Thoughts on Stewardship – Lesson 22 from Deuteronomy

Don’t forget where you came from
Foundation scriptures: Deuteronomy 8 verses 10 – 20

When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for all the good land which He has given you. 11 Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His precepts, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 Lest when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses and live in them, 13 And when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all you have is multiplied, 14 Then your [minds and] hearts be lifted up and you forget the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, 15 Who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, but Who brought you forth water out of the flinty rock, 16 Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. 17 And beware lest you say in your [mind and] heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. 18 But you shall [earnestly] remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. 19 And if you forget the Lord your God and walk after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. 20 Like the nations which the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 8:10-20 AMP

1.  People have a tendency to forget where they have come from very quickly.

a.    They get their eyes off of the Lord and onto their circumstances.
b.    This is not only when they are in peril, but also when they are blessed.
c.    If it was important for the children of Israel to not forget from whence the Lord had brought them, how much more is it very important for us today?
d.    The Word warns us to be careful and not to be deceived by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
e.    We have to be anchored firmly in the Lord, and His Word, and not in possessions or people.
f.    We must remind ourselves, on a daily basis, where the Lord has brought us from, and where we could have been. We must keep a humble and a pure heart before the Lord.

2.  In this passage, God was warning His people not to forget Him, but to continue to gratefully remember Him.

a.    Some people turn to the Lord only in a time of extreme trouble, but when it all turns around, they quickly forget their deliverer.
b.    God says you must remember Him. It is HE who gives you the power to create wealth.
c.    Don’t ever be lifted up in pride, where you think it’s you, your talents, your abilities, and how great you are.
d.    It’s ALL Jesus and NOT us.

Pastor Adonica’s Thoughts:
The Lord provided for the Israelites in the desert, where there was no natural provision for them. Without God, they were as good as dead. But He also provided for them in the Land of Milk and Honey. ALL of it was from God. Just because you are in a good place and you seem to be able to provide well for yourself, don’t forget that it is God who has given you, not only the things you have, but also the very ability to provide for yourself. Nobody enjoys being taken for granted – especially the Lord. Never take the blessings of God for granted. Don’t treat Him only as your last resort. If you want to maintain the blessings of God in your life, you would be wise to always remember to thank the Lord for all that you have and thank Him and trust Him also for all you need – now and in the future. Look to Him as your source and supply and honor Him as such.

Pastor Rodney’s Thoughts:
I have had the privilege of observing many different people over the years and have noticed that modern day people are no different from the Old Testament saints. Many times, businessmen who become successful, forget Who got them there. Preachers are the same way. The Word plainly states that one of the things God hates above all others is pride. God tells us over and over that He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. So take time today to reflect on where you’ve come from and give the Lord all the glory.

Prayer and Confession:
Father, I thank You that You are my source and supply. Without You – I am lost. I remember that You are the one who gives me the ability to make a living and to create wealth. I humble myself before You today and I continue to keep my eyes fixed firmly on you.

So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord.  Acts 3:19 AMP

The root meaning of repentance is: a change of mind (and heart) and purpose. It is deep sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like. The only way to repent is to have true godly sorrow. There is a difference between regret and repentance. Some people are sorry for being caught in the act of sin, but are not repentant of the sin itself. Sin is not a weakness, an unfortunate happening, or a mistake. It is a transgression of divine law; any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle; any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, or lapse. Sin is a personal guilt—each one independently will give an account of his/her own sin.

Iniquity is gross injustice or wickedness. Some people have iniquity in their heart. Deep down on the inside, they desire to commit sin even though they have not yet done it for fear of the humiliation of being caught. Sins of the heart also require repentance. Turn to God. Acknowledge your sin and then confess your sin with godly sorrow and the gift of repentance, which only God can give you. Acts 11:18b says, “Then God has also granted to the gentiles repentance unto life.” 2 Timothy 2:25b says, “…if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth.” You repent by believing God’s Word. Jonah 3:5 AMP says, “So the people of Nineveh believed in God and proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth [in penitent mourning], from the greatest of them even to the least of them.”

God’s mercy should never be taken for granted, because some things can never be changed, no matter how sorry you are afterwards. Hebrews 12:16-17 AMP says that Esau sold his birthright for a single meal. “For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears.”

