God Is Exposing What You Need To Leave Behind

if i can be honest and speak from the heart i haven't always been saved i haven't always been the good strong christian that some may have thought me to be i can admit to struggling that i love my neighbors as i love myself not all the time because it's hard it's hard to turn the other cheek it's hard to be a peacemaker when there are people who test you it's hard to love all your neighbors because quite simply [Music] not everyone is a nice person not everyone is easy to love and you know what else is hard living a life focused on christ in a world that offers so many glittery distractions but here's what i want you to know have i found it difficult to live right yes have i struggled with finding the discipline to pray on a daily basis yes has there been a day that went by when i didn't open my bible of course but here's what i found as i reflected on my walk with god i realized that the reason for my struggles the thing that has caused me to have such a tough time is the fact that i've been so reliant on my own strength i've tried to do things on my own but by myself of course i would find it hard to be at peace with all men especially when they do me wrong but if i pray for grace if i allow the holy spirit to operate freely within me i have the strength to let things go i'm not going to be bothered by the petty things not everything done to me is worth me getting upset about by myself it's hard to live a life focused on christ in a world that offers so many glittery distractions but if i pray for strength if i admit my shortcomings then his grace is sufficient for me god's power is made perfect in my weakness by myself i just have too many limitations i have emotions that mislead me i have feelings that tempt me i have thoughts that cloud my judgment this is why you shouldn't try and rely on your own power and might because we all will fall short eventually if we try and do things on our own so you may be in a position where like me you're struggling to do the work of god to live righteously to live a life pleasing to god well i like to tell you to start calling on the strength of god because on your own you'll never be able to win this battle against the devil you need the power the wonder working power that's in the blood of jesus you need the power from the holy spirit because the bible says but you will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you jesus said that because he knew he knew that we would find it difficult to face life with our own strength we're limited in our wisdom in our knowledge so we need the power and might that comes when we receive the holy ghost hear me when i say that we can and we should live by the power that's in the name of jesus now the bible says in philippians chapter 2 verse 9 therefore god exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name and so what that means for us is that when it's hard when it's difficult and we feel weak that is when we should call on the power that's in the name of jesus the name above every other name seasons you see god has this flow this rhythm a pattern if you will an order of things and although in life we can experience good and bad seasons seasons that we remember with a smile and seasons we'd rather forget quickly but i would like to submit to you that every season has a purpose every season is necessary but the question is how do you embrace a season when it's painful how do you embrace a season of uncertainty a season of challenges how do you still believe that god is working behind the scenes when you're struggling to weather this storm but understand that just as seasons change your situation will change what are you facing today in this season it's not permanent it's not forever so with this in mind the question should move from being when will this all be over too what is god trying to teach me in this season i've heard the saying that the most spectacular view for a hiker comes after the hardest climb you know how true it is because the most spectacular view of god and what he can do comes after the hardest season the struggles of life can often be in the way that god develops our character a little more patience a little more humility a little more prayer so your struggle does not have to become your identity but rather it should be your training ground have faith in this season [Music] they say the darkest hour of night is just before the break of dawn meaning that things or situations will be at the worst just before they get better and i know this to be true because the bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy joy comes in the morning finding hope when things aren't okay can prove to be difficult sometimes and maybe you're in your darkest hour maybe you're right in the middle of the darkest hour in your life well let me tell you what i found in my walk with jesus weeping does endure for the night because we all have to endure something some type of pain some type of test we all have to carry our cross but as a child of god in my deepest hour of pain in the hour that i come to face my darkest sorrow i have hope i still have hope and the source of my hope is in the word of the lord i look at paul and silas they were in a dark place in prison badly beaten and in chains but in their darkest hour in their midnight hour what did they do they decided to worship god you see in the darkest times of your life your praise to god should be the loudest let god know your hope and faith is in him let the enemy know you're not afraid of the dark we be may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning so whatever situation you're going through whatever challenge you're facing be it in your marriage in your health or within yourself the bible says we know that god causes everything to work together for the good of those who love him in other words god has this habit of turning things around turning the painful things the things meant to harm you he has this habit of turning them around for your good so whether tomorrow holds great promise or great disappointment my life is in god's hands i may face difficult times but i have hope and faith in the one above [Music] let's clarify something fear is not of god it has nothing to do with the lord nothing to do with jesus fear is not our portion as born-again believers and the bible is very clear about this how many times are we told do not fear how many times does the bible say fear not we read this over and over again and the first thing i'd like to tell you is that the bible tells us this message of not fearing repeatedly because it's something significant it's something of importance we are to remember not to fear when we find ourselves in the middle of chaos we are to remember not to be afraid when we are in the middle of turmoil now the reason that fear is not of god the reason we are told not to fear repeatedly is also because fear weakens a believer's faith if you open the door to the spirit of fear it targets your faith and here's how it operates it makes you doubt god it makes you doubt his very word which tells you not to fear nor to be afraid it makes you doubt the lord's ability because whenever you fear you are saying this thing is bigger larger stronger than the god who promised to deliver me now i believe that the