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1. Be Transformed by Resolve Convictional Learner
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God-given, Holy-Spirit empowered resolve is the fuel for personal transformation
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In the history of the world it isn’t the
smartest, strongest or most attractive that change the world; it’s those with
the most conviction, most drive and the most RESOLVE!
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Do you long to be transformed? There is a vast difference between preferences and convictions. Preferences are things we hold and convictions hold us even when we don't want to continue. Only deep convictions about God, ourselves, and our callings will lead us to lasting change.
o Conviction is one of
the most precious gifts you can have. Jesus said, blessed are those who hunger and trust for
righteousness for they shall be satisfied (Matt 5:6).
· 2. Be Transformed by Reading your Bible - Visual
Learner
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The Bible isn't an easy book to understand. We rarely read books older than a few hundred years and the Bible is thousands of years old and written in other languages by authors from very different cultures yet the Bible is God's timeless revelation of himself for us. This is a special gift, one that shouldn't be neglected.
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Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, "It is written:
'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth
of God.'" Jesus is encouraging us to think of the Bible like our spiritual food. If your BODY needs carbs, protein, fiber, your soul needs truth, revelation, hope, and direction. If you are wondering why you aren't hearing from God but you haven't opened your Bible, you are being like someone complaining that nobody calls them when they've turned off their phone.
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Practical tips for Bible Reading- Find a good Bible reading plan and if you can have your spouse, friend, roommate or someone else read with you. Follow this link to Ligonier Ministries for some great Bible Reading plan recommendations. Bring your Bible to church, mark it up, write in
it and write verses down on note cards. Use your imagination, what it looks like, feels like, smells like. Put yourself in
the story.
o Pick up a good Study Bible. Don't merely rely on personal interpretation but strive to understand the original meaning of any particular text. I recommend the ESV Study Bible which has some great notes that help clarify
difficult passages.
· 3. Be Transformed by Reading Good Books Visual learner
o Reading Good books make all the difference
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33% of high school graduates never read another
book for the rest of their lives.
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42% of college graduates never read another book
after college.
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80% of U.S. families did not buy or read a book
last year.
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70% of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore
in the last five years.
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57% of new books are not read to completion.
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Q: What books outside of the Bible have changed
your life? Here are my Top 10 Recommended Reads from 2017.
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Ephesians 4:10 “he (Jesus) who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors
and teachers”
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God gives gifts to his church teachers, evangelists, pastors, etc –
Are you "opening" the gifts God has given his church? What kid do you know that would leave a Christmas
present unopened under the Christmas tree? Never hear excuses – Bow is to
tight, there is too much tape. Lay hold of the gifts that God has given the church.
· 4. Be Transformed by Listening Auditory Learner
o A popular idea among some evangelicals is to "redeem your commute" or "redeem your workout" Meaning you can now download and listen
to millions of lectures, sermons, etc. If you need some suggestions on what to begin listening to, check out my list.
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Statistics show that most people can’t listen longer than 10 minutes which is now the average length of a YouTube video or TED Talk. As Christians, we must understand how are culture has affected us but we also must strive to create another culture shaped by biblical values and concerns, which will require us to grow in our ability to listen for extended periods of time.
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Why is it so hard for most people to listen?
Listening takes humility because you can’t
immediately ask questions, interrupt, etc.
Listening to sermons is a lot like eating meals, we don’t always remember every meal with ever eaten but they nourish us, making us stronger, giving us energy and drive.
Lot of people think preaching is dead now, that is was an ancient
form of communication, outdated, one guy talking for 40 minutes isn't compelling anymore. That would be true but the
Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. More is happening in the act of preaching than merely listening to one man share his ideas. It's by the preaching of the word, saying God's words after him, that people are powerfully changed.
o
2 Corinthians 5:20 “We are therefore Christ’s
ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on
Christ’s behalf”
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Preaching is Jesus speaking to us by the Holy
Spirit through speakers extolling God’s Holy Scriptures for our benefit.
