 Those who have left the greatest impact on our world usually had one thing in common:
personal discipline! People of impact are willing to do things that most people are unwilling to do. They have become people of great self discipline! 1. Impact people train their temperaments. They live by their Bible based conviction not their emotions. They live by faith not feelings. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. Proverbs 25:28 2. Impact people tame their tongues. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. They understand the tongue is a mighty power for both good and evil. They understand the Lord gave them two ears and one tongue not two tongues and one ear. Wise people listen more than they speak. He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life. Proverbs 13:3 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. James 3:2 3. Impact people tend their touchiness. How fast can you be offended? How soon do you lose your temper? Unfortunately, a lot of potential influence can be cut short by having a short fuse. Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them. Psalm 119:165 He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city. Proverbs 16:32 4. Impact people track their time. If you don’t determine how you will spend your time, you can be sure that others will decide for you. The key to eternal success is to only be answerable to ONE MASTER calendar- JESUS. You’ll have to become a great steward of time to be successful in life. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Colossians 4:5 5. Impact people trace their treasure. They learn to live on less than what they make, and they invest the difference into savings, investments and give to causes that matter to God. Causes like the Lord’s church, missions, gospel sharing ministries, sharing with others in need. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. Proverbs 10:4 Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 6. Impact people transform their temple. They understand clearly that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. They develop habits in their eating,exercise and rest that supplies energy to their physical life. They also seek the mind of Christ which brings mental health. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1st Corinthians 6:19-20 Where do you need to develop self-control? The disciplines we establish today will determine our Impact tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower to produce lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than our own. It takes the power of God. The more we accept God’s control over your life, the more self-control he gives to us. The more self control- the more eternal impact on our family, communities, churches the world.
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 Does Your Temple Need Cleaning?
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. Matthew 21:10-13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. John 2:13-16 How do you approach your cleaning duties? For instance do you constantly clean the inside of your car or do you put it off till it is extremely cluttered and grimy? How about your dishes or your house? Do you daily take care of organizing and cleaning or do you let things get completely out of order and than take on that mountain of laundry, dishes, etc ? Obviously, the best approach would be to take care of things when they are more manageable. Taking care of smaller messes assure that they don’t become BIG messes! And we all know how BIG messes seem to only discourage us and cause us to procrastinate the task of “ cleaning house”. Jesus knows a few things about cleaning house. He cleansed the temple twice during His ministry. First time was after His first miracle in John 2:18 and the second time was three years later just before He died on the cross for our sin in Matthew 21:17-23. Twice He went into the temple (the house of God) and drove out the money changers. These dishonest merchants were taking advantage of God’s followers and discouraging them from following the pure person of Christ Himself. This stirred up the Lords righteous anger and it motivated Him to CLEAN HOUSE. He sweeps it clean with a WHIP. And we find Him repeating this twice. He knew small messes turn in to big messes which ultimately become unmanageable. So He cleans house again and again! In this first week of the New Year let me make a practical application. When we Christians came to Christ in repentance and faith our Lord cleaned our souls and moved into our bodies. He now calls our bodies His temple. But as we live in this dirty and sinful world we allow old sins back into our lives. And if those sins are not daily cleansed they will grow larger and more dominating. Becoming BIG, unmanageable, addictive, out of control issues in our lives. How is your temple? Have you allowed your house to become a little unkept, not as clean as it once was. Perhaps it has gone some time without a good cleaning and now it is cluttered and in reality dirtier than you ever would have thought it would have become? Does your temple need cleansing? Are there some things in your life you know shouldn't be there? Some besetting sins that have taken control? Why not deal with them today? If you decide to repent and confess your house has become dirty Jesus will help you clean house! (1st John1:9) Once you clean house make sure to begin a regiment of regularly keeping the temple cleansed. I am sure you will find it more manageable in the long haul to take care of little messes immediately rather than allowing them to become life threatening! |
AuthorTerry has been the Senior Pastor of Liberty for 30 years. He and his wife, Karen, have 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 1 spoiled dog named Cooper. Archives
May 2018
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