Victory Over Stress

Victory Over Stress!

Help, I’m Getting Stressed Out!!!!

(Phil 4:6,7 NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

For the next few weeks I am going to take a diversion from our current Proverbs series. Around this time every year I normally teach on Christmas and then on receiving a vision for the New Year. I am still praying about teaching on vision, but this year, instead of teaching on Christmas, I feel led to teach on handling stress. Christmas time can be a very stressful time, even for believers. In the military, this is the time of the year where we have to put extra effort into making sure that our Soldiers are stable, because historically our suicide rates go up during the holiday season. And to add fuel to the proverbial fire, the economic situation in the United States has caused many to dread the Christmas season, because of what they may or may not be able to purchase for their families. With that in mind, I have been praying about this for a couple of weeks and I feel led to start this series this morning. I normally start new series’ on Monday’s, but I felt strongly that I could not delay this.

We will start our journey towards understanding how to Biblically handle stress with one of our greatest stress-relieving tools: PRAYER! In Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi he teaches them about receiving and walking in the mind of Christ (2:5), about understanding the power we have in Christ (4:13), and the overwhelming joy that we can tap into by the power of the Holy Spirit (3:1 and 4:4). Sandwiched in all of this is Paul’s admonition against worry and for prayer. If we don’t control our impulses to worry, then stress (and getting ‘stressed-out’) is inevitable. Paul’s answer to worry is prayer. I remember when I first came to Christ one of the senior ladies in the church, one who I lovingly called “Mother,” used to say: “Baby, if you are going to pray, then don’t worry. But if you are going to worry, then don’t pray.” Her advice sounds simple, but it is also profound. Why? Because you can’t worry and trust at the same time. Simply put, if you worry it is because you don’t trust God. Paul’s counsel was that we should take advantage of the direct access we have to the Father, in the name of Jesus, and take our issues to the Father in prayer. After we pray, then if we truly believe the Father has heard us and that He is going to manifest His glory, then we have no other option but to trust Him and walk in His peace. If we worry, after we have prayed, then it is an indictment against our faith. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you should take advantage of the direct access you have to the Father, in the name of His Son Jesus, through the vehicle of prayer; and once you do you must then make a decision between trust and worry. If you believe the Father heard you in prayer and you believe He will respond to your faith, then trust is your only answer and you must resist every temptation to worry. But if you do worry, then it means you are not trusting God and if you don’t get into trust quick, you might allow that worry to overtake your mind and heart. Once that happens you will find yourself stressed!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for giving me direct access to You in prayer. I allow my prayer to order my day, instead of allowing my day to order my prayer. I pray, in Jesus’ name, in accordance with Your Word, in faith, not doubting, and You hear and respond to my prayers. I thank You for always hearing me and for manifesting Your glory in my life in mighty ways. I am a believer and not a doubter, so when I pray I leave my prayer session with the confidence that You will respond to my faith. I resist every temptation to worry and I never allow negative stress to get a hold of my mind or my heart. I walk in Your grace, peace, and favor every day of my life. I live in a STRESS-FREE zone! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Peace WITH God & the Peace OF God

(Phil 4:6,7 NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. Yesterday I introduced you to this passage in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi and I started off with emphasizing the importance of prayer. The benefit of having direct access to the King of kings and the Lord of lords cannot be overstated. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection surely paid the penalty for sin and gave us access to eternal life, but it also restored us back to the position Adam originally had in the Garden of Eden, where He was able to literally walk with God and have direct fellowship with him. When Adam had this relationship with the Father there was no inkling of stress, struggle or strain in his world. Adam only knew peace, power, protection, provision, and purpose. Adam’s life, before the fall, was a perfect picture of everything we could ever hope for. But guess what? Jesus’ death gave us access to that type of life. The sad reality is, however, that most of us don’t understand that, so we don’t pursue that type of life – by faith.

The Father wants His children to be settled in the fact that they will make it heaven – once we are covered by the Blood of Jesus, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and called according to His purpose – but He also wants us to enjoy our life in the earth BEFORE we make it there. The Father does not want us to be saved and miserably saved. No, He wants us to have and enjoy life in Him (see John 10:10).

So here we are, just days away from Christmas, and many believers all over the world, are living way beneath the picture I just painted for you in the Garden of Eden, because they have allowed the “cares of this world” to nullify (or choke) the power of the Word of God from operating in their lives (see Mark 4:19). Instead of casting the care over to the Father (see 1st Peter 5:7), they carry that care with them everywhere they go and the weight of the care burdens them down to the point where they can’t enjoy God, themselves, or anyone/anything else. Don’t be a care-carrier, be a care-caster and allow the Father to free you from the overwhelming weight of the cares of this world, through the vehicle of prayer. If you do, then Paul tells us in our text that there is actually a supernatural peace available to us that will baffle any psychologist, psychiatrist, or any other mental health professional.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that once you have ‘peace with God,’ which comes only through accepting Jesus as Lord, then you must subsequently pursue the ‘peace of God,’ which comes only through the vehicle of prayer. Wouldn’t it be a shame to have made peace with God decades ago, only to make it to heaven and realize that you spent most of your life without the peace of God? Without the peace of God you will invariably live your life way below the quality of life the Father desires for you to have. If you don’t have the peace of God today, take a moment to pray and ask the Father for it; and after you do, make the following declaration over your life, out loud, in faith:

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for hearing me in prayer. I have made peace with You by accepting Your Son Jesus as my Lord. And now, I have asked You for Your peace to manifest in my life, because I realize that I need it. Your peace will keep me internally stable, even when everything externally is going haywire. Your peace will enable me to sleep soundly in the midst of the storms of life. Your peace passes anything the world can study or understand. Your peace is supernatural and I declare, by faith, that it operates in my life NOW and it will continue to operate in my life every day I am in the land of the living. Your peace floods my heart and my mind and I am more than ready to face this day! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Peace Pulling Guard Duty

(Phil 4:6,7 NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. We have been dealing with this passage for a couple of days now. We have learned thus far that our Heavenly Father has given us access to directly to Him, through the vehicle of prayer, in the name of His Son Jesus, and that prayer is one of the best ways we have to deal with negative stress. We have also learned that after praying, and worshipping during our prayer time (this is where thanksgiving comes in), that we can actually receive God’s peace. This peace is not the peace that many people think of when they hear the word “peace.” Some people think quiet or silence is peace, but you can be in the quietest place in the world and still not have peace. Others think peace is being solitary in a serene place, but you can be the only person on a beautiful island and still not have peace. Simply put, the peace of God is the peace which God gives. This peace, as Paul states, far exceeds anything that we can understand. This is a peace that is imparted directly from the Father and it is the highest possible form of peace that we can ever experience. It is actually hard for me to describe this peace to those that have never experienced it. But for those that have, you can bear witness, even while you are reading this, that His peace is supernatural. When you have God’s peace flowing through your heart you are NOT moved by negative situation.

