Readiness for Lifelong Learning

Lesson Three >>>Readiness for lifelong Learning
Readiness - Preparation or availability for service, action, or progress. Prompt willingness.

Lessons on readiness
>>> Matthew 9:14-17
When we do things out of routine and habit instead purpose and excellence we will become antiquated and futile. Don’t allow yourself to be connected to antiquated people, their anachronistic ways will cause you inner division. In order for God to give you fresh ideas and deeper revelation, your spiritual and mental capacity must be stretched, otherwise we will burst under the pressure.

>>> Luke 12:35-39
In this text Jesus is teaching on the importance of being servants who work diligently and wait expectantly.
Jesus desires for us to live faithfully and productively. If you live your life as one who constantly looks for excuses to get out of doing things or even seeks extensions only to evade their completion, you will miss out on the true blessings of GOD.

>>> John 14:12,13
Our faith in Jesus requires us to be productive on the earth, even at a greater capacity, due to our current capabilities. It is not God’s will that we allow our personal inabilities to hinder us from fulfilling our God given purpose. However if we rely on His divine assistance, our product will be the Glory of God.

>>>Hebrews 12:11
The purpose of teaching, training, molding and positioning, is not to be pleasant but to yield productivity. So as you endure the pains of the process, ponder the pleasures of the product.

>>>Philippians 3:12-14
As long as we are alive, we have not arrived. Nothing that we can attain on this side will equate with our eternal reward. So, keep a healthy hunger for knowledge, an unquenchable thirst for wisdom and a decent measure of ambition. Having this type of disposition will render great reward.
Practices for lifelong learning

Read - after the bible, you should be reading something that feeds your intelligence, sparks your creativity and stirs your soul.

Observe - Proverbs 1:20 “says wisdom cries out from the street.” Learn how to take in your surroundings. Actually listen to the people you engage with. You will learn something new.

Do - We learn the most from hands-on experience. We retain the most of what we read, see and hear when we are able to practice by doing.

Devotion to God

Devotion to God
Devotion - Focused commitment of time and energy; dedication; faithfulness; deep affection.

True devotion is the product of passion Psalm 42:1-2
Passion - intensity; strong emotion; zeal; motivation.

God’s devotion towards us
Jeremiah 31:3 God has pledged His love to us forever. He walks with us through disappointments and hardships; nothing can separate us from His love (Rom.8:31-39). Therefore, accept him, cling to Him and trust that His will for our lives is the very best for us.

John 15:13-16 Jesus is the best friend we could ever have. He loves us Just the way we are, He knows everything there is about us and still accepts us. This is why He laid His life down for us on the cross, so we could become acceptable and have an intimate relationship with him through His sacrificial death (Col. 1:19-22).

Revelation 22:17 It is the Holy Spirit’s will for us to be drawn to Him and experience eternal refreshment through The living water of God. All we need do is come thirsty.

Our devotion towards God lessons from devoted people
Genesis 5:24 Enoch
Enoch, who was the son of Cain, had to overcome his father’s sin to become one who “walked with God.” As we study history we find that he lived a full life of 365 years and walked past death directly into heaven because he walked with God. We learn from enoch that if we push beyond our past and make a commitment to God and walk with him daily, we will experience grace over situations that others can’t avoid.

Daniel 6:10,11 Daniel
Under the rule and employment of a pagan government, Daniel managed to remain faithful to his God and His standards, while remaining competitive and successful in his career. In the face of losing his job and his life, Daniel made the decision to remain faithful to his God and his devotional method. Although his decision led him into a fatal situation, the God that he remained devoted to sustained him, removed his opposition and caused his faith to become a national staple. Daniel teaches us that devotion in the face of danger will yield spiritual and temporal success.


John 19:26,27 John
The mutual love between Jesus and John was evident not only by their exchange at Calvary, but the many times he was called away by the Master and certainly by the fact Christ choose him to reveal his final revelation. Like John, when we get into intimate relationship with God, he will trust us with His great treasure and even greater revelation.

