WEBVTT NOTE Podcast: Acts 29 Vancouver Episode: Train My Hands for War - Part 3 Publishing Date: 2025-12-14T02:04:44-08:00 Podcast URL: https://acts29.ca Episode URL: https://acts29.ca/train-my-hands-for-war-part-3/ 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:13.240 I have a topic that we have been working on for the last two weeks. Train my hands for 00:00:13.240 --> 00:00:19.360 war. Train my hands for war. So guys, this is just a summary of what we have been saying 00:00:19.360 --> 00:00:26.100 every week. The moment you say kingdom, it implies warfare. The moment you say the word 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:32.700 kingdom, it implies warfare. The kingdom of Christ cannot advance—cannot is a strong 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:37.180 word because God can do anything He wants, but I am still deliberately using the word 00:00:37.180 --> 00:00:43.780 cannot—the kingdom of Christ cannot advance in Richmond except through spiritual conflict. 00:00:43.780 --> 00:00:50.780 We read Acts 26, 17 and 18 where this is what God says to Paul and this is what is written. 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:58.580 Acts 26, 17 to 18, and we read this last week. I will rescue you from your own people and 00:00:58.580 --> 00:01:03.260 from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness 00:01:03.260 --> 00:01:08.060 to light and from the power of Satan to God so that they may receive forgiveness of sins 00:01:08.060 --> 00:01:11.820 and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. And then we added to that 00:01:11.820 --> 00:01:18.460 Acts 10, 38 and a few other scriptures. The next thing I wanted to remind us was that 00:01:18.540 --> 00:01:25.540 Jesus' birth was marked by a violent escalation of warfare between the seed of the woman and 00:01:26.660 --> 00:01:33.660 the seed of the serpent, Genesis 3. The moment He was born, Herod did what Pharaoh did and 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:43.700 Herod's and Pharaoh's still do the same thing. And so to set someone free from the 00:01:44.580 --> 00:01:49.660 power of darkness to the power of light, Colossians 1.13, from the kingdom of darkness into the 00:01:49.660 --> 00:01:56.660 dominion of the sun, spiritual warfare is part of what we need to train our hands and 00:01:57.140 --> 00:02:04.140 fingers for. And that's from Psalm 144 verse 1. So today we look at an essential characteristic 00:02:05.180 --> 00:02:12.020 of warriors, maybe one or two. We'll start with Psalm 46.10. Much as this is so that 00:02:12.140 --> 00:02:19.140 we learn how to war and remember our battle is not against flesh and blood, much as we 00:02:19.820 --> 00:02:24.380 are going to talk about that, know that the things we talk about today are really helpful 00:02:24.380 --> 00:02:31.380 for life, really helpful for life. So Psalm 46 verse 10. And here's what it says, be 00:02:32.580 --> 00:02:38.060 still and know that I am God. And when you read the context of Psalm 46 verse 10, it's 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:45.060 in the chaos of war and upheaval. Just go to Psalm 46 and you realize the context. 00:02:46.420 --> 00:02:50.580 Because we only know that one verse, but when you read the beginning, God is our refuge 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:55.700 and strength and ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth 00:02:55.700 --> 00:03:00.900 give away and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. The waters roar and foam 00:03:00.900 --> 00:03:06.980 and mountains quake with their surging. And then it goes on to say in verse 9, He makes 00:03:07.020 --> 00:03:12.260 war cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow. He shatters the spear. He burns the 00:03:12.260 --> 00:03:18.580 shields with fire. And it's in that context that he says, be still and know that I am 00:03:18.580 --> 00:03:25.580 God. I will be exalted among the nations. I'll be exalted in the earth. That's the context. 00:03:27.780 --> 00:03:34.780 And one of the most amazing characteristics of any spiritual warrior is this ability to 00:03:37.820 --> 00:03:44.820 cultivate stillness in the midst of battle. It's one of the hardest things to do, but 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:52.780 it's so powerful if you learn how to do it. So I know I've shared this before, but I've 00:03:54.260 --> 00:04:01.260 heard that when they used to select horses that pull the queen and now the king's chariot 00:04:02.100 --> 00:04:08.100 through the streets of London, they would go and look for some of the finest horses 00:04:08.100 --> 00:04:13.820 in the UK. And then they would select eight or ten of these fine horses and then bring 00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:20.220 it to a place where they would put these horses through the noise of cannons going off, the 00:04:20.220 --> 00:04:26.420 noise of car exhausts backfiring, the noise of crowds suddenly beginning to shout. They 00:04:26.420 --> 00:04:31.900 would put these horses through fire. They'd put it through all kinds of situations where 00:04:31.900 --> 00:04:38.900 the horse would have to stay still. And they'd only pick horses to pull the king's chariot 00:04:39.240 --> 00:04:46.240 that had the ability to stay still till they hear the whisper of their master. And so it 00:04:48.180 --> 00:04:53.340 didn't matter that you were a thoroughbred that could run the fields and could look great, 00:04:53.340 --> 00:04:59.500 remain flying in the air, muscles just rippling. It didn't matter. You could go back to the 00:04:59.500 --> 00:05:04.820 fields and do your muscle thing and your main thing. But the horses that would be selected 00:05:04.820 --> 00:05:11.820 to pull the king's chariot would be horses that had the ability to be still till you 00:05:12.420 --> 00:05:19.420 hear the voice of their master. And that is critical in war. War horses are that way too. 00:05:20.140 --> 00:05:26.580 War horses have the ability to stay still while things are breaking down around them 00:05:26.580 --> 00:05:33.580 because it would cost your master their life. This idea of stillness is critical. In fact, 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:42.180 Queen Elizabeth once had a horse go up on its two legs and then drop by back immediately. 00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:47.260 You can find pictures of this if you Google it, but don't Google it right now. And the 00:05:47.260 --> 00:05:52.260 reason the horse didn't throw her off is because it was trained well and it reacted 00:05:52.260 --> 00:05:58.420 to the backfiring of an exhaust of a car. It goes up on its hind legs just a few feet 00:05:58.420 --> 00:06:05.420 and immediately comes back and stands still and the queen is fine. So when it comes to 00:06:05.540 --> 00:06:12.540 being spiritual warriors or just a believer, this thing is critical to how we function. 