Living Your Blessed Life (4)
Living Your Blessed Life • Sermon • Submitted
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Knowing when to grow
Knowing when to grow
This is one of the hardest topics to preach on because there are so many factors in the equation, but I believe one that is weighing on or should be weighing on every believers heart.
When is it time to move? Whether we are discontent in our job, discontent in our life, or our ministry we have all faced this problem from time to time. The other road block people face when moving forward is: Is this me or is it God?
If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it.
If Discontentment stems from what I personally lack, it is displeasing to God. On the other hand, if discontentment focuses on the needs of others and building the kingdom, it’s pleasing to God.
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
God was getting read to bless Abraham, but I love Abraham’s response:
But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
With the Right Intention
This is where you see the heart of God in Abraham- What Abraham is actually saying is:
What is an abundant blessing if it all dies with me?
If it’s all about me, what good is it? Last week we talked about stewardship, but this week it’s about your heart.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.
We can’t fool God. If we are giving because it makes us feel good it doesn’t matter what comes out of your mouth because you cannot fool God.
Living a blessed life: Means living a God centered life.
Abraham wanted to expand God’s kingdom. He wanted to spread God’s wealth. He didn’t want to horde it and keep it to himself.
ANd Notice: Abraham didn’t try to figure the problem out on his own.
He sought God.
2. Seek out the Right Knowledge
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
God is willing to give knowledge abundantly, but it’s seeking and asking.
When should you grow? When should you move? It all comes down to What is God asking you to do? We all need to spend time learning.
I look at King Solomon. Eventually he went down a rough path, but when he was on the right path God told him- Ask me anything and I will give it you.
Solomon asks- Give me wisdom to lead your people. And God did. He not only did that he said because of your heart you will have abundant wealth.
3. Seek to grow before you go
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?
Today we have college which for many is waste of money. There was a day when an apprenticeship was used. You learned and grew under someone else you helped them make money and when you were ready to branch out, after you had collected knowledge, you began to reap your own harvest.
One of the biggest gates to growth is who you hang out with. What you read and what you watch. What you spend your time doing. God will not promote an idiot, because an idiot refuses to learn. You want to be around people who are where you want to go. You want to grow in sales be around the top sales people in your area. They will show you the ropes. Watch. Learn. You want to grow as a musician. Stay around musicians. They will help you grow. You want to grow in God. Spend your time around people who have greater faith than you and you will learn.
People fail because of lack of knowledge. They see someone’s step 100 and they want to reap that reward, but they don’t want to go through the other 99 steps to get there. The smartest, wealthiest people first made someone else wealthy.
Steve Jobs met his first mentor, Robert Friedland, at college in the early 1970s. ... Among the things Jobs got from Friedland were the name of his company (Jobs got the inspiration for the name “Apple” after staying on Friedland's apple farm), and a technique that became one of his hallmarks for decades later.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson Had Jody Cwik- Dwayne’s football coach. He said the best thing the coach taught me was how to make goals and where I needed to go to accomplish them.
Dwayne helped Jody’s Career. Steve helped his professor complete several important tasks, but they all gained one idea that carried them through their career.