Keys to Godly living

TAKE HEED:



1.Mathew 6:1 TAKE HEED that ye do not alms before men to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your father which is in Heaven.

A. Luke 11: 41 But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you.
B. Luke 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
C. Luke 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
D. Luke 19:8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
E. 1 Cor. 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
F. 2. Mathew 18:10 TAKE HEED that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in Heaven their angels do always behold the face of my father which is in Heaven.
verse 11 For the Son of Man is come to save that which is lost.
verses 12-14 speaks of the Lost Sheep. Only one of them is lost, But we are to leave the 99 sheep that are safe and go out after the one that is in danger of being devoured by the enemy.


Do we think of the little ones? Who are the little ones?
are they those people who others give no value to?

What about the homeless person, the drug addict, the alcoholic, the prostitute? God is no respecter of persons and he loves them just as much as he does another. Did he not give us a chance in life? Are we any better than they are
in Gods eyes? We all sin and come short of the Glory of God. A sin is a sin no matter how big or small it is. A lie can take us to hell just as quick as being a drug addict, an alcoholic or a prostitute.


3. Mathew 24:4 And Jesus answered unto them, TAKE HEED that no man deceive you.
verse 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.


4. Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, TAKE HEED what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall no more be given.
Do we spread rumors that others start, or do we sew good seed?


5. Luke 8:18 TAKE HEED therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he Smith to have.
Luke 8:21 and he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.


The parable of the sewer:
Mark 4:3-32
verse 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred.

And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing that they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins be forgiven them.

And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?



The sower soweth the Word.

and these are they by the wayside, where the Word is sown; but when they have heard, satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the Word that was sown in their hearts.
And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the Word,
And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.

And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the Word, and receive it, and bring forth good fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Mathew 13:24-30
Another parable put he forth unto them saying, The kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a man which soweth good seed in his field:
but while man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
but when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence hath it tares?


He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat in my barn.


Mathew 13:37-43
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;


The enemy that soweth them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall he wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.


Focus on God.
Where you look is where you go.
Hebrews 12:2 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Keep your eyes focused on Jesus.

Our lives move so fast that we can lose our focus.

If you continue to look at a situation, you become depressed and it festers and grows. These are the things that we need to look away from so that we can focus on God.

Do not focus on the murmurings and complaints of others. When we focus on what others say and not to what God tells us, we build a mental block and then are unable to hear from God as we should.

Who and What you focus on, influences your behavior.


Mathew 14: 22- 32 speaks of Jesus walking on the water (sea)
Peter said "Lord if that is you, bid me to come to you", and Jesus said, " come".
Peter got out of the boat, ( his comfort zone) and began to walk on the water to Jesus, but as soon as he looked away, he lost focus on Jesus and he began to sink. He cried out to him and Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?


Do we lose our focus, by looking around at our situation and the storms around us and begin to sink? We need to have enough faith to know that Jesus is there reaching out his hand for us and all we have to do is take ah old of his hand and he will pull us through.


6. Mark 13:33 TAKE YE HEED, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.


7. Luke 11:35 TAKE HEED therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.

verse 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give the light.

Do we let our light shine? Do others know that we are Gods, when we go out into the world? Are we clean on the outside, but on the inside, we are as filthy rags?


Luke 11: 39
And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness.


8. Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, TAKE HEED, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possessed.



The parable of the Rich Fool

Luke 12:16-31
And he spake a parable unto them saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do, because I have no room for where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.


The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap: which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: How much more are ye better than the fowls?


If God so then clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
And seek ye not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of a doubtful mind.
For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things will be added unto you.


9. Luke 21:8 And he said, TAKE HEED that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.


Mathew 7: 15-20

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Wherefore by there fruits, ye shall know them.


10. 1 Cor. 3:10
According to the Grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth Theron. But let every man TAKE HEED how he buildeth thereon.

Our work will be tested and if we endure, we shall receive a reward in Heaven.
The wise man who builds his house upon the rock:


Mathew 7: 24-29
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man who built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.


When the storms of life come, do we put our trust in God?
God is our solid rock.
Do we allow our ship to be tossed to and fro by the storms that happen in our lives, like with the disciples who were in the boat with Jesus?

They became afraid that the storm would destroy them, even though they knew Jesus was right there with them, they still allowed the storm to cause them fear and anxiety within themselves, but they did not have enough faith to know that they were going to be ok, because Jesus was not going to let them die.


Jesus Calms the storm.

Mark 4:35-41
And the same day, when the even was come, he said unto them, Let us pass over to the other side.
And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship, And there were also with him other little ships.

And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest not thou that we perish?

And he arose and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea. Peace be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?
And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?


11. 1 Cor. 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinketh that he standeth TAKE HEED lest he fall.

verse 13 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 bear it.


God allows us to have painful circumstances to sustain us and to let us know that we are not more than we think we are.

This keeps us from exhaulting ourselves.

God has a purpose for all of our troubles and trials in life. It keeps us humble and we don't become prideful.



Paul was given a thorn in the flesh.
2 Cor. 12: 5-10
Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself, I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forebear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, of he heareth of me.

And lest I should be exhaulted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be exhaulted above measure.


definition of buffet: A blow with the hand or fist. to punch or slap. to fight against.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christs sake: for when I am weak, them I am strong.


The apostle Paul obtained an awesome strength by going through these things.
This teaches us to be content in the place where God has us and Enables us to continue on, when we are tempted to give up.

I was listening to Charles Stanley the next morning that God gave all of this to me and he made an important statement, which follows:


Important truths:

You can never justify giving up.
When we go through difficult times in our lives, God always has a valuable lesson to learn from it.
God is working something good in our circumstances.
Grace: releases withing us a supernatural strength to keep going in the midst of our difficulties and it ignites the determination to keep going.


Grace: echoes in our spirit that God is with us in tough times.
Grace: points toward Gods goal of teaching us.
Grace: reminds us that our Heavenly Father will enable us to come thru and become stronger.

Luke 14:11 For whosoever exhaulteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbler himself shall be exhaulted


12. Mark 13:9 But TAKE HEED to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up in councils; and in the synagogue ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

We will suffer persecution, but if we endure to the end, we will be saved.


13. Colossians 4:17 And say to Archippus, TAKE HEED to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it.

Ezekiel 33:9 Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

1 Thes. 5: 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

verse 15 See that no one render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.


14. 1 Timothy 4:16 TAKE HEED unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shall both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Be soul winners.

Luke 14:12-14
Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, for thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.


define recompense: To repay a person. reward, to compensate as a loss. something given in return for something else, compensation.


15. 2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; where unto ye do well that ye TAKE HEED, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.


16. Deut. 12: 28-32
Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good in the sight of the Lord thy God.

When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

TAKE HEED to thyself that thou be not snared by following them after that be destroyed from before thee; and that thou not enquire after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? Even so will I do likewise.


define snare: anything dangerous or risky, that tempts or attracts, a trap. To lure into a dangerous situation.


Thou shall not do so unto the Lord thy God; for every abomination to the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their daughters and their sons have they burnt in the fire to their gods.


What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Rev. 22: 18-19
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesy, God shall take away his part out of the book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book.