epiphany

State of mind series
Title:  Some cures for discouragement
Jamieson Fasset, and Brown commentary 7-21.
 But ... when Sanballat ... heard that the walls ... were made up, and ... the breaches ... stopped--The rapid progress of the fortifications, despite all their predictions to the contrary, goaded the Samaritans to frenzy. So they, dreading danger from the growing greatness of the Jews, formed a conspiracy to surprise them, demolish their works, and disperse or intimidate the builders. The plot being discovered, Nehemiah adopted the most energetic measures for ensuring the common safety, as well as the uninterrupted building of the walls. Hitherto the governor, for the sake of despatch, had set all his attendants and guards on the work--now half of  for accomplishing it, and in the person of Nehemiah, who, to great natural acuteness and energy added fervent piety and heroic devotion, He provided a leader, whose high qualities fitted him for the demands of the crisis. Nehemiah's vigilance anticipated every difficulty, his prudent measures defeated every obstruction, and with astonishing rapidity this Jerusalem was made again "a city fortified." 
Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, 'The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!' So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. Neh. 4:19-21 (NIV)
Discouragement is a disease unique to human beings, and it's universal - eventually everyone gets it, including those in ministry. I have no doubt you've experienced discouragement at times, maybe many times. You might even be discouraged at this very moment.
I.    WHAT CAUSES DISCOURAGEMENT?
a. #1 Cause - FATIGUE
i. When you're physically or emotionally exhausted, you're a prime candidate to be infected with discouragement.  Your defenses are lowered and things can seem bleaker than they really are.  This often occurs when you're halfway through a major project and you get tired.
ii. Jeremiah 31:25  25 " R1597 For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh F302 everyone who languishes." 
iii. Habbakuk 2:13 13 "Is it not indeed from the LORD of hosts That peoples toil R63 for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing? b. #2 Cause - FRUSTRATION
i. When unfinished tasks pile up, it's natural to feel overwhelmed.  And when trivial matters or the unexpected interrupt you and prevent you from accomplishing what you really need to do, your frustration can easily produce discouragement.
ii. Parable of prayer
1. Luke 18 :1 1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought R754 to pray and not to lose R755 heart, 2 saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect R756 man. 3 "There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, `Give F399 me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 "For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, `Even though I do not fear God nor respect R757 man, 5 yet because R758 this widow bothers me, I will give F400 her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear R759 F401 me out.' "
c. #3 Cause - FAILURE
i. Sometimes, your best laid plans fall apart - the project collapses - the deal falls through - no one shows up to the event.  How do you react?  Do you give in to self-pity?  Do you blame others?  As one man said, Just when I think I can makes ends meet - somebody moves the ends! That's discouraging!
ii. Peter fails to walk on water
iii. Peter's failed success
1. Matthew 14: 22 - 36 22 Immediately R548 He made F336 the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He R549 went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a F337 long distance from the land, battered F338 by the waves; for the wind was contrary. R550 F339 25 And in the R551 fourth F340 watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a R552 ghost!" And they cried out in F341 fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take R553 courage, it is I; do R554 not be afraid." 28 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "You R555 of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's R556 Son!" 
34 When R557 they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. R558 35 And when the men of that place recognized F342 Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; 36 and they implored Him that they might just touch the R559 fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched R560 it were cured. 
 d. #4 Cause - FEAR
i. Fear is behind more discouragement than we'd like to admit.  The fear of criticism (What will they think?); the fear of responsibility (What if I can't handle this?); and the fear of failure (What if I blow it?) can cause a major onset of the blues.
ii. Luke 21: 25, 26  25 "There will be signs F467 in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; F468 for the powers of the F469 heavens will be shaken. 
II.   WHAT'S THE CURE FOR DISCOURAGEMENT? 
e. There's a fascinating story in the Bible about how a guy named Nehemiah mobilized the residents of Jerusalem to build a wall around the entire city.  Half way through the project, the citizens became discouraged and wanted to give up - because of the FOUR causes I've given.
i. Here's what Nehemiah taught about defeating discouragement (Nehemiah 4):
f. REST YOUR BODY
i. If you need a break - take one!  You'll be more effective when you return to work.  If you're burning the candle at both ends, you're not as bright as you think!
1. Exodus 23: 10 - 13 - rest land, animals, and servants. 10 " R766 You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, 11 but {on} the seventh year you shall let it rest F459 and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard {and} your olive grove. 12 " R767 Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you shall cease {from labor} so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female slave, as well as your F460 stranger, may refresh themselves. 13 "Now concerning R768 everything which I have said to you, be on your guard; and do R769 not mention the name of other gods, nor let {them} be heard from F461 your mouth. 
2. How do you rest?
a. Matthew 11:29  29 "Take My yoke upon you and learn R415 from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU R416 WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS
 g. REORGANIZE YOUR LIFE
i. Discouragement doesn't necessarily mean you are doing the wrong thing.  It may just be that you are doing the right thing in the wrong way.  Try a new approach.  Shake things up a little.  Try new methods.  Paul was no stranger to new methodologies.
ii. 1 Corinthians 9: 19 - 23 19 For though I am free R341 from all men, I have made myself a R342 slave to all, so that I may win R343 more. 20 To R344 the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the F101 Law, as under the F101 Law though not R345 being myself under the F101 Law, so that I might win those who are under the F101 Law; 21 to those who are without R346 law, as R347 without law, though not being without the law of God but under R348 the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. 22 To the weak R349 I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all R350 things to all men, so R351 that I may by all means save some. 23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 
 h. REMEMBER GOD WILL HELP YOU
i. Just ask Him.  He can give you new energy.  There's incredible motivating power in faith.
ii. Psalm 54 1 Save me, O God, by Your R1605 name, And vindicate F483 me by Your R1606 power. 2 Hear R1607 my prayer, O God; Give R1608 ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen R1609 against me And violent R1610 men have sought R1611 my life; F484 They have not R1612 set God before them. Selah. F485 
4 Behold, God R1613 is my helper; The Lord is the F486 sustainer R1614 of my soul. 5 He F487 will recompense R1615 the evil to my F488 foes; Destroy F489 R1616 them in R1617 Your faithfulness. F490 6 Willingly F491 R1618 I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks R1619 to Your name, O LORD, for it is good. 7 For He F492 has delivered R1620 me from all trouble, F493 And my eye has looked R1621 {with satisfaction} upon my enemies. 
i. RESIST THE DISCOURAGEMENT
i. Fight back! Discouragement is a choice.  If you feel discouraged, it's because you've chosen to feel that way.  No one is forcing you to feel bad.  Hang on!  Do what's right in spite of your feelings.  No feeling lasts forever.
ii. James 4: 7
7 Submit R148 therefore to God. Resist R149 the devil and he will flee from you.
This verse is the key to success over discouragement.  If we submit our good and bad portions of life to God, then the discouragement will go away.

