the adrenaline to subside and the batteries to recharge.

 

My problem is (as for many of you), I feel guilty if I take time off, and the Lord is teaching me via the medium of a caravan that it is ok to have a break.

 

I am reminded of the woodcutter, hired to fell trees.  The first day the boss gave him an axe, and the woodcutter brought down 18 trees. The boss was impressed and told him to keep going.

 

Motivated by the boss words, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he could only fell 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only chop down 10 trees. Day after day he tried harder but was bringing down less and less trees.  “I must be losing my strength”, the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologised, saying that he could not understand what was going on.

 

“When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” the boss asked. “Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees…”

 

Ecclesiastes 10:10 (ESV Strong's)

If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.

 

Time off sharpens your axe, so don’t be afraid to take breaks and recharge.

 

6.      BALANCE YOUR LIFE

 

Life comes in seasons, and managing your time means embracing the seasons of life…

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV Strong's)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

 

In every life, work, ministry, there are times and seasons. They’re not bad or good necessarily. They are just times when things have to get done. As you serve, there are seasons to press in, go hard and serve selflessly. But you must balance these times with other seasons, seasons of rest, seasons of relaxation, seasons of trust and time with Jesus.

 

People too may have seasons in your life. Sometimes the friends you once had you drift away from, and new people come in to your life. Make sure you have balance even amongst your friends, because some will drain you while others will encourage you. Don’t fill you life with draining people, because they monopolise your time. Sometimes managing your time means managing friends!

 

7.      KEEP YOUR EYES ON ETERNITY

 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV Strong's)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

 

God has put eternity into the hearts of men, and even people who are not Christians think about what is beyond death. When managing your time, think about eternity.

 

Ultimately only 3 things are eternal… God, His Word and the souls of people. Investing large amounts of time in these will result in great blessing and a great effect for the Lord. Put God and your relationship with Him first, then your family, then your work and then your ministry, your friends, etc.. Prioritise God first and all the other things come together… seek first His Kingdom!

 

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV Strong's)

as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

 

In this chapter Paul says we get discouraged if we concentrate on temporal, worldly things, but encouraged when we focus on eternity.  We need to keep our eyes on what is important in eternity. Getting that car or house, that’s temporal. Getting a good grade, temporal. Your opinion on Facebook, temporal.  

 

So invest your limited time into God, His Word and the lives of men and women.

 

CAST YOUR BURDEN ON HIM

 

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV Strong's)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

Last week I talked about casting your burden onto the Lord. Casting literally means throwing in the Greek, and in order to throw something you have to let it go! Managing your time is not about doing more and more until you collapse, it’s about seeking first His Kingdom and righteousness, and letting God show you minute by minute what is important.

 

Some of you here are overwhelmed by life, and not managing your time properly.

 

Your destiny is not to burnout. Your destiny is to soar with the eagles, to spread you wings and fly. But it is going to take changes, it’s going to take commitment to managing your time in godliness, and it’s a long term project.

 

Isaiah 40:30-31 (ESV Strong's)

Even youths shall faint and be weary,

and young men shall fall exhausted;

but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

 

In this busy, stressed out world, Jesus promises you peace. Peace that passes all understanding. God’s not saying hurry up and you’ll catch up to me, He’s saying Be Still, and know that I am God!

Masterclass- Learn to Master Your Past

Every one of us here has a past, and for many of us it contains elements that deeply affect us. Some of us may have had wonderful upbringings, stellar relationships and a life filled with success, satisfaction and joy, but I suspect most of us look back with mixed feelings of guilt, shame, fear and anger.

 

Unless you learn to master your past, it’s successes and failures included, then you have no chance of fulfilling your destiny in life. If you do not master your past, it will master you and every move you make, every breath you take will be affected by your past.

 

Isaiah 43:18-19 (ESV Strong's)

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

 

God does not want us to be bound to our past. When God saves us, He frees us from the guilt and shame of our former life. He gives us a fresh beginning. He sets us free to receive every good thing He wants to give us.

 

However, the devil is going to throw your past into your face time and time again. I once heard it said, if the devil wants to keep reminding you of your past, try reminding him of his future!

 

Today I want to explore how you can master your past before it masters you.

 

THE PAIN OF THE PAST

 

For many of us. The past is full of shameful times and painful memories. The enemy likes nothing more than dredging up these painful memories and throwing them in your face. What kind of pain am I taking about?

