Angels and Demons IX “How we ought to live in Victory” Bible Study 11/17/10

Posted on November 23, 2010 by growintheword

Angels and Demons Part IX

How we ought to live in victory

Synopsis of Bible Study 11/17/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

As a believer, every Christian should be aware that you are subject to demonic attacks. Because we have these attacks, we have angelic interventions that occur to try and keep things from happening to us. It is important for you to know that God’s desire for us to live in victory.

The Christians victory

James 4:7 says 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1. The bible says submit. This means to be under authority, so in other words, we must be under the authority of the Lord.

2.     What does that mean? To understand this, we must see God here as triune (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost). In other words we must see God as 3 in 1. This means we must submit to his Lordship, his revelation, and the power of the Holy Spirit.

a.     Submit to his Lordship– We realize that God is over us.

b.     Submit to his word-Revelation of God’s word is in our context.

c.       Submitting to the power of the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 5:13 says 13But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

3.     The reason some of us can’t resist the devil is because we are not completely submitting. Partial submission is not an option. We must submit totally to God’s Lordship, his word, and the power of the Holy Spirit and then we will have the wherewithal to resist the devil, causing him run from us.

4.     Many of us spend most of our time submitting to the devil. If we have total submission, the devil should be running from us. It should not be the other way around. Ex- Remember the Atari game back in the day called PacMan? The whole concept of the game was PacMan would go through the maze eating pellets while trying to avoid the ghost who were trying to eat him. PacMan runs from the ghosts that are trying to get him. PacMan eventually runs into bigger pellets that allow him to become something bigger than he is. As a result of being empowered by the bigger pellets, PacMan chases what was chasing him (the ghost). In like manner, when we submit to God’s Lordship, his word, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we have eaten a bigger pellet and we are empowered. The devil looks at us and says, that is too much power.

5.     If we are going to get the victory, we have to know how the Devil Works.

Christian conduct towards Satan

1 Peter 5:8 says 8Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1.     Sober in this scripture means don’t be under influence of anything that can make your mind go one way or another. Be alert and be vigilant, so you can be aware of Satan.

2. Take a look at the metaphor. The scripture says Satan is like a roaring lion. Ex – Bishop explains that he watches Animal Diary. On this show, they explain how a lions hunt. You have a herd of gazelle on one hand and on the other hand, you have this den of lions that may have 7 females to every one male. The males don’t hunt. They just eat and make babies. The females do the hunting. The female lions scan the herd and lock in on one gazelle. The lionesses have examined the herd and locked in on the weakest link. The Alpha lioness begins to stalk the herd. As she steps out, her other lionesses step out with her but in other directions. The other lionesses are waiting for her queue (alpha female). When the time right, the alpha lioness charges the herd. Her responsibility is to make the prey (the weakest one) fearful enough to run and separate from the herd. As this gazelle runs trying to avoid the alpha lioness, it runs right into the other hunters/lionesses. The gazelle has run right into an ambush. What does this have to do with us you might ask? Satan hunts us in like manner. The devil knows our weaknesses and searches us out. He has demons around us waiting for us to run into an ambush. We can end up in a messed up situation and be left wondering how we got there. Satan’s purpose is to separate us from God. This is why you shouldn’t give the devil a place.

3.     A Scripture to remember. Ephesians 4:27 says 27Neither give place to the devil. – Don’t give the devil a place. What does that mean? What the devil is looking for is an opportunity or an opening. Remember the acronym we learned called HALT. The H-stands for Hunger, the A -stands for angry, the L – stands for Lonely, and the T – stands for Tired. The devil gets into us when we are at any of these states. This is when you contemplate participating in the” that will do ministry”. When you are hungry, anger, lonely, or tired all your defenses are not up. The devil got a place with Eve, because she didn’t tell Adam the snake was there.

Exercise:

1.     Write down the top 3 things that gave the devil a place in your life

2.     Under each one of them, write down what it cost you?

3.     In what areas did you give a place to Devil (named in the top 3) that is still open (put a check mark by it)? Does the Devil still have access to those places?

4. Demonstration of previous question :

There is an imaginary door. We go through the door and close the door behind us.

a.     Phase one – We are peeping out at the thing that we closed the door on.

b.     Phase two – We jump in and out the door. In other words, we are jumping in and out of the thing we say we have closed the door on.

c.     Phase three – We jump all the way out the door. We have decided to stay in the thing that we say we closed the door on.

5.     When you think about the thing that gave place to the devil and what it cost you, does it upset you?

6.     God gave us this amazing promise. No matter what snare we get caught in, we can get out of it. 2 Timothy 2:26 says 26And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. – Even though I might be in a trap or a snare from the devil, it isn’t over for us. We can still get out of it. No matter what was on your list (mentioned above), you can still get of it.

How do we get out of our snare?

7.     When Gabriel blows his trumpet, the dead in Christ shall rise. 1 Corinthians 15:5151Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, – Remember the 2 realms we talked about? The law in spirit overrides the laws in the physical realm. Sleep in this scripture means just that. Everyone is not going to die. Some of us will be caught up in the rapture. When Gabriel blows the trumpet, the dead in Christ will rise. Those who died in Lord and went to the spiritual realm are no longer corrupted. When they comeback, they will come back in corrupted. They are where there is no sickness or disease. Those caught up will be changed and will not look the same.

