kingdom living

We will be looking at the leaven in the bread, what it means and what is its implications in the life of a born again believer. Our main scripture is taken from Matthew 13:33.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable he spoke unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

We will be looking at the leaven in the bread, what it means and what is its implications in the life of a born again believer. Our main scripture is taken from Matthew 13:33.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable he spoke unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

We will be looking at the leaven in the bread, what it means and what is its implications in the life of a born again believer. Our main scripture is taken from Matthew 13:33.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable he spoke unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

We will be looking at the leaven in the bread, what it means and what is its implications in the life of a born again believer. Our main scripture is taken from Matthew 13:33.

Matthew 13:33 Another parable he spoke unto them: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

In this episode, we dive deep into the powerful topic of confronting demonic spirits and breaking generational patterns through a comprehensive Bible study. Join us as we explore the patterns and lineage of these spiritual forces that can plague our lives and families without us even realizing it.

We'll examine how to recognize these patterns and understand the spiritual warfare we're engaged in, drawing wisdom from the Word of God. Discover the biblical antidotes for freedom, including the crucial role of deliverance, and how it can help break the chains that bind us.

Explore the stories of individuals in the Bible who confronted demonic influences, sought deliverance, and overcame their tormentors. We'll also address why, as believers, we sometimes hesitate to respond and fight back against these forces.

As we conclude, we'll encourage you to become a generational curse breaker for your family and share practical steps on how to do so. Join us for this transformative journey of faith, deliverance, and victory.

A laila shares the importance of support. She talks about why most people think they should get support from the people they're closest to and the why it doesn't work that way.

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You can follow A'laila on FB: @ A'laila The'Queen Carroll & A'laila Carroll, IG: @A'lailaCarroll, on Twitter: @A'lailaQueen, and on her website @ www.imagingcoaching.com

Please send questions and comments to online.mtcarmel@gmail.com
We would love to hear from you!

Please send questions and comments to online.mtcarmel@gmail.com
We would love to hear from you!

Please send questions and comments to online.mtcarmel@gmail.com
We would love to hear from you!

Ephesians 1:3-7,NLT- 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 use 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.

And I know we’ve discussed this topic many times but God continues bringing me back to it. It’s not we couldn’t receive more clarity, further revelation into the realities of our new world. Our new identity.

And the first thing we’ve got to be clear on is our right standing with Him through Jesus. The moment we give our lives to Jesus, we’re not only new creations, but now heirs of His world.

You see, I love v.6, He made us the accepted in the beloved. Heirs of His world.

And that’s the driving thought behind our new talk “Two Worlds.”

We are born into a completely new world, which is 100% spiritual. Right now we belong to two worlds. Natural and Spiritual.

And even though confined to this natural, according to Jesus, we’re no longer of it. This is why Paul made crazy statements like, “walk in the spirit, not in the flesh.”

Think about it, how often would you say you’re applying spiritual principles in your daily lives? Remember James, “be doers not just hearers.”

God wants us living spirit led lives. Making spirit led decisions about every aspect of our lives. And that starts with being more spiritually minded.

But let’s be honest, most of us, most of the time are more aware of and committed to this natural world than our new world because its just easier, it’s more real to us. It’s what we’re use to.
 

And this is what I love about Ephesians, it provides clarity. For example, the church is His body, us in Him, Him in us, expressing the fullness of His reality.

Ephesians 1:22-23,NKJV-  He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

So, if we’re in Him, and Him in us, if we’re His church, His body, the fullness of Him, how much of a reality of this truth are we actually in pursuit of?
 

Everybody knows Jeremiah 29:11, I know the plans I have for you, plans of a future you hope for, an expected end.
 

But I want to highlight v.13,

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV- You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
 

MSG- When you come looking for Me, you’ll find Me. Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.

And even though Paul is telling us, because of our new identity, we can actually bring the realities of His world into this natural world;

just like the things of this natural world don’t just happen, neither do the thing of the spirit.
 

Being successful in our new world isn’t any different than being successful in this world
 

Listen to what God says in Jeremiah, When you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.”

This is one of Paul’s key points in this letter in Ephesians. He isn’t praying for God to do a something new, he’s praying the we can see, that we can comprehend what God has already done.
 

Listen to his prayer in chapter one;

May the eyes of your understanding being enlightened;

That we know what is the hope of His calling,

That we know what the riches of the glory of His inheritance is.

And that we know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Then the apostle John give further clarity, 1 John our born again nature in this world is just like Christ. Made in His image and likeness.

But we’ve got to recognize, God gave us free will by design. The choice is ours.

1 Thessalonians 5:23,NKJV- Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

SPIRIT

SOUL

BODY

And here’s the deal, when our soul is renewed with God’s word, we believe Him. At that point our soul and spirit are in agreement, causing the body to come in line. Or in the words of James, we become doers of the word.

But when our soul stays in agreement with our body, our human nature, human nature rules, resulting in unbelief. And we find ourselves saying things like, if the power of God was working in my life, I’d see it, feel it, experience it, etc…

We have to understand that according to v.19-20, we have the same power living in our spirits that raised Christ from the dead.

This is why Jesu told us, “rivers of living water will flow out of you”

We need to believe God to show us how to draw from that river, to draw out of the life He’s already given us.

You ready to be stretched a little more?

Ephesians 1:22-23 NKJV- And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

A head doesn’t go anywhere with its body. Example, you see someone’s car and there goes so and so. You don’t say there goes their car.

Don’t forget, last week we cover this faith stretching revelation;

Ephesians 2:4-6,NKJV- God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together,

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Our spirit, our born again nature is in Christ right now. Raised with Him, seated with Him in heavenly places. Not gonna be!!

We have been made alive, delivered. The Holy Spirit quickens our mortal bodies right now.
 

But understand this, it’s not that we reach some sinless perfection, but the revelation and acknowledgment of our resurrected lives.

Philemon 6,NKJV- That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

But when we fail to do this, we find ourselves still dominated by our human nature
Ephesians 4, Be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

The more we yield to our new man the less we yield to our human nature.

