It May Be Tough Right Now But God Is About To Work Things Out For Your Good!

growth comes only through deliberate action growth in anything comes through deliberate repetitive action so let's create our model for growth in order to grow you need to be deliberate in order to grow you need repetitive action and finally in order to grow you need discipline so let's take a look at growth from a biblical sense because as a christian there are many areas that we need to strive for growth the first area that i would like to highlight as needing growth is in our salvation the bible says in 1st peter chapter 2 verse 1 to 3 so put away all malice and all deceit hypocrisy and envy and all slander like newborn infants long for the pure spiritual milk that by it you may grow up into salvation if indeed you have tasted that the lord is good i believe this passage of scripture is reminding us that as new creations as born again believers we need to desire the milk of the word of god so that we may grow this means that we have the potential to grow in our salvation and get to a stage where we are no longer wrestling with the same old doubts or tripping over the same old obstacles and stumbling over the same old sin the word of god is like pure milk for our inner spirit and so it is his word that will lead to growth and believe me so many christians are going around the same old circle of sin because they are not feeding on the lord's word too many of us aren't consciously feeding our faith to make sure that we are no longer falling for the same old tricks by the enemy but rather we ought to be advancing to new levels a new level where we are stronger to overcome the challenges set before us now another area we need to strive for growth as christians is in our spiritual lives our spirit man must be strengthened romans 6 verse 6 states we know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin our old self is the body the flesh and this body of sin might be crucified so that it is no longer enslaved to sin first thessalonians 5 verse 23 says now may the god of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our lord jesus christ from this verse we can establish that we have a spirit a soul and a body and if we are to put away the old man the body of sin the flesh which is so easily attracted to sin then i believe this is a call for us to strengthen our spirit man because the bible states in galatians 5 16 walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh these desires of the flesh are all to do with the old man we're talking about but for you to get to a stage whereby you can walk by the spirit where you can worship god in the spirit and in truth there needs to be growth in your spiritual life and there are so many goals that we should be after as christians when it comes to our spirit man in first corinthians chapter 12 we are given a detailed breakdown of spiritual gifts that come through the holy spirit these include wisdom knowledge discerning of spirits different kinds of tongues and so forth so now let's get back to our opening statement growth comes only through deliberate action the growth model i introduced earlier is applicable to every believer's life and the three things we need as mentioned earlier are to be deliberate the need for repetition and to be disciplined now when i say be deliberate you may be asking what do we need to be delivered in we need to be delivered in terms of consciously and intentionally putting god first in our lives which means when i am reading the word of god i am deliberately trying to find answers i am deliberately trying to know god through his word i am deliberately trying to find out how i should live my life in alignment to god's word and when i am praying i am deliberately consciously trying to cultivate a deeper relationship with the lord when i'm praying i am deliberately submitting myself to god's will i am deliberately seeking his presence in my life through prayer furthermore for you to experience growth there is a need of repetition and here's where repetition comes in as you deliberately and intentionally put god first don't let it be a one-off occurrence let it be every day do it at every given opportunity choose god before you choose to do anything else the act of putting god first whether it's through prayer at the start of your day or meditating on his word throughout the day this should be repeated over and over again day in and day out because you will not grow as a believer if you spend an hour reading the word of god for two days not do that again for a month you can deliberately pray when you're in trouble and then choose not to pray once you've been delivered and you're set free the kind of repetition i'm talking about means you read god's word daily you pray daily you seek him daily you put him first daily and finally we need to be disciplined in order to grow and this area of discipline is probably the most difficult in the beginning we said growth comes only through deliberate action but i would like to add that growth comes only through deliberate disciplined action when you are disciplined this means you're now arranging your day around with the lord at the center of all things discipline means you are fitting everything else in your schedule to fit and not disturb your dedicated time to pray and read the word of god now without discipline you can say i will deliberately pray and read the word of god and repeat that every single day for a total of five minutes because my schedule is so full but how much growth will you achieve by giving god five minutes of your day whereas if you disciplined yourself to say i'll read the word of god for 20 minutes before i get out of bed i will pray for 30 minutes after work and i can read god's word again for 15 minutes before bed when you do this your practice of prayer and reading god's word has more quality to it and so i hope this teaching helps you in some way growth and improvement should be the desire of every christian let's grow from being babies in the spiritual realm let's grow in all areas of being christ-like so that we can become giants of faith don't give up on god sometimes god will allow you to go through deep waters before he provides a way out that's the testing of your faith it builds character it builds resilience in you so that in the future you remain steadfast in the lord keep the faith child of god keep the faith don't let your present circumstances destroy your faith in god don't let this setback or disappointment make you doubt god's ability keep the faith i want to encourage you to believe that god's hand is on your life believe that he's working even when you can't see it believe that he will never leave you nor forsake you even when you don't feel it and remember that feelings have nothing to do with faith god is sovereign and he is faithful so don't give up but instead keep the faith no matter what everyone has a measure of faith when they receive jesus and the bible indicates that it has to grow the increase in faith however is a personal responsibility romans 10 17 says so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of