Psalm 27:13 " I would have lost heart unless I had believed....wait on the Lord; Be of good courage and He will strengthen your heart." (NKJV)
At 211 degrees water is just hot. At 212 degrees it boils and as it boils it produces steam which can power a locomotive (train)!!!!
1 degree separates unrealized potential from exponential advance!!
Two differences in the Bible: One is to stand and another to wait on Him.
To stand before God is to stand...period...do nothing but be in His presence, bask in His Glory, be refreshed by His Spirit.
To wait on Him is different. Wait (Hebrew) qavah: wait for, expect, or hope. This appears 50 times in the Bible. It is an active expectation!!! It is knowing that God will meet your need as you walk in His truth.
To wait on God is to move that 1 degree where most people would have given up!!!
"Many of life's failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up!!!" (Thomas Edison) And the Great Military Commander Patton said in a speech, " Don't give up, don't ever, ever,ever, ever give up!!"
Saul in I Samuel 13:7-15 could not wait on God and the Kingdom was stripped from Him
Abraham in Genesis 16 could not wait on God and he birthed an Ishmael ( we'll talk about that later)
And the disciples could not wait on God for one hour and they all fled or denied Him
3 men who could go that extra degree were:
David: He was anointed King 3 times until he finally stayed on the Throne but all the while he continually pursued God's heart
Joshua: Though he lost the battle at Ai he pushed through failure got rid of what was holding him down and lived a life of back to back to back victories in the promised land.
The Disciples: though they ran away from Jesus in the Garden they were all instrumental in establishing the church and all but one gave their lives for the cause.
The difference many times between 211 degrees and 212 is the difference between complacent belief or passionate conviction. Passion, determination, persistance or stubborness are all character traits that a believer must posess in the face of obstacles and adversity. We must be able to say with full conviction "I know in whom I have believed"!!!!! We must PUSH!!!!!!!
God will meet you at the point where the enemy is trying to resist you!!! Just wait on God be in expectation of Him to find you and strengthen you to take that extra step of faith; to move that extra degree into exponential advance for Him and in Him!!!
Persevere 212 degrees!!!!!!!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
the Faith of the shunammite woman
Thursday night at Next Level was a special night. We continued on our message of Perseverance and studied the life of a Shunammite woman. Be blessed!!
The Faith of the Shunammite woman
II Kings 4: 8-37
If there were a fire in your house and you could only take out one item, which would it be? The same question could be asked; “ When a pressure situation arises, which of your beliefs will you hold on to and which ones you will abandon?
The story of the shunammite woman is a story of a woman who had to make choices. And the choices she made are the same choices we have to make when life hits us.
God gave this woman a son – this can represent in our life, a dream, a vision, a plan, a future.
Because we serve the God of more than enough He will always bless us above what we expect or could ask.
Many times the dreams that the Lord gives us seam out of our reach but because it was the Lord that gave it to us we will be unwavering in our faith and determined in our spirit to grasp that dream.
It was not immediate when the boy got sick. Some time had passed. Everything was doing fine, everything was going according to plan. And then the dream of God begins to die.
It isn’t until you are in a time of crises when your true beliefs come out. It isn’t until you are in trouble that you really know in who you believe in. Who do you call first??? Who do you go to first??? Do you pray?? Or do you just freak out??
The shunammite woman held on as long as she could and when she could do nothing else and all seemed like it was lost she laid her promise down on the place she first received it!!! vs.21
When tough times come remember the words spoken over your life!! Remember the places where God touched you. Go back and revisit the place of the birth of your vision. vs.21
God always reminded people that He was the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. What he was saying was don’t ever forget about my promises; “if I said it, it WILL come to pass no matter how bad the situation may look.
Vs 23. she could care less of religious legalities and took hold of God’s Grace and believed that He could bring her boy back
The next thing she did was share her story with the right person; she went straight to Elisha!!
Don’t waste your time telling everyone about your issues. After God, confide in the least amount of people as necessary.
She went to the one who had all the right answers and she accepted nothing less.
When you get to the point of “bitter distress” it makes you perseverant and determined to get what you need!!! (Remember Hannah's "Bitter" prayer ?? )
Elijah sent his servant 7 times to see the fulfillment of the promise, Elisha sent his once and then because of the determination of the woman the boy came back to life just like God can revive your dream.
Persevere!!!!!!
The Faith of the Shunammite woman
II Kings 4: 8-37
If there were a fire in your house and you could only take out one item, which would it be? The same question could be asked; “ When a pressure situation arises, which of your beliefs will you hold on to and which ones you will abandon?
The story of the shunammite woman is a story of a woman who had to make choices. And the choices she made are the same choices we have to make when life hits us.
God gave this woman a son – this can represent in our life, a dream, a vision, a plan, a future.
Because we serve the God of more than enough He will always bless us above what we expect or could ask.
Many times the dreams that the Lord gives us seam out of our reach but because it was the Lord that gave it to us we will be unwavering in our faith and determined in our spirit to grasp that dream.
It was not immediate when the boy got sick. Some time had passed. Everything was doing fine, everything was going according to plan. And then the dream of God begins to die.
It isn’t until you are in a time of crises when your true beliefs come out. It isn’t until you are in trouble that you really know in who you believe in. Who do you call first??? Who do you go to first??? Do you pray?? Or do you just freak out??