Romans 8:18,NKJV- For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Here’s the thing, revealed in us, not to us.

Ephesians 3:8-10,NKJV- To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;

to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.

Here’s the deal, everything about this new life in Christ hinges on our faith.

And it’s crucial we understand real faith is our correct, positive response to what God has already done.

Faith doesn’t move God. Faith is the created response, receiving, reaching into the unseen world and appropriating that world.

• Ephesians 1:3-7,NLT- 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.

• Jesus alone, through His sacrifice, by His grace makes us accepted in God’s family.

• This is why Paul could boldly say, “Its only by the grace of God that I am what I am.”

• So today, as we gather around the Lord’s table, get this reality settled in your thinking; we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. We are chosen by Him to be holy before Him. To the praise of His grace.

• At the end of the day, when it comes to God’s grace and goodness, the question we’ve all got to answer is; just exactly how much of what God tells us do we honestly believe?

• Seriously, if God, our Father tells us we’re forgiven, blessed, prosperous, favored, healed, why wouldn’t we accept what He says as truth? Why shouldn’t we believe, do and say what my Father tells us?

• Whether you’ve walked with Jesus most of your life, or you’re just starting your journey,
• Because of human nature, because we have an enemy, there will be times when we question the things of God’s unseen kingdom.

• Remember, we belong to two worlds. The choice of which one we live out of is ours. I’ve set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, you choose.

• Romans 8:5-6,NKJV- For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
• For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

• And it’s in these times that we can come to the Lord’s table, free of all sin, made completely righteous by His sacrifice, that sometimes is the reminder we need.

• I probably say this every time we take communion, but let’s be real, we all need reminded, encouraged about what Jesus did for us. To set our mind on spiritual things.

• This is Paul’s point in Ephesians, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

• Communion is one of the most spiritual things we get to do

• It’s a divinely inspired place of revelation from the Father. Allowing us to see that Jesus alone made us worthy to stand in His presence. He made us heirs to the Kingdom through His sacrifice.

• May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened, that we can embrace the hope of His calling, so that we can walk in the riches of His glory, that we function in the exceeding greatness of His power.

• You see, some of the most spiritual clarity and revelation is around the Lords table. Starting with, Jesus said, this bread is his body broken for us. The cup is his blood shed for us.

• John 6:51,NKJV- “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever...”

• John 10:10,(paraphrase), I came from Heaven to give you a rich and satisfying life. A better life than you've ever dreamed of. A life to enjoy in abundance, to the full, till it overflows.

• Today as we worship Him at His table, according to Hebrews, when we come to the Lord, we have to come to Him in faith.

• In the faith that it’s only because of Jesus, only by His grace that any of us are able to stand in His presence.

• To have the privilege of being able to commune with our Creator.

• Communion isn’t just acknowledging Jesus’ sacrifice, it’s embracing and reverencing the fact that Jesus actually restored us to our rightful place with God.

• Today as we honor and reverence our King’s sacrifice, let His Spirit minister to you, embrace what Jesus did, what He said, embrace who you are because of Him.

• Ephesians 2:4-6,NKJV- God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
• even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together,
• and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

• This is why having moments like this, around the Lord’s table allow us the privilege of drawing closer to Him. Of seeing clearer, who we are in Him.

• Remember, Jesus has already made us alive together with Him and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Him.

• And even though we belong to two worlds, because of Jesus, while still in this world, we’re no longer of it.

• Understand, we’re not just citizens of Heaven, we’re heirs to the Kingdom, appointed ambassadors of our King, assigned here to establish the very same dominion our Father started everything with in Adam. And is now in Jesus.

• Truth is, our biggest battle isn’t really the devil, or other people, it’s our refusal to embrace a life beyond our humanity.

• This is why I love to make communion a special time, I truly believe communion allows us the privilege of coming boldly into His presence. Acknowledging and embracing exactly what Jesus did for us.

• Ephesians 2:10,AMP- For we are His workmanship, His own master work,
• a work of art created in Christ Jesus,
• reborn from above,
• spiritually transformed, renewed,
• ready to be used for good works, which God prepared for us beforehand, taking paths which He set, so that we would walk in them, living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us.

• And there is no better place to be reminded, no better place for fresh perspective, no better place to draw closer to Jesus than around the Lord’s table.

• Let today's communion remind you that you are righteous in God’s sight by Jesus' sacrifice. You are a brand new creation in Christ.

• Here’s the thing, until the born-again actually embrace the realities of our new nature, God’s grace and everything about His world will stay a mystery.

• 2 Peter 1:2-4,NKJV- Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
• as His divine power HAS GIVEN TO US ALL THINGS that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
• by which HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO US exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

• One of the most incredible realities about God’s grace, about His divine power is that it’s 100% based on His word and His character, not our conduct.

• And the blessed assurance every believer has today is that regardless of what we might face, Ephesians makes it very clear, we are in Christ and He is in us.

• And I love how the apostle Paul provides simplicity and clarity to our new lives in Christ; anyone united with Christ gets a fresh start, a new creation. The old life is gone; a new life is underway. All because God settled the relationship between us and Him.

• Communion reminds us not only of what Jesus saved us from, but what He saved is to.

• Think about it, we're going to Heaven, the place of no more pain, suffering, crying, and death. Communion stands as a memorial of an empty cross and an abandoned grave.

• Communion takes each of us back to when His incredible gift of grace changed our lives forever.

• Today as we gather around the Lord's table, embracing His amazing grace, we give Him a glory and honor, proclaiming His resurrection until He returns.

• Communion stands as our eternal memorial of God's amazing grace.

• Maybe this is why God told the apostle Paul, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness."

• You see, this is one of the most awesome things grace does, it transforms us into the new person He's already created us to be.

• And through faith, we believe it, we accept it and experience it.

• Yielding to this kind of undeserving love and power is what enables every believer to rise above their old nature.

• Peter says it like this out of the Message, What a God we have... Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!

• Remember, communion is 100% spiritual. It’s a divinely inspired place of revelation from the Father.
• Boldly proclaiming Jesus alone made us worthy to stand in His presence. He made us heirs to the Kingdom through His sacrifice.

