DAILY BIBLE VERSES AND PRAYER THOUGHTS:

MONDAY - VERSES: John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21 PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank God for sending Jesus to live as the perfect example for us.

TUESDAY - VERSES: Matthew 4:19; John 20:30-31; Acts 1:1-3 PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank God for giving us the Bible as a record of the things that Jesus lived and taught, so that we can follow Him accurately.

WEDNESDAY - VERSES: Romans 3:23; Hebrews 4:1 PRAYER THOUGHT: Confess the areas in your life where you have not followed Jesus and ask God to forgive you for not walking as Jesus walked.

THURSDAY - VERSES: Matthew 8:19; 16:24; Philippians 3:12-15 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God to help you follow Jesus more closely in the future.

FRIDAY - VERSES: John 14:15,21; James 1:5-8; 3 John 1:11 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God for the wisdom to put the principles of Jesus life and teaching into the specific situations of your life.

SATURDAY - VERSES: Luke 17:22-23; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-9 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God to help you keep in mind that there are others watching you as you follow Christ.

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STEP BY STEP

O God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You.

O God, You are my God, and I will ever praise You.

I will seek You in the morning, And I will learn to walk in Your ways,

And step by step You'll lead me, And I will follow You all of my days.

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ASSIGNMENTS

1. At least once a day read over this material and read or sing the song.

2. Place the scripture where you will see it often throughout each day.

3. Ask yourself what Jesus would do if He were in your situation.

4. Pray for God's help in walking like Jesus.

5. Each day write down the ways you have walked like Jesus that day.

6. Plan to tell the class, next week, an example of how you did what Jesus would have done, or tell how you should have done what Jesus would have, but you didn't.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH REGIMEN - WEEK 14

WALK AS JESUS WALKED - 10-21-12 to 10-27-12

SCRIPTURE - 1 John 2:6 - He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

COMMENT - The true test of our Christianity is whether we are doing the things that Jesus did when he lived on the earth or doing what he would do in our place.

SONG - FOOTPRINTS OF JESUS

1) Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling, Come, follow me! And we see where Thy footprints falling Lead us to Thee.

2) Tho' they lead o'er the cold, dark mountains, Seeking His sheep; Or along by Siloam's fountains, Helping the weak:

3) If they lead thro' the temple holy, Preaching the word; Or in homes of the poor and lowly, Serving the Lord.

4) By and by, thro' the shining portals, Turning our feet, We shall walk, with the glad immortals, Heav'n's golden street.

Chorus: Footprints of Jesus, that make the pathway glow; We will follow the steps of Jesus, wher'e're they go.

THOUGHTS

I was almost your person today, Lord.

Then I thought what it would have been like if Jesus had done the same thing. What if God had almost revealed himself in Jesus Christ? What if Christ were almost born and almost lived and almost died? What if he would have said, "Ask and it will almost be given you; seek and you will almost find; knock and it will almost be opened to you"? What if he would have said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavyladen, and I will almost give you rest"? And what if Jesus had told his disciples, "For whosoever would save his life will lose it, and whosoever loses his life for my sake will almost find it"?

My Almost Christianity took on a much different light. I realized how many times I had played the game of being one of Jesus' "almost disciples." I recalled how many times I had prayed almost believing and walked through my days as if he were almost risen.

It was not a question of theology. It was a question of lifestyle. Whether or not I had a lifestyle that could match what I said I believed, whether or not, as some have said, I could walk my talk.

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The snow covered the ground where four lads were playing. A man came along and said to them, "Would you like to try a race and the winner receive a prize?"

The boys agreed and the man told them that his race was to be different. "I will go to the other side of the field," he said, "and when I give you the signal, you will start to run. The one whose footsteps are the straightest in the snow will be the winner."

The race commenced and the first boy kept looking at his feet to see if his steps were straight. The second lad kept looking at his companions to see what they were doing. The third youngster kept looking behind him to see how straight his tracks were. The fourth, however, just ran on with his eyes steadfastly fixed on the man on the other side of the field.

The fourth lad was the winner, for his footsteps were straight in the snow. He had kept his eyes on the goal ahead of him.

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It is not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong;

not what we gain but what we save that make us rich;

not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned;

and not what we profess but what we practice that makes us Christians.

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A man bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so, on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse.

Sometimes we as Christians are like that. We start out with high resolve, keeping Christ first in our lives. But soon our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose.

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Charles H. Spurgeon in training young ministers said to his students, "When you talk about heaven let your face light up with a heavenly glory. When you tell about hell, your everyday face will do."

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Christianity is not just a high-sounding ritual which we perform on Sundays. Christianity is abiding by Biblical standards of personal holiness and in turn seeking to bring holiness into the society in which we live. -- Loving God, Charles Colson

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Do I really belong to Him?	Do I really recognize His right to me?

Do I respond to His authority and acknowledge His ownership?

Do I find freedom and complete fulfillment in this arrangement?

