WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.419 Faith is more than a feeling or a theory. It's 00:00:03.419 --> 00:00:06.059 a decision that moves your feet, opens your hands, 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:09.019 and activates God's promises. In our brand new 00:00:09.019 --> 00:00:11.820 book, Faith Act, Jeffrey and I take you on a 00:00:11.820 --> 00:00:13.839 powerful journey through some of Scripture's 00:00:13.839 --> 00:00:16.800 most transforming moments, where ordinary people 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:20.699 dared to obey and saw heaven move on their behalf. 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:24.179 Order your copy of Faith Act today on Amazon. 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:28.179 This is week number three. Everybody say week 00:00:28.179 --> 00:00:32.009 number three. In our series entitled, Not Mine, 00:00:32.189 --> 00:00:35.670 But God's. Everybody say, Not Mine, Not Mine, 00:00:35.829 --> 00:00:40.189 But God's. And we've been, what we've been talking 00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:42.890 about, or as I could say, like the big idea here, 00:00:43.049 --> 00:00:48.670 is a shift of focus. Because we all, our focus 00:00:48.670 --> 00:00:51.369 in life is to always turn to ourselves, our own 00:00:51.369 --> 00:00:55.950 resources, our own abilities. When our immediate 00:00:55.950 --> 00:01:01.079 response should be, to turn to who God is, his 00:01:01.079 --> 00:01:06.019 ability, his supply, his things. Because we're 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:08.980 very good at relying on ourselves, and we're 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:12.700 very good at being independent, we could say. 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:19.000 But God wants us to be dependent, not on ourselves, 00:01:19.500 --> 00:01:24.000 not on the people around us, not on our jobs, 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:27.980 not on what the world says. He wants us to be 00:01:27.980 --> 00:01:30.700 dependent. Everybody say dependent. He wants 00:01:30.700 --> 00:01:36.159 us to be dependent on his word. Dependent on 00:01:36.159 --> 00:01:40.879 his word. And we've asked this question at the 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:44.359 beginning of each week, is who or what is your 00:01:44.359 --> 00:01:48.000 source? Who or what is your source for everything? 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:53.959 Because your source, who you draw from, who you 00:01:53.959 --> 00:01:58.700 are filled with, determines your display, determines 00:01:58.700 --> 00:02:02.859 what comes out of you, determines what shows 00:02:02.859 --> 00:02:05.280 in the world around you to the people around 00:02:05.280 --> 00:02:11.259 you, is who you are feeding on, who your attention 00:02:11.259 --> 00:02:16.319 is on, who you draw from for every area of your 00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:20.379 life. And we all draw, you could say, I'll keep 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:23.340 using that now, you know, we all draw from different 00:02:23.340 --> 00:02:27.210 things. Right? We all draw. But who we're filled 00:02:27.210 --> 00:02:30.050 with, I had this thought of a coffee cup this 00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:31.610 morning. I love coffee. How many of you love 00:02:31.610 --> 00:02:34.770 coffee? I love coffee. Yeah. A little too much. 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:37.069 A little too much. I'm working on it. First step 00:02:37.069 --> 00:02:39.909 is admitting I have a problem. So here I'm here 00:02:39.909 --> 00:02:41.949 in my group this morning saying I have a problem, 00:02:42.069 --> 00:02:50.090 but I'm not willing to give it up. Okay. I want 00:02:50.090 --> 00:02:52.729 to like. I can't remember how long it is ago, 00:02:52.789 --> 00:02:55.310 so I'm not going to make it up. But I was drinking 00:02:55.310 --> 00:02:57.169 coffee in the lobby. You know, everybody's coming 00:02:57.169 --> 00:02:58.870 in, shaking, hugging, all that kind of stuff. 00:02:59.150 --> 00:03:02.030 And someone bumped me, and I spilled my coffee 00:03:02.030 --> 00:03:05.310 all over the floor. And I had this thought this 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:08.569 morning, like, you know, if my cup was filled 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:11.490 with orange juice, if my cup was filled with 00:03:11.490 --> 00:03:14.629 orange juice, something like that, that would 00:03:14.629 --> 00:03:17.889 have been what spills out, right? If my cup was 00:03:17.889 --> 00:03:20.990 filled with milk. and someone bumped me, milk's 00:03:20.990 --> 00:03:23.210 going to come out. Like, if my cup's filled with 00:03:23.210 --> 00:03:25.590 orange juice, and I bump it, and coffee pours 00:03:25.590 --> 00:03:30.870 out, that'd be weird, right? I would fall on 00:03:30.870 --> 00:03:32.889 the floor and open my mouth, and let the heavenly, 00:03:33.050 --> 00:03:39.669 pour it, no, no, no. But what you're filled with, 00:03:39.949 --> 00:03:44.870 what you allow into your life, what you feed 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:47.870 on through your eyes, What you say with your 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:50.250 words fills your life and who your attention 00:03:50.250 --> 00:03:54.370 is on and your source determines your display. 00:03:55.229 --> 00:03:58.150 And so what you're filled with, if you're filled 00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:03.389 with the word, right? When something bumps you, 00:04:03.449 --> 00:04:08.009 when something shakes you in this world, the 00:04:08.009 --> 00:04:13.659 word's going to come out. It's so simple. I mean, 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:15.639 it's not like I'm saying something revolutionary 00:04:15.639 --> 00:04:18.680 here. This is very simple information, right? 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.220 You know, if I'm filled with irritation and someone 00:04:23.220 --> 00:04:27.459 bumps me, anger is going to come out, right? 00:04:27.980 --> 00:04:30.420 If I'm filled with, you know, all kinds of things. 00:04:30.480 --> 00:04:34.860 If I'm filled with my worry and something bumps 00:04:34.860 --> 00:04:37.959 me, I'm going to spiral out of control, right? 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:44.779 It's going to take me farther away. But I'm going 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:46.720 to mention this. We haven't talked about this. 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.040 The specific word, you know, we talk about like 00:04:51.040 --> 00:04:53.540 the word from God is like a very general blanket 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:57.660 statement. But the specific word that you are 00:04:57.660 --> 00:05:01.939 filled with, that you receive into the soil of 00:05:01.939 --> 00:05:04.980 your heart, when you get a hold of that, when 00:05:04.980 --> 00:05:09.439 it fills your cup, right, that word that you 00:05:09.439 --> 00:05:16.209 honor, will pour out of you. But it's not just 00:05:16.209 --> 00:05:18.470 all the words. Like, we don't just get everything 00:05:18.470 --> 00:05:22.569 all at once. I wish we did. That'd be really 00:05:22.569 --> 00:05:25.430 nice, right? If all of a sudden I just read the 00:05:25.430 --> 00:05:28.430 Bible one time and I'm just like, I got it. You 00:05:28.430 --> 00:05:30.250 know, I got every little thing. It's just all 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:34.509 here. No, but the specific things that God reveals 00:05:34.509 --> 00:05:38.129 to you when you get a hold of them in your spirit. 00:05:39.290 --> 00:05:41.810 That's the specific things that you can draw 00:05:41.810 --> 00:05:46.810 on as your source. Okay? I'm going to keep moving. 00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:51.129 We depend on, we display who or what we draw 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:55.370 from, right? But listen, until you draw, until 00:05:55.370 --> 00:05:59.709 your first response, until your natural response, 00:05:59.790 --> 00:06:03.069 quick reflection instinct is to draw from the 00:06:03.069 --> 00:06:06.470 greater one, you're going to be the same one. 