Man of God

November 15, 2020

Sunday PM

Guest Pastor Keith Johnson

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (AMP) I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2 preach the word [as an official messenger]; be ready when the time is right and even when it is not [keep your sense of urgency, whether the opportunity seems favorable or unfavorable, whether convenient or inconvenient, whether welcome or unwelcome]; correct [those who err in doctrine or behavior], warn [those who sin], exhort and encourage [those who are growing toward spiritual maturity], with inexhaustible patience and [faithful] teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, 4 and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable]. 5 But as for you, be clear-headed in every situation [stay calm and cool and steady], endure every hardship [without flinching], do the work of an evangelist, fulfill [the duties of] your ministry.

We all need a man of God in our lives. You have to believe that he is the man of God and he has your best interest at heart.  You have to believe your man of God can hear from God. There are perils and trials in life. Your man of God will equip you! There are spiritual forces of darkness that we all need protection from.  Your man of God will be a part of that protection! When you don’t receive your man of God, you don’t receive God.  If you want to know how you treat Jesus, look at how you treat your man of God.  2 Chronicles 20:20 “…Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”  Apart from your man of God, you won’t prosper. (Believe and established are the same word in Hebrew.) you can’t become established unless you believe. A believer is a doer of the word of God. Join your faith with the man of God, and good things will happen. Without a man of God in your life, you won’t obey the word.  You need that man of God to remind you of how important it is to believe and do what God says in spite of circumstances. 

When you pray the word, you’re praying solutions. We all need solutions. If you get enough people praying the same thing, change is inevitable. 

When you’re on assignment from God, He is going to fight the battles. You just have to carry out the assignment and do what He told you to do. 

If you choose God’s side, He will take care of everything else! When you honor God with your first fruits, your storehouse will always be full! When God is your total source of supply, He can use any channel He wants to bring it to you.  You don’t tithe off of the backside, you have to tithe off the front! You can’t afford not to tithe! If you’re robbing God, you are tying Gods hands from being able to help you financially. You won’t ever get ahead from holding back on God. 

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Everyday Choice

November 1, 2020

 Job 1:1-22

Job was upright and he feared God. That is what enabled him to turn away from evil. There are many things you can give your life to. But our priorities must be straightened out. Job feared God. This does not mean he was afraid of God, it means he had a reverence towards Him. You can have wealth in God, but He must be first priority in your life. 

Job 1:5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

 Notice it says “…Thus Job did regularly.”Job was consistent and continual. 

 Verses 6-13 of this chapter happened in the spiritual realm. What does or does not happen in the natural realm is based off of what does or does not happen there. This is another reason why it is so important to serve God. 

Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

On Job’s worst day, he fell on his face and worshiped God. Adversity introduces a man to himself. It is easy to worship God when everything is going well in your life. Who you are when God has given you everything, should be who you are when you have nothing.  The most important thing you can have in your life, is your personal relationship with God. You have a choice every day. To choose God or not. Heaven protects your right to choose.  Everyone has the right given to you by God to choose. He will not make you serve Him. You can choose life, or you can choose death. Make a choice every morning that you will spend time with God before anything else. God will put good things on you, so that when you walk out of that time with God, you have everything you need to face throughout your day. Put God first in your day. Make it a priority! It is not to late. It is ALL based on a choice. 

Genesis 22:1-3 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”2 Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

He rose early in the morning. 

Psalm 5:1-3 Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

In the morning I will direct it to You. 

Mark 1:35  Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 

There is a significance about putting God first in your day. At the rise of a new day without clouded thoughts and you are fresh is the best time.  It can be seen in Job’s life, David’s life, and Jesus’ life. When you do this, it shows God that this is the highest priority in your life and that you are putting Him first before everything else.  You have to order your tomorrow, today. Because if you do not, the devil definitely has something planned for you tomorrow. The only chance the devil has in defeating you, is to stop you from spending time with The Father. 

John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

You can plug yourself into many vines. But If you plug yourself into the genuine vine, life will flow within you. The love of God is put in you from the moment you were born again. Its stronger than any human emotion. Take the time to plug into the vine and let life flow into that love. You have the capacity to know God! Do not live your life undeveloped! Make the effort to grow and mature! God wants everyone to be born again, filled with the Spirit, and next He wants everyone to spend their life growing and maturing! It does not happen overnight! It is a lifetime engagement! If you don’t take the time each day to feed your spirit, it will not grow and develop! 

