Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 327
June 27, 2017
FOLLOW PAUL
You are an overcomer. You will not fall out or lose focus because you know the ending: we win! Continue to be a person of destiny by testifying to a good God.
FOLLOW PAUL
If there is anyone in the Bible who could have twisted off and not fulfilled God’s big plan for his life, it’s Paul.
Paul was the elite of the Jewish people. Good family, top notch religious education – his pedigree was beyond compare. He left it all to follow the Jewish carpenter whose death he helped call for. He gave it all up to become one of the men he tried so hard to stamp out.
Paul traded earthly comfort and notoriety for Roman beatings, imprisonment, shipwrecks, exiles, hunger, thirst and even stoning – yes, the brother was stoned by an angry mob and lived to tell about it!
Did Paul hate his captors? Did he revile the Roman soldiers who whipped him or pray against those hurling rocks and calling for his death?
There is no record that Paul did anything but love and try to bring the Gospel of Jesus to those who spitefully persecuted him. Why? Because that was his destiny. Guess what? That’s your destiny too!
Your purpose on this earth is not to make a lot of money, have a nice house, go on vacations with your kids and show up at church on Sundays. Your purpose is to bring people with you into the Kingdom of Heaven.
At the end of your life, do you want a big finish, or do you want to go out in a whimper of regret?
Paul went out with a bang and he didn’t go alone!
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
– 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Paul wasn’t only concerned about his big finish, he was also concerned about yours. You see, it wasn’t all about him and he knew it. For Paul, just as it was for Jesus, it was about you and me.
Can you say that about your walk with Jesus? Is it just about you, or is it about making an impact for the Kingdom by sharing the Gospel?
For me, it’s about impact. I’m determined not to show up in Heaven alone. I’m determined to snatch as many people as I can out of Satan’s grip on my way to glory. Join me!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DETERMINE TO FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE. BRING SOMEONE INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. FOLLOW PAUL’S EXAMPLE AND FIGHT FOR THE SOULS OF THE LOST.
From my book LIVING LIFE FORWARD
June 26, 2017
A TRIP TO SMALLVILLE
You have already made a bigger impact than you know. Be still and know that He is God. He will use you for big things if you stay humble and give Him the glory.
A TRIP TO SMALLVILLE
It was prophetic that the place I was camping was balled Big Bend National Park. It’s the place where I first got a revelation of God’s still, small voice and what John the Baptist meant when he said, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Anything I had known of this spiritual truth flew out my tent as God downloaded a brand new revelation into my life.
It was the first time I had fasted for 30 days and I wanted to spend the last part of it in a tent, way out in the middle of nowhere. I had never sought the Lord in such a radical way, and consequently, He showed up in a more radical way then He ever had before.
While reading the Word by my flashlight, the Lord began to whisper something in my spirit that would change my life forever: “The smaller you get, Troy, the more I will use you.”
Jesus confirmed this word by showing me the nine small things He used to do great things in the book of Judges. Remember, nine represents judgment.
1) In chapter 3, God uses the weak, left hand of a man from the smallest tribe of Israel to kill the most powerful king who had ever ruled over Israel. He did it all under the guise of a simple present.
2) In Judges 3:31, God uses a simple ox goad in the hand of a guy named Shamgar to slay 600 Philistines. Now, that’s a killer cattle prod!
3) In chapter 4, He uses a little lady by the name of Deborah to encourage and lead the people into war against a cavalry of 900 chariots.
4) In verses 15-17, they win big, but the Philistine captain escapes. He runs into the tent of a woman named Jael. One bad mama, Jael gives this exhausted man a whole bottle of fresh milk, which spikes his blood sugar and causes him to fall asleep so she can drive a tent spike right through his head.
5) In Chapter 6, we have the account of another little person with a big destiny – Gideon. Trembling and afraid, Gideon leads an army of 300 against thousands where God shows up big and smites the enemy.
6 and 7) In Judges 9:22-49, wicked Abimelech rules certain cities with an iron fist. He kills his own people, burns down towers and lays waste to strongholds. While he is trying to bring down another tower, a tiny woman leans over the edge and drops a small piece of millstone on his head. He turns to his fellow rapists and pillagers begging, “Please kill me before I die, so that it won’t be said that I died at the hand of a woman!”