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:14.360 Until you draw from the greater one who is living 00:06:14.360 --> 00:06:18.600 on the inside of you, you will only accomplish 00:06:18.600 --> 00:06:21.660 in this world, and you will only see natural 00:06:21.660 --> 00:06:29.660 things take place in your life. But in every 00:06:29.660 --> 00:06:32.560 area, everybody say every area, every area of 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:36.120 life, we should learn to rely, to lean, to not 00:06:36.120 --> 00:06:39.399 depend on our own understanding, as we talked 00:06:39.399 --> 00:06:42.980 about. not depends on our own minds, our own 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:45.220 rational way, our own wills and what we want 00:06:45.220 --> 00:06:47.500 to do. We should learn to rely on God's supply, 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:52.160 his ability, instead of our own. And verse here, 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:56.560 Acts 17, 28, all the verses are New Living Translation, 00:06:56.639 --> 00:07:00.199 unless noted otherwise. But Acts 17, 28 reveals 00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:05.600 this, for in him, in him, we live and move and 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:11.480 exist. Amen. I hope we do that. We say amen to 00:07:11.480 --> 00:07:14.240 it. But I hope this is how we live our life. 00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:17.339 I hope this is how we move in life and literally 00:07:17.339 --> 00:07:20.000 impacts every part of our existence of life. 00:07:21.579 --> 00:07:26.160 Because it's only from that position of being 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:30.779 in Christ, it's only from that position that 00:07:30.779 --> 00:07:32.920 we're supposed to move, that we're supposed to 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:36.379 live, that we're supposed to exist. God didn't 00:07:36.379 --> 00:07:41.149 intend for his... to do any one of these things 00:07:41.149 --> 00:07:45.209 outside of him, apart from him, on their own. 00:07:46.769 --> 00:07:53.930 Amen? Amen. John 14 .10, Jesus even lived as 00:07:53.930 --> 00:07:59.170 an example for us. Amen? Lived as an example 00:07:59.170 --> 00:08:02.170 for us and said this, the words I speak are what? 00:08:02.250 --> 00:08:08.100 Not my own. They're not mine. This is Jesus now. 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:10.879 He's fully God. He's fully man, living as an 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:13.839 example for each one of us. But the words I speak 00:08:13.839 --> 00:08:18.399 are not my own, but my Father who lives in me 00:08:18.399 --> 00:08:24.879 does what? His work through me. It's not mine, 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:30.699 but it's God's. Amen? Not mine, but God's. Do 00:08:30.699 --> 00:08:33.080 you think if Jesus lived this way, we should 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:37.190 live this way? There should be more heads bobbing. 00:08:37.549 --> 00:08:41.110 Yeah. If Jesus lived this way, I'm going to have 00:08:41.110 --> 00:08:44.330 to live this way. In order to accomplish the 00:08:44.330 --> 00:08:46.490 things that he did in the earth, in order to 00:08:46.490 --> 00:08:49.389 be like Christ, because that's what Christian 00:08:49.389 --> 00:08:54.649 means, is to be a little Christ. We shouldn't 00:08:54.649 --> 00:08:56.789 keep having to share these simple things. We've 00:08:56.789 --> 00:08:59.830 got to get a hold of it. Okay? We've got to get 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:03.539 a hold of it. Christians are little Christ. And 00:09:03.539 --> 00:09:05.539 we should live like him. We should desire to 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:09.460 be just like him and say, not my own, but it's 00:09:09.460 --> 00:09:13.820 his. All the words that I say, I don't rely on 00:09:13.820 --> 00:09:17.659 what I say and what I think, right? Jesus is 00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:19.919 turning here and he's saying, look, it's not 00:09:19.919 --> 00:09:22.740 my own. You know, your words determine the course 00:09:22.740 --> 00:09:28.620 of your life. And Jesus here is saying, look. 00:09:29.149 --> 00:09:31.429 I'm not going to rely on these words that I've 00:09:31.429 --> 00:09:33.549 learned from my parents and the way I've grown 00:09:33.549 --> 00:09:35.529 up talking to everyone around me. I'm not going 00:09:35.529 --> 00:09:39.049 to say what they say. I'm going to 100%, listen, 00:09:39.230 --> 00:09:42.730 100 % say what the words of my father are going 00:09:42.730 --> 00:09:45.190 to say in order to have what the father wants 00:09:45.190 --> 00:09:48.509 me to have, in order to live the life like he 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:52.029 wants me to, to fulfill his will and plan in 00:09:52.029 --> 00:09:54.769 my life. I'm going to have to start not speaking 00:09:54.769 --> 00:09:58.279 from me. I've got to speak from him. but not 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:02.360 just occasionally, all the time. I speak are 00:10:02.360 --> 00:10:05.200 not my own. He was talking about his entire words 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:07.879 that he says are not my own, but my Father who 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:12.220 lives in me does his work through me. Kings and 00:10:12.220 --> 00:10:15.860 people in authority, they work with their words, 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:20.580 right? And we work with our words to shape our 00:10:20.580 --> 00:10:24.809 life. And if we want the will of God to be real 00:10:24.809 --> 00:10:27.450 in us, we have to speak his words, we have to 00:10:27.450 --> 00:10:31.210 rely on them, and we've got to hear them. Because 00:10:31.210 --> 00:10:33.789 God is wanting to do a work in the earth, and 00:10:33.789 --> 00:10:37.889 he's doing it through his people. 1 Corinthians 00:10:37.889 --> 00:10:42.149 3 .9 says, For we are God's fellow workers. 2 00:10:42.149 --> 00:10:45.870 Corinthians 6 .1 says, We then as workers together 00:10:45.870 --> 00:10:49.879 with him. Aren't you glad you have a limitless 00:10:49.879 --> 00:10:53.940 worker working with you? Aren't you glad you're 00:10:53.940 --> 00:10:56.360 working, like what you're doing, you're not alone? 00:10:59.700 --> 00:11:02.600 He doesn't just, he didn't just drop us off in 00:11:02.600 --> 00:11:06.080 the earth and say, all right, go have fun. No, 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:10.120 he's always been about his presence being with 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:13.460 us, his presence being on us in the Old Testament, 00:11:13.539 --> 00:11:15.960 and then his presence being in us in the New 00:11:15.960 --> 00:11:21.080 Testament. Amen. He's wanting as a co -worker 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:24.100 with God, then we have an opportunity, everybody 00:11:24.100 --> 00:11:28.500 say opportunity, to exchange our natural. Everybody 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:30.419 say natural. If you're here next week, you know 00:11:30.419 --> 00:11:32.519 why I'm holding up a rock. If not, it's okay. 00:11:32.639 --> 00:11:37.120 Just figure it out. We have the opportunity to 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:40.240 exchange our natural, listen, for his supernatural. 00:11:42.519 --> 00:11:48.279 Our human things. our humanity for his divinity, 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.659 for his supernatural things. We have that ability. 00:11:51.820 --> 00:11:56.460 We can exchange those things. Galatians 2 .20, 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:58.519 I love what Paul writes. He says, I have been 00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:04.879 crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:11.139 Christ lives in me. I no longer live, but Christ 00:12:11.139 --> 00:12:16.309 lives in me. What he's saying is that, there's 00:12:16.309 --> 00:12:20.350 a part of him that has died. There's a part of 00:12:20.350 --> 00:12:24.129 him that is no more. And he's saying the life, 00:12:24.190 --> 00:12:28.450 the life that he lives, he characterizes it as 00:12:28.450 --> 00:12:34.169 God's life in me and through me. That's a lot, 00:12:34.370 --> 00:12:38.789 right? To just say, I no longer live. I give 00:12:38.789 --> 00:12:41.730 up my will. What is this? It's a picture of being 00:12:41.730 --> 00:12:45.110 yielded and submitted to the Holy Spirit. It's 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:48.049 like, I no longer live, it's Christ who lives 00:12:48.049 --> 00:12:52.149 in me. It's Christ in me. The life I now live 00:12:52.149 --> 00:12:55.250 in the body, he continues, I live how? By faith 00:12:55.250 --> 00:12:59.210 in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself 00:12:59.210 --> 00:13:05.809 for me. The greatest revelation is that God just 00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:08.870 didn't leave us on our own. He didn't just say, 00:13:08.929 --> 00:13:12.009 these are our, you know, he gave us, listen, 00:13:12.210 --> 00:13:17.690 he gave us himself. To accomplish every good 00:13:17.690 --> 00:13:22.789 thing in our lives. To be there in every situation, 00:13:22.870 --> 00:13:27.830 in every circumstance. He gave us himself. He 00:13:27.830 --> 00:13:31.269 says, live in me. No longer living for yourself. 00:13:32.110 --> 00:13:36.909 Live through me. Live in me. Amen. And we spend 00:13:36.909 --> 00:13:39.509 a lifetime learning how to live from our souls 00:13:39.509 --> 00:13:46.029 and from our body. from our mind, will, and emotions, 00:13:46.049 --> 00:13:50.730 and from our flesh. But as Christians, we're 00:13:50.730 --> 00:13:52.789 called to live differently. Look to your neighbor 00:13:52.789 --> 00:13:55.970 and say, it's time to live different. It's time 00:13:55.970 --> 00:13:57.570 to live different. We're called to live differently, 00:13:57.690 --> 00:14:00.889 not just out of our heads, not out of our feelings. 