Sidewalk Prophets Come To Traverse City MI Aug 24 2013

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Sidewalk Prophets

Sidewalk Prophets coming to Traverse City MI Aug. 24, 2013

Leaning our whole life on Him By Angie Paxton

Colossians 1:4

Amplified Bible (AMP)

4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [[a]the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]...

When we were born again it was through faith in Christ Jesus. This faith continues as we lean our whole life to Him. Our entire human personality on Him. 

Each day we have the opportunity to react to situations, either in the flesh (old nature) or react through our absolute trust & confidence in His power, in His wisdom, & in His goodness. 

It is important that we surrender our entire personality to Him. We all have special talents, a special way of looking at the world, & a special way we interact with others. We should never let a person control or change who God has made us. He doesn’t want us to be clones of one another. 

But we need to let God be in control of who we are. Our personality & our character need to be in subjection to the control of the Holy Spirit. 

Personality - visible aspect of ones Character (collection of qualities) sum total of the physical, mental, emotional, & social characteristics. 

What is visible to others reveal our Character. These qualities our the sum total of the outflow of our physical, our mental, our emotional, & our social characteristics. 

Our personality reflects what is inside us. Everyday we have a choice to let our emotions & thoughts be run by the flesh or by the Spirit. 

Our personality should reflect His character. 

Sometimes things come up and we start getting emotional about the situation, then we react to that situation. We might start yelling at someone or say things we regret later. But we justify that by saying well we are just human. 

Let me talk to women right now, we have that time of the month and it makes us crabby, so we take it out on others, this should not be. We need to let God control our bodies, our minds, and our actions. We do not need to let the world make these actions acceptable. 

There are so many things that go on around us and we just go along with them because that it the way it is. No that is not the way God wants us to be. 

Colossians 2:6

Amplified Bible (AMP)

6 As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him.

We need to regulate our lives and conduct ourselves in union with & conformity to Him, not this world. 

Examine yourself today and see if you are letting others, the world, & your old nature rule  your life or our you letting God control your whole personality. 

Romans 6:12-13

Amplified Bible (AMP)

12 Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.

13 Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and [a]faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and [b]faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.

Offer and yield yourselves to God daily. Each day surrender your personality, your Character, your whole being to the one who died for you. The one who changes you into His image. Do not let others & the world change you into their image. 

Father each day we have opportunity to yield to one thing or another, give us wisdom & strength to be who you called us to be. Show us who we are in you. Open our eyes & understanding to the fullness of who we are in You. As events happen in our lives let us be quick to respond through our new life in You & through our new nature. Remind us each day we have the help of the Holy Spirit to carry out all Godly reactions. He is forming us into the image of your dear Son. Thank you Father for not leaving us alone in this world. As we react properly that brings Glory to you and that is our hearts desire today Lord, to give you glory, honor, & praise. In Jesus Name...AMEN...

Dealing With Tragedy by Len Paxton

4/26/2012 Dealing with Tragedy By Len Paxton excerpts from a teaching CD

1. Don’t think you are the only one. There are many who are going through hard times and maybe even experience what you have. 
2. Seek for the strength that only Jesus Christ can give you. God wants you to go to Him. Trusting Him. He is the only one who can give us victory. 1 Peter 5:7 Cast your cares on Him. He loves you. People can only help on the surface.  Is. 53:4 
3. Don’t be bitter. Instead of getting bitter, get better... Bitterness is like a cancer. It will eat away your soul. 
4. Begin on a positive course of action to love, help, and bless others. It takes the focus off of ourselves and puts it over to those who need help.
5. Plan to spend eternity in a place where tragedy never occurs. Rev. 21:4

Praying past our mind, will, & emotions

We are made up of our spirit, our soul, & our body. Many times when tragedies come we pray from our soul. Our soul is made up of our mind, our will, & our emotions. 

When we first hear about a situation we feel compassion and feel empathy. Our hearts even hurt for the people evolved. We feel their pain. 

Our mind starts to say, “What can I do to help”. How can I fix this situation? It rehearses the tragedy and how the outcomes could be. “What can I do to change this situation”. 

Our will is what makes us decide and initiate action. We deliberately act on what our mind and emotions put forth. 

There is nothing wrong with feeling compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion. 

The Latin meaning of compassion is, “CO-suffering”. This compassion leads to an active desire to alleviate another’s suffering. 

In 2 Cor. 1 it talks about The Father of mercies, & the God of all comfort. How we have been comforted in all our tribulations so we can comfort those who also are in trouble. 

Vs 9 is the key when praying for those in need. “...that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God...” Vs 12... “not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God...”

When praying and acting towards another person’s hurt and pain we need to do it with our renewed spirit. When we are born again we have a renewed spirit. We are given the mind of Christ. 

If we pray in the flesh, in our old nature, we pray our desires, our corrupt desires. We need to be renewed in our minds. Eph. 4 talks about stripping ourselves of our former nature, which characterizes our previous manner of life, because it becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring up from delusions. 

We need to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude. Putting on the New nature created in the image of God. Godlike in true righteousness and holiness. 

There are practical actions that we need to take, if someone is thirsty, give them a drink of water. If someone is hungry, feed them. 

What I am talking about it getting to know the mind of Christ in a situation. Praying with the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Romans 8:26

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Ephesians 6:18

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit...

