Life Full of Blessing

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A LIFE FULL OF BLESSING

Table of Contents

Lesson Title Page

- Contents i- Introduction ii

1 Gods Promise of AbundantLife

1

2 Money: Servant or Master 9

3 Freedom from the Pressuresof Time and Money

19

4 Healthy in the Lord 28

5 Finding Happiness in Life 38

6 The Manifestation of theFruit of the Spirit in your

Life

45

7 Enjoyment of GodsBlessings is a gift from God

52

- The Answer Key 59

Introduction

Welcome to the new POP class: A Life Full of Blessing.

Welcome to those who have already completed the first year of classes: YOU ARESAVED, YOU ARE CHANGED and YOU ARE BEARING FRUIT.

You have already receivedeternal salvation, your life is already changed, and you arealready beginning to bearfruit in your ministry.

Now is the time for you to experience the true blessings of God, not only material

blessings, but also the blessings of physical health, mental health and spiritual blessingsin the form of the fruit of the Spirit.

All of these can be obtained through this class A Life Full of Blessing.

I believe right now you are an iCare Leader (respectfully called GSP) or an iCare

Supervisor (respectfully called GW) who already leads an iCare Group (respectfullycalled PUKAT cell) or you may even be leading several cell groups.

And now you have entered this important stage of continuing your spiritual growth.When you have finished this class, you will be prepared to shepherd a Satellite Church or

lead a Faith Building Class.


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Although this class was planned to prepare you to become a Satellite Pastor (see thediagram below), this class does not exclude those who wish to continue their spiritual

growth but are not yet prepared to become a full time Satellite Pastor.

Enjoy the blessings of God!

I Grow Curriculum

iGrow.1 iGrow.2 iGrow.3

Be Certain Be Filled Be Successful

B.1 (Believer.1)

You Are Saved

B.2 (Believer.2)

A Life Full of Blessing

B.3 (Believer.3)

Success in the Family

D.1 (Disciple.1)

You Are Changed

D.2 (Disciple.2)

A Life Full of Love

D.3 (Disciple.3)

Success in the Marketplace

L.1 (Leader.1)You Are Bearing Fruit

L.2 (Leader.2)A Life Full of Wisdom

L.3 (Leader.3)Success in the Ministry

iCare Leader Satellite Pastor Senior Pastor/Elders


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A Life Full of Blessing

Lesson 1 Gods Promise of Abundant Life

A. Opening

We will finish this class: A Life Full of Blessing in 7 weeks and we will study 7 lessons

concerning the Lords blessings, such as:

Students Version 1 Gods Promise of Abundant Life


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Learning Objectives

The objectives we wish to reach in lesson

one are:

1. To know the types of blessings the Lord has prepared for us2. To Understand the Lords intent in blessing us3. To find the secret key to obtaining abundant life



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Allowing Anything for the Sake of a Blessing

This story teaches us a lesson. Perhaps we still do similar things in order to achieve a blessing

the Lord has already promised us. We do things that are not praise worthy. We often try to

help the Lord fulfill His promises. We often justify wrong behavior, because through those

behaviors we want to obtain a blessing. Blessing has become the objective of our life, so that

our behaviors often allow for anything in order to achieve a spiritual blessing.

It is true that the Lord promises to bless us, even to bless us with abundance. (John 10: 10).

But that doesnt mean we can do anything at all to achieve those blessings. In the Lords timeHe will fulfill His blessings as we are faithful and trust in Him.

We are often deceitful like Jacob. He deceived his father in order to achieve a blessing the

Lord had already promised (Genesis 27: 1-40).

All the Lords promises to bless us have conditions, such as: we must listen to the voice of

God and obey Him faithfully (Deuteronomy 28: 1-14).



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B. Just what are the Lords blessings?

The promise of God for abundantlife is a complete blessing which

includes blessings for our spirit, soul

and body (John 10: 10; Romans 8:

32; 2 Corinthians 9:8).

1. The Bible is filled with Gods

promises; thats why it is called the Old Testament and the New Testament.

2. Basically, since the beginning of human history, God is happy to bless (Genesis 1: 28,

Numbers 6: 23-27). Even Jesus was sent by God the Father to bless us (Acts 3: 26, Mark

10: 16, Luke 24: 50).

3. Every promise of God to bless us can now be fulfilled because Jesus nailed every curse

to the cross. Jesus suffered and died, was poor and insulted so that we could live, be

happy, and receive honor and wealth.

4. God desires for every person to obtain the following things in his life, each in

accordance with the appropriate stage of life, beginning with salvation, spiritual gifts,

happiness, physical health and material blessings.

.

Financial blessings are the lowest level of blessing from God to His children, but generally

the most sought after and prioritized by believers. The Lord does promise to bless usmaterially. He is the source of everything and we are His children who have a right to all of

that inheritance.

This promise of blessing from the Lord to Abraham (Genesis 12: 1-3) is still valid for us as

the spiritual descendants of Israel.

Jesus already became poor and suffered humiliation upon the cross so that we can be wealthy

and glorified (Genesis 12: 1-3; 26: 12-13; Numbers 8: 18; 28: 3-5, 8, 12; Psalms 24: 1; 50:

12; Philippians 4: 19).

or (physical)

The Lord Jesus died on the cross not only to save us; the cross also means that everything He

bore, we dont have to bear again. He paid the price for all our sicknesses and diseases by His

stripes (1 Peter 2: 24; Jeremiah 30: 17; Isaiah 53: 5).

He is Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals (Exodus 15: 26; Psalms 103: 3; Matthew 9: 35).

The Lord Jesus, as the founder of the Christian faith, is the most famous and successful healer

among all other religious founders in the world.

The promise of good health is the next blessing which the Lord prepared for believers;

because of that we should not be sick.

We know that the blessing of health is more important than financial blessing, because no one

wants to be wealthy but sick. Even non- believers agree with this.



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(mental)

Many believers still think that the longing of the Lords heart towards mankind is only for

eternal salvation.

His purpose, which is the most important thing in this life, is eternal salvation. Other things

are not important.

Some people even believe that to follow Jesus we must suffer. No, we must bear our cross

(Matthew 10: 38; 16: 24; Mark 8: 34; Luke 9: 23; 14: 27).

In reality the Lord has prepared complete and perfect blessings for us.He also wants us to be happy in this life (Deut. 28; Jer.30: 19; Psalms 1: 1-3; 16: 11; 25: 13;

28: 9; 97: 11; 3 John 1:2).

Happiness pertains to the soul. It is different from wealth and health, but is still

physical/external.

Wealth and health without happiness can not be called a life full of blessing. Happiness is a

higher level of blessing than wealth and health.

and the (spiritual)

If we receive all the above blessings, we still need to ask for a higher level of blessing, that is:

spiritual gifts and spiritual fruit.For every believer, the Lord has prepared various types of spiritual gifts as we studied in the

final lesson of the class You Are Changed (Romans 12: 6-8; 1 Cor. 13, 14).

This blessing is given by the Lord to all His servants for the sake of ministry.

(the spirit)

Above everything, the most valuable blessing is the gift of eternal salvation. The Lord truly

desires that not one person remain unsaved. (John 3: 16; 1 Tim. 2: 3-4; Ezekiel 18: 23;

Psalms 35: 27).

Salvation is the blessing with the highest value. Other blessings are for worldly matters and

are temporary, while salvation refers to eternity.

And the cost paid by Jesus was extremely high, His own blood.



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C. Gods Purpose in blessing our lives

We must see Gods blessings as .

This means one part of the harvest is for us to return to the ground and one part is for us to eat

(2 Cor. 9: 10).

Like a farmer at harvest, first of all we must set aside a portion as seed.If the farmer doesnt plant the seeds, then he will not reap anything in the next harvest

season.

The Lord blesses us with the following objectives:

1. To meet our .

He is a God who provides (Jehovah Jireh). The Lord prepares bread to be eaten every day by

all His children.

