1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,960 Welcome to Go Church Beirut, your place to love, grow and go. 2 00:00:07,960 --> 00:00:14,840 Get ready to hear an inspiring message recorded during a Go Church Beirut gathering. 3 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:15,840 Good morning church. 4 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:17,500 It's an honor to be with you this morning. 5 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:19,300 My name is Gilbert. 6 00:00:19,300 --> 00:00:24,080 I'm really excited to share this message with you today called Trails of Thought because 7 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:26,480 today we're going to make you think a little bit. 8 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:27,480 That's the goal. 9 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:33,920 You see, I can't give you every single thing that the Lord wants you to have in 30, 40 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,600 minutes, maybe 50 minutes. 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:36,600 I don't know. 12 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:37,600 Not sure. 13 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:42,760 Let me put my timer on since we're talking about time. 14 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,160 But my job is to make you think. 15 00:00:45,160 --> 00:00:50,120 My job is to open up scriptures to you and to help you receive something new. 16 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,980 You see, Jesus says that His words contain spirit. 17 00:00:53,980 --> 00:00:55,600 His words are spirit and life. 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,200 They contain the life of God's spirit. 19 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,000 These words are more than just words. 20 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:05,200 These words are things that you can open up like containers and receive from. 21 00:01:05,200 --> 00:01:09,980 So my job is to help unpack that and to help you see that. 22 00:01:09,980 --> 00:01:13,120 But you also have a part to play this morning. 23 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:20,080 Your job is to come here expecting to receive something new from the Word of God. 24 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:27,240 And your job is to leave here and change something because of what you've seen today. 25 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,840 If this doesn't impact you in any way and there are no changes that you can apply in 26 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,520 your life, this might as well be Netflix, right? 27 00:01:34,520 --> 00:01:35,520 Just entertainment. 28 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:36,700 But that's not the case. 29 00:01:36,700 --> 00:01:38,280 The Word of God is a lot more than that. 30 00:01:38,280 --> 00:01:42,680 The Word of God is precious and there's something in it for you today. 31 00:01:42,680 --> 00:01:44,360 Amen. 32 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:51,120 So with that, I also want to say that each and every single person here is a precious 33 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:52,120 gift from God. 34 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:57,360 So how about you turn around and say welcome to someone you haven't seen before. 35 00:01:57,360 --> 00:01:58,360 Shake hands. 36 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:06,680 I'm only doing this because I'm not sitting there and I'm usually an introvert. 37 00:02:06,680 --> 00:02:16,440 So the reason I'm making you do this today as well is because during worship, the Lord 38 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:23,840 really put in my heart how much He loves each and every single one of you and how precious 39 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,760 you are to Him and how much of a treasure you are to Him. 40 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:32,280 And the relationships with the people that you could have in this room would be some 41 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:37,600 of the most powerful relationships that you would ever have. 42 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:44,160 And these relationships would go beyond this world into eternity. 43 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,240 So they're so precious. 44 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:49,220 So let's get to the message today. 45 00:02:49,220 --> 00:02:52,840 The message is called Trails of Thought. 46 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:57,440 Like we said, this message is designed to make you think. 47 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,220 Think about your thoughts. 48 00:02:59,220 --> 00:03:04,980 Think about what's going on in your mind and how we can use that to our advantage rather 49 00:03:04,980 --> 00:03:07,480 than our disadvantage. 50 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:11,100 So I have a question I want to ask. 51 00:03:11,100 --> 00:03:12,780 This question. 52 00:03:12,780 --> 00:03:16,260 What does it look like to live a spiritual life? 53 00:03:16,260 --> 00:03:20,920 And you guys are going to help me answer. 54 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:21,920 No answer? 55 00:03:21,920 --> 00:03:22,920 It's quiet. 56 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:35,760 I need help with that. 57 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:43,400 That's good that we're led so we live a life led by the Holy Spirit. 58 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,520 The truth of the Word is manifest in our lives. 59 00:03:46,520 --> 00:03:50,840 That's really good. 60 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,400 That's really good. 61 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:54,840 The Surinam thoughts. 62 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:56,600 Thank you for sharing my message today. 63 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,720 I appreciate it. 64 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,000 Be a doer of the Word. 65 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:02,280 I like that. 66 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:04,400 You guys are literally preaching my message today. 67 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,000 I appreciate it. 68 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Well, let's take a look at what Paul says. 69 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:10,000 Like we learned to Rhema today. 70 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:11,200 It doesn't matter what I say. 71 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:12,440 It doesn't matter what anyone says. 72 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:14,160 What does the Bible say? 73 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,900 And we're going to look at what Paul says. 74 00:04:16,900 --> 00:04:22,320 And Paul in his letter to the Colossian Church in the first chapter and a half is talking 75 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:28,200 about who Jesus is, the truth about God, the truth about what he's done for us and what 76 00:04:28,200 --> 00:04:30,600 that makes us. 77 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:35,000 And there are some powerful, powerful, powerful truths in there. 78 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,920 And then he goes on to talk about this. 79 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:41,120 I'm going to read a few scriptures here. 80 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:42,440 This is in Colossians two. 81 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:43,440 Just listen in. 82 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,340 You don't have to turn there right now. 83 00:04:45,340 --> 00:04:52,160 But he says, because God did all of this for you through Jesus, therefore let no one sit 84 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:57,240 in judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regards to a feast day or a 85 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,580 new moon or a Sabbath. 86 00:04:59,580 --> 00:05:05,760 He goes on to say, let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy 87 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,040 and disqualifying you for the prize. 88 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,840 He goes on to say, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? 89 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:19,000 Why do you submit to rules and regulations such as do not handle, do not touch, do not 90 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,240 taste? 91 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:26,560 And then he goes on to say this, this key scripture I want us all to look at and read 92 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:31,440 together. 93 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:37,540 Colossians chapter two, verse 22 in the truth, New Testament, these, these religious regulations 94 00:05:37,540 --> 00:05:43,000 contain no life because they are really human commands and teachings. 