On Eagles' Wings Pt 147 — Don Courville

Well, it's good to be back with you again today on Eagle's Wings. I'm Don Corville. Let's have a word of prayer. Heavenly Father we are needy. I am needy. I ask you father to fill us afresh with your spirit that we might understand that what you have for us.

Heavenly Father ask that you would open up your word to us and father ask that you would Be glorified by all that's done and said Lord I need your anointing that I might minister in the power of your spirit father.

I pray that you would anoint our ears to hear my tongue to speak that you might be The one that is exalted and seen. I pray if there any listening today on this program that do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The Consequences of an Unthankful Heart

That they would listen to what you have to say for them or it's in Jesus name. We pray Amen. Well last week we took some time to share on being thankful and I had another chapter to that. Probably an entirely different Type of sounding chapter, but it's in the area of what happens if we are not thankful.

You know, we've just gone through on Thanksgiving if the tapes made it okay in the mail and things didn't get delayed. This should be the Sunday after Thanksgiving and we're thankful for God giving us this great land.

Christ's Death and Resurrection Bring Freedom

We're thankful for the blessings that he's given to us. But what happens if we're not thankful. I want to take some time to share with you in this area of what happens to us if we're not thankful. You see Jesus Christ was God in the flesh as the scripture says in first Timothy 316.

I think it was 315 or 16 that God was manifest in the flesh. He came down not just to give us a good example. But he came down to die on the cross for our sins and he and he was crucified and buried in the third day He arose and now when he arose from the grave He arose to show that he was victorious over death.

Now when we receive Christ as our Savior we come to him Acknowledging that we are a sinner and that we cannot save ourself and we by faith appropriate The blood of Christ that was shed on our account and we say father I believe that you died for me on the cross that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on my behalf and in my place.

He took my place and I now by faith Trust Jesus to be my Savior and what happens when we're truly saved is the Spirit of God comes within us to live and abide. Now we should be the most grateful people to be set free because you see Jesus did not only die for sin.

But he died to deliver us from the power of sin to set us free. The spirit spirit of the Lord God is upon me. He said he said I came to to open the prison doors to set the captives free to loose the bond the bound.

Those that are bound up. Jesus came to set us free. The truth shall make you free. But you know what the truth will do before it makes you free. It will first make you miserable. You may kick and squirm and cry.

And try to get out of it if you're under conviction by the Spirit of God, you're just going to be miserable. You see it will set you free. But first it will convict us that we need to be set free and the sad thing about it is Many of us will never Admit that we are really miserable with life.

Confession, Cleansing, and Restored Fellowship

I've got a little checklist here in a prayer book I've picked up from a prayer seminar and it goes through these things. It says first are all sins confessed. If you're having if you're gonna have a walking relationship a living abiding fresh relationship with God.

You're gonna have to have your sins forgiven at the cross first. And then as you go through each day you confess your sins you use if you commit a sin or sins. You commit them one by one. So you confess them one by one as soon as you here's how to have Victor.

Here's how to have the victorious Christian life as soon as you sin and the Spirit of God brings it to your mind. Confess it deal with it get it under the blood make any restitution you need to do. Thank God for forgiveness and cleansing and then go on and live by faith now.

Are all your sins confessed right now. Behold the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save neither is his ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you.

So that he does not hear you see Christ died on the cross for our sins. The reason God the Father turned his back from God the Son for one terrible moment in in History was because he could not look on sin and Jesus the scripture says became sin.

He became my sin. All the sins that I ever committed or ever will were laid on Jesus Christ and God turned away When Christ became sin. And if we say that we have not sinned we make him a liar and his word is not in us.

So are all your sins confessed? Or all relationships with others made right, you know. The Bible says in Matthew 6 14 15 if for if you forgive men their transgressions. Your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive men, then your father will not forgive your transgressions. So all are all relationships with others made, right? We're talking about being thankful. We started off last week.

Here's the consequences of not being thankful. One. We're not thankful if we have unconfessed sin in our life. We're not thankful if we have a relationship with somebody else. It's not right. We're trying to pretend that things are right.

You see thankfulness comes out of a heart. That's free. Comes out of a heart that's been cleansed comes out of a heart that's filled with the Spirit of God. And so to have this thankful heart that we were talking about this thankful attitude last week that we were talking about.

Seeking God's Will in Every Circumstance

You must be clean. Are you seeking God's will in all things? You know, we make our plans. I'm a good one for making plans. I love to make plans. I love to make plans to go off on trips up into the mountains.

