This is “First Things”. There are two distinctively different definitions for alignment—both have significant spiritual implications. First of all, alignment refers to arrangement in a straight line, or in correct position. Secondly, alignment refers to a position of agreement or alliance. If you want to be in the correct position to receive favor and blessing from the Lord
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connection God is saying for this year I
really want to bless you I really want
you to be in alignment so that I can
bless you in the city and bless you in
the field I want to open up my good
treasures I want to open up the windows
of heaven and pour you out blessing that
you will not have a room enough to
receive but in order for that to happen
here’s a first thing you’ve got to do
you got to get that alignment of heart
thou shalt love the Lord thy God this is
the first commandment with all of your
heart
[Music]
I’m talking for just a few moments on
first things I found in the Bible seven
times God said do this first and it will
it will align you for blessings that are
unprecedented that you have never
experienced before seven times he said
before you do something else do this
first do this first do this first do
this first and he says if you do these
seven things first if you put my word
first my blessings will overtake you in
this new year and I want to give you
this teaching because I feel like it’s
from the Lord you know I was thinking
about it you can drive your car up on a
sidewalk and I’ve done it many times and
and and you can knock the front wheels
out of alignment and you know you’re
driving down the road and you hit 60 or
70 or 80 and and and you feel something
wobbly something is wrong and it hinders
your journey it hinders you from going
where you’re supposed to go because
things what’s wrong things are out of a
line that your wheels are out of
alignment sometimes because I travel a
lot on airplanes my back will just
really ache and I’ll have to go to a
chiropractor and say will you will you
pop me I call them the popper will you
pop me and and get my back back in
alignment is so amazing sometimes I get
headaches and stuff and if I’ll just go
get get that alignment right is
something about get that alignment right
that that that really makes the journey
easier and so in Matthew 6:33 he says
seek first the kingdom of God that is
the alignment of priorities that’s the
first thing the alignment of priorities
in other words you have to dethrone
whatever stands between you and Jesus
listen to this first Thessalonians 5 and
verse 12 says that he will preserve you
notice the order spirit soul and body so
many times our order is our body first
our order is the flesh first then the
soul which is our emotions our attitude
our you know our happiness and then the
spirit but notice God’s priority he says
seek first the kingdom and he says I’ll
preserve you spirit soul and body it’s
spirit first and if you let him bless
you and you get the priority of the
kingdom first spirit first then soul
then body then finances everything else
will be blessed if you get this priority
and this alignment a priority on
spiritual things the Christian life is
not me first it’s the kingdom first did
you hear what I just said you’re never
too young to hear what I’m saying right
now I don’t care how young you are if
you will say not me first but the
kingdom first that is the life that is
in alignment for God’s blessing and
favor to come upon I’m so glad God gave
me sense enough to learn that and I
didn’t waste years and years and years
but I decided at a young teenage age
that it would be spirit first and then
soul and then body and you know what
when you get in that alignment of
kingdom first spirit things spiritual
first God will bless you with everything
else that you are longing for and
wanting for the alignment of your
priorities secondly number two he says
to a man who is complaining about the
splinter in someone’s eye he says in
verse Matthew 7 and verse 5 thou
hypocrite first cast out the beam in
your own eye and then worry about the
splinter in someone else’s eye so this
is the alignment of relationships you
see what he’s saying is you need to
worry
first about yourself you’re talking
about people and their issues and you’re
criticizing somebody who has a toothpick
there and you have a telephone pole in
your eye and this doesn’t make sense and
there how many of you have met that
Christian how many of you know them and
you know it’s so easy to see what they
need to do what somebody else is doing
wrong how they need to raise their
children and yours don’t even like to be
around you but but but but they you see
always so clear to you what their issues
are but you don’t see the beam and he
says first first cast out the beam in
your own eye and and you know when
you’re one of those people that’s always
attacking other believers and preachers
and everybody and you say hateful and
mean things you better remember that God
will judge you harsher because you are
ignoring your own telephone pole worried
about their splinter I’m telling you how
to get in alignment for the blessing of
God and God doesn’t bless people who go
around criticizing other people all the
time as though they don’t have any
issues themselves you deal with you
first
same in somebody number three Matthew
chapter 5 and verse 23 he says when
you’re gonna give a gift when you’re
going to give a charitable gift when
you’re gonna do something for the
ministry listen to this he says take
your gift to the altar and if you
remember that you have an offense leave
the gift on the altar go thy way listen
to this and first be reconciled with
your brother he’s saying if you’re in a
position of unforgiveness a position of
bitterness and strife and you’re
offended it does you no good to give an
offering and I’m here somebody right now
saying well praise God that’s I’m not
gonna give it then the Lord told me not
to give until I get it right so I’m just
gonna that’s not what he said he said
bring the offering I got you bring the
offering and put it on the altar and in
other words he’s saying it’s a layaway
blessing
and and I’m gonna hold the blessing up
I’ll hold it for you and when you go and
make things right I’ll release the
blessing on the offering you brought and
he didn’t say take it with you and get
it right and bring it back he said leave
it on the altar I don’t trust you I
don’t trust you but this way you got
something invested do you see that this
way there’s an incentive because you’ve
got the offering on the altar and it’s a
layaway plan for the blessings of God
and go first and make that right with
that brother of that sister this is the
alignment of relationships and folks it
matters it matters you have to get along
with people it matters you know the
priority of relationships alignment in
relationships we’re into extreme
individualism it’s all about me and
Jesus we’ve got our own thing going and
we’ve got people that Maytag repairman
can fix things and the iPhone man can
fix things and the car repairman can fix
things but we need somebody to fix the
relationships that we are in and he says
you don’t need to just ignore this year
if you want the blessings of God get in
alignment for the blessing and first be
reconciled and even if they don’t want
to be reconciled with you you’ve done
your part when you reach out and try to
reconcile and then God says I can bless
that life number number 4 Matthew
chapter 12 in verse 29 talks about
another alignment he says that how can
you take someone’s goods and get and
spoil their house until you first enter
the strongman house and you spoil his
goods
he said you first notice that first vine
the strong man and we know this is
alignment of authority this has to do
with the fact that the devil has stolen
from you the devil has stolen some
things from you he’s stolen
relationships he’s stolen money he’s
stolen health
he’s stolen things and you know to be
passive you can’t be passive sometimes
the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence
and the violent take it by force and he
said I want you to get this year in
alignment with Authority and take
authority over the strongman Satan has
your stuff in a storage unit and he has
your name on it but he says I’ve stolen
from them and they’ll never get it back
but the Bible said if you want your
stuff back
first take authority and bind the
strongman first bind the strongman and
don’t accept that it’s gone forever
you lose your keys and you will look for
them until you find them you lose your
wallet and you will look for it until
you find it but the devil wants you to
say I’ve lost it so long I’ll never get
it back but the Bible said when the
enemy comes against you you are to bind
the strongman I think today that you’re
gonna get it back you’re gonna get your
joy back you’re gonna get your dream
back you’re going to get your marriage
back you’re going to get your finances
back you’re gonna get your purpose back
come on and agree with me somebody reach
over and grab somebody by the hand and
say in the name of Jesus say it out loud
shout it out loud in the name of Jesus
we bind the strongman he has our stuff
and the Bible said if the thief be found
he must restore what he stole Sevenfold
Lord I received this year the Sevenfold
blessing now lift up a shout of praise
because you have alignment of authority
operating I want you to know that we’re
not defeated we have authority over
demons we have authority over Devils we
have authority over the spirit of lack
the spirit of fear the spirit of
depression the spirit of suicide the
spirit of discouragement God is saying
buying those strong men and I will
restore Under
you the joy of your salvation everybody
take a praise break hallelujah feel
faith in this place today shout I’m
taking it back
[Applause]
there’s another first thing found in
Matthew 22 and verse 36 he says master
which is the Great Commandment and jesus
said thou shalt love the Lord your God
with all of your heart mind and so this
notice this is the first and Great
Commandment and love your neighbor as
you love yourself this is the alignment
of your heart and God is saying for this
year I really want to bless you I really
want you to be in alignment so that I
can bless you in the city and bless you
in the field I want to open up my good
treasures I want to open up the windows
of heaven and pour you out blessing that
you will not have a room enough to
receive but in order for that to happen
here’s the first thing you’ve got to do
you got to get that alignment of heart
thou shalt love the Lord thy God this is
the first commandment with all of your
heart you see what you get excited about
is what you activate what you get
passionate about is what you activate
and he says I want your heart I want you
