Victory Life KY

Luke 2:8-11,NKJV- Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. I love Luke’s inspiring revelation God gave him about the birth of our King. And as Luke introduces his revelation, he makes this statement, “I’m writing this so that you may know beyond a shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you’ve been taught.” You can tell by the boldness of his introduction that he has a fixed confidence in his revelation of the accounts of Jesus. Here’s the thing, what Luke, what the Holy Spirit wants all of us to understand is that what we know today as the Bible is 100% the complete, accurate word of the Almighty. It is absolutely God speaking to you today. And as we make ourselves available to it, revelation from it transforms our thinking which transforms our lives. Its a spiritual reality sent to us directly from God. But our focus with this talk is Mary, what do ya say this Christmas we let Jesus’ mom inspire us to be a little bolder in our faith. In Luke 1 remember what Mary tells the angel Gabriel, “Be it unto me according to your word.” This Christmas, as we celebrate and honor our Savior and King, as we enjoy the gift of Salvation, my prayer this Christmas is that Mary’s faith inspires each of us to take a closer look at our own life of faith, and follow her lead, “be it unto to me” What everyone of us has to come to terms with is that as spiritual, as supernatural as Christ’s birth is, it still demands our participation. Like we said last week, Mary’s faith gives us a completely new perspective to giving our life to Jesus. Seriously, she’s having a conversation with one of God’s elect angles. Can you imagine what was going through Mary’s mind? All we have to do, like Mary is simply believe and participate. “Be it unto me according to your words.” And I realize that there will be times that our next step of faith my seem a little crazy, but just maybe, like Mary, God’s looking for a little crazy. Each of us has to come to the realization that this one simple truth is exactly how Jesus expects us to live these lives He came that we could have. Ok Lord, it seems a little crazy, but, be it unto me!! Think about what Jesus did for us, The King of all eternity exchanged His royalty for humanity. He willing stepped out eternity for the sole purpose of making a way for His creation to become eternity. Remember what Jesus told us in John 10, “I came that you may have and enjoy an abundant, excessive, extraordinary life.” So, if nothing is impossible for those who believe what God tells us, then why wouldn’t we follow Mary’s example? C’mon Lord, be it unto me according to your word. I left this thought with you last week from the apostle Paul, he told us to pursue a righteous life, a life of wonder, faith, and love. Take hold of eternal life, the one God called you to. What do ya say, we make this Christmas a turning point in our lives? Like Mary, right in the face of fear, uncertainty, ridicule, we embrace her faith attitude, according to your word Lord. Remember what Gabriel told her, rejoice, highly favored of the Lord, you are blessed among women. Well, guess what, now God’s word, just like He told Gabriel to tell Mary, today tells us in Galatians, we are the favored of the Lord, blessed according to the promise of Abraham. So, according to Jesus, if nothing is impossible for those of us who believe what God tells us, then why wouldn’t we follow Mary’s example? Be it unto me Lord!! Now a very important reality we might overlook is Mary’s humility, before she makes her bold faith statement she says this, “behold the maidservant of the Lord.” MSG, “Yes, I see it all now, I am the Lord’s maid, ready to serve.”Then she makes her faith declaration; “be it unto me according to your word.” Unfortunately there's a lot of Christians that won't even acknowledge they need help with their faith. I cannot over emphasize the significance of humility when it comes to a life of faith. Regardless of our success God has given us, like Abraham, in our hearts God always wants us living in a tent. Remember, God gives grace to the humble, He exalts the humble.I’ve heard people say, well I don’t have the faith you have. But truth is, every child of God has faith, sometimes its just undeveloped. Faith actually starts as a conviction in the human soul, established by the unveiling of the truth in God’s word, to the degree that you have this fixed expectation from what God has told you. I like to think of it as divinely inspired trust. 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our CO

John 16:7 (NKJV) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” John 14:26 (AMP) But the Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf, He will teach you all things. And He will remind you of everything I have told you. Think about what Jesus is telling us, the Holy Spirit, His Spirit, is now living in every born again believer. I really don’t think we comprehend all that’s in His statement. After all, He told His first disciples, “I have many things to tell you but you’re not ready, you can’t handle them right now.” I can’t help but wonder how often we fall into this same category. And this is why we can’t over state the importance of believing. It is the navigation system of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is why the Holy Spirit told us through the apostle Paul, “the same way you entered the Kingdom is exactly how you live in the Kingdom.” So, back to our original statement, It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.” Jesus went on to tell us that He, the Holy Spirit will guide us in all truth. He will tell us things to come. Then He made this radical statement, “All the Father has is mine, and the Holy Spirit will take of what is mine and declare it to you.”So, its to your advantage that I go. It’s no wonder the enemy does everything possible to keep us distracted with all the things of the world. Sounds like one of his tactics out of the parable of the sower. And one of the key lessons of this parable is that the sower sows the word. But without God's word as our foundation, the Holy Spirit will be limited to what He can actually reveals to us, bring to our remembrance. Without this foundation, the Holy Spirit could be communicating with our spirit and we chalk it up as just another passing thought. Bottom line, until the human soul is renewed to the word of God, we will always be at the mercy of human reasoning and senses. This is why Romans reminds us that the more spiritual minded we are, the more we'll recognize the Holy Spirit baring witness with our spirit. And even though Proverbs tells us it's through our spirit that the Holy Spirit enlightens us to spiritual realities. It’s our soul that processes any revelation. This is why it is absolutely vital for the born-again that our minds be renewed to the Word of God. According to the book of Hebrews, it's the Word that reveals spiritual realities. Here’s the deal, since Jesus told us it is to our advantage that the Holy Spirit came, maybe the question we all have to acknowledge is just how Holy Spirit minded are we on any given day? How intentional are we when it comes to spiritual realities? Is it even a reality or some distant, someday concept? Paul was so spirit-conscious that it was always at the front of his thinking. Listen to his perspective in Philippians, I’m torn between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, which is way better, but it’s more important that I stay for you. The unfortunate reality with the overwhelming majority of wonderfully born-again Christians is that the world of the spirit is something far from our everyday living. I believe possibly the biggest reason for this is because too many have been deceived into ignoring the fact that we were made like them. Genesis 1:26-27 (NLT) Then God said, Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us... So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. John 4:24 (NLT) “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” We are spirits with bodies. But because of the fall of man, our spirits have been separated from God until we are born again. And from that moment forward, the only way God sees you is in your new nature. Jesus said, "That born of the Spirit is spirit." Paul said, "Old things are gone, behold all things have been made new." And this is why are told us in Romans that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. We are reconnected with Him. Not our intelligence or our bodies. 1 John tells us that anyone who believes in Jesus already has His witness inside. MSG, We have His inward confirmation. Romans 8:11 (NKJV) If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Think about it, you know you're born again because you have a knowing on the inside. An inward confirmation. His Spirit bearing witness with your spirit that you're born again. And this is exactly how God leads us in every other area of our new lives in Him. Remember what Paul said, when we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom.

Isaiah 7:14 (NKJV) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. As I was thinking and praying about our Christmas series, this miraculous story of Jesus’ birth, that had been prophesied for generations is obviously the focus of our celebration. But what really motivated my direction this year is Jesus’ mothers great faith. In Luke 1:38, out of the traditional KJV, Mary tells the angel Gabriel, “Be it unto me according to your word.” This Christmas, as we celebrate and honor our Savior and King, as we enjoy the gift of Salvation, we’re going to let Mary’s faith inspire us to take a closer look at our own life of faith. After all, according to our King, we’ve been created to live a life of faith. I love Luke’s perspective on Jesus’ life. On this miraculous event, God laid out before the foundations of the world. He wasn’t one of the 12, but I believe associated with some of them, and for certain some of the 70. Obviously close with the apostle Paul. He gives us a detailed account of the birth of our Savior. But more from humanity’s side of things than for example Matthew’s Jewish linage. As a matter of fact, Luke refers to Jesus as “Son of man” at least 26 times. And as spiritual, as supernatural as Christ’s birth is, it still demanded the created’s participation. I love Mary’s bold faith, I’m sure as she trembled in the presence of Gabriel. And as the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write his account, he gives us this very intelligent, simple, clear account of our Savior. All we have to do, like Mary is simply believe and participate. “Be it unto me according to your words.” Luke 1:1-3 (CEV) Many people have tried to tell the story of what God has done among us.They wrote what we had been told by the ones who were there in the beginning and saw what happened.So I made a careful study of everything and then decided to write and tell you exactly what took place. Then Luke makes this statement, “I’m writing this so that you may know beyond a shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you’ve been taught.” I can’t help but wonder if maybe Luke got to hear the story straight from Mary.You can tell by the boldness of his introduction that he has a fixed confidence in his revelation of the accounts of Jesus. But what I love and respect about his letter is that his revelation came to him just like it comes to us. And he boldly writes, I want you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt the reliability of what you’ve been taught. As I’m putting this talk together, Mary’s statement stands out in my thoughts; “be it unto me” Each of us has to come to the realization that this one simple truth is exactly how Jesus expect us to live these lives He came that we could have. John 10, “...I came that you may have and enjoy an abundant, excessive, extraordinary life.” Then be it unto to me Lord. And here’s the eternal reality for God’s created, today in the middle of the 21st century, He’s still pointing people to Jesus. Jesus still stands as the central focus of hope and redemption for humanity. “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” God with us! Think about it from His perspective. Leaving His world, laying aside His deity, taking on free will, yielding Himself to humanity for the sole purpose of making passage for humanity to come back, not only to eternity, but into a divine relationship with our Creator. Philippians 2, When the time came, Jesus set aside the privileges of deity and became human! Having become human, He stayed human.He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, He lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death.Because of His obedience, God lifted Him high and honored Him far beyond anyone or anything,so that all created beings in heaven and on earth will bow in worship before Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that He is the Lord of all. The Anointed One, the Creator became the created. (Son of man)The King of all existence exchanged His royalty for humanity.The Author eternity stepped out of it, for the sole purpose of bringing us back to eternity. And I realize the world, over the years has developed a variety of traditions celebrating Christmas, but for those of us that have embraced God’s gift to His creation, it’s one of our greatest days we get to celebrate! So, as the world around us drifts further away from the realities of why we celebrate Christmas, let’s remind them. Lets take a page of of Mary’s play book, “be it unto to me Lord” Now it goes without saying, it will always be, Merry Christmas, not happy whatever. But with this in mind, don’t be one of those religious, Christian correctors. Remember, God didn't send Jesus into the world to condemn it, but to save it. Luke 1:26-38 (NKJV) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,27, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house

Genesis 12:2 (NKJV) “I will make you a great nation;I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Romans 4 (MSG) We call Abraham “father” not because he got God’s attention by living like a saint, but because God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobody. Abraham was first named “father” and then became a father because he dared to trust God to do what only God could do: raise the dead to life, with a word make something out of nothing.When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn’t do but on what God said he would do. Psalm 37:3-5 (NKJV) Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,you shall read, meditate on it day and night,so that you may be careful to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it;for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. (Put your name here) John 10:10 (AMP) “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance, to the full, till it overflows.” And it may sound over simple, but Jesus is asking us the same thing today. Simply Trust, Delight, Commit. Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV) “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;” Living inspired starts with with a willing heart. Deuteronomy 28:13 (NKJV) “And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.” TRUST IN THE LORDDELIGHT YOURSELF IN THE LORDCOMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,you shall read, meditate on it day and night,so that you may be careful to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it;for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. Romans 4:19 (NKJV) “And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.”

Hebrews 12:28,NIV- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Throughout the scriptures one common characteristic associated with thankfulness is humility. You won’t see one without the other. Psalm 25, He leads the humble in justice, and teaches them His way. There’s a beautiful story in Luke 7 about the alabaster box. As we follow Jesus through the chapter, He makes one of His many bold, in your face statements: “The children of this generation are like spoiled children complaining.”Then one of the Pharisees invites Jesus to his house. A prostitute shows up to worship Jesus. Luke 7,MSG- She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she is very, very grateful.If the forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal. Maybe this is why Jesus made statements like, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Here’s something else we should consider, the prostitute saw something in Jesus the Pharisee couldn’t see. Could it be a heart issue?Remember, He teaches the humble His ways. This week as we gather and celebrate our blessed holiday, lets remember, like the young lady worshiping Jesus, what He’s actually done for us. Hebrews 12:28,NIV- “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” We should also be grateful, that we live in the most blessed place on the planet. Living in a nation where we actually have a day set aside to acknowledge, reflect, and honor the God who made us this great people, we should absolutely express our deepest thanks with honor and humility. President George Washington made this statement to our nation, “It is our duty as a nation to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God,to be humbly grateful for His protection and favor. And to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks.” As we enter another holiday season, for me personally, Thanksgiving is the kick off of the season, but at the heart of thanksgiving, it’s so much more than a holiday, it’s an attitude of our heart. It’s part of the nature of the born again. What if Thanksgiving for the born again was a lifestyle? What if we lived like the holiday was everyday? I can tell you with absolute certainty that a humble, thankful heart is a game changer in our life of faith. Remember, thankfulness and humility are eternally connected.God gives grace to the humble and exalts the humble. Unfortunately, in todays society we see way too much of the opposite. So much entitlement, complaining, ungratefulness, more focused on self, focused on what we don’t have. Thank God for His word, He provides us one of His most inspiring letters to help us not only navigate challenging times, but right in the middle of them, maintain our God imparted nature of thankfulness and joy. Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of encouragement and thankfulness for their generous giving and ministry support. That being said, he still takes the opportunity to pastor them concerning some of their current issues. And obviously, this letters primary theme is joy, regardless of situations.Paul makes it pretty clear that this kind of joy cannot be found in favorable circumstances, but in a growing relationship with Jesus. Philippians 4 would be a wonderful devotion and meditation for all of us through the Thanksgiving holiday. Philippians 4:4-7,NLKV- Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Here’s a key take home for today, a thankful, reverent heart is truly the threshold for the supernatural. This is why so many Hebrew words connected to thankfulness are the same as worship. And a thankful heart of worship connects us on a more authentic level with God’s presence. At the end of the day, the closer we grow in our relationship with Jesus, our natural response will be a more authentic worship. Psalm 34, “I worship GOD every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. I live and breathe GOD; King David said, “Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore.From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”Psalm 95, “Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is the great God, and the great King above all gods.” Psalm 100, “Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” God's word is very clear that His blessing, His breakthrough, His victory, was always preceded by the praise of His people. Because faith already knows what God has promised He will fulfill. We have to realize that a

Isaiah 1:19,NKJV- “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”MSG- If you willingly obey, you’ll feast like a king. Living inspired starts with with a willing heart. Like we said last week, our Father is waiting for each of us to take the next step in the life He's already seen we could have. What if we started each day with the expectation that today’s gonna be one of the days He’s already seen. We’ve got to stay open to the reality that there’s something God wants to accomplish through each of His children. And according to Acts 10:34,NLT- Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism.” We are a chosen generation of royalty, we are fearfully and wonderfully made. At the end of the day, it simply comes down to those willing and obedient. Remember last week, “I call heaven and earth as witness to the choice you make.” This is why Paul tells us to make the most of every opportunity. Here’s the deal, living inspired means there will be times we have to step out beyond our own abilities and Trust, Delight, Commit. Psalm 37:3-5,NKJV- Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. This truth is possibly one of the greatest faith builders God left for us.And make no mistake, there’s no other way of discover or living an inspired life outside of faith. Maybe the best we I can describe faith is our positive response to what God has already provided for us by grace. There is absolutely nothing that can replace time in God’s word, it’s where we discover our new lives He’s designed for each of us. And hands down the Joshua 1:8 principle is the key component in our success in an inspired life. Joshua 1:8,AMP- This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, you shall read, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. And since we are these chosen people, fearfully and wonderfully made, the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise. God plans is to use each of our lives to be a testimony of His blessing. Genesis 12:2-3,NKJV- “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” You gotta love how God prophesied Abraham’s life to him. Galatians 3, You must know that only those who are in Christ are sons of Abraham. Christ redeemedus so that the blessing of Abraham might come on us, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” And it all started with God giving Abraham one simple step of faith, “go where I’m telling you.” And it may sound over simple, but Jesus is asking us the same thing today. Simply Trust, Delight, Commit. Go where I’m telling you, do what I’m asking you, one step at a time, one day at a time, one inspired life at a time. Remember, I will bless you and make you great so that you will be a blessing!This is why our faith is so important. Jude 20, Beloved, build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith, continually progressing, rising higher and higher. Ultimately, because of who God has made us, we have to take our God ordained lives and exercise our influence. And here’s the deal, according to the apostle Paul, “its according to the power that works in us.” I believe this is Isaiah’s point, If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land Ephesians 3:20,NKJV- Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. As I’m putting this talk together, meditating on these revelations from God’s Spirit, I can’t help but wonder how many of us find ourselves following logic instead of God? Kinda like baptism, think about it, being dunked in some water, in the natural… come on. But spiritually, according to Jesus it’s an eternal statement for every believer. God knows each of us, exactly where we are, what we’re going through, and He’s still got great plans for everyone of us. But, as long as we’re okay living without more of God in our lives, we will. But the moment we start talking steps of faith toward God, the more inspired our lives become. Listen to Paul’s prayer for us out of Ephesians;That we embrace the Spirit of wisdom and revelation That we know the hope of His callingThat we walk in the greatness of His power Remember, living inspired starts with a willing heart. Living inspired means there will be times we have to step out beyond our own abilities and trust, delight and commit our way to Him. This is why God told us He would bless us and make us great, so we will be a blessing! He doesn’t show favori

