I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Removing pain
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Lord, let my words
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Heal a heart that hurts
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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I want to spend my life
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Mending broken people
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Hello, I'm Ben Lingle.
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And I want to welcome
you to 3ABN Family Worship.
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Thank you so much for joining us
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each Friday night,
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as we welcome in
the Sabbath together
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and study something
deep from the Word of God.
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It's always a blessing
to get to study with you
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and we love hearing
from you through the week.
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So we love Family Worship,
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and we love getting
together on set as well.
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There's a lot of times that
we get tired through the week
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and there's a lot of
things that can wear us down
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but this time is always a time
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that we can kind of
give our gratitude to God
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and really come together
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and discuss how God has
blessed us through the week
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and, of course, how
He's going to bless us
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through His Word.
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So we're just so grateful
that you all are joining us.
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And tonight,
obviously, it's Family Worship
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so we have the family with us.
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So I'm going to
introduce them to you now.
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To my immediate right,
I have Miss Tiara Walker.
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And, Tiara, you
work in production here.
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So maybe tell our audience
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a little bit about
what you do at 3ABN?
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Okay, yeah, I work in
the control room, primarily.
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I do video graphics.
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So I put up the graphics,
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the supers,
usually, that's my job.
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I've been here a
little over a year,
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almost going on two
years in production.
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And we have a great topic
and I'm excited to get into it.
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That's right.
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And, of course, to her right
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and way across on the
other side of the table
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for me is Miss Jewlee Meadows
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who also works here at
3ABN production department.
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So what do you do, Jewlee?
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I am right there with
Tiara, we both do video graphics
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and we were actually
hired on the same day.
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So we've been
working for about two years.
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But I'm just so excited for
my very first Family Worship.
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I have my Bible.
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I have my notes, and
I'm just excited to see
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what God's gonna show us today.
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That's good.
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Now, I'm looking at you both
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and you look very similar.
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Are you guys related?
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Yeah, we're actually cousins.
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People think we're sisters
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because everywhere one is
the other one's right there.
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We are close.
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As close as cousins can
be to becoming sisters like.
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That's very sweet honestly.
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You guys outside of working
in the production department
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have done a lot on
3ABN as far as some skits
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for the kid's network
and other things as well
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writing scripts
and other things.
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So you guys are
really a blessing to 3ABN,
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but you're also a
blessing to be here tonight.
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So thank you for
joining. Absolutely.
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And we are honored,
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kind of one of our
first times for Family Worship
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to have a couple of
friends over on Skype
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and so I want to introduce
to you now Rachel Arner.
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And, Rachel, you've been
on Family Worship before,
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you've been on one of
the other programs we did,
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but kind of maybe
just reintroduce yourself
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to our audience.
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And also you have a podcast,
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I want you to
kind of just give us
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a 30-second synopsis of that?
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Okay, sure. Hi, everyone.
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It's so good to see
all of you there on set.
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Wish I could be there in person.
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I'm just so happy to be here
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because anytime we can
open up the Word together,
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it's such a blessing.
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So thank you for having me.
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I go to the seminary
at Andrews University.
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I'm studying the MDiv right now.
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And as you mentioned,
Ben, I have a podcast.
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It's called the
Preacher Girl podcast.
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So anyone can check
it out, give it a listen.
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You can go to my
website, preachergirlpodcast.com
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and be encouraged.
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It's all about being
encouraged and inspired,
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kind of in our faith journey.
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What we're going to
be talking about tonight.
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In our faith journey
and our walk with God,
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that's what my podcast is about.
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So, thank you for having me.
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I'm really excited
to open the Word here
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with you guys tonight.
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Yes, thank you,
Rachel, for being on
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and I've known
you for many years
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and you just have such a
heart for God and ministry
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and people, so
we're just really excited
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for you to be here tonight.
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And, of course, I
met Michael Boddie,
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our friend through Rachel.
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Rachel recommended Michael be
on the program with us tonight.
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So, Michael, why don't you tell
us a little bit about yourself?
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You also have a podcast.
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I want to hear
about that as well.
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Yes, well, me and
Rachel we're both seminarians
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at Andrews Theological Seminary.
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So I'm very
thankful and grateful
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that she
extended me the invitation
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to be on the program today.
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My podcast is called
the Fresh Start podcast.
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And basically, the main goal
of the podcast is to emphasize
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that God loves
us unconditionally.
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So no matter where we
are, no matter what we've done,
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no matter how many
times we've messed up,
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there's always
hope for a fresh start
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in Jesus Christ.
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So, yeah, that's a
little bit about me
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and the podcast
that I'm currently doing.
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That's awesome.
Fresh Start, I like that.
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That's a nice
title. That's a nice title.
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All right, guys, as we said,
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we're gonna dive
deep here into our topic
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and before I kind of
introduce this topic,
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I want to have a word of prayer.
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So, Michael, I'm
going to ask you,
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if you would pray for us?
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Definitely. Let's bow our heads.
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Dear Heavenly Father,
God, we thank You so much
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just for the
opportunity and the privilege
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You have given us
to get into Your Word.
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Lord, we understand that
through studying the Bible,
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we get a better
understanding of Your character
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and Your will for our lives.
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So, Lord, we just pray right now
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that the Holy Spirit
leads and guides in that
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as a result of this Bible study,
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we will better understand
You and be drawn closer to You.
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So be with us now.
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And in Your name, we pray, amen.
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Amen. Thank you
so much, Michael.
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Faith is something
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that is foundational
to us as Christians.
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Outside of love,
faith is really something
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that's
important, that's something
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we need to understand.
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And so, tonight, we
are talking about faith,
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and we've titled this
Family Worship, What is Faith?
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It really is something
that can be hard to understand.
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It's obviously
something we can't see.
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So how do we understand
something we can't see it?
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So it can make it
difficult but faith is something
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that we kind of want
to dive deep into the Word
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and see what the Bible
has to say about faith.
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And so let's start
with something that's very,
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very simple in Scripture,
which is examples of faith.
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Sometimes it's easier to
understand what something
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is by an example.
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So we're gonna go
to Hebrews Chapter 11,
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and Hebrews Chapter 11
gives us a lot of examples
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of faith in the lives
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of various
people from Scripture.
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And so, we're gonna read
probably the first 12 verses,
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I think, that kind of
gives us the foundation of this
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and then we may
read a little bit more,
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but why don't we
separate this a little bit
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because it's kind of
quite a bit of a passage there.
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So, Jewlee,
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why don't you read the
first three verses, 1, 2, 3.
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Tiara, you can read 4, 5, and 6.
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Rachel, I'll have you read
7, 8, and 9, and then Michael,
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you can read 10, 11, and 12.
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So let's start with Jewlee
in the first three verses.
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Okay.
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Hebrews 11:1,
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"Now, faith is the
assurance of things hoped for,
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the conviction
of things not seen.
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For by it the people of old
received their commendations.
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By faith, we understand
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that the universe was
created by the word of God
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so that what is seen
was not made out of things
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that are visible."
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All right, verse 4
picks up and it says,
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"It was by faith that
Abel brought a more acceptable
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offering to God than Cain did.
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Abel's offering gave evidence
that he was a righteous man,
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and God showed His
approval of his gifts.
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Although Abel is long dead,
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he still speaks to us
by his example of faith.
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It was by faith that
Enoch was taken up to heaven
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without dying,
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he disappeared
because God took him
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for before he was taken up,
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he was known as a
person who please God.
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It is impossible to
please God without faith.
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Anyone who wants to
come to Him must believe
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that God exists
and that He rewards
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those who sincerely seek Him."
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And verse 7 says,
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"By faith, Noah,
when warned about things
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not yet seen, in holy fear,
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built an ark to save his family.
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By his faith, he
condemned the world
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and became heir
of the righteousness
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that is in keeping with faith."
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Verse 8, "By faith Abraham,
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when called to go to a
place he would later receive
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as his inheritance,
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obeyed and went even
though he did not know
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where he was going.
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By faith, he made his
home in the Promised Land
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like a stranger
in a foreign country.
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He lived in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob,
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who were heirs with
him of the same promise."
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And starting at
verse 10, it says,
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"But he was
looking for the city,
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which has foundations,
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whose architect and
builder is God, by faith,
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even Sarah herself
received the ability
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to conceive even
beyond the proper time of life
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since she considered him
faithful who had promised.
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Therefore, there
was born even of one man
00:10:01.76\00:10:05.03
and him as good as dead at that,
00:10:05.07\00:10:07.70
as many descendants as
the stars of the heaven
00:10:07.74\00:10:10.21
in number, and
innumerable as the sand,
00:10:10.24\00:10:13.27
which is by the seashore."
00:10:13.31\00:10:15.24
Wow.
00:10:15.28\00:10:16.75
So as we can see in
these biblical examples
00:10:16.78\00:10:18.95
that most of the people we
read about in the Old Testament,
00:10:18.98\00:10:22.92
all had a common
theme within their lives,
00:10:22.95\00:10:25.49
which was faith.
00:10:25.52\00:10:28.19
One of my favorite
examples was Abraham
00:10:28.22\00:10:31.86
when it's talking about,
specifically, I guess, Sarah.
00:10:31.89\00:10:37.07
It says, by faith,
Sarah herself also received
00:10:37.10\00:10:39.03
strength to conceive
seed, and she bore a child.
00:10:39.07\00:10:42.24
Now you guys remember
how old Sarah was, right?
00:10:42.27\00:10:44.91
I mean... That's crazy.
00:10:44.94\00:10:47.21
She was in her
90s, wasn't she, guys?
00:10:47.24\00:10:48.78
I think she was
in her 90s, right?
00:10:48.81\00:10:50.15
Yeah, close to 100.
00:10:50.18\00:10:51.78
If a 90-year-old
woman today had a child,
00:10:51.81\00:10:54.92
I would say it's
probably either fake
00:10:54.95\00:10:57.75
or it's just a
miracle in general, right?
00:10:57.79\00:11:02.16
Because like, that's not
even, really possible nowadays.
00:11:02.19\00:11:06.66
But the reality is,
00:11:06.70\00:11:08.03
I love how in each
one of these examples,
00:11:08.06\00:11:11.27
it talks about
how faith contributed
00:11:11.30\00:11:14.34
to these people's lives.
00:11:14.37\00:11:16.14
It really encourages me because,
00:11:16.17\00:11:18.97
we sometimes take advantage
00:11:19.01\00:11:23.41
of our lives in the
sense that we don't always see
00:11:23.45\00:11:26.21
the faith in our lives.
00:11:26.25\00:11:27.88
We don't always see that
our faith leads us to things
00:11:27.92\00:11:32.99
or helps us understand
what God is trying to tell us
00:11:33.02\00:11:35.62
or do in our lives.