8.      Mortality must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:53 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

9.     Death will be swallowed up in victory. – 1 Corinthians 15:57 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – Examples: You have life on the right and death on left. The devil is trying to rob you. Life is eternal life. The wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life. Watch what Satan is trying to do. In the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, when God made Adam and Eve, they were designed to have eternal life. They were designed to live forever. Satan comes in (they weren’t supposed to eat of a certain tree in the midst of the garden) and they ate of the forbidden tree. God had told them if they ate of this tree, they would surely die. When they ate of the tree, they didn’t die right away, but they turned towards death. They were headed into that direction. In other words, we are born dying. Physic logically, you are getting closer to death every day you live. Because of sin, we are born into sin, so we are always moving towards death. We have a natural evolution towards death because of sin. How does God bypass this natural evolution towards death? God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believes him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. The moment we accepted Christ, we turned from death and headed towards eternal life. We are now back on track at this point.

10.  Death where is thou victory?  The sting of death is sin. The only way death can get us is sin. The Devil then has to use his demons to bring sin to us.

a. Sin means to miss the mark. What mark? It is forgetting those things which are behind us and pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The devil knows he can’t get you to death if he tells you what he is up to, so he packages himself to look like life. This way he can catch you slipping. He wants you to think your life is boring so you will kick it and have a good time not knowing that it leads to death. John 10:10 says 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. – Just because you are saved it doesn’t mean you can’t have life down here on earth. You must realize that you can have life without death. There is a way that seems like life but at the ends is death. This is a trap of the Devil (a snare). Ex- Bishop Walker explains that he saw something he had never seen before in his 20+ yrs of preaching. Jesus is on the cross, one thief says, “If you be Christ save us and yourself!” The other thief says “Remember me when you get into your kingdom. “ It was dramatized on the cross for us to make us understand we have a choice between life and death.

11.  Doing good might seem hard. This is why sin is fun. Everything bad for you feels so good. Until you change your lifestyle, doing good seems hard.  Ex2- Bishop explains how he never thought he could start living life without eating what he was eating. He never thought there would come a day where egg whites and oatmeal would be alright with him. Now the diet has become a lifestyle and since it is a lifestyle, it is not a strain any longer. These things are only a strain before your lifestyle changes. Your appetite changes when your lifestyle changes.

12.  It is important that you do not blame Satan for what your flesh does. We know what we are doing wrong, but we need somebody to tell us how not to do wrong. Romans 7:15 15For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.

13.  We opened up saying the devil is looking for place or access into us. Remember the Lion is looking for something vulnerable. Romans 7:20 – 25 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. – Ex- Satan knows you don’t have a drug problem, so he won’t offer you any. He knows that might not be your issue. What Satan will do is send something to you that is your issue.

14.  The point is the Devil is a coward so he specializes in setting traps, like we set cheese out for rats. Satan knows your issue. He knows all he has to do and lay it in front of you and go away and that which is within you will make you go and get it. Satan lays what your issue is right in front of you. Ex – The devil was not the one puff-puff passing. It was your flesh. The devil sets back and listens for his traps to go off “Pow, pow, pow.” Real deliverance is not the alcoholic that doesn’t drink when he is not around liquor. Real deliverance is not wanting alcohol when you are around liquor.

15.  Every day you wake up you are confronted with choices. Choices lead to decisions and decisions lead to consequences. The more you grow the more choices you get.

16.  Choices lead to decisions. Decisions lead to consequences. God says he lays before you life or death (our choices). Ex – Bishop explains that he had a mentor 4 yrs ago that was asked how do you deal with choices when you are hit with things on every hand? The mentor explained, “Treat everything like a demonic setup and you will make it.” Ex2- Paul would always make a distinction when he spoke. Some things he would say, God told him to say and some things he would say God gave him permission to say them. In like manner, Bishop says by permission that he used to let people come into his life and start at a 100%. Through the friendship cycle, they would maintain the 100% or chip away with it. Now Bishop says he gives everyone a 0% starting out and they have to work their way up. This way, he is never disappointed. The devil is cunning and conniving, but we have decided to choose life.

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Evolution to Revolution Part II

Posted on November 15, 2010 by growintheword

Evolution to Revolution Part II

Potential in Process

Synopsis of Sermon 11/14/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Text – 2 Timothy 1:5-9

Each of us are a process and the reality is many people have judged us based on where we are now, but they don’t have any idea of where God is pushing us to. Where we are is only a small portion of where we are going. The potential inside of us is often tainted by perspectives placed upon us. Many of us are unaware that God is actively moving in our lives to bring us to our destiny for his glory. Eyes have not seen nor ears heard nor has it entered into the hearts of men the things that God has in store for our lives. Once you begin to catch the essence of your not yet, you will realign yourself with God’s will and his purpose for your life. As a result, you have a small tolerance of foolishness. You don’t want to be around people who are stagnant and not moving. Prior to this, you accommodated people like this, because you had no idea of where God was taking you. You had no sense of what God was about to move you into. The truth is, all of us must recognize that in us is a great deposit of greatness and God will bring it into fruition for his glory.

Paul shares this word with his spiritual son Timothy. This literally suggests that he has this mentee named Timothy. Timothy is made aware that within him there is something for the glory of God. For Timothy to manifest this, he must pay attention to Paul. If you knew what God was up to in your life, you would not be discouraged another day. If we knew what God was about to open up to us, we would not wallow in these low places we wallow in. If you knew, you wouldn’t put up with the stuff you put up with. The closer you get to what God wants to do in your life, the more you will understand why folk are falling off. Some people can’t handle where you are going. This is why they fell off and this is why they treated you the way that they did. God said don’t whine about not being accepted. It might not be for you right now, but know that it is in your not yet. We are potential in process.

