Psalm 133:1-3 KJV
“Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: That went down to the skirts of his garments; As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: FOR THERE THE LORD COMMANDED THE BLESSING, EVEN LIFE FOREVERMORE.

Like the oil running down (Anointing)
There, the Lord commanded a blessing

     You see beautiful families with the ideal look of all around the table holding hands in prayer and complimenting each other and rainbows in the sky….but YOURS….hmmmm
     We don’t always get our greatest “affirmation” among our closest friends, family or even church brothers or sisters.. people can make you doubt yourself and not always offer the wonderful words of encouragement that would “feel so good”.

Joseph: His brothers lied…for years, and kicked him down.
BUT, then it turned around when he had the right REACTION to the what was done against him.
God brought unity with his brothers when he determined to have the right reaction to what could have been a bitter and life altering outcome.

You cannot have Unity without individual sacrifice.
Unity is not conformity, but it DOES require sacrifice.
When being right becomes more important than the mission, then your Ego has been idolized above unity.

John 17:1-26. Jesus cry to the Father, "Make them ONE, even as You and I are One."
Unity is the utmost passion of God.
If we all consecrated ourself to the work of the Lord and to ministry and to the life of this congregation, there’s no end to what God could do and the impact that would be felt.

There has to be a certain amount of willingness to give up your individuality for the greater good of connectivity.

WE NEED TO DEVELOP THE MINDSET OF:
-Whether our knees hurt or not, we pray…
-Whether our shoulder is in joint or out of joint, we lift our hands in worship…
-Whether it’s CONVENIENT or not to be a part of the body, or be vulnerable when it really counts, we open our hearts and offer ourselves…For the sake of unity.

We brag about being a self-made man or having individual opinions, to the point we don’t think we need one another. This mindset is influenced by our culture right now in more ways than we realize.
We have to come out of our SELF.

Isolation is destructive.
Our IPADS have been our focus, our phones, etc.

It’s caused people to not know how to come into agreement with other people or how to resolve conflict in a healthy way.
…All because we don’t understand the importance of UNITY.

     Having Unity also requires fellowship with others… it is good for us to have conversations with each other that encourages us in the Lord! NOT HAVING GOSSIP SESSIONS but having conversations and being engaged with each other over dinner or get togethers and sharing life’s experiences.

     To have unity, you have to fight for it, and be willing to lose the vision of the way YOU always think it should be done.

     You might not have EVERYONE able to connect to you… Sometimes you need to DISCONNECT with SOME of the people who influence us in ways that don’t promote us growing in God.

     To have UNITY, it has to become a personal benefit to us… Something we really WANT and CARE about.

Genesis 11:1-6 (Nimrod)
Even though they were building a tower for the wrong reason - God had to stop them, because there’s nothing impossible to those who will come together in unity.

That’s why the devil fights your marriage so much…
Fights your unity in Church so much…
Segregates you from things and people who will benefit your life.

Unity requires flexibility, and bending…molding. We cannot be RIGID.

The unity of the Church can’t be based on PEOPLE, the building, or… anything. Every person is fallible and not eternal.

It has to be based on the MISSION. Just like you can’t serve God and volunteer doing it as unto MAN or unto a person.

We have to do it for GOD. When you don’t do it for a PERSON, then when that person fails you or appears to cross you the wrong way, it won’t affect your Unity, and your passion, or your relationship with God!

Unity has to based on humbleness.

We have to understand that maybe our perspective is not the only RIGHT one, and we need to consider that our opinion is not THE opinion that should take preeminence.

We cannot GAIN by only having relationship with people who are JUST LIKE US.

We BENEFIT the body by being in relationship with others who may not have our same hobbies, same background, or same perspective in EVERY area.

We have to go outside our own PREFERENCES to see what can be gained for the sake of the MISSION, and even our own personal life.

Ephesians 2:19 NLT “So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.”

And what do families do?
-They eat together
-They pray together
-They talk with each other and work things out
-They grow together
-They share their day with each other….and so on

Isaiah 6
When they began to talk of the glory of God (not everything and everyone else that needs to do this or that)…but when they lifted up JESUS together, the TRAIN OF HIS GLORY FILLED THE TEMPLE.
To see God’s glory we have to have a single focus.

The reason why we don’t see as many miracles as in days gone by is because we are not in the same mindset of hunger for God and have a single focus and desire.

The devils job is:
1. To divide you
2. To distract you
3. To discourage you

Ephesians 2:20-22 NLT
You are built TOGETHER
“Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. and the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.
We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.”

Armed forces: are all trained for one purpose to fight and defend our country. There are many different titles and duties, but are in unison for the same cause. Though there are also opinions and disagreements, however they all obey the commands of the commander in chief!

Jesus is the Leader of all who submit to Him.  He said “if you love me, obey my commandments!“

As a soldier in the army of the Lord just like in the military, in a battle we hold up our brothers and sisters and help them if they have fallen….regardless of any personal differences we may have.

Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.
Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

KJV Ephesians 4:13 “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:”

Each of us have at least one of these gifts and we have a job to do!

Prayer is the first step each of us need to learn in order to have unity…most people only pray when there is a crisis or in need of something.

Prayer is the BASIC TRAINING FOR UNITY!
Soldiers do not learn how to use their weapon in the time of battle… They go into battle prepared!

