Choose to "Accentuate" the positive
Illus. The Tongue
A biblical writer said, “The tongue can no man tame.” A Greek philosopher asked his servant to provide the best dish possible. The servant prepared a dish of tongue, saying: “It is the best of all dishes, because with it we may bless and communicate happiness, dispel sorrow, remove despair, cheer the fainthearted, inspire the discouraged, and say a hundred other things to uplift mankind.”
Later the philosopher asked his servant to provide the worst dish of which he could think. A dish of tongue appeared on the table. The servant said, “It is the worst, because with it we may curse and break human hearts; destroy reputations; promote discord and strife; set families, communities, and nations at war with each other.” He was a wise servant.
Psalms 23 NKJ
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures
He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, 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.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Each and everyone of these verses… We're and are declarations that David chose to make.
They were choices… Words of encouragement… That he knew God was more than capable of delivering in his life
David had been on both sides of the fence… He was a champion and a hero one moment… And the next he was a fugitive on the run for his very life, seeking someplace safe to hide...tempted, tested...he faced it all
But he knew God was capable of his deliverance… For he had delivered him many times, from many situations…
And so he chose to dwell on the positive no matter what was going on in his life… And God rewarded The diligence and trust of his faith....and turned every situation he faced around miraculously for the good.
David made a lot of choices in his life… Were they all good ones, no,
but he realized how much power his words had and in the end...
he chose to be...and the records as such...a man after gods own heart.
Matthew 12:35 NKJ
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
The MSG. says it this way, “Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation”
So many people go through life, feeling as though they are stuck in a rut,
Day after day making proclamations and declarations...
that keep them right there in that rut, held hostage...leaving no way of escape,
day after day, month after month, year after year and before you know it, an entire lifetime slips by.
Have you ever heard anyone make these statements
*I’ll never have this and never have that...
*I’ll never be this and never be that...
*It must be nice and you are so lucky...
*I never get to go anywhere....
Those are not just statements of observation… Those are statements of declaration
Those kind of statements are not made to benefit you… Those kind of statements are made to denigrate and destroy you!
Knowingly or unknowingly, their words become their own damnation and demise!
It may not happen over night...but it's just a matter of time because
the Word says and we already read that "it will happen"
The Good News is..that It doesn’t have to be that way...
TBS. your words can be your salvation and they are...
Starting with your personal Salvation!
The very moment Jesus becomes your Lord and Savior, your destiny is changed and altered forever!
God left nothing out...when He introduced Grace
and His Salvation Message to the world..He thought of everything!
Now the devil has tried and continually tries to alter "salvation's" liberating message...
And to blind people from knowing the benefits of the truth of it...
but the fact remains that
Our lives are forever altered and the end result of eternal damnation, is replaced with eternal life... When we make Jesus the Lord of our life!
Most people are happy with the end result being changed, (having a eternal life insurance policy for the end)
but few realize all the benefits that Jesus died for and that their entitled to,
Not only entitled to, but are also made worthy by the blood of the lamb, to partake in, in every way, every step, all along the way! Amen?
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." I Corinthians 15:19 NKJ
The bible here, speaks of our need for growth...in our walk and relationship we have with our God and Jesus His Son and our Saviour!
Because I believe...if your not going forward in your relationship
You may as well be going backwards
You see...the Bible speaks of the benefits of knowing God
but unless you're willing to partake of them.... you will never experience, or enjoy them
2 Peter 1:5-9 MSG.
So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.
If you are diligent in building your relationship with God on a daily basis...
no day will pass without its reward to you as you walk on that journey.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJ
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
If you want all that God has to offer you on a daily basis… Then you have to seek him out on a daily basis! Amen!
Matthew 7:7-8 NKJ
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
The prize of knowing God, through a relationship with His Son Jesus, is meant to be enjoyed each and everyday,
TBS. don’t lose a minute in building on the gift that you’ve been given...
this Christian life and all the benefits that are ours because of it...
from being associated with the Christ it stems from
It is a free gift… But it came at great expense
And is one that should never be taken for granted
Lam. 3:22,23 NKJ
22. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23. They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
Whether we choose to partake in them or not, does not change the fact that they are ever present and available for us to do so now!
Not tomorrow, not next week, but today and everyday we have a choice to live the life.... The abundant life!
Phil. 3:20,21 MSG.
But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.
Everybody in the entire world knows that citizenship has its benefits
That's why everyone came and still comes to America..because of the benefits!
Friends, if you know Jesus, your already a citizen of the high heaven...
your names already been written down and recorded
isn’t it time you started to realize the benefits of your heritage you have in Him
and start to enjoy what He wants to do in and for you along the way?
If not...then we must ask ourselves
Why did we ever become a Christian
If we didn't or don't want to enjoy the benefits of being one
Didn't most of us enjoy life to the full...before we became a Christian?
I know I did!
Then why in the world...wouldn't we want to enjoy life to the full
The way God intended after we become one?
2nd Cor. 5:17 NKJ
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I don’t know about you this morning but when I get something new....
Like a new guitar.... I like to enjoy it
I like to play it… learn all about it...I like to find out all the features and how it's sound will benefit my style of playing...
Gods mercies are the same way, He wants you to learn all about them, to experience them, to enjoy them in your life and what they can do for you!
That's why they exist... "THAT'S WHY THEY EXIST"...
it's for our benefit, we can't accomplish anything on our own,
it's only with Gods help is anything possible....
THAT'S WHAT HE GAVE US ACCESS TO THEM! Amen?
TBS with man, Nothing is possible, but with God all things are possible!
Ephesians 2:19-22 MSG.
19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone.
(this is one of those scriptures where you insert your name... And you make it personal… you do like David did and you make a declaration and a proclamation... In, over and around your life)
Amen?
God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.
Gods not interested in our past... Like the accuser is
He is interested in our future...
Which the accuser knows nothing about
And when you let Him lead and direct your
Life, He is helping you to rewrite the story of you, each and everyday.
brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together.
He wants to take you to new heights and has great things for you to experience that He has had planned for you your whole life long if you will just let Him and call upon His name!
Jerm. 33:3 NKJ
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know
When is the last time that you called on him to show you great and mighty things and to reveal those things as to how they would benefit your life and those who are around you and you are associated with
The interesting thing here was that Jeremiah was in jail when this word from The Lord came to him,
A word from the Lord will seek you out...and find you, no matter where you are
Like David said… Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
How many days? All the days of my life! Amen?
You see, it doesn't matter where you are in life,
God can move in any situation, in any circumstance
And He's not moved by the size of them either...
it's just as easy for Him to heal a broken heart as it is
to heal a cut on your finger!
Don't dwell on the situations and circumstances...of life
Dwell on the one who controls all situations and all circumstances
The one who created life with just a whisper of his voice...
He has your best life now already created and waiting
on your arrival..to step into and experience
A more better life than you ever dreamed possible!
Amen?
Let us Pray!
