Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 245 APRIL 2017 BODY OF CHRIST NEWS Hey Devil, I Made It One of the principles of our faith is that we are commanded to walk by faith and not by sight. It's God's desire that we trust Him, no matter how dif- ficult our lives may be today. When the Children of Israel were in the wilderness, they sent twelve people into the land of promise, to bring back a report. You know how ten came back with a negative report. They did not believe the promises of God. God has lots of promises in His Word for anyone who will trust Him. He promises to open the windows of heaven over your life if you are a tither. He promises great blessings for those who diligently obey Him. We have a spiritual enemy that's out to get us. He looks for the weaknesses in our lives, so he can cause us to trip and fall. King David had a son named Absalom. David heard that his son was plotting to overthrow him and take over his kingdom. Imagine the disappointment David felt, when he heard what his son was doing. How many know that your spiri- tual enemy knows where to hit you the hardest. He knows your weak areas. He knows what you love the most, and tries to use that to hurt you. David was so discouraged because of the battles he was in. He said, "Why me God? Why are my enemies increas- ing? I'm sick of this." Have you ever been in a place where you said, "God, I'm sick of this?” I'm talking about being so discour- aged that you can hardly hold your head up. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong. You can hear the enemy saying, "Where’s God now? There's a lump in your breast. Your money is acting funny. Your kids are acting up… Where’s God now?” Jesus taught us a principle when He told us to speak to the mountain and it would move. It's a principle that tells us we must speak to our problems, until they get out of the way. Nothing moves until you believe in your heart, and speak it out of your mouth. The Bible says there was a woman with an issue of blood. She had spent all her money to get healed. Everything looked lost, until she heard about Jesus. Then she kept saying to her- self, "If I can only touch the hem…" (Nothing changes until you speak to it) What the devil meant for evil, God will turn it for good. Every once in a while you need to open your mouth and say, "Hey devil I know you meant to destroy me, but it's not going to work." (Don’t let him have the last word) Sometimes you have to get out of bed and crawl into church, just to prove to the devil that he can't stop you. Sometimes you have to praise God with an attitude, just to prove to the enemy he can't stop you. (Faithfulness) Life will try and beat you down. Sometimes life will try and whip you and cause you to quit. You need to get an attitude and say, "Get back devil. I've come this far, and I've decided to go on. I have troubles on every side, but I've decided to run on…" I'm telling you that life will destroy you if you let it. It will kill you if you don't fight back. Sometimes you have to speak to your situation. Sometimes you have to open your mouth and say, "I will bless the Lord at all times..." No matter how discouraged you may be today, God wants you to believe His promises. No matter what you have gone through in this last year, God wants you to believe that you’ve stepped into a new season. God didn't bring you this far to leave you now God told Abram, "Walk before me." We must learn to go through this life with all kinds of trouble, and still walk it out. It might take a little while before you see a harvest, but you have to walk it out. No good thing will God withhold from you if you just walk it out. Somebody is saying to themselves, "I don't know if I'm going to make it. I don't know how this thing is going to turn out." I came here to tell you that the devil is not going to win in the end. Sometimes you have to open your mouth and say, “Hey devil I made it.” When the enemy comes in like a flood, my God will raise up a standard against him. That's why you have to keep walking it out. That's why you have to hold on a little while longer… That's why you have to tell the devil he can’t stop you. You're saying, "That's unfair God." But what you don't know is that your enemy never fights fair. He'll kick you when you're down. He'll sucker punch you when you're not looking. (Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell…") As you grow up in Christ, you learn to put your enemy in his place. Yes you have some trouble. But you need to shake it off, and tell the devil you're going on. Tell the devil you're going to live and not die. Open your mouth and say, “Hey devil I made it.” Whatever you're going through today, it's time to speak to it. It's time to get over it once and for all. It's time to for- get those things that are behind, and reach for those things