I. Potential in process

1. We might not have what you have, live where you live, or wear what you wear, but we are in process. God is about to do something awesome in your life. There is potential in your life

2.     When we talk about potential, we are talking about that within you and I that has a great capacity for becoming or being. We are on our way to something amazing. Every step take towards God takes you another step closer to what God is about to do in your life.

A.    Paul wants us to see that remembrance brings responsibility. Paul wants us to know that remembrance brings responsibility. 2 Timothy 1:5 says 5When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. – Paul shares with Timothy, the significance of his history. If you don’t know where you come from, then you won’t value where you are.

B.    Paul says there was great faith in Timothy’s mother and his grandmothers. Acts 16:1 says 1Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: – We are told that Timotheus was the son of a Jewish woman, but yet she believed. As a result it was her faith that gave here revelation. Paul makes note of this, because there is powerful lessons in Timothy’s ancestry.

3.     It is important that every generation gets better than the previous generation. Timothy comes from a faithful bloodline, but he doesn’t know it. Timothy doesn’t’ realize that there is greatness in his genes. Not his JEANS, but his GENES. Ex – If we could get this generation to understand who you are and that your greatness is not in your JEANS, then maybe you will quit trying to apple bottom your Jeans and realize that it is in your GENES.

4.     All of us have crazy stuff in our family, but there are also some amazing people in our bloodline too. There are survivors, thinkers, and inventors in our genealogy. Some of our ancestors lived through the unthinkable and lived to tell about it. Our ancestry is important. We didn’t get here on our own. We got here on the prayers of our ancestors.

5.     Ancestry gives us greater appreciation of:

a. Exposure– How you see your life is tied to vision. You have to expose your children to much. They will need to know that there is something greater beyond their own backyard. What we see in life depends on where we stand to look. Ex- One day you got out of your zip code and realized there was a world bigger than you thought. Exposure gives rise to experiences and experiences gives rise to expectations.

b.     Expectations – If you haven’t seen anything, you act like you haven’t seen anything and if you don’t expect anything; you act like you don’t expect anything. Ex – If the bar is set high, your expectations will be high. If the bar set low, your expectations are low. Ex2 – If your mom dated high, you expect high out of the people you date. If your mom dated low life people, most likely you will date low life people. If we got to be the first one in our family to actually get a job and take care of our family, then we will have to be the one. If we are the first one in our family to finish college, then we must be that one.

6.     When you remember where you came from, you have no excuse not to achieve. When you look at your ancestry, you have no excuse to be trifling.

2 Timothy 1:6 says 6Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. – Stir up this gift. You can’t allow this gift to lie dormant. God put inside you a great investment. You have to realize there is too much greatness to allow life to pass you by. There are gifts inside you.

7.     Paul says these gifts were given to Timothy by the laying of his hands on timothy. Paul is referencing 1 Timothy 4:14 where it says 14Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.  – Paul says when we laid our hands on Timothy; he knows that Timothy didn’t realize what was in him. What was in him came to the surface. Stirring up the gift means to rekindle the fire. It is time to build that fire for what God has for your life.

8.     To stir up the gift, you have to realize:

A.    God has given you an Assignment– We must realize this before we stir up our gift. This is how purpose is. Before this world began, God had purpose for you. Purpose is the path towards destiny. Don’t worry about mistakes you have made, none of us are perfect. God doesn’t use perfect people, because he has no perfect people to choose from. Ex – You don’t want to know where we were delivered from. If you knew, you might not feel comfortable sitting near us. God looked beyond our faults and supplied all of our needs.

B.    Our assignment is tied to an Appointment – God doesn’t make an assignment without a place for that assignment to manifest. God told Abraham to go to a land he would show him and he told Jonah to go to Nineveh. You will know when God has you where he wants you, because the devil will try to move you.

9.     God will give us Anointing– When hands were laid on us, there was a transfer of the anointing. When Paul laid his hands on Timothy, Paul’s anointing transferred to Timothy. When God’s anointing is on your life, people don’t have to like you or speak to you, but they can’t deny that you are one of God’s anointed. You might live like they do or talk like they do but know that you are one of we are God’s anointed. Ex- Some stuff went right past some people that were around you, because of your anointing. When you remember your history, you are responsible for you present.

II. Revelation of what you have received

2 Timothy 1:7 says 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1.     You can tell people how great they are, but until they own it, it doesn’t make a difference. You must move from talking about it to being about.

2.     We have to go through life without:

a.     Fear – Fear is false evidence appearing real. Fear is of the devil. It is making you think something exists that really doesn’t. The Devil wants you to think that what is after you is bigger than God. Ex- You fill out the application, you get the grant, and then you get to school and get scared. You fill out the application, you go on the interview, and yet when you get the job, you are scared. The only thing we should fear is remorse. Remorse is what we didn’t do that God wanted us to do.

3.     God gave us power, love, and a sound mind.

a.     Power – In Acts 2, they were all in one place on one accord, and the Holy Spirit came in. This is the power promised by Jesus in John 14. In this chapter, Jesus said that he would not leave us comfortless. Jesus told the disciples that that the Comforter would come and he came in the personality of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was raised, he said all power in heaven and earth had been given to him. Now Jesus gives it to us. We have that same power. Now that we have this power, we have this authority and we shouldn’t walk around like pushovers. We are walking around trying to get people to do what God gave us the power to do. Ex – You have power to put the devil out of your own house. Jesus said these signs shall follow them. We have the power to walk right, talk right, and live right. We give the Devil too much power.

b.     Love-Love creates a sense of disillusionment because many people have not seen the manifestation of love in the human experience. Love is not a noun. Love is a verb. Love is demonstrative, but the reality is, if your human experiences have been the result of a person saying “I love you”, but you never see the manifestation of it, then you have a difficult time understanding that love means commitment.

