ACCELERATING YOUR DREAM
CHANGE - CHANGE - CHANGE
We all know it has to come THROUGH everyone of us in order to "Accelerate The Vision" -- INCREASE!
CHANGE WHAT?
NUMBERS 13:1-33
We have to CHANGE our "Mindset" FIRST ....
It’s Real Easy To Listen To What We Need To Do Taught To Us ....
It’s real easy to sit around & talk about what we need to do ....
It’s Real Easy To Even Know What We Individually Need To Change In Our Lives In Order To Give The Time & Resources To Accelerate The Vision .....
IT IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MATTER TO DO IT!
All the guys who went to SPY out the land were LEADERS OF ISRAEL ...
LEADERS have influence -- everything rises & falls on LEADERSHIP -- INFLUENCE ....
Our "Influence" is going to flow out of what we "REALLY" think, feel & personally are willing "TO DO" ....
SO -- What influences our influence ....
1] HOW WE SEE WHAT WE SEE
Numbers 13:28 (NKJV)
Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
NEVERTHELESS -- "This is our conclusion." - "This is what I think" - "This is MY opinion"
THIS IS ALWAYS THE LANGUAGE OF UNBELIEF -- we saw; we are not able; we are not as strong as they -- the conclusion of the natural man who walks by sight instead of faith.
People are strong - TODAY - whats the use, people are so caught up in their own lives, too busy for church & God
Cities are fortified and very large - TODAY - how do we reach so many with so few of us
Giants live there - TODAY - obstacles of we’re so busy, it’s going to cost money
THE LANGUAGE OF FAITH IS ALWAYS OPTIMISTIC .... Joshua & Caleb agreed with what they saw but disagreed with what they said concerning their "INABILITY" to Possess The Land God Prophetically Promised ...
They Saw the same thing but with a different set of eyes .... "FAITH EYES"
Numbers 14:7-9 (NKJV)
and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: "The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them."
We Are Well Able
The Lord Will Bring Us Into The Land, And Give It To Us
The Giants Are Bread For Us; They Are Defenseless; The Lord Is With Us; Do Not Fear
IN OTHER WORDS ....
PEOPLE ARE STRONG -- BUT -- God is pleased with us, HE will move on the people as we meet them
CITIES ARE FORTIFIED -- BUT -- Let go of your fear / God will give us the entrance into the city
GIANTS LIVE THERE -- BUT -- They hold our provision, promised blessings so let go of our own rebel attitudes & obey God beyond our own "Well Built Personal Zones"
This Story Is Proof Positive That We Can Lose Out On The Vision God Promises Thru Fear & Rebellion To Going After It ....
DEUTERONOMY 1:20-38
Look -- If They Had Obeyed God & Moses & Not Demanded The Spies Be Sent In First To Make Sure God Is Right -- Here’s What Could Have Been Theirs ....
Living in their promised land - their dream 40 yrs earlier
Everyone would be enjoying the dream -- no one would have had to die out before anyone else got it
Freedom from 40 yrs of hardships, plagues & other curses
Their bravery & faith would have been Honored By God
No regrets talk of We should’ve, wished we would’ve & you know we could’ve - but now only the disgrace & defeat in everything
Rebellion would never have happened
They would have had the best in food, clothing & living conditions 40 yrs sooner
SO CHURCH -- WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT WHAT GOD IS CALLING US TO DO NOW?
2] HOW WE SPEAK WHAT WE SEE
Numbers 13:32 (NKJV)
And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, "The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
GAVE A BAD REPORT -- they slandered God -- and they all later died from God’s sent plagues
SLANDER = from encarta dictionary = the act of saying something false or malicious that damages somebody’s reputation
Their Evil Report Insulted God’s Character & Reputation
Numbers 14:31-36 (TLB)
" `You said your children would become slaves of the people of the land. Well, instead I will bring them safely into the land and they shall inherit what you have despised. But as for you, your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness. You must wander in the desert like nomads for forty years. In this way you will pay for your faithlessness, until the last of you lies dead in the desert. " `Since the spies were in the land for forty days, you must wander in the wilderness for forty years--a year for each day, bearing the burden of your sins. I will teach you what it means to reject me. I, Jehovah, have spoken. Every one of you who has conspired against me shall die here in this wilderness.’ " Then the ten spies who had incited the rebellion against Jehovah by striking fear into the hearts of the people were struck dead before the Lord. Of all the spies, only Joshua and Caleb remained alive.
If we refuse to "Trust God - Believe God - Pursue God’s Call" - there is No Safe Place Out Of God’s Promise For Us
YOUR RESULT IS BASED ON YOUR RESPONSE!
Whatever we feared the most is going to overcome us in a bigger way & there will be no escaping it -- IF WE SAY THE WRONG THING CONCERNING GOD’S PROMISE!
