#32chapters

Good morning.  It’s Monday.

Improvement of any kind starts with a 3-letter word: try.

This morning I was in the pool taking my post-workout swim.

True confessions: I didn’t want to swim.  I started taking lessons a year ago and as long as I have on my fins I swim ok.  But when I take them off…well let’s just say it aint pretty.

I took off my fins (think: training wheels).

I looked down the length of the lane and dread set in.

But then I coached myself with one word.

I said to myself, “try.”

I tried.  It was (in my opinion) ugly.  But I made the effort.  I’m glad I did.

The same thing happened when I came home for 5-5-5.  When I got to the middle part (meditation for 5 min) I wanted to skip that part.  But then I coached myself with one word.

I said to myself, “try.”

I tried.  That was the longest 5 minutes I’ve experienced in a while.  It felt like 20 min.

But I’m glad I did.  The question I’m challenging myself with is, “why was sitting silently in the presence of God so difficult?”  I will get back to you on that.

Here’s your word for the day.  TRY!

Make the effort.  It’s day 6 of our 7 day challenge.  Finish strong!

As a reminder I’ve posted the details below.

The 7 Day Challenge

You mind is your greatest asset.  Your mindset is your greatest advantage.

Do ever think about your thinking?  In our culture today people will work really hard to have nice abs or a strong core.  But ask them to work on strengthening their minds and it seems like…well too much to ask.  It’s not.

You are where you are because of your mindset and you will be where you end up because of your mindset.  The good news is it’s your mind to SET.

Join me in a challenge.

Take the next 7 days to strengthen your trust in God.

Take the next 7 days to learn to think better.

First 5-5-5.

15 minutes is 1% of your day.  It’s important that you start your day well.  Here’s how it works.

5 minutes reading the word or something inspirational.  Feed your brain.

5 minutes meditating.  Sit still and listen for the voice of God.  Write a sentence about what you hear from God. (if you hear anything)

5 minutes in prayer.  Use the Lord’s prayer as your framework.  Take your time.  As you pray the prayer it will teach you how to approach God and what to ask.

That’s phase one.  Do that every morning for the next 7 days.

Next spend 5 minutes gratitude journaling.

Write this.

What are 3 things for which you’re grateful?

1.

2.

3.

Next, what are 3 things that would make this day great?

1.

2.

3.

And then write and affirmation that starts with “I am…….

My affirmation today was “I am ok.”

At the close of the day write

3 things that went well

1.

2.

3.

And close by answering the following question:

What would have made today better.

By following these disciplines we are retooling your mind.  You will notice the nearness of God and you will be more optimistic about life.

Start now.  Get ready for an amazing experience.  7 days straight.  Go!

Hallerin Hilton Hill

You mind is your greatest asset.  Your mindset is your greatest advantage.

Do ever think about your thinking?  In our culture today people will work really hard to have nice abs or a strong core.  But ask them to work on strengthening their minds and it seems like…well too much to ask.  It’s not.

You are where you are because of your mindset and you will be where you end up because of your mindset.  The good news is it’s your mind to SET.

Join me in a challenge.

Take the next 7 days to strengthen your trust in God.

Take the next 7 days to learn to think better.

First 5-5-5.

15 minutes is 1% of your day.  It’s important that you start your day well.  Here’s how it works.

5 minutes reading the word or something inspirational.  Feed your brain.

5 minutes meditating.  Sit still and listen for the voice of God.  Write a sentence about what you hear from God. (if you hear anything)

5 minutes in prayer.  Use the Lord’s prayer as your framework.  Take your time.  As you pray the prayer it will teach you how to approach God and what to ask.

That’s phase one.  Do that every morning for the next 7 days.

Next spend 5 minutes gratitude journaling.

Write this.

What are 3 things for which you’re grateful?

1.

2.

3.

Next, what are 3 things that would make this day great?

1.

2.

3.

And then write and affirmation that starts with “I am…….

My affirmation today was “I am ok.”

At the close of the day write

3 things that went well

1.

2.

3.

And close by answering the following question:

What would have made today better.

By following these disciplines we are retooling your mind.  You will notice the nearness of God and you will be more optimistic about life.

Start now.  Get ready for an amazing experience.  7 days straight.  Go!

 

Hallerin Hilton Hill

Audio Summary:

Slides:

Notes:

Audio Summary:

Slides:

Notes:

“One who lacks self-control is despised; one who learns to curb desire is respected.”  Proverbs 13:18

If you really want respect learn to curb your desires.  If you try to play a video game without a controller you soon find you can’t.  If you try to play the game of life without self-control you soon find you can’t.

The best recipe is the following.

