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One word that distinguishes those who live life by design and not from crisis to crisis is: Consistency Are you consistent in the way you operate in life? Are your relationships/emotions consistent? Is your prayer life consistent? Is your spending (financial) habit consistent? Is your service in church consistent? Is your sharing of the word consistent? Is your feeding on the word consistent? If you find that your life is one big graph of peaks and troughs, its time to stop, reflect and rectify. It is important and beneficial that our lives are consistent when it comes to our core values. We should have a median plateau that does not fluctuate too far from the mean. An important part of consistency is to “not forget” even when things are going extremely well or extremely bad. Do not forget who you are, whose you are, where you came from and where you are going. Deut 6:10-12 (Paraphrased a little to make it more personal) "When the Lord your God brings you into that place of rest, when he gives you those very things that He has promised; when he flourishes the works of your hands and your houses are filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide for yourself and blessed with things your hands did not perform - then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord, who performed such great things in your life......" Deut 8:10-14 (Paraphrased a little to make it more personal) "When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good He has done for you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, Failing to observe his commands and precepts. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God who brought you out and into the wealthy place." Deut 8:18 "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth...." So the main themes are: 1. Do not forget 2. Be watchful and deliberate in your attempts to remain humble before God 3. Do not be satisfied with just the blessings from God’s hands but seek intimacy with God. Exalt Him above every blessing and praise. 4. Be consistent in your relationship with God before, during and after your marriage. Summary and Tips:
Remain in a position of prayer, praise and submission. Make prayer, fasting and studying the word a lifestyle and not a one time event or sporadic occurrence precipitated by needs or wants As God blesses us, the danger is to forget or grow comfortable. But the most excellent way is to be constant and consistent with God. To have memorial stones that, constantly remind us of God's goodness and mercy. We must remember that we must also be shown to be faithful and dependable to a God who is faithful and dependable to us. 7 bible study tips Why Pray? Help to Pray
This This teaching goes hand in hand with the teaching: The Disciplined Life
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