WEBVTT 00:00:01.159 --> 00:00:06.639 Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:09.660 designed to uplift and strengthen you in your 00:00:09.660 --> 00:00:13.939 walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until 00:00:13.939 --> 00:00:17.879 the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:25.239 right in. Thank God for his word. Hallelujah. 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:31.920 Now God has said something. that we equally might 00:00:31.920 --> 00:00:34.679 have something to say. Because of what God has 00:00:34.679 --> 00:00:38.219 said, we as well, you know, we have something 00:00:38.219 --> 00:00:41.000 to say because God has said something. Amen? 00:00:41.560 --> 00:00:45.479 So we must always take advantage of the Word 00:00:45.479 --> 00:00:47.539 of God. The Word of God has been given to us 00:00:47.539 --> 00:00:52.920 and, you know, when we put it to use, the essence 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:55.799 of it is that we will see. For example, now in 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.719 Luke chapter 4, we see where Jesus Christ was 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:02.200 applying the Word. The written word of God, specifically 00:01:02.200 --> 00:01:06.560 in Luke chapter 4, when he was tempted by the 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:12.079 devil. Luke chapter 4, from verse 3. And the 00:01:12.079 --> 00:01:14.540 devil said to him, if you are the son of God, 00:01:14.980 --> 00:01:20.239 command this stone to become bread. But Jesus 00:01:20.239 --> 00:01:23.959 answered him saying, it is written. It is written. 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:28.219 So the response that Jesus gave. was a response 00:01:28.219 --> 00:01:31.099 of what has been written in the world. It says 00:01:31.099 --> 00:01:36.000 it has been written, man shall not live by bread 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.560 alone, but by every word of God. Hallelujah. 00:01:40.079 --> 00:01:43.060 So Jesus Christ, who is God, came into humanity, 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:47.420 came into the earth. He did not violate the principles 00:01:47.420 --> 00:01:49.840 that God has created this world to operate upon, 00:01:49.939 --> 00:01:52.780 which is his word. Especially for us believers, 00:01:52.840 --> 00:01:57.670 we see his response to Satan. was the written 00:01:57.670 --> 00:02:01.209 word. Then the devil, taking him up on a high 00:02:01.209 --> 00:02:04.609 mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the 00:02:04.609 --> 00:02:07.549 world in the moment of time. And the devil said 00:02:07.549 --> 00:02:12.389 to him, All this authority I will give you and 00:02:12.389 --> 00:02:15.969 their glory, for this has been delivered to me, 00:02:16.069 --> 00:02:19.789 and I will give it to you, whomever I wish. And 00:02:19.789 --> 00:02:22.030 Jesus responded, Verse 7, Therefore, if you shall 00:02:22.030 --> 00:02:24.770 worship me, okay, verse 7, before me, if you 00:02:24.770 --> 00:02:29.669 shall worship before me, All will be yours. And 00:02:29.669 --> 00:02:32.110 Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind me, 00:02:32.110 --> 00:02:36.889 Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the 00:02:36.889 --> 00:02:41.129 Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. 00:02:41.789 --> 00:02:45.289 Then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:48.430 the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:51.830 If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down 00:02:51.830 --> 00:02:56.330 from here, for it is written, He shall give his 00:02:56.330 --> 00:03:00.009 angels charge over you to keep you, and in their 00:03:00.009 --> 00:03:04.969 hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your 00:03:04.969 --> 00:03:07.870 foot against a stone. And Jesus also in verse 00:03:07.870 --> 00:03:09.610 12 will say, And Jesus answered and said, To 00:03:09.610 --> 00:03:14.909 him it has been said, You shall not tempt the 00:03:14.909 --> 00:03:17.750 Lord your God. Now when the devil had ended every 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:21.969 temptation, he departed from him until an opportune 00:03:21.969 --> 00:03:25.949 time. Hallelujah. So we see that the victory 00:03:25.949 --> 00:03:30.569 that Jesus had in this place is founded on what 00:03:30.569 --> 00:03:33.449 has been said. It's founded on what God has inspired 00:03:33.449 --> 00:03:36.629 in the written word. So the written word is the 00:03:36.629 --> 00:03:39.689 believer's advantage. The word of God is our 00:03:39.689 --> 00:03:43.930 advantage. And this word of God must be on our 00:03:43.930 --> 00:03:47.150 lips. It must be on our lips because we have 00:03:47.150 --> 00:03:49.530 the word of God as we've prayed, as brother have 00:03:49.530 --> 00:03:52.539 led us to pray. You know, that we will have something 00:03:52.539 --> 00:03:55.520 to say. And what we will say is, it's not something 00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:58.680 coming from the blues. It's what God has given 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:03.060 us, that we will apply and personalize what God 00:04:03.060 --> 00:04:07.300 has said. Proverbs 18 verse 21 says, Death and 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:10.740 life are in the power of the tongue, and those 00:04:10.740 --> 00:04:14.379 who love it will eat its fruit. Those who love 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:16.959 it will eat its fruit. Those who take advantage 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:20.579 of words. Those who apply the words appropriately, 00:04:20.920 --> 00:04:23.959 those who apply the word, who applied, you know, 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.339 the use of words appropriately, and we can apply 00:04:27.339 --> 00:04:30.319 the use of words appropriately by speaking life, 00:04:30.420 --> 00:04:32.399 by speaking, and life comes from the word of 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.500 God. Hallelujah. So the believer is not without 00:04:36.500 --> 00:04:39.399 what? He's not without advantage. God has given 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.100 us his spirit. Not only did he give us his spirit, 00:04:42.180 --> 00:04:44.860 he gave us his word. You know, he gave us his 00:04:44.860 --> 00:04:50.350 word and to guide us. To lead us, Joshua chapter 00:04:50.350 --> 00:04:54.670 1 verse 8. Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. He says 00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:58.250 that this book of the law, now in context here, 00:04:58.430 --> 00:05:01.949 is a written law that has been written by Moses, 00:05:02.149 --> 00:05:05.250 right? This book of the law shall not depart 00:05:05.250 --> 00:05:08.829 from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it 00:05:08.829 --> 00:05:13.449 day and night, that you may observe to do according 00:05:13.449 --> 00:05:18.199 to all that is written in it. For then, you will 00:05:18.199 --> 00:05:21.740 make your way what? Prosperous. So his way will 00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:26.120 become prosperous if the book of the law finds 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.339 its dwelling place in his mouth. That is, he 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:31.699 speaks the word of God daily, he teaches the 00:05:31.699 --> 00:05:34.139 word of God, he applies the word of God, and 00:05:34.139 --> 00:05:36.180 he meditates on the word of God. He observes 00:05:36.180 --> 00:05:39.000 to do according to what is written in the word 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:42.959 of God. For then, he will make his own way prosperous. 00:05:43.740 --> 00:05:45.519 Not that God will come down and make your way 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:48.819 prosperous, but by doing what God has said, your 00:05:48.819 --> 00:05:52.759 way will become prosperous. And then you will 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:55.139 have what? You will have a good success. Hallelujah. 00:05:55.879 --> 00:05:59.300 So we have everything God has given us. And when 00:05:59.300 --> 00:06:01.459 we come to the New Testament, we'll see a verse 00:06:01.459 --> 00:06:06.160 that's similarly expressed in Colossians 3, verse 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:09.339 16, talking about the word of God that expresses 00:06:09.339 --> 00:06:14.180 a similar idea. Colossians 3, verse 16. It says, 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:16.860 let the word of God, let the word of Christ dwell 00:06:16.860 --> 00:06:21.240 in you richly in all wisdom. Let the word of 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:25.000 God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.300 and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns 00:06:29.300 --> 00:06:32.939 and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:36.680 hearts to the Lord. Now this is, you know, this 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:39.800 is seen in our relationship. All right. As the 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:42.779 word of God dwells in us richly, we see that. 