Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 261

ARE YOU TOO DISTRACTED?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

Friendship works two ways. I seek your presence, you seek Mine. If I’m always chasing you, we have no relationship. I Am your Father, your Brother and your friend. Seek Me while I may be found. 

THE SCARIEST VERSE IN THE BIBLE

I once heard a preacher say the scariest verse in the Bible is where David says, “And take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” That preacher then went on to tell everybody if they weren’t good enough, they could lose the Holy Spirit.

WHAT?!? My friends, that’s not true. Remember, David was alive long before Jesus and the Holy Spirit came onto the scene. He only had the visitation of the Holy Spirit, not the indwelling you and I have today.

So, what is the scariest thing in the Bible? In this hillbilly’s opinion, it’s when we’re not seeking the Lord because we’re distracted with the cares of the world and, when He shows up, we don’t know He’s there. 

It reminds me of the story of the two men of God that were walking along the road to Emmaus and Jesus showed up. He was talking with them, but because they weren’t seeking Him, they didn’t recognize He was right there the whole time. 

 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” – Luke 24:31-32

When Jesus is around, He brings a supernatural kind of passion. If you’ve never felt that, you need to experience His presence. You’ve missed incredible opportunities where Jesus wanted to meet you but you were too busy doing something else. 

Let me tell you, distraction leads to dullness, then doubt, then despair and finally, disbelief. That’s not for you!

Seek Jesus and seek Him often. He promises to be found by you. He will give you righteousness and you’ll recognize Him the next time He shows up.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES FIRST THINGS

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GROW INTO YOUR DESTINY

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

While I love you as My child, I have built you to be an heir. You have been called into the family by your Brother Jesus. It’s time to put away childish things and enter into the promises I have for you.

GROW INTO YOUR DESTINY

God’s purpose Is to not only make us children of God, He wants to make us into fully developed sons of God. 

Being His “child” means love and acceptance. There are times in your life you want to be grabbed up and held by your Father and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s given you the power to live there, but He doesn’t want to you stay there.

What? No, God’s not kicking you out of the nest. He wants to see you mature as sons and daughters – someone who walks on the frontline. He needs you to become someone who carries the word, the truth, and the power of God. 

This is all about you making a difference and becoming a warrior for Christ. This is more than an upgrade because you get to be both! 

If I’m having a bad day, I get to crawl on my Daddy’s lap and go, “Daddy, please love me,” and I can be a child. 

But there are other days when He’ll call me and say, “Today, I need you to be a son. There’s a battle I’m going to send you out into.” We live in the paradox of both of those.

Jesus has upgraded us to the level of relationship He has – and has always had – with the Father.

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” – John 15:9

Are you a child? It’s time to climb off Daddy’s lap and into upgrade. You can sit with Him any time you want, but Jesus paid a big price for you to be able to share His inheritance – His special connection to the Father. Grow up and grow into your destiny.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – ALIGNMENT

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YOU’VE BEEN INVITED

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

My promises are “Yes” and “Amen.” Amen means “let it be done.” When you come into deeper relationship with Me, you qualify to hear both yes and amen. I Am offering you upgrade. Is your answer “Yes” and “Amen”?

YOU’VE BEEN INVITED

The place of intimacy and special privilege relationship with God is called the “secret place.” You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to be invited into the secret place. In fact, all are invited, but few go. 

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” – Psalms 91:1-2

Psalms 91 is all about a special verbally-activated covenant of security in the midst of a very dangerous world. It actually starts off saying this covenant is reserved for people who can be intimate with God. 

If you are not careful, your focus on task and achievement will interfere with the secret place. What’s that all about? 

This is the difference between Martha and Mary. Martha was awesome but she was refusing the upgrade to being a friend because she prized her status as a servant. 

There’s a big upgrade from being a servant to a friend – that’s a different kind of relationship. There’s a big upgrade from being a friend to being family – that’s a son. Then there’s a big difference from being a son to becoming a bride. 

Friends are all about taking on His priorities. Sons are about becoming a co-heir with Jesus. Brides are about covenant in whole-hearted identity in Jesus. Now, all of this is about the secret place. It’s about the level of intimacy with Jesus you go after.

Want security in a dangerous world? You need a covenant that only comes with intimacy. You’ve been invited, now go!

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – INTIMACY

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EXTENDING A LASTING LEGACY

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

I don’t just love you today. You are My forever love. That means I don’t just love you, but those who come after you. Your heritage is My heritage and your legacy is My family. Love them well. Bring them to My table and we will eat together.

EXTENDING A LASTING LEGACY

Other than John 3:16, I would say this is the most quoted verse in the Bible, and mostly because it’s all about us:

 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

The word “thoughts” is interchangeable with the word “plans.” Yup, God has a plan for you.

He wants you to have great hope for where your life will end up. Not just great hope for Him showing up where you’re at right now, but God wants you to have great hope for where your life will finally finish. 

Here’s what’s real: Paupers and people who are dirt poor only think about how they can survive. Rich people and kings worry about their legacy – what they will leave behind to enrich future generations.

