WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.780 Welcome to Pamoja Ministry. In our first conversation, 00:00:06.259 --> 00:00:09.359 we asked, what if the intervention was about 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:13.220 you? What if while we were asking God to change 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:16.420 what was happening around us, God was using the 00:00:16.420 --> 00:00:20.640 fire to change something within us? Then in our 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.359 second conversation, we discovered another truth. 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:27.460 The fire reveals what success can hide. Pressure 00:00:27.460 --> 00:00:31.730 can expose anger. Waiting can expose impatience. 00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:35.810 Authority can expose pride. Opportunity can expose 00:00:35.810 --> 00:00:39.469 appetite. Opposition can expose our reactions. 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:43.469 And our words can reveal what is really happening 00:00:43.469 --> 00:00:46.869 within our hearts. But now we have to go somewhere 00:00:46.869 --> 00:00:51.090 deeper. Because revelation without response does 00:00:51.090 --> 00:00:55.030 not produce transformation. It is one thing for 00:00:55.030 --> 00:00:58.270 God to show you something. It is another thing 00:00:58.250 --> 00:01:00.770 for you to do something about what He has shown 00:01:00.770 --> 00:01:03.789 you. And this is where we arrive at one of the 00:01:03.789 --> 00:01:06.629 foundational principles of this entire theology. 00:01:07.290 --> 00:01:13.209 Discipline protects vision. Remember this truth. 00:01:13.510 --> 00:01:16.370 God gives vision, but it is our responsibility 00:01:16.370 --> 00:01:19.129 to steward it. When God gives someone a vision, 00:01:19.230 --> 00:01:22.109 there is God's part and there is our responsibility. 00:01:22.430 --> 00:01:26.590 God calls. God gives grace. God empowers. God 00:01:26.590 --> 00:01:30.250 opens doors. God provides opportunities. God 00:01:30.250 --> 00:01:34.849 gives gifts. God anoints. But after God entrusts 00:01:34.849 --> 00:01:37.969 something to us, we become responsible for how 00:01:37.969 --> 00:01:41.590 we carry it. The Bible repeatedly speaks about 00:01:41.590 --> 00:01:45.310 stewardship. And stewardship means that something 00:01:45.310 --> 00:01:48.290 valuable has been placed into your hands that 00:01:48.290 --> 00:01:52.370 does not ultimately belong to you. Your calling 00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:56.280 is something to steward. Your family is something 00:01:56.280 --> 00:02:00.280 to steward. Your influence is something to steward. 00:02:00.840 --> 00:02:04.939 Your body is something to steward. Your relationships 00:02:04.939 --> 00:02:08.699 are something to steward. Your opportunities 00:02:08.699 --> 00:02:12.300 are something to steward. Your words are something 00:02:12.300 --> 00:02:15.860 to steward. Your time is something to steward. 00:02:16.280 --> 00:02:20.259 Your vision is something to steward. And if something 00:02:20.259 --> 00:02:24.139 is valuable enough to steward, It is valuable 00:02:24.139 --> 00:02:28.759 enough to protect. That protection requires discipline. 00:02:30.659 --> 00:02:33.580 This statement must be highlighted in our hearts. 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:38.500 Anointing does not cancel discipline. Sometimes 00:02:38.500 --> 00:02:41.819 Christians speak about anointing as though anointing 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:44.680 automatically protects someone from failure. 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:47.900 But scripture does not teach us that. A person 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:51.300 can be called and still make destructive decisions. 00:02:51.469 --> 00:02:54.969 A person can be gifted and still become careless. 00:02:55.430 --> 00:02:58.949 A person can experience the presence of God and 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:02.469 still struggle with appetite. A person can carry 00:03:02.469 --> 00:03:06.729 revelation and still struggle with pride. A person 00:03:06.729 --> 00:03:10.289 can pray powerfully and still need boundaries. 00:03:10.650 --> 00:03:14.669 A person can preach truth and still need accountability. 