Sermon #S010 - (Don't
Give God A Deadline - Part 2)
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Welcome to the Breath of Life
Television Ministries broadcast!
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In today's episode, we will pick
up from Part Two of the message
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entitled: “Don't Give God a
Deadline” by Pastor Debleaire
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Snell. Let's take a timeless
view of trusting God through His
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Word. Pastor Snell: Now again, I
believe in recruiting an army of
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prayer warriors but I have come
to this conclusion that there
are certain prayers that have to
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come from your lips and they
have to arise out of your heart.
Am I preaching to anybody today?
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Remember the story when Hezekiah
got sick and was about to die.
When the prophet Isaiah came,
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he didn't ask Isaiah to pray for
him. The Bible says that he
turned his face to the wall
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and he began to ask God
for an extension of his life.
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Do you remember when Hannah
was barren and had no kids?
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She prayed so hard at the temple
that the prophet Eli thought she
was drunk and out of her mind.
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Do you remember when Daniel
found out that the decree had
been signed, he didn't call
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Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?
He went up to the open window
and prayed towards Jerusalem
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like he always had done.
Are you all hearing me today?
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[Congregation: Amen]
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And my point is that nobody
could pray for Hezekiah's
illness like Hezekiah.
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There is no one that could pray
for Hannah's barren womb like
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Hannah. There is nobody that
could pray for Daniel's
deliverance like Daniel.
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And there is nobody that can
pray for the urgencies of life
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like you can. Am I telling the
truth? That nobody can pray for
your children like you can pray
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for your children. There is
nobody that can pray for your
health like you can.
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There is nobody that can
pray for your job like you can.
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Why? Because they're not feeling
the burden in the same way you
feel the burden. When you pray,
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it has a different weight. When
you pray, it has a different
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urgency. When you pray out of
the mists of the despair of your
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own soul, it hits the heart of
God with a greater weight
because nobody can pray for you
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like you can. Are you
all hearing what I'm saying?
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And I guess what I need somebody
to know is that even when you
ain't got nobody to advocate
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with you, you've got a standing
with God that allows you to go
before God even if you've got to
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go all by yourself.
[Congregation: Applause]
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And see what I want to say is
stop outsourcing your spiritual
connection with Jesus.
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And see, there's somebody and I
want to say this with as much
compassion as I can.
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That's somebody who's saying,
"Well, Pastor, you don't know
what I'm going through.
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You don't know how hard it is
right now. I just don't have the
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strength to pray." The devil is
a liar. Guess what you may not
have the mind to pray but guess
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what? You do have the strength
to pray. What do you mean? If
you can tell your best friend,
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if you can tell your homey, if
you can tell the pastor, that
means you got enough strength to
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tell it to Jesus.
[Congregation: Applause]
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The one who is able to
turn the situation upside down.
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Are you all hearing what
I'm saying today, saints?
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In fact, put this quote up on
the screen. I want you to look
and see. What Ellen White says
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here, Prophets and Kings
270. Put this up real quick.
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I need you to know that one
thing the enemy wants to do is
keep you from calling on the
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name of the Lord. In fact, she
says this, that Satan trembles
at the sound of prayer.
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[Congregation: Amen]
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Are you sure to lose your mouth
right there? So, this is how to
know we are not praying.
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Oh, God. Satan trembles at the
sound of prayer. Like when he
hears you say, "Our Father",
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he starts getting PTSD.
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[Congregation: Applause]
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Because he knows that if you
just start praying, God is going
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to start moving and his power is
going to be broken. She says our
great adversary is constantly
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seeking to keep the troubled
soul away from God and appeal to
Heaven by the humblest Saint is
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more dreaded by Satan than
the decrees of cabinets and the
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mandates of Kings. In other
words, I need you to know that
even in your weakest moments,
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Satan is afraid when you pray.
That's why when you're weak, he
wants to keep you away from the
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throne because if you just get
down on your face and say, "Our
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Father", is there anybody that
believes that prayer still
changes things? That prayer
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opens doors that no man can
shut. That prayer still raises
the afflicted. That prayer still
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reconciles the broken. That
prayer still revives the church.
That God does exceedingly and
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abundantly above all you can ask
or think. When we come together
and pray. Are you hearing me
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today, saints? The third thing
this teaches us, beloved, is
that sometimes when you pray,
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you got to learn how to
pray without a deadline.
