• BREAK OUT OF THE SHELL By Joyce Mcharo
• GROWTH PROCESS – METAMORPHOSIS
• Constant change,
• Increase,
• Reaching out for more/better,
• Improvement etc
• It is an automatic process for other organisms.
• Break out of shell to become what?
• Become full-grown and effective creatures.
WHAT ABOUT MAN (HUMAN BEING)?
• Is this process automated?
• It is multidimensional
• No regard for age, gender, background etc
• They only matter if used as a leverage
• It takes a willing, daring , determined and courageous heart
• There are master mind criminals who are giving the best of detectives, sleepless nights also great minds doing exploits. Some of these personalities are atheists, have very rough and poor background, very minimum education and they probably were once nobodies in their communities.
• OUR FOCUS…A BORN AGAIN SPIRIT FILLED MAN WHO WANTS TO BREAK OUT SPIRITUALLY.
• EPHESIANS 4:22-24
• You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like god in true righteousness and holiness. (NIV)
•Then throw off your old evil nature—the old you that was a partner in your evil ways—rotten through and through, full of lust and sham. Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature. (TLB)
•MSG (vs 20-24) – But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! my assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! and then take on an entirely new way of life—a god-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as god accurately reproduces his character in you.
MAN IS PRIMARILY A SPIRIT BEING.
• It is the spirit that created the physical. So if you want to change any situation at all, change it first in the spirit.
•Philippians 2:12b “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”
•Ephesians 4:13 ‘Till we come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’
•HOW TO BREAK OUT OF THE SHELL SPIRITUALLY
•The shell is broken by a force from within and you hardly hear a sound when it breaks.
•You only see a complete living thing coming out.
‘ If an egg is broken by an outside force life ends. If broken by inside force life begins’.
•So what? BUILD PRESSURE WITHIN.
1.SEE THE END FROM THE BEGINNING.
Isa 46:10 ‘I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times , what is still to come- NIV.
• Ephesians 5:1 ‘Be imitators of God’
• Get the vision and have it backed up by the Word (Scripture).
• Make Ephesians 4:13 your vision to start with
• It will change your decision making, choice of friends, your level of commitment, the books you read. etc
2. BY BEHOLDING
•Fix your gaze on the vision (on the Word) Isaiah 50:7 ‘Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put the shame.’- NIV
•Be fully persuaded. Romans 8:38 ‘ For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angel nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ – NKJV
•The devil will bring so many things to distract you but stand your ground: 2 Corinthians 4:18 ‘So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone but the things we cannot see will last forever’ – NLT
3. Develop a disciplined life
‘Discipline will get you farther than motivation ever will’.
‘The secret of your success or failure is hidden in you daily routine’
• Prayer life – Luke 18:1
Schedule you prayer times. Don’t just pray randomly. Be very intentional about being loyal to this schedule.
• Word life – Col 3:16, Psalms 119:105
Have a specific goal when it comes to studying the Word.
• With your tongue -Proverbs 18:21. There is power in your words. Hebrews 11:3.
Numbers 14:28 – ‘ So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say’ – NIV.
Your life will go where your mouth goes. Psalms 141:3 Ecclesiastes 5:6 “Don’t let your mouth make a total sinner of you. When called to account, you won’t get by with ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean it’. Why risk provoking God to angry retaliation? MSG
Be mindful of your words
• Some will laugh at you or mock you but keep doing what you’re doing
.Sanbalat and Tobia’s story; Nehemiah 4:3, David’s story 2 Sam 5:6b
. Job’s story, Joseph’s story, Jesus himself etc
4. Exercise patience Hebrews 6:12, ‘ We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised’ – NIV
Every process has it’s own stages. Don’t skip stages Ecclesiastes 3:11
Galatians 4:2 ‘……until the time appointed by the father’
John 15:1-2 ‘ I am the true vine, and my Father is a gardener.’ – NIV
The farmer decides
5. CONQUER SELF – PITY
2 Sam 23:10, ‘But Eleazarstood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
2 Timothy 2:3. ‘You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
• Don’t stop because you are tired, stop because the work is done.
• Don’t allow your emotions factor in your decision making.
• It is easier in a group that alone
• HAVE A TEACHABLE SPIRIT.
Philippians 4:9 ‘ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.’ NKJV
- Sit under mentors and tutors
- Read books, listen to sermons etc and do so with an open mind.
• CONCLUSION
Breaking out of shell is absolutely possible but it depends on you.
. Precious dot com generation, God has not gone digital!
•Same principles
•Same requirements
•Same demands from us
He is still the same
