Forward Thinkers, on Friday April 1, my granddaughter repeatedly tried to trick me and play an April Fools’ joke on me. I kept telling her, “You cannot get me. I know better”. Unfortunately, Forward Thinkers, the devil has been tricking believers into believing his lies for years; he wants you to be fooled into believing that you can’t get up again and win after being knocked down by life.
Over the next few weeks, my assignment is to release enough word in you so that that you will be convinced that you can “get up”, compete and win.
John 5:6-9 New International Version (NIV)
6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
Forward Thinkers, this man had been down for a long time, dealing with this condition for a long time. Forward Thinkers, if we are not careful, the devil will use our condition to redefine us.
- Forward Thinkers, people will start calling us by our condition
- Forward Thinkers, worse than that, we will start identifying ourselves by our condition
- Forward Thinkers, we will start inviting others into our condition
- Forward Thinkers, we will make excuses as to why we are in our condition
Yes, life will sometimes knock you down but, then life quickly moves on to the next situation leaving us alone with our thoughts. Remember Forward Thinkers, “So as a man thinks, so is he”.
- I don’t think they will let me up
- I don’t think I can get up
- I think I can shake the devil off and get back up and move forward
Jesus asked the question, “Do you want to get up?” Forward Thinkers, Jesus asked the same type of question God asked Adam, “Where are you?” God knew the answer but He wanted Adam to take responsibility. What Jesus is really saying is if you want to get up then why are you still laying there doing what you’ve always done? Forward Thinkers, until you change, your condition will never change.
Jesus says walk away from your excuses and walk into your future. As long as you’re making excuses, you’ll never make progress. Jesus says get up. As believers we are supposed to walk by faith and it’s time to put our faith to work and get up. Forward Thinkers, how bad do you want it?
Forward Thinkers, this week I’ve talked to several women who have been involved in domestic violence situations. I even spent time getting advice from Ursula Hall, a lawyer and candidate for judge who is an expert in the field of domestic violence so I could gain a better understanding on the dynamics of domestic violence. No matter a woman’s background (rich, poor, educated, or uneducated) she must gain enough faith and courage to walk away and trust God to keep her (A major key) to life.
Forward Thinkers, Pastor E.A Deckard pledges to extend a hand to battered women and I’m declaring they can get up and walk into their God ordained destiny.
Today I am taking a stance with family members who have lost loved ones to senseless murder in our city and I’m declaring that they can get up and walk in their loved ones’ honor. What the devil thought would break you, God is using it to make you stronger and wiser than ever before. No matter what has knocked you down in life: drugs, prison, generational curses, poverty, or depression, today, I’m declaring in the name of Jesus, “get up” and walk into your destiny. This year is a leap year so I am believing that you will become so strong this season you will leap into your destiny.
Forward Thinkers, when I met Jackie Johnson the day after her 21 year old daughter, Jakeitha Wilson had been murdered by her boyfriend, she shared with me how she too had experienced domestic violence during a previous relationship. As she was sharing her painful story, I was led to tell her, God was going to use her voice to speak out against domestic violence and bring awareness to the subject. She said, “No way. I’m too shy and I get stage fright”. But Forward Thinkers, I replied back to her, “God is going to give you the strength to turn this negative situation into a positive story of empowerment for women in trouble”. The next day she sat and looked into the camera of ABC News and boldly spoke out against domestic violence.
This is your season. God will get you up and you will stand up stronger than you could have ever imagined.
In conclusion, Jesus said pick up your mat; the mat represents the thing that knocked you down, now you have the power to pick it up and walk with it. Forward Thinkers, it now becomes your testimony and your story assigned to bring God glory. What once was your horror story will now become your story of victory.
Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church now located, in both Houston, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him at pr.ghic@gmail.com, follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Periscope @ Pastor E A Deckard or the church website www.ghic.net