00:11:35.66\00:11:37.03
I think that's
really cool to see this
00:11:37.06\00:11:38.89
in the biblical narrative
00:11:38.93\00:11:40.56
about how all these
characters in Scripture
00:11:40.60\00:11:43.43
all had that common
theme of faith in their lives.
00:11:43.47\00:11:46.57
And they believe, like
the verse here that says,
00:11:46.60\00:11:49.44
but without faith, it is
impossible to please Him,
00:11:49.47\00:11:51.37
for he who comes
to God must believe
00:11:51.41\00:11:54.21
that He is and
that He is a rewarder
00:11:54.24\00:11:56.51
of those who
diligently seek Him.
00:11:56.54\00:11:58.58
So we also see in this example,
00:11:58.61\00:11:59.98
that these people were
diligently seeking God.
00:12:00.02\00:12:04.19
And so, what are you
guys' thoughts on this chapter?
00:12:04.22\00:12:07.66
For somebody who
might not understand
00:12:07.69\00:12:10.59
what faith is they're
coming, right, you know,
00:12:10.63\00:12:13.13
new in the faith,
00:12:13.16\00:12:14.56
or just got a
relationship with Christ
00:12:14.60\00:12:16.30
or maybe they've
seen people in their lives
00:12:16.33\00:12:18.27
who claim they
have a relationship,
00:12:18.30\00:12:19.63
and they don't quite
understand what faith is.
00:12:19.67\00:12:21.87
I know that there is
a common misconception
00:12:21.90\00:12:25.21
and what faith is.
00:12:25.24\00:12:26.57
A lot of people
who don't understand
00:12:26.61\00:12:27.94
and might mistake it
00:12:27.98\00:12:31.68
for blind trust,
00:12:31.71\00:12:33.58
or use it as a
cop-out for something
00:12:33.62\00:12:35.72
if somebody is asking a
question about the Bible.
00:12:35.75\00:12:37.79
They say, well,
we don't really know
00:12:37.82\00:12:39.32
why some things like that.
00:12:39.35\00:12:40.69
It's just by
faith, it's by faith.
00:12:40.72\00:12:42.19
And that might be
a sufficient answer
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.06
for some people
who understand it.
00:12:44.09\00:12:45.63
Like for me, that makes sense.
00:12:45.66\00:12:47.00
I understand faith but
for somebody who doesn't,
00:12:47.03\00:12:49.73
that's confusing.
00:12:49.76\00:12:51.10
It sounds like
blind trust for somebody.
00:12:51.13\00:12:53.50
And I have a study
Bible, and under Hebrews 11,
00:12:53.54\00:12:56.17
it gave like
this little example,
00:12:56.20\00:12:57.77
it kind of explained
00:12:57.81\00:12:59.41
what faith was, it
gave a little blurb.
00:12:59.44\00:13:01.28
I'm going to read
that really quick.
00:13:01.31\00:13:02.64
I thought it was really great.
00:13:02.68\00:13:04.45
So this is what it says,
00:13:04.48\00:13:05.81
"Biblical faith is
not vague hope grounded
00:13:05.85\00:13:08.35
in imaginary wishful thinking.
00:13:08.38\00:13:10.55
Instead, faith is
a settled confidence
00:13:10.59\00:13:13.59
that something in the future,
00:13:13.62\00:13:15.32
something that is not yet
seen but has been promised
00:13:15.36\00:13:18.96
by God will
actually come to pass
00:13:18.99\00:13:21.43
because God will bring it about.
00:13:21.46\00:13:23.73
Thus biblical faith is
not blind trust in the face
00:13:23.77\00:13:26.77
of contrary evidence.
00:13:26.80\00:13:28.17
Rather, faith is a confident
trust in what God has said.
00:13:28.20\00:13:32.71
And I thought
that was just so good.
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.41
It just laid it out.
00:13:34.44\00:13:35.78
It kind of made
that line of distinction
00:13:35.81\00:13:38.21
between blind
trust and what faith is.
00:13:38.25\00:13:41.58
And like you were saying,
looking at people in the Bible,
00:13:41.62\00:13:43.72
like Sarah, and
Abraham, and Moses,
00:13:43.75\00:13:45.95
all these people
who were mentioned,
00:13:45.99\00:13:48.36
they're kind of
like faith heroes.
00:13:48.39\00:13:50.46
In the days of old
you see their faith
00:13:50.49\00:13:53.70
that they had in God
00:13:53.73\00:13:55.06
and all these
amazing things that happened.
00:13:55.10\00:13:57.50
Faith is very influential.
00:13:57.53\00:13:59.37
Me reading that, it really
encourages me in my faith.
00:13:59.40\00:14:02.94
There are faith heroes of old
00:14:02.97\00:14:04.87
but there are
also modern-day heroes.
00:14:04.91\00:14:07.88
You know what I
mean, your pastor,
00:14:07.91\00:14:09.31
people in your life,
00:14:09.34\00:14:10.95
you might be
somebody's modern-day faith hero
00:14:10.98\00:14:13.78
that they're looking
for and you have to know
00:14:13.82\00:14:15.72
that your faith influences
the faith of others as well.
00:14:15.75\00:14:19.55
You got to be careful with that,
00:14:19.59\00:14:20.92
you got to be
careful what you do.
00:14:20.96\00:14:22.49
Your lack of faith
can influence others
00:14:22.52\00:14:25.03
just as easily as
your abundance in faith.
00:14:25.06\00:14:27.96
So make sure
you're strong in the faith
00:14:28.00\00:14:30.20
and look to these
people from the Bible,
00:14:30.23\00:14:32.03
look at your modern-day heroes,
00:14:32.07\00:14:33.80
and really
strengthen your faith in that.
00:14:33.84\00:14:36.17
I think when we
talk about faith,
00:14:36.20\00:14:38.04
I think about the
origin of this network.
00:14:38.07\00:14:40.48
I mean, this whole
network was based on the premise
00:14:40.51\00:14:43.41
of having faith in God.
00:14:43.45\00:14:44.78
Danny having the
faith in God to provide
00:14:44.81\00:14:46.51
what needed to be provided
in order to build a network
00:14:46.55\00:14:49.78
that would reach the
world with the gospel.
00:14:49.82\00:14:51.15
So I think that's amazing.
00:14:51.19\00:14:53.15
Anybody else have anything on
this on the examples of faith?
00:14:53.19\00:14:56.36
Yeah, I like that as you said,
we look at these characters
00:14:56.39\00:15:00.50
as heroes from
the Bible, but really,
00:15:00.53\00:15:03.60
they're just
everyday people like we are.
00:15:03.63\00:15:07.34
And it's like, I've
even heard Hebrews 11
00:15:07.37\00:15:10.81
referred to as the
faith hall of fame,
00:15:10.84\00:15:14.01
you see all of these characters
00:15:14.04\00:15:16.41
and you think these miracles
00:15:16.44\00:15:18.51
that happened was a
result of their faith,
00:15:18.55\00:15:22.28
and how encouraging that is.
00:15:22.32\00:15:23.89
And you see these miracles,
00:15:23.92\00:15:25.35
you see, Sarah, she was
barren, and she had a baby.
00:15:25.39\00:15:28.86
And you see David,
and he literally fought
00:15:28.89\00:15:32.39
and killed a real-life giant.
00:15:32.43\00:15:34.50
And you see
Moses and he delivered
00:15:34.53\00:15:37.60
an entire nation of
people from their enemies
00:15:37.63\00:15:40.17
and you think, wow,
00:15:40.20\00:15:41.54
that's insane
because it is insane.
00:15:41.57\00:15:45.11
But thinking back, it's
like, we think of these miracles
00:15:45.14\00:15:48.54
as like, Bible time miracles.
00:15:48.58\00:15:50.68
Yeah, that was
back in the Bible,
00:15:50.71\00:15:52.35
but if you read your Bible,
00:15:52.38\00:15:55.02
you see that that's
not where miracles stop.
00:15:55.05\00:15:58.55
God's saying, I
have things for you
00:15:58.59\00:16:01.66
bigger than what I did for them.
00:16:01.69\00:16:04.19
And I have a scripture
to prove it to you guys.
00:16:04.23\00:16:06.80
Okay, it's in John 14:12.
00:16:06.83\00:16:09.56
It says, "I tell you the truth,
00:16:09.60\00:16:11.90
anyone who believes in Me
00:16:11.93\00:16:13.74
will do the same
works I have done,
00:16:13.77\00:16:16.40
and even greater works,
00:16:16.44\00:16:19.04
because I am going
to be with the Father."
00:16:19.07\00:16:22.11
Greater works,
00:16:22.14\00:16:23.85
I feel like I almost need
to do a double-take on that,
00:16:23.88\00:16:26.41
like did greater
works than what Jesus did?
00:16:26.45\00:16:29.15
That's crazy.
00:16:29.18\00:16:30.52
And so, if we have enough faith,
00:16:30.55\00:16:32.92
that means that we
can kill our own giants.
00:16:32.95\00:16:35.99
That means that we
can heal our families,
00:16:36.02\00:16:38.23
that means that we can be
delivered from our enemies
00:16:38.26\00:16:41.30
and even greater than
that, how encouraging.
00:16:41.33\00:16:45.93
I think it's in Matthew.
00:16:45.97\00:16:49.30
I don't remember
if it's Chapter 24,
00:16:49.34\00:16:51.24
there's a verse
where Jesus is talking,
00:16:51.27\00:16:53.04
and He's talking about having
the faith of a mustard seed.
00:16:53.07\00:16:56.04
Yeah. Yeah.
00:16:56.08\00:16:57.41
And one of the specific
illustrations Jesus uses
00:16:57.45\00:17:00.02
in that passage is basically,
00:17:00.05\00:17:03.28
that if you have enough
faith as a mustard seed,
00:17:03.32\00:17:05.59
which a mustard seed,
it's so tiny like this.
00:17:05.62\00:17:09.49
If you have enough
faith as a mustard seed,
00:17:09.52\00:17:11.96
you can tell mountains
to move, and they'll move.
00:17:11.99\00:17:15.26
Like, that's wild.
00:17:15.30\00:17:16.97
Typically we think about
that more in a metaphoric sense
00:17:17.00\00:17:20.40
and all that, at least
that's kind of how I take it
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.30
more or less.
00:17:22.34\00:17:24.31
I was thinking
about this the other day,
00:17:24.34\00:17:25.87
God impressed on my heart,
00:17:25.91\00:17:27.41
that, we have metaphorically
speaking mountains
00:17:27.44\00:17:30.45
in our lives.
00:17:30.48\00:17:31.81
It could be student
loans, Rachel and Michael,
00:17:31.85\00:17:35.08
you guys probably
all know about that.
