Karen Burrows: God gives us so much including eternal life. Our response to Him should be worship with thanksgiving and in giving. God created us to worship. Sermon: Use the news as prayer requests. Pray and trust the Lord and declare that those evil things that are happening may not enter your house in the name of Jesus. Learn to know when the Holy Spirit is alerting you to pray. It may mean safety and protection for someone. 2 Timothy 3:1, 10-11 says that there will be perilous, fierce times in the last days. God delivered Paul out of them all in his day. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 tells of the blessings of the Lord under the law, if you faithfully obey His voice. Deuteronomy 28:15-61 expounds on the curses if you do not obey His voice. Every plague is part of the curse. Poverty is part of the curse. We are not under the law because Jesus redeemed us from the curse, having been made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Jesus took the curse for us! You can walk in divine health. Believe you have been redeemed. Psalm 4:8 tells us that we can lie down and sleep in peace for God makes you dwell in safety. Psalm 91 applies to those who dwell, live, sit, and abide under the protection of the Most High God. It is important what you say. Say, “In my God I will trust!” Because I said that with authority, He will deliver me from the hidden dangers. Be willing to take refuge under His wings, just like a chicken protecting her peeps from a hawk. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. He will protect, and He will save, even in these perilous times.
Safe and Secure
How to Be a Man or Woman of God in an Ungodly World – part 3
In Acts 19 Paul found men to be men of God in Ephesians. Ephesus was shaken for two years as a result of those men. Preach the gospel of the kingdom. What is God planning to do in the kingdom? Let’s let God do what He wants to do. We need the bold strength of men. Only fear God. Open yourself and let God be God. The book Rocky wrote,Jesus’ Return, came from one year of hearing God to prepare the church. We can let God’s kingdom be in each one of us. Some men are teachers. Some people are builders. It is about what God is doing in you. You need to do your part. Ezekiel and Isaiah said, “I need one man.” Get all the way in! Let God be strong again. Do what He tells you to do. Here’s my heart, Lord. Churches and lives are about ministering to the Lord. Soul and flesh need to be touched and cleansed. God wants to touch that part of you that you like in your flesh. Bring the fight to the enemy. Let God do what He wants to do. (Rocky tells about God telling him to go to Newtown, Connecticut before the Newtown shootings.)
How to Be a Man or Woman of God in an Ungodly World – part 2
The Word is able to pierce down to the center of your being. It is able to change you from the inside out. The Word is something we have to give our time to so it can penetrate into your soul (Hebrews 4:12). God wants us to know our heart so we can know His heart. We must make room for God in our heart. The Word will let you know what the intents are of your heart. If you reflect on the Word, it is like a mirror that reflects back to you who you are and who God wants you to be. Then you can discern what is of you and what is of God. There has been a long season of dryness spiritually in our country. We have to watch that we are not dry because we are in a dry season. God is going to rain on the church again, but He is asking, “Who wants to be ready?” We are walking in the shadow of the Almighty. We are not from here. Do not mistake your conditions for God’s intentions. Give the Word place in your hearts to move deep inside you. Bring a heart of humility to the Lord. I need You. Let Him and make you “wet” on the inside, so you can help bring rain on the outside to those who are needy. The “mother” of forty parables (pictures of the kingdom) is the parable of the sower and seed. God is in charge. He knows what He is doing. Do we want to know? God sows the Word. God wants to make something out of you and out of the church. First of all, you have to be kingdom-minded. Jesus said the kingdom is at hand. John the Baptist came to prepare people for the coming of the kingdom. Where he was, was in the wilderness. It was a journey to get there. That is what it is like sometimes: you have to go through some things that make you think that it cannot be the kingdom. Sometimes we get into dry spells, and we ask if God is there. Is this religion or reality? Many of us have not seen God radically come to His church and do a work that