WMAC Teaching
Julie Bowen - Change Your Clothes
who likes new clothes? I do. Yes. Amen. Went shopping Friday, got me a new green shirt for Christmas, hung it up. Sarah pointed at it this morning. I said, no, Mommy's not wearing that one today. She nodded her head. Yes, I was. I said, no, not today. That one's for Christmas. Mommy's got to wait to wear that when she was excited for me. So anyway, so the title today is Change Your Clothes. Change Your Garment. What We Wear Matters. What We Wear Matters. My main text today is Ephesians 4, 17 through 24. This I say therefore and testify in the Lord that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind. That right there lets us know we are to be different. Verse 18, having the understanding dark and being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart. Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Verse 19, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness and greediness. Help us God. My mind went to many who has given themselves over. The product was those that have walked away from God, those that have chosen to take off their mantle of ministry, those that have chosen to take off their garment of praise. And to put on the clothing of this world, we've got to have a burden for the lost. We've got to have a burden for those who have chosen to walk away, have given themselves over. Verse 20, but ye have not so learned Christ. If so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth in Jesus, that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust. We've got to put off that which would easily be said us and hinder us. Again, it's a mindset. It's a purpose. We have to live for God on purpose with purpose. We've got to take off the dirty clothes. We've got to take off the old lifestyle, the old way of thinking, the old attitudes, the old mindsets. We've got to take off the dirty clothes and put on new, put on the garments that God has for us. Verse 23, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that ye put on the new man, which after God has created in righteousness and true holiness. How beautiful is that new man? God wants to do something new in us today. And I've been praying, Lord, start with me. Something new. It's a new season. It's a new day. It's the end of the year, yes. But in God, I believe for our church, for me personally. We are entering into a new season. We're entering into a time of revival, of new life, of birth. Christmas is coming. We're going to celebrate the birth of Jesus. God is wanting to birth revival in us individually and in us as a church. So I'm so excited because it is a new season coming. And this new season is coming with power. It's coming with authority. And it's coming quickly. It's coming when we position ourselves at the feet of God, where we can receive what He has for us. Position me, Lord, at you. God wants to do something new in us and through us. Luke 5, 37, and 38 says, "And no man put a new wine into old bottles. Else the new wine will burst the bottles and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish." But new wine must be put into new bottles and both preserved. How do we become a new bottle? Sister Jackie, what a beautiful new bottle you are. What a beautiful thing God has done and is doing in Sister Jackie's life. New wine, new hope, new purpose, new strength. She's a new creature in God as we all are. We all become new every day. The Bible says, "To die daily, every morning, Lord, creating me a clean heart, renew within me a right spirit, O God, that I might not sin against thee. Every day we become new in Him." I want the new wine, but to receive the new wine, to receive the new season, to receive new understanding of His Word and new power and new anointing, I have to prepare myself to be that living vessel. I have to prepare myself to be the new wine skin that God can pour His new anointing in, His Word, my understanding. And how do I become new? Right here at the altar. I crucify this flesh. I lay Julie down and I say, "Lord, here I am. I am nothing God, and I need you, and I give myself to you." And we keep this flesh put under submission to God's Spirit. We do that by staying in the Word. We do that by staying in His presence. Thank you for being here today. We do that by being faithful to His house, by being faithful to God who is so faithful and good to us. He is so worthy. We could never come enough. We could never do enough. We could never praise Him enough for all that He's done and all that He truly deserves from us. Hebrews 1-9, "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore, God, even thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." Lord, I want to love your righteousness. I want this unclean filthy bag here to be filled with your righteousness. Let them see you, hear you, and feel you through me. Let your love and your light shine. Let it be a beacon, not for myself, but that they could come to know you. We have the light. We have the answer. We've got to share it. We've got to show it. God has a new season with new power, new authority for us if we position ourselves to receive it. So today, I declare it over