00:17:35.12\00:17:37.75
It could be family issues.
00:17:37.79\00:17:40.52
It could be marriage issues.
00:17:40.56\00:17:41.89
It could be whatever
it could be but you know,
00:17:41.92\00:17:44.59
and sometimes our initial
response is to climb it, right?
00:17:44.63\00:17:48.56
Because that's, I mean,
00:17:48.60\00:17:50.03
logically that's what
you would think to do.
00:17:50.07\00:17:51.40
That's the only way to
get around this mountain
00:17:51.43\00:17:52.77
is to climb it, right?
00:17:52.80\00:17:54.24
But sometimes, as Jesus told us,
00:17:54.27\00:17:56.47
sometimes it's just
easier to tell it to move.
00:17:56.50\00:17:58.91
Preach it, Ben.
Go ahead and preach.
00:17:58.94\00:18:00.51
Go ahead. You know what I mean?
00:18:00.54\00:18:02.64
I love that specific
illustration that Jesus used.
00:18:02.68\00:18:06.25
But, Michael, and Rachel,
00:18:06.28\00:18:07.62
I don't want to
exclude you on this.
00:18:07.65\00:18:09.32
So what are some of
the thoughts you have
00:18:09.35\00:18:11.42
on examples of faith?
00:18:11.45\00:18:14.62
Yeah, absolutely.
So Michael, go ahead.
00:18:14.66\00:18:20.13
Well, for me,
00:18:20.16\00:18:21.50
I think one thing that's
important to point out is that,
00:18:21.53\00:18:23.87
in verse 6, it
says, without faith,
00:18:23.90\00:18:26.40
it is impossible to please Him.
00:18:26.43\00:18:28.64
And I think a lot of
people think that you know what,
00:18:28.67\00:18:31.21
I believe God is
real, I believe God exists.
00:18:31.24\00:18:33.11
So then I must be pleasing Him,
00:18:33.14\00:18:35.34
I must be having
the type of faith
00:18:35.38\00:18:37.61
that this verse
is talking about.
00:18:37.65\00:18:39.38
But I want to
read another verse,
00:18:39.41\00:18:40.95
a few verses from James 2:18-20.
00:18:40.98\00:18:45.79
Okay.
00:18:45.82\00:18:47.16
Just want to read
them very quickly,
00:18:47.19\00:18:48.52
James 2:18-20, it says,
00:18:48.56\00:18:52.93
"But someone may
well say, you have faith,
00:18:52.96\00:18:56.77
and I have works.
00:18:56.80\00:18:58.33
Show me your
faith without the works,
00:18:58.37\00:19:00.34
and I will show you
my faith by my works.
00:19:00.37\00:19:03.81
You believe that
God is one, you do well,
00:19:03.84\00:19:06.81
that demons also
believe and shutter.
00:19:06.84\00:19:09.54
But are you willing to recognize
00:19:09.58\00:19:11.35
you foolish fellow,
00:19:11.38\00:19:12.71
that faith
without works is useless?"
00:19:12.75\00:19:15.62
So taking into context,
00:19:15.65\00:19:17.65
this verse along
with Hebrews Chapter 11,
00:19:17.69\00:19:20.02
it seems like the type of faith
00:19:20.06\00:19:21.39
that God is talking about
that brings pleasure to Him
00:19:21.42\00:19:23.93
isn't just merely
believing that He exists.
00:19:23.96\00:19:26.46
You know, as you just
read in James Chapter 2,
00:19:26.49\00:19:28.66
even the demons believe
and know that God exists.
00:19:28.70\00:19:30.90
That's true.
00:19:30.93\00:19:32.27
But God wants to have a type
of faith that leads to action.
00:19:32.30\00:19:35.34
You know, faith
without works is dead.
00:19:35.37\00:19:37.67
So, you know, no
one's going to be saved,
00:19:37.71\00:19:40.24
just because they
simply believe God is real,
00:19:40.28\00:19:42.54
we're going to be saved
00:19:42.58\00:19:43.91
because we
allowed our faith in Him,
00:19:43.95\00:19:45.28
our dependence on Him
00:19:45.31\00:19:46.65
to lead to us
surrendering to Him.
00:19:46.68\00:19:48.78
So our faith
needs to lead to action
00:19:48.82\00:19:50.72
and that's the type of
faith that pleases God.
00:19:50.75\00:19:53.15
Wow, that's
powerful. That's powerful.
00:19:53.19\00:19:55.16
Rachel, you have
anything on that?
00:19:55.19\00:19:57.29
Wow. Yeah.
00:19:57.33\00:19:58.66
I mean, you guys are just
00:19:58.69\00:20:00.03
really loaded on the
powerful verses here.
00:20:00.06\00:20:02.63
I'm feeling blessed already.
00:20:02.66\00:20:07.00
I gotta say when I was preparing
00:20:07.04\00:20:10.41
and kind of going
over this topic for today,
00:20:10.44\00:20:15.38
I couldn't help but think
about the spiritual warfare
00:20:15.41\00:20:18.95
that is going on,
00:20:18.98\00:20:20.65
and the battle that is going
on behind the scenes as well.
00:20:20.68\00:20:24.95
And then you talk
about the blessing that 3ABN
00:20:24.99\00:20:27.72
is and it is such a blessing.
00:20:27.76\00:20:30.49
Because myself and
so many people included,
00:20:30.53\00:20:33.66
we turn on 3ABN.
00:20:33.70\00:20:35.40
I know week to week, I
know Friday night for me.
00:20:35.43\00:20:38.63
When I turn on 3ABN, I
am just so happy to sit down
00:20:38.67\00:20:44.54
and start the Sabbath
00:20:44.57\00:20:47.78
and be encouraged
because every week,
00:20:47.81\00:20:50.98
especially these
days, it is very difficult.
00:20:51.01\00:20:54.95
And there are
better weeks than others,
00:20:54.98\00:20:57.35
but there's a lot going
on in the world around us.
00:20:57.39\00:21:01.22
But we have the hope of Jesus
00:21:01.26\00:21:04.39
and we have the
hope of Jesus Christ,
00:21:04.43\00:21:07.43
one day coming back for us.
00:21:07.46\00:21:09.46
And so I say this
00:21:09.50\00:21:11.77
to kind of hopefully
encourage right off the bat.
00:21:11.80\00:21:17.77
That yes, there is this battle
going on behind the scenes
00:21:17.81\00:21:21.88
and we do get discouraged.
00:21:21.91\00:21:24.18
I know we'll talk
about this later on.
00:21:24.21\00:21:26.35
In our faith journey,
00:21:26.38\00:21:28.28
we have our ups and our downs
00:21:28.32\00:21:30.19
but at the end of the day,
00:21:30.22\00:21:31.82
you know, we have
this hope in Jesus.
00:21:31.85\00:21:33.99
And that is always
so encouraging to me.
00:21:34.02\00:21:37.03
So I'm so thankful for that.
00:21:37.06\00:21:38.93
Yeah, that's great.
00:21:38.96\00:21:40.46
That's awesome and that's true.
00:21:40.50\00:21:42.33
We do have that hope in Jesus.
00:21:42.36\00:21:44.30
You know, what a
friend we have in Jesus,
00:21:44.33\00:21:45.67
right, as the song says.
00:21:45.70\00:21:47.04
Such a good song.
Yeah, it's a great song.
00:21:47.07\00:21:48.64
All right, that's good, guys.
00:21:48.67\00:21:50.37
That was good.
00:21:50.41\00:21:52.37
I think if this
wasn't an hour program,
00:21:52.41\00:21:54.44
I think we could stop right
there and say, see y'all later.
00:21:54.48\00:21:56.71
Amen. We're
gonna keep going here.
00:21:56.75\00:21:59.51
So let's talk about
first steps to faith.
00:21:59.55\00:22:02.58
Let's say we have a
new Christian or someone,
00:22:02.62\00:22:05.99
maybe someone
who's been a Christian,
00:22:06.02\00:22:08.29
but they just don't completely
grasp the concept of faith.
00:22:08.32\00:22:11.36
So what are some maybe
first steps these individuals
00:22:11.39\00:22:14.53
could take in
order to kind of begin
00:22:14.56\00:22:16.46
to develop faith in their lives?
00:22:16.50\00:22:18.37
Right.
00:22:18.40\00:22:19.73
So I think that the biggest
step that a Christian can make
00:22:19.77\00:22:22.60
is the very first step
you make as a Christian.
00:22:22.64\00:22:25.27
And I think that
that is salvation.
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.51
That takes
amazing faith right there.
00:22:27.54\00:22:29.64
It does.
00:22:29.68\00:22:31.21
And if anyone at home
hasn't accepted Christ
00:22:31.25\00:22:34.58
and accepted salvation,
taken that first step,
00:22:34.62\00:22:37.85
I just want to encourage you,
00:22:37.89\00:22:40.29
please do that
because God is waiting for you
00:22:40.32\00:22:44.26
with open arms,
00:22:44.29\00:22:45.63
and He wants you to come to Him.
00:22:45.66\00:22:47.50
And it is the best
decision you will ever make,
00:22:47.53\00:22:50.10
and you will not regret it.
00:22:50.13\00:22:51.77
But I feel like
a lot of Christians
00:22:51.80\00:22:54.80
take that first step.
00:22:54.84\00:22:56.20
And then they stop there.
00:22:56.24\00:22:58.27
That's where they
stop because it's safe.
00:22:58.31\00:23:00.88
They're safe Christian.
00:23:00.91\00:23:02.58
They're comfortable right there.
00:23:02.61\00:23:04.41
And I like how you
brought up Matthew 17:20,
00:23:04.45\00:23:08.62
I had it on my list and it goes,
00:23:08.65\00:23:11.02
because it's only fitting
if we're talking about faith,
00:23:11.05\00:23:13.52
it's only fitting.
00:23:13.56\00:23:14.89
I want to read it to you guys.
00:23:14.92\00:23:16.52
And this is right
after a man brought his son
00:23:16.56\00:23:20.50
to the disciples and his
son is possessed by a demon
00:23:20.53\00:23:24.33
and he's asking, can
you please heal my son,
00:23:24.37\00:23:26.57
and they were unsuccessful.
00:23:26.60\00:23:27.94
They couldn't
cast out the demon.
00:23:27.97\00:23:29.30
So they take him to Jesus
and Jesus, He takes care of it,
00:23:29.34\00:23:32.41
you know, like Jesus does.
00:23:32.44\00:23:34.08
And then later they
asked, they're like,
00:23:34.11\00:23:36.78
"Jesus, what, what
happened back there?
00:23:36.81\00:23:38.31
Why couldn't we
cast out this demon?"
00:23:38.35\00:23:40.15
And this is what
Jesus says, He says,
00:23:40.18\00:23:42.52
"You do not have enough faith."
