I can, I will, I must Part IV, How to work with God and walk worthy of the purpose Bible Study 09/25/09

I will, I can, I must Part IV
How to Work with God and walk worthy of the purpose God has given you
Synopsis of bible study 09/23/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
When we look at working with God, we come up with ideas in our head on our own and then we ask God to work with us on it. It’s like we are saying, “Here it is; now you bless it”. This is not how it is supposed to be. God wants us to get with what he is doing instead. We ought to want to know what God’s intended purpose for us and then we ought to want to get in line and onboard with that purpose. Ephesians 4:1-3: 1I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.- it is important for us to understand that God desires for us to work alongside him in what he is doing. There has to be a sense that our purpose is not something that we just do. Our purpose is something that we are. It doesn’t mean that we are defined by it, we still maintain our identity. In other words we don’t get so consumed by what we do (purpose) that we lose ourselves. Once we see the difference between doing our purpose and being it, then doing it makes us step up our being to match what we are doing (our purpose). If it is a high calling or Holy calling, then we work on areas in our life so we don’t misrepresent God. It is significant that we look how he wants us to look, while we do what he wants us to do. Paul says walking worthy of our vocation. God is putting his reputation on the line, by trusting us to do what he wants us to do. God trusts us to do what he ordained us to do.
I. God calls every person to do four things
1. He calls us to salvation. He calls us from sin. He saved us and we are on the way to heaven, but we got to live down here. In other words, God saved us for more than to just sit on our hands. God saved us not only to allow us a chance to be with him in heaven, but to give us time to do our purpose here in the earth realm. Many of us are not ready to die, because we have other things we have yet to do.
2. Sanctification- this is the process of maturing in the righteousness of Christ. We were naughty by nature. When we got saved, we turned away from the stuff we were caught up in. The truth is this is like detailing a car and still driving it in the rain. The car is going to get dirty, because the car is exposed to the elements of the weather. In like manner, as long as we are exposed to life’s elements, we will get dirty with issues. God has to sanctify us every day so our old self won’t rise up and taint who we are trying to become.
3. Service-we recognize we are called to serve. Whatever our assignment is, we are not called to serve ourselves. It is not about us to be served, so we can stop crying about being called in different directions. We are called to serve and not be of ourselves. We are called to be a blessing to other people.
4. Accountability-God wants us to have accountability partners in our lives. When you are working in your purpose, the things that God is going to do in your life is so awesome, you will read your own press, causing no one to be able to hold you accountable. When you are in purpose and people are looking up to you, it is easy to lose your accountability. If everyone is under you, because they look up to you, then they are afraid to hold you accountable. You need some people in your life that can tell you when you are wrong and who will help keep it real for you. People that love you, hold you accountable. The sad thing to say is these are usually the people that we run away, but we really need them.
II. What defines us worthy of our walk?
It is our wisdom faith and transparency. Ephesians 5:15: 15See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, -when you begin to look at this, it suggest that we have to recognize that we must walk in faith and purpose. In other words, we want to be in step with God and his agenda for our life.
1. This requires:
a. Surrender-Lots of people do what you do, but they haven’t surrendered. When you surrender you let go and say God I am in your hands. Ex-Lots of preachers preach, but they haven’t surrendered their lives. They have their own agenda. Surrender is moving when God says to move. If you are still holding stuff back from God, then you have not totally surrendered to God. A good example of total surrender is Jesus on the cross.
b. Sensitivity-we must develop the discernment to listen to God. John 8:28-29: 28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. 29And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him. – Having sensitivity means we are sensitive to what God is saying to us. Vision has a set time that it will speak. We have to be sensitive to what God says so we don’t miss it. Ex-Many of us have gotten or experienced some discernment, when it comes to horizontal relationships. This means you can see foolishment in people before they even cross our path. We now have to develop vertical discernment. How do you know what God is saying? There is a thin line between hearing from God and schizophrenia. God wants you to develop discernment and hear what he is saying to you. This may mean we have to get clutter out of our life. We hear the word of God, but by the time it filters through the clutter in our life, we make ourselves believe God has said something that he didn’t.
