Help with Funeral

Posted on July 15, 2018 by growintheword

My sister-n-law, Jamie McMurry, passed away suddenedly  Monday July 9th 2018. This was totally unexpected. She has two children ages 13 and 5.

We were informed that she did not have a Life  Insurance Policy.  We need your help with funeral expenses.  Any donation is greatly appreciated and will be given to Strawther and White Funeral.

If you are not comfortable donating to GoFundMe Accounts, then you can call Strawther & White Funeral Home directly for alternative ways to donate. –strawtherfh@gmail.com

615-230-0810

Please mention Grow In the Word Ministry when you donate.

Thanks and God bless you for your help.

Jamie Mcmurry Funeral Fund https://www.gofundme.com/jamie-mcmurry-funeral-fund?pc=tw_dn_cpgnsharemore_r&rcid=r01-153168417114-16578213754e4aea

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Taking Care of You: , Bible Study 06/20/18

Posted on July 3, 2018 by growintheword

 

Dealing with Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health and Wellness

Synopsis of Bible Study June 20, 2018

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, DMin.

www.mtzionnashville.org

3 John 2 says, “2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

I.          Introduction

  1. Many of us pour ourselves into other people so much, we end up neglecting ourselves. This is noble and admirable, but at some point, you have to access your needs and pour back into yourself.
  2. Audre Lorde wrote “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” The point is, we want you to live.
  3. Self-care is important. You are not taking care of yourself just for you, it’s also for the people that depend on you.
  4. Genesis 2:2-3 (NKJV) says 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.- God thought enough of his work that He Himself, took some rest. If God took time to rest, so should we.
  5. Music works in harmony. There are a lot of notes and chords written down, but really, there is no music or rhythm without a rest (which is a pause in the music) being used throughout the composed music.

Ex1.

 

Ex2.

 

  1. A lot of time we mask issues behind being busy. Nobody drives a vehicle and turns the corner, without atleast touching the brake. They at least tap the brake.
  2. Some people go through life without ever pausing. When God created everything, He even stopped to celebrate himself. He stopped and looked and said, “It was good”. Know that it is ok to celebrate yourself.
  3. It’s really about your mentality (your mind). You have to learn to take control of your thoughts.

II.          Be Transformed in Your Thinking

A.    You got to take control of your thoughts.

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (KJV) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; – Images/imaginations are pictures. Taking control of your thoughts is about taking control over what you are thinking in your life.
  2. For example, if you want to get rid of scary thoughts, then stop watching scary movies.
  3. Scary movies are the things we allow to enter our mind that are not of God. Scary movies also referred to as images or imaginations, get into your mind through your gates. These gates are your eye gates, your ear gates, or your ear gates. Then the images stack up and clutter your mind. As a result of the stacking of these images, you produce ungodly thoughts.
  4. The Bible says that any man born of a woman is but a few days of trouble. This means we are born slanted towards trouble. If we are slanted towards trouble, then it is guaranteed that trouble will come our way.
  5. Some people aren’t able to be creative anymore, because they have filled their minds up with clutter.
  6. Three ways to take your thoughts captive:
  7. Accept responsibility for your thoughts. Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) says 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.– You have a choice to respond positivity or negatively. One bad event can ruin your whole day if you let it.
  8. Your mind not just your behavior, must change. You can change addresses and still be in the same mindset you are . Romans 12:2 (NKJV) says 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
  9. Choose to focus your thoughts on the right things. Colossians 3:2 (NKJV) says 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. You got the right not to want negative stuff around you.

B.     Remain positive by surrounding yourself with positivity.

  1. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.- Have an environment around you that is so positive. This throws people off guard!
  2. Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV) says 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary [a]edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.- What you release is what you will attract.
  3. Systematic theology – God has a system. His word doesn’t return to him void. It accomplishes what he sent it to do. Even when God sent the Word in flesh, it returned back to him. Jesus, the Word is sitting at the right hand of Jesus right today. In like manner, when you send out a word, know that it is coming back to you.
  4. The words you speak, create a greenhouse in your life. When you release the word, it comes back to you as a harvest. This is the reason the bible says so much about your mind and guarding your tongue.
  5. Mental health is so important. You have to make sure that you keep your head together. What you listen to, what you watch, and what you say, all contribute to what your mind thinks.

