Sermon #S011 - (Is Your
Preference Greater Than Your
00:00:06.43\00:00:19.81
Faith? - Part 2) Pastor Snell:
We've been in a series entitled
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Get Unrealistic. And we've been
talking about how the power of
faith releases us from life's
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limitations. Last week, we gave
you message, one of a sermon
series entitled Is Your Faith
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Greater Than Your Preference?
Listen, we all have preferences
a way we want to see things done
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but sometimes the way God
moves does not align with our
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preference. So, I want to
encourage you to make sure you
get the second half of this word
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today. Is going to transform
your life. It's going to grow
your faith. So go ahead and get
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comfortable. Get settled right
there in the word. As we go into
part two. Is your faith greater
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than your preference? Pastor
Snell: Now, again, I said it's
not wrong to have a preference.
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But see, you got to be careful
about how you apply that
preference. Because if your
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preference is too strong,
it will lead you away from your
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source. You see, there's a
fundamental idea that you've got
to digest as we look at the
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story of the healing of Naamon.
And the idea is found in what we
read in Isaiah, chapter 55,
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where God says, "My thoughts are
not your thoughts, and my ways
are not your ways. And as the
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heavens are higher than the
earth, so are my thoughts above
your thoughts." Are you all
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hearing me, Church? And He says,
"My ways are above your ways."
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Now, the reason that's critical,
Saints, is because God looks at
the world from a different
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vantage point. God is never
going to do a thing the way you
think it ought to be done.
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[Congregation: applause]
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And see, this is why you've got
to monitor your preference,
because your preference,
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if you're not careful, will lead
you away from your Source. What
are you talking about,
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Pastor? Notice what we just read
when we looked at the scripture.
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What did the little girl tell
Naaman? She says, "If you go see
the prophet in Israel,
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he will heal you of your
leprosy." But by the time the
dialogues, this thing out with
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the King, he doesn't go and see
the man of God. He makes a
beeline to see the king of
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Israel who is so shaken because
he has no power to accomplish
what has been requested.
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And it is crazy, Saints, you
see, the problem with Naaman is
he doesn't want to heal the
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spiritual, he wants something a
little more transactional. So
what did they do? So, do they
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load Naaman up? This is good,
Saints. And I want to stay here
too long, but something just--
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see, just hit me beautifully. So
they load Naaman up with some
silver and some shekels of gold,
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and ten very sharp Syrian
outfits to present as an
offering to the king of Israel.
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Now, I need you to know that
even the offering that is
presented, it reveals the
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greatness of the love of God.
So, he sends him silver and he
sends him gold and he sends some
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outfits, and he says, "I'm going
to bargain with those in order
to save Naaman's life."
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Now, I need you to understand
that the king doesn't empty the
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vault for Naaman. He sends a
limited supply for Naaman. So,
if the king of Israel says,
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"This isn't going to cut it,
then Naaman is going to have to
fill the rest of the debt
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himself." Are you all did get
it? If the offering is not
enough, then guess what? Naaman
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is going to die. Because what
the king says is that "I can't
empty my vault for you. I can't
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give everything for you. I can
only give a limited supply in
order to save you."
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Is there anybody that's thankful
that when our King saw a need to
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save our lives, that he didn't
send a limited supply? Oh, but I
rejoice today that our King
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emptied the vault. He didn't
leave anything in savings. He
didn't say, "I need to keep
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something for next week," but he
gave the best gift to make sure
that the ransom would be paid.
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Is there anybody that's thankful
that our King didn't send an
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offering, but our King become
the offering? For he that knew
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no sin became sin, that we might
become the righteousness of God.
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In other words, Naaman's
king gave a number that could be
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quantified, but our King paid a
price that could not be counted,
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for we were not redeemed with
corruptible things such as
silver and gold, but with the
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precious blood...
[Congregation: shouting]
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...of Jesus Christ. And see,
that's why Romans 5 says that
"If he gave us his son,
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won't he also give us all
things?" And that's why faith
doesn't begin at your bank
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account, it begins at the cross.
