2 Kings 5:2-3 (NLT) 2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to Naaman’s wife, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”

You can’t hide who you really are at home!
You’ve gotta deal with what’s killing you… So you can accomplish what God’s calling you to!

2 Kings 5:9-12 (NLT) 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.” 11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the LORD his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers back home better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.

Psalm 32:3-4 (NLT) 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. 4 Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

James 3:3-12 (NIV) 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Words are Weighty
Matthew 12:36-37 (NIV) 36 I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) The tongue has the power of life and death.


1. What we speak for: What we promote.
Proverbs 10:11 (NIV) The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life.
The Message- The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well.

2. What we speak against: What we protest.
We can speak against ideas, we don’t speak against individuals.

3. What we speak loudest. What we personify
What we speak the loudest represents us most.

Romans 12:9-21 (NIV) 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Realities in Managing Tension
1- Just because its true doesn’t mean its not hurtful.
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV) 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
“The need to verbalize is not more valuable than the people we are speaking of.”

2- Contextualize being Constructive
“Complaints & criticism only work in the context of being constructive.”
“Complaining is to the devil what praise is to God." ~Bill Johnson

3- Venting fuels
Proverbs 29:11 (NIV) 11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control

4- Respond don’t react
1 Peter 3:9(NLT) 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

5. Understand Context
Example:
John 8:11
Jesus said “Go and sin.”
Jesus said “Go and sin no more.”

What we should be the loudest in our praise:
1. Praise Possess Power
Psalm 22:3 (NKJV) You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

2. Praise Produces Peace
Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV) 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
3. Praise Proceeds Victory

Putting Praise together:
1)His purpose- His good intention
2)His promise- His guarantee
3)His providence he is in charge

7daysofgratfulness: 1) no complaining etc 2) Everyday express gratitude 3) share gratitude.

Psalm 141:3 (NIV) Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

Matthew 16:21-26 (NIV) 21 Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. 22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" 23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
At this momentPeter had revelation but no application.

Thinking is Critical!
Love the Lord with all our Mind (Mt 22:37)
We are to have the mind of Christ!(1 Corinthians 2:6, Philippians 2:5)
“The thoughts we agree with or justify are the thoughts that empower us.”
How you think is more important than how you feel.
Romans 8:5-9 (NLT) 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.

The Spiritual Mind
1-Think Differently
Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
-“We change our life by changing our mind!”
-We start & end with “What does God think?”

2-Leverage the Imagination
2 Corinthians 10:2-5 (NIV) 2 I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Remember- It’s a Spiritual battle!
1. We Demolishing Strongholds: Mental arguments, fears, tensions, frustrations, world reasoning, anxieties.
2. Take thoughts captive
3. Yield them/Make them obedient to Christ.
“Faith is yielding human reasoning to God’s ability.”

We have to Change our “what if’s.”
Arguments- “Imaginative reasoning”
“The power to imagine will lock us down with fear or unlock our capacity to experience the impossible.”
Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.

3-Make up your mind
James 1:5-8 (NIV) A double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
“What you cultivate dominates”- Kris Vallotton

1 Peter 1:3 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation.

Christmas is not bout presents its about PRESENCE.

“The greatest promise that God has for us has already been fulfilled.”
2 Corinthians 1:19-20 (NLT) 19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.

Luke 1:26-38 (NLT) 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” 34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” 35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.” 38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

Mary was Favored

Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT) 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

Romans 5:8 (NIV) God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Mary was Overshadowed
Psalm 91:1 (NIV) He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Mary was Overshadowed to carry him so that can live under that same shadow so he can carry us!

Matthew 1:23 (NLT) “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
“He didn't simply come so that we could have a home in heaven but so that Heaven could have a home on earth!”


The Gift of His Presence means:
1. Residing Hope.
“I will be with you until the end of the age!” Matthew 28:20

2. Sustaining Peace
Isaiah 9:6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end.

3. Everlasting Connection

Romans 8:15 (NLT) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Poverty-We cant talk about wealth without talking about poverty…
Money is an indicator.
Matthew 6:21 (NIV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Functions of a poverty mindset
1-Financial Greed
In the kingdom wealth is measured by our generosity.
2-Worry/Anxiety fear
“The poverty mindset reacts in fear of lack & always cautious of self preservation”
3-Selfishness with time
“The problem with the rat race is that even if you win you are still a rat.” -Lily Thompson
4- When we allow situations to dictate our behavior
Matthew 12:35 (NIV) The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

We are Rich in Grace.