8) In chapter 11, God used Jephthah, the son of a harlot who had been rejected by the king and thrown out of the palace, to deliver and defeat God’s enemies in 20 cities. He rescued Israel and took back the Promised Land despite being a man of no real promise himself.
9) In Chapter 15, God uses the jawbone of a donkey in the hand of Samson to slay 1,000 enemies.
Why would God use these small items and insignificant people to deliver Israel? Because God was looking for optimum Glory!
This is what He is looking for in all of us and He is not asking too much. We must be willing to get small to be used by God in a great way. He does’t want to share the credit or the glory with anyone because He shouldn’t have to.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
– 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GET OUT OF GOD’S WAY AND GIVE HIM THE GLORY. THE SMALLER YOU BECOME, THE MORE HE CAN USE YOU FOR HIS PURPOSES, BUT THE GLORY IS HIS ALONE – NOT YOURS OR MINE!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 25, 2017
MURPHY’S LAW
If you want the devil to leave you alone, you have two choices, and you have to do both of them; submit to God and resist the devil. In that order. There is no commission to the mission without submission. Submission is where we get our strength for the storm of resisting the devil.
MURPHY’S LAW
When we think of “Murphy’s Law” we think of the phrase, “If it could go wrong, it will go wrong.” Well, today I’m talking about a different kind of Murphy’s Law – Audie Murphy’s law. If you don’t know who Audie Murphy is, he’s a Texan who had everything go against him, but emerged victorious.
During WWII, Murphy was a lieutenant in the Army stationed in France along the German border. In January 1945, his infantry company was besieged by six German tanks. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in the woods, but remained forward at his command post to give orders to his artillery gunners.
Already in harm’s way, Murphy jumped into action when the American tank behind him was hit and caught fire. It’s crew abandoned the burning hulk, but Murphy jumped onto it, using the 50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. Alone and exposed, standing on a ticking time bomb, his deadly fire killed dozens of enemy soldiers.
For an hour, the Germans tried every method of killing Lt. Murphy. He held his position and even wiped out a squad that was trying to out-flank him. Enemy fighters got as close as 10 yards from Murphy, only to be mowed down. At one point, he took a bullet to the leg and kept fighting.
Murphy eventually ran out of ammo, retreated to the woods and organized his men into a successful counter attack. One of his men called it “the greatest dIsplay of guts and courage I have ever seen.” He called Murphy “one in a million.” He truly was.
You see, I believe that God Almighty knew that most people would fail in that situation. He trusted Murphy with that assignment because he knew Murphy was an overcomer.
He knows that about you as well.
I believe there are situations that you don’t have a clue about that, if you are at the right place at the right time, you will make the right decision and you will prosper, prevail and flourish. God can be glorified, your testimony will remain intact and you will be blessed.
There are other situations that you would crash and burn, so to speak. God won’t give you those assignments. He knows you. One of the great things about walking with the Lord is that the longer you’re in His presence, the more you find yourself becoming an overcomer in circumstances you never thought possible.
As a Christian, He promises to lead you into better places. If He leads you there, His plan is for you to be victorious.
Now, I’m no Audie Murphy, but I am victorious. I don’t claim credit for it either. I’m just a guy who has walked with Jesus long enough to be taken into incredible places where the enemy should have defeated me, but didn’t. The Lord knows how to keep me out of places where I will mess up, so it’s best I let Him do the leading even if it’s onto a burning vehicle.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
– Psalm 23:1-5
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO FOLLOW WHERE THE LORD LEADS. IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, YOU ARE AN OVERCOMER AND WILL EXPERIENCE VICTORY IN SURPRISING PLACES.
From my book: Best of the Brewer
June 24, 2017
DOGGED DETERMINATION
Your Father God calls you a warrior. Fight for the heart of your King. You are already bringing Him glory. Battle on!
DOGGED DETERMINATION
The Apostle Paul knew his finish was good before he died. He even wrote that he “fought the good fight, finished the course and kept the faith.”
Not everyone can say they know how they are going to finish. Do you know why?
It’s because not everyone is intentional about finding their destiny in Christ. Churches are full of good people who have no idea how to map out a strategy to fulfill their life’s purpose. Heck, most of us don’t know what our purpose is!
