Bishop Walker

Posted on January 17, 2009 by growintheword
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Sermon 01/11/09 Nothing without him and everything with him

Posted on January 16, 2009 by growintheword

Nothing without him and everything with him
Synopsis of Sermon 01/11/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text: John 15: 1-7 (focus 5-7), 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every 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. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide 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. 5 I 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. 6 If 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. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:1-8 (KJV)
One reason Jesus came to the earth was to save us from our sins. Thank God that he came, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died. As Christians, we still get excited about being saved. We thank God our life is complete and joy is sweet. We also thank God for the relationship we have with Jesus Christ because we understand how powerful it is to be in relationship with one who is as faithful as God is. The truth is, God has demonstrated his love to us because the word of God says: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (KJV). What a demonstration this is of the love of God. So when we enter into relationship with God, he enables us through the relationship to do what we otherwise could not do. That’s why scriptures like; now unto him who is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless… or or scriptures like I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me or Scriptures like nigh in all things, we are more than conquerors through him really help to put things in perspective for us. It really doesn’t take long for a Christian to learn that without God, we can do nothing and with him all things are possible. The reality is God will allow you to go series of experiences in order that you might come to the place where you recognize your deficiency and realize the need for his sufficiency. In fact when Paul had a thorn in his flesh in 2 Cor 12, Paul talked about God’s grace or his strength being made perfect in our weakness. The good news is it really doesn’t matter what I don’t have because when I have God, I have everything that I need.
So it is important to see when God opens up John 15 by giving us this powerful affirmation about who he is in the life of a believer. He uses this metaphorical language by suggesting that he is the vine and we are the branches and he deals with this as it relates to the importance of us being connected to him in proper relationship.
Why is this important? It is because this is the season where many people have begun to evaluate relationships in their life. The truth is, the way you have come to realize the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ has been because you have been let down and disappointed by so many people in the past. You have been expecting people to do things just to find out later that they can’t do what you expected them to do. Now you’re going to find out what it really means to cast your cares on him, because you know that he cares for you. Somebody can be a witness that God is a faithful and you can’t measure his faithfulness based on the unfaithfulness of the folk you have been around. The truth is that it is important for people to realize your connection to God means more now than ever before, because there is so much that God wants to do in your life, but it is all hinged on you being connected to the vine. It doesn’t matter who has spoken negatively over your life and it doesn’t matter what context you are going through. We have come to tell you today that when you turn life over to him and you say “Lord my life, my destiny, my career, my education, my children, my wife, or husband is in your hands” then you have come to realize that you are in the best hands that you can be in. In him you live and in him you have your being.
We know that you like to work things out yourself, but today we want you to understand the importance of understanding being connected to the vine. The first thing we want you to know is the power of:
I. Authentic Relationship
1. In order to appreciate God or the truth, you had to pass through some counterfeits. We thank God because we know now that he is the real deal. When we understand him as the vine, we have to get in position. No matter what we accomplished in life, we have to realize we are just a branch. God is the vine and we are the branch. We have to understand the order of God. We have to realize proper positioning. One reason we wrestle with proper positioning is:
a. Carnality. Carnality is of the flesh. When we walk in the flesh we can’t see spiritual principles. This makes us not want to give up control. We have to learn to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh.
b. Control. You got to realize God is in control. We have to realize that if God knew what he was doing when we were being created; he certainly knows what he is doing after we have been created. If you don’t bear fruit, the bible tells us that God will cut us off of the vine, because we are bad advertisement for the kingdom.
2. Just because you bear fruit, doesn’t make you totally good. If you are not bearing good fruit, God will purge you. Just when you get to where you think you ought to be, God will come along and purge you. You must realize that God is not purging you for your right-now; he is purging you for where he is taking you. He has to get all the negative influences out of your life. You have to learn to trust what God is doing. If during your purging process, God cuts people away from you, you must come to realize that maybe they were not able to handle where he is taking you. We thank God for this! God doesn’t want people around you that are not true to him. People can’t be true to you if they are not true to God.
3. In this season, God is about to put you in relationships with people that have a passion for Jesus Christ. You need people that are sold out for Jesus around you. We need people in our lives that have a fire and passion for God.
4. God will put you in relationships with:
• People who love God.
