The Struggle for potential Pt 4, “The Anatomy of Noise” Sermon 11/22/09

Posted on November 24, 2009 by growintheword

The Struggle for potential Pt 4
The Anatomy of Noise
Synopsis of 11/22/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text: Psalm 100:1:1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
It is no secret that we are living in a world where people make noise. Noise is the vehicle by which convictions are portrayed. Compassion is demonstrated by way of noise. What you believe in is often associated with the noise that you make. Even now while we are in this place, Republicans and Democrats are making noise, trying to get Healthcare passed in their favor. Noise in the hip-hop culture makes noise in an attempt to raise awareness of what they interpret as the ills of our community. Activists make noise in an attempt to bring awareness to their cause. Everybody is making noise. One of the most amazing things that we experience today is everybody else is making noise and the group of people that should really be making the most noise is silent. If anybody ought to be making noise, it ought to be the people that have witnessed the very power and provision and presence of God in our lives. In the text, the Psalmist makes a very powerful statement. It is a declaration of responsibility to those of us who have been recipients of the goodness of the Lord. Psalms 100 is one of those Psalms who was written by an anonymous author. In other words, we don’t know who wrote Psalms 100; however, we do know that this Psalms was written about 80yrs after the destruction of the temple that the Babylonian King had destroyed. They had rebuilt this temple and this psalm (in the text) was a Psalms that the people were singing as they were entering into the new temple. This Psalms is really about what you do in response to life when all the dust has settled and you begin to start over and are heading into another season. This is why they entered into the gates with thanksgiving and into the courts with praise. It was because it is something fresh and something new and even after the violent attack, God has raised them up all over again.
Today we are talking about people that have gone through a lot of stuff, but now you are in a brand new season. In other words, God is doing it for you. This is the kind of Psalms that says there is no way as a child of God that you can sit up in here and try to be quiet. Nobody has a problem with noise in any other area but the church. People go to the football game and make noise and they go to a basketball game and make noise. Bishop explains sitting in a theater the other day watching Michael Jackson’s movie “This is it” and people were in the movie making noise over Michael, yet when we come to church, we try to be the frozen chosen. We have to learn that we ought to open up our mouth and make some noise! This noise is not some mere emotional reaction. It is not some charismatic moment people just go through to fulfill some religiosity. When the Psalmist talks about making a joyful noise, it talks about splitting the ear or making God’s name large. You and I both know the devil has made a lot of noise in your life. When you make joyful noise, you drown out the enemy. What you are really saying to the Devil is that you are turning the decimals up so that we can drown out everything the enemy is trying to do. This noise has nothing to do with how you were raised denominationally. It has nothing to do with how you have interpreted church. This noise is about when you put in perspective how far God has brought you, you can’t help but to make noise!
There are probably some people that sit up in church and wonder what all the noise is about. You were raised to believe that the church is a place where you are supposed to be silent or dignified. This often makes you afraid when you see others responding with noise like they do. You look at people and wonder why they do what they do. The only way to make us understand this totally is to give the anatomy of noise. Maybe this will make you leave here making a little bit more noise!

I. The Revelation
1. Revelation is to take the cover off. The “a” portion of the text says make a joyful noise. Psalm 100:1a:1Make a joyful noise. Notice it did not say make a skillful noise. It said make a joyful noise. Joy is a result of the word of God that has been spoken in our life. Once the word is spoken into our life that word becomes a revelation. We have a word, the word is in us, and as a result it gives or creates within us a joy response. Without the word, there would be no joy. 1 Peter 1:5 says 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.- In other words, when we get into a context that is inconsistent with our destiny, it is the word that will keep us. It is the word or the revelation revealed to us regarding our situation. There is a distinction, between happiness and joy. Happiness is a result of external stimuli that creates an eternal response. Ex- Some says when you sing well and you become happy or somebody gives you a gift and you become happy. Joy on the other hand is not based on happenings; Joy is based on a revelation. I have a word that is in my life. Ex-This word has been revealed to us, so if no one ever takes us out, we will take our own self out. The doctor gives us a bad report; we know we are already healed, because we have a revelation.
2. This joy is not an emotional reaction. Our noise is not some babble. Our noise is a response of God’s word and what he has revealed to us. It was based on what God promised us, while we were going through.
3. Our noise is about:
a. His revelation is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10 says 10Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.-The revelation of God is our strength. The revelation of God is our strength. Our joy or our noise is a response of the revelation. If we didn’t have the word, then we wouldn’t have strength.
b. Revelation shifts us. We may be there physically, but not spiritually. Paul and Silas were in the jail in Acts 16, but their spirit shifted to another place Psalm 30:5 says 5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.-Joy shifts us from night to the morning. Therefore we can give God noise, because even in darkness, we have revelation.
c. Our noise is also about Salvation- Habakkuk 3:18: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. – What we have our self in, God has the power to bring us up out of it. God will bring us out. God is our strength no matter how weak we get. We make noise because we know we are coming out of what we were in right now. We know that what we are in right now is not the last word. Make a joyful noise, not skillful noise.
d. Make a revelation noise. If you don’t’ have revelation, you don’t have the noise to make. The revelation inside of us is what makes our noise. This is an informed noise and not a zeal nose without knowledge. It is zeal according to knowledge.

