Evolution to Revolution Part IV, “Do your part” Sermon 12/05/10

Posted on December 13, 2010 by growintheword

Evolution to Revolution Part IV

Do your part

Synopsis of Sermon 12/5/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

Text: 2 Tim 2:1-6

 

Each one of us must recognize that regardless of what happens in our lives, our witness is at stake. People want to know how people of God respond to crisis. People want to see how we get through things that we tell them they can make it through. How we handle challenges literally impacts the lives of others, because we represent Jesus Christ in the world. This is why everyone needs people in their lives that can coach you spiritually. Everyone one needs a spiritual mentor. We need people in our lives that can speak life to us. You need people that will help you to move forward in tough times. Paul is the mentor here in this text and he prepares Timothy for the challenges that lie ahead. Paul is seasoned and has experience many things in his Ministry and his life and he gives Timothy this impartation or this word about personal accountability and spiritual responsibility. You can’t ask God to do what you want him to do, if you are not willing to do your part. We must do all we can do and then God will do what we can’t do. There must be a corresponding action where faith is applied. Many people have faith, but they don’t have a corresponding action that is lived out in the human experience. We have to say God, “We trust you and believe you, but I am doing my part.” We have to be to the point where we have exhausted our resources, so when God does move, we know that we have been responsible and accountable. There is a promise on your life. God wants to do great things in and through us. There is word, worship, praise, and prayer in us. We have to get to a point where we declare, “Lord let me do my part.” God wants to see that you do your part, so he can see your spiritual accountability.

 

Usually through this type of sermon, you don’t get many “amen’s”, because we just want the blessing to fall out of the sky. We need to know that before getting our blessing, there is something me and you must do.

I. It is about being a strong soldier

1.     You are engaged in warfare. 2 Timothy 2:1-3 says 1Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 3Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. -What we must recognize is there is a reality of warfare. There is a war going on. The devil is after your destiny. None of us will be surprised that the devil is after you, because of who you are and what you are trying to do. Now that when you recognize that you are in warfare, you don’t have time to play games, because you realize you are in a war.

2.     In war we must have:

A.    The Right weapons -We don’t try to out curse the devil or out do the devil, because we realize that our weapons are not carnal. A person that knows how to pray in the Holy Ghost or recall the word knows how to fight.

B.    We are a repeat winner. In verse 2 Paul says do the things you have seen. Paul is teaching Timothy, because he is standing there as a winner. We might have a setback, but we are repeat winners. We give God glory, because in the end we will win.

C.    Every soldier must know the importance of perseverance. Real soldiers are prepared for the battle. Lots of people end up in battle fatigued and wanting to throw their hands up, but we must hang in there. Get have to get like Paul and say we will let nothing separate us from the love of God… Ex– We won’t let joblessness or separation, make us give up. Some people are still here, because they recognize who they are. They are soldiers.

3.     Endure hardness as a good soldier. Stop whining about it, stop tripping over it, recognize that every day you wake up, this is warfare. Remember that you are a soldier in this warfare and you must do your duty. Stop going AWAL and do what God told you to do!

II. You got to strive spiritually

2 Timothy 2:4-5 says 4No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.5And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.

1.       This is powerful. Paul is saying we got to learn to fight faithful. As a soldier, don’t let the devil make you deviate from where you are. We have to be who we are regardless to what we go through. Just because we go through a low season doesn’t mean we have to be low down. We have to maintain our integrity no matter what goes on around us. You might ask why God has put you where you are (where you end up being the only saved people on the job? God is trying to show you how to strive and survive spiritually.

2.       Characteristics of a soldier:

A.    Don’t get tangled in a carnal mess. There is a season among us. For many this is just confirmation because we feel a strong urge to change. You are tired of dipping and sipping and playing games. When you look at what you go through and the magnitude of the attacks on your life, you realize that you don’t have time to sit around people who are not spiritual. The warfare is so powerful; you don’t need non spiritual people around you. You don’t need those who just coming to church to see who is here. You need people who are trying to absorb God’s word like you are. There are some of you that know you have to cut people off and those people haven’t got the memo yet. You are done playing foolish games. We are going through too much not to be spiritual.

