Making the Most of the New Year (Part 1&2)

haha. kai.. it's cuz i got the story frm my fren hu's in fcbc. lol. anyway, below is a 2 part sermon on making most of the new yr.

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Staying Aligned! (part1)
Neh 4:1-23
-When you start building, expect battling
-The devil will try to derail you by:
*Discouragement
->ridicule
->intimidation
->delays
->we gotta PUSH (Pray Until Something Happens)
*Distractions
*Doubt
->through fears

-Staying Aligned! by:
1. Passion
2. Prayer (one hand doing God's work, the other holding your sword - God's Word)
3. Plan (SMAC)
->Specific (eg. when, how)
->Measurable (eg. how long?)
->Attainable (eg. can it be done?)
->Compatible (eg. Don't plan for something which clashes with other events)
4. Persevere

Staying on F.I.R.E.! (Part 2)
F - Forward Looking (Phil 3:12-14)
*Areas that we should not remain in:
1.Past failures (Isa 46:20-11)
-When God has given us good things, He has better things in store for us.
-We cannot rely only on the success of yesteryears, for it will soon fade away...
-When we dwell in past glories, we miss the season of God and the new things that He wants us to experience/know.

I - Invite His Habitation
*God does not just want visiting hours with His children... He wants full custody.
*How would we face 2005 knowing that God is with us ALL the time?
*God does not just stay in one room, but He stays in all the rooms, cause He is not a guest, He is the master of our lives.

R - Resolve to Account
*The leaders are put in our lives so that the devil cannot cripple us
*When we let the leaders account for our lives, sin cannot creep in
*Resolve: Make a decision with determination

E - Embrace God's Season