Part I: If God Didn’t Sent It, I Don’t Want It 

Posted on December 15, 2023 by growintheword

 

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Synopsis of 12/10/23 Sermon

James 1:17 NKJV
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

      I.          INTRODUCTION 

  1. God is a giver. In doing so, God often gives to people who are ungrateful, but He doesn’t stop giving to the ungrateful, because that is who He is.
  2. God gives with intentionality. He gives us gifts to solve problems.
  3. One example of this is, God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives us what we need, and as a result, a problem is solved. Another example is God sent His son to us, so that we might be reconciled back to God. He solved a problem.
  4. Whether you know it or not, you are carrying a gift that will bless the world. When you realize this, you know that everything that happens is related to that gift. You are designed to solve problems. Even your life is a gift from God and you can’t be selfish with yourself or your gift. God blessed you to be a blessing!
  5. There is a way to receive. When you are spiritual, you don’t just take anything. Anything given to you needs to be analyzed by examining the intention behind it. Why was it given and is there a motive? Everything that is given to you is not from God. Proverbs 10:22 KJV says 22 The blessings of the Lord maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it. – If it brings you sorrow, then it can’t be from God.
  6. We are not thirsty or pitiful. If we have to wait, we will wait, because we want it to come out like God wants it to. If God didn’t send it, we don’t want it!
  7. James was the brother of Jesus. Jesus had other siblings and they all struggled with His divinity.
  8. James becomes the first Bishop in the New Testament. He is noted for speaking to the Jerusalem Council. James speaks to God’s providence in wisdom and At one time, James spoke to the scattered Jews where he spoke words like,…” count it all joy when you fall into divers temptation…” and “If any of you lack wisdom, ask God for it..”.
    1. He is referred as James the lessor and he was righteous before God.
    2. James explains to us today that every good and perfect gift comes from God.

     II.          RECOGNIZE GOD AS THE SOURCE OF YOUR PROVISION 

  • God is the creator. God provides for his creation. He is not only the distributor, but also the In other words, He is the source!

A.    God Is Who I Need Who Has What I Need 

  1. God doesn’t just have joy and peace; He is joy and peace!
  2. In order to receive what I need from God; I need to be in relationship with Him. Some people look for stuff, because they don’t realize that they have it in God.
  3. Relationship matters to God!

B.    What God Gives Aligns with His Word 

  1. God cannot be separated from His word. Every gift He gives is in sync with His word. So, you should pray His word. God doesn’t permit some stuff because it doesn’t line up with His word.
  2. The word produces revelation. When you pray, this creates manifestation. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. His word doesn’t return unto him void.
    1. The Word is a menu. I can only speak what is on the menu. I can’t order ribs at Chick-Fil-A, because ribs are not on the menu. When you ask God for something according to his menu, God will do it for you!

   III.          THE REVELATION THAT HE SENDS WILL BE POSITIVE 

  • Everything God sends will be positive. It should not drain you, diminish you, or depress you.
  • Why doesn’t it always feel good, if it is good? The answer is, some things may be assigned for your development. It is good even though it doesn’t feel good.
    • For example, how about Joseph and the pit. It doesn’t appear good, but when Joseph gets his revelation, he realizes that it is good. When you come to maturity, you realize that all things were meant for your good. Romans 8:28 NKJV says 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. –  Everything God sends is good.

A.    God Knows What’s Best for Me 

  1. God is not giving gifts to you based on your right now. He is giving gifts to you based on where He is taking you. God determines what is good!
  2. God doesn’t give us what we want, He gives us what we need.
  3. Giving categories:
    1. The Gift of “NO”– This prevents something from happening to you. God, like a good parent, will let you be upset and wait for you to come to your senses, because he knows you will thank Him later.
    2. The Gift of “Not Yet”– This is the gift of preparation. It’s not that He is not going to give it to you. He has to prepare you for it first. You have to be in a position, however, to receive it!
    3. The Gift of “Now” – This is the gift of the present. God says it’s now and he needs you to walk into it! There is a window of time where you must move in the time at which God says move! In due season, you will reap if you faint not!

