Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
from St. Augustine, FL.
Now enjoy this message. We're talking about a reigning
spirit this year. Amen.
And the last few times we've ministered in this arena, we've
been talking about how to maintain a reigning spirit, how
to maintain a reigning spirit. Because in these last days,
we're going to have to have a strong spirit, Amen.
And we talked about the fact these last few times that in
order for us to have a reigning spirit and maintain that spirit,
then we're going to have to know truth, right?
We're going to have to know love, And then what else?
Walk in that love. Amen.
And then tonight I want to talk about that.
For us to continue to maintain a reigning spirit, then we're
going to have to grow strong in spirit.
We're going to have to grow strong in spirit because just
because we say you have a reigning spirit doesn't mean
you're going to rain and doesn't mean that your spirit is going
to be strong, right? We have to do something about
what God has done in US, OK? Because we are not going to
automatically just reign. We have a responsibility, now
that God's put everything within us, for us to begin to exercise
and do the things necessary for us to grow in having this
reigning spirit. And to have this reigning
spirit, we must recognize that we're going to have to grow
strong in spirit. Amen.
We're going to have to grow strong in spirit, a reigning
spirit. We know that this is His spirit,
right? We know this is a different
spirit. This is not the spirit of the
world. We talked about this out of
first John and chapter four last time, and I don't want to have
to go through and read all those scriptures again.
But we know that the spirit that we're talking about and the
reason why we can reign and have a reigning spirit is because
it's His spirit. Amen.
It's his spirit living on the inside of us.
Once we get born again, then he what deposits his self within us
through the Holy Spirit, right? And now we have to what begin to
cultivate that which he has put within us.
We have to cultivate it. God's not going to do it for us.
We have to do it. We have to be the ones that
begin to cultivate everything that God has put within our
hearts. Also the one of the main texts
that pastor gave us that we read from last time was found out of
Romans chapter 5 and verse 17. For by 1 transgression of the
one death reign through the one which is who Satan.
Much more. Those who received the abundance
of grace and grace and the gift of righteousness will what reign
in life through Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ.
And so we know that the only way that we can reign in this life
is one we must be born again. But then we have to begin to
what? Walk this out?
The way that Jesus tells us We need to walk it out in the
earth. We have to begin to cultivate
and walk our relationship out before the Lord.
Just because we get born again doesn't mean that we
automatically know what we are supposed to do as believers,
right? This is just the doorway into
the Kingdom. Once we get born again, we get
into the Kingdom and now we begin to what?
Discover ourselves or discover who God has created us as His
children, right? And as we begin to read the Word
and study the Word, we begin to discover everything there is
about the Kingdom of God, about who Jesus is to us, about who
the Holy Spirit is to us. Come on, Who the Father is to
us? All of these things have to be
discovered, because the minute you got born again, the only
thing you encountered was his presence coming to make his
abode within you. Right when you first got born
again, all you know is you know, you just encountered him.
He came and we know what happened.
The minute you got born again. He says that his spirit begins
to take up residence on the inside of you.
And then, not only that, we know the minute you get born again.
The love of God, now Romans, right?
Five says, 55 says, Has been what shed abroad in your heart.
But you have to discover that love.
How about when you get married The happy Valentine's Day?
Y'all see my my love shirt When I put this love shirt on,
Brianna's like, are you going to teach on love tonight?
I'm like, no, no, it's not tonight.
But what was I saying? Yeah, when you get married,
y'all act like y'all are just all in lovey dovey land.
I think tonight 'cause it's was really quiet.
I'm. I'm very proud of y'all that you
came to church instead of out to dinner or some romantic getaway.
Amen. Because you.
Love the Lord. And your marriage would be
nothing without him. Amen.
Would be nothing. So I was going to say something
trying to get my train of thought back.
Yes. When you get married, listen,
there's things you have to discover about your spouse
because they go act one way when y'all were just dating.
Come on. And acting and showing their
best side. When they're around you.
When they're dating you. Because what are they trying to
do? Catch you?
Come on. I mean, they're not going to
come in without have brushing their teeth.
They better not. Or taking a shower before you
show up for a date. Come on.
Stinking, right? No.
They're going to show you their best side so that you can get
married and then you start discovering that they leave the
toilet seat up. Come on that.
Their breath stinks. In the morning they go to the
bathroom just like everybody else.
And they need potpourri, right? They can't hide their anger from
you anymore. Come on, they can't, you know,
do a lot of. Things anymore, without you
discovering all about them. And this takes a what?
A lifetime takes a lifetime. That's why you're meant to be
married forever. Takes a lifetime, and isn't that
about our relationship with the? Lord.
It takes a lifetime to discover who and how magnificent Our Lord
is to our lives. That's how it should be.
And most of the time, the reason why relationships end.
