ACHIEVING LASTING CHANGE
The Daniel Plan #2
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, March 5, 2023
1. Dedication – Give my body to God.
(Romans 12:1, NLT) “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Three things I can do with my body.
a. I can cleanse my body.
(2 Corinthians 7:1, NLT) “… let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.”
b. I can care for my body.
(Ephesians 5:29, NLT) “No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.”
c. I can control my body.
(1 Thessalonians 4:4, NIV) “Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable,”
(1 Corinthians 9:27, NLT) “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should.”
“I try to drive carefully. But when I happen to borrow a friend’s car, I drive very carefully. I don’t want to damage the property of a friend and return it to him all banged up. Even so, our bodies are the personal property of someone else. The only way we could say “Who does he think he is, telling me what to do with my body?” is by not belonging to him at all. Did he shed his blood to cover our sins? Has he given his Spirit to make us new? If so, then we should glorify him even in our physicality, especially our sexuality.” -Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel, p 90
2. Concentration – Refocus my mind.
(Romans 12:2a, NLT) “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.”
(1 Corinthians 15:33, NLT) “Bad company corrupts good character.”
(Ephesians 4:22–24, NIV) “Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
3. Evaluation – Humbly assess my current estate.
(Romans 12:3, NLT) “Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
a. What do I need to change in 2023?
b. Who are the people I can honestly trust to tell me the truth?
(Hebrews 11:6, NLT) “It is impossible to please God without faith.”
(Matthew 9:29, ESV) “According to your faith be it done to you.”
4. Cooperation – Group support.
(Romans 12:4–5, NLT) “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”
5. Affirmation – Fill my life with love.
(Romans 12:9–10, NLT) “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”
(Job 42:10, NLT) “When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!”
6. Motivation – Nurture my enthusiasm.
“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
(Romans 12:11–12, NLT) “Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”