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Make That Change!

Have you ever decided to make a change? I mean a really big change! A change of habit is a very hard thing to do. They say that if you can train yourself to do something or break yourself from doing something for 21 days, you’ve either created a new habit or broken an old habit. After the process of breaking a habit, maybe you’re like me, and you’ve asked yourself some questions like this:

Did I really I spend that much time doing that?

For example, I didn’t realize how much I was on my phone.

Was I really that dependent on caffeine?

Did I really drink that much sweet tea in one day?

I’m sure you get the idea.

I would suggest to you there may be some things that you’ve already laid down in your life which you’d be better off not picking back up. I would also say that there are some things you need to pick up that’ll cause you to be a better person.  Once you’ve developed or changed a habit that produces a much better result for you, don’t lay that down. Rather, continue in it.

Change is a very hard thing for many of us, but you’ve proven you can do it. Now keep those changes happening in your life! I want to warn you though that not every day will be mountain-top experiences or full of victories; however, the next day you need to get up and try again.

In November of 2016, I made an inward decision. In December 2016, I wrote it down in the front of my daily planner. It was just two simple words: Get Healthy! I first had to be honest that the life I was leading wasn’t producing the results I wanted. I knew it would be difficult, but I also knew I needed to do it. I could not continue the path I was on. I made a plan; beginning in February I would make a daily commitment to get healthy.

Getting healthy wasn’t just about exercise. I had to change my behaviors. Therefore, I made some commitments and asked Melissa to help me. She was the verbal conscience to my commitment.

Here were the commitments I made in order to get healthy:

1. I would make better choices in my eating. I had to stop stress-eating. (No more pizza at midnight, but please know I’m still craving Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream daily!)

2. I would go to bed at a set time. (I’ve operated on little to no sleep most of my adult life, which isn’t good!)

3. I would make a commitment to exercise. (I hate cardio!)

4. I would rest my mind, leave work at work, and enjoy time off. (I struggle with guilt and would even have anxiety (fear) while relaxing.)

5. I would listen to other people in regards to health. (Especially Melissa)!

This may not seem like a big deal to you, but this would be a complete reprogramming of my life. You see, I slept as necessary, ate at odd hours, worked constantly, and had a hard time listening to other people. After all, I wasn’t sick! But I wasn’t healthy.

Long before it showed on the scale or in my clothes, there was an inward transformation happening. Before it showed on the outside, change was happening in my mind. I thought I’d lose a few pounds. Instead, I lost twenty-five pounds. I’ve never felt better; physically, mentally, and spiritually.

I might say to each of you who are in the Valley of Decision: Whether the decision is spiritually or naturally, you can do it. Long before anyone else sees the transformation, you’ll know you’ve been transformed. It’s the transformation of your mind!

Romans 12 speaks to this:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

So, you have to make some decisions to keep the change.

Below are a few decisions you need to make:

1. I’m going to give myself completely to God.

2. I’m going to make better choices in regards to my life. I’m going to make decisions based on God’s Word and not the things of the world.

3. I’m going to allow God to transform my mind.

4. I’m going to rest in the peace of Almighty God.

5. I’m going to listen to what God is saying to me.

If you will approach your life in this manner, I can assure you, you will make some significant changes. And it won’t be a fleeting, temporary change either. It will be a change you will make every effort, every single day, to maintain!

 