The believer, having committed his way to God, walking in according with His Word, and being led of His Spirit, has an inner confidence in the Father that he could never experience anywhere or with anyone else. This is not a confidence in his abilities, plans, or power but rather in God’s; and this confidence (a.k.a. faith) is what produces this peace. Furthermore, Paul tells us that this peace will literally “guard” our heart and our mind. The Greek word used here has a military connotation. It literally means ‘to pull garrison’ or ‘guard-duty’. So not only is this supernatural peace available to us, but when we make our requests known to God, and we cast our cares upon Him, His peace comes in, lifts the burden of the weight of the cares we were previously carrying, and then that same peace dutifully pulls guard duty around our heart and our mind so that we can be free of distressing anxiety. WOW! Isn’t that a picture of the way we should all want to live?

So what does this mean to you today? A few things:

1. The Father wants us to bring our cares and concerns to Him in prayer.

2. Through prayer and His Word the Father gives us insight for living.

3. Once we apply that insight we can have the confidence of knowing that He is walking with us and we with Him.

4. That confidence produces a peace that will lift the weight of every burden.

5. That peace will dutifully pull guard duty around our heart and our mind so that we can live the life the Father desires for us to live – free from distressing anxiety.

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me this truth through Your Word. I now see how You desire for me to deal with stress and I declare, by faith, that I will. I will bring my cares and concerns to You in prayer, I will search the scriptures to see what Your Word says about them, I will apply Your Word to my situations, and I will leave my prayer closet with a high level of confidence that Your will will be manifested in my life. That confidence produces an environment where Your peace is welcome and free. Your peace comes in, floods my heart, flushes out all worry, fear, and doubt, and then that same peace pulls guard duty around my heart and my mind as I seek to live the life that You desire for me to have! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

On the Other Side of the Challenge!

(Gal 6:9 NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. I am sending this message out from Georgia. I was here to celebrate my home church’s (Faith Outreach Christian Life Center) new facility. My heart was made glad as I was finally able to physically walk around a facility that my spiritual father had been talking about for 15 years. The celebration was awesome, the facility was dedicated to the Lord, and now we trust that the Father will us that facility for His glory, where burdens will be removed, yokes destroyed, lives changed, and souls saved! The celebration service was in the afternoon. In the morning the Father had me to preach in South Carolina. The message was entitled, “On the Other Side of the Challenge!” I feel led to share a few of my notes with you this morning.

I would love to be able to tell you that after giving your life to Christ that you would NEVER face another challenge again. But if I did I would be lying. The truth is that life in Christ is not without opposition, believers do face challenges, and we also have to deal with the repercussions of our mistakes (everything is not satan’s fault). Paul is a great example of what can happen when a believer is submitted to God. Through Paul’s cooperation the Father was able to take Paul on four missionary journeys, take the gospel to the Gentiles, preach the gospel when it was unpopular, continue to preach at the risk of imprisonment and punishment, help start churches everywhere he went, and then mentor the pastors he left behind. And if that were not enough, he wrote half the New Testament, so he is still blessing us today as we read what he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By all accounts Paul had an amazing and fulfilling life. However, what we don’t like to point out is the challenges he faced. Paul received 39 lashes, like Jesus did, but Paul received that punishment five times. Three times he was beaten with rods, three times he was shipwrecked, once he was stoned, once he was even bitten by a venomous snake. I am convinced that Paul faced so many challenges because satan was trying to get him to quit preaching, to throw in the towel, to give up on his assignment. Why? Because satan knows that he cannot stop God or what God wants to do in our lives when we are cooperating with the process. In other words, he can’t beat us when we live by faith. However, if he can get us frustrated, irritated, and stressed-out (which is what this series is about), then we will quit and we basically beat ourselves. So with that in mind, let me give you five things to do when you are at the brink of giving up:

1. Brace Yourself: Snap out of it… come to yourself and realize that challenges are part of the process. If you taking the fight to the enemy, he will fight back.

2. Face Yourself: There is a difference between persecution and reaping what you have down. We all make mistakes that cause SETBACKS! If you made a mistake, repent, as God to forgive you, FORGIVE YOURSELF, and move on!

3. Trace Yourself: The same God that saw you through YESTERDAY will see you through TODAY and TOMORROW! Think about ALL the times He has seen you through before!

4. Pace Yourself: Your destiny will not be fulfilled today, this week, this month, or this year. But you can do things today and tomorrow that will take you INCREMENTALLY closer to God’s expected end for your life!

5. Grace Yourself: With two things: (1) God’s Love, (2) God’s vision for your life!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this reminder this morning. I realize that satan will do all that he can to get me to give up and quit. But I declare, by faith, that I will not. I refuse to allow distressing anxiety to overtake me. I deal with negative stress Biblically and I am able to walk as You would have me to walk in the earth daily. When facing challenges I realize that there is a blessing waiting for me on the other side of the challenge, and I declare that I will get there by faith. And when I do, the enemy will be sorry that he challenged me in the first place. What the enemy meant for evil, You Father will turn in around for my good! I declare this by faith, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

The Great Exchange

(Mat 11:28-30 NLT) Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. Christmas is just a few days away and while many are Godly excited about celebrating Jesus’ birth with family and friends, others are weighed down by the traditional requirements society has imposed upon us. But whether you are carrying the weight of the Holiday season, or any other weight, this morning we hear from Jesus as He beckons us to come to Him to make a Great Exchange. Jesus tells us to bring our weariness and heavy burdens to Him so that He can exchange them His rest. Now that is a Great Exchange!