95 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:47,740 So Paul is saying a contrasting thing. 96 00:05:47,740 --> 00:05:52,540 First of all, he says what living a spiritual life is not and what it doesn't look like. 97 00:05:52,540 --> 00:05:59,520 And the fact is living a religious life with regulations, just with manmade rules and what 98 00:05:59,520 --> 00:06:04,960 I should do and what I shouldn't do and, oh, someone else did this and they saw me do this. 99 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,000 This is not a spiritual life. 100 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,580 In fact, he says that it contains no life. 101 00:06:11,580 --> 00:06:17,900 In contrast, he goes on to say this in chapter three, he says, you have been raised with 102 00:06:17,900 --> 00:06:21,560 Christ to share in his risen life. 103 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,820 So on one hand, rules and regulations that we follow contain no life. 104 00:06:26,820 --> 00:06:32,840 On the other hand, we have been raised to share in his risen life. 105 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:36,300 You see, when we all received Jesus, we were all born again. 106 00:06:36,300 --> 00:06:38,720 We became new creatures in Christ. 107 00:06:38,720 --> 00:06:40,720 Old things have passed away. 108 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:44,060 All things have become new. 109 00:06:44,060 --> 00:06:45,560 What does that mean? 110 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,160 That means that I can share in his risen life. 111 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:53,460 Now, I'm going to pause here for a second and say that if you never had the chance to 112 00:06:53,460 --> 00:06:57,520 receive Jesus in your life, we'll have a chance by the end of the service. 113 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,080 So stick around. 114 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,520 This is something you do not want to miss and you do not want to leave without doing 115 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,520 today. 116 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:16,280 So on one hand, Paul's saying religious regulations and a life void of life, for better words, 117 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:21,400 I don't really have better words, but a life under religious tradition contains no life. 118 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:22,500 They're just rules. 119 00:07:22,500 --> 00:07:27,800 But on the other hand, that we are to share in the risen life of Christ, we were designed 120 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:33,480 to live and walk on this earth just as he lived and walked on this earth with his life. 121 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,720 That's right. 122 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,840 Okay. 123 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:38,400 You know, John G. 124 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:39,680 Lake said something amazing. 125 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:42,440 He said Christianity is not a religion. 126 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,000 Christianity is the life of God coming into man. 127 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,880 Again? 128 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:50,320 Yeah. 129 00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:52,500 Christianity is not a religion. 130 00:07:52,500 --> 00:07:56,560 Christianity is the life of God coming into man. 131 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:01,080 So because I'm a Christian, I live in the life of God with the life of God, with the 132 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,640 power of God in me. 133 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:08,560 So then Paul goes on to say this, and this is where we're now taking a turn in our message. 134 00:08:08,560 --> 00:08:13,640 He says, so set your hearts on heavenly things for that is where Christ is now seated at 135 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:15,240 God's right hand. 136 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:21,640 You need to have heavenly thinking and not be restricted by mere worldly thoughts. 137 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:22,640 So here's the thing. 138 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:29,440 If you want to enjoy this risen life, if you want to enjoy participating in the life of 139 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:32,220 God, there are two things that Paul's telling you to do. 140 00:08:32,220 --> 00:08:37,400 Set your hearts on things above, set your hearts on God's things. 141 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:42,680 And the second thing is you need to have heavenly thinking. 142 00:08:42,680 --> 00:08:49,240 So let me, let me make this statement right here that a spiritual life cannot be measured 143 00:08:49,240 --> 00:08:55,300 against the rules we keep, but a spiritual life is determined by our focus. 144 00:08:55,300 --> 00:09:00,220 What we focus on in our hearts and what we focus on with our minds. 145 00:09:00,220 --> 00:09:02,820 And that's what we're going to be talking about today. 146 00:09:02,820 --> 00:09:10,360 What we do with our minds. 147 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:15,660 So in the next slide, there is another question, which is why trails of thought. 148 00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:18,320 So we named this message trails of thought. 149 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,080 Why is that? 150 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,120 It's because thoughts are real. 151 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,000 You know, I was researching statistics, pastor Matt shared some statistics with me, and then 152 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,960 I went on to research this a little bit. 153 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:39,600 And I saw that on average per day, human beings have 6,000 up to 60,000 thoughts a day. 154 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:46,480 Now there are different kinds of studies, but what that basically means is that we have 155 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:50,740 four up to 45 thoughts per minute. 156 00:09:50,740 --> 00:09:54,340 Now whichever study you decide to believe, frankly, I believe both because there's days 157 00:09:54,340 --> 00:09:57,040 where I just have maybe zero thoughts a minute. 158 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:58,680 I'm just staring at the wall. 159 00:09:58,680 --> 00:10:01,420 My wife's probably wondering, what are you doing? 160 00:10:01,420 --> 00:10:05,000 You know, but there are other days where my mind's running and my mind's racing and I'm 161 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,800 having maybe more than 45 thoughts a day. 162 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:15,340 And another fact, another statistic is that 80% of those thoughts are negative thoughts. 163 00:10:15,340 --> 00:10:19,340 If you don't believe me, try this out. 164 00:10:19,340 --> 00:10:24,240 Would you speak to your friends the same way you speak to yourself in the mirror? 165 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,320 The things I say to myself sometimes, if I said it to my friends, I wouldn't have friends. 166 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:29,880 It's a reality. 167 00:10:29,880 --> 00:10:32,120 It's a truth. 168 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:35,040 But we're changing that this morning. 169 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,940 We're going a little further this morning and we're taking a look at what's going on 170 00:10:39,940 --> 00:10:42,000 in our minds. 171 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,640 Another thing about thoughts is that they take you places. 172 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,320 You see, thoughts influence your actions. 173 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:54,400 Actions influence your position. 174 00:10:54,400 --> 00:11:00,400 And your position determines what you're going to experience in your life. 175 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:09,320 Can we go on to the next slide? 176 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:10,320 There's an extra slide in there. 177 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:16,080 Can we skip over two slides, please, to the image? 178 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:18,440 Thank you. 179 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:19,800 Can anyone guess where this is? 180 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,880 Does anyone recognize this place except for my wife? 181 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:23,880 Exactly. 182 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:24,880 That's right. 183 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:33,780 This is a place I love going and it's a place that I love to jog at over the weekends. 