IF                                                                                                                   

WHAT IF WE DON’T GIVE UP

Galatians 6:9   9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.   NIV

Galatians 6:9    So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit.     MESSAGE

 

Galatians 6:7-9  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. NIV

WATCH WHAT YOU ARE PLANTING.  WE REAP WHAT WE SOW. 

Galatians 6:7  Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.

Deceived – planao (plan-ah'-o) – to lead away, to stagger, to be led off course; or to be led by someone’s outside influence and led in a wrong direction.

Galatians 6:7  . A man reaps what he sows.

Sows - speiro (spi'-ro) any seed that is sown, but it is nor singular – it means to sow and to sow and to sow….

Reaps is also not singular so it means to reap and to reap and to reap…..

Galatians 6:8   The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Destruction - phthora (fthor-ah')   decay and ruin

Eternal Life - zoe (dzo-ay') life that is truly life, - today, tomorrow and forever

QUITTING WILL ENSURE THAT YOU LOSE.

Galatians 6:9   Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Weary - ekkakeo (ek-kak-eh'-o) to give in, to surrender, to let something bad defeat you

Do not give up - ekluo (ek-loo'-o) to loosen up, to relax

IF                                                                                 

IF YOU REMAIN IN ME

John 15:1-8   "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.     NIV

MOST OF OUR PRAYERS REVOLVE AROUND US.  

Parable of the Sower  Mark 4:3-20

The word remain is in these scriptures 8 times.

It means to be still.

Exodus 14:13-14   But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."       New Living 

It means to be expectant.

Haggai 1:14    So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel …    NIV

It means to wait. 

Acts 1:4   On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.    NIV

John 15:7    If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.   

HOW TO HAVE THE WORD REMAIN IN YOU

1.  READ IT.

2. STUDY IT.

3. MEDITATE IT.

4. MEMORIZE IT.

5. PERSONALIZE IT.

6. PRAY IT.

7. DO IT.

IF                                                                                                                    

IF GOD IS FOR US

Romans 8:31   If God is for us, who can ever be against us?   New Living 

HOW DO WE KNOW GOD IS FOR US???

He didn’t spare his own Son.

Romans 8:32   Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,       NLT

1 John 4:9-10   This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.      NIV

His blessings keep coming.

Romans 8:32   …won't he also give us everything else?     NLT

Romans 8:28    And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.     NIV

He gives us right standing.

Romans 8:33   Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.    NLT

2 Corinthians 5:21   God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.     NIV

Jesus is pleading for us.

Romans 8:34   Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.    NLT

And the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:26-27    In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.       NIV

He won’t let anything separate us from His love.

Romans 8:35-39    Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, "For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.") 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. 38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.     NLT

IF                                                                                                                               

ONE TOUCH

Mark 5:24-34    So Jesus went with him.  A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.  30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"  31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'" 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."     NIV

WHAT WILL TRY TO KEEP YOU FROM YOUR BREAKTHROUGH

THE PAIN

1 Peter 5:9-11   Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. 10 The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ — eternal and glorious plans they are! — will have you put together and on your feet for good. 11 He gets the last word; yes, he does.     MESSAGE

THE PAST

Isaiah 43:18-19   Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. 19 Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands.    MESSAGE

THE PEOPLE

Galatians 1:10   Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant.    New Living 

HOW DID SHE GET HER BREAKTHROUGH

SHE WAS DESPERATE.

Matthew 5:25-26 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

 

SHE WAS DETERMINED.

Matthew 5:27-28  When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."

 

SHE WAS HEALED.

Matthew 5:29   Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

IF                                                                                                                              

IF WE OBEY – GOD WILL BLESS

Hebrews 11:17-19   It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, "Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted." 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.    New Living 

HE HEARD GOD SPEAK.

Genesis 22:1-2   Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"  "Here I am," he replied.  2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."    NIV

HE PREPARED FOR WHAT GOD TOLD HIM.

Genesis 22:3   Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.    NIV

HE ENDURED THE PROCESS.

Genesis 22:4  On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.    NIV

HE SPOKE FAITH.

Genesis 22:5  He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."    NIV

HE TRUSTED GOD’S PROVISION.

Genesis 22:7-8    Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"  "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"  8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.    NIV

HE HAD FOCUSED OBEDIENCE.

Genesis 22:9-12   When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"  "Here I am," he replied.  12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."     NIV

HE EXPERIENCED GOD’S BLESSING.

Genesis 22:13-18   Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided."  15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your  offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."    NIV

HABITS                                                                                                                  

DAILY HABITS

Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message

EVERY DAY:  LIVE IN GOD’S GRACE.

