1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,040 All right. 2 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:12,040 Good morning, Miss Debbie. 3 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Good morning. 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,240 It's been a while since we've done one of these. 5 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:16,620 It's been a long time. 6 00:00:16,620 --> 00:00:18,040 Christmas throws us off track, doesn't it? 7 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:19,040 It does. 8 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,240 Christmas and New Year's and yes. 9 00:00:22,240 --> 00:00:27,480 We're always glad when Christmas is over because it's, you know, you got all these stress points, 10 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:34,560 increased activity, going to Christmas events, having to shop for people, which you know 11 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:35,560 how that is. 12 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:36,560 I do. 13 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,920 What am I going to buy this person that they don't really want but that I have to go through 14 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:47,800 the effort of purchasing anyways, you know, and traveling. 15 00:00:47,800 --> 00:00:52,360 We traveled to Tulsa, which is an eight and a half hour drive. 16 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:56,640 So I'm glad it's over with. 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,720 It was fun, but I'm glad it's over with. 18 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:00,720 How was your Christmas? 19 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:01,720 It was good. 20 00:01:01,720 --> 00:01:12,240 Like you, we were very busy, but we have a nine month old granddaughter and I told my 21 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:17,680 son we should have just given her wrapping paper and the box. 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:19,480 She loved that just as much. 23 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:25,280 Have you noticed how stressed little kids get during Christmas opening presents? 24 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:26,840 Oh, it's overwhelming. 25 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:27,840 Yeah. 26 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:32,480 And so they'll get to a point where they're so stressed they start acting out and screaming 27 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,200 and you know, it's like poor kids. 28 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:39,880 They're tortured with Christmas presents. 29 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:40,880 What a world. 30 00:01:40,880 --> 00:01:41,880 Yeah. 31 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:46,700 Well, I'm glad that you gave me a heads up on the topic today and I'll let you introduce 32 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:48,200 the topic. 33 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:49,640 Okay. 34 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:57,560 And I don't recall us talking about this before, but this is information that needs, we need 35 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:03,160 to do reps in this information because it's very important to the Christian life, to the 36 00:02:03,160 --> 00:02:04,400 believer. 37 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:06,520 And so I'll let you introduce the topic today. 38 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:07,520 Okay. 39 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:08,520 We'll dive in. 40 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:09,520 Okay. 41 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:15,920 Well, basically, you've started a new series titled the Jesus episodes and we're going 42 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:28,800 to start in the book of Mark, but first we went to Acts 10, which 34 through 48, which 43 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,360 is the withering of the tree. 44 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:32,360 Is that right? 45 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:33,360 Acts 10? 46 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:34,360 No. 47 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:39,560 That's where Peter is basically giving a summary of the gospel that he preached. 48 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:40,560 Okay. 49 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:41,560 All right. 50 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:46,360 And many scholars see that as, since Mark is based upon the preaching of Peter, they 51 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:51,320 see that as like a concise summary of the gospel of Mark. 52 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:52,320 Okay. 53 00:02:52,320 --> 00:03:02,400 So we went there first and then we went to Mark 11, 22 through 24, which if I can just 54 00:03:02,400 --> 00:03:08,600 read that, and this is from the NIV, have faith in God. 55 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:15,200 Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into 56 00:03:15,200 --> 00:03:22,280 the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it 57 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,040 will be done for him. 58 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:30,720 Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received 59 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,000 it and it will be yours. 60 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:44,680 And you talked about we need to not only memorize that, but practice it, which came to my question 61 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:58,400 of how do we have that kind of faith and how do we use it in our lives and in the lives 62 00:03:58,400 --> 00:03:59,400 of others? 63 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:10,480 And the second part of that was what do we do when a prayer we've asked for was not answered? 64 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:12,640 How does that fit into this? 65 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,440 So let me ask you, because you've been studying this in your class, right? 66 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:17,440 We have. 67 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,860 So how would you answer that question? 68 00:04:19,860 --> 00:04:21,160 On growing faith? 69 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:22,160 Okay. 70 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,840 So we have been doing the Overcomer book. 71 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:31,560 And as you said, we've been in it a while, but we like to read together instead of just 72 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:34,140 coming in and then we discuss along the way. 73 00:04:34,140 --> 00:04:35,640 So it takes us a little longer. 74 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:40,440 But we are now to the shield of faith. 75 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:45,840 And the first part of the book talked about what is faith. 76 00:04:45,840 --> 00:04:54,200 And of course, Dr. David Jeremiah gives some, he gives some real life examples of what faith 77 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,040 can look like or should look like. 78 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:02,880 And one was a legally blind Olympic runner. 79 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:04,600 And she won medals. 80 00:05:04,600 --> 00:05:11,080 And they said how, her interviewer said, how can you run toward a finish line that you 81 00:05:11,080 --> 00:05:12,980 can't even see? 82 00:05:12,980 --> 00:05:17,080 And she said, I can't see it, but I know it's there. 83 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,360 Isn't that a great faith story though? 84 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:20,360 That is so good. 85 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,360 That is such a great faith story. 86 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:23,360 Yeah. 87 00:05:23,360 --> 00:05:31,080 But he talked about faith being action and that you've got to put it into action. 88 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:37,080 And then we got to the part where how do we grow our faith? 89 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,280 And we're actually reading through that now. 90 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:43,400 But I can tell you, there's five ways. 91 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:46,800 And one is we need preaching. 92 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:55,920 And we read through that one just recently and he said, you have got to be hearing sermons, 93 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:03,240 attending sermons and listening to the word of God being interpreted. 94 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:04,480 And that was the first one. 95 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,840 And you know, there's a, the Bible verse is where two or three are gathered. 96 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:09,920 There I am in the midst of them. 97 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:13,200 So God's presence is always with you. 98 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:20,560 But his presence, he's present in a unique way in the gathered body of Christ. 99 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:25,360 And of course our definition of the church is a gathering of believers where the pure 100 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:30,400 word of God is preached and the sacraments are duly administered. 101 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:37,000 So there is a grace available only through the gathered body of Christ that is very important. 102 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:38,000 That makes sense. 103 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:39,000 Yeah. 104 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:40,000 That makes sense. 105 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:45,680 And the next one is, we all kind of laughed about this one a little bit, the next two, 106 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,080 but we need problems. 107 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,040 I know, right? 108 00:06:51,040 --> 00:07:00,720 And he talked about how in those moments is when we draw nearer to God, when we need him. 109 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,480 And we exercise our muscles in a different way, our spiritual muscles. 110 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:09,920 I like to think of faith like a spiritual muscle, your most important spiritual muscle. 111 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:13,680 And without resistance, the muscle doesn't get stronger. 112 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:14,680 Exactly. 113 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:16,440 Everything's going smoothly. 114 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:23,520 Unfortunately, we're probably not growing in those times, but as much as when a problem 115 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,240 comes along. 116 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:30,640 And then the third one was we need people. 117 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:40,240 And it talked a lot about how we need each other, how what you're saying, that body of 118 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:49,800 Christ, even just the two or three gathered to pray, how that makes a difference. 