Frankie Mazzapica - Stay Aware of the Vultures
The title of today’s message is «Stay Away from the Vultures.» Stay away—actually, stay aware. You can say «away» or you can say «aware,» but I want you to hold on to that word «aware.» Stay aware of them. In the Bible, if we read the book of Genesis, particularly in chapter 15, we find a man by the name of Abraham. God was blessing him; He made him exceedingly wealthy—very, very wealthy. In the Old Testament, the way you got rich was by how much flock you had: how many cows, sheep, and goats. Abraham had more than anyone else; he was incredibly wealthy.
Abraham came to the Lord and said, «You’ve made me so wealthy,» and he was old in years. He said, «The part that breaks my heart is my wife is barren; she can’t have kids. So all that I have is going to go to someone outside of my family. I’m just going to give it to somebody.» The Lord looked at him and said, «I’ve heard your prayers, and I want you to look into the sky.» He pointed out all the stars in the heavens and said, «That’s going to be how many descendants you have.» But He added, «Before I give you that promise, before I give you that blessing, I want to see you take a step of faith on your behalf. I want to see you make a sacrifice in your life.»
Paul says this; I’m going to talk about Abraham today, but Paul says in Romans 12:1, «Because of how merciful God has been to you, just nod at me if you know that God has been very merciful to you.» Paul says, «Because of that mercy, offer your entire life as a sacrifice to Him.» The sacrifice precedes blessings. You need to look at an area of your life and say, «I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m not going to say this anymore. I’m not going to act like this anymore. I’m not going to…» These are sacrifices. These sacrifices are required before God will bless you. You have to sacrifice your life before you are saved. So the Lord is looking at Abraham and says, «I’m going to bless you, but I need you to make a sacrifice. I want you to go and take five of your animals and sacrifice them.»
Now keep in mind that’s how they got rich. This is what the Bible says in Genesis 15:1: Abraham presented God with the animals that He asked for. He presented them, then he killed them, cut them in half, separated them, and offered those sacrifices to the Lord. Then the Bible says that vultures began to circle down over the sacrifices. This is what the Bible says: «But Abraham chased them away.» So here we see Abraham as a shepherd. Now, you know when you look in the sky and see like 30 vultures circling around, all of us know what that means—there’s something dead over there, some carcasses. When Abraham separated them, he made an aisle between the halves of the animals. So, here come the vultures to feed on the sacrifice. The Bible says Abraham chased them away. He swung to get those vultures out of there.
What are these vultures trying to take away from the sacrifice? Anytime you decide, «I’m not going to do this anymore. I’m not going to talk like that. I’m not going to act like this. I’m going to start doing this,» vultures come down on that sacrifice. The vultures know that if they can get you to stop, then they take your sacrifice away. You only made the sacrifice for about 10 minutes, and that is going to stop the blessings and promises that God has for you. So Abraham knew that. He was saying, «No, I want my kids,» and he was fighting for them. «My sacrifice is for my kids. My sacrifice is going to allow me to do what I’m born to do. I’m born to be a father.» We’re all born to do certain things. Some of you are fathers, some of you mothers, but in addition to that, there’s a divine assignment.
When we say, «You’re not going to steal my sacrifice,» we’re saying, «My destiny means too much to me. There’s too much available for me to stop sacrificing.» When I pray, I think to myself. Before I pray, I feel just like you—I don’t feel like it. You never feel like it. It’s like, «No, I have to do this.» Why? Because there’s too much available, and there’s too much on the line. I’ve got to say, «I don’t feel like it, but I know what you’re doing, devil. You’re trying to get me to stop praying.»
These vultures mess with your thoughts and attitudes. They’re like bartenders; they want to get you drunk. Sacrifices bring the fire—the anointing of God. So let’s talk about that first point. These vultures, when they swoop down, what are they trying to do? They are trying to mess with your thoughts and your attitudes. This is why in Ephesians 4:22, it says, «Get rid of your old sinful nature.» All of us have different struggles; yours are probably different from the person next to you. Get rid of them; it has been corrupted by lust and deception. The devil’s lying to you, and if he can’t get you to not believe in God, he’ll get you to believe that your decisions don’t have consequences. That’s the devil. He said to get rid of it; it’s deception. Instead, let the Holy Spirit change your thoughts and your attitudes. Put on the new nature of God. It says to put on the new nature of God—it’s an action, deliberate and intentional. My nature, what I want to do, is terrible, but I’m going to purpose to change.
If he can control your thoughts, he can control your behavior. If he can control your behavior, he can control your actions. He’s after your thoughts and your attitudes. I was speaking at another church last Sunday, and the pastor was telling me about someone he knows. He said, «This friend drove through Nebraska, and he got a ticket while he was there. He wasn’t really going too much faster than the speed limit, but he was so angry he decided he’d never go to Nebraska again.» Since he’s on the border of Nebraska, he has to go all the way around to get where he’s going. He won’t drive through the state because he doesn’t want them to have his money. He’s saying, «I’m not going to contribute to your state; you guys are scum.» I thought to myself, «These vultures are controlling your thoughts, bro.»