myself and I'll declare it for you. I am anxious for nothing knowing that I do hear the voice of the Lord. I want to tell somebody today, don't doubt what God has showed you or told you. Don't question it. Don't doubt in your dark time what God has showed you in the light or what I like to say. I like to flip it for me personally. Don't question in the light what God has showed you in your darkness. I've said it before. Sometimes I see clearly in the dark because then I don't see the distractions because then all I can do is focus on him and not what is around me. So I see clearly in the darkest. So I will be anxious for nothing knowing that I do hear the voice of the Lord. And I don't doubt what God has told me or showed me. I can walk in faith and in confidence in him, in his power and in his word. None of my own self because I have nothing but with God I am mighty. In God I am powerful. In God I am anointed. And I can stand and say that not with pride but with confidence in God. Used to I couldn't. I would always say I want to minister or I get to minister. And it was very hard for me even to tell my family like I get a teach today. Because I didn't feel worthy to teach. I can't say I'm going to preach today because I'm not a preacher. I'm just me. I'm just broken but I'm blessed and I'm the beauty from the ashes and I'm a testimony of God's grace and faithfulness and goodness and his strength and his mercy. But today I can say in God's confidence. Not in myself but I know I hear the voice of God and I know that I'm called to share his word. And we can walk in our calling with confidence in him and not ourselves. When you take your eyes off of him we'll fall like Peter did. As long as we keep our eyes on him. It's smooth walking hand in hand with Jesus whatever comes our way. We have to receive the new wine of anointing to walk in a new season. What we had last year isn't going to carry us through this coming year. What we had last week may not carry you through this next week. We all know life changes in an instant day to day. There's no security in this world the world is ever changing but we serve and never changing God. With God all things are possible. With God there is joy abundantly. There is a life everlasting. I am not downtrodden. I am not fearful. I go to bed at night in peace knowing that we are all in God's care that his eyes roam to and fro. Nothing takes him by surprise. He is aware of everything. He is in control of everything. So I pray and I say Lord here I am. Here's my family. Here's my life. I trust you tonight to be with us. Just as the priest changed from his priestly garment into a new humble robe before entering into the holiest of holies. Into God's glory and presence we too need to change. People say oh you don't have to wear suit and tie to church. Oh you don't have to dress up or you know just come as you are to the Lord. Do you have to wear suit and tie to go to heaven? No. But what is that? It's an example of respect. If you're going to go into your boss if you're going to a banquet if you're going to meet a political something if you're going into an important meeting business you dress accordingly. So we dress accordingly holy and modest into the Lord. We come with respect and reverence to him and to his house to the holy place. For us to get into the holy place we've got to pray through that whole tabernacle and it starts on the altar. We've got to crucify our flesh and ourself and so the priest he would stop at everything and apply the blood of Jesus on every article of furniture. And then he had to change his robe because he was a mess. He was bloody. He trimmed the wicks. He had worked through the tabernacle so before he could go into the holies of holies he changed his robe. We have to change our spiritual robe. You've got to change your clothes so that we can be what we need to be not that we are every enough so that we can enter humbly before God reverently, respectfully before God. So take off those old garments, those old ways of thinking. Take off those old ways of attitude. Stop going to those old places. Stop watching that old stuff you've been watching. Stop listening to the old stuff you've been listening to. Put a guard about your gate, about your mind, about your eyes and your ears. Put your helmet on. Wear your armor. Shield of protect yourself because there's a smart enemy that's after you. And if he can just get in your mind and if he can just get your eyes off of God and onto him and onto the things of this world to distract you, he will. What we wear matters. Mark 10, 48, and 50. And many charged him that he should hold his peace. We're talking about Blind Bartimaeus. But he cried the more a great deal. Now son of David, have mercy on me. Verse 49 and Jesus stood still. You're crying today. Your heart, whatever your spiritual blindness is in your life, cry out to God. He will hear you and you can cause him to stand still. How beautiful is that? He's so loving. He is so good. He is so faithful. He will stand still for you for your need today. And commanded him to be called and they called the blind man saying it to him. Be of good comfort. Rise, he