III.          Be Trained with the Care of Your Body

A.    Treat your body like a temple

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NKJV) says 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?-Your body is a housing of the essence of who you are and the God in you. The Holy Spirit, God in you, lives inside your body. God was above us, then he was with us (in the form of Jesus), and now God is in you (In the form of the Holy Ghost). We can tell how you value the essence of who you are, simply by looking at how you treat your temple.
  2. Would you intentionally allow rodents and filth inside the baby’s crib? No, because you value your baby’s life. If you were to get a new car and you don’t smoke, would you allow somebody to smoke inside it? No, because you value your car. Strangely, there are some people who value their car more than they value their temples.
  3. You can’t ask the Lord to enlarge your territory if you don’t have the health to work it. The majority of people that pastor today are either morbidly obese or chronically ill. We are digging our graves with a fork.
  4. What healthy habits do you practice daily?

Grade yourself with a grade of A-F on the following questions.

  1. Stay hydrated
  2. Get enough sleep daily
  3. Ge adequate down time/ rest
  4. Learn to say no
  5. Eat more meals in a relaxed state
  6. Find more ways to laugh
  7. Spend more time in nature
  8. Get daily light exposure
  9. Move your body daily with exercise
  10. Limit and reduce how much sugar your consume
  11. Learn to manage overall stress
  12. Exercise your mind
  13. Learn a mediation technique that works for you
  14. Let go of unrealistic expectations.
  15. Find how to make yourself happy

 

Things to think about

  1. What is preventing me from leading a healthier life?
  2. What life adjustments are needed for me to include healthy habits into my life?
  3. Which of the healthy habits listed do I need the most in my life.

B.     Your body requires intentional care

 

  1. Maintenance is so much cheaper than repairs.
  2. God gave an amazing diet. He fed it to the Children of Israel when they were in the wilderness. He gave them Manna in day, which is carbs and He gave them meat at night, which is protein.
  3. It’s important to watch you emotional health too. This is your heart. The stuff in your heart can make your head go left. Think about it. Nobody ever thought they would be stalker. It just kind of happened. Noone ever thought they would be one to key a car, but it happened!

IV.          Be Transparent about Your Emotional Wellness

A.    Being truthful about your heart leads to healing

  1. If don’t deal with your emotions, you can become implosive.
  2. How you know?
  3. Arrive at personal choices and decisions– not based on emotions.
  4. Live and work independently. A person that has their emotional wellness in check, is not needy or clingy.
  5. Form independent relationships with others. – Some of the closet friends I have, I don’t call every day.
  6. Take on challenges. – People that are not emotionally well, are withdrawn.
  7. Mange your life in personally rewarding yourself- You can’t just go to work and not stop to enjoy your life. Nothing works without reward.
  8. John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 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.– God wants you to prosper in your health and in your mind.

 

B.     Nothing is done without spiritual health

  1. Psalm 116 New King James Version (NKJV)

Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death

 

116 I love the Lord, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

3 The [a]pains of death surrounded me, And the [b]pangs of Sheol [c]laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me. 7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8 For You have delivered my soul from death, My eyes from tears, And my feet from falling. 9 I will walk before the Lord In the land of the living. 10 I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”

12 What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? 13 I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord. 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.

16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, And will call upon the name of the Lord.

18 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people, 19 In the courts of the Lord’s house, In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

[d]Praise the Lord!

 

 Lessons from Psalm 116:

  • v. 1 Believe in Him.
  • v. 2 Cry out to Him.
  • v. 9 Follow Him.
  • v. 13 Drink Him.
  • v. 14 Obey Him.
  • v. 16 Serve Him.
  • v. 17 Thank Him.
  • v. 18–19 Live for Him.

 

I see myself like a pitcher. Every day I show up, there are cups waiting for me to pour into them. The more cups you have, the more I have to be under the fountain, so that I may pour out. The bigger your request, the more you have to stay under the fountain.

If you have a lot of cups to fill, then you have to continuously be under the foundation.

You got to get to place where you allow God to fill you up. There are times you get tired and want to leave the fountain, but you still pour out.