B.    What He Gives Adds Value and Does Not Devalue 

  1. Every gift God gives makes you better. ]\John 10:10 NKJV says10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
  2. Our gifts should make us better. Even in relationships, we should be better because of being part of it.
  3. Much of the loss in our lives, is because of what the enemy has taken. Many times, we thought it would be Little house on the Prairie, but it ended up being Nightmare on Elm Street! If God sent it, it should get better, not worse!

  IV.          HE WILL NOT RELEASE IT IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED 

  • The word Perfect, in perfect gift, means mature. As a result of the gift, God prepares the gift for you and you for the gift. If he didn’t, we could actually go into a situation that we really weren’t ready to receive or operate in.
  • God takes us through tests. Tests are a measurement to prepare us for the next dimension. You are promoted based on your ability to pass tests. We are not promoted based on tenure.
  • Have you considered the truest measure of giving gifts? It is as follows.

A.    He Prepares It for You and You for It 

  1. Would It Change You Spiritually? You went to church believing God for a mate, but when you got your Bae, you quit coming to church. You prayed for the job and when you got it, you became too busy for God. If it changes you spiritually, you aren’t ready for it.
  2. Would You Be a Good Steward? Would you use what God gave you for the benefit or service of others or would it be all about you? If you were selfish before the blessing, the gift will highlight it more. Can you tithe off the big check like you did with the little check?
  3. Would You Recognize the Source? If you got blessed, would you tell everyone that God got you where you are or would you take all the credit?

B.    Trust His Timing 

  1. God will not send it according to our time Cronos. He will send it according to Kairos time. Cronos is man’s time. God operates in Kairos. Kairos is the appointed time in the purpose of God and it supersedes man’s time. We try to bring God into Cronos time, because we think it needs to be done by a certain time according to our standards. We don’t realize that God can make it show up early or late and it will still be on time. This is Kairos time.
  2. God knows when the right time is. We have to learn to wait for what God has for our lives! You have to trust God and know that whenever God sends it, it will be at the right time!

    V.          REJOICE THAT HE IS STEADFAST IN HIS PROMISES 

  1. James talks about not being double minded. He also talks about God being unchanging in todays scripture where he says, “…with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning…” When God makes a promise, you have to be steadfast in it, because God’s promise is certain.
  2. God’s word is a promise like a promissory note. A check is a promissory note for example. It is a piece of paper with a promise written on it. You cash it, because you believe the giver has the powers to back up what is on the promissory note. We cash and deposit the check, because we believe in the weight and the power of the one that gave us the check.
  3. When you have confidence in the gift, when you receive the check, you write bills based on the history of knowing it has been good before. When you know God, you need to live knowing that God’s promises don’t bounce.

A.    He Will Show You What You Shouldn’t Have 

  1. The scripture says that every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights. What does light do? It illuminates. It also is associated with knowledge (i.e. the light bulb came on).
  2. God reveals things to you, and you might not get it. You can be blinded by your own dysfunction and not see what the Light showed you. Once people show you who they are, believe them. You need to trust what God is trying to show you.
  3. The Father of lights will always show it to you. If he shows it to you, act like you got it!

B.    If He Said it, Act Like You’ve Got It 

  1. You got to know that it is done, based on the promise. You need to act like it is already done! You need to act like it in your language, in your expectations, in your posture, and in your whole being.

Story:

Bishop was staying in a hotel and wanted to go to Starbucks to study, like he usually does. He decided to do something different this time. Instead of calling for an Uber, he called for an Uber Black.

While he was waiting, Bishop was seeing others jump in random cars and leave before him. Some of them were people headed to the same place he was going. Some even called their rides after he did. Bishop was tempted to jump in one of these cars, cancel his Uber Black, and head on to where he was trying to go.

