WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:04.219 Sharing good news of great joy to all people. 00:00:04.639 --> 00:00:09.919 Elation Church. This is week number four and 00:00:09.919 --> 00:00:13.939 the final week in our series that we've entitled 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:19.199 The Door. Everybody say The Door. Now, anyone 00:00:19.199 --> 00:00:21.379 here, who's here today and you haven't been here 00:00:21.379 --> 00:00:24.280 the first, the previous three weeks? Raise your 00:00:24.280 --> 00:00:27.920 hand if you haven't been here. So, okay. You 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:32.409 haven't. I don't know. Anyway. The good thing 00:00:32.409 --> 00:00:37.390 about our series is we give you enough information 00:00:37.390 --> 00:00:39.829 so you're not just lost in the dark, all right? 00:00:40.490 --> 00:00:42.429 So we're going to catch you up, but you're going 00:00:42.429 --> 00:00:45.869 to have to listen fast. Look to the person beside 00:00:45.869 --> 00:00:48.149 you and say, listen fast, because the preacher's 00:00:48.149 --> 00:00:49.969 got a lot to say today, so you better listen 00:00:49.969 --> 00:00:54.030 fast. And let your face tell me that you're listening 00:00:54.030 --> 00:00:57.149 fast, because if your face looks real confused 00:00:57.149 --> 00:01:00.289 and real puzzled, I'll keep saying the same thing 00:01:00.289 --> 00:01:02.789 in different ways until the majority of you get 00:01:02.789 --> 00:01:06.810 it. So that just goes to show you that if the 00:01:06.810 --> 00:01:09.510 service goes long, it's your fault, not mine. 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:14.230 I want you to get it. Because we're not here 00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:18.349 just doing time, are we? I mean, we set aside 00:01:18.349 --> 00:01:20.629 this time to listen to God, to hear from God, 00:01:20.790 --> 00:01:25.049 amen? And God wants you to get it. And I want 00:01:25.049 --> 00:01:30.640 you to get it. So, week number four in our series 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:34.140 entitled The Door. Each week we've started out 00:01:34.140 --> 00:01:36.819 by looking at one verse in the Ephesians 1 prayer 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:40.859 where Paul is praying for the believers in Ephesus. 00:01:41.840 --> 00:01:45.579 And he's praying something. I'm adding a few 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:50.079 more verses in this week to add context. I'm 00:01:50.079 --> 00:01:53.239 going to read, what, five verses instead of just 00:01:53.239 --> 00:01:57.900 one. Ephesians 1, starting with verse 16. Paul 00:01:57.900 --> 00:02:01.420 is saying, I pray for you consistently. How many 00:02:01.420 --> 00:02:03.640 of you know if Paul is praying something for 00:02:03.640 --> 00:02:06.700 the Ephesians, that he's also praying for everybody 00:02:06.700 --> 00:02:11.500 else too? It's not just for them. If it was just 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:16.620 for them, we wouldn't have it. Okay? So God has 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:19.699 preserved His Word that this is for us too. It's 00:02:19.699 --> 00:02:23.050 not just for them. And he's saying, I pray for 00:02:23.050 --> 00:02:27.009 you constantly. Asking God, the glorious Father 00:02:27.009 --> 00:02:30.909 of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you something. 00:02:31.849 --> 00:02:38.550 To give you spiritual wisdom and insight. We 00:02:38.550 --> 00:02:44.770 all need it. We all need it. To give you spiritual 00:02:44.770 --> 00:02:50.159 wisdom and insight so that you might grow. In 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:54.639 your knowledge of God. See, we've got to have 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:57.080 spiritual wisdom and insight before we can grow 00:02:57.080 --> 00:03:00.000 in our knowledge of God. It's not just hearing 00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:06.319 it. It's getting it. Not just hearing it. It's 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:09.599 getting it. I pray that your hearts will be flooded 00:03:09.599 --> 00:03:16.400 with light. So that you can understand the confident 00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:22.840 hope. The covenant hope He has given to those 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:29.039 He called. His holy people. Who are His rich 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:33.860 and glorious inheritance. That's who you are. 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:40.340 If you're in Christ, this is who you are. Holy. 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:48.270 Set apart for God. Right? And He wants you. To 00:03:48.270 --> 00:03:52.229 understand the confident hope. He wants you to 00:03:52.229 --> 00:03:55.169 have a confident expectation. Every time that 00:03:55.169 --> 00:03:58.169 word hope shows up in the New Testament, it's 00:03:58.169 --> 00:04:01.229 the Greek word elpo, and it's translated a confident 00:04:01.229 --> 00:04:04.270 expectation that you can go ahead and get happy 00:04:04.270 --> 00:04:08.050 about even before you experience it. That's what 00:04:08.050 --> 00:04:11.349 that word means. So he wants you to understand 00:04:11.349 --> 00:04:15.469 that. The confident hope he has given to those 00:04:15.469 --> 00:04:19.269 he called his holy people. who are His rich and 00:04:19.269 --> 00:04:23.230 glorious inheritance. And then this is a verse 00:04:23.230 --> 00:04:25.790 we've been focusing in on. I also pray that you 00:04:25.790 --> 00:04:30.389 will understand something. That you will understand 00:04:30.389 --> 00:04:36.870 the incredible greatness of God's power for us. 00:04:39.029 --> 00:04:43.689 We're not just understanding this incredible 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:47.189 greatness of God's power. We're also realizing 00:04:47.189 --> 00:04:54.610 that it's for us. For us who believe Him. And 00:04:54.610 --> 00:04:58.370 what's that power like? How powerful is that 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:04.449 power? Hey, it's the same mighty power that raised 00:05:04.449 --> 00:05:08.310 Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place 00:05:08.310 --> 00:05:11.470 of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly 00:05:11.470 --> 00:05:20.399 realms. That's powerful. Because in that is where 00:05:20.399 --> 00:05:28.600 Jesus accomplished everything for us. In his 00:05:28.600 --> 00:05:30.959 resurrection. That's where it was all accomplished. 00:05:34.740 --> 00:05:37.399 Hello? Some of you are looking puzzled. I might 00:05:37.399 --> 00:05:40.540 have to say it more. Looking a little puzzled. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:45.240 Jesus purchased it on the cross, but if He wouldn't 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:47.240 have raised from the dead, it wouldn't be available 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.660 for us. But now that He's raised from the dead, 00:05:50.980 --> 00:06:01.279 it's mine. It's mine. Whoo! All right. So we've 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:03.420 been focusing in for this series on Ephesians 00:06:03.420 --> 00:06:07.220 119. I pray, I also pray that you will understand 00:06:07.220 --> 00:06:10.339 the incredible greatness of God's power for us. 00:06:10.829 --> 00:06:15.829 Who believe in Him. This power, God's power is 00:06:15.829 --> 00:06:22.250 for you. Everybody say it's for me. God's power 00:06:22.250 --> 00:06:28.310 is for me. Is it just solely for your personal 00:06:28.310 --> 00:06:33.350 enjoyment? Well, I want to tell you something. 00:06:33.470 --> 00:06:36.129 It should impact your life before it impacts 00:06:36.129 --> 00:06:42.240 anybody else's life. It's not going to flow through 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:47.060 you without impacting you. A pipe cannot allow 00:06:47.060 --> 00:06:49.480 water to flow through it without getting wet. 00:06:52.420 --> 00:06:56.560 God's power is for you. It flows through you 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:01.920 to accomplish God's will in the earth. Remember, 00:07:01.980 --> 00:07:06.079 Jesus taught us to pray. God, I want your will 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:14.129 to be done on earth. As it is in heaven. Because 00:07:14.129 --> 00:07:16.649 there's so many things going on in this earth. 