You Must Always Use Reminders To Keep Good Habits

Hello, and welcome to Social Media Ministries. My name is Spencer Coffman, thank you so much for tuning in with us this week! I hope you are a regular viewer. If not, please consider coming back each week. We’ve been faithfully giving you sermons, tons of content.

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Now, going in, this year, this is the start of a new year, and, you say, “Well, how do you welcome in the new year?” Well, first of all, we got a new year, new Bible. So if you’ve been with us, many of you have been seeing our, the old Bible that we had it was kind of starting to fall apart, it was getting a little raggedy.

And we got a brand new Bible, so, that’s excellent. Thank you God for providing one for us. It’s got all the great features for a preaching Bible — looks nice, which I like.

I know you’re like, “Why are we going on a dissertation about the Bible?” But you know what? A good Bible a is treasure, okay? This is where your treasure is. There’s a saying that a person whose Bible is falling apart usually belongs to a person who isn’t.

So, if you saw this Bible and you say, “Wow, you must not spend a lot of time in it,” guess what? It’s gonna start looking raggedy more and more as the days go on because we will use the Bible.

But I like it, some characteristics. You can check out a video, I’ll just go through what I like about a good Bible. If you have questions about that, you can watch a different video that we’ll put on the channel.

But, we gotta get into the sermon, the message as you welcome in a new year, you need to remember it’s a time of resolutions. People have all kinds of goals and ambitions, and, statistically, most of the goals that happen — the things that get started, whether it’s a diet or a gym membership or something, after about two months, maybe three, it stops.

People fall back into their old way of thinking. Humans are habitual creatures — we fall back into what we know and that new, excellent goal, or New Year’s resolution ends and goes away. So, what I challenge you to do for this new year, is to use reminders.

Use reminders to stay with God, to stay in the Word. There’s a great person from long ago, a couple hundred years, his name was Wigglesworth! And he — people would ask him, “How do you stay so prophetic or operating in the gifts?” And he said he never lets more than a half hour go by without either praying, speaking in tongues, reading the Bible, something like that.

And when I found that out a few years ago, I was like, “Man, I’ve got to do the same.” And so, it’s been a struggle. I say, you know — don’t let — I started out easy. Don’t let a couple hours go by without praying to God.

Then it’s like, more and more determined, and I’m bound and determined! Every half hour, something’s got to happen where it’s just, “Wow, thank you, God.”

I mean, I’m not saying I gotta be reading a Bible, or what, but just thinking about it! Every half hour, if I could be walking down a brick path, or down a sidewalk, “Okay, Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” Boom, now I’m good for another half hour!

But I’m not gonna be like ticking the time, “Okay, every half hour, that’s it!” No, it’s not gonna be some type of routine, but it’s utter and complete devotion to God. I challenge you, yeah, do that. Speak in tongues, in your prayer language to God, often throughout the day. Spend time in the Word. Remember what the Bible says.

Meditate on it day and night. Talk about it when you’re at home and when you’re out. It’s got to be everywhere. Bind it on your fingers, on your heart. Wrap it around your doorposts. All of this stuff. Write it on your walls. You’ve got to be in the Word, in Scripture, all the time. Why? We need to use reminders, because why? Humans are forgetful creatures.

Time and time again in the Old Testament, God’s chosen people continually fell away from Him, we have a sermon on that. People fall away. As soon as this one’s over, go watch that one. Go to our website, type in the search bar, “People Fall Away.” Or Google it, “People Fall Away,” Social Media Ministries. It’ll come up.

You can watch that, because it would go great with this. You’ve got to make sure you’re staying with God. So, what did God do? He appointed leaders and judges to lead His people and keep them on the right course.

Nowadays, do we have leaders and judges that keep people on the right course? Questionable, debatable, when you look at the political leaders, but guess what? You have pastors, and you have preachers, that if you find the right ones, they will keep you on the right course.

Stay tuned to Social Media Ministries, plugin, and watch, and listen, and we will keep you on the right course of the Bible. That’s our mission, that’s our goal.