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[Congregation: applause]
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Because of what He already gave.
So if He paid your sin debt,
won't he pay your school debt?
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If He paid your sin price, won't
He pay the price on your car? In
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other words, I don't have to
worry about what is going to
give, all I got to do is reflect
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on what He already gave. And
because He emptied the vault, I
know that there is no good thing
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that he will withhold from his
children. Are you all hear me
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today, Saints?
[Congregation: [applause] Amen!]
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So, Naaman and his crew, they
roll into the king's palace with
military formalism and
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pageantry. Are you hearing me?
And this thing has a stately
element to it. In one bag, he's
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got silver, and in the other
bag, he's got gold, and then
he's got a bunch of nice
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outfits. And see, I need you to
understand what is happening
here. See, God told him to go
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and see the prophet. His source
of healing is going to be
spiritual. But see, the problem
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is, he wants a healing that is
transactional. See, Naaman, what
he's done is he's referred to
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the previous experience. See how
this is normally supposed to do
is you set up a bargain.
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He wants to barter for his own
life. In other words, he wants
to be a part of a transaction,
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he wants to be a part of the
exchange. And it's crazy because
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like they come, I mean, the king
is glad for the silver? He's
turned up about the goal?
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He's on fleek with the
outfits? I looked that up.
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[Congregation: laughing]
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[chuckles] But he is shocked out
of his mind when he reads the
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requirements. Why? Because he
does not have the capacity to do
what the king of Syria is
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requesting him to do. And
see, the problem is not with the
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kings impotence, the problem is
that Naaman's preference has led
him away from his Source.
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And see,
sometimes, Friends of mine,
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our rigid preference will lead
us away from the source or the
format that God wants to use to
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bless us. And see, the problem
is, our preference is for God to
do it in a particular way, but
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sometimes, providence demands
that God do it in another way.
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And see, the problem with our
preference is that our
preference is just based upon
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our need, but God's process
is designed to facilitate your
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salvation. So some of us are so
loyal to our preference that we
will forfeit the miracle source.
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So, God has said to somebody,
you're going to find your spouse
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in church, but your preference
is to look for them online. God
is said to somebody,
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you're calling is this, but your
preference is in another career.
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God has said, my call for you is
to gather in person in my name,
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but your preference has become
the stay-at-home and watch on
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the internet. God has called
some of us to come down and be
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baptized, but your preference
is to come down and ask for a
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special prayer. For some of us,
our destiny is going to be here
at Oakwood University,
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but your preference is to follow
the crowd into a state school.
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And what the story of Naaman
teaches us, is that sometimes,
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it's possible to preference your
way right outside of the miracle
that God has in store for your
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life. [Congregation: applause]
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And see, this is the crazy
question because people ask me
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all the time. They say, "Pastor,
why doesn't God do miracles in
the way that He used to do
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miracles? Why isn't God willing
to do supernatural acts
anymore?" And the question I'm
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asking for the church, is there
a lack of willingness on God's
behalf, or is there a lack of
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obedience on our behalf? Is the
issue that God has closed His
hands, or is the problem that we
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have close our ears, so that
when God says, "Go here to be
blessed," we go here because it
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aligns with our preference? Are
you hearing me today, Saints?
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So the word says here in verse
number 9, you all tired, Church?
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[Congregation: No.]
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The Bible says, "Then
Naaman went with his horses and
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chariots, and he stood at the
door of Elijah's house. And
Elijah sent a messenger to him,
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saying, 'Go and wash in the
Jordan 7 times, and your flesh
shall be restored to you and be
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clean.'" And watch this. Are you
all with me? Stay in the word.
The Bible says-- Listen.
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Please, Saints, don't miss it.
"Naaman became furious, and he
went away." Indeed,
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he said to himself. He said, "I
said to myself, 'He will surely
come out to me and stand
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and call on the name of the
Lord, his God, and wave his hand
all over the place and heal me
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of my leprosy. Are not the Abana
and Pharpar, the rivers of
Damascus, better than all the
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waters of Israel? Could I not
wash in them and be clean?'" And
watch as the Bible says, "So he
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turned..." [Congregation:
Indistinctive talk]
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Oh where the church at?. "He
turned and went away in a rage."
