Pray For Me!

The Teaching's of Yvonne Tannous

The Simple Life
By: Yvonne Tannous
“The Following is My Understanding of the Message
& it is Not Endorsed by Anyone!”
01/21/2012
Check Next Week for Lesson 2

Putting First Thing First (week one)

Our pastor Mike Yearly from the Church at rocky Peak on the web; http://www.rockypeak.org  is teaching 10 lessons on how to set our priorities.  Life seems to imply that being really busy is the norm.  Although we are not to be sluggers (lazy), we are to prioritize our life so that everything we do, we do it with God as our true focus.
Here is a passage from (Craig Groeshel, Weird….. Because Normal Isn’t Working)

"Nowadays being normal isn't quite as easy and painless as it once
seemed to be. In fact, it's more time consuming than ever. There
aren't enough hours in the day to buy, sell, drive, cook, clean, call,
shop, eat, plan, study, write, review, schedule, and follow through
on everything. Overwhelmed, overloaded, and exhausted,
everyone talks about wanting more time to "catch up" on what
they are already doing - rushing, planning, worrying, and rush
some more. Families suffer. Health wanes. Priorities fade. Joy
evaporates. Most people don't know their life's direction because
their soul is dizzy from spinning around too much. Uninterrupted
time to rest, relax, and enjoy life sounds like a line from a
retirement brochure. Normal is busy and getting busier. . .
Normal relationships require little and provide less. You and your
spouse are so busy, so stressed, and so exhausted, there's normally
no time for each other. No wonder then that affairs are the norm.
They provide the attention, romance, and sex without the
commitment, sacrifice, or intimacy required in marriage. Similarly,
you'd like to spend more time with the kids, but there's just not
enough time. They're almost as busy and stressed as you are. It
would be great to have deep, meaningful conversations and
shared experiences that allow you to teach them what you know.
Normal families, however, just don't work that way. . .
All this is normal."                                             

Point (1) Normal is not Working

Romans 12:2  Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Point (2)  We must be intentional

Be careful not to give in to what the world thinks you should do.  Always do things with Gods will for us.   When we do things we must me intentional, don’t allow yourself to drift into a situation.  When we drift into a situation, we tend to blame others for the circumstances we end up in, never taking responsibility for them. 

Point (3)  The GOOD is the enemy of the BEST

Be selective.  Too many options can hinder our growth in doing the BEST thing Focus on the most important things.  This type of behavior is unbiblical.  How is that you ask?  Example.  Martha and Mary have a visit from Jesus for dinner.  Martha chose the best.  She chose to experience Jesus while Mary was busy with the cleaning and cooking.  It doesn’t mean that what Mary was doing was wrong, (it was good), but she was missing out on the BEST.  Read Luke 10:38-40.  NORMAL people allow good things to become enemy of the best things.  It’s okay to be weird and not conform to this world’s ways of doing things. 

***Satan doesn’t want us to spend time with God.  If he can’t make us do something bad, he will make sure to make us really busy.

Point (4) Our choices reveal our priorities

How are you using our time? Remember if we are serious about setting our priorities straight and really want to live a simple life that is both fulfilling and it pleasing to God, we must make wise choices.  We can monitor this by our calendar and our checkbook. 
Are you spending time reading the word?  Even just minutes a day.  There are bible reading plans that you can go through the bible in a year in just 12 minutes a day.   It is so easy for us to say, yes I believe, but look at what James 1:22 says (Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.)  God cannot be deceived either. 

The word of God says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

God gives us so much and yet we give so little of our time and resources.  Everything we have belongs to Him anyways.  Remember that we should give our time and tithing’s. 

Point (5) We have the time we need.

Most of us feel there are not enough hours in the day.  We are too busy to add another thing to OUR life.  YOUR life belongs to HIM.  The fact of the matter is, we do have time, and we just fill it with stupid things that do not feed our spirit. 

Here are Some Examples

Hours per year the average American youth spends in school: 900 hours
Hours per year the average American youth watches television: 1500
According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube
I think I just found the time we need. 
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use
of the time, because the days are evil.
(Ephesians 5:15-16, English Standard Version)