Victory Life KY

Isaiah 9:6,NKJV-“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Genesis 1:31, NKJV- God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Think about it, The Almighty laid down His deity and took 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. Jesus was God’s plan from the beginning, knowing the power of free will, God wanted a family that would willingly choose Him. John 10, “...I came that you may have and enjoy an abundant, excessive, extraordinary life.” This is why Christmas still remains our greatest celebration we take part in, and is ultimately our responsibility to make sure Christ stays at he center of our celebrating. That being said, CELEBRATE! It’s why we will always respond, Merry Christmas, not happy whatever.Christmas — Christ, the Anointed One Mass, festival, celebration A celebration of the Anointed One. The Creator became the created.The King of all existence exchanged His royalty for humanity.The Author of time stepped out of eternity and subjected Himself to time. As we celebrate the Christmas season with all our favorite traditions, the decorating, shopping, the time with family, the gift giving, the parties, stay Christ centered. Remember, the whole reason Jesus came to the planet was for us to have a life with Him beyond humanity. To have and enjoy the good life in Christ with the blessed assurance of eternal life. And even if the world around us drifts further away from the real reason we celebrate Christmas, let’s all of us help each other acknowledge what Jesus did for us. After all, we're going to Heaven. And one of the most amazing things about Jesus coming was that He chose to use us, everyday people to be an expression of His goodness and mercy. Extending His characteristics to beyond around us. For all of us that follow Jesus, my prayer with these couple of simple talks during Christmas is to stir up a little God nature in all of us. Ultimately that would be His goodness and love. You see, Christmas, regardless of how you celebrate it, is all about Him arriving and empowering others. Think about it, Jesus wants to use your style, your personality, and as long as we're connected to Him, He said He would make us stand out like a city on top of the mountain. Like a light on a lamp stand. 2 Corinthians 3:18,MSG- When God is personally present. Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him. Because of the way God designed us, He knows that in the heart of every human lies the desire to be connected to Jesus, even if they don't realize it yet. And regardless of your style, or personality, the power of the gospel will work through anyone who will trust in it more than their own abilities. This Christmas, let the people you come in contact with experience Christ, in you. Things like peace, joy, love, God’s goodness and blessing. Remember, God didn't send Jesus into the world to condemn it, but to save it.Let’s help each other this Christmas, right in the middle of challenging situations to still embrace just how good our God is. King David said, Open your eyes and actually see how good God is. Blessed are those who look to Him. If you really want God’s best, worship Him; worship opens doors to all His goodness. What if we became a little more intentional about believing Him, expecting His goodness to be a regular part of our lives? Why not make this Christmas a turning point for all of us? To the degree that we place a demand on His world. Here’s the thing, God loves us right where we’re at, but He loves so much that He doesn’t want to leave us where we’re at. Deuteronomy 28 tells us that when the people of the earth see the goodness of God on our lives, they will know that we are called by His name. And as I began studying this truth from God’s word, there’s a common theme throughout the scriptures, God is good, and God does good. Psalm 34, paraphrase,I sought the LORD and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Those who looked to Him and were radiant.The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, with awe-in

Luke 19 discusses the parable of the minas, and when the master passes out the minas, he makes this statement, “OCCUPY TILL I RETURN” Occupy, do my business, exercise dominion, run thingsTill I return, there is a day He’s coming back A conversation many have been having lately has been centered around the return of the Lord. So I felt like maybe we should talk about it, but as we get into it, the thing I want to stress is that Jesus’ main point was us occupying until He returns. In Luke 12 Jesus is once again talking to His disciples about occupying and in v.37, Jesus says, Blessed in the servant that the master finds watching. In v.43, He says, “Blessed is the servant that’s busy about the master’s work when he returns.” Then He said to the multitudes in v.56, “You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times.” Just like Jesus expected the people of that time to be able to recognize His first time coming, He absolutely expects the people of this time to be able to recognize the time of His coming. One of the things His disciples repeatedly asked about was the timing of the restoring of the Kingdom, and in Acts 1 He basically tells them, timing is the Father’s business, but you will receive power. In other words, be ready and occupy till I return. Matthew 24:36, The day and hour no one knows, not even the angels, only the Father. But in v.32, “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.” So as we approach the age of the church coming to its end, we should definitely be about the masters work. Because after the church, that’s when the judgement of God will come on the earth. The only judgement the church will face is the judgement seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10,NKJV- “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15,NKJV- For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” I believe Moody was right, everything we do this side of Heaven is preparing us for what we’ll be there. And I realize there are many different views around the events of the end, so what we have to do is go to the only true source to support any belief. You heard me say this so many times, “The new is in the old contained, the old is in the new explained.” God gives us a simple revelation that will make understanding events of the Bible much easier to interpret. 1 Corinthians 10:32,NKJV- “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,” Here’s the thing, having this simple understanding concerning any truth from the scriptures is a key component of clarity; who’s talking, who they’re talking to, and what they’re talking about. So with this in mind, there are glimpses of Jesus’ return throughout the scriptures, but the major players are, Daniel, Revelation, Jesus In Matthew 24, and Apostle Paul. We’re going to start with Paul’s revelation Jesus specifically gave him. Galatians 1:11-12,NKJV- “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Even though we are able to get a glimpse of what’s next on God’s calendar, we stay about the masters work until!! Maybe even get a little more dialed in because we recognize our time is short. That being said, the next event the church should be ready for is our departure. This revelation from the Lord to Paul for every born again was pinned to the church of Thessalonica. Keep in mind that after Jesus’ resurrection He appeared, disappeared, and reappeared many times over His last 40 days on the planet. To the degree that those closest to Him got used to it. Acts 1:11,NKJV- “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” This would be Jesus’ last disappearance for a while, but there were many that were expecting the same thing they had seen repeatedly over the last month. But days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, and no sign of Jesus. And as saints begin to pass away and the Lord still hasn’t returned, and keep in mind they didn’t have any kind of reference, like a bible, not to menti

John 10:10,AMP- “...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”Abundance (perissos) surplus, extraordinary, more than enough, excessive. The only way we become who God has designed and called us to be, the only way we participate in this extraordinary life is by embracing who we are from His perspective. Isaiah 26:3-4,NLT- You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. Think about it, right now, what kind of self image would you say you have? What about your in Christ image? I bring this up because Jesus’ promises, our inheritance is directly connected to our comprehension of our new identity. Remember, John instructs us that we will prosper as our soul prospers. Let’s be more intentional with our God life, like Isaiah says, fixing our thoughts on Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18,NKJV- But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. MSG, “When God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him.” This is why transformation is absolutely essential. Throughout our journey of faith, we will all be presented with uncertainty, and it'll be in those times that we'll have the opportunity to trust God. One of the most inspirational OT characters is Joshua, because he represents the overwhelming majority of Christians. He's just a regular guy that decided to put his faith in God and do something with it. He’s about to become one of God's new leaders, helping people, leading people to step into God's promises. Joshua is a great example of how God honors the faithfulness of someone simply willing to do whatever is asked of him. What we've got to make sure we don't miss here is that Joshua’s willingness to obey God is what actually open the door for God's advancement. Regardless of where we may find ourselves in our journey of faith, let Joshua's example of faith inspires us to keep our thoughts fixed on Jesus. Joshua 1:1-9,NLT- After the death of Moses the LORD’s servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. 2. He said, Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO LEAD these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you, 4. from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5. No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6. Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.9. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. One of the first things we've got to recognize is how God continually encourages Joshua to stay strong and courageous. Joshua inspires us that even though we have God’s help, it’s still on each of us to take the necessary steps of faith to embrace our next with God. See yourself as a one of God’s courageous, influential followers that have something to offer, that you’re ready to step into God's next for you. Be courageous. Maybe one of our biggest takeaways from Joshua is the reality that, we cannot be who we're suppose to be and who we used to be at the same time. Remember what v.8 tells us; Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. The challenge with this way of life is that His word, His promises, many times take our faith to what seems risky. It's in those seemingly uncertain times that we learn to rely on Jesus. Like Joshua we've got to allow what God tells us to shape our courage, passion, motivation, even our expectations. This means that there will be times when we've got to stop focusing on what we're

John 10:10,AMP- “...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”Abundance (perissos) surplus, extraordinary, more than enough, excessive. One of Jesus’ primary purposes was restoring to His creation the Father’s intent from the beginning. This is why in 1 John He tells us another key component if His coming was to destroy the works of the devil. But what about when we’re not seeing the abundant, overflowing life? It’s at this point that we have the opportunity to start walking by faith not by sight. Embracing the abundant life right in the face of uncertainty, fixing our trust in Jesus. Refusing to accept anything other than what He said will absolutely require a little courage. And the key is knowing He is with us every step of the way, leading us in His triumphant victory parade. Zig Ziglar said, "It's not a lack of time people struggle with, it's a lack of direction. Joshua 1:9,NLT- This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” God’s with Joshua to do what? Possess the land God promised. And make no mistake, stepping out in faith like Joshua will demand a certain mind set. Isaiah 26:3-4,NLT- You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. This phrase, thoughts are fixed in the Hebrew language refers to imagination. And for the born again, the more our thoughts are fixed on Jesus, the more inspired our imagination will be. Or we could say it like this, the more inspired our spiritual imaging will be. This is why getting our thoughts fixed on Him helps us with our new identity, which in turn helps with our courage. Psalm 23:1-6,NKJV- The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2, He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3, He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. 4, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5, You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. 6, Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. This Psalm is a perfect example of how we mange our thought life better. After all, we’re created in His image and likeness. And this is why time in His word is so vital, it’s absolutely the key to influencing a Godly thought life. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5,NKJV- For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 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. The only way we become who God has designed and called us to be, the only way we become courageous is by embracing who we are from His perspective. FIXING OUR THOUGHTS! Think about it, right now, what kind of self image would you say you have? What about your in Christ image? I bring this up because Jesus’ promises, our inheritance is directly connected to our comprehension of our new identity. Embracing our God identity will demand that we move out past human logic. And let’s face it, Jesus operated way out past logic. (spit & mud) With the corruption and manipulation driving mainstream media, we have to keep a diligent watch over our thought life. Because we move in the direction of our most dominant thoughts. Let’s be more intentional with our God life, like Isaiah says, fixing our thoughts on Him. 2 Corinthians 3:18,NKJV- “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Throughout our journey of faith, we will all be presented with uncertainty, and it'll be those times that we'll have the opportunity to trust God. One of the most inspirational OT characters is Joshua, because he represents the overwhelming majority of Christians. He's just a regular guy that decided to put his faith in God and do something with it. Let's not forget, Joshua's original name meant, Helper. And as God continued developing him, He led Moses to change his name to describe his new role. He would become God's new leader, helping people, leading people to step into God's promises. Joshua is a great example of how God honors the faithfulness of someone simply willing to do whatever is asked of him. What we've got to make sure we don't miss here is that Joshua’s willingness to obey God is what actually open the door for God's advancement. Regardless of where we may find ourselves in our journey of faith, let Joshua's example of faith inspires us to keep our thoughts fixed on

Listen to president Lincoln’s words as he addressed our nation, “We often forget the source from which the blessings of our fruitful years come. No human wisdom or mortal hand has devised these things. They are the gracious gift from the Most High God, I therefore invite my fellow citizens to observe this day of thanksgiving and praise to our Father who dwells in Heaven.” As Americans, we honor the holiday our forefathers believed in. But as Christian, thanksgiving is so much more than a national holiday. Thanksgiving should be at the heart of ever believer confessing Jesus as their savior. Giving thanks to God is really a declaration of our trust and reliance to the goodness of God no matter the circumstances. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18,NKJV- “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Since is our last Sunday before Thanksgiving, listen to what the apostle Paul says about a thankful heart. As we open our soul to this words, here’s something to keep in mind, this world is not our home. Colossians 3:12-17,NKJV- “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; v.13, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. v.14, But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. v.15, And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. v.16, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. v.17, And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” I honestly believe that as we embrace a more thankful heart, it will absolutely be a turning point in our life of faith, which is ultimately embracing God’s promises, right in the face of challenging situations. And always remember this, a consistent life of thanksgiving is a faith inspired acknowledgement of all God has done for us. This includes the unseen. Cultivating a lifestyle of thanksgiving is the doorway to receiving more from the Lord. This righteous response of thanksgiving is truly an exercise of humility, and what’s comforting is that God gives more grace to the humble. Moses is referenced as one of the meekest of his generation. What’s interesting is that he was also the most used of God in his generation. King David said, “Let’s give thanks at the remembrance of His name.”Offering up heart felt thanksgiving is one way we glorify God. Luke 17:11-16,NLKV- Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12, Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. 13, And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14, So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. 15, And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. 17, So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 18, Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19, And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”” The thing I love about this guys heart was that he stopped right away and went back to thank Jesus. When we follow the children of Israel in their journey out of Egypt, they didn’t have this kind of faith inspired attitude of gratitude. Remember, gratitude is a declaration that God is faithful and good. Their unbelief hardened the hearts to what God had already done for them. Think about it, all they had to do was genuinely give God thanks and step into what He’d already given them. Truth is, unbelief and unthankfulness go hand in hand. Psalm 78 actually gives us some clear insight into just how destructive ungratefulness can be. “They limited the Holy One of Israel.” Seriously, faith thanks God for the unseen. For the things taking place in the spirit. Understand this, spiritual doesn’t mean imaginary.Actually when it comes to giving thanks, I would go as far as to say, there’s spiritual power in thanksgiving. And this is why I’m convinced that a major key to receiving more from God is simply being more thankful. Acknowledging what He’s already done. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58,NKJV- “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” In a single act, Jesus wiped out sin, guilt, and death and now He’