B.    We live by principles. Verse 5 teaches that each of us is aiming towards a goal. You are after something and we are in spiritual warfare to get it. The enemy says us that we going through so much, so deviate from your plan. If you do it the right way, right will always come back to you. You will not be crowned unless you do it lawfully (not scheming, not cut throat, or unrighteous). There must be continuity between confession and practice. People know how to perform in church, but won’t speak to you in the parking lot. Paul says whatever you going to do, do it right. If you going to preaching, preach right. If you are going to shout, shout right! It is not how high you jump when you shout. It is about how straight you walk when you come back down. If you do it the right way, your will be crowned. There is no short cut to doing it God’s way. Anything that comes to you too soon, you better be careful of it. Ex-There was a man at an intersection. The police had been following and observing him. When the light changed to green he was passing through and somebody sped up in front of him and cut over in front of him. The problem was after all that, they were driving slower than this man. This man who was at the light, let his window down and gave the car in front of him “the finger” and he used vulgarity. It was a classic example of road rage. The police pulled this man over. The man was concerned when the officer approached the car. The officer took his registration. The man who was at the light asked the officer what he had done wrong? The officer says you bumper stickers say Jesus is my copilot, one says Jesus saves, and another says WWJD (what would Jesus do?). The officer said he pulled over for suspicion of stolen car. The officer said after observing his actions, “This can’t be your car.”

III. This is a sower’s season

2 Timothy 2:6 says 6The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.

1.     The one who labors and gives of themselves is who God wants to be planters. God doesn’t put it in us without wanting to see us plant and multiply. Many of us receive gifts from God, but we never plant anything. Some gifts were put in you to bless others. Sometimes God will take you through a situation just to see how good a steward you will be.

2.     Many of us have developed such a stingy spirit; it upsets us to read this sermon. The person labors and gives of their time are the first partakers of the fruit. When you are anointed you don’t mind planting. We sow and give at another level, because we realize that we have to do our part. We are the first partakers of the fruit. You have the right to receive, because you have sown.

3.     This is the season of the sower. People who have sown, is about to receive a blessing that they can’t phantom. God says your best days are ahead of you. When you do what you can do, God said he will do what you can’t do. Before there is a giving of a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, you got to give. You got to repent and pray. Before mounting up with wings like and eagle, you have to trust God. Whatever God does he does for reason in the right season.

4.     This revelation that God gave was of powerful, God said he gave this word to say this is the right season. It is significant to receive this word on Mt Zion’s 144th anniversary. This number (144) is literally 12 squared. The number 12 represents God’s divine government and divine order. This is why God had 12 tribes of Israel, this is why Jesus had 12 disciples, this is why there are 12 foundations to the city of Jerusalem, and this is why there are 12 gates to the city. This is about divine order. Some of you have been waiting for this year to be over, but you don’t realize that you are about to talk yourself out of your break through. When you look at Revelation 14:1 you notice something. It says 1And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. – In other words there was a remnant of them that was with the Lamb at mount Sion. There were 144,000 having their names in their foreheads. That prophetic word was about the 144 who were those who endured and faithful and who were being set up to receive an eternal reward. God says the number 144 represents a number of people. A lot of people fell off and a lot of people gave up, but we are still here. Things were not what they were supposed to be, but we kept trusting God. We kept on being faithful to God, so if 144 is 12 squared, then God says he is giving us this word in the 12th month to let our people know that he is about to bring things in order. There was a prophetic word spoke over us in the 9th month that said “The last 90 days will be greater than the first 9 months of this year” We have made it to the 12th month so it is got to happen this month. We are not going to wait until it happens to give God the glory. We are going to do it right now! This month! This year will not end until God makes good on every promise he made in your life! Remember however that you got to do your part.

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Angels and Demons video

Posted on December 3, 2010 by growintheword

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Angels and Demons Part X, “Taking autority over the devil and his demons” Bible Study 12/01/10

Posted on December 3, 2010 by growintheword

Angels and Demons Part X

Taking authority over the devil and his demons

Synopsis of Bible study 12/1/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker III

 

As children of God, we have been given authority. This came when God gave Peter the keys to heaven and he said whatever he bound on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. This was power between two dimensions. This was power in the earth realm, over principalities, over demon attacks we experience, and power in the heavenly realm.

