RATHER THAN LIVING A FAKE LIFE, IT IS BETTER TO STAY WITH GOD AND STAY WITH MEN WHO HAVE MADE IT AND BEGIN TO TRANSFORM YOUR MIND
WHEN YOU ARE LAZY, BOTH GOD AND THE devil CANNOT USE YOU BECAUSE BOTH OF THEM REQUIRE A LEVEL OF DILIGENCE
THE DECISION TO KNOW GOD IS A NOBLE DECISION. YOU MUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND THAT YOU WILL MAKE MAXIMUM SPIRITUAL PROGRESS
IN LIFE, DESTINY IS DEFINED BY THE KIND AND THE QUALITY OF DECISIONS WE MAKE – DECISIONS DECIDE DESTINY
YOU HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN DECIDING THE OUTCOME OF A LIFE THAT SHINES FORTH OR A LIFE THAT REMAINS IN GLOOMINESS AND DARKNESS
EVERY DECISION YOU TAKE IN LIFE HAS CONSEQUENCES. THE CONSEQUENCES HAVE BEEN PRE-PROGRAMMED
WE DO NOT CHOOSE CONSEQUENCES, WE ONLY MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT CHOOSE THE CONSEQUENCES
Apostle Joshua Selman on “SHINE FORTH” || RCCG INTERNATIONAL YOUTH CONVENTION 2022
DAY 3 Morning (Plenary Session 4)
Father we pray in the name of Jesus that you will speak to our hearts this morning. Bless us by the power of your Word. Church Gist. We open up our hearts to receive and we pray that Jesus be glorified in our midst in the matchless name of Jesus we pray.
Again, my gratitude to the leadership and the organizers of the International Youth Conference. I want to charge you on something that I believe will be very powerful and prophetic. Yesterday, we began to discuss and I mentioned something from Isaiah 60:1. Church Gist. And I did tell us that that statement, “Arise” immediately connotes that there will be responsibility on your part. I did tell us that when it has to do with the dealings of God with man in this kingdom, it is not entirely up to God, and it is not entirely up to man. Church Gist. That it will always take a participation. God who is Almighty and can do without man has chosen by His wisdom to always demand cooperation from man for anything to be made manifest in his life. So, if you leave it all up to God and you do not know and understand the role that you have to play in shining forth and actualizing destiny, you may end up being disappointed and your expectations will end up being aborted.
Yesterday again we looked at 3 levels of knowledge we must contend for:
- You must know God
- You must know yourself in light of the God that you now know
- You must know your place in God’s prophetic agenda and in destiny.
This morning, still charging our hearts, as to what it takes to arise and to shine forth, I want us to consider a few thoughts. Deuteronomy 30:19. This is the Bible placing before the people of God the option of a life of glory and excellence, or a life of shame, reproach, retrogression, pain and regret. Church Gist. It says, here is my option and desire for you, “Choose life that you and your seed may live. But peradventure you decide to choose death, I still leave it unto you.” In life, destiny is defined by the kind and the quality of decisions we make. Decisions decide destiny. Whether it is going to be a colourful destiny with dignity and glory and impact, or it is going to be a destiny full of shame and pain and regret, it is all up to you in partnership with the God of Heaven or all up to you in partnership with the devil. Church Gist. In any case, you have a role to play in deciding the outcome of a life that shines forth or a life that remains in gloominess and darkness.
Most people do not realize that they have an active role to play in the making of their lives and destinies. And they fold their arms and leave it all up to God. Listen, every decision you take in life has consequences. The consequences have been pre-programmed. Church Gist. That means, the moment you make the decision, you also activate the consequences connected to that decision. Now, we don’t choose consequences, we only make the decisions that choose the consequences.
How many of you know that if I keep walking and I get to the end of this stage and I still continue walking, chances are excellent that except God shows mercy I may fall. The consequence of falling is already programmed in that decision. Church Gist. So it is not when I violate or make a wrong decision that the consequence suddenly emerges; it’s always been there. Potential for falling has been there. The reason I have not fallen is because I did not make the decision that honours that consequence.
Jeremiah 9:13-16. Matthew 22:37. The decisions you must make if you want to shine forth, have a life of grace, destiny, beauty, colour, and impact:
- The decision to make exceptional spiritual progress: Not just spiritual progress, exceptional spiritual progress. Matthew 22:37. Church Gist. There are consequences to making this investment of knowing God. Daniel 11:32. The decision to know God is a noble decision. You must make up your mind that you will make maximum spiritual progress. There are a number of indices in the Bible that measures a man’s spiritual progress:
a) The health of your prayer life
b) The strength of your word study life
c) The strength of your character: the degree of your conformity to the image and the character of the Christ in experience.
d) The out workings of the grace and the power of God in and through your life
Don’t tell me, “I am Yoruba, I am Igbo, or Hausa.” No! When the character of Christ swallows you up, it lifts you beyond the limitations that come with your region. The life of God is able to swallow up these limitations. Church Gist. Don’t tell me you have known God and you are working with the Word of God, the Spirit of God and we do not see the manifestation of the grace and the power of God in and though your life. It is impossible.
Ephesians 5:14. There are many of you who are lukewarm spiritually. Church Gist. God is giving a chance to realize that the decisions you are making to ignore God will have a consequence in your life tomorrow.
- The decision to contend for superior belief systems: in other words, a transformed mind. A transformed mind is not just an European mind, a Western mind; it is a mind that has been so cultured by the Word of God. Philippians 2:5. Church Gist. Jesus had a mindset; he had a philosophy, a set of beliefs that sponsored His excelling when He was on Earth. Proverbs 23:7. Africa is the way it is, sadly and unfortunately, largely because of our belief systems. The West in terms of technological advancement and development is the way it is largely because of a philosophy and a belief system they decided to embrace. Church Gist. Until your belief system changes, your life will not change. Proverbs 23:7. You are already equal to your thought life. There are many tongue talking believers who have not settled to obtain a superior belief system. And sadly, we continue to recycle pain and mediocrity in our lives.
TWO WAYS TO CONTEND FOR TRANSFORMATION
a) You must have a reference that looks like what you want to become. You cannot change into nothing. 2 Corinthians 3:18. You must have a picture of the future that you want to become. Church Gist. Transformation is difficult without a reference. Isaiah 51:2. The Bible is not ashamed to tell us to look unto people.
b. Access to superior information: Information that is word compliant and can transform your understanding. This is where the place of books, teachings, useful resources in helping your mindset comes in to play. Most of us are lazy. Church Gist. You may have heard me say it: that when you are lazy, both God and the devil cannot use you because both of them require a level of diligence. Even if it is the devil you want to serve you must still be diligent. Laziness is one area, whether from God’s side or from satan’s side you are still a disadvantage to them both. Church Gist. When a young man is sleeping for 12 hours, 10 hours every day not doing anything, he is programming pain in the later years of your life. Lamentations 3:27. You must obtain grace; go for knowledge. Rather than living a fake life, wearing what is not your own, eating what is not your level, snapping behind people’s vehicles and homes and putting it online, it is better to stay with God and stay with men who have made it and begin to transform your mind. Anywhere your mind goes to, your body must eventually follow. Church Gist. If your mind has gone to Canaan, even if your body is in Egypt, your mind will force your body to follow it to Canaan. The future that your body cannot enter now, send your mind there. Anything your mind has caught, your body must express it. It is impossible for your body to not follow. Church Gist. Go and buy books; technology and the internet have made it very easy now. With the cheapest data available, you can have access to an array of resources that can build your mind. So, you do not have an excuse.
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