i.    Love is verse 7 means commitment. If love is commitment, then you wouldn’t think that the person that says they love you would curse you like they do and hurt you like they do. The truth is, this kind of love is really isn’t commitment. Ex- God’s love was demonstrative. He demonstrated his love on Calvary.

c.     A sound mind – A sound mind says, “Devil I recognize what you are trying to do”. The Devil tries to cause a traffic jam on the avenue of our mind. The Devil tries to make our rational thoughts detour causing us to take a while getting to my destination. We are not going to be disillusioned by the failures of others and we will not be destroyed from the lack of knowledge. We are getting a checkup from the neck up. We will remember things like “Let this mind be in you who is also in Christ Jesus” or “He will keep thee in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee.” Get a check up from the neck up.

i.    There are a couple of people who will tell you that a sound mind for them simply means sanity. When we look at what we been through, we should be scratching our head, but God gave us sanity.

IIII. Rejoice in the word

2 Timothy 1:8-9 says 8Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

1.     No matter what challenges we face, we must know that God is in our life, despite all of the opposition in our lives.

2.     Paul said when I try to do good, evil is on every hand. Paul reminded Timothy that he need not be ashamed. Affliction is part of this calling. You can’t get what God is about to give you without going through affliction. Affliction builds character. If you get something too easy, you will not appreciate it. Ex- Many of you got up around 6:30, to get to your church’s early service. Affliction did that. Many people in their former church were dignified in their service, but now if you just say the word “Jesus”, you get off the hook. Affliction did that!

3.     Paul’s said don’t be ashamed of your testimony. Paul said he was a prisoner for the Lord. Paul said he was tied to affiliations, but he reminded Timothy not to be ashamed of his testimony.

4.     God’s record does this:

a.     Reinforces our faith – Remember his word, while you are going through and remember what he has done and this will reinforce your faith. If he did it then, you can do. Nothing you are going through is new. You just need an encore. You have to go to your faith file. Ex- Every time God does something, just file it away. If he gives you bread, file it under “B”, if he gives you a car, put it behind “C”, if he delivers you, put it behind “D”. This way when you go through again, go through that faith file and remember that you have been there before.

b.     Restores my sight– When the wind is knocked out of us, we remember God’s word, and get back up ready to fight again. You got get your fight back! Stop walking around with your lip stuck out.

c. Rejoice in our future-Paul says in verse 8, don’t be ashamed, but in verse 9, he calls us to a holy calling. There is a deposit of greatness inside of us and the faith of our blood line should sustain us. You should overcome your fear, based on what God has done for us. Paul says Timothy has all this potential. He laid his hands on him and says it is time to stir all this up (his gifts). Paul is the teacher and Timothy is the student.

5.     In every experience, the student excels past the teacher. Jesus says the works you saw me do, greater works will you do. Joshua excelled Moses. Look at what God did through Paul. Paul wrote a 3rd of the New Testament. He says the day will come where I will say, I fought a good fight. Timothy is supposed to take it to the next level. Paul says if you could see what I see, thou would rejoice in your future. If you could see what God sees, you would give him glory before you got there. Ex- There is a new penalty in the NFL. It is called premature celebration. They have rule called excessive celebration. If a person has a clear line to the goal line and starts celebrating before they get there, then a flag is thrown. It is called premature celebration.  The one who is celebrating is penalized. They are celebrating because they avoided stuff that was trying to take them out and made it to the end zone. When they got in the area of end zone, they started celebrating a head of time. I wonder based on what you see in your future, who will be penalized today? If you saw what we saw, you wouldn’t wait until you get to the end zone. You would celebrate right now! Don’t wait until the battle is over, shout right now!

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Angels and Demons VIII, “Realtionship between demonic access, prayer, and fasting” Bible Study 11/03/10

Posted on November 5, 2010 by growintheword

Angels and demons VIII

Relationship between demonic access, prayer, and fasting

Synopsis of Bible Study 11/03/10

Delivered By Bishop Walker II

 

Remember we asked you what are your 3 greatest struggles were. We also asked how they manifested themselves (the struggles), how they affected your core values, and who is to blame these manifestations. Having said this, it is important to note that they are access points and the devil wants to get into those access points in order to control us. The devil’s main objective is to prevent God’s will from manifesting in our lives. The Devil knows what God wants to do in and through us and he wants to prevent that from happening.

Attacks

Ephesians 2:2 says 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: – Translation; We remember what we used to be. We might not know what caused our behavior at the time, but we remember what we used to be. Now that we have come into revelations by God’s word, we identify that maybe this was a spirit. Demons have been attacking our life and thank God we are not that same person, but we remember how we used to be. So now, when we see people act like we used to, we are compassionate instead of judgmental, because we recognize that it is a spirit. They may not be aware of it, but because we are living in revelation we know it is the same spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience.  Satan’s object again is to prevent God’s will from manifesting in our lives.

1.     Satan has been opposed to everything that promotes God from the very beginning. Isaiah 14:13-14 says 13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. –In this scripture, Satan says he is going to be like God. He understood God was getting the worship and he wanted to prevent this and have the worship go to himself.

2.     When Jesus was sent to the earth, this is the purest of the glory of God. God’s will was that Jesus to come and save us from our sins. Consequently Matthew 2:16 says 16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. – When Herod felt he was being mocked, because they the Wisemen wouldn’t tell him where Jesus was, he decided to kill all the males. Satan wants to keep God’s will form coming to past.