(Gen. 22: 8, 14; Exodus 16: 4-5; Psalms 23: 5; 46: 2; Prov. 2: 7; Isaiah 25: 6; 26: 12; Luke

24: 50-51; 2 Cor. 9: 8-10; Phil. 4: 19).

2. To to others.

The Lord blesses us so that we can provide for others. As believers we must become a

channel of blessing to our surroundings. Once again, the meaning of blessing here has a

wider meaning, not only material blessings.

In other words, blessings are also given by the Lord with the intent to be used as seed to be

sown. In this case, we will never lack. As long as we sew, we will reap.

(Additional references: Gen. 12: 1-3; Isaiah 34: 26; 1 Tim. 5: 16; Gal. 2:10; 2 Cor. 8: 14;

Matt. 19: 21; 25: 45; Acts 2: 45; 4: 34-35; 11: 29; Gal. 6: 10; Eph. 4: 28b).

3. To glorify the Lord/ .

Every believer is required to share the Gospel.

There are those who prepare themselves completely and take the time to fulfill this great

work. But most believers, especially those who are blessed in their daily work, need to

support the work of missions with their finances. Without the financial support of believers

the work of missions will not achieve optimum success.(References include: Gen. 35: 21; Lev. 18: 21; Prov. 3: 9-10; 1 Cor. 9: 13-14; 16: 1; Phil. 4:

18; 2 Cor. 8: 9; Titus 3: 13).



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D. THE KEYS TO ACHIEVING ABUNDANT LIFE

How do we obtain these promises?

1. Through and .

We must obey the Lords voice and be faithful to do all that He commands.

If we are thirsty for Gods Word, then we will grow in knowledge and truth and true freedom,

so that we become not only hearers but doers of Gods Word (Deut. 28; Joshua 23: 11; 24:

15; Psalms 1: 2-3; John 8: 32; James 1: 22-25).

2. .

If we want to reap, then we must sow first. What we harvest and how much we harvestdepends on what we sow and how much we sow.

Some types of sowing are giving/offerings; but in a wider sense sowing can mean anything.

For example, if we help others in a difficulty, then we will reap the help of others when we

experience a need.

The more we sow good works, the more we obtain kindness. The opposite can also happen. If

we often discourage others, then we also will experience hurt.

The place where we sow also determines the size of our harvest. If the place which we bless

is laden with fruit, then we also will harvest a lot, 30, 60 or 100 times as much.

For that reason, sowing doesnt have to take place or doesnt always take place in lack, but

can also take place in abundance (Psalms 126: 5; 1 Cor. 9: 11; 2 Cor. 9: 6; Gal. 6: 7-10; Mark

4: 20). Sow in a balanced way.

3. Through and effort

Faith without works is dead. Just working hard is also not good, because that means we are

relying on our own strength. The Lord said accursed are they. On the other hand, believers

who are lazy clearly do not receive blessings in their life.

(Ecc. 9: 10; Prov. 6: 6; 10: 4; 12: 9, 27; 13: 4; 21: 5; Isaiah 26: 12; Phil. 2: 12; James 2: 20).



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E. CLOSING

Abraham is a model of someone who received all the promises of the Lords blessing in his

life abundantly: spiritually, mentally, and physically. So did Isaac, Joseph, David, Solomon,

Daniel, and Job.

Several characteristics of these people were: obedience, they liked to sow, they had faith and

were diligent.If you have not yet experienced all the promised blessings of the Lord like those named

above, then you need to make the following commitments and then we will pray together for

you.

I long for the promise of abundant life to be fulfilled in my life.

1. Which promise of blessing has not yet been fulfilled in your life?

2. Are you already obedient to the voice of the Lord and faithful to do all He

commands?

3. Do you already sow with the right motivation?

4. Are you sowing in the right place?

5. Do you have faith and rely on the Lord?

6. Are you already working hard?

We would like to pray for you if you answered not yet to any of the above

questions.

Lets pray.



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Lesson 2 MONEY : MASTER OR SERVANT ?

A. OPENING

Today we will study something that makes most people very happy: MONEY!

Before we begin discussing the material for today, we need to first understand the objectives

of our lesson.

Todays lesson objectives are:

To learn Biblical teachings on finances.

To recognize the problems associated with finances.

To learn how to apply the correct financial principles.

Students Version Money : Master or Servant9


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Allowing Every Method

This story illustrates how someone who loves money can run amok and be capable of

sacrificing everything for money.

Throughout his whole life Robert was under the power of money and he became a servant to

that money.

Doesnt the Lord provide financially for our needs? We should be the master, not money.If money is our master, then we will use any means to amass money, becoming in practice a

worldly person.

Is there anyone who doesnt like money or doesnt need money? There is a huge difference

between liking and needing. Do you know the difference? Lets search out the answer

together in the following materials.



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B. The Biblical Basis for Finances

Who in this world doesnt need money?

But we need to know the correct ways to handle money and its functions.

Money is .

This means money is only a tool which can be used by people to gain something. The money

itself is not evil, but peoples attitudes towards it can make something natural/normal into

something desirable or even evil.

The Lord is in financial matters

The Lord we know is not only interested in arranging spiritual matters. The Lord also is very

interested in discussing financial matters as our Bible reflects. The word money in theIndonesian Bible Foundations translation of the Bible was used 148 times. Currency from

other centuries is also represented as many as 691 times: 140 verses concern property, gold is

mentioned in 418 verses, silver in 273 verses, wealth in 75 verses, riches in 94 verses, and

that doesnt include all the times money is mentioned in relation to other material forms.

Wealth and property are not taboo subjects in the Bible. Take for example Abraham in

Genesis 13: 2 all his wealth did not determine his life in this world, but his wealth was

indentified as a helper to support the life of its owner. Such is the strength of propertys or

moneys influence on man that the Lord must give warnings to mankind not to fall into the

snare of the devil. Satan would snare mankind unto death.

Money is not the same as .

The word Mammon when translated as money is not correct. Mammon is actually an evil

spiritual strength which controls people and enslaves them through money. (Derek Prince

Gods Plan for your Money).

Matthew 6: 19-24:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where

thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth

nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there

will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your

whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be gull ofdarkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one



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can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to

one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Jesus said that when we love this demonic strength (mammon), we hate God. This is a very

serious issue in the life of every believer.

for the Future

Obtaining strength for the future is also a factor which causes people to chase after moneyand forget other things. They think having money means the things they dont have can be

bought with this money. We know that is not actually correct. Many people, including

believers, work hard their whole life to accumulate wealth upon wealth, because they are

afraid of suffering in their old age. This type of suffering is identified as poverty.

Many things are than money

Matthew 6: 33

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to

you.

The Lord Jesus teaches we should not chase after and idolize things such as mammon.Rather, we should continue to serve God and prioritize His Kingdom and His Truth. God will

surely arrange things so that all our material and financial needs are added to us.

Many lustful people chase after wealth and surrender all their time to it. However, they only

gain complete disappointment. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a

snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. (1

Timothy 6: 9)

But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. (1

Timothy 6: 6)

theology versus the theology of bearing your cross

There is a lack of understanding among Gods children concerning money which has been

carried to the extreme in the prosperity theology or in the extreme theology of bearing your

cross.

The prosperity theology stresses that believers may not live below the poverty level. Every

reason for living in poverty is rejected without being thought through.

While the theology of bearing the cross stresses that believers must always bear the cross, so

that the less spiritual or the unsanctified can become rich. Wasnt Jesus Himself poor? As

servants of the Lord it is not appropriate to live a life of prosperity while the congregation is

still lacking.

We need to find the truth in these two extremes. The Bible clearly says the root of every evilis the LOVE OF MONEY. Its not money itself which becomes the problem in our life!

On one hand, we know that the promises of God are abundant promises not stingy promises;

this means it is valid to experience prosperity in our life.

On the other hand, prosperity, especially material prosperity, is not everything and is not the

most important thing in our life. From time to time in periods of our life, the Lord can allow

us an apprehensive life. For certain people, and for certain reasons, the Lord even allows

them to experience just barely enough to live on. We can also experience poverty because of

our own mistakes.