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And I want to just say this
to somebody who is in a waiting
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posture today. Is anybody
waiting on God today? Let me say
to that anxious, scheming,
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irritable, quick-to-go-to-plan-B
person, God's word to you today
is, be still and see the
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salvation of the Lord. It's
crazy. The word says that this
woman makes her case to the
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judge on several occasions. But
the word says that he would not
do it for a while. Now, remember
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considering the fact that she is
a widow, that she is seeking
justice from the judge, are you
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all with me today, saints? What
Jesus is communicating again is
the idea of hopelessness.
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Somebody say, hopelessness. But
you know, there is a reason that
she keeps appealing to the
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judge. There is a reason that
she keeps coming over and over
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again. There is a science as
to why she keeps making the same
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appeal. You see the reason she
keeps coming is not to be
annoying. The reason she keeps
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coming is because he's
the only one that can do it.
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[Congregation: Chattering]
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Stay with me, church.
Because remember she is seeking.
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The Bible says justice against
a neighbor that has wronged her.
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In other words, it stands to
reason that she's already tried
to get the neighbor to change
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his mind but the neighbor has
refused. But notice that the
neighbor refuses, but guess
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what? The judge just delays. You
all didn't get it. See, the
neighbor says, "No." The judge
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just says, "Not yet." In other
words, the reason she keeps
appealing to the judge is she's
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got to go to somebody that has
more authority than the
neighbor. In other words, she
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can't call her other neighbors
because the other neighbors
don't have more authority. She
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is going to be right back before
the judge. She can't call her
relatives because her relatives
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don't have more authority. If
she calls the relative, she's
going to be right back before
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the judge. If she calls her
friends, the friends don't have
more authority, she's going to
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wind up right back before the
judge. So she's made it up in
her mind that if they can't
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really help me and I'm going to
be right back before the judge
anyhow, why am I going to fool
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around with those who have no
authority? I'm just going to go
to the one that's able to turn
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the situation upside down. So,
saints, what makes more sense?
To go to those who have no
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authority for help or to sit
consistently before the one that
has the power to turn your
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situation upside-down? Are you
all hearing me today, saints?
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See, in other words, a part of
persevering in prayer is coming
to the realization, number 1,
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that I can't do it. You're all
not with me yet. It's the
realization that "I can't do
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it." But the reason I stay
before the throne is I've got
clarity about the fact that they
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can't do it either. Okay. See,
the problem with some of us is
we see God as one of several
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options. So when God doesn't do
it when we want to, then guess
what? We go to options B, C, and
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D. But how many of us have lived
long enough to see all of your
efforts come to nothing?
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See, all your friends disappoint
you. You will see all your loved
ones prioritize something else.
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You are going to see your ride
or die right away. And see,
sometimes in the development of
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faith, you've got to
be disappointed by people
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because it is the
disappointments of man that
helped you understand the
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faithfulness of God and it is
only their inconsistency that
allows us to celebrate God's
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faithfulness. As he watched
this, Dr. Johnson, the reason
you got to stay before God is
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this. You got to come to the
place, "Oh, help us, Lord."
Where you realize that if God
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can't do it, it just can't be
done. The reason I ain't going
to my cousins, the reason I
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ain't going to Pooki and them,
the reason I ain't calling La
Shad, is because if God can't
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heal it, it just can't be
healed. If God can't grow it,
then it just can't be grown.
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If God can't bless it, then it
just can't be blessed. If God
can't revive it, then it cannot
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be revived. If God can't restore
it, then it can't be restored.
Oh, what peace we often forfeit.
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Oh, what needless pains we bear.
Oh, because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer.
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So instead of going to plan B,
C, and D, you want to just stay
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before the one that's
able to do something about it.
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I was sharing this earlier this
week, I had a situation, ma'am,
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with my kids. I remember one day
we're getting ready to go
somewhere. They were outside
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riding their bikes in the
driveway and so something
happened, Dr. Williams. Where
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they all kind of crash into each
other on the bikes. And so they
all come inside bleeding and
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bruised and cut. And so my
wife was upstairs in the shower
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getting dressed. Now, you need
to know, Louis, this thing was
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so disrespectful. When they come
into the house, I see them
bruised up and scratched up so I
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say, "Can I help you all?" They
were like, "No, Daddy. We'll
wait on Mommy." And so what
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happens is they go upstairs.
