Passing the Small Tests

Joel @ Lakewood Church

• God speaks to us in small impressions. A lot of times we know what we should do. God wants to know if you will be quick to obey the "I knows..." God speaks to us about practical everyday things.
• Joyce Meyers: the Lord spoke to her about returning her cart to the place where it should go. She would look around and see other carts and say "Why do I have to return my cart when there are others all over the parking lot." It's because everyone else isn't going where you are going.
• Don't confuse "small" with "insignificant"
• John 9: there was a blind man who Jesus put mud on his eyes. He then told him to go wash it off. That man would be (and was) healed through his OBEDIENCE
• 2 Kings 5: Naaman was a leper and the Lord t told him to wash in the Jordan river. Naaman didn't want to wash there because it was dirty. He didn't want to do it. (2 Kings 5:13 KJV) His servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
• Be quick to obey. If you think too long you would probably talk yourself out of it.
• Joel: led to give a man his tie. Joel finally gave him the tie. That tie became a symbol of hope.
• Partial obedience isn't obedience. When you sew a radical seed of obedience you will reap radical awards.
• Saul was given specific instructions in 1 Samuel 15:3
• 1 Samuel 15:22-23 KJV
  And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord , he hath also rejected thee from being king.
• God is looking for people who are quick to obey.
• Deuteronomy 28:1-2 KJV
  And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
  Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NLT
  "If you fully obey the L ord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the L ord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the L ord your God:
• PRAYER TALK (pastor Joel): victory starts on the inside.
  Ephesians 4:23 NLT
  ...let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.

********Victoria Osteen********

• Life has a way of making its tired.
• Galatians 6:9-10 NIV
  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
• If we don't faint, then we will receive what is due.... (we will reap a harvest)
• When you faint, you become unconscious.
• How to detect spiritual weariness:
  Loss of interest.
  Lack of care
  Negative self-talk
• Waiting is confident expectancy. It is not inactive and it requires trust.
  Isaiah 40:29-31 KJV
  He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
• When you feel weary
  Help others
  Get some rest
  Have fun

Compass Class: Men & Women Want Different Things

_Scratching feels good only if you scratch where it itches.

_We need to consistently meet the needs of our spouse.

_God didn't design us to be "god" in someone else's life.

_A wife is either building up or tearing down her man (there is no in between).

1a. What men don't want.
· Men don't want to be your girlfriend.
· Men don't want to work on their marriage because most men like the way their marriage is.

2a. What men want.
· Non-performance based respect. (God calls us what we are before we get there.)

3a. Be strong.
· Let him know that he is "better than that" without being disrespectful.
· Don't tolerate disrespect.
· Take action while you are still invested.
· Submission is not an escape clause.
· Unconditional love does not require an unconditional relationship.

1b. What women don't want.
·

2b. What women want.
· A woman wants to be chosen (over everything else)

Removing Negative Labels

Joel Osteen @ Lakewood Church

Walt Disney was told that he had no artistic skills, Lucille Ball was told that she wasn't a good actress...

You can't prevent negative labels, but you can remove them.

Words are like seeds, if you dwell on them too long they can take root. Wrong labels can keep you from your destiny. You can become what people say that you are and not what God says you are.

Stop ACTING like those labels are the truth.

Sometimes people make assessments based on the CURRENT situation, not based on what God created you to be.

The real battle is taking place in your mind.

You have the power to remove those negative labels.

God is not up in heaven all frantic trying to figure out how to get you to your destiny.

Psalms 139:14 KJV
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

God doesn't label the way that people label. God looks at the heart.

Isaiah 54:17 KJV
No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord , and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord .

even though Samuel had anointed David as the next king his brothers still had labeled him. David had to make a decision about what labels he wanted to wear.
1 Samuel 16:11-12 KJV
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
1 Samuel 17:28 KJV
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

Sometimes people put negative labels on people because of the pain they have experienced not because of anything that someone else did.

remove the old labels.

Genesis 35:16-18 KJV
...Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben–oni: but his father called him Benjamin.

You are not what people call you, you are what you answer to.

