1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,080 Welcome to Logan City Christian Church podcast where we bring God's word to you weekly. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:17,600 We pray that what you hear will bring clarity to your situation and open doors in your life. 3 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:19,560 Enjoy the message. 4 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,640 God is good all the time. 5 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:30,200 You know this morning I'm just going to go straight into it because I have a message 6 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:37,520 that I believe, maybe not all of us but some of us at least, you're going to experience 7 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:45,200 a release of freedom without a doubt because I'm going to speak about faith, what genuine 8 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:53,640 faith is and I know when I got saved and I was in a faith church and you know that 9 00:00:53,640 --> 00:01:01,000 emphasised on faith and for a long time I didn't feel that I fit or I was different because 10 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:09,440 I just didn't seem to have the kind of faith that was expected of me to, I don't know, 11 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:11,600 to be a Christian. 12 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,720 So we grow with these things and we think well I'll just accept that and maybe one day 13 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:25,560 I'll be able to have enough faith that I can be equal to everybody and that sort of thing 14 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:32,880 and so we end up doing things like trying to be like other people instead of being ourselves 15 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:42,320 and then years later I began to do a study on what faith is and I was liberated. 16 00:01:42,320 --> 00:01:51,640 I was totally set free because what I was taught, what faith is, was totally different 17 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:57,160 to what I was learning. 18 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:03,960 And so today I just know, I have such a joy in my heart knowing that some of us here today 19 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:09,760 are going to experience what I experienced a number of years ago, it's just like, oh 20 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:11,640 praise God I am normal. 21 00:02:11,640 --> 00:02:14,840 Wow, as normal as can be. 22 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,960 Talk to Chantelle about that one. 23 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:26,720 But I'm first going to explain what faith is, then how faith works, God's way and then 24 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,880 how we use it and how we apply it, amen. 25 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:40,000 So I'm going to speak on what is faith, how it works, God's way and how we apply it and 26 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,600 it's not hard. 27 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,520 Everything that God does is easy, He shows us. 28 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:50,520 We don't need to have a university degree to know the ways of God or the ways of the 29 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,640 Spirit, we need an open heart. 30 00:02:52,640 --> 00:02:54,560 University degrees are good. 31 00:02:54,560 --> 00:03:00,920 I got one off the back of a cornflakes packet and one day I might use it, praise the Lord. 32 00:03:00,920 --> 00:03:04,680 I'm going to read Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6. 33 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:11,880 Hebrews chapter 11 and verse 6 and it reads here, but without faith it is impossible to 34 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:14,640 please Him, please God, it's impossible. 35 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:20,240 Did you know that without faith it is absolutely impossible to please God, you want to please 36 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:21,240 God? 37 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:26,640 I want to please God, I'm sure all of us want to please God and the Scripture here is saying 38 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:31,920 that if we don't have faith, it's impossible to please Him. 39 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:37,640 And so that's where I used to get hooked up years ago because I didn't understand what 40 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:40,080 it meant, what it was saying. 41 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:48,400 So I had a number of years as a Christian thinking that because by grading and comparison, 42 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:53,880 comparing my walk as a Christian with others that I didn't have faith and therefore I'm 43 00:03:53,880 --> 00:04:00,360 really not, I'm not pleasing God like I should or could and it became bondage to me. 44 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:07,280 And I believe today the message is going to, anybody feels the same way like I did, you're 45 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,600 going to be liberated today in Jesus' name, amen. 46 00:04:10,600 --> 00:04:11,600 Praise the Lord. 47 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:17,280 So but without faith it's impossible to please Him for He who comes to God must believe that 48 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:23,680 He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, amen. 49 00:04:23,680 --> 00:04:31,760 1 John chapter 5 verse 4, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world and this is 50 00:04:31,760 --> 00:04:37,200 the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. 51 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,480 So faith is an important thing. 52 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:47,920 You know, for us to be able to please God we need to have faith, to be overcomers in 53 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,600 this world we need to have faith. 54 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:59,160 So I would say that faith is an important part of our Christian makeup. 55 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:05,720 So then we need then to understand what faith really is. 56 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:06,920 And so what is faith? 57 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:07,920 What does it mean? 58 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:15,120 Now as I said some of this may come as a surprise to some of us here today and so be it. 59 00:05:15,120 --> 00:05:16,880 Praise the Lord. 60 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,640 So what is faith? 61 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:25,320 Faith, the word faith in the Greek is the, I'm not a Greek scholar. 62 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:30,080 You have to ask Theo for more depth in that. 63 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:41,280 But the Greek word is pistas which means this is faith, persuasion to be persuaded to trust 64 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:48,480 and an inner convincing, an inner convincing. 65 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:57,200 Faith listen to this, faith is always a gift from God and never something that can be produced 66 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,280 by people. 67 00:06:00,280 --> 00:06:04,880 When I read that, this is straight out of a commentary and then I went to the concordance 68 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,520 and it says exactly the same thing. 69 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:13,560 And so I went on a journey searching to make sure that what I was reading was accurate. 70 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:20,200 And then as we follow it through with examples we've been given in Scripture we see clearly 71 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:27,880 that what is said is absolutely true that faith is always a gift from God and it's not 72 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:31,760 something that we can conjure up. 73 00:06:31,760 --> 00:06:37,520 So that statement in itself began to liberate me to think, well, you know what? 74 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:42,560 Well, maybe I was a little bit more normal than I thought in those days. 75 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:49,520 And how we can build this theme to try and match others and when it comes to esteem, 76 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:55,680 self-esteem and self-worth, we don't need to listen to a motivational speaker to let 77 00:06:55,680 --> 00:06:57,120 you know how good you are. 78 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:05,080 And what we need to understand is that we have in Christ redeemed self-esteem. 79 00:07:05,080 --> 00:07:11,800 We have redeemed self-worth and that through the cross of Calvary we have been redeemed 80 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:13,480 by the blood of the Lamb. 81 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:21,600 And so our esteem that may have been low before we were saved now has been redeemed by God 82 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:27,920 and it's been empowered by the Spirit of God and we are a new creation in God through Christ 83 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:28,920 Jesus. 