FBCPS
Sermons, teachings, and podcasts from First Baptist Church in Powder Springs, Georgia.
FBCPS
Devotion and Discipline: For Those Seeking Spiritual Growth | 1 Timothy 4:8, 2 Peter 1:3-8
Get ready to be inspired as we delve into the vital role of devotion and discipline in spiritual growth. Drawing parallels between physical exercise and spiritual development, we explore key scriptures that emphasize the importance of consistent effort in developing godliness. Through practical advice and insightful reflections, learn how spending time with Jesus and engaging in spiritual training can bring you closer to Him. We also discuss how God's energy works within us, making even our desire to seek Him a divine gift.
Our journey doesn't stop there. We examine the transformative power of engaging with God's word and the importance of persistent prayer in spiritual growth. Reflect on scriptures that highlight the Holy Spirit's role in transforming us and discover practical ways to incorporate these principles into your daily life. Hear personal stories and gain practical advice on maintaining an ongoing conversation with God through prayer. Finally, we underscore the importance of commitment and active participation in church life, sharing humorous yet poignant stories that illustrate the struggles and rewards of being a devoted member of the church community. Join us as we embrace the transformative power of God's work in our lives and community.
Thanks for listening! Find us on Instagram or visit our Website.
We'll put your hands together this morning If you're happy to be here, that God has brought you here this morning. God is so good. Happy Labor Day to everybody, and we're just so thankful for all that God is doing. I wanna say a special thank you to all of you who give to our ministry, for all of you online who give to our ministry. We believe the Bible says that God blesses a cheerful giver.
Speaker 1:I just heard this week of a story of a lady who came to church for her very first time. She was a single lady in the town and someone told her she could find a good man at church. And so she came to church to find a good man there. And it just so happened to be a Sunday where they were closing up a building campaign at their church. And so the pastor stood up on stage and he said we have raised up all the money for our brand new building, except for $1,000. He said if anybody wants to give the last $1,000, he said I'll let them pick out their three favorite hymns. And there she was. She stood up in the back row. She started flying down the aisle. She was writing out the check. She handed it to the pastor. He said, sister, you get to pick out your three favorite hymns. She said I'll take him and I'll take him and I'll take him. So I just want to say thank you. Thank you for the way that you give, as the Lord loves to bless our giving. Put your hands together. Don't you love a good story, man? That's a good story. Right there, there we go. God's doing so many great things among us and we're so thankful for all that God is doing. Just last Sunday we got to see 70 teachers here for our Teacher Appreciation Sunday and half of them were first-time guests. Over 30 of them were first-time guests. So I just wanna say thank you for the way that you give, as we were able to bless those teachers. I wanna say thank you for the way that you give because we're able to bless our next generational ministries.
Speaker 1:One thing that we're doing in our kids' ministry and our student ministry is we are gonna enhance our training of all of our student volunteers and our kids' volunteers to make our ministries an even safer place. Praise God, we have not had any issues whatsoever, but we are inviting a company just to help us out, called Ministry Safe, so that our kids and student ministry areas are as safe as they possibly can be. Also, I want you to know that last Sunday, in case you missed it, we had a 30-year-old dad who got baptized last Sunday right here. Today, lord willing, we're going to have a 30-year-old dad baptized and his son, and next Sunday we're going to have another believe it or not 30-year-old dad, a dad in his 30s, get baptized next Sunday for our Hometown Hero Sunday. He is one of the firefighters in our community. Put your hands together for all that God is doing, as we're seeing so many changed lives. So I wanna just remind you about next Sunday, our Hometown Hero Sunday. We're going to be recognizing all of our first responders, all of our law enforcement, our fire department, our 911 and our EMS and, because of your giving, we're gonna be able to give them all a First Baptist Church first responder challenge coin so that they will always know that First Baptist Church loves them, we're praying for them and we always wanna be a church for them. So this week, your mission, your job, is to invite as many first responders as possible to come next Sunday so we can appreciate them, celebrate them and bless them because of all that they do for us in our community. Also, I want you to know that in two weeks September the 15th, in two weeks we are going to have our Next Step Lunch. This is for anybody and everybody. Maybe this is your first Sunday, maybe you've been coming here a long time but you've never gone through our Next Step Lunch, which tells you about everything that God is doing behind the scenes here, shares with you a little bit about the secret sauce here of First Baptist Church, powder Springs. It's a free lunch with free childcare. It lasts just about an hour. It's back in our fellowship hall here. In two weeks It'll be right about noon, so we would love to have you for our Next Step lunch.