00:23:42.55\00:23:45.29
Jesus told them,
"I tell you the truth,
00:23:45.32\00:23:47.99
if you had faith even
as small as a mustard seed,
00:23:48.02\00:23:52.29
you could say to this mountain
move from here to there,
00:23:52.33\00:23:55.33
and it would move,
nothing would be impossible."
00:23:55.36\00:23:59.43
So Jesus is saying, "Okay,
00:23:59.47\00:24:01.04
you took that
first step of salvation
00:24:01.07\00:24:03.34
and that's great,
00:24:03.37\00:24:04.71
and I'm so
proud of you for that.
00:24:04.74\00:24:06.07
But if you would
just take one more step,
00:24:06.11\00:24:09.78
just one small step,
one mustard seed size step,
00:24:09.81\00:24:14.88
I could show you things
that would blow your mind,
00:24:14.92\00:24:18.72
things that you
thought were impossible."
00:24:18.75\00:24:21.46
But so many
Christians are just safe
00:24:21.49\00:24:24.43
and they love God,
and they go to church,
00:24:24.46\00:24:26.90
but that's where it stops.
00:24:26.93\00:24:28.26
It stops at church.
00:24:28.30\00:24:29.66
It's because
they're comfortable.
00:24:29.70\00:24:32.27
But God is just telling
us, if you just step out,
00:24:32.30\00:24:34.80
take one step further.
00:24:34.84\00:24:37.57
I can show you amazing things
00:24:37.61\00:24:39.07
because little
faith has big results.
00:24:39.11\00:24:43.85
In Psalms it
talks about a wicked man
00:24:43.88\00:24:47.68
and a righteous man.
00:24:47.72\00:24:49.05
It talks about the wicked man
falls down and he stays down.
00:24:49.08\00:24:51.55
Yeah.
00:24:51.59\00:24:52.92
But then it says a
righteous man falls seven times,
00:24:52.95\00:24:54.56
but he gets back up.
00:24:54.59\00:24:55.92
Yeah.
00:24:55.96\00:24:57.29
So there's this
constant effort moving forward
00:24:57.33\00:24:58.79
in the Christian life, right?
00:24:58.83\00:25:00.63
And I think that
completely highlighted that idea
00:25:00.66\00:25:03.13
of taking a little
bit more of a step.
00:25:03.16\00:25:06.23
I think it's easy for us,
especially like our age group.
00:25:06.27\00:25:09.30
Like, it's easy for
us to get comfortable
00:25:09.34\00:25:13.01
and especially if we were
raised in a Christian home,
00:25:13.04\00:25:16.58
it's easy for us to go
to church out of routine,
00:25:16.61\00:25:21.75
and not because we
want to go to church,
00:25:21.78\00:25:23.99
and I hate to say it, but
I've fallen into that trap
00:25:24.02\00:25:26.22
before where it's like,
well, I just go to church
00:25:26.25\00:25:28.12
because that's
what I've always done.
00:25:28.16\00:25:30.16
Yeah, my family does
it, we've always gone,
00:25:30.19\00:25:32.66
we go as a family.
00:25:32.69\00:25:34.30
But it wasn't until I actually
took that step of faith,
00:25:34.33\00:25:37.73
if you will,
00:25:37.77\00:25:39.10
and started developing
my relationship with Christ,
00:25:39.13\00:25:42.14
my personal
relationship with Christ,
00:25:42.17\00:25:44.24
that I started to truly desire
that fellowship at church,
00:25:44.27\00:25:47.11
desire the learning
00:25:47.14\00:25:48.84
that I would get
from church and all that.
00:25:48.88\00:25:50.91
So I think, man,
Jewlee, that was beautiful.
00:25:50.95\00:25:52.55
That's a great example.
00:25:52.58\00:25:53.92
Tiara, I think, it sounds
like you're gonna say something.
00:25:53.95\00:25:55.35
Ben, I liked what
you said about growing
00:25:55.38\00:25:57.92
and how you start
taking a step at a time
00:25:57.95\00:26:00.39
and the imagery with
the seed and how it grows.
00:26:00.42\00:26:03.73
When you start your faith,
00:26:03.76\00:26:05.09
you're not going to be
doing all these crazy things,
00:26:05.13\00:26:07.30
like you see people
who have been practicing
00:26:07.33\00:26:09.76
their faith for 50, 60
years, you know what I mean?
00:26:09.80\00:26:11.93
You start
small, and that's okay.
00:26:11.97\00:26:13.30
But small faith equals
big results like Jewlee said.
00:26:13.34\00:26:16.40
It's still the same there.
00:26:16.44\00:26:18.17
But I think of, When you
start your Christian walk,
00:26:18.21\00:26:20.88
I think of like a baby,
like, oh, cute little baby.
00:26:20.91\00:26:23.81
You have to
start from square one,
00:26:23.85\00:26:25.78
babies start from square one,
00:26:25.81\00:26:27.15
they have to learn how
to walk one step at a time,
00:26:27.18\00:26:29.38
how to talk one word at a
time, they start out on milk,
00:26:29.42\00:26:33.19
and then they have
to go through a process
00:26:33.22\00:26:34.96
and learn how to eat solid food.
00:26:34.99\00:26:36.96
And that's kind
of trying to parallel
00:26:36.99\00:26:39.23
that with a faith walk.
00:26:39.26\00:26:41.66
You know, you start out small,
00:26:41.70\00:26:43.03
you're just
starting to learn who God is.
00:26:43.06\00:26:45.13
You're just starting to
become familiar with who He is.
00:26:45.17\00:26:47.80
And the more you
figure out who God is,
00:26:47.84\00:26:50.51
the more your
trust in Him gets bigger,
00:26:50.54\00:26:52.57
and the more your faith grows,
00:26:52.61\00:26:54.48
and the bigger steps you're
going to start taking Yeah.
00:26:54.51\00:26:57.01
You start out small,
you start out on milk,
00:26:57.05\00:26:59.15
you start out
one step at a time.
00:26:59.18\00:27:01.08
But there comes a time
too where you need to grow
00:27:01.12\00:27:03.35
and you need to
start getting out,
00:27:03.39\00:27:04.95
you need to start
doing bigger things
00:27:04.99\00:27:06.69
and taking bigger
steps so that you can develop
00:27:06.72\00:27:09.62
and grow into who
God wants you to be.
00:27:09.66\00:27:11.83
And a great way to do
that, if you're going to church
00:27:11.86\00:27:14.76
and you're trying
to is to find a mentor.
00:27:14.80\00:27:16.93
Find somebody in your church,
like a pastor or a teacher,
00:27:16.97\00:27:20.20
maybe somebody
that you work with,
00:27:20.24\00:27:21.60
or a family member
who has been in that.
00:27:21.64\00:27:23.87
Let them teach you how
to walk the right path,
00:27:23.91\00:27:28.41
how to talk with
the words of Christ,
00:27:28.44\00:27:30.15
how to get a
daily dose of the Word
00:27:30.18\00:27:31.65
so that you're
feeding yourself spiritually,
00:27:31.68\00:27:34.15
so that you can
take those steps,
00:27:34.18\00:27:36.38
continue to keep
growing, don't get comfortable,
00:27:36.42\00:27:38.75
don't just stop at salvation
and just stop at church,
00:27:38.79\00:27:42.02
find somebody at the
church so you can grow more,
00:27:42.06\00:27:44.66
and so God can move
these huge mountains for you
00:27:44.69\00:27:47.90
and your faith
will influence others.
00:27:47.93\00:27:50.03
Yeah. That's great.
00:27:50.07\00:27:51.60
Community is a big part of that.
00:27:51.63\00:27:53.87
You were just saying,
find people at church,
00:27:53.90\00:27:55.54
people who can encourage you,
00:27:55.57\00:27:56.91
people who can lead
you to the right path,
00:27:56.94\00:27:58.67
who have wisdom, right?
00:27:58.71\00:28:00.48
So I think that's really great.
00:28:00.51\00:28:02.88
Find a mentor,
00:28:02.91\00:28:04.25
find someone who's lived in
faith for the last 50 years.
00:28:04.28\00:28:07.22
Because you don't know
it all. Right. Exactly.
00:28:07.25\00:28:10.19
And then just, you know, being,
00:28:10.22\00:28:11.92
you know,
acknowledging that being humble,
00:28:11.95\00:28:13.29
like, oh, I'm faithful.
00:28:13.32\00:28:14.89
I know whati¿½faith is.
00:28:14.92\00:28:17.16
No, it's
something we learn daily.
00:28:17.19\00:28:19.36
It's life long process.
00:28:19.39\00:28:20.73
Yeah, Michael, were
you gonna say something?
00:28:20.76\00:28:23.37
Oh, I'm just reflecting
on what you guys are saying.
00:28:23.40\00:28:26.30
I completely agree with Jewlee
00:28:26.33\00:28:28.10
and Tiara in terms of
the first step is salvation,
00:28:28.14\00:28:32.71
and also once we are saved
00:28:32.74\00:28:34.44
we should continue
to grow and mature.
00:28:34.48\00:28:37.08
For me, if I
could just add to that,
00:28:37.11\00:28:38.95
I would just say that
one of the most fundamental
00:28:38.98\00:28:41.45
steps of faith,
00:28:41.48\00:28:42.82
and this is something
we have to do time like
00:28:42.85\00:28:45.25
over and over again,
00:28:45.29\00:28:46.62
is to continue to
grow in our understanding
00:28:46.65\00:28:48.79
of God's love for us.
00:28:48.82\00:28:51.66
I think it's really intentional
00:28:51.69\00:28:54.26
how Ellen White
entitled the first chapter
00:28:54.30\00:28:56.70
Steps to Christ, she
entitled God's love for man.
00:28:56.73\00:29:00.47
She didn't start off
with faith and acceptance.
00:29:00.50\00:29:03.37
She didn't start off
with what to do with doubt.
00:29:03.41\00:29:05.04
She's made the first
chapter, God's love for man.
00:29:05.07\00:29:08.58
I think that's so important
00:29:08.61\00:29:09.94
because
understanding God's character
00:29:09.98\00:29:12.81
is what's going to help
us to stay faithful to Him
00:29:12.85\00:29:14.68
when times get hard.
00:29:14.72\00:29:16.42
So even when we
look at the life of Job.
00:29:16.45\00:29:19.32
Job had everything taken away
from him, except for his life.
00:29:19.35\00:29:24.43
But he says,
though God slays me,
00:29:24.46\00:29:28.20
yet will I trust in Him.
00:29:28.23\00:29:29.93
That was because Job
understood God's love for him,
00:29:29.96\00:29:32.90
Job understood God's character.
