You are God
00:00:45.57\00:00:52.11
The only Sovereign God
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The only living God
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Everlasting, ever loving
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Ever living God
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The only sovereign God
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The only living God
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Everlasting, ever loving
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Ever living God
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The only sovereign God
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The only living God
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Everlasting, ever loving
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Ever living God
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There is a name that I love
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to proclaim
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Master, Savior, Jesus
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No name compares
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To its awesome refrain
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Jesus, we reverence your Name
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with our praise
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Jesus we reverence your Name
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Oh Jesus,
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Oh, oh, oh, Jesus
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Your name is awesome
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And greatly exalted
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Jesus. Oh, Oh, Jesus
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Jesus, we reverence Your Name
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with our praise
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Jesus we reverence Your Name
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Your Name
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Jesus we reverence Your Name
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Your Name
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We worship You
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How I love Jesus
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How I love Jesus
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Jesus
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Let me tell you why I love Him
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Because He first loved me
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loved me.
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Praise unto
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the Lord
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Oh, oh-oh
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Sing praise
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Unto
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the Lord
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For He is
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He is Good
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For He is
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He is good
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Praise the Lord God
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Forever
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and ever
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For His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
00:09:04.27\00:09:09.44
His mercy endureth forever
00:09:11.31\00:09:16.02
His mercy endureth forever
00:09:17.92\00:09:22.49
His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
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His mercy endureth forever
00:09:50.39\00:09:55.02
His mercy endureth forever
00:10:10.01\00:10:14.28
His mercy endureth forever
00:10:15.91\00:10:20.62
His mercy endureth forever
00:10:22.35\00:10:26.82
His mercy endureth forever
00:10:29.19\00:10:33.06
His mercy endureth forever
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And ever
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His mercy endureth forever
00:10:44.74\00:10:48.81
His mercy endureth forever
00:10:51.28\00:10:55.05
His mercy endureth forever
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Forever
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And ever
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Forever more
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Forever more
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Forever
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Applause
00:11:37.66\00:11:42.36
Daniel, the 4th
chapter; verses 28 through 34
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Daniel 4, verses 28 through 34
00:12:02.72\00:12:08.52
There you'll find these words.
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I thought today we
would speak on the subject
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Diary of a Mad Black Man.
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One of the things I
enjoyed growing up in my home
00:14:04.04\00:14:08.48
was having four sisters.
00:14:08.51\00:14:13.42
They say that
confession is good for the soul.
00:14:13.45\00:14:16.65
So I'm about to confess some
thing and have a good soul today
00:14:17.39\00:14:21.22
I knew at some point in
all of my sisters' lives
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they were going to keep a diary
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It was my purpose in life
00:14:34.67\00:14:40.51
to figure out
was it the top drawer
00:14:40.54\00:14:42.34
the middle drawer
or the bottom drawer.
00:14:42.38\00:14:43.95
If I searched the dresser
and it wasn't in the drawers
00:14:45.81\00:14:49.88
I knew to lift up the mattress
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But one way or another I
was going to find it because
00:14:55.16\00:14:58.69
inquiring minds want to know.
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I will be kind enough
not to tell you what I found.
00:15:04.67\00:15:08.00
They'd shoot me if I
did, I learned a lot.
00:15:08.04\00:15:13.68
But we don't have to
go searching for the diary
00:15:15.24\00:15:19.98
of this man for he
opens it up himself
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in Daniel the 4th chapter.
Mind you it was not intended
00:15:24.89\00:15:29.92
to be a diary
initially. It was supposed to be
00:15:29.96\00:15:33.70
a proclamation. But somehow
along the way, the thoughts
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of his mind shifted and
the words changed and it became
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an open diary for
all those who live today.
00:15:44.17\00:15:49.21
Notice the first verse
of chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar
00:15:49.24\00:15:55.48
the king, unto who? All people
nations and languages that dwell
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in all the earth,
peace be multiplied unto you.
00:16:04.86\00:16:11.33
Understand that he is the most
mentioned gentile king in the
00:16:12.90\00:16:17.91
Word of God. He reigns
approximately for 43 years
00:16:17.94\00:16:23.08
His story speaks to his rise
in power. His fall from grace
00:16:23.11\00:16:31.29
and his restoration through
repentance. The first 6 chapters
00:16:31.32\00:16:36.73
of Daniel are historical
in nature while the final six
00:16:36.76\00:16:40.53
are prophetic. But of those
first six chapters he occupies
00:16:40.56\00:16:46.03
a prominent place in the
first 5 chapters of Daniel. He's
00:16:46.07\00:16:52.31
somebody special. The Babylonian
empire can trace its beginnings
00:16:52.34\00:16:59.85
all the way back to Genesis the
10th chapter. Turn there with me
00:16:59.88\00:17:04.19
quickly, Genesis 10th chapter.
And notice here something
00:17:04.22\00:17:09.76
regarding the ancestry of
Babylon starting with verse 1.
00:17:09.79\00:17:15.66
Now these are the generations of
the sons of Noah. Who were they?
00:17:15.70\00:17:21.44
Shem, Ham and
Japheth. Look down at verse 6.
00:17:21.47\00:17:27.44
And the sons of Ham were Cush
and Mizraim and Phut and Cainan
00:17:27.48\00:17:35.22
Look at verse 8. And Cush begat
who? Nimrod. He began to be a
00:17:35.25\00:17:42.86
mighty one in the earth. He was
a mighty hunter before the Lord
00:17:42.89\00:17:47.16
wherefore it is said, even as
Nimrod the mighty hunter before
00:17:47.20\00:17:51.83
the Lord, verse 10 and the
beginning of his kingdom was
00:17:51.87\00:17:55.07
what? Babel or Babylon.
