Part 1 - 07/07/2024 - 12 Rules for Decisive and Delightful Living (Audio Not Available)

Grace Place Atlanta COGBF 4700 Mitchell Street Forest Park, GA 30297 Website: atlantacogbf.org Email: info@atlantacogbf.org Phone: (404) 241-6781 Wayne D. Mack, Pastor Pastor Wayne D. Mack Sermon Notes July 7, 2024 12 Rules for Decisive and Delightful Living James 1:26-27 New King James Version 26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. What is the meaning of the word decisive? having the power or quality of deciding. The council president cast the decisive vote. a decisive battle. 2. : resolute, determined. DECISIVE may apply to something that ends a controversy, a contest, or any uncertainty. What does it mean if you are decisive? To make decisions quickly If you make decisions quickly, you are someone who is decisive. A decisive event can settle something, like a war. People who are wishy-washy are the opposite of decisive: being decisive means you don't waffle or take forever to make up your mind, and then you stick by what you decided. Declutter = What does it mean to declutter something? to remove mess or clutter or unnecessary items from (a place) i.e., a life or mind in order to organize and prioritize (one's commitments, material possessions, etc.) 1 facing your past. First ask what would appear to be a no-brainer question: Do I have a past? The reason I placed this question here is to cause a reality check: Everyone has a past! The worst thing you can do is pretend to not have one or ignore it. The quicker you face it, the better your chances are of experiencing peace about it or continuing to battle in a losing war. So now, let’s embrace the first rule of life: Make peace with your past. Now, you may ask: How do I make peace with my past? Here are three things: • • Identify the thing or things you’re at war with . . . from your past. Person, Place or Thing. Know that there is a Time for Everything: A time to war with your past, and a time to make peace. Ecclesiastes 3 New Living Translation 3:1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. • Apply God’s power and promise to this first rule. That rule is Philippians 3: 1216 12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. 1. What other people think of you is none of your business. Wow! If only we could be so strong and secure within ourselves. But so often society, culture, and our upbringing has conditioned us to be concerned and often consumed with what others think of us. Of course, we want them to think good of us, but most often that is not the case. Nevertheless, where we should strive to be is liberated from being defined or defeated by what others think of us – especially if it’s not true – which is the equivalent of an opinion which doesn’t even hold water. 2 What this is really saying is “What others think of me and you is not worth entertaining or giving time to”. What matters is what God thinks! Here are FOUR quick remedies from God on making what others think of you none of your business: • Romans 14:3-5 New Living Translation 3 Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval. • Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”. • John 15:18 "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me [Jesus] before it hated you. And according to John 15:25 'They hated Me without a cause.' • I am not who anyone outside of God thinks I am or says I am. In Psalm 139:14 . . . God reminds me and you through David of not only who we are, but also how liberated we are from the opinions of others: David said: I will praise You [freedom and deliverance from others], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Discover who you are in Christ. You are who He says you are according to His Word. 2. Time heals almost to most everything, give it time! In life, time does heal most everything that life throws at us. That’s in the natural. But God would have us to know that with Him, given time, He will heal all things according to His will and His way. God’s way of healing and making whole are not dictated to by our definition of healing. For example, God’s way of healing can come by way of complete physical or mental deliverance or it could come by way of developing character in us. This is best illustrated in Romans 5: 1- 5 3 5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, [a]we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces [b]perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. The emphasis here is on Faith because Faith Triumphs in Trouble. Because of faith, you and I can please God. Hebrews 11:6 says: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And we know that with God, trouble doesn’t last always. (Don’t last aways). In fact, Psalms 46:1 says . . . God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. In the words of one of my best pastor friend’s late wife, Erta Livingston, She would often say: Give time, time! And when we do, here’s what we learn: a. Remember that God won’t leave us nor forsake us, nor abandon us, or leave us comfortless or orphaned. John 14: 1 Let not your heart be troubled . . . you believe in God, believe also in Me. Hebrews 13:5 says: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” b. Honest Perspective so as to not insult God: Remember, you are not the first, nor the last, nor the only person who has gone through or faced a seemingly impossible or insurmountable situation. c. God is Faithful . . . to stand with us and by us. Psalm 37:3 challenges us to: Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. A Dozen Dos for Decisive and Delightful Living End . . . 4