WEBVTT 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:03.919 I want to welcome you to the Quality Christian 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:06.700 Living Podcast. I am your host, David Friend. 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:09.880 Today's podcast is entitled, Holy Spirit, Faith 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:12.439 and Power. We're going to discover how the Holy 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:16.179 Spirit brings a powerful amount of faith and 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:18.679 power to our life. And we'll learn from the life 00:00:18.679 --> 00:00:20.660 of Stephen, who we'll read about in the book 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:23.489 of Acts. We'll better understand how faith and 00:00:23.489 --> 00:00:25.989 power come from the Holy Spirit, and finally, 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:28.589 how we can be filled with the Spirit each and 00:00:28.589 --> 00:00:30.449 every day of our lives. I know God's got some 00:00:30.449 --> 00:00:32.490 great plans for us, but let's go to the Lord 00:00:32.490 --> 00:00:34.469 first in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you 00:00:34.469 --> 00:00:36.350 for the opportunity, once again, to bring this 00:00:36.350 --> 00:00:38.390 podcast to those who are listening literally 00:00:38.390 --> 00:00:40.450 around the world. We pray now you would bless 00:00:40.450 --> 00:00:42.490 them, and I pray that you would anoint this podcast, 00:00:42.509 --> 00:00:44.250 and I submit to you, and I ask the Holy Spirit 00:00:44.250 --> 00:00:46.530 to take complete control, take charge, about 00:00:46.530 --> 00:00:49.049 to speak about today. The topic is the Holy Spirit, 00:00:49.109 --> 00:00:51.649 so therefore, we need you. we seek you. We need 00:00:51.649 --> 00:00:53.450 your guidance and direction. I pray you would 00:00:53.450 --> 00:00:55.130 bless this and that those who are listening in 00:00:55.130 --> 00:00:57.450 would receive something very special today. Holy 00:00:57.450 --> 00:00:59.829 Spirit, may you open up our hearts to receive 00:00:59.829 --> 00:01:02.189 directly from you. I pray that you would guide 00:01:02.189 --> 00:01:04.590 every thought, every comment, the reading of 00:01:04.590 --> 00:01:06.989 each scripture and that your name would be blessed 00:01:06.989 --> 00:01:09.730 and we just give you thanks for it. We ask now 00:01:09.730 --> 00:01:12.109 that those who are listening in would receive 00:01:12.109 --> 00:01:14.810 exactly what they're looking for and only you 00:01:14.810 --> 00:01:16.769 can accomplish that. So we'd be careful to give 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:18.849 you the praise and glory for what's about to 00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:21.299 take place and I with these things now in Jesus 00:01:21.299 --> 00:01:24.040 name I pray amen this has been a very exciting 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:26.159 series for me and a lot of people are calling 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:29.000 me people are texting me I've had emails that 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:30.659 they're being blessed by it and being touched 00:01:30.659 --> 00:01:32.939 by it so I just thank the Lord for that because 00:01:32.939 --> 00:01:35.780 when we talk about the Holy Spirit we talk about 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:39.060 the greatest power that's ever been written about 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:42.159 and when we read the Word of God we have to always 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:44.500 remember that every word in the Word of God has 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:46.939 been inspired by the Holy Spirit for those who 00:01:46.939 --> 00:01:49.359 wrote it so I hope you're ready to hear what 00:01:49.359 --> 00:01:51.920 the Holy Spirit does to give us faith and how 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:54.420 he does that and how he gives us power in our 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:57.000 prayer times, power in our walk with God, power 00:01:57.000 --> 00:01:58.879 to live that life that God wants us to live. 00:01:59.019 --> 00:02:02.560 For the Holy Spirit to help us increase our faith 00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:06.500 and experience His power, we must be filled with 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:08.759 the Spirit. Let's look at a man who was filled 00:02:08.759 --> 00:02:11.780 with the Holy Spirit. The Apostles needed help. 00:02:11.879 --> 00:02:14.699 to serve the growing church. They were outnumbered 00:02:14.699 --> 00:02:16.699 by people and there was so much going on they 00:02:16.699 --> 00:02:19.020 needed people to serve other people so that the 00:02:19.020 --> 00:02:20.840 apostles could spend time preparing the Word 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:22.900 of God and ministering to people one -on -one. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:26.039 So they decided to recruit others. It says in 00:02:26.039 --> 00:02:29.199 Acts chapter 6 and verse 5, there were seven 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:32.159 who were chosen and one of them was named Stephen. 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:34.759 So they picked out seven men who were there to 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:36.939 be probably the first deacons that we've ever 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:39.379 heard of in the church. Then in Acts chapter 00:02:39.379 --> 00:02:42.030 6 and verse 8 in the New Living translation. 00:02:42.349 --> 00:02:45.990 It says this, Stephen, a man full of God's grace 00:02:45.990 --> 00:02:49.849 and power performed amazing miracles and signs 00:02:49.849 --> 00:02:52.009 among the peoples. Now the thing that I like 00:02:52.009 --> 00:02:53.669 about that scripture, I mean there's a lot about 00:02:53.669 --> 00:02:55.669 it, but that particular verse puts two things 00:02:55.669 --> 00:02:57.389 together that a lot of people don't, I think, 00:02:57.569 --> 00:02:59.849 understand. And that is this man was full of 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:03.840 God's grace, it said at first, and power to perform 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.280 amazing miracles. So when you put that together, 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:08.259 a lot of people say, well, grace and power, do 00:03:08.259 --> 00:03:11.060 they go together? Absolutely. God has incredible 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:13.300 grace for each and every one of us, unlimited 00:03:13.300 --> 00:03:16.300 grace for us, and he has the ability to have 00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:17.939 the greatest power and does have the greatest 00:03:17.939 --> 00:03:21.479 power that man has ever seen. God is omnipotent, 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:24.979 omniscient, and omnipresent. God is God. But 00:03:24.979 --> 00:03:28.900 Stephen was filled, or full of God's grace and 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:31.699 power so that he was able to do amazing miracles. 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:34.259 and signs among the people. So therefore the 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:36.680 Holy Spirit blessed him and gave him these gifts. 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:38.800 In upcoming podcasts we're going to talk about 00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:40.479 the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the 00:03:40.479 --> 00:03:41.919 Spirit and we're going to talk about how the 00:03:41.919 --> 00:03:44.719 Holy Spirit gives gifts to people in whom he 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.180 chooses who to give them to. It's his choice, 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:50.180 it's his selection, if you will, to let those 00:03:50.180 --> 00:03:53.340 gifts come down upon people. So Stephen was an 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:55.620 ordinary man. Now that's so important to this 00:03:55.620 --> 00:03:58.240 teaching because we're all ordinary people. Stephen 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:01.219 was an ordinary man that the Holy Spirit made 00:04:01.219 --> 00:04:04.280 supernatural. And that can happen to us. We can 00:04:04.280 --> 00:04:06.539 literally be transformed by the power of the 00:04:06.539 --> 00:04:08.759 Holy Spirit. We're transformed when we become 00:04:08.759 --> 00:04:12.120 followers of Jesus Christ. We become slaves to 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:14.840 sin before we receive Christ but then we're set 00:04:14.840 --> 00:04:17.519 free of that and we become a new person. The 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:20.300 Bible says a new creation we become so therefore 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:23.579 Stephen was a new creation and an ordinary man 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:26.620 who didn't understand the Holy Spirit and didn't 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:29.240 understand what the supernatural was but he became 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.740 what he didn't understand was possible and that 00:04:31.740 --> 00:04:34.819 he was filled and full of the Holy Spirit and 00:04:34.819 --> 00:04:37.899 worked in supernatural ways. He was selected 00:04:37.899 --> 00:04:40.319 to be a deacon. I mentioned deacon earlier but 00:04:40.319 --> 00:04:42.379 really he was. He was selected to be a deacon 00:04:42.379 --> 00:04:45.420 in the two new church in Jerusalem. Now most 00:04:45.420 --> 00:04:48.480 theologians call Stephen the first Christian 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:50.639 martyr. That means the first one to be killed 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:53.439 for his faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.439 Stephen was filled with faith and the Holy Spirit. 00:04:56.620 --> 00:04:59.319 When you read through chapter 6 and chapter 7 00:04:59.319 --> 00:05:01.720 about the life of Stephen and what he went through 00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:03.680 and the accusations that came up against him, 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:05.720 he had to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.319 while that was going through that, Stephen loved 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:10.500 serving other people. He was filled with grace. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:12.379 That scripture said, remember, filled with God's 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:14.899 grace and power to perform miracles. Well, he 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:17.300 was a servant and he got the attention of God 00:05:17.300 --> 00:05:19.980 because he was a servant, because he loved people 00:05:19.980 --> 00:05:21.439 and he wanted to help other people. He wanted 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:23.959 to help the apostles build a great church and 00:05:23.959 --> 00:05:25.819 so he served. And many of you out there who are 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:27.860 going to churches, I hope that you'll examine 00:05:27.860 --> 00:05:29.980 yourself and say, am I really serving where God 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.360 wants me to serve? Am I doing what I should do 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.939 in my local church to help that church grow? 00:05:35.160 --> 00:05:37.660 Can I possibly be someone like Stephen who's 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:39.689 filled with the Holy Spirit? Well, the way you 00:05:39.689 --> 00:05:41.209 become filled with the Holy Spirit and we'll 00:05:41.209 --> 00:05:43.290 get into that in just a moment. One key step 00:05:43.290 --> 00:05:45.769 is that we need to think of others as being more 00:05:45.769 --> 00:05:47.629 important than ourself. We need to learn how 00:05:47.629 --> 00:05:49.709 to love other people and to serve other people. 00:05:49.910 --> 00:05:53.050 Now Stephen is famous because of his verbal attacks. 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:56.199 on the religious, non -Christian leaders of the 00:05:56.199 --> 00:05:59.220 day. He preached about Jesus being the Messiah, 00:05:59.399 --> 00:06:02.100 and because of that he was accused of blasphemy. 00:06:02.259 --> 00:06:04.300 He had a trial that was a mock retrial. It was 00:06:04.300 --> 00:06:06.899 just a mock trial. It was fake and phony because 00:06:06.899 --> 00:06:09.019 the people had nothing against Stephen. They 00:06:09.019 --> 00:06:11.040 just had everything against Jesus, against these 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:13.019 Christians, about followers of Jesus Christ. 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:15.600 And Stephen was bold enough to tell them that 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:18.199 they were wrong. They were wrong in God's sight, 00:06:18.279 --> 00:06:21.180 had rejected Jesus, and therefore Jesus is the 00:06:21.180 --> 00:06:23.920 one that his accusers hated, and so therefore 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:26.180 they accused him of the very thing that they 00:06:26.180 --> 00:06:29.199 were doing. They were accusing him of blasphemy, 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:32.180 turning against God, and therefore they plan 00:06:32.180 --> 00:06:34.680 to stone him to death. So Stephen was stoned 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:37.920 to death. And during that stoning, two very powerful 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:39.959 moments took place. It's so important that we 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:41.819 understand that because we go through trials. 00:06:41.920 --> 00:06:43.939 I'm sure everybody out there right now is going 00:06:43.939 --> 00:06:46.319 through some kind of a trial or a difficult thing 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:47.939 that you're going through. You're facing some 00:06:47.939 --> 00:06:49.620 circumstances you really don't want. You want 00:06:49.620 --> 00:06:52.139 them out of your life. Trials happen. We have 00:06:52.139 --> 00:06:54.420 to look to God, the author and the finisher of 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:56.319 our faith, and he is our source. He's a very 00:06:56.319 --> 00:06:58.459 present help in times of trouble. So Stephen 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:00.360 knew that because he knew what was going to happen 00:07:00.360 --> 00:07:02.339 because that's how They talked about people when 00:07:02.339 --> 00:07:04.319 they didn't like them or they disagreed with 00:07:04.319 --> 00:07:06.240 them. They wanted to stone them to death. A moment 00:07:06.240 --> 00:07:08.420 ago, I said that there were two very important 00:07:08.420 --> 00:07:10.420 things that took place. Well, let me share those 00:07:10.420 --> 00:07:13.800 with you. First one was about a man named Saul 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:17.839 of Tarsus. He stood by and supported the murdering 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:20.759 of Stephen. Saul later became the apostle Paul. 00:07:20.839 --> 00:07:23.839 The other major event in that stoning is recorded 00:07:23.839 --> 00:07:26.959 in Acts chapter seven, verse 59 in the New Living 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.439 Translation. Here's what it says, as they stoned 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:33.449 him, Stephen, prayed Lord Jesus receive my spirit 00:07:33.449 --> 00:07:36.810 and in verse 60 he fell to his knees shouting 00:07:36.810 --> 00:07:40.750 and Lord don't charge them with this sin and 00:07:40.750 --> 00:07:42.850 with that he died now does that sound familiar 00:07:42.850 --> 00:07:45.189 or what remember at the crucifixion Jesus said 00:07:45.189 --> 00:07:47.329 Jesus said forgive them for they know not what 00:07:47.329 --> 00:07:50.730 they're doing and so Stephen while he was being 00:07:50.730 --> 00:07:53.670 stoned was so full of the Holy Spirit so filled 00:07:53.670 --> 00:07:55.870 with the power of God they looked up to heaven 00:07:55.870 --> 00:07:58.009 and said they don't know what they're doing so 00:07:58.009 --> 00:08:00.129 please don't count this against them and I just 00:08:00.009 --> 00:08:03.009 I just think that is just an amazing example 00:08:03.009 --> 00:08:06.149 of how we can deal with the challenges we face 00:08:06.149 --> 00:08:07.529 in our life. Now I'm not saying we're going to 00:08:07.529 --> 00:08:09.350 be stoned. I'm not going to say we go through 00:08:09.350 --> 00:08:11.670 what Stephen went through or what Jesus went 00:08:11.670 --> 00:08:13.689 through. What I'm saying is when we're in the 00:08:13.689 --> 00:08:16.449 midst of the battle, let's not let the battle 00:08:16.449 --> 00:08:19.550 drag us down to lose our faith. Let's have the 00:08:19.550 --> 00:08:22.529 battle increase our faith, increase our trust 00:08:22.529 --> 00:08:25.069 in God so that while we're going through something, 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:27.610 we'll be focusing on what we're going to go to. 00:08:27.750 --> 00:08:30.250 We want to look forward to that. future, to what's 00:08:30.250 --> 00:08:32.190 going to take place, for the potential that God 00:08:32.190 --> 00:08:34.669 has, for the ability he has, and what God is 00:08:34.669 --> 00:08:37.470 going to take us through. In order to do that, 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:40.129 we've got to have Holy Spirit faith and Holy 00:08:40.129 --> 00:08:43.470 Spirit power. I can't continue this podcast without 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:46.690 reading something that is so incredible when 00:08:46.690 --> 00:08:48.970 it comes to understanding the power that Stephen 00:08:48.970 --> 00:08:51.610 had in his life. I just can't leave this alone. 00:08:51.710 --> 00:08:53.809 It's found in the book of Acts chapter 7, and 00:08:53.809 --> 00:08:56.470 I think it's verse 55, and it says, but Stephen, 00:08:56.490 --> 00:09:00.000 full of the Holy Spirit, gave He's steadily into 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:02.059 heaven. Hear the word steadily. He didn't take 00:09:02.059 --> 00:09:05.080 his eyes off of Jesus and saw the glory of God 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:08.539 and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor 00:09:08.539 --> 00:09:11.480 at God's right hand. In the middle of the battle, 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.519 he kept his eyes on Jesus. Boy, we all need that. 00:09:14.679 --> 00:09:16.799 Let me just pray right now. I just feel the Holy 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:18.860 Spirit all over me right now. Heavenly Father, 00:09:18.940 --> 00:09:20.720 I pray for those who are going through the battle 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.279 right now, Lord, they'll put their eyes on Jesus. 00:09:23.460 --> 00:09:25.779 They'll look up into the heavens and see Jesus 00:09:25.779 --> 00:09:27.840 is there with his hand extended saying, I'll 00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:30.220 never leave you or forsake you. I'll always be 00:09:30.220 --> 00:09:32.240 there for you. I'm always going to be at your 00:09:32.240 --> 00:09:34.700 side. So Heavenly Father, help those going through 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:36.820 difficulties right now that their eyes will be 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:39.840 off the difficulties and on their Savior, their 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.820 Redeemer, their Lord, and so they can handle 00:09:42.820 --> 00:09:45.179 anything that's thrown at them because Jesus 00:09:45.179 --> 00:09:47.779 is there to strengthen them, to help them, and 00:09:47.779 --> 00:09:49.500 carry them through. And I'll thank you for that 00:09:49.500 --> 00:09:52.200 in advance. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Just 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.700 one more little thought. Look at what Stephen 00:09:54.700 --> 00:09:57.759 experienced, but because of him being full of 00:09:57.759 --> 00:10:00.159 the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. He never 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:03.259 took his eyes off of Jesus. I pray that you're 00:10:03.259 --> 00:10:05.059 receiving this in the way that it's intended 00:10:05.059 --> 00:10:07.399 that the Holy Spirit is helping you to give you 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:09.139 strength where you need it. Think about this 00:10:09.139 --> 00:10:11.879 for a second. When we are full of the Holy Spirit, 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:15.100 our faith becomes supernatural. That's powerful. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:18.460 That's amazing. We operate in what we read about 00:10:18.460 --> 00:10:22.080 in Romans chapter 8 and verse 27. And he who 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.299 searches our heart knows the mind of the Spirit, 00:10:25.480 --> 00:10:28.379 because the Spirit intercedes for God's people 00:10:28.379 --> 00:10:31.240 in accordance with the will of God. We operate 00:10:31.240 --> 00:10:33.980 according to the will of God. We operate in the 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:36.980 will of God. We operate in the power of the Holy 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:40.259 Spirit and the strength of the Holy Spirit and 00:10:40.259 --> 00:10:42.840 the faith that the Holy Spirit helps us to have 00:10:42.840 --> 00:10:46.659 and shows us that we can have. from one realm 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:49.179 of faith to a whole new realm of faith. When 00:10:49.179 --> 00:10:51.559 Jesus talked about having great faith, He talked 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:54.340 about people who just did not allow their circumstances 00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:57.519 to rob them of what God was taking them to, what 00:10:57.519 --> 00:10:59.340 God wanted to bring into their life. You know, 00:10:59.379 --> 00:11:02.659 God knows the mind of His Spirit operating in 00:11:02.659 --> 00:11:05.740 us, obviously, because He is part of the Godhead. 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:07.720 He's part of the triune God, God the Father, 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.120 God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. So therefore, 00:11:10.139 --> 00:11:13.059 God knows the mind of the Holy Spirit who is 00:11:13.059 --> 00:11:16.899 in us. That is what takes us into the supernatural. 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:18.860 I know that might sound a little heavy to you, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.740 but that's what the Word of God tells us. It 00:11:20.740 --> 00:11:24.159 teaches us that. So how do we become full of 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:26.700 the Holy Spirit? Well, first of all, we need 00:11:26.700 --> 00:11:29.379 to be witnesses of the things that have happened 00:11:29.379 --> 00:11:31.620 good in our life. And we need to be witnesses 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:34.340 to the goodness of God, the power of God. the 00:11:34.340 --> 00:11:37.019 forgiveness of God, the life that we used to 00:11:37.019 --> 00:11:38.980 live now has changed to the life that we're living 00:11:38.980 --> 00:11:41.100 today. And we can be full of the Holy Spirit 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:43.679 when we recognize that we're witnesses of what 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:45.919 God has done in our life. Listen to Ephesians 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:49.120 chapter 5 and verse 18. It says here, do not 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:53.039 get drunk with wine because that will ruin your 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:55.639 life. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. That means 00:11:55.639 --> 00:11:58.940 we need to live a life filled with seeking a 00:11:58.940 --> 00:12:01.799 closer walk with God, a life filled with the 00:12:01.799 --> 00:12:04.360 goodness of God, a life of prayer. a life of 00:12:04.360 --> 00:12:06.519 meditation, thinking on the things of God, a 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:08.820 life of praying in the Spirit, a life of praying 00:12:08.820 --> 00:12:11.019 without ceasing, which simply means, that doesn't 00:12:11.019 --> 00:12:13.789 mean you... non -stop pray 24 hours a day, you 00:12:13.789 --> 00:12:16.389 have to sleep. But obviously, to pray without 00:12:16.389 --> 00:12:19.009 ceasing means that when we're conscious, when 00:12:19.009 --> 00:12:21.269 we're awake, our whole life needs to be focused 00:12:21.269 --> 00:12:24.389 on, I can do that because God will help me go 00:12:24.389 --> 00:12:26.289 through that. I know that all things are possible 00:12:26.289 --> 00:12:28.409 because of what Jesus has done in my life and 00:12:28.409 --> 00:12:30.629 because of his power and his strength. That is 00:12:30.629 --> 00:12:32.610 really praying in the spirit. We need to have 00:12:32.610 --> 00:12:35.629 the word of God so in our heart that when anything 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:37.889 that we do comes up, we have a scripture to match 00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:39.710 that. We have a scripture that takes that. When 00:12:39.710 --> 00:12:41.879 I was challenged in my life on various different 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.519 occasions. I always found it so important to 00:12:44.519 --> 00:12:46.179 say, trust in the Lord with all my heart, lean 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:49.080 not on my own understanding and all my ways acknowledge 00:12:49.080 --> 00:12:51.659 him and he direct my path. That's Proverbs 3 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:53.980 .5. I quote that over and over again because 00:12:53.980 --> 00:12:57.220 I say that every day in my life. No matter what 00:12:57.220 --> 00:12:59.740 I'm facing, before I go to bed, I have to say 00:12:59.740 --> 00:13:02.580 that. Before I go to bed, I have to remind myself 00:13:02.580 --> 00:13:04.539 about what Paul wrote in Philippians. He says, 00:13:04.740 --> 00:13:07.299 to be anxious for nothing but everything through 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:09.879 prayers, petitions with thanksgiving, make your 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:14.860 Let me get back to the question, how do we become 00:13:14.860 --> 00:13:16.879 full of the Holy Spirit? Here's a scripture, 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:19.580 I think, that just hits the nail on the head, 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:23.360 so to speak. In Acts chapter 5 and verse 32 it 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:26.860 says this, God gives the Holy Spirit to those 00:13:26.860 --> 00:13:30.240 who obey and surrender. to Him. Now, if you're 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.159 saying, I don't know if I have the Holy Spirit 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.440 guiding me and leading me, well then we might 00:13:34.440 --> 00:13:36.740 want to evaluate whether we're listening to Him, 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.580 obeying God, and surrendering to Him, because 00:13:39.580 --> 00:13:41.519 He wants the Holy Spirit to operate on us. Now, 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:43.139 when you become a Christian, when you receive 00:13:43.139 --> 00:13:45.419 Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and in 00:13:45.419 --> 00:13:49.019 the prior podcast I prayed for people to... Receive 00:13:49.019 --> 00:13:52.000 Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to ask for 00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.340 forgiveness of their sins and when they did that 00:13:54.340 --> 00:13:56.120 with a sincere heart and they and they prayed 00:13:56.120 --> 00:13:58.360 that prayer and asked Jesus in their life the 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:00.960 Holy Spirit came to dwell inside of them and 00:14:00.960 --> 