This election really has me worried Church and I think we have to recenter our Faith and our attention to God. Not a man, but to God... A lot of Christians are tore up right now, I need to ask where is our faith? I found myself on election night checking and kept checking the results and the Lord called me out. “John where is your faith? In me or in who I let into the oval office?” Don’t get me wrong here, God can use anyone to achieve His will. He will use those that say YES! Josephs brothers meant harm and evil, but God used it for good. Daniel being thrown in the Lions den was meant for evil, but guess what, God got the glory. Or how about the fiery furnace, so hot that the guards throwing them in died from the heat, but the three thrown in didn’t even smell like smoke. Just because its not how we think it should be or match our picture does not mean it is not Gods will. Luke 22:42 Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Even Jesus, asked God to let it happen this way, but your will Father be done. Jesus understood that the Fathers will and plans are ALWAYS best! I know I have tried to fit Gods plans for my life in a box or my own understand. When will we understand that we won’t always understand. God can see the whole picture so even though we may be in valley or storm we don’t see the other side, we won’t understand the outcome, until it is finished. So Church Are we willing to allow God’s plan, have faith and give Him control? Or does it have to be how we thought everything should shake out. We are not called to understand we are called to have faith in Him! We should be Obedient to His Plans. Obedience is our responsibly……. the outcome is God’s responsibility. I want to be clear, I am not making a political statement nor am I trying to say what His plan is, we are seeing it unfold. There is a bigger plan at hand, so don’t sit down and have a pity party, instead have a prayer party. Stand up and press in.. Stand up and pray.. Stand up and fight...... When I say fight not on Facebook, but In the Spirit, our battle is not against one another James 3:7-12“People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.” Church we are called to be different. It doesn’t matter who the vessel or person that’s in the office, they are still made in Gods image and He loves them. We got to stop with the name calling and instead share love! If we spent the energy we use bashing on social media and sharing our opinions, on praying against the evils, Gods will to be done, we would find an inner peace that only God can provide. We can only share Jesus by being light not by being right. I can’t say it any better than Jesus did in starting in Matthew 5:43 Matthew 5:43 -You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’q and hate your enemy. 44But I say, love your enemies!r Pray for those who persecute you! 45In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47If you are kind only to your friends,s how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Or how about Ephesians 4:29 NIV “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Love God and Love people, ALL people! We got to stop fighting one another, casting stones at one another and instead press into the Word and become prayer warriors. If we share the love of Jesus over our opinions, we will change this world. The forces of darkness should tremble when we say Let’s pray! Our faith should not waiver, because of this and God is in control. So, if you're like me who said things during this election that wasn’t very “Christ” like or things you wish you could take back, this talk is for us together. But this is why our God is so good, He will take what we give Him, we don’t need to get it right we just give Him what we got. If you got broken faith its better than no faith. I heard this from another Pastor, and it has stuck with me - We will never give god our more than enough if we don’t give him the not enough. We can’t give him big faith if we can’t give

In 1789 President George Washington made this statement to our nation, ‘It is our duty as a nation to acknowledge the providence of the 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 we were to live a life of thanksgiving? Let the holiday be and everyday. Psalm 9:1,AMP- I will give thanks and praise the LORD, with all my heart. Thanksgiving and praise go hand in hand. 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.” 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, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” When we take closer look into the scriptures, there are several Hebrew and Greek words that we pull our English word thanksgiving from; and the one word that they are all centered around is worship. And at the heart of worship our characteristics like humility, reverence, honor and adoration. What every born again needs to realize is that this kind of thankful, worshipful, reverent heart is truly the threshold for the supernatural. So be assured that this kind of heart truly demonstrates faith, and absolutely requires expressing. Daniel 6:10,NKJV- “Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and GAVE THANKS BEFORE HIS GOD, as was his custom since early days.” I honestly believe that as we embrace a more thankful heart, it will absolutely be a turning point in our life of faith. Psalm 116:17,NKJV- “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the LORD.” This is the example Daniel demonstrated. Here’s something we should all keep in mind, faith inspired thankfulness simply acknowledges what God has already done for us. The Alabaster Box Luke 7:37,NLT- “I tell you, her sins, and they are many, have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” A person forgiven little shows little gratitude. We see it all over today, an entitlement, complaining, ungrateful heart is always focused on self, focused on what we don’t have. We’ve gotta take this home with us today, a thankful, worshipful, reverent heart is truly the threshold for the supernatural, connecting 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; 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.” For the people of God, a thankful heart is at the forefront of worship. Psalm 95:2,CEV- “Come to worship Him with thankful hearts and songs of praise. Worship is a spiritual avenue for the people of God to connect with our Father on a more authentic level. To bring the one thing God’s creation can actually offer Him that He loves and enjoys. Psalm 89:5-7,NKJV- The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? God is greatly to be FEARED in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in REVERENCE by all those around Him. It was King David that said, “In my deepest reverence I will worship you.” I can’t help but wonder that in our self made, super comfortable atmosphere we’ve created in the 21st century church that we’ve allowed our times of worship to become more of a performance time, than true reverence for our God. With absolutely no condemnation, I’m asking everyone of us to take an honest look at our own attitude of reverence to our Father. Psalm 29, Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 147, It is good to sing praises to our God, it is pleasing and beautiful to Him. Great is the Lord and mighty in power. He understands the infinite, He Numbers the stars and calls them by name. This is why Jesus told us that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him. It's really not so much about style and preference. It should never be about what kind of mood we're in, or what we think we might nee

Luke 18:4-5,NLT- The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!v.8, But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? MSG, But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when He returns? We have to adopt a completely new way of thinking in order for us to appropriate the things of God, to live a life of faith. This is why Ephesians teaches us to pray, Lord, open the eyes of our soul so we can comprehend what you’ve already done for us. Help us understand living a life faith. Hebrews 11:1,AMP- Now faith is the assurance, title deed, the confirmation of things hoped for (things divinely guaranteed), the evidence of things not seen, the conviction of their reality. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. The degree of success in our faith is in direct proportion to our conviction of what God says. Not just hearing, but doing! Now when it comes to faith I believe Jesus gave us the most direct and practical instructions concerning how humans are to exercise faith. Mark 11:23,NIV- “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 in Mark's gospel was in response to the disciples seeing what happened after Jesus spoke to a tree. And when they questioned Him about the tree, He gave this command; "Have faith in God" His lesson for them then, and for us today is that we would know how to exercise our God ordained authority as heirs in the spiritual world, impacting our natural world. Pay close attention to this, because way too many Christians are unbelievers when it comes to these truths. Jesus told us to speak to our mountains, not speak to God about are mountains. Make no mistake about it, speaking God inspired words of faith over your situation will absolutely change the course of your life in the here-and-now. We have to understand, faith is a spiritual reality and it is absolutely voice activated. Jesus is very clear in the fact that speaking faith from our hearts effects change in our world, from His. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.” Psalms 107:2 NKJV- Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, who He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. I will accomplish my dreams. God is putting the right people are in my future. The right opportunities are headed my way. Blessings are chasing me down. I am the head and not the tail. I will keep a positive outlook. I will overcome every obstacle. I will outlast every adversity. Things have shifted in my favor. What was meant for my harm, God is using for my advantage. My future is bright. My best days are still out in front of me. I will become everything I was created to be. I will have everything God intended for me to have. I am the redeemed of the Lord, and I say so today! Because God designed our born-again lives to function a specific way, He’s actually expecting us to live according to our new nature. To be persistent in living a life of faith. Romans 1:17,NIV- ...The Righteous Live By Faith Truth is, Christianity was never meant to be a bunch of religious, legalistic traditions, but actually living our lives according to a new covenant, appropriated by what we believe, based solely on God’s promises? According to Hebrews, this kind of faith not only understands that God’s promises are spiritual, but accepts them as Him speaking directly yo us. Hebrews 11:7,MSG- By faith, Noah built a ship in the middle of dry land. He was warned about something he couldn’t see, and acted on what he was told. The result? His family was saved. His act of faith drew a sharp line between the evil of the unbelieving world and the rightness of the believing world. Here’s the thing, against all logic, criticism, fear, ridicule, the unknown, Noah stepped out in faith and built what God asked, based solely on what God said. Chances are pretty good that if faith is involved, there will be times we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. Think about this, Noah had never seen rain, the thing God said was coming. This is what makes this such a faith example, Noah acted on things not seen. While God was asking Noah to build something for Him, at the same time, God was building something in Noah. What about us today, does God expect the same kind of faith out of us today? Being a Christian isn't just receiving a new life in Christ, it's actually living it! This is why Paul makes statements like, “It’s no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me,” because the life I now live I live by faith in Him. 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. But discov

Romans 5:17,AMP- “For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive God's overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness, putting them into right standing with Himself, reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). Much more surely those who receive God’s overflowing grace will reign as kings in life through Christ. This is why Jesus wants us putting the things of the Kingdom first, each of us have an assignment from Him that will absolutely require that we be governed by His system, not the one of this world. Matthew 16:19,NKJV- And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. In Mark 5, Jesus commands wind and water, then the demon in the Gadareen recognized the authority in Jesus. And in Luke 10 Jesus said, “I give you authority over all the power of the enemy.” Unlike that time in history, today because of the power of the church we deal more with demonic influence that possession. This is why the apostle James teaches us to not just be hearers of God’s word, but doers. As the born again of the Lord, we’re designed to live a different way, created by Him to bare fruit. Truth is we are chosen by God for an assignment. 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;” CHOSEN- (gr. Eklektos) picked out for special privilege and assignment. This is why in Luke, Jesus says, “It has been given to you, My chosen ones to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Revelation 5, You are worthy for You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood and have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth. God’s plan has always been for His people to establish Kingdom dominion and represent Him to the rest of the world. Romans 5, Much more surely those who receive God's overflowing grace and free gift of righteousness, will reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). We have to become more righteous conscious, because righteousness is literally a spiritual force that cannot be contented with. If you’re born again you are right with God. Start thinking, “Sonship” because the enemy will be relentless at trying to keep us sin conscious. The danger with that type of thinking is that the longer we stay sin conscious, the less we’ll be son conscious. Romans 5:1-2,NLT- “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” 2 Corinthians 3:18,NKJV- “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” And now that Jesus, the last Adam has placed us back in right standing with God, we’ve got to go back to God’s original assignment which is to replenish the earth, subdue it, and have dominion over it. And this is why God makes statements like He does in Romans 5, the righteous are to reign is this live as kings. Genesis 1:31,NKJV- Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good. What every born again must come to terms with is that in Christ we’ve been brought back to this original design, its simply in seed form and has to grow, so let it grow! Remember, everything within the Kingdom works according to seed time. While I’m here, be aware that our enemy will continually try planting in our life. Like he did in the garden. Example. Children of Israel were delivered out of Egypt, but Egypt was still in the them. (Calf) We have to keep this in mind, God’s word is incorruptible seed and if we plant His seed and stay with it, we will be changed. Remember Corinthians, “Same image” Let’s make sure we’re speaking seeds of faith into our soul, its the only way the Kingdom operates. Let’s make sure we’re putting faith on what we say. Remember, our tongue is the rudder of our life. Talk from a Kingdom perspective. Luke 17:5-6,NKJV- “And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” According to the apostle Paul, the perfect law of liberty will show us what we’re suppose to be like. The world is waiting on the sons and daughters of God to manifest His Kingdom. But because of the way the Kingdom works, we have to continually monitor what our soul is exposed to, it could very

