Strangers&Exiles

12/27/2023

John 5:5-6 (ESV) “5 One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, Do you want to be healed?”⁣
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WHAT DO YOU WANT? ⁣
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There comes a point in time when every single one of us will run into an obstacle, internal struggle, or hardship. Regardless of your age, race, or creed none of us are immune to these things.⁣
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When one of these things occur we often always come to a point of decision. There is a moment where we truly find out what we are made of or what we believe in.⁣
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You can either choose to succumb to what your facing or decide to overcome it but this moment is pivotal to our development.⁣
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In our text we can see that this man had been in a low state for many years and when faced with this obstacle it seemed as if he could never overcome it.⁣
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When Jesus saw his condition, position, and disposition his response is what strikes us straight to the heart.⁣
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“Do you want to be healed?” Why would the Lord ask the man this question?⁣
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Clearly he can see that he’s unable to get in this pool right? Or maybe He saw that this man had been overtaken by his circumstance so much that even he didn’t notice it.⁣
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We all need to decide what it is we want when it comes to our development spiritually. Do you want to be in the same spot that you are in today next year? Or do you want to go further in the Lord?⁣
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God desires that each of us, you and I, would grow spiritually in our relationship with Him and experience victory in so many areas of our lives but for this to actually happen you need to want it to happen.⁣
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Don’t allow your flesh to be your greatest enemy to your growth, but instead desire spiritual growth have a burning want to experience the fullness of God. ⁣
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And just like this man hearing one word from God will change our entire position.⁣
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10/31/2023

Psalms 199:30 (ESV) “30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.” ⁣
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CHOOSING WHAT’S RIGHT⁣
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Everyday we a presented with a multitude of choices.⁣
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On the surface some of the choices we are presented with don’t seem that significant or impactful to our lives. For example most of the time leaving the grocery store I’m not giving to much thought about putting the cart where it’s supposed to go.⁣
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Yet even my choice to not put a cart back can be very revealing, either in this moment I was very lazy or I am just a lazy person ⁣
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Each choice that we make has the ability to reveal really what is on the inside of us.⁣
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You want to lose weight well you can either eat this salad or grab some Chic-Fil-A? You want to save money put away $100 dollars or buy these new Jordan’s for $150? You want a job spend a few hours filling out applications or playing Call of Duty?⁣
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Choices reveal what is on the heart of a person and what they really see as valuable in their everyday lives this a truth you can’t escape.⁣
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So, when it comes to the things of God or living in a manner that is acceptable to Him your choices will reveal if you are faithful or not.⁣
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It is not just enough to say you are faithful to God but your choices have a stench of unfaithfulness.⁣
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If we truly love God, then our choices need to line up with what we believe because if not we become walking contradictions and tools unfit for the Master’s use.⁣
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I pray today just like the Psalmist we choose a way of faithfulness that we set his word before us so that we are prepared in the moment of decision to choose what is pleasing in his sight.⁣
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05/16/2023

Psa 119:11 ESV  I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.⁣
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ON "E"⁣
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Have you ever tried to do a physical activity but hadn't eaten anything or rested in a long time?⁣
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In the beginning, for a brief moment, you may think you may be able to handle the challenge that is at hand, but after a few go's at it, your mind might change.⁣
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You will begin to feel fatigued and then realize that though your mind wants to go to a certain level to be successful, your body just isn't able to. But why is that?⁣
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It's because rest and nutrition are vital parts of any physical activity. This is why players like LeBron James spend over a million dollars a year on his body to make sure that he can perform on a high level.⁣
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If he wants to be the guy, he has to take control of these two things so he can be ready for whatever comes. ⁣
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This is also a truth spiritual for the believer as well.⁣
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Many times we find ourselves trying to "perform" against sin and the world, yet only to realize that we have no nutrition to pull from. Then we wonder why  we can't stand in times of testing.⁣
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For the believers, prayer, study, and devotion are our nutrition. These things, along with guidance and submission to the Holy Spirit, give us the energy we need in order to walk according to the Word of God.⁣
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This is why the psalmist states, "I have stored your word in my heart." He knew that before the testing and trials actually came, he had something to pull from.⁣
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So if you are finding yourself in a state of constant loss and failures, you need to check and make sure that you have been taking care of your spiritual nutrition so that you can meet those obstacles.⁣
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Don't wait until the last minute, or try to beat yourself down because you failed. Repent, dust yourself off, and start feeding your spirit what it needs so you can be who the Lord made you to be: an overcomer.⁣
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04/26/2023

Enjoy your night!

Relax and enjoy your families. See you Sunday! 🙌🏾🙏🏾

01/02/2023

Hag 2:4 ESV  Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the LORD. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD. Work, for I am with you, declares the LORD of hosts,⁣
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WORK SECURE⁣
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We all have goals, aspirations, desires, and accomplishments that we want to achieve in this life and strive for daily.⁣
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The thought of not being able to reach this goals can sometimes be devastating so that causes us to work even harder. The only issue is that there is no guarantee of success.⁣
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We choose to pursue these things and hope and think for the best but sometimes that may not be enough.⁣
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Yet, there is a way to be sure that the work we are doing will have a return or a guarantee of success.⁣
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That is in doing the work that the Lord has chosen us to do.⁣
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In our text this morning the remnant of Israel has returned to the land and has been instructed to rebuild the destroyed temple, yet they have stalled in their work.⁣
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God sends the prophet Haggai to give them a word to help move them along in confidence that this task can actually be done.⁣
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"Work, for I am with you."⁣
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This one phrase changed the whole perspective of the people. No more wondering if what they were doing will succeed, or stressing that they are not good enough to accomplishment.⁣
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There strength and confidence has been revealed. God is with us and this was enough to ignite the people.⁣
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I wonder how on fire we would be to work on different things if we knew God was with us.⁣
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How inspired would you be to press and endure through hardships if you knew God already had your back and wanted to accomplish something.⁣
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God is with many of us but we don't know because we aren't with Him.⁣
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This year endeavor to become closer to God not only so that the work can be secure but so that you can be with Him as He is with you.⁣
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