How To Avoid Becoming Devil Chow

INTRODUCTION

• SLIDE #1

• The world can be a very difficult place to navigate at times. As we strive to live out or faith there are a lot of potential pitfalls. There are a lot of things that can trip us up if we are not careful.

• We need to understand that that there are forces out there trying to get us to fail in our walk with the Lord.

• We need to resist the temptation to just sit back and wait for Jesus to return or for our lives to end.

• Our life needs to be about being a better, stronger Christian.

• If we are not careful, the Devil will wreak havoc in our lives. He will get a hold of us and mess us up.

• If we are not careful, the cares of the world will devour us and render us ineffective for Jesus.

• Our passage today speaks of our adversary, the Devil as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

• Today I want to share some insights as to how we can avoid becoming Purina Lion Chow.

• Let’s turn to 1 Peter 5:6-7

• SLIDE #2

• 1 Peter 5:6-7(ESV) Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. Know who has your back. (6-7)

• Where do we go in times of trouble? Who do you depend on when the chips are down? Do we rely on our own strength?

• One of the ways we can keep from being devoured is to remember who we serve.

• WILD KINGDON- JIM and Marlon.

• Understanding who has our back, who is watching out for us should motivate us to…

• SLIDE #4

1. We need to humble ourselves before God.

• If we are going to serve our God to the best of our ability, we need to first humble our selves before Him.

• The passage literally tells us to permit ourselves to be humbled. Having an attitude of humble submission before God is a choice. There are things that happen in life that should humble us, but ultimately we have to decide to be humble before God.

• In verse 5 Peter tells us to cloth ourselves with humility towards one another, here we are told to do this before God.

• The MIGHTY HAND OF GOD is as common O.T. phrase that speaks of God being in the control of the destiny of His people if they humbly and faithful accept His guidance. When we humble ourselves before God, God will be in control. (Deut 9:26)

• Gareth Reese in his commentary of 1 Peter states: In the confidence that our Father in Heaven knows what He is doing, we take advantage of the opportunities for service which He permits to come our way that require us to humble ourselves before we can and will act.

• Jesus taught in Matthew 18:4 the need to be humble in order to attain greatness.

• SLIDE #5

• Matthew 18:4(ESV) 4Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

• Whenever we forget to humble ourselves before the Lord we are setting ourselves up for failure because we will not be looking for what can happen to us.

• SLIDE #6

2. Learn to trust God with your issues.

• Our pride will keep us from leaning on God. We will think we can handle everything ourselves.

• When we allow our pride to take over, we leave ourselves open to attack.

• The person who humbles themselves before God will realize they need Him.

• Anxiety means to divide, separate, the feeling when the heart’s attention is drawn in different directions.

• When your mind is full of anxiety, that is when we need to remember God is there for you to turn to for help and consolation. (Gareth Reese, 1 Peter class notes.)

• The cast means to pass over to another, to deposit with another. When the burdens press and the cares distress, it helps a man to be calm if he turns his problems over to the Lord.

• If you will not humble yourself before God, do not get mad at Him when He does not calm your anxiety.

• When we know something is taken care of, our anxiety leaves us. If we turn something over to someone whom we know can help us, we all the sudden get calmed down. Who else can you think of who would be better to cast your anxieties on?

• Do you know why you can cast your anxieties upon the creator of the heavens and earth? BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU.