LFM – 2019 March 24: Power in the Blood. Self Sabotage:- Despising or Doubting my Word or Blessing!

LFM – Sunday 24 March

~ Going to God unprepared – to either give or receive

Talked about how I was rushing to prepare a boiled egg for my young son in the morning and how I gave it to him before time so that he would go to school.
He didn’t bother eating it & it beat the purpose of hurrying, wasted both our time, and he gained nothing at the end of it all.

Do I treat my time with God the same way…?

Going unprepared to God to give my time – in prayer, praise or worship?
Going unprepared to receive from God…
… praying fast, a one liner probably before bed and not even waiting to listen
… praying, listening but not willing to obey if I think it is not favorable to me
… not following prophetic instructions, doing things the proper way, God’s way & not my way…

… and in the end I don’t even benefit from the little I do and complain to God

It’s about quality time more than quantity time that counts with God
It’s about listening and obeying… & not listening and choosing whether to obey or not.

~ Ethiopian flight tragedy

A person listened to the still small voice and got saved from the tragedy
He got an urge to go to the airport with his luggage to see if he could get an earlier flight
He was told there was a seat available
… and he took the earlier flight and not the ill fated flight that he was supposed to take
That day after the plane crash, he called a friend to tell him and was grateful

…tragedies / problems are not necessarily God’s will as we commonly think… or the fault of the devil as we would like to throw blame on…

… but some issues I may be bringing upon myself…
… my decisions, or lack of it, still has consequences
… I may just me perishing for my lack of knowledge…Hosea 4:6
… or I may have put myself in bondage due to lack of understanding …Isaiah 5:13

… how many, in that ill fated Ethiopian airline, heard the voice of …

…not going on that flight?
… being called or urged to repent?
… being asked to forgive a family, relative or friend that hurt them deeply?
… being told to put their house in order in one way or another so that they can be clean before God?

…How many of us ignore our own call, with something similar…

…I put of getting into salvation, receiving Jesus, until tomorrow?
… I put off repentance till tomorrow?
… I put of following what God is calling me to do till the tomorrow?

I don’t know / not sure of my tomorrow, I should take care of my today now, for my eternity’s sake.

Indeed, today is my day of salvation
Now is the time to walk in my eternal blessing in Christ Jesus

Hebrews 3:15

Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”

2 Corinthians 6:2 ( NLT)

For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

~~~

First Service – Pastor David

There is power in the Blood of Jesus

Given a testimony last week on this…
Plead it over anything & everything – making it for Christ
Calling judgement ( atomic bomb ) into a situation…
… after separating wheat from the chaff in our lives
… all that is not His, is consumed by fire
Triggers
… Revelations 12: 11
… Isaiah 54:17

Song – there is power, power, wonder working power in the Blood, of the Lamb…

Plead the Blood on a issue you have
… health , finances, relationship..

^^^^

Exodus 12:12-14

Like the Israelites – we find mercy & receive grace
Mercy – Rehema – I don’t get what I deserve, the wages of my sin – they were spared from judgement
Grace – Neema – where I get what I don’t deserve – they were released and blessed by their captors

Why is pleading the Blood so powerful?

One reason I believe….

From the Exodus 12 illustration, the Blood of the Lamb is like a declaration of judgment on a situation
Like inviting Jesus to come as the all consuming fire
…He separates the wheat (good – those under the Blood) from the chaff (bad) & burns up the chaff…Mathew 3:12
…Whatever is not under the Blood / covering of Christ is destroyed

Deuteronomy 9:3
…But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.

It is like having a wall of fire around one
Where no weapon formed against me shall prosper, and any tongue that rises against me in judgment I condemn as that is my heritage as a servant of the living God, the righteousness of God in Christ…Isaiah 54:17

Revelation 12:11

We overcome by the Blood of the Lamb & the Word of our testimony and loving not our (earthly lives?) to the death.

Calling on divine judgment…

...Blood of Jesus – Power of the Cross that crushed the head of the serpent…Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20
….on a situation or enemy & giving a testimony of the victory in Christ by faith
…and not having a earthly / worldly attachment including ones life
– they should all be considered dead to one if in any case it has to be put above God or His Word in any situation.
In that way the enemy will have nothing on me to hold on to that can bring me down!

~~~~~~

Had a meeting this past week…

Saw this ordinary looking guy
– in fact the only guy without a suit, the rest of us had
– and the only guy insisting that he will serve others tea
Told later, after the meeting, that the person is a billionaire
I thought – what a lesson on humility!

I thought later…what if I had judged the person
…maybe told to ask for something & shortchange myself
…or the person telling me that he can give or do for me this or that and I not believing and in fact going around telling others that this person is not able

…similar to a rich dad asking a child if they would like a sweet, but the child not believing and in fact telling others that dad can afford simple cheap sweet!!

Lesson…

Don’t look down / despise / judge anyone – especially on outer appearance – looks or outfit …
Told especially not to judge children – don’t know their potential…
… or young people for marriage – don’t know what or who they will be in future

… we don’t choose and can’t change where we are born or where we come from… but we can direct where we are going.

We know not to judge others,…

But how often do we do the same towards God!!?

~ Do I have the wrong opinion of God?

Thinking of Him as mean or harsh or wanting to just take from me, harm me in some way, or make me be miserable in life and not enjoy life?
John 3:16
- For God so loved me, that He gave His only beloved Son to die for me, so that I may not perish, but have eternal life.
2 Corinthians 8:9
- You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for my sake He became poor, so that by His poverty he could make me rich.
Jeremiah 29:11
- For He knows the plans He has for me, plans for my good and not for my destruction, plans that will give me a future and a hope.

