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Galatians 5:16-23 teaches that at any moment we are either walking by the Holy Spirit or according to the sin nature. Walking by the Spirit, enjoying fellowship with God, walking in the light are virtually synonymous. During these times, the Holy Spirit is working in us to illuminate our minds to the truth of Scripture and to challenge us to apply what we learn. But when we sin, we begin to live based on the sin nature. Our works do not count for eternity. The only way to recover is to confess (admit, acknowledge) our sin to God the Father and we are instantly forgiven, cleansed, and recover our spiritual walk (1 John 1:9). Please make sure you are walking by the Spirit before you begin your Bible study, so it will be spiritually profitable.

Messages with tag - Self-destruction

Proverbs (2013)
4 - Protection from Temptation [B]
Sunday, January 20, 2013
by Robert Dean
Passage: Proverbs 1:10-19
Series: Proverbs (2013)
Duration: 56 mins 40 secs
A person can study philosophy and the minutia of ideas and still come up with only two ways of thinking; God’s way or the world’s way. Proverbs contrasts these as the way of the foolish and the way of the wise. Facts, reason and experience may fill 95% of your brain, but the 5% containing God’s revelation is the means of interpreting the 95% which can, if practiced, produce skillful living through wise choices. God doesn’t entice us to sin. He does test us, in prosperity or adversity, to give us opportunities to make decisions that allow us to grow. See the lessons in our passage on wisdom, taught as a father teaches his son, emphasizing choices. If you feel you lack wisdom, ask God for it. He wants us to have it.
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Proverbs (2013)
5 - What Kind of Fool am I? [B]
Sunday, January 27, 2013
by Robert Dean
Passage: Proverbs 1:20-33
Series: Proverbs (2013)
Duration: 53 mins 14 secs
It’s never too late to understand the importance of getting God’s wisdom into our souls NOW, but NOW has a way of fading into yesterday which makes it too late to apply the wisdom we lost yesterday to the crisis we’re having today. God doesn’t make it difficult for us by hiding His wisdom under a rock. Wisdom, personified here as a woman, screams at us from every avenue of perception. The difficult choice is to continue to disregard it. But some do disregard it and become fools. Understand the different categories in the downward spiral of foolishness as we repeatedly reject obvious Truth. God’s offer of wisdom is continuous, but if you continually reschedule NOW to tomorrow, the guarantee is that foolishness gains momentum in your future.
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Proverbs (2013)
8 - The Shield of God [B]
Sunday, February 17, 2013
by Robert Dean
Passage: Proverbs 2:5-8
Series: Proverbs (2013)
Duration: 49 mins 28 secs
The prior four verses are the “if you will” verses which highlight volition and challenge commitment. Then what? Are the next verses a formula for predicting deliverance from adversity and ending in wisdom? Deliverance doesn’t precede wisdom. Wisdom precedes God’s protection. Passion of focus on intimacy with God and His Truth is liable to incur intense arrows of distraction to tempt and challenge every decision one makes to follow wisdom. Is this obstacle course ours to negotiate? God is the defender of His Truth. When we are absorbed in His truth He becomes our personal shield. A shield doesn’t prevent arrows. It deflects arrows which seek to diminish God’s Truth with the lies which lead to death and obstruct our path to wisdom.

Click on the notes link below to access the Scripture Memory Plan Dr. Dean mentioned during this class.

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Proverbs (2013)
9 - Life or Death: Your Choice [B]
Sunday, February 24, 2013
by Robert Dean
Passage: Proverbs 2:12-22
Series: Proverbs (2013)
Duration: 53 mins 17 secs
Proverbs chapter 2 focuses on God’s Word as our protection and shield. We see the importance of choosing the right path over the appeal of the world’s path in every decision we make. God’s wisdom here is protection against the promise of easy money and easy love relationships. The choice we make brings either joy in life or a death-like existence. The world entices us to abandon the path of righteousness and to walk in dark carnality. The only way to discern a beguiling lie from life-giving Truth is to know the nuances of difference through God’s Wisdom offered in the inspired scripture.
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2 Peter (2019)
048 - Spiritual Regression and Failure [B]
Thursday, May 20, 2021
by Robert Dean
Passage: 2 Peter 2:19-22
Series: 2 Peter (2019)
Duration: 1 hr 3 mins 19 secs
Warning! Trap ahead! Listen to this lesson to hear how believers can keep from becoming entangled by their sin natures through following false teachers. Find out that when you are overcome by your lusts, you become a slave to corruption. In contrast see that by focusing on God’s Word you can become a slave to righteousness. Hear two proverbs and their meanings that illustrate this message.
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