Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 324
July 27, 2017
WHY ASK WHY?
God is speaking to you in many different ways. He will give a confirming word to you by two or three witnesses. Incline your ear to hear what the Lord is saying.
WHY ASK WHY?
As a Christian, I find myself connected to the pain and grief of those around me. As a Texan, I find myself in unwanted territory more times than I can count. In those tough places, you will never find the right answers if you are intent on asking the wrong questions.
This crazy world produces so many curveballs and blind-sided ninja slaps that it becomes easy to think we need to know the answers.
When it comes to life’s big questions, if you are not careful, you will find yourself stuck on a question you can’t get past. Like a needle stuck in a scratch of an old record, you repeat, “Why, why, why, why?”
Know this: why is the wrong question. You can never expect an answer when you demand to know “why” from your Creator. Though you may feel you have the right to ask the why’s of life, the truth is that why is an invalid question. Asking invalid questions over and over will make you invalid, or paralyzed, unable to move forward or progress.
As God pointed out to Job, you and I are not qualified to ask the why’s of life. Until you can wrap your head around the mysteries of the universe, you are simply not capable of understanding the why answers.
The bottom line is this: Until you are eligible to ask why, it just isn’t productive to demand a question when there is no way you could possibly swallow the answer.
Instead, try asking “What does this mean?” or “What do I do with this?” God can work with that and you’ll likely get an answer that will lead you to upgrade.
“Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.”
– Job 38:2-4
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO STOP ASKING “WHY.” INSTEAD, FOCUS ON WHAT GOD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU AND HOW YOU CAN WORK WITH HIM FOR A POSITIVE OUTCOME.
From my book Best of the Brewer
The post WHY ASK WHY? appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.
July 26, 2017
IN YOUR DREAMS!
Be intentional about getting quiet before the Lord. He is speaking to you even now if you will listen with your heart.
IN YOUR DREAMS!
For those of you who know me well, you know my head is always jumping from one thought to another. I have a classic case of ADHD and have had to learn a valuable life skill to be able to go after every upgrade I’ve gotten. I’ve had to learn how to think as I drift off to sleep.
Yes, it’s important to train your mind how to think as you go to sleep. It’s a valuable skill to teach yourself to think about the things God would have you think about when you’re alone inside your head. Instead of just jumping from one random thought to the next, get peace from the presence of God.
There are things that God would love to speak into your life, but you are never going to hear them if you don’t learn how to get still. This is exactly what the Bible means when it says,
“Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still.”
– Psalm 4:4
If you are going to have peace in your sleep, you are going to have to get a Soul Invasion and let Jesus tell your thoughts the same thing He told the wind and waves over 2,000 years ago: “Peace, be still!”
Put your mental remote down and quit changing the channel! Meditate and focus your attention on the last thing God showed you from His word. Think on the lesson He taught you that day. Stay there and ask Him to speak to you. When you go after peace – when you get still and small – you can hear that still, small voice that Elijah heard.
What is God saying to your heart? What is He saying about your next upgrade or your destiny? You might never know if you can’t get still.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO TRAIN YOUR MIND TO BE STILL. LET THE PRINCE OF PEACE INTO YOUR THOUGHTS AS YOU LAY IN BED AND MEDITATE ON HIS WORD AS YOU DRIFT OFF. IT WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IF YOUR HEART CAN COMMUNE WITH HIS!
From my book: Soul Invasion
The post IN YOUR DREAMS! appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.
July 25, 2017
THE BEST OF INTENTIONS
God is inviting you into a new place of intentionality. Where before, things were chaotic, now you will walk in a newness of intentionally fighting the right battles!
THE BEST OF INTENTIONS
Overcomers finish strong, and you, my friend, are an overcomer. If you are born of God, a follower of Jesus Christ, you have no other option than to overcome the hell Satan throws at you in this life.
Paul saw plenty of hell on earth. Roman beatings, imprisonment, sickness, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst. I’m sure the greatest pain he bore was watching loved ones turning not only away from him, but away from Paul’s beloved Jesus.
Remember, Paul saw Jesus face to face on the road to Damascus. He knows that he knows that Jesus is God. How painful to know something is real and true, but those you love reject it and you!
Despite this, Paul says something amazing at the end of his life.
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
– 2 Timothy 4:6-7
Paul knows he’s fought hard. He’s battled man’s will and wrath. He overcame Satan’s attacks. He even outlasted his own imperfect self – that thorn in his flesh that haunted his thoughts.
