Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 3

Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 3

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV)
¹  My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

Review:

1. We Must Daily Weigh the Options Before Us.

2. Pass the Multiple Choice Test to Get God’s Direction.

3. To Find God’s Direction, the Choice is Yours. 

Groeschel – You can’t change your past, but God can help you rewrite your story and change your future. 

Tonight’s Message:

1. To Find God’s Direction, You Must Avoid that One Stupid Mistake.

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) ²⁴  This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. 

--This is the day…everyone say…this is the day…the Lord made this day and He made it for us. No matter what your past looks like. Today you can decide to start new and fresh.

--Pastor, I have started over so many times and I have failed every time. Everyone who has ever accomplished anything of significance have failed and started over many times.

--More than one time every pastor has someone sitting in their office saying…I made just one stupid mistake and it is costing me everything. 

--A man goes on a business trip and has dinner with a few clients…he has a couple of drinks with them to fit in. He should have gone to his room but thinks, I will just have one more drink.

--Pastor, one stupid mistake…really? More than one bad decision was made that night…compromising by drinking, not going straight to your room, going to the bar, more alcohol, etc. 

--How far could we go back in this person’s life to find out many bad mistakes and bad decisions, one after another…they pile up and so does the sin. Example of David.  

2 Samuel 11:1-5 (NKJV) ¹  It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
²  Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
³  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
⁴  Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
⁵  And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child." 

--In a time when kings go out to war…other translations say in a time when kings normally go out to war, David was home lounging. He was getting lazy…it is a choice.

2 Samuel 11:2 (NLT2) ²  Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath.

--Late one afternoon he gets out of bed and goes on the roof (a good view) to watch HBOB – Hello Bathsheba Oh Baby network…probably came on at that same time every day. Most likely premeditated. 

--He looked, he lusted, he called for her, he slept with her, she became pregnant, and he had her husband put up at the front lines of the battle to have him killed…he did the noble thing and married her…wow!

--He made many bad choices but if there was one stupid mistake…it was staying home during a time when kings go out to war. Do you see the domino effect? 

2. To Find God’s Direction, You Must Start Where You Are.

--It has been said that two of the biggest mistakes you can make in life are not starting and not finishing. If you are like most people, you have good intentions to start new habits or a new life.

--It is pretty safe to say that many of us never followed through with those good intentions. Also, many of us are guilty of starting that new life or new habit, just to quit. It is easy to feel like a failure.

--We must somehow find the strength to see and to even know that God is our beginning and He is our ending. Also, He is everything in between.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)
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,
²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

--If you are to start where you are, you must first look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of your faith. Our motivation to start over has to be what He did on the cross…His suffering for us gives us hope. 

Revelation 1:8-17-18 (NKJV)
⁸  "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
¹⁷  And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
¹⁸  I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 

--Jesus says I am the Author and Finisher, I am the Alpha and Omega, I am the Beginning and the End, I am the One Who was, Who is, and Who is to come, the Almighty!

--He says I am the First and the Last, I am He Who lives and was dead, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death…I am Everything from A to Z!

--How easy should it be to start…to start over…to start afresh? Start today, start again tonight, and start every day after that. Pastor, I need a new heart! OK!

 Ezekiel 36:25-27 (NIV)
²⁵  I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.
²⁶  I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
²⁷  And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

3. To Find God’s Direction, You Must Start Flossing.

--Say what…sometimes we get the strangest answers in the most unusual places. I had horrible gums. My dentist said I could lose all my teeth. Sitting in the dentist chair when I looked up on the ceiling.

--As I contemplated being toothless, I looked up and there was an answer and a challenge to my teeth and gums. You do not have to floss all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep!

--I started that day and have never stopped. It is one of my greatest commitments. Within weeks my gums started improving and improving rapidly. Went back to the dentist in 3 months, he was shocked.