184 00:11:33,780 --> 00:11:34,780 You guys stay same. 185 00:11:34,780 --> 00:11:36,560 I never see you jogging up there, by the way. 186 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:37,560 I'm just saying. 187 00:11:37,560 --> 00:11:41,760 But me, on the other hand, every weekend I go there like a champ. 188 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:42,760 I start jogging. 189 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:47,600 I'm talking a little bit about myself, getting some energy. 190 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:52,280 It's really a time where I'm so exhausted that there again I'm not letting my thoughts 191 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,160 take over me. 192 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:58,520 The Lord gets to share a lot with me while I'm running and that's a whole other message. 193 00:11:58,520 --> 00:12:04,560 But what I did want to share is this illustration, which actually led to this theme, led to this 194 00:12:04,560 --> 00:12:07,040 message. 195 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,160 There was one day when I was just jogging down the pavement. 196 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,880 This is kind of the beginning of the road and then you keep going. 197 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:16,720 It's like around a kilometer long and then you come back. 198 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:22,480 It's one of the few places that is relatively flat in Lebanon and has a sidewalk, so I just 199 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:23,800 really enjoy it. 200 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,760 I was there jogging, jogging, listening to music, feeling good about myself. 201 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:33,240 All of a sudden I see a guy right in front of me, maybe 20 meters down and he's walking 202 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,160 his dog. 203 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:36,560 I really like dogs. 204 00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:37,560 I have a dog. 205 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:42,440 I just have a criticism in Lebanon about how some people walk their dogs. 206 00:12:42,440 --> 00:12:47,000 Because sometimes they don't walk their dogs, the dogs walk them. 207 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:53,360 It's kind of like this, this thing happening and that dog looked a little rough. 208 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:55,440 So I'm like, okay. 209 00:12:55,440 --> 00:13:00,400 I start looking at the dog, I get closer and I start getting off the pavement and I start 210 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:01,400 running there. 211 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:07,200 So if this is the pavement, I'm running right here and I start running and running and running. 212 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:11,480 Then I get next to the dog and the Lord prompts me in my heart, so it's not like an audible 213 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:15,160 voice, but he prompts me in my heart, look where you're standing. 214 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:20,720 So I kind of stopped jogging for a second and I started looking around me and sure enough, 215 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,280 that's the pavement and I'm standing in the middle of the road. 216 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:25,800 I have my earphones in, I'm not hearing what's going on. 217 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,440 I'm not focused on my surroundings, I'm focused on the dog. 218 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:33,820 So in that very moment, when I realized where I was standing, the Lord prompted me again 219 00:13:33,820 --> 00:13:39,080 and he said this, he said, this is what fear does to my people. 220 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,440 All right, think about it. 221 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:45,340 This is what fear does to my people. 222 00:13:45,340 --> 00:13:49,640 So if I'm walking on the pavement or I'm running on the pavement, I'm in the right place. 223 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:51,760 I'm where I'm supposed to be running and walking. 224 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:53,400 This is my safe place. 225 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,480 Happy day, sun shining. 226 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:58,760 I'm doing exactly what I should be doing. 227 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:00,100 But then I start focusing. 228 00:14:00,100 --> 00:14:06,040 My focus goes to the dog, my attention goes to the dog rather than the fact that I'm supposed 229 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:08,040 to be on this path. 230 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,640 And I start getting off the road and off the road. 231 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:11,640 And where am I now? 232 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:12,640 I'm in the danger zone. 233 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:14,600 I'm exactly where I shouldn't be. 234 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:19,840 And if there was a car in that moment, I would have been in serious trouble. 235 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:27,980 So fear took me out of the place I was supposed to be in, into the wrong place. 236 00:14:27,980 --> 00:14:30,880 And that's why we're talking about trails of thought. 237 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:37,160 Okay, we're talking about trails of thought because our thoughts take us places. 238 00:14:37,160 --> 00:14:41,840 You see our thoughts lead to actions. 239 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,320 Our actions put us in a certain position. 240 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:49,480 And that position will determine what we're going to experience. 241 00:14:49,480 --> 00:14:53,960 Can we go back to the last slide, please? 242 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:55,600 Before that. 243 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:57,080 Thank you. 244 00:14:57,080 --> 00:15:01,080 Maybe I should have been more organized with my slides. 245 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:08,920 This is basically our key scripture for the month, which we're going to be talking about 246 00:15:08,920 --> 00:15:13,300 and digging deeper on in our grow groups. 247 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:18,680 But I wanted to just put this back up and show you now that we've talked about this, 248 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,400 that our thoughts take us places. 249 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:26,980 And it says this, it says, for to be carnally minded is death. 250 00:15:26,980 --> 00:15:30,460 But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 251 00:15:30,460 --> 00:15:35,760 And this is why there are two arrows on the floor right now, just to give you a visual. 252 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:41,580 Because if we are carnally minded, we start going places that lead us to death. 253 00:15:41,580 --> 00:15:48,360 And if we are spiritually minded, it starts leading us into places of life and peace. 254 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:50,600 Amen. 255 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:56,740 All right. 256 00:15:56,740 --> 00:16:01,880 So in preparation for this message, if there's anything that I received from the Lord to 257 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:05,060 prompt you about, it's these three questions. 258 00:16:05,060 --> 00:16:10,320 And I always think that during messages, questions are very powerful because it gets us thinking. 259 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:14,800 So when we start opening our Bibles and we start living our lives, we reflect on these 260 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:15,800 questions. 261 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:21,200 You see, during our series and grow groups, we put up three key subjects and we start 262 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:26,460 digging deeper on Bible subjects and how these apply to our lives. 263 00:16:26,460 --> 00:16:31,040 And I really want to ask these questions and I want to base this message around these three 264 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:32,400 questions. 265 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:33,640 And these are the three questions. 266 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:35,720 What are you looking at? 267 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:37,860 What are you acting on? 268 00:16:37,860 --> 00:16:39,800 And what are you experiencing? 269 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,620 All right. 270 00:16:41,620 --> 00:16:50,360 So the first part is what are you looking at? 271 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:54,040 You see, before I get to, you know what? 272 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:57,240 I really enjoy this, this artwork. 