The Life That God Uses (Part 1)

The Life that God Uses

(Part 1)

Romans 6:13

Introduction – For the next few Sunday mornings we are going to be asking ourselves the question, “What kind of life does God use?” It would be easy for us to try to simply answer the question by saying that God uses lives that are surrendered. But to be honest there probably isn’t a clear-cut answer an answer to that question as we might think—it might just be that God is looking as much at a lot of little things as He is the big things like total surrender. So if we are going to try and identify those characteristics that God finds usable we may to look a bit deeper than we think.

We have to do an sort of internal inspection. And brethren as we do that inspection—it really matters little where you think you are spiritually, what’s really important is what God knows you to be from His own inspection of your life. And so what we are going to be trying to do in the next few weeks is to try to help and encourage each other to stop relying on what we think is right for us, and start following God—the One who knows what’s right for us. I believe that in doing so we will come to live a life that is usable to God.

This morning we are going to the control functions of our lives. What I mean by that is, who is really in control in several specific areas of your life. Because being unwilling to yield control to Christ in even one of these areas, can and will keep you from being able to be used effectively by God.

Specifically, we are going to look at three general areas of life where the need for control is paramount, and in each of these areas, we’ll let God’s Word show us exactly how under control we really are. The areas that we will consider this morning are our minds, our actions and our words, and finally our reactions and responses. Remember, in each area we’re asking ourselves “Who is in control” in this part of my life?

I. Who is in Control of My Mind

One of the great fallacies that we have to come to grips with If we’re going to follow Jesus is the attitude that says, “What I think about anything or anyone is my business, because it effects no one but me.”

As a part of this church fellowship everything that you say and everything that you do has a direct and immediate impact on everyone else in this church.

Let me explain what I mean…When someone suffers in this church we all suffer a bit with them. And when someone finds joy we all celebrate with them, don’t we?

Why then do we believe that what we think, or the attitudes we hold in our hearts make no difference?

If it’s true that our thoughts and attitudes don’t matter then we have to be careful…We have to be careful never to angry for fear that we might slip and let someone else see how we really feel. We have to be careful never to get to close to others either because we might reveal more than we really want to.

And ultimately we have to be satisfied living a life of utter hypocrisy—because we have covenanted together to be one body in Christ, and yet when we show no control over our thoughts and our attitudes being one with one another is impossible.

An uncontrolled mind is symptomatic of a heart that has not been yielded to God.

In Jesus’ day it seemed as if he was always having

confrontations with the Pharisees—and normally those

confrontations came because they forgot that God sees

every little thing about our lives.

In Luke 11:39 – 40 Jesus said,, “you…clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?”

When you offer your heart to God, He takes control of your thoughts and attitudes as well.

A person whose heart is right before God…Cannot remain angry to the point of bitterness against

their brother, but will be quick to seek forgiveness and restoration. Cannot be indifferent about the needs of those around them.

I have heard Christians justify themselves in not helping someone because they saw the actions that led to the crisis, and said that they if they hadn’t made so many dumb choices they wouldn’t be in the mess they are in. Boy, I’m glad Jesus doesn’t feel the same way those so called Christians do.

If we want to be used by God, we must let Him take control of our mind. Unless we do, by our very nature we will give foothold to the devil.