Stress, a social killer
Read Psalm 103: 1 - 5 (KJV)
"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy soul with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."
** Pray
I.  What is stress?
a. One of bodily or mental tension resulting from factors that tend to alter an existent equilibrium.
b. Bodily or mental tension that is a result from changing an existent equilibrium, constant part of life.
I.  What causes stress?
c. When something constant in life changes.
d. Change
i. If you are a traditional person, change will cause stress.
ii. If you are a changing person, tradition will cause stress.
iii. Therefore, when there is a change, of the norm, in your personal life, it will cause stress.
http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/causes-of-stress.asp
Attitude
It is said that life acts and you react. Our attitude is our reaction to what life hands out to us. A significant amount of stress symptoms can be avoided or aroused by the way we relate to stressors. Stress is created by what we think rather than by what has actually happened. For instance, handling adopted children, adolescents, academic failures, retirements, tax audits or sudden loss of money needs a relaxed attitude, focused will and preparedness to face the quirks of life positively. Otherwise one tends to feel stressed and reacts in anger and frustration. With a better control of attention one can feel that the world is a more congenial place to live in.
"Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. I am convinced that life is 10 per cent what happens to me and 90 per cent how I react to it. And so it is with you…" says Charles Swindoll, author and public speaker.
Hans Selye
Its not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.
Life Situations
Major life events such as a divorce, death, midlife crisis, financial worries, persistent strain of caring for a chronically sick child, nagging health problems or managing a physically or mentally challenged family member can act as potential stressors.
Genetics
Do "stressed out" parents necessarily have stressed out kids? To this query Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, a senior Psychiatrist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at John Hopkins University School of Medicine, answers: "While no parental issue guarantees that the same issue will be duplicated in their children, parental stress certainly places the children at a great risk of becoming stressed as well. Besides being at higher genetic risk for stress, children of stressed parents can also learn the tendency to get stressed out in reaction to life's challenges from their parents."
Smoking
The relationship between tobacco smoking and stress has long been an area for controversy. The paradox is, although adult smokers state smoking help them feel relaxed, at the same time they report feeling more stressed than nonsmokers.
The Research Results on Smoking and Stress 
• Contrary to the belief that smoking is an aid for mood control; it actually heightens tension, irritability and depression, during nicotine depletion in body. This mood swing arises between smokes or during periods of nicotine abstinence. And dependent smokers need nicotine to remain feeling normal.
Studies reveal more than 80 per cent of adult smokers respond positively to statements such as "Smoking relaxes me when I am upset or nervous," and cigarette smoking was "relaxing" or "pleasurable." Interestingly, when nicotine abstinence is monitored in smokers they typically report a pattern of repetitive mood fluctuations, with normal moods during smoke inhalation followed by periods of increasing stress between cigarettes. These mood fluctuations also tend to be strongest in the most dependent smokers.
In an effort to answers why smokers report stress during nicotine abstinence, studies found that smokers may be constitutionally neurotic. Alternatively, their stress may be caused by nicotine dependency.
I.  What does the Bible say about stress?
e. Many of us cry out like Job, "The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me." (Job 30:27).
f. Hiker Example
i. Most of us are so used to carrying the burden of stress, we can scarcely imagine our lives without it. We think it is simply an unavoidable part of living in the world. We carry it like a hiker trudging out of the Grand Canyon with a huge pack on his back. The pack seems to be a part of his own weight, and he can't even remember what it was ever like to not be carrying it. It seems that his legs have always been that heavy and his back has always ached under all that weight. Only when he stops to rest for a moment and takes off his pack does he realize just how heavy it really is, and how light and free he is without it. Unfortunately, most of us cannot just unload stress like a backpack. It seems to be intrinsically woven into the very fabric of our lives. It lurks somewhere beneath our skin (usually in a knot between our shoulder blades). It keeps us up late into the night, just when we need sleep the most. It presses in on us from all sides.
g. Jesus says Matthew 11: 28 - 30
i. "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
1. How can we apply these words to our lives and walk free from the burdens that weigh us down so badly?
a. Perhaps you are responding, "I would love do that if only I knew how!"
2. How can we receive rest for our souls?
I.  What is the Bible's solution to stress?
h. Stress Busters
Recognizing the Stressor
It is important to recognize whether you are under stress or out of it. Many times, even if we are under the influence of a stressful condition and our body reacts to it internally as well as externally, we fail to realize that we are reacting under stress. This also happens when the causes of stress are there long enough for us to get habituated to them. The body constantly tries to tell us through symptoms such as rapid palpitation, dizzy spells, tight muscles or various body aches that something is wrong. It is important to remain attentive to such symptoms and to learn to cope with the situations.
Laughter
Adopting a humorous view towards life's situations can take the edge off everyday stressors. Not being too serious or in a constant alert mode helps maintain the equanimity of mind and promote clear thinking. Being able to laugh stress away is the smartest way to ward off its effects.
A sense of humor also allows us to perceive and appreciate the incongruities of life and provides moments of delight. The emotions we experience directly affect our immune system. The positive emotions can create neurochemical changes that buffer the immunosuppressive effects of stress
What Laughter Can Do Against Stress And Its Effects:
• Laughter lowers blood pressure and reduces hypertension.
• It provides good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise.
• Reduces stress hormones (studies shows, laughter induces reduction of at least four of neuroendocrine hormones-epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormone, associated with stress response).
• Laughter cleanses the lungs and body tissues of accumulated stale air as it empties more air than it takes in. It is beneficial for patients suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.
• It increases muscle flexion, relaxation and fluent blood circulation in body.
• Boosts immune function by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and disease-destroying antibodies called B-cells.
• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins-body's natural painkillers.
• Produces a general sense of well-being.
i. How does the Bible say that you can overcome stress?
j. Come to Jesus to find our reason for existing.
i. The first thing we must do to be free from our stress and our worry is to come unto Jesus. Without Him, our life has no real purpose or depth. We simply run from one activity to another, seeking to fill our lives with purpose, peace, and happiness. "All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied." (Ecc. 6:7). Things haven't changed much since the days of King Solomon. We work ourselves to the bone for the things we desire, only to crave more. If we do not know our real purpose in life; our reason for existing, life is very meaningless indeed.
k. When we come to Jesus what will he tell us?
i. Luke 10: 41 - 42
1. But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are  worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.'' 
ii. Paraphrase
1. Jesus is saying to each one of us, "You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Choose what is better and it will not be taken from you."
iii. Martha vs. Mary
iv. What is better in life?
1. To seek out your creator
2. To seek out your purpose of existence by seeking out the one that created your existence.
l. After we come to Jesus, He will tell us
i. Luke 6: 48
1. "I will show you who he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them in to practice. He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came the torrents struck that house but could not shake it because it was well built."
ii. Jesus didn't say that once we built our house on the rock that everything would be perfect.
iii. Our lives are not going to be perfect.  We are still going to encounter stresses, but if we are firmly built on the foundation of God, then that will determine how we handle the stresses of life.
m. Do not worry about things to come
i. Matthew 6: 33
1. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow will take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
ii. Proverbs 3: 5 - 6
1. "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart; and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all of your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your ways."
I.  Invitation
n. Isaiah 55: 1 - 3
i. "Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend your money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live!"
o. Do you have an unbearable stress in your life?
p. Do you know your purpose in life?
q. If you do not, come now to the throne of Jesus.
r. Allow Him to know you and show you your purpose in life so that you can cease this wandering.