call it thee. And he, casting away his garment. Rose and came to Jesus. I love that. He chose to cast away that garment. It was a beggar's garment. It identified him for his need. What you wear matters. What you wear matters. We just came through an election. There were signs in yards. There were hats. There were shirts. You're identified by what you thought and felt by what you wore. How much more so spiritually are we identifying to this world? Are we reflecting God as boldly and as proudly? Are we putting this quote signs in our yard? Are we wearing the hats and the shirts and the clothing and the garments of praise that show and declare to the world? Who we follow? Who our trust is in? It's not in this world. It's not in this government. It is in him. Do we represent him? Do we proudly proclaim our allegiance to God? Do we stand boldly in the face of adversity? Do we stand boldly in the face of accusation and those that may come against us with a sneer or a question or oh you're one of them? Stand proudly with your head high. Not in pride but in confidence in God. Yes, I am a believer of the Lord most high. Yes, I am a Jesus name baptized Holy Ghost filled woman of God. Yes, I do look different. Not for myself, not for my husband but for my God because people will know me for how I look and how I act. How do we represent God? How do I represent this church and my family when I'm in public, when I'm in Walmart? If someone upsets me, yesterday had an opportunity to bless someone. She left her purse in a bathroom and I held it and I was just thinking to keep it, give it to her, give it to the police. I didn't feel comfortable to turn again to the location of where we were in about 20 minutes later. This lady came back in. I opened it and I looked at her license so I could identify her if she was in the restaurant when it came out of the bathroom and she wasn't. So I kept it with me. She came back. I gave it to her. She cried and hugged me and told me thank you for my kindness. 10 minutes later as I was getting ready to leave another lady I didn't even realize was in there told me you made my heart happy today. I said I did. Well, okay, what I do? And she said I saw your act of kindness. People are watching us. What if I would have looked Pentecostal? And what if that woman would have seen me take something from that purse? What if I would have kept that purse and that lady know that it wasn't mine? What representation would that have been? What would that have done to my character, to my testimony, to my family and reflect on my church? Let me tell you, people are watching you even when you don't know they are watching you. And I don't say that to lift me up. I just say that if you pray God, use me today. Let me be a blessing today. He will give you an opportunity to do so. And we need those lights. We need to be that light. We need to be you did my heart good today. It was good to see an act of kindness. Not for myself, but that is them seeing God in me. And that's what I want. Lord, let them see you in me. Let them see your glory and your light. What we wear matters. How we reflect God, our family and our church, it matters because it does not just affect you or me. It affects us all. Casting away his garment, he rose and he came. Why? Because he knew he was healed. When Jesus called him and said, "Bring him unto me." Woo! I got his attention. Yes! He was excited. He cast it away. He didn't just take it off. He threw it away. He cast it away because he knew that was no longer his identity. He was no longer a beggar. He was no longer blind. His faith caused him to cast that away. He knew he wouldn't need it anymore. So many times we pray, "Oh Jesus, now Son of David, have mercy on me." And then God will bless us and he'll touch us. But we keep that old garment on. Because it's comfortable. Because it's all we've ever known. Because we're unsure of what we're going to be without it. Or we don't know what's coming next. Or this is all that I have. God and I don't want to let it go. Wow, God has something greater and bigger and more beautiful for us. Trust him. Cast that old garment away and let him love you. Let him heal you. And not just heal you, but make you whole. Nine lepers were healed, but one came back to thank him and he was made whole. Don't stop it being healed. Jackie, don't stop it being delivered. Let him make you whole. He coming back and thank him and praise him and let him make you whole. Cast away that garment. Cast away what people identified you with. No longer. They'll look at you and say, "Wow, you look really different, like you used not to wear something like that. Let them see God in you." Isaiah 61-3. To a point unto them that morning Zion. To give unto them beauty for ashes. The oil of joy for mourning. The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called. Trees of righteousness. The planting of the Lord that he might be glorified. The garment of praise. It is a mindset. It is a purpose. In a little while we're going to go into the main service and it's time to put on that garment of praise. Even now you don't have to wait. There's not a set time when