that are ahead. I'm telling you that you have stepped into a new season. You may be outnumbered today. But God's people have always been outnumbered. That's why you need to remind yourself that the battle is not yours. The battle is the Lord's. It's time to shake off all the failures. It's time to say, “Hey devil I made it.” I've been wrestling with some things that people have done to me. I've been wrestling with lies that are unfair. I've had to wrestle with betrayal. My flesh doesn't want to let it go. But I've made up my mind to begin this year with a clean heart. (Restoration happened when Job prayed for his friends…) We are all tested in the area of for- giveness. Sometimes you have to prove to yourself that you're still saved, by forgiving people that don't deserve it. The nature of the flesh is to want peo- ple to be punished. But God says if I'll let it go…(Job prayed for his friends…) When I truly let go of the things that people have done to me, God's favor moves in my life. The Bible says that one day of God's favor is better than a 1000 days of your labor. God can do more for you in one day… That's why you have to let go of the things your parents did to you… didn't do for you… your boss… your ex… You can make it this year, if you find no fault with others. I'm through with the regrets of my past. I'm through with the failures of my past. If I drop the charges against you… I've made up my mind to trust God, and believe that He will make it up to me. Things may not turn around right away. But God says that before it is over, He will give me a double portion in my land. He may not come when you want Him… God says, "I know you've been through a lot. But I've been keeping track of it all. I'm going to pay you back for all of your pain and suffering." I'm telling you that He is a double portion God. I'm telling you that God is up to something. (It’s a new season…) Listen, the Blood of Jesus Christ is stronger than your problem. It's stron- ger than cancer. It's stronger than a tumor. It's stronger then sugar diabe- tes. You need to speak to your moun- tain, and declare the power that's in the Blood. I may be in the wilderness today, but I am not going to stay there. I may have hit a bump in the road. I may have some trouble today, but I will pass through. I've passed over Egypt, and I will pass through this mess. All I have to do is keep moving… (“Hey devil I made it’) Maybe you hit a bump in the road, and you've received some damage along the way. Maybe you've been crushed by trials and tribulations. Welcome to the club baby. It's time to say, "Devil you almost had me, but I made it through last year... No weapon formed…" The devil's plan is to discourage you. He thinks he can break you. You've had trials and troubles on every side. But you've come too far to turn back now. You almost gave up, but go ahead and tell the devil you made it. (“Hey devil I made it.”) The enemy can't defeat you. Greater is He that lives in me… The enemy wants to wear you down. He wants to shut your mouth. He wants to make you think God doesn't care. He wants you to quit. My God chose me from the founda- tion of the world. I was running the streets. I was acting crazy in the bars and nightclubs. The devil thought he had me for good. But God reached down and picked me up. He called me by name and snatched me out… You've been through horrible things, but God snatched you out. You've been through some storms that would have destroyed the average person. But God snatched you out. You've lost friends and family members. But God snatched you out. "I will fear no evil, for God is with me." (“Hey devil I made it”) "Though the Lord slay me, yet will I trust Him. I'm speaking to my situa- tion. Surely goodness and mercy are following me… My cup is running over… He restores …"What the devil meant for evil, God is going to use for my good. “Hey devil I made it.” Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning… peace… money… favor… increase… Just call me Job. God is blessing me more in my latter years… “Hey devil I made it!” Trouble don’t last always. This too shall pass. It’s a new season. It’s a new day. A fresh anointing is coming my way. It’s a season of power… I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. When I think of His goodness and all He's done for me, my soul cries… Tell every devil I made it. Tell every witch that I made it. Tell every worker of evil that I made it. "Hey ho devil, you got to go. I made it through the storm… The hurricane… The flood… The fire…I made it through hell and high water. Hey devil I made it.” By Bishop Dennis Leonard Bishop Dennis Leonard As you grow up in Christ, you learn to put your enemy in his place. Yes you have some trouble. But you need to shake it off, and tell the devil you're going on. Tell the devil you're going to live and not die. SERMON