Rance Allen

Posted on June 15, 2017 by growintheword
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The after party

Posted on June 15, 2017 by growintheword

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It Happened Between Good Night and Good Morning, sermon 03.26.17

Posted on April 2, 2017 by growintheword

Synopsis of Sermon 3/26/17

Delivered by Bishop Walker

2 Chronicles 20:14-17 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

God has a plan or strategy for our lives. He gives a word often in the midst our situation, before it comes to pass. We have to know God keeps his word. If he said it, you have to know that it will come to pass.

Today we are talking to the person that has been under attack and has found a united front has formed against them. This is a time where we shouldn’t crack under pressure, but instead trust the Word of God. God has a unique way of working between good-night and good-morning. Whatever you are stressed about, know that your being here, is not an accident. God works things out between good-night and good-morning.

What is interesting in the scripture today is that God decides to fight this battle for his people. Jehoshaphat’s son wants to prove that he is worthy of war, but Jehoshaphat’s wisdom will have to take over and remind him that this battle they were about to face was not his, but instead the Lord’s.

When facing battles, we must learn to:

I. Consult God when you are in danger

You need to learn to consult God when you are in danger.

  1. It’s better to ask God than to ask people. Jehoshaphat declared a fast amongst all the people concerning his problem. 2 Chronicles 20:3 (NKJV) says 3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. – Jehoshaphat didn’t give into his fear; he ran to God. He knew the only way they could win was with God.
  2. You need to recognize that we all need God, so why not turn to him?
  3. Jehoshaphat goes to God. It is important to know that you have to stop going to your resources. When you have problems, you need to go directly to the source.
  4. God will remind you this is not your fight. Jehoshaphat’s natural urge was to go and gather the army, however, this time he didn’t need to. Know that you won’t need to fight this battle this time.
    1. Save your time and your energy, because we don’t need you to loose countless nights fighting stuff you were not designed to fight.
    2. Stop wasting you energy trying to fight somebody or something you weren’t designed to fight.
        1. John 16:33 (NKJV) says 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will[a] have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”- In this season the greatest test will be threats from multiple enemies.

    3. Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me, ”Says the Lord. – No weapon formed against you will prosper. What is it in your life that you are fighting right now, that really is a battle that you shouldn’t be fighing?

II. Can you have church in the dark?

Once it was explained to the people that they didn’t have to fight, they began worshiping and praising God in the dark. When you worship, it often leads to praise!

  1. You’ve got to know who he is when you don’t know how he’s going to do it.
    1. 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJV) says 20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.”,
    2. Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) says 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.- God has never failed you before. If he said it, know that it will come to pass
    3. 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NKJV) says 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.” – They didn’t have to fight, so they worshiped. Before God does what he says he is going to do, you need to go ahead and worship him.
    4. 2 Chronicles 20:18 (NKJV) 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem bowed before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. -. – When you can give God glory before he does what he said he is going to do, then this is true worship.
  2. Worship is who God is, but Praise is what God does.
    1. 2 Chronicles 20:19 (NKJV) 19 Then the Levites of the children of the Kohathites and of the children of the Korahites stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high.- The Levites were praising God. The others worshiped God as well. They are doing all of this at night knowing that God had promised something would happen for them in the morning. This is preemptive praise! God’s promise should change your praise!
  3. God’s promise should change your posture. This isn’t the time to look defeated.
    1. God didn’t just save them from the fight, he preserved their strength.
      1. The reason you trust God and not take things into your hands is because God wants you to save your strength. 2 Chronicles 20:25 (NKJV) 25 When Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away their spoil, they found among them an abundance of valuables on the dead bodies, [a] and precious jewelry, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away; and they were three days gathering the spoil because there was so much. – If you waste your strength fighting what you don’t have to fight, you won’t have the strength to take what God is trying to bless you with. There was so much to gather after the battle, it took them 3 days to gather the spoils.

III. Can you celebrate what He did?

Obedience is better than sacrifice

  1. Do what God says and you will witness what God can do. His command was for them to stand still and watch. Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) says 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ,
      1. 2 Chronicles 20:20 (NKJV) says 20 So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper.” – Enemies come against you during night. Based on the amount of people you are expecting to come against you, you are probably thinking that you are going to have a bad night, however, God gave you a word in the middle of the night where He says let them come, because you probably won’t have to fight this fight!
        1. The enemy comes at night, but you won’t have to worry. – If you don’t believe God, you are in trouble. If you don’t believe the man of God that is assigned to your life, you are in trouble, because what the man of God is getting ready to tell you, won’t make since in the natural, but it will in the spiritual.
      2. 2 Chronicles 20:21 (NKJV) says 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His mercy endures forever.”[a]- Jehoshaphat put the praise warriors in formation on the front line. The natural thing to do, is to round up the man of valor or the skilled soldiers out front. God don’t do things this way. He had Jehoshaphat to put the singers out front and they put the praise warriors out front. If you don’t believe God and his promise, then you will not prosper. Remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal.
    1. Your praise releases His power. Mercy holds back consequences. We give God praise in advance for what did not happen to us that could have happened. We give praise for what we didn’t have to go through in advance!
  • There’s power in your praise. 2 Chronicles 20:22-23 (NKJV) says 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. 23 For the people of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir to utterly kill and destroy them. And when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another. – Your praise will confuse your enemy. Your praise will turn your enemies against themselves. When they sang praises to the Lord, God set ambushes against the enemies and the enemies were defeated. The enemies got confused and ended up destroying each other.
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From Tears to a testimony, Sermon 3.19.17

Posted on March 21, 2017 by growintheword

 

Synopsis of Sermon 3.19.17

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Psalms 30:5 says For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.

