Participants: Pr. C.A. Murray
Series Code: ASHF
Program Code: ASHF000018
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00:21 Hello, and welcome to our Wednesday evening Bible study
00:24 prayer meeting together. 00:25 My name is CA Murray 00:26 and Pastor Lomacang is on a little bit of vacation. 00:29 So I'm substituting for him this night. 00:32 You know, when I think about substitute teachers, 00:35 I don't know about you but when are coming along, 00:37 the substitute teacher always caught 00:40 a lot of stuff from the class. 00:41 You know, they weren't accustomed 00:43 to what was going on, 00:45 so they had to ask the class for lot of information. 00:46 I remember when we had a substitute teacher 00:49 it was like free for all kind of day. 00:51 You know, she'd say, "Well, what are you studying?" 00:53 Well, we are studying recess today, 00:54 you know, that kind of thing. 00:56 So, I'm the substitute teacher 00:59 but I think this class is gonna behave 01:01 because we have to spank them all if they do not behave. 01:04 But we welcome you to our prayer meeting tonight. 01:07 We want to talk a little bit about the will 01:09 and the human will 01:12 and several aspects of the human will. 01:14 But before we do that, I want to do a couple of things 01:15 that we don't normally do. 01:17 When I had prayer meeting back in New York pastoring, 01:22 Wednesday night was always a time for prayer for me. 01:25 I always started my prayer meetings off with prayer. 01:28 It just seems like you can't have 01:29 a Wednesday night service without prayer. 01:32 It just seems to go with the service. 01:34 And if you look at the comments by Ellen White, 01:36 they are considerable statements 01:39 that she puts on prayer meeting and the prayer meeting 01:41 and the Wednesday night service. 01:43 She put a lot of stock into that. 01:45 And so in lieu of singing the song which we usually do, 01:49 I want to spend some of this time in prayer. 01:51 And ask first of all, are there any special prayer requests 01:53 that you have? 01:54 Any prayer request that we have? 01:56 You can't speak them because they can't hear you 01:57 but if you do have prayer request 01:58 you can raise your hand. 02:00 Any special prayer request that you have? 02:01 Very, very good. 02:03 I certainly have some, 02:05 got a little health challenge as of late 02:07 but I think God is good, 02:09 I think it's gonna be cleared up, 02:10 I pray so. 02:11 And in fact I have confidence that it will be so, 02:13 because I'm gonna talk about that a little bit 02:14 in this thing on the will where Ellen White says 02:16 "Talk faith and not to talk negative." 02:19 Couple of reasons for that. 02:20 So we're gonna talk about that too. 02:22 But let's bow our heads now and have a word of prayer 02:24 and then we will launch out into our lesson, 02:25 do a couple of other things. 02:27 Father God, 02:28 we thank You first of all for the privilege 02:30 we have of sitting here 02:33 for the power of Your word 02:36 and for what it does to change our lives 02:40 and to make us like Christ Jesus. 02:43 We thank You, Lord, that You have written Your word 02:45 and left Your word and that You exalt Your word 02:48 and that when we read Your word, 02:50 we can understand Your will. 02:51 Now, Lord, we ask for the power to put into practice 02:57 those things that we know are right. 03:00 We are convicted, Lord, that Christ is coming soon 03:02 and we want to be ready for that day. 03:05 Help us even now on this night, 03:08 this evening to take one more step along the road 03:11 that leads to glory in the knowledge 03:16 that victory has already been won in Christ Jesus. 03:20 We thank You, Lord, 03:21 and we praise You in Jesus' name, amen. 03:24 Amen. 03:25 I've got to mention, 03:26 I've got a beautiful family of Murray's 03:28 sitting right here in front of me. 03:30 Not really I wish they were, they are far too beautiful 03:34 to be produced by me 03:35 but they have the same name as I 03:37 and we have the same Father, praise the Lord. 03:38 Amen. 03:40 In heaven. 03:41 But these are Murray's from Florida. 03:43 We have had some Kids' Time taping this weekend. 03:44 They came up do some singing. 03:46 I was in the truck yesterday to hear them sing. 03:47 They are beautiful singers. 03:49 Well done, ladies, 03:50 and we carry the same names so I'm proud to be Murray. 03:55 And a right spelling, M-U-R-R-A-Y, praise the Lord. 03:58 So we are thankful 04:00 that you're visiting with us tonight. 04:01 We want to get right into our study 04:03 because we've got a lot to talk about. 04:05 I'm gonna take much of the hour 04:07 walking through some of these stuff. 04:08 These are quotes that Ellen White has written 04:14 that I sort of compiled to talk about the human will. 04:17 Now, I'm told to tell you that you can get this material 04:20 on the A Shaper Focus, ASF website. 04:24 You can download them as lesson 8, 04:27 it's called the Human Will. 04:28 A compilation of E.G. White comments by CA Murray. 04:31 Now, there are a number, 04:32 a large number of statements on the will, 04:35 but I chose to pull out just some of these. 04:37 For this reason, we talk about victorious Christians living 04:39 so many, many times, 04:42 but the question is how do you do it, 04:44 and Ellen White was very practical 04:47 about how you use your will to live victoriously. 04:52 Now, I need to give you a warning, a little caveat. 04:55 The incorrect use of the will 04:58 is really tantamount to legalism. 05:01 So we want to avoid that. 05:02 We're gonna talk about the correct use of the will. 05:06 How to use it to gain victory in Jesus Christ 05:08 and how to do so? 05:10 I've got my computer here 05:12 and I've got my little piece of paper here 05:13 with some additional notes on it. 05:15 So, I'm gonna be going back and forth 05:16 between what's on my computer 05:17 and my little highlighted notes. 05:19 So, I'm not schizophrenic, 05:21 just got a lot of stuff written in here 05:22 that's not on this computer. 05:24 So, we will go back and forth. 05:25 So, let's go into the human will 05:27 and sort of walk our way through this. 05:29 Now, I'm not gonna use the question and answer 05:31 sort of regime that John uses, 05:35 this is a little more pedagogical, 05:38 little more teaching oriented without the question and answer 05:42 because I couldn't really form all of these stuff 05:44 into question and answer. 05:46 Just had to kind of give you the answer 05:47 and then work back to the question. 05:48 So, I hope that's all right with everybody. 05:50 "Pure religion has to do with the will." 05:53 Now, I need to stop right there for a second 05:54 because when we talk about religion today, 05:57 that word has almost gotten a sort of dirty connotation. 06:01 When Ellen White uses the term religion, 06:03 she is talking about relationship. 06:06 So, you can almost substitute the word 06:08 pure relationship with God has to do with the will. 06:11 She is not talking about a rote religion 06:13 or as we think of religion today 06:16 as a bunch of things to do. 06:17 She is talking about relationship 06:19 and you will find everything that has to do 06:21 with the Lord has to do with relationship. 06:24 It's all about relationship. 06:25 So, pure religion, pure relationship 06:28 has to do with the will. 06:30 Now here's what we mean by the will. 06:32 "The will is the governing power 06:34 in the nature of man." 06:36 So it's the controlling power. It governs what we do. 06:40 "Bringing all the other faculties under its sway. 06:43 The will is not the taste or the inclination 06:47 but it is the deciding power 06:49 which works in the children of men 06:51 unto obedience to God or unto disobedience." 06:54 So, the will is not your taste or inclinations. 06:59 Those are things that we develop 07:01 through a course of life. 07:03 Your taste, your inclinations 07:04 have a lot to do with where you were born, 07:06 how you were raised, 07:08 you know, your basic genetic make up. 07:10 So that's not the will. 07:12 The will in short is the yes or no ability. 07:16 That's what your will is. 07:17 Now, your will can be affected 07:20 by your taste, your inclinations, 07:22 but the will is not the taste or inclination 07:25 it's the yes or no ability. 07:27 It's what we use to say no to that, yes to that. 07:32 Yes, to that. No, to that. 07:34 That's what our will is 07:36 and that's a very, very important statement. 07:38 Now, let's look at sin. 07:41 "It is true that Satan 07:43 is the great originator of" what? 07:46 "Sin, 07:47 yet this does not excuse any man from sinning, 07:51 for he cannot force men to do evil." 07:56 Amen. Amen. 07:57 So, there is no excuse for sinning. 08:01 There was an old comedian 08:02 who used to say "the devil made me do it." 08:04 You remember that from way back in the day. 08:05 Devil can't make you do anything. 08:08 You've got to choose to do it. 08:09 So many times people say, 08:10 "Oh, oh, he pushes my buttons or she pushes my buttons." 08:17 Well, what you are admitting is that you still got buttons. 08:22 Amen. 08:24 Yeah, that's what you're just Saying, I still got buttons 08:25 and what happens when you surrender your life to Christ 08:29 is He erases the buttons. 08:32 The buttons are gone. 08:34 So that people are still pushing, 08:35 but there is no button there, the button is gone. 08:38 So, you cannot be forced to do anything. 08:43 No one can force your will. 08:45 You got a accent or consent to it. 08:47 So, Satan cannot force you. 08:49 And I thank God 08:51 that He didn't have the part to force me to do anything. 08:53 What a mess it would be 08:54 if Satan could actually force us. 08:56 But we can say yes, 08:58 and praise God through Jesus Christ 08:59 we can say no and mean it. 09:02 You know, by the way 09:03 and this why we get into trouble. 09:05 Lomie does this, 09:06 Pastor Lomacang I call him Lomie 09:07 because I've know him since he was in his teens. 09:09 Things pop in your mind 09:11 and you want to make that left turn and go there. 09:13 So, I'm gonna make one left turn right here. 09:15 Ellen White says this, she says to young people. 09:17 When a young man-- 09:19 I got some pretty young ladies in front here. 09:20 When a young man is misbehaving on a date 09:24 or forcing his self on you she says, 09:28 "You ought to say no with a ferocity 09:31 that leaves no doubt in his mind 09:33 that you mean no." 09:35 And you ought to do the same with Satan. 09:36 So, if he is getting all huggy, 09:39 cuddly say no with some oomph, so that he knows you. 09:44 You're not, "No, don't do that." 09:48 Say, you know, say, no. 09:50 Amen. Amen. 09:52 And you do the same thing with Satan. 09:53 Now, that just popped in my mind 09:55 because I see some pretty young ladies here 09:56 and they will come a time when 09:57 because these are gorgeous young girls. 09:59 When some guy may want to get a little liberal. 10:02 Tell them you are conservative. 10:03 Yeah. Tell them no. 10:05 In Jesus name, amen. Amen. 10:07 All right, now, so no one can force you to do anything. 10:09 "He tempts them to do it 10:11 and makes sin look enticing and pleasant 10:15 but he has to leave it to their own wills 10:18 whether they will do it or not." 10:20 That's why we got to preach so hard. 10:22 Sin is enticing. 10:26 Sin is pleasant. Sin feels good. 10:33 The problem is there is a dark side. 10:38 It's only enticing and good for a season 10:41 but the end thereof are the ways of death. 10:44 That's why you got to preach so hard 10:46 because Satan works so hard to make sin look good 10:50 and he hides the dirt and the evil. 10:52 But behind the glitter it's all fool's gold. 10:55 So he can put it out there for you 11:00 but you got to make the decision 11:02 whether you're gonna do it or not, he cannot force you. 11:05 "He does not force men to become intoxicated, 11:08 neither does he force them to remain away 11:10 from religious meetings 11:12 but he presents temptations in a manner to allure to evil 11:16 and man is a free moral agent to accept or refuse." 11:20 I remember when I was younger, I would just say, 11:22 "Boy, I wish God would just make us do right." 11:24 You know, just make us do right. 11:26 But that's just as bad as making you do wrong. 11:28 All right. Yeah. 11:29 Right has to come from your heart. 11:31 Has to come from love of God. 11:33 Has to come from a want a desire to serve the Lord. 11:36 Cannot be forced, cannot be coerced 11:39 or it wouldn't be love. 11:42 So he can, he can, he can put these things in front of you 11:46 and that's why we have to be so prayed up 11:51 and read up and fortified 11:55 because on the day that you think you're strong, 11:58 that's the day Satan will show you 12:00 that you are not strong without Jesus. 12:04 Amen. Amen. 12:05 You know, some days you, 12:06 you know, some days you feel like 12:08 you can carry the weight of the world, you know. 12:10 Other days you feel like 12:12 you are carrying the weight of world. 12:13 Ever had days like that? 12:15 And on the days when you can't take it 12:18 that's when you get it. 12:20 How many know what I'm talking about? 12:21 You know, you go to work someone says, 12:23 "How you're doing, ugly?" 12:25 And they're just playing, you know, 12:27 but this is one of those days when that's not funny. 12:31 Yesterday that had been fun with laugh, 12:33 you know, but today that's not funny. 12:36 And on the day when you don't need it 12:38 guess what, that's the day you get it. 12:41 That's why you have to take Jesus with you 12:42 every single day. 12:45 You can't afford to leave the house without prayer. 12:47 And not a quick Burger King 12:49 have it your way kind of fast prayer, 12:51 you got to take a little time with Jesus 12:53 because Satan is gonna test you every single day. 12:56 Amen. He doesn't take a vacation. 12:58 You know, we like to say and with truth 13:01 "The Lord never sleeps, never slumbers." 13:05 Guess who else never sleeps, never slumbers? 13:09 The devil. 13:10 That's why you cannot hope to defeat him without Him. 13:13 Tell you something real quick. 