E-pistle for September 17, 2007
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E-pistle
Dr. Curt Scarborough, President FreeWay Foundation September 17, 2007
Personal Disciplines for Spiritual Growth
by: Dr. Curt Scarborough
1. Fasting: at least one meal each week.
Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 17:20-21; Isaiah 58:3-7
2. Praying: confession and intercession, "without ceasing" . . .
at least three times daily, using the Model Prayer.
Psalm 55:17; I Thessalonians 5:17; Matthew 6:9-13; I John 1:9
3. Singing: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs . . .
making melody in your heart continually.
4. Praising: speaking words to magnify the Lord, at least
seven times daily.
Psalm 119:164; Psalm 150:1-6; Hebrews 13:15; Revelation 19:5
5. Reading: God's word daily . . . through the Bible annually,
II Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12
6. Meditating: daily on the spiritual truths and implications
in each chosen Scripture passage.
Psalm 19:14; Philippians 4:8
7. Receiving: the Holy spirit's fullness, enlightenment, revelation,
renewal, refreshing, and power daily.
John 14:26; Ephesians 1:17-19; 5:18; James 1:5; I John 2:27
8. Journaling: daily writing personal reflections, revelations,
experiences, and spiritual applications.
Deuteronomy 17:18-20; Jeremiah 30:2; Habakkuk 2:2
Stir Up The Gift Of God
(II Timothy 1:8-7; 11-14)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the "Gift of God" (c. 6)
1. The gift is an undeserved favor . . . a present for which man has not
worked; not a wage. (See Acts 2:38; II Timothy 1:14.)
2. It is a blessing from God and "OF" God . . . meaning that the gift "IS"
God, the Holy Spirit. (For example a "gift of money" does not mean
that the gift is "FROM" money, but it "IS" money.)
3. It is possible for the gift to be "stirred up" . . . encouraged, revived,
rekindled . . . implying that it also is possible for the Holy Spirit's
work within a believer to fade and become practically dormant.
4. It is possible for one Christian to bestow the filling (baptism) of the
Holy Spirit upon another believer . . . "through the laying on of my
(Paul's) hands," v. 6, or "by prophesy with the laying on of the hands
of the eldership," I Timothy 4:14.
II. Meditation: on the Characteristics of God's Gift
1. Not a spirit of fear . . . but of courage and faith.
2. Not a spirit of weakness . . . but of almighty, resurrection power.
3. Not of indifference or hatred . . . but of love of God and man.
4. Not atheistic foolishness or intellectual pride . . . but a "sound mind"
. . . one enlightened to perceive God and to understand His destined
purposes for a believer's life.
III. Revelation: on the "Blessed Assurances" of This Gift of God (vv. 11-14)
1. The assurance that God has definite purpose to accomplish through
my life, v. 11.
2. The assurance that God will sustain His saints through suffering and
persecution, v. 12.
3. The assurance of intimately and personally knowing and experiencing
God, v. 12.
4. The assurance of eternal security of the believer's soul, which Christ is
able to keep until that (judgment) day, v. 12.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Praise and thank God for His gift of Himself to me.
2. "Stir Up" my spiritual life in the Holy Spirit by Bible study.
3. Exercise my "Holy Spirit gift" with courage, power, love,
and spiritual perception.
4. Live with the blessed assurance that God holds me and my
future in His almighty hand.
Sanctification
(I Thessalonians 5:1-28)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Paul wrote about "the day of the Lord," vv. 1-5.
2. Paul urged believers to remain alert; he challenged them
to comfort and edify each other, vv. 6-11.
3. Paul issued several pithy and important exhortations, vv. 12-22.
4. Paul closed with a blessing and an admonition, vv. 23-28.
II. Meditation: on the atmosphere of sanctification
1. Rejoice always, v. 16.
2. Pray without ceasing, giving thanks in everything, vv. 17-18.
3. Do not quench the Spirit, do not despise prophecies, vv. 19-20.
4. Test all things:
(1) Hold fast to what is good, v. 21.
(2) Abstain from every form of evil, v. 22.
III. Observations: on the attitudes and actions of sanctification
1. Sanctification is the work of the god of peace, Himself.
2. Sanctification means "being set aside for a specific (pure
and holy) purpose; being made spiritually mature."
3. Sanctification involves the whole person:
(1) Spirit (2) Soul (3) Body
4. Complete sanctification will result in a blameless life at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it," v. 24
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Encourage, edify, esteem, exhort other Christians.
2. Pursue only those things which are good for others (and for me.)
3. In a spirit of rejoicing and thanksgiving, pray for spiritual discernment
to be able to "test all things" (evil and good) . . . without quenching
the Spirit or despising prophecies.
4. Allow God to sanctify me completely . . . transforming my spirit, soul,
and body to be conformed to the image of God.
Never Stop Learning
by: Harvey Mackay
How can you improve your probability of success? Here are points to consider.
· No one can do it alone. If you study successful people, a large percentage
of them had mentors along the way. And remember, mentors change
over a lifetime. There are more people out there who are willing to help
you than there are people asking for help. Never say no for the other
person, which means don't be afraid to ask for advice and counsel.
· If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful
people I've met over a lifetime, I'd say it is the ability to create and
nurture a network of contacts. Net-working is an art form and can be
learned by anyone.
· People don't care how much you know about them once they realize how
much you care about them. Your chances of success increase if you work
on your people skills.
· My definition of teamwork is a collection of diverse people who respect each
other and are committed to each other's successes. It's amazing what you
can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit.
Mackay's Moral: Remember the 10 most powerful two-letter words in the English
language - - if it is to be, it is up to me.
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