Sunday Re-Cap (7th Jan 2007)

A People of Destiny: God’s Promise of Restoration in 2007

The text of our theme for this year is Jer 29:1-14. The background of this theme is God’s promise of restoration for the children of Israel that were being held captive in Babylon. God is a God of restoration. He wants to restore us and restore us perfectly.

Jer 29:1-9

Who are these who prophesy falsely?

• These are the ones who advocate the “name it and claim it” principle.
• These are the ones who subtly educate us in the principles of instant success and deliverance.
• These are the ones who were teaching that we can plan and dictate things according to our own time table and not God’s.
• As a result, we become impatient, disheartened, discouraged when we don’t see it happen according to our time table and we begin to question God.
• We even lose our passion for God and our first love because God did not do as He promised in His word.
  
  

Jer 29:10

• Only God’s timing is the right timing.
• He is often teaching us to wait. Is 40:31
• The purpose of waiting is renewing (châlaph) our strength. Not depending on our old strength. He desires to empty our old strength and replace it with His strength. Ex: Like driving into a service station and emptying our old oil and putting in new oil. Moving on, forward, transitioning out.
• There is a process involved. Don’t get impatient, let His processes work through for restoration to take place.
  
  

How do we get this re-NEW-ed mindset? This requires spiritual disciplines:

• The WORD of God. (Josh 1:8)
• Praying in the Spirit. (Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20).
• Be filled with the spirit continually (Eph 5:18).
• Walking in the spirit (revelation knowledge) and not lust of the flesh (sense/carnal knowledge)(Gal 5:16),
• mind of the spirit (Rom 8:27; Eph 4:23; 17-32)
• Guarding our hearts and lips.(Prov 4:23-24; Prov 18:21 Rom 10:17; Matt 12:35-37)
• Serving-humility, teachability (humility and repentance).(Lk 22:26; Jn 12:26;Heb 12:28)
  

We do these because we want to have a fresh encounter daily with God Himself (John 5:39).

Isa 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land

2Ch 7:14-16 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (15) Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place. (16) For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.