c. Proper Position. Ex- You can be talking on the cell phone to someone and all of a sudden you can’t hear them anymore. There is nothing wrong with their phone, but you want them to stop talking, because you can’t hear them. You continue to move from place to place trying to get a signal. You even try getting into awkward positions trying to get a signal so you can hear and finally you have gotten down on your knees. In like manner, you might have to get in that awkward position on your knees to hear God. God might not hear you until you get on your knees.
d. Supplication-Mark 1:35: 35And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.-Jesus thought enough to get up early in the morning and spend time with his father (God). If Jesus did it, we should too. Try getting up early in the morning before the sun comes up and before you day starts and spend time alone with God. During this time, you can be very specific about things you need.
e. Self -denial- Galatians 2:20: 20I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. -You have so many desires. How many of you have magnified desired in spiritual places. Every fleshly thing that we desire does not just rise up in the world. Sometimes it will rise up in church. The truth is you have to crucify these desires every day. When you are in purpose, you have moved your agenda out of the way, making it easier to do that which God called you to do.
III. What is holding your back?
What is holding you back from writing your list for your vision and the steps to getting it accomplished?
1. Is it Fear?-Sometimes fear manifests itself in the form of xenophobia-This is the fear of fear. God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
2. Is it Apathy?-means that you are saying that you are going to get around to it, but you never do. You keep putting off. Watching TV and watching “Dancing with the stars” is not going to get your vision into action.
3. Is it bondage to sin? Sin takes time. You got to plan it, do it, and then take the long way home to get it out of you. You have so much sin, you don’t have time.
4. Is it debt? Remember whenever God gives a vision; he always wants that vision to be under Devine Supervision, because at that point he gives provision, there is not a need for division, and very seldom a need for revision. God never wants you to finance vision on your credit card. We got too much to do for God to be in debt.
5. Is it Disillusionment-the means you don’t see life as you should. You are not really sure what to do.
6. Is it Deep wounds or hurt? Have past hurts hindered you from doing God’s work? Could even be church hurt.
7. Is it Bitterness and resentment? Do you have the Jonah complex? Are you refusing to work with the people that God sent you to work with?
8. Is it No vision or purpose? Are you simply confused on what your purpose is?
9. Is it Repeated failures? Are you scared you may fail? Michael Jordon was recently placed into the Hall of Fame. Do you know how many times he missed shots before this honor was given to him? You learn from your failures. When you walk in purpose, God will take care of you as long as you take care of what you are supposed to take care for him. ; Philippians 4:19: 19But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. – God said this because the church was helping with Gods business and his Ministry. Psalm 36:8: 8They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.- God will take care of you if your help him.
10. Useful Quote
“We grow great by dreams. All big men are dreamers. They see things in the soft haze of a spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let these great dreams die, but others nourish and protect them; nurse them through bad days till they bring them to the sunshine and light which comes always to those who sincerely hope that their dreams will come true.”… Don’t let anyone steal your dreams!-Woodrow Wilson.
This series that we have been in is going to be part of a book. We have a book now called “In pursuit of purpose”. In that book Bishop tried to guide some people along to help them in finding their purpose. Here are more principles that we think will also help in further progressing towards that goal.
9 steps to help in the progression towards purpose
1. Predestination-before your grandmother met your grandfather, God had preordained your destined. Jeremiah 1:5: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. All we need to do is be born. The two most important days to us ought to be when we were born and when God called us.
2. Petition-when I when God called us to our purpose. We must know when God is summoning us. We know we have been called when we feel isolated around lots of people. Lots of people are talking, but we do not hear them, because God has muted them out. God has called us out from among them.