This is not a marriage conference or anything, but it
is Valentine's, So it's because you quit discovering one
another. You get bored with one another.
You get aggravated with the seat being up every time you wake up
and go in the middle of the night to sit down on the toilet.
And your husband had gotten up already and left the toilet seat
up right? So all these things just
continue to add up and build up and then you just don't like it
anymore, OK? But.
You know our relationship with the Lord and the reason why this
happens is because we have not matured in our relationship in
recognizing that people are people, right?
And they're going to make mistakes and they're going to do
things. And we have to be forgiving,
don't we? How many times 70 * 7 forgiving
one another and that isn't that what love is and is a
representation of the Father's love to us?
Aren't you thankful that when we mess up, God Forgives us if we
ask him and he doesn't hold an account to us of a suffered
wrong? Has anybody done the Lord wrong?
And aren't you thankful that His love is consistent?
His love is consistent and it's unfailing that even when we
fail, we can go to the Father and ask Him to forgive us and
that's how our relationship would be.
Should be in our marriages, right?
I know I've had to ask the Lord to forgive me on multiple
occasions, and I'm. I'm glad that he's not tired of
forgiving me that His forgiveness is always flowing
when repentance is there. It's always flowing with
repentance being there. So this life that we're walking
in with Christ is a discovery. We're discovering who he is, but
not only who he is, who we are. And this is, again, a lifetime
journey. And it's a process.
And it's progressive. It's progressive.
That's why we say every year, you know, every year, even in
the natural people do what yearly?
You know, goals and New Year's resolutions and all these
things. What are they doing?
Very value. I want to know how many of you
evaluate every year at the new year, your relationship and
growth with the Lord. That should be #1 on the top of
your New Year's resolution. I should be examining my Walt
with the Lord to see Have I grown this year?
Have I right? Have I challenged myself with
things from the Lord this year? Maybe it is reading a new book,
you know, to help me in an area of my waltz so that I can grow
stronger and stronger. Because remember, as a believer,
we're supposed to be going from faith to faith, glory to glory.
This walk with the Lord should be a continual growth process,
never ending, never ending. We should continue to be
growing. And I'm going to tell you, for
us to maintain a reigning spirit, we're going to have to
make sure that we are growing. Because if we are not growing,
then we are not going to what, produce a strong spirit.
Because it doesn't matter how many books you read, how many
sermons you listen to, if we are not to be able to grow, that
means you actually have to what apply what it is you're reading,
what it is you're hearing, what it is in every situation.
Come on, am I applying what it is that I know to do?
Because to him who knows what to do and doesn't do it.
It's what is it called sin. So if you're not growing and you
know that you should be in an area, in your walk with the
Lord, because the Lord has revealed that to you somehow,
some way, and for you not to do it, you are actually sinning.
You may not be murdering somebody.
You may not be, you know, committing adultery on somebody,
and you know these levels of sin that we think you know are most
important than others. But you are sinning to the fact
that you know you should be doing some things to be able to
grow strong in spirit, and you refuse.
To. That's a sin.
And so that sin will stop you from what?
Progressing and growing and people are going around the
you've heard this statement, people are going around the same
mountain every single year, the same cycles.
Have you seen people, they cycle around the same issues all the
time and you can be assured that if you are cycling every year
around the same issues you. Have a problem.
You have a problem, but great news.
God has the answer. He has a solution to your
problem, and he wants to help you.
He wants to get you out of these continual cycles of behaviors
that you know you're stuck in because you refuse.
You're in. Sin.
Come on. You're in sin, and you will not
have progression and growth with sin in your life.
It just won't happen. It just won't happen.
And so for us to maintain a reigning spirit, we're going to
have to put a priority on growing spiritually and allowing
the spirit of God to continually have the open door within our
hearts and within our lives to tell us whatever we need to do
so that we don't have to encounter this same problem,
this same cycle, this same issue, every single year.
And you know what? He will do it.
He will help you get through it. And he wants.
To so that your growth will not be stunted.
Amen. So that your growth will not be
stunted so. Let's look at a.
Couple of scriptures here about growing strong in spirit,
growing strong in spirit. In First Corinthians 210 through
16 it says this. For to God to us God revealed
them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the
thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in
him? Even so the thoughts of God no
one knows except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received what not the spirit of this world.
Say I do not have the spirit of this.
World. And we know that this is another
scripture confirming first John 4, which we read these last few
times, talking about maintaining A reigning spirit that we're
going to have to, in these last days, know the difference
between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
The spirit of error is deception, delusion, OK?
And we know all the other scriptures that pastors been
talking about out of First Timothy that in the last days
many are going to fall away from the faith.
What are they going to be doing? Listening to doctrines of
demons, seducing spirits, Right. And so they're going to, they're
going to start walking into deception.
But the Holy Spirit let us know in first John for that.
Listen, we have the Spirit of Truth.
When we get born again, we have His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,
living on the inside of us. Therefore we do not have to buy
the lies or buy get caught up in deception.
But in order to do that, we're going to have to maintain a
Rainey's, we're going to have to maintain a strong Spirit.
We're going to have to continue to allow the Lord to grow within
us every year, every day. Come on.
So that we know what the Spirit of Truth is saying, what the
Holy Spirit is saying, because we do not have the Spirit of
this world. Now, isn't that wonderful that
when you get born again, you have the Holy Spirit, you have
His Spirit dwelling on the inside of you, and you no longer
have the Spirit of this? World.
But do you know what? You can still have a ear to this
world. You can still have a eye to this
world. You can be listening to all the
things that the world is saying, and I don't care that you have
His spirit on the inside of you. If you listen more to what the
spirit of this world is saying, then guess what?
That's. What you're going to be
participating in if you continue to look with the eye right of
the flesh? And the lust of this world, then
that's what you're going to be entertaining, and that's what
you're going to be feeding on and putting within you.
And every time we do that, it will cause our spirit to become
weakened, even though he and his spirit is stronger, but he can't
do anything about it if we're feeding on the wrong.
Thing if we're. Feeding on the wrong things.
OK, so he said. We don't have the spirit of this
world, but the spirit who is from God.
Say I have the Spirit from God, so that we may know the things
freely given to us by God. Aren't you thankful that because
we have the Spirit of God and not the spirit of this world any
longer, we can know the things that are freely given to us now
as a believer? Freely that's given to us as a
believer, all right. And it's by God which things we
also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those
taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with
spiritual words. But a natural man does not
accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him and he cannot understand them, right?
Remember, you try to read the Word before you got born again,
and the Bible just seemed like a bunch of mumbo jumbo until the
Holy Spirit turns the light on and you receive him.
Come on. And then when you open it up,
it's like a whole new world. Whole new world, right?
It's like a whole new world. That's because the Spirit
brought it all to light and brought it alive to you, so that
now you can actually spiritually discern what the word is saying.
OK, and so it says this. And he cannot understand them
because they are spiritually appraised.
But he who has known the mind of the Lord that he will instruct
him. But we have the what?
Wow. Not only do we have His spirit
living on the inside of us. Guess what else we have?
We have His mind on everything. That means there's nothing that
we could be going through in this earth as long as we are
living in this world that we can't get the instruction and
the mind of Christ on whatever it is that we're dealing with.
So what does that tell me? That tells me then that I can
reign over every situation, over every circumstance that I
encounter, and my walk with the Lord on this earth in the midst
of this fallen world. I don't have to fall into the
trap of, you know, answering and doing things like the world does
it. I can go straight to the mind of
Christ and begin to ask him for His wisdom on how to deal with
every situation that I'm going through.
Amen. So that I can be assured that if
I apply His wisdom and His direction to my life in whatever
it is that I'm dealing with, I can be assured that I'll win,
that I'll reign, that I'll overcome, that I'll be the
victorious one. Amen.
Hallelujah. That means I don't ever have to
be defeated. I may.
Feel defeated. I may feel defeated.
But that doesn't mean that I am defeated.
And I'm not going to let that feeling control what I know is
truth. Because if I have a strong
spirit, I'm going to be led by that spirit and not my feelings
about what it is that I am dealing with or what it is that
I'm going through. OK, so thank God we have the
mind of Christ. Have you seen how crazy this
world is? I'm telling you, every believer,
you better wake up every morning and thank him that you have the
mind of Christ. Because we are living in a world
of a world gone crazy in their minds, and we're seeing it every
day. And you need to thank him.
Don't be talking about to yourself.
I'm losing my mind. Or, you know, come on or I'm
going crazy. That should not be coming out of
your mouth. You should be saying, thank you,
Lord. I have the mind of Christ.
I have a strong spirit. Come on.
Every day when you wake up, begin to start talking about who
you are and what God has said instead of talking crazy like
this world. Because you're going to have
what you and a reigning spirit will begin to talk like that.
Come on, they'll talk like that. You know, I was just sharing
this is I'm not even on one scripture in my notes.
I was talking to our ministry coordinators this past Sunday
because pastor had to fly out that Sunday.
So I had to do the meeting with the ministry coordinators and
then at staff meeting. I did the leadership, teaching
and staff meeting because the Holy Spirit reminded me about
the children of Israel. And I read out of numbers, you
know, chapter one and chapter 1124, I believe, or 1424, one of
those. And here we know the children of
Israel. You are.
Y'all remember the story, right where he said he's going to
deliver the people. Moses, go deliver my people out
of captivity. They came right through the Red
Sea. He delivered them out and he was
planning to bring them into a what land?
Flowing with milk and honey. We talked about this Friday
night, ladies, right. And about all that honey that
was flowing and so. He wanted to bring him into the
promised land, but we know they got stuck in the what?
