Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 328
June 17, 2017
YOUR KIDS AND YOUR COVENANT
God tells us in Isaiah 59:21 that His covenant is with you and your children. It also says His words will never leave your children’s mouths. His words will ever be on your lips, the lips of your children and your children’s children! You can rest in this truth.
YOUR KIDS AND YOUR COVENANT
Your blessing lasts long past your life. Really, it does.
Some of you reading this should be dead or in prison, or at the very least dying of some addiction or disease.
You should be miserable, without hope, without peace and without rest. But you somehow knew you were meant for something more – something better – something holy. You heard the voice of God and followed.
You read the words of Christ and knew they were for you. How? Because you had a mama, a daddy or a great, great, great somebody who loved the Lord and that blessing has been passed down to you! That’s why the Holy Spirit is leaping with joy inside you right now.
You are saved. Because of a faithful family member, you were set apart for mercy. And because you are saved, your kids and their kids, and their kids are also set apart for the Lord’s purposes. You might not know how to reach them for Jesus, but God does. Your covenant is extended to your kids!
Oh, my goodness, there is hope in that!
If you have been fearing that your kids will never get saved, have a right mind. Your kids are coming home. If God can save you, He can save anybody!
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
– Acts 2:38-39
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO THANK THE LORD FOR CALLING YOU INTO HIS FAMILY. DECLARE YOUR COVENANT WITH HIM AND CLAIM YOUR CHILDREN FOR HIS KINGDOM WITHOUT FEAR.
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 16, 2017
REFUSE TO LIVE LIKE A REFUGEE
Welcome to the perfectly flawed world created for your entertainment and endurance training. Your “over” is “coming” right around the bend of life as you know it. Focus only on those things above your circumstances and rise to your reward.
REFUSE TO LIVE LIKE A REFUGEE
Over the years, I’ve come to know God speaks through the headlines and events all around us. Music is one of His favorite microphones and musicians are often His “accidental” prophets. Take the prophet Tom Petty, for instance.
1979 was not a good year for the singer/songwriter. The pressure of the music business was getting to him. His label, ABC Records, tried to sell his contract to MCA Records without him or this band, The Heartbreakers, knowing it. Angry at the system, defiant and refusing to be a victim, he pushed forward with his new recording. The music reflected his mood.
“Damn the Torpedoes!” struck a chord in our society and became an instant classic. Those three words, “Damn the torpedoes,” were made infamous by US Naval Captain David Farragut as he pushed “full steam ahead” against the odds at the Battle of Mobile Bay to victory in the War of 1812. Somehow, Petty tapped into that spirit. His song “Refugee” was an anthem against defeat with the words:
“Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some.
Tell me, why you wanna lay there and revel in your abandon?
Listen, it don’t make no difference to me. Everybody’s gotta fight to be free.
You see, you don’t have to live like a refugee.”
A refugee is someone without a shelter, a home – a safe place. Refugees struggle to survive because they don’t have a place of protection. Petty was determined to be a survivor. Where was his place of refuge? Was it in Jesus? I don’t know. I do know that album gave Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers a miraculous survivor story.
Miraculous survivor stories always have one thing in common – a place of refuge.
A Japanese businessman survived the bombing of Hiroshima because he was working in a bank vault. An Indonesian woman survived five days at sea when a tsunami carried her away from her family. Her refuge? A floating palm tree. She held on tight, eating the fruit and bark until she was rescued.
Don’t you just love hearing a good survival story? So does God, but He especially loves to write them! He wrote yours!
Jesus knows the importance of refuge. He doesn’t just offer to build you one. He offers to be your refuge. David took him up on the offer. So should you.
“Be merciful to me, oh God. For my soul trusts in you. And in the shadow of your wings, I will make my refuge.”
– Psalm 57:1
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO KNOW GOD LOVES A SURVIVOR, BUT HE WON’T LEAVE YOU THAT WAY. HE’LL MAKE YOU AN OVERCOMER!
From my book: Best of the Brewer
June 15, 2017
MASTER MIND
Today is a good day to think about what you’re thinking about. God has good thoughts and plans toward you, it’s time you do the same!
MASTER MIND
Let me give you some spiritual beef jerky when it comes to your thinking. Having a Godly worldview and controlling your thought patterns are key to getting your upgrade and becoming a mature Christian. This is great stuff, so read on!
1) Until you let God change the thinking in your mind, He can never completely change your life.
2) God knows your thoughts just as He knows your actions.
“This says the Lord…For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them.”
– Ezekiel 11:5
3) God judges your mental actions just as He judges your physical actions.
4) God gives you the right and ability to stop a thought before it progresses into something else, like an action. Thoughts progress into feelings and then into behavior. Ouch!
5) The Bible says thoughts on the Word of God will progress into success. Thoughts separate from God will progress into certain judgment. Again, ouch!
6) One of the ways you and I forsake God is mentally.
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.”
– 1 Chronicles 28:9
7) God asks His people to return to Him, especially in their thoughts.
Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.
– Isaiah 55:7-8
8) It is possible to be aware of something without letting your mind go into carnal imaginations.
If you grasp this simple list and practice mastering your thoughts, you can change your life for the better and serve God in a way that brings glory, and souls, to the Kingdom!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO COMMIT TO MASTERING YOUR THOUGHT LIFE. KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO “HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST” AND “TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE” SO THAT YOU CAN PROGRESS YOURSELF AND THE KINGDOM!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 14, 2017
THE MIND OF CHRIST
Willingness to work out your salvation is more than showing up and suiting up. You must take action beyond the physical. Agreeing with and aligning yourself with the Word is an ongoing action that coincides with God’s truth – not yours.
THE MIND OF CHRIST
You need to make one of the most important decisions of your life: are you going to let the mind of Christ be in your head, or are you going to allow the thinking of this world to lead your thoughts?
It is God’s desire that you submit how you think about things to the way God Almighty thinks about things. It is here that your reasoning becomes Holy Spirit led. That’s where you begin to have a mind that is full of life, pleasing to the Lord.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
– Philippians 2:5
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord:
– Isaiah 1:18
If you and I are reasoning together with the Lord, we are partnering with Him to not only think how He thinks, but act like He acts. When we do this, we reflect Jesus and that’s the whole point of being part of the family of God – to show a family resemblance!
The more you think like God, the more you will look and act like Him. Knowing He is love, light, good, righteous and pure, you and I should be begging every day to have the mind of Christ.
Well, good news! We don’t have to beg because heirs are part of the family, not beggars! All we have to do to have the mind of Christ is freeze out ungodly thoughts and replace them with thankfulness, praise, worship and anything admirable or good.
When you refuse to get a Christ-centered worldview, or get addicted to the thrill of anger, the high of being offended and the adrenaline rush that is rage, that’s when you partner with hell. That hell will be the only thing people see as your witness is crushed by wrong thinking, followed by wrong actions.
Hear me now: that’s not you!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO PROCLAIM THAT YOU HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST. TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND TURN ANY ANGER OR NEGATIVITY OVER TO THE LORD. LET HIM REPLACE IT WITH GOOD, BECAUSE GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 13, 2017
WARRIOR KINGS
As the Lord has set His angels to watch over us, He has set us to join with His angels! Let freedom be our cry and mercy be our vengeance. War on for His glory!
WARRIOR KINGS
I’m not a fan of the Spartans. They were merciless, racist, pagans who also destroyed my namesake city with a stinking wooden horse. However, I have to give them credit for the warriors they produced.
Almost 500 years before Christ, a Spartan army of only 300 men held off a million or so armed and angry Persians at a place called Thermopylae. They were led by the legendary King Leonidas. I do love Leonidas!
Leonidas wasn’t just a king sitting on a golden throne ordering troops to go fight for him. He was a warrior king. He fought out front of his men and invited them to fight with him. Oh, how I love the idea of a warrior king!
Although Alexander the Great has some very real faults, he too, was a warrior king willing to get into the fray. In one of his final battles, it is said he ran so far ahead of his men that he actually engaged an entire army by himself. His men were scrambling to keep up! With an arrow in his lung and a sword in his fist, Alexander the Great fought until his men subdued the enemy.
That’s why I love Jesus. You see, real Christians don’t just serve a king. They serve a passionate, fearless warrior king.
The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.
– Exodus 15:3
While we will never be out in front of our God as He fights for us, we can and should fight for His glory. After all, He is unlike any warrior king before Him. He is compassionate, approachable, full of mercy and the servant of all. Yes, true leaders are servants, and we as the body of Christ need to embrace this fact!
Show me those Christians who are not just talking about the love of God, but actually demonstrating it through the hard work it takes to serve the poor and needy. I want to battle with the people who are living proof that God never consults your history before giving you a future.