--My gums were almost perfect. Most of the issues I was having with cavities went away also. It felt like a miracle! My dentist thought it was! He wanted to use me as a poster child for flossing. 

Zechariah 4:6-10 (NKJV)
⁶  So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD of hosts.
⁷  'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!" ' "
⁸  Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying:
⁹  "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it. Then you will know That the LORD of hosts has sent Me to you.
¹⁰  For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the LORD, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." 

--What is the Lord saying in your situation? What you are believing God for will not happen by your own strength or power but by Holy Spirit. He will remove the mountains.

Philippians 1:6 (NLT2)
⁶  And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 

--Do not despise a small beginning…God has this! Start flossing! Get started with what God called you to do!

Partnership - 3

                    Partnership - 3

Subject – God Uses People - Unity

By Rick Welborne

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NLT2) ¹  Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
²  They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
³  For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
⁴  They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.
⁵  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--It sounds like the churches in Macedonia had made a commitment to be in unity to bless and help the believers in Jerusalem who were going through persecution and difficulty.

--Unity can be such a powerful thing and it can enable congregations, churches, and ministries to accomplish so much more together than when there is division.

--The devil also understands the power of unity and that is why he works overtime to keep believers from partnering together because of the damage we can inflict on his kingdom.

--I like doing research so I checked out how many Christian denominations there are in the world.

--According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, there are approximately 41,000 denominations and organizations in the world today.

--Just in North America there are about 1500 different Christian faith groups. That includes all the different religions including Pentecostals.

--Since this is about unity, I found it very interesting in the research about Pentecostal churches that many of the smaller Pentecostal ones chose not to associate with the other groups. True of others. Disunity.

--It is not difficult to get in an argument with others who believe differently than we do. So we fight, we don’t fellowship together, and the devil loves the division. God understands unity.

Genesis 11:1-9 (NLT2)
¹  At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words.
²  As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
³  They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.)
⁴  Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”
⁵  But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.
⁶  “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!
⁷  Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”
⁸  In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.
⁹  That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world. 

--“The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! True of the unrighteous.

--If that is true of the unrighteous, how much more can it be true of the righteous? We have God’s blessing and the power of Holy Spirit. Unity would cause a spiritual explosion.

--Some of you believe the only reason we want 100% participation with faith promises is so we can get more money, but remember what God said, “Nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them.”

--I don’t want to sound political but one of the reasons one party has given the church fits for so many years is because, no matter how crazy their beliefs or policies, they stick together.

--On the other hand, the other party usually struggles because the politicians can’t agree but, more importantly, the church either disagrees or doesn’t show up. Lack of unity and partnership.

1. When We Partner with God, Unity is a Must.

Psalm 133:1-3 (NKJV) ¹  Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
²  It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments.
³  It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing-- Life forevermore. 

--If God says that partnering with Him and each other is good and pleasant, isn’t it something we should make a great priority in our lives.

--Think about this, every time you choose to get angry or to not forgive someone in God’s family or church, you are working in direct opposition to Him and His Word. People choose sides.

--God wants so much for the atmosphere of the church to be one of goodness and of being pleasant or wonderful. It’s an atmosphere where Holy Spirit is poured out.

--It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. Unity brings an outpouring of Holy Spirit.

--For results, just look at the Day of Pentecost, when the 120 were in unity, Holy Spirit was poured out and thousands came to Christ and were baptized.

--Just imagine if Life Church Members and regular attenders were in total agreement about FPs and about the election of a successor, what would God do?

--I would not want to be on the other side of the issue of unity. God says in verse 3 that where there is unity, God commands the blessing, Life evermore. Living in Freedom Every Day!

--Hopefully, this helps you understand why, for 34 plus years, I have pushed for and prayed for unity. I want God’s blessings on you and your families and on our Church! Paul:

Ephesians 4:1-3 &11-13 (NKJV)
¹  I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,
²  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
³  endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
¹¹  And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
¹²  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
¹³  till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

--Two “no” votes in 34 years, I guess I should be happy. The first, a teenager who just wanted to be different about re-naming our church. He left our church soon after and hasn’t returned.