the world cannot overlook. The seed is in the ground and needs to be grounded. God is working underground. There is a process of the seed-shell to be broken. You need to willingly go. God wants to use you to be something you cannot believe God would use you to do. Let God be God, but some of that process is underground. We are going to bring the war to the terrorists. When the church rises up, it shifts things in the Spirit. The spirit-realm activates what is planted in the ground and says, “Come alive!” The process of what is happening in you will start to work through you. The Word of God penetrates. God knows how to save the world today. He knows how to make the church ready and different. God is the only One who can make you radical. In 1 Timothy 6:11-12 Paul called Timothy, who he was training, “O man of God”. He told him to fight the good fight of faith. We, too, are to lay hold on eternal life. You are called. Many are called, but few are chosen. God wants you to be chosen. You are called to be conformed to His image. We are to enforce the victory that God has won. To get to the end God wants, we have to go through growth. We have to want God. In 2 Timothy 3, Paul again says, “Man of God”. He again told him to fight the good fight of faith. Do not neglect the gift, but stir up the gift. We have neglected some things. Repent and move on past those neglected things. Let the fire of God fall on you. Let the Word have free course through you and this church that men may recognize that God is true. (He prophesied that there is a revival work underground, but it is coming up.) (Rocky shared a dream from the early 2000s. God is seeking out the church in the last day. (There was a word of encouragement about using the gifts God has given each one, followed by the ministry to those who want God’s gifts in them released.) Learn to recognize patterns of what God is doing.
Word given on September 27, 2014 by Larry Hostetter after Rocky Veach preached on “How to Be a Man or Woman of God in an Ungodly World”
You know, I created each one of you. Each one of you is special in My sight, and I put things deep down in your heart, and maybe you think, “I can’t do it! I don’t have the talents and abilities to do it! I’m afraid to do it! I may have the gift in me, but I’m afraid to step out and do it!”
I’m with you. Those giftings which I have placed within you are real. You have them all bottled-up in that seed, but I want to water it. I want to get rid of all the weeds. I want to get rid of everything that would hold you back to be what I want you to be, because those giftings I placed in you, even in your mother’s womb, and I planned them to bring life. I planned them to touch peoples’ lives, but if you don’t allow Me to water you, if you don’t step out in faith and trust in Me to be and do all I’ve called you to do, it’s never going to happen. It breaks My heart, because I created each one of you to be a part of My church, whether it’s to go to your next door neighbor, or it’s to witness at work. When you work in your job, you work for Me first. Oh, indeed you have bosses and indeed you better work properly and well, but I’ll tell you, if you’re working for Me, you’re going to be the best that you can be. That’s what I’ve called you to be. I want you to be the best you can be. This is a tough world, but it’s going to get tougher, and there is so much to do, so I’m asking you, let Me water you. Step out in faith. Take those weeds out of your life, because it’s your job. Those things that don’t belong in your life, I haven’t placed them there. The devil did and he’s out to kill, steal, and destroy, so weed your gardens. Weed your lives. Rid yourself of those things that don’t belong there, and grow in Me. Grow in My Word. Grow in My understanding, My revelation. I’ve given you the Holy Spirit to help you in that. He is so real. You need to learn to hear Him, and then you need to learn to be obedient. He’s your best friend. How do you those voices? By the Word of God. The devil whispers in your ears, but you need to know the Word of God. You need to place it in your heart. Then you listen to that voice, that still small voice, and the more you hear it, the more you train your ears by the Word of God, the more you’ll know His voice, and the easier it is to obey. So I’m calling you. Weed your gardens. Get in those showers of blessings, and break open that seed. Break it open so that He can use you. He wants to use you. The Lord wants to use you.
So be faithful, My children. Be faithful because I love you. I died for you, and I have plans for you. Every one of you.