Who will you worship?

October 25

Sunday AM

Exodus 20:1-6 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visitingthe iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

God was doing everything He could to get them in the position that He could come to them like He wanted to. When Adam fell, man lost the Glory of God. They were spiritually dead. But God chose Israel so He could show Himself and His love to the world through those people. 

God wants us for Himself. He doesn’t want to share us with anything/anyone else. Just as easy as it is for our sins to be forgiven, it is just as easy to be healed. Why? Because Jesus bore sickness AND sin on the cross. He paid the price for it. If a sinner can walk down the aisle and be forgiven, the same can happen to a sick person. They can be healed. 

1.    God will not share His worship with anyone or anything. 

a.    God is the only one worthy of worship. If you truly worship Him, it is Him alone.

b.    Man is made to worship. Man is going to worship; the only choice is who or what he is going to worship. 

2.    Bowing down is always an indication of worship. 

a.    This is a sign of reverence and surrender. 

3.    What you bow down to, you will serve. 

a.    The evil consequences of misdirected worship extend to your decedents. God says He will punish the children for the sin of the fathers to the 3rdand 4thgeneration. This type of consequence does not result from other sins that men commit. This particular sin is so unique and so grievous. Worshiping any other image than the true God, it will be carried on in the consequences of the third and fourth generation of those that practice it. 

b.    The reason God’s people struggle and never break free is because they will not bow down and worship God in their own home privately, every day. 

You can read about God in the Bible. You can learn about Him in church.  But you’re not going to know Him for yourself until you bow down and worship Him in private. Worship is a weapon!  Whatever you give your time and resources to, is what you are worshiping. 

Sickness and disease can get in a family line just like any other iniquity. But, that is part of the curse that we’ve been delivered from. When you worship the one true God, that will get in the family line. When God comes in, sickness and disease CANNOT live there. This doesn’t mean you won’t ever get a cold or sick. It means that when sickness does come, God meets it at the door, and it is not allowed to stay. 

Exodus 23:20 “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 

Genesis 12:6-7 Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.

There was an enemy in the land. That enemy is always going to contest what God is trying to get you to do. The place is already prepared. Healing has already been given. Prosperity has already been given. But you’re going to have enemies and things that come against you on the way. 

Exodus 23:21-25 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their sacred pillars. “So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. 26 No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.

These iniquities get in a family line over worship. When you decide to worship Him, He will put His favor on you. Anything that tries to come in your family, God will drive it out!  It is not the will of God for sin to have any dominion over you. Nor is it His will that sickness have any dominion over you.  If you’re afraid to live your life because you might get sick and die, you’re already dead.  

When you are feeling depression and you dwell on that feeling, you are bowing down to it. It will take over your mind and your feelings even further than before. If you will worship God, the same thing will happen. He will take over your mind and feelings and give you security. Bow down to God every single day! Invite Him into your life! When His presence comes, life will get sweeter. You cannot worship and it not have a positive effect on you. If you’ll bow down to Him, He will remove sickness and disease from your family! He will bless what you drink and eat. He will be your mask! He will be your protection! 

 Exodus 15:24-26 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet.

There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, 26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

God does not put diseases on people. But will allow it to because of choices they have made. This whole passage is about worship and who you will worship. 

Righteousness exalts a nation. If we will turn back to Him, our whole nation will turn back around. If we will bring the righteousness of God back to our nation, His favor will return with it.   

Healing Scriptures

Exodus 15:25-26  there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.

Exodus 23:15-26 And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee. There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.

Psalm 103:2-3 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely,he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Matthew 8:16-17 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

 3 John 2  Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

October 21, 2020

Wednesday PM

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

As we’ve been saying all year, 2020 is a year of preparation. If you don’t prepare, you won’t get to partake in what’s after that on the level that you would have, had you prepared. Preparation means making ready beforehand. Opportunity scarcely comes to those who don’t prepare. If an opportunity does arise, they don’t recognize it and they’re not ready to take advantage of it. But, if you’re prepared, and the opportunity presents itself, you’re ready and you can go higher and further! Preparation is not exciting, but we have to look at it like this: Preparation is not something we HAVE to do, it is something we GET to do.  Preparation is a time to draw near to Him. 