00:14:01.389 --> 00:14:05.850 We're called to live by the Spirit. We're called 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:10.429 to be Spirit -led, Spirit -fed, Spirit -led people 00:14:10.429 --> 00:14:15.600 of God. doing spiritual things in the earth, 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:20.200 beyond the natural things, operating from the 00:14:20.200 --> 00:14:23.240 greater one on the inside of us, not just out 00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:26.019 of our heads, not just out of what we can do 00:14:26.019 --> 00:14:30.519 in the flesh. We are a spirit, we have a soul, 00:14:30.600 --> 00:14:33.340 and we live in a body, and God calls us to live 00:14:33.340 --> 00:14:39.659 as spirits in him. Today we're talking about... 00:14:40.110 --> 00:14:42.210 Before I get into that, today we're going to 00:14:42.210 --> 00:14:48.210 talk about what it means to live with God in 00:14:48.210 --> 00:14:53.110 Christ by the Spirit of God. And this set of 00:14:53.110 --> 00:14:55.490 verses is very familiar. If you've spent any 00:14:55.490 --> 00:14:57.450 time in church, it's very familiar. But I want 00:14:57.450 --> 00:15:02.029 you to hear the first, like in context of what's 00:15:02.029 --> 00:15:05.169 being said here. Philippians 4 .12, Paul writes 00:15:05.169 --> 00:15:09.909 this, I know how to live on almost nothing. or 00:15:09.909 --> 00:15:14.309 with everything. Paul's saying, you know, I've 00:15:14.309 --> 00:15:19.330 had little, I've had a lot. And I have learned 00:15:19.330 --> 00:15:23.110 the secret of living in every situation. Ooh, 00:15:23.389 --> 00:15:27.289 that should perk you up a little bit. What is 00:15:27.289 --> 00:15:31.629 the secret of living this life? What is the secret 00:15:31.629 --> 00:15:34.710 of living Monday morning? What is the secret 00:15:34.710 --> 00:15:39.029 of living everything? What is the secret? Everybody 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:42.049 say, what's the secret? What's the secret to 00:15:42.049 --> 00:15:44.370 live in every situation? I want to know it. What's 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:50.830 the secret? Is it hidden from me? No. Am I walking 00:15:50.830 --> 00:15:55.629 in it? What's the secret of living in every situation? 00:15:55.649 --> 00:15:58.649 And then it gets to this very popular verse. 00:15:59.850 --> 00:16:03.889 Philippians 4 .13, For I can do everything through 00:16:03.889 --> 00:16:07.850 Christ who gives me strength. Some translations, 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:10.149 I can do all things through Christ who gives 00:16:10.149 --> 00:16:15.190 me strength. The direct Greek to English, as 00:16:15.190 --> 00:16:18.210 you know, the New Testament is written in Koine 00:16:18.210 --> 00:16:22.190 Greek. And if you just take those words and transliterate 00:16:22.190 --> 00:16:25.210 them into English, just word for word, there 00:16:25.210 --> 00:16:27.870 in the Greek to English language, direct would 00:16:27.870 --> 00:16:32.960 be all things. I have strength in the one. And 00:16:32.960 --> 00:16:34.720 it's capitalized there because it's referring 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:37.679 to Christ. And in parentheses, it puts Christ 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:41.159 strengthening me. And now that's kind of like 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:43.340 a different understanding that I've always held. 00:16:43.539 --> 00:16:46.299 It's like I can do everything is a little different 00:16:46.299 --> 00:16:50.779 than all things I have strengthened. Are you 00:16:50.779 --> 00:16:52.720 paying attention? Are you listening? Because 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:55.299 don't get wrong. Like, don't freak out on me. 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.379 All things, Paul is saying, all things I have 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:02.799 strengthened, the one strengthening me. So Paul's 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.099 secret of living, let's back up to verse 12. 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:08.839 Paul's secret of living in every situation is 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:14.440 a confession then. He's saying something. I know 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.079 the secret when I had everything, when I've had 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:19.480 a little, when I've been imprisoned, when I've 00:17:19.480 --> 00:17:21.299 been preaching and sharing to God all over the 00:17:21.299 --> 00:17:24.299 world. You know, like, come on. He knows the 00:17:24.299 --> 00:17:27.579 secret. He's like, I know the secret. And he 00:17:27.579 --> 00:17:31.529 says this. It's his confession of faith. of what 00:17:31.529 --> 00:17:36.650 he has by Christ in him, by who he is. He knows 00:17:36.650 --> 00:17:39.450 who he is. He knows who God is. And he's saying, 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:43.589 I have something. He says, I have strength. But 00:17:43.589 --> 00:17:46.130 then he doesn't just stop there. He's not just 00:17:46.130 --> 00:17:48.670 saying, I have strength in myself and God's empowered 00:17:48.670 --> 00:17:51.569 me with his strength. No, no, no. It's not his 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:55.150 strength, but it's a divine strength empowering 00:17:55.150 --> 00:18:01.660 him in every situation. It's a divine strength 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:06.240 that he draws from, that he fills his cup with, 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:11.220 that he has access to its resources. And when 00:18:11.220 --> 00:18:14.319 the world shook him, listen, that divine strength 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:19.500 poured out. The man who sang in prison after 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:23.920 he'd been whipped and beaten, a divine strength 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:30.119 came out, right? the man who also wrote the majority 00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:33.619 of the New Testament, divine strength came out. 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:40.400 Not of his own, not his own strength, because 00:18:40.400 --> 00:18:42.980 we have strength in our own, right, we have some 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:45.799 strength in ourselves, but God is not wanting 00:18:45.799 --> 00:18:49.500 us to focus on what is ours. He's wanting to 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:54.259 empower us with what is his. Philippians, this 00:18:54.259 --> 00:18:58.549 word strength here, It means to empower, to strengthen, 00:18:58.809 --> 00:19:03.730 to make strong, or to impart ability. Do you 00:19:03.730 --> 00:19:06.009 realize there's things imparted to believers 00:19:06.009 --> 00:19:10.109 on the inside of them, right? He gives us a measure 00:19:10.109 --> 00:19:14.430 of faith. He gives us a measure of, here is strength. 00:19:14.869 --> 00:19:22.710 He gives us a measure of just ability and process 00:19:22.710 --> 00:19:25.930 in the spirit. But he gives us this. measure 00:19:25.930 --> 00:19:30.390 to walk in this impartation of an ability that 00:19:30.390 --> 00:19:33.309 we're not always drawing from but the divine 00:19:33.309 --> 00:19:35.869 strength that paul is talking about it's empowers 00:19:35.869 --> 00:19:38.609 us and he's saying that it empowers him in all 00:19:38.609 --> 00:19:42.349 things everybody say all things all things doesn't 00:19:42.349 --> 00:19:45.730 mean just in one area but he's allowed this spiritual 00:19:45.730 --> 00:19:48.950 thing to impact every area of his life and how 00:19:48.950 --> 00:19:54.509 he operates he's saying It doesn't just strengthen 00:19:54.509 --> 00:19:57.869 me in my spirit. It strengthens me in my mind. 00:19:58.069 --> 00:20:00.589 It strengthens me in my will and my emotions. 00:20:00.690 --> 00:20:06.250 And then it strengthens my mortal body. Because 00:20:06.250 --> 00:20:10.329 the things of God are meant to impact every part 00:20:10.329 --> 00:20:13.049 of you, not just the one area in which you take 00:20:13.049 --> 00:20:17.990 hold of. It's all -encompassing, you could say. 00:20:19.630 --> 00:20:22.170 Let's continue down this road on strength. Isaiah 00:20:22.170 --> 00:20:28.029 40, 31. I really love this verse. But those who 00:20:28.029 --> 00:20:35.930 trust in the Lord will find new strength. Those 00:20:35.930 --> 00:20:39.890 who trust in the Lord will find new strength. 00:20:43.029 --> 00:20:46.589 I love verses like this in general. Kind of been 00:20:46.589 --> 00:20:51.140 on like a little binge, you could say. Because 00:20:51.140 --> 00:20:57.259 what is he saying? Those who trust, find. Reminds 00:20:57.259 --> 00:21:03.119 me of something else. Those who seek, find. Right? 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:06.859 The things of God are not hidden to you, but 00:21:06.859 --> 00:21:10.000 you need to trust him in order for them to be 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:12.660 received, in order to partake of them by faith. 00:21:13.259 --> 00:21:21.960 Right? Those who hunger and thirst. Taste and 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:32.160 see. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, the 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:37.380 doors are open wide. He's not talking about every 00:21:37.380 --> 00:21:42.480 door. People want to live their life through 00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.140 this like open door policy. He's not talking 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:47.059 about every door. Just like he's not talking 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:49.039 about I can go lift a semi truck when I walk 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:53.730 out this room. It's not true. God's not empowering 00:21:53.730 --> 00:21:58.390 me to do that, right? What is he talking about 00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:01.910 here? Those who turn to him, who quickly let 00:22:01.910 --> 00:22:04.430 go and throw away the things that are theirs 00:22:04.430 --> 00:22:11.210 and take hold and walk in and trust in, will 00:22:11.210 --> 00:22:16.650 find. It's not hard. He's doing all the heavy 00:22:16.650 --> 00:22:21.339 lifting. He's made it available to you. He's 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:24.500 not only that, He's indwelt you with His Spirit. 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:28.599 His presence is in you to accomplish the work. 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:32.220 All you have to do is let go of your temporary 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:39.359 thing and take hold of His eternal thing. Amen? 00:22:40.299 --> 00:22:42.960 Come on. But those who trust in the Lord will 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:45.619 find new strength. They will soar high on wings 00:22:45.619 --> 00:22:48.240 like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. 00:22:48.420 --> 00:22:50.880 They will walk and not faint. Let's look at this 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:54.519 word trust here. It's to wait, look for, hope, 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:58.460 and expect. Hope is a confident expectation, 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:01.960 right? It's a trusting that something will happen, 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:06.720 that the word is true. So those who trust in 00:23:06.720 --> 00:23:14.400 him find strength. They find his strength. How 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:18.279 do we have it? We trust. We wait. We look for. 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:24.660 We hope. We expect. Then we find. It's not like 00:23:24.660 --> 00:23:28.160 he's keeping it. It's just he doesn't want to 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:30.220 give you something that you're not even wanting. 00:23:30.740 --> 00:23:33.319 Right? He's not going to force you into his strength. 00:23:34.119 --> 00:23:36.319 He's not going to force you into walking in his 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:38.880 love and good and all the fruits. He doesn't 00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:42.980 force that on you. No, but it's available to 00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:47.359 you. He's not forcing you to do it. Just like 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:49.319 righteousness. You know, he doesn't force everyone 00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:51.559 to get saved, even though that would be great. 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:53.720 That would be his will. That's what he desires, 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:57.519 right? But it's to all those who respond to him 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:04.900 in faith that take hold. Amen? What will those 00:24:04.900 --> 00:24:07.680 in divine strength do? What does that look like? 00:24:08.819 --> 00:24:11.579 Because it shifts, right? Those who trust, they 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:14.119 will find new strength. And then it says this, 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:16.880 they will soar high on wings like eagles. They 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:19.619 will run and not grow weary. They will walk and 00:24:19.619 --> 00:24:22.460 not faint. They will soar high. That word means 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:28.630 to go up, to ascend, to climb. You could say 00:24:28.630 --> 00:24:31.349 climb the mountain of God to the spiritual things, 00:24:31.470 --> 00:24:33.769 not the earthly things, but the spiritual things. 00:24:34.009 --> 00:24:36.690 Because those who turn their attention away from 00:24:36.690 --> 00:24:39.250 their self and what is around them and their 00:24:39.250 --> 00:24:41.569 own abilities, guess what? They will come up 00:24:41.569 --> 00:24:45.970 over situations. They will fly over those things. 00:24:46.089 --> 00:24:49.730 They will ascend into a heavenly place where 00:24:49.730 --> 00:24:51.829 they see themselves at the right hand of the 00:24:51.829 --> 00:24:56.180 Father with Christ Jesus. And they will experience 00:24:56.180 --> 00:24:59.839 some things others will not. But it's those who 00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:05.700 trust. It's not all. It's those who trust. Find. 00:25:06.599 --> 00:25:10.900 They will go up. They will ascend. They will 00:25:10.900 --> 00:25:14.380 also run and not grow weary. Everybody say run. 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:19.200 Run and not grow weary. The grow weary here means 00:25:19.200 --> 00:25:24.130 labored or toil. It means effort, work. They 00:25:24.130 --> 00:25:28.029 quickly run the race of life that is set before 00:25:28.029 --> 00:25:31.549 them without giving up, without getting weighed 00:25:31.549 --> 00:25:36.190 down. They quickly move through it at God's pace, 00:25:36.269 --> 00:25:44.349 God's work, and filled with God's presence. It's 00:25:44.349 --> 00:25:48.190 God's pace, it's God's work, and it's God's presence. 00:25:48.329 --> 00:25:53.430 So the pressure is off. The pressure is off. 00:25:55.809 --> 00:25:59.769 But you got to trust him. A lot of times we want 00:25:59.769 --> 00:26:02.410 to run our own race. I want to take down what 00:26:02.410 --> 00:26:05.029 I, you know, I want to go. I want to do. I got 00:26:05.029 --> 00:26:07.490 all these good plans, God. They're good things. 00:26:08.410 --> 00:26:10.690 They're in line with your word. They're all these 00:26:10.690 --> 00:26:13.009 things, but you see no demonstration. You see 00:26:13.009 --> 00:26:15.349 no power in it. You know what? It's because you're 00:26:15.349 --> 00:26:17.970 doing something and asking God to fill you. When 00:26:17.970 --> 00:26:21.710 Jesus said, it's not my words I'm saying. It's 00:26:21.710 --> 00:26:24.490 not my works. It's God's works flowing in and 00:26:24.490 --> 00:26:26.849 through me. And then we expect that we can live 00:26:26.849 --> 00:26:32.589 life differently from him. We want these things 00:26:32.589 --> 00:26:36.569 to happen, but we don't want to trust in him. 00:26:37.480 --> 00:26:40.319 We want to trust in ourselves and have him bless 00:26:40.319 --> 00:26:45.299 what we want to do. Talked about your will. It's 00:26:45.299 --> 00:26:47.599 like, you know, maybe you will to do something. 00:26:47.619 --> 00:26:49.599 You will to bring it back. Have you ever just 00:26:49.599 --> 00:26:52.039 stopped and taken a moment and said, God, what 00:26:52.039 --> 00:26:55.359 do you have me to do? What do you want me to 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.460 do today? What do you want me to say? Stop and 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:00.900 take recollection. Acknowledge. Turn to him. 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:04.839 Lean to him in all things. Because guess what? 00:27:04.880 --> 00:27:08.849 He's there. to empower you in all things, to 00:27:08.849 --> 00:27:11.470 strengthen you in all things. He'll let you do 00:27:11.470 --> 00:27:15.569 it on your own. If you really want to, you can 00:27:15.569 --> 00:27:20.549 do it on your own. Have fun with that. But the 00:27:20.549 --> 00:27:23.250 Christian life is meant to be lived through the 00:27:23.250 --> 00:27:26.369 power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit in 00:27:26.369 --> 00:27:30.369 the life of the believer. Not on our own ability, 00:27:30.549 --> 00:27:32.210 our own power, our own thoughts, our own, you 00:27:32.210 --> 00:27:38.470 know. They will walk and not faint. This word 00:27:38.470 --> 00:27:41.869 walk is to move continually, to be conversant. 00:27:41.890 --> 00:27:44.329 It means have knowledge and experience and be 00:27:44.329 --> 00:27:50.289 at ease. They are constant people. When you trust 00:27:50.289 --> 00:27:54.109 in God, you are consistent in your walk with 00:27:54.109 --> 00:27:58.190 him because you walk with God in peace, in the 00:27:58.190 --> 00:28:01.029 knowledge of who he is. You've seen it. You know 00:28:01.029 --> 00:28:05.250 it. You walk in it. things become easier to you. 00:28:06.910 --> 00:28:10.609 They don't take from you, exhaust your energy, 00:28:10.750 --> 00:28:17.210 because you're not using your own. You walk in 00:28:17.210 --> 00:28:21.670 His, amen? And some people take this the wrong 00:28:21.670 --> 00:28:24.150 way, and they're just like, well, the Christian 00:28:24.150 --> 00:28:26.650 life, what you're saying and what you're teaching 00:28:26.650 --> 00:28:30.490 is just, you know, puppy dogs and fairy tales. 