Necessary Sifting

Luke 22:31-34 (NKJV)
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Sift – To separate and retain the course parts (sand, flour, etc.)

Sieve - an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom, used for separating coarse from fine parts of loose matter, for straining liquids, etc., especially one with a circular frame and fine meshes or perforations.

2. a person who cannot keep a secret.

What Peter has gone through is a process that is designed for every believer…this sifting process is necessary for growth and progress. This is a test conducted by hell itself. God will sift us also, but the gates of hell are known to do this. God allows this sifting process to happen – we see the first example of this in the garden. The conversation the serpent had with Eve was a sifting process, the devil wanted to see what she was made of when he challenged her obedience.

Another example is obviously found in Job. We can see this throughout the Word, but the point is, whenever this takes place in your life > how do you come out on the other side? According to Christ, this sifting process caused Peter to backslide!

Ephesians 3:17-19 (NKJV)
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself – ‘Do I love Jesus?’ Then take that honest assessment and put it up against your everyday decisions and reactions. This will tell you the truth.

When Jesus told Peter what the devil had planned on doing…immediately, Peter makes a grand stand of virtuous commitment. He was ready to go to prison, and to even die for Jesus…that’s a bold statement to make! Jesus knew better than that…He understood that what lives in man’s heart is his ability to take care of himself, before sacrificing for another. He also understood that if you’re so convinced that you’d do the hard things, then the easy things shouldn’t be an issue…but they are!
How is it that we are so willing to die for Jesus – yet we struggle to live for Him?

Luke 6:46 (NKJV)
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

Obedience seems to be the hardest thing to do when it comes to serving God, but in actuality, it is the easiest. We choose to do the hard things because somehow, this will garner praise from others. Look at the scripture – this young man has maintained the commandments from childhood into adulthood without fail – even Jesus acknowledged this! However, he didn’t have enough of God in him to be liberal!

How many difficult things do you do for God, yet the simple things escape you? You will sacrifice your time, and give yourself to something spiritual, but you won’t do something as so simple as tithing? How about forgiving? Or how about simply being on time for church?
There are men and women in this church that will never enter into ministry – not because of the hard things, but because of the easy things…

Here's the good news...

Take courage people…Jesus is praying for you and praying for me. While Jesus anticipates our failures from time to time, He still lays the responsibility of recovering to strengthen others upon us. In other words, when, (not if), you backslide, it is YOUR responsibility to get yourself together, and go bless those who are possibly headed in the same direction as you once were.


This is why follow up is so critical.

Do you know why people don’t follow up on those they pray with? Simple, they are selfish. You’re so consumed with what’s going on in your world, that you don’t have time for other people.
Jesus told Peter that He will pray for him so that he will be able to return. The greatest thing you can ever do for someone is pray for them…not just offer up a pitiful prayer, but labor in prayer for people. It’ll give you a heart for people and connect you in ways you never thought possible!
Jesus cares for all of us – He knows this sifting process is going to happen, He prays that we are strong enough to endure, and prevail – of course, that depends on you.

All Possible

Matt. 19: 26 - "But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man things are impossible, but with God all things are possible."

If this statement is true, then it should change the way you live your life in Christ. If ALL things are literally possible with God, then the sky is the limit!! A young man in our church was telling me that he wanted God to use him, no matter what he was doing - he said that he went to wash clothes, and in the middle of doing that he prayed, 'God I know that I'm washing clothes but that's not the real reason I'm here!'  Would to God, we would keep our hearts, mind, eyes, and ears open for the voice of God.

If we would live in Christ - we would quickly come to realize that all things truly are possible. Once I understood that God can do whatever He wants to do, however He wants to do it, it gave me a peace and a liberty in His name I've never had before that time.

Sometimes, we struggle with hope and faith. We don't want to 'Get our hopes up', but where does faith come in? It comes in the everyday knowledge that no matter what we're experiencing at the moment, God already had a plan, and figured things out on our behalf! This is great news, because it lets me know that I'm not alone, and it also tells me that God is on my side.

As people of God, we must live our faith out. We can't just talk about it, or study up on it - we must put it into practice or it's just a bunch of hot air. Besides, people are tired of hearing about faith, and God, and Christ, they are looking for Him to be demonstrated in our lives! This is what the world needs, a group of believers that are truly living their faith...it takes living for the God that can do all things, to accomplish this...

