QUESTIONS FOR SEEKERS WHY COUNT THE COST?

Serious requirements V. 26- necessary to love family less V. 27- necessary to face individual battles V. 33- necessary to love possessions less Serious consequences V because of ridicule V because of defeat V because of losing influence

Some Areas Worth Counting the cost 1.Count the cost of ones associates

You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, (Exodus 23:2) The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. (Proverbs 3:35 ESV) Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20 ESV)

Why is it important to avoid ill-chosen companions? Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV) Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:32 ESV)

You must constantly ask yourself these questions: Who am I around? What are they doing to me? What have they got me reading? What have they got me saying? Where do they have me going? What do they have me thinking? And most important, what do they have me becoming? Then ask yourself the big question: Is that okay? Life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. Jim Rohn- entrepreneur, businessman, motivational speaker

Some Areas Worth Counting the cost 1.Count the cost of ones associates 2.Count the cost of enslaving habits

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16 ESV) But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Romans 6:21 ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 ESV)

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV)

Some Areas Worth Counting the cost 1.Count the cost of ones associates 2.Count the cost of enslaving habits 3.Count the cost of bad attitudes

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV)

Act, don’t React

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. (Colossians 3:8-10 ESV) These belong to the old self

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13 ESV) These belong to the chosen ones

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21 ESV) Works of the flesh include bad attitudes

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV) Encouraged to bear proper fruit

Some Areas Worth Counting the cost 1.Count the cost of ones associates 2.Count the cost of enslaving habits 3.Count the cost of bad attitudes 4.Count the cost of failure

Counting the cost if we fail 1.Loss 2.Spiritual death 3.Giving up fight 4.Tower unbuilt and abandoned 5.Army defeated in death 1.Matthew 13:42- furnace of fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth 2.Matthew 8:12- outer darkness 3.Rev. 13:11- torment forever without rest