--The second no vote was voting on Pastor Mark and Christie Anne to be our lead pastors in 2026. One “no” vote. How sad and heartbreaking. Send me a note with no name changing your vote. Unity.

--God says He will command the blessing! What blessing? The blessing for unity!

2. When We Partner with God and Each Other, God’s House is Shaken.

--Everyone say…Adversity. If you live in this world you will have adversity (tribulation) and you can be shaken to your core. It’s just called life. 

--Unlike us, the disciples and followers of Christ were facing adversity for preaching the gospel. Like believers in the Congo and Sudan. So much persecution. We are soft believers.

--The number of believers had grown to 5000 and the high priest and leaders were ticked. After questions about the man at the gate Beautiful, they gave this command:

Acts 4:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸  And they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.

--So what happened? The believers decided again to partner with God. How? To come together in unity, to pray, and to be filled with Holy Spirit power.

Acts 4:24 (NKJV) ²⁴ So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord…

--They came together, first seeking God and then, raising their voices in partnership, what happened?

Acts 4:31 (NKJV) ³¹ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 

--Partnership with God and with each other does not mean we will not have adversity or problems but, what it does mean is that when adversity comes and unity is present…Wow!

Hebrews 12:26-29 (NIV)
²⁶  At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."
²⁷  The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
²⁸  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
²⁹  for our "God is a consuming fire." 

3. When We Partner with God and His Church (Believers)…Discipleship.

2 Corinthians 8:1&5 (NLT2) ¹  Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
⁵  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--The churches came together (unity) and people started doing what? Their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. Can I say, “Stop!”

--Stop critizing other denominations, other churches, other pastors, other believers. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples (partners), that you love one another. People need Jesus.

Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 2

Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 2

Subject: Finding God’s Divine Direction in Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

Proverbs 3:1-10 (NKJV)
¹  My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands;
²  For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you.
³  Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
⁴  And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
⁸  It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.
⁹  Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
¹⁰  So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. 

Review last week: 

1. Small Choices or Decisions

2. Our Choices Accumulate to Tell Our Life Story.

Craig Groeshel – What is always true is that the decisions we make today determine the stories we tell about our lives tomorrow. Every day, all day, we make one small choice after another. And those choices keep accumulating, each one woven into the rest, forming the tapestry that is your life story. 

3. Our Decisions Lead to Predictable Consequences. 

--Most of us look at other people and we just assume that they made some really big wonderful choices and that is why they ended up so successful. Don’t forget all those small choices no one sees that were made.

--Let me give some examples…When you choose to forgive your spouse instead of holding on to resentment, no one sees that happen. The evidence shows up later in your marriage. 

--People may think you’re lucky your kids turned out great by serving God and working hard but no one saw you make the small choices to pray with them, to take them to church, to teach them strong ethics. 

--Small, every day choices lead to big results. This one small choice in Daniel’s life was what, I believe, led him to be exalted before God and man.

Daniel 1:8-9 (NKJV) ⁸  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
⁹  Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs.

--Small decisions can have extremely large consequences…In Louisiana, right before I moved to Florida, I bought gas at a Quick Stop…went in to pay…I made the choice to quickly share Jesus with the lady.  

--She just looked at me and said thanks for getting my gas there. OK! When Face Book came out and I joined… I get a message from this lady. Evidently she listened to me and came to our church…I left right after that.

--She shared with me how she came to our church, she gave her heart to the Lord, and now all of her children and grandchildren are serving the Lord. The choices we make, make a difference.

1. We Must Daily Weigh the Options Before Us.

--Neurologist tell us that the first time we think about a decision, our brain starts weighing options, eliminating one possibility after another, until we settle on the one we feel is the best choice for us. 

--After a while, the tiny decisions we have to make every day, we do not have to think about them that much. They just happen. In weighing options, how important is it that we know God’s Word. 