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Now, Naaman was about to bounce.
Did you all catch this, Church?
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Now, the last thing I need to
understand, it's okay to form an
expectation that God is going to
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do it, but you should not try to
predict how God is going to do
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it. [Congregation: applause]
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Okay, okay. So, I need you all
to get that this whole thing is
very bothersome to Naaman.
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This is not how he saw this
thing going down. I want to be
clear that God, through the
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Prophet Elijah, He does this in
a way to drive all the hubris,
He does it in a way to drive all
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the pride, He does this in a way
to drive all the arrogance out
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of Naaman. Because what God
is after is not a restoration of
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the body, what God is trying to
facilitate is a regeneration of
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his soul. So, this is a whole
process of Naaman having to
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lower himself. So, like I said,
remember, Naaman, he didn't want
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spiritual healing, he wanted
municipal healing, he wanted a
civil heal him. But everything
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that's a part of this process,
requires him to lower himself.
So he wanted to interact with
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the king. But you remember now,
Naaman is pagan in his beliefs,
and he is elitist in his
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thinking, so understand that he
looks on a prophet the same way
you and I look on a fortune
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teller. I think.
[Congregation: laughing]
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[chuckles] Some of you all are
looking like, "What you mean?" I
saw one last week [laughing].
00:14:16.05\00:14:24.19
But in order to move from the
king to go into the prophet,
he's got to lower himself.
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The prophet doesn't come to the
Royal Court. He's got to go to
the prophet in his house.
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And again, he's got a lower
himself. And when he shows up at
the prophet's house,
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Naaman is used to people coming
out and bowing down and kneeling
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to him, but now, Naaman has to
climb down off of his exalted
stead, and physically, he has to
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lower himself. He's used to
people coming out and saluting
him. "Yes, Sir," and "No, Sir,"
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but now, he's got to go hat in
hand and he's got a knock on the
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prophet's door. And understand
that the prophet is so
disrespectful. He shows no
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deference for his badges, his
citations, his accommodations.
He doesn't even go out and talk
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to him in person. He just sends
out a servant to go and tell
Naaman "Wash in the Jordan 7
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times." And watch this, Church.
The word says that he became
furious. But I need you to think
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about why he gets so mad. He
doesn't get mad because the
prophet said no. He doesn't get
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mad because the prophet said, "I
won't do it." He doesn't get too
mad because the prophet says, "I
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ain't got nothing for you." See,
I would be mad if the prophet
said, "Man, you go somewhere
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else." I would be in a rage if
the Prophet say, "I can't do
anything for you." I would be
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mad if the prophet say, "Come
back tomorrow." But the reason
Naaman gets upset is simply
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because he had a preference for
how it was going to be done, and
the way it was going to be done
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did not aline with his
preference. See, Naaman had
created this rigid detailed
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narrative in his mind about how
God was supposed to do this
thing. First, he had a primary
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preference that he was going to
go and he was going to engage in
a trade and barter, a buy and
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sell with the king. But when
that doesn't happen, he develops
a secondary preference, that
00:16:41.80\00:16:47.47
when I get to the prophet's
house, he articulates it with
his voice, that he's going to
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come out to me. He literally has
this scenario in his mind where
I'm going to go into the
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prophet's house, I'm going to
sit across from him at his
dinner table, I'm going to
00:16:57.68\00:17:04.12
leverage him with gifts and
clothes,we're going to drink a
few glasses of wine, I'm going
00:17:04.15\00:17:10.13
to charm him with some of my war
stories, I'm going to impress
him with one of my exploits and
00:17:10.16\00:17:14.36
battle, and once we begin to
function like peers, he's going
to come out and he's going to
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wave his hands. He's going to do
a little dance. He's going to
say a little prayer. And all of
00:17:19.73\00:17:24.74
a sudden, I'm going to get
better. He even did develop a
third preference. When he says,
00:17:24.77\00:17:30.25
"Go wash in the Jordan," he
says, "Listen, aren't the rivers
in Damascus better than the
00:17:30.28\00:17:35.08
Jordan?" And it's crazy, the
reason he wants those rivers is
not just because they're
00:17:35.12\00:17:40.19
cleaner, I learned that around
the rivers in Damascus, the
Abana and Pharpar, they
00:17:40.22\00:17:47.46
literally have gardens that were
erected in the image of the
foreign gods that Naaman was
00:17:47.50\00:17:49.83
used to. And what God is setting
up friends He's setting up a
situation where this healing is
00:17:49.86\00:17:55.34
not going to be a result of his
skill, it ain't going to be
about his bargaining power.
