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WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 3: PRAYER — RESPONDING TO THE BLUEPRINT

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WHEN SCRIPTURE BECOMES YOUR PRAYER PART 3: PRAYER — RESPONDING TO THE BLUEPRINT 1 John 5:14 (NIV) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”   In the first two parts, we established two important things. Scripture is God's written message. And Scripture is like God's blueprint. But now comes the practical question: What do we do with the blueprint when we pray? The answer is simple: We respond to it.  Think about receiving a letter from someone you love. You read the letter, and the person tells you something important. Maybe they say, “ I will be coming to see you.”  You don't read the letter and simply put it away. You respond. You might say: “ I'm looking forward to seeing you.” Or: “ Thank you for letting me know .” The message came from them, but your response comes from you. That is one way to understand prayer. God speaks through His Word, and prayer is our response to what He h...

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION?

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WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 5: WHAT ARE YOU PASSING ON? Deuteronomy 6:6–7 (NLT) “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” In Part 1, we asked: WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF? We discovered that what we consume matters. In Part 2, we asked: WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOU? We learned that what enters us must be processed. In Part 3, we asked: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU? We learned that what is inside us eventually finds expression through our words, attitudes and actions. In Part 4, we asked: WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING? We looked at the fruit of the Spirit and discovered that our lives should produce something that others can receive. Now we come to another important question: WHAT ARE YOU PASSING ON? Because life does not end with us. Something is al...

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 4: WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING?

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WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 4: WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING? Galatians 5:22–23 (NLT) “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” In Part 1, we asked: WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF? We learned that what we consume matters because what we feed can grow. In Part 2, we asked: WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOU? We learned that what enters us must be processed. Hearing the Word is not enough. The Word must enter our hearts and transform our lives. In Part 3, we asked: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU? We learned that what is happening inside us will eventually find expression through our words, attitudes, decisions and actions. Now we come to another important question: WHAT ARE YOU PRODUCING? Because something is always being produced by our lives. The question is not whether your life is producing something. The question is: WH...

WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 3: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU?

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WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING THE NEXT GENERATION? PART 3: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU? Matthew 12:34 (NLT) “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” In Part 1, we asked: WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING YOURSELF? We discovered that what we consume matters because what we feed can grow. In Part 2, we moved deeper and asked: WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE YOU? We learned that receiving something is not the same as being transformed by it. What enters us must be processed. The Word of God must move from our ears into our hearts, our thoughts, our decisions and eventually our lifestyle. Now we move to the next question: WHAT IS FLOWING OUT OF YOU? Because whatever is happening inside you will eventually find a way out. WHAT IS INSIDE YOU WILL EVENTUALLY SPEAK Jesus said: “For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.” Notice that Jesus did not begin with the mouth. He began with the heart. The mouth is often a messenger. It reveals what has been stored within. When pressure come...

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