Responding to Our Opportunities - Part 2

Welcome to the intact podcast child Monday, November 8 more about what you can get nice about what you can again revisit the story of the good Samaritan to find help in responding to our opportunities God's will and purpose for your life and is expressed through the opportunities that he gives us because it is his will for example, that you save in so he provides you the opportunity to be saved, it may be his will to call you in the sump area of service to you the opportunity to gives you the opportunity to go to school get educated. So all in all only go there. Many people today who in this country who would love this opportunity if somebody said I have a job for you. They love that opportunity and sometimes we sort of think that opportunity is not all that significantly there is significant because an opportunity is an occasion that is it's an occasion time in our life when we are in a position to make a decision that has a very positive impact on our life. That's why you and I need to be very discerning about being able to spot what is an opportunity what is an obstruction life.

So what I want us to look at is this is a perfect example of a choice. We have, we can act like the priest and the Levite, the real religious people and then this Samaritan who is hated by the man that was lying that they despise the child and yet he stooped that it's about to come to an end and said look at this more than you can trust me I'll pay for it now. What I want us to note in this message is this what is it that opportunities reveal about us. What is it reveal about the priest and the Levite. It reveals that they were selfish they were self-centered.

The parties were all mixed up. They went practicing what they were preaching and all in all we could go like this Samaritan. It's a different story. Just what I want you to consider very seriously our opportunities from God and the way we respond to those opportunities reveal who we are what we are really like, and when I think about that and I think about how we respond, it reveals our coverage or lack of courage to step into an opportunity when it's difficult and sometimes it is difficult. Of course the good Samaritan.

He had to have coverage or he could have said is that June.

He's about dead so be it. And besides that, if I were to stop these robbers may come back and work on me in saying that with compassion. He saw an opportunity to express love the person who is considered his enemy. He had the privilege of giving to someone who is considered his enemy and he had the privilege of taking care of him and bearing testimony to the innkeeper I found this Jew who was dying and I want you take care of them and will pay if it takes and the more all the others.

Let me know coming back. I'll pay for them because he's a man in need. Do you have the courage numbers when God offers you an opportunity, somebody in their conversation, you know about our conversation they're hurting and they're just looking for some encouragement.

Do you have the courage to speak to that person about their relationship to Jesus and how he can help them and he is the comforter and he's the one who can confidence in ways that no one else can you have the courage to do that.

Are you afraid of something somebody is going to say or how they gonna respond well. They are not very religious or you know what when you see somebody who's not very religious, so to speak, and they're hurting this Avera prom opportunity to share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ who is the healer and the comforts and the Savior and the encourager there opportunities all around you and so what happens is it reveals by my response. What I have the courage to do it or not. And sometimes we just act like cowards. Oh my goodness, what will they think it doesn't make and it was what they think when you step into an opportunity in the will of God is not your responsibility what they think or how they respond. You been obedient to God.

And that's what matters. So I think about it this way. If he provides an opportunity he's going to enable me and he's going to enable you to meet that need.

Whatever it might be, or to step into that opportunity. He's the great enable lesser the Holy Spirit is. He said he'll be in you with you in upon here so therefore whatever I face whatever opportunity comes my way. I'm not answering and meeting that opportunity alone is by the power and the presence of the Spirit of God living within his children that enables us to help people.

Whatever it might be.

And you know people say why don't I just don't know very much about the Bible. I guarantee you if it was one of your dearest friends who is lost and you love that person and you've never witnessed anybody in your life, you'd be surprised what you come up with what you could say because remember what he says in Luke.

He says the Holy Spirit will teach you in the same hour what you want to say so you can't let opportunities go by because your friend while I may say the wrong thing I've heard people say that all my life I you know what I say I say the wrong thing. Lots of times, not in the past. Of the 50 some years. I still say the wrong thing that I'll slip here and slip then on the word of you get too fast or whatever might be on Michael Miss al-Awlaki's anything else for you and I make a mistake. Also, what if you make a mistake listen out of the make a mistake and save your life than to be too proud to make and what happens is we reveal something about ourselves, we reveal the fact that we believe that God will enable us if I didn't think that I would be standing here, you would be doing the things that you do in life. If you can believe God will enable you to do it in to do it well something else it reveals is this it will reveal whether your have a servant spirit are not in Jesus that he that is greatest among you will be a servant of servant spirit is going to step into an opportunity.

Whatever the opportunity might be because of servant spirit. You and I live to serve the living God leads that all be what our spirit is we live to serve the living God servant.

How, in whatever ways in whatever opportunities he gives us. So if I step into the opportunity and do what he says that I reveal that I have a servant spirit. If I refuse to do that. What is it, reveal don't have compassion don't have real love don't have the real concern this living my own life doing my own thing own thing I'm looking out towards me myself and I and too many of God's people live that way when we of all people should be exercising our spiritual gifts as a servant, not as a controller but as a servant and many people is what they're limited to tell me what my responsibilities are but don't expect anymore. That's not to believe things it's not responsibility that motivates me is opportunities that is I can be responsible and act on the basis well that's my responsibility. Therefore, I'll do it all American have a servant spirit and did because I love somebody because I care if you began to pray Lord, make me sensitive to the opportunities that you give me and give me the courage to step in where that opportunity is in the do what you call me to do all table happen. You will be happier. You have more peace you have more sense of self-satisfaction not only wrong way but self-satisfaction while because you're doing what you doing what he's called you to give yourself away.