Hebrews 4:12,AMP- For the word of God is living and active and full of power, making it operative, energizing, and effective.It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, and of both joints and marrow ,the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. A very important lesson every believer has to come to terms with is the reality that God’s word is living, spiritual reality. Jesus told us His words are Spirit and life. Here’s the deal, there are 2 Greek words translated word in the NT Logos- the written word of God. Our bible.Rhema- the revealed, spoken word of God. Individual revelation. It’s when the written becomes the revealed that it produces change in humanity. This is when Hebrew 4 becomes effective, showing the difference between soul and spirit. As well as exposing the thoughts and intents of the heart. Something to keep in mind, spiritual truth and natural truth don’t always agree. And this is where faith comes in. Accepting, believing, and acting are the fruits of faith. Romans 10:17,NKJV- So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.CEV- No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ. We have to understand, the written becoming the revealed only happens through faith. And I cannot over emphasize the importance of speaking the rhema of God into our situation, into our physical world. Now when it comes to confession, it’s not simply about saying something we’ve heard or memorized. It has to be a revelation to us. This is why Jesus made statements like, “according to your faith…”The spoken word is how spiritual realities are transferred into our physical reality. Unfortunately, the majority doesn’t really believe this truth. Primarily because we’ve tried it and didn’t see immediate results. 2 Corinthians 4:13,NKJV- And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. Understand, Paul is writing this right in the middle of some of his most challenging situations. He’s actually quoting the Psalmist who went through difficulties praising and walking out God’s victory. Something else to keep in mind about this passage, this “same spirit of faith” according to Romans is the same Spirit that brought Jesus back from the dead. Remember, according to our key text, God’s word is the only source exposing the difference between these two worlds we are currently living in. This is why the Holy Spirit, just a few verses later in the same chapter in 2 Corinthians makes this radical statement. 2 Corinthians 4:18,NKJV- While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Think about it, because we have the same spirit of faith, we choose to not look at things that are seen, and according to what is written, we believe and we speak. Is it possible that when believers exercise the rhema word of God, we’re actually bringing the unseen into the seen? One of my favorite examples of this is in 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his assistant. Elisha told him, there are more with us than with them.Then he asked the Lord to open his eyes. Today, what you and I have to acknowledge, actually accept, is the reality that God’s word is the doorway into Paul’s unseen, the world of the spirit, the eternal. Seriously, what do you think the Holy Spirit meant when He told us to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh? I think He’s actually waiting on His people, heirs to start exercising our spiritual senses. Remember, Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his assistant. What… Think about this, how many times did Jesus say things like, “ he who has ears to hear, let him hear.” The harsh reality is, until the born again make room for transformation in our soul, we have no option but our natural senses. SPIRIT- Kingdom of God, made like Him, dominion, authority, faithSOUL- Free willBODY- intelligence, carnality, emotions, senses, unbelief And this is why faith is the absolute in the unseen world of God’s Kingdom. Why would Jesus tell us things like, “all things are possible to him who believes.” Think about our story in 2 Kings, Elisha took the entire Syrian army captive by exercising the spiritual world. Hebrews 11:3,NKJV- By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. You getting this, things seen didn’t come from this visible world. Here’s the deal, at some point we’ve got to stop assuming things of that world will just manifest in this one simply because we’ve processed it intellectually, or even memorized a scripture. We have to have revelation from Him. We’ve got to see it. Why? Because just like in this natural world we have to develop our sense, our abilities. I

Psalm 37:3-5,NKJV- Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. This is why Paul reminds us, “Don’t focus on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. Because things that are seen are temporary, but things in the unseen are eternal.” The reason time in God’s word is so important for the born again is because in our new lives we’re built to live different. Seriously, don’t focus on things that are seen… but things that are unseen??? This is where Trust, Delight, Commitment come into play. Think about it, according to the apostle Peter, we’re a chosen generation of royalty. We are the seed of Abraham and heirs according to the promise. What promise? Genesis 12:2-3,NKJV- “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” As the seed of Abraham, we are the people of God. That being said, we cannot overlook the reality that Jesus told us; everything about the Kingdom works according to seedtime. Here’s a perfect example, Psalm 139:16,NLT- You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. This is whyTrust, Delight, Commitment are absolutes. Consider this, according to Psalm 139, He saw this day, just as clear as the day He formed us. Which means, He’s got a life laid out for each of us. This is that Romans 8, predestined life. Is it possible that our Heavenly Father is patiently waiting for each of us to take the next step in the life He's already seen we could have. Here’s a couple of my favorite scriptures that help me process this inspired life Jesus died for. Ephesians 1:4-5,NLT- Long before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:11,MSG- It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, He had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose He is working out in everything and everyone. A Here’s the deal, none of us will ever discover this new life, this inspired living, passively waiting for the Lord to perform one of His miracles, while we continue doing life the way we've always done it. It may sound over simple, but it all comes down to this one truth, Jesus said, follow Me and I’ll make you… Y’all have heard me say this for years, watching Jesus while we do our own thing isn't following Him. And without a doubt, following Jesus requires Trust, Delight, Commitment. Remember, As the seed of Abraham, heirs of God, He’s got a life waiting to be discovered. So live inspired. Genesis 12, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” You gotta love how God prophesied Abraham’s life to him. And it all started with God giving Abraham one simple step of faith, “go where I’m telling you.” One step at a time, one day at a time, one inspired life at a time. Here’s what’s crazy, He’s already seen our lives, and He's still asking you to follow Him. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us, "You did not choose Me, I chose you that you should go and bare fruit."Mark 3:13-14,NKJV- And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. Then He appointed twelve, 1. that they might be with Him 2. that He might send them out to preach Remember what Paul told us in Ephesians, "It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we're living for." God gave us three simple principles for success in the "In Christ" Trust, Delight, Commit. Make today one of those days you discover something He saw in you the day He formed you. The Apostle Paul said, " Be wise and make the most of every opportunity." God knew we wouldn’t be able to control every circumstance, but we can control our commitment. Coach John Wooden would always say, "You've got to apply yourself every day to be better, it won't just happen." We all need to leave here today with this reality, our Father is patiently waiting for each of us to take the next step in the life He's already seen we could have? And the greatest part is, He’s given us His Spirit to inspire, direct, empower. Romans 8:11,NLT- The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. What if today is the day God takes you out of your routine, by simply asking you to take a step of faith towards a life He laid out bef

1 Peter 2:9-10, NKJV- But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God... Communion is possibly one of the greatest acts of a humility we can display. It's our reverent acknowledgement of Who Jesus is, what He did, but also who He’s made us to be. The apostle Paul sums it up perfectly, "Because of all I've done I don't deserve to be included in the family of God. But because of God's grace, because of Jesus, here I am." Romans 8:29-30,MSG- God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity He restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in Him.After God made that decision of what His children should be like, He followed it up by calling people by name. After He called them by name, He set them on a solid basis with Himself. And then, after getting them established, He stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what He had begun. Think about Jesus' sacrifice, He shed His blood for everyone, knowing some wouldn't receive what He did. Communion is a God ordained reminder that Jesus' broken body and shed blood was the price required for our freedom. It was God’s plan from the beginning. Remember, Jesus is the Lamb slain before he foundations of the world. Isaiah 53:3-5,NLT- He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses He carried; it was our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for His own sins! But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Today as we gather around the Lords table let Isaiah’s words from God inspire us to see His new covenant as so much more than just our passage to Heaven. Listen to Peter’s words again, We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light; who are now the people of God It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-days of everyday life and let the significance of what Jesus did become a religious tradition, sometimes even an after thought. And one of the main reasons we take communion together as a family is to acknowledge and honor His sacrifice. To remind us of His unearnable grace. To reinforcer of our righteousness. And even though it's a very simple thing we do in our humanity, in the eternal, it's a living declaration of our King's death, resurrection, and accomplishment. Colossians 1:22, Jesus has reconciled you to Himself through the death of His physical body. Andhas brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. I know I say this every time we take communion, but people still remain confused about it. So listen carefully, communion isn't for perfect people, it's for anyone recognizing their need of a Savior. Communion is an immortal, eternal declaration of God's amazing grace. Colossians 3:1,3,NLT- Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of Heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. Communion is an anointed reminder of our new lives in Him. It can also provide the sometimes much needed spark of encouragement to draw closer to Him. Here's the thing, the closer we are with Jesus, the great our influence will be with others. The closer we are with Jesus the more His nature will be evident in our lives. And you all know this, His nature is love. Paul wrote in Colossians, "Love ties everything together." And every time we take the bread and the cup, we’re embracing and declaring His undying love. It’s that love that makes us His. A new creation in Him, called, appointed and anointed. And this is why God says things like, "Make the most of every opportunity, live reverent, faith filled lives." This is why He told us that every time we take it we make sure we have this truth in mind; Communion is our eternal memorial, that His sacrifice alone makes us one with Him. And as irrational and unreligious as this may sound to some of you, in the middle of your worst times, on the other side of your biggest failure, Jesus' broken body and shed blood still stands eternal, boldly declaring, I’ve made you new. You can't blow it so bad in your life that Jesus' unfailing love won't be there. Sometimes one of the greatest things communion does is simply redirect those that have gotten distracted. That have allowed the enemy to

According to Galatians, we are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Philippians reminds us that we are currently citizens of Heaven. And Corinthians instructs us that we are ambassadors for Christ. And because we are still in this world but no longer of it, it’s up to each of us heirs, citizens, ambassadors, to make room in our thinking for the realities of our new world. This is why Jesus told us to put the things of the Kingdom first. Being a disciple doesn’t automatically happen because we accept Jesus into our lives. It requires training, discipline, commitment, it requires reverence. AMBASSADOR = DISCIPLE We cannot be one without the other. And neither will happen on accident. Something has to be first. And according to Jesus, there is no grey area here. He knows that whatever we prioritize, what we put first is what will shape how we live. Acts 1, Jesus appeared to them over forty days withmany infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, talking to them about the kingdom of God. Something every disciple has to come to terms with concerning the realities of the Kingdom of God is that we can only function to the level of our current revelation. Not only of who Jesus is, but who we are in Him. But because of free will, the desires of this world, not to mention the deception of our enemy, kingdom realities being a priority can certainly be a challenge. Like we said last week, it's our priorities that define us. Let me say this, discipleship will require sacrifice. But at the end of the day, it only comes through transformation. So never give place to the condemnation of the enemy or the people he’ll try using. Something we’ve got to stay aware of is the fact that these instructions, revelations, are designed for the born-again. Corinthians makes it clear that the message of the cross is foolish to those perishing. But when the born-again neglect to put the things of the Kingdom first; Ephesians shows us that we remain children tossed in different directions.Confined to and governed solely by human nature. This is why the enemy works relentlessly from within the church, many times under the deception of religion, keeping us divided. I believe God's raising up disciple that will dare to believe that all things are possible. That will make the choice to seek first the Kingdom of God. As His ambassadors, He will position us for influence. This is why He told us, if you seek Me you will find Me. And it's not like He's hiding. He’s simply in a different dimension. A different Kingdom, a different world, what most believers call the spirit. SPIRIT, SOUL, HUMANITY And I absolutely understand, there will always be Christians that just want to live a good life and go to Heaven. And because of God's amazing grace, you can. But, what if our King is actually counting on us becoming a disciple, an ambassadors for Him while we're here? Moody was right. Colossians 3:17,MSG- Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. And God's plan from the beginning is for His government to be established in the earth through His body, the church. Luke 17:20-21,NKJV- Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here! or see there! For indeed, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU At some point, we have to accept the reality that God's plan from the beginning is for His government, the Kingdom to be established in the earth through His body, the church. Is it possible that God created a life for us where everything we need in this earth is independent of the current world we live in? John 14:12,MSG- Believe me: The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. What if Jesus is right? What if we actually started putting the things of the Kingdom of God first? Christians need to realize Jesus isn't telling us we have to live a certain way out of some religious, legalistic obligation; He's trying to get us to understand, kind of like a fish out of water, we can't live in two worlds. As He said, even though we're still in this one, we are no longer of it. What if this is the place God is talking about where all things are possible? Remember, as new creations, citizens of His world, ambassadors called by Him, we’re built to live a different way. But until we practice practice putting our new world first, it will constantly be a challenge, not only experiencing the Kingdom of Heaven, but even more difficult expressing it to others. This is why Paul repeatedly tells us through his letters that we are to put on our new nature. Ephesians 4:21-24,NLT- Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your

2 Corinthians 5:14-15,17-21,NKJV- For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15, and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.17,Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18,Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Philippians reminds us, we are citizens of Heaven. I’m just wondering how many of us go through humanity, confident that Heaven is our destination, grateful Jesus made us righteous, but give little consideration to the world God says we’re currently citizens of. We get so consumed with this portion of what we call life but leave the Kingdom this distant, future reality. Remember, Jesus told us to put the Kingdom of Heaven first. He knows that when we do this, God will open doors and surround us with His favor. As His ambassadors, He will position us for influence. Psalm 18, He arms us with strength, gives us victory, enlarges our path, making us great. He will deliver us from the strivings of people, putting us in leadership roles in society. His original design was and is, “Let them have dominion.” 2 Chronicles 16:9,NKJV- For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. Something I think we might still struggle with, God is Sovereign. Which means, “Let them have dominion” hasn’t changed, because He doesn’t change. This is why He’s constantly looking for His sons and daughters, heirs to the Kingdom to be His ambassadors in the earth. And I get it, putting the unseen world above what we see can be a challenge. And most definitely requires sacrifice. Romans 8:28-30,NKJV- And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. And I realize, because of our enemy’s constant distractions, vision drift can set in. Let’s face it, it’s just easier to accept Him as Savior than Lord. The enemy knows that if he’s even the slightest bit successful, this world will dictate our decisions and actions, limiting our authority and influence. This is why Ephesians makes it very clear, “Give no place to the devil” And even though Chronicles tells us God is looking for loyalty, without revelation of who Jesus actually is to us, that loyalty will be nothing more than religious practice. Matthew 16:15-16,NKJV- He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And on Peter’s revelation of who Christ is, Jesus gave him the keys to the Kingdom.Keys represent, access, possession, and authority. Our ambassadorship hinges on this reality, who do you say that He is? You remember, Jesus told us us to pray, the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven? As His church today, our role is to be an extension of the Kingdom. To exercise authority, demonstrating God’s government. The thing is, it was never His plan for it to be reduced to what we do within the walls of what we’ve concluded is the church. We come together for fellowship, unity, worship, inspiration, edification and equipping. But we actually become the church when we go out. Ephesians 4:11-16,NKJV- And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, 12, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ,16, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. From God’s

By a show of hands who here text?? Silly question right… I mean how can you survive in today’s day and age without it? I have friends that if you try and call they hit ignore and say hey what’s up? Is my voice that annoying? It has become a normal part of life… Brief, quick, and often to the points. Or how about those 3 dots meaning they saw it and was going to type something or is typing something and then they disappear. You wait in suspense. What will they say? What happened. . . Where did they go… This visual should set us up for today’s talk…. Imagine our conversations with God, if you viewed it like your text, how would it look? Would it be one sided? Would it be all requests, like He is a genie in a lamp granting wishes? Would it be full of compliments and praises? Would it be a conversation, like a relationship I would say most of us, and I am just as guilty of this at times. It looks more like God is speaking to me and I am not listening but every now and then I throw in that ask into Him. I want to challenge us today to think about what does that conversation look like for you and our Lord? But make no mistake about it… God is speaking WE need to do a better job on listening. God speaks through his wordGod speaks with a small voiceGod speaks by his people God will speak to you in His word. So often when you are reading it’s like the words pop off the pages. Or you see something that speaks to you in that moment. This is how He uses the word to speak to us. Each time we are here in Church and the Word is being spoken He is speaking and revealing things to us. Are we listening, is the key? Are we in a guarded stance? We need to be ready to receive and open to hear His still small voice. So lets jump into the scripture. I don’t think there is any better scripture to paint of God speaking to us in the still small voice than this picture in 1 Kings 19: 11-13Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but-the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”We often think God is in the big and He certainly can be, but often it’s the small it’s the subtle. Because when the small, the subtle, the meek do mighty things in His name oh the sound that it makes. It moves mountains. It shakes the ground. It changes nations. Our nation doesn’t need any more loud politicians, or loud noise. Our nation needs the people of God to listen and adhere to the still small voice. To be intentional to His will and His ways… We need to stop, slow down a bit, tune it all out…… and listen…… and listen… and listen….. It’s kind of like an old radio you know back in the day you had to turn the knob and get it just right for the music to be clear.. It took some time and there is some static, but being intentional, being patient, and keeping focus the right frequency is found and we get it loud and clear. The more we do it the easier it gets and clearer He is to us. A great place to practice this is at Prayer Service (usually the last Wednesday, however October, November & December it will be the second to last Wednesday). It’s your chance to stop and really just focus on tuning out the world and tuning into God. Someone told me they love coming in on Prayer nights, because ashamedly they don’t do it at home. No shame…. That’s from the enemy…. But start and what a better place to start than here. A great man once told me “If you want to learn to pray get around praying people!” This place right here is our training ground its our place to learn and grow closer to Him. So we can be His light to man when we leave here. You don’t train for war in war time, you train for war in times of peace. Learning to be in His presence and hearing the still small voice Someone in my life said God is not up there jibber jabbing all day long. At the time I was young and my relationship with God was not what it is today, so I believed it. So I never looked or listened to the still small voice except times of need or prayer and when I did, I did the talking and didn’t do any listening! Today say I agree with that statement to a point… He is not jibber jabbering, but He certainly is guiding us, directing us, instructing us. He is speaking to us often and always. It goes back to what I said early are we listening and tuned in? Most of the time we are not! But that changes today, right church? Job 23:12 NLT “I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.” He cares about us and sometimes we don’t understand th

As we get into part 2, we’ve got to get this issue settled in our thinking if we’re ever going to be successful in our ambassadorship. The things of the Kingdom are spiritual in their reality. Brought into this world through the born again yielding to the Kingdom that’s already functioning in us. Remember what Jesus told us, “We’re in this world but not of this world.” Paul adds to this revelation with this statement, He has transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness and into His Kingdom. “LET THEM HAVE DOMINION” is one of the fundamental principles of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation. Make no mistake, comprehending all that Christ has made available for His people demands a life of faith. A new way of living. 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” NLT, we live by believing, not seeing.” But here’s the deal, way too many of God’s people are still governed more by the natural than the spiritual. Truth is, it’s not the powers of the kingdom of darkness that stop us, it’s our refusal to embrace the world we’re born of, embracing a way of living that is beyond humanity. This is why we have to stop reading God’s word as some religious, rule book. Look at it as his instruction manual for the Kingdom. Philippians 3:17-20, NLT- Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are CITIZENS OF HEAVEN, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. Paul helps us see this clearer in 2 Corinthians 5, In Christ we have been given these new lives through Him and now since He’s given us the ministry of reconciliation, He’s calling others through us. 2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV- We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. Ambassadors- A diplomat of highest rank, sent on behalf of their homeland, representing, and coordinating relations and events of the foreign land they’ve been assigned. In this passage in Corinthians, when he tells us we’re new creations, what do you think new creations really means? John 1:12, NIV- “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” Galatians 3:29, MSG- Since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.” Chapter 4, And because we are sons of God, His Spirit lives in us, making us heirs of God thorough Christ.Romans 8, We are joint heirs with Christ. Remember, CITIZENS OF HEAVEN God’s original design was and is for His people to be the light of the world. In other words, we, His body the church are supposed to be the influence in business, education, government, in every aspect of society. Isaiah 48:17,NKJV- Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.” According to Isaiah, God will lead us in success, but we’ve got to do it His way. The church His body, has been sent to inspire communities, impacting culture, being the driving force in society. Remember, let them have dominion. Jesus restored what man lost. This is why He told us, “All authority was given to Me.” Then He sent His disciples out. And as we become successful in following the Lord, the more the Kingdom of Heaven is advanced. Check this out, Isaiah 11:9, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” As God’s ambassadors, the church should be the driving force of influence. Now when I use the term church, I’m in no way referring to any one denomination or organization. I’m referring to the spiritual reality of the body of Christ in the earth functioning through those He has called. Unfortunately, we have given place to the enemy in these areas of society. And because we have allowed the enemy to have too much liberty, he’s turned things around to the point where now society is having to much of an influence in the church. Causing great division in the church, diminishing our influence, and it’s time for that to change. The prophet Ezekiel actually says, “This land that has become desolate, out of control and unrecognizable, is now becoming like the garden of Eden.” Jesus never intended for the gospel of the kingdom to be limited to just missing hell and making heaven. He’s expecting the Kingdom of Heaven, His government, His ordained system, to be implemented by His governing body, the church in the earth. This is why Jesus makes statements like He did in Matthew 6:33, AMP- “But first and most importantly seek (aim at

