DECISION MAKING

1 Chronicles 12:32
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Warriors Join David’s Army

32 From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.


There are two essential components of effective decision making: awareness and decisiveness. The men from Issachar knew what was going on and they knew what needed to be done.

Proverbs teaches the value of wise counsel (12:15, 13:10, 15:22, 19:20, 24:6). It also teaches us that wise counsel is not the bottom line. It is critical that we submit our plans and desires to the Lord (16:1, 16:3, 16:9, 19:21).

Spend some time reading these Proverbs and ponder what degree you seek wise counsel from others and what degree you seek the wise counsel of the Lord.

PRAYING MAKES A DIFFERENCE

Genesis 18:20-22; 32-33
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”

22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. …

32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.


The full context of this passage is Genesis 18:16-33.

Do you ever wonder if your prayers change anything? Is your prayer time just an exercise or in heaven, does it really make a difference? This exchange between the Lord and Abraham tells me that our prayers can impact the plan of God. Yes, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, as the Lord planned, but Abraham’s prayer and ten righteous people would have resulted in a very different outcome.

Where do you need God to change things in your life? Pray about it!

BROKENNESS

Nehemiah 1:3-4
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Nehemiah’s Concern for Jerusalem

3 They said to me, “Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.”

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven.


When you are confronted with brokenness in the lives of those around you, what is your response? When you see the homeless, do you turn away? When you see the hungry or thirsty, do you ignore their situation? When you encounter the sick (physical or spiritual), do you cross to the other side of the street (move to the other side of town) to avoid contact?

That wasn’t Nehemiah’s response. He wept … he mourned … he fasted … he sought direction from the God of heaven.

What would the God of heaven have you to do? What would he say about your response?

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

Matthew 5:43-45
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Teaching about Love for Enemies

43 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

In a sermon preached in 1957 by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., based on this passage and the subject ‘Loving Your Enemy’, he suggested three ways we might resolve conflicts. 1.) Forgive. 2.) Everyone has good and bad qualities. Any wrong they have done does not represent the total person. Find the good and focus on it. 3.) Seek to win a friend, not to humiliate an opponent.

Proverbs 19:20 say, “Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.” This sounds like wise counsel to me.

CONTEXT AND OUTCOME

Ephesians 4:1-3
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Unity in the Body

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.


Are you in the midst of some kind of conflict? Apply Paul’s teaching to your situation.

Let humility, gentleness and patience (verse 2) be the context in which you work on the conflict. Let honesty, unity and peace (verse 3) dictate the desired outcome.

Now, within this context and outcome, conflict becomes a positive instead of a negative.

RECONCILIATION

2 Samuel 14:13-14
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Joab Arranges for Absalom’s Return

13 She replied, “Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son. 14 All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.


Avoiding a confrontation doesn’t bring reconciliation. In fact, the story of David, Absalom, and Joab shows us that avoidance brings the opposite result … escalation of the issue (2nd Samuel 14-15).

In the midst of this story we find this wonderful reminder that God is always working to reconcile us to Him. His greatest work of reconciliation was the death of His Son on the Cross for our sins. Sin separates us from God. Do you view the consequences of your sin as God devising “ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him”?

Thank you Father for the consequences!

HE WINS

Revelation 19:11, 16, 19-21
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Rider on the White Horse

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war … 16On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords…

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast … Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse…


Read Rev. 19:11-21 for the full and complete context.

I have often heard it said, “Read the end of the Book. We win in the end.” While I understand the suggestion of this statement, in the great cosmic spiritual war that will take place in the last days, the winner is the One who rides the white horse … the One who is “King of kings and Lord of lords”. He wins the final battle and we win because He is our Champion.

QUICKLY RESOLVE CONFLICTS

Matthew 5:23-24
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.


Jesus counsels us to quickly resolve conflicts. We are not only not to let the sun go down on our anger, we are not to let a disagreement with a brother or sister interfere with our worship.

Not weeks … not days … but hours. Assuming that our worship is a daily practice, our reconciliation should come within hours of the conflict. That is peace that sets you free to worship unrestrained.

GO TO BETHEL

Genesis 35:1-3
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

1 Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”

2 So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”


Last night we closed out revival at Nazareth. The evangelist preached from this Old Testament passage and it came alive for us as he preached. Bethel was where Jacob first met the Lord. Part of his message was that we can’t go back to Bethel … experience the presence of the Lord in our lives … with stuff that displeases God.

How does this speak to our current days?

We must get rid of our idols … the idols of superiority or inferiority complexes. We must clean ourselves from our bigotry, racism, and denominational hatred. We must take off the filthy rags we call heritage and put on clean garments of reconciliation. Only then will we be ready to go to Bethel and experience the joy of our salvation.

THE RESULT

2 Samuel 12:13
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

David Confesses His Guilt

13 Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.


I wish I had the communication skills of a leader like Nathan. His conversation with David (2nd Samuel 12:1-13) resulted in the desired result … confession and restoration.

We are not dealing with murder. We are not dealing with adultery. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a struggle about race. Denying the sin does not make it go away. Covering it with rhetorical concern for the nation … political persuasion … even our ‘religiosity’ … does not make it go away. The current climate in this country exposes our sin (Galatians 3:26-29, 5:13-15). Like David, it’s time to confess … it’s time to repent … it’s time to turn (all of us … white, black, brown or yellow) from our wicked ways.