Don’t be a Lone Ranger even if you haven’t been able to count on people in the past. Have your heart open and desiring UNITY wherever it can be found. For THERE God commands a blessing (Psalm 133:1)

If we would just get together and gang up on the devil, I wonder what miracles and breakthrough could actually happen?
If we get serious with God all at the same time, there’s no end to what God can do through you.

UNITY BRINGS THE OIL (ANOINTING)

LOTS OF IT - Running down his head, down the beard, and all the way to his garment!

(You can’t keep running your vehicle without oil!)

You’re not anointed for your own self…but whoever is around you, it should flow on them.
Where the Anointing is, nothing else from the enemy can dwell there!
Anxiety can’t stay there…
Bondage can’t stay there…
-Nothing that’s not of God can’t stay where there’s unity, because His anointing and Spirit is there in the midst.

Jesus is the friend that is closer than a brother!

Proverbs 18:24 NLT “There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.”
‭‭‬‬‬‬
Jesus laid down His life for His friends, even those who betrayed Him.
We are to walk in His example and watch His blessing follow from that decision at all cost.

Matthew 16:24 KJV
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
 
Matthew 16:24 Amplified 
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to follow Me [as My disciple], he must deny himself [set aside selfish interests], and take up his cross [expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come] and follow Me [believing in Me, conforming to My example in living and, if need be, suffering or perhaps dying because of faith in Me]."
 
So, there is three things that Jesus said that are requirements to being a true disciple.
1: One must deny himself.                                                                                              
2: One must take up his cross.                                                                                      
3: One must follow Him.

Denying yourself is the first thing we must do in order to pick up our crosses and follow Christ!

To "deny yourself" is to renounce self-centeredness, surrendering personal will, rights, and comforts to make God the center of our life.

To deny yourself means surrendering personal control and rejecting the idea that life revolves around our own desires.

It involves dying to selfish toxic patterns, to follow Him, prioritizing spiritual purpose over worldly desires, rather than merely abstaining from pleasures.

Self-denial for the Christian means renouncing ones self as the center of existence and recognizing Jesus Christ as one’s new and true center.    
            
 It means acknowledging that the old self is dead and the new life is now hidden with Christ in God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

From the moment of our new birth into Jesus Christ, self-denial becomes a daily exercise for the rest of this life on earth.

To deny oneself for Jesus means to give up one's bad habits; to root out of the heart all that ties us to the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Self-denial means voluntarily yielding one's own will, desires, and selfish ambitions to submit fully to God's will and follow Jesus.
 
To deny yourself also means to let him give up all, he must disregard himself, let him forsake himself, let him disown himself, crucifying our flesh.
 
You have to give God all of your heart, not just some of your heart, not just what you are willing to give up but hang on to somethings that you really don’t want to let go of.

You have to love God with all of your heart, which is your desires, your will, and your emotions. Love God with all of your mind, which is your intellect, understanding, and reasoning. Love him deep down in your soul which is your life force, inner self, or spiritual essence.

And love him with all of your strength, which is referring to physical energy, resources, and capabilities.

His will and his plan and his desire for my life has got to be more important to me  
than my own will, my own plans and own desires.

His desire for my life needs to become my desire, my goal has got to be to be a servant of the Most High and to walk in a way that is well pleasing to him!

True discipleship begins when we choose Christ above ourselves.
 It is about transforming one's devotion from self-love to love for God.

He must increase, but I must decrease.
My love for God in my life must increase and my love for myself must decrease!
 
Without God being the center of my life, my life would have no meaning, my life without God would have no purpose, no direction, no joy and no peace and only a selfish love for myself.
 
Denying yourself means seeking the good of others before looking out for yourself.  When Ruth followed Naomi, she practiced self-denial for the benefit of her mother-in-law. When Esther put her life at risk to save her people, she demonstrated self-denial.
 
Isaiah 6:8 KJV
The prophet Isaiah said, "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." -  Another example of self-denial.
He had no idea of what he was signing up for, he was ready to pay the cost no matter what it cost him! No matter what he has to suffer, here am I; send me!

Matthew 26:39 KJV speaking of Jesus
"And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." -  Jesus denying Himself.

Matthew 16:25 Amplified
For "Whoever wishes to save his life [in this world] will [eventually] lose it [through death], but whoever loses his life [in this world] for My sake will find it [that is, life with Me for all eternity].   Whoever lives a life of self-gratification will lose his eternal life; whoever puts to death the sinful deeds of the body will gain eternal life!"
 
Clinging to selfish desires results in losing one's true, eternal life.  But, surrendering one's life to follow Jesus leads to finding true purpose, freedom, and spiritual life.
 
Matthew 16:26 Amplified
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Even though the call is tough the reward is beyond measure.
Following Jesus is easy when life is going along smoothly, true commitment to Him is revealed though trials. Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost. He said " In this world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Are you willing?  Following Jesus doesn’t mean that you will give your very life (although that may be required by some),  but if there was to come a time where you have to make a choice of the comforts of this life or following Jesus, which will you choose?
 
Matthew 6:24 Amplified
  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
You cannot serve God and material things [at the same time].

You cannot serve God and riches. You have to Love God more than your money, more than anything you possess.  Your love and dedication and alliance toward God has got to be above everything. Anything you put above God becomes your God.

