Troy A. Brewer's Blog, page 352
October 23, 2016
Fear Not!
Your future is much greater than your history and it is leading to your destiny. God’s plans for you are good; to prosper you and not harm you. His plans are to give you hope and a future. You are positioning yourself under the windows of heaven and can expect to receive.
THE FIGHT FOR WHAT CAN BE
One thing you must learn on your quest for upgrade, is to trust in the heart of God and in the power of His grace. Why? Because He is not prepared to punish you for mistakes made in your attempts to move forward and receive your upgrade. Anyone who tells you different, doesn’t know God’s goodness!
You see, Father God doesn’t punish you when you mess up. Instead, He does what any good father does – He picks you up! God is passionate about your progression. He has a much higher value for your personal growth than for your punishment.
“I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for My anger is turned away from Israel.”
– Hosea 14:4
Since He made you to be a warrior, He knows that if you don’t fight for upgrade, you will fight for things that don’t matter. He says to you the same thing He said to Joshua three different times as He was commanding him to move forward into the Promised Land.
“FEAR NOT!”
When you are afraid to move from where you are, you will settle for something that once was, rather than what could be. The fight for what once was (the past) is a battle for what is irrelevant and insignificant. It is the wrong fight to be in! I like to call that the “Dragon of Religion.”
You see, religion likes to call whatever used to be a long time ago “godliness.” Not sure what I’m talking about? Think, “This is the way we’ve always done it.” Or, “God doesn’t work that way anymore.” When you keep your head stuck in the sands of the past, you will never move forward.
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO LET GO OF YOUR PAST AND DETERMINE TO MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!HE WON’T PUNISH YOU IF YOU MESS UP. HE’LL PICK YOU UP AND SAY, “SIC ‘EM!”
From my book: LIVING LIFE / FORWARD
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October 22, 2016
Don't Wait For a Miracle
You are a plowman. God has seen the ground you have plowed and the seeds you have planted. Now it is time for the harvest. Sit back and watch your seeds multiply!
BETTER THAN A MIRACLE
Today, I want to hit a home run revelation into your part of the ballpark. If you’ve got your glove on, you could walk away with a new bullet in your arsenal and a new strategy for your spiritual game plan.
There is a balance that needs to be taught concerning miracles. As much as I love miracles, I understand that most of the time, a miracle is a short-term solution to a long-term malfunction. Miracles only happen in the most desperate times and places.
If you are someone who needs a miracle, I certainly believe God has one for you and that you should reach for it. The balance to that is this: I believe there is a better and more long-term way that God wants you to prosper.
Though miracles are powerful, they are not God’s best and His highest way of prospering His people. Did you get that? Read it again.
The children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years and witnessed a survival miracle every day as manna fell from Heaven. The day after they left the wilderness and entered the Promised Land, the miracle of manna ceased. Why?
They had entered in to a whole new set of rules and blessings. You see, there are two main ways the Lord prospers us. The first is “Miracles of Provision.” The second, and much better principle, is called “Seed, Time and Harvest.”
“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness”
– 2 Corinthians 9:10
Know this: God wants you to prosper. He would just rather see you mature. Seed, Time and Harvest, aka “work and reward,” is the best way to do that. The alternative isn’t very pretty.
The only time you need a miracle is when your life (finances, marriage, job, health, safety) is a mess – I mean a major malfunction! Wanting a miracle means you are in a mess! Don’t wait for a miracle. Get out of your mess through by working for the reward!!
BE PREPARED TO “WORK AND REWARD” THROUGH THE PRINCIPLE OF SEED, TIME AND HARVEST.
From my book: MIRACLES WITH A MESSAGE
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October 21, 2016
Prepare to Be Blessed
Life has many turns and twists, but with them all I still know is this...If Gods eyes are on the birds of the field, He will provide all your needs. Prepare to be blessed.
WHO TOLD YOU LIFE IS FAIR?
Years ago when were were first married, Leanna and I were too poor to afford a movie, so our entertainment was driving through the swanky neighborhoods in Colleyville, Texas.
Looking at the mansions, we would imagine what was behind the doors and dream of having a nice, big house someday. Our own house, used to store hay for 20 years before cleaned it out and moved in, didn’t have glass in some of the windows. We couldn’t afford it and I didn’t know how to fix it even if we did have the money.
