18 Aug
Uncategorized

I Got Used

Welcome to the Sermon Recap!

You know, we have a generation now that lives for today. This generation, when it comes to spiritual areas, natural areas, even financial areas, doesn’t think about eternity all that much. But eternity is a very, VERY long time. Our life in eternity depends on how we live the short life we have here on Earth. Today’s message is all about living this earthly life for the Lord and being used of Him. Let’s get to it!

America Has It Backwards

People were created to be loved. Things were invented to be used. America has it wrong; things get loved and people get used. But still, despite the anger, the tears, and the heartbreak at the betrayal, we cry out to the Lord to use us.

When people ask the Lord to use them, I’m afraid most of the time they think they are going to go on a mission trip and hand out a Bible, or get a microphone and sing or preach. While the Lord can use people to do those things, there’s another way He will use people.

I had a truck that never needed the spare tire. That tire never got used. But the tire that did get used got dirty, scratched, cut, and nicked, however, it carried me to where I was going. The spare tire was untouched, unscathed.

Joseph

Joseph was given dreams in which God informed him that He was going to use Joseph to help his brethren. Joseph might have had this idea that he was going to be a pastor or a great leader of some kind, but instead, he got hated, sold, lied on, and thrown in prison. Joseph needed to keep in mind this important thought; people will use you for their own selfish reasons, but when God uses you, He will always reward you, whether it be in this life or the next.

Galatian 6:9 – “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

God Will Use Us No Matter Where We Are

Even in the times where our world is falling apart, pain and pressure are all around, we can look back and find little areas where God used us. When we couldn’t sleep or we were in our lowest points, we can look back and see that we helped someone make it home.

Esther

In the book of Esther, the king sent for Queen Vashti, but she refused to come. She was banished from the king’s presence. She was never to be touched or seen by him ever again. She would never hear him speak to her again. Imagine what it would be like if we never got to hear God’s voice again.

Time passed, the king healed and started looking for a new queen. Esther was an orphan with nothing to offer the king, and she was of a different nationality. There wasn’t much going on for her when she stepped into the king’s presence, but when she did, he picked her for his bride.

I don’t know all that Esther went through, but I do believe that at some point in Esther’s life, she said, “God, if you will take care of me, I’ll give myself away to you.”

Now, she’s gone from being an orphan girl to a queen wearing the best clothes that money could buy and eating fantastic feasts. Life is very good until she hears about a plot against the Jews. Mordecai, her cousin who raised her, told her the Lord wanted to use her to help His people. She sent word back to him saying that if she went before the king without being called, it could cost her her life. Mordecai told her she was there for such a time as this. God didn’t put her on that throne to be the prettiest, wealthiest, most famous lady in the land. God put her there because there was a need in the land.

There is a need somewhere in your job, in your family, in someone’s life that God wants you to meet. God wants to use you to meet that need.

It Costs To Be Used

We can’t be afraid of cracks and chips. My Sheila and me have a set of china that hasn’t been used for decades. Sure, it still looks very pretty, but it’s never been useful. It’s on display in my cabinet. The plates that have been used have cracks and nicks in them. God is not looking for a display; He’s looking for someone who’s not afraid of a few chips and scars. He’s looking for someone who wants to be used no matter the cost.

Please read Acts 7:55-59.

Stephen might not have known that his suffering would bring such conviction to Saul that Saul would never be able to get away from it. Stephen was limited in his outreach. Paul went further than him, writing 14 books of the Bible and starting churches in different areas.

It costs to be used, but God will replenish you and keep you. Because of your sacrifice and your dedication, someone else will make it to Heaven. You are helping people. You may feel empty and be in need of a refresh. Take your request to God and tell Him what you need. He will refill your spirit.

Thank you so much for reading! If you would like to worship with our praise team and listen to the sermon that this blog was based on, then go ahead and click the play button on the video below. I hope this word has encourage you and I pray you are blessed!

— Pastor Anthony Wynn

09 Feb
Uncategorized

Use Me in This Season

What do seasons mean spiritually?

Seasons change; the same season doesn’t last forever. Don’t make permanent decisions in  temporary circumstances. If your in the middle of Winter, don’t worry, things will get better and the sun will shine again. When we go through rough seasons in our lives, it should remind us more and more that this is not our home. John 16:33.

