Shift Happens, Sermon 02/07/2010

Posted on February 15, 2010 by growintheword

Shift happens
Synopsis of Sermon 02/07/10
Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Text: Song of Solomon 2:10-13

After David’s adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, David eventually married Bathsheba. To them was born a son who would ultimately inherit the throne of Israel. The name would be Solomon. Solomon’s name in Hebrew equates to the name shalom. Shalom in Hebrew means peace. Shalom means the kind of peace that comes from being in harmony God and with man. Shalom implies wholeness. In the book of Kings, we are reminded that Solomon wrote 1005 songs, but only the one we preach from today survived. Solomon also wrote 3000 Proverbs that are attributed to him, but we only have about a dozen that are recorded in scripture. In 1 Kings 3.5-15, God comes to Solomon in Gibeon and gives him a blank check so to speak. God says to him, if there is anything that he wants, all he would have to do is ask, and God would make it happen. Solomon with that great opportunity chose wisdom. Above all else, he wanted the wisdom to judge between the nations. As a result God not only gave him wisdom, he gave him, great wealth, and great prosperity. It would be that wisdom that Solomon would use to lead Israel through some interesting days. It is important to know that when God moves, he always has a purpose and plan in his movement. There is a point in time when God will choose to shift us into something else. Just when you are comfortable where you are, God will shift you into something else. There comes a time when you recognize the progressiveness of God. When you realize how progressive God is, you realize that being stagnant is not an option. No matter where you are in your situation know that God loves you too much to leave you where you are. God will not leave you in an emotional rut. God will not leave you in a spiritual illusion. God cares too much about us. God is always shifting us. Things around us are shifting. Even the world or earth is shifting. The global warming that is going on, people believe is a result of the earth shifting and correcting itself. Shifts do happen. The scripture even suggests that all of creation is groaning waiting for the adoption, waiting for the manifestation of the son’s of God. In this metaphorical and theological book, we have a glimpse of Solomon and a woman. It really helps us to get an insight to the love of God to his people. The Essence of God not only understands where we are, it challenges us to be where we need to be. Love affirms us, shifts us, and reminds us that God has more for our life. God is providently up to something. He is spiritually shifting us. Stop whining about what happens, because shifts happen. Know that God is sending this word as confirmation to tell you that you are about to walk in the greatest seasons of your life. This will be a season where God will silence your enemies. This will be a season that God will blow your mind. Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of men the things he has in store for your life. You are here at the right time and right place. The shifts that will occur in your life are inevitable. The shifts are going to happen with you or without you and you ought to make up in your mind that you are going to be where God wants you to be. We are not going to miss the shift
I. Ready to accept separation
Song of Solomon 2:10 says 10My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
1. God will separate –God will separate you from places that you have become comfortable. Remember in Genesis 12:1, God told Abraham to rise up and go to a land he would show them. Genesis 12:1:1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: -There are some of you that know God had to get you out of your comfort zone before your full destiny would unfold. You will never walk into your destiny, until you have the courage to come up out of places that have historically become too comfortable. The way in which God does this is by revelation.
a. God always sends his words when he is ready to shift you. Some wonder if God knows if you exist judging by what you are going though. God knows exactly where to find you. God knows exactly where you are.
2. Too many people are looking for signs. Many of us want a sign from God, so we will know when it is time to shift. God said that what Gentiles seek after signs. You need to know that you can get a revelation from God yourself. God speaks to you through your Pastor every week. God is sending you a revelation. Look at Israel. In Exodus chapters 6, 7, 8, 9, all of the chapters start with the phrase, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses…” When you understand that God will send his word, you have to understand that it is a moot point if you don’t’ have relationship with God. It is about relationship!
3. Beloved is word of endearment – This word beloved that is mentioned in verse 10 implies relationship. When you are in relationship with God, no matter what is trying to rob you of your value, God will affirm to you, who you are. God loves you. God specializes in reaffirming you and letting you know that you are loved by him. Get up and come and be where God wants you to be. Many people miss this because they have:
a. Limited exposure-This is because you do not have vision. You won’t be able to see beyond your zip code. You need to ask the Lord to give you vision. You need to hang around people that you have not seen before that will help you get where you are supposed to be.
b. Lack of experience-God has to let us go through, so you may gain wisdom and strength. We have to give God the glory for all of it.
c. Love and empower- God wants to love and empower us. Without the experiences, we would not gain this. Song of Solomon 1:6 says 6Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. – This scripture has nothing to do with racial issues. This is a statement about how being exposed to the elements have impacted this person. He did not have a covering, but as a result he has people angry with him. He has poured out to others, and he has no one to poor out to him. They are labeling him and giving him titles that he does not represent who he is. God doesn’t call us what others call us. He says in this scripture, come here my fair one. God will love you past your past. God will love you past your addictions and your mistakes. We are glad that he looks beyond our faults and supplies all of our needs. We give God glory that he is love. We are not going to let anything separate us from him.
4. We told you at the beginning of this that this is not a physical shift. This shift is a call back to God. You can go to Atlanta or Chicago or wherever, but if you don’t get back to God, everything in your life will be jacked up.
II. Ready to embark upon a new season
Song of Solomon 2:11 says 11For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
1. The impacts of things that have happened to you in your past linger in your spirit. You’ve been through with it, but it is not through with you.
