June 16, 2010

  • Staying Free From the Limitation of Fear by Pastor Danquah

    Deuteronomy 9:1-3 “Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, (2) a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?’ (3) Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.

    John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

    The Word of God makes us free. We need to hear and obey God’s Word. We are saints saved by Jesus, and now that Jesus has freed us, He wants us to know the truth which makes us free. Limitations stop us from being what God wants us to be.  A limitation is an intangible barrier. You can’t touch it, can’t see it. It is immaterial.  Limitations intimidate our imagination, paralyzes our thinking and causes us to accept our current state as the apex of what is possible for us to do. It is demonic. 

    Limitations are all in the mind, and that is where the attacks of the enemy begin – the battlefield of our minds. The enemy is trying to stop our creativity. Since God is a creator and we are made in His image, we too can create. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus came to bring us life and life more abundantly. He wants to bring us out of our limitations. 

    It is the truth that brings liberty. God has told us to go into the land and possess it. We are able to win against even nations that seem mightier than we think we can battle. But if God tells us to possess the land, He knows the outcome – we win. God has plans for your future that are far bigger than we can think or imagine. Most of the time when God tells us to do something it is bigger than we can accomplish in our own strength.

    God says to go, and we should go even if there are giants or obstacles in the land. Fear limits us. We want to believe God, not our circumstances. The devil wants to get you debating the circumstances, not believing God. Don’t give in to the limitation of fear.

    Deuteronomy 9:2 (see above) God tells the people to go in and possess the land. The people say that the descendants of Anak (giants) are in the land. Which report are you going to believe?  The ten spies or God? Circumstances or the Lord?  God has something mighty for you to possess, and if He wants us to possess it He will provide the way. With God all things are possible. If we can only believe we can possess. God knows that there are giants in the land, but God promised to destroy them with a consuming fire. But if you stand still you won’t be able to see the consuming fire destroy the enemy. We need to take a step and then God’s consuming fire will proceed us.  If you keep making excuses or refuse to act out of fear you will never see the miracles of God. 

    Had Peter stayed comfortably in the boat he would never have walked on water. He had to take that step of faith. 

    Naturally speaking things may be giant challenges but God is a consuming fire.

    When Caleb was 80 years old he went up to the mountain promised to him and destroyed the giants in that land. He fought and possessed the land. We are not too old or too young to possess our land.

    We need to fight and possess the land that God has promised us. What is ours is in the hands of somebody, and we need to fight for our faith.

    IT IS A FIGHT. ARM YOURSELF. Jesus said in Matthew 11:11-12  “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.“ 

    We are engaged in a fight. Arm yourself and begin to possess your mountain. Behind your mountain is milk and honey. Behind your giant is gold and silver.

    1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 

    The enemy is LIKE a lion. HE IS NOT LIKE THE LION OF JUDAH. He is an imitation.

    Goliath was a powerful giant and David a little boy. Goliath was armed to the teeth and David had rocks and a slingshot. David could have been afraid of the giant if he only saw him with his natural eyes, but instead Goliath looked to God. David KNEW HIS GOD, and because of that could face and defeat Goliath.

    PEOPLE WHO KNOW THEIR GOD CAN DO STRONG EXPLOITS.

    The devil is trying to intimidate you out of what God wants you to do. 

    THE SPIRIT OF FEAR RETARDS IMAGINATION, STOPS CREATIVITY. But when we have a dream or a vision from God, we must fight the spirit of fear and step boldly toward our dream.  Know that GOD IS STRONGER THAN OUR OBSTACLES. HE HAS DEFEATED THE ENEMY.

    Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD.

    Deuteronomy 9:3 Therefore understand today that the LORD your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the LORD has said to you.

    We can go boldly to take our land because God is a consuming fire that is going over BEFORE US. IF GOD SAID IT, HE WILL DO IT! Take that bold step. See the power and provision that God has supplied over your life. Rise up and fight the enemy.

    Numbers 13:25-27 And they returned from spying out the land after forty days. Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.

    They spied out the land and brought back huge fruits. They spies saw that God spoke the truth about the land flowing with milk and honey. If he spoke the truth about that, wouldn’t He also speak the truth about their ability to conquer the land?

    GOD CANNOT LIE. The Lion of Judah cannot lie. Believe what God says in His Word and be bold and conquer your territory. What visions and dreams God has given you, believe Him. Don’t be confused by the lies of the enemy. Fear is a spirit. We want to use the SPIRT OF BOLDNESS to combat the spirit of fear.

    Numbers 13:28-29 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan. 

    (Pastor Don says that when people say “nevertheless” they always have never more than the less.) These enemies (‘ites)  are the terrorists of our lives. What the devil does is sit you down and get you to analyze the details of your situation, so that you talk yourself out of doing what God has promised you. He tells you you will die, the enemy is too big, you are incapable of doing this, you don’t have enough wisdom, strength, etc. If he can get you to focus on your circumstances you won’t go and possess the land God has given you. What the enemy tells you may seem real, and the circumstances may back up the lies of the enemy, but we want to pay attention to the truth of God’s Words, not the lies of the enemy. 

    WHEN GOD SPEAKS TO US WE WANT TO BE OUT OF OUR MINDS AND IN THE SPIRIT. We don’t want to be arguing in our minds, but rather thinking the truths of God. The people feared the giants and said that they couldn’t possess the land.

    What is fear?
    False
    Evidence
    Appearing
    Real 

    Overcome the limitations of fear to possess your promise. Venture into your new territory, don’t choose to remain in your comfort zone. Take charge of your faith and move to the new territory. Take your foot off of cruise control. God wants you to move to the more prosperous territory, not just so you can be blessed but so you can be a blessing to the Kingdom.

    DON’T GO WITH THE FLOW. You are different. God’s hand is on you.  God wants you to perform supernatural things with His help. KILL THE GIANTS IN YOUR LAND WITH THE HELP OF GOD.

    Our adversary is not always natural, sometimes we battle in the realm of the spirit, in principalities and powers. FAITH REMOVES THE MOUNTAINS BEFORE YOU. 

    We must take a bold step. BOLDLY STEP OUT AND DRIVE AWAY THE ENEMY BY FAITH. When we step towards the giant, we see he has no power. The devil fears you when you step out in FAITH, BOLDNESS, POWER, and LOVE.

    Promotion is open to you, but many fear the increase and block their chances to be millionaires. Fear prevents people from trying new things. Fear of failure paralyzes them. 

    John the Baptist was bold, spoke the truth even though what he was saying was not popular. In our businesses we need to boldly take steps in new territory, facing down the enemy.  Have you ever noticed how many new products are out on the market? We get the new gadget, only to find a few months later there is a newer version of the same gadget. We are tempted to spend our money on these things instead of investing our money toward our career, or toward the things that would help us to grow more effective in reaching the new territory God has for us. The enemy wants us to squander our resources instead of investing in our future.

    Peter feared to throw in the net, but listened to Jesus and got the big catch. He acted in fear, but later became bold and possessed the land for the Kingdom.
    Jehoshaphat  feared, but believed God and won his battle.

    Numbers 13:31-33 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

    THE WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE WILL SEE YOU. If we see ourselves as grasshoppers, people will see us that way. The enemy is a DEFEATED FOE. We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are the victors over our defeated foe.

    Joshua 1:5-9 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

    DO NOT BE AFRAID. In the Bible there are 366 times God has told us to not be afraid. Why?  Because we need to be reminded by scripture every day of the year, including the leap year to not be afraid. God is in control.

    FAITH IS ACTION. We need to move forward, not remain in the same spot. Remember that the Lord goes and fights for you.

    2 Chronicles 20:15 And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the LORD to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

    The battle is God’s.

    Philippians 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

    Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

    FEAR IS NOT THE TRUTH. We need to think on those things which are true, pure, honest, noble, lovely and of good report. Think on virtuous things that are praiseworthy, not on fear. 

    The enemy wants to get us distracted by things of this world. He makes sin appealing. Achan was attracted to some of the riches of the land even though God said that he should not take any plunder from the land. Achan died and caused the death of many others because of his greed.  David was attracted to Bathsheba and had consequences from that sin.  The devil does not reveal the end result of your sin, he just attracts you to sin to pull you off course. 

    What you think in your mind is what you will end up acting out. The battle is in our minds and we need to choose to think Philippians 4:8 types of thoughts.

    God’s Words will renew your mind.  Allow God’s Word to fill us so that our mind operates from the truth of God’s Word, not the lies of satan.

    Then we prayed and Pastor Danquah ministered to us.  

    If possible, try to attend tonight which is a night of healing and deliverance. I plan to attend. Living Word Chapel 1555 Route 28A, West Hurley New York, at 7 PM.

    Have a blessed day,

    Heather