Sharing good news of great joy to all people.
Elation Church. It's week number two in a series
that we began last week that I have entitled
Faith Act. Everybody say Faith Act. See that
little baby holding that dumbbell? It's like
a 300 -pound dumbbell. You see that little baby?
That little baby's performing what I like to
call a faith act. Right? How many of you know
that baby can't pick up a 300 -pound dumbbell?
Three of us, okay. Some of you think it's Super
Baby, I guess. But how many of you know that
if a weightlifter walked up behind that baby
and picked up that dumbbell without that baby
seeing it and all of a sudden it went up, how
many of you think that baby would say, wow, wow?
Look to the person beside you and say, hopefully
that'll be you. Hopefully that'll be you. Hopefully
that'll be you. So let's talk about faith a minute.
We talk about faith here a lot at Elation Church,
and we will continue to talk about faith here
a lot at Elation Church. The Bible says in Ephesians
2 .8, it says, for by grace, everybody say grace.
What is grace? You might say unmerited favor.
How many of you have that definition? It's unmerited
favor, but let's take it another step. It's actually
God's grace is God's acts. Everybody say acts.
God's acts of kindness and favor towards you.
And we can go ahead and add that we don't deserve
it, right? And by we don't deserve it, we mean
we didn't work for it, we didn't earn it, we
didn't pay for it. It's God's acts of kindness
and favor. towards you and towards me. How many
of you know God has done a lot of things to demonstrate
his kindness and favor towards you and towards
me? I mean, salvation. Everybody say salvation.
The only way that we are in Christ, the only
way that we are born again, the only way that
we are saved is because of what God did. Jesus
coming down out of the eternal throne room to
take on flesh and live a perfect life and then
willingly lay down his life to die for your sin
and my sin in our place. That's an act of kindness
and favor towards us that we don't deserve. For
by grace you have been saved. God's done a lot
of great and wonderful acts of kindness and favor
towards us. Everyone. But it says it's by God's
acts of kindness and favor we have been saved
through faith. Everybody say through faith. Just
because Jesus died on the cross for sin doesn't
mean that everyone is forgiven and everyone is
going to heaven. Are you with me? It's only the
people who reach out and take hold of what God
did in his acts of kindness and favor toward
them, they reach out and take hold of that by
faith. Everybody say faith. Right? If there has
been a time in your life before today where you
realize that you were a sinner and you were separated
from a holy God, If you have asked him to forgive
you of your sin, if you have thanked him for
dying on the cross for your sin, if you've called
on the name of the Lord, then you're saved. Those
are acts of faith. Everybody say acts. Acts of
faith. By grace you have been saved through faith.
Look at the person beside you and say it takes
a faith act. To be saved. Okay? Now, this may
be a jump for some of you who've never been here
or who aren't here much. How many of you know
the Bible is filled with all kinds of wonderful
promises that are for us? They're for us. Hundreds.
Just because those promises are available does
not mean that they're going to be evidenced in
your life. Just like salvation, you have to reach
out by faith and receive them. You have to connect
to those promises by faith. Let's keep going.
I lost half of you just then. Hang on. Galatians
3 .11. No one is justified by the law in the
sight of God. That's evident. That's evident.
You can't be good enough to be right with God.
You can't keep enough rules to be right with
God. If you could, then Jesus died for nothing.
No one's justified. No one's made right with
God. No one is righteous because of what they
did. or didn't do. It says the just, those who
are right with God, those who have been justified,
who God looks at them and says, you know, God
receives us like we've never sinned at all. Has
anybody ever heard that? Just as if. I'd never
sinned, justified, just as if. The just shall
live by faith. So not only are we saved by faith,
we're supposed to live by faith. Live. Let's
keep going. 2 Corinthians 5, 7 says this, we
walk by faith. That word walk is the sphere of
our lives. It's what it represents. It's not
talking about physically walking, you know, like
I'm walking right now. It's talking about our
life. For our lives, we live our lives by faith,
not by sight. Sounds simple, right? Sounds simple.
Is it simple in practice? How many of us get
caught up in what we see all the time and live
our lives by what we see with our eyes, by what
we feel with our feelings? Our lives are supposed
to be lived by faith. When we're in Christ, we
walk by faith and not by sight. Let's keep going.
1 John 5, 4. Every child of God... How many people
are in Christ today? You're a child of God. You've
believed in Christ. You've asked Him to forgive
you. You've surrendered your life to Him as your
Lord. Every child of God defeats this evil world.