Is that you? Are you a bad motor scooter for Jesus? If you are, let’s battle together as we follow our fearless warrior King!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DO BATTLE WITH DARKNESS. BRING THE LIGHT OF JESUS AND GIVE HIM THE GLORY!
From my book: Best of the Brewer
June 12, 2017
MAKING TRACKS
Today is a day for pursuit. Go after those things you’ve been putting off. You have a green light until God says, “Stop!”
MAKING TRACKS
In the arena of Promised Land living, you never see what God has given you until you are willing to walk in it first. In other words, you have to be able to walk in it before you get it.
Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea, shall be your territory.
– Deuteronomy 11:24
When God told Joshua to cross the flooded Jordan River and go in to the Promised Land, he did something very different than when they left Egypt to cross over into the wilderness. Both involved miraculous crossing of bodies of water. Who can forget about Moses and the parting of the Red Sea?
But here at the gateway to the Promised Land, a different courage and trust was required as the key. The water didn’t part first like it did when they crossed the Red Sea. This was the Promised Land, and there was a new set of rules: they had to step into the water first. They had to start pursuing the Promised Land before the waters ever parted.
If you want upgrade, if you want blessing and more of Jesus, the way does not present itself until you move toward it. You have to step into it first.
…and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
– Joshua 3:15-16
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO TAKE THAT FIRST STEP INTO YOUR PROMISED LAND. GET OUT OF THE WILDERNESS AND MOVE FORWARD INTO UPGRADE.
From my book Living Life /Forward
June 11, 2017
AN ANCIENT WONDER
Consistent, continuous interaction with the Father through His Son in the Spirit is what makes the difference between being connected or becoming distracted. He loves you. Don’t get all formal and religious. However, don’t be so casual that you forget who you’re talking with.
AN ANCIENT WONDER
The Chinese were so afraid of being invaded from the warring nations to the north, they built a 6,000 mile wall to protect themselves.
One of the ancient wonders of the world, it was so high, no one could get over it. It was so thick, nobody could tear it down and so long that few wanted to go around it. When it was finished, the Chinese went home to enjoy their new security.
However, within 100 years, China was invaded from the north three times. The invaders didn’t go over or around the wall. All they had to do was bribe the gatekeepers and they marched right through the massive structure.
Amazing! Find one person who is not covenant minded and the wall became irrelevant. It’s like that with our lives. If we don’t value covenant, our minds, marriages and money will be taken over by invaders.
You see, covenant – a sacred promise between God and you – is the only thing in the world that will cause God to respond to you. What?!? You heard me. The only reason God acts on your behalf is because He promised to when you got saved and became part of His spiritual family.
God does not respond to poverty, trials, sickness or pain. That is what we humans signed up for when we turned against Him in the garden. If God did respond to those things, every coal miner in Virginia would be Billy Graham.
So what does God respond to? Faith according to His covenant.
To base your relationship with God on covenant – a “no matter what” mindset – you need to think on this: Your job is to glorify God no matter what!
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
– 1 Corinthians 10:31
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO TRUST GOD TO KEEP HIS COVENANT OF MERCY WITH YOU. KEEP YOUR SIDE OF THE DEAL BY GLORIFYING HIM WITH EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER HOW SMALL!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 10, 2017
PROMISE KEEPERS NEEDED!
Trust in the Lord and in His Word. Imitate God by keeping your word even when it hurts. In this you will show others you have the integrity of the Lord.
PROMISE KEEPERS NEEDED!
Did you know God does not respond to you based on sickness, pain, trials or poverty? He doesn’t. The only thing that causes God to respond to you is His covenant to you – the one He made when you got saved and became part of His spiritual family.
What?!? It’s true. The only reason God acts on your behalf is because He promised to. So what should your response to this be? Trust in His covenant by glorifying Him no matter what is going on in your life!
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
– 1 Corinthians 10:31
Look at how broad the Holy Spirit had Paul write this verse. Whether you are eating, drinking, standing, sitting, laughing, crying, buying or selling, traveling or building, or whether you are doing it all at the same time, do all for the glory of God.
This is a covenant lifestyle driven by a covenant mentality, which produces selflessness and servitude – aka Godly character. A covenant mentality says, “my life is not my own.” It says this when it’s convenient and when it’s not.