Speaker 1:We're gonna get into our last sermon in our series of encountering God. Let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we love you, god, you're so good and Father, we love you. God, you're so good and Father, we thank you that we can know that you are all powerful, but at the same time, god, you are all loving, and God that you love us and you created us so that we can experience you, so that we can know you, so that we can encounter you. And so, god, I pray. Lord today, move me closer to you, move all of us closer to you this morning from the power of your word and God. I just pray, lord, that you would speak to every single heart, starting with mine and God, that your will would be done and your glory would come. And we pray these things in Jesus' name and all God's people said amen. Let's check this out this morning, encountering God.
Speaker 1:Well, as you remember, if you've been here through the month of August and today, as we're starting the month of September we talked about the very first week, god's existence and his knowability. Then we talked about God's transcendence and his eminence. His transcendence means that he is all powerful, he's over all things. His eminence means that he's near, he's close, he's here, he loves you. We talked about God's greatness, that you can trust God's greatness that he is all powerful, he's all knowing and he is all present. He's all good and his goodness is that he's merciful, he's gracious, he's kind, he's patient. Last week, we talked about God's oneness, that we serve one God who is three persons God the Father, god the Son, god the Holy Spirit and what all that has to do with your life.
Speaker 1:So, if you missed anything or maybe God has laid someone on your heart that needs to hear one of these sermons. You can always take them back to YouTube or Facebook or social media, where we have all of our sermons there this morning. I honestly did not even plan on preaching this this morning, but God gave me, I believe, this word this week for you, and I feel so confident. This is what the Lord wants to speak to us this morning is, as we talked about all of these different things about God, we want to end our Encountering God sermon series with your devotion and discipline. I want to talk this morning about devotion and discipline.
Speaker 1:See, in life, devotion and discipline are often counterbalancing one another in our life and they help us to do what it is that we are called to do. For instance, often when you meet somebody and you fall in love with that one that God has for your life, there is a devotion there. It's love at first sight, it's emotion, you are in love and then, when you get married, you learn that you don't have those butterflies. Every single day Can I get an amen? And you don't only have devotion, but you also need some discipline, you need some effort. On the days that you may not be feeling it, you need to make sure that your love is an action, your love is a decision, your love is a choice. Why? Because we not only need devotion in our life, but we also need discipline.
Speaker 1:Also, there are times in life that it starts with discipline, not devotion, such as I remember when I woke up, and probably 10 years ago or so, I was in my thirties, and I just woke up one morning and I just said you know what? I'm just tired, to be honest with you, I'm just tired of being the person that I am. I was always. I was exhausted, I was tired. All the time I was, to be honest with you, I was. I felt like I was just on the doorstep of depression and I was just out of shape and I just said, man, I don't want to be this person. I just don't feel like that. I can be the person that God is calling me to be. And so I just got some people around me and I said, hey, I need for you to help me to get physically healthy. I need to get physically healthy again. And so it started not with the devotion, to be honest with you. It started with a discipline to work out, to exercise and to get into the gym. And then, once I began that discipline, then it became into a devotion.
Speaker 1:See, sometimes things start with a devotion, they become a discipline. Sometimes things start with a discipline and then they become a devotion for us. Well, the same is true for your and for my relationship with God. Often, when we get saved and we give our life to Jesus and we just remember what it was like that when we learned about him and when we surrendered our life to him, and when he came into our life and we were filled with the Holy Spirit, we were filled with devotion. Do you remember that feeling of your first love when you invited Jesus into your life? There was a devotion there, but then there are days in your life where you might not have that same feeling and that it requires in your life a discipline.