Bishop decided to wait. Know that the enemy will always send you options, the very moment you ask God to send you something. While waiting, Bishop kept seeing people leave before he was able to leave. When his Uber Black finally came, he told the driver that he almost got into one of the cars he had been seeing, because his Uber Black was taking so long. The driver told him that he was glad Bishop didn’t take one of those rides with the other cars, because most of them were gypsy cars. This meant they had no legal papers, and they were full of drivers that were scammers. Some of them would take you out of the way, so you would have to pay more. Others might simply take you somewhere and rob you.

Make sure you wait on the gift that God sent you. We’ve been in this thing long enough to know that if God didn’t send it, we don’t want it!!

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part IV: It Takes More Than That to Take Me Out

Posted on November 30, 2023 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of Sermon 11.29.23

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Job 14:7-9 NKJV 
7 “For there is hope for a tree, 
If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, 
And that its tender shoots will not cease. 
8 Though its root may grow old in the earth, 
And its stump may die in the ground, 
9 Yet at the scent of water it will bud 
And bring forth branches like a plant.

        I.            INTRODUCTION 

  1. One of main things we should remember is we should not underestimate the the resilience of a Child of God. Their survival is a testimony. They’ve endured because they knew better was coming.
  2. In the story, God offers up Job to Satan. The revelation is, God sees something in Job and as a result, God is willing to put it all on the line. He knew Job would make him look good. He knew He could trust Job with trouble. Can God trust you with trouble? Can God trust that you will make him look good?
  3. Our reason for preaching this word today is because many of you don’t know how strong you are. It takes more than what has occurred to take you out! You show up looking like you’ve never been through anything. The enemy is confused by this.
  4. In the scripture, Job likens himself to a tree. Job gives us the assurance that though the tree has been cut down, it will sprout back again. The enemy is trying to convince you that you will never bounce back!
  5. Job is a book that we encourage you to study. It is one of the older books in the Bible. In fact, it is older than Genesis. It takes place during the Babylonian Exile. The book of Job reflects the questions of suffering that arise during that period.
  6. Not only did the Babylonian insult God’s people. The Persians did also. The book of Job gives us a story of a man that experiences great tragedy. Job was so wealthy, he would be like the Bill Gates of our day. He was so righteous, he communed with God regularly.
  7. As Satan goes up and down the earth, God asks him what he is doing? Satan says he was seeing what he could devour. God asks Satan if he had considered his son Job? The devil says he had thought about it, but explains that God had a hedge round him. He explains that if God would remove it, then it would be a different story. God then allowed Satan to test Job.
  8. As a result of Satan’s test, Job experienced one thing after another. In addition to all that he had lost, he is afflicted with sores that drained constantly. It was a horrid disease. Job’s kids died too. It was so bad, his wife told Job to curse God and let it be over. Even Job’s friends were questioning him, saying that it had to be something that he had done, that caused all of this misfortune.
  9. Job tries to figure out what God is doing, by questioning Him. Job 38:4 NKJV says 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. – God assures Job that He knows what he is doing. This is an example of how we go through tragedies, yet God brings about restoration.  

     II.            THE POWER OF SELF-REALIZATION 

  • Once you come to the realization of who you are, you can confront any issue that comes to you. Job says he is like a tree.
  • Isaiah 61 compares us a tree. Isaiah 61:3 NKJV says 3 To [a]console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” – Trees of righteousness. There is something about Trees and a believer’s strength.

A.     I Can’t Help I Stand Out 

  1. This is what trees do. We stand out! When you know who you are, you can’t help but stand out!
  2. People’s insecurities show up when you show up, because:
    1. They Can’t Control Your Statue– They don’t worry about you as long as they can control you.
    2. They Can’t Control Your Season– Some people would love to hold back your blessing if they could. They would love to legislate your season. God is always leaning in your direction.
    3. They Can’t Control Your Seed – They can’t control what’s inside of you. Whatever you produce, produces seeds. Whenever you show up, you produce seeds.

