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Victory in our daily lives Part 3. In this text we have a tremendous secret that will bring victory in our daily lives Key text Philippians 4:6-9 Consider the Apostle Paul, the scripture author, banged up in jail not for evil but for doing good. Paul is under constant threat of death, as well as under a tremendous burden of prayer for the newborn church. He had worked out how to have victory in his daily life. He is telling us here, how to do it and we must take this on board, it is potentially life changing! What is your heart? Your heart is your inner most being. Your heart is the part of your being closest to God. Your heart is the part of you that God greatly desires and is jealous for. In human relationships we might say something like, she is seeing John, but her heart belongs to Jimmy. Our heart belongs to the Lord. We recognize that it is our inner most being (our hearts) that gives the direction in our lives. Matthew 6:19-21 We follow our hearts for where our hearts are because there is our treasure. What are you treasuring today? Who does your heart belong to? Who or what directs your life? Proverbs 4:23 We need to make sure we do not put any poison in the well, as the very direction of our lives can also be poisoned and put off course. God will never settle for second place in your heart! Your heart is a place reserved only for God. Anything else we let into that place is an idol. In our key text we have seen that worry and cares can poison our hearts and minds but unfortunately there are also other things. Remember the 3 wise monkeys Hear no evil See no evil Speak no evil Good advice Ask any computer person about GIGO (garbage in garbage out). This works in our hearts and minds too, if we show no care for what we watch, read, listen to, where we go, what we do, who we keep company with then beware producing garbage! If a Christian goes to on X(R) rated movie, he/she may well get some poison into his/her mind which can then drop down into their heart. Poison waters can then flow out! We need to input LILO not GIGO Paul tells us in our key text Verse 8-9, here is what we allow into our ear and eye gates to our mind then settles in the heart. Whatever things will bring peace. Whatever is… True – Jesus Christ is the way, truth and life and his word is true. Fill your heart and mind with his truth Noble – The King, the Prince of peace, the Royal family i.e. the church Just – His righteous and holy standards for Christian living Pure – His purity and His desire for his bride to be pure Lovely – The character of God Good report – Testimonies in our lives and others Praiseworthy – Look for the good in people and their deeds so we thank God for it. God’s word-meditate, ruminate, chew the cud, and swallow, bring it back up and start over. These will strengthen and held guard your heart and mind, bringing peace irrespective of circumstances. Peace is part of the whole armour of God, wearing it involves a lifestyle. We need to bring every thought captive. Lastly consider the example of Church leaders like Paul, not just what he taught but what he lived out, he did not just talk the talk, but he would walk the walk. Conclusion Your heart and mind are very precious to God. Our hearts and minds can be poisoned if we are not careful what we allow into our hearts and minds. God wants your heart and mind to be free of poison so that we can love him fully. Guard your heart and mind! Amen

Victory in our daily lives Part 2 Philippians 4:6 Last time we considered the insidious sin of worry. We saw that worry is a Pandora’s Box of woes and trouble that we should never even consider opening. Worry pulls us in different directions and strangles or chokes the word of God in our lives and so prevents the fruit from growing in our lives. The Lord never intended for his children to shoulder that burden. We saw from our key text that God has given us his perfect antidote or solution to all our legitimate concerns in life. In every situation we take it to the Lord in prayer. Prayer, at one level, is simply talking to God but with the connotation of worship, devotion, and adoration etc. As each concern arises, we need to go before the Father God, in Jesus name. We should prepare ourselves to come before God. Preparation If you had a meeting with a Monarch, President or Teasoich, you would probably dress correctly, you would probably address him/her in a way befitting his/her high rank, and you would be earnest and concise in making your points. You would also hope that he/she would give you some sort of response. Likewise, with our Abba Father, we should set time aside and enter his presence by faith, purposing in our hearts to connect with the Lord and complete the transaction. We must take time to consider the greatness and holiness of God, which begins to put us in the right frame of heart and mind, so we should not rush in and out. Petition/supplication means an earnest sharing of our concerns with our Abba Father, sometimes this may involve strong emotion or even tears. Nor do we just come empty handed or empty hearted in the Lord’s presence like spoiled children, we ought to come filled with thanksgiving. By the