00:06:13.500 --> 00:06:20.500 So stillness is actually, stillness is the ability to enter into the secret place of 00:06:32.700 --> 00:06:39.700 the Most High. Psalm 91 talks about it, right? He that dwells in the secret place of the 00:06:40.580 --> 00:06:47.580 Most High. This is the ability because the strange thing is it says in John 14 20 that 00:06:49.660 --> 00:06:56.380 father, I am in you, you are in me and they are in us. This ability to immediately in 00:06:56.380 --> 00:07:01.700 less than a minute in the midst of things breaking down, in the midst of loss, in the 00:07:01.700 --> 00:07:08.660 midst of death, in the midst of chaos and confusion and war, do you and I have the ability 00:07:08.660 --> 00:07:15.180 to come to a place of peace where you suddenly find yourself just completely wrapped up in 00:07:15.180 --> 00:07:22.180 Christ aware of him. Most of us don't have the ability to do this which is why we begin 00:07:23.580 --> 00:07:29.500 to cry out in prayer. Nothing wrong with it. You are supposed to be childlike and reaching 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:33.860 out for your father or mother when you are in trouble. But the place that we must aim 00:07:33.860 --> 00:07:40.020 for as we grow into maturities, can I come into a place where I am no longer crying out 00:07:40.020 --> 00:07:47.020 in prayer first? I have the ability to come to this place of peace and stillness. Not 00:07:47.020 --> 00:07:54.020 easy. Any questions on that before we go on? Any questions on that? Stillness is the ability 00:07:57.020 --> 00:08:01.660 to enter into that secret place of the Most High. And this is why David could say in Psalm 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:05.980 23 verse 4 that even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:12.980 not be afraid. How do you not be afraid? It's like this turtle that has the ability to withdraw 00:08:14.460 --> 00:08:20.220 its neck into the safe place and stay there. And that place then gives you the ability 00:08:20.220 --> 00:08:27.220 to know what God wants next. The question is can you get there in a minute or two? That 00:08:27.900 --> 00:08:34.900 should be your aim. Get into this place of stillness in less than two minutes. Without 00:08:41.460 --> 00:08:48.460 stillness we cannot see in the Spirit. Without stillness we cannot see in the Spirit. Please 00:08:48.780 --> 00:08:53.340 remember that eh? We want to see what the Spirit of God is doing so we can follow Him. 00:08:53.340 --> 00:09:00.340 We want to see the wind in the trees so we know which way He's heading. Without stillness, 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:11.820 you cannot see what the Spirit is. Or you cannot see in the Spirit. You cannot see in 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:22.700 the Spirit. And so practice it, practice it, practice it. Every opportunity you get where 00:09:22.700 --> 00:09:27.100 there's chaos, where there's confusion, where things are breaking down, where circumstances 00:09:27.100 --> 00:09:34.100 are adverse, practice it. Those are the opportunities we get. Because you cannot manifest things 00:09:35.540 --> 00:09:42.540 that you haven't practiced or learned. So every situation that comes my way in 2026, 00:09:42.620 --> 00:09:47.300 I have to learn immediately to go into this place. And trust me, in that secret place, 00:09:47.300 --> 00:09:54.300 you will hear Him. Learn it. Those are the people that come into places of breakthrough 00:09:58.780 --> 00:10:04.860 as spiritual warriors. And you see David had this amazing ability in the middle of things 00:10:04.860 --> 00:10:11.860 going wrong to go into this place. In 2 Samuel 517 it says that David, when he found that 00:10:11.860 --> 00:10:17.260 the Philistines had gathered around him, it says David went down into his stronghold. 00:10:17.260 --> 00:10:22.260 And once he went down into his stronghold, he begins to ask questions. What were the 00:10:22.260 --> 00:10:27.980 questions? Oh God, what do you want me to do? These guys have gathered together in Rephiam. 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:34.980 What do you want me to do? You know David rarely cried out for help when you read his 00:10:35.060 --> 00:10:40.260 history. He always would turn to this place. He's the guy who wrote Psalm 23. He had this 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:47.340 ability to get into this place with God where he knew what to expect next. And so what is 00:10:48.940 --> 00:10:54.040 the stronghold? One of the ways to define the stronghold is this idea of rest, which 00:10:54.040 --> 00:11:01.040 we have spoken about a few times. Spiritual warriors break through because of their ability. 00:11:02.380 --> 00:11:09.380 Do you have the ability to break through? Do you have the ability to break through? 00:11:10.260 --> 00:11:17.260 To enter into rest when everything is breaking down around you. This is what Jesus is doing 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:38.860 in the boat. This is what Jesus is doing in the boat. What is rest? It's an active state 00:11:40.260 --> 00:11:47.260 of untroubled calm. It's an active, it's not a passive state. It's an active state of untroubled 00:11:58.380 --> 00:12:05.380 calm despite adverse circumstances where you are in a state of calm. It's an active state 00:12:10.260 --> 00:12:17.260 where you refuse to exert your strength, thinking, self-effort, sweat, but rely wholly 00:12:17.260 --> 00:12:25.260 on the nature and the promise of the Lord. It's an active state where you refuse to 00:12:47.820 --> 00:12:54.820 exert your strength, thinking, self-effort, sweat, but rely wholly on the nature and the 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:08.860 promise of the Lord. It's an active state of calm. It's an active state of calm. It's 00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:16.340 an active state of calm. It's an active state of calm. It's an active state where the future 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:25.000 unfolds so gloriously. An active state of calm is when you're veramente choosing to 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:37.920 undertake change and э Dan milliards as religious proclamations. 00:13:37.920 --> 00:13:42.560 One of the things about the Old Testament is the patterns of war in the Old Testament. 00:13:42.560 --> 00:13:50.560 You go look at it and all of them relied on God for the next command so that they did 00:13:50.560 --> 00:13:54.880 exactly what he did without exerting self-effort. 00:13:54.880 --> 00:14:00.880 Any questions before we go on? 00:14:00.880 --> 00:14:03.880 No? 00:14:03.880 --> 00:14:06.880 Okay. 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:12.840 So rest is a result. 00:14:12.840 --> 00:14:16.840 Hey, these three things we have to work out. 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:22.840 There's faith, there's courage, and I think we spoke about this once, and there's confidence. 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:26.840 These three things are connected. 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:33.840 I must have confidence in how 00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:39.800 God sees me and what he says about me. 00:14:39.800 --> 00:14:43.800 And what he says about me. 00:14:43.800 --> 00:14:46.800 You must have this for 2026. 00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:50.800 Next week we'll talk about how do we plan for 2026 personally and corporately. 00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:54.800 I must have confidence in how God sees me and what he says about me. 00:14:54.800 --> 00:14:58.800 For now and 2026. 00:14:59.760 --> 00:15:04.760 That confidence then allows me to have the faith 00:15:06.760 --> 00:15:11.760 to believe the impossible 00:15:11.760 --> 00:15:14.760 demands 00:15:14.760 --> 00:15:18.760 that he places on us. 00:15:18.760 --> 00:15:21.760 How do we know something is God? 00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:24.760 It's usually not within our ability. 00:15:24.760 --> 00:15:26.760 Impossible demands he places on us. 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:30.720 And that then gives me the courage 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:35.720 or the boldness 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.720 or another word is foolishness 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:43.720 to step out 00:15:43.720 --> 00:15:48.720 and practice Hebrews 118. 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:53.720 Which is Abraham not knowing where he was going still went out. 00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:57.680 This is an important equation. 00:15:59.680 --> 00:16:01.680 I'll come back to rest. 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:03.680 But I must have the confidence in how God sees me. 00:16:03.680 --> 00:16:07.680 Both from the word and from what he's saying to you. 00:16:07.680 --> 00:16:09.680 You must have the confidence of how God sees you 00:16:09.680 --> 00:16:11.680 and what he says about you. 00:16:11.680 --> 00:16:14.680 Both for now and for 2026. 