Can God really do all things? What about in your life? Is He in control or are you in control? Is He the God of promises, or the God of conditions? We must put our faith where it counts...not in our own abilities and talents...but in the power of Jesus Christ Himself. His Spirit working on the inside of the child of God is the only thing necessary for Victory!!

Powerful Weekend in Christ

Matt. 11: 12 - 'From the days of John the Baptist til now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

What a time we had this weekend! We were so blessed to have the Killeen TX Church come and help us with an impact team and concert! It's such a blessing to have the Mother Church come and labor with us; their investment was not in vain. We were blessed to see 30 decisions for Christ! Actually, this was our first concert since our major remodeling project - and it was incredibly fruitful!

This should be the norm, when it comes to the church and God's people; we should always be on the move for the Kingdom of God! The church is a Movement, not a Monument!!

We enjoyed the music and drama with 4 new visitors from the outreach earlier that day! God was all over that place, and the altar call had drawn sinners to repentance.

2nd Cor. 5: 11 - 'Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I trust we are well known in your consciences.

A church moving in God's direction is on the cutting edge for Jesus! If you're not on the edge for Christ, then you're taking up too much space!!

Your Problem Serves a Purpose

2 Kings 5: 1-2, 'Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman's wife.' Our text peaks into the private life of a soldier…we can see what Naaman actually looks like without his armor…I wonder who you really are without your armor on? Many scholars believe that it was the arrow of Naaman that struck Ahab in the last battle against Israel – this propelled his career, and so now, he’s the captain of the host. He’s definitely earned his stripes and respect on the field of battle, BUT…he was a leper…A secret problem, but very relevant…beneath all of your tapestry…what are you hiding? This is why I serve God, because a relationship with God goes deeper than the shining ministry I hold; it reaches down into the toxic wasteland of my soul…Naaman had to come home and deal with what’s under his armor; behind closed doors…and so do you. Naaman can slay thousands of men in battle, but cannot conquer his own flesh…yet, we will all discover that our problems serve a purpose. It’s at home where he reveals his vulnerability, but in the presence of a servant girl…a little girl whom he stole from the Israel in his victory of battle…He was probably afflicted with leprosy because of what he did…but it didn’t change his attitude towards her…’Who are you to me anyway?’ This girl was nothing to him; she was a slave, snatched from her home and family; she was an immigrant, poor > and in spite of where she now was in life > her problem was disguised as a purpose. Now, she could’ve complained about her situation, she decided to testify to her captor about deliverance she will never receive! She didn’t realize at the time, that she had more power than he did! Naaman became great because of what he did – she was greater because of who she knew! Who you know will always trump what you do. So, the real test of character is what you do with power – when you have an advantage…Naaman was at the mercy of a ‘Little Maid’ (on the outside) God allowed Naaman to take captive the very cure to his crisis…oftentimes what you conquer can hold your cure. - Conquer your prayer life - Conquer your devotion / personal witness / liberality – there’s healing and deliverance there. Psalm 37:23-24 23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand. This sounds good, so long as our steps are going upward, but what do you do when you are ordered to go down? Is He just your God in the good times… She made the decision to help her captor! LISTEN* Whenever you hold back on what you COULD do, God holds back on what He can do! You are no more deserving of the blessing you seek, than the blessing you hold from the person you hate* Mercy Produces Mighty Verse 3 - Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” But, how bad do you wanna be delivered? She tells him to go back to the same country he just vanquished! He tries to dance around the issues by consulting kings…what Naaman seeks can’t be found in the palace; it’s in your HUMILITY He had to go down, while trying to go up! The way out may not be what you thought…His deliverance came through humility. He had to go DOWN from Syria to Israel; from the palace to the prophet’s house, from the prophet to a servant, from the servant to the Jordan River. Go low enough – and you’ll find healing and exaltation… James 4:6 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” The instructions were to dip 7 times! This can’t be a one time thing. You can’t have a quick fix in your character. One altar call won’t cut it – one act of worship / prayer / devotion is not enough…there’s always heartache and discouragement…’Might as well give up!’ ‘Might as well leave the church’ – you probably only tried just a handful of times, or you continue to do the same things expecting different results… However, when Naaman dipped the 7th time…EVERYTHING CHANGED! *I wonder if the leprosy on the outside was a true indication of what was happening on the inside? Naaman’s pride was in the way – your deliverance should be more important than your image… This entire episode has nothing to do with Naaman directly…but it does have a lot to do with Syria… Now that Naaman is healed, he can take that deliverance (along with dirt), back to Syria and worship God! The same country that was a sworn enemy, now has a dignitary that is willing to worship their God, establish His name in an enemy territory – and display the mighty works of healing there! This is one of the rare moments in the Old Testament where you see God reaching for Gentiles! What impact can God make through your life? You must humble yourself and let God be God first…the rest…we’ll see.