Let me tell you this: Your purpose is not your job or your paycheck. Your purpose is not your family or your comfortable home. Your purpose is not to teach Sunday School or show up in church every Sunday with a smile. Those things are the tools you use to reach your purpose.
So what’s your purpose? To snatch, drag, tackle or lead lost people out of darkness and into light! People are dying out there, and many of us are more concerned about our tools. We need to get our eyes on the prize and be intentional.
Thirteen years before his big finish, Paul put it this way:
I am serious about finish well in my Christian ministry. I discipline myself for fear that after challenging others uno the Christian life, I myself might become a casualty.”
– 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 PTV (Pastor Troy Version)
Paul was like, “Look. I’m not going to be a world changer then collapse at the end of this thing.”
Paul actually disciplined himself toward his big finish. He predestined it through his dogged determination to follow Jesus no matter what!
Paul wasn’t just living life forward to get to heaven. He was fighting to bring heaven to earth for generations of people, Jew and Gentile. That’s you and me! The least we can do, heck the best that we can do, is follow his example!
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
– 1 Corinthians 9:24-27
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DOGGEDLY DETERMINE TO FULFILL YOUR DESTINY BY BRINGING OTHERS INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD. MAKE A PLAN OF ACTION, FOLLOW IT THROUGH AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
From my book Living Life Forward
June 23, 2017
A KINGDOM MENTALITY
God wants His Kingdom to come into your earth like it is in Heaven. You have a heavenly mandate. Be determined to stay the course. You are an important part of the tapestry of God.
A KINGDOM MENTALITY
Whether you know it or not, there is a battle going on for your mind. You see, whatever controls your mind, controls your words and your actions.
While the devil would love to control your thoughts, and tries to take your attention off the things of God, the Holy Spirit puts up a fight by reminding you who you are to God and how you fit into His kingdom.
You see, a kingdom mentality is one that says, “You are a valuable and privileged part of something much bigger than yourself.”
And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God…”
– Luke 8:10
A kingdom mentality is one that says, “You are a part of something special that will never end.”
…and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
– Luke 1:33
A kingdom mentality is also one that says, “You are in and you can never go back to what God has brought you out of.”
…And Jesus said unto him, “No man, having put his hands to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
– Luke 9:62
Do you have a kingdom mentality? Do you see yourself as a child of God, part of the family and a joint-heir with Jesus bringing heaven to earth? If not, get rid of your worldly, me-centered mentality and see what God’s plan for your life is. His way is always the best way!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO LET HIS KINGDOM COME AND HIS WILL BE DONE IN YOUR LIFE. COMMIT YOURSELF TO A KINGDOM MENTALITY. YOU ARE PART OF THE FAMILY. YES, YOU BELONG!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 22, 2017
THERE ARE NO VICTORIES AT BARGAIN PRICES
To compare is to covet. You do not need to covet where Father God is concerned. Know this: you have all His attention, all His love, all His favor and all of His Holy Spirit because they are endless. You don’t have to share Jesus!
THERE ARE NO VICTORIES AT BARGAIN PRICES
Spiritual envy has become a cancer in the American church. When we replace the command to “love God and love people” with “love God, be righteous” we get ourselves into a whole mess of trouble.
Do not lose your mind trying to compare yourself and your Christian walk to others! You will never be satisfied and your envy will rip you, them and the church apart! Righteousness is a cruel and destructive measuring stick that the devil tricks us into using.
The next time you start comparing your victories, gifts, blessings, talents, relationship and ministries against someone else, stop! Ask yourself this question: “I know their glory, but do I know their story?”
Nobody gets great victory, faith or great blessings without going through their share of hell to get them. Understand this: If you want what they have, you have to pass through the same fires they did!
I once heard a world-famous preacher tell of a young man who followed him around. The young man watched everything he did and listened to every word he said. Finally, the preacher asked him why. The answer astounded him. “I want your anointing,” the young man said. So the pastor put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and began to pray.
“Lord, I pray this young man would be beat up and ostracized as a child, and would have to go to bed with a butcher knife for fear of this father. I pray that he would live in terrible poverty. I pray his family would think he was crazy and all his good friends would leave him because of the ministry. Lord, let him be constantly criticized and scrutinized by his congregation, and even his own wife, for what he does and how he does it. May he have church splits and backstabbing among his leadership team…”
Although the preacher had more to say, the young man stopped him and asked, “Why would you pray such terrible things on me?”
