HOW TO GET CLOSER TO GOD - 50 Days Transformation (Part 1)

HOW TO GET CLOSER TO GOD

50 Days of Transformation - Part 1 (Spiritual Health)

Rick Warren

January 25-26, 2014

The further away you get from God, the more your life is troubled. 

The closer you get to God, the more your life is transformed.

You don't have to teach sheep to drift or wander away.
The shepherd must be watchful to protect them from harm or danger. 

THE LOST SON & LOVING FATHER:

LUKE 15:11-24

     Jesus told this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘Give me my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.’ So his father divided his wealth between his sons. 

     A few days later the younger son packed all his belongings and left home to live in a distant land. (He got as far away from his Father as he could.) There he squandered the gift he’d been given and wasted his life and money on wild parties and reckless living. About the time all his money ran out, a severe famine hit the land, and he began to starve because he was left with nothing. 

     The only job he could find was feeding swine on a farm. He became so desperate and hungry that even the pig slop he was feeding the swine looked good to him. But no one would give him anything for his hunger.

     When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘This is crazy! At my Father’s home even the lowest paid workers eat well, while I’m far away dying of hunger! I’m going to return home to my Father and humbly say: Father, I have sinned against both God and you, and I am not worthy to be a part of this family or called your son. But please just make me one of your servants who works for you.’ With that attitude, he headed back home to his Father.

     But while the son was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran out to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him! The son said ‘Father, I’ve sinned against both God and you, and I’m no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring me the finest robe in our house and put it on him. Then get my signet ring for his finger and shoes for his feet. Then roast the calf we have been fattening. We’re going to celebrate with a feast of eating and drinking. For this child of mine was distant and dead but now he’s back and alive! He was lost, but now he’s found! So the party began!’” 

1.

 GET FED UP and dissatisfied with my life to do something about it.

“...he wasted it all…he had nothing left…he got desperate and hungry… he finally came to his senses...”Luke 15:13-14, 17

The son was very self centered and greedy.  He asked his father to give him his inheritance and then he took off and distanced himself from his family to squander all that was given to him to live a reckless and hedonistic lifestyle. He became homeless and a poor beggar.  A young Jewish boy is not supposed to take pork - it is not kosher - but he accepts pig slop from a swine farmer, since he is starving to death in a foreign country. He finally came to his senses.

Nothing in your life will be transformed in the next 50 days until you get desperate for change. When you feel distant from God you must become desperate and hungry and anxious for change. You must go back home to God, reconnect with Him.  Admit you have walked away from God and tried to live life on your own power and realize it doesn't work.

On judgment day God will say to many people, "You never intended to find me or know me. You were too full of yourself, proud to say I need God in my life."

GOD: “You’ll find me when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else.”
Jeremiah 29:13


 

2.

OWN UP to my sin, faults, failures, weaknesses. It is my responsibility.

“When he came to his senses, he said...“I have sinned against God and you...”Luke 15:17-18

Take inventory of your life. 
To live your life disconnected from the loving creator God is stupid, irrational and illogical. Living without God is nonsense it causes: stress, worry, lonliness,troubles, etc.

“Your sins have separated you from your God, and God has hidden his face from you...”Isaiah 59:2

When you feel distant from God and your prayers are not being heard, it is because your sins separate you from God.  Guess who moved?

Sin is backing away from God and doing things your own way. 

You are as close to God as you choose to be.

Blame is spelled: Be lame.
You can't blame anybody except yourself concerning your relationship to God.

King David prayed this prayer after he committed adultery and murdered his wife's husband.  He is owning up to his sin... he doesn't conceal it, he reveals it.

“Be merciful to me, O God, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy wipe away my sins! Wash away all my evil and make me clean! I recognize my faults and I am conscious that I’ve sinned against you.”Psalm 51:1-4 (TEV)

“The Lord says, ‘No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow.’”Isaiah 1:18 (NLT)

God will forgive you.

The HABIT of a Regular Spiritual Check-up:

Check for Spiritual Cancer:

It is best to check your soul and spiritual condition regularly to nip any problems early before they bloom into bigger troubles and dominates and controls your life, steals your vision, kills your purpose and life.
Check the way you think. 
Since your thoughts about people, God and your life, money, sex, etc. that will control how you behave.

50 Days of 5 minutes of daily devotional reading.
Take the spiritual assessment on page 20-24 for your soul's check up and evaluate yourself.

“Test yourself to make sure you’re solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourself regular checkups. If you fail the test, do something about it.”2 Corinthians 13:5 (Mes)

“A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.”1 Corinthians 11:28 (NIV)

You should NEVER take communion without doing a self examination and confession.

3.

 OFFER UP my life. Ask God to make you the person you are supposed to be.

