09
Feb '18
Don’t Give Hell Your Victory
09
Feb '18
The last thing we want to hear when we’re going through a storm or a battle is that we’re doing something wrong. Sometimes we can fight so hard and be so consumed with the battle that we start to lose perspective, lose hope and get overwhelmed by the struggle.
If you have not said or thought, “God! When is this hell going to end or when is my breakthrough coming,” you’re probably not human. The enemy’s job is to fight humans who have a God promise (1 Peter 5:8). But when we get overwhelmed in a fight for a God promise, God is saying, “Slow down, calm down and repair your faith thoughts.”
Before the children of Israel ever crossed the Jordan to conquer Jericho, God said to Joshua: “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men” (Joshua 6:2). God told them that the victory was already won — and they would receive it by marching in victory! Obedience releases victory — the faith fight is against any thought or lie that rises up against or attacks our hope (Romans 5:5).
The most powerful, destiny determining thing we can do in a God fight is to think like a victor: The battle is already won — (2 Chronicles 20:17). To fight a faith fight right, we have to train emotions and thoughts to walk in agreement with our promise: “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
The first principle of a God fight is that it is not yours, it’s the Lords (2 Chronicles 20:15). Second, the victory is already won — We’re never fighting for victory in Christ, we’re fighting in victory because through faith in Jesus, we have access to God’s grace that not only guarantees our victory but our ability to endure the process in the promise (Romans 5:2, 1 Corinthians 15:57). Third, God’s will. Trust in God’s will decides if we’re fighting in victory or fighting against fatigue and fear — False Evidence Appearing Real. If this is where you are, have been or are trying to help somebody out of, keep reading and feed your soul.
A God fight is for God’s will to be done. Whether it’s a relationship or an argument, a job or a business, a breakthrough or a recovery, we have to remember Christ’s prayer: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). When we’re in a God fight for our promise, our will is and must be surrendered to God’s will. In other words, we have to fight to keep our emotions in check. Surrendering our will is not canceling our desire, it’s knowing that our desire is based on a partial view of God’s plans for our life and God’s will is based on the total view, the destiny view of our life.
How do we know when our will or emotions are not submitted to God’s will? Mainly, by the words that come out of our mouth and the thoughts that dominate our mind. Our mouth and our thoughts tell us what we believe in our heart (Matthew 6:21) — The enemy knows that doubt seeds will not produce a faith harvest (Hebrews 11:6). Half the battle in a God fight is resisting the lies that cause us to emotionally turn on our promise, cancel our hope and forget that, “No matter what, we win” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
The Truth About a God Victory: A God Victory does not have to look like what we thought it would or dreamed about, it has to fulfill God’s will to prosper us and not to harm us (Jeremiah 29:11). They don’t have to come back, we don’t have to have it our way — we have to get what God has for us — that’s the victory (1 John 5:3-4). Without submitting our thoughts, expectations, desires and even our patience to God’s will, the enemy knows we have lost confidence in God’s word and our emotions are in control. Submitted emotions are confident that: “…In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Peace in a God fight is not the absence of work, resistance or struggle beloved — it’s confidence in the fact that the work, resistance and struggle is working together in our favor. Peace comes from confidence in victory — the more confident we are, the more peace we have. The more peace we have in a God fight, the more powerful our thoughts are, the better we fight and the better we sleep (Romans 5:1-5). There is no way to learn how to walk in victory, resist hell and to develop fearless faith except by experience. We don’t meet grace when we read about it, we meet grace when we fight about it.
We might get hit but No weapon formed against us will ever prosper! No mountain, no breakthrough and no challenge can defeat us when we put worship in our work (Spirit and Truth), faith in our fight (Confidence in God’s will), and victory in our heart (It’s already won).
Don’t give hell your victory! Faith Right, Speak Right, Fight Right and watch God work this together for your good (Matthew 19:26)!
Share and be blessed.
Pastor Patrick
Join me at Faithhill Church this Sunday, Feb. 11th, for the start of the powerful sermon series, “Declare Your Victory.” Real Talk for Real People for Real Power. Don’t miss it.
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02
Feb '18
God Favors You
02
Feb '18
Walk in your favor! We’re not waiting on God, we’re waiting in Gods favor — “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12). This is the shift, this is the power that changes the outlook!
No matter what you’re going through, no matter what it looks like, favor has you protected. The enemy is after your perspective, the enemy wants you to believe that he’s winning but the favor of God already blocked it!
We can’t see favor but favor can see us. We don’t have to see favor in order to know that favor will do what God said it would do. If God said it, that settles it: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).
