We Serve A Great God

Matthew 15:36–37 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude. 37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.

Jesus is able to take what little we have and multiply it for his glory. The feeding of the 4,000 wasn’t just to feed people, it was to show them how great a God he can be in their personal lives. That we can take anything to him in prayer for he will always hear us and answer our prayers. The key element is faith, if you expect little of God then little answers to prayer is what you will receive. If you have great faith and ask big, difficult things then you will receive an over abundance of answers to prayer from God. Ask and you shall receive. 

Richard Wafford

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How Can I Live in Victory

“For as he thinketh in his heart,” Proverbs‬ ‭23:7‬ ‭KJV‬‬
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

In the midst of my own discouragement and depression I realized through the Spirit that anytime I get this way I am lacking in hope I’m basically saying I do not believe what God says about me is true. Therefore we should tell ourselves everyday

1. I am a son or daughter of the King

2. I am full of hope because I believe Gods word is true

3. I am full of His grace, his grace is limitless

4. I have The Holy Spirit of the living God right inside my heart that I carry around with me 24/7

5. The God that created all that we see from nothing can and will create victory in seemingly hopeless situations

For what you concentrate in your mind on the most your will and your body will go into action. For what the mind thinks on good or bad everything else will usually follow it. First you think it then you do it. So, therefore when you focus on your failings, focus on your defeats, focus on your weaknesses you will never climb up out of that pit until you start thinking differently. If you think about how often your carnal flesh gets the best of you as long as you think on it the carnal flesh it will continue to defeat you.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

The above verse is your victory statement. Think on these things, your will and body will start walking a different path. We must believe what God says in His word is true if we do believe this discouragement and depression  cannot be found in your neighborhood. Why? Because you refuse to give it a place in your mind. I will align my mind with the Holy Spirit and walk in victory.

Salvation: Your Identity in Christ

Returning To Intimacy With Christ Web Page

Scripture: Gal. 3: 27-29 For all of you were baptize into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.
Introduction:

Identity is the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing.

Self-worth the sense of one’s own value or worth as a person; self-esteem; self-respect

I.   Mistaken Identity:

1. When we base our identity or our self worth on what the fallen world says of us we will receive a false identity.
2. It is equivalent to asking a blind man for directions.
3. 2 Co. 4:4 the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
4. We have allowed parents or the people around us to define our identity or self-worth.
5. Many people have no idea of their identity, who they are, what they want to do or their purpose for living.
6. The self-image they have of themselves is nothing but a lie.
7. Many people have been called loser, worthless, or no good like your father or mother.
8. The sad thing is we believed them.
9. Words like this hurt and take years to overcome for some people.
10. Our identity is not found in what anyone says about you.
11. No imperfect person has the right to define who you are seeing how that they also have fallen short of the glory of God like the rest of us.
12. Our identity is not found in our failures.
13. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall it how many times you get back up and keep going that says a lot about your character and who you are.
14. Abraham Lincoln failed 2 times in business, 8 times to be elected before becoming the president of the United States.
15. He could of quit many times but he never gave up.
16. That is what made him a great man.
17. He never gave up.
18. Our identity is not defined by our circumstances or by people.

II.   Our Past Identity:

1. Many times we allow our past sins to identify who we are as a person.
2. Many people are haunted by their past.
3. When the devil as well as people throw all our mistakes and failures up in our face and it is difficult to resist the truth about us.
4. However, Our identity is not defined by our past even though it is the truth.
5. The devil accuses us of what we have done.
6. But Jesus says that is the truth but my blood covers it all, to be remembered no more.
7. My Dad was called Wild Bill, when God changed his heart didn’t like this nickname that reminded him of all the bad things he had done.
8. His new identity was Sweet William in Christ.
9. Until we come to Christ all of us have been defined by our past.
10. Phil 3:13 forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies
11. There has to be a breaking of the will in order for us to be redefined in Christ.

III.   The Breaking of Our Will:

1. Before we can recognize our true identity our will has to be broken of the lies of that false image we have taken pride in.
2. Acts 7:30 and in Exodus 3 Moses was raised in Egypt for 40 years then when he killed an Egyptian he fled to the backside of the desert where he lived another 40 years.
3. It took the Lord God 40 years in order to break the will of Moses.
4. In Exodus 3:11 Moses said who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?
5. Then again in Exodus 4: 10 I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
6. Moses faith in his own abilities was greatly diminished after 40 years.
7. God greatly used Moses who found his identity in God.
8. Joseph was a young boy who was pretty cocky with the dreams that God had given him.
9. Genesis 37: 2 Joseph was17 years old when his brothers sold him to the Midianites.
10. Genesis 41:46 Joseph was 30 years old when he became ruler of all Egypt.
11. If my math serves me correctly Joseph spent 13 years as a slave and in prison.
12. Joseph’s will had to be broken.
13. He had to totally rely on God in all of his circumstances.
14. Because of his total reliance upon God.
15. God was with Joseph and blest him wherever he was.
16. God allows our own consequences of sin and circumstances to break us of our own self will.
17. So He can reveal who we really are……priceless treasures.

IV.   Our Identity is in Christ;

1. We have to put on Christ before we can discover our true identity and our internal worth that we were born with.
2. Putting on Jesus Christ is likening to putting on our armor.
3. Some armor on the breastplate has their family crest identifying who they are.
4. Our breast plate crest is Jesus Christ.
5. The breastplate of righteousness is not our own but the putting on of Christ righteousness by faith.
6. Think of putting on the chain mail of Christ upon your body followed by His breastplate of righteousness over the chain mail with His crest upon your chest thereby identifying who you are to the world.
7. Paul stated in 3:9 that he had not a righteousness of his own but the righteousness that comes through faith in God.
8. So therefore the chainmail and the breastplate is the clothing ourselves in Jesus Christ.
9. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:27-29 NASB)
10. We have lost our identity in Christ no longer are they’re any nationality, nor male or female but we are all as one in Christ.
11. Jesus is our new identity
12. Matthew 10: 40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.
13. Matthew 18:4-5 “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 “And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;
14. Those who gave their hearts to Christ gave up their lives for something better.
15. He who has lost his life for my sake will find it and indeed we have.
16. If you define yourself as a loser you will forever walk like a loser if you allow God to define you a child of the king you will walk as a son of God with privileges.
17. All the promises of God all the host of heaven are here to support you in your walk with God.
18. 2 Kings 6:15 -17 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
19. The God of heaven told Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah and countless other to be not afraid.
20. Why? There is more with us than be with them!!!
21. Only the one who is our creator can define who you truly are for He made you.
22. Christ listing of attributes——switch to Me
    1. Loving
    2. Compassionate
    3. Servant of All
    4. Giving
23. You, all that you are—–switch to Jesus
    1. Hateful
    2. Spiteful
    3. Selfish
    4. Liar
    5. Stealing
    6. drugs
24. Then switch Jesus to your list and your name to Jesus list.
25. Jesus takes on what we WERE so we can become who He IS

V.   Our Inheritance:

1. Has we find our identity in Christ walking as a child of the King we have certain privileges.
2. Not only ALL the promises of God, not only ALL the host of heaven to back us but we also have an inheritance.
3. As Joint heirs with Christ we will own it all.
4. Ephesians 1: 3 – 14
5. Let’s break down these verses.
6. In verse 3 “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly in Christ” Blessed is in aorist tense meaning it is past tense it has already happened, done deal.
7. In verse 4 He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him.
8. In verse 5 he predestined us to adoption, as sons through Jesus according to His will and this in verse 6 is because of His grace which he freely bestowed upon us.
9. In verse 7 We have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of all sins and again it because of the riches of His grace in verse 8 he lavished upon us.
10. Meaning God spared no expense He went all out to secure our salvation.
11. In verse 9 & 10 he made known to us the mystery of His will that is the acceptance of the redemption of the Jews and Gentiles by faith into His kingdom.
12. In verse 11 we have an inheritance that was predestined according to His purpose.
13. Predestinated according to the Greek is in aorist tense meaning it was decide before hand of our inheritance according to His will.
14. In verse 12 the first to hope in Christ is the Jews.
15. In verse 13 and 14 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
16. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise given as a pledge of our inheritance, we are God’s own possession.
17. Sealed is the proof of purchase the redemption of those who accepted His plan of salvation.
18. He sealed the purchase by putting the Holy Spirit inside of us.
19. We now have all the authority of heaven backing us because of who we are or rather whose we are.
20. Ephesians 3:1- 7 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3 that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7 of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.
21. 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
22. 2 Tim 2: 12 we will also reign with Him;
23. Romans 8:16 -17 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ,
24. John 3: 35 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.
25. SO this is meaning that everything we see that God has created is ours because it is our inheritance ordained by God in being joint heirs with Christ.
26. Ephesians 3:6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,
27. We are truly rich as Christians.
28. There is absolutely nothing we should ever be ashamed concerning our walk with him because we will own it all.
29. We need to walk differently from now on as Christian’s.
30. No longer are we the scum of the earth in the worlds eyes, we belong to the Jesus Christ the Son of God.
31. We serve the God of the Universe who by His grace has given us access to His salvation and has planted His Holy Spirit as a seal guaranteeing our place with him.
32. The Holy Spirit within us will help us to be MORE THAN CONQUERORS with anything we face as long as we totally rely upon Him.
33. We has JOINT HEIRS with Christ what the world calls their own is actually all ours through Christ.
34. As a Christian with the Spirit of the living God inside us comes with all the privileges, promises and support from the King of Kings.
35. Never walk in fear again for we have a living hope an eternal hope in the heavens.