00:29:32.93\00:29:35.10
And when we focus
on the why for faith,
00:29:35.14\00:29:38.37
rather than just
the what of faith,
00:29:38.41\00:29:40.91
the why will help
us to stay faithful,
00:29:40.94\00:29:43.08
no matter what
Satan tries to throw out.
00:29:43.11\00:29:44.88
And so I think, in
addition to what Jewlee
00:29:44.91\00:29:47.32
and Tiara shared God's love,
00:29:47.35\00:29:49.85
we have to
continually stay in the Word
00:29:49.88\00:29:52.15
and surround ourselves
with positive influences
00:29:52.19\00:29:54.92
that will remind us that
even when life isn't good,
00:29:54.96\00:29:58.03
God is, and because of
thati¿½He's always worthy
00:29:58.06\00:30:01.23
of our trust and our faith.
00:30:01.26\00:30:02.60
Wow. That was great.
00:30:02.63\00:30:03.97
Go ahead and
preach it. That was good.
00:30:04.00\00:30:05.70
Rachel, what you got? Yeah.
00:30:05.73\00:30:08.74
So the verse
that I'm thinking of
00:30:08.77\00:30:10.67
is in 1 Thessalonians 5:16
00:30:10.71\00:30:17.08
and...
00:30:17.11\00:30:18.68
Yeah, 1 Thessalonians 5:16,
00:30:18.71\00:30:22.22
and it says, rejoice
always, and verse 17,
00:30:22.25\00:30:26.65
it says, pray
continually, and verse 18,
00:30:26.69\00:30:31.03
it says, give thanks
in all circumstances,
00:30:31.06\00:30:35.00
for this is God's will
for you in Christ Jesus.
00:30:35.03\00:30:38.90
And Michael just
mentioned the story of Job,
00:30:38.93\00:30:41.74
and how everything
was taken away from him.
00:30:41.77\00:30:44.77
Yet he still trusted God.
00:30:44.81\00:30:47.14
You guys are talking about
community and finding a mentor.
00:30:47.18\00:30:51.21
What came to my mind
was the power of joining
00:30:51.25\00:30:55.22
a Bible study group.
00:30:55.25\00:30:57.65
I started a...
Yeah, right, I know.
00:30:57.69\00:31:00.19
Yeah, it's the best.
00:31:00.22\00:31:01.72
Anyone can do it.
00:31:05.26\00:31:06.96
So I started an online zoom
00:31:07.00\00:31:09.33
women's Bible
study group this fall.
00:31:09.36\00:31:11.87
And I wasn't sure what to expect
00:31:11.90\00:31:14.64
and I wasn't sure
would people join or not.
00:31:14.67\00:31:17.61
And we're doing this
youth young adult program.
00:31:17.64\00:31:21.54
And the point I
want to make here
00:31:21.58\00:31:24.01
is that we think that
maybe a lot of young people
00:31:24.05\00:31:27.92
have left the church or
what does that look like
00:31:27.95\00:31:31.32
for a lot of people, but
the fact of the matter is,
00:31:31.35\00:31:33.69
there are a lot
of people our age,
00:31:33.72\00:31:35.89
who are very
hungry, and very thirsty
00:31:35.92\00:31:38.66
for the Word of
God and for community.
00:31:38.69\00:31:41.73
And it's always such
a joy to come together,
00:31:41.76\00:31:45.40
even if it's on zoom in a
community to pray together
00:31:45.43\00:31:49.30
and to open the Bible together.
00:31:49.34\00:31:51.87
And if you don't have
that type of opportunity
00:31:51.91\00:31:54.68
to pray for that, to
pray for a community,
00:31:54.71\00:31:58.21
because I know,
00:31:58.25\00:31:59.58
that is something that
can be hard to find as well.
00:31:59.61\00:32:02.38
And so to pray for
that, this verse says that,
00:32:02.42\00:32:04.89
pray continually.
00:32:04.92\00:32:06.45
We can come to God as
a friend and pray to Him
00:32:06.49\00:32:09.36
about anything and everything.
00:32:09.39\00:32:11.53
We're talking about
simple faith actions
00:32:11.56\00:32:15.06
from starting
small, working our way up,
00:32:15.10\00:32:17.57
you know, we can
come to God as a friend
00:32:17.60\00:32:19.27
and pray to Him about
anything and everything.
00:32:19.30\00:32:22.04
Even if we don't
have a community,
00:32:22.07\00:32:24.11
we can ask Him for one, or
we can ask Him for a mentor.
00:32:24.14\00:32:27.78
So that's what I
wanted to share as well.
00:32:27.81\00:32:29.44
Yeah. I like that.
00:32:29.48\00:32:30.91
And I like that you mentioned
00:32:30.95\00:32:32.28
you started a Bible study group,
00:32:32.31\00:32:34.08
I think that's a big
step in faith as it is, right?
00:32:34.12\00:32:37.32
Because like you
said, you don't know
00:32:37.35\00:32:38.69
people are gonna come to
it, or what they're gonna think.
00:32:38.72\00:32:41.06
So I think that's really cool.
00:32:41.09\00:32:42.42
And actually, you two started
a small Bible study group
00:32:42.46\00:32:46.73
that I attend,
and many of us attend.
00:32:46.76\00:32:48.60
And I think that's
been a lot of fun, too.
00:32:48.63\00:32:50.80
But I bet that was a step
of faith for you both as well.
00:32:50.83\00:32:52.70
Absolutely. For sure.
00:32:52.73\00:32:54.37
When God calls you out, just go.
00:32:54.40\00:32:55.94
And I mean, He's
blessed all of us.
00:32:55.97\00:32:57.57
So you've been
there, we've been there.
00:32:57.61\00:32:59.11
We've had a great
time learning, again,
00:32:59.14\00:33:01.14
that sense of
community and having people to,
00:33:01.18\00:33:03.91
to learn the word with you,
00:33:03.95\00:33:05.51
I mean, there's
nothing like that.
00:33:05.55\00:33:06.88
Yeah. It's really been fun
to study the Word together.
00:33:06.92\00:33:10.59
And, Rachel, I love that you
also encouraged our audience,
00:33:10.62\00:33:15.36
encourage young
people that there is an army
00:33:15.39\00:33:17.66
of young people out
there who are dedicated
00:33:17.69\00:33:20.00
to the gospel and truly seeking
00:33:20.03\00:33:21.56
and are hungry
for God and His Word.
00:33:21.60\00:33:25.07
So that's really amazing
and encouraging to hear as well.
00:33:25.10\00:33:28.44
All right, let's dig into
a different aspect of faith.
00:33:28.47\00:33:32.84
Okay. Okay?
00:33:32.87\00:33:34.21
Now we're talking about more of,
00:33:34.24\00:33:35.58
I guess I'll call
this the more realistic
00:33:35.61\00:33:37.55
aspect of faith
00:33:37.58\00:33:38.91
which is
struggles of having faith.
00:33:38.95\00:33:40.55
Right.
00:33:40.58\00:33:42.08
Even Christians who
have been Christians
00:33:42.12\00:33:44.32
for 50 years, 60
years, 70 years, 80 years.
00:33:44.35\00:33:47.32
We all have our
ups and downs. Yeah.
00:33:47.36\00:33:49.02
We have situations in our
lives where it's difficult
00:33:49.06\00:33:52.49
to completely
put our trust in God,
00:33:52.53\00:33:56.90
because we're
human and we have faults.
00:33:56.93\00:33:59.03
All have fallen
short of the glory of God.
00:33:59.07\00:34:00.47
So let's look at
00:34:00.50\00:34:02.50
James 1:2-3.
00:34:02.54\00:34:07.41
And let me see if...
00:34:07.44\00:34:10.55
Tiara, do you
have that? I do have.
00:34:10.58\00:34:11.91
Would you be
willing to read that? Sure.
00:34:11.95\00:34:13.28
Okay. Here we go.
00:34:13.31\00:34:14.65
James 1:2-3, "Dear
brothers and sisters,
00:34:14.68\00:34:17.52
when troubles come your way,
00:34:17.55\00:34:19.12
consider it an
opportunity for great joy.
00:34:19.15\00:34:22.02
For you know that
when your faith is tested,
00:34:22.06\00:34:24.33
your endurance
has a chance to grow."
00:34:24.36\00:34:26.53
Actually, I'm going
to read verse 4 too,
00:34:26.56\00:34:28.16
I think it goes
really good with it.
00:34:28.20\00:34:29.63
"So let it grow,
00:34:29.66\00:34:31.03
for when your
endurance is fully developed,
00:34:31.07\00:34:33.17
you will be
perfect and complete,
00:34:33.20\00:34:34.80
needing nothing."
00:34:34.84\00:34:37.14
Wow.
00:34:37.17\00:34:38.51
So that's interesting to me,
00:34:38.54\00:34:40.81
because it talks about...
00:34:40.84\00:34:45.11
How many of us, let's be real.
00:34:45.15\00:34:47.55
How many of us thank God
00:34:47.58\00:34:49.58
when something we consider
bad happens in our lives,
00:34:49.62\00:34:52.95
like when we have
trials in our lives,
00:34:52.99\00:34:54.32
like how many of us actually?
00:34:54.36\00:34:55.96
Calling us out all, Ben?
00:34:55.99\00:34:57.33
He's calling us out.
00:34:57.36\00:34:58.89
I mean, let's be real, right?
00:34:58.93\00:35:00.80
Whenever my
car's not turning on,
00:35:00.83\00:35:03.63
or whatever's
happening in my life
00:35:03.67\00:35:06.13
I'm not like sitting
there going, oh, thank you.
00:35:06.17\00:35:07.70
Praise the Lord.
00:35:07.74\00:35:09.80
You stub your toe,
you're not thinking, oh,
00:35:09.84\00:35:11.77
thank you, Lord, I needed that.
00:35:11.81\00:35:15.31
You know, it's like
how often do we really,
00:35:15.34\00:35:18.38
you know how realistic is that?
00:35:18.41\00:35:19.75
But here's what I love
and this actually pairs
00:35:19.78\00:35:22.38
with what Rachel
read just a bit ago.
00:35:22.42\00:35:25.89
It said the verse in
1 Thessalonians 5 said,
00:35:25.92\00:35:30.56
give thanks in
every circumstance.
00:35:30.59\00:35:33.86
And I've really
been on that recently,
00:35:33.90\00:35:36.63
I actually did a worship
thought here at 3ABN on that,
00:35:36.67\00:35:39.23
where it was talking
about that verse specifically.
00:35:39.27\00:35:43.04
And there's a song
that has meant a lot to me
00:35:43.07\00:35:46.21
over the past few months.
00:35:46.24\00:35:47.58
And it's called gratitude.