Don’t underestimate the word “rest.” Godly rest is amazing. Learning about this type of rest will be one of the major goals of this series. When we enter into God’s rest we find ourselves free of the distressing anxiety of the world, the weight of ungodly burdens, and the stress, struggle, and strain of ungodly yokes. When we enter in God’s rest we are free, light, at peace, and Godly optimistic about our present and future. God’s rest is awesome and it is available to all of us, but check the language Jesus uses. Who has to initiate the exchange? We do! Who has to bring the weariness and heavy burdens? We do! And then after we bring them, who has to be willing to give them over to God? We do! You would be amazed at how many people I pray with who, while we are praying, the Lord would instruct me to tell them to release the pain, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and weariness they are carrying, so that He can give them His rest right then and there, but they then fail to do so. Why? I believe it is because some people are so used to worrying, murmuring, complaining, and holding on to past wrongs that they have become accustomed to negative attention and they just don’t want to let it go. In other words, some people are so used to living a frustrated life that they either: 1) don’t want to change, or 2) are afraid of the unknown and since they don’t know what life would be like without the turmoil, they simply hold on to what they know. If this is you this morning, please listen to the heart of God and initiate the exchange. He is not going to twist your arm and force you to be blessed, but He does call for you to do so. He actually led me to write this so that you could read and hear His voice in it. Make the exchange today. Believe me, your life will never be the same!

The word “yoke” in the text is a reference to a wooden beam that was used between a pair of oxen to allow them to pull a load or plow a field together. The point was that without the yoke each ox would have to work alone, but with the yoke on the oxen could work together as a team and share the load of the work.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that Jesus is inviting you to yoke up with Him this morning. He is holding out His yoke and offering you a partnership. If you let go of all the stuff you have been yoked up with in the past and exchange those yokes for His yoke, your life will never be the same. If you yoke up with Jesus He will share the load of your life, He will work right along side you, and together you will make an indelible mark in the world, every where you go. Will you take Him up on His offer? Will you make the Great Exchange?

Closing Confession: Father, I have heard from You this morning and I choose to take You up on Your offer. I release the pain, bitterness, resentment, and stress that harboring negative energy from my past has caused and I am ready to make the Great Exchange. I take off all the negatives yokes I have carried in the past and I decide to only put on one yoke, from this day forward, for the rest of my life, and that yoke is Your yoke. I yoke up with You and as I do You partner with me so that I don’t have to attempt to live my life alone. You sharing the load of my life gives me complete confidence that I will be able to maximize my purpose and potential before I die! Let’s go make a difference! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Unwavering Trust!

(Isa 26:3 NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. I hope you enjoyed Christmas and that you have found a way to take a break from the normal hustle and bustle of life. I have and the break has been awesome. I have slept in a few days, took my wife on a nice get-away without the kids, and have just enjoyed my time away from work. Between ministry, the military, and my family, if I am not careful, stress can surely find a way into my life and once it gets in, it can negatively affect every area of my life. Another Biblical way to conquer the negative effects of stress is to take control of your thought life. At the end of the day, you are who you THINK you are. If you see yourself as blessed, you will subconsciously find ways to walk in the blessing. If you see yourself as stressed, you will subconsciously find ways to get stressed out. With that in mind, let’s look at something the prophet Isaiah said about a peace that is available to those who fix and focus their minds on God, because of their underlying trust in Him!

Before we get into it I want you to read this verse from a couple of other translations as well. This will help you get a better understanding of what Isaiah is teaching us. God’s Word translation reads: “With perfect peace you will protect those whose minds cannot be changed, because they trust you.” The Bible in Basic English reads: “The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.” The Hebrew word translated “mind” in this text can refer to the mind itself or to anything that is formed by the mind – its thoughts, imaginations, plans, schemes, etc. Whether Isaiah is referring to the mind or what the mind produces, either way, the message is clear that when our mind (thoughts, plans, ideas, imaginations, etc.) is fixed and focused on God, there is an awesome peace that is made available to us. Now, let’s talk about this peace. While the English translations say “perfect peace,” in Hebrew what is written is actually ‘shalom shalom.’ Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and Isaiah repeats it as he writes this verse. Repeating a word was a Hebrew way of emphasizing a point. This perfect peace, or peace-peace, is a complete sense of wholeness, contentment, and rest that cannot be disturbed or agitated by pressures of life. Why? Because this person completely trusts in His God.

The trust factor is truly the key to this verse and it can easily be overlooked when reading it. Most people focus on the words “mind” and “peace” but only reason why our mind can be fixed and focused on God, undisturbed by the distressing anxieties of life, is because we trust Him. Listen, if you have read Today’s Word for any length of time you know that I teach faith. The just shall live by faith and we cannot please God without it. Faith is absolutely essential to our walk with the Father. We are to express confidence (faith) in God and in His Word. But trust really takes us to another level. We stand in faith when we believe we know what God is going to do, in accordance with what He promised. But there are times when we have no clue what is going on or what God is going to do. On those occasions we better have our trust intact. Without trust we can easily cross over into doubt and once doubt grips our heart it is only a matter of time before we cross over into fear and unbelief.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that you must be able to trust God even when you cannot trace Him (know what He is going to do). Unwavering trust is what opens the door to peace-peace, this perfect peace that cannot be shaken, stirred, or disturbed! Do you trust God today?

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this Word. I want that peace-peace that is available to me and I declare that I will receive it today, because I trust You. I live by faith and I stand on every promise You give me. But when I don’t have a promise to stand on, and I am not at the faith stage, I still trust You. I trust You with my whole heart and my unwavering trust in You is what helps me keep my mind fixed and focused on Your goodness. I close the door to fear, doubt, and unbelief, I walk in faith and trust every day of my life, and I experience the life You desire for me to have! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Get Sweet Sleep!

(Psalm 127:2 KJV) It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

This morning we continue our new series: “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out” where we are looking at Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress. I believe that one of the greatest things you can do to combat negative stress is to get a good night’s rest. The negative effects of sleeplessness are so detrimental that sleep depravation is recognized as one of the worst torture mechanisms that can be levied on a captive. Going without sleep can adversely affect you physically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually; and the sad reality is that most Americans don’t get enough sleep because of their busy schedules and when they finally lay down their sleep is not ‘sweet’. With that in mind, let’s look at five things that can help us, as believers, get better sleep:

1. Establish the Trust Factor and resist worry: We talked about trust yesterday and trust is a key factor in getting good sleep. Why? Because what keeps most people up at night is worry, but you can’t worry and trust at the same time. Either you are going to trust God or you are going to worry, but you can’t do both. Solomon said, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2). Don’t allow worry to feed you a steady diet of sorrowful bread. Trust God and allow Him to give you, as His beloved, sweet sleep. Before you go to sleep, remind the Father of this scripture, tell Him that you trust Him, and ask Him to GIVE you sweet sleep.