Psalm 119:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹  How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
¹⁰  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹  Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! 

--God’s Word has to be the very foundation of the believer’s life. Every decision has to be weighed according to what God has to say about it.  

--David hid God’s Word in his heart…what does that mean? The Word was so strong in his heart that every decision was filtered through it. 

--We have become so lazy about truly studying God’s Word and because of that, when we have decisions, we do not know what to do. 

 Proverbs 3:5-7 (NLT2) ⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶  Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
⁷  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. 

--Again, why is it so important to do this every day? These seemingly no-big-deal decisions add up over time. They become habits. Our habits have a cumulative effect.

--Let me give you a few examples of people who if they had thought about their decisions, if they had weighed their options, would have made better choices.

--Both my parents started smoking at very young ages (10-11). Of course they thought it was cool to sneak around and do it. Do you think they knew they would both become addicted and die of lung cancer?

--I knew a minister who started taking a little money from their church (embezzling). He was the associate pastor who was set up to be the next pastor…big church. He took over $300,000. He lost everything.

--The entrepreneur never saw bankruptcy in his future. As things kept going south, he made the choice to keep borrowing more and more money…his choices and unwillingness to weigh his options…disaster. 

--People who get addicted to prescription drugs never dreamed that abusing the drug would lead to a DUI…I know the guy and he got two DUIs two evenings in a row. Wow! Decisions!

--It is so easy to hear about people like these and say I would never do something stupid like that. But sometimes secret sins have a way of getting us. Small decisions. 

--The truth is that you are just one decision away from changing your life forever…good or bad. The best decision ever is the next one you make…to serve God with all your heart.

2. Pass the Multiple Choice Test to Get God’s Direction.

--Please understand that your decision can do more in your life than just help you avoid the negative. It can ignite the positive that God has planned for your life. 

--Once you make your choice to do what is right and righteous, it propels you into a deeper relationship with Jesus and helps you to honor God in everything you do.

--Let’s just say you have a desire to honor God by living debt free. God speaks to you about things you can eliminate. Multiple choices. A. Yes, Lord! B. No, Lord? C. I’ll pray about it later.

--You realize you can pay more against your debt if you brown bag your lunches, if you get a lesser smart phone, if you get the basic cable package, stop with the special drinks…$300 extra a month!

--Our oldest son had never met a dollar he couldn’t spend and he was just as gifted in spending your money as much as he was spending his. He was headed for a life of debt.

--Obviously I talked to him many times about this issue…Multiple choices…Tithe – A. Yes B. No. Will you continue down this path. A. Yes B. Maybe C. Will you take a Dave Ramsey class to get you on track? Yes!

--This same son now is calling me and asking me…Dad, do you have enough for retirement? Are you saving money? What is your debt load now? What a transformation! Paying their house off early.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV) ¹⁹  I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you, life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 

--Do you see how God sets before us every day the multiple choice questions…the sad thing is that His choices are really no brainers. Yet, we struggle with our answers. Ok, here is your choices:

--Life or death? Let me think about it. Blessing or cursing? Now that is a tough one. God even gives us the answer to His multiple choice questions: therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

Mark 8:34-37 (NKJV) ³⁴  When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
³⁵  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.
³⁶  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
³⁷  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

--God gives the answers before He gives the choices. I do not want to make any of us feel bad tonight but isn’t it obvious to us what the right answers are but we keep doing the same thing. Bad results.

Insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

James 4:17 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

3. To Find God’s Direction, the Choice is Yours. 

--Our best decision ever is to follow Jesus. Rev. 3:20 tells us that He is standing at the door knocking. He wants to be in our lives and He wants to be our lives. The choice is yours!

--If you do not like the way your life is going, the good news is you have a choice and you can go a different direction. 

Groeschel – You can’t change your past, but God can help you rewrite your story and change your future. 

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
¹¹  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹²  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.