Making Decisions Against Yourself—Faith Verses Fear.
Hebrews 11:1-2TPT
When it comes down to what’s holding you back it quite possibly could be, fear.
Fear is this, Fear is letting your circumstances come between you and God.
However, Faith is letting God get between you and your circumstances.
Faith is simply ‘ones’ belief system. You either have a measure of faith, or you don’t. No grey zones.
This I believe, If ‘one’ doesn’t believe that God is completely sovereign, he or she has a tuff road ahead.
Sovereign, is an adjective that means that one has supreme power or sovereignty. It can also be used as a noun to denote a supreme ruler.
In God’s case it means both! He’s supreme in power, and supreme in rule.
A special note—If someone ask the question, “Tell me about yourself?” It would be appropriate for you to tell them you’re an Ambassador to the Highest King.
This isn’t our text but hear, Hebrews 11:6TPT And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him.
Faith produces the benefits of passionately seeking him. According to Hebrews 11:6,
Jesus rewards faith!
Several years ago, I went to hear Doctor Jack Hayford in Atlanta at the Tabernacle. The theme of this event was based on Our Pentecostal roots.
In his late 80’s, Pastor Hayford stated he wanted to share his secret sauce. And then he said, “It’s so simple, but yet profound: Make Decisions against yourself.”
Begin to tell yourself no. How will that make me feel after I eat it? What if I say yes to study and devotion and put off pleasure of some sort?
Dr. Hayford gave many examples in his life that day, but one stood out to me, and that was his love for chocolate. He said he loved it so much that he made a commitment to never eat it again,
Hebrews 11:1-2TPT Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. 2 This testimony of faith is what previous generations were commended for.
Going into 2022, We all need a faith tuneup. Faith has a lot to do with believing without seeing. Faith does its homework. Faith has knowledge and testifies over and over again,“If I can visualize it, it can be believed for.”
However, if you can, write it down, call it out, say it, draw it.
The question could be asked, “How bad do you want it?”
Most want success without sacrifice, but life doesn’t work that way. Success will not be short changed. You have to pay the price, and it never goes on sale.
Genesis 11:31-32NKJV And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. 32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
Matthew Henry writes, Many reach Haran, and yet fall short of Canaan; they are not far from the kingdom of God, and yet never come thither.
Hear this shepherds voice, If you’re going to Canaan refuse to settle for less. Set your affections, Your mind, Your eyes, and your ears on Canaan.
Colossians 3:1-4TPT Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor, and authority! 2 Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm. 3 Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. 4 And as Christ himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will also be revealed, for you are now one with him in his glory!
John the Beloved writes in, 1 John 3:2NLT Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.
Think about that statement—We shall be like Jesus!
Here’s the faith of Abram—Genesis 12:1NKJV Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family and from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
Stop just for a moment—Why was it important that Abram leave his surroundings? His fathers family worshiped and followed—false gods.
God goes on and tells Abram in—Genesis 12:2-4NKJV I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Abram heard the voice of God and obeyed.
God say’s, or Faith say’s— “I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great. I will curse him who curses you.” And then God states, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
The very next verse, Genesis 12:4…and Abram packed-up and left Haran.
Abram heard the voice of God and responded.
Genesis 15:1NKJV After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
God’s saying, “Just trust Me, and I’ll be your reward!”
Genesis 15:5-6NKJV Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
Say this, “My faith in God, accounts me righteous!” P.H
Again, When Abram believed God, God counted his belief as righteousness. “Nothing has changed, when you believe God over whatever you’re facing, or whatever is facing you, it’s counted as righteousness.”
Paul wrote in, Romans 4:13-22TPT God promised Abraham and his descendants that they would have an heir who would reign over the world. This royal promise was not fulfilled because Abraham kept all the law, but through the righteousness that was transferred by faith. 14 For if keeping the law earns the inheritance, then faith is robbed of its power and the promise becomes useless. 15 For the law provokes punishment, and where no law exists there cannot be a violation of the law.16 The promise depends on faith so that it can be experienced as a grace-gift, and now it extends to all the descendants of Abraham. This promise is not only meant for those who obey the law, but also to those who enter into the faith of Abraham, the father of us all. 17 That’s what the Scripture means when it says: “I have made you the father of many nations.” He is our example and father, for in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. 18 Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word, and as a result he became the father of many nations. God’s declaration over him came to pass: “Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to count!” 19 In spite of being nearly one hundred years old when the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child. 20–21 He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God!22 So now you can see why Abraham’s faith was credited to his account as righteousness before God.
John Flavel, in his book, Keeping the Heart: How to maintain your love for God. The Christian life is simply the process of bringing my sense of self, my identity with a capital “I,” the ego, my swirling internal world of fretful panicky-ness arising out of that gospel deficit, into alignment with the more fundamental truth. The gospel is the invitation to let the heart of Christ calm us into joy, for we’ve already been discovered, included, brought in. We can bring our up and down moral performance into subjection to the settled fixedness of what Jesus feels about us. The question asked, “Why should you be such an enemy to your own peace?”
Romans 5:8NIV But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Again, the best decision you can make for yourself is, making decisions against yourself.
Say no, to your mind, Say no, to your appetite, Say no, to the easy way.
Say yes, to God, Say yes, to faith, Say yes, in your conversations. Say yes, in all your actions. Say yes, to all of God’s promises.
Remember, If it’s too easy, the reward will more than likely be shallow.
You have to discipline yourself to do the right things day in, and day out, weekend and week- out, year in, and year out. P.H
It’s the reaping what you sow lifestyle. If I sow a lot, I’m more than likely going to produce— more…
Paul wrote some powerful words in, 1 Corinthians 6:12AMP Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me].
The little distinction between permissible and beneficial is the difference between good and great. Don't settle for what's permissible.
Q&A What decision against yourself do you need to make?
For example:
If you want to get out of debt, you've got to make decisions against yourself financially.
If you want to get into shape, you've got to make decisions against yourself physically. Join the gym.
If you want to grow spiritually, you got to make decisions against yourself. Try fasting.
I'm sure you've heard the expression, Will— Power. However, for the believer, Will power means, “Not my will, but your will be done.”
Bob Jones is one of the greatest golfers in history and was the first player to win four majors in one year. But Jones was an even better person. He won 13 majors before retiring at the age of 28, but it's the one he lost that set him apart. Jones took a one shot penalty at the 1925 US Open, even though no one else saw him touch his ball with his club. Jones wasn't all together certain he had touch the ball, and rules officials encouraged him not to take the penalty, but Jones assessed the penalty just in case. Jones lost the tournament by one stroke, but he kept his integrity intact.
When tournament officials complemented him for his choice, Jones said, “You might as well praise me for not breaking into banks. There is only one way to play this game.”
He also stated, “Winning the U.S. Open wasn't worth a one stroke penalty on my integrity.”
At the end of the day, Faith in God, will be the only one standing—Faith wins every time!
Hebrew 11:2TM The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Your faith in God should distinguish you!
Benediction.