Now, I know Gianna is going to
be taking a long time. And so I
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hear them calling to my wife in
the shower and she says, "Why
don't you go and see your
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daddy?" And they say to her,
"Well, Mommy, it's okay. We'll
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wait for you." And it's crazy,
friends of mine, because I
yelled to them upstairs.
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I said, "Hey you all, do you all
want me to look at it?" It's so
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disrespectful. They're like,
"No, Daddy. It's okay. We'll
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wait for Mommy." Now, I need you
to know that she takes another
40 minutes to get dressed.
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But they would rather sit there
bruised and bleeding and bloody
and wait on the one that can fix
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it. Then they'll go to a plan B.
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See, they made it up in their
minds that daddy's going to
patch us up but only mama can
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heal. Instead of going to him,
we just go wait for the one
that's going to make the
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situation better because if we
go to daddy, we are going to
wind up back with her in the
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end. And what I'm saying is that
when you go to plan B and plan C
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and plan D, you're going to wind
up back before God, and instead
of going to the alternate
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routes, just stay before God who
is able to fix it? Stay before
the God who is able to bring it
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to pass. Are you all
hear me today, saints?
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Now, there's another reason.
See, perseveres, you all stay
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with me, church? Is that this
lady understands that delay and
denial are not the same things.
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See what Jesus does is he uses
some legal truths to teach a
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spiritual truth. You know when I
used to read this, Malcolm, I
thought she was appealing a
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verdict in an attempt to get it
overturned. I thought that the
judge had made a decision that
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she was just simply trying to
get him to reverse. But no. The
Bible simply says that he would
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not do it for a while. When some
scholars suggest that what the
judge does is, he issues a
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continuance. He issues a stay.
In other words, what he keeps
doing is giving new trial dates
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in an attempt of hoping to weary
the old lady out. In other
words, some suggest that maybe
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this unjust judge has taken a
bribe from the neighbor. And so
what he's attempting to do is
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put off the date again, and
again and again until the girl
just gives up and decides to
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stop coming. But guess what?
This thing blows up in his face.
So he moves it from February to
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April and guess what? She's
still there in April. He moves
it from April to December,
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and she's still there in
December. He moves it from one
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year to the next. She is still
there next year. He moves it to
the next year. She shows up to
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make the case next year. And the
reason he's trying to wear her
out is that the one time she
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doesn't show up, what it
does is it decides the case.
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Simply because she gives up on
her appeal. And what I'm saying
is, sometimes we decide the case
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because we give up on the appeal
because it doesn't happen when
we want things to happen.
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Are you all
hearing me today, saints?
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And see the problem with us is
that we have this instant
gratification approach to
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spirituality. See, a part of the
American dream is it messes us
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up. Because what we do is we
celebrate those who get
everything early. The Mark
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Zuckerbergs. But how many of us
understand that your latter day
is going to be greater than your
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former day. Do I have any
folk that knows your best years?
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Oh, God. See, it's a lie that
your 4 years of college should
be the best years of your life.
00:17:21.80\00:17:29.51
You mean, God lets you
plateau at 22 years old?
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But how many of us know that
your best season ought to be
your current season?
00:17:33.88\00:17:38.62
Oh, where the church at today?
And see, what I'm trying to get
somebody to understand is that
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just because it hasn't happened
yet, that doesn't mean it won't
happen. See to every statement
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of unbelief, you consistently
declare you are to put the word
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"yet" at the end. In other
words, instead of just
complaining and saying, "I
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haven't been healed." Is there
anybody that just believes "I
haven't been healed yet."
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Instead of saying, "I haven't
found a man", just say, "I
haven't found the right one
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yet." Instead of saying, "The
church ain't moving", just say,
"It's not moving yet."
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Instead of saying, "It hasn't
happened", just say, "It hasn't
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happened yet." In other words,
friends our mine, sometimes you
just got to learn how to wait
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your turn. As I said, a couple
of weeks ago, I remember, one
time I was on a plane, Dr.
00:18:38.98\00:18:43.42
Williams, and when you get
on those little tiny planes,
00:18:43.45\00:18:48.19
what happens is sometimes the
space in the overhead
compartment can go really quick.
00:18:48.22\00:18:55.93
And so man, I had a bag and I
needed to get where I was going
so I did not want to have to
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check my bag under the plane.