00:07:19.629 --> 00:07:24.149 It's not God's will. It's the product of fallen, 00:07:24.350 --> 00:07:29.810 brokenness, sin. See, those things aren't going 00:07:29.810 --> 00:07:33.769 to be in heaven. No brokenness is going to be 00:07:33.769 --> 00:07:38.410 in heaven, right? So that tells us that brokenness 00:07:38.410 --> 00:07:42.730 is not God's will. Are you with me? Some of you 00:07:42.730 --> 00:07:48.189 are thinking way too hard. Then we started talking 00:07:48.189 --> 00:07:50.149 about the door, because there's a door. Everybody 00:07:50.149 --> 00:07:54.709 say, there's a door. Genesis 28, 11 through 13, 00:07:54.790 --> 00:07:56.850 Jacob found a stone to rest his head against 00:07:56.850 --> 00:08:00.769 and to lay down to sleep. And as he slept, he 00:08:00.769 --> 00:08:03.569 had a dream. It was a spiritual dream. It was 00:08:03.569 --> 00:08:07.250 a God dream. It wasn't just he had some pizza 00:08:07.250 --> 00:08:10.100 right before he went to bed. And had some weird 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:15.100 dreams. This is a God dream. As he slept, he 00:08:15.100 --> 00:08:19.199 dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:24.500 up to heaven. You might know it, or have heard 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:28.800 it before, as a ladder. Everybody say, Jacob's 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:34.299 ladder. That's where we get that from. From this 00:08:34.299 --> 00:08:36.659 text. He slept and he dreamed of a stairway, 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:39.720 a ladder that reads from earth up to heaven. 00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:46.019 And he saw something. Angels of God going up 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:49.200 and down the stairway, up and down the ladder. 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:58.220 So we see that something is happening. There's 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:04.169 a door in heaven and then there's... There's 00:09:04.169 --> 00:09:08.090 activity happening from heaven to the earth and 00:09:08.090 --> 00:09:13.830 from the earth back to heaven. These are his 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:18.090 messengers. These are his workers. Angels of 00:09:18.090 --> 00:09:20.370 God going up and down the stairway. At the top 00:09:20.370 --> 00:09:24.090 of the stairway stood the Lord. Then Jacob woke 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:29.129 up. He woke up from his sleep and he said, Surely 00:09:29.129 --> 00:09:35.580 the Lord is in this place. Surely the Lord is 00:09:35.580 --> 00:09:41.100 in this place. What an awesome place. Anywhere 00:09:41.100 --> 00:09:45.200 the Lord is is an awesome place. What an awesome 00:09:45.200 --> 00:09:49.740 place this is. It is none other than the house 00:09:49.740 --> 00:09:56.379 of God, the very gateway to heaven. House of 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:59.299 God. Everybody say house of God. Everybody say 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:03.799 gateway to heaven. Now, house of God, here's 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:06.820 the Hebrew word. It can be translated and has 00:10:06.820 --> 00:10:10.220 been translated house, household, temple, or 00:10:10.220 --> 00:10:16.899 dwelling. House of God. Temple of God. Dwelling 00:10:16.899 --> 00:10:22.399 of God. And the gate, the gateway, here's the 00:10:22.399 --> 00:10:27.340 Hebrew word for that. And it's translated as, 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:32.950 in English, an opening, a gate. Or a door. Everybody 00:10:32.950 --> 00:10:36.649 say a door. A door between heaven and earth. 00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:40.370 Between spiritual realms and natural realms. 00:10:40.490 --> 00:10:45.809 There is a door. There's a door. Here's some 00:10:45.809 --> 00:10:49.590 more verses to help you out. Then as I looked, 00:10:49.690 --> 00:10:52.970 I saw a door. Everybody say a door. Standing 00:10:52.970 --> 00:10:59.909 open in heaven. And instantly I was in the spirit. 00:11:00.960 --> 00:11:04.019 And saw the throne in heaven and someone, God, 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:11.860 sitting on it. So there was a door. When God 00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:14.600 said to John, come up here, I want to show you 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:16.840 something. He showed him a door. And inside that 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:22.039 door was the temple. It was the throne room of 00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:26.580 eternity he was looking into. The house of God. 00:11:27.700 --> 00:11:32.860 Heaven. The throne room. Everybody say door. 00:11:33.679 --> 00:11:36.740 Everybody say heaven. Everybody say spiritual 00:11:36.740 --> 00:11:40.059 realm. See what he saw. He moved from natural 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:49.259 to seeing spiritual. His eyes were open. Here's 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:55.360 another one. Jesus talking to a church. He says, 00:11:55.379 --> 00:12:02.580 look, I stand at the door and knock. Everybody 00:12:02.580 --> 00:12:07.480 say a door. So Jesus is saying, look, there's 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:14.320 a door, and it's between me and you, and I'm 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:17.679 knocking, and I want you to open up that door 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.919 and let me come in, and I will come in. If you 00:12:20.919 --> 00:12:24.840 will open up the door, I will come in. We will 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:31.000 share a meal together as friends. Everybody say 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:36.070 a door. So where is God? Look at the person beside 00:12:36.070 --> 00:12:42.289 you and say, where is God? 1 Corinthians 3 .16 00:12:42.289 --> 00:12:48.230 Do you not know that you are the temple of God? 00:12:49.870 --> 00:12:57.990 And that the Spirit of God dwells in you? God 00:12:57.990 --> 00:13:00.009 is in heaven. He's still in the throne room of 00:13:00.009 --> 00:13:06.539 eternity. But He's also In you. If you're in 00:13:06.539 --> 00:13:10.340 Christ, he's in you. We're in him, he's in us. 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:19.799 Right? So wherever the spirit and the spirit 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:25.559 realm is, there is a door of opportunity for 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:38.740 us. There's a door. Of opportunity. Have you 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:41.220 ever gone through a phase where, you know, you 00:13:41.220 --> 00:13:43.080 know the Holy Spirit's in you, but you didn't 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:45.080 recognize Him. You didn't honor Him. You didn't 00:13:45.080 --> 00:13:51.220 communicate with Him. Right? He's there. He doesn't 00:13:51.220 --> 00:13:53.200 leave and come back and leave and come back. 