Sometimes you are only operating on pure condensation because you are good at what you do. This means that you are functioning, but you are not full. So you go back to the fountain to be filled up, so that you are not counterfeit.

Lots of people try to function without the fountain, but you just can’t. We’re able to do what we do, because God constantly fills us up.

God wants you to operate at the optimal level all the time. Get your body together, and get your heart right, allow yourself to be so spiritually focused, that you will come to get a word, no matter who is delivering it. Make sure you stay under the fountain.

 

 

E

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How to Release Bitterness, Bible Study 06/06/18

Posted on June 14, 2018 by growintheword

Synopsis of Bible Study June 6, 2018

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III, DMin.

I.          Introduction

  1. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV) 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [a]clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. –
  2. There has to be consequences going forward. How many people can say they have been a recipient of God’s forgiveness?
  3. Bitterness can go undetected for years. This will cause you to have issues within your spirit. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.”
  4. Bitterness limits what God will do with you and through you.
  5. Bitterness can cause you to harbor resentment.
    1. When you think about the pain and what happened in your life, you have to reconcile it with this.
    2. 37:1-2 (NKJV) says 37 Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, And wither as the green herb. – Stop worrying about who did you wrong. Don’t trip over those people who constantly do you wrong either. God will treat them like grass. When the time is right, He will cut them down.
    3. You have to let God be God and you be you.

II.          The Root of bitterness

A.    How Does Bitterness Begin?

  1. It begins with an offense. Proverbs 18:19 (NKJV) 19 A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle. – Bitterness is a result of unresolved issues. What started as a small infraction grew and eventually turned into bitterness.
  2. Get in your spirit, what or whom has offended you. Matthew 18:15-17 (NKJV) 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.-
    1. (Verse 15) -If someone offends you, don’t let it fester. You are supposed to go to them and try and work it out. You don’t email them or text them. You go to them in person. Explain what they did and how it affected you. Often they will appreciate that you came to them.
    2. (Verse 16) – If going to them by yourself doesn’t work, then take someone with you the next time. Bring someone that can be a witness that you are on the up and up. Bring someone that isn’t interested in taking sides.
    3. (Verse 17) – If they still will not hear you, then tell the church. Go to the Deacons and Elders and let them mediate the situation between you. If they will not hear you after this, then wash your hands of the situation and move on. You might have to depart like Leban did in the following verse. Genesis 31:49 (NKJV) 49 also Mizpah,[a] because he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.  .- You have to come to a place where you say, I did everything that I could in this situation.
    4. You got to learn to let people go and release the bitterness from them.
  3. Bitterness is not the starting point, it is the end result.

B. Stages of Bitterness:

The stages of bitterness are as follows:

  1. You become oversensitive to a verbal remarks, action, or lack of action.
  2. You develop hurt feelings easily.
  3. You display repulsive feelings toward a person at the thought or sight of them.
  4. You have frequent rehearsal of the hurt and pain. You always find a way to bring the situation up.
  5. Alienation of a person that wronged you. You don’t want to have anything to do with them.
  6. Verbal slander against the person that wronged you.
  7. You have a lack of obedience to God regarding those who do wrong against you. Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV) says 44 [a]But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.- Pray for those who have done you wrong. God doesn’t want you to wish bad things on anyone.
  8. You start becoming like the one you despise. A victim that doesn’t get help, becomes a Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV) 14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; – It is at the root. The enemy is trying to get at the root. Think about your life as a seed. You anger keeps growing, and rooting, and branching, until it finally becomes bitterness.

III.          The Residue of Bitterness

A. Characteristics of a Bitterness

 

  1. Like a tree, the roots have grown into other people’s neighborhood. It starts impacting every area of your life.
  2. Bitterness is not always visible. The more time that passes, the harder it is to control. The offense is trying to control your actions.

 

  1. The following are characteristics of a person who is dealing with bitterness:
    1. Cares very little for the person he or she is bitter against.
    2. Often found to be very sensitive. They become very sensitive. They don’t even want to hear the name of the person they are bitter against.
    3. Can be ungrateful. Because they are so offended, they develop a spirt of entitlement, based on what they’ve gone through.
    4. Gives empty flattery and harsh criticism.
    5. Holds grudges and finds it difficult to forgive. People still hold grudges from stuff that happened in high school.
    6. Displaced stubbornness or a sulky attitude.
    7. Will help no one and complains sometimes, when asked for help.
    8. Experiences mood extremes. One day they’re on a high and one day they are low.