B.     The Enemy Wants to Cut You, to Control You 

  1. Job is blessed tremendously and that’s just the beginning of his blessings.
  2. The enemy wasn’t after Job’s right now, he was after his not yet.
  3. Satan began to cut Job down, economically, domestically, socially, psychologically, and theologically. Satan tries this with us, but he miscalculates who you are. There is yet hope of a tree.

  III.            THE POTENTIAL IN SPIRITUAL RESILIENCE 

  • Job says there is hope of tree. We don’t realize how strong we are until we get into certain situations. At our worst, we discover the best inside of us.
  • Job’s relationship was on trial. Sometimes your relationship will be placed on trial. Satan thought if he went after all of Job’s blessings, he would curse God. When you are spiritual, you know that whatever ever God gave you before, he can give you again.

A.     You Can Chop Me Down, But I Still Have a Chance 

  1. You got a chance. Job says, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust him”.

B.     Through It All, I’m Still Here 

  1. In the midst of all this, Job is still there. He could have had legitimate reasons to give up. People don’t realize your mere presence is a blessing. You are sitting next to a miracle!
  2. Even though the tree has been cut down, it has strong roots.

   IV.            THE PRESENCE OF STRONG ROOTS 

  • Job says the roots are old in the ground. He hasn’t just been planted. Don’t act like you’ve just been planted. We have some roots. You ought to thank God for deep roots.
  • When you have roots with God, it means:

A.     It’s Genuine 

  1. It’s real.

B.      It’s Grounded 

  1. There are times that life wants to move me, but I will be steadfast and unmovable.

C.      It’s Growing 

  1. There are moments where I realize that years ago, I wouldn’t have reacted like I am now.
  2. What the reality is:
    1. There is More to Me Than You Can See– People try to measure your blessings by what you post, or what you wear, or what you drive. God wants you to be blessed, but this isn’t the sum total of who you are. There are people with more money than you that are miserable. There are some people with big houses, but they’re houses is in disarray. You can build your life all the way up without building yourself all the way down.
      1. It was your prayer life. God was keeping you because you had deep roots.
    2. My Connection is What Sustains Me– Our roots kept getting nutrients. Job said he has some roots that are old in the earth.
  3. The question becomes, how is the tree going to come back? Some people say they are praying for you, but they really aren’t. They just want to see how you will react. So how will the tree come back?

     V.            THE PROMISE OF THE SCENT OF RAIN 

  • Rain is very important in scripture. Nothing could live without the rain. That’s why God would withhold rain when a land was disobedient.
  • Job says he knows he is coming back, because of the scent of rain. The scent before rain is called Petrichor. It is a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather. The scent of rain releases certain oils from plants. God may be releasing oil over your life.
  • The rain represents the abundance that the tree needs to get back. Job says yet to the scent of rain… We don’t have to wait until the rain comes. Petrichor impacts everything. Both our psychology and our theology is affected. Remember grandma used to say, it must be going to rain, because her joints were hurting. The scent of rain creates a reaction because you know the rain is on the way.

A.     Can You Shout for What’s on The Way? 

  1. Can you give God glory that your breakthrough is on the way?

B.     My Comebacks Are Always Greater Than My Setbacks 

  1. I may be down, but I’m not out. I’ll come back, because of my deep roots and the mere scent of rain.

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part II: I’ve Got Standards

Posted on November 20, 2023 by growintheword

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Synopsis of 11/12/23

Psalm 1:1-3 NKJV 

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, 
And in His law he meditates day and night. 
3 He shall be like a tree 
Planted by the rivers of water, 
That brings forth its fruit in its season, 
Whose leaf also shall not wither; 
And whatever he does shall prosper.