Jason McKinnies

Check Point (Discipline) Sermon Notes

For every life event, God has a take on it. It’s all found in His word. In order to know God’s take we have to be diligent in reading His word.
Have you ever looked at your life and thought; I want to change?
A little over a year ago. I was looking at pictures and decided, I’ve talked about getting healthy for to long. I need to get healthy. I wrote the goal down, I then shared that along with my nine other goals with some Pastor friends of mine, and shared it with Melissa.
Now as you know, just because I thought about it, doesn’t make it happen. I had tried before. I had a built-in excuse, I had, had some health issues, and the steroids that I was on added nearly seventy pounds, that I just couldn’t get off. So anytime someone would ask me about my health or my physical looks, that was my go to excuse.
Now if you know me, I like to listen to a lot of different kinds of music. I am a spotifier.
Michael Jackson’s song “Man in the Mirror” has been a theme song of sorts, for our family. These words at the opening of the song, have always spoke to my mind.
I’m Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It’s Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .
Or maybe you’ve heard of this really spiritual band named Sister Hazel. It’s a spiritual name. Sister Hazel.
They have a song named “Change Your Mind”
Here are a few of the lyrics that stood out to me.
If you want to be somebody else,
If you’re tired of losing the battle with yourself,
If you want to be somebody else…
change your mind.
I’m not interested in being another person. I am interested in being the best me that I can be.
One of the best things that you can ever do in life, is get really good at being you.
Everything that you need, and everything that God requires out of you, is already on the inside of you. You already have what it takes to be the best you can ever be.
If you want to be the you that God placed inside of you, and maybe you’re tired of losing the battle with your old self, in trying to become the new self. You are going for that changed life, than a changed life comes about with a changed mind.
We have to be diligent about reading God’s word, it’s how the old thoughts are replaced by the new thoughts.
You have an image or a desire, that you are going after and you get frustrated that it isn’t happening…
Paul wrote about the being transformed, moving from the before picture to that after picture.
For every before and after shot there is a process in the middle that isn’t shown. Bypassing the process of renewal, refinishing, and restoration, will distort the final picture.
What changes the perspective, keeps us motivated and moving forward from the before to the after? It’s the word of God.
Have you ever refurnished anything?
There is an entire process (before process)… stripping sanding, etc…
It’s the beginning of the process. You cannot negate the process, you have to stay disciplined…in order to ever realize or possess the final project.
2.) A Disciplined life
Many people believe that praying a prayer is the magic bullet, it’s the pill, that if you take it, your life is magically transformed.
It’s the six days to a better husband, five days to a better wife thought process.
In the process of renewal, you must understand that it isn’t instant.
After a prayer of faith, you are in the identity of Christ. However, you have old mindsets that must be changed.
I had an address change from Indiana to Illinois. However, I still say I live in Illinois, but I am from Indiana. There comes a point though where life in Illinois will outweigh the life I had in Indiana. The more experiences and time that passes, I will be from Illinois.
You had an address change, but now the process of removing old mindsets, old thoughts, old habits, old ways, with new ones begins. It’s a process.
Taking off the old, and replacing it with the new is a process.
Lies must be replaced with truth. In order to do that though you have to be disciplined in learning the new truths, in order to dispel the lies.
You must discipline yourself in making God a First Priority!
You have to be dedicated, diligent, and disciplined to change your life.
Other things will creep in, other people’s opinions will creep in. You have stay disciplined.
We live in a world that always want to make you into something other than what God has intended for you. You cannot allow other people’s expectations to dictate who you are going to be.
Jesus is our example of this.
15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.
 The New King James Version. (1982). (Lk 5:15–16). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jesus didn’t allow other people’s _expectations_ to shape His priorities.
(Luke 5:15-16)
There was a design for His life, and He wasn’t going to allow other people’s opinions, approving or not to deter Him from His mission. Good things, just like bad things can deter you from your destiny.
Jesus came to do the will of the Father, in order to do that will, He had to know that will.
He spent time in prayer, not just talking, but listening to God.
There are times when you will need to put your spiritual life ahead of other peoples spiritual/physical needs.
Jesus shows us the importance of getting alone with God. If your life is always dictated to you by someones else word from God for you. You can be manipulated. I want to hear from God for myself. I trust God and my relationship with God more than anyone else’s.
You need to get Alone with God.
How can you get alone with God? When can you get alone with God?
When is there no one else around?  Where there no one else around?
It maybe late at night, it may be early…
Ten words that most people detest… Very Early in the Morning, while it was still dark… 
Mark 1:35 (Matthew 6:33)
You will do something first every morning. You will find the time to do what you want to do. If you want to talk with God, you will find the time. If you want to change your life, you have to start by changing your mind, the best way to change your mind is to get alone with God and read His word, and listen to His word.
What did Jesus do when He got up early and went to His place? He Prayed!
Praying isn’t just talking it’s also listening!
Many people may look at a season of solitude as punishment, its actually preparation.
If you want power with God, you must first be in prayer with God. Power always follows prayer.
You can prepare for everyday by having a season of solitude with God.
4.) Fundamental Fours (basics, myths, guidelines)
Four Basic Fundamentals
    1.) Read the Word of God
    2.) Pray and communicate with God
    3.) Write it down – journal what God is teaching you
    4.) Remember the Word of God. Put to memory the Word of God. Memorize
Four Myths About Quiet Time
1. Your quiet time must be between 4:00 and 6:00 am.
2. Your quiet time must last at least one hour.
3. Your quiet time journal must sound like the Bible.
4. Your quiet time must be every day.
1. Quiet your mind.
 Remove all of the busy thoughts from your mind that
distract you from the Lord.
2.Focus your mind.
Worship helps us focus on God when we meet with Him. Just as in any relationship, we must focus on the other person.
3. Pray your mind.
We were not designed to carry burdens. We were designed to cast or throw them on the Lord. Prayer is transference of the burden from our shoulders to the Lord’s.
4. Renew your mind.
 Read the Word of God in a version you can understand. God understands your heart and desires for you to share it with Him.
The reason that this is so important for you.
By reading, spending time with God, writing it down, and the memorizing or remembering it. You are changing your thought life. A changed mind is a changed life.
You will find that as you begin to change your mind, that you won’t lose as many battles with yourself.
You will find as the writer of Hebrews declared
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God isliving and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
It is in the word that you will find the condition that you are in, and the condition that God wants you in. You will find out things about yourself, but also find out things about God.
You will see the destiny that God has over, that God wants you to have a great life, and He gives you the keys to that Great life.
As you begin this process of reading, talking, writing, and then remembering.  When life’s challenges come at you.. you will respond differently.
You will respond with Truth… you will be able counter the lies that are being told, the temptations that come at you.
You will find that this way of life isn’t a duty, but it is a Life of abundance, blessing, and love.
Paul wrote to people in Rome and said that they had become filled with ….
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
 The New King James Version. (1982). (Ro 1:29–31). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Jesus said…
20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
 The New King James Version. (1982). (Mk 7:20–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
So How do you go from that life to a New Life … the answer is in the Word
Psalm 119:9-12
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.
 The New King James Version. (1982). (Ps 119:9–12). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Jason McKinnies

