Text: Ephesians 1:18-21 “18. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19. and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20. he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21. far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”
- What is the greatest threat to us (God’s people) living in the Greater?
Contentment with living in and with the just plain ordinary. Once we settle for “this is it” and lose our zeal and passion to pursue Greater, the hope of living in it is all but gone. To be content with ordinary is not the same as being content with what you have or where you are. In this sense, we are talking about being content not living out God’s purpose for your life. We are not talking about not having joy despite circumstances. Peace with ordinary is to roll over and play dead to life. Why would you do that when you want more? When you are designed for more? When there IS MORE out there for you? - Maybe the REASON some of us feel SURROUNDED BY OPPOSITION as we try to live for God is that we are surrounded by or with THE WRONG PEOPLE.
Bad company does corrupt good character. The saying that one bad apple spoils the bunch didn’t come from nowhere. If you are not careful, that company that you keep because they’ve always been there may very well drag you into a life well below what God intended for you. Most of us are simply carrying too much dead weight to really take off into Greater. How can you, when you have these friends who add nothing to your life’s purpose or direction or advancement dragging you down at every turn? The truth is we keep some people around because we are not ready to face the responsibility of being or living Greater. These people are comfortable and safe… but they are also killing you slowly, honey. - True or False: The people who have significant input into our lives shape who we become and what we will do. TRUE
Be careful. Be intentional. Be bold. Too often, we are very laid back about the space and access we allow people in our lives. But remember that your life and your destiny are on the line. Who you allow in and what they bring to the table or take away will have lasting and often resounding impact. It may not seem like a big deal to keep a friend or two or conflicting beliefs, until one day you look up and you not only don’t mind their beliefs, but you make allowance for or condone them. Look for people who have something you desire to cultivate in yourself. Look for people who will challenge you. One of the greatest threats to us meeting our great expectations so to speak is the knowledge that to do so will mean rejection and oppostion. We’d rather bypass that. But if you are going to live in your Greater, there needs to be somebody in your life that you submit to; someone who can tell you about you–right or wrong. - What are four critical questions we must ask ourselves to see if someone should be put out of our lives for a season or altogether?
1. Who in my life leads me to attitudes or actions outside of what God prescribes in His word?
2. Who leaves me drained rather than empowered after a typical conversation?
3. Who keeps me thinking smaller rather than helping me dream bigger?
4.Who constantly asserts that what I’m trying to do for God will not work? - Besides NEGATIVE people, we will also face an army of DISTRACTIONS AND COMPETING IDEAS, VALUES, INTEREST AND EVENTS. Who (of course) is behind this?
Satan is the mastermind of mediocrity. He works tirelessly to keep you from receiving the truth about you into your spirit. He keeps you busy doing “things” so you can’t hear or answer the “call”. He keeps you talking to yourself so you won’t be able to distinguish the voice of God from your own random thoughts. He keeps you up at night doing things that don’t feed you spiritually, all the time “proving” that you don’t have time for God… so you sqeeze him in. - Especially powerful point: If you want to be surrounded by God’s MIRACLES we have to come to terms with the fact that we will be surrounded by God’s ENEMIES. (2 Kings 6:8-20)
Story: Picking up where we left off in 2 Kings, we find Israel at war with Aram. Elisha, being the man of God, is given divine knowledge of the plans of the King of Aram and everywhere the Aramaens plan to attack Israel, the king of Israel has already been warned by Elisha and has prepared. The king of Aram is enraged and believes there is a traitor in his group, but no. He is told Elisha, camping in Dothan, is the source of the prophecy and the king of Aram sends men to capture him under the cover of night. Elisha’s servant awakes and discovers they are surrounded. Elisha tells him not to worry–they are not outnumbered. There are more with Elisha than are with his opponent. Then he prays simply “Open his eyes that he may see.” When the servant looked again, the hills were filled with horses and chariots of fire. And as he watched them descend the hill, Elisha prayed that they be blinded and the servant bore witness to the event. So that when they reached the bottom, Elisha was able to tell them that they had not arrived at the road or city they had intended (tricking them). Then he led them calmly into the hands of the king of Israel in Samaria, where he prayed again that their sight be restored. - In order for us to be greater, we have to SEE what God SEES instead of our LIMITED PERSPECTIVE.
If you cannot see yourself out of a situation or better than your circumstance, how can you ever expect to ascertain it or to strive for it? In order to become whom God has destined you to become you have to see the destiny. You have to believe the destiny is a possibility within your capability and not just wishful thinking. You have to see beyond your own scope of thinking or vision and look with God’s eyes at where he is taking you. - God sees something MORE than we see. Even when we don’t know so, WE REST IN THE REALITY THAT GOD SAYS SO.
To live in a GreatER life, you must judge your life based on what God says about you, and nothing else. Nothing else defines your life or you, for that matter. You need to develop a “Daddy says I am mentality” and believe everything he says about you… everything he promised to you… everything available to you. Your esteem of yourself in God is critical to you living out the GreatER life. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. HAVE NEVER BEEN ALONE. WILL NEVER BE ALONE. GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE. - How should we interpret Ephesians 1:18-21 about how God sees us?
It is a reminder of the power that we already possess. Our issue is that we don’t tap into it. We let the enemy punk us unnecessarily. We wait until we’re in the enemy’s corner before we try to use our power. - True or False: We live by what God sees and says, which allows us to open our eyes to God’s power and potential. TRUE
Moral: Step out in your mighty strength!!!
Pursuing God’s purpose is exhilarating and terrifying. You can tell how valuable you are to the kingdom by the lengths to which the enemy will go to take you out.
But you need to make up in your min and in your heart, I AIN’T GON’ BE PUNKED NO MORE!!
Elisha prayed only that the servant’s eyes would be opened… that he would see what was already there. The miracle was not a sudden appearance of people, but rather the servant’s sudden ability to see clearly what had been present all along.
TD Jakes gives the illustration of a man in a car having a wreck because there’s an insect in the car, so he goes to swinging at it. Be careful you don’t crash your car swatting at gnats and mosquitos. FOCUS!!! Focus on what matters. Focus on your true strength and not on your troubles, obstacles, hurdles or issues. FOCUS on the source of your strength and step out in your power.
Worship in Dance & Poetry 