State of Mind – a practical view
Title:  Anger’s Resolve
Aristotle: 
Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy.
Nehemiah 5: 6 , 7
6 Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, " You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
I. What is anger?
Anger is "an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage," according to Charles Spielberger, PhD, a psychologist who specializes in the study of anger.
a. Many Biblical Examples of anger
i. Ephraimites, toward Gideon, for not soliciting their help against the Midianites 
Judges 8:1 
ii. Moses, toward Pharaoh 
Exodus 11:8; Numbers 20:10,11 
1. Exodus 11: 8 Moses was hot
a. "All these your servants will come down to me and bow themselves before me, saying, 'Go out, you and all the people who follow you,' and after that I will go out." And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. 
iii. Jonathan, on account of Saul’s persecution of David 
1 Samuel 20:34; 2 Chronicles 25:10 
iv.  Asa, because the prophet rebuked him 
2 Chronicles 16:10 
v. Elihu, because Job had beaten his friends in argument 
Job 32:3 
vi. Nebuchadnezzar, on account of the insubordination of the three Hebrews, who refused to worship his idol 
Daniel 3:13,19 
vii. Jonah, because the gourd withered 
Jonah 4:1,2,4,9 
viii. Herod, toward the wise men who deceived him 
Matthew 2:16 
ix. The people of Nazareth, toward Jesus 
Luke 4:28 
x. Paul, toward Ananias 
Acts 23:3 
xi. Jews, against Stephen 
Acts 7:54-58 
II. What causes anger?
a. Conflict
i. Sometimes, our anger and frustration are caused by very real and inescapable problems in our lives. Not all anger is misplaced, and often it's a healthy, natural response to these difficulties. There is also a cultural belief that every problem has a solution, and it adds to our frustration to find out that this isn't always the case.
ii. The best attitude to bring to such a situation, then, is not to focus on finding the solution, but rather on how you handle and face the problem. 
b. Miscommunication
i. Angry people tend to jump to—and act on—conclusions, and some of those conclusions can be very inaccurate
c. Stress or Intense Situations
i. As talked about last week
d. Enviroment
i. Things around you may peave you off.
ii. People, cars, work, home, etc.
iii. People can anger you
1. Remember:  He who angers you conquers you. --Elizabeth Kenny 
iv. Sometimes it's our immediate surroundings that give us cause for irritation and fury. Problems and responsibilities can weigh on you and make you feel angry at the "trap" you seem to have fallen into and all the people and things that form that trap.
v. Solution: Give yourself a break.
e. ANYTHING
i. Really anger is caused by the temperament of the individual.
1. Someone may not like mustard and it make the person angry.
2. It could be a certain fragrance, that reminds you of someone that you don’t like.
Important fact:  Marcus Aurelius
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.
III. How do we handle anger?
Play clip of anger scene with flight attendant on Anger Management, starring Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson
a. (what did Nehemiah do?)
i. Get angry
1. Is it ok to have anger?
a. Ephesians 4: 26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
i. Paul acknowledges anger in this passage as something we do go through, but is it ok?
2. Sometimes anger IS appropriate. According to Ephesians 4:26, it is possible to be angry and not sin. God got angry. Jesus got angry (Matthew 21: 12 – righteous anger). You can get angry and not sin. One of the first things you need to do if there is disharmony caused by selfishness -- you as a leader better get angry. Take it seriously!
3. The morale is found in how to handle the anger.
4. The anger is a natural feeling, but how are you to react: healthy or unhealthy?
5. Nehemiah's anger is not a personal reaction. Nobody was hurting him. He's not getting angry and striking back because somebody bruised his ego. That's the wrong kind of anger. He's not striking back in revenge. That's the wrong kind of anger. He has a justifiable indignation. He's angry at the selfishness of the rich people and how they're exploiting others. Their selfishness could halt the building of the wall.
ii. Reflect then act
1. Nehemiah's first reaction was to get angry, but before he did anything else, he talked to himself about it. He got alone with God, prayed about it and thought about it in order to get the perspective right.
2. James 1:19-20 says, "Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. For man's anger does not bring about the righteous life God desires." This is the antidote. It's not a contradiction.
3. There is a difference between man’s anger and God’s anger.
a. Man's anger is when we act in revenge. God's anger is when we act in righteousness. There is no personal vendetta involved. In other words, make sure you're not angry out of your own selfishness because somebody didn't live up to your expectations.
iii. Privately handle certain persons
1. You go directly to the source. You don't deal with somebody else about it or talk with five or six different people to get everybody on your side.
William Blake: 
I was angry with my friend
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow. 
A Poison Tree
2. 
3. Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus tells us how to handle conflict
a. "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you've won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he still refuses to listen, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
4. To criticize someone to someone other than that person is gossip.  Gossip is a disunifying factor within dissension.  Dissension among a group is a destructive force and will not be tolerated.
iv. Publicly deal with public issues
1. Obviously, in this situation everybody knew about what was happening. The rich people were ripping off the poor people. It had to be dealt with publicly. You deal with things publicly to the degree that they are known publicly. If it is a personal sin, you confess it personally to God. If it's a private sin between you and another person, confess it privately. If it's grossed out the whole church, then you have to deal with it publicly.
v. Be unselfish
1. The foundation of Nehemiah's leadership is that he led by example. When he asked them to rebuild the wall, he was also out on the wall rebuilding it. When he asked them to pray, he had already been praying. When he asked them to stay up all night to get it built, he stayed up with them. When he asked them to help the poor, he'd already been doing it. He's setting the example.
2. In your church family, Ephesians 4:3 is part of your job description: "Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace."
Marcus Aurelius
How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. 
Proverbs 14:17a
He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly 
http://www.heartquotes.net/Anger.html 
Maybe pick a film clip from "The incredible Hulk" when he turns in to the hulk??? 
http://www.thehulk.com/video_teaser.html
A Honking Parent
Shouting to make you kids obey is like using your horn to steer the car, and you get about the same results.
 
1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking - Michael Hodgin
 
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Anger is not a sin, what you do when you are angry is the sin - Unknown
 
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When angry count four; when very angry, swear. 
--Mark Twain 
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He who angers you conquers you. 
--Elizabeth Kenny 
The world needs anger. The world often continues to allow evil because it isn't angry enough. 
--Bede Jarrett The House of Gold 
---
Aristotle: 
Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, and for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody's power, that is not easy.
-------
William Blake: 
I was angry with my friend
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow. 
A Poison Tree

State of Mind: a practical view
Title:  Depression, the secret assassin
You may be here thinking you are too big for depression with this thought:
DEEP THOUGHTS by Jack Handey 
It takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at that man. 
Depression is a secret assassin that can kill any of us without notice.
-- During their lifetime, about 5-12 percent of men and 10-25 percent of women will have at least one episode of major depressive disorder.  http://www.camh.net/depression/understanding_depstats.html
-- Females have higher rates of major depression than males by a ratio of 2:1  http://www.camh.net/depression/understanding_depstats.html
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Although depression often goes undetected and untreated, among the general population it is estimated that between two and four percent of people suffer from clinical depression. In hard figures this means that during the course of a year, 17.5 million Americans suffer from clinical depression.
http://www.prairiepublic.org/features/healthworks/depression/stats.htm
Someone, somewhere, commits suicide every 18 minutes. 
Every day 80 Americans take their own lives and more than 1,900 are seen in hospital emergency rooms for self-inflicted injury. A disproportionate number are youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17. 
Recently released statistics reveal that approximately three million youths, aged 12 to 17, either thought seriously about suicide or attempted suicide in 2000. More than one third, 37 percent, actually tried to kill themselves.
Most were suffering from undiagnosed or untreated clinical depression
We as a church are here to give you a message:
 