I love the mountains. I love to travel. Even though I'm beginning to get a little tired because I've traveled so much I still like to travel but you know It's good to come home. You get tired of living out of a suitcase after a while.

But in all my plans and everything I have to submit the ultimate Travel departure to the Holy Spirit. Might come down to the last day and the Holy Spirit says nope. You're not going on this trip. You're not going here there and I say yes, sir.

You're the Lord. You're the boss. Might upset somebody else's plans because my plans were were curtailed by the Holy Spirit. But if you if you're led by the Spirit of God, you're a son of God. God sometimes comes up.

I believe with emergencies for us. Situations where he needs us all of a sudden some things have developed and I'm not saying that God gets caught off guard. But I believe many times we might have a flat tire we might break down we might get deterred.

We may have a distraction a delay or whatever because God is trying to get us to somebody that's seeking Jesus. And he does these things to us. But if I'm not in a frame of being thankful if I'm not in an attitude of being so grateful to Jesus.

Hey keeping my gaze on him. I'll look at that circumstance and I'll get all bent out of shape and You will too and I do get bent out of shape. I Hate to confess my sin to you. But do you know that today I?

Got angry at my little five-year-old and boy he can stretch me stretches all of us I think. And boy, I gave him a little walk and I grabbed him and I told him something I I just told him off. I didn't spank him.

Because I was angry and I knew it. But I told him off and he was laughing at me thought it was funny. It's getting getting rebuked by dad and It's good thing he was laughing. But I told him don't you hit one of my girls he's got a temper and I guess he's got it from his dad and I have to keep it under the under control of the spirit.

You know wrecking the old man dead. But he hit the seven-year-old and he's a big five-year-old and he's strong and I keep telling him Don't you hit your sisters and I grabbed him a little bit later I said I had I drew him aside.

I said John, you know daddy got angry at you. Asked you to forgive me. He said I forgive you daddy. Oh Man, God humbled me through that. I hated to go back to God I I went downstairs immediately after that and told the Lord what I did.

He knew what I did. I felt so bad. I felt I felt so low. I could have crawled under the carpet. Oh God here I am supposed to be a teacher of your word and that little five-year-old got to me. Whoo you see.

We have to seek God and all things, you know what God told me. He said if you'd been abiding in me at that moment. You see you moved away for a few moments if you've been abiding me He wouldn't have got to you and you sought my will and that and how to react.

That's why you reacted in anger. Oh Father help us help us to understand how important it is to seek your will and all things. Continue to lead us as we go through here now in Jesus name something else.

Glorifying God and Depending on the Holy Spirit

Are you seeking to glorify God above all things? And whatever you ask in my name that will I do he said you remember John 14 13 14. Why did he say that he said that the father might be glorified in the son.

He said if you ask me anything in my name, I'll do it. I'll do it. So we seek to glorify God in all things. Are you depending on the Holy Spirit's guidance? Well, obviously for a moment there today. I was not depending on the Holy Spirit's guidance the flesh got in there and got control.

God keeps reminding me how weak I am I Keep telling them and how poor and needy I am and he keeps showing me how poor I'm really needy. I really am. You know, we was we was in a meeting yesterday morning and somebody prayed Oh God, it'd be so neat if we could just flip a switch and we'd be in in Continual fill the spirit mode.

So many words he said it like that. That's what we want. That's what the flesh would like but God leaves us weak cracked marred vessels so that we will continually depend on him. Are you depending on the Holy Spirit to guide you?

You know the spirit will help our our infirmities Romans 8 26 and 27 because we don't know how to pray as we should the spirit himself will intercede for us and so He does it according to the will of God.

He's a helper. Let's depend on him. Don't depend on yourself. Don't depend on your brother and sister ultimately depend on God. You know, I've told you a while back if you give all your expectations to God, you'll never be disappointed.

That's hard to do and something else. Are you trusting in God in spite of what seems to be, you know? Proverbs 3 5 and 6 would quote this all it all the time. You know trusting the Lord with all your heart lean not into your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him and he'll direct your Paths.

Oh, we have to continually trust him day by day. And then will you praise God? No matter what comes back to the area of being thankful and grateful, you know. We know that all things work together for good to to those who love God to those who are called according to his purpose.

This is why God says in 1st Thessalonians 5 16 17 18 right in there that we're to rejoice. Always we're to pray without ceasing where to in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus.