this year to give me your heart it’s the
first great commandment and he said love
the Lord with all of your heart mind
soul love your neighbor and love
yourself now we we like that love God
and we agree with that I should love my
neighbor but we forget the biggest part
of that loving your neighbor is as you
love yourself in other words God is
saying I want you to get in alignment
with the fact that I I love you and
don’t you listen to the voice of the
enemy that tells you to hate yourself
because you’re ugly because you’re
inferior because you’re stupid you’ll
hear the voices on the inside tell you
you can’t do anything right you’re good
for nothing that is not in alignment
with what the king has to say about you
he said that is not my voice listen to
me
it’s never
Giants that keep us out of the promised
land it’s never the Giants on the
outside it was the ten spies on the
inside
it was the voices of the ten on the
inside that kept them from victory not
the Giants on the outside the thing that
will stop you from your dream and your
promised land will never be if God told
you to take it and do it it’ll never be
the Giants and they you will face them
but they are not authorised to stop you
it’ll always be the voices on the inside
the ten voices said we’re not able the
spies said we’re not able to said we’re
well label but ten said we can’t do it
we’re not good enough we’re not big
enough we’re not strong enough we don’t
have enough money we can’t do it we
can’t do it and beware of the voices on
the inside and he said I want you to
love yourself on the inside get in
alignment with your heart with others
and love your self I like this next one
it’s a big one Matthew 23 he was talking
to a bunch of self-righteous Pharisees
who wore white clothing to show how holy
they were all the time if they went if
they went to a ball game they wore their
little white white little cloak costs
and stuff so they everybody know how
whole if they went anywhere they they
went around who I’m holy I’m holy and
Jesus said in verse Matthew 23 and verse
26 he said you guys and you know you got
the cup in the planter on the outside
but he said in verse 26 cleanse first
everybody say first cleanse first that
which is inside the cup that’s the
alignment of your inner world you can’t
take the man out of the slum you’ve got
to get the slum out of the man and that
alignment in your inner world is your
purity it’s your thought life and and
they they were so worried about looking
the part on the outside but
inside they were full of dead men’s
bones you know the world feeds on what
you are on the outside but God feeds on
what you are on the inside and that’s
why Jesus stood at the door and he said
behold I’m on the outside and I knock I
want to come in and sup with you but you
need to clean the cups on the inside
some people worry about the outward only
how I look and what people will think
about me but the greater thing to be
clean is is to be clean on the inside in
your thought life in your purity and
your attitude in your spirit God help us
to be that kind of people he says if you
want to be in the alignment of my
blessing don’t go around thinking your
holiness is in your outside because you
got to get it on the inside and then it
will change things on the outside that
the Holy Spirit convicts you of and he
will make you modest and he will change
some things and he will convict you if
you put on something that you shouldn’t
put on and start to do something but you
don’t base your salvation on your
outside it’s all on being clean on the
inside first let me give you another one
and I’m done John chapter 20 and verse
19 on the first day of the week the
disciples were assembled you get in
alignment this year listen to this
preacher God told me to tell you this he
said tell the people to get in alignment
with the body of Christ on the first day
of the week that you don’t just come to
church hit skip or miss but you get in
alignment with the body of Christ on the
first day of the week it’s the Sabbath
make your priority God’s house this year
and watch the blessings find you and
overtake you Jacob said I will call this
place he saw a vision of angels going up
and down he said I found the gate of
heaven I will call this place Bethel
which means house of God which means
simply this that there are things that
God will do for you in church that he
will not do for you by yourself
there is nothing that can take the place
of the alignment with the body of Christ
which says one can put a thousand but
now there’s thousands here two can put
ten thousand look at somebody beside you
and say I’m seven times stronger because
I’m sitting by you this morning my
prayers right now are seven times
stronger my prays right now is seven
times stronger my faith right now is
seven times stronger if one can put a
thousand two can put ten thousand I’m
telling you you’re in the right place
for a miracle today
somebody shout this is the house of God
this is the gate of heaven and angels
are here
in alignment with the body of Christ and
I want to give you one more and don’t
lose your shout now you know I thought
about I heard about one lady that wrote
her pastor a letter and she said you
know I’m gonna give you a list of
Sunday’s that I need off and she said I
need the Sunday before Christmas and the
Sunday after Christmas because I have to
get ready for Christmas too Sunday