The wilderness. For how long?
40 years. And do you know why that all of
them died in the wilderness, even though God said you're?
He They were delivered. Guys, hey, they were delivered.
Anybody in here been delivered. They were delivered.
But their minds were still what slaves they were delivered, and
he was ready to take them into the.
Promised land into the fullness of everything that God would
have for them. And all they did was what
complained, grumbled, and murmured about everything that
that they thought God. Brought him out there just for
them to die in three days. They wanted to, you know, go
back. Isn't that what the scripture
says when you've been delivered? Don't Don't look back.
You're not fit or worthy. But they were looking back, and
they thought it was better over in Egypt as slaves and in
bondage because their minds had not been renewed.
But they didn't enter in, it says, because of their unbelief.
That's what the Bible says. They didn't enter into all that
God had for them because of their unbelief.
What was the number one thing that started the process of
their unbelief? Grumbling, complaining, and
murmuring against God as if God couldn't do anything.
It's. One step away from unbelief in
your life if all you are doing is griping and complaining and
murmuring about you know. What you think God should be
doing and what He's not doing for you, because God's in
control. God is not in control.
He's in control of his work and He's working through your.
Responses your actions. So they were mumbling,
grumbling, complaining, and it is the very thing that led them
into unbelief. But then I go on and I read
about Joshua and Caleb after, you know, God was there, were
ready to, He brought him in and Joshua and Caleb, it said.
We're of a what? Different spirit.
They had a different spirit. So you know what that means to
me. That spirit of murmuring,
complaining, and grumbling is not the spirit of God that he
wants you to have. It's a critical spirit.
It is a spirit of unbelief and doubt and unthankfulness.
And so we as believers, we need to make sure that we are always
in a position that we're checking our hearts to make sure
we're not. And you know what they were
grumbling and complaining about? Also Moses.
Moses, their leader, Number one thing that will get you in
trouble. Come on.
They were mumbling and complaining and griping and
grumbling about Moses and actually God said I heard them
in their tents and it's not. They weren't talking against
Moses. They were talking about God and
he took it personal when you start talking about your leader
and it said they all died and did not enter into the fullness,
into the promises that God actually had for them.
OK, so the reason I bring that up is because we want to make
sure that we have the right spirit and if we don't have the
right. Spirit.
The only way we're going to have a strong spirit is if we feed on
the right things. And griping and complaining and
murmuring and all these things is not feeding on the right
thing. It's not feeding on the right
thing in any situation in your marriage.
What about griping and complaining about your husband
all the time? I'm telling you what that's the
sure sign to cause. Come on, destruction to your
marriage. What about griping and
complaining about your teenagers all the time?
What about griping and complaining about the house you
live in or the car you drive in? You see what I'm saying?
How can God move on your behalf when only way he will operate is
by faith? But you are in unbelief because
of the words that are coming out of your mouth.
And it may not be like I don't believe God, but I can't believe
I'm still living in this house. You see what I'm saying?
It's unbelief. He can't work with that because
it's a bad attitude. It's a.
Wrong spirit. It's a wrong spirit.
So we want to have a reigning spirit, We want to have a strong
spirit, which means that I loved what Joshua and Caleb said.
They said give me that mountain. Do you know that in I'm going
back to this, Do you know that in the midst this is not in my
notes? This in the midst of 40 years.
Of listening. And he called it to the
congregation. 40 years of listening to the congregation
gripe, complain, murmur, be doubtful of everything, right?
They're not in faith about anything.
It said. Joshua and Caleb being of a
different spirit and actually said they were strengthened
because when it was time for them to take the promised land,
he got up on that mountain and he said I am well able, I'm
stronger today than I was 40 years ago, so now he's. 85 And
he actually grew stronger and was strengthened in 40 So here
you have Joshua and Caleb that are being able to stay in the
midst of this kind of environment, not taking on the
thoughts of everybody else, but actually applying God's word to
what God said to them. That you will surely enter into
a land flowing well with milk and honey.
That you're we're going to be able to receive that promised
land. They were able to stand up in
the midst of all of these thousands of people griping and
complaining and doubtless and all these things.
And Joshua and Caleb decided we're going to grow, we're going
to grow stronger. We are actually going to be able
to have strength. Come on in the midst of this.
So this tells me that we can do it no matter what our situation,
no matter what we are going through.
I don't care if your whole house, your household, does
nothing but gripe and complain and fuss and have drama and be
dysfunctional. You as a believer, as a child of
God, by the power of your will, can choose to say, I'm going to
reign in the midst of this. Come on.
And I'm going to have a strong spirit and I'm going to allow
this to strengthen me and to grow me.
Come on. So that in the day and the hour
that God said he's going to bless me and my household, you
see what I'm saying? Stronger because they chose to
believe God's word in the midst of all of that garbage.