Be prepared, you’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get. Take every weapon God has issued. You’re no match for the devil apart from Gods help. Take onto you the whole power of God. Here’s why. If you don’t, you won’t stand. You won’t be prepared. You’ll be like a soldier going into war without your armor and weaponry. 

Ephesians 6:13-18  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

This armor is not something you put on the outside. It’s put on from the inside. And in all reality, you do not equip yourself. The Holy Spirit does as you yield to Him through prayer. Equipping the belt of truth REQUIRES us to stop lying. Be a person of truth! The only way to purge lying from your character is through purging prayer.  Allow Him to help you! He will not do it for you but He will join and help you.  We will not be delivered from things we don’t truly want to be free from. We must take God’s perspective on the matter. We must view it as UGLY. When you reach that point you’ve given God what He needs to help you. We have to look at ourselves though the eyes of prayer. Get honest with ourselves. The breastplate of righteousness is another defensive weapon.

 Unrighteous Living

Galatians 5:19-21  Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:  adultery,  fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy,  murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

He made us the righteousness of God positionally.  The gift of righteousness enables us to live a righteous life. He gave us what we needed to do that.  The blood covers all! The good that Jesus did is more powerful than any of the bad you’ve done or will ever do. None of us can be righteous apart from repentance and His blood.  Unlike humans, God FORGETS when He forgives!

The shoes of peace give you an inherit ability to stand in the face of adverse circumstances without shaking or moving. When that pressure comes, God wants us to have an inner peace! When that pressure is on, the person that’s cool, calm and collected is able to make right decisions.  Because if you react out of pressure and emotion you may be right, but you do it in the wrong way and have the opposite effect of what you were striving for.  When you have an inner peace, you can handle the pressure. 

Purging prayer is praying in the Spirit and letting the Holy Ghost do things in you. It is of the spirit. Worship involves the spirit but, it affects the soul. Where most people collapse under pressure is in the soul. When you spend time in worship, it baptizes your senses and soul. Worship affects you with the peace of God, and things that would have bothered you before, won’t. 

God installed His love deep within us when we were born again. We have the capacity to love and forgive like God does. But it has to be developed through prayer. It has to be developed from the inside out, not the outside in. You have to start somewhere! Every time you go beyond what you usually do, you will experience more! You’ll never reach goals of 2 -3 hours without starting where you are! Don’t set unattainable goals! The key is consistency! The people who are more intentional than they’ve ever been, will experience more than they ever have.  He who dwells in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Stay close to Him. Stay in His shadow. If you want to get closer to God, WORSHIP HIM. 

The Plan for Your Life

October 18, 2020

Jonah 1:1-3 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.” 3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so, he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.

It’s important how this scripture is worded. He went down. He paid the fare. When you do God’s will, God’s way, He will always foot the bill. God is not about going down. He goes up. He’s not about losing. He’s about winning. 

People don’t see how things are, they see things how they are. They don’t see reality; they see things through their own perception. Two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different. The thing isn’t different, the people are the difference. Your perception colors everything. How you see yourself, others, and life, affects everything. That’s why we must gain God’s perspective on things. No opinion matters other than God’s. 

God has a plan for every life. He will work His plan in your life every single day. Every day is new! Every day the sun comes up is an opportunity to start fresh. He has a plan for you to walk in a liberty and freedom that’s beyond what any natural man could do. The reason most people don’t walk in this, is because they run from God’s presence. The presence of God is your place of peace, fulfilment, power, blessing, and increase. Everything comes from that place. Why do people run from the presence of God? Because they don’t want to do what He is asking of them. They have their own plans and desires. They are not willing to give up what they want, for what God wants. 

Because God DOES have a specific plan for your life, He knows what it will require for that to come to pass.  If you want God’s perfect will, you have to do it His way. God’s way is always years of preparation. Jesus spent 30 years preparing for 3 years of ministry. You have to have a place to commune with Him daily. Why? Because He has to feed you with His purpose. He will put his desires in you as you delight yourself in Him. 

 Jonah 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.

God SENT the storm. It was His mercy. He was endeavoring to get Jonah’s attention, and get him back in His presence. People go from storm to storm. Problem to problem. Down, down, down. And they question, “why is my life so bad?” QUIT RUNNING! Quit running from God’s presence and God’s purpose! God in His mercy is trying to get your attention and get you back in His presence and plan. Run after God! You’ll never be truly happy or satisfied without it! God can take you UP! He will pay the fares! 