You will notice that he is the
00:17:55.10\00:18:04.85
the descendant of Ham.
And Ham is the progenitor
00:18:04.88\00:18:11.19
or the forefather
of people of color.
00:18:11.22\00:18:14.46
Black folk. And so when we
look back down through antiquity
00:18:23.10\00:18:26.94
and see some of the great
archeological finds and the
00:18:26.97\00:18:30.67
inventions, bless your hearts,
they weren't made by Steve Jobs.
00:18:30.71\00:18:35.44
They were made
by people of color.
00:18:37.45\00:18:42.85
And so as we fast forward to
Daniel 4, we recognize that as
00:18:42.88\00:18:48.46
the ancestry has gone on
and continued to Daniel 4, we're
00:18:48.49\00:18:53.80
looking now, we're reading
the diary of a colored man.
00:18:53.83\00:18:58.70
70 years later here he comes.
Here he is on the stage of
00:19:00.34\00:19:08.01
human history. Verses 2-3 say
I thought it good to show what
00:19:08.04\00:19:15.32
everybody, I don't hear
you. The signs and wonders that
00:19:15.35\00:19:20.76
who? the High God hath wrought
toward me, verse 3, how great
00:19:20.79\00:19:27.90
are His signs and how mighty
His wonders. His kingdom is what
00:19:27.93\00:19:33.77
an everlasting kingdom and
His dominion is from generation
00:19:33.80\00:19:38.97
to generation. He lifts up
for us his purpose for writing
00:19:39.01\00:19:45.31
is to share how the Most
High has moved in his own life
00:19:45.35\00:19:51.95
and to declare before
all those who come after him
00:19:51.99\00:19:55.96
that God Almighty
is God all by Himself
00:19:55.99\00:19:59.66
and unless they get
that basic principle
00:20:02.33\00:20:07.57
they may have something
difficult to go through.
00:20:07.60\00:20:11.67
Notice verse 4,
00:20:11.71\00:20:14.68
I Nebuchadnezzar
00:20:14.71\00:20:17.91
was at rest
00:20:17.95\00:20:20.38
in my house
00:20:20.42\00:20:22.08
flourishing in what? In my
palace. Here he is, kicking back
00:20:22.12\00:20:31.49
chillin, that's right.
Sitting there with a cold one
00:20:34.13\00:20:42.77
thinking about everything
that he has accomplished, he has
00:20:44.44\00:20:48.38
conquered Syria, he has
conquered Phoenicia, he has
00:20:48.41\00:20:51.95
conquered Judea, he
has conquered Egypt, he has
00:20:51.98\00:20:55.35
conquered Arabia and now
he can enjoy the peace and
00:20:55.38\00:21:00.92
prosperity of all his conquests.
00:21:00.96\00:21:04.23
Babylon is one of the
most famed and fabulous cities
00:21:04.26\00:21:08.83
of the then known world. It
was probably only surpassed by
00:21:08.86\00:21:13.03
the glory of Thebes which by
this time had been destroyed.
00:21:13.07\00:21:17.11
The circumference around Babylon
is estimated depending on
00:21:17.14\00:21:21.04
who you read between 10-15
miles in its circumference. Now
00:21:21.08\00:21:26.45
that might seem small
comparatively today but in those
00:21:26.48\00:21:30.55
days it was a very
large city that was considered
00:21:30.59\00:21:34.49
a metropolitan. There were two
walls that surrounded Babylon
00:21:34.52\00:21:38.83
one called the outer wall
and one called the inner wall.
00:21:38.86\00:21:42.66
And I'm told that the walls
were so wide that 5 chariots
00:21:42.70\00:21:47.37
could ride side by side
with each other and not fall off
00:21:47.40\00:21:52.31
the wall. A magnificent
structure. He built some 53
00:21:52.34\00:22:00.55
temples, 955 smaller sanctuaries
384 street altars, 3 palaces
00:22:00.58\00:22:08.59
one in the North that he
considered his summer home.
00:22:08.62\00:22:12.16
Then there's one in the
central part of the city
00:22:12.19\00:22:16.30
which was called his
Trophy Room, where all of the
00:22:16.33\00:22:21.20
artifacts and spoils of victory
were put on display there.
00:22:21.24\00:22:25.91
Then there was the Southern
Palace which was supposed to be
00:22:25.94\00:22:30.28
the official residence of
the King. In that residence
00:22:30.31\00:22:34.48
was a throne. Listen to the
dimensions of his throne room
00:22:34.52\00:22:37.95
173 feet long, 57
feet wide and 66 feet high.
00:22:37.99\00:22:47.20
It is believed that it was in
this throne room that Belshazzar
00:22:47.23\00:22:53.00
threw his party and then
got scared at his own party
00:22:53.03\00:23:00.54
because a hand showed
up by itself at the party,
00:23:00.58\00:23:04.55
stuck itself out from the super
natural darkness and began to
00:23:04.58\00:23:09.55
inscribe graffiti on the wall
which said the party is over.
