Proverbs 18:20-21 (NKJV) A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
When God is moulding us and dealing with different things in our life, we must not resist His process but agree with it. Choose God and allow the work of the Holy Spirit to be done in your life. Once we are secure in that God is a good God, we will not be fearing His work in our lives. We will know that His corrections are good.
We recognize the fact that we are not perfect but we also need to live and act on the truth of God. Maybe the fact is that a person is negative or jealous or fearful. However, the truth is that all of that is crucified on the cross of Jesus and that God is in the business of changing and forming us so that old habits will be removed step by step.
Things that start with a negative thought become arguments, imaginations and end up becoming strongholds. Even the strongholds God wants to break down and form. It concerns strongholds that you may have been raised up with but are not in line with God’s Word. Negativity that might be a part of your everyday life, comparison to others, backbiting, or fear, all of this God wants to bring down.
Strongholds are created when the mind is convinced that the situation is unchangeable and hopeless.
Stronghold causes us to accept that things are unchangeable even though they are contrary to the will of God. To the Israelites, Goliath was a stronghold but to David there was no stronghold there. In David’s eyes there was an opportunity, because God had formed him and prepared him for the situation.
If we do not allow God to form and change us, we will always fall back into the same habits and react the same way in the similar situations. The devil tells you that you will not make it through. You may start believing it because that is the way you have been taught to think. We can find ourselves in intimidating or frightening situations and the devil will say that you cannot make it, that you will be the one loosing the job, or that it will not go well for your company financially. God wants to step in here, build faith in our lives and form us so that next time we face the same situation our reaction and confessions will be different.
How can this be done? Invite the Spirit of God to come and do the work needed in your life. You see the situation and you say ‘Lord I need you here – teach me, form me so that I can become all that you have called me to become and that I can walk in a way that glorifies you.’ Fill yourself up with words from the Bible that are in line with what you are in need of. It is not enough to just know about it, we must live it out!
The devil does not want you to get into your full potential for God’s kingdom and work. However, God is working on making you all that He has intended for you. Once God starts His work in us, things will come up to the surface and change.
Sermon Series: God is Forming Us
攻破坚固的营垒
箴言 18:20-21 人口中所结的果子，必充满肚腹；他嘴所出的，必使他饱足。生死在舌头的权下，喜爱它的，必吃它所结的果子。
当上帝在塑造我们并处理我们生命中各样的事物时，我们不要抗拒祂的塑造过程，反而要好好接受。选择上帝并允许圣灵的工作成就在你的生命。一旦我们确信神是良善的神，我们就不会害怕祂在我们生命中的工作。我们会知道祂的调教是好的。
我们必须明白我们并不完全这个事实，但我们也需要在上帝的真理中活出来。其实，有人可能天生想法是负面、好妒忌或胆小。然而，真理是这一切已被钉在基督的十架上，而上帝正是在转化和塑造我们，以便我们的旧习惯能一步步被除去。
有些事情刚开始只是个负面的想法，渐渐变成争论、想象，最终成为坚固的营垒。有些营垒甚至是上帝要摧毁和重建的。那可能是关于你从小就有的坚固营垒，但并不符合上帝的话语。负面思维可能是你每天生活的一部分，如爱比较、诽谤、恐惧，而这些都是上帝要拆除的。
当我们的心思被说服，以为现况是不能改变的或没有希望时，坚固的营垒就产生了。坚固的营垒导致我们认为，即使有违上帝的旨意有些事物是不能改变的。对以色列人来说，歌利亚是一个坚固的营垒，但对大卫来说，那里没有营垒。在大卫的眼中，那是一个机会，因为上帝塑造他，并预备他面对当时的情况。
如果我们不允许上帝来塑造和改变我们，我们就会常常回到旧的习惯，对同样的情况就会有同样的反应。魔鬼会告诉你：你撑不过去的。而你可能会相信，因为你一直以来被教导要那样的思考。在我们面临威胁或恐惧的情况，魔鬼会说：你撑不过去的，你将会失去工作，你公司的财务将不会好转。上帝想要介入，并在我们的生命里建立信心，塑造我们，那么下次当我们面临同样的情况时，我们的反应和宣告就会不一样。
这事要如何成就呢？你要邀请上帝的圣灵进入你的生命动工。当你面对棘手的情况时，你对主说：“主，我需要祢在这里 — 指教我，塑造我，好让我成为祢对我呼召的样子，好让我走在荣耀祢的道路上。” 从圣经中找到切合你当前需要的经文，并经文充满你。单单知道是不够的，我们还要活出来！
魔鬼不要你为着上帝的国度和工作发挥你最大的潜能。然而，上帝正在塑造你，使你成为祂为你所预备的一切。一旦上帝开始祂的工作，事情将会浮上台面并发生改变。
讲章系列：上帝在塑造我们
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