• People who are in purpose. These are people that no matter what happens you can realize that they are there to bless you.
• People who are progressive. God is going to unit you with people that won’t be intimidated by your success. We must know however that we want people in our lives that will challenge us. We want people in our life that are trying to go where we are trying to go.
5. John 15:1 reminds us that we have to get into our proper position for the will of God to come over our life. 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every 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. John 15:1-2 (KJV)
II. Access to revelation
John 15: 4-6.poses the question who is Jesus? John said Jesus is the word. This means you must abide in the word. Logos is the Greek word which is translated to “word”. Jesus was a reincarnation of the logos or in other words, he was the word in the earth realm. Proof of this is found in John 1:1. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:1 (KJV).
Logos is also the root form of our word logic (John 1:1). When God sent Jesus to earth realm, it didn’t make since to man. When Jesus (the word) came into the earth realm, only the spiritual people knew who he was. When you are living spiritually, logic has to go out the window. Ex- It wasn’t logical for Jesus to try and to feed 5000 people with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. Ex2- It wasn’t logical when Lazarus died and Jesus told him to come forth. Ex3-It doesn’t seem logical for us to try and to come to church after all the things we have done in the past.
God’s words are:
• Logical- Gods word is logical spiritually, because it accomplishes what it is sent to do.
• Living word-God’s word is living, because it is a now word. We say his word is living, because whatever he speaks, happens. 1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. 2 God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith. 3 By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Heb 11:1-3 (NLT). Hebrews points out the power of God’s words and what it can accomplish. What we have to get from this scripture is that what God’s word accomplished then can still be accomplished now. If Gods word delivered the Hebrew boys from the fiery furnace year ago, then the same word can deliver us today.
• Leveraged word. God’s word is collateral for us. His word can back us up so to speak when we are in trouble. When we declare his word during our bad situation, we begin to see how his word can back us up. When we have God’s word in us, it is impossible not be productive. The world looks at things differently than we do as Christians. Our motivation has to come from within. With God’s leveraged word, we are able to bear much fruit.
You can be close to the vine and not connected. 6 Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. John 15:6 (NLT). When you are that close to the vine and not bearing fruit, God will cut you away. To be in the proper relationship with God, you must be attached to the vine in a proper relationship.
There is a correlation in getting the word of God and living in the vine. The devil fights you to keep you from getting that word that God wants you to have that is instrumental in you producing fruit. There are people that drive long distances to get to Mt. Zion and other churches. Why do they do this? They are trying to get:
1. The right word. It is not just important to get the word, but you got to get the right word. The right word it the word that is going to help you stay connected to the vine.
2. A relevant word. You have to go somewhere where God has placed a relevant word in the mouth of your Pastor. A word that doesn’t help you get through today’s times and struggles doesn’t do you any good.
3. Rema word- God tries to speak to where you are. This is access to revelation. If you connected to the vine properly, then you are in a right relationship with God. Some people expect others to be able to do what only the vine (God) can do. We can tell if our relationship on the vine is not right. Evidence of this is revealed when we are sitting in church yawning instead of sitting on the edge of our seat.
III. Audacity to request what we want.
Verse 7 says if we abide in the word and God’s word abide in us, we can ask for what we want and God will give it to us. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. John 15:7-8 (KJV). When you look at what you went thru in your past, you don’t have time to play. We must ask God for what we want in prayer. Prayer is a communication with God, whereby the power of God is released according to what the believers’ faith is. We must be willing to pray the type of prayers that are audacious. When we do this, we are willing to ask God for things others don’t think we should ask God for. We believe God can change things in our favor, because it is in his word.
If God’s word abides in us, and we live in that word, we won’t ask for something that is not in his word, but we have the right to ask for what is in his word. You don’t have to come to God timid. We can open up our mouths and decree a thing and expect that it will happen. For example, “Lord you said you supply my needs according to your riches in glory.” We believe it is about to happen right now! God says what he is about to do is silence all our haters. That thing that seems illogical, God says he will release it to you. It is already done When you go on your knees you have to believe you can ask for what is in his word!
The bible says: 20 A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life is in the power of the tongue. Prov 18:20 (KJV) This simply means power is in your tongue.
