WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Staying Free Publishing Date: 2022-06-26T06:00:44-07:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/staying-free/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.200 Okay, so last time we were... 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:16.800 I have a mirror in the back, and so I'm trying to hide my balls. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:24.120 Okay, so last time we ended with this topic of Jericho. 00:00:24.120 --> 00:00:29.640 One of the things we said about Jericho was the battles that were won at Jericho were 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:33.240 lost in AI shortly after. 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:40.160 And so it's one thing to get free, it's another thing to stay free. 00:00:40.160 --> 00:00:46.840 So today, one of the things I want to do is talk about this idea of how do we stay free 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:49.640 once we get free. 00:00:49.640 --> 00:00:52.640 That's something I want to explore. 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.000 Yeah? 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:01.080 So let me go over that again. 00:01:01.080 --> 00:01:07.840 In Joshua chapter 7 verse 1, we see that the battle that was won in Jericho in chapter 00:01:07.840 --> 00:01:14.200 6 is lost in AI in chapter 7. 00:01:14.200 --> 00:01:18.560 And so it is easy to get free, it's easy to gain ground. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.720 But once you get free, how do you stay free? 00:01:21.720 --> 00:01:24.800 Once you gain ground, how do you hold ground? 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:29.680 That's an issue that all of us face. 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:34.920 So today we'll start that whole topic of how do we stay free? 00:01:34.920 --> 00:01:42.440 How do we hold ground? 00:01:42.440 --> 00:01:46.840 So here are maybe six points we can start with. 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:54.160 Obviously, every point will have two sub points, but we're used to that by now. 00:01:54.160 --> 00:01:59.080 So hello to anyone who's there for the first time. 00:01:59.080 --> 00:02:03.440 You guys next week. 00:02:03.440 --> 00:02:10.240 So the first point, if you want to hold ground that you have gained or if you want to stay 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:16.560 free after you have been set free is one. 00:02:16.600 --> 00:02:24.520 You have to figure out how you want to order your life in terms of what you value most. 00:02:24.520 --> 00:02:31.560 The pursuit of what you value most at present will be what will order your life. 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:32.680 Let me put it this way. 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:37.000 My life is ordered by what I value most. 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:41.240 My life is ordered by what I value most. 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:42.600 And where is this principle taken from? 00:02:42.600 --> 00:02:47.000 It's taken from Luke chapter 22, verse 19, where it says, where your treasure is, there 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:48.440 your heart is also. 00:02:48.440 --> 00:02:54.240 So once I've been set free or once I gain ground, I have to quickly begin to change 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:58.280 what I value most at present. 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:05.680 Because ground that is gained or freedom that is received can only be sustained if I change 00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:08.640 my value system. 00:03:08.640 --> 00:03:10.520 So what do I value most? 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:14.120 My life is ordered by what I value most. 00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:15.480 Why? 00:03:15.480 --> 00:03:19.560 Because what I value dictates my choices. 00:03:19.560 --> 00:03:24.280 What I value dictates my choices. 00:03:24.280 --> 00:03:28.280 What I value grabs my attention. 00:03:28.280 --> 00:03:35.240 Whatever grabs my attention is what will influence my affections. 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:41.400 Whatever influences my affections will set the direction for the next day. 00:03:41.400 --> 00:03:44.120 I'll say that again. 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:49.080 Whatever I value will be what grabs my attention. 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:54.680 Whatever I pay attention to begins to influence my affections. 00:03:54.680 --> 00:04:00.480 Whatever I'm affected by sets my direction. 00:04:00.480 --> 00:04:06.880 So let's say I've been set free from fear. 00:04:06.880 --> 00:04:11.920 And it applies to any area that you've been set free from. 00:04:11.920 --> 00:04:13.840 Let's say I've been set free from fear. 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:24.920 I now have to begin to cultivate the value of either courage or peace in God or not visiting 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:38.000 places that used to trigger off that fear or faith or tremendous trust in God. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.440 I have to pick the value that I need to. 00:04:40.440 --> 00:04:47.560 Because for every freedom that I gain I must look at, okay, how do I stay here? 00:04:47.560 --> 00:04:50.880 And it requires a value change. 00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:54.000 Is it porn or is it sexual immorality? 00:04:54.680 --> 00:05:00.040 It's the same principle that what do I value now so that I can walk in the freedom I have? 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:01.920 Is it purity that I value? 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.320 Is it intimacy with God that I value? 00:05:04.320 --> 00:05:13.920 Is it a cause that is so important to me that it is important to stay free of sin? 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:22.320 Is it the cost I've paid in the past that now becomes motivation for I will not go down that path again? 00:05:22.400 --> 00:05:27.680 What is the value system that you will change to sustain the freedom that you have now received? 00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:33.520 Because as I develop a value system or say this is highly valuable to me, 00:05:33.520 --> 00:05:36.160 that is when it grabs your attention. 00:05:36.960 --> 00:05:40.880 And so even when you begin to deviate it pulls you back because it grabs your attention. 00:05:41.440 --> 00:05:47.200 Once it grabs your attention it affects you, it influences your affections or your feelings or 00:05:47.200 --> 00:05:48.960 your emotions about things. 00:05:48.960 --> 00:05:51.280 And that then is what sets direction. 00:05:51.280 --> 00:05:56.560 And so every time I deviate or every time I begin to wander off I'm pulled back to the center again 00:05:57.200 --> 00:05:59.520 because of the values that I set for myself. 00:05:59.520 --> 00:06:04.880 So you have to find out in the area that you are receiving freedom what is the value that you want to set? 