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:34.240 That life is just supposed to be rainbows and 00:28:34.240 --> 00:28:39.779 butterflies. No, that's never the picture in 00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:41.799 Scripture, and that's not what we're talking 00:28:41.799 --> 00:28:46.559 about. Circumstances, listen, circumstances are 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:50.799 certain. We live in a fallen world, and we're 00:28:50.799 --> 00:28:53.660 going to experience some fallen things. You know, 00:28:53.680 --> 00:28:57.789 like... Your actions have consequences. All those 00:28:57.789 --> 00:29:00.049 things happen. Sometimes it's just the fallen 00:29:00.049 --> 00:29:03.049 nature of the world and sin in our world, right? 00:29:03.450 --> 00:29:06.789 But listen, circumstances are certain, but your 00:29:06.789 --> 00:29:11.970 struggle in them is optional for those who are 00:29:11.970 --> 00:29:16.049 in Christ Jesus. He didn't say that you wouldn't 00:29:16.049 --> 00:29:18.930 face the storm. He actually corrected the disciples. 00:29:19.170 --> 00:29:26.609 He was asleep. They were afraid. He was asleep. 00:29:26.930 --> 00:29:32.130 He was at peace. He could care less because he 00:29:32.130 --> 00:29:37.349 knew something that they had not known or they 00:29:37.349 --> 00:29:41.430 had not listened to. He was drawing from a source. 00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:48.009 They were drawing from a source. They were drawing 00:29:48.009 --> 00:29:52.990 from the natural. What they see, what they saw. 00:29:53.769 --> 00:29:56.710 What they felt, the boat was rocking, the waves, 00:29:57.009 --> 00:30:00.089 the waters hitting their face, they were seeing 00:30:00.089 --> 00:30:05.089 something. God's seeing something. He says, I'm 00:30:05.089 --> 00:30:10.390 here on a mission. My God will protect me. I 00:30:10.390 --> 00:30:16.210 have a future. I have a hope. He has great plans 00:30:16.210 --> 00:30:18.690 for me. My Father has great plans for me on this 00:30:18.690 --> 00:30:21.190 earth. This little storm is not going to take 00:30:21.190 --> 00:30:25.390 me out today. Do you think he was confident in 00:30:25.390 --> 00:30:27.730 that? He's like, I came here to do something. 00:30:28.950 --> 00:30:33.509 To set man free, right? To set us free. He's 00:30:33.509 --> 00:30:35.109 like, I have a mission and I have a purpose. 00:30:35.150 --> 00:30:39.190 And guess what? He is in you. And you have that 00:30:39.190 --> 00:30:44.450 same mission and purpose. To say what he says, 00:30:44.509 --> 00:30:48.809 to do what he does in the earth. Come on. He 00:30:48.809 --> 00:30:51.730 wants you to walk with him and be connected to 00:30:51.730 --> 00:30:55.190 him. So that no matter what happens, as the world 00:30:55.190 --> 00:30:57.829 spins and the day spins and everybody thinks, 00:30:57.910 --> 00:31:01.130 oh, it's great and then it's terrible and these 00:31:01.130 --> 00:31:03.630 are the last days and no, it's going to be a 00:31:03.630 --> 00:31:06.950 while and churches, you know, whatever, and there's 00:31:06.950 --> 00:31:10.309 all these trials, troubles, tribulations, God 00:31:10.309 --> 00:31:15.230 says, don't worry about it. If you're worried 00:31:15.230 --> 00:31:20.680 about it, you're drawing from it. What you set 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:23.440 your eyes on, what you set your mind on, fills 00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:32.420 your body and impacts your spirit. The strength 00:31:32.420 --> 00:31:35.720 that is available to us in Christ is all -encompassing. 00:31:35.720 --> 00:31:41.079 It's, listen, write this down if you can. The 00:31:41.079 --> 00:31:45.259 spiritual things impact the physical and the 00:31:45.259 --> 00:31:50.269 mental things. Spiritual things are more real 00:31:50.269 --> 00:31:55.809 than the natural things of this world. Spiritual 00:31:55.809 --> 00:32:00.490 things must dawn in our hearts, must be revealed 00:32:00.490 --> 00:32:03.309 to us. Spiritual things happen and then transform 00:32:03.309 --> 00:32:11.730 the physical and the mental. God is what? A spirit. 00:32:13.250 --> 00:32:17.509 Those who worship him, what? Worship him when 00:32:17.509 --> 00:32:19.490 Jesus was talking to the woman at the well. He 00:32:19.490 --> 00:32:22.190 says, those who worship me, worship in spirit 00:32:22.190 --> 00:32:30.289 and in truth. Spirit and in truth. Spirit and 00:32:30.289 --> 00:32:35.250 in truth. We receive these things, the strength, 00:32:35.349 --> 00:32:38.390 the mind of Christ, the will of God. We receive 00:32:38.390 --> 00:32:41.569 these things where? Do we receive them in our 00:32:41.569 --> 00:32:46.819 minds first? No. If I receive it in my mind first, 00:32:47.019 --> 00:32:49.660 first it's just analytical, it's just information, 00:32:49.740 --> 00:32:52.440 there's no transformation. If I receive it in 00:32:52.440 --> 00:32:55.099 my body first, guess what? You know, it might 00:32:55.099 --> 00:32:57.519 bring some kind of temporary thing, but there's 00:32:57.519 --> 00:33:01.359 no transformation in my life. If I receive it 00:33:01.359 --> 00:33:04.259 in my spirit first, the things of God, the strength 00:33:04.259 --> 00:33:08.339 of God, the mind of God, if I see it, if it dawns 00:33:08.339 --> 00:33:12.279 in me first, guess what? Then, because he communicates 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:15.589 us through the spirit, He wants to live by the 00:33:15.589 --> 00:33:19.470 Spirit. So when I'm connected to the Spirit, 00:33:19.569 --> 00:33:22.529 when I trust in Him, I'm listening for Him, guess 00:33:22.529 --> 00:33:25.630 what? Then I get a hold of something from Him, 00:33:25.730 --> 00:33:30.869 His Word. In order to really hear the Word of 00:33:30.869 --> 00:33:34.690 God, you have to hear it in the Spirit. Now this 00:33:34.690 --> 00:33:36.930 is really hard for the analytical mind. You want 00:33:36.930 --> 00:33:38.769 to think, well, I've got to just read, and then 00:33:38.769 --> 00:33:46.740 I can just come to it. Uh -uh. Uh -uh. You want 00:33:46.740 --> 00:33:49.599 to just read, I want to figure out who God is 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:52.380 and how he works, and then I want to write out 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:55.200 my formula, and I'm going to do everything, and 00:33:55.200 --> 00:33:57.500 then I'm going to receive the right answer, and 00:33:57.500 --> 00:34:00.740 I'm going to receive everything. No. That's not 00:34:00.740 --> 00:34:03.700 how God works. He communicates to you. He is 00:34:03.700 --> 00:34:06.400 a spirit. He communicates to your spirit. Once 00:34:06.400 --> 00:34:09.039 it dawns on you, once you know it, you can trust 00:34:09.039 --> 00:34:12.000 it, and then you can walk in it. Then you can 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:16.800 have it. Then you can experience it. The physical 00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:20.860 things, the mental things, the emotional things, 00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:25.260 the strength of God is all -encompassing for 00:34:25.260 --> 00:34:28.980 those who trust. Amen? The things of God first 00:34:28.980 --> 00:34:31.519 appear in our spirits, and then they're displayed 00:34:31.519 --> 00:34:34.980 in our souls and in our body. That's the witness 00:34:34.980 --> 00:34:38.360 to the world. It's the witness to the world. 00:34:38.860 --> 00:34:41.780 The righteousness of God is a spiritual thing 00:34:41.780 --> 00:34:44.440 that takes place within the spirit of the man, 00:34:44.679 --> 00:34:47.800 right? And then it shows up in our minds. It 00:34:47.800 --> 00:34:50.099 shows up in our emotions. It shows up in my physical 00:34:50.099 --> 00:34:54.900 body. And all the things the spirit has are not 00:34:54.900 --> 00:34:57.139 just for the area in which you're trusting him. 00:34:57.300 --> 00:35:00.599 They're not just for that one area. It's for 00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:03.880 every area, for your whole existence of who you 00:35:03.880 --> 00:35:07.389 are. Spirit, soul, and body. The righteousness 00:35:07.389 --> 00:35:10.570 of God is for your whole body, even though you're 00:35:10.570 --> 00:35:15.510 only taking hold of it in your spirit. There's 00:35:15.510 --> 00:35:17.409 things that God wants to do. There's a strength. 00:35:17.429 --> 00:35:19.929 You can say, well, I can have strength for this 00:35:19.929 --> 00:35:23.449 one area, but then you might be weak in another 00:35:23.449 --> 00:35:29.940 area, right? But His strength. is all -encompassing. 