1. Know yourself.  And you won’t really know yourself until you’ve been tested.

2. Know your boundaries.  You’re boundaries are set by the will of God and his law.

3. Put the controls in his hands.

#32Chapters

This week’s main point(s).

God wants to give you joy.  Let him.

Chapter Outline

The 36 verses of chapter three are broken into 3 sections.

• Wisdom’s call
• Wisdom’s work
• Wisdom’s offer

God love us.  He wants what’s BEST for us.  I know you’ve heard that.  But have you felt it?  Have you really felt the gravitational pull of his love, his spirit.

The more I read and study Proverbs the more I see his love and feel the pulling of his spirit.

God loves you!  And he longs to give you joy, real joy.

Once you really get that, once you are sure that THAT’S God’s agenda for you, his words and wisdom take on an entirely new meaning to you.

You will run to Him.  You will heed.  You will accept.  Most of of all you will experience the joy he is literally begging you to take.

Chapter 8 is the continuation of that call.  I was so moved when that hit me on the flight back from Little Rock this weekend.  The pleading and yearning of the first 7 chapters of Proverbs is that of a God in relentless pursuit of his beloved.  You are his beloved.  He gave his life for you.  Not just to save you from your sins, not just to provide pardon and forgiveness and grace.

He gave his life so that you could have life, abundant life.  And when you reach the end of that you get to trade the abundant life he freely gives you for everlasting life.

It is with that preamble that we take a brief look at Chapter 8.

Wisdom’s Call

Every day you are faced with a gazillion choices.  There are many things pulling at us, many things “calling” us.

The call of desire is loud and compelling.  It is tempting.  But Wisdom’s call is equally  loud and if you really pay attention to the call and what is being offered it’s better, way better.

Every day you are left with a choice as to which calls to accept or decline.

Check the caller ID.  See whose calling.

When you answer wisdom’s call you hear:

– noble thoughts

• honest words
• righteousness
• purity
• integrity

God longs for your relationship to be so close, so clear that you recognize his call and you answer joyfully without hesitation.

Wisdom’s Work

Wisdom is declared to have been with God at creation.  The reason that’s so significant and powerful is this:  if wisdom helped create the world, wisdom can help re-create your world.

If God has the power to create, contain and sustain universe(s) then he can do the same for your world.

If the whole world is in God’s hands why not put your world in his hands.  Wisdom’s work is the work of creation.  Remember God longs and lives for your world to be better.  His great mission was to save and reclaim you.  Let him!

Wisdom’s Offer

Wisdom is offering you joy.  We long for money, power and respect because we believe that in the end those “things” will bring us joy.

They won’t.  They can’t.  They are just things.  Ask the billionaire with incurable, inoperable cancer.  Poof!  And you’re gone.

Christ came to bring us joy, deep abiding joy.  That joy that comes from knowing, trusting that everything and I do mean EVERYTHING will be ok.

When you rest in your faith in HIM you find joy.

Listen to the final words of this chapter:

So listen to me; Follow me and be happy.

Practice my discipline and grow wise.

Abandon cynicism and jaded thought.

I bring joy to those who listen;

I bring happiness to those who attend to me.

Find me and find life.

Find me find grace.

Turn your back on me and choose death.

Wisdom is calling you to a life of joy, happiness and grace.

Isn’t that everything you could ever want?

The Conclusion

God wants to give you joy.  Let him!

The Challenge

What’s God’s counter play for your situation?

Grow.  Help others grow.  Be Encouraged.

Wisdom House Publishing

1. 2012 Hallerin Hilton Hill

Below are additional notes.

Wisdom is knowledge at work.  Ants do that, without management.  They move with purpose.  Here are 4 things ants can teach us so we can put our knowledge to work.

1. Be your own boss.  Don’t wait to be told or inspired.

2. Notice the season.  Plan your work according to the season but work in every season toward your ultimate goal.

3. Think future.  Don’t get stuck on or in the past.

4. Go hard.  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might!

Here are the notes from the complete lesson.

Chapter 3 is a power-packed essential part of Proverbs.  It contains the pin number for wisdom.

Wisdom only works when you trust God more than you trust yourself.

What I find most amazing is that God would have to convince us that trusting him is a good idea.  That just goes to show you how arrogant we as humans can be.  We (the finite, the creation) have the audacity to doubt God (the infinite, the creator, the sustainer).

In this Chapter offers to give us everything we could every want, from wealth to wellness.  But there are conditions.

We must do 3 things.

1. Trust God with ALL our hearts.  2. Turn from evil.  3. Accept his discipline and correction.

I know you’re ready to accept his gifts, but are you ready to accept his love in the form of discipline and correction?

Below are more notes on this chapter.  The bottom line is simple: TRUST GOD.