00:16:18.680 --> 00:16:22.680 Once I have that, I now have the ability 00:16:23.640 --> 00:16:28.640 or the faith to believe the impossible demands he places on me. 00:16:29.640 --> 00:16:32.640 And now that I have that, I have the courage 00:16:32.640 --> 00:16:34.640 or the boldness or the foolishness 00:16:34.640 --> 00:16:37.640 to step out into the things he's asking me to. 00:16:39.640 --> 00:16:41.640 As a question that needs to be asked is 00:16:41.640 --> 00:16:43.640 what's your 2026 looking like? 00:16:43.640 --> 00:16:46.640 Groundhog Day or something so new 00:16:46.640 --> 00:16:49.640 so impossible that you're looking forward to it 00:16:49.640 --> 00:16:51.640 and you're a little scared. 00:16:51.640 --> 00:16:54.640 As a church and as individuals. 00:16:58.640 --> 00:17:00.640 Any questions? 00:17:02.640 --> 00:17:05.640 And you still have 20 days to work on it, not 20. 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:08.640 You have 15, 16 days to work on it. 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:15.640 May your 2026, when you wish people, wish them like this, 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:17.640 may your 2026 be impossible 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.640 and may you see adventures in God. 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:25.640 Hey, Merry Christmas and may your 2026 be impossible. 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:27.640 Let's see what that gets you. 00:17:27.640 --> 00:17:30.640 Yeah, and then they could give them a 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:33.640 Burdys chocolate or something with it. 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:35.640 Any questions? 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:41.640 Okay. 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:46.640 Leavened eight, Hebrews 11, eight. 00:17:47.640 --> 00:17:51.640 What's critical for spiritual warriors is 00:17:53.640 --> 00:18:00.640 the need to rest creates space, 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:03.640 rest creates space and time 00:18:03.640 --> 00:18:08.640 to respond to the Holy Spirit 00:18:11.640 --> 00:18:13.640 instead of 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:20.640 reacting to events. 00:18:23.640 --> 00:18:26.640 Rest creates time and space to wait on God. 00:18:26.640 --> 00:18:29.640 One of the things the enemy likes doing is seeking 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:33.640 to pull us out of rest by getting us to react to situations. 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.640 Instead, rest creates space and time 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:40.640 to respond to the Holy Spirit instead of reacting to events. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:42.640 Isaiah 26, 3. 00:18:42.640 --> 00:18:45.640 My mind is stayed on God and that's why I'm able 00:18:45.640 --> 00:18:47.640 to get to the place of peace. 00:18:47.640 --> 00:18:48.640 Guys, practice this. 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:51.640 Try practicing it through every circumstance for the next two weeks. 00:18:51.640 --> 00:18:53.640 Every time things go wrong. 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:55.640 It can be with your wife, it can be with your kids, 00:18:55.640 --> 00:18:58.640 it can be with another person, it can be a situation, 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:02.640 it can be something that hurts you, offends you, bothers you. 00:19:04.640 --> 00:19:07.640 Maybe you got it wrong, maybe somebody else got it wrong. 00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:10.640 Learn how to practice rest. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:12.640 When you come to this place where, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:15.640 Father, I've come into this place of stillness. 00:19:15.640 --> 00:19:17.640 And now that I'm here, 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:23.640 correct me, challenge me, tell me, change me, 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:25.640 but this is where I live and operate from. 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:30.640 My desire is that I'm able to get into this place within 30 seconds. 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:33.640 Unfortunately, that's not the situation right now. 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:36.640 I hee haw, I am miserable, I moan and groan, 00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:38.640 I complain a little, occasionally get resentful, 00:19:38.640 --> 00:19:41.640 and then it occurs to me, oh shucks, there's a place called rest. 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:48.640 By that time, almost four hours have been spent just being a guinea pig. 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.640 This looks like it's only my problem, right? 00:19:58.640 --> 00:20:03.640 Well, I'm glad this church is sanctified while the pastor struggles. 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:10.640 So, rest is a weapon. 00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:14.640 The enemy cannot penetrate the armor of a person at rest. 00:20:14.640 --> 00:20:16.640 Rest is a weapon. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:17.640 Rest is a weapon. 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:19.640 It is impossible. 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:24.640 The enemy cannot penetrate, cannot penetrate 00:20:27.640 --> 00:20:33.640 someone who wears the armor of rest. 00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:43.640 Cannot penetrate. 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:47.640 It also immunizes you from resentment. 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:51.640 It immunizes you from negative complaints, 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:55.640 and it immunizes you from a denial of the promises God has given. 00:20:55.640 --> 00:21:01.640 Guys, rest is used most when things are taking time to happen. 00:21:01.640 --> 00:21:03.640 This is critical. 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:08.640 One of the problems we all face is God has given us a promise in the Word, 00:21:08.640 --> 00:21:12.640 or God has given us a promise directly or spoken to us, 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:18.640 shown us something, we know it is God, and then it takes a while to materialize. 00:21:18.640 --> 00:21:23.640 And that is when you and I have to go into this place called rest, eh? 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.640 Because rest immunizes you from resentment. 00:21:29.640 --> 00:21:31.640 It immunizes you from resentment. 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:36.640 It immunizes you from a denial of the promises of God, 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:39.640 and it immunizes you from negative complaining, 00:21:39.640 --> 00:21:41.640 because that is the other thing that happens. 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:43.640 A lot of negative complaining. 00:21:43.640 --> 00:21:48.640 Only the ones close to you hear it, but a lot of negative complaining. 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:49.640 It immunizes you. 00:21:49.640 --> 00:21:51.640 It is a weapon. 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:55.640 It is almost impossible to penetrate the armor of rest once you wear it. 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:59.640 How do you trouble a guy like that? 00:21:59.640 --> 00:22:01.640 It becomes unflappable. 00:22:01.640 --> 00:22:05.640 I would love to see some of us walk like that. 00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:13.640 Any questions? 00:22:13.640 --> 00:22:18.640 Wow. This is going well. 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:22.640 Go ahead. 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:29.640 Yeah. What's the difference between alert active rest and resigned passive rest? 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:34.640 Resigned passive rest is a kind of a mental health condition. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:37.640 Resigned passive rest takes on a case-a-race-a-ra. 00:22:37.640 --> 00:22:39.640 Whatever will be, will be. 00:22:39.640 --> 00:22:41.640 God is in charge. 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:43.640 It's very nebulous. 00:22:43.640 --> 00:22:45.640 On one hand, it trusts God. 00:22:45.640 --> 00:22:48.640 On the other hand, it has no desire to know the will of God. 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:52.640 Trusting without knowing the will of God is kind of distorted. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:58.640 The intent of God is, trust me, but I want you to know my mind. 00:22:58.640 --> 00:23:05.640 And so passive rest is when it's a resigned whatever will be, will be. 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:08.640 It's lazy. 00:23:08.640 --> 00:23:12.640 Your marriage won't survive if that was how you behaved with your spouse. 00:23:12.640 --> 00:23:14.640 The intent is, can I find out? 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:17.640 Sure. Your wife may say whatever will be, will be. 00:23:17.640 --> 00:23:20.640 Don't trust that for a moment. It's not true. 00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:23.640 She wants you to know what she really wants. 00:23:23.640 --> 00:23:24.640 Right, Mike? 00:23:24.640 --> 00:23:26.640 There you go. 00:23:29.640 --> 00:23:31.640 Thank you. 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:33.640 Yeah. 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:35.640 So, so that's the difference. 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:42.640 So never get into this place of rest where, you know, rest that is passive is veeriness. 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:48.640 Where you've done a lot and now you just want to, whatever will be, I'll just trust God. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:50.640 That's not rest. 00:23:50.640 --> 00:23:53.640 It doesn't immunize you against resentment. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.640 Hey, these are hard places to go to, eh? 00:23:59.640 --> 00:24:02.640 Which is why in Hebrews chapter 4, Paul talks about it. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:07.640 He says, I know you've heard this before, but he says, labor to enter into it. 00:24:07.640 --> 00:24:11.640 Labor, as in strive to enter into rest. 00:24:11.640 --> 00:24:14.640 It's not an easy place to get into. 00:24:14.640 --> 00:24:16.640 It's a habit. It's a practice. 00:24:16.640 --> 00:24:20.640 And the people that learn it, learn it over years. 00:24:23.640 --> 00:24:28.640 You know, you've got some hockey players that are brilliant and are very skilled, but they have short tempers. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.640 They usually don't last long in the league. 00:24:31.640 --> 00:24:34.640 They get shunted from team to team to team. 00:24:36.640 --> 00:24:39.640 Because it takes very little to provoke them. 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:42.640 And you know what happens when you provoke a player, right? 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:45.640 You get a penalty and your team loses. 00:24:45.640 --> 00:24:47.640 Where's Eli Quinn? Is he here? 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:50.640 No. Oh, he's wearing a Canuck shirt. 00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:53.640 I've decided to name him Eli Quinn. 00:24:53.640 --> 00:24:56.640 He's the new captain. 00:24:56.640 --> 00:25:02.640 So how long will it take you to get into the safe room of rest and peace? 00:25:02.640 --> 00:25:05.640 And remember, getting into a place of rest is not counting backwards. 00:25:05.640 --> 00:25:07.640 It's not disengagement. 00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:10.640 It's not saving you from the danger of being caught. 00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:13.640 It's not the time to be in a place of rest. 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:14.640 It's not disengagement. 00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:16.640 It's not suppressing an emotion. 00:25:16.640 --> 00:25:20.640 It's a position I begin to enjoy getting into. 00:25:20.640 --> 00:25:23.640 I've met people like this man. 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:32.640 You provoke them and they are able to not back off, not suppress what they want to say, not disengage, but stand there and listen. 00:25:32.640 --> 00:25:40.640 While you're talking, you can see them getting into this secret place where they begin to hear God clearer and they know how to respond. 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:46.640 Their response is usually so well-worded then because it's not coming from the flesh. 00:25:57.640 --> 00:26:02.640 And remember, in every situation, in every circumstance, all circumstances have a sound day. 00:26:02.640 --> 00:26:05.640 Difficult situations will always clamor for your attention. 00:26:05.640 --> 00:26:08.640 Difficult situations will clamor for your attention. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.640 You know that. 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:16.640 You woke up this morning and you could hear the loudness and the clamor of that which is trying to get your attention. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:25.640 Very often, the first thing you think of in the morning when you wake up gives you a good idea of where your heart and mind are locked. 00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:35.640 And if I were to use the principle of 2 Corinthians 3.18, whatever you behold, you become. 00:26:35.640 --> 00:26:38.640 And so what do you behold when you get up in the morning? 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:43.640 Is it shame? Is it confusion? Is it fear? Is it anger? 00:26:43.640 --> 00:26:49.640 What is it that you and I woke up today to face? Is it futility? Is it bleakness? 00:26:49.640 --> 00:27:00.640 And whatever you behold and whatever you start with really affects the rest of the day, man, because it clamors for your attention. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:06.640 Every circumstance has a sound and it'll try to draw your attention saying, hey, pay attention to this. 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:11.640 And it says when we behold him, we go from glory to glory, strength to strength. 00:27:11.640 --> 00:27:17.640 When we behold other things, we go from shame to shame, chaos to chaos, confusion to confusion. 00:27:17.640 --> 00:27:22.640 Whatever you behold, that you become. 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:26.640 And so every circumstance will clamor for your attention when things are not working. 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:40.640 And then I have to have the ability to literally go into a room, present my struggle to God, shut the door on that room, step into another room and then begin to rejoice and worship. 00:27:40.640 --> 00:27:45.640 Hear me again. You literally have to have two spaces. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:51.640 You take your situation before God, you place it before him honestly, starkly saying, this is how I feel. 00:27:51.640 --> 00:27:55.640 This is what I'm going through. This is the situation that I've been in for very long. 00:27:55.640 --> 00:28:02.640 I want to pour out my heart before you. Write a psalm. Let him know like David would let God know. 00:28:02.640 --> 00:28:06.640 And then shut the door on that room. 00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:11.640 You've told God what you want to come into a room and you've been in that room for a long time. 00:28:12.640 --> 00:28:25.640 You've told God what you want to come into another room and in that room, begin to explore who God is through worship, through intimacy, through rejoicing, begin to talk to him. 00:28:25.640 --> 00:28:28.640 And as you do, you will find a strange thing happening. 00:28:28.640 --> 00:28:34.640 You will find God turning up as who you need him to be in that situation. 00:28:34.640 --> 00:28:37.640 It's always the case, guys. 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:44.640 Well, what we do is we take our problems before God and then we stay in that room and we continuously regurgitate it. 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:51.640 If you notice any psalm that David wrote, the psalm would begin with a lament or a complaint or a mourning or even vengeance. 00:28:51.640 --> 00:28:57.640 He wanted everybody destroyed. And then by the time he gets to the middle of the psalm, he's beginning to see God as majestic. 00:28:57.640 --> 00:29:03.640 By the time he gets to the end of the psalm, I will go to the altar of God, my joy and my delight, and I will praise him with the harp. 00:29:03.640 --> 00:29:10.640 Oh, Lord, you are my God. Why are you so sad? My soul? Why so distressed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him. 00:29:10.640 --> 00:29:16.640 My God and my King have these two separate spaces. These are practices, guys. 00:29:16.640 --> 00:29:19.640 I'm not Ignatius, but it's still a good practice. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:27.640 Any questions? These are practices. They will serve us well. 00:29:27.640 --> 00:29:32.640 You've got to shut the door on that complaint. 00:29:32.640 --> 00:29:36.640 God is okay with complaint. Habakkuk starts like that. 00:29:36.640 --> 00:29:41.640 I will now go and stand on the watchtower and I will bring my complaint to God and see what he says. 00:29:41.640 --> 00:29:46.640 Then you come out. I mean, I'm not saying you need to have two rooms in a house. 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:49.640 I'm just saying leave one space and enter into another space. 00:29:51.640 --> 00:29:53.640 Any questions? 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:10.640 So every circumstance has a sound, but with every circumstance that clamors for your attention, clamors saying it's urgent, you have to do something. 00:30:10.640 --> 00:30:14.640 There's always another sound at work and it's the sound of God speaking in our spirit. 00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:21.640 Psalm 27. How do you enter into this place in God? Guys, Psalm 27, verse 13. 00:30:21.640 --> 00:30:28.640 One of the things that you should recognize whenever you're in deep trouble is try and locate the kindness of God. 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:34.640 Connect with the kindness of God. Connect with the kindness of God. He's super kind. 00:30:34.640 --> 00:30:38.640 If you go looking for his kindness, he'll be there. 00:30:38.640 --> 00:30:45.640 When you read Psalm 27, it's a brilliant Psalm. We should read it. 00:30:45.640 --> 00:30:52.640 Psalm 27. I'll read it from the message. 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:05.640 Psalm 27 from the message. It's one of my favorite Psalms. It starts so amazingly. 00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:17.640 David's Psalm. Light, space, zest. That's God. So with him on my side, I'm fearless, afraid of no one and nothing. 00:31:17.640 --> 00:31:28.640 Then he talks about what's coming against him. When vandal hoards right down, ready to eat me alive, those bullies and tufts fall flat on their face. 00:31:28.640 --> 00:31:37.640 When besieged, this is that whole stillness. I am calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I'm collected and cool. 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:45.640 Then he goes into this other room. I'm asking God for one thing and only one thing to live with him in his house my whole lifelong. 00:31:45.640 --> 00:31:51.640 I'll contemplate his beauty. I'll study at his feet. Come on, guys. This is so beautiful. 00:31:52.640 --> 00:32:00.640 I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world. It's almost as if he's copying my notes. 00:32:00.640 --> 00:32:09.640 The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic. God holds me head and shoulders above all who try to pull me down. 00:32:09.640 --> 00:32:17.640 I'm headed for this place to offer anthems that will raise the roof. Already I'm singing God songs. I'm making music to God. 00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:27.640 And then, listen God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs. Be good to me. Answer me. When my heart whispered, seek God, my whole being replied, I'm seeking him. 00:32:27.640 --> 00:32:35.640 Once you begin to practice this, it'll be something you look forward to. Sometimes you may get to a point, and my God, if you get to that point, please come and tell me. 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:40.640 You'll get to the point where every adverse circumstance is something you have a slight thrill about. 00:32:40.640 --> 00:32:49.640 Won't that be crazy? What's in line? Don't hide from me now. You've always been there right for me. You've always been right there for me. 00:32:49.640 --> 00:32:54.640 Don't turn your back on me now. Don't throw me out. Don't abandon me. You've always kept the door open. 00:32:54.640 --> 00:33:02.640 My father and mother walked out and left me, but God took me in. Point me down your highway, God. Direct me along a well-lighted street. 00:33:02.640 --> 00:33:08.640 Point me down your highway, God. Direct me along a well-lighted street. Show my enemies whose side you're on. 00:33:08.640 --> 00:33:14.640 Don't throw me to the dogs. Those liars are out to get me, filling the air with their threats. 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:24.640 I am sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God. Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again. Stay with God. 00:33:24.640 --> 00:33:32.640 Verse 13 says, I remain confident of this reading from the NIV. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:43.640 Guys, one of the easiest entrances into God's presence from an adverse circumstance into a time of intimacy and worship is to quickly recognize the goodness of God. 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:47.640 It is impossible for a believer not to be affected by the goodness of God. 00:33:48.640 --> 00:33:51.640 Let me say this again. There are some things that are impossible for believers. 00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:58.640 One of the things impossible for a believer is to not be able to be touched by the goodness of God. 00:33:58.640 --> 00:34:06.640 All you have to do is open the blinds so that they can see his goodness again and it will melt you. 00:34:06.640 --> 00:34:11.640 The goodness and the kindness of God, it has a strange effect on believers. 00:34:11.640 --> 00:34:15.640 It's like a child. You can take a toy away. You can give the child time out. 00:34:15.640 --> 00:34:21.640 You can cancel an event that you were going to take the child to. 00:34:21.640 --> 00:34:29.640 And after all that, when the child wants to be home alone and is disowning you, you just have to remind them of how kind and good you are. 00:34:29.640 --> 00:34:31.640 And the child turns to putty. 00:34:34.640 --> 00:34:40.640 One of the coolest ways to experience the goodness and kindness of God is through worship. 00:34:42.640 --> 00:34:46.640 It doesn't even have to be a song, words, but try this. 00:34:46.640 --> 00:34:49.640 Guys, these are practices, eh? 00:34:49.640 --> 00:34:53.640 And the enemy will do anything to rob you of this. 00:34:53.640 --> 00:34:56.640 Because these become powerful people. 