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:46.000 In our relationship towards one another, we'll 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:47.839 be able to say things that will edify one another. 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:50.620 And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:52.439 in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 00:06:52.439 --> 00:06:56.779 to God the Father through him. Hallelujah. So 00:06:56.779 --> 00:06:59.639 in the previous teachings, we said that faith 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:05.680 is seen expressed in our words. In the words 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:08.980 we said, faith is expressed. And then biblical 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:12.240 confession. That is, as we express in our words, 00:07:12.259 --> 00:07:15.360 is what we term as confession. And contextually, 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.040 biblical confession, because there are different 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:20.040 types of confessions. But when we speak of confession 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:24.199 here, it's not merely positive thinking. All 00:07:24.199 --> 00:07:26.939 right? On Sunday, we saw that it's not just positive 00:07:26.939 --> 00:07:30.480 thinking or positive saying, because motivational 00:07:30.480 --> 00:07:33.319 speakers can motivate you with so many positives. 00:07:33.980 --> 00:07:36.160 And we are not saying that those positives are 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:40.029 evil or they are bad. We are not saying that 00:07:40.029 --> 00:07:43.910 what they are saying are evil or they are bad 00:07:43.910 --> 00:07:47.009 per se. But when you want to see the kind of 00:07:47.009 --> 00:07:50.470 God's result, God's kind of result, then what 00:07:50.470 --> 00:07:52.569 will bring about God's kind of result in our 00:07:52.569 --> 00:07:56.709 lives is what God has said. Hallelujah. So, biblical 00:07:56.709 --> 00:08:00.089 confession is not merely positive thinking or 00:08:00.089 --> 00:08:04.449 repeating nice things. It is agreeing with God. 00:08:04.490 --> 00:08:06.689 We say that confession is actually... Saying 00:08:06.689 --> 00:08:10.529 the same thing as has been said. Saying the same 00:08:10.529 --> 00:08:12.629 thing as God has said. Agreeing with what God 00:08:12.629 --> 00:08:15.509 has said. Agreeing with what God has done. So 00:08:15.509 --> 00:08:18.350 it is agreeing with God and speaking what he 00:08:18.350 --> 00:08:21.750 has said in his word. That is our confession. 00:08:22.029 --> 00:08:25.170 We are agreeing with God and we are saying what 00:08:25.170 --> 00:08:29.449 he has said in his word. So true confession flows 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:34.649 from a heart that believes. and it's centered 00:08:34.649 --> 00:08:39.250 on Jesus Christ. So we, first of all, have to 00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:41.309 believe what God has said that is true concerning 00:08:41.309 --> 00:08:45.250 us. Then in agreeing in our hearts, what we believe 00:08:45.250 --> 00:08:48.690 in our heart, you know, we express in words and 00:08:48.690 --> 00:08:52.350 we speak it into existence in our lives. So the 00:08:52.350 --> 00:08:54.889 word of God must first dwell richly as we've 00:08:54.889 --> 00:08:59.289 read in Colossians 3, 16 and 17. It must dwell 00:08:59.289 --> 00:09:04.899 richly in us as we fill our hearts, and our minds, 00:09:04.919 --> 00:09:08.740 because it's important with scripture, God's 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:12.820 word begins to shape our thoughts. That is what 00:09:12.820 --> 00:09:15.120 happens. When we fill our hearts with the word 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:17.799 of God, we fill our minds with the word of God, 00:09:17.860 --> 00:09:20.480 we fill ourselves with the word of God, we see 00:09:20.480 --> 00:09:24.220 that God's word begins to shape our thoughts. 00:09:24.299 --> 00:09:27.220 We begin to think the way God will think. We 00:09:27.220 --> 00:09:29.320 begin to say things the way God will say them. 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:33.299 We begin to, you know, have the kind of desire 00:09:33.299 --> 00:09:36.860 that are formed by the Spirit of God because 00:09:36.860 --> 00:09:40.360 we give ability to the Spirit of God to walk 00:09:40.360 --> 00:09:42.720 through us by filling our hearts with the Word. 00:09:43.399 --> 00:09:46.460 So God's Word begins to shape our thoughts. It 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:50.539 shapes our attitudes. Attitudes, we don't see 00:09:50.539 --> 00:09:53.100 your thoughts, but we see your attitudes. All 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:56.460 right? So from what we see in your, from what 00:09:56.460 --> 00:09:58.120 you have in your thoughts, we begin to see your 00:09:58.120 --> 00:10:00.539 attitude towards life, your attitude towards 00:10:00.539 --> 00:10:03.700 people. Your attitude towards the people of God 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:05.360 and the things of God begins to change because 00:10:05.360 --> 00:10:08.960 your heart is filled with the word of God. Your 00:10:08.960 --> 00:10:11.679 decisions are influenced also by what fills your 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:17.159 heart. And ultimately, your speech also will 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:21.799 be significantly influenced by what fills your 00:10:21.799 --> 00:10:24.860 heart. So what fills your heart will find expression 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:29.820 always through our mouth. So therefore, we must 00:10:29.820 --> 00:10:33.629 always... seek to, you know, fill our hearts. 00:10:34.090 --> 00:10:36.610 The way by which the word of God will be found 00:10:36.610 --> 00:10:39.309 on our lips regularly is when the word of God 00:10:39.309 --> 00:10:41.909 fills our heart and it is our meditation. And 00:10:41.909 --> 00:10:45.070 this is what we must consciously do. So we also 00:10:45.070 --> 00:10:48.149 saw that the believer's authority, the believer's 00:10:48.149 --> 00:10:51.850 authority in Christ is expressed through the 00:10:51.850 --> 00:10:55.049 words of faith. We saw this on Sunday that authority 00:10:55.049 --> 00:10:58.029 has been given to the believer. God has given 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:01.360 authority to the believers. By his death, by 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:03.720 His burial, by His resurrection and His ascension 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:07.379 in the hearts of the believer, the believer has 00:11:07.379 --> 00:11:10.580 been given authority. And that authority is to 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:14.639 be expressed on earth. And one of the ways by 00:11:14.639 --> 00:11:18.679 which we express that authority is by speaking. 00:11:18.980 --> 00:11:21.980 So when we don't speak, we cannot express authority. 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:26.659 When we don't speak, we are not devoid of authority. 00:11:26.879 --> 00:11:30.450 But to express the authority, We must be believers 00:11:30.450 --> 00:11:33.789 that speak. Speak to situations. Speak to circumstances. 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:38.870 Speak to ourselves. So, through our scriptures, 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:42.889 God's power and purpose, we saw, are repeatedly 00:11:42.889 --> 00:11:46.309 expressed through spoken words. And what are 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:48.529 the words we speak? We speak the word that God 00:11:48.529 --> 00:11:52.009 has said. Alright? Jesus commissioned his disciples 00:11:52.009 --> 00:11:54.769 to preach the gospel. And in preaching the gospel, 00:11:54.870 --> 00:11:58.019 he gave them specifics to say. They don't invent 00:11:58.019 --> 00:11:59.980 what to say that will bring about the salvation 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:03.240 of souls. So we equally, we don't invent what 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:05.740 to say when we want to preach to people. God 00:12:05.740 --> 00:12:09.259 has given us what to say that will save people. 