How to Be a Man or Woman of God in an Ungodly World – part 1
Rocky Veach: [God wants you to do what He wants you to do, spirit, soul, and body. Our heart can let in things from the soul or the Spirit. The Word is what determines whether it comes from the soul or the Spirit. Ask God, “What do You want me to be?” What do You want this church to be? The soul needs to be transformed. It is hard to control what your heart wants. Get quiet and see what is in your heart. When we have been disobedient, it accumulates. We need to awaken to God and let God do what He wants to do. To be a man or woman of God we need to associate closely with Him. Today will require more of your heart. God’s plan is waiting for you. Use the S-L-A-N-T reminder: Sit up in life, saying, “I’m here.” Listen to God.Ask questions. Nod yes. Track with your eyes. A Christian is a follower of Jesus. Look for key people in your life. God wants you to talk to others about Jesus.] In 2 Kings 1, after Israel’s evil king, Ahab, died, Ahaziah became king. He fell and was injured, so he sent messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron whether he would die. The angel of the Lord told Elijah the prophet to intercept the messengers. He was to ask them if there is no God in Israel that they are inquiring of the god of Ekron and to tell them that the king was going to die. The king sent fifty men to get Elijah to come back with them to him. They called Elijah, “Man of God”. Elijah said that if he is a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume the captain and his fifty men. God did, because they were mocking Him. Two more times the king sent fifty men with the same result to the second group, but the captain of the third group pleaded with Elijah to go to the king. God told him that he was to do so and not be afraid. He went to the king, and the king died. Being a man of God is a serious thing. It means you are in strong association with God. Be established in the Lord, and do not let church and Christianity become common. The five-fold ministers train the saints. Apostles build things. The prophet says, “Thus says the Lord.” How do we treat a man of God or the concept of God? We cry out, “Let my life and the lives of these servants be precious in Your sight”. How far do you want to go with God? Let God reveal what He wants to do in you. Intercessors are needed to stand relentlessly in the gap and to make hedges. It has to come from within you. David worshiped God. God is inside you. The most important thing is the call of God.
The Mother of Jesus Was There
“The Mother of Jesus Was There”
Text: John 2:1-12. On the third day of a wedding celebration Mary was there as an invited guest, along with Jesus and His disciples. Mary was the first one mentioned. The third day was a resurrection day. Ask yourself why you are here at CWI. Without an answer you cannot be a blessing. We have to find our purpose. Adam was in the Garden of Eden to protect it and to be fruitful and to multiply. He had a job to do. We are to contribute to the kingdom of God. Mary was a game-changer at the wedding celebration. She was ready to be used by God to make changes. Weddings in this culture lasted seven days, and it was a shame and unheard of to run out of wine and water on the second day. When there is nothing in the natural, look to the supernatural, because there is no lack there. #1) God used Mary, not because she was the mother of Jesus, but because she was available. She gave herself as a living sacrifice to the Lord. We must be available and willing. God is always looking for someone to stand in the gap. (Ezekiel22:30; Isaiah 6:8) #2) She was used by God because she took their problem as her own. Jesus was moved with compassion. Missionaries must take other people’s problems as their own to go to hard places. Pastor Dale is a game-changer because he has compassion for the Ukrainians. Ezekiel sat where the captives sat for seven days to feel what they felt (Ezekiel 3:15). We cannot serve people if we do not feel their pain. #3) She sought Jesus for the solution. The answer is in Jesus, and He should be the solution to all of our problems. Go to Him first. (Psalm 121:1-2) God is our help. Come to Him, and He will give you rest. The throne of grace is a place of rest between heaven and earth. Sit in heavenly places before walking. #4) She acted by faith. She believed that the wedding would continue to the seventh day. She was sure of a miracle. Jesus’ response to asking why she would involve Him was because He was not in the realm of time. He was the beginning and the end. She said the servants were to do whatever He said. Pastor Demeke shared about his niece who was told by three doctors that she had breast cancer. She declared that God would heal her. She recently was given a test, and there is no cancer there, praise the Lord! Faith works! This is the third day for CWI. It is a time of resurrection and restoration. God is stepping in. A new chapter is starting. Step in and drink the new wine.