Spring

Spring is the time of new beginnings. The time of year where things enter a state of renewal. Dormant plants that have laid all Winter long rise up again. Leaves grow back on the trees. In our walk with Jesus, Springtime means fresh visions and new dreams. If you are going through a rough season, you can be confident in God’s faithfulness and know that at some point this season will end and a new one will begin. God will move and turn things around.

Summer

Summer is a season that warms us. The days are longer and the nights aren’t cold. Spring and Summer are also seasons where you can plant crops. You can even gain some harvest in Summer.

Autumn

The weather starts to chill, the remainder of the harvest is gathered, and things start to prepare for the the next season.

Winter

This is a time where most of the natural world goes into hibernation. Activities seem to come to a stand-still. It’s a time to review your dreams and make new plans. It’s a time to rest. I believe Peter was talking about a Winter season in this passage 1 Peter 1:6.

With a church full of people, you will most likely find someone going through spring and someone going through winter.

People can be in different places in different seasons. Someone could be going through Spring, like the children of Israel who were coming out of the Red Sea. Some people may be facing their Winter season, like the ones going into the Red Sea. They may not know what will happen in the next little bit, but if they will keep on walking, they’ll walk right out of their situation. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Keep walking and God will bring this season to pass.

Now, if you go outside to plant crops in the Winter, they probably won’t grow because it’s not the right season. But understand, God inside of us performs miracles and the the Holy Ghost doesn’t have seasons. We may be subject to seasons, but the Holy Ghost is not.

God doesn’t just want to use you in your Spring or Summer season. He wants to use you in every season.

As a child of God, there is no time off. We are too close to eternity. God can use you to help deliver someone when you are fighting depression. God can use you to lay hands on people and they get healed, when doctors have given up on you. God can use you to speak prosperity to someone when you can’t pay your own bills. It’s not about our feelings or emotions, but the presence of an eternal God that abides in us. God can use us when we are broken to help someone else.

It should be our desire that in whatever season we are in to be willing to let the Lord use us and be a part of whatever He is doing.

David had his seasons.

Around about the time he was taking care of his father’s sheep was his Spring season. He went through Summer when he was anointed king and faced Goliath. Right between being anointed king and killing Goliath, David had a Winter season.

During your winter seasons, don’t let the devil talk you into the thought that Jesus is mad at you. Seasons are a sign that you are chosen by God. David was anointed to be the ruler of the land, but at some point before that he was hiding in a cave.

A person may want to cross their arms in the Winter season and want to feel sorry for themselves and depressed. They may not want God to use them. But while you are in your Winter season, other people are in their Winter season, too. 1 Samuel 22:2. Sometimes you have to get up so other people won’t miss out with God. They need you to get up in your Winter season and keep on living right even if you don’t feel like it. God is still God. He abides in you and is not subject to seasons.

We shouldn’t operate by chill bumps, or emotions. We should be led by the Spirit of God, and directed by the Word of God.

Elijah went through his seasons.

In his Spring season, his prayers held the rain back. He helped a little widow woman not run out of food during the famine. But even this man of God has his Winter season, 1 Kings 19:4.

Joseph had his Winter season in prison.

But even then, he interpreted dreams for at least two prisoners. The anointing was not controlled by the bars he was behind or the shackles he was bound with. His anointing was inside of him and he let the Lord move through him and use him in the midst of his Winter season. Joseph’s dream from earlier in his life was on hold. Yet he showed his integrity when he submitted himself to God during that time to help fulfill someone else’s dream.

Jesus had His seasons.

In His Spring season, He was in the temple at 12 years-old, amazing those there with His words. In His Winter season, He’s on the cross. He looked around and there were two men on each side of Him that were about to die as lost as they could be. In His Winter season, Jesus changed a life and told one of the men He would be with Jesus in Paradise. Hallelujah!

1 John 4:4.

Remember, Friend, Jesus lives inside you. Your circumstances, your season, does not have control over your anointing. Jesus can use you in every situation and season. Make it your prayer, dear friend, “Lord, whatever you’re doing in this season, please don’t do it without me!”

