BURN YOUR SHIPS! Hebrews 11:8-16 I.) MANY PEOPLE HERE TODAY ARE IN THE FIGHT OF YOUR LIFE! You have landed on the shore of a land that God has promised you, and instead of being able to lie down in a hammock and enjoy your inheritance, you are having to pick up the sword and fight an enemy that doesn’t want to surrender his territory! I have heard it so many times just this week alone: • Pastor, I have prayed and prayed, and instead of getting easier, things are getting harder! • I have claimed my husband/wife/sister/brother/friend for Jesus, and it seems they are getting meaner and meaner! • I have prayed for greater anointing, and it seems that I am less anointed now than ever before! Good! The darkest night is just before the dawn, and I am telling you, the battle rages the hottest just before the victory! Just stay with it and don’t turn back – you are getting ready to inherit a land you’ve never had before! If your enemy is fighting you harder than ever it is because he knows you are closer than ever to victory! I sense in my spirit that someone is asking, “Is it really worth it? Maybe I should just quit this daydreaming and go back to a life of ease and complacency.” What you need to do today is burn your ships! Remove all opportunity to go back! Just hang in there, the victory is yours if you will just stay where you are! I know things seem right now like they are falling apart, that you are going to die in this battle, but I promise you, you are getting ready to be propelled into a realm of the Spirit like you have never experienced before – just stay in the battle! And, I am telling someone today, it may seem like you are being shaken and rattled and tossed to and fro – don’t turn around now! You are on the verge of a new experience that will bring you higher than you have ever been! Just don’t stop now! It may seem that all the forces of hell have come against you to destroy you- but don’t turn back now! Victory is straight ahead! I’m not saying that the battle won’t be tough – but victory is already promised if we just won’t turn back! Paul said 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We may be shaking, but we will not be destroyed! We are entering into a realm of anointing like we have never known before! Don’t be frightened by the shaking – just push down the controls and don’t look back! II.) ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE AS CHRISTIANS IS THAT WE ACT ON WHAT WE FEEL INSTEAD OF WHAT WE KNOW! I’ve got news for you today! You are not going to always feel like: • Living for God • Going to church • Praising the Lord • Singing in the sanctuary Sometimes you are going to feel like: • Picking up the bottle again • Throwing your hands up in frustration • Giving up in the heat of the battle • Returning to the weak and beggarly elements of the world But, we must learn to live for God because of what we know, not what we feel! • If we only went to work on the days you felt like it, we would all be fired before the end of the month! We don’t always FEEL like going to work, but we KNOW that if we don’t the bills don’t get paid, we lose our homes, our cars, etc.! • If we only stayed married to your spouse on those days that you FEEL like being married to him/her, we would be in the divorce court one day, and Justice of the Peace’s office getting remarried the next! We don’t always FEEL like being married to that person, but deep down inside we love them and we KNOW that we couldn’t live without them, so we wait out the argument because we KNOW that the feelings of anger, or hurt will pass and the love will return! We don’t live our lives in the natural based on what we feel, why should we live our lives that way in the spiritual? We need to move past the feeling stage into the knowing stage! 2 Corinthians 5:7 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We need to burn the ships that will take us back to the old lifestyle and make a commitment today that no matter how: • I feel • Much money I have in the bank • How hard the battle right now I will not give up on the verge of a miracle! I will not turn back, I am in this for the long haul and I am going to remove all provision to turn back now! III.) THE PROBLEM WITH MANY PEOPLE IS THAT THEY GIVE UP TOO SOON! Right on the verge of a miracle, and they turn around and go back. Joshua 24:29-30 Many people get right to the border of their inheritance and that’s where they die! They are buried before they can ever step foot into the land that God has promised them! • I don’t want to go down in history as an “ALMOST!” Paul was witnessing to King Agrippa II, superintendent of the Temple of Jerusalem, and governor of Chalcis, Philip and Lysanias. As Paul stood before this great man, whose father incidentally had slain James and imprisoned Peter, his words rang with such authority and power, that King Agrippa, I imagine with white knuckles gripping the sides of his throne, fighting conviction, said: Acts 26:28 28, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian. Agrippa almost entered into salvation! He almost defied the sins of his father and gave his heart to God, but in my mind I can see him briefly looking back and realizing what he would have to give up: • His position • His family • His friends • His wealth possibly And decided, it is just not worth it to me to have to give all of this to inherit salvation! And so, as he boarded his ship to sail back into a life of comfort and ease, he cries out, • “Almost, I inherited the greatest gift known to mankind!” • “Almost, I entered into a peace like I have never known!” • “Almost, I was saved!” But, looking back, I found an opportunity to go back to what was familiar, what was easy, what was less of a struggle! Agrippa, you should have burned your ships! I would hate to see anyone in this church be buried in the border of their inheritance! I would hate to see anyone in this church miss out on what God has for you because you gave up too soon! I would hate to see anyone in this church become an “ALMOST!” God is taking us into a realm we have never occupied before, and Satan is trying to stop it – but if we will just make the commitment to ride it out no matter what happens VICTORY IS OURS! ANYONE WANT TO BURN SOME SHIPS TODAY?
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:10:16 +0000
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