Is that your experience? Are you living in victory
every day? According to this verse, it's available.
For every child of God defeats this evil world
and we achieve this victory through our faith.
If we're not experiencing the victorious Christian
life day in and day out, it's not that God is
holding out on us. It's because we're not connecting
to what he has promised and what he has provided.
We're not connecting to it by faith like we can,
like is available for us. I did not write this.
I'm just the messenger boy, okay? Does this say
every once in a while those who are in Christ?
Have a day of victory? Is that what the Bible
says? Is that what it says? Come on, somebody.
It's like, well, maybe one out of ten will have
a great victorious day. That's not what I read.
It's not right. Right? See, this is a promise.
This is a promise. Everybody say promise. God
leads us, the Bible says, in triumphal procession.
It's like we're supposed to live our lives in
a victory parade. You might be sitting there,
well, you must not live in this broken world.
Yeah, I live in the broken world that you do,
and everything doesn't always go my way, and
sometimes it seems like it's all falling apart.
And if I am focused on what I see and what I
feel, I could be a very miserable person. I have
the opportunity to be a very miserable person
almost every day. And I'm not the only one in
the room. Because we all live in this same broken
world. Here's the deal. Am I going to... Focus
on what didn't go my way, what broke, what challenged.
Am I going to focus on that? Or am I going to
focus on my good God who's seen me through before
and he's going to see me through again? I can
live in victory in the middle of problems. I
can live in peace in the middle of problems.
I can have joy in the middle of my problems.
If everything has to go my way for me to be filled
with joy and filled with peace, then all I have
is the world's joy and peace. Because anybody
can experience that. Anybody. Hello. You're frowning
at me now. You've got to quit frowning at me.
You've got to start smiling. I'm telling you,
it's available. Do I always... Am I always setting
my mind on the right thing, saying the right
thing? No, I'm not always there. I'm just like
you. Just like you. Have the same challenges,
same feelings, same temptations. Might be different,
but they're all temptations, right? So, but I'm
telling you and I'm telling me, God's got more
for us. God's got more for us. We achieve this
victory, this victorious Christian life, we achieve
it through our faith, not just faith in faith,
but faith. connecting to God's promise, connecting
to what God has done, connecting to God's grace.
That's how we experience His victory. Hebrews
11, 6, everybody say faith is important. You
know why? Because the Bible says it's impossible
to please God without faith. Who wants to please
God? Four people in the room want to please God.
It's okay to... Raise your hand or smile or something.
Who wants to please God? I want to please God.
Well, without faith, I'm not going to please
Him. So faith must be important. If we're saved
through faith, we're supposed to live and walk
by faith. If we can only experience victory through
faith, if we can only please God by connecting
to Him by faith, it's very important. And we've
talked a lot about faith and what it is. Everybody
say hearing. Faith comes by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. We don't just have faith
in faith. We have faith in what God has said.
His divine utterance. Because, I mean, our secular
world would talk about having, just have faith.
Little faith, little pixie dust. Right? Hello?
You can have all the faith and faith and pixie
dust that you want to, but there's no substance.
There's no substance to that. Everybody say substance.
You need to connect your faith to substance,
to God, who is more than able. Everybody say,
God is able. God is able. He is almighty, all
-powerful, all -knowing. That's who our faith
needs to be connected to. Look at the person
beside you and say, I'm glad you're here today.
Because if you weren't here, I would think that
he was picking on me. I'm not picking on you.
I'm picking on that other person beside you.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word
of God, that's the divine utterance. Everybody
say divine utterance. So the first step, everybody
say first step. First step of faith is hearing
a divine utterance from God. His Word and His
Holy Spirit speaking to us. There are some things
that are very black and white in the Word of
God. There are some other things that... I never
found a Bible verse that said, Dean, you need
to marry Gaina. I never found a Bible verse that
said, Dean, you and your family need to leave
South Carolina and move to Florida. and plant
a church. I never found that Bible verse. But
the Holy Spirit of God communicated those things
to me. It's a divine utterance. Divine utterance.
God's speaking to our hearts. Now, I've had some
people tell me that God spoke some things to
their hearts that it was obviously not God. And
the reason why I tell you it's not God is because
what they told me God was telling them was in
contradiction to what was written in the Bible.