Speaker 1:Well, this morning I want to talk to you about the most important part of you encountering God for yourself personally. And it starts with a devotion, but it always requires a discipline, that you have a love for God. But there are some days that the feeling's not there. There are some days you have more temptation, there are some days that you have more apathy, there are some days that you just don't feel like it. And how do I know that about you? Because it's true about me too. It's true about all of us. It's who we are, and so our life must be a life of devotion and discipline. If you're with me, say amen, don't look at me all spiritual. I know you're going through this too. All right, here we go. So I wanna share with you just some scripture verses on devotion and discipline.
Speaker 1:First of all, 1 Timothy 4, verse seven says to train yourself for godliness. Did you know that that word train is actually the word gymnazo in the Greek Gymnazo? You can't make this up. It's where we get the word gymnasium from. And so he says train yourself for godliness. This is a spiritual training. It is as though you're going to the gym. In other words, in order for your spiritual life to grow, in order for your spiritual life to get stronger, in order for your relationship with God, that you see some fruit there, it takes discipline, it takes training in your life. And what are we training toward? We're training as we spend time with God, that we're spending time with him in order to grow in godliness.
Speaker 1:Colossians, chapter one, verse 29. The apostle Paul says for this I toil. Everyone say toil For this. I toil, which means for this I work, and he says I am struggling. Check this out With all of his who is that that's God's, all of God's energy, that he powerfully works within me. In other words, it takes energy, it takes effort in your life, in your relationship, in your spiritual disciplines with Jesus and we will struggle. If you feel like that you are the only one struggling in your relationship with Jesus, you are wrong. We all struggle. We all have down days. We all have days where we fail. We all have days where it feels like the struggle. But check it out, even the apostle Paul said that it is God's energy that powerfully works within you. Can I get an amen this morning? It is God's energy that powerfully works within us.
Speaker 1:Philippians 2.13,. I love this. It is God who works in you. It is God who works in you. It is God who works in you. That is the discipline. He works in you to what? To will and to work. The will means that your desire, that even, hear me, your want from God, is from God himself. If you want God more, you don't just dig down deeper within you and talk yourself into wanting God more. You ask God. God, help me to want you more, help me to love you more, help me to see my need for you more. It is God who works in you, both to will that's the devotion and to work that's the devotion and to work that's the discipline for his good pleasure. This is fascinating to me.
Speaker 1:Luke 9, 23,. Jesus said if any of you, if anyone, would come after me that's our devotion that we would follow Jesus. Why do we follow Jesus? Emotion that we would follow Jesus. Why do we follow Jesus? Because we love him. Why do we love him? The Bible says because he first loved you. Jesus said if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily. That is, follow him. Do we see this balance of devotion and discipline in our life? It's fascinating to me. The more you dig into scripture and you see a devotion and a discipline.
Speaker 1:Now, the reason I think it's important that we call it these is because some people call their time with Jesus their personal devotion and other people call their time with Jesus their spiritual discipline. And I think that both are appropriately named because we need both of those in our life. Romans 8, 29 says for those whom he, whom God foreknew. He also predestined to be conformed. Romans 8, 29 says what is he talking about? He's saying that when you spend time with Jesus, what God is doing in your life, what the Holy Spirit is doing in your life, the whole goal as to why we spend personal time with Jesus is so that we are conformed more into his image, that we are becoming more and more every day like Jesus, and we must spend time with Jesus in order to become more like him.
Speaker 1:2 Corinthians 3.18. It says that we all, with unveiled face, we behold the glory of the Lord. In other words, you become what you behold, I become what you behold, I become what I behold. So the reason we go to the word of God is so that we behold the glory of the Lord Jesus in his word, so that then we can be transformed the Bible says into the same image, from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. This is what the Holy Spirit loves to do in you. The number one thing the Holy Spirit wants to do in you is to transform you from one degree of glory to another. The Holy Spirit, hear me, he loves to take the word of God, whether it's your personal devotions or whether it's the preaching of God's word. He wants to take the word of God and to use the power of God in order to transform you into the son of God, into Jesus Christ. If you believe that, say amen.
Speaker 1:So we see, through scripture, what God is seeking to do with our devotions, with our spiritual disciplines. So here's what I want to do. I want to dive in and I want to teach you what I believe the Bible says is our three most important devotions or our three most important spiritual disciplines for your life that we see in God's word. So here we go, let's check these out together. It says here number one encounter God in his word. Encounter God and his word.