II. The Reaction
1. How to you respond to life’s reactions? What do you do when things fall apart? There has to be an explanation of the noise. The noise has to be made as a result of the revelation that we have. Some people have relative emotionalism. You declare that you are not an emotional person and you wonder why people want you to make noise. Well you need to know that your emotionalism is relative. It is based on your context. You make noise in accordance to what you like! You might sit in church and be quiet, but you make noise in other contexts!
2. To sit in church and be quiet is a contradiction of you confession that Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to you. Noise is a reaction to the response of God in our situation. Noise is really tied to information. Ex-There is a lady that died a few years ago that couldn’t read. She had a 5th grade education. She was on the Motherboard at church. You wouldn’t dare walk in church or talk, because she and the other Mother’s of the board would pinch you to correct you. They would be over there moaning during the service. Every now and then when the spirit would get right, she would go “mmm!” Bishop explained that as kids they would laugh. There was something she was trying to say, but she didn’t have the grammar to say it! There wasn’t enough adverbs or adjectives to put together what she wanted to say when the spirit would hit her so when she tried to say it, nothing would come out but, “mmm!” Sometimes what God gives us is incomprehensible. It doesn’t make sense.
3. When God gives us noise, he sometimes focuses it on:
a. A purpose-He might focus our noise on a purpose. Sometimes God forces our noise in order for us to get a breakthrough. God told the children of Israel to march around the walls of Jericho and on the 7th day the 7th time he told them to shout. They all shouted and guess what happened? The wall came tumbling down. You can go to wall now and shout and nothing will happen, but when you do it out of obedience it triggers something in the supernatural. The shouting was done through obedience. When they shouted, they triggered something in the supernatural that happened in the natural! When you make noise through obedience, you trigger something in the supernatural that will make something happen in the natural on your behalf!
b. Noise is about Warfare and worship-You can’t be quiet in warfare and worship. 2 Chronicles 20:18-22 says18And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD. 19And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 20And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.-When they made noise, God made the enemy confused. When you in spiritual warfare, this isn’t a time to be cute. This is the time to make some sho-nuff noise.
c. Noises are also about prayers-Sometimes you have to be noisy in your prayers. There is power in a noisy prayer. Ever been so hurt that you didn’t know what to say in your prayer? You fall on your face and cry and just make noise. There is power in a noisy pray. Romans 8:26 says 26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. – Some of our most powerful prayers we have ever prayed have been noisy prayers. We just let out a cry. Thank God the Holy Ghost can interpret our moans and our groans.
d. Noise is in our Praise-Noise is also in my praise. We can’t look back over life, and be quiet! You can’t tell by looking at us what we have been through, but if we have to explain it, we will be forced to make some noise! There are no words that can comprehend what we went through! All we can do is think about the goodness of God and all he has done for us and we can’t help but to make noise! Our praise then is a result of our inability to articulate what we have been through. The Psalmist says make a joyful noise (revelation, joy). It is a reaction that we are going to allow our noise to focus on glory rather than let it focus on what the Devil is doing to us.
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III. The Requirement
1. The text says make a joyful noise unto the Lord, everyone. Psalm 100:1 says 1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. This means everyone. Here you have a requirement to give some outward expressions of gratitude. God has been too good for us to sit in church and be the frozen chosen. Ex- Bishop admits that he doesn’t like churches where everyone is cold like this. Bishop explains that he travels to a lot of churches that are so quiet and dignified and they resemble dry wood. The problem with dry wood is it catches on fir quick. Bishop admits that he likes a little moisture or some expressions of gratitude or maybe some appreciation. We have inheritance. We are beneficiaries of the goodness of God. What we have, God gave us! What we are he made us, what we know he taught us, and where we are, he brought us.
2. What the text suggests is the only ones that have the right to be quiet, is those God has never done anything for. If God has never healed your body, then be quiet. If God has never paid a bill, then be quiet. If he has never made a way out of no way, then be quiet. For the rest of us, if God has ever done anything for us, it forces us to open our mouth and say something! The more God’s does for us, the more intense our noise becomes.
Ex1-Bishop Walker explains that when he was in school @ Southern University, he played in the Band. He explains that the football team would be preparing for a game and they would have a Pep Rally before the game. The Pep Rally was designed to motivate the team, before the game. We have got to learn to have a Pep Rally, before we go in the battle!
During the game, the school makes lots of noise. They would be so loud in the stands that it would confuse the enemy. When the opposition would be in a position to score, the band would start the drum cadence alerting the crowd to make noise. This would cause confusion to the opposing team. They would be able to hear, so they would call a time out. They would come back out on the field and still be unable to hear because of all of the noise. This would throw the play off. Because they could not communicate, it would throw the play off. Just like this, we have to allow our noise to confuse the enemy.
After Southern University would win, they would have a party called the 5th qtr. This was a party celebrating their victory. How can you allow God to heal you and bring you out and you just sit there cold?
Ex2- There was an 80 yr old lady and things had really gotten bad in her life. She was raising her grandkids and her children were all in jail. She was in the grocery store with a basket full of groceries despite all that was happening in her life. She would go through the store doors and get her buggy and begin to shop. The store managers had gotten where they would watch this old lady while she was in the store. They noticed that every time that she would get to aisle #3, she would start screaming. This would scare the other customers in the store. The veteran Managers decided to send the new manger to talk to her and escort her out of the store this particular time. The new manager did as he was asked and he went up to the woman who was screaming and asked the old woman what her problem was. She told the new manager that she just couldn’t be quiet, because God had been too good to her. The new Manager says her praise scares the other customers and he asks could she explain why she had to scream every time she came to aisle # 3. The old lady said this is the last aisle she came to before leaving the store each time she came. She said that this aisle reminded her of all she had been through! She picks up a bottle of ALL detergent and she says despite all she was going through, she put it all in his hands! She said 6 mths ago, they turned off her lights, but thanks to God, she bounced back as she picked up a box of BOUNCE fabric softener! She also said God told her to be of good cheer despite her tribulation as she picked up a box of CHEER from out of the buggie and then she says weeping endures for a night but, joy comes in the morning as she shows the manager a bottle of JOY dishwashing liquid! She begins to shout and then she runs around the store as security comes and then she says and one more thing as they ask her why she has to be so loud? She says because I have learned that when things get rough we have got to shout it out as she shows the new Manager a bottle of SHOUT! Shout it out!!!