Ephesians 1:3-9 (NLT) 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.

Walking in the wealth of Grace:
1. Live from a point of reference
2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT) You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
“You can afford it!”
WE ARE CHRIST AMBASSADORS!(2 Cor 5:20)
2. Slow Down
3. Look around
4. Over-Deliver
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV) 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
John 1:16 (ESV) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

5.Remember this is worship
Romans 12:1 (NIV) I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12:1-2 (MSG) 1 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Romans 8:28-37(NLT) We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Understanding opposition:
1. Opposition will come
John 16:33(NIV) …”In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
2. Opposition will refine you but it does not define you
3. Opposition is an indicator.
“IN MORE CASES THAN NOT OPPOSITION IS AN INDICATOR THAT YOU ARE DOING THE RIGH THING.”

Realities in Releasing Dominion….

1.Positioned for Triumph

Romans 8:37 (NLT)Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Our victory is paid for!
1 John 3:8(NIV) The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Romans 8:37(NLT) WE ARE MORE than conquerors through him who loved us.

2. Practice of Prayer
Mark 14:38 (NLT) Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

3. Posture of Praise
2 Corinthians 3:17(NIV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
“Freedom is not found in the absence of opposition but in the Presence of Jesus!”
Isaiah 59:19 When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

4. Proper perspective
We must start looking at things through Heavens perspective.

2 Corinthians 4:8-, 17-18 (NLT) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.…17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

• “I cant breath!”
• “I am exhausted.”
• “I feel weighted.”

John 3:1-7 (NIV) 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." 3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." 4 "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

2. Rest- The rested soul is a whole soul.

In Creation:
Genesis 2:2 (NLT) On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.
OUR REST In Christ: Jesus is seated (Mark 16:19, Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 12:1&2)
Matthew 11:27-30 (NLT) 27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

3. Rhythm- Steady wins the race.
Pace- “The only sin we reward in the church is overworking.”
Mark 2:27 (NIV) "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

4. Reliance- His breath is the oxygen for our spirit.
John 6:63 (NLT) The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Ministry:
Receive the Holy Spirit
John 20:21-22 (NLT) 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

• Paul in Ephesus: Acts 19:2 (NLT) “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?

What makes a masterpiece valuable?
1. Length of time it took to create
2. Materials it was made out of
3. Craftmanship that went in to it


Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.


What truly assigns value to something?
1. Usefulness-
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He created us answer in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

2. Sentimental Value-

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your worries and cares to God because He cares about you.


3. Joy received
Hebrew 12:2 Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and protector of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.


4. What someone is willing to pay for it.
Matthew 13:44 Again the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found a hid; and for joy over it, he goes and sells all the he has and buys that field. Again the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all the he had for it.

“The true way you can know you are valuable, is that Jesus paid everything He had to purchase you!”

Luke 7:11-15
Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Mark 6:1-6 (NLT) 1 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” 3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.

The culture of honor…cultivates a atmosphere for miracles.

Hebrews 13:18 (NLT) Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do.
We Honor God with …
1. Our Worship (Psalm 29:1-2)
2. Our Priorities(time…Lordship)
3. Our Home (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 5:22)
4. Our Bodies(In purity: 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5)
5. Our Finances(Proverbs 3:9)
6. Our Convictions(Timothy 2:21)
7. Our ability to honor others:
“If people matter to God they should matter to us.

We Honor…

1. Up.
A. Civil Authorities- Government, military, police(Romand 13:1-5)
B. Social Leaders- Bosses, Teachers, etc (Colossians 3:22-25)
C. Order of the home-(Ephesians 5:22-33, Ephesians 6:2)
D. Church Leaders(1 Thes 5:12-13) (Heb 13:17) (1 Tim 5:17)

2. Down
We don't honor people based upon their status we honor them based upon their value.”
Philippians 2:3-8(NIV) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

3. All Around
Romans 12:10 (NLT) Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Levels of Honor

Honor- A Valuing: Recognize the value, appreciate, esteem favorable regard.
Dishonor- Atimey- to treat as common or ordinary.