00:03:15.490 --> 00:03:18.810 The presence of a gift does not prove the absence 00:03:18.810 --> 00:03:22.419 of weakness. And this is why spiritual maturity 00:03:22.419 --> 00:03:26.479 requires more than discovering your gift. You 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.439 must develop the character capable of carrying 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:33.960 it. Paul understood this. In 1 Corinthians chapter 00:03:33.960 --> 00:03:37.919 9, Paul compares the Christian life to an athlete 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:41.520 preparing for competition. Athletes exercise 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:46.080 self -control. They train. They establish routines. 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:50.229 They deny themselves certain things. Not necessarily 00:03:50.229 --> 00:03:53.789 because those things are evil, but because there 00:03:53.789 --> 00:03:56.729 is something greater they are pursuing. Then 00:03:56.729 --> 00:04:00.750 Paul says, I discipline my body and keep it under 00:04:00.750 --> 00:04:05.490 control. Think about who is speaking. Paul, an 00:04:05.490 --> 00:04:09.449 apostle, a man who encountered Christ, a man 00:04:09.449 --> 00:04:12.949 who carried extraordinary revelation, a man through 00:04:12.949 --> 00:04:16.730 whom God performed miracles. And Paul still understood, 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:21.230 I must govern myself. Why? Because anointing 00:04:21.230 --> 00:04:24.550 does not eliminate appetite. Calling does not 00:04:24.550 --> 00:04:28.250 eliminate temptation. Vision does not eliminate 00:04:28.250 --> 00:04:32.370 weakness. And spiritual experiences do not eliminate 00:04:32.370 --> 00:04:37.430 the need for discipline. Remember this, self 00:04:37.430 --> 00:04:40.810 -discipline is not self -sufficiency. Now we 00:04:40.810 --> 00:04:44.170 must be careful here. When I speak about self 00:04:44.170 --> 00:04:47.389 -discipline, I am not teaching independence from 00:04:47.389 --> 00:04:51.560 God. Christian self -discipline is not, I am 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:55.019 strong enough without God. It is exactly the 00:04:55.019 --> 00:04:59.000 opposite. Galatians chapter 5 identifies self 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:03.240 -control as fruit of the spirit. That means genuine 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:06.660 Christian self -control. develops through a life 00:05:06.660 --> 00:05:09.920 surrendered to the Holy Spirit. We need Him. 00:05:10.060 --> 00:05:13.939 We need His conviction. We need His wisdom. We 00:05:13.939 --> 00:05:17.879 need His strength. We need His warnings. We need 00:05:17.879 --> 00:05:21.000 His guidance. But the Holy Spirit's involvement 00:05:21.000 --> 00:05:24.600 does not eliminate human responsibility. He may 00:05:24.600 --> 00:05:28.019 convict you. You still have to respond. He may 00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:31.439 warn you. You still have to listen. He may show 00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:34.620 you the boundary. You still have to respect it. 00:05:34.699 --> 00:05:38.319 He may reveal the relationship. You still have 00:05:38.319 --> 00:05:41.860 to make the decision. He may expose the seed. 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:45.519 You still have to stop watering it. He may show 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:48.920 you the exit. You still have to walk through 00:05:48.920 --> 00:05:53.339 the door. Grace empowers obedience. Grace does 00:05:53.339 --> 00:06:01.860 not make obedience unnecessary. Self -discipline 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:04.519 is learning to police yourself because there 00:06:04.519 --> 00:06:07.300 is something you want to preserve that is greater 00:06:07.300 --> 00:06:10.019 than the temptation standing in front of you. 00:06:10.779 --> 00:06:14.779 It is the ability to tell yourself, no. Not because 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:17.560 you don't have the opportunity. Not because nobody 00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:20.459 wants you to do it. Not because someone is watching. 