FROM SIGNIFICANCE TO A MINISTRY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
GEN 12:2 ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name
great, and you will be a blessing.
JAMES 4:10 Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and
He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your life significant].
WHAT DOES A CHILD NEED?..WHAT DO WE NEED AS CHILDREN OF GOD?
- FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE:
- SIGNIFICANCE (FAITH), SECURITY (HOPE) AND SELF-WORTH (LOVE)
- SIGNIFICANCE: COMES FROM BELIEVING WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT US
- ROM 10:17: FAITH COMES BY HEARING GOD SPEAK TO US
- WE KNOW WE HAVE A PURPOSE
- SECURITY: COMES FROM OUR UNSHAKEABLE HOPE IN GOD
- WE FEEL CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE
- SELF-WORTH: THIS COMES FROM KNOWING WE ARE VALUED AND LOVED
- A REVELATION OF FATHER’S LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING!
- WE KNOW WHO WE ARE, BECAUSE WE KNOW WHOSE WE ARE...
HOW DOES GOD PUT THIS INTO OUR LIVES?
- IT’S THE POWER OF HIS WORD!
- GOD’S WORD IS SEED
- IT CARRIES IN IT THE POWER THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE! (HEB 11:3)
- Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active.
- GOD’S WORD CONTROLS EVERYTHING
- HEB 1:3 The Son ….sustains all things by his powerful word.
BUT GOD’S WORD ONLY COMES IN SEED FORM…LUKE 8/ MATT 13
- IT HAS TO BE SOWN! IT DOESN’T JUST HAPPEN
- IT IS THE SEED SOWN IN THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
- WE MUST GROW IT….30/60/100
- IT IS THIS SEED WHICH FORMS CHRIST IN US
- IT IS THE WORD OF FAITH/ GRACE/ TRUTH…WHICH BECOMES OUR TESTIMONY
- BUT THERE’S A PROCESS FROM RECEIVING, TO BIRTHING
THE MOST IMPORTANT PARABLE IS THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER:
- EVERY OTHER PARABLE HANGS ON THIS: IT SHOWS THE STATE OF OUR HEART
- 1. CLOSED AND HARDENED - WOUNDED AND CALLOUSED- IMPENETRABLE
- 2. OPEN BUT WOUNDED – TROUBLE AND PERSECUTION WILL ROB THIS SEED
- 3. OPEN BUT CLUTTERED – BY WORRIES, ANXIETIES, LEISURE/ WEALTH
- 4. OPEN AND PREPARED : RECEIVES, UNDERSTANDS, AND PLANTS THAT
WORD, THEN HOLDS ON TO, PERSEVERES, AND FINALLY GIVES BIRTH.
- THE WORD MUST BECOME FLESH IN US
GOD’S SEEDWORD IS FIRST CONCEIVED IN YOUR HEART
- 1PET 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of
imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
- BUT IT MUST BE MIXED WITH FAITH
- HEB 4:2 the Word they heard was of no value to them, because those who
heard did not combine it with faith.
- THEN IT HAS TO BE RELEASED FROM OUR MOUTH –
- THIS RELEASES THE CREATIVE POWER OF THE WORD.
- NOTHING HAPPENS TILL A WORD IS SPOKEN…GEN 1
- HE BIRTHS AND COMPLETES WHAT HAS BEEN GERMINATED IN YOU
SADLY HOSEA 4:6 “my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
- OUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORD CAN HARM US!
- IF IMPLANTED, IT CHANGES MY HEART AND SOUL AND BODY
- BUT IT ALSO RENEWS MY MIND AND TRANSFORMS ME…ROM 12 :2
- JAMES1:21 Humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
- 1Th 2:13 ..when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you
accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is
at work in you who believe.
- ACTS 12:24 “ The word of God continued to increase and spread.”
IT IS THAT WORD SPOKEN OUT OF MY MOUTH THAT HAS POWER!
- I BEGIN TO “CONFESS” WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT ME/ OTHERS
- BELIEF IS NOT ENOUGH…
- ROM 10:8-10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is
with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
- HOMOLOGEO…SAY THE SAME THING AS GOD
IF YOU SAY YOU CAN, OR YOU CAN’T : BOTH ARE RIGHT.
- BECAUSE YOU BECOME WHAT YOU SAY
- YOU WILL HAVE WHATEVER YOU ARE SAYING…..
- SAY ONLY WHAT GOD SAYS
- DON’T PRAY THE PROBLEM…DECLARE THE ANSWER
- PROV 6:2 DON’T BE TRAPPED BY THE WORDS OF YOUR MOUTH
- BEWARE OF CONFESSING SO MUCH NEGATIVE!
- STOP CONFESSING DOUBT/FAILURE
- IT REINFORCES YOUR SENSE OF INSIGNIFICANCE
- IT MAKES US WALK IN THE NEGATIVE…INTO OUR SHADOW
- TURN TO THE LIGHT!