00:17:55.37\00:17:58.04
God is not going to do it in
a way where baal or astaroth can
00:17:58.07\00:18:02.84
get the glory. God is going to
do it in such a way that when
Naaman gets his healing,
00:18:02.88\00:18:07.65
the only thing he'll be able to
say is that if it had not been
for the Lord who is on my side,
00:18:07.68\00:18:18.93
that would be nothing I could
do. Are you all hearing me,
00:18:18.96\00:18:21.96
Saints? [Congregation: applause]
00:18:22.00\00:18:23.73
So, God says, "I'm not going to
let it be with your bargaining.
I'm not going to be about,
00:18:23.77\00:18:26.37
let it be about your gifts."
Why? Because the one thing God
will never share is his glory.
00:18:26.40\00:18:35.41
Oh where the church at today?
See, I need you to understand
that God will share everything
00:18:35.44\00:18:43.72
with mankind, except the glory.
Where are you all at? He'll
share His provision. He'll share
00:18:43.75\00:18:51.99
His protection. He'll share
His Spirit. He'll send His son.
00:18:52.03\00:18:56.00
But the one thing He'll never
give is He'll never give the
glory to your situation.
00:18:56.03\00:19:02.24
He'll never give the glory to
your skill. He says, "All the
glory has to belong to me."
00:19:02.27\00:19:08.64
And the reason that God will
never share the glory is he
wants you to have the testimony
00:19:08.68\00:19:16.85
of VaShawn Mitchell that says,
"I searched all over, couldn't
find nobody. Look high and low,
00:19:16.89\00:19:26.49
still couldn't find nobody." He
wants you to say there's nobody
greater. I said, "Nobody
00:19:26.53\00:19:34.97
greater." There's nobody greater
than Him. And the reason he
doesn't share the glory is that
00:19:35.00\00:19:46.41
the glory is a compass and a
directional sign for salvation.
So, whoever gets the glory, the
00:19:46.45\00:19:52.45
assumption is that's the one
that saves. So he says, "Your
bargaining can't get the glory,
00:19:52.49\00:19:59.39
or you'll think your bargaining
can save you. The pools in
Damascus can't get the glory, or
00:19:59.43\00:20:04.60
you'll think they saved you.
Your garments and your gifts
can't get the glory, or you'll
00:20:04.63\00:20:09.50
think they saved you." But God
has said, "I'm going to do it in
a way that doesn't facilitate
00:20:09.54\00:20:14.11
your ego. It's not going to
allow you to be impressed with
yourself. You're not going to be
00:20:14.14\00:20:19.75
able to pat yourself on the
back. " But is there anybody
that doesn't have a preference
00:20:19.78\00:20:24.79
about how God does it, but you
want to say like the old song,
"Any way you bless me, Lord,
00:20:24.82\00:20:32.43
I'll be satisfied." Do I have
seven saints that'll say, "Any
way you heal me, I'll be
00:20:32.46\00:20:40.34
satisfied. Any way you employ
me, I'll be satisfied. Any way
you get me married, I'll be
00:20:40.37\00:20:51.08
satisfied. However you save my
children, I'll be satisfied.
However you send the Holy Ghost,
00:20:51.11\00:20:59.69
I'll be satisfied. I'm throwing
away my preference, I'm balling
up my narrative. God, however
00:20:59.72\00:21:06.46
you do it, I'll be satisfied."?