I.                    INTRODUCTION 

  1. One of the most power things in our relationship with God is coming to the revelation of what we deserve. Some people go through their entire life not understanding their value. I believe there is a relationship between our knowledge of who God is and our understanding of what we truly deserve.
  2. The more you grow in your relationship with God, the more you learn who you are in him. As a result, you realize the power of having standards.
  3. Story: Bishop explains how he has been teaching his son how to play basketball, on a goal that is lower than it should be for his age group. His son had gotten real good on this goal and Bishop had been giving him praises for his achievements. Later Bishop realized that he needed to raise the goal. He did not want his son to continue playing and learning on goal that was smaller than what was designed for his age group. He realized that he had lowered the standard for his son, and he did not want to continue applauding him for achieving below a standard that he should be working to.
    1. This is what we do often. We applaud people for achieving below their standard. We have to grow up at some point. There are some things that we must grow out of. There are levels that we must reach for our standards to be where they’re supposed to be, and we begin to aim for something much bigger and greater.
    2. We want you to come to a place where you unapologetically live in your standard, and you do not lower your standards for people that are not willing to come up to your standards.
  4. Today, we want to share a message about your commitment, your connections, and your convictions.
  5. In the scripture today, David leans in on our relationships with others and how we value ourselves. It moves into the arena of standards. David jumps right into talking about relationships by saying, “1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ”

II.                 SOME PEOPLE HAVE TO BE RELEASED 

  • Relationships matter. We can tell a lot about you based off the people that you tolerate in your life. The moment you understand this is the moment you understand who you really are. There comes a moment where you have to decide who you will allow to be connected to you. The first sign in having standards is found in your courage to release certain people out of your life.
  • People associate blessings with happiness. Some people say they are blessed, because they are happy. This text is not associating blessing with happiness. Happiness is associated with happenings, which means someone has to do something for us, before we are happy and blessed. The blessing of the Lord is not tied to happenings, but rather, who God is. So, no matter if you do anything for us or not, we already know that we are blessed.
  • Baruch is the Hebrew word that our word blessing comes from in this context. In this scripture, blessings deal with productivity. It is all about being Remember in the Garden of Eden when God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. In other words, you need to be productive (fruitful), before you even reproduce. God wants us to be productive, before we reproduce, because He doesn’t want us to reproduce out of dysfunction. Otherwise, we would be spreading our dysfunction all over the place.
  • We are only blessed when we produce. We can actually make sense of it, when we put the word productive in verse 1. Instead of saying 1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; ” it would say, Productive is the person that makes the decision about who can come in their life and who cannot.
  • What are the signs that people have started impeding our production?

A.     Let Go of Anything That Could Jeopardize Where God is Taking You 

  1. Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; – The B portion of verse 1 basically says, “Be careful where you walk. When you walk with someone long enough, you will start standing for what they stand for. If you keep walking with them, you will start believing what they believe. That’s standing. If you walk long enough, you will begin to believe what they believe. That’s sitting!”
  2. Some people don’t produce, because they are around others that don’t produce.

B.     Let Go of Anything That Robs You of Your Peace 

  1. Remember Jonah was running from God. He gets on a ship and almost immediately a storm comes. Jonah says he is the problem, and he tells them the storm will stop, if they throw him overboard.
    1. Now Jonah tells them that he is the problem, but instead of throwing him overboard, they row harder, trying to make it work. Eventually, they had to throw Jonah overboard. We do this often. We know what the problem is and instead of removing it, we try to work around it or make it work.
  2. You need to be in a relationships that bring forth value. You’ve got too much to let people rob you of your peace. We have standards. Let go of anything or anyone that is robbing you of your peace. You can still love people from a distance.
  3. Story: Bishop stayed at this nice hotel, setup by a church he was speaking at. He left the room to go Starbucks and study. When he returned, he noticed that his key would no longer work, so he went to the Front Desk, to try and get help with his key.
    1. The woman at the Front Desk asked him where he had kept the key and he told her that he kept it in his pocket. She then asked Bishop what else he had in the pocket, and he told her that he had his cellphone in that same pocket. Right then, the Lady realized what the problem was. She told him that the cellphone drained the power from the key. The Key lost its power, because it was too close to something it wasn’t designed to be close to. Therefore, the key could no longer open the door.
    2. Often this is what happens to us. Doors do not open up for us, because we have lost our power, due to staying too close to people that we were not designed to be close to.

