For a few months, I have been having the feeling that I don\u2019t know what to do. This feeling may have come primarily from having retired last year from being a prison minister.<\/p>\n
I began praying about my confusion and opened up my heart to the Lord\u2019s help. I knew He gave us the Bible as the manual of how He wants us to live, so I began seeking, reading and thinking. Surprisingly, a number of statements began to burn in my heart, so I thought I must be on the right track. I went to sleep that night with a flood pouring through my heart and mind.<\/p>\n
I hardly could wait to wake up the next morning to see if I could remember what had seemed important as I went to sleep. Sitting at my computer, I fought the temptation to jump in and quieted my heart and mind, as I know the Bible says no man knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. I wanted to hear what God would tell me about what I should do. When I finished praying, I opened my eyes and felt as if I had lost control of myself as verses flooded out faster than I could write them down. Many thoughts came that I never had thought of before.<\/p>\n
The flood stopped at 50 and answered my question. Putting it all together, I realized the answer to the question my confused heart had asked the previous day had been given and became the title of today\u2019s reflection: \u201cI Don\u2019t Know What to Do.\u201d I had learned what I was to do. The Spirit taught me there is much more I\u2019m supposed to do than I had realized. I no longer tell the Lord that I don\u2019t know what to do.<\/p>\n
When I was in training, I always preferred to hear what my professors had to say directly from them and not secondhand. Perhaps you will excuse the brevity of the comments I make as I want the words of the Word to fulfill this quest by their own living quality as God answers the question of what should we do.<\/p>\n
Abide each day in Jesus, our Vine.<\/strong> Obey Jesus\u2019 commandments.<\/strong> Feed His sheep.<\/strong> Get up each day and walk into the harvest field for a day\u2019s work.<\/strong> Take up His yoke.<\/strong> Pick up our individual crosses every day.<\/strong> Yield each day to the Holy Spirit for His controlling filling.<\/strong> Go into the world and give out the gospel.<\/strong> Love the Lord our God completely.<\/strong> Pray often during the day.<\/strong> Always rejoice, pray and give thanks. (\u201cThis is the will of God.\u201d)<\/strong> Yield to the power, love and sound judgment He gave each of His children when He brought about their new birth.<\/strong> Be a generous person.<\/strong> Watch for Jesus coming back.<\/strong> Look each day at the art show in the sky.<\/strong> Be loving toward our neighbors.<\/strong> Give honor and love to our wives and respect to our husbands. (This is in the context of submitting to each other and loving each other.)<\/strong> Always share God\u2019s Word with our families.<\/strong> Exercise.<\/strong> Respect our bodies.<\/strong> Think about beautiful things.<\/strong> Be a faithful person. (A person cannot be faithful if he or she doesn\u2019t have faith.)<\/strong> Live in today knowing yesterday is a memory and tomorrow is only anticipation.<\/strong> Desire to be a person who bears spiritual fruit, not the lusts of the flesh.<\/strong> Keep growing.<\/strong> Count our days left on Earth because life is a vapor.<\/strong> Watch what goes into our eyes and comes out of our mouths.<\/strong> Resist the devil<\/strong>. Remember that God\u2019s children are at war, and that our enemy has many schemes.<\/strong> Fail to be surprised when the unsaved act poorly as it is their nature.<\/strong> Pray for the peace of Israel.<\/strong> Don\u2019t bully our children and grandchildren.<\/strong> Don\u2019t be afraid of healing affection in the church which is His body.<\/strong> Remember that the effects of the fall include all of creation.<\/strong> Study the manual given for putting life together.<\/strong> Go to church<\/strong>. Remember that we are friends of Jesus.<\/strong> Open your mouth.<\/strong> Sing and praise the Lord every day.<\/strong> Desire to be more like Jesus.<\/strong> Have the simple loving heart of a child.<\/strong> Don\u2019t cower.<\/strong> Utter strong emotional prayers against the corruption in modern life.<\/strong> Take Dr. Jesus\u2019 prescription for anxiety given through the Holy Spirit. (There are four words in the Greek for prayer in this prescription).<\/strong> Build up our heavenly bank accounts.<\/strong> Look forward to our final retirement and our retirement home.<\/strong> Be content whatever the circumstances.<\/strong> Keep your eyes on whom and what Jesus is no matter how frightening life\u2019s seas get.<\/strong> Remember that answered prayers bring glory to God; therefore, He wants to answer prayers.<\/strong> Remember that only a foolish person is not careful.<\/strong> I don\u2019t know why the Spirit stopped the flood of verses at 50 points. (Try as I might, my heart doesn\u2019t give me anymore.) Jesus is the Manna from heaven (John 6:35) that we are to eat each morning. This seems seems to fit into the essential: Abide in Christ and keep your eyes on whom and what Jesus is.). Because I felt that I was starting downhill at 50, which is when a person can join AARP, perhaps He shared a little humor with me. I don\u2019t know. Or, perhaps He has more or less than 50 points that answer a child of God\u2019s personal question when they don\u2019t know what to do, but this is enough for me. I didn\u2019t attempt to put the points in order of importance. Perhaps a more scholarly person can attempt that someday. I\u2019m quite sure God\u2019s children are to start and end with points one and two. (\u201cAbide each day in Jesus, our Vine.\u201d\u201cObey Jesus\u2019 Commands.\u201d)<\/p>\n However, I\u2019ve found that reading these points repeatedly are a seminary in themselves that teach how we always are able to know what we are to do.<\/p>\n I come to the end of finding the Spirit-given answer of what I am to do with gratitude and find my heart is relaxed and at peace. Learning what my Lord wants me to do is a blessing. I never have expected much from my unaided self as I claimed early in my life: \u201cMy grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness\u201d (2 Cor. 12:9).