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Welcome to the Wednesday Night “Worship and The Word” Service of New Covenant Christian Ministries with Pastor Bill and Dr. D'Ann Johnson. Our mission is “Transforming all people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.” In today's sermon, Pastor Roy Barrett reminds the church of a foundational truth: If God Said It, That Settles It.
We all live in an imperfect world – with a constant awareness of contradictions and oppositions to all that God promises us. Which tempts us to live down to the level of our fears, feelings & frustrations. However, God calls us to accept that His power is always available and accessible for our good. Prompting us to live with an expectation for His manifested best even at the worst times & seasons of our life.
Our initial perception – right or wrong, shapes our attitudes toward & actions towards a person. This makes it key that we have an accurate and authentic introduction about a person. Especially when it comes to our relationship with God. The more clear that are we are about WHO God is the more we are encouraged & excited to live the kind of life that manifests His reality in our daily lives – bringing out His best for us.
What does the bible teach us about how to treat the poor? This sermon provides a biblical prospective on how God wants us treat our poor brothers and sisters.
It's been said that thankfulness (gratefulness) is the least; shortest & quickest emotion. In part, because many view thanksgiving only as reactive behavior; instead of seeing it as proactive, prescriptive & protective action against life's troubles. THUS… God calls us to practice thanksgiving as a lifestyle; and recognizing that the more thanksgiving is our norm – the more we experience His breakthroughs.
In every relationship, we have systemic practices/acts that are done based on a schedule or season. And our challenge is to not become listless in doing them – no sense of life or expectation for them to maximize the fruit of being connected. So, in our walk with God, there are two specific practices that when moved from a tradition to a revelation --- they manifest the fullness of His promise & our prayers!
In every relationship, we have systemic practices and acts done based on a schedule or season. And our challenge is to not become listless in doing them – no sense of life or expectation for them to maximize the fruit of being connected. In our walk with God, there are 2 specific practices that when moved from a tradition to a revelation -- they manifest the fullness of His promise & our prayers!
From the beginning, the enemy's sole focus is to mislead & misrepresent God's promises to us -- to make us believe that everything God says to us…gives to us…and does for us is to limit us in life. And since we're not born trusting of God, it's key that we live beyond our natural senses & abilities. So, God gives us the Holy Spirit -- not to keep anything back from us, but to bring us into everything He has for us.
Growth = the process of developing or maturing physically, mentally and spiritually.There are 3 things that inhibit spiritual growth (fear, believing lies, & refusing to change) and there are 3 things that enhance spiritual growth (the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, & the love of God and His people).
"Just like no coach enters a game without a plan on how to win the game, no one enters into relationships and friendships without an idea (image) for them being successful. And, as the saying goes, “if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail," Therefore, God has provided a gameplan for our relational success. That, when fully followed, guarantees our win – the highest level of relational fulfillment & enjoyment."
Once a team is assembled every coach knows that there must be a definitive selection process by which a starting line up is formed -- players who give the team it's best chance at winning. Likewise, from our circle of relationships (friendships) we must identify those who are our first and last line of defense against everything that opposes us from prospering & prevailing in God's best for our lives.
Relationships were never designed to be one sided. Healthy relationships are even sided. The most successful teams recognize how well we draft determines how far we go. The same is for our friendships and relationships. Who is in your starting lineup?
We each will have moments in life where we struggle to make sense of what God is doing IN our lives, WITH our lives, and THROUGH our lives… as if there's a disconnect between our prayers and God's promise. But our not knowing His plan doesn't mean that God doesn't have a plan. God's plan includes working even when we don't know what He's doing to make things turn out for His glory & for our good.
When the enemy knows that he can't directly draw us away from God's promises, he will try to use our good intentions & deep compassion for others, against us. He hopes that their negative attitudes & destructive actions will cause us to turn away from and turn on God.Therefore, it's imperative that we know how to stay available & accessible for God to use us without letting our feelings of being used, rob us of God's best.
We each have our favorite song… that even without hearing a word of it --- just the sound causes us to smile and sway to its rhythm. The sound alone creates a sense of calmness, quietness, and easiness. Likewise, the enemy will use a specific sound to terrorize & demoralize our faith, even taunt us about our life. BUT, God wants change the sound that disturbs us the most to the sound that encourages us the most.
The power of vision (sight) – naturally or spiritually is that it provokes us to fight, freeze or flight. And though God uses vision -- what we see, to increase our expectation for His best, the enemy uses our sight to trigger reactions & responses that hinder us in enjoying God's best. No… we can't change who & what we see, but God has made it possible to change how we see who & what we see.
From birth, each of us have positive and negative experiences. And the enemy focuses on using our negative experiences to trigger harmful emotions, expressions & expectations for enjoying life as God originally designed. Building our lives around our triggers; not His truth about us. BUT… God has made it possible for us to turn down and turn off our triggers in order to turn up His best in our lives.
Every promise from God and prayer to God, has a process of waiting for manifestation. And, because we never control the waiting time -- we're tempted to allow anxiety or fear move us out of position for experiencing God's blessings and breakthroughs. Wrongly thinking that nothing is changing or happening for our good. BUT, whenever God tells us to wait --- it will always be worth the wait.
God created us to live with an authentic awareness & appreciation of His presence in our lives. As a result, we must overcome the constant temptation of living from earth to heaven – AND instead, live from heaven to earth. Where more than anything else, the reality of God governs our affections, actions & expectations. His worth in our lives; importance & significance shapes our daily walk in life.
Sometimes it is a challenge to enter into worship with God. Things we need to do to enter into worship
Every man (person) lives out a vision and version of themselves that they believe reflects them at their best. However, it's often rooted in presumption, tradition, or just self-determination. But, to be the best man (person) we can be, it doesn't come by our striving, but our submitting. The truest & greatest expression of who we are – The Best Man is a response to God's reality in our lives!
My Capacity is my God-given ability to produce at the level I was created to produce. I have the capacity to handle What is on my plate now. If the capacity is not present it is not mine to handle.You have the capacity to take what you have been given and increase it.
The enemy's main point of attack is really our mind – our perception and internalization of life. Which is why, winning and losing often has little to do with what happens around or outside of us but everything to do with what goes on inside of us. Making it critical that we remain unshakeable, even unchangeable about believing what God has placed in our heart will happen.
God will use a transforming moment in our lives to create momentum – real movement and excitement in our lives. BUT… we can't stay in that moment forever – we must on from that Day, Place, or Location which birthed the momentum. As a result, we must discipline ourselves to habits that help us to preserve & prolong the momentum pass life's contradictions & temptations, and to our best life.
The enemy's main point of attack is really our mind – our perception and internalization of life. Which is why, winning and losing often has little to do with what happens around or outside of us but everything to do with what goes on inside of us. Making it critical that we remain unshakeable, even unchangeable about believing what God has placed in our heart will happen. Our Mind Is Made Up!
God has entrusted and empowered us with the responsibility of determining how effective His word works in our lives. Sadly, the enemy has deceived many people into thinking a lack of answered prayers or fulfilled promises is due to an inability with God. When the truth is, it's our responsibility to develop the inner condition that allows His promise to produce manifested and maximized results.
God's purpose for our lives is always beyond our ability do it on our own – it requires God's help. He knows that we're prone to being delayed or distracted by our fears, friends, feelings & frustrations.As a result, He will use various conditions and actions to move us into His purpose for our lives. We are never able to fully stop at places of confusion or celebration, only the place of total obedience to His purpose.
SERMON THEME: Most of us believe that God created us to live a good life. But our confusion & frustration from not always being clear on how His plan works. Making it critical that we have an accurate understanding of how His will works in our lives to manifest His plan (promises) and even our prayers. Because knowing how His will works in our lives helps us to be convinced that things are going to work out for our good.
Most people are convinced of the truth that God's will leads to our BEST life. But our humanity makes it difficult to always be fully in the know of what He's doing & how He's working. However, God has provided some basic practices to give us a measure of real clarity and certainty about His will; make us confident in knowing He's working to fulfill what He's promised, and we've prayed - - our BEST life!
The majority of people are convinced that God wants us to have a good life… be happy and be healthy. But it's not knowing, having some sense of God's plan leads to our confusion and frustration. However, the good news is God has revealed key practices that bring us into a measure of clarity and certainty about God's process for bringing us into what He's promised & we've prayed - - our BEST life!
Once we're planted in what seems to be the worst times and worst places of our BEST life, the enemy's goal is to disconnect our communication with God. To have us so distracted, distressed or discouraged that our communication with God is eliminated. Because our communication with God is an important way we receive the required faith & focus for thriving towards our BEST life at the worst time.
Each of us must accept that our BEST life will not always happen in right conditions or locations. But, often in what seems to be at the worst time, in the worst place & even with the worst people. Thus, it's key that we recognize our primary fight will be an issue of worship. Because it's the way we worship is that activates God's promises and ignites our faith to thrive in an unlikely place for our BEST life.
God designed each of us with a capacity to live at the level of His power and promise. And He will intentionally bring us into seasons of opportunity to seize life as He's made available and accessible. Often by challenging our current or present reality. Because… our best life is never found on the level of our effort, excuses, emotions & environment – BUT our willingness to fully apply ourselves to His Word!
God created and called us to a life where His power and promises are experienced free from conditions or constrictions – NO CAP, lid or limit.However, this life doesn't come by force – our drive & determination. But rather, our following of God; our continual faith in and focus on Him. Where we're led into the life from Him that is for us --- the life He's promised, and we've prayed to experience.
God created us to experience a life that reflects the fullness of His possibilities & opportunities -- no lid or limit. By not following our fears, failures, figures, or familiarities – but Follow The Leader, Jesus! And this can be challenging due to our natural tendency for wanting to follow on our own terms. BUT, if we're to manifest everything God has promised and we've prayed, then we must follow on His terms.
Our God created and called us to a life where His power and promises are experienced free from conditions or constrictions – NO CAP; lid or limit. As a result, we must discipline ourselves to resist anything or anyone that contradicts; or constrains the level of life God has commanded us to manifest.
Every gift we give or receive reflects the giver's motivation, affection, and perception towards the recipient (receiver). There's always meaning behind giving gifts. So, in celebrating Jesus' birth; God's gift to us, it shows the depth of significance & importance we have in God's eyes. He gives us a gift that comes with an opportunity for us to live at the level of the gift He's given us - - our best life with Him.
One of the most essential skills for enjoyment and fulfillment in our various relationships is communication – the effective ability or opportunity to clearly share what we're feeling or sensing. But there are seasons where we're at a loss for words in trying to explain – define & describe what God doing in our lives. Yet, when we don't have the best words to say; He's still doing His best work!
One of the most essential skills for enjoyment and fulfillment in our various relationships is communication – the effective ability or opportunity to clearly share what we're feeling or sensing.But there are seasons where we're at a loss for words in trying to explain – define & describe what God doing in our lives. Yet, when we don't have the best words to say -- He's still doing His best work!
Parable of the Talents. If you are unfamiliar with the parable of the talents, it's found in Matthew 25:14-30. In summary, a master gave three of his servants five, two, and one talent based on what they could handle. The servants that were given five and two doubled their talents and were rewarded by the master. On the other hand, the servant that was given one didn't do anything with it. As a result, his one talent was taken away and given to the servant that started with five.God's investment has a lot of value! Develop it!
Once we're committed to Living Above SEE Level – seeing our life through God's possibilities, the enemy specifically attacks our expectation IN God and OF God. Knowing that, mismanaged expectations will hinder or halt God's blessings.But, the more we manage our expectations, we're fully established & positioned for experiencing God's best in every area of our lives.
Once we're committed to Living Above SEE Level – seeing our life through God's possibilities, the enemy specifically attacks our expectation IN God and OF God. Knowing that, mismanaged expectations will hinder or halt God's blessings.But, the more we manage our expectations, we're fully established & positioned for experiencing God's best in every area of our lives.
How we “see” our world – everything we encounter within our daily routines, relationships & responsibilities shapes our experiences in LIFE and in GOD.We see our world through a FEAR point of view making us overwhelmed or a FAITH point of view which makes us overcomers.But in order to have a faith perspective, His “word” must be the center of our “world” for us to live above SEE level!
If we mainly live by what we see in the natural (normal), it yields deep discouragement & resentment. How we “see” shapes our experiences in LIFE and in GOD. So, if we live by our faith in God, our lives exceed all things normal and natural – reflecting the fullness of His power & promises.This new series, "Living above See Level," is designed to encourage and equip us in seeing through the lens of God's power & potential.Focus Scripture(s): 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16–18
One of the greatest truths that we must always remember is that while God's power is accessible & available to every person, He cannot be pressured into doing anything.Instead, He has promised to solely respond to the presence and practice of what releases His power – FAITH. Our condition doesn't trigger the change, but our faith overrides and overcomes what opposes His manifested best in our lives.