84 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,640 And so therefore the old person no longer is there. 85 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,400 There's a new creation. 86 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:42,000 And in that new creation is a person with God-centered self-esteem, self-worth. 87 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:47,200 You being a Christian, me being a Christian, there is no greater value of your self-worth 88 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,040 than being a Christian, being in the family of God. 89 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:56,400 God highly values you through what His Son did for us. 90 00:07:56,400 --> 00:08:06,080 And so for a believer or faith for the believer is God's divine persuasion. 91 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,360 It's God's. 92 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:12,560 And therefore it's distinct from human belief. 93 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:20,120 Now you might be thinking, hang on a minute, Rob, you're crossing the boundary here, but 94 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:21,120 listen on. 95 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:24,320 Let me say that statement again for the believer. 96 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:32,480 Faith for the believer is God's divine persuasion, therefore distinct from human belief, but yet 97 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:37,400 human belief is part of a process in it. 98 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:44,360 And so faith is God's warranty. 99 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:53,360 It's God certifying that the revelation or the promise that He in birthed in you, the 100 00:08:53,360 --> 00:09:02,840 very reality of what He in birthed in you will come to pass if we believe. 101 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:07,060 This is where we're heading this morning. 102 00:09:07,060 --> 00:09:10,320 So His divine persuasion. 103 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:17,960 So God's warranty, He's certifying that the revelation or what God may be speaking to 104 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:27,000 you or what you may read in the Word of God, God is saying to us today that that revelation 105 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:30,760 somehow He in births it into our spirit. 106 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:34,160 I'm going to talk about that later. 107 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:45,360 So then God's revelation is not just information for us, it becomes an empowering moment in 108 00:09:45,360 --> 00:09:47,800 our lives. 109 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:54,320 Faith is always received from God and never generated by man. 110 00:09:54,320 --> 00:10:00,400 Folks, this was incredibly liberating for me a number of years ago. 111 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:08,680 Faith is always received from God and never generated by us or by man. 112 00:10:08,680 --> 00:10:18,120 So the scripture says that how God has dealt with all a measure of faith. 113 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:25,880 You notice that the initiator is God and He's given in birth to every human being a measure 114 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:35,080 of faith and if they, we did, when we heard the gospel and we realized the way, the truth 115 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:41,160 and the life in Christ and that that measure of faith that we had that we knew like we 116 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:46,920 knew like we knew that this is the right way and when our believing is mixed with that 117 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:52,960 faith with that inner persuasion, the greatest miracle happened to every human being that 118 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,600 has ever been born again and that is salvation. 119 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:04,680 Salvation is a miracle brought by God paid at the cross of Calvary for every human being. 120 00:11:04,680 --> 00:11:10,240 There are times in life I am certain, especially with me, we may seek God for direction. 121 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,120 You seeking God for direction now in your life? 122 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,880 Is there anybody here you're looking for, you know, Lord, what do I do? 123 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,000 You ever prayed that Lord, what do I do? 124 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:20,720 I don't know which way to go. 125 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:25,800 I just seem, there are so many options but not all of them can be right and so we can 126 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:32,960 search His Word and ask God for direction and ask God to show us but either way, when 127 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:40,080 direction does come, whether God speaks directly into your spirit or we read in the Word of 128 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:48,360 God that this is God's way, how He is wanting to lead us, you know, by His written Word 129 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:57,040 or His voice and inner confidence begins to arise in our spirit. 130 00:11:57,040 --> 00:12:04,640 It's a word of God and not of ourself. 131 00:12:04,640 --> 00:12:07,240 So God initiated it. 132 00:12:07,240 --> 00:12:10,600 So let's look at the setting again. 133 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:16,920 I am believing God, let's say, for X, Y, Z or Lord, which way do I go? 134 00:12:16,920 --> 00:12:22,040 And I have prayed, we've prayed and we said, Lord, which way do I go? 135 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:27,600 Now God may speak directly into your spirit and when He does, you know it. 136 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:34,080 And when He speaks into your heart, into your spirit man, you know like you know, like you 137 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:39,280 know, like you know that God spoke into your spirit and you know that's the right way to 138 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:44,520 go but right there at that point, or we may read the Word of God and it's given us clear 139 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:49,680 direction, right there it's really confirmed there's an inner convincing, a guarantee and 140 00:12:49,680 --> 00:12:53,240 so I know that that's God and I know God's leading you that way. 141 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:54,680 So we have a decision to make. 142 00:12:54,680 --> 00:13:00,960 We can mix faith with that, I mean, sorry, believe that and see the results or we can 143 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:05,320 allow unbelief to dissolve the whole process. 144 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:15,480 And this is why unbelief is so destructive to the Christian person. 145 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:22,080 So I believe when things where things can go wrong, in the case of a person desiring 146 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:31,600 something, let's say outside of the will of God, praying and believing God and saying, 147 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,320 I got to have more faith, I got to have more faith and believing for something that whether 148 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:44,280 it's in the will of God or not, I think what can happen is and where I was for some time, 149 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:48,920 I would read the Word and I would say, well, there's the evidence. 150 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:58,520 So I would start believing but never took the time to allow the Word to do its work in my 151 00:13:58,520 --> 00:14:07,560 spirit so that what I was reading, understanding that this is a promise from God and then read 152 00:14:07,560 --> 00:14:16,760 it over and over and speak it and hear myself speaking it to a point that something changes 153 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:27,280 that the promises of God come into agreement with me, my spirit being my person. 154 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:35,560 And when I and we come into agreement and understand, okay, now I understand that scripture 155 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:41,280 and now I know like I know God, I feel it, I read your scripture before, I read your 156 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:47,120 promise before, but after a few days of going over it and meditating on it over and over 157 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:53,240 again, now there's this confidence that this scripture is building in my spirit and will 158 00:14:53,240 --> 00:15:00,360 build in our spirit that we know like we know like we know like we know this is it. 159 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:04,800 So then we are faced with the decision to make a choice. 160 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,520 Do I believe God in this? 161 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:13,440 Or do I say, oh, it happens for other people, it can't happen for me. 162 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,740 An unbelief will totally dissolve that. 163 00:15:17,740 --> 00:15:21,680 And so faith is something that God in births. 164 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:26,040 And for years I was like, how come I don't have faith like others? 