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:59.820 He's there. But you only have fellowship with 00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:04.240 Him and encounter. the spiritual realm when you 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:09.559 acknowledge Him. That's when you're going to 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:13.480 experience it. So God is in heaven. We've looked 00:14:13.480 --> 00:14:18.600 at those verses. God is in us. And I want to 00:14:18.600 --> 00:14:20.740 tell you something today. God is eagerly waiting 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:25.220 on you to open your door to Him so His power 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:30.700 can flow through you. I think that's worth saying 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:33.259 again. Even though you can read it. I'm going 00:14:33.259 --> 00:14:37.600 to say it again. God is in heaven and God is 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:42.919 in you and God is eagerly waiting on you. You've 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:45.240 got to open the door. He's waiting on you to 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:49.940 open the door to Him so His power can flow through 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:53.440 you. And when His power flows through you, it's 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:56.179 flowing for you and it's flowing to accomplish 00:14:56.179 --> 00:15:00.000 His will in the earth. But you have to open the 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:08.240 door. Here's some illustration of what we're 00:15:08.240 --> 00:15:11.299 talking about. Matthew 16, verses 13 through 00:15:11.299 --> 00:15:14.399 19. When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.600 Philippi, He asked His disciples something. He 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.600 asked them, He said, Who do men say that I, the 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:24.740 Son of Man, am? What's the word on the street? 00:15:26.279 --> 00:15:30.960 What are people saying about me? How are they 00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:36.139 identifying me? So the disciples began to say 00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:38.519 what they had heard, right? Some say John the 00:15:38.519 --> 00:15:46.120 Baptist. Some say Elijah. Others, Jeremiah. Or 00:15:46.120 --> 00:15:50.480 one of the other prophets. And then Jesus looked 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:54.399 at them and said, but who do you say that I am? 00:15:56.360 --> 00:16:00.799 Who do you say that I am? I mean, I've been spending 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:03.610 time with you. You should know me better than 00:16:03.610 --> 00:16:08.570 everybody else. We've been spending a lot of 00:16:08.570 --> 00:16:13.990 time together. Who do you say that I am? Simon 00:16:13.990 --> 00:16:17.090 Peter answered and said, boy, he was known for 00:16:17.090 --> 00:16:20.429 sticking his foot in his mouth, but he did good 00:16:20.429 --> 00:16:25.370 on this one. Simon Peter answered and said, you 00:16:25.370 --> 00:16:29.649 are the Christ, the anointed one, the empowered 00:16:29.649 --> 00:16:33.159 one. That's what Christ means. You are the empowered 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:36.659 one, the anointed one. You are the son of the 00:16:36.659 --> 00:16:45.440 living God. You're Christ. I know that made Jesus 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:52.820 smile. He just went... In the back of his mind, 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:54.659 he's going, Peter, you said some stupid things, 00:16:54.659 --> 00:17:01.059 but... That's good right there. Jesus answered 00:17:01.059 --> 00:17:04.759 and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Bar -Jonah, 00:17:04.779 --> 00:17:06.980 for flesh and blood has not revealed this to 00:17:06.980 --> 00:17:10.500 you, but my Father who is in heaven. Everybody 00:17:10.500 --> 00:17:15.660 say revelation. This was revelation. It didn't 00:17:15.660 --> 00:17:23.619 come out of Peter's peanut brain. Here's what 00:17:23.619 --> 00:17:30.859 happened. Peter opened the door. Everybody say 00:17:30.859 --> 00:17:33.940 the door. Here's what just happened. Peter opened 00:17:33.940 --> 00:17:39.799 the door to the spirit realm and received revelation 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:45.819 from God, and then he said it. Flesh and blood 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.099 has not revealed this to you, but my Father who 00:17:48.099 --> 00:17:51.279 is in heaven. And I also say that you are Peter, 00:17:51.420 --> 00:17:53.839 and on this rock I will build my church, and 00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.819 the gates of Hades shall not prevail against 00:17:56.819 --> 00:18:02.789 it. I saw something this week that we haven't 00:18:02.789 --> 00:18:05.670 even saw before. Wait a minute. There's gates. 00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:08.750 Everybody say gates. There's doors. Everybody 00:18:08.750 --> 00:18:18.410 say doors. So there's a door to God's realm, 00:18:18.609 --> 00:18:25.769 the spirit realm, but there are also doors of 00:18:25.769 --> 00:18:32.660 hell. of demonic. There's also doors to the demonic 00:18:32.660 --> 00:18:42.839 and doors to the satanic. And Jesus said, on 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:46.539 this rock, on this revelation of who Jesus is, 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:49.400 that He is the Christ, the Son of the living 00:18:49.400 --> 00:18:52.799 God, on this revelation, the mode in which He 00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:56.119 received it, by opening His door to the spirit 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.650 realm, come on somebody, By opening His door 00:18:59.650 --> 00:19:04.430 and receiving revelation from God, the Father, 00:19:04.509 --> 00:19:07.250 the Spirit realm, into this earth and speaking 00:19:07.250 --> 00:19:12.410 it out. But there are also other people who are 00:19:12.410 --> 00:19:19.930 opening up their doors for the purpose of letting 00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:25.049 satanic power flow through. But here's the deal. 00:19:26.460 --> 00:19:33.740 That will not prevail. It's not like we're in 00:19:33.740 --> 00:19:37.039 a close fight, people. We're not in a close fight. 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:42.240 It will not prevail against revelation from God, 00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:49.880 from His power. There's no question who wins. 00:19:52.519 --> 00:19:54.539 As a matter of fact, Jesus kicked out his teeth 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:58.480 on the cross. He's just a roaring lion now. He 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:00.460 can't even bite you. All he can do is gum you 00:20:00.460 --> 00:20:14.339 a little bit. He can mess with batteries, but 00:20:14.339 --> 00:20:18.140 he can't. Jeffrey talked to me about changing 00:20:18.140 --> 00:20:20.099 the batteries. I said, I don't know. It had a 00:20:20.099 --> 00:20:27.990 full bar, so we'll just go with it. So, the gates 00:20:27.990 --> 00:20:34.250 that are open from the satanic, demonic realm 00:20:34.250 --> 00:20:38.450 for their power to flow through, it will not, 00:20:38.470 --> 00:20:43.849 cannot prevail against you when your door is 00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:50.950 open to God. Peter's door is open to God's power. 00:20:51.289 --> 00:20:54.430 He spoke divine revelation in agreement with 00:20:54.430 --> 00:20:57.329 God's will and God's plan. Because that's why 00:20:57.329 --> 00:21:02.529 Jesus came. He is the Messiah. When he's saying 00:21:02.529 --> 00:21:04.369 the word Christ, I mean, he's basically saying, 00:21:04.410 --> 00:21:06.269 I believe that you're the Messiah. You're the 00:21:06.269 --> 00:21:08.569 Christ. You're the empowered one. You're the 00:21:08.569 --> 00:21:11.250 anointing one from God. You're the Son of God. 00:21:13.670 --> 00:21:17.890 That was a powerful statement. Where the spirit 00:21:17.890 --> 00:21:22.440 realm, Paul... Peter had opened his door to the 00:21:22.440 --> 00:21:29.019 spirit realm and then that flowed through. Look 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:30.660 at the person beside you and tell them it can 00:21:30.660 --> 00:21:33.299 happen to you just like that. It can happen in 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:40.599 your life just like that. Let's keep going with 00:21:40.599 --> 00:21:43.220 the story. Jesus said, I'll give you the keys. 00:21:43.980 --> 00:21:46.299 Of the kingdom of heaven. And whatever you bind 00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:48.759 on earth will be bound in heaven. Whatever you 00:21:48.759 --> 00:21:53.339 loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. How 00:21:53.339 --> 00:21:58.980 does that happen? By the door being open. You're 00:21:58.980 --> 00:22:01.359 binding and you're loosing. God is giving us 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:05.720 the keys. That's the method, the ability, the 00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:10.680 authority to open or close the door. That's what 00:22:10.680 --> 00:22:13.950 keys do, right? And if you don't have the key, 00:22:14.009 --> 00:22:17.609 you can't open it and you can't lock it. You've 00:22:17.609 --> 00:22:20.190 got to have the key. Jesus has given the keys. 00:22:23.549 --> 00:22:27.269 He's given you the keys to the door, the authority, 00:22:27.549 --> 00:22:31.569 the ability to open or close the door of spiritual 00:22:31.569 --> 00:22:35.930 influence in the earth, and He lets you decide. 