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:13.440 Is it with regard to finances where you have been set free from debt and from 00:06:15.840 --> 00:06:17.440 just poverty? 00:06:18.160 --> 00:06:19.840 What are the new values you establish? 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:28.480 I mean I was in such debt it was crazy like over 60,000 dollars in debt and it was 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:34.800 I think it was mostly my fault and so I couldn't even blame others. 00:06:35.680 --> 00:06:37.600 Then I had to establish value systems. 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:41.280 People were super kind to me, super gracious, they began to forgive my debts. 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:46.160 I began to pay off my debts but a time came when I had to establish a new set of values 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:49.520 in terms of how I function financially. 00:06:51.360 --> 00:06:57.280 And so every time I would want to go back into old ways of stretching myself for 00:06:58.560 --> 00:07:02.800 building things on dreams that I didn't have the resources for. 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:08.400 I'd have to go back to the values that I now began to establish that would dictate my choices. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:16.000 I know I'm repeating the same thing again and again but this is so critically. 00:07:16.000 --> 00:07:25.120 So these values have to be drawn out from scriptures, drawn out from the nature of 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:26.560 Jesus Christ. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:30.080 They have to be drawn out from the spiritual before they are drawn out from the natural. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:36.480 As in most things are first wrought in the spiritual so you have to draw these principles 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:37.920 out from the word. 00:07:38.320 --> 00:07:42.080 And for each of us it's different. 00:07:42.080 --> 00:07:47.760 So you could have the same financial problem that I'm having or you could have the same 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:53.200 problem with fear that I'm having or you could have the same problem with sexual immorality 00:07:53.200 --> 00:08:00.160 that I'm having but our response or our values will be different because our background and 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:01.760 our values will be different. 00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:08.800 But our response or our values will be different because our background and our individuality 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:09.920 or personality is different. 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:12.560 And so where do you go for this? 00:08:12.560 --> 00:08:19.360 You learn to look at God's heart, God's ways in circumstances so that the Spirit of God 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:22.000 can show you, hey, why don't you establish this value in your life? 00:08:26.880 --> 00:08:31.440 For some of us the fear of money is so crippling that you'll have to establish the value of 00:08:31.440 --> 00:08:35.120 generosity that you will force yourself to be generous. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:45.440 For some of us if it is sexual immorality we'll have to establish values where we begin 00:08:45.440 --> 00:08:53.120 to go over the nature of God in terms of his holiness or we begin to establish the value 00:08:53.120 --> 00:09:00.320 of intimacy where you get to know this God so well that now it becomes a poor exchange 00:09:00.320 --> 00:09:03.680 to give up what you have with God for immorality. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:13.920 Or if it's lying or deceit or pride, find the value that begins to dictate your choices 00:09:13.920 --> 00:09:17.920 by affecting your attention, your emotions and your reaction. 00:09:21.600 --> 00:09:22.480 That's the first step. 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.640 I can't see you guys so I don't know maybe I can. 00:09:28.640 --> 00:09:29.680 I don't think so. 00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:30.400 Nope, I can't. 00:09:31.120 --> 00:09:41.520 Okay, so if you have any questions just text Brandon and Brandon, who's my media manager 00:09:41.520 --> 00:09:47.840 globally, he's here in New York, he will pass the questions on to me. 00:09:48.560 --> 00:09:49.060 Yeah. 00:09:51.360 --> 00:09:53.440 Hey, by the way, before I go to the second point, 00:09:53.600 --> 00:10:03.200 man, the dancing yesterday by Wilson and James and Emmanuel, whoa, that was something else. 00:10:04.160 --> 00:10:10.800 I almost felt like I wish I was there to see that and I thought that was good and then Nick 00:10:10.800 --> 00:10:17.040 stepped up and what Nick did, I think I'll put it on Facebook, it'll go viral. 00:10:18.640 --> 00:10:21.200 Amazing Nick, you are very talented and gifted. 00:10:22.160 --> 00:10:24.480 It was so good that James stopped dancing. 00:10:27.920 --> 00:10:34.960 Anyways, because I can't see you, I don't know whether Nick is there or not, but 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:37.840 if he's there, you can give him a round of applause. 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:50.400 Alrighty, the next point I wanted to make was if you want to stay free or if you want to 00:10:50.400 --> 00:11:01.280 hold ground that you have gained, there must be a return to renewed pleasure in the Word. 00:11:01.920 --> 00:11:06.880 There must be a return to renewed pleasure in the Word. 00:11:06.880 --> 00:11:08.880 I'm not saying there must be a return to reading the Word. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:13.680 I'm saying there must be a return to renewed pleasure in the Word. 00:11:14.640 --> 00:11:21.040 Jeremiah 6 verse 10 talks about it, where it talks about once again getting to a place 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:24.720 where there's renewed pleasure in the Word. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.200 Jeremiah 6, 10, 00:11:34.320 --> 00:11:36.640 it says, let me try the message. 00:11:39.600 --> 00:11:40.960 It says, I've got something to say. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.160 Is anybody listening? 00:11:42.160 --> 00:11:43.440 I have a warning to post. 00:11:43.440 --> 00:11:44.720 Will anyone notice? 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:46.320 It's hopeless. 00:11:47.280 --> 00:11:50.480 Their ears are stuffed with wax, deaf as a post, blind as a bat. 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:51.120 It's hopeless. 00:11:51.120 --> 00:11:52.240 They've tuned out God. 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:54.800 They don't want to hear from me. 00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:01.520 In some other versions, it says the Word of the Lord is offensive to them. 00:12:01.520 --> 00:12:03.120 They find no pleasure in it. 