The shunammite woman held on as long as she could and when she could do nothing else and all seemed like it was lost she laid her promise down on the place she first received it!!! vs.21
When tough times come remember the words spoken over your life!! Remember the places where God touched you. Go back and revisit the place of the birth of your vision. vs.21
God always reminded people that He was the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. What he was saying was don’t ever forget about my promises; “if I said it, it WILL come to pass no matter how bad the situation may look.
Vs 23. she could care less of religious legalities and took hold of God’s Grace and believed that He could bring her boy back
The next thing she did was share her story with the right person; she went straight to Elisha!!
Don’t waste your time telling everyone about your issues. After God, confide in the least amount of people as necessary.
She went to the one who had all the right answers and she accepted nothing less.
When you get to the point of “bitter distress” it makes you perseverant and determined to get what you need!!! (Remember Hannah's "Bitter" prayer ?? )
Elijah sent his servant 7 times to see the fulfillment of the promise, Elisha sent his once and then because of the determination of the woman the boy came back to life just like God can revive your dream.
Persevere!!!!!!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Perseverance
Perseverance
HEBREWS 10:39
Perseverance: Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state... in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.
Associated with the word Tenacity: original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, a dogged determined holding on.
You will only fall as far as your REAL beliefs will allow you.
Perseverance does not have to do so much with how long you can last but how much you really believe the principles and values that you say define you.
Two times in the book of Mathew Jesus said “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mathew 10:22; 24:13)
Paul said in two different places “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24) and then he said near the end of his life in (II Timothy 4:7) “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Job said in the midst of anyone’s nightmare “though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”
And what we are talking about doesn’t necessarily have to do with going through hard times, but what is driving and building us up day after day.
Perseverance will always ask the question: “how much do you really believe what you say you believe??”
One man who had plenty of chances to ask that question was Joseph, a seventeen-year-old kid with a destiny to rule.
Genesis 37:5 “Joseph had a dream”
It all started with this dream.
With the birth of this dream came the birth of problems with Joseph:
Hated by his brothers, Separated from his family, betrayed by people who were supposed to love him, left to die, sold into slavery, framed for making the right choice, thrown in jail wrongly, betrayed by people he helped, and spent 18 years in this situation until he got called into Pharaoh’s service.
You see, from the day that you are born, values, morals, belief systems, and different points of view are inserted in your life; shaping and forming your character and personality.
Perseverance begins with accessing and taking inventory of what you have inside before life hits you outside.
In this inventory process you will divorce yourself of incorrect mindsets and inaccurate notions of yourself
From Genesis 37 till 50 Joshua had heard from others and he knew and acknowledges to himself that He served the one true God.
In the midst of every situation he knew he served the one true God.
If you believe in God, His truths will be lived out in you.
Perseverance asked the question “ If you Truly believe then…”
This question is asked during hard times, temptation times, confusing times, good times, sad times, etc……
I know in whom I have believed……..(II Timothy 1:12)
Pressed but not crushed…..persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed…….. (II Corinthians 4:8)
Jesus was tempted in all things in every way…….(Hebrews)
ALL things are working together for Good
Hebrews 10:39 " But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved!!!"
PERSEVERE!!!!!
HEBREWS 10:39
Perseverance: Steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state... in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.
Associated with the word Tenacity: original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, a dogged determined holding on.
You will only fall as far as your REAL beliefs will allow you.
Perseverance does not have to do so much with how long you can last but how much you really believe the principles and values that you say define you.
Two times in the book of Mathew Jesus said “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Mathew 10:22; 24:13)
Paul said in two different places “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the Gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24) and then he said near the end of his life in (II Timothy 4:7) “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Job said in the midst of anyone’s nightmare “though He slay me, yet will I hope in Him.”
And what we are talking about doesn’t necessarily have to do with going through hard times, but what is driving and building us up day after day.
Perseverance will always ask the question: “how much do you really believe what you say you believe??”
One man who had plenty of chances to ask that question was Joseph, a seventeen-year-old kid with a destiny to rule.
Genesis 37:5 “Joseph had a dream”
It all started with this dream.
With the birth of this dream came the birth of problems with Joseph:
Hated by his brothers, Separated from his family, betrayed by people who were supposed to love him, left to die, sold into slavery, framed for making the right choice, thrown in jail wrongly, betrayed by people he helped, and spent 18 years in this situation until he got called into Pharaoh’s service.
You see, from the day that you are born, values, morals, belief systems, and different points of view are inserted in your life; shaping and forming your character and personality.
Perseverance begins with accessing and taking inventory of what you have inside before life hits you outside.
In this inventory process you will divorce yourself of incorrect mindsets and inaccurate notions of yourself
From Genesis 37 till 50 Joshua had heard from others and he knew and acknowledges to himself that He served the one true God.
In the midst of every situation he knew he served the one true God.
If you believe in God, His truths will be lived out in you.
Perseverance asked the question “ If you Truly believe then…”
This question is asked during hard times, temptation times, confusing times, good times, sad times, etc……
I know in whom I have believed……..(II Timothy 1:12)
Pressed but not crushed…..persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed…….. (II Corinthians 4:8)
Jesus was tempted in all things in every way…….(Hebrews)
ALL things are working together for Good
Hebrews 10:39 " But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved!!!"
PERSEVERE!!!!!
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