god the food that feeds faith is the word of god the nutrients that grow faith come from the word of god the ground for faith to thrive and grow is the word of god and you may ask why such emphasis on the word of god as a seed of faith why not worship why not fast to grow your faith well it's because the grass withers the flowers fade but the word of god stands forever i love god i love him because he has loved me enough to heal me at one point in time i was hurt i carried a lot of pain but the more i leaned on jesus the more i gave that pain to him the more i found him to be a healer one who can mend the innermost parts of a person i love god because there have been occasions where a car should have hit me but it didn't there have been occasions where i was moments away from tragedy but somehow i was late that day my alarm didn't go off or i decided to go a different way but in hindsight it was no coincidence it wasn't luck it was the hand of god it was his grace and mercy protecting i love the lord because i've been to a place mentally where i felt defeated my heart was overwhelmed and discouraged then i opened psalms 94 verse 18 and 19 and his word lifted me up because i began to say if i say my foot slips your mercy o lord will hold me up in the multitude of my anxieties within me your comforts delight my soul i truly love jesus because he has been my defense when the devil tried to condemn me i found there to be no condemnation in christ when the devil pointed at my weakness and laughed i found that the grace offered to me by the lord was sufficient for me and in my weakness his strength is made perfect i truly love jesus christ because when satan called for me to be cast away when he tried to tell me that i was unworthy of love because of sin i found there to be an invitation to approach the mercy seat of christ i found an open invitation to come boldly to the throne of grace so that i may maintain mercy and find help in the time of need i love jesus because he said i am he said i am the good shepherd the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep in john 10 11. he said i am the door if anyone enters by me he will be saved and i will go in and out and find pasture he said in john 6 35 i am the bread of life he who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst take your problems to jesus we struggle so much with our burdens as we try to bear them alone we think we can fix it we think we have the solution to life's unpredictable sorrows but all we get for our feeble efforts is further heartache and pain it is not for us to struggle alone after all we are not our own we have a master the one who made us in his image the one who wants to solve our problems and our difficulties take your problems to jesus for he cares for us he asks us to cast our burdens on him so he can sustain us daily he will renew our strength in the face of adversity we do not have to bear our burdens alone take your problems to jesus he said he will give you rest do not allow the idol of self-reliance to entrap you break free claim your rest in jesus isn't it beautiful to know that jesus loves us with an everlasting love with that love he reaches out to us daily so cast your cares on him today take your problems to jesus so that he can free you from your yoke of bondage let go and let god he tells us to be anxious for nothing [Music] but we refuse to let go jesus already has the solution to any problem we may face he triumphed over sin he was lord over sickness and death so there is no challenge that we can face that jesus cannot take take your problems to jesus let him take away your worries and fears you can trust jesus with your burdens he promised never to leave us or forsake us and his promises are true he is the good shepherd and we are his sheep [Music] so let him take care of you [Music] fear not for god is with us be assured that he will uphold you and he will rescue you when you fall take your problems to jesus and he will strengthen you so much so that you can even bear the burden of each other isn't that a beautiful thought the fact that jesus can empower us to not only overcome our challenges but that we can also help another to overcome greater is he that is within me then he that is in the world victory is sure when we take our problems to jesus don't miss out on the opportunity take your problems to jesus today [Music] i've felt disappointments i've been tired frustrated and depressed but there's only one person who ever said the words come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and i will give you rest those were the words of jesus and only jesus you see my perspective is this i don't need to have all the answers because i know the one who is the way the truth and the life i don't need to know what the plan is because i know the planner i don't need to know the why if i know the one i don't need to know the how because i know him so i want to speak to the person who finds themselves stuck stuck in a cycle stuck in the place of desperation stuck in a season where you have more prayer requests than you have faith to stand on don't give up just yet god is good and he sees you right where you are the lord will intervene in his divine timing the future you don't know is the future he's planned out everything to work out for your good stop worrying about when this will come through why didn't this happen what caused that to happen how can i make this thing work but friends let me encourage you to place your trust in the living god his word says i know the plans i have for you declares the lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you a hope and a future he knows the obstacles ahead will lead you to the good he has in store for you he knows your enemies will be stepping stones for the next level he knows the peaks and valleys which are in your path and the ultimate destination he is guiding you to will be one of glory i would like to read a few quotes that i pray will inspire you faith isn't about asking god to the storm faith is about trusting god to help you through the storm god's plan is always the best plan sometimes the process is painful and hard but don't forget that when god is silent he is doing something for you pray then let it go don't try and manipulate or force the outcome just trust god to open the right doors at the right time god has a bigger plan for me than i have for myself god will never let us down because his love is unconditional [Music] i would like to begin by saying that praying and fasting are both a private affair between you and god prayer and fasting are both an important part of your walk with christ now sometimes we will come across needs situations or circumstances that are especially great we'll come face to face with obstacles or giants that have a whole different dimension to them i'm not talking about demons or foot soldiers i'm talking about dark forces and principalities and the thing about this type of opposition is that they require a specific kind of approach in order to get a breakthrough for those who don't know yes some problems some tests and challenges will