B. The Effects of Bitterness

“Bitterness does more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than the vessel from which it is poured.” -unknown

“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host.” – Maya Angelou

“Nothing consumes a man more quickly than the emotion of resentment.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

 

  1. What if you turn on a water hose and brown water comes out first. What does this symbolize? The answer is, you can be the most anointed Musician, Singer, or Preacher, but all the people will ever concentrate on is the brown in the water. The brown in the water is your People can’t get what they need from you, because the brown water (bitterness) is in the way.
  2. Bitterness can be a mental disorder. You can get in a vicious cycle over this. This causes you begin to feel devalued over and over again. As a result, you put your life on hold based on what was done to you. This is giving the offender authority over your life.
  3. *You will never experience release of bitterness, until you stop waiting on an apology. If you are waiting on them to apologize, then you are still carrying it around. Do you have time to hold your life up for that long?
  4. The hurt cannot bring you to a place of action. Nothing consumes a man more than resentment.
    1. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give [a]place to the devil.- God gives you permission to be angry, but don’t let the offense move you to action. Don’t sin as a result of your anger. The moment you do, you allow Satin to manipulate the moment.
    2. Hebrews 10:30 (NKJV) says 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” [a]says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”- Let God deal with it. He will deal with it in His own way.
  5. Do not act in a way that is sinful. Some say they will never be a stalker, but every stalker never thought they would one day be a stalker. No car-scratcher ever thought they would one day scratch a car.

IV.          The Resolution of Bitterness

A.    Deal with Your Hurt

You got to deal with the hurt. Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.- Lord show me myself. We are good at camouflaging hurt behind religion. If you got chicken pox, we can put a suit on you and you will look good, but underneath, you still have chicken pox.

The Holy Spirit is the true Convictor and he will show you where you are in the process. He can make you face whatever you have been trying to avoid.

Your hurt can start producing hurt. You got to come to a place where you learn how to release people from your life. Learn how to forgive and live.

B.     Forgive and Live

“Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it. Bitterness paralyzes life; love empowers it. Bitterness sours life; love sweetens it. Bitterness sickens life; love heals it. Bitterness blinds life; love anoints its eyes.” -Harry Emerson Fosdick. the longer you hold on to bitterness, the longer it hold son to you. betterness  is a slow death. nothing will grow around you and you will corode from the inside out. you need to let it go.

V. Conclusion

  1. Proverbs 14:10 (NKJV) 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.-Each person knows his own sorrows and joys. To be free of bitterness, you got to just let it go.
  2. You have to come to a place where you see this as a sickness. If the doctor says you have cancer, they said they can get it. You can’t let it sit, because it could metastasize. You want the doctor to get it now.
  3. Bitterness is the same. You can get it now or you can let it fester. Psalm 51:12 (NKJV) 12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.-The reason you don’t have joy and it is controlling your life is because you are letting bitterness control you.
  4. Today God is going to release you from your bitterness. You need to bring it to the altar.

 

 

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SOS: Selflessness, Obedience and Self-Control

Posted on June 6, 2018 by growintheword

Part II: Obedience

 

Synopsis of Bible Study 05/23/18

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

I.                Introduction

  1. I want that cake, but my goals won’t be met, if I have it. You have two decisions on your hands. Who wins? Does my “ought not” win or does my “want to” win?
    1. The tension here is real. In order to justify our “want to,” we often blow off our “ought nots”.
    2. In order to justify my “want to”, I create something that turns my “want ” into a “need”. This makes me justify it to my “ought not”.
  • Example: “One-piece won’t hurt me” or “I worked out all week long and I owe myself this piece”. Even though I know that this piece of cake is threat to me reaching my goal, I have allowed these statements to soften the blow and now I have made my wants into a need.
  1. The conflict between my flesh and my spirit is something we all have to struggle with.

