NOTES ON THE MESSAGES
"Have You Met Your Goliath?"
8/24/07 - 11 a.m. - JoAnn McMoran
Ephesians 6:11-18
This is what we are fighting; not a person.
I Samuel 1:33
Keep alert wherever you go; grocery store, etc.. Look around you. Keep track of your bag. Walk with a cell phone. Have a plan.
The Bible tells us that Goliath was a man of war. Saul led the Israelite army in his own confidence, not God's. Goliath caused him to fear. When our Goliaths show up, many of us fear. Everyone of us has a Goliath. It may be illnesses, debt, etc...
WE NEED A STRATEGY
I. GET A PLAN
Educate yourself. Educate your spirit. Get knowledge, wisdom & understanding.
eg. DEBT
Doing
Everything
But
Thithing
We think we can't do it. The Bible tells us how to be out of debt. Get knowledge.
Goliaths come in seasons. And when it rains, it pours. It may be your career, your business or health. God gives you HIS plan; THE BIBLE.
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth
We won't be able to do anything without a plan. The enemy will try to twart God's plan, but He (God) will turn it around.
Proverbs 16:7
God hinders the enemy.
There's a battle to fight. There's a victory to win. Submit to His Will. Jesus prayed, "...not my will, but Thine Will be done..."
Luke 22:44
Jesus prayed so earnestly that His sweat was as great drops of blood. God is in control of everything.
II. STAND YOUR GROUND
Be a doer of the Word. Be an imitator of Jesus, our idol. Get it settled in your mind that you've made a choice. Resist the enemy. Stand your ground. Stand on the Word of God. The battle is the Lord's. That's what David said. Say that, "The battle is the Lord's."
Be careful of "unguarded moments." Bite your tongue and keep on going. Think quick to disfuse a situation. Don't allow the "whip bags" that are under the cross to come out. The Holy Spirit can give you grace to disfuse any situation. God can give you discernment.
You need time alone; time to think and time to pray.
Watch the missiles from your spouse. The answer is to pray for the right words; words that will encourage, that will restore their dream. See the potential God sees.
III. USE AND SPEAK THE WORD OVER THE SITUATION
Jeremiah 29:11
You can't control the situation. You need your wit and intellect. Don't destroy your destiny; God's plan. The Holy Spirit will help you. Always give encouragement. Back off and give space.
IV. PRAYER
Prayer invites angels into the war zone of your experiece. The greatest people are those who pray.
Prevailing prayer is wrestling prayer. It is fasting prayer. It is weeping prayer.
James 5:16, I Timothy 3:8, Luke 18
It is the fervent and effectual prayer that avails much. Prevailing prayer is holding on until something happens. It is a committment for the long haul. It is waiting upon the Lord, His Will and His Way. We may not know what is happening in the spirit realm. The Bible says that the Lord "bottles up our tears." He will pour them out and answer. Be prevailing warriors. There is power in prevailing prayer. Be a spiritual "pest." We will not have a break-down, but a break-through.
In ministry there is not power without prayer, not only at the pulpit, but in every step, everywhere you go everyday. Ministry without prayer is powerless. Walk in His Way. Our steps are ordered of the Lord.
V. PRAISE AND WORSHIP
Praise and worship are important against the enemy. We all have crosses to bear. We all have Goliaths. Satan is afraid of women who pray. Women are God's secret weapon.
There is bad news and good news. The bad news is that things are not getting better. It will continue to get worse 'till Jesus comes. Resist the devil. Don't give an inch. Keep alert AT ALL TIMES for his missiles.
The good news is that we are winners. God is raising up housewives to fight and battle against the enemy for our families and our church. God's building an army of women. He is mobilizing women.
When you're at your weakest, you will go on His strength. Many times we are going it alone without God; doing things in our own strength.
Begin to concentrate on your strengths. Ignore others' opinions. Don't take them. All have an opinion. You don't have to go by others' opinions. Listen to God and make your adjustment.
Low self-esteem hinders your walk. You feel a need for someone else's approval. You don't need estra baggage. Get rid of it. Things in life can chain us. Don't allow satan's lies. We are all God's designer original. We need God. He will calm the storm.
Most important. Be strong. Be empowered with God. Have a relationship with the Father. Draw your strength from Him. He has bottomless abundance.
"The Fight of Your Life"
8/24/07 - 7 p.m. - Pastor Lana Trail
NEHEMIAH 1
When you are doing the worng thing, you are more than likely doing your own thing. The Israelites disobeyed. God allowed them to be taken captive.