time we have given due thanks to the Lord for all that he done, all that he is doing and all that he is going to do, faith will rise up in your heart as you begin to realize that he has never failed you! Lord God you gave me a new life, a new family, a new outlook, a new love, now will you give me a new job? Lord, you have fed and clothed me every day of my life, you have always come through for me even at the last minute, and will you come through for me in this matter? It is you and I who need reminding about God’s track record, not God he remembers! Why does Satan want us to be thoroughly ungrateful? Because it keeps our eyes on ourselves and our problems and off God. He knows that as we begin to thank the Lord, our faith will rise; we will hand the situation over to God and begin to receive the peace of God. Satan’s plan for worry, doubt and fear is thwarted once again! We need to wake up and smell the coffee! There is something lovely about genuine appreciation or gratitude in any situation. Adults love a grateful child who says thank you because we see that it produces good in the child’s life. If thankfulness is so fitting in our children, how much more so should we his children acknowledge him in all our ways and thank him continuously. Not everyone is grateful to God even when he heals them. A straw poll in Judea once showed only one in ten of healed lepers returned to thank God! How about you? Thanksgiving as a lifestyle (or discipline) Although thanksgiving is a vital part of this type prayer and supplication, it is by no means limited to it. Each day and each part of the day affords us countless opportunities to express thanks to God. We need to cultivate an attitude of gratitude in our hearts which will produce a daily lifestyle overflowing with thanksgiving to God. Daily program His mercies are new every morning and we can start our day by committing it to the Lord. Mealtimes (×3) Jesus always gave thanks to Father God at every meal and we should follow his example albeit publicly or privately. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 In church On entering his presence Psalm 100 At communion Luke 22:17-19 The offering time in the church is also an excellent opportunity to thank God as provider and to acknowledge him as our source. He has provided all that we need and as we thank him it helps us to realize this. Anywhere/Anytime Ephesians 5:20 The bible encourages us to give thanks for all things through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that every blessing comes. We can give thanks for our life, health, strength, healing, deliverance, our families, spouses, friends, church, leaders, children’s and youth workers, praise team, stewards etc., food, clothing, and shelter. Freedom to worship, living in a democratic country. Nature, birds, flowers, animals, sight, sound and colour. Sun, moon and stars, cosmos. The Gospel, and God sending his only son. As we saw earlier in difficulty and times of trouble, we can thank God for His answer that will come and for the grace and peace to come through the situation. Thanksgiving is a good point to start your petition because as we do it, we realize how good he is, and this stimulates our faith in Him to receive our petition. At the end of the day, we can give thanks for that day’s blessings and that we can hand over any concerns over to him and receive that peace which passes understanding. Such a lifestyle of thanksgiving will produce good fruit in your life and help to maintain proper fellowship with your heavenly Father. Cultivate that attitude of gratitude! Prayer Lord, fill us with your Holy Spirit and let thanksgiving flow from our hearts to you. Lord, we repent of our thanklessness at times and ask for your grace to develop a lifestyle of continuous thanksgiving. We believe that this is your will for us and receive it now by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Over the next three studies we are going to look at a few practical areas of daily Christian living. Our topics will be taken from Philippians 4:6-7. Today our first topic is worry. We can be defeated simply because we are not alert to the schemes and tactics of the devil. The mind is the arena of our faith, the battle for victory in our daily lives will be won or lost in our minds. Every decision we make is important. We need to monitor every thought coming into our minds, as if checking for a counterfeit banknote. This is part of guarding our hearts. We who have received an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Christ Jesus Romans 5:17. He has made us more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. He has freely given us all things pertaining to life and godliness. He became poor so that we might become rich. He has provided the means in his word to give us victory over every attack of Satan. How to deal with the sin of worry Philippians 4:6; Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7; And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heats and your minds in Christ Jesus. Paul also told us not to worry in this passage. Worry is an ugly sin Very few Christians would lie on their bed turning over wicked thoughts and plans, murder, adultery or other sexual