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What the Recession taught me Pt 4, “I shold have trusted God in tough time” Bible Study 11/18/09

Posted on November 22, 2009 by growintheword

What the recession taught me Pt 4
I should have trusted God in tough times
Synopsis of Bible Study 11/18/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker
We often have a hard time trusting, because we have been let down by people so many times and as a result we often equate trust with that. Regardless, we must understand that trusting God is not like trusting people. We have to put our trust in God and we must trust God in all things. 1 Peter 5:6says 6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: – What God demand from us is humility.
God wants humility. Hebris, a word used in Old Testament Hebrew text is a word used for a prideful arrogant sprit. This is a trait that God despises. If the recession has taught us anything, it taught us involuntary humility. There were people that were big headed and puffed up and they thought they had everything going on, but when the recession came, it humble the. We must always as Christians, have a humble spirit. We must always walk in humility. You will be surprised how pride has sneaked in on many of us. God doesn’t use many of us on certain levels, because many of us are arrogant. We make a few dollars over minimum wage and we quit speaking to people! We must recognize that if it wasn’t for God’s grace, many of us wouldn’t have what we have. We must ask God to help us stay to stay humble. Ex- Bishop explains that his profession, he has had conference calls with people that we would considered to be very powerful people. When they ask Bishop how he wants to be addressed, he simply tells them to call him “Joseph” because that is his name. “Bishop “is Bishop Walker’s title, but “Joseph” is his name. They are shocked that he doesn’t mind being addressed by his first name. On another occasion, there was somebody whom we will not name that Bishop made a phone call to. Bishop Walker said he addressed him by his first name and it angered that person. They brought it to Bishop’s attention and asked why Bishop would they just address them by their name. Bishop told them that the man that died for him on Calvary is addressed by his first name. His name is “Jesus” so Bishop says if he calls him by his first name, surely this person would not take issue with being addressed by his first name. We get caught up in titles and attention and it is important that we understand that this is not really important.
God resists the proud. James 4:6 says 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.-We need grace and this is why we are humble. God resists the proud. We recognize if it wasn’t for God’s grace, we wouldn’t have what we have. 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.-God says be clothed in humility. God is after our humility. Micah 6:8 says 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?– God simply wants us to do right by people, lover mercy, and walk humbly with God. Stop walking around like you are better than everyone else. Walk around and simple be willing to speak to people.
I. Don’t act like you are better than others
1. Must have Humility- Proverbs 8:13: 13The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.-The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. If we humble ourselves under the hand of God, he will exalt us! Ex-If we were to hold our hand in a horizontal position face down, this represents the hand of God covering us. Our problem is that we try to move out from under his hand, because we feel we are not exalted fast enough. We try to step out from under God’s hand and lift our own selves up. God says his hand is face down now because he is covering us. What God wants us to know is he will eventually flip his hand over with us in the palm of his hand and he will begin to lift us up. We will be lifted up or elevated while we are in his hands. All we have to do is to wait. Because we step outside the covering of his hand, we get prideful. God hates pride.
2. We must not be Anxious- Many of us struggle with anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 says 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.-God says just give me what you can’t handle! God cares too much to watch us go through what we can’t handle. In Matthew 6, God reminds us of this by asking us to look at the lilies of the field. If God takes care of them and they are not able to toil or give him praise, wouldn’t we think God will care for us his children whom he created? Matthew 11:28 says28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.-Stop trying to handle stuff all by yourself. Philippians 4:6 says 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.-We must give our problems and our concerns to the Lord and leave them there. If we take it to the altar and pray about it, then we must leave it at the altar. God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear.
3. We must maintain Sobriety-Here is a bootleg definition for sobriety. To be sober in the world is to be absent of chemical influence on the brain. When we are not sober, then we are out of our mind. We laugh at stuff that ain’t funny, we fall and break stuff, and we get into stuff we are not supposed to handle when we are inebriated. When we are under the influence, we also put others at risk.
a. To be sober spiritually is to be absent of demonic spirits or demonic influences on our mind. The Devil comes in through our eye gate, our ear gate, and out mouth gate. We need our mind to be clear during rough times. If we don’t, before you know it, we are in church tipsy so to speak. We find ourselves under the influence while trying to receive the word. Be sober and don’t let outside sources control your mind.
b. We must be on the Alert. This means to watch. 1 Peter 5:8 says 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: – It is because the devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, then we must be alert. . Remember in the garden? Jesus asked the disciple to watch with him one hour while he prayed. Jesus knew he was about to become vulnerable. He was about to wrestle with his destiny. He asked his father to let his bitter cup pass from him and the bible says he prayed so hard it was if he was sweating blood. He wanted to pray, but he wanted them to watch while he prayed. This is why you have to be careful with the people you have around you. You can’t trust everyone with your vulnerability. Some folk are to sleepy for the job and they will leave you exposed. Remember Jesus says watch with me because I am go to pray and they fell asleep. Guess who was watching while Jesus was praying? The Roman soldiers were coming to arrest him, because Peter was not watching and praying, he took out his sword and cut off the ear of a Roman soldier. . If you don’t do the right thing at the right place and the right time, you will do the wrong thing at the wrong place at the wrong time. Peter is about to getting Jesus killed in a brawl in the garden of Gethsemane, but Jesus destiny was to die on the cross.