Speaker 1:Isn't it amazing that thousands of years ago that God wrote a timeless word for you so that you could know him, so that he could work in you, so that he could make you to become more like Jesus? When we read the Bible, it is completely different than any other book that we read. The Bible itself is a timeless, fully true. It is a not only a history book, but it is a powerful, living book that is filled with the voice and the power of God. That is a tool to transform your life into becoming more like Jesus Christ. So my question for you is at what point during the day do you get in God's word for yourself so that God's word can get into you? At what point of the day do you allow the Holy Spirit to do a work in you to transform you? Notice what the word of God says about itself, what God says about his word.
Speaker 1:Joshua 1, 8 and 9 says the book of the law, that is, the scriptures, the book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. How are the scriptures on your mouth If the scriptures are in your heart? How did the scriptures get in your heart? If you spend personal time in God's word but you shall meditate on it day and night? How do you meditate on the word of God? By reading the word of God? You've got to read the word of God in order to meditate on the word of God so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. In other words, we don't just read it, read a verse a day to keep the devil away. No, the Bible says God says that we read it in order to apply it, for then you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success. In other words, do you want to be prosperous, do you want your life to have good success? Do you feel like that you're struggling with prosperity? Do you feel like you're struggling with success? The Bible says God himself says that when you make that, when you not allow the book of the law to depart from your mouth, you meditate on it, you are careful to do it, that God makes your way prosperous and successful.
Speaker 1:Psalm chapter one, verses two and three. It says but his meaning, your meaning, mine our, but your delight is to be in the law of the Lord, that's the scriptures, and on his law, again, that we are to meditate. You're to meditate on his word. Do you do this Day and night? So, therefore, therefore, you will be like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season. Do you feel like that you are planted in life, or do you feel like that you are wavering? Do you feel like that your life is fruitful or do you feel like your life is withering and its leaf does not wither? In all that he does, he again or she prospers. Romans 10, 17.
Speaker 1:So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. In other words, where is it that you grow in your faith? You don't grow in your faith in order to get into the word. Rather, you get into the word to grow into your faith, to grow your faith. So faith comes from hearing. And what do we hear? The word of Jesus. Do you feel like that? Your faith hasn't been growing lately. Have you been doubting God? Have you been questioning God? Have you been doubting God? Have you been questioning God? Have you been struggling with God? Have you been wondering why God is doing whatever he's doing or not doing in your life?
Speaker 1:The Bible says if you wanna grow in faith, it comes from the word of Christ. Romans 12, too, says do not be conformed to this world. Do you feel, like this morning, that you're finding yourself tempted to become more like the world than you are like the Lord, that you're tempted, deceived, to be coming more like the world, that maybe you are conforming more to those that are around you rather than being transformed by the renewal of your mind? See, the Bible says we're not called to be conformed. The Bible says that we're called to be transformed. You're called to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And what is it that renews your mind? The Bible says that when you stop, when you open God's word and when you read what God says and you allow God to speak into your life, that's when he transforms your mind, so that then, by testing, you may discern what the will of God is, what is good, acceptable and perfect.
Speaker 1:Are you struggling to know God's will for your life? Are you struggling to know what God has for your life, what God wants with your life, what the next step is? Maybe? You're right now at the crossroads of a major decision in your life and you're wondering if God would just show it to me in the sky. He often just reveals it to you through his word. Why? Because he loves it when we are dependent. Why? Because he loves it when we are dependent.
Speaker 1:John, chapter 17, verse 17,. Jesus said sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth. Sanctify literally means to be made holy Again. It's that transformation in being like Jesus. Do you feel like that? You are being sanctified in your life? Are you coming closer to God on a daily basis? Do you feel closer to God today than you did a year ago? Because God says that it is his word that sanctifies us. Jesus said it is the word of God. That is the truth of God. And then, lastly, in his word, 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, says all scripture. Everybody say all, all scripture. That literally, that word, that word, all means every word of scripture, every single word God meant. Every single word, every single word of scripture is inspired by God. All scripture is breathed out by God. That's why we say that scripture is the voice of God, because scripture required the breath of God. If you want to hear God's voice in your life, don't wait to hear a voice from heaven. You go to the word and you get to see the word that has been written down for thousands of years for you and for everyone else. That is where you get the voice of God. Amen. All scripture is breathed out by God and it is profitable for teaching.
