Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 280

HOW DO YOU OBTAIN FAVOR?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

I have called you to follow Me. Let your highest goal this day be to be the servant of all. Knowing that in My love for you I will not withhold any good thing. Trust Me to meet every need you have today.

CELEBRATING WHAT HEAVEN CELEBRATES

The Bible says Jesus made Himself a man of no reputation. He didn’t care if He was a celebrity here on earth, He knew He was celebrated in heaven. And because He knew He was celebrated in heaven, He carried out the plan.

“But [Jesus] made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…” –Philippians 2:7

I want you to think about all the forms He could have taken; banker, rock star, earthly king – you fill in the blank. Why would He choose to move in the form of a servant? Because He needed favor and He needed to grow in favor. 

While He was 100 percent God, He was also 100 percent man. The things He did on earth He didn’t do it as God. He acted as a man in perfect relationship with God. He came to show us what we could do. Amen. He had to obtain favor and how did He obtain favor? Through becoming a servant.

I have tested this and it has never failed me: The way to the throne room is through the servants quarters. People who hang around me have to be servants. My team does not have everything figured out. We are in way over our heads. We have to have favor. We have to have divine advantage. 

How we grow in and obtain favor through serving.

Sometimes we think because we’re not much on this planet that we’re not much in heaven, and that’s not true. Heaven’s rockstars are servants. Here on earth, people celebrate stuff that just doesn’t matter. We don’t remember the last five people on the moon, or the last five Miss Americas because it doesn’t impact us personally. Make an impact. Serve someone and gain in favor today.  

“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” –Mark 9:35

 FROM MY SERMON SERIES SERVOLUTION

The post HOW DO YOU OBTAIN FAVOR? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

I have not given you spirit of confusion. That “gift” comes from my enemy. Do not fall victim to false teachings. Develop a personal relationship with Me through My Son Jesus. I have many things to teach you. Are you ready?

WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

Jesus is just so awesome. His goodness can show up in any situation. This whole thing about “if it’s God it will happen and if it’s not God it’s not going to happen” is a trick that the devil uses to make people reject God. 

Know this and it’s very biblical: God does not always get His way. WHAT?!?

He will once Jesus comes back and takes dominion over His creation, but right now, He’s turned all that over to us. He wants to partner through us to bring heaven into this earth. 

If you’re too busy trying to get to heaven, if you aren’t sure you’re even saved, you won’t be the kind of Christian that brings heaven to this earth. You’ll be sitting on your blessed assurance thinking that God is actively making things happen in your life when He’s not.

Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men…And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.” – Acts 5:34-35, 38-39

People quote that and say, “See, it’s in the Bible.” And I say, “It’s in the Bible, but it’s a Pharisee saying that.” The enemy of God says, “If it’s a God thing it will happen. If it’s not a God thing, it won’t happen.”

Just because Joe Schmo or even that famous preacher says, “It’s in the Bible,” don’t be fooled by them. Get your Bible out. Dust it off. Read it for yourself. Read the context. Who’s speaking? Who’s he speaking to? Be led by the Spirit of God.

Proverbs 4:7 is clear, sort of. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” Chew on that for a bit.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES BEGAT

The post WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

DO YOU WANT TO BE ALIGNED FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

Awaken, oh sleeper! I’m calling on you to pursue your passions – for Me and the purposes I’ve set aside for you. Seek Me and you’ll find deep revelation as well as deep meaning for your life.

BUTTER IS BETTER

There’s stuff you can do in summer that you can’t do in fall. There are things you can’t do in winter that you can do in spring. It’s all about timing. We need to be in alignment with God’s timing and seasons so we can be motivated for Kingdom purposes. 

You and I are not going to sit in the nose-bleed section and watch what God does from afar. We’re actually going to get engaged in ministry and people’s lives. The Bible says to “take up” things. That means to actually put your hands on it, walk in it, and to get engaged.

Because of this, at the beginning of each year, I seek the Lord for prophetic directives and phrases. The book of Psalms is full of prophetic phrases and dramatically crafted expressions of language. Why is that? Because God wants you to be able to take a phrase and use it like a headline or bullet point. The more you chew on it, the more of the actual article you discover. You’re “taking it up.”