The bible also says: 8 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. Job 22:28 (KJV). . God says if what you need is not where you are, God will go where it is and bring it where you are! God also says, if what you need does not exist, God will create it for you when you open up your mouth and speak it in the atmosphere!

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Bible Study 01/07/09 The need to change

Posted on January 16, 2009 by growintheword

The need to change
Synopsis of Bible Study 01/07/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III

We need to understand the power of change. Change can be a difficult place. When we access life, it is challenging to see that we are where we are supposed to be.
Living a Christian life is about transformation. In order to transform, you have to be open to positive change. This is sometimes difficult, because we are set in our ways. When God wants to move us into another direction, we often resist the transition. When God is about to move you to another dimension, you have got to be open to change.
When we see God’s glory, something happens to us. We can only see God’s glory in worship. When we see God’s glory, we see us for who we are. Once we see God’s glory, we have a measurable objective. We were born in the image of God. Before becoming a worshiper, we didn’t know who we were supposed to look like, so we looked like other people even if doing that meant dysfunction. The closer we got to God; we realized what we were supposed to look like. We will never be perfect, but we should always be striving to be so. When we look back a couple of years, we ought to see some changes, because of our growth. We only see changes if we have grown.
When we worship, we can only worship in spirit. When we worship in spirit, then we see truth. The Devil does not mind us giving God simply praise, because we praise God when he is doing something for us. When he doesn’t we get sour. After we move to worship, our praise is different. Now that we worship, we praise God for what he is.
Active response to Gods will involve constant change. Now God may have you do something that changes everything you ever done. The question then becomes how do we execute this change?
Some Motivational Keys Change
1. Must have a desire to change. Our change is something that pleases God. We can’t change for people, because people change too much. Ex-Guy tells his girlfriend he likes her hair a certain way. She goes to a beautician and gets the change of style. Later the guy comes back and says he likes it another way. We can’t change for people, because people change. We can’t change for someone who changes. We need to change for someone who never changes. God never changes. 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Eph 4:1-3 (KJV). Verse one tells us to walk in the area that you are called with confidence. Verse 2-3 tells us that there has to be changes to fulfill changes with integrity Ex-If you have ever been to New York, you know that you have to be prayed up to ride in one of the Taxis. New York cab drivers drive well, but they are very aggressive. If they were to come Nashville and there was an opening to drive the buses for MTA, we would be concerned. You don’t drive Nashville buses like you would the cabs in New York. Just like the cab driver that came to Nashville, we have to know that it is important to know how to adapt to change. Ex-Many Pastors call Bishop Walker for advice on how to be more effective in growing their church. Bishop says to them that appear to be great Theologians meaning they appear to know God’s word, but the problem is presentation of the word. If you are going to walk in your vocation, you must be willing to change. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matt 25:22-23 (KJV). Just like the servants master, when we change, we ought to want to hear God say to us, well done. God knows sometimes you can’t handle what he has planned for our life. Often God won’t let us move to the next level, because we are not willing to change in our current level.
2. Bring greater measure of spiritual inheritance. We must reap blessings when we walk in obedience. Ex-There was a woman that decided she didn’t like how she look. As a result, she said she was going to the gym. She set her clock early in the morning to be able to go to the gym, but when the alarm rang, she kept on hitting snooze. Because kept on hitting snooze, she never made it to the gym. She was not will to make the change. If we are not willing to change which is part of the process, then the desired result of what we want will not happen. Without obedience to the process, there will be no change.20 even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20 (NLT). We say we want to be healthy, but in order for this to happen, we must be obedient to the process. If some fried chicken, some ice cream, or some bread is laid in front of you, you must be willing to stay obedient to the process in order to get your desired result. Being obedient will bring forth the desired result. Instead of asking God to remove your challenge, we have to ask God to change our desire. We have to want more than a surface change. If your desire doesn’t change, you will end up slipping back into who you are. Your desire can have an impact on the choices that you make. You have the choice to be full of joy our full of grief. You can be full of hope or full of fear. You can have plenty or live in poverty. For a lot of us, we are willing to change, but not willing to change everything.
a. Principles to change
1. You must have the proper attitude to change. God will sometimes remind you that he is the potter. When God calls you to change, it challenges everything inside you. What do you do when you have years of doing things your way and God calls you to do something different? Can you trust him to say you receive his change? The biggest enemy to us as far as change goes is us. We have got to be able to understand that we have to be open to receive change.