 

1.      TRAUMA

 

Many of us have suffered traumatic pasts. Trauma may have been at the hands of a parent, family member, work colleague, spouse, pastor, teacher or friend. It might involve verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and the thing about trauma is that it can scar you for life. God says,

 

Psalms 147:3 (ESV Strong's)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

 

Experiencing trauma of any kind in your past affects your thoughts, your attitudes and almost everything you do today, and it’s control can be limitless if you let it. If you have experienced this trauma in your past, ignoring it or burying it does not solve the problem, it makes the damage it creates when it does come out far greater!

 

2.      GUILT

 

All of us have said or done things in our past that we regret. Sometimes it is hard to let these things go, and the guilt of foolish things we have done can affect us later in life.

 

Many people stop coming to church because they have done foolish things that they feel guilty for, especially around other Christians. I’m not here to make you feel guilty for something you’ve done in the past, I’m here to tell you that you can be set free l whatever it was!

 

Listen if you have sinned in your past, don’t carry the guilt of it for a moment longer. Confess it, tell God you are sorry and let it go, because He says,

 

Jeremiah 33:8 (ESV Strong's)

I will cleanse them from all the guilt of their sin against me, and I will forgive all the guilt of their sin and rebellion against me.

 

Many people feel guilt over what they have done in the past, and many times this haunts them, but many just regret being caught rather than the sin they committed. The sorrow you feel for what you’ve done can be worldly or godly…. But when you bring your sorrow and guilt to the Lord, you can be set free without regret…

 

2 Corinthians 7:10 (ESV Strong's)

For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

 

Corrie Ten Boom says, “God takes my sin and throws it in the sea of His forgetfulness, and puts up a sign that says NO FISHING!” As believers, we must become free of guilt. Don’t let your guilt from your past control who you are… experience godly sorrow, not worldly.

 

3.      SHAME

 

Shame is another thing we must be set free from if we are to master the past. Guilt and shame are closely related, and both of them are destructive to your life. Shame might even be for things you are not guilty of perpetrating, but the shame still remains. Being abused often causes shame, losing money causes shame, being involved or caught up in the wrong thing causes shame, even associating with certain people causes shame.

 

Bring your shame to Jesus today, and you can be set free from it. Shame will no longer affect your life or your future, because in God you can master your past of shame…

 

Romans 5:5 (ESV Strong's)

and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

 

4.      ANGER

 

Many people look back in anger, and previous experiences cause great anger that affects their current moods and behaviour, and relationships. If we have been hurt, or taken advantage of, or unfairly treated or even caught doing something wrong, we often feel angered by it. Most of the time the other party is not dwelling on it, but in our anger it can almost possess us!

 

James 1:19-20 (ESV Strong's)

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

 

The anger of man does not produce righteousness. Not forgiving others and holding onto anger about your past is like drinking poison hoping the other guy dies! Your anger mostly hurts you, and those you love, not the one you are angry with! You cannot master your past if you are sitting around being angry about it, even justifiably angry over what you perceive has been done to you.

 

Forgiving and letting go of your anger does not validate what was done to you. Letting my anger go does not mean that I think the other party was right, it just means I won’t let them make me angry any more, or let my anger affect me any more.

 

I have been ripped off for tens of thousands of dollars through the years, and some of these have been at the hands of people in my own family. It made me justifiably angry at the time, but if I held onto this anger, I might feel justified, but I could never have a relationship with them.

 

 

5.      FEAR

 

Past failures give rise to present day fears. If you’ve had a bad marriage, if makes getting married again fearful. If you’ve had poor health, you are fearful about doing certain things. If you’ve had a bad experience in a Church, it makes you fearful to go to a new church.

 

Fear… False Evidence Appearing Real, means most of what you fear never actually comes true. And the more you love Jesus, the closer you are to Him, the less fear you have and the less it controls your life.

 

1 John 4:18 (ESV Strong's)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

 

Events in our past make us fearful of failure, fearful of commitment, fearful of life! Fear and phobias master so many, and your fears are based on your past. Master your past, and you can master fear today!

 

YOUR PAST HAS POWER ONLY IF YOU LET IT

 

For so many, their current behaviour and beliefs are governed by their past experiences. You can’t drive a car looking in the rear vision mirror, and you can’t live life to the full while you are focussed on the past.  Why does the past have such power over us, and why is it so difficult to break away from our pasts?

 

1.      THE PAST IS FAMILIAR

 

Proverbs 26:11 (ESV Strong's)

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.