And find a local church that you can go to and attend, so that you’re getting ours during the week, and theirs on the weekend, because you’ve got to stay in the Word. You are a child of God. Let’s go to a verse about that. You’re a child of God! Break in this new Bible here.

Galatians 4:7. I might not be as quick, but Galatians 4:7. “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child, and since you are His child, God has made you also an heir.”

Let’s go to Romans — Romans 8:17. Romans 8:17 says, “Now, if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings, in order that we may also share in His glory.”

You got to be like Christ. So look, we are heirs of God the Father. We are His children. That means we are co-heirs of Christ who is His son. Are you kidding me? We are co-heirs, equal with Christ? Why, how? If we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

So, if we share in His sufferings while we’re here on earth, we will also receive glory in Heaven. We might not be equal to Christ in that we never sin, in that we have all that same power and authority that He does, but guess what? That same power that is in Him, is in us. That’s how we have equality and we will be in heaven with Christ — we will share in that.

We are a child of God. We are therefore one of God’s chosen people. You! You are God’s chosen person! You are chosen by God. How do we know this? Let’s go to Colossians 3… man, it doesn’t stay open on us.

Colossians 3:12. Gotta crack that spine! Colossians 3:12 says, “Now that I have already obtained—” Wait a minute… Colossians. Bear with me, bear with me. New Bible, we’re getting used to it.

Colossians 3:12. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Alright, so you are a chosen person of God. You are a child of God. And as His chosen person, what does it say? Holy and dearly loved.

So, be holy because God is Holy. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. That’s how you can show that you are a chosen person of God. So, like you, or you, like the people in the Old Testament, are at risk of falling away from God. They were His chosen people as well. You are God’s chosen person, and just like them, you are at risk of falling away.

So, you need to take extra care. You need to make sure you remember who you are all day long. Who are you? You are a citizen of Heaven. You might have said United States, or Spain, or the Philippines, or wherever you’re from. But guess what? You are a citizen of Heaven. As a Christian, you are a citizen of Heaven.

You are no longer a citizen of your native country. Yes, you are, but, first you’re a citizen of Heaven, then, you’re a citizen wherever you live. You are not of this world. Let’s go to Philippians… Philippians 3:20.

Philippians 3:20 says, “But our citizenship is in Heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Your citizenship is in Heaven. We eagerly await Jesus Christ. Remember we’re not of this world. We are in the world but not of it.

Let’s go to John 17:16, 17:16, one of our most quoted verses. John 17:16 says, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” You think I’d have that one memorized. Well, I memorized that whole passage, but I don’t remember where it starts and where it ends on a certain one.

We are not of this world. We are in it, but not of it. God wants us here to do His will, making it on earth as it is in Heaven. So take up a means or a method. of reminding yourself, all the time, every minute of every day, that you are a citizen of Heaven, that you are not of this world, that you are here on mission for Christ.

Now, everything that you do must be for God. What can you do to help remind you? The Bible gives you all kinds of ideas. Meditate on the Scripture day and night. Okay, so meditate on it. Now, does that mean 24-7? No, just on and on throughout the day when you have meditation. meditate on the Bible.

Say verses in your head instead of repeating a chant: Omm. Repeat a Bible verse. Put it on— on your phone, have it be read to you, or record it on your phone. Record a verse and then play it on repeat.

If you don’t have that technology, come on, we can figure it out, there’s a way. Record it onto a CD, put it on your CD player, play it on repeat. Put it into iTunes, click on the little button to repeat the track, you can do this! Meditate on verses. Write them on your doorposts, put signs around your home.

I like to — you can write them on the walls and then when you paint, before you paint, write Bible verses all over and then you’re painting those verses are hidden in your home. What else? Wear a Cross around your neck, on your bracelet, however it may be, right on your hand, maybe a tattoo or something.