III.              SPRITUTALLY YOUR PRIORITIES MUST BE RIGHT 

  • You’ve got to be spiritually focused. We must delight ourselves in the Lord. Once all the distractions are gone, you realize how much you’ve been missing.
  • There was no lack of energy when you were in the world. You could stay up all night and hang out all day when it came to doing things of the world, but when you got saved, you get tired.
    • We can spend countless hours doing things of the world, but when it comes to the things of God, in 15 or 20 mins, we are ready to bounce!
    • We must meditate on the word, both day and night!

A.     I’m Passionate About His Word  

  1. We often settle for side dishes. Side dishes are things like the choir, the building, and even the people inside the church. All of these things are alright, but the main dish is God’s word. We should be passionate about God’s word.
  2. Faith comes by hearing the word of God. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV saysBut without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. – Considering what you have gone through, you should have standards to how you receive God’s word.
    1. You have to have standards about whose table you eat at. You can’t eat at everyone’s table.
  3. We choose life. Isn’t it amazing how people choose churches. Some people pick churches out of conveyance.
    1. It’s funny how we will drive 45mins to work or 20mins to buy something we really want, but when it comes to God’s word, we can’t come to church, because it’s too far away. We will actually go to a church that we are not getting fed, just because it is closer. We must be willing to go where we are getting fed, no matter the inconvenience!

B.     Feed Your Faith and Not Your Flesh 

  1. The enemy wants you to feed your flesh. The enemy is always trying to pull you away from God’s best.
  2. Be intentional about:
    1. Your Covering– Jeremiah 3:15 NKJV says And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. – A Pastor’s job is to feed you with knowledge and understanding. Make sure you are under a good covering.

 

  1. Your Consistency – Anything in life you want to get better at, you have to be consistent with working at it. You have to work on it on a consistent basis.
  2. Your Commitment– This is your ability to move out of theory and into practice. We must be doers and not just readers of God’s word.

IV.               STRATEGICALLY PLANTED BY RIVERS 

  • You’re like a tree planted by a river. When you are a tree, you know that you are a tree. You are not a hedge; you are a tree!
  • The tree is planted by the rivers of water. If you ever want to understand what God meant by something in scripture, go to the primary point of reference. This means, go back to where God first used it. In this case we go back to Garden of Eden.
  • God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Fruitful means to be productive How were they to be productive? God put 4 rivers that flowed through the garden. These rivers represent the flow of blessing and
  • If rivers represent economy, think about this. Egypt was so advanced, because it was positioned by the Nile River. If you were by the river in those days, you were The river allows you to ship and receive goods. The River controlled commerce. So one could say that the river was a blessing to them.
  • God plants you beside that which was designed to bless you. We prophesy that we see rivers flowing over your life. This is blessings.

A.     I’m Prayerful About Where I Am Planted 

  1. We choose not to be around people that will keep us from producing. We release them from our lives and focus on God’s word.
  2. We recognize where God has planted us. We are not a hedge; we are tree planted what’s flowing. As long as I am planting by what’s flowing, I will always be growing.

B.     I’m Growing Because I’m Planted by What’s Flowing 

  1. It Removes Debris – The pressure from the water helps remove debris.
  2. It’s Currents Can Create – Rocks take on certain forms and shapes, because of the constant flow of the water. They become what they’ve become, because they are in the constant flow and pressure of the water.
  3. It Flows into Something Bigger than Itself – Rivers never get stagnant, because they are constantly flowing. They also flow into something bigger than themselves, like a sea or ocean. In like manner, whatever you produce, will not be about you, but instead the God you serve. It’s bigger than yourself.

V.                 SEASON TO PROSSPER WITH REGULARITY 

  • You will bring forth fruit in your season.