[Congregation: applause]
00:21:06.49\00:21:09.83
And, you know, Saints, you know
why some of us don't get any
miracles? It's because we ain't
00:21:09.86\00:21:22.74
desperate enough. What do you
mean, Pastor? I'm beside myself
reading, like, I've read this
00:21:22.78\00:21:30.12
story a hundred times. But like,
it's just, your boy Naaman. See,
if the first star of the story
00:21:30.15\00:21:35.42
was the little girl, the other
side of the story was the
servant that kept Naaman from
00:21:35.46\00:21:44.13
walking away. Your boy Naaman
was like, "I'm out." He just did
like this to his miracle.
00:21:44.17\00:21:51.34
He's like, "I'm out of here."
But thank God for the servant.
That's a, "Boy, what's wrong
00:21:51.37\00:22:00.82
with you? You acted like you got
another option. You're acting
like you got another choice."
00:22:00.85\00:22:08.06
And see, the reason we won't
persevere, is we still got some
other options that have got to
00:22:08.09\00:22:15.83
be exhausting. You've got some
other things that have got to
00:22:15.86\00:22:19.20
collapse. You've got some other
things you're depending on that
have got a fail you.
00:22:19.23\00:22:23.41
So when they fail, when those
friends betray you, when those
folks ain't there for you,
00:22:23.44\00:22:29.71
it is in the faultiness of man
that you come to know the
faithfulness of God.
00:22:29.74\00:22:35.22
See, we ain't desperate enough.
So that if you only pray five
minutes, and it doesn't happen
00:22:35.25\00:22:47.46
to them five minutes, and you go
to something, it is because you
ain't desperate enough.
00:22:47.50\00:22:51.90
If you only give a faithful time
and offering just that one
moment, that one month,
00:22:51.93\00:22:54.90
you ain't desperate enough.
Because see, there's some other
stuff that's got to fail you.
00:22:54.94\00:23:01.84
So that's you learn how to
depend on the God who never
00:23:01.88\00:23:07.12
fails. [Congregation: applause]
00:23:07.15\00:23:09.98
Listen. I'm done. But see,
there's a reason that God can't
let Naaman be a part of the
00:23:10.02\00:23:17.19
process. Because I need you to
understand, Friends of mine,
that this is not about the
00:23:17.23\00:23:21.80
healing of a body. See, all God
has got to do is snap His
fingers or speak a word and he
00:23:21.83\00:23:27.94
will be healed. But God is
trying to facilitate something
way greater. He's got a
00:23:27.97\00:23:38.51
condition that he can't heal. He
can't buy his way out of it. He
can't work his way out of it. He
00:23:38.55\00:23:46.32
can't self-improve his way out
of it. It's got to be the work
of God alone. Are you all hear
00:23:46.35\00:23:51.63
me, Saints? [Congregation: Yes.]
00:23:51.66\00:23:53.50
And he is trying to show us
something that we got a
condition, too. No, it ain't on
00:23:53.53\00:24:01.44
your skin, but it's on every
portion of the inside of you.
And the only way you're going to
00:24:01.47\00:24:08.18
overcome it, Friends of mine,
you can't talk your way out of
it, you can't work your way out
00:24:08.21\00:24:15.18
of your condition, you can't
give your way out of your
condition, it is the work of God
00:24:15.22\00:24:23.59
alone in your life.
[Congregation: Yes. [applause]
00:24:23.63\00:24:25.69
So he says, "Go and wash in the
Jordan river seven times." And
it's crazy because I think when
00:24:25.73\00:24:31.87
he does this, he literally
combines two miracles. So, think
about the Jordan river, what
00:24:31.90\00:24:40.68
happened there? Remember, God
opened up the Jordan. Remember
that Jordan was the last barrier
00:24:40.71\00:24:51.75
to the promised land. And there
was a reason God opened up the
Jordan so that God's people
00:24:51.79\00:25:00.53
would know they have access to
the promised land whenever they
go there. And so, he sends this
00:25:00.56\00:25:07.57
leper that can't clean himself
and can't fix himself and can't
improve himself to the Jordan
00:25:07.60\00:25:12.27
because when he's in the Jordan,
it's a reminder that he's got
access to the promised land.