3.     Satan has no problem when you are his side, but when you are saved, this is when the controversy comes in.

4.     Satan attacks the intellectual through mysteries.2 Corinthians 11:14 says 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. -Satan knows that you will recognize him if he comes at you straight up, so he packages himself to look like he is from God, so that he can gain access. You ask how intellectual people drink cyanide and get caught up into cults? It is because he Satan appeared as an angel of light.

5.     Satan attacks those who are unlearned or without knowledge. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) – What is the root word of imaginations? It is images. What are images? They are pictures that must be developed in dark places. In other words they need a dark room experience to be developed. The devil wants to create images in your mind and in your life to defy what your reality is going to be. Ex-Things don’t look right in our life, but we don’t walk by sight, we walk by faith. The Devil is visual and God is audible. If faith comes by hearing and hearing by word of God, we must not allow the images Satan is showing us to take control of our life. Ex-If you are not careful, Satan will have you thinking the church hates you, because no one hugged you during visitation time. They are just images that Satan is showing you. You have to be careful.

6.     For the religious person, the devil attacks through religious systems. 2 Timothy 3:5 says 5Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. –These are people that look like church (throw together theological phrases and put on religious garments), but they don’t have the power to back it up. It is just a mirage.

7.     We must get a picture that transcends our situation. Corinthians 4:4 says 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. -This word gives a picture of your destiny. This picture spoken into your life must transcend the image the devil is trying to show you. If the devil can blind your mind, you will sit there and believe that what is being proclaimed by the word over life as being impossible due to your current circumstances. You will think the message isn’t for you.

4 major sins of Satan

1.     Four major sins of Satan is lying, murder, malice, pride. John 8:44 says 44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

a.     This scripture references the lying and murdering.

b.     Malice means to cause physical harm.

c.     Pride is exalt oneself above God or to get the bighead. .

Areas of access points

1.      Remember last week we talked about being careful about what we open our spirits up to and we references Deuteronomy 18:10-14 where is says 10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. 11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God. 14For these nations, which thou shalt possess, hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners: but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.- Now we will put these things into perspective.

a. Use of Divination – A person who is a fortuneteller. This is an access point for the devil. When you mess with this, you are opening your spirit up to Satan. Prophesy don’t cost anything, it is free. Fortunetellers are nothing but prophets gone wild. The gift of prophesy is true, but when it goes demoniac, it manifests as fortune telling.

b.     Observer of times – This is the use of horoscopes.

c.     Enchanter– It is a Sorcerer or magician. It is one who has spirits and demons at their command.

d.     Witch– A woman who is compact with the devil and practices sorcery and enchantment. It is the Spirit of witchcraft which is also an act of disobedience.

e.     Charmer-One that attracts with affection. It manifests in a Jezebel spirit (this is not just a female spirit). This is one who uses charm to seduce power for position or self game.

f.      Consulter with familiar spirits-one that asks counsel or information with familiar sprits.

g.     Wizard– This is a male version of a witch (black magic).

h.     Necromancer-Those that try to commune with the dead.

Prayer

1.     Everything we just shared all comes in at the outer-core. We have a question to ask. How many of you struggle with prayer regularly? We have an assumption. That assumption is that the majority of us who pray accumulatively at best commune with God 3 hrs a week. We are not talking about simple communications with God like “forgive me” or “Thank you for the food”. This is not communing/praying with God. When you really add up the time you commune with God undistracted it equates to about 3 hrs per week. Now take a look at your cell phone bill and notice how much time you spend communing and texting with others.

2.     Why is it so difficult to pray? It is because prayer is difficult. Why is it when we try to pray, we get distracted? What is it that causes us to get sleepy when we pray? What is it about prayer that causes this? Prayer is that inner-core, the place where the spirit touches God. The devils objective is to prevent God’s will from manifesting in your life.

3.     God’s will is manifested when you ask. When you seek it shall be found. Knock and door will be open. The reason you don’t have isn’t because you don’t ask, it is because you ask a miss. How do you feel when a person that hasn’t called you all year all of a sudden calls and asks for a hookup? Imagine then what God is saying. It is not that you aint asking, you are asking a miss. Satan then says he knows how to get us.

4.     Why is it so difficult then for us that say we are spiritual? We take notes in church and attend church all the time. Why then when somebody asks us to pray, we can’t pray? How would you feel if your husband or wife had something to say to you, but wasn’t comfortable saying it, so they asked somebody else to ask you on their behalf? You don’t need any help asking your spouse anything, because you have intimacy. The point is we are not comfortable, because we don’t know what to say. Where is the intimacy? Like the Pharisees prayed in open to be seen, people have got us thinking that we are supposed to pray a certain way. Matthew 6:5-6 says 5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.  -Some people pray long every time, because it is their only time they pray with God. They have to be seen of men. The devil is trying to prevent the will of God from manifesting in your life.

Demon Exorcism

1.     How a mute spirit attacks. Mark 9:14-17 says 14And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; – Master in this scripture translates to teacher. A mute spirit is that spirit that says, I will attack you in a place where you won’t say anything. He will attack us in a way that causes us to turn it all in. You can’t beat this demon this way. This demon makes you withdraw, retreat, and convince yourself you can’t handle it on your own. This demon knows that in your inner-core, there is enough word to talk yourself out of it. If Satan mutes you, you will slip into depression.

