Proverbs, May 19, 2024

It's time for the Champions in Christ broadcast with Rhonda Harrison on 1017, Bay FM.

Good morning and welcome to Champions in Christ.

Thank you for listening this morning.

Hope you all are having a blessed day.

This is the day the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

You know, today we're going to talk a little bit in Proverbs and we're going to go there

and talk about the heart.

You know, the heart is the main thing.

I mean, you know, when someone tells you, make sure you focus on the main thing, keep

the main thing, the main thing.

Well, in God's world, the main thing is all about the heart.

You know, our physical body is one thing and our mind is another, but our heart, you know,

let's go to Proverbs and I'll show you what I mean because, you know, what's in your heart

is what's going to be, what comes out of your mouth.

And so we want to make sure that we keep our heart.

What does that mean?

Protect what goes in and what comes out.

And so let's go to Proverbs four and we're going to start in verse 20 and it goes like

this.

It says, my child, pay attention to what I say.

Listen carefully to my words.

Don't lose sight of them.

Let them penetrate deep into your heart for they bring life to those who find them in

healing to their whole body.

23 says, guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life.

Wow, that's powerful.

It determines the course of your mouth.

Why is, I mean the course of your life.

Why is that?

Because out of your, out of your heart, the abundance of your heart, your mouth speaks

is what the word of God says.

And so we want to continue.

It says in verse 24, avoid all perverse talk and stay away from corrupt speech.

Look straight ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

You know, there's another area of scripture and it says, set your affections on things

above not on things on the earth.

Why?

We want to keep our eyes on Jesus.

We want to keep our thoughts on his plan, his purpose, his focus, um, because he knows

the best plan for us.

He knows the way we should go.

And if we listen to him, we'll, we, we will not have a better life than listening to him

because he has the perfect plan for you and the perfect plan for me.

And it's all about seeking him diving into this word.

You know, meditating is chewing on the word, thinking about the word, you know, think about

it when you wake up, think about it when you go to bed.

You know, there's a scripture that says that the things that we need to think on are things

that are good and pure and holy and righteous and virtuous.

If there'd be any praise, if there'd be any virtue, think on these things, you know, we've

got to think on things that are good in this world where the media and all the sources

of information that come in, not all of them are positive.

Not all of them speak of goodness.

Not all of them.

It's not that we don't want to be aware of what's going on, but I know I can just look

at the headlines and basically know what the media is trying to feed us.

But, but I like to look into God's word.

Why?

Because God's word, he knows it all.

He knows it all.

He is king of kings and he is Lord of lords.

And I want to ask you today, is he king of your heart?

You know, you may have went to church all your life.

You may have been raised in the things of God on your mom and daddy's coattails and

on their faith and really don't have that relationship with Jesus.

And today we're going to give you an opportunity to begin one, you know, because Jesus is all

about that.

The same way you speak with your children or your children want to talk to you.

That's the way God wants.

He loves us so much.

He wants to talk to us.

He wants to hear about our day.

Even though he knows it, he still wants to hear it because he loves us.

He wants to spend time with us.

You know, Christ, Jesus Christ is the living word of God.

The Holy Spirit brings the word of God alive.

That's why we can search the word.

That's why we can read the word and it comes to life and something will jump off the pages

at us because we're searching, we're searching to seek Him and the Holy Spirit, the word

says is our teacher, right?

The Holy Spirit is our teacher.

And if we continue in Proverbs four and we're going down verse 25, look straight ahead and

fix your eyes on what lies before you.

Mark a straight path for your feet and stay on the safe path.

You know, God's path is a safe path.

You can trust in Him.

You do not have to fear.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind.

It says in verse 27, don't get sidetracked and keep your feet from following evil.

We all have opportunity to step into something that's not right, right?

Every day thoughts come in your head, every day information or pictures or something comes

across your phone and you could choose to think on the wrong thing.

And when you do, it grieves you in your heart of hearts.

It grieves God and it will not bring life to you.

You know, only the word of God, you know, Jesus said, I am the way.

I am the truth and I am the life.

He is the word.

He is the living word.

He's the life we need.

He's your way in.

He's your way out.

If you need a way into God and a way into your answers, he's it.

He's the living word of God.

And if you need a way out of something, you've been delving in some things you shouldn't and

it's been too long and you're feeling miserable.

