"We all stumble in many ways." James 3:2
RECOVERING GOD'S ORIGINAL DREAM FOR ME
1. HONESTLY ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY POOR CHOICES
4 COMMON CAUSES
Seen in Peter's Betrayal of Jesus
- PRIDE
Peter: "Everyone else may stumble in their faith, but I won't!" Mark 14:29 - FATIGUE
Jesus: "Could you not stay awake with me for just one hour?" Mark 14: 37 - FEAR OF DISAPPROVAL
"Peter followed Jesus at a distance. . ." Mark 14:54a - SHORT TERM PLEASURE
"Peter then sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire." Mark 14:54b
Jesus said, "Simon Peter, Satan has asked to test you, but I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail. So WHEN you have repented and recovered, I want you to strengthen the other disciples." Luke 22:31-32
ACTION PLAN: Which of these do you think you struggle with most? Find an accountability partner whom you can trust and give them permission to speak into your life when they notice any of these causes.
2. HUMBLY ASK FOR GOD'S MERCY AND FORGIVENESS
David "Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. In your your great compassion, please wipe out the stain of all my wrongdoing. Wash away all my guilt and cleanse me from my sins. For I am haunted by my failures and I can't forget the evil things I've done. . . I know you lovecomplete honesty from my heart so help me see what's deep inside me. . . Then create a new, pure heart in me and renew my spirit with the right desires and restore the joy of your salvation! Then I'll help bring others back to you too." Psalm 51:1-3, 6, 10
3. GRATEFULLY ACCEPT GOD'S GRACE AND FORGIVE MYSELF
"Christ sacrificed his life's blood (on the Cross) to set us free, which means that ALL our sins are now forgiven! God did this because of his generous grace to us." Ephesians 1:7
"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus!" Romans 8:1 (NLT)ANS
ACTION PLAN: If you struggle forgiving yourself, list out all of the errors you have trouble believing the cross wipes out. Next to each one, write out Romans 8:1.
WHY DOES SIN NOT INVALIDATE GOD'S DREAM FOR ME?
BECAUSE. . .
1. JESUS ALREADY PAID FOR ALL MY SINS
"When Jesus served as a sacrifice for our sins, He solved the sin problem for God -- not only ours, but the whole worlds." 1 John 2:2 (Mes)
2. GOD'S GOODNESS ISN'T BASED ON MY PERFORMANCE
"He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy." Titus 3:5 (NLT)
3. GOD'S CALLING & GIFTS ARE GIVEN UNCONDITIONALLY
"For God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. They can't be withdrawn." Romans 11:29
4. GENEROUSLY FORGIVE THOSE WHO'VE HURT ME
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15 (NLT)
5. COURAGEOUSLY FACE THE FUTURE WITH FAITH
"Devote your whole heart to God and reach out to Him in prayer for help. If you get rid of the sins in your heart and your home you will face the world again without shame and you'll be strong and free of fear! Then you'll forget your past troubles, like water under a bridge. Your life will be brighter than noonday, and even in darkness you'll shine like the morning. And now you'll have courage because you will have hope!" Job 11:13-18
"Forget the former thing and do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it is springing up; do you not perceive it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness and I will create streams where there has been wasteland!" Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
HOMEWORK FOR TIME TO DREAM! THIS WEEK
- Sign & place your Covenant/Prayer Tent where you'll see it.
- Each day read the devotional in OPEN DOORS for Feb. 23-29
- In your TTD Small Group watch & discuss video lesson #2
"The 2nd Open Door: The Door To Authentic Relationships"
- Memorize this promise:
"There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1
Doable Discipleship: This week's Doable Discipleship Rewind continues a Bible Study Crash Course. New episodes release every Tuesday. To listen, click here.
Talk It Over: Have you ever discussed the weekend message in your small group? Talk It Over provides weekly small group discussion questions as a way to bring the weekend message into your small group. To view this week's Talk It Over, click here