sin, occult practices or spells or trying to remember a horoscope. Yet, many of us, if we are honest are worrying about health, finance, bodily necessities, relationships etc. But we must treat the temptation to worry in the same way as we deal with every other temptation to sin. The sin of worry is right up there with idolatry, adultery, theft, murder etc. so do not be fooled any longer! If Satan can develop the habit of worry in our lives our faith will become paralyzed and totally ineffective and unfruitful. Matthew 13:22 Worry will choke (with so many problems going on in our lives) word of God in our lives and make us unfruitful. Do not be chasing a rainbow. Without faith it is impossible to please God and worry with its evil henchmen of fear and doubt work together to cause us to lose our joy and faith! Our very fruitfulness to God is at stake here. Matthew 6:25-33 Romans 5:17 Perhaps the subtlest aspect of anxiety and worry is the way it creeps up on us. I have found myself slipping into it without realizing. The devil always wants to be unaware of this temptation. To be sure, there is a genuine type of concern for the people and circumstances of our lives without which we would be irresponsible. It is no sin to be tempted in any area, but how we deal with every thought is critical as to whether we will fall into sin. An example might be that you are concerned about a big bill to pay or a serious health matter or problems in a family relationship. You turn it over in your mind, you forget what God’s word says about your situation, you cannot sleep, you toss and turn and begin to imagine the very worst possible outcome… you suddenly realize that you have fallen into the sin of worry! Jesus did not prohibit genuine concerns about food and shelter etc. but he did teach that we must maintain a proper godly perspective on all these things. However, what Satan wants us to do, is to dwell on or focus on our fears rather than on the love of God or his wonderful care and faithful provision for each one of us. The enemy wants us to forget all the wonderful and precious promises of God for our protection and supply of his people (see Psalm 91). So, the actual temptation here is to cast aside our faith and trust in God and throw ourselves into a maelstrom of fear and worry. This is a sin because Jesus told us not to do it. Amen Prevention First recognize how to differentiate between genuine concern and the sin of worry. Paul tells us how to deal with genuine concern which is to hand it over to God and not let it mutate into a malignancy i.e. the sin of worry. Worry is a heavy burden that God never intended for us to carry. Philippians 4:6 Every genuine concern is to become a prayer and a petition, a request to our heavenly father through our Lord Jesus Christ. As we present our requests to God, we must fully release the matter into his hands. He is a God we can trust. We can draw on the peace of God knowing and believing that he has heard our petition and he will bring his answer in due season. When we take our hands and minds off the concern then we receive the shalom peace of God. This seems like a much better deal than sleepless nights and ulcers. Worry can destroy even our health. Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who said our God can save us from the fiery furnace but even if he does not, we still will not worship your idols! Make the decision never to worry again, this is part of knowing the truth that sets you free. Extra strength is available for us when we are tempted to worry Speak the word of God, the rhema word into your situation. Philippians 4:13 Romans 8:26-28 Psalm 23, 91 Sometimes you might need godly counsel, or even a prayer of agreement. We are here to help each other. Sleep, recreation, exercise, being realistic about unlikely fears etc. If you have mastered this temptation to worry, then teach others how to master it. Worry can and does choke the life out of a fellowship. Proverbs 12:25 1 John 1:9 Summary Worry is an ugly and serious sin It will choke the word of God out of our lives, by replacing faith with fear. Worry does not achieve anything good. Jesus told us not to do it. Paul told us not to do it. Let us make the decision that with God’s help never to do it again. Amen Prayer

Have you ever considered what are your strengths and weaknesses as a believer? What about you as part of a local church in terms of strengths and weaknesses? Perhaps (like us) you have identified the fact that you seem to be quite weak around local outreach i.e., you are not seeing many new converts in your local area. Further to this, if you surveyed 100 of your local people, how many would have heard of your church or even if they had, would they know where you meet for church? If you have identified a similar weakness, then (like us) you need to raise your profile in the local community. The Holy Spirit has given a wide range of strategies to different churches from time to time e.g., door to door calling, offering to pray for the sick, giving them a post card, a video, putting on shows, being a helping hand, etc. Corporately we need to seek the Lord for his exact word on how to go about this in each local situation. However, it is also