Another possibility why some people experience poverty is because of attacks of the devil or

as a result of gluttonous locusts.



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C. MONEY AND ITS PROBLEMS

a. wanting to get rich quick

For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered

away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang. (1 Timothy 6: 10)

Paul also gave the advice to distance yourself from greed and calls this person an idolater

in Colossians 3: 5 which says; Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead

to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

b. .

Its true that with property/money, someone can do more things than if they were completely

broke. But strength of this type can cause an individual to become proud or fleshly.

Ezekiel 28: 5 says this:

By your great wisdom, by your trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted

up because of your riches.

If someone is controlled by property, then one of the fleshly fruits which will be harvested is

arrogance. Pride has far reaching consequences as shown in Gods Word in Proverbs 18: 23

which states, The poor man utters supplications, but the rich man answers roughly.

Tell those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on theuncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.

c. .

Many people ask: Is borrowing in the Bible or allowed by the Lord? Before we form a

conclusion concerning the answer to that question, lets read Gods promise to His people:

Deuteronomy 15: 6

For the Lord your God shall bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many

nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule

over you. Deuteronomy 28: 12 also says the same thing. We can take wisdom from Godspromise to us that we will be blessed and will lend.



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So, basically we should not borrow. If we do borrow thats an indication that the promise of

Gods Word mentioned above has not yet been fulfilled.

Proverbs 22: 7 states, The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lenders

slave.

The Bible does not encourage people to borrow. But, the Christian is also not forbidden to

borrow. In reality, we can understand the consequence mentioned in Proverbs 22: 7. Manypeople become slaves (they dont have their freedom) to the person who lends to them.

This result of borrowing is negative not positive. Is it possible to have success in your efforts

without borrowing? The worlds understanding is that in big business you must borrow from

the bank or wealthy people. Satan is often successful in causing people to chase after success

by negative means, such as wanting to get rich quick. This attitude of covetousness and

dependence will become an individuals strength. As a result, many of Gods children are

disappointed when the debt can not be paid, their business fails, their household is a mess and

finally, they are far from the Lord. If someone really walks in the system the Lord has given,

then its not impossible for them to experience prosperity in the true sense as the Lord

wishes, not what man often wants or dreams.

d. .

Every child of God needs divine wisdom to manage the blessings God has entrusted to him.

Two extremes of financial management which lack wisdom are becoming a person who is

royal or extremely stingy.

The story about the youngest son who wasted his money is a good example of the use of

money without wisdom. However, there are people who think the opposite and we see in

Proverbs 11: 24 There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, and there is one who

withholds what is justly due, but it results only in want.

We must be aware that all blessings come to us from above and its not something which we

can manage correctly without help from the Lord.

e. ,

Our understanding of money influences our attitude towards money. Some errors in

understanding money according to Ray Linder are:

1. Money is .

The world tries to draw a relationship between success and money. The result is labeling

(assigning a label/seal) to certain groups by name: upper class and lower class; the rich and

the poor, etc. This creates a wall which limits people in understanding each other. It even

creates poisonous hostility.

2. Money is .

In nations where the level of corruption is high, the law can be bought with money. Guilty

people can go free, and even people who arent guilty can be punished because of money.

3. Money Buys .



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Theres a proverb that says if you have money you are my beloved brother, if you dont

have money, go away. Its no secret that the rich can gain respect, even in the church, more

easily than the average person. This becomes a highly self-centered strength and can spur

someone to reach for even more money.

4. Money Is .

There was a presentation on TV which showed what money can do. In this film series titled:Challenges people were commanded to do things they would never have thought of (like

sitting in the middle of a busy road, bothering other people, etc.) for a price. This worldly

strategy believes that money confers the power to control others and even situations. On the

other hand, Gods Word teaches us that we obtain authority/power, not by commanding

others but by serving others.

5. Money Is .

Of course there is wisdom in setting aside a portion of your hard earned income and having

peace about future needs especially if those needs can already be anticipated early on.

In Proverbs 22: 3 King Solomon states, The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but thenave go on, and are punished for it. This is not healthy thinking, especially when money

becomes a substitute for spiritual and emotional security. True security is only found in the

Lords protection.

We should be careful about insurance; we do not trust insurance for our complete future

security. Insurance is only a protective tool created by man just like medicine or medical

science is for illness and disease. Dont allow your judgment of future security to steal your

present joy.

6 Money .

Advertisements everywhere indicate that everything can be bought with money. If we wear

good clothes or drive an expensive car, then we will be happy. Clearly, happiness and

satisfaction are things which can not be bought with money. King Solomon, although he had

everything, at the end of his life came to the conclusion that everything is worthless.

Money is not everything. However, it can be a good helper.

We read in Matthew 17 that one day Jesus went to Capernaum and arrived at the Temple.

There Jesus and his disciple Peter were charged by the tax collector to pay an entrance fee to

the Temple.

Jesus commanded Peter to go fishing and in the mouth of the fish he would catch he would

find the exact amount needed for both of them to enter the Temple.

This story confirms that Jesus has power over everything, even the appearance of money

when He needed it.



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D. How to Apply the Correct Financial Principles

a. to ReceiveLuke 6: 38 states, Give, and it will be given toyou; good measure, pressed down, shaken

together, running over, they will pour into your

lap. For by your standard of measure it will be

measured to you in return.

This principle is the basic principle for every

Christian to be blessed.

Our giving is differentiated as giving to the

Lord and then giving to others. According to

the Lord Jesus both must be in balance.

Matthew 23: 23 states, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and

dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law; justice and mercyand faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the

others.

Giving to the Lord is done as an act of worship (on Sunday or other service days) such as our

tithes, first fruits, and special offerings. Giving to others can be done at any time there is a

need.

b. what you sow

Galatians 6: 7 states, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this

he will also reap.

There are several things to pay attention to if we want to reap successfully as explained by

the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13 verses 3 through 8:

1. Sow in good soil (healthy, tilled)

2. Dont sow in rocky/hard soil

3. Sow in the right season

4. Use good seed

c. Prioritize in your Life

Proverbs 3: 9-10 states Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your

produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with newwine.

Give the best to our God. When we give with a joyful heart, then the Lord Himself will give

to us in the same way. When we give the best, God returns the best to us.

When Solomon established Gods House, he gave the best (2 Chronicles 3-5). We know what

happened next. God was impressed by Solomon and His glory descended at the consecration

ceremony. If the Lord is in everything, that includes our finances. He is faithful and just and

will bless our barns with abundance.

d. How we can whether we love money or not

We can have a lot of money and not love that money. Or we can have only a little money butlove that money very much. Our heart attitude is not tied to how much money we have. We

need to be very careful.



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1 Timothy 6: 10 states, For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by

longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

Several signs we love money:

If we feel there is never enough. Philippians 4: 11 says, Not that I speak from want; for I

have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

If we spend more time thinking about how to get a larger profit than we spend developing

strengths in our work.

If we are upset when we must give a portion of our finances to others. If we like to parade our wealth (show off our home, car, talents, etc.)

If after we have been blessed, we ignore Gods Word. Some people are even willing to sell

their faith (exchange their confidence) for the sake of money, they often lie, misuse their

position, etc.

e. Avoid a life of .

It is a normal business practice to accept credit from a bank and that means debt. In this

modern age, it is already customary for someone to take on debt in the form of credit cards,

bank loans, house mortgages and so forth.

Romans 13: 8 states, Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loveshis neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Lets not be indebted to anyone in any form whatever. We need to live and work without the

pressures of debt. The use of credit cards requires discipline in paying them off. Its not just a

few who have the wrong motives in owning a credit card. They want to be seen as cool and

modern. We must understand that those things are used by the devil to snare men into debt.

All forms of borrowing enslave us. We should be slow to become servants, because the Word

says, The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower becomes the lenders slave. (Proverbs

22: 7)

In the final age, everyone will fall under the power of the anti- Christ and everyone will be

involved in debt. Then the anti Christ will control mankind.