119 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:59,160 And for the shield of faith, he used an example of not only did they use their shield individually 120 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:09,440 to thwart the fiery darts of Satan, but they would start putting their shields together 121 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,440 and forming a wall. 122 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:13,920 That's like the Roman soldiers used to do in battle. 123 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,120 That's how they were so successful. 124 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:17,760 Yeah, absolutely. 125 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:27,200 He used the John Wesley example of the Moruvians when he was on a boat with them. 126 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:31,720 And that this was like the fourth storm and every storm was worse than the one before 127 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:33,120 it. 128 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:39,720 And while he was fretting and making out his will, not really, but you know, he was terrified 129 00:08:39,720 --> 00:08:40,720 of death. 130 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:42,840 Yes, he was afraid of death. 131 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:47,280 And the Moravians were the men, women and the children were on the stern of the ship 132 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:48,720 singing hymns. 133 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:52,400 And Wesley was ashamed because the little kids aren't scared, but he is. 134 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:53,400 He was. 135 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,000 He absolutely was. 136 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,400 And he said to them when it was over, were you not afraid? 137 00:08:58,400 --> 00:08:59,680 And they said no. 138 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:02,440 And he said, were your women and children not afraid? 139 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,000 And they said no. 140 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:06,600 And he went, wow, I want that. 141 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:08,080 Yeah, I want that. 142 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:12,280 And of course, I think Peter Bowler is the guy's name. 143 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:16,180 He confronts Wesley after Wesley's interrogate him about that. 144 00:09:16,180 --> 00:09:20,920 And Peter Bowler goes, brother, are you saved? 145 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,120 And Wesley goes, I think I'm saved. 146 00:09:25,120 --> 00:09:27,800 And Peter, do you know it? 147 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:33,680 I think I know, you know, and Wesley says, I assured him that I was saved, but on the 148 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:35,920 inside I wasn't so sure. 149 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:38,080 Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 150 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:42,020 You know, I think that's the place we all want to be. 151 00:09:42,020 --> 00:09:49,640 We want to be when when we talked about this verse, when you preached about it, that's 152 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,240 the place I want to be. 153 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,040 Yeah, I want to be there. 154 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:58,600 So we need people. 155 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,320 Then we need to purpose. 156 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:04,080 He talked a lot. 157 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:13,800 Dr. Jeremiah did about how do you find what you were sent here to do if you're not in 158 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,600 that close relationship, trusting the Lord? 159 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,500 Do I take he talked about himself? 160 00:10:20,500 --> 00:10:22,720 He had opportunities that came up. 161 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:24,280 Well, which one did he take? 162 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:25,280 Should he take? 163 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:26,280 Yep. 164 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:32,160 And he said, you you don't know that you've got to pray to that you're in the right place 165 00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:38,000 where God wants you to be so that you are fulfilling the work he wanted you to do. 166 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,800 OK, so you talked about using faith to solve problems. 167 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:47,640 I called that exercising our faith or praying in a defensive way. 168 00:10:47,640 --> 00:10:51,480 If you want to win a championship, you've got to play both offense and defense. 169 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:57,200 OK, and so what you described there was you have to be exercising your faith to play offense. 170 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:03,280 What positive thing am I going to use my faith to lay hold of both for myself and the kingdom? 171 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:04,560 Yeah, I like that. 172 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:06,120 Yeah, I like that. 173 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:07,960 That's a great example. 174 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:12,960 And then the last one is you need perspective. 175 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:22,200 And one of the verses he gave was Luke 17, five through six, the faith of the mustard 176 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,920 seed, which reminded me a lot of this one, because it says if you have the faith of a 177 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:33,420 mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, yeah, go to go into the sea and it will go 178 00:11:33,420 --> 00:11:34,960 into the sea. 179 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:46,020 And so he talked a lot about having the right perspective on it said, he said, when we see 180 00:11:46,020 --> 00:11:57,880 God honoring faith at that level, we are we're encouraged to trust God for our needs as well. 181 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:05,520 And that was he had given an example of a general who needed to find water for these 182 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:06,520 troops. 183 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:07,520 They were in war. 184 00:12:07,520 --> 00:12:10,240 They were stuck on this island. 185 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:12,840 Everyone he asked could not help him. 186 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,080 Fine. 187 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,720 He said, I prayed and I prayed and I prayed. 188 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:23,440 I had 80,000 men and we needed lots of water every day. 189 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:32,960 And finally, some some fellow soldiers came up to him and said, we think we found a well. 190 00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:37,360 And he goes, we already looked there. 191 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:39,000 But they had. 192 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:45,680 And it provided just the amount they needed for every day. 193 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:53,960 And that's when he said that when we see God honoring faith that encourage us to trust him 194 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:55,440 more and more. 195 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:56,440 Amen. 196 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:57,440 Right. 197 00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:58,440 Well, that was excellent. 198 00:12:58,440 --> 00:12:59,440 Oh, good. 199 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:01,560 That was very good. 200 00:13:01,560 --> 00:13:05,960 A very good outline. 201 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:11,080 You know, I've got I told you I'd done a teaching on this when I was in Amarillo, Texas, but 202 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:12,960 I still had the document on my computer. 203 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,880 And so I looked it up and went back through it. 204 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:20,960 And now the content that I have will probably wind up answering both of those questions 205 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,440 that you posed at the beginning. 206 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:29,200 But now I derived a lot of this content from a man named Kenneth Hagen. 207 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:30,880 Have you ever heard of Kenneth Hagen? 208 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:31,880 OK. 209 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:38,120 So he was kind of one of the founding fathers of what's known as the Word of Faith movement. 210 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:40,240 You never heard of that? 211 00:13:40,240 --> 00:13:42,160 The prosperity gospel. 212 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:43,560 You've heard of the prosperity gospel. 213 00:13:43,560 --> 00:13:49,920 I've heard that being reference to certain TV evangelists. 214 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:50,920 Yes, exactly. 215 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:51,920 Exactly. 216 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:53,680 You're on the right track. 217 00:13:53,680 --> 00:14:00,120 So with any movement, you've got the original thing that God reveals. 218 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:05,280 And then as time goes on, it strays from what it originally was. 219 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:15,040 I would say that about the charismatic movement, the prosperity gospel kind of originally, 220 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:16,680 God does something and it's powerful. 221 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:19,840 And as time goes on, people take it sideways. 222 00:14:19,840 --> 00:14:27,080 So this movement has a kind of a bad name, but that doesn't mean that everything they 223 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:29,280 taught was wrong. 224 00:14:29,280 --> 00:14:33,520 God revealed some really important things to the people who started this movement. 225 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,720 And it's just like with any other group, if I teach something from the Roman Catholic 226 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:43,880 Church, for instance, that doesn't mean I believe everything that Roman Catholics believe. 227 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:48,100 And so if I teach something from someone from this movement, it doesn't mean I'm affirming 228 00:14:48,100 --> 00:14:50,020 everything that they taught or stood for. 229 00:14:50,020 --> 00:14:52,720 But this is right. 230 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:59,720 And this was the main thing that God revealed to these people was a heightened understanding 231 00:14:59,720 --> 00:15:03,200 of what faith is and how to grow it. 232 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:05,280 And so I'm going to share some of their insights. 233 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,440 I've got a lot of Bible verses I want to use. 234 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,600 And so like I said, there's no time limit on this podcast. 235 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:17,000 If we go a little long, that's okay, because this is an important topic. 236 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,800 Faith is the most important tool we have been given. 