 And God said I will have no other Gods before me!
God is not telling us that we can’t have what we are in need of, or that we cannot have the desires of our heart, if you finish reading chapter 6 in Matthew he explains that God knows what you have need of. But He said in Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness: and all these things that you have need of will be given to you." For God said that He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory! But He wants you to trust in him, not your riches.
 
Are you willing step out of your comfort zone and do what you have been called to do? Are you willing to make the sacrifice? Do you love Him enough to submit your full alliance and say "Here I am Lord use me!" He said to Peter, "Remember that I have called you to be a fisher of men and not a fisher of fish."

We all need to examine our own hearts and ask God to open our eyes to any area of our life that we need to make changes in, because we can’t submit what we do not recognize. You can’t  surrender what you are unaware of? Spending time examining our hearts, studying our motives, desires, and sin, is not only permissible in discipleship, but necessary to do it.

There are no halfway measures in following Christ. It’s all or nothing. By definition, it’s not a hobby but total and complete allegiance to Him in every corner of the heart.
 
You can find people all day long that say they are Christians and that they love God. But they have no real commitment to Him, no true dedication and are not will to sacrifice anything of their time, their comfort, and especially their money.  
                                       
They won't give God the time of day, unless they are in need of something for themselves.
Jesus said,  "They honor me with their lips: but their heart is far from me."

Make sure that your love and dedication to God is not compromised with the things of this world!

Make sure that at the end of your life and when you stand before God, He can say to you, "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

Mark 16:1-8
When Jesus appeared to those AFTER His Resurrection, He said "Go and tell..."
He specifically even mentioned to go and tell Peter... the one who even denied him 3 times. Jesus wasn't mad at him for his weakness and fear of standing up for Him like he should have. Jesus still had Peter in mind, and wanted to prove that what He said about His resurrection was true and had come to pass, so there was no doubt.

1 Peter 3:19
Jesus proclaimed His victory over death
I believe Jesus went to the spirits in prison and even confronted every demon who had part in His crucifixion that HE WAS BOSS! He also appeared to lost souls to give them a chance for receiving Him.

Jesus comes right into our prison, also to RESCUE US from:
a. What has bound us
b. Made us bitter
c. Even from ourselves

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper. He not only knew He was going to face unimaginable physical pain, torture and death; but He first died to His own EMOTIONS and had to face that human side of Himself, before He could be resurrected as the glorified Christ.

In Luke 22:39-46
a. His Disciples followed Him
b. They went to sleep (alot of times we get in depression or despair over things, and our physical body succumbs to feeling extra fatigued, worn out, etc.) They had an idea what was coming, because Jesus tried to prepare them.
c. Jesus sweat great drops of blood - Which is a known medical condition that can happen from great stress, where the capillaries rupture and blood vessels and body functions can react to great stress and emotional distress. He had emotional and mental suffering.
d. He told them that His soul was exceedingly sorrowful, even to the point of death.

He was honored on Palm Sunday, and Crucified the next week...all because He didn't perform HOW and WHEN they thought He should have.

Isaiah 52:14 Talks about Him being disfigured and unrecognizable as a man, due to the torture He endured.

Although Jesus knew He was going to give His life, it seemed to take Him by surprise, the fact of the emotional abandonment and feeling forsaken in those moments... He felt all alone.
He washed the feet of those who betrayed Him, He served them, and had bonded with His disciples, and even loved the community in which He ministered and lived. All to be abandoned and rejected.

But all that He endured came to PROVE to every person or demon in hell who doubted Him, His purpose, and His power, that He truly reigns forever and ever IN SPITE of the suffering and shame.

CONSECRATION = To Be Set Apart

This is the time leading up to what we refer to as the RESURRECTION or EASTER.
Before that mighty Resurrection took place, Jesus died more than on the Cross, but He FIRST died to Himself when He went to the Garden of Gethsamane to PRAY and said, “NOT MY WILL BUT YOUR’S BE DONE.”
He also felt the feeling that we find ourselves in: He said, “IF THERE’S ANY WAY, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM ME.”  So there was a dying that took place.
But as He embraced the destiny that He knew He was called to, He SUBMITTED to the will of God to even give you and I ACCESS to God the Father.
We take this access for granted! In the Old Testament, we had to go through the priests and the prophet for direction, for blessing, for guidance, and for petition. But NOW we have been given access DIRECTLY to the throne to come boldly to obtain mercy and all that we need - most importantly a RELATIONSHIP with our God!

Fasting can somewhat be similar to Lent, for those who aren't familiar with Fasting.

1. It’s NOT all about DEPRIVATION or DEPRIVING ourselves of food or things!
It’s about what we will ADD in PLACE OF those things.

Colossians 3:2 KJV “Set your affection on things above, not on things of the Earth.”

2. We have to realize that the tangible things in our every day life is not the true reality of what goes on in the Spirit realm. When we stretch our mindset to consider HEAVEN and the ETERNAL things, this is when we have the right and wider perspective.

3. We are all called to be CARRIERS
-Carriers of Light
-Carriers of the Anointing of God

4. We have to confront things in our lives that keep us complacent in our walk with God, and our ultimate destiny in God!
Proverbs 1:32 NLT “Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.”
Spiritual complacency will destroy us, and also cost the spiritual lives of those around us.