Jonah 1:5-7  Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lightenthe load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.

6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish.”

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

Jonah was running from the presence of God. He goes down, down, down. He’s having to pay his own way. Things are getting worse. And then God sends this storm. Then Jonah finds himself in the bottom of the ship. Here’s the sad part. God is having to use the captain to wake Jonah from his sleep.  Sound familiar? In our present day, God is having to use circumstances and the world to speak to His people and say, “WAKE UP! And call upon your God.” 

Your children have a specific plan of God for their life. Your own plans for their life do not matter. You will only interfere with God’s plan. It’s more important that you teach them to pray and rely on God’s direction than anything. Don’t force YOUR plan on them. Don’t force everything you weren’t able to accomplish on them. If you have a relationship with God, you’ll be much better equipped to train them in the way they should go! As a parent, your job is not to be their friend! You’re to be a parent. A guardrail. They will thank you in the future! Train them by example! 

If you don’t learn to order your tomorrow, today, the devil already has a jump on you for tomorrow. Set in your heart, that you already know what you are going to do every morning when you wake. Don’t let the devil plan your tomorrow. He will if you let him. Set your tomorrow on the presence of the Lord. 

Genesis 13:1-18  Abraham and Lot

Moses built alters before pitching his tents. Why? Worship was more important to him. Lot’s biggest mistake was not knowing where his blessings were coming from. He was blessed because he was with Abraham. He separated and pitched his tent facing Sodom.  After that, he went down, down, down. When you pitch your tent looking in the wrong direction, you will entertain thoughts you never would have if you had not put them before you. You begin to entertain images and imaginations that you never would have, had you not pointed your tent facing the wrong thing. When you allow your mind to go there, you will take on the feelings that go along with it. See the pattern? Separate yourself from God’s presence, and you will lose. You will not prosper. God took the nothing that surrounded Abraham and created an environment of everything. God prospered Abraham beyond his wildest dreams. Abraham chose God’s plan over what the world could give him. Everyone around him was affected because of that decision. We are still affected today by Abrahams decision to follow God. God can take what looks like nothing and turn it into something that will affect millions. 

The Armor of God

October 14, 2020

Wednesday Night

Luke 22:31-34 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

2020 is a year of preparation. Planning does not mean the same as preparation. Planning is having good intentions. Preparation requires action. Peter thought he was ready. Even though he wasn’t, God still had a plan. When you get honest with yourself and with God, He can correct things much quicker. Living in denial will only slow you down. 

Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

Defensive:

·     Belt of truth

·     Breastplate of righteousness

·     Shoes of peace

·     Shield of faith

·     Helmet of salvation

Offensive:

·     Sword of the spirit

·     Praying in the spirit

These are not outward things. They are inner things. You equip them internally. 

Belt of truth– Ephesians 4:24 Stop lying. The devil will use this against you. Lying did not originate with God. And since you now have God’s nature. You must get rid of this habit. Be a person of truth. Regardless at the cost to you, you have to refuse to lie. God is incapable of lying. He will not add himself to yours, or anyone’s. This includes gossiping. We must take this seriously. If the belt of truth is not firmly buckled around you, there’s a doorway for the enemy to get in. 

Breastplate of righteousness– Not participating in habitual sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.  If you are participating in any of these things, it is imperative that you get right. Conviction is not the same as condemnation. Have an attitude of humility. Deal with the sin in your life, put it away. Deal with the issues of your own heart. Thank God for the blood. You can be washed of it all. 

Shoes of Peace– Immovable. You can take the pressure. You need the supernatural peace of God to be immovable. Peace and confidence in the protection of God will make this possible. Opposing people and circumstances won’t move you!  No worry! No fear! No Anxiety! When the peace comes in the others will leave. You cannot have both! The peace of God is an aggressive weapon! Invite His peace into your life!

 Shield of Faith –In Jesus’ moments of temptation, His response was, “It is written!” This is your shield. The devil will attack you and if you are not full of the Word, you won’t have your shield. If you’re full of the Word, the Word will come out. There’s no way to do this apart from having the word in your heart. Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. When the pressure is on, what is in you, will come out. Make sure what comes out is the Word. When the devil fires his fiery darts, up comes your Shield of Faith. 

