This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter. Our study brought us to Matthew 14. For the past three weeks we have been learning about God, His grace, and how the supernatural flows freely through humans who are simply submitted to and in sync with God. We pulled apart the story of Peter walking on water and we saw how both Jesus and Peter tapped into the unforced rhythms of God’s grace, to the point where they operated beyond the limits of this world. That being the backdrop, I am led to share a special message today. It is a message about something I experienced yesterday in church.
Yesterday was “Teen Sunday” at our church. This meant the teens were responsible for every aspect of the service. They prayed, sang, danced, and the Youth Leaders preached. I came with great expectations, because our teens spend time in the presence of the Lord. They are filled with the Holy Spirit and they know how to ‘get out of the way’, so the Holy Spirit can have His way.
The Youth leaders asked me to pray with the teens before the service. When I went into the room where they were, the power of God was already flowing. I knew these teens were going to teach the adults a thing or two about cooperating with God. I don’t have time to tell you all God did through our teens, but I will sum it all up with the “bookends” of the service. The service started with our teens singing praise and worship. They ushered in the presence of the Lord in such a way that I was not sure if we would even get to the preached Word. The presence of God was so thick that people were being delivered and set free before the Word. And then, after the Word was preached (which was amazing, by the way), the teens set up a fire-tunnel. They lined up in parallel with a space in between each line and the Youth leaders called people to the altar who needed prayer, healing, a breakthrough, etc.. It was refreshing to see grown men and women walk through this fire-tunnel and experience the power of God flow through teenagers. Our Deacons had to quickly figure out how to position themselves because people kept falling out under the power of God as these teenagers laid hands on them. There is so much I could say about yesterday, but I will stop here for the sake of time.
So what does this mean to you today? What can we learn from this? A few things.
- Many older believers discount or devalue our teenagers, but if they are Born-Again they have the same Holy Spirit who abides in us.
- For God to fully operate in your life He is looking for your to simply cooperate with Him. When God finds a human who is willing to cooperate with Him in the earth, the supernatural flows, and at that point the age of the human does not matter.
- If God is going to use you to write a book, then your education and life experiences matter. God will more-than-likely use them while using you to write the book. However, if God is going to use you to heal a sick person, then your education and life experiences have nothing to do with it. God does not need you to have a medical degree to release healing. Actually, your education and experience, in this case, may be more of a hindrance than a help. If you overthink it there will be too much of YOU in the way and God will not be able to flow.
- If God leads you to do something that makes no sense, do it by faith. If you overthink it, you will hinder God from doing what He wants to do.
- The reason God is able to flow so freely through young people is because they don’t overthink God. Sometimes thinking too much engages too much of your humanity, and at that point divinity is hindered from freely flowing.
- Our teenagers tapped into the unforced rhythms of God’s grace yesterday. It was unearned (they did not work for it) and unforced (they did not even ask God to do anything but whatever He wanted to do). Once God had a group of humans who were willing to flow with Him, in the earth, He was able to remove burdens, destroy yokes, release healing, and change lives forever. And guess what? The humans He used did not have a seminary degree, they were not wearing clergy collars, they were dressed in a way many older believers don’t agree with, and they were having fun as they did it. They laughed as God used them to heal the brokenhearted. You know why they laughed? Because they knew it was NOT them! That is exactly what God is looking for.
- Resolve today to be a human who cooperates with God. If you are willing, God is able, and the results will be supernatural.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You did not send me into the earth to simply read about You, or study what You did in the past. You want me to experience You on a daily basis. The Bible is not a textbook to study, it is a life-book to live, and I am ready to live what I read. I want to experience You and I shall by simply dying to self. From this moment forward I get out of the way. I decrease that You may increase in me. I yield. I submit. I cooperate. I flow with You every second of every day. Signs, wonders and miracles flow through me, because it’s not me doing it. It is You Father, living in me, You give me the words and You perform the work. You are looking for a human who will cooperate with You, so You can operate through them. Look no further. I am Your man/woman. I open my mouth and You fill it. I open my heart and You lead it. I give You my hands and You flow through them. Here I am Father, use me for Your glory! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