You know, the Bible says sin is fun for a season, but that season ends and when that

season in, it's not pretty.

And so if you need a way out today, he is your way out.

Jesus said again, I am the way, the way out, the way in the way above.

He is your way.

He is the truth, the only truth.

It's not your truth and my truth.

You hear that all day long nowadays.

Oh, that's your truth.

This is my truth.

No, there's only one truth and he's it.

And if you want to know the truth, the way and the life, if you're tired of a destructive

situation or, or just being down and out and depressed and all of that, look up, look up.

Jesus is there for you.

He is right there.

He's one whisper away and he will come running.

He loves you so much.

And so we're again focusing on the heart, the heart.

Remember 1 Samuel 16 7 says, man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the

heart.

You know, man is very visual.

You know, that's why people dress up and get dolled up and, and, but, but God, he looks

on the heart.

He looks on the heart.

You know, if we, if we turn in our word and let's go to John chapter 15, it says, I am

John 15 · chapter mention

the true grapevine and my father is a gardener and he cuts off every branch that does not

produce fruit and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.

So you know, the Lord is a father.

He's our heavenly father and he will chastise us when necessary.

He will correct us lovingly.

He'll allow discipline in our lives because he wants the best for us.

You know, and if you don't, if you don't discipline your children, the Bible says you hate them.

So he loves us, so he will discipline us, but it says you have already been pruned and purified

by my message I've given you.

This is Jesus talking while he was on earth.

Remain in me and I remain in you for a branch cannot produce fruit if it's severed from

the vine and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.

You know, unless we stay connected to the vine, just like our body, if you cut your hand off

and leave it there long enough, it's going to die because it's not connected to the life.

Right.

Life is in the blood.

The same way life is in the blood in our physical body.

Life is in the blood of Jesus.

And when he came, he came and he brought life and life everlasting.

And we continue on.

It says, yes, I am the vine and you are the branches.

Those who remain in me and I and them will produce much fruit.

What kind of fruit?

Fruit, love, joy, peace, kindness, gentleness, self control, all the fruits of the spirit

that we need to pour into other people.

And they'll see Jesus and want to be a part of him too because without him, the Bible

says we can do nothing.

But with him, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers.

Such branches are gathered into a pile and burned.

But if you remain in me and my words in you, you may ask for anything and it will be granted.

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples and this brings great glory to the

Father.

I have loved you even as the Father has loved you.

Remain in my love.

When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love.

Just as I obey my father's commandments and remain in his love.

Jesus was our example and continues to be.

He's alive.

He's up in heaven.

The Bible says he lives.

He intercedes for us continually.

The Bible says he is king and he's coming back and he's coming back sooner than we think.

And when he comes back, it's going to be a different world and we are so excited about

his return.

But before he returns, we need to talk about Jesus.

We need to share so everybody will have opportunity because without him, we have nothing.

And without him, you can't go to heaven.

Without him, you can't enjoy the afterlife because there is a heaven and there's a hell

and there is no in between.

The Bible is clear.

Jesus is clear and he said, if you believe on me, believe in your heart that Jesus died

and rose again and you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you will be born again.

Hallelujah.

When you're born again, that beautiful, precious, amazing Holy Spirit comes to live inside and

he will lead you.

He will guide you.

He will direct you.

But again, this is all about the heart.

You know, God is a spirit and he speaks to us by the spirit.

He speaks spirit to spirit.

Now you're going to have thoughts in your mind and some of them are going to be your

own.

Some thoughts come in your mind and they're from the devil himself.

And then God will send thoughts to your mind.

He'll speak to you, but it always is confirmed in his word.

Whatever God speaks to you, it's confirmed.

You can find it in the word because that's who he is and he wants you to know for sure

that you hear his voice because the Holy Spirit leads us and guides us into all truth.

And so we cannot live with just the word though.

That's why we need the Holy Spirit.

It brings life to the written word of God, the power of God.

We have to live by the power of God.

Where would we be?

You all have such a transformation in your life when you give your whole heart to God,

not part of it.

He wants all of it.

He wants to come into every chamber.

You know, sometimes we lock down a door and we say, no, Jesus, you can have all these

sides of my heart, but this one, no, no, I'm keeping this one.

Well, that doesn't cut it.

We got to open up all those doors.

Let him come in, let him fill up.