 

To get authority:

1.      We have to understand that Satan appears as an angel of light. Fallen angels try to appear as ministers of righteousness.

2.     Paul warns how false prophets show up. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 says 13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. –There are people who operate in the office of Minister or Apostle, but are actually ministers of Satan. They specialize in looking righteous, but they are not. As children of God, we have to know that everything that looks sound is not sound. Everything that proclaims to be called by God may be called, but not called by God.

3.     Satan is trying to get you to buy into doctrines of devils 1 Timothy 4:1-2 says 1Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; -Why is this important? Doctrines of devils suggest that there is a way to exist while living beneath God’s word. Satan wants to tell you that living God’s way is unrealistic. Satan wants you to accept the fact that you can live beneath God’s word, this way another reality is created. What used to be up is now down. As a result, people start attaching stuff to sin, so we can live with it. As a result, it creates another culture that says we are crazy trying to live by this word, because it is impossible and out of date.

4.     Satan is trying to get an advantage over you. You can’t let him get the advantage. We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices. At the end of the day, we are keenly aware that Satan is trying to set snares. The Holy Spirit in us is a great discerner of this.

5.     Satan tries to set snares. 1 Timothy 3:6 says 6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.-You can’t put people new to the faith into leadership positions. Verse 7 says 7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. – Everyday we wake up, the devil is setting a snare to try and capture our destiny.

How do we ward off these snares or traps?

1.     Remember the circles we drew. We equated the heart as the essence of a person. Psalm 119:11 11Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. –Logos– This is the Greek word for the word “word.” We get the word logic from this Greek word logos. This means to us that Gods word is his logic.

2.     Remember that diagram that we drew (at the beginning of this series)? The word you get every week on Sunday morning is a word we try to understand. We first receive it in our intellect which is part of our outer realm. This is the same realm where your ear gate and your eye gate are located. Now the intent of the word is for it to get into our spirit. If it stays in your head, it will collide with your logic and our logic will override God’s word. This is why some people think tithing is not logic. In their mind they are trying to process the word logically. Ex- Remember the 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread? Logically it doesn’t make sense. This is why the bible reminds us of what God says when he says, “My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.” This means this word has to make it past our mind and into your spirit. Once the word makes it into your spirit, the Holy Spirit breathes on it and pushes it back out to our flesh. Then our flesh comes under submission and we begin to live out what the word says to do. We have belief, but we ask the Lord to help our unbelief. If your flesh never corresponds with what is in your spirit, then you act out in your flesh, contrary to what you know you should do. When you allow God’s word to get into your spirit, you logic becomes God’s logic.

Six things to think about (how to avoid giving place to the devil)

1.     You have to avoid or flee from all forms of witchcraft and cults including books about witchcraft, sorcery, fortune telling, trances, hypnosis, horoscopes, séance, astrology, casting spells, and etc. Leviticus 19:31 says 31Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. – All of these open the door in allowing the devil to get a foothold into your life. When you exercise in any of these, you authorize somebody who doesn’t even have a right to be in your life (the devil), an opportunity to come in. We are giving given the devil access in this area when we operate in these areas.

