The intent of the writer of Psalm 119 was to set before us the excellence of God. Our text tonight is a unique Psalm that was written in a way that could be easily memorized. It was organized into 22 sections, each with eight verses. The 22 sections correspond to the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the first word of each section begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. We do not know who wrote this Psalm, or when it was written. We know that the writer rejoiced in what he had. He found courage, peace, and wisdom to navigate life successfully. It is interesting to know that the writer did not have the benefit of the whole old testament to study. It is evident from what he wrote, that the writer took what he had and made the best of it. The effect and influence of God’s word in this man’s life were profound. For every situation, trouble, and every trial, the word ministered to this man. It led him, it provoked him, it challenged him, it comforted him. The answer to every dilemma or situation we face is found in God’s word. The word works.

The intent of the writer of Psalm 119 was to set before us the excellence of God. Our text tonight is a unique Psalm that was written in a way that could be easily memorized. It was organized into 22 sections, each with eight verses. The 22 sections correspond to the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and the first word of each section begins with the letter of the Hebrew alphabet in order. We do not know who wrote this Psalm, or when it was written. We know that the writer rejoiced in what he had. He found courage, peace, and wisdom to navigate life successfully. It is interesting to know that the writer did not have the benefit of the whole old testament to study. It is evident from what he wrote, that the writer took what he had and made the best of it. The effect and influence of God’s word in this man’s life were profound. For every situation, trouble, and every trial, the word ministered to this man. It led him, it provoked him, it challenged him, it comforted him. The answer to every dilemma or situation we face is found in God’s word. The word works.

For many churches, we see the supernatural on Sundays and Wednesdays, but on the other days, they rely on their own understanding. That is not God’s plan. God wants us to operate in the supernatural in every aspect of our life. We cannot achieve that by reading a one minute devotional in the morning before we go out the door each morning. The disciples suffered from this same mentality. They were exposed to works and wonders daily in Jesus’ ministry, but when confronted with situations, they still did not expect the supernatural. There are times we have a powerful move of God in our service, but often that is a feeling. Spirituality is more than a feeling. We open the doors to the supernatural when we add works to our faith. When we are in need, we have to know two things: What is our word, and what is our work? There has to be an action to go with the word and what it tells us. Moses had to raise his staff to part the Red Sea. The priests had to step into the Jordan to stop the flow upstream. The widow had to feed the prophet before the meal barrel continued to provide. The door to the supernatural is opened by obedience to His word.

For many churches, we see the supernatural on Sundays and Wednesdays, but on the other days, they rely on their own understanding. That is not God’s plan. God wants us to operate in the supernatural in every aspect of our life. We cannot achieve that by reading a one minute devotional in the morning before we go out the door each morning. The disciples suffered from this same mentality. They were exposed to works and wonders daily in Jesus’ ministry, but when confronted with situations, they still did not expect the supernatural. There are times we have a powerful move of God in our service, but often that is a feeling. Spirituality is more than a feeling. We open the doors to the supernatural when we add works to our faith. When we are in need, we have to know two things: What is our word, and what is our work? There has to be an action to go with the word and what it tells us. Moses had to raise his staff to part the Red Sea. The priests had to step into the Jordan to stop the flow upstream. The widow had to feed the prophet before the meal barrel continued to provide. The door to the supernatural is opened by obedience to His word.

We all want the blessings of God in our lives. We want the transformative experience with God that will make a real difference. The problem is that most of us do not want to go through the process that God requires to realize that process. God’s process will push us out of our comfort zone. We do not always understand the process. In our text, God uses recognizable symbols to illustrate His process. The mother eagle shelters her nest but pushes the eaglets out to turn them into mature eagles. The eaglets do not understand the process, but the mother knows that what is in her, is also in her young and she pushes them to be what they were meant to be. God did not create us to be sheltered. What we see in us, is not what God sees in us. God sees us on another dimension. God sees us where we are, but He is not content to leave us where there. Our text is a glimpse into what God needs us to understand about Him and ourselves. If we are left to ourselves, our life will continue to spiral downward. We need the stirring to move us toward our purpose. God is more interested in our purpose than our comfort. God loves us enough to push us out of the chaos of our lives toward the order and design He has for our life. God is trying to transform darkness into light and chaos into order. Our potential is greater than our present position, but to reach that potential, we have to move out of our comfort zone. All of the pain, storms, and trials we go through are designed to move us to the purpose that God has for us. God is not angry with us; He is trying to get us to the place He has designed for us.

We all want the blessings of God in our lives. We want the transformative experience with God that will make a real difference. The problem is that most of us do not want to go through the process that God requires to realize that process. God’s process will push us out of our comfort zone. We do not always understand the process. In our text, God uses recognizable symbols to illustrate His process. The mother eagle shelters her nest but pushes the eaglets out to turn them into mature eagles. The eaglets do not understand the process, but the mother knows that what is in her, is also in her young and she pushes them to be what they were meant to be. God did not create us to be sheltered. What we see in us, is not what God sees in us. God sees us on another dimension. God sees us where we are, but He is not content to leave us where there. Our text is a glimpse into what God needs us to understand about Him and ourselves. If we are left to ourselves, our life will continue to spiral downward. We need the stirring to move us toward our purpose. God is more interested in our purpose than our comfort. God loves us enough to push us out of the chaos of our lives toward the order and design He has for our life. God is trying to transform darkness into light and chaos into order. Our potential is greater than our present position, but to reach that potential, we have to move out of our comfort zone. All of the pain, storms, and trials we go through are designed to move us to the purpose that God has for us. God is not angry with us; He is trying to get us to the place He has designed for us.

Bro. Ashcraft looks at two areas where we as children of God have some room for improvement. The first is that we give up too quickly. We pray our prayers, and when they do not come to pass, we write them off as if they were a lottery ticket that was not the winner. When prayer does not result in an answer, we rationalize that it was not the Lord’s will. The second fault that we have is living by our feelings as a spiritual barometer. The spirit of the Lord without the Word is like concrete without steel reinforcement in it. When we experience the presence of the Lord, we must also experience it with the Word so that it will keep us solid in times of trouble. If all we have are our feelings, we have no foundation. Many use the word as a morality check. It is a book of codes and rules that have come down from our parents and grandparents. The word is more than that.

There are two keys to increasing our percentage of victory. The first is found in John 15:7. We must saturate ourselves in the word. That is more than just reading. It is searching the word for scriptures that address the areas of our life that are troubling us. Most of us have enough word to keep us moral, but not enough to get us to miraculous. When we saturate ourselves in the word, we will see ourselves as He sees us.

The second key is activation. We read about miracles and we pray for and believe for our miracles, but often do nothing about it. Faith without work is dead. The nobleman who asked Jesus to come lay hands on his child so he would be healed. Jesus told him, to go home that his child was well. The nobleman acted on Jesus’ word and went home to find his child well.

To increase our percentage of victory, we must saturate ourselves in the Word and put our faith into action.

Bro. Ashcraft looks at two areas where we as children of God have some room for improvement. The first is that we give up too quickly. We pray our prayers, and when they do not come to pass, we write them off as if they were a lottery ticket that was not the winner. When prayer does not result in an answer, we rationalize that it was not the Lord’s will. The second fault that we have is living by our feelings as a spiritual barometer. The spirit of the Lord without the Word is like concrete without steel reinforcement in it. When we experience the presence of the Lord, we must also experience it with the Word so that it will keep us solid in times of trouble. If all we have are our feelings, we have no foundation. Many use the word as a morality check. It is a book of codes and rules that have come down from our parents and grandparents. The word is more than that.

There are two keys to increasing our percentage of victory. The first is found in John 15:7. We must saturate ourselves in the word. That is more than just reading. It is searching the word for scriptures that address the areas of our life that are troubling us. Most of us have enough word to keep us moral, but not enough to get us to miraculous. When we saturate ourselves in the word, we will see ourselves as He sees us.

The second key is activation. We read about miracles and we pray for and believe for our miracles, but often do nothing about it. Faith without work is dead. The nobleman who asked Jesus to come lay hands on his child so he would be healed. Jesus told him, to go home that his child was well. The nobleman acted on Jesus’ word and went home to find his child well.

To increase our percentage of victory, we must saturate ourselves in the Word and put our faith into action.

We are not here to celebrate a holiday, but to acknowledge the truth that the resurrection changes everything. All of our hopes, dreams, and anticipations find their roots in the resurrection. If not for that event, how different would our life be? The resurrection changes not only our life, but also our death. When Jesus came out of the tomb, He defeated the greatest enemy of humanity since the fall in the garden: death. Because Jesus lives, there is hope. The resurrection tells us that not only did God work, but He is working! With this knowledge, we do not fear the future. It is the resurrection that gives us the hope we have. He is Alive, and we are forgiven!

We are not here to celebrate a holiday, but to acknowledge the truth that the resurrection changes everything. All of our hopes, dreams, and anticipations find their roots in the resurrection. If not for that event, how different would our life be? The resurrection changes not only our life, but also our death. When Jesus came out of the tomb, He defeated the greatest enemy of humanity since the fall in the garden: death. Because Jesus lives, there is hope. The resurrection tells us that not only did God work, but He is working! With this knowledge, we do not fear the future. It is the resurrection that gives us the hope we have. He is Alive, and we are forgiven!