00:14:02.559 that's wonderful and that's how it is for all 00:14:02.559 --> 00:14:04.779 of us but in order for the Holy Spirit to work 00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:07.039 in our lives and to guide us and for us to be 00:14:07.039 --> 00:14:09.600 filled with the Holy Spirit and operate in the 00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:12.740 Holy Spirit we have to obey and surrender to 00:14:12.740 --> 00:14:15.740 God and it's not that hard to do as long as we 00:14:15.740 --> 00:14:17.919 just wake up in the morning and maybe just Start 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:20.320 off with a me and say, Lord, thank you that it's 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:22.940 morning. Thank God that morning is here. And 00:14:22.940 --> 00:14:24.480 I'm just going to ask for you to guide and direct 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:26.539 me. It can be as simple as that. We can just 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:28.419 say, thank you, Lord, for this day. Anything 00:14:28.419 --> 00:14:31.240 to be positive and encouraging and uplifting 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:34.659 to your spirit to encourage yourself in the Lord 00:14:34.659 --> 00:14:37.440 and give him credit for the blessings that he's 00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:40.039 putting in your life. So we've got to be encouraged. 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:42.909 by the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells inside 00:14:42.909 --> 00:14:45.029 of us. It's so hard for me to talk to people 00:14:45.029 --> 00:14:46.730 who are Christians. They love the Lord. I mean, 00:14:46.730 --> 00:14:48.629 they're good people. They love the Lord. They 00:14:48.629 --> 00:14:51.429 go to church all the time. They give their finances 00:14:51.429 --> 00:14:53.429 to the Lord. They help people. They bring their 00:14:53.429 --> 00:14:55.450 family or friends to church. And they're just 00:14:55.450 --> 00:14:57.570 really great people. But sometimes when you ask 00:14:57.570 --> 00:14:59.590 them, how are you doing? How are things going 00:14:59.590 --> 00:15:01.929 in your life? Some of their responses are, well, 00:15:02.070 --> 00:15:05.669 I'm getting by. I'm just making it. I'm still 00:15:05.669 --> 00:15:08.129 breathing. I'm still above ground. And they make 00:15:08.129 --> 00:15:10.750 those kinds of statements. that grieves the Holy 00:15:10.750 --> 00:15:13.710 Spirit. If we walk around saying, well, I'm still 00:15:13.710 --> 00:15:15.929 breathing and that's how I'm getting by, that's 00:15:15.929 --> 00:15:18.330 really not much of a confession of what Jesus 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:21.070 has done in our life. When we ask, how are we 00:15:21.070 --> 00:15:23.090 doing, if you have nothing else to say, just 00:15:23.090 --> 00:15:25.789 say, I'm blessed. And when the other person's 00:15:25.789 --> 00:15:27.950 looking at you, they hear that out of you, it 00:15:27.950 --> 00:15:30.490 touches them, it changes them. And so in order 00:15:30.490 --> 00:15:32.690 to walk in the Spirit and have that kind of faith 00:15:32.690 --> 00:15:36.080 and increase faith and power in our... prayer 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:39.740 life and power and our trust in God, we've got 00:15:39.740 --> 00:15:42.039 to claim the good things of God and the promises 00:15:42.039 --> 00:15:45.080 of God and say, I'm blessed in Jesus' name. Now, 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:46.799 here's another question a lot of people have 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:50.799 asked me over the years. How do we receive greater 00:15:50.799 --> 00:15:53.059 faith and power? I've talked a lot about it, 00:15:53.159 --> 00:15:54.820 give you scriptures about it, but some might 00:15:54.820 --> 00:15:56.320 say, well, that's all good and those are great 00:15:56.320 --> 00:15:57.960 scriptures. I know I'm supposed to obey the Lord 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:00.620 and all those good things, but give me some specifics. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:02.659 So let me just give you a few things I think 00:16:02.659 --> 00:16:05.580 the Holy Spirit has given me to share with you 00:16:05.580 --> 00:16:09.399 about how we can really receive greater faith, 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:12.100 that means greater prayer life, and power in 00:16:12.100 --> 00:16:14.860 our life. Number one, study the scriptures. Get 00:16:14.860 --> 00:16:16.840 the word of God out and study the scriptures 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.139 that talk about faith. Talk about the scriptures 00:16:19.139 --> 00:16:21.539 that talk about power. power, and put those into 00:16:21.539 --> 00:16:23.759 your heart and mind. Remember one or two of them, 00:16:23.799 --> 00:16:26.360 and they'll help you understand how to receive 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:28.899 greater faith and power. Another way is to pray 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:31.159 daily. At least some time of our day, whether 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:34.159 it's two minutes or two hours, spend some time 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:36.840 every single day in prayer. I just can't imagine 00:16:36.840 --> 00:16:38.919 going to sleep at night without praying. I can't 00:16:38.919 --> 00:16:41.419 imagine not eating a meal and not praying. I 00:16:41.419 --> 00:16:43.659 can't imagine not taking time during the day 00:16:43.659 --> 00:16:46.320 sometime and pray for the needs of other people 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:49.019 I know that are hurting. And please forgive me 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:50.879 if you think I'm patting myself on the back because 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:53.120 I'm really not because I get challenged I get 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:55.220 times when I don't feel like praying but I pray 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:58.019 anyways I don't feel like praying certain scriptures 00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:00.399 or whatever but I pray them anyways because I 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:03.399 find out if I do that if I do that I know that 00:17:03.399 --> 00:17:05.359 I'll get the attention of God and I know that 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.460 he'll be pleased with that so the first thing 00:17:07.460 --> 00:17:09.920 I said to do in order to receive greater faith 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:12.059 and power was to study the Word of God two is 00:17:12.059 --> 00:17:15.059 to pray daily another one is to seek God's presence 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:17.299 now how do we do that we seek God's presence 00:17:17.299 --> 00:17:20.359 by worshiping Him by singing songs of worship. 