Matthew 6:33,NLT- “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” MSG- Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now. The main reason Jesus made this statement is because God has an assignment for every one of us that will absolutely require that we be governed by His system, not the one of this world. In Matthew 18, Jesus tells us that anyone who will humble themself and become like a little child will the greatest in the Kingdom. Remember, Jesus told us everything pertaining to the Kingdom of Heaven is like someone sowed a seed. So if we’re ever going to take part in the things of the Kingdom, if we’re going to fulfill our God ordained assignment, we’ve got to have these conversations. Talk about it, think about it until we begin experiencing a life of the supernatural, of the Kingdom. Our thinking has to be renewed because the truth is, everyone of us go in the direction of our most dominate thoughts. And according to Jesus, the Kingdom of God is in us and it’s brought into this realm through believing and speaking. In God’s Kingdom words are so much more than communication. Words actually contain spiritual reality. Think about it, we’re born of incorruptible word. This is why Jesus told us that if we would believe what we say would come to pass, we would have what we say. But right believing and right speaking starts with right thinking. “As a man thinks...” The soul of a human is the governor of our life. It consists of our mind and will, and it works in connection with our spirit. This means, thoughts are spiritual. Here’s a perfect example, how many times did Jesus address issues with a person directly from their thoughts. Thoughts are seeds. And make no mistake our enemy will be relentless attacking our thoughts. And this is why James tells us we cannot continue to live double-minded and expect to function in a different reality. James 1:7-8,MSG- If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get His help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” John gives us further insight with his statement, “As our soul prospers,” so we have to ask ourselves, what’s the dominant influence in our soul. How single minded would you say you are concerning the Kingdom? So, as each of us as people of God grow to the place where we’re seeking, steeping our life in Kingdom realities, putting the things of God first, praying His Kingdom come, His will be done, the more effective our influence becomes. I think at the end of the day, everything about our talk, everything concerning the Kingdom hinges on this question that Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:13-19,NKJV- “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” v.14, So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”v.15, He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” v.16, Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” v.17, Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. v. 18, And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. v.19, And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”” v.19,NLT- “And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” v.19,MSG- “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.” Jesus, our King said, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom. Keys are principles, precepts and laws. They also represent authority and dominion, which was transferred to us at the great commission. They are the proclaimed word of the King. Psalm 19:7-8,NKJV- The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul;The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. This is why the apostle James teaches us to not just be hearers of God’s word, but doers. God told Joshua, obser

Luke 18:4-5,NLT- The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!v.8, But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith? MSG, But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when Hereturns? We have to adopt a completely new way of thinking in order for us to appropriate the things of God, to live a life of faith. This is why Ephesians teaches us to pray, Lord, open the eyes of our soul so we can comprehend what you’ve already done for us. Help us understand living a life faith. Hebrews 11:1,AMP- Now faith is the assurance, title deed, the confirmation of things hoped for (things divinely guaranteed), the evidence of things not seen, the conviction of their reality. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. The degree of success in our faith is in direct proportion to our conviction of what God says. Not just hearing, but doing! This kind of faith, this unwavering trust and enduring confidence in God is the bridge to spiritual living. Remember last week we looked a how Peter began to drift off when he wasn’t looking at Jesus, and Jesus asked him why he doubted. Remember the epileptic son, Jesus told them because of your unbelief.Unbelief can come in different ways. Here’s a few, ignorance, distraction, and rebellion. God is looking for believers that will stick with Him long enough that they become unwaveringly confident in Jesus. In other words, standing in faith. But living a life of faith will not happen on accident. Remember, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. It’s so easy to drift. (Peter on water) You see, vision drift is real thing, and our enemy is a master of distraction. I honestly believe this is why Jesus asked, when I return, will I really find persistent faith on the earth? Hebrews 2:1,MSG- It’s crucial that we keep a firm grip on what we’ve heard so that we don’t drift off. Hebrews tells us that faith is actually spiritual substance. It’s divinely imparted access into God’s world. Allowing us the opportunity to become all God has already told us we can be. The prophet Isaiah said, Wrap your mind around this. I am GOD, and 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. Let’s take our faith up a notch today by simply accepting that when God tells us something, we accept Him at His word. Remember what God said in Jeremiah; "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Here's the thing, if we're going to discover all God has for us, then we can't let challenging situations, difficulties or disappointments distract us. Why not expect God to actually be God? Think about this, you could be one revelation away from your greatest breakthrough. So let this talk encourage you, more importantly, let God's promises inspire your faith. Here’s the deal, at the end of the day, God designed us to live by faith. Unfortunately, actually living by it is one of the most overlooked spiritual realities God gave His creation. I’m convinced this was Jesus’ point when He said, will I find this persistent faith? Now when it comes to faith I believe Jesus gave us the most direct and practical instructions concerning how humans are to exercise faith. Mark 11:23,NIV- “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.” 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. But without a doubt, according to Jesus Himself, speaking Divinely inspired words over our situation is exactly what He was instructing us to do in His faith lesson in Mark. Once again, it's not some magic confession formula, but make no mistake about it, speaking God inspired words of faith over your situation will absolutely change the course of your life in the here-and-now. Jesus's instructions in Mark's gospel was in response to the disciples seeing what happened after Jesus spoke to a tree. And when they questioned Him about the tree, He gave this command; "Have faith in God" His lesson for them then, and for us today is that we would know how to exercise our God ordained authority as heirs in the spiritual world, impacting our natural world. Pay close attention to this, because the overwhelming majority of Heaven bound Christians are unbelievers when it comes to these truths. Jesus told us to speak to our mountains, not speak to God about are mountains.It is God alone that's the source and foundation of this kind of

Colossians 1:12-13,NKJV- Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed (transferred) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Matthew 6:33,NLT- “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” MSG- Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now. Make no mistake, God has an assignment for every one of us, but absolutely requires that we be governed by His system, not the one of this world. This is why Jesus made such radical statements like, “whoever loses his life for Me with find it.” “Take up your cross and follow Me.” But one of the greatest lessons the early disciples teach us is their unwavering trust and expectation that had in Jesus. I realize keeping the Kingdom of Heaven first place in our lives can be very challenging and this is why having an eternal perspective is crucial. 2 Peter 3:8,NKJV- “Beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”1000 years = 24 hours500 years = 12 hours250 years = 6 hours125 years = 3 hours72.5 years = 1.5 hours36 years = 45 minutes This is why James tells us that our life here on earth is like the morning fog. So let today’s talk remind all of us that according to Jesus, “The time is at hand” God’s plan from the beginning was for His will to be done on earth like is in heaven. A major key to this reality is a consistent understanding that it’s 100% Christ in us manifesting His Kingdom. Isaiah makes it very clear it will be the Anointed One and His Anointing that destroys the yoke. That manifest through each of us. Like Esther, God set her up. What about Joseph? What about you? Remember, Jesus told us everything pertaining to the Kingdom of Heaven is like someone sowed a seed. Every aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven works according to this principle of sowing seed;The gospel, love, kindness, healing, prosperity, etc... The seed can be working and we not see the fruit of it yet. Genesis tells us that as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest will be in effect. 1 Corinthians 3:6,NKJV, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. And according to God, every seed produces after it’s own kind. Ultimately, God’s Kingdom is spiritual in its reality, it’s other dimensional. Remember last week we made this statement, it will be the quality of our intake that determines our output. So when we go to the word, let’s practice going with a little humble expectation. The challenge for most of us is that we spend the bulk of our time investing in the natural man. And if we’re ever going to experience things of the Kingdom, of the supernatural, we’re going to have start thinking and talking supernatural. Because at the end of the day, everyone of us go in the direction of our most dominate thoughts. The Kingdom of Heaven is of another dimension, it’s a place that cannot be managed by human intelligence. Since everything pertaining to the Kingdom is already in the born again, everything we’ve been created and called to be is in us, in our spirit. Seed! You see, God inspired faith comes from His word. His word is seed sown into His creation. Keep this in mind, we’re not built to base our believing on our human experiences, but on what our God says we are and what we can do. 1 Corinthians 2:12,NLT- And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.” But until the seed of this truth is sown into our soul, it all remains a mystery. Remember, Jesus told us the Kingdom of Heaven is like someone sowed a seed. Actually the Kingdom of God is in us and it’s brought into this realm through believing and speaking. But right believing and right speaking starts with right thinking. “As a man thinks...” The soul of a human is the governor of of our life. It consists of our mind and will, and it works in connection with our spirit. This means, thoughts are spiritual, and they are without a doubt the primary target of our enemy. Think about it, how many times did Jesus address issues with a person directly from their thoughts. Thoughts are seeds. And this is why James tells us we cannot continue to live double-minded and expect to function in a different reality. James 1:7-8,MSG- If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get His help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.” John tells us, “As our soul prospers” so we have to ask

Hebrews 12, Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross... Looking unto Jesus, keeping our eyes fixed on Him. Think about this, not only was Jesus completing His assignment, He was fulfilling the prophetic, as well as establishing God’s will in the earth. But also, as the first born, showing us what a life in Him looks like. Maybe the big question is, who is He to you? Seriously, is Jesus our Lord, our Master, our teacher, the First Born, then what’s He telling us when he says, follow Me? Keep our eyes fixed on Him. Isaiah says, “Keep your mind stayed in Him.” Romans 8:6,NLT- So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. Romans 12:2,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.” Here’s the thing, the more I stayed focused on Jesus, the more I’m learning that this life of faith has to be developed just like a human life. Luke 18:6-8,MSG- Then the Master said, Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? So what makes you think God won’t step in and work justice for His chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won’t He stick up for them? I assure you, He will. He will not drag His feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when He returns? We have to adopt a completely new way of thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. A real life of faith isn’t trying to get God to do something, but actually enforcing a reality God has already created. This is why Ephesians teaches us to pray, Lord, open the eyes of my spirit so I can comprehend what you’ve already done for us. There has to be transformation in our soul for us to experience faith. A revelation we’ve got to embrace is the reality that our born again spirit is made just like Jesus, but until our soul aligns with our spirit, our human nature will continue to control our life. As a matter of fact, the NT teaches us that God has already given us everything necessary for a dynamic spiritual life. A life only acceptable through faith. So we must understand this reality, God designed us to live by faith. Hebrews 11:1,AMP- Now faith is the assurance, title deed, the confirmation of things hoped for (things divinely guaranteed), the evidence of things not seen, the conviction of their reality. Faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses. The degree of success in our faith is in direct proportion to our conviction of what God says. This kind of faith, this unwavering trust and enduring confidence in God is the bridge to spiritual living. Here’s something every believer needs to be aware of, we can have faith, and doubt can still affect us. Matter of fact, one of our biggest struggles is assuming knowledge and information are faith. Matthew 14:31,NKJV- “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” God is looking for believers that will stand right in the face of pandemic and uncertainty, without being discouraged, fearful, and especially angry and bitter, but unwaveringly confident in Jesus. In other words, stand in faith. Our enemy loves keeping Christians distracted thinking, “I’ve got faith, so why isn’t it working?” When in reality it is!! Even though God designed us to live a certain way, until we stop resorting to our human reasoning to determine the realities of His word, our faith will remain undeveloped, and doubt will continually manipulate our thinking, effecting our faith. Remember, faith is the assurance, the conviction of things divinely guaranteed. Matthew 8:7-10,NKJV- “And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. ” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” Keep in mind, we’re designed to live by faith, but it will not happen on accident. Remember, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. It’s so easy to drift. (Peter on water) You see, vision drift is real thing, and our enemy is a master of distraction. I honestly believe this is why Jesus asked, when I return, will I really find persistent faith o

Colossians 1:12-13,NKJV- Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Qualified- made competent, sufficient, and authorized.He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed (transferred) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. And in chapter 2, He disarmed the powers of darkness and made a public spectacle of them. Jesus will have a group of believers that will embrace their new covenant assignment. They will have a working knowledge of the world of the spirit.1 Corinthians 1, Paul reminds us that God has chosen the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are so that no flesh can glory in His presence. This is why developing a life of faith is absolutely vital, it’s the only way into that world. The minute we give our lives to Christ some very significant changes happen;We become a brand new creationWe become citizens of the Kingdom We become heirs of the KingdomWe become ambassadors for the Kingdom Our assignment is taking the culture of the kingdom everywhere we go. And this is why Jesus told us to pray His Kingdom come, His will be done. Then He takes it a step further by telling is to seek the kingdom of Heaven above all else. Matthew 6:33,NLT- “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” MSG- Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now. Remember, the heir, as long as he remains childish is no different than a slave. This is why it’s absolutely vital that we’ve got to have a clear understanding of who we are as people of God. Here’s the thing, whenever you hear something from God’s word that doesn’t fit your thinking or believing, instead of just rejecting it, ask God to elevate your thinking to match His word. C’mon guys, we’re the created. Which means we don’t serve our King by trying to figure out everything about His ways, but through faith, we serve Him, simply by trusting His way is right. In Mark 1, when Jesus started His earthly ministry, one of the first things He did was preach the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. His disciples asked Him, what’s the Kingdom of God like? And Jesus goes right in to the parable of the sower. Matthew 13:24,NKJV- “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.” Luke 8:11,NKJV-“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Every aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven works according to this principle of sowing seed;The gospel, love, kindness, healing, prosperity, etc... Genesis tells us that as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest will be in effect. Galatians 6:7,NKJV- “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The moment we give our life to Christ, we actually become seed our Father plants in the earth with an assignment. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8,NKJV, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. Let’s keep in mind, the things of the Kingdom of Heaven are design to function in a different dimension. But the tendency of humanity is to think faith can be accessed and managed by human intelligence. Remember, Jesus told us the Kingdom of Heaven is like someone sowed a seed. And according to God, every seed produces after it’s own kind. It’s God who gives the increase. Think about it, we don’t have to know how tomatoes grow to enjoy tomatoes. 1 Peter 1 tells us that we’ve been born of incorruptible seed through the word of God. In Luke 17, Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God doesn’t come through visible signs, He said the Kingdom of God is within you. Ultimately, God’s Kingdom is spiritual in its reality, it’s other dimensional. And if we’re ever going to experience things of the Kingdom, of the supernatural, we’re going to have start thinking and talking supernatural. The Kingdom of Heaven is a place that cannot be managed by human intelligence. Since everything pertaining to the Kingdom is already in the born again, everything we’ve been created and called to be is in us, in our spirit. You see, God inspired faith comes from His word. His word is seed sown into His creation. Keep this in mind, we’re not built to base our believing on our human experiences, but on what our God says we are and what we can do. 1 Corinthians 2:10-12,NLT- It was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we

Colossians 1:9-15,NKJV- For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; v.10, that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; v.11, strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; v.12, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.v.13, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed (transferred) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,v.14, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. v.15, He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Not only has Christ transferred us into His Kingdom and qualified us to partake of the inheritance, according to chapter 2, He’s wiped out the handwriting of requirements, disarmed the powers of darkness and made a public spectacle of them. As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs to the throne, ambassadors for Jesus, our assignment is taking the culture of the kingdom everywhere we go. In order for this to be a reality in our lives, we’ve got to have a clear understanding of who we are as people of God. Galatians 4:6-7,NKJV- “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” 4:1, Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all. Remember last week, “Let them have dominion” This reality is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation. Remember Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men. Jesus’ mission to the planet was to restore what the first Adam gave away. 1 John 3, For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He destroy the works of the devil. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49,NKJV- “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.” Here’s a revelation to keep in mind, according to Revelation 13, Jesus is the Lamb slain before the foundations of the world. 1 Peter 1:20,NKJV- He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. In Matthew Jesus is teaching about the kingdom and in chapter 13 He says, With parables I will tell you things kept secret from the foundations of the world. In Matthew 25 Jesus is once again teaching about the Kingdom, talking about when He will separate the sheep and the goats, In v.34, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Hebrews tells us that we are to enter into His rest through our faith in Him, but some will not, even though everything has already been finished from the foundations of the world. This is why Jesus instructed us to pray, The Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Why would Jesus want us, the people of God, praying this way? Because we’re the one’s that are actually suppose to be controlling things here. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. But I’m believing like with Esther, God’s calling a group to rise to the occasion for such a time as this. Isaiah 61:1-6,NKJV- The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, v.2, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, v.3, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. v.4, And they shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the former desolations, And they shall repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. v.5, Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, And the sons of the foreigner Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. v.6, But you shall be named the priests of the LORD, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the ric

Colossians 1:11-13,NLT- We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son. As citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, heirs to the throne, ambassadors for Jesus, our assignment is taking the culture of the kingdom everywhere we go. 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 our refusal to embrace the world we’re born of, embracing a way of living that is beyond humanity. Listen to Paul’s words again, He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light. Make no mistake, comprehending all that Christ has made available for His people demands a new paradigm, the Kingdom of Heaven can only be accessed by faith. 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. Here’s my prayer, that we inspire and equip our next generation in discovering their life in the Kingdom of Heaven. As we dig into our talk, a key principle in understanding the Kingdom is to not think geographical, but be open to multidimensional thinking. In Luke 17, Jesus tells us, “Indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Let’s lay some foundation as we unpack our talk. Genesis introduces God’s beginning of what we know as our physical world. 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. Gen. 1:26, Let Us make (asa) man in Our image.Gen.1:27, God created (bara) man in His own image.Asa- to make out of something already existing.Bara- to create out of nothing natural. The invisible taking on the visible. Adam was 100% spirit and human.Jesus, the last Adam 100% spirit and human. What’s really interesting is that this word, man in Genesis 1 literally means spirit species. The nature and essence of God Himself. “Let them have dominion” is the fundamental principle of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation. Adam was the first royal representative of the Kingdom of Heaven, places in charge of this world. This is why the angels of Heaven asked God, “What is this man you created like you?” The NT calls Jesus the last Adam because He came to restore all that Adam lost through his rebellion against the Kingdom of Heaven. And because of Adam’s position, when he accepted satan’s temptation he abandoned his royal position as well as his dominion. This is why Colossians is so powerful, 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. A reality many of us have the tendency to let slip is the fact that the Kingdom of Heaven is designed for complete reliance on the King. Remember Psalm 115, The heavens are the Lord’s, but the earth He has given to the children of men. God put man in authority over the earth. Kingdom of Heaven principles aren’t even legal here without an heir of the Kingdom exercising dominion. Galatians 4:6-7,NKJV- “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” 4:1, Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all. Bottom line, if we’re ever going to live supernatural, we’ve got to start talking and thinking supernatural. Romans 8 tells us that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. God wants to distinguish you! (Esther) But according to the apostle James, we cannot continue living a double minded life.Another way to say it would be, double Kingdom. Romans teaches us that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.This is why a human has to be born again.John 3:3,NKJV- “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-49,NKJV- “And so it is written, “Th

Jesus is absolutely expecting us to finish what He started. As His body on the planet, our assignment is to continue all He commanded us. Remember, Peter tells us God has givenus everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him, and He has given us His great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in His divine nature. Everything Jesus did while He was on the planet in a human body was pointing us to what He was about to fulfill at the cross. Here’s a revelation that every Christian has to get settled, The Word of God is the Will of God. Once we get settled on what His will is, then we have to allow it to transform the way we think. After all, “As a man thinks in his heart so is he.” John 6:38,NKJV- For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 8:28,NKJV, When you lift up the Son of man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me. John 9:4,NKJV, I must work the works of Him who sent Me. John 14:10,NKJV- ...The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the work. Matthew 8:16-17,NLT- That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” Think about it, why would Jesus, emphasize healing the entire time He was on the planet, instruct His first disciples to do the same, then leave us to live a completely different way than He did and not tell us? Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.” So which one is more real? What we see, what we feel, or what He says? Once we make up our minds about what He says, will we stay with it long enough to let the fruit of His word produce is our physical lives. This is how a life of faith comes into manifestation. The thing is, it’s still up to us to actually engage our faith, start speaking to our mountain. Hebrews 4:2,NKJV- For 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 in those who heard it. There has to be a transformation in our thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. To the degree that what God says becomes more of a reality than anything in this natural world. Isaiah says, “Keep your mind stayed in Him.” Practice getting in agreement with God. Practice living more God inside minded. Is it possible that we’ve settled into a place of selective believing based totally on signs of confirmation. In other words, walking by sight, not by faith. This is why the apostle Paul told us, “The same way you received Jesus, live your life in Him” This is why Jesus repeatedly said, “All things are possible to him who believes. Matthew 9:27-30,NKJV- When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. God wants us at a place where we live everyday of our live with intentional expectations. Trusting in every word He’s said to us. Proverbs 3:5-8,NIV- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. And since Jesus lives in Heaven now, He's actually expecting His body here to be just that, His body. Empower by His Holy Spirit. And the only way that happens is by faith. He actually designed and commanded us to live by faith. To finish what He started. As a Christian, at some point we’re going to have to make our mind up as to which part of the word of God is true. When you follow Jesus through the scriptures, which part is true? When He healed everyone that came to Him for healing, is it true? When Jesus said, “The works that I do, you can do also,” is it true? Until we make our mind up which part is true, I’m not sure it’s actually possible to be in faith. James 1, When you come to God, you must come in faith, not doubting. The one who doubts is like waves blown around by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. Does what we believe have anything to do with our salvation? Then why would we think differently about healing? Here’s something to consider, Is what the prophet Isaiah said concerning Jesus true? Is what Matthew and Peter, inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote true? And if we follow the life of Jesus through the NT

We’re talking about the type of atmosphere that describes the tone, the mood, really the influence an individual has on their surroundings. Our subject is so crucial with what we’re facing in our nation because as disciples of Jesus, He made it clear that we are the light of the world today. And like we said last week, we should be the alternative to the current culture, not just another reflection of it. We need to set the atmosphere. This is the question we introduced last week; what kind of atmosphere accompanies us?What kind of tone or mood not only follows us, but goes before us? I’m bringing this up today because God has plans for each of us, as citizens of His Kingdom to take the culture of His Kingdom wherever we are, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, governments, etc... We are actually ambassadors for the Kingdom of Heaven. And it is Christ in us, empowering us to exercise Kingdom principle in a world we are no longer a part of. Listen to Paul’s description of a modern day disciple from Corinthians, 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. John 17, paraphrase, Father, I have given them Your word. Because they are no longer of this world, just as I am not of this world.Sanctify them by Your word. And as You sent Me, I’m sending them. John 17:22-23,NKJV- “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” Acts 10:38, NKJV- How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Back to our original question, what kind of atmosphere accompanies us?What kind of tone, mood, attitude are we setting as an ambassador? Especially knowing we’ve been anointed with same Holy Spirit. And like we said last week, do we have any control over our atmosphere? We have to embrace the reality that if we are still here, and The Almighty has graced us to do something, chances are it's going to involve other people. So, the closer we follow Him. The more we're going to do the same things He did. I honestly believe that the closer we are to Jesus, the better our attitude will be towards others. Really, towards everything. This is why we’ve got to set the right atmosphere. When we’re moody, it’s way too easy to look past the one God's wanting us to influence. Hopefully having talks like this will encourage all of us to trust God to help us manage our moods and attitudes, instead of them managing us. Romans 12:2, 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. This means taking the time to think more intentionally about our God life. Seriously, we’re going to be thinking about something anyway. So why not make the time to establish a few more Godly habits. Because we get use to responding a certain way to certain feelings. A big one we have the tendency to overlook is our nonverbal communication. We actually get use to certain moods and attitudes, and a lot of times we don't even recognize the effect they're having on us, not to mention those around us. A big part of the life of faith is actually practicing what God tells instead of simply giving in to what we're use to. More specifically, setting the right atmosphere, being the thermostat. Usually the reason we give in to what we're use too is because we've allowed those wrong emotions to have so much of an influence that they've become habits. Galatians 2:20, NLT- My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Since Christ is living in us, let's trust Him to help us with those areas where our old, crucified nature still tries to have control. Let's practice exercising enough faith to own our emotions instead of them owning us. Instead of just responding out of a certain emotional habit to something, let's start making the choice to respond based on trust and commitment that His way is better. But until we choose to develop our new lives in Him, living according to His leading will always remain a challenge. And our emotions will continue their control, good or bad. Which means, the more we get use to giving in to them, the more we're use to them, which means the more control they have in our lives. This means that we've got to be open

John 6:38, NKJV- For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. So, when we follow Jesus through the scriptures and He heals everyone that came to Him for healing, according to Jesus’ own words, healing has to be the will of God. Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.” The thing about this statement from the lord is that it was one of His first covenant promises to His people after he delivered the from Egypt. Jesus is absolutely expecting us to finish what He started. As His body on the planet, our assignment is to continue all He commanded us. John 14:12, NKJV- Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. v.16, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever v.26, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. There has to be a transformation in our thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. For us to finish what He started. Remember, Peter tells us God has givenus everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him, and He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in His divine nature. 2 Timothy 3:16-17,AMP- “Every Scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration, and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action, v.17, So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I believe without a doubt, the one sure thing He gave His creation was His Word. And according to this passage, His word was given to train us in righteousness.So according to this passage, why would He show us and instruct us one way in His word, then expect us to live a different way and not say one word about it in the scriptures that He left to instruct us in righteousness? God wants us at a place where we live everyday of our live with intentional expectations. Trusting in every word He’s said to us. Proverbs 3:5-8, NIV- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Remember Abraham refused to waver at God’s promises through unbelief. One of the biggest things that will help any believer is to make our minds up that Jesus is still the very same person we see in His word. Hebrews 13:8-9, NIV- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. And since Jesus lives in Heaven now, He's actually expecting His body here to be just that, His body. Empower by His Holy Spirit. And the only way that happens is by faith. He actually designed and commanded us to live by faith. Hebrews 4:2, NKJV- For 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 in those who heard it. And this is why Paul challenges us to stay in the words of Christ until faith comes. So, we can make our minds up that Jesus is still the very same person we see in His word. Is it possible that just maybe instead of living by faith, we’ve settled for waiting around for God to perform another miracle? We have to get this issue settled; Jesus has done His part. He’s actually seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. So regardless of what we face, we’ve got to get this reality settled. He is the Lord our Healer. He named Himself that. He also gave us His written word to reveal His living word. To reveal Himself to us. The apostle Paul actually tells us that the things written about the children of Israel were written for our admonishment and warning. Numbers 21:4-9, AMP- And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient (depressed, much discouraged), because [of the trials] of the way. v.5, And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna. v.6, Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died. v.7, And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. v.8, And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery se