Mark 14:3-9 Mary of Bethany
Mary, the sister of Lazarus, was greatly devoted to Jesus so much so that she did not spare her greatest possession for the master. If we allow our resources to be governed by our devotion God as opposed to them being governed by our need for them, we will please God and cause Him to remember us.

1 Corinthians 7:35 Paul
As one who classified himself as a prisoner of the Gospel, Paul had total devotion to God. His devotion was made evident through his decision to live without a spouse, to give his full attention to God and His ministry. Like The apostle Paul if we surrender ourselves to God and his will for our lives, He will use us to produce greatness for His kingdom.

Simple Daily Devotional Method
Pray for inspiration
Read for information
Meditate for implication
Make time for daily devotion

Devotion quiz
What would you say you are most enthusiastic or passionate about?
What do the people closest to you say you are most passionate about?
If the answers to the first two questions are different, what does this reveal to you?
If it is true that our greatest enthusiasm portrays our true object of worship, what is the true object of your worship?
“God is looking for people who will take their lives out of park and shift into drive.” How does this statement apply to you?
What is one thing God is saying to you about your own devotion?

I won't Resolve, I will Revolt!

Text of Focus: Isaiah 43:18-21
18 “Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.
19 “Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.
20 “The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches,
Because I have given waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My chosen people.
21 “The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.

There is a clear difference between resolution and Revolution, note the following contrast;
Resolution ////////////// ///////// /Revolution
An intention or decision to do/////// Committed action in a specific direction
The act of solving a problem////////Destroying a disfunction
Reducing things into components/////// A single and complete turn of a thing


In the text of focus we find Israel on the other side of God's promise;
They have been delivered from Egypt, crossed the red sea & Jordan
River, sustained is the wilderness and have inhabited the promise
Land.

A last at this point in the text Israel’s over indulgence sin
and constant rebellion against God’s word has positioned them in
a state of exile in their own land.

The most amazing truth of Israel’s plight was that instead of
repenting and seeking God’s face for their deliverance, they
resolved to stay in their condition and allow the powers that be
control them.

God in His sovereignty decides to bring a complete turn around to
the lives of His people. Let’s take a look God’s word of revolution
to His people.

“Do not call to mind the former things, Or ponder things of the past.” - Stop tripping off what you have lost and stop rehearsing the past.

“I will do something new, Now it will spring forth Will you not be aware of it?” - in an unprecedented way God will cause silent but certain gradual growth in our lives. (mark 4:26-28) And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

“I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert.” - Roadway is representative of the word of god and the rivers is representative of His holy spirit. Plainly stated; God’s word will bring direction to the confusion of your life and His spirit will quench the depravations of your life.

“The beasts of the field will glorify Me, The jackals and the ostriches,” At this time these beast were object of idol worship, thus taking Israel’s attention away from God. (jackals and ostriches are omnivores animals, which means they eat whatever is available, Because of this type of diet their bit can be fatal. Whenever an Israelite would get bitten by one of these beast they would be carried to the temple for healing.) God will cause the things that have drawn us away from him to drive us back to Him.

“The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.” As a resolute of God’s Revolution in the mist of His people their lives will become a praise to the Lord!

“It’s this One Thing”

2 Kings 10: 31-36
29 However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Neat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.
30 The LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”
31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; bhe did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.


After bringing such great reform to Israel you would think that no one would be more devoted to God than King Jehu. Alas, “It’s this one thing he did.

According to the text, the one thing that Jehu was guilty of was the “sins of Jeroboam”. As it is that’s not saying very, because on the surface it would appear that Jehu was being held accountable for Jeroboam’s sin. But, as we delve into the word today we will uncover the real sins and discover the full truth.

As we embark upon our quest, there are some questions that need to be answered.

Who was Jeroboam?
1 Kings 11:26-40 tells us the following; Jeroboam was the son of one of King Solomon’s servants and he was such a valiant warrior that Solomon appointed him as task master over the entire tribe of Joseph. As King Solomon became more wicked, the Lord sent word to Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah that He would reign over ten tribes of Israel, while Judah would remain under the rule of Solomon’s house to honor the legacy of his father David. Once Solomon was made aware of the word of the Lord concerning Jeroboam, He tried to kill him, be he fled to Egypt and stayed there until Solomon died.

