MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN – AUGUST 01, 2021

HEBREWS 11:33-40 – ³³ who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. ³⁵ Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶ Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹ And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, ⁴⁰ God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Who are the mighty men and women in the Bible?

• Jesus
• David – he killed Goliath man after God’s own heart.
• Moses – deliverer
• Elijah – he prayed not to rain for 3 years
• Gideon – conqueror
• Paul – his determination to serve God
• Peter – he shared and 5000 got saved
• Esther – courageous
• Ruth – her love and her loyalty
• Hannah – persistence in prayer

They are just ordinary people like us.
They also have weaknesses.
According to Christine Caine; “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.”

I. HOW TO BECOME MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD?

a. ABIDE IN HIS PRESENCE

• JOHN 15:4-9 – Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
• David was used mightily by God because he displayed this kind of attitude.

b. GIVE YOURSELF TO PRAYER AND INTERCESSION

• EPHESIANS 6:18 – With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
• COLOSSIANS 4:2 – Be persistent and devoted to prayer, being alert and focused in your prayer life with an attitude of thanksgiving.

c. APPLY GOD’S WORD

• PROVERBS 22:17 – Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge
• MATTHEW 7:24-25 – “Everyone who hears my teaching and applies it to his life can be compared to a wise man who built his house on an unshakable foundation. When the rains fell and the flood came, with fierce winds beating upon his house, it stood firm because of its strong foundation.

d. BE A MEN AND WOMEN OF FAITH

e. POSITIVE MINDSET

f. MEN AND WOMEN WHO LOVE GOD MORE THAN ANYTHING

g. MEN AND WOMEN THAT FOLLOWS HIS WILL

II. WHAT ARE THE COMMON HINDRANCES FOR US NOT TO BECOME MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD?

a. LACK OF FAITH

• HEBREWS 11:6 – And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

b. FEAR AND ANXIETY

• Fear and anxiety destroy faith and right thinking.
• PROVERBS 29:25 – Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
• PROVERBS 12:25 – Anxious fear brings depression, but a life-giving word of encouragement can do wonders to restore joy to the heart

c. CARE OF THIS WORLD

• MARK 4:19 – but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

d. PRIDE

e. SELFISHNESS

f. NO INTEREST IN PRAYER AND IN READING THE WORD OF GOD

g. UNSUBMITTED HEART

h. SIN

i. UNFORGIVENESS

j. STILL LIVING IN THE PAST

III. WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM?

a. THOSE PEOPLE WERE MEN AND WOMEN OF COMMITMENT OR DEDICATED

b. THEY HAVE A HEAVENLY PERSPECTIVE

• PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8 – Paul said But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ
• PHILIPPIANS 3:14 – I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

c. SELFLESS LIFE

• MATTHEW 10:39 – Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.
• These people are ordinary people just like us but they became extraordinary.
• David man of worship -loved the presence of God.
• Moses – fasted 40days
• They pay the cost.

IV. WHAT PREPARATIONS DO WE MAKE TO BECOME MIGHTY MEN AND WOMEN OF GOD?

• Are we willing to pay the cost?
• Are you willing to spend time in prayer?
• How’s your prayer life?
• Are willing to commit your life to Christ even in the hardest part situation?
• Do you commit to reading the Bible, studying it, and applying it in your life?

What are the things that you need to surrender to God, especially those things that you know are hindering your commitment to God?

• Change your lifestyle
• Change it with Godly habit.
• Determine to put God first.
• The church needs mighty men and women who are attracted to the person of Christ and committed to the cause of Christ.