Don't Mess With Us

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” Luke 11:24–26 (NKJV)

A mentoring voice in my life has taught me some essential facts to remain aware of:

• God CREATES, the enemy COUNTERFEITS.

• God BUILDS, the enemy BREAKS.

• God works through VISION; the enemy works through DIVISION.
  

• God makes things BETTER & BETTER; the enemy makes things WORSE & WORSE.

In this vein, the teaching ministry of Jesus, as recorded in Luke 11:24-26, reveals that when it comes to the enemy, Satan intends to practice this measure of attack towards us:

What doesn’t kill you the first time will mutate and try again.

Jesus taught, anytime the enemy is cast out, our assailant will eventually come back seven times stronger for Round 2. This onslaught happens because the enemy has one thing on his mind, destruction. And, according to Jesus, our foe wants our end to be worse than the beginning! So, to prevent his plot from prevailing, we must walk in the awareness that the enemy preys on a clean but empty house. Meaning you can not settle for deliverance from the enemy. You must also fill your house with the presence of God so that you are ready when your spiritual nemesis and his more wicked friends come back.

In Luke 11, I think Jesus was relaying to us, we must invite God to be something more than a helicopter parent. Here’s what I mean, Genesis 1:1–2 shows us what it looks like when we allow God to just hover over our life:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1-2

If your relationship with God resembles the initial stages of Creation -- hovering over the Earth but not in the Earth -- then your life may mirror that of the Creation’s original state: without form, empty, and dark in the deep places.

• Are there places in your life without form or order?

• Are there places in your life where you are empty?

• Are there places in your life where you have become dark in the deep places?

If you answered “Yes,” to any of those questions, you must allow God’s Word to work in you. Because...

When you allow God’s Word to go to work, He can MAKE something of your life!

It was only after God’s Word had gone to work in the Earth that He chose to put His hands on the Earth and make something out of it. Something He would call, “Very good.” And, that ‘something’ was a ‘someone’; the first man.

"Let US make man in our image..." (Genesis 1:26)

All of Heaven was about to show up and MAKE something in the Earth. And, if there is one thing you learn in Scripture, it is you don't mess with US...

There is life-transforming revelation available in the Book Genesis. I would love to share more of it with you! So dive into this message with me, Don’t Mess With Us.

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Stay Awhile

I believe God speaks to us through dreams and visions. The Bible actually promises this blessing in Joel chapter 2. This is excellent news because Proverbs 29:18 tells us how bad we need it, “where there is no vision the people perish.” We must have a vision for our lives, or else we will wander aimlessly until death with no direction or purpose. Thankfully, God gives us direction because He has a plan for each one of us. He has a blueprint for our lives!

As a pastor during this present season, I believe an appropriate vision strategy for our church is to refine the remnant, who will recover the wounded, and then reach the lost. God has a remnant that He would like to refine, shaping and molding us so that we can be used to go out and recover the wounded and ultimately reach the lost.

The word remnant is used in the Bible over 300 times and means a small remaining quantity of something. This significant usage of the word in Scripture reminds me of Jesus’ words:

Remain in me, and I in you. -John 15:4 (CSB)

Jesus wants to have a relationship with you. He wants you to dwell in Him. But Jesus also lets people walk away. Two places in Scripture lay this out, Luke Chapter 9 and Luke Chapter 18. This approach by Jesus may seem shocking, but it’s true, God allows people to walk away because He desires us to go all-in with Him. God gave His only Son so that He can have a relationship with you. But you can still decide to say “I’m not going to follow Jesus.”