Sword of the Spirit – Praying – part 2
(Apostle Dale shared about some things happening in Russia and Ukraine.) Romans 8:26states that the Spirit makes intercession for us. Your prayers pave the road you walk on and put signs on the road of your life. Have a prayer life and follow the Holy Spirit to guide you. Jude 20-21 tells us to build ourselves up in faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. We build ourselves up, but it is in God’s strength, not our own (Ephesians 6:10-18). Realize that you cannot do it and rely on His strength. The battle is the Lord’s, and the victory is ours. Even if you are struggling in your life, God is still Lord. It is a finished work. You are expected to defeat the enemy and your problems, not to be afraid of them. Pray in tongues and pray the Scriptures. The only part of the armor (Ephesians 6) that is offensive and brings external changes is the sword of the Spirit prayed (the Scripture prayed). Apostle Dale shares about a man who fell a couple stories and broke his back. When Apostle Dale yelled at the man screaming in pain to speak out a Scripture, he started quoting the 23rd Psalm. After a confrontation three times with the doctor, the man started repenting to his wife. He was admitted on Saturday with a broken back and went home on Monday without a broken back! Praise God! THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT IS THE SCRIPTURE YOU SPEAK AND PRAY!
Sword of the Spirit: Praying
Ephesians 6:10-19 tells us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of Hismight. The weakest person can be as strong as God is, but apart from Him, we can do nothing. Do not be afraid of the weak and hard times. Enemies are meant for you to defeat in the strength of the Lord. Who would David have been without a Goliath? Teach your enemies a lesson. When you cannot make it, He can. The devil is evil and tricky. God and the devil NEVER agree. God will bring good things around, but He does not cause the bad. Be a person who looks for good. Put on the armor of God so that you can stand against the tricks and strategies of the devil. Do not wrestle against people, but leave the door open for them to come to you after they repent. Dealing with principalities and power in prayer and spiritual warfare is dealing on a higher level than with earthly authorities. Stand against the devil, so you can withstand in the evil day. Standing is warning the devil, “You will NOT take this away!” Do not chase after what Jesus already purchased, but just stand in it. The devil is defeated, so we do not have to wrestle with him. When we stand girded and equipped, we have the sword of the Spirit, praying always with all prayer and supplication. The two-edged sword coming out of His mouth is the Word of God prayed. The Scripture can be applied to your life. Apostle Dale tells of the Spirit using Scripture that he had in him to pray for their son, Ethen. He also shared about the Spirit waking him up at 3 AM to pray Psalm 75. He later found out that that was when Pastor Demidovich had been captured and later released. Pray in the Spirit and let the Spirit lead you to Scriptures to pray. Obey the voice of the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:1). Let the Spirit tell you what to do, and if you obey Him, He will set you high above the nations of the world. If the voice you hear tells you to do anything that violates His commandments, it is not God’s voice you are hearing! (Apostle Dale also shared about upcoming personal changes.) Other Scriptures: Psalm 2:1-8; Acts 4:23-31.
