●A state of homelessness (for 20 years)Gen 28:10

●A space of helplessness Gen 31:36-42

●A stage of hopelessness Gen 32:19-23 Why Did God Bring Jacob to Jabbok?

●To remind him of God’s purpose (Vs. 1)

●To let him experience pain (vulnerability) (Vs. 9-12)

●To reset him a plan of transformation and a path of greatness. (Vs. 26-28) My encouragement…

●He reached the point of Surrender so God could affirm him

●He got to the place of Submission (Humility) so God could reform him ●He was placed on a path of Seclusion so God could transform him

●Let’s passionately desire to have a divine encounter with Jesus (Preincarnate of Christ vs. 28)

●Let’s desperately seek to have a divine experience with his transforming power (The woman with an Issue of blood), Mark 5:25-30 - Calvin

●Let’s prayerfully ask for His divine empowerment to face your Esau

.●Failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success; Failure is not a loss; it is a gain packaged inside;

●It is better to fail a thousand times than to be to cowardly to ever under take anything – Clovis G. ChappelExamples of Failures•Arriana Huffington (Rejected by 36 publishers)•Bill Gates (First Company Crumpled)•Walt Disney (told he lacked creativity)•Milton Hershey•Simon Peter the Apostle (Denied Jesus 3 times)How do you move one?I propose the following•Learn from the mistakes•Let it sink in (accept the failure but affirm that it does not define you)•Live to fight another day (recollect yourself and move on)Loading…Take Away

●Truth is you will fail at one point or another. If you fail

●Fail forward (Don’t stay there, move)●Fail onward (Learn from it)

●Fail upward (Failure turns into success when God is included, involved, invited).Finally..

●For when all else fails,

●Jesus does not, Jesus has not, Jesus will not fail

THE OVERCOMER’S CHALLENGE

The story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17 is not just a story about a boy fighting a giant. It’s the conflict of the ages. It’s the story of the battle that raged since Satan first rebelled against God. The story of good versus evil; the challenge to the living God by the devil and his forces. But first, how did these two unlikely opponents get there?Let’s start with Goliath. The Bible specifically calls Goliath the champion of the Philistines and tells us he came from Gath, one of the five great Philistine cities, a home of giants. (2 SAMUEL 21:19-22).Gath is the place the spies referred to when they returned to Moses with an evil report about the promise land. It was in Gath, according to the unbelieving spies, that giants existed – giants so huge that next to them they felt like grasshoppers.

1. Fathers who are present or show up in their children's lives will pray for them. Pray for your children for guidance. Not just your own career and businesses.1 Chronicle 29:19-21There are things that God will speak to you in your present generation that will be fulfilled in your children's generation. There things that God will speak to your children that will be fulfilled in their children generation. Solomon was prayed for by his father, David. Can your children say you have been praying for them? Get into their room and spend time with them as you pray for them. The greatness of Solomon can be attributed to the prayers his father prayed for him not just his success and hardwork.The challenge is “ PRAY FOR YOUR CHILDREN”.

2. The father that shows up loves their children. Can your children say that they know you love them? Loves means Compassion, tenderness. Psalm 103:13. Love can be felt.

4. Father's that shows up bless their children - it is great to be blessed by God, but it is more excellent or sweeter for the father to be a channel that activated God's blessings. Bless your children. Abraham bless Isaac and Isaac bless Jacob!

5. Fathers that show up Teach their children. This where discipline comes in. Teach, model, shape and discipline your children. Proverbs 22:6- where there is a departure means training was absent. Genesis 18:19- teach them why things are done this way. Obeying what you say is not enough. Proverbs 13:24. Teach, Train!

6. Fathers that show up protect their children psalms 121:5-7 God our Father defend us. You cannot experiment with the life of your children. I had to withdraw my children from the school I felt was not in my children's interest. I showed up often in their school to find out how my children were doing. My wife and I had to withdraw our children from people who were not in the best interest of our children. They don't just go anywhere! Protect your children.

6. Father that shows up are confidant to their children. Trusted friend or person. Proverbs 3:5-6 and John 15:15 7. Father that shows up commend their children. Not secretor personal commendation but openly or publicly commendation. Matthew 3:17 and Philippians 2:5-11. Have your children ever heard you commending them publicly. Commend all your children publicly in the areas of their strength.

8. Fathers that show up are role models for their children. 2 Corinthians 3:2-3. Role model as you study. Proverbs 20:7

9. Fathers that show up spend time with their children. You are investing your time in them. Deuteronomy 6:6-9. Spend time with your children. Create affirmation posted on the doorposts.

10. Father's that show up don't provoke their children. Ephesians 6:4. It is two-way. You can correct and discipline.

11.Father that shows up encourage their children. Colossians 3:21.

12.Father's that show up provide for their children. Put your children first. The provisions for your children should be a priority. 1 Timothy 5:8 13. Fathers that's how up. Don't give up on the children. Luke 15:20- the prodigal son.

