TIME TO RE-FOCUS Part 3
Notes
Transcript
As I said last week , to sum up 2023 in one word I would have to say it would be
What do you do? Refocus
There are times when you need to re-focus David had to refocus a number of times.
Everyone who has gone through some sort of trauma has to refocus.
We are in a time of great deception - It is time for us to re-focus
It is a sign of the times.
Like I said for the last 2 weeks ...
A. It says you will have False Prophets
The challenge with Prophets is they have to be right or they are false prophets,
B. It says you will have Disasters
Be ready for a major increase in Both Human and Natural Disasters.
C. A Great Falling Away and Persecution
People wont be able to take the pressure of serving God over serving self. Pressure coming from the world, your flesh and of course demonic.
So heart wrenching is this reality that the New Testament writers had to warn Christians about falling away and persecution repeatedly (2 Thess 2:3; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Tim 3:1-9; 2 Pet 3:3; 1 Jn 2:18-19; Rev 13:12-17).
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
Christians will become, wimpy, weak and woke to quote John Cooper.
So how do we look to a future that we are unsure of.
I believe it is better to be prepared than not.
You need to be able to
1. Endure
Remember you are called to an endurance race not a sprint.
2. See past the wickedness
a. Even though it is all around you
3. Be Watchful
a. Be always on guard
Do your homework- Be a critical thinker. Research. Don’t be caught in the wrong camp because of ignorance.
4. Give Support to those that are weak
You of faith help those who have a weak faith
5. Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always);
You know how the story ends. You faith puts you in a secure position. You have a great advantage.
Last Week
6. Be unceasing in prayer
Prayer changes things.
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
Pray about everything. Get on the prayer chain, be a prayer warrior when called upon. If you don't pray don't expect anything, when you do pray expect God to hear you and he will move on it.
Because of the amount of deception pray for wisdom and discernment.
Deception is hard to uncover at times. That is why it is called deception.
7. Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Reveal-er and Mediator of that will].
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
8. Do not quench the Holy Spirit;
Scripture say the HS guides you in all truth.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.
Some people today believe there is no room for prophets, “Today, we have a completed revelation in the Word of God and there is no need for prophets” a quote from Wiersbe a very thoughtful theologian
Is what he says true, the answer is no. The OT had the Law and the prophets.
We still have people moved by the Holy Spirit today. They will not bring new revelation as the scripture is already the full revelation. But they bring illumination and clarity to what God is saying. They line up with Gods word and are not afraid to speak out,
In the church you have tongues and interpretation of tongues but you also have prophetic words and direction.
The problem is we have so many false prophets, that claim they heard from God but they didn’t. God doesn’t go around contradicting himself.
The spirit leads you in all truth, you bear witness to the spirit, so if you are not listening to Him who are you listening to.
The word quench is literately like snuffing out a flame with your fingers. What happens when you shut down a flame
You loose light - darkness comes in
You loose heat - you become cold and indifferent
Today I want to add a few more pieces
9. Do not despise instruction
Be teachable- so many people today are not. When you stop being teachable you begin a slide into ignorance and stupidity.
I call it pride - God rejects the proud. but gives grace to the humble.
Just realize you do not know everything.
32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
10. Abstain from former evil
We read this in the Thessalonians Scriptures a minute ago
Don’t get trapped in the former you - You are a new creation in Christ -walk in it.
If you don’t, your sin will trip you up.
its to refrain from - Or in modern terms , Say no !
Be aware your old you can kill you, your ministry, your marriage, your job, your kids etc.
11. Be apart of spreading of the Gospel globally
You have two options Give, Go or both.
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
12. Kick the devil out and invite Christ in?
Quit putting up with everything. Im talking about your home. This is your land. As for you and your house -you will serve him. AMEN
Live on Offense not Defense
13. Look for God’s Presence, Refocus you Faith
7 Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
8 And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent.
9 Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses.
10 When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent.
11 Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.
Take your faith from ordinary to extraordinary
Intimacy with God to the point people are watching you.
The older you get the more intimate you should be with JEsus
Hey look at the life of Moses.
Miraculous birth and upbringing - to becomig a murderer, kicked out of the house, wandering, - then a burning bush experience as he is doing nothing in the desert except watching sheep. To leading a generation of people who really don’t want to be lead.
Constant trials in the wilderness, people turning on you, dry times, low times, wanderings like your living with no focus, Golden calf moments.
Moses was not a quitter, even though he wanted to at times,
He had to trust God for everything
He leaned on God, talked to God and argued with God and was tested by God.
He stuck to the program of faith
He got to the point where it was
God and Me or not Me at all
No Glory = No Going
Conclusion
Its time to turn our disbelief into belief -AMEN
Mark 9:17–25 (NASB95)
17 And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute;
18 and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.”
19 And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”
20 They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth.
21 And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”
If YOU Can- seriously - If- - The greatest days of your faith are ahead of you!
Communion