00:19:01.97\00:19:03.67
So what happened is, I'm in main
cabin number one, so when I see
them boarding first class
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and just got priority, listen, I
played myself so hard. I tried
to go ahead and board with first
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class. So that I could
get access to the overhead
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compartment. But how many of us
know that when they scan your
ticket, it tells them what zone
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you're supposed to board in. And
so what happens is when they
scanned my ticket as I'm coming
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in with the first-class folk, it
makes an alarming noise and they
say, "Sir, you're not supposed
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to board with first class.
You're supposed to board with
main cabin number one.
00:19:39.37\00:19:42.34
And so I have to take the walk
of shame in front of everybody,
past first-class, and comfort
00:19:42.38\00:19:50.15
plus and I got to sit with the
common folk in main cabin one.
00:19:50.19\00:19:54.96
Now, I need you to understand
that even though I didn't get to
board first, I didn't leave the
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airport. Because I didn't get to
get in early, I don't leave the
terminal. Why? Because I still
00:20:03.63\00:20:11.64
got a ticket. And because I've
got a ticket, it guarantees me a
spot on the plane. It just means
00:20:11.67\00:20:19.68
I've got to wait my turn. And
what I'm saying to somebody
today, is that just because it
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didn't happen when you want it
to happen, don't leave the
terminal. Because how many of us
00:20:26.09\00:20:32.63
know that in Christ you got to
take it in his word that
guarantees you access? You can
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still board. You simply got to
wait your turn. Are you hearing
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me today, saints? So I'm looking
at this thing and I'm tripping,
right? Because I'm like, man,
00:20:43.07\00:20:47.71
this lady keeps coming to
the judge over and over and over
00:20:47.74\00:20:54.55
again. Now, I need you to know
that takes faith in and of
itself. "What do you mean
00:20:54.58\00:21:02.16
pastor?" Because, if this man is
so cruel and harsh, if he's that
00:21:02.19\00:21:11.07
exacting, for her to keep
showing up like this is wasting
00:21:11.10\00:21:17.01
the court's time. If she just
keeps showing up without an
appointment, what means that she
00:21:17.04\00:21:25.31
can be held in contempt of
court. So her ability to keep
coming must mean that she has
00:21:25.35\00:21:37.09
legal standing to keep coming
before the judge. In other
words, she must have, as the
00:21:37.13\00:21:43.93
young folks say, some receipts
on her neighbor. She must have
some receipts that guarantee her
00:21:43.97\00:21:51.74
right to have an appointment
with the judge. "How do you know
that Pastor? Why?" Because even
00:21:51.77\00:21:59.15
if the judge does not want to
give her justice, the only thing
he can do is delay it. He can't
00:21:59.18\00:22:06.79
deny it. Are you all hear me
today, saints? See, the reason
some of us not getting it, we
00:22:06.82\00:22:15.40
read the King James version that
says get vengeance. But that's
not what she's asking for.
00:22:15.43\00:22:17.17
She's asking for justice which
means that she must have some
00:22:17.20\00:22:24.11
documentation. Something that is
written. That if the judge
ignores it, it causes him to be
00:22:24.14\00:22:33.38
in violation of his oath and
causes him to destroy the
sanctity of his courtroom. So
00:22:33.42\00:22:40.56
all he can do is delay it. But
guess what, he can't deny it.
00:22:40.59\00:22:43.76
Why? Because she's got something
that is written that the judge
is unable to ignore.
00:22:43.79\00:22:50.30
And is there anybody that
knows that when you stand on the
00:22:50.33\00:22:55.07
promises of God, the promises of
God are your receipts? That the
judge can't ignore.
00:22:55.10\00:23:01.11
Because if he ignores his word,
then he violates the oath that
he made in his kingdom.
00:23:01.14\00:23:08.22
And because he is a God that
cannot lie, when you bring your
receipts to the courthouse,
00:23:08.25\00:23:15.06
guess what? He's got to honor
what he said in his Holy word.
00:23:15.09\00:23:19.43
So there is somebody that's
dealing with some financial lack
today. You better hold on to
00:23:19.46\00:23:27.04
your receipts and say, "Lord,
you said that you should supply
all my needs according to your
00:23:27.07\00:23:34.24
riches and glory." There is
somebody that's got a sickness
that saying, "Lord, you say it,
00:23:34.28\00:23:38.98
the prayer's faith will save the
sick and that the Lord is going
00:23:39.01\00:23:44.92
to raise them up." There is
somebody who's mad that he's
taking too long, "Lord, you said
00:23:44.95\00:23:52.86
that you will come quickly
and your reward is with you."
