You Don’t have to catch it all

Acts 4:14–21 NKJV

And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But so that it spreads no further among the people, let us severely threaten them, that from now on they speak to no man in this name.” So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way of punishing them, because of the people, since they all glorified God for what had been done.

. This was the first time that Peter and John were brought before the courts like this

. I want you to try and imagine for a moment, being in the position that the disciples of Jesus were now in, They were now (as Jesus is in heaven at this point) called by God to be the men who would start a whole new revival that would eventually impact the whole world.

. Think for a moment about how crazy this is, these men at one time were just doing their jobs going about their lives, now they hold in them the keys to bring change to the entire world because of the calling of God on them.

. even in the face of the courts and the Sanhedrin Peter and John stand firm and declare that no matter what they will always obey God over man!

. Now lets change focus a little bit, I don’t believe that this was the only time the disciples were called out for their message, i mean even as believers sons and daughter of God we need to recognize just how crazy the story and the message of Grace is!

. Its 100% true but its still crazy, i don't think we will ever understand fully everything that happened when Christ died on the cross for us! it goes so much further beyond just the forgiveness of our sins.

. But here is the point they would have been people in every place that the disciples went who would of called them out for being crazy, for being false prophets, for even being crazy men with no grip on reality.

. Its not that it was easy sailing and everyone just simply accepted the message of Jesus, there would have been countless times where people, perhaps even entire towns that would have been throwing negative things at them calling them all sorts of things, even doing all sorts of things to them.

. but here is something the disciples learnt that i believe all people need to learn, “You don't have to catch everything that is thrown at you!”

. There would have been countless negative words spoken to the disciple, many times that they would of been attacked verbally and called all sorts of names, laughed at, ridiculed.

.maybe even form there friends and families at times, because the message/truth that they were carrying is a world changing one!

. and the enemy will do anything he can to cause people to not believe that they are capable of living out eh calling that God has on their life!

Ephesians 6:15–16 NKJV

and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

. The enemy is constantly firing shots at the people of God to wound us so that we are unable to continue the fight.

. and the words that the people around us speak over us is one way he shoots these fiery darts!

. but you do not have to catch everything that is thrown at you, you don not have to accept as truth every word that is spoken to you, about you, or over you.

. our shield as tells us is our faith, our faith in who God has called us to be, our faith in what God says about us in his Word, our faith in the things he has spoken to us individually

. It is the Word of God and the Word of God alone that is able to define you, what it takes is faith and belief in the Word of God to believe hat it says about you.

. You do not have to catch and take on all the things that the enemy says to you or what people say to you, you and i make a choice about what we carry around

. Here’s the thing if you catch everything that is thrown at you, and carry it all around,every negative word it begins to drown out the things that God says about you.

. and even when we get encourage by God to get in and do something or to try something new, or get a revelation from God about how we can and even will be different.

. The words that we have caught and are carrying around, thought/beliefs we have about ourselves will quickly drown out all of these great new things.

. So today we are going to do two things 1) decide to stop catching/ carrying around everything that is thrown at us because we do not have to accept anything as truth if it is contrary to what the Word of truth says about us.

VISUAL EXAMPLE

. 2) not only are we going to stop catching all the things that are thrown at us from this point on, we are also going to rid ourselves, of all the things we have caught in the past, from today we will not carry things about ourselves that are not true.

. just because said body said you are something, or that you don't have what it takes is no longer going to hinder/stop us from doing the new things that the Holy Spirit wants to awaken in us.

. Its time for us to no longer be burdened with the fiery darts of the enemy that tell us all why we are not good enough or why we are not capable of doing what God has called us to do.

. and its time to stop carrying around the words that people have said to us that go against what God says

Ephesians 2:10 NKJV

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.