Tattooing a verse isn’t wrong. Tattooing something for a dead person is. So, tattoo a verse. Use methods of reminding yourself. Sign up for text message alerts, or notifications on your phone. You can get our daily Ministry Minute every single day to get a Bible verse and devotion.

Watch that every day — 60 seconds, come on, people! Get that reminder! You can have verses texted to you, emailed to you. Use all of those things. Do something and stay focused on God.

And the most important part about this, is, if you’re inspired now to start doing all of these things, three months from now, make sure you don’t see that thing come up — Dismiss.

Dismiss. “Oh man, why do I have so many notifications? I’ll get back to them later.” No. Remember to stay constant. This is why you gotta mix up the reminders. Maybe right now you set it up to text you. Then as soon as you find yourself starting to dismiss those texts…

“All right, now it’s gonna email me. Now I’m gonna do this. Now I’m gonna write down verses. I’m gonna meditate on them. Now when I work out, I’m going to listen to the Bible. When I go for a jog, Bible. Whatever it is, I’m going to listen to Social Media Ministries, podcasts, whatever.”

You got to stay in the Word. Mix it up throughout the year, because people keep falling away. We are no different. We got to change it up out there. Have those Bible verses ready and apparent. Let’s go to Proverbs! Proverbs, where is it?

Psalms, Proverbs, here we go. Proverbs 6:21, Proverbs 6:21. What does it say? It says, “Bind them always on your heart. Fasten them around your neck.” Fasten them around your neck: that means wear a Bible verse. Well, that could be very big. Wear a cross, wear a fish, wear ichthys, and then remember what it stands for.

Jesus Christ, Son of God. Wear those things, have those abbreviations. WWJD — He would love first. FROG — fully rely on God. You know what to do, you have these things available to you.

Look what I’ve got on my wrist, it’s barbed wire. Why? As a reminder of persecuted Christians. Get tattooed! You can have these reminders every single day in your life. Let’s go to Proverbs 3:3.

Proverbs 3:3. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” You gotta ingrain these words in you. Reading them every single day. Spending time in the Word over and over again.

It’s alive and active and it will imprint itself on your heart through repetition. Memorize certain Bible verses. Memorize a new verse every day. If you ask me two weeks from now what verse I memorize, I might not know it, but guess what? It’s in there.

Every day I do a Ministry Minute devotional. Now, one thing that really bothers me is when you see these people with a two-minute video, and what they’re doing is reading a Bible verse on their phone for the video, for the verse of the day. Come on man, you can’t memorize one verse for a 30-second video, or a one-minute video?

So, guess what? Every day, whatever verse is in the Ministry Minute, I’m memorizing it, and then I say it directly to you, to the camera, making eye contact with you, the viewer, memorizing that verse.

Now you say, “Well, why don’t you memorize all the verses for your sermon?” Guess what? I’m reading those to you. This is the Bible. We can open it up together and read it.

So, those verses that I memorize, if you say, “Well, Spencer, what verse did you memorize yesterday?” I might’ve forgotten, but for the time it was in my short-term memory, there, being engraved into longer-term memory. The point is you’re always in the Word. You might not be able to freely recall 200 verses, but guess what? It’s in there.

You’re feeding your spirit and your spirit knows. It’s like, it’s your unconscious, it’s there. Your conscious might not be able to recall it all the time. but you’re putting it in there. Keep doing it. Keep doing it!

Let’s go to Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 11:19. 11:19 says… let’s back up, let’s back up! Let’s go to 11:18. That’s an excellent starting point. “These words of mine in your hearts and minds. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road. When you lie down and when you get up.”

We’re going to keep going! “Write them on the door frames of your houses, and on your gates. Put these verses everywhere.” Some people take this to the extreme, you might see the Jews with the little scrolls by their doorways, a prayer scroll. You might see them with the big boxes around their heads or bands on their arms.

Okay, they might be taking it literally, but they’re doing it. So what do you need to do? The point is: use reminders to stay in the Word at all times. Let’s go to Joshua. Joshua 1:8. “Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night.”

