Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 330
May 20, 2017
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
You have the mind of Christ, which means you are in control of what you think about. It’s time to make a point to consider what you are thinking about. Compare it to God’s Word and throw out anything that doesn’t align. God is with you!
A BEAUTIFUL MIND
In every courtroom drama, the central figure is the judge. He is the one who determines whether to allow testimony or evidence into the record of a legal case.
Often, the prosecutor wants to throw out part of a witness’ testimony as the defense attorney argues why the jury should be allowed to consider it. At that point, everyone looks toward the judge waiting for him to say “I will allow it” or “objection overruled.”
If you are going to have a mind the Holy Spirit can really work with, you have first got to learn how to judge your thoughts. Judgment is not just the ability to discern what’s good and what’s not good in your thought life. Judgment is determining what you will allow and what you will not allow your mind to think about.
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
– 1 Corinthians 11:31
Do you have mental boundaries set up by the Holy Spirit concerning the thoughts you entertain? What about the movies and TV shows you watch, the music you listen to, the websites you visit and the company you keep? Are you acting as judge over them?
If so, you are fast becoming a faithful steward, and well on your way to fully serving God in your mind.
I have a friend who doesn’t watch horror movies or anything that portrays evil as powerful. Why? She says she refuses to put evil in her head because there is no way to get it out. You know what? She’s right. We need to be very selective when it comes to the thoughts we put in our mind.
What about you? Are you ready to give up futile thinking and entertainment that does not glorify God to have a beautiful, clear, Godly mind? I am!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO DECLARE THAT YOU ARE DONE LETTING EVIL OR UNGODLY THOUGHTS INTO YOUR HEAD. THINK ON WHATEVER IS PURE, EXCELLENT OR PRAISEWORTHY AND REFUSE TO GIVE HELL A FOOTHOLD ON YOUR THINKING.
From my book: Soul Invasion
May 19, 2017
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Don’t let the enemy’s distractions cause you to lose your way. Displace the enemy by expanding the Kingdom and show Him you are focused like an arrow hitting the mark!
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
It’s very embarrassing for a guy like me to get lost. I don’t know why, but I’m always convinced I’ll get to the right place and I tend to get mad at the road if it doesn’t cooperate with me.
If I do get lost, it’s usually because I’m talking on the cell phone. I miss exits and outright drive to wrong cities if I stay on the phone long enough. I’ve been known to hang up, look up and say, “How did I get here?”
The same thing happened to Commander George P. Ryanway. On Nov. 23, 1877, the last of the great naval steam ships, the USS Huron, left port and headed south toward Cuba captained by the best and brightest West Point had to offer.
Because he was acutely aware of his education, Ryanway ignored warning after warning of upcoming storms. He was confident his compass and his knowledge could help him weather any gale or wave.
However, he failed to realize there was a tiny 1-degree error in the ship’s compass. The further it headed south, the closer the USS Huron would edge toward the reefs of the east coast. Within 24 hours, the Huron sank just 200 yards off the coast of Virginia and 98 men lost their lives.
Ryanway’s last recorded words were, “My God, how did we get here?”
Ever look up from your busy life, see the wreck about to happen and ask the same question? I have, many times, and I know you have too.
Ryanway was lost because what he trusted wasn’t true. I was lost because I was distracted. Sometimes, we’re lost in a fog of pain, despair or doubt. Whatever the reason, it’s a very bad thing to be lost.
Father God knew that. That’s why He sent Jesus.
“…for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
– Luke 19:10
Before Jesus ascended into Heaven, He asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to help us find our way.
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
– John 14:16-18
You see, God hates the idea of you being lost. He will do whatever it takes to find you, but you have to want to be found. Have you fallen off the path and need to be restored? Never been on the right road and want to find the way to your true home? Call out to Him! It’s that easy.
He will lead you and give you direction. It’s the most precious gift anyone has ever been given because it meets your greatest need. We are all in desperate need of a savior!
Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
– Matthew 18:14
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO ASK FOR GOD’S DIRECTION. LOST AND IN NEED OF A SAVIOR? CALL OUT TO JESUS AND HE WILL PUT YOU ON THE ROAD TO ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN WITH HIM.
From my book: Best of the Brewer
May 18, 2017
TO HIM WHO OVERCOMES…
Allow the Lord to clean up and bind the emotional wounds that have held you captive. The pain will diminish until it is gone if you give it to the Lord. Let go of bitterness. You will find yourself in a place of restoration!
TO HIM WHO OVERCOMES
There are 17 promises in the book of Revelation reserved for overcomers. Let’s take a look at some of them.
1) Revelation 2:7 says, “To him that overcomes, will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”
This is the promise of eternal life and redemption of the original sin of Adam and Eve. Total restoration with God is the way it is supposed to be. It is where we taste and see that the Lord is good.
2) Revelation 2:11 says, “He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death.”
The overcomer doesn’t have to worry about being separated from God ever again. They will be in His presence and in the fullness of joy.
3) Revelation 2:17 says, “To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna.”
Jesus is the hidden manna! Remember when he said in John 6:32-33 that He was the bread from heaven?
4) Revelation 2:17 also says, “and will give him a white stone.” This is the promise of acquittal. A white stone signifies a “not guilty” verdict. A white stone is also the symbol of admittance into a special group.
5) And it also says in Revelation 2:17 that, “in the stone a new name is written, which no man knows except he that receives it.” Overcomers get a new family name to signify our adoption into God’s family. There is no trace of our old self or our rebellion.
6) Revelation 2:26 says, “And he that overcomes, and keeps my works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations.” Do you want to have the authority to preach to the nations the Good News that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords? I do!
7) Revelation 21:7 says, “He that overcomes shall inherit all things… and I will be his God… and he shall be my son.”
I like the sound of that and you should too! Why survive the troubles of this world and constantly lick your wounds? Rise up and live a courageous life that turns wounds into scars! Be healed of your survival mentality and go after your Kingdom purpose.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS. GO AFTER UPGRADE BY BECOMING AN OVERCOMER. SAY GOODBYE TO SURVIVAL AND MOVE INTO THE PROMISES OF GOD FOR YOUR LIFE – YOUR ETERNAL LIFE!
From my book Living Life /Forward
May 17, 2017
HOTTIE ALERT!
God is redeeming your thought life in the places where you saw things that were not of God. He will reveal to you where He was in that moment. Places of shame, be gone in Jesus’ name!
HOTTIE ALERT!
There is no way a healthy male cannot be aware of a beautiful woman when she enters the room. This does not make him bad. This makes him a man. God programmed every man to be sight-oriented. We are naturally visual!
A godly man will struggle with this awareness and spend a lot of conscious thought in extreme combat. Like the little train that said, “I think I can. I think I can,” he chants the mantra of “I will not look. I will not look!” He ends up seeing anyway, and by the end of the day, the scarlet letter “L” for “loser” is stamped on his spiritual forehead.
Knowing the truth about awareness can really set us free! It’s not a sin to be aware of a woman’s beauty. It is a sin to let that awareness escalate into carnal imaginations.
“Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established.”
– Proverbs 16:3
The word “works” here means “actions.” When we commit our mental or physical actions to God, He will establish our thought life.
Do you think Jesus was unaware of the beautiful women He was in contact with? He was just like us – visual. Of course He noticed women. He looked, but did not lust. He was aware, but He practiced the art of “brain freeze.” He would not allow His awareness to turn into filthy imaginations.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
– Hebrews 4:15
Jesus was aware of the crimes of the hideous Roman Empire, yet He would not let His mind harbor hatred. He was aware of the corruption of the priests, yet He didn’t entertain thoughts of bitterness. He was aware of the sins of the very people He healed – hands that were restored would later be used to steal, kill or destroy. He healed them anyway.
