Solomon Survey:Listening

It is the province of knowledge to speak,

and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.”

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes ~

Oliver Wendell is on to something with this brilliant quote. And you know, a book written over 2000 years ago, called The Holy Bible, tells us all about how listening is the wise thing to do...

If our Prayers are not being answered it could be that we are not listening to what God has to say. In Proverbs 4, there is an outline on why this is so important, and when you think about it,
Athletes listen to their coach, employees listen to their boss, students listen to their teachers...so when it comes time for us to live the lives God calls us to do, we need to listen to God...

1. Listening: My child, listen carefully to everything I say (Prov 4.1,10,20)
2. Meditate: "If you follow my teachings and keep them in mind, you will live. (Prov 4.4)
3. Think: Don't forget a single word, but think about it all. (Prov 4.21)
4. Knowing: Knowing these teachings will mean true life and good health for you. (Prov 4.22)

Trusting and Listening...Everywhere!
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track (From Proverbs 3.5-12 MSG). Emphasis added.

God Listens To Us
Each morning you listen to my prayer,
as I bring my requests [b] to you and wait for your reply. (Psalm 5.3 CEV)

I don't know about you, but it blows me away to know that The Carpenter of Creation listens to our Prayers!!!

God Screams
If you say that God does not speak I might actually agree with you...here is why...God does not speak, HE SCREAMS!!!

Think of all the "Burning Bushes" we have today. Scripture, Prayer, Church, Family, Friends, Technology through podcasts, internet Church Services, & television ministry, music, life and experiences, you name it...

The problem is that we spend more time listening to the tv and the news and other sources of junk instead of listening to God. Seriously, how much time do we spend Praying, Scripture Meditating, and counsel seeking when compared to watching tv and reading the daily newspaper?

The question is not, "Does God speak?" The question is, "Are we listening?"

So in the hard times of the economy, etc, we should be asking ourselves, "What is God saying to me during these times...I will listen and obey."

OCD Christianity Part II

An article from Harbor Hawaii talks about how Psychiatrist Ian Osborn believes that modern treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder are (unintentionally) confirming the ancient biblical doctrine of imputation: in order to find healing, we need to trade our sin for Christ’s righteousness. From a review of his new book: "Can Christianity Cure Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?: A Psychiatrist Explores the Role of Faith in Treatment."

By examining the autobiographical accounts of Martin Luther, John Bunyan, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux, a popular 19th-century Carmelite nun, Osborn presents convincing cases that each struggled with OCD and overcame it through a deepening trust in God. This last point makes the book noteworthy, if not notorious, since the author is suggesting that Christian doctrine held the key to their cures.

Of greatest relevance to the author’s argument is a newly developed cognitive treatment for OCD called “responsibility transfer therapy” (RTT). In this model, the OCD sufferer is encouraged to hand responsibility for the problematic behavior over to another person. So, for example, a sufferer may allow someone else to monitor whether the oven is turned off, so they don’t have to obsess over whether it is. For reasons unclear, researchers have found RTT to be a successful form of treatment. Osborn conjectures that OCD sufferers may be helped by “transferring responsibility to God,” so to speak — a significant, untested shift in the application of RRT, it must be said — and he suggests the three Christian giants found their cure by doing that.

“In Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them… for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

Over The Edge

What boundaries do you have set for you life? How far is too far? Where is your margin established?

Who do you listen to when it comes to creating margin? Is culture your main influence on deciding how far is too far? In his book, "The Best Question Ever," Andy Stanley talks about how he establishes boundaries and framworks in his life in order to have margin and not go over the edge. These boundaries will be different for everyone, but it is very important that you set these boundaries for yourself and not culture.

Here is why...

Culture says to get drunk and wasted, but if you push it too far and go over the edge by becoming an alcoholic, then you are shunned by society.

Culture says to have pre-marital sex and public schools pass out condoms to teenagers, but if teenagers get pregnant, they are labeled "sluts" and "used."

Culture says to accumulate things and prove your worth by the stuff you have, but if you go into debt and become bankrupt, you are labeled a loser.

The examples are endless, so why press the margins...If you get put in jail for embezzlement, put in rehab for drug addiction, or have to file chapter 11/13, I bet you would say to yourself, "I would do anything to get out of this mess."

Why not go ahead and establish boundaries for margin while you are ahead of the game?...

You decide the course of your life, dont allow society push you over the edge...

OCD Christianity

Anybody out there obsessive compulsive? I think to a certain extent, everyone has some sort of OCD...one form of it may be where we do something over and over and over and over and over {sorry, got a little compulsive:)} again and we just seem to be going in circles...

I think one of the main reasons for this is because we try to have control. Nothing wrong with wanting a certain amount of control in our lives. We should all plan and set goals and analyze our strengths and weaknesses, but sometimes we can allow this to creep into our relationship with God. It can take on many forms. We lack trust in God so we have compulsive thoughts of worry and doubt. Our thought life can go crazy insane with coping mechanisms and superstitions because we try and "manipulate" God into our ways of thinking. We can even be Falling into sin and then try to control our guilt with sacrifices or rituals to overcome the guilt.

This is what The Prophet Micah told the people of Israel (Micah 6:6–8 ) as they were living far from the truth. Micah ends up telling the people of Israel that expressions of sacrifice and practicing "religion" are not what God desires.

Sacrifice vs Obedience

God does not want us in a circle of sin and sacrifice. If we sin and then sacrifce, then sin and sacrifice, then sin and sacrifice, all we do is go around in an OCD circle. What God desires from us is Fellowship. Or another way of saying it: God wants us to Obey, not to Obsess.

Here are a few Scriptures of what God requires. They will help us to Obey and Trust God instead of obsessing and trying to manipulate God:

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8 NIV). Emphasis added.

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:34-40 NIV)". Emphasis added.

[Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ] So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."- Colossians 2:6-7. Emphasis added.

Solomon Survey: Salt

Here are some amazing thoughts from one of Christian's powerful, world-rocking, trailblazing Sermons that I just got done reading, thought I would apply them to the Solomon
Survey:

Salt speaks of goodness (Mark 9:50)

Are the words you speaking "salty?" Are they offering up encouragement or tearing down in criticism? Mark Twain said that he could live for a whole month on one good compliment!

Have you heard of the Proverbs 31 woman? She is the "textbook" definition of the perfect woman. Why is she so perfect? Why so Noble? Perhaps it could be from the "salt" she received from her children and her husband:

"Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” (could that be her secret to nobility?)

An unbelieving world is listening to the words we say to the people we are around. If your Prayers are going unanswered, it could be due to your lack of saltiness.

It has been said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. What you can do, however, is salt his oats and make him thirsty!”

Random Thoughts: Success

Some thoughts off the top of my head...without God (who created us to begin with), without Jesus (who came in order for us to have life in the full), and without The Holy Spirit (who counsels us and breathes His Breath of Wisdom Over Us), we can do nothing...but with Him, we can do anything and everything!

And I am talking about doing life ethically and legally, for any other way is not worth it.

So how do we live successfully? (and my definition of success is not accumulating so much crap, yes I said crap, that I have to go and rent a storage facility in order to have a place to put all my crap)...I love where the apostle Paul talks about crap, he uses the word "dung"...take a look:

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung,
that I may win Christ,
~ Philippians 3:8 (King James Version) ~

1. We must define success, and here is my Humble definition for success:

Success: Glorifying God and Fulfilling down to the last detail what Christ has called us to do.

I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
From John 17.1-5 MSG

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
~ 1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version) ~

2. We must remain in Him

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him,
he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NIV)

If we want to "bear fruit" and become successful, we must remain in Christ, because anything we do that does not glorify God is worthless. What legacy will we leave if all we accomplish are things apart from The Vine?

The way you remain in The Vine is through Prayer, Bible Study, Serving, and Fellowship. If we are trying so hard for success, if we are trying so hard to determine what God's Will is for our lives, it is probably because we have become detached from The Vine...we are probably reading gossip magazines and the newspaper more than The Bible, we are probably watching t.v. more than we are spending time in Prayer, and we are probably serving ourselves instead of serving God.

3. We will reap what we sow.

Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

~ Galatians 6:7-8 (MSG) ~

Do you ever wonder why so many people like dogs? It's because the dog FREAKS out (in a good way) when you walk in the door. The dog acts like you are the most important person he/she will ever see. So what do people do? They return the love to the dog. Sow Good seeds and you will harvest a crop of real life!

4. We must pursue Wisdom
In order to understand God's Word and become "successful," we must have God's Wisdom:

With your very own hands you formed me;
now breathe your wisdom over me so I can understand you.
~ From Psalm 119:73 (The Message) ~

The Book of Proverbs tells us there are 4 types of people, and I learned this from Andy Stanley, in his Book, "The Best Question Ever."

A. The Wise - leads to success
B. The Naive - due to lack of experience
C. The Fool - knows between right and wrong, good and bad, but just does not care
D. The Mocker - critical, ridiculous, will not accept instruction, nobody likes them

Seeking and Obtaining God's Wisdom is HUGE in our efforts to seek and obtain Success!

What is your definition of success and how do you obtain it?

God-Ordained Vision

In order to lead your family, your organization, even yourself, you must have God-Ordained Vision. Leaders know that there mind and their thoughts ultimately determines their character:

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7 (New King James Version)

Basically, our thoughts determine our character....What are you thinking of today? Do you see those thoughts developing through your character? What would others say about that?