The son drifted away saying, “GIVE ME MY share...”Luke 15:12

He returned to the Father saying, “MAKE ME a servant”Luke 15:19

Note the change in attitude. 
Nothing will happen in your life until you change from being self centered to a God centered life. 
It's a lifetime transformation.
Transformation is never instant, automatic or happens all at once.  Transformation is a transistion that is a continual process that times time and your entire life with ever increasing glory from one stage to the next.

Metamorphosis is the Greek word in the bible that means change like a caterpillar worm transformed into a beautiful butterfly. The caterpillar completely dies and dissolves for a period of time to itself to become completely transformed into a new creature.

“Because God is merciful to you, OFFER YOURSELVES as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. And do not conform to the pattern of this world, but BE TRANSFORMED by the renewing of your mind.”Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

We were created to be transformed to soar and live beautifully & free.  It's a long process.
When the prodigal son returns to his father he is turning his life back around after being distant, he became fed up, owned up, offers up himself to become a servant to his father.

THE FATHER’S RESPONSE

HE runs to meet his wayward son and warmly welcomes him home.

“Filled with love and compassion, he ran out to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him!...Bring the best...”Luke 15:20, 22

4.

LIFT UP your praise.  Be grateful.  Have an attitude of gratitude. Learn how to sing & worship.

“We’re going to celebrate with a feast of eating and drinking...He was lost but now he’s found! So the party begin!”Luke 15:23-24

Romans 12:1 - Because GOD is merciful to you. Offer yourselves as living sacrifices to God, this is your act of service. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 


If there was a better life than just the good life, wouldn't you want to know about it and live it?
The way is to live God's way.

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name; LIFT UP A SONG to him... his name is the Lord!”Psalm 68:4 (ESV)

“I will sing to the Lord because he has been so good to me!”

Your voice doesn't have to be pretty - just joyful.

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." Psalms 98:4

Research show the habit of group singing is healthy. It lowers blood pressure, alleviates stress, releases endorphins to make you feel better, improves mood, builds confidence, relieves loneliness and stress, rids negative moods and creates positive moods. People who sing with others live longer. Pulse increases and decreases with tempo. Harmony with others. Breathing exercises. Psychological, mental, physical, emotional health benefits by group singing. Psalm 13:6 (NLT)

“On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread and spoke a PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING. He broke the bread and said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.’”1 Corinthians 11:23-24

Communion is a commandment from Jesus to remember Him and to do regular self evaluations to confess our sins and ask God to help us change.

THIS WEEK IN YOUR SMALL GROUP:

Seven Habits For Spiritual Health

The Daniel Plan - Over view

Habits of Healthy People

Daniel Plan Video

Daniel Plan is based on the story of "Daniel" from the bible.
God's owner manual for your Body Mind and Soul is the Bible.
Goof proof.
Not a diet. It is a way of life to healthy living.

First Habit of Health is FOOD

Healthy people eat healthy food.
Unhealthy people eat unhealthy food or non foods.
Eat junk food you will look junky.
Garbage in... Garbage out.
Eat to live... Live to eat.
There is no excuse for glutony - over eating or sexual immorality are abusing your body.
Honor your body and honor God who created you.

If Jesus came to dinner, what would you feed Him?
If God lives within you - why are you feeding Him crap?

Leave the food that man made -
(science projects industrial processed food to addict you and hijack your brain, metabolism and tastebuds.)
Eat the food that God made.

Sugar is 8 times more addictive than cocaine. The cravings are to die for.

FLC Syndrome:  "I Feel Like Crap".
It's all connected to what you are eating to how you are feeling and living.

Eat well to get rid of ailments. Sleep better, feel better, clear up skin, chronic illnesses, etc.

What you eat is the medicine or poison you ingest.

Get rid of the bad and take in the good to feel good and do better.
Diseases will subside immediately once you detox for 10 days:
Eliminate:
1. Flour and sugar
2. Labeled, packaged, or can or frozen food
3. Corn syrup, transfats, MSG
4. Gluten, dairy
5. Whole, real, fresh
6. Eat protein and fats at each meal.

If it is grown naturally it should be welcomed food.
You control your genes that turn on or off hormones, etc.

Fat does not make you fat.
Fat curbs appetite and helps your body works better.
Your brain is 60% fat... we are all '"fat heads!"

Health results from your environment and relationships and community.
You are more likely to be overweight when you hang out with over weight people.  Visa versa!

The goal is to love God, yourself and love others.
Use this plan to honor your life and God by what you do and eat.

50 Days of Transformation - Setting personal goals by faith

SETTING PERSONAL GOALS BY FAITH

50 Days of Transformation - Introduction

Rick Warren

January 18-19, 2014

Link: Audio Sermon

Link: Video Sermon

WHY ARE GOALS IMPORTANT TO CHANGING MY LIFE?