I have a very close friend who won’t speak to his father. He goes to church every single Sunday, pays his tithes every Sunday, but he refuses to talk to his father. This unforgiveness is a vulture that he doesn’t even try to chase away. Matthew 6:15 says this: «If you refuse to forgive others, He will refuse to forgive you.» Unforgiveness is an unforgivable sin. If you don’t forgive, you won’t be forgiven. It’s an unforgivable sin. You need to chase that vulture away. Sometimes forgiveness can happen in a moment; sometimes it’s a process. But either way, you have to get these vultures out of here. If you don’t, you’ll find the vultures just sitting on you. You’ll argue with someone in your car when you’re alone. They have your thoughts and behaviors.
But then if the vulture lands, it wants to make you drunk. Ephesians 5:18 says, «Do not get drunk with wine; it will ruin your life. Instead, be drunk with the Holy Spirit.» Now, he’s not saying don’t drink wine. He was actually mentoring a young man named Timothy who was scared because he was too young. He was looking at people older than him and was afraid to preach. When I first started, I would get sick to my stomach before speaking because everyone was older than me. I was scared to death. Paul looked at Timothy and said, «Look, go have a glass of wine. It’s good for your stomach; it’ll help you.» But then he also said, «Do not get drunk.»
Why use that comparison? How does that even get into the conversation? Picture this: Have you ever tried to talk to a drunk person? I ran the New York City marathon about eight years ago. Our children were really small, so my wife couldn’t come with me. My brother came along, and now he sees this guy—he feels compelled to witness to him. He goes over there to tell him about Jesus. Initially, I thought, «This is going well,» but then I realized the guy was stone cold drunk. If you’ve ever been to New York, it seems like every 31st person is drunk out of their mind. My brother was telling him with passion that Jesus died for him and loves him. The guy looked back and said, «I love you, man.» Drunk people go into the «I love you» zone. You can’t even have a conversation with them! Their thoughts are controlled by the alcohol; their emotions are controlled by alcohol; their actions are controlled by alcohol. Their behavior is controlled by alcohol. There are vultures on them.
He’s saying, «Rather than doing that, I want you to be filled with the Spirit. Instead of alcohol filling and controlling you, I want the Spirit to fill you and control you.» In the same way, why are you thinking like that? The Holy Spirit is all up in me. Why are you acting like that? «I don’t know; the Holy Spirit’s all up in me.» At some point, if it wasn’t alcohol, it was thoughts and behaviors and actions. In this particular part, it’s saying, «I can’t act like everyone else. I can’t do what you do.» That’s a vulture! «I can’t live like that and expect to receive the promises God has for me.»
Why did Abraham swing away at those vultures the entire day? The animals were dead—what does he care? The sacrifice was contingent. The promises of God were contingent on the sacrifice. «Satan, you’re not going to swoop in and take my sacrifice away. This is how I choose to live.» How long did he chase those vultures? The Bible says he did this all the way until nighttime. These spirits want to make you drunk.
When I was in school, I actually went to the same school as Crystal Williams, one of our singers. We grew up in the same school. None of you get to talk to her! I was inches away from getting kicked out of school. The principal told me, «If you do one more thing, you’re gone.» I was concentrating as hard as I could. Some people can be good without concentrating. Ever meet someone like that? I look at some people and think, «You’ve never had anyone in your life not like you.» I have to concentrate, and he told me, «Frankie, you’re concentrating on not doing bad too hard. What you need to do is concentrate on doing good, and you naturally won’t do bad.» His name was Mr. Parker; he changed my life forever. He was quoting scripture in a softer way so that I’d receive it. Now that I’m older, it’s in Galatians 5:16: «Do not walk after the flesh; don’t do things just because you want to; don’t do things just because you feel like it. Don’t follow that.»
These are vultures! Just don’t do that. Instead, look for things to do well. Turn on the worship music in your car. Go to YouTube and find worship music. Watch the service over again; you’ve got a zillion songs in the palm of your hand on your phone. Just play worship music. Be that person, an encouragement. Some people you can’t trust because they’re always saying something bad about someone. Are you with me? You’re thinking, «I cannot talk to them about anything significant.» These people are vultures. They are going to kill you.
Just imagine you’ve got a pool stick and you’re looking at their head like you’re a vulture. «I can talk to you, but you’re a vulture.» Anyone have someone in their life that’s a vulture? Blink twice if you’re sitting next to them. They want to make you drunk. These vultures mess with your thoughts, your emotions; you’re not wrestling against flesh and blood; it’s these vultures. Sometimes, in full transparency, they just land on me. I didn’t chase them away, and I know they landed on me because I feel myself getting mad, angry, or depressed.