2.     Where ever you go, this spirit will tear you. Mark 9:18 says 18And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. – The boy’s father says this spirit tears his son. He has internal things that have not been reconciled. In this likeness, no matter where we go, we are torn from the inside out. It is making us manifest in ways that is not consistent to God’s will.

a.     The ­ mentioned in this scripture is yuck mouth – When you do talk, cursing comes out.

b.     Gnashing of teeth- You are mad at everyone and suspicious of everyone. Everyone here is the person that has done you wrong in your mind. Now you are suspicious.

3.     The man said he brought him to the disciples and they couldn’t help him. In like manner, we have these kinds of spirits, and we can’t do anything with them. Ex- Someone said, I love Jesus, but I can’t stand his wife. Who is Jesus wife? The church is his wife. People can’t stand Jesus’ wife (the church) because, she doesn’t speak, she is some timey, uppity, and doesn’t have any power. The father brought this demon to Jesus’ disciples, but why can’t we get this demon out? Exorcism is the power and authority within you to cast out what has got control of you.

4.     Why can’t we exorcise our demons out of us? 19He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. -When the spirit got in front of Jesus, it foamed at the mouth and fell down on the ground, and start wallowing. Remember 2 Corinthians 4:4 says 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. – The devil wants you to see images so great that you doubt that God can change your situation. There is Jesus, the multitude, the boy’s father, the son with the dumb spirit, and the disciples. When the spirit gets in front of the Word (Jesus), he gets an audience to show up. The devil says if he can get the attention off of Jesus and onto himself, they won’t believe in Jesus’ power. This is the demon that wants to discredit God’s power and authority by manifesting and showing out. Ex- This is why everyone who you see shouting in the church is not of the Holy Spirit. Anything that distracts us from the word of God, is not of God, because the Holy Spirit and the Word work together. This demon has to show out. This demon will have you joining church every Sunday trying to exploit you..

5.     Jesus wants to know how long this boy has been possessed. Mark 9:21 says 21And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. -Jesus raised this question to bring the boy’s father into accountability.

6.     The father gets a revelation. Mark 9:22 says 22And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us. -The father gets a revelation by Jesus asking how long he has been like that. No one had ever asked him this before. You didn’t just get your struggle, you inherited it. You are not just fighting your demons, but somebody else’s demons. This is why the doctor wants your family history when you go to the doctor. The same is true in the spirit. If these demons attacked your mother and father, it is a strong possibility that they are coming after you too. This is why we bless babies.

7.     Some demons are inherited. Mark 9:23 says 23Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. -The reality is, whatever is wrong with his boy, is wrong with him. Believing is not what you see, it is what you know. Jesus never asked what he does. Jesus asked how long the boy had been like this. The father is locked on what he sees. Jesus reminds that if you can only believe that all things are possible, and then all things will be possible. This demon wants you to think all things aren’t possible. This demon will have you thinking that you will have to live the way you are living, but you don’t if you believe.

8.     The father wants to believe. Mark 9:24 says 24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. – Now the father has moved from communicating to communing. The unbelief is not inside is our body and our mind, the outer-core. We believe what the Pastor says, but we start doubting when we step back into our situation.

9.     This enemy is trying to set the stage to prevent God’s will to come into his life. Mark 9:25-26 says 25When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.-Jesus orders him out and told him to never to come back. How many of you have no idea what an exorcism looks like? How many would tip out if one manifested right now? How many people have witnessed an exorcism? Ex-Bishop says he have seen demons on people while he was preaching. He explains that he sees so much when he preaching. Bishop says he sees all kinds of demons trying to distract him while he is preaching. Satan wants to distract your Pastor, because he knows that if the word your Pastor preaches comes forth, God’s will can be manifested in us. There are demonic manifestations in the people that even the unbeliever cannot deny.  Ex – In 1995 rolled up on Jefferson. There are demons you wrote on your paper last week. They want to manifest. They may not make you get on the floor and foam at the mouth, but they still need an exorcism. Once they come out, you need to know what their response is going to be.

10.  Demons want to harm you on the way out. In verse 26, the demon came out and the boy was as he was dead. Mark 9:26 says. 26And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. Demons don’t come out quickly, they come out fighting. They come out wanting to inflict harm on the person they are in. When he comes out he wants to cause so much damage, you think you will not make it. Nobody says you’re not going to make it when you have a demon, but when that devil comes out they will say it, because the demon wants to leave you dead.

11.  Jesus took him by the hand. Mark 9:27 says 27But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. –

12.  They wanted to know why they couldn’t cast him out. Mark 9:28 says 28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? – We want to know the same. Why do we keep coming to church and can’t get right of this?

13.  Jesus answers with a solution. Mark 9:29 says 29And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. -Jesus is saying if you want this demon to come out, he is not coming out with our form and fashion of prayer. We have to learn how to fast and prayer together. Our spirit has to push through all that mess in our flesh, but if your flesh can submit through fasting, it will die. You will then fight from your spirit and not your flesh. Ex – Jesus asked the disciples to watch for one hour while he prayed, but they fell asleep. They fell asleep because of their flesh. When they came from Jesus, Peter cut the ear off of one the soldiers. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. You can’t deal with something in our flesh. When Jesus fasted 4 days and nights, the angels came and ministered to him. It is this point that you abstain, so God will sustain us. The flesh is saying got to have it, but your spirit will say he will sustain us. In this time, God will say, man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that comes out of the mouth of God. If you submit to fasting (denying self of food), you are in such a place of communion so when you pray, you can fight a good fight the good fight of faith. Ex- In 1995 on Jefferson Street, Bishop Walker use to go and lock himself in the church at 10 at night and lay at the altar. He would be praying and fasting and before you knew it, he would look up and it would be 5 in the morning. What kind of person does this? It is a person who is not in the flesh. The real reason we can’t defeat the demons on us is because we are trying to pray with our cute prayers. This mute rebellious foolish spirit that we thought was a dumb spirit; Jesus called a dumb and deaf spirit. The reason he wasn’t the boy wasn’t talking was because he hadn’t been listening. Some demons can only be done away with fasting and praying. Some demons will only be exorcised form when you come to place with total dependency on God. You can kill them in your flesh. You have to let God do it, because you can’t!