c. If the scripture says the devil is like a roaring lion, then you must know how a lion attacks to understand how relevant this really is! Ex-On Animal Planet we can learn a lot about this. Sometimes they have segments where they actually track a lion that is about to attack. They even give the lion a name like “Sasha”. In the setting they may say that Sasha has set her eye on something. They begin to commentate that she (the lion) has set her eye on the weakest gazelle in the pack. Sasha begins to set her plan into action. She begins to slowly creep and stop. There are other gazelles that are closer to her, but she waits until she has the opportunity to attack the weaker one that she has picked out. She sticks to her plan. She knows the one closer to her may be too fast and two strong. She has picked out the weaker one of the flock and she sticks to her plan. The enemy much like this is waiting to attack us. The enemy our adversary is patient. He is a devourer and a taker. He attacks the weak much like the lion. Many of us were vulnerable during the recession. We were weak because we began to lose faith. We must know that our language tips the devourer off about our weakened state. What do you speak, when you are in trouble? Know that God will rebuke the devourer for your sake.
4. Resist the Devil. . 1 Peter 5:9: 9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.-This scripture says we have to resist the devil through our faith. Just because the enemy is after you doesn’t mean you should just give up. You have to get to a point where you become firm in your faith. Galatians 6:9 says 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Romans 8:38-39 says 38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.-Nothing will separate us from the love of God. We are not supposed to change because things around us change. The recession was an opportunity to show the world what we believed in. The bible says that everyone went through trails (in this case being the recession). We all had to take part in the recession, but there were different responses from different people. If we look like the world, then we lose our credibility. Habakkuk 3:17-18 says 17Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.- He says no matter if no one else will, he will rejoice in the Lord, because his response is not like the world, our response is like God’s.
5. We must stand firm in our faith. If none else will, we will rejoice. 2 Corinthians 4:8 says 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; – We can’t respond like everyone else. When everyone else is tripping, we have to be the one that says that God is going to work it out. When we humble ourselves, we cast our cares on him, we keep our mind sober, we be alert, we resist the devil and we we stand firm in our faith.
II. What does God do?
There is a word called eschatology which deals with the study of the end of time. When we see certain text, it suggests that everything will be better when Jesus returns. Dispensational theology deals with times and seasons meaning God will save us in his own time. Soteriology Theology deals with salvation and study of the way God saves us based on past history. When you add Dispensational Theology and Soteriology Theology together, we see God will save us in his own time, after producing in us what is needed to come out of our situation. This way, when our situation comes around again (like the recession) we will be in a different place. In other words, after all the suffering we went through the first time, God will make us perfect meaning mature. James 1:2-4: 2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1. God let us suffer so we will grow up. Recession taught us is to stop playing. We had to learn to sow, to tithe, and how to invest during the recession. God was trying to mature us. Our whole value system had to change. We realized that it wasn’t the size of the house. It was instead all about the maturity of the people in the house.
2. God confirms things. God establishes us. Establish means to render unmovable or to fix firmly. 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.- God establishes us. His word is unmovable and because his word is unmovable, we have to be unmovable. God wanted to know if we would still come to church and still be faithful when things are going wrong.
3. God strengthens us. We try to say we are not tired, but we need to know that it is ok to say we are tired. We just have to know where our help comes from. Isaiah 40:31 says 31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.2 Corinthians 12:9 says 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -Some of most powerful moments that you experienced with God is when you said you didn’t have strength to go on. Psalm 28:7 says 7The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. – Everyday when we get up, we realize everything we do is done on God’s strength.
4. God establishes us. If your house is built on faith, after all the dust settles from the storm, you will be left “standing”. Colossians 2:6-7 says 6As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.- If you claim to be a Christian, just walk in it. Walk in the principles that you have been taught as a Christian. You got these notes you have taken from sermons and you have CD’s from the sermons that you heard, therefore, some of what you learned should show up during rough times. When you can build roots in it, you can be like the palm trees. Palm trees don’t break during hurricanes. The roots are deep as the tree is tall and as a result they just been during hurricanes and storms. Trees often break into pieces during hurricanes. Are we going to be something that breaks or are we going to be something that just bends a little during the storm?
III. What God deserves
1 Peter 5:10-11 says 10But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
1. Glory-God is revelation to us of who God is in our circumstances. You had a group that said they couldn’t handle it, but there was another group that said they will give him the glory anywhere. Jeremiah 13:15-16 says 15Hear ye, and give ear; be not proud: for the LORD hath spoken. 16Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. -Glory means worship. It is hard to worship, when you are being worshipped yourself. Jeremiah says in verse 16 that God said give him the glory or what we dread happening, will to us again.
2. Dominion-During the recession, the kingdom of world went belly up. We put all our money in the world just to find out how wishy-washy it could be! There will come a time where every knee will have to bow. Psalm 24:2 says 2For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. -God is in control. God’s kingdom is greater than this world. God is bigger than a bailout plan. Jesus came that we might have life and have life more abundantly. Our destiny is him.
3. Control- God is in control. Psalm 22:28 says 28For the kingdom is the LORD’s: and he is the governor among the nations. -We all love President Obama, but even he has to get up every morning and get on his knees and pray to God, just like we do.
4. Forever & Ever- Hebrews 13:8 says 8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Malachi 3:6 says 6For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. -God doesn’t change. We are in the blood line with Jacob, which means we will never be consumed. Ex- Bishop explains that about 7am this morning he was looking at a scripture and he was thinking about what it meant in relation to this series. God said it is so much bigger than that! Jude 1:24-25 says 24Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, -Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling. If we take this scripture and interpret it from the end to the beginning we see it says: See how wise God was, he saved us and we don’t give him the glory. He is in control and has the power forever. He won’t let you fall again. Walk with him and he will keep what happened before from happening again and he will make it like you never fell before.

