Small Things - Big Faith, The Three Relationships

This month we have been talking about how small things can make a big difference in our lives.  Small changes in our thoughts, words, and habits can improve just about every area of our life, including our faith, but today, Pastor David and I want to look at a few small things that can specifically help us develop a BIG faith.  If we truly want to look more like Jesus, and experience the same kind of BIG faith and trust and power that Jesus did, then let’s focus on three small things Jesus did:

● A relationship with God

● A relationship with the church (the people of God)

● A relationship with the world

Here at Faith Church, we call these the 3 Relationships and they form for us the foundation of what it means for us to follow Jesus.  The reason we focus on these 3 relationships is that these were the foundation of focus of Jesus’ life.  Everything Jesus did flowed from one of these 3 relationships.  His relationship with God sustained Him and guided His mission and ministry.  His relationship with His disciples formed the community that kept His ministry going, and it was Jesus' relationship with the world that brought the blessing of love and life.   

Jesus clearly had a very unique and powerful relationship with God.  Jesus wasn’t just the Son of God, we believe Jesus was God in the flesh and blood of a human being.  The Apostle Paul said, 

The Son (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  Colossians 1:15-17

Jesus was the fullness of God, and while how that took place is a mystery to us, Jesus said, I and the Father are one.  He also said, when you see me you have seen the Father.  Now here is what is important for us to consider, even though they were one, we see Jesus always giving time to spend with God the Father.  

As a child, when Jesus’ family took a trip to Jerusalem, Jesus stayed behind in the Temple.  When His parents finally realized He was missing and returned to the city, they found Jesus in the Temple surrounded by religious leaders.  He said to His parents, didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?

As a child, Jesus wanted to be in the house of God.  As an adult Jesus continued to want a strong relationship with God so we see Him spending time with God in worship at the synagogue, but also going off alone to pray.  Jesus needed those times and He needed a strong relationship with God so that He could be faithful and obedient.  Everyone had their own idea about Jesus being the Messiah.  Some wanted Jesus to do more miracles and heal more people, others wanted Him to teach more, and others wanted Him to lead a political revolution.  With everyone telling Jesus what they wanted Him to be and do, Jesus had to lean into His relationship with God so he could hear God’s will and move in God’s direction.  

There are two specific times where Jesus turned to His relationship with God to help him stay obedient to God’s will.  The first was at the beginning of His ministry.  After healing crowds of people, Jesus could have continued on with a dynamic healing ministry, but was this what God wanted?  To make sure he was being faithful, Jesus went off early one morning to be alone with God and pray.  When Jesus returned, He said He was going to start travelling to other cities so that He could preach about the coming kingdom of God.  God’s word had given direction to Jesus’ life.  

Near the end of Jesus' earthly ministry, when the cross was clearly becoming a reality, Jesus again sought out a time of prayer.  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked God if there could be any other way to accomplish His plan of salvation.  When Jesus got up from that time of prayer, He moved forward on a path that led him to the cross.  Once again, it was the relationship Jesus had with God that gave direction to his life.  It helped Jesus not only endure the suffering of the cross but defeat sin and death and bring salvation to the world.  

It was Jesus' strong relationship with God that allowed Him to have a BIG faith.  For us, a BIG faith will come when we are willing to focus on this primary relationship.  If we can stay connected to God through Jesus, the power of Christ will flow into our lives and help us be the people of faith we want to be.  

Jesus also centered His life on establishing relationships with people who became the foundation of the church.  The first thing Jesus did after He was baptized and started His public ministry was to call people to follow Him.  Jesus wasn’t here to live life on His own, He wasn’t here to just show us how important it is for us to have a relationship with God, He worked to create a community of people who would be able carry on the work of God in the world.  

Jesus had an inner core of 3 people, Peter, James and John, who became leaders in the early church.  He had the 12 disciples who walked with Him and gave witness to the work God was doing in and through Jesus.  There was also a larger group of 70 followers who began to create communities of faith that not only supported one another but supported Jesus as well.  The life of Jesus shows us that God never wanted us to live in isolation but in community.  

We will never experience a BIG faith on our own.  We will never see the fullness of God’s presence and power working in our lives if we try to live out our faith by ourselves.  Even after Jesus left this world, the first thing the Holy Spirit did was to create a strong and healthy church.   

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.  Acts 2:42-47.  

The followers of Jesus devoted themselves to a relationship with God through ongoing worship and prayer, but they also committed themselves to a strong relationship with one another through generously sharing all they had and supporting one another in all things.  As they lived out this relationship, God used them to draw others in.  A focus on this one relationship started to change the lives of people all around them.  It started to change the world. 

The third relationship we see Jesus was His relationship with the world.  Jesus did not just care for the people of God who followed Him, He reached out to a wide variety of people. Jesus welcomed a sinful Samaritan woman and gave her life.  He extended grace to a syro-phoenician woman and healed her daughter.  A Roman guard stood at the cross and as he watched the suffering and death of Jesus and said with faith, surely this is the son of God.  Jesus didn’t just come for a few, He came for the world.  Jesus' death and resurrection was for all the world.  God our Savior wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1 Peter 2:4

Jesus' relationship with the world moved Him to reach out beyond all kinds of boundaries and barriers to bless others.  For us, a BIG faith means we must also develop a relationship with the world where we are willing to reach out and be a blessing.  How can we bless others by sharing God’s love with them?  How can sharing the good news of Jesus and the salvation He alone can bring be a blessing?  How can we bless the world by standing strong in the values of God’s kingdom?   We are to bless and love the world with the love God has given us. 

Jesus focused on just 3 relationships throughout His life, but it was these relationships that allowed Him to be faithful and obedient to God in all things.  If we want a BIG faith then these need to be the 3 relationships we focus on.  These are the relationships that need to form the foundation of our own lives.  To help us learn how to deepen and develop these relationships in intentional ways, I want to invite Pastor David to come and talk a little bit about the rhythms of life that can lead us to a BIG faith.    