Romans 7:15-19 (NKJV) says 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

  1. We see disobedience by Adam and Eve in the garden. Genesis 3 marks the first act of disobedience in history.
    1. Out of Genesis 3, we must understand two words. They are Instigated and Activated.
    2. Satan was the instigator concerning Adam and Eve in this text. Instigating doesn’t mean anything until you act on it.
  2. There is a formula tucked away in the following scripture. Genesis 3:1-3 (NKJV) 3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

 

The formula:

  1. 1st part – The serpent was more cunning than Adam and Eve.
    1. Human beings and snakes are on two different levels. Satan used the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve, because he was cunning. Satan only uses things that are beneath us to try and trip us up.
  2. 2nd part – That which is beneath us starts talking to us. The snake spoke to the woman.

Genesis 3:4-5 (NKJV) 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”- This reminds you that there is something beneath you always wanting to talk to you and wanting to convince you that you are missing out on something.

  1. “Satan is ever seeking to inject that poison into our hearts to distrust God’s goodness – especially in connection with his commandments. That is what really lies behind all evil, lusting and disobedience.” – A. W. Pink
  2. Satan must then skew the consequences. Once you feel like you miss something it creates This works much like addiction. In the word addiction, we find diction (mean to communicate or talk to you). Anyone that has ever dealt with addiction will tell you that whatever they are addicted to, keeps talking to them.
  3. The serpent told the woman that she wasn’t going to die. Disobedience leads to death. Relationships, careers, and other things die cause of disobedience.
  1. 3rd part – The serpent agitates. The Devil never tempts you with his third string. The Devil will always throw at you the best he has to offer.

II.              Avoid Running from His Purpose

A. Don’t disobey God trying to obey man

  1. Acts 5:28-29 (NKJV) says 28 saying, “Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” 29 But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.-There are many of us that find ourselves in situations where we are conflicted between obeying man and obeying God. God’s purposes for your lives supersedes our plans.

B. His purpose for your life supersedes your plans

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV)  says 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. – God has plans for you to exceed what you understand.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) says 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.- Here is your hashtag#. If you can think it, it is not big enough for God.

  1. God needs you to be obedient for his plan to playout in your life. Ex- The Waze navigation app helps navigate the quickest route home. Sometimes it will send you down backroads, trying to help you avoid traffic or bottlenecks.
    1. Bishop tells of a time where he disobeyed his Waze app. The app told him to detour, but looking down the road, he didn’t see anything. Traffic was moving and the highway looked clear. Instead of obeying the Waze app and detouring, Bishop kept going. Eventually, he saw why the Waze app wanted him to detour. Traffic eventually came to a dead standstill. What Bishop was not taking into consideration is Waze could see much further down the road than he could. Bishop did not display faith in his Waze app. Waze was trying to help him avoid conflict, because it could see what was going on further down the road. Waze is able to see what we cannot.
      1. In like manner, we got to walk by faith and not by sight. God sees much further up the road, than we can see.
    2. Ex2- Bishop tells the story of when he first come to Nashville. He was looking for a church. God showed Bishop a red brick church so Bishop walked into Mt Zion on Jefferson St. When he got inside, he didn’t see many people his age, so he turned around and left.
      1. Bishop went to another church down the street. Not even an hour into the service, God sent Bishop back down to Mt Zion. When he walked in this time, a woman asked him if he was a preacher. She then proceeded to take him by the wrist and take him to the Pastor. Later, he became Mt Zion’s only Associate Minister. Years later, he became the Pastor and Mt Zion has grown to be over 30,000 members strong. Who would have thought?
      2. Imagine if he hadn’t obeyed God and gone to Mt Zion? We would not be reading this right now. When getting to promise, know that youu might not get to the path in the way your thought you would.

III. Accountability is Required for His Plan

A. You can’t reject His plan and accept His provision

Deuteronomy 28:15-20 (NKJV) 15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: 16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. 17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 “Cursed shall be the [a]fruit of your body and the produce of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. 20 “The Lord will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.-There ae consequences for disobeying God . If you continue to disobey God, then curses will overtake you. When you disobey God, your whole life is going to be jacked up!

 

 

B. Sacrifice is not a substitute for obedience

  1. When you understand sacrifice, you know that it is not a substitute for obedience- 1 Samuel 15:19-23 (NKJV) 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the [a]spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?” 20 And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 22 So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of [b]witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.” -Obedience is better than sacrifice. Saul was rejected by God from being king, because he was disobedience.
  2. Incomplete obedience is disobedience too. You can’t half do what God wants you to do and be considered as being obedient. God wants complete obedience.