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:05.440 So I'm not saying just a return to the Word. 00:12:05.440 --> 00:12:07.120 I'm talking about a pleasure in the Word. 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:13.440 One of the ways to gain ground and to stay free is to have pleasure in the Word so that 00:12:13.440 --> 00:12:16.240 the heart won't harden to the living Word. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:20.400 Pleasure prevents the heart from hardening to the living Word because it's possible 00:12:20.400 --> 00:12:21.360 to read the Word. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.040 There are tons of people that read the Word. 00:12:26.560 --> 00:12:32.480 My dad, before he became a believer, could quote any part of the scriptures because he 00:12:32.480 --> 00:12:33.760 had read the Word many times. 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:39.680 But it wasn't doing much for him in terms of even being born again, leave alone, leaving 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:40.800 a Christian life. 00:12:40.800 --> 00:12:45.680 So you can read the Word, but there can be a hardening of heart to the living Word. 00:12:45.680 --> 00:12:50.000 And unless there's pleasure, and it's a question we have to ask, do I actually find 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:50.720 pleasure? 00:12:50.720 --> 00:12:52.320 Do I take pleasure in reading the Word? 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:59.360 And so one of the things I do when I fall out of enjoying the Word is go back to God 00:12:59.360 --> 00:13:01.280 and say, I'm going to read the Word. 00:13:01.920 --> 00:13:05.520 Enjoying the Word is go back to God and say, Father, how do you want me to go about it? 00:13:05.520 --> 00:13:09.520 Because preferably, delight should lead to discipline. 00:13:10.880 --> 00:13:14.240 So can you give me a heart that can again delight in your Word? 00:13:15.040 --> 00:13:17.120 Because then it's easy to cultivate a discipline. 00:13:19.760 --> 00:13:24.400 But if God says, hey, the way I want you to go about it is first practice the discipline 00:13:24.400 --> 00:13:26.160 and I'll give you the delight, so be it. 00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:29.040 You've got to figure out which one God is asking you to do. 00:13:29.040 --> 00:13:31.040 And if you can't figure it out, try either. 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:33.200 Whichever one works. 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:39.600 Because for some of us, and I'm talking to us in Acts 29 right now, and I've been through 00:13:39.600 --> 00:13:45.840 this, where I'll read the Word, but there's this spirit of stupor that takes over as in 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:49.040 it's almost this sleepiness that hits you as you begin to read the Word. 00:13:49.040 --> 00:13:51.200 If that is the case, come for prayer. 00:13:52.160 --> 00:13:53.520 It's easily breakable. 00:13:53.680 --> 00:13:55.040 It's easily breakable. 00:13:56.800 --> 00:14:00.080 But as soon as you begin to read the Word, distractions begin to happen. 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:04.640 As soon as you read the Word, distractions I can understand, but as soon as you read 00:14:04.640 --> 00:14:07.200 the Word, there's a sleepiness that takes over. 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:08.320 It's like stupor. 00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:09.200 It's a dullness. 00:14:12.400 --> 00:14:15.920 Know then that it's easily breakable. 00:14:15.920 --> 00:14:16.800 Come for prayer. 00:14:16.800 --> 00:14:22.560 Tonight, I mean today, this morning after service is over, that's one of the things 00:14:22.560 --> 00:14:23.760 you want to get rid of. 00:14:23.760 --> 00:14:25.280 Come up and ask someone to pray for you. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:27.040 God will honor it, eh? 00:14:27.760 --> 00:14:32.560 Because one of the things Satan loves doing to prevent a crown that is gained from being 00:14:32.560 --> 00:14:37.600 held is to snatch away the Word of God so that you do not understand it. 00:14:39.280 --> 00:14:44.400 He talks about it in Matthew 13 verse 19 when he's talking about the parable, he says, 00:14:44.400 --> 00:14:47.920 and the birds come and take away the seed before they can grow roots. 00:14:50.160 --> 00:14:51.360 Before they can grow roots. 00:14:52.560 --> 00:14:57.360 So be aware of that. 00:15:00.720 --> 00:15:05.520 And once you begin to have pleasure in the Word, the next thing is to, 00:15:07.520 --> 00:15:13.440 now that you have gotten the delight part right, how about disciplined reading? 00:15:13.440 --> 00:15:16.480 And let me define disciplined reading. 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:20.400 Disciplined reading is not necessarily three chapters a day or five chapters a day. 00:15:20.400 --> 00:15:27.280 Disciplined reading is chewing, recounting, practicing, chewing, recounting, practicing. 00:15:27.280 --> 00:15:32.560 When you begin to chew the Word, recount the Word, practice the Word, you get God glimpses, 00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:33.920 you get God discoveries. 00:15:35.040 --> 00:15:38.480 And as that begins to happen, guys, pleasure is renewed. 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:46.080 It's like you now want to engage in it more because you're finding out things that 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:48.960 you thought only famous people and pastors find out. 00:15:50.400 --> 00:15:53.600 And here you are being instructed by the Holy Spirit. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.480 That's a great thing about the present day modern world. 00:15:56.480 --> 00:16:00.000 Every tool that is available to every teacher is available to everybody. 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:03.760 In terms of studying. 00:16:05.280 --> 00:16:08.960 So disciplined reading is chewing, recounting, practicing. 00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:14.240 And in the process, you have God glimpses and God discoveries, and it allows you to 00:16:14.240 --> 00:16:15.680 sustain your freedom. 00:16:16.800 --> 00:16:17.600 Build on it. 00:16:17.760 --> 00:16:18.720 And build on it. 00:16:19.920 --> 00:16:20.960 Think of it this way. 00:16:20.960 --> 00:16:22.160 So you get this plot of land. 00:16:23.040 --> 00:16:26.000 It's overrun with thistles and brambles and bushes. 00:16:27.760 --> 00:16:32.240 And that's initially how this idea of freedom begins. 00:16:32.880 --> 00:16:34.320 The land is now yours. 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.360 It's no longer being held by somebody else. 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:39.520 You're no longer in prison on that land. 00:16:39.520 --> 00:16:40.720 The land has been set free. 00:16:40.720 --> 00:16:42.000 The land is yours. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:44.960 Now begins the process of holding on to that land. 00:16:45.520 --> 00:16:47.120 First thing you do is clear the land. 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:53.040 Because to let those bushes and brambles go on would just end up in the land either 00:16:54.320 --> 00:16:58.880 decaying, rotting, or being infested with things that shouldn't be there. 00:16:58.880 --> 00:17:02.080 Squatters with animals. 00:17:02.800 --> 00:17:06.000 I know that it's an extreme example, but critters. 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:07.200 That's a better word. 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.840 And so what if you could clear the land? 00:17:09.840 --> 00:17:11.280 Once you clear the land, that's great. 00:17:11.280 --> 00:17:14.800 So now you begin to hold on to what you have received. 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:16.560 But how do you keep it that way? 00:17:16.560 --> 00:17:18.080 Keep it that way by building on it. 00:17:18.080 --> 00:17:20.880 Building something that is worthy of keeping on it. 00:17:21.600 --> 00:17:22.720 It's a process, eh? 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:25.040 But it's brilliant. 00:17:25.040 --> 00:17:27.360 Every area in my life then gets set free. 00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:30.640 One area in my mind, another area in my mind, a third area in my heart, 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:32.880 a fourth area in my, in the way I walk. 00:17:33.760 --> 00:17:38.880 And God keeps releasing things to me as I begin to follow these steps. 00:17:39.680 --> 00:17:41.600 We'll talk about this probably next week too. 00:17:41.600 --> 00:17:43.360 I'm just setting the foundations for next week. 00:17:47.040 --> 00:17:53.200 The third thing that we can begin to do is recognize that 00:17:55.920 --> 00:18:03.120 there is a tendency once we gain freedom for love to grow cold 00:18:05.280 --> 00:18:06.560 because grace abounds. 00:18:08.080 --> 00:18:12.880 So I've seen this happen in my life where there's an area I'm set free in. 00:18:13.840 --> 00:18:19.760 But instead of building on it, I realize that God is so merciful, 00:18:19.760 --> 00:18:23.680 God is so full of grace, that because His grace abounds 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:26.960 and because despite having messed up multiple times, 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:30.480 there is no consequence, there is no judgment, 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:34.880 that my fear in that area is diminished. 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:42.080 So to put it in a sentence, because grace abounds, 00:18:42.080 --> 00:18:46.800 as it says in Romans 5 20, and because judgment is deferred, 00:18:49.600 --> 00:18:51.280 the fear of God is diminished. 00:18:53.280 --> 00:18:54.960 That's one of the problems with grace, eh? 00:18:56.080 --> 00:18:59.920 Because grace abounds, because judgment is deferred, 00:19:01.760 --> 00:19:03.280 the fear of God is diminished. 00:19:06.800 --> 00:19:10.960 Otherwise, you and I would be far ahead of where we are. 00:19:10.960 --> 00:19:14.080 Some of us know the areas that we are stubborn in, right? 00:19:14.080 --> 00:19:15.920 You know you're stubborn in this area. 00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:19.280 You may have your way of justifying it, but you know you're stubborn in that area. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:25.360 But you don't seem to have too many consequences because of that stubbornness, 00:19:25.360 --> 00:19:26.960 so why not continue in it? 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:29.680 Judgment is deferred, grace is abounding, 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:32.960 and the fear of God in that area diminishes, 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.400 and when fear of God diminishes, lawlessness increases. 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:40.400 When fear of God diminishes, lawlessness increases. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:44.080 When lawlessness increases, love grows cold. 00:19:45.200 --> 00:19:49.120 When lawlessness increases, as in when I begin to live in a way 00:19:49.120 --> 00:19:52.320 that doesn't subscribe to the nature and the principles of God, 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:54.400 then my love grows cold. 00:19:57.600 --> 00:20:00.720 But because of God's jealous love for me, 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:06.320 because he yearns jealously over me, I'll only get so far with it. 00:20:07.600 --> 00:20:09.120 And I sometimes pray that, 00:20:09.120 --> 00:20:14.000 Father, at least I find it difficult to pray, 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:18.080 but I pray, Father, keep me on a short leash or discipline me if necessary. 00:20:18.080 --> 00:20:18.960 I don't like praying it. 00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:29.520 And the way this is capitalized on by Satan is by providing opportunity 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:36.320 for indulgences, for the satisfying of whatever the flesh desires. 00:20:36.560 --> 00:20:39.520 And the other subtle trick is to convince you that nibbling 00:20:39.520 --> 00:20:43.520 at things that are impure or ungodly will not affect your life, 00:20:43.520 --> 00:20:45.520 that it'll, it's okay. 00:20:45.520 --> 00:20:46.720 It's only a small nibble. 00:20:49.280 --> 00:20:52.880 Or what we don't realize is that lives are being sedated slowly. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:21:00.480 There's a scripture in Thessalonians which scares me always. 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:01.680 Scares me always. 00:21:02.400 --> 00:21:07.280 It basically says that whenever you resist spiritual truth, 00:21:07.280 --> 00:21:11.040 you invite delusion and it dulls areas of your life. 00:21:11.760 --> 00:21:15.760 Whenever you resist, whenever Jacob resists the spiritual truth, 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:22.240 he invites delusion into his life and it dulls that area of his life. 00:21:25.680 --> 00:21:30.080 So if you have been resisting a spiritual truth in your life continuously, 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:34.880 then in that area, you will become delusional. 00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:38.080 You will become your own master. 00:21:38.080 --> 00:21:41.680 You will become the central figure in that area. 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:45.360 You will become the idol that you worship. 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:48.880 Once delusional in that area, you become dull. 00:21:55.040 --> 00:21:55.520 Yeah. 00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:56.660 Yeah. 00:21:58.880 --> 00:22:03.760 So one of the things we have to do is this need to understand that 00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:07.440 once I am free in an area, 00:22:11.360 --> 00:22:16.240 the grace of God abounds, but I must not therefore now take it easy 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:17.920 because whenever the grace of God abounds, 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:20.480 there's a flip side which is fear is diminished. 00:22:21.120 --> 00:22:22.160 Fear is diminished. 00:22:23.120 --> 00:22:26.880 When the grace of God abounds, it must draw me into this virtuous cycle 00:22:27.920 --> 00:22:30.320 of continually increasing, 00:22:33.040 --> 00:22:34.080 not decreasing. 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.520 God won't hold back grace because that's not in his nature, 00:22:39.520 --> 00:22:45.040 but I can receive it in vain or exploit it 00:22:45.040 --> 00:22:48.160 in a way that isn't helpful to his purposes or to my life. 00:22:48.240 --> 00:22:51.680 So I love saying on Sunday mornings, on Monday mornings, on Tuesday mornings, 00:22:52.880 --> 00:22:55.040 I said it last Sunday, the listen guys, 00:22:55.840 --> 00:22:56.640 come to this God. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:22:58.080 He is willing to forgive. 00:22:58.080 --> 00:22:59.120 He's willing to cleanse. 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:00.240 He's willing to purify. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:02.160 He's willing to not remember. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:04.160 He's willing to be a father. 00:23:04.160 --> 00:23:06.640 He's willing to embrace you. 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:08.000 He has paid the price. 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:09.600 There's nothing outstanding. 00:23:09.600 --> 00:23:15.040 As if I have never sinned, absolutely holy, absolutely blameless. 00:23:15.040 --> 00:23:16.080 I have never sinned. 00:23:16.400 --> 00:23:20.480 Absolutely blameless, absolutely perfect, and all of it is true. 00:23:21.600 --> 00:23:26.000 And it is true every day because of the precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 00:23:29.600 --> 00:23:31.200 And I don't even want to say but. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.240 I want to say it is absolutely true. 00:23:35.600 --> 00:23:38.320 And now the question is how do I respond to it? 00:23:38.320 --> 00:23:42.720 Do I therefore now take for granted that I can go back 00:23:42.720 --> 00:23:45.360 into the thing that I've been set free from 00:23:45.360 --> 00:23:48.000 and know that this will be true tomorrow too? 00:23:49.920 --> 00:23:51.280 Because that's a theory. 00:23:51.280 --> 00:23:52.480 So just be aware of that. 00:23:57.520 --> 00:24:02.320 The fourth one probably applies more to guys my age or getting to my age. 00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:06.000 And the reason I say that is the fourth way that I 00:24:08.480 --> 00:24:13.120 hold on to ground that I have gained or walk in the freedom that I have been given 00:24:13.360 --> 00:24:16.480 or stay free is by numbering my days. 00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:18.480 By numbering my days. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.240 Ephesians 5.15 talks about it. 00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:25.520 Psalm 39 verse 4 talks about it. 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:30.000 Psalm 90 verse 12 talks about it. 00:24:32.560 --> 00:24:38.000 Ephesians 5.15, Psalm 39 verse 4, Psalm 90 verse 12. 00:24:38.720 --> 00:24:41.280 What I love about this idea of numbering my days 00:24:41.440 --> 00:24:46.560 is it says teach me to number my days that I may get a heart of wisdom. 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:50.560 Teach me to number my days so that I may get a heart of wisdom. 00:24:55.040 --> 00:25:01.920 I mean if you didn't know I'll be turning a year older on July 17th. 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:05.440 I have a feeling May thought my birthday was on June 17th. 00:25:06.400 --> 00:25:09.200 But anyways we will deal with that later May. 00:25:09.840 --> 00:25:13.360 I'll be turning a year older on July 17th. 00:25:15.360 --> 00:25:21.120 And I know that I have spent more than half my life. 00:25:23.120 --> 00:25:29.520 That I have lesser years left than I had in the past. 00:25:31.360 --> 00:25:35.600 And that if I learn to number my days, I will be able to do it. 00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:44.640 And if I learn to number my days, as in if I were to realize that I don't have as much time as I 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:50.880 thought I had, that I must make every day count, then I might begin to live my life more 00:25:50.880 --> 00:25:54.400 circumspectly because there's so much that needs to be done. 00:25:54.400 --> 00:25:58.000 Most of you if you look at the prophetic words you have received, you will find, 00:25:58.880 --> 00:26:00.080 and this is my experience, 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:05.120 you will find that you really haven't gotten to completing it yet. 00:26:05.760 --> 00:26:11.120 I'm marvel at guys who received prophetic words and they have completed what was spoken. 00:26:13.200 --> 00:26:16.560 They've finished what they've been given to do. 00:26:19.920 --> 00:26:25.360 And so I have to put this pressure on myself to now 00:26:25.760 --> 00:26:32.160 hold the ground that I have gained by believing, by trusting, by making every day count, 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:34.880 because every clock is ultimately God's. 00:26:35.600 --> 00:26:36.800 Time is not mine. 00:26:37.760 --> 00:26:43.280 It's a loan that's given to me and I cannot thoughtlessly throw it away, 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.320 but must give account for it. 00:26:49.600 --> 00:26:53.520 Even though heaven is guaranteed, I think one of the things that I've learned 00:26:53.520 --> 00:27:09.040 is that there is a dread of standing before the judge of the world to give account. 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:13.920 1 Corinthians 5 actually talks about it. 00:27:14.720 --> 00:27:15.760 It is a dread. 00:27:16.320 --> 00:27:20.320 This is a problem knowing God as Father and knowing him as loving, 00:27:20.320 --> 00:27:25.360 is we completely separate the words like dread from love, 00:27:26.320 --> 00:27:29.280 because they don't go together, right? 00:27:32.800 --> 00:27:39.600 But when you stand before one who is absolutely holy, absolutely just, 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:41.600 absolutely gracious, 00:27:41.600 --> 00:27:49.200 when you stand before one who still bears the marks on his wrists or hands and his feet 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:51.760 on his side, 00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:04.000 when you stand before someone who, in a flash, shows you everything that was going on, 00:28:04.800 --> 00:28:13.120 when you stand before someone who, in a flash, shows you everything that was given to you as an advantage, 00:28:13.840 --> 00:28:18.000 millions and millions and millions didn't have, 00:28:21.520 --> 00:28:24.560 when you stand before one and then have to give account, 00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:32.080 it's not that your eternal security is at risk because that's taken care of. 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:40.880 But there is still a dread of giving account to the one that I've been talking about. 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:57.360 I've never phrased it the way I just did and it doesn't frighten me but it wants, 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:03.520 as I was saying, I was thinking to myself, I want to be more responsible with time. 00:29:04.880 --> 00:29:08.320 Because I will be given, I will be asked to give account for it. 00:29:09.280 --> 00:29:12.080 So one of the questions that you need to ask every night, 00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:22.400 every night you ask this question, did I live today well? Did I live today well? 00:29:24.880 --> 00:29:32.160 Will Jesus Christ say, well done good and faithful servant at the end of the day tonight, 00:29:34.000 --> 00:29:40.160 and my tonight will come three hours before you? Will Jesus Christ say, well done good and faithful 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:48.960 servant? Asking that question and answering it perhaps will give us an ability to see the weaknesses 00:29:48.960 --> 00:29:56.640 we might be struggling with and will help us prepare for tomorrow, will give us time to change. 00:29:57.600 --> 00:30:02.480 Hey, one of the things I want you guys to pray for before you finish today is pray that 00:30:03.280 --> 00:30:10.080 Paul and Kiara and the kids, Eddie's son Paul and his wife Kiara and the kids get to 00:30:11.520 --> 00:30:19.040 come to Vancouver in July, mid-July and that the visas and every document that needs to be sorted 00:30:19.280 --> 00:30:26.320 out gets sorted out so that they can come and spend five to six months with us. 00:30:26.320 --> 00:30:32.880 And I think it'll be life-changing for us and for them. So just pray for that before you finish it. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:34.880 May just pray for that as a church. 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:39.380 Yeah. 00:30:49.520 --> 00:30:56.800 The fifth thing that helps us to stay free or to hold ground that we have gained. 00:30:57.760 --> 00:31:04.880 These are just the basic building blocks and next time we'll talk about, okay, now that these basic 00:31:04.880 --> 00:31:11.360 building blocks are in place, how do I not just hold on to the ground that I've gained but build 00:31:11.360 --> 00:31:12.880 on the ground that I've gained. 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:19.440 The next thing is, guys, once you're set free, once you gain ground, it is very easy to be 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:29.600 swayed by experiences and by feelings. So many people who are set free have a recurrence of an 00:31:29.600 --> 00:31:36.640 experience or feel a certain way and so much of what is gained in terms of freedom is lost because 00:31:37.040 --> 00:31:44.240 we begin to trust what we feel or begin to be sucked into an experience that reminds us of 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:48.480 something in the past and suddenly the trust we have, the faith we have goes out of the window. 00:31:54.560 --> 00:32:02.400 So when I sometimes experience things that I experienced in the past that was nasty, 00:32:02.560 --> 00:32:07.920 or when I begin to feel a certain way about an issue where I'm sure God is saying go forth and 00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:15.360 stuff like that and I begin to feel a certain way, it's so easy to inhabit a pitch tent on that 00:32:15.360 --> 00:32:20.640 mountain or on that valley thinking, ah, shut, it's happening again, so my freedom wasn't real, 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:29.600 or it was so temporary, or man, it was pointless, it was so easy to feel that way. 00:32:29.600 --> 00:32:36.160 Or man, it was pointless, and then you begin to sometimes turn against God 00:32:39.280 --> 00:32:45.360 and this is a faith statement you've heard before, but I have a choice, I can either magnify the Lord 00:32:45.360 --> 00:32:51.520 or I can magnify the situation that I'm currently embedded in. I can either magnify the Lord 00:32:51.520 --> 00:32:55.280 or I can magnify the situation that I'm currently embedded in. 00:33:00.240 --> 00:33:06.640 So much of what we receive prayer for, so much of what we stand in faith for, so much of what we 00:33:06.640 --> 00:33:13.840 believe has been granted to us already, so much of freedom that is spoken over us, so much of the 00:33:13.840 --> 00:33:23.280 prophetic that is spoken over us is stolen away so quickly because of my experience and my feelings. 00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:28.000 And every time it is stolen away or every time I lose it, it almost feels like I've got to start 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:34.880 again from square one. And starting from square one is always painful, and so I have a choice when 00:33:34.880 --> 00:33:40.640 these things happen to me that I either magnify the Lord or I magnify the situation that I'm 00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:47.200 currently embedded in. And I've said this so many times and it's such a powerful statement, go to 00:33:47.280 --> 00:33:54.160 what you are feeling to what is true and use words to get there. Go from what you are feeling 00:33:54.160 --> 00:34:03.120 to what is true and use words to get there because truth is always rooted in proclamation. 00:34:03.840 --> 00:34:13.120 Go from what you're feeling to what is true, use words to get there, and use words to get there. 00:34:13.120 --> 00:34:20.880 And when you are feeling what is true, use words to get there because truth is rooted in proclamation. 00:34:20.880 --> 00:34:24.480 Never forget that, guys. Truth is rooted in proclamation. 00:34:28.080 --> 00:34:31.280 This is why I so love reading Romans chapter four. 00:34:32.720 --> 00:34:39.280 That man knew what he felt at 99, that man knew what he felt when he looked at his wife who was 00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:45.120 as old as him. That man knew what he felt when he looked at how important he was. 00:34:46.640 --> 00:34:53.440 But he had this ability not to be embedded in his situation and magnify it, 00:34:54.800 --> 00:34:58.720 not to look at his importancy and then begin to 00:35:01.520 --> 00:35:07.120 go with his feelings. He began to use words. He used words to magnify God. He used words 00:35:07.520 --> 00:35:13.920 that helped him move from how he felt to the truth because always remember truth is rooted 00:35:13.920 --> 00:35:20.000 in proclamation. A truth that remains in your heart and is not proclaimed is a truth that is stillborn. 00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:33.520 And don't be cautious about joy when it comes to the proclamation of truth. Don't be cautious 00:35:33.600 --> 00:35:41.200 about joy when it comes to the proclamation of truth. Sometimes when we proclaim truth, 00:35:41.200 --> 00:35:47.200 we proclaim it so cautiously because our experience in the past has so dented our 00:35:47.200 --> 00:35:54.000 expectation and our trust and our hope. When I was not a Christian, my favorite way of dealing 00:35:54.000 --> 00:36:00.720 with life was imagine the worst case scenario so that you won't be disappointed, so that you won't 00:36:00.880 --> 00:36:04.800 get hurt, so that you can protect yourself should things go wrong and things fail. 00:36:06.560 --> 00:36:11.680 If I am to continue now with the same kind of philosophy, then 00:36:15.440 --> 00:36:22.640 it's the question that Elijah asks the king of Israel. Is there no God in Israel? 00:36:25.040 --> 00:36:28.320 And as I say this, I realize that some of us are going through situations where we've 00:36:29.280 --> 00:36:33.200 been ravaged, where we've had really bad experiences. So this sounds like 00:36:34.240 --> 00:36:40.880 such a demand that is being placed on you. It's not a Christian demand. It comes out of 00:36:40.880 --> 00:36:46.480 a relationship with someone who you love and who loves you intensely first. 00:36:46.480 --> 00:37:04.000 One or two more points and we can go back to either summing this up or worshiping, however may 00:37:04.000 --> 00:37:16.720 lead. Once I am set free, I have to make sure that the triggers that used to 00:37:18.000 --> 00:37:25.840 set me back into bond with your captivity or once I gain ground, I have to figure out how to 00:37:26.800 --> 00:37:30.960 break the triggers that would always have me lose the ground I've gained. 00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:35.120 I have to break those triggers and one of the simple ways of breaking triggers is not to frequent 00:37:36.240 --> 00:37:44.080 places, things, habits, friends that draw me back into the same. It's a solution. I mean, 00:37:44.080 --> 00:37:54.480 we know it yet. It's crazy how either friends can draw us back into a situation or just feeling 00:37:54.640 --> 00:38:03.040 lousy about what someone said can drive us back into the same cesspool that we were released from 00:38:03.040 --> 00:38:12.000 two days ago. It just fascinates me that as a believer, we are still so vulnerable to that. 00:38:15.120 --> 00:38:20.960 So one of the things I try to learn is the first place that I must go 00:38:21.280 --> 00:38:28.240 is the first place that I must go when you have hurt me, when it seems like 00:38:29.040 --> 00:38:36.240 circumstances have disappointed me, when the report is not good, when someone said something 00:38:36.240 --> 00:38:42.240 that is critical, that is hurtful. The first place I must go to in trouble must be the harder caught. 00:38:42.240 --> 00:38:48.880 And if I'm able to do that, the confusion, the storm, the bitterness, the lack of self-esteem, 00:38:50.080 --> 00:39:05.200 the fear stops. But here's the problem. It assumes that you have a relationship with God as Father 00:39:05.520 --> 00:39:12.960 a relationship with God as Father that actually thinks that he is good and he will not do you harm. 00:39:12.960 --> 00:39:19.520 Because if you don't believe that already, it is very hard in times of trouble to go to one 00:39:19.520 --> 00:39:25.840 who you are resentful against. And that is one of the easiest ways to go back into the cesspool 00:39:25.840 --> 00:39:32.800 that you were freed from. It is, at Act 29, there are many that lose out on the freedom they have 00:39:32.800 --> 00:39:42.000 gained in a matter of two or three days. Because the fundamental principle of God being good and 00:39:42.000 --> 00:39:47.760 of God being a Father and not being resentful against God for my present condition has not 00:39:47.760 --> 00:39:53.200 been established. I still struggle with it every so often. I think to myself after all these years, 00:39:53.200 --> 00:39:54.400 why are you struggling with it? 00:40:01.040 --> 00:40:08.080 God doesn't want to teach me something in my trial. God just wants me to unlearn things. 00:40:09.200 --> 00:40:13.200 Sometimes we need to think like that. Oh, I'm going through a trial. God is trying to teach 00:40:13.200 --> 00:40:19.440 me something. No, God is trying to help you unlearn things. Because every time you're in this trial, 00:40:19.440 --> 00:40:22.960 your response is the same Jacob. Can you unlearn some things? 00:40:28.320 --> 00:40:34.320 I don't know who said this, but unless I can look at the darkest, blackest storm 00:40:35.120 --> 00:40:44.160 full in the face without damaging God's character, I do not yet know him. I miss, I'll say that again. 00:40:44.240 --> 00:40:47.440 Unless I can look at the darkest, blackest storm 00:40:48.640 --> 00:40:53.920 full in the face without damaging God's character, I do not yet know him. 00:40:55.920 --> 00:41:01.520 And so I would say to you, I do not yet know him. I'm talking about me. Because there are some black 00:41:01.520 --> 00:41:08.640 dark stones where I begin to feel the twinges of resentment. And the resentment is usually 00:41:09.600 --> 00:41:15.120 why couldn't you prevent this? Or how come you're not intervening? Or how come you're not stopping 00:41:15.120 --> 00:41:21.040 this? I prayed and so on. I'd like to get to this place where I can look at the darkest, 00:41:21.040 --> 00:41:27.520 blackest storm full in the face without damaging God's character, without leveling a charge against God. 00:41:31.760 --> 00:41:33.120 I'd love to get there, man. 00:41:33.120 --> 00:41:36.800 Break triggers, guys. Don't frequent the places that you go to. 00:41:38.960 --> 00:41:47.040 Find things to do. When you're set free, make sure that you don't have idle time after times of freedom. 00:41:49.520 --> 00:41:56.480 When you gain ground, make sure you don't have idle time. What are the things that you need to 00:41:56.800 --> 00:42:04.640 do? When you gain ground, make sure you don't have idle time. One of the tricks of the enemy is to do 00:42:04.640 --> 00:42:12.160 to you what was done to David. During the time of war, when kings go out for battle, David was not 00:42:12.160 --> 00:42:18.560 in the battlefield. He was on his balcony walking up and down aimlessly, idly. And you know what 00:42:18.640 --> 00:42:28.400 happened after that. One of the things I do, and I think Emily had texted me asking, okay, 00:42:29.520 --> 00:42:35.440 when you come back from a trip, what do you do? So there's two things I do on a trip. One, I make 00:42:35.440 --> 00:42:40.400 sure that I work out of rest so that I'm not exhausted. And two, once I come back from a trip, 00:42:40.400 --> 00:42:47.120 I hit the ground running because I know that most of these trips are a high, it's a Mount Carmel kind 00:42:47.120 --> 00:42:53.200 of an experience. And when you come down Mount Carmel, you can go into what is routine. Vancouver 00:42:53.200 --> 00:42:59.520 can become, I know this place, this is familiar ground. And you go into idle situations. I refuse 00:42:59.520 --> 00:43:03.200 to go into idle situations because there used to be a struggle in the past. Many years ago, when I 00:43:03.200 --> 00:43:07.600 first started going on trips, I remember telling Acts 29, some of the old timers will remember this, 00:43:08.800 --> 00:43:12.800 when I would tell them that, listen, don't pray for me when I go on a trip. Pray for me when I 00:43:12.800 --> 00:43:16.080 come back from a trip because that's when the idle hits, ideally. 00:43:22.160 --> 00:43:25.920 These are little tricks to prevent triggers from, another thing, 00:43:28.720 --> 00:43:37.280 don't, I've said this before, don't Facebook and TV watch late nights. It's a der statement, man. 00:43:38.160 --> 00:43:43.440 You tell your kids that. Be a kid and hear your own advice. 