Passion Week

Passion Week

Today is the beginning of what we call the Passion Week. Passion week runs from Palm Sunday to Easter. Throughout the week there are many events that took place.

 

I encourage you to read them. Take a look at the passages of Scripture in Matthew chapters 21 through 27; Mark chapters 11 through 15; Luke chapters 19 through chapter 23; and then lastly, the Gospel of John covers this week in chapters 12 through 19.

 

Let me give you a few of the highlights and then come back and give you some thoughts on the events as to how they can relate to us.

 

Palm Sunday: Many call today, Passion Sunday. This is the beginning of the agonizing journey to Calvary and the Crucifixion. As most plans in life, it began with great excitement; a triumphant entry.

 

“So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying:

“Hosanna to the Son of David!

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’

Hosanna in the highest!”

And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”

So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”

-Matthew 21:6-11, NKJV

 

This begins the process of the passion of Christ. We must remind ourselves that the passion of Christ was not to have a triumphant entry to Jerusalem, His passion. What drove Him was, what would lie at the end of the week; the death, burial and the resurrection. It was through that, that we, likewise, could enter the New Jerusalem triumphant with Jesus.

 

He went to the temple…. this was probably a shock to the People who had been shouting Hosanna in the streets. Hosanna means, Save Now. They were shouting at Jesus to overthrow the Romans, help us politically, redeem us economically, and lead the military to a crushing defeat of the Roman empire.

 

They figured that Jesus would, upon His entrance to the city of Jerusalem, head directly to the fortress of Antonia. Instead, Matthew 21:12 records that Jesus went to the temple. They thought Jesus would deal with the Romans. Instead, He went to the temple to deal with what was going on in there.

 

“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”

Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants

You have perfected praise’?” –Matthew 21:12-16, NKJV

 

Let me remind you that Jesus had previously cleansed the temple.