As I was thinking on our talk, I was going through our homework and the Lord began taking me in another direction. Lets be real, none of us want to hear a lot about anger management… Now we’re still going to look at the peace and joy Jesus left us because I’m 100% convinced that a big part of our witness will be our peace and joy form the Lord. But as I was hanging out in John 14 looking at what Jesus was saying in light of a scripture I shared last week out of Romans 14:17,NKJV- For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. But as I’m hanging out in John the Lord began showing me that we all need a clearer understanding of exactly what He did through Jesus. Who we are as His people, while we’re still confined to our humanity. And this is where faith comes in, we’ve actually gotta believe this stuff. Believe God will empower us to take on this new nature. And that nature is found in our new Kingdom we’ve been born into. But not just born into, but born with an assignment, a calling if you will. Paul helps us see this clearer in 2 Corinthians 5, In Christ we have been given these new lives through Him and now He’s calling more back to Him through us since He’s given us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:20,NKJV- We ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. MSG- All this comes from God, who settled the relationship between us and Him, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what He is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives, His ambassadors.God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work. This is Jesus’ point in John 17, Because they’re in this world but not of this world, sanctify them with Your word. As You’ve sent Me, I’m sending them.” So as we begin to discover and develop our new lives, it’s so important we remember, the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake, these are not just suggestions from the Lord. He said, the Kingdom of God is!! So the more we yield to the Kingdom of God, which according to Jesus in Luke 17 is in us the moment we give our lives to Him, the more visible the Kingdom becomes to those He sends us to. And what things will be visible? Righteousness, peace, and joy. You see, the more Kingdom minded we are, the more the things Jesus said to us take on a much clearer perspective. Right in the face of challenging situations. John 15:11,NKJV- “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Remember, the things of the Kingdom are spiritual in their reality. They come from the spirit into this world. Paul’s instructions in Romans is simply the result of the born again yielding to the Kingdom that’s already functioning in us. This is why faith is so important, a key principle in understanding the Kingdom of God is being open to multidimensional thinking. Remember in Luke 17, Jesus tells us, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” And the more I dug into this, the further back I found myself going. In Genesis 1, God says, let’s make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over all the earth. Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men. The invisible taking on the visible. Adam was 100% spirit and human.Jesus, the last Adam 100% spirit and human. “Let them have dominion” is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation. Remember what Jesus told us, “we’re in this world but not of this world.” This is why Paul makes radical statements like he did in Galatians when he told us to walk in the Spirit. In other words, govern our lives according to the Holy Spirit’s leading. And since joy is a fruit of the Spirit, i think it’s fair to say, joy is the personality of the Holy Spirit. Let me add this here, we can’t confuse joy with happiness. One is natural, inspired by emotion, the other a spiritual reality. And I know I’m highlighting joy a little more than peace, but lets not kid ourselves, they go hand in hand. You see, God knows that these two spiritual forces will absolutely draw anyone that’s away from Him closer. Think about it, would you rather be around someone joyful and upbeat, full of faith, or someone that’s always worrying, serious and grumpy all the time? Joy and peace is this contagious quality of His character that He’s ordained for us to be a part of. And this is why we’ve got to get our minds settled on this issue of faith, our born again nature is built to live by faith. But faith will not look like the world. 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” NLT, We live by believing, not seeing.” Peace and joy are products of Heaven, so stop looking for situations and people to provide only what God can. Un

Ephesians 4:26-27,NLT- Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. The more traditional writing says, “be angry and don’t sin.” The Lord made us. He knows we’re emotional people. Some things should make you mad, but because we have His Spirit living in us, we have the ability to not let anger be what drives us. Paul reminds us that we’re not ignorant of our enemy’s tactics.And make no mistake, he’s making a major push on society, more specifically, trying to divide the church. This passage in Ephesians in the more traditional writing actually says in v.27, give no place to the devil. The danger with giving into anger is not only habitual, but self-destructive. It opens the door for condemnation and rejection. James reminds us to be slow to get angry. Galatians 5, Walk in the Spirit, let the Holy Spirit guide your life and you won’t give in to your sinful nature. After all, He is the Spirit of peace that passes understanding. Galatians 5:22-23,NLT- The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So I guess we can control our anger if we choose to live out of the Kingdom rather than the ways of this world. Ultimately we have to stay aware of the fact that Jesus is counting on us to represent the Kingdom of God. Romans 14:17,NKJV- For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The things of the Kingdom, like Holy Spirt led living is 100% spiritual, never a bunch of natural, religious practices. What we’ve got to realize is that in this passage in Romans Paul is not only looking out for the ones that have just given their lives to Christ, he’s also addressing the religious mindset of that current situation. Think about it, most of these people are still used to their ungodly ways they’ve lived with all their lives. We have to remember, just like in our own lives, the ways of the Kingdom come to each of us through revelation from the Holy Spirit. So lets stop getting mad at people that may not be where we sometime think we are. Let me say this, if anger is your first response to things not going your way, it simply means you’ve go some growing to do. According to the Holy Spirit in Corinthians, you’re still carnal, babies in Christ. Here’s some food or thought, Ecclesiastes says that anger labels you a fool. Not to mention, it’ll keep you changed to whatever that offense was that made you mad. This is why Paul is addressing the church about this issue. Those of us that are spiritual are to help others get to the place where we’re walking in more of His nature. Remember, the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. And the more we yield to His nature, the more His nature will be recognized in our lives. Ephesians 4:31-32,NLT- Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. This is where faith comes in, we’ve gotta actually believe this stuff, believe God will empower us to take on this new nature. Here’s thing, it takes absolutely no faith to be negative, discouraged, unbelieving, critical and judgemental, but that’s not who we are! Remember, the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. A big part of our witness will be our peace and joy form the Lord. John14:27,NKJV- “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 15:11,NKJV- “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Remember, the things of the Kingdom are spiritual in their reality. They come from the spirit into this world. Romans 15:13,AMP-May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing, through the experience of your faith, that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. Let’s help each to not underestimated the power of peace and joy. Help one another stir up a little confident anticipation that God is the Almighty. He is the God of the Bible. You see, the more we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire our thinking, the more fixed and confident our expectations will be. This is why God’s word is so vital to the believer, it literally is the doorway into the world of the spirit, into God’s Kingdom. Remember Proverbs, “As a man thinks, so is he.” Romans says, “Set you mind on heavenly things.” Check it out for yourself, you think about anything long enough and it absolutely effects your imagination. And never underestimate the imagination of the born again. It’s our spiritual seeing. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus said, “The light of th

Genesis 8:22,NKJV- While the earth remains, SEEDTIME and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. Matthew 13:24,NKJV- “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field” And just like with each of us, someone sowed the seed of God’s word into our lives and it took root and produced, now we are the ones God will use to sow His seed. The moment we give our life to Christ, not only do we become part of His Kingdom, we’re heirs to the throne of Heaven. Colossians 1:13,NLT- He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. Then He anoints us to be Ambassadors for the Kingdom of Heaven. We’re seed He’s sowing all, over the world. This is going to be a reality that believers have got to get settled, as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest will also. In other words, sowing and reaping. This is how every aspect of God’s world works; the gospel, discipleship, love, joy, kindness, money, etc... Whatever a man sows, that’s what he’ll reap. Mark 4:26-29,MSG- Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown in a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!” This is how the Kingdom of Heaven operates. Seedtime - Harvest time There are two very significant statements Jesus makes concerning His Kingdom: First, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Second, “The Kingdom of Heaven is in you.” And the only way a human accesses this Kingdom is through faith. And faith only comes through the seed of the word of God. Romans 10 Like a seed, faith acknowledges from God’s word, that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul teaches us that the same way we received Christ is how we’re designed to live in Him. This is why the word of God is absolutely vital to the born again. The seed produces after its own kind. And in Luke Jesus said, the seed is the word of God. Remember. As long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest will also. The Kingdom of Heaven law of sowing and reaping, “Seedtime” is how we function in that unseen world. It’s how our faith grows. After all, He created us to live by faith, but our soul has to be transformed in order for us to live there. This is how Paul could say what he did in Galatians; Galatians 2:20,AMP- ...The life I now live in the body I live by faith, by adhering to, relying on, and completely trusting in the Son of God. You see, God inspired faith comes from His word. His word is seed sown into His creation. But because of free will, there has to be transformation of the soul. Romans 12:2,NKJV- Donot be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NLT- Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. The tendency with humanity, especially in today’s world of information, is to think faith can be accessed and managed by human intelligence. But the things of the Kingdom of Heaven are design to function in a different dimension. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29,NKJV- For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. Remember, a life of faith comes from His word. His word is seed sown into His creation. The parable of the sower makes it very clear exactly how God’s seed, His word, works in the life of every human. One reason Jesus repeatedly taught in parables is because He told His disciples that it had been given to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom. He uses everything He can in this natural world to explain His unseen world. And that mystery is, God’s kingdom is like seed sown in a field. The seed sprouts and grows, he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time! 2 Corinthians 9:10-11,NIV- Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion... Whatever a man sows, that’s what he’ll reap

Genesis 8:22,NKJV- While the earth remains, SEEDTIME and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease. Matthew 13:24,NKJV- “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field” Mark 4, Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed a man sows in the field.The seed grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!” Whatever a man sows, that’s what he’ll reap. Keep in mind, Jesus told His disciples that it had been given to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom. And that mystery is, God’s kingdom is like seed sown in a field. The seed grows, no one knows how it happens. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time! 2 Corinthians 9:10-11,NIV- Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion... This is how every aspect of God’s Kingdom works; the gospel, love, joy, kindness, money, etc... The Christian is born again of God’s incorruptible seed. 1 Peter 1:23,NKJV- Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever. 1 Corinthians 3:6,NLT- “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” According to Genesis, every seed produces after its own kind. According to Jesus, the Kingdom of Heaven works like seed. Think about this, the fruit of God’s seed is what Jesus is coming back for. Remember, He is the first born of the Spirit. But until He returns, as His seed in the earth, we are the stewards of His word, His Kingdom. And we are to continue seedtime and harvest until He returns. God empowers us to actually live our life in Him, not just accepting what humanity serves up. But when we don’t see results within our preconceived plan, the way we want it to be, or the way it’s always been, too many of us get frustrated and quit. Galatians 6:9,NLT- “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Let’s not kid ourselves, God’s not empowering us to just do our own thing. Colossians 3:1-2,MSG- So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ, that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective. Galatians 6:7,NKJV- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Since God’s Word is incorruptible seed and we sow His word into our souls concerning any area of our lives, we can reap harvest if we don’t quit. Remember what Jesus told us in Luke, His word is seed of the Kingdom. Proverbs 4:20-23,NLT- “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” This is why Joshua told us to meditate on God’s Word day and night, keep it in our mouth and do it. It will take discipline to redirect our thinking. Because the reality is, we’re already thinking about something day and night. And we will go in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. I’m more convinced than ever that we’ve totally underestimated the realities of our thought life. Seriously, look at how many times Jesus addresses issues in people directly from their thinking? Truth is, thoughts are spiritual. We’re in the world but not of it. Our souls are exposed to both kingdoms. Isaiah 55:8-11,NKJV- For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. This is how the Kingdom of Heaven works. It’s how God works. In Jeremiah God says, “I know the thoughts I think toward you.” Believing is a choice. It’s the result of right thinking. After all we have the mind of Christ, it simply has to be developed. Then it has to be given a voice. Romans 8:5-8,NKJV- For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things

Listen to the prophecy of King David, “Trust in the Lord, commit your way to Him. He will bring forth your righteousness like the new day sun.Don’t fret because of evildoers, they will soon be cut down like grass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, for in just a little while the wicked will be no more. For the Almighty upholds the righteous!” Matthew 16:3 (NKJV) Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Here’s something Jesus said that we should get settled on, “Blessed is the servant the master finds watching when he returns.” And since we have His Spirit living in us. The Spirit Jesus told us would show us things to come, we should absolutely be able to discern the times we’re in. Matthew 24, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches have already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” That being said, we’ve gotta start thinking big picture. We have to realize that the stage is being set for the anti-christ. He is making his push for a global reset. It’s amazing how everything the enemy is trying has already been lade out in the book. Seriously, all the way back in Genesis 11, the Tower of Babel was one of the enemy’s first attempts at global government. Centuries later Babel becomes Babylon, that grew from there east into Persian Empire, the Greek Empire include all the the first two eastward. Then Roman Empire went from Babylon conquered all westward.Here’s what’s interesting, Babylon is modern day Iraq. And expanded eastward into Iran and Afghanistan. I bring this up because the enemy has no new tactics. The major difference today is he owns the media. The spirit of Babel is desperately trying to infiltrate our land. Remember the prophecy, “This is My Nation” Unfortunately, too many of our self titled leaders are under the influence of the spirit of Babel. In other words, satan. And God is saying today, “Watch what I did to each of those that came before you” The church has to understand, to discern where we are right now, and recognize that the enemy can only be so effective as long as we’re still here. A.W. Tower, “A scarred world needs a fearless church.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. MSG- Take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels. We, the born-again become very dangerous to the enemy when we’re fully awake, and embrace who we are in Christ. Remember, even though we’re talking about His return, Jesus was very clear, occupy till I return. Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him and busy about the master’s work when he returns. Occupy, do my business, exercise dominion, run thingsTill I return, there is a day He’s coming back Here’s two key statements Jesus made about His return, Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him, then He said, Blessed is the servant that’s busy about the master’s work when he returns. Matthew 24:36, The day and hour no one knows, not even the angels, only the Father. And I know there are different views on this subject, and I can take some scripture and partially support some of those beliefs, but I can only support one with 100% confidence from the scripture, and it is this same revelation God gave the apostle Paul. So when it comes to this event that we call the rapture, there are types throughout the Bible. But God’s children going through the great tribulation, we can’t find them. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:21, There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. He wouldn’t have told us to be watching and busy about His work at the time of His return if it wasn’t important. I believe He wants us to use this revelation God gave Paul as an evangelistic tool, not some religious scare tactic. But if we cant have a confident, intelligent conversation about these truths, people will be just like they were in the days of Noah when God delivered his people from the wrath to come. Jesus actually tells that it will be as it was in the days of Noah when this event takes place. They went about they’re business, ignoring, mocking, even coming against what Noah was doing, until the day the Lord shut up the ark. Think about it, if you’ve read the book of Revelation, how is there any way we can comfort and encourage each other to look forward to facing that kind of wrath and destruction, not to mention the antichrist. 1 Thessal

My purpose on this earth is to leave a room brighter than I found it. I will inspire people to be happy and hopeful in the person they are capable of becoming. My ultimate goal in this is to not reach the world but just one person. I will show people, although we are different, greatness is within us all.”Someone most recently asked me how to live like God is with you. In order to do this, you need a why. You need a why when things get tough. Why do you press on when there is a virus and people are dying?Why are you not worried about losing your job?Why do you have hope?-There are issues of this life that bring challenges. Those challenges can knock you down. -The reason they present challenges is because of the fallen state of humanity since sin entered the world. -There is no such thing a perfect world because of sin. Sickness, violence, famine, death, disagreements, all entered the world as part of the curse for sin.-Tough times are going to come. We are in them now. -But as Christians we can have hope because of Jesus. This is the Gospel.Gospel- Good news. This is our hope. This is our why. -God had a plan to restore the world and bring hope. -That plan is Jesus. -Acts 10:34-48. 1.The gospel prevails over the issues of culture. (Acts 10:34-35) -The circumstance was that the Jews wanted to kill Paul because they thought he brought gentiles into the temple area. Gentiles were non-Jewish. (Acts 21:27-22:22) -In Acts 10 Peter is talking to the gentiles when he says acts 10:44-48 Gentiles- ANYONE not of Jewish race. There was a group of Jews that were Christians and there was a group that was not. The group that was not Christian would not except the fact that salvation was for everyone. Cultural issue. -The great commission. Jesus Last command to his disciples. Matthew 28:18-19. All nations! Cultural issue. Background for gospel. (2 Timothy 2:8-9) God’s word is not chained. -The gospel always prevails The gospel prevails over the issues of government. (Acts 10:28) Felix was the governor. (Acts 24:22-24) -Agripa was the king. Acts 26:19-32 -Peter and John told to stop preaching Jesus’s name but prevail (Acts 4:18-20)The gospel prevails over the issues of time. (Acts 10:42-43) -The first account of the gospel of Jesus being preached after his death is recorded in Acts 2 when Peter stands up and addresses the crowd after Jesus’s death. This happened around the year 30 A.D……..its 2021 and this gospel is still being preached. Issue of time. -Isiah mentioned what Jesus would do 600 years before it happened. (Isaiah 53:12) -Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.-The gospel prevails over issues of sickness. (Acts 10:38) -Matthew 8:17, The prophet Isaiah said, he took up our infirmities and carried our diseases. -The gospel prevails over the issues of sin. (Acts 10:43) 1 Peter 2:24-Know your why is the gospel because the gospel prevails over all the issues of life.

