Finding Your Sweet Spot

Finding the Sweet Spot Girlfriends Message for 1-26-12 Ps. Sue Bryan

1. Put God first in every area.

a. God will be a lot of things to you but He won’t be #2! b. Put Him first, starting with your day – keep Him at the forefront of your thinking throughout the day. c. Not just a moral code – though it will affect your morals… It’s a walk with Him! i. He is your Personal Lord and Savior.

2. Be accountable to Him, accountable to each other.

a. Repentance should be a part of your day—throughout the day!

i. James 4:8-10 - 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

ii. Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. James 4:10 (Amplified)

b. We need to be accountable to each other; that’s called “fellowship.” When we get out of fellowship and try to hide our sin, our hearts become hard.

i. “…but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13)

ii. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:16)

iii. Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. (James 5:16 Amp.) 2 c. King David was quick to repent; quick to forgive and show mercy. He was a man after God’s own heart.

i. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’ (Acts 13:22)

ii. He was obedient; he never worshipped idols. 1. What do we worship? What do we do with the majority of our time, our devotion? Where is your heart?? d. God will give you the strength to overcome sin.

i. “Turn [me] back to You, O Lord, and [I] will be restored...” (Lamentations 5:21)

ii. Bob Gass writes: “Any habit you cannot break, or that you refuse to break, is a habit that has the power to break you.”

1. “Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.” (Psalm 119:133)

2. “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) e. Keys to overcoming sin:

i. There’s a sin that “easily ensnares you” that may not have any power over me at all.

1. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

ii. There is something in our flesh that is satisfied when we sin, but it leads to death. But that satisfaction is just for a season (short lived) and then it leaves us craving for more!

1. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; (Hebrews 11:25) 3 iii. If we, or our loved ones are struggling to overcome sin, we need to pray that our eyes be opened to Satan’s deception.

1. “[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 1:16-20) iv. Satan blinds their minds…

1. “…whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

a. Wouldn’t play with a rattlesnake would you?

v. Ask God to change your desires, to open your eyes to see the “sting of sin.” Not just that you got caught with some uncomfortable consequences, but that you’ll hate it!

1. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full- grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15) vi. Sins of the heart are even more deadly… 1. Judging others. 2. Gossip.

a. But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him]. (Matthew 15:18 – Amp.)

3. Condemning yourself and others…

4. Worry. Let me say this… 4

a. Rev: Worry is Satan’s way of defeating you before you’ve even gotten to the attack. By anticipating the negative, you’re already worn out from rehearsing the trial before it ever comes. God gives grace for us to go through the actual trial, not all the mental ones you’ve gone through in anticipation! Then if and when it does, you’re not in faith to stand against it!! “The joy of the Lord is your strength!!” (Neh. 8:10b)

3. Be quick to obey what God says in His Word and by His spirit.

So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. (1 Samuel 15:22)

a. Not just “bawling and squalling”—have to purpose to do some things different when you get up from that place of prayer. b. See yourself being obedient.

i. Joshua 1:8 - This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

ii. Joshua 1:8b (Amplified) - For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.

c. See yourself obeying God. If you blew it one time, rewind the mental “tape” and see yourself the next time, being obedient.

d. If God tells you to repent to someone, repent! If He tells you to step out of a situation w/ the kids and let your husband handle it, step out!

4. Enjoy His presence – the Sweet Spot!

a. Once you’ve done “all of the above”, He will lift you up (as James 4:10 says). b. It is then so easy to come into His presence, to walk in the Spirit.

From Bob Gass, Word for Today:

Never lose your sense of wonder, or you’ll lose your motivation for worship. Unless you believe God is all-powerful, ever-present and approachable, you’ll live in a state of anxiety believing that everything depends on you. You’ll shrink from sharing your faith 5 in case you’re ridiculed or can’t find the right words. You’ll fail to be generous because the source of your security is in yourself. You’ll avoid confronting those who need it, because without the certainty of God’s acceptance you become a slave to people’s opinions.

We live in a cynical age that discourages wonder. We’ve diminished the marvel and awe, yet deep down we still ache for it. When you shrink your concept of God to fit your own rationale, you pray without faith, work without passion, serve without joy, and suffer without hope. And the result is fear, retreat, and loss of vision. But there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to restore your understanding of how big and wonderful God is - worship. God created us so that when we experience something awe-inspiring we need to praise it, to wrap words around it. We don’t worship God because He needs it, but because we do. Without worship our perception of Him is incomplete, we forget how great He is, we overlook our calling and become self-involved. We lose our sense of wonder and gratitude by plodding through life with blinders on, and we become self- reliant, stubborn and proud. So, each day let’s pause and say with the Psalmist, “Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His footstool.” (Psalm 99:5)

c. All of your needs are met in His presence.

i. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalms 16:11)

d. There is nothing more richly satisfying. You have need of nothing, from no one.

How do we consistently enjoy His Presence, live in the sweet spot?

 By putting God first.  By being accountable to Him and to others.  By being quick to obey Him and His Word.

Spend time in His Presence, the sweetest place on earth and let Him lavish His love on you!