Making the Most of Opportunities

Message by:

Pastor Terry Crawford

Covenant Church

Shepherdstown, WV

3 Essentials for a Great Life

1.       GIVE MYSELF to a purpose greater than myself.

 “We believe a great COMMITMENT to the great COMMISSION and the great COMMANDMENT will grow a great CHURCH!”

2.      JOIN with great people committed to that purpose.

3. MAKE THE MOST of great opportunities.  

Ephesians 5:16 (NLT)

“Make the most of every opportunity for doing good . . .”      

  

Success is the Management of opportunity.  People, who are good at this see, sift, sense, and cease opportunity.  Skill we can learn to do.

A.     I MUST say no to good opportunities SO I CAN SAY YES TO GREAT ONES.

1 Corinthians 7:35 (NLT) 

 “I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.”             

B.     EVERY OPPORTUNITY must be evaluated.

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NCV)

“Test everything, and keep only what is good.”              

4 QUESTIONS TO ASK

·         WHAT DO I NEED to know and who knows it?

Proverbs 18:13 (LB)

“It is stupid to decide before knowing the facts!” 

Proverbs 15:22 (TEV)

“Get all the advice you can, and you’ll succeed; without it you will fail.”     

·          WHAT MIGHT BE the unintended consequences?

Proverbs 22:3 (LB) 

“A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them; a fool goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

        

There are upsides and downsides to ever decision you make. 

Expect the best (faith), plan for the worst.  Scenario planning.  Nothing wrong with planning, wise thing to do.  But you hold it with an open hand knowing that God is in control.  No plan has ever worked perfectly.  Everything on the planet is broken and imperfect.  Never let selfishness and pride guide what you do.  A great soul puts aside their personal ambition for the sake of others.

·         WHAT’S my motivation.

Philippians 2:3 (NCV) 

“Never let selfishness or pride be your guide when you do things.”              

Matthew 16:24 (NLT)

Jesus: "If you want to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and then follow me.”     

    

·         IS THIS THE BEST USE of my time and energy?

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NIV) 

“Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial, and not everything is constructive.”           

C.     OPPORTUNITIES COME when I least expect them.

Matthew 24:44 (NLT)

Jesus: “You must be ready all the time, for I will come when least expected.”      

You have to be ready.  Joseph ready. Moved from pit of despair to pinnacle of power.

2 Timothy 2:21

D.     I MUST STAY flexible to be ready.

Galatians 5:25 (NIV)

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” 

     

 Proverbs 10:5 (Mes) 

“Make hay while the sun shines.”   

Opportunities are often disguised as problems. 

Inflexibility, busyness and a lack of faith cause us to miss opportunity.

E.     EVERY OPPORTUNITY will have opposition.

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT)

“There is a WIDE-OPEN DOOR for a great work here, and many people are responding! But there are also many who oppose me.”                  

F.      GREAT OPPORTUNITIES BRING great responsibility.

Luke 12:48

“To whom much is given, much will be required, and to whom much more is given, even more will be expected from them.” 

NEXT STEPS:

1.         Today, I commit to join in the Kingdom work here at Covenant by getting involved in a ministry.

2.        Today, I commit to engage in Sunday worship for the next 7 weeks during the “Transformed” teaching series.

3.        Today, I take a step of faith and surrender my life to Jesus Christ and following him.

   

Breaking Free Week 13

Breaking Free from Stress

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Stress is allowing
the fear of failure
to rule your mind.

So how do we break free from Stress?

1. Run to Daddy.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Prayer puts life back in the right perspective.

Romans 8:14-15 (NIV)
¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Matthew 10:28 (NIV)
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell

James 4:12a (NIV)
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.

There are rewards for those who pray.

Matthew 6:6 (HCSB)
But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

2. Refuse to be God.

Romans 12:3 (NLT)
Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

3. Rest in God’s Peace

Peace and fear can’t co-exist.

John 16:33 (NIV)
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 14:27 (NIV)
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

NEXT STEPS

• Today I will go to God in prayer about areas of stress in my life.
• Today I will thank God for the good things He has given me.
• Today I decide to trust in the peace of Jesus, not in the fear of failure.

Breaking Free Week 12

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Breaking Free from Addiction

2 Peter 2:19 (NIV)
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

HOW TO B.R.E.A.K. F.R.E.E.

B - Begin today.

Proverbs 27:1 (MSG)
Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow; you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

R - Refuse to blame others.

Proverbs 19:3 (GN)
"Some people ruin themselves by their own stupid actions and they blame the Lord."

James 1:14 (NIV)
… but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

E - Examine my life.

Lamentations 3:40 (NIV)
"Let us examine our ways and test them, and return to the Lord."

Psalms 32:4-5 (LB)
"My dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration ... until I finally admitted my sins and stopped trying to hide them ... And God forgave me! All my guilt is gone!"

A - Ask Christ to take over my life.

Romans 6:12-13 (LB)
"Don't let sin control your body any longer; don't give in to its sinful desires ... But give yourself completely to God -- every part of you -- to be used for His good purposes."

K - Keep away from the temptation.

Hebrews 12:1-2b (NIV)
¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

F - Focus on something better.

Romans 8:5 (ESV)
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Philippians 4:8 -9 (NIV)
⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. ⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

R - Restore broken relationships.

Romans 12:18 (Ph)
"As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone."

E - Enlist a support group.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)
⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: ¹⁰ If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

James 5:16 (NIV)
"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."

E - Extend myself to others .