And I've even looked at some friends. I talked
about this last week. I looked at some friends
and said, God didn't tell you that. They got
mad. They got offended. Everybody say offended.
They got offended because I told them that God
didn't tell them that. They told me it was time
for me to leave their house. Friends. I'm talking
about friends for 10 years telling me that God
told them to do something. I said, God didn't
tell you that. I said, if God told you that,
he would have to rewrite, he'd have to rip out
some pages out of the Bible and rewrite some
of the things he's already said for God to tell
you that. Hold me. So the first step is hearing.
Everybody say hearing. Second step. Hebrews 11
.1, faith is the confidence that what we hope
for will actually happen. It gives us assurance
about the things we cannot see. So the second
step of faith is wholeheartedly believing. Everybody
say believing. And having confidence. Everybody
say confidence. In what God has said, in that
divine utterance. You've got to wholeheartedly
believe it. And then you've got to believe it
to the point that you have confidence. Everybody
say confidence. Confidence. See, the Holy Spirit
connects us to the Word of God and to the things
of God. He makes them real in us, and as we hear
His divine utterance, then we have to believe
it and have confidence in it. Faith is the confidence
that what we hope for, everybody say hope. A
Bible. That word hope means a confident expectation.
So we have confidence to the point that we are
expecting that we are going to see the goodness
of God and the promises of God fulfilled. Hallelujah.
James 2, 26 tells us this. Faith without works
is dead faith. So the third step, everybody say
third step. Third step faith. First is hearing.
The second is believing and having confidence
and expectation. The third step is an action.
Everybody say an action. An action. Because if
our... if what we have heard and what we believe
and what we've had confidence in does not lead
to a corresponding action, it's dead. We can't
expect to see that promise fulfilled in our lives
if we don't hear it, believe it to the point
that it will cause us to act on what God has
said. Some of the actions are already listed
out. There's so many Bible verses that say, if
you do this, God will do this. So there's some
awesome promises in the Bible. And if you really
believed it, if you really believed that that
promise was for you and had confident expectation
in that promise, then you wouldn't have any problem.
doing your part on what God told you to do, and
if you do this, then I will do this, God says.
But so many times people get offended. People
get offended. Can't believe the preacher said
that I had to do something. Get mad at the preacher.
Get mad at God because God said. Here's one.
Here's one. Does anybody want favor with other
people in this world? Does anybody want favor?
Anybody? Well, the Bible says, I wish I had the
verse, but this is just like God saying, give
them this, so I'm giving them this. The Bible
says if we will show ourselves friendly and loyal,
that we'll have favor. God's promise is for us
to be able to have favor with people, but the
if part is we've got to be loyal and friendly
ourselves. Can't be mean, ugly. Talk bad to people.
Be a backstabber. Say one thing to somebody's
face and then say something else when they're
not around and expect to have favor. Don't get
mad at me. I'm just a delivery boy. I mean, that's
God's Word. That's what God says. Makes sense,
right? Makes sense. isn't God just supposed to
wave some kind of magic wand over me and say,
poof, I give you favor? Can we give you another
one some people get offended about? I've already
shared it. God says if we will honor him with
what he's already blessed us with, Boy, people
get offended when the preacher starts talking
about money. If we will honor him with what he's
blessed us with, then we can live under an open
heaven of blessing and we might say, boy, I want
to live under an open heaven of blessing. But
we refuse to honor God with what he's already
blessed us with. Everybody say, faith act. See?
Don't get mad at the preacher. Because I'll tell
you like I tell you almost every week, if you
ever feel pressure to give anything, don't give
anything. No, don't. If it's pressure, don't
give. But if you're giving in response to what
God has said and what God's promises are, come
on, somebody. Faith without works is dead. The
third step of faith is acting in obedience. Everybody
say, acting in obedience. Acting in obedience.
That's the third step. Now last week we talked
about, I hope you listened to last week. If you
weren't here last week, now we have a podcast.
Anywhere you can get podcasts, you can find that
message. You can go to Facebook, Galatian Church,
and see our live message. Also, I preach it and
post it on Saturday for a lot of people who,
friends of ours, you know, hundreds of people
who use that as like a Bible study. Saturday
morning, stuff like that. Last week we talked
about, the sermon title was, Quit Crying and
Move. And we took it straight out of a Bible
verse, so that's what God told his people. He
said, it's time to quit crying. When God's people
were between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea,
God said, quit crying and move. That's what he
said. Look it up. So, I have a testimony of someone
who was not in the room, but he wanted to share
about something that God spoke to him. So, everybody
listen up. Everybody put on your listening ears.