2.     Beware of your music. It is a powerful tool either for good or evil. Seducing sprits thrive in the arena, because music lulls you to sleep, sedates a person’s spiritual sensitivity. The rock beat, in particular, is known to call up evil spirits and satanic rituals. Are we saying only to listen to gospel music only? The answer is no. Any music that speaks of love and relational edification is good. What we do want you to understand is you need to pay attention to what you are listening to. Don’t listen to stuff that will turn your spirit away and lull you to sleep in the spirit. Ex- There is a difference between listening to a love songs and a song that says, “I’ll die for her!” What do think person listens to on their way to rob a bank?  – If you fool with any of these, you give the devil access. What do you do listen to when you go out creeping? I am sure it is not “I will trust you in the Lord”. The answer is we normally put on something that sedates our sensitivity and moves us far away from being spiritual. Ex- Pay attention to this. Do you remember Lucifer (the Devil)? In heaven was over music. The reason he got cast out of heaven along with a 3rd of the angels, is because he was sick of the glory going to God. God cast him and his angels out as a result of his rebellion. Now just because Satan got cast out of heaven, doesn’t mean he stopped music. Since God got glory in heaven Satan figures that maybe he should get the glory down here on the earth. As a result, he got into our music. Imagine the manipulative paradox, social and spiritual illusion, and conflicted reality of this moment played out in the drama of music in this realm. Ex- An artist can sing while calling you a B and a Wh, tell you to kiss his A, and say F you, then he will get up and say , “Thank God for his award.” We are not judging, but imagine how disillusioning this could be to someone that is trying to figure this out. Music can mess up your head. Imagine songs like “You will always be mines”. This is a stalker song. What about, “I knocked the window out your car”?  You might think you are mature enough to think it won’t bother you, but in this case Satan is not after you. If he can’t get you through music, he will turn his attack on your children. You are listening to it, but you kids suffer the attack. Ex –Your son hears the negative things in a song and begins to think that this is the way he has to act to be a man. Pay attention to what you are feeding to your spirit.

3.     Realize that the television is a common vehicle for allowing every kind of evil spirit imaginable into your home. It’s governed by the prince of the power of the air (the Devil). This is why reality TV is so popular. – The devil is trying to create a whole new reality, so another generation will think this is normal. 5 or 10 yrs from now, what we know as traditional marriage won’t exist. Our kids will think it is normal to live in a house with more than one wife.

4.     Understand that knowingly practicing sin gives Satan a legal right in your life. 1 John 5:18 says 18We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. – Satan has no right to touch a child of God who is not sinning. Cleanse your home of any possessions that displeases the Lord such as Books, Magazine, statues, etc… All of these open a door to the enemy.

5.     Break ancestral curses by the Holy Spirit. Evil spirits will continue their maladies down the family line until the cycle is broken by the power of God.

6.     Submit yourself to God. When you resist the Devil he will flee from you. James 4:7 says 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 1 Corinthians 10:21 says 21Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. -You cannot do what God wants you to do and do what the devil wants at the same time. You cannot be in church and shouting and then do that afterwards (going out into the world and doing something that represents the exact opposite.)

Exercise

1.     Your “this and that” consists of at least 3 things. By this we mean what are 3 things that you do that are completely opposite of the things you do that represent God? Write them down.

2.     You got to choose who you will serve this day. Joshua 24:15 says 15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

3.     Daniel saw a lot of visions. In Daniel 10:13 says 13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. – He saw the kingdom of Persia. What we see Daniel saying is there was an attempt to prevent what God was trying to do, but God sent an angel to protect him.

4. You have angelic help to help you with what is on that list. Daniel 10:3 says3I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. – Why can’t you then stop doing what is on your list (written down on #1). How many of you wrote down something down on your list at #1 yet you really love the Lord and you feel that you are really saved? The issue is what is on the list. You won’t overcome the things that are on your list in the flesh. If you could, you would have done it by now. You have to allow the word to come into your spirit and bring your flesh to be under submission. This is why when some things can only be dealt with by prayer and fasting.

Demons should be afraid of us

1.     Historically, the Devil ran from Jesus. Matthew 8:29 says 29And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? – The devil historically has run from Jesus. In John 14 Jesus proclaimed that greater works than him would we do. If this is true, why aren’t demons running from us? It is because we are afraid of the devil. We are not supposed to run from devil he is supposed to run from us. Ex- Dogs for example sense fear. If a Chihuahua (chiwawa) senses that you are afraid, that dog believes he or she is 10 ft tall. That dog will run you. Why do you think dogs bark at cars? It is because they think the cars are running from them. The truth is dog is really barking at something that could potentially kill it. Like the dog, the devil is barking at you knowing that you could turn around and put this to death, but if you run, you give the devil more power than he really has.