before my family comes I have to need
the Sunday after to get over it and I
need Easter holiday I need fourth of
July Sunday off I need Mother’s Day off
to go see my mother on the Father’s Day
Sunday off to see my father I need three
Sundays off for school closings on the
three Sundays off for family reunions
with me and my husband and other family
members I need five Sundays off for six
undies because I’ve got five people in
my family and just give one per Sunday
I need four Sundays off for business
affairs on the four Sundays off for bad
weather including a little piece of
sleet if it falls anything I need one
Sunday off for a company that came in
from out of town I need three Sundays
off for TV specials for things like the
Super Bowl and so bottom line is you
know how much that comes out to five
Sundays a year you can count on me being
in church five Sundays a year and you
know what you you hear that you think I
would never do that you need to take
inventory because how you treat God’s
house is how God will treat your house
and you will see direct blessings in
alignment with how you’re aligned with
the body of Christ come on dad come on
mom I’m preaching the truth make a
commitment to the house of God this year
last one y’all ready this one is in
Deuteronomy 26 and verse 2 thou shalt
take of the first of the earth and of
the land that the Lord gives you put it
in a basket go to the place which the
Lord God will choose to place his name
there and give it to God he said you
shall take the first
first fruits that’s the alignment of
your money proverbs 3 and verse 9 honor
the Lord with your substance and the
firstfruits of all your increase listen
to this what a magnificent blessing and
your barns will be filled with plenty
and your vats will overflow the tithe is
the first it’s not the cost of admission
to a gospel show the tithe is not what
you send to your poor cousin in
Birmingham the tithe is not what you
give to TV preachers the time belongs in
the storehouse that you call your church
that feeds your soul that ministers to
you and your family bring it to the
place listen he said you don’t choose
where the tithe goes
bring it to the place I have chosen now
you give offerings to anybody you want
but he said your tithe belongs in the
house the alignment of priority
relationships Authority your heart the
inner world the body of Christ and
alignment in our finances how many of
you this year would love to see the
tidal wave of God’s blessings overtaking
you and your family and this church in a
magnificent way let me see your hand
everybody in this room I’m going to ask
you to stand to your feet and I’m going
to ask you to lift up your hands for the
next few moments and while I preached I
believe God has been speaking to people
there are people in this room who are
who are backslidden who are not right
with God everybody right where you are
say these words Lord Jesus Lord Jesus I
surrender to you I give my heart to you
I give my life to you and I’m getting in
alignment with your wheel with your
kingdom wash me cleanse me forgive me
and
me mind telling this year I pray my name
is Cindy right I’ve been going to free
chapel for 11 years and I’ve been doing
the fast for 11 years as well
in July 2014 my mom was diagnosed with
the liver disease they said in order for
her to live most likely she’d have to
have a liver transplant over the next
two years she progressed and got worse
so in January when we did the corporate
fossil-free chap I was fasting for my
mom’s healing and I trusted God but I
didn’t know which way he was going to
choose to heal her what it’s going to be
on this side of heaven or the other side
it was a Wednesday afternoon and it was
about 4:15 and I got a call from my
mom’s nurse and she said Cindy I just
want let you know like your mom’s at the
top of the list right now we just listed
her on and with your mom’s blood type
like we can’t of course give you any
guarantees but you know it doesn’t
really look good for her and I just
remember feeling like okay this is going
to be the end you know she made it to
the list and this is going to be it so I
was walking out of church four hours
later that night and I got a phone call
from my mom and she said Cindy they have
a liver we’re going tonight we’re going
and I just remember stopping and just
crying like I can’t believe you did this
[Music]
doctors and nurses from different floors
different units were coming by to see
the lady who had been on the transplant
list for four hours it just doesn’t
happen and I don’t know if they were
believers but I feel like that maybe
they were after that happened because it
was just an amazing thing the greatest
blessing that comes out of fasting is
getting in God’s presence and just
hearing what he has to say to you the
miracles are byproduct those are those
are treasures but the true treasure is
having that relationship with God
you can trust him through no matter what
you’re going through I am so thankful
that she’s here with us this year and
that we can do all the things that we
always have done together
I’m just so thankful and grateful to God
that he gave my mom her life bag and he
got my kids their grandmother here at
free chapel our mission is simple to
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join us at one of our campuses this
Sunday here at free chapel a place to
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