2. Get rooted and grounded in Love: When we are completely convinced that the Father loves us, it truly helps us to trust Him, to resist the incapacitating power of fear, and to enter into God’s rest. John said, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1st John 4:18). When you are rooted and grounded in God’s love fear has no power over you. Allow the Father’s love to flood your heart and your mind, and as you do fear will be flushed out.

3. Rest in the fact that God is your protector: If God is IN you, ON you, WITH you, and FOR you, what do you have to be afraid of? David said, “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8). David’s son Solomon said, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Prov 3:24)

Trust that God will protect you and sleep in peace and your sleep with be SWEET.

4. Remember that God is still up: The psalmist said, “Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps” (Psalm 121:4). We know that God never goes to sleep. Now this might sound funny, but there have been times when I, just before going to sleep, would say this to God, “Father, you are up, so there is no need in both of us being up. I am going to sleep.” He is up so that you don’t have to be. GO TO SLEEP!

5. Have fun: If you are miserable all day, then you will more-than-likely be the same at night. Don’t live a miserable life. Enjoy your life in Christ and have FUN! Solomon said, “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22). If you have fun during the day, you will also have fun while you sleep and your sleep will be sweet!

Closing Confession: Father, I establish the trust factor in my life. My unwavering trust in You enables me to resist worry at all costs. I refuse to stay up worrying. I am also rooted and grounded in Your love. Your love enables me to resist every inkling to fear. Your love floods my heart and my mind and as it does, it flushes out all fear. Fear has no power over me and I am convinced that You Father are my protector. You are on me, in me, with me, and for me; I have nothing to be afraid of. You are always up; therefore I don’t need to be. I have fun in You all day and then I go to sleep with a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and Your rest in my spirit. When I sleep my sleep is sweet. I get sleep and rest daily! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Vision for 2011

This will be the last message I send out this year. I pray that you have enjoyed 2010 and that the messages you have received via Today’s Word have been a blessing to you. I also pray that the Father would continue to give me fresh revelation and insight concerning what to write every day, so that both you and I could have a fresh Word every morning to help get our day started off right.

Last Sunday the Father had me to preach a message entitled, “The Why and the Where of Your Life!” The point of the message was basically this: if you can look back and understand why you were born (that’s your God-given purpose) and also be able to look forward and see, through your spiritual eyes, where you are going (that’s your God-given vision), then your why and your where will inform the what of 2011. The following is a portion of my notes, I hope this blesses you as you prepare for 2011:

This is a time when we should:

Take self-inventory for the past year.
1. Have I made any progress?
2. Am I where I thought I would be?
3. Am I where God’s expects me to be?
4. What did I do right?
5. What did I do wrong?

Prepare for the New Year.
1. What does the Father want me to do in 2011?
2. What portions of my destiny will be fulfilled in 2011?
3. c. Do I have the faith to see it?
4. d. Do I have the faith to see myself doing it?
5. e. Do I have the faith to partner with God to make it happen?

(Jer 1:5 MSG) “Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations—that’s what I had in mind for you.”

God told Jeremiah that he had a specific assignment! – the WHY!
This assignment was determined BEFORE he was ever born.
Jeremiah’s job, and all of ours for that matter, is to find this purpose, because if we don’t we will aimlessly wander our way through life.
God’s provision is tied to his purpose. In verses 6-12 we see that God provided Jeremiah everything he needed to fulfill his Godly assignment.
If Jeremiah would have pursued something else, that provision would not have been there.

Dr. Myles Munroe explains it this way:

“If you pursue the wrong assignment, you’re going to need things you can’t get, because the provision isn’t there unless the vision is yours. It’s someone else’s assignment, and he has his own warehouse. Sometimes, people make demands on God that He can’t supply because He can’t give us what doesn’t belong to us. Again, knowing God’s will for your life is the key to your prosperity.”

What do we learn from this?

1. If it’s God’s will, then it’s God’s bill!

God is obligated to provide what you need to fulfill His assignment.

His instruction is equal to His Injection!

God will never instruct you to do something that He has not already injected you with

Understanding Your Purpose frees you to Celebrate others without jealousy.

Don’t hate, celebrate!

(Prov 29:18 AMP) Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]–blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.

Let’s break down Proverbs 29:18:

The word translated vision literally means revelation.
The word translated perish means to loosely stumble.
The word translated keepth means to guard, protect, and take heed to.
The word translated law means the instruction, direction, and teachings of God.
The word translated happy literally means blessed or empowered to prosper.
Read in this light, our texts tells us that, “Those who do not hear from God and receive His revelation, loosely stumble through life, but those who take heed to and protect His instructions, direction and teachings are be blessed and empowered to prosper.” (Piña Version)

A Vision helps you focus your efforts. You can’t do everything!

(1st Cor 6:12 MSG) Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.

Just because you CAN do something, it does not mean that you should. People with vision know what they should do and they focus their efforts therein. People without vision are people that fail to operate in discipline, because they lack the direction to make the right decisions.

Example: Let’s say a woman wanted to lose 20 lbs. this year. How does she establish her base for motivation? She gets a picture – a vision – of herself 20 lbs. lighter. She then keeps that vision before her whenever she is about to eat.

I define discipline as the ability to make the proper decisions that will take you towards a desired end. So, while she is eating, if she keeps the vision before her and she allows the vision to become the ruler by which she makes the decisions on what to and what not to eat, then she would be operating in discipline and she would someday arrive at her expected end.

Now, if she went into Golden Corral and paid $8.95, she would have legal right to ALL the items on the buffet. But just because she CAN eat all the items on the buffet, it does not mean that she should. If she keeps her vision before her and she operates in discipline, she will avoid the wrong foods, eat the right foods, and still remain on course to arrive at her expected end.

In this case, where there is no vision, the FOOD will perishJ!

What does Vision provide?

A ruler by which to judge your decisions.
A guide for the overall direction of your life.
A basis for prayer.

A vision enables you to be focused in your prayer life.
A vision enables you to be focused in your study life.
A vision enables you to know what to pray, to put faith pressure on God to open doors, to bring to pass what you are believing Him for!