Jesus was even aware of the fact that the very people He took care of would soon turn against Him and yell, “Crucify Him!” yet, His mind was compassionate toward them.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO KNOW THAT IF YOU COMMIT YOUR THINKING TO GOD, HE WILL SHOW YOU THE RIGHT WAY TO THINK ABOUT THE TOPIC THAT IS THREATENING TO BRING YOU DOWN. YOU HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST!
From my book: Soul Invasion
May 16, 2017
STRANGER DANGER!
Stand up and fight for what is right and good in God’s eyes. Treat others with respect and they will respect you. Walk in the fruit of the Spirit and you can do no wrong!
STRANGER DANGER
The Lord has a holy hatred for the portrayal of His glory as something shameful. That’s why some of the biggest warnings in the Bible tell us to be super careful that we don’t call evil “good” and good “evil.”
“How long, O you sons of men, will you turn my glory to shame? How long will you love worthlessness and seek falsehood?”
– Psalms 4:2-3
You don’t call worthless things glorious and shameful things wonderful without God saying, “Really?” If you have no value for what’s real, if you have no value for the truth, you will lose your value for what is good.
Be on guard in these final days, because under the disguise of political correctness, good is being called evil more and more.
Today, the world calls women becoming men and men becoming women “good.” It believes that no matter what sex a person is, they should choose the bathroom they identify with, and that killing an unborn baby is a “choice,” a right and a freedom.
This is “good” in the world of political correctness where all should be equal. The world will tell you that to disagree is evil, unloving and ultimately, un-Christian.
Why? They will tell you that Jesus wanted all to be equal, therefore they are doing what Jesus would do. Baloney!
Here on earth, we are not created equal. Some are beautiful, some are not. Some are talented, others are not. Some are born to wealthy families or in successful nations, others are not. I have news for you if you are going to survive the onslaught of political correctness: LIFE IS NOT FAIR!
Read the Psalms. They are a testimony to how unfair this fallen world really is. Do not fall for the PC line that says what once was good is now evil because we have to make things fair or equal here on earth.
The only place where things are fair, equal and right is in Heaven when we become like Christ. Until then, keep testifying to a dying world that Jesus is the answer. Continue to present the truth no matter how many times you are called “evil” or “shameful.”
Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
– Romans 1:24-25
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO VALUE GOODNESS. BE PREPARED TO DEFEND GOODNESS AGAINST POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND THOSE WHO WISH TO DEEM “GOOD” AS “EVIL.”
From my book: Good Overcomes Evil
May 15, 2017
SURVIVOR VS. OVERCOMER
The Lord has cleaned and bound up your wounds. They have become scars. Your scars show you don’t let the offense of the wounds of your heart take over. You have overcome them. The Lord is so proud of you!
SURVIVOR VS. OVERCOMER
There is a great difference between self preservation and overcoming. It is the difference between the wilderness and the Promised Land.
A survivor is someone who suffers a terrible attack and lives to tell about it. In the Kingdom of God, that’s not good enough.
You see, an overcomer is someone who suffers a terrible attack, then rises up and defeats his attacker.
Survivors are victimized. Overcomers are victorious. Survivors have wounds. Overcomers have scars, like Jesus.
Survivors are peace keepers – think United Nations Peace Keeping Forces – basically useless. Overcomers are peace makers – think the six chambered pistol Samuel Colt forged that was used to bring justice and order to a lawless land.
You see, survivors go through the fire, then live life in constant reference to how they were burned. Overcomers go through the fire, and don’t even have the smell of smoke on their clothes – think Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego walking with the Angel of God in the fiery furnace.
Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God!”
– Daniel 3:25
Were they concerned about their own survival? If they were, they would have bowed down to the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar. Instead, they refused to worship a false god. They honored the one true God by showing their evil king who the real boss was.
Yes, there is a big difference between survivors and overcomers. However, the biggest difference is in reward. In the Kingdom of God, survivors don’t inherit the promises. Overcomers do.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ‘To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’
– Revelation 2:7
Are you an overcomer? Choose life!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO BE AN OVERCOMER. GO AFTER GREATER THINGS NOT ONLY FOR YOURSELF, BUT FOR YOUR GOD. BRING OTHERS OUT OF SURVIVAL MODE TO FIGHT FOR MORE AND INHERIT THE PROMISE OF REAL LIFE!