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:12.559 All right? God has given us what to say that 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:15.919 will save people. So we have what to say that 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:20.320 will save people. So we see authority, you know, 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:24.139 is expressed in preaching. Authority is expressed 00:12:24.139 --> 00:12:28.210 in casting out demons. In ministering, healing, 00:12:28.409 --> 00:12:34.350 all these are actions that are done by the use 00:12:34.350 --> 00:12:38.690 of words we speak. Therefore, greater works require 00:12:38.690 --> 00:12:41.909 greater expression of faith. We are not saying 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:45.789 that there's a greater faith. You know, we have 00:12:45.789 --> 00:12:48.950 all the faith that God has put in us. But for 00:12:48.950 --> 00:12:50.889 us to see a greater expression of such faith, 00:12:51.049 --> 00:12:56.580 you know, it requires that we speak often. God 00:12:56.580 --> 00:12:59.679 has given us His Word not simply to read, but 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:04.580 to believe. And in believing, we speak and we 00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:11.080 live it. So our responsibility is to train our 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:14.799 mouths to always agree with what God has said. 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:18.580 We train our mouths to agree with God rather 00:13:18.580 --> 00:13:23.639 than with fear because we face a situation that 00:13:23.639 --> 00:13:26.299 will bring fear. We are faced with situations 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:30.100 that are able to bring fear. We are faced with 00:13:30.100 --> 00:13:34.080 situations. Now, being afraid is not a sin. Sincerely, 00:13:34.080 --> 00:13:36.580 we must be honest that sometimes when we look 00:13:36.580 --> 00:13:39.279 at some situations, we are threatened, right? 00:13:39.980 --> 00:13:43.720 So it's normal for you to be afraid of situations, 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:48.860 but the fear should not govern you, right? What 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:51.679 should govern you is what? It's what God has 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:55.279 said. It's the word of God. Okay? truly we'll 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:58.120 encounter situations that will instigate fear. 00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:01.100 Sometimes there will be doubt in our hearts. 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:04.559 Okay? So we don't side with the doubt. Doubt 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:07.899 is a contrary opinion. We don't stand, we don't 00:14:07.899 --> 00:14:11.259 agree with doubt. We don't agree with fear. So 00:14:11.259 --> 00:14:15.860 we agree with God, not in unbelief, not in, we 00:14:15.860 --> 00:14:17.899 don't believe what a circumstance is saying. 00:14:17.960 --> 00:14:20.799 We believe what the word of God is saying. Hallelujah. 00:14:21.769 --> 00:14:24.590 So my desire or our desire as a leadership is 00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:29.190 that we will be trained in this church, that 00:14:29.190 --> 00:14:31.889 we will be trained in the life of faith, that 00:14:31.889 --> 00:14:35.889 our words will always be intentional about our 00:14:35.889 --> 00:14:39.450 words. Okay? We will be very selective of the 00:14:39.450 --> 00:14:42.289 things we say daily as we live our lives, as 00:14:42.289 --> 00:14:44.629 we speak to one another, as we fellowship with 00:14:44.629 --> 00:14:46.809 one another. I wish that we would have, maybe 00:14:46.809 --> 00:14:49.509 next time, we're going to look at how we can 00:14:49.509 --> 00:14:53.320 say things. How do we communicate one to another? 00:14:53.740 --> 00:14:56.440 Because sometimes it's what we say to one another 00:14:56.440 --> 00:14:59.919 that actually brings doubt. A believer, you are 00:14:59.919 --> 00:15:01.659 saying things that offends another believer. 00:15:02.259 --> 00:15:05.340 Okay? Either intentionally or unintentionally, 00:15:05.340 --> 00:15:07.379 you can say something that will offend your brother 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:09.500 or your sister in Christ. And it will affect 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:13.059 their faith. It will affect their walk with God. 00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:18.240 Alright? So, it is important that we are trained. 00:15:19.109 --> 00:15:22.450 in this that we are allowed always fit to speak, 00:15:22.529 --> 00:15:25.490 to be found expressed in our lips. And this is 00:15:25.490 --> 00:15:27.730 not just for a season, but it's something that 00:15:27.730 --> 00:15:31.169 we hope to see every part, every, for the rest 00:15:31.169 --> 00:15:35.049 of our lives, that always our lives, the things 00:15:35.049 --> 00:15:37.710 we say are things that edifies us, the things 00:15:37.710 --> 00:15:40.629 that God has said. And therefore we see the result 00:15:40.629 --> 00:15:43.330 of what God has said in our lives. Hallelujah. 00:15:44.049 --> 00:15:48.539 So then, but the other side doubts also. As we 00:15:48.539 --> 00:15:52.519 often say, doubt and unbelief, you know, when 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:55.240 I was teaching us about the operations of faith, 00:15:55.340 --> 00:15:58.600 right? I say that faith operates in the heart. 00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:03.919 Doubt also operates in the heart. So in our words 00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:07.360 also, we can see doubt operate in the words that 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:10.600 we say, right? Doubt can also be found in the 00:16:10.600 --> 00:16:13.980 words that we speak. Our words are carriers of 00:16:13.980 --> 00:16:17.509 spiritual forces. I also want us to maybe if 00:16:17.509 --> 00:16:21.629 you're writing like a subheading, maybe doubt 00:16:21.629 --> 00:16:24.370 or doubt can be expressed through our words. 00:16:24.509 --> 00:16:28.730 So our words, as we've seen, as we keep emphasizing 00:16:28.730 --> 00:16:32.830 for the past three sessions, our words are carriers 00:16:32.830 --> 00:16:36.149 of spiritual forces, of spiritual forces. When 00:16:36.149 --> 00:16:38.889 I mean spiritual forces, doubt is a spiritual 00:16:38.889 --> 00:16:44.070 force. Okay? Fear and worries, all these are 00:16:44.070 --> 00:16:47.980 spiritual forces. You can't see them, you can't 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:53.279 touch them, but they do exist. So our words can 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:58.539 be carriers of spiritual forces of doubt, worries, 00:16:58.620 --> 00:17:02.679 fears, etc. Therefore, our words must be trained. 00:17:03.139 --> 00:17:07.259 That is a need for us to train our words always 00:17:07.259 --> 00:17:10.900 to speak faith much more than what we see with 00:17:10.900 --> 00:17:16.130 our eyes. So in our words, When we're not careful, 00:17:16.250 --> 00:17:20.369 even as believers, our words can carry fear. 00:17:20.970 --> 00:17:23.549 Our words can carry doubt. And as a minister 00:17:23.549 --> 00:17:27.549 of God, you cannot be speaking fear and worries 00:17:27.549 --> 00:17:30.670 and doubts to people. All right? You yourself, 00:17:30.849 --> 00:17:33.730 you will not benefit from the word of God yourself 00:17:33.730 --> 00:17:36.170 because it will not profit you. You will not 00:17:36.170 --> 00:17:38.390 have good success in your own life because what 00:17:38.390 --> 00:17:41.190 you profess is contrary to the word of God. But 00:17:41.190 --> 00:17:42.950 equally, you cannot be a blessing to others. 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:47.319 So your words or your speech can show either 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:50.619 that you are walking in faith or in unbelief. 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:54.279 Even before you take an action, firstly, we listen 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.420 to what you say. All right? There are some people 00:17:57.420 --> 00:17:59.099 when they come around and I sit down, I begin 00:17:59.099 --> 00:18:01.480 to listen to them. And I begin to ask them, okay, 00:18:01.559 --> 00:18:02.880 what is your problem? And they begin to say, 00:18:02.940 --> 00:18:04.500 I don't want to even hear the remaining story. 00:18:05.140 --> 00:18:08.200 I shut them up quickly. Not because I don't want 00:18:08.200 --> 00:18:10.400 to hear, oh, you know, I don't want to give you 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:13.000 a no. I want to counter, before you say the full 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:15.539 sentence of unbelief, I want to counter it with 00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:18.460 the word of faith. If I now tell you what the 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:20.720 word of faith is, believe me, you will not continue 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.180 in the unbelief because by then you would have 00:18:23.180 --> 00:18:26.539 known that, ah, actually there's a solution and 00:18:26.539 --> 00:18:27.960 the solution is in the word of God. Hallelujah. 