We loved driving down the tree-lined streets ooh-ing and aah-ing at the multiple rows of million-dollar homes. For us, it was cheap entertainment and we needed all that we could get!
One day, we were with a bandmate of mine, and we had time to kill before a gig. With nothing better to do, I asked him if he wanted to check out the mansions with us. His answer surprised me.
“I can’t go look at those houses because it makes me sad,” he said.
Puzzled, I asked this 40-year-old man why looking at nice houses made him sad. His answer now astounded me.
“Because it’s not fair.”
God help us! What kind of socialist thinking had crawled up from the depths of hell and wrapped itself around his head? Let’s get honest here – a godly person should never get sad, angry or jealous when someone else prospers. There is no place for envy in the church!
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
– Romans 12:15
The question is, who told him life is fair? It sure wasn’t Jesus.
I got into a fight with my friend that day. I was young and didn’t know how to handle myself, but I did know this: in all the times we had driven through those ritzy neighborhoods, it had not occurred to me, not even once, to hate the people who had nice things, or even to want those things. They didn’t belong to me.
I have a saying, “You may see their glory, but you don’t know their story.”
You see, many of those homes were owned by doctors and surgeons. I pointed out to my friend that if he wanted a house like that, all he had to do was dedicate years and years of his life to the relentless pursuit of being a surgical specialist, then sacrifice more years to paying off the monstrous debt accumulated during that pursuit. After that, he could buy a big house and make those payments, pay those taxes and be sure to get a good security system, because it might make someone else sad.
There is no way you can be happy, or have actual joy in your life, if you subscribe to the thinking pattern of “NO FAIR!” Jesus never sinned, but He took our wrongdoing upon Himself and died to give us life. Now that’s not fair – it’s sacrifice.
IF YOU SUFFER FROM THE CANCEROUS THINKING OF ‘NO FAIR,” ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT TO TAKE IT FROM YOU AND REFUSE TO PICK IT BACK UP!
From my book: SOUL INVASION
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October 20, 2016
It's Time to Stop Talking to Snakes
You have the mind of Christ. The enemy cannot take up real estate in your thought life because you will not hear the voice of a stranger. Your Father in Heaven says, “My sheep know my voice.” That’s you—God’s chosen. Don’t waste precious time talking to snakes.
KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE GOD BALL
Beware of being fixated on your past. It can be toxic. When this happens, your fight for greatness gets replaced with a fight for preserving history, and living it out over and over again. That’s where it really gets ugly!
You can see how ugly it gets in the conversations you have in your head. Admit it. You think about something that happened in the past and think, “I should have said this,” “I should have done that,” or “What if…” You start to construct conversations in your head that, are not only practicing for a fight you will regret, they transport you back to the anger and hurt all over again. STOP IT!
From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits.
– Psalms 73:7
All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations
– Isaiah 65:2
When you find yourself having those conversations in your head, like Adam and Eve before you, YOU ARE TALKING TO SNAKES! The serpent wants to keep you wrapped up in your past so you never forgive. If you don’t forgive, you will turn bitter. Once you’re bitter, you are angry all the time and kill your witness for Jesus!
Not only do you kill your testimony, you slam the brakes on your upgrade. Moving forward means forgiving those in your past, turning your face forward and saying, “NO!” when the snake tries to stir you up about your past.
HE LOVES TO BRING UP YOUR PAST AND CAUSE YOU TO HAVE ANGRY CONVERSATIONS IN YOUR HEAD. WHEN YOU HEAR HIM, TELL HIM TO GET OUT IN THE NAME OF JESUS!
From my book: LIVING LIFE / FORWARD
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October 19, 2016
God's Frigidaire
God created you just the way you are. He’s not only the author of your life, but the artist to give you an appearance. As others look at the masterpiece He created of you, they will recognize someone that is definitely a member of His family whom He is proud of and loves greatly. Somebody is going to see Jesus in you today!
GOD'S FRIGIDAIRE
I miss the days when my kids were little and they would bring me their latest crayon masterpiece.
