Is your Relationship with God Withering? Remaining in Him

Which one best describes you?

Seeing people flourish spiritually is inspiring and encouraging The opposite is also true! Seeing brothers and sisters turn to “different gospels” when the Bible is no longer the standard of our lives.

I. The Gospel of Avoidance II. The Gospel of Feelings III. The Gospel of Success IV. The Gospel of Appearance Which one of these gospels do you follow?

John 15: 1-7“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6

If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

We have become too comfortable and our comfort makes us forgetful.Deuteronomy 8: 11-14 11 Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

How do you know when you have become too comfortable?I. When it becomes hard for you to find anything to thank God for.II. Too comfortable with sin in our lives

-being tolerate of sin in our lives, our communities, our jobs/school.

When we are comfortable with sin, it is easier for us to fall into Satin traps.

We have become too judgmental when we need to be forgiving.Matthew 7: 1-5 1 "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ’Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

The faults we constantly see in others are the very faults that we have ourselves.I. “judgmental” people find it difficult to forgive.II. Those who find it hard to forgive become bitter. Ephesians 4: 30-3130 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

We have become too busy to Worship and experience the fullness of God

Worship accesses the Power of GodJohn 15: 5 (middle) “apart from Me you can do nothing.”KJV states, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.We get so “busy” that we miss out on the things (lessons) God is showing us.

Take a Spiritual Selfie…What do you see?