OUTLINE:

Encouragement
Don't be an island, or think others are OK being that way. (Heb 10:25, Ro 1:12)

Ro 1:12 [NLV]
Both of us need help. I can help make your faith strong and you can do the same for me. We need each other.

Eyes On the Prize
When our focus/affections are diverted from Christ, misery seeps in and ruins our joy. In this new estate, we don’t feel like doing anything but wallowing in self-pity and self-induced misery (encouraging others is no longer top-of-mind). (cp. Php 3:13-14)

Php 3:13-14 [Message]
I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

Ps 56:4
In God, whose word I praise, In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

Sin’s Goal
Deceit always results in poor perspective. Poor perspective guarantees misguided responses to the stimuli of life. Bad habits form and momentum is gained. Satan cheers!

Eyes On the Prize
When our focus/affections are diverted from Christ, misery seeps in and ruins our joy. In this new estate, we don’t feel like doing anything but wallowing in self-pity and -misery (encouraging others is no longer top- of-mind). (cp. Php 3:13-14)

Eph 5:15-17 [ESV]
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

What’s On Your “Bucket List”?
Is your list filled with to-dos that bring glory to God, or are they merely "wood, hay, and straw" (1Co 3:12)?

Heb 1:3b [Amplified]
[Jesus Christ is] upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal].

“there is no fear in love”
Do not let sin deceive you into believing in the Boogyman. Such lies are based on hatred. Focus on love and be delivered.

1Ti 2:4
[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The Simple Definition For Sin
Sin is any lack of conformity to God’s will, whether expressed actively or passively.

The Deceitfulness of Sin
The only way that folks like you and I can never “come to the knowledge of truth" is if we believe LIES. The greatest lies of all are regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Deceitfulness of Sin
Without saving faith, the Gospel “seed” ultimately has no root system and therefore withers away (even though the flesh was convinced it could produce good fruit in the absence of godly faith).

The Deceitfulness of Sin
Without saving faith, the Gospel “seed” gets choked out by pressure, ultimately yielding no crop (no godly fruit), even though the flesh counterfeited faith at the outset.

Sin Lies To Us
It is a liar. It mixes truth with lies for the purpose of deceiving us into thinking/ doing things antagonistic to the will of God. We mustn’t think of sin as merely a result (Jas 1:15), but also a magnetic force, an influencer, a deceiver (Gen 4:7; Ps 51:4-5; Ro 7:7-8).