273 00:16:57,240 --> 00:16:58,880 Are you guys seeing the artwork in the back? 274 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:02,280 Are you noticing what it is? 275 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:04,700 It's a crossroad, right? 276 00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:09,360 And we're going either left or we're going right. 277 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:17,160 So there's a point where when we go hiking, if you enjoy hiking, you can take different 278 00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:18,680 trails. 279 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:24,160 And we're talking about the crossroads of these trails going one direction or going 280 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:25,640 the other direction. 281 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:26,680 All right. 282 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:32,540 So let's, the first step to going in the wrong direction or the right direction is looking 283 00:17:32,540 --> 00:17:35,160 in a certain direction, right? 284 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,220 The next step is walking. 285 00:17:37,220 --> 00:17:39,280 Who here has ridden a bicycle before? 286 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:40,280 Okay. 287 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,640 So you all know how it works. 288 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:43,640 You don't actually turn. 289 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,360 You kind of just look in a certain direction. 290 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:47,360 You go there. 291 00:17:47,360 --> 00:17:51,360 Who here has fallen off a bicycle because they were trying to turn one direction, but 292 00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:55,240 looking the other direction. 293 00:17:55,240 --> 00:18:02,880 It really hurt by the way, not pleasant, but this is the point. 294 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:08,640 The point is in order to go in a certain direction, we have to start looking in a certain direction. 295 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:14,920 Can we go to the next slide, please? 296 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:19,640 So let's start building up this picture of what the trail of fear and what the trail 297 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:23,400 of faith looks like. 298 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:32,360 So the first scripture I want us to look at is an answer to what are you looking at? 299 00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:39,200 And this is in second Corinthians chapter four, verse 18. 300 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:46,580 And it says this, we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not 301 00:18:46,580 --> 00:18:57,560 seen for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 302 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,860 So this is the answer from the end to the beginning. 303 00:19:01,860 --> 00:19:04,860 What is the Bible telling us to look at? 304 00:19:04,860 --> 00:19:11,240 Not look, first of all, don't look at the things which are seen, but look at the things 305 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:13,200 which are not seen. 306 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:21,840 Because the things which are seen are temporary and they're up and down, like the economy, 307 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:29,800 like our grades, like job opportunities, like visa regulations, up and down, up and down, 308 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:32,640 up and down, up and down, up and down, temporary. 309 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:36,280 Very, very, very temporary. 310 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:43,080 But if you look at the things which are not seen, the eternal things, those things don't 311 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:44,360 change. 312 00:19:44,360 --> 00:19:49,060 The Bible says that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. 313 00:19:49,060 --> 00:19:51,600 So if I look at Jesus, he doesn't change. 314 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:59,160 It's just the steadiest thing to look at in my life is what God did for me and the eternal 315 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,720 plan of redemption for me. 316 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:11,280 So if I'm always focused on this and I start looking at this, this is what it looks like. 317 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:19,840 Oh, my passport doesn't take me many places, but maybe I should go to the places where 318 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:21,880 it takes me. 319 00:20:21,880 --> 00:20:26,360 Oh, the news just says that there was an explosion. 320 00:20:26,360 --> 00:20:28,160 So maybe I should leave. 321 00:20:28,160 --> 00:20:33,000 Oh, my grades are bad. 322 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:37,040 What are my parents going to say? 323 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,360 I need money. 324 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:44,200 I need a house. 325 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:49,920 Everyone tells me that I should be an engineer or I should be or I should be or I should 326 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:50,920 be. 327 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:57,520 And you start looking and looking and looking and looking at things that are temporary and 328 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,400 things that start taking you places. 329 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:07,080 But do you want to be led by needs, pressures, other people, or do you want to be led by 330 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:10,520 the plan of God for your life? 331 00:21:10,520 --> 00:21:18,120 Do you want to be led by the will of God, by what he tells you, by his word, by his 332 00:21:18,120 --> 00:21:19,580 spirit? 333 00:21:19,580 --> 00:21:23,560 You guys just answered it right before we started. 334 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:27,920 So this is what it looks like to live a spiritual life. 335 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,140 But the fact is, it starts with very natural things that you think about what you switch 336 00:21:32,140 --> 00:21:34,540 on and what you switch off. 337 00:21:34,540 --> 00:21:36,580 That is the first line. 338 00:21:36,580 --> 00:21:40,840 So what you look at determines where you're going. 339 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,340 See people in the world have worldly hope. 340 00:21:45,340 --> 00:21:48,020 So they put their hope in things that are up and down. 341 00:21:48,020 --> 00:21:50,080 What does the Bible mean by hope? 342 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,320 Hope is not that word that we use in English. 343 00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:57,440 Hope is a confident expectation of a good end. 344 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,920 So if I'm looking in this direction, that's my hope. 345 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:05,980 So now I have a confident expectation of a good end. 346 00:22:05,980 --> 00:22:11,440 So now I'm looking in the right direction and I know that I'm going to start walking 347 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:13,480 in something good. 348 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:14,480 Something good. 349 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:16,120 Something, that's my hope. 350 00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:24,760 And a lot of people in the world have worldly hope, which they put in their CV, their passport, 351 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:30,520 their reputation, what their family says about them. 352 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:32,000 That's worldly hope. 353 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:41,960 And one day that can change. 354 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:56,320 So James says in chapter one, verse 15, that the first step towards death is our desire. 355 00:22:56,320 --> 00:23:02,040 He says desire, when it is conceived, brings forth sin. 356 00:23:02,040 --> 00:23:06,080 Sin when it is fully formed brings forth death. 357 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:10,120 Now, if I say sin, a lot of people's minds might block. 358 00:23:10,120 --> 00:23:14,520 And the fact is I'm not talking about, oh, you did this wrong and you did that wrong. 359 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:15,720 That's not what I mean by sin. 360 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:20,640 What I mean by sin is missing the mark of what God has expected for you. 361 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,840 That's what sin means. 