IMPORTANCE OF HISTORY

Joel 1:1-3
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

1 The Lord gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel.

2 Hear this, you leaders of the people.
Listen, all who live in the land.
In all your history,
has anything like this happened before?
3 Tell your children about it in the years to come,
and let your children tell their children.
Pass the story down from generation to generation.

God told Joel to instruct the leaders of the people to pay attention to their history and pass it on to their children. I was a history buff in school. I’m glad God endorses the practice of teaching history.

We learn from our history and that can help us avoid making the same mistakes over and over. History can also help us set direction for the future. It is said you won’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been. What does history and faith have to do with each other? Let me answer that with the words from an old Negro spiritual.

Gim-me dat ole time religion, Gim-me dat ole time religion,
Gim-me dat ole time religion, it’s good enough for me.

Makes me love ev’rybody, Makes me love ev’rybody,
Makes me love ev’rybody, it’s good enough for me.

‘Nuff said!

THE ART OF COMMUNICATION

James 1:19
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Listening and Doing

19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

In the communication process, James places an urgency on listening. He says, “Be slow about speaking. Be slow about becoming angry. Being understood is not an urgent matter. Take your time. But listening? Now that’s another matter. Be quick about that.” For James, there is urgency about this crucial skill.

Hearing comes naturally. Hearing is something we have to work hard not to do. In a noisy room we have to ‘tune out’ the shatter. Hearing deals with noise; listening deals with meaning. We have to want to listen.

First listen – then speak.

ONE-WAY STREET

Proverbs 18:2; 13
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

2 Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions.

13 Spouting off before listening to the facts
is both shameful and foolish.


The wisdom writer says the one-way communicator is not an effective communicator. He just comes off looking foolish.

Would your communication skills be labeled a one-way street?

COMMUNICATION

Isaiah 6:9
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Isaiah’s Cleansing and Call

9 And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people,
‘Listen carefully, but do not understand.
Watch closely, but learn nothing.’

I have shared with you over the last couple days two aspects of effective communication … speaking and listening. When God called Isaiah, He mentions both of these and adds a third. There must also be understanding.

You can speak and no understanding take place. “I spoke my mind.” You can listen without grasping what is being said. “I heard him out.”

No effort has been made to understand. No effective communication has taken place. Let’s try harder to speak, listen AND understand each other.

CONTROLLING THE TONGUE

James 3:7-10; 13; 17
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Controlling the Tongue

7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

13 If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.

17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.


The social skills of listening and speaking appropriately are essential in the life of the growing believer. While none of us are perfect, the wiser we become … the more we apply wisdom to our hearts … the more that which flows from our tongue will reflect the godly image in which we were created.

CREATION AND SCRIPTURE

CREATION AND SCRIPTURE

Psalm 19:1-2, 7-8
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.

7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect,
reviving the soul.
The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
8 The commandments of the Lord are right,
bringing joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are clear,
giving insight for living.

No one has an excuse. God has revealed Himself to all His creatures through His creation. The existence of the creator is obvious to all who have eyes to see, ears to hear, any of the senses to experience what God has done in creation.

God goes further to communicate Himself to us through His breathed Word. What we have in the scriptures is what God gave to godly men. His Word speaks His truth … His love.

And yet still … Gods greatest communication to us … greater than nature … greater than scripture … is His living Word … His Son, Jesus Christ!

LISTENING

Proverbs 18:13; 2
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust

13 Spouting off before listening to the facts
is both shameful and foolish.

2 Fools have no interest in understanding;
they only want to air their own opinions.

St. Francis of Assisi prayed to God for help. Listening did not come naturally. He wanted to, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”

Listening is a skill we must develop. Practice this week.

SEE AND HEAR

Exodus 3:7-8
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Moses and the Burning Bush

7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.


Before God goes into action (…I have come down…), He first sees (…I have seen…) and hears (…I have heard…) there troubles.

How are we to respond to the lost, the hungry, the down trodden, if we separate … isolate ourselves from them? The Great Commission calls us into action. We have to see and hear the trouble before we can properly respond. To be a Matthew 25:34-36 saint, you must be willing to go see and hear.

THE PROMISE

Micah 4:3-5
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The Lord’s Future Reign

3 The Lord will mediate between peoples
and will settle disputes between strong nations far away.
They will hammer their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer fight against nation,
nor train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will live in peace and prosperity,
enjoying their own grapevines and fig trees,
for there will be nothing to fear.
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies
has made this promise!
5 Though the nations around us follow their idols,
we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.


In His Time … in His Time
He makes all things beautiful … in His time.

What a wonderful day it will be when our world has made this transition. I don’t know about you, but a LORD who makes promises like this is easy to love and follow!

THE SEPARATION

Matthew 13:37-43
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!


Read Matthew 13:24-52 for the full context of this lesson.

There will be a separation of the wheat from the tares … sheep and goats … good and evil … in the last days. When Jesus Christ returns to set up His Millennial Kingdom, evil and its agents will be removed and the righteous will remain. The time to prepare is now. In that day (no one knows when that will be), it will be too late to change sides.

Choose today to be among the righteous. Make Jesus your choice. “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

GO DEEPER

Luke 5:3-4
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust.

The First Disciples

3 Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”


Simon Peter was a professional fisherman. Yet on this night he had caught no fish.

Jesus told Peter … you must go deeper. To be a disciple … a follower of Jesus Christ, we must be ready and willing to go deeper.

Deeper study … deeper sacrifice … deeper service. The follower of Jesus Christ will submit to the authority of the LORD, humble themselves and go deeper.