Sept 7, 2014
You Are Not Who You Use To Be
Offering message by Karen Burrows: God wants us to prosper (3 John 2) – spirit, soul, body, family, finances. Decide to agree with what He says about you (Joshua 1:8). Hear and do what He says. Giving is a principle of prospering. God increases and multiplies (2 Corinthians 9:6-11). Sermon: Lucifer (the devil, Satan) could not be like God (Isaiah14:12). He was a worshiper of God, but he brought sin into the earth (Ezekiel 28:12). He is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). Satan is sin. God is love. Satan has no love in him. He is death. In Genesis 1:24-26, we see that God created everything according to its kind. When He created man, He made man after His image, according to their (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit’s) likeness. Genesis 3:1-7 tells us that the serpent (the devil) was cunning, and Eve was not where she was supposed to be. When she and Adam sinned, love drained out of them. Sin and death came through one man (Romans 5:12) and has spread to all men. The ungodly are estranged in their spirit, go astray, and speak lies (Psalm 58:3). After they sinned, Adam and Eve hid, and God’s heart was broken. Their fellowship and covenant with God was broken, but they could have repented (Genesis 3:8-13). We did not fall into the pit of hell (Psalm 9:17) because Jesus went there for us. God told His people that He would give them a heart of flesh and would put His Spirit in them (Ezekiel 36:25). This is possible by covenant. The first covenant made was when God made tunics of skins and clothed Adam and Eve. Jonathan and David made a covenant, which was for future families. Their covenant was based on God. David showed kindness to Jonathan’s kin, Mephibosheth, because of his covenant (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:13-17, 42; 2 Samuel 9:1-8). Covenant representatives must be related. Jesus came as a man. Covenant-makers walked through a split animal, representing living for the other person. What is mine is yours and vice versa. We used to be crippled with sin and fear. Through the Word we were led to salvation. Covenant is the strength of our righteousness. We are at the table with the Father. Coming before the throne of God was sure death, but God sees the blood of Jesus on us. God made Jesus to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). (Josh read a revelation God gave him about the light of Jesus Christ.) Tell others your testimony. You are the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Believe you are love, and you are loved.
Overcoming Fear
[There was a word at the beginning of the sermon about whom will you serve.] Text: Mark 4:35-41. In this passage it mentions that there were other boats with Jesus. Maybe there was a lot of fear in those people in the other boats. Those people benefitted also when Jesus calmed the sea. Sometimes we can experience what someone else is going through, especially when we are helping that other person. Learn what to yield to and what to resist. The disciples were expecting to die. Jesus told us not to worry and that we should not say things about lack or loss (Matthew 6:25-31). We are to ask in faith, not in fear and doubt (James 1:5-6). Are you expecting hope or dread? Fear is contagious. In Luke 8 Jairus would have had reason to fear, especially when the report came that his daughter was dead, but he stayed in faith. Fear will stop your miracle. Do not be afraid but only believe. How can we not be in fear? The God of hope fills us with joy and peace in believing so that we may abound in hope (Romans15:13). He has promised us the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Trusting in man brings a snare, but we are safe if we are trusting in God (Proverbs 29:25). Do not be led by the fear of man. If God tells you to do something, do it! People are held as slaves by fear (Hebrews 2:15). Do not be afraid of death. The Lord is our light and our salvation, whom shall I fear? God will conceal me in the day of adversity. Wait on the Lord. Your assignment: Personalize Psalm 34 and declare it. [Kaytie Lueke shared a testimony about trusting God completely.]
It Is Time for a Visitation
LaVere Soper, a missionary and evangelist from Scotland, preached on the timeline of God’s visitations to the earth starting from 1184. Do we understand what is happening in the world? (Luke 12:56; Luke 19:41-44) The percentage of Christians has dropped compared to the population. God wants to use us now! Romans 13:11 says that our salvation is nearer than we first believed. God can give you a vision of what is going to happen. (Ephesians 5:15-17; Revelation 7:9-10) The revival is coming, and we need to be alert and self-controlled (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6). LaVere compared the number of churches to the number of unreached people groups. (Matthew 24:14; 2 Peter 3:11-12). For what is ahead of us, we must be strong and courageous. Four different times and with four different circumstances, we read that someone (and that includes us) needed to be strong, to be of good courage, not to fear, and not to be dismayed. In Joshua 1:1-9 God was speaking to Joshua. I Deuteronomy 31:1-8 Moses was speaking to Joshua. In 1 Chronicles 28:20 David was speaking to Solomon when he was turning the kingdom over to him. In 2 Chronicles 32:7 Hezekiah told his military captains to be strong and courageous, neither be afraid or dismayed. In Revelation 21:8 God said that cowards will go to the lake of fire. Are you willing to die for Jesus? An extremely high number of people are martyred every day for their faith. How can you be strong? It is a command. There are seven keys that make it possible to be bold, courageous, not fear, and not be dismayed. 1) Deuteronomy 31:6 tells us the Lord goes with us. 2) He does not leave or forsake us. 3) He goes before us. God has already finished the works He has for you to do. 4) Joshua 1:8 God is not a respecter of persons. 5) 2 Chronicles 32:7 says there are more with us than with the enemy. 6) 2 Chronicles 32:8 tells us that the Lord is with us to fight our battles. 7) 1 Chronicles 28:20 He will not leave until the job is finished. What are the reasons that we can be motivated? 1) We will inherit the promises of God (Deuteronomy 31:7). 2) No man shall be able to stand before us. (Joshua 1:5). 3) Obeying God prospers you wherever you go (Joshua 1:7). What are some practical things for you to do? 1) Seek God (2 Chronicles 15:2-15. 2) Be loyal to God (2 Chronicles 16:9). 3) Hear and received words and prophecies of God. Get fear out of your mind and soul by filling your mind with faith. The more faith you put into yourself, the less room there is for fear. [Communion was served.]