00:35:47.61\00:35:48.94
It's a simple
song, simple lyrics,
00:35:48.98\00:35:50.95
but it basically
is talking about,
00:35:50.98\00:35:54.22
whatever I'm going through,
00:35:54.25\00:35:55.65
I'm going to throw up
my hands and praise You
00:35:55.68\00:35:57.09
again and again, regardless.
00:35:57.12\00:35:58.99
And that's what's so
powerful about that verse,
00:35:59.02\00:36:01.96
this song, and this idea is that
00:36:01.99\00:36:05.39
even though we
still go through trials
00:36:05.43\00:36:07.40
if we have our faith in God,
00:36:07.43\00:36:09.26
we can give Him
thanks in every circumstance
00:36:09.30\00:36:11.93
because regardless
00:36:11.97\00:36:13.30
of what's going on in our lives,
00:36:13.34\00:36:14.67
we know He's still working
00:36:14.70\00:36:16.04
behind the scenes for our good.
00:36:16.07\00:36:17.41
Right. So I think
that's really great.
00:36:17.44\00:36:20.74
What are you guys' thoughts
on struggling with having faith
00:36:20.78\00:36:23.75
and how we can
kind of combat that?
00:36:23.78\00:36:25.71
Right.
00:36:25.75\00:36:27.08
I like it because it says
when troubles come your way,
00:36:27.12\00:36:29.28
consider it an
opportunity for great joy,
00:36:29.32\00:36:31.92
for you know that
when your faith is tested,
00:36:31.95\00:36:33.56
your endurance
has a chance to grow.
00:36:33.59\00:36:35.46
And we're just
talking about growing,
00:36:35.49\00:36:37.19
how perfect does that fit?
00:36:37.23\00:36:39.26
Growing, you think of back to
my analogy of the baby growing.
00:36:39.29\00:36:42.90
Sometimes I don't know
00:36:42.93\00:36:44.27
if anybody else has experienced,
00:36:44.30\00:36:45.63
but there's a thing
called growing pains.
00:36:45.67\00:36:47.07
When you start growing
00:36:47.10\00:36:48.44
up, maybe your
muscles hurt or something.
00:36:48.47\00:36:49.80
And that's kind of
what it is with faith,
00:36:49.84\00:36:52.14
you're going to be put in places
00:36:52.17\00:36:54.08
where there's oppression,
00:36:54.11\00:36:55.44
and you're being pressed down
00:36:55.48\00:36:56.88
and people think that
you're crazy for your faith,
00:36:56.91\00:36:59.61
or you're
persecuted for your faith,
00:36:59.65\00:37:01.02
whatever it might
be, in those chances,
00:37:01.05\00:37:03.89
consider it a chance to,
00:37:03.92\00:37:06.25
an opportunity to grow in
those times of persecution.
00:37:06.29\00:37:09.59
I mean, that is where
your faith can grow big
00:37:09.62\00:37:12.69
because you have
your daily practices
00:37:12.73\00:37:14.16
of reading your Bible of
maybe talking in little groups
00:37:14.20\00:37:17.43
or whatever it might
be your daily practices,
00:37:17.47\00:37:19.53
but it's only when
you're under oppression.
00:37:19.57\00:37:22.20
That's when your faith stands.
00:37:22.24\00:37:24.27
That's when all your
daily practices come in,
00:37:24.31\00:37:26.64
and they bind together
00:37:26.68\00:37:28.08
and you can stand
on that firm foundation
00:37:28.11\00:37:29.81
that settled confidence
00:37:29.84\00:37:31.45
and what God has
set for your life.
00:37:31.48\00:37:33.68
I like that. I like that
and you know, that's where I...
00:37:33.72\00:37:36.65
When I think of that scripture
it's like when you think,
00:37:36.69\00:37:40.02
rejoice, you know,
going through these trials
00:37:40.06\00:37:43.12
like that sounds so strange,
00:37:43.16\00:37:44.59
but Satan is
going to do anything
00:37:44.63\00:37:48.43
he can to stop you
from what God has for you.
00:37:48.46\00:37:52.03
So if you're
facing these things,
00:37:52.07\00:37:53.94
if you're facing
all of that stuff,
00:37:53.97\00:37:56.40
then yeah, you should rejoice
00:37:56.44\00:37:59.07
because that means
you're doing something right.
00:37:59.11\00:38:01.91
If all these things
are coming against you,
00:38:01.94\00:38:04.41
that means Satan
is trying to stop you.
00:38:04.45\00:38:06.28
So you're doing something
right Means you're in God's will
00:38:06.31\00:38:08.98
and he does not want you there.
00:38:09.02\00:38:10.39
Because when
you're in God's will,
00:38:10.42\00:38:12.12
those mountains
are gonna start moving
00:38:12.15\00:38:14.09
and he does not
want that to happen.
00:38:14.12\00:38:15.59
He's not happy about that.
00:38:15.62\00:38:17.13
If God is for us
who can be against us.
00:38:17.16\00:38:18.53
Exactly.
00:38:18.56\00:38:20.26
I mean, it's really that simple.
00:38:20.30\00:38:22.06
If God is for us
who can be against us.
00:38:22.10\00:38:23.67
You know, I was thinking about,
00:38:23.70\00:38:25.27
really quickly before I
go to Rachel and Michael.
00:38:25.30\00:38:28.60
I was thinking about,
there are times in my life
00:38:28.64\00:38:33.44
where people have done me wrong.
00:38:33.48\00:38:35.61
Yeah.
00:38:35.64\00:38:36.98
Situations,
could be close friends,
00:38:37.01\00:38:38.35
could be family
could be whoever, right?
00:38:38.38\00:38:39.71
And, you know, a lot of
times, like Tiara was saying,
00:38:39.75\00:38:42.45
that's kind of where
our faith and our character,
00:38:42.48\00:38:45.39
our Christian character kind
00:38:45.42\00:38:47.22
of is in the
testing phase right there.
00:38:47.26\00:38:49.09
Because how are we going
to react to that situation?
00:38:49.12\00:38:52.43
And you know sometimes,
00:38:52.46\00:38:54.56
you know, whenever
someone does you wrong,
00:38:54.60\00:38:56.56
there's a bad situation,
00:38:56.60\00:38:57.93
you don't want to
pray for that person.
00:38:57.97\00:38:59.30
You want revenge. Yeah.
00:38:59.33\00:39:00.80
Our natural tendency is to say,
00:39:00.84\00:39:03.04
well, I hope they
get what they deserve.
00:39:03.07\00:39:05.21
But really as I've
grown in my faith in Christ,
00:39:05.24\00:39:08.91
and my character
has grown in Him,
00:39:08.94\00:39:11.55
I'm so thankful that
He is softening my heart
00:39:11.58\00:39:13.65
more and more to even people
00:39:13.68\00:39:15.02
who have put me
through rough situations.
00:39:15.05\00:39:18.49
And really, I just
want to pray for them,
00:39:18.52\00:39:21.32
and ask God to just help them,
regardless of what they did,
00:39:21.36\00:39:24.89
or how they're
feeling or whatever,
00:39:24.93\00:39:26.39
because sometimes too
some people aren't doing things
00:39:26.43\00:39:30.53
because they want to do that
to you but they're doing them
00:39:30.57\00:39:33.17
because of maybe
how they were raised,
00:39:33.20\00:39:35.24
or maybe because
of a circumstance
00:39:35.27\00:39:36.94
that they're in and
that's making them react
00:39:36.97\00:39:39.31
in a negative way
towards other people.
00:39:39.34\00:39:41.28
So being sensitive to
that and being aware of that
00:39:41.31\00:39:44.18
and just growing in that love
00:39:44.21\00:39:46.41
and character
that Christ gives us
00:39:46.45\00:39:50.05
as we begin to know Him more
00:39:50.09\00:39:51.65
is something that's
just really specialized.
00:39:51.69\00:39:54.16
I think that was good way.
00:39:54.19\00:39:56.76
So, Rachel and Michael,
00:39:56.79\00:39:59.96
I want to know
what you guys think.
00:40:00.00\00:40:01.46
Every single point
you guys have been hitting
00:40:01.50\00:40:03.03
has been like incredible.
00:40:03.06\00:40:04.40
So I don't care
who wants to start?
00:40:04.43\00:40:07.90
Michael, go ahead. Okay.
00:40:07.94\00:40:11.01
Well, when I was thinking
about struggles of having faith,
00:40:11.04\00:40:15.04
the Bible story that
came to my head immediately
00:40:15.08\00:40:17.41
was the Israelites
00:40:17.45\00:40:19.31
when they were
enslaved in Egypt.
00:40:19.35\00:40:22.28
Specifically, when
you look at Exodus 6:1-9,
00:40:22.32\00:40:25.99
I won't read it
now for time's sake.
00:40:26.02\00:40:27.72
But basically, in
those verses, Moses,
00:40:27.76\00:40:31.46
he's come back to Egypt
and he's told the Israelites
00:40:31.49\00:40:35.00
that God is
going to set them free.
00:40:35.03\00:40:37.53
He told them that,
God has a plan for you,
00:40:37.57\00:40:40.04
God has a promised land for you
00:40:40.07\00:40:42.67
and He was
trying to give them hope
00:40:42.70\00:40:44.54
but because the Israelites
had been enslaved for so long,
00:40:44.57\00:40:49.51
it's almost like they
got spiritual burnout.
00:40:49.54\00:40:52.01
It's like they got
tired of waiting on God,
00:40:52.05\00:40:55.58
and they were
struggling with their faith
00:40:55.62\00:40:57.45
because what they
were seeing was different
00:40:57.49\00:41:01.19
from what they heard
God say He was going to do.
00:41:01.22\00:41:04.09
And I think that's something
00:41:04.13\00:41:06.90
that is not just unique to them.
00:41:06.93\00:41:08.60
It's something that
we all struggle with,
00:41:08.63\00:41:09.96
in waiting on God, you know,
even when we look historically,
00:41:10.00\00:41:13.94
at the founding
of our denomination,
00:41:13.97\00:41:16.60
on October 22, 1844,
00:41:16.64\00:41:19.21
there were a lot of people
00:41:19.24\00:41:20.71
who were waiting
on Jesus to come back,
00:41:20.74\00:41:23.85
but because what they
expected didn't come to pass,
00:41:23.88\00:41:27.82
there were some people who,
who lost faith and even today,
00:41:27.85\00:41:31.65
you know, as
Seventh-day Adventists
00:41:31.69\00:41:33.42
is part of our name,
00:41:33.46\00:41:34.79
we're waiting on
that second advent,
00:41:34.82\00:41:36.16
the second
coming of Jesus Christ.