3. Problem (the thing your purpose solves). The purpose in you is to solve a problem. God sees a problem and puts something in you to solve the problem. If God sees something in you to solve a problem and you don’t walk in your purpose, then you allow problems to exist that God ordained you to solve. Every problem in the world has a solution. You can’t cognitively work through it to figure it out. It is spiritual.
a. The problem of two generations ago has become normal to us. Ex-Your grandparents wondered how they would heat the house. Now we just turn on the thermostat. Ex-Bishop’s father had an outhouse when he was growing up. They had a toilet outside in a shack in the back of the house. You can’t even imagine this problem now days. The problem of one generation is normalcy to another. Two generations ago, when you had bad eyes, you just got bigger glasses. Now you can get laser surgery and see better than you did at the age of 25. This vision problem was solved because somebody walked in their purpose. The cure to cancer is probably in prison right today (failing to solve a problem). The cure to AIDS could be sitting here right now. In our generation, you are supposed to solve the problem assigned to you so it doesn’t go to the next generation. God put the answers in you so you wouldn’t allow problems to go to the next generation. Ex- Bishop explains that it is part of purpose is to solve problems by teaching about financing, relationship, purpose, and etc… He takes the blows that the world gives him, because he knows he has problems to solve on our behalf. He has to do what he has to do so that we may fulfill our purpose. Many of us went to Universities that our ancestors paid the price for. If they hadn’t paid that price in their generation, then we might not even have been accepted at that University.
4. Preparation -there is no way we could solve the problem without preparing for it. Many mean go to school. As soon as God called bishop, he went to seminary. What if a surgeon did that and waiting on God to give him the answer when you came with him with the problem. Learn how to work a business plan.
5. Perspective /vision-God is not going to give you vision, if you are not investing in it. Once you make preparation, God will show you something so awesome you won’t be able to stand it.
6. Passion-after investing into your vision, you starting getting that passion for it. Passion is what wakes you up in the morning; it is what drives you, and what helps you through the hard times.
7. Plan-you need the passion to help you develop the plan. What’s the game plan to get there? You can’t go to the bank and borrow money if you don’t have specifics. What’s the plan? Passion without a plan is zeal without knowledge.
8. People-the plan you develop will connect you with the right people. Nobody is going to leave their job and come and join in your vision, if you don’t have a plan. Nobody will invest in your vision without a plan. If you a leader and no one is following you, then you are just walking. What made the disciples leave their father and follow Jesus? Jesus said he had a plan to make them better (referring to making them fisher of men). The plan you have will draw the right people. Where there is no vision, people perish. Imagine being a pastor and thinking you can carry on a vision of building a church without people. You are the Pastor, the Deacons, the congregation, the choir, the ushers and etc… This makes no since. It takes people to make it work.
9. Produce- the people will always help produce it. John 15:1-2: 1I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.-He says to every branch, you are the employees. If you don’t bear fruit, you are fired.
a. Verse 3 – John 15:3: 3Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.- he will keep you stretching so you can grow.
b. Verse 4- John 15:4: 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.-a branch can’t do anything by itself.
c. Verse 5 – John 15:5: 5I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. -He said he is the vine, the CEO and we are the branches; the employees that bear fruit or in other words is productive.
d. Verse 6 – John 15:6: 6If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. -if we the branches try to do things ourselves, then we will be severed from the source of our life (God). We might prosper for a while, but eventually we see everything begin to wither. Men then will gather you or you will become subject to the hands of men. You have to kiss but to make it.
e. Verse 7 – John 15:7: 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. – If you do what God asks, then you can ask what you will and he will give it to you.
f. Verse 8 – John 15:8: 8Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. – We want to get the glory, then produce. What is the point of being a good Pastor and a poor Christian? What good is it to be a good teacher and a horrible Christian?

I can, I will, I must Part I “Purpose”, Bible Study 09/02/09

I can, I will, I must Part I
Purpose Part I
Synopsis of Bible Study 09/02/09
Delivered by Bishop Walker III
God is a God of purpose. Everything God does, no matter when or why, he does it on purpose. God created everything on purpose and for a purpose. Purpose precedes creation. Everything in life begins and ends with purpose, because God is a purpose driven God. Every believer must be driven by what they do, because Gods will is that we be in our purpose.
Purpose is the only thing that will bring meaning to your life. The aim is then to become significant with our purpose. We ought to want the Lord to make our life matter. The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but life without a reason or purpose. It is dangerous to be alive and not know the reason you were given life.
Benjamin Mayes says” The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. It isn’t a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity not to dream. It is not disgrace to reach the stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for. Not failure, but low aim, is a sin. “- Benjamin Mays
What is purpose?