For me, a big prophetic phrase out of the book of Psalms is “my feet drip with butter.” What?! As I chewed on this, researched it, and “took it up,” I discovered that it means everywhere I go, I am leaving tracks that look like the goodness of God. Butter always represents goodness and the best things in life. 

When the Father showed everybody the Promised Land, He called it a land “flowing with milk and with honey.” The word “milk” is actually the word “butter.” It is a land flowing with butter and with honey. 

As I chewed on this further, I discovered butter has to be produced, and it is produced by human beings in cooperation with cows. That means “taking it up” or engaging in something. When we go after these things, when we pursue God and stay motivated in the right season, there is an alignment for our Kingdom assignment that cannot be stopped. 

Do you want that – alignment for assignment? Consider the season you’re in. Seek the Lord and ask for a word. He’ll give you one, you know. He’ll speak and if you line up with Him, you’ll be neck deep in your destiny because butter is always better. Always.

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another. – Romans 14:9

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – ALIGNMENT

The post DO YOU WANT TO BE ALIGNED FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

WHERE IS YOUR THOUGHT LIFE?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

You cannot imagine or dream all the plans I have for you. Plans for good. Set your mind on Me this day, not on what you see. Walk by faith not by sight in expectation of all I have planned for you.

GOD THOUGHTS

You get Jesus into any situation by serving Him in that situation. If you don’t feel like God is within your thought life, start actively serving God in it. Get very intentional about what you do    and don’t allow your mind to dwell on.   

Every action is first a thought. Our thoughts decide who we serve. If I fill my mind with “me, myself and I,” who am I serving in my thoughts but myself? I can choose what thoughts I want to fill my days and I have decided to choose well. 

Graham Cooke says, “If you have a thought that’s plaguing you, have a different thought.” “But Pastor Troy, I don’t have the power to do that.” Who told you that you don’t have the power to change your thoughts? You do!

“Well, Pastor Troy, I can’t help how I feel.” My friend, you might not be able to help how you feel, but you can help how you think – and how you think determines how you feel.

When I was a young man and noticed a beautiful woman, the Lord taught me very early to pray for her, “Save her from my lust, Lord.” You have authority within this stuff. You don’t have to just let it control you. 

Pray for the people you’re having a problem with whether it’s lust, anger, bitterness, jealousy – whatever!  Don’t try to hide your darker thoughts from God. Take them to Him so He can lock them away where they belong. 

“…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” – 2 Corinthians 10:5

FROM MY SERMON NOTES SERVOLUTION

The post WHERE IS YOUR THOUGHT LIFE? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU!

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

I sent my Son to sacrifice Himself for you. I call you to sacrifice yourselves for revival! It’s not about you. It’s about who I can touch through you. Be a way for Me to reach them. This is your purpose.

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

Revival is completely positioned around how awesome God is. So, if we’re going to bring on revival where all of a sudden the Spirit of God moves, something must be initiated with us that has everybody else wanting it too. 

Because revival is positioned around how awesome God is, it’s going to happen with the people whose hearts are positioned around His awesomeness. Your awareness of God’s goodness is a huge part of revival. If you don’t have a value for the Spirit moving now, you will miss the revival then. 

You have to have the power of God in your life. You have to be more in love with Jesus this week than what you were last week.

You focus on the presence of God. You protect the presence of God. Once this revival starts, you will have to protect it. The supernatural fire comes from heaven, but it’s the job of the priests of the house to keep the fire going. 

The Old Testament is clear: fire falls on sacrifice. What is sacrifice? It is selflessness. The opposite of revival is when Philistine spirit rises up and wants us to dwell on our past and forget about what a big deal it is to be in the presence of God. 

The word “Philistine” means “to roll in the dust” or “to wallow in self.” Self-pity, self-promotion, self-righteousness, self-preservation – any word that starts with self – all equal selfishness. There’s no such thing as revival falling on people who are selfish, so get over yourself and focus on getting people saved. 

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. – Philippians 4:3

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – REVIVAL

The post IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

TIME TO GET RID OF STINKING THINKING!

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

I Am a merciful God. I love you way too much to cause you pain. I will never cause you heartache, but I will be there for you when life does. Stick close to Me. I’ve got you. I have a plan.