A.     I’m Satisfied with My Season 

  1. If you produce peaches, I don’t trip. I know my Apple season will be next. People may not like you, but one thing they can’t deny, fruit don’t lie.

B.     All I Do is Win

  1. My leaves shall not wither. People don’t think it is sustainable. They are waiting on you to fail. All you do is win!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Part IV: It Hurt but It Helped

Posted on October 31, 2023 by growintheword

Synopsis of 10/22/23

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

        I.            INTRODUCTION 

  1. Revelation is powerful. We are all in a position to receive it. What God allows is for our development and not your demise.
  2. Being consumed by what we go through on a daily basis, we miss knowing why we went through it. When life hurts, God meant it to bless us, not hurt us.
  3. When it comes to thorns, we have asked God to take it away. We pleaded and struggled with God. God had to remind us that something was in it for us. It might not feel like it now, but what you ask God to move, might be designed to bring a blessing into your life. You might be thanking God for your thorn later on.
  4. It helped you, though it hurt you. Remember Joseph? He was hurt by the pit, but the pit brought about his blessing.
  5. Historical context of Paul:
    1. Paul was originally called Saul. He was born in Tarsus. This is modern day turkey. He was a zealous Pharisee which were those who held to the traditionalism of their ancestors. They were strict adherers to religious law.
    2. Paul studied under Gamaliel, a Jewish scholar. He was bilingual, knowing both Hebrew and Greek and had the ability to speak both fluently.
    3. Paul was persecutor of the church originally. At first Paul’s name was Saul. Saul spent the first part of life, persecuting Christian’s, until the road of Damascus experience. The Second half of his life, he was all about bringing about redemption. His name was changed to Paul. He spent the remainder of life, building up what he tore down.
    4. Paul experienced a lot for the sake of Christ. He wrote about a 3rd of the New Testament. He is one of the best writers in the New Testament. He wrote things like, “I can do all things Christ…” or “Love is patient, love is kind…” or “The Fruit of the Spirit is…”. Amid his own persecution, Paul shares with the early church, he knew a man that had a vision. The man had a vision in the 3rd heaven and he saw stuff he couldn’t speak of. He was able to see things that were unspeakable, things that no one was permitted to tell. Because of that revelation, there was given to Paul, a thorn in his flesh, so that he might not be
    5. You might not think there is much hardship associated with a thorn but consider this. It’s like getting a deep splinter. That splinter may be small, but it hurts so bad and like the man in the vision, you can’t get it out! Before long, that little bitty splinter will drive you nuts!
    6. Paul asked God to remove it 3 times and the Lord wouldn’t. God said that his grace was sufficient. In other words, God is saying, you will eventually see why the thorn is there and how it is helping you.

     II.            THE THORN WAS FOR YOUR PRIDE 

  • The greater your spiritual encounter, the greater the need for your humility.
    • James 4:6 NKJVsays But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” – There is a tendency for all of us to become prideful.

 

  1. Don’t Allow a Spiritual Encounter to Produce Spiritual Elitism
    Having spiritual encounters is wonderful, but understand Spiritual Elitism is having the attitude that you are superior to everyone when it comes to spiritual matters.
  2. Don’t allow your spiritual encounter to turn you into one with Spiritual Elitism.
  3. Different manifestations of Spiritual Elitism:
    1. Looking down on people.
    2. You expect special privileges.
      1. This is really when you think everyone is going to hell but you.

 

  1. God Allows Thorns to Remind You of Your Human Condition 
  2. Some people argue what the thorn that Paul was referring to might have been a condition. Others say the thorn was something medical. Some people say the thorn could have been a spiritual struggle. We don’t know what the thorn is. It does, however, give us an opportunity to see our issue in its place.
  3. It’s good that God doesn’t put our thorn on blast. Our thorn reminds us that we are human flesh.
  4. Our thorn reminds us of our need for God. No matter how influential you are, no matter how strong you think you are, you can’t deal with your thorn by yourself.