1. Words
Appreciation/Encouragement/ Life giving words.
Speaking well of people.
“Criticism and Cynicism robs your ability to honor.”
“Talking ABOUT a person never brings resolve but talking TO them can.”

2. Action
“Tension is where honor is tested.”

3. Spirit/Attitude
Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. (Matthew 15:8)

How do I nurture a honoring spirit.
1-Repent for being dishonorable, holding unforgiveness/bitterness.
2-Resolve that you are responsible for the honor you bring.
3- Relinquish agendas.(don’t be manipulative.)
4-Reconcile your differences with conversations.
5-Respond with a blessing.

The Power of Chosen…
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.

1. A Chosen people
“In Royalty you are either chosen into or or born into it- WE ARE BOTH!”
James 1:18 (NLT) He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.

2-A Royal Priesthood
“When you were picked it was for a purpose it was on purpose.”

3- A Holy Nation
HE Calls us out.
HE Calls us in.
HE Calls us to.

4. A people belonging to God.
1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.

"When we realize that we belong to God It changes our perspective, It guides our behavior & It empowers our purpose."

Luke 15:11-24 (NLT)11 Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ 20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ 22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

This son went seeking mercy, he found grace!
The Gifts of the Father
1. Finest Rob
-Clothing represents righteousness.
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.

-This Robe is provided.
Isaiah 61:10 (NIV) He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.


2. Ring
-The ring speaks of the identity & rights as royal family.
John 1:12 (NIV) To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

-It speaks of our belonging.
2 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV) (He) Set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Because we belong to God what God has belongs to us!

C. It is a sign of delegated authority.
We have authority, the kingly authority, to help govern his realm.

3. Sandals for his feet.
-Guest did not wear shoes inside.
-Servants in that time often times did not have shoes, if they did, they were not allowed to wear them inside.
Romans 8:15 (NLT) So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
The father was saying: “You are no servant in this house. You are no visitor to our home. This is where you belong as a son and all I have is yours.”

4. Feast
Luke 15:23 Kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast.
“He doesn’t just let us in the door he throws a party that we are home!”

From Prodigal to Prince…
1. Come to your Senses
2. Come Home

3. Understanding how our Value
“The Cross is more about his love than our rebellion, our acceptance than our repentance, and our value more than our sin.”
4. Embrace your new Identity
“Jesus didn't come to improve our identity he came to transform it. You are not just a little better than you were you are royalty.”
Colossians 3:3 (NIV) For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Romans 8:28-37(NLT) We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Understanding opposition:
1. Opposition will come
John 16:33(NIV) …”In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
2. Opposition will refine you but it does not define you
3. Opposition is an indicator.
“IN MORE CASES THAN NOT OPPOSITION IS AN INDICATOR THAT YOU ARE DOING THE RIGH THING.”

Realities in Releasing Dominion….

1.Positioned for Triumph

Romans 8:37 (NLT)Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Our victory is paid for!
1 John 3:8(NIV) The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Romans 8:37(NLT) WE ARE MORE than conquerors through him who loved us.

2. Practice of Prayer
Mark 14:38 (NLT) Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

3. Posture of Praise
2 Corinthians 3:17(NIV) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
“Freedom is not found in the absence of opposition but in the Presence of Jesus!”
Isaiah 59:19 When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.

4. Proper perspective
We must start looking at things through Heavens perspective.

2 Corinthians 4:8-, 17-18 (NLT) We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.…17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

1. Of sin because they do not believe in Me
   

1 Kings 19:3-13 (NLT) 3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. 4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 5 Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” 6 He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 7 Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the LORD said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

How does God speak?
John 10:27 (NLT) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
1. The clarity of his Word
Psalm 119:105 (NLT) Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

2. The voice of our Father
John 12:49-50 (NLT) I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

3. The leading of the spirit
John 14:26 (NIV) But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

4.The happenings of life

5. The wisdom of our Community
Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV) 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Romans 7:4 (NLT) Now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT) 7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Faithfulness….
God is looking for faithful people…
2 Chronicles 16:9 (NLT) The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.
Because he wants to pour out a blessing…
Proverbs 28:20 (NIV) A faithful man will be richly blessed…
Psalm 18:25 (NIV) To the faithful you show yourself faithful.