1. Purpose is the original intent of the creation of a thing.
2. Purpose is the original reason for the creation of a thing.
3. Purpose is the end for which the means exist.
4. Purpose is the cause for the creation of a thing.
5. It is the desired result that initiates production. Ex-Somebody produces something because they are looking for a desired result
6. It is the need that makes a manufacturer produce a specific product. Ex-Manufacturer saw someone that needed their hair done and decided someone needed to make hair relaxer.
7. It is the destination that prompted the journey. Ex- I saw where I was going and it prompted me to get up to pursue my purpose.
8. It is the aspiration for the inspiration.
9. It is the object one wills or resolves to have.
10. Purpose is the original intent in the mind of God that prompted him to create you. How then do we know what God is up to? We cannot know our purpose while being outside the relationship of God. The Holy Ghost helps us know what our purpose is. It is impossible to know our purpose without a relationship with God.
We were created for and with a purpose.
1. There is a universal corporate purpose that all creation has. Genesis 1:26: 26And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. – Every purpose that comes out of one of God’s creations has to come out in order to glorify God. Nothing you do will make sense unless you understand why God created you to do it.
2. We were created not be a problem. Instead we were created to solve a problem. Ex-The problem in the text is this, God had order and structure in the garden. He separated the ground and water, put fish in sea, and created things after that. Then God said let us make man. God needed someone to commune with and someone to communicate with creation and let them know who he was. Man was the only thing that had souls so that purpose was given to man. Genesis 1:26 says man was given dominion over everything which means authority, position, power, or to rule. The original intent was for us (mankind) was for us to have dominion in the earth realm. We were to be in charge of this earth. There is no secret that Satan came in subtly in chapter 2 of Genesis after God told Adam and Eve not to touch that one thing in the midst of the garden, which was the tree. Adam and Eve could not resist it and ate of the tree and were cursed. Because of Adam and Eve eating of the tree, which was stepping out of their purpose, they lost dominion and lost their position and were ultimately kicked out of the garden. Satan then obtained dominion in the earth realm. He became the prince of the earth realm. Sin from the garden turned mankind from God. We must remember that sin separates us God.
3. Jesus then became Gods answer to a problem. God was trying to get man’s dominion back on the earth. When John said the kingdom of God was at hand, he was talking about reestablishing the dominion that mankind lost. Jesus started teaching the dominion of God. The scribes had a problem with him, because they thought he was trying to set his own kingdom on this earth. Jesus was establishing God’s kingdom. John 10:10: 10The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.-Satan wants to destroy your dominion and your authority. Jesus came that we would have a quality of life, where we rule and have dominion in the earth realm. Satan came to destroy. Look at how the devil has taken over in the earth realm. Ex- Look at people who write music in the world. They will be cursing you out on the CD and it will go double platinum, but somebody that sings about Jesus can’t go copper. If a person who tries to open Christian book store, they can’t stay afloat, but an adult book store will have customers in it at midnight. Some of them will be Christians.
4. Our biggest hatters of the church are church folk. We are supposed to take over in the earth realm if we are going to achieve dominion. Ex- In every school, there is someone from Mt Zion. In every hospital, there is at least one member from Mt. Zion. Church folk get mad because we are everywhere, but the unsaved see that we are taking over or in position to make an impact. We are just taking our rightful place in this realm. You can’t take over if your presence is not there. Do you think God just called you to open up another kind of business? No. He called you to take over and make an impact. Some people look at you like your ideas are crazy, but you are supposed to think outside the box, because God promised you. If you don’t have that in your spirit, then you will never understand the totality of your purpose. You will localize your purpose. Your purpose is supposed to be global.
5. Your purposes existed before you were born. Jeremiah 1:5: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. , Romans 8:29-30: 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. – God fore knew us and predestined us to look like what we are supposed to look like. We were born and had nothing to do with what God planned. Our birth really was insignificant. Your parent’s job was to simply to birth you. What was in you, your purpose, was created before your parents even liked each other. The devil knows your purpose is great and this is why he wants to kill you.
How do we get our purpose?