Listen to the prophecy of King David, “Trust in the Lord, commit your way to Him. He will bring forth your righteousness like the new day sun.Don’t fret because of evildoers, they will soon be cut down like grass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, for in just a little while the wicked will be no more. For the Almighty upholds the righteous!” Matthew 16:3 (NKJV) Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Here’s something Jesus said that we should get settled on, “Blessed is the servant the master finds watching when he returns.” And since we have His Spirit living in us. The Spirit Jesus told us would show us things to come, we should absolutely be able to discern the times we’re in. Matthew 24, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branches have already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” That being said, we’ve gotta start thinking big picture. We have to realize that the stage is being set for the anti-christ. He is making his push for a global reset. It’s amazing how everything the enemy is trying has already been lade out in the book. Seriously, all the way back in Genesis 11, the Tower of Babel was one of the enemy’s first attempts at global government. Centuries later Babel becomes Babylon, that grew from there east into Persian Empire, the Greek Empire include all the the first two eastward. Then Roman Empire went from Babylon conquered all westward.Here’s what’s interesting, Babylon is modern day Iraq. And expanded eastward into Iran and Afghanistan. I bring this up because the enemy has no new tactics. The major difference today is he owns the media. The spirit of Babel is desperately trying to infiltrate our land. Remember the prophecy, “This is My Nation” Unfortunately, too many of our self titled leaders are under the influence of the spirit of Babel. In other words, satan. And God is saying today, “Watch what I did to each of those that came before you” The church has to understand, to discern where we are right now, and recognize that the enemy can only be so effective as long as we’re still here. A.W. Tower, “A scarred world needs a fearless church.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. MSG- Take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the devil and all his angels. We, the born-again become very dangerous to the enemy when we’re fully awake, and embrace who we are in Christ. Remember, even though we’re talking about His return, Jesus was very clear, occupy till I return. Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him and busy about the master’s work when he returns. Occupy, do my business, exercise dominion, run thingsTill I return, there is a day He’s coming back Here’s two key statements Jesus made about His return, Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him, then He said, Blessed is the servant that’s busy about the master’s work when he returns. Matthew 24:36, The day and hour no one knows, not even the angels, only the Father. And I know there are different views on this subject, and I can take some scripture and partially support some of those beliefs, but I can only support one with 100% confidence from the scripture, and it is this same revelation God gave the apostle Paul. So when it comes to this event that we call the rapture, there are types throughout the Bible. But God’s children going through the great tribulation, we can’t find them. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:21, There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. He wouldn’t have told us to be watching and busy about His work at the time of His return if it wasn’t important. I believe He wants us to use this revelation God gave Paul as an evangelistic tool, not some religious scare tactic. But if we cant have a confident, intelligent conversation about these truths, people will be just like they were in the days of Noah when God delivered his people from the wrath to come. Jesus actually tells that it will be as it was in the days of Noah when this event takes place. They went about they’re business, ignoring, mocking, even coming against what Noah was doing, until the day the Lord shut up the ark. Think about it, if you’ve read the book of Revelation, how is there any way we can comfort and encourage each other to look forward to facing that kind of wrath and destruction, not to mention the antichrist. 1 Thessal

There’s no better way to leave whatever’s harassing, tormenting, manipulating you, there’s no better place for restoration and healing than gathering around the Lord’s table, and walking away with a renewed mindset, renewed trust in Jesus. 1 Peter 5:7,AMP- Casting all your cares, all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares about you with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully. This is why our faith is absolutely vital, anyone who comes to God must believe… Believe He is a burden removing, bondage destroying, barrier braking God. The God of peace that passes understanding. So today, come to the Lord’s table with a divine expectation. And let these words from Jesus settle into your thinking. John 14:1,NKJV- Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. v.27, Jesus repeats His point, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Seriously, if the Almighty, my Heavenly Father tells me to not let my heart be troubled… If He tells me I’m victorious, forgiven, blessed, prosperous, favored, healed, why wouldn’t I accept what He says as truth? 1 Corinthians 15:57,AMP- Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory making us conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans tells us we are more than conquerors. Then Paul tells us to imitate him like he imitates Christ. Say what he says, do what he does. Think about it, why shouldn’t I say what my Father says about me?After all, Jesus told us, rivers of living water will flow from our born again nature. Psalm 34, How blessed, fortunate, prosperous, and favored by God is the man who takes refuge in Him. Unfortunately, human nature has made it very clear that as long as we can live without more of God, we will. Whether you’ve walked with Jesus most of your life, or you’re just starting your journey, Because of human nature, because we have an enemy, there will be times when we question God, our relationship with Him, His promises, our failures, things we don’t understand, etc... And it’s in those times that being able to come to the Lord’s table, free of all sin, made completely righteous by His sacrifice, can be an absolute life changer for us. The reason I talk about communion before we take it is because we all need reminded from time to time that communion is this divinely inspired place of revelation from the Father. It allows us the opportunity to acknowledge that Jesus alone made us worthy to stand in His presence. He’s counting on us embracing the fact that He made us heirs to the Kingdom through what He suffered. Today as we gather around the Lords table, let the Holy Spirit help you see His crucifixion, His sacrifice as so much more than just our passage to Heaven. May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened, that we can embrace the hope of His calling, so that we can walk in the exceeding greatness of His power. John 6:51,NKJV- “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever...” Earlier in this same gospel Jesus told us, the Father is looking for those who will come to Him with the recognition of who He is. With a humble attitude of worship. Those who will worship Him in spirit and truth. The Samaritan women is a beautiful picture of God’s divine love, destroying racial agenda, reaching past moral failure to extend His true nature. While we’re here, something else Jesus constantly brought to light was the destructive nature of religious tradition. John 4:10,NKJV- Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” v.14,NKJV-“but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Here’s the thing we’ve got to keep out in front of us as we follow Jesus. He said, “I only do the will of My Father who sent Me.” John 10:10,(paraphrase), I came from Heaven to give you a rich and satisfying life. A better life than you've ever dreamed of. A life to enjoy in abundance, to the full, till it overflows. Communion isn’t just acknowledging Jesus’ sacrifice, it’s embracing and reverencing the fact that Jesus actually restored us to our rightful place with God. Today as we honor and reverence our King’s sacrifice, let His Spirit minister to you, embrace what Jesus did, what He said, and embrace who you are because of Him. This is why having moments like this, around the Lord’s table allow us the privilege of drawing closer to Him. Something very important to remember is that communion is something a Christian can practice

Matthew 16:3 NKJV- Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. If Jesus expected that group to discern the time, those of us born of His Spirit should absolutely discern the times we’re in today. And without a doubt, the “anti-christ” is discerning his time. Much of what we see happening around the world is the result of his aggressive assault. This is why believers have to remember, the enemy’s primary weapon of choice has always been deception and fear. But God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. Therefore give no place to the devil. Listen to the prophecy of King David, “Trust in the Lord, commit your way to Him. He will bring forth your righteousness like the new day sun.Don’t fret because of evildoers, they will soon be cut down like grass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath, for in just a little while the wicked will be no more. For the Almighty upholds the righteous!” As we dive into our subject, let these words from Jesus settle into your thinking, “Blessed is the servant the master finds watching when he returns.” Without a doubt the Lord expects us to be able to discern the times! We’ve gotta start thinking big picture. We have to realize that the stage is being set for the anti-christ. Another one of satan’s key targets in these last days is the justice system. And as difficult as it may be, I don’t think its in our nature as people of God to turn a blind eye to injustice as long as it doesn’t effect me personally. “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men too nothing.” Edmund Burke He is making a major push to divide the world, but we’re not ignorant of his tactics. This is why I’m repeatedly telling you that you can’t rely on the media, they will never tell you the truth because satan owns them. Another resource, (icandecide.org) But for those of us who have God’s Spirit living in us, according to Jesus, He will reveal all things to us. He is our Counselor, Advocate, Comforter, Anointer. This means we should be able to discern the difference between the truth and lies. Proverbs 27 tells us that a prudent man foresees the evil and takes action. Why do you think I keep bringing up things going on around the world? Example: (stock up a little) Here’s something to keep in mind, remember our nation is God’s major source of the gospel going around the world. And make no mistake, the world is watching and waiting to see what we do. Let’s review just a bit, as we said last week, the platform the anti-christ will take the stage with is 100% operational right now. And it will be implemented through the one world government system spoken of by Daniel. That is absolutely being pushed around the world right now. For example, this global push for mandatory vaccines, on an experimental drug. And especially a vaccine passport, which by the way is already designed with a social credit feature in it. Think about it, as of last week less than half the population has said yes because they told you it’ll keep you safe. The rest of the world is saying no. Wonder why… Mandating an experimental drug is unacceptable. Don’t quit your job. You seriously think these major companies are actually going to let over half their work force just go. Let me give you some food for thought, here’s a few companies not mandating the shot: the White House, CDC, FDA, WHO, Pfizer, J&J, Moderna. Remember, Proverbs tells us a prudent man foresees evil. And what we see happening is a glimpse into exactly how the anti-christ sets up his demonic government. Revelation 13:16-17,NKJV- He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. This one world government system he will use is the revised Roman Empire (feet of iron & clay) that is revealed through Daniel in the vision Nebuchadnezzar had. We know it today as the European Union. And as we get into this, don’t get focused on times or dates, just be watching and ready. Remember what Jesus told us, “Blessed is the servant the master finds watching when he returns.” Daniel 2, There is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these. Daniel 2,Head of Gold — BabylonChest and arms — PersiaBelly and thighs — GreeceLegs of iron — Roman Empire Feet of iron and clay — revised Roman Empire \ European Union Daniel 2:44-45,NLT- During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king w

2 Peter 1:16-18,NKJV- For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. Think about this, at the birth of the church, they had the luxury of having eye witness accounts from those that walked the planet with Jesus. They had first hand, anointed information from those who walked with the Living Word. So as He launched His church, He inspired these guys by the Holy Spirit to write these prophetic letters that would become, the Lord’s revelation to His creation. 2 Peter 1:19-21,NKJV- “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, (KJV, a more sure word of prophecy) which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” A more sure word of prophecy than an eyewitness account. Even though Mark, Luke and Paul aren’t listed in the original 12, that had to have had some eyewitness accounts. For example, John Mark was one of Peters closest associates. And Luke has way too much detail of his accounts, not to mention his follow up in the book of Acts. The of course, Paul was taken to Heaven and taught personally by Jesus. Remember, Paul reminds us that we see through a glass dimly. We only know in part. He said I saw things that can’t be uttered with human words.So as we follow the writings of these God inspired men, lets make sure that we approach what they’re saying with the utmost humility and faith, knowing that according to Peter, we have these prophetic words confirmed.They’re actually a more sure word than even their eyewitness account. Matthew 28:16-20,NKJV- Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. This assignment isn’t just about telling people that Jesus offers humanity eternal life, but extending His Lordship through the life of every believer willing to follow His lead. Jesus is counting on followers today that will accept the fact that the commands He gave His first disciples are just as much a reality for us today. This is Peter’s point when he tells us that the prophetic words they wrote are more sure than their eyewitness account of Jesus. In John’s gospel Jesus actually tells us that anyone who will believe Him should be doing the things He did. This is why Paul says things like, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.” I think it’s important for the born again to understand that accepting Jesus does come with an assignment. I realize the security of salvation is where we all start,But when we go back to the eyewitnesses, Jesus didn’t just offer them eternal life, He said, “follow Me.” Part of our assignment is taking over where He left off. To carry on His mission, to do the things He did, to imitate Him. Look at Peter for example, he actually denied knowing Jesus, but after the Holy Spirit came on him, he operated in a completely different capacity. One of Jesus’ main points was that He only said what the Father said. He actually said, “I am truth” My words are spirit and life. I’ll probably say this repeatedly throughout this series, but I think it’s one of the keys to our discipleship; we have more sure word than even their eyewitness account. And then He left us His Spirit to be our guide, actually our guarantee. John 16:7,13-14,NKJV- Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. Here’s another key in our success as disciples, don't ever make the mistake of thinking you've got to have it all together for God to use you. Look at His first followers, the eyewitnesses. Jesus knew we would need the Holy Spirit. So never underestimate what He'll do through someone who will dare to believe Him. So don't underestimate yourself.

Proverbs 4:18,AMP- The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until it reaches its full strength and glory in the perfect day. The way of the righteous, not our own way. God leads the righteous in the way we should go. He leads us in paths of righteousness for His name sake. The righteous are as bold as a lion. The kingdom of heaven is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Remember what the Holy Spirit said through Paul, Atime is coming when people will no longer listen to sound teaching. They will follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. Theywill abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. My assignment from the Lord is to feed the flock He sends me. That’s why Acts says it’s not good that l leave the word of God... That means we can’t just listen to the messages we want.Like Paul told the church, I fed you with milk and not solid food… So as we move forward, it is absolutely essential we remember these words from the Lord, 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV- God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. So as Christian, when we do things out of fear, it gives the enemy to much influence in our lives. This is why James tells us to resist the devil. Remember, fear is one of the enemy’s primary weapons. Fear is a spiritual force designed to breaks down faith, hinder the anointing of a believer. But any child of God refusing to give into fear will always conquer. 2 Corinthians tells us that we are being led in His perpetual victory parade. We are more than conquerors. Psalm 34:4,NLKV- “I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.” The book of Daniel is a powerful example of what God will do through His people, right in the face of an ungodly government. Through those who refuse to give into fear. I’m telling you, we’re living in a world that is being driven by fear. Because the god of this world knows his time is coming to a close.But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. And something you’ve got to come to terms with is that you are not being told the truth, remember, he is the master of distractions. In this Information Age we live in lets not confuse information or education with intelligence. So as truth begins to come out and as more of you turn your tv’s off, I promise we will do all we can to provide safe, true information for you. Here’s something to keep in mind, for those of us who have God’s Spirit living in us, according to Jesus, He will reveal all things to us. He is our Counselor, Advocate, Comforter, Anointer. This means we should be able to discern the difference between the truth and lies. Remember, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The USA is the dominant force of the gospel on the planet. God’s river of living water flows from this nation! His favor and anointing are on us. God actually says, “Touch not my anointing.” And make no mistake, His gospel will be preached in all the world. Don’t think for a second the hand of God has left our nation because of a small group of ungodly people. He would have sparred sodom if there had be even one righteous. Prophecy: “Fear not, God says, as I promised before, this is My nation, and I will change things according to the time and season. I told you, now I will expose and reveal things that have been hidden so that My nation can move into its next phase of victory, honor, and glory.” Keep in mind, as the light of God in the world, we are built to grow brighter, and as this happens it automatically reveals the things of darkness more. That being said, let’s not forget we’re talking about our ability to discern the times. 2 Peter 3, Above all, you must understand that in the LAST DAYS scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” As we introduced our talk last week out of Matthew, the Pharisees came to Jesus wanting a sign to prove it was Him. And Jesus said; Matthew 16:3 NKJV- Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Here’s the thing, since Jesus expected His people to be able to recognize His first coming. Without a doubt, He feels the same way about His return. This means the “anti-christ” knows very well that his time is drawing to a close. Much of what we see happening around the world is the result of his aggressive assault. This is why believers have to remember his primary weapon of choice has always been deception and fear. And unfortunately, because of the influence media has had on us, way too many people have settle for the place where we don’t want truth, we just want to be reassured that what we believe is the truth. Isn’t it int

When’s the last time you brought someone to Jesus? I sat there just trying to think of the answer then the guilt sank in as I said “never”. Good Church goer, faithful in my serving, giving. I could read more and pray more, but I seem to neglect the Great Commission or the call on all of our lives. No condemnation we all miss the mark, thats why we are thankful and need Jesus… Then the excuses ran through my head…. I am busy with work, No one will listen to me, I am not comfortable…. How many of us know we can come up with a million reasons we can’t do something, but we have the ultimate Trump card….. Jesus! We got to stop keeping that card up our sleeve and play it more often… The world is going crazy out there… heck its going crazy in here sometimes! When we deal with people we get all that goes along with it. But this is why we need to stop coming to church, but be the church. Thats the way we reach people is by meeting them where they are at. On your job, at the grocery store, the DRs office, where ever you are at Jesus is also there. Will you allow Him to move through you? All of this is going to take intentionality and being on purpose for Him. Will you allow Him to use you? As a believer what do you have to lose? Nothing, but the hurt, the lost, the broken they have everything to lose and they need us to step into the gap for them and bring them to the cross. More times than not, folks first experience with Jesus is with us, His followers! As we unpack this tonight there are 3 words to rememberInformationRevelationTransformation Think about it as your journey with Jesus starts as information. Someone shared with about Jesus and this thing called the Bible. Time in the word and in prayer that information becomes revelation. Although not the only way God reveals things, it has been the way I experience it. Some may have a road to Damascus experience. With revelation comes transformation of you and your spirit life. Often times we flip these around.. We try an modify our behaviors before we feel good enough to be in His presence. This is just not right…. If we spend time with Him, He will give us revelation. Truth that just runs so deep. With the revelation it will transform you. It will change you from the inside out. So lets stop trying to change from the Outside in.. Let Him change you from the inside out! Let me use a personal example to share this thought.. I have been a follower of Jesus since my early 20s, but it wasn’t until I turned 28 that I had a revelation of God as provider. I remember having the information of tithing, the 10%, He will meet your needs, how much more does He love us than the Lillies and the birds ? For years this was all information… Because it was just that, the information can change and my opinion or view point could change. I remember my last church I was 1 Sunday from pulling my family from the church due to the talk of tithe. I was snagged up. I remember asking God to give me a sign to pull my family. Instead of that He gave me a revelation of God as provider, God as my source. Tithing stopped being a legal obligation and became a joyful thing. Amanda and I stopped fighting about money or not having enough. Because that revelation caused transformation. I no longer worried about not having enough, because God always made sure we had enough. It may not always of been surplus, but it was a enough. The funny thing about the pursuit of money is it never ends. Unless you get a revelation that Jesus is enough. You can be broke, but live like you have it all, because you do, you have Him inside of you. There are still things that I am leaning in on. Right so healing, I believe He is a healer, but I don’t have that revelation yet. But I will tell you what when I do aint nobody going to take it away from you. One day I will be like Wendy and get that revelation and with it the No More Motrin mindset! Information can be changed, Revelation does not! So if you don’t know where to start, start with the information in your Bibles, because that will become revelation keep pressing and keep seeking God for it. He will give it to you.. Ok, back to our Calling… Reaching others! Lets take a look at Matthew 28:18-20 NLT “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This was just information to me, until that day the question I was asked When was the last time? In that moment no longer words on a page, but a call and purpose for the words and actions. No longer to live for ourselves but for Him My prayer is that you will spend time with these words and seek the revelation. What I am talking about is not always easy, we will be ridiculed, we will get stung by those closest to us. Make the daily ch