REPENTANCE FOR THE SINNER
1. By the preaching of the Gospel
Now when they heard this they were stung (cut) to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles (special messengers), Brethren, what shall we do? 38 And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:37-38 AMP

2. Through the Goodness of God
Or are you [so blind as to] trifle with and presume upon and despise and underestimate the wealth of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering patience? Are you unmindful or actually ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent (to change your mind and inner man to accept God’s will)?  Romans 2:4 AMP

3. Remember this very important fact: God’s mercy is extended to ALL
The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.  2 Peter 3:9 AMP

REPENTANCE FOR THE BELIEVER
1. Through God’s reproof and chastisement
For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes.  Hebrews 12:6 AMP
For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. 11 For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].  Hebrews 12:10-11 AMP
Those whom I [dearly and tenderly] love, I tell their faults and convict and convince and reprove and chasten [I discipline and instruct them]. So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude].  Revelation 3:19 AMP

2. A New Vision of God
I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, but now my [spiritual] eye sees You. 6 Therefore I loathe [my words] and abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.  Job 42:5-6 AMP

3. The Loving Reproof of a Brother
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.  2 Timothy 2:24-26 NKJV

THREE FRUITS OF REPENTANCE
1. Acknowledgement and confession of sin

2. Humility – asking God for mercy
But the tax collector, [merely] standing at a distance, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but kept striking his breast, saying, O God, be favorable (be gracious, be merciful) to me, the especially wicked sinner that I am!  Luke 18:13 AMP

3. Very, very important – making restitution (or apologizing)
So then Zacchaeus stood up and solemnly declared to the Lord, See, Lord, the half of my goods I [now] give [by way of restoration] to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I [now] restore four times as much.  Luke 19:8 AMP

CONCLUSION
In order to stay in right standing with God, you must maintain a repentant heart toward Him. You must keep your heart humble and have a teachable attitude and a thankful heart. Never be self-righteous. Check your own temperature on a daily basis. Be very careful with whom you associate and whom you allow to influence you. Allow the Word of God to be your guide and the peace of God to reign in your heart. When you sin, confess immediately. Make right, accept the cleansing of the blood, and walk on. In this way, you ensure that your heart is a consistently repentant heart and is always right in the eyes of God

Thoughts on Stewardship – Lesson No 16 from Exodus

An Offering Always Precedes the Glory
Foundation Scriptures: Exodus 40 verses 25 – 35

Moses set up and lighted the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him. 26 He put the golden altar [of incense] in the Tent of Meeting before the veil; 27 He burned sweet incense [symbol of prayer] upon it, as the Lord commanded him. 28 And he set up the hanging or screen at the door of the tabernacle. 29 [Moses] put the altar of burnt offering at the door of the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting and offered on it the burnt offering and the cereal offering, as the Lord commanded him. 30 And Moses set the laver between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing. 31 And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet there. 32 When they went into the Tent of Meeting or came near the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he erected the court round about the tabernacle and the altar and set up the hanging or screen at the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then the cloud [the Shekinah, God’s visible presence] covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle! 35 And Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud remained upon it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Exodus 40:25-35 AMP

1. Moses put sweet incense on the golden altar and placed sacrifices – the burnt offering and the cereal offering – on the altar of burnt offerings as an offering to the Lord.

a. The result was that the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

b. Because of the glory of God, Moses was not able enter into the tent of the congregation.

2. When we come to God, we should not come empty-handed. Something happens when we come to worship the Lord with our gifts.

a. Our offering rises like sweet incense to the Lord.

b. The Lord, Himself, receives our offerings.

c. When the praises go up, the blessings come down.

d. The Lord pours out His glory, His goodness, His grace, and His favor.

N.B. Let your offering be as a sweet smell to the Lord – sweet incense that causes the glory of God to come down.

Pastor Adonica’s Thoughts:
The glory of God can only come down in the midst of people who are completely submitted and obedient to the Lord. We are demonstrating our submission and obedience when we give God what He asks us to give. The Bible says that we must make a choice between God and mammon. When we bring our offerings to the Lord in generous obedience, we show Him that He means more to us than anything else in the world and He receives our gifts and graces us with His wonderful and precious presence in every area of our lives.

Pastor Rodney’s Thoughts:
When it comes to offerings, one of the things that I have witnessed over the years is that when people give from their heart as an act of worship, or when they give sacrificially to the Lord, something amazing happens! God invades the place – God invades their lives – and supernatural things happen. It has nothing to do with the amount, but has everything to do with the heart.