3. Learn to recognize the symptoms to change.
a. How do we know God wants us to change?
1. We start feeling unsatisfied.
2. We start feeling resistance.
3. We start getting the feeling of uselessness.
4. We start having the feeling of lack.
5. We start having the feeling of being out of date with the move of God
4. Learn to walk in the spirit. 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Gal 5:16 (KJV). Your flesh is forever in conflict with the spirit. Paul said it in Romans 7. When he tried to do well, sin would be all around. Physically we are always changing. This further hinders our ability to change. The mind doesn’t realize change is occurring. Ex-We used to wake up and jump straight out of the bed. Now we have to think about it and prepare ourselves to get out of the bed, once we are awake. We simply cannot trust the flesh. We have to walk in spirit.
5. Must know how habits & life patterns work. 24 “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, `I will return to the person I came from.’ 25 So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. 26 Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” Luke 11:24-26 (NLT). This scripture remind us that when we have a spirit removed (change), it must find somewhere to go. If that spirit does not find somewhere to go, it will decide to return back to the place where it left from, but it brings several spirits with it. This causes the person that the spirit came from to be in worse shape than it was before the spirit was removed. This is why we have to be careful with habits. You don’t just wake up with a habit one day. A habit started with a small act that kept getting worse until it became habit. Life is about decisions. Decisions birth habits, habits birth character, and character sparks destiny. Choices-Ex-A person’s one simple choice to take a hit of cocaine led to them to becoming a crack head. This is why you have to be careful about judging people that have been caught up with bad habits. Character births destiny. In other words the choice we made that led to habits affected our character and then affected our destiny. It all started with one choice.
6. We have to understand how to replace bad habits with good ones. 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. 6 God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. 7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. 12 Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Col 3:5-12 (NLT). We are guilty of getting the habit out, but not replacing it with something. If we don’t find something to replace the habit when we change, we face the danger of it coming back. Ex-A person used to have the habit of talking all the time. Now they don’t talk at all. Doing this puts them in danger of being worse than what they are. Remember David said create a clean heart, but he also said renew my spirit. He was replacing the badness that was in his heart.
a. Key to change is becoming aware of habits. How do you think pro athletes get better? The answer is they practice. 7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. 1 Tim 4:7 (KJV).Stop listening to foolishness. Work out with the word. Ex-Bishop explains when he goes out to eat with the saints; they always turn to him when it is time to say the grace. They think he should do it because he is a preacher. The thing is we need to exercise our faith. We must exercise our word regularly. It is almost like being on a talk show and meeting your father for the first time. If you don’t pray and exercise your word, you don’t know what to say to him. Ex-Bishop explains that when he was called to preach, he read the bible in 3 months. Then he read it again and again. He was one of those people who didn’t know his way around the bible and before he was called. He decided he wanted to be real acquainted with the word. You don’t have to know every context, but you should be familiar with it. You can get familiar with God’s word by exercising it..
b. The blind man’s change. This can be found in John 9. There was a guy who was born blind. The Disciples asked if his parents or he had sinned. They were referencing the Hebrew belief that ailments were a result of somebody’s sin. Jesus said he did not sin nor his parent’s sin. He said his condition was allowed to edify God’s glory. We have to remember if God allowed your dilemma, it may bless you. Jesus said I got to do the work of him that sent me. Jesus spat on the ground, and then he put it in dirt & made it into clay & put it on blind man’s eye. Jesus made a mess to put on the blind man’s eye. A mess is often a process toward change. Jesus is making a mess for man’s break thru, but the man can’t see. Just like this, God will see a mess coming and we won’t see it. It is good that we can’t, because if we did, we would stop it and it would not bless us. Because of this, God won’t always let us see the mess headed our way.