5. We are responsible for our own spiritual desire and growth.
It requires:
-Discipline
-Endurance

6. Confront your old self - Colossians 3:5
7. Romans 8:12-14 We are to “deaden the deeds of our flesh”. God doesn’t want to kill every part of you! He wants to use you for His glory! BUT we have to deaden the flesh nature to be used by God and to receive ultimate personal joy. (Nothing wants to die! Even a spider will do everything in its power to fight to live!)
8.God wants to change your personality tendencies to serve His greater purpose.

FILLING THE SPACE:
A. How many times do we find ourselves discontent or hurting in life and we try filling that space with everything from Food, TV, Social Media, Bad Habits, and let things have a stronghold on us - only to be left empty and unfulfilled?
B. The spaces need to be filled with more of Jesus and “finding ourselves” in His presence.

9. Don’t be content to stay where you at or what your history has been with God in the past, even if you have experienced the glory of God! There's always MORE!  Begin to revive a prayer life greater than you have experienced before.
10. In the book of Revelation, the Church of Laodicea was called out for being Lukewarm. We are in that age in many ways!

(Coffee - Hot or Iced - not room temperature)
(Had it not been for the Charlie Kirk assassination, there had been a spiritual apathetic attitude towards God in many ways virtually since COVID- Do we have to have major persecution and devastation before we draw near to God?!)

11. We can see this world is not getting easier in many ways, and there’s more coming that might make us question everything we’ve ever depended on in life. But God desires to have pockets of people who have revival in their heart who are running after a closer walk with Him more than the latest and greatest thing this world has to offer.
12. There’s a time coming when people on this earth will need to call to the greatness of God within us, and will we be ready and have something to offer?
13. You may not want people to look to you, but you have been called for more than what you’re doing in this life right now.

14. Your child (no matter their age) needs to see you be the Man of God that you can be, the Mother of God that you can be, the Husband or Wife that you are meant to be… The asset to your church and the Kingdom of God that you are called to be without all the other stuff getting in the way.
(Someone you know may be faced with needing YOUR CONSECRATION to God!  YOU may need to call upon YOUR CONSECRATION to God when something could hit you that you didn’t expect!)

15. Power from God only comes from consecration and being set apart.
16. Our expectation and just being “close enough” is what limits the power and presence of God in our lives.
17. We hear talks about REVIVAL and wanting to see God move… (some of us may have experienced times of this but some may not have EVER)… But Corporate Revival STARTS with PERSONAL REVIVAL.
18. We feel “close enough” and our hunger for God isn’t more than a Sunday morning experience, which affects are EXPECTATION of God’s presence. So we end up dialing down on the Presence of God as a result.
(Takes 4 songs to get into the “feeling”)

Ephesians 5:15-18
-Make the best use of time: We don’t have time for carnality, or not caring about souls, or worrying about things of the every day drama.
-The will of God is to be “Lit” and light the fire in others.
-Being filled with the Spirit doesn’t just FALL ON US passively. We have to SEEK and PRESS. We have to fan the flames of passion for God.

19. We have to TUNE OUT THE NOISE of everything around us and FOCUS on the voice of God speaking to our heart. He might speak CHANGE, but He will always bring COMFORT by the Holy Ghost when He requires change from us.
20. Psalm 139:23-24 NLT “Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”
21. If WE don’t plug in to the greatness of God in us and offer ourselves, then how will the will the Church be built, how will the Kingdom of God be performed, except through His people?
22.I f you’ve received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, REVIVE it in a greater way again! If you haven’t, NOW is the perfect time to seek for the overflowing that God wants to bring in your life. [Jude 1:20] This will increase your faith!

“Turn your eyes upon JESUS. Look FULL in His wonderful face; and the THINGS of earth will grow strangely DIM, in the light of His glory and grace.”  -Helen Howarth Lemmel

                 Now, more than in any other time in history you hear more about ANXIETY than ever before.
Anxiety over:
              -Social Issues and Relationships
              -Financial or Economic Issues
              -Memories you have
              -Anxiety or Fear of the unknown things you don’t even know about yet
              This is a tool the enemy uses to try to trap us up in a Battlefield of the MIND.
              Philippians 4:6-7 NLT   “Be anxious for nothing but pray about everything.”
              Philippians 4:6-7 TPT  “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be SATURATED in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.”
              Did you know the greatest tool to overcome anxiety is PRAYER? And better yet, PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT!  What it does is DISENGAGES our own mind from taking over, and allows our SPIRIT MAN to be in control.
              Romans 8:26 NLT    “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in our (natural language) words.”
Isaiah 26:3 KJV “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusts in Thee.”
Have you ever found yourself in a state of where you really messed up, or just find yourself in a mindset that you know is not in line with God’s best for you for the day?
Maybe you made a bad choice or decision, or gave into that anger or bad attitude… The FIRST thing the enemy wants to discourage you from doing is to PRAY.
              You don’t even feel “in the mood” and he will just make you think it’s a waste of time. This is so he can SEPARATE you from your relationship with God the Father and make you isolate yourself from God and even your community of believers and to not want to PRAY.