And don't you think that they couldn't have taken on those
same complaints and thought processes, but they chose to
hold on to God's word and what God said.
And in that what we're supposed to do, if we're going to rain,
if we're going to maintain a reigning spirit, then we have to
choose to hold on to what God's Word has said in the midst of
whatever's going on in our life. Come on and choose to say, I
don't know about you, but I'm going to grow through this
because I'm going to flow. Come on, I'm going to flow this
year. Come on with the Holy Ghost.
There's a new flow of the Holy Ghost, and I'm going to choose
to grow and flow through it and be stronger on the other side
and be strengthened. Hallelujah.
So you choose. It's up to you.
God can't do anything. He's already done everything.
And so in the midst of hearing
the gripe and the complaining, in the midst of all those
things, you have to be the one to say, I choose to grow.
I choose to become stronger. I.
Choose to allow my spirit to be strengthened in the midst of
this instead of destroyed, because it will what it will
make you or it will break you. You choose in the midst of
things that are going on in your life every day.
Second Corinthians 413 and 14 says this.
It says And since we have the same.
Spirit of what? Faith according to what is
written. I believe, therefore I spoke.
We also believe, and therefore we speak knowing that he who
raised up the Lord Jesus Christ will also raise us up with Jesus
and will present us. With you we have the same spirit
of faith. So His spirit is not just the
spirit of truth, right? His spirit is a spirit of faith
and a reigning spirit is a spirit of faith.
A strong spirit will produce faith within your life.
A weak spirit, a broken spirit, a spirit that is feeding on the
wrong things will not be a person of faith and reign in
situations. It's just the bottom line.
I don't care that God is on the inside of you.
If you don't feed your spirit, it will not be strong, it will
be weak. If we don't feed our physical
bodies, Come on, what happens? It will begin to eat itself up,
actually. Through starvation.
And that. Just think about that as your
spirit man. If you don't feed your spirit,
man, it's starving. It's.
Starving and we become anemic and anorexic.
And have you ever seen believers that are like that?
They have no faith, and sitting in faith churches, no faith.
And you know how we know they don't have any faith?
Because of the first things that come out of their mouth when
they enter into a trial or a situation, right?
Because a person with a strong spirit is actually going to say
what God says. A.
Person that has fed themselves on the right things are going to
say what God says in the midst of whatever it is that they're
going, whatever it is that's going on in our life.
Look at this. If you don't think that we have
to grow, do you think that the minute you get born again,
you're just TA dah? That's it.
We're good. Most Christians believe that and
live that way. They're born again.
They're good to go. They're waiting on one day when
they die, they get to go to heaven.
And nothing about their life or their lifestyle changes.
That means they don't grow, right.
So we, if we're going to have that reigning spirit, have to be
people that realize we have to grow in every season, in every
season. We have to grow no matter what
the season beholds us, whether it's a great season, whether
it's a challenging season. We have to make a decision that
we're going to grow through those those seasons, OK?
And what the way we grow is that we apply God's word to our lives
and whatever it is we're being challenged with.
Now look at Luke 240, because I want to prove to you that Jesus
even had to grow. Yeah, he did.
Luke 240. Now he was the son of, yet he
had to grow it says. It says.
And the child grew and became strong in what in spirit, filled
with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon
him. And the grace of God was upon
him, then dropped down to 52 and it says, And Jesus increased.
Anytime you increase, it's because you've allowed him to
grow you or increase your capacity.
You just don't grow automatically, OK?
If we did not feed our children, they would not grow properly.
They wouldn't grow properly. And so it says.
And he increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and man, So he grew and became strong in spirit.
He grew and became strong in spirit.
Our number one assignment is to get you so pumped up like you on
steroids, strong in spirit. Your spirit ought to be as
strong as you know, all these bodybuilders that you see with
strong muscles, like Arnold Schwartzman.
However you pronounce it. And who else was a big, huge
bodybuilder? That was old school days.
OK, Pastor Mike. Pastor Earl.
He loves you, Christopher. You tell him that when you see
him next. OK, pump him up, Christopher.
So strong, like your spirit ought to be the strongest muscle
in your body. Right.
Because when you have a strong spirit, you're going to be able
to conquer anything that comes your way.
So what is what does it mean where it says he grew and became
strong in spirit? When you look that up in the
Greek, it means he had to grow in the divine nature of God.
Though he was the Son of God, but he was what?
A man in the earth? So he had to discover himself as
the divine nature of God. He isn't that what we do when we
get born again? What our old man has passed
away? Behold all things become new and
now we have the divine nature. Zoe life coming to dwell on the
inside of us when we get born again.
And now we have to do what? Discover and grow in that divine
nature, discovering who we are in Christ.
And so he had to grow in streak strong divine nature of God.