Prayer, Trials, and God's Transforming Work

Concerning you hardest thing in the world is to take that everything and and put it into an operating mode. Now what happens to us if we are not? Thankful, I'll tell you I'm gonna share some things with you at the time that we have left today.

But what happens to us if we're not in a thankful mode and if I have a little time I've got some little tidbits more things. I'd like to share with you maybe in the area of prayer. You see God gets us into fixes.

He lets us get into these fixes. I listened to mr. Gillum last night. He puts us up on the older overhead at this prayer seminar. That by the time you hear this it's going to be over unless it continues for two three weeks.

But he says here listen to this. This is what it said. God has you right now in the circumstances of his own choosing so he can fix you. God is fixing to fix you. But if you try to fix the fix he's fixing to fix you with.

He'll find another fix to fix you until you let the fix he's fixed you for you fix you. You got that? Huh? Let me say it again. God has you right now in the circumstances of his own choosing so he can fix you.

God is fixing to fix you. But if you try to fix the fix he's fixing to fix you with He'll find another fix to fix you until you let the fix he's fixed for you. Fix you. Maybe I'll give this to you later on.

Bitterness, Strongholds, and Spiritual Warfare

Maybe if I give it to you enough, you might be able to get it quoted down, but you see God Orchestrates the details in our life and if we're not thankful and grateful then we will become bitter. Bitterness is one of the major spiritual diseases that we have and so many of us do not recognize it when we fail to forgive.

We have entered into the realm of bitterness and you know our soul. Which is our mind our will and our emotions. Will will operate vert I should say this it will operate in contrary to the spirit. If we're in a carnal frame of mind it will it will war against the spirit and the Word of God says the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the divining asunder of soul and spirit and Of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is why we need to be in the Word continually. You need to pray the Word of God. When you pray just don't pray words pray the Word of God get in there. It'll keep you on track. And what happens is if we are not thankful to God, we will give ground to Satan.

We'll give a juridic a jurisdictional area. I have a little pamphlet. I'm gonna share some information from you. I don't know who wrote it for sure. There's no author's name mentioned. It came in some of my Homeschooling material and advanced training Institute of America and this stuff we hear about spiritual warfare all the time.

But this is so important in the area of being thankful. We will give ground to Satan. Ephesians 4 27 says don't give him ground don't give him a place and if he gets ground then he'll get a stronghold in our mind and.

And we'll begin to receive these attacks from Satan and the scripture says in in 2nd Corinthians 10. In verse 4 and 5 he says for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

Casting down Imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God and bring it into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. My friend if you're a Spirit-filled Christian you're going to be under attack.

I'm under attack. I believe continuously. I have to abide in Jesus continuously or I'll get wiped out. I'm not some kind of super saint. We all are needy. We all need God and if we're not careful Satan can get a stronghold and as Jesus said in Matthew 1834.

We can we can bring into our life afflictions these tormentors. God will allow him to come in in his mercy to teach us to come back to him to depend on him. Now what what do we need to do very simply if you get into an area and you know that you're wrong you come back.

You confess that sin to God say if it's bitterness you confess it to God. Then you ask God to regain the surrender ground. You tear down the strongholds with the Word of God with truth. And you show mercy by forgiving your offender.

I Was thinking about this. This week earlier this week how much? Or it was last week even last part last week how important it was for me to forgive Someone that hurt me and it hurt me several times. How important it was for me to forgive.

Holiness, Forgiveness, and the Root of Bitterness

Now, let's just talk about one area. If we are not thankful this area of bitterness will get in. Now the problem in the area of our life is that bitterness will defile our soul. It will contaminate you.

It's just like pouring a little muddy water into a glass of pure clean water and so as we're trying to have a Good relationship with those around us as the scripture says peace with all men. And we're trying to have holiness without which no man shall see the Lord as we're trying to do these things.

We have to be careful and watch diligently that no one that we won't resist the grace of God now if we don't Very it'd be very easy for a root of bitterness to spring into our life. Now. Listen, I'm not really preaching the day.

I'm just sharing my heart with you. I have been one I feel like I have been one that's been targeted by Satan for destruction. You feel like that. Well, if you're a child of God, you're right on the bullseye.

And the scripture says in Hebrews 12 14 15, we have to watch it because many can be defiled. Many can be defiled by this root of bitterness. I was just trying to get over to Hebrews if I could. Hebrews Chapter 12 14 and 15 listen to this follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord looking Diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God.