1. We are growing and forces of life are pulling us in different directions. Ex-At the age of 14 we do thing, at the age15 and 16 we do another. At the age of 20, we do something else and all of the sudden at 25, God calls us. He connects you with a preacher that speaks in your life and it his sermons convict you. You get less and less tolerant of certain things that you used to tolerate. You still have thoughts from your strongholds, but they don’t feel right anymore. Once we answer the call, he speaks to us through his word, and then you say to yourself, “why would God want somebody like me?” You feel in adequate, but remember that God only uses imperfect people because he has no perfect people to choose from. This is why you give the glory to him. God brought our parents together to bring us in this world and then he saved us from our foolishness. We have to realize that as it says in Romans 8:28, 28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.-It is not about our purpose, but his purpose.
2. God created you to be a player and not a spectator of the affairs of life. Hebrews 12:1: Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, – Notice the phrase in the scripture, “run the race”. Is a runner a spectator or player? Players are assets. Spectators are liabilities. That’s why when you a player, you get irritated by spectators. You in your purpose working hard and somebody who is a spectator is on the side asking what time we get off. Players are for prizes. Spectators are just for fun. Ex- Bishop explains how fortunate he is to see freshman come into this ministry every four years as freshman and the next time you see them, they are seniors. Bishop compares it to child asking for candy and the next time you see them, they want the keys to car. Time moves so quickly. While we see people go through this quick moving cycle, there are others that are always “fixing to do something”. Procrastination is the greasiest enemy of your purpose. Ex-Bishop says he has learned to cease the moment.
There are 3 groups of people
a. People that make things happen.
b. People who watch things happen.
c. People who have no clue what’s happening.
1. Your existence is evidence that this generation needs something that your life contains. Ex- You have the manufacture and his product. The person responsible of a creation is the manufacturer and the thing that is created is the product. Manu means manual. Facturer means maker. The manufacturer makes a manual that will give you a foreknowledge of the functions of the product. Only the manufacturer has the right to determine the purpose of his product, not the customer.
2. Any attempt to use a product in any different way it was created, jeopardizes the product and voids the warranty. People that don’t know how to handle you need to read the manual (the bible). God created you and he created the manual. We who are the product have no say so on how the manufacturer chose to make us or use us. God says stop compromising the warranty by adding parts that he didn’t put on you. You are God’s product and stop letting people tell you who you are. Ex-People say you sound like a preacher and you think you are called to preach. Only God can define your purpose.
10 things about purpose
1. God is the source of purpose. Philippians 1:6: 6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: -Since God started the work inside you, he will finish it.
2. Your purpose is predetermined. 2 Timothy 1:9: 9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
3. Purpose is an integral part of you. Jeremiah 1:5: 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations; Matthew 10:30: 30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. – God made us. Ex-Bishop said he was very energetic when he was young. They thought he was going to be a slow child, but it turned out that he was a very hyper child that happened to be very smart. God foreknew his purpose, because that energy comes in handy for a preacher that preaches 4 times every Sunday.
4. Your purpose is the solution to a problem. Exodus 3:7-9: 7And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. – Your purpose is always assigned to a person or people. Your purpose is the solution to a problem.
5. Your purpose is your assignment. Isaiah 6:8: 8Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
6. Your purpose determines your destiny. Genesis 12:1-2: 1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: -Abraham became a blessing, because he got in line with his purpose.
7. Your purpose is interrelated. Genesis 12:3: 3And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. – Bishop explained that if he had gone to law school like he wanted, you might not be reading this at this very moment. Your decision to say yes will always bless something or somebody else.
8. Your purpose stimulates passion. 2 Corinthians 4:1: 1Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; -Being in your purpose should not tire you out, because you have a passion for it. Ex-Bishop explained that out of all the time he has been pastoring, there hasn’t been one time that he dreaded coming to church. If you go on your job and you dread it, it is a good indication that that job is not part of your purpose.
9. Purpose transcends your pain. 2 Corinthians 4:8: 8We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 2 Corinthians 11:21-30: 21 I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[a] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 28 Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger? 30 If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

Next week is about purpose and vision and what God is showing you. Some of you are having dreams and God is going to show you if they are real or if you are just tripping.