I hadn't said that since I was in school, I don't
think, or since I was doing vacation Bible school,
but here we go. Everybody listen up. Good morning,
Olathean Church. Happy Sunday. For those of you
who may not know who I am, my name is PJ Crouch.
I'm Buffy Crouch's son. So if she's sitting somewhere
with a shot clock on her face, somebody please
take a picture and send it to me because she
had no idea I was doing this. I had emailed Pastor
Dean a couple weeks ago asking him some advice
on how to do some ministry stuff to surprise
my mom at the same time. And through some conversation,
this is what we came up with. This series, at
least from what I've seen, is awesome. It worked
in my life because I'm at a point in life where
I'm going to have to make some decisions on where
I think God wants me and how he wants to use
what I know. But one thing he said in Sermon
1 that stuck out to me was faith is basically
two parts. One, we believe is what it says, but
two, and two is the hardest part for me, is we
have to put that belief in action. So, one of
my favorite verses, especially in this chapter
of my life, being an adaptive rock climber and
CrossFit athlete, And hopefully by the time you
guys watch this, I will have completed my first
Tough Mudder. But one of my favorite verses is
Philippians 4 .13. That I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. So, I believe what
it says. But how do I put that in action? So
I started thinking. about my rock climbing. So
I do belay, which is when rope coming down from
the top of where you're wanting to climb, you're
hooked into a harness. The harness is hooked
to the rope by a deep cliff, and then you've
got somebody at the bottom holding the rope so
it doesn't get away from you if you come off
the wall. either intentionally or unintentionally.
And I started thinking, that has a lot of moving
parts. I've got the rope, I've got my harness,
I've got the D -clip, and I've got the person
at the bottom. I believe that it all works. But
until I actually clip in with that D -clip on
that rope and start climbing the wall, does my
belief mean anything? point in life right now
where I'm kind of at a crossroads. I've got multiple
ways I can go and be really, really good at whatever
is at the end of that path, no matter which way
I decide to go. Because I feel God's called me
to multiple things. But until I step out I'm
just waiting at the bottom of the mountain and
this is a call to me as much as you whatever
that mountain is God's your rope you gotta clip
it and trust that he's gonna hold you till you
get to the top so once again Thanks, Pastor Dean,
for the opportunity. And Mom, I'm sorry I hid
this from you. I love you. Hope to see you soon.
What a surprise. Quit crying. If you start crying,
I might start crying. All right, I'm just playing.
So this week, all that was introduction. Everybody
say introduction. Now it's time for the message.
Look to the person beside you and say, listen
fast. Listen fast. If this takes a long time,
it's your fault because you weren't listening
fast enough. 2 Kings 5, 1 through 14 is where
we're focusing as we look at an act of obedience,
a corresponding action that completes faith.
2 Kings 5, 1 through 14. The king of Aram had
great admiration for Naaman. Everybody say Naaman.
The commander of his army, because through him,
the Lord had given Aram great victories. But
though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered
from leprosy. At this time, Aramian raiders had
invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives
was a young girl. who had been given to Naaman's
wife as a maid. One day the girl said to her
mistress, I wish my master would go see the prophet
in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.
So Naaman told the king what the young girl from
Israel had said. Go and visit the prophet, the
king of Aram told him. I will send a letter of
introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.
So Naaman started out carrying as gifts 750 pounds
of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 sets of
clothing. Everybody go, that's a pretty nice
gift. That's a nice gift. I should have figured
out how much money that would be in today's money,
but it would be a whole lot. Since gold is like,
what, $2 ,500 an ounce this week? I mean, it's
crazy. Pounds. Okay. The letter to the king of
Israel said, with this letter I present my servant
Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore
his clothes and this man said, this man sends
me a leper to heal. Am I God that I can give
life and take it away? I can see that he's just
trying to pick a fight with me. So it scared
the king of Israel. But when Elisha, everybody
say Elisha. Everybody say a prophet. Someone
who hears God and says what God told him to say.
That's what a prophet is. Let's don't get too
spooky with prophet. But when Elisha, the man
of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn
his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to
him. Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me.
