jackpickel

June 3, 2012

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?     Person & Performance

Are you trying to be successful?  To get God to love you? To please everyone?  Are you busy, busy, busy?  Why?

Proverbs 23:7 For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft,  false testimony, slander.

 Romans 10:10 It is with your heart you believe…

 Ephesians 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature  & following its desires & thoughts…

 The Bible is clear that what we believe in our hearts manifests itself in our behavior.  It looks something like this…

Belief > Thoughts > Emotions > Behavior

Beliefs lead to thoughts.  Thoughts lead to emotions.  Emotions lead to behavior

When it comes to beliefs, what ideas/beliefs constitute your personal belief system (PBS)?

1.  What do you believe about the world?  Is life fair or unfair?  Is there some hidden “force” working against you?  Is everyone out to get you?

2.  What do you believe about others?  Are people trustworthy or untrustworthy?  Are people worthy your time and effort or are they not?

3.  What do you believe about you?  Are you acceptable or not?  Are you loved or not?  Are you competent or not?  Are you able to change or not?

Warning:  Just because your spirit has been made perfect in Christ and your are totally accepted by God, it isn’t an excuse for excellent-less living or sloppy spirituality.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works

Ephesians  2:10 We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…

 1 Timothy 6:18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds…

2 Timothy 3:17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Titus 2:14 …a people… eager to do what is good.

Titus 3:14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good…

Hebrews 10:24 & let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love & good deeds

Colossians 3:17 & whatever you do, whether in word or deed, to it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

God’s work through Christ on our behalf (creation, propitiation, justification, reconciliatioin, and regeneration) serves as a catalyst for a new way of living

Although our spirits are perfect our performance will always require improvement.  But our performance is ALWAYS against the back drop of God’s grace and he doesn’t judge us for it.

Satan’s wants us to either

1.  think too highly of ourselves (based on talent, gifts, performance, function)

or

2.  think too lowly of ourselves (based on our seeming lack of talent or gifts, under-                  performance, lack of successful functioning)

Four False Beliefs

1.  My performance determines my worth           (the fear of failure syndrome)

2.  I need the approval of others to be of value   (the fear of rejection syndrome)

3.  Wrong doing must be punished                        (the fear of punishment syndrome)

4.  I must be in control to be of value                   (the fear of shame syndrome)