You see, Jesus put us first when it was hard, painful and downright deadly. Our needs came before His, so He kept His covenant with Adam and died for our sins. God always keeps His promises.
What about you? Are you a promise keeper with a covenant mindset? Do you trust Him and glorify Him not matter what hell is breaking loose in your life?
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO PURPOSE THAT YOU WILL BE COVENANT MINDED. TRUST IN THE LORD’S PROMISE TO YOU AND GLORIFY HIM IN ALL YOU DO!
From my book: Soul Invasion
June 9, 2017
THE CHIEF ARCHITECT
Jesus said, “my peace I leave with you,” and He wasn’t kidding! He has given you access to His “peace that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:6-7) Don’t be anxious! Pray with thanksgiving. Meditate on His goodness and be filled with perfect peace.
THE CHIEF ARCHITECT
As the Pastor of OpenDoor Church, I don’t think my most important job is to be the best preacher around. Of course, I am hands down for at least 100 miles, but enough about me!
I think the most important job I have is to be the architect of the culture of the house. To make sure the way we do things and relate to each other looks more like heaven than hell.
This is not something we always accomplish, but it is something we always go after. The culture of the house is simply this: what we make a big deal out of, or what we don’t. This defines what we do and how we do it.
We make a big deal out of serving the poor even if they will never come to our church. We make a big deal out of healing, hearing the voice of God and prophetic things. Relationships and kindness are also big deals to us here at OpenDoor.
You see, if our culture is toxic, it doesn’t matter how much I know about the Bible, how good a preacher I am, or that I give a salvation call every Sunday.
I don’t believe God moves through a church service. I think God moves through the relationships of the people within the church service. Because of this, we can’t give the atmosphere to the enemy, and know this: he desperately wants it!
…in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience…
– Ephesians 2:2
You see, Satan is called the prince of the power of the air for a reason. He wants to control the atmosphere. He wants to fill it with anger, discord, disobedience and lies so he can raise up a mob to crush you.
That’s why Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.” He is the opposite of Satan and peace is the opposite of discord. If you want the Prince of Peace to show up in the midst of your mess, do this:
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
– Philippians 4:8-9
If you want to change the atmosphere, change your thinking. Think on Godly things and be the architect of your house, your office, car, marriage, friendships – your everything!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO MEDITATE ON GOD’S GOODNESS. DON’T LET THE ENEMY HAVE YOUR ATMOSPHERE. GIVE IT ALL TO THE PRINCE OF PEACE!
From my book: Living Life /Forward
June 8, 2017
ALMOST HOME
Your position in Christ is rock solid. Your home in heaven has been prepared for you. You are His beloved child and no power of hell or earth can snatch you out of His sure grip.
ALMOST HOME
About 100 years ago, there was a missionary named Samuel Morris. Samuel spent the last 25 years of his life giving medicine and life to people in the darkest regions of Africa.
When he came down with a terminal illness, he decided he wanted to go home to the United States to die. It just so happened, Samuel traveled back to the states on the same ocean liner that brought President Teddy Roosevelt back from his famous African hunting expedition.
When the great ship pulled into New York harbor, it looked like the entire population of the lower 48 had showed up to greet the president.
Bands were playing. Banners were waving. Choirs sang, balloons flew, flashbulbs popped and newsreels were poised to record the return of the nation’s leader. Mr. Roosevelt stepped down the gangplank to thunderous cheers and applause.
At the same time, frail and exhausted, Samuel Morris limped off the boat at the other end. No one was there to greet him. He slowly made his way through the mob, then realized there were no cabs available.
Inside his broken heart, he began to sadly complain, “Lord, the president has been in Africa for three weeks killing animals and the whole world turns out to welcome him home. I’ve been in Africa 25 years serving you and not one person has greeted me or even knows I’m here.”
No sooner had his heart whispered those words than his Lord and Savior replied. “My child, you’re not yet home.”
Let that be His response to you and me. When we start to become too attached to this world, or the people in it, may God remind us that this is temporary. It’s not home.
When we look for the applause, love and attention of others, let Him remind us the homecoming celebration in heaven is worth the wait. There’s a place at the family table just for you!
“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
– Revelation 22:12-13
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO REMEMBER THIS IS NOT YOUR HOME. DON’T SEEK THE APPLAUSE OF MEN, BUT WORK TOWARD YOUR HOMECOMING IN HEAVEN.
From my book: Best of the Brewer
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