Pastor David:

 Several years ago, I was trying to find the best rate for a car loan… and I read online that credit unions sometimes have the best rates. So I went up to Penn State Federal Credit Union and they said, you can’t get a loan there unless you have an account and you can’t have an account here unless you’re a member of the Penn State Alumni Association. And since I didn’t go to Penn State, I figured that was the end for me, but the teller had good news.  She said, “you don’t have to be Penn State Alum to be part of the Alumni Association. You just need to fill out this form and pay a one-time $10 fee!  I become a member with exclusive benefits and my life literally didn’t even change a little bit.  I just had to check off a box to make me worthy of being accepted. 

Sometimes that’s how we feel about our faith… that we just need to jump through the right hoops to be accepted by God.  I remember as a kid I had this mentality reinforced in me at VBS one year… these two elementary school kids in my class got into a fist fight and a well-intentioned teacher pulled them apart and said, “THIS IS NO WAY TO ACT IN GOD’S HOUSE!”  

I heard her say that and I was so confused… I’m sure this isn’t what she meant to say, but in my kid brain what I heard was, it doesn’t matter how you live outside of these walls, but in church you gotta act like Jesus… once you leave, have at it… get in a fist fight… rob a bank… do whatever feels good!  

Sometimes we’re tempted to treat our Christian faith like a Sam’s Club Membership… we’re living like somehow if we check the right boxes at the right times, God will have to love and forgive us… if we read our bibles and don’t cuss, God will overlook the way we treat our family or the way we talk to the cashier at the grocery store or the guy in traffic who’s driving slow in the passing lane.  Sometimes a person’s check list is just one or two things and sometimes a person’s check list is 250 good things they need do, but either way, if we treat the Christian faith like a check list, we’re missing out.

If we want to grow to become like Jesus by deepening and developing our relationship with God, the Church, and the World, like we see in Jesus’ life… it STARTS by knowing and believing that we are already loved and accepted just the way we are.  We’ve never been more loved than we are right now. And there’s nothing we can do to increase God’s love for us.  Nothing. You are loved by God. Period. There’s no earning forgiveness in God’s kingdom… we just need to accept what’s already there for us. 

This is important because as long as we think we’re earning forgiveness and love, we’re always gonna feel like we’re not doing enough… and actually we’d be right, because the truth is we can’t do enough to earn forgiveness… we can’t do enough good to be more loved… for it’s by God’s grace that we’ve been forgiven… he gives it freely to each one of us.

So we have to make that shift in our thinking. We’re not becoming like Jesus to be loved… We deepen and develop those three relationships because we are loved… and we want to become like Jesus… we want to be obedient him…. And because the life he has for us is better than the life we’d choose on our own. 

As Pastor Andy said, each Relationship is comprised of 5 Rhythms that we see in Jesus’s life… they’re not things to check off a to-do list, they’re ways of living that affect every moment of our lives.  Not like our Penn State Alumni Association membership... instead, it affects everything and these rhythms are lived out in our jobs, at school, on the athletic field, at home, in our neighborhoods… in our parenting and in our relationships… it’s not a to-do list, it’s the way we live our lives. 

Now, we don’t have time on a Sunday morning to go over all 15 Rhythms, but I want to share a few Rhythms with you to help you understand the concept and to help you know how you can grow in them.  

One of the easiest ways to capture the essence of the rhythms is by looking at our relationship with God – specifically, the rhythm Scripture: My life is directed by the Bible.  Notice this doesn’t say “Read your Bible once a day” or “read the Bible cover to cover once a year.”  It says “my life is directed by the Bible.”  That’s a big difference.

I remember growing up, pastors and youth leaders would tell me I should read the Bible. And here at Faith Church, we encourage you to read the Bible.  And sometimes that can kinda feel like a to-do list item, can’t it?  Like, if we do it, God will be happy with me.  

But reading the Bible isn’t the point… our lives being directed by the Bible is the point.  Jesus memorized the Scriptures and he lived his life accordingly.  The early Christians studied the apostles teaching and then they did what it said.  That’s why they sacrificed their own wealth to care for the needs of others.  Because they read God’s Word and did what it said.  James 1:22 says Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”  

Coming to worship, listening to a Christian podcast, reading our Bible, doing devotions, reading a Christian book, learning in a small group… those things don’t do anything on their own, but we’re growing in the rhythm of Scripture when we put into action what we read.  Don’t let it go in on ear and out the other… do what it says.  Even when it’s hard.  Even when it requires sacrifice. My life is directed by the Bible.  Can you see how this is not a check list, but a way of living?

One of the rhythms in our relationship with the church is Community: My interactions with the church are rooted in love.  Jesus loved the disciples and he cared for them.  All throughout Scripture we’re invited to do the same with what are sometimes referred to as “one another” statements.  

All these commandments are about how believers should interact with each other. Offer hospitality to one another… bear with one another… forgive one another… value one another above yourself… serve one another humbly in love… love one another… confess your sins to one another… pray for each other… be devoted to one another… honor one another above yourselves… 

Wow. That’s quite a calling. That calling isn’t to be pleasant and smile when we pass each at church and on the street… that’s an invitation to Christian community that goes beyond the surface and creates space for vulnerability.  It requires us to be willing to say, you know what… everything is not alright. I’m really struggling here… and it invites us to respond to that by saying… you’re not alone… we’re here with you.  We are for you.  

My friends, we can’t experience this kind of Christian community in an hour long worship gathering on the weekends.  It takes being in relationship with one another… and whether that relationship is formed naturally through church life or whether those relationships are formed in the context of a small group or Sunday school class… if we want to become like Jesus, we need Christian community.

Kind of like with Scripture, going to a small group or Sunday school class isn’t the point, being able to hear from God and being able grow deep in friendship with other believers is the point.  The rhythm of Community is about our interactions with the church being rooted in love.  Can you see how this is not a check list, but a way of living life?