 

“Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.” –John 2:13-17, NKJV

 

This is an important lesson for us. Here is Jesus, getting ready to finish up His work here on the Earth. He is setting things in the order that He wants them. I believe we should pay particular attention to this part of this story.

 

In 1 Corinthians 3:16, it tells us that we are the temple.

 

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” -1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NKJV

 

When Jesus came for the first time into your life, He cleansed you, washed you, redeemed you, and drove out all the things that were in your life that shouldn’t be there. He overturned everything in your life. I do wish that this was a one-time process. I wish that I could learn the lessons, and not rebuild the tables, and not bring the stuff that Jesus drove out back into my life.

 

This event, in the beginning of Passion Week, tells me that this is not a one-time process. The junk, the tables, the dirty stuff has a way of creeping back in to our lives. I love that Jesus comes back again, and faithfully, and quite radically cleanses the temple again. He is setting the house in order for His passion to be brought about.

 

The Lord desires purity with us as people. However, the Lord also wants the corporate church to have its priorities in order as well.

 

If this is Passion week – Jesus is showing us what He is passionate about. He heads to the church first.

 

Here are four things that Jesus lays out about the church (corporate and individually) :

 

“And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” –Matthew 21:13, NKJV

 

  1. The Church is a place of prayer.

 

We, as God’s people, must be people of prayer. This place (church) needs to be a place of prayer.

 

We must pray without ceasing, and we must pray specifically for the needs that are represented in this house. Less talking about and more talking to. We talk more about the mountains instead of talking tothe mountains.

 

We must pray for one another. James 5:16 says to confess your faults to one another, pray for one another, that you may be healed.  (Ephesians 6:18, 1 Timothy 2:1)

 

The first priority, and the first thing Jesus said in cleansing the temple, is prayer.

 

  1. The Church is a place where people are helped.

 

“Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” –Matthew 21:14, NKJV

 

After prayer, after a cleansing through prayer. The blind and the lame came and were healed.

 

People who are hurt, wounded, scarred, blind, lame, both physically, spiritually, naturally, and emotionally, this is a place for you. This is the place that you should, and can, receive help. If the house of the Lord is place of prayer, then people who are in need of help will come.

 

A house without the hurting is not God’s house. A house filled with perfect church people is house that needs to be cleansed. In God’s house, there is always room for the broken, the bruised, the battered, and the blind. If you find yourself struggling today you are in the right place. When life comes at you hard, run to God harder.

 

If you find yourself struggling with the fact that there are people here who are struggling, then you find yourself in need of cleansing.

 

If you don’t believe that God’s house is the house of the miraculous, then it’s time to drive out those doubts and false beliefs with a divine encounter with Jesus Christ.

 

If you are blind spiritually, this is a house that will help you study the Scriptures, hear the Word of the Lord, and you will receive help and healing.

 

  1. The Church is a place where God’s power is released.

 

“But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did…” –Matthew 21:15, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

When God begins to move in the house, when the lame and blind arrive at God’s house, there will be a witnessing of the power of God on display.

 

The Scripture there in Matthew states that the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that Jesus did.

 

In all the tragedy that we see, the nastiness that we see, the tables of the temple that we see, the oxen that we see in the church, none of that brings about revival. We need you to see the wonderful things of God.

 

“Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. –John 9:1-3, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

Jesus told them in the Upper Room in Jerusalem:

 

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” –Acts 1:4-5, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” –Acts 1:7-8, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

You have heard about it, but soon you will experience it, and then you will be a witness of the power of God being released.

 

A man with an experience isn’t at the mercy of a man with an argument. Many people will argue and debate that the power of God has ceased. You need an experience. I am not a doubter, for I have witnessed the wonderful power of Jesus Christ.

 

 

  1. The Church is a place of praise.

“and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant.” –Matthew 21:15, NKJV

 

When prayer got back into God’s house, the power of God was released, and miracles and signs and wonders began to happen upon those that were hurting, wounded, bruised and battered. It was witnessed, and praise broke out in God’s House.

