We have a tendency to romanticize Bible stories. As each unfolds in our mind, they do so on a big screen with an epic soundtrack and dynamic visual effects. We often miss that each one took place on an average day, in a regular neighborhood, and in the lives of common people, just like you and me.  

But they were common people with remarkable qualities. And it was those remarkable qualities that positioned those common people to experience God giving birth to the miraculous in their lives! This series is to draw your attention to those common people, to see the us in them, and do lean into their remarkable qualities so that His eternal purposes can come to life in our lives.

Matthew 2:1–12 (ESV) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;  and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:  “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”  Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”  After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

A Few “Myths” In Our Manger Scenes:

• The word for wise men is MAGI. The word describes people with an unusual capacity of understanding based on astronomy, science, alchemy and spirituality functioning in the service of the King. These men were from the region of Babylon, part of ancient Mesopotamia, modern-day city of Baghdad in Iraq. This was historically a breeding ground for such individuals as seen in the Biblical narratives of individuals including the prophet Balaam and the likes of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They were in service to the king and served as liaisons to the surrounding nations. 

• There were likely not three men. There were at least two because “MAGI” is plural. The idea of three MAGI is likely based on the three gifts given, but there was most likely a small caravan of MAGI and their team.

• The wise men did not arrive at the stable. They did not greet Jesus while He was lying in the manger. Realistically, Jesus was two years old and was visited by the MAGI while living in a house (Matthew 2:11). That means that the depiction of MAGI standing in the stable, with angels, with shepherds or with barn animals is inaccurate.

• The depiction of their journey being across grassy hills and sloping meadows under a bright star is incorrect. The MAGI crossed some of the most extreme desert areas and conditions on the planet, mountains, cliffs and extreme freezing temperatures.

• While they saw the star initially, it disappeared. As a result, they headed to Jerusalem where Herod, the current king resided. While they knew what the star represented, they did not know the prophecies stating that the Messiahs’ birthplace would be in Bethlehem. After dialoguing with Herod in Jerusalem, the made their way toward Bethlehem, and in the process, the star reappeared

  • Matthew 2:9 (ESV) After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.

• The star that appeared in Matthew 2:9 was clearly not an astronomical star. Stars don’t rise in the west, nor do they hover in the earth’s atmosphere and come to rest over residences. It was likely a supernatural sign they experienced, much like the Israelites experienced with the pillar and cloud while travelling through the wilderness.

Common People With Remarkable Qualities:

The Wise Men Continually Positioned Themselves To Hear From Heaven.

• They were not necessarily godly men, but they WERE listening to Heaven.

• They knew about a significant star that was to appear when the Messiah was born.

• They were knew scripture because they knew the significance of the star: Matthew 2:2 (ESV) saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

• How did they know about the star?

  • Balaam contracted by Balak, king of Moab from the region of Babylon to curse the Israelites as they travelled through to the Promised Land.

  • Balaam was a wise man based in Pethor near the Euphrates and close to Babylon. 

  • Balaam was warned by God not to curse Israel, and instead blessed them three times: Numbers 24:17 (ESV) I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: A STAR SHALL COME OUT OF JACOB, AND A SCEPTER SHALL RISE OUT OF ISRAEL; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

  • Balaam was likely of the ranks of wise men from that region.

• Their understanding of the coming Messiah would have been further informed by Daniel’s oversight and teaching. Daniel, after being deported to the same region, and after being thrown into the lions den, rose to become chief of the wise men, shaping their teaching and instruction.

  • Daniel 9:25–26 (ESV) Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem TO THE COMING OF AN ANOINTED ONE, A PRINCE, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.  And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

•  The star stirred something, but they leaned in further, and further, and further. They researched, the gathered a team, they journeyed to Jerusalem. They talked to Herod. One step led to the next and the next.

Hearing God’s voice becomes easier and easier as you intentionally lean in to Him. 

• Matthew 2:10 (ESV) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

• Jeremiah 29:12–14 (ESV) Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, declares the Lord…

•  Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) … and that he rewards those who seek him.

• 2020 will be a year of pressing in, and finding the better than you can imagine, the unexpected, the miraculous!

The Wise Men Were Guided By Strong Conviction, The Result Of A God-Breathed Vision.

• The Wise Men heard something from heaven and believed it.

• They were not satisfied to have the head knowledge, they wanted to experience it first-hand.

• There were committed to experiencing it, regardless of cost.

  • it cost considerable energy: approximately 732 miles; 239 walking hours; 30 travel days of 8 hours a day.

  • it cost considerable time: preparations beforehand, the time gone.

  • it cost considerable resources: the cost of a caravan over that period

• too often we believe things about God that don’t actually affect how we act.

KNOWLEDGE only needs information but VISION is impartation! Impartation happens as you get close enough for something to become a part of who you are.

• The Wise Men didn’t just hear about heaven, they leaned in far enough that heaven began to rub off on them

• The wise men got a dose of VISION.

• VISION develops conviction that cannot be deterred by things like distraction, cost or even opposition!

The Wise Men Were “Worshippers”

• worship is so much more than what we during the music on a Sunday, but it is a part of it. Are you guilty of being a worshipper???

• Matthew 2:11 (ESV) And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

  • fall down – prostrate

  • worshipped – to express by attitude and action ones allegiance to and regard for deity.

• gave fits of gold, frankincense and myrrh – great expense!

• In their case, Jesus did them no miracle, had answered no prayer, had healed no disease, had saved them from no dire situation, had not forgiven a single sin.

• In their case there was no Holy Spirit for them to have a sense of His presence like we do

• And yet, they worshipped Him for who he was ALONE! and it was extravagant!

• Unlike them, we not only know who He is, but we’ve experienced what He’s done!

“RESERVED” worship runs the risk of INNOCULATION instead of the INFECTION of heaven.

Passive worship goes just far enough to satisfy the internal itch and external expectations. It never goes far enough to be the appropriate response that unlocks all that heaven has!

I want to worship in a way that is an appropriate response: physical, audible, visible, emotional, energetic, faith filled, cost me something, expenseive

• they gave gold, frankincense, myrrh. 

  • gold: customary for royal visits.

  • Sheba visited king Solomon = 120 talents, 7936 lbs or $186,273,792

• How much gold would the wise men have brought Jesus?

Jeremiah 33:2–3 (The Message) “This is God’s Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God:  ‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.’

We have a tendency to romanticize Bible stories. As each unfolds in our mind, they do so on a big screen with an epic soundtrack and dynamic visual effects. We often miss that each one took place on an average day, in a regular neighborhood, and in the lives of common people, just like you and me.

But they were common people with remarkable qualities. And it was those remarkable qualities that positioned those common people to experience God giving birth to the miraculous in their lives! This series is to draw your attention to those common people, to see the us in them, and do lean into their remarkable qualities so that His eternal purposes can come to life in our lives.

Luke 1:5–7 (ESV) In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

Zechariah and Elizabeth are key players in the Christmas narrative. She was an older relative to Mary, and they would become the parents of John the Baptist, who would be the forerunner to announce the ministry of Jesus.

Positioned To Hear From God

Heaven Is Always Speaking. Positioning Yourself To Hear Is One Of Your Greatest Pursuits.

• Zechariah - Luke 1:11-13 (ESV) And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

• Martha - Luke 1:39–44 (ESV) In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Angels spoke to this couple out of the blue.

It is more common and frequent for hearers to hear from God as they tune in.

How I Tune In.

• I pray before reading the word, or hearing the word

• I partner with the Holy Spirit – He’s my teacher!!!

• As I read, something resonates – I note it.

• Often, it continues to resonate.

• I take note and lean in, researching additional scriptures, etc.

• It takes on a life of its own.

• Find books, read, further research, prayer, etc

• Develop the thought and apply

Learn how it works for you!

Their Righteous Living Was Noteworthy

Right Living Best Positions Us For All That God Wants To Do For Us, In Us And Through Us.

Luke 1:6 (ESV) And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.

