0180 Your Channel Is Not Your Source

Your Channel Is Not Your Source

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Bush:

Bush is located in the middle of the desert

Bush lives of rain and dries because of sun “affected by circumstances instead of devotion”

Bush is easily pulled out because of the weakness of its roots “easily offended & destroyed”

Bush is small & fruitless

Tree:

Tree is planted by rivers of water “tree doesn’t visit river but lives by it”

Roots spread out by river “you can break the tree, steal the fruit but it’s impossible to destroy the root”

Tree lives of water from river instead of the water of rain

Tree is not affected by the sun

Tree is huge & fruitful

Who is the source of your life? The answer determines if you are bush or a tree

Grandma praying and God using a fool to answer her prayer!

Your hose is not your valve

Sling shot is the channel but God is the source (1 Sam.17:45 “David”)

Army & Levite is the channel but God is the source (2 Chr.20:12 “Jehoshaphat” “our eyes are upon You”)

5 loaves of bread is the channel but God is the source (Mark 8:19)

Faith is the channel but God is the source (Eph.2:8)

Job is the channel but God is the source of wealth (Deut.8:17-18; Gen.22:14 “gives power to get wealth”)

Medicine is the channel but God is the source of health (Ex.15:26 “I am the Lord that heals you”)

G12 is the channel but God is the source of church growth (1 Cor.3:6-7 “God gave the increase”)

Prayer & discipline is the channel but God is the source of victory (Prov.21:31 “deliverance from God”)

A right choice is the channel but God is the source of joy (Neh.8:10 “joy of the Lord”)

Water comes through the hose but never from it

People who trust the channel are not connected to the source

Trusting in others results in not depending upon God (Jer.17:5)

How different your relationship with God would be if your life would depend on Him?

Vine is the source for the branches (John 15:1-8)

Jesus is the Vine: became man to show us what creature ought to be to its Creator

Vine is a storehouse of life & strength not for itself but for the branches

It’s not leaders but every branches obligation to abide on the vine

There is nothing supernatural about the branch when it abides on the vine

Weak prayerlife is the first indication of dependence upon channel instead of source

Enlarge your channel but trust the source

Miracles require mans cooperation with God

Rib was a channel by which wife came (Gen.2:21)

Blood on doorposts was a channel by which salvation came (Ex.12)

Rod was a channel by which Read Sea split (Ex.14)

Water in empty vessels was a channel by which vine came about (John 2)

Peter’s shadow was a channel by which healing came (Acts 5:15)

Seed is the channel by which harvest comes (Luke 6:46)

Faith is the channel by which grace comes (Eph.2:8)

Branch is the channel by which fruit comes (John 15)

Many seek the ruler’s face but justice for man comes from the Lord (Prov.29:26)

Expend your channel

Goals for success; diploma for promotion; talents for dreams; discipline for defeating weakness; faithfulness for elevation; good example for salvation; exercise for health; right job for wealth; right choices for happiness;