Philippians 3:3   For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,    New Living 

THE TRAP – LEGALISM

Philippians 3:2-6   Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. 3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!  5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.      New Living 

EVERY DAY:  REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS MOST.

Philippians 3:7   I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  New Living 

THE TRAP – CULTURE.

Philippians 3:8   Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.      New Living 

EVERY DAY:  WALK WITH JESUS.

Philippians 3:10-11   I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!       New Living 

THE TRAP – BUSYNESS.

Psalm 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God;”    NIV

EVERY DAY: PUSH FORWARD AND DON’T QUIT.

Philippians 3:12   I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.   New Living 

THE TRAP – PRIDE AND LAZINESS.

2 Corinthians 13:5   Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.     MESSAGE

EVERY DAY:  FORGET WHAT CAN’T BE CHANGED AND FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.

Philippians 3:13-14     No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  New Living 

THE TRAP – REGRET AND UNFORGIVENESS.

Isaiah 43:18-19   "But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”     New Living

HABITS                                                                                             

ALIGNED WITH MY PURPOSE

Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message

Keep my life aligned with my purpose.

Because I have a purpose. 

Psalm 139:16  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.    NIV

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   NIV

We live by design not by default.

Because there is competition for my time and attention. Ecclesiastes 4:6  Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.    NIV

 Because time is short. 

James 4:13-15 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”     NIV

1. Decide what is important.

Philippians 3:7-8  But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.    NIV

Most of our lives are not defined by the important but by the urgent.

2. Give time to the important things. 

Psalm 90:12  Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.    Living 

Make a list of what is important.

3. Eliminate the non-important things. 

Hebrews 12:1   Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.    NIV

4. Regularly take inventory. 

Psalm 39:4-5  LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you;     New Living

HABITS                                                                                                           

SHOW ME YOUR FRIENDS

Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.   Message

RELATIONSHIPS CHOICES

Nurture my important relationships. 

1 Peter 4:7-8 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.   NIV

Restore my broken relationships. 

Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.   NIV

Sever any harmful relationships. 

Proverbs 13:20  He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.    NIV

Initiate some meaningful relationships. 

Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.   NIV

 

 

HOW TO DEVELOP RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS

1. Develop my relationship with my church. 

Ephesians 2:19    You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family.   New Living  

2. Develop my relationship with godly friends.

Acts 2:44-47   And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—    New Living 

3.  Develop my relationship with a team.

Ecclesiastes 4:8-9  There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.    NIV

4. Develop my relationship with God. 

Jeremiah 29:13  If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.    New Living

HABITS                                                                                                     

FIRST THINGS FIRST

MOST PEOPLE HAVE UPHILL DREAMS BUT DOWNHILL HABITS.

Hope for the future. 

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”    NIV 

Repentance from the past. 

Philippians 3:13  Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.    NIV

Formation of uphill habits. 

Romans 12:2  Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.     Message

 

Habit #1 Focus on what I do first.

1. Put God first. 

Genesis 1:1   In the beginning God…    NIV

Exodus 20:1-3   And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”    NIV

2. Give God the first of everything. 

Leviticus 27:30   A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.    NIV

Deuteronomy 14:23   The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God in first place in your life.    Living Bible

The first of my year. 

The first of my month. 

The first of my week. 

The first of my day. 

 

3. Expect God to bless the rest. 

Proverbs 3:6-10   In all your ways acknowledge him…Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.   NIV

BREAKTHROUGH SUNDAY

 

2 Samuel 5:17-25 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked the Lord, "Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?"  The Lord replied to David, "Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you."  20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "The Lord did it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through"). 21 The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.  22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the Lord replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army." 25 So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.      NIV

 

 

STEPS TO GET YOUR BREAKTHROUGH

 

RECOGNIZE THAT YOU HAVE AN ENEMY.

 

2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him.   

 

 

GO TO GOD AND LISTEN TO HIS DIRECTION!!!!

 

 2 Samuel 5:19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”  The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”   

 

TAKE ACTION ON WHAT GOD SAYS.

 

2 Samuel 5:20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there.                     

 

TAKING ACTION – TAKES FAITH

 

 

GIVE GOD ALL OF THE GLORY!!!!

 

2 Samuel 5:20 "The Lord did it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!" So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord who bursts through").    

 

 

DO IT ALL AGAIN.   

 

1 Samuel 5:21-25 The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.  22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. "Do not attack them straight on," the Lord replied. "Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army." 25 So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.