Fixate PHX

Matthew 6:1-15

3 TESTS OF HIS KINGDOM HIS WILL OR MY KINGDOM MY WILL

1- Your secret relationship with money will determine A LOT about your secret relationship with God. Money is a tangible test of if I believe in building his kingdom, and submitting to his will… or if I’d rather focus on my kingdom and my will. There is a reward for those who will repeatedly do in secret what others do not see, because there is a promise that HE SEES AND HE REWARDS.

2- Your prayer life is not what others see, it’s what you do alone, in the quiet. There is a reward for this quiet, rhythmic, faithful commitment to a life of prayer. If you can remember more acts of sinning in secret than praying in secret there may be a “his kingdom but my will” theology present. Rewards from the secret will always be better than the affirmations of being seen.

3- The war you will fight everyday your eyes open; whose kingdom and whose will do you pursue? If it's his kingdom and his will, we must do the things he commands; both in public and in secret. Committing to the things that bring transformation, and pushing through the tension of sanctifying our flesh with his spirit and word. If it is our kingdom we want to come, and our will we want to be done.. Don’t be surprised if Jesus feels empty, boring, and distant. If we will not practice, he cannot produce.

Matthew 5:21-48

HOW TO RAISE THE BAR ON MOTIVES, DESIRES, AND HEART POSTURES WE MUST CONFRONT ON THE JOURNEY TO KNOWING JESUS.

1- The bar is not too high, your view of yourself is too small. We drop the standards when we view them as unrealistic, not realizing we filter our reasoning through our own lens of what's possible or not, not God’s. The spirit has given you a new ability to become a new creation, it's your choice if you believe the lie of the flesh that says you can't change, this is just who you are.

2- You can fake words and actions; you can't fake motives, desires, and heart postures, this is why Jesus is this direct in this passage. Going through the motions and knowing the words to say doesn't show a changed life... it’s the little things we won't let slide anymore, the development of our desires to match his, developing our motives to not be purely selfish over time… It feels like perfectionism because it's so countercultural; this is the way of Jesus Christ.

3- Perfect is attainable; God wouldn’t set a target if he believed you couldn’t hit it. What we have to realize is the sight we aim through towards the target of perfected living is Jesus. The spirit that leads us in righteous/perfected living, the word that reveals the perfect law of God, and then following Jesus' model as a perfect person… Jesus didn't pay a high price for a low bar.

Matthew 5:13-20

Jeremiah 31:33

Ezekiel 36:27

3 TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS PASSAGE

1- Salt can lose saltiness; and light can become darkness. Discipline is when you are regulating what the salt of your personhood tastes like, and if your light shines bright enough to be seen by those around you. You can’t go anywhere if you do not know where you are to start. The key to everything in the beginning is self awareness; becoming aware of what you need, and developing a plan to develop the weakness of the flesh into a strength of the spirit.

2- Good works are the measuring stick of how bright a light shines; those who carry out action that accomplishes something attractively good, inspiring, and beautiful. Would the works of your faith be described in this way?

3- How close you get to God will be no one else's choice but yours. There is no gatekeeper of the spirit, no select few who are allowed to read scripture. The old covenant was selective and controlled… The new rules allow all the right to become a child of God. It will be your choice how faithful you want to be, how deep you want to go, how close you want to get… how fixated you wish to become.

Part 2 - Matthew 5:7-12 NASB

Part 1 - Matthew 5:1-6 NASB

Mark 1:40-45

Leviticus 13:45-46

HOW TO MAKE CHANGES THAT CHANGE

1- There are 4 steps to change: First we must want to change. Second, we must develop goals and intentional framework to change. Third, we consciously and constantly regulate ourselves to maintain change. Four, we practice this cycle over an extended period of time, so much so that the change is done so many times consciously that it becomes an activity we do unconsciously.

2- There is a death to self part of change. A "carry the cross" part of change. A "I'm not looking for self help" type of change. This is a revelation, that it is not change you seek.... it is to be cleansed and made new.

3- Your creator cannot change and cleanse you until you know fully who your creator is; who Jesus is... he is benevolent.

Genesis 24:10-27

Three tests that will determine if you live limited or limitless in Christ...

1- The test of entitlement

2- The test of hospitality

3- The test of boredom

LUKE 8:5-15

HOW TO CULTIVATE GOOD SOIL

1- Good soil starts with plenty of water.

2- Good soil is positioned regularly to receive "Son" light.

3- Good soil requires tending and awareness, and that anything against the growth and sustainability of the plant being uprooted.

4- Good soil is a commitment over a long period of time to steward what is necessary for a seed to grow, it requires focused and meticulous patience.

Mark 10:46-52

THE PRINCIPLES OF A FAITH THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN

1- We all will have a condition in life, a status about our life, and a name unique to our life. How you form your identity will dictate more about your destiny than any other choice you make.

2- Your communication with Jesus must be built on an accurate viewpoint of who he is. He is a Messiah, Lord, Savior, or “Son of David”. But it is not so much the words we call him as much as it is if those are true in the deepest parts of our soul. Lip service is not always what the heart serves.

3. You cannot pick up the new things of God if you have not put off an old identity of what your life is currently or has been that you are holding on to. He has the power to heal, he has the power to give new purpose and meaning, but there is a tangible step of putting off the old we must undertake before he can ever lead us into new work of restoration, healing, and fulfillment.

4- Your faith has made you well is a reality you can live in as a believer.. The question is are you willing to build a life on Jesus that will make your life well. Through the obstacles, challenges, negativity, time constraints, and discomfort, are you willing to build. You can't have a faith that “makes you well” without a life that revolves around knowing his will, and doing his will.

1 Kings 18:41-46

HOW TO BUILD FIST SIZED FAITH FOR 2024

1- Before you ever see the rains of provision, favor, and promise on your life there will be a test of if you will keep your head in between your knees when the timing feels off. The response of God to the cries of his children rarely meet our timeframes, and that's because he is reframing our existence back to dependency. Faith without dependence is like a car without a transmission. It will run, but it won’t get you anywhere. If the only prayer you are praying is for greater independence, don’t be surprised if the drought persists.

2- God shows up more in the little things than the big. So often we are looking for huge signs, wonders, and miracles that confirm his grace and favor upon us. But when you train your eyes to believe in the ‘fist-sized’ you might come to find out that those become the fondest memories of faith in your life. When you believed something that no one else believed in, when you pursued God even when others said it was a waste… and you experienced a downpour of his presence and promise. This year, train your eyes to the small, and I believe you will experience the almighty.

3- You may need to start sounding stupid and looking foolish in order to see the rain. Press into it. Humility is God's character attribute of choice for those who he uses greatly. Often we want to look like we know it all, have it all, and don’t need anyone or anything… and this is what causes the drought of our souls. In 2024 may we be a people who aren’t afraid of what others will say or think even if we may look foolish. Who knows… it might mean we call a fist sized cloud a monsoon, in the midst of 3 years of no water.