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5. Be Transformed by Writing Kinetic Learner
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A big way many people learn is by writing, this can be anything from taking notes at a lecture to having a personal prayer journal. Writing offers us the chance to reflect and process the events of our lives and our own emotions, thoughts and actions.
o Many people who have taken up the habit of journaling find it helpful to leave a journal by the bed, in the car, etc – get it
down on paper before it’s gone.
o As I have had to write quite a bit more for school and work I have really enjoyed this quote --- “Writing makes a man more
precise”
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What are you thinking? What are you feeling? Get
it down on paper and you will understand yourself and see your own motivations, thinking and heart at a level you have never seen before.
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Statistics say that writing helps retention and also accesses parts
of your brain that speaking doesn’t! Writing can help you think clearly and remember better.
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Writing allows you to write things down you
might not be willing to say yet. While we normally think of journaling as a personal discipline, it has great relational benefits.
o
Writing allows us to get ideas down and work
them over, edit them, realize their wrong. I carry a little notebook with me also every where I go and I try to capture thoughts as they come to me.
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6. Be Transformed by Community Relational Learner
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Proverbs 27:17 famously says, "as iron sharpens iron, so
one man sharpens another."
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The incredible truth is that you can learn from anybody if you’re humble,
receptive and ask the right questions. Anyone and evey
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Do you see other people that don't agree with you in issues of faith, politics, hobbies or lifestyles as being valuable in your personal growth and transformation? Do you see how the other people God has put in your life, workplace, neighborhood or family can teach you something? We can learn from your critics or our coaches, our enemies as well as our trusted advisers. We can learn from our friends, family, anybody!
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How are we transformed by Community? Get into a community! Your friends will, in large part determine who you become. It's been said this way, you show me your friends; I’ll
show you your future!
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There is a divine command for us to be in community. The best summery of scripture tells us that we’re called to love God and love others. It’s
possible to HIDE IN CHURCH and not really connect with others, open up our hearts and our lives to others.
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Are you learning and being transformed in
community? Are you seeing God using the difficult people in your life to refine you? Are you opening yourself up to others? What ways might you be closing yourself off from deeper relationships? (comfort, bitterness, past wounding?)
· 7. Be Transformed by your Mistakes Wise Learner
o We don't like to think about the mistakes we've made but the truth is that mistakes can be one of the best fuels for transformation. When I've met with people who have made a massive mess of their lives, the one common thread I see is that they never learn from their mistakes. They don't think about what cause the divorce, why they keep being attracted to a particular kind of person, how their attitude lead to their choices, how their beliefs shaped their actions. We all make mistakes, the question is will we learn from them or run from them? Don’t waste
your mistakes!
o How will you take the time you need to slow down in learn
from your mistakes? What might happen if you don't learn from your mistakes?
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Learn from the example of other people's mistakes. While personal experience is always the best teacher, in the school of life you don’t
have to step on the same landmine as your father, your friend or me. We can learn from other people's mistakes and be spared incredible pain. What have your learned from the mistakes of your family and friends? What can other peoples successes and failures teach you about habits, goals, fiances, relationships, work, and faith?
· 8. Be Transformed by Perseverance Consistent Learner
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I’ll give this thing a shot. If you don't plan to succeed, you plan to fail. If you don't plan to change, you'll revert. Most diets don’t work because
they don’t focus on creating an ongoing healthy lifestyle, they merely focus on the numbers we want to see on the scale. Statistically New Year's resolutions are dumped in the beginning of February because most people just give up. True changes requires long, thankless, obedience in the same direction over months and years. If you think back on your life you may not see change over weeks or even months but over years and decades people go through incredible transformations. We change but sometimes the timeline is years, not days.
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The Scriptures teach believers to train themselves in Godliness. This is similar to how a professional athlete trains for a sporting event. Pro-sports stars are great examples of absolute focus, their lifestyle is build around their training, maximizing their performance, they're always on, always vigilant, always working towards the goal. In the same way, Christians have no off season from spiritual warfare, no vacation from temptation, no sabbatical from the world's influence. As Believers, the New Year's season should remind us that we're called to be lifelong learners. We're called to be transformed by the Spirit of God as work in us. We must keep at the process of being teachable, humble, and consistent as we're being transformed by God the Holy Spirit. The minute we stop learning and apply, we stop growing. So push on faithful solider, knowing that it is God who is at work in us for his good pleasure. (Phil 2:13)
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