00:22:38.210 --> 00:22:44.359 He lets you decide. Keep going. This is just 00:22:44.359 --> 00:22:46.480 a few minutes later, right? Everybody just say 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.519 a few minutes. A few minutes. From that time, 00:22:50.579 --> 00:22:53.539 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:56.200 go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the 00:22:56.200 --> 00:22:59.119 elders and chief priests and scribes, and be 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:03.240 killed and be raised again on the third day. 00:23:06.480 --> 00:23:09.769 Saint Peter. Everybody say Saint Peter. St. Peter. 00:23:09.769 --> 00:23:11.589 Then Peter said, hey, Jesus, come here. I got 00:23:11.589 --> 00:23:17.029 to talk to you about something. I ain't going 00:23:17.029 --> 00:23:20.529 to let this happen. What you talking about? You're 00:23:20.529 --> 00:23:27.009 going to go to Jerusalem. Be crucified. You're 00:23:27.009 --> 00:23:33.809 going to be killed. Not on my watch, Jesus. Peter 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:38.950 took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Jesus. Hello? 00:23:40.690 --> 00:23:45.069 Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen 00:23:45.069 --> 00:23:49.289 to you. Now, wait a minute. What was the will 00:23:49.289 --> 00:23:54.309 and the plan of God? Come on, stay with me. What 00:23:54.309 --> 00:23:58.609 was the will and the plan of God? For Jesus, 00:23:58.849 --> 00:24:02.769 He came to die on the cross, right? He came to 00:24:02.769 --> 00:24:05.980 lay down His life. That's the plan and the will 00:24:05.980 --> 00:24:09.160 of God that Jesus is telling them about. And 00:24:09.160 --> 00:24:17.059 then Peter goes, Nuh -uh. You think that's good? 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:23.200 For Peter to speak against the plan and the will 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:29.559 of God? Where does that come from? What door 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:33.769 is open? Well, Jesus is going to flat out tell 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:37.809 him what door is open. Jesus turned and said 00:24:37.809 --> 00:24:41.269 to Peter, get behind me, Satan. Peter didn't 00:24:41.269 --> 00:24:44.470 turn to Satan, did he? I mean, he didn't like 00:24:44.470 --> 00:24:53.369 the Lord. No, but he opened up the door. He opened 00:24:53.369 --> 00:24:57.049 up his door. Jesus said, get behind me, Satan. 00:24:57.049 --> 00:25:00.859 You're an offense to me. That's a... That's a 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:05.319 door open to the power and authority of hell. 00:25:06.839 --> 00:25:09.259 And you've got to get behind me. You're not going 00:25:09.259 --> 00:25:14.160 to stand against the plan and the will of God. 00:25:15.920 --> 00:25:18.380 Get behind me, Satan. You're an offense to me. 00:25:20.019 --> 00:25:22.559 So now Peter's door is open to Satan's power. 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:27.700 Just a few minutes after it was open, and you 00:25:27.700 --> 00:25:30.980 know what? Same thing can happen in our lives. 00:25:35.140 --> 00:25:42.799 It's up to us. We can open the door. By the way, 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:44.940 the door is your mind. Everybody say your mind. 00:25:45.420 --> 00:25:48.740 That's what the door is. You can open the door 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:55.180 to God and the spirit realm and receive revelation 00:25:55.180 --> 00:26:00.289 from God or You can open the door to things that 00:26:00.289 --> 00:26:04.190 are against God, against His plan, against His 00:26:04.190 --> 00:26:10.750 will. That's good preaching right there. Anyway, 00:26:10.869 --> 00:26:15.329 why did this happen? Jesus even explained why 00:26:15.329 --> 00:26:19.809 it happened. He said, you know what? Here's the 00:26:19.809 --> 00:26:24.450 problem, Peter. You're not mindful of the things 00:26:24.450 --> 00:26:31.549 of God. That's the problem. That's why you just 00:26:31.549 --> 00:26:33.609 said what you said, because you're not mindful 00:26:33.609 --> 00:26:37.069 of the things of God, but the things of men. 00:26:38.690 --> 00:26:41.190 That word mindful, here's the Greek word, it 00:26:41.190 --> 00:26:43.430 means to think, it means to set your mind on, 00:26:43.509 --> 00:26:46.950 to have that kind of mindset. His mindset changed 00:26:46.950 --> 00:26:55.579 very quickly. Like Peter. What you are mindful 00:26:55.579 --> 00:27:00.599 of determines what influence the door of your 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:07.480 mind is open to. Happens the same way in us as 00:27:07.480 --> 00:27:14.359 it happens in him. What are you mindful of? Your 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:19.920 mind is a door to spiritual power. Now, we've 00:27:19.920 --> 00:27:23.569 talked about two things. We talked about our 00:27:23.569 --> 00:27:25.569 mind being the door, and then we talked about 00:27:25.569 --> 00:27:30.269 how to transform our mind or renew our mind. 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:34.809 And that happens through focus, and it happens 00:27:34.809 --> 00:27:38.490 through your imagination. The object of your 00:27:38.490 --> 00:27:42.529 focus, the object of your imagination, opens 00:27:42.529 --> 00:27:47.809 the door of your mind to one of two spiritual 00:27:47.809 --> 00:27:55.710 flows. And these are the main categories of spiritual 00:27:55.710 --> 00:28:02.029 flow. Life and blessing or death and cursing. 00:28:07.710 --> 00:28:16.769 See? Everybody look at me. If we can get a hold 00:28:16.769 --> 00:28:27.180 of this truth, It'll change our lives. See, I 00:28:27.180 --> 00:28:31.660 don't want you to just get it today. Just today 00:28:31.660 --> 00:28:35.000 and hold on to it for a few minutes. I mean, 00:28:35.019 --> 00:28:39.880 this will change your life. Your life will look 00:28:39.880 --> 00:28:42.759 different tomorrow if you can get a hold of this. 00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:45.259 It'll look different this afternoon. If you'll 00:28:45.259 --> 00:28:47.559 get a hold of this, your life will look different. 00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:56.160 I'm not talking about theory. Just something 00:28:56.160 --> 00:29:04.559 to give to increase your intellect. If you'll 00:29:04.559 --> 00:29:10.319 receive this, it'll change your life. The object 00:29:10.319 --> 00:29:13.319 of your focus and imagination, that's what opens 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:16.960 the door. That's what opens your mind, your focus 00:29:16.960 --> 00:29:20.509 and your imagination. And it's going to open 00:29:20.509 --> 00:29:24.750 it to one of two spiritual flows. I'm going to 00:29:24.750 --> 00:29:28.529 give you some verses to support what I just said. 00:29:28.730 --> 00:29:33.170 Romans 8 and 6. For to be carnally minded, fleshly 00:29:33.170 --> 00:29:37.529 minded, earthly minded. That's the Greek word, 00:29:37.710 --> 00:29:43.710 sarx. It's translated all those ways. To be a 00:29:43.710 --> 00:29:50.180 meathead. Thank you for laughing. To be carnally 00:29:50.180 --> 00:29:53.859 minded, fleshly minded, earthly minded, or merely 00:29:53.859 --> 00:29:59.900 of human origin or empowerment minded is death. 00:30:01.640 --> 00:30:08.539 But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:14.480 Everybody say focus. Everybody say imagination. 