This teaching was presented to God’s Girls Ministry Women’s Bible 
study on Monday, January 3, 2011. Personal testimonies are not 
included in these notes. This editor believes personal testimonies 
belong to the person telling it and should not be posted on a public 
forum such as the Internet by anyone except the testifier. Bracketed 
and italicized scripture references supplied in these notes were not 
in the teaching but are here as a study reference for your learning. 
King James Version Bible quoted unless noted otherwise.

When we are distracted or doing two things at once we are not really paying attention to either thing. Let's come into God's presence without distraction. It is important and powerful to praise God in singleness of mind, without distraction. Be focused on God and the Lord Christ. Focused praise instantly changes things. Worry and stress will fall away. Take time to step into one on one time with God.

God is not an ATM machine. He wants us to seek him and ask him for things. Don't miss my point. But he also wants our worship and praise. Just praise Him for what he has done. Someone said, if God doesn't do another thing for me, He has already done enough already. Let me come to a place where its not all about me anymore...it's all about Him. I want to encourage you to come to the same place. It is not all about you. it is all about God.

if you do not have anything to be thankful to Him for at the moment, thank Him for the air you breathe and for your salvation. Take the time to fellowship with Him this year to create a bond with Him. Take time for Him, only Him to just be and communicate with each other.

Relationships mature. At first, it is wonderful and sweet. You build trust. You bond and make promises.You know and understand who your love is, like you know yours spouse.But as love develops and matures, those wooing and courting days change. Love develops into a more service oriented decision. What can I do for my husband to serve him, show him I love him? It is no longer so selfish and self oriented...it is not all about me and how can he meet my needs. WHat can I do for you, Lord? God, what do you need from me? The relationship ought to become more reciprocal.

As babes in Christ, with our old man nature dirt hanging off us, we can serve God and He will use us . Our flaws and broken pieces help others who struggle with similar things, relate to us. Be the catayst that God uses to help heal others.

Step into His presence and ask Him. Be ready to hear things to do that you would rather not hear; things that may not be pretty.

Matthew 8: 21
And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead. 23 ¶ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.

Die to your family  and follow Christ.

 Mark 8:34
And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Die to your self.  Leave everything and follow the Lord to be a disciple. It is hard to lay everything down to follow Jesus. There is a cost of time, love, money, energy....But the payoff is incredible. Take some of the weight. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the love of Christ.

[Galatians 6: 2
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.]
 

Have you heard of skinny fat? have you seen skinny people who still have some fat? They have the healthy body weight but still have belly fat, for instance. Dieting will make you lose weight but without resistance we will burn muscle, not fat. We do not want to burn muscle, we want to burn the fat. Resistance training and aerobics will burn that fat. Commit to God to take on some of the weight of the Lord's work.Give God your time and your life will change exponentially. Do less CSI and more Jesus. Prioritize God in your life.

W all have gotten caught up in the emotional energy of a powerful worship service and vow vows that we never count the cost to perform until later and then wake up unwilling to pay later. Count the cost before you say yes, Lord.

Show the Lord how much you love Him.

Imagine all the crowds coming in to hear what Jesus said, filling up the mountainside with multitudes. Imagine jesus preaching a similar message on discipleship. Imagine him see people avoid eye contact, as they drift away, one by one. Imagine the crowd thin. Will you stay and show him your love by following him and becoming his disciple? Will you lay yourself down for him?

Share your relationship with God with others. Let others see God, in Christ, in you. Let me look so different that others want what I have.

POSTSCRIPT FROM LESA: God loves us so much. He desires an intimate relationship with each one of us. He says we have not because we ask not. He wants to bless us, he wants us to seek him, but don't let that be the only reason you pray to Him. He is not the proverbial Santa Claus or Crisis Manager only. he does give us things, all good things, and He does manage our crisis. However, He desires an intimate relationship with Him.

Psalm 2:8
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Let's ask God for Newport News. He will give us the nation. Lets start with Newport News. Changing the city will change the nation. You women can create a revolution, with a drastic and far reaching change in the way we act and think. With Love, the power of God gets permission to act. I want to see the lame walk and the blind see, the dead raised to life. I want to see the power of God. Love opens the door to the power of God.

"It is time to get serious about who you say you are." It is important for the body of Christ to show the love of God. Have a sacrificial life for Jesus. It does not matter how old or young you are. Lets stop playing religion.

CHALLENGES: Make time for God and sit in His presence and just praise Him.

 Look at your life. Be passionate about what you are doing. People are dying without Christ every day. They have no hope. Because the church and the people who go to church and to Bible studies and fellowships do not look that much different from the rest of the world. Let church and Bible study fill you up, but go out and impact the world for Christ outside of the church. Lets not do church as usual.

Pray Psalm 2:8. God will give us the nation if we ask him.

 

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