2. You go through seasons of spiritual ambiguity.
a. Winter –This is seasons of withdrawal, introspection, and non-involvement. It is that time we don’t want to be bothered. We are here, but we are withdrawn. We are at a place where we got to figure things out. Even some of us that shout the most have been through some spiritual winters.
b. Rain – This demonstrates the Grace of God. This seems paradoxical. During this season, we are already in a place where we are trying to figure things out, but God will allow storms to come on top of all we are already going through. What we don’t know is that God has packaged grace inside these storms. God is watering the ground through the winter, so when Spring comes, the ground will be rich enough to bring the harvest. What is happening to you (the storm) is going to bless you.
c. Grace.
i. Astrological Grace-Grace is astrological. It is just in the right place like the sun. God puts the sun in the sky just at the right axis. If he had put it a little to the north, we would freeze. If he put it too far to the south, we would burn up.
ii. Anthropomorphic Grace- This is an example how God can take all the messed up elements of our life, dip it in blood, and then make us whiter than snow.
iii. Agricultural grace- God waters the ground with rain. The stuff in the ground is blessed, though right now it is hidden. Out of the rain will come a great harvest. God says he knows you have been though the winter and rain, but the winter has passed and winter is over and gone. In other words, the worst is over and gone now. God says shifts happen. This is not just another dimension. This is a new season. It is time for something better! Winter didn’t come to stay and storms don’t last always. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. All things work together for them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
III. Rejoice in your enduring see
Song of Solomon 2:12-13 says 12The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
I am glad I had seed in the ground. Our seed endured the winter. Our seed was deep in the dirt and darkness often fertilized by manure. Shift happens! We thank God that our seed endured! In verses 12 and 13, God says one more time, you better come on! God says we can stay in the rut if you want, but a shift has happened. Even the birds know it. Nature knows it. We are God’s greatest creation, yet we fail to know it. God is about to bring about a harvest that is about to blow our mind. He is going to replenish you. You planted in the winter and you stayed faithful and kept serving him and now God says he is about to bring about a harvest that is about to blow your mind. What is ahead is better than what’s been. Your sickest days are behind you! Your broke-est days are behind you! God is about to shift you!
There are people that don’t realize that this shift has nothing to do with the physical calendar. This shift is so profound, you can be in another place and people around you might not even notice that you have shifted. You don’t respond to the same things you used to. Things that used to impress you, doesn’t impress you anymore. It is Spring time in the spirit. You about to walk into the greatest manifestation you have ever gone through before. Get ready for new ideas and new growth. Shift Happens!

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Are you relationship essentials, Bible Study 2/03/10

Posted on February 5, 2010 by growintheword

Are you relationship ready Pt 2
7 Principles of relationship essentials
Synopsis of Bible Study 2.3.10
Delivered by Bishop Walker III

I. Raise your standards
1. Learn the power of raising your standard. You can only receive what you expect to receive. If your standards are low, you will attract low people.
a. Want somebody that is Saved-You need to have somebody that is saved, if you want a relationship that will last. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 says 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.- We are saved but we are evolving and growing. We are coming into this knowledge of truth.
Amos 3:3 says 3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?,
2 Corinthians 6:14 says 14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? – It is important that a person has a relationship with Jesus Christ, especially one that you consider to be in relationship with. If you are already married to a person, you ought to want to raise your standards and see the importance of being saved. When we are saved and go to bed, we know angels watch over us. When the other person in the relationship is not saved, we don’t know what is watching over them. Don’t have a messianic complex. This is going into a relationship thinking that you can save somebody. You can’t save anybody. They have to have a relationship with Jesus Christ for themselves. You can be friends with a person that needs saving and you can help them, but it is not healthy to be in relationship with them.
b. Want somebody filled with the spirit-Can be lead by my own account, but what is important; I must be filled with the spirit. Ephesians 5:17says 17Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.- You ought to want to be in relationship with people who want to do what God’s will is. When a person is spirit lead, they make good decisions. They are not led by their emotions. Instead they are led by their convictions.
c. Want to be in relationship with someone who is progressive thinking- When you are a progressive thinker, you can get real agitated with someone that doesn’t think outside of the box. If we got to bring a person out of yesterday into today, then they are already two days behind. You got to have people who are trend setters.
d. Want someone that has a desire to be employed- There are people that don’t have jobs by no fault of their own. This is understandable, however, people that don’t have a job ought to have a desire to have one. I person that doesn’t have a desire to work is a deal breaker. This is about a person’s character. Proverbs 22:29 (NIV) says 29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men. – This type of person who searches for opportunities.
Proverbs 12:11 says 11He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.-We need somebody who works. We need a harvest. We don’t need people that are always saying they are trying to put something together. This is fantasy. Fantasies are not going to pay NES. While you are putting things together, this brings frustration into the relationship. There should be no job that is beneath you other than those that compromise your convictions.
e. Personal Hygiene-Raise your standard! People ought to take care of themselves. They ought to appreciate things like soap, groomed hair, toothpaste, and etc… 1 Corinthians 6:20 says 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. – We need to glorify God with our body. You got to learn how to take care of yourself. Don’t’ just throw something on when you go out. If something happens, the camera will be on you.
f. Communication- You ought to want to have someone that has an appreciation for the English language. You ought to want to be with someone that is well rounded and be able to talk on several different subjects. People are not interested in taking people somewhere and having to be scared for them to talk. Adam and Eve lost the garden by not communicating. Adam never asked Eve where the fruit came from. Communication in marriage is like light. Relationships are dualistic. It is about heat and light. Heat is passion. Light is knowledge which comes from communication. In beginning of a marriage there is a lot of heat or passion, but if there is no communication, when the pilot light goes dim there is nothing to do but sit on the porch with nothing to talk about. Circumstances can come and blow the pilot light out. It is hard to have heat when you get laid off so you will need something to bring the heat back. We need to be able to talk so that we may be able to bring the heat back on. We have to do a better job talking.
g. We need someone that is family oriented-When family or in-laws come in, you say you going up stairs until they leave. You need to look at how a person interacts with their family. Watch how they treat their mother or father. This will give you an insight on how they will treat you. For example, if you want to know how a person will treat you as a wife, look at how they treat their mom and vice versa. God brings us together, because he wants us to be family oriented.
