Knitting Hearts Ministry Presents:
Overcoming The Flesh
By Ms. Adrian Renee Mills
Knitting Hearts Gathering on February 10, 2018
Notes submitted by Adrian Renee Mills
God has predisposed us to be an overcomer.
Romans 12: 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with God.
2 Choices: Overcome or be overcome
To Overcome: Deal w/our own inadequacies and deficiencies
- Only You can stop the plans/purposes of God for your life
- Old man/ flesh/ carnal man: crucify it in order to walk in step with the plans and purposes of God
Flesh: crucify it; Demons: cast out/ off Can’s crucify what needs to be cast off and vice versa
Conflict: battle btwn ways of the world and the ways of God – battle btwn flesh and spirit
I John 2:15 3 categories: Lust of eyes, flesh. Pride of life
John 14:30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world id coming. He has no hold over me,…. Nothing in me… Cant let the devil get a hook in us…. Can be saved yet overcome by sin, grief, entanglements, ungodly/ unhealthy relationships, cares of this life, worry, trauma, abuse, oppression, possessions, demonic
To be an Overcomer, we must be in step with the purpose and plans of God
- God’s plans and purposes concerning Israel are being fulfilled before our very eyes
- 1948 was the beginning of the end-time fulfillment for Israel: May 14, 1948 the modern Israel came into existence as homeland for the Jewish people, declaration of independence as a Jewish state (2018 70 anniversary of the state of Israel
- There is an end-time powerful apostolic and prophetic move of God
- Israel is blessed, then the church is blessed; Church is blessed then the nations will be blessed
- Gen 12: 2 I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.
- Israel is God’s prophetic time clock
What belongs to Israel: adoption as sons, divine glory, the covenants, receiving of the law, temple worship, promises, patriarchs (Heroes of the faith), human ancestry of Messiah
- America is connected with Israel: right in step, right in end-time prophesy: move of the prophetic
- plans and purpose of God for Israel: President Trump connected to the big picture: Jerusalem is Israel’s capital– acknowledgment/ connection to purpose and plans of God
- God bless America: exciting time for the Church
Jews are our examples: God’s dealings: at times God was pleased and at times He was not– Jewish ppl example, occurred as an example for us
Hebrews 4: 11, Make every effort not to fail by following their example of disobedience
1 Corinthians 10:1-6, God was not pleased… these things happened for our example
Israel: Don’t be ignorant of this: ancestors, Jewish people – all under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, drank the same spiritual drink… drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them; that Rock was Christ (Paul identified the Rock as Christ since it followed them and sustained them) — nevertheless God was not pleased with most of them and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness…6) now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did– temptations idolatry ( idols are non-entities but the demonic power behind them are real), sexual immorality (23,000 died), test Christ ( spoke against the Lord)(died from snake bites), and grumbled—11) These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12) So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13) No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Through Israel’s example we have been warned not to make the same mistakes.
Don’t be overcome!
Romans 12:1, 2, Living Sacrifice: Place were our will and God’s Will cross– choose His will, choose Him… lay down our wills and choose His.
Mark 8:34, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow after me.
Humble obey God or Be humiliated…
1 Corinthians 9: 24-27, If we don’t humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God—we’ll be disqualified… God won’t throw us away. We will miss out on the plans and purpose of God. (the race for the kingdom has many victors unlike the conversation with a former party of Jim Jones in Germany– his chances: threw in the towel – we’ve seen many televangelist who didn’t discipline themselves and were overcome– as a result they experienced humiliation…
Example Numbers 20: Moses and Aaron,, dessert placed called Zin, speak to that Rock before your eyes and it will pour out its water… but Moses struck the rock twice with His staff and water gushed out… 20:12 Lord said to Moses and Aaron because you did not trust in Me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them– there the waters were called Meribah– honor God when we make Him holy in the eyes of the people
At Mt Hor near the border of Edom– Aaron will gathered to his people– die. He will not enter the promise land because both of you rebelled against my command at Meribah. … (Ex: Fired Superintendent in Japan)
Humility is something we choose.
What Happens when we haven’t learned to overcome?