Overcoming Fear: Resting in His Word- Aug 24
Psalm 91 belongs to us and tells us that we do not need to fear any evil. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. Ask yourself what you are expecting? Are you in fear or in faith? A spirit of fear will grow on you if you yield to it. Fear is a spirit. We are a spirit. The spirit of faith is not knowledge. We are to operate in it. The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of faith. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. Fear is so pervasive that it can become a basis of what we do. Ask God to show you where you have been operating in a spirit of fear. Root out fear! It is our responsibility to walk in faith. Rest, taking hold of His Word and promises.
Overcoming Fear – Resting in His Word
Offering message: Karen Burrows gave an inspirational word about finances. Is our praying complaining? God told Charles Capps, “I would appreciate it if you would stop telling Me what the devil said.” We bind God by the words of our own mouth. We must change our confession and agree with God’s Word. Confess aloud God’s promises. Sow more in tough times with joy. Sermon: Fear can influence our decisions and bind us up. Fear goes to whoever yields to it. Text: Mark 4:35-41. One way to get a truth down in you is to hear it again and again. Ask God to show you where you have yielded to fear, and then yield to His Spirit in faith. Fear is invasive. Choose to resist fear. Pastor Syd shares the testimony of overcoming fear which was trying to fill him and his wife in her high-risk pregnancy by confessing the Word and getting agreement with a faith-buddy. Pastor Dale used his authority to command the spirit of death to leave, and she was healed. During times when you are in the thick of things, you need to have someone, who is not emotionally attached, to come alongside to help you. We have authority over fear. The name of Jesus is greater than any phobia. Have a faith-buddy. Do not hide fear or be so full of pride that you do not ask for help. There is a spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The Spirit of Jesus is the spirit of faith. Both the spirit of fear and the spirit of faith want to use your tongue. What do we do with fear? #1) We resist it. #2) We replace it with the Word of God. For every fear that would bind you up, there is a truth that will set you free. Where there is fear, there is no rest. Paul said that they had no rest, because there were troubles and fears, but God comforted them (2 Corinthians 7:5). To get rid of nightmares, go to bed without fear. No demon can force you to fear. Pastor Syd shared about the ALS challenge and what he learned about ALS. As he was reading that it can happen to anyone, fear tried to come in. He immediately replaced it with the Word. The first person mentioned having his part in the lake of fire in verse 8 of Revelation 21 is the coward (Revelation 21:6-8). The other sins named are based on fear. When you have the truth before you, but you are afraid to operate on it, there is no more help for you. Yielding to fear keeps you from being an overcomer. Those who believe, enter the rest (Hebrews 3:12-4:12). Monitor peace and joy in your life. We can be at rest believing in His promises and His Word since the foundation of the world. We can rest in the truth that our righteousness is in Christ, not in any works. Make every effort to enter into His rest in the Word. Declare the Word as truth over your problem. Live in love and have boldness. Love drives out and has no room for fear (1 John 4:15-18). Fear is a form of hell on earth. Heaven is living love, peace, and joy. Job yielded to the spirit of fear. Psalm 91 is a place of resting.