00:30:18.119 --> 00:30:21.019 Because what we focus on is going to turn into 00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:24.200 imagination. It's going to turn into a mental 00:30:24.200 --> 00:30:28.400 picture of a future probability of what we are 00:30:28.400 --> 00:30:40.859 expecting. Deuteronomy 30, 19. God tells His 00:30:40.859 --> 00:30:45.140 people, I've set before you life and death, blessing 00:30:45.140 --> 00:30:55.069 and cursing. He says, choose life. What if your 00:30:55.069 --> 00:30:57.630 teacher at school, what if they gave you a question 00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:05.410 and then they gave you the answer? You'd be, 00:31:05.630 --> 00:31:09.029 something would be wrong if you picked the wrong 00:31:09.029 --> 00:31:10.890 answer when the teacher just told you what the 00:31:10.890 --> 00:31:16.049 right answer was. Bless their little hearts. 00:31:18.730 --> 00:31:24.529 I have set before you. It's set before you. It 00:31:24.529 --> 00:31:28.910 is set before you. Life and blessing, death and 00:31:28.910 --> 00:31:34.269 cursing, it's always set before you. And God 00:31:34.269 --> 00:31:41.049 says, I want you to choose life. I want you to 00:31:41.049 --> 00:31:50.500 choose life. I've done so much for you. To make 00:31:50.500 --> 00:31:53.299 it possible for you to choose life and blessing. 00:31:53.440 --> 00:32:00.700 I've done so much. But he says, but if you want 00:32:00.700 --> 00:32:03.079 to choose death and cursing, that's up to you. 00:32:04.920 --> 00:32:09.759 I'm going to respect your decision. I sure do 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:14.720 want you to choose life and blessing. What about 00:32:14.720 --> 00:32:17.519 Jeremiah 29, 11? How many of you have memorized 00:32:17.519 --> 00:32:21.539 this verse? A time or two. For I know the plans 00:32:21.539 --> 00:32:26.480 I have for you, says the Lord. Do you know God 00:32:26.480 --> 00:32:30.619 has a plan and a will for you? I know the plans 00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:32.680 I have for you, says the Lord. They're plans 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:36.420 for good. Everybody say good. Not for disaster. 00:32:38.539 --> 00:32:43.380 To give you a future and a hope. That's God's 00:32:43.380 --> 00:32:46.500 plan for you. That's God's will for you. It's 00:32:46.500 --> 00:32:50.410 for good. Everybody say good. I don't know. It's 00:32:50.410 --> 00:32:52.049 been about a year ago, maybe a year and a half 00:32:52.049 --> 00:32:54.450 ago. I looked up that word good. That's translated 00:32:54.450 --> 00:32:57.630 good. And guess what I found? I mean, I'm ashamed 00:32:57.630 --> 00:32:59.230 to say because I've been preaching for a long 00:32:59.230 --> 00:33:01.769 time, but I never actually looked up the Hebrew 00:33:01.769 --> 00:33:04.410 word right there. But the Hebrew word there is 00:33:04.410 --> 00:33:14.009 shalom. My plan and my will for you. is wrapped 00:33:14.009 --> 00:33:17.329 up in who I am because I am Yahweh's shalom. 00:33:17.549 --> 00:33:21.369 I am the Lord your peace, and my plan for you 00:33:21.369 --> 00:33:25.329 is peace. So if you're not experiencing peace, 00:33:25.529 --> 00:33:29.430 you're not in the flow of the plan and the will 00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:32.609 of God because your door's open to somebody else. 00:33:34.170 --> 00:33:36.049 We're just going to talk when a rubber hits the 00:33:36.049 --> 00:33:40.410 road, but that's the way this works. I'm not 00:33:40.410 --> 00:33:42.390 going to namby -pamby around. I'm going to tell 00:33:42.390 --> 00:33:51.859 you. God's plan and will for you is shalom. It's 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:55.299 for your safety. It's for your well -being. It's 00:33:55.299 --> 00:33:58.019 even for your happiness. Choke on that a second. 00:33:58.599 --> 00:34:03.880 God wants you happy. I can't tell you how many 00:34:03.880 --> 00:34:05.720 preachers have said, God ain't concerned about 00:34:05.720 --> 00:34:07.319 your happiness. He's just concerned about your 00:34:07.319 --> 00:34:10.280 holiness. He's concerned about both. He wants 00:34:10.280 --> 00:34:15.380 you to be happy and holy at the same time. He 00:34:15.380 --> 00:34:17.119 don't want his children to walk around and look 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:19.239 like their mama raised them on lime juice in 00:34:19.239 --> 00:34:28.079 the bottle. That's not his plan and his will. 00:34:31.820 --> 00:34:34.360 God's plan for you is good. His will for you 00:34:34.360 --> 00:34:36.440 is good. It's for your safety. It's for your 00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:39.039 well -being. It's for your happiness. And then 00:34:39.039 --> 00:34:42.800 it even is translated friendly. It's for your 00:34:42.800 --> 00:34:45.039 welfare. It's for your health. It's for your 00:34:45.039 --> 00:34:52.320 prosperity. It's for your peace. Prosperity is 00:34:52.320 --> 00:34:56.260 bigger than stuff and money. It's so much bigger 00:34:56.260 --> 00:34:59.619 than that. Because there's a lot of people with 00:34:59.619 --> 00:35:02.159 a lot of stuff and a lot of money that they don't 00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:06.019 have peace. Commit suicide, don't have peace. 00:35:11.159 --> 00:35:14.599 God's not against you. having things either. 00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:19.019 I have to say this because I talk to different 00:35:19.019 --> 00:35:22.360 people. I mean, if David was a man after God's 00:35:22.360 --> 00:35:27.099 own heart, and he gave an offering one day for 00:35:27.099 --> 00:35:29.559 the temple, personal money, not the nation's 00:35:29.559 --> 00:35:33.920 money, his personal wealth, he gave billions 00:35:33.920 --> 00:35:40.360 in one offering. But he's a man after God's own 00:35:40.360 --> 00:35:43.489 heart. So God's not against you having some stuff, 00:35:43.570 --> 00:35:48.590 some nice stuff. But just having stuff is not 00:35:48.590 --> 00:35:52.349 prosperity. Not according to the Word of God. 00:35:52.429 --> 00:35:56.469 It's got to be with peace before it's prosperity. 00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:05.130 Abraham, Solomon, take your choice. John 10 .10. 00:36:08.590 --> 00:36:11.889 I want you to think about this. has a door being 00:36:11.889 --> 00:36:14.409 opened into your life. You allowing a door to 00:36:14.409 --> 00:36:17.269 be opened. The thief comes, if he gets through 00:36:17.269 --> 00:36:22.030 the door, he's coming to steal, to kill, and 00:36:22.030 --> 00:36:32.809 destroy. But, if our door is open to Jesus and 00:36:32.809 --> 00:36:37.789 to God and the Holy Spirit, He says, I've come 00:36:37.789 --> 00:36:39.849 that you may have life and that you may have 00:36:39.849 --> 00:36:44.769 it to the fullest, more abundantly. Everybody 00:36:44.769 --> 00:36:50.329 say, life and blessing, death and cursing. Old 00:36:50.329 --> 00:36:55.090 Testament, New Testament. I mean, it flows straight 00:36:55.090 --> 00:36:59.889 through. Listen, God's will and God's plan is 00:36:59.889 --> 00:37:05.219 discovered in His words. And His Word establishes 00:37:05.219 --> 00:37:07.400 something. I hope I proved it to you. There are 00:37:07.400 --> 00:37:09.719 so many more verses that I can give you if you 00:37:09.719 --> 00:37:12.599 don't believe what I just told you. But His Word 00:37:12.599 --> 00:37:16.059 establishes that His will for you is life and 00:37:16.059 --> 00:37:26.320 blessing. Life and blessing. God wants life and 00:37:26.320 --> 00:37:30.000 blessing for you. But like I said, He will respect 00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:35.960 your choices. Romans 12, 2 tells us this, and 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:38.659 do not be conformed to this world. Don't let 00:37:38.659 --> 00:37:44.360 this world smash you into a mold. Do not be conformed 00:37:44.360 --> 00:37:49.360 to this world, but be transformed. How are we 00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:54.719 transformed? By the renewing of our mind. That 00:37:54.719 --> 00:38:02.130 word transform, transform, change form. I want 00:38:02.130 --> 00:38:07.429 you to see it as this. God's power flowing in 00:38:07.429 --> 00:38:11.570 you and through you to change temporal things. 