I’m anointed to preach this, but I have to live it just like everyone else. When it lands, you can feel it. I don’t feel like praying. If you love the Lord in your head and your heart, but you can’t say it with your mouth, there’s a vulture with claws sitting on your face, closing your mouth. You didn’t see it coming, and now you’re cold as ice. Sometimes, for me, it’s not in that aspect; it’s more that I fight depression. That’s my challenge. If that vulture lands on me, I get depressed. That’s how it gets to me. Once it lands, you know it’s very hard to get it off. If we don’t talk about that this morning, then we’re doing ourselves a disservice.
When you get down, you get discouraged. I got really down during the first service, on the front row in church. I just started thinking about everything I wish I was better at. It’s horrible. I was thinking, «I’m 6'2», and then I’m 6'0», then I’m 5'10», and finally I’m 5'8.» I’m just shrinking. «Dear God, help me!» Five minutes went by; I thought again, «Help me, dear God! I’ve got to encourage them, and I’m depressed. This isn’t good.»
You couldn’t hold it in, could you? You tried! In these situations, you’ve got to figure out what to do at that point. Do you just let the vulture live and enjoy that spirit, or do you say, «There’s too much on the line? I didn’t do well fighting it off. I need your help now.» You have to open your mouth and break the claws of that vulture stuck to your lips. You say, «I need your help!»
How many times have I been driving down the road alone in my truck, looking at the passenger seat, imagining Jesus sitting right there? I look over and say, «I need you right now.» Then I keep repeating it: «I need you! I need you right now, right now! I love you!» Then I start praising Him immediately. The enemy cannot bring you down while you’re lifting Him up. He can’t do it!
«I love you! I need you! You’re my deliverer! I love you! I need you!» And He comes along and just slaps that vulture off your mouth. Now let me get back to what happened after he separated the sacrifices. The Bible says in Genesis 15:17 that he saw a steaming pot and a torch on fire going right through the sacrifices. If you read scripture, fire is a representation of the Holy Spirit. When you make sacrifices—when you say, «Devil, you’re not going to get me; I’m active"—the Spirit of the Lord sees that and says, «I see your sacrifices, and now I’m going to give you the promises that are buried in your heart.»
Sure enough, his wife Sarah, who was 100, had a baby—a miracle, reaching 100 and having a baby. She had descendants just like the stars in the sky—all because he fought for his sacrifice. Why don’t you stand up on your feet for me, if you would? I want us to do something together. I want to challenge you to do this often in your life throughout the week: when you have a thought or a desire that you long for from God, put your hands out like you’re going to receive it. Remember the scripture in Job 12:10, which says, «The life of every living thing is in the Lord’s hand.» Watch this: «The breath of every human, every breath you take, is coming out of the Lord’s hand.» It’s beyond our imagination. When you think of something you desire from the Lord, put your hands out knowing that the next breath is from the Lord.
Say, «When I breathe in, I want your Holy Spirit to touch me and make me new.» What we’re talking about this morning is sacrificing things in our life to keep those vultures away. We want that fire of the Holy Spirit to burn within us and protect us. Fire keeps you warm; it brings comfort. Fire in the night keeps wild animals away. We need the fire. So, I want you to put your hands out like this and just say, «Lord, as I breathe in, I want to breathe in your Spirit.»
Repeat after me for a moment: «Jesus!» Say it like you mean it: «Jesus! I love you! I’m sorry for every single sin! I want you to fill me with your Spirit!» For those of you that already know you’ve been filled with the Spirit, just know that the refilling of the Holy Spirit is like waves in the ocean. They just keep coming over and over again—fresh and new. Now that we’ve prayed together, I want you to lift your chin and look to the Lord as best you can. Try to visualize Him. I just want you to concentrate on inhaling the breath that He’s giving you, breathing in the Holy Spirit. Go ahead.
Sometimes, an evil spirit, a vulture, will sneak itself into your thoughts and emotions. Just as you’re breathing in the Holy Spirit of God, I want you to exhale. Say, «Every time I breathe out, every time I blow out, devil and spirits, you leave me now. Get out of my thoughts!» Just breathe that spirit out, just as you say, «Holy Spirit, I breathe you in.» Concentrate on that for the next few minutes.
Don’t pray; let me pray for you. «Every evil tormenting spirit, you leave the room now. Now, let the presence of the Lord touch every person in a fresh way.» You can lower your arms. I’d like for all our prayer partners to come down. Sometimes, life is easy and you have no burdens. Life is good, and then there are other times when life is hard; life is a challenge. You’re not supposed to deal with those challenges on your own. If you could get rid of them on your own, you would have done so in 60 seconds. You cannot get rid of them; you need God. You know that because that’s why you came today.
If you want someone to pray for you, come out of your seat and take the hand of a prayer partner. Let them pray for you. There’s no official dismissal, so you can leave whenever you’re ready. But let’s sing this song one time through before anyone goes. May the Lord bless you, may He keep you, may His face shine down upon you and be gracious to you. May His countenance be lifted upon you and bring you peace. In Jesus' name, amen.