- Go to the sins of the flesh to cope, for comfort, for relief– to alleviate pain (Acronym HALT)
- Either overcome or be overcome– casting off all restrain… Be angry but don’t sin..
- Example Gen 4:6: Cain was angry and his face was downcast… Lord said, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must rule over it– ready to pounce on you… had a chance to do the right thing, instead he killed his brother
- Struggles and entanglements keep us from the purposes and plans of God
- Forgive… you heal,,, let go… you grow
Saints: We should be getting better, conquering subduing, prevailing, bringing down every high thought, and overcoming evil with good– predisposed and preconditioned to overcome
2 Peter 1:3, God has given us all things that pertains to life in godliness– we have everything we need o live a godly life… walk in step with the purposes and plans of God.
James 4:6 – Key is Humility: gives more grace to the humble… crucify the flesh… choose his will… walk in humility…stay in step during this season– support Israel– God’s chosen people, special people… love whom He loves… Feel what He feels, see what He sees, hear what He says… in step
Put off the old self: former way of life, stinking thinking, crucify the flesh
James 1: 13-15, When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. (Enticement to do evil It is not from God)
First things, first we have to overcome is our flesh/ old man/ old sin nature… relationship, being in Christ and having Him in us– predisposed and preconditioned victorious, conquerors, prevail
– sin
– distorted view of God, wrong philosophy, wrong attitudes, wrong behaviors
– Second we can fight off the powers of darkness (Acts 19: 13-20) 7 sons of sceva: some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over the demon possessed. In the name of Jesus whom Paul preached I command you to come out– evil spirit answered them… Jesus I know and Paul I know about, but who are you? The the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them all– beat them and the y ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
Be in Step — Overcome… can’t be against whom God is for and for whom God is against (Bell’s Words and holiness church)
Hebrews 12: surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses– overcomers, so we ought to lay aside every weight and sin… consider Jesus… we haven’t resisted sin to the point of blood shed
Hebrews 12: Whom God loves He corrects, chastens– corrects our stinking thinking… As a man thinks so is he Proverb 23:7
Parents/ earthly fathers disciplined us– we respect them… heavenly Father corrects us not for his profit but for ours ours…. Not discipline seems joyful.
What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger if we have the right attitude…. I prevailed in face of the enemy, opposition, and adversity… I am overcoming the devil…. Opposition makes me stronger because I am overcomer… Put on the whole Armour of God and stand!
God is for us. Heavenly Father is training us…. God’s grace is enough in every situation.
Hebrews 12:5: And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father address his son?
My son (daughter), do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you. Because the Lord disciplines (corrects) the one He loves, and chastens everyone he accepts as his son. & Endure hardship as discipline; god is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined– and everyone undergoes discipline– then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10) They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11) No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
12) Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. 13) “Make level paths for your feet,”[a] so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Be healed people of God! Let the lame be healed rather then dislocated
– destiny/calling can get diverted or delayed and you will still go to heaven
– but you will miss out on the purpose and plans God has for you– if you don’t crucify the flesh and walk in step with God
John 15:1-3, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2) He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
– Pruning involves removing the dead and damaged parts to increase growth and fruitfulness
– God desires to increase our fruitfulness for the kingdom
– process of cutting away (flesh) involves pain; times when we don’t understand what’s happening
– b/c the Father desires to see us flourish, He has to cut off every branch that produces no fruit
–our posture before God should be that we allow Him to prune anything and everything in us that hinders us from being in step with the purposes of God– including our stinking thinking– that which is anti-God, anti- Jesus, anti-Israel
End result of pruning is always better then we can imagine. Pruning produces more fruit.
Do the thing that place us in the ways of God, paths of righteousness, take the high road, love our enemies, forgive persecutors, abusers, manipulators, forgive…
WE have received an unshakable kingdom—and God is removing anything in us that can be shaken and cause us to be out of step with the things of God. So I want to encourage all of you today to lay aside the weights and the sins because Nothing can stop us. No one can stop us.
Our destiny, our purpose, our future is determined by God. But we can miss out on everything God has for us if we are not disciplined.
So, church of God, I want to encourage you to go forth in the things of God.
Hearts United Women's Ministry 