00:06:20.740 --> 00:06:23.759 But because you know what you are carrying. That 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.899 changes everything. Self -discipline says, I 00:06:26.899 --> 00:06:30.060 could say it, but I won't. I could respond, but 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:33.259 I don't need to. I could go there, but I won't. 00:06:33.399 --> 00:06:36.360 I could entertain this conversation, but I won't. 00:06:36.500 --> 00:06:39.779 I could satisfy this appetite, but I won't. I 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:42.649 could retaliate, but I won't. I could expose 00:06:42.649 --> 00:06:45.810 what I know, but I won't. I could take advantage 00:06:45.810 --> 00:06:49.509 of this opportunity, but I won't. Why? Because 00:06:49.509 --> 00:06:52.769 there is something greater at stake. My relationship 00:06:52.769 --> 00:06:56.029 with God, my family, my marriage, my children, 00:06:56.310 --> 00:06:59.910 my testimony, my character, my ministry, my calling, 00:07:00.189 --> 00:07:04.170 my future, my vision, my purpose. Some things 00:07:04.170 --> 00:07:07.910 are simply too expensive. A question. Remind, 00:07:07.990 --> 00:07:11.589 what is the real price of temptation? Temptation 00:07:11.589 --> 00:07:15.410 usually advertises pleasure. It rarely advertises 00:07:15.410 --> 00:07:18.350 price. It shows you the moment. It hides the 00:07:18.350 --> 00:07:21.910 consequences. It shows David Bathsheba. It does 00:07:21.910 --> 00:07:25.149 not show him Nathan standing before him. It does 00:07:25.149 --> 00:07:28.290 not show him the turmoil coming into his household. 00:07:28.509 --> 00:07:31.230 It does not show him the years of consequences 00:07:31.230 --> 00:07:35.129 attached to one decision. Temptation says, look 00:07:35.129 --> 00:07:38.189 what you can have. Discipline asks, what could 00:07:38.189 --> 00:07:41.670 this cost? And mature people learn to calculate 00:07:41.670 --> 00:07:44.819 beyond the moment. Because sometimes five minutes 00:07:44.819 --> 00:07:48.399 can affect five years. One conversation can affect 00:07:48.399 --> 00:07:52.439 a marriage. One message can destroy trust. One 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:56.000 uncontrolled reaction can affect a career. One 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:59.759 financial decision can affect a family. One moment 00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:03.360 of anger can destroy a relationship. One secret 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.939 compromise can eventually threaten a public assignment. 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:10.660 This is why discipline is not punishment. Discipline 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:15.779 is protection. This statement is true. Character 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:19.480 is built in the private no. We often celebrate 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:22.740 public victories, but character is usually developed 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:26.139 privately. Nobody applauds when you close the 00:08:26.139 --> 00:08:29.579 door on temptation. Nobody knows when you delete 00:08:29.579 --> 00:08:32.879 the message. Nobody sees when you decide not 00:08:32.879 --> 00:08:36.580 to respond. Nobody celebrates when you walk away. 00:08:37.120 --> 00:08:40.679 Nobody hears the conversation you refuse to participate 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:44.129 in. Nobody knows that you could have retaliated 00:08:44.129 --> 00:08:47.769 but chose restraint. Nobody knows that you were 00:08:47.769 --> 00:08:51.870 angry and decided to pray before speaking. Nobody 00:08:51.870 --> 00:08:55.129 knows you wanted something badly but refused 00:08:55.129 --> 00:08:58.509 to violate your convictions to obtain it. There 00:08:58.509 --> 00:09:02.250 is no audience. There is no microphone. There 00:09:02.250 --> 00:09:06.210 is no applause. But heaven sees something happening. 00:09:06.750 --> 00:09:10.379 Character is being built. Every disciplined knows 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:13.919 strength in something inside you, and every repeated 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.679 compromise weakens something inside you. That 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:22.419 is why small decisions matter. This principle 00:09:22.419 --> 00:09:25.960 connects to the theology of seeds we explored 00:09:25.960 --> 00:09:29.480 in our Season 2. We have talked before about 00:09:29.480 --> 00:09:33.320 seeds. Some seeds are planted without our knowledge. 