00:23:09.58\00:23:14.32
It was here on this wall
adjacent to the Southern palace
00:23:19.09\00:23:24.63
was a structure that houses
what we know today as the famed
00:23:24.67\00:23:30.11
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
00:23:30.14\00:23:32.87
One of the seven wonders
of the ancient world, Babylon
00:23:32.91\00:23:38.15
Nebuchadnezzar built this
particular vaulted structure
00:23:38.18\00:23:42.62
it was 7 tiers high because
of the fact that his wife
00:23:42.65\00:23:47.26
Emmatasi was from Media, the
daughter of the King of Media
00:23:47.29\00:23:52.19
and she missed her homeland
and all of the verdurous
00:23:52.23\00:23:55.73
surroundings of the Medes and
because Babylon didn't seem to
00:23:55.76\00:24:01.50
have a whole lot of trees
and verdure he decided to build
00:24:01.54\00:24:06.04
the hanging gardens that grew
from off of the roof structure
00:24:06.07\00:24:10.45
Way back then they had a
pipe system, a sprinkler system
00:24:10.48\00:24:14.92
if you will, that brought
the water up from the Euphrates
00:24:14.95\00:24:17.99
River and sprinkled it all
throughout the Hanging Gardens.
00:24:18.02\00:24:21.89
You thought we were smart,
00:24:21.92\00:24:23.53
they were smart before
we got the sprinkler system.
00:24:23.56\00:24:27.10
Man will do anything to
make his woman happy, won't he?
00:24:31.23\00:24:34.07
I remember when we were living
in Germany, mama took us to
00:24:36.84\00:24:40.98
a place in downtown Darmstadt,
Germany, called Rusina Kapelle
00:24:41.01\00:24:47.15
which translated
means the Russian Chapel.
00:24:47.18\00:24:50.19
And it was built by a man who
had married a Russian Princess
00:24:50.22\00:24:54.39
who was homesick for Russia.
And so he had acres of land
00:24:54.42\00:24:59.26
acres of soil transported there
and built a chapel in the same
00:24:59.29\00:25:05.57
dome like architecture that
she was familiar with in Russia
00:25:05.60\00:25:10.04
A man who knew what he has
to do to please his woman, so
00:25:11.01\00:25:15.14
you ain't got a man like that
you need to tell him, see ya!
00:25:15.18\00:25:18.38
What're you
hangin around him for?
00:25:26.25\00:25:30.29
Y'all better get this women,
you better get this sisters.
00:25:30.33\00:25:33.13
Get this. I'm
giving you this for free.
00:25:33.16\00:25:37.10
It will cost you
more in the divorce court.
00:25:37.13\00:25:40.34
The centre of Babylon's glory,
however, was not the Hanging
00:25:45.11\00:25:49.94
Gardens, as magnificent
as you think they are.
00:25:49.98\00:25:53.62
In fact, it was a temple tower
called Etamanenke, and when we
00:25:53.65\00:26:00.02
translate Etamanenke, it
simply means, The Foundation
00:26:00.06\00:26:04.66
of Heaven and Earth. It was
part of the great Temple complex
00:26:04.69\00:26:10.53
Esagila, which also translates
"He who raises the Head"
00:26:10.57\00:26:15.70
Keep those translations in
mind, He who raises the Head.
00:26:15.74\00:26:20.58
The bricks outside the city
walls were painted in yellow
00:26:20.61\00:26:27.45
The gates were made
in the color of sky blue.
00:26:27.48\00:26:33.09
The palaces were built in bricks
of rose, the temples were made
00:26:33.12\00:26:39.33
out of bricks of white. There
was a river that flowed through
00:26:39.36\00:26:43.73
the center of the city. And as
I describe all of this grandeur
00:26:43.77\00:26:48.54
to you, something
ought to quicken your mind.
00:26:48.57\00:26:52.04
You've got a city that's almost
square. You've got walls around
00:26:52.07\00:26:58.61
the city. You've got gates every
65 feet in the city. You got a
00:26:58.65\00:27:06.99
temple in there that calls
itself the Foundation of Heaven
00:27:07.02\00:27:10.73
and Earth. You've got a king
whose name means, I'm going to
00:27:10.76\00:27:15.50
protect my stone. His
grand father's name Nimrod meant
00:27:15.53\00:27:21.24
'He shall rebel.' And in
here you've got a temple system
00:27:21.27\00:27:26.68
called Esagila which means 'He
that raises the Head'. He shall
00:27:26.71\00:27:31.68
bruise your heel but you shall
bruise his head. There ought
00:27:31.71\00:27:36.69
to be something that goes
off in your mind when you hear
00:27:36.72\00:27:40.39
the description of Babylon.
I will ascend above the heights
00:27:40.42\00:27:44.66
of the clouds, I will
be like the Most High.
00:27:44.69\00:27:49.26
Babylon was notorious for it's
secret and mysterious religions
00:27:49.30\00:27:58.71
and cults. Things that have
remained hidden even over the
00:27:58.74\00:28:06.51
civilizations. And here we
find our king. Up on the roof,
00:28:06.55\00:28:15.26
walking around, looking at
all this grandeur, and verse 31
00:28:15.29\00:28:23.87
says, verse 31 says, or 30
says "the king spake and said,
00:28:23.90\00:28:29.64
Is not this the great
Babylon that I have built?"
00:28:29.67\00:28:38.28
This is significant. Because
when we read verse 5, he says
00:28:38.31\00:28:44.39
in his diary, I had a dream.
00:28:44.42\00:28:49.92
You need to understand that in
that area of the world, a dream
00:28:49.96\00:28:56.10
is very significant. In fact
you can find some old black folk
00:28:56.13\00:29:00.27
today who put a whole
lot of stock in a dream.
00:29:00.30\00:29:05.01
I grew up in a home where Mama
had dreams. I got sick of her
00:29:05.04\00:29:09.61
dreamin. Because, I
don't know why, but God would
00:29:09.64\00:29:17.22
reveal to her stuff I was doing.