Dr. Munroe says, “The primary value of purpose is the translation of vision derived from purpose into a plan of action. Purpose maximizes energy and gives time meaning. Purpose protects you from being busy, but not effective… Purpose that is translated into a vision causes things to happen and people to act. This is true because purpose creates vision, vision produces goals, goals permit the development of a plan and a plan allows for an orderly journey.”

In Closing:

Once you understand the WHY and the WHERE of your life, you can start to lay out the WHAT (what you will do) of 2011.

You are not going to arrive at your final destination in 2011, but there are some things the Father wants you to do in 2011 that will take you incrementally closer to His expected end for your life.

Spend time in prayer between now and the end of January.

Write down whatever the Father gives you in prayer.

STEP OUT in Faith to bring those things to pass!

Revisit the Vision periodically to make sure you are staying on course!

(2nd Timothy 4:7) I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.

Paul never could have said that he finished HIS course if he did not know what it was!

My prayer for you is that you:

1. Find it!
2. Follow it!
3. Finish it –BEFORE YOU DIE!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Taking Your Relationship to the NEXT LEVEL

(Phil 1:21 &Rom 8:18 KJV) For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain… For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

First of all, the customary thing is for me to wish you a Happy New Year, but I am going to do better than just wish you a Happy New Year, I am praying that you experience the best year of your life; and to help, I am called to provide you God’s Word on a daily basis. I gave my life to Christ August 27th, 1995 and if there is anything that I have learned over the past 15 years of walking with the Father is that His Word must be the foundation for our walk. So with that in mind, I ask you to join with me as we journey through the Word this year. The Father had me to start Today’s Word in 1997 with eight of my friends in Texas and here we are, over 13 years later, and it now goes out to over 2,000 people daily, all over the world. The Father has had me teach on many topics and through various series’ over the years. As you know, we are still walking our way through the book of Proverbs. The Proverbs series started over two years ago and it will probably take us into next year before we can get through the entire book. Since this series is so long, the Father periodically takes me on excursions through other mini-series’, like the one we are on right now. This series started out entitled, “Help! I’m getting STRESSED Out – Biblical ways to handle and deal with negative stress.” But over the Christmas break the Father dealt with me about the title and I believe He led me to change it to: “Victory over Stress!” We don’t want to just deal with negative stress, or simply handle it, but rather conquer over it so that it has no dominion or power over us. That’s the type of life the Father desires for us to have.

2010 was a difficult year for many. Personally I experienced some of my greatest challenges in 2010, but I also – by the grace of God – experienced some of my greatest victories! As believers, while we don’t go out looking for challenges, challenges do give us an opportunity to stand in faith, to believe God, to resist satan, and to watch God show-up and show-out in mighty ways on our behalf. The Father never promised us a perpetual picnic, but He did give us His Spirit, His Word, and His power, so that we can come out of every challenge ON TOP! It’s not that believers don’t face challenges, it’s just that we face them in-faith, confidently believing that God’s glory will be manifested through it and that at the end of the day, the enemy will regret that he ever messed with us. It’s almost like if satan knew any better he would leave us alone. The more he messes with us, the greater our testimony. As we prepare for 2011, let’s develop the attitude of Paul. Paul said, “For me, to live IS CHRIST.” What if the enemy said, “Ok Paul, if you for to live is Christ, then I am going to kill you”? Paul would say, “That’s OK. Because for me, to die IS GAIN!” So what if the enemy then said, “Well, then I won’t kill you and I won’t let you live in peace, I will make you suffer”? Paul would say, “That’s OK too, for I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us!” In other words, if you let me live I’ll serve the Lord, if you kill me I’ll go on to glory, and if you make me suffer I will have a bigger crown when I get there! There is NOTHING you can do to stop me from walking with the Father and maximizing His purpose and potential in my life! That’s the type of attitude we need to have as we prepare for 2011.

So what does this mean to you today? Don’t let whatever pain you may have experienced in 2010 keep you from the progress the Father wants you to experience in 2011. Develop the attitude of Paul, thank God for what’s behind you, but focus on what’s before you. 2011 can be the BEST year of your life, if you decide to partner with God, to pursue Him on a greater level, to tune your ear to His voice, and to obey Him AT ALL costs. The Father wants nothing less than ALL of you. Will you give yourself FULLY over to God this year? If so, you will experience Him like never before and whatever challenges you face will pale in comparison to your relationship with the Father! Developing your relationship is the key to unlocking all He has for you!

Closing Confession: Father, I look back and I say, “Thank You” for both the blessings and the challenges. 2010 is behind me and I enter 2011 with a “Forward-Ever, Backward-Never” mentality. I develop the attitude of Paul and I refuse to allow anything or anyone to keep me from growing in You, from doing Your will, and from maximizing my purpose and potential before I die. This year I strive to take my relationship with You to the next level. I will pursue You, not things, with a bulldog-tenacity. I want to know You greater. My heart yearns for greater intimacy with You and to hear Your voice clearer and more frequently. As I experience You on a greater level in 2011, ‘the best year of my life’ will simply be the by-product of our relationship! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Taking Control of Your Thought Life

(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” Most negative stress is caused by worry, which is basically negative meditation. Meditation is powerful. Several times in the Bible the Father has instructed us to meditate on His Word day and night. However, many choose to meditate on negative situations, past failures, and impending challenges. This negative meditation, if not controlled, can lead to depression, and if a believer ever gets to the ‘depressed stage’ he or she poses no threat to the enemy or his kingdom. This is why the enemy seeks to attack us in the arena of our minds. Paul teaches us this morning that we have the ability to literally take thoughts “captive.” Let’s take a closer look at this:

1. We Start off with a thought: Our minds are flooded with thoughts from either (1) ourselves, (2) the adversary, or (3) God. What we must do is decipher and decode the origin of the thoughts before we allow them to become our actions. Every action starts with a thought. One quick way of knowing whether or not a thought came from God is to check it against the Word of God. When a thought is contrary to God’s Word, then it surely did NOT come form God. The Spirit of God will never lead you contrary to the Word of God.

2. Our thoughts create Images (imaginations): We do not think in words, we think in images. When we allow impure or negative thoughts to enter our minds unchallenged, we will soon see the images these thoughts create.