2 Timothy 4:3,NLT- “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” 1 Timothy 4:1,NIV- The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. And as I look over the landscape of what’s happening, not just in our nation, but on the planet, I think its time we talk about these things from God’s perspective. Let’s start with this, how many of you conduct your lives, right now with the reality that we belong to a different kingdom?That our Father will be with us through every situation? And as the world around us grows darker, according to Proverbs 4:18,NLT- “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” Listen to what God says through Paul again, “Atime is coming when people will no longer listen to sound teaching. They will follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear.” Part of my responsibility, calling, is to feed the flock God has send me. To shepherd you during uncertain times. That means we can’t just listen to the messages we want.Like Paul told the church, I fed you with milk and not solid food… In Amos, God tells us He will do nothing without revealing it to His prophets. We should be discerning the times. Now in Matthew, the Pharisees came to Jesus wanting a sign to prove it was Him. Check out Jesus’ response; Matthew 16:3 NKJV- Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Let me ask you this, did Jesus expect His people to be able to recognize His first coming? I wonder if He feels the same way about His return.I can tell you the kingdom of darkness is aware of it.Matthew 8, the demon possessed man cried out, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Make no mistake, the “anti” knows very well that his time is drawing to a close. And his primary weapon of choice has always been deception and fear. But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Unfortunately, the enemy has had way too much success, not only deceiving us, but causing division with God’s people. And the amount of fear being pushed. And it has to stop (masked and unmasked, vaxx or no vaxx) These are just a few of his tactics to keep God’s people distracted, even worse, at odds with one another. Listen to me very carefully, the things going on in our world today are not mere human developments. The days of republican or democrat or over. There is a separation taking place between light and darkness. And if your only source of information is main stream media, the enemy has way too much influence in your soul. (Reverence website) Over the last year, the only thing washed more than hands has been brains. The church has to realize that the stage is being set for the anti-christ. But the media will never tell you the truth because he owns them. Remember what Jesus said. You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” We are closer than any generation to the things Jesus told us to watch for concerning His return. So don’t think the enemy won’t do everything possible to keep people from these truths. 2 Peter 3, Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Truth is, evil hasn’t really changed its look throughout history, the only difference today is he has the influence of the media. And as I watch born again Christians getting mad at each other, leaving their churches, blaming anyone that doesn’t agree with them, it’s time for some good old fashion biblical explanation and solutions. The enemy knows that if he can keep us divided, he can keep us weak. Galatians 5:6,NIV- For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Paul writes, unless what I do is done in love, all I’m doing is making noice. Here’s the thing, as God’s born again, blood bought, children, heirs to the Kingdom of heaven, we’re going to have to do things His way. And make no mistake, as His body in the earth, He will have someone that says yes. Here’s a phrase we need to make our minds up about, “OCCUPY TILL I RETURNS” Remember, Jesus is returning for a glorious church. His bride that’s being prepared. So we have to understand, because Christ is preparing His bride for His return, do not be deceived, the anti-christ is absolutely working on the same thing. Remember what Peter tells us, in the last days scoffers will come, follo

Hebrews 11,MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Living this kind of life requires development, practice, it really does take some God inspired trust, motivated by some God inspired expectation. Think about this, if we’re born again, according to Jesus we’re no longer of this world. We’re built to live a different way, the faith way. Habakkuk 2:2, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38,THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH I think throughout our day, each of us has to ask ourselves, are we actually living a life by faith? Living like the truths we believe about Jesus are the fundamental foundation of our existence? John 11:21-27 NKJV- Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22, But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23, Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24, Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” 25, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26, And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27, She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:40-44 NKJV- Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41, Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42, And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”43, Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 44, And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” Remember last week, Jehoshaphat and the people of God, even though they had the word of the Lord, still had to step out to see the word come to pass. Here’s the deal, yes, God absolutely has plans of success for each of us, but they usually come on the other side of us stepping outside our comfort zone, (otherwise what do we need faith for?) Something I’ve discovered over the years is that most of the time God’s not going to ask us to take these giants steps of faith right out of the gate. Remember Ananias, God asked him to take one small step of faith and it changed the landscape of Christianity. Ananias is a faithful example, that even if we don’t become some superstar for God, taking those small steps of faith God puts in front of us, usually have a much bigger impact. And I realize that on the surface it might seem small and insignificant, but Ananias was used by the Almighty to change the course of mankind by one simple act of obedience. Think about it, if our steps are ordered by the Lord, and we’re willing to take them, it means every step, especially the small ones matter. Listen to Paul’s words again, “The life I now live, I live by faith in Him” The steps I take, I take by faith in Him. Martha, “Didn’t I tell you, that if you believed…” Here’s a reality way too many of us overlook, the majority of the time it’s those seemingly small decisions we make that shape our lives, because they eventually become habits. Studies have shown that it takes between 30 and 90 days for a small decision to become a habit. Lets give our faith a chance to become a habit. Seriously, in the bigger picture, the majority of our lives are made up of seemingly small choices. Come on, one small decision, refocusing our attention on something Godly, positions us just like Ananias. This is why putting into practice what the Psalmist says is key to this life of faith. Be still and know that He’s God. In other words, take the time to make room in our thinking for God to inspire us. If we continue to neglect our “be still and know moments” we can miss what God is trying to do in us because we’re so occupied with the things of this world. Seriously, we get clouded by circumstances, opinions, emotions, the things of the world, and it hinders us from hearing the Lord when He communicating. So, no matter how uncertain, stuck, afraid, hurt, disappointed you may feel, no matter how green the grass looks somewhere else, you still have to weed eat it. So let’s not overlook the next small step God has for us, regardless of what we’re facing. God said this through Zechariah saying, “How dare any of you despise the day of small beginnings.” So, regardless of what you have or haven’t done, accept this reality, God’s not finished with you. Start today with one small decision, acknowledge Jesus as the author and finisher of your faith. Remember Martha. Dare to believe for more, one decision at a ti

Hebrews 11,MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Simply put, faith is God inspired trust and expectation. And according to the apostle James, it demands a corresponding action. We could say, it’s activated by our actions. 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, (God inspired trust and expectation) not by sight, NLT, We live by believing and not by seeing.We live our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES. A major component or action of faith is us speaking what God says, right in the face of not seeing anything yet. We cannot overestimate the spoken word of God, even in its seed form, it is still the most powerful force in existence. Jesus and Moses said, “Man shall live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Joshua & Proverbs paraphrase, Don’t let God’s Word leave your mouth, pay close attention to what it says, don’t let it out of your sight, on purpose do what it says and you’ll experience its success. Remember, God said, “Let the redeemed of the Lord, say so” Hebrews 1 makes it very clear, Jesus Christ is the exact image of His Father, The Almighty. Upholding the entire physical and spiritual universe by the word of His power. The Psalmist says, God’s word is flawless, purer than gold, sweeter than honey, sharper than a double edged sword, forever settled, true and righteous, transforming the soul. And in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 138, Lord You have magnified Your word above Your name.Jesus said, I only say what the Father says. Seriously, what if we on purpose started saying what our Father says about us on a more regular basis? For example: Psalm 103:2-5,NKJV- Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Hebrews 11:3,NLT- By faith(God inspired trust and expectation) we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 1, Jesus Christ is the exact image of His Father, The Almighty. Upholding the entire physical and spiritual universe by the word of His power. And according to Romans 10, faith, this God inspired trust and expectation comes from hearing God’s words about His Anointed One. This means we can’t just continue hearing whatever we want to hear and think we’re going to walk in faith. Remember what Paul tells us in Colossians, “The same way you received Christ is how you walk in Him.” We’ve got to get this settled, faith is spiritual substance, evidence, the title deed, proof of things not seen. It truly is a God inspired trust and expectation. Proverbs 3:5-6,MSG- Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! For everyone of us that are heirs to the Kingdom, part of our responsibility is expressing God in the world. That means being able to have practical conversations about Kingdom realities. A big part of the life of faith starts with us seeing ourselves the way God sees us, in His class, made in His image, heirs to His Kingdom. Not a religious image but an in Christ image. I know I quote this scripture all the time, but we need this revelation. Galatians 2:20,NKJV- I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. All He has, He has already given. All His promises in Christ are yes, and in Him amen. His life, His nature, His wisdom and provision. Remember, God, our Father wants to be the El Shaddai of our lives. I realize all these things we’re talking about to some degree make absolutely no sense. This is why we have to have talks like this, because truth is, a life of faith, as a matter of fact, the things of God are not of the senes. 1 Corinthians 2:14,NKJV- But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Here’s the deal, as long as we allow our senses, emotions, circumstances, or intelligence to determine the realities of our new world, we leave no room for faith. And this is why it’s important that we keep reminding ourselves that God didn’t give us these new lives in Him just to do our own thing until we go to heaven. We’re suppose to be bringing Heaven with us wherever we show up. We’ve got to stay aware of this, we’re made for the supernatural, the impossible. God just migh

John 2:14-15,NLT- In the Temple area He saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; He also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, Jesus said, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” The scripture says, My house will be a house of prayer. Today we would say His church, both individually and corporately are His temple. A living house of prayer. Individually and corporately. As we get into our talk, something that’s a continued work in my life is the awareness of just who I’m talking too. During our last prayer night there Lord gave me a word about us “stepping into to something” I had no idea at that moment what that was, and I’m still not a 100%. But part of it is the change concerning Wednesday night prayer. I believe God is leading us into something corporate, something that’s going to unify us as a body to a much higher degree. The longer I walk with the Lord, I am convinced that the most important reality of prayer is how we experience a divine relationship with our Father through fellowship. Prayer is not only an avenue of fellowship with God living in us, it’s also how a human, born of His world navigates that world. Hebrews 4:14-16,NKJV- Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. I bring this passage up to highlight the coming into His presence boldly more than simply coming to get something. I’m hoping we can all leave here with a better understanding that ultimately, our Father, the Almighty simply wants to hang out with His kids. Let’s look at prayer from a natural perspective for a second, maybe from the viewpoint of a parent and a child; When children are young and immature, their primary communication is getting their needs met. But as they grow and mature, the relationship dynamic changes to one more of fellowship. I honestly believe that the most significant aspect of quality prayer is centered around our relationship with our Father. Go back to Genesis, it becomes very clear that God’s intention from the beginning is to be El Shaddai for all His people. As a matter of fact, according to Philippians 4, God will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Think about Adam, what did he need as far as provision? So what do you think his prayer life was about? What if God’s main thing He’s looking for is exactly what He lost with Adam, and that is simply a relationship with His creation. The Apostle Paul takes us a little further in Ephesians by giving us some excellent insight into some of the things we should be praying about. Ephesians 1:20-23,NKJV- ...according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Notice the Holy Spirit led Paul to pray that they would be able to recognize what He’s already done. In that same chapter He also says this, The Lord Jesus Christ, HAS BLESSED us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ... Ephesians 2, Jesus made us alive and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Peter adds that God has given usexceedingly great and precious promises, that through these we may be partakers of His divine nature. Don’t kid yourself, operating in this world only happens by faith. In others words, we’ve gotta believe this stuff. Hebrews 11:6,NLT- “It’s impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” Get this settled in your spirit, we will never operate in God’s world without believing in it. Remember, “It’s impossible to please Gods without faith.” Let me throw this in here, worrying to God isn’t praying. Probably the best way of overcoming worry is worship. And worship is key component of prayer. Think about it, if you’re needing to see it to believe it, how can you honestly pray to a God you can’t see? “Anyone who come to God must believe that He is...” Mark 11:24, Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask whe

Hebrews 11,MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Faith actually starts as a conviction in the human soul, established by the unveiling of the truth in God’s word, to the degree that you have this fixed expectation from what God has told you, you have this divinely inspired trust. 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES. Living this way starts with our thinking. There’s no way our believing can be right until our thinking is right. Then James takes things a step further by driving the point home that our tongue is the rudder of our lives. When David went against Goliath, his sword was in his mouth. RIGHT THINKING = RIGHT BELIEVING = RIGHT TALKING For the born again, moving into a life of faith means that at some point we have to stop letting this counterfeit society dictate who we are. Speaking what God says about you right in the face of not seeing anything yet is exactly what walking by faith, not by sight looks like. Hebrews 11:3,NLT- By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. In these last days God is leading us back to the supernatural, to the impossible because He is returning for a glorious church. Listen to Ephesians 5, “He will sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church.” Here’s the deal, unfortunately the enemy has had more success than we would like to admit in misleading the church. 1 Timothy 4:1,NIV- The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Timothy 4:3,NLT- “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” What we have to keep in mind is just hearing what we want to, what we like isn’t a life of faith. Remember, faith is spiritual substance, evidence, the title deed, proof of things not seen. What God is looking for in these last days is some proof from His heirs. 2 Peter 3:3-9,NIV- Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4- They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5- But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6- By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7- By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8- But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9- The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. For everyone of us that are heirs to the Kingdom, part of our responsibility is expressing our God, being able to have conversations about Kingdom realities. A big part of the life of faith starts with us seeing ourselves the way God sees us, in His class, made in His image, heirs to His Kingdom. All He has, He has already given. The Zoe life, His nature, His wisdom and provision. Romans 1:20,NLT- For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. You see, the reason faith is so vital is simply because we are created beings, made a specific way. The reason He says people have no excuse is because He made every human with the ability to believe, and guess what, we do. We can make all the excuses we want but at the end of the day, it simply comes down to what we believe. Remember last week we talked about those who argue, man wrote the Bible? Ultimately the written is simply a transfer of the living to a human form of communication. 2 Timothy 3:16-17,NKJV- All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Thank God for His written word, but there were many that didn’t have written word and still believed. This is why God tells us that without a preacher, how can they hear? The actual power is in the gospel, the message of Christ. This is why Paul takes things a step further in Corinthians by telli

2 Corinthians 13:5,NLT- “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” Are we willing to evaluate ourselves honestly, to test our faith? We’ve all gotta ask ourselves, how teachable are we, really? Make no mistake, a faith life is a completely different life. The NT tells us, we are to walk by faith, not by sight. You see, living by faith, not senses, not emotions, not intelligence or experiences, will require genuine faith. This is why God tells us that we're to examine ourselves, to test our faith walk. Unfortunately there's a lot of Christians that won't even acknowledge they need help with their faith. Even though with our new creation lives it’s really the only way we navigate the Kingdom we’ve been born into. MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Faith actually starts as a conviction in the human soul, established by the unveiling of the truth in God’s word with, to the degree that you have this fixed expectation from what God has told you, you have this divinely inspired trust. 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES. Living this way starts with our thinking. There’s no way our believing can be right until our thinking is right. Then James takes things a step further by driving the point home that our tongue is the rudder of our lives. RIGHT THINKING = RIGHT BELIEVING = RIGHT TALKING When Jesus told the disciples to have faith in God, He instructed them to speak faith to their situations, to their mountains. But he started the lesson with this statement, “If you’ll not doubt in your heart but believe what you say” In other words, we’ve got to line our words up with our faith. Jesus is very clear in the fact that speaking faith from our hearts, effects change in our world, from His. This is why, according to Jesus Himself, speaking divinely inspired words over our situation is exactly the kind of corresponding action James is talking about. Why do you think Jesus told us to put the Kingdom of God first? Because just like our natural lives here demand focus, intentionality, development, make no mistake, so does our new lives. We’ve gotta get this, living this kind of life requires focus, and a key to living a more focused life is avoiding distractions. And when we talk the problem more than the promise, we're distracted. Because God has designed us to live by faith, we’ve got to get to the place where we allow what He says to shape and strengthen what we actually believe. How we actually live. Just like with the father of our faith Abraham. Remember last week I brought up the fact that God changed Abram's name to Abraham, changing what he was saying about himself. And this is exactly what we’ve got to do with what God says about us today. What’s God calling you? Romans 4, Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. This is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.” This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. The God who calls things which do not exist as though they did. I love Mary’s statement when the angel spoke her, “According to your word, let be unto me.” Seriously, everyone of us operate within the boundaries of our current beliefs. You see, I believe Jesus is looking for some faith people today like Mary. According to your word Lord. Lets turn it around for a second, how many times did Jesus tell people, “according to you faith, let it be so?” The more I look at the life of faith, at believing, and I know I talk this all the time but our thinking is key. Faith truly is a mind set. Maybe we should say it like this, faith is an attitude. Think about it, our attitude pretty much determines our approach to our life. Consider this, which one describes you, you see the difficulty in every opportunity, or the opportunity in every difficulty? Ephesians 4:23-24,NIV- “Be made new in the ATTITUDE of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Take president Lincoln for example, very few people had a clue who he was until the weight of the civil war revealed his way of thinking, his mind set, his attitude. Truth is, most of us, like our father of faith Abraham, are just one attitude adjustment away from stepping into the name change God has for us. Discovering that next level of success. Overcoming that challenge. Being the change in that situation. And this is why it's absolutely vital we continue growing in our faith because at the

Listen to God's Words from the prophet Isaiah, in chapter 46,I am GOD, the only God, incomparable and irreplaceable.From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be.Assuring you, I’m with you. Assuring you I’ll do exactly what I set out to do. I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it. I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done. Remember , without revelation, without the unveiling of the truth in God’s word with supernatural vitality and enlightening clarity, statements like this one form the Almighty will continue to be some mysterious, just out of reach idea that continues feeding our unbelief. The primary killer of our faith. Seriously, you think Jesus was just playing games when He said, “All things are possible to him that believes.”What about this one, “Without faith it’s impossible to please God.” This is Paul’s point in Galatians, “The life I now live, I live by faith in Christ.” This is why Paul talked to us about having genuine, true, authentic faith. And it starts with us having a clear, biblical understanding, with enlightened clarity of exactly what faith is. Remember, out of the book of Hebrews, Faith is spiritual substance, evidence, faith is the reality of things we can’t see. MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Faith actually starts as a conviction in the human soul, established by the unveiling of the truth in God’s word with supernatural vitality and enlightening clarity, to the degree that you have this fixed expectation from what God has told you, you have this divinely inspired trust. This is why the apostle Paul told us in Colossians, that the same way we received Christ is how we are to live our new lives in Him. Being a Christian isn't just knowing about Jesus, it’s living like Jesus. I honestly don't think God gave us new lives in Christ just to hang around here doing our own thing until we get to Heaven. Living by faith chooses to accept what God tells us. In an unwavering confidence, completely trusting what He tells us. I am GOD, the only God, incomparable and irreplaceable.From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be.Assuring you, I’m with you. Assuring you I’ll do exactly what I set out to do. I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it. I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done. This kind of life of faith is a direct result of what Paul is referring to when he’s talking about walking in the spirit, not in the flesh. There has to be transformation in our thinking before our will allows us to engage in a different dimension, to engage in spiritual living. Paul says, “It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going.” 2 Corinthians 5:7,AMP- We walk by faith, not by sight, living our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES. NLT- We life by believing, not by seeing. One of our greatest examples of faith comes from the father of faith, Abraham. We have to remember, first thing God told him was to leave his old way of living. Romans 4:20-21,NLT- Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. The more we embrace a God inspired mindset, the more we put into practice our new life. This is why James tells us that real faith has an action connected to it. A very simple approach to a life of faith is this; FAITH GETS READY!! One of my favorite John Wooden quotes is, “When opportunity shows up, its to late to get ready.” Remember 2 Corinthians 5:7, We live our lives in a manner consistent with our confident beliefs in what God has promised. Think about how often Jesus was on His disciples about their faith. Mark 11:22-23,NIV- “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” Jesus's instructions are in response to the disciples seeing what happened after Jesus spoke to a tree. And when they questioned Him about the tree, He basically gave them this command; "Have faith in God" In other words, have such a conviction in our soul that it produces a fixed expectation from what God has told us. Then He instructed them to speak faith to their situations, to their mountains. But what I’ve discovered over the years is that most of us talk about our mountain instead of speaking to it. Anybody know why? Now in light of what Jesus has told us, let me say this; faith isn't magic. And it's definitely not some confession formula for getting things from God. Truth is, the things of the Kingdom have already been established. All the promises of God, in Him are yes and amen. This is why, according to Jesus Himself, speaking divinely inspired words over your situation is e