devil always tries to enter the life of a believer through fear because fear will make us ineffective and unproductive in the kingdom of god and this is why we have to overcome it second timothy 1 verse 7 says for god has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind in this verse paul is talking to timothy and telling him exactly what god has given us power love and peace of mind fear is not one of them it's not from god so putting two and two together fear is from the devil his mission is to make us doubt god and his ability to do what he says he can do for us so as a child of god i need to come to the understanding that for me to be an effective servant in god's kingdom i have to overcome fear i have to believe what god's word says concerning fear i have to believe who god says i am overcoming fear will help reach my potential and exercise my rights as a born-again believer as a joint heir with christ so how do you stop fear well fear normally starts as a thought that grows and grows until it controls us this thought can come from a traumatic experience or a bad memory but when you dwell on it when you constantly think of it and relive it it becomes a spirit of fear it's important as a believer to guard our thoughts in order to overcome this spirit positive godly thinking is encouraged always bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of christ the bible says meaning we have to be in control of our thoughts so that they don't stray it is important to know that god is with you once you have received jesus isaiah 41 verse 10 says fear not for i am with you be not dismayed for i am your god i will strengthen you yes i will help you i will uphold you with my righteous right hand these are the sort of scriptures that you need to dwell on in order to help you to overcome fear if you are to defeat this spirit of fear you need to feed your faith with the word of god and starve your doubts you see the more you know about the one you believe in the more you are grounded and unshaken the less likely fear is going to overwhelm you that doesn't mean it won't attack you but if you're grounded and equipped with the word of god you will come to the understanding that the same power that same power that resurrected jesus from the dead is also at your disposal because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world greater is he who is in you than fear there are a few things that i want you to remember and keep at the forefront of your mind number one remember to stand firm and let god fight your fiercest battles give god the keys and let him be in control number two you have power from so many sources there's power through the holy spirit there's power in god's word there's power in prayer and there's power in the blood of jesus you and i as born again believers can tap into that power at any time and number three we can be confident that the lord is always with us leading our way and covering us from behind from above and on every side i can tell you from my own experience that the problems of life can sometimes come upon us with no warning and before we can get one thing straightened out something else comes up have you ever felt like that before you can put one problem to rest you find yourself facing another so when storms come we need to consistently be paddling and praying we need to constantly be moving forward and believing we need to be seeking his help with an expectation of his arrival and storms can affect your home storms can affect your health storms can affect your relationship or marriage storms can affect our lives in so many ways there are the storms of loneliness and depression the storms of separation bitterness and unforgiveness but as children of god when you're in a storm there are some things you need to get rid of certain things weigh you down when you're in a storm naysayers the people who speak negativity into your life the people who have no faith and no hope those toxic people will weigh you down there are certain habits you need to let go of when you're in a storm it's time to focus on the word of god it's time to focus on prayer it's time to focus on worship some things in your life need to be thrown overboard so that they don't weigh you down let me tell you what god is saying to you today when you pass through deep waters god will be with you when you pass through winding rivers they will not overwhelm you when you walk through fire you shall not be burned why because in any storm in every storm god is with you [Music] a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but nothing will touch me understand that nothing can touch you child of god nothing can stop you child of god nothing can defeat you child of god when the odds are against you when you've run out of dry ground when there's the red sea in front of you and pharaoh's army is behind you remember that though you may stand as one there are god's warring angels surrounding you there is the blood of jesus protecting you there is the power of the holy spirit guiding you you might feel overwhelmed but you will not be overcome you might be shaken and dazed but you are not forsaken and you will not be destroyed no matter how big the enemy might be god is bigger no matter how powerful the opposition might be god has even more power when you're hard-pressed go to jesus when you feel like you failed go to jesus when you feel like you've been beaten when you feel discouraged go to jesus when you're in need of victory it can only be found in jesus god honors our faith so we need to stand and trust in him your situation will not change without faith don't run away don't hide away don't fear don't give up the lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace like the book of exodus says god will win the battle he is the lion of the tribe of judah he has never lost the battle and never will he is the alpha and the omega and we are his children so i'll tell you again you may come as one but wherever you stand with god on your side you stand as ten thousand nothing can stop you child of god not death not any angels nor rulers not anything present nor things to come not any powers or principalities nothing we are more than conquerors through him who loved us [Music] people's expectations can hurt you before they can help you you see someone's expectations should have no influence over your life and i say this because if you look at paul in the book of acts in chapter 28 paul was bitten by a snake while laying sticks onto a fire and after he was bitten verse 4 tells us that the people he was with saw it all happen and started speaking among themselves some bible translations say that those men who saw it all happen said no doubt this man is a murderer though he has escaped from the sea justice has not allowed him to live so what does paul do he shakes off the snake and continues to go about his business but suffered no harm no harm but in verse 6 there is a lesson to be learned other people's expectations do not define you you see verse 6 says the people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him they changed their minds and said he was a god never allow someone's expectations to have room in your heart these men went from this man is a murderer to this man is about to fall dead to this man as a god so a murderer one