Now, I’m not talking about money. I’m talking about identity. If you are a king, you are somebody who is supposed to constantly consider your bloodline and your legacy. Are your kids saved and walking with the Lord? Is your marriage a rock-solid example? Is your work ethic strong and your business dealings full of integrity? Are you a person known for kindness, truth and generosity?

And here’s the biggie: Are you a drop-dead, sold-out Jesus freak who is passionately in love with God? You should be.

The Kingdom should be better off because you are trusted with it, and you have to be intentional about that. You have to purpose yourself to be a lasting example of Jesus to others. It’s not easy, but it is worth it. Get with the plan. Be an influence that extends right thinking, hope, and a lasting legacy to the next generation.

His descendants will be mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be blessed. – Psalm 112:2

FROM MY SERMON SERIES EPIC 

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STOP RUNNING

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

My Word says you did not choose Me. I chose you. I did. I have chased through the mud and storms to rescue you. Come to Me and learn of a love like you’ve never known. 

STOP RUNNING

C.S. Lewis called King Jesus “the hound of heaven.” King David said, “even if I make my bed in hell, there You are.” Ask God to show you how He’s chased you down because, if you’re not convinced that He has, He has. You’re just not seeing it. 

Yes, I’ve learned to pursue things because the Lord God blesses pursuit. Religion will tell you to wait and do nothing. Religious folk will use this scripture to justify their inability to act or get involved:

“Those that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength…” – Isaiah 40:31

Waiting doesn’t mean inactivity. 

When you go to a restaurant you have a waiter or a waitress. Waiting means serving, going after it, being consecrated and being somebody going after the presence of God in a radical way. 

A good waiter or waitress will be watching, looking to see if you might need something from them. They are checking the status of your request and preparing things you may need like ketchup, salad dressing, or more water. 

When the time comes, they are quick to deliver your request. Now that you understand waiting is not just hanging out while time passes, but is actually serving, let me ask you this: Are you waiting on God? 

Have you prepared anything for when the time comes? When God asks you to act – and He will – are you ready? Have you fortified yourself with His full armor? Is your oil lamp empty or full? 

It’s one thing to believe in God. It’s another to want to be used by Him and for His glory. Here’s where it gets deep my friends: are you content to sit and watch God work, or do you want to partner with Him to actually make a difference? Stop running, allow Him to catch you.  

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – REVIVAL

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BE SET FREE

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

I Am not a control freak. I have no agenda outside of freedom. Follow Me into the Promised Land of blessings and honor. Where My Spirit is, you are free. 

BE SET FREE

When you come before King Jesus, He will set you free. At the Food Bank, if we say we’re going to give away free food, guess what we do? We give away free food. 

Now, this is a peculiarity among the body of Christ. Because they say, “Come for free food but you have to go to church here. You have to go through this program and that program and prove you’re poor by giving us all your financial records or we won’t feed you.”

You can’t smoke a cigarette or drive a nice car. “By the way,” they ask you, “What’s your proof of residence and do you have a social security number?”

Are you high? People do that in the name of Jesus when the agenda of Jesus is to set people free. So many times, the agenda of the body of Christ is to control others and turn them into clones or religious mini-me’s. That’s not freedom, my friends. 

If we say the agenda of Jesus Christ is to set people free, if we say that God so loved the world that He gave – if we’re going to use His name – then guess what we ought to do? We ought to freely give. 

At OpenDoor Church and OpenDoor Food Bank, we’re not doing this for them to come to our church. We’re doing this because we are the Church. They don’t owe us anything! We offer them food in a way that demonstrates the freedom Jesus bled and died to give us. 

Are you in mental, physical or spiritual bondage and you’re tired of being a slave to wrong thinking or other people’s opinions? Be set free. God’s Spirit is here. 

 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. – Galatians 3:22

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – NEWNESS

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JESUS IS THE REAL DEAL

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me. Follow, believe and receive the abundance and identity I offer. Embrace your destiny. Embrace Me. 

JESUS IS THE REAL DEAL

Just in case it slipped by you, the Old Testament is the part of the Bible that was written before Jesus was born. Actually, it’s writings were completed 450 years before Jesus was born. Some of the books were written well over a thousand years before Jesus was born. 

Why are you telling me that? Because, Jesus fulfilled so many Old Testament prophecies. 

Hundreds of years after they were penned, Jesus walked them out. He talked them out. He brought those words to life and let everyone know God’s Word is true. It can be trusted and it’s real.

Did you know there’s a big argument over how many Old Testament prophecies Jesus actually fulfilled? That’s because many of the prophecies are actually cryptic – that means they are mysterious, obscure, or hidden. 

The good news is, there are at least 300 prophecies that are just outright, in-your-face words pointing to Jesus as the Messiah. 

So, let me ask you this: What are the chances of one person fulfilling eight prophecies? The answer is one in 100,000,000,000,0000,000. I don’t even know if there is a word for that many zeroes!

With that in mind, what are the chances of one person fulfilling 48 prophecies? That would be one in 10 to the 157th power. And if that’s not enough, what are the chances of one person fulfilling 300 prophecies? I’ll tell you what that is. It’s indescribable, and guys, that’s what Jesus did.