What is Faithfulness?

“You won’t be fruitful without being faithful!”
John 15:5 (NLT) Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.

Faithful Endurance
1- Focus on Jesus
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

2- Remember Process
“Big fruit requires strong, thick, branches!”
“The process is preparing us for promise”

3- Dont Quit
“90% faithfulness is not faithfulness.”


Ministry:
Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT) 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

“What every man needs….”
Genesis 2:15-25 (NLT) 15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” 18 Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23 “At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

1. We need a grind.

Degrees of fruit-bearing:

1. Fruit

2. More Fruit

3. Much Fruit

1. Keep Gods goodness in mind.

2. Comfort is not the goal.

3. Surround yourself with encouragement.

4. Stay Connected

God is making us a strong fruitful orchard.
Isaiah 61:3 (NIV) To provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

Psalm 1:1-3 (NIV) 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT) 7 “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.

When we are rooted & healthy we are:
1- Not bothered by heat.
2- Nor worried by drought.
“A good rain might get you healthy but saying well rooted by the river will keep you healthy.”
“Our health is not dictated by the strength of a season but the depth of our root!”

Well rooted trees are healthy trees…
Psalm 92:12-14 (NIV) 12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13 planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.

Mark 4:16-17 (NIV) 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

1. His Presence
Gihon- A Gushing Fountain!
John 7:38-39 (NLT) 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit.

2. His Purposes
Assignment- The Direction in which our roots grow

3. His People

We are not called to a fruitful season but a fruitful life.
“We live from Glory to Glory not season to season.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT). 7 “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

“Our fruit is not dependent upon our season but on our depth of connection”

John 15:5-17 (NIV) 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

Fruit that Remains
Remaining is living in connection with Jesus.
John 5:19 (NLT) “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.

John 15: 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

Developing an Abiding Lifestyle:
1- Connection

John 15:5 (NIV) "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

Menō- to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy) :- abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain.
“If we want lasting fruit then we must stay connected with the everlasting one.”

2- Affection

John 15: 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

1 John 5:3(NIV) This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.

Fruit is not forced it’s yielded.

Joh 15: 9 ”As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last.

1. God is a Gardener.
V1- “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.

John 15:16 (NLT) You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit.

2. He plants in a garden.

3. God empowers us to bear fruit.
V5-We are the branches.
Genesis 1:28 (NLT) Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.
“Its easy to overlook the method in sight of the mandate.”

Matthew 7:20 (NLT) just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
WHY IS THAT?

Mark 4:1-20 (NIV) 1 Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." …….14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

The Seed is the Word.
1 Peter 1:23 (NIV) For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
“The potential of God’s life giving fruit bearing word is contingent upon our capacity to receive it.”
3 Heart Conditions that keep us from being fruitful.
#1. Hardness: Hard Hearted
V15- Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.


#2. Shallow: The Emotional hearer.
V16-Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

#3. Worldly: Desire for the worldly, choke the revelation.

V18- "Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

The Process of fruitfulness

V20- Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

1. Conception:
2. Cultivation:
3. Fruition:

“When we are well rooted and connected to the vine fruit isn't added it is multiplied.”

Phillipians 4:13 Now I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. I am accustomed to any and every situation—to being filled and being hungry, to having plenty and having need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

So what do I do if I am already weary? Reevaluate. 
Speak to your situations.
Make improvements where needed.
Change your attitude.

The Word on Words
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life…
Proverbs 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver….
Proverbs 10: 21 The lips of the righteous nourish many….
Proverbs 15:4 The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) The tongue has the power of life and death

Matthew 8:5-13 (NKJV) 5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 6 saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 7 And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." 10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! …. 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour

The weight of words
1- Authority
v9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes…
“If carry the same DNA as our heavenly father and he can create the universe with a single breath then surly we can shift the atmosphere with what we say.”
2- Faith
v10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
Mark 11:23 (NIV) "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.

3- What is released
Matthew 12:36-37 (NLT) 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Life-Giving Words:
1-Prophetic Declarations
“If it doesn’t possess the spirit of Jesus its not a prophetic word its a pathetic word.”