The crowd was probably grossed out by what Jesus put on the guys eye. Like the blind man, we can feel a mess around us, but often we can’t see it. Remember the blind man is blind, but Jesus still tells him to go to a pool named Siloam which means sent. How did he know where the pool was if he couldn’t see? Remember the will of God is found through obedience. For years the blind man went to the pool blind and returned blind. He had developed a system to get to the pool. The difference between before and now is that this time he was sent. When you have been sent, no weapons formed against you shall prosper. This time when the blind man came back, he was sent.
c. Issues with the blind man’s change
1. First problem was with the community. The Pharisees didn’t believe him. In verse 10, they asked how this could be. It was all about his obedience.
2. It broke protocol. Verse 13 said the church wanted to know if his change was done on the Sabbath. When you want a change bad enough, you don’t care about protocol. This caused the church to be split up.
3. He had problems with his family. In verse 10, they the bible says the parents were scared. When the Pharisees asked if the blind man had been blind all his life. The family is verse 19 sent them to ask the son. Because of his obedience, the blind man could see again. The blind man began to tell everyone about how he once was blind, but now he could see.

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New Years Eve

Posted on January 7, 2009 by growintheword

No luggage, No limits!
Synopsis of New Years Eve Sermon 2008
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
Text
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Heb 12:1-2 (KJV)
This is the time of the year and rightfully so, we all begin to access and look at all the points of our life. We reflect and look at our decisions and how those decisions impacted our lives. We are products of our own decisions, the good, the bad, the pretty, and the ugly. The truth is, there are many areas in our lives, where we look and realize that we should be further along than we are. This sparks a great deal of determination in some people, because you have made up in your mind that you are ready to do whatever is necessary to achieve the will of God for your life. It is God’s will that we live our lives in pursuit of his best. We should never be hindered by limitations. Limitations do come. This is what the enemy brings in our life, because the enemy is clearly aware of what God desires to do in your life. All the promises of God that has been spoken over your life, like “I know the thoughts I think toward you, thoughts of peace, not of evil, thoughts to give you and expected end… Because of all the promises over your life, the enemy attempts to hinder you by placing in your life limitations. They are seemingly in surmountable obstacles. Somebody reading this knows that are sometimes the enemy can place limitations in our lives, but there are other times where we hinder ourselves. There are times that we come to the altar and we say Lord I need you to help me because the devil is hindering me and limiting me and causing problems in my life! The devil in hell is saying wait a minute, I didn’t do that! You did that yourself!
There are some things that you and I have to take responsibility for, because some things we brought on ourselves. This is a word of encouragement because the writer of Hebrews here is giving a call to personal accountability and commitment for us to deal with the lingering luggage that is in our life. Let us lay aside ever weight that so easily besets us. Many of us go around carrying baggage of our old selves and we wonder why and we wonder why we are limiting what God does in our lives. It is largely because we are taking unneeded luggage, into a new season. God gave Bishop Walker this word for New Years Eve, because it is our belief that this year many people have made up in their mind that they are not going to tolerate this year what they did last year. The truth is these people have made up in their mind not to connect with liabilities this year. I know you find it difficult to say it, so we will say it for you, “We can do bad by ourselves!” We are not going to continue to connect with people who are draining us and pulling us down! We believe this year God is going to give us strategic relationships with people who are going where you are trying to go. We need people in our lives that will not just follow us, but celebrate us. These will be people who are thanking God for what he has done in our lives as well as their own lives. These are people that can encourage and motivate us for the things that God has ordained for our lives. No luggage, no limits!
Even if we have to remove people who are cool with us, even we they are extremely close to us, and even if people start to trip, we have to say sorry no luggage in this season! You have to get to a point where you say, if you knew what I was after, you would understand why I have a very low tolerance for the things that I used to tolerate in the last year!
Some people will get the memo that play time is over. Some people will get memo that old stuff has passed away and old things have become new. There are people that will not be hindered in this season. God is about to raise up a generation of people who are after what he is after. No luggage, no limits!
Being this type of Christian, we must look at reality a little different.
The scripture starts by saying “Wherefore seeing…” This means we have seen the vision. Vision has to do with hindsight, foresight, and insight. When I see with hindsight, this means I look back at the lessons I have learned. When I look with hindsight, it is 20/20 (if I knew then what I know now). Insight is when I look at where I am and where I have come from. It is about maturity. Foresight is looking where God is taking me. Foresight is seeing my reality differently. This means I have shifted my focus from humanity to divinity. This is shifting our focus from carnality to spiritually.
