Sunday, July 5, 2015

Twenty Things I Have Been Learning Along the Way:

The most important thing in life is knowing God Himself. Even if we gain the whole
world, nothing will profit us if we lose our soul. The only way we may know God is
through faith in Christ, renewal by the Holy Spirit, and reading the Word of God.






Seeking satisfaction with God is better than seeking satisfaction through the world.
Actually the hungrier I get for God, the more satisfied I become! And yet, the more that
I've realized that God is enough for me and am satisfied in Him, the more I am discontent
to only have what I have now of Him. All of my life I want to constantly hunger for Christ
and to become more satisfied in Him.






Without personal application, understanding the meaning of Scripture is worthless.
This is true of all knowledge. In my own personal study of Scripture, I often made
understanding the meaning of it my goal instead of understanding what implications it had
for my life. God showed me my sinful pride and the vanity of this pursuit. By God's grace,
I've learned that the goal of Bible study should never be simply to understand, but also
how to apply the knowledge in my daily life.



Correct doctrine is important, but having correct doctrine without humility and love is worthless. Spiritual knowledge doesn't equal spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity is walking by the Spirit, and in love. Love is the fulfillment of the law. It is so much more important to be an expert at keeping the law of love than an expert at understanding spiritual concepts. “If I ...know all the mysteries and all knowledge...but do not have love I am nothing.” 1 Cor. 13:2

Memorizing Scripture is very important. Memorizing Scripture is important because it is our weapon against sin. David said, “I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11When Jesus was tempted, He fought with Scripture and said, “it is written...”Memorizing Scripture is important because we can meditate on it when we have it memorized. It is very useful for taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. (1 Cor.10:5)Memorized Scripture is also a source of comfort when I'm afraid or upset. Memorizing scripture is important because we will always have it with us. I've found it very helpful when I'm witnessing, when I have to make a quick decision, when I am without my Bible, and even when I'm trying to understand other passages of Scripture. I get many of my ideas for my writing from the Scriptures that are in my heart. There are so many benefits to always having it with you.



True greatness isn't accomplished by skill, rank, or power but by being a servant and
by humbling ourselves. “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant.”
Matt. 20:26 Jesus Himself said, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to
serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” The truly great man follows Jesus's
example and washes the feet of others.



The most important priority is one's relationship with God, not one's ministry to
others. Ministry shouldn't be our focus. It is easy to become people-focused, but as soon
as this happens, we are only doing humanitarian work. We should be God-focused and our
ministry should flow from that.






We must fight sin every day, because we are in a battle. If we let our guard down, and
if we aren't intentional and persistent with fighting sin, we will lose important battles. (See
Eph. 6:10-18)

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around
like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him firm in your faith...” 1 Peter
5:8-9a.






It is important to set aside personal prayer time and Scripture reading. Scripture
says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.” It is so important to read all of Scripture. While everything we read in the Bible
will benefit us, it is important to make sure we are reading all of Scripture and not missing
anything. I've learned that it is helpful to periodically read straight through Scripture, and
then take time to study individual books. It is by reading all of Scripture that we
understand any of Scripture. Some passages are difficult to understand without the rest of
Scripture. I've found that I pray more throughout the day if I have already spent time in
secret prayer. Jesus frequently went off by Himself to pray. We have a great need to be in
prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer, and Christians should be too. Often, I feel like I wish I
knew better words to say when I pray, but God is pleased with our prayers when they are
spoken with an attitude of childlike humility and a submissive heart that says, “Not my
will, but yours be done.”An excellent book on prayer is, “A Simple Way to Pray” by 
Archie Parrish. It's a tiny book with big print, and inside is Martin Luther's letter to his
barber who wanted to know how to pray. I would highly recommend this book!






It's important to be faithful in little things. The little things are the hardest. We all want
to do great things that make us feel important, but doing the small things well is one of the
most important challenges we'll ever have. I've learned God prepares us for great things in
small ways. When we are faithful with little, He entrusts us with much. Nothing done out
of worship for God is insignificant. The best way to do great things is to yield yourself to
the potter and be faithful where you are. He has to shape you before you are ready for use,
and the greatest thing you can ever do is fulfill God's plan for your life no matter how
many little things it takes. After all, God's will for us is that we be conformed to the image
of His Son (Rom. 8:29).