• May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened, that we can embrace the hope of His calling, so that we can walk in the riches of His glory, that we function in the exceeding greatness of His power.

• 1 Corinthians 11:26,NKJV- For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

• Here’s the thing, seeing what God is saying is the only way we embrace our new lives, our spiritual lives.

• Revelation (spiritual seeing) is what empowers us to rise above the fears, failures, disappointments, circumstances, excuses, and become the person God created us to be. To experience some of His supernatural.
• Or like the apostle Paul says, “we walk in the spirit instead of the flesh.”

• But unfortunately, to often we miss the supernatural because we’re looking for the spectacular.

• And I realize the religious world, the unbelieving world, not to mention, we have a real enemy that constantly try pulling us from God’s world.

• So we constantly have talks like this because at the end of the day, everything about God and His Kingdom come down to this one truth; we have to believe what the book says.

• It’s the only way into His world.

• Remember Paul’s instructions from 2 Corinthians, We do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
• For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

• Being able to see the unseen reshapes our thinking, which ultimately shapes our living. We’ve got to see things from His perspective.

• John 1:12-13,NLT- 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.

• I can tell you from my own battles, embracing the reality that I’m a son of God, created like Him, called to follow His lead is something my humanity is constantly unwilling to accept.

• None the less, if any of His word is truth, all of it has to be truth. You talk about seeing what He’s saying, leave here today with this reality settled in your thinking, I’M CREATED LIKE HIM

• 1 Corinthians 15:48-49,NKJV- As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
• And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

• When Jesus told us to repent for the Kingdom of heaven has come, He’s telling us to change; change our thinking, believing, our doing.

• That means taking enough time with Jesus and His word that it begins shaping our expectation for God to do certain things in our lives.

• And a major key in this reality is seeing ourselves like Him, as eternal people. It’s important we keep this reality out in front of us.

• Think about this, Peter tells us a day with the Lord is like one thousand years. From that perspective, a year is only a couple minutes.
• And that’s how Paul can tells us not to be moved by the things we see.

• He understood, the more we focus on the unseen the more spiritual transformation we’re going to experience.

• But here’s the deal, you ever read something God said, but file it away as one of those un-understandable’s? Because you don’t see what He’s saying.

• Revelation (spiritual seeing) according to Isaiah 28, comes to every believer, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.

• And I know we get consumed with this life, the cares of this world, the desire for other things, not to mention the enemy doing everything possible to keep us distracted.

• So when we find ourselves distracted, maybe rebellious, failing more times than we care to admit. We have to know that El-Roi The God who sees, sees our end from our beginning is still here, never leaving us or forsaking us.

• Remember Paul’s revelation, “It’s only by the grace of God that I am what I am.”

• Romans 7:18-25,NLT- And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.
• 19, I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.
• 20, But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
• 21, I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong.
• 22, I love God’s law with all my heart.
• 23, But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.
• 24, Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
• 25, Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

• And this is why sometimes a simple talk like this is all we need to redirect our thinking. Our focus. To be open to a fresh approach to a little Holy Spirit inspired living.

• To understand, just like Paul that it’s only by the grace of God that any of us, on any given day can stand in His presence.

• Sometimes right in the middle of us giving into the same trap that gets us every time. You know the one… you start seeing what He’s saying!!

• Philippians 1:6,AMP- I am convinced of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ, right up to the time of His return, developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.

• Since Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God, one of the first thing He addressed society about was that we would have to change our thinking and our actions.

• Colossians 1:15-16,NLT- Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
• He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.
• He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the UNSEEN WORLD. Everything was created through Him and for Him.

• Make no mistake, God absolutely expects us to embrace the fact that in our new lives in Christ, we've been made like Him, to function like Him.
• But here’s the kicker, because of free will, when it comes to the unseen, His divine secrets, His Kingdom, God has reserved it's truths for those who seek Him.

• Hebrews says, God rewards those who sincerely seek him.

• Jesus himself said, "if you seek me you will find me."

• We have to remember, one of the first things Jesus told His followers was that they had to change the way they think and what they do.

• And not out of some religious obligation, but out of a revelation of their new life in Him.

• Staying open to reality that the Kingdom of God is in every born-again believer will change our approach completely concerning His church.

• Lets make sure we keep this out in front if us, the church is people, discovering, believing, embracing the reality that we belong to a different world, called to this one, for our windows of opportunity.

• And one of the greatest revelations every believer needs to be aware of is the fact that whenever, wherever we show up, Gods kingdom shows up.

• The company you work for is exposed to the kingdom of Heaven every day you show up.

• And every believer willing to embrace the grace God has given you will be the ones He uses to demonstrate His kingdom through.

• Those willing seek and follow Him are the ones He's leading right where He needs them.

• Something religion will never see is the reality that Jesus is the only one that makes us worthy of our new, God created kingdom. And this is why He tells us to resist the devil.

• Here’s something every believer needs to stay aware of as we take steps of faith to follow Jesus, one of the enemy’s most crippling powers is condemnation.

• But according to Romans 8, there is none for those of us who re in Christ, who walk according to the Sprit.

• This is why we have to be able to see what He’s saying. His word has the power to bypass intelligence and speak directly to the heart of a human.

• This why Jesus told us in Matthew, "SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

• Here's the thing, His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. It exists in the spirit. So if you're going to seek it first, that's where you're going to have to do your seeking.

• Think about this for a second, when Jesus told us that all our provisions would be taken care as long as we seek God's kingdom first;

• If I'm understanding Jesus correctly, all our provisions will come out of our new kingdom.

• I honestly don't thing we give our new lives in Christ, especially kingdom living the consideration it demands,

• Primarily because of religious, church traditions.

• And I'm convinced this is why Jesus told society that we must change how we think and what we do.

• And I get it, all this spiritual stuff is different, weird, doesn't make sense, but God's ways, His word, is not of this world. So it's going to be different.

• So until we leave this world, God still needs believers willing to demonstrate His kingdom to this world Jesus died for.

• This is why we can never underestimate the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. It literally is the power of God unto salvation.