2.     How did we overcome this? We overcame by the blood of the lamb. Revelation 12:11 says 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

How do we take authority over attacks? We plead the blood. We are dealing with laws and principalities in two realms. Now a plea is a statement of conviction. When a person is standing in the court room hearing the charges that are raised against them, they make a plea. They are saying regardless to what they have against me, they plead this because they are convicted about what they believe is right or wrong. When you plead the blood, it is rooted in a conviction about the power of the blood. When you understand in Genesis where Adam and Eve sinned after being beguiled by the serpent, you realize that this is when sin entered the world. The wages of this sin was death. Men throughout the Old Testament had to deal with their sin issues. They had to bring sacrifices (lambs and bullocks) to be killed and their blood sprinkled at the altar. Once the blood was shed, the priest would go behind the veil and make statements of forgiveness on behalf of those who brought sacrifices. There become a time where there was more sin than lambs and bullocks to cover these sins. When the blood lambs and bullocks it wasn’t’ enough, God would send his son to be the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus shed his blood. He even shed it before the cross. He was whipped 39 times. It was part of a prophetic utterance prophesied by Isaiah. Isaiah said “Jesus would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised by our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him and by his stripes we would be healed”. Jesus was bleeding when they put him on the cross. As Jesus blood was shed as he was nailed to the cross, his blood was transforming power. His blood would do what lambs and bullocks couldn’t do. His blood would blot out sins for many generations. Sin was brought in with one man (Adam) and it would be taken out by another man (Jesus). When Jesus said it is finished, the veil was rent into. There was no more need for a priestly confession. Watch this typology (where you see something in earlier scripture that will happen later), in Exodus, when the death angel rolled through Egypt. The Israelites were told to blood on the door post. When the death angel came by and saw this blood, he would pass over their house. The death angel killed the first born of the Egyptians, but passed over the children of Israel. Wherefore the blood is, the death angel must pass over. When Jesus said it is finished, he gained the authority over death, sin, and the grave. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “Oh death, where is thou sting. Oh grave where is thou victory. The sting of death is sin, power of sin is the law, but thanks to God who gave us the victory through Jesus Christ. The bible says be yea steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in work of the Lord, because your work is not in vain. Now Satan is a defeated foe. He knows, but since he is a sore loser. If there is a loser, there has to be a victor, this why we have to choose what side we are going to be on. Will you be on the winners or losers side? If Satan is a loser, he wants you to be a loser. He is trying to make you lose your mind, your family, your money, and your career! He doesn’t know that if you know what you know, you can speak to him from a place of authority. When you plead the blood, you remind him of what happened at Calvary. He does not have authority over your life and has to therefore pass over you. You need to plead the blood over your house, finances, and every situation! The song writer says it is the blood thaaat reaches to the highest   mountain and flows to the lowest valley… It will never loose its power! Plead the blood!

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Evolution to Revolution Part III “Stay there”, Sermon 11/28/10

Posted on December 1, 2010 by growintheword

Evolution to Revolution Part III

Stay there

Synopsis of Sermon 11/28/10

Delivered by Bishop Walker

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 15:58 says 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

It is important to understand that what God does for us in our lives is for his glory. God never moves without glory being attached. God does not engage in relationship without the resources to back it up. When God bring us into relationship with him, there is no deficit of joy, peace, or goodness. There simply is no deficit, because God has to the resources to back it up. He has the resources to give us that will allow us to fulfill the vision that he has for our lives. The enemy specializes in bringing in frustration and fatigue in our lives. The enemy wants to prevent God will from happening in our lives. The ultimate goal for him is to make God’s promise unattainable. He can’t take it, so he tries to make life so difficult that we will just give it up ourselves.

Some of the attacks you go through make you wonder if it is worth dealing with it. You know God has something great in store for your life, but you find that you have to go through this amazing journey to get it. Because of this, you contemplate walking away from it. Have you been there before? When Paul gives this word, it is a revelation of staying where God plants you. It is about being in position, because the blessings of the Lord don’t come in a place of comfort. Instead they come in places of stress and strain. It is about building character. It is in these places where maturity is established. Somebody reading this today may be contemplating moving from the place God planted you, but the word from God today is “Stay there!” God would not send this word if it were not true that he is about to do something awesome in your life. You have to recognize the power of being grounded. If you haven’t lost your mind by now, you need to stay there. With tears in your eyes and your faith being stretched like never before, just stay there! Even not knowing what’s going to be around the corner, just stay there!

