Is the tail wagging the dog?
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 13 viewsNotes
Transcript
Acts 26:1–2 (NKJV)
1 Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself:
2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
Last week we talk about how God help Paul and how he continued with God’s help
i want to revisit a verse that we didn’t get to spend too much time on.
Paul says in verse 2
2 “I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you concerning all the things of which I am accused by the Jews,
I think my happy
the greek word here for think is
hēgeomai which means to lead, rule; believe, think, consider
it also mean to go before, lead the way, guide.
I have a question for you today,
Are you Thoughts leading you, or are you leading your thoughts?
For lack of a better term, is the tail wagging the dog?
7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, But his heart is not with you.
You can not separate one from their thoughts
Dr. Carrol Thompson would often say this,..
“What controls your mind, controls you.” Carrol Thompson
How do we give satan access to our mind?
though our thoughts
27 and do not give the devil an opportunity.
or place to the devil
Don’t let the devil ride, cause if you let him ride,,, he’s gonna wanna drive,
our thoughts lead our actions
One preacher says, “If you base your life on the belief of negative and false information, then it will affect who you are and what you do.”
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Listen, either we bring our thoughts into captivity or we become captives to our thoughts.
There is a great battle going on between your ears and the weapon God has giving you are mighty for pulling down stronghold in your mind.
One preacher said, “you cant stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can surely stop it from making a nest in your hair.”
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
we have the weapon to extinguish fiery darts of the evil one.
When that thought come.. cast it down
God doesn’t care about you… No sir, devil your are a liar I am his beloved and He is mine..
You are lonely.. Nope, God promised He wouldn't leave me or forsake me.
You could never do that… I can do all things though Christ that strengthen me..
We must take the shield of faith.
how do we get faith, well
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
The Bible is the very word of God, and i choose to be lead by it and not the lies of the enemy.
another preacher says, “There is an enemy who seeks to block your pathway and keep you from reaching you personal God given assignment.”
he goes on to say, “He create illusions of delays and denials trying to convince you that God doesn’t care.”
The devil doesn’t have to kill you to stop you from doing God plan and preaching your purpose.
He doesn’t have to cut off you arms to stop you from laying hands on the sick
but what he can do is send thoughts your direction to make you believe that you cant do the things that God has called you to do.
“you ain’t nothing… you cant do it..”
his aim is to take away your hope.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Don’t you dare lose hope.
get yo mild right..
God delay is not always He’s denial. He has not forgotten about you.. He has not left you.. He will not forsake you
3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.
Don’t lose hope and don’t you dare quit.
Douglas MacArthur, one of America greatest generals once said, “age wrinkles the body, but quitting wrinkles the soul.”
Today.. I think myself Happy.
15 Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!
today i choose to be happy
maybe I don’t have a lot, but I have you.
Take myself to the movies..
buy myself flowers..
write myself a letter..
i refuse to allow my happiness to be dictated by whats going on around me.
i choose to do what Paul tells them in Philippians
Philippians 4:6–8 (NKJV)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
Paul was standing in front of Agrippa.
with the treat of imprisonment and death.
3 reasons
Paul would soon experience the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that he would witness before kings (Acts 9:15).
he had specifically asked for the privilege of hearing the prisoner (25:22).
Most important, Festus had already suggested that the king had a responsibility to provide some information for the official papers to be sent to Rome along with the prisoner.
Paul had faith and a hope.
he trusted God and anticipated that God would do something on his behalf.
Samuel Smile an 18th century Scottish author once said,
“An intense anticipation itself transforms possibility into reality; our desires being often but precursors of the things which we are capable of performing.”
Anticipation is a great motivator.
Write the vision
Many people faint because they have nothing to look forward to.
Paul found a reason to be happy..
Just like David who returns from battle to find his wives and children taken hostage and the city on fire
then the man spoke of stoning him
the bible says
1 sam 30:6
6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
Don’t allow the negative thoughts from the enemy to lead you around like a dog on a lease…