Welcome to BATTLES OF
FAITH, we are your hosts
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Ivor and Atonte Myers.
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Today's program is entitled
'Fighting without Fighting,'
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'Knowing Without Knowing'.
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If you have been watching
the last several programs,
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you know we are
talking about the art of war.
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We have learned several
different arts that will help
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you in your spiritual battle.
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The first one was learning
how to be still, then to be
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silent, focus and breathe deep.
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Today we are going to learn
how to fight without fighting
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and knowing without knowing.
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I know they are saying how
on earth, what in the world?
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How do you fight
without fighting?
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Well we are going to start
actually with knowing without
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knowing because we are called,
as Christians, to fight the
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good fight of faith.
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We want to understand the
definition of faith in light of
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this art, the art of
knowing without knowing.
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So if you would look
with me in your Bibles,
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Hebrews 11:1
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we are going to
see this principle,
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"Now faith is the substance
of things hoped for, the
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evidence of things not seen. "
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Let me read that in another
translation very quickly.
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The Good News Bible says,
"to have faith is to be sure
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of the things we hope for. "
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So what we see here Atonte,
is that faith is described
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initially as knowing,
to be certain, to be sure.
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What it means to have a
faith is to be 100% absolutely
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confident of something.
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So we may say that faith is
knowing, but it doesn't stop
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there because it goes on
to say, "that faith is the
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substance of things hoped for,
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evidence of things not seen. "
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Now the Greek word for
seen here is the word 'Blepo',
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it means to know or to perceive.
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So faith is knowing,
being confident, certain but yet
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without the evidence
of our eyes, the evidence
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of what we hear.
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Faith is knowing therefore
Atonte, without knowing,
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it is believing
without the evidence that
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allows us to believe.
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This is what we are
describing as the art of
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knowing without knowing.
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I like the way the Amplified
Version puts it as well.
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In Hebrews 11:1, "now
faith is the assurance, the
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confirmation, the title
deed of the things we hope for
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being the proof of
things we do not see, and the
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conviction of their
reality. Faith perceiving as
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real fact what is not
revealed to the senses. "
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Okay, not
revealed to the senses,
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in other words, faith
goes beyond our senses.
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Now we hear the word senses,
people are likely to think
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of when you come perceive
something outside the realm
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of your five senses,
what are you thinking about?
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You are thinking
about that sixth sense.
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Again I believe
Atonte, that out there in those
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New Age circles that
sixth sense is really a
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counterfeit of the
genuine gift of faith which
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is knowing without knowing.
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We are going to look at
some examples in the Bible of
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what knowing without
knowing really means,
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and the first example I
think of Atonte, is the story of
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Joshua and Caleb
and the 10 spies.
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They were all sent out
to spy this land and they
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returned, 10 spies
returned with an evil report,
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Joshua and Caleb
returned with a report
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that was opposite.
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A report that
was glorifying God.
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The 10 spies said hey, we
went to the land it was big,
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it was great, it was grand but
there were giants in the land
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and there is no way that
we can take these giants.
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Joshua and Caleb on the
other hand, see the same thing,
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and they understand and
believe that they can get the
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victory over these
giants, the only thing is
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they don't know how.
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So in this context we see
that faith which Joshua and
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Caleb had was
knowing without knowing how.
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Very important principle,
knowing without knowing how.
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Understand that God was
going to give them the victory,
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but not necessarily seeing
how He was going to do it.
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They moved forward in Faith,
they said we are able to go
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up and possess the land.
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So we must always move
forward in Faith, believing that
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God can give us the victory,
no matter how hard it is,
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what the problem is, what
the situation is, how long you
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have had a stronghold,
what ever it is, God is able,
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we must believe
without doubting.
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Now you think of the
story of Abraham and Isaac.
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When God commanded
Abraham to go and take Isaac to
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sacrifice him as an offering,
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and Abraham, I'm sure his heart
is torn in this story, but he
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takes his son Isaac, they
go to the place where he is to
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be sacrificed, and Abraham
tells his servants, I and the
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boy will go up yonder and
worship, and I and the lad will
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return again unto you.
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Now Abraham made
the statement of what?
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Faith, he knew that God
had promised him that through
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this son he would be the
heir of a great multitude.
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But now God was telling
him to sacrifice your son.
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It seemed like an impossibility,
like God you are not,
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how can You fulfill
Your promise if You take my
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son away for me?
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Abraham new without knowing
how, I don't know he could
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have thought that God
was going to resurrect him or
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something, but he said I
am the boy are going and will
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come back again and this
is another example of knowing
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without knowing how.
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This is what faith is, it
is that understanding, that
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knowing outside of our senses,
sight, hear, touch, taste,
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taste and etc...
knowing without knowing how.
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So it is a mentality,
you have to have a positive,
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I'm trusting God's word
above all worldly circumstances,
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this is going to happen.
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Exactly, faith is also
knowing without knowing when,
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knowing without knowing
when because consider the story
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about Elisha when he
began to look for the rain.
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The Bible says Elisha prayed
once, prayed Lord sent the
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rain, the rain did not come.
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He prayed again, and again,
and Elisha prayed seven times
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and he was persistent because
he knew that God was going
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to answer his prayer,
he just didn't know when,
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faith is knowing
without knowing when.
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It is having the confidence
without knowing exactly when
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or how God is going to move.
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You think of Sarah, she couldn't
get pregnant right away, and
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by the time she was 99,
she finally conceived a son.
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So that is definitely not
knowing when, but she took it
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as a joke almost, like there
is no way this point of time
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but God can do anything.
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Faith is knowing without knowing
how, it is knowing without
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knowing when, and it
is also knowing without
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knowing where,
consider again Abraham.
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God says to Abraham,
Abraham, I'm calling you out
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of your land at want you
to go out, He did not tell him
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where he was
going, He just said go.
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Abraham had faith that
God knew where he was going,
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he had faith that he would
enter into the promised land,
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but he did not
know where he was going.
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In fact Hebrews 11:8 reads:
"by faith Abraham, when he
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was called to go out into
a place which he should after
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receive for
inheritance, obeyed. He went out
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not knowing whither he went. "
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Faith is knowing, but
Abraham went out knowing but not
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knowing, knowing that he
was going, knowing that God
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would bring him into the
promised inheritance but not
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knowing where it was.
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This is what faith is,
knowing without knowing when,
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knowing without
knowing how, and knowing
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without knowing where.
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You know it is just like
when Jesus was in the boat with
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the disciples, and the
winds came and the storm came
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and they were afraid.
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He was able to easily calm
the winds and stop the storm,
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and said why are you so
afraid ye of little faith?
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Jesus looks at us like, you
believe in Me, but you don't
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fully believe in Me.
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If you believed in Me
you would have the faith that
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Jesus desires from us, He
would be able to do many more
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things in our life, that
is what He is asking from us.
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Just believe, claim
it, and I will do it.
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I call it miracle working power.
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What Jesus is telling us
here is that we don't need to
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know all the details of
when He will do His work, but we
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need to have ultimate
faith and trust Him at His word.
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When He says go up and
take your giant, go and conquer
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your sin, we may not
know how is this going to be
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accomplished, it
looks like an impossibility.
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We like Joshua and
Caleb should say, we are able
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to go up and possess it.
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We are able to do this, we
may not see the evidence with
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our physical eyes, we may
not be able to see the evidence
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before us but faith is
knowing without knowing.
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That's what the Bible calls
the fight, the good fight of
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faith because it takes faith,
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when you look at self and see
all the power self has, you see
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the Confederacy that
self has formed with Satan.
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You look and say I don't
see how I can actually overcome
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myself, but that is
why we need faith, because
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Faith eliminates the evidence
around us, the evidential
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circumstances that allows
us to go beyond the evidential
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circumstances where other
people are saying, yeah there
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is no way in the world.
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You look at David,
David facing Goliath...
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no way in the
world that David should
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have won over Goliath,
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but David had faith knowing
without knowing how, he went
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into the battle and
confidently said God is going
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to give me the victory.
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So some of us look, our
young people are out there
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looking at that video
games saying how on the world
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will I ever give
this video came up?
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Or how I'll ever
get the cigarette up?
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Or give this
ungodly relationship up?
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Like David, we can see God
will deliver you into my hands
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this day, and you say with
so much confidence that you
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reveal that God's faith
is dwelling heavily in you.
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It is this type of faith
that scares Satan to death,
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he knows that if we believe,
we really believe that God
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will do these things, he
knows that God will do them, and
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when God does them that he
has no chance in the world.
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So I believe he has certain
demons that are there just
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to try to discourage us
and give us doubts so that we
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will not claim the words,
so we will not truly believe.
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He will always
whisper, God can't do that...
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He is not going
to do that for you...
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You can't have the victory
in that, just so we will not
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reach that level of faith.
00:11:36.69\00:11:39.28
If you want Satan to
shake in his boots, I know I
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do, and we want that for you.
00:11:42.79\00:11:44.50
This is the type of faith,
knowing without knowing when,
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where, or how,
whatever just believe it.
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We can also describe
faith as hoping in the face of
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hopelessness, when you are
in a situation where it looks
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totally hopeless, faith
is hoping in the face of
00:12:00.36\00:12:04.22
hopelessness and we can
go back again to Abraham.
00:12:04.26\00:12:08.05
This is why Abraham is called
the father of faith because
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there are so many
examples in his life that reveal
00:12:11.08\00:12:13.99
what true faith is.
00:12:14.02\00:12:15.97
Let's look at Romans
4:18, the Bible says as speaking
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of Abraham, "who against
hope believed in hope that he
00:12:20.60\00:12:24.60
might become the father
of many nations according to
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that which was spoken,
so shall thy seed be. "
00:12:28.63\00:12:31.94
The Bible says here that
Abraham hoped against hope.
00:12:31.97\00:12:35.30
Let me read this from a
couple other translations.
00:12:35.33\00:12:38.74
The Good News Bible says,
"Abraham believed and hoped
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even when there was
no reason for hoping. "
00:12:42.17\00:12:45.35
The Murdoch Bible, it
says, "and without hope he
00:12:45.39\00:12:48.88
confided in the hope of
becoming the father of a
00:12:48.92\00:12:52.37
multitude of nations. "
00:12:52.41\00:12:54.04
And Wycliffe New Testament
says, "under utterly hopeless
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circumstances, he
hopefully believed. "
00:12:57.95\00:13:01.99
Faith is hoping in
the face of hopelessness,
00:13:02.02\00:13:06.00
so that when the warrior
is in a circumstance, or a
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situation where all looks
hopeless, faith is that thing
00:13:10.82\00:13:15.25
that allows him to hope
when it looks like there is no
00:13:15.28\00:13:19.67
hope, and so often the
Devil and self together
00:13:19.71\00:13:23.66
combined make it seem
like you stand no chance.
00:13:23.69\00:13:27.57
You are out numbered, you
just don't have a chance in
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this, your sin is too great.
00:13:32.03\00:13:33.81
Faith is that thing
that overcomes the world,
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as the Bible says this is
our victory that overcomes
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the world, even our faith.
00:13:40.67\00:13:42.85
What I like is where the
Bible says that "God's strength
00:13:42.89\00:13:45.85
is made perfect
in our weakness. "
00:13:45.88\00:13:48.38
It's almost like our
weakness, where we have no hope,
00:13:48.41\00:13:51.66
if you would just believe
that activates God's power.
00:13:51.69\00:13:55.20
It says okay now I can
relinquish this power to you
00:13:55.23\00:13:58.43
because you are believing
where there is no hope,
00:13:58.46\00:14:01.58
I can see that you are
completely weak, but you believe
00:14:01.62\00:14:04.22
that I can do it for
you, so I will do it for you.
00:14:04.26\00:14:07.73
That's right, the Bible
says that the just walk by
00:14:07.76\00:14:11.20
faith not by sight.
00:14:11.23\00:14:13.48
The just not only walk by
faith and not by sight, but
00:14:13.51\00:14:17.38
they fight by
faith and not by sight.
00:14:17.41\00:14:20.41
Now when my brother and
I were younger, we used to
00:14:20.45\00:14:23.54
practice the martial arts, and
00:14:23.57\00:14:25.99
one of the things we used
to love to do was blindfold
00:14:26.03\00:14:28.11
ourselves and then try
to fight blindfolded, and
00:14:28.15\00:14:31.19
it is something that a
lot of martial artist will do,
00:14:31.22\00:14:34.57
and this is how they heighten
their sense for hearing.
00:14:34.61\00:14:37.93
We know that the Bible
says faith comes by what?
00:14:37.96\00:14:41.33
Hearing! And
hearing by the word of God.
00:14:41.37\00:14:44.85
So for the Christian
warrior to be able to fight by
00:14:44.89\00:14:49.12
faith, if the word of God
says ABC, then the Christian
00:14:49.15\00:14:53.07
warrior believes ABC and
he hopes in that, and trusts
00:14:53.10\00:14:56.99
in it, that despite
what his eye may tell him.
00:14:57.02\00:14:59.92
He doesn't need to use his eyes.
00:14:59.96\00:15:01.59
He doesn't need his physical,
or the physical senses,
00:15:01.62\00:15:06.25
all he needs is
the sense of faith.
00:15:06.28\00:15:09.72
Faith is finding the way
Atonte, when there is no way.
00:15:09.75\00:15:15.25
Let's look at Isaiah
43:16 a powerful verse here
00:15:15.28\00:15:19.07
speaking about
this very principle.
00:15:19.11\00:15:20.80
"Thus saith the Lord which
make up the way in the sea,
00:15:20.83\00:15:25.03
a path in the mighty waters. "
00:15:25.07\00:15:28.99
We see here that God is here
talking about, His deliverance
00:15:29.02\00:15:33.61
of the Israelites out
of Egyptian captivity.
00:15:33.64\00:15:36.59
He actually says here
that He is the one that makes
00:15:36.63\00:15:39.92
the way in the sea, and
00:15:39.96\00:15:41.97
you know that there
is no way in the sea.
00:15:42.00\00:15:43.60
When the Israelites came
to that Red Sea and saw it,
00:15:43.63\00:15:46.57
there was no path of escape.
00:15:46.61\00:15:47.83
God was the one that came
in and made the way of escape
00:15:47.86\00:15:51.38
when there seemed to
be no way of escape, and
00:15:51.42\00:15:54.49
the same is true in
our Christian warfare.
00:15:54.52\00:15:57.52
Faith is that thing that
makes the way, when there
00:15:57.56\00:16:01.44
seems to be no way of escape.
00:16:01.47\00:16:03.40
Joseph in the midst of a
crises with Potiphar's wife
00:16:03.44\00:16:06.80
coming on to him, where to
the normal mind it would seem
00:16:06.83\00:16:10.16
there would be no way of escape.
00:16:10.19\00:16:11.76
Joseph having the mind of
faith was able to find the way
00:16:11.79\00:16:18.35
out, when for most other
men, there would be no way
00:16:18.39\00:16:21.86
out of that temptation...
00:16:21.89\00:16:23.02
faith is finding the
way when there is no way.
00:16:23.05\00:16:25.87
There was a great magician
that lived by the name of
00:16:25.91\00:16:28.51
Houdini, and he was
known to be able to get himself
00:16:28.54\00:16:31.11
out of any trap, and
00:16:31.15\00:16:32.94
I believe that Jesus way
surpassed any strap the devil
00:16:32.98\00:16:40.16
could put Jesus in, even
down to death, Jesus was able
00:16:40.19\00:16:47.34
to find the way where
there seemed to be no way,
00:16:47.37\00:16:50.91
and then He offers the
same faith to us, so that when
00:16:50.95\00:16:53.59
no matter what circumstances
the devil tries to bind us,
00:16:53.63\00:16:57.14
faith frustrates
the plans of the devil,
00:16:57.18\00:17:00.55
because he is going,
00:17:00.58\00:17:01.63
how did he get out of that?
00:17:01.66\00:17:03.31
Faith! Faith,
hearing the word of God.
00:17:03.34\00:17:05.81
How did he know that
that was the way of escape?
00:17:05.84\00:17:09.65
Knowing by faith,
knowing without knowing when,
00:17:09.69\00:17:13.43
how or where, it is hope
in the face of hopelessness.
00:17:13.47\00:17:18.33
Who wants to
frustrate the devil?
00:17:18.36\00:17:20.09
I know I do, this kind of
stuff gets me excited because
00:17:20.12\00:17:23.51
we have said this before
but, SATAN IS A BEATEN FOE.
00:17:23.55\00:17:27.66
If he can get our minds
and our thoughts to think that
00:17:27.70\00:17:31.66
he is much bigger and
stronger, which he has strength
00:17:31.70\00:17:35.63
but nothing compared to God.
00:17:35.66\00:17:37.54
God is asking us, if you
would just believe, I am able
00:17:37.57\00:17:40.83
and willing to do more
for you, more than you could
00:17:40.87\00:17:44.09
ever imagine or think, and
00:17:44.12\00:17:45.79
He wants to do it spiritually
for you in this battle,
00:17:45.82\00:17:48.79
in this war that we are in.
00:17:48.82\00:17:50.19
Now we're going to look at James
chapter 4 and we are going to
00:17:50.23\00:17:53.51
our next principle, the
next art which is the art of
00:17:53.54\00:17:56.81
fighting without fighting.
00:17:56.84\00:17:59.50
That sounds like an oxymoron,
how will the world do you
00:17:59.53\00:18:02.50
fight without fighting?
00:18:02.54\00:18:05.12
The Bible says hearing
James 4:7, "submit yourselves
00:18:05.15\00:18:09.50
therefore to God. "
00:18:09.54\00:18:11.39
Now what does that mean, submit?
00:18:11.43\00:18:12.93
It means don't fight,
it means to surrender.
00:18:12.97\00:18:15.52
We are told that this is
the way that we fight the devil,
00:18:15.56\00:18:20.83
because he goes on to
say, "resist the devil and
00:18:20.87\00:18:24.16
he will flee from you. "
00:18:24.20\00:18:25.40
What does resist mean? It
means to fight to war against.
00:18:25.44\00:18:28.36
How do we fight against
the devil, by not fighting
00:18:28.39\00:18:31.97
against God, submitting
ourselves to God we learn how to
00:18:32.01\00:18:37.10
fight with the devil.
00:18:37.13\00:18:38.45
It is fighting without fighting.
00:18:38.49\00:18:40.42
This is an art that is
crucial for Christians to learn.
00:18:40.46\00:18:44.71
This art of fighting
without fighting, submitting
00:18:44.75\00:18:49.39
ourselves to God, refusing
to resist God that we may
00:18:49.43\00:18:54.03
have power to resist the devil.
00:18:54.07\00:18:57.49
When we submit to God,
Satan automatically loses.
00:18:57.52\00:19:00.84
That's right, that is
where the real battle is Atonte.
00:19:00.88\00:19:04.02
The devil doesn't want us
to submit to God because in
00:19:04.05\00:19:07.16
not doing that, in
not submitting to God we
00:19:07.20\00:19:10.76
automatically
submit to the devil.
00:19:10.79\00:19:12.87
The Bible says we can only
serve one of the two masters,
00:19:12.91\00:19:15.14
so the devil does
not want us to serve God,
00:19:15.17\00:19:18.12
so all he needs to get
us do is not submit to God.
00:19:18.15\00:19:21.50
God tells us here that
the way you fight the devil is
00:19:21.54\00:19:24.86
by not fighting against Me.
00:19:24.89\00:19:26.79
Now there is another part
of this principle of fighting
00:19:26.83\00:19:30.65
without fighting that
we need to understand,
00:19:30.69\00:19:32.86
Jesus, when He was here on
earth, it is evident that He
00:19:32.89\00:19:36.53
fought against the devil.
00:19:36.56\00:19:38.53
He fought against principalities
and powers, but the
00:19:38.56\00:19:43.69
question is, how did He fight?
00:19:43.72\00:19:46.08
We know that He thought
the devil in the wilderness,
00:19:46.12\00:19:48.52
especially in the wilderness
is where we see one of the
00:19:48.55\00:19:50.92
culminating fights between
Christ and the enemy, and
00:19:50.95\00:19:55.33
as we look at this style
of fighting that Jesus used
00:19:55.36\00:19:59.61
in the wilderness, we
learn an amazing lesson of this
00:19:59.64\00:20:03.85
art of fighting
without fighting.
00:20:03.88\00:20:05.73
Atonte you will notice
that every time Satan came to
00:20:05.77\00:20:09.91
Jesus, he tempted Him by
saying if you be the Son of God
00:20:09.94\00:20:13.98
do this, it is almost as
though Jesus, or rather Satan
00:20:14.01\00:20:18.01
wanted Jesus to
engage him in battle.
00:20:18.05\00:20:21.11
How did Jesus fight
Satan? By not fighting at all,
00:20:21.15\00:20:25.62
by resisting, by refusing
to enter into controversy
00:20:25.66\00:20:30.34
with him, and oh what a
powerful lesson that is for
00:20:30.37\00:20:35.02
the Christian warrior today.
00:20:35.05\00:20:36.90
When you come into a
confrontation with someone.
00:20:36.93\00:20:39.94
When someone wants to
challenge you and they are
00:20:39.98\00:20:43.57
accusing you, or something
of that nature, the Bible
00:20:43.60\00:20:47.51
says we should not return
evil for evil, or rather good
00:20:47.54\00:20:51.41
for evil, we fight
by refusing to fight.
00:20:51.45\00:20:55.43
Now just imagine how many
arguments in the household,
00:20:55.47\00:20:59.21
between husband and wife,
could be solved if one of them
00:20:59.25\00:21:02.95
learned this principle
of fighting by not fighting.
00:21:02.99\00:21:06.37
Just one of them.
- Just one of them.
00:21:06.41\00:21:08.03
If one of them is that
okay, the way I'm going to fight
00:21:08.07\00:21:10.59
against devil in this
home is by refusing to fight
00:21:10.62\00:21:15.31
externally, by refusing
to engage in the conflict.
00:21:15.34\00:21:19.95
It is non-resistance, saying
I don't care what happens,
00:21:19.99\00:21:23.37
I will not
engage with the devil.
00:21:23.41\00:21:25.70
I will not fight, I will
not go into his traps, I will
00:21:25.73\00:21:31.51
not be lured by him.
00:21:31.54\00:21:32.84
Jesus on the cross, if
you be the Son of God do what?
00:21:32.87\00:21:36.80
Come down from the cross.
00:21:36.84\00:21:39.40
The devil was
tempting Jesus to fight...
00:21:39.44\00:21:42.48
come on Jesus show
them what You have,
00:21:42.52\00:21:45.52
show them who You are, and
00:21:45.56\00:21:46.65
Jesus fought back
by refusing to fight.
00:21:46.68\00:21:50.47
By still submitting to
God because He was supposed to
00:21:50.51\00:21:54.76
be on the cross to
fulfill His mission.
00:21:54.79\00:21:57.46
He completed that
and He beat the devil
00:21:57.50\00:22:00.14
without fighting him.
00:22:00.17\00:22:01.57
I like this powerful
statement in the book
00:22:01.60\00:22:03.77
'Desire of Ages', page 119,
where the controversy between
00:22:03.81\00:22:08.94
Christ and Satan in the
wilderness is described.
00:22:08.98\00:22:11.89
Listen to what it says:
"though Jesus recognized Satan
00:22:11.93\00:22:16.66
from the beginning, He
was not provoked to enter into
00:22:16.69\00:22:20.97
controversy with him.
Strengthened with the memory of
00:22:21.01\00:22:25.52
the voice from heaven, He
rested in His Father's love.
00:22:25.56\00:22:30.04
He would not
parlay with temptation. "
00:22:30.07\00:22:33.46
Powerful,
powerful lesson Atonte.
00:22:33.50\00:22:36.25
The way Jesus overcame
Satan was by refusing to enter
00:22:36.28\00:22:41.62
into controversy with him.
00:22:41.66\00:22:43.86
"Refusing to
parlay with temptation. "
00:22:43.89\00:22:46.74
You know so often
temptation is brought before us
00:22:46.78\00:22:49.53
and what do we do?
00:22:49.56\00:22:50.72
We look at and wonder
shall I do this thing or not?
00:22:50.75\00:22:53.15
We wring our hands,
were going what, what?
00:22:53.18\00:22:55.78
But Jesus is telling us
here that the way to fight
00:22:55.81\00:22:59.03
against temptation
is by refusing to fight.
00:22:59.06\00:23:01.48
I'm not going to get into
this, why don't you do this?
00:23:01.51\00:23:03.70
I'm not even going to pay
attention, that is what it is
00:23:03.74\00:23:05.89
saying, I will not
even pay attention to this
00:23:05.93\00:23:08.88
temptation, I will
not engage in this fight.
00:23:08.91\00:23:11.51
I will fight, but
I'm not going to fight.
00:23:11.54\00:23:13.77
I'm just going to
turn my eyes the other way.
00:23:13.80\00:23:15.99
Come on why
don't you get involved?
00:23:16.03\00:23:17.62
I'm just not going to do this,
00:23:17.65\00:23:19.25
I'm just not going to listen
I will walk the other way.
00:23:19.29\00:23:22.10
This is what it means
to fight without fighting.
00:23:22.14\00:23:26.29
It means to refuse to
engage temptation. Refuse
00:23:26.33\00:23:30.35
to parlay with temptation,
again Atonte, how many
00:23:30.38\00:23:34.96
of us would experience
the power of God if we,
00:23:35.00\00:23:39.47
like Jesus, learned
to turn the other cheek?
00:23:39.51\00:23:43.95
To not try to defend
ourselves, to actually
00:23:43.99\00:23:48.40
fight by not fighting.
00:23:48.44\00:23:50.49
We would win many victories
that we are now not winning,
00:23:50.53\00:23:56.16
and God wants us to
learn these lessons.
00:23:56.20\00:23:59.12
We are trying to be as practical
as we can be because we
00:23:59.15\00:24:02.91
know that as Christians,
Satan is after us all the time.
00:24:02.95\00:24:06.24
He is after everyone, but he
wants us to fall, he wants us
00:24:06.28\00:24:09.54
to be discouraged, he
does not want us to make it.
00:24:09.57\00:24:12.29
God is cheering for us and
saying look I have made every
00:24:12.32\00:24:15.66
provision for you, I
don't care what your problem is,
00:24:15.70\00:24:19.01
I don't care if it
is pornography, alcohol,
00:24:19.04\00:24:21.32
cigarettes, drugs, other
women, what ever it may be,
00:24:21.36\00:24:24.72
inherited, cultivated
sins or whatever, God has said
00:24:24.76\00:24:28.09
I can do it all for you.
00:24:28.13\00:24:30.07
Hebrews 12:4, Atonte,
tells us that we must resist
00:24:30.10\00:24:36.70
against sin unto blood,
we must resist against sin
00:24:36.73\00:24:43.29
even unto blood,
that means our resistance,
00:24:43.33\00:24:46.30
our capacity to fight by not
fighting must be even unto death
00:24:46.34\00:24:52.44
In other words we have got
to learn this art of learning
00:24:52.48\00:24:57.62
how to disengage, or how to
not engage at all the enemy.
00:24:57.65\00:25:02.75
To not parlay with temptation.
00:25:02.79\00:25:04.78
When he brings something
before your eyes, you simply
00:25:04.81\00:25:07.79
say, I'm not even
going to fight that.
00:25:07.82\00:25:09.60
I'm not even going
to engage in this fight.
