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April 19, 2008 on 9:02 pm | In Joe Aldridge | Comments Off

HOW TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE

PREACHER: Joe Aldridge

Sermon Outline: Questions and Answers about How to Live

You have to willingly surrender your appetites to God, and your life will be changed.Your spiritual habits have to overtake your fleshly habits.

1. PROBLEM: “I cannot forgive _______, no matter how hard I try.” (II Corinthians 2: 10-11)

a. Satan gets an advantage over us when we do not forgive.

b. You don’t have to trust, but you have to forgive them by not carrying the burden of their wrong-doing. Forgiveness is not forgetting. When someone stops justifying what they’ve done, then they can regain your trust.

c. Some people can’t forgive because they don’t understand forgiveness.

d. We forgive because of what Jesus has done, not because people deserve it. They don’t.

e. Living in the flesh of unforgiveness will destroy a person.

f. Habitually be quick to forgive, but slow to trust.

ANSWER: “Dear Father, thank you for forgiving me and for giving me the forgiveness to forgive ______.” –Make a prayer like this a habit.

2. PROBLEM: “I cannot do anymore. I just can’t do it.” (Philippians 4:13)

a. Most of the time, the reason we get into this state is because we don’t understand the difference between what God wants us to do and what man wants us to do.

b. Humanity will wear you out. If you live to please men, you will be exhausted.

c. YOU CAN’T PLEASE MEN. God never expects you to.

ANSWER: “Dear Jesus, thank you for giving me the strength to go on, to do what I cannot do. I will continue because of you and your victory.” (Galatians 1:10, Philippians 4:11-13)

We can do all the things that Christ strengthens us to do. There may be some things that God never intended for us to do. He will not give us strength to do that which He has not intended for us to do. Christ didn’t die so that you could do whatever you want to do. The main thing that Christ will strengthen us to be is content. Don’t wait on God to circumstantially prove to you that He is able. Stop allowing the flesh to control you. Start being content in the Spirit. We have taken the Christian life out of context, and have made a habit of living for God in the flesh.

3. PROBLEM: “I do not know what to do. What am I going to do?” (John 16:13-14)

ANSWER: “Holy Spirit, lead me and give me wisdom. I’m asking you to guide my path.”

Some people would rather reason and argue with God than make statements about truth. Allow God to stop proving Himself to us and just start believing.

a. The reason we sin is because we allow ourselves to get hungry.

b. We don’t continually feast on what God has given us.

c. Be in a habit of constantly asking God for His wisdom and leadership in your decisions.

d. This will keep us from getting hungry and making us choose to do the wrong thing.

e. Our living has to be spiritual. We’re feasting on the junk-food of the world instead of feasting on the spiritual food that God has given us. We are unfulfilled because we have a spiritual hunger that the world cannot fill.

4. PROBLEM: “I am going to give her/him a piece of my mind. I’m just going to tell him/her off.”

a. Telling people off and blowing off steam is not godly. IT’S PRIDE.

b. It’s from a desire to prove that we are right.

ANSWER: “I yield my mouth and mind to you, Holy Spirit. Control me from myself.” (Ps. 19:12-14)

Don’t allow your mind to have a habit of any improper thinking. We need to get as upset about our private sin as we do about our public perception.

It is my responsibility to make sure that what my heart is chewing on is acceptable to God.

5. PROBLEM: “I am naturally that way. It’s just the way we are.”

ANSWER: “Dear God, change the way I am. I want to be like your Son.” (Romans 12:1-2)

a. We need our minds renewed to know what we should and should not do.

b. Don’t waste your time doing things that do not matter.

APPETITES ARE HABITUAL. TRUE CHANGE ONLY COMES ON THE HEELS OF CONSISTENCY. DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO CONTINURE TO LIVE THE SAME WAY. STOP LIVING IN THE FLESH. CHURCH SERVICES ARE NOT ENOUGH. CHRIST-LIKE CHARACTER IS CONTINUING. IT HAS TO BE CONSTANT.

If we’re going to surrender our appetites to God, and truly be changed, we have to ask,

“What is standing in the way of my private Bible study?”

“I don’t have enough time.” You make time for what you believe is important. You make time for something you value. You need to create a taste for Scripture over television.

“What is standing in the way of me praying privately?”

A true relationship has to involve active listening.

OUR APPETITES ARE WHAT HINDER US FROM OUR BIBLES, PRAYER, AND CHURCH.

Have an appetite for investing in your God-given relationships.

Make a habit of sharing Christ. Not just soulwinning. Christ needs to become such a big part of our lives that we cannot have a conversation without Him. Live in a way that you introduce Christ into your life in every aspect.