You ever been to a restaurant that had a big fireplace, soft lighting and music, and thought, this is a cozy atmosphere?Or one that’s got a live band full of energy?Maybe you walk into a hotel and there’s something friendly and inviting about this atmosphere.What about at a ball game and the energy is so exciting that it’s contagious. This kind of atmosphere is basically describing the tone or mood of a place, the influence of an environment. And from a staff perspective, this is something we talk about in a regular basis from an organizational viewpoint. But our focus today is geared specifically to each of us individually. I am fully convinced that God has a mandate for this generation, Plans for each of us, as citizens of His Kingdom to take the culture of His Kingdom wherever we are, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, governments, etc... With this in mind, let me ask you this, as a Christian, you ever find yourself getting sucked into the narrative of the agenda driven media, filled with division and just meanness and evil? The atmosphere they’re setting is 100% kingdom of darkness influenced. This means that Christians have to provide an alternative to the anger instead of fueling it. Here’s a wakeup call for all of us, Jesus said we are the light of the world. And make no mistake, the unchurched world is watching. We absolutely should be the alternative to the current culture, not just another reflection of it. We need to set the atmosphere. The challenge we face according to Jesus is, the wheat and the tares are growing together, and the line dividing good and evil cuts right through the soul of humanity. With this in mind, what kind of atmosphere accompanies us?What kind of tone or mood not only follows us, but goes before us? I’m bringing this up today because, I’m fully convinced God has a mandate for this generation, and that is to take the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere we go. This life will require something not of this external, worldly system. As ambassadors it is Christ in us, empowering us to exercise Kingdom principle in a world we are no longer a part of.God has called us and anointed us to go into the world. John 17, paraphrase, Father, I have given them Your word. Because they are no longer of this world, just as I am not of this world.Sanctify them by Your word. And as You sent Me, I’m sending them. John 17:22-23,NKJV- “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” So back to our original question, what kind of atmosphere accompanies us?What kind of tone or mood not only follows us, but goes before us? The follow up question should be, do you have any control over your atmosphere? Would you say you’re a thermostat or a thermometer? John Wooden said, "Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." The ability to make the best of any situation really comes down to our attitude. Attitude will be your best friend or worst enemy. You know the old saying, "When the attitude's right, the future is bright." But something I believe to be just as important is that the present will be much more enjoyable. So often it’s the right attitude that gives us the right perspective. The story of Goliath is a great example: The Israeli army saw him to be too big to kill. David saw him to be to big to miss. Remember, God has a mandate for this generation, and that is to take the culture of the Kingdom of Heaven everywhere we go. This mean we have to be united! Acts 4:32, MSG- “The whole congregation of believers was UNITED as one—one heart, one mind!”And when it comes to other people, the right atmosphere can pave a new way, or repair an old one. We have to embrace the reality that since we’re still here, and The Almighty has graced us to do something, chances are it's going to involve other people. In John 10 Jesus said, "I came so that you could have abundant life." So, the closer we follow Him. The more we're going to do the same things He did. Everywhere Jesus went, He made the best of the situation. He brought out the best in those around Him. I honestly believe that the closer we are to Jesus, the better our attitude will be towards others. Really, towards everything. Being aware that it’s our moods and attitudes that set our atmosphere, here’s a few characteristics to consider: 1. Believe In Yourself- Believing in yourself means you've gotten comfortable with self-improvement. 2. See the Best In Others- JM's The 10 Principle3. You’re an Optimist4. Persistent- Your attitude is, that if you stick with it, breakthrough is right around the corner.5. You Own It- You step up, stop blaming, assess yourself, then change. Remember what Coach Wooden said, "Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." This is why we’

John 6:38, NKJV- For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. So, when we follow Jesus through the scriptures and He heals everyone that came to Him for healing, according to Jesus’ own words, healing is the will of God. Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.” 1 Peter 1:3, NIV- His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness MSG- Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust. Acts 1:1, NKJV- The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach Jesus is absolutely expecting us to finish what He started. As His body on the planet, our assignment is to continue all He commanded us. Remember what Paul wrote in Corinthians, We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Proverbs 4:20-22, 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. (Medicine to your flesh) What if you started applying God’s word to your condition, like you would be taking prescribed medication? And the closer I walk with Jesus, the more I’m learning that a faith life has to be developed just like a human life. When symptoms start dominating our thoughts, act swiftly, taking every thought captive. There has to be a transformation in our thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. For us to finish what He started. Romans 4 gives us very clear steps for being and doer. I call it the blueprint for fighting the good fight of faith. Romans 4:16-21,NKJV- Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all v.17, (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and CALLS those things which do not exist as though they did; v.18, who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” v. 19, 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. v.20, He did not WAVER at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, c.21, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Abraham gives us 4 faith principles to successfully live by faith. 1. v.17, He CALLED himself what God called him, out of things not seen. 2. v.19, He refused to CONSIDER his body, his circumstances. He didn’t deny his condition, he simply refused to consider it. We can’t make a faith confession in the morning, then spend the rest of the day considering our condition. 3. v.20, He would not WAVER on God’s promise. So 4. v.21, being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. Remember, Proverbs tells us that God’s words are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. What if you started using Abraham’s method in applying God’s word to your condition, like you would taking prescribed medication? There has to be a transformation in our thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. Remember, Peter tells us God has givenus everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him, and He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them we may participate in His divine nature. Here’s the thing, will we stay with it long enough to let the fruit of His word transform us to the place where we actually participate in His divine nature? 2 Timothy 3:16-17,AMP- “Every Scripture is God-breathed, given by His inspiration, and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, and for training in righteousness, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action, (Instruction, rep roof and conviction, correction, discipline, training)v.17, So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.” I believe without a doubt, the one sure thing He gave His creation was His Word. And if His word was given to train us in righteousness, then why would He show us and instruct us one way in His wo

I love how the Message paraphrases how God describes His church in Ephesians, “I’m building a home, using all of you, irrespective of how you got here.” Remember, Jesus said, On the revelation of who I am I will build my church. God is still calling believers together to love one another, pray for each other, and serve along side each other reaching their community for Christ. Truth is, serving is an invitation for Jesus to be more involved in our lives. He actually said that it’s a true sign of greatness. Finding Your Fit is a life long journey of surrender. Jesus actually told us, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Christianity isn’t just believing, it’s belonging. Finding Your Fit is personally accepting the responsibility of advancing our purpose as part of His body in the earth. This is why we’re always encouraging you to get involved, because serving in your church is the most effective way you’re going to discover the gifts God has already graced you with. And regardless of where you are in your faith journey, don’t ever entertain the thoughts that you don’t have anything to offer. As we continue growing as disciples we find ourselves growing past just coming to church, and like His first disciples, we simply bring Jesus what we have and watch him us it. Today Jesus is telling us the same thing He told them, just give me what you've got and I'll work with it. Jesus says, give me your upbringing, your failures, your lack of experience, your fears and insecurities, and watch what I can do through you. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, serving becomes part of our nature, not to mention, one of our greatest acts of worship. It’s where we discover Jesus at new levels. This is why being part of a local church has to be about more than just showing up to hear something. Hebrews 10:24-25 (MSG) Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. For all of us that consider ourselves disciples we can't just assume this will happen by itself. There's something about encouraging and helping out that's a big part of worship. Remember Paul writes, we’re all one body, with one Spirit, called to the same glorious future. He goes on to say, Jesus fits His whole body together perfectly. And as each part does it’s own special work, it cause the whole body to grow healthy and full of love. So never underestimate the significance of God orchestrating personalities, giftings and talents in making a local church unique. As we continue growing in our relationship with Jesus, there will be a shift in our thinking from it being just about us to those around us? From coming to get something on Sunday, to bringing something. Jesus actually told us, the greatest among you will be servants. The truth is, the more devoted we are to Jesus, the more devoted we'll be to His church, the one He’s called us too. Ultimately, being part of a local congregation is where we worship together, grow together, we laugh together, hurt together, discover who we are together. Think about it, what if we all come together, considering one another, exhorting one another, encouraging one another,What if we take responsibility for creating a loving, restoring, healing atmosphere? Acts 4:32 (MSG) “The whole congregation of believers was UNITED as one—one heart, one mind!” Ephesians 1:22 (NKJV) 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. Scriptures like these bring clarity to our new life in Christ, not only individually, but also as a local congregation. This is why Proverbs tells us that when we're not open to Divine guidance, we're left to make our own decisions. But when we make ourselves available to His guidance, Kingdom advancement will be a priority to us. Matthew 6:33,NLT- Seek the Kingdom of God above all else... Think about it, right now, how teachable would you say you are? Our God ordained transformation only happens one way, and the more open and teachable we are, the more the Holy Spirit can express Himself through us, individually and corporately. This is why understanding who we are as people of God, as living members of His body the Church, is crucial. Matthew 10:40 (NKJV) “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me." What if tomorrow, what if next Sunday you’re the one someone sees Jesus through for the first time? Listen to Paul's prayer for us, I’m asking the God of our Master, Jesus Christ: To help you in knowing Him personally, To be focused and clear, So that you can see exactly what it is He is calling you to do. As a local congregation, something we should all help each other remember is that regardless of where we are in our faith journey, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is still right where He said it was. (Pete

Mark 3:13-15,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, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Acts 1:1-2,NKJV- The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. Jesus is absolutely expecting us to finish what He started. As His body on the planet, our assignment is to continue all He commanded us. Matthew 9:38,NLT- “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into his fields.” Workers to do what? Remember, “The things Jesus began to do and to teach.” We have to remember, faith for any subject comes from hearing the word of God on that subject. So unless we preach and teach healing, there’s no way there can be faith for healing. Think about it, if you were one of Jesus’ first disciples, you went everywhere with Him, and you were telling new people about Jesus, how would you describe Him? I believe that’s the question we need to ask ourselves, do we honestly believe that Jesus still heals, or are we waiting for a confirmation? In other words, are we still walking by sight instead of faith when it comes to healing? Remember what Jesus told Jairus?And the nobleman’s son? Think about this, if Paul told us that the accounts of the OT were written for our admonition and correction, why would the accounts of Jesus be any different? John 6:38,NKJV- For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. So when we follow Jesus through the scriptures and He heals everyone that came to Him for healing, according to Jesus’ own words, healing is the will of God. 1 Peter 2:24,NIV- He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” Everything Jesus did while He was on the planet in a human body was not only fulfilling the prophetic, but pointing us to what He was about to fulfill at the cross. Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord who heals you.” 1 Peter 1:3,NIV- His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Remember what Paul wrote in Corinthians, We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Proverbs 4:20-22,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. (Medicine to your flesh) What if you started applying God’s word to your condition, like you would taking prescribed medication? Because we live in a fallen, cursed world, outside the practice of medicine, or a miracle, healing only happens by faith. And the closer I walk with Jesus, the more I’m learning that a faith life has to be developed just like a human life. When symptoms start dominating our thoughts, act swiftly, taking every thought captive. When we don’t see or feel immediate change, this is where believing actually comes into play. There has to be a transformation in our thinking in order for us to appropriate the things God has already done for us. For us to finish what He started. Deuteronomy 30:19,NLT- Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! God gave us the power to choose. Our lives aren’t just on automatic. We actually have to choose God’s blessing. Even though God designed us to live a certain way, until we make a conscious evert to stop resorting to our human reasoning to determine the realities of His word, our faith will remain undeveloped. Here’s the thing, follow Jesus’ life through the NT and there’s no way you can honestly say healing isn’t part of His purpose. Matthew 28:18-20,MSG- Jesus told His disciples: “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 threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” What if, we don’t see something like healing operating in our church today simply because we fail to talk about it enough to allow the Holy Spirit to establish faith in us concerning healing? Romans 4 gives us very clear steps for being and doer. I call it the blueprint for fighting the good fight of faith. Romans 4:16-21,NKJV- Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace

Matthew 10:39, ...He who loses his life for My sake will find it. Have you ever entertained the thought of allowing Jesus to disrupt your life for the advancement of His church? Offering you life to Him as a living sacrifice. Make no mistake, God’s plan from the beginning was to bring His kids together for the advancement of the Kingdom on the planet. Jesus said, I will build My church. Never underestimate the significance of God orchestrating personalities, giftings and talents in making a local church unique. Listen to how Paul describes it, Jesus fits His whole body together perfectly. And as each part does it’s own special work, it cause the whole body to grow. The moment we give our lives to Christ, we become part of His body, and we each have a role to play. 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. God continually calls believers together to love one another, pray for each other, and serve along side each other reaching our community for Christ. It’s import to realize that in this process, at the same time God’s revealing, He’s preparing. Finding Your Fit is a life long journey of surrender. Ultimately, Christianity isn’t just believing, it’s belonging. For example , being a part of Victory simply means that you’re taking the next step in your commitment to being part of His body. Ultimately we’re all one body of believers. But God graces each of His churches with a personality, much like He does individuals. 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. Finding Your Fit is personally accepting the responsibility of advancing our purpose as part of His body in the earth. Which is, Helping people discover and develop a life in Christ. 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 involved, because serving in your church is the most effective way you’re going to discover the gifts God has already graced you with. And regardless of where you are in your faith journey, don’t ever entertain the thoughts that you don’t have anything to offer. Matthew 14, We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, they answered. “Bring them here to Me. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. As we continue growing as disciples we find ourselves growing past just coming to church, and like the 12, we simply bring Jesus what we have and watch him us it. Jesus says, give me your upbringing, your failures, your lack of experience, your fears and insecurities, give me you ideas and creativity, your time and effort and watch what I can do through you. This is why we're continually trying to get as many as possible involved in serving in their church. It’s one of our greatest acts of worship. It’s where we discover Jesus at new levels. This is why being part of a local church has to be about more than just showing up to hear something. Hebrews 10:24-25,MSG- Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. There's something about encouraging and helping out that's a big part 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. I promise you, when we make those around us better, it automatically makes us better. As a matter of fact, something significant happens in the lives of new believers when someone more mature, another disciple for example, looks out for them, helps them become part of our process called church. Remember, we’re all one body, with one Spirit, called to the same glorious future. 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 He created us to be like Him and left the decision entirely up to us, His grace allows us the privilege of discovering who we can be when we come together. This is what happens when we let Jesus disrupt our lives and we embrace His call. Ephesians 4, We are all one body, with one Spirit, called to the same glorious future. It goes on to say, Jesus fits His whole body together perfectly. And as each part does it’s own special work, it cause the whole body to grow healthy and full of love. God continually calls believ

At what point does what God say become the standard we use to evaluate our born again lives? Here’s the thing, the longer we reason against what God’s word says, the more comfortable we get with that lifestyle. So today, as we gather around the Lord’s table, let Jesus’ words settle into your thinking. John 14:1,NKJV- Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.v.27, Jesus repeats His point, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” There’s no better way to leave whatever’s been harassing you than gathering around the Lord’s table, and walking away with a renewed trust in Jesus. Remember last week we talked about how in Christ we are victorious overcomers in this world. 1 Corinthians 15:57,AMP- But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory making us conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ. Seriously, if God, my Heavenly Father tells me I’m victorious, forgiven, blessed, prosperous, favored, healed, why wouldn’t I accept what He says as truth? Why shouldn’t I say what my Father says about me? Psalm 34:8,AMP- O taste and see that the Lord our God is good; 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. Something every Christian needs reminded of from time to time is that communion is one of the most spiritual realities we can participate in. It’s a divinely inspired place of revelation from the Father. Allowing us to see that Jesus alone made us worthy to stand in His presence. He actually 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...” 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. Remember, Jesus has already made us alive together with Him and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Him. Understand, we’re not just citizens of Heaven, we’re heirs to the Kingdom, appointed ambassadors of our King, assigned here to establish His kingdom. And there is no better place to be reminded, no better place for fresh perspective, no better place to draw closer to Jesus than around the Lord’s table. In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Corinthians we receive the very same revelation from Jesus concerning communion. The bread is His broken body and the cup is the blood of His new covenant. Regardless of what you may be facing, let today's communion encourage you that you are made whole in God’s sight by Jesus' sacrifice. That His broken body and shed blood are still declaring, "It is finished." As we worship Jesus today with communion, as we draw closer to Him, may our spirits see Jesus and all that He accomplished for us clearer than ever before. My prayer today is that everyone of us see Jesus with a fresh perspective as we partake of the cup and the bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16,NLT- When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? Let today’s talk helps us discern in a little more depth that there is a significant difference in the blood and the bread. 1 Corinthians 11:30,NKJV- For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.v.29, For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. MSG, If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless

Mark 3:13-15,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, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Matthew 10:7-8,NKJV- And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Freely give what? Freely give it to who? Acts 1:1-2,NKJV- The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. Jesus is absolutely expecting us to finish what He started. As His body on the planet, our assignment is to continue all He commanded us. Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV- “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” NLT, v.38, “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into his fields.” Laborers, workers to do what? If we honestly believe the Bible is God’s word, that it is the Christians foundation of truth, that God’s word is a lamp unto our feet. A light for our path. If God’s word is forever settled in Heaven, and we’re suppose to pray His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, if God never changes and His word is truth, At what point did the commission for His first disciples and disciples today change? Remember, “The things Jesus began to do and to teach.” Why do we have such a struggle with the subject of healing? We have to remember, faith for any subject comes from hearing the word of God on that subject. So unless we preach and teach healing, there’s no way there can be faith for healing. Think about it, if you were one of Jesus’ first disciples, you went everywhere with Him, and you were telling new people about Jesus, how would you describe Him? A major key here is moving from an informational approach to the word of God, to a transformational approach. To a spiritual, faith driven approach. Who’s honestly going to be willing to not only grow stronger in their faith, but stay in it, until? Remember, knowing Jesus is the healer and believing He actually heals is not the same thing. I believe that’s the question we need to ask ourselves, do we honestly believe that Jesus still heals, or are we waiting for a confirmation? In other words, are we still walking by sight instead of faith when it comes to healing? Remember what Jesus told Jairus? ONLY BELIEVE Luke 5:17,NIV- One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. But only the paralyzed man carried by his friends got healed.Think about this, if Paul told us that the accounts of the OT were written for our admonition and correction, why would the accounts of Jesus be any different? Maybe the question is, do we honestly believe the Word of God right in the face of symptoms, of the negative report? How much of a demand, an expectation, do we actually place on what God tells us in His Word? Remember the example we have from the centurion, "it will be done for you just as you believed." John 4:46-53,NLT-“As He traveled through Galilee, He came to Cana, where He had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. v.47, When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die. v.48, Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” v.49, The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.” v.50, Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.v.51, While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. v.52, He asked them when the boy had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” v.53, Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus.” Have you ever found yourself reasoning away something in His Word because of a negative experience? Because you haven’t seen the result you’re believing for? Seriously, if Jesus is our

Joshua 6,MSG- GOD spoke to Joshua, “Look sharp. I’ve already given Jericho to you, Here’s what you are to do: March around the city. Repeat this for six days. On the seventh day march around the city seven times. What if God's trying to show you the next thing He's got for you, but it's on the other side of a whole lotta go again? Paul gives us some very helpful insight, “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. The reason Paul could say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” is because he had gotten this revelation; GO AGAIN Philippians 4,MSG- I’ve learned by now to be content whatever my circumstances. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. Sometimes we simply need to be reminded to make room in our lives for the Almighty to lead, to speak, to encourage us in our faith. To transform us to be more like Him. The thing is, most of the time we don’t get spiritual realities the first time, still confined to our humanity. Mark 4:13-20,NLT- “Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? v.14, The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. v.15, The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. v.16, The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. v.17, But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. v.18, The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, v.19, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. v.20, And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”” We are the people of God. Heirs tho the Kingdom of Heaven, joint heirs with Christ. And as we behold Him we are being transformed into the same image, from glory to glory. Choose to believe that Jesus meant what He said when He told us all things are possible for him that believes. This means, refusing to allow our old, carnal, human nature, our past, and yes, our current situation to interfere with what God is saying, right in the face of what most are calling questionable circumstances. Let the Holy Spirit give you a fresh, yes I can, whole lotta go again, attitude. If God be for us, who can be against us. 2 Corinthians 2:14,NKJV- Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. Triumph is a victorious, successful outcome. This was Paul’s mindset as he continually encouraged the church to not give up, but stay in faith. To go again. Triumphant, victorious overcomes are regular people who continue trusting Jesus no matter what. Keep in mind, triumph is a successful ending to any conflict. Solomon said, “The end of a thing is better than the beginning.” 1 Corinthians 15:57-58,AMP- But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory, making us conquerors through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm, steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord... This kind of life is an on purpose life. This is how Paul could continually remind us that we can do all things, we can make it through all thinks. We actually have to believe the Lord’s words over whatever situation. Go walk around the massive city walls, go again, go again. Even though Jesus has made us His victorious people, we will never rise above our own understanding of who we are in Him. Overcomers or grasshoppers? The majority focused on everything except what God said. At what point does what God say become the standard we use to evaluate our born again lives? Here’s the thing, the longer we reason against what God’s word says, the more comfortable we get with that lifestyle. Keep in mind, God told Elijah in 1 Kings 18:1, “I am sending rain” I Kings 18,NKJV- Then Elijah said, “there is the sound of abundance of rain.” Thenhe said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “ There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “GO AGAIN.” Joel 2, God says I will cause the rain to come, the former and the latter rain.Both Elijah and Joel prophesied out of severe drought. (A dry season) Former rain comes in planting season.Latter rain before harvest season. God tells us thorough Joel that He’ll send both rains as it was at the first. Acts 2, Peter is responding to a type of the former rain

Matthew 10:1,NKJV- “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” Mark 3:13-15,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, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” Luke 9:1-2,NKJV- “Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” Acts 1:1-2,NKJV- The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen. He’s expecting us to finish what He started. Obviously He’s not referring to His finishing of the covenant with His work at the cross, but our assignment as His body concerning all He commanded us. Matthew 9:35-38 NKJV- “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” In 1800, world population was 1 billion. 1900 was 1.6 billion. From 1900 to 2000, it jumped to 6 billion, current population 7.8 billion. Our current growth average is a little over 80 million a year. Approximately 2.5 billion confess to be Christian How many of you think Jesus still needs workers for the harvest? Solomon actually tells us, “The end of a thing is better than the beginning.” And contrary to popular religious beliefs, if it was just all up to God, why would Jesus tell us to pray to the Lord to send workers. Here’s the thing, to do what? We have to keep in mind exactly what Jesus was doing when He told us to pray for more workers. Matthew 9, Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. If we honestly believe the Bible is God’s word, that it is the Christians foundation of truth, that God’s word is a lamp unto our feet. A light for our path. If God’s word is forever settled in Heaven, and we’re suppose to pray His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, if God never changes and His word is truth, At what point did the commission for His first disciples and disciples today change? Especially considering He would know the amount of people that would be on the planet during our time. “The things Jesus began to do and to teach.” Why is the subject of physical healing not part of the gospel message for a large portion of the church today? Why do we have such a struggle with the subject of healing? According to Isaiah and Paul, faith for any subject comes from hearing the word of God on that subject. So unless we preach and teach healing, there’s no way there can be faith for healing. And I personally believe this is where the change took place within the body of Christ. It’s kinda like the law of displacement, basically you can’t have two things in the same place at the same time. Matthew 10:1,7-8,NKJV- When He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. v.25, It’s enough that a disciple should be like his teacher. In Luke, Jesus said, A disciple, when He is fully trained will be like his teacher. Think about this, according to what Jesus said in Mark’s gospel, laying hands on the sick is part of the great commission. A major key here is moving from an informational approach to the word of God, to a transformational approach. To a spiritual, faith driven approach. Ephesians 4:23-24,NIV- Be made new in the attitude of mind; and put on the new self, CREATED TO BE LIKE GOD in true righteousness and holiness. Who’s honestly going to be willing to not only grow stronger in their faith, but stay in it, until? Peter said, God shows no partiality, no bias or favoritism Acts 10:34,MSG- Peter fairly exploded with his good news: It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. Hebrews makes it very clear, anyone who comes to God MUST BELIEVE that He is. And according to Romans, the only way to

• Joshua 6:1-5,MSG- GOD spoke to Joshua, “Look sharp now. I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its crack troops.• Here’s what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram’s horn trumpets in front of the Chest.• On the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets.• And then, a long blast on the ram’s horn—when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs.• The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in. • What if God's trying to show you the next thing He's got for you, but it's on the other side of a whole lotta go again? • I’m sure most of us would be, come on God, why do we have to do it this way? • Maybe this is why in v.10, God said, tell them not to speak so much as a whisper. • So day one, they got up, went and obeyed the Lord, then went back to their camp. Then the next, go again. • The reason Paul could say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” is because he had gotten the revelation of, whole lotta go again. • Philippians 4:12-13,MSG- Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.• Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. • Think about standing in front of this massive structure, I’m sure most of them have never seen anything like it. • And their leader tells them we’re going to march around the city 6 days, then on the 7th day we’re going to march around it 7 times. • Sometimes we just need to be reminded to make room in our thinking, in our lives for the Almighty to lead, to speak, to encourage us in our faith. • The thing is, most of the time we don’t get spiritual realities the first time, still confined to our humanity.• I Kings 18:41-43 NKJV- Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”• So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,• and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “ There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.” • We are the people of God. Jesus meant what He said when He told us all things are possible for him that believes. • But we actually have to believe Him. Sometimes right in the face of uncertainty, maybe even impossible, but God specializes in impossible. • Once we make up our mind, it’s time for commitment and determination. And most of the time this means a whole lotta go again. • Ephesians reminds us that because we’ve heard Him and been taught by Him, we are to put off our former conduct, the old man, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind, so we can put on the new man which was created according to God. • Isaiah 43, This is what the Lord says, what I’ve done in the past is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new.• See, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. • Romans 8:11,MSG- It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, He’ll do the same thing in you that He did in Jesus, bringing you alive to Himself?• When God lives and breathes in you and He does, as surely as He did in Jesus, you are delivered from that dead life. With His Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s! • It’s in times like we’re in right now that we actually believe what God tells us; “Go Again” • At what point do we honestly believe, actually expect truths like this on Romans. Expect Him to do the same thing in us He did in Jesus. • Let the Holy Spirit give you a fresh, yes I can attitude. • Something God has helped me see over the years is successful, overcoming people allow challenges to stretch them, not stop them. • GO AGAIN • We are the people of God. Heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, joint heirs with Christ. • This is Paul’s point in Philippians, regardless of the situation, we can do all things through Christ. • This means, if you’re saying, “I’m believing God, but,” it’s time for you to stop the double minded talk. • God said a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. • James teaches us that our tongue is the rudder of our ship, of our life. So what we’re saying matters. • Im convinced this is why God told Joshua to tell the people not to say a word while they were walking around the massive city. • In light of Paul’s challenging situation, he continues encouraging the church to follow his example. • This means, refusing to al