00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:32.519 It's for everything. Because within every believer 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:36.539 is a divine strength we can operate in if we 00:35:36.539 --> 00:35:40.480 partake of it through faith. We all have access, 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:43.980 but not many of us partake it. Not many of us 00:35:43.980 --> 00:35:47.039 take hold of it through faith. Amen? So the plan 00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:50.179 of God for your life, listen, the plan of God 00:35:50.179 --> 00:35:52.980 for your life is filled with the provision of 00:35:52.980 --> 00:35:57.880 God. So when you step outside of His plan, and 00:35:57.880 --> 00:36:01.300 then ask for his provision? He said, no, my provision 00:36:01.300 --> 00:36:04.920 was already in my plan that I had you on, but 00:36:04.920 --> 00:36:10.380 you walked out from it under it. Because what 00:36:10.380 --> 00:36:13.840 God calls you to, he never expects you to accomplish, 00:36:13.980 --> 00:36:20.500 you to supply. Maybe God's called you to do some 00:36:20.500 --> 00:36:22.119 things in the past, and it's time for you to 00:36:22.119 --> 00:36:25.510 say yes to them. Because you looked at your earthly 00:36:25.510 --> 00:36:27.690 supply and your earthly ability and your earthly, 00:36:27.809 --> 00:36:30.210 you know, your finances, your health, your what, 00:36:30.250 --> 00:36:32.889 you know. No, we need to stop everything and 00:36:32.889 --> 00:36:36.090 say, quickly say yes to God. And in that yes 00:36:36.090 --> 00:36:39.670 will be his provision. In that yes lies his supply. 00:36:43.110 --> 00:36:48.130 But if we're focused on what is ours, what we 00:36:48.130 --> 00:36:51.090 can do will never fulfill what he's called us 00:36:51.090 --> 00:36:54.940 to. Because everything that he calls you to, 00:36:55.079 --> 00:37:00.139 he expects to fully supply. So what does God's 00:37:00.139 --> 00:37:02.239 strength flowing through the believer look like? 00:37:04.159 --> 00:37:08.119 God's strength is hope. Everybody say hope. Strength 00:37:08.119 --> 00:37:12.179 of God is hope. 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 00:37:12.179 --> 00:37:16.659 14 says this. Do not grieve like people who what? 00:37:16.760 --> 00:37:21.679 Have no hope. Do not grieve like people who have 00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:29.000 no hope. Why? For we believe something. We believe 00:37:29.000 --> 00:37:33.579 something, right? That those who died in Christ 00:37:33.579 --> 00:37:36.619 will be raised with Christ one day and we'll 00:37:36.619 --> 00:37:42.460 meet them again in glory. That's our hope. That's 00:37:42.460 --> 00:37:45.860 the word. That's what we confidently know, trust, 00:37:46.059 --> 00:37:52.150 expect, and understand and believe. We do not 00:37:52.150 --> 00:37:54.030 grieve like the people who have no hope, for 00:37:54.030 --> 00:37:57.570 we believe. And that's a strength of the Lord. 00:37:57.969 --> 00:38:02.849 So in the face of terrible loss, we're not saying 00:38:02.849 --> 00:38:07.309 that the loss is any less soft, we should downplay 00:38:07.309 --> 00:38:09.230 it, anything like that. God never says that. 00:38:09.349 --> 00:38:12.170 He's saying in the face of terrible loss, in 00:38:12.170 --> 00:38:16.090 the circumstance, what? In Christ, we have strength 00:38:16.090 --> 00:38:20.869 to do something that the world does not. We have 00:38:20.869 --> 00:38:23.670 something on the inside of us, not just the hope 00:38:23.670 --> 00:38:27.389 so hope that we operate in all the time. If it's 00:38:27.389 --> 00:38:28.710 going to rain, if it's going to, you know, I 00:38:28.710 --> 00:38:31.170 hope it doesn't rain. I hope it does. You know, 00:38:31.170 --> 00:38:34.769 we have our hope and then God imparts his hope. 00:38:35.329 --> 00:38:37.190 Those are two different things. It's not like 00:38:37.190 --> 00:38:40.210 the world gives something others do not have. 00:38:40.909 --> 00:38:44.449 So when we see them, we don't justify our experience 00:38:44.449 --> 00:38:46.909 and how we're supposed to act based on the way 00:38:46.909 --> 00:38:50.210 others experience life and how they act. Why? 00:38:50.329 --> 00:38:53.369 Because we know something. We're confident in 00:38:53.369 --> 00:38:56.050 it. We hope and we expect something to happen. 00:38:58.610 --> 00:39:00.670 God's strength is peace. Everybody say peace. 00:39:01.710 --> 00:39:04.570 You can say it louder. Say peace. God's strength 00:39:04.570 --> 00:39:08.269 is peace. Amen. God's strength is peace. John 00:39:08.269 --> 00:39:11.530 14, 27, we share these verses, like talk about 00:39:11.530 --> 00:39:13.090 them a lot, but I want to just put them on the 00:39:13.090 --> 00:39:17.590 screen. I want us to read them. Jesus said, peace 00:39:17.590 --> 00:39:21.469 I leave with you. My peace, everybody say my 00:39:21.469 --> 00:39:27.269 peace. God's peace I give to you. Not as the 00:39:27.269 --> 00:39:31.809 world gives do I give to you. Let not, everybody 00:39:31.809 --> 00:39:35.469 say let not. That means you cannot be in peace 00:39:35.469 --> 00:39:39.559 if you let it. He's not forcing his peace on 00:39:39.559 --> 00:39:42.420 you as a Christian. You have a choice to walk 00:39:42.420 --> 00:39:45.380 in it or not. He doesn't say, oh, you're a Christian, 00:39:45.440 --> 00:39:48.920 so now you just have magical peace. And it just 00:39:48.920 --> 00:39:52.900 happens. No. He says, my peace I give to you, 00:39:52.940 --> 00:39:55.219 not as the world gives do I give to you. Let 00:39:55.219 --> 00:39:58.599 not your heart be troubled, neither let it be 00:39:58.599 --> 00:40:03.159 afraid. This word troubled means to things that 00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:07.869 are separate. They are kept separate. Neither 00:40:07.869 --> 00:40:09.829 let them be afraid. It's talking specifically 00:40:09.829 --> 00:40:13.269 about fear. And how do we experience the peace 00:40:13.269 --> 00:40:18.730 of God? Well, let's read. Don't worry about anything. 00:40:22.710 --> 00:40:26.329 Sometimes the word of God is so simple, we miss 00:40:26.329 --> 00:40:32.829 it. Sometimes it's so simple, we don't like it. 00:40:34.320 --> 00:40:38.739 Because we want something spectacular. I want 00:40:38.739 --> 00:40:43.340 to push these spiritual buttons. I want to pray 00:40:43.340 --> 00:40:46.059 five times a day, and I want my life to be a 00:40:46.059 --> 00:40:49.320 certain way, look a certain thing, and then I 00:40:49.320 --> 00:40:51.880 want to receive the peace of God because I prayed, 00:40:51.940 --> 00:40:55.500 I did my devotions, I read my Bible. You know, 00:40:55.519 --> 00:40:58.139 I did all these things, and so God, give me peace. 00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:03.719 But how ignorant, church, are we going to live 00:41:03.719 --> 00:41:11.699 when God says, I have given you something. I've 00:41:11.699 --> 00:41:16.119 given you the peace. Not like the world has because, 00:41:16.219 --> 00:41:18.719 listen, there's a counterfeit for every spiritual 00:41:18.719 --> 00:41:24.429 thing. All the fruits of the Spirit are divine 00:41:24.429 --> 00:41:27.369 forces for the believer to walk in, but inside 00:41:27.369 --> 00:41:30.690 you, you have natural forces that you try to 00:41:30.690 --> 00:41:35.570 walk in to accomplish spiritual things. And a 00:41:35.570 --> 00:41:38.650 part of discernment for the believer is to recognize 00:41:38.650 --> 00:41:41.090 the difference between the peace of the world 00:41:41.090 --> 00:41:45.699 and the peace that God gives. Because if you're 00:41:45.699 --> 00:41:48.219 trying to manufacture the world's peace and then 00:41:48.219 --> 00:41:50.840 you're calling it God's peace, you are basically 00:41:50.840 --> 00:41:56.420 doing what the devil does. Leading people astray, 00:41:56.619 --> 00:42:03.599 acting like it's okay. But it's time to grow 00:42:03.599 --> 00:42:08.579 up. It's time to take hold and partake of the 00:42:08.579 --> 00:42:10.300 peace of God. Maybe you say, well, I don't have 00:42:10.300 --> 00:42:16.260 it. Is God holding out on you? He's already given 00:42:16.260 --> 00:42:19.920 it to you. But maybe you've tried to get it in 00:42:19.920 --> 00:42:23.599 your flesh, your body, in your soul. You're trying 00:42:23.599 --> 00:42:28.940 to find it in the world. But those things only 00:42:28.940 --> 00:42:33.820 happen in the Spirit. Because you have to spiritually 00:42:33.820 --> 00:42:38.139 see that God is your peace. You have to spiritually 00:42:38.139 --> 00:42:42.260 see you having it before it takes place in your 00:42:42.260 --> 00:42:47.269 body. For you experience it as your hope. For 00:42:47.269 --> 00:42:49.570 you to experience it in your mind, in your will, 00:42:49.710 --> 00:42:52.750 in your emotions, you have to first experience 00:42:52.750 --> 00:42:56.989 it in your spirit. Turning to him, trusting him, 00:42:57.090 --> 00:43:00.730 and it's that simple. Don't worry about anything. 00:43:00.889 --> 00:43:05.030 He says, instead, pray about everything. Tell 00:43:05.030 --> 00:43:08.130 God what you need and thank him for all he's 00:43:08.130 --> 00:43:11.250 done. If you don't have peace today, these are 00:43:11.250 --> 00:43:14.150 the three things you need to go home and do and 00:43:14.150 --> 00:43:18.789 do and do. You need to pray about it. Not mindless, 00:43:18.829 --> 00:43:22.110 meaningless repetition, but really pray about 00:43:22.110 --> 00:43:24.409 it. Get into the presence of God and expect real 00:43:24.409 --> 00:43:28.989 transaction to take place. You tell God what 00:43:28.989 --> 00:43:32.289 you need, even though he knows everything that 00:43:32.289 --> 00:43:37.559 you need, before you even ask it. I'm seeking 00:43:37.559 --> 00:43:41.900 you as peace. I hunger and thirst for your peace 00:43:41.900 --> 00:43:45.900 that you give me. I knock on the door of your 00:43:45.900 --> 00:43:53.500 peace. And I expect to find. I expect to find. 00:43:56.639 --> 00:43:59.000 Tell God what you need and then you thank him 00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:02.059 for all he has done. This takes place in your 00:44:02.059 --> 00:44:04.960 spirit before your... Body receives the peace. 