What we believe and value on the deepest level, is exactly what is directing our lives. Our circumstances are being directed by what is in our heart.
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good Morning oaks families. Will we have another day? This is episode six of the Oaks Interactive. And I'm so glad that you guys are here today. We're gonna talk a little more about being God centered inside now approach to life. And, uh, we have a good time today. So anyway, some things to remember. Number one, This is our church service. So my encouragement is to enter into this time. Stop. Slow down, interact with me. Ah, Hardy, a man if I say something Good helping Lord, if I say something bad, look, for one thing, that God will speak to you this morning. I'm believing that he will do something in your heart and life today. We're gonna do a reading again today from Matthew, Chapter six. And so I encourage you to just really soak that time in. Listen, listen to God's work. All right? But first, let me say another prayer for our kids out there. I know that parents are dealing with this how they're doing with kids. We're having to deal with it in their own way. So, God, we thank you for our folks kids. We pray that you would bless them today we asked you to cover them. God, you know our needs before we ask for them. So I pray that for all the kids in our church that you would meet their needs, Lord, that you would help them deal with boredom with loneliness. Help them be productive. God have been find ways to engage. I pray that they will get closer to you during this time. Speaking of the oaks kids, Miss Ginger sent me this. Claire painted this picture of, Ah, Turkey and you see there are displaying it with that. That's actually a really turkey there.
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And you a great job. Clear. That's nice job. Now let's talk about being God centered for just a couple minutes. Here, Proverbs 4 23 says, above all else, guard your heart. Everything you do flows from it as we have to pay attention to our heart. Our heart is the center of us. It's our innermost being. It's our core belief. It's what we really believe. They're the things that we say we believe, and then there's how we act and how we act. That comes out of what we really believe, because the issues of our live flow out of our heart. Um, and our heart is really directing, creating, attracting circumstances, situations in the outside world. And so we want to make sure that we're centered that our heart, it's fixed upon right things. And some of us talked last week about people being centred on people approval of man. And this effects how we act. Some people are focused on an injustice that's happened to them or an enemy in their lives. Some people are focused on the pain in their life, Um, things that air. Ah, where they've been wounded, they begin to gain an identity from that pain. And, uh, their whole identity is circled around that that thing that hurt them Anyway, let me just say that you are greater then you're paying. Some people are focused around their need around their lack, and this is really the center of them. And this is how they tall this is how they act is, like, always like someone in need. You know, another way, maybe toe. Say this is ah, victim. Instead of having that centeredness of ah, a victor or who po Nike is, Paul said, more than a conquer, um, they see themselves as victims. That's not a good center. Some of us are performance center. It's all about how we perform and we can feel good about ourselves. We perform well. We don't feel good about ourselves. We don't perform well. Some of us are possessions. Senate. It's all about what we can get. Broken stock up. Um, that's not a good center. Some of us are self centered. We talked about this last week as well. And, uh, that's not a good center either, you know, because the end of all being is not our happiness. If we can center on something other, then safe will go a long way. I have a couple new ones this week, and there is not, maybe as a parent. And I borrowed some of these from Steven Covey, by the way, in the habits of highly effective people. But one thing he says is people are spouse centered or they're centred upon there's. This might seem like a good center about when you know if you live your entire life based upon your spouse. Um, this is a skewed, um, sq paradigm that we're called to love our wives, man as Christ loves the church when we were called on her husband's, um, but, um, but there are things that are spouse cannot give us that only God can give us. And if we try to live in a way that centered on the other one, um that can that can not work will force. It can also be adulterers, right? Because God is the one that we want to serve for season one. We want to please first and you know, some of theirs. Their family centered, and this might seem like a really noble thing. But when you follow it to its and I would say we do want to be family centered, we don't wanna be sent on other things. But one thing you have to considers if we're completely center, that is our identity. Our core is centered around the people in our family within what if they don't act right? If they implode our family, then we say they've shamed the family name and sudden from instead of operating from, ah, core place of doing what's will for them or, you know his parents, Aziz, instead of operating from a place of loving them or or choosing the best for them. We're just reacting, Teoh. Our exaltation of our idea. Family, That's something to ponder a little bit. It's not as obvious, but, um, that's not a great centre, either. We want that family close, but not in the middle. Um, also work. You know, work is a great thing. A lot of these air. Good things, right? I mean, our performance that matters, right? Our work that matters, it really matters. But if we're work centred than everything else is all about whether we're gonna get worked out whether we're working and we'll see it through that paradigm or for money center, it's all about whether something's gonna make money or not make money. But there other things that are more valuable than that. Um if I can switch this around, some people are pleasure center. Everything is evaluated based upon the pleasure that it brings. And we know that pleasures a great thing. God experiences pleasure. When God worked, he actually stopped and enjoyed the things that he had made. And so we know that God experiences pleasure. I believe that God feels pleasure over our lives, but it's not a good center. We want God to be the center. He really the Bible says it. All things were made by him and for him. And so, uh, so we want to be God centered. Now, let me just throw out a question today, and this is really a simple I thought that I'm bringing to you Nothing. Nothing complicated here. Um, how do I know? I'm sorry. Ah, I could see that. How do I know what is in my heart? Glad you asked that question. Because that's one of about answer I give you at least, um ah, verse. The look at that kind of indicates what are the things that were centred upon? And, uh, and this is it. Matthew 12. 