3. If not controlled, those images can create Strongholds: Uncontrolled thoughts create unruly images. Unruly images, if not challenged with the Word of God, create strongholds that are difficult to escape from. In context, the word stronghold was a reference to a fortified city; a city with high and strong walls designed to keep things in and out. A person that is trapped in addictions to pornography, alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, sexual immorality, gossip, and etc. are those who have allowed impure thoughts to create impure images unchallenged and now they find themselves trapped in fortified strongholds – in their own minds. The same can be said of those who allow negative thoughts to flow unchecked. Before they realize it they are trapped behind the walls of distressing anxiety and they can’t seem to find a way out.

Tomorrow we will look at the ‘flip-side’ of this verse, at how we can allow our thought life to literally trap us behind the walls of God’s blessings so that negative thoughts can’t get it.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that what we think about is of the utmost importance. If we give our minds over to the wrong thoughts, those thoughts will create the wrong images, and if unchecked those negative images will create a negative stronghold that will be difficult to get out of. Now, notice I say difficult, but not impossible. All things are possible to us who believe. If this message describes you this morning, then there is hope and that hope is in Christ! Through meditating on God’s Word and through the power of His Spirit you CAN break out of the negative strongholds you have allowed yourself to be trapped in!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for exposing this scheme of the enemy. I master my mind through the power of the Holy Spirit, I take control of every thought, and I examine each thought against Your Word. I apply those thoughts that that line up with Your Word and as I do I will be causing my way to be prosperous. I also cast down every thought that does not line up with Your Word. I will not allow impure thoughts to snare me today, nor any day. You have given me the power to succeed and I am successful in my Mind, my Mouth, and my Methods! I will never be the same. Never be the same. Never be the same. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Taking Control of Your Thought Life (Part II)

(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” Yesterday we discussed how worry is basically negative meditation and how dangerous negative mediation can be. If unchecked, negative thoughts will create negative images and if meditated on long enough the negative images will create a stronghold that will keep you trapped in your own mind. This leads to depression and low self-esteem. Once we get to this stage we pose no threat to the enemy or his kingdom, which is why satan does his best to attack us in our mind. But if this process works in the negative, then it must also work in the positive. Let’s look at the flip side of this:

1. Reprogrammed Thoughts: The Bible teaches that we should meditate on the Word of God day and night (Jos 1:8; Ps 1:1-3). I was 23 yrs. old when I gave my life to Christ. It took 23 years to program my mind the way it was, and believe me (being from Brooklyn) my thought life was not the best. I learned through Bible Study and worship that if I wanted to grow in Christ my mind had to be renewed (Ro 12:1,2) and that it could only happen through the Word of God. I read and studied the Word of God and made myself think about it as I went throughout the day. Slowly but surely, I experienced mental transformation. I was deprogrammed and the reprogrammed through God’s Word. The Greek word Paul uses in Romans 12:2 to explain the “renewing” of the mind is actually the word metamorphosis. This is no small change. A caterpillar, for example, comes out as a butterfly on the other side of the metamorphic process. The butterfly is SO different from the caterpillar that you would have a hard time recognizing it as the same insect. That’s what happened to me and that is what I pray will happen to you. I think differently and therefore I AM a different person (Ps 23:7) and this was no subtle change. Once your mind is reprogrammed towards the things of God you are more open to receive, believe, and walk in His Word. Why? Because you don’t see things the way they are, you see things the way YOU are. Once you are different, then your entire world will be different!

2. Lead to Reprogrammed Images: Once your thought life is reprogrammed then your image life will be as well. We learned yesterday that your thoughts lead to your images (imagination). God starts to show you things in your mind’s eye that you have never seen before. You start to get desires for things you never had desires for. You start seeing yourself successful, peaceful, prosperous, loving, compassionate, kind, etc. In the world, salesmen are taught that they need to ‘see’ themselves closing the deal. In Christ, when you meditate on the Word of God, you will ‘see’ yourself doing things people said you could not do, going placed they said you could not go, and having things they said you could not have. Pure thoughts lead to Righteous Images! This is extremely important because you will rarely receive what you cannot perceive. But once you can SEE it, then it is only a matter of time before it manifests in your life.

For the sake of time I will stop here today. We will pick this up from here tomorrow.

So what does this mean to you today? It means that if you have allowed negative mediation to ensnare you in a negative stronghold, there is HOPE and that HOPE is found in God’s Word. When you gave your life to Christ your spirit was saved instantly, but your soul – which is comprised of your mind (your thinker), emotions (your feeler), and will (your chooser) – must be saved progressively. As you meditate on God’s Word you will begin to see yourself as God sees you and as you do you will begin to release faith for those images to come to pass. Once you start down this road you will find yourself stressing less and enjoying life more!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for blessing me to see myself the way You see me. I meditate Your Word day and night and as I do, Your Word produces Godly images. As I see those images I declare by faith that I will believe them, and operate in faith in order that they may come to pass in my life. My spirit was saved the instant I gave my life to Christ, but my soul is being saved today and every day as I endure the metamorphic process that will produce an entirely new ME for You. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Taking Control of Your Thought Life (Part III)

(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” Yesterday we learned how we can literally be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed through the transforming power of the Word of God. Once we are reprogrammed we will start to think Godly thoughts and those Godly thoughts will produce Godly images – we will see ourselves as successful, peaceful, prosperous, loving, compassionate, kind, etc. Seeing ourselves the way God sees us is extremely important for many reasons, but let me give you two this morning. First, it is important because without seeing yourself the way God sees you, you will find it hard to cooperate with God. Let me explain. When God looks at you He sees you a certain way. Not only does He see you, but He also sees your future; He even sees the legacy you will leave behind (our decisions impact our children and our children’s children). So when He speaks to you and tells you to do something He has taken all of that into consideration. However, if you fail to see yourself the way God sees you (failing to take your future into consideration and only focusing on the mistakes of your past), then you will not have the faith to cooperate with God and your lack of faith will hinder Him from operating in your life. Stated another way, God never speaks to our ‘right now’ stage, He speaks to our ‘to be.’ He wants to stretch us, but if we have a negative self-image we will be so stuck in the past that we won’t be able to see our future, nor strive towards it.