00:44:05.039 --> 00:44:07.619 Before your mind receives the peace, you need 00:44:07.619 --> 00:44:10.059 to go ahead and get happy about it. Those in 00:44:10.059 --> 00:44:15.619 faith have celebration before the thing actually 00:44:15.619 --> 00:44:19.219 takes place. Before the finale takes place, they 00:44:19.219 --> 00:44:22.760 celebrate in the moment. Because they've laid 00:44:22.760 --> 00:44:27.480 a hold of something in the spirit. They've got 00:44:27.480 --> 00:44:29.659 a hold of it. It can't be taken away from them. 00:44:30.039 --> 00:44:33.510 It's dawned on their spirit. They got it. And 00:44:33.510 --> 00:44:35.170 they understand. So they say, thank you, God, 00:44:35.190 --> 00:44:39.190 for your peace. Thank you, God, that it exceeds 00:44:39.190 --> 00:44:41.750 the world's peace. It's not like the world. Thank 00:44:41.750 --> 00:44:45.530 you, God, is so much better. Your presence is 00:44:45.530 --> 00:44:47.849 so much better because he didn't just tell you 00:44:47.849 --> 00:44:51.250 to walk in something. He gave you himself and 00:44:51.250 --> 00:44:54.969 he is the peace. He is the author and the finisher. 00:44:54.989 --> 00:44:59.329 Amen. What he authors in you, it's his ability 00:44:59.329 --> 00:45:03.170 to finish it. Stop trying to finish something 00:45:03.170 --> 00:45:06.809 that he's authored. Take hold of it. Say, it's 00:45:06.809 --> 00:45:09.610 finished in me. It was finished on the cross, 00:45:09.710 --> 00:45:14.389 so therefore it's finished today in me. He said 00:45:14.389 --> 00:45:16.530 it is finished because all those things are done 00:45:16.530 --> 00:45:21.809 and available to us in Christ Jesus. But we have 00:45:21.809 --> 00:45:24.110 to take hold of them. We have to reach out. We 00:45:24.110 --> 00:45:27.750 have to trust. Amen. Because when we do these 00:45:27.750 --> 00:45:31.460 things, what does verse 7 say? Then... you will 00:45:31.460 --> 00:45:34.320 experience God's peace. Don't just take my word 00:45:34.320 --> 00:45:37.239 for it. Read the scripture. Then you will experience 00:45:37.239 --> 00:45:41.320 God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand 00:45:41.320 --> 00:45:45.119 because it's not dependent on what you understand. 00:45:46.579 --> 00:45:49.219 You can know something in the spirit that your 00:45:49.219 --> 00:45:53.000 mind can't understand. Your mind can't fully 00:45:53.000 --> 00:45:55.920 wrap your head around. What the righteousness 00:45:55.920 --> 00:45:58.480 of God means, what salvation means in the full 00:45:58.480 --> 00:46:01.059 scope of that. You don't know that, but your 00:46:01.059 --> 00:46:04.360 spirit was made alive by it. Your experience 00:46:04.360 --> 00:46:10.539 is that. Sometimes it takes our souls and our 00:46:10.539 --> 00:46:14.480 bodies to catch up with what the spirit has to 00:46:14.480 --> 00:46:17.820 say. But in Christ, everybody say in Christ, 00:46:18.119 --> 00:46:20.860 we have a divine peace that is different from 00:46:20.860 --> 00:46:25.670 the world's. Peace, then. as the world calls 00:46:25.670 --> 00:46:33.070 it, is not enough. The world's ideas, what people 00:46:33.070 --> 00:46:40.710 say, peace is not enough. Only God's peace. Only 00:46:40.710 --> 00:46:46.369 God's peace is enough. Only God's peace is enough 00:46:46.369 --> 00:46:50.210 for you. Peace alone is not enough because it's 00:46:50.210 --> 00:46:52.809 dependent on your circumstance. But we're called 00:46:52.809 --> 00:46:57.849 to have peace in the circumstance. So you can't 00:46:57.849 --> 00:47:00.110 have peace in yourself. You know, try to get 00:47:00.110 --> 00:47:02.630 a hold of that and find that in yourself. You're 00:47:02.630 --> 00:47:05.710 just going to be chasing around in circles, spinning 00:47:05.710 --> 00:47:08.909 your wheels. You have to lay hold of the peace 00:47:08.909 --> 00:47:11.730 of God. And then that peace strengthens you in 00:47:11.730 --> 00:47:17.369 time of anxiety, trouble, chaos, or fear. Don't 00:47:17.369 --> 00:47:20.190 worry. This word worry is the direct word for 00:47:20.190 --> 00:47:25.110 anxiety. People don't like to talk about it, 00:47:25.210 --> 00:47:26.909 but it's there. Go look at the word. This word 00:47:26.909 --> 00:47:30.829 worry is about anxiety. And he's saying the cure 00:47:30.829 --> 00:47:39.230 for anxiety. Don't take hold of some truths and 00:47:39.230 --> 00:47:41.829 not take hold of all of them. Because only the 00:47:41.829 --> 00:47:44.929 truth that you are filled with, that you allow 00:47:44.929 --> 00:47:47.349 to sink into your soul, will impact your life. 00:47:49.309 --> 00:47:51.710 It has the power to change your body and your 00:47:51.710 --> 00:47:55.949 mind. your will, your emotions. You can experience 00:47:55.949 --> 00:48:00.230 if you don't worry. And if you pray, tell God, 00:48:00.349 --> 00:48:03.909 thank him. If you do that, the next time you 00:48:03.909 --> 00:48:07.769 experience anxiety, guess what? You can draw 00:48:07.769 --> 00:48:10.570 from a source that's greater than your own. You 00:48:10.570 --> 00:48:12.849 might say, well, Jeffrey, I can't do it. I'm 00:48:12.849 --> 00:48:17.730 unable to do it. That's the point. It's for you 00:48:17.730 --> 00:48:20.110 to realize that it's not I who live, it's Christ 00:48:20.110 --> 00:48:23.980 in me. Who does His work through me. And so I'm 00:48:23.980 --> 00:48:25.559 going to stand here and I'm going to confess 00:48:25.559 --> 00:48:29.579 like Paul that I have strength to walk in the 00:48:29.579 --> 00:48:32.099 peace of God because He's given it to me. And 00:48:32.099 --> 00:48:33.980 I'm going to take hold of it. And I'm going to 00:48:33.980 --> 00:48:37.320 have it. Because it's there. It's available. 00:48:38.039 --> 00:48:41.480 And I'm going to see it. Because all those who 00:48:41.480 --> 00:48:45.719 hunger and thirst, taste and see. All those who 00:48:45.719 --> 00:48:50.090 seek, find. And those who knock, doors are open 00:48:50.090 --> 00:48:57.510 wide. In Christ, we have a divine peace that 00:48:57.510 --> 00:48:59.949 is different from the world's, because peace 00:48:59.949 --> 00:49:03.989 is not enough. God's strength, listen, God's 00:49:03.989 --> 00:49:06.769 strength also displays itself in our life as 00:49:06.769 --> 00:49:10.630 joy. After Jesus teaches that those who abide 00:49:10.630 --> 00:49:13.800 in him will produce much fruit, If you abide 00:49:13.800 --> 00:49:17.179 in him, he says this, I have told you these things 00:49:17.179 --> 00:49:21.260 so that you will be filled. Everybody say filled 00:49:21.260 --> 00:49:26.559 with my joy. Filled with my joy. That word my 00:49:26.559 --> 00:49:29.820 is there when you look at it. Filled with my 00:49:29.820 --> 00:49:32.480 joy. And then he turns around and says this, 00:49:32.559 --> 00:49:41.579 your joy will overflow. How about that? Our joy 00:49:41.579 --> 00:49:45.559 is an emotion we occasionally experience, right? 00:49:46.980 --> 00:49:50.599 But God's joy is a constant to his character 00:49:50.599 --> 00:49:53.320 and his being of who he is. And it's available 00:49:53.320 --> 00:49:57.420 for us to abide in, but typically we only visit. 00:50:00.480 --> 00:50:03.360 How do you know the difference between hearing, 00:50:03.480 --> 00:50:07.489 you know... Celine Dion singing in Vegas and 00:50:07.489 --> 00:50:10.769 getting goose bumps and being like, whoa, are 00:50:10.769 --> 00:50:13.329 your favorite football team all of a sudden scoring 00:50:13.329 --> 00:50:17.829 and winning, whatever. And that's joy, right? 00:50:18.349 --> 00:50:22.690 And then the joy of God. They're two different 00:50:22.690 --> 00:50:27.469 joys. They're not the same thing. They will display 00:50:27.469 --> 00:50:31.070 in the same ways, but they're not the same thing. 