Act Up & Grow Up | Pastor Aventer Gray

if you don't mind I'd like to act up for a moment anybody wanna act up with me anybody feel like you're sick of the devil messing with you and trying you trying your finances trying your marriage tell him that you're about to act up on him this morning tell him that you choose to act up on him this morning amen y'all can be seated how many of you grew up with parents like mine the mother and a father who told you now when we go over to this lady's house for Bible study don't you act up sit still and when we go to Walmart you don't reach and touch these peoples products that you have no money to pay for you better not act up well I want to give those of you who are yearning and looking and seeking and questing for a little bit more information about God I want to give you permission to act up [Applause] the first scripture I want to draw your attention to in the New King James Version is proverbs 3:5 and 6 trusting the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct her past acknowledge that's the aim the moment you acknowledge then you can grow you can take the moment that God is giving you to lean in and understand that he created you in His image and he's breathed his breath inside of you and he sent his son to die your death and he loves you so deep that there is nothing else that matters when you acknowledge that you give the devil a black eye when you acknowledge that that makes you worthy and royal and great there is nothing that can stop you that acknowledgment is for you to grow it's placed in your memory in your will will for you to remember that as you grow place people in the proper position in your life but place the Lord in his proper position in your life ask him for the help you need to get out of the mess that you probably contributed to getting in because his arms are always stretched wide open to reach you he's ready to catch you if you just take that leap of faith in Him and I can remember when I was little my parents had the corded telephone and it was hung really high so that I couldn't reach it because I would like to have conversations with people who were not on the phone when I little and make the line busy all the time so they situated that corded telephone high up on the wall so that I couldn't reach it so one day I took my little rocking chair my little brown rocking chair and I scooted it over by that foam that I was going to have a conversation with no one on the other line listening to I stood in that chair and I was going for it do you hear me and it definitely did the death I was talking and talking away nobody was on the phone so my dad walks in and he's if you know him then you already know what issue door is and I'm immediately convicted cuz I know I'm not supposed to be up there I know I'm not supposed to be there number one I'm not supposed to be there number two I'm not supposed to be there and number three I'm not supposed to be there so when my father says what are you doing and he reaches his hand out for me I didn't go immediately you know why because I was afraid he might not catch me my father's hands was reaching out for me to get down out of the chair I scooted over to get to the phone that I wasn't supposed to be on and I didn't believe that he was going to catch me I wasn't supposed to be there but I created the scenario for me to be in a position where I had placed myself into trouble but he still extended his hand to me now mind you I wasn't that far off the ground so I couldn't scooted my little self down placed my feet down and gotten out of the chair but I was reeling and rocking with my legs shaking knowing that I had compromised my place and listening to what my parents had told me not to do and when my father reached for me I didn't have the the understanding and the knowledge to know that in his position and I hadn't acknowledged that it didn't matter what position I had placed myself in he was going to catch me if I took the leap of faith to believe that he was going to do so he kept reaching he kept reaching and in my little mind I was saying well what if what if he doesn't catch me but your daddy is never gonna allow you to fall you just have to trust him at his word when we acknowledge that God is always ready to forgive restore and reset that's our first step in growing that acknowledgement is so important and it's so empowering because once you acknowledge then you have the ability to realize the next step which is a confession there are two scriptures that comes to mind for the confession part romans 10 8 through 10 says but what does it say the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart that is the Word of Faith which we preach that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead you will be saved from with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation amen and then there's another one in psalm 32:5 this states I acknowledged my sin to you and my iniquity I have not hidden I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and you forgave the iniquity of my sin Salo with our acknowledgement comes our decision to confess the Lord and to seek forgiveness so that's the next confession so that we can grow to the next level of our destiny that was intended for us to reach so I'm fully aware that you know transparency for some places you in the position to be ridiculed and and mocked and all of that by people that God created a man who don't have a heaven or hell to place you in and as long as God is with you it's what he said above what they think it will always be what he said above what they think some people's perception is reality but how many of you know that God's say is the only reality that should matter in your world because these people are the same dirt that we came from amen amen I thank God that when we share some of the things that we share in transparency is to break down that wall of perfection that your leaders have it all together but the best leaders can grow with you while they're leading you the best leaders can tell you what they walk through in an effort for you to not decide that you want to take your own life and you can see oh my goodness if he did it for them then he must be able to do it for me as well he must be able to meet me where I am so I'm grateful for that freedom that comes with the release of brokenness and sharing so that others can say wow I am not the only one I'm not the only one thank God I'm not the only one walking through this walk I'm we're on the same journey we're all on the same journey of realizing and acknowledging who Jesus really is in our lives and then making that confession that he is who he is and standing by and then confessing our sins so that we can be forgiven and move on to the next level of purpose that he intended for us amen amen I thank God that by His stripes I'm healed I thank God that by the Word of God I'm watered and it seems me to grow to the next level so the a for the acknowledgment and the C for the confession leads me to the T in act and that's transformation my God when you acknowledging you confess then comes the transformation all of this is needed for us to grow to the next level in Romans 12:2 says and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what it is that is good and acceptable and perfect will of God I love the movie Transformers you know why because they look away you think you know what they are until a moment that a shift occurs and they transform into something greater that's you the people who want to keep you when your brokenness are used to seeing you back then and back when but oh god when the shift occurs and the transmission transformation occurs and that caterpillar becomes a butterfly they can't take it because they want to keep you where they were most comfortable seeing you amen why is it that we're so attracted to other people's hurts pain and brokenness it could be I told the ladies of relentless hearts this yesterday that it feels good to know that somebody else has a little bit of stuff going on cuz it makes your mess feel like it's a little bit less it makes your mess feel like oh gosh I did this but I didn't do that I did this but I didn't do that oh my gosh what the did you hear is the the biggest cancellation of friendship that you can hear in your ear don't don't allow yourself to be subjected to other people's thirst for brokenness and thirst for hurt and pain for someone else's life because your turn is coming your either and this is my pastor from when I was a little girl he said you're either about to go into a storm you're either in the storm or you just left the storm it's gonna happen one way or the other and will you be ready a man will you take the lesson will you stay prayed up well you have the word inside of you for when the storm comes and will you know what to do when you're inside of the storm and then when you leave did you get the lesson the transformation did you get the lesson because all of that is needed for us to grow it's okay for you to make a mistake we're gonna make mistakes we were born sinners we can't help it there are some things that we just cannot help but oh by the Spirit of the Living God not by might not my might not by power but by his spirit by his Spirit he can work it out for us whatever we're walking through and whatever we're going through amen and then there's the actual physics of a transformer you know transformers are needed for air conditions and all these other electrical appliances but how many of you are grateful for that transformer because the transformer actually takes your voltage up I thank God for transformers and I thank God for him transforming me because when I become transformed my voltage goes up that means that I get pushed into my purpose that means that that there's an acknowledgment of who he actually is so I walked with a different authority and and my and my voltage goes up so I'll put my shoulders down and I say god you're with me so I'm not worried about it anymore my voltage has gone up I'm transformed I am the transformer because he's the transformer he made me like him he breathes into me so I'm like him I can do what he does I can move I can shake I can bake I can do everything and only what I do for Christ will last it doesn't matter what you think I should do and it doesn't matter what you think I shouldn't do it only matters what the Lord thinks about me and it only matters what the purpose he has over my life for such a time as this for whatever season I'm in you don't know about my season you need to be trying to figure out what semen urine so that you can know how to better situational self for the storm that may be headed to you while you're worried about the season that I'm in amen at some point in our lives we're going to have to focus our eyes on the Living God and when we act and when we act up so that we're able to grow up the devil gets mad he gets angry so then he sends that growth hormone your way let me tell you what that growth hormone