Right living leans into the same grace that others lean into after doing the wrong thing. But it right living positions us with:

• confidence, faith

• no season of correction

• better circumstances, less debris

• better reflection of Christ

• the devil doesn’t have a foothold, nor his demons.

They Were Anchored In His House

Everything God Does Starts In His House And Flows Outward. Get In That River And Be A Part What He Is Doing!

• Luke 1:8–9 (ESV) Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

• Luke 1:59 (ESV) And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,

Zechariah and Martha’s lives were centered around the gathering of God’s people. That’s where God spoke to them. That’s where God unlocked the most amazing things in their lives that impacted the world!

Jesus life was centered in God’s House as well.

• Luke 2:22 (ESV) And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord

• Luke 2:49 (ESV) And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

• Luke 19:47 (ESV) And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people were seeking to destroy him,

While God dwells in heaven, His Spirit dwells on earth and is experienced most often as a byproduct of the gathering of His people in His House.

The vast majority of the salvations, healings etc I have seen have been in His house!

As a parent: you live with us, you go to church – increase the odds of heaven coming to your earth

Thriving With Some Of Life’s Biggest Prayers Unanswered

Living With Your Eyes On Who God Is Best Positions You To Experience What He Has Yet To Do.

Luke 1:6-7 (ESV) And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

They had no child, but they were not bitter! Their eyes were on God, not their circumstances.

3 Hebrews: Daniel 3:16–18 (NIV) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

1 Thessalonians 5:18–19 (ESV) give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.

The Spirit of God is trying to lead us, but Thanksgiving and Faith is the environment in which He thrives in us.

There is a freshness in all of their dealings that shows no bitterness

Ephesians 4:31 (ESV) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

• bitter – pikria – figurative to something that taste bitter; a state of sharp, intense resentment causing spite or hatred

Hebrews 12:15 (ESV) See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;

Bitterness is something you’ve placed in your mouth

bitter not sweet – disappointment, unmet expectations

causes physical reaction, you feel and others see

it impacts everyone - the yuck flavor on you gets passed to them

not unforgiveness – demand repayment

more subtle – it’s a flavor that is uncomfortable that impacts you and everyone.

We have a tendency to romanticize Bible stories. As each unfolds in our mind, they do so on a big screen with an epic soundtrack and dynamic visual effects. We often miss that each one took place on an average day, in a regular neighborhood, and in the lives of common people, just like you and me.

But they were common people with remarkable qualities. And it was those remarkable qualities that positioned those common people to experience God giving birth to the miraculous in their lives! This series is to draw your attention to those common people, to see the us in them, and do lean into their remarkable qualities so that His eternal purposes can come to life in our lives.

Matthew 1:18–21 (ESV) Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”Mary &

Joseph were positioned to hear as Heaven spoke.

Heaven Is Always Speaking. The Miraculous Is Unlocked As We Are Positioned To Hear.

Every miracle in your life will begin with God speaking followed by you hearing. The key is to continue to position yourself to hear. Right NOW.

Mary:

• Luke 1:28, 30-31 (ESV) And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

Joseph:

• Matthew 1:19 (ESV) And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

  • resolved – to think with the purpose of planning a course of action

• Matthew 1:20–22 (ESV) But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

  • considered: to process information by giving consideration to various aspects

Matthew 11:15 (ESV) He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Revelation: Revelation 2:7 (ESV) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

• ears - not only the ability, but the responsibility

• hear – pay attention and respond

Today there are more distractions than any ever, because this time matters on earth more than any other

God wants to do more today than any other collective time in history! It starts with being tuned into him.

God can speak out of the blue, but hearing is enhanced:

• create moments of listening

  • read and listen to the word

  • podcasts & books

• create environments to encounter the one speaking

  • dynamic environment with the Spirit engaged

  • John 14:26 (ESV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

  • prayer, corporate worship

This is something we do; something others do on our behalf.

• put your children in a place to have an encounter with heaven

• we can’t guarantee the response, but we can guarantee the opportunity

• our highest call is not our children’s graduation, getting a good job, marriage, good relationship with us

• create moments to hear from and respond to God

Mary & Joseph were recognized as righteous.

Right Living Best Positions Us For All That God Wants To Do For Us, In Us And Through Us.

God can do anything, anywhere for anyone at any time. But he consistently does his best things frequently in the lives of those who live according to His Word.

• Mary - Luke 1:27–29 (ESV) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.

  • her righteous life had earned her favor with God

• Joseph - Matthew 1:19 (ESV) And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.

  • he had every right to rub her face in her “assumed sin”

  • his response – protect her

• right-living matters to God

• right-living aligns us with God

• right-living best positions us for His purposes

• wanting one thing when heaven wants another, and yielding…

  • Mary - Luke 1:38 (ESV) And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

  • Joseph - Matthew 1:20–25 (ESV) But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

• submission isn’t real until there is a burn, and redirection of the will

• obedience is a reality when you want to do something else.

Some people willfully sin because they know God will forgive.

• Romans 6:1–2 (ESV) What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!

• Hebrews 10:26–27 (ESV) For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

• 1 John 3:6–10 (ESV) No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

The Unintended Consequences Of Sin :

• brings injury to your relationship with God

• limits the function of the Holy Spirit

• give the devil a foothold and his resources

• pledges obedience to sin

• invites deception

• negatively impacts the faith of others

• makes it difficult for God’s best to unfold

Right-living:

• cannot be allowed to turn into self-righteousness

• that turns into self-righteousness is offensive to God

• cannot lifts lf up and looks down on others

• self-righteousness omits the cross

• possible because of His grace

• Luke 18:9–14 (ESV) He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Mary & Joseph: aligned with Biblical sexuality

Honoring Biblical Sexuality Unites Us With Heaven And Protects Us From Being United With _______________________.

Our relationship with God is incredibly intimate - His Spirit lives within us

Sex unites us, body soul and spirit with someone else in a way that can only be compared to the closeness God wants to have with us.

Have you ever invited someone too close and then couldn’t get rid of them?

• Matthew 1:18 (ESV) …Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together …

• Luke 1:, 34 (ESV) And Mary said to the angel, “…I am a virgin?”

Culture has always had something to say about what is sexually in bounds.

Man has always had desires and experiences outside of those bounds

Sex is a gift from God.

Sex unites us, body soul and spirit with someone else in a way that is only comparable to the closeness God wants to have with us.

To bring something that close that is out of bounds will affect you, and will affect your relationship with God, not to mention your relationship with others

• 1 Corinthians 6:18–19 (ESV) Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

• 1 Corinthians 6:15–17 (ESV) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Some of the greatest acts of worship and offerings you can give to God is burn you experience when obedient in moments of sexual temptation.

Amen, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is so much more than just a statement.

• AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

• AMEN is a response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

• AMEN is our resounding YES to all that God says. It is also a resounding YES from God to his children.

AMEN is our emphatic agreement with all that God has said that He will do.

AMEN is never a negotiation and we have to be on constant guard against letting it become so because the Enemy is not only a liar, but he is also a manipulative negotiator. He The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt gives us a great example of how this process will and should play out. When you enter into spiritual warfare for your life, your health, your job, your family, your church, fill in the blank, you can expect resistance. To begin, you need to understand who your are in Christ and hold your ground.

AMEN requires us to be bold.

God spoke to Moses. Moses knew that God had chosen him to liberate the Israelites from Egypt and lead them out into freedom. Pharaoh is the embodiment of the Enemy in our lives. He held all dominion over the Israelites and they were his slaves. He was the most powerful man in the world at this point in time. So, what would you expect him to do when an old shepherd shows up one day and tells him to let God’s people go. Not too surprisingly, he says no. Not just no, but an emphatic no!

• Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.”

The enemy’s first response is always no. If his mission to steal, kill, and destroy your life, then you can bet that he’s not just going to roll-over and walk away the first time you engage him. So, Moses tells him again to let God’s people go and this time, he doesn’t just say no. He also doubles their work! We have all experienced how, when we begin to push forward for the things that God has for us, the enemy pushes back and things get harder.

• Your sickness develops a new symptom.

• You get into another fight with your spouse.