Proverbs 18:21 NLT tells us “The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” I don’t see a third option there. Death or life….James 1:26 NLT If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.“I didn’t tell you to share your opinions or beliefs, I told you to share Jesus and the Good News.” If we are spending more time being right on Social Media, then we are not spending our time right by spreading the Love of Jesus! Proverbs 19:19 NLT “ An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.”OUR WORDS MATTER!!!!!What are we creating with our words? Walls or bridges? Division or unity? Death or life? We need to think, talk, and act like citizens of Heaven. Bringing a glimpse of heaven to earth. Let’s live our lives as citizens of heaven and ambassadors on earth – as representatives of God’s kingdom right where we are. Today, Right Here, Out There! Matthew 13:54 – 56 NLT “He returned to Nazareth, his hometown. When he taught there in the synagogue, everyone was amazed and said, “Where does he get this wisdom and the power to do miracles?”55Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph,Simon, and Judas.56All his sisters live right here among us. Where did he learn all these things?”57And they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.”Then Jesus told them,“A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his own family.”58And so he did only a few miracles there because of their unbelief.What you call someone is how you see someone; is how you treat someone. His home town, called him the carpenters son, Since the people seen him this way they, called him by name this way, that’s what they received from Him. They missed out on the gift and blessings that He is, because they could not get past this. What you call your wife? What do you call your children? What do you call your Pastor? Your friends? Your Coworkers? Your government leaders? What you call someone, is how you see someone; is how you treat someone.Ask God what He says about them and speak that into their lives. We need to practice building them up and not tearing them down. Our families will never become something we don’t speak into their lives! James 3:3-6 NLT “We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”Although so small, the tongue or more importantly the words we choose to use can set those around us on the right path or we can set it all ablaze by the words we choose to use. I can only change me and when I change me I change us (Kate)We have to first understand how God sees us and what He calls us Names are important to God; otherwise why would he change names? Abram – Abraham = Father of many (Didn’t have any kids at the time and was OLD)Sarai – Sarah = Mother of nations (Didn’t have any kids at the time and was OLD)Simon – Peter = Rock (Wasn’t a rock he was hot and cold / Denied Jesus 3 times) We will dig into this more laterWhat is God calling you? What does he say about you? If you don’t know get in the Word! Matthew 16:13-14 NLT “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”Matthew 16:15-16 NLT “Then he asked them,“But who do you say I am?”16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”Matthew 16:17-20 “Jesus replied,“You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”20 Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.”Peter did thing and will do things that are not very rock or foundation like. But still Jesus calls him not by how the world sees him, but how God sees him. He is a rock, a strong foundation, and Jesus was letting him know to buckle up this is going to be the ride of a life time.It doesn’t matter what others say about you. It only matters

I CAN ONLY CHANGE ME; AND WHEN I CHANGE ME, I CHANGE US!Genesis 1:26-27 NLTThen God Said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals that scurry along the ground. “So, God created Human beings in his own image. In the image of God, he created them; male and female he created them.When God created, he spoke – We are created to be like him – Our words create. They are containers for power.2 Cor 10:5 AMP – We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the true knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ…. Eyes and ears are like a portal to your brain, right? Yes! What we hear and see helps develop thoughts that we either disregard or keep and meditate on. But not all that enters our thoughts are from the natural. We can get thoughts from Satan too. That is why the Bible tells us to put on the helmet of Salvation so we can protect ourselves and our mind. It is also why we are told to take every thought captive. Asking- does this thought line up with the Word of God? Is this Truth?Proverbs 23:26 Amp – My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways. I believe that what we see directly affects our minds and thus our hearts – Same with our ears.Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast ( that is committed and focused on you – in both inclination and character, because he trusts and takes refuge in you with hope and confident expectation.2 Tim 1:7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound judgement and personal discipline- abilities that result in a calm, well balanced mind and self-control.Romans 12:2NLT – 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 Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.MSG – Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You will be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well informed maturity in you.Philippians 4:8 NLTAnd now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.Proverbs 4:23NLT – Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.MSG- Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that is where life starts.Matt 12:33 A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.This scripture is talking about a heart and mouth connection. A heart and mouth connection.If you are thinking about something/ meditating on something it will come out and if you speak it, you can take it on. Your creating….James 3:1-12 Don’t be in any rush to become a teacher, my friends. Teaching is highly responsible work. Teachers are held to the strictest standards. And none of us is perfectly qualified. We get it wrong nearly every time we open our moths. If you could find someone whose speech was perfectly true, you’d have a perfect person, in perfect control of like.A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything- or destroy it!It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.This is scary: you can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue- its never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and woman he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth!My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?1 Peter 3:10 NLT – If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Ephesians 4:29(-32) NLT – Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and help

Psalm 57:7-10 (NLT) My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.Where we hear praise, He hears faith.Psalm 150 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."The very first thing we have to acknowledge is that; worship was given to us by God as a spiritual avenue to connect on a more authentic level with His presence.It's really not so much about style and preference. It should never be about what kind of mood we're in, or what we think we might need from Him.When we worship in those times when we don't feel like it, it's even more treasured - AW TozerYou see, it's in those times that we take a step of faith and offer our sacrifice of praise. When we hear praise, He hears faith.It's about us using our voices to exalt our God through a song. It's a place where we get to honor God with our words and our heart. Worship is one of the most spiritual things a Christian can take part in.John 4:24 (NLT)“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”Make no mistake about it, although we are not to rely on emotion, worship will absolutely impact us emotionally. After all, we're emotional people. When your spirit connects on a spiritual level with your Creator, there's no avoiding emotion.Throughout the scriptures we see that God's people are emotional people when it comes to worship. They would worship so loud that surrounding cities would not only hear them, they would feel it.Psalm 67 Let the peoples praise You, O God; LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE YOU. Then the earth shall yield her increase and the Almighty shall bless us.And just in case you think it’s not for you, or maybe you struggle engaging in a deeper level of worship, why don't you ask God to help you in your worship. At the end of the day, we’re simply bringing something to God from our hearts, connecting with His presence.Awake my soul! Be exalted O God above to heavens.Psalm 100 Come into His presence with singing. Know He made us and we are His people. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.One of the wonderful privileges of gathering for worship is the awesome opportunity to create such an atmosphere that when new people show up they actually feel His presence when they walk into the room.“There’s a sound I love to hear, it’s the sound of the Savior’s robe as He walks into the room.” Hillsong Worship - Awake My SoulRevelation 4:11 (NLT)“You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.”This is why worship was given to us by God as a spiritual avenue to connect on a more authentic level with His presence.So often it’s our sacrifice of praise that’s the on ramp to our breakthrough.I pray our talk inspires a more authentic, intentional heart of worship in all of us. Awake our souls, O God! So that it not only impacts our personal life, but that it becomes so contagious that it changes impacts who we are as a church. Truth is, at the end of the day, worship is a heart thing.1 Samuel 16 For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.This may take a minute to sink in, but the reality is, the way we are with people is the way we are with God.So for those of us that have some understanding of worship, when we come together for worship, let’s be aware that we’re helping others by setting the best example we possibly can. But because today's society has become so spectator driven, it easy for us to attend worship service on Sunday's like we're attending a concert.A big part of worshipping together is being aware that any Sunday could be someone's first real experience in authentic worship with their Heavenly Father.I can tell you from experience, the more I practice worship in my private life, the more comfortable I am in public worship. Just like with anything else in life, the more we do something, the better we are at it.The more worship is a lifestyle for us, not only will our public worship be more influential, but more enjoyable.Don’t kid yourself, if you’re not enjoying your own worship, what makes you think He is.Romans 12 (MSG) 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. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside ou

Think of what drives you to victory. What would you say is your ultimate source of strength?Kids, career, friends, desire to succeed, angerAll of these are guaranteed to fail at some point.-Question?What if I told you about A source of strength you have and that regardless of how bad the situation might be, you would come out with the victory every single time.-There are going to be situations in this life that you can do absolutely nothing about on your own.Sickness, death, evil-They will create hopeless situations-Hopeless situations require hope in something greater than the situation. -As believers we need to place our hope in God because he is greater than any situation. He is undisputed in victory.-In the book of Judges, we can see the Israelites faced a hopeless situation because they had turned from God.-The Book shows the pattern of God’s people turning to idols and forgetting what God had done for them. They would become oppressed and cry out to God for help.- Then God would send a leader to deliver them and one of those leaders was Gideon.(Midianites oppressive over the Israelites, took everything) (Judges 6: 1-10) Every Christian should have faith in God as their ultimate source of strength.Because of three ways God shows that he triumphs regardless of the situation.Key Word TriumphsRationale- God triumphs regardlessGod triumphs despite human weakness. (Judges 6:11-16)-Gideon was afraid of the situation he was in. He doubted God being with them because the situation looked bad. (Verse 13)-Despite Gideons doubts God called him “a mighty warrior” When God says something about you, He is speaking it into existence. You are no longer afraid; you are a mighty warrior.-God said, I will be with you. (Verse 16)-God is true to his word. “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19God triumphs despite human understanding. (Judges 7:1-8)-God wanted to show that He alone is the one to bring victory and not for the Israelites to have faith in themselves.-In human terms does not make sense to cut your army to 300 hundred men. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9Faith in God alone is all we need.God triumphs despite human odds. (Judges 7:9-22)-Gideon could have looked at the size of the army and said “impossible.” In fact, God knew it was going to shake him, so he gave him a confidence booster.Jesus replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)- Gideon had an “AHHA” moment and realized God was with him, what the odds looked like did not matter because he knew God had the victory.-God caused the Midianites to turn on each other.-God will not only even the odds, but he will turn them around.-God always wins. God is undisputed.Review-It is important to realize where your source of strength comes from. It is God that brings the victory and not you. -The Psalmist says it like this, “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 1211. God triumphs despite human weakness2. God triumphs despite human understanding3. God triumphs despite human odds-Ephesians 6:10- Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. -Know where your source of strength comes from. -Know that God is greater than the impossible. -Have faith that God will bring the victory.-Jesus gives us some direction Having Faith in God.“Have faith in God, Jesus answered. I tell you the truth if anyone Says to this mountain, God, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believe that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” Mark 11:22-24But when you ask you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:6-8Make up in your mind to trust that God will triumph. You either believe, or you do not believe.Once you believe then you truly lock into your source of strength.Just like Iron man boldly knew who he was, you can boldly declare, “I am a child of God” , my Father is UNDISPUTED.