237 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:29,520 So our salvation is established upon our, well, it's the grace of God, first of all. 238 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:35,880 It is by grace you have been saved through faith. 239 00:15:35,880 --> 00:15:44,480 So this is the fundamental tool or ability that God has given to his church. 240 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:50,760 And so the Bible says without faith, it is impossible to please God. 241 00:15:50,760 --> 00:15:52,260 Right? 242 00:15:52,260 --> 00:15:58,280 And so if we do a little bit of a longer podcast, that's okay, because this topic really deserves 243 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:00,440 to have the light shined upon it. 244 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:04,080 So okay. 245 00:16:04,080 --> 00:16:08,400 So Ross did a good job of preaching about faith and defining it. 246 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:12,860 This is going to be a little bit of a repeat of what he taught about. 247 00:16:12,860 --> 00:16:22,560 At the end of the day, faith is grasping the unrealities of hope and bringing them into 248 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,480 the realm of reality. 249 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:36,760 So faith is the ability, the muscle by which we reach for the resources of the unseen realm 250 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:43,960 to manifest positive things, whether it's a solution to a problem or an advancement 251 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:50,400 of the kingdom, we're grasping supernatural resources to do that, which would be otherwise 252 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:51,400 impossible. 253 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:52,400 Okay. 254 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:53,400 In our own strength. 255 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:54,400 Okay. 256 00:16:54,400 --> 00:17:01,120 In our salvation, our salvation would be impossible without the divine power of the Holy Spirit 257 00:17:01,120 --> 00:17:05,680 working in the life of a believer. 258 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:17,320 So the key, the fundamental verse is Hebrews 11 one, faith is the substance of things hoped 259 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:18,780 for. 260 00:17:18,780 --> 00:17:23,000 So hope is an important part of the equation. 261 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:27,480 The evidence of things not seen or not real. 262 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:35,600 We could say that another translation would be now faith means that we are confident of 263 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:44,960 what we hope for, convinced of what we do not see. 264 00:17:44,960 --> 00:17:48,480 So at the end of the day, that starts with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 265 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:49,480 Right. 266 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:54,080 And if that's possible, the virgin birth, the resurrection, if those things are possible 267 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:57,640 and real, anything is possible. 268 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:02,720 That's why Jesus says, if you say to that mountain, something that's like an exaggerated, 269 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:08,720 you know, never happened before, but that doesn't mean God can't do it. 270 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,760 It's dependent upon how much you believe it. 271 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:17,460 You know, okay. 272 00:18:17,460 --> 00:18:27,040 Faith will say about itself, everything that the word says, faith in God is simply faith 273 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:31,840 in his word. 274 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:37,080 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 275 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:42,000 So that is the key nutrient by which our faith is strengthened. 276 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:45,680 Now if you're lifting weights and you're wanting to build your muscle, okay. 277 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:51,720 If you want to get bigger, stronger biceps, you work your biceps. 278 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:52,720 Okay. 279 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,200 But that's only half the equation because if you exercise the muscle and tear it down 280 00:18:56,200 --> 00:19:01,840 and break it down, if you don't eat enough protein, which is the key building block of 281 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:05,680 muscle, the muscle is not going to get stronger. 282 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:08,760 So working your faith is half the equation. 283 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:12,120 Feeding your faith on the word of God is the other half of the equation. 284 00:19:12,120 --> 00:19:15,960 That's the most fundamental thing that you can say. 285 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:16,960 Okay. 286 00:19:16,960 --> 00:19:19,560 Okay, so I'm going to read a testimony. 287 00:19:19,560 --> 00:19:20,560 All right. 288 00:19:20,560 --> 00:19:24,720 This was a testimony from Kenneth Hagen. 289 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:30,520 He says, I learned an important lesson on faith shortly after I was raised up from the 290 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,960 bed of affliction many years ago. 291 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,200 So a lot of people who functioned in this realm had major crises in their life that 292 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:40,560 God supernaturally solved and that launched their ministry. 293 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:42,120 That's true of Oral Roberts. 294 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:44,160 Oral Roberts had a major healing ministry. 295 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:49,080 It was because he was miraculously healed of, I believe, tuberculosis when he was a 296 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:51,960 young man, when he was going to die. 297 00:19:51,960 --> 00:19:59,080 And so Kenneth Hagen was in a pretty dire physical situation as well whenever God raised 298 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:00,840 him up. 299 00:20:00,840 --> 00:20:07,640 He says, after that, I needed work and since this was during the depression, work was not 300 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:09,800 easy to find. 301 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:15,560 I was able to get a job in a nursery helping pull up peach trees. 302 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:18,920 With another boy on the other side of the tree, together we would pull up these two 303 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,840 year old trees to fill orders that had come in. 304 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:30,640 This was really hard work, especially since I'd been bed fast for 16 months. 305 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:35,440 At this time, I'd only been up and running for a few months. 306 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:39,120 Every day, the number of workers would be less and less and each day someone would say 307 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:44,400 to me, well, I didn't think you'd make it today. 308 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,640 You know, two or three quit yesterday. 309 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:52,480 If it wasn't for the Lord, I wouldn't be here, I would answer, for you see, His strength 310 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:54,920 is my strength. 311 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:57,420 The Bible says the Lord is the strength of my life. 312 00:20:57,420 --> 00:21:01,940 My life consists of the physical as well as the spiritual and the Lord is the strength 313 00:21:01,940 --> 00:21:07,200 of my life, both in the spirit and in the natural. 314 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:13,160 If I had gone according to my feelings, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed. 315 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,120 I acted upon the word because I knew what faith was. 316 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:24,480 I never received any strength until I started work. 317 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,720 I think that's an important lesson. 318 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:35,800 He did it whether he felt like he was able or not, right? 319 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:41,600 And then because he acted on faith and not feelings, God provided him exactly what he 320 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,280 needed when he needed it. 321 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:45,280 Okay? 322 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:46,280 Yes. 323 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:54,760 Many people want to receive the strength and then believe that they've got it. 324 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,460 It doesn't work that way. 325 00:21:57,460 --> 00:22:04,280 You have to believe first and then you will receive. 326 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:09,440 So I would pull myself out of bed each morning and go to work gaining strength as I went 327 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:11,960 along trusting in God's word. 328 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:17,400 Although I was the weakest and skinniest one among that group, I was the last one to stay 329 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:18,960 on the job. 330 00:22:18,960 --> 00:22:26,900 And so there's a very practical good example of faith working in action. 331 00:22:26,900 --> 00:22:31,160 Faith works whether you think it's going to work or not or whether you feel like it's 332 00:22:31,160 --> 00:22:32,920 going to work or not. 333 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:39,560 You are acting upon the truth of God's word, not your feelings, not by sight. 334 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:43,520 And I think one of the points that's going to be made is a lot of times people don't 335 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:49,880 get their prayers answered because they give up too easy. 336 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:51,760 And they don't act according to those principles. 337 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:54,160 They'll pray a few times and it doesn't look like it's working. 338 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,440 So I guess God's not going to answer that prayer. 339 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:01,200 When God's looking down, it's like, well, I guess they didn't really want it that bad. 340 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:02,200 You know? 341 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:03,200 Yeah. 342 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,840 So let's talk about the difference between heart faith and head faith. 343 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:14,440 And a lot of this is really cross-fertilizing with what you shared from your teaching. 344 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:20,760 So John Wesley once said that the devil has given the church a substitute for faith, one 345 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:25,440 that looks and sounds so much like faith that few people can tell the difference. 346 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:31,040 This substitute he called mental assent. 