00:29:17.25\00:29:19.79
You had already figured it out
that that's a lie. Fool proof.
00:29:26.03\00:29:31.47
I'll never forget Dad
brought me my first reel to reel
00:29:32.47\00:29:37.87
tape recorder. You know we
didn't have cassettes back then.
00:29:37.91\00:29:40.91
I'll stay away from them folks,
they're tryin hurt my feelings.
00:29:49.52\00:29:52.29
They were reel to reel. And I
told Mama that I wasn't listenin
00:29:55.46\00:30:03.03
I wasn't recording any of
the, what do they call that, RB?
00:30:03.06\00:30:07.17
Was it called RB back
then? So there you go,
00:30:07.20\00:30:11.07
I was recording stuff on my
new cassette, well not cassette
00:30:34.20\00:30:40.50
my reel to reel
player. And Mama had a dream.
00:30:40.54\00:30:44.67
That I had been listening
to the artists of that day.
00:30:47.01\00:30:53.18
Earth, Wind. Oh.
00:30:53.21\00:30:58.75
Average white band. Ohio.
00:31:01.09\00:31:09.56
What kind of church
is this? Lord have mercy.
00:31:11.37\00:31:16.71
I better move on. You all
will be thinking about all these
00:31:23.01\00:31:25.58
songs, I can't finish my sermon.
00:31:25.61\00:31:27.42
I wanted to tell Mama that
I had been recording religious
00:31:32.52\00:31:36.52
music. But God had already
revealed to her the decadence
00:31:36.56\00:31:42.86
that was on the tape and before
I could get my light out Mama
00:31:42.90\00:31:46.87
took my recorder, threw it
against the wall and broke it up
00:31:46.90\00:31:49.60
Now my Mama's here. Don't
you all bother her. I love her.
00:31:57.15\00:32:01.92
She was looking out for my
soul. Dreams were important.
00:32:01.95\00:32:07.82
And the kind understood. He'd
had a disturbing and distressing
00:32:07.86\00:32:12.89
dream. This wasn't the first
time that he'd had a dream.
00:32:12.93\00:32:16.36
But this man had a fixation
with his dreams that was a
00:32:16.40\00:32:21.87
little bit inordinate. He would
have a dream, he would wake up
00:32:21.90\00:32:26.71
and forget about what the
dream was and then ask somebody
00:32:26.74\00:32:31.91
you better tell me what I dreamt
or I'm going to put you to death
00:32:31.95\00:32:34.55
That was a rough brother.
00:32:39.95\00:32:43.19
Here he is. He
said he had a dream.
00:32:45.03\00:32:50.23
Daniel came and revealed the
dream to him and let him know
00:32:51.10\00:32:57.24
exactly what he dreamt. But
it was so horrifying to Daniel.
00:32:57.27\00:33:02.58
We're told that Daniel couldn't
even give him an answer.
00:33:02.61\00:33:06.45
He stood there
speechless for one hour.
00:33:06.48\00:33:11.19
Scared about what
the dream revealed
00:33:11.22\00:33:16.32
And the king said, Dan, come
on boy, tell me what I dreamt
00:33:16.36\00:33:20.36
Don't be sacred,
tell me what I dreamt.
00:33:20.40\00:33:24.00
I'm not goin to hurt you.
And so Daniel went over and said
00:33:24.83\00:33:29.70
The tree that you saw in your
dream that covered the earth
00:33:29.74\00:33:35.88
and animals playing underneath
its boughs and then you heard
00:33:35.91\00:33:40.25
the watcher saying, Cut the
tree down but save the stump.
00:33:40.28\00:33:43.79
That tree is you.
00:33:43.82\00:33:46.65
The Lord is
going to bring you down
00:33:51.49\00:33:55.13
because of the
pride of your heart.
00:33:55.16\00:33:58.07
And you will eat grass
like the beast of the field
00:33:59.57\00:34:06.07
At least the Lord was
going to make him a beast
00:34:06.81\00:34:10.68
Your hair is going to
grow out like feathers.
00:34:13.85\00:34:17.29
Of an eagle. Your fingers, your
fingernails will grow nails that
00:34:17.32\00:34:23.99
that looks like a bird's claws.
00:34:24.03\00:34:28.53
Now he knew this was how the
dream was gonna be interpreted
00:34:28.56\00:34:34.34
And look at something here
in verse 27. Daniel says to him
00:34:34.37\00:34:41.14
Listen, this might help you.
Delay this, it might. Wherefore
00:34:41.18\00:34:46.51
O king let my counsel be
acceptable unto thee and break
00:34:46.55\00:34:50.92
off thy sins by righteousness
and thy iniquities by doing what
00:34:50.95\00:34:55.62
showing mercy to the poor. If
it may be a lengthening of what
00:34:57.13\00:35:02.86
thy
tranquility. History tells us
00:35:02.90\00:35:08.30
that it was another year
after that Nebuchadnezzar went
00:35:09.80\00:35:16.04
for a stroll on the roof looking
at all the grandeur of Babylon
00:35:16.08\00:35:21.15
Opened his mouth to declare
his greatness, Is not this
00:35:21.18\00:35:27.92
great Babylon I have built?