 

Your past might be bad, it might be painful, it might even be shameful, but it is at least familiar. Our fear of stepping out and trying something new can be greater than the mistakes we know so well. In a sense, it’s the devil we know, and many choose their painful past rather than taking a chance on possible failure!

 

This is why abused women often find new partners who are equally as abusive as the last guy! This is why people get ripped off in the same type of scam time and again. This is why people stay with abusive partners, in jobs they hate and in churches they are bored with and spiritually dying at. This is why many repeat the sins of their parents, even though they hate themselves for it. Why the child of a drug addict often turns to drugs. Why a teenage mum begets a teenage mum.

 

“My past might be miserable, but at least it’s a misery I know and am familiar with!”

 

Don’t put up with the devil you know, turn to the God who knows you!

 

 

2.      THE PAST HAS CONSEQUENCES

 

Every action has consequences. When you come to Jesus, when you confess your sin, it is totally forgiven, but this does not mean that the consequences are magically removed. King David repented of his sexual sin with Bathsheba, but Nathan the prophet confronted him and laid out consequences…

 

2 Samuel 12:13-14 (ESV Strong's)

David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”

 

Your repentance of past actions removes to sin, the guilt and the shame, but it does not remove the consequences. God can help you face them and walk through them, but He rarely removes all consequences of past sins. Friends I know have been charged with crimes and repented, but still had to go to jail. Girls have fallen pregnant and repented of sexual sin, but they still have a baby to care for and a radically different life.

 

So don’t get bitter about the consequences of your past decisions, get godly about them! Man up, embrace them as deserved, and ask God to make lemonade out of life’s lemons!

 

3.      THE PAST PROMOTES FEARS

 

Your past is primarily what your fears are based on. A child who loves and trust their dad seems to have no fear and will jump into his arms. But if he drops the child a time or two, fear enters in.

 

Ask any psychotherapist and they will tell you that millions of people are controlled by fear. Fear saps you of power to live a godly life, and it affects your mind. That’s why Paul writes,

 

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV Strong's)

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

 

You cannot master your past if you live in fear of it, because that fear controls your mind and stops you living a life of power right now. And perfect love casts out fear!

 

4.      THE PAST ONLY HAS THE POWER YOU GIVE IT

 

The power of the past is ultimately down to you. You get to choose how much the past affects your life. When you come to Christ, you are born again, and your past is broken off you because you are a new creation…

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV Strong's)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

 

The old has passed away, the new has come. Both words in the Greek are in a perfect tense, meaning the action has occurred once and it yields lasting results.

 

Now the old self had passed away. What do you do with someone who has passed away? You bury them, you don’t prop them up in the corner and invite them to stay for tea. When you master your past, you don’t prop it up and revisit it, you bury it, along with the guilt, the shame, the fear and everything else your past mistakes come with.

 

5.      THE PAST SHOULD BE LEARNED FROM

 

History repeats itself… it has to, no one ever listens! Coming to Christ sets you free from the negative power of your past, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore the wisdom it creates. While you need to make the past past at last, you will be wise to learn the lessons and not repeat the same foolish mistakes, right?

 

Don’t ignore your past, don’t shove it under the carpet. Be smart enough to learn from it. I’ve made mistakes as a pastor, but one of my strengths is that I hate making the same mistakes twice.

 

Psalms 145:14 (ESV Strong's)

The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

 

So be humble, be bowed down and learn from your past mistakes. Mastering your past includes learning from past mistakes and if you’re smart, not repeating them! Take the lesson, but not the burden!

 

MASTER THE PAST

 

So what steps can you follow to master the past? In an age when the past controls so many people’s presents and futures, it is imperative that we master our past to be set free to move towards the future.

 

Isaiah 43:18 (MSG)

"Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history.

 

We do that, don’t we… we dwell on it, we go over things from our pasts again and again, like a broken record, replaying things, thinking about what we should have said or done. We have to commit to mastering our past, or else our past master us! What steps can we follow to set our lives free from the negative influence of our past decisions, mistakes, sins and abuses?

 

1.      CONFESS

 

Most of us are pretty skilled at sweeping our pasts under the carpet. We don’t deal with the hurt we feel, we’d rather wallow in the anger, sorrow, pain or resentment, and we figure that if we ignore them they will eventually go away. They say time heals all wounds.. but they’re wrong!

 

God says, “Don’t cover up your sins, own up, and let me cover the, over!”