 

You see, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem, they were shouting Hosanna in the streets. They were shouting, “Save us now!” But, it was save us politically. It was for economic reasons. However, here in the temple, the children were shouting Hosanna, but it was because they were excited about Jesus and what He did in the temple.

 

Praise will always break out when we witness what Jesus does in the temple. When we are cleansed, washed, renewed, and His power again flows through us, praise will just break out, for what we have heard and witnessed in the house of God.

 

God’s house must be a place where praise is expressed.

 

Now, sure, there will be those who will be indignant about it. They have too many tables, oxen, and other motives in their lives. They just need a good cleansing.

 

It’s usually the younger ones who have just had an experience with God that will lead the church to be house of praise. When the kids cry out Hosanna, you know that God’s power is being released.

 

In Mark, chapter 11, Jesus left Jerusalem and went to stay the night in Bethany.

(Bethpage = House of Figs)

 

The next morning, as He returns to the Temple, Jesus sees a fig tree.

 

“Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.” –Matthew 21:18-19, NKJV

 

Fig trees are common in Israel. Fig trees can grow to heights of twenty-five feet and widths of twenty to twenty-five feet. Because of their abundance, figs were a staple of the Hebrew diet.

 

Here, Jesus—maybe He was hungry for breakfast—saw a fig tree covered with leaves.

Fig trees are unusual in that the appearance of fruit precedes the appearance of leaves. Jesus assumed, therefore, that since this particular tree was covered with leaves, it must surely contain fruit as well. But this fig tree was a hypocrite. It had leaves—the outward appearance of vitality and health—but no fruit. So, Jesus cursed it, and it withered, Mark tells us, beginning with the roots (Mark 11:20).

 

Seeing a barren fig tree, Jesus seized the moment to teach a lesson to His disciples, to you, and to me about hypocrisy, hope, and healing. It is a lesson for the Church. It is a lesson I want to leave you with here.

 

  1. It was alone.

 

It was a lone fig tree. The tree couldn’t bear any fruit because it was alone. It is a fact of nature, and of life, that you need community to bear fruit. No cross pollination – no fruit.

 

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” –Hebrews 10:24-25, NKJV

 

  1. It was good looking

 

You may have a lot of leaves, lots of experiences, lots knowledge, and a lot of titles. You appear to be religious, you’ve got your worship down, your attendance down, even your faith speech down. Yet, your fruit is missing.

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” –Galatians 5:22-25, NKJV

 

We Christians are very good at covering things up. As a matter of fact, the first Adam approached a fig tree (Genesis 3:7). He was looking for leaves to cover His nakedness. That’s exactly what we do in the natural; we want to cover things up. We’ve got our Christian leaves on. I am doing fine.

 

The first Adam, the flesh, was looking for leaves.

 

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul called Jesus the last Adam, and He isn’t looking for leaves. He doesn’t care about your cover-up. He is looking for fruit.

 

You can have it all together on the outside. You can play all the church games you want, have all the outward demonstration you can have, but Jesus is looking for fruit on the inside.

 

Jesus is still hungry for fruit. What fruit? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

 

“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

“heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, (THE FRUIT OF THE GOSPEL)” –Colossians 1:5-6, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

“Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” –James 3:18, NKJV (emphasis is mine)

 

What will Jesus find in the morning in you? Will He find leaves, or will He find fruit?

If your life is full of leaves and you desire fruit…

 

“He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’” –Luke 13:6-9, NKJV

 

For three years this fig tree had been tended, cultivated, and watered, even as Jesus had publicly ministered to the Jews for three years. But there was no fruit. Therefore,  the owner said, “Why should it continue to sap nutrients from the soil? Cut it down!”

 

In verses eight and nine, the vinedresser pleads on behalf of the fig tree. Jesus, your Advocate, your intercessor is, pleading on your behalf. Give me more time to dig around it and fertilize it. Notice it is always in the root system.

 

The reason for your dryness, barrenness, is what you have tapped into. Jesus came to dig around in your life today, and He is exposing the root systems that are causing fruitlessness. Let Him dig it.

 

Secondly, let Him fertilize it. What is fertilizer? Manure.