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Struggle for Potential Pt 3, “There is a blessing in it” Sermon 11/15/09

Posted on November 22, 2009 by growintheword

Struggle for potential Pt III
“There is a blessing in it”
Synopsis of sermon 11/15/09
1 Peter 4:12-13: 12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

The most difficult areas for us to deal with in life is with the sovereignty of God. It is the sovereignty of God that stretches most of us in here. Remember the Sovereignty of God reserves the right to do what he wants to do without giving us an explanation. This can stretch you, but God knows what he is doing. Sometimes God will allow certain things to happen in our lives simply to mature us. Look at Paul when God does not remove the thorn out of his flesh. God keeps it there and says that his (God’s) grace was sufficient. It was about Paul maturing. Paul says as a result that he will glory in his infirmity. Other times he will allow things to happen to make us examples of faithfulness. Look at how God dealt with Abraham. God used this principle regarding Abraham dealing with him sacrificing his son. Sometimes God will allow things to happen just to send the devil a message. God wants to remind the devil that he is in control and that God has his hands on his anointed. God will prepare a table for us in the presence of our enemies. God will keep us and protect us so the devil will know that they picked the wrong person. God has our destiny in his hands. Sometimes, it is hard to see how this experience with our trials will come back to bless us. It is hard to factor in how this will bless us. Know that if God allowed it, it will bless you. Often it is in hindsight that we see where the things that God allowed in this season came to bless you. It might be hard to see it while you are in it, but many people can testify that they thank God for what other people complain about!
It is important to put this text into context. Peter is writing to 1st Century Christians. This is the same Peter that Jesus drafted to be a disciple. This is the same Peter that walked on water and fell. This is the same Peter that pulled out his sword on the Roman soldiers when they came after Jesus. This was the same Peter that denied Jesus 3 times. Now if take look at the context at which 1 Peter 4:12-13 comes from, we will have to take at look at our biblical history where we would notice one leader of Rome named Nero. In 1864, this leader burned the city of Rome. This is a historical fact with theological implications. Nero was a renegade leader and he has aspirations to rebuild Rome in his own honor. The people of Rome are upset over this. They ask why Nero would burn Rome. They are losing their houses, their possessions, and temples of worship all because one man’s ego. Nero is a manipulator and he decides to use early Christians as scapegoats by spreading lies and blaming Christians for being responsible for the burnings that were taking place in Rome. As a result, this turns many people against Christians because they think they are responsible for these burnings and they began to call them cannibals because they would over hear them saying ”this is his body take and eat all of it and this is his blood take and drink” while they were taking communion. Now early persecutions begin against Christians because of this and Christians were set on fire. Nero would actually use them as human torches to light up his festivals. He takes Christians and crucified them upside down. He also would take Christians and tie wild animals around them and send them out in wilderness so they would be hunted by wild dogs. This was all because of one man’s’ egotistical plight. It is in this context where Christian’s are being set on fire, Christians being crucified upside down, and sent in the wilderness to be hunted by wild dogs that Peter pins this epistle and says thing it not strange concerning fiery trials which come to try you! Peter says rejoice because when his glory shall be revealed, you will have great joy. Some of you are going through something right now that has nothing to do with you. You are a victim of somebody’s egotistical plight and schemes, but know that God says whatever the enemy does in your life; God will make sure that you get a blessing out of it.

I. You must submit to the test.
1. Tests are a reality and so are trials. If you can’t change a thing, then you must deal with the thing; Remember the serenity prayer says Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. We know that in this life, we are going to have trials. Job 14:1 says1Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. Psalm 34:19 says 19Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. 2 Timothy 3:12 says 12Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. – If you are not experiencing trials or test, you ought to be nervous. This means you are not a threat to Satan. View persecutions as confirmation of what God is going to do in your life. The more the devil brings in your life it is an indication that God has a lot in store for your life. Tests are important and this is why Peter the apostle tells them that they must be ready and prepared for.
2. Test comes to:
a. Mold us -There are things resident in our life that will never come to pass, without God molding us. Ex-Kids will take Play Doh and press on it and mold it and do almost everything with it. Just like the Play Doh, it doesn’t matter if God presses on us as long as we remain in his hands.
b. Matures us-Some of us would not be reading this if it had not been for our trials.
c. Manifest us-God puts us on trail to get us to the next dimension. It is just like taking a class in school.
d. We must have the Right perspective. Just like in school, if we can pass this test, we know we can pass this class. We often look at the curriculum ahead of time to see how many test we will have during the class. Don’t curse God for the tests. Know that you are in a university for adversity.
e. We experience Rigorous preparation- You will have to focus for the test. You have to study and you have to be willing to miss going out when everyone else does. Your Pastor is only an instructor, but you have to open the book for yourself. Your Pastor can’t give you all the answers on just Sunday morning. You have got to study. Ask this question, “Why can’t people pass an open book test?”
f. Must be ready to perform.
g. We must be Resolved to pass-We are determined that we will pass this test. We are coming out!
h. We will Receive promotion-God doesn’t promote based on tenure. God can’t promote you until you pass some test.