Will sent me this the other day and I thought it was perfect for the intro to our new talk, “FaithTime.” “By revelation, or the unveiling of the essence of the truth in God’s word with supernatural vitality and enlightening clarity.” Through this divine revelation, not only is humanity exposed to the realities of the kingdom of God, it’s how a human navigates the unseen world of the believer. Because we’re so exposed to the things of this world, it automatically pulls us away from our true identity and purpose. We’re sons and daughters of God, designed to imitate Him. But if we constantly feed our soul with a consistent diet of worldly, anti-Christ indoctrination, there’s absolutely no way we can ever actually live a life of faith. And according to Romans 10, there’s only one way that changes, we need some FaithTime. Without revelation, without the unveiling of the essence of the truth in God’s word with supernatural vitality and enlightening clarity, we will never overcome unbelief. The primary killer of our faith. Mark 9:19-25,NKJV- He answered him and said, “O FAITHLESS GENERATION, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” 20, Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 21, So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22, And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “IF YOU CAN BELEIVE, all things are possible to him who believes.”Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it: “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more! We’re living in a time where we get bombarded with so much information that making time for faith to be developed becomes more of a challenge every day. One major challenge Christians face today is confusing information with faith. 2 Timothy 1, Because of your GENUINE FAITH, (real, true, authentic) I’m reminding you to STIR UP THE GIFT OF GOD that’s in you. That being said, the other side of this reality is, not genuine faith. And according to Paul, the genuine is recognizable. So what’s it look like? More specifically, what is it? Hebrews 11:1,NKJV- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. NLT, Faith is the reality of what we can’t see. MSG, The fundamental fact of our existence is that this TRUST in God, this FAITH, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The Amplified says, faith perceives as fact what hasn’t been revealed to our human senses. Faith is spiritual substance. We have to remember, everything about God’s kingdom is like a seed, including faith. Faith actually starts as a conviction in the human soul to the degree that it produces a fixed expectation from what God has told us. It’s a divinely inspired trust. Remember, it’s the unveiling of the essence of the truth in God’s word with supernatural vitality and enlightening clarity.” Here’s what’s sad, much of society, not to mention, a percentage of the church really doesn’t see the value in developing a life of faith. We’ve reduced it down to some religious term or philosophy. At the end of the day, it all starts with this one simple question, do you believe the Bible to be the word of God for your life today? Once we make up our minds on this reality, its up to each of us to begin laying a foundation for living a life of faith. We’ve got to get the word of God issue settled. Genuine faith, real faith accepts the Bible as God speaking right now. This kind of faith is a what takes you past the demonic, unbelieving manipulation that,”man wrote the Bible.” Truth is, according to Hebrews 1, the integrity of God’s word is what holds everything together. Psalm 138, Lord You have magnified Your word above Your name.John 1 tells us that God’s word became flesh and dwelt among us.Jesus said, My words are spirit and truth. Here’s a perfect example, if we’re born again, according to Jesus we’re no longer of this world. We’re built to live a different way, the faith way. Habakkuk 2:2, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38,THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH Let me ask you this, throughout your day, how often do you think about actually living your life by faith? Living like it really is the fundamental foundation of our existence? Living with the conviction in your soul that faith is the substance you’re life is based on, to the degree that you have this fixed expectation from what God has told you, you have this divinely inspired trust. What if the reason the Bible teaches us that we’re to live by faith is because God designed our born-

Luke 16:10,NKJV- “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” Galatians 6:7-9,NKJV- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for WHATEVER a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in DUE SEASON we shall reap if we do not lose heart. We can’t forget that everything pertaining to God’s Kingdom operates under this principle of sowing and reaping. Remember, whatever we sow we will reap if we don’t give up. This includes being faithful with our faith, here’s the deal, if we never sow into our faith, there’s no way we’re going to reap from our faith. What every believer has to understand is that we’ve all got to start somewhere, and usually it’s with one small decision, the another… (Mustard Seed) This is Jesus’ point when He told us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for us. This is why God told us not to despise the day of small beginnings. Just like a seed. Remember, the kingdom of heaven is like a seed. At some point we’ve got to acknowledge this reality, God’s ways are different. All His promises, His covenant comes from a world we can’t see in the natural. And it’s only through faith that we bring them into this world. God rarely asks us to take giant leaps of faith, usually He’s simply encouraging us to take small, everyday steps discovering our life in Jesus. What we have to understand is, God’s not asking any of us to do anything He hasn’t already done. That being said, we have to remember, not only is God a faith God, Corinthians tells us He is the faithful God. Bottom line, there’s absolutely no other way to experience a life in Him outside of faith. Hebrews 4:2,NKJV- Indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith... What we have to understand is that our born again nature is built to live according to what He says, not according to our intelligence. Jesus’ mother summed it up perfectly when she told the workers, “Whatever He says to you, do it!” His Word is truth, it’s eternal, spiritual, the written image of Himself. Jesus not only instructs and encourages us in how we are to live an anointed life, He demonstrates it. This is why He tells us, the righteous are to live by faith. Romans 3:3-4,NKJV- What if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar... On the other side of us saying yes to God, there will be uncertainty, opinions, challenges, fears, obstacles we have to overcome. Maybe the question each of us has to answer is, which part of His word do we actually believe? Like He said, it all starts out like a seed, then grows to greatness. Proverbs 4:18,NLT- “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” Psalm 68:19,NKJV- “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits” If we honestly believe God daily loads us with benefits, we should get up every morning actually counting on them? We’ve been asking this question throughout this talk, how faithful are we with our faith? It’s those little steps, little adjustments that keep us moving closer to our purpose. After all, we are new creations in Christ. Designed to live out of a different world right in the middle of this one. But make no mistake, our new life demands faithfulness. Philemon 1, The sharing of our faith becomes effective when we acknowledge every good thing that Christ has put in us. One of my favorite leaders from the OT is Nehemiah. But he didn’t start out that way. What interesting is that his name actually means, “God comforts,” which eventually does happen. But probably the most outstanding characteristic we see in Nehemiah is a faithful, no quit attitude, simply stepping into his God ordained path. Isaiah 58:11-12,NKJV- The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. The revelation of this prophecy is timeless, and I believe is speaking to us today. Nehemiah is a perfect example of one of God’s faithful, walking out a specific word of the Lord in his generation. There is a generation we cross paths with every day who are without God and they're convinced they're ok the way they are. But the reality is, their lives are in ruins and their walls are crumbling. This is why the Holy Spirit is constantly looking for those who’ll let Him creat a faithf

Im sure you’ve heard or even said the phrase, “You’re acting just like your father” Ephesians 5:1,AMP- Become imitators of God, copy Him and follow His example, as well-beloved children imitate their father. Jesus said, if you’ve seen me you’ve seen the Father.It’s the Father in Me that’s doing the work.The things I do, you can do also. Jesus’ prayer in John 17, Father, that they all may be one, as You, are in Me, and I in You; that they may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 2 Corinthians 5:17,NKJV- If anyone is IN CHRIST, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Christ isn’t Jesus’ last name, In Christ means in the anointed One and His anointing. Born into a new world, a new way of living. This is why Paul told us, “The life I now live, I live by faith.” In other words, I’m living with an divine expectation, a conviction that everything God’s word says I am, I can have, I can do is a reality in my life. A revelation we’ve got to be more open to is the fact that God only sees us in our new creation, the old one is gone. He sees us from an eternity perspective. This is why Ephesians teaches us to pray, Father, enlighten our soul so we can comprehend what you’ve already done for us. Our challenge is, growing in our faith to the place where our soul no longer relies on this physical realm to confirm spiritual realities. Understand, born again doesn’t just mean access to Heaven someday, it means citizen of Heaven, heir to the Kingdom, appointed ambassador of our King, assigned here to establish His Kingdom. This is why Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11, Imitate me the same way I imitate Christ. Hebrews 6:12,NKJV- So that you do not become sluggish, imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. When Jesus told us to follow Him, or imitate Him, He meant watch how I do it, then do it. Here’s the thing, imitating Him means we have to stop living as if humanity is all there is. Because at the end of the day, as long as we’re comfortable living without more of God, we will. 1 John 4, As we take up permanent residence in God, we live in Him and God lives in us, our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. Our father wants us to succeed at being His body in the earth. He wants us acting just like Him. Imitate Him like little children. 3 John 1:2,NKJV- Beloved, I pray that you may prosper (succeed) in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. God knew He would be working through regular people like you and me. This is why He gave us a Bible full of ordinary people living extraordinary lives as they put their trust in God and take that next step of faith. Think about it, God has enough faith in us to call us, to give us inspired dreams, ideas, plans, purposes; He's simply asking us to have the same faith in Him. In Romans, Paul prays that we will overflow with a confident expectation by the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Keeping a God inspired, confident expectation will keep us from letting go of our faith every time things don't just fall into place. Leading us to actually becoming less independent, and more God dependent. After all, He is El Shaddai, The Almighty And if our Father told us to live a certain way, made in His image and likeness, lets leave here today with a renewed attitude. With a little divine expectation. What if it was said of us, “You’re acting just like your Father?” Today-Da-Day start seeing yourself attempting that dream, getting that breakthrough, overcoming that sickness, walking in victory. Stop living just to avoid failure and disappointed. C'mon, you're born from Heaven, made in the image of your Father. So stop thinking and saying you can't, that there's no way out of your situation, that you've messed up too many times. And when everything around us is screaming, not this time; here's one of thousands of promises from God reestablishing our hope. Empowering us to stand our ground. Isaiah 40, The Lord is the everlasting God, He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. David said, God arms us with strength and makes our way perfect, giving us His shield of victory. Anointing us with the oil of gladness, surrounding us with His favor. And at His right hand are pleasures forever more. Real, God inspired faith is built on promises from our Father, just like these. And when we yield to them, it gives the Holy Spirit something to work with, transforming us into His very own image. Romans 8:29,MSG- God knew what He was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love Him along the same lines as the life of his Son. We’re supposed to be conformed to the image of our Father. Ephesians 5:1,AMP- Become imitators of God, copy Him and follow His example, as well-beloved chil

Galatians 6:7-9,NKJV- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for WHATEVER a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in DUE SEASON we shall reap if we do not lose heart. We can’t forget that everything pertaining to God’s Kingdom operates under this principle of seed time and harvest. Something every Christian has to evaluate is just how consistent we are at sowing into our God given vision? At the end of the day it’s our responsibility to make room for Kingdom of Heaven realities, allowing them to be the primary influence in our thinking. How much Kingdom exposure do you get? Matthew 13, Jesus tells us thekingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, a man took and sowed in his field… Matthew 17:20,NKJV- So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” God’s not finished with you. He’s eternal! You know the old saying, “Those who can’t do, teach?” As we get older we may not be able to do all the things we used to do, but never forget that as we mature in the Lord, we become these living dispensers of revelation for the next generation. Or in the words of Jesus, “Out of your spirit will flow rivers of living water.” (Good in, good out!) Luke 6:45,NKJV- A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. The challenge most of us face today is that we get so busy, so occupied with the cares of this world, circumstances, life and it clouds what God is wanting to show us. (Parable of sower) Here’s a reality Christians have to come to terms with, God actually expects us to live beyond our humanity, to be one of His faithful. Being faithful with our faith, demands transformation. This is why Jesus made statements like, “If you can believe, all things are possible for you.” Remember, Jesus told us, from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Everything about God and His world was spoken into existence. God’s original plan for words wasn’t just communication, it was creation. Here’s a thought, what if we stopped using our word to describe our situation, and start using them to change our situation? Seriously, if we’re going to be the faithful of the Lord, it starts with the little things. (Mustard seed) small adjustments, small decisions, small steps of faith. A big one is our tongue, after all James tells us it’s the rudder of our life. Our words are the fruit of the seed that’s in us. So starting now, on purpose set the course of your life, line your words up with your vision. I think we all need training and discipline in the language of faith. Job 22 says, You will decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light of God’s favor will shine on your ways. Time for a little vision prophesying. Seriously, why do you think James tells us, cursing and blessing should not be coming out of the same mouth. The Psalmist teaches us, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” “Let the weak say, I am strong.” Roman’s 4 reminds us that God is the God who calls things that be not as though they are. Ephesians tells us to imitate God like little children. Maybe this talk is a simple reminder for all of us to take a fresh look at the importance of out words. Remember, from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Here’s the deal, every believer has to start somewhere, and usually it’s with one small decision, the another… (Mustard Seed) Luke 16:10,NLT- “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” Luke 19:17,NLT-“Well done! the king exclaimed. You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward. He went on to teach us that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for us. Stop thinking you’ve got to have this great faith. Real faith, as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. This is why God told us not to despise the day of small beginnings. Just like a seed. Remember, the kingdom of heaven is like a seed. At some point we’ve got to acknowledge this reality, God told us His ways are different. All His promises, His covenant comes from a world we can’t see in the natural. And it’s only through faith that we bring them into this world. God rarely asks us to take giant leaps of faith, usually He’s simply encouraging us to take small, everyday steps discovering our life Jesus. What we have to understand is, not only is God a faith God, Corinthians tells us He is the f

Deuteronomy 9:1-3,MSG- Attention, Israel! This very day you are crossing the Jordan to enter the land and dispossess nations that are much bigger and stronger than you are. You’re going to find huge cities with sky-high fortress-walls and gigantic people, descendants of the Anakites—you’ve heard all about them; you’ve heard the saying, “No one can stand up to an Anakite.TODAY KNOW THIS: GOD, your God, is crossing the river ahead of you—He’s a consuming fire. He will destroy the nations, He will put them under your power. You will dispossess them and very quickly wipe them out, just as GOD promised you would. The Canaan mission represents leaving the old, overcoming sometimes the seemingly impossible, it’s going into a new place, a new mind set, a new way of living. Canaan boldly declares that God has and always will be the force surrounding and empowering every believer willing to follow Him. Today-Da-Day!! It’s time for us to be a little more intentional in our thinking, our faith, our actions, let this story of our ancestors inspire us to make our minds up. To ask God to give us a intentional mind. Paul really brings this revelation home in his letter to the Ephesians when he instructs us that it’s up to us to put on our brand new God fashioned lives. Canaan makes it very clear, we’ve got to let go of the old and trust God to take us into the new. And it all starts with an intentional mind. Seriously, make up your mind! You know when the apostle Paul tells us to not give any place to the devil? Guess where that starts? Leave here today with an intentional mind. “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” We’ve got to understand that what we think on continually becomes the dominate influence in our lives. 2 Corinthians 10,MSG- The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Something every Christians has got to come to terms with is the fact that we’re made in God’s image. But because of free will, it’s our responsibility to make room for faith inspired thinking. In other words, renew our mind. This is why He told us to take control of our thoughts, to actually bring them into obedience with Christ. Canaan is waiting. Make your mind up, you’re letting go of the old and going in and taking the new God has for you. Remember last week in Matthew 6, Jesus tells us, “take no thought” He actually says, “Take no thought, saying” I’m convinced, every Christian needs training in the language of faith.Here’s the thing, an intentional mind produces intentional speaking. And I realize these are spiritual realities that will contradict the things of this natural world, and this is why we have to become people of faith, which means we have to do things God’s way. Practice seeing yourself the way God’s word describes you. Think about it, right now, what kind of in Christ image do you have?Don’t kid yourself, wrong thinking leads to wrong believing. What’s your thought life look like? What occupies the most space in your thinking? Do you honestly believe that according to Jesus, Isaiah, Paul, and so many other patriarchs, that the more you think on what God says, the more transformation is happening? Hebrews 12, We run with endurance the race God has set before us by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith... Is it possible that we could get to a place in our walk with Jesus that the cares and trials of this world no longer have the power to sideline us? Why not let God inspire our thinking, empower us to be more international with our thought life, to the place where we see from His perspective? This means taking the time to make room in our thinking for God to inspire our faith. Remember the Psalmist says, be still and know that He’s God. Remember, it’s the little things that make the difference. And the majority of the time it’s those seemingly small decisions we make that shape our lives. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus gives us a great picture of how God’s Kingdom operates. How something seemingly so small becomes something very significant. Matthew 13:31-32,NKJV- “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Start today with one small decision, acknowledge Jesus as the author and finisher of your faith. The reason inspired thinking is so important for the believer is because our faith goes in the direction of our thinking. And for the born-again, our new lives (Canaan) can o