Prayer and Confession:
Father, I pray that You would receive my offering and my gifts as a sweet-smelling savor. You are so awesome to me and I love to worship You with my very best.

The Bible says it’s the goodness of God that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). I think repentance has become a bad word today. If you talk about repenting in the church you’d think you’d just cussed. Some people will bawl crocodile tears and say, Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll never do it again, Brother Rodney Howard Browne, I’ll never do it again.”

You pray with them and they go right out the door and do it

again. They didn’t repent!

 

Jesus said, “All that the Father giveth me shall come

to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”

(John 6:37).

 

God doesn’t reject you, He accepts you. Yet there are

ministers who thinking they’re John the Baptist

and they want to knock people over the head all the time

and hope that they’re going to come in and get saved.

 

Even an old hog has enough brains to know that if

every time he goes to drink from a water trough, a brick

falls on his head – he shouldn’t drink there anymore. And

people wonder why no one wants to come to church. It’s

because the preacher beats them up.

 

The Bible says it’s the goodness of God that leads

to repentance. The Bible also says, “Whosoever shall call

upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

God will not cast anyone away.

 

You may say, “Brother Rodney, I’ve had it with

that person. I’m as the end of my rope with that person.”

The end of your rope is the beginning of God’s rope.

Where your grace ends, God’s grace begins. Where your

mercy ends, God’s mercy begins. Where your love ends,

the love of God begins.

 

Some Christians are a terrible advertisement for the

Lord Jesus Christ. In actual fat, I wouldn’t send some

Christians to help someone on the brink of suicide. The

man’s standing at the top of a 30-story building about to

jump off. You send some believer there and the man will

take one look at them and say, “That’s it. I thought there

might be hope, but now that I look at his face I know

there’s no hope.”

 

Too many Christians are walking around looking

like a bomb hit them. “I’m saved, Brother Rodney Howard

Browne.” Saved from what?

 

“I’ve been in the Way for forty years.” It’s

time you got out of the way so we can move one.

Some people believe 1 John 1:9 is for the sinner.

 

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us

our sins.” That’s not written to the sinner; it’s written to

the Church. If a 40-year-old sinner had to confess his sins,

he’d have a lot of sins to confess. It would take him

another 40 years to confess his sins. It’s for the believer to

confess his sins.

 

God doesn’t find out about your sins when you

confess them. Some people think when they go to God and

say, “Lord, I’ve sinned,” God says, “My, I didn’t know

that.” God is not surprised by your sin. He’s waiting for

you to confess them so He can forgive them.

 

Sin separates. You watch people who were on fire

for God and suddenly they get into an area of deception and

they open themselves up to sin. The devil knocks them in

the head and they go into an area of sin and then they stop

going to church.

 

Romans 10:8, 9 says, “But what saith it? The word

is nigh thee, even in they mouth, and in they heart: that is,

the work of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt

confess with they mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe

in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou

shalt be saved.”

 

God wants you to run to Him, not from Him. If you

confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

That is what gets us born again.

 

For with the heart man believeth

unto righteousness: and with the mouth

confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture sayeth,

 

Whosoever believeth in him shall not be

ashamed.

 

For there is no difference between

the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord

over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the

name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in

whom they have not believed? and how

shall they believe in him of whom they

have not heard? and how shall they hear

without a preacher?

 

And how shall they preach, except

they be sent? as it is written, How

beautiful are the feet of them that preach

the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings

of good things!

Romans 10:10-15

 

But as many as received him, to

them gave he power to become the sons of

God

John 1:12

 

God has a plan for your life. Accept Jesus today,

come as you are, and allow Jesus to come into your heart.

 

Pray this prayer right now:

 

Father, I come to You in the precious name of

Jesus. Lord, You said in Your Word that if I confess with

my mouth Jesus is Lord and I believe with my heart that

God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved. So Father, I

confess right now Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior.

Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I repent of all my

sins. Wash me in Your precious blood and cleanse me of

all my sin. I turn my back on the world. I will serve You

from this day onwards. Thank You for changing my life.

Amen.