VERSE 5
Nehemiah prayed for the sins of the "fathers and the people."
VERSE 9
Nehemiah reminded God of His promise, that if they returned to the Lord, He would bring them back to Him.
NEHEMIAH 2:1
God gave Nehemiah favor with kings.
VERSE 10
Nehemiah got a promise. Then came opposition. This is what happens to us. We get a promise then comes the opposition.
NEHEMIAH 4
There is more opposition against the Israelites. When we get a promise, opposition may come by someone who will be angry for your decision for Christ or decision to follow Christ; God's plan.
NEHEMIAH 4:15
When one stands against opposition, the opposition flees. When fear comes knocking, FAITH answers and fear has to flee.
Nehemiah was rebuilding the walls. What are we building? We need to be building a holy temple, a disciplined life. We're expected to have a peaceful, restful sanctuary "house." Because He (the Holy Spirit) lives in us, we must be an example. We must intentionally follow God and not be an offense. Only love draws the only picture of Christ.
Build a good marriage. Men are visual. Keep up your appearance. Keep a clean house. Take care of yourself. Be of one mind with your husband for the family. Teach your family the Scriptures at a young age. A house divided will not stand. Children need a parent, not a friend.
If you have a career goal, trail, work your way up and be willing to start at the beginning.
You need to develop godly friendships. This may not be popular. You may have to give up things, people you know, places you go because it grieves God and your spirit to continue in sin.
There is a price to pay for Christianity. Jesus paid the ultimate price. We should be connected to "The Cross." Peeople need to see the "Light" in us. We have to pay a price. Plan for it. Be instant in season. Study to show yourself approved.
Discipline yourself. Hardships and oppositions are negatives. But say, "I can't do that." Give up.
LUKE 14:28
Planning and preparation are important.
1 PETER 5:8
Be alert. Watch with one hand and work with the other. People see you for who you are. Pray for every situation. Be real.
Prepare and equip your children to stand up to temptation. Invest in their talents and skills. Help them get a good plan. Have your weapon in one hand and nurture with the other.
Avoid resentment. Pray and praise. Deal with things quickly. Be "quick to hear and slow to anger." Your very faith may be under attack.
I SAMUEL 7:21
Saul's resentment turned to murderous intentions.
I SAMUEL 30:7
David had the worse day of his life. His family was taken and his home destroyed. His men wanted to stone him. But David turned to the Lord who helped him and everything was restored to him.
JOHN 10:10
The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. But he must restore 7 times. God is not a respector of persons. Don't accept defeat. Ask God for eyes of faith to recover what was taken.
Stubborness is as the sin of idolatry, idol worship. It is following "MY WAY;" making yourself a god.
Speak FAITH. "I'M GOING TO FINISH!"
"Sleeping With the Enemy"
8/25/07 - 10 a.m. - Pastor Lana Trail
Do our words like up with God's Word? Agree with God.
PHILEMON 6
Faith becomes effectual by ackowledging wha God's done in our lives. It's by the communication of our faith to others. Radiate love and forgivenes for self.
In marriage, the 2 become 1. It is a very intimate relationship. With words, what we say becomes intimate with us and it becomes what we think. What we think becomes what we believe. What we believe become who we are. Who we are effects how we live and act.
JOHN 1:1
Jesus the Word became flesh. Our thoughts and words can become "flesh." We can speak words and they can become creative words; real.
In Genesis, God created heaven and earth, light by speaking. God spoke all of existence into being by His Word.
NUMBERS 13:1
The Israelites were delivered with power, might and miracles. Then Moses sent 12 spies to the promised land; the land of milk and honey. God had already told them He was giving it to them. Nevertheless...opposition to the promise came.
Caleb and Joshua were the only two who had faith. Caleb said, "We are well able to overcome."
VERSE 33
The Israelites believed the 10 spies and doubted God. They said, "We are as grasshoppers in their sight." AS YOU SEE YOURSELF, OTHERS SEE YOU.
This day we are to choose life and death, blessing and cursing,... The Israelites chose death.
NUMBERS 14:2
The people murmured. Moses and Aaron repented for the people. When people are afraid, they get a "mob" mentality. They wanted to stone Moses and Aaron. They chose to live in fear and said, "I can't." But we can't have both, "I can." and "I cant'."
"I can" believes he can become and does and acts like a successful person. The Bible says promotion comes from the Lord. It makes a difference with whom you hang around. The wrong attitude can pull you down. We have to be the light of the world and try and pull others up. You can't soar like an eagle if you're hanging around with turkeys.