“For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.”  (Psalm 40:1-3, NIV)
Four Truths about depression
I. Truth one: We must understand what depression is.
a. Merriam – Webster online:  (1) : a state of feeling sad : DEJECTION (2) : a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies
b. The Psalmist vividly describes depression as a slimy pit filled with mud and mire, a swamp-like prison.  Escape seems impossible while fear reigns, wreaking havoc from a throne of incredible darkness and unspeakable loneliness.
c. Someone once called depression “a dark tunnel without a ray of light.” Cartoonists portray it as “little black cloud hovering overhead.” I have a friend who says, “Some days you are the bug.  Some days you are the windshield.” 
d. Illustration:
i. Florida is famous for its sinkholes.  I find them fascinating having grown up in Texas where holes are made on purpose.  As I studied these craters that seemed to appear overnight, I discovered an interesting explanation. The ground suddenly collapses with no warning and seemingly for no reason – when actually, it is the culmination of a long process.  Scientists say that sinkholes occur when the underground resources dry up, causing the soil at the surface to lose its underlying support.  Then everything simply caves in and an ugly pit is formed.
ii. Depression and sinkholes have a lot in common!  Depression seems to overwhelm with a vicious suddenness when it is actually the result of a subtle and gradual process.  Inner resources are slowly depleted until one day there is nothing left. The world caves in and our existence seems to be swallowed up in a pit of darkness. 
e. Transition:
i. The first step out of the pit of depression is to face and understand depression as an illness that permeates and affects every part of our identity.
II. Truth two: We must know who can struggle with depression.
a. Notice that the author of Psalm 40 is David, a man of power and prestige.  He seemed to have it all, including the special favor of God. “A man after my own heart” God said of David. People like that should not struggle with depression!  But David did - along with many other choice servants of God.
b. One of the possible causes of  Depression is looking selfishly at your own situation and not being aware of the sufferings of others – Unknown
i. We must realize that we are not alone in this fight of depression.
c. Biblical Examples:
i. Job longed for death, questioning why he was ever born!
ii. Elijah sat under a juniper tree begging God to let him die!
iii. Paul writes to the Corinthians: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.”
iv. Martin Luther wrote the great hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” from his own deep pit of depression.
v. Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers to ever live, often battled depression!
vi. Jesus fought His own battle with darkness. On the cross, He cried out to His Father in unbearable loneliness, pain and sorrow.
III. Truth three: We must recognize the factors that can lead to depression.
a.  Many factors can trigger or lead to depression.
i. Factor one: A lack of replenishing relationships
1. The “pit” of depression is a place of isolation and loneliness where relationships have been mishandled or poorly developed.
2. We were created to need each other.
3. A shared load is a lighter load.
4. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us to “encourage each other and give each other strength.”
a. Relationships are a vital part of life.
5. There are three kinds of relationships in our lives:
a. Replenishing relationships. The literal meaning of “replenish” is “pump up.” Replenishing relationships give back, making life fuller and richer. 
 
Neutral relationships. The literal meaning of “neutral” is “colorless or vague.” Neutral relationships are merely present in your life. They are not replenishing or draining, but take up valuable emotional room and energy.
 
Draining relationships. The literal meaning of “draining” is “exhaust” or “deplete.” Draining relationships literally suck the life out of you. I call these people “emotional black holes” because it really doesn’t matter how much time or energy you give them, it will make no difference. 
ii. Factor two: A poor self-image
1. Psalm 40:2 says that the pit of depression is filled with “mud.”
a. It is the idea of an unclear or dirty picture of who we are.
b. Many people spent their whole life trying to earn the approval and love of God, others and myself through my religious performance.
IV. Truth four: We must discover how to get out of the pit of depression.
a. Step one: Learn to wait!
i. Notice that Psalm 40:1 says, “I waited.”  We tend to think of waiting as passive.  Learning to wait in the right way with the right perspective is crucial in this journey out of the pit of depression. It is in the “waiting times” that God accomplishes His greatest work!
ii. To wait means to accept the pit!
1. “I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.” (Isaiah 45:3, NIV)
2. Notice that the word “LORD” is capitalized in this verse. Any time you see “Lord” written this way in scripture it means, “Abba Father” or “Dearest Daddy.”
iii. To “wait” means to admit that there is a problem!
1. “He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29, NLT)
2. We must be willing to admit that we are struggling. Many times pride prevents us from being honest and transparent, but the reality is that emotional health begins at the point of emotional integrity.  It is being willing to say, "I need help!"  It is being honest with myself and with others!
iv. To “wait” means to practice solitude.
1. “Wait” literally means “to hope in and look for.” The pit is so dark that we cannot see and all we really can do is rest in him and look for him. He is our only hope!
2. Experiencing his rest and hope requires that we practice solitude. Notice that Psalm 40:1 says “I” waited.  Psalm 46:10 commands us to “be still and know that I am God.”  There is much about God that we can never know on the run, but when we are still – we will know God in a more intimate way.
b. Step Two: Come out of the darkness and into his marvelous light

State of Mind; a practical view
Title:  Faith, our unseen support
** Gallup and Castelli: "Americans revere the Bible--but, by and large, they don't read it. And because they don't read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates... For example, eight in ten Americans say they are Christians, but only four in ten know that Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Fewer than half of all adults can name Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as the four Gospels, while many do not know that Jesus had twelve disciples or that he was born in Bethlehem... The cycle of biblical illiteracy seems likely to continue--today's teenagers know even less about the Bible than do adults. The celebration of Easter... is central to the faith, yet three teenagers in ten--and 20 percent of those teenagers who attend religious services regularly--do not know why Easter is celebrated."
http://www.modernreformation.org/mr94/julaug/mr9404ignorance.html 
Sources: George Gallup and Jim Castelli, The People's Religion (Macmillan, 1989); 
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The church should be chanting Darth’s cry:
I find your lack of faith disturbing. - Darth Vader  
I say if you believe in the Bible and tell me a Christian, it does not mean anything until you show me.  Your Faith is disturbing unless it is lived out loud.
Use Indian Jones clip, where he has to walk across the invisible bridge to save the day.
What is faith?
Main Entry: 1faith  
Pronunciation: 'fAth
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural faiths  /'fAths, sometimes 'fA[th]z/
Etymology: Middle English feith, from Old French feid, foi, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust -- more at BIDE
Date: 13th century
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
synonym see BELIEF
- in faith : without doubt or question : VERILY 
Hebrews 11: 1
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
The assurance of things hoped for:  a belief or doctrine - noun
The conviction of things not seen:  an action - verb
What is Your Faith like?  Is it like Peter’s before He went out into the water:
 