One of the rhythms in our relationship with the world is Engagement – I look for opportunities to introduce people to Jesus.  

In Colossians 4:2-5 Paul says 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Every single day we rub shoulders with people who don’t yet know Jesus… our neighbors, our coworkers, our classmates, the teller at the bank, and the cashier at the grocery store… every interaction with them is an opportunity to show them Christ’s love by the way we treat them… and they’re also opportunities to introduce people to Jesus, to tell people of what Jesus has done in our lives, to invite people to worship with us or to connect with God in our small group or through inviting their kids to an event like Vacation Bible School.  

I love the way Paul says it here – make the most of every opportunity.  

In fact, Paul PRAYS for doors to be opened to share Christ with other people.  And we’re invited to the same thing.  We’re invited to love folks we encounter, to ask God for a way for us to invite them on the journey of faith, and then making the most of that opportunity. 

Part of our relationship with the world is engagement – looking for opportunities to introduce people to Jesus. 

Those were just three of the 15 rhythms of the life of Jesus that we’re invited to live out.  Ways of living that aren’t items to check off a to-do list, but are part of a process of who we’re becoming… and when we live them out, they impact every aspect of our lives. 

The reality is, some of the 15 rhythms we naturally and easily live out.  But others require a bit more intentional focus.  I want to invite you to consider what rhythm you might want to grow in over the next year.  As we’ve been diving into our word for the year… does your word connect with one of the rhythms? Maybe there’s one that you know is an area where God wants to grow you.  Choose a rhythm to focus on this year as part of your one word.  And see how God transforms you.

You can take a Rhythm Assessment that will help you see which rhythms are strongest in your life and which ones could use a little more work.  

Once you figure out what Rhythm you’d like to grow in you can pick up a personal study workbook of the 15 Rhythms in the lobby or online and learn more about what the rhythm means and what you can do to develop it more in your life.

You can meet with a spiritual coach to talk about the rhythm you want to grow in.  They’re not therapists, they’re people who are trained to listen to you and encourage you and help you set goals for yourself. 

Or maybe your next step is to sign up for a serve team or a small group to put yourself in a place where you can dive into scripture and be connected to others in Christian community. 

Finally, we want to announce a brand new opportunity to grow in Faith.  Over the next few months, we’re launching some brand new Rhythm Workshops that will touch on a lot of the Rhythms of the 3 Relationships.  

We have a membership worship tonight… we have a 3R overview workshop that will touch on all 15 rhythms a little bit and go more in depth on the assessment and the workbook. We have a workshop on how to read the Bible and pray on your own to help you develop your personal relationship with God.  We have a workshop designed to help you be ready to share Christ with someone you encounter. And we have a workshop to discover how God designed you with specific passions, spiritual gifts, and talents… and how you can use those to serve inside or outside the church. 

I’m really excited about these workshops… and on your way out of worship you can pick up a post card that has all the information on it and a link to sign up.  You can also access all this information – the workshops, the spiritual coaching, the assessment, and the workbook – by going to bellefontefaith.com/3R.  

But I want to encourage you… What small thing do you want to grow in this year? How does your word… and your thought… and your habit help you grow in a Rhythm this year?  

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who said his pastor always made him feel like he had to be perfect and that he was never doing enough to make God happy.  That feeling is comes from a check-list starting point.  “If I do enough, then God will be happy.”

If you hear nothing else today, I hope you know that that belief couldn’t be farther from the truth.  We don’t become more like Jesus TO be good enough… Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are enough.  There’s nothing more we can do.  We become more like Jesus BECAUSE he loves us… more than we could ever imagine… and if we trust him for salvation and if we trust that he loves us, we can trust that the life he has for us is better than the life we would ever choose for ourselves.

 

Next Steps

Small Things - Big Faith

The 3 Relationships

Focusing on 3 relationships can help us develop a BIG faith:

1. A relationship with God

2. A relationship with the church

3. A relationship with the world

Consider how these relationships were the foundation of Jesus life and ministry:

• God: John 1:1-18, Mark 1:35-39, Matthew 14:22-24, Matthew 26:36-46

• Church: Luke 2:41-52, Mark 1:16-20, Acts 2:42-47,  Acts 4:32-35

• World: John 3:16-17, John 4:1-26, 1 Peter 2:4

Which relationship needs more development in your life?  

Take the 3 Relationships Self-Assessment to help you see where you are strong and where improvement might be needed.  Resources can be found at: bellefontefaith.com/3r

Each relationship can be broken down into 5 rhythms that can help us go deeper.  Pick one rhythm to focus on this week.  

Relationship ___________Rhythm __________________

Commit now to being part of one of these 4 classes:

● Grow Class (3 Relationships Overview) - Feb. 20 & 27

● Dwell Class (Read the Bible and Pray) - March 13

● Share Class (How to share our faith) - April 3 &10

● Design Class (Spiritual Gifts) - May 1, 15, & 22

Small Things, Big Difference - habits

Today we are finishing up our series, Small Things, Big Difference.  What we have heard all month is that it is the small things that no one sees that result in the big things everyone wants.  No matter what change or improvement we want in life, it all comes down to the small things we do day after day.  The first week, Pastor David invited us to choose just one word that we might want to focus on this year.  Instead of trying to improve in 4 or 5 different areas, choose just one word to focus on and watch how growing in that one area can help us grow in many more.  One word is a small thing that can lead to big changes.

Then we looked at how our thoughts are small things that no one sees, but they make a big difference because we always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  If we can capture the negative thoughts, we can then make room for positive thoughts and think about only what is good and right and lovely.  

Changing our thoughts is also important because our thoughts shape our words, and our words are important because they have the power to bring life or death. The words we speak to ourselves and others can lift us up or tear us down.  We can change our words by doing what our parents always told us, if you can’t say anything nice - don’t say anything at all.  And by remembering that if we think of something good to say - say it.  Whether you are speaking to others or yourself, if you think something good, say it.  Did you say something good to yourself this week?   