Fight For Dominion

2 Samuel 5:6-10

The Conquest of Jerusalem

⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).
⁸ Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
⁹ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.



As a child of God, you must fight for dominion! This is the essence of spiritual warfare...maintaining dominion; as you can see however, this scripture speaks of having to fight AGAIN...there's nothing more frustrating than having won a battle, having to go back and win again...

Judges 1:8

⁸ Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. 

This is nothing new...Jerusalem was conquered before, but now the Jebusites are there - and they must be taken out! Listen, just because you've conquered something in your life, don't be delusional, you will have to fight again...the issue is dominion.

Let me tell you something about the devil - he hates pioneering! He doesn't wanna venture into new territory, he wants to hang on to what he already has!

Matthew 12:43-45

An Unclean Spirit Returns

⁴³ “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. ⁴⁴ Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

The enemy loves to hold on to people, even after they move on with the Kingdom of God, he's still after them to turn around...listen, don't give him that chance - fight for dominion again...let him have it for what he's done to you before Christ. So understand, that dominion has to be fought for - it doesn't come easy at all...always remember; the main thing, is to keep the Main Thing, the main thing...

 














 

Go Up

1 Samuel 14:1-14

14 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ² And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. ³ Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

⁴ Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵ The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

Davao City Philippines Conference 

⁶ Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
⁷ So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”
¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” ¹² Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”
Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. ¹⁴ That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.

Just like Jonathan had a spirit of adventure and was willing to take action - we must adopt that same spirit! He went into unfamiliar territory, faced overwhelming odds, in the name of conquering the enemies of God! This is what pastoring and pioneering is all about! If you and I would lay down our lives and go for God - there is no limit to what Jesus can do in our lives!

Street Preaching In Ghana



God brought about a great victory because they understood that no weapon formed against them would ever prosper - too many Christians spend their lives being on the defensive, when we should be a people who take it to hell's gates and conquer the enemy, rescue the lost, and maintain dominion!


Pastor Wayman Mitchell



Forgiveness

1 John 4:20-21
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Many may already be aware of this but Alex Hernandez (New England Patriot's Wide Receiver), received a life sentence for first degree murder of Mr. Odin Lloyd 2 years ago...the sentence didn't come as a surprise to many, but what the victim's mother said in court at the sentencing, was remarkable:

Odin Lloyd's Mother Forgives Aaron Hernandez For Murdering Her Only Son

Ursula Ward (Lloyd's Mother)

"First and foremost I'd like to thank the jurors for all their concerns, helping me with everything - and I thank God for being here this morning. My name is Ursula Ward, Odin Lloyd's mother. Odin was the first born of 3 children; Odin was my only son. Odin was the backbone of the family, the man of the house, and his sister's keeper. We all wore purple today because it is my son's favorite color. I forgive the ones who had a hand in my son's murder; either before or after. And I pray and hope that someday, everyone out there will forgive them also. May God continue to bless us, thank you. We serve an awesome God and we all should remember that; because without Him, we are nothing.”

 Forgiveness is a Key, a Shield, and a Weapon.

There was a conversation between Jesus and His disciples in Caesarea Philippi where He asked, 'Who do they say that I am? The disciples gave their responses, then He made it personal - He asked them, 'Who do YOU say that I am?' Peter pipes up and proclaims that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God! This is powerful revelation right?

