Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Beware of Satan

Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Beware of what the devil is doing. We are in a battle and you have to declare war on the devil. You have to learn to strike 1st. Each day is an assassination attempt on your life. How do you strike 1st? Pray! If you just let the devil weigh on you, you may do something crazy by the time you go to bed.

John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
You have to properly prepare yourself against the wiles of the devil. He's a strategist, he is like a chess player. He has imps and wimps on assignment. The devil will use anybody to get to you. You have to know when the devil is using someone. You are tired because you are fighting in the natural. You have to speak in tongues and pray until something happens:

1 Thes 5:17
17 pray without ceasing,

We can't not be ignorant of the devil. You have to be a step ahead so when something happens you won't lose your cool. Beware of tricksters, those who are trying to suck the life out of you, the leeches. Find your own destiny, the path to victory. Your provision and promotion is where God's plan and purpose is. The devil uses fear. Some people stay at their jobs instead of stepping out on faith because of fear.

There are three things the devil will use to fight you:

1. Fear

Fear is a phobia. When you are in the deep waters you can't walk as opposed to being in shallow water. You get scared because don't know how things are going to work and you don't want to step out in faith. God will make it work. You wouldn't need God if you could see how things are going to work out. Not knowing what's next is the exciting part.

2 Tim 1:7
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Psalm 23:4
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.


Psalm 27:1
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
         Whom shall I fear?
         The LORD is the strength of my life;
         Of whom shall I be afraid?


Know that fear can not stop you. There are some attacks that are the result of your own foolishness.

2. Mind games

You have to renew your mind. If the devil can twist your thinking he will do it. If he can make you think the opposite of what's really going on he will do it. You have to have the Word in you.

Romans 12:2
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Isaiah 26:3
3 You will keep him in perfect peace,
      Whose mind is stayed on You,
      Because he trusts in You. 
     
When the devil plays with your mind rebuke it. Talk it out if you have an issue with another person.

3. Doubt

Doubt is the opposite of faith. You may have been believing God for something for a long time. The devil will come along and plant doubt. He will remind you on how long you have been waiting and will get you to think that God is going to come through. When you are close to the thing you are believing God for the devil will plant doubt.

Luke 22:31
31 And the Lord said,“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Heb 11:1
 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is the title deed. The quicker you stand in faith the quicker the breakthrough will come. You can't be double minded.

James 1:6-8
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

You may have been given a bad report from the doctor.They do not have the last word. Don't fall for the devil and don't be foolish. You are almost there. Don't let the devil kill or steal anything. You'll see how much better your day will be if you start your day with prayer. We live in a microwave society that wants results instantly. There are some things we have to walk out.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tear the Roof Out and Get to Jesus

The message was brought forth by Prophetess LaTrice Ryan

Mark 2:1-12

1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this
Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘
Your10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? anything like this!
A man is paralyzed but we don't know how he became this way. It can be concluded that he had enough based on the facts given.

1 John  2:20
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

We have unctions from the Holy Spirit; we know that something is getting ready to happen. You may feel this way right now.The man had heard that Jesus was coming and he was fed up. It was his last day dealing with his struggle. He had an expectation. We have to put an expiration date on that thing. The man was in a state of desperation and it caused him to do something drastic. Desperation can cause you to do things you have never done before. You are in a faith fight. The devil is trying to move you. You have to hold on to your faith and say God I trust you. If He has deliver you before He can do it again. It's no secret. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6)

Let's look at 2 Kings 7:3

3 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?

The lepers had to be separated. It was announced when they were coming. People will often associate you by your condition instead of your conclusion. God can do anything with you. All God has to do is a switch. The last shall be first and the first shall be last (Matt 20:16).



You may be going through but God is about to switch. The lepers said to one another they were not going to die and were going to make a move. God just wants us to get on our feet and make a move. There are too many people waiting to hear your testimony. Failure is not an option. If you have failure in the back of your mind then you will fail. If you tell failure that there is no room for it then you won't fail. You have to get to the point where you have nothing to lose. The paralyzed man was trying to get something. He was trying to get to Jesus. You have to get to "Even if God does do it I just want Jesus" point. If you understand that if you get to the King He will give you the kingdom.

The men pushed to get to Jesus. Note that the man was paralyzed but not an amputee. He had the tools to walk but he couldn't. He just needed an encounter. That's where some of us are. We just need an encounter. God ordained us. Anyone He calls He equips. God will send the resources to you.

Write out your plan, your vision and wait for the encounter. The devil will fight you when you are close to your encounter. You can't let people mess with you. You are tempted to sin when you are close to your encounter. Paul said:


Romans 8:38 -39
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You are too close. Get to Jesus. He is your rock, fortress,shield and a present help in the time of trouble (Psalm 46:1). You are almost there. Get up and move. Nothing can hold you back anymore. Your steps are ordered by God. Your present situation didn't catch God off guard. It may have caught you off guard but the storm is causing you to pray like you've never prayed before.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Heal The Land

2 Chronicles 7:13-14
13If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
 14If 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 is sending us a message with the tornadoes, storms, ect. He will send a twister to untwist everything we've twisted. We had a flood. If He has to drown out the wicked mentality He will do it. God will send an earthquake to shake thins that's not of Him.

Let's look at vs 14 again:
14If 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.

It's praying time and time to seek His face. We have to learn how to be humble. God is attracted to a broken spirit.He is looking for people who is seeking His face and not his hand. Even after praying you have to turn from your wicked ways (i.e getting drunk, fornication) then He will hear from heaven and heal the land. God can't heal the land until he finds people who are humbled and  urning from their wicked ways. We have to give Him a better sacrifice.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

It's Graduation Time

Psalm 75:6-7
6For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south.
 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

God deals with us according to where we are in our faith. If he spoke it, He will do itand will bring it to pass.

Numbers 23:19
19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

God loves to promote but He will not promote if you are not worthy. You have to do something to position yourself. Promotion = advancement in rank. If you want promotion in your marriage there can't be arguments of the same thing year after year. you have to be in agreement (Amos 3:3).

Gen 2:24
24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Find a common ground between you and your spouse.

The king promoted Shadrach, Meshack and Abednego:

Daniel 3:23-30
23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
 24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
 25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
 26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
 27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
 28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
 29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
 30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

People have to see God is with you. That's how you will get them to be quiet. Let God show out for you. If everything you touch is dying then no one wants you. Don't be a disease to the team.

There is a difference between promotion and graduation:

  1. 1. God can promote whomever he wants to. He sees what you can't see. To graduate you have to do something. When you graduate it means that you have completed a course of study. You have to show up for the battle. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). You can't go back and forth in your decision to be faithful.
    2.  When you graduate you walk across the stage and the person who says your name is saying that you
         have completed all of the requirements. The person who has the mic does not mention how many times
         you have failed along the way. When you graduate God makes it look like you've never failed. God
         doesn't concentrate on your failures. The focus is that you've made it. Don't bring up other's failures
         and don't let people bring up your failures. We should talk about what's on the way. People may look
         at you and wonder how you made it.

   3.  With the caps the tassel is turned from one side to another and is turned at the end of the graduation. It
        symbolizes the end of the graduation. Some may frown upon throwing the cap in the air because it is not
       considered classy.  Go ahead and  take that cap off and throw it.  It symbolizes that you are         
       throwing  mess back at the devil.

  4. There will always be people who are supposed to walk with you but they are not allowed to walk. They
     knew they wouldn't walk but was trying to get serious at the last minute. But they have the
      opportunity to go to summer school to make it up and graduate. You may feel that you should have
      graduated but it may take a little longer and more work.  Watch God put the super in front of natural.

Prepare yourself. God will cause some people to walk in some things they've never walked in before because they went back and dealt with unfinished business. Better is on the way. You just have to do your part.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

The Power of Agreement

Amos 3:3 3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

If you are going to offer a sacrifice to God then all areas of your life has to be in agreement with God.

Gen 34:1-7
1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
 2And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
 3And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
 4And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
 5And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
 6And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
 7And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter: which thing ought not to be done.

When you lay down with someone you are married to that person. There is something in you that won't let go. We have to understand the spiritual consequences when we have sex outside of marriage. God will send you your spouse. Be careful about talking about your ex. Stop comparing your ex with your current girl/boyfriend and spouse. If you cause damage and hurt it can take a while to heal. Wives should affirm their husbands. Men should speak to their ladies what they would like for them to wear and not tear them down.

You can't not bring your old mentality into dating. The old man has passed away (2 Cor 5:17). Look for the signs that the other person will bail out on you. If he or she will bail out on you while dating then he or she will bail out on you in the marriage. Communication is important. You can't make decisions with out consulting with your spouse. When you are in accord you will see the blessings of God. Life is better when you are in peace with the other person.

For the singles: don't sleep with the other person and then get to know them. That's the world's way of doing things. Get to know the person and do not have sex. You are interviewing when dating. You may think you are in love but you are in lust. Let your parents get to know the person you are dating. Your parents have wisdom.  Keep people out of your business especially if you are married.

2 Cor 6:14-16
14Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Proverbs 14:1
1Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands

Prov 25:24
24It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman and in a wide house.

A man needs compliments and women like details. If you want peace you have to compliment the women. Women should learn how to celebrate their men. Know what type of man you have. You may have a husband who is not a handy man but makes sure things are fixed around the house.

It's important to be equally yoked but you can be unequally yoked with other Christians (i.e different denominations). If you are going to date do it for real. Stop playing games. If it's not going to be done right then it shouldn't be done at all.

For the singles try on holding on longer. Sex is not food. you can live with out it. If you've made a mistake just repent and don't do it again. You are cheating in the spirit when you lay down with another person. Practice discipline now. It helps to kill the flesh in marriage. Marriage will not help you to be faithful.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

The Flood of the Century

Psalm 32:1-7

1Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
 2Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
 3When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
 4For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
 5I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
 6For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
 7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.

Floods are interesting. It can rain elsewhere and it can flood your city. You may not know what's going on but the flood is coming. The bible says:

Romans 8:28
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

You may be going though the hell of your life. Give God praise now instead of waiting for the victory. Everything that goes on in the natural has a spiritual connotation. What has been seen has never happened before. Something that has never happened before will get ready to hit your life. God will bless you in a way that has never been done before. Stop looking for your blessing to look like someone elses.  If the snowflakes are not identical then surely your blessing will be different.

This is a life of faith and not of hocus pocus. Faith with out works is dead (James 2:20). If didn't take overnight for you to be in your problem. It may take some time to get out. Just like it took practice of bad choices it will take good choices to get out. You have to walk it out.

Isaiah 59:19
19So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

God will hit you heavier than what the devil has done. It will be bigger and better so stop crying.
Here are the things that have been revealed when the flood hit:

1. The casinos were shut down. All other alternatives will fold and God will cause us to live by faith. God will shut down all the systems of the world. You will have to do it God's way.  You can't hold back the tithe and seed at this time and be hit and miss with it.


2. The wild animals had to flee to another place. All the wild behavior you have in your life you can't seem to shake, God is getting ready to give you strength to give it up. Get ready to be delivered.

3. Snakes started to appear. They come out of nowhere (child support issues, drama with the father/mother of your child). Stuff may have also come up from your past. Don't worry about the snakes. Let your success handle the snakes. They snake saved the best bite for you. Alligators also came from out of town. What are you going to do when you are so anointed that demons from out of town come? It won't do anything to you. Snakes are poisonous and also kill the rats. Let the snakes come. God will reverse it will have the snakes working for you. Learn how to keep your enemies close. Wait till they see you later.

4. Crops were destroyed. You may not be able to eat. If you don't fast you will not last. If you want God for real put down the plate.

5.Riverboat barges shut down. They can't go down the river.It's a 1 billion dollar industry. The money has to go somewhere. One of the directions should come to you. If God has to redirect it he will.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

God Requires A Sacrifice

Romans 12:1

 1I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

God will reward you according to your sacrifice. You can't judge someones level of blessing if you don't know their level of sacrifice. Paul is teaching about sacrificing to God. We are to love God with all our heart, soul and mind (Matt 12:30). God requires mind, spiritual, and financial sacrifice We need to look at what we are getting in return when we sacrifice instead of what we are losing.

God requires us to keep our bodies not only from sex (for those who are single) but God also wants us to keep our bodies by eating right. God may be dealing with you right now about your diet. God can only use you as healthy as you are.

Romans 12:2
2And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

You have to sacrifice what you allow in your mind. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything. Guard your mind. Sacrifice your time. We need to do more than just coming to church. If you can work 8 hours a day you have time to spend with God. Your answers are revealed in prayer. You have to be still to hear. In a relationship you have to invest time to make it work.

Sacrifice means to surrender or the destruction of something prized. It means something to you. If you just give it up He will bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Saul was to destroy everything but he kept some things. He was fired by God and didn't even realize it:

1 Samuel 15
1Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
 2Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
 3Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
 4And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
 5And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
 6And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
 7And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
 8And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
 9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
 10Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
 11It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
 12And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
 13And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
 14And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
 15And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
 16Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
 17And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
 18And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
 19Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
 20And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.
 22
 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
 24And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
 25Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
 26And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
 27And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
 28And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
 29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
 30Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
 31So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
 32Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
 33And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
 34Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
 35And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

We have to denounce things. Walk around your house and denounce those things that are not of God.

Phillipians 4:18-19

 18But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
 19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God wants you to give it up for you to see how bad you don't need it. Paul was talking to the church Philippi. The offering that was received was a sweet smell. The sacrifice you give go God may not be sweet smelling. Make sure your sacrifice is acceptable to God. When your sacrifice is acceptable God will supply your needs.

Hebrew 11:4
4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Abel's sacrifice was a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.

Gen 4:1-5
1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
 2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
 3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
 5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.


Some say that God respected Abel because he gave up the 1st fruits. Whatever Abel brought it was more excellent. You can't get mad and sad when you bring things on yourself. You can't be mad at someone else's blessing because you don't know what the other person went through. Learn to celebrate others blessings. Whatever God tells you to do, do it (i.e forgiving someone, calling up someone to pray, giving things up).

1 Kings 3:3-4
3And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father: only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.
 4And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that altar.


We always talk about Solomon's wealth.  Solomon asked for wisdom but Solomon had given a great sacrifice. It was the wisdom that gave him the wealth.

Ephesians 5:2
2And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.


When you give a seed it is dead in the ground for some time. There is a seed time and a harvest time. Jesus was dead for 3 days and then He opened his eyes. He conquered death. If Jesus was able to conquer death how much more can we do? Nothing can hold you down.

John 3:16
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Your only will bring you plenty. God gave his only to reap the whole world.


Psalm 51:17
 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

We have to humble ourselves because we don't know everything. There is always someone who is better than you.The minute you think you have it going on you are setting yourself up for destruction. We need to go to church:

Hebrews 10:25
25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.