• That’s why He told His closest followers; "the ability to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven have been given to you."

• Then He simply said, the kingdom of Heaven is like a seed a man sowed.
• You see what I’m saying

• Here we are, turning the page on another year, and as I was waiting on the Lord’s leading, here’s something I began to entertain;
• Although we find ourselves consumed with time, truth be told, even though confined to humanity, we are, right now eternal people.

• Which means we should probably maintain a little more of an eternal perspective. And the only way that happens is by allowing the eternal book to inspire, challenge, motivate, to direct us toward the realities contained within it’s pages.

• The psalmist tells us, God’s word is what enlightens our path, renews our soul to His world, literally showing us the difference between the two worlds.

• And because we are His born again, new creations, we have to be able to see, to comprehend what He’s saying. “You see what I’m saying?”

• Something Jesus told His disciples on more than one occasion is there are those who have eyes to see but they can’t.
• Seriously, eyes but can’t see. What’s that remind you of?

• 2 Corinthians 4:18,NKJV- While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.
• For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

• Lets be real for a second, we’ve all found ourselves at times not being able to see what the Lord is saying.
• Usually because our focus is some where else.

• The entrance to God’s eternal world is through His word. It is the lens a human, born of the spirits uses to see the thing that’s not seen. You see what I’m saying?

• And this talk is to remind all of us, God has a success plan for every one willing to follow Him. To take His promises, to trust Him and do what He says.

• Joshua 6:1-2,NKJV- Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in.
• And the LORD said to Joshua: See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor.

• 1 Corinthians 10:11,AMP- Now these things happened to them as an example and warning to us; they were written for our instruction, to admonish and equip us, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

• Here’s the thing, all God’s word is true and forever settled. So if Paul is telling us the things they did in rebellion are examples, make no mistake the things they did in obedience are also examples.

• Joshua 6, “See! I have given Jericho into your hand”

• Faith sees from God’s perspective.

• Remember, these OT examples are left here for us, to learn the faith lessons from them. And Joshua is a perfect example, God not only gave him his assignment, but a detailed plan in implementing it.

• It’s important we remember that before God told Joshua to take this major step of faith, He had already given him the key in his success.

• Joshua 1:8,NKJV- This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

• Remember, the key to us seeing what He’s saying will be through the lens if His word. Seriously is absolutely our key to a successful life in Him.

• Think about it, “day and night” A LIFESTYLE. And here’s a quality we will always find in successful people, they do consistently what others will only do occasionally.

• I’m talking all aspects of life; spiritually, relationally, professionally, financially, etc…

• Galatians 6:9,NLT- “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.”

• Something we’ve got to stay open to is that when we start following our ancestors through the scriptures, we better stay open to the fact that a life with God is made for the supernatural, the impossible.

• Seriously, would God lead you into a situation you can’t accomplish without Him? Into a situation that in the natural makes absolutely no sense?

• 1 Corinthians 1:27-29,NKJV- God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
• and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.

• Here’s the deal, as long as we allow our senses, emotions, intelligence to determine reality, we leave no room for faith.

• And a big part of the life of faith starts with us seeing ourselves the way God sees us, in His class, made in His image, heirs to His Kingdom. Not a religious image but an in Christ image. You see what I’m saying?

• All He has, He’s already given. All His promises in Christ are yes, and in Him amen. His life, His nature, His wisdom and provision. Remember, God, our Father wants to be the El Shaddai of our lives.

• When a Christian can get to the place where what God says is more real than circumstance and experience, that person’s faith will become the dominant force in our lives.

• The challenge for most of us is that we identity more with our natural world than our spiritual world.

• Remember Paul’s instructions to us, we live our lives in a manner consistent with our CONFIDENT BELIEF IN GOD’S PROMISES.

• This is why Paul wrote his Holy Spirit inspired prayer in Ephesians, “Lord, open my eyes spiritually so I can comprehend what You’ve already done for me.”
• You see what I’m saying?

• I bring this up because being in God's family, He gives all of us Holy Spirit inspired dreams, plans, ideas, assignments, purposes.
• He’s going to give each of us Holy Spirit inspired lives.

• Sometimes we simply need to be able to see what He’s saying. Tho be open to maybe a fresh approach toward those Holy Spirt inspired dreams, our God given purposes, those ideas that might seem a little out there.

• “See! I have given Jericho into your hand”

• Maybe we could all use a talk like this to challenge us to role up our sleeves and get out there and experience some of God's promises.

• It's about daring to believe that God is exactly who He says He is. That He'll do exactly what He said He'll do.

• That being said, don’t think for a second the life God has designed for you won't take you out of your comfort zone.

• One thing we should know about God given dreams and assignments is that they always challenge our faith, our vision, because He will take us from faith to faith.

• Remember Paul’s encouraging words, the things written in the scriptures were written for our instruction and admonition.

• And the wonderful thing about our NT is that it will take us from glory to glory. If we’ll let it. I means listen to what John tells us, you are of God, and He who is in you is greater than anything in this world.

• One thing we can definitely take away from Joshua is that no one ever reaches their dreams, fulfills their assignment, staying safely tucked away in their comfortable, risk free, unbelieving life.

• Sometimes that means choosing to trust what He tells us enough to be willing to take what at the moment may look like a crazy huge risk.

• Getting to this place is what empowers us to rise above the fears, failures, disappointments, excuses, and become the person God already knows we are.

• But here's the deal, the kicker, the one thing we all struggle with;

• To become this person, to discover our dreams, to step our assignment, to take ownership of our God life, we have to be open to CHANGE!!!!!

• Something I've discovered over the years is that way too many times, the only person stopping us, is us.

• Remember what John told us, you are of God, and He who is in you is greater than anything in this world.

• Wherever your dreams are, whatever your next assignment is, make today the day you take ownership of it.

• God wants nothing more than for you to discover this life. A life He's already seen you having.

• “See! I have given Jericho into your hand” You see what I’m saying!

• Hebrews 4:12,AMP- For the word of God is living and active and full of power, making it operative, energizing, and effective.
• It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, 
• and of both joints and marrow ,the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

• A very important lesson every believer has to come to terms with is the reality that God’s word is living, spiritual reality.