And while the consonants and
00:35:27.96\00:35:33.56
and vowels were in his mouth
00:35:33.60\00:35:37.60
His words were interrupted
by someone else's words
00:35:37.63\00:35:40.94
O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee
it is spoken. The kingdom is
00:35:40.97\00:35:48.71
departed from thee and
they shall drive thee from men
00:35:48.74\00:35:52.85
and thy dwelling shall be
with the beasts of the field
00:35:52.88\00:35:55.88
They shall make thee to
eat grass as the oxen and seven
00:35:55.92\00:35:59.82
times shall pass over thee until
thou knowest that the Most High
00:35:59.85\00:36:04.93
ruleth in the kingdom of men
and giveth it to whomsoever He
00:36:04.96\00:36:09.30
He will. The same hour
was the thing fulfilled upon
00:36:09.33\00:36:18.31
Nebuchadnezzar Some commentators
say he was stricken with a
00:36:20.81\00:36:26.45
mental condition called
lycanthropy where an
individual's reason leaves
00:36:26.48\00:36:31.19
them and they
begin to think, believe,
00:36:31.22\00:36:34.69
and process like an animal.
00:36:34.72\00:36:36.73
No longer the great king,
the great conqueror. Now he has
00:36:39.83\00:36:45.37
descended and deteriorated
into an animal of the field.
00:36:45.40\00:36:50.81
What happened to this great man
who built this great kingdom?
00:36:52.51\00:36:57.21
How did he fall into such
a state of being. Instead of
00:36:57.25\00:37:02.45
us asking what happened
to Nebuchadnezzar and how he
00:37:02.48\00:37:06.02
deteriorated to this animal
like state, we ought to ask
00:37:06.05\00:37:09.56
our own selves the
question, What happens to us
00:37:09.59\00:37:14.16
when we turn a deaf
ear to the appeals of God?
00:37:15.13\00:37:18.80
What happens to us
when we persist in our sins?
00:37:18.83\00:37:23.37
What happens to us when we
no longer have an inclination
00:37:23.41\00:37:29.44
toward spiritual things? I
want to lift up to you beloved
00:37:29.48\00:37:32.48
three things as to how we become
animal like in spiritual terms.
00:37:32.51\00:37:38.85
Here's the first one, in
Daniel 2. Daniel 2, verse 46.
00:37:38.89\00:37:44.03
and 47. Daniel
2, verses 46 and 47.
00:37:44.06\00:37:48.76
Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell
upon his face and worshipped
00:37:48.80\00:37:54.54
Daniel and commanded that
they should offer him oblation
00:37:54.57\00:37:58.97
and sweet odors unto him.
The King answered unto Daniel
00:37:59.01\00:38:03.11
and said, Of a truth it is
your God, what? A God of Gods
00:38:03.14\00:38:09.58
And what else, Lord of Kings.
What else? A revealer of secrets
00:38:09.62\00:38:14.72
seeing thou couldst reveal this
secret. Here's the first way.
00:38:14.76\00:38:21.16
The first way. You emerge into
a spiritual animal like state.
00:38:21.93\00:38:28.64
You ignore a convinced mind.
00:38:28.67\00:38:33.07
Ignore a convinced mind. You
heard what he said, didn't you?
00:38:34.91\00:38:40.95
You know what this is
about. He had just had a dream
00:38:41.78\00:38:44.45
in Daniel 2. And God
showed him the image of what?
00:38:44.49\00:38:48.89
Talk to me, Daniel 2.
00:38:51.19\00:38:56.40
Great image, isn't
that right? Great metal man.
00:38:56.43\00:39:00.64
And it looked interesting.
The head was made of what?
00:39:00.67\00:39:05.47
What about the breast and arms?
00:39:05.51\00:39:09.01
What about the belly and thighs?
00:39:09.04\00:39:13.82
What about the
legs, what about the feet?
00:39:13.85\00:39:17.02
Iron mixed with clay.
And as he beheld this image
00:39:17.05\00:39:22.69
he saw something
supernatural happen.
00:39:22.72\00:39:26.59
What was it? He saw
a stone that was what?
00:39:26.63\00:39:30.10
Cut out from a mountain by
some excavators, is that right?
00:39:31.33\00:39:35.57
No! With unseen hands. And
what happened to the stone?
00:39:35.60\00:39:40.78
It hit the image in the
feet, the statue came down
00:39:40.81\00:39:47.62
and that stone became what?
A great mountain and filled
00:39:47.65\00:39:52.69
the whole earth.
And Daniel told him
00:39:52.72\00:39:56.66
You are the head of gold.
The kingdoms that shall come
00:39:58.59\00:40:03.23
after you are
Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome
00:40:03.26\00:40:08.20
and then the kingdom will
be divided. But in the days of
00:40:08.24\00:40:12.01
these kings the God of
Heaven will set up His kingdom
00:40:12.04\00:40:14.58
and His kingdom will know no
end. That was the stone O King.
00:40:14.61\00:40:20.12
And to that Nebuchadnezzar
responds, Your God is bad
00:40:20.15\00:40:26.99
I'm convinced of that. But
how often beloved, how often
00:40:27.02\00:40:33.03
are we convinced about the
goodness and the greatness of
00:40:33.06\00:40:37.33
God and yet we still
turn to do our own thing?
00:40:37.37\00:40:41.97
Despite the miracle He wrought
in our life, turn to Daniel 3
00:40:42.00\00:40:50.08
Daniel 3, verses 29 and
30. Daniel 3, verse 29 and 30.
00:40:50.11\00:40:56.02
We deteriorate into a spiritual
animal state by first of all
00:40:57.82\00:41:03.49
ignoring a convinced mind.
What's the next thing we do?
00:41:03.53\00:41:06.49
Daniel 3:29-30. Therefore I
make a decree that every people
00:41:06.53\00:41:11.90
nation and language which speak
anything amiss against the God
00:41:11.93\00:41:16.34
of Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego shall be cut in pieces
00:41:16.37\00:41:22.04
and what else should happen?