00:17:20.420 --> 00:17:22.480 When you get into your car, put Christian music 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.859 on. Not just all the time, but put Christian 00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:27.279 music on and it'll lift up your spirit. Have 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:30.180 Christian music playing in your home. Go to church 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:33.180 and get there for the worship time and the sermon 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:35.539 time. You know many times when I would preach 00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:37.660 that people would come in and I would see them 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:39.700 coming in while worship is going on and they're 00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:42.619 missing part of the worship time. That's an important 00:17:42.619 --> 00:17:45.220 part of the service is to be there for the worship 00:17:45.220 --> 00:17:48.109 time. That way we're drawing closer to God. We're 00:17:48.109 --> 00:17:51.069 together in unity, lifting up the Lord, giving 00:17:51.069 --> 00:17:53.390 his praise. The Bible says to enter his courts 00:17:53.390 --> 00:17:55.670 with thanksgiving. We should give thanks in our 00:17:55.670 --> 00:17:58.190 worship time. And so we've got to seek God's 00:17:58.190 --> 00:18:01.809 presence, and we do that by singing to him, by 00:18:01.809 --> 00:18:04.990 worshiping him, by listening to wonderful, godly 00:18:04.990 --> 00:18:07.569 music, and get that into our heart. Another way 00:18:07.569 --> 00:18:10.970 is to serve other people is a way to receive 00:18:10.970 --> 00:18:13.869 greater faith and power. That's what Stephen 00:18:13.869 --> 00:18:16.789 did. Remember it said that he had great power 00:18:16.910 --> 00:18:19.130 because he was a man who served others and he 00:18:19.130 --> 00:18:22.250 had great grace because he served other people 00:18:22.250 --> 00:18:25.049 and he had great faith and all that because of 00:18:25.049 --> 00:18:27.809 the fact that he put other people above himself. 00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:29.349 He wanted to help them. He wanted to serve them. 00:18:29.509 --> 00:18:32.250 Jesus did that. He came to serve. Jesus came 00:18:32.250 --> 00:18:35.329 to this earth and all he did just went around 00:18:35.329 --> 00:18:37.490 serving people, healing people, praying for people, 00:18:37.650 --> 00:18:39.769 encouraging people, blessing people. And when 00:18:39.769 --> 00:18:41.690 he was challenged, he took authority over them 00:18:41.690 --> 00:18:43.869 in the name of Jesus. He did. But bottom line, 00:18:43.869 --> 00:18:46.819 Jesus was a servant and he served other people 00:18:46.819 --> 00:18:49.079 and we need to do that so to repeat that very 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:51.619 quickly how do we receive greater faith and power 00:18:51.619 --> 00:18:54.279 read the scriptures pray daily get into God's 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:56.460 presence through worship and serve other people 00:18:56.460 --> 00:18:58.680 I've heard this question many times how can we 00:18:58.680 --> 00:19:01.779 be full of faith well faith has several components 00:19:01.779 --> 00:19:05.640 one is trust another is patience another is not 00:19:05.640 --> 00:19:08.380 to be anxious and to stop worrying Stephen was 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:11.200 so full of faith and the Holy Spirit that even 00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:15.569 when he was being stoned he Focused only on Jesus. 00:19:15.750 --> 00:19:18.710 He was so full of faith that his eyes never wanted 00:19:18.710 --> 00:19:21.309 to go off of Jesus I know there's challenges 00:19:21.309 --> 00:19:23.650 in our life and I have a lot of challenges. I'm 00:19:23.650 --> 00:19:26.410 currently the pastor over Congregational care 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:29.549 and daily. I mean seven days a week. I hear I 00:19:29.549 --> 00:19:32.369 get calls I get texts I get emails about people 00:19:32.369 --> 00:19:34.529 who are hurting and and they're challenging sometimes 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:36.390 sometimes I feel like maybe I'd like to have 00:19:36.390 --> 00:19:38.430 a little rest from that but when that comes in 00:19:38.430 --> 00:19:40.789 we've got to pray Sharon and I will stop and 00:19:40.789 --> 00:19:43.369 we'll just see God will pray for I need the comes 00:19:43.369 --> 00:19:46.210 in because we know that God will be pleased with 00:19:46.210 --> 00:19:48.529 that. I know there's distractions in life and 00:19:48.529 --> 00:19:50.890 I know it's difficult sometimes to be full of 00:19:50.890 --> 00:19:53.609 faith and be full of the Holy Spirit but Stephen 00:19:53.609 --> 00:19:55.849 found a way to do that and that's a beautiful 00:19:55.849 --> 00:19:57.890 example because remember what I said he was an 00:19:57.890 --> 00:20:01.089 ordinary man who became super ordinary, super 00:20:01.089 --> 00:20:04.349 natural I said because of his faith and because 00:20:04.349 --> 00:20:06.250 of his trust in God and because he wanted to 00:20:06.250 --> 00:20:08.849 walk in the Spirit and the power of God. I guess 00:20:08.849 --> 00:20:10.670 I need to start wrapping this up. Time is going 00:20:10.670 --> 00:20:14.460 fast. The Holy Spirit helps our faith and gives 00:20:14.460 --> 00:20:17.880 us power when we work together with those who 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:20.700 love God and desire to do His will. Listen to 00:20:20.700 --> 00:20:22.769 that. When we work with other people, that means 00:20:22.769 --> 00:20:25.009 we go to church with them, we pray with them, 00:20:25.190 --> 00:20:27.890 we help them in their needs, and we volunteer 00:20:27.890 --> 00:20:30.250 to be a part of a local church and to minister 00:20:30.250 --> 00:20:32.150 to other people and reach out to other people. 00:20:32.269 --> 00:20:34.890 That's when we can sense the power of the Holy 00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:37.829 Spirit helping us and increasing our faith and 00:20:37.829 --> 00:20:39.569 giving us power. You know, when you help someone 00:20:39.569 --> 00:20:41.549 else, you're helping yourself. A lot of people 00:20:41.549 --> 00:20:43.849 don't realize that, and many, many people do. 00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:46.150 Many realize when you help someone else, it just 00:20:46.150 --> 00:20:47.849 feels good, doesn't it? When I was a little kid, 00:20:47.849 --> 00:20:50.410 I was a greedy little kid. I just wanted every 00:20:50.250 --> 00:20:52.130 everything from Christmas and I didn't really 00:20:52.130 --> 00:20:53.829 care if anybody else got anything and I was just 00:20:53.829 --> 00:20:56.349 terrible and I'm so thankful that God took that 00:20:56.349 --> 00:20:58.869 away from me as I grew up and when I found Jesus 00:20:58.869 --> 00:21:00.869 Christ as my Lord and Savior all of a sudden 00:21:00.869 --> 00:21:03.089 He started showing me that when I helped other 00:21:03.089 --> 00:21:05.450 people and I made sure that they got what they 00:21:05.450 --> 00:21:07.849 needed that He would take care of me and give 