362 00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:30,200 Sin means I'm falling short of who God is and who he's made me to be. 363 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:38,560 So the first step towards death or alternatively towards life is what you look at. 364 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,380 The Bible tells you to resist the devil, but it doesn't tell you to resist sin. 365 00:23:43,380 --> 00:23:51,760 He tells you, flee from idolatry, flee from adultery, put away deceitful lusts, cast your 366 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:52,760 cares. 367 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:53,840 Why? 368 00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:55,880 Because he's telling you to walk away from them. 369 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,200 See, I'm not here judging you. 370 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:06,020 What I'm here is to tell you that the focus will determine where you're going. 371 00:24:06,020 --> 00:24:18,260 So maybe it's not adultery, you know, maybe it's not idolatry, maybe it's anger, maybe 372 00:24:18,260 --> 00:24:20,400 it's fear. 373 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:21,760 And the fact is there's a solution. 374 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,680 It's the same solution. 375 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:24,680 Turn away from it. 376 00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:25,680 Look away from it. 377 00:24:25,680 --> 00:24:27,520 Stop focusing on it. 378 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:32,720 Because if you keep focusing on this, eventually you're going to take a step in this direction. 379 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:36,840 Eventually you're going to take another step in this direction. 380 00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,760 So the first step is put away. 381 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:50,800 This is how you also deal with, this is how you also deal with addictions in your life. 382 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:52,080 Stop looking at them. 383 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:53,080 Stop glorifying them. 384 00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,620 Stop making them so big and you keep looking at them. 385 00:24:55,620 --> 00:24:58,240 One day, one day I'm going to quit this. 386 00:24:58,240 --> 00:24:59,440 One day I'm going to stop this. 387 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:03,800 One day I'm going to, okay, the first step is just do this and I start walking in the 388 00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:06,480 right direction. 389 00:25:06,480 --> 00:25:11,680 I don't mean to cheapen what you might be feeling, but I'm trying to give you the solution 390 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:15,160 to where you should be going. 391 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:17,800 The next step you take is determined on your focus. 392 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:25,240 It's not determined on what you say and the rules you keep and the governance that you 393 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,380 try to put about this. 394 00:25:27,380 --> 00:25:33,840 What you're looking at is where you're going to go. 395 00:25:33,840 --> 00:25:38,400 For each one of these questions, I want to share a quick Bible illustration. 396 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:45,520 In Mark chapter five, there is a man who comes to Jesus and he's the leader of a synagogue. 397 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,400 He's called Jairus and Jesus is off across the sea of Galilee. 398 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:51,960 He returns to Capernaum. 399 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:56,440 As soon as he returns, this man is waiting for Jesus and saying, Jesus, please come to 400 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:57,600 my house. 401 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:04,280 My daughter is terribly sick and I need you to heal her. 402 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,120 Jesus says yes. 403 00:26:06,120 --> 00:26:07,800 He always says yes to healing. 404 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,280 He never says no to it. 405 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:14,560 So he starts walking with her, walking with him, walking with him, walking with him. 406 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,600 So this is the path they're walking down. 407 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:24,640 And at some point, the servants of Jairus come up to him and say, you don't need to 408 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:29,720 trouble the master anymore, your daughter's dead. 409 00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:32,600 That's bad news. 410 00:26:32,600 --> 00:26:41,020 And at this point, Jesus says this to him, do not be afraid, only believe. 411 00:26:41,020 --> 00:26:43,120 So now he's reached a crossroads. 412 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:48,840 Jairus has reached this point where, where he's going to focus on is that going to determine 413 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:50,800 where he's going to go. 414 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:54,440 And Jesus showed him that and told him where to go. 415 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:57,920 Do not be afraid and only believe. 416 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:03,200 That was the next step that was going to determine what was going to happen. 417 00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:09,620 Thankfully, the next step that Jairus took was with Jesus. 418 00:27:09,620 --> 00:27:12,960 I believe let's go to my house. 419 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:16,480 I believe let's walk into the door. 420 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:21,880 I believe yes, Jesus, you can throw out all these people who are wailing and mocking you, 421 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:22,880 throw them out. 422 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:23,980 There's no problem. 423 00:27:23,980 --> 00:27:26,960 I believe let's go upstairs. 424 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,360 I believe Jesus have your way. 425 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:31,280 What happens? 426 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:36,160 The girl is raised back to life, but it started at that crossroad. 427 00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:38,000 It started at that crossroad. 428 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:39,480 He could have gone in this direction. 429 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:42,680 Oh, you know, Jesus, forget it. 430 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:44,040 It's not going to work. 431 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:45,040 You know what? 432 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:46,040 It's too late now. 433 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:47,600 They already gave me that report. 434 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:48,600 She's already gone. 435 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,560 There's nothing we can do. 436 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:52,560 Forget it. 437 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:55,240 It's the funeral arrangements. 438 00:27:55,240 --> 00:28:00,400 That crossroad was the first step towards life. 439 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,060 Are you going to choose death or are you going to choose life? 440 00:28:04,060 --> 00:28:16,180 To be carnally minded as death, but to be spiritually minded as life and peace. 441 00:28:16,180 --> 00:28:22,200 There's another illustration that I want to share and it's a little lighter, but I just 442 00:28:22,200 --> 00:28:25,680 thought it's really funny and there's something I just really, really wanted to share. 443 00:28:25,680 --> 00:28:34,300 Back in summer, I was traveling and I had tons of work stuff and I had just meetings 444 00:28:34,300 --> 00:28:36,040 with clients across Europe. 445 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:39,600 I kind of took like nine flights over three weeks to meet clients. 446 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:44,480 It was exhausting, but I would keep flying in and out of like different places back to 447 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:50,480 Ciela and I would be staying with Ciela, my wife and my mother-in-law. 448 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:55,680 There was one point where I was leaving Ireland and a storm was coming in. 449 00:28:55,680 --> 00:29:00,120 I'm in the plane just waiting to take off and sure enough, we take off. 450 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:02,600 It's very, very dark outside. 451 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:04,280 There's this storm that's coming in. 452 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,320 It's very windy, a little bumpy. 