Some people are like bluejays; fighting. Others are like crows; bullies. Yet we can be like eagles above the fray. Hang with people who challenge you. Do what you have to do to challenge yourself. Hang around with eagles to be challenged and to bring others up.
How do you handle stress? "You don't know how good the fruit is until it's squeezed." What is coming out of your mouth. Is it anger or love, cursing or blessing. Anger hurts worse in whom it's stored. Cease from anger, wrath and fury. Be angy and sin not.
If you stuff anger it will blow up. It will become bitterness. We must forgive to be forgiven. Lay down your anger. Get things right. The spiritual ones will go to the other to make things right. Repressed anger can lead to many ailments such as heart attacks, nerves, breathing difficulties, etc... Things held inside will harm us. Be "slow to speak..."
Don't judge. God used Saul (later Paul) and Rahab the harlot. Don't give up on a person. Fill yourself up with the oil of the Holy Spirit. Get fresh new oil every morning. Pray for new oil so He can change us. Repent for speaking negative, unscriptural and ungodly words.
Two have more power than one. Together we can overcome. God will change us, little by little, step upon step, precept upon precept.
Get quiet to hear from the Lord.
"The Real Deal or a Counterfeit?"
8/25/07 - 1 p.m. - Pastor Lana Trail
Lay down your emotions and feelings. It is hard, but take up your cross.
Jesus only did the will of the Father. He agreed to go to the cross, but He agonized in the Garden of Gethesami. He didn't want to go to the cross. But nevertheless, Jesus is the "Real Deal."
Our words should be insured, be a guarantee of our performance. We need to hold each other accountable. Everyone is watching if what we say is what we do. Speak the truth.
The greatest commandment is "Love the Lord thy God with all of heart, strength and mind." We love the Lord, but we should also look to Him for every need and not consult with anything else except the Lord. The "Real Deal" consults God and say, "Whatever You have God." Love and serve only Him.
The 2nd commandment is "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Look for the fruit to choose a friend. Be the "Real Deal" wherever you are. We like those who like us, but we are to prefer others and do what God wants.
DANIEL
The Israelites were taken captive and the Babylonian king groomed the best young men to serve him. Daniel was made ruler and administrator of all. God had given Daniel more wisdom than all the wise men of Babylon. But the king's advisors were jealous of Daniel.
DANIEL 3-5
The king was conned into making a decree that all should only worship an idol. Daniel and his friends worshipped God. The king was forced to place them in the oven. But they weren't even smoky. Are you in the midst of a fire? Jesus will walk in and through the fire with you.
The king was conned into making a decree that everyone was only to consult the king. But Daniel prayed to God. The king was forced to put Daniel in the lions' den. But God shut the lions' mouths and he was not harmed.
The devil is like a roaring lion, but God can shut his mouth and the roaring tht he roars at you. Daniel was the "Real Deal." We must be the "Real Deal' in our everyday walk, when no one is looking. When you're the "Real Deal," you may have to rid yourself of some things.
We need to be a witness and look and act differently than world. We have been set apart for His glory. Be the "Real Deal" before God and everyone.
"Throw in the Towel"
8/25/07 - 7 p.m. - Pastor Lana Trail
When circumstances don't seem to change, speak the Word. Believe and hold on for a loved one, for your family, your finances or your job. Do all you can do.
Our lives are like a teeter-totter. We may have a sad day and that's a bad day. But that's not how God wants us to live.
"Hurricane" chose a good thing after being released from prison for years falsely. He chose to forgive and go on.
God has a plan for your life. When you cry out to God and it seems that He is no where to be found.
Joshua threw in the towel at Jericho and did it God's way. And the walls fell down. He had to submit.
An angel called Gideon a mighty man of valor as Gideon hid behind the wine press. God tells him, "I will be with you." But Gideon had to put out a fleece, eventhough God had already told him. He needed a sign. And God showed him twice what He wanted Gideon to do. God wanted Gideon to trust Him. And God wants us to trust Him.
God cut Gideons army down many times until there were only 300 men left. God wants to get the glory. Gideon had to give up his way, his plan.
Jesus gave up His plan for the Father's plan saying, "...no my will, but thine will be done." God will not share His glory with anyone.
When the devil roars like a lion. Surrender to the one who shuts the mouths of the lions. Trust God. Worship God like Paul and Silas did in jail. Their shackles fell when they worshipped. We've been trying to change things and do things by our power and in our own way. God wants us to surrender to Him and give up the situation, the circumstance, the person you are concerned about. Allow God to do the work.
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