Psalm 46 says, Be still and know... in other words, make the time to allow God to inspire our thinking, our decisions, our vision, our knowing, our faith!As we unpack this talk, no matter how uncertain, stuck, afraid, hurt, disappointed you may feel, faith inspired knowing is what enables any believer to having done all to stand, we stand. These are the ones God is patiently looking for, The Faithful.Galatians 6:7-9,NKJV- Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.Here’s a little take home for ya, Nobody gets to go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today a make a new ending.Isaiah said, “I’m about to do a new thing...”God spoke through Zechariah saying, “How dare any of you despise the day of small beginnings.”So, regardless of what you have or haven’t done, regardless of the challenges, disappointments and criticisms, let this God ordained, Kingdom of Heaven reality settle into your thinking. God’s not finished with you. He’s eternal!I understand, for God there’s nothing new under the sun, but for every believer, this is Isaiah’s point, there’s always going to be a new thing we’re just seeing because God is progressive in His revelation of Himself.This is why faithfulness is required, we’re the clay on the Potter’s wheal.Let’s all of us leave here with a refocused acknowledgement that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith. Which means it’s time to refocus our believing; one decision at a time, one step at a time, one day at a time. Let God enlarge our vision. (Jabez)Here’s probably the most overlooked point of Jabez’s prayer, how’s my vision? He wasn’t just asking for more, but to enlarge his ability to receive from God. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve checked your vision? Be still and know!Remember, whatever a man sows. How consistent do you sow into your God given vision?Here’s the deal, there is no silver bullet, even though God will absolutely stretch our vision, give us dreams bigger than we are; (otherwise what do we need faith for?) we still have to take them on one day at a time.And it starts by being faithful in the little. Remember what God spoke through Zechariah, “How dare any of you despise the day of small beginnings.”Mother Teresa said, “Our strength lies in being faithful in the little things.”Proverbs 4:18,NLT- “The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.”Solomon said, “The end of a thing is better than the beginning.”Here’s a reality Christians have to come to terms with, God actually expects us to live beyond our humanity, to be one of His faithful, actually living a spiritual life.Remember, Jesus told us we can’t put new wine in old wine skins. In other words, God’s ways, God’s Kingdom isn’t humanity’s way, and it’s definitely not religion’s way.1 Corinthians 2:9-14,NKJV- But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.Understand, God’s entire system will go against everything our natural life has grown comfortable with, as a matter of fact, God’s ways will absolutely go against all human reasoning.This is why Jesus made statements like,”If you can believe, all things are possible for you,” "Whatever you ask for believing, you'll receive it."But here's the thing, the only way a person starts believing differently is by thinking differently.And right thinking, Godly thinking is a direct result of time with God, time with His word. The challenge most of us face today is that we get so busy, so occupied with our circumstances, with life and it clouds what God is wanting to show us.Matthew 6:22-23,NKJV- The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!What we put in front of us, our spirit is exp

Intentional Mind Part 1How many of you think Jesus knew exactly what the landscape of society was going to look like today?So, you think He’s still counting on us embracing the fact that one of His primary reasons for coming was that we could have an abundant life in Him, advancing His Kingdom.But here’s the deal, at some point, just like the first disciples, a life in the Kingdom is not the same as a life in this world. Jesus actually lets us know from His prayer in John that we are no longer of this world, just like He’s not.This means we have to realize, this kind of life will requires effort. An intentional mind set. Think about it, we’re not successful at anything of value on accident. So why would we assume our spiritual life would be any different?Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!Romans tells us, set your mind on things of the Spirit.Joshua says, meditate on the things of God day and night.Paul says, don’t look at the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen.Through the history of God’s people He inspired them to rise to the occasion, for the sole purpose of advancing His Kingdom. And I believe we’re living in one of those times, where Jesus is looking for those to distinguish. I believe it’s time for the world to see “Greater is He that’s is us, then he that’s in the world.”God wants to distinguish you! (Abraham,Joshua,Esther,Gideon, David) This means we’ve got to do things His way. And this is why the apostle James tells us we cannot continue living a double minded life. But just like with everyone of these, or any other patriarch of old, they had do to things God’s way. And it starts with seeing things the way He does. And faith gives us that ability.Faith allows us the ability to fix our thinking on Him to the place where we actually comprehend our new life. After all, faith comprehends as real fact things that haven’t been revealed to human senses yet.Something most Christians never take the time to embrace is the fact that we’re made in God’s image. But because of free will, it’s up to us to make room for faith inspired thinking.It’s actually one of the most creative, powerful forces a human being possess. It’s how we see spiritually. Faith is the substance of things not seen. This is why He told us to take control of our thoughts, to actually bring them into obedience with Christ.2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV) Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.2 Corinthians 10:5 (MSG) The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought, emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.Twice in Matthew 6:25 & 31, Jesus tells us not to worry. But what’s interesting is in the KJV, He says, “take no thought” I agree with the KJV because ultimately, worry originates from one place.This is what Paul is wanting us to understand when he tells us to bring every thought into captivity.Think about this, Jesus telling us to take no thought isn’t any different that Him saying, don’t sin any any other way.And I realize these are spiritual realities that will contradict everything in this natural world, and this is why we have to become people of faith, which means we have to do things God’s way.Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!The fact is, we’ll never become who God says we are until we start seeing ourselves the way He sees us.Practice seeing yourself the way God’s word describes you.I promise you, the more you begin seeing yourself through the lens of His word, inspired by His Spirit, the more influential, effective, and positive your life will be.Think about it, right now, what kind of in Christ image do you have?What’s your thought life look like? What occupies the most space in your thinking? Do you honestly believe that the more you think on what God says, the more transformation is happening?This is why the apostle Paul instructs us in Romans that if we continue living according to our carnal human nature, it only leads to destruction and separation from God.Then he says this is chapter eight, “Those who live according to the Spirit of God, set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”And here’s a wonderful revelation, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Set your mind on that.Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion

Romans 12, So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. It’s one of our greatest acts of worship. This is why we should never reduce worship down to just singing songs from emotion. Realizing its our offering, from a humble, reverent heart. And make no mistake, God absolutely loves it when we come to Him with a reverent of love and reliance totally on Him. Jesus told us the Father is seeking those who will worship Him this way. Worship Him in spirit and truth. Those willing to come to Him in a reverent spirit of dependency and gratitude for everything Jesus did for us. And every time we gather around the Lord's table, it provides us this wonderful opportunity of a fresh heart of worship. I personally believe one of the greatest things worship does is keep us more God inside minded. Think about it, the same Spirit that raised Jesus, that hovered over the earth at creation, God’s Spirit, lives in us. And practicing worship around the Lord’s table, really does bring things into proper perspective for us. Remember, I say this all the time, communion is one of the most spiritual things we can do. And for many of us that have walked with Jesus for a little bit, we have the privilege of showing the younger generation how to engage in spiritual realities like communion. Here’s the thing, something all of us have to help each other with is the reality that it’s only in our grace empowered, steadfast, lifelong pursuit of our Savior that we discover God’s nature and character, His love. And in the discovery of His love, we embrace the heart of worship. Coming together like we do during communion helps us to not be so preoccupied with the cares of the world. It also helps some realize, and others to remember God is bigger than anything we're facing, from challenge to success. Communion really helps all of us with perspective. Psalm 34, Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.” Think about it like this, you ever go out a night a look at the stars? With just our natural vision all we see are twinkling dots of light in the sky. But through a high-powered telescope, we see massive spheres of fire, millions of times larger than our planet, brighter than the human eye can stand. When we come together with a heart of worship, magnifying Jesus, it's like a high-powered telescope in the spirit. Because most of the time, it's usually our view of Him that needs to change. And communion is one of the special times of worship that helps us see the greatness of God through our faith. There's no better place for enlightenment and inspired vision than worshipping around the Lord's table. Not to mention, keeping our relationship fresh. Because in today's fast paced society, constantly being bombarded with everything but the truth, it's way to easy to be distracted, sometimes even forget. Truth is, our heart won't be in what our mind isn't on. And without question, communion absolutely helps get our mind on the things of God. You see, at the heart of worship, nothing magnifies our Savior more powerfully or passionately than acknowledging Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. The reason worship is such a significant part of communion is because ultimately, only Jesus can bring someone into God's presence. And our humble acknowledgement of what Jesus did is what makes our worship acceptable before God. Acts 2:22-24,NIV- “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. I realize that we are all at different places concerning the realities of Calvary. So as we gather around the Lord's table today, let's be very clear about it; Jesus was no martyr. His life wasn't taken from Him. He was on the planet according to God's fixed, deliberate plan. Jesus said, "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.” 1 Peter 1, For you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, by the precious blood of Christ.Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, so your faith and hope are in God. I believe one of the best things communion does is remind us that we will never find our God ordained identity in the things of this world. Remember in Acts, Jesus was handed over to be crucified by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge. And if God had a deliberate plan for Jesus, the fir

Revelation 5:9-10,NKJV- They sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us KINGS and PRIESTS to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” This phrase kings and priests is not just the future assignment of God’s people, it’s a reminder that God’s original design was and is for His people to be at the center of all social, civil and government to functions. Throughout our talk, the first and consistent truth we see is that in every account that kings and priests worked together, they were a successful, blessed nation. Our OT is full of incredible stories of God’s people experiencing the supernatural forces of our kingdom when they chose to obey. At the end of the day, living a Godly life is simply living from within God’s Kingdom.After all, we are God’s chosen people. 1 Peter 2:9,NKJV- “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” As God’s special people, when we come together, inspiring, encouraging, assisting, balancing one another, doing things His way, it absolutely proclaims and displays the praises of our God. These principles only work within the boundaries of the Kingdom of God. Which means we have to have a clear understanding of how God’s government works. And the first thing we’ve got to accept is that He’s expecting His Kingdom to be implemented by His governing body, the church in the earth. It’s never out of some legalistic approach, but functioning within the boundaries of God’s established government. In other words, operating under the instructions of the King. Luke 6, “Why do you call Me Lord, and not do the things which I say?” One of Jesus’ primary purposes since He arrived is establishing His Kingdom, getting His self-contained government operational. Matthew 6:33,AMP- “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.” John 14:21,NKJV- “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” But until we stop seeing Christianity, more specifically the church as some religious organization and understand Jesus’ commands, were never intended to be a bunch of legalistic, religious rules, but commands from our King concerning the function of His Kingdom. This is why he tells all of us we have to put His Kingdom principles first. But when the influence of God is removed form the social and civil functions of any society, people are left to their own conclusions. This is why God gave the church apostles, prophets, evangelist, and teachers, to equip the body of Christ with truth pertaining to His kingdom. God designed us to be His anointed representatives of His Kingdom in our natural world. Make no mistake, Revelation 5 is absolutely bringing God’s original intent back into perspective, He made us kings and priests to reign on the earth. And even though Jesus is referencing a future date, He doesn’t mean that we’re subject to the kingdom of darkness until said time. But here’s the thing, possibly one of the biggest challenges the born again face isn’t so much the powers of the kingdom of darkness, it’s our refusal to embrace the world we’re born of, embracing a way of living that is beyond humanity. Philippians 3:17-20,NLT- Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior. Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men. “Let them have dominion” is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation. Colossians makes it very clear that God has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. One of Jesus’ primary objectives was restoring God’s original creation to his God ordained position. Functioning as Kings and Priests in this foreign land. Establishing our Kingdom. God, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. As a matter of fact, Kingdom of Heaven principles can’t even be executed here without an heir of the Kingdom exercising dominion. Functioning with complete reliance on our King. As Kings and Priests

Thanks for all the response at the Get Plugged In table last week. Something very important to remember is that it’s just as important that you’re in service and not serving all the time. Also, as you’re trying different departments, if it doesn’t fit don’t get frustrated. Simply move on to something else. 1 Corinthians 12:27,MSG- You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. In Ephesians 4 Paul says it a little different way, Jesus fits His whole body together perfectly. And as each part does it’s own special work, it cause the whole body to grow. Get Plugged In is a simple invitation that allows anyone listening to become part of something Jesus is doing through His body, the local church. And studies have proven that one of the fastest ways for someone to experience God is by getting involved. God is constantly looking for those willing to come along side other believers to be part of what He’s doing on the local level, serving along side each other, creating our God anointed identity. Creating an atmosphere for anyone still discovering who Jesus is. CHRISTIANITY ISN’T JUST BELIEVING, IT’S BELONGING This is why we're continually trying to get as many as possible involved in serving in our church. According to Romans, serving is one of our greatest acts of worship. Romans 12, So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. It’s one of our greatest acts of worship. This is why I love the heart of Jonathan’s amorbearer, “Do all that is in your heart. I am with you, according to your heart.” Talk about plugged in! So never underestimate the significance of God orchestrating personalities, giftings and talents in accomplishing His purpose, advancing His kingdom. And by design, He makes local churches unique because everyone he calls fits somewhere. The question every believer has to answer is, will we let Him plug us in. Acts 4:32,MSG- “The whole congregation of believers was UNITED as one. One heart, one mind!” Think about it, what if we were like these men and women in the book of Acts today? Remember the Psalmist makes it very clear how God feels about unity. Probably because it takes love to be unified, and that’s where He commands His blessing. And watching the church at it’s birth got me thinking of something Jesus said, “The harvest is great” Matthew 9:35-38,NLT- Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to His disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” Today, there are even more confused,deceived, harassed, lost people going through life not realizing that humanity is only the beginning. But for all of us that belong to Jesus, humanity will be the shortest, most difficult thing we do. And one of the things we do by coming together is create an atmosphere where those lost, confused, deceived can discover truth. Get Plugged In is simply an invitation to help others discover what happens when we come together for something much bigger than self. One of the greatest things about a local church is that Jesus gives us the opportunity to become part of something He's compassionate about. Throughout Jesus’ time here He was constantly calling His followers together, empowering them to finish what he started. And as each of us grows spiritually, we begin seeing things more and more from His perspective. Seeing that our own individual role in the body of Christ is for a much bigger purpose than our own spiritual satisfaction. But here's the thing, in order for this to happen, you've got to see yourself the way God does. See yourself chosen by Him. See yourself as a person the adds value. See yourself as a person of influence. And when it comes to influence, don't be deceived into thinking influence is always to one with the title or position, even age. Make no mistake, if you belong to Christ, He has every intention of using you, not just you're voice, but your hands, feet, personality, your gifts and talents, your money, all that you bring to the table. Remember the 3 T’s The key to changing this world for God is understanding that every time we change one person's world, we're making changes in the world. I hope this talk encourages all of us to make sure we're never the one standing on the sidelines saying, "somebody should do something about that." Think about it from a sports perspective, it's always the ones in the stands doing the complaining and blaming. Get in the game, stay in the game,

Revelation 5:9-10,NKJV- They sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us KINGS and PRIESTS to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” This phrase kings and priests is not just the future assignment of God’s people, it’s a reminder that God’s original design was and is for the church and business, education, and government to function as one. God is counting on Holy Spirit anointed men and women, occupying as kings in their field of business, education, and government. And God has filled our OT with pictures of His original design to not only inspire us, but strengthen us to translate this truth into our culture today. Exodus 19:3-5,MSG- As Moses went up to meet God, God called down to him from the mountain: “Speak to the House of Jacob, tell the people of Israel: “You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. If you will listen obediently to what I say and keep My covenant, out of all peoples you’ll be My special treasure. The whole Earth is Mine to choose from, but you’re special: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” 1 Peter 2:9,NKJV- “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” As God’s special people, when we come together, inspiring, encouraging, assisting, balancing one another, doing things His way, it absolutely proclaims and displays the praises of our God. Kings and Priests flowing as one. Throughout the OT, on every occasion, when kings knew their role of secular, civil, and governmental affairs, and they relied on the spiritual guidance of the priest, all they did was blessed. God’s plan is and always has been that all spiritual and civil structure of any society be led by Him, to function under His ordained positions of the king and the priest. We simply have to be able to interpret this kings and priests revelation in light of Jesus’ New Covenant. His design has always been for the church, His body to be at the center of all civil, social, and governmental affairs. And I do think the NLT’s view, “priest kings” is a great description from the perspective of how God designed us to flow together. But the function of each does differ. Being submitted to God’s kingdom doesn’t mean unhooking from the world and going into the ministry. Don’t forget God deliberately plants the righteous in certain places in this fallen world. This is why Jesus prayed for us this’d way, “Father, I have given them Your word; because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” This is Peter’s point that we are to be these royal, priestly people representing God. 1 Peter 2:9,NKJV- “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” But because we have allowed division between the kings and priests, the enemy has gotten his foot in the door. And one of his most successful tactics of distractions is manipulation and fear. But the church is waking up! I believe what the prophet Ezekiel said is unfolding. “This desolate land will become like the garden of Eden.” Think about it, what if the ascendency of the righteous became so dominant that all the affairs of the nation were under the hands of the righteous? Genesis 1:26,NKJV- Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” The Kingdom of Heaven, God’s government is His ordained system that He’s expecting to be implemented by His governing body, the church in the earth. These principles only work within the boundaries of the Kingdom of God. Which means we have to have a clearer understanding of how God’s government works. God is calling kings and priests together for the advancement of His kingdom in these last days. These principles are superior principles from a supernatural position. Accessible only through faith and obedience. Remember our OT examples, every time kings and priests flowed together, obedient to the Lord, everything they did was blessed. It’s never out of some legalistic approach, but functioning within the boundaries of God’s established government. In other words, operating under the instructions of the King. The centurion soldier understood this reality perfectly. Luke 6, “Why do you call Me Lord, and not do the things which I say?” Colossians 2:6,NKJV- “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” One of Jesus’ p

1 Corinthians 12:27,MSG- You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything. In Ephesians 4 Paul says it a little different way, Jesus fits His whole body together perfectly. And as each part does it’s own special work, it cause the whole body to grow. I personally don’t think God’s plan for His church has ever changed.Obviously we change culturally as a society. And yes, without question, we have to change to maintain relevance, but never who we are as heirs to our Father’s Kingdom. That being said, as His body, His church, then we should still look like Him, sound like Him, respond like Him, represent Him. Now when it comes to the local church, a popular question is, do I have to be part of a local congregation? Truth is, we don’t have to, we get to. It truly is Gods design that we be called out and together. Your local church family is a place where we worship together, grow together, we laugh together, hurt together, discover who we are together. Your local congregation is a save place you can get plugged in. Get Plugged In is a simple invitation that allows anyone listening to become part of something Jesus is doing through His local church. And studies have proven that one of the fastest ways for someone to experience God is by getting involved. God is constantly looking for those willing to come along side other believers to be part of what He’s doing on the local level, serving along side each other, creating our God anointed identity. Never out of some competitive agenda, but from a heart of a servant. Christianity isn’t just believing, it’s belonging. And one of the coolest things about belonging is that’s where we usually discover our next steps. The journey is the preparation. Here’s the thing, being a part of Victory means being part of our identity and personality that God has graced us with as one of His local bodies. Romans 12:4-5,NLT- Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. When you get plugged in, you’re simply advancing our purpose as part of His body in the earth. I love how God describes His church in Ephesians, “I’m building a home, using all of you, irrespective of how you got here.” This is why we’re always encouraging you to get plugged in, regardless of how small it may seem, serving in your church is the on ramp to discover some of the gifts God has already graced you with.Because at the end of the day, it’s all,about people. This is why we're continually trying to get as many as possible involved in serving in our church. According to Romans, serving is one of our greatest acts of worship. Romans 12, So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. It’s one of our greatest acts of worship. So never underestimate the significance of God orchestrating personalities, giftings and talents in making a local church unique. You ever wonder why Jesus set up His church the way He did? Think about it, we are these frail, fickle, flawed people. But because God created us to be like Him, His grace allows us the privilege of discovering who we can be when we come together. Psalm 133, How good and how pleasant it is when believers come together in unity! It is like precious anointing oil that was poured on Aaron, covering his entire body. Being unified is like the dew that covers mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing. Remember Ephesians 4, We are all one body, with one Spirit, called to the same glorious future. God never stops calling believers together to love one another, pray for each other, and serve along side each other for Christ. Remember what the Holy Spirit said in Ephesians, “I’m building a home, using all of you, irrespective of how you got here.” Ephesians 2, Truth is, we are His workmanship, recreated in Christ to do those good works He predestined for us. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! Our part is trusting Him enough to let Him do it. His plan from the beginning was for us to join Him in His predestined work through Jesus. I can’t help but wonder how many of us honestly look at what we do for His body, the church as part of that predestined work? You’ve heard the old saying, “God’s not interested in your ability until He has your availability.” Availability=Humility And here’s the kicker, more times than any of us want to admit, availability, willingness introduces itself as change. There’s a great picture of this with Jonathan and his amorbearer. I love the heart of his amorbearer in 1 Samuel 14, “Do all that is in your heart. I am with you, according to your heart.” Talk about plugged in! This one faithful act, unbeknownst to them at the time was about to become a key part in God positioning King D

