Four ways to build spiritual strength below the waterline:
1. Thirst After God- (Ps.42:1)” As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2. Relinquish Your Will to God’s Will- “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” –Ephesians 5:17
3. Leave No Place Undefended- “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” –1 Peter 5:8 (ESV)
4. Throw off Everything That Hinders- “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” –Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
North Bay Community Church July 31, 2022
TITLE: “REMOVING THE HINDRANCES”
TEXT: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”
PASTOR RUTTER…WHAT ARE YOU DOING? [I’m training for a marathon] The Christian life is not for sprinters...it's for marathoners who can steadily keep moving toward a dream. We're in a race...a spiritual race. Many will never complete the course.
YOU HAVE TO BE INTENTIONAL ABOUT PREPARING TO RUN THE RACE…IT MEANS REMOVING THINGS THAT WILL SLOW ME DOWN.
I. TAKE CARE OF YOUR BUSINESS ABOVE THE WATERLINE-DEAL WITH YOUR VISIBLE LIFE- Mary Fairchild writes, “Recently, I have been questioning my lifestyle and whether or not it is necessary. By this I mean that I am unsure if I should feel guilty that I have so much when there are people in the world who have so little. As I said, I feel that I do try and moderate things and I do try to never spend frivolously.
My question, therefore, is this: Is it right to enjoy the things I am lucky enough to have, be it objects, friends or even food? Or should I feel guilty and perhaps try to give most of these up?"
Here are these 2 points that relate to this question:
'
Misconception 1 - Christians should not enjoy any earthly pleasures. I believe
God created all of the good, wholesome, enjoyable, and fun things we have on this earth as a blessing for us to enjoy. The key is not holding on to these earthly things too tightly. We should grasp and enjoy our blessings with our palms held open and tilted up.'
Misconception 2 - Becoming a Christian means giving up all my fun and following a life of rules. A joyless existence of mere rule-following is not true Christianity and the abundant life God intends for you.'
James 1:17: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (NIV)
So, should we feel guilty about enjoying earthly pleasures?
I believe God created the earth and everything in it for our pleasure. God wants us to enjoy all of the beauty and wonder that he made. The key, however, is always holding onto God's gifts with open hands and open hearts. We must be willing to let go whenever God decides to take away one of those gifts, whether it be a loved one, a new house or a steak dinner.
Job, displayed the Godly disposition when he lost everything. He said in (Job 1:21)
“I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” (NLT)”
II. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS BELOW THE WATERLINE…THE AREA OF THE SOUL.
Let’s not talk about the what… Let’s talk about the how. How can I successfully throw off the hindrances that entangle us and slow us down while running the race?
A. The Christian Needs Self Discipline- HOW DO YOU DEVELOP SELF-DISCIPLINE IN ANY AREA OF YOUR LIFE?
So we’ve got the power and strength of God within us to be self-disciplined, but how do we tap into that power and strength? How do we develop this Christian self-discipline and apply it in real life?
1. SET YOUR GOALS AND COMMIT THEM TO GOD- Regardless of what areas of your life you are planning to work on, there must be a goal in sight. Paul that expresses this all to well in [Phil.3:12, 14] “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.v14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Like Paul, we too are called to press toward a goal in our spiritual journey, and in other aspects of our lives. In any pursuit of self-discipline, we must have a clear goal that drives us in times of struggle and opposition.
It doesn’t matter if your goal is to work on your diet and lose weight, go back to school and get your degree, learn how to swim, build up your savings account, quit smoking, anger management, or to read through the bible in a year. As Christians, we are called to tap into the power of the Holy Spirit within us for the self-discipline to stay the course.
2. STOP PROCRASTINATING AND GET STARTED- JUST DO IT! We’ve all heard the saying that ‘procrastination is the thief of time’, because time is the one thing we can never get back once it’s gone.
3. BE WILLING TO DO THE NECESSARY WORK- Self-discipline requires work. Hard work. The one thing some people try to avoid at some point or another.
God didn’t give us a pass on hard work. He gave us His Holy Spirit to help us do the work so that it wouldn’t seem as hard. We will face some of the same circumstances, challenges, and struggles that non-Christians do, but we will go through it differently because of God.