165 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:32,600 Now I understand that God has given each and every one of us a measure of faith, but he 166 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:42,280 also expects us to cry out to God, to call out to him, to ask him when we're in a time 167 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:50,200 of need or in a time of lack, whether there will be a family crisis, a relationship crisis, 168 00:15:50,200 --> 00:15:57,760 a healing needed, whatever it might be, is that we then cry out to God and say, God, 169 00:15:57,760 --> 00:15:59,960 I'm leaning on you. 170 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:01,640 God show me your promises. 171 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:02,880 I need to hear from you. 172 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:09,280 I need some substance from you into my spirit so then I can latch onto that and agree with 173 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,560 that and believe for this miracle to take place. 174 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:19,600 And this happens, it can be the rama word of God where God speaks to us or the word 175 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:26,560 of God can jump out and impact us so greatly, either way, whichever way God does it, it's 176 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:28,400 coming from God. 177 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:31,640 It's not us generating it. 178 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:35,200 Our part is to do the believing. 179 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:40,240 God's part is to impart faith. 180 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:41,240 We'll get there in a minute. 181 00:16:41,240 --> 00:16:42,240 I can see something going on. 182 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,160 I'm not getting it. 183 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,120 We'll keep going. 184 00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:51,880 God is Lord. 185 00:16:51,880 --> 00:16:59,080 I believe it can be a discouraging moment if we are believing God for a breakthrough 186 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:05,480 of any kind and where we can be, see, I got a scripture, I know what God's word says. 187 00:17:05,480 --> 00:17:11,640 I can even quote it off my heart and years later, nothing's still, nothing's happening. 188 00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:17,400 My question to all of us starting with me today, the scripture you may be reading, has 189 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,280 it birthed a spark inside of your spirit? 190 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:22,280 Has it come alive? 191 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:29,160 Has it brought something alive in you that it's compelling, that it's convincing you 192 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,680 this is the truth? 193 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:39,240 And when we get hold of that truth, we go, this is faith that God has imparted into my 194 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:47,720 spirit and when I believe in agreement with that impartation, with that impression from 195 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:54,480 God that there when I believe with God on that, we will see, I will see a breakthrough 196 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:55,480 take place. 197 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,560 Are you still with me? 198 00:17:58,560 --> 00:17:59,560 What about the other half? 199 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,160 We all still together this morning. 200 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:12,000 But if we are lacking a divine inner persuasion in our prayer or in our belief that God will 201 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,880 need a breakthrough, do you have, are you going through a crisis now? 202 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:23,240 I hope you're not, but if you are, are you believing God for a breakthrough in your life? 203 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:29,000 And we may be praying, we may be reading the word, but let me ask you this, saints of God, 204 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,480 is there an inner conviction? 205 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:38,640 Is there an inner persuasion that God, you know it, that God is saying to you, this is 206 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:43,480 the way to go, you know it like you know it like you know it like you know it, if you 207 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:47,480 don't have that, we need to get it. 208 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:50,360 Are you with me? 209 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:57,840 And when we get it, which is not hard to get, God's freely giving it all the time. 210 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:04,800 When we get that inner persuasion that you know that, man, this God spoke to me and I 211 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:08,440 know it's going to happen and I believe it. 212 00:19:08,440 --> 00:19:13,320 I embrace it and then we begin to speak it. 213 00:19:13,320 --> 00:19:16,200 God begins to move. 214 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:25,760 Faith involves an inner persuasion, an inner persuading against what we may see, hear, 215 00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:29,200 or feel in this world. 216 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:32,320 I've seen it happen with a crippled man. 217 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:38,600 I've seen it with people that have been so sick that the revelation came that Christ 218 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:44,160 is the healer and they meditated on that over and over and toward the end you go and visit 219 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:45,160 them again. 220 00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:46,480 You can see it in their eyes. 221 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:53,720 They're going, I had an encounter with God and I now know like I know that God is more 222 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:59,000 real than ever and I know in here, I don't know how I can tell you, but Christ will heal 223 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,520 me and their confession changes. 224 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:08,160 Well, let's believe together and we pray together and believe God according to that inner persuasion, 225 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:14,800 that faith that God birthed in them to get them through and miracles that happen. 226 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:21,560 You see, we need to have that inner persuasion, that faith that knowing that God spoke in 227 00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:28,200 all His Word, we need that evidence, that divine evidence in our spirit man, that any 228 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:34,720 person that would try and talk you out of what you now believe, it will not have a chance. 229 00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,440 They don't ever hope. 230 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,160 Are you with me this morning? 231 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:41,160 Amen. 232 00:20:41,160 --> 00:20:45,360 Is there anyone here feeling like, oh, I'm getting this? 233 00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:49,960 It's a lot easier than having to try and, you know, like, ring out a towel the last drop 234 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:52,560 to see if there's something for me. 235 00:20:52,560 --> 00:20:59,280 It becomes this thing like works and faith, it's anyway. 236 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,960 Have you ever heard it said that faith is a risk? 237 00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,200 I've never understood that. 238 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:13,760 And I'll explain why. 239 00:21:13,760 --> 00:21:17,920 I think we can mix up. 240 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:23,280 I mean, I've got it wrong before, let me tell you, I have not had this nailed flat at all 241 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,480 for my life, Christian life. 242 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:33,160 But I've noticed some things and I've reflected back in my own life because I used to listen 243 00:21:33,160 --> 00:21:38,080 to this faith as a risk and I think if it's a risk, then why would you step out? 244 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,760 So rather than condemning anything, I'd rather just like, well, I'm not understanding it, 245 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,680 I'll just keep going until I do understand it. 246 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,120 And I think that's whether that's right or wrong. 247 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:55,560 I really don't know, but that's what I did until the revelation came about faith. 248 00:21:55,560 --> 00:22:00,520 You know, I remember Pastor Clark when, you know, you all know the story about COC when 249 00:22:00,520 --> 00:22:05,760 they bought the land as $11 million and he got it for $3 million and he had $2,000 on 250 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:11,200 a credit card. 251 00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:13,840 And he spoke and he shared it with as many people. 