Speaker 1:Are you wondering what to believe in? Life Says? The word of God is for teaching, for reproof. That means rebuke. That means that we need to be convicted. Are you struggling with a sin that maybe has been dominating your life, a habitual sin that's been in your life? Maybe an addiction that's been there for years? And maybe you've just been numbed to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that. There is reproof for you when you read the word of God, of the Holy Spirit. The Bible says that there is reproof for you when you read the word of God and the Holy Spirit convicts us of what sin is in our life. And then, but he doesn't leave us there. God doesn't want you just or me, god doesn't want us just to feel bad. The Bible says then he offers us correction in his word. We feel the conviction that he offers the correction. How do we turn from our sin in order to turn from him? And then we get to live for training in righteousness, meaning then, how do we live for there and we go on in our righteousness of the Lord, so that the man of God, the woman of God, may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Speaker 1:I can remember somewhere years ago, I was really struggling in my life and, just to be honest with you, it was a struggle. I've told you a little bit about this before, but if you didn't hear me say this, I was really struggling with my sleep and because I felt like that I could never get rested. I felt like that I could. I just never had energy in my life. I was always tired. I never felt like then I could get up early and get in the word of God.
Speaker 1:And so I actually went to a sleep doctor and I said, hey, do the test on me, Give me the mask. I've got the apnea, make it happen. I've gotta get energy back in, make it happen. I've got to get energy back in my life. And he did a test and he said actually we couldn't find anything wrong with you. And I said that's actually terrible news. And he gave me a book. Kid you, not a doctor just handed me a book, not medicine, not a mask. He handed me a book and he said read this. And it was so boring it was right he put me to sleep.
Speaker 1:But the book some of you have heard me say this it's called Good Night Mind. Good Night Mind, not Good Night Moon. I read that every night to my son, but Good Night Mind. And it's actually a book on sleep. It changed my life. God used it in my life to where? Now, praise God. Before I was sleeping until every last possible second till I had to leave the house. Now the Lord is giving me the opportunity to get up at 5 am on a daily basis, get in his word, get in his presence, spend my first hour with God and listen. It's not about the time, it's not about what time you get up. It's about the time that you spend with the Lord on a daily basis.
Speaker 1:I had to learn some things for my life. I had to learn that God gives me better strength than sleep. I had to learn in my life that I needed to trust the Lord with my energy, that I couldn't trust in sleep in order to give me the strength that I need during the day. I needed to trust in God. I needed to get up early. I needed to spend the first part of my day with the Lord, not because I'm a good person, not because I'm a pastor, but because I'm a sinner and I'm desperate for him.
Speaker 1:I had to learn to, as I'm going to sleep the night before, that I need to be disciplined and I need to go to bed, that I can't stay up late watching TV. I can't stay up late watching TV. I can't stay up late watching sports. I can't stay up late scrolling on social media. I can't go into those bottomless pits of never ending. I've just got to go to bed. I've got to be disciplined. Why? Because I've got to get up early the next morning. I've got to spend time with God because he's the best part of my day Amen.
Speaker 1:And I learned that I'm desperate for the Lord. I learned that I've got to get into the word of God so the word of God gets into me. To be honest, I love reading through the one-year Bible, but it's not about the one-year Bible. It's about just getting in the Bible every day, getting in the word of God and letting God speak to you. I had to learn several things in my life in order so that I could spend my morning with Jesus, because how we start our day is how we live our day. We see just a few little things that we can learn from encountering God with his word.
Speaker 1:Number one encounter God and his word as early as you can in the day, so it affects the rest of your day. Encounter God and his word either by reading or by listening. There's great apps out there that you can use if you've got a commute to work or if you use it in the time of the morning that you're getting ready. Maybe you're just not a great reader. Maybe you're more of an audible learner and you want to listen to the word of God. Then you can certainly do that. You can encounter God and his word by meditating on what you read. In other words, make sure that you remember something of what you read that morning and you meditate on it throughout the day, so that it has an effect on your life, so that you can encounter God and his word by applying what you've read, because that's how God's word is designed to apply it to our life. Number two is encounter God in prayer. Encounter God in prayer, not just in the word, but in prayer.