In the text today, Paul talks to the Corinthian Church. He speaks in defense of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact the entire 15th chapter is about what Christ did on Calvary. Paul shares how that reality impacts the reality of a believer. The context of this begins in 1 Corinthians 15:51- 57. When Paul talks about those who are dead in Christ. He goes on talking about how those in Christ left would be caught up to meet them in the air together. He declares that death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. What Paul is trying to share is we have to understand that this is to help us understand the victory and lifestyle that we are supposed to have in Jesus Christ. Knowing this we are able to be steadfast and unmovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord. Why is this? It is because we recognize that what we do in the Lord is never in vain, so we must stay there.

I. Planted with purpose

  1. God always plants us in purpose. This is not about just staying there; it is about staying in the will of God. Ex –This doesn’t mean if you are getting beat over head, you have to stay there. This is not the will of God. What we are saying is when you have been planted by God, know that he has a purpose for your life and it can’t be made manifest if you are not where he planted you.
  2. Paul stresses the importance of relationship. The word Brethren mentioned in the text is talking about a unique group of people that had been called out. It is the same verbiage that James used when he says my brethren count it all joy when you fall into diver’s temptation. These were a certain saved group of people that were filled with the power of the Holy Ghost. These are post Pentecostal believers who have the power of the Holy Ghost and sure of their salvation. 1 Corinthians 15:58a says 58Therefore, my beloved brethren … They are post Pentecostal people.
  3. When you are sure of salvation it is evidenced by:
    1. Great Convictions– You have a moral compass now. Before relationship, you did whatever you wanted. Now you have a set of convictions that guides your actions.
    2. Character– This is behavior on display. It answers the question, how do you live in the world?
    3. Commitment– In other words, we don’t start something that we don’t finish. Ex- Your husband opened the door when he met you and he continues to do it after you are married. There ought to be commitment in your relationship. God wants us to be rooted in our relationship with him.
  4. Unmovable– 1 Corinthians 15:58b says … be ye stedfast, unmoveable… The Devil will try to uproot you. Many people have allowed the devil run you from where God planted you. Don’t let your instability be a liability. When your instability is a liability, it is evidence that you allowed vulnerability lead to gullibility.
  5. David says And 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. When understanding the growth of a tree you understand that a tree is rooted and it grows upward. Lots of people, like a tree, place value on how high your grow. They base your worth on your education and economy (height), but you know the difference. You know it is your roots that have your worth. Though we have achieved worldly heights, underneath the ground is our roots or our fight. It doesn’t matter what happens, whether we get cut down or we go through a storm, we will keep growing. You can put ornament on tree to make the tree look better, but you need faith in earth. The real essence of a tree is in its roots.
    1. My fight– We are planted with purpose. When a tree grows, it grows down. The roots don’t just go down but they also go wide. They grab onto rocks and other material. When storms come, they stay firm, because they are attached to rock. We might have a bend and we might have lost some bark, but we are still here.
    2. Still standing– Where God plants us, we have to stay there. Be steadfast and unmovable. Don’t’ be easily shaken.

II. Productive under pressure

  1. To abound means to move towards the fulfillment of destiny. 1 Corinthians 15:58c says … always abounding … It means if conditions are not conducive or it is over whelming, we still move towards the fulfillment of destiny. Nothing will stop us from moving towards our destination. Paul says” I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” and “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” One of the greatest testimonies is to be productive during trying times. Pressure brings out the best in us. Pressing lemons is how we get lemonade. Pressing grapes is how we get wine. Ex- You can take a child of God and give them some bologna and bread and they will make it. They know how to be resourceful and creative. How you think we got chitterlings and pig feet.
  2. Always abound means I will show up and still give God glory because we are producing. God is producing always, so we can’t be attached to God and not produce. God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. He didn’t say be fruitful and multiply unless… Regardless to how situations look, we still ought to be able to produce.