13:14 Not in the paper. Here we go again. 13:17 How many of you ever done 13:19 something that really surprised you, 13:21 that you shocked yourself? 13:23 I have. 13:24 Said something that kind of shocked you. 13:26 Yeah. 13:29 Who was surprised when you did that? 13:33 Let me help you. 13:37 When you said something that surprised you, 13:39 was God surprised? 13:40 No. No. 13:43 When you said something that surprised you, 13:44 was Satan surprised? 13:46 No. No. 13:48 So the only person that surprised you 13:50 when you did what you did was? 13:52 You. You. 13:55 Yeah, the Lord knows you better than you know yourself. 13:59 Amen. Amen. 14:00 Surprise, surprise so to say 14:02 because He studied you for 6,000 years. 14:05 That's why without the help of the Lord 14:06 you cannot hope to defeat Satan 14:08 because he is smarter than you are. 14:11 So the only person that's, did I say that? 14:15 Is you. 14:17 That's why you have to have Jesus. 14:19 Cannot defeat Satan without Jesus. 14:21 It's, you shouldn't, you're defeated before you even start. 14:26 So that includes going to religious meetings, 14:30 doing these things so that you can see 14:32 life as it really is. 14:37 He doesn't force us to remain away. 14:39 You know, things pop into your mind. 14:43 Write down two words, 14:45 this is when you ball array everything 14:48 this is what religion is to me. 14:50 Two words, commitment and control. 14:55 That's what it is. 14:57 You commit your life to Christ, Christ gives you control. 15:01 Control of your past, control of your present, 15:04 control of your future. 15:05 Sin no longer has dominion over you. 15:08 You commit to Christ 15:10 and you are not like a runaway train. 15:13 He gives you control. 15:14 As long as you stay in Him, you can say no to the devil 15:18 and the devil will flee not because he is afraid of you, 15:21 he is afraid of the person who's got your back. 15:24 Amen. Amen. 15:25 That's Jesus. Commitment and control. 15:29 And let me say this, when you get down, 15:33 when you make a mistake, when you surprise yourself, 15:37 don't get discouraged. 15:39 Amen. Amen. 15:40 Discouragement is the atomic bomb of the devil. 15:46 Amen. 15:48 The Lord, hear me, the Lord never sends discouragement. 15:56 Ever. It's not in His arsenal. 16:00 So when you get to that nobody knows the trouble I've seen, 16:03 let me just find a building and go jump off, 16:05 that didn't come from the Lord because He doesn't saying that. 16:07 As they say in the city, "Lord, don't play that." 16:11 That's the devil speaking. God will test you. 16:15 He will try you. 16:16 He will allow you to be tested and tried 16:18 but He will never send discouragement. 16:21 When you start thinking 16:22 you are the only one left in Israel, 16:24 everybody hates me, nobody likes me. 16:27 That's coming from Satan Himself, 16:29 that's not from the God. 16:30 It's his strongest weapon. 16:32 If he can't wear you out, if he can't rust you out 16:33 he will just depress you out. 16:36 And so Ellen White says, we got to fight depression 16:39 like the plague 16:40 because that's devil speaking directly to you. 16:42 It does not come from God. 16:45 Never does the Lord ever send us depression. 16:47 So, when you fall, the Bible says "The righteous fall 16:52 seven times and get back up." 16:54 Amen. Amen. 16:56 And later and bleed get back up and continue to serve Him. 17:01 All right, At the Fall. 17:03 "You need to drink daily from the fountain of truth 17:06 that you may understand the secret of pleasure 17:09 and joy in the Lord." 17:10 Let me stop there. 17:12 There is joy and pleasure in the Lord. 17:18 There are those who would try to tell you that Christians 17:21 don't have joy, don't have pleasure. 17:25 When you come to Christ and really come to Him 17:27 the only thing that makes you sad 17:28 is the fact that you didn't come sooner. 17:31 There's joy in Jesus. There is pleasure in Jesus. 17:35 I'm working on this song now called "He has forgiven me" 17:37 and one of the things say, 17:39 you know, how wonderful it is to go to sleep at night 17:42 and sleep in peace 'cause your soul is clean, 17:44 your heart is clean. 17:46 Not mad at anybody. 17:47 Didn't try to knife anybody in the back. 17:49 Didn't try to undo anybody. 17:50 Didn't try to, you know, kill somebody's character. 17:52 You can sleep because you're free with all men. 17:54 Love everybody whether they love you 17:56 that's between them and Jesus but you love them. 17:58 Amen. Amen. 18:00 So you sleep at night not tossing and turning 18:01 because, guess what, he is coming 18:03 to get me every time you hear a knock on the door. 18:04 Oh, here they come. 18:07 No, because you love the Lord and you are at peace. 18:11 So there is a joy, there is a pleasure in Jesus. 18:16 Next line, "But you must remember 18:19 that your will is the spring of all your actions." 18:23 Your will is the spring of all your actions. 18:29 "This will that forms so important a factor 18:32 in the character of man was at the Fall 18:35 given into the control of Satan. 18:39 He has ever been working in men to do 18:42 and to will of his own pleasure 18:45 but to the utter ruin and misery of man." 18:49 If you get a chance, oh, I think it's page 147, 18:52 I'm not sure. 18:54 In the book "Early Writings" 18:56 Ellen White gives a view of Satan himself. 19:01 She was allowed to see him. 19:03 She said, when she saw him he was sitting 19:05 with his chin resting in his hand, 19:08 just kind of thinking. 19:10 She describes him as very large framed. 19:13 She says the skin hung loosely from around his face. 19:16 His fore line, she says, 19:17 his hairline commence to recede at the eyebrows. 19:22 She gives a quite a impressive description of Satan. 19:27 She says, he has the marks of a regal being 19:30 because he of course once was a covering cherub. 19:32 But she says, you can see in his face 19:36 what 6,000 years of sin has done. 19:39 There is no kindness, no mercy, no charity, no love. 19:43 He's just total evil and you can see 19:45 what that 6,000 years of evil has done 19:49 to who once was a beautiful individual 19:52 is now marred by sin. 19:55 Then she says this, I saw as he was thinking, 19:59 she says I saw this little smile across his lips 20:05 and then it got bigger and bigger 20:07 and it turned into a hideous grin she says. 20:10 She says that's the grin he gets 20:13 just before he closes the trap on another Christian. 20:18 It's powerful, powerful. 20:19 Actually don't read it at night alone by yourself. 20:22 Read it during the day 20:24 because it's little frightening. 20:25 But it's there in "Early Writings" 20:27 and she says, if we could see who we're dealing with 20:30 just a sight of him 20:32 would scare most Christians into the arm of Jesus. 20:35 We are dealing with a terrible vicious foe 20:37 who wants nothing but your ruin and your misery 20:39 and he will use any trick 20:42 that he can to ensnare Christians. 