The Pursuit of God

It is Dr. Tony Evans is confessing our sin is the first step to drawing closer to God. When you deal with sin.

God will be free to you as you return celebrating. This is the alternative Dr. Tony Abbott, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oakland Bible Fellowship Dallas, Texas, president of the urban alternative. The Declaration of Independence talks about the right to life liberty and The Pursuit of Happyness, but pursuing something is no guarantee will find it today. Dr. Evans comments on how to make our pursuit of God more successful. Let's turn to James chapter 4 as we join him must do to remove ourselves from this of this world number one verse seven God.

Resist the devil and will flee from you, not to be a wildly Christian to some, the God of the military term meant to get out in your proper ranking meant to surrender your self to your legitimate already in the proper word submit is used throughout the Bible questions.

For example, are told to submit the government that is to submit to place themselves on the government to agree that the government is legitimate and requiring legitimate things in life is told to submit to the degree that he has submitted himself to be of Christ. Children are told to submit to parents as long as the parent not requiring all written rebellion against God chose to do with alignment realigning your life under God what he called a Christian to submit saying to your cell God. The first thing you may need without causing them alignment. All of us here have had alignments in our cars.

When I alignment you don't always see you don't always feel it. But 1 Sure Way to know your name and alignment of your front tires checked because when they check your front tire back and look at the Empire. The distribution of the wearing of the red to determine that you do not have a problem per se alignment problem that is the cause of the even aware of the particularly on your front tires. Many of us today. I'm looking live with out land where fast with our lives unbalanced and even seeing more defeat that we victory. Many marriages are being worn down and you think you got a trap problem with there them alignment problem. Many of our personal lives are being worn down. You want to change you want to change charges you want to trade environment, but you may have a alignment problem rely on the exact meaning of the work yet. You know God, you have displaced yourself from the authority of God.

What is that mean practically it means to say on a day by day basis, not my will but thy will be done is to say, I am willing to subject my desire to your desire my dreams to your dreams.

My purposes for your purposes. My plans to your plans. My hopes you'll hold it is to abandon oneself to God. Until that happens, we will not be aligned properly to be able to do the second phase of this which is to resist the devil now you been in the world. It will be tough to realign yourself that there is no way to realign your self if you gotten aligned with the world. But if you live in this independent life and you are sure you're a believer you know you've given yourself to Jesus Christ.

But you have been out of alignment and stuff. Everyone in years experience. I think what I've certainly experienced on a cold winter day in my bed and I have a spot that's the spot that's spot you did not you did not spot and asked if I get to warm up in nice and comfortable. The alarm goes off the alarm says wanted wake up but that's that's spot you have gotten so adjusted to that spot that you're comfortable in your all covered up and you don't want to interrupt you with that spot. You may not want to get up but Jack didn't really get up if that the reason for Stan to stay good for the moment, but the price tag for living. There is the loss of the things that make life possible to get out and remove ourselves from the wall of the world, we will look great, because of the temporary satisfaction of the lesser what he calls us to to our decision to leave the world and come under the ranking of God know God will help you God will empower you to make the decision, but what God will not do is to make the decision for you.

So to submit to God is a conscious decision to stand against the world again to submit to God is a conscious decision to stand against that this world order that leaves God out. No longer will have dominating influence over my life anymore. You must decide that as a believer in Jesus Christ. God will help you do it, but he will not make the decision to do it for you. One of the things we need to know about the devil if he is not invincible textbook the death of Jesus Christ.

All that he has been rendered in Hebrews 2 says powerless. So now you must whip you by deception because he no longer can whip you by power one show, Jesus Christ the devil can no longer make you do anything he can trick you into doing it. Taken to want to do it, but as a believer in Jesus Christ.

He can no longer make you do anything so that's why you cannot blame the devil what you do. Secondly, dear to God drawing near, has to do with increasing intimacy. It has to do with snuggling up close to it means if you're going to be the world and become a vibrant, strong Christian, you cannot have a long distance relationship with God you cannot be a part-time Christian you you cannot be a slow Sunday morning only say this not be a lifestyle occupation. It must be an orientation whereby you draw the apostle John's word for drawing near, was to abide, close to the closer you get to God the more God rubs off on like a hot sun along the sun, the more the sun on you when you sweat and make the sun make you sweat. You just have to be close to it for you for said dry say well what me what I have to do the drawing. Because I never think clear your hands, you sinners, purify your hearts, you double minded. You cannot draw media without dealing seriously with sin is sin that keeps us at a distance. Don driven church people who think Christian shouldn't be judging each other may have missed the point. More on that when he continues her message in a moment. Stay with us as we prepared to step into a new year ministry the mission of the urban alternative has not changed and no matter what, 20, 22, brings Dr. Evans in the urban alternative want to be here for you and others to continue to spread God's life transforming word today with the hearing get the hearing challenge amount helping continue this very important mission. Can you hear evidence that want to get today to Evans.org the message you been hearing today as part of our year-end audio compilation called the best of Tony Evans, 20, 21 contains 20 of Tony's most requested lessons from this year covering the importance of prophecy, our need for spiritual armor how to find freedom from anxiety and much more in here the end of 20, 21 were bundling these powerful audio messages along with a special selection of bonus books and devotionals.

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Humble yourself before God. Verse 10 yourself in the presence of the Lord and he will exalt you.

Here is another great promise if you submit will be able to resist. If you draw me off. He will draw near to you. If you humble yourself under him bring back the concept of submission will you well see some of the problems we been too busy looking ourselves up and if you don't lift yourself up. Why was God doing nothing.

You good enough to get you mean to humble yourself.