IV. Accept and Respond to His Precepts

A. Obedience requires a demonstration of faithfulness

  1. “He who had never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” – Aristotle
  2. There are benefits to obedience.

B. The benefit of obedience is the blessing

Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV) says 19 If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; God will protect you form your enemies.

Exodus 23:22 (NKJV) says 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. -If you stay high when they go low, God will fight battles on your behalf.

The Rewards of Obedience:

  1. God will protect you from your enemies.
  2. Exodus 23:22 (NKJV) 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
  3. Long life is promised to the obedient. Deuteronomy 4:40 (NKJV) 40 You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that [a]it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may [b]prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
  4. Long life is tied to your obedience. You actions alone however does not control how long you live. The sovereignty of God does that. Ex- Let’s assume God said you will live to be 105. That would be God’s plan for your life. Can we mess with that?

Let’s assume you make a decision to eat fried food every day, drink sodas all the time, and then chased it with sweets every day. By the age of 40, your doctor is saying that they are seeing platelets in your arteries. You don’t worry about it, because the Lord told you that you will live to be 105.

By the age of 50, you need a triple bypass and you have now come down with diabetes. Still you are not concerned, because you have the promise that you will to be 105.

By the age 51, you are dead! What happened to the promise that you would live to be 105? The answer is this, the Lord can take it away, because of the decisions that you made.

This also affects your children. When you live life making bad decisions, you can normalize this bad behavior. Your kids saw this to be normal behavior and this dysfunctional behavior turned into a generational curse. Now at the age of 30, they have honey buns and sodas and the cycle is starting again with them. Your disobedience can cause a curse.

How many of you have some area in your life that if you overcame it, you would be in good shape? Imagine you had a big bag full of marbles. Let’s say for the sake of argument, there were 80. Imagine that each marble represented a year of your life. Imagine every year on the same day, you have to automatically give up a marble. Now let’s imagine that you go shopping at a store called Carnality. This store contained the things that your flesh wanted to do. Imagine every act of disobedience you bought, cost a certain amount of marbles. For example, cigarettes, would cost 1 marble, and drugs 3 marbles. Perhaps drinking cost you 2 marbles. Now remember, you have to give up a marble every year. When your marbles ran out, then your life would end. How willing would you be able to act on your disobedience, when you saw how quick your marbles were depleting?

When you look back over your life at what disobedience cost you, fooling with some people, you realize that you lost years off your life.

  1. Increase is promised to those who fully obey God.
  2. Increase is promised to those who are obedient. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NKJV)28 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:- Either you will have blessings or curses overtake you.
  3. Favor and a good name is promised to those who are obedient.
  4. Proverbs 3:1-4 (NKJV) 3 My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and [a]high esteem In the sight of God and man.- You need favor and a good name. You don’t need to be that person that everyone dreads showing up.
  5. Favor isn’t fair, but it sure is fun.

V. Conclusion

*“There is no more deadly peril than disobedience; States are devoured by it, homes laid in ruins, armies defeated, victory turned to rout.” –Sophocles**

Characteristics of Obedient Christians:

  1. Obedient Christians will know the Lord’s power. Acts 5:11-14 (NKJV) says 11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things. 12 And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. 13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. 14 And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,
  2. Obedient Christians obey God over and above civil authorities.

Romans 13:1 (NKJV) 13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.

1 Peter 2:13-14 (NKJV) 13 Therefore submit yourselves to every [a]ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

  1. Obedient Christians boldly proclaim the message of life in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Romans 1:16 (NKJV) 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel [a]of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

Exodus 19:5 (NKJV) 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

  1. Everyday you wake up you have choices. You don’t get to always control the choices that you face, but they are there. You have to make decisions based on your values. Sometimes you will make the wrong decision.
  2. You have to always think about the consequences. If we think about the consequences, it helps us to make better choice, when God tells you to be still, move, or rest, trust him and stop being rebellious. Obedience is where your blessing is. For some of us, if we hadn’t disobeyed, we wouldn’t be where we are right.

 

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