• Jesus told us His words are Spirit and life.

• Here’s the deal, there are 2 Greek words translated word in the NT

• Logos- the written word of God. Our bible.
• Rhema- the revealed, spoken word of God. Individual revelation.

• It’s when the written becomes the revealed that it produces change in humanity.

• This is when Hebrew 4 becomes effective, showing the difference between soul and spirit.

• As well as exposing the thoughts and intents of the heart.

• Something to keep in mind, spiritual truth and natural truth don’t always agree. And this is where faith comes in.

• Accepting, believing, and acting are the fruits of faith.

• Romans 10:17,NKJV- So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
• CEV- No one can have faith without hearing the message about Christ.

• We have to understand, the written becoming the revealed only happens through faith.

• And I cannot over emphasize the importance of speaking the rhema of God into our situation, into our physical world.

• Now when it comes to confession, it’s not simply about saying something we’ve heard or memorized. It has to be a revelation to us.

• This is why Jesus made statements like, “according to your faith…”
• The spoken word is how spiritual realities are transferred into our physical reality.

• Unfortunately, the majority doesn’t really believe this truth. Primarily because we’ve tried it and didn’t see immediate results.

• 2 Corinthians 4:13,NKJV- And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.

• Understand, Paul is writing this right in the middle of some of his most challenging situations. He’s actually quoting the Psalmist who went through difficulties praising and walking out God’s victory.

• Something else to keep in mind about this passage, this “same spirit of faith” according to Romans is the same Spirit that brought Jesus back from the dead.

• Remember, according to our key text, God’s word is the only source exposing the difference between these two worlds we are currently living in.

• This is why the Holy Spirit, just a few verses later in the same chapter in 2 Corinthians makes this radical statement.

• 2 Corinthians 4:18,NKJV- While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

• Think about it, because we have the same spirit of faith, we choose to not look at things that are seen, and according to what is written, we believe and we speak.

• Is it possible that when believers exercise the rhema word of God, we’re actually bringing the unseen into the seen?

• One of my favorite examples of this is in 2 Kings 6, Elisha and his assistant.

• Elisha told him, there are more with us than with them.
• Then he asked the Lord to open his eyes.

• Today, what you and I have to acknowledge, actually accept, is the reality that God’s word is the doorway into Paul’s unseen, the world of the spirit, the eternal.

• Seriously, what do you think the Holy Spirit meant when He told us to walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh?

• I think He’s actually waiting on His people, heirs to start exercising our spiritual senses.

• Remember, Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his assistant. What…

• Think about this, how many times did Jesus say things like, “ he who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

• The harsh reality is, until the born again make room for transformation in our soul, we have no option but our natural senses.

• SPIRIT- Kingdom of God, made like Him, dominion, authority, faith
• SOUL- Free will
• BODY- intelligence, carnality, emotions, senses, unbelief

• And this is why faith is the absolute in the unseen world of God’s Kingdom. Why would Jesus tell us things like, “all things are possible to him who believes.”

• Think about our story in 2 Kings, Elisha took the entire Syrian army captive by exercising the spiritual world.

• Hebrews 11:3,NKJV- By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

• You getting this, things seen didn’t come from this visible world.

• Here’s the deal, at some point we’ve got to stop assuming things of that world will just manifest in this one simply because we’ve processed it intellectually, or even memorized a scripture. We have to have revelation from Him. We’ve got to see it.

• Why? Because just like in this natural world we have to develop our sense, our abilities. It’s exactly the same in the spirit world.

• Hebrews 4:12,AMP- For the word of God is living and active and full of power, making it operative, energizing, and effective.
• It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit, the completeness of a person, 
• and of both joints and marrow ,the deepest parts of our nature, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

• Truth is, most of the time it’s not asking God to do something, it’s us transforming to the place where we begin accesses His world.

• Jeremiah 29:13,NKJV- You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

• With all your heart is 100% spiritual. Other dimensional.
• Think about it, God’s not hiding from us.

• 1 Corinthians 15:44-45,NIV- If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
• So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

• Colossians 1:15-16,NLT- Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

• I think we should be able to have conversations about the unseen world of God, the Kingdom of Heaven without making it weird.

• Jesus constantly talked about it.

• At the same time, we've got to understand that as one of His born again, He sees, expects, and addresses each us us as heirs, in our new life, not our humanity.

• We have to understand, God will not violate the freedom He gave us.

• But without revelation from the Holy Spirit, embracing a completely new way of living will remain a mystery.

• Notice the first thing Jesus tells them is repent. In other words, change what you're thinking and doing.

• Romans 12:2,NKJV- Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

• Hebrews 4, The word of God is living, active and full of power, exposing the difference of the soul and spirit, exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.

• This is why Jesus said, My words are spirit and life.

• 2 Corinthians 5:14-15,17-21,NKJV- For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 
• 15, and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.
• 17,Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 
• 18,Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 
• 19, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 
• 20, Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 
• 21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

• Philippians reminds us, we are citizens of Heaven.

• I’m just wondering how many of us go through humanity, confident that Heaven is our destination, grateful Jesus made us righteous, but give little consideration to the world God says we’re currently citizens of.

• We get so consumed with this portion of what we call life but leave the Kingdom this distant, future reality.

• Remember, Jesus told us to put the Kingdom of Heaven first. He knows that when we do this, God will open doors and surround us with His favor.

• As His ambassadors, He will position us for influence.

• Psalm 18, He arms us with strength, gives us victory, enlarges our path, making us great. He will deliver us from the strivings of people, putting us in leadership roles in society.

• His original design was and is, “Let them have dominion.”

• 2 Chronicles 16:9,NKJV- For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. 

• Something I think we might still struggle with, God is Sovereign. Which means, “Let them have dominion” hasn’t changed, because He doesn’t change.

• This is why He’s constantly looking for His sons and daughters, heirs to the Kingdom to be His ambassadors in the earth.

• And I get it, putting the unseen world above what we see can be a challenge. And most definitely requires sacrifice.