POWER, PRESENCE, PROMISE AND POTENTIAL

While God will always keep His promises to us, He does not always promise our potential. There’s a difference between the promises of God and our potential. He stays true to His promises because that’s on Him, but our potential is on us. That right there makes religious people mad. This is in direct contradiction to what “religion” teaches. 

Know this: what the Bible teaches is not what religion teaches. The Bible teaches that the power, the presence, and the promises of God are in Heaven. The potential for those things to be made manifest is on earth.

What happens in heaven – God’s will – doesn’t always happen on earth and there’s a lot that happens on earth that doesn’t happen in heaven. There’s no cancer in heaven. There’s no racism or slavery in heaven. 

Between heaven and earth, there is a whole lot of warfare over God’s will being done on this earth.

Religion will tell you if it’s God, it will happen and if it’s not God, it won’t happen. People come to conclusions from that stinking-thinking that it’s God’s will for people to have cancer. It’s God’s will that slavery exists. It is not, my friends.

The Lord is teaching us through our storms and trials, but don’t blame Him for the bad things.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

Not “some” things, ALL things. God allows bad things to happen in our lives, but you can bet your money-maker He also provides the strength and endurance to make it to the other side. Give the devil a black-eye by using a bad situation to help someone else. He hates that.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES BEGAT

The post TIME TO GET RID OF STINKING THINKING! appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

BLESSED IN A MESS?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

I love you too much to leave you the way you are. I have so much more for you, but the only way to get it is to conform to the image of My plan. While this can be painful and challenging, the results will be worth it.

MESSIAH IN THE MESS

To say that Jesus shows up in a mess is an understatement. Not only did He show up at a time when Israel was ruled by an Edomite by the name of Herod, He makes His entrance in the middle of an epic scandal.

Because she’s obedient to her identity and purpose, Mary has to tell Joseph she’s pregnant, but it’s a God thing. And Joseph thinks that’s whack. Can any man imagine being engaged to somebody and she showed up pregnant, says she didn’t cheat on you, but it’s a God-thing? Would that fly? 

No, it wouldn’t and it didn’t fly with Joseph. What we like to call “the Christmas story” has a whole lot of messes in it. The very first mess is that Mary is pregnant. Although Joseph gets on board after an angel backs Mary’s story, the entire thing is filled with shame and scandal.

Miraculously pregnant through supernatural circumstances and in very real danger, Mary’s family sends her off to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth is an old woman miraculously pregnant through natural circumstances. 

So, they’re both miraculously pregnant and that’s another part of the Christmas story: sometimes it’s just as miraculous when God moves through natural things as when He moves supernaturally. Although one can be explained the other one can’t – both are supernatural.

And both of these miracles showed up in a messy time in a messy place when the nation was under godless, foreign rule, the rich should have been poor, and the poor should have been royalty. Having a child at Elizabeth’s age was scandalous, and being pregnant before the wedding was beyond scandal – shunning was a certainty and stoning was a possibility.

Just know this: God was in it the whole time and called it awesome. You see, you don’t get blessed without a mess. We grow, change, and find our destiny by going through the fire. We earn favor through difficulty. Whether Jesus shows up to you in a natural miracle or a supernatural one isn’t the point. The point is, He’ll show up.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. – Isaiah 7:14

FROM MY SERMON SERIES INDESCRIBABLE

The post BLESSED IN A MESS? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

SERVING IS POWER!

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

Today I have gone before you. Choose to follow Me Knowing I have tailor-made this day to show you Myself and My love for you. As you serve others you are really serving Me.

SERVING IS POWER

I believe in preaching the Gospel and it is powerful. The upgrade of preaching the Gospel is demonstrating the Gospel. Jesus did not only come to preach the Gospel but to demonstrate the power of serving by healing the sick, setting the captive free, giving sight to the blind, thus showing us what the upgrade looks like.

Serving is power because serving is demonstrating.

The Corinthians expected Paul to be a rockstar, but they were really disappointed in him. He wasn’t enjoyable to look at. He wasn’t much fun to be around. What? The guy grew up a Pharisee and he was no fun to be around!? Who knew! 

Furthermore, they expected him to be this awesome preacher and he didn’t live up to their expectations. Paul says it this way:  

“…my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…” – 1 Corinthians 2:4

He’s like, “You missed the upgrade because of my silly stupid voice. You couldn’t get past it and you missed it.” By the way, the Acts 20:9-10 says as Paul was preaching and there was a brother sitting in the window asleep. He fell, broke his neck and died. Man, that stopped a church service! 