Do I sense a purpose and deep contentment because I am under His direction?	Do I know rest and repose, beside a definite sense of exciting adventure, in belonging to Him?	Before I can say He is my shepherd, I need answers to these questions. -- "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23", by Philip Keller

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_________ AS JESUS _____________

L.S. - IF WE __________ AS JESUS _____________ WE WILL . . .

I. __________ OTHERS.

II. BE WILLING TO _____________ FOR DOING RIGHT.

III. SEEK AND SAVE THE __________.

IV. ACT LIKE HE __________.

V. ASK WHAT __________ WOULD _____ IN OUR SITUATION.

VI. HAVE AN OVERWHELMING ___________ TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

VII. WILLINGLY _________ HIM.

WALK AS JESUS WALKED

SCRIPTURE - (1 John 2:3-6) Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. {4} He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. {5} But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. {6} He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

INTRODUCTION

A. HIS FOOTSTEPS = OUR PATH - (Psa 85:13) Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.

B. HE WILL DIRECT OUR PATH - (Prov 3:5-10) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; {6} In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. {7} Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. {8} It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones. {9} Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; {10} So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

C. MAN CAN'T DIRECT HIS OWN STEPS - (Jer 10:23) O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.

I. IF WE WALK AS JESUS WALKED WE WILL SERVE OTHERS.

A. DO AS JESUS DID - (John 13:15-16) "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. {16} "Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

B. CAME TO SERVE - (Mat 20:25-28) But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. {26} "Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. {27} "And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave; {28} "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

C. BECAME A BONDSERVANT - (Phil 2:5-8) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, {6} who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, {7} but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

D. DID NOT PLEASE SELF - (Rom 15:1-3) We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. {2} Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. {3} For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me."

II. IF WE WALK AS JESUS WALKED WE WILL BE WILLING TO SUFFER FOR DOING RIGHT.

A. FOLLOW CHRIST IN SUFFERING - (1 Pet 2:20-21) For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. {21} For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

B. WILLING TO SUFFER - (1 Pet 4:1-3) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, {2} that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. {3} For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles; when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

C. DID NOT LOVE LIFE - (Rev 12:11) "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

D. WILLING TO DIE - (1 John 3:16-18) By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. {17} But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? {18} My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.

E. LOOK TO JESUS - (Heb 12:1-4) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, {2} looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. {3} For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. {4} You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.

III. IF WE WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED WE WILL SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST.

A. CAME TO SAVE - (Luke 19:10) "for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

B. CAME FOR THE SICK - (Luke 5:31-32) Jesus answered and said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. {32} "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

C. TEACH OTHERS TO TEACH - (2 Tim 2:2) And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

IV. IF WE WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED WE WILL ACT LIKE HE ACTED.

A. WE'LL BE YOKED TO HIM - (Mat 11:28-30) "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. {29} "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. {30} "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

B. WE'LL BE TRANSFORMED INTO HIS IMAGE - (2 Cor 3:18) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

C. WE'LL BE CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE - (Rom 8:29) For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

V. IF WE WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED WE WILL ASK WHAT WOULD JESUS DO IF HE WERE IN OUR SITUATION.

A. DO ALL IN HIS NAME - (Col 3:17) And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

B. IMITATE CHRIST - (Eph 5:1-2) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. {2} And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

C. CHRIST LIVED IN PAUL - (Gal 2:20) "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

D. WE SHOULD LIVE FOR JESUS - (2 Cor 5:15) and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

VI. IF WE WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED WE WILL HAVE AN OVERWHELMING DESIRE TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

A. JESUS' FOOD = DOING WILL OF GOD - (John 4:34-36) Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. {35} "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! {36} "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

B. JESUS SOUGHT WILL OF GOD - (John 5:30) "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

C. JESUS CAME TO DO WILL OF GOD - (John 6:38) "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

D. JESUS ALWAYS PLEASED GOD - (John 8:29) "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

VII. IF WE WALK LIKE JESUS WALKED WE WILL BE WILLING TO OBEY HIM.

A. FRIEND OF JESUS IF WE OBEY HIM - (John 15:10-14) "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. {11} "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. {12} "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. {13} "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. {14} "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

B. THOUGHTS CAPTIVE TO JESUS - (2 Cor 10:5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

C. MUST DO NOT JUST SAY - (Mat 7:22-27) "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' {23} "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' {24} "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: {25} "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. {26} "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: {27} "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

CONCLUSION

A. OBEY THE GOSPEL - (2 Th 1:7-9) and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, {8} in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. {9} These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

B. GOSPEL = DEATH, BURIAL & RESURRECTION - (1 Cor 15:1-4) Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, {2} by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. {3} For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4} and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

C. OBEY GOSPEL IN BAPTISM - (Rom 6:3-4) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? {4} Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

D. IF WE WALK AS JESUS WALKED WE WILL BE BAPTIZED - (Mat 3:14-15) And John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" {15} But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.

E. SAVIOR OF THE OBEDIENT - (Heb 5:9) And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

1 John 2:6

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk

just as He walked.