From my book Living Life /Forward
May 14, 2017
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, PAYBACK DOESN’T WORK
Mercy triumphs over judgment! God’s triumphant justice is available for your life and the lives of others. Judge not, that ye be not judged Matthew 7:1.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, PAYBACK DOESN’T WORK
If you ever have reason to drive west of Utley, Texas, it is easy to pass the historical marker on the south side of FM 969. If you do stop, you’ll find very little information about what actually happened on that site where, 178 years ago, people lived and died.
It is a place where both dreams and nightmares came true – where it is easier to die than to live.
The Coleman family is one of the bravest families who settled the frontier. They lived on land awarded them by Stephen F. Austin, himself. Robert Coleman farmed and commanded the nearby fort. His wife, Elizabeth, worked hard beside him, raising up two sons and several daughters.
When Robert drown in the Brazos River in 1837, Elizabeth and the kids fought on in near isolation for two more years. It seemed the Coleman’s were going to make it. Then came Feb. 18, 1839.
Elizabeth was working in the garden when she saw a Comanche raiding party coming full gallop toward the house. She screamed to the kids, but her youngest, Tommy, 5, was too far away. She saw him snatched up by a Comanche rider before an arrow pierced her throat.
When all was said and done, Tommy had been kidnapped. Elizabeth and her oldest son, Albert, had been killed. The girls were found cowering under the bed. Neighbors near and far vowed revenge for the horrific act of savagery, and they would have it.
Is your blood boiling at the injustice? It should. But let me tell you the rest of the story.
You see, those Comanches were the few survivors of an Indian village on the San Saba River – innocents who had just been massacred by settlers led by John Henry Moore a few days earlier.
Is your blood boiling? Well, it should. But wait! There’s more.
You see, Moore was hunting Indians – any Indians – to retaliate for another frontier family mowed down. They died because some other settlers killed some natives and the cycle of death goes on and on.
The problem is, none of this had to happen! You see, revenge does not belong to us. The Bible says it squarely belongs to God. My mama taught me a long time ago not to take something that doesn’t belong to me. I’m reminding you to do the same.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
– Romans 5:19
Vengeance is not, I repeat, NOT yours! It just plain ain’t! Revenge in my hands or yours is just plain ugly. It does more damage than good. It actually brings evil!
Revenge in God’s hands brings justice. Justice – what a beautiful word!
Forgive. Trust in the Lord to make things right in His way, which is higher than ours! The choice to let Him be the judge belongs to you and me. Choose justice!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE HURT YOU. VENGEANCE IN YOUR HANDS BRINGS A CYCLE OF EVIL. IN GOD’S HANDS, IT BRINGS JUSTICE, SO LET GO! VENGEANCE BELONGS TO THE LORD – NOT YOU AND I!
From my book: Best of the Brewer
May 13, 2017
YOUR OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
The Lord wants to bless your family for generations to come. Your walk is paving the way for your family. Stay on the Lord’s path, continually renew your covenant with Him, and remain faithful of the things unseen, for they are eternal.
YOUR OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN
Have you lost hope that your kids or grandkids will get saved? Take heart!
My good friend, Pastor Jim Maxwell, preached a sermon called “The Other Side of the Mountain.” In it, he gave an amazing account of a blessing that comes from the heart of King David. That blessing that was inside David, outlived him and went to his kids.
Fifty-six years after David made a special covenant with God, the Bible says that his son, Solomon, who was now king, had turned from the Lord. Now, this was the man God had given everything to – the holy city of Jerusalem, the chosen people, great wisdom and the privilege of building the temple. Solomon had turned away and God was upset!
In 1 Kings 11:12 God tells Solomon, “I ought to kill you and devastate your kingdom, but I will not because of your daddy, David.” That same covenant rang true 27 years later when Solomon’s grandson, Abijah, turned from the Lord, and 315 years after the death of David when God delivered King Hezekiah and Jerusalem from the Assyrians – all because of a covenant with David.