What sins did he commit?
Once King Solomon died, Jeroboam returned to Israel and word of the Lord was fulfilled like the prophet said. Although he had now become the king of Israel, with the banner of the Lord waving over him and the power of ten tribes obediently under his rule, the fear that was struck in his heart by Solomon was still ruling him.

We find evidence of this truth in 1 Kings 12:25-33.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built
Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
27 “If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
28 So the king 1consulted, and amade two golden bcalves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
29 He set aone in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan.
30 Now athis thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.
31 And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi.
32 Jeroboam 1instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.
33 Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

In essence, his sins where not trusting in the Lord’s word and letting fear cripple his judgment.


How did Jehu become guilty of Jeroboam’s sins?
When you compare the lives of Jeroboam and Jehu you find some shocking similarities;
They both came from very humble beginnings.
They both were great warriors.
They both assumed the throne without royal secession.

Finally, like his predecessor, Jehu was more concerned about his strategy than God’s sovereignty.

Now that we have uncover the sins which pledged these two men and many of us as well let us discover the truth of this matter that can be applied to our lives.

We must believe God’s word regardless of the contradictions we face.

Never allow our activity to get in the way of God’s sovereignty.

Know that God is more concerned with what you are to Him than what you do for Him.

A Call to Duty

2 Kings 9:1-13
the year is 820bc Israel’s kingdom is divided and many are turning away from the word and the will of the Lord. God seeks reformation in Israel by instructing the Prophet Elisha to anoint a chariot riding, zealous army captain named Jehu as the eleventh Ruler of Northern Kingdom. Jehu’s royal edict was simple; kill, kill and kill some more. The King was given this charge not just for sport but to eradicate all idolatry from Israel that they may return to the Lord, to worship and obey Him exclusively.

Lets look at the truths that surrounded his call to duty;

He was an unlikely successor to the throne; 9: 2,3
Notoriety is not necessary to fulfill God’s will, you just need to be in the right place at the right time-in the right position ( he was on his post)

He has a private coronation; 9:5,6
God will elevate you in private to eliminate the chance of assassination.
-Lyndon B. Johnson, the 37th President of the United States of America, was sworn in Office on November 22, 1963 two hours and eight minutes after President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. However this sacred service was not held on the steps of the U S Capital as many before him, he was sworn in on Air Force One at Love Field Airport in Dallas.

He received explicit instructions; 9:7-10
We must be willing to do exactly what God has called us to do, regardless of the
consequences. Dr. Charles Stanley says it like this, “Obey God and leave the consequences to Him.”

He acknowledged his position and took his place; 11-13
In order for us to be successful in our lives we must know our roll and know our mark.

Grace to be Strong

Text: 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.
14 Let all that you do be done with love.

Topic: Grace to be Strong
Introduction: Weakness has taken over the church, but not the weakness that the Apostle Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 12, rather this weakness we fine in the church is a weakness that derives from a lack to two things; faith and submission. This truth is evident in today’s text. As Paul lays out the logistics of his ministry itinerary he highlights to brothers, prior to our text of focus; Timothy and Apollos.

Look at verse 10 & 11 of chapter 16
10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do.
11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.

Although, Timothy was serving the same God as Paul and in the same ministry, he still was focused more on his past, the people and the situations than on God himself.
We must have faith to know that the same God that saved us has the power to keep us, and the same God that gave us the vision will supply all we need to fulfill it.

Now check out verse 12
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.

When you study the background of Apollos, you will find that he was a well to do and well educated Jew from Alexandria. He knew about God through his study of the scriptures but had no personal relationship with Him. After being lead to faith through Priscilla and Aquila, he join Paul’s ministry team. In the text we find him refusing Paul’s urging to join him in ministry @ Rome.
Despite what we know or how we feel God’s work must be done. All of us at times are unwilling to do what the Lord has required of us, but we must get over ourselves and submit to the will of God so that supernatural things can happen through us.