 

What It Means to be Born Again

 

Foundation Scripture: John 3:16

 

1. Needs to be a greater understanding of the New Birth.

a. 2 Corinthians 5:17

b. A New Creation

c. Colossians 1:13

 

2. My Name is Written Down.

a. Luke 10:17-20

b. Proverbs 14:12

c. Luke 16:19-31

 

3. The New Birth Brings Change.

a. John 3:1-4

b. John 3:5-21

c. 1 Peter 1:23

d. 1 John 3:14

e. Romans 10:8-10

 

Prayer to accept Jesus as Your personal Lord and

Savior;

 

Father, I come to You in the precious Name of Your

Son Jesus. Lord You said in Your Word, that if I confess

with my mouth that Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior

and I believe in my heart that God has raised Him from the

dead that I will be saved.

 

I make the decision today to surrender every area of

my life to the lordship of Jesus. Jesus come into my heart take

out the stony heart and put in a heart of flesh. I turn

my back on the world and on sin-I repent and I put my trust

in You-I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I would like to

thank You for dying on the cross for my sin and shedding

 

Your blood for me so that I might be forgiven of my sin.

Thank You that You rose from the dead and that one day

You are coming back for me.

 

I confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh ad

the He is my personal Lord and Savior-thank You Lord

Jesus for saving me. I accept by faith the free gift of

salvation. Amen (so be it).

 

Dear Friend,

If you just prayed that prayer, I would like to

welcome you into the family of God- your sins are forgiven this

is the good news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

You are now a child of God and you will live with Him

forever. I encourage you to do several things to get to

know Him.

 

1. Read your Bible and pray every day (talk to Jesus about

everything in your life).

 

2. Find a Bible-believing church that believes in the

lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

3. Be around strong believers that will encourage you in

your walk with God and lift you up.

 

4. Tell someone around you of your new- found faith and

joy that only Jesus can bring.

 

5. Use this book and my other books and tapes to help you

in your new walk with God.

 

The teaching anointing is different from the

preaching anointing. It is more subdued, but it has a

definite flow to it. You will find that the teaching

anointing carries revelation that causes the listener to see

plainly and clearly what the Spirit of God is saying to the

Church.

 

I am convinced in many circles today that instead

of teaching the simple gospel of the Word of God, men

are complicating the lives of God’s people. Instead of

teaching that brings one into freedom, they preach people

into bondage and tradition.

 

Paul wrote to the Galatian church and said, “O

foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you?” (Galatians

3:1). You see, the Judaisers were preaching circumcision

and trying to get the Galatian church back under the law.

Paul said to them, “Having begun in the Spirit, are ye

now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3).

 

Keep the Message Simple

 

We must keep the gospel simple to feed the flock

of God, not choke them. Even Psalm 23:2 says, “He

leadeth me beside the still waters.” A true shepherd will

not take his flock to drink in a fast-running brook.

Because of the position of the sheep’s nostrils, the sheep

would drown. The shepherd cuts a U shape in the bank of

the river and allows the water to run into it. The sheep

can drink from the still water.

 

So it is in the church. Whenever the Word of God

is taught with simplicity, then God’s people will be set

free and they will grow into maturity. There are some

things that we can be dogmatic on such as basic Bible

doctrines, the absolutes of God’s Word. But we cannot

and should not be dogmatic concerning the non-absolutes

of God’s Word.

 

In Africa, one of the animals that roams freely is

the giraffe. The giraffe is known for its long neck. It has

the ability to feed upon the leaves up high in the tall trees.

The smaller animals, such as the little deer, cannot reach

these tall trees and so have to eat on the ground.

Starving Sheep and Constipated Shepherds

Many ministers are feeding giraffes while the

little deer are starving because they do not have the

ability to reach the food. They do not even understand

what is being preached.

 

I am disturbed by the fact that many people do not

understand what is being preached from the pulpits of the

land. They will sit in their pews and think, I don’t know

what he’s talking about.

 

Then they observe others taking notes and they

think to themselves, Well, they understand what he’s

talking about. I know I don’t, but then I have always been

slow in understanding certain things. But they should

realize that the person taking notes didn’t know what he

was talking about either and was probably writing a note

to a friend. If the truth were known, the preacher doesn’t

know what he’s talking about himself.

 

Let’s get back to the simplicity of preaching the

gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ so that the sheep may be

fed. You know, God’s Word is so simple, you need an

idiot to help you misunderstand it.

 

There Is an Anointing to Heal

 

We have to understand that there is an anointing

to heal. The scripture says in Acts 10:38, “How God

anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and

power: who went about doing good, and healing all that

were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him,”

The anointing is the presence of God. We know

that in His presence is the fullness of joy and so in His

presence is healing divine. In His presence there is no

lack.