we enter his gates with thanksgiving and we enter his courts. It is to be with praise. We come Lord I thank you. When you wake up and you're getting ready for church play your music that edifies and glorifies God. It is a mindset. Come prepared expecting the God of all creation. To do what only he can do. Let him do what he can do. In this new season people will look at you differently because you will look differently. People will look at you differently because you will look differently. I'm not a prophet but I am confident in God in his anointing and he's telling us today he has so much for us individually and for this church. He wants to anoint us. Anoint you for a place that others have said you aren't equipped to fill. That your purity of spirit and desire for new wine and fresh oil has cried out to me thou son of David have mercy on me. Your cry has positioned you to receive your garment of praise and authority in my calling and I read that because that's exactly how I wrote it in my journal and in my notes and studied and prepared for this lesson today. Because that is God that is telling me because I wrote I'm not a prophet but I'm confident in God in his anointing and then it shifted not for me to encourage you but it shifted to God encouraging me and showing me that you are where you're supposed to be. Yes you hear my voice and then he says ready to anoint you for a place that others have said you aren't equipped to fill. I don't have a license. I'm not a licensed preacher but I'm a woman that loves God in his word. I want to be a disciple Jesus didn't call Christians he didn't give titles he created and called disciples I want to be a disciple I want to learn at him I want to grow with him. I don't need man's title I don't need man's license and I'm not taking away from that that's beautiful and awesome and I respect that and you all know that I do but some can say you're not equipped for this position or you're not equipped for this or I know how you used to be. It was my own clothes I cast that away and I'm wearing my garment of praise and I'm changing my robe so that I can go into that holy place with God so that I can be in his presence. Thank you Lord put on that garment of praise he alone is worthy you will walk in power and authority and confidence in God in your calling. Tell yourself that today I will if God is giving you a new season if you fill a new calling in your life if he's leading you in a way of ministry that maybe you haven't done before trust him step out into that embrace it knowing he goes before you and with you he's not going to call you to do something that he's not going to equip you to do he would give you the tools he'll give you the knowledge it will unfold before you beautifully like a rose. Let him lead you because surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. God has not given us a spirit of fear but a power and of a sound mind. A sound mind is not something to take for granted so many people battle within their mind so many people battle thoughts and depression and oppression and fear and anxiety. It's a battle of the mind put on that helmet pray the Lord's protection over you every day guard your mind guard and protect the gates of your eyes and of your mind be mindful. Be careful of what you watch what you see what you hear who you allow to speak into your life who you listen to I'm sorry not everything Christian is godly and edifies the Lord. Be careful be careful of what we set before us speak and declare breakthrough provision clarity of mind and thought over your own life. I'm ready for the new I'm ready for the new I was praying Lord when I think of a mantle think of like a cloak okay like a cape a woman's cape a priestly robe. And our mantles are made up of every trial and of every fight every battle every victory that we have every time we come through a battle every time we come through a victory every time sister peppers here today just buried her nephew this last week. She's faithful to God and God honors that she's hurting but she's here in the house of God which is the best place to be with his people for her strength. That loss that pain that she's pushing through is a beautiful piece of cloth a remnant sewing onto her mantle of ministry. My mantle is made up of many pieces of cloth each one is a testimony to a trial in a battle that God has brought me through. How beautiful how beautiful is that if we could truly see ourselves as God sees us. My mantle I'd like to think is like a coat of many colors which made my mind go to Joseph and I have to close with this already time goes by way too fast when you're up here. We know Joseph pass or just hit on it Wednesday night. From the pit to the prison to the palace Joseph's clothes changed according to what station in his life he was in. Our clothes our demeanor our lives inside and out should grow and mature with us in the Lord. In the pit it says his brother stripped him of his coat that's Genesis 37 23 we don't need take time to read it we're all familiar with it. There's brother stripped him of his coat sometimes as changing our garments is not our choice. Sometimes this world