REACHING THE DESTINATION
1 Kings 19:1-7 “Journey is too great” – By Rev. Ezra S. Thomas
1. Have a vision from God – Joseph
Where there is no vision there is confusion & destruction. Pro 29:18, 1 Sam 3:1, beware of false visions (demonic visions) (Jer 14:14, 23:16,
Who can have vision from God – Acts 2:17 – 18, however whenever you have a vision or dream always confirm it with a man/woman of God.
i) Vision brings direction: Acts 9:10, 10:3,17
ii) Vision brings purpose : Hab 2:3
iii) Vision brings correction: Isaiah 6:1ff, 2 Sam 7:17
iv) Vision brings clarity: Dan 2:19
2. Believe in God’s strength to reach the destination – David
Once you have the vision, purpose and direction from God for your life, hold on to Him. Job 23:14, Phil 4:13,
i. Don’t be afraid of the storms and mountains.
ii. Don’t be afraid of giants. 2 Sam 21:15-22
iii. Don’t be afraid of finances. (little flour, little oil, 5 loaves 2 fish, crow that feeds, coin in the fish’s mouth, sword from the giant’s sheath)
3. Be focused – Heb 12:1-2
Bring yourself under discipline
Remove all hindrances/hurdles
4. Be in fellowship – Early Church Acts 2:
Unity in the body of Christ
Unity in the family
Unity with Christ
Mark 9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
CONFESS THE WORD
By Rev. Ezra S. Thomas
1. The Word of God will not pass away.
Josh 21:45 “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
1 Kings 8:56-58 “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.
2. The Word of God will not return void.
Isa 55:11 “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isa 40:8 “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
3. The Word of God is powerful.
Ps 33:6 “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
Ps 107:20 “He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.”
Isa 44:26 “Who confirms the word of His servant…”
Ezekiel spoke and the dry bones got life. Ezek 37:4-10
Elijah spoke and it did not rain, and again it rained. 1 Kings 17:1, 15-16
Moses spoke and the Lord stopped the plagues. Exo 8:13, 31
Everyday Confess the Following statement loudly, and believe it with all of your heart!
1. I am created in the likeness of God to have fellowship with Him and to glorify Him. Gen 1:26,27, Col 3:10, Rom 8:29, Isaiah 43:7
2. I am chosen by God to be more than conqueror. John 15:16, Deut 14:2, 1 Pet 2:9, Jas 2:5, 2 Thess 2:13, Eph 1:4
3. I am the child of the Most High God, and He is always with me. Jn 1:12, Heb 13:5
4. I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Phil 4:13,Ps 60:12, 108:13
5. I am anointed with the Holy Spirit who would lead me into all truths. 1 John 2:27, Jn 14:26
6. I am precious to God; he had put a hedge around me.
7. I am called to prosper in all that I do. Neh 2:20, Gen 24:40, 39:23, Deut 29:9, 2 Chr 20:20, Ps 1:3
8. I am in the plan and purpose of God. Jer 9:11, Job 42:2
9. I am destined to be the head and not the tail. Deut 28:13
10. I am God’s messenger to all around me. Eph 6:20
Holiness unto the Lord
By Rev. Ezra Thomas
Hebrews 12:14 Follow (to seek after eagerly, earnestly endeavor to acquire) peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
Holy: set apart, separated
- sanctify , hallow , dedicate, holy, prepare , devote, consecrate, appointed , bid , purified , • 1) to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate, to keep oneself apart or separate
1. God is a holy God Lev 11:44 -45 and ye shall be holy; for I am holy:
i. He is holy, and stays in the praises of Holy saints Ps 22:3
ii. Present yourselves as a holy sacrifice Rom 12:1
iii. He is worshipped day and night by angels saying ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ Rev 4:8
2. Our lifestyle :
a. You are called to holiness 1 Thess 4:7, Num 15:40
1. Let your behavior be holy Tit 2:3
1 Pt 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; ASV 1 Peter 1:15 be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; NKJ 1 Peter 1:15 you also be holy in all your conduct, WEB 1 Peter 1:15 But as he who hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of deportment (personal manners).
