Calvary Increase Your Vision P1

Welcome: "Great is the Lord and He is greatly to be praised." AMEN -- We've already been having church this morning, haven't we? Thank you Praise and Worship team for your leading us this morning. And I just want to say that we're so glad to have all of you here with us virtually… I just want to tell you how much we love you and appreciate you and we believe in you here at Calvary…/ we pray for you often…/ and we just believe for God's best in all of your lives.

Sermon: I count it a real joy and an honor to have the opportunity to share with you. I thank God for allowing to have the health to come and share with you. I missed you all a bunch and I am so glad to be back with the family, even if it is only virtual.

I want to also encourage you today to stay strong, to stay on your knees before the Lord in prayer, to stay in God’s Word, the Bible and stay connected to the Calvary Family…/

We have several things going on virtually for example our Tuesday Evening Prayer time together on Facebook at 7pm. We have a virtual Men’s Bible study on Sunday evenings at 5pm. Our CR virtual gathering, a bible study on the Gospel of John on Thursday from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. and we do these with a purpose in mind so you can stay connected.

See in today’s times it is so easy to get so focused and involved in the worldly ways and News and social media and all sorts of things that actually draw you away from God’s wonderful peace, the assurance, the wonderful love that God has for you. And you find yourself just drifting away from your faith and you become weak and continent with worldly things. See the Christians life is a life of staying strong. and being disciplined and committed to God’s ways for your life. That’s the Christian Life the bible tells us about... See friends for the Christian who is staying strong and living that disciplined and committed life to God this is an exciting time to be alive right now if you ask them. We are living in such exciting times. You see, in my spirit, I have this incredible sense of expectancy and I want you to join with me having the same…/ God has such great things in store for each and every one of you.

I don’t think it is by accident that you are here today. I believe that each of you are here as part of God's divine plan. God has so much confidence in you that He specifically chose you before the foundation of the world to be here at this particular time in history. He’s counting on you. We are people of purpose. We are people of destiny. We are people who have been raised up by God for such a time as this. (PAUSE)

Several weeks ago I prayed, "God, what would You have me share with your people when I am able to preach?" And friends I have to tell you that I had all good intention to start a series on “The Church”. But I also have to tell it’s going to have to wait. Because I believe God spoke to me so strongly. He said, "Bill, tell my people to believe me for bigger things in 2021 for their church and for their life. Tell each and every one of my people to believe me for bigger things because I want to take them beyond their own natural limited thinking.

See friends, God wants you to go beyond your old barriers of yesterday. He wants you to dream big dreams. God wants you to reach for new heights with Him. He wants you to broaden your horizons.

But to do this you are going to have to go beyond your old barriers and increase your vision with Him…/

# 1. God’s Word says, "The eyes of LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT. See friends, God is constantly searching for people who will dare to step out of their comfort zone. People who will dare to step out and to trust Him for bigger things. People who will dare believe Him for a stronger anointing on their life…/ We need to believe for more of God's power in our lives so that we can see more miracles in and around our lives. So, we can see more people brought into the Kingdom of God. AMEN!!!! See Friends, God wants you to "Broaden your Vision”.

2 Chronicles 16:9 NLT

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war.”

The things that are impossible with man…/ are not impossible with God. And friends that’s the attitude we need to have…/ I’ve been telling the church to be ready because when we are able to final return and get together and worship without the cloud of COVID-19 over our decision. Calvary will be different, it will be better than it was before, it will be more faithful to God then it was, many will have a stronger desire to fulfill God’s purpose and plan for us because we realize the times are nearer for Jesus to come for His church in the Rapture. Jesus said it best this way. "All things are possible, if we only believe".