Secondly, it is important because you will never release faith for something you can’t see. If God wants us to live by faith (and He does), and we won’t release faith for something that we cannot ‘see’ (and we won’t), then it stands to reason that He wants us to develop the ability to see (spiritually) the future He desires for us to have. The Father painstakingly took the time to help Abram see himself the way He saw him. We all know that Jehovah’s desire for Abram (aka Abraham) was that He would become a father of many nations and the at the entire earth would be blessed through him. However, Abram was having a hard time seeing himself that way because he met God when he was 75 years old, his wife was 65 years old, and they had never produced any children. Even after walking with Jehovah for many years the relationship was still unproductive. But one night Jehovah took Abram outside and asked him to look at the stars. God asked, “Can you number them?” Of course Abram could not, and God said, “That’s how many children you are going to have.” Then one day God took Abram outside, in the desert, on the sand, and asked Abram to look at the sand. As he was looking the Lord asked, “Can you number the grains of sand?” Of course Abram could not, and God said, “That’s how many children you are going to have.” What was God doing? God was attempting to get Abram to see himself the way he saw him, because once Abram did, once he was able to SEE IT, then he was able to release his faith FOR IT, and then BECOME IT! If it was daytime Abram could look down (at the sand), if it was nighttime he could look up (at the stars), but either way he had the motivation he needed to stretch his self-image to the point where he could believe God!

So what does this mean to you today? It means that if you want to cooperate with God and to live by faith you are going to have to put yourself (God is not going to force you) through the process of mind renewal, so that you can see yourself the way God sees you. Once you do, once you get an image of yourself being what God desires for you to be, then you will have the faith to STEP OUT and do those things required to bring that image to pass! And once you STEP OUT God will back you up!

Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for this Word. I now see the importance of agreeing with Your estimation of me. I declare, by faith, that I develop a self-image that lines up with Your image. I am able to see myself, by faith, the way You see me and I keep that image before me. That image becomes my focal point and I then step out in faith to DO those things that are required of me to produce the image that I see, that came from You. Once I step out in faith, I know You will be there to back me up every step of the way, because You are pleased when I live by faith! I am excited about my future! In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

Taking Control of Your Thought Life (Part IV)

(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” We have been looking at this passage all week. Yesterday we looked at Abram (aka Abraham) as an example of someone who was able to develop an image of what God wanted them to be, and he was then able to release his faith, along with the corresponding action, in order to bring to make the image a reality. This morning we come back to Paul’s teaching and we circle around to the final thought. When I taught you the negative aspect of this verse I explained how negative thoughts create negative images, and if negative images, if unchecked, can create negative strongholds. We looked at all three aspects – thoughts, images, and strongholds – from the negative, but to this point we have only looked at two of the three on the positive side. I have yet to discuss the “stronghold” portion, so we will address it this morning as we close out the week.

If it is true (and it is) that negative thoughts and images can eventually produce a stronghold (walled cities) that will make it difficult for Godly and positive thoughts to make it into the forefront of the arena of our mind, then the opposite must also be true. Pure thoughts and righteous images, over the process of time, will not only lead to Godly actions that will produce Godly results – making our way prosperous so that we can enjoy good success (see Joshua 1:8) – but they will eventually produce a similar situation to the negative stronghold. In other words, if we meditate on the Word long enough we can actually find ourselves living in a walled city, but not a city of sin, stress, and frustration; a city of blessing, peace, and Godly prosperity. Once you get to this stage it will be hard for negative thoughts to penetrate your walls of Godly protection and you will be so convinced of the Godly images you have meditated on that when the enemy attempts to get you to see yourself defeated, you will quickly disregard that image and refocus on God’s image of you. You will walk around with a hedge of protection (Ps 34:7), angels become your walls and blessings become your neighborhood. Who would not want to move to Blessing BLVD? Who would not want to build a house on Prosperous Way? That is God’s desire for our lives. He wants to bless us, keep us, and protect us; but it all starts with US! We must change our ‘Stinking Thinking’ through the Word of God and allow our minds to be reprogrammed, so we can see the changes and the blessings in our lives!

So what does this mean to you today? If you submit to the process of mind renewal, allowing yourself to be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed through the Word of God, you can actually get to the stage where you are SO conditioned to think God’s way that it will be extremely difficult for the enemy to get a hold of your mind with his negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat. This is the stage I pray you desire to get to and I pray that you do. It won’t happen overnight, but if you submit to the process, little-by-little, it WILL happen!

Closing Confession: Father, I now understand that one of the greatest ways of dealing wit negative stress is to deprogram my mind and then reprogram it to line up with Your Word. Once I start to think like you desire for me to think, and those thoughts produce Godly images of success and victory, I will stress less and enjoy life more. I also know that if I live this way long enough my mindset will become so fixed and focused on You that ‘walls’ of protection will be established around my mind and it will be like I am TRAPPED behind walls of blessing, where negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat will have a hard time getting in. I want to arrive that this stage and I declare by faith that I will. Little-by-little my mind will be renewed and I WILL arrive at the place where I am SO conditioned to thinking Your way that it will be second nature for me to operate in faith and it will be strange for me to operate in fear or stress. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

God will ALLOW whatever you ALLOW

(John 14:27 AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” All last week we dealt with taking control of your thought life. A few weeks ago we started off this series by teaching on ‘the peace of God’. What Jesus said in John chapter 14 allows us to connect the two. In chapter 13 Jesus is fully aware that His death is extremely close. With that in mind He starts to prepare the disciples for His departure. Jesus said, “My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won’t find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” It is easy to see how this could disturb the disciples. This is a group of men who walked away from their careers to follow Jesus and they had been following Him for over three years. For three years all they had known was Jesus, His teachings, His ministry, and His actions. His life was their lives, their lives were His life. So it’s easy to see how Jesus’ seemingly sudden departure could cause consternation.

Simon Peter, the one disciple who was never shy and never short on words, asked, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus had tried to explain this before, but the possibility of Jesus’ death and a subsequent resurrection was hard to fathom. Instead of attempting to explain the process Jesus simply answered, “You can’t go with me now, but later on you will.” Peter was not the type of guy who would accept an answer like that easily. Peter questioned back: “Lord, why can’t I go with you now? I would die for you!” The thought of being disconnected from Jesus was obviously causing Peter distressing anxiety. Peter did not want to hear about the possibility of some future reunion; Peter wanted to continue the fellowship he was having with Jesus and I believe it is safe to say that the other disciples felt the same way. I don’t fault them for getting upset, for allowing their hearts to be filled with fear, fret, and doubt. This was a BIG DEAL for them and if they sat around thinking about it they would surely ‘stress-out.’