 Helmet of Salvation -  at some point in your Christian walk, you have to start believing what God says about you. The helmet will protect your mind and your thoughts. Believe in who God says you are and what belongs to you.  Just as you can dwell on a bad thought, you can dwell on a good thought. You are the one who decides which way it goes! 

 Sword of the Spirit –We’ve been taught this is taking the Word and speaking it out loud. However, that is not all. Jesus is the example. It is God speaking through you. If God appeared at the moment, He would say the same thing you are saying about the matter or circumstance. It is God using you. It is an offensive weapon! 

 Praying in the Spirit – How do we do ALL of the above? Prayer. Purging prayer. The Holy Spirit! Let wisdom purge and cut these things away. It won’t happen through your own might, The Holy Spirit is the only one who can do this! It is a GIFT! The Holy Spirit wont do it for you! He is your helper! Give Him your tongue and He’ll do the rest. It is not optional! Do not let one day go by without praying in the spirit! 

Following Your Shepherd

October 11, 2020

Sunday AM

Matthew 9:35-38 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they wereweary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

He wants to heal all sickness and disease. TODAY. This is the will of God. You can trust God with your soul for eternity, and you can trust Him with your body and health. God does not want you to live sick and diseased. This is NOT the will of God. 

Who is your shepherd? Do you know who he is? A lot of people have the problems in their lives, because they don’t have a shepherd. Every sheep needs a shepherd. Every born-again child of God has a specific planned shepherd just for them. God has put a word in that shepherd’s heart for your life. The enemy will do everything he can to divide you or keep you from that shepherd.  Your shepherds’ heart and ear is connected to the mouth of God! 

“You need a shepherd to pray with you in your time of need. So, you need a local church so you can receive from the Word of God and stay free. God has given a shepherd to each and every one after His own heart. So, make sure you are where God has planted you, and don’t depart. By God’s grace, He has anointed a shepherd to watch over your soul. Honor him with your attendance and the word will make you completely whole. The devil does not want you to be under a shepherd or any man, he wants to keep you away from the flock so he can keep you under his command. In the last days, many will depart from the church and no longer receive. The real reason is because they listened to the enemy and were deceived. Many of God’s people do not believe they need a pastor or a local church to attend. They stay home by saying it’s not necessary to attend church because it is not a sin. If you don’t have a church home, you do not have a shepherd to guide you. This is why God’s family needs a shepherd. So, they can be overseen, and attended to. The enemy has deceived many people because they say it is okay to stay home and watch tv preachers because this is where they belong. It may be good that you are enjoying the worship and the feeding of the word, but you still don’t have a shepherd because you are not doing what you have heard. Because God has given shepherds to oversee, feed, and represent Christ the Son,  the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, to get you to leave the flock so you won’t have a shepherd to feed, lead, and help you from growing cold. Shepherds are Gods representatives to lead and to feed. The feeding ground is called the local church so be faithful there. Those who are faithful will receive a shepherds reward.”

 Your shepherd is with you through your daily life. He is with you through your problems and issues and struggles! You shouldn’t be bragging about the tv preacher that isn’t with you helping you deal with all your stuff! It’s sad we have to teach sheep how to treat your pastor! That’s the man God put in your life and you should value what he has to say over what anyone else! When you start viewing him like that you will receive more from him!  The local church is not about filling the seats. It’s not about people coming to build a big congregation! It’s about the people coming in and the preacher building big people! If you’ll submit to you pastor and hear what he says, you can be mature! God will grow you! If you’ve been in a church for a long time, and you haven’t made any progress, you cannot blame anyone around you. It is in your hands.  It’s impossible to be under God’s program and your life not get better! It’s all about what you do with the information you’ve been given.  God don’t ever lose a battle! You don’t serve God the way you want to! You serve God the way He says to! 

 You can’t stay away from a local church and stay strong. God made it that way! Church attendance is important! The people who give their selves diligently to their local church, are the ones God will promote. Local church and a pastor is God’s idea! It is important! You’re never alright away from the local church. 

Revelation 4:1-11

The question is not, will you worship? It is, who/what will you worship? It is your sole purpose! It is why you were created. Who will you worship? You are worshiping someone or something right now. We all are! 