Yes, the good fight is one that you win, and believe me, Paul won his race to fulfill his destiny – his purpose in life. This verse is truly about Paul’s big finish.
Paul didn’t finish big just because he was chosen by God to carry the message of Jesus to the Gentiles. Samson was chosen, but failed miserably. Paul could say he fought the good fight because it had been his intention for decades to do so. Decades!
He worked hard toward his goal and, as God promised, he reaped what he sowed – victory! If Paul had not been intentional, determined and dogged that he was going to be a drop-dead, sold-out Jesus freak to the end, his finish might have been different.
That’s the message today. Be intentional about following Jesus. Be determined to bring others to salvation. Doggedly go after any and all Godly things. Make a plan and map out your life for your big finish.
You have one, you know. There is a big finish waiting for you. You just have to claim it today and, like Paul, chase after your purpose to the finish line.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF YOUR RACE. GO THAT EXTRA MILE IN BEING INTENTIONAL WITH GOD’S LOVE FOR OTHERS.
From my book LIVING LIFE FORWARD
The post THE BEST OF INTENTIONS appeared first on Troy Brewer Ministries.
July 24, 2017
TIME TRAVELER’S LOOK AT THE CROSS
Today is the day to serve the Lord out of your overflow. You are blessed to be a blessing. Find your area of fruitfulness, or overflow, and make a point to sow into other’s lives. God will bless you more and more in return!
TIME TRAVELER’S LOOK AT THE CROSS
I would love to go back through time and actually witness Jesus on earth. He was God in the flesh, not God pretending to be a man.
Would I be able to talk to Him since I don’t speak Hebrew? Maybe I would be an observer, a fly on the wall. If I were, I would want to see the feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus walking on water.
Calming the storm would be cool. So would watching Jesus defend the woman caught in the act. What did you write in the dirt, Jesus?
Though I would love to be there in the upper room when He walked through the wall and fulfilled His promise to the hopeless, I think I would love to be there the day He died. I would like to encourage Him somehow. Give Him a drink, help Simon of Cyrene carry the timbers – anything to ease His pain.
Oh, if I could just see the one face yelling, “Thank you, Jesus” in the midst of the many shouting for His death. I would tell Him, “You can do this! It’s not always going to be like this. This one day changes everything, Lord.”
A few years back in my prayer time, I was complaining to God about my lack of a time machine to do such a thing. “Lord I want to come and love on you when you were hurting so bad,” I said.
In an instant, in a way only God can, I felt God speak a word into my heart. “You already do and have many times.” I knew right away He was talking about Matthew 25.
“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
– Matthew 25:44-45
Come to find out, I’ve done a lot of time traveling these past 30-plus years. What about you? Have you clothed Jesus? Have you fed Him, encouraged Him, visited Him in the nursing home, hospital or prison?
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO ENCOURAGE AND LOVE ON JESUS. LOVE ON THOSE ONLY HE LOVES AND MAKE YOUR SAVIOR’S DAY!
From my book Best of the Brewer
July 23, 2017
LET’S GET SMALL!
God is ready to speak to you as you seek Him. Look for His voice in the everyday things around you. Listen for Him to speak to your heart in His still, small voice.
LET’S GET SMALL
Americans spend millions trying to get smaller on crash diets, gym memberships and treadmills. All the while, they never consider a serious workout that will not only make them great, but smaller in their own eyes.
And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.
– 1 Kings 19:11-12
The still, small voice described in this passage is more than a description of the voice of God. It is also a description of the heart that is able to hear that voice.
If you and I want to be people who know the heart of God within our own hearts and minds, we are going to have to learn to get still and small.
Getting still is a matter of prioritizing your relationship with Jesus in such a way that you are willing to take time to be with Him. That means, instead of getting busy with the next thing, you are looking to see where God’s will and word is in the midst of your daily life. Remember, He doesn’t say, “Know that I am God.” He says, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Bottom line: prioritize God in the midst of your busyness. If you seek Him, you will find Him even in your messy day. Just get still and small, like His voice. Let your pride and your sense of self-importance go. Chase after Jesus. Call on His name. Ask to see His glory. He cannot resist a true seeker!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO CALL ON THE LORD. GET STILL AND SMALL, JUST LIKE HIS VOICE, AND SEARCH OUT HIS GLORY!
From my book: Soul Invasion
July 22, 2017
PREPARED FOR YOUR LAST CHAPTER?
Keep your momentum moving forward! You will scale mountains like it’s a valley and kill giants that are in your way as you run with full force toward your destiny!