It's like having a glass before you that has chocolate milk in it and you want to drink

water and you want to pour water in the glass.

Well, you can't pour water in a glass that already has chocolate milk.

It'll just be murky.

It'll be mixed.

And that's what happens when we try to live halfway in the world and halfway for Jesus.

You know, we have to follow him.

He said, take up your cross and follow me.

Well, what is your cross?

The Bible says his, his burden is light, right?

Jesus said, my burden is light.

My yoke is light.

My burden is easy.

So his life in God doesn't mean it'll be without trouble, but he said, be of good cheer.

I've overcome the world.

You know, he says in 15, 18, if the world hates you, remember the world hated me first.

The world would love you as one of its own if you belong to it, but you are no longer

a part of the world.

I chose you to come out of the world.

And so the world hates you.

Do you remember what I told you?

You know, it is true.

When you're a Christian, you will be persecuted for your faith.

It's a part of it.

But guess what?

Greater is he that's in us than he that's in the world.

And I tell you, I wouldn't trade Jesus for anything.

There isn't money in the world.

There isn't man on the earth.

There isn't nothing, nothing, nothing can be exchanged for Jesus in my life or the Holy

Spirit or the heavenly Father.

And those three are one, yet they're three.

And I just thank God for the power of God that changed my life and continues to change

me and clean me out.

I have to empty my heart out.

Sometimes it gets full of concerns or this or that.

And I have to let him fill me to overflowing.

You know, he said he would fill you to overflowing.

Just ask him, ask him, pour your heart out to him, talk to him.

You can, you can have emotion.

He gave us emotion.

It's okay if you feel like crying and talking to God, cry.

If you feel like screaming, scream.

God can handle it.

He's a big God.

He knows, he knows what you're going through, but he also wants to comfort you.

He wants to bring you peace.

He wants to bring you strength and there's definitely hope he wants to give you.

You know, he is, you know, his word is a living word, the holy water, the holy water.

It's so precious.

It's so beautiful.

The word of God is like the rivers of living water.

It Bible says out of our belly, because the Holy spirit's in there, we will flow as you pour in, you pour out, you pour in, you pour out.

Garbage and garbage out.

The word of God in the word of God out.

So holy water will be poured out, poured out for you and for the world as you yield to him.

So we are so thankful for that holy water.

We are so thankful for the living word of God.

We are so thankful that God is faithful and he is faithful to a thousand generations, a thousand generations.

And we praise his holy name for it.

He's worthy of all praise.

Why?

Because he is God.

He cares about you.

He cares about every detail of your life.

If you have a financial need today, he will meet your need.

If you give your life to him, he will meet your need.

You know, there's a story in the Bible where Jesus and Peter needed to pay taxes.

And Jesus sent Peter.

He said, go to the water and the first fish you see, grab it up and there's going to be a coin in his mouth.

And sure enough, supernatural provision.

Peter went to that fish, grabbed that, opened his mouth and there's that coin.

Wasn't it paid both their taxes?

It was enough to pay their taxes.

Why?

Because God says he provides all your need according to his riches and glory and he owns it all.

He owns it all.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.

Hallelujah.

Glory to God.

You don't have to worry about finances.

Does he want you to work?

Absolutely.

We have to work.

But in times of situations that sometimes occur, he'll provide for you supernaturally.

He'll give you that promotion.

You seek him.

You work hard.

You trust in him and he will get you that promotion.

Why?

Because the Bible says when you're in Christ, he wraps you with his favor.

We have favor wrapped around us like a shield.

So everywhere you go, you can have the favor of God.

When you show forth the fruit of the spirit, when you work hard, but when you also believe

him without faith, it's impossible to please him.

So we want to have faith.

Believe big.

Believe big.

If your company is just starting out, you've been going a few years and

you're thinking, will it ever get bigger?

Oh, I'll be happier.

Don't be happy there.

Believe big.

Plan big.

Make wisdom.

Use wisdom with your steps.

But God will bless the hands of everyone that loves him.

He says he will bless the work of your hands.

All of it.

All of it.

You have a problem?

Hand it over to Jesus.

He'll ask him for wisdom.

The Bible says if you ask for wisdom, he'll pour it out liberally on you.

He'll pour it out liberally on you.

I tell you what God's word is, is wonderful.

It's like holy water.

It's just wonderful.

You can just drink of the living water of God.

He will fill you up.