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:32.980 So we can trace the operation or the activity 00:18:32.980 --> 00:18:37.200 of doubt and unbelief in a man's word. When we 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:40.299 listen to what he says. and we hear what he says, 00:18:40.500 --> 00:18:43.500 we can discern whether this is coming from God 00:18:43.500 --> 00:18:45.880 or from faith or from unbelief. And let's see 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:48.640 an example of, let's see an example in scripture. 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.240 Maybe we'll just look at two examples today and 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:53.920 then we, yes, then we close. Let's see the first 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:57.940 example in 2 Kings 6. As we read this story, 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.940 we'll find applications for our life. 2 Kings 00:18:59.940 --> 00:19:06.220 6. Let me read from verse 24. 2 Kings 6 from 00:19:06.220 --> 00:19:11.390 verse 24. And it happened after this that Ben 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:13.789 -Hadad, king of Syria, gathered all his army 00:19:13.789 --> 00:19:18.490 and went up and besieged Samaria. Samaria and 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:21.190 Syria are two different nations. And there was 00:19:21.190 --> 00:19:25.670 a great famine in Samaria. And indeed, they besieged 00:19:25.670 --> 00:19:29.470 it until a donkey's head. Look at the economic 00:19:29.470 --> 00:19:34.990 impact of this war. There was a great famine 00:19:34.990 --> 00:19:38.970 in Samaria. And indeed, they besieged it until 00:19:38.970 --> 00:19:43.730 a donkey's head was sold for 80 shekels of silver. 00:19:44.029 --> 00:19:48.269 That means there was inflation. And one -fourth 00:19:48.269 --> 00:19:51.990 of a cup of duff, duff droppings for five shekels 00:19:51.990 --> 00:19:56.069 of silver. Then as the king of Israel was passing 00:19:56.069 --> 00:20:00.069 by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, 00:20:00.230 --> 00:20:04.289 Help my king, my lord, oh my king. And he said, 00:20:04.410 --> 00:20:07.660 If the lord... Does not help you. Where can I 00:20:07.660 --> 00:20:11.059 find help for you? From the threshing floor or 00:20:11.059 --> 00:20:14.079 from the wind press, wine press. Then the king 00:20:14.079 --> 00:20:17.740 said to her, what is troubling you? And she answered, 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:21.259 this woman said to me, give your son that we 00:20:21.259 --> 00:20:24.799 may eat him today. I will eat my son tomorrow 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:27.200 because of hunger. Look at what they've turned 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:28.740 themselves into. They've turned themselves into, 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:33.519 what do they say in English? Carnivores, right? 00:20:34.109 --> 00:20:36.150 They've started eating their babies because of 00:20:36.150 --> 00:20:40.210 hunger. So we bought my son and ate him. And 00:20:40.210 --> 00:20:42.329 I said to her on the next day, give your son 00:20:42.329 --> 00:20:44.930 that we may eat him. But she has hidden her son. 00:20:45.710 --> 00:20:48.829 Now it happened when the king heard the words 00:20:48.829 --> 00:20:53.049 of the woman that he tore his clothes. And as 00:20:53.049 --> 00:20:56.230 he passed by on the wall, the people looked and 00:20:56.230 --> 00:21:00.490 there underneath he had sackcloth on his body. 00:21:00.829 --> 00:21:04.700 Because this situation is... It's beyond shocking 00:21:04.700 --> 00:21:06.460 that people have started eating human beings. 00:21:06.839 --> 00:21:10.380 That is how hunger has entered the land. That 00:21:10.380 --> 00:21:14.359 is how, you know, luck has reached. And this 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:16.339 luck is not just individual luck, it's a national 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:21.420 luck. Then he said, God do so to me and more 00:21:21.420 --> 00:21:26.640 also. See, he became angry with God. God do so 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:32.819 to me and more also. If the head of Elisha, The 00:21:32.819 --> 00:21:36.579 son of Shaphat remains on him today. But Elisha 00:21:36.579 --> 00:21:38.900 was sitting in his house, and the elders were 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:41.619 sitting with him, and the king sent a man ahead 00:21:41.619 --> 00:21:44.339 of him. But before the messenger came to him, 00:21:44.380 --> 00:21:47.400 he said to the elders, Do you see how this son 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:50.460 of a murderer has sent someone to take away my 00:21:50.460 --> 00:21:54.440 head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:58.180 door, and hold him fast at the door. It is not 00:21:58.180 --> 00:22:01.720 the sound of his master's Is it not the son of 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:04.880 his master's feet behind him? And while he was 00:22:04.880 --> 00:22:08.299 still talking with them, there was a messenger 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:13.000 coming down to him. And when the king said, surely 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:16.259 this calamity is from the Lord. Why should I 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:19.980 wait for the Lord any longer? Because the situation 00:22:19.980 --> 00:22:23.059 was contemplating, why should I wait unto the 00:22:23.059 --> 00:22:24.779 Lord any longer because of this situation? Now 00:22:24.779 --> 00:22:29.410 let's move to chapter 7, which is where I want 00:22:29.410 --> 00:22:32.789 us to look. Then Elisha said, hear the word of 00:22:32.789 --> 00:22:37.369 the Lord. Thus says the Lord, tomorrow, this 00:22:37.369 --> 00:22:41.029 is the word of God, right? Tomorrow, about this 00:22:41.029 --> 00:22:47.250 time, a seer of fine flour shall be sold for 00:22:47.250 --> 00:22:52.410 a shekel and two seers of barley for a shekel 00:22:52.410 --> 00:22:56.410 at the gate of Samaria. Imagine, in this Cyprus 00:22:56.410 --> 00:22:59.890 economy. Right? The things are so difficult that 00:22:59.890 --> 00:23:02.609 a man of God comes to you and say, by tomorrow, 00:23:02.849 --> 00:23:08.069 house rent, how much do we pay? 400, 500 pounds. 00:23:08.450 --> 00:23:11.869 Say tomorrow, by tomorrow, house rent will be 00:23:11.869 --> 00:23:16.789 50 pounds. That's what God is saying. Not in 00:23:16.789 --> 00:23:20.109 the next five years. Say by tomorrow, house rent 00:23:20.109 --> 00:23:22.809 will be 50 pounds. Four bedroom apartment will 00:23:22.809 --> 00:23:28.500 be 50 pounds. Kebab will be one tier. And what 00:23:28.500 --> 00:23:33.440 again? What are the common things we use? Egg 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:36.460 make will be 50 kurush. Once upon a time, it 00:23:36.460 --> 00:23:40.000 was 50 kurush, right? And I know that none of 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:45.740 you will believe. All right? So let's not crucify 00:23:45.740 --> 00:23:49.019 somebody here because he didn't believe. Okay? 00:23:49.539 --> 00:23:52.519 But let's learn from it. But listen, this word 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:54.910 is coming from God. It's coming from the prophet 00:23:54.910 --> 00:23:57.710 of God. Look at the next verse, verse 2. So an 00:23:57.710 --> 00:24:01.230 officer on whose hand the king leaned answered 00:24:01.230 --> 00:24:04.230 the man of God and said, Look, if the Lord will 00:24:04.230 --> 00:24:10.009 make windows in heaven, could this thing be that 00:24:10.009 --> 00:24:12.450 even if God will open heaven and then you will 00:24:12.450 --> 00:24:15.509 rain down food from heaven? Because of the context 00:24:15.509 --> 00:24:18.990 of the situation, because of the difficulty of 00:24:18.990 --> 00:24:21.880 what they are experiencing. Imagine you are just 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:24.000 coming together with your boss, the servant, 00:24:24.119 --> 00:24:27.940 and you see a situation where a woman eats her 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:31.880 son. And then the prophet, the word of God is 00:24:31.880 --> 00:24:34.960 coming and he's saying that by tomorrow, everything 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:40.680 will be reversed to the direct opposite. So an 00:24:40.680 --> 00:24:43.160 officer on whose hand the king leaned, answered 00:24:43.160 --> 00:24:45.900 the man of God and said, look, if the Lord will 00:24:45.900 --> 00:24:49.900 make windows in heaven, could this thing be? 00:24:50.619 --> 00:24:53.920 And he said, in fact, you shall see it with your 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:57.619 eyes. But what? But you shall not eat of it. 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:01.599 You shall see it with your eyes. But what? But 00:25:01.599 --> 00:25:05.259 you shall not eat of it. Verse 18 and verse 20. 