PREPARED FOR YOUR LAST CHAPTER?
The Bible calls you a Living Epistle (2 Corinthians 3:2). This means you are a walking book, a living testament being written by God. Before your last chapter has finished into the grand masterpiece that blows heaven’s mind, you will already know how it’s going to end.
It will end with great victory.
Your story will not be a sad one filled with great exploits, but ending with failure. Yours will be glorious because you are purposing, right this very day, to finish well.
Like a modern Tom Sawyer, I know you are ready for your next big adventure. Just like Mark Twain’s masterpiece, yours too will have a great ending.
“But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally, she’s going to adopt me and civilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before.”
– Last line of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Don’t go back to where you were. Continue forward! Continue to go after destiny and quit living in your history. Strive for upgrade after upgrade. Go from deep unto deep chasing after the Lord’s purpose for your life – leading people to Christ.
When you finally finish accomplishing vision, killing giants, slaying dragons and mapping it out for others behind you, look for me. I’ll be there in that incredible place with the most interesting man in the world – Jesus. I will see you on that great day and we will celebrate together.
Until then, keep the faith and purpose to bring a bunch of people with you. The lost need found, so get to it!
Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
– Hebrews 12:3
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY. WORK TOWARD YOUR BIG FINISH AND NEVER LOOK BACK. YOUR HISTORY IS NOTHING COMPARED TO YOUR DESTINY!
From my book Living Life Forward
July 21, 2017
THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
God is ready and waiting to answer you. As He reveals Himself to you He will confirm His word by two or three witnesses. Stay alert!
THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
“Why” is never a good question to ask God. When you ask why, it is connected to your pain or grief from a personal hurt. He’s not going to answer that. He didn’t for Job.
In Acts chapter 2, we have the true account of the supernatural power of God’s Holy Spirit descending on believers at the day of Pentecost. There, within the text, are at least two of the right questions we should be asking.
The first is “What does this mean?” The second is “What should I do?”
Now, “What does this mean?” is a question for big picture thinkers. It’s attached to God’s purpose for your life.
Likewise, “What should I do?” is attached to humility and adds legs to your faith. These are valid questions for people looking for the true answers to life’s questions.
In your short lifespan, there’s no time for the why’s of life. They just paralyze you and get you stuck because you and I cannot process the answer. Knowing the why’s of life is for later, when we “know as we are known.” That’s in Heaven.
Until then, you are offered the person of Jesus Christ as the very answer to all of life’s riddles and questions. It’s an offer only a fool would refuse.
There’s nothing wrong with asking questions as long as you do not use questions to oppose God in your thinking. This is the reason “why” never works.
Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace.
– Romans 14:19
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO CHANGE YOUR THINKING. DON’T ASK WHY. INSTEAD, ASK “WHAT CAN I DO?” THE ANSWER WILL AMAZE YOU!
From my book Best of the Brewer
July 20, 2017
BATTLE MOUTH
The battlefield is in the mind, but the victory comes through your mouth! Speak life and see what the Lord will do!
BATTLE MOUTH
One of the most important strategies God gives us for overcoming anything – even our own minds – is learning the discipline of speaking right words.
If you’re honest, you will come to the conclusion that you don’t know how to speak right words automatically. The impulse to speak is always carnal in nature and filthy in substance. Just like any other part of our walk, we have to be taught. If we are going to be taught by the Lord, we first have to be teachable people.
If you don’t know what to say, you’re in good company. When the Great I Am first introduced Himself to Moses and imparted his personal destiny to him, Moses made that objection that he didn’t know what to say or even how to say it.
Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”
So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
– Exodus 4:10-12
When you are real with God about your mouth, He will be real with you. He was with Moses. In fact, if you will give Him an “ear to hear” on this subject, He will “teach you what you shall say.”
You see, God admits to creating the mute, the deaf, the seeing and the blind. Why? For His glory! If they were created to bring God glory, so was your mouth.
It’s time to go to war and win the battle for your tongue. It starts with your mind, then makes the three inch drop to your mouth. Remember, before anything can be set into order, certain things have to be spoken, so speak life over yourself! Speak victory over your mind. Speak faith and trust over your heart.
Then, when the enemy attacks – and he will attack all day every day – you will be prepared to win the fight for your mind and your mouth. The very words you speak will either attract goodness or bring wrath. Choose goodness!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GIVE GOD CONTROL OF YOU MIND AND YOUR MOUTH. SPEAK WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT, VICTORY AND TRUTH OVER YOURSELF AND OTHERS. THE DEVIL HATES THAT BUT GOD LOVES IT!