00:41:36.19\00:41:38.06
Even today,
there are some people
00:41:38.09\00:41:40.23
who are just like,
we've been waiting,
00:41:40.26\00:41:42.30
we've been waiting,
00:41:42.33\00:41:43.67
and their faith is getting weak,
00:41:43.70\00:41:45.70
but I think the saving
grace in all of it is that
00:41:45.73\00:41:50.21
God's character is not
dependent on our circumstances.
00:41:50.24\00:41:54.61
So even when it
seems like or feels like
00:41:54.64\00:41:59.11
God isn't going to come through,
00:41:59.15\00:42:01.32
all we have to do is look back
over the course of our lives
00:42:01.35\00:42:04.59
and see time and
time and time again,
00:42:04.62\00:42:08.22
where Jesus did
come through, you
00:42:08.26\00:42:10.56
know, it's almost like
we get spiritual amnesia
00:42:10.59\00:42:12.83
whenever we face a trial.
00:42:12.86\00:42:14.33
It's just like, oh,
how am I gonna get up?
00:42:14.36\00:42:16.06
How's gonna God
bring me through?
00:42:16.10\00:42:17.43
It's like, He just bought
you something else yesterday.
00:42:17.47\00:42:19.33
We forget so quickly
about the goodness of God.
00:42:22.54\00:42:25.37
And do, yeah, just
that waiting period,
00:42:25.41\00:42:28.14
and just trying to wait on
God to come through the way
00:42:28.18\00:42:31.95
that He said He would
00:42:31.98\00:42:33.55
sometimes can cause a
struggle in our faith.
00:42:33.58\00:42:37.39
But I heard one
person say like this, that,
00:42:37.42\00:42:39.85
when we're waiting on
God, we don't need a miracle.
00:42:39.89\00:42:42.66
We need a memory.
00:42:42.69\00:42:44.03
We need to remember
about the goodness of God,
00:42:44.06\00:42:47.43
we need to remember time...
00:42:47.46\00:42:49.23
We should even keep a log
even write down every time
00:42:49.26\00:42:51.53
God answers our prayers.
00:42:51.57\00:42:53.17
And it will help us
to hold on to our faith,
00:42:53.20\00:42:55.44
to hold on to God even
when we face new trials.
00:42:55.47\00:42:58.54
Yeah. Wow, that's powerful.
00:42:58.57\00:43:00.88
That's powerful.
00:43:00.91\00:43:02.24
And just, yeah, exactly,
00:43:02.28\00:43:03.61
acknowledging
the goodness of God.
00:43:03.65\00:43:04.98
I mean, there are many
situations in our lives.
00:43:05.01\00:43:06.75
And I think we can all
say that God's been good.
00:43:06.78\00:43:09.78
Even, I would say,
obviously, more than once,
00:43:09.82\00:43:12.79
but I mean, for sure, one
time, God has been good to us.
00:43:12.82\00:43:16.79
Even if it was just one time,
that's still more than enough.
00:43:16.83\00:43:22.00
More than we deserve.
00:43:22.03\00:43:23.37
I like that, Michael.
00:43:23.40\00:43:24.73
I love that you said
that because I even had that
00:43:24.77\00:43:26.10
in my notes too.
00:43:26.13\00:43:27.47
Patience almost always
goes right alongside with faith,
00:43:27.50\00:43:32.51
because it's almost like it's,
00:43:32.54\00:43:34.58
if you're going
to grow your faith,
00:43:34.61\00:43:36.11
that's your side effects.
00:43:36.14\00:43:37.48
You're gonna have some patience
00:43:37.51\00:43:38.85
that you're
gonna have to work on,
00:43:38.88\00:43:40.22
because sometimes
it doesn't always come
00:43:40.25\00:43:42.45
the way you want it to.
00:43:42.48\00:43:43.82
But that that faith in
God, that was so good, Michael,
00:43:43.85\00:43:46.02
I really appreciated that.
00:43:46.05\00:43:47.69
That's really good.
Rachel, did you have anything?
00:43:47.72\00:43:50.69
Yeah.
00:43:50.73\00:43:52.59
Thank you,
Michael, for sharing that.
00:43:52.63\00:43:54.46
I was just thinking
about that yesterday about
00:43:54.50\00:43:57.57
when you're in a tough spot,
just like what you just said.
00:43:57.60\00:44:00.47
And I'm not going to
repeat what you said.
00:44:00.50\00:44:02.37
That, how much does it help us
00:44:02.40\00:44:04.71
when we remember the times
00:44:04.74\00:44:06.07
that God has answered
our prayers in the past?
00:44:06.11\00:44:08.04
And the verse I want to
share with you is Psalms 23:4,
00:44:08.08\00:44:13.55
because it's so
encouraging and comforting,
00:44:13.58\00:44:16.89
bring so much comfort, it says,
00:44:16.92\00:44:18.85
"Ye though I walk
through the valley
00:44:18.89\00:44:20.46
of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil,
00:44:20.49\00:44:23.69
for You are with me,
00:44:23.73\00:44:25.09
Your rod and Your
staff they comfort me."
00:44:25.13\00:44:29.16
Because when we're
going through trials,
00:44:29.20\00:44:30.97
and when we're
going through hardships,
00:44:31.00\00:44:33.03
and when we're, you
know, we're having our faith
00:44:33.07\00:44:35.90
and we're remembering
how God has brought us
00:44:35.94\00:44:37.84
through the past
and the enemy is trying
00:44:37.87\00:44:40.48
to discourage us
and block our memory
00:44:40.51\00:44:45.75
of not wanting us to remember
00:44:45.78\00:44:48.72
how God has
answered our prayers.
00:44:48.75\00:44:51.12
God is right there with us
00:44:51.15\00:44:53.92
and He will help us
through and He will comfort us
00:44:53.96\00:44:57.69
and that's why I love
this verse because it says,
00:44:57.73\00:45:00.20
"Even though I
walk through the valley
00:45:00.23\00:45:02.46
of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil,
00:45:02.50\00:45:05.77
for You are with me,
Your rod and Your staff,
00:45:05.80\00:45:08.77
they comfort me."
00:45:08.80\00:45:10.81
And so, for, whoever is watching
00:45:10.84\00:45:14.04
or listening right now,
00:45:14.08\00:45:15.84
I just want to affirm
you and encourage you.
00:45:15.88\00:45:19.65
If you're
dealing with a illness,
00:45:19.68\00:45:21.58
if you're
dealing with a sickness,
00:45:21.62\00:45:23.35
if you're dealing
with a loss of a loved one,
00:45:23.39\00:45:26.25
whatever it is that
00:45:26.29\00:45:27.62
you are facing
financial difficulty,
00:45:27.66\00:45:30.63
whatever the struggle
00:45:30.66\00:45:32.09
and your faith
feels like it's shaking,
00:45:32.13\00:45:34.70
I just want you to
claim this Bible verse today
00:45:34.73\00:45:38.67
and this week,
and know that God,
00:45:38.70\00:45:40.74
He can and He will comfort you,
00:45:40.77\00:45:42.74
and He will not leave you
00:45:42.77\00:45:44.97
and He will help
you through this.
00:45:45.01\00:45:47.78
Amen. Yeah. That's awesome.
00:45:47.81\00:45:49.44
So I want to ask
you, Rachel and Michael,
00:45:49.48\00:45:52.21
since we're on the
topic of struggles of faith,
00:45:52.25\00:45:54.25
has there ever been a
situation in your lives
00:45:54.28\00:45:56.55
that you maybe
struggled to have faith in?
00:45:56.58\00:45:58.75
What was something that you did
00:45:58.79\00:46:00.12
or maybe something
you read in Scripture
00:46:00.16\00:46:01.56
that helped encourage you
to kind of regain that faith?
00:46:01.59\00:46:05.69
Was there any
situation in your lives?
00:46:05.73\00:46:09.76
Well, I think that
everybody has faith,
00:46:09.80\00:46:14.60
but sometimes our
faith may just be misplaced.
00:46:14.64\00:46:19.07
For me, you know,
growing up in the church,
00:46:19.11\00:46:22.91
born and raised, you know,
00:46:22.94\00:46:24.28
in the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
00:46:24.31\00:46:25.65
For me, for the
majority of my life,
00:46:25.68\00:46:29.12
I had misplaced faith,
00:46:29.15\00:46:31.52
because I believe that salvation
00:46:31.55\00:46:34.19
and righteousness came by works.
00:46:34.22\00:46:36.19
So I had faith, but
my faith was in myself
00:46:36.22\00:46:40.43
to be good enough and
righteous enough in order
00:46:40.46\00:46:42.96
to be able to go to heaven.
00:46:43.00\00:46:46.74
And what helped me actually
when I went to undergrad,
00:46:46.77\00:46:51.21
whilst undergrad
at Oakwood University,
00:46:51.24\00:46:53.34
on what helped me is
learning about the truth,
00:46:53.38\00:46:56.71
of the truths of salvation
and righteousness by faith,
00:46:56.75\00:47:01.68
trusting in the goodness of God,
00:47:01.72\00:47:03.35
trusting in what God
has done on our behalf
00:47:03.39\00:47:05.95
rather than trusting myself,
00:47:05.99\00:47:08.19
you know, realizing and
having that epiphany like,
00:47:08.22\00:47:10.19
wow, like, I can
never keep enough Sabbaths,
00:47:10.23\00:47:12.93
I can never read
enough Ellen G. White's books,
00:47:12.96\00:47:14.90
I can never eat enough
veggie meat to be good enough,
00:47:14.93\00:47:20.34
to be able to go to heaven.
00:47:20.37\00:47:24.64
But God helped me to
redirect my faith on to,
00:47:24.67\00:47:28.44
from the sand to the solid rock,
00:47:28.48\00:47:30.55
which is Jesus
Christ, and trust in Him for,
00:47:30.58\00:47:33.75
you know, my salvation
00:47:33.78\00:47:35.38
and trust in Him to continually
help me to grow in Him
00:47:35.42\00:47:39.52
and become more
like Him each day.
00:47:39.55\00:47:41.92
So that was probably
00:47:41.96\00:47:43.76
the biggest
struggle faith I've had.
00:47:43.79\00:47:46.16
And God really helped me
00:47:46.19\00:47:48.30
through the word
by showing me that,
00:47:48.33\00:47:50.10
you know,
00:47:50.13\00:47:51.47
salvation comes by
grace through faith
00:47:51.50\00:47:53.34
in Jesus Christ alone.
00:47:53.37\00:47:54.70
Amen. I like that.
00:47:54.74\00:47:56.07
I think that's good
because knowing our God,
00:47:56.10\00:48:00.11
we have to have faith
that He will keep His promises.
00:48:00.14\00:48:03.45
The things that He
tells us He's gonna do,
00:48:03.48\00:48:04.98
we have to have faith
that He's gonna do it.
