Well Good Morning Church! Thank you for joining us here today!
There is nothing like a nice glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. For others, it is jumping into a cold pool. There are many things that can refresh us: for some it is laughing, while for others singing, and yet others get refreshed by working hard.
While being refreshed in a natural way is sure helpful and positive in our lives. It is when we are refreshed spiritually that can make such a big difference. It is when we are refreshed that were are invigorated to go back out into the world and accomplish the will of the Lord in our lives.
To be refreshed is to enjoy a right relationship with our heavenly Father. This morning we are going to talk about ways to be spiritually refreshed and the results of being refreshed.
I. Ways to be spiritual refreshed
A. Season of prayer/fasting
a. As a church, we just completed a week of prayer and fasting. I want to thank all those that were able to come out and participate. Every night brought a different prayer focus point. Last night, the deacon board lead the meeting and the prayer focus was for the pastor and for our church health
b. Personally, this past week was very difficult as I have not been feeling well.
c. I am happy to report to you this morning, that I am feeling better, I am feeling spiritual refreshed.
B. Renew your mind
a. Another way to be spiritually refreshed is to renew your mind.
b. I love what the book of Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) says: (12 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
c. It is our reasonable service as Christ followers to have a single minded devotion to please our Creator
d. We do this through separating ourselves from the world and living a holy life.
e. To be spiritually refreshed, we start with the renewal of our mind.
i. Our minds have been polluted with the worlds thinking and ideology. Therefore, we need to renew our mind. Get rid of the pollution of sin and darkness.
ii. Get rid of our stinking thinking and replace it with Godly thinking.
iii. It is when we align our thinking with God’s thinking that we will begin to see a transformation. We will begin to experience a spiritually refreshing.
C. Get alone with God
a. Spend some time along with God. As we study the bible, we see that many times throughout Jesus ministry that He would go away into the wilderness and pray. He would go away and spend some quality time with His Heavenly Father.
b. We too need to spend time with the Lord. Maybe this means you taking some time just sitting in a rocking chair and praying. Maybe it is going for a hike in Navarino trails.
c. The quality time that we spend with God is always going to be the best time.
D. Quite your heart/life
a. Speaking of spending time with the Lord. In order to do this we will need to quite our heart and our life. The bible says in Psalm 46:10(NKJV) 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
b. Taking time to be still is harder today than during any other time period. There is so much that cries for our attention in our fast paced world.
c. Let me encourage you to be intentional to take time to turn off life’s noises and to tune into the Lord.
E. Worshipping
a. When we spend time worshiping the Lord, we will begin to a spiritual renewal. Worship is a clear and direct path to the Lord.
b. The Lord loves it when we worship Him! The bible says in Psalm 100:4(NKJV) 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
c. When we worship the Lord, we are showing Him our gratitude, we are showing our thankfulness.
d. Let me say this, it a wonderful privilege to enter into the presence of the King of King and Lord of Lords! We do this through worshiping Him!
F. Serving the Lord
a. We are refreshed when we serve the Lord. When we give our lives to service for the King, our lives our tremendously enriched.
b. It is such a wonderful feeling that when we hear from the Lord and then obediently follow His voice.
c. There is no greater satisfaction on this side of heaven that we have than doing God’s will in our lives. None!
II. Result of refreshment
A. Refreshed to share with others
a. Once we are spiritually refreshed, we are able to then go out and tell others about the good news. The bible says in Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
b. We receive the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives so we can be witnesses for the Lord. That is the entire purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit.
c. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to be a powerful witness.
B. Spiritual growth
a. When you are spiritually refreshed, it will be evident as there will be a spiritual growth that takes place.
b. Spiritual growth takes time, and it takes a level of consistency on our part. The more consistent we are with our walk with the Lord, the more we will grow.
c. When I was a kid, I played with a yo-yo. It was a cool game. There are some that take their Christian experience like a yo-yo. Going up and down all the time.
d. Let us get off that yo-yo spiritual walk, and get on the solid ground that Jesus has for our lives.
C. Restoration take place
a. Being spiritually refreshed, we will experience the Lord to begin to restore things in our lives.
b. This restoration may be in the form of a financial blessing.
c. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery and lost everything. His father thought that he was dead. This sounds really horrible, yet God was at work.
d. When Joseph brothers were confronted. The account is in Genesis 50: 20 which says: Genesis 50:20(NKJV) 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.
e. In others words, God was working behind the scenes but using this situation to bring restoration.
f. The bible further says in Romans 8:28(NKJV) 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
D. God favor on your life
a. Upon receiving this spiritual refreshment, you will begin to enjoy Gods favor on your life.
b. Psalm 5:12(NKJV) 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
c. Psalm 30:5 (NKJV) 5 For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.
d. When you enjoy God’s favor, you will also enjoy favor with man.
E. Greater anointing
a. The anointing on our lives is a powerful weapon against the enemy. You cannot fake the anointing, you cannot manufacturer the anointing. Rather it is a gift that God gives.
b. Isaiah 10:27 (NKJV) 27 It shall come to pass in that day
That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.
c. The anointing is powerful! It breaks demonic oppression in peoples lives. It breaks the affliction of the enemy!
d. It is Jesus that gives us this powerful weapon! May you seek Him for a greater anointing. One that will be used to free those that oppressed by the enemy.
Closing:
There are many here this morning that have been fasting and come out for our special prayer times. These that have participated have experienced a spiritually revival, a refreshing in the Lord. I know that I have. As we close today, let me say that it is vital that we have a spiritual awaking not only as individual but as a church body. This awaking does not just happen over the span of a week, but rather over the span of a lifetime.
Maybe you find yourself in a place where you feel spiritually drained, or maybe you have lost the passion that you once had for the Lord. Take some time to be spiritually refreshed. Take time in God’s Word, take some time to spend with God alone, take some time to worship your Creator. The time that you spend with God, is time well spent. I look forward to the greater anointing that the Lord has not only for us individually, but as a church. We are going to need a powerful anointing to reach our community with the good news of Jesus Christ.