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (MSG)
All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV)
"If a person is trapped in some sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself; you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ."

1 Corinthians 10:13 (GN)
"God keeps His promise: He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to resist; at the time you are tempted He will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out."

NEXT STEPS:

• Today I will take responsibility for my addiction and ask Jesus to be Lord over all of my life.
• Today, for support, I will commit to join a Covenant Small Group or specialized group focused on my addiction.
• This week I will find a way to use what God brought me through to help others.

25 Ways to Spiritually Lead Your Family

1. Pray daily with your wife
2. Write a love letter that she'd like to receive
3. Discover her top three needs and over the next twelve months go all out to meet them
4. Buy her a rose. Take herin your arms. Hold her face gently. Look into her eyes and say. "I'd marry you all over again!"
5. Take her on a weekend getaway.
6. Read the Scriptures to her.
7. Replace the "D" word with the "C" word. D = Divorse C = Commitment
8. Court Her
9. Remain faithfull to her.
10. Fullfill your marriage covenant
11. Have a family time at least one night a week
12. Use circumstances to teach your children to trust God.
13. Protect your family from evil
14. Restrain your teenager's passion
15. Set spiritual goals for your children
16. Take your children on mission trips
17. Catch your kids doing something right
18. Date your daughters
19. Do a proverbs breakfast Bible study with your teens
20. Hug and kiss your children
21. Ask your children for forgivenness when you fail them
22. Inspect what you expect
23. Pray with them
24. Call them to a spiritual mission to do what God wants to do with their lives
25. Persevere and don't quit.

BREAKING FREE Week 11

Freedom From Busyness

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Luke 10:38-42 ESV
³⁸  Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.  ³⁹  And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching.  ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”  ⁴¹   But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things,  ⁴²   but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Hurts Caused by Busyness

1. Resentment

   
   Luke 10:40 ESV
   But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 




2. Reversed Results

   
   Luke 10:41 ESV
   But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 




3. Relational Damage

   
   Luke 10:41-42 ESV
   ⁴¹     But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴²    but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”




4. Regrets

   
   Luke 10:42 ESV
    but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Busyness is not our business.

Jesus said our business is found in the…

1. Great Kingdom

   
   Matthew 6:33 NIV
   But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.




2. Great Commandment

   
   Matthew 22:36-40 NIV
   “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”




3. Great Commission

   
   Matthew 28:19-20 NIV
   Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

How do I break the habit of busyness?

• Remind yourself of God’s position and promises daily.
• Reestablish your values.
• Refuse to say yes to everything.
• Request help from others.
• Rely on God’s power in your life.

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.  "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS.  "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Next Steps:

1. This week I will take time to sit at Jesus’ feet by reading my bible in a quiet place
2. This week I will write down what I currently value and go to God with the results.
3. This week if I am overwhelmed, I will ask for help from my friends, family or church.

BREAKING FREE Week 10

BREAK FREE FROM BITTERNESS

Pastor Dr. Jackson Wambua
Deliverance Church Kakamega, Kenya
Hebrews 12:15 NIV
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

1. WHAT IS BITTERNESS?

Bitterness is hurt, anger, hostility, indignation, animosity, venom, acrimony, ill feelings, ill will, bad blood, resentfulness or harshness.


THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BITTERNESS
1. Bitterness follows unwanted experiences - failures, disappointment, setbacks, that are perceived to be beyond one's control.
2. Bitterness is the result of a perceived right that has been violated.
3. Bitterness cause emotional, physical and spiritual bondage.
4. Bitterness affects not only us will contaminate all our relationships.


OVERCOMING BITTERNESS
*Steps for healing the hurt that won't go away.
1. Stop dwelling and retelling.
2. Seek grace.
3. What if our bitterness is toward God?
4. Forgive.
1. Forgiveness is a characteristic of our identity in Christ.
2. Forgiveness is more than an outward behavior.
3. Forgiveness is a deliberate decision to cancel the debt owed.
* The process of forgiveness includes (Five things).
1. Acknowledge the offense to God
2. Express to God how it made you feel
3. Express to God your decision to cancel the debt
4. Accepting the person just the way they are
5. Being willing to risk being hurt again
4. Forgiveness requires our trust in God's character.

BREAKING FREE Week 9

Message by:
Pastor Terry Crawford
Covenant Church
Shepherdstown, WV

Breaking Free of Procrastination

There are serious negative costs to procrastination.

7 Ideas to help O.R.G.A.N.I.Z. if untrained in time management.

• Organize your to-do list by importance.
• Remove distractions.
• Give yourself time limits.
• Award yourself when big task is completed.
• Never do exciting tasks first. Save for last.
• Itemize big tasks to break down into bite size.
• Zoom in on a single Task instead of multi task.

Fear, rebellion and selfishness / laziness are the core heart issues found in procrastination.

1 John 4:18 NIV
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Psalm 56:3-4 NIV
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

Proverbs 17:11 NIV
Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them.

Romans 13:1-2 NIV
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

Proverbs 21:25 NIV
The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

Colossians 3:23 NIV
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,

Identify your problem.

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Decide to care for others first.

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Elicit accountability

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NIV
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.

Aspire to live in today.

Matthew 5:23-25 NIV
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

Ephesians 4:26-27 NIV
“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21, 6:2 NIV
 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God... For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Next Steps:

Today I commit to…

• Get alone with God and ask Him to search my heart for any procrastination issue.
• Settle matters quickly.
• Ask Christ to be the Lord over my life.