Ephesians 6:10, AMPBe strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him.So, if God tells us, we can have, we can do, we can be, instead of asking our carnal, human nature anything, on purpose believe Him.We have to be open to this reality today, if God’s going to do something in the earth today, it’s going to be through someone that will say yes to Him.The apostle Paul’s revelation of the church being Christ body is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary objectives for every believer.One of the most significant revelations of Ephesians is our in Christ position.Chapters 1-3, Our position in ChristChapters 4-6, Our responsibly in ChristOne of the first things being empowered by Christ demands is that we embrace being an expression of the fullness of Him.Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJV)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.”The second revelation we’ve got to be open to is being united as one people.Ephesians 2:17-19 (NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.The third phase of the Ephesian revelation is to mature, equip, and empower believers to advance Christ’s victory of darkness.Ephesians 3:16-20 (NKJV) That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height,to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.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.Remember, first we’re empowered by Christ to be an expression of the fullness of Him.Second, we’ve got to be open to is being united as one people.Third, we become mature believers empowered to advance Christ’s victory of darkness.Now keep in mind the first 3 chapters deal with our position in Christ. The last 3 deal with our responsibility in Christ.As we move into the last 3 chapters, stay open to this reality, our “In Christ” life comes with spiritual, moral and ethical expectations.In other words, A Strengthening ProcessEphesians 4:1, 11-16, 21-24 (NKJV) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,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, for the edifying of the body of Christ,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;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,but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.V. 24 NLT, Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.Ephesians 5:1,8,15-17 (NKJV) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.Now you are light in the world, walk as children of light.See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.Ephesians 6:10-12 (AMP)“In conclusion, be strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him, that strength which His boundless might provides. Put on God's whole armor, the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies, that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil. For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, contending only with physical opponents, but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural sphere.This assignment from God is our call to be a covenant guard. Not battling to get, but to occupy what has already been given to us.Make no mistake, the world needs to see believers who know exactly who the

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV)Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. Always remember, any spiritual reality related to God has to be supported by God's Word. 1 Corinthians 14 reminds us, God is not the author of confusion, but brings us into harmony. Regardless of your view on this matter, something we should all keep in mind; spiritual language is God's idea. No man made it up. The primary purposes of a spiritual language are:1. Personal praise and worship.2. Self-edification. (Jude 20, Building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.)3. Praying out divine secrets.4. Public exhortation. 1 Corinthians 14:32 (NIV)The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets.For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.Here's the thing, after God introduces this spiritual reality, there's not one scripture suggestion it was only for a season, or that it wasn't to continue until He returns for His church.What about "tongues will cease?"1 Corinthians 13:8 (NIV)Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (NLT)Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless.When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.Paul's point in bringing up these spiritual benefits, and notice he didn't even mention all of them, are to remind us that they are temporary in comparison to love which is eternal.As we said last week, according to the Bible, spiritual language is just as scriptural as the new birth, heaven, grace...Regardless of your view on this matter, something we should all keep in mind; spiritual language is God's idea. No man made it up.1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV) For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.1 Corinthians 14:4-5 (NKJV)He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.This passage simply distinguishes the public and private application of a spiritual language.1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (NKJV)For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.Paul makes it very clear that praying in his spiritual language is simply praying from his spirit, not his intellect.Let me also add this; spiritual language is not an escape from reality, or some self-induced state of mind.It is 100% spiritual, and completely scriptural.1 Corinthians 14:18-19 (NKJV)I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.For anyone who speaks in a tongue is speaking to God. Speaking mysteries by the Spirit.So when I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.Acts 2:4,6-8,11 (NKJV)And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.Peters first sermon was to a group of confused people who just witnessed spiritual language. And the first thing he does is take them back to the Word.Always remember, any spiritual reality will always be proven through God's Word.Now 10 years after Acts 2Acts 9:17-18 (NKJV) And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and wa

Ephesians 6:10, AMPBe strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him.So, if God tells us, we can have, we can do, we can be, instead of asking our carnal, human nature anything, on purpose believe Him.Seriously be open to this reality today, if God’s going to do something in the earth today, it’s going to be through someone that will say yes to Him.The apostle Paul’s revelation of the church being Christ body is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary objectives for every believer.He’s actually counting on us discovering and exercising our authority over the powers of darkness.As we make ourselves available to the Ephesian letter, our in Christ position is a key revelation.Here’s the thing, our positional authority in Christ cannot be executed without a practical understanding how His grace, presence, and empowerment affects our everyday lives.Ephesians 1He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings.He has predestined us as sons and daughters.In Him we are redeemed.He has made known to us the mystery of His will.In Him we have obtained an inheritance.In Him we are sealed with the Holy Spirit who is our guarantee.One of the first things being empowered by Christ demands is that we embrace being an expression of the fullness of Him.Ephesians 1:15-23,(NKJV)Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,Do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, 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.”Remember, one of the first things being empowered by Christ demands is that we embrace being an expression of the fullness of Him.The second revelation we’ve got to be open to is being united as one people.Ephesians 2:1,4-10 (NKJV) And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.Ephesians 2:18-19 (NKJV)For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.Remember, first we’re empowered by Christ to be an expression of the fullness of Him.Second, we’ve got to be open to is being united as one people.The third phase of the Ephesian revelation is to mature, equip, and empower believers to advance Christ’s victory of darkness.Ephesians 3:8-12 (NKJV)To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.Ephesians 3:14-20 (NKJV)For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height, to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do ex

So let’s dig into it, and with anything related to the Christian life, the Word of God has to be our final authority. Psalm 18:30 (NKJV)As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven. Psalm 19 God’s word is perfect, sure, right, true, everlasting, to be desired more than gold. Psalm 119:89 (NKJV)Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Psalms 119:105 (NKJV)Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. John 6:63 (NKJV)The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life. John 15:7 (NKJV)If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. One of the first things a Christian has to embrace is that our born again nature is spiritual. We literally become a new creations in Him. But we still express ourselves through our human nature. 1 Corinthians 14 reminds us, God is not the author of confusion, but brings us into harmony. So as we break down this truth, first things first, God's rule when it comes to any truth in the bible that we're unsure of;1 Corinthians 13:1 (NKJV) Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. At the end of the day, as with any other truth from God, there is an element of faith involved. The overwhelming majority of everything concerning spiritual language comes out of the Apostle Paul's writings. Which by the way, are all 100% inspired by the Holy Spirit.And for all those who think tongues is nothing more than some emotional state of mind for some small, out of balance, uneducated, radical group, the apostle Paul, who covers this subject extensively, graduated from one of the most recognized educational programs of his day. An elite Pharisee. One of history's most respected and quoted thinkers. Writing more than half the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 14:18 (NKJV)I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all. What's really sad is that most of the people that so strongly oppose speaking a spiritual language, quote Paul's writings in all there other Christian beliefs and teachings. Keep in mind, with any other truth from God, there is an element of faith involved. Mark 9:23 (NKJV)Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.(MSG) “Jesus said, “If? There are no ‘ifs’ among believers. Anything can happen.Every biblical account of tongues was done through the cooperation of believers. The same Holy Spirit that came to empower The Church at its birth is still here and hasn't changed.Peters first sermon was to a group of confused people who just witnessed spiritual language. And the first thing he does is take them back to the Word. Always remember, there is no spiritual reality outside the support of God's Word. Here's the thing, after God introduces this spiritual reality, there's not one scripture suggestion it was only for a season, or that it wasn't to continue until He returns for His church.If you think about it, according to the Bible, spiritual language is just as scriptural as the new birth, heaven, grace...Regardless of your view on this matter, something we should all keep in mind; spiritual language is God's idea. No man made it up. 1 Corinthians 14:1-2 (NKJV)Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.(MSG) If you praise Him in the private language of tongues, God understands you but no one else does, for you are sharing intimacies just between you and Him. The primary purposes of a spiritual language are:1. Personal praise and worship.2. Self-edification. (Jude 20, Building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.)3. Praying out divine secrets.4. Public exhortation.1 Corinthians 14:4-5 (NKJV)He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.This passage simply distinguishes the public and private application of a spiritual language. 1 Corinthians 14:13-16 (NKJV)Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? Paul makes it very clear that praying in his spiritual language is simply praying from his spirit, not his intellect.Something else I would point out here, individually or corporately, we see no si

Chapter 10, a once again we’re going to see the same vision revisited again. Daniel 10:2-3 NKJVIn those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. One of the most recognizable qualities of fasting is a humble, focused, reverent state of awareness of God. Reinforced with a confidence readiness for God. Daniel 10:10-13,NKJV “Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. • v.11, And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. • v.12, Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. •v.13, But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel 10:18-21, NKJV“Then again, the one having the likeness of a man touched me and strengthened me.•And he said, “O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!” So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”•Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.•But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.” Isaiah 14:12-15, NKJV How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. Luke 10:18, NKJVAnd He said to them, I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. 2 Corinthians 4, even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded.Luke 10:19, NKJVBehold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.Revelation 13:16-17, NKJVHe 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. Chapter 12, wraps up the last three and half years of tribulation.v.7, Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.v.10-13, Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.•And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.•Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.•But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.

2 Thessalonians 2:3 (NKJV) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Gabriel speaks to Daniel.v.17, So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” v.18, Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. v.19, And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. Then the vision begins describing the one that will be empowered by the dragon in Revelation 13:2 and he will introduce himself as the prince of peace.v.23, And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. v.24, His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. v.25, “Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. v.26, “And the vision of the evenings and mornings Which was told is true; Therefore seal up the vision, For it refers to many days in the future.” Daniel 9:20-24,NKJV- “Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God, v.21, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. v.22, And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. v.23, At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: v.24, “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.” v.24-27, The 70 weeks, 70 years of 7’s (490 years)70 sabbath years, or weeks of judgment.v.25, In Nehemiah 2, Jerusalem is commissioned to be rebuilt.The 70 weeks in this passage is the first 49 years from King Artaxerxes decree until Nehemiah renews God’s covenant within the city.The 62 weeks, 434 years from the dedication until the resurrection of the Christ.Total 483 yearsv.26-27, the last week, 7 years is yet to come. It is the time of the end.Daniel 9:25-27 (NKJV) Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. v.26, And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. v.27, Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV) For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amos 3:7 (NIV) Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NLT) And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. v.14, For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. v.15, We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. v.16, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. v.17, Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be cau

One of Daniel’s major emphasis is what being separated and committed to the will of God will do for a believer.Another major component of Daniel is his clarity into the realities of the world of the spirit.Chapter 3 is the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and their faithful stand on their beliefs. Daniel 3:1,5-6,NLT- King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.Daniel 3:16-18,NKJV— “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. v.17, If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. v.18, But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”v.26, “Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. ” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire. v.27, And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them. v.28, Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God! v.29, Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.” v.30, Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon.” Daniel 6:6-7,NLT- “So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.” Chapter 7, Daniel has a vision. The beasts he sees represent the same empires that were revealed in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream.Daniel 7:23-25,NKJV- Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. Chapter 8, new symbolism, same message. Daniel 8:15-26,NKJV- “Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. v.16, And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” v.17, So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” v.18, Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. v.19, And he said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be. v.20, The ram which you saw, having the two horns— they are the kings of Media and Persia. v.21, And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king. v.22, As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power. v.23, And in the latter time of their kingdom, When the transgressors have reached their fullness, A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes. v.24, His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people. v.25, “Thr

Not only does the book of Daniel give us insight into the future of world events, but more importantly, the future of God’s people, all the way up until Christ returns and establishes His kingdom on the earth. The end of Daniel’s 70 weeks of years.One of the first things Nebuchadnezzar did was change their Hebrew names because every time they were spoken they were declaring their faith and allegiance to their God. Daniel- Belteshazzar, God alone is the judge.Hananiah- Shadrach, Jehovah is gracious.Meshach- Mishael, No one is like God.Abed-Nego, Azariah, Jehovah is our help. Daniel 1, God brought Daniel and his friends into favor with the ungodly.Not only did they prove their faithfulness to God, they maintained a humble and courteous attitude for their new, ungodly rulers.v.17, God honors they're faithfulness to the degree that these four get an audience with the king of the most powerful empire on the planet, not to mention their level of influence they have with him. Acts 1:8 (NKJV) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Daniel 10:12-14 (NKJV) “Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” Daniel 2:24-28 (NKJV) “Therefore Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; take me before the king, and I will tell the king the interpretation.”v.25, Then Arioch quickly brought Daniel before the king, and said thus to him, “I have found a man of the captives of Judah, who will make known to the king the interpretation.”v.26, The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”v.27, Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.v.28, But 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:v.32-33 gives us the image of what Nebuchadnezzar saw:head of gold, Babylonchest and arms, silver, Persiansbelly and thighs, bronze, Greecelegs of iron, Roman Empirefeet of iron and clay, revised Roman Empire, European Union.v.41, “Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.v.42, And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.v.43, As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.v.44, And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”Chapter 3 is the account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, and their faithful stand on their beliefs. Daniel 3:16-18 (NKJV) “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.v.17, If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king.v.18, But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” v.26, “Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here. ” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.v.27, And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.v.28, Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodie

We have found ourselves in a time in history that now more than ever the world needs to see believers who know exactly who they are in Christ.

Here are the scriptures/notes from todays sermon!Ephesians 6:10-11 (AMP) “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him, that strength which His boundless might provides. v.11, Put on God's whole armor, the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies, that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil. v.12, For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood, contending only with physical opponents, but against the despotisms, against the powers, against the master spirits who are the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly supernatural sphere. v.13, Therefore put on God's complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger, and, having done all the crisis demands, to stand firmly in your place.v.14, Stand therefore, hold your ground, having tightened the belt of truth around your loins and having put on the breastplate of integrity and of moral rectitude and right standing with God, v.15, And having shod your feet in preparation to face the enemy with the firm-footed stability, the promptness, and the readiness produced by the good news of the Gospel of peace. v.16, Lift up over all the covering shield of saving faith, upon which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one. v.17, And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God.” Romans 4, God made something out of Abraham when he was a nobodyBecause he dared to trust God to do what only God could do, not based on what he saw but on what God said. He did not waver at God’s promise, but was strengthened in faith, because he was totally convinced that what God promised He would do. God doesn’t empower spectators!! 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. 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.” 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. Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. 2 Timothy 2:1, My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 1 John 2:14, You are strong and the word of God abides in you. Ephesians 6:10-11 (AMP) “In conclusion, be strong in the Lord. Be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him, that strength which His boundless might provides. v.11, Put on God's whole armor, the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies, that you may be able successfully to stand up against all the strategies and the deceits of the devil.