We must guard against distractions. One of Satan's oldest tactics is distraction. It's easy
to become distracted, but our focus must be on Christ. Even good things can become a
distraction. In fact, Satan loves to make us busy with good things as long as we are
distracted from Christ. The solution to this problem is not to rid ourselves of all our
distractions but to learn how God would have us think and act in regards to whatever is
distracting us. We must learn to exercise self-control and to glorify God in each area of
life. And we must “be of sober Spirit” and “be on the alert” (1Peter 5: )






It's important to honor authority. We may not always agree with the authority figures in
our life, but we must submit to them as to Christ because God put them in our lives and
commands us to obey them. Our hearts are selfish and we want to do things our own way.
From the time we were toddlers, we said, “I can do it all by myself!” God is gracious and
He places authorities in our lives to teach us to submit. Submission is a hard lesson to
learn. Ultimately, we must learn to submit to the Holy Spirit. It is through submission to
the Holy Spirit that we are able to submit to the other authorities in our lives. This is a
lesson I'll always be learning. Christ will always be teaching me to say, “Not my will, but
yours be done.” He obeyed His father perfectly and even submitted himself to men!
Christ's submission amazes me! It is paramount as a Christian to learn to submit our will
to our Father's will. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it's end is the way to
death.”Proverbs 14:12






God can be trusted. He is always faithful to His promises and His Word. He never
changes! Over and over again He has proved this in my personal life and in His Word!






God provides. When I have a need I take it to Christ and He always provides what I need.
It isn't always what I want, but He is faithful to give me all that He knows I need. I'm
learning to Pray (instead of worry) when I have a need. 






Relationships are the most important investment I can make on earth. I've learned
that relationships should always take priority over my plans and goals. It is so easy to
forget this when I have a long list of things I want to do. God is gracious to keep
reminding me of this. The longer I live, the more I understand this truth. Sometimes I
have to chose between finishing my list and loving the people I'm with. I'd rather invest in
people than my plans. 






Handling conflict in a Christlike way is better than avoiding it, responding in our
flesh, or trying to ignore it. Because relationships are valuable, it is worth taking time
to study how to handle conflict. Scripture gives us all that we need to know in order to
do this. One of the things I've learned is that when I am upset at someone else, I need to
spend time in prayer examining why I am upset. Sometimes I am upset because of selfish
reasons and not because the other person has sinned. Sometimes the other person has
sinned, but I can overlook it whenever I remember all that God has forgiven me. If I
cannot overlook it and I'm still offended, I try take time examining my own part in the
conflict. I ask God to show me how the other person is feeling and any sins that I need to
repent of. Then I ask God to help me to be humble and truly listen, and I go seek
restoration. First, I ask for forgiveness if I have sinned. (It's important not to make excuses
when asking for forgiveness. Like Adam and Eve we often have the desire to make
excuses, but God doesn't accept them, and we aren't truly repenting if we are still making
excuses.) After, this I tell the other person as graciously as possible how they have
offended me and what I would prefer them to do in the future. Then it's time to listen and
ask questions to try to understand the other person because they are usually frustrated too.
The goal when talking about conflict cannot be to prove ourselves innocent or to retaliate.
It must be done in a loving way and we must be ready to forgive. We must seek
restoration when we have conflicts and not leave them unresolved. I am still learning to do
this. God's grace and Word is sufficient to guide and help us in every conflict we will ever
face. Handling conflict is definitely one of the most important skills I've learned. An
excellent book with Biblical principals for handling conflict is, “If you Bite and Devour”
by Alexander Strauch. He explains in depth that when we are faced with conflict,
Christians must act in the spirit with love and humility; control their tongue, anger, and
criticism; and pursue reconciliation and peace. There are hundreds of helpful scriptures in
this book!




It truly is more blessed to give than to receive!






It's important to be teachable and to seek counsel. I've learned the hard way that pride
is destructive, and that I won't learn what God wants me to learn, unless I am humble and
I listen to others. Instead of resisting instruction, I should actually seek it! Wisdom is
precious and should be sought above riches. It can only be gained through humility.






Momentary pleasure is a destructive and subtle idol. I've learned this from experience.
Living for pleasure and seeking to live a comfortable life is dangerous. If that is our
ultimate goal, we won't be willing to obey God. He said, “If anyone would come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Matt. 16:24 Following Christ
isn't comfortable. It's downright hard and will cost you everything, but true joy is found in
following Christ. We can easily be tricked, as Adam and Eve were, to trade eternal joys
for momentary pleasures. Worldly pleasure is counterfeit. Scripture teaches, “In [God's]
presence there is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm
16:11. This is a very important thing to learn, and one of the most important things God
has been teaching me. Satan still entices people with momentary pleasures, but we can
resist him through Christ's strength and he will flee from us.






It is important to be thankful and enjoy God's gifts. I'm learning to say, “This is the
day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” Sometimes I forget to give God
the praise He is due for all the ways He has graciously blessed me. I don't want to be like
the lepers who were healed but forgot to come back and thank Jesus. I want to remember
to praise Him. Scripture commands us to do this, and I'm learning to bless the Lord at all
times and ascribe to Him the glory He's due. Psalm 34:1 Psalm 96:8






Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for God's glory
alone, and 

Scripture alone is to be our authority. These are known as the five solas of
Scripture and are central doctrines in my faith. These are the very heartbeat of the Bible
and Christianity.






Christ is returning and it's important to be ready! Scripture teaches He will come like
a thief in the night. We should seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Because He's coming back, it is important to be saved and to be faithfully living for
Christ!


In Christ,
Dallas

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