Resistance

Could it be that your resistance to change will leave you outside the design? 

Many when change occurs, refuse to change with the changes therefore leaving themselves, their gifting, their calling, their passion rendered useless. 

• Change is a storm and it will tear you from your current position but as you adjust with it, move with it, I believe it will lead you to a new place, that is deeper in God, through it's design. 

Genesis 31:1-55 NLT 

We see change occurring through frustration, condemnation, mistreatment, greed, and jealousy. 

• Laban is greedy, jealous, condemning, and mistreating his own family, while Jacob is mentally, emotionally, and physically frustrated. 

1. Change through the frustration.

• Jacob was a man of God that had spent years of his life making adjustments for his father-in-law.
• Jacob was patient, he was kind, he was driven by character as he never cheated Laban in anything, but frustration overtook him in this portion of the story and he choose to leave this mess. 
• We see through Jacob's choices that if he would have chosen to run out way early he would not be as blessed as he was. 
• Verse, [3] Then the Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you." 
• God had given the timing to Jacob, God will give the timing to you. 
• God had His hand on Jacob and continued to bless him though his Father-in-law was trying to cheat him, through change after change. 
• When God's hand is on you nothing, nor anyone can take away what God has designed and purposed for you. 
• Jacob changed through the constant change and allowed God to change him. 
• As you allow God to make adjustments in your character, He will lead you to your destination. 
• If you refuse and continually bring resistance to the change like Laban, the blessings of God will leave you. 

2. Resistance is good until something breaks. 

• A rubber band is only beneficial if it is surrounding something through resistance but like a rubber band too much resistance can break you.
• Laban was continually changing the rules on Jacob, his son-in-law and his very own daughters. 
• It didn't seem like he ever wanted them to succeed but just that he wanted to break them. 
• Those evoking change, those pushing, those stretching you must be careful to not overextend. 
• Those receiving the change, adapting to the change, and reshaping with the change need to be careful that they continue allowing themselves to be in the right amount of resistance.
• Resistance will grow you, it will deepen you, it will challenge you but it can also destroy you. 
• The perfect balance must be found and achieved for maximum impact to be sustained. 
• Continually adjusting yourself around the situation, problem, frustration, training, will eventually adjust yourself right out of the solution all together. 

3. Keeping the right heart and spirit before God is always the goal. 

• We see in verse [44] So come, let's make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment." 
• Laban and Jacob make a covenant before God, before their families, and before each other that they will both allow the adjustments of God to take place in their lives. 
• What a powerful testimony to have before God and men, that the covenant you make is life binding. 
• We act as if God hates us when He allows more troubles than we can bear. 
• He promised in scripture that He will allow us to experience times when we are consumed by situations that are bigger than our own strength can handle so that the only place to turn would be to Him. 
• That way we constantly see, feel, and know Christ is our solution to all and every resistance. 

Finally, we see that when everyone honors God in their heart and spirit the world will witness our vows, God will serve as our judge and we will go with the blessings of the Father. 

[51] "See this pile of stones," Laban continued, "and see this monument I have set between us. [52] They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. [53] I call on the God of our ancestors-the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor-to serve as a judge between us." So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. [54] Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. [55] Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home."

Red letters

The red letters represent in the bible the words of Christ. So this whole month we will focus our attention on the powerful life changing statements of Jesus.

Matthew 4 The Temptation of Jesus

1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. 3 During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

1.  See here how Jesus is the Son of God, He is so busy but requires moments and His Spirit required to be with His Father, God.

a.  Even in our busy lives we have to be able to point to the times we have set aside for God.

                                               i.      If you don’t choose a time and a place to worship, pray, give, moments to fast, serve and read your bible then you don’t devote very much.

                                            ii.      This says to me to me that you don’t want God moving in your life very much.

                                         iii.      You desire everything else rather than the words of God.

1.  God’s word brings life, direction, strength, and encouragement.

2.  God’s word brings conviction, correction, inspiration, and healing.

b.  Jesus knew that His Father’s word was the source of His power, encouragement, compassion, and mission.

c.   It was God’s word that helped Him carry out His assignment.

d.  It’s was God’s word He desired when things got hectic, stressful, sinful, or confusing.

e.  Jesus Christ drew great strength from the Word of God then how much more should we desire it.  

                                               i.      He recognized that every situation, every thing, and every one would share their ideas, their needs, and their desires and would bring lies, confusion, and half truths into the world and that He had come to bring the world truth. 

f.     The word makes a difference in us when we see it, hear it, read it, and memorize it.  

                                               i.      We as men and women of God can not talk to others in public about the things we refuse to talk to God about in private.

1.  The intimacy of relationship. 

2.  The depth of relationship.

3.  The advantages of relationship.

4.  Jesus defeated the devil with “God’s word says.” “It is written.”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"

7 Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the LORD your God.'"

2.  Jesus refuses to test God.

a.  He didn’t have to prove Himself to anyone including Him self nor the devil.

                                               i.      This was the highest place in Jerusalem the Holy City of God many, many people surrounding it all day would have been so impressed in Jesus flying, descending, floating, or hovering to the ground. 

1.  Then everyone will know you have a special purpose from God and you were sent here from heaven.

                                            ii.      Wouldn’t you if you had supernatural power want to see it in operation in such an awesome way?

b.  Be sure of this also that when the devil fails to trap you in one area of your life be ready for him to hit you in another.

                                               i.      Some of us fail every temptation ever dealt to us.

                                            ii.      Others of us win in some arenas then fail when we get tired frustrated, or bored.

                                         iii.      But we need to make up our minds to fight and overcome the enemy that God has given us power to.

1.  We realize that Christ is able and ready to save us from our sins but we can’t be tempted to presume that He will save us in our sins.

2.  Don’t walk on the grace and mercy of God.

c.   God casts down, that He may raise up; the devil raises up that he may cast down so if you are afraid of falling you better be sure of your climb and its intentions.

                                               i.      In great positions for God we have to stay humble in Him or we’ll be destroyed.

                                            ii.      If you’re on a power trip I promise it won’t last long.

1.  The presence of God will move away from you so fast it’ll make your head spin.

2.  Staying humble, contrite, and sincere is God’s way to greatness.

a.  God says in His word He will never refuse these types of worshippers.

                                                                                                                       i.      Travel it.

                                                                                                                    ii.      Stay focused.

                                                                                                                 iii.      God’s church not ours. 

d.  See how the devil says jump off, it’s cause he couldn’t push him.

                                               i.      He entices us but can not force us into temptations.

1.  We make the final call and we need to make the right ones.

2.  Jesus defeats the devil a second time with, “God’s word says” “It is written.”

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."

10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only him.'"

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

3.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and your neighbor as yourself.

a.  Knowing God’s plan for your life will keep you secure in your future and every temptation that will ever come your way.

                                               i.      This is by far the crudest of all temptations knowing the breaking of the first of our commandments which is “Thou shall have no other gods before me.”

1.  Imagine being offered anything you want.

2.  Imagine being offered all the fame, all the fortune, all the majesty, all the respect, all the honor, and all of the kingdoms of this world and all you had to do is bow down and worship your enemy. 

3.  The lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

4.  Jesus was so sickened by this request of his enemy He immediately says to him, “Get out of here.”

b.  Finally defeats his enemy again with, “God’s word says.” “It is written.”

The Ministry of Jesus Begins

12 When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.13 He went first to Nazareth, then left there and moved to Capernaum, beside the Sea of Galilee, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.14 This fulfilled what God said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 "In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,

16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. And for those who lived in the land where death casts its shadow, a light has shined." 17 From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."