Brother Jim Snead Sunday School 12/30/12

Brother Jim Snead Sunday School 12/30/12

The word is as a two edged sword.  I’ve always been scared of knives and of kids handling them.  You think of a two edged sword.  I’m thankful that God can cut off those spots, but we don’t want to handle it wrongfully. 

God will withhold no good thing from them that walk uprightly.  It is good to see parents that labor and provide for their children.  Our father is that way too, He wants heaven’s best for us.

Sometimes we allow ourselves to go through some hard places.  With horses, some horses are just not willing to please and it takes more repetition. 

Php 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.

Php 4:5  Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

Php 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

The peace of God is a treasure.  The enemy comes to rob our peace.  We are all in a battle.  It is so good that the peace passes all understanding and it will keep our heart and mind.  It is important for them to be kept for out of the heart are the issues of life. 

These are the things that He wants us to think on.  There is nothing wrong of thinking of the mountain lake that He has given us to enjoy.  We smell a smell that makes us think of food.  There are a lot of good things to think on.

Php 4:9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Php 4:10  But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

Php 4:11  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I am thankful that I can be in Montana.  I tell people that “I wasn’t born in Montana but I got here as quick as I could.”  We want to be thankful.  It kind of gravels me when people talk of how good it is where they came from.  I want to tell them, “If it was so good back there then pack your bags and get out.” 

Php 4:12  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We quote this and use it time and time again.  We are our own worst enemies.  I had mental blocks about a lot of things, but I put them there.  We can do more than we allow ourselves to.  Sometimes you are in a position where Bob isn’t there and you have to learn to fix things yourselves. 

David said he didn’t try to mettle in things too high for him.  There are things that are beyond us, but the thought is:

Isa 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

We all have mind battles; the enemy will play stuff up to make it look hard and difficult.  Most of the time the picture that is painted is a lot worse than what is actually the case. 

One time I was taking some horses to California.  I was taking them by myself.  I tried to get a friend to go with me.  I made it to be a big thing in my mind.

I ended up enjoying it.  God took care of me in all that traffic.  I was early to get the first ones delivered and they let me stay with them that night.  It was in the redwoods and over looked the ocean.  I got the rest delivered and then pulled over by the ocean and praised the Lord as I walked by the ocean. 

The devil will destroy us if he takes our peace.  I want some of the younger ones to help me look into the word and see things in my life that would destroy me.  People can worry themselves sick when there is no need.  The devil is our enemy.  We are an army.  We want to help each other watch for the snares. 

Thoughts will come to us.  Jesus was tempted of the devil.  Things will trouble us.  The scripture tells us to, “Forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before, I press.”  The devil will accuse us and not let us forget the mistakes that we have made if we let him.  We need to forget those things that are behind.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee.

We have the spirit of God to really help us.  He doesn’t want us to take things lightly.  If he checks us or warns us on things then heed it.  Things can cost you if you don’t heed. 

Things will come to us and we will be troubled, but that is what is so good about the check of God, it is our protection.  Some of those things will destroy you. 

There are things that we can do nothing about but bring them to God and leave them there.  Things about your children trouble you and they should.  God wants our knees to be sore.  “God this is too heavy for me to pack, I’m going to cast it on you.”

Sometimes we go through severe situations where the saints are going to be there to help.  He allows it to happen to others as well so that we will be that vessel to be there to help.  God wants things that trouble us to bring us to Him, to cause us to fast and pray. 

We are no testimony to anyone if we are always torn and worried.  We need to cast things on God.  Sometimes we must take things to God more than once.  We have to keep going back to God and giving it back to Him.  “God you are in control.  You allowed it.  I must give it all back to you.” 

It will take your peace.  We must give it to God.  We wouldn’t have a testimony after a while if we worried and tried to handle everything by ourselves.  “The work of righteousness is peace and the affect of righteousness, quietness and assurance.”  If something is taking our peace then it is not from God. 

Worry is anxiety.  Anxiety works on our nervous system.  If we get upset then we must take it to God.  He doesn’t want us to go to that point.  If my nerves get upset, “I’ve taken it too far.”  I’ve been through some hard places and God has taken me through them. 

If the wolf can cut you off from the herd, then he will start tearing on you and soon he will have us bled to death.  When people get in trouble, one of the first things that they do is layout of church.  That is the trouble.  It is a trick of the enemy.  It is one of the first steps to backsliding. 

In a multitude of counselors there is safety.  We desperately need each other.  It is good that we can rely on one another.  We know that God’s Word will never change and His true saints will never change either.

One of the greatest diseases in America is stress. 

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

God wants us to be diligent and really take care of ourselves.  We can hopefully learn by the mistakes of others as well as our own.  We don’t have to try stuff.  I was never interested in drugs and from what I see I’m thankful.  We see some that have done drugs that don’t look too good.

A wise man learns from his own mistakes and a wiser man learns from the mistakes of others.

The devil will come to all of us.  Bitterness is just another of the devils tricks.  Bitterness will destroy your life.  It will just flat eat you up and destroy you.  The scripture tells us to follow after peace.  If the situation arises, let us go the long way to make peace.  Let us not throw a stumbling block in someone else’s way.  Let us not allow a root of bitterness destroy us. 

Joh 16:33  These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We will all be tried.  Think it not strange.  God is going to have a true and tested people. 

Jesus said, “Be of good cheer I have overcome the world.”  We can overcome too.  We don’t have to be overcome by the world. 

Oswald Chambers on tribulation:  If you focus too much on the battle, it can take your joy.  Forget about the battle and focus on God and it will help you a lot.

God tells us to cast our cares on Him. 

Some of this is in growing up.  Zoe, two years old, is always trying to pack things that are way too big for her.  She stumbles around and gets hurts and falls.  This is the way it is with us.  We must learn to not pack some things, but to cast them all over on the Lord.

God is our peace.  Blessed is the peacemaker.  Troublemakers will not make it into heaven.  If we are not holy then we are not of God.  Being born again is to become like Him, have Him renew and make over our very being.  This is peace and holiness.  People may not have peace with us but we must forgive and have peace with them

If we don’t have peace and holiness then we will fail of the grace of God.  We come to a situation and think, “Lord I’m going to take your way, even if it costs me more I’m going to make peace.”

Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Peace, state of tranquility, harmony.  Peace and holiness is essential.  The kingdom of God is where we need to stay.  He will not force us to stay there.  We are responsible to maintain.  Follow after. Look diligently.  We must take care of that.

We can be overcharged in anything.  The cares of life can be what gets us.  All things be done in moderation.  I think of watching the hummingbirds.  They get to fighting with each other and hit each other and one gets knocked down.  The cat is just sitting there waiting and when one gets knocked down then he has it.  That is the way the enemy it.

Streams in the desert volume 2: today and tomorrow:  today is a slender bridge which bears its own woe but will collapse if we add tomorrows.  Yesterdays cross is laid down never to be born again.  As thy day so shall thy strength be.  God wants us to be thankful for the past, for the present offer service, and for the future trust.

Forgetting those things that are behind, I press.

Thou shalt remember all the way the Lord thy God led thee.  Remember God’s great goodness in times of stress and strain.  He is a guiding light, unfailing friend, a wonderful counselor.  Remember His past leading and know all is well.  Forget those things that are behind and reach forward to the joys that are before us.

I press, there is urgency.  The master has done all he can to free us from every weight, giving us forgiveness for the past, strength for the present, and assurance for the future.