IMPACT Recap

From Stressing To Blessing

December 17, 2023 · 0:46:54

FaithPurposeBlessings

Recap

Pastor Darrison Tellez opened by acknowledging the universal experience of stress, worry, and life's setbacks, which can make life feel more 'worryful than wonderful.' He declared his intention to help the congregation move 'from stressing to blessing,' using the story of Mary from Luke 1 as a central example. Pastor Tellez explained that God's promises and callings often come with significant pressure, comparing it to the weight Mary carried when told she would bear the Messiah. He emphasized that this pressure is a privilege, as God tests us not for titles but for trustworthiness, refining us through life's challenges. The message highlighted that stress can often be God's way of 'stretching' us to build capacity for the greater things He wants to birth in and through us. Pastor Tellez encouraged the church to be 'scared but prepared,' anchored by the unchanging Word of God, which never fails. He concluded with a call to embrace the stretching, trusting that God is preparing to launch His people into new destinies, and invited those who had never given their lives to Jesus to do so.

Main Points

  • God's promises often come with pressure, but this pressure is a privilege that tests and prepares us for His purpose.
  • We must be anchored by God's Word, which never fails, to move from a place of stress and fear to one of preparation and expectation.
  • The stresses and pressures of life are often God's way of stretching us to build the capacity needed for the greater things He wants to birth through us.

Verses Mentioned

  • Matthew 6:25-27 - "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (NIV)
  • Matthew 6:34 - "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV)
  • Luke 1:26-38 - "In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her." (NIV)
  • 2 Corinthians 12:10 - "That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (NIV)
  • 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 - "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (NIV)
  • Psalm 46:10 - "He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”" (NIV)
  • Isaiah 55:11 - "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (NIV)
  • John 4:14 - "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”" (NIV)
  • Isaiah 54:1-5 - "“Sing, barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband— the Lord Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." (NIV)

Daily Action Plan

Monday

Scripture Reflection: Matthew 6:34 (NIV) - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Focus Point: Present-Moment Trust

Action Plan: Identify one specific worry about the future and consciously choose to release it to God, focusing only on today's responsibilities.

Deep Prayer: Lord, help me to trust You with tomorrow. Give me the grace to handle today's challenges without being consumed by future anxieties.

Tuesday

Scripture Reflection: Luke 1:37 (NIV) - For no word from God will ever fail.

Focus Point: The Reliability of God's Word

Action Plan: Write down one promise from Scripture that speaks to a current area of stress. Keep it visible and meditate on it throughout the day.

Deep Prayer: God, thank You that Your Word is unchanging and true. Strengthen my faith to stand on Your promises when I feel uncertain.

Wednesday

Scripture Reflection: 2 Corinthians 12:10 (NIV) - That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Focus Point: Strength in Weakness

Action Plan: In a moment of difficulty or feeling overwhelmed today, pause and acknowledge your dependence on God's strength instead of your own.

Deep Prayer: Jesus, I admit my weakness. I choose to delight in Your sufficiency today, believing that Your power is made perfect in my limitations.

Thursday

Scripture Reflection: Psalm 46:10 (NIV) - He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Focus Point: Active Stillness

Action Plan: Set aside 5 minutes of quiet. Be still, not passive, but actively fixing your thoughts on God's character and sovereignty over your situation.

Deep Prayer: Father, in the midst of the noise, help me to be still and know that You are God. Quiet my heart and remind me of Your supreme authority.

Friday

Scripture Reflection: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NIV) - We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair.

Focus Point: Resilience in Pressure

Action Plan: Reflect on a current 'pressure.' Acknowledge it, but also identify one way you have not been 'crushed' or are not 'in despair' because of God's faithfulness.

Deep Prayer: God, thank You that the pressures of life do not have the final word. You sustain me. Renew my inward strength today as I face challenges.

Saturday

Scripture Reflection: Isaiah 54:2 (NIV) - “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.

Focus Point: Preparing for Increase

Action Plan: Take one practical, small step to 'enlarge your tent'—this could be learning a new skill, forgiving someone, or organizing a space—to prepare for God's blessing.

Deep Prayer: Lord, I believe You want to increase my capacity for Your purpose. Stretch my faith and prepare me for all You want to birth in and through my life.

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