• You have a new mechanical failure.

Recognize that this is the first stage of the fight you have entered into. The enemy will attempt a “shock and awe” approach to quickly overwhelm your enthusiasm and faith. The enemy isn’t taking you seriously.

AMEN requires us to encourage ourselves.

When you are believing for God’s deliverance in your life and aligning yourself with all Heaven has promised, you can’t tuck tail and run when you hear “no” from your circumstances. We push forward in the battle, continually declaring what the Word of God says over our lives. Be prepared because, in this phase, the enemy will change tactics and it is critical that you continue to encourage yourself with God’s Word in His Spirit.

We can see in the scripture that as God began to rain down plagues upon Egypt for not releasing his people that Pharoah continues to harden his heart against God. But he also starts to do something interesting. He starts to waffle on releasing the Israelites. Three different times Pharoah agrees to let them go only to reverse course and deny their release as soon as the current plague is past.

• Exodus 8:8 & 15 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Entreat the Lord that He remove the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.”... But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

• Exodus 8:28 & 32 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Make supplication for me.”... But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people go.

• Exodus 9:27-28 & 34-35 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time; the Lord is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones. Make supplication to the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail; and I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”... But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

You will notice that in each of these circumstances, Pharaoh agreed to let them go because he was suffering. He wanted relief. As soon as he got it, he rescinded the release. I know that we have all experienced this. You find yourself in the middle of a spiritual battle for God’s goodness in you life or someone elses and you get signs that you have won the battle, only to find out that it wasn’t the case. I don’t know about you, but when I experience this, it has the tendency to ramp up my anxiety and sense of hopelessness but instead I need to get excited because the enemy is suffering from the blows that I am raining down upon him! He has begun to shift tactics because he has to do something! He knows he can’t refuse the Word of the Living God! So, don’t get discouraged in this stage of the fight!

Sometimes, this will happen multiple times and it can drive us to despair if we look at it incorrectly. This is not the enemy toying with a powerless fighter. This is the enemy shifting to try and find a toehold because his defeat is imminent.

AMEN requires us to be non-negotiable.

This may be the hardest phase of the battle. The negotiation stage. When the enemy begins to lose ground, he will begin to offer you an imitation blessing, less than the full Amen.

Once again, we look to Egypt. When the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness descend on Egypt, Pharoah attempts to negotiate a compromise. After the locusts, he agrees to let the men only leave to worship God. Thankfully, Moses refuses. After darkness, he allows all the people but not the livestock and animals. Again, Moses refuses.

We see this in our own lives when, for example, we are battling a sickness and praying for healing, but the battle has been long and we are tired. Suddenly, we have a breakthrough and see some actual progress. Unfortunately, many times, we accept this partial relief as what Heaven has for us and we simply stop fighting. I want to encourage you today to keep fighting. These negotiations come right before the final curse when Pharaoh breaks and the Israelites are freed! Don’t settle for the partial win because you are about to win it all! Cherish the ground that you have taken and praise God for it but don’t stop fighting for the full and complete deliverance of the Lord. Because we don’t serve a God of partial blessings.

Ours is a God that leaves the 99 to rescue the one. He isn’t satisfied with some. He wants all and so should we. We should settle for nothing less than the whole, complete deliverance of the Lord!

Moses said to let the people go. - Pharaoh said “no”

Moses asked again. - “No”

Changed a staff to a serpent. - “No”

Turned the Nile to blood. - “No”

Plague of frogs. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”

Plague of gnats. - “No”

Plague of flies. - “Maybe. Mmmm, No!”

Pestilience. - “No.”

Boils - “No”

Hail - “No”

Locusts - Okay, maybe some of you!

Darkness - Okay, but not the animals!

Death - GET OUT!

Go through the scripture. We get fixated on the 10 plagues but you will notice the Moses actual demands the release of Israel 12 times! 12 demands and 12 tribes! This is no coincidence! God demanded the release one time for each tribe! He wasn’t going to be satisfied with some of his people, He wanted all!

• Mark 8:22-25 And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and implored Him to touch him. Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly.

• Genesis 15:13-14 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.

When you get to the end and your almost there, just keep your eyes on Jesus because your deliverance is coming! If you’ve been discouraged or settled then stand to your feet and lets press into him.

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express agreement with what is said. But, AMEN is much so much more than that…

AMEN Is:

• My Declaration: I Agree With What God Says.

• My Expectation: I Anticipate His Word Will Come To Pass.

• My Participation: I Will Do My Part So He Can Do His.

Ezekiel 37:1,4-7 (ESV) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:7 (ESV) So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied…

Mountains are the highest places on earth. In the Bible, they are symbolic of strength, accomplishment and victory. They are iconic places where God met with man, as was the case for Moses on Mt. Sanai or Elijah on Mount Carmel. Mount Zion is symbolic of God’s dwelling place with His chosen people, Israel, and specifically the location of the temple in Jerusalem.

• Psalm 48:1–3 (ESV) Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain, beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King. Within her citadels God has made himself known as a fortress.

One of the iconic New Testament mountains was the Mount of Transfiguration

• Matthew 17:1–3 (ESV) And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.

Valleys are the low places on earth. In the Bible, they are symbolic of waiting, difficulty, battle and even death. These are times and places where God is often seen as absent.

• Psalm 23:4 (ESV) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me

One of the most iconic Bible Valleys was The Valley of Hinnom:

• During the reign of King Ahaz - (2 Chronicles 28, 33) the valley was used by Baal worshipers to offer their children in their furnaces to their god Molech.

• During the time of Jeremiah - (Jeremiah 7, 19) referred to the valley as "The Valley of Slaughter."

• During reign of King Josiah - (2 Kings 23:10) proclaimed "defiled" and no one was allowed to use it for any purpose.

• During ministry of Jesus - valley evolved into a garbage dump. Trash was burned around the clock, as well as the bodies of dead animals, criminal corpses. It was a well-known hangout for lepers and the sick. There was continual smoke, stench, maggots and flies. At night, dogs could be heard fighting over the trash. Eleven out of twelve times that Jesus talked about HELL, He used the Greek word "GAHENNA." "GAHENNA" comes from the Old Testament word, "HINNOM" which was a valley south of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 37:1–2 (ESV) The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry.

• hand of the Lord was on Him

• brought into the middle of a valley

• by the Spirit of the Lord

• not just a valley, it was full of bones, many bones! Dry bones!

Ezekiel 37:3 (ESV) And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

• you can end up in a Valley filled with many dry bones as a result of:

  • life happens

  • the enemies attack

  • your own actions – ignorance, stupidity, foolish, sin, rebellion

  • the leading of the Holy Spirit

• However you got there, the question now is “Can these bones live?”

• The answer: YES

Ezekiel 37:4 (ESV) Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.

• At this moment we often make several mistakes with our lips

  • murmur, grumble

    • Exodus 15:23–24 (ESV) When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

    • Exodus 16:8 (ESV) And Moses said… Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

  • become victims: place blame, unforgiving, bitter, excuses, fear-filled verbiage, negative

  • wear it as your identity: everything in life becomes about this

  • become coroners – time and cause of death –faithless

• None of those mistakes brings about God’s desire – LIFE!!!

• You have to understand, words create our lives, our atmospheres

  • we live in them

  • those around us live in

  • the Holy Spirit has to live in - Ephesians 4:29–32 (ESV) Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

• Your atmosphere is the incubator for the future

• What should you do? Prophesy over the bones…

  • The bones are real, don’t act like they are not

  • Prophesy: declare out loud for you/others/heaven/hell to HEAR!

  • Prophesy is not a suggestion; it is a declaration.

  • It is authoritative: Heaven has called you to prophesy! God could come down and do it, but he’s sent you!

  • Prophesy: what God says – general things from the Word, things that you sense, things God has revealed

Ezekiel 37:5–6 (ESV) Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

• There is and order and timing - You don’t get skin before you get flesh. You don’t stand to walk around before tendons are attached.