2-Point to Jesus.

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV) 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

3- Proclaiming blessing
Proverbs 11:11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 (NIV) 1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." 4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army.

1 Kings 17:17-24 (NIV) 17 Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. 18 She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" 19 "Give me your son," Elijah replied. He took him from her arms, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" 22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!" 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth."

Releasing Revival
1- Take Responsibility
1 Kings 17: 19 “Give me your Son”

2- It starts in the upper room.

3- It’s already in you.
Romans 8:11 (NLT) The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Luke 17:20-21 (NIV) 20 Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, 21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

4- Costs us our comfort

1 Kings 17:21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy…

5- Consistency Counts

1 Kings 17:21 … three times

“A Life of consistency is more effective than a moment of Intensity”
Matthew 7:7 (NLT) “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

6- Comes with the Cry!
1 Kings 17: 22 The LORD heard Elijah's cry
“What is your cry!?”
What are you believing God for?

1 Thessalonians 5:2-8 (NLT) 2 For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape. 4 But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5 For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 6 So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. 7 Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. 8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

Samson: Judges 14-16

Judges 16:15-21 (NIV) 15 Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when you won't confide in me? This is the third time you have made a fool of me and haven't told me the secret of your great strength." 16 With such nagging she prodded him day after day until he was tired to death. 17 So he told her everything. "No razor has ever been used on my head," he said, "because I have been a Nazirite set apart to God since birth. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man." 18 When Delilah saw that he had told her everything, she sent word to the rulers of the Philistines, "Come back once more; he has told me everything." So the rulers of the Philistines returned with the silver in their hands. 19 Having put him to sleep on her lap, she called a man to shave off the seven braids of his hair, and so began to subdue him. And his strength left him. 20 Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him. 21 Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison.

Active Awareness-
“Sometimes we overvalue our strengths and overlook our weakness.”

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

1- Stay Alert
Ephesians 4:27 (NIV) Do not give the devil a foothold.

2- Develop Resistance
James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1 Peter 5:9 (NKJV) Resist him, steadfast in the faith….

3- Look for the exit-

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NLT) 12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

4- Remember whose you are.
Matthew 24:12 (NLT) Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

Ministry:
A Renewed commitment
Judges 16: 22 (NIV) But the hair on his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
2. Catch the foxes of compromise
Song of Songs 2:15 (NLT) Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!

Matthew 16:13-19 (NIV) 13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

1- “Who Do YOU Say I Am?”
“Knowledge is for your head and Revelation for your Heart.”

2- “On this Rock I will build MY church” “Revelation is a by product of Encounter!”

1 Peter 2:4-5 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.

3- “I will give you the Keys of The Kingdom....”

Matthew 6:9 &10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Genesis 28:11-17 11 (Jacob) came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 "Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 15 "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." 17 And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

Luke 8:40-49 (NLT) (See also Mark 5:21) On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for him. Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come home with him. His only daughter, who was twelve years old, was dying. As Jesus went with him, he was surrounded by the crowds. A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of his robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched me, for I felt healing power go out from me.” When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees before him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched him and that she had been immediately healed. “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” While he was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”

A miracle in the midst of a miracle.
“In the midst of a great awakening God is not so consumed with the "bigger miracle" to address your need!

WHAT ARE YOU BELIEVING GOD FOR!?

“Jesus has authority to the situation we bring him to or the issues we bring to him.”


Mark 5:26 (NLT) She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse.

Mark 5:27-29 (NLT) She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

Awakened to Miracles:
1- Stretch Ourself.
“Sometimes we are waiting on our miracle but what we should do is go after it.”
“If our excuse is our limitation we will never see transformation.”

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

2- Press in
The Month of April- Sunday nights: Awakening nights 6-7.


Luke 8:50-55 (NLT) But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.” When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but he said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him because they all knew she had died. Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” And at that moment her life returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.


Romans 5:17-19 (NLT) For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

John 11:17-26 (NIV) On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 11:27-37 (NIV) "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"


John 11:38-40 (NIV) Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance."Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

John 11:41-44 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

Awakened to Life.
1- “Come Out” He calls us out of the grave.
The call to Jesus is always “come”

2- He removes the grave cloths.
“What keeps you from living free.”