              I John 1:9 KJV  “If we confess our sins to him, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
               James 5:16 NLT “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (has great power and success).”
              If you’re going through a battle in your mind or you feel like the enemy is trying to isolate you from your relationship with God (just like he did Adam and Eve when they isolated and hid themselves in the Garden of Eden), I guarantee SOMEONE has been through what you have gone through, and God wants us to run TO HIM in prayer, not withdraw FROM HIM in any moment, even when we are not at our finest state.
              If you find yourself in a state of discouragement or just not feeling the joy of your salvation, the BEST thing you can do is PRAY!
                Jude 1:20 KJV  “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
              The next tactic the enemy uses is to make us think that Prayer is a waste of time.
              “We tend to use prayer as a last resort, but God wants it to be our first line of defense. We pray when there's nothing else we can do, but God wants us to pray before we do anything at all. Most of us would prefer, however, to spend our time doing something that will get immediate results.
We have to DISCIPLINE ourselves TO PRAY instead of complain about the problem.
REASONS WE DON’T END UP PRAYING LIKE WE SHOULD:
                            A. We neglect to pray because we feel we need to spend time on a screen, keeping tabs on people we hardly know.
                             B. We hit snooze, assuming those last few restless minutes in bed will refresh us more than time with God.
                             C. We FORGET that our prayers actually have POWER, and we end up not praying fervently (passionately with purpose).
                So many times, people have a majority of their prayer life based in a Church service on Sunday mornings! Their prayer life experience of relationship with God primarily rests on that “Sunday experience”, and if that is the case, we’re not experiencing the FULL EXTENT of what God intends when it comes to our relationship with Him and the “effectual and fervent” part of a prayer life.
              If you’re a true child of God who hungers and thirsts for righteousness, you will learn to grow in your prayer life, DESIRE the talks with God and learn to hear HIS voice, and not all the other voices that are so loud in this life around us.
              Having a thriving, consistent daily prayer life will bring power that you couldn’t have within yourself, and you will see a difference, once it’s made a priority of your day.
God's Word says we can have confidence that when we pray, He hears us and we have the petitions we desire of Him. The only requirement is those petitions must be made in accordance with His will for our lives.
              IF we walk close to God, we will begin to have the mind of Christ and know what His will is, in different areas of our life. He will reveal things to us as we walk close to Him.
              1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV  “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Leonard Ravenhill once said: “A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God.” 
              We were created to have relationship with God Himself. And it’s a privilege that by Jesus’ blood dying on the Cross for us that we NOW have ACCESS to even come before Him and go DIRECTLY to God in times of need, in times of worship, in times of just talking with Him.
We shouldn’t take that privilege lightly, because it wasn’t always like this! (Old Testament had to go through the priest or prophet of God)
                Are we HUNGRY for times of bearing our heart to God and seek to know Him in prayer?
              In Revelation it says that the way we Overcome is by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of our TESTIMONY.
              Yes, we have NEGATIVE things happen that we need prayer for. But after we have LAID THEM BEFORE GOD IN PRAYER, we need to SPEAK about them DIFFERENTLY. Speaking FAITH instead of doubt and HOPELESSNESS.
(Watch the words of our mouth after praying about things)
WE HAVE TO PRAY WITH EXPECTATION AND FAITH TO KNOW GOD HEARS AND WILL ANSWER US!
              In Romans 8:18 NLT it says, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that can be revealed in us later.”
                2 Chronicles  7:14 KJV “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
              God wants nothing more from us than to INCREASE our relationship with Him in a greater way and will use circumstances to bring us closer to Him.
There are great rewards in doing this.
              If you have a hard time consistently praying, or you’ve set huge goals in the past that you’ve had trouble keeping up with…
Smith Wigglesworth said: Instead of praying 8 hours a day, try praying 8 minutes every hour!

Today we’re winding up Part 3 of our Series: THE ARMOR OF GOD
Part 1: Revival and The Armor of God (We covered that there is a spiritual fight trying to keep us from having true REVIVAL in our life, and we need the ARMOR OF GOD to stand against the wiles of the devil. - We covered 3 parts of the Armor.
•The Belt of Truth
•Feet covered with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace
•Breastplate of Righteousness

Part 2: We covered 3 more parts of the Armor of God.
•Helmet of Salvation
•Shield of Faith
•Sword of the Spirit

Part 3: Today is about the work of Angels and Demons and the spirit world that is very much real.

FACT: Believe it or not, Both were created by God -
Well, not created in the way we know of them today.
In the beginning, when everything else was created, angels were also created.

*********************ANGELS***************************

Hebrews 1:14 NLT “Therefore angels are only servants -spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.”

The spirit world is more real than the reality of this life on earth to us.
There are several things happening behind the scenes in our life, and for our future.

Angels are not just some cute Cupid type thing…
OR Female Fairy type creatures. There are angels for protection, warrior angels, messenger angels and others to be used by God as He sees fit.

Angels are dispatched in the life of unbelievers, drawing them to inherit salvation, and sent to Christians for their good…

Daniel’s prayer was delayed because of the spiritual fight, and work of angels.
In Daniel 10:12-13 NLT: Then he (a Messenger angel) said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come to answer your prayer.
But for twenty-one days, the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia (demon) blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels (warrior) came to help me…”

Hebrews 13:2 NLT “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without even realizing it.”