00:38:18.610 --> 00:38:22.750 Because everything natural is temporal. Everything 00:38:22.750 --> 00:38:28.610 spiritual is eternal. So how do we renew our 00:38:28.610 --> 00:38:32.519 minds? Colossians 3, 1 and 2. If then you were 00:38:32.519 --> 00:38:34.820 raised with Christ, who's been raised with Christ? 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:37.900 If you've been raised with Christ, then you need 00:38:37.900 --> 00:38:42.000 to focus. You need to seek things which are above 00:38:42.000 --> 00:38:45.360 where Christ is. Seated at the right hand of 00:38:45.360 --> 00:38:48.699 God. We're supposed to live our lives from being 00:38:48.699 --> 00:38:51.980 seated with Christ in heavenly places instead 00:38:51.980 --> 00:38:54.900 of thinking, well, one day I might get there. 00:38:57.869 --> 00:39:00.010 In Ephesians, it says, we are seated with Christ. 00:39:00.150 --> 00:39:02.469 Now, we're seated with Christ in heavenly places. 00:39:02.670 --> 00:39:04.889 And it's like, no, I'm not. I'm standing here 00:39:04.889 --> 00:39:10.949 in the gymnasium in Davenport. But positionally, 00:39:10.989 --> 00:39:13.750 spiritually, I'm seated with Christ. And we're 00:39:13.750 --> 00:39:17.809 supposed to live our lives from the flow of heaven. 00:39:22.090 --> 00:39:24.449 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those 00:39:24.449 --> 00:39:26.960 things which are above where Christ is. Sitting 00:39:26.960 --> 00:39:29.820 at the right hand of God. What are we supposed 00:39:29.820 --> 00:39:33.599 to do? Set our mind. You're in charge of what 00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:37.340 your mind is set on. And in this series, we've 00:39:37.340 --> 00:39:41.699 talked about something. Thought birds are always 00:39:41.699 --> 00:39:48.900 flying. Everybody say, thoughts, birds. Just 00:39:48.900 --> 00:39:52.260 picture thoughts as birds. How many of you, all 00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:53.579 of a sudden you think something, and you're like, 00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:59.730 where did that come from? Where did that thought 00:39:59.730 --> 00:40:05.010 come from? All of a sudden, just thought flies 00:40:05.010 --> 00:40:15.289 by. Listen, we can't control what birds, what 00:40:15.289 --> 00:40:19.489 type of birds fly around our head. But we can 00:40:19.489 --> 00:40:22.969 control which one builds a nest in our hair. 00:40:31.050 --> 00:40:32.789 So we've talked about it in this series. You 00:40:32.789 --> 00:40:34.929 take each thought captive to the obedience of 00:40:34.929 --> 00:40:40.730 Christ. That's what the Bible says. If that thought, 00:40:40.989 --> 00:40:44.610 picture it as a bird, if that thought wants to 00:40:44.610 --> 00:40:49.170 land in your mind, to build a nest in your hair, 00:40:49.409 --> 00:40:59.190 to establish... This is what you need to be established 00:40:59.190 --> 00:41:01.010 in, basically, if it's building a nest in your 00:41:01.010 --> 00:41:05.110 hair. And it's not from God. It doesn't line 00:41:05.110 --> 00:41:07.409 up with the plan and the will of God. This thought 00:41:07.409 --> 00:41:08.889 that's all of a sudden wanting to build a... 00:41:08.889 --> 00:41:11.170 This bird that wants to build a nest in your 00:41:11.170 --> 00:41:16.690 head, you're supposed to smack it down. Not today. 00:41:19.530 --> 00:41:22.389 Because you can't control the thoughts, but you 00:41:22.389 --> 00:41:26.039 can control what you focus on. You can't control 00:41:26.039 --> 00:41:28.940 what you meditate on. And if you let it build 00:41:28.940 --> 00:41:30.599 a nest in your hair, that's what you're going 00:41:30.599 --> 00:41:32.300 to be focusing on, what you're going to be meditating 00:41:32.300 --> 00:41:41.039 on. And I'm speaking from experience. Because 00:41:41.039 --> 00:41:45.579 I'm no different than you are. A preacher isn't 00:41:45.579 --> 00:41:51.440 different than you. I have thoughts. I have thoughts 00:41:51.440 --> 00:41:54.820 flying around my head too. I've got to choose 00:41:54.820 --> 00:41:59.119 which one builds a nest in my hair. You do too. 00:42:01.800 --> 00:42:06.539 I haven't perfected this. I'm just on the same 00:42:06.539 --> 00:42:08.960 journey that you're on. But I'm standing here 00:42:08.960 --> 00:42:11.619 on the authority of God's Word and telling you 00:42:11.619 --> 00:42:16.199 that if you want the flow of God in your life, 00:42:16.239 --> 00:42:18.760 the power of God in your life to transform your 00:42:18.760 --> 00:42:21.940 temporary circumstances, you've got to open the 00:42:21.940 --> 00:42:26.460 door to Him. And close the door that wants to 00:42:26.460 --> 00:42:29.340 bring death and cursing and destruction to your 00:42:29.340 --> 00:42:32.139 life. You've got to close it. I can't close it 00:42:32.139 --> 00:42:36.079 for you. I can only close it for me. I can't 00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:40.400 even close it for my wife. She can't close it 00:42:40.400 --> 00:42:50.210 for me. It's up to you. Focus is a key contributor 00:42:50.210 --> 00:42:54.030 to renewing your mind. Imagination is also. I 00:42:54.030 --> 00:42:56.090 thought that was the next slide, so I said it 00:42:56.090 --> 00:42:58.869 and then the next slide came up. So focus is 00:42:58.869 --> 00:43:01.610 a key contributor to renewing your mind. And 00:43:01.610 --> 00:43:03.150 here's what you've got to do. You've got to refuse 00:43:03.150 --> 00:43:07.650 to focus on any thought or any temporal condition 00:43:07.650 --> 00:43:13.849 that does not agree with who God is or your position 00:43:13.849 --> 00:43:18.369 in Christ. Or what has been provided for you 00:43:18.369 --> 00:43:23.889 in Christ. You've got to refuse any focus that's 00:43:23.889 --> 00:43:29.449 against those things. That's how you walk by 00:43:29.449 --> 00:43:31.590 faith and not by sight. I mean, we sing it in 00:43:31.590 --> 00:43:36.289 the song. But you're in charge of your focus. 00:43:37.969 --> 00:43:41.800 Are you going to focus on what you see? The temporary 00:43:41.800 --> 00:43:44.219 condition that you might be going through, is 00:43:44.219 --> 00:43:47.659 that what you're going to focus on? Are you going 00:43:47.659 --> 00:43:51.880 to focus on the promise of God and who God is 00:43:51.880 --> 00:43:56.960 and what He has made available to you and who 00:43:56.960 --> 00:43:59.960 you are in Him? That's what you've got to focus 00:43:59.960 --> 00:44:04.940 on. Imagination is a key contributor. You have 00:44:04.940 --> 00:44:10.050 to direct your imagination. To see future probabilities 00:44:10.050 --> 00:44:15.329 in agreement with who God is. Your position in 00:44:15.329 --> 00:44:18.250 Christ. What you have in Christ. You've got to 00:44:18.250 --> 00:44:22.429 see it. You've got to see it in your imagination 00:44:22.429 --> 00:44:30.670 before you're going to see it in your life. I 00:44:30.670 --> 00:44:32.090 need to say that again because y 'all are looking 00:44:32.090 --> 00:44:33.889 at me like, what in the world did he just say? 00:44:35.309 --> 00:44:45.730 You've got to see it. before you see it. The 00:44:45.730 --> 00:44:57.690 door has to be open to imagining the future probabilities 00:44:57.690 --> 00:45:04.070 in your life that are now aligned, not like the 00:45:04.070 --> 00:45:05.690 way you see them right now with your natural 00:45:05.690 --> 00:45:08.530 eyes, but you've got to see them. aligned to 00:45:08.530 --> 00:45:13.550 who God is, what God has promised, who you are 00:45:13.550 --> 00:45:16.530 in Christ, what He has made available to you 00:45:16.530 --> 00:45:18.769 in Christ, that's what you've got to see in your 00:45:18.769 --> 00:45:23.110 mind's eye. Because as long as you keep seeing 00:45:23.110 --> 00:45:29.469 and imagining death, cursing, destruction, as 00:45:29.469 --> 00:45:32.789 long as you keep imagining that, that's going 00:45:32.789 --> 00:45:35.469 to continue to be the focus and that's going 00:45:35.469 --> 00:45:40.630 to open the door. for that reality, the power 00:45:40.630 --> 00:45:44.630 of that reality to come into your life. And you 00:45:44.630 --> 00:45:46.650 might say, I don't want this much responsibility. 