Don't keep yourself to yourself. He listen he saved us, not just to save others but he saved us on what to us other people would be saved other people's lives and be change if I have a discerning spirit.

If I have the ability to spot an opportunity and the day you don't have to look far at all around you. You go to work in the middle of the monument wake up tomorrow morning the middle of opportunities and that you may think will I don't have to even go beyond my home to have an opportunity right is something else. It reveals about when we take advantage of an opportunity what we do is we reveal our priorities. What are our priorities. Everybody's got him some people realize I have the but whatever you put first is your priority now.

The Levite and the priest said my priority at this point is to get home.

The Samaritan on his journey probably business his priority was to help someone who is in need of asking this is that your priority is your priority in life. At least one of them to be sensitive to people hurting and you want to help them no metal. Are you sensitive to people around you who deep down inside. Listen, some of them fill empty some of them feel caged in some of the rejected.

There's all kind of hundreds of emotions that people have and if you are a child of God walking in the spirit you have the privilege you have the spiritual gifts and enabling of the Holy Spirit to help you enable you to meet people's needs that you've never thought about before, and you could meet people's needs.

You thought well that I can do that yes you can is an interest in the God said here's the whole law in the whole law of God love him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind all your strength and then don't forget your neighbor. Love your neighbor like you love yourself when you hurting. Don't you want somebody to help you in the love you when you feel rejected. Don't you want somebody to show a little bit of acceptance.

When you feel like the world is upside down and you're on the bottom part don't you want somebody to encourage you to say look with Jesus we turn this world right back upside like it ought to be when you're in financial need. Don't you want somebody to offer you help that you haven't asked for when you need some encouragement about the fact that you have another job in a whole year that you want some encouragement. Suppose that's where you were when you want somebody to give your job to give you an opportunity what is what Jesus is saying. He said in the phrase that all of us know we are to do onto others as we would have them do unto us the opportunities are innumerable.

Every single one of us has walked by opportunity has failed to listen to opportunities and when I think about people weeping, deep down inside brokenhearted totally rejected.

Nowhere to go, nowhere to turn one simple child of God can say the right thing in the right way change their destiny you now live around and live among opportunities and when I think about the Samaritan heating: checking out the sleeveless, is he a fellow Samaritan. He didn't do any of that. There was a need in his servant spirit and his love and compassion. He took the opportunity. Forget about his journey for the time because you see it took time to bandage them up, took time to take him to the end took time to negotiate with this guy about how much it was going to cost and so forth. Took time for him to some I'm going to come back through here and when I do whatever it cost, I will repay, he saw it as an opportunity. The religious guys so as an obstruction to their plans last thing I would say is this. It really reveals for the going operate out of fear by the faith that is when an opportunity comes sometimes it may be dangerous. Sometimes it may be very difficult in my going operate out of fear by the faith, the Samaritan operated out of faith he could have said I could get robbed of in this, but he saw an opportunity and an opportunity is that God given occasion in which he wants to use you in some fashion in some way to help somebody encourage somebody give to somebody that is to make an impact in somebody else's life. Whoever it might be, so I wouldn't say you should go start counting how many opportunities that you've missed the ground and begin to think about Lord today when I walk out of here. God I want you to enable me beginning at the end of the service enable me to start recognizing the opportunities around me, give me discernment to be able to identify and encourage God to step into the room. Every time stop being a coward stop the self-centered, I cannot say I love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength serve him all the days of my life and ignore my neighbor can do it is the that's the spirit. The changes people, families, nations, why do you think holy God wrapped up everything he want to say and just those two things love me with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. That means totally and then what you love in me.

Love your neighbor think about this. Only God could have come up with the idea of putting the whole gospel in the whole message and those two things because if obey the first part I can obey the second part, the absence of my obedience to being a good neighbor is evidence that something is not right in the first part I give you something to think about right. I don't know whether you save do not, but I can tell you this, you have the opportunity right now.

Let me explain something to you quickly and simply you living in sin. If you are without Christ.

You can call it anything you want to but it's disobedience and rebellion toward God. If you die that state. You will be eternally separated from God.

No matter what somebody tells you because that is the word of God. If you willing to confess that you are a center and you willing to acknowledge that Jesus Christ death of the cross page. Your send that info and that you have the opportunity of being forgiven of all your sin no matter what, and that you have the opportunity to have the gift of eternal life, which you can never lose if you willing to trust him as your Savior, asking him for that forgiveness and accepting by faith.

Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you will take the opportunity that is presented to you at this very moment it will radically change your life. You begin to live a life that you never knew existed and when you come to face death you can face it with confidence that the Christ who rose from the dead and promised your resurrection. The Bible says absent from the body present with the Lord we skip listen, we skip being separated from God. Absent from the body present with the Lord, you have an opportunity for God to change your life right now. If you would ask him to do it and believe him on the basis of what he says you will never be the same EULA taken advantage of the greatest opportunity ever given to man because this is the opportunity that has eternal consequences and father how grateful we are that you don't just seclude us after you save us, but you tosses as it were in the midst of this world and so desperately need you. I pray the Holy Spirit will sink this message deep into our hearts so deep that we cannot forget it. A single day, but awaken each morning. Thanking you for the opportunities that lie ahead of us in the day, knowing that you will equip us to face every single one of with confidence and assurance, and the positive impact in Jesus name, amen. Even listening to part 211 responding to our opportunities.

If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministries in tax data lighting it back after the presentation and intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia