Prophetic Word – 04.12.20

Posted on April 13, 2020 by growintheword

God speaks to the nation prophetically:

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

God says, “I finally have your attention. Finally. In the hustle and bustle of life, you know now what it means to be still.

All your distractions are fading and your focus in 2020 is the year of clarity. Clarity! You are seeing clearer now than ever before.

Be still and know that I am the Lord. What has happened to the world, I have the power to stop, but I allowed it, so the world could reset. It will be no respecter of persons or culture or economic status. It will be indiscriminate to help you reset. The Lord has shut it all down.

I am the Lord that still stops the rain. All of it has shut down, so that you might reset. He that has an ear, let him hear.

This is a time that everything must reset. I have put you on pause, so that the earth can heal. You have damaged earth. The earth is the Lord’s and fullness thereof and all that dwells therein. You have brought trauma to the earth though global warming, through emissions, but now your cars are in garages. You can no longer start random fires in rain forests, the earth is healing and resetting.

I am the Lord thou God who resets your family. You have taken so much for granted. You have been running and you have been moving and you have been going like ships in the night. I have created an opportunity for you to be home longer than you have before, to be still that you don’t lose your children and that you don’t lose your marriage. That you might have the tough conversations that you wouldn’t have had if you were constantly running, trying escape.

I am healing the family. I am allowing you time to reach out to family, cousins, and relatives you have not spoken to.  Now relationships is going to matter and now you are going to have to heal broken relationships. The things that were so petty, no longer matters. I am the Lord thou God that heals the family.

I am healing my church. The church was hemorrhaging, intoxicating herself with brands and personality driven platforms and now hurting with platforms I put you all are on equal playing fields. Now we have to preach for Him and not the applause of people.

I the Lord thou God, comes to humble every leader and tell you that you must now reset how you have done church. And the church itself has to learn how to get beyond petty fights and theology and denominationalism.

I have reset community and what it looks like. Now you cannot strut in god’s house to be seen. Now you must sit and receive the pure word of God, without drawing attention to yourself.

I am healing the church. I am making division go away that when you return you will shal be a healed body and you will worship Me the way that I intended. There is a generation of those, that seek My face and they will come running, not for positions and not for titles. There won’t be cat fights and position fights and ther won’t be territorialism.

When this is over, my people will come with a pure heart. There are people that gave up on the church that will come running back, because now we realize that if my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, I will heal thee.

I am healing community. I am showing you the economic injustice. I’m showing you how in certain neighborhoods, how things have disproportionately affected certain people. I am showing you now. I am shining a spotlight on it, that now it is time for us as a community, to move out of our pomp and circumstance and to roll up our sleeves and be who God called us to be.  I easy to sit back and type and critique. It’s easy to talk, but now it is time for everybody to come together, because we are better together. Unless the Lord builds an house, they that build, build in vain. Our community, our schools, what we put into our bodies, what we put into our mind, the things we tolerate in our communities, and our neighborhoods now will shift, because God is going to heal our community.

The revival is still coming. What I promised you in 2020, is still in play. Do not cancel 2020. It may look like its over, but this word shall be confirmed in the 7th month of 2020, your turn around will begin. Your second half will be the awakening and if you go in the second half and Corona couldn’t get you right, if Corona couldn’t get you back to church, if Corona couldn’t make you love your children, if Corona couldn’t make you pray, if Corona couldn’t make you take life serious, if Corona couldn’t make you put things in to perspective, then nothing else will.

I declare and decree that the second half, your turn around will begin. Everything I promised you, will still come to pass”.

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Surviving Seasons of Uncertainty Part 3, Bible Study 4/8/20

Posted on April 10, 2020 by growintheword

April 2020 Bible Study Series Surviving Seasons of Uncertainty

Part 3: Staying Positive

Synopsis of Bible Study April 8, 2020

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV – “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.”

How you view this season has lot to do with how you go through it. Some people, all they see is the negative. You can’t be a person that is always being feed negativism.

I.            OTIMISSIM VS. PESSIMISM

  1. Optimist- This is a person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something. A person who believes that good must ultimately prevail over evil.
    1. They see things from a hope perspective
  2. Pessimist- A person who tends to see the worst aspect of things or believes that the worst will happen. Believes that evil will always prevail over the good.
    1. They see the glass half empty while the optimist sees the glass half full.
  3. An optimist understands that life can be a bumpy road, but at least it is leading somewhere. They learn from mistakes and are not afraid to fail again – Harvey Mackay
  4. Happiness comes when we stop complaining about the troubles we have and offer thanks for all the troubles we don’t have – Anonymous
  5. Darrin Donnelly states in his book Relentless Optimism, “The people who succeed aren’t the ones who avoid failure; they’re the ones who learn how to respond to failure with optimism”
  6. There has to be an effort to be intentional. You have to stay positive in this season. It is about perspective.

II.            STAYING POSITIVE IS ABOUT PERSPECTIVE

  1. We all have blind spots that come from our own thinking. Blind spots make us think this is not what God would have us to think.
  2. You can’t have a perspective that is too hot or too cold. You have to be a thermostat. A thermostat perspective can change environments.
  3. 3 parts of perspective
    1. Thoughts – Often how I think can be controlled by a particular thing or particular space.
    2. Feelings – How I feel can be measured by what I am going through. What I do can have an affect on how I feel.
    3. Actions – Actions can be about how I see life. You can make yourself sick or act a certain way based off of your perspective.

III.            WHAT IS IT THAT INFORMS YOUR PERSPECTIVE?

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. – Whatever you find positive, let you mind meditate on that. Don’t focus on things that are negative, because it can be toxic to your destiny.

What are the effects of our perspective?

 

  1. ENVIRONMENT
    Psalm 1 :1-6 (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 [b]meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the [c]rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, But the way of the ungodly shall perish. – Have you ever thought that the people you hang around, can affect your environment? Hang around someone long enough, you will end up believing what they believe. This is why it is important to be around positive people.
  2. Your environment can be conducive to your mindset and change your perspective.
  3. EXPOSURE
  4. It is about getting out of your environment. – Some people in your life can’t handle what God is going to do in and through you.
  5. Vision is all about your exposure. If you don’t go beyond your zip code, then your vision is affected. You can’t be it, if you don’t see it.

Genesis 12:1-2 NIV – “1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”

  1. EXPERIENCE
  2. This is about reflecting on what you have seen God do.

Psalm 37:25 NIV – “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.”- David said he’s been around and his experience tells him that God is going to pull you through.

  1. You see people that don’t worry, and you wonder why. It is because they have seen God work things out before.

IV.            HOW TO PREVENT NEGATIVE ENERGY

Ever woke up feeling good and one phone call takes it all out of you? You have to prevent negative energy from being around you.

You have to:

  1. Control Your Boundaries – You got to learn to block some things and to delete some things. Keep your mind away from toxicity. This means control allowing negative energy in your space.
  2. In this season, you don’t have the luxury of carrying all that you are carrying and then take on others luggage too.

 

  1. Watch What You Take In
  2. Watch your eye gate and ear gate. Be careful what you allow to come into your spirit.

Psalm 101:3 NIV – “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”- You can’t see all this negative stuff all day and it not affect you. You can’t let this stuff attach to you.

  1. Watch what you hear.

Mark 4:24-25 NIV – 24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”- We often miss that. Take head of what you hear.

  1. Some people are messy and we just sit and listen to all that they have to say. You can’t always be reading, watching, or hearing negative info.
  2. Ask yourself, are you allowing more negative to pour into you than you allow God’ word?
  1. Watch What You Put Out
  2. What you put out is often what you put your mouth to do. When you do this, you are creating an atmosphere around you.
  3. Proverbs 18:20 NIV – “From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.”- Why do you attach to negative energy? It is because deep down, you may be
  4. We take our garbage to garbage can. Ask yourself then, why do people feel comfortable bringing garbage to you?

V.            SIGNS OF A NEGATIVE PERSON

  1. They always find the bad in the good. These people will find bad in everything.
  2. Their negativity will drain your energy. Relationships pour into you. You don’t need something pouring into that is draining you.
  3. They find ways and reasons to under achieve. They’re always looking for the easy way out.
  4. They refuse to grow personally. Negative people are stuck in the same place. They get mad at you for progressing.
  5. They always play the victim.
  6. They worry about everything.
  7. They love the word “but”. I love your house, but…

VI.            HOW TO MOVE FROM NEGATIVE TO POSITIVE

  1. Have an attitude to gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

  1. You have to practice gratitude. If you focus on the bad things, you never see the good things.
  2. Focus on what God is doing for you and not what is happening to you
  3. Write down everything that you appreciate God for, so that you don’t let your situation drive you crazy.
  4. God has done more for you than what’s happening to you.
  5. Spend more time being aware of your countenance. Look like what you believe. Smile more.
  6. Your posture matters.

Proverbs 15:13 (NKJV) 13 A merry heart makes a cheerful [a]countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. – When you have a merciful heart, it changes your countenance.

  1. We see the present as present

Psalm 118:24 (NKJV) 24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. – We don’t know what tomorrow will hold, but we know who holds tomorrow.

 

 

VII.            HAVE THE MATURITY TO ENCOURAGE YOURSELF

  1. Jeremiah
    Jeremiah 20:9 NIV – “But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.”
  2. Jeremiah didn’t want to do it another day. He was done. Jeremiah matured to the point that the word called him back to himself.
  3. Job
  4. Job had to encourage himself. Job went through one thing after the next. He kept getting bad news one after another.

Job 1:20-22 NIV – “20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”-Job matured to the place that he reverted back to what he always knew.

  1. Job worshipped God

Job 13:15 NIV – “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face.” – They may call him crazy, but Job made up in his mind to trust God.

  1. David
  2. David had to trust God. Saul tried to kill David, and David had to learn something about being optimistic.

Psalm 23:4 NIV – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”- You not in the valley by yourself

  1. We have divine partnership this makes up our optimism. When we trust things like this, great things happen.
  2. To come back from Zig Lag and see that all had been destroyed, family had been kidnapped, and people have turned against you, this is hard. Know that no matter what, you will recover

1 Samuel 30:6 (NKJV) 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.  – David had a spirit of optimism. David asked God what to do. God told him to get up and go back. You shall recover all.

Conclusion:

Say to yourself, “I shall recover all”. The way you will survive this season is you have to stay positive. Let nothing separate you from the love of Jesus Christ.

In all of the bad news, know that He is the good news!

 

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Don’t Stop Living series , Sermon 4.5.20

Posted on April 9, 2020 by growintheword

Don’t Stop Living series

Part 1 – Your life matters

Synopsis of Sermon April 5, 2020

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

Matthew 21: 1-9 NIV – “1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

  1. INTRODUCTION

So many of us go through life without knowing the true essence of our existence. God has something for you to do on this earth. The sooner you realize your purpose, the sooner you will appreciate your value.

In the scripture, this was the period prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. He asked his disciples to go and get the donkey from town that was tied. He was going to use it to ride into town.

  1. GOD HAS AN ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU

You were born to accomplish something in the earth. Often, we don’t find our assignments, they find us.

A.      You Are Valuable to The Kingdom

  1. Jesus sent the Disciples into town to get a donkey that was tied that had never been ridden. Though the unridden Donkey had not been broken, Jesus saw the donkey for the value it had.
  2. Society has its way of attaching value on people. Your value is not determined by people, but instead what God says you are.
  3. Its time to discover your value!

B.      Everything Tied Up Is About to Be Loosed Up

  1. Jesus said the donkey would be tied to tree. He told the disciples to lose it and bring it to Him.
  2. Tied up implies being constricted or controlled. Everything that has been tied has to be released.
  3. God will loose things that have been constricting you. Just like the donkey, the Master has need of you. This is why God has loosed the things that have been constricting you.

C.      You’ve Been Entrusted to Carry Christ In Culture

  1. Jesus could have of chosen anything, but he chose the donkey. Likewise, Jesus could have chosen anyone to carry out his will, but he chose you.
  2. Our assignment is to help carry Christ into this culture.

D.     You Bring Peace and Not Conflict

  1. You can’t carry Christ if you don’t take His method and His ministry.
  • WHO YOU ARE CONNECTS WITH WHERE THEY ARE

A.      Mutual identification has a lot to do with your assignment.

  1. Zechariah 9:9 NIV – “Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, slowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
  2. Matthew 21:5 NIV – “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”- You can’t be so high and mighty that you lose common touch. Jesus came humbly by riding in on a donkey.

B.      The corona virus has equaled the playing field.

  1. It all comes down to:
    • Story – I have to tell people my story. I have to tell people that I haven’t always been at this place in my life.
    • Status- God has evened the playing field. It doesn’t matter how much you make, how much education you have, or statue you have achieved, we all have had to humble ourselves during this Pandemic.
    • Service- We have had to learn to serve each other.
  2. YOUR PURPOSE FUNCTIONS BETTER UNDER HIS CONTROL

When the donkey is chosen, he is under the control of Jesus Christ. The donkey has to allow Jesus to Lord over it, if its value is to come to full fruition.

  1. I’m Submissive – No one had every ridden the colt. In order for the donkey to fulfil its purpose, it has to be broken. In other words, the Donkey has to submit.
  2. The Donkey’s natural inclination is to buck, because it hadn’t been ridden.
  3. I Only Go Where He Leads Me – Jesus had a predetermined purpose in mind.
  4. The Steps of a Good Man are Ordered by the Lord.
  • The Course – In this season, God is looking for people willing to let him lay down their life for the course.
  • You have to understand that God has our life in his hands.
  • The Cadence – there is a pace and timing by which God will get you through this.
  • The Cause – God never leads you down a path that doesn’t have purpose.
  1. It’s Not About Me, It’s All About Him – The text shows how purpose plays out. It is all about HIM.

 

  1. We forget that God can do this without us.
  2. God alone must be glorified.
  3. I Can Serve Without Attention – The donkey carried Jesus. He brings him though Jerusalem and doesn’t draw attention to himself. It ain’t about the donkey, in this case, it is about who the donkey is carrying.
  4. The donkey is moving in purpose silently, without drawing attention to himself. We have to learn to operate in purpose without having to be seen. When God has his hand on me, I deny myself, and want people to see HIM.
  5. THE MORE I SHARE HIM THE MORE PEOPLE PRAISE HIM
  6. The more the donkey carried Him, the more people praised Jesus
  7. John 12:32 NIV – “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” – They threw their clothes in the street. This was signifying that he was a king.
  8. The only way this will make sense is you got to pay attention to the fact that the people in the street was celebrating him.
  9. Do you know who he is?
  10. Revelation – He is the king of glory, of righteousness, and of heaven. He is available for the tempted. He guides, He heals the sick, He delivers the captives, He blesses the young, He rewards the diligent, He is the door way of deliverance, He is the highway of holiness, He is the gateway of glory, His promise is true, His might is matchless, His goodness limitless, He is indescribable, He is incomprehensible, you can’t live without him, and you can’t move without him. Death could not handle him, and the grave could not hold him!
  11. Liberation – When He comes through, every struggle is released. It is us believing that God can set us free.
    1. We have seen God bring us out of so many things.
    2. Some of you are anxious about Covid. Know that He is King, and He is the deliberator. He brought you out before and he will do it again!
  12. Celebration – There can’t be liberation without celebration.
    1. People are going to wonder who are these people who are still trusting God during this Pandemic.
    2. Who are these people that decided to give God glory through all of this?
    3. When we get to the other side, God is about to shift us into a different dimension with a shout of praise.
    4. Hosanna means save us Lord we pray. Our salvation comes from Him that saved us time and time again. Our salvation comes from God.

I leave you with this scripture:

Psalm 118:24-26 MSG – “Thank you for responding to me; you’ve truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed is now the capstone!
This is God’s work. We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted— let’s celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now! Oh yes, God—a free and full life!
Blessed are you who enter in God’s name— from God’s house we bless you!”

Your life manners. Everything God promised in your life will come to pass. God will complete what he began in your life!

 

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Surviving Seasons of Uncertainty, bible Study 4.1.20

Posted on April 3, 2020 by growintheword

Surviving Seasons of Uncertainty
4-Part Bible Study Series

Part 2: Spiritual Persistence

Synopsis of April 1, 2020

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, D.Min.

1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV – “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

God wants us to know how to life out our lives faithfully.

       I.            WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE FAITHFUL?

  1. When we’re talking about persistence we talk about faithfulness. There is nothing more important in your life in this season than to be faithful.
  2. What does it mean to be faithful? By definition, it is an adherence to a person or thing. A promise at which a tie is contracted.
  3. God rewards those who are faithful. When we are faithful, we trust that God will take of us.
  4. Faithfulness doesn’t mean we will be perfect. It simply means that every day, we will try to be consistent to God’s commandments.
  5. God is looking for faithful people. 50% of Americans belong to church. 19% of Americans don’t have a religious preference. Only a 3rd of Americans read the bible once a week. How can you be faithful to something that you are not committed to?
    1. What would happen if we flipped through the bible once a day or used it in case of emergency? What if we would be eager to go back and get it, if we forgot it? Imagine how much better we would be?
  6. One great thing about the bible is, you don’t ever have to worry about it being disconnected.

     II.            WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING FAITHFUL?

  1. God can trust you with more.
    1. God wants to know if he can trust you. Most of what He releases has much to do with if we can be trusted.
      1. A lot of your relationship with God has to do with whether God can trust you. Think about it, we don’t even give our kids a key to the house until we feel like we can trust them.
    2. This is the only way we can be what he called us to be.

Matthew 25:21 (NKJV) 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ – We complain about our small beginnings, but God wants to know how we will handle the little things. How we handle the little things is an indication of how we will handle big things.

  1. Being faithful is to show that I treat my possessions as if they belong to God.
  2. Trustworthiness is built by surrendering everything we have to God.
  1. Brings credibility to your name.

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.- You begin to realize that we go through a process where God makes us credible and faithful. Can God trust you through this season? Can God trust you to let your light shine through this season?

  1. God is looking for us to be examples. God wants us to be responsible. He wants to know he can trust you with what He gives you. This is what faithfulness looks like.

 

  III.            BIBLICAL EXAMPLES

  1. Faithfulness in Covenant – Abraham
    1. You got to be willing to move when God says move. God says to Abraham the He would make his name great.
    2. Abraham’s didn’t allow his disobedience to take God’s blessing away. He followed God’s direction through faith.
  2. Faithfulness in Conflict – Jeremiah

Lamentations 3:19-24 (NKJV) 19 Remember my affliction and roaming, The wormwood and the [a]gall. 20 My soul still remembers And [b]sinks within me. 21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

  1. Jeremiah was about to slip, but he saw God and his goodness. He realized that his mercy was sustaining him.
  2. Jeremiah came back to his senses, because he remembered that God had been faithful to him.
  3. Faithfulness in Connection – Sarah

Genesis 17:16-19 (NKJV) 16 And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

19 Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him. – Abraham was not always faithful, but God was powerful enough to make it happen.

John 15:1-4 (NKJV) 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He [a]takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

– God knows where you are and your capabilities.