00:25:09.63\00:25:11.48
How can we say that? The
Bible says and God tells us
00:25:11.52\00:25:14.95
you stand still and
I will fight for you.
00:25:14.99\00:25:18.77
So the battle is not
yours, it's the Lord's.
00:25:18.81\00:25:22.52
We can say, oops, not my
battle, you deal with God on
00:25:22.56\00:25:25.90
that, and allow God to
fight our battles for us.
00:25:25.93\00:25:29.25
So often we try to take
the confidant ourselves and
00:25:29.29\00:25:32.54
parlay with temptation, and
in parlaying with temptation
00:25:32.57\00:25:36.54
we eventually fall into it.
00:25:36.57\00:25:38.18
Just like Eve at the
tree, if she had turned her eyes
00:25:38.21\00:25:42.38
away at the first sight
of sin and just said, I not
00:25:42.42\00:25:46.56
even going to
entertain this discussion.
00:25:46.59\00:25:48.95
She engaged the devil,
tried to stand on her own,
00:25:48.99\00:25:53.33
and ended up falling into sin.
00:25:53.37\00:25:55.41
That is why we can
actually say it is Christ's
00:25:55.44\00:25:57.99
righteousness, not our own,
00:25:58.03\00:25:59.98
because He fights and He
wins it for us, so it is His.
00:26:00.01\00:26:02.55
He will do it for us.
00:26:02.59\00:26:04.63
We fight by not
fighting. We fight by resting.
00:26:04.66\00:26:08.43
We fight by resisting the
devil, but submitting to God.
00:26:08.47\00:26:12.86
So ultimately what
are we hearing here?
00:26:12.90\00:26:15.31
Be still, be silent,
focus and breathe deep.
00:26:15.34\00:26:20.96
Know without knowing, find
a way when there is no way.
00:26:20.99\00:26:26.91
Hope in the face of hopelessness
and fight by not fighting,
00:26:26.95\00:26:32.66
this is the art of self-mastery.
00:26:32.70\00:26:35.70
We are learning how
step-by-step to get that victory
00:26:35.73\00:26:40.27
over that wicked human
nature, your most terrible foe,
00:26:40.31\00:26:43.85
which happens to be the
person you get up and look at,
00:26:43.89\00:26:47.39
in the mirror, every morning.
00:26:47.43\00:26:49.40
This is how we
learn to master ourselves.
00:26:49.43\00:26:53.38
It is by
fighting without fighting.
00:26:53.42\00:26:55.65
Self does not want to submit
to these arts, but with the
00:26:55.68\00:27:00.32
grace and power of
God, He can help you.
00:27:00.36\00:27:03.47
Again, it is lifestyle and
I will say it over and over
00:27:03.50\00:27:06.75
again, because
it is a challenge.
00:27:06.79\00:27:09.12
It is a lifestyle that
God is asking us to submit to.
00:27:09.16\00:27:13.69
It is going to take that
to learn these arts to be
00:27:13.73\00:27:18.23
victorious over
those things this Satan has
00:27:18.26\00:27:21.34
strong holds over us.
00:27:21.38\00:27:23.29
You know I love Psalms 18:34
because it tells us as David
00:27:23.33\00:27:28.08
was writing there, said of God,
"he teacheth my hands to war,
00:27:28.12\00:27:32.38
so that a bow of steel
is broken by my arms. "
00:27:32.42\00:27:36.16
God wants to teach us how
to war, He wants to teach us
00:27:36.20\00:27:39.70
how to become
masters over ourselves.
00:27:39.73\00:27:42.92
To master ourselves and He
says I will not leave you to
00:27:42.96\00:27:46.07
figured this out by yourself.
00:27:46.11\00:27:48.48
I will teach you and
instruct you, I will be your
00:27:48.51\00:27:51.37
teacher, you will be My
student, My disciple, and
00:27:51.40\00:27:54.19
in being His disciple we
learn to master ourselves and
00:27:54.23\00:27:58.61
this is the Grace
of God given to us.
00:27:58.64\00:28:01.19
We are all out of time,
until next time, God bless!
00:28:01.22\00:28:04.98