None of us are immune to pain. We have to learn to shift from what has occurred in our lives and turn to a point of a testimony. You must learn transcend your pain and move to the glory of God. The enemy knows if you tell somebody God is able, then they too, will come out of their situation, just like you did.

It is not only important that you come out, you got to come out whole. Know that what you go through is not just for you. Make up in your mind that your story will not end like your situation is right now. God will transcend you from tears to testimony. People whose life was in desperation transcended from the situation, because they saw God’s hand moving to bring them out!

This Psalms is a psalm dealing with the house of David and how he came back from a terrible situation. David was in a bad place psychology and physically. Psalm 30:3 (NKJV) 3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.[a]–  When David was writing this, he was aware that God sustained him during a point that was designed to take him out.

David was gravely ill. In Psalm 30:2 (NKJV) it says 2 O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me. – Healing can happen in a variety of ways. You can be healed emotionally, spiritually, or physically. God can not only heal you, he can heal you without scars. You have to let others know that what was about to take you out, became your testimony.

There are some things about God that must be understood.

I. Revelation of his anger

Psalms 30:5a – For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; …

  1. Whatever you go through as a child of God, it is important that you don’t let the enemy control the narrative of who God is in your life. The nature of God is not determined by your situation, but instead it is determined by revelation.
  2. God doesn’t hold grudges, he extends grace. God never remains angry. God is not like man and holds grudges for years and years. Certain people hold grudges for years. God’s grace will keep you from being consumed by the test of your trials.
  3. We live in a world where we want God to punish people. God is not like man. The fact that you are here is a testimony of God’s grace. We all got our list of stuff that has ticked us off. I give God the glory, because he looked beyond my faults and saw all my needs!
  4. God wants everything connected to you to live. God extends his favor to you so that it flows from God, to you. 2 John 15:1-2 (NKJV) says 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, God takes away;[a]and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.- Gods desire is that everything connected to you, must bear fruit. If things that are connected to you don’t bear fruit, then he disconnects it. Stop running after stuff God disconnected from you. Hanging on to stuff that is disconnected, will spoil your vine.
    1. Those things bringing forth fruit, God prunes so that it can bear more fruit. Where you are going, you can’t take people who are comfortable producing in one season, but not in the new season.
    2. You can’t go with me, if you don’t grow with me. John 10:10 (NKJV) says 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 itmore abundantly. – It is God’s desire that everything in your life lives. God doesn’t hold grudges; he gives me My existence today is a result of what I don’t deserve. Everything connected to me in this season, must live. Don’t get mad when God prunes you. Everything connected with you directly and indirectly will live because of the favor over your life.
    3. His anger is but for a moment and his favor gives life.

 

II. Rest in his assurance

When you understand this, you can rest in the promises of God.

Psalms 30:5b – Weeping may endure for a night …

  1. The tendency here is for us to convince ourselves that we are super-human. God doesn’t need this from us. Some of this stuff that happens, hurts. Sometimes people just don’t appreciate your value. Know that it is ok to cry.
  2. Many of us were taught that men were not supposed to cry, but know that there is nothing wrong with crying.
    1. There is not wrong with crying if you cry in faith. God moves when our faith is in actions, not our feelings. If you are in your feelings, this is why God isn’t moving. God don’t move in your feelings; he moves in your favor.
    2. Romans 12:15 (NKJV) 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. – People around your cry. We as Christians, cry too, but not like the world cries.
    3. 2 Corinthians 4:8 (NKJV) says 8 We arehard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; – Your tears and your trouble both have term limits. Weeping is optional, but the night season is inevitable. Weeping may endure for a night!
    4. Your tears and trouble should have term limits. Don’t give your tears tenure. Whatever you are going through, know that this too, shall pass! Whatever it is, know that it is temporary!
    5. Don’t make permanent decisions during temporary situations. Cry and get out. After today, it’s done! What is ahead of me is better than what’s been!

 

III. Rejoice with awareness

  1. Psalms 30:5c says Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. – How is the conjunction in the scripture relevant? Conjunction, junction, what’s your function? Conjunctions cancel out preexisting actions. When we get to the “but” which is a conjunction, it disqualifies the power of what has happened before it. i.e. “They said I would never be nothing, but …”
  2. You change, before it changed. In the midst of your tears, you received revelation that God was still working on your behalf. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NKJV) says 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. – When you get a revelation, it will change everything. Joy comes in the morning.
    1. Joy has nothing to do with happenings, but instead internal revelation and revelation comes in the morning.
  3. When we understand God’s plan for our lives, it generates a response of thanksgiving, even if my situation has not changed. The joy came from the revelation in the night.
    1. It can still be dark, when joy shows up. Note that the morning is not determined by the To prove it, we say “good night” at midnight, but at 12:01 we say “good morning”. It’s still dark, but it’s still morning. Everything looks the same at 12:01am, but the one thing that has changed is my awareness. I am aware that it is morning, even though it looks like it’s night. In like manner, you got an awareness that God is up to something and he has shifted you into a new season even though your situation still looks dark.
  4. If you’ve changed and your situation hasn’t, why are you acting as though your situation has? The reason we give God the glory with a smile on our face, despite how our situation looks, it is because we survived the night!

 

 

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