You can just lift your hands and say, here I am Lord and he'll come and fill you up.

He loves you so much and you want to be filled with his Holy spirit again and again and again.

Why?

Because that's the power of God.

That's the power of God.

God wants to work supernaturally in your life.

He wants you to know he is God.

He is God alone and he loves you.

And we're going to break away for a couple of songs and I'm going to come right back at you in just a couple of minutes.

Praise on the mountain.

I praise when I'm short.

Praise when I'm down.

I praise when I'm numb.

Praise when I'm surrounded.

Praise is the water.

My enemy's drowning.

Praise the Lord.

As long as I'm breathing I've got a reason to praise the Lord.

Oh my soul.

Praise the Lord.

Oh my soul.

Praise when I'm feeling and I praise when I talk.

I praise because I know you're still in control.

Because my praise is a weapon.

It's worth the sound.

Oh my praise is the sound that brings Jerry down.

As long as I'm breathing I've got a reason to praise the Lord.

Oh my soul.

Praise the Lord.

Oh my soul.

I won't be crying.

My heart is alive.

So how could I keep it inside?

I'm part of the praise.

Oh my soul.

Praise the Lord.

Come on let me see that dance.

Put a dance on it tonight.

Come on.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

My God is alive

How can I keep this time?

I've got the grace

The Lord of my soul

Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump

I've got the grace

I've got the grace

Jump, jump, jump, jump

Let everything

That I've got

Praise the Lord

Let everything

Come on, come on, Let us pray

Come on, come on, Praise the Lord

Come on, come on, Praise the Lord

Let everything

If you got brought to your mind

It'll be done right to your mind

Praise the Lord

Let everything

Let everything

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord

Praise the Lord

Yeah

Got him on my knees again

Got him back and please again

I need you

Lord, I need you

Walking down these desert roads

Water for my thirsty soul

I need you

Yes, God, I need you

Your forgiveness

Is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips

It's like the sound of a symphony to my lips

It's like holy water on my skin

Dead men walking slave to sin

I wanna know about being born again

I need you

Oh Lord, I need you

So take me to the riverside

Take me under bad times

I need you

Oh God, I need you

Your forgiveness

Is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips

Oh, yes it is

It's like the sound of a symphony to my ears

It's like holy water on my skin

On my skin

I don't wanna abuse your grace

God, I need it every day

It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change

I don't wanna abuse your grace

God, I need it every day

It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change

I don't wanna abuse your grace

God, I need it every day

It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change

I don't wanna abuse your grace

God, I need it every day

It's the only thing that ever really makes me wanna change

Your forgiveness

Is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips

It's like the sound of a symphony to my ears

It's like holy water on my skin

It's like sweet, sweet honey on my lips

It's like the sound of a symphony to my ears

It's like holy water on my skin

It's like holy water on my skin

It's like holy water

Hallelujah, hallelujah how we need that holy water

Glory to God, glory to God

If you've never received Jesus

If this is your first time really thinking about the living God

He's not a dead God, he's not like Buddha or Hare Krishna

or any of the others

Because they're still in the grave, their dust is still there

But guess what, Jesus died and rose again

He died on behalf of you and me

He shed his blood that we could live forever in heaven

if we receive him

It's a free gift, it's not by works

You can't earn it, you cannot earn it

It's a free gift out of his love

The Bible says while we were sinners

Christ loved us, he died for us

Even hanging on that cross, he looked down and he said

Father forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing

You know, his heart is for you

His whole existence, he wants relationship with you

He built this earth, created it for man

He loves us so much

So just open up and pray this prayer with me

Say, Dear Jesus, come into my life

I receive your free gift today

Forgive me of my sin, wash me, cleanse me

And fill me with your Holy Spirit

I want to know you more

Give me the wisdom, here's my problems

And I just receive your answers by faith

And Lord I love you and thank you in Jesus' name

Amen

I want you to go to a good church

that preaches the whole word of God

You'll know when you get there, you'll get this peace over you

I want you to get in that word of God

If you need a new Bible, we'll send you one today

Just get in contact with us by email

You can contact us at ChampionsInChrist3 at gmail.com

ChampionsInChrist3 at gmail.com

I want you to go out and make it a great day

And remember God loves you, we love you

And you are a champion in Christ

And in this life

Break every strong hope

Shine through the shadows