II. Refuse to settle
1. When you raise your standards, stay true to it.
a. I will not compromise my destiny. Jeremiah 29:11says 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – God has a destination for us. God created us to do something or to solve a problem. Everything you do in life must validate what God called you to do. You don’t want anybody coming into your life that will complicate that. You were already complete, so that didn’t come into your life to complete you. They came to work alongside you and you work alongside them so that your destinies join together. You shouldn’t have to give up your dreams to be with somebody.
b. I will not sacrifice my children on the altar of my relationship –Some people want to be with someone so bad that they will neglect their own children for them. Some men will neglect their children in order to be with the new woman. The women will neglect their children to be with the new man. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says 33Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. – Bad communication corrupts good manners. Bad company makes bad character. You get around people and it causes you to do stuff you normally wouldn’t do.
c. I will not compromise my morals and convictions. Ephesians 6:13 says 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.- You got to have something that you stand for. Some people compromise everything just to have somebody.
d. I will not allow myself to believe that what God promised me does not exist – If God promised it to me, I believe it exists. He wouldn’t have promised it if it didn’t exist. Psalm 37:4-5 says 4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.5Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.-It might take a while, but if you trust God, he will bring it to past.
III. Retain self control
1. If you don’t maintain self control, then you are out of control.
a. Be slow to anger – Galatians 5:23 says 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Proverbs 25:28 says 28He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls. – This scripture describes a person out of control. If we carry anger from other relationships and keep it pinned up, then it can bring on other stuff in future and current relationships. Ex- You fall out about orange juice being put in the refrigerator almost empty, then next thing you know it goes back to something that happened two or three yrs ago. We need to make a pact not to argue or raise your voice. The only time we should raise our voice is when there is a fire. This is self control. You will be surprised how arguing and raising your voice will affect your kids. Sometimes, when you argue, it scares your kids.
b. Must have hormone control-the church is funny. The church doesn’t like to deal with the normal psychological challenges with people. They would rather deal with topical solutions or temporary relief, rather than extraction. It’s like a toothache. Instead of going to the dentist, we grab some Orajel. We lay hands on a guy and when he gets up, he is still somebody with an underlying issue. We have to get to the root of a person’s problem. Ex- We thank God that as a man, they have the psychological issue of female attraction. This is normal. The problem is when they lust. This takes it a step further. This is sin. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says 18Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. – We must run from sin. Don’t try to confront it, just run! We must have control of our hormones.
IV. Regimen of spirituality
1. We have to have a regimen that keeps us focused.
2. Every man reading this that is married or desires to be, pay attention to this next scripture. Mark 3:27 says 27No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.- The devil wants to get men tied up and bound. 60 to70 percent of struggles that are found in a home today is often a direct result of a man being bound. Men, you have to be the Pastor of your household. Your Pastor can’t pastor your home.
a. Church Attendance together – Joshua 24:15 says 15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. – As a wife, you shouldn’t have to drag your husband to church. You ought to be able to attend church with your mate.
b. Praying together. When you ask that person can they pray for you, and they ask for you to pray, this won’t work. You need somebody with boldness and who will call your name out before the Lord. You have to be able to cover each other. Psalm 127:1 says 1Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
c. Developing devotion that works for you. – Sometimes your devotion might just be talking about the day and wrapping it around a scripture. You have to find out what works for your household. It doesn’t have to be so structured.
V. Recognize the need for space
“Where you going, to the store, can I go?”
1. Don’t be so clingy. Sometimes we crowd people because of our insecurities. We try to camouflage it by saying we just want to be with that person.
2. You don’t want to be with someone who does not have friends. There is a reason they don’t have friends. 1 Samuel 18:1 says 1And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.-David and Jonathan were like best friends. People need positive relationships outside relationships and marriage. Men need to have freedom to go and man up! Women need positive women time too. The keyword here is you don’t want to hang out with people that talk negative about the relationship that you are in. Men, you ought to be happy to release your wife to positive woman. A positive woman might be able to give positive advice on how to minister to you. There are things that you might not want to talk specifically about to your spouse and you need to talk to someone from the same sex that can give you realistic advice.
3. Accept the fact that you cannot be each other’s everything.
4. Space and grace- We give you the pace and the grace to have a life outside of us. You don’t have to like it, but recognize the need for it.
VI. Righteous submission
1. Take a look at how people feel about their spiritual leaders. Hebrews 13:17 says 17Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
2. Take a look at how a person respects their elders. 1 Peter 5:5 says 5Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. – When you are in a relationship, watch how your mate handles authority and it will show if they can handle submission. If a man doesn’t do well with authority, then he is not going to keep a job long. If a woman can’t handle authority, she is not going to handle submission well. Ephesians 5:21-33 says 21Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. 22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. – There are people that have a fundamental problem with submission. Many struggle with submission. To the women, submission is not a bad thing. If your husband loves you well enough, they can love you into submission. You will find yourself submitting because you feel appreciated. Note that your husband however, has to be submitted to God. Don’t be with someone that is not submitting to God.
