Finishing strong

John Gray

• Isaiah 66:1-2 “Heaven’s my throne, earth is my footstool. What sort of house could you build for me? What holiday spot reserve for me? I made all this! I own all this!” God’s Decree. “But there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say.  
• Heaven is his throne and earth his Foot stool but He only wants to live in my heart
• Development is necessary for us to be able to receive blessings.
• Some of us want the fruit without the root
• Acts 20:22-24 KJV
  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. I am a grace made individual and his grail is sufficient
• Start with an attitude of gratitude
• Philippians 3:12-14 KJV Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
• John 19:30 KJV When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
• Reflect think about the goodness of Jesus and all that he's done GOOD in my life.
• Refrain from complaining Exodus 16:1-3
• On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt, the whole company of Israel moved on from Elim to the Wilderness of Sin which is between Elim and Sinai. The whole company of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron there in the wilderness. The Israelites said, “Why didn’t God let us die in comfort in Egypt where we had lamb stew and all the bread we could eat? You’ve brought us out into this wilderness to starve us to death, the whole company of Israel!”
• Fear of the Future will cause you to live in bondage
• Rejoice Nehemiah 8:12
• So the people went away to eat a festive meal and to send presents; it was a time of great and joyful celebration because they could hear and understand God’s words.
• Repeat Phil 4:4
• Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Paul Osteen

Mark 5:25-34

A woman who had suffered a condition of hemorrhaging for twelve years—a long succession of physicians had treated her, and treated her badly, taking all her money and leaving her worse off than before—had heard about Jesus. She slipped in from behind and touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can put a finger on his robe, I can get well.” The moment she did it, the flow of blood dried up. She could feel the change and knew her plague was over and done with.  30 At the same moment, Jesus felt energy discharging from him. He turned around to the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”  His disciples said, “What are you talking about? With this crowd pushing and jostling you, you’re asking, ‘Who touched me?’ Dozens have touched you!”  But he went on asking, looking around to see who had done it. The woman, knowing what had happened, knowing she was the one, stepped up in fear and trembling, knelt before him, and gave him the whole story.  Jesus said to her, “Daughter, you took a risk of faith, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed! Be healed of your plague.”

• The woman had probably gone 12 years without anyone touching her due to the stigma attached to her disease.
• She still didn't give up
• Because of the condition, she knew that she'd be condemned for touching anyone, so she decided that touching his clothes would be enough!
• According to the thinking of the day, when this unclean woman touched Jesus, it would make Him unclean. But because of the nature of Jesus and the power of God, that isn’t how it worked. When she touched His garment Jesus wasn’t made unclean, the woman was made whole.
• Jesus knew who had touched him, but for the benefit of the woman (so she wouldn't be embarrassed) he was a gentleman and asked her to reveal herself!
• Jesus said that her faith made her whole!

Lisa Comes

• Shared about the double portion
• Joy is a weapon against the enemy.
• It builds a wall (Nehemiah 8 )
• 2013 was about development
• survival not arrival

The Break Out

John Gray @ Lakewood Church

• Sometimes you are in prison and then it gets worse because then it gets dark.
• IF I have to knock then its not my door
• God IS opening my doors and IM about to walk right through
• My blessing is going to be freedom for those around me.

• BACKGROUND
• Acts 16:16-21 KJV
  And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.
• The "demon-possessed woman" is the last person Paul wanted agreeing with him!
• The woman was how her "pimps" made their money so when the spirit came out of her they were upset so they lied and said the men were "troubling" their city
• Draw your own conclusions!

• The Break Out
• Acts 16:25-28 KJV
  And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

• At midnight, when things could not get worse they sang praise and prayed.
• Praise can shift the ground under me
• All I need is one person to get in agreement with me and that person can be me! l can encourage my self
• 1 Samuel 30:6-8 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
• When I don't know whether or not my praise is getting through l can rest assure that God inhabits the praises of His people
• Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel
• At midnight my eyes see darkness but my faith sees morning.
• You cant be a prison keeper without beIng in The prison yourself

Victoria Osteen

• Be a Thermostat
• Set the tone
• I am not to read the temperature then adjust
• I am supposed to set the temperature and change the atmosphere
• A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule.
• The mule fell into the farmer's well. The farmer heard the mule 'braying'--or whatever mules do when they fall into wells.After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened...and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling and the dirt hit his
  back...a thought struck him.It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back...HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow."Shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up...shake it off and step up!" he repeated to encourage himself.No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed the old mule fought "panic" and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP! You're right! It wasn't long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL!What seemed like would bury him, actually blessed him...all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
• THAT'S LIFE!

• If we face our problems and respond to them positively, and refuse to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity...THE ADVERSITIES THAT COME ALONG TO BURY US USUALLY HAVE WITHIN THEM THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT AND BLESS US!
• IF I feel like I AM In a pit
• Shake off deception and step up to a new level.

The Real Jesus

John Gray @ Lakewood Church

• Jesus is calling me to present an accurate picture of His character. Jesus is not comfortable or Safe...l haVe the answer and I need to share it.  Sometimes God asks you to''go out of your way )
• John 4:3-11 KJV
• He left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

1. *Jesus went out of His way.
2. *Jesus was intentional and related to the woman at her point of need
3. *You have to be relational relatable and relevant
4. *Jesus didn't judge her

Houston We Have A Promise

John Gray @ Lakewood Church
2012 Was the Launch Pad

2 Corinthians 1:20 NLT
For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding "Yes!" And through Christ, our "Amen" (which means "Yes") ascends to God for his glory.

2 Corinthians 1:22 MSG
Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God's Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting his Yes within us. By his Spirit he has stamped us with his eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what he is destined to complete.

Isaiah 43:19 KJV
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

God is so concerned about launch that he is deeply concerned about the preparation.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Launch window is a term used in spaceflight to describe a time period in which a particular launch vehicle (rocket, Space Shuttle, etc.) must be launched. If the rocket does not launch within the "window", it has to wait for the next window.

WEIGHT CHECK
Hebrews 12:1 KJV
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Anything not on board wasn't supposed to be there.

There is a perimeter around the rocket. The devil can talk but he can't touch.

I'm a unique representation of God's creative genius and if there is a problem I can check the training manual.

WAIT CHECK

Sent from my Galaxy S®III because Jeniro is on the go!

It's Not Over

John Gray @ Lakewood Church

There are times when you pray thinking you need it immediately, but God's timing doesn't lineup with your expectations. What makes it worse is that peopledown the street who don't seem to be living for God are doing great. Lazarus was in such a situation. JOHN 11

John 11:3 KJV

Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

♥ Your right now is no match for the eternity that is within God.

♥ There is a promise in the midst of the process.

♥ You have creative power in your mouth.

♥ Your situation is not proof that God is not mad at you.

John 11:4 KJV

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

John 11:11 KJV

These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

Hebrews 12:2 KJV

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

♥ If God made you a promise that's what's going to happen.

♥ But we never imagine that death will meet you in the middle.

John 11:20 KJV

Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

♥ Mary had an attitude!

John 11:25-27 KJV

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

John 11:35 KJV Jesus wept.

John 11:43 KJV

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

♥ he had to call Lazarus by name because if he said come forth everything dead woulda got up!

The seed of God's word is a deposit until the promise arrives.

Jeniro is on the go!

Pop Stars

#hopeandlife12 {Night 3}
John Gray @ Lakewood Church


"Power of Potential: Strategic Tactics for A Remnant Seed"

Psalm 24:6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

1. Jacob carried the stigma of his name everywhere he went: it means "trickster".
• He was raised in house that pushed him toward the definition or his name.
• He wanted to please God.

2. Your potential doesn't give you the victory.
• The youth today are in a microwave generation, thinking it doesn't take work.
• That refers to everything including your relationship with God.

3. Until you see yourself as a solution, you will be a part of the problem.
• Your obedience can be someone's ticket to heaven.
• There is no one else who can do what you do.

4. Israel was the action side.
•  When Jacob became Israel, he quit the life of half-hearted service to God.
•  We usually don't recognize all our errors, but we also fail to realize when we have made a significant turn for the better but God does and gives us a new name.

5. This is the Jacob generation: The tricky generation stuck in the middle.

BE A LEADER
***Never be afraid to embrace your replacement. Jesus never prepared the disciples for his prescence, He prepared His disciples for his absence!

CHOOSE TO USE TECHNOLOGY FOR HIS GLORY
***The enemy wants your attention, allegiance, and affection. We have all the tools and we have to choose how to use them.

MAKE JESUS POPULAR
***With 32 tweets you can trend, why not trend #Jesus.

-- Sent from JRochelle's Palm