Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 1

Please, Lord, Direct My Path - 1

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. 

--We all should want God to direct our path! We should all want to know God’s plans and direction for our lives. How do we arrive at the destination God has for us?

--The truth is…say that…the truth is…You are one decision away from changing your life forever. What’s interesting is that you probably do not know what that one decision will be. 

--It is natural to think that such a big, life changing decision would be obvious. Sometimes it is, like taking a job in another state and relocating your family. Or maybe returning to school to finish your degree. 

--Maybe it is the decision of whether to marry the person you have been dating for the last several months. Decisions like this definitely can have consequences that last a long time. Good or bad.

--Clearly decisions like these cause countless consequences rippling through our lives and for years to come.

1. Small Choices or Decisions. 

--Our lives are constantly spilling over into the lives of others, and theirs into ours. We all like standing dominos up side by side. Like these our small decisions flow into consequences we didn’t see coming.

--I love giving life examples…I had been the youth pastor in Covington, La. for almost three years when I felt God wanted me to finish my college degree…Where should I go to school?

--My lead pastor thought I should go to Springfield, Missouri to the A/G Bible College there…his reasoning was…that is where the A/G Headquarters was…Make connections…promote me.

--I thought, it is cold in Springfield and I do not do cold weather…I had taken kids there for college days in January and thought I would freeze. I made it a matter of prayer. God promotes us!

--Our men’s ministry was going on a 26-mile canoe trip which turned out to be a 26-mile race but lots of fun!

--I was put with a man I did not know (he was new to our church) and was told to make him feel welcome. I find out quickly he was an avid canoer and we obviously won the race. 

--Guess what? All he wanted to talk about was what a great Bible College SE University in Lakeland, Florida was. He and his wife both had graduated from there…who knew?

--In the process of a canoe trip, I got God’s direction for where to go back to school. It was warm weather and it was exactly where God wanted me to be. Every decision we make has major consequences. 

--Every little choice you make now determines the story that you will be telling later in your life. How many would change the small choices they made years ago that set them on a wrong path.

Proverbs 1:29-30 (NLT2) ²⁹ For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD.
³⁰  They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them.

--The decision not to fear the Lord…the choice not to listen to the wisdom of parents, pastors, or teachers. They choose to reject advice and to pay no attention when people try to bring discipline.

--There was a young man in my youth group in Covington, La. who would not listen to anyone. I would spend tons of time with him (at the request of family) trying to reason with him.

--Pastor Rick, I am sick of you, my parents, my teachers, and everyone else telling me what to do and when I have to do it. I am just going to leave home and go join the army! Say what!

Proverbs 1:31-33 (NLT2)
³¹  Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes.
³²  For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.
³³  But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.” 

--After basic training, this simpleton came to my office at the church and as soon as he walked through my door he broke down and started crying…I am such an idiot! No argument here.

--Proverbs says you must eat the bitter fruit of living your own way…he signed up for…four years. You can come home in four years. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency. Their choices!

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (NKJV) ¹⁵  "See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 

¹⁶  in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.
¹⁷  But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them,
¹⁸  I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess.
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;
²⁰  that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."

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 choses keep accumulating, each one woven into the rest, forming the tapestry that is your life story. 

--The purpose of this series is to help you make good godly decisions which enables you to find God’s direction. If you want peace and joy you must make deliberate choices to get there.

--Many people do not like to hear this but here we go…You have to be willing to take responsibility for every decision you make. Stop playing the victim card and stop blaming others.

--When you choose to follow biblical principles set forth in the Word of God and you are dedicated to staying on this path for a lifetime, you will have a beautiful destination. 

--One way or another, each decision you make is the decision of a lifetime, whether or not you can see where it ultimately leads. You are one choice away from making your best decision ever.

Proverbs 3:1-6 (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. 

--Look at verse 2…this is what obeying God’s Word will do… For length of days and long life and peace they will add to you. Daily choices lead to long life kissed with peace. 

--Do we truly trust the Lord with all our hearts when it comes to, not just big decisions, but every decision. Pastor, you make it sound like every decision is so important…In all your ways acknowledge Him. 

--Can it really matter where we eat lunch or dinner (which Mexican Restaurant)? If we acknowledge Him (if we ask Him) He may send you to a specific place to minister to a specific person. 

--I remember determining I was going to a specific place to eat and as I thought about that, I felt overwhelmed to go to another one. I simply made the decision to go where God wanted me to go. 

--No sooner had I sat down and this waitress came and sat at the table with me…thru her tears she said I prayed you would come here today…she confessed her sins, received direction!

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

3. Our Decisions Lead to Predictable Consequences. 

--The truth is many (probably most) of our choices lead to fairly predictable consequences. And as we learn to choose well, we can connect the dots of where we are and where we want to be. 

--When we choose in a moment of temptation or peer pressure to take that first drink, that first smoke, or that drug…we have just opened the door to much pain and suffering for yourself and others.

Hosea 10:12-13 (NKJV) ¹²  Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
¹³  You have plowed wickedness; You have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, Because you trusted in your own way, In the multitude of your mighty men. 