Now, my kids weren’t the most artistic bunch. They brought me a lot of unflattering large circles with heads on them. “Daddy, it’s you!” they would squeal. I told myself it was not because they saw me as fat, but because they were at an early stage of development.
I’m no psychologist, but I noticed that the houses my children drew were always whole. The families they drew were happy and, well, whole. Some of the pictures the children draw in children’s church are enough to make you cry.
Half of their house runs off the page, maybe because they just can’t picture it as whole. Or they draw a picture of a family, but leave themselves out. Sad sunshines, rainy days and clouds, daddies on the edge of the picture, while everyone else is by the house. You get my drift.
So I’m glad my kids always drew happy family pictures. When they’d bring them to me, I would hang them on the refrigerator, but not before giving them a really crazy, over-the-top reaction like, “Good googly-moogly! I thought I was looking in a mirror!” That would make them so happy, they would run off to draw something else for me.
I think that’s what Father God wants from us.
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as loved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God.”
– Ephesians 5:1-2
As a Christian, I think I still do that kind of thing to Him. I give Him little moments that look like Him. The life we live is an open demonstration of what we believe about God. Hopefully, those moments add up into a life that looks like Him so He experiences something that says, “Look Daddy, it’s you!”
TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO GIVE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER A PORTRAIT OF HIS GOODNESS.IMITATE HIM! SHOW HIS GOODNESS TO SOMEONE IN NEED AND WATCH HIM PUT THAT PICTURE ON HIS REFRIGERATOR.
From my book: GOOD OVERCOMES EVIL
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October 18, 2016
What Is The Answer To Spiritual And Physical Envy?
Thankfulness is the first step into a relationship with Jesus. As you walk through the gate of Thankfulness, you will see Jesus waiting there for you.
AVOID THE CURSE – BE THANKFUL
It’s easy to say “no fair” when people who are more spiritually mature than you, are walking in victory when you’re wading waist deep in defeat. It’s easy and it’s wrong.
Every one of us has stood in a place where we looked at a situation or event and said in our head, “That’s not fair.” Here is a powerful truth to help you conquer that devilish line of thinking. Write this one down: You miss what God has for you when you want what somebody else has.
If you get upset when someone else prospers, you will never prosper. Jealousy and envy are thought patterns that will leave you miserable. It will also hurt others and tear the church apart.
Get this: to be jealous or envious is a curse — yes, a curse!
I’ve had good friends I trusted try to cannibalize my ministry. They did all they could to destroy the church. Why? Because they wanted what I had – my relationships, my outreach, my supporters, my ministry connections and my anointing. Not smart enough to seek God for their own vision, they wanted to steal mine!
Because I never once wanted what they had, it didn’t occur to me that hell was stirring jealousy and envy under their skin. It didn’t occur to me that the very people I loved would look at the good things God was doing in my life and scream, “No fair! I want that!”
The next time you’re thinking, “That’s not fair,” maybe you should consider this:
~ It’s not fair that you have what you have, when people smarter than you have lost everything.
~ It’s not fair that you’re saved and going to Heaven, because a lot of people who were smarter, more successful and just plain better than you, have gone to Hell.
~ It’s not fair that you’ve never experienced imprisonment, torture or starvation when 500 million people around the world live that life right now.
~ It’s not fair that you sit in a cushioned pew free from harassment, arrest, torture and death. Three billion people around the world have to worship God in secret.
~ If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes in your closet, a bed to sleep on and money in your pocket, you have more than 75 percent of this world, and get this – It’s not fair!
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name”
– Psalm 100:4
The answer to spiritual and physical envy? Focus on being grateful for the gifts and blessing you do have. They belong to you alone and are a gift from a good God who owes you nothing!
THANK HIM FOR YOUR BLESSINGS AND REPENT FROM THE CURSE OF SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL ENVY.
From my book: SOUL INVASION
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October 17, 2016
Your Worth Comes From Jesus
Don’t worry about what others say about you. Your worth comes from Jesus, who loves you so very much. His opinion is the only one that counts. Be ready for a drink of living water from the One who is ready to fill you up.
MALFUNCTION TO MISSIONARY
No matter how messed up you are, this I promise you: there is always someone who’s more of a malfunction than you. I know what I’m talking about because when you start taking steps toward upgrade, God will bring you some of the most colorful characters to practice on.