252 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,520 He said, yeah, but I had a convincing. 253 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,040 I had a knowing. 254 00:22:19,040 --> 00:22:23,920 I didn't know how, but I knew it was right. 255 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,040 He said, even though I walked the floor, as you've heard it, at night and praying, God 256 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,640 provide this and that and the other and which God did. 257 00:22:32,640 --> 00:22:38,120 But something that stood out to me is what he said, but God gave me. 258 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:43,200 He gave me something and I hung on to that. 259 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:47,440 Now I believe in this room this morning and those watching online that over the years, 260 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:54,840 God's given you some substance, some evidence to believe and to come in agreement with God's 261 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:57,720 Word or His direction in our life. 262 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:03,160 And maybe we have followed it and seen and experienced great breakthrough. 263 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:04,160 Maybe we haven't. 264 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:05,240 It's irrelevant now. 265 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:10,360 We're speaking about today because I believe today when we leave this place that many of 266 00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:16,080 us, if not all of us are going to get hold of this and go, devil, you better look out. 267 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:22,800 You're in trouble because revelation really liberates. 268 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:24,120 Praise the Lord. 269 00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:26,040 So how does this faith is a risk thing? 270 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:27,040 Where did it come from? 271 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:33,120 I believe what's happened, which I had done in the early stages of ministry, mixing faith 272 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:34,920 and belief. 273 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,560 And so I would believe God for something without the substance. 274 00:23:39,560 --> 00:23:40,560 That's risky. 275 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:45,760 That's risky because if I'm believing something that I believe that we may need for ministry 276 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:53,560 and God hasn't given me that inner persuasion, that in-birth confidence and yet I go past 277 00:23:53,560 --> 00:24:00,480 that very vital, important part that I begin to go out on my own without that inner confidence 278 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:06,960 and I start believing God for whatever it might be, that's risky. 279 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:14,600 But when God in-births faith into you and into me and we know like we know like we know 280 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:23,200 and we believe, that is not risky because God doesn't need to take risks. 281 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:25,800 You hear what I'm saying. 282 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:30,640 So believing without true faith or without divine inner persuasion, I believe, can be 283 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,200 a risk. 284 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:40,320 With genuine faith, there is no strain or tension. 285 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:46,720 I'll just let that sink for a little bit. 286 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:51,480 With this genuine faith, there's no strain or tension. 287 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:56,520 Rather it has the element of assurance and confidence because that's what God in-births 288 00:24:56,520 --> 00:25:00,960 into us, confidence. 289 00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:07,320 And this is what it is saying in Hebrews 6, that without faith, it's speaking about this 290 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:09,160 kind. 291 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:19,680 It's impossible to please God without knowing that I need to be close enough with, we need 292 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:24,720 to be close enough with God and understand that God will give us an inner persuasion 293 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:27,640 of faith that will get us through whatever. 294 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:35,400 And if we acknowledge that and we believe it, God's saying that pleases Him. 295 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,720 You see the difference? 296 00:25:38,720 --> 00:25:41,320 That's the difference. 297 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:48,520 And so this faith that overcomes the world, that's what the Bible is speaking about in 298 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:58,040 John 5, that our faith, not our belief, our faith. 299 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:02,640 Now why does it say our faith if faith comes from God? 300 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:07,600 I'm going to answer that question in just a moment. 301 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:13,040 So regarding faith, just let me say it again. 302 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:18,000 If there is strain or tension or trying to persuade ourselves to keep from doubting, 303 00:26:18,000 --> 00:26:21,120 you can be quite sure it's probably not faith. 304 00:26:21,120 --> 00:26:30,880 But when we get that inner convincing, that substance in our spirit, and we know it, God 305 00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:38,560 gives us that inner guarantee that we're on the right path, doesn't mean we're there 306 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:39,560 yet. 307 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:48,680 But when we believe this, miracles happen, breakthrough happens. 308 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:54,480 Jesus said all things are possible to them who believe. 309 00:26:54,480 --> 00:26:58,600 So our part is the believing. 310 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:06,040 God will impart the faith, but we have to position ourselves for this to happen. 311 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,880 Amen. 312 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:13,400 Faith is not the law of mathematical probability. 313 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,040 It doesn't work like that. 314 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:17,200 Faith is not natural. 315 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:19,080 It is certainly not natural. 316 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:20,160 Faith is spiritual. 317 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,360 It's a gift from God. 318 00:27:23,360 --> 00:27:27,960 And so the natural mind probably will never understand it. 319 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:34,000 But as spirit people, we know the ways of the Spirit as we grow in the things of God. 320 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:36,240 You know it, you feel it. 321 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,480 And so we cannot command faith at will. 322 00:27:39,480 --> 00:27:44,560 And this was what I was trying to do and what I was taught. 323 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:50,440 And when it wouldn't work, I would feel that much less of a believer and really reluctant 324 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:53,320 to ever try again. 325 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,640 Faith is always something that is given. 326 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,080 It's in wrought by God. 327 00:27:59,080 --> 00:28:00,920 It's liberating. 328 00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:02,920 It is liberating. 329 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:06,080 Now I know there may be some thoughts or some scriptures you might be thinking, what about 330 00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:07,080 this? 331 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:08,080 What about that? 332 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:09,240 We'll get to that in just a moment. 333 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:14,680 I'm laying a foundation here that I really believe that God wants us to know this for 334 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:20,600 sure that faith is something that He provides, something that He instills into us. 335 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,680 It comes from God. 336 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,400 It comes from God. 337 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:26,600 And I had it back to front. 338 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,400 I thought that I had to conjure it up. 339 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:32,360 I thought that I had to pray more and read more and do that. 340 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:34,440 And there are all good things. 341 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,640 It's not so much that it's incorrect. 