Maintain the Spirit - Part 3 - Reigning Spirit - with Pastor Marci Glisson

Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast

from St. Augustine, FL.

Now enjoy this message. We're talking about a reigning

spirit this year. Amen.

And the last few times we've ministered in this arena, we've

been talking about how to maintain a reigning spirit, how

to maintain a reigning spirit. Because in these last days,

we're going to have to have a strong spirit, Amen.

And we talked about the fact these last few times that in

order for us to have a reigning spirit and maintain that spirit,

then we're going to have to know truth, right?

We're going to have to know love, And then what else?

Walk in that love. Amen.

And then tonight I want to talk about that.

For us to continue to maintain a reigning spirit, then we're

going to have to grow strong in spirit.

We're going to have to grow strong in spirit because just

because we say you have a reigning spirit doesn't mean

you're going to rain and doesn't mean that your spirit is going

to be strong, right? We have to do something about

what God has done in US, OK? Because we are not going to

automatically just reign. We have a responsibility, now

that God's put everything within us, for us to begin to exercise

and do the things necessary for us to grow in having this

reigning spirit. And to have this reigning

spirit, we must recognize that we're going to have to grow

strong in spirit. Amen.

We're going to have to grow strong in spirit, a reigning

spirit. We know that this is His spirit,

right? We know this is a different

spirit. This is not the spirit of the

world. We talked about this out of

first John and chapter four last time, and I don't want to have

to go through and read all those scriptures again.

But we know that the spirit that we're talking about and the

reason why we can reign and have a reigning spirit is because

it's His spirit. Amen.

It's his spirit living on the inside of us.

Once we get born again, then he what deposits his self within us

through the Holy Spirit, right? And now we have to what begin to

cultivate that which he has put within us.

We have to cultivate it. God's not going to do it for us.

We have to do it. We have to be the ones that

begin to cultivate everything that God has put within our

hearts. Also the one of the main texts

that pastor gave us that we read from last time was found out of

Romans chapter 5 and verse 17. For by 1 transgression of the

Romans 5 · chapter mention

one death reign through the one which is who Satan.

Much more. Those who received the abundance

of grace and grace and the gift of righteousness will what reign

in life through Jesus Christ, through Jesus Christ.

And so we know that the only way that we can reign in this life

is one we must be born again. But then we have to begin to

what? Walk this out?

The way that Jesus tells us We need to walk it out in the

earth. We have to begin to cultivate

and walk our relationship out before the Lord.

Just because we get born again doesn't mean that we

automatically know what we are supposed to do as believers,

right? This is just the doorway into

the Kingdom. Once we get born again, we get

into the Kingdom and now we begin to what?

Discover ourselves or discover who God has created us as His

children, right? And as we begin to read the Word

and study the Word, we begin to discover everything there is

about the Kingdom of God, about who Jesus is to us, about who

the Holy Spirit is to us. Come on, Who the Father is to

us? All of these things have to be

discovered, because the minute you got born again, the only

thing you encountered was his presence coming to make his

abode within you. Right when you first got born

again, all you know is you know, you just encountered him.

He came and we know what happened.

The minute you got born again. He says that his spirit begins

to take up residence on the inside of you.

And then, not only that, we know the minute you get born again.

The love of God, now Romans, right?

Five says, 55 says, Has been what shed abroad in your heart.

But you have to discover that love.

How about when you get married The happy Valentine's Day?

Y'all see my my love shirt When I put this love shirt on,

Brianna's like, are you going to teach on love tonight?

I'm like, no, no, it's not tonight.

But what was I saying? Yeah, when you get married,

y'all act like y'all are just all in lovey dovey land.

I think tonight 'cause it's was really quiet.

I'm. I'm very proud of y'all that you

came to church instead of out to dinner or some romantic getaway.

Amen. Because you.

Love the Lord. And your marriage would be

nothing without him. Amen.

Would be nothing. So I was going to say something

trying to get my train of thought back.

Yes. When you get married, listen,

there's things you have to discover about your spouse

because they go act one way when y'all were just dating.

Come on. And acting and showing their

best side. When they're around you.

When they're dating you. Because what are they trying to

do? Catch you?

Come on. I mean, they're not going to

come in without have brushing their teeth.

They better not. Or taking a shower before you

show up for a date. Come on.

Stinking, right? No.

They're going to show you their best side so that you can get

married and then you start discovering that they leave the

toilet seat up. Come on that.

Their breath stinks. In the morning they go to the

bathroom just like everybody else.

And they need potpourri, right? They can't hide their anger from

you anymore. Come on, they can't, you know,

do a lot of. Things anymore, without you

discovering all about them. And this takes a what?

A lifetime takes a lifetime. That's why you're meant to be

married forever. Takes a lifetime, and isn't that

about our relationship with the? Lord.

It takes a lifetime to discover who and how magnificent Our Lord

is to our lives. That's how it should be.