00:41:22.08\00:41:24.41
Then the King, did what?
Promoted Shadrach, Meshach
00:41:29.92\00:41:36.66
and Abednego in the province.
00:41:36.69\00:41:41.20
Here's the second thing
that occurs. How we deteriorate
00:41:41.23\00:41:44.77
spiritually into
spiritual animals.
00:41:44.80\00:41:48.77
By ignoring a convicted mind.
00:41:48.80\00:41:52.67
The first step was to ignore
a convinced mind. The second
00:41:53.61\00:41:57.81
thing is to
ignore a convicted mind.
00:41:57.85\00:42:01.98
You will recall that this
particular declaration comes
00:42:02.02\00:42:05.62
on tail end of the
fiery furnace experience.
00:42:05.65\00:42:09.42
In Daniel 2 we saw that image
made out of multiple metals.
00:42:09.46\00:42:14.70
But on the plain of Dura
we see something else occur
00:42:14.73\00:42:19.93
Nebuchadnezzar decides I'm
going to recreate that image
00:42:19.97\00:42:23.87
but it's going to look slightly
different. I'm going to do a
00:42:23.91\00:42:26.91
remix to it. Instead of me
just being the head of gold
00:42:26.94\00:42:32.45
what am I going to do? I'm
going to make the entire image
00:42:32.48\00:42:37.35
out of gold. He was declaring
before the world, My kingdom
00:42:37.39\00:42:44.29
is the one that's going to be
here forever. It's not gonna be
00:42:44.33\00:42:47.40
anybody else after me and
there certainly won't be a stone
00:42:47.43\00:42:51.60
kingdom to come into play.
And so he sets up this statue
00:42:51.63\00:42:55.90
and then he declares that
when the trumpets start to play
00:42:55.94\00:42:58.91
that everybody there should
do what? Bow down and worship
00:42:58.94\00:43:05.15
the image. Do you hear
anything prophetic in that?
00:43:05.18\00:43:08.52
There's a day coming when
the trumpets will play again
00:43:08.55\00:43:11.75
and the command will be to bow
down or die. And the consequence
00:43:11.79\00:43:18.86
was that you were going to
be thrown into a fiery furnace.
00:43:18.89\00:43:24.20
There were three brothers who
decided they ain't doin that.
00:43:25.43\00:43:31.47
I'm going to stand right here.
00:43:33.91\00:43:35.98
Anytime a believer stands
up for Christ, somebody always
00:43:37.01\00:43:43.82
notices. I can remember, I can
remember just last year or so
00:43:43.85\00:43:50.99
when we had the experience of
the Word to save. And there was
00:43:51.03\00:43:54.36
a lady who was baptized in
our meeting named Erica Davis,
00:43:54.40\00:43:57.20
do you remember that?
Do you remember Erica?
00:43:57.23\00:44:00.27
The reason why Erica came
to the meeting was because
00:44:00.30\00:44:03.47
she noticed something different
about one of her co-workers
00:44:03.51\00:44:08.44
Gerald Bruce, one of
the deacons in this church.
00:44:08.48\00:44:13.01
If you stand up straight, if
you walk correct, if you speak
00:44:14.05\00:44:21.99
right, if you treat folk
the way they should be treated
00:44:22.02\00:44:26.70
folk are going to notice
there is a difference about you
00:44:26.73\00:44:30.63
and it's going to testify
even when you're not giving a
00:44:30.67\00:44:34.40
Bible Study. Your life will
be an epistle read of all men.
00:44:34.44\00:44:39.21
And so here they are, here
they are, the three epistles.
00:44:41.01\00:44:45.15
Standing up. Men coming to
grab them to throw them into the
00:44:45.18\00:44:50.75
fiery furnace. Ah? They get
in there. And the heathen king
00:44:50.79\00:44:56.62
he has a theophany. He says,
00:44:56.66\00:44:59.46
I thought we threw
three men in the furnace
00:44:59.49\00:45:01.46
I see 4 men and the 4th man
looks like, who told him that?
00:45:07.57\00:45:15.34
Because God's people ought
to look different. God's people
00:45:18.18\00:45:22.95
ought to be distinguishable
from everybody else.
00:45:22.98\00:45:25.62
Remember now, he is the
King of an empire that has over
00:45:25.65\00:45:30.53
300 gods. But yet he can
look in the furnace and say,
00:45:30.56\00:45:36.10
there's something
different about this God.
00:45:36.13\00:45:38.20
He doesn't look like any
other God I've seen before.
00:45:38.23\00:45:42.97
This must be the Son
of God. He was convicted
00:45:43.00\00:45:48.94
to the point that he
had Shadrach, Meshach
00:45:48.98\00:45:53.65
and Abednego to come out
of the furnace. Did you ever
00:45:53.68\00:45:57.69
think to yourself why he didn't
ask all 4 of them to come out?
00:45:57.72\00:46:00.26
Anybody that can show
up in fire, you can stay.
00:46:12.73\00:46:15.77
But he was convicted that this
God was above all other gods
00:46:17.51\00:46:23.21
there was something special
about him. Look at the 3rd step
00:46:23.24\00:46:26.78
The 3rd step in Daniel 4.
Daniel 4, verse 27 and 28.