347 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:33,200 Mental assent. 348 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:37,880 Many people read God's word and agree that it's true, but they are agreeing only with 349 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,680 their minds. 350 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,320 And that is not what gets the job done. 351 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:45,660 It is heart faith that receives from God. 352 00:23:45,660 --> 00:23:55,440 The difference between head faith and heart faith is determined by what you put into practice. 353 00:23:55,440 --> 00:24:02,600 So you read the verse from Mark 11, 22, and 23. 354 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:08,000 And Kenneth Hagin goes on to talk about the difference between speaking to your mountain 355 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:11,320 and speaking about your mountain. 356 00:24:11,320 --> 00:24:13,500 Right? 357 00:24:13,500 --> 00:24:17,480 So a lot of times when people have a problem, they'll go to God and they'll go into great 358 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,060 detail describing the problem. 359 00:24:21,060 --> 00:24:25,720 But they don't ever get around to speaking to the problem. 360 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:27,200 Yeah. 361 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:28,440 Right? 362 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:29,440 Yes. 363 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:38,680 That was the perspective part I should have added to because they said your perspectives 364 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:40,760 on like the man needing the water. 365 00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:43,360 It was on the water. 366 00:24:43,360 --> 00:24:47,240 And every time everything was failing, failing, failing. 367 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:57,160 But he didn't stop praying because he knew God could find the answer he couldn't find. 368 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:04,800 So his perspective, although it was about the problem, it was focused on what God could 369 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,520 do, not what was not happening. 370 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,200 Exactly. 371 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:14,360 And that's a point that's going to continue to be made here. 372 00:25:14,360 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaking about your mountain will magnify the problem. 373 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:26,000 The problem will begin to look bigger and bigger in your sight when that's what you're 374 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,720 focused on. 375 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:33,000 But speaking to your mountain keeps things in the proper perspective. 376 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:40,240 When you put God's word in your mouth, magnifying the answer above all else, speaking to the 377 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,880 mountain will cause it to move. 378 00:25:43,880 --> 00:25:50,840 So that's good. 379 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:56,040 Here's a few more statements. 380 00:25:56,040 --> 00:26:02,040 So Jesus says in Mark 23, which I referenced, he goes to heal the man's son and the man 381 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:12,260 says to Jesus, if you can heal my son, and Jesus says, excuse me, right? 382 00:26:12,260 --> 00:26:20,840 If I can, God doesn't like that kind of weak expectation. 383 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:25,480 And I hear weak prayers offered all the time. 384 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,880 If you want your muscles to be strong, be strong. 385 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,880 Be aggressive. 386 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:35,520 Jesus doesn't like these kind of limping in requests. 387 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:44,040 If I can, well, God, if it's your will, I just pray that you'd help this person endure 388 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,040 their sickness. 389 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:51,120 They're limping in and then they're not really asking for a solution. 390 00:26:51,120 --> 00:26:55,760 They're just describing the problem. 391 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:57,520 You don't have to wonder what God's will is. 392 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:03,720 It's God's will that you would be in health and prosper even as your soul prospers. 393 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:07,720 The Bible says what God's will is. 394 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,300 And so this isn't going to be a teaching on physical healing. 395 00:27:11,300 --> 00:27:13,960 We could do that some other time. 396 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:17,880 But we don't have to wonder what God's will is. 397 00:27:17,880 --> 00:27:20,120 By his stripes, you were healed. 398 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:23,040 God wants to heal people's physical problems. 399 00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:25,760 Maybe he uses death to accomplish that. 400 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:32,040 But at the end of the day, if you're going to live, there isn't any example other than 401 00:27:32,040 --> 00:27:40,360 the apostle Paul where the disciples pray and they're not expected to pray for healing. 402 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:43,720 If there's any sick among you, bring the elders of the church and they will anoint them with 403 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,480 oil and they will recover. 404 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:58,400 So let's pray that and not limp in with a weak prayer, weak set of expectations. 405 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:08,080 So according to this verse in the Bible, what you believe determines what you receive from 406 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:12,240 the Lord. 407 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:17,460 All things are possible for one who believes. 408 00:28:17,460 --> 00:28:24,800 In other words, your believing affects your receiving. 409 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:39,920 Now, I've heard people say, I'm still reading from Kenneth Hagin's words, but the thing 410 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,960 I've been praying about hasn't come to pass yet. 411 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:48,720 Well, if you already have it, you wouldn't have to believe it. 412 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:49,720 Right? 413 00:28:49,720 --> 00:28:50,720 True. 414 00:28:50,720 --> 00:28:58,800 I mean, these are simple concepts, but for then you would know it. 415 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:05,360 You have to take the step of believing in order to come to the place of knowing. 416 00:29:05,360 --> 00:29:07,400 Believing is a choice. 417 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:10,720 It's something you're going to choose to do. 418 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:19,080 Faith chooses to believe even if I don't have any evidence or data or I can't cite this, 419 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:23,320 that or the other. 420 00:29:23,320 --> 00:29:32,920 So Charles Stanley, I like to listen to him. 421 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:42,880 And he, I don't remember the sermon, but I remember this part of it because he said, 422 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:56,560 wait for the big, you don't have to wait for the big, I'm at the end of my rope, prayer 423 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:58,480 request to God. 424 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:03,320 He said, ask now, where do you want me to be working? 425 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:07,200 Where do you want me to live? 426 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:17,560 He said, let him start showing you in the small things that he is aware and guiding 427 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:23,600 you and build your faith on those for when the big things come. 428 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,440 He said, so many times we say, I don't want to bother God with that. 429 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,040 I can figure that out. 430 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:34,560 Or, you know, I believe this is the thing without asking. 431 00:30:34,560 --> 00:30:44,600 And he said, we make a mistake by not start including him in more in our lives earlier 432 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,440 before the big things come. 433 00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,520 And I think that's good advice, you know. 434 00:30:52,520 --> 00:30:59,960 And I also think we should keep kind of in our trajectory out on the horizon. 435 00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:05,520 The more I believe God for, the more God is glorified in my life. 436 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:11,880 God wants us believing him for big and great things because that just brings more glory 437 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,840 to his name. 438 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:19,080 But you don't start there with your faith, you build up to it. 439 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:20,600 Build up. 440 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:21,600 Yeah. 441 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:22,600 Okay. 442 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:23,600 So how do we get faith? 443 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:29,080 I'm going to read a few Bible verses. 444 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:30,080 Okay. 445 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:31,720 Romans 10 eight. 446 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:32,960 But what does it say? 447 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,040 The word is near you in your mouth and in your heart. 448 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:43,560 That is the word of faith that we proclaim. 449 00:31:43,560 --> 00:31:52,040 Speaking the truths of scripture that we're believing God for is not an optional part 450 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:53,360 of the equation. 451 00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:54,780 You can't just believe it. 452 00:31:54,780 --> 00:31:58,720 You have to speak it. 453 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:00,240 Ephesians two eight. 454 00:32:00,240 --> 00:32:04,380 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that is not your own doing. 455 00:32:04,380 --> 00:32:06,320 It is the gift of God. 456 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:08,960 You don't have to wonder whether or not you have faith. 457 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:13,580 God freely gives faith to every person. 458 00:32:13,580 --> 00:32:18,480 The question is, are you building your faith or are you destroying your faith? 459 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:20,600 Because you can do both. 460 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,040 Romans 12 three. 461 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:26,780 For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly 462 00:32:26,780 --> 00:32:31,160 than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure 463 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:32,880 of faith that God has assigned. 464 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:37,720 So not everybody has the same faith, but everybody can improve and strengthen the faith that 465 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,720 they have. 466 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:42,240 So how do we grow faith? 467 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:43,920 Second Thessalonians one three. 468 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:47,760 We ought always give thanks to God for you brothers as it is right because your faith 469 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:54,720 is growing abundantly and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 470 00:32:54,720 --> 00:32:59,040 And those two things kind of go hand in hand. 471 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:07,680 You can have little faith when Peter's being invited to walk on the water and he steps 472 00:33:07,680 --> 00:33:09,500 out and first he gets it right. 473 00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:14,400 But then his focus gets on the problem rather than the solution. 474 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:15,400 There's that perspective. 475 00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:17,240 That perspective thing. 476 00:33:17,240 --> 00:33:19,120 And Jesus rebukes him. 477 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:22,920 Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt? 478 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:30,760 One of the things that destroys our faith is doubt, fear and unbelief. 479 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:38,080 So it's just like there are things that we can eat that destroy our health. 480 00:33:38,080 --> 00:33:41,880 There are things that we can eat and consume that strengthen and fortify our health. 481 00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:42,880 Doubt fear and unbelief. 482 00:33:42,880 --> 00:33:49,520 If those become our dominant mindset, it's just going to kill our faith. 483 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:55,480 You can have great faith and you can have little faith and you can have ruined faith. 484 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:57,800 Says in first Timothy one eighteen. 485 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:02,000 This charge I entrust you Timothy my child in accordance with the prophecies previously 486 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:04,000 made about you. 487 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:09,240 You know prophecy is intended to edify believers. 488 00:34:09,240 --> 00:34:12,000 Edify means strengthen. 489 00:34:12,000 --> 00:34:17,240 So have you ever been prophesied to Debbie? 490 00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:19,320 About myself or about anything? 491 00:34:19,320 --> 00:34:21,680 I don't think so. 492 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:26,400 You know when wonder why that is when Paul says that's the most important spiritual 493 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:28,600 gift out of all of them. 494 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:29,880 I don't know. 495 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:37,200 You mean would have I spoken or have received or either way either way. 496 00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:40,640 I'm just trying to make a point here. 497 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:41,640 Okay. 498 00:34:41,640 --> 00:34:46,960 If faith is so important and if prophecy is the most important gift we've been given to 499 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:53,680 strengthen and edify believers, why doesn't it ever happen? 500 00:34:53,680 --> 00:34:56,520 I don't know the answer to this. 501 00:34:56,520 --> 00:35:01,240 I just want to leave that hanging out there and point that out as being a problem. 502 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:06,240 So when I preached last Sunday, the supernatural operations and manifestations of the Holy 503 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:09,460 Spirit are not an optional part of the equation. 504 00:35:09,460 --> 00:35:14,480 If we're going to see New Testament Christianity restored in our day and time. 505 00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:17,400 You know and that's one of the things I'm talking about. 506 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:18,400 Okay. 507 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:23,360 Sorry that was a little bit of a side trail but not really. 508 00:35:23,360 --> 00:35:29,480 Accordance with the prophecies previously made about you that by them the prophecies 509 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:37,700 you may wage the good warfare holding faith and a good conscience by rejecting this. 510 00:35:37,700 --> 00:35:38,700 Rejecting what? 511 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:39,700 Faith? 512 00:35:39,700 --> 00:35:40,700 Prophecy? 513 00:35:40,700 --> 00:35:41,700 Both. 514 00:35:41,700 --> 00:35:42,700 Okay. 515 00:35:42,700 --> 00:35:48,440 Some have made a shipwreck of their faith. 516 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:53,960 Among them, Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn 517 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:57,200 not to blaspheme. 518 00:35:57,200 --> 00:36:05,880 So Paul's talking to, he wrote to Timothy but is he saying that about Timothy to warn 519 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:13,960 him or is he saying it about one of the churches that have gone off? 520 00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:17,800 Well like you say it's written to Timothy so yes he's using that as an example. 521 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:25,000 If you neglect and shrink back from what God has called you to then you're in danger of 522 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:28,680 the same fate as Hymenaeus and Alexander. 523 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,400 You know. 524 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:40,080 So I got a few just a few concluding statements here. 525 00:36:40,080 --> 00:36:42,560 Okay well let me ask you a question about prophecy. 526 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:48,160 Because I always think of prophecy as something that is going to happen. 527 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:49,880 Is that correct? 528 00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,800 Is that a wrong assumption on my part? 529 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,440 So we've got two different concepts. 530 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:59,080 You've got Old Testament prophets and prophecy. 531 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:02,960 Now that was a governmental office, the Old Testament prophet. 532 00:37:02,960 --> 00:37:07,360 The prophet was to hold the king in check. 533 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:12,840 So there's a different level of accountability when you're both a religious and governmental 534 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:14,320 high-ranking officer. 535 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:18,920 If you're going to prophesy it better be right. 536 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:22,360 Now New Testament prophecy is different. 537 00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:28,440 So the Bible says that prophecy is for the strengthening and edification of believers. 538 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:34,920 You're not holding kings accountable or in check or giving guidance for a nation. 539 00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:39,840 So that's why that if a prophet prophesies and their prophecy doesn't come true they're 540 00:37:39,840 --> 00:37:41,960 be put to death. 541 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:46,360 That's for the Old Testament prophet. 542 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:48,920 That's not what's going on in the New Testament. 543 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:52,520 It's a different thing. 544 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:59,480 And in the New Testament prophecy isn't so much a prediction of what's going to happen. 545 00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:04,680 It's an invitation to participate in something that God wants to do. 546 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:10,440 And with any invitation if you don't hold up your end of the bargain or the proposal 547 00:38:10,440 --> 00:38:14,480 then it's not going to happen. 548 00:38:14,480 --> 00:38:19,040 And to the extent that you hold up your end of the bargain, it's like a covenant. 549 00:38:19,040 --> 00:38:26,880 A covenant is you know God has the greater party has their responsibility and the lesser 550 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:29,000 party has their responsibility. 551 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:36,500 And to keep the covenant intact both parties have to do fulfill their obligations. 552 00:38:36,500 --> 00:38:40,000 So I would say New Testament prophecy works more like that. 553 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:50,640 Okay so it's more it sounds like purpose. 554 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:59,760 Am I doing what God sent me here to do and how do I know what that is? 555 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:10,840 I mean how do I know is part of the prophecy me seeking God's direction for my life? 556 00:39:10,840 --> 00:39:12,720 I'll give you an example. 557 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:14,600 I'll give you an example Debbie. 558 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,940 I've got a friend that I've developed a good friendship with. 559 00:39:17,940 --> 00:39:22,120 He is a prophet and he's part of a church in Tulsa. 560 00:39:22,120 --> 00:39:26,720 And you know his ministry has always kind of struggled to get off the ground. 561 00:39:26,720 --> 00:39:33,680 And so he's always been by by vocational but it has a very powerful anointing and gifting 562 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:39,320 from God to preach and to prophesy you know strong man. 563 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:45,800 And so one of the things that I was encouraging him to look at was you know really what you 564 00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:49,000 need is favor with man. 565 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:50,520 You've got favor with God. 566 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,560 You need favor with man to take your ministry to another level. 567 00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:58,520 So I was encouraging him to look at joining the global Methodist Church because there 568 00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,200 you're going to get plugged into a network that can help you develop a platform for your 569 00:40:02,200 --> 00:40:05,000 ministry you know. 570 00:40:05,000 --> 00:40:08,720 The very next day so this is a private phone conversation. 571 00:40:08,720 --> 00:40:13,240 The very next day he's in church and one of the ladies in his church starts prophesying 572 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:15,440 to him. 573 00:40:15,440 --> 00:40:20,340 I just believe that God is going to open the door to the denominations for you and he's 574 00:40:20,340 --> 00:40:22,680 going to be like a forklift. 575 00:40:22,680 --> 00:40:25,080 And I don't know this lady I've never met her. 576 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:30,620 So she's just speaking this out of her spirit to him basically confirming what I had told 577 00:40:30,620 --> 00:40:33,800 him from the Lord you know. 578 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:40,460 And so that's just God helping someone gain clarity around what direction they might take 579 00:40:40,460 --> 00:40:41,460 in the future. 580 00:40:41,460 --> 00:40:45,400 Now if he doesn't follow through on that it's not going to happen. 