• The Word gets the ball rolling

• It’s important to understand that you might have work to do

  • “were just believing God for our finances

  • “were just believing God for our marriage

  • “were just believing God for our health

  • great, but what are you doing?

• Prophesy again, and again, and again!

• Valleys created by Hell will fight back!!! Prophetic warfare – bind and loose. Pray in the Spirit!!!!

Of course, the prophesy is fulfilled, and the outcome is an amazing army!

Holy Spirit, Transform Our Words!

• AMEN is a lifestyle of prophesying. It’s not going to come easily or quickly.

• taming the tongue is nearly impossible - James 3:6–8 (ESV) And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

• but it is a reality of the Holy Spirit - Joel 2:28–29 (ESV) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is much so much more than that…

AMEN Is The Verbal Alignment To What God Says, The Expectation For A Future Yet To Exist.

CORE TRUTHS:

1. Jesus Positions Us In The Father’s Favor

• In the Old Testament, God was raining down his wrath in judgement on people, cities and nations for their sin.

• In the New Testament, Christ has positionally taken their judgement so the Father can engage with them as if they had never sinned.

• God’s interactions come from a place of favor, even prior to salvation.

  • Romans 5:10 (ESV) For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

  • Luke 4:19 (ESV) to proclaim the year (a cycle of time) of the Lord’s favor (accept, receive or welcome).”

2. Embracing His Favor Places His Best Within Our Reach

• saying yes to His favor allows us to begin to experience all that His favor offers.

  • Philippians 3:12 (NIV) Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

3. His Best ALWAYS Begins With A Word

• creation - Genesis 1:3 (ESV) And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

• redemption - Isaiah 6:8 (ESV) And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

• propitiation - Hebrews 10:5–7 (ESV) Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’ ”

• healing

  • Psalm 107:20 (ESV) He sent out his word and healed them…

  • John 5:8–9 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

• deliverance – Mark 1:25–26 (ESV) But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him.

• forgiveness - Luke 5:20 (ESV) And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

• salvation - Romans 10:8–10 (ESV) …if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THE INCREDIBLE POWER CONTAINED WITHIN THE WORDS THAT YOU USE?

• I’ve decided to attend that school…

• I’m going to accept that job offer

• I say yes to marrying you…

• Let’s move there. Let’s buy that house.

• Let’s have children. Let’s adopt.

• Let’s be a part of this church

WHAT YOU SAY AND HOW YOU SAY IT CREATES AN EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE WHO HEARS!

Proverbs 18:20–21 (ESV) From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

1. 1words are like seed – spoken, taken out of the bag and put into play

2. planted and grow – some immediate impact, but a bigger focus on time

3. it will produce fruit – it’s the seed principle

4. fruit is the byproduct of the seed. life or death – reap what is sown – past words have created your current moment.

DO YOUR WORDS POINT AT YOUR DESIRED FUTURE?

James 3:9–10 (ESV) With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

This is a reality because of the culture we live in. This is a possibility because we are oblivious? It is possible to perceive we are one way, when actually we are another.

Do A Litmus Tests: Listen to what you say and how you say it.

HOLY SPIRIT, TRANSFORM MY MOUTH!

• taming the tongue is nearly impossible - James 3:6–8 (ESV) And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

• but it is a reality of the Holy Spirit - Joel 2:28–29 (ESV) “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy…

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is much so more than just a statement.

• AMEN is a Person, and His Name is JESUS - Revelation 3:14 (ESV) “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

• AMEN is who God is molding you to be - Romans 8:29 (ESV) …he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

• AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

• AMEN is the resounding YES to all that God says.

• AMEN is the response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

We have all found ourselves in a position where we have agreed and then regretted. That car you bought that you really couldn’t afford, or that car that turned out to be a lemon. Or, that “party” you agreed to go to that involved a “great opportunity”. Or agreeing to a date that you really didn’t want to go on.

Sometimes we have agreed for all the wrong reasons; to avoid an argument, because it was easier, to make someone happy.

And, there are times that our yes (AMEN) is resounding but, falls to the ground the moment it comes out of our mouths. Like when we whole-heartedly agree but, really have no intention of making any changes. (Watching a weight loss show while eating a bag of Doritos).

AMEN IS NOT ABOUT BEING AGREEABLE. IT IS AGREEING, EVEN WHEN IT IS THE LAST THING YOU FEEL LIKE DOING.

• The Bible is quick to point this out to us - James 2:18-19 (ESV) But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

• Your “AMEN” is the language of faith…accompanied by works. What works? Acting on what you know that God has spoken.

LIFE IS GOING TO HIT YOU HARD. EVEN KNOCK YOU DOWN.

• “Everyone has a plan ‘till they get punched in the mouth.” - Mike Tyson

• Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

• 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (ESV) We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

AMEN Is Most important When You Have Been Knocked Down!

• The countdown begins when we hit the mat. We will either lay there and be counted out or we will get up and keep fighting.

• Your AMEN Stirs Your Heart. A Reminded Spirit is a Fighting Spirit.

• Our Amen makes a statement about what we believe. It is not just based upon what we see. Not like an illusion or delusion; we might really be knocked down. We might really be confused. But what do you believe? That God is for you? That He is fighting on your behalf? That no matter what he will never leave you no forsake you? That you can be healed/restores/forgiven/rescued?

• God’s people have always been encouraged to remind themselves of what God has done. “Teach them to your children, talk of them when you sit in your house,” “fan into flames.”

AMEN Is Not Agreement with Victory But, His “Right Now” Word.

• It is agreeing without having any idea how it will turn out. Victory isn’t raising our hand in triumph, but just standing. ROCKY LOST THE FIGHT! His victory was just standing back up.

• There is always another fight. There is always another trial. We will win some battles and we might lose some. But we overcome by getting back up!

• So often we want to get so excited about the victory that we try to jump over the obedience. No victory is won without obedience. Consider Jesus!

• Jesus’ “AMEN” meant he would be knocked down on the mat and the countdown would begin.

• Jesus even asked the Father if there was another way. “Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.”

Your AMEN Breaks the Heart of the Enemy.

• Ephesians 6:13 (ESV) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

• Jesus walks in on Satan’s victory party and takes his keys!

• Rocky eventually becomes the champ. In nearly every huge bout he gets knocked down, his opponent celebrates, and Rocky gets back up. And their spirits are shaken because he just took the worst and he is still standing.

• Adversity doesn’t define you. How you respond to it does.

• JESUS OFTEN TOLD PEOPLE TO “GET UP!” - “Get up, take up your bed and go home.” “Get up and walk.”

• You no doubt know what it means to be knocked down. And you may be struggling with the strength to get back up. Jesus is saying “Get up.” Right now, your “AMEN” is hearing his voice and standing to your feet.

• There are people in your corner rooting for you. You are not alone.

Amen, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is so much more than just a statement.

● AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

● AMEN is a response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

● AMEN is our resounding YES to all that God says. It is also a resounding YES from God to his children.

AMEN is our emphatic agreement with all that God has said that He will do. So, what do you do when you don’t agree?

What do you do when you struggle to see any evidence of the presence of God in your life?

What do you do when your spending time in God’s word and praying but aren’t getting anything out of it? The void of silence from Heaven.

What do you do when you’ve been waiting for God to fulfill a promise to you for so long that you no longer believe that it will ever happen?

AMEN requires us to be honest with God.

Discouragement isn’t just the opposite of hope. It is the killer of it. One of the most poisonous elements about discouragement is that it makes you feel like you are all alone, that no one else is going through or has gone through the experience of feeling far from or separated from God. This belief keeps us from speaking out about our brokenness to others, especially God, because we harbor an incorrect belief that He has somehow betrayed us.

What you need to recognize is that what you are experiencing is not normal for the Kingdom, but it is not uncommon in our world. You are in good company and you need to be honest with your King about what you are going through. It doesn’t make you a complainer or ungrateful. It makes you someone that needs a savior!