 

In Philippians 3:4–6, speaking of his past accomplishments, Paul wrote, “I have quite a record. I was born into a godly tribe, lived an upright life, worked zealously, and studied steadfastly.” And then he added: “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ” (see Philippians 3:7).

 

The Greek word translated “loss” is dung.

 

You might be saying, I used to be a pastor, gospel singer, or Sunday-school teacher.

It doesn’t matter what you were. You cannot live in the glory of what you were doing in the years gone by, or living on the spiritual high you felt a few years ago. Only what you’re doing presently matters. It is only where you’re at with the Lord today that counts.

 

We should take a moment and allow the Vinedresser (Jesus) to dig and to dung, to expose sin and to expel self, so that fruit will come.

 

Allow the Lord to examine you, and take a moment to examine yourself.

 

May it be our passion to be fruitful, so that when Jesus comes, He will find fruit. May the Lord make you fruitful. May Jesus come by your tree this week and eat of the abundance. May your goal not be to impress others, but to satisfy Jesus.

Jason McKinnies

Check Point (Authority)

This journey that we find ourselves on as Christian, isn’t always an easy journey. There are valleys, mountains, difficulties, trials, and tribulations. There are also victories, joy, peace, and blessings. How we handle each of these seasons of life makes a difference.
The Bible describes us as a people who are on a journey, we are traveling from this place to another place. The old timers used to say, “we are just pilgrims that are passing through.” Often times our journey, can be a difficult one, filled with unexpected seasons, unexpected trials, and unexpected circumstances. Conditions on this journey are consistently changing.
Often a bump, a pothole, or trials will shift the load that we are carrying, or damage the vehicle that we are traveling in. So it’s important to stop at points of time and check the load or check vehicle that we are traveling in. Every now and then you have to do a self evaluation of the areas of your life. We have a check point…
A check point is a place along a journey where the traveler will stop to inspect or be inspected to ensure that the vehicle and the load that they are carrying is suitable to continue the journey.
We are need to do some checking, inspecting, examining, and verifying of what we believe, how we believe, and what we are doing with those beliefs.
We need to check on how we are doing with submitting ourselves to authority, handling those that are in authority, and understand that as a believer we have authority.

Romans 13:1-2

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

 

  1. The One Rule World (Adam & Eve) –Genesis 2:16

Many people view God as a God of rules and regulations; however, when He set the original world up it had only one rule. There was complete freedom except for that one rule don’t which was don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Life was good until their attention was moved from their freedom to the rule.

 

  1. Authority Issues are Spiritual Issues –Romans 13:1-2, 1 Peter 2:13-14

1 Peter 2:13–14 

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 

 

If all authority comes from God and God is behind all authority, then an issue with authority is a spiritual issue. You cannot be right with God and rebel against authority that God has placed over you. Many people believe that true freedom is living without authority. That is a lie that will rob you of freedom. Real freedom comes from living under God’s authority. Breaking rules, violating laws, or having no rules at all will not bring freedom.

 

  1. If you want to have authority learn to live under authority –Matthew 8:5-10

Everybody answers to someone. Even Jesus did! Jesus who had all authority (Matthew 28:18) to heal the sick, raise the dead, calm storms, and command demons to flee had an interesting take on the Authority that He had.

 

Matthew 8:9

9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.

 

As the centurion watched Jesus exercise His authority, He realized that He must be under a greater Authority as he was. The authority that Jesus was operating under came from God, He was under an authority, therefore He had authority. Notice that Jesus didn’t rebuke the centurion for the observation about being under an authority.

 

Matthew 8:10

When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  

 

  1. Rebelling against authority is a battle that you’ll never win –Jonah 1:1-3, 2 Samuel 11

Rebelling against authority will always have consequences. God never blesses rebellion. If you are struggling against authority or trying to find ways around the rules, understand that authority never goes away and a struggle with authority is never ending. You will never win. The great tragedy is that rebelling or resisting God’s authority is resistance to the One who loves you the most and has your best interests in mind.

 

  1. The Daniel Plan –Daniel 6

What do you do when an Authority requires you to go against the commands of God? Most of the examples we have in the Old and New Testaments, both men and women, did two things:

 

  1. They addressed the authority directly with their intention of not obeying.
  2. They willingly accepted the consequences of disobedience.