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:10.369 me what I needed. And so therefore when we're 00:21:10.369 --> 00:21:13.289 around wonderful people that need help and people 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:15.890 that are loving and people that are not even 00:21:15.890 --> 00:21:18.049 loving people, just simply people that we need 00:21:18.049 --> 00:21:20.160 to help, we will be blessed. we will increase 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:22.740 our faith and we'll increase the power and our 00:21:22.740 --> 00:21:25.019 trust in God to do mighty things in our life 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:28.160 and we are then walking in the Spirit and full 00:21:28.160 --> 00:21:30.099 the Holy Spirit when we help others. The Holy 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:34.319 Spirit has the same amount of unlimited power 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.440 as God the Father. We've got to remember who 00:21:36.440 --> 00:21:39.180 the Holy Spirit is. He is everything. And it's 00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:42.000 not an it. I've heard people say, the Holy Spirit, 00:21:42.140 --> 00:21:43.880 it this and it that. No, no, no, no. No, the 00:21:43.880 --> 00:21:45.799 Holy Spirit is not an it. The Holy Spirit is 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:48.119 a person. It's the third person in the triune 00:21:48.119 --> 00:21:50.579 God. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:53.700 Spirit, three in one. We have one God that we 00:21:53.700 --> 00:21:56.960 serve, not three gods. If we desire to live an 00:21:56.960 --> 00:21:59.940 overcoming life, we've got to understand the 00:21:59.940 --> 00:22:02.339 power, the unlimited that the Holy Spirit has. 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:04.279 So if we want to live that life that's overcoming 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:07.960 and abundant and Spirit -led, then we must have 00:22:07.960 --> 00:22:11.380 a goal to walk in the Spirit and be full of the 00:22:11.380 --> 00:22:13.720 Holy Spirit like Stephen was. And I keep throwing 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:16.140 Stephen up, I guess more than anything else, 00:22:16.180 --> 00:22:18.079 is because he's just an ordinary guy. He was 00:22:18.079 --> 00:22:19.980 just a normal person. But when the Spirit of 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:23.940 God filled him to overflowing, he became supernatural. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:26.220 He became so filled with the Spirit that all 00:22:26.220 --> 00:22:28.759 he wanted to do was help others and challenge 00:22:28.759 --> 00:22:31.799 those who were up. set with him and upset about 00:22:31.799 --> 00:22:34.519 his faith he was a a man that took on you know 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:37.640 the whole the Sanhedrin's he took on the the 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:39.680 priests of the day who had the authority the 00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:41.900 ability to kill him that didn't bother him he 00:22:41.900 --> 00:22:44.160 moved forward and then when we look at Stephen 00:22:44.410 --> 00:22:46.049 I guess when you think about Stephen, what he 00:22:46.049 --> 00:22:48.569 went through, all the accusations he went through, 00:22:48.589 --> 00:22:50.130 and if you want to read more about his life, 00:22:50.210 --> 00:22:52.470 then get the book of Acts out, chapter 6 and 00:22:52.470 --> 00:22:54.869 chapter 7, you'll learn so much about Stephen. 00:22:55.089 --> 00:22:56.950 But all the things he went through, he was very 00:22:56.950 --> 00:22:59.210 strong and very bold in what he believed, because 00:22:59.210 --> 00:23:01.390 he wasn't going to back down, just was not going 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:04.490 to back down. And yet, when he started getting 00:23:04.490 --> 00:23:08.450 stoned by his accusers, he looked up into heaven, 00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:11.910 and I just picture him with, he had joy that 00:23:11.910 --> 00:23:14.079 came over him, joy that came over him. You know 00:23:14.079 --> 00:23:16.339 when Jesus was crucified on the cross the Bible 00:23:16.339 --> 00:23:18.920 talks about for the joy that laid before him 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:21.839 You know he endured the cross so therefore Stephen 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:24.359 knew that he understood that through the spirit 00:23:24.359 --> 00:23:27.680 And he actually had joy in seeing Jesus in heaven 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:30.019 when he was going through difficulties so counted 00:23:30.019 --> 00:23:32.420 all joy when we run into trials and challenges 00:23:32.420 --> 00:23:35.059 because God is a rewarder of our faith and his 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:37.579 Rewarder of our desire to serve him and he'll 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:39.920 give us power to overcome the challenges that 00:23:39.920 --> 00:23:42.119 we face in life You know I think I'd be remiss 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:45.519 if I didn't give you the scripture of where Jesus 00:23:45.519 --> 00:23:47.799 experienced joy when he was on the cross. It's 00:23:47.799 --> 00:23:51.000 in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 2. It basically 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:54.079 tells us very clearly that for the joy that was 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:57.599 set before him he endured the cross and Stephen 00:23:57.599 --> 00:24:00.799 did that and we can experience difficulties and 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:02.920 we will. I mean I've fought some terrible battles. 00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:05.440 I've had horrible cancers. I've had terrible 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:07.920 challenges in my life and yet God has always 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:10.660 brought me through and I always think about how 00:24:10.660 --> 00:24:13.390 blessed we are that God is always there, always 00:24:13.390 --> 00:24:15.869 ready, and the Holy Spirit who lives and dwells 00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:18.970 inside of us is that same power that God Almighty 00:24:18.970 --> 00:24:21.970 has, and yet he's living within our meek little 00:24:21.970 --> 00:24:24.069 frame that we have here on earth. Now to wrap 00:24:24.069 --> 00:24:26.970 this up again, we are not perfect people, and 00:24:26.970 --> 00:24:29.250 we never will be, just because we became Christians, 00:24:29.470 --> 00:24:31.690 but we serve the one who is Jesus Christ. We 00:24:31.690 --> 00:24:34.450 will make mistakes and experience sin, you know, 00:24:34.450 --> 00:24:37.069 as we go through life, but always remember that 00:24:37.069 --> 00:24:40.609 God's grace is greater than our mistakes and 00:24:40.609 --> 00:24:42.309 the sins that we commit. It doesn't mean we go 00:24:42.309 --> 00:24:44.390 on sinning. It just means that if we make a mistake, 00:24:44.470 --> 00:24:46.950 God's grace is sufficient. Call upon Him. Tell 00:24:46.950 --> 00:24:49.269 Him you're sorry. Ask for forgiveness. 