is that hormone is humiliation it's ostracism its rejection its misunderstanding it's so fist it's negativity and it's excuses I'm gonna say it again y'all know I love a good acronym hormone that growth hormone that the devil sends your way is humiliation ostracism rejection misunderstanding offense negativity and excuses he throws all of that your way when you decide that you're gonna act up so you can grow up when he realizes that you have acknowledged who Jesus Christ is and that you have confessed with your mouth who he is and that you are being transformed after the salvation not moment he sends a growth hormone your way Hebrews six and one says therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and taken and be taken forward to maturity not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death and a faith in God the devil doesn't want you to act up easily he wants that growth hormone to take root he wants the moment for your maturation as you mature and as you grow and as you move he tries to send that humiliation your way but he doesn't know that that humiliation was needed for your graduation because you are so excited on cruise control that cruise control a relationship with God that you have he had to send something to shake you cuz if he keeps on answering your prayers in your time and you won't even talk to him sometimes we need a little bit of a devastation to get us to graduate amen and it's okay because if I don't have something that I can testify about if I don't have something that actually changes my heart towards the Lord that I'm walking with because it doesn't end at the salvation moment that's the beginning that's the beginning of this work that's the beginning of this walk we have to make sure that we are not allowing ourselves to succumb to the growth hormone but know that is necessary don't fall apart in your humiliation don't fall apart in your ostracism because sometimes you need to be separated from some of the people that you're carrying with you Amen some of these people are deadweight you're trying to figure out why you can't elevate to the next level it's because your friend over here can't go with you your friend isn't speaking life to you your friend doesn't see you your friend is actually jealous of you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] so ask the Lord who should be assigned to your life and release those who are not and let it be okay I love what my husband says let him act brand-new tell him I am new I am brand new created me a new heart and renew a right spirit within me the spirit I need for me to grow not the one that keeps me hostage to my past and keeps me on cruise control with my relationship with God so I don't elevate that my purpose isn't established and I can't journey along and I can't move along and I can't move forward and I'm sitting here with all of these tears in my eyes and I'm sitting here like God you didn't answer this prayer you didn't answer that prayer he's like did you do what I said you can't have your cake and eat it too if the Lord tells you to release a thing release it and move forward with him it is okay I don't cancel people I can love people from a distance but sometimes people cannot go with you sometimes you're weary and you're worn out because you have assigned people to you that he never assigned to you he wants them to come to him and not you they made you their God and forgotten about him and you're wondering why you're so tired why you're so broken down why you can't get it together while you're sick in your body but the Lord is saying release that thing and send them to me you're not God he is so redirect those people to him amen at some point in our lives we are going to have to take responsibility for the responsibilities that we placed on ourselves that he would never have who are we playing Savior for what does it do for us to say oh you know what I did this for so-and-so mm-hmm and I did that for so-and-so and I did this for so-and-so did you because everything that we do the power and the ability that we have to do it comes from the Living God he does use people but we are not God He is God and he is much greater than us so yes you can be the vessel of which which they pass through to get to him but you are not him so let's never get it twisted we are not him and we get so tired and we get shaken and we get exhausted with the things that we think are good which are good things but they're not God things [Applause] helping and enabling is not God so tell your cousin that calls every third of the month and cannot make their rent payment that you love them with the love of Christ but McDonald's is hiring and they are paying benefits at this point I might get a job it's actually $13 an hour with beds hope fish you are not is you're not the one you're not the waymaker you are that one but you're not the waymaker your purpose your chosen your loved your forgiving your all of those things but you are not God so don't put that on yourself amen so let them let them be disconnected and discombobulated in that us to be like you know I'm I'm in the old part of my hormone growth so I'm gonna have to go ahead and let you go love you and the art that is for rejection nobody wants to feel rejected nobody wants to feel alone and nobody wants to feel lost and nobody wants to feel like they're they're offering wasn't received but there's a man who will never reject you so if this earthly man is rejecting you accept the rejection you know why because