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:36.539 Some are planted with our knowledge, and some 00:09:36.539 --> 00:09:40.440 seeds we continue to entertain and water. Now 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.720 we can see why that theology matters here. Because 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:47.200 whatever you repeatedly entertain begins training 00:09:47.200 --> 00:09:50.379 your appetite. And whatever repeatedly trains 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:53.919 your appetite can eventually weaken your resistance. 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:57.320 The first compromise may trouble you deeply. 00:09:57.740 --> 00:10:01.139 The second becomes easier. The third becomes 00:10:01.139 --> 00:10:05.100 familiar. Eventually, What once convicted you 00:10:05.100 --> 00:10:08.500 can begin feeling normal. And once compromise 00:10:08.500 --> 00:10:11.740 becomes normal, discipline becomes increasingly 00:10:11.740 --> 00:10:15.220 difficult. This is how dangerous seeds work. 00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:18.279 They rarely announce, I have come to destroy 00:10:18.279 --> 00:10:22.220 your future. They arrive small, a conversation, 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:26.519 an image, a thought, a resentment, a relationship, 00:10:26.779 --> 00:10:30.220 an appetite, a private habit, a justification, 00:10:30.700 --> 00:10:34.850 a secret. and then we water it, until eventually 00:10:34.850 --> 00:10:37.769 the seed begins producing something powerful 00:10:37.769 --> 00:10:41.429 enough to challenge our self -control. This is 00:10:41.429 --> 00:10:44.690 why discipline sometimes means starving the seed. 00:10:45.389 --> 00:10:48.429 Stop feeding what you are asking God to deliver 00:10:48.429 --> 00:10:53.850 you from. Let's explore the life of David when 00:10:53.850 --> 00:10:58.190 desire became more important than vision. We 00:10:58.190 --> 00:11:01.419 touched David in our previous conversation. But 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:05.200 now let's look specifically at discipline David 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:09.500 had a kingdom David had authority David had a 00:11:09.500 --> 00:11:13.600 family David had a relationship with God David 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:17.419 had a history with God David had survived battles 00:11:17.419 --> 00:11:20.980 that should have killed him David had purpose 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:26.480 and yet for a moment Desire became more important 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:29.759 than everything attached to his purpose That 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.500 is what lack of discipline does. It shrinks your 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:36.960 vision until all you can see is the appetite 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.559 immediately in front of you. In that moment, 00:11:40.740 --> 00:11:43.539 David was not thinking about the kingdom. He 00:11:43.539 --> 00:11:46.539 was not thinking about his family. He was not 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:49.419 thinking about Uriah. He was not thinking about 00:11:49.419 --> 00:11:52.720 consequences. He was not thinking about tomorrow. 00:11:53.240 --> 00:11:56.919 Desire had narrowed his vision to now, and discipline 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:00.370 does the opposite. Discipline widens your vision. 00:12:00.789 --> 00:12:04.289 Discipline says, look beyond this moment. Remember 00:12:04.289 --> 00:12:07.809 who you are. Remember what God entrusted to you. 00:12:08.169 --> 00:12:11.049 Remember who is connected to you. Remember where 00:12:11.049 --> 00:12:14.129 you are going. Remember what this could cost. 00:12:15.830 --> 00:12:19.610 Let's examine Peter's life. Passion without control. 