As we enter a new year, this is the perspective shift you need to focus on the battles that really matter and let go of the things that don’t.
for this year you need to see some
things with your spirit that you cannot
see with your senses and the reason this
is so important is because if you don’t
recognize where the enemy is attacking
you the most frequently and ask God to
give you insight into the places of your
greatest vulnerability you will spend
all of your energy this year fighting
battles that you could have avoided if
you would have learned the lessons of
last year you don’t like this part of my
sermon I know makes you mad when you
realize that a lot of the battles that
you fought you could have avoided if you
had listened to what was on the inside
instead of responding to what was on the
outside
[Applause]
so I want to spend this year with what
Paul called open eyes in my heart
it sounds grotesque when you describe it
like that but he was saying that there
is a kind of sight that does not revolve
around external stimuli and it is more
based on internal processing if I could
break it down even more for you I would
I would use this phrase on his guard in
such places to describe how I think God
intends to protect you as you go into
this next season this next decade of
your life and that requires
self-awareness there’s a theological
term progressive revelation it means
that while God never changes our
understanding of him unfolds over time
not necessarily chronologically but as
we experience different things in our
life we come to see God in different
ways even the Bible is constructed with
the progressive revelation in mind so
that you see concepts introduced in the
book of Genesis that are mirrored in the
book of Revelation that’s the first and
the last and by the time you get to
Revelation you get a full picture of
what was hinted at in Genesis so you see
types and shadows in the Old Testament
which ultimately point to Jesus Christ
but they’re pointing to something that
you have not clearly seen yet
life is this way it is that many of us
in this season of our life are going to
see things that we only saw a shadow of
in a previous season of our life
progressive revelation means that God
wants to show you some things about
himself and even about you that will
cause you to be able to avoid what I
call unnecessary roughness it’s a
football term but it also applies when
we’re going up against the devil and let
me help you with something real quick
some of the battles that you fought last
year
we’re in places that you never should
have been I know it’s supposed to be a
praise party but before we party can I
preach for a moment I got 24 minutes to
tell you about this that there are
certain places that you need to stay
away from this year because if you go
there and then ask God to protect you in
those places I don’t I don’t know
whether to start with Facebook or
whether to start with CNN or whether to
start with Fox News but we have to be
very careful about where we go watch
this not just with our bodies but with
our minds
[Applause]
[Music]
because it is very possible that God is
trying to warn you about certain places
that every time you go there you start
feeling judgmental or every time you go
there you start having comparison or
every time you go there you start
feeling like your life is missing
something and if I were you I would put
that Bible app on the front screen of my
iPhone this year for those of you who
aren’t saved yet you might have an
Android but you could put the Bible app
on there too and I would find that thing
that deletes some of the other apps and
can we all just make a covenant
agreement in the presence of God on this
the last sermon of 2019 lest all not
post our workouts until we have been
doing them consistently for at least
four weeks this year can we do that now
look at somebody and say I don’t have to
post it to prove it cuz if I do the work
you will notice the results I won’t have
to screenshot my sweat on the floor
nobody wants to see your spandex thank
you very much do a rep in the secret
place well no well no and it’s really
interesting how how certain places bring
me into vulnerability and I just want to
ask the question have you lived long
enough to know yet where your most
vulnerable there were certain places
where the enemy intended to attack but
because the king had somebody on the
inside would it be nice to have somebody
on the inside
that could tell you like it can tell you
where there’s traffic and it can show
you on the GPS where there’s gonna be
traffic wouldn’t it be nice to have
somebody on the inside
like Elijah was on the inside and he was
feeding information to the king saying
don’t go there wouldn’t it be nice
to have somebody on the inside would it
be cool if you didn’t have to go into
this year alone but you could have
somebody on the inside wouldn’t it be
awesome if when Jesus Christ went to
heaven he sent down his Spirit to live
in those who would believe in his name
wouldn’t it be awesome if you had
somebody on the inside the Spirit of
Truth the spirit of righteousness the
Spirit of God telling you don’t go there
don’t think that don’t complete that cut
off that conversation don’t give them
all that information and here’s the
beautiful thing about it God will show
you where to be on your guard if you
will give him the opportunity even this
God will even show you what days of the
week you are more susceptible to
discouragement so you can plan around it
y’all don’t believe in God you don’t
think he’s in you you don’t think God
can show you about yourself what he
knows from the inside up you don’t think