Have you ever had a dream from God for something that He placed on your heart? And as time went on you gave up on the dream that God has placed in your heart. Discounting as even being from God. Yet it felt so real at one time. Don’t ever give up on the dreams that God has placed on your heart. (PAUSE)

# 2. I know some of you have been believing God for a long time for certain things you've been praying about. And it just seems like nothing's happening. You say, Bill, I've prayed and I've prayed and I've prayed but nothing seems to change. God must not hear my prayers because I can't see any difference. I give up. But no friends, listen carefully, this is when your faith has to come in. This is what faith is all about. The Bible says in Hebrews 11:1: “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” NLT. Faith is the substance of the things that you hoped for, and the evidence of the things we cannot see". And what you must understand is that there will “almost always”, again I want to emphasize “almost always” be a period of time between the time you pray and the time the answer finally comes. And just because you don't see anything with your physical natural eyes during that time, doesn't mean that God's not working in the background. It doesn't mean God's not working in the supernatural spiritual realm around you, because He is.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

# 3. See the Bible says in Psalm 56:9, "The very day we call for help, the tide of the battle turns". In other words, the very moment you pray…/ in the spirit world things begin to happen. God begins to set the miracle into motion, the moment you pray in faith. And the Bible says in Hebrews 12:2 “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish…” This is why I am always encouraging believers to stay strong, stay in prayer, stay in God’s Word, the Bible, and stay connected to the Calvary Family. WHY? Because they all encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. And again WHY? Because Jesus is the developer of our faith. AMEN Can we give our developer of our faith Jesus Christ a little praise in a hand clap…/

Hebrews 12:2 NLT

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

Psalm 56:9 NLT

My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!

Know this next part you need to understand also it’s not going to sound too exciting but many times there is a "dark room" experience or a dark time that we have to go through before the miracle is manifested when expanding your vision of God’s purpose for you. The development process often involves dark times, this is called "the trial of your faith".

Listen to how the Bible puts it. "So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here. These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure." 1Peter 1:6 NLT After you pray in faith, you are going to go through a period of testing to where the enemy is going to do his best to try to get you down, to try and get you discouraged, to try and get you to abandon God purpose and plan for you. WHY? So that your miracle will just die. Satan wants you to give up. He wants to destroy your faith. So, you will stop believing. Some of you are going through that dark time right now. You say, "Bill, what should I do? Cry and complain, get depressed, worry all night and all day?"

1 Peter 1:6 NLT

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.

No friends, this is when you have to use your faith. This is when you have to mix just the right solutions. You say, what are those solutions?

Number one, it is the Word of God. Number two, it is praise and thanksgiving that the answer is on the way. Those are the two essentials to mix just the right solution. In your dark time, you have to continually speak forth the promises of God from His Word…/ And You have to continually praise and thank God that the answer is on the way. Friends, the dark hour is the time to shout forth the praises of God. You cannot stay down. You cannot stay depressed. You cannot stay defeated as long as you've got the praises of God coming out of your mouth. It is impossible. Try me, raise your hands and praise God no matter what your circumstances are during the singing time and the message time and I guarantee you will be changed … See friends, praise is faith at work. And when you praise God in your dark hour, it literally drives the enemy crazy. He knows if you can praise and uplift the name of Jesus no matter what comes against you, he knows he doesn’t have a chance to destroy your faith. And he knows also there's not anything you're not going to be able to accomplish for God. It drives the enemy crazy that type of belief. And that is where God wants you to be…/

#4 See, the apostle Paul went through so many dark times. I encourage you to sit down and read the “Book of Acts. We think we have problems sometimes. You think you have been in dark times; you think we have trials of faith. Listen to what Paul went through.

He said, 5 times I was given 39 lashes with a leaded whip…/ for preaching the Gospel.

He said, 3 times I was beaten with rods.

Once I was even stoned for preaching the Gospel.

He said, I was shipwrecked 3 times and once I even spent a night and day on the open sea.

He went on to say, I've been tired, lonely, cold.

I've been hungry, I've been thirsty. I've been in all kinds of incredible danger throughout my whole lifetime Paul says…/ But I love how he described all these things. He said, "For all our light afflictions are but for a moment". 2 Corinthians 4:17.

2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Paul called all he had been through "light afflictions"? ((PAUSE))

Don't you know Satan's jaw dropped wide open when he heard that! I can see Satan look at one of his evil servants and the fallen angels and say, Did I hear what I thought I heard? After all we put Paul through, he called them "light afflictions"? (PAUSE) See, I can just imagine that Paul got right up into Satan's face in one of his darkest hours and he said, listen here, Satan, you have done your best to try to kill me. You have done your best to try to discourage me from doing God's will throughout my whole lifetime. But here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to write down in God's eternal Word, the Bible, that these are only light afflictions. (AMEN) I'm going to write down that they're only light afflictions so that people now and a hundred years from now, and even a thousand years from now are going to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's absolutely nothing that you can do to me or anybody else that bears the name of Jesus Christ to stop us from fulfilling God's purpose and destiny in our lives. See friends, that's the attitude we've got to have in these dark hours. We've got to show the enemy that we're more determined than he is to fulfill God’s purpose and plan for my life. And even if all hell breaks loose, there is nothing that's going to stop us from continually uplifting and magnifying the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. See, but all too often we give up too easily. And I'm convinced that many times the answer is just right around the corner when we do that. It's just about to appear, but we get a little weak in our faith and the things around us take our time and efforts and we start to listen to the lies of the enemy. We stop reading the bible, praying to God daily and coming and worshipping on Sundays whether in person or virtual. And the moment he sees the smallest sign of weakening in your faith, that’s when he'll turn up the intensity and he'll make sure you have a great opportunity to doubt. But friends, listen, if we could see into the spirit world, I guarantee you, most of the time, the miracle we've been praying about is just a week or two away. But because we don't stand strong, keep the faith without wavering and continue to give God praise and thanksgiving we allow the enemy to deceive us and to believe that that miracle is never going to come to pass. And by our own actions and by our own lack of faith, and you need to understand this “you tie God's hands.” And He's got to say, "Hold it!" He looks at the angels and says, "Stop that miracle right there. Don't send it. For some reason they've changed their minds." (PAUSE) But friends, we cannot give up that easily. You've got realize you're going through a period of testing. The bible calls it "the trials of your faith". And Peter told us exactly what to do there in 1Peter 1:6. He said to "greatly rejoice" in that dark hour…"be exceedingly glad". The Bible says to "greatly rejoice", that means you've got to stand up tall and put your shoulders back, with a smile on your face, you've got to raise your hands toward the heavens. You've got to say: Father, I thank you that You are a great God and that You created this whole universe by Your mighty Word of power and there is no other God like You. And Father I thank you that I can say, You are my God and in You I put all my trust and all my confidence. You're my Savior, You’re my Deliverer, my Redeemer, my Healer, and my Helper. And Father, I just greatly rejoice because Your Word says that "No weapon formed against me is going to prosper". AMEN !!!!! And Father one more thing, I thank you that every tongue raised against me in judgment, you will condemn. Father I thank You that Your Word says You always cause me to triumph. And when my enemies come against me like a flood, Your spirit will raise up a barrier against them. And Father, I thank you that "the Lord is my light and my salvation" and I don't have anybody or anything to be afraid of. Father, I greatly rejoice because Your Word says in Psalms that "you laugh at my enemies". So Father I just join in the laughter. And I thank you that my answer's on the way in Jesus name! Amen! See, friends, you cannot praise God like I just did and stay down in defeat. AMEN Do you want to get out of depression…/ Do you want to overcome the dumps? …/ Then you've got to stop talking about the problem…/ and start talking about the solution…/ You've got to change your atmosphere by changing your words.

1 Peter 1:6 NLT

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.