It means to remove all fragments of pride. It is to remove all fragments of pride in the Bible. Great men of God were taken out were always taken down first. Joseph was taken down. Egypt put in jail and then he became king of Egypt. Moses was put out in the wilderness, and then he became leader of Israel on David Haggai. Now with the sheets before he could became they had a have experienced down before God could trust him to lift them up the greatest Bible teacher in the Bible. Paul the apostle had to spend three years in the desert before God for God would lift them up if you want God to raise you up in usefulness raise you up, empower Ray and victory Ray pinstripe don't know why because is not room for two God's universe as well. See if you can raise yourself up and don't be gone all by yourself. But if you can't raise yourself up and you are in desperate need of God to what you do is you go you go, love mercy, using please mercy you say please you humble yourself is no place for gifts when sinful man approach a holy God and click on the it's come near please Mr. Welch. There must be if God is going to raise you up that be the occasional prize.

God always starts going down say that's very give me some I can put my teeth into a new you will ask the question is why Roberson 711. Do not speak against one another brother and he thought the Christians who speaks against brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but your judge of the loss. There is only one lawgiver and judge the one with able to save and destroy, but who are you to judge me. Is that okay let me give you an illustration of what humility means you will always discover humility in how you talk, especially how you talk about somebody else. He says because one of the ways we play God is without one of the ways we act like we think we God is without talk, because he says we use tongs to destroy one another.

She read the sin of slander as an illustration of this point I'm related to what's gone before you humble yourself and how you because instead of having a malicious town that drags people because you have already gone down, and recognize the grace of God you hope you know you want to drag the people… Thanks John no longer him out when God says you can even draw on your own if you want to sit in your life you have, not the big talk about live tear down another person's reputation is on non-construct the way to clarify something very quickly.

The Bible says you are to deal with since the Bible says in Titus 310 that we are to deal with since first repeat five went to confront brothers were sitting slander slander if talking to everybody else but the brother slander send John Doe is messed up and John Doe number gets to hear from you that you love them enough and Not try to help them out of the myth I want 300 other people know the John Doe was going to the dogs.

So the John Doe will look bad in front of the people you think well, people still do it and I don't see the big deal. Well, now you broke the law because the law that you love your God with all your heart, my Microsoft and love your neighbor as yourself.

That's what the law summed up into a black hole 10 Commandments are really commandments of love, no other God means love to be fickle. It must be single-minded commandment number two no idols.

That means love must be loyal in its practice commandment number three.

Do not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Love must be respectful and not you think the way commandment number four. Remember the Sabbath keeping holy means love must be devoted with this effective commandment number five. Honor your father and mother love must be submitted to the gym and the parties commandment number six you shall not means love should now do other people and not try to love is to be pure and not not not not not not not topic what you have 10 minutes of stated in a negative way the Bible is very quickly to Matthew chapter 7. This gives you the proper balance about judging people because you heard people say well Bible don't judge. Well, not quite. Do not judge, lest you be judged.

For in the way you judge, you will be judged, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you and why do you look at the speck that is in your brother die but do not notice the law that is in your own you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your and behold the law, you hypocrite, first take the log out of your own and you will see clearly to take this out of your brother's eye. The Bible is not. Don't judge, it is watch how you judge missing because you judge will be the basis of how you will be just and while they may need to be corrected along which we should do what they should be condemned for wrong but judging always to build up and they should be with the law removed from your life because of you have a tree trunk sitting outside your optics. There is no way you can see us back in somebody else's so fix you first before you judge because when you judge it will be measured to you know what the problem wrong judgment futility verse 12. There is only one lawgiver judge and one with able to kill and keep alive and who are you judge a light neighbor not worth that only one God and you 90 you're not. He is dealing with righteous judgment, biblical judgment, clear judgment, judgment that is why the Bible says taking evil thinking friends lest he falls you safe at what John God says watching watching because don't you know that's a possibility, and you to when you understand it could be you, you humble yourself, you say stone wall still said to be corrected by Lord in the Bible stories told by way of application of two Jews went to the temple furnace.

He said I thank you. I'm not like other men, Luke 18. Thank you. I'm not immoral. Thank you that I'm not a fee.

Thank you that I'm not like the dogs out there. Thank you everybody else in the public if the thief came in and beat his chest. The Bible/set all God said that all of those things I tell you what, that it will probably give one away just say when awake and all things will be brought, but the mantle well don't allow but hear what you say said women past, I haven't drawn me. I haven't submitted not been a little bit too proud if it too late. We know in football, they have have to know what to do have to you go in and get things straight. You find out what's been causing you to lose and you readjust a strategy. Guess what, no matter how many points the other team escort and have to you can always come out. I have, hope you know what does it mean at least that many points can be scored 115 scored 72 points in the first half, you can still come. I would hope we can leave 72 points can be scored and what is now your turn score the home team a Abuja because the other team got up about have to at half time you listen to the crowd. The coach about what Elsa said about you coaches saying let's go back out on the field Wednesday. Jesus Christ is calling you to the second-half secondhand enough of this world. Dr. Tony Evan encouraging us to choose the team were committed to. As we pursue God the listen you been hearing today is part of Tony's latest audio compilation the best of Tony Evans, 20, 21, as I mentioned earlier, this giant collection is available for only a short time longer is our gift to help support Tony's ministry with a generous urine contribution. In addition to the 20 audio messages when you contact us right away will also include a special bonus choose from the powerful kingdom and rising devotional made by God book for children or Tony's newest release kingdom race theology. Just visit Tony Evans.org today to get the details and make the arrangements or call our resource Center at 1-800-800-3222 were team members are ready to help you day and night.

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We typically get to choose how fast we want to deliver Dr. Evan says that isn't the case. When we pray sure to join us as he explores the wisdom behind that tomorrow the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by the celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you