the one who created you knows how to
counsel you and yet we all the time we
go into states of discouragement and
then we try to pray our way out of them
but we got discouraged because of a
mental game that we play and no cliches
can rescue us
[Music]
[Applause]
because if we told the truth it doesn’t
sound us cute right like what really has
to happen for you to change is that
Romans 12 says you have to be
transformed by the renewing of your mind
okay so that means that you have to do
things a different way for a long time
and so the pathways that were in your
mind called neural pathways that were
causing you to do the things that you
don’t want to do anymore
whether that’s an addiction to
pornography or whether that’s an
addiction to a substance or whether
that’s an addiction to food or whether
that’s an addiction to gossip or whether
that’s a addiction to judging people who
struggle with pornography food or
substances because I can preach to
everybody in the room I’ll tell you
pastor Steve I don’t I don’t struggle
with these sins that you mentioned it’s
actually great because I’m starting this
new year with a pretty clean slate
I’ll tell you I’ve been walking with the
Lord for a long time and I don’t really
have any of these struggles except the
one with self-righteousness that I am
expressing by saying that I don’t need
anything new from God this year but to
to really have a new year new year new
you doesn’t work like that
new year new neural pathways see it
doesn’t breach us good who’s gonna put
that on Instagram but the fact of the
matter is for God to do something new in
your life this year you will have to
save your strength for the things that
matter and that means you are going to
have to listen to the Spirit of God and
the Spirit of God will tell you don’t
return that phone call don’t return that
text don’t even go there you’ll start
thinking something in your mind and the
and the Spirit of the Lord will show you
you can’t afford to play with that you
can’t play around with the devil and
then ask God to deliver you from the
devil that you were playing with there
are some places you cannot afford to go
this year your soul cannot
your joy cannot afford it your piece
cannot afford it and I’ve got somebody
on the inside
that can show me where the attack is
wouldn’t it be cool if some of the
battles that you fought last year you
could avoid this year so you’d be
singing this is how I fight my battles
and you’re just sitting there
and they’re expecting you to be swinging
but you’re not fighting your battles by
swinging you’re fighting your battles by
staying away from the places I know this
is heavy for a party but I got a Bridget
because God will not strengthen you for
a battle that he did not call you to
fight so you’ve got to let go this year
of the need to prove things to people
because that is not a battle God has
called you to fight you’ve got to let go
this year of trying to of trying to make
up for things that are in the past and
that God is already forgiven that is not
a battle God has called you to fight it
is over it is gone the old is gone the
newest come you have got to ask the
Spirit of God what areas to avoid in
this year okay
so Elijah is giving the information for
the military attack and I wonder if the
Spirit of God is trying to give you
information for the spiritual attacks
that you’re under but you keep going to
two old places and when he found out
about it not only was he mad but he was
determined to get rid of this guy
because Elijah was a problem Elijah was
a was a problem are you a problem for
the enemy
I’m gonna tell you how you can know if
you are if nothing ever goes wrong in
your life and you never burn the toast
if everything is so nice and neat and
orderly and you never face any kind of
resistance it means that the devil isn’t
threatened by you at all and here’s how
I know that from the text because again
we often perceive that the presence of
God is proven by the absence of problems
right wrong couldn’t be more untrue
because when Elijah was giving the word
of the Lord to prevent the attack for
the people of God watch what the King
did in verse 13 go find out where he is
the moment that you begin to fill
fulfill the purpose God created you for
the enemy will dispatch special forces
[Applause]
raise your hand if you had some things
happen this year that made you question
if God even loved you raise your hand be
honest enough to raise it I suggest that
you keep it up I suggest to you that the
reason you had some of your problems is
because you are such a problem
for the darkness because of the light
that you carry
[Applause]
[Music]
[Applause]
somebody shout I’m a problem so let me
tell you how you can prove that God is
with you okay the way that you can prove
that God is with you is not by the fact
that nothing bad ever happens to you the
the proof my mom used to say the proof
is in the pudding well I found out when
it comes to the things of God the proof
is in the problem how do I know that God
is using me and that he has great plans
for me how do I know that God has put a
big calling on my life how do I know
that God has something outstanding for
my future I know the size of my calling
by the size of my problem
y’all shout if you’ve been through
something this year when Elijah started
telling the King where to look for the
attack the king of error said you gotta
find him he’s a problem the enemy’s sent
special forces for you this year because
you’re right on the verge of breaking a
generational curse and changing a
bloodline you’re a problem for the
darkness your problem hey thank you for
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