You MUST set goals in your life. 
To make the best of the rest of your life.

Intelligence is not measured by education or how well or poorly you did at school or on tests.
Everybody learns differently.  Some learn by listening, others by watching, others by doing, others by talking.  (Auditory, Visual, Tactile, or Verbal Learners).
We forget 90-95% of everything we heard in less than 72 hours.
When you grow spiritually you must do what style works best for yourself.
Reinforcement will aid in learning by combining sensory styles:  
reading, writing, listening, doing.  This will help you learn and remember better.

When you are specific about what you want to change and keep it simple and take baby steps you will experience more developments and transformations in your life. 


1.

Setting personal goals in your life  is a spiritual responsibility. 

To help me focus and aim for something I want to accomplish or achieve.

Paul: “I know that I am not yet what God wants me to be. I haven’t reached that goal, but I keep moving toward it to make it mine because Christ made me and saved me for this. I know that I haven’t yet reached my goal, but there’s one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep my eyes focused on the goal so that I may one day win the prize that God has called me to receive through Christ in the life above. All of you who are spiritually mature should think this same way, too.”Philippians 3:12-15

Do not be conformed to this world. Instead be transformed!
You will be conformed or you can choose to be transformed.
The world wants you to conform.  God wants you to be transformed.
God made you original and unique and special.  We all start out as originals and end up as copies. We conform to this world by pressure and misguided perspectives.
Conforming has to do with behavior and is from the outside in. It is what we do to our self.
Transforming has to do with character and is from the inside out. It is what God does to us.

GOD sets goals too!  He sets the universe according to his goals. History follows His plan. He has plans for eternity.  The Bible has many examples of goal setting.
Jesus often announced publicly what His next goals were. Every successful person is goal directed.

We need to aim for goals to be all that God wants us to become.
Keep our eyes focus on the goal.
You will either go through life by design or default.
You will decide for yourself, or other people will decide for you if you don't have goals and aim for them.
If you don't have goals you are not living you are drifting or coasting downhill and wasting your time and life.
If you are not in control, others will be in control of your life.

The way to truly change your life, is to change the way you think.Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

God wants to change the way we think. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7.  Your thoughts control your actions.  If you want to change your actions, then change the way you think. If you want to be like Christ, learn to think like Christ. 
Allow God to renew your mind through His Word and change how we think about everything.  This will transform your life.  

When you learn to think differently you will live differently. When you think God's way, you will live God's way.
2.

Goals are statements of faith.  A spiritual habit that needs to be developed.

“According to your faith will it be done to you.”Matthew 9:29

Goal will stretch your faith.
As a believer you should stretch your faith to say: "I believe God wants me to accomplish.... in ..... time."
If you don't have any goals, you don't take any risks, you don't have any faith. Faith pleases God.
The bigger your goal, the more faith you will need for God to help you succeed.  And that pleases God.
If you are not exercising your faith by establishing goals you are not pleasing God.
What is not of faith is sin. Having no goals... you are being unfaithful.
God can do far more than you can ever dare imagine or request.
The question is not: "Who do we think we are?"  It is "Who do we think God is?"

Let the size of your God determine the size of your goal!

Big God

Big Goal

tiny god.... tiny goal

no God.... no goal!

Saddleback Church was 120 acres bought by faith in God to do something great.
Dare to dream great dreams!!!
It doesn't cost anything to dream!
Stop thinking small or making excuses.
Start trusting God and dream big!
Let God bail you out.

Be sure your goals are SMART:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time bound

2 Common mistakes we make in goal setting:
1. We set goals too low.
2. We try to accomplish them too quickly.

We overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can do in ten years.

Dreams don't have deadlines.  Goals always have a time frame.
"According to your faith it will be done to you."
God says you can choose what will be done to you.

Ask, "Will this dream or goal require me to have faith?"

You must go out on a limb to reach the fruit.
Never be afraid to rock the boat if Jesus is your captain.

Trust God to use you in ways you never imagined.

3.

Goals focus my energy. It prevents you from wasting time, money, time, reputation.

“I do not run without a goal. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air.”1 Corinthians 9:26 (NCV)

Goals turn intentions into actions. 
"Be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers only."  James 1:22
Focus is the key to effectiveness in life.
The more focused you are the more effective, powerful you will be.
Focused light has power enough to start a fire or laser beam.

The world is full of distractions. You can spend, waste or invest your life.

Best investments are in the things that will out last your life.

The few things that are worth doing need your priority and forget everything else.

Some of you are running without a goal... running in circles in the rat race.
Even if you win the rat race, you're still a rat.