Matthew 4:18-19( Amani)

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men

The calling of God:

1) Intentional-done with a purpose, deliberate

2)Exceptional-it is unique, not usual

3)Transformational-Complete change that tends to the positive

4)Personal-it is unique to you

Follow me-Call unto salvation

Ephesian 2:8-9 (Ethan); Acts 16:30-31 (Benjamin)

-Salvation is the first level of God's calling

-There can be no calling without accepting Jesus first

I will make you – Call unto Sanctification• Sanctification is the second level of God’s calling• Sanctification means;

(1) the action of making or declaring something holy;

(2) the action or process of being freed from sin or purified; and

(3) the action of causing something to be or seem morally right or acceptable

.• At it’s core, it the action or process of being declared not guilty regardless of your past. Requires holiness, purity, walking right with God, moral excellence. (Story of Daniel, Hananiah-God is gracious, Mish’ael-Who is like God and Azaria-God has helped)

• Allowing God to make us (change us, mold us, repair, rehabilitate, restore)2 Timothy 2:19-21 (Larry); 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23 (Dylan); Gal 2:19-20 (Graylon); 1 Corinthians 6:10-11 (Carlton)

Fishers of men – Call unto Service

• Service is the final/ultimate level of God’s calling

• The action/process of helping or doing work for someone

• Service entails sacrifice, empathy, awareness, foresightedness,

• At it’s core service entails submission, surrender, Succumb Matthew 23:10-11 (Sam); Romans 12:9-13 (Anna); and Mark 10:44-45 (Adiel)

Summary:

Follow me and I will make fishers of men• The calling of God entails letting use us as his vessels (Re-read 2 Tim 2:19-21)

Take Away

1) God uses ordinary people (Acts 4:12-13)

2) God uses optimistic people (Phil 4:12-13)

3) God uses open-minded (Mark 4:22-25) close minded people only rely on the truth they have created reason for many conspiracy theories today.

4) God uses obedient people (Acts 5:28-29)

2. Get to know your flock, one sheep at a time.

3. Engage your people regularly.

4. Keep your eyes and ears open, question, and follow-through.

1 JOHN 3:4 “But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God” (TLB).

THE THREE DIMENSIONAL NATURE OF SIN:

1. It is Deceptive- Hebrews 3:13” Speak to each other about these things every day while there is still time so that none of you will become hardened against God, being blinded by the glamor of sin”(TLB).

2. It offers Temporal Pleasure- Hebrews 11:25 “Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (KJV).

3. It is Destructive – Proverbs 11:3 “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them” (NKJV).

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (TLB).

B. ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS SIN. WHATEVER IS NOT RIGHT (ACCORDING TO GOD’S STANDARD) IS WRONG. (1 JOHN 5:17)

C. SIN IS AT THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL, BECAUSE WITHOUT SIN THERE IS WAS NO EVIL (ROMANS 5:12). D. SIN IS THE OMISSION OF KNOWN DUTY( JAMES 4:17).

2. WILL POWER:-Your will is a force of deliverance, a force of liberty. The will is the God-given force able to determine your habits and choices.

3. THINK AND ACT: -Genesis 39:9

4. THE WORD: -John 17:17;

5. THE BLOOD: - Zechariah 9:11-12;

6. THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH - Jesus was tempted, but He did not sin. Matthew 1:21;

7. THE HOLY SPIRIT -Zechariah 4:6

8. OATH: -An oath is a solemn promise. Job 31:1 (vow against immorality)

On behalf of Living Effectively Ministry; Thank you for praying and joining Living Effectively zoom meeting. To hear our children reading the scriptures is a blessing. Let us keep the fire burning. May the Lord expand your boundaries even far and wide. Shalom, Peace, and Life you In God's Vineyard,

*For this week’s topic we discussed :-

**LIFE IS A MARATHON*

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ml8obSvlBnz4xLSeDwByLK8i3DXlSANH/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100528854202983482431&rtpof=true&sd=true

Congratulations to *THE OGUTU FAMILY*🎊🎉🎉 for winning *KAHOOT*

John 8:36; Psalms 75:10;I Corinthians 15:51-52; I Corinthians 15:22;John 11:25;

John 11:38-45;I Corinthians 15:26; Ephesians 1:20;Matthew 27:50-53;

- His Purpose

-His Perspective

-Forget your past successes and Forget your past mistakes

- His Plan and

- His Prize

- He will guide you on your journey. You can seize each day for Christ without being hindered by your past or hobbled by your present. Day by Day, as we focus on the one thing Christ wants us to do, we’ll become effective for Him in serving our generation.

1. Focus on God’s PurposePhilippians 3:12- That is God’s ultimate purpose for all of us. Don’t allow your past to control you or today’s chaos to distract you from focusing on God before you!

2. Focus on God’s PerspectivePhilippians 3:13- Paul is talking about seeing life through God’s eyes.

There are two areas we should put behind us- our successes and our failures.

A. Forget Your Past Successes:- First forgetting what’s behind means forgetting past successes. Here was the great apostle who accomplished more in his lifetime than most of us could achieve in ten lifetimes, and he said in effect, “I have not yet arrived.”

B. Forget Your Past Mistakes:- We need to forget those things that haunt us. There are things in our lives that we should decide to put behind us, to forget. What things in our past could we choose to forget?

3. Focus on God’s PlanPaul becomes more specific, moving from our perspective to our plans- “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13).- God’s purpose for all of us is the same- to become more like Jesus. But His plans for each of us are unique, and we have to reach forward to find and fulfill them.

4.Focus on God’s PrizePhilippians 3:14- To live a focused life, fix your attention on heaven and the reward that awaits us there. “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). “The crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). The prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus is eternal. Keeping your eyes on the prize is the motivation that keeps you going. We have to passionately seek to move forward toward God’s plan for the next phase of life.

Philippians 1:6 “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” You see our mighty God has a plan for your life, and He doesn’t intend to stop in mid-design!

How do you get free of the sandbar and back to sailing in open water?

1. Consider What’s Best

2. Clarify what’s Best- (The Priority of Loving God; The Priority of loving People and The Priority of Loving ourselves)

3. Choose what’s Best- (Courage to Embrace your Limitations, Courage to Eliminate Your Distractions)

4. Commit to What’s Best- (Grab on to God’s Priorities).

I realized there are no ultimate conflicts in God’s perfect will.