[23:30] Father
[23:30] we bow in your sweet presence [23:30] and we thank you for who you are [23:30] yes Lord
[23:30] we thank you that you are so merciful [23:30] yes we do
[23:30] and that you loves us so much [23:31] father bless all who are here tonight [23:31] Thank you Lord
[23:31] bless even those who speak from the lips only and not from the heart
[23:31] yes Lord
[23:31] father minister to abby [23:31] yes Lord
[23:31] open our hearts and our minds to your word [23:31] lord minister to all who are her [23:32] yes Lord
[23:32] Give the speaker the right words to say [23:32] anoint CRONUS afresh
[23:32] and lord may your will be done [23:32] yes Lord
[23:32] in Jesus name we ask it [23:32] amen
[23:32] Amen
[23:32] Thank you Lord
[23:32] Amen
[23:33] Tonight we are going to look at a time that every child of God is going to face.
[23:34] In the world today we are all faced with times when we feel the burdens of our daily battle with the world. [23:35] Our hearts become weary in our work for the Lord and we all begin to feel a emotional drain from our continual battle with the enemy Satan
[23:36] It is at these times of weakness that Satan comes in and drops the seeds of despair, frustration, uselessness, and submission into our hearts.
[23:37] This he does to get us to give up or doubt our position in the Lord and our ability to do the work He has planned for us.
[23:38] We may feel we are letting him down or that we our unworthy of Him due to our weakness.
[23:38] We begin to think of the negative side of life instead of the positive
[23:39] There comes times when we know from our working for God in the world that we need a season of rest to refresh ourselves and build ourselves back up in the Lord to go on. [23:40] Although this also is a necessity many times we feel
condemnation for our stopping in the work we have been doing [23:41] to renew our selves [23:41] but any soldier in a war has to have time to rest from the battle and although we are in a spiritual one we still need spiritual rest to stay strong.
[23:42] Many times when we are in this stage there will be thoughts that are brought into our mind by the enemy to side track us
[23:43] If Satan can keep you out in the field when you are weak without a season of refreshing then it is easier for him to set the snares in front of us and trap us.
[23:43] During these times we sometime get the woe is me attitude about ourselves
[23:44] we begin to think we are losing our relationship with the Lord
[23:44] when in truth it is Him that is calling us to rest
[23:45] we sometimes think--why try anymore? [23:45] I am not making a difference [23:45] I am not knowledgeable enough for I have grown weary
[23:45] but in reality the Lord is preparing you for anther level of his plan
[23:46] There is a perfect example of this given in the Old Testament from the life of David.
[23:47] It is in the book of Samuel where we see that we are not the first to have gone through these weak times waiting for restoration and renewed strength
[23:47] kjv 1 Samuel 30:1-2 1 Samuel 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; 1 Samuel 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
[23:47] kjv 1 Samuel 30:3-4 1 Samuel 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. [23:48] Here we see they had lost all in their eyes [23:48] Everything they had worked for was gone while they were out to battle
[23:49] Have we not been to a place where we have wept in our walk with God in one of our weak moments [23:50] kjv 1 Samuel 30:5-6
1 Samuel 30:5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 1 Samuel 30:6 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.
[23:50] now we see that when the weak time had come even some of his loyal friends who could not see but what was before them trying to condemn
[23:51] But David after his weeping did not stay in te depths of a pity party
[23:51] He knew the secret He went and encouraged himself in the Lord
[23:52] Just as we must do when we are in our seasons of rest and weakness
[23:52] we must encourage ourselves with the Lord [23:52] For He is our strength [23:52] kjv 1 Samuel 30:7-8 1 Samuel 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
1 Samuel 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. [23:53] Now we see David has taken the next step [23:53] instead of just running out on his own He went to God and asked for guidance
[23:53] He waited on the Lord to renew him [23:53] this is the key we have to remember in our times of weakness
[23:53] wait on God
[23:54] seek God's guidance [23:54] let God tell us what to do [23:54] And just as He did for David He will do for us [23:54] God will renew our strength [23:55] and restore us full power to meet the next battle ahead of us
[23:55] Now if David had done as some children of God do he would have never gotten back the loss
[23:56] David did not stay in a pity party [23:56] he did not let others influence his mind [23:56] He went to the Lord and the Lord did the rest [23:56] This is what we have to do [23:57] Give ourselves to the Lord and let Him do the rest
[23:57] pray for his guidance [23:57] and listen and wait for His response [23:57] He does respond
[23:57] to our prayers
[23:57] in these times of weakness when we are being renewed
[23:58] It does not matter today what has brought our season of weakness to our lives
[23:59] We just have to remember to seek God in the matter
[23:59] We have to battle the seeds of doubt that may come by giving our full trust to Jesus
[23:59] For He has told us that He has overcome the world and through Him we are also to be overcomers [00:00] Of this we must not doubt [00:00] Jesus is our power, our hope, and our faith [00:00] And these point we must believe and stand on [00:00] kjv John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. [00:01] kjv 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
[00:01] kjv 1 John 5:4-5
1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 1 John 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
[00:01] Here we have our promise [00:01] our foundation to stand on [00:02] our hope that we can hold on to [00:02] and a solid rock to put our faith on [00:02] This we must remember in our times of weakness [00:02] during our season of rest [00:03] Now when we reach these points in our walk with God
[00:03] and our daily journey in this world [00:04] we have to follow our Lords guidance and bring these points to our remembrance
[00:04] These are our faith confidence builders and we must wait on God to guide us
[00:05] This is imperative if we are to succeed [00:05] kjv psalms 27:13-14 Psalms 27:13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. [00:06] Now let us go to the do not list for us when we are in our season of weakness our season of renewal [00:06] These are the snares that can trap us if we let them become our mind sets
[00:07] 1. Never look within yourself for its fruits are only distress
[00:07] On our own we are failures [00:08] If we look within all we will see is failure and this will only cause the seeds of pity to mature [00:08] 2. Never look back to your past for its fruits are only defeat
[00:09] Looking in our past all we have to see is alone we are constantly beaten
[00:09] It is only through Jesus in us that we can succeed
[00:10] 3. Never look around at others for its fruits are only distractions
[00:11] If we look around at others we break our focus on the Lord
[00:11] and we may not hear His guidance [00:11] 4. Never look ahead for its fruits are only dismay
[00:12] Until we are refreshed and re-strengthened by God we will not have the confidence
[00:12] to face what lies ahead of us [00:13] It is only through Jesus we have the power to overcome what is ahead
[00:13] He knows the future we do not [00:13] and He will guide us forward through Him [00:13] 5. Never look to man for its fruits are only disappointment
[00:14] Man has no answers or can not help for it is only God that can help us trough to victory
[00:14] Man will let you down [00:14] but God never lets down [00:15] Now in these time we must do the following if we are going to look around
[00:15] 1. Look up to see our delight and promise Jesus [00:16] Looking up in prayer we can go directly to Him and give our petitions
[00:16] and know He will be there for us [00:16] 2. Look up to Jesus for our salvation and deliverance
[00:17] Jesus will deliver us through anything we face [00:17] We just have to trust in Him [00:18] What are the restoring promises that we can stand upon during our times of weakness
[00:19] what are these treasures we have been given by Jesus for the lives of those who accept Him [00:19] Let us look at these and draw upon them for our refreshing, renewal, and strength during these seasons of weakness [00:20] The promises we have in Jesus are has follows [00:20] 1. A life that will never be forfeited [00:20] We will face death but we have the promise through Jesus of everlasting life
[00:21] 2. A righteousness that can not be tarnished [00:21] In our own righteousness there is none [00:21] but it is the righteousness of Jesus that will never be soiled or tarnish
[00:22] 3. Justification that can never be reversed [00:22] Jesus is our justification [00:22] His justification given to us can never be reversed
[00:22] we can reverse but His justification can never be
[00:23] 4. An acceptance that will never be questioned [00:23] 5. A seal that no force on earth or in hell can break
[00:24] We are sealed by His blood [00:24] He paid the price for us [00:24] 6. Strength that can never weaken or be exhausted
[00:24] His strength not ours [00:25] 7. A standing which no one not even Satan can dispute
[00:25] 8. A relation that will never be abolished [00:25] 9. An inheritance that is never alienated [00:26] His inheritance is ours through Him [00:26] If He is in us and we are through Him we will not be separated from the Lord
[00:26] 10. A salvation that will never be annulled [00:27] 11. A wealth that will never be depleted [00:27] Nothing can deplete the blessing the lord has for us if we will only believe
[00:28] 12. A forgiveness which can not be reconciled [00:28] 13. A possession that is unmeasurable [00:28] There is n way we can measure the power or blessing of the lord
[00:28] He can not be put in a box [00:29] 14. An assurance that will not be disappointed [00:29] His promises are for ever He never changes [00:29] He is the same yesterday, today , and forever [00:30] 15. Grace that can not be stopped [00:30] 16. A comfort that will never lessen [00:31] 18. A glory that will outshine anything we can imagine
[00:31] His glory is brighter then all the suns in the universe
[00:31] His love is unfathomable for it is forever to His children
[00:32] 19. A service which will be rewarded [00:32] It is not for us to receive the rewards of man or the world'
[00:33] we should be content with the rewards we are going to receive in Heaven when we go home and He tells us job well done
[00:33] Rewards of the world will go away [00:33] they will be stolen or destroyed [00:33] You will not take anything of this world with you when you die
[00:34] but the rewards that are being laid up in Heaven are there forever
[00:34] this is His promise to His children [00:34] 20. An intercessor Who will never be disqualified
[00:34] Jesus is our intercessor [00:35] He is continually interceding for us [00:35] no matter what we face He is there [00:35] No matter what the world says [00:35] He is continually there for us [00:36] He is interceding for you and me right now [00:36] no mater where we are at He is there for us [00:36] In closing
[00:36] Let us remember that when we are in our times or seasons of weakness
[00:37] When we are battling the seeds of doubt in our lives
[00:37] when we are fatigued and wearied [00:37] Jesus is there for us [00:37] all we have to do is look for Him [00:37] Wait for Him to guide [00:37] And hear what He says [00:38] and then go on confidently to face the future through Him
[00:38] standing on His promises. [00:38] For they are eternal [00:38] amen
[00:38] Amen
[00:40] amen