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:09.099 Verse 18 to 20. So it happened just as a man 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:12.000 of God has spoken to the king, saying, two seers 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:15.079 of barley for a shekel and a seer of fine flour 00:25:15.079 --> 00:25:19.119 for a shekel shall be sold tomorrow about this 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:23.329 time. in the gate of Samaria. Then that officer, 00:25:23.430 --> 00:25:26.890 then that officer had answered the man of God 00:25:26.890 --> 00:25:30.730 and said, Now look, if the Lord will make windows 00:25:30.730 --> 00:25:34.809 in heaven, could such thing be? And he said, 00:25:34.910 --> 00:25:38.089 In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but 00:25:38.089 --> 00:25:41.089 you shall not eat of it. And so it happened to 00:25:41.089 --> 00:25:44.269 him. For the people trampled him in the gate, 00:25:44.430 --> 00:25:49.180 and what? And he died. And we see in this story, 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:54.059 it's a practical example of a man that choose 00:25:54.059 --> 00:25:57.099 to live in unbelief. So firstly, we saw that 00:25:57.099 --> 00:26:01.480 Samaria was under severe siege, right? The context 00:26:01.480 --> 00:26:03.799 is the extreme hunger, the famine, the hunger, 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:05.759 the desperation among the people and all that 00:26:05.759 --> 00:26:09.319 we see. And the situation appeared completely 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:13.259 hopeless. The situation appeared completely hopeless, 00:26:13.339 --> 00:26:17.079 making it difficult for anyone to imagine. In 00:26:17.079 --> 00:26:20.319 fact, it's impossible for you to imagine any 00:26:20.319 --> 00:26:27.180 form of deliverance or abundance. Okay? And sometimes 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:29.700 situations present themselves equally to us in 00:26:29.700 --> 00:26:32.240 this way. When we look at, sometimes when we 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:34.220 look at our countries, where we are coming from, 00:26:34.559 --> 00:26:36.720 we look at our lives, we look at the families 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:39.339 we are coming from, we look at the situation 00:26:39.339 --> 00:26:42.880 of our pocket, we look at the impossibilities 00:26:42.880 --> 00:26:46.509 that surrounds us. it becomes difficult for us 00:26:46.509 --> 00:26:49.910 to believe what God is saying. Now, we are not 00:26:49.910 --> 00:26:53.289 here to eliminate the experiences that are happening. 00:26:53.390 --> 00:26:55.609 We are not shutting down the fact that these 00:26:55.609 --> 00:26:59.349 things are happening. Okay? Faith is not ignoring 00:26:59.349 --> 00:27:02.809 the facts on ground. Faith is not ignoring the 00:27:02.809 --> 00:27:05.609 facts on ground. Faith is believing the word 00:27:05.609 --> 00:27:09.450 of God against the facts. Are we together? So, 00:27:10.109 --> 00:27:12.069 We could look at Africa, we could look at our 00:27:12.069 --> 00:27:15.130 countries, the situation of our countries, and 00:27:15.130 --> 00:27:19.230 then we see clearly, if it's by man's making, 00:27:19.309 --> 00:27:22.430 there's no hope. Actually, let me tell you this. 00:27:23.069 --> 00:27:25.769 Many African countries, if it's left onto our 00:27:25.769 --> 00:27:28.950 leaders, our countries will be sold. We will 00:27:28.950 --> 00:27:32.470 not have a place to call home. Many of our countries 00:27:32.470 --> 00:27:34.690 are existing because it's because of the grace 00:27:34.690 --> 00:27:37.119 of God. Not because, you know, people have been, 00:27:37.140 --> 00:27:39.359 you know, disciplined in managing our economy 00:27:39.359 --> 00:27:41.700 or managing our systems. It's because God has 00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:44.480 decided to hold on to, you know, our systems 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:49.119 and not allowing them to collapse. So the practicality 00:27:49.119 --> 00:27:53.859 of these situations, you know, are very, very 00:27:53.859 --> 00:27:56.400 important. But much more than that, the word 00:27:56.400 --> 00:27:59.940 of God supersedes or is above every single experience. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:05.009 And we see here that fear... frustration and 00:28:05.009 --> 00:28:07.269 unbelief filled the atmosphere because of what 00:28:07.269 --> 00:28:09.829 they are passing through. With even the king 00:28:09.829 --> 00:28:12.410 himself blaming God, he blamed Elisha for the 00:28:12.410 --> 00:28:16.269 crisis, right? But then, in the midst of it, 00:28:16.390 --> 00:28:20.230 the word of God comes. And the expectation of 00:28:20.230 --> 00:28:23.809 everyone is to act on the word of God. You always 00:28:23.809 --> 00:28:27.730 believe the word of God. And in chapter 7, when 00:28:27.730 --> 00:28:30.109 Elisha promised the abandoned foot, by the next 00:28:30.109 --> 00:28:33.609 day, we see the officer's response reflect what 00:28:33.609 --> 00:28:37.589 he saw rather than what God has spoken. You know, 00:28:37.650 --> 00:28:40.230 it's a comparison between what he has seen, the 00:28:40.230 --> 00:28:42.690 experience of the people, the experience in the 00:28:42.690 --> 00:28:45.609 land, and bringing it on the same level with 00:28:45.609 --> 00:28:49.869 what God has said. You know, he chooses to elevate 00:28:49.869 --> 00:28:52.369 the experience above what God has said. That 00:28:52.369 --> 00:28:54.589 means that he's in unbelief. He didn't believe 00:28:54.589 --> 00:28:57.690 what God said through the prophet. He didn't 00:28:57.690 --> 00:29:00.619 believe what God said through the prophet. So 00:29:00.619 --> 00:29:03.660 God gave a clear promise. God gave a clear promise. 00:29:04.400 --> 00:29:07.460 Elisha declared that food will become abundant 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:11.299 in Samaria by the next day. The officer, on the 00:29:11.299 --> 00:29:13.440 other hand, did not believe the word of God. 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:18.660 His unbelief, right, was only in his heart. His 00:29:18.660 --> 00:29:23.180 unbelief was expressed in his words. Okay? His 00:29:23.180 --> 00:29:26.579 unbelief was expressed in his words. Thereafter, 00:29:26.599 --> 00:29:29.180 he could not partake in the blessings that came 00:29:29.180 --> 00:29:32.460 upon the land. Look at verse 2 again. Look at 00:29:32.460 --> 00:29:35.619 the officer's response in verse 2. So, chapter 00:29:35.619 --> 00:29:41.299 7, verse 2. So an officer, on whose hand the 00:29:41.299 --> 00:29:45.400 king leaned, answered the man of God and said, 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:49.460 Look, if the Lord will make windows in heaven. 00:29:49.720 --> 00:29:52.180 Please, is it possible to give us NLT of this 00:29:52.180 --> 00:29:55.619 verse 2? Yes. The officer assisting the king 00:29:55.619 --> 00:29:59.960 said to the man of God that that couldn't happen, 00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:04.059 right? That couldn't happen. Even if the Lord 00:30:04.059 --> 00:30:06.779 opened the windows of heaven, that this thing 00:30:06.779 --> 00:30:09.740 cannot happen. Even if God himself opened the 00:30:09.740 --> 00:30:13.559 windows of heaven, what the prophet said is almost, 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:17.799 in Turkish, it's impossible, right? It cannot 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:21.579 happen. That couldn't happen. Even if the Lord 00:30:21.579 --> 00:30:24.859 opened the windows of heaven, But Elisha replied, 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:29.279 you will see it happen with your own eyes, but 00:30:29.279 --> 00:30:32.660 you won't be able to eat any of it. Hallelujah. 00:30:33.460 --> 00:30:38.519 So his words reveal his heart. Okay. His words 00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:42.920 reveal his heart. Perhaps he shouldn't have even 00:30:42.920 --> 00:30:47.240 said something. All right. He should have just 00:30:47.240 --> 00:30:52.059 remained silent and trust the process to overcome 00:30:52.059 --> 00:30:55.880 his unbelief. But his words reveal his heart. 00:30:56.299 --> 00:31:00.480 His statement was not merely a question. Okay? 00:31:00.859 --> 00:31:05.619 It expressed doubt. It's a declaration. It's 00:31:05.619 --> 00:31:07.380 a declaration. His statement is a declaration. 