********Victoria Osteen*********

• You can't receive anything from the enemy, he forces it on you.
• Isaiah 59:19 KJV
  So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.
• It's my job to find the way of escape.
  1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV
  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
• Realize that God is for me, God is not against me, and I am here for such a time as this.
• You can't put your light out, you can only cover it.
• You have to guard your mind and not compare yourself to others. Fight against the forces that are causing me to shrink back.
  Judges 6:11-16 MSG
  One day the angel of God came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, whose son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress, out of sight of the Midianites. The angel of God appeared to him and said, " God is with you, O mighty warrior!" Gideon replied, "With me , my master? If God is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracle-wonders our parents and grandparents told us about, telling us, 'Didn't God deliver us from Egypt?' The fact is, God has nothing to do with us—he has turned us over to Midian." But God faced him directly: "Go in this strength that is yours. Save Israel from Midian. Haven't I just sent you?" Gideon said to him, " Me , my master? How and with what could I ever save Israel? Look at me. My clan's the weakest in Manasseh and I'm the runt of the litter."  God said to him, "I'll be with you. Believe me, you'll defeat Midian as one man."
• God will finish what he started in me.
  Philippians 1:6 KJV
  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Red Letters: The Parable of Pride

Chetkeila @ L56

• Luke 14:7-14 NLT
  When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice: "When you are invited to a wedding feast, don't sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?  The host will come and say, 'Give this person your seat.' Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table! "Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, 'Friend, we have a better place for you!' Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.  For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Then he turned to his host. "When you put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.  Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you."

1. Pride brings humiliation.
   A. You shouldn't think more highly of yourself than you should.
   B. An when you walk in pride, you are telling God that you can do things on your own.
2. You will be humbled.
   A. Humility is about putting others in a higher place than you.
   B. Luke 9:24 NLT...If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
   C. Philippians 2:3-4 NLT...Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
3. Heart change
4. God is our Lighthouses
• Dead ahead, through the pitch-black night, the captain sees a light on a collision course with his ship. He sends a signal: "Change your course ten degrees east.""Change yours ten degrees west," comes the reply.The captain responds, "I'm a United States Navy captain! Change your course, sir!""I'm a seaman second class," the next message reads. "Change your course, sir."The captain is furious. "I'm a battleship! I'm not changing course!""I'm a lighthouse. Your call."

Stop Complaining

Joyce Meyers @ Lakewood Church

• If you're going to complain about something, then don't bother praying about it.
• A lot of people will never get to where they want to be If they keep complaining about where you are.
• You have to be disciplined about walking in the spirit. Being thankful is a powerful way to do that.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 NIV: Rejoice always,pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  Do not quench the Spirit.
• You don't have to feel something to be something.
• The Lord's response to Habakkuk's Complaints
• Habakkuk 2:2-3 NIV
• Then the Lord replied: "Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.  For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
• When you have a complaint get a vision.
• Philippians 4:6 NIV
• Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
• Learn to go with the flow and be happy where you are because complaining isn't going to solve anything. Joyce wasted crackers on the floor and no matter how upset she would have gotten, that wouldn't have gotten the crackers off the floor.
• Is your problem your problems or is your attitude toward your problem your problem?
• Numbers 21:4-8 AMP
• And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient (depressed, much discouraged), because [of the trials] of the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and we loathe this light (contemptible, unsubstantial) manna. Then the Lord sent fiery (burning) serpents among the people; and they bit the people, and many Israelites died. And the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord, that He may take away the serpents from us. So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.
• Obedience is better than sacrifice: It's great to have access to forgiveness but why can't we get out right the first time.
• 1 Corinthians 10:9-11 NIV
• We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.
• You have to be thankful on purpose.
• We can't blend in, we have to stand out.

• Philippians 2:14-15 NIV
• Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

Activating faith and not fear

****Joel Osteen @ lakewood church****

Both faith and fear are responses towards something in the future that we can't predict.

Just as faith can bring in good things, fear can bring in bad things. Quit inviting bad things.

Whatever you mediate on its what will take root.

Job 3:25 KJV
For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

When the enemy puts a negative thought into your mind you give it power when you agree.

When people speak negativity into your life don't come into agreement. Come into agreement with the word.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Be disciplined in your thought life. Don't agree with fear.

The first place you lose the battle is in your mind. Mediate on what god says about me.

Fear can create a barrier.

Fear blows things out of proportion. You can feel trapped even if you are not.

Psalms 27:1-5 KJV
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the Lord , that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord , and to enquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

when fear knocks, let faith answer.

My assignment is to great and my time is too valuable for me to waste time entertaining fear.

****Victoria Osteen****

Romans 12:18 NLT
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

God wants us to be champions in all of life even in relationships. We are people of Destiny and peace. So many times we are frustrated with people and their is an undercurrent of strife.

1 Corinthians 3:6 NLT
I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.

it's not my responsibility to change anyone. When you understand something then you can deal with it but we can't understand people. When it comes to relationships we need to love and pray.

James 1:5 NLT
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. We need to invite wisdom into everything because it's not will against will.

God is waiting for us to rest in him.

Isaiah 65:1-2 NLT
The L ord says, “I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, ‘Here I am, here I am!’ to a nation that did not call on my name. All day long I opened my arms to a rebellious people. But they follow their own evil paths and their own crooked schemes.