Aug 17
Overcoming Fear – part 2 – Yield to Faith
Text: Mark 4:35-41. God’s Word carries us to the power of God. God had to speak to bring forth the power of God (at and since creation). Do not hide fear, but walk in faith. There are times when you need to command, rather than to pray. When you have God’s Word, and He has already said something to you, you command whatever would try to hinder or stop that from happening to leave in Jesus’ name. Jesus could command because He was saying what the Father had already said. Praying is asking; the disciples were praying because they were in fear and did not yield to faith in what Jesus had said. There are difference levels of fear and faith. The difference is how much you yield to one or the other. Fear is a spirit and must be dealt with spiritually, not mentally. Resist and command fear to go (John 14:1, 26-27). We have believed and therefore speak because we have the same spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13). The spirit of fear and the spirit of faith are both looking for someone to come into and express themselves through. Speak His Word. The spirit of faith will come because you have yielded to it. Romans 10:17 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. Fear of death is the power of death (Hebrews 2:14-15). Beware that many ads use fear to get you to buy their products. Do not let fear come in, but yield to faith. Satan cannot force you into fear, nor can Jesus force you into faith. How can you tell if you are in faith or fear? Faith accompanies hope. Fear accompanies dread. If you have no rest, you are in fear. Job said what he feared came upon him. Fear starts an expectation of whatever you are fearful of. That expectation is a force that causes an intersection later. What do you do with fear? You resist it and replace it. Guard your heart and do not yield to fear (Isaiah 7:2-4). The Lord is with you to fight your battles (2 Chronicles 32). Faith never brags on its opponent. For every fear that will put you in bondage there is a truth that will set you free.
Aug 10
Overcoming Fear
In Mark 4:35-41, after His teaching on the Parable of the Sower, Jesus told His disciples that they were going to the other side of the lake. That word was the seed, and His disciples heard it. However, cares and fear overtook them when their boat was filling up because of a violent storm and high waves. Jesus was sleeping, and after rebuking the wind and calming the sea, He rebuked them for not believing His word. Everything that God tells you to do has the grace in it for it to be done. Being obedient does not mean you will never have storms. When storms come, the devil will tell you that you were not obedient, and if you believe him, fear and doubt come in. Psalm 34:17 tells us that God delivers us from destructions. He does not say that we will not have problems but that you can come through them unscathed. Get rid of nightmares by changing what you are thinking about when you go to bed. Fear is a spirit. It does not go away by mental exercise. The enemy will often tell you that God does not love you. Do not question God’s love for you or His character. Faith works through love. We must believe that He loves us. God will NOT abandon you in any crisis. The power is in the Word of God. When He gives you a word, speak to the mountain, and it must be removed. Find God’s Word and speak it in Jesus’ name. In Acts 27:9-24 Paul spiritually saw trouble ahead on a voyage he had to take, but when the storm lasted for days and days, he did not command the storm to stop. Why? An angel of the Lord told him not to be afraid, that he and all the other people on the ship would arrive. Why did the angel tell him not to be afraid? It was so that he would know the will of God in the situation and so that fear and doubt could not get in, if he believed the angel. Faith begins where the will of God is known. God leads you by a spirit of peace, but you need to follow His leading. Determine God’s will for yourself and let Him guide you by His peace. How do you know if it is the devil putting fear on you or God warning you? If it inspires fear, it is of the devil. If it is of peace, it is from God, even if it does not make sense. We need to have a sincere and genuine faith that believes what God has promised. We should build each other up in our faith (2 Timothy 1:2-5). Fear is a spirit, so take authority over it, and even better, do not let it in. Only Caleb and Joshua believed the Lord when they spied out the Promised Land. Caleb had a different spirit – one of faith (Numbers 14:24). Listen to the Holy Spirit; He will guide you (John 14:1, 26, 27). Speak to fear and tell it to get out! Make null and void any agreements you may have made with the devil. Do not let fear in!