00:31:08.000 --> 00:31:13.119 It expressed doubt that God could, that God, 00:31:13.180 --> 00:31:17.619 that God cannot fulfill what he has said. All 00:31:17.619 --> 00:31:21.779 right? But then we see in this story that God 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:25.039 fulfilled his words. The promise and the abundance 00:31:25.039 --> 00:31:27.980 came exactly as Elisha said. When we read the 00:31:27.980 --> 00:31:30.880 entire chapter 7, we'll see. As Elisha declared 00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:33.819 the word of God by speaking the counsel of God, 00:31:33.960 --> 00:31:36.799 you know, exercising authority that he has as 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:39.980 a prophet over the nation, declaring that this 00:31:39.980 --> 00:31:43.559 is what will happen by words. Okay? So even the 00:31:43.559 --> 00:31:46.579 action of the prophet himself is a function of 00:31:46.579 --> 00:31:50.000 words. He declared what will happen. So the word 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:53.609 is not limited. The word of God. It's not limited 00:31:53.609 --> 00:31:57.470 by human reasoning. Okay? You cannot use your 00:31:57.470 --> 00:32:01.450 human reasoning and then limit the power of what 00:32:01.450 --> 00:32:04.369 God said will happen no matter how you reason 00:32:04.369 --> 00:32:07.849 the situation. As you are calculating the impossibility 00:32:07.849 --> 00:32:10.829 of the situation, the word of God supersedes 00:32:10.829 --> 00:32:15.049 your reasoning. Our words can reveal whether 00:32:15.049 --> 00:32:18.420 we agree with God's promises. Or we're expressing 00:32:18.420 --> 00:32:21.140 unbelief towards it. And it thereafter affects 00:32:21.140 --> 00:32:23.900 our experiences in life, generally speaking. 00:32:24.160 --> 00:32:27.380 Okay? It affects and influences our experiences 00:32:27.380 --> 00:32:31.140 in life. So regardless of the fact, in the circumstance, 00:32:31.619 --> 00:32:35.960 in our circumstances, in our situations, we must 00:32:35.960 --> 00:32:40.619 always agree with what God has said. Because 00:32:40.619 --> 00:32:45.880 God has said things concerning us. We must believe 00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:48.900 what the word of God is saying. And our confession 00:32:48.900 --> 00:32:52.079 and what we speak must be what God is saying 00:32:52.079 --> 00:32:56.779 concerning our matters all the time. All the 00:32:56.779 --> 00:33:00.279 time. Our words must not be an expression of 00:33:00.279 --> 00:33:04.299 the facts of the situation. The situation, the 00:33:04.299 --> 00:33:07.160 facts surrounding the situations are there, but 00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:10.859 our anchor is not in the reality of the situation, 00:33:10.900 --> 00:33:13.799 but it's in what God has said. That is what will 00:33:13.799 --> 00:33:15.380 make people look at you and they'll see you as 00:33:15.380 --> 00:33:18.160 a crazy and a stupid person. Because outwardly, 00:33:18.160 --> 00:33:20.019 they can't see you measuring up to what you are 00:33:20.019 --> 00:33:23.960 holding on to. Alright? People are saying there's 00:33:23.960 --> 00:33:26.839 a casting down and then your own confession is 00:33:26.839 --> 00:33:30.140 what? Is there reason lifting up? Because that's 00:33:30.140 --> 00:33:33.460 what the Word of God says. Evidently, everybody 00:33:33.460 --> 00:33:37.119 is condemning things. It's saying evil about 00:33:37.119 --> 00:33:39.400 situations. It's saying evil about the nation. 00:33:39.480 --> 00:33:42.319 It's saying evil about the systems. about the 00:33:42.319 --> 00:33:45.380 system, even about your bosses, about where you 00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:48.539 are working, about your lecturers, about whatever. 00:33:48.720 --> 00:33:52.559 But what comes out of your mouth are words of 00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:56.519 blessings and the word of God. Hallelujah. That 00:33:56.519 --> 00:33:58.680 is your identity. That is your nature. And that 00:33:58.680 --> 00:34:01.119 is who you are. And that is what God wants us 00:34:01.119 --> 00:34:05.819 to be at all times. Right? That we don't speak 00:34:05.819 --> 00:34:08.920 things that are evil, but we speak things that 00:34:08.920 --> 00:34:12.630 are blessings. And we don't speak the circumstance. 00:34:12.829 --> 00:34:14.809 We speak what the word of God is saying concerning 00:34:14.809 --> 00:34:18.349 our circumstance. Amen? So regardless of your 00:34:18.349 --> 00:34:20.130 experience, I want you to see the word of God 00:34:20.130 --> 00:34:22.769 above your experiences. I want you to see the 00:34:22.769 --> 00:34:24.949 word of God above what is happening in your life. 00:34:25.230 --> 00:34:28.269 I want you to see the word of God above the trials 00:34:28.269 --> 00:34:31.429 that you are facing. Listen, what I'm saying 00:34:31.429 --> 00:34:33.989 is you may not understand the implication of 00:34:33.989 --> 00:34:36.409 the things we are teaching you now. There's one 00:34:36.409 --> 00:34:39.090 thing we are sure. If you are not passing through 00:34:39.090 --> 00:34:43.250 trial now, Tomorrow you will be in one. It's 00:34:43.250 --> 00:34:46.590 guaranteed as a believer. So if you are passing 00:34:46.590 --> 00:34:48.190 through now, what I'm saying is for your help. 00:34:48.809 --> 00:34:51.730 If you're not passing through one now, what we're 00:34:51.730 --> 00:34:54.510 saying is for your safety for tomorrow, that 00:34:54.510 --> 00:34:57.650 you will pass through trials. In the scripture, 00:34:57.789 --> 00:35:01.590 it's a promise. It's a certainty that you will 00:35:01.590 --> 00:35:05.409 pass through trials. Hallelujah. But your faith 00:35:05.409 --> 00:35:08.739 will not fail. Amen. Because you know what? You 00:35:08.739 --> 00:35:10.559 know the secret. The secret is to hold on to 00:35:10.559 --> 00:35:13.320 God's word. See, if we begin to tell you our 00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:16.980 story as pastors, sometimes I could be weak in 00:35:16.980 --> 00:35:19.099 my faith and I hear how Pastor Kosti is saying 00:35:19.099 --> 00:35:21.420 when we come together to pray, to talk, immediately 00:35:21.420 --> 00:35:25.519 faith comes to, I come alive. I hear Pastor Chidi 00:35:25.519 --> 00:35:27.940 encouraging himself in the word, I come alive. 00:35:28.980 --> 00:35:32.539 Hallelujah. So our anchor is always in what God 00:35:32.539 --> 00:35:35.519 has said. We must know this. This is a secret 00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:39.659 to excel in. This is a secret for thriving in 00:35:39.659 --> 00:35:42.000 our lives and to live life that will please God, 00:35:42.079 --> 00:35:44.780 that will honor God at all times. This is a secret 00:35:44.780 --> 00:35:48.300 of the Christian life. If this is a secret, that 00:35:48.300 --> 00:35:51.260 the Word of God becomes our anchor. You will 00:35:51.260 --> 00:35:53.659 be tested. Some of you, the reason that you are 00:35:53.659 --> 00:35:55.460 not feeling the heaviness of life is because 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:58.559 your life is being sponsored. Okay? Your life 00:35:58.559 --> 00:36:02.079 is being sponsored by someone, by your parents. 00:36:02.539 --> 00:36:06.159 But by the moment you become independent, And 00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:08.480 you look at your salary and you look at your 00:36:08.480 --> 00:36:12.579 expense. It's not equal fraction. It's not, what 00:36:12.579 --> 00:36:14.940 do you call it in mathematics? It's not adding 00:36:14.940 --> 00:36:19.820 up. Improper fraction, right? It's 1 over 10. 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:27.559 10 over 1. Okay. You see what you need. Your 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:29.639 salary can solve and you trust God for the rest. 00:36:32.480 --> 00:36:35.360 Hallelujah. You just look at the vision that 00:36:35.360 --> 00:36:36.940 God has given you. Look at the income you have. 00:36:37.460 --> 00:36:39.860 You just trust God for the rest. Hallelujah. 00:36:40.599 --> 00:36:44.320 So we must learn to put the word of God. Believe 00:36:44.320 --> 00:36:46.980 the word of God. I am telling you the situation 00:36:46.980 --> 00:36:50.639 will test your faith. This is normal. Hallelujah. 00:36:51.480 --> 00:36:54.179 It will look so impossible. You look at the word 00:36:54.179 --> 00:36:56.980 of God and look at the situation. It doesn't 00:36:56.980 --> 00:36:59.840 make sense. But hold on to God's word because 00:36:59.840 --> 00:37:03.579 the word of God is true. Hallelujah. Let me say 00:37:03.579 --> 00:37:08.579 after, yes. So, unbelief cannot or should not, 00:37:08.639 --> 00:37:12.920 you know, shift us away from the word of God. 00:37:13.659 --> 00:37:15.400 And let's look at another example in the New 00:37:15.400 --> 00:37:19.619 Testament, in Mark chapter 5. Mark chapter 5, 00:37:19.719 --> 00:37:22.199 a story of the woman with the issue of blood. 00:37:22.900 --> 00:37:26.539 Mark chapter 5, the story can be found in Mark, 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:29.380 can be found in Luke, can be found in Matthew 00:37:29.380 --> 00:37:31.840 rather. But let's look at Mark chapter 5 verse... 00:37:32.599 --> 00:37:35.239 25, and then we'll move to the story in Luke. 00:37:35.579 --> 00:37:39.420 Just picking some important information. Now, 00:37:39.420 --> 00:37:42.500 a certain woman had a flow of blood for 12 years. 