**************************DEMONS***************************
(I’m not trying to give any “glory” to the devil by speaking of him quite a bit in this message, but the Word of God completely WARNS of his tactics…)

The Bible tells us that the son of the morning was created and was very beautiful and was part of a cherubim and was probably one of the most high ranking angels that there was, and his name was “Lucifer” (or satan).

The reason that we are here today, sitting in the service is most likely because we do believe that there is a real heaven and a real hell.

Lucifer, who is also called Satan is called the ruler of darkness. He was given that title by God when he was cast out of heaven because of pride.

CHARACTERISTICS OF LUCIFER AS HE WAS CREATED:
1. Most powerful in rank, and he commanded authority and influence
2. Unmatched Beauty
3. Anointed as a Guardian with direct access to God’s throne.
4. He carried the power of music (worship) by his presence alone.
5. Unrestricted access to the realms of God
6. Radiated light
7. Possessed perfect wisdom
8. Leader that inspired loyalty
9. Created blameless UNTIL…
10. Could inspire worship or rebellion

NO ONE’S GIFT MATTERS WITHOUT OBEDIENCE TO GOD.


Isaiah 14:12-19 KJV (Explaining the fall of Lucifer)
(And when we once felt he had so much control of in the world, we will say “Is THIS the man that made the earth tremble?” As if to say, “He less than I thought he was.”)
There is the time in the earth that God has ALLOWED him to attempt his antics in the earth, but the only power he has is what we give or allow him to try. But there will be a time, as this Scripture refers to, when it will all be stripped away from him and he will be cast into hell!
(This is also explained in Ezekiel 28)

He wanted everyone to look TO HIM instead of look to the Son of God.
When he was cast out of Heaven, the Bible tells us that he took 1/3 of the angels with him.
But the good news is that there were 2/3 of all the angels created that are still on God‘s side, which is the side that we choose as Christians to follow after!

The devil and his demons are the fallen ones and the ones that were cast out of heaven due to Rebellion,  Pride and Jealousy.

There are a lot of people walking around today and even in the church, who are so-called “Christians” that allow their life to be ruled by one, if not all three of these characteristics.
Many times they struggle with Pride, Rebellion, and Jealousy in many different forms on a regular basis.

In satan’s deep darkness that’s within him, he has made it his #1 priority in this life to trip us up and cause deception to steal, kill and destroy everything God has planned for our life!
He has two goals:
-To hinder God’s purpose in any area he can try
-And his desire to extend darkness and broaden its influence

This is WHY we have to be aware that we are in a battle, and this is why we’ve been talking about the importance of being prepared spiritually at all times with the Armor of God.

The enemy cannot overcome you if the power of God resides in you to the extent that it’s supposed to!
John 14:30 KJV Jesus says, “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world comes, and has nothing in me.” (The enemy isn’t going to find compromise in me, so he doesn’t have a foothold!)
NLT “I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches, but he has no power over Me.”

As I mentioned in Hebrews 13:2, that we should be careful that we entertain angels unaware…
Most of the time we associate that verse of scripture with entertaining the 2/3 of the heavenly angels as to feeding the poor or helping an elderly person or buying a meal for a homeless person.

I believe that we also entertain spiritual demons, while we’re unaware also by the lifestyles that we live and by our habits, and things we open the door to.

The book of Jude warns us about watching out for these kinds of people; however sometimes it’s easier to identify these traits and characteristics in other people, but it's sometimes difficult to see this in ourselves.

This is why we need the Holy Spirit! At the end of the book of  Jude, He encourages us to continuously pray and hold each other up in prayer, praying in the Holy Ghost and to keep our mind stayed on Jesus.

Because the enemy goes around as a roaring lion seeking who he might devour,  trying to trap us and catch us up and make us question and doubt the God who we worship and were created for. (He will try to catch you on a weak day when you're most vulnerable!)

We must always be cautious to try the spirits with discernment and watchful on every level, remembering that not all things that appear good are actually good.
The Bible tells us that Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

2 Corinthians 11:14 NIV. “And no wonder; for Satan himself is transformed (or masquerades himself) as an angel of light.”

Billy Sunday: “Going to Church on Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a Garage makes you a car.”

People go around wearing their Cross necklaces with no mind to what it means or stands for or represents.

Genesis 3:1-10 NLT
The devil is a big talker and uses REASONING to persuade people to do his desire, just like he did in the Garden of Eden:

The devil will come to tempt you with something by planting a seed in your mind as a thought by saying, “Go ahead you can give into that, it’s not THAT bad….. You deserve it, you worked hard all week and you deserve SOME pleasure…”

James 1:14-15 KJV “but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”
‭‭‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬
The devil can’t CREATE anything…but he USES our own fleshly desires many times to accomplish what he wants.

So if we end up slipping up and giving into the thought, then the devil comes immediately to you and condemns you with, “You’re a hypocrite, look at what you did, now there’s no use to try cuz you just messed up, so why get up and try to do right… you thought you were free of this, but apparently you weren’t! ….No use to go to Church this Sunday or bother picking up your Bible cuz you’re just a big faker.”

Just like the devil is represented as a Snake, Did you know that SOME SMALLER snakes are more venomous than LARGER snakes?!
Things that look SMALL in our life and creep in as a small thing, can actually have a big impact on our spiritual life, which in turn affects our life, our marriage, our position as a Man or Woman of God, or God’s purpose for you, etc.