People have issues and struggle for years with difficulties, different diseases, poverty, fears and phobias. They will never make any REAL progress. They never come to the place of victory, overcoming or reigning in life, because they simply don’t bow down and worship God daily in private, just them and God.

The very purpose we were created was for worship! It’s the same for every human walking on this earth. We all have different callings, but our purpose is the same. We are here to worship the God who gave us life and holds our next breath in His hands. 

 If you start to worship God, everything will be flipped upside down. You will trade your bitterness for sweetness. Problems for solutions. He will walk out in front of you and remove obstacles from your path. When you bow down and you begin to worship in private, you will notice the difference. You will come to church and come alive!  If you bow down before Him every day, you will give Him an entrance into your life! He will come in and do what only God can do! Any minute of time you spend with God gives Him great pleasure! There’s no one on this planet that God would rather spend time with than you. He will run out ahead of you and do good things in your life, just because you spend time with Him.  The throne of God is mentioned 14 times in this chapter. The throne of God is the center of the universe. It’s the command center! God runs everything from that place. What’s going on in that place? Worship. The way our prayers get in the presence of God? Worship.  Do you ever feel like you have a prayer that you just can’t get through? Worship. If you worship Him, you will know Him.  He cares so much for us! Worship should be our life! 

Keeping a Sound Mind

October 4th, 2020

Sunday AM

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for

“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Pride is the only thing the devil will not convict you of. He is the epitome of pride, and we do not want to be like him. Humble yourself! 

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 

He cannot devour you without your permission. The devil knows you have authority over him as a believer. He is scared of you! Satan has studied mankind for 6 thousand years. He has a working knowledge of how humans operate.  He has studied you. He knows your weaknesses. What appeals to you and what doesn’t. He knows what will trip you up.  The only people that fear the devil, are those who don’t know they have authority over him.  Fear is a lie! It’s paying on a note that might not ever come due! It’s an imagination! It’s backed up by feelings not truth.  We are God’s people! Everything in our life belongs to Him. He has purchased us spirit, soul, and body. The devil has no right to us, nor any part of our family.  We have authority over that whole realm, given to us by God.  If you believe that God really cares for you, you should know that nothing will bring any damage to you. Why? Because you know God cares for you! We need to have a better understanding of how much God loves us and cares for us. 

So, what gives him permission? What makes us devourable?

Deceit – He likes to cause harm without you knowing it is him. If you don’t know its him, you can’t resist him. He wants you to think its “normal.” This is why the verse says, “be sober, be vigilant…” We must be on top of our game! When you have dark thoughts, we must rise up and recognize where it is coming from. Do not dwell on it, or it will only become bigger. This is the kind of thing that he uses to devour you! It’s subtle. He uses deceit to do things in your life without you recognizing it is him. He will turn you on yourself instead of having you focused on the real problem. Which is him. 

If the devil is attacking you in your thoughts, it does not mean you are a bad person or that you’re on the wrong track. Most of the time it means you’re on the right one! 

The cares of this life - All of us have everyday responsibilities. The enemy will use these things to weigh us down! It will weigh on you mentally, emotionally, and physically. Yes, you have to work and provide for your family. But he will use those very cares to overload you.  If it’s not dealt with, it will put you at risk of a breakdown.  A nervous breakdown is not of God. It doesn’t make you a bad person! But you have to recognize it as him! Because if you don’t, he will continue to pile on the “cares.” Cares = anxieties.  God does not want you to have a bad day! He knows NO defeat! He doesn’t want us living in fear and oppression! Panic attacks are demonic spirits attacking you! God wants you free from it! But, you’ll have to have a working knowledge of the enemy and how he works!  You have to resist the devil! God cannot do it for you!  RISE UP! 

The devil cannot read your mind. He cannot know your thoughts. But what he does, is send demon spirits to shout things at you. When they do this, they watch for your reaction. They watch your physical reaction or words you say! Whatever you give words to, it gives the enemy a look at what is going on inside of you. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”  

Psalm 27:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord,
And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

Hebrews says it like this, “… because of the ones who observe me.”

Worrying is a sin! It will break you down! God never intended for you to worry! There are things the enemy will load you down with that you aren’t built or designed to carry! Do not let him deceive you! God has MORE than enough to take care of you! Cast those things upon the Lord! 