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”  – Matthew 5:17

Could a mere man purposefully do this throughout his lifetime? No, because mortal man has no control over his circumstances. Remember, many of those prophesies were about Jesus’ birth and childhood – things He would have no control over. 

So, here’s what’s real: Jesus is the real deal. He just is. Case closed.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES THE INDESCRIBABLE GIFT

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WHAT’S FREEDOM LIKE?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

My heart hurts when I see what you’ve hidden in shadow, afraid I will reject you like so many in the past. I Am the God who sees. I see your hurt, your shame, and your failure. I Am not disgusted. No. I Am able – able to do what you cannot. Open the door and I will come in. 

THE INSIDE SCOOP

Getting the “inside scoop” is what intimacy is all about. It’s the privileges that come with relationship.

Whether you’re a friend, family, or a bride – every relationship you have has a level of intimacy attached to it. The level of intimacy you give others is a really big deal, right? Your boss may be nice, but he doesn’t have the same level of intimacy to your heart as your spouse does. 

It’s that way with Jesus too. While He loves us all and knows every thought we think, He’s first and foremost a gentleman. He gave us free will to choose or reject Him, so He waits to be invited into relationship. He is also patient as we let Him into more and more places in our life – especially those places that are painful.

It took me a long time to invite Jesus into my finances. It really did. I was ashamed and didn’t want to admit what a failure I was. Do you know what happened when I finally let Him into that arena? He cleaned it up and showed me how to steward my money and supernaturally gain wealth.

As a young man, I had anger issues. When Jesus first went off like a bomb in my life, I was a grade-A mess. Jesus loved me from the beginning and took on my mess one thing at a time. Anger was a tough box for me to open in front of Him.

Yes, He had seen me angry and yes, I knew I could trust Him with it. I just didn’t want to face the root of all that anger. For all the pain, shame and rejection I had tried to hide from even myself, Jesus had lived with that and more. He took that Pandora’s box and I haven’t seen it since.

That’s intimacy. Letting Him in on the broken and dark places you don’t want to face and trusting Him to shine some light in there. To bind up, clean up and set some things in order. Give Jesus the inside scoop and see what freedom really is.

The Lord will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest. Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps. – Psalm 85:12-13

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – INTIMACY

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IT’S UP TO YOU

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

Love requires freedom. Because I Am love, I have given you freedom to decide how much of My presence you want in your life. You can have it all. You don’t have to share. I Am limitless and so is My love for you. 

IT’S UP TO YOU

It’s up to you if you have a walk with Jesus that provokes people to jealousy or if you’re the kind of Christian who causes people to hate Christianity. That’s not up to anybody else.

 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” – Luke 6:38

This verse says it’s not up to God – it’s up to you – to determine how much of the Kingdom you get into your life. God has already said, “Yes,” and your job is to say, “Amen,” because the Bible says the promises of God are “yes and amen.”

“Yes” is what God says. “Amen” or “let it be established” is how you and I need to respond. That means it’s one thing for God to reveal His plan to you. It is another thing for you to conform your life to the image of His plan. 

Heres a great example from the Bible. It’s one thing for King Jesus to give Judas the money bag. It’s another thing for Judas to start living like he’s not a thief anymore. Judas got as much Kingdom as he wanted, which was zero. 

Think about that. Jesus gave Judas the moneybag knowing he was a thief. He didn’t do that because He was ignorant or stupid. Jesus was giving Judas an opportunity to exercise his free will to choose Him. Judas was living epic on the outside, but on the inside, his walk was less than nominal. He chose poorly.

So, what is it? Epic or nominal? It’s up to you.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES EPIC

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RESPOND TO HIS LOVE

TODAY’S PROPHETIC THOUGHT

I know the real you. You cannot pretend with Me. I see you and I love you no matter what others say or believe. Surrender to me and I will bring you peace and belonging. Come to Me and I will give you rest.

RESPOND TO HIS LOVE

The same way you entered into salvation is the same way Jesus expects you to walk out your salvation the rest of your life. I love that.

You know, He wants you to respond to love. He wants you to respond to the passion of the Father that He has toward you. First love is truly knowing the heart of the Father for you. It’s about being restored and responding to God’s passion for us. 

First love is not about performance. It’s about the passion He has for His Son Jesus Christ being lived out through you. The Bible says when we trust Christ, symbolically and spiritually speaking, we are put into Christ and Christ is put into us.  

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name…” – John 1:12

There’s a transfer. Not only does His love transfer, His passion transfers from His Son to you and me. Another word for passion is “zeal.” Zeal is all about enthusiasm, eagerness, fervor, ardor and being committed in a crazy cool way.

If God is that passionate about us, our response should be full of passion. I don’t know about you, but I entered into salvation with eagerness to know God and I was committed to following Him the rest of my life. I’m still doing that.

What about you? Are you zealous for God? Look back at how you entered into the Kingdom and respond to His love because He is love.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – ALIGNMENT

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