Lest any root of bitterness bringing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled. You know I use the use the term of flying on eagles wings learning to live by the grace of God depending on God for string.

Hold up your wings and fly on the turbulent winds and Of life, but let God be the one that holds you up. Don't try to to be always flapping your wings in the storms of life, but learn to fly on the turbulent winds.

You know the birds will use those winds to to fly and if you'll watch you can watch it some of the birds the big ones especially. Know how to fly on the turbulent winds and the updrafts and they can fly for hours up there and not burn up much energy.

Seeking Restoration Instead of Feeding Bitterness

Now what's the consequence if we allow bitterness to enter in our soul we let down our guard. We're not thankful and everything as the scripture says bitterness will decrease our soul. Let me give you a little quote here.

If we pursue that which is evil God may allow us to have the evil desires of our hearts. But send leanness into our own soul. You remember Psalms 106 15 He said Lee he gave me a request but it sent leanness into their souls.

How many times we're seeking for things instead of seeking the face of God, you know what Satan can answer your prayers. If you have sin in your life God doesn't hear you prayer doesn't answer but Satan may come in and give you some things you see God on it.

Oh. It's very dangerous, but lost ground can be regained. You know Psalms 23 he restores my soul. Some of us our souls are shriveled up. We've been so Contaminated and attacked by Satan we've given so much ground we've been we shriveled up to the size of a pea and we sound like a like that pee in a in a.

In a boxcar we just rattle around we got all this noise we make. Ask God to restore your soul. Lord is our Shepherd. He leads us in the path of righteousness. He prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies.

Ask him God. Would you come in? I feel like my whole life. I've been under attack or this situation is just drained me. You know, you can see people that are under under stress. It shows in their face.

There won't be any joy. And you can pick out someone that's under the control of Satan. They will have an evil countenance. There's one on TV one of the newscasters man that that person has the most evil countenance of any of the newscasters I I see every now and then I'll watch the news.

I'll be somewhere I'll get to watch the news or and and my wife said why you do that? I said so I know. Whatever they're for I'm against. I keep in contact every now and then might listen on the radio.

Whatever they're pushing in for then I'm for the other thing. But we need to be careful that we're not focusing on some evil thing. You know, if you focus on a problem some thing that's come into your life and It's it's been eating away at you you will conform to that thing.

You will become like that. That's why it's so important to to not be bitter and We need to focus on Jesus he's our life father give us the grace to focus on you. Give us the grace. Let me give you an example of a stronghold from this Pamphlet I have and I know this this is not some real great study today.

Some of you like for me to preach some of you like for me to teach. I just want to share my heart with you a little bit. We need to be careful in this area of being thankful in everything we make mistakes.

Thankfulness in Everyday Trials

It's hard to be thankful if you drive through a traffic light and you get a ticket. But if you got the attitude, you know God and you wasn't intending to do it God allowed it. God might have blamed your eyes.

Another preacher he shared how he went through a red light here last year sometime and He just flat was not paying attention what he did. He looked up and he was already into the intersection and that thing changed and he went through a red light and there was a Cop is real late at night.

Just him and the cop around and he got a ticket and he thanked the officer for being a minister of God. He said boy that cop got that police officer got out of there real quick. He didn't know how to handle that but he thanked him for doing a good job for being a minister of God.

So God sometimes it allows us I believe to get into these things. We need to keep our attitude, right? Now, let me give you an example of a stronghold if you if you've given a ground to Satan you've given him a stronghold and Maybe somebody's done something to you and you say my offender will never change.

This person won't ever change. He won't ever change. Who are you focusing on that person. By the way, this is a false conclusion. Satan convinces many husbands and wives to divorce each other because of this very lie and children rebel against their parents employers quit their jobs and and On and on and on there's things in the church because we say they'll never change.

I'm quitting. I'm leaving. We're getting a divorce. And we're focusing on the problem and on them and not on God and we've been the bait of Satan. God states behold. I am the Lord the God of all flesh.

Is there anything too hard for me. Many of you have not come to God with your problem said there it is God. I'm gonna believe you to take care of it because I can't do a thing with it. I'm just gonna praise you and give thanks rejoicing the victory and watch what you do.

That's keeping your eyes on Jesus. God promises wives that they can win their husbands who do not believe the scriptures by Demonstrating a meek and a quiet spirit by learning how to show sincere honor to their husbands.