00:46:26.82\00:46:30.92
Wherefore King let my
counsel be acceptable unto thee
00:46:33.12\00:46:36.26
and put off thy sins by
righteousness and thy iniquities
00:46:36.29\00:46:39.59
by showing mercy to the poor
if it maybe a lengthening of
00:46:39.63\00:46:44.17
thy tranquility. Verse 28,
All this came upon the King
00:46:44.20\00:46:48.54
Nebuchadnezzar. Here's
the 3rd step. In descending or
00:46:48.57\00:46:53.38
deteriorating into an animal
like state in spiritual terms
00:46:53.41\00:46:56.81
First, you ignore a convinced
mind. Second you ignore a
00:46:56.85\00:47:00.25
convicted mind. Third,
you ignore a converted mind.
00:47:00.28\00:47:03.89
Remember now that after Daniel
gives him the interpretation
00:47:05.62\00:47:10.16
to this dream and says
you might be able to delay
00:47:10.19\00:47:14.06
this animal thing if you
will just stop your sinning
00:47:14.10\00:47:20.14
and start taking
care of the poor.
00:47:20.17\00:47:23.77
Stop thinking about YOU
00:47:23.81\00:47:28.64
and start thinking
about others. Stop focusing
00:47:28.68\00:47:33.92
on your narcissistic
desires and start thinking about
00:47:33.95\00:47:39.69
the charitable needs of those
who live around you. If, If,
00:47:39.72\00:47:45.23
The word IF is in there,
isn't it? If you do this he says
00:47:45.26\00:47:48.66
it might prolong the outcome.
00:47:48.70\00:47:52.47
Nebuchadnezzar was so converted
by this message that we find out
00:47:53.50\00:47:59.21
that he obeyed what
Daniel said for only one year.
00:47:59.24\00:48:04.81
And after that one year?
00:48:05.68\00:48:08.42
PRIDE sprung up again.
00:48:10.25\00:48:14.22
Paul tells us that we
ought to have a funeral
00:48:17.06\00:48:22.76
for ourselves how often?
00:48:22.80\00:48:24.60
He said, I die daily.
00:48:26.47\00:48:31.47
Because just when you
think that old man is gone
00:48:33.17\00:48:37.51
just when you think the
taste is gone out of your mouth
00:48:37.55\00:48:41.58
Just when you think you've
got your spending under control
00:48:43.08\00:48:46.39
Just when you think
you've broken it off
00:48:47.62\00:48:51.59
Just when you think you
don't have to snort anymore
00:48:51.63\00:48:57.83
You'll wake up one
day and find yourself back
00:48:58.70\00:49:04.67
where you used to be. That's
why it's so important for us
00:49:04.71\00:49:10.68
to not wake up in the morning
and try to trust ourselves,
00:49:10.71\00:49:16.45
Our Scripture lesson
says, We can't put trust in man.
00:49:16.48\00:49:20.36
That's not just talking about
other men. That's talking about
00:49:20.39\00:49:24.63
us too. The heart is desperately
wicked. Who can know it?
00:49:24.66\00:49:32.23
That question begs the
answer you can't even know it.
00:49:32.27\00:49:36.97
And it's your old heart.
00:49:37.01\00:49:39.67
He had a convinced
mind, he had a convicted mind
00:49:41.91\00:49:46.45
he had a converted mind and
yet look at him in the field
00:49:46.48\00:49:54.42
grass between his
teeth, hair all down his body
00:49:54.46\00:50:00.86
nails long and unkempt.
00:50:00.90\00:50:05.40
Let me tell you
something about God.
00:50:06.20\00:50:08.40
I'm bringing this to a
close. I asked you a question
00:50:08.44\00:50:12.14
at the beginning of
this message. What was it?
00:50:12.17\00:50:15.04
How far will God go to save us?
00:50:18.55\00:50:23.12
God will allow us to deteriorate
to the lowest state of living
00:50:24.82\00:50:29.79
but yet even in that low state
of living, notice He was going
00:50:29.82\00:50:35.56
to live how long
out there? Talk to me.
00:50:35.60\00:50:38.97
Seven years. That means that 7
winters were going to come too.
00:50:39.00\00:50:45.04
But yet he let hair
grow like eagles' feathers
00:50:45.74\00:50:51.61
to keep him warm so he
would not die of frost bite.
00:50:51.65\00:50:57.02
Being in the field he wouldn't
be the only beast out there
00:50:57.05\00:51:00.86
There would be other beasts
out there. Don't you think they
00:51:00.89\00:51:04.13
might try to attack him? And
so the Lord let him grow claws.
00:51:04.16\00:51:07.86
So that he could protect himself
because God knew that one day
00:51:15.37\00:51:20.44
his reason would return to
him. The Bible says that he was
00:51:20.48\00:51:26.11
in the field and one
day he decided to look up
00:51:26.15\00:51:31.29
to the heavens.
Understand something beloved.
00:51:31.32\00:51:34.69
Beasts don't look up.
00:51:34.72\00:51:38.89
Only people look up.
And when he looked up
00:51:38.93\00:51:45.83
his understanding came back
and all before this he wanted
00:51:45.87\00:51:52.54
to build an empire that men
could look at him and praise him
00:51:52.57\00:51:57.25
but as soon as his understanding
came back, he said, look at it
00:51:57.28\00:52:02.88
again, look at it again. I bless
the Most High, I praise and
00:52:02.92\00:52:08.66
honor Him. It sounds
like a testimony service to me
00:52:08.69\00:52:11.39
that liveth forever whose
dominion is an everlasting
00:52:11.43\00:52:15.86
dominion and His kingdom is
from generation to generation.
00:52:15.90\00:52:20.17
Notice something here. Notice
something here, look at me
00:52:20.20\00:52:23.20
when he began to go
into this testimony service
00:52:23.24\00:52:27.78
and began to praise Him, he had
not made it back to the palace
00:52:27.81\00:52:33.78
and gotten cleaned up yet.