581 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:52,100 You've got to you've got to put your faith into action in order for that to start unfolding 582 00:40:52,100 --> 00:40:53,100 you know. 583 00:40:53,100 --> 00:40:58,200 But absolutely you know there's a good example of how there's a purpose behind it to help 584 00:40:58,200 --> 00:41:03,160 somebody get over the hump of perceived obstacles in their way. 585 00:41:03,160 --> 00:41:07,360 The obstacle could be I'm not sure if that's what I'm supposed to do. 586 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,320 The obstacle could be I'm not sure that's possible. 587 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:16,840 You know whatever the obstacle is it's God energizing us to get over that hump and pursue 588 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:19,000 some objective. 589 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:30,280 You know do you feel like that's a big that's the Holy Spirit is very active in that piece 590 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:31,280 of it. 591 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:37,000 I mean it's that John Wesley called it a warmth. 592 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:38,000 Yeah. 593 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:40,320 Remember his inner witness. 594 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:41,320 Yeah. 595 00:41:41,320 --> 00:41:44,040 He had a very warm feeling. 596 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:56,680 But there's something that seems to be inside you that is guiding you if you're listening 597 00:41:56,680 --> 00:41:59,520 and willing and open. 598 00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:01,640 And that's you know there are things like that. 599 00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:07,640 The example that I just described to you that's the only possible explanation for that the 600 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,280 very next day. 601 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:11,280 You know. 602 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:12,280 Yes. 603 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:21,000 That has to come from the Holy Spirit working in the inner man you know. 604 00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:28,880 And you know to be able to speak something like that faith is required. 605 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:34,120 You have to believe that you're hearing from God and then have the courage to take action 606 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:35,720 and take the risk. 607 00:42:35,720 --> 00:42:39,780 It's often been said that faith is spelled R.I.S.K. 608 00:42:39,780 --> 00:42:44,880 It's always going to require some risk on your part to give expression to it. 609 00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:46,720 And so you have to be vulnerable. 610 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:48,720 You have to take the risk of looking stupid. 611 00:42:48,720 --> 00:42:51,600 You have to take the risk of being completely off. 612 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:58,320 You have to take the risk of hearing and listening from God and speak on it anyway. 613 00:42:58,320 --> 00:42:59,320 You know. 614 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:00,320 Very true. 615 00:43:00,320 --> 00:43:05,580 I think you said a lot there. 616 00:43:05,580 --> 00:43:10,240 Sometimes I think we or I would just say me. 617 00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:13,080 I don't know what other people think about that. 618 00:43:13,080 --> 00:43:16,960 But I would like him to you know write it out for me. 619 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:17,960 Yeah. 620 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:19,080 Here's what I want you to say. 621 00:43:19,080 --> 00:43:20,080 Here's who's come. 622 00:43:20,080 --> 00:43:24,960 And you don't always know that ahead. 623 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:31,960 I'm just thinking about not all the time but there have been a few occasions throughout 624 00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:38,900 my Christian walk that somebody literally came back to me and said I couldn't forget 625 00:43:38,900 --> 00:43:41,760 you saying this. 626 00:43:41,760 --> 00:43:42,760 Well that's not me. 627 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:43,760 No. 628 00:43:43,760 --> 00:43:44,760 And that's what I say to them. 629 00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:46,680 Well then that wasn't me. 630 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:47,680 Right. 631 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:55,080 That was God using me to tell you something he needed you to hear verbally hear it verbally 632 00:43:55,080 --> 00:43:58,160 and that is a species of prophecy. 633 00:43:58,160 --> 00:43:59,160 OK. 634 00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:03,440 So if the Bible describes it as a word of wisdom word of knowledge. 635 00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:04,440 OK. 636 00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:05,440 OK. 637 00:44:05,440 --> 00:44:08,960 And so it can be a written down prophecy that you write down all in private and give to 638 00:44:08,960 --> 00:44:10,800 someone that's still prophesying. 639 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:11,800 OK. 640 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:15,960 You know it doesn't have to be this energized speech that you give to somebody even though 641 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,560 those are pretty cool when they happen. 642 00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:20,760 You know. 643 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:23,360 But you know that can manifest in a lot of different ways. 644 00:44:23,360 --> 00:44:28,760 But the point is somebody's hearing from God and speaking to edify somebody else. 645 00:44:28,760 --> 00:44:29,760 Yes. 646 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:32,200 And I've been on the receiving end of that too. 647 00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:42,280 Where I've said to I have a friend of mine that she's like a mentor for me because she's 648 00:44:42,280 --> 00:44:43,720 a very strong Christian. 649 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:47,240 I think of her as stronger than I am. 650 00:44:47,240 --> 00:44:53,640 And she will say something to me and I will say why did you say that. 651 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:55,080 What made you say that. 652 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:57,200 Those words those words. 653 00:44:57,200 --> 00:45:00,760 Because they it it it pricked you right. 654 00:45:00,760 --> 00:45:06,920 You know and that's the thing prophetic words can energize us and they can prick us you 655 00:45:06,920 --> 00:45:13,720 know because you know there's something God wants to do and we're afraid to confront it. 656 00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:15,520 And it's a powerful thing. 657 00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:16,520 Yes. 658 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:18,760 But it's nice to think of. 659 00:45:18,760 --> 00:45:20,240 I never would have. 660 00:45:20,240 --> 00:45:21,240 I don't know. 661 00:45:21,240 --> 00:45:24,920 Didn't know what I would have called it but I wouldn't have called it prophecy because 662 00:45:24,920 --> 00:45:32,680 I think of revelation and I think of you know it's something so huge. 663 00:45:32,680 --> 00:45:33,680 Yes. 664 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:38,160 But it can actually be something very. 665 00:45:38,160 --> 00:45:39,160 Absolutely. 666 00:45:39,160 --> 00:45:41,200 And it usually is. 667 00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:42,200 You know. 668 00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:43,200 OK. 669 00:45:43,200 --> 00:45:44,200 So. 670 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:45,200 OK. 671 00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:46,200 OK. 672 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:47,200 Back to you. 673 00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:48,200 Home. 674 00:45:48,200 --> 00:45:49,200 We're taking it home here. 675 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:50,200 OK. 676 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:55,520 You can automatically grow as your understanding of God's word grows. 677 00:45:55,520 --> 00:46:02,200 If your faith is not growing it's because your knowledge of God's word is not growing. 678 00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:05,760 And of course you can grow in the knowledge of God but if you don't exercise it and put 679 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:11,040 it into practice you're kind of spinning your wheels. 680 00:46:11,040 --> 00:46:15,360 You cannot grow or develop spiritually if you're not growing in faith. 681 00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:20,960 Faith just like we talked about with prophecy faith is the raw ingredient of everything 682 00:46:20,960 --> 00:46:24,680 that happens in the kingdom that pleases God. 683 00:46:24,680 --> 00:46:29,680 F.F. Bosworth said most Christians feed their body three hot meals a day and their spirit 684 00:46:29,680 --> 00:46:33,240 one cold snack a week. 685 00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:35,600 Nuff said about that. 686 00:46:35,600 --> 00:46:39,200 If you want if you want your faith to grow you have to start where you are. 687 00:46:39,200 --> 00:46:42,240 You kind of already developed that idea for us right. 688 00:46:42,240 --> 00:46:46,800 Start with small things and work your way up to bigger things. 689 00:46:46,800 --> 00:46:47,800 You know that's the problem. 690 00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:51,120 People want to use their faith to do big things when they have never used their faith to do 691 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:54,400 small things and it's they bite off more than they can chew. 692 00:46:54,400 --> 00:46:58,680 That's why you'll always hear me praying about Hobbs and Lee County. 693 00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:02,000 I don't have the faith to change this nation with my faith. 694 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:10,480 I'm going to exercise my faith where you know I can I feel like I can make a difference. 695 00:47:10,480 --> 00:47:14,400 Where just because someone has fed more on God's word and has exercised his faith is 696 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:19,040 not a sign that God gave him more faith than someone else. 697 00:47:19,040 --> 00:47:20,920 That's a lot of people make that mistake. 698 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:25,760 Well God just gave them or maybe they just developed it. 699 00:47:25,760 --> 00:47:32,360 You know the person who fed on the word of God and has exercised his faith had the same 700 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:35,080 measure of faith to begin with as others had. 701 00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:36,620 Now I don't agree with that. 702 00:47:36,620 --> 00:47:38,320 So I'll just say that out right. 703 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:47,240 Some people according to what we read from Romans are given different measures of faith. 704 00:47:47,240 --> 00:47:50,800 But when you exercise and strengthen your faith you are capable of believing God for 705 00:47:50,800 --> 00:47:55,080 more and having more of an impact. 706 00:47:55,080 --> 00:47:59,800 So again the three killers of faith doubt fear and unbelief. 707 00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:07,660 That's what got Peter off track when he got his focus off of the word of God who is Jesus 708 00:48:07,660 --> 00:48:08,660 and onto the problem. 