The influence. This is what he had to grow in,
the influence which is feels and governs the seat of his
emotions. He had to grow in the seat of
his emotions, just like we do, which is the soul, realm, the
mind realm, the mental realm, our mind, our will, our
emotions. That's why he had to say not my
will be done, but your will be done.
That's why he had to say it. Because if he was the Son of God
and could just automatically do it, no.
He was showing us who we are. That's good.
Hallelujah. Isn't that what Pastor Roddy
said? He didn't come so that we could
see who he was. He came so that we can see who.
We are who we are. And so he had to grow and learn
how to feel and govern his seat of emotions as well as we do.
He had to have control over his emotions and didn't he?
He had to what? He had to run money changers out
of the temple, but he didn't do it in anger.
So that means he had what? Self-control.
He was able to deal with his emotions.
We know he cried. Jesus wept.
And crying and weeping is not a problem if it's done in the
right spirit. Not crying and weeping like
Esau, who did it in the wrong spirit.
You see that? So he also It meant he had to
grow in the characteristics and personality of the Holy Spirit.
Working His power. Isn't that something?
So don't we have to, We have to understand the working of the
Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit as a believer.
Amen. So he had to grow strong in
spirit, and we have to grow strong in spirit if we're going
to maintain a reigning spirit. You know, I've been talking
about this out of Ephesians. Chapter 4, verse 11, La La La La
la, verse 13. Let's just read it from there.
It says until we all what come to the unity of faith and the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of
the stature of the fullness of Christ, That word stature.
One translation said that Jesus grew in stature as well.
One translation says that so that word stature means mature.
He had to grow up into the fullness of being a perfect man,
a mature man operating. And because he grew in these
things, to discover who he was into a mature man.
Amen. And do you know that's what we
have to do If we're going to have a strong spirit, we're
going to have to mature. We're going to have to grow.
We're going to have to be a person that says I need to grow
in this area in my life. You can't sit in this church and
not have an area in your life that is not brought forth and
you think you got it all together.
Not you ain't going to. It ain't going to happen in this
church, because all of us have. Something that we have to grow
in. And mature in.
All of us. And all the time with the word
that's coming forth, it's it's it's then nudging us and and the
Holy Spirit's revealing to us, you need to actually grow in
this area. You have been dealing with this
for 15 years and it's still a struggle for you.
You know, I feel like saying may it never be right, because why?
It's up to us to choose to do what it takes to grow.
Isn't that what? He says.
Listen, when you were a child, you used to what?
Think. Like a child, act like a child.
But when you become a what a man, it's time to what grow up
and put away what childish things put away?
Whining and wanting attention. Like babies do, right?
All those things. And so we have to recognize, he
says. Listen, we need to grow into the
stature and the fullness of Christ.
Look what it says in verse 14, that we should no longer be
children tossed to and fro and carried away.
Listen to this. This is why it's important,
because this is what pastor's been talking about, carried away
about with every wind of doctrines of demons, right?
So it's most important that we mature in these last days so
that we can guarantee we can't. We don't have to fall into
deception because we've actually grown up spiritually.
We've actually allowed ourselves to mature and apply the word and
recognize areas that need to be dealt with and actually begin to
deal with them so that we won't caught.
Get caught up in every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men
in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.
But speaking the truth in love so that you may grow up into all
things, into Him who is the head?
Christ. You see that?
What does it mean to grow up? To grow up, to mature and and
where he says this into all things, he means into a complete
man. Into a complete man.
It means to grow mental and moral character.
It means to mature. Amen.
So just because you're born again doesn't mean that you're
mature. Doesn't mean that you don't have
to grow, that you don't have to do more things to allow yourself
to sit up underneath the word. Apply the word so that you can
grow. Now look at Ephesians chapter
316 and 20. It says that he would grant you,
according to his riches of his glory, to be strengthened with
power through. His.
Spirit in the what? Inner man.
So the inner man, your spirit needs to be strengthened.
You will not maintain a reigning spirit unless you strengthen it.
Just like what do they call working out strength training.
So we have to put it under the gun, so to speak.
Put it under some what pressure? Put it underneath some word,
some actual words of righteousness.
Not milk of the word, but words of righteousness for us to begin
to what? Strengthen and grow in our inner
man so that our spirit can begin to be strong?
If all we do is sit up underneath the milk of the word,
what will we remain? Babies.
Do nothing.
But what? Cry, whine, complain, tell you
they don't want to do it. To fall down on the floor and
pitch a little temper tantrum. Act a fool, right?
All these things that babies do, and just think about churches
and some of the things believers do right?
They're acting like babies because what has happened, they
have not allowed themselves to grow and mature.
They've not allowed themselves to grow.
Oh, but they come to church every every Sunday and every
Wednesday. What's that doing for them if
they're not applying it so that they can grow by it?