342 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:38,560 It's incomplete. 343 00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:45,600 And so the scripture says that the just shall live by this kind of faith, that it's God 344 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:47,000 knowing God. 345 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:55,800 I'm going through a test or a trial and I don't have the confidence that I need. 346 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,520 Father God, would you show me? 347 00:28:58,520 --> 00:29:00,640 Would you speak to me? 348 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:07,040 I need some substance to believe and as we read the Word and God may speak to you and 349 00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:12,560 the Word of God becomes clear and we meditate on it and then bit by bit this substance starts 350 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:19,560 building in our lives and to the end that we stand strong and firmly go, God has spoken. 351 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:23,280 God has spoken and I believe it. 352 00:29:23,280 --> 00:29:29,520 And together God and us walk in victory. 353 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:34,040 And so in scripture, faith and belief are not exactly the same. 354 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,080 That was a main revelation for me. 355 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:40,200 Faith always comes from God, involves his revelation. 356 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:46,400 Therefore faith is beyond belief. 357 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:47,400 It is. 358 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:49,440 Anyway, let me go on. 359 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:56,160 If I'm going too fast, can someone just wave their hand and just say, hey, slow it down? 360 00:29:56,160 --> 00:30:01,040 People on the sound desk are going, praise the Lord. 361 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:02,360 Faith is God's work. 362 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:05,720 Faith is never the work of people. 363 00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:06,720 That shocked me. 364 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:12,840 And I'm going to explain this more deeply as we go on as I close the meeting. 365 00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:20,480 We cannot produce faith from within ourself nor can we drum it up at will. 366 00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:30,480 Faith comes as Christ will speak his rama word within or through his word within. 367 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,240 Romans 10, 17. 368 00:30:32,240 --> 00:30:40,920 So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. 369 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,360 So faith comes by hearing. 370 00:30:45,360 --> 00:30:47,040 Are we listening today? 371 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,760 What the message is today? 372 00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:51,280 Are we listening? 373 00:30:51,280 --> 00:30:56,840 Because I tell you, when we listen and are open to the Spirit of God or to the Word of 374 00:30:56,840 --> 00:31:00,560 God, it will transform our lives. 375 00:31:00,560 --> 00:31:09,280 I believe an important part of being taught is to be teachable and to listen to what the 376 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,640 Spirit of God may be saying. 377 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:21,880 But then when faith comes, so that's saying that in the construction of the sentence, 378 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:27,880 so then faith comes, it's speaking in context to the person or the person that is desiring 379 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,800 it, does not yet have that, what they need to get through. 380 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:35,680 And so the writer, Paul, is saying, let me give you a key here. 381 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,680 The faith that you need, it will come. 382 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:43,880 That substance, that inner convincing that you need to get through. 383 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:50,120 It will come, but you need to be hearing and hearing the word of God, whether it be his 384 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:55,520 audible voice or whether it be us speaking out the word or maybe even today, you're hearing 385 00:31:55,520 --> 00:32:01,880 the word being preached and you're hearing God's word, creating substance in your Spirit 386 00:32:01,880 --> 00:32:08,320 to the point that now you're probably saying things like, now I get this thing. 387 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,120 Now I get it. 388 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,160 Now I get it. 389 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,000 Faith is always a response to divine revelation. 390 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:22,760 Faith both in its initiation and every step of the way is Spirit given. 391 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:24,960 Faith is God given. 392 00:32:24,960 --> 00:32:28,840 I need to really emphasize this. 393 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:35,120 Faith is the divinely given conviction of things unseen. 394 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:39,000 Hebrews chapter 11 from verse one to three. 395 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:45,360 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. 396 00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:48,840 Do you see how this works? 397 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:50,680 Faith is the substance. 398 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:52,760 So faith is a substance. 399 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:58,560 God's inner persuasion in our Spirit man is a substance. 400 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:04,240 Faith is the substance of things hoped for. 401 00:33:04,240 --> 00:33:07,880 But it's also evidence of things not yet seen. 402 00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:14,040 You know that faith when God births it in your Spirit, it's evidence of things you're 403 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:19,360 not seeing yet, but you know, like you know, like you know, whether it's later in the day 404 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:22,640 or tomorrow or next week, you know it's happening. 405 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:24,200 You know it's coming. 406 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:30,080 You know it's going to happen because God in birth that in you, it is substance. 407 00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:31,760 It's evidence. 408 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:39,440 And from that we mix our belief, we believe and move with God in these things. 409 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:41,960 Faith is not a condition of mind. 410 00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:46,680 It's a divinely imparted grace to the heart. 411 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:52,520 We can receive faith only as God gives it. 412 00:33:52,520 --> 00:33:56,960 Genuine scriptural faith is not our ability to count it done. 413 00:33:56,960 --> 00:33:59,720 Let me read this. 414 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:09,680 Genuine scriptural faith is not our ability to count it done, but is the deep consciousness 415 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:15,880 divinely imparted to the heart of man that it is done. 416 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,280 There is a big difference. 417 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,680 It is the faith that only God can give. 418 00:34:21,680 --> 00:34:25,240 True faith is not a struggle in the power of one's will. 419 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:26,240 It's not. 420 00:34:26,240 --> 00:34:30,880 Here's a quote that I don't know who I got it from, I found it in my notes. 421 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:38,520 What a mistake it would be to take our belief in God and call it faith. 422 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:45,840 I'm not speaking about salvation, I'm believing God for something because believing without 423 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:52,880 the substance is not going to work. 424 00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:58,840 So the challenge is, so what about when Jesus said to some of the people that were healed, 425 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,120 He said, your faith made you well. 426 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:02,280 Remember that? 427 00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:04,280 So how does that fit in everything here? 428 00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:09,600 The answer, I'm just going to read this because I wrote it down very carefully. 429 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:19,040 The Greek definite article is uniformly used in the expressions, your faith and their faith, 430 00:35:19,040 --> 00:35:23,920 which occur over 30 times in the Greek in the New Testament. 431 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:33,600 However, this refers to the principle of faith operating in or at work in you, not your faith. 432 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,200 Does that make sense? 