and people will try to strip you of what God has given you because of jealousy because of enveness or because their spirit doesn't agree with your spirit. And so they would think oh if I can take her mantle if I can strip her of this coat then she's nothing. So I just want to tell Satan today you know what you can try to strip me of my coat but you can't take my calling. You can't take my anointing you can't take the favor of God off of my life. Somebody tell yourself today that you have purpose God has called you regardless of what it is be confident in what God has called you to be and to do. And don't allow things of this world or people of this world or a snarky comment from somebody who has no wisdom strip you or try to take your coat from you and throw you in a pit of depression or throw you in a pit of angerness to make you not want to go to church make you not want to be with God's people. Sometimes we choose to take it off by our bad decisions and choices. Had a dream last night of a friend of mine who's chosen to take off his mantle of ministry. Oh I woke up hurt and grieved in my heart. Now is not the time to take off your calling. Now is the time to embrace it to wrap it around you to use it as a shield and a protection against the things of this world that would come against you. Don't change your mantle. Don't allow the things of this world and the pressures of this world to strip you of what God has given you. Don't lay aside your anointing to please a person to please a spouse or because your church hurt or because you feel even God maybe let you down. Or you want to come back but you're embarrassed and you can't. Time is short. God is coming so soon. Lord help us. Help us be that light. Show your love. Show your light. They stripped him of his coat. Potiphar's wife tried to get him to lay with her. He refused so she lied against him. The enemy if he can't get you he will come at you through slander of your character. He will try to get to you through another means. He's done this for thousands of years. He's smart. I'm not giving him more credit than he needs but he is smart. We got to be aware that we are battling a smart enemy. Genesis 39 says but while Joseph was there in prison because we know he was in prison because she lied about him. Verse 21 the Lord was with him. He showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. There's favor in your prison. If you feel you're in prison today by things that you can't control that does not mean God's favor is not upon you. That does not mean that you've lost your calling. That doesn't mean that God has taken his hand off of you. You can praise him through the storm. You can sing and lose the shackles in your prison. Your pain has a purpose. Let God bring you through that pain. Genesis 41-42 Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, put it on Joseph's hand and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen. So here we go. He's taken off his prisoners clothes. He's had favor in the prison. He had favor in the pit. He had favor in the prison. He's got favor with Pharaoh because he's remained faithful to God. If we remained faithful to God in the prison and in the palace he would be faithful to us. He changed his clothes, arrayed him in vestures of fine linen from his prisoner stripes to fine linen in the house of Pharaoh. Do we want the new wine? Are you willing to do what God needs you to do to be in the place that you need to be in for your vessel to be a new wine skin? We do that right here. Are you ready for your new season? Are you ready to change your garment that maybe you came in today with? If you're feeling down, I know it's entering into the holiday season. We all have lost loved ones. I'd love to sit down and play dominoes with my daddy. I would love to be able to go to Patties and look at the lights with my sister-in-law Marilyn. I would love to watch my grandma get out of the car and come to the door with a laundry basket full of presents. We all have loss and we all heal differently. But we all need to heal with him. It's a new season. Let him be your strength. He will be to us whatever we allow him to be. Here I am, Lord. People say, "Julie, I don't know how you do it every day. I don't know how you do this." And like with Sarah and you're still doing this and you're this and you're so busy. And I tell him, "It's God. It's His strength within me. It's not me on my own because I promise." Albert can tell you, my family continue. I have times where I break. When I say, "God, I'm just like that. Jesus, that's not a statement. Have mercy on me. She's got to sleep because I've got to sleep. Have mercy on me." And he does time and time again. Great is thy faithfulness, oh God. His mercies are new every day, every morning. Whatever you come in today, leave it at this altar. We're going to go into a time of prayer. They can start the music. Change your clothes today. Cast it off. Cast off the garment of worry, a fear of depression, whatever it is. Cast it off today. And then let him put that robe around you. Let his arm strengthen you, hold you, and comfort you. And let him do what only he can do.