clear that we individually need to be ready each day to bring the kingdom of God to our local people. One of the ways we can describe this state of being ready to impact people’s lives on a day-to-day basis is that we should be ‘Salt and Light’. Matthew 5:1-16 Verse 13; You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be seasoned. It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. In history salt was used as a preservative. It is antiseptic and stops flesh from rotting. If you did not salt your meat, as there were no fridges then, you had to eat your meat freshly. In the same way as meat or flesh rots if left to time and temperature, so with the fallen nature of mankind, the sin nature is rotten and if there was no salt amongst mankind, God would need to destroy rotten and decaying flesh of mankind. However, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer, the word of God in our hearts and mouths, and our testimony to the wonderful grace of God brings life preserving qualities (salt) to mankind! We are the salty antiseptic in modern society when we see the moral relativism of today is destroying people’s lives, it is helping them down the road to hell. We are the only people with the distinctive of having God’s word to be a light to people’s life paths. Remember Lot negotiating with God about the destruction of Sodom, God said he would not destroy if there were even 10 righteous men in it! God’s judgement is withheld from mankind because his Holy Spirit indwells his own people, we who are God’s living love letters to fallen man. You (as a follower of Jesus) today are the salt of the earth, so be salty, and do not conform to the corruption of all flesh, but rather be distinctive by standing out for what is right irrespective of political correctness or wokeness. Show people a different way of living. We can and should oppose moral decay by our lives and words. Salt is necessary for flavour, God only enjoys human beings when they have been salted by the Holy Spirit. Salt makes you thirsty, when the people we meet see your living faith, your salt will make them thirsty for God. Amen. Are you salty today? Worldliness takes away our saltiness. When there is no difference between the saint and the sinner, we are useless to God, this is strong language coming from Jesus himself! If we lose our saltiness, we are not only useless to God, but useless to each other, our church, and to the locality we live and work in. Verse 14; You are the light of the world. A city that is set or a hill cannot be hidden. Verse 15; Nor do they light or lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Verse 16; Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. In the Greek it says ‘You alone are the light of the world, if we believers aren’t shining then no-one is’! It is not the philosophers, sages, politicians, great thinkers but simply Jesus followers, we alone are the light of the world. We have a tremendous responsibility which only the people of God can discharge. Jesus made his light to shine in each one of our hearts, revealing the glory of the knowledge of God. We bear that same light in us that reveals Jesus as God’s son, the Saviour of the world. We must dare to be radically different from those living without the light of God. They lie, cheat, fornicate, take personal revenge. If we do the same, our light has gone out. Jesus’ light in us shows the unbelievers how they ought to live. Our lives must display that we are God fearing, reverent and holy, honest, truthful, morally pure, and living a lifestyle of forgiveness. Shining is our business; we have no right to not be shining. Our lives should expose the difference of the unbeliever’s lives to ours. They must see something radically different from their own, so let your light so shine! How do we let our light shine? Live pure, holy, and loving lives. Refuse to be worldly, do not be pushed into its mould. Do not be like a foolish virgin, but rather keep filled up with the oil of the Holy Spirit. Let your light shine through your good works, those little kindness, being thoughtful and prayerful. Be attractive with the beauty of holiness. Show love in every way you can. Caring might be as simple a thing as offering cup of cold water on a hot day. Practice generosity, Practice Hospitality, Be available Offer forgiveness! Remember every human life is eternal whether to be spent in heaven or in hell. Jesus associated with prostitutes, tax collectors, sinful people etc. It is God’s desire for all to be saved. Lord, please make us ready for specific direction in our local communities. Get to know people, after the pursuit of God himself, people are our main purpose in life. Watch out, sometimes people might want to chop your head off like John the Baptist for telling the truth! We need to be restored in our Salt and Light. We need to repent. We need to stop being dead flesh and come out of the darkness into his glorious light. We need to mourn over our sins. Prayer Lord restore us, restore our cutting edge in our outreach. Make us radically different and make us effective in being Salt and Light to the world and especially to be impacting our local communities for you in our day-to-day life. Amen