34. Jesus says for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, and I just want to be honest with you. This is not me. This is I mean, you're looking at the verse right here. Things that you were hers. The things that you say when you're cut gets full. Those were the things they're coming out of your heart. Just bring out of the abundance of the heart. Like what is abounding in your heart is directing your speech. So you know, going back to them. If you're having injustice, center or need center. It's always about the need. You're always talking about the knee for Maybe it's always about the rejection. You're always talking about the rejection. This would point and you know it's okay toe to evaluate yourself. You know, the Bible says for us to judge ourselves so that will be not judged. And, you know, for us to look at ourselves and say, OK, if if I continually rehearse a certain thing I Bennett examine, what is that coming from? Or rather, where's that coming from? And the great thing is that the Bible says God will give us in the heart not great. Um says that he'll take out the heart of stone and give us a heart of flesh. And this is Ah, this is playing off that same idea of us having a soft heart or having a hard heart right? A heart of flesh is soft. It's Moldable, David said. Write your words on the tablet of my heart. If God is riding his words, he's riding his laws or his light riding his decrees on our heart that means that we're receiving where receptive in our heart to those things. But if we have a hard heart, then we can't receive those things. You know, another verse that I love and Psalm 51 where David is actually repenting from his sins. He says, God, you does our truth in the inward parts I would say in your heart God doesn't want us just to appear true on the outside It doesn't want us to just look a certain way on the outside, but he actually wants truth in the inward parts. This has to do with us doing work in our heart. So look, if you're so busy working, are so busy talking about your injustice or so busy thinking about your family, even you can't stop and see if the Lord is the center of your heart. I was slow down. Paul's all right. Above all that's guard your heart. It means we have to go out with the stand guard. Say, I'm not gonna just let anything in. I'm gonna be aware of what's coming in and out of my heart. That's what the people did. You know, the city gates in the days of old on the elders were to sit at the gates there, they could see what was coming in and going out. Big place. Big spot for us is to God our heart. We need to be at the gates of our heart saying, Yeah, I'm letting that in or no, I'm not gonna let that hurt, you know, are you? I'm gonna deal with that. And it's a good thing to know. Sometimes I look at what comes out of my mouth and I think there's definitely something going on in my heart we need to deal with now. I want to do this again today. I want to do it reading from Matthew Chapter six. And I'll stay with you right here So you can see me today. But I'm reading right now. This is Matthew, Actually. I'm sorry, Matthew, Chapter seven and just want you to
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listen to this Scripture today. Close your eyes if you would Like. Jesus says, Do not judge or you'll be judged for in the same way that you judge others, you'll be judged with the measure you use. It will be measured back. Teoh, Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye paid no attention to the plane that's in your own eye. How can you say to your brother? Let me take that speck out of your eye. Hypocrite. First take the plank out of your own eye. Then you can see clearly. Take that out of your brothers on that spent. Do not give what is sacred to the dogs. Do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under feet and then tear you in pieces on on prayer. Ask and it will be given to you. See and you will find and the door will be opened For everyone who asks, receives he seeks, finds him Who knocks the doors open. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake. If you then though your evil know how to give good gifts. How much more will your father in heaven give you good gifts to those the ask So in everything you dio do under others what you would have them do to you for this sums up long profits one more thought here from Matthew seven. Based upon what we're building on, this is context of trying times that we're in right now. Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man builds his house on a rock. Rain came down on the strings rose and the winds blew beat against that house. Yet it did not fall because it was foundation was upon a rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The
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rain came down on the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house. And it feel with a great crash. When Jesus had finished these sayings, the crowds were amazed at his teaching because he taught his one with authority and not as the teachers of the law. So before we start making our descent here Yolks interactive service today Ah, and want to lead us in the Lord's Prayer and I just want encourage you pray along with me today. Jesus teaching
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on prayer. This is what he said. This then is how you should pray. Don't say it first and then you say it with me. Our father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it give us today. Our daily bread, everything we need today. Look everything way and forgive us our debts That is our sins way also have forgiven our debtors those who have sinned against us and lead us not into temptation. Okay, but deliver us from the evil one. A man. Listen, I would encourage you today the oaks dot org's slash giving giving your ties or your offerings. And thank you. For those of you have done this, you can also text on amount to 44 oaks. Give you would like to give using text message to set it up one time. But after that's automatic. Or you can email your bs into the church. 20 to 1 executive part. Dr. Open. Like Alabama 3680 there will be no zoom called today. So let me just give you a high five. Love you guys. Thank you for who you are. I love you Credits more thing I want to share with you today. Um, actually, this music is from a gun. Um, our music box dot com
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Universal one to share was this.
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This is the promise. If we did hard work right, we do heart where we let the Lord work inside our heart. He says blessed are the pure in heart, but they will see God. And that's a great, great promise if we will do hard work saying we're gonna have the borders are center way. We have the great privilege of being able to recognize God to see him. You see, the fear sees they didnt recognize Jesus. They didn't know who he waas when he was there to see the Lord's at work in our lives. Every day, all around us way always recognized the blessing of the pure in heart. They will see. God. Step prayer way. Um, remember Matt Rowley? His dad passed away this week. 62 guys might know his brother Josh. Mom Dina been to church before? Let's pray for them also. Father, we thank you for the royal family way, actually, just cover them and your peace and love. Today, Father, we just pray that you would draw near to them. You said that the peace of God would actually guard our hearts. And that's what we need today is we're guarding our hearts that your piece would guard our hearts. I pray for our families that they'll have an amazing week this week. I should've bless them. And may the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face shine on, turn to you and be gracious to you and give you peace. Bless you in Jesus name? Yes. Have a great week.