.  Living Hope Fellowship Church....Sermons by the Pastor 

A GOD CALLED PLACE

by Pastor Kevin Badgley

In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, “. . . with God all things are possible.”  God specializes in man’s impossibilities. 

The Bible shows us that God gets in people’s business.  People prayed, and God answered and even performed miracles.  I found I can call on God, and He will answer.  If I want God to do the impossible, I have to do something to show myself strong in faith.  Luke 17:6 talks about mustard seed faith.  Romans 12:3 says, “. . . God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith,” so everyone has the ability to believe.  In Mark 9:23 Jesus said, “. . . If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” 

When I started giving more of my life over to God, Jesus started giving more of His life to me.  There are evil things in the world that stir God, but there are good things that stir God also.  He is not a God of wrath and judgment only.  “His mercy endureth forever,” is the most quoted phrase in the Bible. 

God will allow things in your life that force you to take one side or the other.  Revelation 3:16 says, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”  Indifferent people can’t make it.  When you are indifferent, you won’t talk to God.  You won’t think about God, He has nothing to do with your business, and anything can happen to you.  It is wide open season for the devil.

God wants us to infiltrate the world with His truth.  He wants us to affect the world for good.  He wants our light to shine in the darkness to lost souls (see 1 Peter 2:9).  In the Bible we read that God ordained some things that can be done to move Him.  You must first believe that God hears you when you pray, because without faith it is impossible to please Him (see Hebrews 11:6).  However, with faith in God, anything is possible to the believer.  Fasting is one way to move God.

In the book of Isaiah it is astounding how much of the life of Christ you can see in the application to us as believers.  Isaiah 58:5-6 says, “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the LORD?  Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?”

God has placed responsibility on us as children of God to do the work that He wants done on the earth. 

Isaiah 58:7-8 says, “Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?  Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.” 

Fasting is good for your health.  Your mind will clear up.  The Lord will guard your back, and the devil won’t sneak up and ambush you.  Fast and pray, and tell God that you have to have an answer. 

God wants us to ask.  Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”  If your house is on fire, you will kick down the door if you have to; you will find a way out!  This is the way we should seek God, but the devil comes along, and we just lay down like an old possum! 

When I was a kid, I learned about the possum.  I ran through the corn field one day, and I thought I’d found the biggest rat in the world!  He had a long nose, little beady eyes, and some hair on him except for his tail.  I figured I could out run him, so I was poking and moving him around with a stick.  All of a sudden he got really still.  I thought I hurt him, but there wasn’t any blood on the stick!  I wondered what was wrong with that animal.  I guessed he had a heart attack. 

I went back and told my Dad about it, and he just laughed and said, Go back to where you found it.  It was just a little ways from the house, so I went back, but it was gone!  That rascal got away, and I thought He was dead!  A lot of people act that way.  The devil pokes at them, and they act like they are hurt or dead, and then the devil dances on their life.

Jesus said He would give the child of God the keys to the kingdom of heaven and show us how to combat our enemy!  Isaiah 58:9 says to take away the putting forth of the finger.  People point the finger and say problems are everybody’s fault or responsibility except their own!  Verse 10 means if we do what we are called to do God will raise us up. 

Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul. . . .”  Verse 12-13 reminds us to go to church and to honor God.  (See also Hebrews 10:25.)  

Jesus laid out the conditions for the success of His ministry.  Jesus fasted, and prayed, and withheld himself from all worldliness.  Jesus prayed, and God answered!  Jesus is the Son of God, and He has called all of us to be sons of God and to do great works.  (See John 14:12.)

We face challenges, but our faith is worthless if it isn’t tried!  James 1:3-4 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”  If we will fast, and pray, and obey God, He will give us the victory when the rest of the world is coming unglued.  Let’s do it.