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Breaking the Cycle Part V, “Breaking the cycle of immaturity” Sermon 10/31/10

Posted on November 5, 2010 by growintheword

Breaking the Cycle Part V

Breaking the cycle of immaturity

Synopsis of Sermon 10/31/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker II

Text: 1 Corinthians 13:11 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

 

The Christian journey is one of maturation. We mature or evolve and develop into what God’s intent is for our lives. It is a process by where we grow in order that we might be entrusted with more. God will never entrust us with what we do not demonstrate the ability to handle. There are many people who have chosen to resist the process, because of their level of commitment and dedication which results from their lack of spiritual maturity. You would be amazed of those that want the benefits of being a Christian, but don’t want the responsibility. Much like this, there are people that want the benefits of being with us, but don’t want the responsibility that goes with it. We live in world where people are fascinated by fantasy and fiction. This makes it easy to stay immature and to play around, because risk stimulates carnality. This explains why people are so reckless in life and why people are so careless. Some people go through life and play with other folks life, because they are playing with their own life. This is important, because a person that is immature is literally content with talking the part of a Christian, looking the part of a Christian, but they are not at a point where they can be the part that God has called us to be as Christians.

 

Look at Jesus when he enlisted the disciples. This is really the process of discipleship. Jesus says, “I am taking you from where you are”. Jesus knows where they are, but he says to them that if they follow him, there is an evolution that is going to take place within their lives. In other words, they are going to become something they otherwise would never have become had they not followed him. There are certain indicators and certain tests that measure our levels of maturity. Every now and then, God will give us a test not to show him where we are, but so that we may know where we are. The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportioned to the embarrassment they can tolerate. This is why Paul shares with the church of Corinth who were known for being immature. Paul shares that God wants to break this cycle of immaturity in our life. There is so much that God wants to do in and through us, but many of us are still playing church. We don’t pray the way we ought to for instance. It just becomes some ritual to us and there is no sincerity in what we do. As a result, when we go through crisis, we find out that our ritual (of praying) really doesn’t have the power to get a breakthrough. God says it is time for all of us to reevaluate our lives, our crowds, and the places that we hang out at and then we need to start reflecting on our spirit of maturity.  It is really time for the church of at large to grow up. Some people are still depending on others to do for us what God has empowered us to do for ourselves. We have to get to a point where we are ready to grow up. We have to be determined to break this cycle of immaturity.

 

Paul in Corinthians 13:11b says 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: – In other words when we was a child:

a.       We communicated as a child. -What came out of our mouth was clearly immature stuff.

b.      We comprehended life as a child – Our comprehension was based on what our spiritual maturity allowed us to comprehend.

c.       We made conclusions as a child. – We never had the whole picture. So we went through life with a very distorted view of what life was supposed to be for us.

If we are going to break the cycle today, we are going to have to change our character.

I.                   Must Change your Character

1.     Character is behavior on display. It is that virtue that makes us who we are. It is that thing that determines destiny.

2.     God will only release the full magnitude of blessing upon those that have character. Gifts can get the blessing, but character allows you to keep it.

3.     The text says when I was a child. Paul acknowledges that all of us go through seasons where we are just childish. Ex- Some people would like for you to believe that they were born with a tambourine in their hands and they came out speaking in tongues. They want you to think that they were always deep and spiritual, but the truth is all of us have been at the place that the next scripture talks about. Ephesians 2:3 says 3Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. – We were naughty by nature, because that was our childish way. You have to admit that all of us have been there, but you have to get to a point where you know the indicators of spiritual maturity.

4.     Indicators of spiritual maturity:

a.       You are a worrier– We worry too much. You will know when you are not in a place of maturity, because you worry yourself to death. You come and get a word and as soon as you get bad news you still worry about it. You up all night long and you can’t sleep or eat. You just got a worry demon on you all the time. This is a sign of immaturity. You got to remember what Philippians 4:6-7 says. It says 6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.- In other words, when you grow up, you are able to sleep at night, because you don’t worry.

b.      You’re a Whiner -Because you are a worrier, you become a winner. You are always complaining about something or another. It is never about you and always about everyone else. You whine about every single thing. This is that murmuring crowd Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 10:10 where it says 10Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.- The point is this, murmuring is an indication of spiritual immaturity.

c.       You’re a Wimp- Because you are whiner, you end up a wimp. You end up being a pushover. If you not mature, you look mature and you look spiritual, but really you are not. The Devil is not intimidated by you, because he knows it is just an act. This is why he comes at you like he does. He knows you are going to tuck your tail and run. You walking around pretending to be something that you are not. 2 Timothy 1:7 says 7For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – We are not a wimp!

5.      Again in the text Paul says 11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child…We must understand that what we do determines who we are.

6.     What we do determines who we are. When we say we are saved, there are certain things that we must outgrow. Grown people in the natural, don’t play in playpens. Ex – If you go McDonalds and you see a 20 yr old really playing with children in the pen (really playing, really sliding, really bouncing the balls), then you would say something is wrong with that person. We are like them, we are spiritual in God’s word full of the Holy Ghost, but look at some of the places we dwell. People are looking at us like we are out of our mind. You mean we haven’t got past this type of behavior yet? Paul says grow up!