Goals keep me moving in a clear direction.
When you are going through hell just keep on going.
The way you do that, is you have a goal beyond look beyond the pain to the payoff.


4.

You must have a goal to keep you going.

Job: “I do not have the strength to endure. I do not have a goal that encourages me to carry on.”Job 6:11 (NLT)

Nazi killed 6 million Jews as well as others.  Survivors had something to live for... those who did not perished by losing hope and giving up.

PMS - "Post message syndrome"... Pastors often get discouraged if they don't focus on their long term goal.
Everybody has failure.
Failure is the only way to succeed.
Failure = education.
Learn to fail fast.
Don't waste failures.
Learn and teach others from your education.

Goals don't have to be big to be important.
Small goals or objectives will be baby steps to get you where you need to be.

If you are discouraged, set new goals.



5.Goals build my character.

Paul: “...I keep striving toward the goal...”Philippians 3:12 (TEV)

Without a vision people perish.
The greatest benefit to your life is not the accomplishments you acquire, but rather what happens inside of your character.  Your success and career is not going to heaven.  God is more interested in who you become. While I am working on the goal, God is working on me!

It takes intention and purpose to work on a goal and while you are doing that God is working on your character.

You will never be the person you intend to be unless you are intent to become that person.

10 years from today you will be in a different phase in you life if you do not intend to be Godly.
Goals build my character.

6.

Good goals will be rewarded.

“If your goals are good, you will be respected.”Proverbs 11:27 (TEV)

Rewarded on earth by people.
Rewarded by God in heaven.

A good goal builds respect, honor and legacy.

Martin Luther King was a man who set good goals. He did not live for himself. He lived for God to fight injustice, etc. So he is honored by a holiday.  Rick was the first white preacher who was invited to preach at MLK's church to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his death to honor him.

God wants to teach you how to love and be respected.

“All athletes practice strict self-control. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step.”1 Corinthians 9:25-26a (NLT)

WHAT KIND OF GOAL DOES GOD BLESS?

3 questions to ask when you set goals:

1.

Will this goal honor God?

“God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.”1 Corinthians 6:20 (CEV)

Any goal that causes you to trust God, depend on Him, serve God and others, to be unselfish, love more... those are good goals.

“When you eat or drink or do anything, always do it to honor God.”1 Corinthians 10:31 (CEV)

Do everything with the right motive to be the best you can be for God.

“We make it our goal to please him...”2 Corinthians 5:9 (NIV)

2.

Is this goal motivated by love?

“Everything you do must be done with love.”1 Corinthians 16:14 (NLT)

Love must be your highest goal.
Learn to love the unlovely, loveless, and unloved.
God will always honor your goal that is motivated by love.

God will not bless a greedy goal or goal motivated by competition, grief, guilt, grudges, worry, fear, anxiety, envy, materialism, revenge, anger, ego, pride, etc.

Life is about learning how to love.  God will honor goals that aim towards love as the basis.

“Let love be your highest goal.”1 Corinthians 14:1 (NLT)

If you set loveless goals, you will mistreat people. You will treat them like projects and manipulate and exploit them. You will spoil your marriage, relationships, friends, other people etc.

Goals should not be just about the accomplishment it must consider also the relationship... it needs to be based upon love, kindness and caring for others.



3.

Will this goal require depending on God?

“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.”Proverbs 16:9 (Mes)

Romans 14:23 "Everything that is not of faith, is sin.."
Don't set goals that don't require much to accomplish it.

Hebrews 11:6 - "Without faith it is impossible to please God."


I NEED

 God's Spirit to empower me.

“You will not succeed by your own strength or power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.”Zechariah 4:6 (NCV)

Not will power.  By God power!
Not based on trying. It is based on trusting  (God).


I NEED

 God's Word to Guide me.

“Keep this Book of the Law on your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully follow all that is written in it; 
THEN you will successfully attain your goal.”Joshua 1:8 (NAB)

God's word will make us stronger as we study it, we will gain understanding and insights and success.
Talk, memorize and follow God's word. Then you will attain your goal successfully!
Become a person who knows God's word.

I NEED

 God's people to support me.

“By yourself you’re unprotected. But with a friend you can face the worst. And a group of three is even better because a rope braided with three strands is not easily snapped!”Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Mes)

You can't reach your goals alone.
It takes a team to fulfill a dream.
A crowd can't support you, but a small group can.

Jesus said, "Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, I will be in the midst of them."

If you hear it, read it, watch it, discuss it, and do it you will transform your life.
Spectators simply watch life.
Participants live life.
Choose to participate.
Step out in faith.
Give God permission to change whatever needs to be changed in your life
and to make the rest of your life the best of your life.

Journal & share with your small group.

Download the free app or visit the website.

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