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and

the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that

no one should be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the

beast or the number of his name. (Revelation 13: 16-17)

What do you do if another Christian asks to borrow money from you? There are several

things to consider in loaning money to other believers:

Its better if it can be avoided; its better to give than to loan. In giving, there isnt a

continuation. But the debt-credit cycle results in a continuation.

If you are forced to loan money, its best to have a clear understanding about the time limit

on paying the money back and its best to not charge interest.

The creditor must be prepared to not be paid, if the debtor is unable to return the money. Ifyou are not prepared to accept the loss, it will result in wounds between fellow believers.

E. CLOSING

So that we can behave in accordance with the Bibles teachings on finance, we should

examine ourselves. If you are not yet doing the things listed below with your whole heart,

then you need to make a commitment to the following. We will pray together for you.



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I do not desire my life to become a servant to money

1. Is money the number one priority in your life?

2. Are you overly worried about your future?

3. Are you often proud of your wealth?

4. Are you involved in debt/credit right now?

5. Do you have a tendency to live extravagantly?

6. Or do you tend to be tight fisted?

7. Is it easy for you to give? (You dont feel bothered by it)

Lets pray.



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Lesson 3 - FREEDOM FROM THE PRESSURES OF TIME AND

MONEY

A. OPENING

Congratulations on your perseverance to always diligently be present in the iGrow class A

Life Full of Blessing.

Were you blessed by our last lesson?

Do you want to become a servant to or a master over your money?

I believe as a person the Lord is preparing to be His servant, the love of money is no longer astruggle for you. You love the Lord Jesus more than anything.

Now lets continue our lessons and today we will study Freedom from the Pressures of Time

and Money so that this can be a reality in all our lives.

The three objectives for lesson 3 are:

1. Every participant should be aware of the importance of time pressure.

2. To understand three forms of financial freedom.

3. To understand how to overcome these pressures.

Students Version Freedom from the Pressures of Time & Money19


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Time . . . .

From this story we know that time is something apparently trivial but also very important in

our life. Oftentimes we are more enslaved to time than just making use of it. Why does time

make us crazy, even though we are really smart? How about you?

There are two important things which must be organized in our life, time and money. In

general, those who have enough time dont have enough money and those who have a lot of

money dont have enough time. Not having one or the other of these causes a person to

become stressed, even more so if you dont have either. Because of that, in this lesson we will

learn how we can be freed from the pressures of both.



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B. HOW TO BE FREED FROM THE PRESSURES OF TIME

Several causes of time pressure:

1. .

The biggest root problem in time management is under our control: procrastination. So we

need to recognize procrastination before we can defeat it.

Procrastination means everything which should be done now can wait until tomorrow. Why

do people so often do that? We usually postpone things we dont like or feel are a burden. If

procrastination occurs continually over a long period of time it becomes a habit which is

difficult to break. We continuously delay important things which should be done immediately

until finally everything snares us. A this stage, the problem of procrastination can become a

spiritual problem. If this bad habit has reached this advanced stage, often we need to be freed

spiritually to overcome this.

2. Not knowing our .

The general tendency which occurs is this: we more often prioritize things we like/are our

strengths or which are most urgent; whereas, what should be given precedence is the most

important items.

3. .

Wherever we work there are always distractions, whether restrained (our work schedule) or

unrestrained (telephone calls, sudden changes in a situation, sudden tasks from the boss, other

people are late, etc.). Several bad habits in the work place are: chatting, playing games,

surfing the internet.

4. work demands

The more conspicuous someone is the heavier their work load becomes. More tasks are

automatically added to them. As more tasks pile up, the stress becomes heavier for them.

Then their work becomes less focused, particularly if the stress is a result of the habit of

procrastination.

5. Difficulties .

Generally people dont delegate tasks because they dont believe (have a lack of confidence)

in others. Especially when the results are not what was hoped for.



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How to overcome this:

1 Dont .

The key words are DISCIPLINE YOURSELF. Dont delay. (Deut. 23: 21; Ecc. 5: 3; 2Samuel 20: 5).

One method: Begin work immediately on things which have been waiting a long time. We

need to do this to break our habit, if we are already snared by this problem.

Create the opposite habit. Discipline yourself to immediately do the most important tasks

without delaying again

.

2. Start with the .

Immediately begin working on the most important tasks first, not the ones you enjoy and not

always the most urgent

.3. Avoid .

Rein in the distractions which are under your control, like the habit of chatting (talking).

If there is someone who intrudes in our busyness, we need to learn to sincerely say that we

are very busy.

We need to learn to say NO to tasks which are not a priority.

4. .

When we have people working for us, then we need to learn how to delegate more tasks to

them. This will free us from working on things we really dont need to do ourselves. Themost serious obstacle is the bosss lack of confidence in his employees to complete a certain

task. By delegation we train them to grow. (Ex. 18: 17-23).

5. Ask for from others

Often a task stagnates because the person involved doesnt know how to do it, but wont ask

for help from those who are more competent. This causes delays.

6. Establish the practice of with your colleagues



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What often happens is a person tries to do everything himself when there are no employees to

delegate the task to. In reality, many of our colleagues are willing and prepared to help us if

we ask them.

The time we have is limited

Every person, every day, receives the same amount of time: 24 hours or 1440 minutes or

86,400 seconds per day.

This is a deposit the Lord sends to each of our banks every day.

The use of that time depends on each one of us; and the enjoyment of the results belongs to

us also. If we use our time incorrectly, the responsibility for the result is also ours.

The use of your time is your responsibility before the Lord.

Dont procrastinate any longer over the things the Lord has given you, because you dont

know how long your time on earth will be (Ecc. 9: 12) or how much longer until the Lord

Jesus comes again.

(References include: Dan. 2:21; Job 39: 4-5; Psalms 75: 3; Ecc. 3: 1, 11, 17).



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C. THREE FORMS OF FINANCIAL FREEDOM

Many people hold the opinion that financial

freedom is only for the rich.

But facts prove that not every rich person can give

joyfully and other facts prove that rich peopleoften have more debt than the ordinary person.

Is a person who is in debt a free person?

Three forms of financial freedom:

1. The freedom to .

A person who is free in giving will give to:

The Lord, as an act of worship in Gods house (Mal. 3: 10; Ex. 22: 29; Deut. 26: 2-4; Prov.

3: 9-10; Neh. 10: 35; Jer. 2: 3)

Other believers (Rom. 12: 13) The poor, for their needs (Prov. 19: 17)

The work of the ministry (Ex. 35: 4-29).

The most important thing we need to remember in giving is that our motivation must always

be based on our love for the Lord Jesus and because of our obedience to His commands.

2. The freedom to .

We will receive if we give and we will receive the equivalent measure of what we use in

giving (Luke 6: 38).

In other words, we will receive the Lords blessing if we do all that the Lord commands,

including:

Obey (Ex. 28)

Work hard (Prov. 6: 6-11; Eph. 4: 8; 2 Tim. 2: 6; 2 Thess. 3: 12)

Pray diligently (Zech. 10: 1; Matt. 7: 7; Luke 1: 9; John 15: 7; 16: 24; Phil. 4: 6)

Give (Mal. 3: 10; Luke 6: 38)

3. Freedom to .

Be responsible

We are responsible before God to manage the blessings the Lord has entrusted to us. TheLord gives us freedom to use those blessings with full responsibility. Basically, every

expense and use of our money must be accounted for before the Lord; because no matter

what we have it all originates from Him.

In accordance with the Lords wishes

Because everything we have comes from the Lord, then all our expenses and the use of our

money must be in accordance with His wishes. This means we need to ask the Lord about all

our expenses.

This includes all the decisions we make regarding the use of our finances; this includes the

apparently trivial; buying things; paying off debts; social contributions; planting seeds of

faith and others (Luke 6: 10; Prov. 20: 14; 31: 16; 3: 28; 2 Cor. 9: 10).