● King David complained more than anyone else in all of scripture! And yet, God considered him a man after his own heart. (1 Sam 13:14)

○ Psalm 10:1, 13:1-4, 22:1-2, 60:1-3, 79:1-5

In every case of David complaining, it was quickly followed up by his bold declaration of God’s goodness and impending deliverance. Acknowledging our mis-alignment opens the path to become aligned. The obstacle that you believe is keeping you from God is in fact the way to God! This is part of the Enemy’s great deception!

Being honest with God will bring you to the point of verbalizing what you need from Him! If you don’t talk about it, you will be prevented from ever making a petition to God about it!

● Matthew 7:11b “...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”

● Mark 9:21-24 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “If you can? All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe, help my unbelief.”

AMEN requires us to shift our point of view.

Part of our disadvantage is that we have a limited view of eternity. We were designed for eternity but only possess vision for the present. We know what we have experienced in the past, and we can see what is happening in the now, but we have zero visibility about what the next 10 minutes will bring, much less the next 10 years.

This is often referred to as the difference between short-term and long-term vision. But, the truth is that we don’t even have short-term vision. At best, we have now-term vision. The way to get beyond now-term vision is to recognize that, just like nature, there are different seasons in life.

● Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Just consider the life of a farmer. There is a season to till the ground and prepare the soil. Then there is a season of planting and sowing into the soil. Then the fields need watered, regularly. The fields need to be weeded to remove things that compete for the crops resources. Eventually, the fields need harvested, long days of working in the sun, picking and collecting the crop. All of which is hard toilsome work! Where is the feeling of being blessed in that process? And yet, what a wonderful sense of blessing when the crop has been brought in and the celebration takes place for having barns that are full!

Just because you are in the middle of weeding your fields doesn’t mean that the harvest isn’t coming.

Don’t confuse the moment for the mission! Your now-vision will only take in the circumstances of today and they can be extremely misleading when held in the light of the long-term mission. Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to accept the immediate in order to achieve the eternal.

● John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

“Right now” is not all that there is.

AMEN requires us to take action.

AMEN is a person, and his name is Jesus (Rev. 3:14). Jesus is also the person through whom all of creation was made! Our alignment with HIM allows us to access that creative authority and call forth life and hope when there is none visible. He is our means of fighting through the challenges of this life to all that He has for us.

● Matthew 26:42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

What was Jesus referring to when he said “if this cannot pass away”? The power of the enemy and the kingdom of this world. Jesus broke the power of the enemy and replaced it with the power and authority of the Kingdom of Heaven. We have access to that power!

That means that we need to sometimes do the opposite of what we feel and instead act out in defiance of our circumstances and experiences in favor of all the good that God has spoken over us and the blessings that He has for us.

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is much so more than just a statement.

• AMEN is the resounding YES to all that God says.

• AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

• AMEN unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Genesis 3:1 (ESV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

• AMEN requires us to hear God, louder than all the other voices.

• AMEN requires a volume that drowns out all the other voices

Growing up in the mid-70’s with Smokey and the Bandit, my parents bought a Granada Ghia with CB Radio. They installed a base station at home with giant antenna and call sign KNJ6246. Lots of chatter, difficult to lock in to person you wanted to talk to, because the power limit was 4 watts. The closer you were, the clearer. People began using illegal linear amplifiers to boost their signals to 750 watts, and they became the loudest voice for miles. They proceeded to “walk all over” or “step on” all other transmitters in order to hear and be heard!

We live in a time where hearing from God can seem difficult, especially because of all the other voices. But God has given us an amplifier that, when utilized, allows us to hear and be heard!

John 16:13–15 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will GUIDE you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will DECLARE to you the things that are to come.

• Guiding requires listening!

 He can speak out of the blue, but give Him something to work with!

 read the written Word – bible, books, etc

 listen to the spoken Word – preaching, teaching, prophetic

 listen for the declarations!

• Guiding requires adjustments!

 guiding acknowledges wrong belief/action on your end.

 He desires to guide you – teachable

 you can either be adjusted or you can crash

 you ultimately have to yield to His direction

• Guiding requires His declaration to become your declaration!

 His direction becomes your new direction

 His word becomes your word

 His declaration becomes your declaration – more than an opinion, or statement!

 His amplified voice becomes your amplified voice!

But there will continue to be voices, and they will need to be drowned out

Drowning Out The Voices:

Your Own Voice

• Proverbs 11:14 (ESV) Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

• Psalm 119:105 (ESV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:12 (ESV) We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,

Feelings…

Morris Albert song - Feelings, nothing more than feelings, Trying to forget my feelings of love. Teardrops rolling down on my face, Trying to forget my feelings of love. Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. I wish I've never met you, girl; you'll never come again. Feelings, wo-o-o feelings, Wo-o-o, feel you again in my arms. Feelings, feelings like I've never lost you And feelings like I've never have you again in my heart. Feelings, for all my life I'll feel it. I wish I've never met you, girl; you'll never come again. Feelings,…

• feelings are one of the loudest and most dangerous voices of all

• feelings can be influenced by just about anything!

• Illus: remove the soundtrack in a scary movie

• respond to feelings to bring them relief will very often lead you into the wrong direction!

• David was returning from victorious battle, he and his men, on a high

• David at Ziklag: 1 Samuel 30:3–6 (ESV) And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.

• your feelings as informed by circumstance are the worst Holy Spirit!

• His men could have just killed him, David went on to rally His men and get everything back!

• 1 Samuel 30:6 (KJV 1900) …but David encouraged (strengthen) himself in the Lord his God.

• Tell your feelings the truth of God, who He is, what He has said, what He has promised to do.

• It will also help to eat well, sleep well, exercise, guard what you watch, read and listen to!

I’m Better Off, Right Here.

• God’s Word invites us into new places that seem risky

• we’ve never been there before

• even though where we were wasn’t working out, we have a tendency to stay there instead of taking a risk.

• Numbers 11:4–6 (ESV) Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

• Our best is ahead, requiring us to let go of the safety of this spot.

• Philippians 3:13–15 (ESV) …But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

• Don’t get stuck where you are

• The best is still yet to come

“This Is How It Is, Forever”

• Sometimes we are injured and it can leave us blind, lame, paralyzed

• Sometimes it’s at the hand of another.

• Sometimes its our own doing.

• Too often, we get stuck there. For years.

• Like a tick, these situations burrow into our lives sucking the life out of us

• Addictions, broken relationships, repeat patterns of self destruction…

• John 5:2–6 (ESV) Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

• There’s a strange comfort in our situation, bad as it is

• There’s a strange comfort in the dysfunction of others around us with the same issues or who enable our issue

• Medicate one another in our dysfunction

• Spiritual Myth gets mixed in: there was no angel to stir the water!

o If God wants to heal me, he will.

o God gets more glory from my faithful suffering

o God did this to me.

• We sit back and endure.

• John 5:6–9 (ESV) When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.

• Declare & Act

AMEN, a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching to express our agreement with what is said and the hope that it will take place. But, AMEN is much so more than just a statement.

• AMEN is a Person, and His Name is JESUS - Revelation 3:14 (ESV) “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

• AMEN is who God is molding you to be - Romans 8:29 (ESV) …he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…

• AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life.

• AMEN is the resounding YES to all that God says.

• AMEN is the response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven.

The Carte Blanche Amen

• Carte Blanche is a cheque that is already signed but has no numerical value entered, yet.

• The Carte Blanche AMEN says Yes to God before He says it, no matter what He says.

Failure to make key life-decisions in advance is to wait until seated at the final sales desk with 1000 high-pressure voices appealing to every wrong motive.

The Carte Blanche AMEN agrees with God before He whispers a Word.

• Luke 21:14 (ESV) Settle it therefore in your minds... beforehand…

GOD Is Always Good, Is Always For Me, And His Word Leads Me To His BEST.

• He is always good. - Mark 10:18 (ESV) …No one is good except God alone.

• He is always for me - John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Luke 4:19 (ESV) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• His Word is always for my best - Psalm 119:105 (ESV) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. John 6:63 (ESV) …The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. Romans 8:28 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

• best does not mean easy, problem free, comfortable…

The Carte Blanche Amen Know That Positioning Him First In All Things Allows All Things To Work For His Best.