  III.            THE TRUTH ABOUT PRAYER 

·       Paul does what he knows. He talks to God about it. Prayer is the most effective when you are honest.

  • We try to go through life like we have a “S” on our chest. We don’t want to be honest about our hurting. God said cast your cares on Him because he cares for you.
  • Paul said he went to God 3 times, and He wouldn’t remove thorn. Why wouldn’t God remove it?

 

  1. Just Because God Doesn’t Move, Doesn’t Mean He Didn’t Hear You 
  2. God won’t always do what we want him to do. He gives us what we need and not what we want. There were times, when your children were young, and they kept asking you to do something for them. They kept asking over and over, because you didn’t act on it right away. You heard it, but you didn’t move on it, when they thought you should. In like manner, God might not respond or act right away. God knows the proper time to respond to us. He might not come when you want him to, but he is always on time.

 

  1. Sometimes, No Is the Answer 
  2. Why isn’t there a praise break, when the answer is “no”? There are times that God will say “no”.
  3. You have to trust it, when God says no. No is part of the plan. If God says yes, it removes you from the development needed to take you where He is taking.
  4. When you finally get where you are going, you will appreciate and see the need for the answer, no.
  5. You ought to thank God for the “no”, because without it, you wouldn’t be where you are today.
  6. Paul says if you are going to permit this, then there must be purpose in it. Therefore, he decided to glory in his infirmities.

 

   IV.            THE TESTIMONY IN HIS PROVISION 

  • God says he won’t move it, but he will give us grace, because it is sufficient. Grace is giving you what you don’t deserve. Sufficient means enough. You don’t need grace and weed (substitute with whatever you use to cope), you just need grace. Grace is enough.

 

  1. God’s Grace Will Get You Through This  

  2. Why trying to fill your purpose, it is God’s grace that gets you through it. 1 Corinthians 15:10 NKJVsays But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 
    Grace gives us:
    1. Spiritual Endurance– This is the ability to stay in the race.
    2. Spiritual Enlightenment– It is about seeing your situation differently.
    3. Spiritual Expectancy – When I live by grace, we know God is going to give us above what we ask or think.

  3. You Will Discover His Strength in Your Weakest Moments
  4. There are moments where you have to throw it all on the line.
    1. Story– There was a young boy in water, and he was going under as if he was drowning. The lifeguard just stood there. The little boy kept fighting to stay up, but he kept going under. Finally, the little guy couldn’t fight any longer. He began sinking and then finally, the lifeguard went in after him. People asked the lifeguard why he waited so long to try and rescue the guy? The Lifeguard said as long as little guy was struggling, he couldn’t rescue him. He said he had to wait until he stopped struggling. – The takeaway from this is, Gods’ strength is perfect in our

    V.            THANKFUL IN THE MIDST OF THE PAIN 

  • We will glory in it not when we come out, but while we are in the midst of it.
  • The thorn is still there. God won’t remove it, but Paul says he will glory in it.
  • Through this experience, Paul learned something. It was:


 

  1. If God Allowed It, There Is a Blessing in It

 

  1. We have to remember, if this hadn’t happened, then that couldn’t have happened. God works all things together for our good.

  2. I Choose to Praise Him Rather Than Pout 
  3. Some people spend their whole lives pouting with God. We don’t wait until the battle over to give God glory. We will give God glory now!
  4. We have Pouters and then you have Praises.
    1. Story: Guy brings flowers to his wife, just because. With excitement, she reached in and pain rushed through her body. The thorns stuck into her finger. Now there is blood on the tissue paper.
    2. In this moment she has several choices.
      1. Reject the roses for the pain it has caused her.
      2. Fuss at her husband.
    3. Because she recognized the intent of the giver, she holds the roses by the stem and thanks him. She knew her husband wasn’t trying to hurt her.
    4. In life, God may give us a thorn and it may hurt. It might cause us to bleed, but He loves us. Can you do like the woman and hold God by the stem?
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment