THE BATTLE GROUND OF THE MIND... IMPRISONED?
There is an open door of opportunity...
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
TEXT:
Revelation 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man
can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied
my name.
THE KING INVITES YOU TO COME...
ONCE THERE WAS A GREAT KING THAT LOVES HIS PEOPLE SO DEARLY.
He desired to show his people how much he loved them. The King prepared a great BANQUET
AND INVITE ALL HIS PEOPLE TO ATTEND. There was a requirement to keep the enemies away.
There was A LOCK PLACED ON THE PALACE. The key to unlock the palace door was simple.
Each of his people were REQUIRED TO BRING THER PRETTIEST FLOWER that blooms in their
garden.
So the crowds began together for this special dinner with the King. They had beautiful flowers
in their hands. They would step up to the door of the Banquet Hall and extend their flower and
the doors would open to them. There were ROSES OF SHARON, LILIES OF THE VALLEY,
Hidden among the crowd were some that had FLOWERS OF DECEIT, POPPIES OF
PLEASURE AND ENTERTAINMENT. Others carried the HEMLOCK OF HATRED AND
BLOOMS OF BITTERNESS. PETALS OF PASSION AND SIN WERE OFFERED. The gates
were locked and those that OFFERED FLOWERS OS SIN AND SELFISHNESS were refused
admission.
The glorious BLOOD -RED ROSE offered be the HAND OF THE FAITHFUL opened
the GATES TO THE PALACE OF THE KING. The pure white LILY OF THE VALLEY made
purchase of COMMUNION WITH THE KING AVAILABLE.
WHAT FLOWER IS THAT IN YOUR HAND? WILL YOU ACCEPT THE INVITATION
TO BE WITH THE KING?
1. Have you purchased a piece of land? (POSSESSIONS)
2. Have you got to prove your oxen? (BUSINESS)
3. Have you just got married? (RELATIONSHIPS)
DO NOT MISS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE WITH THE KING!
AGAIN? BONDAGE AGAIN?
ARE WE FOREVER TRAPPED?
YOU CONTROL IF THE DOORS ARE OPEN? YOU DECIDE WHEN THE DOORS ARE SHUT...
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
CAN WE DEFINE:
DEPRESSION?
DISCOURAGEMENT?
FAILURE?
FRUSTRATION?
DEFEATED? CAN'T DO IT? WHAT DOES: "I CAN'T" LOOK LIKE..."
STATE OF MIND? I CAN'T CAN BE A STATE OF MIND...
NO FORM? SHAPE? NO PHYSICAL CHARACTERICS?
I AM SORRY --- SURE THERE IS A PROMISE LAND --- I JUST CAN'T GET THERE...
Numbers 13:31 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we. 32 And they brought up an evil report of the land which
they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone
to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in
it are men of a great stature. 33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come
of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
THE ENEMY IS SO STRONG, I AM SO WEAK. WHEN WE HAVE FOOD WE HAVE TO
HIDE IT... I AM TIRED OF THE ENEMY ALWAYS STEALING FROM ME. THIS IS
HURTING MY FAMILY. THIS IS NOT GOD'S PLAN FOR ME...
I NEED TO OPEN THE DOOR TO GOD'S OPPORTUNITY.
AM I TRAPPED HERE FOREVER... THERE HAS TO BE BETTER THAN THIS?
Why accept our limitations --- see the DIVINE POTENTIAL.
Judges 6:8 That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them,
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out
of the house of bondage; 9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of
the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their
land; 10 And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. 11 And there came an angel of the
LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite:
and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee,
thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us,
why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of,
saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and
delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said,
Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I
sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my
family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And the LORD said
unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that
thou talkest with me.
GIDEON QUIT EATING OUT OF THE PIG'S SLOP... Your family can reach higher.
YOU ARE A MIGHTY MAN OF GOD...
GIDEON SEES HIMSELF AS THE SMALLEST MAN FROM THE SMALLEST FAMILY
IN THE SMALLEST CLAN... I MUST BE TRAPPED HERE FOREVER?
THE BATTLE GROUND IS IN THE MIND --- AM I STUCK FOREVER HERE?
MY AGE? MY EDUCATION? MY FAMILY? MY HISTORY?
2 Corinthians 7:5 For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we
were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears
OUR BATTLE GROUND IS NOT JUST EXTERNAL --- WITHOUT...
THE ATTACK THAT WILL IMPEDE AND HINDER YOU MIIGHT JUST BE THE BATTLE
WITHIN?
Identify the real enemy? Identify the real CAUSE?
DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM THAT IS KEEPING ME FROM RECEIVING GOD'S PROMISE.
THEN DEVELOP A PROGNOSIS. DEVELOP A PLAN TO OVERCOME...
GOD OFFERS US A GOLDEN KEY OF RELEASE...