433 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:43,640 It refers to the principle of faith operating in or at work in you, but not your faith. 434 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:48,520 In the sense that faith is ever generated by the recipient, it's not. 435 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:51,520 We don't, I think you got it. 436 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,880 Faith involves belief, I'm going to give a few examples in a moment and then we'll close. 437 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:02,600 Faith involves belief, but it goes beyond believing because it involves the personal revelation 438 00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:06,480 of the inworking of God. 439 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:12,720 Faith is always God's work, amen. 440 00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:17,440 So faith and belief are two separate things, yet they work together. 441 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:22,880 Faith is inspired, God inspired and faith is God's persuasion, birth and spirit. 442 00:36:22,880 --> 00:36:26,120 You're thinking, okay, I'm getting it, I'm getting it. 443 00:36:26,120 --> 00:36:27,120 Good. 444 00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:31,720 I don't know about you, but I need repetition to be able to catch these things. 445 00:36:31,720 --> 00:36:32,720 Praise the Lord. 446 00:36:32,720 --> 00:36:41,240 I don't know about you, but I need repetition to catch these things. 447 00:36:41,240 --> 00:36:45,440 Just checking if you're still awake this morning. 448 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:51,560 We recognize this impression and in the persuasion when we can do one of two things, we can believe 449 00:36:51,560 --> 00:36:57,240 and act on it or allow unbelief to override the divine in the persuasion, that's tragic, 450 00:36:57,240 --> 00:36:58,400 but it's good when we believe. 451 00:36:58,400 --> 00:37:00,640 Let's have some examples here this morning. 452 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:06,600 So let's say that there are some of us here that are believing God for salvation for family 453 00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:13,160 members or some that have gone away from God, prodigal living being deceived and believing 454 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:20,440 a false Christian life if you like or whatever that may be. 455 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:26,760 So if we're going to be believing God and trusting God for them to A, be saved and truly 456 00:37:26,760 --> 00:37:32,680 come to Christ or for them to turn around from whatever they're involved in to come 457 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:39,960 back to Christ, it's one thing and it's not wrong to pray, God, I pray for this person, 458 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,400 Lord, that you would bring him back and that you would do this and you would do that or 459 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:45,400 I pray for their salvation. 460 00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:48,480 I mean, that's, as I said, it's not incorrect. 461 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:50,640 It's really incomplete. 462 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:59,280 So what we need to do, we need to gather some substance, some deep substance that we can 463 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:05,960 take hold of and speak it and believe it and meditate on it. 464 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:11,520 And for me personally, I don't really do much praying at all until I feel that conviction, 465 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:17,560 that inner persuasion that it's become so a lot, then I will pray. 466 00:38:17,560 --> 00:38:19,600 And so here's an example. 467 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:23,400 I use these two scriptures a lot. 468 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:29,640 Second Peter chapter three, verse nine, the Lord is not slack concerning His promise as 469 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:37,360 some count slackness, but His long suffering toward us, not willing, not willing that any 470 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:41,880 should perish but that all should come to repentance. 471 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:47,240 So would you say then that God is an agreement with our heart for whoever that person may 472 00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:48,240 be? 473 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:51,720 I would say absolutely yes. 474 00:38:51,720 --> 00:38:56,680 John 3.16, for God so loved the world that He gave, He's only begotten Son, that whoever 475 00:38:56,680 --> 00:39:02,320 believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 476 00:39:02,320 --> 00:39:07,920 And I just use two scriptures, sometimes more with different situations, that I won't begin 477 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:17,680 to pray until such time that I am utterly convinced, totally, totally, if you like, saturated 478 00:39:17,680 --> 00:39:26,400 with the revelation, this is the will of God for the person that I'm believing for. 479 00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:28,360 And keep reading it. 480 00:39:28,360 --> 00:39:38,280 There are times that I have read and meditated on these things for weeks. 481 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:42,560 And it's just like you're hitting a brick wall, hitting a brick wall, and that just seems 482 00:39:42,560 --> 00:39:51,040 like one day, it's like the veil is pulled back and this revelation comes, this inner 483 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:52,640 convincing comes. 484 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:58,720 Yeah, I got it, God wants this more than I do. 485 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:05,920 And we're on the same team, we're in agreement together with, and somehow God when we believe 486 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:13,800 His Word, when we really believe it, that their God begins to trickle in this inner convincing, 487 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:17,400 this substance, this guarantee in our spirit. 488 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:23,680 And then when we pray from that position that we now have substance when we begin to pray, 489 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:27,360 oh boy, does that shake the heavens and the earth? 490 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:29,360 Absolutely yes. 491 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:36,840 Because your will, my will, my belief is lined up in an agreement with God's will. 492 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:42,680 And the words that we speak there carry power, carry authority. 493 00:40:42,680 --> 00:40:45,600 And we see things happen. 494 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,400 And God's not willing that any would perish. 495 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:51,600 So do you have a loved one perishing right now? 496 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:56,600 I encourage you, do this, you will see change. 497 00:40:56,600 --> 00:41:02,240 Not yet saved or deceived or walking in a false Christianity as I said, or deception, 498 00:41:02,240 --> 00:41:04,400 whatever it might be, walked away from God. 499 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,720 I don't think it really matters to God what it is. 500 00:41:07,720 --> 00:41:14,880 I just know God, whatever it is, if we wait on God and really be patient, He will in birth 501 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:21,080 in you that faith, that substance, that inner convincing that you need, the substance that 502 00:41:21,080 --> 00:41:28,400 we get hold of and from that position that we begin to pray and believe, oh boy, you 503 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,560 begin to see things change. 504 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:32,240 We do. 505 00:41:32,240 --> 00:41:34,960 But we first need that inner convincing. 506 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:36,520 That is faith. 507 00:41:36,520 --> 00:41:38,480 It was given by God. 508 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:44,920 We positioned ourselves to receive it, but God gave it. 509 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:48,080 Is that making sense this morning? 510 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:53,960 Trying to believe in a promise with the absence of divine in birth persuasion is not really 511 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:58,680 true faith. 512 00:41:58,680 --> 00:42:00,040 So what do we do? 513 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:04,640 As I said, we meditate on the Scripture, on God's promises, we read it, we speak it out 514 00:42:04,640 --> 00:42:12,480 aloud over and again, and when it becomes alive in your spirit, it's like a divine spark 515 00:42:12,480 --> 00:42:15,320 that lights you up inside. 516 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:18,680 Something changes inside of you. 517 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:20,720 Something changes inside of us. 518 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:26,720 It's God has just touched that place in your life, in your spirit that from hope it's just 519 00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:32,640 like, I have this, I can take this to the bank as we say, and it's good. 520 00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:34,760 There's no fault in what God is doing. 