Conclusion:



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The definition of financial freedom is when we can feel no lack of anything (James 1: 4), a

condition where we have no debt whatsoever and we feel free in giving without burden. We

then have the freedom to glorify the Lord with our property, because we dont feel we are the

owner of it.

D. HOW WE CAN EXPERIENCE FREEDOM IN THE AREA OF FINANCES

Freedom in the area of finances should occur in

the life of every believer. We should not feel

worried or fearful regarding the bills to be paid.

This freedom also includes a feeling of peace and

prosperity. We have the conviction that the Lords

promises are certain and sure.

We need to remember the Lord never promised to

get rid of all our problems; He promised us peace

in every situation.

The steps to achieving freedom in the area offinances:

1. View the Lord as .

While we still think we are the owner of all our wealth, we will still be bound and can not yet

experience freedom.

So we need to move the ownership to the true owner: the Lord. Whether that is money, time,

our family or anything we own, including our education, talents, even all our blessings in the

future, we need to surrender the management of all those things to Him. One of the

weaknesses that generally occurs in believers is: it is difficult to hear the Lords voice in the

arrangement of finances, because we are already to used to arranging the finances according

to our own desires. But if we want to be free, then we must learn to know the Lords wishes

clearly and obey all His wishes. Then the Lord will pour out blessings already prepared for us

in accordance with our obedience.

2. Pay off all .

Dont make a habit of procrastinating in paying off your debts. The accumulation of debt

causes anxiety and worry. Particularly when those debts are already more than the assets we

have. It appears our life is still normal, but actually we are already bankrupt.Much anxiety and strain occurs when the family needs can not be met because of the large

amounts of credit we must pay. We may have an abundance of things in our home which

were obtained by credit.

3. Prepare .

Your written list of expenses should be based on the familys needs not the desires of your

heart.

Needs are things we buy that we need to buy, such as food, clothing, a home, or medicine.

The desires of our heart are usually extravagant choices that reek of prestige and hedonism

such as designer gowns, eating in first class restaurants, or the newest model car. These



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things may be allowed if all the familys needs have been met and there is enough surplus

money saved and still available for them.

Especially if we are still tied up in debt, we must stop all purchases that are not necessary to

survive. Practice as much thriftiness as you possibly can.

Think carefully before you buy: Do I really need this? Is this the best price I can get? Will

this item depreciate quickly and require a high maintenance cost? (for example: a car, aswimming pool)

Stop all credit purchases and begin paying off the accumulated credit card debts.

Begin saving as you are able.

Be diligent to tithe.

Trust in the Lord. Our Lord gives peace to those who obey His commands.

(Adapted from How to achieve financial freedom by Larry Burkett, founder and presidentof Christian Financial Concepts)



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E. CLOSINGSo that we behave Biblically in the area of freedom from the pressures of time and money,

we must examine ourselves concerning the items below. If you are not experiencing freedom

in the areas mentioned below, make a commitment to overcome. We will pray together for

you.

I long for my life to not be a servant to anxiety and fear.

1. Do you often feel you dont have enough time?

2. Do you still procrastinate?

3. Do you often feel work is an excessive burden?

4. Are you able to say NO to extra tasks?

5. Do you enjoy your vacations?

6. Are you still haunted by bills?

7. Are you free of the debt-credit cycle?

Lets pray.



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Lesson 4 HEALTHY IN THE LORD

A. Opening

Welcome back to week four of the iGrow class A Life Full of Blessing.

Were you blessed by last weeks lesson?

Do you believe freedom from the pressures of time and money can occur in your lives?

Today we will continue our studies by discussing a life that is Healthy in the Lord.

The 3 lesson objectives are:

1. To be aware of the importance of maintaining our physical health.

2. To understand the causes of illness.

3. To know how to live a healthy life.

Students Version Healthy in the Lord28


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Does the Lord want us to always be healthy? The answer: Of course! From the readings in

Deuteronomy 7: 15 and Jeremiah 30: 17 we see the Lord wants us to have healthy bodies.

The ministry of the Lord Jesus involved many healings and He sent His disciples to heal the

sick of all their diseases and weaknesses (Matthew 10: 1). This is proof that the Lord wants

all His children to be healthy!

In Romans 12 verse 1, it very clearly states that if we desire true spiritual worship we must

surrender our bodies to be: Living, Holy, and Acceptable to Him. Suppose we must offersomething to a high official or a king, will we give him something that is broken or sick or

not working well? Of course we will make an effort to give the BEST, right?

Lets study several things which the Bible says about this topic.

1. A mans life span is .In the beginning the Lord designed mans body to eat fruit and vegetables. At that

time, the life span of man was longer, more than 900 years. The Lord allowed man to

consume meat beginning in the era of Noah (Gen. 6: 20-22; 9: 3-4) when He planned

to reduce the life span of man to a maximum of 120 years (Gen. 6: 3) and theaverage/normal age of man was 70 80 years (Psalms 90: 10).

2. as foodIn the book named for Daniel we see a vegetarian style of eating (eating exclusively

vegetables) and drinking water as a habit. What happened? Daniel and his friends

became healthier and smarter than the youths/other experts eating the kings meals.

After the Lord permitted man to eat everything that lives (Gen. 9:3), for His chosen

nation, the nation of Israel, the Lord wrote a prescription for a healthy life/a life

without illness through the decisions made by Moses. This prescription can be seen in

Numbers 11, including:

4 legged animals with split hoofs that chew the cud

animals that live in the water having fins and scales

birds thighs to the side, above their feet

4 footed animals hopping locusts

The Lord Jesus came not to abolish the Old Testament law but to fulfill the Old

Testament law as an example of the standard. Now fulfillment of the law doesnt

determine someones salvation. The law was already fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Peter once had a vision in the form of a command to eat the foods previously

prohibited. In Romans 14, Paul advises us not to judge the way others eat, but it is

best if we each eat according to our own faith.

3. is unhappy when we are healthyExodus 15: 26: If you will give earnest heed . . .to keep all His statutes . . . I will put none of

the diseases on you . . . for I, the Lord, am your healer.

The Lord wants us to be healthy and Satan is always happy when we are not.



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We know that man is made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body which are one. These

three parts are connected to each other. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3: 16 that we are the

temple of God. Because of that, we may not do just anything and thus damage the temple of

God. To serve the Lord we need to maintain our health; although, some illnesses are allowed

for His glory. For example, Paul (1 Cor. 12: 7) experienced a thorn in the flesh which

research believes was an illness. But he said, His power is perfected in my weakness. In

John 9: 2-3, Jesus was asked by his disciples why that person was blind and the Lord

answered in order for the glory of God to be shown.

When we are healthy the Lord is glorified and when we are healed the Lord is glorified.

Satan hates our bodies and he always makes an effort to destroy the blessing of our health

(Job). Satan knows that our body was created in the image of God Himself. (Gen. 1: 27).

Actually the Lord already promised us the blessing of health in Exodus 15: 26. The Lords

health program is prevention. The Lord said, I will put none of the diseases on you which I

have put on the Egyptians. . . Health is the Lords promise for those who are obedient to His

commands.

By maintaining the health of our bodies, our life can also become a witness to the glory of thename of the Lord (Romans 12: 1).

C. KNOWING THE CAUSES OF ILLNESS

There are several reasons why we become ill:

As a Result of .Physical weakness and sickness are often related to sin (1 Cor. 11: 30; James 5: 15;

Deut. 28: 22). Often we are sick as a result of disobedience or resentment or other sins

as the flesh is closely tied to our physical body.

Although sin is one cause for the emergence of illness in our bodies, that doesnt

mean all illnesses are a result of sin. Because there are other causes for illness

(mentioned below).

Lack of .



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This second cause is our own fault. We havent maintained our health or we have

disregarded our health and the fitness of our bodies.

The tendency in the life of modern man is to be easily stressed; to not pay attention to

eating habits/meals; to spend too much time on entertainment; to smoke/drink

alcohol/take drugs and not get enough rest along with being too busy to exercise.