• Exodus 20:2–3 (ESV) “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.

• Matthew 6:33 (ESV) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

• Luke 14:26 (ESV) “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

first in devotional life, relationship, church participation

THE CARTE BLANCHE AMEN Knows That EVERY Blessing We Enjoy Comes From His Hand And Belongs To Him.

• James 1:17 (ESV) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…

• Deuteronomy 8:17–18 (ESV) Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

• 1 Timothy 6:17–19 (NIV) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

• Luke 19:32–35 (ESV) And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

• Mark 14:13–16 (ESV) And he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ And he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready; there prepare for us.” And the disciples set out and went to the city and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

• everything I have is His – I am a steward

• for my enjoyment, but he can call for it whenever he wants

THE CARTE BLANCHE AMEN Knows That Sex Is A Gift From God, A Sacred Act Meant For The Marriage Bed Alone.

• the Bible begins with sex, as God created it

• it contains the blueprint of The Kingdom - seed

• no sin like sexual sins that will impact your life (spirit, soul and body)

• Hebrews 13:4 (ESV) Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

• 1 Corinthians 7:4–5 (ESV) For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

• 1 Corinthians 6:16–20 (ESV) Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

• sex is for procreation and pleasure, between a man and woman, committed to one another in the covenant of marriage.

AMEN is a customary statement at the end of a prayer or during preaching when we are in agreement with what is said and hoping that what is said will take place.

• Jeremiah 28:6 (ESV) and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.

AMEN is much more than a statement.

AMEN is also a Person, and His Name is JESUS

• Revelation 3:14 (ESV) “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.

AMEN is an attitude, a posture, a way of life. AMEN is a resounding YES to all that God says. AMEN is the response that unlocks the abundance of Heaven. Are You AMEN?

This series is focused on living the AMEN life and experiencing AMEN results. AMEN includes:

• agreement: embracing the things God says

• declaration: verbalizing your buy-in to His truth

• alignment: adjusting your life to His Word

• celebration: joyfully navigating through His truth for others to see

AMEN: Agreement

embracing the things God says

In your world, there are the people you completely disagree with, others you agree with, and a few you agree most of the time with. There’s no one you agree with all of the time, for many different, including the fact there is no one who is every always right. But the reality is… THERE IS! GOD IS always right.

• Hebrews 6:18 (ESV) …it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

• Matthew 9:9 (ESV) As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

AMEN hungers for, seeks out and creates atmospheres to hear God speak.

God’s created man with the ability to hear Him. It’s in our DNA.

• Genesis 3:8 (KJV 1900) And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

God’s voice gives birth to life in our lives!

• John 6:63 (ESV) The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Once you hear it, you will want more and more and more!

• Psalm 119:17–20 (ESV) Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.

But EVERYTHING in this world tries to drown out the Voice of God.

• Acts 28:27 (ESV) For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed…

While He can speak unexpectedly, God speaks more often in atmospheres that are conducive to you listening. It’s less about setting the atmosphere for God than for you.

• His Presence is key

• Gather with my church family in His Presence

• Bible, prayer in His Presence

• listening to preaching, podcasts, reading books

• worship music in the background

• controlling distractions

• spiritual leaders, spiritual conversations

Hearing His Voice is so important because His Voice will:

• reveal things you don’t know but need to in order to experience your best life

• reveal things you believe that are completely and are causing you to act in ways that are taking you in the wrong direction.

AMEN recognizes God’s Voice and presses in to hear what He is saying.

Learning when God is speaking is a key part of following Jesus.

• Matthew 14:25–29 (ESV) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

When He Speaks, you will sense it spark your spirit-man, much like temptation will spark your sinful-man.

This is something you can cultivate and grow into. He will highlight words on a page, emphasize words being spoken, impresses things in your mind as you think about them or cause them to burn in your mouth as you speak them.

While there are many environments and mediums in and through which God will speak, the key is the Holy Spirit. He is the one who is talking!

• John 16:13–14 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Holy Spirit is key to hearing. Press into Him!

• Luke 11:13 (ESV) If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

AMEN already agrees with God before He whispers a Word.

We struggle to agree wither others when we have a differing opinion because we TRUST ourselves more than them, our understanding of our situation more than theirs, our understanding of the people in our world more than theirs, our experience more than theirs. We struggle to TRUST!

AMEN can agree in advance because it trusts:

• that He is good.

• trust He is for you.

  • Sent His son - John 3:16 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

  • proclaimed the Day of His favor - Luke 4:19 (ESV) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

• that He does not lie

  • Hebrews 6:18 (ESV) so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

• demonstrated His best in spite of our worst

  • Romans 5:8 (ESV) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• that His way is the better

• Isaiah 55:9–11 (ESV) For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

HOW TO WAR OVER YOUR PROPHETIC WORDS

1 Timothy 1:18-19 NIV 0- “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith.”

This scripture says we wage war with 3 things:

1. Recalling the prophetic word

2. Faith

3. Good conscience

What Is Faith?

• Hebrews 11:1 (CEV) Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.

• Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Faith is something that begins small.

• Matthew 17 (CEV) 14 Jesus and his disciples returned to the crowd. A man knelt in front of him 15 and said, “Lord, have pity on my son! He has a bad case of epilepsy and often falls into a fire or into water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but none of them could heal him.” 17 Jesus said, “You people are too stubborn to have any faith! How much longer must I be with you? Why do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here.” 18 Then Jesus spoke sternly to the demon. It went out of the boy, and right then he was healed. 19 Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, “Why couldn’t we force out the demon?” 20-21 Jesus replied: It is because you don’t have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.

• Matthew 17:20-21 Jesus replied: It is because you don’t have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible for you.\

Mustard seeds are planted in a container filled with damp sand, and pressed into the sand's surface. The sand is kept at a specific temperature for optimal results. The seeds can begin to sprout within 24 hours indoors. Because mustard trees grow slowly, waiting until your trees are up to 3 years old may be necessary before transplanting them outdoors. The mustard tree of Scripture is found along the banks of the Jordan, near the Sea of Galilee, and near Damascus. Mustard plants may reach about 15 feet high in those areas.

Faith is encouraged by the faith of others.

• Romans 1:12 (NLT) When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.

• Matthew 18:20 (CEV) Whenever two or three of you come together in my name, I am there with you.

• Exodus 17:11-12 (NIV) 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset

Faith is awakened by the spoken word of God.

• John 15:7 (CEV) Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered.

• 1 John 5:14-15 (ESV) And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

• Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

• Luke 4:1-14 (NLT) Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’ 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” 8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him. 9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! 10 For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. 11 And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 12 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ 13 When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.

Faith is activated when set into motion.

• James 2:14 (CEV) 14 My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you?

• James 2:21-22 (NLT) 21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

• Joshua 3:14-17 (CEV) 14 The Israelites packed up and left camp. The priests carrying the chest walked in front, 15 until they came to the Jordan River. The water in the river had risen over its banks, as it often does in springtime. But as soon as the feet of the priests touched the water, 16-17 the river stopped flowing, and the water started piling up at the town of Adam near Zarethan. No water flowed toward the Dead Sea, and the priests stood in the middle of the dry riverbed near Jericho while everyone else crossed over.

Just Push – Author Unknown - http://www.inspire21.com/stories/faithstories/JustPush - A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might.

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore, and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, the Adversary decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man's weary mind: "You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn't budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it." Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

"Why kill myself over this?" he thought. "I'll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough." And that is what he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. "Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My child, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinew and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done. I, my friend, will now move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God who moves the mountains.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes. -- Romans 1:16

John 16:13 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

How many times has the devil lied to you, deceived you, and got you to think and/or do something that was wrong?

• The Devil’s Influence: 2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

• The Devil’s Focus: 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

• The Devil’s Main Weapon – John 8:44 (ESV) (he) does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

• The Devil’s Agenda: John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

conviction: the process of God guiding us into TRUTH that leads to His BEST for us.

Conviction Reveals His BEST

• God has amazing things for our lives - Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

• I am unable to see His good plans because of the enemy’s blinders - 1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV) The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

• Conviction is the revelation of those plans

  • Matthew 19:21 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, …. follow me.”