4. ELIMINATE AND AVOID DISTRACTIONS- In your journey to become more self-disciplined, it is essential to identify anything that may be a distraction or hindrance to your goal. Distracted During Prayer…
In the middle of a prayer, whether praying silently or aloud, my mind would bounce from one thing to the next. Dear God in heaven, I pray that you heal my friend who has cancer. Work in her life now in the name of . . . I really need to go to the hospital to see her again. Oh wait, I haven’t changed the oil in the car. And we’re out of cereal. The kids are gonna kill me. And Amy has a doctor’s appointment today—did we pay that last insurance bill? I can’t believe how much it’s going up this year! Oh, yeah, this week’s sermon—still need to find a strong illustration . . . Oh, I’m sorry, Lord, what were we talking about?
B. The Christian Needs Accountability- Prov.12:15 “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH US ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY?
There is a Blessing in Accountability! What is the blessing?
1. The blessing of accountability is that it motivates us. When we know someone is going to be checking up on us it has a positive effect on our character. People want people to think well of them and therefore work harder on the projects that they are held accountable too. When someone makes a decision to change but is unwilling to be held accountable it reveals his lack of commitment and character. When someone sets financial, fitness, or faith goals but refuses accountability the odds are they are just dreamers not doers. 2. The person who sets goals with intentional accountability over them is more apt to achieve them. Maybe you want to memorize a chapter of scripture, there will be a blessing in being held accountable because, one, you have given your word and now your character is at stake. Two, you may motivate the one holding you accountable to do the same. Accountability allows us to prove ourselves before others, which builds inner confidence and integrity
3. Wise is the person who knows his own weaknesses and chooses to place himself under accountability to many people.
C. The Christian Needs to Surrender…Unconditionally- Surrendering to God is showing complete faith in Him and belief in His promises. Just like a child, we can walk in freedom from worries. We simply must choose to trust God for everything. If we can trust God for our salvation through Jesus Christ, we can trust Him for our daily needs and desires.
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
1. What to Surrender- Everything. Surrender is literally giving up all control. It is telling God that we are not big enough to deal with our worries, and He must take over. When we finally let go of all of our worries, we give God room to wield His mighty arm in our lives. When our hands are weak and tired, God’s hands are strong and powerful!
“Powerful is your arm! Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.” Psalm 89:13 (NLT)
*Letting Go of Being in Control: Control is the hardest thing to give up because without it we feel vulnerable. But we do not need to worry. God is already in control. We need to recognize His authority and move over to let Him lead. He is the Creator of the Universe, so we can trust Him with each day. Letting go is scary at first, but the freedom in our mind and hearts will be worth it.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 (ESV)
* Letting Go of Your Money: We tend to hold tightly to our money. However, God wants to take the reins of our money. Money can become an idol if we place it ahead of God. God wants to bless us, so we need to put our finances in the proper place: In God’s Hands. God will take care of us. We simply need to surrender our money and obey His leading.
"Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 (ESV)
Letting Go of Your Relationships: Surrendering to God's sovereign will in our relationships shows that we trust Him with the people we care about. We can't possibly be everyone's savior and hero, but Jesus can. He died because He loves all of us, including the people most precious to us. We can do everything in our power to love and care for those entrusted to us and trust God with the rest.
"And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?" Matthew 6:30 (NLT)
Let Go of Your Future: We can only change one day at a time. Living in the future robs us from the joy of today. Each day is a gift, and we miss it when we allow our minds to dwell on all the unknowns. We can trust God with our future, so we can focus on today. Trying to control the future is like trying to control the wind. Contentment in today will prevent our eyes from wandering off to tomorrow.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
2. How to Surrender- Surrendering control is a daily, moment-by-moment choice. Like every discipline in life, we must learn to surrender and give it to God. The enemy seeks every new day to cloud our mind with worries, doubts, and fears. The devil wants there to be no room left for God in our lives. Surrendering to God becomes a lifestyle of daily giving it all to Him.
Whenever negative thoughts seek to invade our space, we must cut them off and give them to God immediately. God’s mercies are new every morning, so what happened yesterday, last year or a decade ago is completely gone. Carrying the past around will only take up space for God’s goodness, grace, and favor. Renewing our mind in Christ means letting go of all the burdens He died to take from us. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