II. You will have substance in your testimony
1. Many of us want a testimony minus the test. The revelation is there are some things you need to get. 1 Peter 4: 13b says we must be partakers of Christ’s suffering. 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings;
2. If we don’t suffer with him, we can’t rein with him 2 Timothy 2:12: 12If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: – If we deny Christ, he will also deny us: We hate on people who are blessed, but we don’t know what they have been through. God said he is willing to put his reputation on the line through us. Look at Job and all the loss he went through. God told the devil if anyone will bless him (God), it will be Job. Job doesn’t even know this conversation is going on. The same conversation may be going on over you right now. The devil intensifies his attack on Job, but job says though he slays me, yet he will trust him. Some people understand that they are a testimony in the making. You move from testiphony to real full fledged testimony. Some people wonder who are those who have this true testimony? Well the answer is simple. Let the redeemed of Lord say so!

III. This will stretch your theology.
1. Theology is the study of God. When the glory shall be revealed, found in the c portion of text, God wants to prove the power of experiential knowledge. 1 Peter 4:13c: When his glory shall be revealed, we may be glad also with exceeding joy.
2. We don’t know God like you should, but because our experience in him his growing, our knowledge expands every day. Philippians 3:10: 10That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comfortable unto his death; -We have to go through some stuff, to get to know him. The challenge with our theology is that it has been held hostage by ecclaostoloy. Ecclesiology is indoctrinated upbringing. This is why some people can’t experience God out of their denomination. Their theology is held hostage as a result of the ecclesiology. You don’t’ believe God can turn a situation around. God says, he is trying to get our theology to transcend the ecclesiology. God gives you your own set of expererinces so you can say you are bigger than your theology. You don’t believe, until you see Gods power for yourself. God takes us through test to expand our theology.
3. Why does Peter call it fiery trial. Maybe it was Peter who saw a Christian being set on fire and was so horrified, he pinned this text for encouragement. We don’t’ know for sure, but the scripture strongly uses the word fiery. This word must have some relevance. Fire and heat are synomounous. Where there is heat, there is fire. Fire and heat are necessary if they are properly regulated. Without being properly regulated, fire couldn’t burn. The delicate balance is of importance. Ex-When you took a shower this morning, you didn’t take a cold shower. You turned on the heat, so it would be regulated so that it would bless you. When you got up and cooked and put fire to the food, you properly regulated the heat on the burner so that the food was cooked and not burned. You ironed your clothes and the heat properly regulated so that it wouldn’t burn your clothes. Some sister today can thank God the hot curling iron was regulated so you could have a blessed hairdo. Properly regulated heat has a blessing in it, if there is a balance. God put the sun on the proper axis. If it had been placed too far away, we would freeze. If it had have been placed too close, we would have we burn up. Shedrack, Meshack, and Abednego was placed into the fiery furnace and the heat was turned up twice its normal temperature, but God regulated the heat. He didn’t bring them out; he regulated the heat so they could stand it. God does us the same way. God might not bring us out of the fiery trail, but he will regulate the heat so that we can stand it. You think it will hurt you, but know that it is properly regulated.
4. Why does the trial come? There are some members that go thru the fiery trials and they don’t understand why. The gold smith said he must place the gold in the fire to take out the impurities. Like gold, there is some mess or impurities in your life that only the fiery trial can get out. Just because the impurities are off of you, it doesn’t mean God won’t put you in the fire. Don’t miss this blessing. Like gold, he keeps us in there and then he takes us out. The blacksmith takes the gold in and out until the gold his pure enough that he can see his reflection in it. God is just like the blacksmith. He says he will tell us when we are ready. Just like the blacksmith, when God sees his image in us, he takes out. God will keep you in there until your praise looks like him.

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What the recession taught me Part III, “I am a sheep in good hands” Bible Study 11/11/09