And he will learn that there is a true prophet
here in Israel. So Naaman went with his horses
and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha's
house. But Elisha sent a messenger. Sent a messenger
out to him with a message. Go and wash yourself
seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin
will be restored. You will be healed of your
leprosy. Somebody say easy enough. But Naaman
became angry and stalked away. Got mad. Here's
what he says. I thought he would certainly come
out to meet me. I came all this way. Come on.
I came all this way. I'm standing in front of
the prophet's house, and does he not know who
I am? Does he not know how important I am? I
mean, I'm the commander of the army. We've defeated
them, and then now I'm here to talk with him,
and then he just sends out a messenger. I thought
he would certainly come out. Meet me. Here's
the deal. You can't be offended by the word and
receive the promise at the same time. That's
so good, I'm going to say it again. You can't
be offended by the word and receive the promise
at the same time. How many of you know that the
prophet sent him a word, and Elisha just didn't
make this up. I mean, God told Elisha to tell
him this. Right? He's coming to seek healing
from God through God's prophet, and he gets a
word. He gets a divine utterance. He gets a word.
But he got offended. Why didn't he come out here
to see me? And he got mad. It says he stalked
away. I mean, he's just fuming. He's like, ain't
no telling what he was saying as he was walking
and getting back on his horse or in his chair.
You know, we came all this way and the man wouldn't
even come out and see me. There's somebody that
lives right here that came one... Sunday to Elation
Church. Had no idea they were coming. How many
of you know that I talk about peace a lot? And
it just so happened that the children's church
message and our message was all about Jesus speaking
peace, calming the storm. And then Jesus looked
and said, Where's your faith? I mean, you were
overcome with fear so you were not in faith.
And I said, you can't be in fear and in faith
at the same time because they're opposite of
each other. We talked about the peace of God
and God wanted you to have peace and not be just
overwhelmed with fear and overcome with fear
all the time. That's God's name. One of his names
is Yahweh Shalom. He is the Lord, our peace.
He is peace. Jesus came to give us peace and
not like the world's peace. Hello? That same
week, we got an email saying that I'm not coming
to this church. I'll never be back at this church.
And you know what? I'm not going to expose my
family to somebody who says that, you know, God
wants you to have peace. God don't want you to
be overcome with fear. You want me to tell you
what had happened in this person's life? I mean,
they had come to the point where they embraced
their fear. And they came to the point where
they were comfortable with their fear. They want
their fear. I don't know why somebody would embrace
fear and anxiousness and want that. I've experienced
it, but I didn't want it. I didn't embrace it
like, this is who I am. Hello? Come on, somebody.
Look at the person beside you and say, God wants
us free. God wants us free. And his promises
and his word are very clear that he wants us
free. I mean, but it's like, how dare you tell
me that God doesn't want me to live in fear the
rest of my life? Everybody say offended. She
got offended. Got offended. Because she loved
her fear more than she would love her freedom.
How many of you know that that works in a lot
of people's lives? It might not be them embracing
fear, but they're embracing something that's
destroying their life, and they would rather
hold on to that than grab freedom. You know what
I'm talking about. Is anybody with me? I'll get
off your toes. Here we go. Verse 11. I'm going
to lighten up for a second. I'm going to read
a verse. Here's Naaman. I expected him to wave
his hand over the leprosy and call on the name
of the Lord his God to heal me. So he'd already
decided how this was going to work. Coming into
it, right? I'm going to this prophet. He's going
to wave his hand over me. He's going to call
on the name of the Lord and I'm going to be healed.
This is the way it's going to happen. Has anybody
lived long enough to figure out God doesn't always
do it the way we expect him to? Anybody? Anybody
know what I'm talking about? If you haven't figured
that out, I'm going to let you know. God doesn't
always do things the way that you expect him
to do it. He doesn't always do it like we expect.
Let's continue in his offense. The display of
his offense. Aren't the rivers of Damascus where
I'm from? I mean, our rivers are a whole lot
better than the Jordan. Jordan's pretty muddy,
right? Most of the time, the Jordan's pretty
muddy. Pam was just at the Jordan last year.
Jordan's pretty muddy. I've never been, I've
seen pictures. And he's saying, aren't the rivers
of Damascus, the Abana and the Far Park, aren't
they better than the rivers in Israel? Why shouldn't
I wash in them and be healed? So Naaman turned
away. He turned and went away in rage. He was
so mad. Came all this way. You didn't come out
to see me. And then you tell me to dip in the
Jordan seven times. I could have stayed at home
and did that. Makes no sense. Everybody say,
makes no sense. Listen, if you don't act because
you don't understand how the action connects
to the promise, you won't receive. I don't know
if you understood that by the look on your face.