709 00:48:08,660 --> 00:48:14,440 When he got his focus off that's when fear doubt and unbelief crept in and he began to 710 00:48:14,440 --> 00:48:16,760 sink right. 711 00:48:16,760 --> 00:48:24,240 So those are the three things that will kill the faith that we've been given more than 712 00:48:24,240 --> 00:48:28,000 anything else. 713 00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:30,660 And so Kenneth Hagen finishes with this. 714 00:48:30,660 --> 00:48:35,520 So when we're talking about something like healing for instance physical healing you've 715 00:48:35,520 --> 00:48:39,680 got to deal with fear first. 716 00:48:39,680 --> 00:48:45,160 In some cases before you get people healed you've got to deal with their fear and your 717 00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:47,600 fear. 718 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:51,240 I'm afraid if I pray and nothing happens I'll look stupid. 719 00:48:51,240 --> 00:48:57,480 That's what's going to retard most people from praying for healing. 720 00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:02,240 And then even though they get healed as long as they're going to fear then fear will open 721 00:49:02,240 --> 00:49:07,080 the door and the miracles will never be consummated. 722 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:11,600 This is the person you're praying about or you who are doing the praying. 723 00:49:11,600 --> 00:49:13,120 I think it's both and. 724 00:49:13,120 --> 00:49:16,840 You know Jesus goes to a certain town to work miracles and he says he could work no miracles 725 00:49:16,840 --> 00:49:19,160 there because of their unbelief. 726 00:49:19,160 --> 00:49:20,160 So their unbelief. 727 00:49:20,160 --> 00:49:21,160 Wasn't that his hometown? 728 00:49:21,160 --> 00:49:22,160 Yeah. 729 00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:23,160 Yeah that's right. 730 00:49:23,160 --> 00:49:27,880 So their unbelief was the part of the equation. 731 00:49:27,880 --> 00:49:31,040 But then if you're praying in unbelief that's not going to work either. 732 00:49:31,040 --> 00:49:32,280 Right. 733 00:49:32,280 --> 00:49:39,720 And so a lot of times the person being prayed for they're afraid of their sickness. 734 00:49:39,720 --> 00:49:41,640 They're afraid of dying. 735 00:49:41,640 --> 00:49:45,040 And they can't get their focus off of what they're afraid of. 736 00:49:45,040 --> 00:49:48,840 And that just like causes them to clinch up. 737 00:49:48,840 --> 00:49:53,320 And you've got to open up to receive. 738 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:57,040 And then the person needs to pray with boldness because that will help the person overcome 739 00:49:57,040 --> 00:49:58,360 their fear. 740 00:49:58,360 --> 00:50:05,080 Your boldness is infectious if you pray with clarity with boldness and with strength it 741 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:10,960 will be infectious and it will help the other person to receive what you're praying and 742 00:50:10,960 --> 00:50:13,920 believing for to overcome their fear. 743 00:50:13,920 --> 00:50:16,920 You know. 744 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:18,840 Yes. 745 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:20,880 And. 746 00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:23,600 I. 747 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:24,600 You're right. 748 00:50:24,600 --> 00:50:33,040 It's hard to know let's say I was praying for you. 749 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:37,360 I've prayed for someone for their healing. 750 00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:41,840 And you can there. 751 00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:45,960 Right away you get a feeling. 752 00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:51,200 That they that wasn't what they wanted you to say. 753 00:50:51,200 --> 00:50:52,200 For whatever reason. 754 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:53,880 And it may be the fear. 755 00:50:53,880 --> 00:50:57,080 So I. 756 00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:01,880 I didn't I don't know what to do when. 757 00:51:01,880 --> 00:51:08,120 I feel like I've not offended but maybe frightened. 758 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:11,920 The person that I was praying for. 759 00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:16,440 You know that's an important thing to bring up here. 760 00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:22,880 Because 90 percent of the time I'm just going to make up a number but a lot of the time 761 00:51:22,880 --> 00:51:26,800 when you initiate prayer it's going to be awkward. 762 00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:31,600 When you ask somebody to pray because they might be under the impression that. 763 00:51:31,600 --> 00:51:34,600 Not so much they don't want you to pray but they don't want to be a burden they don't 764 00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:36,040 want to be a bother. 765 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:40,000 I know this is awkward you don't have to make this awkward just to help me that kind of 766 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:41,440 a thing. 767 00:51:41,440 --> 00:51:44,320 You've just got to push that aside. 768 00:51:44,320 --> 00:51:45,840 OK. 769 00:51:45,840 --> 00:51:48,000 And go for it. 770 00:51:48,000 --> 00:51:52,000 And so hey I mean I want to look at you mind if I pray for you right now. 771 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:54,920 He's hardly ever going to say no. 772 00:51:54,920 --> 00:51:57,720 And then whenever you go for it. 773 00:51:57,720 --> 00:52:01,880 And you pray with strength and with clarity and with conviction. 774 00:52:01,880 --> 00:52:04,640 It's just like. 775 00:52:04,640 --> 00:52:08,200 After you've had a good hard workout you had to drag yourself to that gym to do it but 776 00:52:08,200 --> 00:52:11,120 then after it's over with like I'm so glad I did that. 777 00:52:11,120 --> 00:52:13,600 So 90 percent of the time it's going to be awkward. 778 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:17,200 Ninety five percent of the time you're going to have both people leaving. 779 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:19,100 I'm glad that happened. 780 00:52:19,100 --> 00:52:21,160 And thank you. 781 00:52:21,160 --> 00:52:24,600 For having the courage to really go for it. 782 00:52:24,600 --> 00:52:25,600 That's good. 783 00:52:25,600 --> 00:52:31,320 You know I guess one of the things that that's on that side of it. 784 00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:33,400 How's the person going to receive it. 785 00:52:33,400 --> 00:52:36,520 But on on my own personal side of it. 786 00:52:36,520 --> 00:52:38,960 How do I know God's will. 787 00:52:38,960 --> 00:52:43,280 Let's just say it is an illness for that person. 788 00:52:43,280 --> 00:52:49,440 You know whether I pray for them out loud with them present or I'm praying for them 789 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:55,320 as part of you know my own prayer time. 790 00:52:55,320 --> 00:53:00,480 I think you had mentioned earlier so the person could be healed. 791 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:04,640 The person could be healed through. 792 00:53:04,640 --> 00:53:10,920 Medical means you know or they could be taken home. 793 00:53:10,920 --> 00:53:15,520 I don't know that which one is God's way. 794 00:53:15,520 --> 00:53:18,680 So I always pray for the healing. 795 00:53:18,680 --> 00:53:19,680 Amen. 796 00:53:19,680 --> 00:53:20,680 Is that. 797 00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:24,560 Well and so here I don't see any example otherwise in scripture. 798 00:53:24,560 --> 00:53:26,320 Every time people pray it's for healing. 799 00:53:26,320 --> 00:53:27,320 It's for healing. 800 00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:31,780 And so I'm always praying for healing and I always understand God can heal this person 801 00:53:31,780 --> 00:53:34,160 how he wants to. 802 00:53:34,160 --> 00:53:36,480 When he wants to. 803 00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:37,480 If he wants to. 804 00:53:37,480 --> 00:53:38,480 Right. 805 00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:39,480 You know. 806 00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:40,480 Yes. 807 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:44,000 But I don't have any other example of well if it's your will. 808 00:53:44,000 --> 00:53:48,760 No the Bible all in the Bible prayers for healing are always prayers for healing. 809 00:53:48,760 --> 00:53:49,760 Yeah. 810 00:53:49,760 --> 00:53:50,760 That's what I. 811 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:51,760 That's what. 812 00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:54,440 And then you've got two different ways that God's going to answer that he can do a miracle 813 00:53:54,440 --> 00:53:58,480 where he can do something all of the sudden all at once and it's done. 814 00:53:58,480 --> 00:54:01,520 He can do a healing which is different from a miracle. 815 00:54:01,520 --> 00:54:05,420 That's where the person recovers their strength gradually over time. 816 00:54:05,420 --> 00:54:08,400 And then he can. 817 00:54:08,400 --> 00:54:13,800 Bring the person through the doorway of death and the next life which is where we're 818 00:54:13,800 --> 00:54:16,400 completely free from all suffering. 819 00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:17,760 In this life. 820 00:54:17,760 --> 00:54:19,760 And that's an underestimated. 821 00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:24,360 You know I would never advocate for suicide or taking your own life or anything like that. 822 00:54:24,360 --> 00:54:30,000 But trying to prolong a miserable life is also probably a bad idea. 823 00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:32,640 Artificially prolong miserable life. 824 00:54:32,640 --> 00:54:33,640 Absolutely. 825 00:54:33,640 --> 00:54:34,640 You know. 826 00:54:34,640 --> 00:54:35,640 They. 827 00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:41,960 I remember I had there was a girl who she knew she was going to die. 828 00:54:41,960 --> 00:54:47,960 And she wanted me to pray for her to go ahead and go. 829 00:54:47,960 --> 00:54:51,240 I mean they there was nothing. 830 00:54:51,240 --> 00:54:54,680 I couldn't do it. 831 00:54:54,680 --> 00:54:56,840 I don't I just couldn't. 832 00:54:56,840 --> 00:54:59,200 I couldn't do it. 833 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:03,480 So I really let her down and I felt bad about that. 834 00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:05,640 On the other hand I had. 835 00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:06,900 Did she live or did she die. 836 00:55:06,900 --> 00:55:07,900 She died. 837 00:55:07,900 --> 00:55:08,900 She died. 838 00:55:08,900 --> 00:55:09,900 Yeah she did. 839 00:55:09,900 --> 00:55:10,900 Praise God. 840 00:55:10,900 --> 00:55:11,900 Yeah. 841 00:55:11,900 --> 00:55:15,240 And she she just she wanted to stop suffering. 842 00:55:15,240 --> 00:55:16,240 Yeah. 843 00:55:16,240 --> 00:55:17,240 And so she. 844 00:55:17,240 --> 00:55:18,960 But I never. 845 00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:20,640 I was so taken aback. 846 00:55:20,640 --> 00:55:24,040 No one had ever asked me to pray for them to die. 847 00:55:24,040 --> 00:55:25,520 Before. 848 00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:27,760 Anyway. 849 00:55:27,760 --> 00:55:34,200 Another time we there was a young woman who. 850 00:55:34,200 --> 00:55:36,320 Needed to transplant. 851 00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:41,600 And we had been praying with her. 852 00:55:41,600 --> 00:55:45,000 And she we thought. 853 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:49,920 A donor appears out of you know. 854 00:55:49,920 --> 00:55:55,920 Someone in her past but you know we were thanking God for the donor and they were setting her 855 00:55:55,920 --> 00:56:02,480 up to to get that you know she's either got to have the transplant or she's her body won't 856 00:56:02,480 --> 00:56:04,480 survive. 