20:45 Now, the truth is, he is not really inventing anything new. 20:51 The same stuff he used back against the children of Israel, 20:55 same stuff working today. 20:57 And that ain't anything new 20:58 because we are still falling for the same thing. 21:00 The answer, the antidote is Jesus Christ. 21:04 I continue... 21:07 "But" I'm in the middle of the paragraph. 21:10 "The infinite sacrifice of God in giving Jesus His beloved Son 21:14 to become a sacrifice for sin 21:16 enables Him to say without violating 21:19 one principle of His government 'Yield yourself to Me, 21:24 give me that will, 21:26 take it from the control of Satan 21:28 and I will take possession of it, 21:31 then I can work in you to will and to do of My good pleasure.' 21:37 "So God will not hold captive or take captive your will. 21:44 You have to give it to Him. 21:47 The secret to successful Christian living 21:51 is not fighting. 21:54 It's surrender. 21:56 The secret always has been and is now surrender. 22:01 It is surrender to Jesus Christ for two reasons. 22:06 One, you can't whip Satan. 22:11 Amen. Amen. 22:13 You can't fight him. 22:14 So you got to get somebody to fight for you 22:19 and that's crucial because so many of us think, 22:22 if I can just stop doing this, I'll be like Jesus. 22:27 Well, here's the statement I want you to hold on to. 22:30 The use of the will to not do a thing 22:36 is the incorrect use of the will. 22:39 That is tantamount to legalism. 22:42 Using your-- well, say you're a smoker. 22:45 I'm going to buy force of will stop smoking. 22:49 Now, there are some people who can pull that off. 22:51 Most people can't but some can. 22:55 There's two problems with that. 22:57 Even if you never smoke again, how do you get forgiveness 23:03 for the smoking you used to do? 23:07 Those sins are un-confessed. 23:09 If today I never smoke again, what about yesterday smoking. 23:12 That has to be yielded to Jesus, doesn't it? 23:15 So, I need Jesus to take care of my past. 23:17 Amen. Amen. 23:19 So, using the will is the wrong, 23:22 to not do a thing is the wrong use of the will. 23:25 Two, there are some days when your good nature 23:30 is stronger than your bad nature. 23:33 You know what I mean, some days, today, 23:34 I'm not gonna smoke and you can do it. 23:38 Tomorrow comes and that cigarette 23:41 is just killing you, you know. 23:46 And so today, you're gonna smoke. 23:50 So, using your will not to do something is futile. 23:56 It's because some days your will is strong 23:59 and some days your will is weak 24:01 and it can be as simple as you've gone to bed, 24:04 ate pizza and gone to bed too late. 24:07 So, you get up the next morning you just, 24:08 tumble just, you're gonna have a bad day 24:11 and your will is not gonna be strong. 24:14 So, using your will not to do something is never gonna work. 24:18 You got to have Jesus. 24:20 Here's why? 24:22 Suppose there is a guy who is Married, 24:28 but he has a secretary 24:30 who flirts with him, and he kind of likes it. 24:38 But he realizes he is letting to go too far so he says, 24:41 "All right, I'm not gonna think about her anymore." 24:49 So, in not thinking about her, what is he actually doing? 24:55 He is thinking about her. Yeah. 24:57 He is thinking about not thinking about her. 24:59 So, he is technically thinking about her. 25:03 I'm not thinking about you. 25:07 So, when I see you, now I got to think about 25:09 not thinking about you. 25:11 So how do I get over that? 25:14 By putting my mind on something else. 25:18 You follow me? 25:19 Not thinking about her or not thinking about 25:22 thinking about her or not thinking about 25:23 not thinking about her 25:25 but thinking about something else. 25:26 Now who is this something else? Jesus. 25:28 So, whenever the thought of secretary A come to mind, 25:33 I don't try to not think about Her, 25:37 I try to think about Jesus. 25:41 And then Jesus will take care of my thinking about her. 25:45 Amen. Amen. 25:47 That's a positive use of the will. 25:50 Negative use of the will is legalism 25:53 and it's ultimately unsuccessful. 25:56 You got to replace what you have with Christ. 26:01 Victory in Jesus, remember this, 26:03 is not avoidance therapy. 26:07 It's overcoming, it's mastery so that you are in the world 26:12 but not of the world 26:15 because temptation will always be there. 26:17 You fire a secretary, you got to hire another one 26:20 unless you hire a guy. 26:24 So, secretary is not your problem, 26:29 locking on to Jesus is. 26:32 So, you use your will so surrender to Christ 26:35 as opposed to not think about sin. 26:37 Does that make sense? 26:39 So the secret still is surrender. 26:41 Now let me pick up my, where we are here. 26:46 "Yield yourself up to Me" I want to reiterate that 26:49 "give me that will take it from the control of Satan 26:53 and I will take possession of it, 26:55 then I can work" excuse me 26:58 "in you to will and to do of My good pleasure." 27:01 That of course comes from Philippians 2:13, 27:04 "It is God that worketh in you to will 27:07 and to do his good pleasure." 27:09 "When He gives you the mind of Christ 27:12 your will becomes His will 27:16 and your character is transformed 27:18 to be like Christ's character." 27:20 I said something just some weeks ago 27:22 during our Pillars of Prophecy. 27:26 In studying the Book of Isaiah, it occurred to me 27:29 I think we all have some idea of how much Christ loves us 27:33 because Christ wants you to know 27:35 how much He loves you. 27:37 So, He gives you evidences all the time 27:40 of how much He loves you. 27:43 Excuse me. 27:45 I went to the doctor diagnosed of prostate cancer 27:47 went back a couple of years later 27:49 and the doctor scratched his head 27:51 and said "Something is wrong with your cancer 27:52 because this trying to act like non-cancer." 27:55 See, it is but it's not. 27:57 And it's there but is not, so we don't know what going on. 28:00 See that's God saying "I love you" to me. 28:03 So went back last month and he said, "Well, It's there 28:07 but it's kind of just sitting there, 28:09 kind of waving on us, not really doing too much. 28:10 You got cancer but it's not aggressive." 28:14 So that's God saying again to me "I love you." 28:17 You know, you take it the way you want. 28:19 Over and over in our lives God shows us a million ways, 28:22 a million days that He loves us. 28:24 We know how much God loves us but I don't think any of us 28:27 has a clue how much He hate sin. 28:31 I don't think we understand how much 28:33 because, because we have developed 28:35 this sort of reproach mock with sin. 28:36 We have to fight against sin. 28:38 Our natural inclination is towards sin. 28:41 There is nothing in the Lord 28:43 that has any compatibility with. 28:45 I don't think we have a clue how much He hate sin. 28:47 We know how much He loves us but I don't think we know 28:49 how much He hates sin 28:51 and if we did I think we would run from sin 28:54 so fast so far because it's so alien to God. 28:58 He hates it so very much 28:59 and yet He loves us so very, very, much. 29:01 But He, there is no tolerance in heaven at all 29:04 for the slightest bit of sin. 29:06 And I don't think we can truly understand 29:07 and grasp that how much the Lord hates sin. 29:12 So, Christ is saying "Give Me your will 29:15 and I will implant in you the mind of Christ 29:18 and you will immediately begin to hate some of those things 29:22 that you once loved 29:24 and your victory begins that very second. 29:27 When Given to Christ, 29:29 "It is for you to yield up your will 29:31 to the will of Jesus Christ and as you do this 29:35 God will immediately take possession 29:38 and work in you to will 29:40 and to do of His good pleasure." 29:42 I'm so glad that the justification experience 29:47 is not doesn't take forever. 29:50 You make a mistake, 1 John 1:9 kicks in. 29:54 "If you confess your sins, he is faithful 29:56 and just to forgive at the point of confession." 30:00 It's not a week later. Doesn't take it to a committee. 30:03 Doesn't have to discuss it or think about it. 30:05 As you confess it, He is faithful 30:08 and just to forgive and to cleanse. 30:15 Forgive is nice, cleanse is better. 30:19 Amen. Amen. 30:20 Yes, so you will have to keep repeating it, you know. 30:23 I want to be forgiven 30:26 but just to be forgiven and not be cleansed is like 30:28 I got to around that same thing all over again. 30:30 I want to be cleansed. 30:31 I want to get free of that thing. 30:32 Don't you? Yes. 30:34 Amen. 30:35 So He is faithful and just to forgive 30:37 and praise God to cleanse 30:40 and He does it immediately we are told. 30:42 "Your whole nature will then be brought under the control 30:46 of the Spirit of Christ 30:47 and then your thoughts will be subject to Him." 30:52 I think that the last battlefield 30:55 in this world is the battlefield of the mind. 30:59 That's when the most fierce battles are being played out 31:02 and the toughest person to defeat is you. 31:06 And, you know, sometimes you want to blame 31:08 and she talks about this, 31:09 we want to blame our circumstances on this. 31:11 Well, I grew my parents were divorced 31:14 and I used to eat chili peppers when I was a baby. 31:17 And, you know, any kind of you got a excuse 31:19 for what we used to do 31:22 but when you give your life to Christ the first place 31:26 He begins to clean is your mind. 31:29 And you may think I'm pretty decent person 31:31 and then He begins to show you 31:33 how really filthy your mind was. 31:36 You know, sometimes we don't say things 31:38 but sometimes we do so, you know. 31:40 When I was growing up when I was a young pastor 31:44 my mother used to come and visit me. 31:45 In fact, the first Sabbath at all my new church 31:47 she would come and be there for the first Sabbath. 31:49 And I used to love my mother to come 31:50 but I also kind of hated her to come 31:53 because I am a pretty neat guy 31:57 and I kept my house always thought 31:58 pretty neat for a bachelor pad, 32:00 you know, man gave kind of thing. 32:03 But my mother had the ability to find dirt in my house 32:06 that would just aggravate my soul. 32:08 Mother's always. 32:10 Yeah, she would, she would, 32:11 my mother is very old school hat and gloves, 32:13 you know, very British. 32:14 Born in Canada, British parents 32:16 who went from the West Indies up to London 32:17 and came altogether. 32:19 So she would come and take off her hat, 32:20 take off her gloves, sit down about five minutes and get, 32:24 you know, accustom and then she is in the kitchen cleaning. 32:28 And I, "Mom, what are you doing?" 32:30 She would clean places I didn't think to clean. 32:31 She would go on top of refrigerator. 32:33 You know, who cleans on top of refrigerator? 32:34 It's clean on top of refrigerator. 32:36 Upon top of the cabinets along. 32:37 You know, she finds stuff to clean 32:38 and the whole time there she loved it. 32:40 She liked to clean and it took me years 32:42 to understand that that's how she showed her love to me. 32:44 But it aggravated my soul to have her cleaning, 32:47 cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning all the time. 32:49 Under the bed she is cleaning. 32:50 You know, stop cleaning. In the bathroom cleaning. 32:52 You know, stop cleaning. 32:55 But that's how the Holy Spirit is. 32:57 Comes into your life and he starts cleaning 32:59 and you think "Well, that's pretty clean." 33:03 And he will show you, no, that's not clean. 33:05 Let me show you clean and he cleans it for you. 33:09 He cleans your mind so that not only are you not tempted 33:13 to do certain things. 33:14 You don't even have the desire. 33:17 The thing that's good about, that's great about, 33:19 that's wonderful about giving your life for Christ 33:21 He changes your taste and inclinations, 33:24 those things that you kind of had a leaning towards 33:27 He cleans that up and cleans that up so that 33:30 you are not thinking those thoughts anymore. 33:33 I often had a deacon in my church. 33:35 I almost called his name, I better not. 33:38 I'll tell you church that was the Amityville 33:39 Seventh-day Adventist Church at Bethesda. 33:41 Seventh-day Adventist Church in Amityville, New York 33:46 and I had a deacon who had, he had the saltiest, 33:49 he just couldn't control his mouth. 33:52 He would cry and the first board meeting. 33:54 I made a statement and I must call his name again, 33:59 he jumped up and he just, and his wife 34:01 is kind of pull his pant letting him to sit down, 34:03 he just wouldn't sit down. 34:05 And then we said, Pastor, I'm so sorry. 34:06 We just met, I don't even know you. 34:08 I just need help with this. 34:09 But, you know, before I left that church four years later 34:13 he had really given his heart to the Lord 34:14 and I can't say take any credit. 34:16 He decided I need to yield this to Christ 34:19 and I saw God take control of Brother 34:25 mouth and his life. 34:29 I call his name Brother-- No, I better not. 34:31 I almost did. 34:32 I wonder if he is watching bless his heart. 34:34 Well, you know, who you are. 34:36 But the Lord took control of a hot tempered guy 34:39 and even his wife said that he is changed. 34:43 He is changed. 34:45 God is taking control of his life 34:46 and God can do that for you. 34:48 He can give you commit your life to Christ. 34:50 I say again, commitment and control. 34:54 You commit your life to Christ, Christ will give you control. 34:58 Okay. 35:01 Let me go, let's see 35:02 "By yielding your life to Christ your life will be hid 35:05 with Christ in God and allied to the power 35:08 that is above all principalities and powers. 35:12 You will have strength from God that will hold you fast 35:16 to His strength and a new Light even the light of living faith 35:21 will be possible to you." 35:23 That's the glory of being a child of God 35:28 that you can really be new should you desire to be. 35:34 You can really be cleansed, 35:37 you can really be changed. 35:42 "Say," I still believe "'I will believe," 35:47 rather "I do believe, that God is my Helper.' 35:52 "Now that's drawing from I got to think 35:54 its Hebrews 13:5, 6. 