We don’t have to be AFRAID of the devil. But we DO have to be AWARE of his devices and be willing to SUBMIT ourselves to God, and RESIST the devil so he will flee.
(Once you submit yourself to God, THEN you have the power to resist the devil.)

2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV “The god of this world has blinded the eyes of them that believe not, LEST (to cause to prevent) the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them.”

Ephesians 4:27 KJV (Don’t provide opportunity, or open the door for the devil to have an influence of control in your life)
“Neither give place to the devil.”

A lot of people start the coming year with possibly not the greatest decisions they could make, in an effort to please their flesh, have some mindless “fun” without any thought for much else other than “living in the moment”.

AND THEN they think about their “New Years Resolutions” THE NEXT DAY…

It’s true WE HAVE been given a New Year, but what’s going to make a difference for us THIS year?

 We make the resolutions or goals, then we break them (many times within a month or two, and in some cases a week!)

THEN we go through the guilt of feeling like we failed or that NOTHING MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

 What’s going to make the difference?

Our goals need to be CENTERED around everything that INVOLVES HIS KINGDOM AND THE ETERNAL.

 In Colossians 3:2 It reminds us to “Set our minds and affections on things ABOVE… not on EARTHLY THINGS.”

 HEAVENLY MINDEDNESS is the important way of centering our focus and our goals that SET US UP FOR SUCCESS, not failure.

 Besides the “New Year”, God gives us an awesome opportunity in His Word in Lamentations 3:22-23 :“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end. THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING.”

 5 POINTS OF PURPOSE FOR THIS YEAR!

 1. It’s time to seek the Lord (Hosea 10:12)… Put yourself in a position to receive blessing by planting the right seeds for blessing and favor on your life.

a. Staying in the House of God faithfully

b. Maintain your Spiritual Community. This strengthens you.

c. Fill up on the things of God in our homes, in our thoughts, and in our time.

 2. Pray for God to order your steps. Don’t put your walk with God in neutral (Psalm 37:23).

 3. Make spiritual goals for this coming year, but allow God to lead and guide (Proverbs 16:9).

 4. Don’t pre-determine the things you went through this past year will be how it will go in the year to come. “These Egyptians you’ve seen today you will see no more.” (Exodus 14:13)

I Corinthians 2:9 “No eye has seen or heard the things God has prepared for them that fear (respect and honor the Lord).”

 5. Don’t let distractions change your focus a week after the New Year starts (resolutions broken).

James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”

John 1:1-5 NIV “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through HIM all things were made; without HIM nothing was made that has been made. In HIM was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness HAS NOT overcome it.”
 
The darkness has not overcome the Word (even though things can seem dark)
-Verse 14: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling AMONG US. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of GRACE and TRUTH.
Full of Grace and Truth (WE USUALLY HAVE MORE OF ONE THAN THE OTHER).

A. We either make everything so subjective to man’s opinions (making everything about truth a gray area instead of black and white), and we offer an excessive amount Grace which waters down the ABSOLUTE TRUTH that Jesus came for us to accept, by us giving into compromising ideas and actions.

B. Or we RELIGIOUSLY try to proclaim truth without promoting a RELATIONSHIP with God, and we don’t have the balance of grace to balance it, for it to be received.
 
We also get out of balance with what we THINK Jesus was like…

A. We either see Him as a humble, weak guy who just let everyone lead him to the Cross and beat Him up.

B. Or we see Him as some guy with a hammer ready to beat us over the head if our faith is a little weak for the day.
THE TRUE FACT IS: He had characteristics that had BALANCE because He KNEW HIS PURPOSE.
 
He said in John 10:18 NLT “No one can take my life from Me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. for I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father commanded.”
 
TRUTH IS NOT:
Whatever works or “the way it’s always been”
Whatever “makes sense” or understandable or explainable by our opinions
What makes you “feel good”
What the majority says is true (a majority of the world, just because they say the sky is yellow, doesn’t make it yellow, just because several people say it is) A lie believed is still a lie.
Is not relative (meaning: It’s not measured by any other standard including our opinion.
 
TRUTH IS:
Truth exists absolutely, or not at all. Truth is not in a gray area. (It’s like real numbers in a Bank Statement - You either have it or you don’t. IT IS NOT TRUTH IN PART, BUT A WHOLE
Is discovered- Cannot be invented.
For EVERYONE to know (it’s not meant to be a secret).
Unchanging - even if your beliefs change about the truth. Beliefs cannot change a fact.
Exposes and Enlightens (Puts a light on something you didn’t know or need to know), Encourages you to act on the knowledge of the truth presented to you.
 
Jesus says in John 14:6 NLT “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to Father except through Me.”
 
A FACT OF ABSOLUTE TRUTH:
THERE ARE NOT MULTIPLE WAYS TO GOD, OR TO HEAVEN. THERE IS ONE WAY - Through Jesus. 

A. Today’s culture is promoting that “You follow your path, and we all get to the same destination.” NO! This is deception. 

B. If the enemy convinced 1/3 of the angels that were in the presence of God to turn and follow him…he will try to convince you to follow him STARTING WITH COMPROMISE.