VII. Ready for sacrifice
1. It is an amazing thing when people come together in a relationship. It is a sacrifice. All of your DNA, all your history, and all your upbringing is inside of you. The person you come together with has the same stuff going on inside of them. It doesn’t mean something is wrong with your relationship if you bump heads every now and then. You can’t walk away from a relationship just because of that. When we enter a relationship, we unite with somebody we don’t know and as a result we have to learn each other. It is about sacrifice.
2. 3 classes of sacrifice
a. Determined-Commitment that comes from love is our responsibility.
b. Disguises- Perverted because a person has hidden agenda. They sacrifice until they get you and then after that, it’s a wrap.
c. Divine-Mandate from God. We do it because of what God’s word says.
3. 6 things that happen when you refuse to sacrifice
a. Escape my responsibility.
b. You miss God.
c. You prove to God that you cannot be trusted.
d. You live off the sacrifices of others.
e. You rob others
f. Cause others to have to make painful adjustments. They have to do things they weren’t supposed to do, trying to take up your slack.
4. 1 Corinthians 13:4 says 4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, – Some suffering builds things. Suffering means we are willing to do the work necessary to achieve our goal. For men it means we are willing to suffer through our mate crying, when it hasn’t anything to do with us, until you are ready to talk about it. For women it means we are willing to suffer though us their husbands watching ESPN and not paying attention to you. It means we are willing to work on some things. The whole point of long suffering is you can’t just give up. All that you do in wedding should have been done because you agree to suffer long. Just because you come to a roadblock, it is not an invitation to say that you are done. Those of you who are single, make sure your anchor holds. We have incredible value and gifts and anointing on our life. You are worth the long suffering. If you are not tired of you, nobody else should be tired of you. If someone loves you, they won’t get tired of you. God got a million reasons to be tired of us, yet he is right there with us and so should our mate. Because God loves us this way, this becomes our model to show us how our mate should love us.

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We need your glory, Sermon 01/31/10

Posted on February 5, 2010 by growintheword

We need your glory
Synopsis of Sermon 02/02/10
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text 2 Chronicles 7:1-11
There is powerful thing we carry within us as children of God. It is expectation. Expectation is that which propels us away from our current reality and causes us to hope for something greater. Expectation literally declares that we may be in process, but we recognize that God has something else on the other side of our journey. What is interesting is, when you are expecting something, it is often times demonstrated through your language, your vernacular, and your posture. When you have expectation, there is victory in your vernacular. There is spirituality in your syntax. There is a sense of anticipation that bubbles over so much that even when people sit around you, they wonder why you are so antsy. Well the answer is, because you are expecting something.
In our text today, as we look at the temple being built, in Solomon’s day, we are encouraged to see an incredible move of God. The people were expecting for the completion of the temple to take place. The bible declares that when Solomon made it to the end of his prayer, fire from heaven came down and consumed the burnt offering. People had lain on the altar what they had to offer, but God sent down fire and it consumes it. The bible declares shortly after that, the glory of the Lord filled the house.
Let’s take a minute to understand the glory of the Lord. Remember in Exodus 40:35 says 35And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. – We are acquainted with what happened when Moses was not allowed to enter the tent, because the cloud was there and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The cloud was the glory, the presence of the God, a divine interruption, a supernatural intervention into the affairs of a child of God’s life. Whenever the glory of God comes, it will interrupt protocol. The glory of God will come and rearrange your little program. You can have it all written out, but when the glory of God comes, you have to stand back and reverence the glory of God, because when he shows up, he shows up to show out. We believe those who come through the snow to hear this message in person didn’t come here for business as usual. You didn’t press your way through all that ice, just to have another service. Somebody was desperate for an encounter with the very glory of God. Many of us have some things that we are expecting for God to do this year. Somebody is expecting a healing, somebody’s expecting God to restore a broken relationship, and somebody’s expecting God to open a door that has been closed all your life. All of those things are going to happen. Matthew 6:33 says 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – The kingdom of God is God’s way of doing things, God’s order, and God’s domination coming down into the earth realm. We need a divine intervention. There are some things we have been working on and we have become weary trying to complete it, but we want God to finish what we can’t finish. We need the power of the glory of God. Lord send your glory! Lord send your glory so that every that is crooked will get straight! Send your glory so that people that are sick will get healed! Send your glory, so that every unemployed person gets employed! Send your glory so that every broken relationship becomes restored! Send your glory so that everything the devil tries to take from us will be given back! Lord send your glory so that we may experience your power and your presence like never before! Is there anybody reading this that wants the presence and the power of God to fall fresh on their life?
In the text we notice why the people are yet building, they are working on something.
I. Work on something
2 Chronicles 7:1-2: 1Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. 2And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD’s house.
1. Like this, many of us are working and building on something in our lives. Many of us had to rebuild, because of stuff that happened last year (in the recession). God says we really need to understand that when God’s glory comes, he comes to fill the house, not just a particular room. God’s glory comes to take over. It comes to take total dominion over everything in your life.
2. Solomon had prayed and the scripture says when he finished praying, fire from heaven came down and the glory of God came in. In verses 1-3, we see the glory of his presence. – Make no mistake; regardless of your position or title, when God comes into your life, you have to respect his reverence. The bible declares that everyone began to worship God. God will not share his glory with anyone. We have to get ourselves out of the way. Understand that worship intels submission.