    • perfect - teleios; having reached its end, complete, perfect:

  • Isaiah 48:17 (ESV) Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.

    •  profit – yesud; foundation, beginning

• These revelations are large scale and next step

• He Reveals General BEST – applies to everyone – the growing process of discovering who God is and the commandments He has for all of us that leads us to His best things for us

• He Reveals Personal BEST – applies to only you – the growing process of discovering who you are and the commandments He has for

• Revelation that leads to conviction can be emotional, but never confuse emotion with conviction!

Conviction Includes An Impartation

• information is valuable but conviction is more than just information.

• conviction doesn’t just provide information. It rewires us

• conviction changes who you are so you can change what you do!

• Hebrews 10:16 (ESV) “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,”

• The lies we believe are handcuffs. We don’t just need the handcuffs removed, we need our beliefs changed or the handcuffs continue to return.

• John 8:31–32 (ESV) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Conviction Leads To Supernatural Favor

• When you acts upon what God says, it is an act of faith

• you are trusting God

• faith unlocks the favor of God – it is the supernatural secret sauce!

• Deuteronomy 28:1–14 (ESV) “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle,s the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Acts 17:26–28 (ESV) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’…

Stonehenge: Wiltshire, England, iImported rock, circular pattern, sophisticated locking joints speaks of intelligent design! But what was its purpose, its destiny:? Crematorium? Installation site for Danish Kings? Druid Worship? Astrological calendar for determining eclipses and solar events? Communication platform for interacting with aliens? 800,000 tourists visit annually, but destiny has been lost because the time/place became disconnected from the creator’s purpose.

You/Us: We are here now. We are complex! The systems of the human body include circulatory, digestive & excretory, endocrine (hormone), integumentary/exocrine (skin, hair, nails, sweat), immune and lymphatic, muscular, nervous, renal and urinary (kidneys filter blood), reproductive, respiratory, skeletal, hematopoietic (creates cells that travel in blood),

What about our Purpose/Destiny:

• don’t reduce purpose to what you do - teacher, doctor, athlete…

  • Psalm 139:13–16 (ESV) For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

  • Isaiah 49:1 (ESV) …The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.

  • Psalm 57:2 (ESV) I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

  • Psalm 138:8 (ESV) The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

• Disconnected from the Creator and His Purpose, you may become an amazing tourist attraction, but you’ll never experience DESTINY.

God wants to use your HERE & NOW :

• to reveal Himself and His purposes in your life.

• to invite your participation.

• to begin unlocking DESTINY.

HERE & NOW for Jacob:

• at odds with parents, fleeing His brother, alone, travelling to a new place

• not prepared (Gen 28:11) uses stone for pillow

• he dreamed:

  • Numbers 12:6 (ESV) And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.

  • Job 33:15–18 (ESV) In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword.

  • Daniel 2:47 (ESV) The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

  • Daniel 2:47 (ESV) The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.”

  • revelation

• (Gen 28:12) a ladder or staircase to heaven with angels coming and going

• DESTINY REVEALED: Genesis 28:13–19 (ESV) And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

Live In The Here & Now

• DESTINY doesn’t start off glorious,

• DESTINY STARTS as a HERE/NOW moment.

• DESTINY understands this is always the time, this is always the place

• amplified in the US: gather with His people!

• location and proximity matters!

• invite others - this is not just about you!

• distance always disconnects from the flow of Destiny

Lean In

• posture determines outcome!

• enjoy the party, but remember, He is the prize!

• Jeremiah 29:11–14 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…

• Luke 11:9–13 (ESV) And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Walk In What You Already Know

• don’t be chasing the next revelation, walk in the current one

• destiny is experienced one step at a time, not by chasing new paths

• Philippians 3:14–16 (ESV) I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

• Acts 17:26–28 (ESV) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, for “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’

Luke 22:19–20 (ESV) And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. DO THIS in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

My first communions were like going to a viewing. Even after I became a Christian and better understood the symbolism, they were similar but now with mournful criers and the fear of dying due to unworthiness.

DO THIS: push reset to refresh!

Do this! Like an iPhone that starts working wacky after a lot of use and it refreshes after we reset, communion can accomplish the same things.

Jesus shared communion with the disciples in the middle of the craziest week of the disciples ministry lives. Miracles, amazing teaching, healings, a parade with crowds chanting Hosanna, death threats, Jesus flipping over tables in the temple, talk destroying and rebuilding it back in three days. Wins and losses. Fans and enemies. It was a crazy week! He pulled everyone in close to himself and hit RESET to come back to the main thing!

• Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV) The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

  • new - chadash – to renew

We can get into a spiritual funk as a result of wins or losses, busyness or boredom but its so valuable to hit reset, like shaking an Etch-a-Sketch,

• Psalm 103:5 (ESV) who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

DO THIS: bring Jesus back into focus!

Communion is to create a moment of remembrance. Everything in this LIFE will fight for your attention – Jesus was saying “BRING ME BACK INTO FOCUS!”

• Matthew 17:7–8 (ESV) But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

This is something you will have to do again and again and again, not because there’s something wrong with you, but because you’re still here.

• Hebrews 12:1–2 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Ignoring the distractions and getting Him back into focus will actually help those other things that are fighting for your attention to work out better!

• Matthew 6:31–33 (ESV) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Peter went back to fishing. Jesus reappeared. Peter got back to being a disciple.

Its important to FOCUS on more than just crucifixion!!! It’s about focusing on everything about Him.

DO THIS: cash in on His covenant!

Sometimes things on earth don’t align with Heaven. Communion is an opportunity to point review “the new covenant in my blood” to remind yourself of the promises with the expectation that they will align.

Covenant: a binding agreement between two parties

• Genesis 15:8 (ESV) But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

• covenants were often sealed by severing of a costly prized animal in perfect condition.

  • Genesis 15:9–10 (ESV) He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other.

  • The Hebrew verb meaning to seal a covenant translates literally as “to cut.”

  • a sobering moment between parties as one party would have to kill something with His hands in the presence of the other to seal the agreement.

  • the implication was that the party who breaks the covenant will suffer a similar fate.

  • Genesis 15:17–18 (ESV) When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram…

God has made more than just promises, He’s made a covenant. Communion is the sales receipt, proof that not only the promises were made, but paid for.

Sometimes agreements lose traction, one party fails to keep up their end. Guaranteed, He’s not given up on His. It’s always a failure on our end to cash in!

DO THIS:

• push reset to refresh.

• bring Jesus back into focus.

• cash in on His covenant.

Ezekiel 37-11:14 (NLT) Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones represent the people of Israel. They are saying, ‘We have become old, dry bones—all hope is gone. Our nation is finished.’ Therefore, prophesy to them and say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I will open your graves of exile and cause you to rise again. Then I will bring you back to the land of Israel. When this happens, O my people, you will know that I am the Lord. I will put my Spirit in you, and you will live again and return home to your own land. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken, and I have done what I said. Yes, the Lord has spoken!’”

There is a common them that runs throughout scriptures and is highlighted in this passage. And it points to one of the most exciting and compelling ideas in all creation. That is hope.

GOD IS THE SOURCE OF OUR HOPE

• Hope requires an object, or an anchor for the hope. Hope does not exist without something to fulfill that hope

• Misplaced Hope: Relationships, Career, Success, Acceptance/Belonging, Wealth, Health, Drugs & Alcohol, etc.

• The entire book of Ecclesiastes is about how nothing but God, satisfies our hope.

• He sent His son, Jesus as a guarantee of that hope. Colossians 1:27 (ESV) “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

• Romans 15:13 (ESV) May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

HOPE IS THE ANTIDOTE FOR DISAPPOINTMENT

• Philippians 1:6 (ESV) And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

• Romans 8:24-25 (NLT) We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

• “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” – Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption

• Romans 5:3-5 (NLT) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

3. HOPE ENCOURAGES

• Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV) Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

• Psalms 3:2-6 (MSG) God! Look! Enemies past counting! Enemies sprouting like mushrooms, Mobs of them all around me, roaring their mockery: “Hah! No help for him from God! “But you, God, shield me on all sides; You ground my feet, you lift my head high; With all my might I shout up to God, His answers thunder from the holy mountain. I stretch myself out. I sleep. Then I’m up again—rested, tall and steady, Fearless before the enemy mobs Coming at me from all sides. ROCKY THEME SONG!