00:12:19.789 --> 00:12:22.870 Peter loved Jesus. There is no question about 00:12:22.870 --> 00:12:25.990 that. Peter was passionate, committed, bold, 00:12:26.289 --> 00:12:29.389 ready to fight. And when soldiers came to arrest 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:33.110 Jesus, Peter drew his sword and cut off the servant's 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:36.029 ear. Peter thought he was defending Jesus, but 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:40.009 Jesus had to correct Peter. Why? Because sincere 00:12:40.009 --> 00:12:43.409 passion without self -control can still produce 00:12:43.409 --> 00:12:47.370 damage. You can mean well and still react badly. 00:12:47.649 --> 00:12:50.850 You can love God and still need discipline. You 00:12:50.850 --> 00:12:53.590 can believe you are defending something righteous 00:12:53.590 --> 00:12:57.110 and still respond in a way that does not reflect 00:12:57.110 --> 00:13:00.769 the character of Christ. And maybe that is why 00:13:00.769 --> 00:13:04.330 God sometimes refines our reactions. Because 00:13:04.330 --> 00:13:08.299 passion must come under government. Listen to 00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:13.080 James 3. Can you govern something small? A bit, 00:13:13.620 --> 00:13:17.960 a rudder, a spark. Small things governing larger 00:13:17.960 --> 00:13:21.639 things. And maybe James is teaching us a principle 00:13:21.639 --> 00:13:24.820 that reaches beyond the tongue. If you cannot 00:13:24.820 --> 00:13:27.360 govern the small thing, eventually the small 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:30.980 thing may govern something much larger. One sentence 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:34.860 can redirect a relationship. One appetite can 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:38.720 redirect a marriage. One habit can redirect a 00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:42.320 ministry. One reaction can redirect a career. 00:13:42.840 --> 00:13:46.200 One compromise can redirect a calling. The size 00:13:46.200 --> 00:13:48.860 of the seed does not determine the size of the 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:55.740 harvest. That is why discipline matters. Remember 00:13:55.740 --> 00:13:59.120 this. You need boundaries before you need them. 00:13:59.389 --> 00:14:01.990 One of the greatest expressions of discipline 00:14:01.990 --> 00:14:05.129 is boundaries, and boundaries work best when 00:14:05.129 --> 00:14:08.269 established before temptation arrives. Do not 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:11.649 wait until you are emotionally attached to decide 00:14:11.649 --> 00:14:14.649 what relationships are appropriate. Do not wait 00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:17.870 until you are angry to decide how you will respond 00:14:17.870 --> 00:14:21.230 when offended. Do not wait until money arrives 00:14:21.230 --> 00:14:25.330 to decide what integrity means. Do not wait until 00:14:25.330 --> 00:14:28.190 authority arrives to decide how you will treat 00:14:28.190 --> 00:14:31.490 people. Do not wait until opportunity arrives 00:14:31.490 --> 00:14:35.309 to establish sexual boundaries. Do not wait until 00:14:35.309 --> 00:14:38.129 thousands of people know your name to develop 00:14:38.129 --> 00:14:41.909 accountability. Do not wait until the fire starts 00:14:41.909 --> 00:14:45.070 to purchase the extinguisher. Prepare before 00:14:45.070 --> 00:14:48.649 pressure. Because discipline established in peace 00:14:48.649 --> 00:14:52.909 becomes protection during war. What are you protecting? 00:14:53.710 --> 00:14:56.830 Maybe this is the question we need to ask ourselves. 00:14:57.289 --> 00:15:00.409 What is important enough for you to discipline 00:15:00.409 --> 00:15:03.970 yourself to protect it? If your marriage matters, 00:15:04.429 --> 00:15:07.330 protect it. If your children matter, protect 00:15:07.330 --> 00:15:11.509 them. If your calling matters, protect it. If 00:15:11.509 --> 00:15:15.409 your ministry matters, protect it. If your testimony 00:15:15.409 --> 00:15:18.789 matters, protect it. If your health matters, 00:15:19.169 --> 00:15:22.490 protect it. If your relationship with God matters, 00:15:22.870 --> 00:15:26.350 protect it. If division matters, protect it. 