Choose Life Not Strife 2

Well, we've got a treat tonight.

Selena Griner's gonna come and share the word with us.

Amen, Give her a hand clap as she comes.

Don't forget the word and spirit conference coming up.

It's coming up quick.

Make plans to be here the whole time.

All five services.

Somebody said oh, that's more than I normally.

Yeah, do something you don't normally do and you'll get an uncommon blessing back.

Amen.

Pastor Mark and Trina.

They are such a blessing, aren't they?

We love having them here.

It was just Pastor Mark's birthday and so I got to see all I got to wish him happy birthday on social media.

So you'll have to tell him happy birthday, and it's almost Pastor's birthday this week.

Happy birthday, pastor.

Yes, growing wide, that's right.

Resetting your clock he reset your clock.

Amen.

We were thankful for our pastor.

Okay, so tonight I'll be doing a part two.

So last time I taught in here it was like a long time ago I taught on offense and strife.

Happy face, choose life, not strife was the title of my message.

So it's just a continuation of that Part two.

Choose life, not strife, part two.

And this message came from, or it was birthed out of.

Pastor had a series and the last of his series was I think the title was like connect the dots.

He mentioned a couple of people that used to be here and got offended and left, and so it just kind of stirred some things in me.

And I've grown up in church 4 AM, 41, my whole life my mama brought me to church, and so I would have to say that the biggest hindrance in the body of Christ is offense and strife, and the road of offense and strife always or would say always ends in failure.

It never ends in warm, fuzzy feelings.

It never ends and you have it being joyful, it never puts a smile on your face.

Offense and strife always ends in failure.

Right, and so it's our greatest year yet, amen.

So if it's our greatest year, I mean here at the church, not only here at the church, but in your home, with your kids, with your spouse, when your finances and your health and every area of your life, god wants it to be the greatest, amen.

Okay, so my foundational scripture is Proverbs 19-11, and I'll read it in a couple of translations.

I'll read it in the amplified first Proverbs 19-11, good sense and discretion make a man slow to anger, and it is his honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense without seeking revenge and harboring resentment.

Proverbs 19,.

Oh sorry, same scripture in the Passion translation.

A wise person demonstrates patience, for mercy means holding your tongue.

When you are insulted, be quick to forgive and forget it, for you are virtuous when you overlook an offense.

God calls us virtuous if we overlook an offense.

In the New Living Translation it says sensible people control their temper.

They earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

So offense is not about the other person, it's about you, right?

Let me say that again.

Offense and strife is not about the other person and what they did, it's about you.

The Word of God is a mirror, so God wants us to look to him and it should reflect some things.

So I'll have a couple points tonight, and I've listed in my points our habits that hinder our greatest year or hinder our love walk.

So my first point is not thanking according to the Word of God regarding any situation in my life.

Again, not thanking according to the Word of God regarding any situation.

How many of y'all here were here this past Sunday morning when Pastor Todd, on winning the battle of the mind, that was so powerful, wasn't it?

And all the people that came up and got delivered?

But it hits home with everybody.

We have a mind and it gets squirrely sometimes and we have to renew our mind daily, not once upon a time when I got saved Right, it's like.

Every day you have to renew your mind and the Word of God, and so my scripture to go with, that is Isaiah 26-3 in the Amplified.

It says you will keep him perfect and constant peace.

Imperfect and constant peace, the one whose mind is steadfast, that is committed and focused on you, focused on God, not focused on the situation, not focused on what I'm dealing with, not focused on who said what?

Focused, committed and focused on you in both inclination and character.

We should know the character of God the more time we spend with him, the more we become like him.

So, because he trusts and takes refuge in you with hope and confident expectation, my next scripture is Philippians 4-8 in the Passion Translation.

Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful and kind.

If you just look at the TV, you just get mad.

I'm like it is not any of that.

And fasten your thought.

But we have to keep informed on what's going on.

Pastor keeps us informed, but sometimes you just want to throw things Crazy.

People, divided nation.

It is an offended nation and sometimes they're just offended just to be offended.

You're out there with your signs and you don't even know what you're saying.

Crazy, so it says fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising him always.

So that's just a good habit to continually to every situation in your life, to bring it back to like am I thinking about this, right?

What would Jesus do?

What does he want?

What does he say in His word about this thought that I just had?

Where is it coming from?

So it's good to ask some questions, it's good to surround yourself with people.

It's a whole another message, but that holds you accountable, like, hey, am I thinking about this, right?

And if they tell you no, don't get offended.

You ask, so you should want to know, okay.

My second point is believing my way is the only way, me myself and I.

So the enemy uses sometimes insignificant things, petty little things, to just cause fights and cause strife.

You know, just nitpicking little things.

And sometimes you know we're dealing with somebody and they're just kind of in a funk or in a bad mood and it's really not about that.

They're coming to it.

You know, maybe they got hurt that morning, or maybe their husband said something to them, or so we should always be compassionate towards people instead of, hey, they're coming up nitpicking about this.

Not really that, you know little thing that they're nitpicking about, it's something deeper, amen, okay.

My third point is the habit of not being consistent in the word, and I thought of New Year's resolution.

Everybody started out, starts out with a grape hype.

You know, ethan was like, came back from the Y when he first he's like, oh my gosh, I hate it.

So it's.

So.

You know, the weight room is just everybody, it's crowded Because he's kind of used to going, you know, at certain times of the day and it's nobody's in there.

And now it's January and everybody's in the weight room, everybody's there, and they start out with a great hype, you know.

But then it kind of trickles.

You know, throughout the year the weight room gets less busy.

So the parable of the sower and Mark four, jesus, talks about these kind of people, 416,.

I'll just read it from the New King James.

In a similar way, these in the second group are the ones whom seed, who the seed was sown on rocky ground, who then they hear the word immediately, receive it with joy but accept it only superficially and they have no real root in themselves.

So they endure for a little while.

Then when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they are offended and displeased that being associated with me and stumble and fall away.

So, and I looked up in different translations it says they quickly become full of doubts, immediately they fall away or they give up at once.

So here so the parable.

You know, there's the sower, sows the word.

There's nothing wrong with the word.

There's three, fourths crop failure.

The word of God works, but it's the heart, it's the soil that it's sown into.

And so talks about a person not being just receiving it with joy, like, yes, you know, mark Hankins is coming and we get so filled up, and then I don't, you know, then the week after maybe you forget what he said.

No, the enemy comes and he tries to snatch that word.

But we have to be strong in the word, be consistent, keep on, you know, listen to pastor's messages, go back and replay that, and that's how we stay full and consistent every day of the word Amen, not just right here when we show up, but when we in the morning, you know, do we just reach for our phones?

I always tell the teens, like, put your phone in another room.

I know it's attached to your hip, but sometimes with adults too, put it in another 10 minutes.

Okay, if you, if you just start out with 10 minutes prayer, read your word, but don't just get on your phone the very first.

You know out of bed and then you're on your phone.

No, be consistent in the word of God, it's a good habit.

Amen, amen.

Psalm 119, 165.

And then you can.

James says great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.

Let me read that again Great peace have they which love thy law, and nothing shall offend them.

So if you're really grounded in the word of God, nothing's gonna offend you.

If you're really grounded, really really grounded, nothing that's what the word says.

Nothing will offend you.

You won't get mad, you won't get upset, you'll just laugh.

The joy of the Lord's our strength, right, yes, yes, nothing will offend you, for grounded in the word.

Psalm 119, 11,.

And then you can.

James says your word I have hidden in my heart that I may not send against you.

I have hidden your word in my heart.

I've.

It's in there.

I'm not gonna be offended, it's in there, amen.

Psalm 119, 105,.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

So his word's a lamp to our feet.

So you won't stumble.

Offense actually the word offense means to impede, to entrap.

So when God's word is a light, it shines bright.

Our pathway, our pathway.

We won't stumble, we won't fall, but we have to be consistent in the word.

We have to.

It has to be flowing out of our lips, has to be in our heart.

Amen.

Mark four I'm sorry, mark 11, 25 in the amplified Says whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, drop the issue, let it go.

Sometimes we wanna bring up issue right.

Sometimes, like husbands and wives, or even with kids, like you know, something happens and they're okay.

But I'm not okay.

I don't wanna drop the issue.

Oh, just keep at it.

No, I said for you to wash the dishes and they're still overflowing.

There's lots of dishes or whatever you know, and I'm like I said did you not hear me?

And we get kind of feisty.

Am I the only one that gets that way?

I'm sure y'all are just perfect, just me.

Drop the issue, let it go.

That's what the word says.

Drop it, let it go.

Forgive, move on.

It's our greatest year yet.

God's bringing us into a new season.

He can't bring you into a new season if you're like.

Keep repeating the past and keep repeating old things and keep on going over and over it.

He's bringing us into a new season, greatest year yet.

So we have to let go If you're focused over here on the past, your mind's back there, you can't focus on the new, what God has for us.

So, as I drop the issue, let it go, so that your Father, who is in heaven, will also forgive you your transgressions and wrongdoings against him and others.

So we, you know we're not perfect, we wouldn't be.

We've been forgiven, so we need to forgive others.

Amen, amen.

Number four is resistant to change.

That's a bad habit we had this past summer.

We had our altitude, had a theme and it was called Summer of Growth.

Yeah, it was a fun theme and I taught one of my messages and I wrote it down here you'll never grow in areas that you ignore.

You'll never grow in certain areas that you ignore.

You have to attend to them.

You have to focus on them.

Like, hey, like I noticed, you know, maybe my love walk isn't as strong.

Like read 1 Corinthians 13,.

Go to that, but we should be growing.

Our love walk should be greater this year than it was last.

Right, our compassion for people should be greater this year than it was last year.

Our peace should be greater, our joy, amen.

We shouldn't be the same right now as we were in 2016.

Like the thing that offended you or you got upset about or whatever, that shouldn't bother you anymore.

Why?

Because you're growing in the word.

We're growing in him, amen, we're growing.

It's a choice.

God doesn't beat us upside the head.

You better grow.

It's up to us, amen, it's up to us to feed on the word and to grow.

I told the teens I said, and they didn't know, I was like you know, there's two types of baby Christians.

Do y'all know?

And they're like no, it's like the one's good.

So the first one is you know, when they confess, you can ask Jesus into their heart, believe in their heart, confess with their mouth, and that's what it's a new convert.

We want those.

But then we have another baby Christian, people who haven't come into church for 10, 20, 30 years and get offended and anything upsets them and they should be growing.

But that's not you guys.

You guys are here on a Wednesday night.

Amen, amen.

Okay, let's see, okay.

So those were all my points.

And then, right here on the end, I put three.

So the three R's are protecting against offense, the three R's, and they're just really simple.

So protect yourself against offense.

Realize that offenses will come.

We live in a world, we're around other people.

We don't live in a mountain off by ourselves with nobody around.

No, we're with people.

Okay, you're gonna be tempted to get upset.

Number two recognize offense for what it is.

Don't let it fester.

Sometimes we get upset and sometimes you're just getting in bad mood, like why am I in a bad mood, like, and you go back and it's like something somebody said or did or didn't do and they should have said Something somebody said on Facebook, right, social media, parents, you know whatever, coworkers, and you just let it fester.

And if you don't deal, you know that's just the enemy.

You have to deal with it, amen.

And then number three is refuse to allow offense to take root in your heart and mind.

So you realize you recognize for what it is, and then you're just gonna refuse it.

Like nope, I'm stepping over that.

Right, I'm stepping over that offense will not come my way.

I mean, it may come my way, but I'm stepping over it.

That's just a trick from the enemy.

It's a snare, it's a trap, and so I just wanna encourage you don't get into that trap.

God wants us to live a life that's full of love, loving other people, loving ourselves, loving God, loving other people amen, that's what it's all about.

I wanted to pass out Derek, if you could pass these out.

I always throw Rachel for curve balls.

I'm like Rachel, can you quickly just print this?

And then it's like four hours later.

No, it probably didn't take her that long and I don't know if I printed enough, but it's a cute little.

I don't know, it's kind of bigger than a bookmark, but you can stick it in your Bible.

You can keep one.

You don't have to keep it.

I won't get offended if you throw it away, maybe a little bit, but don't throw it away.

That would not be nice.

Okay, so there's this girl that I follow and she kind of jotted the notes down and I so plagiarize that you can plagiarize.

It's the Bible, anyway.

So, amen, that's right, plagiarize the Bible.

Anyways, I follow her on Instagram and she does these covers for journaling Bibles and about one for Allison, anyways, and I went through her feet and I saw this little thing, but we made it our own Anyway.

So it says someone offends me on the left, so I'm gonna read the left tell people they listen and they harden their heart towards that person.

And then you follow the arrows, they join a negativity and then I have now caused others to sin, purposefully, relived it, reacted to my flesh over the spirit, and it was all done intentionally and on the right.

That's what we do.

Tell God in prayer.

He listens and softens my heart.

Peace overwhelms me and I have no desire to talk about it anymore, because that's what happens when you pray you get peace, unity over gossip.

And really we have an equation around here love plus unity equals miracles, and all of that equals honoring God instead of temporary earthly satisfaction.

And then at the bottom, it's just the Proverbs 1911 is good.

Sense and discretion make a man slow to anger, and it is an honor and glory to overlook a transgression or an offense.

So, anyways, I thought that was good.

Hopefully it helps you out.

Next time you're tempted to be offended, hurt, you can pull this out and like oh, I'm not gonna tell people, I'm gonna tell God in prayer, I'm gonna pray about it.

God knows, he knows what's going on.

We don't have to be bigger and get all upset.

Joy is the Lord.

The Lord's our strength, amen, amen.

Pastor, you want to add anything?

Praise God, wasn't that good.

Well, that message is really another way to say positioning yourself for your inheritance, because that's what you got to do.

You got to be got to be a doer of the word and pay attention to the snares of the enemy.

He's gonna try to trip you up.

I've got a little testimony that I can give you from the days right before the church was started, right as I was leaving Lakewood and that's a pretty big place right there where I was sorely tempted to be offended.

But you know, if grace is over with in one place, the grace has got to end.

For you to be there, you know, so that you can move on.

And so I had met with Brother Osteen in September and he gave me his permission, but then he withdrew.

It says it's too early, you need to wait, and it wasn't like wait years, it's just like wait till the first of the year, because it's not good to try to start a church right before Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But that wasn't the deal I made with God.

You know my testimony.

I said it's either a yay or no, yay or nay, and I'm not.

It's fail safe.

So I kill.

I kill the vision called the several couples that were red lined up ready to start the church, I said I killed it, I release you to go someplace else.

And then we went on a trip together, brother Osteen and I went.

It was a glorious trip and God really used me and I got to minister to thousands of people and I got to watch Miracle, a Miracle Crusade.

It was a tremendous time of bonding with Pastor Osteen too, and we had a lot of tender moments.

But I was just getting over jet lag when we got back home he called me and said hey, john.

He said now I want my son-in-law to start opening and closing services.

He feels called a pastor, like you do, and it's time he starts doing some of this kind of stuff around here and training him.

And I said, okay, sir.

And so, man, it hurt.

It hurts so bad because you know the Bible says when you get pruned, you know do you prune just the dead limb or do you prune it down into the live tissue, right, and God prunes you.

He didn't just prune the dead limb, he prunes down and it hurts.

And I knew that, I knew it, but it didn't help the hurt, it hurt.

When I hung the phone up, I mean, tears rolled up my eyes and I'm thinking, oh, my god, it's over when and I'm still there.

I'm still at the church.

And so the next time I went to the church service, well, everybody, why didn't you open the service?

Why did oh?

Oh, you're so anointed, I can't.

And it was just so hard to sit there.

It wasn't that I was offended at Brother Osteen.

As a matter of fact, when I went I did what she said.

I went to the Lord and prayed and he told me well, you're, you're being pruned, it hurts, but just you know, just it's okay, you know, just you know, just bear up under it.

So I already had the release.

But what was tough was having to sit there and have all these people just stream up there and try to comfort me, and they weren't comforting me at all, it was making it more.

And the other thing was the drive.

I just never I started noticing, man, it's a long way over here, 15 years.

I had never I'd go to sleep when I left the house and wake up at Lakewood, and then I'd, you know, same thing coming home.

I never even thought about the drive.

But all of a sudden it became harder.

It's hard to sit through the services and thank God that didn't only only lasted about three weeks, it seemed like three years.

But the odd was lifting his grace.

And see, if I had gotten in the way and I'd gotten offended and I'd gotten mad at brother Osteen and I'd blamed him and felt dishonored.

See, all of all of what you're sitting in tonight could not have happened.

I would have, I would have opened the door to Satan to steal the entire relationship and their entire thing.

Because what he did was true.

I'd gone to him already.

He knew he was about to give me the approval.

He knew I was, I was on the way out and so he was giving me a chance to get that lifting of the grace that I needed.

And so I never regretted once I left.

I never regretted once we.

So he called me about three weeks later, december the 14th of 1994.

You know, and all that happened about a month.

It was about a month or so.

He called me, says you know you can start that church anytime you're ready.

And so I mean, you know my heart sang, I was ready to go and I never really missed Lakewood.

I never missed being there, I never.

I never felt anything because I'd closed the door on offense.

So let's just lift a hand right now.

Father, we thank you for what we've heard today and we thank you for what we've heard tonight.

And, lord, let's just, prophetically, just close the door.

We closed the door on any offense that we may have had, not only recently, but sometime in the past.

We just closed the door on that offense and that's it.

We don't, we won't talk about it, we're not going to relive it.

Not another minute are we going to spend thinking about that offense.

It's over with.

In the name of Jesus and Lord, we thank you that we're ready to go where God's grace takes us.

And how many of you know, you're going up higher.

You're going up three levels.

Listen, we've got a couple of testimonies we're going to share Sunday.

They're going to knock your socks off.

I mean, god's already working, amen, All right.

Well, let's stand up and give the Lord a shout and be dismissed.

Come on.

Thank you, Selena, that was great.

Come on, give the Lord a big shout.

Hallelujah, I'm free.