If they're not doing it because you can hear the word and be
what deceived, you can. Come to church and hear good
word, good word. And deceive your You can sit in
these seats and deceive yourself.
You don't even have to listen to a doctrine of demon or a
deceiving spirit. All you have to do is come to
church and hear the good, unadulterated word of God and
sit here and do nothing with it, and you become what?
And no demon did that. Who did it?
The one that chose not to apply it, Not one demon did it.
Not one person seduced you know. You chose to sit right there and
to. Harden your heart.
To the pluckings of the Holy Spirit speaking to you every
time you're sitting up underneath the word about things
that need to be adjusted and things that need to grow and
things that need to be tweaked within your life, and instead of
doing it, then you become deceived and what we call
deceiving your own. Heart.
You've deceived your own heart. You know how you deceived your
own heart? Because I'm going to church?
I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me so that when I
die I get to go to heaven. I didn't think there was
anything else necessary. You see that?
So deception can run. What be?
Right here in the church. For those that don't receive it,
those that don't do it. Come on now, let me read this
last scripture. Let me see where I want to go
because I know what time it is, because we can go next Wednesday
and talk about some of these things.
Growing and feeding our spirit is a necessity if we're going to
reign and maintain that reigning spirit.
Let's talk about Abraham real quick and Romans chapter 4.
Let's end with this Romans chapter 4 and verse 17.
This is a good thing. We won't end on a a hard thing.
He was the father of many nations, right, it says, And in
the presence of him who he believed, even God, who gives
life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist
in hope against hope, he believed so that he might become
what the father of many nations according to that which had been
spoken. So shall your descendants be
without becoming weak in faith. So we see.
I'm trying to show you the scriptures where it talks about
our spirit man either growing or becoming weak.
And here we see that Abraham without becoming weak.
How did he not become weak? Because what did he did?
He called those things that what be not as though they were
right. It says in verse 18 in hope
against hope. What did he do?
He believed so that he might become a father of many nations
according to which had been spoken.
So shall your descendants be Without becoming weak in faith,
he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead, since he
was about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb yet.
With respect to the promise of God, what did he do?
He did not waver in unbelief, but what happened?
He grew strong in faith. He grew strong in faith.
In the midst of a bad situation, right where he could his wife
and him had no children, has anybody ever been there?
Right. You would think that you could
doubt God, that it was going to come to pass.
But in the midst of all of the things that he was going
through, he chose to believe God at his word.
And when he chose to believe God at his word and what God had
promised, he grew stronger. In faith, His faith grew.
His. Spirit man became stronger.
So for us to grow, we're going to have to hear the Word and
what the word says and begin to believe the word over whatever
it is that's going on in our life.
And in the midst of that, that's when growth can begin to happen.
Growth doesn't happen outside of you actually having to have
faith to do what it is God said to do in whatever situation it
is. That's how your faith grows.
Your faith doesn't just grow by hearing the word, only you have
to act upon it in the midst of the challenge and have faith in
it. And that's when your spirit can
grow stronger. That's when your faith, your
your spirit can be strengthened and grow.
We're stronger today. You're stronger every time you
make a decision that you're going to believe God's word in
whatever it is. Every time what happens, you'll
grow stronger. Your spirit man gets stronger,
and what happens? It says he was able to look back
on the what? The faithfulness of God.
So every time you make a decision, I'm going to stand on
the word about whatever it is you're going through.
Your faith now can begin to be strengthened.
You can begin to. Your spirit can begin to grow
stronger and stronger so that when the next challenge comes,
what do you? Well, I look back on the
faithfulness of God. I know he was able to help me
and strengthen me and do what he said he was going to do here.
So guess what? Now I'm able to walk into this
next challenge. You ought to be stronger in the
next challenge than you were in that one.
And you can. Tell if a.
Person has actually applied faith in a situation by their
response of the next trial or situation or circumstance they
enter in. Did they actually grow from the
last challenge? Because if they did, you'll see
that they'll make a decision for this next challenge.
I'm not going to act a fool like I did over here.
I'm not going to have an emotional breakdown when I just
find out that, you know, I'm losing my job or whatever the
case. Why?
Because your spirit grew, because you actually applied the
word in the last trial. And that's how now if you don't
respond right, you can see to yourself and say to yourself,
maybe I really didn't grow as much as I thought and really
didn't apply faith as much as I thought I did.
You see that because every every day, as the challenge comes, we,
no matter what comes our way, if we've been applying faith every
day along the way we are growing and being strengthened.
So that our spirit is strong, we should have a strong spirit.
We should have a strong spirit, guys.
So that we're not having a meltdown at the next situation,
and we're not, you know, feeling overwhelmed and anxious and
stressed out at the next thing or even in what God is asking of
you to do, you should be strong enough to say yes.
Lord. If you've been applying along
the way, OK, yes, Lord. You know what?