7.     Your character is on the line. The devil has a systematic way to attack our character, because he is after our destiny. Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, it becomes destiny. – In other words, watch what you think about, because if it sits there long enough, you will start speaking it and because you start speaking it, it won’t be long until you will talk yourself into it. Once you talk yourself into it and you get away with it, you think you can do it again developing habitual behavior and now all of a sudden it becomes a habit. Now that you have this habit, it defines what you are. For example, now you don’t just drink, you have become an alcoholic. You are being defined by your condition. Now that it starts affecting your destiny you are distracted from your destination. The real issue is, at the end of the day when you are sitting around, and if the Lord blesses you to be on this earth another for 90yrs or longer, when people define your life, what will be said about how you end up? What will be sum total of your character? Once you change your character, it puts a demand on changing your crowd.

II.                Change your crowd

1.     Changing character puts a demand on changing your crowd. You will realize that many problems we have has lot to do with the people we hang around. We are fine by ourselves most time, but we need a partner in crime. We need a coconspirator.

2.      Paul says in the text, “11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, (I understood life as a child)”.

What this indicates is that a person that has difficulty choosing the right crowd of has:

a.     Low self esteem – This thing allows us to live beneath the potential that God has for our life. In other words, we don’t have a clear understanding of who we are. As a result, we spend time with people and we want them to define and affirm us. If no one ever told us we was fearfully and wonderfully made, if no one told us that we were the head and not the tail, if no one told us that we were a royal priesthood and chosen generation, then we will attach ourselves to people based on our low self esteem. Ex – Though we don’t admit it, many of us have had low self esteem issues. We lived for the opinions of others. Why do you think people wear clothes they can’t fit in anymore? They are trying to get people to affirm who they are. When you are comfortable with who you are, you don’t need anybody to tell you how good you look and how smart you are. It is not about being arrogant; it is about being confident. We know who we are! We come against that spirit of low esteem, because if you have low self estee you will attach us to negative relationships for affirmation purposes.

b.      Lousy environments – The environment gets crazy. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says 14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Amos 3:3 says 3Can two walk together, except they be agreed? – How do we end up in these lousy environments? How do we end up in these crazy places and end up living in error?

c.     Living in error – In other words, our life is nothing but one big lie. Its true birds of feather flock together. Gossipers hang out together, crazy folk hang out together, and negative people hang out together. If all these type of people hang out together, then why do we hang out with them? Many of us who have folk in our lives that influence us to do what we wouldn’t ordinarily do. That’s really what being a young person is about. You can change a young person’s crowd and it will change their destiny. It’s about influence. Ex- This is why you got to be careful with new members when they join the church. You can get them around the wrong people and they will poison them. When you hang around a certain environment, it becomes your world view. You have to determine that you will not hang out with those who are negative because you understand what Psalm 1:1-6 says when it says 1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. – When we change our crowd we start changing.

3.     When we change our crowd we change:

a.     Purpose- We change our places, because everywhere we go has purpose. Know that every place you go is strategic and who we go with is strategic also. So we only go places that has purpose tied to it. This is why we wait to hear this Psalm 37:23 says 23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.- You can ask us all day to go with you, but if God hasn’t ordered us to go that way, it ain’t happening. We only go places where purpose is attached. For example Abraham left his homeland to go to a place that God told him, because purpose attached to it.

b.     Productive– We only go places where we can be productive. We go places that add value not devalue.

c.     Peace– We only go places where there’s peace. We don’t follow after drama. We have to declare we want to be where peace is. We realize that anyone outside the will of God will have nothing but drama or pain and foolishness to deal with. This is why we have to declare “Lord I want to be where peace is”. Isaiah 55:12 says 12For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. – God said he will lead us where peace is.

4.     We got to change our crowd. When we change our character, it puts a demand on our crowd.

5.     Many people say they are mature, but they do admit that they have some spiritual immaturity. We get a word and shout, but yet we worry all night long when bad news comes. Sometimes we worry, we whine, so we realize that we do need a character change. We will also admit that we know there are parasitic relationships that we know we should let go of. The truth is, we feel if we let them go, no one will pick those people up. We feel obligated. Know that if God allowed Jonah to be thrown off the ship, then that’s proof that there are  those we can throw off of our ship until they grow up.

III.             Change Course

1.     How you end up is s a direct response to the course you choose to take. 1 Corinthians 13:11c says… but when I became a man, I put away childish things. – When we got revelation (apprehension of truth at your own level of comprehension) we put away childish things.

2.     No matter what we use to be, we know we have a revelation that revealed to us the potential that is resident inside of us. Some people act the way they act, because they never got revelation.

3.     It is not Gods desire for us to live beneath our promised potential. We get caught up in what feels good to us and we miss what is good for us? Paul says when he became a man or in other words when he came into revelation, he put immature things away. There is always an “a ha” moment in a message. Ex- In seminary, they tell you to always tell people your thesis or what you are trying to say, why you trying to say it, and this is what it has to do with you. We are going to now tell you what it means to come to a place of spiritual maturity.

4.     How do you know when you are spiritually mature? You will know because it is the ability to stick with a job until it is finished, the ability to do a job without being supervised, the ability to carry money without spending it, and the ability to bear an injustice without wanting to get even.- In other words, you stick to a job and finish it (i.e.-start school and finish it), we go to work and stay there the full time, even though we know our boss has gone for the day, we  actually have money and don’t want to spend it at the next mall we pass, and to have been done wrong and actually not want to get even (for many of us, this is the hard one). Let’s break this cycle of immaturity.

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