The pastor answered, “Because you cannot have the anointing I have without going through the things I’ve been through.”
“For they shall be ashamed of the oaks they have desired, and confounded by the gardens they have chosen”
– Romans 12:15
Don’t wish for someone else’s anointing. It will bring you shame and confusion because, get this – it’s not yours! You have your own anointing if you just seek it out.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO TURN YOUR BACK ON SPIRITUAL ENVY. REPENT AND GO AFTER YOUR OWN ANOINTING. WITH IT, “NO WEAPON FASHIONED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER” AND YOUR STORY WILL BRING JESUS GLORY!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 21, 2017
REFLECTIONS OF A LEMONHEAD
The power of His presence can only be experienced in the present. Your most powerful moments are yet to come; keep His presence as your plumb line.
REFLECTIONS OF A LEMONHEAD
Evan Dando is the most famous music/movie star you have never heard of. Well, chances are you’ve heard of him, but his name has been lost in the millions of names in your mind. Fitting!
Dando was the lead singer of the 90s band the Lemonheads, which gained wide recognition for its 1992 cover of “Mrs. Robinson.” The handsome son of a fashion model, Dando fit in well with the Hollywood A-list. People magazine listed him as one of the top 50 dishiest people,” whatever that is.
With his album selling millions and his dreams coming true, life for Dando became noting but a blur. The fast lane of superstardom turned on him and the next 15 years were full of drugs, breakups, scandals, failures and disappointments.
Around 2005, he emerged from his fog and made a comeback with the Lemonheads. In an interview with a major magazine, Dando was asked what it was like to kiss Angelina Jolie. He responded,” You would have to ask Brad Pitt.” To his amazement, the interviewer told him that he had spent an afternoon kissing the Hollywood icon in one of his music videos.
The blur and busyness of his fast-paced life made him miss a lot of things – like locking lips with one of the most beautiful women in the world. I think this is like you and I.
The condition of your heart determines what you do and don’t see in your life. Dando was so miserable with the life he was living, he not only missed everyday experiences, he even missed the most extraordinary happenings.
I believe in curses and blessings, and a common curse is when somebody ignores their marriage because they miss single life. Or they miss single life because they want to be married. A lot of people hate getting up in the morning because they want to be retired. Then, when they are retired, they want to go back to work.
In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see.
– Deuteronomy 28:67
Yes, the Bible says missing the moments of your life – the good things right in front of you – is a curse. A humble heart and a right mind will cause you to see the things that really matter. Find the blessings in your life and be grateful to God for every one of them.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO NOT BE A LEMONHEAD! WAKE UP TO THE GOOD THINGS IN YOUR LIFE AND THANK GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS HE IS SHOWERING YOU WITH THIS VERY MOMENT!
From my book: Best of the Brewer
June 20, 2017
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE
God is waking you up to your dreams so you can walk in the purpose that He has for you. While that purpose may not be completely clear, continue to glorify God in the way you act. Upgrade will come before you know it.
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE
Do you know why most people won’t get out of bed on Sunday morning? Just like you and me, they enjoy their down time. The difference is, you cannot convince them their life is not their own.
It isn’t that they don’t want to be fed the Word of God, or even that they don’t want to worship the Lord. They likely do. It’s just very, very difficult to get an American to believe they are not in total ownership of their own lives.
They lack character because they lack covenant.
A covenant mentality says “my job is to glorify God no matter what.” A covenant mentality says, “My life is not my own, but God’s.”
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
– 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Lack of a covenant mentality causes Christians to warm a pew on Sunday, then cheat someone out of money on Tuesday. It causes them to enjoy Bible study on Wednesday morning, then spend the afternoon in the gossip cauldron. You see, they don’t believe their business practices, their words, or their life in general actually belong to God.
Here’s the kicker about covenant: covenant is the only thing that causes God to respond to you! God doesn’t respond to your need, your riches, pain or poverty. He only responds because He created you – He owns you – and He purchased you back after you willingly became slave to a cruel master, the devil.
