• David is saying that we are not to be controlled by anything.
• God gives us authority to be in control.
• David knew the importance of self-control because of his own sin.
• How are a horse and mule controlled?
• Because they have no UNDERSTANDING.
• Humans understand, animals don't.
• Adults understand, kids don't.
• This is why we need to spend time with God:
• To morph our belief in God to understanding of God.
• If we don't spend time in God's Word we won't have understanding, and if we don't have understanding we will be controlled by those who do.
• To truly love God means we'll have an ever-deepening desire to know Him more.
• Ecclesiastes 3:18 - Solomon is an old, bitter man as is thinking to himself - he said mankind is like the animals who just turn into dust.
• Psalms 49:12-20 - David has an answer to Solomon’s question - he says those who “trust in themselves” are like the brute beasts (vs 13).
Psalms 32:9 (3/10/16)
Controlled
March 10, 2016 • Benham Brothers
Psalms 1:1-3 (1/12/17)
January 12, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* The blessed man is someone who doesn’t walk, stand, or sit…… * These are “conscious” things - lying down was not in there (unconscious). * 1) Walk in counsel of wicked - counsel is what you allow to influence you. * This comes through your eyes and ears - what you see and hear. * 2) Stand in the path of sinners - all paths lead somewhere. * We have to ponder the path of our feet and stay on the right track. * We get “hooked” by other’s hooks when we’re on their path. * 3) Sit in the seat of the scoffers - buddying up with those who hate God. * We have to pay close attention to who our close confidants are. * Bad company corrupts good morals. * The blessed man is someone who delights in God. * Just like a grandpa seeing his grandkids for the first time in a year. * Delight is all about focus - it’s never about you. * The blessed man will be like a tree - an evergreen. * It’s firmly planted by the source of life (water). * Bears the proper fruit at the proper time - nourishment for others. * Always has leaves - protection for others. * Never will die.
Psalms 2:8 (12/2/18)
December 2, 2018 • Benham Brothers
ASK! • God has all the answers, but He often doesn’t reveal them unless we ask. • God loves to give us little hints into what He’s doing. • EX: hide and seek w/my young kids - they always wanted to be found. • If I looked in the wrong place I’d hear them make a noise to point me in the right direction. • Dan 7:15-16 - Daniel had a dream but didn’t understand it. • He had to ASK what was going on. • DAN 8:15-16 - He saw another vision and he sought to understand it. • God sent Gabriel to give him the meaning (Mary & Zechariah). • DAN 9:1-3 - Daniel read Jeremiah and “sought” the Lord by prayer and fasting. • DAN 9:20-23 - God gave Daniel what he asked for. • • Asking God does three things: • 1) Asking aligns you with your purpose (“Ask me for anything” - Solomon) • Daniel’s purpose was to write down what he was told. • PSALMS 2:8 (NIV) - Christ’s purpose was for the nations but He had to ask. • EX: I woke up the other morning with an intense feeling God wanted me to ask Him for anything. • Jesus often said before a miracle - "What do you want?" • When we have an "Ask God" mindset we discover certain things break our hearts and we begin to ask God concerning those things. • This is His way of guiding us. • 2) Asking aligns you under God’s authority. • Asking recognizes the person you’re asking as having authority. • This aligns you in the proper authority structure and results in POWER. • Authority is the right to use power. • 1 JOHN 4:9 (ESV) - God Grid - live “through” Him (spaghetti strainer). • This is a mindset of “Ask God.” Two things to ask for: • ** Permission - you need God’s stamp of approval before you do anything. • ** Provision - God gives TO you so He can give THROUGH you. • 3) Asking aligns you with God’s will. • JOHN 14:13 - "I will do whatever you ask for IN MY NAME." • How do we know God’s will? • Renewal - Romans 12:1-2. Renewal transforms our minds as we ask, “God, what do you think about this?” “What thoughts do you have toward my husband who’s always late, or my kids who back talk?”
Psalms 3:1-4 (1/11/18)
January 11, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* Our number one need as a human is security - “who can I trust?” * If we find our “ultimate” security in anything but God then when they fail us our world will fall apart. * This Psalm is David’s journal when Absalom rose up against him. * During this time he found security in God. * This is how David was a man after God’s own heart and how he never lost his faith.