35:57 We can boldly say God is my helper 36:00 what can man do to me? 36:02 The writer of Hebrew says, "I will believe. 36:06 I do believe." 36:08 And say that even in the face of circumstances 36:12 that say you should believe. 36:15 Believe any how. 36:16 I remember I had a member of my church, 36:19 I just have it almost call a name but not do that either. 36:21 She was my assistant church college. 36:24 She came to me one day and she had all her bills 36:26 laid out. 36:27 She said, "Here's why I cannot pay tithe." 36:32 Here's my income, her husband had left, 36:35 she had one son I think about six. 36:38 "Here's my bills. 36:40 When you add this up I'm short about $75. 36:46 There is no way I can pay tithe. 36:49 Look at the numbers." 36:51 And I said to her I believe your math. 36:56 According to that piece of paper 36:57 you can't pay tithe 36:59 but tithe has nothing to do with what's on that paper. 37:02 Yeah. Yeah. 37:04 Tithe is a matter of faith. 37:05 God said, "Prove me." 37:07 So if you test Him and He fails 37:12 its on God because He said to test Him 37:17 but you're looking at a piece of paper 37:20 and you need to be looking through the eyes of faith. 37:23 So I said, "Try it for two months and let's see." 37:30 She said, "I'm don't have faith for two months. 37:31 I'll give it a month." 37:35 And in that time true story she got fired, she got fired. 37:40 About ten says after I talked-- 37:42 well, she didn't get fired, they downsized her. 37:46 Her job they just took her position and said 37:48 "It's not going anymore." 37:50 And she was using her savings and about two weeks 37:55 before the month was up she got a new job. 38:00 That same job in a different company 38:03 and about 15 percent more pay. 38:07 So she came skipping back in. 38:09 You know, what are you skipping about? 38:11 I know it's gonna work all the time. 38:12 Thank you. 38:14 You know, you felt as you put yourself out there 38:16 but when you trust God, God comes through. 38:21 Amen. Amen. 38:24 Let me take some real quick. This is not in my notes. 38:25 A good friend of mine, 38:27 couple, a young couple really love them. 38:32 They were pregnant with their first baby 38:35 and she miscarried about six months in. 38:39 In February they called me, I was here at 3ABN, 38:42 I just left New York. 38:43 And I mean, he took it harder than she. 38:45 They were just tore up and I heard myself say 38:48 on a conversation 38:50 "Don't worry before the year is over 38:51 you will be pregnant again." 38:52 I don't know where that came from. 38:54 And when I said, I said, "What is the matter with you? 38:57 I said, this is February. 39:00 I said, you'll have a baby, that's what I said, 39:02 you'll have a baby before the year is over." 39:04 Well, God's, do the math, you know. 39:08 I said it. 39:09 I said it to them and I said to myself, 39:12 what is the matter with me? 39:13 I've told them that they will have a baby 39:15 before the year is over. 39:18 Do you know that boy was born about December 17th 39:22 right there in New York. 39:23 Yeah. 39:25 God is good. 39:29 Sometimes you got to step out in faith 39:32 and the Lord honor's faith. 39:33 The Lord does honor your faith. 39:35 Now let me just pick this up. 39:38 "By steadfastly keeping the will 39:40 on the Lord's side every emotion" 39:43 we're talking about emotions now 39:45 "will be brought into captivity to the will of" 39:47 so you can be in control. 39:49 You can, you know, people can say things. 39:51 Sometimes people say things 39:53 and you forgive my-- 39:54 You know, sometimes people say things that are stupid. 39:57 Amen. Amen. 39:59 That shouldn't be said. 40:01 That they really ought to just be quiet but they say them 40:05 and sometimes you just want to retaliate. 40:07 Anybody anytime just wanted to just tell him off. 40:10 Come on. And I could just-- 40:12 You know, but you can get so close to Christ 40:17 that not only do you not retaliate 40:19 you don't even want to retaliate. 40:21 You leave it to the hands of Jesus. 40:25 And Bible says, "Every tear that shed God knows." 40:29 He knows when people hurt you. 40:31 And don't have to lay awake nights 40:32 trying to think of ways to get back and forth. 40:34 Let God take care of it. 40:36 Amen. 40:37 So your emotions can come under the control of Jesus Christ. 40:40 And every part of you as you surrender 40:43 and yield your will 40:45 and when somebody is given you an ear fold, 40:46 you know, just think about Jesus. 40:51 Just surrender it all to Jesus. 40:53 "It will take at times every particle of will power" 40:56 the Bible talks about resisting unto blood. 40:59 "Which you possess but it is God 41:01 who is working for you and you will come forth 41:04 from the molding process a vessel unto honor." 41:08 Amen. Amen. 41:09 Had a good friend, brought a car. 41:11 Told a story the elder in my church in Ephesus Church 41:13 brought a car and put a $5,000 alarm system on it. 41:18 It was such a sensitive alarm system, 41:20 this is back in the late '80s and '90s 41:22 you don't even have to touch the car like, 41:23 you know, you touch the car 41:24 and the car go beep, beep, beep. 41:26 If you just stood near the car the car would say 41:28 you are standing to close get back. 41:33 Just try $4,700 alarm system. 41:35 His wife said, "You know, Pastor, 41:36 if he could bring that car in the bedroom 41:37 with us at a night he would do so." 41:40 Loves that car. 41:42 You know, where that car is today? 41:44 Well, if you do I wish I would tell him 41:45 because he doesn't have a clue. 41:48 Had it 40 days, that's a grace number, Jonny. 41:51 Had it 40 days and they stole it, 41:53 $5, 000 alarm system and all. 41:57 Yeah. 41:59 And I saw a man cry and then say, 42:03 "Well, Lord gave me that car, He will give me another one." 42:08 You got to wear these things loosely 42:10 because we got an enemy who is trying to destroy us. 42:14 Here we go, "Talk faith." 42:18 Please underline that. 42:20 "Talk faith." 42:22 I believe there is power in your words. 42:26 Amen. 42:27 Talk faith for a couple of reasons. 42:29 One, when I say, Sister Murray, how're you doing? 42:34 I'm saying that because that's what Christians 42:36 are supposed to say. 42:38 Amen. 42:39 The truth is I don't necessarily 42:42 want to hear every ache, pain, itch, glitch that you got. 42:47 Amen. Amen. 42:49 Now listen, if you are in pain don't lie tell the truth. 42:54 But there are some people Ellen White says, 42:56 who take a perverse delight 42:58 in mourning and groaning about every thing. 43:01 You know, you see him one day, "How you doing, Sister?" 43:04 "Oh, Jesus, oh, just bad, bad" 43:08 and every time you say Mr. same thing. 43:11 What do you do after a while? 43:13 Yeah, you don't ask quite as much 43:15 or you say, how you're doing? 43:17 Oh, got to run 43:19 or you doing that whole thing with the cell phone. 43:21 You run, hey, good to see you. 43:22 I'm on the phone. You know, that kind of thing. 43:25 Ellen White says, "Talk faith." 43:26 Number one, it makes him more pleasant to be around. 43:29 And other people can get joy from your joy. 43:32 One thing about joy is infectious. 43:33 If you carry joy other pickup your joy. 43:36 Amen. Amen. 43:38 But if you carry around that marrow sad attitude 43:40 people tend to, tend to draw back a little bit. 43:46 So talk faith and it helps, it helps you. 43:50 It makes your Christian experience better 43:53 so talk faith. 43:54 You know, even you got a little pain, 43:56 "Well, you know, back is bothering me today 43:58 but I got Jesus." 44:00 Amen. Amen. 44:01 Amen. Rence do but I got Jesus. 44:05 I got cancer but I got Jesus. 44:08 Amen. Amen. 44:10 Talk faith. 44:11 I mean, tell the truth but talk faith. 44:13 There are some people who never give God any praises. 44:16 Always complain, complain, complain, complain, complain. 44:20 Talk faith, it brings rays of sunshine to your, 44:24 to your, to your life. 44:26 I could go into a long story about my very first funeral 44:29 at Ephesus Church was a lady Cathleen Downs 44:31 went from five foot seven, 147 pounds 44:34 down to five foot seven, 87 pounds with cancer 44:37 and sang her way till the day she died. 44:40 Just sang in the hospital about Jesus 44:42 and the doctors and the nurses said, we wanted, 44:44 they came to the funeral they said, 44:45 "We just want to be in the church 44:47 that could produce a lady like that who couldn't eat, 44:51 couldn't sleep and the doctor said, 44:53 Pastor, she is in apocalyptic pain." 44:55 That's the term he used. 44:56 "Wouldn't take the narcotics we wanted 44:58 and feel if she just sang about Jesus 45:00 until she got so thin and so weak her mouth just froze 45:03 and she couldn't talk anymore." 45:06 And even the nurses said, 45:07 "We've never seen any better like this. 45:09 What kind of faith is this?" 45:11 And they all came to her funeral. 45:14 Her oncologist, her head nurse on the floor, 45:17 the orderly, everybody just wanted to see 45:19 what kind of person that kind of hold on Jesus Christ? 45:22 He can do that for you so that even in pain 45:25 you can talk faith. 45:26 And we asked her, Sister Downs, Cathleen Downs, 45:29 how you're doing? 45:30 Doing all right. 45:32 God is good." 45:34 And you knew she was in pain but she was praising the Lord 45:36 even thought that pain. 45:38 That's what God can do for her, He can do that. 45:40 Okay, got to move along. So "Talk faith. 45:43 Keep on God's side of the line. 45:45 Set not your foot on the enemies' side 45:47 and the Lord will be your Helper." 45:49 So don't go places, well, you know the devil is gonna be. 45:53 Don't do things that you know the devil is involved in. 45:55 You know, you got a friend at a party 45:59 don't go. 46:03 You know, the Lord doesn't want you there 46:05 and if you get there you're gonna get into trouble. 46:09 So just don't, just don't go. 46:11 Amen. Amen. 46:13 Let me ask you a question. 46:14 I had an elder tell me this story. 46:15 He said about 12 years ago 46:19 I went to my brother's house for Thanksgiving. 46:22 Took my wife and my two kids. 46:25 All during the meal he is smoking a cigar puffing, 46:29 you know, room just full of smoke. 46:31 Bringing the dessert he's smoking a cigar. 46:34 My wife's she is tearing and crying. 46:37 The children are coughing. 46:39 Now his family is accustomed to 46:40 because he smokes all the time. 46:42 This guy is a chain smoker. 46:43 As one goes out he's smoking another one. 46:44 So we're sitting around he is puffing, 46:46 the house is like this big miasmal smoke. 46:48 My wife said, "Honey, can we just go 46:49 because I just, I can't take it." 46:52 So he said, "Well, next Thanksgiving come to my house." 46:58 So the next Thanksgiving 46:59 he comes to the Adventist house same puffing smoke. 47:03 So we asked him to put it out. 47:06 The brother says, "Where I go my cigarettes come. 47:11 Where I go my cigars come." 47:15 And the elder said to me 47:18 I have not been in my brother's house 47:20 and he hasn't been in mine for 12 years. 47:24 Because he refuses to put out his cigarettes, 47:27 his cigars, he is a cigar smoker. 47:29 And where he goes his cigars go. 47:33 Now we call him on the phone 47:35 and we talk but I not been in his for 12 years, 47:39 he has not been in mine. 47:41 And the question he asked me was, 47:43 "Am I doing right?" 47:48 Tough. 47:50 He said, "Am I doing right? 47:51 My brother refuses to put down the cigars. 47:54 I don't want to expose my family to cigar smoke 47:58 so we just don't go to each others house. 48:00 I'll call him talk with him but we don't go to restaurants 48:03 because he smokes in restaurants 48:05 and we don't go to each other houses 48:07 because he won't give up his cigar. 48:10 Am I doing right?" 48:13 What an answer? Yes. 48:16 Pray about it. 48:18 I have one because I had to give him one. 48:21 But I'll just hold on to that. 48:23 My point is this 48:26 "Set not your foot on the enemies' side 48:29 and the Lord will be your Helper." 48:31 That kind of leaks out the answer. 48:33 Any one? 48:34 "He will do for you that which it is not possible for you 48:37 to do for yourself. 48:38 The result will be 48:40 that you will become like a cedar in Lebanon. 48:44 Your life will be noble 48:47 and your works will be wrought in God." 48:50 Now let me say this, the Adventist brother said, 48:54 my house is always open to you, 48:57 you can come anytime you want but your cigar stays outside. 49:02 Amen. Amen. 49:04 Okay. 49:06 Disease. 49:07 "The power of the will is not valued as it should be. 49:11 Let the will be kept awake and rightly directed 49:16 and it will impart energy to the whole being 49:19 and it will impart" I'm sorry, 49:21 "And will be a wonderful aid in the maintenance of health. 49:25 It is a power also in dealing with disease." 49:31 A lot of this has to do with depression. 49:33 Depression though starts in a mind 49:35 has effects on the body. 49:37 If you keep happy, if you keep joyful 49:43 I think that there is a direct correlation 49:46 between joy in Jesus and health. 49:48 Amen. I truly believe that. 49:51 This I do know, anger, 49:55 unforgiveness eats away at your spirit. 49:59 It does and I think shortens your life. 50:03 Doctors have said that anger and stress 50:09 and tension build up Cortisol 50:12 which puts on weight and lot of that weight pools 50:15 around your organs. 50:17 So we know that there is a link 50:21 between your moods and your body. 50:25 And I think it may go even further than we think. 50:29 I think unforgiveness shortens your life. 50:32 It makes you mean, makes you evil, 50:37 and makes you not a nice person. 50:39 Forgiveness is good for the forgiver 50:42 and the forgive. 50:44 Amen. Amen. 50:45 As they say being unforgiving is like drinking poison 50:48 hoping the other person will die. 50:51 Forgive and get yourself free and it will help your life 50:54 be much sweeter. 50:58 Let's see. 51:01 Oh, by exercise of the will power 51:03 in placing themselves in right relation to life, 51:06 patients can do much to cooperate 51:09 with the physician's efforts for their recovery. 