Now to the text of Focus;
Paul give his audience Five directives that will bring about excellence in life;
Watch - be alert and ready for what comes your way.
Stand firm in faith - Don’t let circumstances or opposition stop you from doing God’s will.
Be Brave - Go and do what others are afraid to.
Be Strong - Know that God has given you His ability.
Let love be the reason you do whatever you do.

Grace to be BOLD

Text of Focus: ACTS 4:23-31
Topic: Grace to be Bold

Introduction: It has never been the will of God that His children be; timid, fearful, unadventurous nor stagnant. The truth of God concerning the demeanor of His people is the exact opposite, in reality it is the purpose of God that His servants operate as those who are; intrepid, confident, audacious living in a spirit of BOLDNESS.

For far to long the enemy has projected this image of believer as those hunched over from the weights of life on one shoulder and on the other shoulder the burden of their past sin & present short comings. In reality there is only one thing that God has called us to carry and that is the cross of Christ; which is no longer a sign of guilt and shame, but now is a symbol of power and victory.

The truth of the matter is God has called his followers to be bold, regardless of the situation or opposition. Such is the case with today’s text.

In order to fully understand the response that is highlighted in our text of focus we must go back to chapter 3 of the book of Acts to view and understand the cause.

Acts 3:1-10 tells us that as the Apostles Peter & John were on their way to the temple to pray a lame man cries out them begging for alms, instead of granting his request they through the power of the Holy Spirit, give him something far greater, the ability to walk. As a result of this miracle, those who witness this phenomenon, filled with wonder and amazement, respond by praising God.

{Parenthetical note I:
The appropriate response to acts of God done through anyone is praise to God, not accolades to man.}

Pressing on to the commencement of chapter 4 of Acts, we find the Priests, Temple Guards and Sadducees so disturbed by what the Apostles did and how the people responded they place Peter & John in jail. On the following day a trial is held for the two “insurrectionist.” In verse 7 the question is asked of them; “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter replies in such a confident way, the prosecutors immediately realized that what this man knew came, not from schooling but, from God Himself.

{Parenthetical note II:
When you are doing great work for the Lord opposition will come, but you have to have the confidence to know that the same God that empowered you to do the work, will empower you to defend it.}

Fearing that this uncontrived, uncontested boldness would spread to all the people of the region, in verse 17 the Council orders them not to speak to anyone in the name of Jesus. As a testament their faithfulness to the call of God desire to see God’s kingdom advance they reply in verse 20, facing threats on every hand, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

{Parenthetical note III:
Preservation of self and resources must never trump your passion to please God.}

Now to the text of Focus

Acts 4:23 When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
The people spoken of in this verse were the believers who followed Peter & John’s ministry. It is awesome to note that they did not respond to the judgement of the Council or the threats to their leaders with violence, instead they peacefully at shared the news with those they confided.

{Parenthetical note IV:
Use wisdom in unfavorable situations and know who to confide in.}

4:24-30 24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
‘Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise futile things? 26 ‘The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
29 “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

In response to the judgements and threats that had been made towards their leaders, the Church unified themselves a prayed to the Lord. This reveals the secret to personal and corporate boldness through the grace of God, its all about the proper acknowledgement, lets take a look;
They acknowledged the Trinity and its ability.
They acknowledged the futileness of the enemy.
They acknowledged the sovereignty of God.
They acknowledged the power of the word of God.

4:31And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
As a result of the unity, specificity and potency of their prayer, the Lord revealed himself in two awesome ways
He Shook the place where they were. This was a symbol of sifting; removing the thing of lessor value to reveal the thing of greater value.
He filled them with His Holy Spirit. This speaks of being endowed with supernatural ability to face and do all that God has set forth.
They used His Spirit to speak His word with with boldness, and time you use the Spirit of God to to the will of God, you can stand bold and know that you will be successful.