We also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses… In other words these are people who have gone on before me who have given me a great witness. In other words it is their faith that gives me strength.
I. Power of faith
1. This not only about faith, it is also about but faithfulness. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God. Some people are so faithful. They have endured what they have endured, yet they keep showing up based on what they know. They say the reason they hang in there is because of what they know. If you knew what they knew, you would hang in there too. Most of them have a file full of times God delivered them. This helped to build their faith.
2. It is one thing to have faith, but it is another thing to see examples manifested in faith. When faith examples are manifested in faith, you begin to see the power of the word of God. If faith comes by the word of God, then I need to understand where God is taking me then, has a lot to do with the word of God preparing me for where he is taking me. Somebody can testify there is one thing that has kept you when everything has gone to pot in your life. It is the word. Ex-God told Bishop in his private time that “Their ready! He says the message he has sent has been somewhat relevant, but redundant. They have been at a certain level. They have been simple so everyone can get it, but they are ready now for deeper. Bishop asks what do you mean? God says Based on what some people have gone through, we have a generation of folk coming up, who are saying, bring it on! They need a deeper word in this season. They need to know what God’s word says completely.
3. The great cloud of witnesses referred to in the scripture is the faithful. They have faith based off of what they have gone through. Manifested faith shown as pattern, can be found when we look at Heb 11:6. It is the hall of faith. When you look @ Heb 11:6-9 and so on, a lot of the verses start with “By faith this person did this and by faith this person did that….” Ex- 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: Heb 11:7-9 (KJV). In other words when we find ourselves getting discouraged or becoming faithless because of fickle folk in our lives, we can peruse through the word of God and find some faithful folk that can encourage us, because the same God that brought them out is able to bring us out. If he can do it for them, he can do it for us. This is the power of the word of God and also demonstrates why faith is so important. Why do you think the devil always tries to attack us at our faith? When you go through, the enemy wants you to sever your relationship with your faith station.
4. We must remember that faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the word of God. If you will notice, you don’t say you ain’t going to work because you been through so much lately. You will go to work no matter what. You don’t say you ain’t going to boo’s house either. You go to work and to your boo’s house no matter how bad you feel. On the other hand, when you go though times, the first thing you do is say you are not going to church. The devil knows if you come to church, God has a tailor made word for you to bring you out of that place of despair. Church is the last place we should be trying to avoid. Somebody sitting next to you can testify how God brought them out. There is power in the word. When a child of God gets a word, the word of God becomes a pattern. Look at these clouds of witnesses in the scripture. They developed a fight song made of faith. They repeat to us over and over, you can do it!”
II. Don’t know why God allowed you to go through what you did in 2008
1. Some people don’t know why God allowed them to go through what they did in 2008. They get to a point where they say, “Come on God!” In fact, they have gotten bitter and angry, because of what they went through. Ex- Bishop explains of his personal experience with this. He explains talking to himself and said he has been running around this country preaching about 8 sermons a week. He explains expressing to the Lord that he does that for God. Jokingly he says, “Lord, You didn’t have to put my house on fire for me to trust you, I love ya (referring to his house catching on fire due to lightning)! Bishop still joking says he knew some folk who really needed to be motivated to come to church and trust him more than he did. He asks God, why don’t you send the motivation (the lightening) their way? Some of you are in the same boat. Sometimes you say Lord why me? God says to tell you it is not about you. It is about using your life as a point of reference. Your test was necessary to produce a testimony. Your test was to encourage someone else. Because of the test you endure, you will become part of the great cloud of witnesses.
2. Cloud of witnesses will have a specific purpose. If someone around you is going through, because of what you went though, you can make them understand why they are going through so that they may be encouraged to make it through also. We are encouraged by the testimony of the saints.