521 00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:42,480 I have now, I have substance that I can stand from this position and pray because I know, 522 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:46,880 like I know, like I know, this is God. 523 00:42:46,880 --> 00:42:47,880 Amen. 524 00:42:47,880 --> 00:42:48,880 Amen. 525 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:53,160 It's this kind of faith that moves mountains. 526 00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:57,320 It's this kind of faith that says, pleases God. 527 00:42:57,320 --> 00:43:01,200 It's this kind of faith that overcomes the world. 528 00:43:01,200 --> 00:43:03,880 It's this kind of faith, it's simple. 529 00:43:03,880 --> 00:43:09,760 To me, it's just like, I'm a mechanic and I can do this. 530 00:43:09,760 --> 00:43:13,240 Not saying mechanics are dumb because there's a lot of us in this church. 531 00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:17,440 I think there's about seven retired, burnt out mechanics in this place. 532 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:19,000 11, sorry. 533 00:43:19,000 --> 00:43:20,440 So we're not dumb, are we guys? 534 00:43:20,440 --> 00:43:22,640 One of them's a girl too. 535 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:23,640 We're not dumb. 536 00:43:23,640 --> 00:43:24,640 We're just different. 537 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:26,720 Praise the Lord. 538 00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:30,120 What about healing? 539 00:43:30,120 --> 00:43:33,440 First Peter 2.24, see, we need some substance. 540 00:43:33,440 --> 00:43:34,960 We need substance. 541 00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:37,960 We need a guarantee. 542 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:41,240 We got to get that first. 543 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:46,240 And when we get it, then we begin to pray. 544 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:48,800 That's when things change. 545 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:53,880 First Peter 2.24, who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we having 546 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:58,720 died to sins might live for righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. 547 00:43:58,720 --> 00:43:59,840 Do we believe it? 548 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:04,840 It's spiritual, physical, emotional healing. 549 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:17,520 You see, we can quote Scripture, but has that Scripture created an assurance inside of us? 550 00:44:17,520 --> 00:44:20,600 Is there solid substance that it's created? 551 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:23,960 And if it hasn't, keep working on that. 552 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:26,440 That's where our victory is. 553 00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:29,680 That's where it's at. 554 00:44:29,680 --> 00:44:38,080 And that when God begins to flow that into your spirit, and then we agree with it and 555 00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:51,320 we believe it and we begin to speak it, act on it, my Lord, the things that God will do. 556 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:54,640 Praise the Lord. 557 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:57,480 Praise God. 558 00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:01,360 Mark 11.22, I'm going to close in a second. 559 00:45:01,360 --> 00:45:08,000 Some of you are saying, I've known you for over 20 years, you are not closing in a second. 560 00:45:08,000 --> 00:45:11,640 I'm nearly done, guys. 561 00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:18,680 This is an incredible passage of Scripture that I'm sure all of us know very, very well. 562 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:24,000 And I'd like to just make reference to things for the sake of time without actually reading 563 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:29,000 all of it, but it's important that I should, but I just don't have time. 564 00:45:29,000 --> 00:45:31,440 But you'll hear where I'm going with it. 565 00:45:31,440 --> 00:45:38,320 You see, Jesus went and healed blind Bartimaeus and there's one of the things happening and 566 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:43,480 then he comes in riding on a donkey and people are celebrating him and just saying, wow, here 567 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:46,960 comes the Savior of the world. 568 00:45:46,960 --> 00:45:52,320 And excuse me, saying, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the 569 00:45:52,320 --> 00:45:54,920 Lord, everything's going really, really good. 570 00:45:54,920 --> 00:45:59,000 And it says, when Jesus went into Jerusalem into the temple and he looked around at all 571 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:04,800 the things as the hour was already late and he went to Bethany with the 12th, Jesus went 572 00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:10,600 to the temple and he looked around and he just thought, look at what they are doing here. 573 00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:14,680 We see it later, it says they're buying and selling, there was thievery, there was just 574 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:19,600 corruption, people taking a shortcut through the temple to get to the Mount of Olives and 575 00:46:19,600 --> 00:46:24,440 all this was just no respect for the house of God. 576 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:30,000 And so what happened was on the next day when they had come out from Bethany, it says Jesus 577 00:46:30,000 --> 00:46:31,800 was hungry. 578 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:37,960 And so, you know, seeing a fig tree a fair way away and it said having leaves, he went 579 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:42,040 to see perhaps there would be something defined on it, something that he could eat. 580 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:46,960 And from my understanding, the fig tree produces the fruit first and the leaves come after 581 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:48,720 to protect the fruit. 582 00:46:48,720 --> 00:46:52,320 So the sign is that if it's got leaves, it should have fruit. 583 00:46:52,320 --> 00:46:56,600 And Jesus goes there and he looks at it and there's no fruit. 584 00:46:56,600 --> 00:47:03,240 And remembering the day before that he went to the temple and the fig tree is a type of 585 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:09,680 the temple of the church, of the religion of that day and that he was seeing it's just 586 00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:10,680 the same. 587 00:47:10,680 --> 00:47:15,680 Here is the religious order, it's not producing any godly fruit, it's showing all the leaves 588 00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:20,400 that it's got everything, it's got God, got everything, but inside there's no fruit. 589 00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:26,800 And so when Jesus then sees that fig tree, he cursed the fig tree and then he moved on 590 00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:29,920 and he went on. 591 00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:34,880 Then he goes and pays a visit to the temple and he really tells them what's up and what's 592 00:47:34,880 --> 00:47:38,200 wrong and that sort of thing. 593 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:43,440 So what happened is Jesus said never let anyone eat fruit from you again, this is what he 594 00:47:43,440 --> 00:47:45,080 says to the tree. 595 00:47:45,080 --> 00:47:48,960 And so, and off they go. 596 00:47:48,960 --> 00:47:54,000 The next morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots and Peter 597 00:47:54,000 --> 00:47:59,680 remembers said to him, Rabbi look the fig tree which you cursed has withered away. 598 00:47:59,680 --> 00:48:02,720 And Jesus said something really amazing here. 599 00:48:02,720 --> 00:48:05,880 He said, have faith in God. 600 00:48:05,880 --> 00:48:09,280 That's what he's saying. 601 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:17,080 Let sure before you go and pray, believe whatever it is, make sure you have that inner convincing 602 00:48:17,080 --> 00:48:19,080 first. 603 00:48:19,080 --> 00:48:24,680 You see Jesus, he cursed the fig tree and kept going. 604 00:48:24,680 --> 00:48:30,440 He didn't go half an hour and come back with a spade or shovel and dig to see, oh is it 605 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:32,600 withering yet? 606 00:48:32,600 --> 00:48:35,600 Maybe I need to do it again. 607 00:48:35,600 --> 00:48:41,360 And then he didn't come back that night and dig around and go, Jesus I hope it's working. 608 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:43,280 He didn't do that. 609 00:48:43,280 --> 00:48:46,320 He walked up to it, he saw it, he spoke to it. 610 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:52,720 He said, let no one ever eat fruit from you again and that tree died from the roots up. 611 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:55,200 Jesus never went back to check. 