00:37:43.380 --> 00:37:46.360 Okay? She had an issue with the flow of blood 00:37:46.360 --> 00:37:48.519 for 12 years. Let's continue the reading from 00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:51.619 Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8, the same story, 00:37:51.719 --> 00:37:54.639 Luke chapter 8, verse 43. Because of time, I 00:37:54.639 --> 00:38:00.199 can't read all of it. Chapter 8, verse 43. Yes. 00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:03.800 Now, a woman having a flow of blood for 12 years, 00:38:04.039 --> 00:38:08.019 who had spent all her livelihood on physicians, 00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:10.900 that means she has gone to different hospitals, 00:38:10.960 --> 00:38:14.000 she has gone to L .A.'s hospital, she has gone 00:38:14.000 --> 00:38:16.179 to Dr. Buwan, she has gone to the one in Maguza, 00:38:16.300 --> 00:38:18.619 she has gone around all the physicians, she has 00:38:18.619 --> 00:38:21.460 come to nearest hospital, the Oga of all of them, 00:38:21.559 --> 00:38:26.039 and could not be healed by any. So it means that 00:38:26.039 --> 00:38:28.860 her situation has become impossible. It means 00:38:28.860 --> 00:38:31.829 that she has not found solution. There's no solution 00:38:31.829 --> 00:38:37.570 for our problem. Verse 43. Now a woman having 00:38:37.570 --> 00:38:40.289 a flow of blood for 12 years who had spent all 00:38:40.289 --> 00:38:43.889 her livelihood on physicians and could not be 00:38:43.889 --> 00:38:48.050 healed by any. Verse 44. Came from behind and 00:38:48.050 --> 00:38:50.429 touched the border of his garment. That is Jesus. 00:38:50.570 --> 00:38:53.570 Because she heard about Jesus and she believed 00:38:53.570 --> 00:38:58.420 in Jesus for her healing. Okay? And immediately, 00:38:58.639 --> 00:39:02.699 her flow of blood stopped. Immediately, her flow 00:39:02.699 --> 00:39:05.579 of blood stopped. And Jesus said, who touched 00:39:05.579 --> 00:39:10.219 me? Then all denied it. Peter and those with 00:39:10.219 --> 00:39:13.280 him said, Master, the multitude thronged and 00:39:13.280 --> 00:39:16.559 praised you. And you say, who touched me? Verse 00:39:16.559 --> 00:39:19.639 46. But Jesus said, somebody touched me, for 00:39:19.639 --> 00:39:24.360 I perceived power going out from me. Now, when 00:39:24.360 --> 00:39:28.670 the woman saw that, she was not hidden. She came 00:39:28.670 --> 00:39:31.809 trembling and falling down before him. She declared 00:39:31.809 --> 00:39:34.630 to him in the presence of all the people, the 00:39:34.630 --> 00:39:38.929 reason she had touched him and how she was healed 00:39:38.929 --> 00:39:43.929 immediately. 48. And he said to her, daughter, 00:39:44.050 --> 00:39:49.809 be of good cheer. Your faith has made you well. 00:39:49.949 --> 00:39:53.730 Go in peace. Now let's look at the story in chapter 00:39:53.730 --> 00:39:58.699 nine. Matthew chapter 9, verse 20. She heard 00:39:58.699 --> 00:40:01.980 about Jesus and she believed that Jesus could 00:40:01.980 --> 00:40:06.760 heal her. She knows that only Jesus can solve 00:40:06.760 --> 00:40:08.440 this problem. It's no longer a scientific issue. 00:40:09.199 --> 00:40:11.980 And suddenly a woman who had flow of blood for 00:40:11.980 --> 00:40:14.719 12 years came from behind and touched the harm 00:40:14.719 --> 00:40:18.780 of his garment. For she said to herself, all 00:40:18.780 --> 00:40:23.840 right, her faith led her to speaking to herself. 00:40:24.510 --> 00:40:30.010 If only, okay, if only I may touch his garment, 00:40:30.309 --> 00:40:34.329 I shall be made whole. But Jesus turned around 00:40:34.329 --> 00:40:37.170 and when he saw her, he said, Be of good cheer, 00:40:37.329 --> 00:40:42.389 daughter. Your faith has made you well. And the 00:40:42.389 --> 00:40:46.389 woman was made well from that very hour. Hallelujah. 00:40:47.210 --> 00:40:52.869 So, her faith was expressed in words. She said, 00:40:53.690 --> 00:40:55.250 Contextually, when we gather the reading together, 00:40:55.409 --> 00:40:59.110 we'll see the whole story. If I may touch, if 00:40:59.110 --> 00:41:02.750 I may but touch his clothes, I shall be made 00:41:02.750 --> 00:41:07.489 whole. I shall be made whole. Mark 5, 28. I shall 00:41:07.489 --> 00:41:11.909 be made whole. She acted on her confession. She 00:41:11.909 --> 00:41:15.750 acted on her confession. She reached out endowment. 00:41:16.429 --> 00:41:19.530 And of course, Jesus confirmed. He confirmed 00:41:19.530 --> 00:41:22.150 her faith. He told her, daughter, your faith. 00:41:23.049 --> 00:41:27.110 has made you whole. So we see that faith is expressed 00:41:27.110 --> 00:41:30.090 through words. And in her words, she doesn't 00:41:30.090 --> 00:41:32.909 just believe that Jesus is able to heal her from 00:41:32.909 --> 00:41:35.050 what she has been passing through. We could paint 00:41:35.050 --> 00:41:36.869 a good picture of her experience and how she 00:41:36.869 --> 00:41:38.710 has suffered and how she has gone from physician 00:41:38.710 --> 00:41:42.170 to physician and how, you know, all have tried, 00:41:42.269 --> 00:41:45.550 but they could not, they were not able to solve 00:41:45.550 --> 00:41:49.969 her need until she heard about Jesus. And she 00:41:49.969 --> 00:41:54.170 believed. that Jesus will heal her. All right? 00:41:54.730 --> 00:41:56.889 So she didn't just believe that Jesus will heal 00:41:56.889 --> 00:42:00.369 her. She said to herself, because I don't think 00:42:00.369 --> 00:42:02.829 there's any scripture that she might have read 00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:05.250 and said, ah, there's an example that I can touch 00:42:05.250 --> 00:42:07.949 the hem of somebody's shit and then I will be 00:42:07.949 --> 00:42:11.550 made whole. But she said to herself that what? 00:42:11.809 --> 00:42:14.690 That if I can just hold on to the hem of his 00:42:14.690 --> 00:42:19.329 garment. So her faith is seen in what? in her 00:42:19.329 --> 00:42:21.110 words, first and foremost, not to somebody, but 00:42:21.110 --> 00:42:25.250 to herself. Okay? That is to say, what she believed, 00:42:25.449 --> 00:42:28.409 she spoke what she believed to herself. All right? 00:42:28.849 --> 00:42:31.530 So it's an example for us of what we believe 00:42:31.530 --> 00:42:33.849 about God, what we believe about what Jesus is 00:42:33.849 --> 00:42:36.289 doing, or what we believe about what Jesus will 00:42:36.289 --> 00:42:40.969 do in our lives. We must always say it to ourselves. 00:42:42.349 --> 00:42:45.909 Okay? We must always speak the word to ourselves. 00:42:46.469 --> 00:42:49.760 The words of faith, we must always speak it to 00:42:49.760 --> 00:42:53.820 ourselves. It has an impact on our actions. And 00:42:53.820 --> 00:42:55.980 when she had an opportunity, she acted on what 00:42:55.980 --> 00:42:58.800 she has been saying to herself. And there and 00:42:58.800 --> 00:43:01.539 then the Bible says at that very hour, she was 00:43:01.539 --> 00:43:04.940 made whole. So faith is expressed through words 00:43:04.940 --> 00:43:09.320 and corresponding actions. What we believe in 00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:11.360 our hearts can find expressions through what 00:43:11.360 --> 00:43:14.920 we say and what we do. When we speak words of 00:43:14.920 --> 00:43:18.059 faith with our mouths, but also don't believe 00:43:18.059 --> 00:43:21.219 in our hearts, we will have no result. Okay? 00:43:21.739 --> 00:43:23.719 Because from the abundance of what is in our 00:43:23.719 --> 00:43:26.699 hearts, it's expected that our mouth will speak 00:43:26.699 --> 00:43:29.440 and there must be an alignment between what is 00:43:29.440 --> 00:43:31.860 in our hearts and what is in our mouths. Give 00:43:31.860 --> 00:43:35.559 me Matthew chapter 15. Matthew 15 verse 8 to 00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:41.159 9. Yes. It's a quotation of Isaiah. The possibility 00:43:41.159 --> 00:43:44.699 of people drawing to God. Alright? But their 00:43:44.699 --> 00:43:49.309 hearts. is not with God. He says, these people 00:43:49.309 --> 00:43:52.269 draw near to me with their mouth. At least they 00:43:52.269 --> 00:43:55.269 say beautiful things about God. They say the 00:43:55.269 --> 00:43:58.849 word of God and honor me with their lips. But 00:43:58.849 --> 00:44:03.610 their heart is what? It's far from me. And in 00:44:03.610 --> 00:44:06.889 vain they worship me, teaching as doctrine the 00:44:06.889 --> 00:44:10.190 commandments of men. The commandments of men. 00:44:10.670 --> 00:44:13.809 So, there's a possibility that we can be saying 00:44:13.809 --> 00:44:17.389 things, alright, that our hearts are not in alignment 00:44:17.389 --> 00:44:20.289 with what he was saying. So we are not like these 00:44:20.289 --> 00:44:22.349 people because he's talking about the Pharisees. 00:44:22.730 --> 00:44:27.570 All right? We are people that will say with our 00:44:27.570 --> 00:44:30.769 lips and also believe in our hearts because that 00:44:30.769 --> 00:44:32.949 is how we'll benefit from the word of God. Hallelujah. 