00:25:12.31\00:25:17.55
But remember, on the other side
of the Jordan was a city called
00:25:17.58\00:25:22.25
Jericho, and then they had
marched around Jericho seven
times. And then they had to go
00:25:22.28\00:25:30.26
seven times on the seventh day.
And on the seventh time, guess
what? The walls came tumbling
00:25:30.29\00:25:37.00
down. So, guess what? It didn't
happen the first time or the
second time, there was nothing
00:25:37.03\00:25:44.37
that changed until they went
around and they can find rest,
until they did it the seventh
00:25:44.41\00:25:51.35
time. So, guess what? He's in
the water that represents
access, but then there's got to
00:25:51.38\00:25:56.99
be perseverance because he goes
down one time, it's still there.
Two times, it's still there.
00:25:57.02\00:26:02.86
Three times, it's still there.
Four times, it's still there.
00:26:02.89\00:26:07.83
But guess what? As he's
watching, he's looking at
Jericho. Five times, it's still
00:26:07.86\00:26:12.60
there. Six times, it's still
there. And just like the walls
came tumbling down,
00:26:12.63\00:26:18.67
after the 7th time, when it
comes up out of the water, the
00:26:18.71\00:26:24.08
seventh time, all the scales
start falling off his arms and
all of the scores begin to fall
00:26:24.11\00:26:34.06
off and he's able to find his
rest. After the perfect number
seven. And God is saying to
00:26:34.09\00:26:42.63
somebody today that I want you
to pass through the waters, that
I'll let you know you've got
00:26:42.66\00:26:49.14
access to the promised land and
I want you to start keeping my
seventh-day Sabbath, which is a
00:26:49.17\00:26:56.28
reminder that when you rest in
me, everything that binds you
and hold you and keeps you it's
00:26:56.31\00:27:03.75
all going to come tumbling down
when you find your rest in Him.
And so, Friends of mine, I need
00:27:03.79\00:27:11.93
you to understand that there's
nothing wrong with having a
preference. But see, the
00:27:11.96\00:27:17.97
question for somebody today,
have you gotten to a place where
your preference is so rigid,
00:27:18.00\00:27:22.70
that your preference is actually
greater than your faith, to
where because it's not happening
00:27:22.74\00:27:26.71
the way you thought it was going
to happen, or it's not coming as
soon as you thought it was going
00:27:26.74\00:27:30.68
to come, or because God
didn't start the business
00:27:30.71\00:27:33.21
or help you close on the house
or get you married in the way
you thought it was going to
00:27:33.25\00:27:37.92
happen? You got to get to a
place where you recognize,
"Lord, I'm cool. Your thoughts
00:27:37.95\00:27:46.90
are not my thoughts. And your
ways are not my ways. And I
believe for you to do it, but
00:27:46.93\00:27:56.94
I'm not going to try to dictate
how you do it." And I'm just at
a place where I just say, "Lord,
00:27:56.97\00:28:02.18
any way you bless me, I'll
be satisfied." [Congregation:
00:28:02.21\00:28:03.38
applause] (Breath
of Life Theme Music)
00:28:03.41\00:28:28.50
Pastor Snell: Breath of Life is
so exciting to be preaching the
gospel this summer in the Queen
00:28:28.54\00:28:35.04
City in
Charlotte, North Carolina,
00:28:35.08\00:28:36.68
From July the 10th through July,
the 23rd, we are going to be
preaching the gospel
00:28:36.71\00:28:40.62
and the Trinity Worship Center.
00:28:40.65\00:28:42.75
We'll be blessed in song by
gospel recording artist Kirk
Carr and the Kirk Carr Singers.
00:28:42.78\00:28:48.32
We'll meet each night at 7 p.m.,
with the exception of Tuesday
and Thursday night.
00:28:48.36\00:28:53.80
For more information, go to
our website at breathoflife.tv.
00:28:53.83\00:28:58.90
[End]
00:28:58.93\00:29:14.02