00:52:33.82\00:52:35.72
Are you listening to me?
All too often when we sink and
00:52:40.32\00:52:46.06
deteriorate into a low state of
being we want to wait until we
00:52:46.09\00:52:51.30
stop doing this, wait until
we stop doing that, wait until I
00:52:51.33\00:52:55.87
stop drinking. Wait until I
get away from her, wait until I
00:52:55.90\00:53:00.21
get away from him. Wait until
I turn in my tithe, wait until I
00:53:00.24\00:53:04.91
break this snortin, wait
until I stop these bad habits
00:53:04.95\00:53:09.32
but the moment the understanding
comes into your mind and the
00:53:09.35\00:53:14.16
Holy Ghost impresses you that
there's a God who takes care
00:53:14.19\00:53:18.03
of you, there's a God who loves
you, there's a God who wants
00:53:18.06\00:53:21.76
to save you, there's a God who's
looking for you; at that moment
00:53:21.80\00:53:26.03
before you stop anything
He expects you to look up
00:53:26.07\00:53:29.90
and praise Him. Praise
Him for keeping you alive.
00:53:29.94\00:53:33.88
Praise Him for your right
mind, praise Him for your health
00:53:33.91\00:53:38.35
praise Him for the whole, praise
Him for your family, praise Him
00:53:38.38\00:53:43.39
for your job. Praise Him for
everything you've got even if
00:53:43.42\00:53:48.16
you don't have it.
Because for the child of God
00:53:48.19\00:53:54.76
the Bible tells us, No good
thing will He withhold from them
00:53:54.80\00:54:00.70
that walketh uprightly.
00:54:00.74\00:54:06.74
The Bible doesn't ever tell
us what happened after this.
00:54:08.48\00:54:14.62
But history tells us that,
Nebuchadnezzar after he came
00:54:17.55\00:54:21.16
out from the field only sat
on the throne two more years.
00:54:21.19\00:54:25.06
And he died. But there
is no record after this
00:54:26.26\00:54:32.30
that he ever went back
into an animal like state again.
00:54:32.33\00:54:38.77
His heart was
fixed, his mind made up.
00:54:38.81\00:54:45.15
He had a convinced
mind, he had a convicted mind
00:54:45.18\00:54:49.98
he had a converted mind. He
understood that Daniel's God
00:54:50.02\00:54:57.16
had more wisdom than anybody
else's god. He understood that
00:54:57.19\00:55:00.96
Daniel's God had more power than
any other god. He understood
00:55:01.00\00:55:05.30
that Daniel's God had
more authority than any other
00:55:05.33\00:55:09.70
person's god. What is God trying
to say to Eddie Polite today?
00:55:09.74\00:55:16.24
What is God trying to say
to Pat Reed today? What is God
00:55:16.28\00:55:21.28
trying to say to Orville Brown
today? What is God trying to
00:55:21.32\00:55:25.55
say to Gloria Price today?
What is God trying to say to
00:55:25.59\00:55:29.29
Michael Brown today?
He's simply trying to tell us
00:55:29.32\00:55:34.16
that I'll do whatever
is necessary to save you.
00:55:34.20\00:55:37.30
I won't stop at
nothing. I gave my life for you.
00:55:37.33\00:55:42.50
I value the sacrifice I
gave for you. And so I've got to
00:55:42.54\00:55:47.54
do what is necessary so that no
body will ever say I didn't try.
00:55:47.58\00:55:53.48
The diary of a mad black man is
the diary of many of us today.
00:55:55.88\00:56:02.82
Can't you remember
what you used to be?
00:56:04.03\00:56:07.53
Don't you remember when you
first gave your heart to Jesus?
00:56:07.56\00:56:11.20
You remember the joy you used
to have? You remember how you
00:56:11.23\00:56:16.00
used to stay up all
night and read the Word.
00:56:16.04\00:56:18.21
You know how you used
to walk up to strangers
00:56:19.67\00:56:22.18
and just testify, even though
they could tell you that you
00:56:22.21\00:56:28.38
were crazy. You still did it.
00:56:28.42\00:56:32.32
You remember the fire
that was shut up in you?
00:56:32.35\00:56:35.89
And like Pasha the king trying
to shut Jeremiah by slapping his
00:56:35.92\00:56:41.16
mouth shut and Jeremiah saying
it's like fire sharp in my bones
00:56:41.20\00:56:46.23
I can't keep it to
myself. Gotta tell somebody
00:56:46.27\00:56:50.91
what Jesus has done
for me. But along the way
00:56:50.94\00:56:54.74
the fire has gone out. You don't
have the same passion that you
00:56:55.58\00:57:01.72
used to. Maybe because
you've fallen and descended into
00:57:01.75\00:57:07.16
such a low spiritual animal like
state. You've lost your zeal
00:57:07.19\00:57:12.99
you've lost your inspiration.
You've lost your love for truth
00:57:13.03\00:57:18.27
and now like Nebuchadnezzar
you find yourself in a forest
00:57:18.30\00:57:23.10
full of trouble and you're
asking, What is God doing to me?
00:57:23.14\00:57:28.48
Why is all of this going on
in my life? What did I do so
00:57:28.51\00:57:33.45
wrong that I've got to be out
here groveling like an animal?
00:57:33.48\00:57:37.89
Instead of looking at it
as if the glass is half empty
00:57:39.82\00:57:45.99
why not look at it
as if it's half full?
00:57:46.03\00:57:49.80
God is trying to save you.
00:57:49.83\00:57:53.54