--The best decision you can make is always the next one. Each decision should move you closer to becoming all that God made you to be, to turn your life in the direction of a story you’ll be happy to share. 

Partnership - 1

Partnership - 1

Subject – God Uses People

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. 

--Today we start a new series that I have been meditating about and praying about for quite some time. “Partnership” hopefully will be an eye opener for how God works.

--When I say “Partnership – God Uses People” I am not referring or insinuating God uses people like some use people. I am not talking about abuse or misuse but I am talking about partnership with God. 

--We see throughout Scripture how God has chosen to use different individuals to accomplish His will and to bring deliverance for His people.

--This is not to say that God has to partner with people but that He has chosen, in His Sovereignty, to use people for His glory. Our responsibility is to cooperate with Him and to do His will.

--Again, God has shown us His ability to accomplish what He wants to do without the help of man. He shows us that in creation.

Genesis 1:1-5 (NKJV) ¹  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
²  The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
³  Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
⁴  And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
⁵  God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. 

--We see when it came to the salvation of mankind God could not depend on any man to purchase us and save us from our sin, it was something He did. It’s what Jesus did.

Isaiah 59:16 (NIV) ¹⁶  He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. 

Hebrews 9:12-14 (NLT2)
¹²  With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.
¹³  Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity.
¹⁴  Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. 

--I think it is important for us to ask the question or, at least, investigate why God would want to partner with people, with us? It is truly thought provoking.

--Over all the years of ministry, I know there are type “A” personalities out there who want to do everything on their own. Others will just mess up my plan. You know who you are.

--People like that are usually angry, judgmental, and controlling. They are never happy because the people around them never measure up.

--They usually do not have deep friendships with those around them. It is truly hard to get close to someone who thinks they know it all. Very self-righteous. 

--Maybe that gives us a hint of why God does what He does in wanting relationships and partnerships, just possible that He wants us to be His close friends. Not perfect friends.

Exodus 33:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. 

John 15:13-16 (NLT2) ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
¹⁴  You are my friends if you do what I command.
¹⁵  I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
¹⁶  You didn’t choose me. I chose you. 

--It blows my mind that God has chosen us, that He has chosen us to be His friends, and He has chosen us to be partners with Him especially when it comes to reaching the lost. Back to our text:

2 Corinthians 8:1 (NLT2) ¹  Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 

1. When We Are in Partnership with God, He Gets the Glory.

--Notice the phrase, “What God in His Kindness has done.” Who did it? God did it! Partnership with God means that God always get the glory.

1 Cor. 10:31 (NKJV) ³¹ Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

--It is okay to give credit where credit is due and to give honor where honor is due…Even Paul, after what He says God has done says He did through the churches in Macedonia. 

--It is this beautiful partnership that causes God to get the glory. We have decided as a church to partner with God in the Great Commission.

--Yes, I appreciate getting recognition from the District and the GCAOG and I am thankful for what we have accomplished but unless God gets the glory…it’s just wood, hay, and stubble.

--Notice the churches in Macedonia were not affluent and they had their own problems for sure. They realized they could bring glory to God even in their poverty.

2 Corinthians 8:2 (NLT2) ² They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. 

--Partnering with God does not mean you have it all together, you have no troubles, and your bank account is huge and blessed. They were poor and had lots of trials.

--We don’t expect the poor widow here at Life Church to give the same amount in tithes and Faith Promises as the professional person who is making six figures. Everyone can partner with God.

2 Corinthians 8:2-5 (NLT2) 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. 

--Do you see it? See what, Pastor? Do you see how the people at the churches in Macedonia were giving God all the glory? 

--Was it their money? No. Was it their heart? Their motives? Their free will? Yes. Their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 

--If you want to partner with God and if you want to glorify His Name, give yourselves completely to Him and He will have all you have.

2. When We Are in Partnership with God, People Are Blessed.

1 John 3:16-18 (NKJV) ¹⁶  By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
¹⁷  But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
¹⁸  My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

--Verse 17 asks a very important question…How does the love of God abide in a person? The context is us seeing someone in need and choosing to do nothing about it.

--When we partner with God and we partner with each other, we not only can preach the gospel to people but we can also meet their felt needs.

--Jesus and His Body, the Church, partner together to feed the hungry (HOH), we have Joseph’s Storehouse to help brothers and sisters during a tough time, and we have Christmas blessings.

--When we partner with God and we give, we serve, we work, we pray, we love, people’s lives are changed and many can find salvation. People are blessed and God gets the glory.

3. When I Am in Partnership with God, I Am Blessed.

Mark 3:32-35 (NLT2) ³² There was a crowd sitting around Jesus, and someone said, “Your mother and your brothers are outside asking for you.”
³³  Jesus replied, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
³⁴  Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers.
³⁵  Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” 

--When I do the will of God (when I obey His Word) I am in partnership with God. I become His brother. How amazing is that. 

