pretty funny!

"LIVING FREE" (by Beth Moore) Lesson #3-GLORIFYING GOD

GLORIFYING GOD
What do you think about when you first wake up in the morning? ____________________________________
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait in expectation." (Psalm 5:3)
Beth Moore says that there are three directions in which our thoughts can go:
a) Mark 4:19 describes our natural thoughts ___________________
b) Centered on pleasing God
c) Focused on ourselves as we try to please God. (dangerous mistake....)
It is important to get our thoughts off_________ and to instead focus on _____.
(ourselves/God)
But why?
Seeing God as He is leads us to see ourselves as we are - which brings _________!
Isaiah 6:1-8
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another"
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of His glory."
At the wound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. "Woe is me!" I cried. "I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, "See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send?" And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
How did Isaiah's vision of God's glory change how he saw himself?
How do you think it changed how he lived his life?

We tend to confuse humility and low self-esteem:
Humility=my _______ to God's ________.
Low self-esteem=seeing myself as ________ therefore ________ value.
(response/greatness low/without)
Pride=focusing on self, whether it's with how great I am or how low I am.
Humility=God-focused

Isaiah 43:7 tells us why God created us the way He did. (for God's glory!)
Because of this we need to understand what His glory is!
a) God's glory always has an impact (2 Chronicles 5:14)
b) God makes Himself known through His glory-it is a part of who He is.
Psalm 19:1 & Psalm 29:9-How is God glorified/made known in the heavens? in nature?
How do people glorify God? Colossians 1:27
What do you think is the biggest obstacle to Christians as far as glorifying God? Why?
Jeremiah 13:15-17
How does pride keep us from paying attention to God?
If we don't give glory to God, what will He bring into our lives?
How is pride like darkness?
How does pride lead us into captivity?
In verse 16, what's the alternative to pride?

Why is pride our enemy?
Proverbs 11:2, Proverbs 13:10, Proverbs 16:18
Why is humility our friend?
Proverbs 3:34, Isaiah 57:15, Isaiah 66:2
We have a choice - we can take refuge in the stronghold of pride or the stronghold of humility.
Beth Moore gives 2 ways we can gain humility:
1) By BEING HUMBLED! (Daniel 4:28-33, 37)
How did Nebuchadnezzar learn the truth of verse 37 ? Have you experienced this
truth? Can you think of other Biblical examples?
2) We can CHOOSE TO VOLUNTARILY humble ourselves before God. 1 Peter 5:6-7
What does it mean to humble ourselves before God?
What can we be assured of it we willingly give up everything to God?

What do you reflect to the world? Is it the love and holiness of a great God or the self-absorption of a proud person?

Here is my checklist of Scriptures and evaluation scale. I seek to apply these to my life on a regular basis. Look up and read the Scripture passage in your Bible. After each question place a mark where you see yourself.
1. Is my most important consideration in every undertaking whether God could be glorified?
(1 Cor. 10:31)
1%.................................100%
2. Do I desire His glory of my own? (John 8:50. 54)
1%.................................100%
3. In my service to others, is my sincere hope that they will somehow see God in me?
(1 Peter 4:10-11)
1%.................................100%
4. When I am going through hardships, do I turn to God and try to cooperate with Him so He can use those hardships for my good and for His glory?
(1 Peter 4:12-13)
1%.................................100%
5. Am I sometimes able to accomplish things or withstand things only through the power of God? (2 Corinthians 4:7)
1%.................................100%%

Write 1 Corinthians 10:31 in the form of a prayer and pray it this week..."So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Today's Riddle

There were five men going to church and it started to rain. The four that ran got wet and the one that stood still stayed dry.Why did one stay dry?