2. Continue in holiness 1 Tim 2:15
3. Put on the new man Eph 4:24, Lev 10:10
4. Perfecting in holiness, by cleansing from all filthiness2 Cor 7:1 ( 2 Chr 29:5 – 8
the filthiness in their lives brot the wrath of God)
5. Bear fruits unto holiness Rom 6:19, 22
6. Keep your camp/ dwelling place holy Deut 23:14 eg: Achan
1 Cor 3:17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
7. Present yourself as a holy sacrifice Rom 12:1
b. You are corrected for holiness Heb 12:10
Lev 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye Holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Jos 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.
Greek and Hebrew word study
[ Heb: qodesh, apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness – of God/place/things.
Heb: qadowsh: holy one, saint, sacred, holy, set apart
Heb: Chaciyd – faithful ones Ps 16:10
Gk, hagios, most holy thing, saint esp. used with the Holy spirit
hagiazo- cleanse externally, purify internally (Rev22:11 And he that is hagio, let him be hagiazo still)
Gk, hosios - undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious
Gk hieros – things pertaining to God, ]
Pleasing God
Rev. Ezra S. Thomas
2 Cor 5:9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.
What to do to please God?
1. Walk worthy of your calling Col 1:10
a. Do what you do to please God: 1 Thess 2:4
b. Walk as servants of God 1 Thess 4:1, Gal 1:10
2. Be fruitful Col 1:10
3. Surrender yourselves to God Rom 12:1
4. Hold on to your faith Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
a. The just shall live by faith Hab 2:4 (there are different levels of faith – Rom 12:3,6,
14:1, 2 Cor 10:15, 2Thess 3:2 some men don’t have faith)
- for faith makes the impossible possible Mt 17:20, brings victory 1Jn 5:4
- for faith brings healing Matt 9:22 (Acts 14:9) Jas 5:15
- faith comes by hearing the WOG Rom 10:17
- faith is a gift that abides forever I Cor 12:9,13:3, and a fruit of the spirit
Gal 5:22
- we walk by faith and not by sight 2 Cor 5:7
- faith without work is dead Jas 2:20,26
What cannot please God?
a. Anything done in the flesh is of no use Romans 2:28
b. Only sinful nature works in the flesh Rom 7:5
c. Carnality is enemy of God Rom 8:6, 7
( Work of carnality 1Cor 3:3,)
c. Children of God are not in the flesh but in the spirit Rom 8:9 and have no confidence in the flesh Phil 3:3, and now no longer our flesh lives but Christ Gal 2:20 ( Christ and flesh cannot co-habit, so check who lives in you)
The blessings:
1. God is with those who try to please him Jn 8:29
2. There is peace inside and outside Pro 16:7
Sowing and Reaping
By Rev. Ezra S. Thomas
Gal 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
that shall he also reap.
Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease
What is your harvest?
Gal 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
Job 4:8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
Hosea 10:12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
Pro 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
Gen 26:12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.
Hos 8:7 For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.
John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. (Exo 34:7)
2 Cor 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Matt 13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Ps 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Be ye not decieved
James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rom 7:11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.
Pr 20:1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
1 Cor 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
Under God’s Protection
Rev. Ezra S. Thomas
Ps 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Facts:
1. We are on a journey
Matthew 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
2. We have spiritual enemies trying to harm us on the way
1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Gal 5:24, 2:20
1 Pet 5:8 the devil as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour
Do’s:
1. In the journey follow God’s guidelines:
Isaiah 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, “This is the way walk ye in it..”
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
2. Look for potholes
SoS 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes
Rev 21:8, Gal 5:19-21
3. Don’t compete or compare – our example is Jesus, follow Him
2 Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.
4. Don’t look around – but look unto Jesus Heb 12:1
Exo 2:12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the ground.
Jos 7: 20-22 Achan sinned when he looked around