Or Is your Faith like Abraham’s???????
Abraham – Genesis 22: 1 – 4 (NAS)
1 Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance.
Setting the scene:
After these things
After all the other exercises he had had, all the difficulties he had gone through: now perhaps he was beginning to think the storms were blown over but after all, this encounter comes, which is stranger than any yet.
God did tempt Abraham
Not to draw him to sin, so Satan tempts; but to discover his graces, how strong they were, that they might be found to praise and honour and glory.
How does Abraham get through this ordeal?
How can your faith become a state of mind in so much that it gets you through?
I. You got to know Him
a. Faith is not belief without proof, but trust without reservation. Source: Anonymous
b. He knew God before this time.
c. He had a very intimate relationship with Him.
i. He walked very close with God daily.
d. When God called out his name, Abraham immediately responded:
i. Because he recognized his Father’s voice.
ii. He was not scared of his Father, because his Father took care of him.
e. You have got to have an authentic relationship with to go beyond yourself in faith's vehicle.
f. We have got choices in bad situations.
i. "Sorrow looks back... Worry looks around... But, faith looks up."
-- God's Little Instruction Book <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=God%27s+Little+Instruction+Book> 
g. Habakkuk 2: 4
i. "Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will live by his faith.”
II. You got to be ready and willing to obey
a. Without word or gripe Abraham obeyed
b. Three steps to Abraham’s obedience
i. V. 3 -  He rises early - Probably the command was given in the visions of the night, and early the next morning he sets himself about it, did not delay, did not demur. Those that do the will of God heartily will do it speedily. 
1. Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary states
a. Abraham rose early so that there would be no appearance of disobedience or reluctancy.
ii. V. 3 - He gets things ready for a sacrifice, and it should seem, with his own hands, cleaves the wood for the burnt - offering. 
iii. V. 5 - He left his servants at some distance off, left they should have created him some disturbance in his strange oblation. Thus when Christ was entering upon his agony in the garden, he took only three of his disciples with him. 
c. As our faith increases, so does our ability to obey. 
Author: Anonymous 
d. Obedience is the key to the Christian life.
e. Other Biblical examples
i. Have congregation find examples found in Hebrews 11
ii. Galatians 1: 15-16
15 But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood,
1. Paul was called to give his complete life to the ministry.  He did not consult flesh and blood; he did not second guess it.  He immediately obeyed.
2. Read Luke 14:26
3. Nothing can get in the way of our obedience.
III. You have to commit
a. And had not Isaac, then upwards of twenty years of age displayed equal faith in submitting, this great trial could not have gone through. 
b. Faith is perfected by works. 
c. You say you believe something then show me; otherwise it is only lip service. (James 2: 21, 22)
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;
d. How could Abraham have so much faith?
i. Genesis 22: 14
1. Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."
ii. Because he knows the Lord as Jehovah Jireh … The Lord that Provides.
iii. God will provide for our needs, but do we have faith in that?

State of Mind: a spiritual view
Opening Illustration:
There was a Christian lady who lived next door to an atheist. Everyday, when the lady prayed, the atheist guy could hear her. He thought to himself, "She sure is crazy, praying all the time like that. Doesn't she know there isn't a God?" 
       
      Many times while she was praying, he would go to her house and harass her, saying "Lady, why do you pray all the time? Don't you know there is no God?" But she kept on praying. 
       
      One day, she ran out of groceries. As usual, she was praying to the Lord explaining her situation and thanking Him for what He was gonna do. 
       
      AS USUAL, the atheist heard her praying and thought to himself. "Hmph . . .I'll fix her." 
       
      He went to the grocery store, bought a whole bunch of groceries, took them to her house, dropped them off on the front porch, rang the door bell and then hid in the bushes to see what she would do. When she opened the door and saw the groceries, she began to praise the Lord with all her heart, jumping, singing and shoutin' everywhere! 
       
      The atheist then jumped out of the bushes and told her, "You ol'crazy lady, God didn't buy you those groceries, I bought those groceries!" 
       
      Well, she broke out and started running down the street, shouting and praising the Lord. When he finally caught her, he asked what her problem was . . . 
       