Do you lack Christian character? If you do, you likely lack a covenant mentality. However, that can change! You can get into covenant. It just means changing the way you think. Once your thinking changes, your actions will begin to change.
Focus on this: Your only job on this earth is to glorify God no matter what!
Whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
– 1 Corinthians 10:31
“Whether” refers to action. Whether you are eating, drinking, walking, sitting, laughing, crying, buying, selling, winning, losing, traveling or building – no matter what your circumstance – shine the spotlight on God.
Every human being is called to glorify God. There are individual purposes that go with that as to how we are to glorify Him, but we will never find that purpose unless we start with our calling – covenant!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GO AFTER YOUR PURPOSE. START LIVING YOUR CALLING – YOUR COVENANT TO GLORIFY GOD WITH YOUR LIFE NO MATTER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE. YOU BELONG TO GOD – NOT YOURSELF!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 19, 2017
INDESCRIBABLY JESUS
The Lord has a good path for you to follow. Seek Him and you will find Him. He is speaking to you in ways you never could have imagined. Open your heart to hear Him, then follow His ways.
INDESCRIBABLY JESUS
Do you want to discover a part of God’s heart that no one else has before? I do. I want to see God in new and different ways because He likes to show up like that – in new and different ways. He is ultimately personal with us. He knows just how to get my attention, and yours.
This is the reason Paul calls the gift of God – Jesus – indescribable.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
– 2 Corinthians 9:12
The gift of Jesus is not indescribable because there are no words. He is indescribable because there are not enough words to describe the endless ways He is moving and speaking.
The voice of the Lord is on the waters, the voice of the Lord is on the many waters.
– Psalms 29:3
He speaks to us in endless ways. Nature, friends, circumstances, His Word, the headlines, numbers, the stars… I could go on and on. So, what does He speak to you?
Do you think the Lord is calling you to something better – an upgrade? School, adopting a baby, starting a business, getting into a ministry or believing Him for a miracle?
Don’t discount it because you’re not familiar with this territory. The only things you need to be familiar with are His voice and His heart. They are the premier catalyst for finding road signs and highways that spring up in uninhabited places.
That highway is meant to lead you through the Lord’s plan for your life.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up. Do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
– Isaiah 43:19
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO RECOGNIZE THE WILDERNESS OF YOUR LIFE. ASK JESUS TO TAKE YOU TO THAT UNCHARTED PLACE THAT’S OFF YOUR MAP.
GO AFTER UPGRADE AND HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE.
From my book Living Life/Forward
June 18, 2017
DRAGON SLAYER
God has promised you peace for today. To borrow trouble from tomorrow would be a big mistake. Live in this moment with Him and enjoy His presence as He enjoys yours!
DRAGON SLAYER
So much of the strife in our very limited brain space is over things that are not actually happening.
You fret about the future, fantasize about possible outcomes, and rehearse for fights you may never have. You not only talk to snakes – yes, Satan – when you do this, you borrow trouble that may never come.
I like to call these imagined threats “dragons.” A lot of dragons I’ve fought have not been over what people actually thought of me. They were battles over what I thought people thought about me. I’ve exhausted myself on things that are not even real
The Bible says the devil comes in the symbolic form of a serpent trying to deceive us. He is also pictured as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour by brining condemning accusations against us.
For me, the scariest form of the devil from hell is the dragon. The Good Book mentions the word “dragon” 13 times in the New Testament. It shows up in our lives as an overwhelming threat that wants to chew us up and spit us out.
In my opinion, dragons are not real. Just like the shark from the movie Jaws that haunts our minds when we’re in a river or the backyard swimming pool, the threat of the dragon messes with our minds. You know what I’m talking about. You know the famous score by John Williams plays in your mind each time you take a swim, no matter what kind of water you’re in.
Well, the devil is just like that. Just because fear and strife are real, does not mean the threat itself is real! Knowing the truth will make you a mental dragon slayer.
I refuse to spend my time and energy on battles that don’t exist. By refusing to do so, I’m better equipped to win the real battles that do come my way. Are you?
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
– John 8:32
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO STOP LISTENING TO SNAKES AND FIGHTING IMAGINARY ENEMIES. THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE TO WIN THE REAL BATTLE – THE ETERNAL LIFE OF THE LOST AND BROKEN.
From my book Best of the Brewer
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