00:44:33.710 --> 00:44:36.869 Mark chapter 7 verse 6 and 8. I think it's the 00:44:36.869 --> 00:44:41.030 same text. I'm not mistaking. Yes, yes. Isaiah, 00:44:41.250 --> 00:44:45.539 prophets of Isaiah, yes. So, It's important for 00:44:45.539 --> 00:44:50.159 us to understand that the Word of God, the Word 00:44:50.159 --> 00:44:55.619 of God is powerful. The Word of God is important 00:44:55.619 --> 00:44:59.219 that everything God says, He has a responsibility 00:44:59.219 --> 00:45:02.699 to ensure that His words come to pass. Because 00:45:02.699 --> 00:45:05.980 the character of God, the character of God, the 00:45:05.980 --> 00:45:10.340 integrity of God are in His words. Okay? So why 00:45:10.340 --> 00:45:12.460 do we say, Why do we believe that the word of 00:45:12.460 --> 00:45:14.780 God will come to pass? We believe that the word 00:45:14.780 --> 00:45:16.599 of God will come to pass because his character 00:45:16.599 --> 00:45:20.900 is in his word. So that is why we believe the 00:45:20.900 --> 00:45:24.619 word of God. Because the word of God expresses 00:45:24.619 --> 00:45:27.019 the character of God. It shows the integrity 00:45:27.019 --> 00:45:31.820 of God, who God is. God's character is in his 00:45:31.820 --> 00:45:34.940 word. Since our confession is the word of God, 00:45:35.059 --> 00:45:37.139 right? Our confession is in the word of God. 00:45:37.619 --> 00:45:41.739 God's word always comes to pass. God's Word always, 00:45:41.800 --> 00:45:43.639 if you see the way the Word of God fell, it's 00:45:43.639 --> 00:45:47.059 not with God. It's with the actions of men. Alright? 00:45:47.519 --> 00:45:50.920 So, whatever God has said concerning us, whenever 00:45:50.920 --> 00:45:53.179 we go through Scriptures and we see the realities 00:45:53.179 --> 00:45:55.800 of the believer, whenever we go through Scriptures, 00:45:55.880 --> 00:45:59.980 we see promises that are for the believer. We 00:45:59.980 --> 00:46:03.579 see God saying things concerning our lives. We 00:46:03.579 --> 00:46:05.920 see revealed, because the Word of God reveals 00:46:05.920 --> 00:46:10.679 us. It reveals our identity. It reveals our Our 00:46:10.679 --> 00:46:14.019 blessings, our blessedness, it reveals what God 00:46:14.019 --> 00:46:16.860 is doing right now in our lives. Even if our 00:46:16.860 --> 00:46:19.239 lives might not look like what the Word of God 00:46:19.239 --> 00:46:21.219 is saying, but we believe that that's what God 00:46:21.219 --> 00:46:23.739 is doing in our lives. Hallelujah. We believe 00:46:23.739 --> 00:46:25.599 that that's what God is working out of us. With 00:46:25.599 --> 00:46:28.300 time, it will speak. We will become that thing 00:46:28.300 --> 00:46:30.539 that God is working out of us. We will become 00:46:30.539 --> 00:46:33.380 just the kind of man and the kind of woman that 00:46:33.380 --> 00:46:35.940 God wants us to become. Our characters will be 00:46:35.940 --> 00:46:37.280 transformed. Sometimes we have to be patient 00:46:37.280 --> 00:46:40.070 with ourselves. And keep believing the word of 00:46:40.070 --> 00:46:43.849 God. Keep studying the word of God until you 00:46:43.849 --> 00:46:45.949 see your life aligning with the word of God. 00:46:46.030 --> 00:46:49.889 Until you see yourself strengthened by the word 00:46:49.889 --> 00:46:53.210 of God. Because the word of God is powerful. 00:46:53.630 --> 00:46:58.909 Isaiah 55 verse 10 talks about the integrity 00:46:58.909 --> 00:47:02.730 of God's word. For as the rain comes down and 00:47:02.730 --> 00:47:06.420 the snow from heaven. and do not return there 00:47:06.420 --> 00:47:09.480 but water the earth and make it bring forth and 00:47:09.480 --> 00:47:12.539 birth that it may give seed to the sower and 00:47:12.539 --> 00:47:16.880 bread to the eater. So shall my word be as goes 00:47:16.880 --> 00:47:20.440 forth from my mouth. So Isaiah here is using 00:47:20.440 --> 00:47:22.719 the rain and as the rain comes down and the effect 00:47:22.719 --> 00:47:25.599 of rain is seen on the land, so shall my word 00:47:25.599 --> 00:47:28.599 be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not 00:47:28.599 --> 00:47:31.980 return to me empty. The word of God will not 00:47:31.980 --> 00:47:35.860 return without executing its cost. It shall not 00:47:35.860 --> 00:47:39.800 return to me void, but it shall accomplish what 00:47:39.800 --> 00:47:44.440 I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for 00:47:44.440 --> 00:47:46.780 which I sent it. That is to say that whatever 00:47:46.780 --> 00:47:51.039 God has said concerning us, concerning his work, 00:47:51.079 --> 00:47:55.280 concerning his plan, it will come to pass. It 00:47:55.280 --> 00:47:58.440 will come to pass. Do we read verse 12? For you 00:47:58.440 --> 00:48:01.889 shall go out with joy. and be let out with peace. 00:48:02.309 --> 00:48:04.710 The mountains and the hills shall break forth 00:48:04.710 --> 00:48:07.329 into singing before you, and all the trees of 00:48:07.329 --> 00:48:09.789 the field shall clap their hands. So there's 00:48:09.789 --> 00:48:12.929 a context to what Isaiah is saying. But what 00:48:12.929 --> 00:48:14.630 we draw from here, the principle we're seeing 00:48:14.630 --> 00:48:17.949 from this verse, is that the word of God is not 00:48:17.949 --> 00:48:21.369 just for fun, right? It's not just for saying's 00:48:21.369 --> 00:48:25.369 sake. Of course, it's for our comfort, but much 00:48:25.369 --> 00:48:28.409 more than that, it comes to pass, all right? 00:48:28.889 --> 00:48:30.949 It encourages us, but we look forward to see 00:48:30.949 --> 00:48:34.869 what happens as God has said. As we align ourselves, 00:48:35.050 --> 00:48:37.449 as we keep trusting the word of God, as we keep 00:48:37.449 --> 00:48:40.010 aligning ourselves to what God has said, we keep 00:48:40.010 --> 00:48:42.590 seeing the result of what God has said in effect 00:48:42.590 --> 00:48:46.409 in our lives. Hallelujah. So, as I put a pause 00:48:46.409 --> 00:48:48.190 to this conversation on the issue of the faith 00:48:48.190 --> 00:48:52.690 and our words, it's important for us to conclude 00:48:52.690 --> 00:48:57.440 or to remind summarily that faith is... is expressed 00:48:57.440 --> 00:49:00.579 in our words. So I want you to leave this place 00:49:00.579 --> 00:49:04.519 intentionally. Alright? Speaking the words of 00:49:04.519 --> 00:49:07.900 faith. Speaking the words of faith against all 00:49:07.900 --> 00:49:12.099 odds. Speaking the words of faith. You know, 00:49:12.159 --> 00:49:15.599 your confession is a confession of faith. Means 00:49:15.599 --> 00:49:18.619 you are agreeing with what God has said in your 00:49:18.619 --> 00:49:22.639 heart and you are saying it with your lips. Hallelujah. 00:49:23.360 --> 00:49:28.940 And as you go, your heart, must be filled with 00:49:28.940 --> 00:49:31.179 the word of God. What fills your heart influences 00:49:31.179 --> 00:49:34.719 your mouth. What fills your heart will definitely 00:49:34.719 --> 00:49:37.320 influence your mouth. So as God's word dwells 00:49:37.320 --> 00:49:40.579 richly in us, it should shape our thoughts, our 00:49:40.579 --> 00:49:45.320 attitudes, our decisions, and our speech. And 00:49:45.320 --> 00:49:47.920 we establish that God's word or words that generally 00:49:47.920 --> 00:49:51.480 can reveal faith or unbelief. So we see from 00:49:51.480 --> 00:49:54.099 the story of the officer in 2 Kings, he spoke 00:49:54.099 --> 00:49:57.019 according to the circumstance he saw. While the 00:49:57.019 --> 00:49:59.260 woman with the issue of blood spoke according 00:49:59.260 --> 00:50:03.079 to what she believed about Jesus. So we must 00:50:03.079 --> 00:50:07.880 always speak faith. We must always speak faith. 00:50:08.420 --> 00:50:11.380 Our words must agree always with God's words. 00:50:12.219 --> 00:50:15.360 Faith is not merely speaking. It is believing 00:50:15.360 --> 00:50:19.159 and speaking. Therefore, we must train our mouths 00:50:19.159 --> 00:50:22.079 to speak faith rather than fear, rather than 00:50:22.079 --> 00:50:26.079 doubt, rather than unbelief. Because... We are 00:50:26.079 --> 00:50:28.159 men of faith. We have faith in us. Hallelujah. 00:50:28.639 --> 00:50:31.460 We have the ability to believe God's word. We 00:50:31.460 --> 00:50:33.440 have the ability to understand God's word. Every 00:50:33.440 --> 00:50:35.139 time we come, we pray that our eyes will open 00:50:35.139 --> 00:50:37.099 their senses and we will understand God's word 00:50:37.099 --> 00:50:39.139 and we will understand God's word and we will 00:50:39.139 --> 00:50:41.079 believe God's word and we will do God's word. 00:50:41.239 --> 00:50:44.179 Amen. I just want to, a few minutes we have, 00:50:44.280 --> 00:50:49.420 to just speak to God concerning your life. These 00:50:49.420 --> 00:50:53.000 two weeks has opened us to a certain reality 00:50:53.000 --> 00:50:57.719 about Reigning in life. About reigning in life. 00:50:57.760 --> 00:51:00.539 About reigning in this life. In this earth. And 00:51:00.539 --> 00:51:03.420 we reign by our words. We live by our words. 00:51:03.480 --> 00:51:06.579 We excel by our words. And I want you to pray 00:51:06.579 --> 00:51:09.699 to yourself. Pray for yourself. That your words. 00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:13.659 That you are intentional about what we say. That 00:51:13.659 --> 00:51:16.739 we are intentional about what we say. To ourselves. 00:51:17.860 --> 00:51:20.099 We are intentional about what we say to ourselves. 00:51:20.199 --> 00:51:25.650 Always. or follow us on social media. If you 00:51:25.650 --> 00:51:27.909 were encouraged, share this message with someone 00:51:27.909 --> 00:51:31.489 you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.