God ordained a day of rest. The sabbath! Rest is IMPORTANT! It will renew you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually! If you don’t voluntarily rest yourself, you will be forced to do so later in life. 

Find yourself in an anxious spot, carrying the cares of this world? When you recognize the enemy trying to weigh you down, Stop everything and pray in the spirit. When you pray in the spirit, you are building yourself up on your most holy faith! You are building up the part of you, that you believe in God with. Your spirit! Not your mind or flesh! Peace will start to come. Hurl those cares upon God. A sound mind is a mind that knows what God has said.  Take on the mind of Christ!

 Psalm 95

Give Thanks!

September 30, 2020

Wednesday PM

Colossians 1:9-14  For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

 Give thanks for the things God instructs us to be thankful for! While you’re enduring you can be joyful! Giving thanks is key! We have victory because of Jesus’ shed blood! Everything in your inheritance is because of His blood. 

 Hebrews 9:12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 

 Many people believe victory, but the reality is, were not trying to get victory, we already have it! It’s already done. Jesus already got it for us! To receive your inheritance, you have to know it belongs to you. Jesus already got us salvation. In the word salvation is your inheritance.  It means total complete deliverance from all of darkness, transferring you from darkness into the kingdom of the Father.  We are qualified to be partakers of the inheritance! The blood is what qualifies us. 

 In the old testament, when the people would sin or mess up, they would bring a lamb to the priest. The priest would inspect the lamb, and if it was blemish free, he would say, “this is an acceptable sacrifice.”  And that lamb took the place of that person’s flaws. The priest didn’t inspect the person, he inspected the lamb.  Jesus was the lamb. He was accepted in heaven as the perfect sacrifice.  This is what qualified us. He was the perfect sacrifice!  The blood of Jesus washes us from all unrighteousness. The blood forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. The blood makes us righteous and redeems us from sin.  Sin has no power over us! The only way sin has power over us is if you CHOOSE to sin.  We have power over sin. The blood freed us from sin.  We are in a new kingdom with a new father!  You’re only defeated if you don’t know who you are and what belongs to you. But we are learning!  We are new creatures! All things are new! The old you is dead and no longer exists. Your growth in grace is a growing awareness of who you already are in Christ, based on what He’s already done.  You’ll never understand who you already are in Christ, until you understand all the Father has done in completely doing away with who you used to be.  We are brand new! New Father, new kingdom, new family, new future, out of darkness into light! That’s who you are now! And when you realize this, you will wake up every day thankful! We have to learn to be thankful for what is already ours! It will increase your capacity to receive what is already yours! It’s all based on the blood. 

 Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ

 All blessings are spiritual because they come out of the spiritual realm. God has already given you what you need for every single day. We aren’t trying to get it, Jesus got it for us! We have what we need to succeed! He gave us authority over the devil. He gave us healing for sickness and disease. He gave us prosperity for poverty. He gave us victory for defeat. He gave us the blood for sin. Mercy for mistakes. Blessings for the curse. Life for death. Joy for mourning. Peace for fear and torment. All of that has already been given! It belongs to you! It’s yours! Be thankful!! We aren’t the sick trying to get healed. We are healed and the devil is trying to take our health! This is how we have to think on things! Adjust your mindset! It’s already done. 

Interpretation of tongues at the end of the service:

For the enemy goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. It’s the cares that give him that road into your life. Refuse to take up those cares. Refuse to worry about those things. Refuse to allow that to get into your thinking and mind. Refuse to pick that up. Leave it alone! Lay it down. Give it to me. Don’t you know this,? says the Lord. I care for you. I care for you as only a Father can care for you. It touches My heart what touches your heart. I’ve come tonight because I want to lift those burdens. I want to lift those weights off of my people. For too long my people have been weighed down. For too long my people have been under a heaviness. But I’m telling you tonight, by my Spirit, says the Lord, that heaviness is lifting. That heaviness is going to come off of my people. My people are going to arise and shine in this hour. I have great things in store for my people. There are things that the enemy doesn’t know! There are things that the enemy hasn’t seen yet! That I’m going to do in this day and hour that my people are going to see and enjoy. And the world is going to look on in awe and they will still know that I AM God.  The world is going to know that I still do things that only I can do. For I am the Lord. I am the Lord thy God. And I will see to thee. I will take care of you. I will watch over you! I will protect you! And know this, says the Lord, I will provide for you!