3. The bible says that when they saw the fire come down and they saw the glory of the Lord, they began to worship God. Many of us don’t worship, because we don’t’ see anything, but whenever you see God moving in your midst, you see a power moving that is greater than yourself. It will create within you a sense of worship and authenticity that says that God don’t have to necessarily do anything. We just reverence him for who he is. When we look back at where God has brought us from, we are willing to just bask in his glory. Can you imagine what that feels like, to be in a relationship with God and know that he doesn’t have to move in any capacity in order to please us? All he has to do is just be present. His presence in our midst is enough to make us raise our hands and give God the praise. Real worshippers are people who can worship God in spirit and in truth. When you worship God, it is not only something that you do, it something you are. It is how you treat people. You can’t be nice in here and curse people outside. It is about your willingness to worship him. In worship, you don’t need the organ or drums or somebody to say stand to your feet to pump you up. Every day you recognize that you are blessed to be alive and you thank God for the things money can’t buy. The reaction to God’s glory is worship.
4. What is interesting is how they move from worship to praise.
II. Move from worship to praise
1. Many of us have been taught and rightly so, that praise leads to worship. We are taught that it is our praise that breaks through the fallow ground. It is our praise that pushes through our stress and our trouble and once we arrive at this place in the presence of God, we can relax and just worship God, because in his presence there is fullness of joy and at his right hand are treasures evermore. This is why we have praise and worship.
2. It is both interesting and paradoxical that in this text is the idea that these people of God worshiped God first and then they moved to praise. It is interesting that they would actually worship God or enter into the presence of God before they praised God. Normally it is the other way around. The revelation that God wants us to get is that God needs some people to fall back in love with him. He says he needs some people to fall in love with his presence rather than his presents. Many of us fall in love with the gifts, but have fallen out of love with the giver and the reality is, if you can fall back in love with God and say to him “Before you do anything , before you bless me, let me just give you glory for who you are”, then you will get in his presence. This will cause us to reflect back over our life and see his goodness. The bible says they praised him for his goodness and his mercy. We don’t have to spend a lot of time on this; because there are a lot of people reading this that we know God has been good to them. You can just think about what God has done for you and just praise God. You can look back over your life and think about all the stuff that you have complained about and you can say Lord I thank you for your goodness. God’s been good.
3. Verse 3 says they began to praise the Lord. 2 Chronicles 7:3 says 3And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. – They were saying he is good for his mercy endureth forever. Translation, God is so good, I can’t believe that he is good to somebody like me, because when we look at how messed up were, and how much we don’t deserve it, his mercy kicks in. Goodness and mercy just keeps on coming. Every time God blesses us, when somebody asks how God did it, we can simply say it was God’s mercy.
4. How did we get that mercy? Anybody know about God’s goodness and his mercy? God’s goodness and his mercy travel with us. David said look over your shoulder because goodness and mercy follows you all the days of your life. God is just good. Give me 30 sec to praise him by myself, because God is just that good. God healed our body, put food on our table, and made a way out of no way, got us through the snow without running off the road, got us a job that we didn’t deserve it, and restored stuff that we didn’t think we would get back. God is just good.
5. When the glory came, the bible says they worshipped God. The scripture says they praised him for his goodness and mercy, because it endures forever. They were working on something for the glory of God and the glory of God came down in their midst and caused them to reverence his glory, get out of the way, and recognize who was there (God).
6. The bible declares that we have to examine the giving of the people.
III. Giving of the people
2 Chronicles 7:4-5: 4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5And king Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty and two thousand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thousand sheep: so the king and all the people dedicated the house of God.
1. The King and all the people offered sacrifices to the Lord, because they were working on something. King Solomon offered a sacrifice of 22,000 oxen. We don’t have ox. This was an agricultural society so this was revenue to them. It also says he gave 120,000 sheep. We don’t have sheep either. This was revenue to them also. So the king and all the people dedicated the house of the Lord. They dedicated the house of the Lord, because the leaders gave first and when the leaders gave, the people followed.
2. The glory of God really represents completion. Whenever the glory of the Lord shows up, it is s subtle reminder that it is time to complete something. God is a completer. When Jesus Christ came into his glory, it was at Calvary. Jesus says it is finished. When God created the world, he did it in 6 days and on 7th day he rested because he completed it. He says I am the alpha and omega. He says I am the first and the last. He says he is the beginning and the end. Wherever the glory is, there must be completion. The issue is, many of us walk around saying we are going to give him glory, yet we have a lot of incomplete stuff in our life. For that we give him glory, but he won’t give us glory. We not only need to give him glory, we want him to bring his glory down to us. God says he will not allow his glory to come down until we show we are ready to complete something. God doesn’t have time to fool with incomplete people. God says he has already completed what we are working on; he just needs us to step in and complete it ourselves. The glory is a reminder of our need to complete things. Many of us are sitting around with stuff that God needs us to complete. That book we have been waiting to write, that business plan you need to implement; God needs us to complete some stuff. God says he is about to send his glory as a subtle reminder that we need to complete some things. God is a God of completion. When we complete a thing, it represents glory.
3. Everyone in this text understood their role, but they also understood the goal.
IV. Understand the Goal
2 Chronicles 7:6: 6And the priests waited on their offices: the Levites also with instruments of musick of the LORD, which David the king had made to praise the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever, when David praised by their ministry; and the priests sounded trumpets before them, and all Israel stood.
1. The text says and the priest waited on their offices. The priest had a function in the temple. They served their purpose. The Levites or the musicians served their purpose, because the mercy of the Lord endures forever and David praised by their ministry. And the priest sounded their trumpets before them and all of Israel stood. Everybody was on one accord. Some people can’t finish what they are supposed to do, because they get so caught up in the roles, they lose sight of the goal. If we just learn how to function in our role, we will realize that some of our roles will overlap to help us accomplish the goal. While you are arguing over position and turf, you might miss the goal.