00:50:31.130 --> 00:50:36.440 They come from a different source. God's joy 00:50:36.440 --> 00:50:41.980 is a constant. In Christ, then, we have access 00:50:41.980 --> 00:50:45.059 to divine joy. It's a force or a flow because 00:50:45.059 --> 00:50:49.199 God's joy is continually overflowing well that 00:50:49.199 --> 00:50:52.699 we can draw from that strengthens not just our 00:50:52.699 --> 00:50:55.460 inner man, but it strengthens everything. Every 00:50:55.460 --> 00:50:58.539 area of living and moving in existence should 00:50:58.539 --> 00:51:05.219 be impacted by the joy of the Lord. It doesn't 00:51:05.219 --> 00:51:10.480 mean that we get happy about the trouble, but 00:51:10.480 --> 00:51:13.679 it means that we can experience his joy in it. 00:51:14.579 --> 00:51:19.719 If we turn to him in it, in those times, if we 00:51:19.719 --> 00:51:25.960 trust him, that joy can well up, not from our 00:51:25.960 --> 00:51:27.860 minds, not from just what we're thinking about, 00:51:27.940 --> 00:51:31.559 not from just what we've, you know, I get my 00:51:31.559 --> 00:51:34.059 world and everything in line. No, no, no. That 00:51:34.059 --> 00:51:39.119 joy, if we just take the time to stop and turn 00:51:39.119 --> 00:51:43.139 and acknowledge Him, we'll experience the joy 00:51:43.139 --> 00:51:48.519 of the Lord. You will find it in your life. You 00:51:48.519 --> 00:51:53.639 can have it. God's strength is ours, but we must 00:51:53.639 --> 00:51:57.500 turn to Him as our source. We must stop chasing 00:51:57.500 --> 00:52:01.320 after the peace of the world that is only found 00:52:01.320 --> 00:52:06.349 in circumstances. are searching for joy in things, 00:52:06.369 --> 00:52:11.750 in others, or our experiences. If the only time 00:52:11.750 --> 00:52:16.010 you have joy is when you're experiencing, you 00:52:16.010 --> 00:52:18.909 know, something great, a celebration, if the 00:52:18.909 --> 00:52:20.909 only time you have joy, you're not walking in 00:52:20.909 --> 00:52:25.269 the joy of the Lord. If that's the only thing 00:52:25.269 --> 00:52:30.750 that brings you joy in life, sorry, but you're 00:52:30.750 --> 00:52:33.199 walking in a counterfeit of... what God really 00:52:33.199 --> 00:52:39.079 wants and what really has for you. We shouldn't 00:52:39.079 --> 00:52:42.480 get joy from those things. That shouldn't be 00:52:42.480 --> 00:52:45.320 our source of joy. We should recognize that all 00:52:45.320 --> 00:52:48.019 good things and all things are from Him. And 00:52:48.019 --> 00:52:49.780 that's the way we experience it. Because guess 00:52:49.780 --> 00:52:55.460 what? His joy, listen, His joy flows through 00:52:55.460 --> 00:52:58.099 us and is displayed in our joy. What did the 00:52:58.099 --> 00:53:01.389 verse say? Let's go back. So that you will be, 00:53:01.429 --> 00:53:03.949 I've told you these things to abide in me so 00:53:03.949 --> 00:53:07.230 that you will be filled with my joy. And then 00:53:07.230 --> 00:53:13.030 it impacts our joy. Our joy will overflow. Our 00:53:13.030 --> 00:53:21.110 joy, our cup, our joy will overflow. It's not 00:53:21.110 --> 00:53:24.590 by working to be the best person we can be. As 00:53:24.590 --> 00:53:26.429 dad shared last week, I thought it was like. 00:53:26.780 --> 00:53:29.199 A great point, you know, if I try to take this 00:53:29.199 --> 00:53:32.460 rock, I sand it down, I cut little edges and 00:53:32.460 --> 00:53:34.900 those kind of things, it'll never look like this 00:53:34.900 --> 00:53:40.079 diamond. It'll never be this. No matter what 00:53:40.079 --> 00:53:43.420 I do, I can work at it, I can try my best, but 00:53:43.420 --> 00:53:46.360 it's not even a comparison, it's not even a bad 00:53:46.360 --> 00:53:49.920 substitute for what God has for me. But I got 00:53:49.920 --> 00:53:54.480 to let go of this. Got to let go of this to walk 00:53:54.480 --> 00:53:59.679 in this. This has to be more precious to me. 00:54:00.380 --> 00:54:04.360 I have to honor this. I have to respect this. 00:54:04.420 --> 00:54:06.840 I have to turn to this more than turning to what 00:54:06.840 --> 00:54:10.619 I have. And trust me on this, the more you do, 00:54:10.840 --> 00:54:15.039 the more you turn, the more you let go, and the 00:54:15.039 --> 00:54:17.019 more you turn to the things of God, each time 00:54:17.019 --> 00:54:23.099 you do that, it'll be easier. That's what maturing 00:54:23.099 --> 00:54:25.480 in God and spiritual life, it's like... That 00:54:25.480 --> 00:54:30.000 first time might be really hard. It might be 00:54:30.000 --> 00:54:32.980 hard. Because you're like, I've got to let go. 00:54:33.079 --> 00:54:34.960 I've got to submit. I've got to yield. I've got 00:54:34.960 --> 00:54:37.960 to let go. And I've learned this. I've grown 00:54:37.960 --> 00:54:40.440 up my whole life like this. I understand. It 00:54:40.440 --> 00:54:42.659 makes so much more sense. It feels comfortable. 00:54:42.780 --> 00:54:45.260 Because what's comfortable is what you do most 00:54:45.260 --> 00:54:49.500 often. But this can be comfortable. This can 00:54:49.500 --> 00:54:52.940 be your every day. This is what God wants for 00:54:52.940 --> 00:54:55.750 us. And God wants for his children. This is why 00:54:55.750 --> 00:54:59.309 he died and to live anything less than this is 00:54:59.309 --> 00:55:07.769 his name in vain. Two verses and I'm done. Romans 00:55:07.769 --> 00:55:11.110 15, 13. I pray that God, the source of hope, 00:55:11.210 --> 00:55:14.320 will fill you completely with joy and... Peace. 00:55:14.380 --> 00:55:18.579 Because why? Because you trust in him. Then you 00:55:18.579 --> 00:55:21.760 will overflow with confident hope through what? 00:55:21.840 --> 00:55:26.480 The power of the Holy Spirit. The kingdom of 00:55:26.480 --> 00:55:29.340 God is about righteousness, peace, and joy in 00:55:29.340 --> 00:55:32.260 the Holy Spirit. And if God, maybe you say, well, 00:55:32.320 --> 00:55:34.780 God is my source of righteousness, but I don't 00:55:34.780 --> 00:55:37.280 yet quite experience him as my peace. God is 00:55:37.280 --> 00:55:39.380 my source of salvation, but I don't experience 00:55:39.380 --> 00:55:42.659 him as my joy. God wants to, guess what? All 00:55:42.659 --> 00:55:45.360 those things are tied together in the same point, 00:55:45.460 --> 00:55:48.659 in the same message, that in Christ lives the 00:55:48.659 --> 00:55:51.760 fullness of God in a human body. And now Christ 00:55:51.760 --> 00:55:54.519 has been, Colossians says, now Christ is on the 00:55:54.519 --> 00:55:59.800 inside. of the believer the fullness of God is 00:55:59.800 --> 00:56:02.400 now on the inside of the believer so if I'm living 00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:06.659 in anything less than God in the fullness of 00:56:06.659 --> 00:56:09.639 who he is it's not his fault it's because I've 00:56:09.639 --> 00:56:12.739 learned to rely on this and I should have taken 00:56:12.739 --> 00:56:22.139 hold of this not mine but God's Only when your 00:56:22.139 --> 00:56:25.019 trust shifts away from yourself to the source 00:56:25.019 --> 00:56:28.260 of hope will you be completely filled and display 00:56:28.260 --> 00:56:31.940 the strength, the joy and peace and power of 00:56:31.940 --> 00:56:35.340 the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 6, 19, and I'm done. 00:56:35.460 --> 00:56:39.559 This hope, which what he was talking about in 00:56:39.559 --> 00:56:45.639 context was Christ's promise and his oath. He 00:56:45.639 --> 00:56:48.480 gives his promise. He fulfills his word. He carries 00:56:48.480 --> 00:56:50.880 out his word in the earth, right? So he gives 00:56:50.880 --> 00:56:53.699 us promises, and he's faithful to complete them. 00:56:53.980 --> 00:56:57.119 And this hope that we have in his word and in 00:56:57.119 --> 00:57:00.320 his promise, listen, it is a strong and trustworthy 00:57:00.320 --> 00:57:05.500 anchor. It's an anchor. We talked about last 00:57:05.500 --> 00:57:09.599 week hope tying us off to something, a source, 00:57:09.739 --> 00:57:16.920 a foundation. Hope is that anchor. If you don't 00:57:16.920 --> 00:57:20.039 trust, you don't experience. If you don't seek, 00:57:20.159 --> 00:57:22.699 you don't find. If you don't hunger and thirst, 00:57:23.039 --> 00:57:26.320 you don't taste and see. If you don't knock, 00:57:26.639 --> 00:57:31.239 it will not be opened. It leads us through the 00:57:31.239 --> 00:57:35.119 curtain. Listen, hope is a trustworthy anchor 00:57:35.119 --> 00:57:42.619 for our souls. Get a hold of that. And it leads 00:57:42.619 --> 00:57:45.400 us through the curtain. That means there was 00:57:45.400 --> 00:57:50.719 a curtain there at one point. But the hope, listen, 00:57:50.900 --> 00:57:56.199 the hope removes it, pulls it back, allows us 00:57:56.199 --> 00:58:01.820 to see, trust, hope, waiting, expecting, believing, 00:58:02.019 --> 00:58:07.699 right? It pulls it back to a reality of the presence 00:58:07.699 --> 00:58:16.579 of God. God's inner sanctuary. And we have access. 00:58:17.139 --> 00:58:23.980 How? By the Spirit. Amen? So let's turn our focus 00:58:23.980 --> 00:58:29.039 away from what is ours, but God's. And the next 00:58:29.039 --> 00:58:33.280 time you come up short, next time you're like, 00:58:33.380 --> 00:58:35.969 I'm trying to, you know. I know that there's 00:58:35.969 --> 00:58:38.510 a promise in Scripture, and I'm not walking in 00:58:38.510 --> 00:58:40.929 it, I'm not experiencing it. Next time that happens, 00:58:41.090 --> 00:58:43.610 don't say that the Word's not right. Don't say, 00:58:43.670 --> 00:58:46.110 no, you need to start confessing who you are 00:58:46.110 --> 00:58:48.469 and what you have in Christ. You need to start 00:58:48.469 --> 00:58:50.929 trusting it, and then you need to listen for 00:58:50.929 --> 00:58:53.949 the Spirit to show you what that means and how 00:58:53.949 --> 00:58:57.610 you're supposed to walk in it. And when you do 00:58:57.610 --> 00:59:01.150 that, you'll experience the peace. You'll experience 00:59:01.150 --> 00:59:04.500 the joy. When you realize that righteousness, 00:59:04.739 --> 00:59:08.179 is it packed in with joy and peace? You can walk 00:59:08.179 --> 00:59:11.420 in it. If you received righteousness, church, 00:59:11.519 --> 00:59:16.980 receive peace. Receive joy to experience the 00:59:16.980 --> 00:59:19.980 kingdom. Because it's only then we're going to 00:59:19.980 --> 00:59:23.960 see change in the world. It's in us. It's through 00:59:23.960 --> 00:59:27.960 us. This online worship experience was brought 00:59:27.960 --> 00:59:30.460 to you by the friends and partners of Eulation 00:59:30.460 --> 00:59:30.900 Church.