John 11:25-26 (NIV) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Jesus sees death is temporary
Revelation 1:18 (NLT) I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Matthew 26:36-46 (NLT) Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

Yielding to Father

1. 1. Yielding is a process

“Yielding to God is a lifetime process not a one time payment.”

-“He Is working IN us”

• Philippians 2:12-13 (NLT) Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

• Mathew 13:13 (NLT) ”The Kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.”

-He is not done….

• Philippians 1:6 (NIV) He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.

2. There is tension in the process

• (v. 38)“My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.”

3. The process only works if we endure.

• Galatians 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.

Romans 5:6-11 (NLT) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

John 17: 20-26 (NLT) “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

“FRIENDS WE GET THE INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO ANSWER WHAT GOD PRAYED FOR!”

Realities concerning unity:
1. Jesus gives glory for unity
“God is most glorified when we are unified.”
2- Unity is a non-negotiable
“Unity is a priority for God, it should be a priority for us.”

Ephesians 4:2-6 (NLT) Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
3-The incredible ability of Unity
Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV) How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.

Answering the prayer of Jesus:Growing In Unity.
1- Loving & Honoring one another.
John 13:35 (NIV) "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
“I am convinced that the spirit of comparison and criticism has robbed the church of her power!”
Ephesians 5:27 (NIV) …To present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

2- Being together
Unity flows from community
Colossians 3:16 (NIV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

3- Accomplish together
Genesis 11:6 (NLT) “Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

What can we do if we share a common goal for Gods glory!

Ephesians 5:21-33 Out of respect for Christ, be courteously reverent to one another. Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ. The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing. So just as the church submits to Christ as he exercises such leadership, wives should likewise submit to their husbands. Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. No one abuses his own body, does he? No, he feeds and pampers it. That’s how Christ treats us, the church, since we are part of his body. And this is why a man leaves father and mother and cherishes his wife. No longer two, they become “one flesh.” This is a huge mystery, and I don’t pretend to understand it all. What is clearest to me is the way Christ treats the church. And this provides a good picture of how each husband is to treat his wife, loving himself in loving her, and how each wife is to honor her husband.

-A Love that is not cultivated is a love that will die.
-Love is intentional, a choice.

How is Love cultivated?
1- Contribution
The goal of marriage is not personal happiness but the joint pursuit of fulfilling Gods purposes.

Matthew 18:19-20 If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

-If God is love then love cannot be complete without him at the center.
-Agreement can always be found by focussing on the purposes and the presence of God.

The love bank- Deposits & withdraws
-Deposits- Celebrating each other, laughter/fun, expressing in a way they like love(love languages), affirmation, affection, dates(quality time) gifts, acts of service.
-Withdraws- Disappointments, frustrations, fighting, lying, simply the lack of deposits.

2. Communication
Amos 3:3 Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?

-This is the way I FEEL VS This is how you ARE.
-Feelings are a indicator of attention needed not a decision rendered.
-55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken

3. The Rhythm of Love and Respect
“When a wife feels loved she respects her husband, when a husband feels respected he expresses love.”

Love IS worth fighting for
Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Galatians 5:16-25 (NLT) 16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature(flesh) craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

The Fruit of The Spirit:

1. Love

2. Joy

3. Peace

4. Patience

5. Kindness

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Self-Control

Psalm 91:1-16 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge-- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Refuge: (ref·uge) Shelter or protection from danger or trouble: a place that provides shelter or protection

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

Strong Tower/ Tower of Refuge/ Watchtower.
1-Positioned Strategically
2-Protection
3- Place of Rest
4- Provisions
5- Personnel

The Name of the Lord:
Philippians 2:9-11 God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 14:13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it…
Acts 4:12 & 13 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
“Its one thing to know the name…It’s another thing to know the man.”
Acts 19:15 “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”

His Identity = Our Refuge.
Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

El Shaddai- The almighty,
Genesis 17:1-6 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!

“God changes our identity by revealing His!”

El Shaddai- The almighty:
1. Sufficient, All Sufficient.
2. Source of Nourishment.
3. Source Strength

Psalm 121:1-8 I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth! He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Exodus 15:22-25 (NIV) Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?" Then Moses cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made a decree and a law for them, and there he tested them.

