Participants: Bill Santos
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC201309
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00:11 >>Announcer: It has stood the test of time....
00:15 God's book, The Bible 00:18 Still relevant in today's complex world 00:23 It Is Written 00:26 Sharing messages of hope around the world 00:39 Welcome to the It Is Written Canada television program, my name is Bill 00:42 Santos, thank you so much for watching. Could it be possible? Could the 00:47 prayers of a handful of people help someone - even someone on the other side 00:54 of the world facing heart surgery? Research focusing on the power of prayer in 01:00 healing has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, says David Larson, MD, 01:06 president of the National Institute for Healthcare Research, a private 01:10 nonprofit agency. These studies show that religious people tend to 01:16 live healthier lives. "They're less likely to smoke, to drink, to drink 01:21 and drive". In fact, people who pray tend to get sick less often, as 01:29 separate studies conducted at Duke, Dartmouth, and Yale universities show. 01:36 Some statistics from these studies: Hospitalized people who never attended 01:42 church have an average stay of three times longer than people who attended 01:47 regularly. Heart patients were 14 times more likely to die following surgery 01:54 if they did not participate in a religion. Elderly people who never 02:00 or rarely attended church had a stroke rate double that of people who 02:06 attended regularly. In Israel, religious people had a 40% lower death rate 02:13 from cardiovascular disease and cancer. People who are more religious 02:19 tend to become depressed less often. And when they do become depressed, they 02:24 recover more quickly from depression. A current study -- conducted with 02:30 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the first to be funded by the 02:35 National Institute for Healthcare Research - involves 80 black women 02:40 with early-stage breast cancer. Half the women will be randomly assigned 02:45 to participate in a prayer group, and will choose eight women in their 02:51 church to form the group. In the prayer group, the support team will pray for 02:57 her; she will pray for them. They will offer each other psychological 03:01 support, talk about things that are bothering them. During the six-month trial 03:09 period, each patient will be monitored for changes in immune function. The 03:14 study goes on to say . 03:42 A few years back the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that 03:48 Cable television mogul Ted Turner criticized fundamentalist 03:51 Christianity and said Jesus probably would "be sick at his stomach" over 03:57 the way his ideas have been "twisted". Turner made his remarks at a 04:03 banquet in Orlando, Fla., where he was given an award by the American 04:08 Humanist Association for his work on behalf of the environment and world 04:13 peace. Turner said he had a strict Christian upbringing and at one time 04:20 considered becoming a missionary. But he said h became disenchanted with 04:26 Christianity after his sister died, despite his prayers. Turner said the 04:32 more he strayed from his faith, "the better I felt." There are times 04:39 when the one thing we want is the one thing we never get. The Bible says in 04:50 Philippians 4:6: 05:04 Today I want to look at what happens when God's answer to prayer is no? 05:11 There are times when we come to God with a request, we are not being 05:15 picky or demanding we are just following what the Bible says ". let your 05:20 requests be made known to God." Maybe all you want is an opened door or an 05:26 sign of His will, we would be thankful with an answer. And so you pray 05:31 and wait, and pray and wait No answer. You pray and wait. No answer. You 05:41 pray and wait. What if God says no? What if the request is delayed or even 05:51 denied? When God says no to us, how do we respond? 06:01 Let's get back to our story with David, to learn from his life and 06:05 experiences lessons for us today. The ark had made its way triumphantly into 06:13 Jerusalem. At long last the ark was residing safely in Jerusalem. The 06:19 nation was going through a period of peace and rest. David was sitting on the 06:25 throne. The days in the wilderness where he was forced to run like a 06:29 hunted animal were now over, he was at peace, David was enjoying a 06:33 period of rest. But the wheels of his mind were turning. You see, it was 06:38 David's purpose to make Jerusalem the religious center of the nation. He 06:44 had built a palace for himself, and he felt that it was not fitting that 06:49 the ark of God would reside within a tent. David was determined to 06:54 build a temple for the ark. A temple of such magnificence that would 06:59 express Israel's appreciation of the honor granted the nation in the 07:05 abiding presence of Jehovah their King. David therefore called for his 07:11 trusted counselor, the prophet Nathan, in 2 Samuel 7:2. 