2. The bible says that Solomon hallowed out the middle court. 2 Chronicles 7:7 says 7Moreover Solomon hallowed the middle of the court that was before the house of the LORD: for there he offered burnt offerings, and the fat of the peace offerings, because the brasen altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, and the meat offerings, and the fat. – In other words it was too small. The altar that Solomon had made was too small to do what needed to be done.
3. A very great congregation. 2 Chronicles 7:8-9 says 8Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. 9And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. – They had already dedicated the temple, but they let the ceremony go on for 8 days (8 means new beginning).
4. We must give with sacrifice. 2 Chronicles 7:10 says 10And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people.-All the people that worked and labored left the temple and went back to the tent. They gave God the glory because they saw what they worked for completed. When you give, your giving should be sacrificial. If you’re giving is comfortable, then you are not ready for the next level of God’s glory. God says we want his glory and we want him to do something new in your life, but we are not willing to sacrifice. These people gave and it was substantial.
5. Solomon’s giving was substantial and sufficient. There was no need for anything. When they left and completed what they were doing, they said it was enough. Ex-When we think about what God has done for Mt Zion, we think about how our Jefferson Street Church was built by the sweat of the brow of people on minimum wage and fixed incomes. It is now debt free. Antioch was built on 2003, and 2 1/2 years later it was debt free because people sacrificed and did what God asked them to do. And now we are in a building that seats 5400 people. We owe 9 million dollars on it. Bishop explains that he asked God what it will take to get a break thru in this area of 9 million dollars, because the people of this day won’t even show up if he is not there. God says here is the problem. Bishop says God told him that he was carrying too much on his shoulders. He says he had a friend, Norman Waggoner of Ohio who died of heart problems. He says he had another friend in Los Angeles who was put on a sabbatical for 6wks. God simply told Bishop that he has to teach people how to pray for God’s Glory. When God’s glory comes in, it will release spirit of generosity. When the glory comes, the supernatural will break through and it will put blessing in the life of people. If God could do it then, he can do it now!
6. This is the year that God says he is going to release a debt free anointing. We are crazy enough to believe that God is going to blow our mind. God let your presence rein in our life! There is no way you can do that without guaranteed prosperity. Ex- Somebody asked did he believe in prosperity gospel. Bishop says there is such thing. The gospel is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t come to give us a car. He died to save us. It is to redeem us in relationship with God. Does Bishop believe God wants to prosper us? Yes. Everything we have, he gave us. Everything we know, he taught us.
7. When the glory comes down it is impossible to leave stuff unfinished. It is time to close up some loose ends. Verse 3 says they worshipped on the payment. This symbolizes being in a hard place or uncomfortable place. If given a choice, we would pick grass over pavement to bow down on. Pavement represents a tough place. The blessing of the Lord is when people can praise us in tight spots. The people of God had seen him do great things and they weren’t scared to testify. They celebrated and went home after task was finished. The glory of God had come down and completed what he said it would do.
8. Sow into your covering. 2 Chronicles 7:10-11 says 10And on the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent the people away into their tents, glad and merry in heart for the goodness that the LORD had shewed unto David, and to Solomon, and to Israel his people. 11Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected. – Translation, when Solomon finished Gods house, God finished his house. Whatever God does corporately, he has a way of doing individually. Whatever you see God doing corporately in the place that you are connected, get ready because the anointing flows down. Do you know how many testimonies there are where people started one business and now have multiple businesses? You got to be series about covenant. If you are in covenant with God, he will give to you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over. You can’t be swayed by circumstance. No matter how tight things are, you have to say you will trust him. You have to sow into your covering. God will not let you bless his house and not turn around and bless your house.
God told Bishop to prophesy to the people of God and say this will be the year of recovery. Because of your faithfulness, God will restore. I feel a recovery coming over. If you can lift your hands and say Lord send your glory, he will. We want his power and presence. God send your glory. Somebody desperate for the anointing and fresh touch of God, say “Lord send your glory until everything sick gets healed, until finical needs will be met, until every closed door opens, and every crooked place is made strait.”
9. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says 14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. – If we pray, seek him, and turn from our wicked ways, then we will hear from heaven and God will come down and interrupt our program and forgive our sins and heal the land and restore, and reveal. It is not about title or position. We are ready for the next position of glory. You’ve been praying that you want God’s glory. The problem is you have been too much in control. We got stuff we need to complete and we wonder why God doesn’t complete it. It is because we need his glory.

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Are you relationship ready? “The relationship litmus test” Bible Study 01/27/10

Posted on January 28, 2010 by growintheword

Are you relationship ready? Part I
“The relationship litmus test”
Synopsis of Bible Study 01/27/10
In starting to study this series, we need to ask ourself are we really ready for a relationship? If you are already in a relationship, you should ask do you have areas that you need to improve on. None of us have arrived and we all evolving and becoming. Relationships are very important to us, because God made us relational people.
There are 7 principles that we will discuss tonight. These are things we need to have in order to show we are ready for healthy relationships.
I. Sound priorities
1. Our actions show what we value more than our mouth does. Your priories must be in order. Many of us say we are sold out for God, but truly it is about our actions. Our priorities must be in order. We need to ask our self where we spend most of your time. Where do we make most of our investments? It is all about what do you value the most. Matthew 6:33 says 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.-The kingdom is God refers to God’s way of doing things, so the scripture is talking about us seeking first God’s way of doing things. Righteousness is when God affirms our behavior. Therefore we want to be affirmed by God of doing things right, rather than letting culture to affirm us. Often what culture affirms as being right conflicts with what God said is right? Following what culture says is right causes us to end up in dysfunctional relationships, because something may be cool with culture, but it might not be of God. We want to seek God’s way of doing things while looking for his affirmation of our actions. If we look for God’s way of doing things first is the first order of our life, then everything that we are looking for will be added unto us. This scripture reminds us that if we do things the way God wants us to, then things will come unto us. We won’t have to find it, because it will find us.