453 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:14,820 I'm sitting in my window seat, just minding my own business, listening to a message, whatever 454 00:29:14,820 --> 00:29:15,820 it is. 455 00:29:15,820 --> 00:29:20,160 Sure enough, it's like, I can't even simulate turbulence that well. 456 00:29:20,160 --> 00:29:21,600 It was turbulent. 457 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:27,680 It started getting turbulent and Mr. Spiritual Me pulled out my Bible. 458 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:34,640 Psalm 91, he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow 459 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:36,560 of the Almighty. 460 00:29:36,560 --> 00:29:41,020 I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress. 461 00:29:41,020 --> 00:29:44,000 My God and in him will I trust. 462 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:48,560 Surely he delivers me from the snare of the fowler. 463 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:53,320 Three rows behind me, there are these little kids sitting down. 464 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:58,520 Every time the plane goes, they're like, yay. 465 00:29:58,520 --> 00:30:01,520 Guess who's being more spiritual in that moment? 466 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:05,060 I'm looking at, oh, turbulence, what's going to happen? 467 00:30:05,060 --> 00:30:06,280 Am I going to make it? 468 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:07,280 Am I going to make it? 469 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:14,160 These kids are just like, yay. 470 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,040 We can make light of this. 471 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:20,960 Here's another picture I want to show you, another illustration on this subject. 472 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:22,800 You recognize me? 473 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:26,080 You recognize my wife, Ciela? 474 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:30,520 So on the same trip for my birthday, Ciela took me to an amusement park. 475 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:32,040 I really enjoy amusement parks. 476 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,040 I enjoy roller coasters. 477 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,760 I feel like a child, you know? 478 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:43,840 But right here, Ciela and I are on the same roller coaster. 479 00:30:43,840 --> 00:30:46,600 We're experiencing the same dip. 480 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:53,200 We're going through the same G force, but here I am smiling. 481 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:59,800 And here's Ciela reciting Psalm 91. 482 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:05,000 The reality is a lot of the time, it's still the same experience. 483 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:11,200 It's the same scenery, but we're just looking at things different. 484 00:31:11,200 --> 00:31:17,920 Coming back to the plain illustration, besides the joke, if I let fear dictate my decisions, 485 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,480 the next time I might not take a flight for work. 486 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:24,880 The next time I might be too afraid to get in a car. 487 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:29,320 The next time I might not go where God's asking me to go or take the next step that God's 488 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,440 asking me to take. 489 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:36,200 And if I just let fear govern my life, I will go in the wrong direction. 490 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:38,440 Right? 491 00:31:38,440 --> 00:31:43,080 But if I don't let fear intimidate me and I will not take decisions based on fear, I 492 00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,520 will take decisions based on what God told me. 493 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:50,400 And God told me to keep going with this business, to keep going with this job. 494 00:31:50,400 --> 00:31:53,680 So is he not going to get me from Ireland to the Netherlands? 495 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,420 Come on. 496 00:31:55,420 --> 00:31:59,780 The reality is fear will determine your next action. 497 00:31:59,780 --> 00:32:02,680 The next action will determine the position you're in. 498 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:06,720 That position will determine life or death. 499 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:07,960 It's that serious. 500 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:14,600 So I want to go to the second question. 501 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,520 The second question is, what are you acting on? 502 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:20,720 This is the Bible's answer for you. 503 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,680 We walk by faith and not by sight. 504 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:30,720 So now that we started focusing in a certain direction, now we're going to start walking 505 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:32,400 in that direction. 506 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:36,400 And the Bible tells us, don't walk by sight. 507 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:38,280 Walk by faith. 508 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:40,720 Don't walk because of what you see. 509 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,960 Oh, I need this job, so I'm going to do this. 510 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:49,200 Oh, I need to travel to this country because I'm worried about my income. 511 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:54,320 I need to run here because my family is shouting at me. 512 00:32:54,320 --> 00:32:59,920 You know, I need to get this job or get, you know, going to this university just because 513 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:05,580 people are telling me to do this because of fear that, you know, they might not welcome 514 00:33:05,580 --> 00:33:06,680 me in their home anymore. 515 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,560 They might not support me. 516 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:15,000 Okay, so that also means that every step that I take in this direction, I'm taking away 517 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:17,180 from that. 518 00:33:17,180 --> 00:33:21,440 So if God's trying to get me to go there and I keep taking steps in this direction, I'm 519 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:26,760 further away from his plan than I'm ever going to be. 520 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,140 So we need to be mindful every single day to walk by faith. 521 00:33:30,140 --> 00:33:32,680 This is what God said about my life. 522 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,840 He wants me to do this job, so I will take that plane from Ireland to the Netherlands. 523 00:33:36,840 --> 00:33:38,560 Not going to be afraid. 524 00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:44,680 He told me that I need to go further, so he's going to provide the needs for me to go further. 525 00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:47,280 Right? 526 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:54,520 That's what it looks like to act on it because what you act on will determine where you go. 527 00:33:54,520 --> 00:34:00,600 And what you act on will take you a place and you're going to start experiencing things 528 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,480 across this path. 529 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:09,960 The Bible illustration that I want to share here is about Job and the story of Job. 530 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:13,920 I like to bring up Job and if you've noticed, I probably brought him up every single time 531 00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:19,840 I've done a message is because I do feel like a lot of people extrapolate things and make 532 00:34:19,840 --> 00:34:20,920 certain assumptions. 533 00:34:20,920 --> 00:34:23,520 And this is a book of false assumptions. 534 00:34:23,520 --> 00:34:25,340 This is what Job is. 535 00:34:25,340 --> 00:34:26,900 His friends had false assumptions. 536 00:34:26,900 --> 00:34:27,960 Job had false assumptions. 537 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,000 His wife had false assumptions. 538 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:37,160 You know, in chapter one, you see that Job was the richest man in all the land. 539 00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:38,800 God blessed him beyond blessing. 540 00:34:38,800 --> 00:34:41,960 This is what the Bible says, that he had business. 541 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:43,820 He had a family. 