~ Do I wrongly judge God according to my circumstances, ability or limited understanding instead of His?

Health, finances or relationship issues
Where I don’t believe that God is bigger than my biggest problem, stronger than my strongest fight
Basically saying that whatever situation I am in, God can’t handle it / provide for it / solve it!?

The Great I AM – He can be whatever I need Him to be in my life…

Jehovah…
– Rapha – The Lord who heals me
– Jireh – The Lord provides for me
– Shalom – The Lord who is and provides for my peace
– Rohi – The Lord who is my shepherd ( and I shall not want)
– Nissi – The Lord is my banner
– Tsidkenu – The Lord my righteousness
– M’Kaddesh – The Lord who sanctifies me
– Sabaoth – Lord of Hosts
– Shammah – The Lord is There – with me always ( shall never leave me nor forsake me)

~~~

Second service – Pastor David

2 Kings 7

~ Power of a prophetic Word

~ The consequences of despising the (Rhema & Logos ) Word of God

Elisha prophesied what seemed impossible
…about provision during a time of famine and hardship
… an official to the king doubted and spoke against the Word,
…saw it come to pass, but did not partake of it.

The Word of the Lord does not return to Him void, but goes forth to accomplish that for which it was sent, and He prospers it wherever He sends it…Isaiah 55:11

~ Do I have faith the impossible?

God can do above and beyond what I can think or imagine, but it is all according to His power that is at work in me…Ephesians 3:20
There is nothing impossible for God…Luke 1:37

~ God wants to bless me, but I tend to doubt & negate or postpone my blessing with my words.

I may not see or partake of the good things I have spoken against
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, those who love it shall eat the fruit thereof …Proverbs 18:21
– When Pharaoh was asked when to be delivered from a plague – he says tomorrow…Exodus 8:10
- Do I speak against, and are therefore eating the fruit of the negative words I have spoken against my …
- ….Spouse
- … Child
- … Family
- … Political leaders
- … Country
- … World
- … The Church – leadership or congregation…

The king & his official doubted…King gave excuses of the blessing

Like Steven, God will stand with me when I stand with Him.
Like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego: God will stand with me in the fire, if I decide to stand with Him through the fire.

~ Pleasing faith opens the hand of God?

Faith is … the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen…Hebrews 11:1
We can’t please God without faith, for we have to believe that He exists & that He rewards those that sincerely seek Him…Hebrews 11:6
…They gained a lot of plunder – reward!

~ Am I ready to be blessed by God?…ready to contain the blessing?

2 Kings 4 – The oil stopped flowing when the jars that were provided were full
Illustration – When God calls to bless me, what do I come with?
… a spoon or a bucket

~ Pleasing faith will make God move for me

God may stand for me, if I stand for Him… as in the case of Steven – Acts 7
God may move in my situation after I have taken / He has seen… my step of faith.

Why?

Possible so as to test my faith
For the heart of man is deceitful wicked, who can know it but the Lord. He judges the heart & rewards accordingly…Jeremiah 17:9
When God saw the lepers move forward – pleasing faith – God moved to scatter the enemy

~ God can use me the way I am – with flaws and all!

Why did God use lepers?

God can use the weak & foolish things of the world ( lepers) to confound the strong & the wise….1 Corinthians 1:27
So that there can be no boasting on our part for anything

~ Want to be used by God – Get a heart check!

God would like to use those who are willing to be a blessing to others

… looks at one’s heart
Seeks people after His own heart – like David
The 4 lepers decided to eventually share the good news / God’s blessings with others
Can I?
Would I?

Questions??

? Am I like the doubting official?

… or the 4 lepers, where they rather fall into the hands of God’s Word …
David said…he would rather fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercy is very great….1 Chronicles 21:13

? Am I behaving like the king’s official?

or Manoah ( last week),
… with fear, doubt and unbelief in the abilities or blessings of God?
…Do I believe that my God is bigger than my biggest problem, or do I put my problems as bigger than my God?
…Like telling your child that you will buy him a sweet/ patco and he doesn’t believe… in fact he speaks on how you can’t!

? Do I try to defend God, argue with Him, postponing His blessings, giving excuses of why I think He can’t handle a situation…

Basically saying that the problem is bigger than Him?
– When Jesus asks the lame man at the pool of Bethesda if he wants to be healed… the person starts with excuses… John 5

As it is said…

I should not focus on telling God about how big my problem is,

but rather focus on telling the problem how big my God is.

Conclusion & Prayer

I need to believe and receive

… By grace through pleasing faith

… all that God has available for me in Christ Jesus

The power / grace of God can handle …

… my strongest enemy,

… my toughest fight,

… my biggest problem

Zechariah 4:6-7 ( KJB)
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.

The power & grace of God can take me through

…my darkest night,

…my deepest valley,

…my highest mountain

… indeed it can make me persevere through my biggest thorn

For His grace is sufficient, His power made perfect in my weakness…2 Corinthians 12:9

…Whether sickness or disease — cancer & the like, Jehovah Rapha provides me with divine health, for by His stripes I am healed

…Whether poverty or lack, Jehovah Jireh provides for me all my needs according to His riches in Glory,

…Whether anxious, fearful or unsettled, Jehovah Shalom provides me His peace in any situation,

…Whether…

Amen!!