And most of the time, the reason why relationships end.

This is not a marriage conference or anything, but it

is Valentine's, So it's because you quit discovering one

another. You get bored with one another.

You get aggravated with the seat being up every time you wake up

and go in the middle of the night to sit down on the toilet.

And your husband had gotten up already and left the toilet seat

up right? So all these things just

continue to add up and build up and then you just don't like it

anymore, OK? But.

You know our relationship with the Lord and the reason why this

happens is because we have not matured in our relationship in

recognizing that people are people, right?

And they're going to make mistakes and they're going to do

things. And we have to be forgiving,

don't we? How many times 70 * 7 forgiving

one another and that isn't that what love is and is a

representation of the Father's love to us?

Aren't you thankful that when we mess up, God Forgives us if we

ask him and he doesn't hold an account to us of a suffered

wrong? Has anybody done the Lord wrong?

And aren't you thankful that His love is consistent?

His love is consistent and it's unfailing that even when we

fail, we can go to the Father and ask Him to forgive us and

that's how our relationship would be.

Should be in our marriages, right?

I know I've had to ask the Lord to forgive me on multiple

occasions, and I'm. I'm glad that he's not tired of

forgiving me that His forgiveness is always flowing

when repentance is there. It's always flowing with

repentance being there. So this life that we're walking

in with Christ is a discovery. We're discovering who he is, but

not only who he is, who we are. And this is, again, a lifetime

journey. And it's a process.

And it's progressive. It's progressive.

That's why we say every year, you know, every year, even in

the natural people do what yearly?

You know, goals and New Year's resolutions and all these

things. What are they doing?

Very value. I want to know how many of you

evaluate every year at the new year, your relationship and

growth with the Lord. That should be #1 on the top of

your New Year's resolution. I should be examining my Walt

with the Lord to see Have I grown this year?

Have I right? Have I challenged myself with

things from the Lord this year? Maybe it is reading a new book,

you know, to help me in an area of my waltz so that I can grow

stronger and stronger. Because remember, as a believer,

we're supposed to be going from faith to faith, glory to glory.

This walk with the Lord should be a continual growth process,

never ending, never ending. We should continue to be

growing. And I'm going to tell you, for

us to maintain a reigning spirit, we're going to have to

make sure that we are growing. Because if we are not growing,

then we are not going to what, produce a strong spirit.

Because it doesn't matter how many books you read, how many

sermons you listen to, if we are not to be able to grow, that

means you actually have to what apply what it is you're reading,

what it is you're hearing, what it is in every situation.

Come on, am I applying what it is that I know to do?

Because to him who knows what to do and doesn't do it.

It's what is it called sin. So if you're not growing and you

know that you should be in an area, in your walk with the

Lord, because the Lord has revealed that to you somehow,

some way, and for you not to do it, you are actually sinning.

You may not be murdering somebody.

You may not be, you know, committing adultery on somebody,

and you know these levels of sin that we think you know are most

important than others. But you are sinning to the fact

that you know you should be doing some things to be able to

grow strong in spirit, and you refuse.

To. That's a sin.

And so that sin will stop you from what?

Progressing and growing and people are going around the

you've heard this statement, people are going around the same

mountain every single year, the same cycles.

Have you seen people, they cycle around the same issues all the

time and you can be assured that if you are cycling every year

around the same issues you. Have a problem.

You have a problem, but great news.

God has the answer. He has a solution to your

problem, and he wants to help you.

He wants to get you out of these continual cycles of behaviors

that you know you're stuck in because you refuse.

You're in. Sin.

Come on. You're in sin, and you will not

have progression and growth with sin in your life.

It just won't happen. It just won't happen.

And so for us to maintain a reigning spirit, we're going to

have to put a priority on growing spiritually and allowing

the spirit of God to continually have the open door within our

hearts and within our lives to tell us whatever we need to do

so that we don't have to encounter this same problem,

this same cycle, this same issue, every single year.

And you know what? He will do it.

He will help you get through it. And he wants.

To so that your growth will not be stunted.

Amen. So that your growth will not be

stunted so. Let's look at a.

Couple of scriptures here about growing strong in spirit,

growing strong in spirit. In First Corinthians 210 through

16 it says this. For to God to us God revealed

them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all

things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the

thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in

him? Even so the thoughts of God no

one knows except the Spirit of God.

Now we have received what not the spirit of this world.

Say I do not have the spirit of this.

World. And we know that this is another

scripture confirming first John 4, which we read these last few

times, talking about maintaining A reigning spirit that we're

going to have to, in these last days, know the difference

between the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

The spirit of error is deception, delusion, OK?

And we know all the other scriptures that pastors been

talking about out of First Timothy that in the last days

many are going to fall away from the faith.

What are they going to be doing? Listening to doctrines of

demons, seducing spirits, Right. And so they're going to, they're

going to start walking into deception.