1 Corinthians 2:14

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

We can really mess things up if we react with our fleshly nature. 

I think sometimes there are people who have a God complex and rush to people’s aide because they want to control the situation. They want to influence the outcome. They want the person to look to them for their strength and to meet their need. 

They do it to feel good. Or maybe even to mend a past hurt or pain of their own. Some even help others to ease their guilt. 

None of these things will help the situation. It is so much deeper than our own attempts to ease someone’s sufferings. 

Jesus even said, “I have not come on My own authority and of My own accord and as self-appointed, but the One Who sent Me is true (real, genuine, steadfast)...”

He was always looking to the Father, praying to the Father, & about doing the Father’s will. 

We need to push past our soul (mind, will, & emotions), our flesh and yield our spirit to His Spirit, so as we pray, we will receive God’s will and react to that instead of our own will.  

 Rom 8:26-27 So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

27 And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] on behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.

Letting the Holy Spirit led our prayers puts us in harmony with the will of God. 

In these last days there will increased sorrow. Many will fall away because they are in the flesh. They are looking to their own strength. They see only the tragedies around them and lose sight of the One who gives strength, who gives wisdom, who can turn their situation around. 

So Be: 

...Be earnest and unwearied and steadfast in your prayer [life], being [both] alert and intent in [your praying]...

...Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus...

...be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak...

...Be on your guard [constantly alert], and watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come....

...be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer...

...be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—...

...be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy...

...“Be careful! When you do something good, don’t do it in front of others so that they will see you. If you do that, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven...

Don’t Be:

...Don’t be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already...

...don’t be like ·those people who don’t know God [the pagans/Gentiles/heathen]. They ·continue saying things that mean nothing [babble; repeat empty phrases], thinking ·that God will hear them [L they will be heard; C the passive verb implies God as subject] because of their many words....

...not be afraid...

We could go on and on. We just have to look at the situations in our lives and in other people’s lives through the eyes and heart of God. Praying past our mind, will, & emotions and looking unto the Author and Finisher of our Faith. Pray in Faith believing and leaving the results unto Him. This does not mean we have no actions, this kind of prayer will produce the proper actions. 

Father help us to see that praying in our own flesh will produce corruption and confusion. We look to you today for our loved ones, our friends, & even our enemies. We lift them up in prayer believing that you will work in their lives. That the outcomes will be according to your will and not ours. In Jesus Name...

What a Difference a Day Makes"

“What a Difference a Day Makes”

So many times we have a bad day, we don’t know how we are going to get through it. 

Our mind starts running away from us. Hopelessness comes in and stops us in our tracks. 

Pressure comes and steals our focus. We can’t see past the moment we are in. We try many things, we look to many people, & we fail so many times. 

What do we do? How do we handle those hard times? They are real and they hurt. A loss of a loved one, a sickness, a loss of a job, and so much more can stop us in our tracks. What do we do when we are in those situations? How do we handle ourselves? Why does it matter? 

There have been many who have been through so many hard times. Hebrews says that we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. These who have gone on before us. Those who have endured to the end. One we need to look to at all times, Jesus!!!! 

Hebrews 12:1-2

King James Version (KJV)

12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Looking at how Jesus handles the situations that came His way will help us through our hard times. How did He handle all the hurt and pain that others have caused Him? If we react like He did we will overcome our bad days. We do not have to give into the people and things pressing us. 

There are so many things we could look at in the bible as examples. These are just a few ways to help us through our bad days. 

1. Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Forgive all those who are making your life so hard. Forgive all those who have hurt you in the past. 

2) Encourage others who are struggling and have no Hope. (We are not of those who have no hope. We encourage others as God has encouraged us) 

2 Corinthians 1:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

3) Remember your family. Others are watching you and how you are going to react to life. As they say, you are the only Bible some people read. Not that you have to be perfect, but you know the One who is Perfect. They want to know that God is real and He is willing to help.

4) Look to God with all your hard questions, not man. He knows all, sees all, and will have the only right answer for you in your situation.

5) Let your need be known. Pray, call the elders, & ask for help. We all need each other.

6) Speak God’s word. Declare who He is and what He has said. His word is true & powerful. This is your statement of Faith. Knowing that He has all things under control. There is a purpose and an end to what you are going through. He will work in any situation you are going through. 

Romans 8:28

New King James Version (NKJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

Jeremiah 29:11

Amplified Bible (AMP)

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

7) Surrender to God and Let go. This day will end. Joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 30:5

Amplified Bible (AMP)

5 ...Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

It might take many days until your pain and situation will change, but He will give you strength to go through it. 

Lord turn us from the worldly way of thinking and reacting to our situation. Let us look to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith. Give us strength and insight to our daily living. Heal us of the hurt and pain of the past. Be with us in our present and guide us through our future. Remind us that we are not of those who have no hope. Remind us that this is not our home and that we are only here for a short time, but those who endure to the end will be with you one day. And that day will last forever. Remind us that these days on earth will pass away, but your word will last forever. Remind us that where our treasure is, there will our heart be. We set our affections on things above, not on things on the earth. In Jesus Name....

Praying With Purpose & Power By Len Paxton

http://blog.acts2618.com/categories/263/book-praying-with-purpose-and-power.aspx