• Isaiah 43:1-2 (ESV) But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.

• In all of the passages there is an acknowledgement that the situations that you face will not always be ideal but, take courage! We will overcome!

HOPE POINTS US INTO OUR FUTURE

• 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV) For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

• 1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

• Lamentations 3:21-24 (ESV) But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

You may feel like you are without hope or that hope has been lost. But, despite how it may look or feel, hope is never really gone. When it looked like Jesus was defeated, he rose from the dead proving that nothing is impossible for him. Attach your hope to someone that will not fail.

Scripture: Acts 8:34–38 (ESV) And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Baptism is a significant and sacred act that has power for a believer that has too often been reduced to an optional ceremony that some believers participate in! Not in this house!

Phillip:

• one of the first disciples, immediately inviting others to follow - John 1:43–46

• preached, signs, wonders, impacted a city (Samaria) – Acts 8:6–8 (ESV) And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.

• tuned into heaven’s voice - Acts 8:26–29 (ESV) Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.”

• Acts 8:30–33 (ESV) So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

• Acts 8:34–38 (ESV) And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

BAPTISM defines our formal starting point with Jesus.

• possession without contract… lots of grey areas!

• salvation is a covenantal act – an agreement with God

• baptism is the public signing of our agreement with Him

• everyone has a different process of being drawn into a relationship with Jesus, but everyone should have the same process of formalizing the relationship with Jesus - Mark 16:15–16 (ESV) And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

• Examples of People Formalizing Their Relationship:

  • Day of Pentecost - Acts 2:41 (ESV) So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

  • Saul, Paul - Acts 9:17–18 (ESV) So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;

  • Peter & Gentiles - Acts 10:47–48 (ESV) “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

  • Paul and Lydia - Acts 16:14–15 (ESV) One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.

  • Paul & Silas, singing in prison - Acts 16:33 (ESV) And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.

  • Crispus - Acts 18:8 (ESV) Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

  • Ephesus - Acts 19:5 (ESV) On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

BAPTISM is a powerful prophetic declaration that impacts your future.

• declaration – what we say sets the tone

• prophetic – agreement with what heaven says, pulling heaven to earth

• the symbolism: His death, His resurrection

• the symbolism: Your past, Your future! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

BAPTISM is an act of obedience that unlocks next things.

• formalizing your commitment to God, unlocks next things, like buying a house, purchasing a car, getting married

• Jesus Baptism - Luke 3:21–22 (ESV) Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

• Obedience Leads To Blessing: Deuteronomy 28:1–3 (ESV) “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.

• Disobedience Leaves You Less Than What God Intends (cursed: slight, unimportant, insignificant, trivial, minor) - Deuteronomy 28:15–16 (ESV) “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.

Follow Jesus & Get Baptized!

John 1:35–39 (ESV) The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Jesus went a lot of places, met a lot of people, did a lot of miracles, and taught a lot of lessons, but if you were to condense everything into one primary message, He invited people to FOLLOW HIM!

• follow: akoloutheō

  • a – alpha, first letter of the alphabet and first number

  • keleuthos – a road to follow

  • conjunctive: not just a road, but the first road

The Best Things About Following Jesus:

1. PEACE – no longer enemies with God

• Philippians 3:18–20 (ESV) For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

• John 3:36 (ESV) Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

• constant tension because our sinful actions are directed at God - Acts 9:1–5 (ESV) But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

• he reconciles us at our worst, what will He do after we are friends - Romans 5:8–10 (ESV) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

2. COMPANIONSHIP – He will never leave you!

• our lives are a constant revolving door of people who leave for circumstance, rejection or death.

• Hebrews 13:5 (ESV) Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

• Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

• Proverbs 18:24 (ESV) A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

• Ezekiel 37:14 (ESV) And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

• 1 Corinthians 3:16 (ESV) Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

3. SALVATION – rescued, again and again and again!!!

• from sin - Matthew 1:21 (ESV) She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

• from sins - 1 John 1:7–9 (ESV) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

• from situations - Isaiah 43:1–5 (ESV) But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.

• Psalm 91:1–16 (ESV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

• saved in diverse and amazing ways!

4. ACCESS - to everything within the Kingdom of Heaven while here on earth

• the earth is currently under the rule of the god of this world who has come to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to lead us into the Kingdom of Heaven, on earth…. giving us access to everything heaven has!

• Luke 10:9 (ESV) Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

• Matthew 6:10 (ESV) Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

• Matthew 13:11 (ESV) And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

• Matthew 16:19 (ESV) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

• 2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV) His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

• learning to access is a process… but it’s a reality

2 Peter 3:18 (ESV) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

• grow by saying Yes to Following Jesus

• grow by working your current step

• grow be seeing (Word, Spirit) and taking your next step

Judges 6:1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years… 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord. (ESV)

The Israelites were facing adverse circumstances

• adverse-opposing one's interests or desire.

Judges 6:7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel...10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” (ESV)

The people were blaming God for their problems but it was their own disobedience that put them in this predicament. But God heard them and called out from among them a warrior.

Judges 6:11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. (ESV)

Gideon was a farmer. He was being resourceful and found a way to provide for his family. The beating of wheat normally took place at the threshing floor. Threshing was done in a big open area where the wind could blow away the chaff (outer shell) of the grain. The wind helped to make the work easier. He was in a winepress beating wheat. It was a hole in the ground with no wind making it harder work. He was all about surviving. He was living in the moment and failed to look ahead for what God had for him or the people. Gideon had limited vision of his next steps.

I do not believe it was a coincidence that Gideon was found in the winepress. I see it as a symbolism. Grapes go into the winepress as fruit and come out juice. They go in one way and come out something different. Gideon saw himself one way but God was about to extract something more from him.

Just like God saw Gideon, God sees you: School Teacher, C3Kids Teacher, Stay-At-Home Mom, Ministry Leader, Medical Professional, Worship Team…

God wants to extract something more from you! In the midst of his adverse circumstances God had plans for Gideon. His adversity was not a limitation but an opportunity. It was the opportunity to take the next steps for life, but he could not see past the obstacles.

What obstacles keep you from the next step?

1. Hesitation to commit to the next step.

Judges 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (ESV)

During this time of adverse circumstances as a church family, I have heard many say, “I know God is wanting me to take that next step, but I have trouble committing.”

Why? It will cost me something. In hesitating you fail to obey.

2. Feeling unqualified to take the next step.

Judges 6:14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” (ESV)

God expands and uses the abilities He already built into us. Some may already know the next steps; get going in that direction. Some may not have any idea; start taking steps toward something. Parents, if your child shows an interest in something resource that desire.

3. Strongholds keeping you from taking the next step.

Judges 6:16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (ESV)

A stronghold is a fortress. It was designed not only keeps things in but also keep things out. God is a force that wants to come into your life, but the walls are high. What strongholds are keeping you from taking your next step?

Holding on to an offense, a friendship gone bad, failed business venture, making a judgement due to a past experience.

God says to you, “But I will be with you.”

In spite of his obstacles, Gideon chose to take the next steps in faith! I would like to quote Ps. Phil Pringle from his book, You The Leader. He says,“God also tests faith before it is trusted with great exploits.”

In Judges 6-8 we can read about Gideon’s great exploits. God did not waste any time. As soon as Gideon took that next step in faith, he sent him to chop down their false gods. Gideon is also commended in Hebrews 11 as a man of faith.

Avoid the obstacle and see your next steps:

• Be obedient in taking the next steps regardless of the cost; no time to hesitate

• Be confident that God has qualified you for the next step; you have the abilities

• Be assured that God will be with you in taking the next step; surrender your stronghold