07:32 As David reflected on the contrast between his stately palace and the 07:38 cloth tent that was the temple, he became convinced of the need to 07:43 building a dwelling that was fitting for the ark of God. 07:49 It did not take a prophet to read David's mind. He was formulating a dream to 07:55 build his Lord the grandest, most spectacular temple in the world. The 08:03 prophet assured David that his plan lined up with God's will. 2 Samuel 7:3 08:20 David's heart was definitely in the right place, his objective was 08:23 noble, but, just because David's heart was in the right place and his 08:27 friend, the prophet was endorsing it, did not mean it was God's will. It is 08:33 important that we remember that not every plan that we come up with for God is 08:39 actually of God. Just because we feel that our plan is in harmony with 08:46 God's plan, does not mean that that is in fact the case. Just because from my 08:53 limited perspective it seems to make sense, does not mean that from God's 08:58 infinite, universal perspective that it in fact does. Nathan found 09:05 out that having David build the temple was not God's will. As noble as 09:12 David's plan was, it was not God's plan. 1 Chronicles 17: 3 - 4 09:34 I am sure that this was not the message that Nathan wanted to hear, 09:40 much less communicate to the king. How would David respond to God's rejection 09:48 of his plan? Would David understand? David did understand why God did not 09:55 want him to build the temple. We read about it in 1 Chronicles 22:8 10:19 God's refusal to accept David's plan to build the temple was not a refusal 10:26 of David as a faithful servant. God was redirecting David's life 10:31 plan in a way that neither Nathan nor David could have ever imagined. 10:38 God speaks to David through the prophet Nathan. 2 Samuel 7: 8, 9, 10:48 11 11:19 It was David's dream to build a temple, and now God was taking that dream 11:24 away. I think it inevitable that David's heart must have sunk, if 11:30 only for a moment. I recently found this poem . 12:29 God always answers our prayers... with a ''yes'', a ''no'' or a ''wait a 12:37 while'' or ''something better. 12:44 In David's case God responds with something better than building the 12:48 temple. 2 Samuel 7: 12 - 16 13:41 As one door was closed to David, God established with David a covenant that 13:46 was to last forever. God's loving kindness refers to God's unconditional 13:52 covenant blessing. God would not stand for disobedience but God would 13:57 not remove David or his descendants from their place of favor with God. 14:04 David's unborn son Solomon would be the one responsible for building 14:09 the temple. Typically God's "No" would cause one to be disappointed to the 14:15 point that he would not even recognize the tremendous blessing that 14:19 God had bestowed. Some might even experience some jealousy towards the one 14:25 who was going to accomplish what he couldn't. The Bible 14:30 mentions none of these feelings brewing in David's heart. David was 14:35 content and fully trusted in God. 14:42 John Paton was a great nineteenth century missionary in the South 14:47 Pacific. After he graduated from school and ministered in Scotland for 14:51 awhile, he was sent to an island in the South Pacific with his wife. At 14:56 that time only cannibals lived this particular island. When they landed, 15:01 they didn't speak the language or know anyone who lived there. All they 15:07 knew was that people had gone there and had never returned. The threat of 15:15 their life constantly hung over them. At a later time, when the chief of 15:22 the tribe in that area was saved, he asked John Paton what army protected his 15:29 place of dwelling in the early months when he first arrived. It seems that 15:34 God's holy angels apparently became manifest in order to protect the 15:40 missionary. After having lived there a few weeks, Paton's wife gave birth to 15:45 a baby. But the baby died, and a few days later so did his wife. John slept 15:52 on their graves for three or four nights to keep the natives from digging up 15:57 their bodies and eating them. In spite of that, he devoted the rest of his 16:03 life towards ministering in the South Pacific. In his autobiography it said 16:09 near the end of his life that he didn't know of one native that hadn't made at 16:18 least a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. He went there with great 16:23 hopes, lost his cherished wife and baby, and stayed on alone, but God used him 16:31 because he was content to do God's will no matter what it cost him. That is 16:38 what it means to aim your life at God's purposes. 16:46 Sometimes we focus so much on the privileges that God has given others that we 16:50 overlook the priceless inheritance that He's laid in our laps. David did not 16:56 make that mistake. Overflowing with gratitude, he praised the 16:59 God who had given him so much. David expressed his trust through a series of 17:07 questions, 2 Samuel 7: 18 - 20 17:43 David could have been disillusioned or even become bitter with God's 17:48 reply to his request, but David, the man with a heart like God's trusted 17:53 God in His infinite wisdom and praised God who had given him so much. 2 18:00 Samuel 7: 27 - 29: 18:39 David would spend the rest of his time on the throne gathering building 18:44 materials for the temple, organizing craftsmen and readying plans for the 18:49 construction of a temple that he would never build. There was nothing wrong 18:55 with David's dream to build the temple. His motives were pure; his 18:59 intentions, pleasing to God. But he was not the right man to carry out the 19:04 plan. Has God ever said "no" to one of your dreams? It can get very 19:11 discouraging, sometimes the situation and circumstances we find 19:17 ourselves in are almost unbelievable, we need not get discouraged. 19:26 A man approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy 19:31 in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, "Eighteen to 19:36 nothing--we're behind." "Boy," said the spectator, "I'll bet you're 19:43 discouraged." "Why should I be discouraged?" replied the little boy. 19:48 "We haven't even gotten up to bat yet!" When we cannot understand our 19:54 circumstances we need to understand our God. At the end of the Book of 20:00 Habakkuk, chapter 3 verse 17 we read the following: 20:25 These words would have meant so much to people back then who were hearing 20:29 them, they might not mean as much to us unless we understand the background. 