 

One notable exception was Daniel. Daniel was faced with a dilemma. He was ordered to do something against God and against his conscience. Daniel made his intentions clear and was willing to suffer the consequences. He also offered an alternative that was agreeable to the king. By providing this plan, Daniel didn’t sin and he didn’t rebel. Instead he was saved, delivered and promoted.

 

  1. Authority is always linked to obedience –Luke 2:51 & 4:1, John 17:4, Mark 14:49, Matthew 17:27, Acts 5:29, Hebrews 13:17

Adam was disobedient and lost his authority. Jesus provided the perfect example if you want to operate in authority. You must submit to the authority you are under.

 

  1. Authority and Power–Luke 10:19, Acts 3:1-8, Luke 9:1-2

God has given us power and authority.

 

Luke 9:1-2

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. 2 He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 

Matthew 10:1

And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 

Matthew 10:7-8

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.  

 

Jesus gives us spiritual authority (Hebrews 2:6-8, Luke 10:18-19)

Adam had authority in the physical realm (Gen 1:27-28)

We have authority over the enemy (2 Peter 1:3)

 

Jason McKinnies

Uncommon Prayer

Uncommon Prayer

Opening: Ephesians 3:8-12 (Prayer cards)

So here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head; the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open, and make plain, what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret, and behind the scenes, all along. Through followers of Jesus, like yourselves, gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!

“All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we’re free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go.” Ephesians 8:8-12 (MSG)

God, more than any other person, has a desire for your life to be an uncommon life. Nothing pleases God more than to see His children living out the plan, the destiny, and experiencing the life He purchased for us at the Cross of Calvary.

How God’s plan for us was brought about was uncommon. God’s uncommon plan was for you to live an uncommon life.

Think about this: Jesus said, I came to give you life and life more abundantly (John 10:10).

Glory to Glory.
Faith to Faith.
Living a life of Victory.
Living an Overcoming life.
More than conquerors.
Greater things than these shall you do.

Doesn’t sound common at all.

He came to lay out a plan that was an uncommon plan, to give us an uncommon life.

In Ephesians, Paul states it was his job to bring out into the open what was once hidden; to make it as plain as possible, that God has a plan for you. It is an extraordinary plan, an uncommon life, for you. Look at what Paul wrote to the church in Corinth.

“Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.” 2 Corinthians3:8-12 (NLT)

Shouldn’t we expect a far greater glory? If the old way was glorious, how much more glorious is this new? It makes us right with God. This new way gives us such confidence we can be very bold!

The definition of Uncommon is, out of the ordinary; unusual. Of course, the opposite of that is, common; normal. There is something within us, that desires for, even longs for, the uncommon.

Often God’s plan – the plan that Paul said is glorious, extraordinary, uncommon – is often not met with the same excitement with man. Let’s take a quick look.

God said in Genesis 1:26-28 for man to…
Prosper.
Reproduce.
Fill the Earth.
Take Authority.

God’s plan was, and is, to have man live that kind of life. He not only planned it that way, but equipped us to do so. Far too often, the church has fallen into the normal, common, and mundane, all at the expense of God’s plan. God is laying out this divine plan, and we have settled for the common, while He has the uncommon for us.

The contrast of the early church versus the current church is startling. We struggle to get people to church, because church in boring, mundane, and powerless. We struggle to get people to want to be Christians because of the reputations of the Christian as powerless, faithless, boring, and lifeless. We are living the same life as the world, we just carry a Bible and give an hour a week to a tradition.

The early church had a different struggle. There was so much power and authority operating in the early church, they had to convince people they were not angels or super-heroes.

“But Peter pulled him up and said, “Stand up! I’m a human being just like you!” Acts 10:26 (NLT)

“When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” Acts 14:11 (NLT)

“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard what was happening, they tore their clothing in dismay and ran out among the people, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are merely human beings—just like you! We have come to bring you the Good News that you should turn from these worthless things and turn to the living God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.” Acts 14:14-15 (NLT)

“The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.” Acts 28:6 (NLT)

Nonbelievers in the era of the early church said of the church, these are the ones turning the world upside down.