<\/p>\n Essentially, each of the 50 points are not what I\u2019m to do, but what He can do through me if I will return to the attitude I had when I asked Jesus into my heart as a little boy: \u201cYou are saved by grace through faith, not of works less any man boast.\u201d (Eph. 2:8-9), \u201cBut to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness\u201d (Rom. 4:4-5).<\/p>\n It is mind-blowing to come to understand He not only works in us to do, but also to want to do. \u201cIt is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure\u201d (Phil 2:13). We now know there are at least 50 things we are to do as the divine sap of the Vine graciously flows through us, regardless of age or stage of life.<\/p>\n In one sense, we are to never retire.<\/p>\n For a few months, I have been having the feeling that I don\u2019t know what to do. This feeling may have come primarily from having retired last year from being a prison minister. I began praying about my confusion and opened up my heart to the Lord\u2019s help. I knew He gave us the Bible … Continue reading “I Don’t Know What to Do”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33664\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cAbide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing\u201d (John 15:4-5).<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you keep my commandments, you will abide in My love\u201d (John 15:10).<\/p>\n
\u201cLord: You know that I love You. He said to him, \u2018feed My sheep\u2019\u201d (John 21:16).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few\u201d (Matt. 9:37).<\/p>\n
\u201cTake My yoke upon you and learn from Me\u201d (Matt. 11:29).<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow Me\u201d (Matt. 16:24).<\/p>\n
\u201cBe filled with the Spirit\u201d (Eph. 5:18).<\/p>\n
\u201cGo into the world and make disciples\u201d (Matt. 28:19-20).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind\u201d (Matt. 22:37).<\/p>\n
\u201cPray without ceasing\u201d (1 Thess. 5:17).<\/p>\n
\u201cRejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you\u201d (1 Thess. 5:16-18).<\/p>\n
\u201cGod has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind\u201d (2 Tim. 1:7).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhosoever has this world\u2019s goods and sees his brother in need\u2014and shuts up his heart from him\u2014how does the love of God abide in him?\u201d (1 John 3:17).<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil our Lord Jesus\u2019 appearing\u201d (1 Tim. 6:14).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heavens declare the glory of God and the expanse shows His handiwork\u201d (Ps. 19:1).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGiving honor to the wife\u201d (1 Pet. 3:7); \u201cHusbands, love your wives\u201d (Col. 3:19); \u201cWives, submit to your husbands\u201d (Col. 3:18); \u201cSubmitting to one another in the fear of God\u201d (Eph. 6:21); \u201cHe that abides in love, abides in God and God in him\u201d (1 John 4:16).<\/p>\n
\u201cThese words which I command you today shall be in your heart\u2026You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house\u2026\u201d (Deut. 6:6-9).<\/p>\n
\u201cExercise profits a little\u201d (1 Tim 4:8).<\/p>\n
\u201cYour body is the temple of the Holy Spirit\u201d (1 Cor. 6:19).<\/p>\n
\u201cAny virtue and if there is any anything praise worthy, think on these things\u201d (Phil. 4:8).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe just shall live by faith\u201d (Rom. 1:17).<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not worry about tomorrow\u201d (Matt. 6:34).<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh\u201d (Gal. 5:16).<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us go on to perfection\u201d (Heb. 6:1).<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is like a vapor\u201d (James 4:14); \u201cTeach us to number our days\u201d (Ps. 90:12).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe lusts of the eyes\u201d (1 John 2:16); \u201cDeath and life are in the power of the tongue\u201d (Prov. 18:21).<\/p>\n
\u201cResist the devil and he will flee from you\u201d (James 4:7).<\/p>\n
\u201cPut on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil\u201d (Eph. 6: 11).<\/p>\n
\u201cSons of disobedience\u201d (Eph.2:2); \u201cBy nature children of wrath\u201d (Eph. 2:3).<\/p>\n
\u201cPray for the peace of Jerusalem\u201d (Ps. 122:6).<\/p>\n
\u201cFathers, do not provoke your children\u201d (Col. 3:21).<\/p>\n
\u201cGreet each other with a holy kiss\u201d (2 Cor. 13:12).<\/p>\n
\u201cThorns and thistles it shall bring you\u201d (Gen. 3:18).<\/p>\n
\u201cRightly dividing the word of truth\u201d (2 Tim. 2:15).<\/p>\n
\u201cNot forsaking the assembling of ourselves together\u201d (Heb. 10:25).<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are My friends\u201d (John 15:14).<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen my mouth boldly\u201d (Eph. 6:19).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will sing and praise Your power\u201d (Ps. 21:13).<\/p>\n
\u201cHe must increase, and I must decrease\u201d (John 3:30).<\/p>\n
\u201cWhosoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven\u201d (Matt. 9:34).<\/p>\n
\u201cThe devil walks about like a roaring lion\u201d (1 Pet. 5:8).<\/p>\n
\u201cCry over all the abominations\u201d (Ezek. 9:4).<\/p>\n
\u201cBe anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer (the general term for worship) and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus\u201d (Phil. 4:6-7).<\/p>\n
\u201cLay up for yourself treasures in heaven\u201d (Matt. 6:20).<\/p>\n
\u201cInherit the kingdom prepared for you\u201d (Matt. 25:34).<\/p>\n
\u201cI have learned to be content\u201d (Phil. 4:11).<\/p>\n
\u201cJesus went to them walking on the sea\u201d (Matt. 14:25); \u201cThe Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want\u201d (Ps. 23: 1); \u201cWhen he (Peter) saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and began to sink he cried out, \u2018Lord, save me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you abide in me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified\u201d (John 15:7-8).<\/p>\n
\u201cWalk circumspectly not as fools\u201d (Eph. 5:15).<\/p>\n