3. Somebody reading this right now wants to know if God is able? They really want to know if the mortgage is two months behind, can God help them pay it. They want to know if the doctor gives you a bad report; can God heal your body? They want to know if you don’t have the money to put the gas in the car, can God provide for you? Well there is somebody standing around that can shout God is able! Just to assure you, how would you know God was a healer unless you have been sick? How would you know God can deliver, unless your back was up against the wall? This is why we thank God for our faith. Faith is what kept us while we were going through. The word of God kept us from losing our mind. When you’ve been through stuff like this you have no tolerance for luggage, because you have been through too much
III. Believe God for stuff folk think you ought not have the audacity to ask God for
1. This next statement might be theologically risky. Theologically, this next statement may be on a slippery slope. Based on what we have gone through, we feel we ought to get some credit from God. When we are in trouble, we start calling stuff back to God. Ex-“Lord you remember when I did this and when I did that? You said if I would be faithful over a few things, you would make me ruler over many”. Be encouraged. God is about to do something out of the box for you. He is going to blow your mind in 2009. You can make it! God will give you the strength to make!
2. Seeing that I have this great cloud of witnesses the scripture says. By their faith and by their testimony, we can see we can make it too. Then there comes this luggage issue (next).
3. Lay aside every weight. We ought to go through everything we have and repeat over and over again,”every”. God wants us to lay aside every weight that hinders us.
4. The sin that so easily besets you. This is about making the right decisions and seeing what God has for your life. It is about sacrifice in the area of your greatest struggle, the flesh. We already know that the flesh is a mess. The only way it is possible to deal with the flesh is to be honest. We must be willing to let go of some luggage from our past. It is the weight. Not that you can’t run with the luggage, but you can run so much better without it. Ex-We are still waiting for you to catch up. You should have had your house by now. You should have been out of school by now, but you keeping dragging stuff along with you that God didn’t intend for you to drag.
5. Areas to focus in
6. Problems-We keep letting things stress us out. This are the inevitabilities of life. 1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. Job 14:1 (KJV). Just because you are saved, you are not exempt from trouble. Trouble is an equal opportunity employer. 2008 should have taught you we all have problems, but we must cast our cares on him and know that he cares for you. The only way you are going to get past your problems and let your luggage go is you got to release it. Tell someone let that luggage go. We allow stuff to keep us up all night long. Some people stay up at night long eating a big bowl of cream. What’s wrong with you? Luggage, problems!
7. Places-Some places contribute to the vices of your flesh. We must be willing to do light the Psalmist and say blessed is the man that walks not in the council of the ungodly nor stays in the ways of the sinful nor sits in the seat of the scornful… Sometime you have to be careful about the places that you go. The places that you go can be luggage. They can be part of the weight and sin that so easily besets us. Ex- Right now at this service, there are people that can’t wait until we get through, because they have some places they want to go. In their mind they felt they have fulfilled their religious requirements, and they figure the Lord knows their heart, so they are out. Not that you can’t celebrate or have a good time, but examine whether or not the place that you go is a contributor of the weights and sins that beset you.
8. People, Negative influences, dream stealers, and vision killers. These are people that just drain you.
9. Parasitic relationships. These are people that bring nothing to the table. They just come to drain you. Some people are too heavy to have to carry. Stop carrying grown folk. Make them get their own job and their own car.
10. If you at Gal 5.7 you will see that the question is asked, who hindered us? 7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? Gal 5:7 (KJV). Notice it does not say what, but who. Was your mate that good? Who is that manipulative, that they caused you to walk away from your anointing and compromise your integrity? Ex: Bishop explains that he shared with the earlier service that God has shared with him information about people he is going to raise up in this church. Bishop explains he is surprised at this and he has to ask God again what he is saying. God explains he is about to do something with this ministry (Mt Zion) in 2009. God is going to grow this church. Bishop replies that he knows what God’s growth is like, but God explains to him that he hasn’t seen nothing like he is about to do now. He is going about things a little different. *We need to mark this, prophecy down and pull it up when it happens. God says he is about to raise people up from the street. These people are so far from the street that they might make us uncomfortable when they come in. God said let them come in anyway. God says he is going to clean them up and use them, because when these folk get saved, they are not going to be pretentious (prĭ-těn’shəs). Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified.). God also says he is going to raise up some new people in the church. These are people with talents and gifts, but they haven’t been used. God told Bishop to pull them out, lay hands on them, and raise them up. These are people that have gifts and hadn’t used them. God is going to raise these people up and use them. There are some anointed people out there. God is going to make people that think they have tenure, worry. These people that God will raise up will come without any luggage. There are some anointed people out there right now. There are some intercessors out there right now. You can walk over to them and they are so quiet and so resourceful. They just look and wave their hands, but God is going to raise them up to be a blessing to this ministry, this community, this nation, and this world.