The Bible gives us an account of woman who was truly the walking wounded — just the type of person God will send your way when you’re learning to step out.
Jesus was traveling from Jerusalem in the south, to Galilee in the north. The quickest route was through Samaria. Know this — Jews hated Samaritans. There were serious racial and cultural tensions between the groups. The disciples were not happy about traveling through what they considered a ghetto. Bottom line: Jews did not speak to lowly Samaritans.
Tired and thirsty, our Lord sat by Jacob’s Well and sent the disciples to a nearby village to buy food. It was the hottest part of the day when a Samaritan woman came to draw water.
First off, nobody draws water in the heat of the day unless they don’t want to be seen, and this major malfunction was sick of the disapproving looks and nasty comments. She endured a blast furnace to avoid the gossips, that is, until Jesus came along and blew her mind with a simple question:
“Will you give me a drink?”
-John 4:7
BOOM! The woman was shocked! In His encounter with the famous “woman at the well,” Jesus broke three major Jewish customs: First, He spoke to a woman; second, she was a Samaritan; third, when He asked for a drink of water, He would have to use her cup or water jar, making him ceremonially unclean. She knew this and queried, “How can you ask me for a drink?”
Jesus replies she should ask Him for “living water” so she won’t be thirsty anymore because it leads to eternal life. He then tells her all about her miserable life: five divorces, shacking up with a man who won’t commit, lonely and shunned with a dry heart in need of refreshment. She doesn’t deny it, but makes a statement that must have made the Savior’s heart leap:
“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
- John 4:20
Translate that as: “Where is God?” Holy smokes! A fallen woman from the wrong side of the tracks is looking for God! She recognizes Him as the man asking for a drink, then rounds up those nasty gossips to hear what Jesus has to say. Malfunction to missionary in one short conversation. The Bible says Jesus stayed in Samaria two more days and “many came to know Him because of the woman’s testimony.”
Jesus was literally born to bless the mess and so are you!
Don’t be afraid of failure or rejection. Don’t be ashamed of your past or your circumstances. The woman at the well wasn’t and her testimony led her enemies out of darkness! Just move forward and see who Jesus brings your way. He will knock your socks off every time!
From my book: LIVING LIFE / FORWARD
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October 16, 2016
Are You Ready to Step Out in Faith?
God has been asking you to do something unusual. This unusual act is the beginning of a new season for you. Step out in faith, knowing that God has your back, and always has a reason for what He asks.
GOING FISHING IN LAS HADAS
I was a very young man when Pastor Howard Richardson called me by name at a tent meeting in Grand Prairie, Texas. He had been praising and seeking the Lord, then said the words I will never forget.
“Troy,” he said, “when I see you, the Lord shows me something really off-the-wall. I see you catching a great big fish somewhere and when you catch it, the Lord is saying it’s a sign that your ministry is not going to be a little bitty ministry, but a great big ministry.”
That was an off-the-wall word. Months passed and I began to forget the prophecy that would forever shape my life.
At that time, there was a huge perk at the company I worked for – an all-expense paid vacation to Las Hadas, Mexico. For a young couple, it was a real Godsend!
The food was fabulous, the beach beautiful and the accommodations five star. One of the days, they let us pick an activity. We could either go scuba diving or deep sea fishing. Leanna was excited about the fishing, but I was not. My last fishing trip was a 12-hour pukefest, but I agreed.
I’m so glad I did.
“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God”
– Deuteronomy 28:2
There were six of us in the boat and the sailfish were biting. The captain said he had never seen anything like it – fish on all six lines at the same time! With only one chair, we had to take turns. It took hours and hours and when my turn came, I began reeling and my line snapped. Bummer!
However, my tired bride gladly handed me her pole and I pulled in a 9-foot, 6-inch sailfish.
I never will forget that night as I lay in bed exhausted. We were both almost asleep when Leanna calmly said, “Troy, do you remember the prophecy Howard gave you about catching the big fish?”
I nearly fell out of bed. That’s when things started to happen. I came back from Mexico knowing that God had a world-wide ministry for me. Our ministry began to take shape and God began to bless Leanna and I, showering us with favor.