  1. We often want God to join us in our stuff. God wants us to instead line our faithfulness up with his faithfulness.

 IV.            HOW THE ENEMY ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE US TO BE UNFAITHFUL

  1. Affliction – Job 1:9-11 (NKJV) 9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 Have You not [a]made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse[b] You to Your face!” – Satan tried to explain to God that Job only trusted him, because he had a hedge around him.
    1. Just like the scripture, in this season the hedge has been removed. Can we still serve God?
    2. Anyone can be faithful to God before Corona, but can you be faithful to Him now?
  2. The Failure of Others – Satan uses other people’s issues to pull you away from God. Some people will quit coming to church, just because someone at church made them mad.
    1. Paul says in Romans 8:39 that neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Paul said he would let nothing separate him from the love of God.
    2. When I connect with God, I will let nothing separate me from God.
  3. The Lure of Culture – Culture can pull you away. In these days, we have allowed culture to get stronger than the church.
    1. Even now, people don’t want to do what God wants us to do, because culture urges us to do something different.

James 4:4 (NKJV) 4 [a]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. – If we keep following with culture, you become an enemy against God.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. – We’ve got time for everything else, but not God’s word.

  1. We have time for everything else but God. We make sure our kids have time to do recreational activities, we have time for our own recreation, and we make time to do everything else we want to do, but we don’t have time for God.
    1. In this season of the Pandemic, maybe God is calling us to reevaluate the way we spend our time. Maybe God wants us to take this time to put our lives in better alignment with Him.

 

    V.            KEYS TO A FAITHFUL LIFESTYLE

  1. Be consistent in your confession
    1. We don’t have to produce faithfulness alone. God gives us the power to do this.

Isaiah 40:29-31 (NKJV) 29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

 

  1. Work as Unto God Not Man
    1. God gives us strength to be faithful people because we do it for him.
  2. We do this for God’s glory. Do not let the role others play discourage you.
  3. Sometimes faithfulness to family and friends can pull us away from God. Proverbs 27:9-10 (NKJV) 9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by [a]hearty counsel. 10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, Nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.
  4. Do Not Change Your Course
  5. Stay the course that God set for you.
  6. Faithfulness is staying faithful to something. When you hit head winds or turbulence on a plane, the pilot does not change will not change its course. He continues to the planned destination. Forget what’s behind and press towards the mark. Don’t turn away from what God has pointed you to.
  7. Can you speak well of God despite what’s going on? Faithfulness is important. Consume your life with praise.

 

 VI.            WHAT ENHANCES YOUR FAITHFULNESS?

  1. The Word – God’s Word is what keeps me faithful is this season.

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. –  If you ever get God’s word in your heart, it will prevent you from disappointing God. People who are faithful, have God’s word in their hearts.

  1. Winning in Warfare -What we are dealing with now is warfare. It is not time to rollover and be a wuss. You’ve got to declare that you are not going to allow this war to have your family, your job, or your spirit!
    1. When you are in battle, you’ve got to win this thing. You’ve got to be willing to say Lord, “I’m going to win this war”. You may lose a few battles, but you will win this war! You are coming through this!
  2. Worship – Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV) 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. – This season is teaching all of us the importance of coming

together.

  1. You need community. After this is over, revival is going to break out!
  2. Your faithfulness requires you to be in worship. Look how easy it is to be in worship. We complained about getting up early and going to church, but now we can stream everything. We don’t have to even have to get dressed to go to church.
  3. God wants us to have the same enthusiasm to worship Him when this Pandemic is over. God wants us to get out of your bed He blessed us with, get out of the house He blessed us with, and get to the house God and be a worshipper.
  4. When I worship God, I’m faithful regardless to how things turn out.

One of the greatest examples ever given of worship during a storm is by a song writer who was traveling on the Atlantic Ocean. He had gotten the news that his family had perished in an accident. He had lost both his wife and his daughter.

While on his way to them, still on the ship, he took out a pen and paper and wrote these words:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

When you’re a worshiper, you can say, “I don’t know all the answers about this crazy season, but Lord I do know that you count on me to be faithful, , because through all of this,  it is well with my soul.

Through this, God is looking for consistency. I’m going to praise you now, just like I did before all this happened and I will still praise him with this is over.

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