51:13 There are thousands who can recover health 51:16 if they will." 51:18 Now if you have something like cancer 51:21 or something very traumatic sitting around saying" 51:26 "Okay, I don't have it. Its not gonna fly. 51:28 I tried that it doesn't work. 51:30 You got to admit that you, that you got. 51:32 And then deal with it. 51:33 But even the doctors of Eden Valley 51:35 where I went said to me 51:37 your attitude has a lot to do with your healing. 51:41 Talk positive, live positive. 51:44 You know, I like to play basketball 51:47 but I'm not just a big exercise junky. 51:51 Irma and I get up now half hour early in the morning 51:53 and she has this little exercise video 51:55 and she is rolling around on the floor 51:57 and going through all these kind of directions 51:58 and what not and I-- we have a rebound, you know, 52:01 you just do the bouncing like a little treadmill 52:02 and I do that then I go out and run 52:06 trying to catch up with Younick, 52:07 you know, I go out to run. 52:09 And I don't, I don't pretty like 52:10 getting up at 5 o'clock in morning 52:11 to get on rebound and go out and run. 52:13 You do it like medicine because doing it makes you live longer, 52:17 makes you a better tool in hand of God 52:20 and helps you fight diseases. 52:22 So you do it with joy and God will give you that joy 52:25 because you are doing something to become 52:26 a better instrument for Him. 52:28 Amen. Amen. 52:30 So I see keep doing this my place here. 52:33 Let's see, "The Lord does not want them to be sick. 52:37 He desires them to be well and happy 52:40 and they should make up their minds to be well." 52:43 Amen. Amen. 52:45 Yeah. 52:46 Make up your mind to be well also means making up your mind 52:48 to do those things that will make you well. 52:49 Amen. 52:51 All right, "Often invalids can resist disease 52:54 by simply refusing to yield 52:56 to ailments and settle down in a state of inactivity." 53:00 Doing nothing is worse than doing something. 53:04 Amen. Amen. 53:05 So if you got a little ache and pain 53:07 fight through that and exercise anyhow. 53:10 "Rising above their aches and pains 53:12 let them engage in useful employment 53:14 suited to their strength." 53:15 So you may not be able to go out and run a bunch of miles 53:17 but you can walk. 53:18 Amen. Amen. 53:20 Or do something. 53:21 And listen, let me say this quickly 53:23 because the time is getting away from us. 53:24 Be aware of sabbaticus. 53:26 Sabbaticus is information of the Sabbath. 53:29 Get up on Sabbath morning 53:30 you have aches and pains and things 53:31 that you never had before in your life. 53:33 That's because Satan wants you to stay home in your bed. 53:35 If you go back to bed and go to sleep 53:37 about 1 o'clock, 1:30 when church is over guess what? 53:41 Pains gone but it stoles your blessing. 53:43 So fight through it she is saying. 53:45 Fight through those aches and pains 53:46 and serve the Lord anyhow. 53:48 Now, I want to jump on something real fast. 53:50 I got to jump down to Self Control. 53:56 Yeah, you know, in fact, let me go to the last one 53:58 because my time is gonna get away from here and I see, 54:00 I'm looking at my time. 54:02 "Can Control Circumstances," 54:04 I want to end with this and those of you at home 54:06 I hope you get this and download it 54:09 because it got some good information. 54:10 I got three minutes and fifty some seconds. 54:12 I go through this last bit. 54:13 You are on the last page 54:15 fourth volume Testimonies page 346. 54:18 "Many give loose rein to passion, 54:21 avarice, selfishness, and deception, 54:25 and all the time excuse themselves 54:28 and lay the blame on the circumstances 54:31 which brought around the trial to themselves." 54:35 So you are blaming your circumstances 54:37 instead of looking at yourself. 54:39 When you have a problem the first thing you do 54:41 is look in the mirror. 54:43 Amen. Amen. 54:44 Make sure you are not the problem 54:45 because we tend to look around, look at yourself, all right. 54:48 Look at this. Now, "This has been your case." 54:52 Of course she's counseling to an individual. 54:54 This next line I put it a line under. 54:56 "God permitted 54:58 your surroundings to exist to develop character." 55:02 Amen. 55:04 Sometimes the Lord allows us to get into situations 55:09 that He does not immediately take us out of 55:12 because you need to be there 55:15 for your own character development. 55:18 So you maybe working with a person 55:21 that you don't particularly care for 55:24 and they don't particularly care for you. 55:26 You need to pray for that person 55:29 and pray that God will show you a way 55:32 to minister to that person. 55:34 Not pray, "Lord, let him get another job. 55:38 Lord, let them break their leg." 55:40 That's called and imprecatory prayer. 55:41 "Lord, let something happen to them." 55:43 No, Lord, let something happen to me. 55:46 Let my heart get changed. 55:48 God puts us in these situations so that we can see our self. 55:55 I used to tell my churches 55:57 I will not be your pastor forever. 56:00 Pastors come, pastors go 56:02 but while I'm here all I got is you 56:08 and all you got is me. 56:11 So let's try to love each other and serve Christ together 56:16 because as I had an entrance I have an exit 56:19 and another guy will come, 56:21 got to have an entrance and an exit. 56:24 All we got is each other and Jesus. 56:26 Amen. Amen. 56:28 So you can't blame Him. 56:31 Let's go on. 56:33 "God permitted your surroundings to exist 56:35 to develop character. 56:36 But you could have made your surroundings, 56:39 for by resisting or enduring temptation, 56:42 circumstances are controlled by the might 56:45 of the will in the name of Jesus." 56:48 Amen. Amen. 56:49 Yeah. You can control your circumstances. 56:51 You can control what goes on around you 56:53 by surrendering yourself to Christ 56:55 and letting His light so shine before men 56:57 that they see your good works 56:59 and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 57:03 Amen. All right. 57:04 "This is overcoming as Christ overcame." 57:07 You see, overcoming in Jesus 57:10 is not I say again avoidance theology. 57:12 It's not getting away from stuff 57:14 its overcoming stuff. 57:16 Amen. Amen. 57:18 It's not getting away from trial, 57:19 its overcoming trial. 57:21 It's not getting away from temptation, 57:23 its overcoming temptation. 57:24 Because you will always be in this world 57:27 until Christ takes you out of this world 57:28 and temptation will always be here 57:30 but you can be an over comer even as Christ overcame. 57:34 Amen. Already. Amen. 57:36 "This is the victory that overcometh the world, 57:41 even our faith." 57:44 So the secret is now and has always been 57:49 surrendered to Jesus Christ. 57:51 Not fighting, certainly not fighting the devil 57:54 because you cannot defeat him. 57:56 It's surrendering to Christ and let Christ fight for you, 58:01 with you and through you. 58:04 You will be successful. |
Revised 2016-03-28