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:29.299 And sometimes protection looks like saying no. 00:15:29.720 --> 00:15:33.019 Sometimes protection looks like leaving. Sometimes 00:15:33.019 --> 00:15:36.519 protection looks like silence. Sometimes protection 00:15:36.519 --> 00:15:39.519 looks like accountability. Sometimes protection 00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.269 looks like confession. Sometimes protection looks 00:15:43.269 --> 00:15:45.970 like deleting something. Sometimes protection 00:15:45.970 --> 00:15:49.169 looks like ending access. Sometimes protection 00:15:49.169 --> 00:15:52.210 looks like apologizing. Sometimes protection 00:15:52.210 --> 00:15:54.889 looks like refusing to be alone with something 00:15:54.889 --> 00:15:58.870 you know has power over you. Sometimes protection 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:02.389 looks like recognizing, I am not as strong around 00:16:02.389 --> 00:16:06.409 this as I thought I was. That recognition is 00:16:06.409 --> 00:16:10.309 not weakness. That recognition can become wisdom. 00:16:11.690 --> 00:16:15.970 This is a good one. Don't test yourself unnecessarily. 00:16:16.509 --> 00:16:20.129 There is no spiritual award for standing unnecessarily 00:16:20.129 --> 00:16:23.970 close to temptation. Joseph did not remain in 00:16:23.970 --> 00:16:27.029 Potiphar's house trying to demonstrate self -control. 00:16:27.389 --> 00:16:30.590 He ran. Sometimes the most disciplined thing 00:16:30.590 --> 00:16:34.330 you can do is leave. You don't have to prove 00:16:34.330 --> 00:16:37.690 that temptation no longer affects you. You don't 00:16:37.690 --> 00:16:40.570 have to revisit what God delivered you from. 00:16:40.809 --> 00:16:43.950 You don't have to maintain unnecessary access 00:16:43.950 --> 00:16:46.950 to someone who repeatedly weakens your boundaries. 00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:49.870 You don't have to sit beside the fire to prove 00:16:49.870 --> 00:16:54.190 you cannot be burned. Sometimes wisdom says run, 00:16:54.570 --> 00:16:57.090 and running is not cowardice when you are running 00:16:57.090 --> 00:17:02.149 toward purpose. Discipline today protects tomorrow. 00:17:03.549 --> 00:17:06.720 Maybe you don't see the full vision yet. Maybe 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:09.839 you don't know how far God intends to take what 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:13.519 he has placed inside you. Maybe you don't know 00:17:13.519 --> 00:17:16.460 who will someday depend upon your decisions. 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:19.740 Maybe you don't know how many people will eventually 00:17:19.740 --> 00:17:23.519 be affected by your character. That is why discipline 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:26.960 today matters. The private decisions you make 00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:30.119 now may be protecting a public assignment you 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.660 have not yet entered. The boundaries you establish 00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:37.500 now may be protecting a family from pain years 00:17:37.500 --> 00:17:41.779 from now. The habit you confront now may be protecting 00:17:41.779 --> 00:17:45.480 a ministry you have not yet built. The anger 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:48.779 you surrender now may be protecting people you 00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:52.140 have not yet been called to lead. The humility 00:17:52.140 --> 00:17:55.799 God develops now may be preparing you for authority 00:17:55.799 --> 00:17:59.440 you do not yet possess. You think God is dealing 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:03.170 with something small. God may be protecting something 00:18:03.170 --> 00:18:08.650 enormous. We there refined for responsibility. 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:11.829 Now perhaps we understand the fire differently. 00:18:12.250 --> 00:18:15.470 God is not merely refining us so we can say, 00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:19.890 I became a better person. He is refining us because 00:18:19.890 --> 00:18:23.559 purpose carries responsibility. The greater the 00:18:23.559 --> 00:18:26.740 vision, the greater the responsibility. The greater 00:18:26.740 --> 00:18:29.440 the influence, the greater the responsibility. 00:18:29.819 --> 00:18:33.200 The greater the authority, the greater the responsibility. 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:36.799 The greater the access, the greater the responsibility. 