Posted on November 13, 2009 by growintheword

What the recession taught me Part III
“I am a sheep in good hands”
Synopsis of Bible Study 11/11/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Psalm 23: 1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. -In this Psalms, David is not at a place of ease, because Saul was in pursuit of him. David is in a state of stress and strain. During this time, he gets in a reflective state and he reflects over the relationship he has with God. Sometimes during our stress and strain, it causes us to reflect over the things that are really important. What the recession did for most of us is cause us to focus us on the most important relationship that we could ever have and that is a relationship with the Lord. When David opens up in Psalms 23, he says the Lord is my shepherd and he shall not want. This really gives us an incredible revelation of the shepherd’s provision.
I. Shepherd’s provisions
Psalm 23:1: 1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
1. We really want to put in perspective the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. We are dependent on the shepherd taking care of us. This means we have now become the shepherd’s responsibility. If we allow ourselves to be shepherded, we come under his covering, allowing him to take care of us. We discovered in the recession that people allowed other things to take care of them. When those things couldn’t take care of them anymore, they realized who they should have allowed to care for them (the Lord).
2. The sheep know him by name. God’s so concerned about our welfare, even when we are going through something that’s personal, he will leave the 99 in search of us. He will leave the other flock unattended just to claim you and bring you back into a right relationship with him.
3. He shall feed his sheep. Isaiah 40:11: 11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.- God will take care of his sheep. God gathers the lambs. The lambs represent those who are young spiritually or in other words, spiritually immature. God picks them up and carries them in his bosom. During the recession, there were a lot of stuff we could not carry, but God said he will carry us between jobs.
a. He takes care of those lambs that are with young. The latter part of Isaiah 40:11 says that he shall gently lead those that are with young. They are lambs that are pregnant and can’t move at the pace they need to move. God says he will take care of you until you can birth it. In other words, many of us had dreams inside us and it wasn’t time for it to come out yet. Because you were pregnant with that dream or that vision, God says he will carry us or lead us gently so that we may make it through.
4. Spiritually, emotionally, and physically. We have to have confidence in the relationship. There are lots of people that came to know God during the recession. We knew the shepherd before the recession and because of that, we should have trusted him during the recession. Of all people, having known God, we should have known that the recession would not last for you. Luke 12:22-31: 22And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. – God knew we needed gas in our car, because we are in a relationship with him. He says to us that we need to seek the kingdom first and all these things that we need will be added. Verse 31 says God wants to give you the kingdom. Don’t worry about how things will be taken care of. Remember we are the sheep and he is the shepherd. When we refer to the Kingdom of God, it is God’s order in heaven being brought into the natural. When we pray, we are asking God to bring the kingdom down, because that is his will for our life. If there is no welfare in heaven, then we can declare we will not be on welfare here in the earth realm, because the shepherd will take of us. Some of us pray too small. We ask for stuff instead of the kingdom. Ask for the kingdom and the stuff will follow. The Lord is our shepherd. He is taking care of our finances, our future, and etc…We don’t have to cling to a relationship that will let us down, because God will supply all our needs. We were never supposed to be in want. There are people reading this right now that don’t make much money (less than 30,000/yr) and they didn’t even know there was a recession. We are his sheep and we shall not want!
II. Sanctioned pause
Psalm 23:2: 2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
1. God will make us rest. Ex- Bishop Walker explains that there are times that he has a hard time distinguishing between being trifling and resting, because he is so busy. There are times when he says he is going to rest and he can sleep the rest of the day. Somebody reading this can testify that they are so busy; it is hard for them to rest. Even when you go to bed, you are not resting. You are always thinking and the wheels in our head are always in motion. You even think about solutions to problems in your sleep! Because the Lord is our shepherd, he recognizes that it is necessary for us to finish our assignment. Because we can’t rest, God sees that we are on a path of burnout and he does for us, what we won’t do for ourselves. God creates a situation that causes us to pause. He is going to make us lie down in green pastures. Lots of times, we wonder if we pause, how will these things we do be taken care of? The answer is DIE AND FIND OUT! In other words, if you were to pass away today, if those things really need to be done, they will find a way to get it done.
2. The Lord says while you are paused, he will take care of the stuff we are worried about. Psalm 4:8: 8I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
3. God needs us to be refreshed. David is running from Saul in the text and fears that if he lies down, Saul might catch up to him. God says lay down and I will take care of that. If you don’t lie down and rest, Saul (or the enemy) will catch you through your fatigue. Ex- In your relationships, you are like a glass water. Every time somebody asks you to pray for them, be a part of a committee, or do anything dealing with Ministry, you say “yes”. As a result they keep coming back asking for more and more. Your glass keeps getting emptier, because you have all these people pulling or drinking from you. Now you got this person you hooked with (your spouse or mate) and the same thing happens to them (we are assuming that you picked somebody that is Ministry minded like you). As a result of your commitment and the nature of your dedication to the ministry, you come home and both glasses are empty. You can’t pour into each other, because you have nothing left to pour in. All you can do is say cheers, because nobody has anything left to pour into the other. You have to sit down and let God pour into you. We have a generation of folk that is tired and attending church out of routine and it makes you lose that joy you are supposed to have. You got to know when you find yourself at this place; God says you will have to lie down voluntarily or involuntarily. Some of you got mysterically sick and it was a result of God making you rest.
a. Spiritual powered. He restores our soul. Psalm 23:3a: 3He restoreth my soul: Psalm 51:12: 12Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.-We want our fire back. Sometimes you get burn out within your relationships; Isaiah 40:28-31: 28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.-They will go through their assignment without burning out.
b. Summoned path-Psalms 23:3b: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness. Sometimes where God leads us is not necessarily where we would want to go. God knows what is best for us. God says he has already thought through where we will end up. You begin to process it and wonder if he is sure about this journey he has for you. Know that the right way is not always the easy way!
Psalm 25:10: 10All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. – Wherever God leads us, is a place of mercy and truth. God says he is sending us down this path for his name sake. He has his reputation on line with us. He reminds people while you are going down the path that you are his sheep. When you read the Psalms, remember that the Psalms were actually songs. There are a lot of grammar there didn’t originally exist. What the scripture is really saying is that as sheep, we are willing to go wherever the Lord decides to lead us.