From my book: Soul Invasion
July 19, 2017
DON’T BE A SAMSON!
Determine to focus on Jesus and His destiny for your life. Make it your purpose to finish well. The Lord has equipped you with everything you need to finish well.
DON’T BE A SAMSON!
Samson was an amazing human being. Anointed by God as a warrior whose destiny was to wipe out the evil Philistines and free the Hebrews from slavery, Samson was given supernatural strength and speed.
Among Samson’s exploits, he tore a lion apart with his bare hands, caught 300 foxes and tied their tails together; slaughtered 1,000 men with a donkey’s jawbone; and finally, he pushed down the pillars holding up the Philistine temple, killing 3,000 people and himself.
Samson is even listed in the Hebrews 11 Faith Hall of Fame.
Now, you may have heard it preached that he finished well. A lot of people believe that because of how he died. This is how the Bible puts it:
“Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus, he killed many more when he died than while he lived.
– Judges 16:30
Let me humbly say that, as much as I love Samson, it is never a good thing when your nation is better off with you dead.
Samson was out of control. He was so out of tune with his great purpose, so stuck on himself, that his last prayer mentions “me,” “I” and “mine” no less than seven times.
Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”
– Judges 16:28
Yes, a bad ending tends to ruin a good movie. It definitely ruins a legacy, especially when his was a life that was anointed by the Lord.
To finish well, you must walk out your destiny. You cannot leave that unfinished, and Samson did. Even the Angel of the Lord, announcing Samson’s miraculous birth, knew he would do great things, but lose focus and twist off.
“… for the child shall be called a Nazarite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”
– Judges 13:5
Samson did not vanquish the enemy. It took 400 years of additional slavery to these monsters before a red-headed son of a sheep farmer named David finished the task.
Because he was a man of destiny, David left his son, Solomon, 40 years of peace and paved the way for the actual Prince of Peace.
Are you a peacemaker? Do you bring Jesus into ugly situations and shine light into darkness? If you do, don’t just do it for a season. Be like David. Finish well.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO CONSIDER YOUR LEGACY. DETERMINE YOU WILL NOT FALL OUT OR LOSE FOCUS. THE SALVATION OF MANY IS IN YOUR HANDS!
From my book Living Life Forward
July 18, 2017
RETURN OF THE CLASSIC!
Eternal life is to know God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and that time is now. Don’t wait to walk in eternal life when you die. Instead, press in and hear God speaking to you right here, right now. That’s real life, eternal life!
RETURN OF THE CLASSIC
For years, Coke was known as “The Real Thing.” In 1985, Coke was starting to lose the cola war to Pepsi, so they ditched the original formula for something a little more marketable. Millions were spent on the promotion of New Coke.
The outcry that followed was so incredible, they halted production the very same week it was released to the public. For all you youngsters, that’s how Coke Classic was born. They reintroduced the original recipe.
Revisiting a classic is always risky. While the original Star Wars was so cool when it first came out, the special effects haven’t stood the test of time. It’s pretty cheesy compared to more recent prequels.
The Brewer (that’s me) subscribes to classic Christianity. You know, the kind that says it’s not about your history – it’s all about your destiny. It says you have the hope of heaven and the freedom to pursue abundant life like only the guy who slapped death in the face can offer.
I think classic Christianity is totally fixated on the intimate, personal, ongoing encounter with the King of the universe and the result is never ending transformation into better and better.
You see, classic Christianity boils down to this: I have a problem and Jesus Christ is the solution. Once I cease to be the problem, I get to play a vital role in carrying out the solution for others!
Know this: a return to classic Christianity is not a return to past methods and dead doctrine. That’s the “New Coke” version of Christianity – the new formula that doesn’t taste right and isn’t refreshing. Go after “the real thing.”
The real thing is Jesus! The reality is God became man, taught us about the Father and His love for us, and sacrificed Himself on a cross to fulfill our broken covenant with God. Jesus was buried and tortured in Hell in our place, only to rise again to life so that we can have ticket out of hell and a way into Heaven. Drink that in!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God… And the Word became fish and dwelt among us…
– John 1:1 & 14
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GO AFTER WHAT’S REAL – A GOD WHO LOVES YOU AND WANTS TO GIVE YOU ABUNDANT LIFE ON EARTH AND ETERNITY IN HIS PRESENCE IN HEAVEN. NOW THAT’S REFRESHMENT!
From my Book Best of the Brewer
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