While OpenDoor Church and the OpenDoor Food Bank have exploded over the years and is now world-wide, I believe we are just getting started.
I DOUBLE-DOG DARE YOU TO SINCERELY ASK FOR GOD TO SPEAK TO YOU IN AN OFF-THE-WALL KIND OF WAY THEN GO AFTER WHAT HE HAS FOR YOU!
From my book: MIRACLES WITH A MESSAGE
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October 15, 2016
Fight For What Matters
Jesus has put a yearning in you to do great things. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Because Jesus put that desire in you, not everyone who sees the longing in your heart to do great things for God will understand, but just keep moving forward anyway. God is placing great opportunities in front of you so that you can make a difference in His Kingdom. As you step out in faith, more opportunities will follow.
CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES
I have a friend who was an Emmy Award-winning television producer, yet for all her success, she was a failure at leadership. She was young and backslidden at the time, but Jesus shouted to her one day through the voice of an angry co-worker. It’s good that she listened.
“You argue over everything! Only you have the answer. Your opinion or idea is always best. People are tired of always having to fight with you. They’ve stopped listening to you because you don’t know what hill to die on — you die on them all. You need to learn to choose your battles!”
Wow! That was a wake up call for my friend and an alarm that should be sounding in your ear.
It’s true — not everything is worth fighting over. And not everything is worth fighting for. Make no mistake, upgrade is worth fighting for.
“Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.”
-Luke 9:46
Jesus’ 12 best friends, His disciples, had it right. They fought over not only being great, but which one of them would be the greatest! Because they yearned for more of the greatness of Jesus, it started rubbing off on them — ordinary fishermen and tax collectors. People the world thought of as nothing special or, in the case of tax collectors, despised thieves, were suddenly wanting to not only be great, but good, like their leader.
In Jesus, we have the best example of greatness and goodness. I think He got a kick out of his friends trying to one-up each other for the crown of greatness. He would surely get a kick out of you deciding to go after it too!
TODAY IS A GREAT DAY TO SEARCH OUT THE HEART OF THE KING IN SCRIPTURE.BE REAL WITH HIM ABOUT YOUR DESIRE FOR MORE OF HIM AND TO BE GREATLY USED FOR THE KINGDOM!
From my book: LIVING LIFE / FORWARD
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October 14, 2016
Heaven Applauds!
This is a season where you will open your mouth wide and God will fill it. This is not a time to be a wallflower but to speak up and speak out with the wisdom of God. No matter what happens, God loves your efforts.
HEAVEN APPLAUDS YOUR MISTAKES, REALLY!
Jesus commanded His followers to “make disciples of all the nations.” Yes, you’re to tell others about the greatness of Christ. In doing so, you go after your own greatness — your upgrade to the next level of Jesus Freak. Does God want this for you? You bet He does!
When you multiply the Kingdom, Heaven applauds. But what about when you blow it trying to bring a message of hope to a friend, or fail to be a winning witness to a co-worker? What happens when you mess up?
Heaven applauds!
“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace: the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”
-Isaiah 55:12
Yes, Heaven applauds your effort because you are not charged with the results — God is! Now, the Devil will try to convince you of just the opposite. He will tell you that God is disappointed — that He is angry at your failure. Did I tell you Satan is the “father of lies” who stands at the throne accusing you day and night? God’s Word says he is.
You see, when you’re afraid to mess up, you freeze up and refuse to move forward. If the enemy can convince you that you are going to get in bad trouble if you don’t do everything perfect, it’s a huge win for Hell.
The enemy wants you cowering in a corner afraid of the very one who loves you most — Father God. Satan wants to convince you that you are messed up and are always going to mess up, so you might as well just give up.
We need to be healed of that mess. Yes, healed! Those bloody stripes were to combat ALL the work of the Devil including his lies.
Know that God encourages and empowers you to continuously do great things and live life greatly when you know you’re in good standing with an amazing father. You are loved and He is pleased with you, just like He was pleased after each day of creation. Despite it, and you, being a work in progress, He says, “It is good!”
AFTER YOU DO, KNOW THE RESULTS ARE UP TO GOD, NOT YOU!
From my book: LIVING LIFE/ FORWARD
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