II Corinthians

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Cowboy Up! Stop the blame game NO EXCUSES – OWN YOUR PART! and find power in Personal Responsibility.

January 20, 2011

Summary: A Man who takes responsibility for his life makes NO EXCUSES – he knows how to make the choices that frees him to experience his life joyfully. Bible Verses: Genesis 3:12-13; Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:19; Matthew 25:24-30; Luke 4:12. Video Clips: Seabiscuit – Bonus Material: Racing Through History. Music: “Healing Begins” – Tenth Avenue North. Resources: IT’S NOT MY FAULT – The No-Excuse Plan to Put You in Charge of Your Life by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend. PROBLEM: CHOOSING TO BE A VICTIM 1. YOU shift the ______________, and the ___________________________, to others. It is the tendency of __________________. Either YOU are a ______________________ or a __________________________ man. 2. YOU are the only one who ______________________________ about the real problems of your life. YOU are the ________________________ who can change your behavior and response. 3. YOU do NOT have to continue ______________________________. Even if YOU did not cause the problem, YOU can be __________________________ in solving the problem. A Responsible Person – Genesis 1:27 1. YOU have the ability ___________________________ what YOU want to be. 2. YOU have a “_______________.” Will means _________________________. 3. God has delegated two things to YOU: 1) the ability to ____________ and _________ to life; 2) the reality of the ___________________________________ of those choices. 4. YOU can always ______________, ______________, and find a range of ______________ to determine how YOU will respond to what happens, and how YOU will play the cards in your hand.

FREEDOM TO CHOOSE - Genesis 2:19 & Matthew 25:24-30 1. ______________________ may scare YOU. _________________ makes YOU responsible. ________________________ is a reality. 2. God gives YOU the ________________ of how YOU will ________________________. 3. YOU have ___________________________________________________. 4. What do YOU do with __________________________________? YOU will be graded on whether or not YOU have ____________________________________ with what has been given to YOU. 5. There is _________________________________________! Choices – Reward or Consequence 1. To NOT take responsibility is to NOT _______________________________________. 2. Do not blame God for your _______________________________________ and lack of faith (Luke 4:12). 3. Even when God helps YOU and gives YOU resources, HE still requires _______________________ from YOU to live YOUR life by making responsible choices, and the results will always testify to how well YOU make those choices. 4. YOUR choice will construct YOUR __________________________. ACTION > Journal: 1. How do you see yourself as a Victim in relationships, your career, or habits that challenge you? What can you do NOW to be responsible? 2. How have you learned to be responsible? What choices have you recently made that you are proud of? 3. What choice can you make TODAY that would be a step toward responsibility?

Bible Verses Genesis 3:12-13 12 The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?" 13

"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Genesis 1:27 27 God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. Genesis 2:19 19 So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. Matthew 25:24-30 24 -25 "The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.' 26 -27 "The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. 28 -30 "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.' Luke 4:12 12 "Yes," said Jesus, "and it's also written, 'Don't you dare tempt the Lord your God.'"

Healing Begins Written by Mike Donehey, Jason Ingram, Jeff Owen – Performed by Tenth Avenue North So you thought you had to keep this up All the work that you do So we think that you're good And you can't believe it's not enough All the walls you built up Are just glass on the outside So let 'em fall down There's freedom waiting in the sound When you let your walls fall to the ground We're here now This is where the healing begins oh This is where the healing starts When you come to where you're broken within The light meets the dark The light meets the dark Afraid to let your secrets out Everything that you hide Can come crashing through the door now But too scared to face all your fear So you hide but you find That the shame won't disappear

So let it fall down There's freedom waiting in the sound When you let your walls fall to the ground We're here now We're here now oh This is where the healing begins oh This is where the healing starts When you come to where you're broken within The light meets the dark The light meets the dark Sparks will fly as grace collides With the dark inside of us So please don't fight This coming light Let this blood come cover us His blood can cover us This is where the healing begins oh This is where the healing starts When you come to where you're broken within The light meets the dark The light meets the dark

Philip K Hardin, M.A., M.Div. Director of Business & Professional Outreach, Intl. Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist & Licensed Professional Counselor P.O. Box 958 Clinton , MS 39060 Email: [email protected] Webpage: www.bpointl.org Phone: 601-925-0707

COWBOY UP! STOP THE BLAME GAME AND FIND POWER IN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. GENESIS 3:12, 13. NO EXCUSES – OWN YOUR PART! – Genesis 1:27; 2:19; Matthew 25:24-30; Luke 4:12

PROBLEM: CHOOSING TO BE A VICTIM.

 1.

YOU shift the blame, and the responsibility, to others. It is the tendency of human nature. Either YOU are a victim or a responsible man.

2.

YOU are the only one who can do anything about the real problems of your life. YOU are the ONLY ONE who can change your behavior and response.

3.

YOU do NOT have to continue OLD PATTERNS. Even if YOU did not cause the problem, YOU can be proactive in solving the problem.

A Responsible Person – Genesis 1:27



1. YOU have the ability to choose what YOU want to be. 2. YOU have a “will.” Will means desire. 3. God has delegated two things to YOU: 1) the ability to create and respond to life; 2) the reality of the consequences of those choices. 4. YOU can always create, seek, and find a range of options to determine how YOU will respond to what happens, and how YOU will play the cards in your hand.

FREEDOM TO CHOOSE - Genesis 2:19 & Matthew 25:24-30



1. Freedom may scare YOU. Freedom makes YOU responsible. Freedom is a reality. 2. God gives YOU the choice of how YOU will respond. 3. YOU have creative ability. 4. What do YOU do with what you have? YOU will be graded on whether or not YOU have acted responsibly with what has been given to YOU. 5. There is NO EXCUSE!

Choices – Reward or Consequence



1. To NOT take responsibility is to NOT live by faith. 2. Do not blame God for your lack of reponsiblility and lack of faith (Luke 4:12). 3. Even when God helps YOU and gives YOU resources, HE still requires responsibility from YOU to live YOUR life by making responsible choices, and the results will always testify to how well YOU make those choices. 4. YOUR choice will construct YOUR reality.

ACTION > Journal:  1. How do you see yourself as a Victim in relationships, your career, or habits that challenge you? What can you do NOW to be responsible? 2. How have you learned to be responsible? What choices have you recently made that you are proud of? 3. What choice can you make TODAY that would be a step toward responsibility?