Today we are going to finish by looking at our habits.  It is the small things we do over time that make us who we are.  We are what we repeatedly do.  If we find success in certain areas of our life, chances are good that we have some strong habits that are helping us move in that direction.  If your family is healthier and stronger than it was last year, it might be because you are spending more time together.  Maybe you have been committed to intentional times of being together.  If you are doing better in school, it might be that you have embraced some good study habits.  Maybe you have found a process for learning class material that is working.

If you are improving as an athlete, musician, or artist, it might be that your daily time of practice is paying off, and as you improve, you are enjoying it more, and as you enjoy it more, you practice more.  Most success in life comes from small habits that help us move in a good direction.  We are what we repeatedly do.  

Now, unfortunately, the opposite is also true.  If we aren’t finding success in certain areas, it might be that we have bad habits that keep us stuck where we are or moving in the wrong direction.  A habit of watching TV, gaming, or spending hours on social media every evening might keep us from healthier relationships, better grades, or any kind of improvement in sports, music or art.  It’s not that we are undisciplined, we are just disciplined in the wrong things.  

For years I felt undisciplined when it came to consistently reading and reflecting on the Bible every morning.  I would try and do it every day but I couldn’t keep it going.  Then I realized that each morning I was really good at watching the morning shows on TV.  I had developed strong habits, but in the wrong areas.  I can be disciplined, I just need to be disciplined in different ways.  

The apostle Paul knew all this and he helps us understand what is going on when he says, Romans 7:15, 18b-20, 24-25a

I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.

I want to do what is right, but I can’t.  I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.  But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?  Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here is the big idea we need to take away from this passage.  

Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits.  

Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits.  Our bad habits are strong.  We know the good things we want to do and don’t, and we know the bad things we don’t want to do but do anyway.  We live this day after day.  We are frustrated that we can’t change, and here’s the thing, WE can’t change.  On our own, in our own strength, we can’t change, but God is not asking us to change, God is asking us to allow Christ into our lives to change us.  

The power of Christ, the power of God working in us, IS stronger than our bad habits, so change and growth is possible if it is Spirit led.  It is the Holy Spirit that can help us choose what we want most over what we want now - and in many ways that is the definition of discipline: choosing what we want most over what we want now.  

If what I want most is to have a stronger relationship with God, the Holy Spirit can help me shift from morning TV shows to morning devotions.  If what I want most is to have a stronger marriage and family, then the Holy Spirit can help me carve out time to spend with my spouse and children.  If what I want most is to get my financial house in order, then the Holy Spirit can help me make one less purchase this week.  God sent Jesus to live with us, and the Holy Spirit to live in us, so that we could experience a healthier, stronger, and more faithful life.  Paul talked about this often: 

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:13

If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Ephesians 6:10

While all of this sounds good and inspirational, how can we actually experience this strength and new life?  How can we choose what we want most over what we want now?  The key is to start small.  

Paul shares with us two small things we can do that can help us see big changes.  Paul writes to the people of Corinth about how we need to follow the example of athletes.  

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  1 Corinthians 9:24-25

The people of Corinth would have understood this comparison because every 4 years they hosted the Isthmian Games.  People didn’t just travel to Corinth to compete, many would move there to train.  The people watched athletes train and would become part of the training programs, so they would have seen the two important steps that Paul lays out here.

#1. Run with purpose.  All runners should run to get the prize.  Run with the purpose of winning.  Run with purpose.  What is the purpose behind your race?  What is the purpose of developing new habits and healthier disciplines?  Defining the purpose, seeing the prize, can give us the motivation to make the small changes.  The purpose of my shifting from morning TV shows to morning devotions was that I wanted a stronger faith.  I wanted to give God the opportunity to speak to me and shape my thoughts and words and habits every day. 

Two of the rhythms of life that can improve our relationship with God is Scripture and Obedience.  I wanted to allow God's Word to speak to me and direct more of my life.  I wanted the strength and power to obey God and go where He would lead me.  To do this, I knew I needed to give God the opportunity to speak to me and shape my thoughts and words and habits.  Keeping my eyes fixed on that purpose has helped me maintain a healthy spiritual habit.  Define your purpose.  

Maybe the purpose of your race this year is to be a better parent or spouse or friend.  How can that purpose shape your next step?  Maybe your purpose is to be more generous.  Maybe you are running to improve your health or strengthen your faith.  If we can define our purpose and set our eyes on the prize God has placed before us, we will be more likely to ask God for the strength and power to keep us going.  Run with purpose.  

#2 Discipline with power.  The second thing Paul says is that everyone who runs to win must go into strict training.  All the athletes in the winter Olympics went into strict training in order to compete.  We need to discipline ourselves with power, but remember that the power we are talking about is the power of God.  

If we can allow God’s power to work in us in small ways, to make small changes, it can lead us to bigger and better things.  Just one small change in our habits and discipline can lead us to better choices and healthier habits.  Here is what we need to remember: good habits lead to more good habits.  

The author of the book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg, talks about discovering our keystone habits.  A keystone habit is one habit that leads to more good habits.  He discovered that on the days he worked out physically, he also tended to eat healthier.  He could have gone home after the gym and eaten a dozen donuts as a reward, but he felt better after exercise so wanted to make more good choices.  He discovered that for him a “keystone habit” was to exercise regularly.  

If we can discover the keystone habits in our lives, and focus on doing those small things daily, we might see big changes.  Take some time this week to ask yourself this question, on the days I am feeling good and living with purpose, what habits have helped me get there.  For some people it might be as simple as setting out your clothes the night before, making your bed every morning, brushing your teeth after each meal, or making a spending plan for the month.  Maybe the habit is physical exercise or healthy eating.  Maybe it is morning devotions or evening prayers with your children.  What is one habit in your life that has a domino effect and touches every other area?  If we can commit ourselves to these keystone habits, God can change everything.  