00:34:59.640 --> 00:35:02.640 These are some of the things I must make part of my life. 00:35:06.640 --> 00:35:07.640 Any questions? 00:35:11.640 --> 00:35:22.640 Once you shut out a problem having laid it before him, you have the ability to pay full attention to his nature and who he wants to be for you. 00:35:22.640 --> 00:35:26.640 You try it. You'll come back every week with testimonies. 00:35:29.640 --> 00:35:38.640 Because what I see and hear of him, when I am in awe of his majesty or his presence, 00:35:38.640 --> 00:35:41.640 what I hear and see of him is what I think and who I become. 00:35:41.640 --> 00:35:42.640 Let me say that again. 00:35:42.640 --> 00:35:53.640 What I see and hear of him when I am in awe or when I am in worship or when I get into this place of intimacy or when I'm bowled over by his kindness and his goodness, 00:35:53.640 --> 00:35:55.640 the longer you live, the longer the list is. 00:35:57.640 --> 00:36:04.640 Every time I do that, whatever I hear from him or whatever I see him saying of me, 00:36:04.640 --> 00:36:07.640 is how I begin to think and what I become. 00:36:12.640 --> 00:36:14.640 He becomes the mirror that you look into. 00:36:18.640 --> 00:36:27.640 Another thing that warriors prize, warriors prize confidence. 00:36:27.640 --> 00:36:35.640 They protect the confidence that God gives them. 00:36:40.640 --> 00:36:42.640 Spiritual warriors prize their confidence. 00:36:42.640 --> 00:36:43.640 They protect it. 00:36:43.640 --> 00:36:46.640 They protect it in all things. 00:36:46.640 --> 00:36:48.640 They protect it in all things. 00:36:48.640 --> 00:36:50.640 They protect it in all things. 00:36:51.640 --> 00:36:53.640 Spiritual warriors prize their confidence. 00:36:53.640 --> 00:36:54.640 They protect it. 00:36:54.640 --> 00:36:58.640 They protect it in all circumstances. 00:37:00.640 --> 00:37:03.640 They protect it in all circumstances. 00:37:06.640 --> 00:37:10.640 Hebrews 10, 35, 36 says, Do not throw away your confidence. 00:37:10.640 --> 00:37:16.640 Let endurance and faith or let patience and faith work its way through. 00:37:16.640 --> 00:37:18.640 Do not throw away your confidence. 00:37:18.640 --> 00:37:20.640 When is confidence tested? 00:37:20.640 --> 00:37:23.640 Confidence is always tested when things take time. 00:37:24.640 --> 00:37:27.640 Confidence is tested when things take time. 00:37:28.640 --> 00:37:30.640 What does the word of God say about you? 00:37:30.640 --> 00:37:35.640 What has God spoken to you in your devotion and times of intimacy with him? 00:37:35.640 --> 00:37:38.640 What is the prophetic that has been spoken over you? 00:37:38.640 --> 00:37:45.640 What is the composite you have created for yourself where you know this is who God has called me to be? 00:37:45.640 --> 00:37:51.640 This is the identity that he has repeatedly spoken over my life since I became a believer. 00:37:51.640 --> 00:37:52.640 What is it? 00:37:52.640 --> 00:37:56.640 And is it possible to hold on to it when the fig tree does not blossom 00:37:56.640 --> 00:37:58.640 and when there is no cattle in the stall? 00:37:58.640 --> 00:38:06.640 When the olive tree has cast its fruit, then am I able to hold on to the confidence of what I heard? 00:38:10.640 --> 00:38:14.640 It's critical and it's what will always be attacked, guys. 00:38:14.640 --> 00:38:16.640 It was not Jesus' faith that was attacked. 00:38:16.640 --> 00:38:19.640 It was Jesus' confidence as the son of God. 00:38:19.640 --> 00:38:21.640 If you are the son of God. 00:38:23.640 --> 00:38:28.640 It's an undermining of your identity that Christ wants to shower you with. 00:38:28.640 --> 00:38:34.640 Every child that is showered with an identity is a child that begins to prosper as he grows older. 00:38:37.640 --> 00:38:42.640 That's why I find November and December critical to how we face 2026, see? 00:38:42.640 --> 00:38:44.640 Because we have to have an idea. 00:38:44.640 --> 00:38:47.640 What are the new things of God that you're saying over me? 00:38:55.640 --> 00:38:58.640 If we throw away our confidence, there is no breakthrough. 00:38:58.640 --> 00:39:07.640 The enemy knows this better than anyone else, which is why he constantly tries to undermine the confidence of Christians. 00:39:07.640 --> 00:39:10.640 Here's a question I have for you and for me. 00:39:10.640 --> 00:39:16.640 What is the negative that has attached itself to your psyche that always undermines your confidence? 00:39:16.640 --> 00:39:18.640 What is the negative? 00:39:18.640 --> 00:39:19.640 I have this in my life. 00:39:19.640 --> 00:39:24.640 It doesn't matter how many people have come and told me who I can be and what I must do. 00:39:24.640 --> 00:39:32.640 There are these negatives that have attached itself to the psyche, to the soulish part of my life, 00:39:32.640 --> 00:39:38.640 where every time things take long or I don't see the outcome or the fruit of my efforts, 00:39:38.640 --> 00:39:43.640 I begin to question whether what God said was real and whether the promise is true. 00:39:47.640 --> 00:39:52.640 What is the negative that has gotten so attached to your psyche that you're not able to escape it? 00:39:52.640 --> 00:39:56.640 It just keeps sapping your strength, sapping your confidence. 00:39:56.640 --> 00:40:01.640 It can be something that might sound minor in the eyes of others, but it's big for you, eh? 00:40:02.640 --> 00:40:10.640 Think about it. 00:40:10.640 --> 00:40:21.640 All of us have certain negatives attached to us that prevents us from breaking into what we know God has prepared for us. 00:40:21.640 --> 00:40:26.640 In fact, we are the ones who are supposed to inspire confidence. 00:40:26.640 --> 00:40:29.640 We are the ones who are supposed to inspire confidence. 00:40:29.640 --> 00:40:30.640 Here's a question I want to ask you. 00:40:30.640 --> 00:40:34.640 Do you give people a radiant idea of God when they meet with you? 00:40:34.640 --> 00:40:41.640 When people meet with you, do they feel like, ah, shucks, this guy's God is radiant. 00:40:41.640 --> 00:40:43.640 This guy's God actually delights. 00:40:43.640 --> 00:40:47.640 This guy's God is extravagant in his affection. 00:40:47.640 --> 00:40:49.640 This guy's God is powerful. 00:40:49.640 --> 00:40:53.640 That should be something that should come out of your life, eh? 00:40:53.640 --> 00:41:00.640 A four minute conversation with you and they go away scratching their head thinking, man, this guy's God is radiant. 00:41:00.640 --> 00:41:07.640 Hebrews 1.3 talked about Jesus like that, that he was a radiant, visible image of the invisible God. 00:41:07.640 --> 00:41:10.640 He was a radiant, visible image of the invisible God. 00:41:10.640 --> 00:41:18.640 Hebrews 1.3 talked about Jesus like that, that he was a radiant, visible image of the invisible God. 00:41:18.640 --> 00:41:23.640 I know you're not Christ, but come on, man. 00:41:23.640 --> 00:41:33.640 If I spend five minutes with Prosper, do I go away thinking, ah, shucks, this guy's life displays a radiant God who seems to be delighted with people, 00:41:33.640 --> 00:41:40.640 who is extravagant in his affection and who seems to be far more adventurous than I ever thought following God could be. 00:41:40.640 --> 00:41:42.640 Does that happen to you? 00:41:42.640 --> 00:41:47.640 That's something special that we want to give the world. 00:41:47.640 --> 00:41:49.640 Heaven doesn't sell. 00:41:49.640 --> 00:41:52.640 God does. 00:41:52.640 --> 00:41:56.640 Show an attractive God and they will want the place that he resides. 00:41:56.640 --> 00:41:59.640 Show them the place that he resides and a grumpy God. 00:41:59.640 --> 00:42:02.640 There are better options. 00:42:02.640 --> 00:42:10.640 This kind of God wants to partner with you. 00:42:10.640 --> 00:42:13.640 It's strange how God deliberately wants to partner with you. 00:42:13.640 --> 00:42:19.640 I pray God that he partners with so many impossible things for us in 2026. 00:42:19.640 --> 00:42:26.640 I just want us to be inundated with impossible things so that we get to practice stillness. 00:42:26.640 --> 00:42:28.640 We get to practice rest. 00:42:28.640 --> 00:42:32.640 We get to practice how to overcome adverse circumstances. 00:42:32.640 --> 00:42:35.640 We get to practice holding each other's hands up. 00:42:35.640 --> 00:42:40.640 We get to practice seeing the things that that song talks about. 00:42:40.640 --> 00:42:44.640 Oh, God, renew them in our day, in our life, make them known. 00:42:44.640 --> 00:42:46.640 Oh, Lord, I've heard of your fame. 00:42:46.640 --> 00:42:51.640 I stand in awe of your deeds. 00:42:51.640 --> 00:42:56.640 You know, it's strange how Moses had to have his hands lifted up. 00:42:56.640 --> 00:42:59.640 Do you think God was present then? Yes. 00:42:59.640 --> 00:43:06.640 Do you think God was depending on his hands being lifted up that he couldn't vanquish the Amalekites if Moses' hands were down? 00:43:06.640 --> 00:43:08.640 No, but it was a deliberate act. 00:43:08.640 --> 00:43:11.640 Moses, I want to partner with you. 00:43:11.640 --> 00:43:16.640 It wasn't as if God disappeared every time Moses put his hands down. 00:43:16.640 --> 00:43:20.640 But it was this idea of I want to partner. 00:43:20.640 --> 00:43:26.640 These are some of the these are some of the predictable characteristics of our God. 00:43:26.640 --> 00:43:29.640 He loves partnering. 00:43:29.640 --> 00:43:32.640 Hello, hear me. 00:43:32.640 --> 00:43:34.640 He loves partnering with people. 00:43:34.640 --> 00:43:35.640 He doesn't he doesn't need you. 00:43:35.640 --> 00:43:37.640 He wants you. 00:43:37.640 --> 00:43:41.640 He doesn't need you to do stuff, but he wants you there to do stuff with him. 00:43:41.640 --> 00:43:43.640 He loves partnering with people. 00:43:43.640 --> 00:43:47.640 The Bible would not be written if God was not partnering with people. 00:43:47.640 --> 00:43:52.640 So much so that he partnered in human flesh. 00:43:52.640 --> 00:43:55.640 This God loves partnering with his children. 00:43:55.640 --> 00:43:58.640 But tell me which father does not. 00:43:58.640 --> 00:44:05.640 Which father raises his sons and daughters and does not partner with them? 00:44:05.640 --> 00:44:13.640 Your first baseball mitt, your first hockey stick. 00:44:13.640 --> 00:44:20.640 You guys get PS4s, but this was in the good old days. 00:44:20.640 --> 00:44:21.640 And then they would take you out. 00:44:21.640 --> 00:44:23.640 They would they would play with you. 00:44:23.640 --> 00:44:24.640 What was the idea? 00:44:24.640 --> 00:44:27.640 I didn't make it, but I hope my son becomes Babe Ruth one day. 00:44:27.640 --> 00:44:32.640 It doesn't happen, but that's a dream. 00:44:32.640 --> 00:44:33.640 He loves partnering with you. 00:44:33.640 --> 00:44:39.640 I pray God that he finds a church that is so flexible, so alive to the impossible. 00:44:39.640 --> 00:44:41.640 And he'll say, OK, let's put the ritz on. 00:44:41.640 --> 00:44:42.640 You partner with me. 00:44:42.640 --> 00:44:44.640 Let me do the heavy lifting. 00:44:44.640 --> 00:44:48.640 You can take the credit. 00:44:48.640 --> 00:44:50.640 Get ready for next Sunday. 00:44:50.640 --> 00:44:57.640 I'm kind of excited about where we're going. 00:44:57.640 --> 00:45:05.640 This is going to be such an impossible year. 00:45:05.640 --> 00:45:18.640 Your excitement is overwhelming as usual. 00:45:18.640 --> 00:45:25.640 Hey, by the way, Tony took me out for dinner last week. 00:45:25.640 --> 00:45:29.640 He said it was his fault that the service went long. 00:45:29.640 --> 00:45:32.640 And so he said, Jacob, your sermon wasn't long. 00:45:32.640 --> 00:45:34.640 You kept it short. 00:45:34.640 --> 00:45:39.640 Today, you know whose fault it is, right? 00:45:39.640 --> 00:45:40.640 Just don't say it loudly. 00:45:40.640 --> 00:45:45.640 Pastor Winston's fault. 00:45:45.640 --> 00:45:49.640 Five more minutes. 00:45:49.640 --> 00:45:56.640 Another thing about spiritual warriors, guys, is spiritual warriors are not aggressive and angry. 00:45:56.640 --> 00:45:57.640 It's become the new thing. 00:45:57.640 --> 00:46:01.640 When we talk about spiritual warfare, aggressive and angry. 00:46:01.640 --> 00:46:07.640 No, they're assertive with the enemy, but they're not aggressive, angry people. 00:46:07.640 --> 00:46:10.640 Because here's the thing with anger and aggressiveness. 00:46:10.640 --> 00:46:17.640 Anger and aggressiveness will always bring you to a place where you're battling flesh and blood and not any spiritual powers. 00:46:17.640 --> 00:46:18.640 You begin to battle flesh and blood. 00:46:18.640 --> 00:46:20.640 You begin to dislike people. 00:46:20.640 --> 00:46:22.640 You begin to want them removed. 00:46:22.640 --> 00:46:30.640 You begin to become John and James, sons of thunder, who want to call down fire and lightning on everything that moves. 00:46:30.640 --> 00:46:32.640 You don't want to go there. 00:46:32.640 --> 00:46:38.640 Spiritual warfare requires you to be assertive, but not aggressive and angry. 00:46:38.640 --> 00:46:40.640 Diana, you had a question? 00:46:40.640 --> 00:46:45.640 You have it written on your forehead. 00:46:45.640 --> 00:46:57.640 Yes, but we have to be careful that it doesn't get spiteful and affect people because aggression and anger in warfare reduces us to battling flesh and blood. 00:46:57.640 --> 00:47:00.640 And it can turn against us as it did with Moses. 00:47:00.640 --> 00:47:05.640 Moses suddenly lost his cool and killed an Egyptian. 00:47:05.640 --> 00:47:09.640 And you know how many years he had to spend being a shepherd. 00:47:09.640 --> 00:47:12.640 That's one way to become a pastor. 00:47:12.640 --> 00:47:16.640 So remember, God is slow to anger. 00:47:16.640 --> 00:47:17.640 He is slow to anger. 00:47:17.640 --> 00:47:19.640 And so ask this question. 00:47:19.640 --> 00:47:22.640 And I asked this of myself and the answer wasn't very good. 00:47:22.640 --> 00:47:26.640 Check if you're easily angered inside. 00:47:26.640 --> 00:47:29.640 Check if you're easily angered inside. 00:47:29.640 --> 00:47:30.640 Not on the outside. 00:47:30.640 --> 00:47:37.640 We Christians have become experts at patience on the outside, kindness on the outside, praise the Lord on the right side. 00:47:37.640 --> 00:47:42.640 I'm talking about, are you angry inside? 00:47:42.640 --> 00:47:43.640 Are you angry when you're late? 00:47:43.640 --> 00:47:45.640 Are you angry when you're driving? 00:47:45.640 --> 00:47:48.640 Are you angry at the reticence of people? 00:47:48.640 --> 00:47:50.640 Are you angry that things aren't going well? 00:47:50.640 --> 00:47:58.640 Are you angry inside? 00:47:58.640 --> 00:48:02.640 When frustration lashes out at people, yeah, it is anger. 00:48:02.640 --> 00:48:05.640 Are you angry inside? 00:48:05.640 --> 00:48:10.640 Because Proverbs 28, sorry, Proverbs 29, Proverbs 30 keep saying the same thing. 00:48:10.640 --> 00:48:15.640 A man who is angry will invariably cause strife. 00:48:15.640 --> 00:48:19.640 It's almost inevitable. 00:48:19.640 --> 00:48:21.640 I don't want to be angry. 00:48:21.640 --> 00:48:22.640 I find myself being angered. 00:48:22.640 --> 00:48:26.640 But because I'm a pastor, I know how to hide it really well. 00:48:26.640 --> 00:48:31.640 You wouldn't know. 00:48:31.640 --> 00:48:36.640 I don't want to be angry. 00:48:36.640 --> 00:48:38.640 How about? 00:48:38.640 --> 00:48:40.640 How about Jesus flipping the table? 00:48:40.640 --> 00:48:43.640 If you want to flip tables once in your life, just go right ahead. 00:48:43.640 --> 00:48:47.640 But otherwise. 00:48:47.640 --> 00:48:52.640 One display of anger is Jesus' concession to everybody. 00:48:52.640 --> 00:48:59.640 But try not to do it at Peace Medonite because we may get booted out of here. 00:48:59.640 --> 00:49:01.640 Be angry but do not sin. Yes. 00:49:01.640 --> 00:49:07.640 But see guys, our problem is not a lack of anger. 00:49:07.640 --> 00:49:11.640 Our problem is we are more often angry than not. 00:49:11.640 --> 00:49:13.640 So I'm saying let's work on that. 00:49:13.640 --> 00:49:17.640 There are places where Jesus was angry, Jesus was frustrated, 00:49:17.640 --> 00:49:20.640 Jesus expressed his frustration and his anger. 