Read the Bible. Read first Peter 3 1 and 2 and God urges husbands to love their wives and not be bitter toward them. And when they love their wives with this agape love their wives will become treasured.

Help meats. Read Ephesians 5 25 to 33. Why are we focusing on things and circumstances. Because we're not Thankful and grateful to our God. What a wonderful God he is. And then you know what we feel like we must punish our offender.

God promises to do the punishing of our offender. Giving you a quote here. God promises to punish our offender if he continues to reject the gracious appeals of those He offends. It is not our place to bring retaliation.

But to allow the wrath of God to take its course. Vengeance is mine. I will repace at the Lord. We must give thanks and everything for this is the will of God concerning you now. We don't like the circumstances.

Sometimes we get into very difficult circumstances because of maybe Ground or things that we've done in years past. I Know many get into bad marriage situations and they said how can I give thanks for this?

You give thanks because you believe God's gonna work through it and you probably violated many scriptural principles to get yourself into that. Jim don't blame God For getting into some bad situation, but begin to thank him and praise him that he is sovereign and loving he cares for you.

He's gonna take care of the situation. Focus on God. Focus on God. Continually focus on him, you know, I don't really have enough time to get into many different areas in this. I'm just touching on to the area of Spiritual warfare.

There's so much about it written so many men teaching it. I don't claim to be any kind of Expert on this area. I don't claim to really be an expert on any kind of area. But if you've given ground to Satan you are under the influence of his French valetes his powers and his evils and the rulers of darkness.

And the Bible warns us not to give place to the devil by bitterness. It instructs us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against Principalities against powers against the rulers of darkness of this world against spiritual weakness in high places.

I was with a man. That's in the seminar that's going on right now a revival prayer seminar. And and he was we invited him to come out and he said he couldn't come out. He he's having a little sickness with these kids.

And and then I then I just said this. I understand what's going on. And then as he understood that I understood how we're hit. Satan tries to hit us when we're in there in a spiritual ministry. He tries to hit us.

I don't know how he gets in with so much sickness to hit in this area, but he does we wrestle not against the sickness and the illness, but we wrestle against the Principalities and the powers through the grace of God the power of God we resisted that when he has to flee we get the victory.

Sometimes we have to take many hits from the enemy to gain ground and have great victory in areas and people's lives and in churches. Oh Father give us the victory that you've you've secured for us at Calvary.

We claim it father. I pray for those that are listening today that are struggling. Lord is it's I'm doing so little but I pray that the little will help. You said your word would not return into you to you void Father they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony in the name of Jesus.

We claim the victory. I Claim the victory for those that are struggling. I pray the victory in their life and their marriages and their and their jobs where they're struggling. I pray father that they learn to get their gaze on Jesus and look to you and not look at these things.

Oh, thank you father for the blood of the Lamb. We praise you. We thank you father in Jesus name. Amen, well, I've been sharing some things with you. Remember to confess bitterness is sin. Ask God to regain the surrendered ground tear down the strongholds with truth use the Word of God and then show mercy by forgiving your offender.

Christ's Forgiveness and the Call to Prayer

You know what Jesus did on the cross. He said father forgive them. He was hurt many times. He was misunderstood many times and he still is. But all he had was love. Father forgive them for they know not what they do and you may be under an attack right now and You just say father forgive them for they know what they they don't know what they do.

You know what sin is if you fail to forgive that sin and sin is whatever. Weakens your reason it impairs the tenderness of your conscience. It obscures your sense of God it or it takes off the relish of spiritual thing things that thing is sin for you.

However innocent it may be in itself. So if it weakens your reason if it impairs the tenderness of your conscience if it obscures your sense of God. You're abiding in his presence if it takes off the relish of spiritual things your enjoyment of spiritual things, whatever.

Does that that is sin for you? And if you do not forgive it is sin. Oh Father Father help us and remember. Remember God has you right now in the circumstances of his own choosing so he can fix you. God is fixing to fix you.

But if you try to fix the fix he's fixing to fix you with He'll find another fix to fix you until you let the fix he's fixed for you fix you. Oh Father, we're so needy. We're so needy. Teach us to pray you say ask and you shall receive that your joy may be full.

Father we ask for for you to work in our lives in a powerful way father. I pray for those that are listening today. That they would become like Jesus in the fix that they're in and there may be. So in closing is Jesus Christ all you need.

Yes. But is he all you want? Let me challenge you to make him all you want my friend till next time. God bless you.