542 00:34:43,820 --> 00:34:47,480 He had everything going for him and the devil hated that. 543 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,200 The devil hated the fact that God gave him what he gave him. 544 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:55,120 And the devil was desperately trying to get access to Job, kind of just doing this to 545 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:57,160 his life. 546 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:07,120 And the devil then goes to the Lord and says that you've put a hedge of protection around 547 00:35:07,120 --> 00:35:08,120 him. 548 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:09,120 I can't get there. 549 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:14,200 I can't go there. 550 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:17,840 And then things start happening in Job's life. 551 00:35:17,840 --> 00:35:19,920 Why did this happen to Job? 552 00:35:19,920 --> 00:35:22,320 Why did the devil get access to Job? 553 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:23,320 What happened? 554 00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:24,320 Why? 555 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:25,680 Well, actually the answer is right here. 556 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:27,680 Job chapter three, verse 25. 557 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:33,440 I really love this in the young's literal translation because it is literally what Job 558 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:34,440 says. 559 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:39,040 For a fear, I feared and it met me. 560 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:44,840 And what I was afraid of came to me because I'm on this path of death. 561 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:51,300 I've opened the door to the enemy. 562 00:35:51,300 --> 00:35:57,040 So you see this now clearly because we've been talking about all of this context. 563 00:35:57,040 --> 00:36:00,520 A fear I feared and it met me. 564 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:02,320 I'm going to go in this direction. 565 00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:03,320 Excellent. 566 00:36:03,320 --> 00:36:05,200 The devil is saying, keep going. 567 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:06,880 I'm going to go in this direction. 568 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:07,880 Keep going. 569 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:11,240 You know what the devil does? 570 00:36:11,240 --> 00:36:13,800 He creates a suggestion for you. 571 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:16,120 So you go in the wrong direction. 572 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:19,040 When you go in the wrong direction, he sticks his leg out. 573 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:21,960 You trip over and then he accuses you, why are you on the ground? 574 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:24,840 I thought God wanted to do these things for you. 575 00:36:24,840 --> 00:36:26,600 I thought God blessed you. 576 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,280 I thought God was your healer. 577 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:32,000 What happened? 578 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:33,040 You're in the wrong place. 579 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,020 You were looking at the wrong thing. 580 00:36:35,020 --> 00:36:40,020 You opened yourself up to the devil. 581 00:36:40,020 --> 00:36:49,480 So this brings me to point number three, which is what are you experiencing? 582 00:36:49,480 --> 00:37:00,980 Can we go to the next slide, please? 583 00:37:00,980 --> 00:37:07,020 So we go back to our key scripture for to be carnally minded as death, but to be spiritually 584 00:37:07,020 --> 00:37:10,960 minded is life and peace. 585 00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:16,400 And this, I want to make this point as clear as possible. 586 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:21,160 If you have questions about the next verse that I'm about to share, please see Richard 587 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:25,740 John 10 10, right? 588 00:37:25,740 --> 00:37:30,480 The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy. 589 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:37,000 But Jesus says, I have come so that you would have life and you would experience it in abundance. 590 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:40,720 Abundant life. 591 00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:42,240 And this is the point. 592 00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:50,100 Not every single thing that you see happening around you in this world is God. 593 00:37:50,100 --> 00:37:53,720 Killing is not God. 594 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:56,520 Fighting is not God. 595 00:37:56,520 --> 00:37:57,700 Stealing is not God. 596 00:37:57,700 --> 00:37:59,840 War is not God. 597 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:00,840 Lying is not God. 598 00:38:00,840 --> 00:38:06,120 Actually, the Bible tells you it is impossible for God to lie. 599 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:08,200 If you ever wondered, nothing is impossible. 600 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,620 It says it is impossible for him to lie. 601 00:38:10,620 --> 00:38:16,920 So there are certain things that are not God that are happening around you. 602 00:38:16,920 --> 00:38:24,480 Remember I said thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to position, position leads to 603 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:25,480 result. 604 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:32,200 I didn't say actions lead to location because it's not limited to where you physically are. 605 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:35,420 It's limited to where you place yourself. 606 00:38:35,420 --> 00:38:40,760 You see, love is a spiritual location. 607 00:38:40,760 --> 00:38:44,520 Peace is a spiritual location. 608 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,580 Joy is a spiritual location. 609 00:38:47,580 --> 00:38:54,020 You can place yourselves in these spiritual locations and have this hedge of protection 610 00:38:54,020 --> 00:39:00,800 around you where the devil is like trying to get in and I can't get in. 611 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:08,880 But if you start yielding yourself to anger, yielding yourself to worries, you don't believe 612 00:39:08,880 --> 00:39:13,320 me, it's right there in the Bible. 613 00:39:13,320 --> 00:39:19,200 The Bible tells you cast your cares on God because God cares for you and then Peter goes 614 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:26,440 on to say in 1 Peter 5, 8, be sober, be vigilant because the enemy is prowling around like 615 00:39:26,440 --> 00:39:30,660 a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. 616 00:39:30,660 --> 00:39:36,600 So the first step is getting yourself out of place into a place of worry and now he 617 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:39,240 has access to you. 618 00:39:39,240 --> 00:39:45,160 Ephesians tells you that do not be angry and do not sin and do not let the sun go down 619 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:50,120 on your wrath, neither give place to the devil. 620 00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:56,120 So if you get angry and you stay in that place, you've given him access. 621 00:39:56,120 --> 00:40:03,080 You see the biggest fight with the enemy, the personal fight is not what we tell him 622 00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:07,800 and what we do, it's where we put ourselves. 623 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:13,200 Everywhere in the Psalms, across the Psalms, the Psalmist tell you that the Lord delivered 624 00:40:13,200 --> 00:40:18,200 me out of this low place and he put me somewhere up. 625 00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:28,040 You know Psalm 91, I was just reciting it, but the protection in there, the life in there 626 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:31,760 is in the first three words, he who dwells, he who dwells. 627 00:40:31,760 --> 00:40:35,320 So if I dwell on this path of life, I experience life. 628 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:36,920 The devil can do nothing to me. 629 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:41,520 He can try, he can bring suggestions to me that start bringing me in this direction, 630 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:43,120 bring me in this direction. 631 00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:47,640 But if I dwell in this place, he has no access to me. 632 00:40:47,640 --> 00:40:48,640 That's right. 633 00:40:48,640 --> 00:40:57,960 So 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses four and five tell you that the weapons of our warfare 634 00:40:57,960 --> 00:41:00,200 are not physical weapons. 635 00:41:00,200 --> 00:41:02,040 I'm paraphrasing this. 636 00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:09,560 You can research this, but they are in our minds. 