GET THE SEED OF GOD’S WORD ROOTED IN TO YOU!
- 2 COR 5:17: IF I’M IN CHRIST…I AM ALREADY A NEW CREATION!
- Col 3:16 I MUST LET THE WORD OF CHRIST DWELL RICHLY IN ME
- PHIL 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
- 1 Jo 2:14 IF THE WORD OF GOD LIVES IN ME, I CAN OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE
- 2 TIM 4:2 SO I MUST PREACH THE WORD AND BE PREPARED AT ALL TIMES
ONCE WE KNOW WHO WE ARE IN GOD THROUGH HIS WORD...WE MUST HELP OTHERS!
- PARALLEL POWER OF HUMAN WORD WTH POWER OF GOD’S WORD
- WE ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE
- LIKE HIM, WE CREATE THROUGH THE WORDS WE SPEAK
WORDS ARE THE MOST POWERFUL THING IN THE UNIVERSE
- PROV 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death
- WORDS ARE SEEDS THAT –IF BELIEVED – TAKE ROOT, GROW AND SHAPE OUR
SELF IMAGE, MINDSETS AND OUR DESTINY
- BOTH FOR THE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
- SPEAK THE WORD IN YOUR MOUTH AND RELEASE ITS POWER!
LOOK AT 3 TYPES OF HUMAN WORDS :
- NEGATIVE WORDS – THE WOUNDS OF THE HUMAN SOUL
- ABSENCE OF WORDS – THE UNENDING HEARTCRY
- POSITIVE WORDS – THE FUEL OF ENCOURAGEMENT / LIFE
NEGATIVE WORDS :
1. THE CURSE OF WORDS – WORDS WOUND THE SOUL
(PARENT, TEACHER, FRIENDS, AUTHORITY FIGURES)
“ you’ll never…”…. “you’ll always”
2. THE INNER VOWS – TRAUMAS LEAD TO CURSING OURSELF
“ I’ll never trust/ let anyone near again”
3. CONSTANT NEGATIVE RECORDING – LIES THAT TAKE ROOT
- I’M A BAD PERSON
- GOD WON’T FORGIVE ME
--GOD’S DOESN’T CARE
-CHRISTIANITY DOESN’T WORK FOR ME
-I’M STUPID / UGLY / NO GOOD / ALWAYS A FAILURE
GOOD NEWS–EVERY NEGATIVE WORD CAN BE DESTROYED!
- EVERY CURSE, INNER VOW AND LIE
- TODAY YOU CAN RENOUNCE / UPROOT IT – BREAK ITS POWER
- 2 COR 10:4-5 : The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.
On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ.
- ASK FORGIVENESS FOR BELIEVING IT- ALLOWING IT TO ROOT
- THEN EAT HIS WORD: LIFE-GIVING, LIFE NOURISHING
- REPLACE IT WITH THE SEED OF GOD’S WORD
ABSENCE OF WORDS
:
- DAUGHTER/SON/WIFE/HUSBAND
POSITIVE WORDS - THE FUEL OF ENCOURAGEMENT – SOURCE OF LIFE
- “LIFE-GIVING, LIFE NOURISHING WORDS”
- HEB 3:13 ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER DAILY- BUILD UP
- JUST AS WRONG WORDS PRODUCE A STRONGHOLD…
- SO DO RIGHT WORDS!
- I THESS 5:11 ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER AND BUILD EACH OTHER UP
- EPH 4:16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its
work.
THIS IS THE MISSING FUEL OF MARRIAGES, CHURCHES, COMMUNITIES
- WE GIVE THEM COURAGE...ONE WORD CAN BE THE FUEL FOR MONTHS/ YEARS!
- RACHEL AND I....BROKEN LIVES
- MARRIAGE AND CHURCH CAN BE HEAVEN OR HELL: BE THERE FOR OTHERS
- EVERY PERSON HAS AN EMOTIONAL TANK TO FILL
- BEWARE OF THE TIGER...OR THE GRUMBLING ..IF YOU FAIL TO FILL THEIR TANK!
TEACHER STORY...
- DO YOU KNOW PEACE WITH GOD AND WITH PEOPLE
- CAN YOU SEE DESTINY...OR DO YOU NEED YOUR SPIRITUAL EYES OPENED
- LET HIM TOUCH YOUR HEART TODAY...
- THE WORLD IS LONGING FOR US TO GET INTO THEIR LIVES...
- GET THEM RECONCILED, HEALED, RESTORED, RELEASED
THE LIVING WORD IS HERE TODAY…
- TO FILL YOUR VOID, REBUILD YOU, TO SET YOU ON FIRE
- ROOT OUT EVERY LIE OF INSIGNIFICANCE AND MINDSET OF THE DEVIL
- SAVE AND HEAL YOUR SPIRIT, SOUL AND BODY
- GODS WORD CORRECTS THE ABSENCE OF WORDS, REBUKES THE NEGATIVE
WORDS AND ENCOURAGES THE POSITIVE WORDS