Mousetrap #4 -- Guilt -- 022311

Tonight we finished our mousetrap series, things that stop us from pursuing God and the destiny he has for us. Tonight we talked about guilt being a mouse trap. There are two types of guilt: objective and subjective.

Objective guilt is the state of being guilty for breaking a law, either man's law or God's law. It doesn't necessarily mean we will feel guilty about breaking the law, but we still are in a state of guilt, thus a need for punishment. Hebrews 10:22 tells us that in order to deal with this guilt we must go to God, be sincere, have faith in God's love and forgiveness, and be cleansed because of our repentance. This type of guilt leads us to repentance, forgiveness, freedom, and connection with others and God. At times we also have to make amends to those we have hurt. This guilt is good because it causes us to see that we have done wrong, see that we need forgiveness, rpeent from the bad we have done,a nd be restored to a position of innocence and freedom.

Subjective guilt is the feeling of guilt caused by us causing something bad to happen or even when we feel guilt over something we think is our fault but isn't. Thigns we have done wrong in the past that have hurt others or ourselves (like lying, cheating, backstabbing, lusting, etc...) should be taken care of first of all like we deal with objective guilt (repentance and making amends). But if you still ahve those feelings after you have repented and made amends it is time to be reminded that what God has forgiven has been forgiven, and now it is just our enemy trying to make us feel condemned for something God has condemmed. Check it out in Romans 8:1-2. There are also times when we bleame ourselves or others blame us for things that weren't our fault (like divorce, rape, abuse, death of friends and family, etc...). We need to know it wasn't our fault and we can let go fo that guilt. Subjective guilt leads us into depression and disconnection. This guilt is bad because it casues us to dwell and not move on from that guilt, it causes su to run from those who could help us, and often time it doesn't show us the truth that some thigns were not even our fault.

You can be freed from guilt and purse God and the destiny he has for you. The first step is to take care of your state of guilt (repent and make amends). The next step is to realize that once you are forgiven you are no longer condemned by God, you can move on because He has. Finally, you need to realize that some things happen but they aren't your fault, other people make bad decisions and bad things happen but you aren't at fault and your feeligns of guilt won't fix the past. Be freed today!

I give tonight: B
Favorite Moment: Burping Contests

Mousetrap #3 -- Apathy -- 021611

Tonight we continued our series on mousetraps, things that keep us from pursuing God and the destiny He has for us. So far we have talked about addictions and ferocious friends. The third mousetrap is apathy. Apathy is a lack fo feeling, interest, or concern for something or someone. We can be apathetic about a lot of different things. Revelation 3:14-22 tells us that God views apathy as being lukewarm water, thus stagnant and unusable. There are two areas that we can be apathetic in that acts as a mousetrap. #1 -- Apathy toward others. We stop caring for others and their needs. Why? Sometimes we have been hurt, taken advantage of, being tired, being wrapped up in our own problems, being wrapped up in too much stuff, or even prejudice. Since we have apathy towards others we become useless to God and the plans that he has for us. #2 -- Apathy toward our relationship with God. We stop caring about our relationship with God and become satisifed with our level of righteousness. We don't care to grow closer to God or to live a holier life. Why? We get stuck in a rut with church, worship, prayer, and reading our bible, it is too difficult to make changes in certain areas, or sometimes because it is easier and safer not to change. We finished with a week long challenge of figuring out how we can break free from apathy toward others and toward your relationship with God. Do you have any good ideas?

I give tonight: B+
Favorite moment: Tacos! Corn!

Mousetrap #2 -- Ferocious Friends -- 020911

Tonight we continued our series on moustraps: things that stop usf rom pursuing God and the destiny he has for us. Tonight's trap was the trap of Ferocious friends which are friends that are friends in name only but their actions show they aren't. Here is a clearer defintion.

1. A good friend stand by you, a ferocious friend stands on you.
2. A good friend loves you unconditionally, a ferocious friend's love is based on conditions.
3. A good friend listens, a ferocious friend only talks.
4. A good friend protects and cares for your well being, a ferocious friend harms and only cares for themselves.
5. A good friend pushes you away from harm, a ferocious friend pushes you into harm.
6. A good friend confronts you when you do wrong, a ferocious friend praises you or ignores you when you do wrong.
7. A good friend gives wise advice, a ferocious friend gives bad advice that will hurt you.
8. A good friend leads you toward doing right, a ferocious friend leads you toward doing wrong.
9. A good friend pulls you up to a relationship with God, a ferocious friend pulls you down and away from a relationship with God.

Do you have ferocious friends? If so it is time to stop hanging around with them, before you find yourself not able to pursue God and the destiny He has for you.

Are you being a good friend? if not it is time to aplogize and start changing.

I give tonight: A
Favorite moment: Jesus is a Friend of Mine Video

Mousetrap #1 -- Addictions -- 020211

Tonight we started a new series called mousetrap. Over the next four weeks we are going to explore different traps that stop us from being able to pursue God and the destiny he has for us. The first of the mousetraps is addictions. An addiction is compulsive need for and use of a habit forming substance charactrized by tolerance and by well defined physicolgical symptoms upon withdrawal. There are many bad things we can get addicted to: cutting, porn, sex outside of marriage, texting, facebook, video games, drugs, alcohol, tobacco, popularity, etc...

When thinking about addiction I tend to think of fly paper traps. I was always grossed otu by them, but they appealed to the flys. Fly paper is a strip of paper that has some phermones to draw the flys to it, then it has a long lasting sticky substance on it so that when a fly touches it, it becomes stuck, then a poison so that the fly will eat it and die. Addictions act the same way. at frist the thing seems unattractive. But then we get closer and we become strangely drawn to it (through friends, looks fun, family, famous people, etc...). When we get too close and actually experience that thing we suddenly become struck and no matter how hard we struggle, on our own we can't escape. Finally our relationship with God, with others, and our destiny are swallowed up by this thing instead until we are utterly spiritual and emotionally dead because of it. The big question becomes how do we find freedom when we are trapped so that we can pursue God and our destiny again. Titus 3:3-7 tells us that it starts with turning to God for forgiveness and renewal by the Holy Spirit. So to break through an addiction we need to Look Up (to God for help and forgiveness), Look Over (to others to encourage us and become accountable to), and Run (stay away from people and places that encourage us to go back to that addiction).

I give tonight: A

Favorite Moment: The many who walked into the fly paper