Changing one small habit can make a big difference and God shows us this when for 40 years he provided food for the people of Israel.  For generations, God’s people had lived as slaves in Egypt and they had forgotten what it was like to know God or trust God.  Once the people crossed through the Red Sea and were finally free, God began a process of teaching thrm how to trust Him.  God set up a keystone habit.  This is what God said to Moses,  

I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.  On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.  Exodus 16:4-5

God could have provided food for His people any number of ways, but He chose to give them just enough food for each day so that they would learn to trust Him.  You can imagine what happened the first week God provided manna.  People gathered more than they needed because they didn’t trust God to provide.  But when they woke up the next morning and found the manna they saved had gone bad, but there was fresh manna on the ground, the people began to trust God.  God was not only feeding His people, He was doing it in a way that helped them learn to trust Him.  He made a big spiritual difference in their lives through a small daily habit.  

It took 40 years, a generation, for people to learn how to trust God.  It took 40 years of a daily habit for the lives of God’s people to change.  But it changed, they grew in their faith and trust.  One small habit made a big difference. Don’t despise the small things.  

This week, identify one small thing you can start doing today, or stop doing, that can begin to make a big difference in your life.  

● If you want to be more caring - send thank you notes to people each week.  

● If you want to be more organized - make your bed each day.  

● If you want to be a faithful example for your children - pray with them at night.  

● If you want to have a healthier diet - stop drinking soda.

● If you want to experience more freedom – let go of grudges and forgive someone who has offended you.  

● If you want more joy - remember what the Lord has done for you.  

● If you want to speak more life giving words - if you see something good in someone - say it.  

● If you want to think better thoughts - capture the negative ones and replace them with what is good, right and lovely.

● If you want to see change in your life - focus on one word.  

It is the small things that no one sees that lead us to the big differences we want in life.  

Next Steps

Small Things, Big Difference - Habits

We are what we repeatedly do.  What healthy habits do you have?  What not so healthy habits do you have?  

Read Romans 7:15-25

Paul’s Big Idea: Christ in me is stronger than my bad habits.

● Paul drives this point home in: Philippians 4:13, 

2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 6:10

● How can knowing this help you when you see bad habits?

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

1. Run with Purpose

● Identify some of the different purposes of your life.

● How can staying focused on these shape your habits?

● Pick one purpose to focus on this week.  Check out the different Rhythms found in our 3 Relationships.  

2. Discipline with Power

● What does it look like for you to draw from God’s power and not your own?

● Identify some of the “keystone habits” that lead to even more good habits in your life..  

● What keystone habit could you focus on this week?

God shows us the power of good habits in Exodus 16:4-5

● What can we learn from the Israelites when it comes to developing good habits?

● How does this story remind us to “not despise the small things?”

What one habit can lead us to our one word for the year?

My One Word:________________________________

My One Habit:________________________________

Small Things, Big Difference - Our Words

This month we are talking about how the small things in our lives can lead to the big differences we want to see.  Whether it is a stronger marriage, better grades, getting out of debt, moving into a healthier lifestyle, or a stronger faith, all the big things we want to happen come when we are willing to focus on the small things.  And when we get discouraged because we don’t see a lot of quick changes with those small things, we need to remember that God said, do not despise the small things.  Those small things, done over time, will lead to the big difference we want.

Last week we looked at our thoughts, and our thoughts are small things that no one sees, but our thoughts actually shape and direct everything. Our lives always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  If we don’t think we will ever amount to anything, we won’t ever step out and try anything.  If we don’t think we can be used by God, we won’t see the God given opportunities all around us.  

On the other hand, if we believe that God is with us, and that God is for us, and that God has a plan for our lives, then we will be looking for opportunities and blessings in everything.  When we see God moving all around us, we will be more likely to step out with boldness, courage, and faith to live life to the fullest.  Our lives always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  

Our thoughts also are important because they influence our words.  Our words might seem small and insignificant, but our words can literally change the direction of our lives.  James 3:3-5

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 

Our tongue, or our words, are small things, but they can make a big difference in our lives, and in the lives of others.  James said that with our words we can praise God, or curse God.  With our words we can lift others up, or tear others down.  Our words can lift us up, or tear ourselves down.  Solomon said it this way: Proverbs 18:21   The tongue has the power of life and death.  

Our words can literally bring life to ourselves and others, or they can tear down and destroy ourselves and others.  Just as a single spark can set an entire forest on fire, so one word can destroy a life.  My guess is that at some point in time we have all experienced the destructive power of words.  

Maybe you had a teacher who told you that you would never amount to anything, or you would never get into college because you weren’t good enough in math or science.  Maybe you had a coach who didn’t encourage you to keep going but instead told you that if you stayed on the team all you would ever do is warm the bench.  Or maybe you had a job where you were told over and over again that your work was never good enough.  

After my first year of college, I got a job as a custodian at a local hotel and restaurant.  Now if you know me, you might think that this would be a great job for me.  I have even said that when I retire I might like a job as a custodian of a small church.  I like things neat and clean, and I like to clean.  Now I’m not bragging here, but I was a good custodian.  The restrooms were clean, the offices were clean, all the public spaces and reception rooms were clean, even the parking lot was clean.  I did a good job, but my boss was critical of everything I did.  

He didn’t like the order I did things.  He didn’t like how I did things. He would tell me to go do something without even asking if I had already done it.  He constantly put down my work and I was miserable.  His words broke me down and after a few weeks I quit.  Constant negative and critical words are life taking, they tear down our confidence, our self-esteem, and our sense of value and worth.  

My guess is that we have all experienced this at work, at school, or among friends, and unfortunately far too many children experience this at home.  Words are powerful.  They have the power to bring life or death.  Again, from Proverbs we hear this. 

Proverbs 12:18  The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:4  The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

If we want to change our lives, one of the best places to start is by changing our words, both the words we speak to others and the words we speak to ourselves.  Last week we did a thought audit where we thought about what we think about.   This week let’s do a word audit and think about the words we speak.  

On a scale of 1 - 10, are our words life taking or life giving?  