Revelation 5:9-10,NKJV- They sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us KINGS and PRIESTS to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.” Isaiah 48:17,NKJV- Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.” This phrase kings and priests in its simplest form is a reminder that God’s original design was and is for the church and business, education, and government to function as one. According to Isaiah, God will lead us in success, but we’ve got to do it His way. The church inspiring businesses, and God using them to supply the church. Kings and priests, priests and kings. The Holy Spirit anointing men and women as kings in their field of business, education, and government. Some of the more modern translations of Revelation 5 call us “priest-kings” or a kingdom of priest. Ultimately, as with any subject pertaining to the Kingdom of God, our true source has been and always will be God’s word. Ultimately, everything about this talk is driven by and centered around the Kingdom of God. So for true clarity on the revelation of Kings and Priests, our OT pictures of God’s original design is what we have to rely on for us to translate this truth into our culture today. And as we become successful in following the Lord, what He spoke through Isaiah starts coming to pass; Isaiah 11:9, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” So as we unpack this, the first and consistent truth we see is that in every account that kings and priests worked together, they were a successful, blessed nation. OT Kings- ruled over God’s people, led them into battle. They were land and business owners. They oversaw all trade and commerce, and managed the nations economy. They were the government of the day. OT Priests-Levites, offered prayers, intercession and sacrifice for the people. Took care of all temple duties, all liturgical functions, widows and andorphans. They pronounced God’s blessing on the king and the people. Even for told God’s upcoming plans for the king. Amos 3:5,NKJV-"Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” On every occasion, when kings knew their role of secular, civil, and governmental affairs, and they relied on the spiritual guidance of the priest, all they did was blessed. 2 Chronicles 15:1-4,NLKV-"Now the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded. And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him: “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them.” God’s plan is and always has been that all spiritual and civil structure of any society be led by Him, to function under His ordained positions of the king and the priest. Example: church and business, government, education, working hand in hand. Now when I use the term church, I’m in no way referring to any one denomination or organization, I’m referring to the spiritual reality of the body of Christ in the earth functioning through those He has called. Priests and Kings working together. And moving into the NT, God ordains the apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor to bring forth revelation for His people. Acts 8:29-31,NKJV- Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go near and overtake this chariot.” So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him.” One of our primary focuses today is to interpret this kings and priests revelation in light of Jesus’ New Covenant. His design has always been for the church to be at the center of all civil, social, and governmental affairs. And I realize that in light of the born again nature of every believer, revelation from the Holy Spirit does flow to anyone born again. But God implemented the Kings and Priests principle as a kingdom partnership, a covenant alignment for the advancement of His Kingdom. And He highlights this truth for us in the book of Revelation, reminding us that His OT principle was never supposed to go anywhere. Example: If the majority of the kings (leaders, owners, teachers) time and energy go to their duties, God anoints priests to give the king inspired guidance. As a matter of fact, every OT Godly king relied on the anointed guidance of the the priest. “It’s not good that we should leave the word of God to go a serve the people.” 2 Chronicles 20:14-17,NKJV- Then the

Ruth 4, So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and the LORD gave her a son. Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.” And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. Boaz is the great grandfather of King David, who is the seed of our Lord, King Jesus. Ruth is a simple story, only 4 chapters, but this young women’s faithful, loyal heart brought honor to God and according to the prophet Samuel, “Those who honor the Lord, He will honor.” So often we fail to see what God is doing in our lives when we’re right in the middle of Him doing it because it’s not always pretty. This side of Heaven we face a real enemy, not to mention this fallen world we live in, that we’re created to be light in, presents its own challenges. But Ruth’s heart brought honor to God. She was determined to honor Naomi, not leaving her, not letting things like selfishness, pride and fear distract her. Think about it, this everyday, average person lands in the Holy cannon of scripture. And it all hinges on the faithfulness of one individual, because of her faithfulness, loyalty, simply the honor she displayed toward her mother-in-law. This Mother’s Day, let the heart of this one humble, faithful individual inspire everyone of us to rise to our call, to fill our spot in the scope of the Kingdom of God. And it all starts with the heart of the individual. 1 Samuel 16:7,NKJV- But the LORD said to Samuel, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Here’s the thing, a humble, reverent heart alway brings honor to the Lord. What we have to realize is that honoring the Lord with a right heart positions us for honor. Once again, as with everything that pertains to God’s Kingdom, it always comes down to faith. It’s truly the only way a human accesses or functions within God’s kingdom. Proverbs 3:5-6,NKJV- Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Some of the things Naomi told Ruth to do could not have been easy. In Thessalonians Paul reminds us that as we grow in our walk with God, not only does it bring honor to the Lord, but it impacts those that are around us that may not be there yet. When it comes to our life in God, He never gives us the complete picture because He created us to be people of faith and if He were to give us every detail, then no faith is needed. This is why Paul says, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Here’s one of God promises that will help, He told us that if we’re willing and obedient we would enjoy the good of the land. But Ruth still had to go out and do the things that positioned her to encounter Boaz. Joshua told the people of Israel: “How long are you going to sit around, putting off taking possession of the land that God has given you?” Jesus makes it very clear that He’s got something wonderful in store for all those willing and faithful. Don’t think for a second the people that want nothing more from Jesus than to escape hell are going to be in the same class as those willing and faithful in serving Jesus. Remember, todays talk is all about the heart. Listen to Samuel’s words again, Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. Here’s another mom lesson for all of us today about the heart; Matthew 20:20-23,NKJV- “Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.” Jesus repeatedly made this statement, “The greatest in the Kingdom will be a servant.” And possibly one of the most noticeable characteristics will be humility. Remember what Naomi told Ruth, “Go out into the field and pick up scraps.” Make no mistake, clothed in humility, God is absolutely looking for those willing and faithful

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Psalm 23:5 NKJV What is overflowing out of you? Is it the things of God? Or the things of this world? Make no mistake about it we will not stay empty we will be filled; the question is it’s what will we be filled with? Is it His will and His ways? Or yours and the worlds? Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 NKJV I got to be honest, I need some work here. I know I don’t always as the scripture puts it, hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sometime me and my flesh, just wants to be right, or make it right. Hey I like that eye for an eye thing…. But if we take that approach and we give into that hunger, we will get filled and eventually consumed by anger, bitterness, un-forgiveness…. Like I shared before we will get filled, but what is occupying that space? What are we allowing in? The great thing is if we are full of Him (and not ourselves) there is no room for the other stuff. The more we allow Him to occupy the less, junk that can fill in the gaps… Jesus wants you to live filled with His ways, His will, His desires Think of yourself as a hotel and each room can hold something different, you want that hotel to be booked out “No Vacancy” sign lit up bright… What are we renting space in our heart to? There is no room for anything other than God in our hearts…. But I continue to get caught up on the Overflow piece, isn’t Full good enough? I mean you don’t Overfill your gas tank, or a cup of coffee. That would just make a mess or be a waste. Overflow Milk cup…. Now don’t get me wrong, when we talk about overflow, I am good with overflow in the bank or in the pantry, we won’t talk about that like its ever too much or a waste… How often do we come to Church on Sunday we fill our cup and expect that to sustain us all week? We get ours and then go home? Saturday comes and we are parched Living a life of Overflow makes us change this mentality and our approach on how we should operate. Let’s dive in - When you break up overflow you have Over and FlowOver - More, greater, abundance, above and beyondFlow - Steady, moving, stream In my study time, and as I broke this word up, for where God showed Himself, Over and more than enough. Now there are many many examples of this, but one of my favorites is found in Kings 4:1-7. You have a widow here who is about to lose everything. When we think lose everything in todays world when we lose things it is not like this situation where she was going to lose her kids to a debt collector. But God shows up, through His people. A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.”Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors—empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.” 2 Kings 4:1-7 NKJV I love this story and it shows God is not a God of not Enough , or God of just enough, but He is the God of more than enough. He is the great multiplier. He works in abundance. He works in the OVER… She asked for money to pay off the debt collector, but now her bank OVERflows to live off of. Many of us want that blessing, but we come to God with a thimble and say ok give me my fill for the week Lord… Notice in the story Elisha told her Go borrow jars for everywhere, DO NOT just gather a few!! I think we can take that advice. God is pouring out, God is freely giving, but if we show up with a single Coffee Cup and wonder what gives. Next time show up with a dump truck… Here I am LORD I am READY! Lets show up everyday, not just Sundays with an increased expectation, lets show up with as many jars as we can and a knowing in our heart, that he is the God of more than enough and that He will fill everything we bring to him. You might need to share what you get… Actually at some point you WILL have to share what you get We are those vessels and He will occupy and fill everything we bring to Him. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV

Matthew 13, When Jesus returned to his hometown, He made a real hit. They had no idea he was this good!” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. Who does he think he is?” And he didn’t do many miracles because of their unbelief. Psalm 78, How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, they continually turned back and tempted God, limiting the Holy One of Israel. Here’s the question we’ve looked at throughout this talk; can our unbelieving, our ungodly thinking limit what God wants to do in our lives today? As a man thinks, so is he. This is why we have to be proactive with our thinking. Making ourselves available to God, to His word, to the realities of His world, isn't something that comes natural to our human nature. Here’s the harsh reality, as long as we continue living, thinking, responding solely out of our human nature, we absolutely limit Him. Romans 8 makes it very clear, those who live spiritual, set their minds on spiritual things. Psalm 46 gives us very simple instructions, calm down, be still and know that He is God. Practicing Psalm 46 will absolutely keep us from ever getting an “oh yea, I know Jesus” attitude of familiarity allowing for complacency. Once again, it all comes down to faith. It’s truly the only way a human accesses or functions within God’s kingdom. Faith is simply trust! Psalm 37:3-5,NKJV- “Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” Proverbs 3:5-6,NKJV- Trust in the LORD with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. God sent the children of Israel into the promised land to stretch their vision, but instead of seeing from His perspective, all they could see was from their natural, logical, human perspective, limiting what God had already planned for them. As a believer, we have to ask ourselves what a story like this is even in the Bible for. You think just maybe, God wants to lead all His children into the supernatural He has for each of us.. Let’s not kid ourselves, there will be times in our faith journey that following God will not cooperate with our logic. Remember we asked this last week, are you willing to let what God reveals to you get in the way of your current beliefs? Ultimately, it’s making room for God’s thoughts in our lives, to the degree that we don’t leave any room in our thinking for unbelief. Let the Holy Spirit inspire your thinking, which influences your believing. Here’s a great example of a Holy Spirit inspired attitude;THE BEST IS YET TO COME!! God never intended for His people to simply accept whatever humanity serves up and call that life, nor simply grow comfortable, or should we say complacent hanging out inside the church building. As part of His body in the earth today, He's actually counting on each of us to make the most of the life He’s designed for us. He will always be sending the righteous among the lost. God needs anointed, favored, confident, intentional followers in every profession. After all, that's where you're going to connect with the majority of people He's wanting to impact through you. In Ephesians Paul writes: We should make the most of every opportunity. This means getting rid of wrong thinking, especially things like, why would God want to use me? And the enemy’s favorite, “why’s all this bad stuff happening to me?” Why do you think its called a fight of faith? 2 Timothy 1:7,AMP- For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, of cowardice, fawning fear. He has given us a spirit of power and love, of a calm, well-balanced mind with discipline and self-control. Let’s remember, we belong to a supernatural God, who designed us to participate in the supernatural. Acts 4:29-30,NKJV- Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. Let's get a little more intentional with our expectations from God. Using our faith to let God enlarge our vision? FAITH GETS READY!! What if God wants to bless you, favor you, advance you in such a way that everyone will know that He's who did it? What if you're the one God's wanting to take to a higher level, maybe not so much for you, but for those He's planning on influencing through you. Start letting the Word of God shape your thinking, your imagination.Imagination is meditation. King David said, blessed is the one who delights in the Word of God, whatever they do will prosper. There's only one person who can stop you from becoming who God intends on you being, and that's you. But we’ve got to be willing to let the challenges we encounter stretch our faith instead of dictate un

Matthew 28, MSG,CEV- God authorized and commanded Me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. Now as with everything pertaining to Jesus and His Kingdom, the only way any of this is a reality is through faith. We have to believe this stuff!! Think about it, Jesus commissioned each of us, given each of us an assignment. This assignment is ultimately about creating disciples that openly acknowledge our allegiance and reliance in Christ. I believe that everything Jesus did with His life on the planet was not only pointing to what He was about to accomplish on the cross, but showing us what humanity, anointed by the Holy Spirit is supposed to look like. Matthew 18, Who’s the greatest in the Kingdom? v.4, Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom. v.11, The son of man has come to save that which was lost. v.21, “Lord how often do I forgive my brother that sins against me?”When Jesus said up to seventy times seven, He isn’t actually giving a specific number, He’s really insinuating limitless forgiveness. Chapter 19, Jesus counsels the rich young ruler; v.21-24,NKJV- Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22, But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23, Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24, And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Chapter 21, Jesus cleanses the temple, then once again He heals al that come to Him.The lesson of the fig tree v.21,NKJV- “So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.” At the end of the day, we’ve got to believe this stuff!!Matthew 22, The parable of the wedding feast. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like...” A king who arranged a marriage for his son. Everyone invited all had excuses v.11-12, How dare you come in here with no wedding garment. In other words not clothed in righteousness. Matthew 23, Jesus hammers the Pharisees about their hypocrisy. Matthew 24:3,NKJV- Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” This is a private teaching from Jesus to His disciples. (Jewish disciples)Many of the signs Jesus describes are religious deception, social and political turmoil, disloyalty, persecution... In 1 Corinthians Paul reminds us that there are 3 groups of people throughout the scriptures, Jews, Gentiles, Church and there are times that discernment will be necessary. Chapter 24, Jesus is talking about His return to the Jewish people, not the church going to Him. Read Revelation 6 along with this chapter. Jeremiah 30:7, “Alas! For that day is great, So that none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved out of it. Daniel 12:1, At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book. v.15, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),” In 2 Thessalonians Paul actually gives us a little further insight concerning the coming of the Lord and our gathering to Him, he says I don’t want you to be shaken,That days will not come until the great apostasy and the man of sin sets in the temple showing himself to be God. Ive always with struggled with the “falling away” commentary on this passage, and after watching the documentary on the Galilean wedding, I was absolutely convinced. Think about it, it just doesn’t make sense that Christ would be returning for a bride that has fallen out of love with Him, not prepared for Him or looking for His return. I have a very old Oxford dictionary and this phrase falling away in the Greek is the word apostsia, is translated 2 ways, rebellion and departure. v.3, Geneva bible, Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come,except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition. Before the Geneva bible, William Tyndale”s first translation also used the word departure in this passage. The Wuest translation, “Unless the departure of the church came first...” And I get it,

Matthew 13:55-58,NKJV- Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?56, And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?”57, So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.”58, Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. MSG, “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. Who does he think he is?” They got their noses all out of joint.” Familiarity really does breed contempt (Scorn, disdain, depreciate, disrespect) It’s a heart thing. In our culture today, information is a very slippery slope. We assume because we’ve acquired a little info that we know what we’re talking about. No humility = unteachable Think about it, because of the people’s familiarity with Jesus they allowed contempt instead of faith, they couldn’t see Jesus for who He was, because they had already concluded who He was and it limited what He could do miraculously. Let’s not kid ourselves, we will all be loyal to our conclusions just like they were. Here’s the thought we introduced last week, can the all powerful, almighty God be limited? Psalm 78:40-41,NKJV- “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, And grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.” KJV, “they turned back” When God's people continually disregarded His guidance, not only does it grieve Him, but when we rebel with unbelief, we actually limit Him. Here’s the question we all need to consider; could our unbelieving, our ungodly thinking limit what God wants to do in our lives today? Secondly, are we even willing to let what God tells even get in the way our current beliefs? Seriously, since we serve a limitless God, maybe the first thing we should address is a change in our thinking. What would thinking limitless thoughts look like? I promise you, God wants to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or think. I believe God is patiently waiting for believers that will not only acknowledge the promised life He has for us, but be willing to take the necessary steps of faith to possess it. Philippians 3:12-14,NKJV- Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I realize we talk about our thought life a lot, but the reality is, our faith goes the way of our thoughts. And according to our Psalm 78 and Matthew 13, one sure way we limit God is simply with wrong, unbelieving thinking. And the best way to change our thinking is by improving our relationship with Him and His word. Seriously, listen to what God says to us through His prophet Jeremiah, "The thoughts I think toward you are of peace, hope, and success, giving you an expected end." Think about it, what if God actually expects us to live beyond our humanity, to actually live supernaturally? What if we honestly, faithfully started praying for this kind of life? Believing God to help us to be more confident in the fact that something happens in the spirit world when we honestly, intentionally start believing God. This is why Jesus made statements like, "Whatever you ask for believing, you'll receive it." So back to one of our key points, the only way a person starts believing differently is by thinking differently. And make no mistake, this kind of limitless, God inspired thinking is a direct result of time with Him and His word. Remember, never out of an, “oh yea, I know Jesus” approach, but one of reverence and humility. Any of you like me, you find yourself so busy, so occupied with the every days of life that it limits your ability to hear Him? Thing is, when we can't hear from our Father, it absolutely limits our faith, which once again results in us limiting Him.Keep in mind, it’s not that God isn’t speaking and leading, Jesus told us, His sheep know His voice. Most of the time it’s simply other things interfering. 1 Kings 19:11-12,NKJV- Then He said, Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD. And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, A STILL SMALL VOICE. The normal revelation from the Lord isn't dramatic and spectacular, but subtle and simple. "A still small voice." Psalm 46 tells us, The Almighty is our protector and strength. The God of Heaven’s army is our fortress. Calm down, be stil