Our Words direct us -- Words lead us -- Words shape us -- Words frame the structure of our future
Our Words either Honor God or they Slander God!
When Our Words Do Not Line Up With God’s Character In His Word -- We Are Insulting Him & We Will NOT Receive!
What We Say To Others & In Front Of Others Concerning God’s Call At OLC To Get Busy Accelerating The Vision -- Determines What Happens In Our Personal Lives & To Our Childrens Lives!!
Numbers 14:1-4 (TLB)
Then all the people began weeping aloud, and they carried on all night. Their voices rose in a great chorus of complaint against Moses and Aaron. "We wish we had died in Egypt," they wailed, "or even here in the wilderness, rather than be taken into this country ahead of us. Jehovah will kill us there, and our wives and little ones will become slaves. Let’s get out of here and return to Egypt!" The idea swept the camp. "Let’s elect a leader to take us back to Egypt!" they shouted.
This is the effect the Leaders "God Insulting" "Faithless" "Selfish" words had on the people -- Their words influenced and entire nation of people to "Lose Out" on the very thing they had longed for & dreamed & been promised by God!
It’s Too Late To Leave!!
3] HOW WE SEE OURSELVES IN WHAT WE SEE
Numbers 13:33 (NKJV)
There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."
How We See Ourselves Pursuing & Accomplishing What Needs To Be Done & Get Done Determines Where We All End Up!
Their statement about themselves was an "Exaggeration" -- "An Excuse For Their Fear" "An Excuse For Their Unbelief" "An Excuse For Their Laziness"
How Do You See Yourself In Fulfilling God’s Promise Here At OLC?
What Are You Going To Do About It?
When Are You Going To Step Up Fully To The Plate?
You Know -- If You Step Up To The Plate With Other Things On Your Mind Which Determine How You Decide To Swing -- YOU WILL MISS!!
We Have To Get Rid Of These Phrases ....
I Can’t
I Couldn’t Do That
You’re Much Better Than Me
You’re Just A Bigger Person Than I Am
I’ve Never Done That Before
I’m Really Too Busy To Help Right Now
I’ve Put In My Time & Money Already - It’s Your Turn
These Statements Are Only Our Lame Attempt To Excuse Ourselves From Obeying God!
LOOK AT WHAT GOD SAID ABOUT THEM IN THE N. T. .... WHERE THEY MADE THEIR MISTAKE ...
HEBREWS 3:7-19
The mistakes mentioned here ....
Evil Unbelieving Hearts (vs 12) - throws us off course, diverts us away from following God passionately
Hardened By Deceitfulness Of Sin - glamor of sin (vs 13) - slows down our reflexes to obey God
This is the third time TODAY is used to emphasize it is In The Present When God’s Voice Is Heard.
Make The Best Of Time While You Have It; Listen To & Obey God.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 (TLB)
For we must never forget, dear brothers, what happened to our people in the wilderness long ago. God guided them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them; and he brought them all safely through the waters of the Red Sea. This might be called their "baptism"--baptized both in sea and cloud!--as followers of Moses--their commitment to him as their leader. And by a miracle God sent them food to eat and water to drink there in the desert; they drank the water that Christ gave them. He was there with them as a mighty Rock of spiritual refreshment. Yet after all this most of them did not obey God, and he destroyed them in the wilderness. From this lesson we are warned that we must not desire evil things as they did, nor worship idols as they did. (The Scriptures tell us, "The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to dance" in worship of the golden calf.) Another lesson for us is what happened when some of them sinned with other men’s wives, and 23,000 fell dead in one day. And don’t try the Lord’s patience--they did and died from snake bites. And don’t murmur against God and his dealings with you as some of them did, for that is why God sent his Angel to destroy them. All these things happened to them as examples--as object lessons to us--to warn us against doing the same things; they were written down so that we could read about them and learn from them in these last days as the world nears its end. So be careful. If you are thinking, "Oh, I would never behave like that"--let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin.
The mistakes mentioned here ....
Craved Evil Things - ran after what they wanted first, prefering (desiring) what looks & feels good over God’s Desire for us
Idolaters - placing anything before God’s place in our lives; talkin the talk but not walkin the walk
Immoral - sexually promiscuous
Tested God - speaking opposite of what God has said to do & doing opposite what God has said to do
Grumbled - digging your heels in against following the leadership & God given vision and causing others to do the same through your actions & words & then blaming the leadership
INSTEAD WE ARE ....
HEBREWS 3:1-6
HEBREWS 10:23
What Does "Holding Fast" Look Like ....
ROMANS 4:17
MARK 11:22-24
The "Faith Way To See Ourselves In What We See" ....
Having faith in God
Calling those things which do not exist as though they did
Believing that what we are saying in the middle of God’s promise will happen
If we are holding anything against anyone - we are quick to forgive them