“But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” Acts 17:6 (NKJV)

It’s recorded in Acts 5:13 that the people had high regard for those in the church. More and more people were coming and believed.

Somehow, we have believed that isn’t for us. We believe that to have boldness in Christ is to have pride. We will kill a brother who is bold enough to believe, bold enough to sow in faith, and bold enough to reap a harvest.

I say that those days are over. We must turn the world upside down by being uncommon in our faith, our praise, our prayers, and in our belief in His Word.

1. Who had faith?

The Bible portrays faith and pride as opposites.

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.” Habakkuk 2:4 (NLT)

Humility and faith go hand in hand. Pride and unbelief also go hand in hand.

To not believe in God, or to have faith in God, is saying that we know better than God. We trust our own ideas, strength, and judgment over His. Unbelief is really nothing more than pride. Let me give you an idea of this.

“Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of the twelve ancestral tribes.” Numbers 13:1-2 (NLT)

Let me tell it this way:
Twelve sent out ten who were humble; two very proud. They went for forty days to investigate. After the forty days of investigation the ten humble said, “We’ve investigated. It is a land that flows with milk and honey, and tremendous fruit. However, they are strong armies, and giants. We will have to fight. They are skilled beyond us, and they have weapons superior to ours. We are just a few days removed from being slaves. We aren’t really ready to face this kind of a fight. We should think about our families, their future, and our future. We shouldn’t attempt to take the land.”

The crowd probably applauded that conservative voice of humility. What great leaders, how wise, and humble these men are.

Then the proud leaders (Joshua and Caleb) say, “We need to go and take the land. We are well able.” Proud, arrogant, full of themselves. Glad we didn’t listen to those two, we’d all be dead by the giants if we listened to the proud ones over there.

Yet, God determined who was the proud and who was the humble.

“And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!” Numbers 14:11-12 (NLT)

They were basing their expectations on their own strength and not on the power and might of God. In God’s eyes, the proud were the ones who didn’t believe His report, and the humble were the ones who believed in the report of the Lord. The two ended up blessed, and the others ended in curse.

It takes genuine humility to have faith in God. You are relying on His ability and not your own.

Pride is the trust in yourself over God.

2. Sowing in Faith

“Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 (NLT)

When you plant it – you don’t doubt what’s going to come up. If you planted corn, don’t have expectation of beans. You don’t leave off wondering if corn is going to come up if you planted corn. Instead, you begin to prepare for a harvest of corn. You get all the things necessary to reap a harvest of corn, gather the corn, shuck the corn, prepare the corn, and then to preserve the corn.

When you sow in faith, you don’t leave off worrying and wondering, and fretting about what the harvest is going to be. Instead, you begin the necessary steps to handle the harvest of what you have sown.

3. What Will You Ask For?

Prayer is a prophecy over the future of your life, sowing seeds of harvest in your future.

When the children of Israel where walking around the walls they were told to be silent. Don’t say a word. Seven days from now, Jericho is ours. They’d learned the cost of negative talk, doubt, and the old common Slave Mentality. Now they were just going to claim it, then walk in expectation that, seven days later, the answer to all of the generations before would become theirs, and the fortresses that guarded it, and kept it from them, would fall. Then they’d let out a shout of victory. The shout of victory happened while the walls stood. It was the shout of expectation that happened, then the walls fell. Many won’t shout because their walls still stand.

If you prayed about it, and asked God about it, then God will bring the walls down. Therefore, you can shout. God will bring the wall down!

If God wanted you to have an uncommon life, shouldn’t you begin to sow uncommon prayers?

I think God loves uncommon prayers, look at some of these prayers in the bible:

Ax head to float.
Giants fall.
Walls to come down.
Sun to Stand still.
Waters to part.
Dead come to life.

Then for the next seven days, I want you to sow in faith over that request – that Uncommon Prayer. Don’t sow in negativity, doubt, or despair. Instead, put that prayer in your Bible, on your mirror, or in your car.

I want you to march around your prayer for the next seven days, in prayer and praise…not in doubt.

Then watch God bring your walls down!