What Keeps Us From Saying Yes?

I’ve been praying constantly—more consistently than I’ve ever prayed.  Some of my prayers ask God to for lessons to help me through this time in my life.  This chapter of What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst was definitely relevant.

Notes:

What Happens When Women – Lysa TerKeurst – 12/27/10 – What Keeps Us from Saying Yes

When you choose to obey God, you are going to encounter naysayers.  They don’t understand you.  They don’t want to understand you.  And often what you’re doing makes them feel convicted.  If someone is quick to find fault in something good someone else is doing, that person is usually wrapped up in his or her own self-centered outlook.  Naysayers make themselves feel better by tearing others down.

Mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power.  Have nothing to do with them (2 Timothy 3:11).

Your responsibility is to obey God, and He will handle the outcome.  When you start to worry, you will know how to be swept in God’s assurance rather than swept away in fear.

Instead of allowing those feelings of conviction to produce good changes in them, these people seek to discourage you in hopes of hushing Christ in you.

Is this person criticizing me active in pursuing a relationship with the Lord? Is this person answering God’s call in his life, producing evidence of Christ’s fruit? Does this person have my best interest in mind?

Never let compliments of others go to your head or their criticisms go to your heart.

“If my life is fruitless, it doesn’t matter who praises me, and if my life is fruitful, it doesn’t matter who criticizes me.” John Bunyan

“You will find that people who do not understand your shape for ministry will criticize you and try to get you to conform to what they think you should be doing.  Ignore them.  Paul often had to deal with critics who misunderstood and maligned his service.  His response was always the same: Avoid comparisons, resist exaggerations, and seek only God’s commendation.” Rick Warren

The Foes of Grace

Grace has two foes: acceptance and rejection.
Gatekeeper of Acceptance: Enticing with his offerings of compliments and big promises.
Gatekeeper of Rejection: Gives me permission to excuse myself from following my true calling.
With acceptance, I must try to keep impressing him and keep score on the table of comparison.  It feeds on the pride that has yet to be driven from my heart.  With rejection, I shy away from following God and being obedient.  The ease of settling for less is tempting.
God stands behind the gate.  His love is not based on my performance.  His love is based on His surrender at the cross.

The Great Dance
Our flesh seeks the approval of others, is swayed by Satan’s voice of condemnation, and looks for the comfortable way out.
There is a pull between condemnation and conviction.  Condemnation leaves us feeling hopeless and worthless; conviction invites us to make positive changes in our lives.
Being too busy for quiet times with Jesus can lead to confusion.
You must remember that this is not your real home.  Your real home is with Jesus.  Realizing this is only temporary helps me to live beyond and rejoice in what is to come.

The Choice to Worry or Worship
When we worship, we are reminded that none of this is about us—it’s about God.
Turn the focus off of us and back to God Almighty.
God uses empty places in your life to draw your heart to Him.
I thank Him for the empty places, for they remind me that only He has the ability to fill me completely.
We all worship something. We must choose whom—or what—we will worship.  Will it be the opinions of others, our fears, or even our own comfort?  Or will it be the One who created our souls to worship?  Whatever we worship, we will obey.  As we choose to be radically obedient and say yes to the Lord, we must be radical about choosing to worship Him and Him alone.

Peace Like a River
Choose daily to walk in absolute obedience to the moment-by-moment, day-by-day, assignment-by-assignment commands of the Lord.
We are to die to our self-centeredness so we can have more Christ in our hearts and minds.
Our attention is like a magnifying glass; when we focus our minds and fix our attention on Christ, He is magnified and made bigger in our lives.
Saying yes to God is a lot more about being than doing.

Matthew 1:18-25

Today a few friends and I went to Fellowship.  It was a really inspiring message.

Notes:

            Fellowship ∙ Bryan Loritts ∙ 12/26/2010 ∙ Matthew 1:18-25

Men and women were “betrothed” at young ages.  Women between the ages of 12 and 14; men by 18 to 20.