637 00:41:09,560 --> 00:41:14,240 So the first line of defense against the enemy is what we think on. 638 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:21,680 The first line of defense against the enemy is where we let our thoughts take us. 639 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:26,480 So to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 640 00:41:26,480 --> 00:41:36,800 So I'm literally walking in life and peace based on what I think on. 641 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:44,600 So in closing this message, I want to share a personal story, personal illustration. 642 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:48,480 If you guys are listening to the podcast, maybe you've heard bits and pieces of this 643 00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:52,120 and maybe I've shared this, but I will share it again. 644 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,120 You can listen. 645 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:56,600 It's fine. 646 00:41:56,600 --> 00:42:02,320 Back in October, 2018, I met everyone at Go Church. 647 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:09,160 I became part of this family and I had it on my heart. 648 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:10,480 I was looking for a church. 649 00:42:10,480 --> 00:42:14,120 Roy and I were actually looking for a church and we started going around. 650 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:20,320 When I met the team and it was still very, very early days in my heart, I felt this like 651 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:23,240 the sense of you were looking for a church. 652 00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:25,720 Now you're going to help build one. 653 00:42:25,720 --> 00:42:28,520 That was the sense I had in my heart. 654 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:33,080 So life went and life kept going and life kept going. 655 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:39,720 And by April 2019, I found myself in this very, very tight spot in my life and I was 656 00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:41,400 kind of doing this. 657 00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:43,880 I was just here. 658 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:47,240 Work is really bad. 659 00:42:47,240 --> 00:42:50,240 Things are not great at home. 660 00:42:50,240 --> 00:42:55,620 Relationship with family at this point is not really good. 661 00:42:55,620 --> 00:43:02,680 My wife who was not my wife was abroad and we were not together in this country and I 662 00:43:02,680 --> 00:43:04,920 didn't know the next steps. 663 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:11,080 So I'm staring this way and I come to Pastor Matt Hattable. 664 00:43:11,080 --> 00:43:17,520 I'm always going to say this part of the story, but I said, what do I do? 665 00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:19,620 What do I do? 666 00:43:19,620 --> 00:43:26,040 He tells me first Peter five seven and pray in other tongues. 667 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:29,800 I'm like, that's cute, but I need advice. 668 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:32,760 I need real advice, right? 669 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:33,760 But you know what? 670 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:34,760 Fine. 671 00:43:34,760 --> 00:43:35,760 I'll do that. 672 00:43:35,760 --> 00:43:37,000 I cast my cares on you. 673 00:43:37,000 --> 00:43:39,880 I'm not worried about the business. 674 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:43,920 I'm not worried about what's going to happen with my relationship. 675 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:48,480 I'm not worried about the problems I'm facing at home. 676 00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:51,360 I'm not worried about the next moves in my life. 677 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:52,360 But you know what, Lord? 678 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:54,920 Now I put myself in this position. 679 00:43:54,920 --> 00:43:58,880 Whatever you want me to do, if you make it clear to me what you want me to do, I will 680 00:43:58,880 --> 00:43:59,920 do it. 681 00:43:59,920 --> 00:44:04,520 So I took myself out of this place and I put myself here. 682 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:05,520 What do you want me to do? 683 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,560 I started praying in tongues. 684 00:44:08,560 --> 00:44:15,480 Six minutes in, I'm just praying in tongues, praying in tongues, praying in tongues. 685 00:44:15,480 --> 00:44:19,680 And then this word comes out of my mouth. 686 00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:22,660 Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay. 687 00:44:22,660 --> 00:44:26,200 It took me about six days until I realized it was English. 688 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:30,320 What you call this in the Bible is tongues and an interpretation of tongues. 689 00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:31,680 Stay, stay. 690 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:33,640 I'm like, okay, that's odd. 691 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:34,640 I stopped for a few seconds. 692 00:44:34,640 --> 00:44:36,240 I'm like, I'm going to keep praying in tongues. 693 00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:40,040 I could not say any other word except for stay, stay, stay, stay. 694 00:44:40,040 --> 00:44:42,960 If that's not an answer, I don't know what is right. 695 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:44,880 But I made a commitment to him. 696 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:46,680 I'm staying. 697 00:44:46,680 --> 00:44:47,920 It doesn't matter what happens. 698 00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:49,160 It doesn't matter what people say. 699 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:50,940 It doesn't matter the limitations. 700 00:44:50,940 --> 00:44:53,200 It doesn't matter what I have or don't have. 701 00:44:53,200 --> 00:44:55,860 You told me to stay, so I'm staying. 702 00:44:55,860 --> 00:44:58,480 I know that to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 703 00:44:58,480 --> 00:45:01,160 So now I'm going to set my mind on this. 704 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:08,440 And to be honest, the first step I took, joy, peace, strength, everything I needed. 705 00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:11,280 Another step, purpose. 706 00:45:11,280 --> 00:45:12,700 My place. 707 00:45:12,700 --> 00:45:13,760 My growth. 708 00:45:13,760 --> 00:45:16,400 Another step. 709 00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:18,640 Great things happening in my life. 710 00:45:18,640 --> 00:45:20,560 I'm married. 711 00:45:20,560 --> 00:45:25,840 The business I was worried about, at this point I had signed a personal guarantee, a 712 00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:32,640 bank guarantee, in my own name, against loans that were north of seven million, eight million 713 00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:34,240 dollars. 714 00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:37,040 It was two weeks away from default. 715 00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:41,720 But one step after another after another, those loans are paid off. 716 00:45:41,720 --> 00:45:45,680 Now that company is profitable. 717 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:48,360 I'm married. 718 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:53,760 My whole family is saved. 719 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:57,080 Life and peace. 720 00:45:57,080 --> 00:46:00,480 Goodness and mercy. 721 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:08,400 The Bible tells you in Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 19, there is said before you, life 722 00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:12,240 and death, blessing and cursing. 723 00:46:12,240 --> 00:46:17,040 And the Lord Himself tells you, choose life. 724 00:46:17,040 --> 00:46:19,780 Choose life. 725 00:46:19,780 --> 00:46:25,340 The first step to choosing life is what you think on. 726 00:46:25,340 --> 00:46:27,680 So I'm going to ask those questions again. 727 00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:30,360 What are you looking at? 728 00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:32,020 What are you acting on? 729 00:46:32,020 --> 00:46:34,520 And what are you experiencing in your lives? 730 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:35,520 Amen. 731 00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:36,520 All right. 732 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:37,520 Thank you very much. 733 00:46:37,520 --> 00:46:43,360 Thank you for joining us at Go Church Beirut. 734 00:46:43,360 --> 00:46:48,640 Go Church Beirut exists so that everyone can experience the unconditional love of God, 735 00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:53,320 grow in His love and go with His love to their world. 736 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:58,080 To stay connected with all that is happening at Go Church, follow us on social media at 737 00:46:58,080 --> 00:46:59,080 Go Church Beirut. 738 00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:14,720 And if no one told you yet today, we love you and expect God's best for you.