00:45:48.289 --> 00:45:52.429 I just want God to zap it. Just zap me and change 00:45:52.429 --> 00:45:55.090 my focus and change my imagination. No, He gives 00:45:55.090 --> 00:46:04.210 us His Word. Hallelujah. Whatever you're seeing 00:46:04.210 --> 00:46:09.110 today, Whatever you're feeling today is subject 00:46:09.110 --> 00:46:15.610 to change because it's temporal. And we want, 00:46:15.630 --> 00:46:22.449 I hope you want, the power of God to flow through, 00:46:22.650 --> 00:46:25.670 the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, 00:46:25.829 --> 00:46:34.340 flow through to change this temporal. By the 00:46:34.340 --> 00:46:39.239 power of His eternal. Oh God, help us get it. 00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:47.340 And all that was just like... Now we're going 00:46:47.340 --> 00:46:49.519 to talk about new stuff. I mean, some of this 00:46:49.519 --> 00:46:54.099 has been new, right? But here's the other contributors. 00:46:54.219 --> 00:46:55.880 There's one more contributor. Everybody say one 00:46:55.880 --> 00:46:59.639 more. One more contributor. Beyond focus, beyond 00:46:59.639 --> 00:47:05.179 imagination. And you might not see words as being 00:47:05.179 --> 00:47:10.079 a part of a renewed mind, of renewing your mind, 00:47:10.219 --> 00:47:14.579 but I want you to see it differently today. Because 00:47:14.579 --> 00:47:16.579 your words, the words out of your mouth, are 00:47:16.579 --> 00:47:23.539 key contributors to renewing your mind. Proverbs 00:47:23.539 --> 00:47:34.110 18, 21. Everybody say, death and cursing. Death 00:47:34.110 --> 00:47:41.869 and cursing, life and blessing. Oh, look, here's 00:47:41.869 --> 00:47:49.670 another verse. The tongue can bring death or 00:47:49.670 --> 00:47:59.010 life. Those who love to talk will reap the consequences. 00:48:05.159 --> 00:48:10.480 I think I need to read it again. The tongue can 00:48:10.480 --> 00:48:13.159 bring. We can look at it this way according to 00:48:13.159 --> 00:48:18.599 the series. The tongue can open the door. The 00:48:18.599 --> 00:48:22.260 tongue can open the door of your mind to bring 00:48:22.260 --> 00:48:29.860 death or life. And those who love to talk will 00:48:29.860 --> 00:48:35.460 reap. You don't say might reap. It says we'll 00:48:35.460 --> 00:48:43.880 reap the consequences. Boy, y 'all got quiet. 00:48:43.980 --> 00:48:49.539 You must not love to talk at the moment. This 00:48:49.539 --> 00:48:53.840 works both ways, you know. If you love to talk 00:48:53.840 --> 00:48:57.239 about life and blessing and the promises of God, 00:48:57.460 --> 00:49:01.900 guess what you're going to reap? Everybody say 00:49:01.900 --> 00:49:04.329 life and blessing. If that's what you love to 00:49:04.329 --> 00:49:07.449 talk about, the faithfulness of God, the goodness 00:49:07.449 --> 00:49:11.230 of God, the promises of God, the provisions of 00:49:11.230 --> 00:49:13.630 God, that's what we need to be talking about. 00:49:13.710 --> 00:49:16.809 Because if we talk about that, we're going to 00:49:16.809 --> 00:49:21.789 see life and blessing. But so many times we want 00:49:21.789 --> 00:49:25.110 to talk about what we feel. We want to talk about 00:49:25.110 --> 00:49:34.079 what we see. Hello? I'm just like you. But I 00:49:34.079 --> 00:49:40.420 want to grow. Does anybody want to grow? I want 00:49:40.420 --> 00:49:45.480 to grow. I don't want to be talking about death 00:49:45.480 --> 00:49:51.579 and cursing and loss and lack. I won't be talking 00:49:51.579 --> 00:49:53.300 about that all the time. Even if I see it, I 00:49:53.300 --> 00:49:56.699 don't want to talk about it. I want to talk about 00:49:56.699 --> 00:50:03.119 life and blessing. Because whatever we talk about, 00:50:04.820 --> 00:50:07.579 Is the Bible true or is the Bible true? Whatever 00:50:07.579 --> 00:50:09.300 we talk about the most is what we're going to 00:50:09.300 --> 00:50:14.860 reap. And we can sit back and we can blame situations, 00:50:14.900 --> 00:50:19.280 we can blame people for what we're experiencing. 00:50:21.139 --> 00:50:23.880 But if you want to know what's responsible for 00:50:23.880 --> 00:50:27.460 what you're experiencing, go in your bathroom 00:50:27.460 --> 00:50:30.840 when you get home, look at yourself in the mirror, 00:50:30.880 --> 00:50:48.860 and go. Say, God, why does it seem like I'm experiencing 00:50:48.860 --> 00:50:50.860 death and cursing instead of life and blessing? 00:50:50.940 --> 00:50:58.039 And then go. And that's your answer. That's what 00:50:58.039 --> 00:51:03.380 the Bible says. Your tongue is like a bit in 00:51:03.380 --> 00:51:05.440 a horse's mouth. It's like a rudder on a ship. 00:51:07.400 --> 00:51:12.860 And it is steering your life towards what you're 00:51:12.860 --> 00:51:21.070 talking about. I love you. That's why I'm preaching 00:51:21.070 --> 00:51:25.289 hard. Because I don't want anything except for 00:51:25.289 --> 00:51:27.289 you to experience in the life and the blessing 00:51:27.289 --> 00:51:38.369 of God. It's available. I mean, let's go back 00:51:38.369 --> 00:51:40.489 to our story. What's the final step in Peter 00:51:40.489 --> 00:51:43.630 releasing this spiritual power through the open 00:51:43.630 --> 00:51:46.179 door of his mind? What was the last step in both 00:51:46.179 --> 00:51:52.000 instances? Words. You're the Christ, the Son 00:51:52.000 --> 00:51:55.719 of the living God. There's the flow. Far be it 00:51:55.719 --> 00:51:57.480 from you, Lord. This shall not happen to you. 00:51:57.539 --> 00:52:08.019 There's the flow. Hello? And then in week number 00:52:08.019 --> 00:52:11.659 two, I focus on this story. But what example 00:52:11.659 --> 00:52:16.119 did Jesus give to describe Wrong focus and imagination. 00:52:18.880 --> 00:52:22.780 Everybody say, birds and flowers. Birds and flowers. 00:52:24.360 --> 00:52:30.280 But pay close attention. Jesus says, don't worry 00:52:30.280 --> 00:52:34.360 about these things, and it's not just a head 00:52:34.360 --> 00:52:37.699 situation, is it? I don't know, you've probably 00:52:37.699 --> 00:52:41.380 read this a thousand times like I have, but all 00:52:41.380 --> 00:52:42.599 of a sudden I was reading it, and I was like, 00:52:42.679 --> 00:52:46.360 wait a minute. Don't worry about these things 00:52:46.360 --> 00:52:55.519 saying. Everybody say words. Don't worry about 00:52:55.519 --> 00:52:57.460 these things saying. What will we eat? What will 00:52:57.460 --> 00:53:02.619 we drink? What will we wear? These things, listen, 00:53:02.739 --> 00:53:09.460 dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. That's 00:53:09.460 --> 00:53:11.739 what unbelievers say. That's what unbelievers 00:53:11.739 --> 00:53:17.840 set their mind on. And sometimes I look at, I 00:53:17.840 --> 00:53:20.679 don't want to be an unbeliever. I don't want 00:53:20.679 --> 00:53:24.960 my mind set. I don't want my focus and my imagination 00:53:24.960 --> 00:53:28.900 set the way that unbelievers, because I'm a believer. 00:53:34.840 --> 00:53:36.960 Somebody smile. Even though it hurts a little 00:53:36.960 --> 00:53:39.480 bit, just go ahead and smile. You know, it makes 00:53:39.480 --> 00:53:41.139 you feel better if you smile, even when it's 00:53:41.139 --> 00:53:48.539 hurting a little bit. Your Heavenly Father already 00:53:48.539 --> 00:53:54.599 knows. Listen, the things you say, I'm about 00:53:54.599 --> 00:53:56.340 done. I know it don't seem like I'm about done, 00:53:56.420 --> 00:54:01.079 but I'm about done. Hold on. The things you say 00:54:01.079 --> 00:54:06.940 are important to renew in your mind. Because 00:54:06.940 --> 00:54:11.840 your tongue is connected to your brain. Captain 00:54:11.840 --> 00:54:15.179 Obvious right there. Your tongue is connected 00:54:15.179 --> 00:54:18.019 to your brain. And I want to tell you this. As 00:54:18.019 --> 00:54:21.940 I was studying and as I was preparing, I was 00:54:21.940 --> 00:54:28.380 like, I believe this is from God. What you hear 00:54:28.380 --> 00:54:39.159 from you has more impact over your life than 00:54:39.159 --> 00:54:48.840 what you hear from others. So what are you hearing 00:54:48.840 --> 00:54:54.739 from you? I mean, we don't want other people 00:54:54.739 --> 00:55:02.519 to say things bad to us or around us, but what 00:55:02.519 --> 00:55:04.300 you hear from you is going to have more impact 00:55:04.300 --> 00:55:07.420 on your life than what you hear from other people. 