minute a dead man walking the next and then a god what would have become of paul if he believed other people's expectations the woman with the issue of blood what would have become of her if she believed other people's expectations if she accepted to remain an outcast what would have become of david if he believed his father's expectations of him just to be a shepherd not worthy of being anointed look at sarah abraham's wife she was past the age to have children do you think people weren't talking what would have happened had she believed she could never have isaac so look at your own life what can happen if you didn't hold on to the expectation of others what happens what happens when you release the negative and hateful expectations from others and in exchange embrace god's expectations over your life when people expect you to fail stand on philippians 4 13 i can do all things through christ what happens when people expect you to amount to nothing well you stand on jeremiah 29 where god says i know the plans i have for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future when people expect you to fall when your enemies expect to defeat you you stand on psalm 91 verse 7. a thousand may fall at your side and 10 000 at your right hand but danger will not come near you no one's expectation matters but gods and gods alone no one can anticipate or expect the plans that god has for you so stand in the expectation of god but never of man [Music] the thing about expectations is that sometimes we create our own heartbreaks we create our own disappointments by misplacing our expectations in people now the bible tells you to love your neighbor as you love yourself it doesn't say love your neighbor as you love yourself and they will love you back you alone are responsible for the love that you give to your neighbor but you should not have any expectations that they will love you back you'll end up disappointed and discouraged if you think people will do for you as you will do for them and i read somewhere that said once you remove expectations from people you will remove their power to hurt you but what if misplaced expectations on other people could work out for your good they say experience is the best teacher so what if you placed high expectations on your family and your friends but they let you down would that teach you to place your expectations in god instead what if you expected your boss to recognize you to see your value and your worth but they never did would that teach you to place your expectations in god or maybe you had an expectation that your wife can bring you joy that your husband can make you happy but the bible says may the god of hope fill you with all joy not your wife or your husband but may the god of hope fill you with joy the definition of expectation is that it's a strong belief that something will happen it's a belief that someone will do something someone will achieve something someone will deliver something or uphold something and with that in mind your expectation my expectation should be placed firmly in our lord jesus christ because we all know too often that people can let us down but god has given us so many promises for us to stand on and reach out to in expectation and let me tell you when god makes a promise faith believes it hope anticipates it and patience awaits it so what are some of the expectations we are to have well one expectation we should have is based on second corinthians 5 17 therefore if anyone is in christ the new creation has come the old has gone the new is here we should expect to be transformed in our lives by jesus christ when you immerse yourself in god's word in god's presence and when you allow him to work in you and through you your mind is renewed your character will be transformed even your desires they will change your perspective will be different because you will begin to walk by faith and not by sight when you place your expectations in god you will be transformed and the thing about placing your expectations in the lord is that you will begin to accept that ultimately he is in control and every step you take regardless of whether it makes sense or not every season you face no matter how dark or how empty it's all in the plan of god if god allows it there must be a reason or a purpose for it many are the plans in the mind of a man but it's the purpose of the lord that will stand everything will not go as you expect in life many had dreams of being a football player but today they are teachers many had dreams of being doctors but today they're working corporate jobs many had expectations of themselves and they still let themselves down and what i am trying to say is that any kind of expectation that is not placed in god is misplaced expectation the lord is the only one that can offer you unchanging and unconditional love the bible tells us that while we were yet still sinners and had little knowledge of the love of god christ died for us even in a state of ignorance the lord died for us in love in fact his love was so great and it still is that in romans 8 38 i can say that i am convinced that neither death nor life neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future nor any powers neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from what from the love of god that is in christ jesus our lord such is his love that there is nothing under the sun nothing in the kingdom of darkness nothing in this world can separate us from the love of god and that's where we should place our expectations in god's love that he will come through for us if he numbers the hairs on our heads then surely he will direct your path i encourage you to expect that the lord will never leave you nor forsake you in matthew 28 20 jesus said and surely i am with you always to the very end of the age and i expect him to keep his word he is truth and he is the same yesterday today and forever in this vein we can expect him to fulfill all of his promises whatever god says he will do if he tells us that he will bless us we need to expect blessings if he tells us to wait on him and he will renew our strength then we should expect to have our strength renewed when we wait on him if he tells us to abide under his shadow and he will save us from the fouler sneer then we have to believe and expect that promise to be true in our lives i expect him to hold me together when things are falling apart because he is the chief cornerstone i expect him to protect me because he is the lion of the tribe of judah i expect him to know what tomorrow holds for me because he is the author and the finisher he is the alpha and the omega if your expectations are set on the promises of god on his unconditional love on his constant assurance that he will never leave us nor forsake us on his promise to transform us by the renewing of our mind if we immerse ourselves in his word then we will ultimately never be disappointed because our god is not a god who fails so place your trust in the lord place your expectations in the lord [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Grace For Purpose

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Keywords: Christian, Motivation

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Length: 31min 45sec (1905 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 15 2020