Prosperity: Your Part, God’s Part
(This sermon dovetails to Saturday evening’s.) Texts: Philippians 4:6-9; Joshua 1:5-9; Deuteronomy 28:1-2. You do not know how much stress you carry, because it accumulates. Stress spiritually produces “static” making it hard to hear God. Get worry out of your life, letting every care be turned into a prayer request with praise and thanksgiving. It stops Satan’s firing worry at you. Live in the peace of God keeping your heart and mind. To get rid of bad thoughts replace them with greater thoughts. Think on the good things and then do them. No peace? Are you thinking the good things? Are you doing the good things? Stir yourself up to be strong and of good courage and then do what He tells you to do. Actions can be scary, but let faith get you up and doing. Prosperity is linked to action. The reason you meditate is so you know what to do. What is your part in prosperity? Listen to God’s voice for what He has told you to do, observe and do it (obey), walk in holiness, and obey His moral commandments. You will make your way prosperous. What is God’s part? It shall come to pass that blessings shall overtake you, and you will have good success.
Prosperity: Listening to God’s Voice and Obeying Him
Text: Philippians 4:6-9. Be anxious for nothing, but by prayer and supplication and with thanksgiving, pray to God and His peace will keep (guard) your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. The screening process for our minds is to think on the noble, just, pure, lovely, good report, virtue, and praise-worthy things. Those are the things that you are to do and then you’ll have peace and prosperity. Get rid of the apathy in your life. We are told in Joshua 1:5-8 to be strong and very courageous. Be strong to do what He has already told you to do. The love of God is unconditional, but His blessings are not. Do according to the law (the moral law) and then you make your way prosperous. Courage is tied to prosperity. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 admonishes us to listen to the voice of the Lord, and then we must be strong and courageous to obey it. Find out what God has told you to do and do it! Apostle Dale shared the wondrous things God did in the meetings he had in the Ukraine as he listened to God’s voice and then acted in obedience. The root of faith is obedience. The blessings overtake you when diligently obey the voice of the Lord. Tithing and giving are just part of prosperity. The other part of prosperity is obedience to do what God has told you to do.
Miracles By Faith
Message is similar to July 26, but is condensed. Pastor Syd has found three conditions in the miracles he has seen in his own life. They are: #1 Having a great desire or desperation; #2 Finding the Word of God concerning your situation; and #3 Releasing your faith by speaking it out and acting on it. Luke 18:1-8 tells about persistent faith. The trial of your faith is patience, the lapse of time until you see the manifestation. The gospel is the power of God (Romans 1:16-19). We will press in when we see God as our only source, and we don’t back off of it. Pastor Syd shares how he believed God for a set of new tires and how God provided for them without his sharing the need with anyone else. We have God’s thoughts, and He has revealed the deep things to His people. Find the will of God for your situation by getting His Word on it, and then you can pray according to it. Don’t be money-led. His power is in His Word, and when you take it like a pill, it releases His power and faith. Pastor Syd relates how the Lord supernaturally told him to which school to send his son. In Luke 17:11-19 the ten lepers were cleansed because they were desperate and acted on Jesus’ word to go to the priest. The one leper who returned to thank Jesus was saved and made whole – spirit and body (sozo). Pastor Syd demonstrated point #3 by the supernatural way God took care of their need for their house after the economic crash in 2008. In Acts 14:7-10 a lame man heard the gospel, had faith that could be seen, and then released that faith by acting on it by leaping up and walking. You can stand on the Word, because it will work for you. Release your faith by speaking and acting as though it is true.