Pastor Anthony Wynn

13 Jul
Uncategorized

Year of Jubilee

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

January 22, 1973, Roe v Wade was issued. For 49 long years, our nation killed the unborn. The Creator of Life grieved at us. In 49 years, the recorded number of children killed is over 63 million. There were many more never recorded.

But now, we are free! This thing has been reversed. God has heard our prayer.

Leviticus 25:1-22.  Leviticus 23:27. Biblically, at the end of 49 years, there was to be a jubilee. I believe that God is wanting to give us a jubilee, right now. And not just right now, but for the rest of our lives.

Jesus is our jubilee.

In the Bible times, when the years of jubilee came, people were set free. Every prisoner, servant, and slave. When you get saved, Jesus is your jubilee. You are no longer a slave to sin under the bondage to all the powers of Hell. Jesus breaks every chain off you and restores you. All things become new.

In the year of Jubilee, debts were forgiven. All properties returned to their original owners. All labor was to cease. This was all so people could be on level ground. The poor couldn’t get so poor that they had nothing, and the rich couldn’t get so rich that they had everything. It doesn’t matter if you are on welfare or if you are a billionaire, the ground is level at Calvary.

The year of jubilee foreshadowed the finished work of the Lord Jesus, through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He relieves sinners from their spiritual death and slavery to sin. Through His death and resurrection, He relieves us of all things that the enemy has over us.

One of the benefits of the year of jubilee was that both the land and the people were able to rest.

Jesus is our jubilee, which means we can rest in the Lord. The devil is a liar. Don’t let fear try to control you. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. You are not a prisoner of your mistakes or who you used to be. Old things have passed away. Jesus wiped the slate clean and it’s just as if it never happened. This jubilee is your fresh start!

Jesus has a new name for you. You are a child of God. You are blood bought. You are chosen by God. You are not a failure. You are ordained by God. No weapon formed against you will prosper. You are blessed! The Lord will raise up a standard for you when the enemy comes in like a flood. God will make a way for you. You don’t live under a chain of your past. The debt of sin we owed was paid in full at the cross. We are forgiven our debt forever. We are free by the precious blood of Jesus!

It’s not just for the Jews.

Genesis 22:17. God told Abraham that he would have two seeds: seed as the stars of heaven and seed as the sand on the seashore. That seed touching the earth (the sand on the seashore) was the Jewish seed. But there would be those that wouldn’t be born of the flesh seed but would be born of the Spirit that comes from Heaven.

Abraham’s seed would be innumerable. The devil can’t stamp Christianity out. He can’t stop the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. He can’t stop us from preaching Jesus.

Galatians 3:16. The devil may try to tell you that since you are not a Jew then only half the Bible is for you. But we are all of one seed. Every promise in the Bible is for you. Genesis 26:3.

The devil can’t stop us. There is something inside of us that can’t quit. There’s something inside of you that bigger than you. It’s Jesus fighting your battle and Hell can’t stop him. You can walk through a lion’s den and praise God in a fiery furnace. There’s a seed inside of you that Pharaoh can’t drown. It’s not you. It’s that seed of righteousness, that Lamb of God, inside of you. Galatians 3:29.

Romans 11:17. Up until the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, there was a difference between Jews and Gentiles. Hebrews 13:12. If Jesus would have died inside the city at the temple, it would still be a Jewish religion. John 1:11-12. They took Jesus outside of the city. Now, ‘whosoever will’ can come to the foot of the cross.

We are under a blessing, not under a curse. Whatever you’ve lost within these 49 years, I feel restoration. I feel like chains will break and things that have been bothering you will cease to torment you. Jesus wants to be your all in all. He wants you to find rest in Him.

As God releases you, you have to release others.

Leviticus 25:9. This is your year of release, your year of restoration. You have to release people from the hurt that they have caused you. How can you be released, if you won’t release someone else?

Release those that have done you wrong. If it works out, it’s the Lord’s, but if it doesn’t, they are not your god. You can’t backslide just because someone walks away from you. You can’t give up on God because someone decides that they don’t like you. No matter what anyone else does, you have to make up your mind to serve God. Jesus will either be first in your life, or nothing. He can’t fight for you until you let Him be God of all.

Throw away your contract. “God if you do this, then I’ll do this.” Tear that contract up. Instead say, “God, I’ll live for you even if I cry the rest of my life. I’ll live for you if nothing works out and everyone turns on me. God, I will live for you!”