Stress results in a loss of joy and causes an extra load of work for our physical organs.The Bible clearly states that a broken spirit causes physical weakness and on the other

hand, a happy heart heals (Prov. 17: 22).

Eating delicious food to satisfy our natural desires causes damage (Lev. 11: 34; Prov.

23: 20-21). The author of Proverbs stated, . . . gluttonous eaters of meat . . . the

glutton will come to poverty . . . (Proverbs 23: 20-21).

Recently, there is an awareness supported by secular professionals and executives

concerning the importance of their health. Believers tend to do only spiritual things

while ignoring or minimizing other efforts such as diet and sports, because they are

holding onto 1 Timothy 4: 4-8. It is true that physical disciplines have limited use incomparison to spiritual disciplines. In this context, when Paul compared the two, if we

must choose only one of them, then clearly spiritual disciplines are more

advantageous. It is also true that diligent exercise does not make us more holy or help

us enter heaven.

But that doesnt mean that watching your eating habits and exercise are without any

benefit at all.

Attacks of .Often people who work in the ministry experience attacks of the evil one in the form

of illness. This happens primarily because the devil is unhappy when we serve the

Lord; because serving the Lord means destroying Satans kingdom or at least

weakening it.

Besides that, when we are healthy it gives glory to God, so the devil is not happy. He

wants us to blaspheme the Lord, when we suffer sickness (Job 2: 7).

If we are healthy we can joyfully praise and worship the Lord, because of that Satan

wants to put obstacles in our way through sickness.

In this case our sickness is not related to sin, but rather because the devil is unhappy

and attacks us.

The Lord for His glory to be revealed (John 9: 2-3; 2 Cor.12: 7).

Sometimes the Lord allows us to become sick for a good reason: so that we will

repent and all at once His glory will be revealed. We see this in healing meetings. Its

tragic when someone is miraculously healed but doesnt repent and receive Jesus.



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Divine Healing or Medical Healing

A question that is often debated is: If we accept medicine from the doctor does that mean we

dont trust the Lord? (Discuss!)

First lets research the understanding of divine healing and medical healing. .

Divine Healing Medical Healing

Done by God Himself, supernatural, without the

help of humans

Done by man, uses tools and materials from

this earth.

Man can only request from God Man can make the effort.

Not only a spiritual healing, but the mind and

body can also be healed.

Most healings are only physical although this

can make an impact on the mind, but not the

spirit.

Unlimited (the method, the amount of power, for

anyone, at any distance, time or place

Limited.

Depends on the element of faith. Faith is not needed.

Every person can request it. Only for people who know the method.

According to medical science, the causes of illness are seen from the physiological and psychosomatic

perspectives. According to the Bible, the causes of illness are also spiritual problems such as sin

which can influence our spiritual and physical condition (John 5: 5, 14) and evil spirits (examples:

Acts 10: 38; Mark 9: 17, 20, 25; Luke 13: 11; Acts 19: 11-12).

Man consists of spirit, soul and body where separate laws apply according to each category and must

be observed so that these three are healthy. There are spiritual laws, mental/psychological laws, and

physical/natural laws which must be obeyed so that everything works as it should. Like a machine that

uses gas and oil as lubricant, we can not randomly substitute water even though water is a form ofliquid just like gas or oil.

The Bible has many teachings on spiritual and psychological laws which must be obeyed so that our

spirit and soul are healthy/not sick. The highest level of law is the spiritual law.

Concerning doctors and medicine, we know the Lord also uses medical science for our good, because

scientific knowledge obtained by man is also from the Lord. We must only remember that when we

are sick, the first thing we should do is pray. If you feel peace to use a doctor or medicine, you may.

But if you hope for a miracle from the Lord for your healing, of course that is better.

We must be careful about other forms of medicine that are now popular, such as alternative therapies

like reflection massage, acupuncture, yoga, ancient Chinese exercise, Japanese stress reduction and

healing, and others.

The principle we need to use is this: as long as the therapies mentioned are pure knowledge and dont

contain ritual elements or elements of other religions, then those therapies are the same as medicalscience.

But all therapies which have spiritual elements such as requesting healing of a certain spirit or using

prayer which is not in the name of the Lord Jesus or meditating by emptying your thoughts, these we

must reject.

And if you are unsure whether there are spiritual elements or not, for example it seems mystical, then

dont take the risk, its better we reject that.

And if we always pray before doing something, of course the Lord will give us discernment.

In conclusion, it is best and safest when we always hope for a divine healing or a miracle to occur for

every illness we experience. If we accustom ourselves to the other methods, we will never experience

the supernatural.

If according to the doctor you must have heart bypass surgery, then what do you want to choose - to

be operated on by a famous doctor with all the risks or to experience a miracle and be healed by the

Lord supernaturally?



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D. HOW TO MAINTAIN PHYSICAL HEALTH

The steps to achieving physical health are:

Romans 12: 1 - 2

The key: dont be conformed to the world, but renew your mind. Renewing your mind in

English means changing your thoughts about health and knowing what is best, acceptable and

perfect.All our bad habits can change after we renew our mind. Standards/habits accepted by the

secular world must be researched whether or not they are in accordance with the principles of

Gods Word.

Analogy: when we have a car, we also must maintain it well. We buy adequate fuel, have

tune ups, wash it, etc. Its the same with our bodies. They need attention to maintain our

health by caring for our body.

We need a NEWSTART from the words Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance,

Air, Rest, and Trust in God.

1. .

There is a saying You are what you eat. Meals are one determining factor in hastening

someones trip to the grave. Just as a car can only run well when given the right fuel, our

bodies need the right food. Its not possible for our transportation to run on gas if it needs

diesel fuel, or to run on diesel if it needs gasoline. The appropriate fuel for man is found in

the manual, the Bible.

In the Garden of Eden

In the beginning the Lord designed our bodies to eat fruit and vegetables. At that time the life

span of man was long (Gen. 1: 29).

In the Era of the Prophet Noah

The Lord allowed mankind to consume meat beginning in the era of Noah (Gen. 6: 3; 9: 3-4)

when He planned to reduce the life span of man to 120 years.

Daniel

In the book named for Daniel, we see the vegetarian style of eating (eating exclusively

vegetables) and drinking water as the norm. What happened? Daniel and his friends became

healthier and smarter than the other youths/experts that ate the kings food (Dan. 1).

Diet and Fasting

Obesity and many illnesses can be avoided through the careful management of our eatinghabits (diet):



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Besides excesses in eating and drinking as discussed above, we also need to control ourselves

in mental areas so that we can be happy:

Moderation in temperament

Moderation in personal wishes and ambitions (avoid being a workaholic)

Moderation in emotions: either too expressive or too repressed can cause illness

For example, anger, disappointment, bitterness. Here we refer to heart attitudes which can

affect our bodys health.

6. .

Man can live for weeks without food, several days without water but only several minutes

without air! Air is not seen but plays an important role in the life of every living creature.

Clean, fresh air is very useful to our bodies and our thoughts. Its a shame man often destroys

the quality of the air we inhale through various forms of pollution such as cigarette smoke,

pollution from factories and automobiles, etc. Man has also destroyed the trees which

function to maintain the natural balance.

The air increases blood flow and provides good food for our bodys cells and nerves. The

Lord is the breath of our body, soul and spirit (Job 33: 4)..

7. .

After working six days, the Lord rested on the seventh day and God blessed the seventh day

and sanctified it (Gen. 2: 1-3).

Adequate rest is important for our bodys health and also our mental health. Almost one third

of our life is used for rest, that is, sleep. While sleeping, the body works to restore parts or

functions which are used daily. During sleep time, the absorption of nutrients occurs in the

bodys cells (Psalms 127: 2). Sleep is the natural mechanism the Lord gives so that our

bodies stay healthy. This means if we feel weak, then we need to sleep. And if we continue to

ignore this, then we will become sick.

8. .

Faith and trust are based on every other health law. The Lord Jesus is the Great Healer.

Through obedience to all His laws, we work together with the Lord in maintaining our

physical health and also healing every sickness.

We do what we can do, such as diet and exercise, and the Lord does the things we can not do,

the miracles.

Faith is the key in the process of healing. A lack of faith often is the obstacle to becoming

well. Even towards the doctor. Our trust in him is a large influence on the process of healing.

When we are sick because of sin, of course we must repent to obtain healing.When we havent maintained our fitness, then we must change our life style.

When we are attacked by the devil, then we must pray for the battle and ask the Lord to cover

us with the blood of Jesus.

Sometimes the cause of illness can be a combination of two or three of the factors mentioned

above.

(Adapted from Gods Healing Way by Mary Ann McNeilus, MD)



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E. CLOSING

So that we can maintain our bodys health biblically, we need to examine ourselves in

relation to several items below. If you are not yet practicing the things listed below,

then you need to make a commitment to begin practicing them. We will pray together

for you.

I desire that my life be healthy

1. Are your daily meals healthy?

2. Do you exercise regularly?

3. Do you drink enough water?

4. Do you get enough morning sunlight?

5. Do you control your diet, not smoke, and not drink alcohol?

5. Do you always breathe fresh air?

6. Do you get enough rest?

7. Do you trust the Lord with your desire for health?

Lets pray.



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Human Effort

From the quotations of famous people mentioned above, we learn from the first illustration

that man tends to seek happiness through the easy and simple route, such as listening to jokes

and then laughing uproariously.

In this way we can easily feel happy and achieve happiness. Other methods, while more

difficult, can make us happy but arent tried as wholeheartedly.

Our task is to seek true happiness for others and then share it.

Both quotes illustrate that man continuously seeks happiness through success after success.

Man tends to seek happiness in the wrong places, because our interpretation of happiness is

too simple. For example, happiness is laughter, gladness, money, success and other things

like that.

What is your definition of happiness?

Are you happy?

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Lord and compared with the Lords wealth and ability are certainly nothing. But we

often feel that we have something and can do something. Before God, we are nothing,

not even something. (Discuss).

Happy is the one who (verse 4)The Lord promises comfort to those who mourn, this is true happiness. Other

comforts which come from the world are deceitful and temporary. Every human

effort to find happiness outside of the Lord is deceitful and temporary. But mankindcontinues to seek it, so that the business of comfort becomes the most interesting

business. Even in situations of crisis or depression or recession, people need more

comfort.

Happy is the person who is (verse 5)The Lord Jesus promised the earth to those who are gentle, but the gentle person is

often unhappy because they are often taken advantage of by others. Having the earth

here means inheriting the earth (the King James Version of the Bible uses the word

inherits), this means we will have abundant peace and will be happy (Psalms 37:

11).

Happy is the man who for righteousness (verse 6)The Lord satisfies those who always seek the truth; on the other hand, those who

wallow in evil will be far from happy. This world is unfair and filled with falsehood;

people who hunger and thirst for truth face many obstacles. But the Lord promised

satisfaction just as the hungry receive food. Perhaps Jesus intent was that those who

are not hungry and not thirsty can not be satisfied, because they are full and can not

enjoy their food.

Happy is the man who is (verse 7)This pertains to the law of sowing and reaping. When someone sows kindness they

will also reap kindness. The opposite harvest will, of course, occur for those who are

cruel. Jesus said in Luke 6: 38, Give and it will be given to you; good measure,

pressed down . . .

This means our merciful acts will be returned to us by the Lord in an equivalent

manner.

Happy is the man who is (verse 8)Imagine if we could see God, there wouldnt be a problem we could not overcome.

Of course, we wouldnt commit the unnecessary wrongs which make us unhappy.

Happy are the (verse 9)If we as Gods children bring about peace, then of course we already have peace in

our lives to begin with.

Happy are the (verse 10)People who have the kingdom of heaven are of course the most happy.



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C. OBSTACLES TO HAPPINESS

is an obstacle to happinessViolations of Gods Word make people worried and unhappy, because God gave man a

conscience. Guilty people easily become anxious and fearful, even when no one elseknows it.

This applies to everyone. Both those who have already repented and those who have not

yet repented.

The opposite applies to those who fear the Lord and obey His Word (Psalms 106: 3;

112: 1; 119: 1-2; 128: 1; Prov. 8: 32; 11: 23; 17: 20; 28: 14; 29: 18).

in StrugglesThe key to happiness is how we respond when there is a test. If we respond negatively,

such as complaining, grumbling, with disappointment, then happiness will leave us.

Gods Word teaches us to always give thanks in every situation (Eph. 5: 20). When weunderstand Gods promise and we believe it, that doesnt mean the promise or

revelation will always be fulfilled. Often we need to be tested first so that we persevere

and still believe in the promise of the Lord. We must give thanks and not be

disappointed (James 1: 2). After Joseph had the dream where all his brothers and both

his parents knelt down before him, he was, on the contrary, sold into slavery in Egypt

and then entered prison for years before that promise was fulfilled. Abraham had to wait

twenty five years before the promised child Isaac was given to him. It didnt happen

until he was already 100 years old and his wife Sara was 90 years old. Abraham didnt

believe it could happen. As a result, he approached Hagar and Ishmael was born. He

tried to help the Lord to fulfill his promise. The result was truly horrifying. Even now

the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael are enemies.

The steals our happiness (John 10: 10a)The devil doesnt want us to be happy, especially if there is already an opening for him

in our life such as bitterness, or the inability to give thanks in difficult times, or

jealousy. The devil loves to attack the children of God who are fired up in their service

to the Lord. He will make us unenthusiastic through various means, primarily by using

those close to us.

Are there other causes for unhappiness? (Discuss!)



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D. HOW TO OBTAIN HAPPINESS

The steps to achieving happiness:

the LordBy fearing the Lord, we will not sin. Happiness

is when we achieve our desires (Prov. 13: 4, 12,

19). As long as we dont sin, we will be happy.

But when we fall into sin, dont wait but quickly

repent and ask forgiveness so that the peace and joy of the Lord will return to you.

Most importantly, dont hold onto bitterness, because bitterness is the most evil source of

unhappiness (Psalms 128: 1; Prov. 10: 28; 12: 20; Ecc. 2: 26).

In everything .When we can express thanks for the struggle we are facing, then the Lord gives us joy.

On the other hand, the feelings of disappointment and complaining invite unhappiness.

Our disappointment shows a lack of faith in God. Every struggle the Lord allows to occur

is to help our faith grow. The wages for our diligence is blessing. But before we receive

the promised blessing, we must enter into various tests first. We can choose. Do we want

to give thanks or grumble? Do we want a blessing or a disappointment? (Eph. 5: 20;

James 1: 2).

Dont to the devilThe devil will use every disappointment as an opportunity to enter into our lives. Jealousy

gives the devil an opening to enter in and steal our happiness. Actually, jealousy means

we feel the Lord treats us as a step-child by blessing others more than us. Learn to give

thanks for everything the Lord has given to you. Unhappiness will control our heart when

we feel disappointed because another person is smarter, richer, handsomer/more

beautiful, healthier, or more blessed. The devil is happiest placing thoughts like these into

our hearts so that we are disappointed.

Always remain in .The happiest person is the one in the center of Gods plan for his life. Every person has a

certain mission in this life. This means everyone is important to the Lord and has a

purpose for being born into this world. Its unfortunate that not everyone knows thepurpose for their life. On the other hand, people who understand Gods purpose for

creating them can carry out their mission well and feel satisfied and happy. How about

you?

(Psalms 16: 11; 97: 11).

To be in the Lords plan for our life, we should ask for a sign or confirmation.



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E. CLOSING

Lets examine ourselves with the following questions concerning a happy life. Then we will

pray together.

I desire a happy life

1. Do you fear the Lord?

2. Are you holding on to sin?

3. Have you been freed from bitterness and disappointment?

4. Can you give thanks in every situation?

5. Are you free of jealousy?

6. Does the devil still have an opening into your life?

7. Do you already know Gods mission for your life?

8. Are you living in the center of Gods plan for your life?

Lets pray.



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Lesson 6 - MANIFESTING THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IN YOURLIFE

A. OPENING

Good morning/Good afternoon to all the participants, loved by the Lord, in the iGrow class A

Life Full of Blessing. Last week we finished lesson 5 titledFinding Happiness in Life.

If you are not yet clear on some of the details of last weeks lesson, before we continue today

with lesson 7, I invite you to submit your questions now.

Lesson 6 Objectives

The last few weeks we have studied the

mental and physical blessings, now we

will enter the spiritual level of blessi

Basically spiritual blessings consist of twosections: the spiritual gifts and the fruit of

the spirit.

ng.

Concerning spiritual gifts, you have

already studied these in the class YOU

ARE BERING FRUIT, in lesson 11.

Today we will learn about the fruit of the Spirit, in the lesson titled MANIFESTING THE

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IN YOUR LIFE.

Before we begin the material for todays discussion, we first need to know our lessonobjectives.

The objectives for todays lesson are:

1. To know the fruit of the Spirit.

2. To experience a manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

Students Version Manifesting the Fruit of the Spirit in Your Life45


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Fruit Trees

From the story above, we can learn to become like the tree which is laden with fruit. Even

when pelted with stones, it still yields its fruit without bitterness.

Producing fruit for others is a priority for every believer; we were saved for that purpose.

Our life should be fruitful to become a blessing to others.

This means that if we cannot become a blessing to our environment, then we are a selfish

tree.

Our fruit of the Spirit should be enjoyed by others, even the godless. In this way they can see

the love of Christ through us and then believe.

Particularly if we are rooted in Christ, then our fruit is good and profitable.

But if we as believers dont produce good fruit, then the Lord will throw us into the fire.

Matthew 7: 16-19You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from

thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree can not produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that

does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

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B. THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT

Galatians 5: 22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love,

joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,self- control; against such things

there is no law.

l the

these things shall be added to you.

Money, property, and physical riches

are the lowest level of al

blessings the Lord gives to us.

Every physical blessing is just

something added but is not the

primary blessing of Matthew 6: 33

which says, But seek first His

kingdom and His righteousness; and all(See also 1 Cor. 4: 20: For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power.

And look at Romans 14: 17 which says, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking,

but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.).

Where do those primary blessings exist?

To be exact it is in the kingdom of God and His truth.

Many crops that are useful to man have fruit. The fruit is a kind of savings that contains the

best ingredients from the plants.

Its the same with the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit contains Gods ingredients or could be

called Gods attitudes from the Lord Himself deposited within us.

It is called fruit (singular) and not fruits (plural). However, the contents or the flavor is

made up of 9 ingredients (characteristics) of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self- control. If we dont yet have all of them, we

cant say we have the fruit of the Spirit. Mangoes that look like mango but dont have the

flavor of mango are not yet called mangoes.

1 Corinthians 12 states that the same Spirit has nine gifts and also the same Spirit manifests

Himself in these 9 characteristics of God in the life of the believer.

There are several things we must know about the fruit of the Spirit:

It occurs in the realm of the _____________This fruit occurs in the realm of the spirit. That is why it is called fruit of the Spirit. John

3: 6 says, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is

spirit. For example, take Gods love (in the Greek this is the word Agape), the fruit of

the Spirit is different than love produced by the soul which involves the emotions, desires

and thoughts. Its even more different than physical love which is based on physical

carnal desire. The Lords Word teaches us to love our enemies. Only love, agape love,

can be applied here because it is not dependent on our thoughts, wishes, emotions, or

fleshly lusts

It is _____________ a result of our own effortsThis fruit is not something we can produce through our own efforts. It can not be

produced by others either.

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It is _____________but the manifestation is in the pluralThis fruit has 9 manifestations (Gods characteristics) which can not be separated. Like

the spiritual gifts, the manifestation can occur with more than one type. In Exodus 37: 17-

24 we can read about the golden lampstand for the illumination of the holy place. The

lampstand is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. The lampstand had three arms on the right and

three arms on the left. Each of the arms had one almond blossom, a bulb and a flower. So

there were nine things on the right and nine things on the left. This symbolizes the HolySpirit which has nine gifts and nine fruit of the Spirit. If a Christian has both nine in his

life, he will have a balanced life. Someone can give off more than one flavor or aroma of

the fruit of the Spirit. For example, someone can show compassion and do something

kind and at the same time be generous.

The objective is for _____________to enjoy the fruit of the SpiritThe fruit of the Spirit is spiritual fruit; man is a spiritual being. A tree doesnt consume its

own fruit; but other creatures eat it. The fruit of the Spirit blesses or is enjoyed by others.

Having said that, however, the giver also receives something the one who sows also

reaps. Ezekiel 47: 12 states, And by the river on its bank, on one side and on the other,

will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not

fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their

fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.

The Lord also seeks the fruit of the Spirit. John 15: 2 says, Every branch in Me that does

not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may

bear more fruit. The Lord doesnt look at how awesome our ministry is. But the fruit of

the Spirit is a sign within ourselves that we are His. Within the Kingdom of God, every

person must have the character of God if he wants to live there.

_____________is not a guarantee the fruit of the Spirit will be manifestedJesus often spoke about the attitudes and characteristics of the Pharisees and Old

Testament experts. They were people who seemed religious and of good morals from the

outside, but within they were still fleshly and prioritized themselves and their carnal

desires. Jesus threatened these hypocrites. They made an effort to produce a false fruit

and the result was that every person who ate their fruit would not gain anything other than

a false life.

Christianity changes a person from within, not just what is seen from the outside. The

fruit of the Spirit occurs and is formed within someone; it is only manifested outwardly.

Its character is not made/pretended but instinctively produced by the individual.

In conclusion: the fruit of the Spirit is Gods character, which needs to be manifested in

the life of every believer. And when we produce this fruit, we draw non-believers to

Christ. On the other hand, it can happen that a believer who doesnt yet produce the fruit

of the Spirit behaves in ways that dont draw others to Christ but rather pushes them

away. The witness of our behavior is more effective than a sermon (1 Peter 3: 1; 1 John 5:

6).



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C. WHAT IS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT?

The fruit of the Spirit is a special

blessing given by the Lord to His

children to become like Christ Jesus,

to be similar to and in the image ofGod, having the same characteristics

and character.

The Fruit of the Spirit is different

than the gifts of the Spirit

The fruit of the Spirit speaksto _____________and

attitude

This means every believer must seek Gods character, not only the gifts of the Spirit.

A believers character is formed through his life experiences. When we perceiveevery event and occurrence in our life positively, then our good character will

develop. If we do the opposite, then it is bad character that develops. So the formation

of our character occurs through us working together with the Lord in all the events

and occurrences the Lord allows in our life. In that situation, the character formed by

the fruit of the Spirit shows the spiritual maturity of an individual.

Spiritual gifts bring about _____________The Lord gives the gifts of the Spirit for the work of the Lords ministry. The gifts

give charisma to the Lords servant who is serving His congregation or evangelizing

by the operation of the gifts.

If the gifts of the spirit show maturity or growth in someones ministry, then the fruit of the

Spirit show maturity or growth in character.

The ideal for the believer is to have good character and spiritual gifts. Because a servant of

the Lord can have many and awesome gifts of the Spirit but still struggle with his character.

On the other hand, it can also happen that someone is just ordinary in his ministry, and the

gifts of the Spirit are not prominent, but he has an excellent character.

This last person has the character of a supporter, not the prominence as a leader. But beneath

the sails he is a strong supporter, for example in donations or as an intercessor. Paul himself

stressed the importance of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul stressed love rather than spiritual gifts

(1 Cor. 13: 1-3).The fruit of the Spirit forms the primary blessing which is greater than the physical blessings.

It is even more important than the spiritual gifts. The fruit of the Spirit is:

1. Love

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self- control


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