612 00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:58,680 He knew that that tree was going to die. 613 00:48:58,680 --> 00:49:01,440 He didn't keep going back and checking on it. 614 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:05,320 The disciples are going, gee Lord, what have you done? 615 00:49:05,320 --> 00:49:06,880 What have you done? 616 00:49:06,880 --> 00:49:09,360 Jesus said, have faith in God. 617 00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:11,320 Get that inner persuasion inside you. 618 00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:16,040 Now I'm not saying or suggesting that you go home and you see your neighbor's favorite 619 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:19,880 plants and vegetables and that and start cursing them so they all die. 620 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,160 I'm not suggesting that. 621 00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:26,920 But there are other things in life that, you know, but the Scripture says that have faith 622 00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:27,920 in God. 623 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:32,240 If you have this faith in God, the one that I'm speaking about, you get this inner persuasion, 624 00:49:32,240 --> 00:49:36,040 you believe God and then you work with that. 625 00:49:36,040 --> 00:49:41,240 For Jesus said, for as shortly I say to you, whoever says to the man, are we speaking to 626 00:49:41,240 --> 00:49:44,240 the problems in life? 627 00:49:44,240 --> 00:49:47,840 If we are, what are we saying to them? 628 00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:50,160 Be removed and cast into the sea. 629 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:57,360 Now this is a person typically speaking, already possessing the in-birth faith, the confidence, 630 00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:03,320 the assurance, this knowing that God has already in-built in-birth this faith in me and from 631 00:50:03,320 --> 00:50:10,560 that position, now I'm saying to the problem, be removed and cast into the sea and does 632 00:50:10,560 --> 00:50:15,960 not doubt and he said, in other words, that you agree with that inner persuasion from 633 00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,840 God but believes that those things he says will be done. 634 00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:23,640 He will have whatever he says there for I say to you, whatever things you ask when you 635 00:50:23,640 --> 00:50:29,640 pray, believe, you receive them and you will have them. 636 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:36,440 You cannot exclude verse 25 and 26, unforgiveness is something that needs to be dealt with. 637 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,320 I will mention that briefly but it does. 638 00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:43,960 Jesus said, if there's unforgiveness, ain't gonna work but I just wanna close on this 639 00:50:43,960 --> 00:50:50,320 one thing with Joshua. 640 00:50:50,320 --> 00:50:53,680 To me this is incredible. 641 00:50:53,680 --> 00:50:57,080 Joshua chapter 6, the walls of Jericho. 642 00:50:57,080 --> 00:51:02,360 Now you and I would, I'm sure we would agree together to say that that was a very strong 643 00:51:02,360 --> 00:51:05,640 fortified city that no one could get in. 644 00:51:05,640 --> 00:51:08,640 When the gates are shut, that's it, forget it, it's not gonna happen. 645 00:51:08,640 --> 00:51:10,440 Nobody ever did before. 646 00:51:10,440 --> 00:51:16,920 But God's people come along, they cross the Jordan and the first challenge that they are 647 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:23,400 faced with is the biggest stronghold, how typical, how God works. 648 00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:30,200 God gave Joshua a promise, he said, Joshua, I've given you this land and you need to take 649 00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:37,080 it and you're gonna go to Jericho and this is what you're going to do. 650 00:51:37,080 --> 00:51:42,880 You're gonna get the priests and you're gonna get your soldiers and you're gonna walk around 651 00:51:42,880 --> 00:51:50,160 the perimeter of those walls for seven days and the first day you walk around once. 652 00:51:50,160 --> 00:51:57,720 Now none of you can say a word, none. 653 00:51:57,720 --> 00:52:02,880 Joshua, wow, he said then the second day you do the same, third day the same, ride up, 654 00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:10,360 the sixth day the same, you just march around, don't say a word, go back to your camp. 655 00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:14,360 On the seventh day, he said, Joshua, it's gonna be different. 656 00:52:14,360 --> 00:52:23,000 You march around that wall seven times and on the seventh time, on the seventh day, you, 657 00:52:23,000 --> 00:52:29,320 the priests and everybody, the priests are gonna blast the trumpet and everybody's gonna 658 00:52:29,320 --> 00:52:33,680 shout and the walls are gonna fall flat. 659 00:52:33,680 --> 00:52:35,840 Remember the story? 660 00:52:35,840 --> 00:52:38,000 Yeah. 661 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,400 Here's the thing. 662 00:52:39,400 --> 00:52:41,440 You know it happened. 663 00:52:41,440 --> 00:52:48,560 See Joshua had substance, he had faith, he had direction from God and he followed it. 664 00:52:48,560 --> 00:52:53,400 I mean it was the most unnatural thing to do. 665 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:59,360 How can a wall, how can walls, they say it didn't so much fall flat, it was pressed into 666 00:52:59,360 --> 00:53:01,680 the ground, that's what I've understood. 667 00:53:01,680 --> 00:53:03,760 How does that happen? 668 00:53:03,760 --> 00:53:05,160 God can do anything. 669 00:53:05,160 --> 00:53:11,480 When there are walls that are hedging you in and walls of containment in your life, that 670 00:53:11,480 --> 00:53:16,200 maybe people have put there from previous relationships, whatever, have faith in God. 671 00:53:16,200 --> 00:53:22,000 God will show you away how those walls can come down. 672 00:53:22,000 --> 00:53:27,280 But we need to give Him the time and the place to do this. 673 00:53:27,280 --> 00:53:33,720 But here's, as I close, here is the whole thing in the end. 674 00:53:33,720 --> 00:53:37,000 Why couldn't they have just done the seventh day? 675 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:41,080 Walk around seven times and then shout. 676 00:53:41,080 --> 00:53:50,800 In six days we could have had hot dogs and sauerkraut and have a good time. 677 00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:57,360 You see the first day they walked around was equally as important as the last march when 678 00:53:57,360 --> 00:54:00,400 they blew the trumpets. 679 00:54:00,400 --> 00:54:06,440 You see God began to do something on the first day that they agreed that they would go out. 680 00:54:06,440 --> 00:54:12,360 So as they took their first step out to march on that first day, God was starting to do 681 00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:14,680 something. 682 00:54:14,680 --> 00:54:20,400 And I believe that when we have that inner persuasion and we step out and believe God, 683 00:54:20,400 --> 00:54:22,520 God starts to do something straight away. 684 00:54:22,520 --> 00:54:25,840 I don't think He waits for one second. 685 00:54:25,840 --> 00:54:30,920 And then on the second day, the second day was equally as important as the seventh as 686 00:54:30,920 --> 00:54:32,720 the first. 687 00:54:32,720 --> 00:54:40,640 And our faith in God, the belief that we have in the faith God's imparted into us, even 688 00:54:40,640 --> 00:54:47,360 though we do not see any evidence in what we are doing, we don't see it. 689 00:54:47,360 --> 00:54:51,360 But when God in births faith into you, you feel it. 690 00:54:51,360 --> 00:54:52,680 You know it. 691 00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:57,640 You know like you know that God is up to something here. 692 00:54:57,640 --> 00:55:02,160 Then the fourth and the fifth and the sixth day. 693 00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:04,280 And the walls came down. 694 00:55:04,280 --> 00:55:08,960 I want to encourage you this as I close right now. 695 00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:14,200 Just because we may not see things happen straight away doesn't mean God's not working. 696 00:55:14,200 --> 00:55:16,600 He's working. 697 00:55:16,600 --> 00:55:21,080 Get that inner persuasion, that faith that God gives to man that we can't drum it up 698 00:55:21,080 --> 00:55:27,080 ourselves, we position ourselves for it through the Word of God, through the spoken Word of 699 00:55:27,080 --> 00:55:30,360 God, whatever it, how God ministers to us. 700 00:55:30,360 --> 00:55:36,200 And when we get it and then listen to it and speak it and over and over until it becomes 701 00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:37,680 alive in us. 702 00:55:37,680 --> 00:55:43,560 And that divine spark sets us a light inside that we walk away going, man, this is it. 703 00:55:43,560 --> 00:55:48,320 I know this is going, I know God has spoken, I know this is the end result. 704 00:55:48,320 --> 00:55:51,320 Even before we start, I know it. 705 00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:53,440 And I believe it. 706 00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:58,280 We step out, start marching in the spirit, if you like, around those walls that have 707 00:55:58,280 --> 00:56:02,800 held you from prospering so long. 708 00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:05,000 See them come down in the name of Jesus. 709 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:06,000 Amen. 710 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:07,000 Amen. 711 00:56:07,000 --> 00:56:12,400 Thank you for joining us. 712 00:56:12,400 --> 00:56:15,040 We pray God's richest blessing on your life. 713 00:56:15,040 --> 00:56:19,680 If you haven't already, make sure to join us on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. 714 00:56:19,680 --> 00:56:23,720 You can also find us at LoganCityChristianChurch.com. 715 00:56:23,720 --> 00:56:45,880 See you next week.