1 John 00:24:49.269 --> 00:24:52.630 chapter 4 verse 4 says this, the spirit who lives 00:24:52.630 --> 00:24:55.390 in you is greater than the spirit who lives in 00:24:55.390 --> 00:24:57.329 the world. I think that scripture alone will 00:24:57.329 --> 00:24:59.250 help us to understand how the Holy Spirit can 00:24:59.250 --> 00:25:01.269 give us faith, greater faith than we have now, 00:25:01.269 --> 00:25:03.529 and also help us to have great power in our life. 00:25:03.630 --> 00:25:05.849 So I'm going to ask you to allow the Holy Spirit 00:25:05.849 --> 00:25:08.789 to increase your faith and your power. Let me 00:25:08.789 --> 00:25:10.630 pray for you. Heavenly Father, thank you for 00:25:10.599 --> 00:25:12.500 this opportunity. Thank you for those who've 00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:14.680 listened in. I pray now that they would be blessed. 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:16.859 I pray the Holy Spirit would fill them faith, 00:25:17.000 --> 00:25:20.000 greater faith, and fill them with power to overcome 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:22.660 the challenges they will face. Thank you, Lord, 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:24.940 for this opportunity, for this time, and I give 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:27.240 you all the praise for it. In Jesus' name I pray, 00:25:27.380 --> 00:25:29.980 amen. Well, I'd like to tell you more about Quality 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:32.160 Christian Living. Thank you so much for listening 00:25:32.160 --> 00:25:34.319 into this podcast as we've talked about the Holy 00:25:34.319 --> 00:25:36.200 Spirit and will continue to talk about the Holy 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:39.440 Spirit. The next podcast, I believe, unless the 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:41.759 Holy Spirit changes it is going to be called 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:44.960 Holy Spirit Power. I'm just really excited about 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:46.619 that. We're going to focus on just that word, 00:25:46.640 --> 00:25:48.500 the power that the Holy Spirit brings into our 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:50.440 life. But if you'd like to know more about Quality 00:25:50.440 --> 00:25:52.319 Christian Living, that's the name of our podcast, 00:25:52.579 --> 00:25:54.920 I'd like to invite you to go to my webpage at 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:57.680 davidcfriendauthor .com and when you get there, 00:25:57.680 --> 00:25:59.799 right on the front page, you'll see a link to 00:25:59.799 --> 00:26:04.240 our podcast. This is podcast number 323 and that 00:26:04.240 --> 00:26:06.380 tells you there's a whole lot of podcasts out 00:26:06.380 --> 00:26:08.519 there and I hope that you'll listen to them. 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:10.900 Many of them deal with faith, many of them deal 00:26:10.900 --> 00:26:12.960 with finances, many of them deal with what it 00:26:12.960 --> 00:26:15.319 is to live an overcoming life. Many of them talk 00:26:15.319 --> 00:26:18.220 about the purpose that we have as Christians, 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:20.380 that God gives us a plan, a purpose for our life. 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:22.759 So there's a number of topics and we've just 00:26:22.759 --> 00:26:24.880 finished a series not too long ago dealing with 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:27.660 having faith for miracles and that turned into 00:26:27.660 --> 00:26:30.299 a book that I thank the Lord for and that's been 00:26:30.299 --> 00:26:32.859 released recently. In addition to the podcasts 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:34.720 on my webpage, you can scroll down to the next 00:26:34.720 --> 00:26:36.400 page and you'll get a list of all the books that 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:38.789 I've written. There's quite a few of them. currently 00:26:38.789 --> 00:26:41.670 on Amazon right now, dealing with help for veterans, 00:26:42.130 --> 00:26:45.049 dealing with issues with Agent Orange and PTSD 00:26:45.049 --> 00:26:48.049 that many veterans have experienced. Also, there's 00:26:48.049 --> 00:26:50.529 books there on faith, books on finances, how 00:26:50.529 --> 00:26:53.220 to get out of debt and stay out of debt. and 00:26:53.220 --> 00:26:55.900 books dealing with how to live that powerful, 00:26:56.240 --> 00:26:59.019 abundant life that God wants us to live. So that's 00:26:59.019 --> 00:27:01.059 what He chose for us and that's what He desires 00:27:01.059 --> 00:27:03.539 for us. Jesus said it, remember, in John chapter 00:27:03.539 --> 00:27:05.900 10 verse 10, I've come to give you life and give 00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:08.299 it to you more abundantly. So I hope that that 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:10.440 will bless you. If you'd like to subscribe to 00:27:10.440 --> 00:27:15.279 my podcast, you can go to cpnshows .com or every 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:18.240 listen to your podcast. My next podcast is entitled 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:21.599 Holy Spirit Power. Now I believe that many Christians 00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:24.440 are not aware of the power of the Holy Spirit 00:27:24.440 --> 00:27:27.859 and that we may not really be able to comprehend 00:27:27.859 --> 00:27:31.079 how the Holy Spirit brings us that power to overcome 00:27:31.079 --> 00:27:33.700 evil and darkness and addictions and all types 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:36.079 of things in our life. And the promise of Jesus 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:39.220 giving the Holy Spirit to us coming was more 00:27:39.220 --> 00:27:42.500 than just to help us be better and live comfortable. 00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:44.819 There's just so much more to that. So I'm excited 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:46.759 about this podcast. So with that, I'm going to 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:49.240 close this up by giving you a blessing. May the 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:51.569 Lord bless you and keep you in his they shine 00:27:51.569 --> 00:27:53.750 upon you and be gracious to you and give you 00:27:53.750 --> 00:27:56.250 peace. May you prosper and be in good health 00:27:56.250 --> 00:27:58.710 even as your soul prospers. So until next time, 00:27:58.809 --> 00:28:01.809 may God richly bless you. May you receive faith 00:28:01.809 --> 00:28:04.349 and power as you walk in the Holy Spirit. Thank 00:28:04.349 --> 00:28:06.130 you for listening to Quality Christian Living. 00:28:06.329 --> 00:28:08.509 I have been your host, David Friend. This has 00:28:08.509 --> 00:28:12.490 been podcast number 323 entitled, Holy Spirit, 00:28:12.650 --> 00:28:13.390 Faith and Power.