Speaker 1:Check this out Mark chapter one, verse 35,. It says and rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, jesus departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed. Jesus got up early in the morning, even while it was still dark, and he talked to God and he prayed. Luke 11 one says now Jesus was praying in a certain place and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples to pray. Maybe you're like me and you go through seasons in your life of struggling in your prayers, and maybe you just need to ask Jesus. Jesus, would you teach me how to pray? Jesus, would you show me that you're listening? Jesus, would you help me have better prayerful conversations with you? Luke 18.1,.
Speaker 1:Jesus told them a parable to the effect listen, that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. What have you been praying for? What have you been begging God for? Maybe there's something in your life that you've been begging God for that God has not been doing. And the Bible says. Jesus said you ought to always pray and never lose heart in your prayers. If there was ever a prayer request that Jesus did not answer in your life, it's because he always knows what is best and that is never a reason to not pray for other things. Jesus said that we ought to always be praying, always talking to him, not losing heart. Why? Because Jesus wants us to commune and to be in conversation with him. Matthew 7, 7 and 8,. Jesus said ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you. And listen to his promise, for everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks, finds. The one who knocks, it will be opened. I love this. Romans, chapter 8, verse 15. It says for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received, just praying to me as God. You're praying to me as God, your father.
Speaker 1:Even just this morning, my little girl, brooklyn, called out five years old, cerebral palsy in her bed. She can't pull her own blankets up back over herself. She called out at four o'clock this morning daddy, daddy, you know what. I did not say. I'm sleeping, quiet down, Don't bother me. No, no, no. My baby girl needed me. I got out of that bed and I walked into her room. She looked at me. She said sip of water, please, like she had a little bell. I gave her a sip of water, please, like she had a little bell. I gave her a sip of water, covered her back up. I gave her a kiss and told her to go back to sleep, and thankfully she did. I can't help but run to my kids when they call daddy, because I'm the only daddy they get. And God the Father loves to run to you when you call out Abba, abba, father, god loves to come to your aid because he sees you as his son, he sees you as his daughter.
Speaker 1:It also says in Colossians, chapter four, verse two devote yourself to prayer, which is a discipline. To devote yourself is a discipline from your devotion. In other words, it is an effort from your love. It says in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 17,. To pray without ceasing that word without ceasing, the Greek word actually means like an intermittent cough. It's like you have a cold and so you're just coughing through the day. It's not one big, long cough all day long, but it's an intermittent cough all throughout the day. In other words, we should be praying and talking to God all throughout the day and not just leaving it for one time a day. He says that you can call on me at any time. You can pray to me at any time. You can conversate with me at any time. You can pray to me at any time. You can conversate with me at any time. Why? Because God wants to be father, he wants to be daddy. He wants to be your first response, not your last resort in your life. He says to pray to him without ceasing.
Speaker 1:I remember a spiritual mentor in my life looked at me in the eyes one day and he said Chip. I remember a spiritual mentor in my life looked at me in the eyes one day and he said Chip, how's your prayer life Some 20 years ago? Never forget it. And I said what every one of you would have said too. I said it's not as good as it should be. That's our favorite line, isn't it? As a Christian, it's not as good as it should be. And he looked at me and he said I love it. He did not let me give him the cop out. I love it. And he said how much you been praying. I said a couple minutes a day. And he said do you know why you're not praying? I said why don't you tell me? He said you're not praying because you don't believe in prayer. I said I could tell you 20 different verses on prayer right now. Of course I believe in prayer. And he looked at me. He said no, you don't. He said, chip, if you believed in prayer, you would not be able to help. But pray.
Speaker 1:God had to teach me something in my life Some of you have heard me say this before that I was getting in this trap of reading my devotions for information and information is good and the truth of the Bible is good, but I was reading my devotions for information only, and so what I was not experiencing was transformation, and I had to learn the difference between information and transformation. Learn the difference between information and transformation. And the difference between information and transformation is conversation that when we read God's word for information and we talk with God through conversation, we have his word and we have prayer. That is what leads our life into hear me. Transformation that's when God loves to change your life. So I wanna encourage you pray before you read the Bible.