Matthew 16:19
And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

So we can see here that Jesus reveals some Keys to the Kingdom based on a personal revelation Peter has...understand that there are keys in the Kingdom of God available to you and I, that can be used to unlock doors closed to us preventing destiny, dominion, favor, and blessing...these keys are:

Liberality
Worship
Forgiveness

Forgiveness can open doors that devotion cannot. When you walk in God's forgiveness, you are living in the essence of His nature! It's only natural for God to forgive!!

Forgiveness can shield you and protect you from the wrath of your over-emotional decisions (anger, fury, rage, etc.)...It produces what the bible calls, a peaceable fruit...

Example - David became enraged when Nabal disrespected his army and his services...so much so, that he was on his way to kill Nabal and all his household. Abigail stopped him and showed him the bigger picture! She explained to David that had he pursued his pound of flesh, it would've robbed him from being the king God had called him to be...bitterness and can rob you of your future!

Forgiveness is also a weapon > rather than complain about being done wrong, you can turn things on the devil and in your favor! Daniel could've easily caused a ruckus about the satraps who lied on him about praying and placing him in the lion's den...he chose rather to stay focused on God and allow God to overthrow his enemies, instead of him (Dan. 6) - we all know the outcome of that story.

Can you walk in the forgiveness of God, or are you stuck in your own bitterness and unforgiveness about someone? The problem is, the only person suffering from your unforgiveness, is YOU! Allow God to be your advocate and let forgiveness flow throughout your life.

Mitchell's Plain So. Africa 2015

Mark 16:15 - 'Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every living creature'

My wife and I, along with 2 ladies from our congregation journeyed to South Africa to be a blessing and minister to the Mitchell's Plain Congregation. It was an incredible journey filled with Revival and Adventure!  The Lord did a powerful work in the short time that we were there! We witnessed over 20 people who gave their lives to Christ! We also witnessed several people healed, and 4 people filled with the Holy Ghost! There were 12 new converts in the church who were baptized in water

I'm overjoyed and humbled by how God would choose to use my life for His will and purposes in the earth...Please continue to lift up Pastor Ortiz and his family as they endeavor to do God's will in a foreign land. God has certainly breathed on the congregation and you can literally feel the momentum of the Holy Spirit working in their churches!

Perhaps you are a young man / woman in the Lord - listen, God can use your life and take you places you've never imagined...the World is before you! Go, and do what the Lord wills for you life! He can show you His might in the mountains of South Africa, He can also show you His powerful conversion of your family members and street corners!! I challenge you to call on Jesus and ask Him the same question Paul asked Him...'Lord, what do You want me to do?'

Fully Grown: The Need for Maturity

Hebrews 5:12-14
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Paul is speaking to a group of individuals he expected more from and yet he was sorely disappointed. He expected more from them, because there are a few things in the kingdom of God that should’ve been conquered by now.

2 Corinthians 8:10-11
10 And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have.

He simply states that we should never stop plugging away at our relationship with God or the principles therein.
Once you give yourself to the things of God, nothing should steer you away from it! That’s a sure sign of maturity…the babies always give up and quit…

Another hindrance to maturity is pride!

2 Samuel 22:27-29
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28 You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. 29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord shall enlighten my darkness.

When you’re so full of yourself that you can’t see straight, it’s a sure sign of immaturity! I know this unbelievable what I’m about to tell you, but there are people who no longer come to this church because they are not in the limelight anymore – they run to other churches and become the man! Why? Most churches NEVER seen a real disciple!! When a disciple shows up to a religious church, knowing what we know, doing what we’ve taught – they are the gold standard there; while, being here, you’re just one of the herd!

My friends, if we are to be fully grown, there must be a true investment in the Word!

1 Corinthians 13:12
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

The second part of that scripture is what I want you to focus on…’I shall know just as I also am known.’

In other words, God knows you just as much as you’re willing to know Him. We are desperately needing to ‘Grow Up’ in the faith > this takes a constant diet of the Word of God…

I get really nervous when people walk in ignorance concerning the Word…

Half of your issues would be resolved, if you would simply refer to God’s Word concerning things…while there’s nothing wrong with sitting down with me and going over things, a lot of the answers you’re looking for can be found in God’s word – go get these answers for yourself.

Matthew 25:9
9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’