For women, it was at that age that their cycle normally began and it was then they knew that they had entered into womanhood.  For men, since it was less obvious, it was when they had a bar mitzvah that they entered into manhood.

When men became men, it meant that, one, you now own your relationship with God.  Two, you started working or became an apprentice.

These are the five manhood marks:

1.       Leaving home.

2.       Completing education.

3.       Starting work.

4.       Marriage.

5.       Parenthood.

By age 13, numbers one, two and three were checked off.  By 20 or 22 at the latest, the last two were fulfilled.

The problem in today’s society is that there is no shame.  Boys are coddled; children aren’t left to struggle, leaving us handicapped. We are in a crisis of manhood.

Pastor Bryan told us a story of his friend, who, when they were young, had just graduated high school.

“Son, come out here on the porch,” his dad said, holding a set of fine China.
As they spoke, the father slammed the dishes to the ground.
“Dad, what was that?” the son asked.
“That, son, was your place-setting.”

Where does strength come from?  The struggle.

Back then, the bar was set so high—that was the standard!

There were so many times Joseph could have…but he didn’t.  He was a noble man.

Noble men lay down their rights.
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly (Matt 1:19).  Joseph had every right to condemn Mary for what happened, but he didn’t.  Like Jesus, Joseph shared the shame.

Noble men see vulnerability and fight to protect it.
Women stand by their men, but very few men stand by their women.   (Please read A Promise Kept.)  He chose to stand by her when all others would have attacked or abandoned.

Noble men protect purity.
“…but knew her not until she had given birth to a son” (Matt 1:25).  Joseph knew how to delay gratification.  Women are not just body parts, but we were made in the image of God.  A woman’s value is not in her figure, but in Who she belongs to…honor and protect her.

America constantly shames women.  In beer ads and commercials, in the porn industry, we constantly shame women.  Have you left your wife for unbiblical reasons?  Have you delved into porn?  If so, you’ve taken part in shaming women, who, like, men, were created in the image of God.

When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine (Ezekiel 16:8).

Joseph obeyed God – obedience

Do not mistake quietness for passivity

John Patton went to an island of cannibals and brought them to God.  How? He was asked.  My father; he led the example of a man who was faithful.  Look for men modeling faith, leading us in scripture and prayer.

Suggested reading
A.W. Tozer – Pursuit of God

Do you really believe?

This was the day my life as a Christian changed.

Notes:

Independent Presbyterian – Richie Sessions – 12/19/10 – Do you really believe?

If you believe, but have never been moved to changed, then you really don’t believe.

You can know about religion and still not know Jesus.  Do you really believe?

What is the thing in your life that is turning you into a monster?

You’re at war with Jesus.

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil (John 3:19).

We don’t want to be revealed as people who are evil…that’s why we don’t change.

We’re not looking for Jesus, we’re walking right by.  You don’t need another self-help book, you just need to believe in Jesus.  Only God can give you [what you need].

I hope that this is the Christmas—the Christmas where you can say, ‘Now I love Jesus.  Now I understand what He’s about.  I love Him more this year than last.’

They adored Jesus because they had faith in Jesus.  Wiseman + thief – greatest examples of faith

Faith sees the reality that can’t be seen.  They walked because they had faith.  Walk through your doubts, your questions, your sinner-mentality.  Walk through the stories.  He is the King of the Jews.

Do you worship Jesus Christ?
Do you adore Him?
Does your heart think He’s worthy of adoration?
Do you know how precious He is?
He loved us with such a passion…

What do you love more than Jesus?

He wants our whole hearts. Our money, our treasure, time, tithes, gifts

If you adore Jesus, are you giving to Him what’s most precious?

When dictators are threatened, what do they do?  Kill everything.

Adoration leads to sacrifice.

http://mail.indepres.org/media/archive/2010/12-19-10SessionsDSL.mp3