11. This is why you got to get past the stuff that has hindered you in the past. You got to get past the stuff that easily besets you. How many times have you looked back over your life with regrets? How many times have you said I can’t believe I got myself in that mess? The devil likes to create in you a methodology that creates a mentality that limits your potential. Ex-Look at the elephant in the circus. They tie ropes around the elephant’s leg and tie it to a steak. They have done this since the elephant was a baby. Now he is an adult that weighs tons, but he feels he is limited. He feels he can’t go anywhere because there has been a methodology that has been in place all his life that has created a mentality that has caused him to believe that now the steak is greater than his power. He doesn’t realize how much power he has because the mentality created has him thinking he has no authority. We are doing the same thing. There have been limitations placed on your life as a child and we have forgotten about the authority we have. How can a virtuous woman end up making a living on her back? How can we have this wisdom and this great mind and get strung out on drugs? Something as simple as this, we have allowed to hold us captive. We are much greater than our luggage. This day, we come to take authority over our luggage and remind you of whom you are. You are God’s anointed. You are more than a conqueror. Greater is he in you than he that is in the world! Take authority over anything that tries to limit your potential.

IV. Focus on the Savior
One more thing I want to leave with you. Verse 2 says 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1. We must keep all eyes on God. It is hard for some people to focus. Especially for folk like us that have ADHD. Some of you already are drifting as you read this. You got to keep your eyes on Jesus, because when you do, he will remove all your doubt. That’s what Peter would have learned if he would have kept his eyes on Jesus. He would not have sank if he had not taken his eyes off of Jesus and focused on his circumstances. God can not only release you from doubt, he can release your distractions from you.
2. Many of us have been focusing on the wrong things and kept our mind on negative things. This season you got to keep your mind and your eyes focused on Jesus. He is the best thing that ever happened to us. You can wake up in the morning and say this is the day that the Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it. No matter what is in the day, you still give him glory for the day. It is hard to see your mess and see him at the same time.
V. God is about to release you to your destiny.
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Because of the joy that was set before him he endured the cross. Verse 2 says he endured the cross and despised the shame. We have to look to Jesus who is the author and finisher of our faith. Faith comes by hearing from the word of God. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. In other words Jesus is the author and finisher of things not seen. He went to the cross with joy, because he knew what they could not see. That’s why he prayed for them and said, “Father forgive them, because they know not what they do, because if they did, they wouldn’t do this to me”. In other words God is saying to someone right now the problem the Devil made with you is he thought when he messed with you, he was going to take you out. He didn’t realize that God had already finished some stuff on your behalf, before the enemy even showed up. God has already finished some stuff in you before the Devil even messed with you. This is why you have to give God glory for the promise, because of the joy set before me, I got my eye on where God is taking me to, not what I am going through.
God said tell some folk that went through some stuff in 2008, thank God you are a survivor! Tell somebody you are glad they didn’t give up and that you are glad they survived and kept showing up. Tell them that you are glad they kept praising God! When the economy was messed up, when gas prices went through the roof, you kept showing up. You kept giving God the praise! Somebody’s heart was broken! Some of you lost family members! Some of you lost friends in 2008, but God said tell you to get ready, because something is about to jump off in 2009! The bible said run the race that is set before you! Tell somebody that you have got to run your race! 1 Cor 9:24 says, there are many people running, but we are running for the prize. We are running so we can win the race. Why? Because the race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who endure to the end. * God said he knows 2008 was a crazy year, but he said remind people of the word found in Levitcus 25:22(22 As you plant the seed in the eighth year, you will still be eating the produce of the previous year. In fact, you will eat from the old crop until the new harvest comes in the ninth year.’Lev 25:22 (NLT). Some of you were planting and sowing in the 8th yr (2008) and neglecting yourself for other people. You were giving your life to be a blessing to other people. The bible says you will eat, from the old crop (2008) and you will continue to eat from it until the new crop of the ninth year comes in. Repeat to yourself, “The old has passed away and the ninth year is here. It is harvest time”. God is about to give you the desires of your heart! Thank God we made it to this year. It is harvest time.

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