the Lord has somebody fashioned for you you don't have to accept anything or woman or woman whatever it is that keeps you in a place of rejection you need to let it go the Lord definitely has something for you with your name on it misunderstanding how many of you are always feeling like you're misunderstood now who else was misunderstood like that he did so many miracles why are you doing miracles on the status why is he saying that he's the Christ why is he killing people and then walking away with his sandals on and his hair off puffed up and looking all good why is he doing all of these things Jesus was the most misunderstood individual to ever walk this earth so why shouldn't you be I learned so much over this last year in the half of my life that the misunderstanding is necessary because Jesus walked in and he did great things he didn't do anything wrong and we do some things wrong but because we are tied to him and because he died for us we get to live a life of freedom and liberty in him but I'm always misunderstood my face is misunderstood my actions are misunderstood people just don't get me you're not meant to be gotten boo the Lord gets you that's all that matters and anybody who is committed to their misunderstanding of you and who you are in the Lord Jesus let them go as well amen thank you Jesus for the growth hormone thank you for the humiliation thank you for the ostracism thank you for the rejection and thank you Lord God for the misunderstanding because anybody who is that committed to misunderstanding the me that you created I don't need them and they may not be a part of my life some people who you start a thing when are not meant to carry it out with you through the end and it's okay misunderstanding has hurt more people than a little bit I have been misunderstood I have lost relationships over being misunderstood but the Lord could see the back end I was looking at the front but he can see what I couldn't see so I thank God for that so when people are committed to misunderstanding you and somehow you guys part ways it hurts I know but you submit them to God you pray for them and then you release them and you forgive them for misunderstanding you and let the lawyer bring it back around if it's meant to be brought back and if it's not accept that because it's for your good everything that the Lord does is for our good amen and then offense Lord Jesus I have transparent with y'all I'm gonna tell y'all a secret I have a seat at the offense center with my name on it I am easily offended and that is not of God it has my name in there I walk in there most days and I take a seat it feels good to feel like you have the right perspective and the right point of view and it does not feel good when people challenge you on it but the honest most beautiful thing about a fence is that you have to let it go so that you can grow the moment you release your offense the healthy you are the lighter you are some of us are walking around with things that we've been carrying in for years and years and years heavily offended weighed it down and those people have even forgotten what they did to you to make you offended they let it go a long time ago and can't even remember it if you tell them so in that they're a part of the growth hormone of offense the way you release the offense is directly related with how you see yourself see yourself the way God sees you when you won't get easily offended look for the objectivity in the situation instead of the offense in the situation my husband comes in he sits down he gets him a drink of supposed to be water probably lemonade and he doesn't get me one I take my good pills over to him and say you didn't get me any lemonade I'm offended because he served himself first when I could have been like hey John um would you like some more lemonade because I want some too so we can have something together there's a way to look at everything it's not the other person all the time you can change it you can change it by your confession and you can change it by the way you look at a perspective by the way that you look at a thing everybody's not trying to hurt you and everybody's not trying to offend you everybody's not trying to step on your toes nobody's living for that moment Wow let's see how I can defend her today look at things differently and your life will be so much better but this is something that I am learning right now in this moment this is me being transparent because when people misunderstand you a lot you're easily offended they go hand in hand in that just like the devil to use one thing to get you in another I misunderstood anyway so I might as well be offended the devil is a lie change your perspective and release the offense and that end is a big one it's negativity negativity is a dream killer negativity is a purpose killer negativity will have you somewhere rocking back and forth thinking that you're crazy because of what you have allowed to enter your soul you got to cut away the negativity you got to see yourself the way God sees you and you got to speak the word of the Lord over you every time someone comes with you with a negative report the doctor the lawyer the the dentist every last human that comes to you with something negative you speak not only positivity but you speak the word over it and you watch yourself feel better and you watch the Lord change you and lastly excuses that II in the growth hormone will have you 73 not actual izing and realizing your purpose everything is an