1. SPIRIT FIRST

 

The last 10 days or so the Holy Spirit has been guiding me on what to share with you today.

 

You will have noticed that this week I shared at the end of a couple of the morning prayers about how the message has impacted me and the testimony I planned to share today.  In some cases the messages were right on point with what I planned to share and were to me a sign by the Holy Spirit to press on with my testimony.

 

All your messages including those from Bros Ronnie, Eddy, Richard, Nizbert and by Ps Lakers were stepping stones being laid out for me by the Holy Spirit as I prepared.  What a week we’ve had!!!

 

During the week I shared my revelations as we went as I wanted to call out God’s magnificence in real time as it was happening.  I called it out to give Him all the glory and to testify as it’s happening as a true validation and confirmation that it’s the Holy Spirit guiding us each step, each day.

 

Praise God! Hallelujah!

 

Today I’ve been called to testify to the importance of the messages shared this week. To do so with my testimonies which I humbly share with you.  All to glorify His name and with the hope and conviction that they will help someone on this platform that is struggling with something in their life.

 

Is that you?

 

Yesterday Ps Lakers shared with us on the importance of understanding what is going on beneath the surface.  To seeing what is happening in the spiritual realm.

 

[Testimony - When I was 10 years old ….]

 

By God’s glory I was healed of this so called “incurable” disease.  What is clear now is that the source of that disease was in the spirit. 

 

Gentlemen, what situation is happening in your life now that you may not understand.  That you may be trying to understand with physical eyes but require spiritual eyes?

 

***Let’s reflect and pray.

 

2. TERRITORIES

 

On Sunday last week bro Ronnie shared on living in a battlefield. It was a call to arms around sharing the gospel and that staying silent is actually contributing to the devil’s work.  Combined with Eddy’s message on missions and on the July trip to Vietnam, it was clear that taking territory was the theme of the week.

 

This was further reinforced later in the week with by Ps Lakers’ words on taking territory with his reminder that:

 

• It’s through the agency of Christ that all things are possible.

• All territory already belongs to God.

• The enemy can’t invade a strong man’s home unless he’s bound first.

• In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said – “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

I was challenged by this message to reflect on first, the territories I have previously given up; secondly on those which I have reclaimed; and finally on those that still need to reclaimed.

 

One territory I previously gave up was the peace in my life and home with the failure of my first marriage.

 

[Testimony of first marriage]

 

Reflecting on this darkest time I am led to Psalm 23:4: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod to protect and Your staff to guide, they comfort and console me.”

 

I truly was walking through that valley. It was such a dark tunnel I couldn’t see a way through.  Full of upset, blame, and feeling betrayed and downtrodden.  My confidence was sub-zero.  How could I ever trust anyone again.

 

During this time, I leaned on the love of my parents and brother but I was living in Sydney and they were in Perth.  My kids were a comfort but they were feeling lost too and I needed to be strong for them – or at least put up a brave face.  Friends gave some support but kind words were a brief comfort.

 

But what I didn’t really know, but now can see very clearly, was that God was with me every step.

 

The clearest message was when he brought into my life the love of my life – my now wife.  We reconnected 13 years ago and married almost 7 years ago.

 

We each brought to the marriage our own brokenness and trauma from past broken relationships.

 

Her faith in God was strong while mine was flakey at best. So at least one of us was following God and initially it was her faith that kept our new blended family connected.

 

What became clear into our relationship was that the territories lost in my mind were not reclaimed yet, so old patterns emerged.

 

[Testimony of territories of my mind – anger, blaming, un-trusting, loose with words etc]

 

And because these territories remained lost I almost lost my wife and my life again:

 

[Testimony - five years ago my wife shaved her head - gentlemen, if your wife ever comes home and cuts her hair off, take it seriously.  That’s as loud a message as you’ll ever get. Your marriage is in trouble.  Mine was and I didn’t even see it. But the signs were already there. She wanted marriage counselling and I ignored it. Gentlemen, if your wife asks for marriage counselling do it. Don't wait until she's shaved her head! Don't be stupid like I was.]

 

Again, Christ found me. We went to counselling...

 

[Testimony of me attending Connect for the first time 3 years ago.]

 

The big lesson for me through these testimonies was if we don’t reclaim territories given away in our mind and hearts, then old behaviours will just continue.

 

God gave me back those territories…

 

[Testimony of the territories reclaimed – in my relationship with my wife, with the peace within me, to drop fear, to yield it all to God, to step up as the spiritual head of our home.]

 

[Testimony of being asked to lead a Connect with bro Josh.]

 

I want to be clear on something gentlemen.

 

When I lost these territories I was so lost that I didn’t know how to recover them.

 

No idea!

 

But as Eddy said on Wed this week, if our heart is to follow then God will find a pathway.

 

From Isaiah 42:16 we know that the Lord will “lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

 

My path was so crooked and out of line and I was so lost.

 

I couldn’t sort it alone.  It wasn’t until I humbled myself and let God direct me that my life started to turn around.

 

God found the way for me then and He continues to find the way for me every day.

 

Praise God!!

 

***Join me in prayer.

 

3. BEWARE COMPLACENCY – THE BATTLE GOES ON

 

But God has revealed to me, “It’s good, but there are more territories to go!”

 

As Ps Lakers reminded us this week, God said to go into the world and take possession and then engage the enemy in battle.  We need to see in our mind that we’ve already reclaimed the territory.  See our marriage as healthy, our finances as prosperous, our bodies healthy.

 

Ps Lakers reminded us to visualise it, expect it, be convinced God has given it, and then finally.. stand and fight in battle.

 

Reclaiming a territory requires action not just waiting around for it to happen.

 

This week God has given me a strong lesson on this with my health.

 

Last weekend I attended Hangouts where Ps Lakers led us and we shared on addictions and it was so good!  I came out of it admitting to God, myself and the men in the room that I have a sugar addiction and need to get a handle on my health.  Bro Simon’s testimony that day on his journey with weight loss and eating right really inspired me.

 

We prayed that day for God to guide me on the next steps and boy did He guide me!

 

He guided me by showing me via a hard lesson..

 

[Testimony of Diverticulitis]

 

This week has been a hard lesson…but look at the testimony from the test. 

 

The doctor is connecting me to a dietician and this week I’ve been forced to eat a lot lighter – on some days fasting.

 

And more territories remain… but that’s for another day.

 

Gentlemen, what territories do you have to give up?  

 

In Psalm 139:23 we hear: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

 

And also in Isaiah 55:9: “For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

 

So let God lead you in the way everlasting as His ways and thoughts are higher than your ways and thoughts.