Oh the words…/ my friends Words are so powerful. They are creators…/ They can pick you up or they can tear you down. The Bible says that, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue in words." You have to be determine to create an atmosphere of faith, an atmosphere of victory, an atmosphere of hope by shouting forth the promises of God and shouting forth the praises of God. The bible says to "greatly rejoice" because the answers are on the way. Listen, when everything around you looks dark. When everything around you looks hopeless and helpless and you don't know how you're going to make it, you've got to change that atmosphere of defeat by boldly declaring, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". See, when your circumstances, when they look impossible and you can just feel the enemy trying to squeeze the very life out of you, you've got to change that atmosphere of defeat by boldly declaring, "If God be for me who dare be against me?" Listen friends, you and God are a majority. There's nothing that you can't do together. The Bible says to "greatly rejoice". Praise Him with joy! "The joy of the Lord is your strength". The more you praise Him, the happier you get, the stronger you'll become, and the more worried the enemy is going to get.

Let’s Prayer

A Prayer to Keep God First in our Lives in 2021

Dear God, thank you that you make all things new. Thank you for all that you've allowed into our lives this past year, the good along with the hard things, which have reminded us how much we need you and rely on your presence filling us every single day.

From your word, the Bible, we have learned and now desire your Spirit to lead us each step of this New Year. We ask that you will guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire you above all else. We ask that you will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask that you would help us release our grip on the things to which you’ve said “no,” “not yet,” or “wait.” We ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire you’ve put within our hearts.

We ask for your wisdom, for your strength and power to be constantly present within us. We pray you would make us strong and courageous for the road ahead. Give us ability beyond what we feel able, let your gifts flow freely through us, so that you would be honored by our lives, and others would be drawn to you by our lives. We pray that you’d keep us far from the snares and traps of temptations. That you would whisper in our ear when we need to run, and whisper in our heart when we need to stand our ground.

We pray for your protection over our families and friends. We ask for your hand to cover us and keep us distanced from the evil intent of the enemy; that you would be a barrier to surround us, that we’d be safe in your hands. We pray that you would give us discernment and insight beyond our years, to understand your will, hear your voice, and know your ways. We ask that you would keep our footsteps firm, on solid ground, helping us to be consistent and faithful. Give us supernatural endurance to stay the course, not swerving to the right or to the left, or being too easily distracted by other things that would seek to call us away from a close walk with you.

Forgive us for the times we have worked so hard to be self-sufficient, forgetting our need for you, living independent of your spirit. Forgive us for letting fear and worry control our minds, and for allowing pride and selfishness wreak havoc over our lives. Forgive us for not following your ways and for living distant from your presence. We confess our need for you…fresh…new…again. We ask that you make all things new, in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives, for this coming year. We pray for your refreshing over us.

Keep your words of truth planted firm within us, help us to keep focused on what is pure and right, give us the power to be obedient to your word. And when the enemy reminds us where we have been, telling his lies and attacks our way, we trust that your voice speaks louder and stronger, as you remind us we are safe with you and your purposes and plans will not fail. We ask that you will be our defense and rear guard, keeping our way clear, removing the obstacles, and covering the pitfalls. Lord, lead us on your level ground.

We ask that you would provide for our needs, we ask for your grace and favor. We pray for your blessings to cover us; we pray that you would help us to prosper and make every plan that you have birthed in our heart to succeed. We pray that others would take notice of your goodness and could not help but to say, “These are the ones that the Lord has blessed.”

Help us to be known as great givers, help us to be generous and kind, help us to look to the needs of others and not be consumed by only our own. May we be lovers of truth, may the fruits of your spirit be evident in our lives - your love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Shine your light in us, through us, over us. May we make a difference in this world, for your glory and purposes. Set your way before us. May all your plans succeed. We may reflect your peace and hope to a world that so desperately needs your truth and your direction, your presence and healing. To you be glory and honor, in this New Year, and forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Walk with the King today and Be a Blessing to others. Witness your faith to the Unbelieving World.

Song: Trading My Sorrows