DO WE UNDERSTAND THAT THE FENCE AND THE GATE LIMIT OUR GOINGS AND
COMINGS...
THE SAME FENCE AND GATES THAT KEEP OTHERS OUT --- CAN KEEP US TRAPPED
AND LIMITED?
JESUS OFFERS US AN OPEN DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY...
OUR ENEMY CAN NOT CLOSE GOD'S DOORS OF OPPORTUNITIES...
Revelation 3:7 (KJV) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he
that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth;
and shutteth, and no man openeth;
METAL BARS OR MENTAL BARS...
There is a story that comes from Russia of the BEAR THAT WAS FOREVER TRAPPED.
There had been a great fire that burned miles of forest in Russia. Much of the wild life
had been destroyed.
There was a truck traveling along the edges of the destruction and a man saw a tiny
little brown bear. They stopped the truck and watched the BEAR CUB. Up in the woods
the men saw the MOTHER BEAR was burned to death. The BABY BEAR CUB was so hungry.
The men stopped at a local store and purchased milk and a bottle and they hand fed the
CUB. The cub would fit in the man's hand. He carried the CUB in his pocket to keep it warm.
The cub was soon accustomed to it's new life.
Everyone loved the tiny little bear. It grew and grew. One day the owner saw he could no
longer care for the BEAR and a man in a bar offered to buy the BEAR. The man build a
CAGE OUT OF WOOD WITH METAL BARS. THE CAGE WAS 8 FEET BY 10 FEET.
The little bear would walk back and forth and the man sold tickets to watch the little bear
pace back and forth. Soon the crowd mocked and was mean to the bear as he paced
8 feet by 10. They burned the bear with cigarettes. They threw sharp objects in the cage.
The bear showed signs of the extreme abuse. But it continued to pace 8 by 10. 8 by 10.
One day a business man from Germany, saw the bear and how it was being abused
and the business man said: PLEASE SELL this beautiful bear to me? So soon the bear
was loaded the 8 by 10 steel cage into the back of a truck and made its way to a new
home in a small zoo in Germany.
People came to see this caged bear as he paced 8 by 10. The bear was treated better
and was given healthy food. Soon the bear had a new place prepared to live in the small
zoo. The bear was released into the new area. It was small but very nice. The bear
had been trapped in the 8 by 10 cage so many years that when the new area was opened
to him, he was forced out of the only home he could remember into his new home. The
bear just paced by and forth, 8 steps, then 10 steps. Day after day the bear paced his
8 by 10 paces.
One day a millionaire from the USA was at the zoo and saw this strange behavior.
The zoo keeper explained the bear lived many years in a 8 by 10 cage and that he seemed
to have adapted to his life in the cage and they could not make the huge bear break
his habitual behavior.
The millionaire was concerned and made an offer to buy the bear. So the zoo keeper
sold him the bear and they made preparations to fly the huge bear to ALASKA. A team
of personal people awaited the bear's arrival. They gently unloaded the bear in his 8 by 10
cage and loaded him on a truck and drove hours out into the wild. The team knew there
were other bears in this area. They had built an observation deck to watch the bear
as he adjusted to his FREEDOM.
They opened the 8 by 10 cage and released the bear. They fed him well and left
to observe him from a distance. The bear paced 8 by 10, 8 by 10. Other bears came up
to him. They accepted him. But he just paced 8 by 10, 8 by 10. The team tried many
efforts but the BEAR WAS TRAPPED, NOT BY METAL BARS, BUT BY MENTAL BARS.
After several months of taking him food the owner made the difficult choice, there
was no choice but to put the animal down.
SEEMS THE BEAR'S PAST ABUSE AND CONFINMENT DICTATED HIS LIFE
WAS REDUCED TO 8 BY 10... 8 BY 10... THIS IS NOT A STORY ABOUT A BIG
BEAR, THIS IS A STORY ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ALLOW SITUATIONS AND HABITS
TO DEFINE THEIR ACTIONS AND REACTIONS...
THE CHURCH HAS GATHERED TO PRAY... GOD PLEASE BRING PETER'S RELEASE?
PETER DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT GOD WAS DOING? HE THOUGHT IT WAS A
VISION... NOW! RIGHT NOW GET UP AND GO... YOU ARE FREE...
Acts 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping
between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he
smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off
from his hands. 8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And
so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 9 And he went
out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he
saw a vision.
CONCLUSION:
John 8:36 (KJV) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
GOD WOULD LOVE TO SET YOU FREE. FREE FROM GENERATIONAL
CURSES, BE FREE FROM BAD CHOICES, BE FREE FROM HANGING WITH THE WRONG
CROWD. ARE WE TRAPPED BY A STATE OF MIND...
CAN GOD HELP ME AND BRING FREEDOM?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
