After You Let Go
Notes
Transcript
Recap:
Do you ever feel like you can’t quite get to that freedom place or that place of rest or forgiveness?
You keep begging God to come help and set you free, but it does not come.
Sometime we have to let go of what we have the right to in order for God to give us something better or resurrect what was.
Ephrath = ash heap, a place of fruitfulness
God is taking the places of ashes and turning them into places of fruitfulness.
There are places in your life that feel like ashes. Things that once were are no longer. They are only ashes of what was.
Before those places can be fruitfulness in your what you think you deserve must be released from your life.
Jacob worked 14 years for Rachel. He earned her. He endured abuse for her and from her.
He had the right to keep her.
After you bury what you have the right to, you will bear a supernatural fruit in your life.
Real Life:
I have seen a woman let go of taking a stand in her marriage and Jesus gave her compassion for her husband again.
I have seen another woman who let go of trying to talk her husband into fixing his lying and deceitful habits and she let go and began to bless him and pray for their marriage. God broke through for them.
I have seen two brothers who argued like crazy. The older brother was sick of the younger brother always having to be right even when he was wrong, so he took a stand on topics he knew was wrong. That older brother finally let go of having to be right and trusted Jesus to come heal their relationship instead. Jesus did come and they became best of friends.
I have seen a young woman who had the right to be shy and an introvert let go of those things and share boldly what God is saying to her and she was filled with joy and love. All the people who heard her will filled with love and joy as well.
I have seen many people let go of their having to be healed and they walked in the anointing of healing others.
I have seen a man who had every right to be mad at God and himself for an accident that killed his son, and he became the most loving evangelist that his city had ever seen before.
Testimony, woman who prayed for her cheating husband.
The opposite:
I have seen far too many people hang on to what they have to right to do or keep and miss out on what God has for them.
Jesus had the right to live a good life, but He gave up what He had the right too so resurrection life would be.
Jesus had the right to defend Himself because He was innocent and He had the power to do so, but He let go so we could have innocence.
Jesus wants to turn those places of ashes into areas of fruitfulness in your life. For that to happen, we need to let go of what we have to right to.
A litmus test for how you know what to let go of.
If you could see yourself missing it if that person or thing was gone?
Example:
Person on the plane next to me who said her husband was stubborn.
It’s Time To Let Go!
Let go of being right so you may have love.
Let go of protecting so they may have grace.
Let go of justice, so forgiveness will manifest.
Let go of fixing that person, so that love may flow from your heart.
Let go of carrying the weight, so that Jesus can do the heavy lifting.
Is there something Jesus wants you to let go of today?
After You Let Go?
Lets look at David and how he let go and what he did after he let go.
Tell the story of David and upbringing and time line all the way up to the point of being alone and strengthening himself in the Lord.
age 10-13 David is rejected by his dad and brothers and then picked to be anointed by God
ages 10-15 David keeps sheep and kills a bear and lion with the hands of God.
ages 15-17 David is rejected by his brothers yet again, and then kills Goliath with the hands of God.
ages 13-25 David serves Saul with music and sword, and gets kicked out for it.
ages 25-30 David hides from Saul for his life. The people who help him are killed by Saul.
age 35 David is at the end of his rope. He has nothing left and he turns to God.
Saul dies and David gets what was stolen back and then becomes king.
This the ultimate place of letting go for David.
What did David do after he fully let go?
6 Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
-David Strengthened himself in the Lord.
To fulfill the purpose God has for our lives, we need to know the pathway God laid out for us to always be strengthened in Him.
This pathway is strengthening yourself in the Lord/Christ.
David was the only king in the bible who went through a bootcamp with God to be prepared to be a good king.
David is the master of strengthening himself in the Lord. We are going to learn from David what it takes to strengthen ourselves in the Lord/Christ, so we can fulfill our purpose in life.
Common Views:
Strengthen yourself in the Lord is most often thought in way of declaring what is not seen yet.
Thanking God even when you don’t feel like it.
Declaring Scriptures and God’s word over your life.
Praying in tongs.....
A Millennial view:
No faking it, so no faking it until you make it.
Not sure about this strengthen yourself idea except for get educated and work out.
Saying what you feel out loud.
Waiting for God to show up first
If it is real, He will strengthen you.
David’s approach:
Most of the Psalms of David start with a heart cry and sometimes even anger.
Then he moves on to thanks and then declaration.
Most precious to David was, don’t take Your Spirit from me or let me live in Your house all my days.
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
Examples of David strengthening himself in the Lord are found in many Psalms.
Psalm 56:1–3 (NASB95)
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me. 2 My foes have trampled upon me all day long, For they are many who fight proudly against me. 3 When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
David is first honest with what he feels and sees.
You often see David get very descriptive in his honesty to God.
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
Our first step then in strengthening yourself in Jesus is to be honest.
We can stay away from I am statements.
I feel afraid that what has always happened may happen agian.
I dont see how this can work out for good and I feel overwhelmed.
I feel tired and drained and I dont have the strength to do that agian.
Psalm 54 (NASB95)
1 Save me, O God, by Your name, And vindicate me by Your power. 2 Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth. 3 For strangers have risen against me And violent men have sought my life; They have not set God before them. Selah. 4 Behold, God is my helper; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. 5 He will recompense the evil to my foes; Destroy them in Your faithfulness. 6 Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O Lord, for it is good. 7 For He has delivered me from all trouble, And my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
First you see the honesty again but what David does in this Psalm is our next step.
“Willingly I will sacrifice to You and I will give thanks to Your name.”
David has entire Psalms dedicated to giving thanks.(Psalm 136)
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Give thanks to God for what He has done.
To switch from being honest to being thankful can be a challenge.
David gives thanks so many times in his psalms that it looks like just repeating thanks with your words and songs will be enough.
There is giving thanks with your words and there is a giving thanks in heart.
I found a great way to give thanks in your heart that often end up coming out in words.
Two Keys to get your heart to thankfulness:
A memory of something you are so thankful for.
A memory you are aware that Jesus was there.
David did this same thing in that last Psalm.
7 For He has delivered me from all trouble, And my eye has looked with satisfaction upon my enemies.
David is remembering a time when God came through from him before.
Think of a memory that you are very thankful in.
Are you aware that Jesus was there too.
Maybe you told Jesus thank you in that memory?
These steps dont have to be in this order.
David clearly did these steps all the time.
Closing:
God gave us some great ways of strengthening ourselves in Him when we face life’s big challenges.
How do we strengthen ourself in the Lord?
David show us how in the Psalms.
David is first honest with what he feels and sees.
He then moves being thankful for what God has done.
Five steps to Strengthening yourself in the Lord:
1. Be honest with what you are feeling and seeing.
2. Give thanks to God for what He has done.
Activation:
Tell God what you feel right now.
Go to one memory where you are thankful and God was there.
Practice these steps.
Other Resources:
Ephrath
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 672 אֶפְרָת, אֶפְרָת, אֶפְרָתָה, אֶפְרָתָה
672 אֶפְרָת, אֶפְרָת, אֶפְרָתָה, אֶפְרָתָה [ʾEphraath, ʾEphrathah /ef·rawth/] n pr loc f. From 6509; GK 714 and 715 and 716 and 717; 10 occurrences; AV translates as “Ephrath” five times, and “Ephratah” five times. 1 a place near Bethel where Rachel died and was buried. 2 another name for Bethlehem. 3 wife of Caleb. Additional Information: Ephrath or Ephratah = “ash-heap: place of fruitfulness”.
Genesis 35:16–21 (NASB95)
16 Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. 17 When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” 18 It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. 21 Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.
16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 17 The one woman said, “Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. 18 “It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 19 “This woman’s son died in the night, because she lay on it. 20 “So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 21 “When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne.” 22 Then the other woman said, “No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” But the first woman said, “No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son.” Thus they spoke before the king. 23 Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one’; and the other says, ‘No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.’ ” 24 The king said, “Get me a sword.” So they brought a sword before the king. 25 The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose child was the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” 27 Then the king said, “Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother.” 28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.
4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.
“You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.”
“Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For you will deal bountifully with me.” (Psalm 142:7)
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 4 To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 5 To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 7 To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 8 The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 9 The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 10 To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 11 And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 12 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 13 To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 14 And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 15 But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 16 To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 17 To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 18 And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: 19 Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 20 And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 21 And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 22 Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 23 Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, 24 And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
A Psalm of David. 1 I will give You thanks with all my heart; I will sing praises to You before the gods. 2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name. 3 On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. 4 All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord, When they have heard the words of Your mouth. 5 And they will sing of the ways of the Lord, For great is the glory of the Lord. 6 For though the Lord is exalted, Yet He regards the lowly, But the haughty He knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, And Your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.
Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 1 I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk They have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look to the right and see; For there is no one who regards me; There is no escape for me; No one cares for my soul. 5 I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 “Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me. 7 “Bring my soul out of prison, So that I may give thanks to Your name; The righteous will surround me, For You will deal bountifully with me.”