      She said, "I knew the Lord would provide me with some groceries, but I didn't know he was gonna make the devil pay for them!"
Transition:  A time of prayer with God can help you through many miseries in life.
You may say that concern is too small for prayer: "Any concern too small to be turned into a prayer is too small to be made into a burden." (Corrie Ten Boom)
Title:  Fasting vs. Misery
Isaiah 58: 3 – 7 (NAS)
3 'Why have we fasted and You do not see? {Why} have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?' Behold, on the day of your fast you find {your} desire, And drive hard all your workers. 4 "Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like {you do} today to make your voice heard on high. 5 "Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one's head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD? 6 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
I. What is fasting?
a. Merriam Webster Online
Main Entry: 3fast
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English fæstan
Date: before 12th century
1 : to abstain from food
2 : to eat sparingly or abstain from some foods
b. A time of abstaining from food and the substation of prayer
i. "For prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God."
-- Saint Teresa of Avila <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=Saint+Teresa+of+Avila> 
c. Zechariah 8: 18 – 23 fasting is joy, gladness and cheerful feasts.
1. It is a time to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek Him.
ii. 18 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 19 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'The fast of the fourth, the fast of the fifth, the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth {months} will become joy, gladness, and cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so love truth and peace.' 20 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, '{It will} yet {be} that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 'The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go." 22 'So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.' 23 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'In those days ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'""
d. Joel speaks twice of setting apart a fast and calling a sacred assembly (1:14; 2:15). The parallelism makes clear that the fast in view is a formal, community event, one involving all the people in an act of worship on a stated day and in a designated place.
i. Public national fasts on account of sin or to supplicate divine favour were sometimes held.
1. 1 Samuel 7:6; 
2. 2 Chronicles 20:3;
3. Jeremiah 36:6-10; 
4. Nehemiah 9:1.
e. As an expression of lamentation and/or penitence, fasting nearly always is associated with weeping (Judges 20:26; Esther 4:3; Psalm 69:10; Joel 2:12), confession (1 Sam 7:6; Dan 9:3), and the wearing of sackcloth (1 Kings 21:27; Neh 9:1; Esther 4:3; Psalm 69:10; Dan 9:3).
f. Fasting also appears as a sign of mourning. Following Saul's death, the people of Jabesh- Gilead lamented his passing by fasting (1 Sam 31:13) as did David and his companions when they heard the news (2 Sam 1:12).
g. Finally, fasting was frequently associated with supplicatory prayer. David prayed and fasted over his sick child (2 Sam 12:16), weeping before the Lord in earnest intercession (vv. 21-22). Nehemiah, having heard of Jerusalem's desolation, wept, fasted, and prayed that God would give him favor with King Artaxerxes of Persia so that he might return to his homeland and repair its ruins (Neh 1:4-11).
II. Why do we need to fast
a. V.6 - To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
b. Disconnect with wickedness
i. loose . . . bands of wickedness--that is, to dissolve every tie wherewith one has unjustly bound his fellow men (Leviticus 25:49, &c.). Servitude, a fraudulent contract, &c. 
c. Disconnect with burdens
i. undo . . . heavy burdens--Hebrew, "loose the bands of the yoke." 
oppressed--literally, "the broken." The expression, "to let go free," implies that those "broken" with the yoke of slavery, are meant (Nehemiah 5:10-12'Jeremiah 34:9-11,14,16'). JEROME interprets it, broken with poverty; bankrupt.
d. Disconnect with self
i. For humbling
1. Psalms 35: 13 (NAS) But as for me, when R1012 they were sick, my clothing R1013 was sackcloth; I humbled R1014 my soul with fasting, And my prayer R1015 kept returning to my bosom.
e. Connect with the work of Christ
i. Matthew 9: 14 – 15 – to remember what Christ has done
1. 14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?" 15 And Jesus said to them, "The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved."
III. Wrong purposes for fasting
a. V. 3 Behold, on the day of your fast you find {your} desire, And drive hard all your workers.
b. Connecting with self desires
i. v. 3 – Wesley commentary
1. Afflicted - Defrauded our appetites with fasting, of which this phrase is used, Leviticus 16:29.Ye find - Either you indulge yourselves in sensuality, as they did, Isaiah 22:13.But this does not agree with that afflicting of their souls which they now professed, and which God acknowledges; or you pursue and satisfy your own desires: though you abstain from bodily food, you do not mortify your sinful inclinations. Exact - Your money, got by your labour, and lent to others, either for their need or your own advantage, which you require either with usury, or at least with rigour, when either the general law of charity, or God's particular law, commanded the release, or at least the forbearance of them.
c. Connect with a form of hatred
i. V.4 you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist
ii. The days of your fast you do not implore the mercy of God, but you seek out to injure and quarrel with your brothers and others.
1. Behold - Your fasting days, wherein you ought in a special manner to implore the mercy of God, and to shew compassion to men, you employ in injuring or quarrelling with your brethren, your servants or debtors, or in contriving mischief against them. Heard - In strife and debate. By way of ostentation.
d. Connect with self – glorification
i. Matthew 6: 16 – 18  - You take this time for self glory
1. 16 "Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 17 "But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face 18 so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
IV. Right purpose of fasting
a. Connect with God
i. V.4 to make your voice heard on high
ii. Connect with the important messages of God
1. Acts 27: 9 – 11
a. 9 When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, 10 and said to them, "Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul.
2. If you want to move mountains in your life, then Jesus says to fast.
a. Jesus equates supplication and fasting when he teaches that the removal of mountains comes about only by prayer and fasting (Matt 17:21).
b. Disconnect with Yourself
i. V. 5 a day for a man to humble himself
ii. Disconnect with sins
1. V. 6 "Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? 7 "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
V. How do we fast?
a. Prayer 
Ezra 8:23 - So we fasted and sought our God concerning this {matter,} and He listened F101 R171 to our entreaty.; Daniel 9:3 - So I gave F260 my attention to the Lord God to seek {Him by} prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
b. Confession of sin 
1 Samuel 7:6 - They gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured R203 it out before the LORD, and fasted R204 on that day and said there, " R205 We have sinned against the LORD." And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah. ; Nehemiah 9:1,2 - Now on the twenty-fourth day of this R181 month the sons of Israel assembled with R182 fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt R183 upon them. 2 The descendants F97 R184 of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed R185 their sins and the iniquities of their fathers.
c. Mourning 
Joel 2:12 - "Yet even now," declares the LORD, " R68 Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, R69 weeping and mourning; 
d. Humiliation 
Deuteronomy 9:18 - " R360 I fell down before the LORD, as R361 at the first, forty days and nights; I R362 neither ate bread nor drank water, because R363 of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger.; Nehemiah 9:1 - Now on the twenty-fourth day of this R181 month the sons of Israel assembled with R182 fasting, in sackcloth and with dirt R183 upon them. 
"The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless."
-- William Franklin "Billy" Graham (b. 1918) <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=William+Franklin+%22Billy%22+Graham+%28b.+1918%29>, American religious leader, conducted evangelical tours throughout the world
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"There are only two occasions when Americans respect privacy, especially in Presidents. Those are prayer and fishing."
-- Herbert Clark Hoover (1874-1964) <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=Herbert+Clark+Hoover+%281874-1964%29>, 31st US President, Republican
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"Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In prayer we act like men; in praise we act like angels."
-- Thomas John Watson, Sr. (1874-1956) <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=Thomas+John+Watson%2C+Sr.+%281874-1956%29>, American businessman, president of IBM