If you remain in covenant with Him, I believe God will do the same thing for you. Stand in the gap for your children and grandchildren. Give eternal life to 1,000 generations. Love Jesus and keep His commands. David’s faith outlived his life. So will yours!
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;”
– Deuteronomy 7:9
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD’S PROMISES. RENEW YOUR COVENANT WITH HIM AND DEDICATE YOUR FAMILY AND 1,000 GENERATIONS TO SALVATION AND SERVICE IN HIM.
From my book: Soul Invasion
May 12, 2017
DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED
Work with the Holy Spirit and position yourself where He wants you. It’s time to be aligned with God and the plans and purposes He has for your life!
DIRECTIONALLY CHALLENGED
Some people have a knack for direction. Others are just naturally as lost as a burp in a hurricane. On July 17, 1938, pilot Douglas Corrigan took off from Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field as family and friends watched. He carried with him two chocolate bars, two boxes of fig bars, a quart of water and a U.S. map with the route from New York to California clearly marked out.
His plan was to fly non-stop across the continent in his V8 Curtiss Robin. It was a foggy morning and Corrigan flew into the haze, then disappeared.
Twenty-eight hours later, he successfully landed – in Dublin, Ireland! Yes, he was 3,000 miles in the opposite direction, but instantly became a hero. Despite flying the wrong direction, he accomplished a feat thought impossible at the time. However, he was forever known as “Wrong Way Corrigan.”
I am one of those people who, if you blindfold me then turn me around a bunch of times, I would likely be able to point north once I stopped being dizzy. It’s kind of like a quote I heard in the 1980 movie, “The Mountain Men.” Brian Keith says to Charlton Heston, “No, I never get lost. Fearsome confused for weeks at a time, but I never get lost.”
The bottom line here is that it’s not good to be lost, no matter how you get that way. As your pastor and friend, my prayer is that God will lead you, guide you and direct you into better places. How can He do that? The power of the Holy Spirit, that’s how! He’s your navigation system.
Call on the Holy Spirit when you need clear definition for your forward progression. If you fall out, call out to Him and get back on track. You may be fearsome confused, even going in the opposite direction, but God will make sure you are found.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?
– Luke 15:4
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO LET THE HOLY SPIRIT BE YOUR GUIDE. LOST OR GOING THE WRONG DIRECTION? ASK JESUS TO BE YOUR NORTH STAR AND LET HIM POINT YOU HOME.
From my book: Best of the Brewer
May 11, 2017
LACE UP YOUR NIKES!
Jesus is calling you to battle your past. Put your history to rest and go after your destiny. He is calling you to better and higher things. Go after them!
LACE UP YOUR NIKES!
What is an overcomer? The Greek word “nikao” gives some insight. It means “one who prevails, conquers and wins victory over one’s opponents.” Nikao also means “to surmount difficulties.”
Shoe giant Nike understood this when they named their company after the word nikao.
So when you and I say we’re overcomers, we are saying we strive to prevail and stomp on the difficulties that come our way. We strive to uproot, unhinge and displace the enemy wherever we encounter it.
As an overcomer, you should have a huge value for this: you should love it when God – not you – wins the victory and gets the credit. When you do this, you live dedicated to seeing heaven invade earth.
“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world.”
– 1 John 5:4
If you are born of God, overcoming is your only option! In 2 Samuel 23:20, Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, jumped down into a pit and took on a lion on a snowy day because he had no option to walk past it! He overcame that challenge and we are still talking about it 3,000 years later.
“Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
– Romans 12:21
So God is inviting you, heck, He expects you to lace up your Nikes and get to work displacing evil with good, darkness with light. It’s your legacy to be an overcomer!
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO KNOW YOU ARE BORN OF GOD. THIS MAKES YOU AN OVERCOMER EQUIPPED TO DEFEAT THE DEVIL AND DARKNESS. GET TO IT AND FEAR NOT!
From my book: Living Life /Forward
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