Sunday Service 1-17-10

Living the Victorious Life - Part 9
Prepare for Battle - Part 2

NOTES FROM SERMON HEARD AT:

Spirit of Fire Evangelistic Ministries

Pastor Jerry Begin

To listen to the sermon, visit:http://www.spiritoffire.org/

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Having a successful Christian life just doesn’t happen. We become lazy as Christians in the latter days.

1. Don’t sell your soul. (Gideon’s people went to other gods and landed in bondage)
Do we let our enemy take what belongs to us?
Gideon and his people had to hide. We are in the days of people hiding.

It is GOD Who will take you out of those things that trouble you right now. ONLY GOD WILL TAKE YOU OUT.
“It is I Who will take you out of Egypt.”

When Israel was taken out of Egypt , they had to battle.
Do you battle to protect what God has given youj… Your soul?... Your heart?.... Your family? ….Your community?

The battle is violent.

Preparing for battle-
We learn to be a team. Christ is head of the host, the head of the armies. Sometimes God calls all people together regardless of the denominations.
We need spiritual people who are willing to take the battle by force, serious spiritual warfare, serious prayer.

After the demolition from the war is cleaned up, we need to keep the peace.
Has the Church learned to keep the peace spiritually?

Jos 1:8-9
(8) This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous (prosperity comes from meditating in the Word) , and then thou shalt have good success (it will take someone who is willing to pray in those things that he has a dream for).
(9) Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

The book of the Law- in those days they had the Bible orally- they had to memorize the 5 books of Moses. They had to speak it over and over again. It needs to be read.


Don’t let this book depart from your mouth= don’t go anywhere without the Word of God. In modern days, it should say “This book of the Law should not depart from your eyes.”

Do you know what belongs to you in salvation? How can you protect what belongs to you if you don’t know what it is?

- authority
- the power to receive the Holy Spirit with power

“but thou shalt meditate therein day and night”
meditate- “to chew the cud,” - chew and swallow and rechew and swallow and break it down so much that it is able to be assimilated in body

The Word
1. Keep it before your eyes
2. assimilate it

Jesus is the Word, the Bread of Life, our Manna- gives us life
The soil takes in the seed, the seed begins to grow- how? We don’t know.

Example of Meditation:
Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

“They that seek the Lord”- always looking for His Presence. Look at what it means to seek.
How do I seek the Lord? Am I seeking the Lord on a daily basis? Am I seeking the Lord in all things?
Every good thing will be there when we need it.

To meditate:
see the word
chew
swallow
chew
swallow
etc.
until you assimilate it (make it part of your life)

You need to understand why the Law is there and what you received in redemption

Meditating on the Word of God:

1. Read it (see it)
2. Write it (feel yourself writing those Words) (Jews consider each letter a breath of God, the spaces as the “smoke” of God)
3. Read it to yourself out loud (hearing, speaking)
4. Doing- observe to do (hands on- watch yourself doing it)

We need to put all things out of the way. We need to do the Word.
God’s Word has power.

The devil will try to choke – steal- bring doubt. Keep your heart full of God’s gracious power. The spark of life is in the Word.

Boot camp starts by learning a whole different way of living. It will take someone aware of the ways of the devil. It is good, but you need to know what you have.

Everything you want will be based on those things.

Centering Prayer

Sometimes meditation is in the form of going before the Lord, getting your mind out of the way, and just bringing your heart before God. Separate yourself so that all you are doing is getting into His Presence, just love Him. Feel each other’s Presence and enjoy Him… our walk in the garden… Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet… be interested in listening. Shut your mind out from your stuff, your business (the seed in the byway, too busy- our heads get too busy). “Be still (still- “Rapha” is a healing space)and know that I am God”. Don’t be concerned with your mind. Jesus says go in your prayer closet- Your wedding chamber- chamber of consummation with the Lord, communion, to come in union with, be all one with your Lover (Song of Solomon).
Be still before Him.
Don’t be upset if your mind pulls you away.
Get the word your are meditating on : Adonai, Lord, Jesus, Jesus prayer (Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner) etc.- until you come back.
Don’t do more than 5 minutes at a time- doing more is doing works
Let God do the initiating and not you.

The origin of the word "alone" means "all one with God"
- Centering prayer

“The Way of the Pilgrim” is a book of meditation that refers to the Jesus prayer