State of Mind Sermon Series, part 7
Our vision is to mobilize contagious Christians (Matthew 28: 18 - 20) into a post modern community (1 Corinthians 9: 19).
Title:  Worship, the focus of your heart
Gen. 35:2-3(KJV)
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that [were] with him, Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments:   3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
I.    Worship is not entertainment
Play Ed Clip
a.      it is not a spectator sport (3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel;) it is a participat.on activity
b. Entertainment is a spectator sport
c. Worship is a participatory sport
i.            Worship is the outpouring of your entirity to a powerful, loving, magnificent God.
It is not when Misty hits a good guitar lick and you .go home and focus on that, bad worship isn't when we aremissing a drummer.
Worship is the outcry ofyour heart to your God.  when you are singing to your God that is worship or when you say.Amen that is worship.  Amen shoul.dn't be focused on the preacher, but should be an affirmation to those around that you agree...... Get Bert to come up and say Jesus is Lord.
During the tenure of the great orator Henry Ward Beecher, a visiting minister (Beecher's brother) once substituted for the popular pastor. A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and when the substitute pastor stepped into the pulpit, several disappointed listeners began to move toward the exits.  
That's when the minister stood and said loudly, "All who have come here today to worship Henry Ward Beecher may now withdraw from the church. All who have come to worship God keep your seats!"  
Today in the Word, April 1989, p. 22. 
How are we to keep worship from not being entertainment?
d.     There are  Pre.worship festivities that we must partake of:
and in commanding them to put away the strange gods, he added, be clean, and change your garments--as if some defilement, from contact with idolatry, should still remain about them.
(b) That by this outward act they should show their inward repentance.
e. Why do we .cleunse ourselves¿: . .the purpose is to be in Gods presence (Lev. 19:30, Psa. 77:13, 84:4, Isa. 56:7, Heb.10:25)
i.            We cleanse ourselves so that we can truly see God to love Him and to see His love for us.
"I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love."
-- Henry Ward Beecher (1813-87) <http://www.quoteworld.org/author.php?thetext=Henry+Ward+Beecher+%281813-87%29>, American clergyman
Transition: worship is not entertainment it is a loving adoration toward a magnificent and holy god.
II.   Worship is privately and publicly mandatory
a.      Christians are required to privately worship
 “Jesus left the city and went, as he usually did, to the Mount of Olives … to pray.”
Luke 22: 39
 The Important Factor:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark.  Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Mark 1: 35
Why is worship privately mandated:  Because Christ set the example and we are to strive to be like Christ.
This is how Christ found strength.
How are to gain this strength from seclusion: via quiet time
“FIFTEEN MINUTES WITH GOD” (For more information attend Life Purpose 201)
(A Plan To Get You Started)
1.       Relax. (1 Minute)
Be still and quiet! Slow down! Prepare your heart.  Take a few deep breaths and wait on God.
2.       Read. (4 Minutes)
See the section on “How to Read God's Word.”
Begin reading where you left off the day before.  Read until you feel God has told you something.  Then stop and think about it.
3.       Reflect. (4 Minutes)
See the section on “How to Meditate on God's Word.”
You may use the S.P.A.C.E.P.E.T.S or any of the 6 methods of meditation.  Think about what the passage means to your life.  Write down your thoughts.  Part of reflecting is memorizing verses that speak to you in a special way.
See the section on:  “How to Memorize God's Word.”
4.       Record. (2 Minutes)
See the section on “How to Apply God's Word.”
Write out a personal application statement that is practical, passable, and measurable.
Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through the lips and the fingertips.
5.       Request. (4 Minutes)
See the section on “The Habit of Prayer”.  Conclude our Quiet Time by talking to God about what He has shown you and making your requests from our prayer list.
In a letter to his friends, hymn writer Wendell P. Loveless related this story: One evening a speaker who was visiting the United States wanted to make a telephone call. He entered a phone booth, but found it to be different from those in his own country. It was beginning to get dark, so he had difficulty finding the number in the directory. He noticed that there was a light in the ceiling, but he didn't know how to turn it on. As he tried again to find the number in the fading twilight, a passerby noted his plight and said, "Sir, if you want to turn the light on, you have to shut the door." To the visitor's amazement and satisfaction, when he closed the door, the booth was filled with light. He soon located the number and completed the call.
In a similar way, when we draw aside in a quiet place to pray, we must block out our busy world and open our hearts to the Father. Our darkened world of disappointments and trials will then be illuminated. We will enter into communion with God, we will sense His presence, and we will be assured of His provision for us. Our Lord often went to be alone with the Heavenly Father. Sometimes it was after a busy day of preaching and healing, as in today's Scripture reading. At other times, it was before making a major decision (Luke 6:12).
Our Daily Bread.
b.      Christians required to publicly worship. (3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel;)
i.            The whole nation required to assemble (Deut. 16:11, 31:11-13, Josh. 8:32-35)
ii. Heb. 10:25
iii. Lord Supper
iv. Baptism
SAN DIEGO (BP)--"Seventy percent of church ministry hinges on Sunday morning worship," said Richard Harris, vice president of church planting for the North American Mission Board. "Innovative worship styles for new church plants is crucial for reaching North America for Christ."
Worship is not for spectators but participators - Richard Harris 
http://www.pastors.com/articles/InnovativeWorshipStyle.asp 
III.  Worship is to be rendered to God alone (Put away the strange gods that [are] among you, and be clean, and change your garments:........ and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.) (Exodus 20:3,Deut. 5:7, 6:13, Matt. 4:10, Luke 4:8, Acts 10:26, 14:15, Col.2:18, Rev. 19:10,22:8)
Golf immortal Arnold Palmer recalls a lesson about overconfidence: It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, "Congratulations." I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. 
On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trop, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the 30 years since. 
Carol Mann, The 19th Hole, (Longmeadow), quoted in Reader's Digest. 
a.      If it is only for God then we will need to know what it is.
b.      What is worship?
i.            Merriam Webster
1.                reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; also : an act of expressing such reverence
tell story of the porta jon man
c.      Why is it that we should only worship the one God? (I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.)
d. Matthew 6: 24 (NAS)
i.            Not one can serve two master; for either he will hat e the one and love the other, or he will be devoted t one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth.
Nothing that is valuable is achieved without effort. Fritz Kreisler, the famous violinist, testified to this point when he said, "Narrow is the road that leads to the life of a violinist. Hour after hour, day after day and week after week, for years, I lived with my violin. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I had to leave undone; there were so many places I wanted to go that I had to miss if I was to master the violin. The road that I traveled was a narrow road and the way was hard." 
"When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song," tenor Luciano Pavarotti relates. "He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating, I asked my father, 'Shall I be a teacher or a singer?' "'Luciano,' my father replied, 'if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.' "I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my first professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it's laying bricks, writing a book--whatever we choose--we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that's the key. Choose one chair." 
Guideposts. 
I. Invitation
2. Then Jacob said unto his household ... Put away the strange gods that are among you--Hebrew, "gods of the stranger," of foreign nations. Jacob had brought, in his service, a number of Mesopotamian retainers, who were addicted to superstitious practices;  
(b) That by this outward act they should show their inward repentance.
Today, what type of gods do you have in your life?
What is it that you consider worthy of praise?
1 Cor. 6: 12 – All things are lawful but not profitable, b/c I will not be mastered by anything.
Is there something that is mastering your life, that has got hold of your life and you cannot help but call it Lord?
e.      
HOW TO HAVE A QUIET TIME
DEFINITION: “A quiet time is a daily time I set aside to be alone with God to get to know Him through the Bible and prayer.”
I.         THE IMPORTANCE OF DAILY QUIET TIME
Your time alone with God should be the top priority in your schedule for five reasons:
1.            We were created to have fellowship with God.
“So God created man in His own image …”
Genesis 1: 27, 2: 7, 3: 8
“Look!  I've been standing at the door and constantly knocking.  If anyone … opens the door.  I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me.”
Revelation 3: 20
2.            Jesus died to make a relationship to God possible.
“God … has invited you into this wonderful friendship with his son, Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1: 9
3.            Personal time alone with God was Jesus' source of strength.
Mark 1: 35, Luke 22: 39, Luke 5: 16
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
4.            Every person who has been effective in service for God developed this habit.
Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Paul, etc.
5.            You cannot be a healthy Christian without it!
“Man cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that God speaks.”
Matthew 4: 4
“… I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
Job 23: 12
“How can a young man cleanse his way?  By keeping to your Word.”
Psalms 119: 9
State of Mind - a spiritual view
Title:  Worship, focus of the heart
Genesis 35: 2 - 3 (NAS)
2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."
I.       Worship is not entertainment
And let us arise, and go up to Bethel
a.         Entertainment is a spectator sport
b. Worship is a participatory sport
II.       Worship is privately and publicly mandatory
And let us arise, and go up to Bethel
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark.  Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed.”
Mark 1: 35
How to have a quiet time: (1)                      (2)                          (3)                                (4)                             (5)
The whole nation required to assemble (Deut. 16:11, 31:11-13, Josh. 8:32-35)
III.       Worship is rendered to God alone
I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone."
Exodus 20:3,Deut. 5:7, 6:13, Matt. 4:10, Luke 4:8, Acts 10:26, 14:15, Col.2:18, Rev. 19:10,22:8
Matthew 6: 24 (NAS)
Not one can serve two master; for either he will hat e the one and love the other, or he will be devoted t one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth.

State of Mind
Opening Illustration:
Tell story of Nathan Henry and I jumping over the escalator rail in a hotel in St. Louis, MO. to help two old overweight men out.  They fell down an escalator going up and that we being flipped around and hurt.  Everyone else fled the escalator and Nathan and I scaled the rail and lifted them up.  These men could not do anything without Nathan and I helping.  They were totally dependant on our strength and will power to get up.
Dependency means that you are unable to do something in some realm without interaction from another source.
Is this how our finances ought to be?
Why your church should get involved...
• God placed an importance on money. 
• Money is mentioned in over 800 verses and is the 2nd most spoken about topic in the Bible.
• Freeing people's finances by teaching them how to manage their money empowers them with the ability to do what God intended them to with their money...help others by giving.
 
• People need help with their money.
• 90% of people dealing with divorce in the first 7 years of marriage point to finances as the main cause of the divorce.
• In 2001, the typical U.S. household carries an average credit-card balance of $7,500 up from less than $3,000 in 1990.
• Americans owe over $400 billion on their credit cards. Consumer debt is at a six-year high. The average household gets about 25 credit card promotional offers a year. Experts worry that the "irresponsible and rabid marketing of credit cards" could result in a crisis for the economy.     Reported in MSC Health Action News, July, 1996 www.bible.org/illus 
• The average cardholder's outstanding balance is $4,400-up 123 percent in only a decade, according to the Nilson Report, while personal income rose 72 percent. Meanwhile, the government recently reported that personal savings have fallen to the lowest monthly level in history. (My Generation Sep-Oct 2001Article Title: Drowning in Debt; Article Author: Gary Belsky)
• Americans currently owe over $180 billion in federally guaranteed student loans-the majority of which carry variable interest rates that are reset every July 1. (U.S. News and World Report 3/19/01 Article Title: Digging Your Way Out of Debt Article Author: Paul J. Lim and Matthew Benjamin  Source: The Nilson Report)
Title:  Financial Dependency, State of Mind Sermon Series part 8
1 Timothy 6: 6 - 10 (NAS)
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
I. V. 6, 7 – God wants you to have true gain
a. Godliness = true gain
i. Lev 11:44-45
1. 45 ' For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.' " 46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,
2. How is it that we can find holiness in our finances?
b. tithing = consecrating 90% of your money, through the faithful sacrifice of 10%;  living off of 90%of money that is God’s money versus living off of 100% of money that is not God’s money.
i. "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's.  It is holy to the Lord." Leviticus 27: 30
c. Tithing your money is an indication of your trustworthiness in God to take care of things: Jesus regarded stewardship of finances as an indication of trustworthiness with spiritual things (Luke 16:11).
i. Tithing indicated Israel's devotion to God, and the people did not always give as they should. Withholding tithes and offerings was regarded as robbing God, but great prosperity was promised if they would obey (Mal 3:8-12).
1. It is so much easier to live on 90% of God's money, than 100% of your money
a. Why is this true?
i. B/c godliness in our finances will lead to contentment.
d. Contentment - The Greek for contentment is translated "sufficiency" (2Co 9:8). But the adjective (Php 4:11) "content"; literally, "having a sufficiency in one's self" independent of others.  
i. Why is it that we will be content?
ii. Because of v. 7
e. V.7 - be, "We brought nothing into the world (to teach us to remember) that neither can we carry anything out" (Job 1:21; Ec 5:15).  Therefore, we should have no gain-seeking anxiety, the breeder of discontent
i. Mt 6:25, 26 - 25 "For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 
1. Illustration
a. There are two ways in which a Christian may view his money-"How much of my money shall I use for God?" or "How much of God's money shall I use for myself?" - W. Graham Scroggie www.bible.org/illus
f. Transition:  God wants you to have true gain.  The only way to do that is to consecrate/sanctify/make holy your money.  By giving Him the first portion of earnings before taxes shows that He is priority and that you want Him to use and maximize the other 90%.
II. V. 8, 9 – God gives us understanding about needs and wants
a. Dave Ramsey states in his book “The Total Money Makeover” – (When talking about acquiring possessions) It is human nature to want it and want it now; it is also a sing of immaturity.  Being willing to delay pleasure for a greater result is a sign of maturity. (17)
i. Like a child crying “I want it!!! I want it!!! I want it !!!”  We sometimes act like that as adults.
b. Matthew 22: 20 - 21(NAS)
i. 20 And He said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21 They said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's."
c. Jesus notes that there are differences between needs and wants.
d. Jesus asks 36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?- Mark 8: 36
i. Illustration:
1. I have made many millions, but they have brought me no happiness-John W. Rockefeller. 
The care of $200,000,000 is enough to kill anyone. There is no pleasure in it-W. H. Vanderbilt. 
I am the most miserable man on earth-John Jacob Astor. 
I was happier when doing a mechanic's job-Henry Ford. 
Millionaires seldom smile-Andrew Carnegie. 
www.bible.org/illus
e. V.9 - Rich men are not told to cast away their riches, but not to "trust" in them, and to "do good" with them (1Ti 6:17, 18; Ps 62:10).
III. V. 10 - how to pierce yourself with debt
a. Let money master you (become your god), and run from your faith.
b. How do we get ourselves in such messes?
i. By allowing how much money is given to dictate our actions
1. For Example:  Fear Factor
a. People will do anything for a given amount of money.
b. You may say that money will solve all my problems (debt, nice house, education, etc.)
c. A large sum can only take care of the fruit of the problem not the problem itself.
i. When the debt is paid off, the problem of spending is still there.
d. Money itself is not the answer to our problems.
c. Practical Steps to get out of debt
i. Key Scripture – Remember this Scripture
1. Memory Scripture:  1 Corinthians 6: 12 - It is lawful but it is not profitable, b/c I will not be mastered by everything.  (Credit Cards, Credit Services, Banks, etc.)
ii. Illustration
1. A man called the police and reported that all of his wife's credit cards had been stolen. Then he added, "But don't look too hard for the thief. He's charging less than my wife ever did."         Source Unknown. SermonIllustrations.com 
d. How to get out of debt
i. Have the right focus.
1. Don't get trapped by financial problems ie - Credit card debt
2. Don’t throw your money out the door
a. Lottery – poor man’s tax.
ii. Plan for the future (Be good stewards of money)
1. Tithe
a. Consecrate your money
b. We practice tithing for the support of Christ's Body, the church, as God commands.  We recognize that giving 10% of our income, talents, and time is the Biblical standard of giving.  This is the duty or responsibility of the believer because God commands it. [First found in Genesis 14: 20 - Abraham first tithed; Leviticus 27: 30 - 33.  Tithe comes (is derived from) the Hebrew word that means tenth].
2. Pay things off by priority
3. Save money
a. Prospective father-in-law to daughter's suitor: "How much money do you have in the bank?"  Young man: "I don't know. I haven't shaken it lately."   www.bible.org/illus 
4. Educate yourself via – prayer, bible study and fellowship by reading financial help books (Dave Ramsey material)
IV. Invitation
a. No one wants to be indebted to anyone else.
b. It allows that person to be mastered by someone that they do not want to be mastered by.
c. There are a lot of debts out there.
d. There are a lot of financial debts that we will be able to be smart about and handle.
e. But
i. There is one debt that we cannot pay.
ii. The debt of sin.
1. The biggest debt of the all.
2. The most uncontrollable debt of them all (Romans 3: 23)
f. Long ago there was a plan to dissolve that debt.
g. Long ago that was action taken to take care of that debt
i. Let me tell you it has been consolidated.
ii. It has been liquidated.
iii. But are you going to know the Master of that Debt?