1- Pain serves us we don't serve pain.
Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

“In The Kingdom Scars speak louder of the the win than the wound”

2- People are not the enemy
Philippians 2:3-5 (NLT) Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

3- Tenderness is our ally
The harder our heart is the harder it is to get healed.
“If wounds are not correctly treated they never heal.”
“Healing can take time but time doesn’t heal all wounds”
James 5:16 (NLT) Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Ministry:

Ezekiel 36:26(NIV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Psalm 103:2-6 (NIV) Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Ephesians 5:1-17 (NLT) Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don’t participate in the things these people do. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Revelation 2:2-5 (NLT) “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place among the churches.

Realities of Shining….
1- Light starts on the inside
“The church is the only living organism that is pregnant and produce at the same time”

Matthew 25:1-13 (NLT) “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’ “All the bridesmaids got up and prepared their lamps. Then the five foolish ones asked the others, ‘Please give us some of your oil because our lamps are going out.’ “But the others replied, ‘We don’t have enough for all of us. Go to a shop and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ “But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’ “So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.

2- Walk in the light
1 John 1:5-7 (NLT) This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

“Sometimes we would rather be celebrated by the darkness by hiding the light than celebrating the light and illuminating the darkness.”

“You actually have to have a testimony to share one”

Ephesians 5: 15-17 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

3- Put it on its stand
Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT) “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

“Good works don't save us but they may lead others to salvation.”

1 Peter 2:9 (NLT) You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Close:
Isaiah 60:1-5 (NIV) "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.

Our relationship with God is a response.

“The only thing we have to do to fix our relationship with God is respond to his invitation.”


3 Realities about Gods desire for relationship:
1- Gods Intention for mankind is Intimacy.
Genesis 3:8-9 (NIV) Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"

2- God’s highest value is relationship.
Genesis 3:21 (NIV) The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

“God has solutions before there are problems.”

Ephesians 1:4-5(NIV) “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

3 He enjoys us…
Mark 3:14(NIV) He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach
“God greatest purpose for your life is Him.”

Enjoyment is a core value of our Walk with Jesus.


Cultivating intimacy with Jesus
Matthew 6:11 Daily bread

1- Word
A. Get a plan
B. Be prepared

https://www.bible.com/reading-plans

2- Prayer
Luke 5:1(NIV) But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
P-Praise & Adoration
Repentance, restoration, refreshing,
Anything
Yourself

https://abide.is

3. Worship
A. It’s your nature to worship
B. It’s Gods nature to be worshipped

Close:
Jeremiah 29: 13-14(NIV)  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "

Psalms 116:9 in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

James 4:8 (NIV) Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 11:1-6 (NIV) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Faith….

1. Faith is Active trust
Hebrews 11:1(NLT) Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

2. Faith is necessary to please God.
Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) Without faith it is impossible to please God.

3. Faith Functions

“Faith that does not express itself is dead faith”
James 2:17 (NKJV) Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Moving Foreword in Faith…
A. Start seeing:

Isaiah 43:19-20 (NLT) I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.

“In the world seeing is believing in the Kingdom believing is seeing.”

“Faith see’s before it is visible.”

B. Start processing

C. Don’t Stop Believing
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV) We live by faith, not by sight.

4. Our faith will be tested!
James 1:2-8 (NLT) Dear brothers an sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

5. Faith will be Rewarded!
Hebrews 11:6 (NLT) Anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

A Clean Start
1- Reborn
John 3:1-7 (NIV) Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.’

2- Reidentefied
John 1:12-13 (NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
1 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance

3- Repurposed:
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

A clean start means embracing…
1- New Life
2 Corinthians 5:14-17 (NLT) Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

Ephesians 4:21-24 (NLT) Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

2- New Mindset

3- New Attitude & Lifestyle
Philippians 2:5-11 (NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Close:
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

John 1:1-18 (NLT)
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’” From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But the one and only Son is himself God and is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.

1- God is Light-
1 John 1:5 God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.

2 Jesus is The light-
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Light illuminates (Jn 14:9)
Light expels darkness- (Jn 1:5)
Light Shows the way. (Jn 14:6)

3. We are the Light….
Matthew 5:14 (NIV) "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.