STEP BACK UNBELIEVER!
Illus. By sermon central staff
The story goes, a lady said My husband, Michael, and I were at a restaurant with his boss, a rather stern older man.
When Michael began a tale, which I was sure he had told before, I gave him a kick under the table. There was no response, so I gave him another poke. Still the story went on.
Suddenly he stopped, grinned and said, "Oh, but I’ve told you this one before, haven’t I?" We all chuckled and changed the subject.
Later, on the dance floor, I asked my husband why it had taken him so long to get my message. "What do you mean?" he replied. "I cut the story off as soon as you kicked me."
"But I kicked you twice and it still took you awhile to stop!"
Suddenly we realized what had happened. Sheepishly we returned to our table.
The boss smiled and said, "Don’t worry. After the second one I figured it wasn’t for me, so I passed it along!"
http://www.cybersalt.org/cleanlaugh
Illus. Does anyone remember the lyrics to the song Johny Nash made popular?
I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Psalms 65:11 NKJ
11 You crown the year with Your goodness,
And Your paths drip with abundance.
Did you ever notice something and it seems so suddenly new, only to discover that it's always been there. The only thing different is, that you finally became aware of it.
It's kind of like that we you finally become aware of how much Love, God has for you! Because when you do, you suddenly become aware of how good He is to His children.
When I read a verse like this and I think of all the things that God has done
for me personally and still God tells me that He wants to do more.
I'm constantly encouraged, because I know that no matter what, God has good things in store for me and the my cup continually runs over.
Still Others will look at a verse like this and say the exact opposite.
As we go through life, most of us find ourselves in two different states of mind. Either were on top of the world and things are going great for us. Or were down in the valley and things aren't going the way we like them to go, or
they could certainly be better to say the least.
The first state of mind, we think we know exactly where God is and what He's been up to...because we see the results and it's easy to speak life to our situation, because life is good!
The second state of mind, we are quick to forget....we think God is no where to be found, because the results we are longing for we think are so far from happening, doors seem to be only closing and we have a hard to time speaking life to our situation!
It seems as though our next call will be for CPR, we feel life is being removed from our situation, right before our eyes.
TBS I’m not moved by what I feel or see, I’ve got to Victor living in me! Sometimes you have to remind yourself who the resident is that lives within you!
Sometimes you need to look inward and ask yourself what are you expecting? There will be times you need to listen and ask yourself, “What’s coming out of your mouth?”
Are you speaking words of life over your situation? Have you forgotten God is a God of suddenly moments, God is a God of right now possibilities? God is a God of perfect timing and a God who always knows best for you!
2 Kings 7:1-2 MSG
Elisha said, “Listen! God’s word! The famine’s over. This time tomorrow food will be plentiful—a handful of meal for a shekel; two handfuls of grain for a shekel. The market at the city gate will be buzzing.”
2 The attendant on whom the king leaned for support said to the Holy Man, “You expect us to believe that? Trapdoors opening in the sky and food tumbling out?”
“You’ll watch it with your own eyes,” he said, “but you will not eat so much as a mouthful!”
How many times have you been talking to someone who acted like they were paying attention to you? But when you asked them what you said, they couldn’t seem to come up with anything that closely resembled anything you said!
Sometimes we think we’re listening with our ears, but we’re not hearing the word God is sending and giving to us with our Heart!
TBS. we are to establish our faith in God’s Possibilities in our heart, not our head
TBS. Whether a person realizes or not. You are snared by the words that
Come out of your mouth. Which means, sooner or later what comes out
of your mouth is either going to promote or sabotage what happens in your life!
Each and everyday, everyone of us make a choice. Either our cup is
running over or its running out, we are the decider!
2 Kings 7:3-4 MSG
3-4 It happened that four lepers were sitting just outside the city gate. They said to one another, “What are we doing sitting here at death’s door? If we enter the famine-struck city we’ll die; if we stay here we’ll die. So let’s take our chances in the camp of Aram and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us we’ll live, if they kill us we’ll die. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
God is bigger then that, God is bigger than any of life's circumstances, no matter what they are! Amen?
If I'm faced with a life threatening situation, I'm going to choose to believe God's Word! His word says I shall live and not die! His word says by Jesus stripes I have been healed!
Joshua 24:15 MSG
15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”
Whether it's your own thinking, your circumstance, the pain in your body,
your doctor, your family, or your friends. All those things are distractions and
take your focus off of what God can and wants to do in your life.
Joshua was telling them you can believe what you want, but as for me
and my house I'm going to believe God!