III. Represent the word

  1. Produce – When you produce, then if it says we can do all things to Christ, we ought to be advertisement for this word. We ought to be words walking. If the world asks how we accomplished this, we ought to be able to say because the word told us we could.
  2. Reliable witness-Throw in anything you want at a child of God and they will still praise God. It is not if we can count on God, the question is can he count on us? Can God count on you no matter what happens?
  3. Real worship– When you do what God wants you do, this has to be seen as worship. Worship is not only audible adoration for who God is. Worship in its truest sense is not what we do, but who we are. This is why God says how can you say you love him whom you have not seen and hate men who you see every day. Ex- When you go to your job, it is an act of worship. We see everything we do as an opportunity to give God the glory. Everything we do is an act of worship and it is part of who we are while giving God the glory. Does God get the glory when you are complaining or when you are sitting and refusing to do anything? Some people were crucified for being in God’s will and we get mad we didn’t get a parking space or an usher seats us somewhere we didn’t want to sit.

IV. Praise him for his promise

  1. Work– A lot of us are laboring, but it might not be in the Lord. Your labor has to be in his will. 1 Corinthians 15:58d … in the work of the Lord… God honors faithfulness. The bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; …There is a dualistic award here.
    1. Here Paul is talking about heaven. We have a reward in heaven. When you are faithful to God and you are doing what he wants you to do, know that you will make it to heaven. You are going to complete your assignment and when it is all over, you will to the place where the wicked shall cease from troubling and the weary shall be at rest. You are going to the place where the streets are paved with gold. It is this same Paul who would one day write, “My time of departure has come. I fought a good fight, I kept the faith, and I am ready to go.” In other words, I completed my assignment and there is laid up a crown of righteousness which the Lord will give to me in that day (not only to me, but those who were loyal to the Lord also).
    2. God also wants to reward us down here. Sometimes we wonder though. We measure our effectiveness by other people. Recognize that you don’t do what you do for people. If you get your reward that way, you already have gotten your reward. Realize that God has a greater reward for you in heaven. Some people labor and wonder if they are appreciated. Know that God appreciates you. This is why the race is not given to the swift; it is given to those that endure to the end. Tell somebody, “God’s going to make it up to!”
  2. There is a reward for the righteousness. 1 Corinthians 15:58e … forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. -Learn to rejoice, because everything you went through is not in vain. When you were suffering, our spirit said stay there. We can’t reign with him, if we don’t suffer with him. God said for those that wait on the Lord, will have renewed strength. God promises if we are faithful over few things, he will make us ruler over much. Stay there when they don’t like you! Stay there when they don’t want you to be there. God will never ask you to do something that he has never done himself. Jesus stayed there on the cross, though he could have gotten off, because he was moving towards the fulfillment of destiny. He came here to die on the cross. He could have come down, but they stayed there! He stayed there until from the 6th to the 9th hr. He stayed there until the sun dripped away! He stayed there until the moon dripped away in blood! He stayed there until history rolled back like a scroll! He stayed there until the veil of the temple was rent into! He stayed there until the centurion solider said we killed the wrong man; surely this was the son of God! He stayed there until the thief on the cross got a second chance! He stayed there so the pimp could become a preacher, so the crack head could become a choir member, so the unkind person could become an usher, and the drug-dealer could become a deacon! I am glad that he stayed there! He didn’t stay there, but he went down into the grave and stayed there long enough to allow those who didn’t know him, came and got saved! He said he would leave us a comforter that would give us staying power. The next time you think about giving up, tell them to remember how Jesus stayed there for us. If Jesus stayed there for us, we should be able to stay there for him. When we were weak his strength was there! When we were rebellious, his mercy was there. When we were in lack his provision was there! When we didn’t deserve it, his provisions were there! You better stay there! Be not weary in well doing. You will reap if you faint not!
Good Morning,
As you know, God never puts plants you in a place unless there is purpose tied to it. It is therefore important for us to stay where God plants us. God’s purpose and will for us cannot be made manifest if we are out of position. This ought to suggest to you that it is important for us to stay there! No matter how hot it gets and no matter how frequent the attacks, stay there!
How do we do this? Why should we do this? Join us as we continue with our series Evolution to Revolution focusing on the topic “Stay There”
God Bless!
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