00:23:52.89\00:23:55.26
There is somebody who's
saying my enemies are too great.
00:23:55.30\00:23:58.90
But you want to say, "Lord, you
said no weapon formed against me
will be able to prosper
00:23:58.93\00:24:05.01
and every tongue that rises
in judgment, God is going to
00:24:05.04\00:24:09.61
condemn. There is somebody who
is dealing with lack on the job
but the Bible has said,
00:24:09.64\00:24:15.55
I was young and now I'm old and
I've never seen the righteous
forsaken or his seed begging
00:24:15.58\00:24:24.16
after bread. Is there anybody
that wants to cling to the
receipt and say, "Lord, I'm
00:24:24.19\00:24:30.43
going to hold you to your word."
You're going to be like the old
lady, you're just going to keep
00:24:30.47\00:24:34.77
appealing. You're going to keep
showing up. You're going to be
like Jacob where you just say,
00:24:34.80\00:24:39.87
Lord. I'm not going to let you
go until you bless me. Are you
hearing the word today, saints?
00:24:39.91\00:24:50.35
[Congregation: Yeah.]
00:24:50.39\00:24:52.39
But see, I don't want you to
misunderstand the purpose of the
parable. So this is what I need
00:24:52.42\00:25:00.16
you to get. So, sometimes in a
parable, God reveals His
character through comparison.
00:25:00.20\00:25:09.04
Sometimes, He reveals His
character through contrast. You
see the point, friends,
00:25:09.07\00:25:16.64
is not that God is like the
unjust judge. What he is saying,
00:25:16.68\00:25:26.86
Steven, is that if those who are
against you can be compelled to
do something for you, what will
00:25:26.89\00:25:37.67
I, the God, who is on your side,
do for those who cry out to me
00:25:37.70\00:25:45.84
day and night? In other words,
he's saying I need you to
understand the roles that your
00:25:45.87\00:25:52.78
faith is not making me do
something that I don't already
want to do. See, how many of us
00:25:52.81\00:25:59.79
know that God is not a stingy
God that has his fist clenched
and you've got to use your faith
00:25:59.82\00:26:04.73
to pry the hand of God open? I
need you to know his hand is
already open. His ear is already
00:26:04.76\00:26:11.13
inclined. And the point is that
if evil men can be persuaded to
do something for you,
00:26:11.17\00:26:22.04
won't I avenge my children that
cry out to me day and night if
they will just learn how to wait
00:26:22.08\00:26:36.49
on me and trust in me
and stop giving me deadlines.
00:26:36.52\00:26:44.23
Are you all hear what I'm
saying? See, I need you to
understand. The only similarity
00:26:44.27\00:26:54.28
between God and the judge is
that he just hadn't done it yet.
00:26:54.31\00:27:02.75
But I need you to understand
that you got to get to a place
where you stop creating this
00:27:02.78\00:27:13.36
threshold of faith. That says if
it doesn't happen by such a
time, then I'm going to do plan
00:27:13.40\00:27:24.01
B, plan C, plan D. But you got
to make it up in your mind to
where you realize that God is
00:27:24.04\00:27:31.11
not just one of several options.
Is there anybody who understands
like the Psalmist, that we got
00:27:31.15\00:27:37.75
to learn how to look to the
hills? From which cometh our
help and realize that our only
00:27:37.79\00:27:47.03
help comes from the Lord. We had
to learn how to abide in him and
00:27:47.03\00:27:50.37
be still in him. And I need you
to know that the thing that you
are seeking, the thing that
00:27:50.40\00:27:54.74
you're praying for, the
unrealistic thing, it's not a
00:27:54.77\00:27:58.71
matter of if. It's just a matter
of when and we've got to get to
a place where we stop giving God
00:27:58.74\00:28:04.68
a deadline and we learn how to
wait on him. How many of us
believe the word of God today?
00:28:04.71\00:28:10.12
Wait on him and he
shall encourage your heart.
00:28:10.15\00:28:12.85
(Breath of Life Theme Music)
00:28:12.89\00:28:37.08
[End]
00:28:37.11\00:28:52.13