• Romans 8:28-30,NKJV-  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
• For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 
• Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

• And I realize, because of our enemy’s constant distractions, vision drift can set in. Let’s face it, it’s just easier to accept Him as Savior than Lord.

• The enemy knows that if he’s even the slightest bit successful, this world will dictate our decisions and actions, limiting our authority and influence.

• This is why Ephesians makes it very clear, “Give no place to the devil”

• And even though Chronicles tells us God is looking for loyalty, without revelation of who Jesus actually is to us, that loyalty will be nothing more than religious practice. 

• Matthew 16:15-16,NKJV- He said to them, But who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

• And on Peter’s revelation of who Christ is, Jesus gave him the keys to the Kingdom.
• Keys represent, access, possession, and authority.

• Our ambassadorship hinges on this reality, who do you say that He is?

• You remember, Jesus told us us to pray, the Father’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven?

• As His church today, our role is to be an extension of the Kingdom. To exercise authority, demonstrating God’s government.

• The thing is, it was never His plan for it to be reduced to what we do within the walls of what we’ve concluded is the church.

• We come together for fellowship, unity, worship, inspiration, edification and equipping. But we actually become the church when we go out.

• Ephesians 4:11-16,NKJV- And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, 
• 12, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 
• 13, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 
• 14, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 
• 15, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ,
• 16, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

• From God’s perspective, in our new nature, we are seated with Christ in Heaven, but in our humanity, just like Jesus when He was on the planet in a body, was our example, and now we’re assigned to finish what He started.

• This is why He gave us the keys to the Kingdom. But when we refuse to step into our role, not only do we undermine God’s government, we actually give place to the enemy.

• Let’s go back to what Jesus told us concerning His Kingdom.

• Matthew 6:24,33,NIV- No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
• 33, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

• He knows that whatever we prioritize is what will shape how we live.

• Throughout Jesus' short time here He spend a large portion of His ministry teaching and revealing the Kingdom of God.

• But like most of us today, even His closest followers had issues with what many refer to as the "mysteries of the Kingdom."

• It was such as issue that after His resurrection, He came back and spent another month with them going over Kingdom realities.

• Acts 1:3,AMP- To these men He also showed Himself alive after His suffering in Gethsemane and on the cross, by a series of many infallible proofs and unquestionable demonstrations, appearing to them over a period of forty days and talking to them about the things concerning the kingdom of God.

• Something every disciple has to come to terms with concerning the realities of the Kingdom of God, and that is that we can only function to the level of our current revelation.

• Remember, who do you say that I am?

• But because of free will, not to mention the deception of our enemy, kingdom realities becoming a priority don’t always make the cut.

• Think about it for a second, it's our priorities that define us.

• When we neglect to put the things of the Kingdom first; Ephesians shows us that we remain children tossed in different directions.

• So the enemy works relentlessly from within the church, many times under the deception of religion, keeping us divided.

• I believe we're having this talk because God's raising up disciple that will dare to believe that all things are possible.

• That will make the choice to seek first the Kingdom of God.

• Let's remember, God told us if you seek Me you will find Me.

• And it's not like He's hiding.

• It's just that He's in a different Kingdom, a different world, what most believers call the spirit.

• And I get it, it's difficult to practice putting a world first that we can't see, when we're constantly putting the one we can first.

• And it’s absolutely understandable, there's a lot of Christians that just want to live a good life and go to Heaven.

• And because of God's amazing grace you can.

• But, what if our King is actually counting on us being ambassadors for Him while we're here?

• Colossians 3:17,MSG-  Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

• And God's plan from the beginning is for His government to be established in the earth through His body, the church.

• Luke 17:20-21,NKJV- Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here! or see there! For indeed, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.

• Is it possible that God created a life for us where everything we need in this earth is independent of the current world we live in?

• What if Jesus is right?

• What if all we have to do is seek the Kingdom of God first?

• Christians need to realize Jesus isn't telling us we have to live a certain way out of some religious, legalistic obligation; 

• He's trying to get us to understand, kind of like a fish out of water, we can't live in two worlds.

• As He said, even though we're still in this one, we are no longer of it.

• What if this is the place God is talking about where all things are possible?

• Remember, as new creations, citizens of His world, ambassadors called by Him, we’re built to live a different way.

By a show of hands who here text?? 

Silly question right… I mean how can you survive in today’s day and age without it? 

I have friends that if you try and call they hit ignore and say hey what’s up? Is my voice that annoying? 

It has become a normal part of life… Brief, quick, and often to the points. 

Or how about those 3 dots meaning they saw it and was going to type something or is typing something and then they disappear. You wait in suspense. What will they say? What happened. . . Where did they go… 

This visual should set us up for today’s talk…. Imagine our conversations with God, if you viewed it like your text, how would it look? 

Would it be one sided? 

Would it be all requests, like He is a genie in a lamp granting wishes? 

Would it be full of compliments and praises? 

Would it be a conversation, like a relationship

I would say most of us, and I am just as guilty of this at times. It looks more like God is speaking to me and I am not listening but every now and then I throw in that ask into Him. 

I want to challenge us today to think about what does that conversation look like for you and our Lord? 

But make no mistake about it… God is speaking WE need to do a better job on listening.

God speaks through his word

God speaks with a small voice

God speaks by his people 

God will speak to you in His word. So often when you are reading it’s like the words pop off the pages. Or you see something that speaks to you in that moment.

This is how He uses the word to speak to us. Each time we are here in Church and the Word is being spoken He is speaking and revealing things to us. 

Are we listening, is the key? Are we in a guarded stance? We need to be ready to receive and open to hear His still small voice. 

So lets jump into the scripture. 

I don’t think there is any better scripture to paint of God speaking to us in the still small voice than this picture in 1 Kings 19: 11-13

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but-the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a]a still small voice.So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

We often think God is in the big and He certainly can be, but often it’s the small it’s the subtle. Because when the small, the subtle, the meek do mighty things in His name oh the sound that it makes. It moves mountains. It shakes the ground. It changes nations. 

Our nation doesn’t need any more loud politicians, or loud noise. 

Our nation needs the people of God to listen and adhere to the still small voice. 

To be intentional to His will and His ways… 

We need to stop, slow down a bit, 

tune it all out…… 

and listen…… and listen… and listen….. 

It’s kind of like an old radio you know back in the day you had to turn the knob and get it just right for the music to be clear.. 

It took some time and there is some static, but being intentional, being patient, and keeping focus the right frequency is found and we get it loud and clear. 

The more we do it the easier it gets and clearer He is to us. 

A great place to practice this is at Prayer Service (usually the last Wednesday, however October, November & December it will be the second to last Wednesday). It’s your chance to stop and really just focus on tuning out the world and tuning into God. 

Someone told me they love coming in on Prayer nights, because ashamedly they don’t do it at home. 

No shame…. That’s from the enemy…. But start and what a better place to start than here. 

A great man once told me “If you want to learn to pray get around praying people!” 

This place right here is our training ground its our place to learn and grow closer to Him. So we can be His light to man when we leave here.

You don’t train for war in war time, you train for war in times of peace. 

Learning to be in His presence and hearing the still small voice

Someone in my life said God is not up there jibber jabbing all day long.

At the time I was young and my relationship with God was not what it is today, so I believed it. So I never looked or listened to the still small voice except times of need or prayer and when I did, I did the talking and didn’t do any listening! 

Today say I agree with that statement to a point…  He is not jibber jabbering, but He certainly is guiding us, directing us, instructing us. 

He is speaking to us often and always.

It goes back to what I said early are we listening and tuned in? Most of the time we are not! 

But that changes today, right church?  

Job 23:12 NLT “I have not departed from his commands, but have treasured his words more than daily food.”

He cares about us and sometimes we don’t understand the direction at the time, but in time we will. 

Will we be obedient today and trust Him? 

13After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

19When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20“Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

21So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

STORY:  I had this nudge to travel a different way home. I even had an argument in my head, no that way is 2 minutes longer. 2 minutes, well as I came up to the intersection I ended up behind an accident clean up for 30 minutes. At that time I realized the Lord loves us and every detail. He was by His still small voice trying to warn me, but I argued with it in my head and brushed it off. 

On the flip side I would of never gotten that lesson if I would of gone the alternate route right. Think about it. I would of went and it was uneventful and would have just moved on. Passing thought, it must have been. We often don’t see what He has just protected us from. 

Isaiah

STORY: Friend of mine felt this nudge to go to this restaurant. So in his mind he worked up that the Lord was going to do something huge… Someone there needed to be witnessed to and the Gospel was going to be shared.

How often do we do this, right? We expand on what God has shared with us. 

So my friend does what he heard, but nothing happened. He ate his biscuit and left.

In those times we question, did God really say? Then we second guess did I really hear correct? This goes back to what I said before, sometimes we don’t see what is being done, but we are to be obedient and follow those directions? 

Sound familiar? Look at Genesis 3:1

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

This was the first thing ever spoken by the enemy. It wasn’t a command or direction, but it was doubt. This is his tactics this is his way. Deception and lying. Often he will cause us to second guess God and plant doubt. 

So when we do have something uneventful happen or it didn’t happen the way we built it in our minds, we have that in there…. Did God really say?? 

If left unchecked and we do not recenter ourselves we can quickly drift into not listening to the still small voice. Because the doubt over takes us…. We start to believe did God really say? 

Our enemy has no power except the power we give him from the lies he tells us. When we stop believing his lies, he loses all the power he thinks he has over us. 

When you hear that in the back of your mind “Did God really say”, answer back. 

Heck yes He did really say. My God also said you are a liar, a cheater, and He has already defeated you. So get beneath me to where you belong! 

Going back to Joseph, if he would of ignored God, he and his family would have been killed. On the other hand he listened and traveled to Egypt. Avoiding harm, avoiding the plot to murder Jesus. 

Joseph probably thought it was uneventful at the time when he left. 

I don’t know about you, but I choose the uneventful over death each and every time…. 

Do not discredit what we see as uneventful, rejoice in it! Thank God for the uneventful! 

God speaks to me through revelation when reading His word and through the knowing he puts in my heart. It’s not an audible voice for me, but it’s like He speaks directly in my mind. 

This is why cultivating the relationship and knowing is important I have to cut my thoughts from His voice. But through the years of development it gets so much easier. 

This is not a one size fits all! We all hear and process differently. God will speak with and reach you how He sees fit. 

But the most important piece of today and if you take anything away today is get into the Word. This is God living word. God is always speaking to us, but for me I seem to hear Him the best when this is in my hand. It’s not because He only speaks when this is open, but I am engaged and listening in the moment. 

I am being intentional and go into listen mode! 

What you will find is the more time you spend with Him in the word and when we are mentally ready we get used to hearing His voice and we will pick up on it more in our everyday actions. 

For example the next sermon I have already started writing. God gave it to me while I was driving and the whole family was in the car. I have 3 teenage boys they are not what you call quiet! 

It’s important to cultivate the relationship in the quiet times, so we can hear Him through the noise of everyday life. 

Parents will be able to relate to this. As a parent you learn your child’s voice, their cry, their scream. I know there would be times that I heard a kid crying in a group of 30 and know that it was one of my boys. 

We know it so intimately, we grow so use to hearing it, that in a crowded and noisy place we know who is crying out. What do we do as parents we jump into action. 

God wants us to know His voice and communication like this. The more time we spend with Him, the more intimately we know His voice. The more we grow in our hearing of His voice. 

It will cut through the noise of the day to day and that still small voice will come through crystal clear. 

He does not need to speak louder, He does not need to speak clearer. We need to listen better and be more attentive. 

As we wrap up today Church, know he is speaking, He is guiding, He wants to build a relationship with us. 

He is ready and waiting so let’s meet Him. Turn off the TV, put the phone down and get you a paper Bible to remove distractions and read it to hear from Him. 

Come to Him with an expectation to hear the still small voice. 

Think how your life, our communities, heck our nation will be when we listen, hear, and follow His still small voice. 