2. When our priorities are in order we are saying that we are clear that God has first place in our life. There are many that allow relationships to take precedence over God. The best relationship you could ever have is one with God. The next best relationship you could have is a relationship with yourself. If you don’t have a healthy relationship with God and yourself, then it can put you into dysfunction with people. Lots of people were truly in love with Jesus until with that person. Now that they got in the relationship, they quit coming to church. This is an example of someone that has their priorities out of order. They value their relationship more than their relationship with God. If you do this, God will step back and allow you to let that relationship be your god. God will allow you to call on that relationship when you get sick instead of calling on him and you will find out that they can’t heal you. It is important to know that you need God in your life. God has to have first place in your life. Luke 12:34 says 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.- Where treasure is, your heart will be. If your heart is straight, then it is clear your time and investments will be spent on God. This suggests a person that has sound priorities. It suggests we have order and structure n our life. If you look at creation and everything that God did you will notice that before God made Adam, God put things in priority or in other words put them in order. When Adam showed up, everything he needed was already in order. God is a God of priority. Why would God make fish before he makes water? He makes water before fish, because he understands priorities.
3. We must:
a. Put God before goals. – Before perusing our will, we want to do things for him on the earth.
b. Put family before friends.- Our family is more important to us than hanging out with our friends. Not going to neglect family while running around with our friends.
c. Put Worship before the world. Don’t allow things to take precedence over worship. If people see you not coming to church, they will plan stuff during church, because they don’t go. Plan stuff around church, instead of church around stuff. Ex- Bishop explains playing basketball @ 5 in the morning for exercise. One of the guys that Bishop plays ball with Bishop said that he would come to church, but he just couldn’t get up that early in the morning. This is shocking. The guy can get up early to play ball, but he can’t get up early to go and worship God.
d. Saving before spending. The recession should have taught us about that.
e. Producing before play. If you work hard you can play hard. You can’t just play all the time and not work.
II. Solidified purpose
1. This means we know why we are here. What are you hear for? What has God deposited in you? If you don’t understand your purpose, you will live life through somebody else’s purpose. This makes for an unhealthy relationship. If you hook up somebody and you don’t have purpose or goals then one might refer to you as Brother So & So’s wife rather than calling you by your name. What are you supposed to do? In relationship you are here to support who God joined you with, but you should also be to a point where you bring purpose to the table too. God takes your purpose and your mate’s purpose and uses it together for his purpose. If you don’t have a purpose, then you will frustrate a person that is operating in purpose, because they will always be busy and you will just be standing around. Jeremiah 1:5 says 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. – God says he already had something in store for your life, before you were born. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. – When you are working for God doing what he told you to do, it will never be in vain. God will always honor your work. You are not ready for relationship, unless you know what your purpose is.
2. How do we get to this point?
a. Must have Clear vision. Proverbs 29:18 says 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. – When you go to eye doctor it is a little fuzzy at first, but when he switches the leans, you begin to see clearly. There are two things you need to remember about vision.
i. Your visions should out live you. If your vision dies with you, then it is not vision
ii. Vision is always bigger than your budget. If you can’t afford it, then God is the only one that gets the glory when it comes to past. Stop worrying about what you don’t have. Just say you see where God is trying to take you. If you say it enough, you will finally be able to seize it.
b. Plan to accomplish it. Habakkuk 2:2 says 2And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.- You have to have a plan. God is not going to bless people that are not equipped to work in their vision. Ex: What are you reading that can help you achieve your goal? What classes have you taken to prepare you. How much are you putting into preparing for your vision to come to pass?
3. Must have measurable objectives to determine progress. Habakkuk 2:3 says 3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. – You can back look at what you have accomplished. This will help motivate you to finish accomplishing your vision. This makes us self motivated. Psalm 26:2 says 2Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. – In other words is saying, “Lord check my motivation.” We are not trying to make a name for ourselves. We want the Lord to make sure that we keep our heart right. We want to make sure we are in it for the right reason. You have to find your purpose.
III. Sustain productivity
1. God wants you to be continuously blessed. Ex- The thrust of the plane, keeps the plain in the air. We don’t need the thrust giving out in mid air. God wants you to be continuously blessed. Genesis 1:28 says 28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.- This scripture says be fruitful and multiply. To be fruitful is about being productive. We have to learn to be productive before we can be fruitful. If not we will produce stuff that is not productive. You should be so productive that others sweat when they watch you.
John 15:1-4 says 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. – The word is the pesticide on the vine. In other words, the more word that you get, it keeps the parasitic folk away from you. These are folk that people that suck the life from you. Ex- Being on the phone with folk for 3 hrs in a day keeps us from getting stuff done. This is an example of parasitic folk.
John 15:4-7 says 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.- God says ask what you want and he will give it if you abide in his word.
2. John 15:8 says 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. – God wants us to produce. Productivity keeps us busy. When we are busy we become focused. When we are focused, it keeps us from foolishness. Most of the foolishness that comes into our life is because we are not busy, focused, or productive. Ex-We are fooling around, but we know we should be studying and we remind ours elf because we are productive. We need to get this straight before we get into a relationship.