So I'm going to say it again. He had a word.
Say, Naaman had a word. Naaman had a word. He
was offended because he didn't get it personally
and then all of a sudden he starts reasoning
it and thinking about it. There's better rivers
than Damascus. So why do I need to go dip in
this muddy Jordan seven times? So he wasn't going
to act because in his mind he couldn't understand
how that action, dipping in the Jordan seven
times, was connected to God's promise to heal
him from the prophet. So he left mad. He left
mad. Here's where we are in this series and we're
going to be here every week because you can't
just come to the preacher and say, what does
God want me to do? What does God want me to do?
What does God want me to do? Because if you are
a Christian, if you're a Christ follower, God
the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in you.
Don't you know that your body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit? That's what the Bible says in
Corinthians. So God's in you, right? And He speaks
to you. God didn't speak to anybody in this room
to marry Ghana except me. God didn't speak to
anybody in this room except me to... to move
here and start a church called Elation Church,
right? Did you know that before COVID that Dean
and his family are coming to Four Corners to
start Elation Church? Did you know that? Now,
he could tell you and be like an affirmation
of what he told me. I've experienced that in
my life. But I didn't act on the affirmation
until I had a word from God. Sometimes a word
came later in my life. So I can't tell you, unless
it's something black and white in the word of
God that's written out like the things that we've
talked about, I can't tell you what the action
is. But I'm telling you. If the Holy Spirit of
God has connected you to the Word of God and
to the promise of God, and you have wholeheartedly
believed it, and you have confidence and expectation
in it, that there's going to be something that
you're going to have to do. While you wait, I
can tell you, I believe, from looking through
the Scripture, something that you need to start
doing immediately. It may be all that you have
to do. It might just be one step in what you
have to do. Like last week, we looked at so many
different steps that God's people had to do.
You know, not fear, take up the staff, hold out
your hand. All those things didn't seem to connect
to the miracle of parting the Red Sea. In my
little brain, that didn't open the Red Sea. Those
acts of faith. Doing what God told them to do.
It didn't do the work. God did the work. But
without their acts of faith, it wouldn't have
happened. Hallelujah. So God may tell you to
go here, do that, give this. We talked about
it in our spirit -led series last year. I told
you about times when God told me to give something
and I didn't give it. And it was like... Should
have gave that when God told me to. Went back
to that Publix and tried to find that little
girl with the red glasses. I mean, I went six
or seven times trying to look for her. I still
can't find her. Never seen her again. God told
me to give her, at that time, I had a $100 bill
in my wallet. God told me to give it to her and
say that it was from him, but I didn't do it.
I thought, she's going to think I'm crazy. I
mean, she was probably late teens, early 20s.
I mean, I just started reasoning and thinking,
well, she's going to think I'm trying to hit
on her or something. I mean, it's like this could
go south in a lot of different ways. Are you
with me? So I didn't do it. And here's the deal.
I believe that that was connected to something
in the spirit realm. Maybe God was trying to
do something for Dean, and Dean didn't do what
God told him to do. Hello? So, a few weeks later,
I was in Dairy Queen. Probably shouldn't eat
at Dairy Queen. I'm trying to not eat at Dairy
Queen as much as I used to. Those chocolate -covered
strawberry blizzards are hard to resist. But
I was in Dairy Queen. I was obedient at that
time. I don't know what it's connected to. Hello?
And it's not always about giving this. Sometimes
it's... Go here. Sometimes it's do that. Sometimes
it's say this. Sometimes it's give this. See,
the Holy Spirit's the one telling you what to
do. But what he's telling you to do might be
connected. You don't realize it. You can't figure
it out with your brain how it could possibly
connect. Just like Naaman couldn't figure out
how Duncan and the muddy Jordan River was going
to bring healing to him and there's a whole lot
better rivers and the guy didn't even come out
and talk to me. I mean, just like that. Something
that he in his mind couldn't connect to his healing
was connected to his healing. Selah. Think about
that a minute. Look to the person beside you
and tell them obedience is important. Obedience
is important. It's very important. It might be
that God's telling you something. I'm going to
say it again. It might be that he's telling you
to do something. You don't see how it connects
to what you want him to do for you based on a
promise in his word. You might not see how it
connects, but trust me. It connects. Thank you,
Jesus. Don't get offended or overthink or try
to reason it. Act. Just go ahead and act. I'm
glad Naaman had some people around him that tried
to talk some sense into him. Verse 13 says, but
his officers tried to reason with him and said,
sir. If the prophet had told you to do something
very difficult, wouldn't you have done it? Wouldn't
you have done it? So you should certainly obey
him when he says simply go and wash and be cured.