In Luke 15, we see the following unfold. First, if, like the lost lamb, you are wounded, hurt, or broken down, Jesus will come after you, just like He did the one lamb out of 99. Second, like the lost coin, if you are in the house of the Lord, but never received salvation, Jesus will take the lamp of His Word and place a preacher in the pulpit to seek you out. But, through the parable of the lost son, Jesus also shows us that if you are going to be rebellious towards the ways of the Father, then you may have to “come to your senses” before there can be complete reconciliation and restoration. Jesus does NOT come after the rebellious.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. -John 15:7 (CSB)

Think about the depth of this promise. You can ask whatever you want in alignment with God's Word, and it will be done as long as you remain in proper standing with God. He rewards those who stay. Yet many people lack the commitment to stay or remain in anything these days; jobs, marriages, friendship, the list goes on. Everyone wants what they want and they want it right now. As one great preacher said, “We live in a microwave generation but serve a crockpot God.” So, rarely do we remain in anything that makes us uncomfortable or that becomes too challenging. We claim failure, but truthfully we just quit before God’s timing is evident.

Some heartbreaking statistics are coming out of last year, 2020. For example, one in three people walked away from practicing their Faith in Jesus Christ, and most churches in the United States of America have lost 30% - 40% of their attendance. Some of America’s largest churches have lost 50% or more. People are choosing not to remain. They are deciding not to follow Jesus, and He is letting them go.

But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

I want you to feel encouraged by this truth: when you remain, God will renew your strength! Don’t quit. Wait. God will break every yoke the enemy tries to place on you when you remain. A remnant is that which remains. Choose to be a part of what God has left. God is looking for those who stayed, who still love Jesus with all their hearts, minds, and souls. God is examining who He has left to use.

What we are experiencing in the world of the church today is the ideology of man colliding with the theology of God. Too often, in modern Christianity, we only touch the surface of Scripture, wanting a motivational sermon with a sprinkle of God on top. Because the Word of God isn't being taught thoroughly, there isn't a proper understanding of the Word. Lacking a firm foundation and only having very shallow roots, yoked with confusion, difficulty, and attacks from the enemy, many people decided to quit their faith. They didn’t remain in Jesus. The Word of God gives you the strength to stay! NOW is the time to become firmly planted in the house of the Lord and deeply rooted in the Word of God. If you do, Psalms says you will flourish!

We are living in a world that has lost its mind. We call good evil and evil good and sin without blushing. It’s becoming increasingly evident who remains in God and who doesn’t. We’ve fallen into “I”-dolatry, making it about me, myself, and I all the time. Instead, it needs to be about God all the time! We need clean hands and pure hearts. If we're not careful, we can consume all the inappropriate content fed to us by a culture gone wild and never develop and strengthen our staying power to remain in God.

Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in the holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol… He shall receive blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Lift up your heads, O you gates!... And the King of glory shall come in. Psalm 24:3-7 (NKJV)

Psalm 24 is all about what God has left -- the remnant -- a group of people that claim they will not do anything that puts their staying power at risk. A group of people that says I’m not going to yield to anything that draws me away from remaining in God. I will wait upon the Lord with my eyes up and hands clean. I will be available to God for such a time as this!

We learn from Psalm 24, the best way to remain in the Lord is to exalt Him. Ascend into His presence. Keep putting Him first! In your family, your workplace, and your community. Lift Him up and magnify Him above everything else. When you live this out, you will remain. Your prayers will be powerful, and whatever you ask for will be given to you. Your strength will be renewed; you will not grow weary! Every yoke that binds you will be broken, and you will be a part of the remnant that impacts The Kingdom of Heaven by restoring the wounded and reaching the lost!

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We invite you to watch this weeks message, Stay Awhile, from Pastor Eric Gilbert, because we believe that you are a part of the remnant that will impact the The Kingdom of Heaven!

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Hope Helpers

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. - Ephesians 1:18-19 (CBS)

If you are honest, there is at least one thing in your life that you would like to change. It is true of all of us. We each have something that we would prefer to be different. Maybe it is our appetite, procrastinating ways, bad habits, or secret sin. But we all have something. So what is that one thing that you would like to change about yourself?

Maybe you’ve even reached a point where a change in that area of your life seems so far-fetched that you have settled into the mindset of, “this is just the way I’ve always been, and it’s the way I’m always going to be…” If so, it is most likely your thought process is directly connected to some sort of rut you’re in spiritually.

Over time, I’ve realized that there are a handful of reasons why some people change and others do not.