Speaker 1:Before you get into God's word, I always just have to pray and say God, I need you to speak to me, god, I need you to meet with me, god, I need you to meet with me, god, I need you to transform me into the likeness of Jesus. God, I need you to fill me with your spirit right now. God, speak to me before I read, and I want to encourage you to pray during or while you read, so that you are reading the information, the truth of God's word and you're having a conversation with God, so that you can experience the transformation that God has. And then pray after you read. That is when God calls me. After I read is when I get on my knees. I wanna encourage you to pray on your knees.
Speaker 1:I get on my knees every single morning, right there in front of our couch, and God calls me to pray, what I believe is called the acts of prayer adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication and I just pray and I say, heavenly Father, I love you Jesus, I love you Holy Spirit, I love you Triune. God, I give you all the praise, the honor, the glory, the power, the majesty, the beauty, the wealth, the everything. God, I adore you. I give you all praise. And, god, I confess my sin to you. God, you've promised that if I confess my sin to you, that you will cleanse me. You will forgive me of all my sin. You will cleanse me from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1,. 9 says so.
Speaker 1:Then I say, god, I pray that you would forgive me of the desires of the flesh, the pleasures of the world, and God, I pray that Jesus would be my greatest pleasure. Fill me with your spirit for integrity. God, I confess to you the desires of the eyes, materialism, the treasures of the world. God, I pray that Jesus would be my greatest treasure, that I would want him over anything else. In Holy Spirit, I pray that you would fill me up with contentment, generosity, stewardship of what you've given to me and God, I confess to you my sin of the pride of life and I pray that Jesus would get all the glory from my life, not my own pride. And I pray, god, that you would fill me with your Holy Spirit for humility. God, help me to not live my life for Chip, but to live my life for Jesus and God.
Speaker 1:I just wanna thank you, god. I give you thanksgiving for my salvation. God, I thank you for my family. I thank you for my wife. I thank you for Brooklyn. I thank you for my family. I thank you for my wife. I thank you for Brooklyn. I thank you for Cruz. I thank you for Eliana. Thank you for my family. And every single morning I thank God for you, my church God, thank you for my church. God, thank you for this life that you've given us in Powder Springs.
Speaker 1:And so, god, here are my supplications. God, I pray that you would be with us in our marriage and in our home. God, I pray that you would be with us in our family. God, I pray that you would save and baptize all of our kids. And God, I pray for our church. God, that you would bless us and make us fruitful and multiply us, that we may live on mission, and I always pray Matthew 28, verses 19 and 20 for us. And God that we may make disciples of all nations, of all ethnicities, and God that we may baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And God that we may be able to teach them to observe everything that you've commanded us. And Jesus, that we would see that you are with us even into the end of the age.
Speaker 1:I pray that for our church. Why? Because we need to encounter God with his church. It's not my church, it's not your church, it's not our church, it's his church. Ephesians 1.22, and I'm done says and he put all things. God put all things under Jesus' feet and he gave Jesus as the head over all things to the church. And watch this the church which is his body, the church which is his body. The church is the fullness of him who fills all in all. In other words, the church is the fullness we as the people of God. Look at me. We together get to be the fullness of Jesus, which means it requires devotion.
Speaker 1:We love our church and discipline. Sometimes we don't wanna come. I love that story of a 40-year-old man that used to go to church every single Sunday and he woke up to church one morning. He said I'm not going, and his wife said we're going to church. She said not today I'm not going. She said we've gotta go to church. She said give me one good reason. She said give me one good reason. She said you're the pastor. We've got to go to church. You're not alone.
Speaker 1:You love God, but your devotion to God it takes discipline to just like it does for me. You love God's word, but it takes discipline to stay in God's word. You love to pray and to talk to God, but it takes discipline to pray to God on a daily basis. You love your church, but it takes discipline to be a part of his church. We say that the four things that it's so important that we do together as a church is we just worship Jesus together, we gather together in small groups, we use the giftedness that God has given us to serve him, and then we just simply go out and we live on mission. Why? Because we believe what God wants to do in our community. We believe what God wants to do in our community. We believe what God wants to do in our families. We believe what God wants to do in the next generation.