When God tells you what to do, it's not time
to pray about it. That day in Publix, it wasn't
time, even though I did. I went home, I left,
and I started praying about it. God, do you really
want me to give that girl? I mean... And I went
back and back and back and back, and I could
never find her. Even talked to other employees.
Even talked to the manager. Now, there was this
little girl here, and I described her, and I
said she had red glasses. And, you know, God
wanted me to give her something, and I didn't
do it. I mean, I was just fessing up to total
strangers. And get this, nobody knew who she
was. I mean, it looks like if she worked with
the people, they'd know who she was. And not
many people wear bright red glasses. Maybe I
was the only one who saw her. When God tells
you what to do, it's not time to pray about it.
Oh, God, I'm going to have to pray about this
for two weeks before I give somebody a $100 bill.
I mean, this is serious, God. It's not time to
overthink it or reason. God, what's she going
to think? She's going to think I'm some kind
of creeper, you know. Look and see if I've got
a van out in the parking lot or something. It's
not time to post on social media for opinions.
You know, I feel like God's telling me this.
What do y 'all think about it? It's time to act.
Everybody say it's time to act. Say it again.
It's time to act. When God tells you what to
do, it's time to act. Act immediately. Don't
question. as long, you know, again, it'll never
be in contradiction to his written word. So if
you have a check in your spirit, it's like, no.
And it's not coming from your head, but it's
coming from your spirit, then check the word,
all right? Because the Holy Spirit will put up
a big stop sign for you just as much as he'll
tell you to do something. Everybody say discernment.
See, that's why we've got to pray for discernment,
for spiritual discernment. We've got to know.
Here we go. Time to land this plane. So Naaman
went down to the Jordan River, dipped himself
one time. Two times. Seven times as the man of
God had instructed him. And his skin became as
healthy as the skin of a young child's. And he
was healed. Everybody say faith act. Faith act.
Everybody say seven times. Seven times Naaman
dipped. One thing about leprosy is, I mean, it
eats all the cartilage, you know, and it's like,
you know, his nose is caved in, his skin has
big sores all over it. He's going to be sent
off to a leopard colony. If he was part of God's
people, he would already be there and couldn't
be around them. But he's the commander. Where
he lives, they got different rules. But when
he came up the seventh time, everybody say obedience.
Everybody say faith act. When he came up the
seventh time. It didn't happen on the sixth time.
It didn't happen on the third time. It just happened
on the seventh time when he came out of the water.
I bet he was standing there just looking at it.
Mark 11, 22, Jesus said to the disciples, have
faith, everybody say have faith, in God. It's
not just having faith, it's having faith in God.
Having faith in God. It's not just acting, it's
acting on what God has said. Have faith in God.
So does God need your faith action? What you
think about it? Did God need Naaman to dip in
the Jordan seven times to be able to heal him?
Think about this. If Naaman would not have dipped
in the Jordan seven times, would he have been
healed? No. So we think, you know, God can do
anything God wants to do and He don't need my
faith action. But guess what? He chose to do
it this way. Just dipping in the Jordan seven
times won't heal anybody. Unless God told you
to and it was connected to your healing, like
Naaman. And if God told you to do that, it would
heal you every time if you did what God told
you to do. God doesn't need our faith actions,
but He's chose to connect what He does for us,
His promises that are manifest in our lives.
He has chosen to involve our actions with our
blessing and with our provision and with our...
See, He chose that. It's not just all up to God.
He's chosen to involve you. And here's the deal.
You can hear, you can believe, you can speak
and still not receive if you don't act. If you
don't act. For 25 years of me being a Christ
follower, I thought faith was just hearing and
believing. Then I got to the point where faith
is hearing and believing. Then I've got to change
my words, put my words in agreement with what
God says about me. All those things are important,
but we can do all those things and still not
receive the promise. If we don't act. This online
worship experience was brought to you by the
friends and partners of Eulation Church.