C. THERE’S NOT “YOUR TRUTH” and “MY TRUTH”…. THERE IS ONLY ABSOLUTE TRUTH BY THE ONE WHO IS THE TRUTH AND THE ONLY WAY.

D. The enemy tries to deceive us by OFFERING SUBSTITUTIONS (which are actually excuses) to water down Truth and our Purpose in God, just to deceive people.

E. There are a lot of substitutions that the devil would like us to believe are “INTERCHANGEABLE” ways to get where we need to go spiritually.

F. HAVE YOU EVER TRIED A SUBSTITUTION FOR SOMETHING? IT’S NOT AS GOOD AS THE REAL THING.
 
...Years ago, there was something called ‘NO SALT’ that came out as an alternative to actually using real salt. It was disgusting!
 
G. As we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice during this time we set aside to remember what’s known as “Memorial Day”, we need to take notice of those who didn’t settle for compromise, or substitutions. Had they settled for compromise or became distracted from their true PURPOSE, we would not have the freedom that we have today. They had to have a focused vision of the PURPOSE they were there for.
 
John 8:32 “You will know the TRUTH and the TRUTH will make you free.”
 
When you realize Jesus isn’t just relative to YOU (your personal belief), and it becomes TRUTH FOR ALL, then it says that anything opposite of that is FALSE, OR WRONG.
 
Your beliefs shouldn’t just be a PRIVATE thing
No, you shouldn’t be arrogant or act “better than”, but you must proclaim TRUTH without it being watered down.
Beliefs in Christianity have been declining for no other reason than the falsehoods of what Truth REALLY IS and WHAT OUR TRUE PURPOSE IS SUPPOSED TO BE.
Yes, the Bible says things are going to get worse and worse; but the Great Commission did not be given to us for only a period of time until things got tough and the End-times are here, but we have all the more work to do, and that is to primarily LIVE A LIFE OF WORSHIP AND HONOR TO THE LORD OF OUR LIFE IN ALL WE DO, so the world can see.
 
 
John 17:17 AMP “Sanctify them in the truth (set them apart for YOUR PURPOSES and make them holy); Your WORD is Truth.
 
A.W. TOZER NOTES:
Many people in their frantic pursuit of life have forgotten the purpose of their creation, from GOD’s point of view.
 
We are created for God’s purpose (Rev. 4:11) 
If we think God did anything without a purpose in mind is completely misunderstanding the nature of God.
 
In the days when God created the heavens and the earth, He looked around and still thought it was missing something. This is when He created man. To see the complex design of the human body, much less the spirit and soul of man is beyond our comprehension.

“God said to man once He made him: “Look around, this is all yours; and look at ME, I AM yours; and I’ll look at you and I’ll see in your face the reflection of my own glory. That is your end and your bottom line. This is why you were created, that you might worship Me and enjoy Me and have Me as yours forever.” (A.W. Tozer)

“Nowhere do we read that God came down and hugged a tree or walked and talked with any animal or plant He created. Only Adam and Eve (Man) provided the relationship God desired. It was their unique purpose.”
Their relationship was like no other…until Adam and Eve took it for granted and crossed the line and broke that relationship.
 
When Adam and Eve sinned, they IMMEDIATELY began to focus on themselves (their nakedness) instead of focusing on their Creator (God) for the first time. They began to focus inwardly on SELF instead of who they were mean to gaze on. 
 
We can focus in detail on every single thing that changed from that day forward, and everything that has gone wrong in the world like hatred, anger, sin, and pain… But THE BOTTOM LINE IS ADAM AND EVE FORGOT THEIR PURPOSE.
 
It caused them to wander into life in a fog of doing things themselves and looking at things through their own lens of the way the carnal nature looks at things. THEY HAD SPIRITUAL AMNESIA. (A.W. TOZER QUOTE)
 
SPIRITUAL AMNESIA CHARACTERISTICS:
Don’t know who you are
Don’t know HOW you got there (during Spiritual decline)
Don’t have a perspective on what your purpose is
 
A. Short term goals cannot define your ultimate purpose
B. Filling the void in life with lots of activities and busyness cannot give us ultimate purpose. 
C. In all of our plans, if it doesn’t CENTER around the God given purpose we were created for, it will not LAST, it will not FULFILL, and it will not SATISFY.
 
The center point of what is our purpose of being created MUST BE centered on GLORIFYING GOD IN EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIFE, AND WORSHIPPING HIM IN EVERYTHING WE DO. NOTHING ELSE SHOULD MATTER.
 
Is our WORSHIP only artificial and man-made, or does it come from deep within our soul?
Many say we need REVIVAL, only to mean something that strokes our emotions in some kind of way and gives us a tingle of temporary FEELINGS. 
True REVIVAL is about pushing through to an INTENSE PRESENCE OF GOD AND HIS POWER THAT IS NOT SUPERFICIAL AND SHORT LIVED. 
 
REVIVAL ONLY COMES when we are walking IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
 
 
KNOWLEDGE can only take you so far
    MONEY can only take you so far
    Even HEALING has no reasoning if we are a healed person without knowing our PURPOSE IN GOD.
    Even our ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN HIS NAME are of NO VALUE without us knowing the Purpose of WORSHIP in all that we do.
 
Revelation 4:11 “You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. FOR YOU created all things, and for YOUR PLEASURE they are and were created.”