He was saying, It may not look like things are working out right now, but I'm going to believe God anyways! If we’re waiting on a door to swing open, what God is saying He wants us to praise Him in the hallway until it opens!
Are you hearing this with your heart? Because your ears will want to always say no, only your heart established by the promise of Gods grace will say yes!
Positive thoughts, bring about positive results!
Negative thoughts, bring about negative results.
What kind of results are you looking for in your life?
If your expecting positive results, when a deliverance word comes your way you should receive and believe that Word with Amen...not “You expect us to believe that? Trapdoors opening in the sky and food tumbling out?”
TBS. Be cheerful no matter what happens. Thing is...”You can either focus on the problems in life, or you can focus on the problem solver!”
The question is: do you want more problems, or do you want more blessings?
Everyone wants more Blessings in life, for their prayers to be answered, for their needs to be met.
And you say, if I had more blessings and all my prayers answered, I would definitely be more happy, that would give me something to smile about.
Would that do it for you? If your a Christian, then you already have access to the abundant life God has promised you. Are you participating by walking in and declaring you have what God promises each and everyday?
God is continually ready to do His part, the question is are you doing your part?
TBS. to pray, or to praise Him all the time; to thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
If your living and constantly worried about what’s happening, or not happening
in your life, Because you think its something that you can control yourself.
As long as you make about what you are capable of on your own! I‘ve got news for you and its not good, you never will experience all that God has for you!
Sometimes when you're the one going through it...
you got to shake yourself and get a hold of the situation and realize!
Is what your doing..is that working out for you?
That's what the lepers did, they may not have done the right thing, but at least they were willing to do something.
2 Kings 7-9 MSG
5-8 So after the sun went down they got up and went to the camp of Aram. When they got to the edge of the camp, surprise! Not a man in the camp! The Master had made the army of Aram hear the sound of horses and a mighty army on the march. They told one another, “The king of Israel hired the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Egypt to attack us!” Panicked, they ran for their lives through the darkness, babandoning tents, horses, donkeys—the whole camp just as it was—running for dear life. These four lepers entered the camp and went into a tent. First they ate and drank. Then they grabbed silver, gold, and clothing, and went off and hid it. They came back, entered another tent, and looted it, again hiding their plunder.
9 Finally they said to one another, “We shouldn’t be doing this! This is a day of good news and we’re making it into a private party! If we wait around until morning we’ll get caught and punished. Come on! Let’s go tell the news to the king’s palace!”
When you find yourself in the place of God's abundance and blessing, you should know with confidence...there's always more than enough to share! Human nature will tell you to get your portion, but God's Word Declares there's an abundance of enough for everyone who is willing to believe and receive!
Thing is, everyone is not always willing to!
2 Kings 7:10-12 MSG
10 So they went and called out at the city gate, telling what had happened: “We went to the camp of Aram and, surprise!—the place was deserted. Not a soul, not a sound! Horses and donkeys left tethered and tents abandoned just as they were.”
11-12 The gatekeepers got the word to the royal palace, giving them the whole story. Roused in the middle of the night, the king told his servants, “Let me tell you what Aram has done. They knew that we were starving, so they left camp and have hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we’ll capture them alive and take the city.’”
Fear will keep you from doing a mountain of things, God's Word has promised and declared all things are possible to him who is willing to believe!
Even with four first account witnesses, the King still was trusting and believing with his head, instead of his heart.
He knew God was a God of anything Possible, but like all of us even still today, he couldn't believe God had done the impossible for him and his people!
2 Kings 7:13-15 MSG
One of his advisors answered, “Let some men go and take five of the horses left behind. The worst that can happen is no worse than what could happen to the whole city. Let’s send them and find out what’s happened.”
14 They took two chariots with horses. The king sent them after the army of Aram with the orders, “Scout them out; find out what happened.”
15 They went after them all the way to the Jordan. The whole way was strewn with clothes and equipment that Aram had dumped in their panicked flight. The scouts came back and reported to the king.
(King your not going to believe it, but it's just as the lepers said. It's all there for the taking, the opposing army has fled from their camp and theres not a soul to be found.)
2 Kings 7:16-20 MSG
16 The people then looted the camp of Aram. Food prices dropped overnight—a handful of meal for a shekel; two handfuls of grain for a shekel—God’s word to the letter!
17 The king ordered his attendant, the one he leaned on for support, to be in charge of the city gate. The people, turned into a mob, poured through the gate, trampling him to death. It was exactly what the Holy Man had said when the king had come to see him.
18-20 Every word of the Holy Man to the king—“A handful of meal for a shekel, two handfuls of grain for a shekel this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria,” with the attendant’s sarcastic reply to the Holy Man, “You expect us to believe that? Trapdoors opening in the sky and food tumbling out?” followed by the response, “You’ll watch it with your own eyes, but you won’t eat so much as a mouthful”—proved true. The final stroke came when the people trampled the man to death at the city gate.
When God goes to the trouble and tells you He's going to do something, don't be like the attendant and declare your unbelief!
Receive that word, stand on that word, hold fast to that word and above all else, believe that Word!
For in that Word, your deliverance awaits and holds the key to your miracle! Amen
Hebrews 11:5-6 MSG
5-6 By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. “They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.” We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken “he pleased God.” It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.
That means, no matter what you are facing today, no matter what’s going on in the world around you. Those things are de-leters, and they all need to be deleted!
*no matter What your friends think,
*no matter what the media says,
*no matter what Your finances are trying to dictate,
*no matter your doctors report is reporting,
*no matter what your family is telling you,
*no matter what your body is saying about your condition,
*all that matters is what God is saying!
Will you always feel like singing a praise song to God?
When you get the news and the challenge you are sitting there facing, is like a mountain parked on your front door step, You probably won’t feel all that much
like singing anything but the blues,
Part of the 23rd Psalm goes like this; yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil!
That means even though you're walking through it...your still walking
*Your moving Through it,
*Your not setting up camp,
*Your not going to build a house there and hook up the cable,
*Every circumstance is temporary, it has a beginning and end!
*When it’s over its over, there are no to be continued episodes with God!
You don't have to wait for everything to be perfect before you decide to celebrate what God is going to do in your life. Because if you do, you never will!
When you don't feel like praising God celebrate His ability anyways, that's when you need to praise Him the most, (repeat)(say again and let the faith in your heart determine your expectation instead of what you’re feeling!)
That's were your heart knowledge comes alive and your faith gets stronger than your problems, when you praise Him in spite of your circumstances, or how you feel, or what your body May be telling you!
Nobody else can touch God for your need, they can’t praise Him enough and they can't go where you need to go....They can't receive what you need either, only you can do it.
TBS. God in habits the praises of His people, there is no closer form of communication than praise and worship! Everyone always looks at Praise and Worship differently when they have a need, bigger than what they are capable of! There is no better way, or time to ask Him to meet your needs, then when you praise Him right in the middle of the fire!
John 16:23-24 MSG.
23-24. "This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I've revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he'll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks!
You see, As long as you think, someone else can fix your problems, it still makes it about what your capable of, instead of what only God can do about your situation.
Say this Declaration....I’m going to Quit letting the accuser determine the amount of faith I have and lay claim to the more than enough measure to give me the victory Im looking for, God has already given and equipped me with to be and live Victoriously!
*Are you ready to confuse the enemy? Let your faith arise!
*Are you ready for a suddenly moment? Stand on your faith!
*Are you ready to take back what the enemy has already stolen and continues to try to steal from you?
Turn off your head knowledge, Believe with your heart and energize your faith!
TBS. God loves you enough to start the work in you and He who started a work in you, will be faithful to complete the work that has been started!!
Praise is putting action behind your faith. In the middle of your situation or tough time,
STOP seeing yourself in the, Whats wrong with you Line!
START seeing yourself in the, everything's great with me line, Praise God!!
STEP out in faith and make a list of who? youre? going? to? invite? to your, “Look what the Lord has Done for me...VICTORY CELEBRATIONS in your future!”
God already provided everything we would ever need, when He sent His Son into this world! Accept, believe and receive what Gods grace and mercy never stops providing for!
*Every trial we face, has been provided for
*Every obstacle we come up against, has been defeated
*Every need that will ever arise, God has abundantly supplied the provision to not only meet, but to exceed that need and share out of the abundance of that need being met with those around us. Needs like healing, mended relationships, heart aches, having children, raising children, prosperity and financial abundance, etc.etc.etc....you name the need big or small, Gods gift of Grace named Jesus already paid the price for your needs and my needs and everybody’s needs to be met and exceeded!
Jesus gave His life and has overcome the world, all we have to do is have the faith to believe that He did, And that He willingly did it for us.
MSG. says it this way
1st John 5:4-5
Every God-begotten person conquers the world's ways. The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world's ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God.
Believe Jesus for your need today,
You have everything He has available to Him, because of the relationship you have with Him, He has qualified you and made you worthy to receive the grace He extends to you!
Receive it, don't let it pass you by,
Receive it, Receive it, Receive what has been given to you,
Let's pray and thank the Lord for the needs that are being met at this very moment!