But the Holy Spirit let us know in first John for that.

Listen, we have the Spirit of Truth.

When we get born again, we have His Spirit, the Spirit of Truth,

living on the inside of us. Therefore we do not have to buy

the lies or buy get caught up in deception.

But in order to do that, we're going to have to maintain a

Rainey's, we're going to have to maintain a strong Spirit.

We're going to have to continue to allow the Lord to grow within

us every year, every day. Come on.

So that we know what the Spirit of Truth is saying, what the

Holy Spirit is saying, because we do not have the Spirit of

this world. Now, isn't that wonderful that

when you get born again, you have the Holy Spirit, you have

His Spirit dwelling on the inside of you, and you no longer

have the Spirit of this? World.

But do you know what? You can still have a ear to this

world. You can still have a eye to this

world. You can be listening to all the

things that the world is saying, and I don't care that you have

His spirit on the inside of you. If you listen more to what the

spirit of this world is saying, then guess what?

That's. What you're going to be

participating in if you continue to look with the eye right of

the flesh? And the lust of this world, then

that's what you're going to be entertaining, and that's what

you're going to be feeding on and putting within you.

And every time we do that, it will cause our spirit to become

weakened, even though he and his spirit is stronger, but he can't

do anything about it if we're feeding on the wrong.

Thing if we're. Feeding on the wrong things.

OK, so he said. We don't have the spirit of this

world, but the spirit who is from God.

Say I have the Spirit from God, so that we may know the things

freely given to us by God. Aren't you thankful that because

we have the Spirit of God and not the spirit of this world any

longer, we can know the things that are freely given to us now

as a believer? Freely that's given to us as a

believer, all right. And it's by God which things we

also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those

taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with

spiritual words. But a natural man does not

accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness

to him and he cannot understand them, right?

Remember, you try to read the Word before you got born again,

and the Bible just seemed like a bunch of mumbo jumbo until the

Holy Spirit turns the light on and you receive him.

Come on. And then when you open it up,

it's like a whole new world. Whole new world, right?

It's like a whole new world. That's because the Spirit

brought it all to light and brought it alive to you, so that

now you can actually spiritually discern what the word is saying.

OK, and so it says this. And he cannot understand them

because they are spiritually appraised.

But he who has known the mind of the Lord that he will instruct

him. But we have the what?

Wow. Not only do we have His spirit

living on the inside of us. Guess what else we have?

We have His mind on everything. That means there's nothing that

we could be going through in this earth as long as we are

living in this world that we can't get the instruction and

the mind of Christ on whatever it is that we're dealing with.

So what does that tell me? That tells me then that I can

reign over every situation, over every circumstance that I

encounter, and my walk with the Lord on this earth in the midst

of this fallen world. I don't have to fall into the

trap of, you know, answering and doing things like the world does

it. I can go straight to the mind of

Christ and begin to ask him for His wisdom on how to deal with

every situation that I'm going through.

Amen. So that I can be assured that if

I apply His wisdom and His direction to my life in whatever

it is that I'm dealing with, I can be assured that I'll win,

that I'll reign, that I'll overcome, that I'll be the

victorious one. Amen.

Hallelujah. That means I don't ever have to

be defeated. I may.

Feel defeated. I may feel defeated.

But that doesn't mean that I am defeated.

And I'm not going to let that feeling control what I know is

truth. Because if I have a strong

spirit, I'm going to be led by that spirit and not my feelings

about what it is that I am dealing with or what it is that

I'm going through. OK, so thank God we have the

mind of Christ. Have you seen how crazy this

world is? I'm telling you, every believer,

you better wake up every morning and thank him that you have the

mind of Christ. Because we are living in a world

of a world gone crazy in their minds, and we're seeing it every

day. And you need to thank him.

Don't be talking about to yourself.

I'm losing my mind. Or, you know, come on or I'm

going crazy. That should not be coming out of

your mouth. You should be saying, thank you,

Lord. I have the mind of Christ.

I have a strong spirit. Come on.

Every day when you wake up, begin to start talking about who

you are and what God has said instead of talking crazy like

this world. Because you're going to have

what you and a reigning spirit will begin to talk like that.

Come on, they'll talk like that. You know, I was just sharing

this is I'm not even on one scripture in my notes.

I was talking to our ministry coordinators this past Sunday

because pastor had to fly out that Sunday.

So I had to do the meeting with the ministry coordinators and

then at staff meeting. I did the leadership, teaching

and staff meeting because the Holy Spirit reminded me about

the children of Israel. And I read out of numbers, you

know, chapter one and chapter 1124, I believe, or 1424, one of

those. And here we know the children of

Israel. You are.

Y'all remember the story, right where he said he's going to

deliver the people. Moses, go deliver my people out

of captivity. They came right through the Red

Sea. He delivered them out and he was

planning to bring them into a what land?

Flowing with milk and honey. We talked about this Friday

night, ladies, right. And about all that honey that

was flowing and so. He wanted to bring him into the

promised land, but we know they got stuck in the what?

The wilderness. For how long?

40 years. And do you know why that all of

them died in the wilderness, even though God said you're?

He They were delivered. Guys, hey, they were delivered.

Anybody in here been delivered. They were delivered.

But their minds were still what slaves they were delivered, and

he was ready to take them into the.

Promised land into the fullness of everything that God would

have for them. And all they did was what

complained, grumbled, and murmured about everything that

that they thought God. Brought him out there just for

them to die in three days. They wanted to, you know, go

back. Isn't that what the scripture

says when you've been delivered? Don't Don't look back.

You're not fit or worthy. But they were looking back, and

they thought it was better over in Egypt as slaves and in

bondage because their minds had not been renewed.

But they didn't enter in, it says, because of their unbelief.

That's what the Bible says. They didn't enter into all that

God had for them because of their unbelief.

What was the number one thing that started the process of

their unbelief? Grumbling, complaining, and

murmuring against God as if God couldn't do anything.

It's. One step away from unbelief in

your life if all you are doing is griping and complaining and

murmuring about you know. What you think God should be

doing and what He's not doing for you, because God's in

control. God is not in control.

He's in control of his work and He's working through your.

Responses your actions. So they were mumbling,

grumbling, complaining, and it is the very thing that led them

into unbelief. But then I go on and I read

about Joshua and Caleb after, you know, God was there, were

ready to, He brought him in and Joshua and Caleb, it said.

We're of a what? Different spirit.

They had a different spirit. So you know what that means to

me. That spirit of murmuring,

complaining, and grumbling is not the spirit of God that he

wants you to have. It's a critical spirit.

It is a spirit of unbelief and doubt and unthankfulness.

And so we as believers, we need to make sure that we are always

in a position that we're checking our hearts to make sure

we're not. And you know what they were

grumbling and complaining about? Also Moses.

Moses, their leader, Number one thing that will get you in

trouble. Come on.

They were mumbling and complaining and griping and

grumbling about Moses and actually God said I heard them

in their tents and it's not. They weren't talking against

Moses. They were talking about God and

he took it personal when you start talking about your leader

and it said they all died and did not enter into the fullness,

into the promises that God actually had for them.

OK, so the reason I bring that up is because we want to make

sure that we have the right spirit and if we don't have the

right. Spirit.

The only way we're going to have a strong spirit is if we feed on

the right things. And griping and complaining and

murmuring and all these things is not feeding on the right

thing. It's not feeding on the right

thing in any situation in your marriage.

What about griping and complaining about your husband

all the time? I'm telling you what that's the

sure sign to cause. Come on, destruction to your

marriage. What about griping and

complaining about your teenagers all the time?

What about griping and complaining about the house you

live in or the car you drive in? You see what I'm saying?

How can God move on your behalf when only way he will operate is

by faith? But you are in unbelief because

of the words that are coming out of your mouth.

And it may not be like I don't believe God, but I can't believe

I'm still living in this house. You see what I'm saying?

It's unbelief. He can't work with that because

it's a bad attitude. It's a.

Wrong spirit. It's a wrong spirit.

So we want to have a reigning spirit, We want to have a strong

spirit, which means that I loved what Joshua and Caleb said.

They said give me that mountain. Do you know that in I'm going

back to this, Do you know that in the midst this is not in my

notes? This in the midst of 40 years.

Of listening. And he called it to the

congregation. 40 years of listening to the congregation

gripe, complain, murmur, be doubtful of everything, right?

They're not in faith about anything.

It said. Joshua and Caleb being of a

different spirit and actually said they were strengthened

because when it was time for them to take the promised land,

he got up on that mountain and he said I am well able, I'm

stronger today than I was 40 years ago, so now he's. 85 And

he actually grew stronger and was strengthened in 40 So here

you have Joshua and Caleb that are being able to stay in the

midst of this kind of environment, not taking on the

thoughts of everybody else, but actually applying God's word to

what God said to them. That you will surely enter into

a land flowing well with milk and honey.

That you're we're going to be able to receive that promised

land. They were able to stand up in

the midst of all of these thousands of people griping and

complaining and doubtless and all these things.

And Joshua and Caleb decided we're going to grow, we're going

to grow stronger. We are actually going to be able

to have strength. Come on in the midst of this.

So this tells me that we can do it no matter what our situation,

no matter what we are going through.

I don't care if your whole house, your household, does

nothing but gripe and complain and fuss and have drama and be

dysfunctional. You as a believer, as a child of

God, by the power of your will, can choose to say, I'm going to

reign in the midst of this. Come on.

And I'm going to have a strong spirit and I'm going to allow

this to strengthen me and to grow me.

Come on. So that in the day and the hour

that God said he's going to bless me and my household, you

see what I'm saying? Stronger because they chose to

believe God's word in the midst of all of that garbage.

And don't you think that they couldn't have taken on those

same complaints and thought processes, but they chose to

hold on to God's word and what God said.

And in that what we're supposed to do, if we're going to rain,

if we're going to maintain a reigning spirit, then we have to

choose to hold on to what God's Word has said in the midst of

whatever's going on in our life. Come on and choose to say, I

don't know about you, but I'm going to grow through this

because I'm going to flow. Come on, I'm going to flow this

year. Come on with the Holy Ghost.

There's a new flow of the Holy Ghost, and I'm going to choose

to grow and flow through it and be stronger on the other side

and be strengthened. Hallelujah.

So you choose. It's up to you.

God can't do anything. He's already done everything.

He's already done everything. And so in the midst of hearing

the gripe and the complaining, in the midst of all those

things, you have to be the one to say, I choose to grow.

I choose to become stronger. I.

Choose to allow my spirit to be strengthened in the midst of

this instead of destroyed, because it will what it will

make you or it will break you. You choose in the midst of

things that are going on in your life every day.

Second Corinthians 413 and 14 says this.

It says And since we have the same.

Spirit of what? Faith according to what is

written. I believe, therefore I spoke.

We also believe, and therefore we speak knowing that he who

raised up the Lord Jesus Christ will also raise us up with Jesus

and will present us. With you we have the same spirit

of faith. So His spirit is not just the

spirit of truth, right? His spirit is a spirit of faith

and a reigning spirit is a spirit of faith.

A strong spirit will produce faith within your life.

A weak spirit, a broken spirit, a spirit that is feeding on the

wrong things will not be a person of faith and reign in

situations. It's just the bottom line.

I don't care that God is on the inside of you.

If you don't feed your spirit, it will not be strong, it will

be weak. If we don't feed our physical

bodies, Come on, what happens? It will begin to eat itself up,

actually. Through starvation.

And that. Just think about that as your

spirit man. If you don't feed your spirit,

man, it's starving. It's.

Starving and we become anemic and anorexic.

And have you ever seen believers that are like that?

They have no faith, and sitting in faith churches, no faith.

And you know how we know they don't have any faith?

Because of the first things that come out of their mouth when

they enter into a trial or a situation, right?

Because a person with a strong spirit is actually going to say

what God says. A.

Person that has fed themselves on the right things are going to

say what God says in the midst of whatever it is that they're

going, whatever it is that's going on in our life.

Look at this. If you don't think that we have

to grow, do you think that the minute you get born again,

you're just TA dah? That's it.

We're good. Most Christians believe that and

live that way. They're born again.

They're good to go. They're waiting on one day when

they die, they get to go to heaven.

And nothing about their life or their lifestyle changes.

That means they don't grow, right.

So we, if we're going to have that reigning spirit, have to be

people that realize we have to grow in every season, in every

season. We have to grow no matter what

the season beholds us, whether it's a great season, whether

it's a challenging season. We have to make a decision that

we're going to grow through those those seasons, OK?

And what the way we grow is that we apply God's word to our lives

and whatever it is we're being challenged with.

Now look at Luke 240, because I want to prove to you that Jesus

even had to grow. Yeah, he did.

Luke 240. Now he was the son of, yet he

had to grow it says. It says.

And the child grew and became strong in what in spirit, filled

with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon

him. And the grace of God was upon

him, then dropped down to 52 and it says, And Jesus increased.

Anytime you increase, it's because you've allowed him to

grow you or increase your capacity.

You just don't grow automatically, OK?

If we did not feed our children, they would not grow properly.

They wouldn't grow properly. And so it says.

And he increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God

and man, So he grew and became strong in spirit.

He grew and became strong in spirit.

Our number one assignment is to get you so pumped up like you on

steroids, strong in spirit. Your spirit ought to be as

strong as you know, all these bodybuilders that you see with

strong muscles, like Arnold Schwartzman.

However you pronounce it. And who else was a big, huge

bodybuilder? That was old school days.

OK, Pastor Mike. Pastor Earl.

He loves you, Christopher. You tell him that when you see

him next. OK, pump him up, Christopher.

So strong, like your spirit ought to be the strongest muscle

in your body. Right.

Because when you have a strong spirit, you're going to be able

to conquer anything that comes your way.

So what is what does it mean where it says he grew and became

strong in spirit? When you look that up in the

Greek, it means he had to grow in the divine nature of God.

Though he was the Son of God, but he was what?

A man in the earth? So he had to discover himself as

the divine nature of God. He isn't that what we do when we

get born again? What our old man has passed

away? Behold all things become new and

now we have the divine nature. Zoe life coming to dwell on the

inside of us when we get born again.

And now we have to do what? Discover and grow in that divine

nature, discovering who we are in Christ.

And so he had to grow in streak strong divine nature of God.

The influence. This is what he had to grow in,

the influence which is feels and governs the seat of his

emotions. He had to grow in the seat of

his emotions, just like we do, which is the soul, realm, the

mind realm, the mental realm, our mind, our will, our

emotions. That's why he had to say not my

will be done, but your will be done.

That's why he had to say it. Because if he was the Son of God

and could just automatically do it, no.

He was showing us who we are. That's good.

Hallelujah. Isn't that what Pastor Roddy

said? He didn't come so that we could

see who he was. He came so that we can see who.

We are who we are. And so he had to grow and learn

how to feel and govern his seat of emotions as well as we do.

He had to have control over his emotions and didn't he?

He had to what? He had to run money changers out

of the temple, but he didn't do it in anger.

So that means he had what? Self-control.

He was able to deal with his emotions.

We know he cried. Jesus wept.

And crying and weeping is not a problem if it's done in the

right spirit. Not crying and weeping like

Esau, who did it in the wrong spirit.

You see that? So he also It meant he had to

grow in the characteristics and personality of the Holy Spirit.

Working His power. Isn't that something?

So don't we have to, We have to understand the working of the

Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit as a believer.

Amen. So he had to grow strong in

spirit, and we have to grow strong in spirit if we're going

to maintain a reigning spirit. You know, I've been talking

about this out of Ephesians. Chapter 4, verse 11, La La La La

Ephesians 4:11

la, verse 13. Let's just read it from there.

It says until we all what come to the unity of faith and the

knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of

the stature of the fullness of Christ, That word stature.

One translation said that Jesus grew in stature as well.

One translation says that so that word stature means mature.

He had to grow up into the fullness of being a perfect man,

a mature man operating. And because he grew in these

things, to discover who he was into a mature man.

Amen. And do you know that's what we

have to do If we're going to have a strong spirit, we're

going to have to mature. We're going to have to grow.

We're going to have to be a person that says I need to grow

in this area in my life. You can't sit in this church and

not have an area in your life that is not brought forth and

you think you got it all together.

Not you ain't going to. It ain't going to happen in this

church, because all of us have. Something that we have to grow

in. And mature in.

All of us. And all the time with the word

that's coming forth, it's it's it's then nudging us and and the

Holy Spirit's revealing to us, you need to actually grow in

this area. You have been dealing with this

for 15 years and it's still a struggle for you.

You know, I feel like saying may it never be right, because why?

It's up to us to choose to do what it takes to grow.

Isn't that what? He says.

Listen, when you were a child, you used to what?

Think. Like a child, act like a child.

But when you become a what a man, it's time to what grow up

and put away what childish things put away?

Whining and wanting attention. Like babies do, right?

All those things. And so we have to recognize, he

says. Listen, we need to grow into the

stature and the fullness of Christ.

Look what it says in verse 14, that we should no longer be

children tossed to and fro and carried away.

Listen to this. This is why it's important,

because this is what pastor's been talking about, carried away

about with every wind of doctrines of demons, right?

So it's most important that we mature in these last days so

that we can guarantee we can't. We don't have to fall into

deception because we've actually grown up spiritually.

We've actually allowed ourselves to mature and apply the word and

recognize areas that need to be dealt with and actually begin to

deal with them so that we won't caught.

Get caught up in every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men

in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.

But speaking the truth in love so that you may grow up into all

things, into Him who is the head?

Christ. You see that?

What does it mean to grow up? To grow up, to mature and and

where he says this into all things, he means into a complete

man. Into a complete man.

It means to grow mental and moral character.

It means to mature. Amen.

So just because you're born again doesn't mean that you're

mature. Doesn't mean that you don't have

to grow, that you don't have to do more things to allow yourself

to sit up underneath the word. Apply the word so that you can

grow. Now look at Ephesians chapter

316 and 20. It says that he would grant you,

according to his riches of his glory, to be strengthened with

power through. His.

Spirit in the what? Inner man.

So the inner man, your spirit needs to be strengthened.

You will not maintain a reigning spirit unless you strengthen it.

Just like what do they call working out strength training.

So we have to put it under the gun, so to speak.

Put it under some what pressure? Put it underneath some word,

some actual words of righteousness.

Not milk of the word, but words of righteousness for us to begin

to what? Strengthen and grow in our inner

man so that our spirit can begin to be strong?

If all we do is sit up underneath the milk of the word,

what will we remain? Babies.

Babies. Do nothing.

But what? Cry, whine, complain, tell you

they don't want to do it. To fall down on the floor and

pitch a little temper tantrum. Act a fool, right?

All these things that babies do, and just think about churches

and some of the things believers do right?

They're acting like babies because what has happened, they

have not allowed themselves to grow and mature.

They've not allowed themselves to grow.

Oh, but they come to church every every Sunday and every

Wednesday. What's that doing for them if

they're not applying it so that they can grow by it?

If they're not doing it because you can hear the word and be

what deceived, you can. Come to church and hear good

word, good word. And deceive your You can sit in

these seats and deceive yourself.

You don't even have to listen to a doctrine of demon or a

deceiving spirit. All you have to do is come to

church and hear the good, unadulterated word of God and

sit here and do nothing with it, and you become what?

And no demon did that. Who did it?

The one that chose not to apply it, Not one demon did it.

Not one person seduced you know. You chose to sit right there and

to. Harden your heart.

To the pluckings of the Holy Spirit speaking to you every

time you're sitting up underneath the word about things

that need to be adjusted and things that need to grow and

things that need to be tweaked within your life, and instead of

doing it, then you become deceived and what we call

deceiving your own. Heart.

You've deceived your own heart. You know how you deceived your

own heart? Because I'm going to church?

I asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me so that when I

die I get to go to heaven. I didn't think there was

anything else necessary. You see that?

So deception can run. What be?

Right here in the church. For those that don't receive it,

those that don't do it. Come on now, let me read this

last scripture. Let me see where I want to go

because I know what time it is, because we can go next Wednesday

and talk about some of these things.

Growing and feeding our spirit is a necessity if we're going to

reign and maintain that reigning spirit.

Let's talk about Abraham real quick and Romans chapter 4.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

Let's end with this Romans chapter 4 and verse 17.

Romans 4 · chapter mention

This is a good thing. We won't end on a a hard thing.

He was the father of many nations, right, it says, And in

the presence of him who he believed, even God, who gives

life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist

in hope against hope, he believed so that he might become

what the father of many nations according to that which had been

spoken. So shall your descendants be

without becoming weak in faith. So we see.

I'm trying to show you the scriptures where it talks about

our spirit man either growing or becoming weak.

And here we see that Abraham without becoming weak.

How did he not become weak? Because what did he did?

He called those things that what be not as though they were

right. It says in verse 18 in hope

against hope. What did he do?

He believed so that he might become a father of many nations

according to which had been spoken.

So shall your descendants be Without becoming weak in faith,

he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead, since he

was about 100 years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb yet.

With respect to the promise of God, what did he do?

He did not waver in unbelief, but what happened?

He grew strong in faith. He grew strong in faith.

In the midst of a bad situation, right where he could his wife

and him had no children, has anybody ever been there?

Right. You would think that you could

doubt God, that it was going to come to pass.

But in the midst of all of the things that he was going

through, he chose to believe God at his word.

And when he chose to believe God at his word and what God had

promised, he grew stronger. In faith, His faith grew.

His. Spirit man became stronger.

So for us to grow, we're going to have to hear the Word and

what the word says and begin to believe the word over whatever

it is that's going on in our life.

And in the midst of that, that's when growth can begin to happen.

Growth doesn't happen outside of you actually having to have

faith to do what it is God said to do in whatever situation it

is. That's how your faith grows.

Your faith doesn't just grow by hearing the word, only you have

to act upon it in the midst of the challenge and have faith in

it. And that's when your spirit can

grow stronger. That's when your faith, your

your spirit can be strengthened and grow.

We're stronger today. You're stronger every time you

make a decision that you're going to believe God's word in

whatever it is. Every time what happens, you'll

grow stronger. Your spirit man gets stronger,

and what happens? It says he was able to look back

on the what? The faithfulness of God.

So every time you make a decision, I'm going to stand on

the word about whatever it is you're going through.

Your faith now can begin to be strengthened.

You can begin to. Your spirit can begin to grow

stronger and stronger so that when the next challenge comes,

what do you? Well, I look back on the

faithfulness of God. I know he was able to help me

and strengthen me and do what he said he was going to do here.

So guess what? Now I'm able to walk into this

next challenge. You ought to be stronger in the

next challenge than you were in that one.

And you can. Tell if a.

Person has actually applied faith in a situation by their

response of the next trial or situation or circumstance they

enter in. Did they actually grow from the

last challenge? Because if they did, you'll see

that they'll make a decision for this next challenge.

I'm not going to act a fool like I did over here.

I'm not going to have an emotional breakdown when I just

find out that, you know, I'm losing my job or whatever the

case. Why?

Because your spirit grew, because you actually applied the

word in the last trial. And that's how now if you don't

respond right, you can see to yourself and say to yourself,

maybe I really didn't grow as much as I thought and really

didn't apply faith as much as I thought I did.

You see that because every every day, as the challenge comes, we,

no matter what comes our way, if we've been applying faith every

day along the way we are growing and being strengthened.

So that our spirit is strong, we should have a strong spirit.

We should have a strong spirit, guys.

So that we're not having a meltdown at the next situation,

and we're not, you know, feeling overwhelmed and anxious and

stressed out at the next thing or even in what God is asking of

you to do, you should be strong enough to say yes.

Lord. If you've been applying along

the way, OK, yes, Lord. You know what?

This is a new thing you're asking me to walk into.

You're asking me to walk into a new business design or a new

business plan. But you know what?

I did it on the smaller level and I and I had faith to do it

there and I was challenged in that situation.

But, but I know you came through.

So if you're asking me to step out, to do something else larger

than that, my capacity, my spirit is stronger today than it

was then because I actually walked through it by faith.

So again, that's going. And growing from faith to faith,

glory to glory, right? Because you've been applying and

growing and allowing your spirit to be strengthened and strong.

Hallelujah. You ought to be like Caleb.

You ought to be like. Abraham.

He's our father. Of what faith?

And he became stronger and was strengthened, because he chose

to believe God's promise about above everything else.

What it Let me read that verse 20 again.

It says. Yet with respect to the promise

of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but he grew stronger

in faith, giving glory to God. And what happened?

Being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able

also to perform. He was well able, but it was

because he was growing. In faith and chose to believe

the promise, the word of God, that God had spoken above

anything about, above the deadness of Sarah's womb and the

deadness of his body, he believed.

God. And God came through, and he

grew. By it.

Let me read that out of the The Passion translation and we'll

close. It says that's what the

Scripture means when it says I have made you the father of many

nations. He is our example and father.

For in God's presence, he believed that God could raise

the dead and call into being things that don't even exist yet

against all odds. When he looked hopeless.

When it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and

expected God to fulfill it. He took God at his word.

That's what faith is. God says it.

I believe it, that he took God at his word and as a result he

became the father of many nations.

God's declaration over him came to pass.

Your descendants will be so many that they will be impossible to

count in spite of being nearly 100 years old.

When the promise of having a son was made, his faith was so

strong that it could not be undermined by the fact that he

and Sarah were incapable of conceiving a child.

He never stopped believing God's promise.

For he was made strong in his faith.

To father a child, his faith, his faith was so strong.

It's his faith that fathered that child.

God didn't do it. Amen.

That's good. His faith did it.

His faith did it. And he grew stronger in

believing God that he could do it.

And because he was a he was mighty in faith and convinced

that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises,

Abraham glorified God. So now you can see why Abraham's

faith was accredited to his account as righteousness before.

God, Amen. Because he believed God, he

grew. And because he believed God, he

grew stronger. His spirit grew stronger in

faith. Amen.

Hallelujah. So if we are going to maintain

this reigning spirit, then we have to constantly be allowing

God to mature us and grow us. And actually applying God's word

to our life day in and day out, practicing it, doing it.

Not just hearing it and sitting in the church and and shouting

about how God did all these things, but actually saying God.

You can do it through what me. You can do it through me, and

when you do it through me, I'm going to grow, I'm going to be

strengthened, my spirits going to be strong.

Allowing him to grow us is most important for us to maintain a

strong spirit. Again, you know, every year we

should be evaluating ourselves and saying where, what are some

areas that I'm still weak in faith in?

What are some areas that I know I need to grow in and begin to

ask God, right, To show you and challenge you and begin to

actually do it right? Whether it be your emotions,

whether it be the characteristics of God and

things you know you need to do. Whether it be you know, the

fruits of the spirit, self-control.

Do you know that we let me read this real quick?

I had this down, but I didn't read it out of Proverbs.

This is really important because because it is up to us to

maintain our spirit. It's up to us.

Look what Proverbs says here in I know I put it on.

Yeah, right here, Proverbs 2528. Whoever has no rule over his own

spirit is like a city broken down without.

Walls. You have no rule over your own

spirit. We ought to have.

He's given us rulership. He's given us dominion.

He's given us everything that pertains to life and godliness.

He's given us his word. He's given us his spirit.

He's put everything within us that we need to reign over our

own spirit. To.

Rule over it. And when you don't, when you

don't rule over your own spirit and decide you know what spirit

we're going to grow, we're going to do this thing.

I'm not going to let it just be out of control.

It says you are like a city broken down without.

Walls. And then in Proverbs 1632, it

says he who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he

who rules his spirit than he who takes a city, it's.

Better to rule your spirit then be mighty enough to take a city

who has rule over your spirit. We do.

God does not. He is not going to make you

grow. He is not going to make you

become strong. We have to decide.

We are going to do it. We are going to grow.

We are going to change. We're going to allow him to work

within us and yield our spirit to Him, Just as we said Jesus

had to yield his will to the Father.

We have to do the same thing for us to grow strong in spirit.

We have to yield ourselves. We have to yield our will.

We have to yield our mind. We have to yield our emotions,

our thinking, our reasoning. We have to yield our bodies.

We have to yield our spirit. We have to yield it all, because

he cannot make us do. Anything.

We have rulership over our own spirits and that determines the

quality of life we will have. It will determine the quality of

life we have. The good news is about having

the good life. He's made it available, but we

have to walk in it and we have to choose to do it.

Amen. Hallelujah.

Let's pray, Father, we just thank you for your word tonight.

We thank you, Father, that you are raising us up.

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