Jesus perceived what Peter was feeling and I am sure He sensed the same thing in the hearts of the other disciples. So what would Jesus, the King of Glory, say in a situation like this? What answer could the Lord of Lords provide to the stress their were experiencing? Jesus simply said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me” (John 14:1). That’s it! No laying on of hands, no miraculous power-of-God demonstration, no voice from Heaven, nothing like that. Jesus knew that they had ALLOWED their hearts to be troubled and He simply told them NOT to do it and to simply trust God and Him. The Greek word used for “troubled” in this verse is a word that means: to cause one inward commotion; to take away calmness of mind; to disquiet; to make restless; to render anxious or distressed; to perplex the mind of one by suggesting doubts. Tomorrow we will pick it up from here and take it to the 27th verse.

Taking Control of Your Thought Life (Part IV)

(II Cor 10:3-5 KJV) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” We have been looking at this passage all week. Yesterday we looked at Abram (aka Abraham) as an example of someone who was able to develop an image of what God wanted them to be, and he was then able to release his faith, along with the corresponding action, in order to bring to make the image a reality. This morning we come back to Paul’s teaching and we circle around to the final thought. When I taught you the negative aspect of this verse I explained how negative thoughts create negative images, and if negative images, if unchecked, can create negative strongholds. We looked at all three aspects – thoughts, images, and strongholds – from the negative, but to this point we have only looked at two of the three on the positive side. I have yet to discuss the “stronghold” portion, so we will address it this morning as we close out the week.

If it is true (and it is) that negative thoughts and images can eventually produce a stronghold (walled cities) that will make it difficult for Godly and positive thoughts to make it into the forefront of the arena of our mind, then the opposite must also be true. Pure thoughts and righteous images, over the process of time, will not only lead to Godly actions that will produce Godly results – making our way prosperous so that we can enjoy good success (see Joshua 1:8) – but they will eventually produce a similar situation to the negative stronghold. In other words, if we meditate on the Word long enough we can actually find ourselves living in a walled city, but not a city of sin, stress, and frustration; a city of blessing, peace, and Godly prosperity. Once you get to this stage it will be hard for negative thoughts to penetrate your walls of Godly protection and you will be so convinced of the Godly images you have meditated on that when the enemy attempts to get you to see yourself defeated, you will quickly disregard that image and refocus on God’s image of you. You will walk around with a hedge of protection (Ps 34:7), angels become your walls and blessings become your neighborhood. Who would not want to move to Blessing BLVD? Who would not want to build a house on Prosperous Way? That is God’s desire for our lives. He wants to bless us, keep us, and protect us; but it all starts with US! We must change our ‘Stinking Thinking’ through the Word of God and allow our minds to be reprogrammed, so we can see the changes and the blessings in our lives!

So what does this mean to you today? If you submit to the process of mind renewal, allowing yourself to be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed through the Word of God, you can actually get to the stage where you are SO conditioned to think God’s way that it will be extremely difficult for the enemy to get a hold of your mind with his negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat. This is the stage I pray you desire to get to and I pray that you do. It won’t happen overnight, but if you submit to the process, little-by-little, it WILL happen!

Closing Confession: Father, I now understand that one of the greatest ways of dealing wit negative stress is to deprogram my mind and then reprogram it to line up with Your Word. Once I start to think like you desire for me to think, and those thoughts produce Godly images of success and victory, I will stress less and enjoy life more. I also know that if I live this way long enough my mindset will become so fixed and focused on You that ‘walls’ of protection will be established around my mind and it will be like I am TRAPPED behind walls of blessing, where negative thoughts of fear, failure, and defeat will have a hard time getting in. I want to arrive that this stage and I declare by faith that I will. Little-by-little my mind will be renewed and I WILL arrive at the place where I am SO conditioned to thinking Your way that it will be second nature for me to operate in faith and it will be strange for me to operate in fear or stress. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!

God will ALLOW whatever you ALLOW

(John 14:27 AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]

This morning we continue our series: “Victory over Stress!” All last week we dealt with taking control of your thought life. A few weeks ago we started off this series by teaching on ‘the peace of God’. What Jesus said in John chapter 14 allows us to connect the two. In chapter 13 Jesus is fully aware that His death is extremely close. With that in mind He starts to prepare the disciples for His departure. Jesus said, “My children, I will be with you for a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won’t find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” It is easy to see how this could disturb the disciples. This is a group of men who walked away from their careers to follow Jesus and they had been following Him for over three years. For three years all they had known was Jesus, His teachings, His ministry, and His actions. His life was their lives, their lives were His life. So it’s easy to see how Jesus’ seemingly sudden departure could cause consternation.

Simon Peter, the one disciple who was never shy and never short on words, asked, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus had tried to explain this before, but the possibility of Jesus’ death and a subsequent resurrection was hard to fathom. Instead of attempting to explain the process Jesus simply answered, “You can’t go with me now, but later on you will.” Peter was not the type of guy who would accept an answer like that easily. Peter questioned back: “Lord, why can’t I go with you now? I would die for you!” The thought of being disconnected from Jesus was obviously causing Peter distressing anxiety. Peter did not want to hear about the possibility of some future reunion; Peter wanted to continue the fellowship he was having with Jesus and I believe it is safe to say that the other disciples felt the same way. I don’t fault them for getting upset, for allowing their hearts to be filled with fear, fret, and doubt. This was a BIG DEAL for them and if they sat around thinking about it they would surely ‘stress-out.’

Jesus perceived what Peter was feeling and I am sure He sensed the same thing in the hearts of the other disciples. So what would Jesus, the King of Glory, say in a situation like this? What answer could the Lord of Lords provide to the stress their were experiencing? Jesus simply said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me” (John 14:1). That’s it! No laying on of hands, no miraculous power-of-God demonstration, no voice from Heaven, nothing like that. Jesus knew that they had ALLOWED their hearts to be troubled and He simply told them NOT to do it and to simply trust God and Him. The Greek word used for “troubled” in this verse is a word that means: to cause one inward commotion; to take away calmness of mind; to disquiet; to make restless; to render anxious or distressed; to perplex the mind of one by suggesting doubts. Tomorrow we will pick it up from here and take it to the 27th verse.

Victory Over Stress!

GRACE-FIRST TEACHING

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