But in true demonstration of the Gospel, Paul walked over and raised him up from the dead. Now that will get your attention!

Paul was a great writer, but he was probably not a very good speaker. He basically tells them, “I didn’t come to you with words, but I’m going to blow your mind by showing you what I’m preaching about. Serving is power because serving is demonstrating.”

Serving and selflessness are where the love of God is. The love of God changes everything. It’s powerful. The power of God is revealed in the context of serving. I believe with all my heart that as the Church returns to serving, the miraculous will return too. Let’s trust God to show us opportunities to serve today. 

FROM MY SERMON SERIES SERVOLUTION

The post SERVING IS POWER! appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

WHAT AREAS OF YOUR HEART ARE NOT SUBMITTED TO HIS KINGDOM?

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

Know that I am for you. Trust Me to establish My kingdom in your heart. Commit all your ways to Me and watch Me do beyond all you could ever ask, think or even dream. Trust Me, I’ve got you and will never let you go.

A ROYAL SUBJECT?

You can’t bring the Kingdom into bad situations if you’re not a subject of the Kingdom. The first place the Kingdom of God needs to show up is within us before it can show up in the world.  Before His will can be done on earth as it is done in heaven, the King has to reign in our hearts.

“For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”—Luke 17:21

Being a subject of the Kingdom means you’re willing to do whatever the Kings tells you. You “subject” yourself to the king. The Kingdom in your heart is that place where you know His ways are better than yours.  

It’s where you know He is way smarter than you and His plans are better than yours. The kingdom is the place in your life where you get it – you’re not God and Jesus Christ is. You need to be subject to Him as King because it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you His kingdom.

Do you really believe that all He does is good? That what He is asking you to do will result in your highest good and He can be trusted with your life? 

You cannot submit to a king you don’t believe is good. You cannot follow Him until you trust and believe in Him with all your heart. What areas of your heart are not submitted to His kingdom?

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”—Matthew 7:21

In short, the Kingdom is where the King has dominion, and that’s where things are finally right.  If you’ve got the Kingdom in your marriage, finances, relationship with your kids or co-workers, that means Jesus rules, reigns and things are wonderful. Let’s line up with His will and believe  His kingdom has come. 

FROM THE SERMON SERIES FIRST THINGS

The post WHAT AREAS OF YOUR HEART ARE NOT SUBMITTED TO HIS KINGDOM? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.

EMBRACE THE THIRD STAGE

TODAY’S PROPHETIC WORD

Although I Am the same yesterday, today and forever, I love progression. The crown of My creation, you were made to progress. As you increase in understanding and experience of Me, call out to the deep for newness. I will answer.

EMBRACE THE THIRD STAGE

You know I love numbers and the way God uses them to speak to us. We know the number three represents perfect completion. I love that third stage place. That’s one of my favorite numerical things to talk about. Not the inner court, not the outer court but the Most Holy Place. 

Not just faith and hope, but actually love. I don’t want to be 30-fold or 60-fold. I want to be a 100-fold Christian. The third level brings it all together. It’s absolute, total, perfect.

Now, I’m not saying I have achieved any of those things, “but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and I press forward to the high calling which is in Christ Jesus.” Amen. That’s what Paul was talking about. We need to go after something higher and deeper.

When we go from the first stage to the second, that’s newness. We’ve never been at that level before. Just like that, getting to the third stage is also newness. In the Kingdom, newness and transformation go together. You just cannot have one without the other.

As you step into something new – a prophetic lifestyle, relationship, or a ministry that God’s been calling you to – if you’re willing to progress, transformation is the result. You won’t be the same person you were before. Still, you can’t stay there. There is more of Jesus to discover and experience, just as there is more of your destiny to discover. Psalms puts it this way:

Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. – Psalms 42:7

Can your life ever be the same once the breakers of God’s love and plan for you have swept you away from the shore? Don’t fear. Embrace the newness of progression and the transformation it brings. Go after that third stage.

FROM MY SERMON SERIES PRAY FOR RAIN – NEWNESS

The post EMBRACE THE THIRD STAGE appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.