excuse I don't have enough money I don't have the best vehicle I'm not small enough I'm not big enough my hair is too straight my hair is too curly my nose is too wide my ears are too big everything that the Lord said was beautifully and wonderfully made about you you're speaking against let go of your excuses in the growth hormone so that the Lord can move you down a path that the devil hopes you never realize into your purpose and destiny that blesses and glorifies him amen we say we want an authentic in a real relationship with God but we want it dressed up in a bow a perfect gift we want it cute and fancy we don't want the real real when we say God use me Here I am I'm where I am so ready use me you're worthy God I love you you you bless me I'm here me you need to usher me you need a singer me need a preacher me hostess me volunteer me everything me until he sends something to grow you up I needed the bloggers to misunderstand what really happened with the transparency that my husband and I said first here the real real I needed to have cast down the illusion that everybody loved us and that we were doing so many great things for the Lord the devil is mad at this he doesn't want that I needed that so that I could understand and know that he's about to take us that much higher because that weight and that humiliation was so great so misunderstood so added subtracted multiplied divided and carrying the two and all of this kind of stuff when we said what it was and it was to help you know that whatever you're walking through look we've dealt with something similar and we're still being used by God and we are going any where the ministry is going forward we're gonna worship the Lord we're gonna bless God we're gonna love him we're gonna love people we're gonna serve people we're gonna build halfway houses we're gonna get people out of jail and give them a second chance at life we're gonna do the work of the Lord and we will not look back and we don't care what people are saying and I said it before and I'll say it again cuz I have to keep encouraging myself I don't care what they say it's only what he said I don't care what they say it's only what he knows about me I don't care what they say it's only what's real about me he made me amen and s and as I close we have to shift our mindsets from the ones that says God why me - why not me because if this is gonna help me grow up send it on I need it because I thought I was good until that happened and I realized my relationship with God wasn't quite where it needed to be I needed that growth hormone so that this relationship that I had this facade of a good relationship with God I had could be cast down so that he can grow up a better one in me a better relationship in me Hebrews 12 and 3 says for consider him Jesus who endured such hostility from sinners against himself lest you become weary and discouraging your souls consider the opposition he was subjected to from sinners so that you will not grow weary and lose heart Jesus lived it because of me he lived that hostility because he was trying to do something for me his whole purpose was to get to the cross for us get that in your mind and in your hair every day that he lived this ridiculed and he lived this month life only because of me and when you make it personal you take the lesson and you grow past it with grace God is giving you the grace to grow so act up and grow up the American Sign Language sign for grow is this I'm gonna pause on one part of it grow the number 5 represents grace so the grace that you need to grow is already here for you the grace that you need to make it through the hormone that the devil releases when you decide to act up acknowledge confess and transform the grace is already here for you and it's here for you today if you're in this room welcome your growth growth hormone so you can see who everybody is and so ho you can see who you are thank the Lord for the season that you're in and thank him that wherever you are you're growing even if it doesn't feel like it the fact that you realize and you think you're stagnant is a form of growth because you've acknowledged it so lord I thank you today for allowing us to act up so we can grow up thank you Lord Jesus for the grace that you've extended to us so many times and for thank you God for sending your son to die in our place Lord God to be ridiculed to be mocked Lord God to to carry burdens for us Lord God so help us to know and expect that you will show up with what we need Lord God that your hands are extended to us Lord Jesus if we would just take that leap of faith for you to catch us and give all of our burdens to you then we will be so much better and so much lighter I thank you Jesus for this amazing church for these beautiful people who who come Sunday and Wednesday and Sunday and and volunteer and and they serve I thank you for every employee all of their families Lord God every member everyone who is waiting to figure out if this is where they want to be I thank you right now and I cover them in their hearts Lord God and if anybody is is confused right now I ask that you will allow this word to penetrate their heart so that they know that they can grow up in you I love you Lord Jesus and it is your precious name we pray amen amen and amen lord I thank you [Applause] [Music]

Channel: John Gray Ministries

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Id: Z8zvlYiW_TA

Length: 40min 15sec (2415 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 29 2019