Compass Class: Men & Women Want Different Things

Scratching feels good only if you scratch where it itches.

We need to consistently meet the needs of our spouse.

God didn't design us to be "god" in someone else's life.

A wife is either building up or tearing down her man (there is no in between).

1a. What men don't want.
· Men don't want to be your girlfriend.
· Men don't want to work on their marriage because most men like the way their marriage is.

2a. What men want.
· Non-performance based respect. (God calls us what we are before we get there.)

3a. Be strong.
· Let him know that he is "better than that" without being disrespectful.
· Don't tolerate disrespect.
· Take action while you are still invested.
· Submission is not an escape clause.
· Unconditional love does not require an unconditional relationship.

1b. What women don't want.
·

2b. What women want.
· A woman wants to be chosen (over everything else)

Removing Negative Labels

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

Walt Disney was told that he had no artistic skills, Lucille Ball was told that she wasn't a good actress...

You can't prevent negative labels, but you can remove them.

Words are like seeds, if you dwell on them too long they can take root. Wrong labels can keep you from your destiny. You can become what people say that you are and not what God says you are.

Stop ACTING like those labels are the truth.

Sometimes people make assessments based on the CURRENT situation, not based on what God created you to be.

The real battle is taking place in your mind.

You have the power to remove those negative labels.

God is not up in heaven all frantic trying to figure out how to get you to your destiny.

Psalms 139:14 KJV
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

God doesn't label the way that people label. God looks at the heart.

Isaiah 54:17 KJV
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord .

even though Samuel had anointed David as the next king his brothers still had labeled him. David had to make a decision about what labels he wanted to wear.
1 Samuel 16:11-12 KJV
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
1 Samuel 17:28 KJV
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

Sometimes people put negative labels on people because of the pain they have experienced not because of anything that someone else did.

remove the old labels.

Genesis 35:16-18 KJV
...Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben–oni: but his father called him Benjamin.

You are not what people call you, you are what you answer to.

********Victoria Osteen*********

• You can't receive anything from the enemy, he forces it on you.
• Isaiah 59:19 KJV
  So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
• It's my job to find the way of escape.
  1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV
  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
• Realize that God is for me, God is not against me, and I am here for such a time as this.
• You can't put your light out, you can only cover it.
• You have to guard your mind and not compare yourself to others. Fight against the forces that are causing me to shrink back.
  Judges 6:11-16 MSG
  One day the angel of God came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, out of sight of the Midianites. The angel of God appeared to him and said, " God is with you, O mighty warrior!" Gideon replied, "With me , my master? If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, 'Didn't God deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—he has turned us over to Midian." But God faced him directly: "Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?" Gideon said to him, " Me , my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."  God said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."
• God will finish what he started in me.
  Philippians 1:6 KJV
  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Red Letters: The Parable of Pride

Chetkeila @ L56

• Luke 14:7-14 NLT
  When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: "When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?  The host will come and say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! "Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place for you!' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."

1. Pride brings humiliation.
   A. You shouldn't think more highly of yourself than you should.
   B. An when you walk in pride, you are telling God that you can do things on your own.
2. You will be humbled.
   A. Humility is about putting others in a higher place than you.
   B. Luke 9:24 NLT...If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
   C. Philippians 2:3-4 NLT...Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
3. Heart change
4. God is our Lighthouses
• Dead ahead, through the pitch-black night, the captain sees a light on a collision course with his ship. He sends a signal: "Change your course ten degrees east.""Change yours ten degrees west," comes the reply.The captain responds, "I'm a United States Navy captain! Change your course, sir!""I'm a seaman second class," the next message reads. "Change your course, sir."The captain is furious. "I'm a battleship! I'm not changing course!""I'm a lighthouse. Your call."

Stop Complaining

Joyce Meyers @ Lakewood Church

• If you're going to complain about something, then don't bother praying about it.
• A lot of people will never get to where they want to be If they keep complaining about where you are.
• You have to be disciplined about walking in the spirit. Being thankful is a powerful way to do that.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV: Rejoice always,pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit.
• You don't have to feel something to be something.
• The Lord's response to Habakkuk's Complaints
• Habakkuk 2:2-3 NIV
• Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
• When you have a complaint get a vision.
• Philippians 4:6 NIV
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
• Learn to go with the flow and be happy where you are because complaining isn't going to solve anything. Joyce wasted crackers on the floor and no matter how upset she would have gotten, that wouldn't have gotten the crackers off the floor.
• Is your problem your problems or is your attitude toward your problem your problem?
• Numbers 21:4-8 AMP
• And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient (depressed, much discouraged), because [of the trials] of the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna. Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died. And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.
• Obedience is better than sacrifice: It's great to have access to forgiveness but why can't we get out right the first time.
• 1 Corinthians 10:9-11 NIV
• We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
• You have to be thankful on purpose.
• We can't blend in, we have to stand out.