not go away after one single prayer there are spiritual problems that need to be disearned and they require a higher godly power to break them mark 9 verse 29 says he said to them this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting this is jesus giving us the battle plan for those stubborn spirits that come to oppose us and the battle plan is prayer and fasting unleashes breakthrough spiritual power this happens because when jesus and his disciples encountered a man possessed by what mark describes as an unclean spirit the disciples were unable to cast the spirit out when jesus arrived they asked him why were we not able to cast it out jesus responded saying this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting prayer and fasting is a combination found frequently all throughout the bible it is a powerful combo of spiritual practices that many righteous men women and saints throughout the ages have found to hold great significance i have heard many christians complain over the years that they have not been able to hear from god i wonder however if the problem is not god's lack of speaking but our lack of ability to listen we are surrounded by more noise screens and distractions today than ever before consequently many of us are uncomfortable with silence but what if silence is god's primary mode of communication i believe one of the reasons we are told to pray without ceasing or to pray always is because we really ought to always be in communication with god and you can do this in your everyday life everything can be an act of thanks appreciation and prayer every action can be an act of devotion to god think about the most basic mundane things you do throughout your day driving to work washing the dishes maybe even folding laundry what if before you pulled out of the driveway you brought your attention to god and said a quiet prayer what if while you were washing dishes you are worshiping you are praising and thanking the lord for his goodness you see praying without ceasing doesn't have to mean being on your knees with your hands folded 24 hours a day it can simply mean directing our thoughts and our attention to god in everything that we do praying without ceasing is not an action to be done but a state of being our entire being is prayer prayer becomes our mind and body's natural stance the second part of that biblical equation is fasting fasting is a practice that is more popular in some segments of christianity than others at its core fasting is not just about food it is not a diet it is not primarily about better health although all those things can be side benefits and most certainly fasting is not a means of manipulating god our fasting does not change god's mind rather fasting helps to clear our minds and bodies so that we are more receptive to the will of god fasting is a very embodied discipline that reminds us that even our most basic needs and desires are not lords over us our appetites do not have the last word we submit ourselves to the discipline of fasting to feed our spirits over our bodies it reminds us that as jesus said matthew 4 verse 4 man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of god fasting is also a way that we train our spirits to say no to the flesh to our wants and desires our fleshly desires do not master us fasting reminds us of who is in charge a mind and heart transformed by the indwelling power and presence of the spirit the combination of prayer and fasting are powerful means of bringing us into the presence of god they are disciplines that help us connect with god and be brought into the stream of his will in first kings chapter 19 verses 11 and 12 the prophet elijah had just experienced a great victory for god on mount carmel he had defeated the prophets of baal and proved that jehovah was indeed god however after this victory he sunk into suicidal depression it is at this point that god comes down to speak to elijah in first kings 19 verses 11 to 12 the bible says and behold the lord passed by and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks and pieces before the lord but the lord was not in the wind and after the wind an earthquake but the lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake of fire but the lord was not in the fire and after the fire a still small voice first there was a mighty wind then a strong earthquake but god was in neither one of those things it was in the low whisper that god began to speak to elijah prayer and fasting helped to silence our minds silence our appetites and open us up to be able to hear the still small voice of god the problem is not that god is no longer speaking god is always speaking the problem is that many times we are not listening prayer and fasting position us to hear the voice of god and see his hand moving in our lives i encourage you to stand up for righteousness in a world that is lost you are an ambassador of the most high so stand up to the lies of the enemy stand up with the truth of the gospel stand up with the strength of the holy spirit stand up and wage war in the heavenlies through prayer you must stand up and embrace your identity as a child of god now is the time for you to stand firm now is the time to be unwavering you need to have a strong foundation a foundation built on the very word of god in order to have a firm foundation you must know the word of god for yourself and know what it says about you know that it tells you in 1st peter chapter 2 verse 9 that you are a chosen race a royal priesthood a holy nation a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and to his marvelous light many of you have lived in fear far too long and it is time it's time to live in the power and might of jesus christ no longer should you be a timid quiet shaky christian man or woman just because the devil threatens to make some noise don't you know to whom you belong don't you know that you were purchased with the precious blood of the son of god so it's time it's time to stand up boldly and declare that jesus christ is lord over your life that means no devil or demon no dark force or principality can have a say over your life god has the final word we have security in our father's faithfulness he has never lost a battle he has never been defeated nor can he ever be defeated so lift up your head high woman of god keep your head high man of god the battle is not yours but it is the lord's this fight before you is one that you should fight on your knees and not with your fists this fight before you is not one that you should be fighting with your own strength but it's one that you should be fighting with god's word so when you find yourself in a battle i encourage you not to entertain the devil's attacks don't tolerate them we have victory in the name of jesus we have victory in god's word we have victory and so we should declare and speak with authority god's word [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Grace For Purpose

Views: 131,098

Rating: 4.9266706 out of 5

Keywords: Christian, Motivation

Id: Hg9if35qrBc

Length: 31min 31sec (1891 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 28 2021