A year to remember...

John Gray @ Lakewood Church

So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The  Spirit of the Lord  is  upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to  the  poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to  the  captives And recovery of sight to  the  blind, To  set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord ." Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

Luke 4:16‭-‬20 NKJV

Jesus made sure to remain in community.

Can we recognize when we see the thing that we've been reading (prayer journals, prayer notes, scripture, etc...)

2018 was a year of exposure.

God loves me too much to let me linger in a relationship that isn't pushing me forward.

You can't argue with people who are committed to misunderstand you.

Stop showing a filtered version of yourself.

Don't throw out the whole year because you had a few bad days.

And he said to him, "Say now to her, 'Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can  I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?' " She answered, "I dwell among my own people." So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old." So he said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. Then he said, "About this time next year you shall embrace a son." And she said, "No, my Lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant!" But the woman conceived, and bore a son when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her.

II Kings 4:13‭-‬17 NKJV

1. What was God trying to teach us?

• You've been putting people on pedestals who don't belong there.

• 

People will judge your entire book based on the chapter they walked in on.

The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Proverbs 29:25 NKJV

2. How was God trying to reach us?

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

James 1:2‭-‬4 NKJV

Remember vs. Dismember

God had all the pieces to put 2018 together.

God pruned and planted.

Miracles In Your Mouth

Pastor Joel @ Lakewood Church 

The spirit of faith is in our words. Thinking positive us great but until you speak it, it may not come into fruition.

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak,

II Corinthians 4:13 NKJV

Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, 'I am strong.' "

Joel 3:10 NKJV

It doesn't say let the weak talk about the weakness and call 5 friends to discuss it. This doesn't mean that you lie, it means that you say the things that God says about you. 

When David faced goliath he understood that the miracle was in his mouth.

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

I Samuel 17:45‭-‬46 NKJV

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:19 NKJV

There might be times when no one is there to agree with you. That's when you need to get you heart and mouth in agreement.

You don't need people to agree with you. 

We give life to what we speak. Your words can keep you from your destiny.

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."... And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

Luke 1:13‭, ‬18‭-‬20 NKJV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

Being directed to "hold fast" implies that something will try to take ot away.

Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant."

Psalms 35:27 NKJV

Words are seeds.

By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

Hebrews 11:22 NKJV

There may be no sign of your God given heart desire but you should speak of ot before it happens.

Psalm 91 says "I will say of the Lord , "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."

Psalms 91:2 NKJV

It then goes on to list great things that will happen. But in verse 9  Because you have made the Lord , who  is  my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

Psalms 91:9 NKJV

Use words to confirm what you heard not to argue it.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus . Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:31‭, ‬38 NKJV

Words are seeds.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.

Proverbs 13:2 NKJV

God said let the be light before he created a light source.

(Day 3)

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

Genesis 1:3 NKJV

(Day 4)

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so.

Genesis 1:14‭-‬15 NKJV

Old Covenant 

So Moses cried out to the Lord , saying, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!" And the Lord said to Moses, "Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Exodus 17:4‭-‬6 NKJV

New Covenant

Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals." So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them."

Numbers 20:2‭, ‬7‭-‬12 NKJV

https://bible.com/bible/114/num.20.2-12.NKJV

Water can flow without too much effort.