IV. Self provision
1. All our help comes from God. God provides for us so we can learn to take care of ourselves. Can you hold your own self down? Are you taking care of your health? 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says 19What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. -You have to take care of yourself including your health.
a. Take care of your health. Whose going to be in relationship with someone that don’t’ take care of themselves. If you don’t keep yourself up, then we know you won’t take care of us when we get together.
b. God wants you to be completely blessed. 3 John 1:2 says 2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. – God wants you to be financially stable, stable, and health. Learn now how to be financially stable for yourself. Don’t wait for someone to come sweep you off your feet. You ought to want to know what it feels like to own something with your name on it, before getting into a relationship (car, condo, house etc…). You ought to have to worry about what you are going to do with the extra appliances when you unit with someone, because you had your own stuff. We sit around with these Play-Doh or Mr. Potato Head relationships saying “You bring this and I will bring that…” You have to be whole by yourself. You have to come to the table with something and so does your potential mate. This way, if in the course of the relationship they forget they are dealing with a whole person and act a fool, you can remind them that you were complete before they came and will be just find if they decide to roll on. People who are productive, in purpose, and are self providers are not living to take care of somebody. , who are self providers, are going take care of no body. To have to take care of a grown person doesn’t make sense.
2. We are complete in Christ. Colossians 2:10 says 10And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: – Says we are complete in Christ.
Mark 12:30-31 says 30And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. – Our self becomes the measuring rod by which we love our mate. You want to know what going to be on the stove when we get married, look what is on the stove now. Want to know how clean the house is going to be when you get married, see how clean it is now. What you see is what you going to get. Often people say the other person changed in the relationship, but often they didn’t. We were just in denial about what we saw when we were dating. If they were a pack rat before you were married, they will be after you are married. Don’t’ let anyone have to take care of you. “We refuse to live our life and have somebody take care of us. We are too anointed and too gifted for that” Before God trusted Adam with a relationship, he gave him a job and responsibility then he said he was ready for his gift. He gave him Eve. We must say,
V. Secure personality.
1. This is about identity. Who are you? Who is here tonight, you or your representative? Having a secure personality is key. 1 Peter 2:9 says 9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;- You are somebody. All of us have some insecurities and this can affect us. If we don’t feel good about who we are, we compromise our integrity looking for affirmation. We wonder are we pretty enough, smart enough, small enough and this makes us feel like we need to compete. These images we have of the perfect person intimidate us. You open Victoria secret or muscle builder magazine and you wonder if you are good enough. Until you are comfortable in your skin, you will never be successful in a relationship. If you are not secure, you will find yourself competing with people and picking people that want you to become something else.
2. The majority of people in the church have identity crisis. These people are often insecure and they project this on the other person. Ex- “Where you going” or “Who you looking at?” or Calling them every ten minutes. You have to know who you are. If you know who you are, then you realize that God made you who you are for a reason. Remember Leah? Her whole life was centered around rejection. Imagine getting ready to marry this man and you find out he went into because he was drunk and really wanted your sister. He wakes up mad the next morning. Imagine finding out he is willing to work another 7 yrs just to get your sister whom he really wanted. Imagine how you would feel after that. You try to keep having babies hoping he eventually will say he loves you. You have to know who you are. Lots of women dress in way to get affirmation. You don’t realize that what we (the men) are looking at is what we are coming for. Keep it a mystery and we might start coming after your head or your heart. Men are the same way. We need you to tell us that we are the greatest of all time. We need to be assured that we the man. Write this scripture on your mirror one day, ” Psalm 139:14 says 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. – We are fearfully and wonderfully blessed. We are confident in our skin. Ex-Bishop explains that he was in Dallas and his friends asked how he dealt with losing his hair. He responded that it didn’t bother him. He said Michael Jordan made it cool to be bald. He explained that he wasn’t going to be in denial and grow afro-nut. He said he let it go.
VI. Survived your past
1. There are people that have it going on, they have degrees, nice jobs, sharp homes, and etc… , but when you peel away the layers you will find they have pain from where they hadn’t let go of the past. That stuff is still there. You got to move beyond the past. Don’t let your past impact your present situation and future relationships. Ex- Just because a person has done something to you, then you treat your current mate as a suspect. Philippians 3:13 says 13Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, –If we stop looking back there, we can see what God has in right in front of us. At some point you are going to have to let some stuff go. You can’t spring if you are allowing yourself to be cling-ed.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says 18Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. – God says he knows you are in the wilderness. If you let it go, he will make ways like you have never seen before.
VII. Spiritually patient
1. Often we want to know how long? We have to learn to wait right. Remember Abraham was told he was going to get a son and it didn’t happen when they thought it should have. His wife had an twenty something year old attractive handmaid. Abraham was 99, his wife was 89. Abraham’s wife sent him in to his hand maid so he could have the baby that he wanted. Abraham went without argument. Ishmael was a result of that decision or the result of not waiting on God. Ishmael is the thing that reminds us that we got ahead of God. These things remind us that we kept getting ahead of God. What is your Ishmael? Psalm 27:14 says 14Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. – Learn to wait right.
Psalm 37:4 says 4Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. – If we wait on the Lord, he will give us the desires of our heart.
2. Jeremiah 29:11 says 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. – God says he know how things will turn out of him. God says he providently orchestrated the affairs of your life. God says if you learn how to trust him , get your priorities right, be productive, provide for yourself, get your personality right, deal with your past, and be patient, then what you are looking for is somewhere looking for you. You think what you looking for don’t exist. God will bring you what you are looking for in his own time. God will not bring you things you are not ready for. God will not present it to you until you prove you are ready for it. You can’t be healthy relationship with anybody, until you are in a proper relationship with yourself. You can’t be in proper relationship with yourself, until you are in proper relationship with God.

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