00:49:20.640 --> 00:49:27.640 But since he was not an angry person but a man of sorrows and a man of peace and a man of joy, 00:49:27.640 --> 00:49:28.640 let's go that route. 00:49:28.640 --> 00:49:31.640 I don't think that's a problem with for us. 00:49:31.640 --> 00:49:36.640 So he who rules his spirit is more powerful than he who takes a city. 00:49:36.640 --> 00:49:41.640 Proverbs 16, verse 32. 00:49:41.640 --> 00:49:42.640 He who rules his spirit. 00:49:42.640 --> 00:49:44.640 I want to rule my spirit. 00:49:44.640 --> 00:49:46.640 I don't want to be angry. 00:49:46.640 --> 00:49:47.640 I don't want to be angered. 00:49:47.640 --> 00:49:51.640 I can be angry but I don't want to be angered. 00:49:51.640 --> 00:49:54.640 You know the opposite of ruling your spirit or self-control? 00:49:54.640 --> 00:49:59.640 The opposite of that is self-gratification, instant gratification. 00:49:59.640 --> 00:50:03.640 The opposite of self-control is instant gratification. 00:50:03.640 --> 00:50:06.640 And it guarantees mediocrity. 00:50:06.640 --> 00:50:09.640 It guarantees poverty. 00:50:09.640 --> 00:50:11.640 It guarantees being ravaged by the enemy. 00:50:11.640 --> 00:50:13.640 Proverbs 25, 28. 00:50:13.640 --> 00:50:15.640 A man who does not have self-control. 00:50:15.640 --> 00:50:18.640 A man who does not have control over his spirit. 00:50:18.640 --> 00:50:19.640 A man who is angry. 00:50:19.640 --> 00:50:22.640 It's like a city without walls. 00:50:22.640 --> 00:50:27.640 And so it's critical to our development as believers, as warriors, 00:50:27.640 --> 00:50:36.640 and it is critical in the development of every young child that we learn the discipline 00:50:36.640 --> 00:50:48.640 of having spirits or having attitudes that aren't always met with instant gratification. 00:50:48.640 --> 00:50:51.640 Be it your children or be it a believer here. 00:50:51.640 --> 00:50:58.640 This church should work at teaching both children and grown-ups 00:50:58.640 --> 00:51:03.640 that you will not be instantly gratified because it ain't a kingdom principle. 00:51:03.640 --> 00:51:08.640 I want. No. 00:51:08.640 --> 00:51:10.640 I'm talking about believers now. 00:51:10.640 --> 00:51:15.640 That's not how it works, guys. 00:51:15.640 --> 00:51:26.640 And if I don't learn it as a young believer, I will not learn it as an older believer. 00:51:27.640 --> 00:51:32.640 Okay. 00:51:32.640 --> 00:51:43.640 I think we should end. 00:51:43.640 --> 00:51:44.640 Yeah, I think we'll end. 00:51:44.640 --> 00:51:47.640 I wanted to talk about the incarnate, crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, 00:51:47.640 --> 00:51:51.640 but then I won't get dinner with Tuni. 00:51:51.640 --> 00:52:00.640 I'm selling my birthright for some porridge, Tuni. 00:52:00.640 --> 00:52:05.640 Let's break bread. 00:52:05.640 --> 00:52:14.640 Next week I'll be talking about, so how do we prepare for 2026, both personally and as a church? 00:52:14.640 --> 00:52:18.640 What does God have for Acts 29 and 2026? 00:52:18.640 --> 00:52:20.640 How should we position ourselves? 00:52:20.640 --> 00:52:23.640 What's our posture? 00:52:23.640 --> 00:52:25.640 We'll talk about that. 00:52:25.640 --> 00:52:29.640 I'm away in the UK from Tuesday to Saturday, 00:52:29.640 --> 00:52:36.640 so I'll be seeing Caleb and Judah from Belfast and the little church they have there. 00:52:36.640 --> 00:52:42.640 And then I'll be going to Bristol and then to London where Anne and Jerren have their church. 00:52:42.640 --> 00:52:55.640 I'll be back on Saturday. 00:52:55.640 --> 00:53:09.640 Yeah. 00:53:09.640 --> 00:53:19.640 Yeah. 00:53:19.640 --> 00:53:23.640 Where does confidence morph into stubbornness? 00:53:23.640 --> 00:53:33.640 Confidence morphs into stubbornness when I refuse to take the counsel of people appointed to me by God, 00:53:33.640 --> 00:53:41.640 where I become so confident in what God has said now that I don't care about things that he may want to bring into my life through you, 00:53:41.640 --> 00:53:45.640 or may bring through the word, or may bring through correction. 00:53:45.640 --> 00:53:48.640 And now I have no space for that because God has said it. 00:53:48.640 --> 00:53:50.640 Now that's what I'm going to do. 00:53:50.640 --> 00:53:52.640 And what if I heard wrong? 00:53:52.640 --> 00:53:56.640 What if I, it doesn't match the nature of God. 00:53:56.640 --> 00:54:05.640 And so when confidence becomes something that refuses to take counsel, 00:54:05.640 --> 00:54:08.640 confidence shouldn't make me unteachable. 00:54:08.640 --> 00:54:18.640 When your confidence makes me unteachable, you know that it is suspect. 00:54:18.640 --> 00:54:19.640 Yeah. 00:54:19.640 --> 00:54:24.640 Unteachability is pride, where it's me and my God. 00:54:24.640 --> 00:54:25.640 Here's the thing, guys. 00:54:25.640 --> 00:54:28.640 God will do nothing individually with you. 00:54:28.640 --> 00:54:33.640 He will always use people. 00:54:33.640 --> 00:54:35.640 No Samuel without Eli. 00:54:35.640 --> 00:54:37.640 No Saul without Samuel. 00:54:37.640 --> 00:54:39.640 No David without Samuel. 00:54:39.640 --> 00:54:41.640 No Timothy without Paul. 00:54:41.640 --> 00:54:44.640 No Paul without Barnabas. 00:54:44.640 --> 00:54:47.640 No Christ without Mary and Joseph. 00:54:47.640 --> 00:54:53.640 No Christ being supplied with things except through the ladies in Luke chapter 8. 00:54:53.640 --> 00:54:56.640 It just is endless. 00:54:56.640 --> 00:54:58.640 He'll always use people. 00:55:07.640 --> 00:55:35.640 Thanks. 00:55:35.640 --> 00:55:39.640 Father, everyone's got bread? 00:55:39.640 --> 00:55:40.640 Okay. 00:55:40.640 --> 00:56:01.640 So Father, I believe that there's faith in the room right now to embrace 2026 as a year when we walk in the impossible with Yahweh, with God. 00:56:01.640 --> 00:56:18.640 So today when we break bread and eat, we want to partake with the statement that you made in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. 00:56:18.640 --> 00:56:20.640 Is anything too difficult for me? 00:56:20.640 --> 00:56:28.640 Is anything impossible for me? 00:56:28.640 --> 00:56:33.640 John 18 verse 37. 00:56:33.640 --> 00:56:35.640 You say I'm a king, and yes I am. 00:56:35.640 --> 00:56:47.640 For this reason I was born to give witness to the truth. 00:56:47.640 --> 00:57:02.640 Jesus, we want to witness to a God who does impossible things, who makes things new. 00:57:02.640 --> 00:57:13.640 When you died, you spared us the violence of all death, physical death, spiritual death. 00:57:13.640 --> 00:57:15.640 You spared us the violence of all death. 00:57:15.640 --> 00:57:21.640 You spared us separation from you. 00:57:21.640 --> 00:57:25.640 You spared us shame and humiliation and suffering. 00:57:25.640 --> 00:57:29.640 How did you spare us by taking it upon yourself? 00:57:29.640 --> 00:57:30.640 You did it, Jesus. 00:57:30.640 --> 00:57:35.640 Nobody else has ever done it for man. 00:57:35.640 --> 00:57:45.640 When you rose again, you launched us as new creation, God inhabiting man. 00:57:45.640 --> 00:57:47.640 You began to live in us. 00:57:47.640 --> 00:57:54.640 People here who have acknowledged your death and your resurrection, you are living in us right now. 00:57:54.640 --> 00:58:00.640 Not besides us, you live in us. 00:58:00.640 --> 00:58:09.640 Romans 6, my spirit and God's spirit have become one. 00:58:09.640 --> 00:58:20.640 When you ascended, you said come, sit with me, let me show you my kindness, Ephesians 2, 6. 00:58:20.640 --> 00:58:25.640 And so we remember, we remember. 00:58:25.640 --> 00:58:27.640 And we burst out in praise, oh God. 00:58:27.640 --> 00:58:33.640 We burst out in praise as we put together words more than a hallelujah, more than a praise the Lord. 00:58:33.640 --> 00:58:37.640 We remember these statements that are made and what you've done for us. 00:58:37.640 --> 00:58:42.640 And we remember, we remember with words spoken and whispered right now, Father. 00:58:42.640 --> 00:58:44.640 So we take time to do that right now.