00:18:37.099 --> 00:18:40.539 And therefore, the greater the purpose, the more 00:18:40.539 --> 00:18:44.599 seriously we must take character. God may anoint 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.900 you for the assignment, but you must learn to 00:18:47.900 --> 00:18:51.480 steward the person carrying. the anointing. You 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:54.960 must guard your heart, guard your eyes, guard 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:58.140 your relationships, guard your appetites, guard 00:18:58.140 --> 00:19:01.420 your mouth, guard your reactions, guard your 00:19:01.420 --> 00:19:04.480 private life. Not because you live terrified 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:07.880 of failure, but because you understand the value 00:19:07.880 --> 00:19:12.420 of what God has entrusted to you. Always remember 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:17.019 this truth. Discipline protects vision. So today, 00:19:17.230 --> 00:19:20.349 I want you to look beyond the temptation. Look 00:19:20.349 --> 00:19:23.450 beyond the moment. Look beyond the emotion. Look 00:19:23.450 --> 00:19:26.549 beyond the opportunity. Look beyond the appetite. 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:30.210 And see the vision. See your family. See your 00:19:30.210 --> 00:19:33.710 children. See the people God may call you to 00:19:33.710 --> 00:19:37.470 serve. See the assignment. See the years of prayer. 00:19:37.789 --> 00:19:41.470 See the sacrifices. See the purpose. And when 00:19:41.470 --> 00:19:44.549 something temporary asks you to exchange all 00:19:44.549 --> 00:19:48.410 of that for a moment, remember, Some things are 00:19:48.410 --> 00:19:52.569 too expensive. You have something worth protecting. 00:19:53.349 --> 00:19:56.150 And perhaps this is one reason God allowed the 00:19:56.150 --> 00:19:59.210 fire to expose your weaknesses before He expanded 00:19:59.210 --> 00:20:03.710 your influence. He was not rejecting you. He 00:20:03.710 --> 00:20:07.789 was preparing you. He was teaching you to govern 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:10.869 yourself before giving you greater responsibility. 00:20:11.990 --> 00:20:14.549 He was teaching you to say no before opening 00:20:14.549 --> 00:20:18.470 bigger doors. He was strengthening your character 00:20:18.470 --> 00:20:22.430 before expanding your territory. Because the 00:20:22.430 --> 00:20:26.029 purpose requires more than gifting. The purpose 00:20:26.029 --> 00:20:29.910 requires more than passion. The purpose requires 00:20:29.910 --> 00:20:33.769 more than vision. The purpose requires character. 00:20:34.950 --> 00:20:37.150 And character is developed through thousands 00:20:37.150 --> 00:20:40.950 of decisions nobody else may ever see. The private 00:20:40.950 --> 00:20:46.009 no. The quiet restraint. The boundary. The surrender. 00:20:46.650 --> 00:20:50.670 The apology. The decision to walk away. The refusal 00:20:50.670 --> 00:20:53.869 to compromise. The willingness to obey the Holy 00:20:53.869 --> 00:20:57.049 Spirit when nobody else would ever know. If you 00:20:57.049 --> 00:21:01.769 didn't, that is discipline. And discipline protects 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:05.410 vision. You are not simply learning to control 00:21:05.410 --> 00:21:08.589 yourself. You are learning to protect what God 00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:11.970 has entrusted to you. You are being prepared. 00:21:12.289 --> 00:21:16.329 You are being strengthened. You are being disciplined. 00:21:16.869 --> 00:21:21.670 You are being refined. Refined for a purpose. 00:21:22.549 --> 00:21:25.950 This is Pamoja Ministry. And in our next conversation, 00:21:26.289 --> 00:21:28.789 we are going even deeper into one of the smallest 00:21:28.789 --> 00:21:31.789 things capable of creating some of the greatest 00:21:31.789 --> 00:21:35.849 consequences. The tongue. Because James tells 00:21:35.849 --> 00:21:39.750 us that a tiny spark can set an entire forest 00:21:39.750 --> 00:21:43.339 on fire. And if discipline protects vision, then 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:47.619 we must learn to discipline our words. Conversation 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:52.779 four, taming the tongue when refinement reaches 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:53.559 your mouth.