857 00:56:04,480 --> 00:56:09,960 The last test that they do the donor. 858 00:56:09,960 --> 00:56:11,440 Fails. 859 00:56:11,440 --> 00:56:12,600 Everything else worked. 860 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:13,600 The blood work. 861 00:56:13,600 --> 00:56:15,640 The all of that. 862 00:56:15,640 --> 00:56:21,200 So she when she called to tell me that she said. 863 00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:22,360 I thought this was it. 864 00:56:22,360 --> 00:56:27,840 I thought God had answered our prayers and that we had gotten a donor and that everything 865 00:56:27,840 --> 00:56:28,840 was going well. 866 00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:29,840 She said. 867 00:56:29,840 --> 00:56:34,900 Do you think he wants me to die. 868 00:56:34,900 --> 00:56:38,360 So I said. 869 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:44,520 I don't know the will of God in this. 870 00:56:44,520 --> 00:56:51,280 But whatever his will is we need to stay faithful to that. 871 00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:54,080 I mean I I didn't know a good answer for that. 872 00:56:54,080 --> 00:56:55,600 I don't know what his will. 873 00:56:55,600 --> 00:56:56,920 You know that's tough. 874 00:56:56,920 --> 00:56:57,920 Yeah. 875 00:56:57,920 --> 00:57:00,520 And even the apostle Paul struggles with knowing the will of God. 876 00:57:00,520 --> 00:57:04,260 You know he talks about praying three times that the Lord would take the thorn in his 877 00:57:04,260 --> 00:57:05,260 flesh away. 878 00:57:05,260 --> 00:57:08,240 Yes I was reading that as part of this. 879 00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:09,240 Yeah. 880 00:57:09,240 --> 00:57:10,240 Yeah. 881 00:57:10,240 --> 00:57:13,360 And so that's about put that in the exception rather than the rule. 882 00:57:13,360 --> 00:57:17,680 There are things that we just don't have an answer for or understand. 883 00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:18,680 Right. 884 00:57:18,680 --> 00:57:21,400 And you know you know what the Lord says to Paul. 885 00:57:21,400 --> 00:57:23,600 He says no. 886 00:57:23,600 --> 00:57:26,000 Because my power is made perfect in your weakness. 887 00:57:26,000 --> 00:57:27,000 Right. 888 00:57:27,000 --> 00:57:29,400 You know and. 889 00:57:29,400 --> 00:57:33,320 You know most of us don't function at the level of the apostle Paul so we don't require 890 00:57:33,320 --> 00:57:35,960 we got plenty of thorns in the flesh. 891 00:57:35,960 --> 00:57:36,960 Yes. 892 00:57:36,960 --> 00:57:42,320 So but there are things that are just. 893 00:57:42,320 --> 00:57:46,960 You can't put a nice bow on an answer for people. 894 00:57:46,960 --> 00:57:52,040 But that doesn't change the example that we have in scripture of how we are to approach 895 00:57:52,040 --> 00:57:54,920 the problems of life on behalf of our brothers and sisters. 896 00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:56,360 We pray for God to intervene. 897 00:57:56,360 --> 00:57:57,920 We're going to pray for the healing. 898 00:57:57,920 --> 00:57:58,920 Absolutely. 899 00:57:58,920 --> 00:58:04,120 Well I will tell you the end of that story is. 900 00:58:04,120 --> 00:58:08,080 She was on a list. 901 00:58:08,080 --> 00:58:16,960 But the for the cadaver transplants and but there weren't cadavers coming in. 902 00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:20,760 So she's near the top but she's not there. 903 00:58:20,760 --> 00:58:22,040 They're just not coming in. 904 00:58:22,040 --> 00:58:27,720 And so I told her I said why don't you check on that and see where you're at. 905 00:58:27,720 --> 00:58:32,000 Because she's so down you know all of I thought all of this was going to happen. 906 00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:38,560 And anyway so she called me in and I don't know the time frame between there but in a 907 00:58:38,560 --> 00:58:50,960 week or so and and she said cadaver transplants are coming in and they told me that within 908 00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:57,160 three months I should be they should have one for me. 909 00:58:57,160 --> 00:59:04,840 It was just once again God intervening in an unexpected way. 910 00:59:04,840 --> 00:59:07,800 It what looks like we thought was one way. 911 00:59:07,800 --> 00:59:10,280 Well it wasn't. 912 00:59:10,280 --> 00:59:15,520 It was and she's she did miraculously well. 913 00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:17,920 She got her transplant. 914 00:59:17,920 --> 00:59:21,980 She was where she should have been six to nine weeks. 915 00:59:21,980 --> 00:59:24,720 She was out in three to four. 916 00:59:24,720 --> 00:59:32,180 She she's just doing amazing. 917 00:59:32,180 --> 00:59:43,280 So I would I would just say I think that's where why we hold back because we don't know 918 00:59:43,280 --> 00:59:46,640 which of the three ways it's going. 919 00:59:46,640 --> 00:59:48,720 Something is going to occur. 920 00:59:48,720 --> 00:59:54,040 But having gone through that with someone now I would say don't hold back. 921 00:59:54,040 --> 00:59:56,400 Don't hold back. 922 00:59:56,400 --> 01:00:01,960 I'll close with this story because you that you telling that story triggered me a person 923 01:00:01,960 --> 01:00:03,960 as a story of my own life. 924 01:00:03,960 --> 01:00:05,440 I was young in ministry. 925 01:00:05,440 --> 01:00:12,840 I was a campus pastor at West Texas A&M University and I remember I got this ten thousand dollar 926 01:00:12,840 --> 01:00:18,680 bill from I think my newborn baby Emma's hernia surgery. 927 01:00:18,680 --> 01:00:26,040 And at that time that was like a death blow to me and I'll never forget I threw a temper 928 01:00:26,040 --> 01:00:30,560 tantrum. 929 01:00:30,560 --> 01:00:35,520 I got I got mad at God and the whole time I was throwing that temper tantrum I could 930 01:00:35,520 --> 01:00:38,760 feel the Holy Spirit in me saying calm down. 931 01:00:38,760 --> 01:00:40,320 It's going to be OK. 932 01:00:40,320 --> 01:00:42,160 I'm going to take care of this. 933 01:00:42,160 --> 01:00:44,640 How how are you going to take care of this? 934 01:00:44,640 --> 01:00:47,240 I want to be paying payments on this the rest of my life. 935 01:00:47,240 --> 01:00:49,640 Is that how you're going to take care of this? 936 01:00:49,640 --> 01:00:50,640 You know? 937 01:00:50,640 --> 01:00:51,640 Yeah. 938 01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:57,640 And so it wasn't a few days later in the same day. 939 01:00:57,640 --> 01:01:04,960 Not only did I get a solution to my problem I got three different solutions to my problem. 940 01:01:04,960 --> 01:01:06,680 Wow. 941 01:01:06,680 --> 01:01:10,160 Because you know in that health care exchange I had called the health care company before 942 01:01:10,160 --> 01:01:15,280 we had the surgery they assured me that it was covered under my insurance and then come 943 01:01:15,280 --> 01:01:18,640 to find out it wasn't. 944 01:01:18,640 --> 01:01:21,440 And so that was one of the things I was mad about. 945 01:01:21,440 --> 01:01:30,680 But in that same day the board of our Wesley Foundation offered to pay that bill. 946 01:01:30,680 --> 01:01:33,640 Oh wow. 947 01:01:33,640 --> 01:01:38,540 I forgot there was another solution to the problem and then the health insurance company 948 01:01:38,540 --> 01:01:43,140 called and said well we actually had that conversation recorded and you're right that 949 01:01:43,140 --> 01:01:47,280 person did tell you and so we are going to cover it. 950 01:01:47,280 --> 01:01:53,880 And of course God stayed in there. 951 01:01:53,880 --> 01:01:54,880 See? 952 01:01:54,880 --> 01:01:57,160 Yeah that's great. 953 01:01:57,160 --> 01:02:03,720 You know that reminds me of one of the things I underlined here and I was thinking about 954 01:02:03,720 --> 01:02:08,320 last night as well is always being grateful. 955 01:02:08,320 --> 01:02:15,920 Whether it's turning out the way you wanted or not always being grateful. 956 01:02:15,920 --> 01:02:22,560 Because there are things going on that we don't see or know about. 957 01:02:22,560 --> 01:02:28,800 Because I'm praying for a person and I'm not seeing the change doesn't mean change isn't 958 01:02:28,800 --> 01:02:29,800 a good thing. 959 01:02:29,800 --> 01:02:30,800 Amen. 960 01:02:30,800 --> 01:02:31,800 Right. 961 01:02:31,800 --> 01:02:35,960 We walk by faith not by sight. 962 01:02:35,960 --> 01:02:41,520 We keep our focus on what the word of God says not what our circumstances say. 963 01:02:41,520 --> 01:02:48,680 We act upon faith and we refuse to be discouraged by our circumstances. 964 01:02:48,680 --> 01:02:52,680 And so at the end of the day that's just the bottom line. 965 01:02:52,680 --> 01:02:58,960 Absolutely and I'm like you have been in your same shoes been mad at God about something 966 01:02:58,960 --> 01:03:04,200 but it comes back to what you just said. 967 01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:05,200 Yeah. 968 01:03:05,200 --> 01:03:09,000 Leave it in his hands. 969 01:03:09,000 --> 01:03:12,800 God may not be early but keep the faith he's never too late. 970 01:03:12,800 --> 01:03:14,600 You heard that song? 971 01:03:14,600 --> 01:03:18,960 He may not be early but he keep the faith that he's never too late. 972 01:03:18,960 --> 01:03:20,920 I've never heard that. 973 01:03:20,920 --> 01:03:30,360 But I do say to him many times especially if I'm in fear of doubting your timing's 974 01:03:30,360 --> 01:03:31,360 perfect. 975 01:03:31,360 --> 01:03:32,360 Amen. 976 01:03:32,360 --> 01:03:33,360 Your solution's perfect. 977 01:03:33,360 --> 01:03:34,360 Amen. 978 01:03:34,360 --> 01:03:39,880 So speak speak words of faith to your fear and it will disappear. 979 01:03:39,880 --> 01:03:40,880 Absolutely. 980 01:03:40,880 --> 01:03:41,880 Yeah. 981 01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:42,880 I'm a poet and didn't know it. 982 01:03:42,880 --> 01:03:45,640 And you may have to do that a bunch. 983 01:03:45,640 --> 01:03:49,040 You may have to do that a bunch depending on the circumstances. 984 01:03:49,040 --> 01:03:50,040 Yes ma'am. 985 01:03:50,040 --> 01:03:51,680 But he's working. 986 01:03:51,680 --> 01:03:54,640 We don't always know but he's working. 987 01:03:54,640 --> 01:03:55,640 All right. 988 01:03:55,640 --> 01:03:57,840 I think. 989 01:03:57,840 --> 01:04:00,440 So what would we walk away from this? 990 01:04:00,440 --> 01:04:14,560 I think to follow Jesus you have to be willing to put in some work including growing your 991 01:04:14,560 --> 01:04:24,080 own knowledge, trusting him even in the small things in your own life so that you can help 992 01:04:24,080 --> 01:04:28,440 someone else who may not have made that step yet. 993 01:04:28,440 --> 01:04:35,880 In growing the knowledge of God in conjunction with taking action and specifically the action 994 01:04:35,880 --> 01:04:41,920 is going to require risk at some level on your part. 995 01:04:41,920 --> 01:04:48,640 You have to exercise courage to overcome your fear of the risk and that's all a part of 996 01:04:48,640 --> 01:04:49,640 the equation. 997 01:04:49,640 --> 01:04:50,640 Yeah. 998 01:04:50,640 --> 01:04:51,640 So that's good. 999 01:04:51,640 --> 01:04:52,640 Yeah. 1000 01:04:52,640 --> 01:04:53,640 Yeah. 1001 01:04:53,640 --> 01:04:54,640 Good talk. 1002 01:04:54,640 --> 01:04:55,640 OK. 1003 01:04:55,640 --> 01:04:56,640 Well thank you. 1004 01:04:56,640 --> 01:05:00,120 Thank you for answering my questions and pulling it all together for me. 1005 01:05:00,120 --> 01:05:02,080 Well don't be such a stranger. 1006 01:05:02,080 --> 01:05:03,080 Yeah. 1007 01:05:03,080 --> 01:05:10,120 Hopefully I'm not going to catch every flu virus that comes along in this new year. 1008 01:05:10,120 --> 01:05:16,640 Although I think I've had several of them in over December and November but hopefully 1009 01:05:16,640 --> 01:05:19,040 I've helped build up some immunity. 1010 01:05:19,040 --> 01:05:20,040 Yeah. 1011 01:05:20,040 --> 01:05:21,040 So. 1012 01:05:21,040 --> 01:05:22,040 Amen. 1013 01:05:22,040 --> 01:05:23,040 Maybe I'll stay well. 1014 01:05:23,040 --> 01:05:24,040 All right. 1015 01:05:24,040 --> 01:05:25,040 Thank you Miss Debbie. 1016 01:05:25,040 --> 01:05:26,040 All right. 1017 01:05:26,040 --> 01:05:26,760 Bye bye.