20:37 "Though the fig tree not blossom", guess what? The fig tree always blossoms. 20:45 "And there be no fruit on the vines", and there was always fruit on the vine. 20:51 "Though the yield of the olive should fail", I'll tell you one thing about 20:57 an olive tree, they last. "And the fields produce no food", and the fields 21:04 did produce food, "though the flock should be cut off from the fold", in 21:08 other words, animals stop calving and there aren't any more. "And there be no 21:14 cattle in the stalls", in other words, if everything that is common, ordinary, 21:20 every day, dependable kind of thing of natural happening all of a sudden 21:28 stops. If all of a sudden your entire world is turned upside down, in 21:35 spite of your pleas to God, everything just falls apart, Habakkuk 3:18 21:54 This is exactly what David did, his dream to build the temple was shattered, 22:00 his whole world was turned upside down, yet he rejoiced in the Lord. Yet 22:06 he believed, in spite of the circumstances that God loved him and cared for 22:11 him and at the end of the day was going to look after him. How do we get 22:18 to the point where we have that kind of confidence in God? You only trust 22:23 someone you know! Someone once said "a Bible that is falling apart usually 22:31 belongs to someone who isn't" When you know God you can ride out the 22:37 storms, when you know the Lord you will see His love for you even in the "No". 22:48 Building a temple is probably not one of your secret ambitions, but all 22:54 of us have dreams, sometimes those dreams line up with God's will 23:00 sometimes they don't. Broken dreams can shatter a person, but they don't 23:07 have to. If we believe that God really loves us, really wants what is best 23:13 for us - if we trust Him with our lives, He will show us His better plan. 23:22 Let's pray. Father in heaven, may we learn to trust in you and your love 23:28 for us, so that even when circumstances do not play out the way we would have 23:33 liked, we may see it your way. Bless each viewer today be especially close 23:41 to those who are bringing special requests before your throne, grant them 23:47 according to Your will, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 24:14 >>BEV: Hi, everyone! Do you love desserts, like I do?Well, the problem with 24:18 desserts is that they don't always love us back Too many sugary, fatty 24:23 desserts can pack on the pounds, make our faces break out, and overall, 24:28 just clog up our system. Well, today I've got a totally delicious, very 24:33 easy, and highly nutritious dessert to show you: Carob Avocado Mousse. 24:39 Sounds delicious, right? For the ingredients, all you'll need is an avocado 24:44 or two, 1/2 cup non-dairy milk, 1/3 cup dried dates that have been soaked for 24:49 15 minutes to soften them, and 3 Tbsps of carob powder. So I'm just going 24:56 to put all of that in here. Now Carob powder is a wonderful, caffeine free 25:00 alternative to chocolate -- and it's rich in B vitamins. So I'm putting 25:05 it all in my high-speed Vitamix blender, and I'm going to blend it all 25:13 until it's smooth -- oh, see the carob is going places. OK, let's see how 25:20 this works. You will not believe how good this is, and trust me it won't even 25:25 taste like avocado. Here we go... 25:38 So what you do is blend it until it's totally smooth and creamy and it will be 25:43 just like a mousse, really, really fantastic See it's really nice and 25:49 thick because of the avocado. Now, I adapted the recipe from one I 25:53 found on the Sanaview.com website. This is a really great site that features 25:58 the story of a teenaged girl named Bethany who was paralyzed by a bad 26:02 reaction to a medication, and how the healing power of wholesome food reversed 26:07 her diagnosis. The first time I tried this mousse, it was love at first bite! 26:13 So easy, and avocadoes are so good for us. Yes, they are high in fat, but it's 26:18 a good, primarily monounsaturated plant-based fat. Plus, a 26:23 medium-sized avocado has a ton of potassium, is a good source of vitamin C, 26:28 B6, and magnesium, and has 14 grams of fibre Fantastic! Definitely try 26:35 this, and let me know what you think! So here, I'm just going to scoop some 26:39 out to show you -- and see how easy it was to do. And it's got a lovely pudding, 26:45 mousse consistency and it is so good for you and all of that. And if you want 26:53 to jazz it up a little bit, you can put some nice raspberries on top. Look 26:58 at that, makes it beautiful instantly. Now, about the Vitamix, visit 27:05 their website at vitamix.com for more information about this 27:09 superb blender. And, I hope you'll visit the Sanaview.com website to 27:14 learn more about Bethany and her remarkable story of regained health. I'll 27:18 see you next time. 27:27 >>BILL: All of the messages in this series are in a small book I 27:30 wrote called "David friend of God". I'd like you to have that book. Here is 27:34 the information you need. 28:02 >>BILL: Well, we have come to the end of another program, I want to thank 28:05 you so much for joining us. Remember to visit the web site 28:08 www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca. On the web site you can send us prayer requests, 28:14 you can make a donation if you feel so impressed to do so. There is also a 28:19 "Watch Live" tab -- anytime we are appearing somewhere and if we are 28:23 streaming it, you will be able to watch it live on any mobile device. Well we 28:28 hope to be back together again next time. Until then remember, it is 28:31 written, man shall not live by bread alone, but be every word that 28:37 proceeds from the mouth of God. |
Revised 2015-02-06