People change when they want to. Maybe they’ve learned something that motivates them or lights a desire for change. Sometimes this happens due to a new relationship that opens them up to new truth, revelation, or levels of success. As a result, they start to realize that they have been settling for too little. You change when you want to.

People change when they have to. This type of change is often motivated by pain and difficulty. For example, when you have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, the doctor says you have to change your lifestyle to overcome the condition. You change because you have to.

People change when they are able to. This type of change occurs in people that want to change and have to change but maybe weren’t able to in the past. This change can require assistance from others. Change can be assisted by the practical insights offered in mentoring relationships, recovery programs, continued education, counseling, and even business consulting. All these things can help enable us to change. You change when you are able.

But here's what I’d like to encourage you with: God has something for your life that is beyond behavior modification. God wants to bring you to a place where you begin to experience a change in such a way that Biblical truth is made manifest in your life. Such as, “Old things pass away and everything becomes new again” (2 Corinthians 5:7). To get to this pinnacle of change, you must be willing to embrace the Holy Spirit’s empowerment. Familiarize yourself with this verse and claim its effect over your life, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). In all of your seeking for change -- or the enablement for change -- don't ever forget to throw your hands up in the air and welcome the power of the Holy Spirit into your life through the name of Jesus Christ.

Is there any area in your life where you want to change, or you need to be able to change? But a more important question, is there any area of your life where God is dealing with you about embracing change?

Because of this truth, “GREATER is He that is in you than He that is in the world…” (1 John 4:4), you can change! You don’t have to stay in this spiritual rut! After all, A.W. Tozer said it best, “You are either in a rut, rot, or revival… and a rut isn’t anything but a grave with both ends kicked out of it.”

You do not have to settle for the way it has always been. You do not have to settle for the generational curse on your life and family. You do not have to settle for the rut and the unexplainable things that have just always been the way they've been. Do not settle for “it is what it is,” but know that “it is what you make it” because you have the power of Jesus Christ dwelling within you. Do not settle for a weak, feeble faith, but know that greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. You have the power to make it happen! You are a winner!

God requires change. And, He wants you to make something happen because He has given you the power to experience change. He has authorized you to use His Word to bring change, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only…” (James 1:22). God loves doers, and you have the authority of God to do something with His Word!

Don’t let these stumbling blocks prevent you from being a doer of God's Word.

1. “Tomorrow sounds like a better time to start.”

2. “I’ve already tried and failed.”

3. “I can never make a difference.”

Instead, put these stepping stones in place.

1. Develop a Sense of Urgency: Value the sense of swift action.
   

2. Practice Patience: Have the patience to see God’s timing in the change. Only patience works as a virtue. As John Maxwell encourages, “Patience must be given the opportunity to coexist with urgency.” Ralph Marston adds, “Success requires both urgency and patience. Be urgent about making the effort and patient about seeing the results.”
   

3. Be a Hope Helper: Accept that greatness can happen because of what Jesus can do in you and through you.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength. - Ephesians 1:18-19 (CBS)

I offer you two final thoughts of encouragement that can help you tremendously, two things I wish someone would have told me long ago.

As you begin to embrace change in your own life and become an agent of change for others:

1. Don't you ever let your vision to win the world overlook the person standing right in front of you.
   

2. Stop trying to do everything, and do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.

Do those two things, and then watch as your life begins to make a difference in your family, your community, and your church because you simply allowed God to transform your life through His desired changes.

Pray this prayer, “God, change me, allow me to become a doer who is urgent in my effort and patient in waiting for the results. Help me to make a difference to someone else today, tomorrow, and every day.”

May the Lord open the eyes of your heart to see the greatness of His power, which is available through the hope of His calling and the wealth of His glorious riches. Greater things are yet to come in your life!

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We invite you to watch this message, Hope Helpers, from Pastor Eric Gilbert, as he encourages us to make change happen within our lives. We can avoid the stumbling stones we face by applying three stepping stones because “Greater is He that is in us than he in the world!”

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