Why? “So that you may be careful to do everything written in it, then you will be prosperous and successful.” This one comes with a promise. Meditate on it day and night, so that you can do everything in it, then be prosperous, and successful.

So what do you need to do? Have reminders all around, be meditating on it day and night, have it always in you. Talking about it when you go out, when you come home, when you wake up, when you lie down. Learn and talk about the Bible. Reminders everywhere. Why?

Then you will start doing what the Bible says. You have to do. If you just have all these reminders and your knowledge, head smart, and you’re not doing it, then what? James says your faith is worthless. So you gotta start doing. Get out there and do it. Then what will happen? Prosperity, success.

You do what the Bible says, you become prosperous and successful. I didn’t say it, the Bible did. It is the truth. Whatever you do, continue to change it up. Remember, these reminders will get old. You will become sensitized to it. You will dismiss it. So, change it, make up a new one, keep it fresh. Humans are forgetful and lazy people.

After a month or two of wearing a wristband, you will get used to it and it will no longer have that meaning. That impact will fade.

Just like gym memberships in a new year, you go for a few months, you’re going three times a week, now you’re going twice a week, then you’re going once a week, then you’re going once a month, then you say, “all right, it’s June, let’s see, we haven’t been to the gym, let’s just cancel this thing.”

Things fade. Diets — you follow that diet strictly. You’re buying the right foods, you’re cooking your meals, then you get lazy, you get tired. You’re eating out. Now, you’re ordering in. Then pretty soon, “Ah, forget it.”

Don’t let that happen with this! Keep the reminders going. Stay in the Word. Remember to change it up, because eventually if you don’t, you’ll stop it altogether. Keep it impactful because it needs to be a constant part of your everyday life. So as you enter into this new year, use reminders and change it up.

If you have questions, comment below. If you have suggestions, definitely comment below! Please let other people know what you do to keep the reminders going. What do you guys do? Are you watching a devotional? Share it!

Are you watching a video every day? Are you reading a Bible? Do you have a plan? Do you have certain bracelets or wristbands? Do you got conversations you have? Do you have those chat box cards, with Bible verses maybe.?

Something, whatever you’re doing, share your insights and your wisdom so that others can have those ideas. Post them in the YouTube video, in the comments section below. Because guess what? We’re a body of Christ. We’re a body of believers, and that body needs to work together.

So help each other out, and let’s all make an effort this year, and forever, now, to constantly Stay in Christ. Like I said, my goal every 30 minutes, every 15 minutes, always Bible verse, thanking God, prayer, speaking in the Spirit, praying in the Spirit, reading Scripture, going on and on.

If I have to set a timer every 15 minutes, an alarm, something’s going to happen because you’ve got to stay in the Word as we go forward. It’s the only way to continue, to strongly and boldly proclaim the Word of God to all creation.

Let’s pray.

Thank you, Lord, for this message. I ask that it really inspires people, that they would be empowered, that they would receive power, and the Holy Spirit would come upon them, that they would be devoted to you every minute of every day.

That they would say, “Ha, you’re saying 30 minutes, I’m going to do it every five, I’m going to do it every 10, I’m going to do it every one minute, every single day, I’m going to always be thinking of God.”

God, help them do that. This might sound like it’s crazy, but no, it’s not. They can look at their wristband every day and just have a reminder. They can look at their tattoo, they can look at their phone, and have Bible verses coming up all the time. Set their home screen as You. Set a picture of Jesus as their lock screen.

And then every time they open their phone, boom, they see You. And that’s a reminder of what they are doing here, and give them that inspiration to not only have all these things going on, meditating on it day and night, but then so that they may do it, and then God, reward them with prosperity and success.

Help them to be prosperous and successful, building Your kingdom here on earth. In Jesus name, Amen.

Hey, have a great week. Get out there, set some reminders, share what you’re doing down below in the comments for others to do the same, and help us figure out what works, what doesn’t work. And let’s continue to stay on mission for Christ every minute of every day. Have a great week and God bless!