Ephesians 3:14   
We are only to bow and worship the one true God.

1 Corinthians 8:4  
An idol is nothing (it is man-made).

1 John 5:21    
Keep God first in your life.  An idol can be anything or anyone you value more than the one true God, even yourself.  Do not allow anything or anyone to come before God.  What are the idols in your culture?

1 Corinthians 10:19-20   
A disciple of Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with idols.

Revelation 21:8   
Idolaters shall go to the lake of fire.  Pray only to the one true God.  


Will my Prayers be Answered?

1 John 5:14  
Pray according to  His  will, not our will. How do you know God’s Will?  His will is always in agreement with His Word.  You will learn more about this.

Read John 15:7  
This is why Daily in the Word is important.

Matthew 21:22  
Ask in prayer, believing. 


Why is it required to have faith when we pray?

Hebrews 11:6      
God’s answers often seem delayed because He knows the best time for everything.  God answers all our prayers, but not always the way we want or when we want. 

Our faith and trust in our loving Heavenly Father will help us to understand His answers.  Our Heavenly Father is all wise, all-powerful and all loving.

1 John 4:16 
God is love.  God will always do what will ultimately be for your best.

Do you have a good thought or idea you have used for this section?  Email it to worldreach@aol.com


Section B   
How to Pray
Key Objective:  To understand how we can communicate with God daily.

Positions of praying

1 Kings 8:54    
We may kneel and pray.  

Matthew 26:39  
We may fall on our face and pray.

Mark 11:25        
We may stand and pray.  It is not the position of your body that matters, but the position of your heart.

Romans 8:26    
Pray knowing the Holy Spirit helps you.
 

Divide your time with God into the following parts.  Begin with prayer, asking the Lord to teach you. Next, spend time in the Bible reading. Think about what God has said, then spend time in prayer. 

Some have used the acrostic 'A-C-T-S' to help them as they pray.  These letters represent adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. People who have done anything great for God have spent time with Him in prayer.

“Though a man shall have all knowledge about prayer, and though he understands all mysteries about prayer, unless he prays, he will never learn to pray.” – Chadwick, The Path of Prayer


When should I pray?

Psalm 55:17 Evening, morning, noon

Luke 6:12     All night

Luke 18:1     Always, prayer is communication with God your Father.

John 6:23     Pray before each meal, giving thanks to God.

Romans 12:12     Be instant in prayer - talk to God at any time.
 

Do you have a good thought or idea you have used for this section?  Email it to worldreach@aol.com


Section C   
Overcoming Sinful Behavior
Key Objective:  Understanding the obstacles to knowing God.

Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 59:1-2  
You have unconfessed sin.   Because communication with God is so important and is so vital to every part of your Christian life, and because all of us deal with sin in our lives every day, we must understand how to deal with sin.

Romans 7:15-25  
In this chapter, the great Apostle Paul realized that he had not reached “sinless perfection.”  His flesh was still warring against his new nature in Christ.  He needed deliverance from his “body of death” – a deliverance that will take place at the rapture.


What is Sin?

Sin is transgression.       1 John 3:4

Sin is trespassing.           Ephesians 2:1

Sin is foolish thinking.    Proverbs 24:9

Sin is unrighteousness.   1 John 5:17

Sin is omission of duty.   James 4:12

Sin is faithless activity.    Romans 14:23

Sin is missing God’s mark.    Romans 3:23


Definitions of Sins from these Scripture Passages:

Galatians 5:19-21

Adultery and fornication - sexual sin, idol worship, homosexuality

Uncleanness - sexual lust, impure motives

Lasciviousness - an unstopping lust, shamelessness

Idolatry – worship of false gods, giving honor to any but the one true God

Witchcraft – using drugs, sorcery, deception, calling upon spirits

Hatred - hostile, opposing God, blaming God, hateful

Variance - strife, contention, debating 

Emulation - jealousy, rivalry

Wrath - boiling anger, mad enough to kill, an angry drunk

Strife - putting yourself first, dividing others to put yourself first

Sedition - division, rebelling

Heresy - believing false beliefs or making your own false beliefs

Murderers – killing

Envying – desiring the possessions of another

Drunkenness - drunk, intoxicated

Reveling - rioting, drunken feasts


Colossians 3:5, 8-9

Fornication - sexual sin, idol worship, homosexuality

Uncleanness - sexual lust, impure motives

Inordinate affection - evil, sinful passions

Evil concupiscence - craving forbidden sin

Anger - a violent temper, a desire to punish, vengeance

Idolatry - worship, seeking wisdom or answers from false spirits or gods, giving honor to any but the one true God.

Covetousness - greediness, a desire to have more than is needed

Wrath - boiling anger, mad enough to kill, an angry drunk

Malice - a desire to injure, wickedness, not ashamed to break laws, trouble, evil

Blasphemy - speaking  evil of God, swearing using God’s name

Filthy communication - foul speaking, obscene speech, false doctrine

Lie – deceiving


Psalm 51:2     
Lord, wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

2 Corinthians 7:1 
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.
 

To Overcome Sin, You must be filled with the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19
At salvation, the Holy Spirit moves in and indwells us. He will never leave us. He has purchased us for His possession; our bodies become His temple. You will never receive “more” of the Holy Spirit.  Filling has to do with Him receiving “more” of you.  This is accomplished as we yield our lives to His control. 

Ephesians 5:18
God does not want us to always simply “seek forgiveness.”  He would rather that we try to avoid the temptation. Being filled with the Spirit is a must if we are going to overcome sin.

To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by Him.  The filling of the Spirit is a repeated experience (or at least should be).  It is commanded by the Scriptures, and is, therefore, a must for a Christian who desires God’s blessings upon his life.  


There are two primary prerequisites to being filled with the Spirit: 
 

1. Confession of known sin.  

2. Yielding our members to be instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:6-14).

How do I know if I am filled with the Spirit?

The filling of the Spirit is not meant to be something so mysterious that you never really know if you are “filled.”  The Scriptures give us indicators that demonstrate a life that is Spirit-controlled in Galatians 5:22-24:

Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance.  When these are present, that is a good indicator of a life that is “filled” with the Spirit.
 

Some more Simple instructions for dealing with Sin:

2 Corinthians 10:3-5   
Do not allow sinful thoughts to linger in your mind.

2 Corinthians 2:11     
Be aware of the traps of Satan (unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.).

Romans 13:14  
Do not go to places or be with people that make it easy to sin.

Psalm 139:23-24  
Keep your life open and clean before God.

“Obey every impulse of the Holy Spirit.”


Dealing with Habitual sins

Admit the problem.

Give and leave it with God.

Avoid tempting situations.

Claim the Scriptures for victory.

Be accountable to your discipler.  

Remember, you have a personal adversary that is committed to causing you to stumble.  His goal is to find and exploit your weaknesses. Once a particular sin becomes a habit, the feelings of guilt and failure become overwhelming. Also, power in prayer is lost. Do not become a casualty due to habitual sins.


Notice the following truths from Romans 6:

1.    Because of God’s grace, I yield to Him (vs. 12-14).

2.    Because I yield, I am free (vs. 16-17).

3.    Because I am free, I serve Him (vs. 18-21).

4.    Because I serve, I bear holy fruit (vs. 22).


Have a good thought or idea for this section?  Send them to journeydiscipleship@mac.com.  Thank you.