00:55:09.619 --> 00:55:15.039 Words open the door for the spiritual to transform 00:55:15.039 --> 00:55:21.969 the temporal. Everybody say words. Proverbs 21, 00:55:22.150 --> 00:55:27.409 23. Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut. 00:55:30.269 --> 00:55:35.190 And you will stay out of trouble. That's what 00:55:35.190 --> 00:55:44.369 the Bible says. Watch your tongue and keep your 00:55:44.369 --> 00:55:47.659 mouth shut. Hey. If you're not going to speak 00:55:47.659 --> 00:55:50.239 in line with the plans and will of God for your 00:55:50.239 --> 00:55:59.639 life, it's better to say nothing. Because a lot 00:55:59.639 --> 00:56:02.219 of the trouble in our lives comes from the words 00:56:02.219 --> 00:56:10.739 we have said. Because we're reaping what we sowed, 00:56:10.739 --> 00:56:17.280 and what we sowed was words. Speaking truth from 00:56:17.280 --> 00:56:21.179 the Word of God in alignment with the will of 00:56:21.179 --> 00:56:26.940 God and the purposes of God. Listen, that directs 00:56:26.940 --> 00:56:35.880 and strengthens your mind's focus. It's part 00:56:35.880 --> 00:56:38.679 of renewing the mind. It's not just saying words. 00:56:38.860 --> 00:56:42.880 It's renewing your mind. Because when you speak 00:56:42.880 --> 00:56:45.739 truth from the Word of God in alignment with 00:56:45.739 --> 00:56:49.280 the will and the plans of God, life and blessing, 00:56:49.400 --> 00:56:58.860 that directs your focus. That directs your imagination. 00:56:59.219 --> 00:57:03.059 It gives substance. It gives something for you 00:57:03.059 --> 00:57:06.500 to focus on. It gives focus on something for 00:57:06.500 --> 00:57:12.260 you to imagine. It gives substance to that. Because 00:57:12.260 --> 00:57:17.239 you're not just creating some fantasy in your 00:57:17.239 --> 00:57:24.460 mind. Your imagination that you are directing, 00:57:24.659 --> 00:57:30.000 you can use your words to build the picture of 00:57:30.000 --> 00:57:33.400 the future probability of God's plan and will 00:57:33.400 --> 00:57:36.699 being fulfilled in your life. Life and blessing. 00:57:39.179 --> 00:57:43.639 Your words give substance to that when they're 00:57:43.639 --> 00:57:47.340 in a line with the plan and will of God and His 00:57:47.340 --> 00:57:55.480 purposes. So, that don't make sense, but I know 00:57:55.480 --> 00:58:00.239 what I meant to type. Sometimes I change the 00:58:00.239 --> 00:58:03.440 way I present it and I forget to delete stuff. 00:58:05.000 --> 00:58:08.829 Listen, you can use your words. To capture thoughts. 00:58:12.309 --> 00:58:15.050 You can also use your words to change thoughts. 00:58:19.929 --> 00:58:22.929 I talked about taking each thought captive to 00:58:22.929 --> 00:58:26.250 the obedience of Christ. When that bird flies 00:58:26.250 --> 00:58:28.190 and all of a sudden you're hearing something 00:58:28.190 --> 00:58:31.730 that's opening up the wrong door, you know what? 00:58:31.809 --> 00:58:34.289 Don't just try to fight that battle in your mind. 00:58:35.429 --> 00:58:39.110 Speak against it. In line with the will and the 00:58:39.110 --> 00:58:47.869 plans of God. Darkness, you're not going to take 00:58:47.869 --> 00:58:50.789 me down this time. I'm not going down that road 00:58:50.789 --> 00:58:58.769 again. Do you mind if I share just what you shared? 00:58:59.550 --> 00:59:02.309 Is that going to embarrass you? Do you mind if 00:59:02.309 --> 00:59:11.400 I share? You're in the hospital. And all of a 00:59:11.400 --> 00:59:22.519 sudden, you were having hallucinations. And then 00:59:22.519 --> 00:59:30.519 you said, no, God, take these away. I know this 00:59:30.519 --> 00:59:34.300 is not supposed to be the imagination of my mind. 00:59:35.519 --> 00:59:38.480 It's in a place it don't need to be. And you 00:59:38.480 --> 00:59:40.639 look to God to take it away and you haven't had 00:59:40.639 --> 00:59:45.119 one since. Right? She shared that with me on 00:59:45.119 --> 00:59:52.099 Thursday. But I'm telling you, this is real. 00:59:54.639 --> 00:59:59.820 What I'm telling you is real. I'm not going there 00:59:59.820 --> 01:00:03.510 anymore. Because this is what God says about 01:00:03.510 --> 01:00:07.150 me. This is what God wants for me. God wants 01:00:07.150 --> 01:00:09.809 life and blessing for me. His Word is very clear 01:00:09.809 --> 01:00:13.849 that that is His will and His plans. So I take 01:00:13.849 --> 01:00:16.289 that thought captive. I take that imagination 01:00:16.289 --> 01:00:19.550 captive. I even stop my words and take those 01:00:19.550 --> 01:00:24.530 words captive to the obedience of Christ. I've 01:00:24.530 --> 01:00:28.130 got to quit preaching. I told you I was about 01:00:28.130 --> 01:00:32.639 done. Works two ways. And I'm not talking about 01:00:32.639 --> 01:00:34.820 negative and positive. I'm talking it works two 01:00:34.820 --> 01:00:40.699 ways positive. You can speak words to build and 01:00:40.699 --> 01:00:47.059 reinforce positive focus and imagination. And 01:00:47.059 --> 01:00:52.699 you can speak to capture and redirect wrong focus 01:00:52.699 --> 01:01:00.519 and imagination. So we need to be building. Our 01:01:00.519 --> 01:01:04.380 focus and our imaginations with our words according 01:01:04.380 --> 01:01:08.539 to God's plan and will, life and blessing. And 01:01:08.539 --> 01:01:12.739 then if we have a focus or a thought or an imagination 01:01:12.739 --> 01:01:16.119 that's death and cursing, then we need to speak 01:01:16.119 --> 01:01:27.119 to capture it and redirect it. Keep your words. 01:01:28.139 --> 01:01:34.179 In agreement with who God is. You've got to know 01:01:34.179 --> 01:01:38.800 who God is. You can get on the podcast. We did 01:01:38.800 --> 01:01:41.159 a whole series on the names that God gave us 01:01:41.159 --> 01:01:43.000 to tell us who He is and what He wants to do 01:01:43.000 --> 01:01:45.380 in our lives. Get on the podcast if you don't 01:01:45.380 --> 01:01:56.710 know who God is. Or just Google it. You can get 01:01:56.710 --> 01:01:59.349 a lot of verses and explanation on who He is. 01:01:59.969 --> 01:02:03.010 How you can put your trust in Him. You have to 01:02:03.010 --> 01:02:04.750 put your trust in Him in order to experience 01:02:04.750 --> 01:02:09.909 who He is. Keep your words in agreement with 01:02:09.909 --> 01:02:15.789 who He is. Keep your words in agreement with 01:02:15.789 --> 01:02:19.969 who you are in Christ. Keep your words in agreement 01:02:19.969 --> 01:02:23.909 with what you have in Christ. Keep your words 01:02:23.909 --> 01:02:28.599 in agreement with that. It helps to renew your 01:02:28.599 --> 01:02:32.360 mind. Your mind is the doorway. This is our concluding 01:02:32.360 --> 01:02:36.800 statement for the whole series. Your mind is 01:02:36.800 --> 01:02:41.320 the doorway that spiritual power flows through. 01:02:41.940 --> 01:02:50.519 It's your mind. Keep it closed to the flow of 01:02:50.519 --> 01:02:56.250 death and cursing. Keep it closed. Just like 01:02:56.250 --> 01:02:58.110 Peter should have kept it closed, he shouldn't 01:02:58.110 --> 01:03:02.489 have said, far be it from you that this would 01:03:02.489 --> 01:03:07.809 happen. You've got to close that one. Keep it 01:03:07.809 --> 01:03:09.909 closed to the flow of death and cursing. Keep 01:03:09.909 --> 01:03:12.909 it closed to anything that's against the plans 01:03:12.909 --> 01:03:17.389 and the will of God. And keep it open. Look to 01:03:17.389 --> 01:03:18.670 the person beside you and say, keep it open. 01:03:19.130 --> 01:03:24.190 Keep it open to the flow of life and peace. Keep 01:03:24.190 --> 01:03:28.210 it open. And how are you going to keep it open? 01:03:29.070 --> 01:03:32.210 How are you going to keep it closed? Same three 01:03:32.210 --> 01:03:37.369 ways. By your focus. By what you set your mind 01:03:37.369 --> 01:03:42.170 on. By what you meditate on. You're going to 01:03:42.170 --> 01:03:45.130 keep it open or closed by your imagination of 01:03:45.130 --> 01:03:48.389 future probabilities, where your life is going 01:03:48.389 --> 01:03:52.510 from today to tomorrow. And you're going to keep 01:03:52.510 --> 01:03:54.530 it open or closed by the words that come out 01:03:54.530 --> 01:03:57.730 of your mouth. This online worship experience 01:03:57.730 --> 01:04:00.309 was brought to you by the friends and partners 01:04:00.309 --> 01:04:01.250 of Elation Church.