When all hell is breaking loose, when we feel like God’s forgotten about us, we have to shift out of our feelings and shift into favor: “Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deuteronomy 7:9, Hebrews 11:6). Favor is not a maybe, favor is your DIVINE promise that no matter what the enemy tries, you are protected, your family is protected, your peace is protected, your potential is protected!
What am I saying? It’s time for a mind shift — We’re not waiting on favor, we’re waiting in favor! You’re not waiting on a promise, you’re waiting in promise. You’re not waiting on a blessing, you are already blessed and highly favored. Don’t let what you see, what you feel or what happened turn your heart against the favor of God. Favor does not put anything you need for your destiny in your history.
Favor says, they didn’t leave you, God removed them. Favor says, you didn’t lose, you were protected from winning what you didn’t need. Favor says, it’s not over, God is working all things together for your good! Favor says, I might have been hit or hurt but I’m unstoppable. Favor says even though it looks impossible, confidence in God turns the impossible into possible (Matthew 19:26)!
Rise up. Put on the mind of favor. When you walk in a favor mindset, you walk in the abundance of God, the wisdom of God, the power of God overflowing (2 Corinthians 9:8). In other words, if God’s favor be for you, then who or what can be against you? (Romans 8:31). Speak it, walk in it and tell the problem that you are blessed and highly favored!
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02
Jan '18
Hurt Hurts Real People
02
Jan '18
Have you or somebody you know been hurt or emotionally injured? If you haven’t, or you don’t know anyone who has, you’re one of the few. Many of us go through stuff, we get hit, life and people knock us down, and yes even Christians get overwhelmed.
A big part of our faith walk is learning how to deal with hurt. It is the most impactful, most difficult and one of the biggest challenges to our faith. Nobody is immune, pain does not have a respect of person and no amount of faith can prevent hurt (Matthew 5:45). This is perhaps why we just need to get this out on the table — in case there is any confusion: Hurt is called hurt because it hurts.
Despite the false claims that Christians have a magic hurt pill, the bible does not tell us that we are immune to hurt (2 Corinthians 4:17). All we have to do is go to the bible and God will show us that to hurt is human. The bible tells us that even the Holy Spirit Grieves (Ephesians 4:30), Jesus wept (John 11:33-36), Elijah, God’s world wind prophet, was so emotionally distraught that he asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4).
If we keep living, hurt will come down our street. We expected the right thing from the wrong person. We didn’t get what we wanted or we are seemingly being denied, hindered or blocked from what we need. They mistreated our love, our kindness or our goodness. They walked out without trying, without giving God a chance. They fired us without notice, without reason. If it wasn’t for bad breaks, it seems like you wouldn’t have any breaks at all. Life is piling up problems, breaks between the hell seem to be getting shorter. The kids are out of control, communication is breaking down with a spouse and the picture of family you hoped for seems impossible. We were not ready or prepared to lose a loved one.
What am I saying? It’s OK to have a breakdown but your destiny is too important to unpack and stay there. The beginning of healing from anything is truth. It’s not easy but following truth is the only way out of pain (Proverbs 4:7). Pain without truth is like a prison without a door.
But Pastor you just don’t understand. No, being a pastor, a minister, a volunteer or anything else does not make us immune to hurt of any kind. Gifts, ministries, talents or assignments don’t stop hurt. Humans hurt regardless of who they are or what they do. We don’t know what the Apostle Paul’s thorn was but we do know it hurt — and it hurt bad (1 Corinthians 12:7-9).
In our darkest hour, in our despair or distress, that’s when faith meets the road. That’s when, like the Apostle Paul, we meet grace. We don’t meet grace when we read about it, we meet grace when we cannot do anything about it — and we invite God to step in. Our emotions will war against our spiritual truth, and our weeping will endure for as long as emotions are winning (Romans 7:23).
Find your praise. Sometimes we have to start praising God before we feel better. Sometimes we have to stand in victory, talk like victors and expect like victors before we can see victory. Sometimes we have to commit our weakness to God and trade our weakness for His strength (Psalm 18:2). Walking out of pain is an inside job — pain does not stop because the problem is reversed, pain stops when we reverse the lies of the enemy: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
We need you to survive. We need you to recover and be restored. This is a chapter, a season, not a lifetime and we all need to see what God is going to do when you trust in Him to work all things together for your good. We need you to believe, your hope is light for us — if He did for you, He will do it for us (Revelations 12:11). Your breakthrough is going to break somebody out.
No matter what, if you don’t give up on you, your potential, your power or your promise, you win! If you let it, pain will grow you into the next version of you. Cry if you have to, seek help if you need to, pray and walk. If you keep truth in your heart, you’re going to find out that you can walk with your heart in pieces and still be in peace. Look in the mirror with the hope of Jesus in your heart and keep reminding yourself that your destiny is worth it!
Be blessed.
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