III. See his presence
Psalm 23:4: 4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
1. We need to get to a pint where we see God’s presence. There are a lot of books made about the valley such as “The Value of the Valley” or “Victory in the Valley”. Walter Brueggeman is a tremendous scholar that wrote on the Psalms. They have put out material to help us.
2. There are two things that we need you to understand about the valley and why God would lead you there.
a. The valley-The shepherd will lead us there (the recession being the valley). The shepherd would lead the sheep into the valley, because the valley had the best water and the best grass. Sheep needed that water and needed that grass to climb the mountain and finish their journey. Some of you got your best word in the valley. If you would go back and look at your sermon notes you can see that the valley brought us our best sermons. Some of you can remember the last 8 sermons that were preached, because you were in the valley! Some people never took notes until they got into the valley. The valley brings to us the best sermons. Bishop explains that God speaks to him in the greatest way when his congregation is in the valley.
b. The valley provides best grass and the best food, but it is the most dangerous place for the sheep. It is a place the sheep could die, but it is a place they needed to be to live. The valley of the shadow of death was about the adversaries of the sheep. The valley had Wolves, Mountain Lions, Cougars, and Coyotes. Mountain Lion would roar and intimidate sheep.
i. One Mountain Lion’s roar would sound like 10 mountain lions in the valley and would paralyze the sheep with fear. In like manner, one person roars on your job by saying they don’t like you and they got you thinking everyone in the office don’t like you. They got you wanting to resign and they are the only one that feels that way.
ii. The wolf is the master of deception. There are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They get into what you like and then they show their true collars. They get into the best clothing, get their hair done, get their nails done and once you say I think I like you, they turn into something else.
iii. The Coyote is a master of setting traps. They try to ambush you. All you got to do is watch the cartoon “The Roadrunner” and you can see this illustrated. The coyote always had these ACME traps that he would set for the Roadrunner. The roadrunner would say beep – beep and the he would escape the trap. The coyote would try to see why the trap didn’t work and while doing so, the trap would fall on him. In like manner, when you are under the care of the shepherd in the valley, the traps that they sit for you will fall on them!
2. Here are sheep dealing with danger, but they have to go through this. Remember that no matter how threatening the valley is, it is just a shadow. It means there is something standing between us and danger. The light was standing there causing the image to cast a shadow. God is the light. We have a shepherd with us and his rod and his staff comfort’s us. The rod represents the word. Use your rod like the shepherd used to use his rod to protect the sheep from their predators. The Lord is the strength of our life. The staff was the curved part of the rod that was used to pull the sheep that strayed away, back in line. Straying away symbolizes us trying to get off to our self to figure things out. God will not let you get away from the flock. Just like this scenario, some people were straying away and they weren’t intending on coming to church. They felt that pull and came to church anyway and the very word they needed was preached.
3. No matter what you go through, you got to see God in it. No matter where or what we go through, God will be with us.
IV. Strategic prosperity
John 10:10: 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Psalm 23:5a: 5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
1. Proximity to your enemies- God lets the opposition stay close to you, because you will need them for your blessing. He wants to bless you in front of them.
2. Prepare-When the lord prepares a table, just like in a restaurant, the table will first be cleaned off.
a. Cleaned – God cleans the area that he will feed you at. He will remove all the things that will hinder your destiny.
b. Indentations in the wood. You have been cleaned up, but God now will cover you. When a table is cleaned, because it has some age and has been through a lot, there may be carvings and writings in the wood that some kid may have put into the table. A table cloth is often used to cover those scars. Just like this, God will cover you so that your scars will not show. Some people might treat you differently because of the scars you have on you, so he caters you.
c. Caters me –Now he starts putting stuff on us, because he knows he can trust us and know we can be used in a greater way. Security and protection
3. The anointing is in the oil. Anointing represents the word. Every attack on the sheep or any attack on us is directed at our head. This is because our enemies know that death comes at the head. Every issue you struggle with starts in the head. This is why you have to have on the helmet of salvation.
4. Psalms 23:5b says thou anointest my head with oil;
The shepherd puts the oil on you to:
a. Soothe you-the oil would be a soothing remedy for somebody or a sheep that got injured by thorns while it was trying to get something to eat. Like sheep, sometimes we are injured trying to come to get church to get fed. There is no hurt like a church hurt.
b. Status-There was different oil based on the olives use. Oil scent would tell people who the sheep belonged to. When people would smell the scent of the oil, people knew who the scent of the oil belonged to; therefore, they would know who the sheep belonged to. When you ask God to anoint you, even if you try to backslide, the oil will prevent it! When you go somewhere you shouldn’t be, people will see and smell the oil on you and know that you don’t belong. You can’t run from the oil! It will go everywhere you go. Once you have been anointed, you will no longer fit where you are not supposed to be.
c. Security-It keeps predators away. The scent of the oil would sometimes make the predators sick and it would tell them that the sheep belonged to a shepherd who may be nearby. There is something on your life that makes some people sick. This is a good thing. Some people used to like hanging out with you, but now you make them sick.
5. Favor, follower, and fellowship. Psalms 23:5c: my cup runneth over.
a. Favor- Are those things we can’t explain. God says he will let your cup run over. God will blow your mind over how he will continue to provide for you during your valley experience. You have people hating on you, because you are in overflow and you can’t even explain it yourself.
b. Followers- the recession hurt people the most that was running after stuff. It hurt people who were chasing stuff. When the stuff they were chasing left them, it felt like labor with no reward. When you are a sheep, your day of chasing stuff is over! If you would have looked over your shoulder goodness and mercy was following you all the days of your life. God’s grace and mercy says, it don’t care what going on, they got your back! Deuteronomy 28:2: 2And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. We need a blessing that will sucker punch us and wrestle us to the ground! Nowhere in the bible does it say that we are supposed be chasing anything, besides God.
c. Fellowship-We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We will be where God is. Where God is, the blessing is. Psalm 16:11: 11Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. -No matter what is going on in the world, we have joy. We let too much stuff pull us away from him. We are at a point now that we won’t let anything to separate us from the love of God.

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