Release those who haven’t paid you back for things. Release those who have lied on you. Don’t run around with them. Don’t let them take your joy and peace. Don’t be rude or unkind but release them. If you don’t release others, God can’t release what He has for you.

This is our year of release! This is our year of jubilee! Release those that have done you wrong and walk in your jubilee!

— Pastor Anthony Wynn

23 Jun
Uncategorized

Allowing God to be Our Father

A lot of us are thankful for the father figures in our lives.

Some of us don’t have an earthly father, but we may have someone who is like a father to us. Even still, I don’t care how great your earthly father figure is, you need this Heavenly Father that I’m going to be talking about today. We can’t make it without Him.

1 John 3:1. The Bible has over 150 references to God being our Spiritual Father. Here we are going to talk about some ways we can allow God to be a father to us and enrich our lives and bring us to the fullness of his glory.

Stay in God’s presence.

I was with my 3-year-old daughter one day. We were in a wide, open field and she was running around playing. She got a little too far, but I didn’t get worried until a bunch of dogs came after her. She started running back to me and I was running to her and yelling because of the danger of the dogs. When I got to her I told her, “You are only in danger when you are out of my reach.”

Kara said, “If they come over here, you are going to fight those dogs like a rascal.”

I told her they would have to end me to get to her. It’s like that with God as our father. If some enemy has to end our God to get to us, it’s going to lose. But we have to accept and acknowledge that we have to stay in His presence and walk in His ways.

God’s Mercy. Luke 6:36.

I like to go back to the Prodigal Son. He came to his father and told him he wanted his inheritance as if his father was already dead. He wanted a life without his father. How much would that have crushed his father! The son gets his brief moment of pleasure in the world and squanders his money. Later he gets up, after living some time in a pig pen, he’s rehearsing what he’s going to say to his father when he returns home. “I’m not fit to be your son, just let me be a servant.”

His father was sitting there watching the road, and when the son came in sight, he ran to him. He didn’t send a servant to run after him, he ran himself. Luke 15:21-24. We are humans and we have messed up, and sometimes you think that because of that you have to live as a servant. But God is calling us to be His children. We don’t have to live a servant life. God has a purpose, a plan for our lives and we can step into that.

We can resort to God for wisdom in making decisions.

My dad and I talk a lot and I’ll ask him all sorts of questions. Sometimes I take for granted that God can literally give me wisdom. We are facing so many different things, things that can completely change our lives. Papaw and Dad have taught me to have a daily prayer asking God for wisdom because if I lean on my own understanding, it will fail. Proverbs 3:13.

If God is going to be our Father, we have to learn to submit to His will.

That sounds fun when we talk about the blessings, the benefits, and the protection He provides. But it’s not so fun when God’s will goes against our flesh. Submission is hard, but if we can learn to live in God’s perfect will then we will be safe, our lives will be loaded with blessings, and our lives will be in God’s perfect plan. Romans 8:7.

God corrects us.

One of the things I really don’t like is having to discipline my daughter. My wife, Jessie, once told me, “If you love her, you would correct her.”

The best mercy God can give us is correction. Again we are human and mess up. God loves us so much that He, in His mercy, chooses to correct us and develop us instead of throwing us away. He will prune the things out of our lives that hinder our fruitfulness for His kingdom. Hebrews 12:6.

God can provide for every one of my needs.

Philippians 4:19. Being 29, I don’t need the same help that I did when I was four, such as tying my shoes. So, as we develop spiritually, our needs change. God will give you the anointing to cast out depression and sickness coming against you. God will provide for you in any way you need Him to.

All the authority my Father has is also given to me.

John 1:12-13. If we can give enough of ourselves to God, if we can let go of some of these servanthood mindsets we have, we can have the ability to heal the sick. We can have the ability to cast out demons and destroy spiritual bondage in people’s lives. We could perform spiritual miracles just like our Father before us as He walked the streets of Jerusalem.

It’s all well and good to want to change the world. But there has to be a change in us first. First, we have to submit to God and give ourselves up. Lay down your past, lay down your pain.

Give yourself to God and tell Him, “God, I want to be your child. What can I give up today to accept you more as a father in my life?”

— Micah Wynn