This is a new thing you're asking me to walk into.
You're asking me to walk into a new business design or a new
business plan. But you know what?
I did it on the smaller level and I and I had faith to do it
there and I was challenged in that situation.
But, but I know you came through.
So if you're asking me to step out, to do something else larger
than that, my capacity, my spirit is stronger today than it
was then because I actually walked through it by faith.
So again, that's going. And growing from faith to faith,
glory to glory, right? Because you've been applying and
growing and allowing your spirit to be strengthened and strong.
Hallelujah. You ought to be like Caleb.
You ought to be like. Abraham.
He's our father. Of what faith?
And he became stronger and was strengthened, because he chose
to believe God's promise about above everything else.
What it Let me read that verse 20 again.
It says. Yet with respect to the promise
of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but he grew stronger
in faith, giving glory to God. And what happened?
Being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able
also to perform. He was well able, but it was
because he was growing. In faith and chose to believe
the promise, the word of God, that God had spoken above
anything about, above the deadness of Sarah's womb and the
deadness of his body, he believed.
God. And God came through, and he
grew. By it.
Let me read that out of the The Passion translation and we'll
close. It says that's what the
Scripture means when it says I have made you the father of many
nations. He is our example and father.
For in God's presence, he believed that God could raise
the dead and call into being things that don't even exist yet
against all odds. When he looked hopeless.
When it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and
expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word.
That's what faith is. God says it.
I believe it, that he took God at his word and as a result he
became the father of many nations.
God's declaration over him came to pass.
Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to
count in spite of being nearly 100 years old.
When the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so
strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he
and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child.
He never stopped believing God's promise.
For he was made strong in his faith.
To father a child, his faith, his faith was so strong.
It's his faith that fathered that child.
God didn't do it. Amen.
That's good. His faith did it.
And he grew stronger in
believing God that he could do it.
And because he was a he was mighty in faith and convinced
that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises,
Abraham glorified God. So now you can see why Abraham's
faith was accredited to his account as righteousness before.
God, Amen. Because he believed God, he
grew. And because he believed God, he
grew stronger. His spirit grew stronger in
faith. Amen.
Hallelujah. So if we are going to maintain
this reigning spirit, then we have to constantly be allowing
God to mature us and grow us. And actually applying God's word
to our life day in and day out, practicing it, doing it.
Not just hearing it and sitting in the church and and shouting
about how God did all these things, but actually saying God.
You can do it through what me. You can do it through me, and
when you do it through me, I'm going to grow, I'm going to be
strengthened, my spirits going to be strong.
Allowing him to grow us is most important for us to maintain a
strong spirit. Again, you know, every year we
should be evaluating ourselves and saying where, what are some
areas that I'm still weak in faith in?
What are some areas that I know I need to grow in and begin to
ask God, right, To show you and challenge you and begin to
actually do it right? Whether it be your emotions,
whether it be the characteristics of God and
things you know you need to do. Whether it be you know, the
fruits of the spirit, self-control.
Do you know that we let me read this real quick?
I had this down, but I didn't read it out of Proverbs.
This is really important because because it is up to us to
maintain our spirit. It's up to us.
Look what Proverbs says here in I know I put it on.
Yeah, right here, Proverbs 2528. Whoever has no rule over his own
spirit is like a city broken down without.
Walls. You have no rule over your own
spirit. We ought to have.
He's given us rulership. He's given us dominion.
He's given us everything that pertains to life and godliness.
He's given us his word. He's given us his spirit.
He's put everything within us that we need to reign over our
own spirit. To.
Rule over it. And when you don't, when you
don't rule over your own spirit and decide you know what spirit
we're going to grow, we're going to do this thing.
I'm not going to let it just be out of control.
It says you are like a city broken down without.
Walls. And then in Proverbs 1632, it
says he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he
who rules his spirit than he who takes a city, it's.
Better to rule your spirit then be mighty enough to take a city
who has rule over your spirit. We do.
God does not. He is not going to make you
grow. He is not going to make you
become strong. We have to decide.
We are going to do it. We are going to grow.
We are going to change. We're going to allow him to work
within us and yield our spirit to Him, Just as we said Jesus
had to yield his will to the Father.
We have to do the same thing for us to grow strong in spirit.
We have to yield ourselves. We have to yield our will.
We have to yield our mind. We have to yield our emotions,
our thinking, our reasoning. We have to yield our bodies.
We have to yield our spirit. We have to yield it all, because
he cannot make us do. Anything.
We have rulership over our own spirits and that determines the
quality of life we will have. It will determine the quality of
life we have. The good news is about having
the good life. He's made it available, but we
have to walk in it and we have to choose to do it.
Amen. Hallelujah.
Let's pray, Father, we just thank you for your word tonight.
We thank you, Father, that you are raising us up.
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