• Philippians 2:14-15 NIV
• Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

Going Further Faster

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

• Things have shifted and God has given me grace to go further faster. ByJRochelle is going to grow and Gregory is going to get his dream position.
• Part of the shift it's acceleration. God is breathing in my direction causing things to fall into place.
• The Osteens wanted to purchase the Compaq Center. A building like this would cost $500,000,000 but they bought it for $7.5 million when the situation shifted into their favor.
• 1949 Billy Graham would travel the country and one day William Randolph Hearst attended a meeting. Hearst owned newspapers all over the world and posted favorable articles about Graham in many if the papers. Graham gained notoriety over night. God will send the right people to you when you honor Him.
• Jerry and Jana Lackey run the Lorato House Rescue Center in Botswana.
• Chinese Bamboo develop its root system for 5 years. On the surface it looks like the plant isn't growing. But seemingly all of a sudden it can grow up to 80 feet in a few months.
  http://www.therelationalmarketer.com/2011/08/16/lessons-from-a-chinese-bamboo-tree/
• Ruth, in the Bible, was living off of leftovers from a field that she worked in but she ended up owning that field because she honored God with her relationships.
• Nehemiah 2:8 NLT...And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king's forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself." And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.
• There will always be opposition.
• Stay in agreement with God. The first place you lose the battle is in your mind.

*****Victoria Osteen*****
COMMUNION

• Christ died that we might have life and have it more abundantly.
• God asked us to do this in remembrance of him because he knew that we would need to remember our decision to live.
• Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

OFFERING

• 
  10% is God's standard.
• Malachi 3:10 NLT...Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies, "I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won't have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
• The store house indicates the local church.

A Flood is Coming

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

• Expect a flood of God's goodness.

1 Chronicles 14:11 NLT
So David and his troops went up to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "God did it!" David exclaimed. "He used me to burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So they named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through").

• When God releases a flood nothing will be able to stop me.

Exodus 34:10 NLT
The LORD replied, "Listen, I am making a covenant with you in the presence of all your people. I will perform miracles that have never been performed anywhere in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people around you will see the power of the LORD—the awesome power I will display for you.

It's easy to focus on how big red problem is but the opposition is only parking trickle.

Isaiah 59:19 KJV
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.

Isaiah 59:19 NLT
In the west, people will respect the name of the LORD;
in the east, they will glorify him.
For he will come like a raging flood tide
driven by the breath of the LORD.

Isaiah 61:2 NLT
He has sent me to tell those who mourn
that the time of the LORD's favor has come, and with it, the day of God's anger against their enemies.

Ephesians 1:18 NLT
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

Honor God by dealing with the issues that God brings to light.

• Take the limits off of God.

****Victoria Osteen****
Don't forsake what you have to go after what you want.

Coming into a Shift

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church
God can shift things into the right place. Because you honor God he will put you ahead.

Don't give up on past dreams because it's a new day.

-after years of unfair treatment God caused the Egyptians to change their minds toward the Israelites.
Exodus 12:36 NIV
The Lord  had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

Psalm 18:29 NIV
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.

You can't have faith of you don't have hope.

Genesis 48:19 NIV
But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations."

Numbers 11:31 NIV
Now a wind went out from the Lord  and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits deep all around the camp, as far as a day's walk in any direction.

Zechariah 4:6 KJV
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

Victoria Osteen
"Set the Pace"

Before we put on our natural clothes on we should put on our spiritual clothes.
Ephesians 6:11, 14-17 NIV
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Daniel 10:12 NIV
Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

Daniel 9:23 NIV
As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

Just because we don't see it in the natural doesn't mean it isn't on the way.

When we speak negative words it's like pushing the stop button. We start to think negative because we don't see the results.

Decide to set your mind and keep it set. Everything that I want is out there.

Hebrews 10:25 NIV
not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Get rid of people who are draining your time. God has already set me apart so. I need to act like it.

There's power in agreement.