1 John 1:6-7 (NKJV)
⁶  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
⁷  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

The Gift – 2025 – 6

The Gift – 2025 – 6

Subject – The Gift of Being Shipwrecked

By Rick Welborne

Acts 28:1-6 (NIV)
¹  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
³  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
⁴  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
⁵  But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
⁶  The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 

--Sometimes we believe our lives are bad and, I agree, people have extremely tough days. Whether it is loss of a loved one, health issues, family crisis, financial setbacks. Life hurts. Paul’s calling:

Acts 9:15-16 (NLT2) ¹⁵ But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.
¹⁶ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

--His calling was one of suffering. Paul is arrested and stands before King Agrippa and Felix the Governor. He is accused of being crazy and committing heresy.

--In chapter 27, he and a large number of criminals are placed on a ship and were bound for Italy with many stops in between. Paul warned them of impending danger:

Acts 27:10-11 (NLT2) ¹⁰ “Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”
¹¹  But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

--It hurts when you try to warn people that danger lies ahead if we continue on this same route. I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.

--Our world and many in the church just believe preachers and pastors are just talking to hear themselves talk when they warn them a storm is coming. Get prepared.

--Sure enough, a storm arises and they are days fighting the wind and waves, and days without food. They feared for their lives. Paul said an angel stood before me tonight.

Acts 27:22-26 (NLT2)                                                                                                                                             ²²  But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.
²³  For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me,
²⁴  and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’
²⁵  So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.
²⁶  But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”

--276 people are shipwrecked on the Island of Malta. All cargo gone, the ship is destroyed, they are wet and cold. Today we are going to look at the Gift of being Shipwrecked. Say what?

1. The Gift of Being Shipwrecked.

--Watch the miracles begin to stack up as they get over the shock and fear of being wrecked on an Island. It was a miracle no one died. God had promised and He keeps His Word.

--Often we have events or circumstances that happen in our lives and because we are so overwhelmed with said events, we fail to see what God is truly up to. His gifts.

Romans 8:28 (NLT2) ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

--What an amazing promise from the Word of God that the Apostle Paul is letting us in on but let’s reverse the verse to see what our part is. 

--Our part is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. And to answer His calling from His Spirit and His Word.

--God’s part…say God’s part…is to somehow, someway work out all the circumstances or everything in my life, good or bad, for my good. Only God can do that. Back to Paul:

Acts 28:1-2 (NIV) ¹ Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.

--After surviving the shipwreck, they find themselves on an island where the islanders showed them unusual kindness. Do you suppose God had something to do with that? Could have been wild natives.

--Unusual kindness and they built them a fire. Forgive me for seeing Holy Spirit throughout the whole Bible but I can’t help but see the Spirit of God there on the island with them. The Fire!

--Spiritual maturity demands that I always have my Holy Spirit senses alive and awake so that I can discern what God is doing even in the middle of shipwreck.

--Please keep in mind the Apostle Paul was a missionary and missionaries are never off duty. Paul said that we are to make the most of every opportunity. 

2. The Gift of Being Snake Bit.

Acts 28:1-3 (NIV)
¹  Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
²  The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
³  Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 

--The devil knows how true missionaries think and he will do anything to stop them for accomplishing God’s will. Arrested, storms, shipwreck, floating on debris, and now snake bit…a viper.

Acts 28:4-6 (NIV)
⁴  When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
⁵  But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
⁶  The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

--The islanders had sized Paul up and came to the conclusion that he must be a murderer because he survived the shipwreck and now he is snake bit by a poisonous viper. He dead.

--This is no different than the world when they see one of us surviving one battle after another, and when you think it can’t get any worse, snake bit. Must be something in their lives.

--Remember being snake bit might just be a gift from God. One time a shared the story of my mother being bitten by a rattle snake at the age of seven.

--A dear sweet saint of God came up to me after the service and had a question. Did your mother (7) die of the snake bite? Yes, she had me when she was 6 years old. And I am the youngest of 4.

--The people expected and watched for Paul to swell up and suddenly fall down dead. Your friends and maybe a few enemies, are watching for you to crash and burn but I love what Paul did:

 Acts 28: (NIV) ⁵ But Paul shook the snake off into the fire.... 

--Listen, I don’t know what you are going through now, I don’t know everything you have been through, and I don’t know what has attached itself to you now but I came with a Word…

--Shake it off into the fire…as long as I have breath in these lungs I am going to worship! And when that old serpent attaches himself to me, I will shake him off into the fire.

--Some of you have been snake bit and you have almost given up but I am here to tell you to get to your feet and shake him off into the fire of Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NKJV) ²⁸  Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
²⁹  For our God is a consuming fire. --That snake bite may just be an amazing gift from God because He has given you an opportunity and a testimony to glorify God.

3. The Gift of Missions – Being in the Right Place at the Right Time.

Acts 28:7-9 (NLT2)
⁷  Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days.
⁸  As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him.
⁹  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed.

--No one in their right mind wants to be arrested, no one wants to be in a storm without food, no one wants to be shipwrecked, and no one wants to be snake bit.

--Do you just suppose the souls on the island of Malta were more important to Jesus than Paul’s comfort. Because all that happened to him, revival came to Malta.

--People were healed and lives were changed because horrible things turned out to be gifts from God so that the Gospel could be preached to an isolated island.

--God is more interested in the souls of men and women than He is in your comfort and prosperity. Maybe God has you where you are for the lost around you.

Romans 8:28 (NLT2) ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.