 

1 John 1:9 (ESV Strong's)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Don’t duck and weave, don’t blame your parents, your ex or your friends, just confess any sin and clear it out. When you confess your sin and failures from the past, you clear the way to a brighter future!

 

2.      FORGIVE

 

Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV Strong's)

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Forgiveness is key to mastering your past. When someone has wronged you, you face a choice… forgive or hold onto the hurt and become bitter.

 

Forgiving someone who hurt you does not condone what they did. Instead it breaks the power that that person has over you and your future. Failing to forgive usually does not affect the other person at all, but it starts to destroy you and builds into bitterness.

 

Hebrews 12:15 (ESV Strong's)

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

 

So forgiving anyone who has hurt you in the past, even yourself, is an important step in mastering the past.

 

3.      GIVE JESUS YOUR BURDEN

 

The past has happened, the future is yet to happen, but God’s gift to you is today, that’s why it’s called the present… it is God’s gift to you to shape and use. While ever you carry the burdens and pain of the past you cannot live life to the full in the present.

 

Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV Strong's)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

 

You still have burdens as a Christian, but they are burdens you can carry easily. The past is not such a burden, and you were never designed to carry it alone. So cast your past on the Master.

 

4.      LET IT GO

 

It’s one thing to give your burden to the Lord, but it’s another to let it go. If Elsa can do it, so can you!

 

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV Strong's)

casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 

Casting in Greek is epiripto, which means to throw. If you throw something, you have to let it go, so when you give up your past with it’s hurts and sins and regrets, throw it onto the Lord and let it go!

 

5. BE ON GUARD

 

We read 1 Peter 5:7 previously about casting your anxieties onto the Lord. The next verse is this…

 

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV Strong's)

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

 

The devil loves to throw your past up at you! You may have done things, sought forgiveness and thought them all said and done, but then the devil throws them back up into your face! You need to guard your heart!

 

I met a lovely lady not too long ago who informed me that she had been my girlfriend when I was 17! If those indiscretions of the past come flooding back, and I had to deal with them head on. The devil loves to throw things long past and even long forgotten at us, and we must be on our guard!

 

6.      PHONE A FRIEND

 

It has been said that confession is good for the soul, and sharing your past hurts, pain and even sins can help you master your past. Many times we are ashamed and try to do things alone, but there is great value in sharing honestly with a trusted friend or counsellor, or one of our pastoral care team.

 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (ESV Strong's)

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!

 

Don’t be frightened to phone a friend. Don’t be fearful about sharing even the failures and hurts of your past, but choose your friend wisely. Make sure they are godly, mature and a person of integrity, who can keep their mouth shut. Sharing with a friend like that helps you master your past!

 

 

7.      FOCUS ON JESUS AND HIS DESTINY FOR YOU

 

Matthew 14:28-30 (ESV Strong's)

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

 

Peter stepped out of the boat in faith, and kept his eyes on Jesus. But when he saw the wind and the waves, he started to sink. When you take you eyes off the Lord, when you focus on your troubles, your circumstances and yes, even your past, you start to sink!

 

So this final step involves you focusing on Jesus. And how do you do that? Reading His Word every day, coming to church, going to Connect group, praying, seeking Him. Anything like this helps you to focus on the Lord, and when you focus on Him you can start to master your past! Paul writes,

 

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV Strong's)

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

 

Don’t let the past control you. Forget what is behind, remember the lessons, but forget the past and focus on the Lord and His will for your life, press on toward life and life to the fullest. Don’t just wander after it, Paul says strain towards it, like an athlete striving for the finish line and the prize.

 

IT IS NOT TOO LATE

 

Some of you here are thinking, “This message is too late for me.” Whatever age you are, whatever past you’ve had, today is the day you master your past and step into your destiny! It is never too late to give it all to Jesus, and He has a a promise for you…

 

Joel 2:25 (ESV Strong's)

I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,

 

When you restore something, it is as good as new. When Rod restores a car, it’s as if the years of neglect never happened. Many of you have let the locusts of your past control you, and eat away everything things of value in and around your life. Today is the day that stops!

 

When we give the Lord our past, our hurts and pain, our sin and shame, our lost dreams and lost relationships, He promises that He will restore the years the locusts have eaten.

 

I’m going to pray and if you have failed to master your past, then pray with me and let’s give it all to the Master who can make your past past at last!

Pd Chris Garvie- Nehemiah

Hear Ps Chris Garvie share some excellent teaching from the book of Nehemiah, particularly aimed at men stepping up and becoming the leaders God wants them to be...