00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:47.760 There are triggers that need to be broken, guys. 00:43:54.960 --> 00:44:01.360 Nick sent a question. And the question is, so what would it look like practically to chew, 00:44:01.360 --> 00:44:07.440 to recount, to practice a discipline reading? Okay, so let me give you an example. So 00:44:11.040 --> 00:44:20.400 let's say I'm reading Jeremiah 50 or thereabouts. And as I'm reading Jeremiah 50, 00:44:21.120 --> 00:44:26.800 the scripture that really gets me is further down around verse 22 or 23 or thereabouts. I'm not too 00:44:26.800 --> 00:44:32.160 sure. I think it's Jeremiah 50 where it says, you are my battle axe. You are my weapon with which I 00:44:32.160 --> 00:44:42.000 will undo nations, undo governors, undo situations. And so I'm reading that, let's assume. And so 00:44:42.640 --> 00:44:48.160 what does it look like when you chew, when you recount, when you practice? And so the first thing 00:44:48.160 --> 00:44:53.760 is, okay, Father, so as I read this word, I'll try to figure out what the context is. And I realize 00:44:53.760 --> 00:45:02.080 God is actually speaking to Babylon or Nebuchadnezzar, I think. And he's saying, okay, 00:45:02.080 --> 00:45:07.920 I will use a nation to undo you. So I understand the context. But now let's look at the verse. And 00:45:07.920 --> 00:45:12.560 now the verse, as I read it, I feel God saying, hey, Jacob, I want to use you as a weapon. 00:45:13.280 --> 00:45:18.720 I want to use you as my battle axe to bring down things around the earth. All right, so I write 00:45:18.720 --> 00:45:26.880 down. I go look at what battle axe looks like, what weapon looks like, what is brought down by 00:45:26.880 --> 00:45:31.280 God using a battle axe and weapon. How does it translate into present-day context? What does it 00:45:31.280 --> 00:45:37.120 mean for Jacob? What does it mean for axe 29? Who are others that are walking like this that I can 00:45:37.120 --> 00:45:42.240 learn of? And then here's the next thing. I'll write it down. And now after writing it down, 00:45:42.240 --> 00:45:47.840 I'll say, do I really believe this? And I realized, no, I don't actually believe it. 00:45:48.400 --> 00:45:52.560 It's great. When I read it, it sounded powerful. I felt lifted up. But tomorrow, 00:45:54.000 --> 00:46:03.760 I'll find out that in a situation, I was not a battle axe. I was just a stick. And so I'll go 00:46:04.960 --> 00:46:11.840 and I'll read it again and again and again. There are things on my phone where you will see 00:46:12.800 --> 00:46:22.320 things that start at 200 and go down to 199, then 198. There's one where I'm on 189. Why are those 00:46:22.320 --> 00:46:27.920 numbers put on the top of the page every day? Because I've decided that over the next 200 days, 00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:32.880 I'm going to read this again and again, either a scripture or something that God has done. 00:46:33.600 --> 00:46:40.880 And as each day goes by, I cut it down and write 199, 198, 197. Why? Because for the next 200 days, 00:46:41.760 --> 00:46:44.960 if I read that scripture, for the next 200 days, if I read what God has said, 00:46:45.600 --> 00:46:50.960 in 200 days, trust me, I'll absolutely believe it. And not only will I believe it, I'll behave like it. 00:46:53.120 --> 00:46:58.400 Some things are important enough to read 200 days because it'll affect the rest of the world through 00:46:58.400 --> 00:47:09.440 me. This is what chewing, recounting, practicing looks like. You chew as in you draw out whatever 00:47:09.440 --> 00:47:14.640 you need to extract from it. You recount as in you remember every day and you practice only once 00:47:14.640 --> 00:47:31.120 you become the word. This is not rocket science. We do this with everything in life. 00:47:40.400 --> 00:47:42.400 So, 00:47:44.480 --> 00:47:52.960 let's kind of stop there for today. How long was that? It's one of the shortest sermons I've 00:47:53.680 --> 00:47:54.480 preached. 00:48:00.560 --> 00:48:04.960 Anyways, do you have any questions guys? If you do, this sets the 00:48:04.960 --> 00:48:10.880 basis, hey? Pursuit of what I value, pleasure in the word, 00:48:14.480 --> 00:48:21.440 not exploiting grace, but growing in grace because grace is usually something that differs judgment 00:48:22.000 --> 00:48:27.680 and diminishes the fear of God when Christians receive it in vain or take advantage of it. 00:48:30.080 --> 00:48:34.720 Not to resist spiritual truths that come with setting free. Hey, here's the odd thing. You have 00:48:34.720 --> 00:48:40.960 been set free by the knowledge of the truth. So, once the knowledge of the truth in a certain area 00:48:40.960 --> 00:48:48.720 sets you free, if you resist that truth, then delusion comes in and you become dull in that area. 00:48:48.720 --> 00:48:55.360 I'm supposed to increase in that truth. When I was set free from debts and stuff like that, 00:48:55.360 --> 00:49:02.240 then I had to take the truths that helped set me free from poverty and financial debt and begin to 00:49:02.240 --> 00:49:09.520 use them to now increase, not get resistant to them. Now that I'm free, I can start all over 00:49:09.520 --> 00:49:16.640 again doing the same thing. No, now I have to take things that set me free. Let's for example, just 00:49:16.640 --> 00:49:23.760 think that all that is required for me to be freed from a life of poverty was to become generous 00:49:23.760 --> 00:49:31.600 with the two dollars that I had. And now from two dollars, I went to 20 and I'm still giving only 00:49:31.600 --> 00:49:37.440 20 cents on the 20 dollar. From 20, I went to 200. I'm still only giving two dollars from the 200. 00:49:38.080 --> 00:49:42.880 This is not building on the truth. This is resistant to the truth and whenever I'm resistant 00:49:42.880 --> 00:49:47.680 to the truth, a delusion sets in and in that area I get dull. 00:49:52.240 --> 00:49:56.960 Numbering your days. How about exchanging Facebook for the question, 00:49:56.960 --> 00:49:58.800 every night did I live well today? 00:50:05.200 --> 00:50:09.680 I want to hear that tonight before I go to bed. I'll be meeting Chad and having 00:50:09.680 --> 00:50:11.920 the first part of that conference in NY shortly. 00:50:14.240 --> 00:50:19.360 But it's not doing a conference or speaking that makes you hear the words well done, good and 00:50:19.360 --> 00:50:24.320 faithful servant. I'm not talking about activity. Activity is easy to do. For pastors, it's super 00:50:24.320 --> 00:50:28.880 easy but it doesn't mean that you hear well done, good and faithful servant. Look at the words, 00:50:29.760 --> 00:50:35.600 faithful servant, good servant. So it depends entirely on what the master is asking you to do 00:50:35.600 --> 00:50:37.680 and whether you please the master in the way you live today. 00:50:39.680 --> 00:50:45.680 Okay. 00:50:52.000 --> 00:50:54.320 I think I'll leave it at that and 00:50:56.880 --> 00:51:03.440 I'm back tomorrow night so I'll see you during the week. Bless you guys. Thanks, May, for what you 00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:11.760 are doing and Tuni and Anil, thanks for organizing the picnic. I heard it was a success and for all 00:51:11.760 --> 00:51:13.280 the guys who helped you.