Analysis Paralysis – More options, even good ones, can freeze us and make us retreat to the default plan

Abigail means “Father’s Joy”

The story of Abigail teaches us that THERE’S NO REASON TO DELAY, WHEN YOU KNOW THE RIGHT WAY

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE – 1 Samuel 25

• Different takeaways
  • How NOT to respect your spouse?
  • How to step in and create peace?
  • How can you be like Abigail in someone else’s life?
  • Look for people like Abigail to help you be the person God wants you to be – people that will keep you from throwing it all away – people who will remind you that you are better than this…

• Matthew 13:44-46

44 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

45 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. 46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

YOU have been given an offer – Eternal life WITH JESUS or eternal death WITHOUT JESUS

And there’s NO REASON TO DELAY when you KNOW THE RIGHT WAY

Most often the decisions you have to make aren’t questions of right and wrong – Which University should I go to? Should I take a job with this company? Should I move to this city? Should I ask her to marry me? Should I say yes?

But there are a few times where the question is clearer – When we are more concerned with what others think, then our decisions are clouded

When facing a moral dilemma, if you fear God, your path may not always be easy, but it will always be clear

• Exodus 1

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel (that is, Jacob) who moved to Egypt with their father, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, 3 Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin, 4 Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. 5 In all, Jacob had seventy[a] descendants in Egypt, including Joseph, who was already there.

6 In time, Joseph and all of his brothers died, ending that entire generation. 7 But their descendants, the Israelites, had many children and grandchildren. In fact, they multiplied so greatly that they became extremely powerful and filled the land.

8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.

9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.[b]”

11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.

12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread, and the more alarmed the Egyptians became.

13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. 14 They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands.

15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver.[c] If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.”

17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

• “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” – Oswald Chambers

18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives. “Why have you done this?” he demanded. “Why have you allowed the boys to live?”

19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.”

20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Throw every newborn Hebrew boy into the Nile River. But you may let the girls live.”

You need to pre-decide if you want to do what is right or what is popular

The sway of what others think, especially when they have power over you, is so strong

In a moment of indecision, that pressure will carry so much weight that you will be influenced to do what they want

UNLESS you have already decided that you will do what is right no matter the cost

And you can only do that if you fear God more than you fear man

The names we give our children… and the names we call them each, become like a prophecy that becomes fulfilled in the way they live out their names.

We must never get tired of telling our children and grandchildren the stories of faith.

Everyone’s faith journey has a turning point that becomes a reference point for the rest of their life.

Our Heavenly Father is waiting, longing to hear His children ask for big things…

Speak to our children in a way that encourages them to excellence

Never stop telling our children and grandchildren the stories of faith.

Never forget how you turned from fear to faith

Never be afraid to ask our Heavenly Father for big things

For today’s scripture, click HERE

Effective leadership happens when we move from our fleshly reaction, and let God inform our responses to events.

Effective leadership happens when we use our authority to build up, not tear down.

Effective leadership happens when we move from comparing ourselves to others and focus on fulfilling God’s calling on our life.

Effective leadership happens when we aspire to grow our team beyond its current boundaries

Effective leadership happens when we realize that things aren’t always as they appear

We can be drawn to the personality of a charismatic leader, …or to the Person of Christ

We can be drawn to the eloquence of rational logic, or to the unwavering absolute of Truth

We can be drawn to the resume of achievement …or to the character of humility, sacrifice, weakness that allows for God’s strength to be demonstrated.

Paul compares himself to the “Super-Apostles” for the Corinthians sake

The UNEXPECTED boasting of weakness

Guardrails

Judgement

Paul compares himself to Jesus

Examine yourself

A guardrail is preferable to the alternative