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GIVE GOD YOUR NOT-ENOUGH

"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" ~ John 6:9   REFERENCE: John 6:1-14   Not many people have sufficient to respond to the needs that confront them. Quite often, our needs are more than our supply, and our responsibility weighs heavier than our capacity to respond to them. There are desires and aspirations we have that we lack the means to execute; this can make us feel inadequate and cheated by life, but give your not-enough to God. There are certain areas of our lives where...
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THE JUST LIVES BY FAITH

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” - Romans 1:17   REFERENCE Romans 1:16-17   As a Christian, God designed you to walk and live by faith (look at the limitations of our make-up – we are not omniscient, not omnipotent and not omnipresent). He is a faith God who fashioned you in His image; therefore, you can only function optimally when you are operating by faith, not by circumstances. Faith then is our compensation for our human limitation – it can now make us do what...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT: THEY ALL OVERCAME

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. - I John 5:4   REFERENCE I John 5:4   In concluding this series, we will learn from the lives of some bible characters (everyday people with real life issues just like you and I) who had frustrating situations but overcame them. Firstly, in II Kings 7:3-8 we see the account of four lepers who faced a famine in their land, brought on from a siege by their enemy. The famine was so severe that their only other option was...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILMENT: LAUNCH OUT!

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” – Luke 5:4   REFERENCE Luke 5:1-10   God’s instructions can sometimes ignore the facts of your situation. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in that situation, a Word from God can change it in an instant. Peter heard a specific instruction from Jesus to launch out, and HE ACTED based on that Word. When Jesus told Peter to launch out into the deep, it must have been hard for him to try again because this was...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT: THE WORD MEDICINE

Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. - Luke 5:3   REFERENCE Luke 5:1-10   Today we will learn from how Peter handled and overcame the frustration of a sinking business. Upon ‘loaning’ his boat to Jesus, the next thing Peter did was to sit and listen to the Word as Jesus taught the multitudes. He was there all along because when Jesus finished teaching, He addressed Peter. When you are dealing with a...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT: THE EMPTY NET

And saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. - Luke 5:2   REFERENCE Luke 5:1-10   Yesterday we started a series on “Frustration,” which the dictionary defined as, “The feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something.” Frustration occurs in everyday life because of the various events we encounter as we live. If it continues for a long time, it can become a burden. However, as believers, we are not supposed to labor under any kind of yoke or...
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FROM FRUSTRATION TO FULFILLMENT

But as one was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, master! For it was borrowed.”  - II Kings 6:5   REFERENCE II Kings 6:1-7   The dictionary defines frustration as “the feeling of being upset or annoyed, especially because of inability to change or achieve something.” Life is full of frustrations. From the minor irritations of losing something to the major problem of continued failure in the pursuit of a desired goal. If not properly handled, the impact of frustration can be catastrophic. It includes anger, aggression,...
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I WILL BE WITH YOU

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you…” ~ Isaiah 43:2   REFERENCE: Isaiah 43:1-5   A hiker is navigating a dense, fog-covered forest. Fear and uncertainty set in as the path becomes dangerous and the fog thickens. Just when it feels like all is lost, a reassuring voice breaks through the silence, "I'm here with you." With those words, an experienced guide who knows the terrain intimately emerges from the mist, leading the way with unwavering confidence. In these challenging times when the economy is like an unpredictable storm, the words of Isaiah bring us comfort and...
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VICTORY: THREE FIERY DARTS

"Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." ~ Ephesians 6:16   REFERENCE: Ephesians 6:13-18   Like an enemy out to kill and destroy, satan shoots fiery darts at his targets to overpower them. Satan operates by tricks, employs evil strategies, deliberate deception, and lies by telling you things about yourself, others, and circumstances that are not true.   He begins by flooding the mind with little nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, questions, and ideas. He has studied man for a long time and knows what we...
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VICTORY: KEEP YOUR MIND ALERT

“[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ…”~ II Corinthians 10:5 (AMPC)   REFERENCE: II Corinthians 10:1-6 (AMPC)   Yesterday, we explored the fact that satan’s major attacks target the mind and why that is his battle strategy. Hence, we should mind our minds. In our main text, Paul describes the assaults on a Christian’s mind: “…Overthrow and destruction of strongholds, refute arguments, theories and reasonings, and all proud and...
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