When you talk to others, are your words life taking or life giving? 

If we are always critical, always pointing out people’s faults or problems, or if we are always pointing out how they don’t do things the way we do them, we might be a 1 or 2.  Now this doesn’t mean there is not a place for helpful and constructive criticism.  We all need good feedback so we can learn and grow and improve, but if we are always critical, or we find ourselves only pointing out the problems we see, then our words might be tearing people down instead of building them up.

On the other hand, if we are always quick to give praise, always willing to send a note of thanks and appreciation, always willing to point out the blessings we see in others, we might be an 8-9.  This past week I heard many life giving words of thanks and praise for our online worship.  Due to the weather last Sunday, we had about 15 people here at 8:15 for worship, and 10 of them were here as volunteers, but we had over 250 people online.  When notes and words of thanks and appreciation came in, it lifted me up.  I was able to share those words with others and it lifted us all up.  We all know what those life giving words mean to us.  Are your words to others more life taking or life giving?  What kind of number would you give yourself?  

Now let’s talk about when we talk to ourselves.  I don't know about you, but it is easier to say positive things about others than it is about ourselves.  And while most of the time we may not literally say to ourselves all that we are thinking about ourselves - those words are just as powerful.  When you talk to yourself, are your words life taking or life giving? 

Think about those times you might actually say something to yourself out loud.  Does it tend to be more life taking or life giving?  For many of us, we just speak life taking words.  We make a mistake and say, I always make the same mistake.  I’ll never amount to anything.  I've been a screw up my entire life.  I’ve never been very good at that.  Chances are that when we literally talk to ourselves, it is with negative, life taking words. 

When was the last time you said out loud to yourself, good job!  I knew you could do it. What a blessing you are to your family.  I add so much to my family.  I make a difference at work and I know people appreciate what I do.  God is so happy with me right now.  

I know what you're thinking, we don’t say those things to ourselves because it would sound like we are boasting and prideful.  While it might sound that way, it might also be that we need to say those things to ourselves because we need to hear them.  It’s ok to say positive things about ourselves.  It’s ok to tell ourselves that we are loved, valuable, important, and gifted.  It’s ok to tell ourselves that our lives make a difference and that we matter to God.  So are your words about yourself life taking or life giving?  What number would you give yourself?  

Now once again, add your two numbers together.  You don’t have to tell anyone, but if your score isn’t 20, then the rest of this message is for you.  My guess is that we all have some room to grow in our words, so let’s look at 2 small things that can not only change our words but maybe change our lives.  

The first small thing is a principle I’m sure you heard growing up:

If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.  

If you can’t say something positive, helpful, and life giving either to yourself or to others, then don’t say anything.  Stay quiet.  Ephesians 4:29,  do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  

Let’s be honest, this is a principle we all need to live by.  If we can’t say things that will give life and build others up, then we need to stay quiet.  This is not an easy thing to do when all around us, from politics to sports to social media, all we see are people jumping in to tear others down.  When all we hear is negative criticism, we will be more likely to criticize others.  

As a culture we love to tear people down.  We love to point out the problems we see in others and while this might be the norm for the world, it can’t be the norm for the followers of Jesus.  We have a different set of values and a different example in Jesus.  Sacrificial love means that our words need to lift others up, and if we don’t have anything helpful or positive to say, then we need to say nothing.  If you can’t say something nice, stay quiet.

The second principle is this, if you think something good - say it!  If you think something good about someone, if you see something positive in someone - say it.  If our words give life, why would we withhold this blessing from others?   Proverbs 16:2,  Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  It’s not our thoughts that are sweet and bring healing, it’s our words.  We can think all kinds of wonderful things about others but they don’t bring life until we speak.  

In Genesis 1, when God created the world it doesn’t say that God thought about the world and it came to be, God spoke, and the world came to be.  God said, let there be light, and there was light.  It is words that bring life.  So if we think of something helpful, good, and life giving to say to someone - we need to say it. 

If you want a better marriage, start saying life giving words to your spouse.  If you want stronger and healthier children, start saying life giving words to them.  If you want better friends, a healthier work environment, or a stronger community, start saying life giving words to the people around you.  This is more important than we can possibly imagine because studies have shown that it takes 5 positive words to balance out 1 negative word.  

If your child comes home from school having heard just one critical or negative word from a friend, or teacher, it will take 5 positive words from you to get them back on level ground. This means you might need to speak another 5 positive, life giving words to help them move forward.  The same is true at work.  If you hear a co-worker get criticized by the boss, another employee, a customer, or a client, it will take 5 positive words to get them back to where they were before.  

If you think of something good to say to someone - say it.  If you see something good in someone - share it with them.  If you want to improve any and all relationships in your life - speak life giving words to others, and then don’t be afraid to say them to yourself.  

There was a low point in King David’s life when everything seemed to be going against him.  After a difficult defeat in battle, David’s own men began to turn against him and the only way David made it through was by encouraging himself.  

David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.  ! Samuel 30:6

David found strength in the Lord.  Other translations say that David encouraged himself in the Lord.  I wonder what David said to himself to turn things around.  What small words did David say out loud that made a big difference in life?  We know David said things out loud because what he said to himself he wrote down in the psalms.  Writing is a way of speaking to ourselves and so David’s psalms are his words to himself.  It was how he encouraged himself and helped strengthen his life and faith.  

Our words are the small things that can make a big difference in our life and the life of someone else.  One kind word, one supportive word, one uplifting word can turn someone’s life around.  In the process, it will make a big difference in our own lives as we become more like Jesus.  And life giving words spoken to ourselves, written down in journals, and even spoken out loud during times of need, can be exactly what we need to hear.  So talk to yourself.  It’s really ok to do that.

In fact, let me close by encouraging you to find one statement that you can say to yourself over and over again this week.  Maybe you need to turn your one thought from last week into your one statement and say it out loud each day.  Maybe there is another statement you need to say to yourself to remind you of who you are in God’s eyes.  What one small statement can help move you closer to your one word?  Write it down.   Say it out loud each day this week.  It is these small things that can make a big difference.  

Next Steps

Small Things, Big Difference - Our Words

Our words are small things that can make a big difference in our lives and in the lives of others. Read: Genesis 1, James 3:3-5, Proverbs 12:18, 15:4, 16:2, 18:21, Ephesians 4:29

When have words (yours or others) given you life and lifted you up?  When have they torn you down?

Take a word audit.

My words to others are more:

Life-taking 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10  Life-giving

My words to myself are more:

Life-taking 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5  - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10  Life-giving

2 Small things we can do to improve our words

1. If you can’t say anything nice - say nothing!

In what relationships and situations do you need to guard your tongue?  

2. If you think something good - say it!

In what relationships and situations do you need to share more life giving words?  

It takes 5 positive words to balance out 1 negative word.  

● When have you experienced this principle in your life?  

● Who spoke positive, life giving words to you? 

● Who do you know that needs to hear life giving words?  Say it to them this week!

● How can you speak these words to yourself?  

What one statement do you need to hear this week from yourself?  

Write it down and read it out loud every day!

My One Statement: __________________________________________

Small Thing, Big Difference - Our Thoughts

Last week, David helped us understand that it’s often the SMALL things that no one sees that result in the BIG things that everyone wants.  None of us reach our goals overnight.  It takes patience and persistence to get to our destination.  It takes years of practice to learn how to play an instrument well.  It takes years of training to become a good athlete, and improvement in these areas comes a little at a time.  We often don’t even see any change day to day, but then one day we suddenly see how much we’ve improved.  

When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, after being held in captivity by the Babylonians for a generation, they rebuilt the Temple by putting one stone on top of another.  It was that small thing that led to the foundation being laid, and then the altar being built, but the people got frustrated that things weren’t moving faster, and that they were not farther along in their rebuilding.  It was then God told them, do not despise the small things.  God’s encouragement to them, and to us, is to focus on the small things because in time those small things will bring about the big difference and positive change that will make our lives better.

David encouraged us to find one word for this coming year to focus on.  Instead of trying to do 5 or 6 new things, or make a list of 10 things we want to improve, find just one word to focus on and then allow that word to begin to make a big difference in your life.  Did you pick a word for your year?  If not, it’s not too late, you can start today.  While the best day to make a change might have been yesterday, today is the second best day.  It is never too late.  

I thought of a few words during worship last week that I thought could be my word for the year, but I realized that they were things I wanted, so I tried to listen to what God wanted for me, and the word I couldn’t move away from was - JOY.  The more I thought about this one word, the more I realized that this was what I needed and God wanted.  Joy might be the one thing that can improve many areas of my life, so I have made it my one word.  

If you want to work on finding your one word, I encourage you to go back and listen to David’s message and reflect on what one word God might have for you.  (bellefontefaith.com/smallthings)

For the next three weeks, we are going to focus on our thoughts, our words and our actions.  While they might seem like small things, they can lead to major life changes because our thoughts influence our words, and our words change our actions, and our actions shape our habits, and it is new habits that can lead us to new destinations.  Today let’s just focus on how our thoughts can begin to change our lives

Our thoughts really can change our lives because Solomon said, for as he thinks in his heart, so he is.  Proverbs 23:7.  Our lives will always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  If we think we can’t do something, we probably won’t ever do it, or even try to do it.  If we think life is bad and unfair, we will always see how life is bad and unfair.  If we think that we have nothing to offer to our family, the church, or the community, we won’t even try to offer anything in order to make a difference.  Our life will always move in the direction of our strongest thoughts.

Now if our strongest thoughts tell us that we can do more than we ever thought or imagined, we will probably step out and try new things and find success.  If we see opportunities in every situation, we will be more likely to take them and do more.  If we trust and believe that God is not just with us, but FOR us, we will step out in faith to do more, and find that God is right there working with us.  Our life moves in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  So what are your strongest thoughts? 

To help us answer this, let’s do a quick Thought Audit.  A thought audit is simply stopping to think about what we think about.  While we could look at any number of thoughts to reflect on, let’s just focus on three.  Are our thoughts more:

Worried or Peaceful,  Negative or Positive,  Worldly or Eternal

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being worried and 10 being peaceful, where are most of your thoughts?  If every day you wake up worried about your children, or your pets, or your job, or your finances, and you never see any hope in those situations, you might be a 1 or 2 on the worry end of the scale.  But if you are feeling confident and secure that God’s promises will come true in your life and that God is fully in charge of your kids, your pets, your job, and your finances, then you might be at a 9 or 10.  What do you think about your thoughts in this area, what number would you circle?   

On a scale of 1 - 10, how positive or negative are your thoughts?  Do you always see what is wrong in a situation and critically focus on every problem at hand?  I’ll be honest, this is an area of struggle for me.  Most of my staff know that if they come to me with a new idea or project, I will first be negative and think about every reason why we shouldn’t do it.  The one place this always seems to come up is when we plan worship for Christmas Eve.  

When Pastor David came to me and said, hey we want to make it snow in the sanctuary on Christmas Eve, I almost shut it down at the beginning.  I could see all the problems in this.  What is the snow?  Will it stain people’s clothes?  Will it make the carpets slick and be a hazard when people leave?  Will it hurt the organ and electronic equipment?  I focused on all the negatives.  In time I agreed and for the 3 and 5 worship services a few years ago, if you were here, you saw it snow.  

For both of those services I stood in the back of the sanctuary and watched with humble amazement at how people reacted.  There was joy and wonder that filled this place.  I heard from parents and grandparents for months afterwards about how wonderful that experience was.  I’m so glad David and LeAnn pushed me to move out of my negative thinking to see the positives in it.  This is an area in my life that I need to get better at and I’m hoping that focusing on Joy might help me.  If I can be more joyful, then I will be more positive.  On a scale of 1-10 are you negative or positive?  

On a scale of 1-10, how worldly or eternal are your thoughts?  Let me explain this one.  Worldly thoughts are when we are always focused on our “self” and our “stuff?  What is it that I want and need in order to be happy?  What kind of phone do I want?  What kind of car do I want?  What clothes are going to make me happy?  What do I need to post to facebook so people will see the best me, or the me I want them to see?  These are worldly things, and while we have to focus on these things at times, the question is are we focused on these all the time?  

Eternal things are when we wake up in the morning and ask ourselves, how can I glorify God today?  Who needs my prayers, or my love today?  How can I reflect God’s goodness to someone?  How can I be the hands and feet of Jesus today?  If these are the things we are focused on, then we are more at the high end of the scale.  So on a scale of 1-10, where are you?  

If you have a chance, circle your numbers, or jot them down.  Now add them up.  You don’t have to share that number with anyone, but I’m going to tell you that if your number isn’t 30 - then the rest of this message is for you.  If we want to see a big difference in our lives and families and outlook and faith, then we need to start focusing on our thoughts because our life will be led in the direction of our strongest thoughts.  

So let’s look at the 2 things we can do to change our thoughts. 

#1 Capture destructive thoughts.  We need to literally capture negative and destructive thoughts when they come to us and remove them.  Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

When Paul talks about strongholds here, he is not talking about actual forts and walls and gates that need to be torn down, he is talking about the lies of Satan that so quickly enter our thoughts.  For example, when our first thought is, I’m never going to amount to anything, or I’ve strayed so far or sinned so greatly that God could never love me, forgive me, or use me, those are lies that need to be demolished.  

When we tell ourselves that we can never get out of debt, that our families don’t need us, or that it can’t snow in the sanctuary, we need to quickly take these thoughts captive and demolish them for they are not the truth of God, but the lies of Satan.  The word Satan means deceiver, and he is known as the father of lies, so when his lies come at us, we have the divine power of God to take them captive and not allow them to move forward in our hearts or mind.    

When those thoughts come we need to literally stop and say, no, that is a lie, and then take hold of that idea and demolish it.  Crush it.  Destroy it.  End it right then and there.  Capture every destructive thought, but then keep going and

#2 Focus on Good Spiritual Things.  

It’s not enough to just remove the negative, we have to fill that space with the positive.  If you want to grow a healthy lawn, it’s not enough to remove the weeds, you have to plant and feed good grass.  Good grass can keep out bad weeds.  Good spiritual thoughts can keep out bad destructive lies.  So focus on good spiritual things.  Again, the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:8-9

Brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

So focus on what is good and right and true.  Start each day by focusing on what God has brought you through in the past and how God can strengthen you in the day to come.  We hear this from the Old Testament book of Lamentations 3:19-24:

Remember my affliction and my wandering, 

the bitterness and the gall.

I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; 

therefore I will wait for him.”

Here is a great example of taking our negative thoughts captive and replacing them with good spiritual truths.  The author says, I’ve been through difficult times, I remember them, I’m going through them now, BUT because God loves me (a good spiritual truth!) I am not consumed by those thoughts.  I will take them captive and then I will call to mind that every morning God’s great faithfulness and love are new.  I will wait for Him.  I will trust Him, and depend on Him, and He will get me through.  

This is how we need to begin each day.  This is what we need to remember when we walk into a class that we are struggling with, or a job that we are unsatisfied with, or a friendship we are unsure of.  God is with me and for me and God will see me through.  Those small thoughts can lead to big differences in our life.  

The more we focus on good spiritual things, the more we will be able to see those things..  During VBS we ask our children to share God sightings, or ways they have seen God during their day.  Each day they come with more and more things to share because #1 they are looking for them, and #2 they can more easily see them.  The same is true with us.  The more we focus on the things of God that are good and noble and lovely, the more we will see those things.  

Last week, David asked us to think about one word to focus on this year. Today, let me invite you to find one thought that can lead you back to that one word.  Maybe it is a scripture that can lead you to that word.  For example if your word is peaceful, your thought might be, I will not be anxious about anything because God is with me.  If your word is courage, maybe your thought can be, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  If you want to be more generous, then maybe your thought needs to be, I am a generous person who can give more to others.  What one thought can help you embrace your one word?  

I shared earlier that my word for the year is joy, here is the one thought I’m going to try and focus on each day. It comes from Psalm 126:3, The Lord has done great things for me, so I will be filled with joy.  When I get worried or cynical or frustrated or immediately jump to all the reasons why something shouldn’t be done, I am going to take those thoughts captive and speak truth to them.  I am going to call to mind that the Lord has done great things for me and He will keep doing them and I will be filled with joy.  

What one thought can help you take captive all the negative thoughts and lies that come at you?  What one thought can help you move toward the one word that you want to define your year, and your life?.  One thought.  One word.  They are simple things that can bring about a big difference and create a positive change in your life. 

 

Next Steps

Small things - Big difference:  Our Thoughts

What is the one word you want to focus on this year?  If you haven’t chosen that word, watch last week’s sermon and consider Pastor David’s next steps.  You can find these at bellefontefaith.com/smallthings

How have you experienced your life moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts?  Were these good and positive thoughts or difficult and negative ones? 

Take the THOUGHT AUDIT

Circle the number that best represents your daily thoughts.

Worried   1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10   Peaceful

Negative  1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10   Positive

Worldly    1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10   Eternal

To change our thoughts:

1. Capture Destructive Thoughts

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.  What destructive thoughts and lies about yourself or others do you find most difficult to overcome?  How can you take those thoughts captive?

2. Focus on Good Spiritual Things

Read Philippians 4:8-9.  What are positive thoughts and spiritual truths about yourself and others that you need to focus on?  Write them down so you can daily think about these things.  How can identifying God at work in your life help you see more of God at work in your life?  

What one thought can help you stay focused on your one word?  Write that thought down and place it somewhere where you will read and consider it often.  

My One Thought:______________________________