• As we get into part 2, we’ve got to get this issue settled in our thinking if we’re ever going to be successful in our ambassadorship. The things of the Kingdom are spiritual in their reality. 

• Brought into this world through the born again yielding to the Kingdom that’s already functioning in us.

• Remember what Jesus told us, “We’re in this world but not of this world.” Paul adds to this revelation with this statement, He has transferred us out of the kingdom of darkness and into His Kingdom.

• “LET THEM HAVE DOMINION” is one of the fundamental principles of the Kingdom of God into this visible world God gave His creation.

• Make no mistake, comprehending all that Christ has made available for His people demands a life of faith. A new way of living.

• 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith, not by sight.” NLT, we live by believing, not seeing.”

• But here’s the deal, way too many of God’s people are still governed more by the natural than the spiritual. 

• Truth is, it’s not the powers of the kingdom of darkness that stop us, it’s our refusal to embrace the world we’re born of, embracing a way of living that is beyond humanity. 

• This is why we have to stop reading God’s word as some religious, rule book. Look at it as his instruction manual for the Kingdom.

• Philippians 3:17-20, NLT- Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 
• For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 
• They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 
• But we are CITIZENS OF HEAVEN, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior.

• Paul helps us see this clearer in 2 Corinthians 5, In Christ we have been given these new lives through Him and now since He’s given us the ministry of reconciliation, He’s calling others through us.

• 2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV- We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.

• Ambassadors- A diplomat of highest rank, sent on behalf of their homeland, representing, and coordinating relations and events of the foreign land they’ve been assigned.

• In this passage in Corinthians, when he tells us we’re new creations, what do you think new creations really means? 

• John 1:12, NIV- “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”

• Galatians 3:29, MSG- Since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.” 
• Chapter 4, And because we are sons of God, His Spirit lives in us, making us heirs of God thorough Christ.
• Romans 8, We are joint heirs with Christ.

• Remember, CITIZENS OF HEAVEN

• God’s original design was and is for His people to be the light of the world. In other words, we, His body the church are supposed to be the influence in business, education, government, in every aspect of society.

• Isaiah 48:17,NKJV- Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.”

• According to Isaiah, God will lead us in success, but we’ve got to do it His way. The church His body, has been sent to inspire communities, impacting culture, being the driving force in society. 

• Remember, let them have dominion. Jesus restored what man lost. This is why He told us, “All authority was given to Me.” Then He sent His disciples out.

• And as we become successful in following the Lord, the more the Kingdom of Heaven is advanced. Check this out, Isaiah 11:9, “For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

• As God’s ambassadors, the church should be the driving force of influence. Now when I use the term church, I’m in no way referring to any one denomination or organization.

• I’m referring to the spiritual reality of the body of Christ in the earth functioning through those He has called. 

• Unfortunately, we have given place to the enemy in these areas of society.

• And because we have allowed the enemy to have too much liberty, he’s turned things around to the point where now society is having to much of an influence in the church. 

• Causing great division in the church, diminishing our influence, and it’s time for that to change. The prophet Ezekiel actually says, “This land that has become desolate, out of control and unrecognizable, is now becoming like the garden of Eden.”

• Jesus never intended for the gospel of the kingdom to be limited to just missing hell and making heaven.

• He’s expecting the Kingdom of Heaven, His government, His ordained system, to be implemented by His governing body, the church in the earth. 

• This is why Jesus makes statements like He did in Matthew 6:33, AMP- “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”

• We literally are ambassadors for this kingdom we’ve been born into.

• But when the influence of God is removed from our culture, people are left to their own conclusions.

• Proverbs tells us, where there is no divine revelation from the Almighty, people make their own decisions.

• The thing is, without any revelation on how to live out of a world we can’t see, the faith God has given us will be useless.

• Proverbs 14:12, NKJV- “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

• The challenge for a lot of Christians is that we’re so consumed with this world, (sleeping with Delilah)
• that believing in a way of living that we cannot access through our natural, human senses isn’t something we honestly consider.

• This is why faith is an absolute in God’s Kingdom. Anyone who comes to Him must believe… we have to embrace the reality that this world we represent is spiritual. And our God is supernatural!

• Remember, 2 Corinthians 5:7, We live by believing, not seeing.

• Stop letting this natural world dictate every decision we make. Let’s stop looking at what we’re not, the training and education you may or may not have. The titles and positions, who you may or may not know. And start expecting God to be the God of the Bible.

• The children of Israel repeatedly show us types of the Kingdom life.

• Understand, God doesn’t change. He’s still waiting on His people to go in and possess what He’s already given.

• Numbers 13:1-2,30-32, NLT- “The Lord now said to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.”

• But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. “Let’s go at once to take the land,” he said. “We can certainly conquer it!” 
• But the other men who had explored the land with him disagreed. “We can’t go up against them! They are stronger than we are!” 
• So, they spread this bad report about the land among the Israelites: “The land we traveled through and explored will devour anyone who goes to live there. All the people we saw were huge.”

• Ten out of the twelve leaders God sent to bring back a report of the promised land, brought back nothing but unbelief.

• This prophetic picture lets us know that just because everybody’s doing it doesn’t make it right.

• The majority was wrong, led only by their senses, governed by unbelief.

• The Kingdom of Heaven is an already established government that cannot change, far superior to this fallen world.

• The question is, how long will we continue putting off possessing what God has given you?

• Ten unbelieving leaders led almost an entire nation away from God’s promises, all because of where their focus was.

• So as ambassadors for Jesus, walking in the Kingdom of God, we are going to have to watch who we associate with.

• This is why Paul told us, don’t kid yourself, evil company corrupts good habits, bad friends will destroy you.

• Remember Isaiah’s words, “The Lord will lead you in the way you should go.”

The idea that we can and should "live out the gospel" is one I think may actually be causing a great deal of confusion and anxiety. Consider the thought that there's a better way. Listen in and see what you think. 

Sometimes the most obvious and most loved sayings end up being the sneakiest ones. They are right under our noses undermining the very thing we hope they mean to accomplish. You can't "Live Out The Gospel" because the Gospel is a person who has done something that cannot be undone and which has changed you and the world around you forever. 

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