00:48:05.01\00:48:07.35
Like we said, through
this whole thing here,
00:48:07.38\00:48:10.79
it can be difficult, you know,
00:48:10.82\00:48:12.65
but we have to do our
best to have faith in that.
00:48:12.69\00:48:15.12
What about you guys?
00:48:15.16\00:48:16.49
Have you guys
ever had a situation
00:48:16.52\00:48:17.86
in your life like that?
00:48:17.89\00:48:19.23
Oh, absolutely. I mean it.
00:48:19.26\00:48:21.46
Wait, you guys have? No, not us.
00:48:21.50\00:48:23.33
Not us, I thought
about someone else.
00:48:23.37\00:48:24.90
No, I mean, I
could sit here all day
00:48:24.93\00:48:27.97
and tell you guys
how important faith is
00:48:28.00\00:48:30.57
but I mean, if
we're all being honest,
00:48:30.61\00:48:32.17
it's way easier said than done,
00:48:32.21\00:48:34.64
way easier and I find
myself not having enough faith
00:48:34.68\00:48:37.75
in more situations
than I'd even like to admit,
00:48:37.78\00:48:40.45
but even just recently,
00:48:40.48\00:48:42.62
I felt like God
was really calling me
00:48:42.65\00:48:45.02
and telling me that Tiara
00:48:45.05\00:48:47.36
and I are going
to start doing skits,
00:48:47.39\00:48:49.72
and performing for Him
00:48:49.76\00:48:51.29
because we used to
be on a drama team.
00:48:51.33\00:48:52.83
And we used to
travel and do these skits.
00:48:52.86\00:48:54.66
And so whenever He told me,
00:48:54.70\00:48:56.03
we were going to
be doing that again,
00:48:56.06\00:48:57.40
I was so excited, I
was pumped, I was ready.
00:48:57.43\00:49:00.44
And then when like a situation
or something would come up,
00:49:00.47\00:49:03.34
I'd be like, this is it.
00:49:03.37\00:49:04.81
This is our opportunity.
00:49:04.84\00:49:06.44
It's it, and then it would fall
through and I get discouraged.
00:49:06.47\00:49:08.94
And then another
opportunity would come up,
00:49:08.98\00:49:11.41
and then people
would be like, okay,
00:49:11.45\00:49:13.08
but you're a little too loud.
00:49:13.11\00:49:14.75
You're a little too crazy.
00:49:14.78\00:49:16.18
You need to calm
down a little bit.
00:49:16.22\00:49:18.15
You can't say
that and, I was like,
00:49:18.19\00:49:20.99
man, God, I thought You told me
00:49:21.02\00:49:23.39
that this is
what we were gonna do.
00:49:23.43\00:49:25.56
And now, it's not happening.
00:49:25.59\00:49:27.63
I was getting so discouraged
and Tiara even told me,
00:49:27.66\00:49:30.63
she said, Jewlee, listen,
00:49:30.67\00:49:32.97
you're letting people
tell you how to do something
00:49:33.00\00:49:36.27
that God has given you.
00:49:36.30\00:49:38.37
And that's not how it works.
00:49:38.41\00:49:40.24
And then I'm telling
you, I had an epiphany.
00:49:40.28\00:49:43.55
I was like, I am
letting people tell me
00:49:43.58\00:49:47.12
how to do things
that God has given me.
00:49:47.15\00:49:49.42
Why am I doing that?
00:49:49.45\00:49:51.12
You're never going to
please everyone as long
00:49:51.15\00:49:53.52
as you're faithful to
God and listening to Him.
00:49:53.56\00:49:55.49
That's just what you have to do.
00:49:55.52\00:49:57.29
So often though,
we let people dictate
00:49:57.33\00:49:59.66
the boundaries of our own faith.
00:49:59.69\00:50:01.03
Exactly. They get to
tell us how far we can go.
00:50:01.06\00:50:04.20
Yeah. Why do we let that happen?
00:50:04.23\00:50:06.63
We just talked about
00:50:06.67\00:50:08.00
how our God can
move mountains and stuff.
00:50:08.04\00:50:10.34
But we fell short
in that and everything
00:50:10.37\00:50:14.48
and it's just common,
don't let people dictate
00:50:14.51\00:50:17.38
the boundary of your faith.
00:50:17.41\00:50:19.25
Yeah. And that's what I thought.
00:50:19.28\00:50:21.28
I thought okay, so maybe, maybe
we can start doing some skits
00:50:21.32\00:50:25.39
at some local churches.
00:50:25.42\00:50:26.76
And then I thought,
well, why stop there?
00:50:26.79\00:50:28.92
We could travel all
over Southern Illinois
00:50:28.96\00:50:30.73
and perform all
these skits for God.
00:50:30.76\00:50:33.16
Why stop there?
00:50:33.19\00:50:34.53
We could go
anywhere that God sends us
00:50:34.56\00:50:36.90
and we could win
thousands of souls to Christ.
00:50:36.93\00:50:39.60
There's no limit in God,
like having full faith in God.
00:50:39.63\00:50:43.34
That's crazy but that's
what we're called to do.
00:50:43.37\00:50:46.21
We tend to put God
in a box. Yes, we do.
00:50:46.24\00:50:49.08
Because we only can
see our possibilities,
00:50:49.11\00:50:53.18
and not see what God can make
impossibilities for us, right?
00:50:53.21\00:50:57.29
We can only see from our
own narrow viewpoint. Yeah.
00:50:57.32\00:51:01.12
Let's say we don't
have peripheral vision,
00:51:01.16\00:51:02.56
so to speak, right?
00:51:02.59\00:51:03.93
We can only see
what's in front of us.
00:51:03.96\00:51:06.16
So it's really amazing how,
00:51:06.19\00:51:09.36
as we grow in our faith
00:51:09.40\00:51:11.23
like you were
just giving an example,
00:51:11.27\00:51:12.60
as we grow in
believing that God's gonna do
00:51:12.63\00:51:14.57
what He's gonna do,
and He's gonna lead us
00:51:14.60\00:51:16.84
to what He's calling us to do,
00:51:16.87\00:51:18.61
and provide
opportunities for that.
00:51:18.64\00:51:20.38
It's amazing that He will
exceed anything you can think,
00:51:20.41\00:51:25.71
in your own mind every time.
00:51:25.75\00:51:29.22
And it's just
really a beautiful thing.
00:51:29.25\00:51:31.15
Rachel, it sounded
like maybe you want to say
00:51:31.19\00:51:32.72
something on this topic
of having an example of this?
00:51:32.75\00:51:37.26
Sure.
00:51:37.29\00:51:38.63
Well, I mean, I'm
just being touched
00:51:38.66\00:51:40.43
by everything you guys
are saying and so blessed.
00:51:40.46\00:51:44.90
I'm so thankful
for who our God is.
00:51:44.93\00:51:48.50
There's so much I
think that we all could say,
00:51:48.54\00:51:52.84
so many stories we
all could share of times
00:51:52.87\00:51:57.15
where God has
intervened in our lives,
00:51:57.18\00:52:00.25
times where God has
performed miracles in our lives.
00:52:00.28\00:52:03.95
One thing that I have noticed,
00:52:03.99\00:52:06.59
related to that is that God,
00:52:06.62\00:52:10.29
He will wait until
the very last second
00:52:10.33\00:52:15.66
to answer our prayers.
00:52:15.70\00:52:20.10
And something
along with that is,
00:52:20.14\00:52:23.44
if I remember many times,
00:52:23.47\00:52:25.81
very recently as well
being in a very tough situation.
00:52:25.84\00:52:29.74
And if I had stopped praying,
00:52:29.78\00:52:33.72
if I had stopped praying,
00:52:33.75\00:52:35.78
I honestly don't know
what would have happened.
00:52:35.82\00:52:40.22
I'm so grateful
to God for answering
00:52:40.26\00:52:43.43
that prayer in particular.
00:52:43.46\00:52:45.96
And I'm just saying all
of this to make the point
00:52:45.99\00:52:50.67
that we can't give
up, we can't give up.
00:52:50.70\00:52:54.40
We talked about this earlier,
praying without ceasing,
00:52:54.44\00:52:58.11
rejoicing, keeping
that hope in Jesus.
00:52:58.14\00:53:02.04
Because God will,
00:53:02.08\00:53:03.51
we're talking
about the mustard seed,
00:53:03.55\00:53:05.78
having faith of the
size of the mustard seed.
00:53:05.81\00:53:07.85
God will do the
impossible for us,
00:53:07.88\00:53:11.52
but we have to continue
to play the part as well,
00:53:11.55\00:53:15.96
we have to keep praying,
00:53:15.99\00:53:17.86
putting one foot in
front of the other as well.
00:53:17.89\00:53:21.23
Sometimes we can't do it
alone and so don't feel bad
00:53:21.26\00:53:25.03
if you have to
reach out to friends
00:53:25.07\00:53:27.60
or family or
loved ones for help.
00:53:27.64\00:53:30.44
Because we're not meant
to go through life alone,
00:53:30.47\00:53:33.11
especially when
you're in difficult moments
00:53:33.14\00:53:36.44
and so that is also something
to keep in mind as well.
00:53:36.48\00:53:40.22
And so, I'm just so thankful.
00:53:40.25\00:53:42.98
And I just want
to give praise to God
00:53:43.02\00:53:44.92
for many answered
prayers in my life
00:53:44.95\00:53:47.96
and for all of your lives
00:53:47.99\00:53:50.29
and for those who are
listening and watching.
00:53:50.33\00:53:52.73
I know that there will be
many answered prayers to come
00:53:52.76\00:53:55.56
as well for them too.
00:53:55.60\00:53:57.10
Praise the Lord.
Yeah, I love that.
00:53:57.13\00:54:00.14
It's amazing
because our impossible
00:54:00.17\00:54:03.54
is God's
possible and I love that,
00:54:03.57\00:54:06.24
our impossible
is God's possible.
00:54:06.27\00:54:07.91
That's right. Thankful for that.
00:54:07.94\00:54:09.28
We only have about
three minutes left, guys.
00:54:09.31\00:54:12.05
So this has gone really fast.
00:54:12.08\00:54:13.65
This has been a really great,
great discussion, great study.
00:54:13.68\00:54:16.28
Thank you all so much for
joining us on this program.
00:54:16.32\00:54:18.92
But let's talk about
something that I think over,
00:54:18.95\00:54:22.32
you know, the COVID period
00:54:22.36\00:54:23.93
has really been a
topic among Christians
00:54:23.96\00:54:25.79
and even those
who aren't Christians,
00:54:25.83\00:54:27.40
which is faith
versus fear, right?
00:54:27.43\00:54:31.23
Can you be fearful but
still have faith in God?
00:54:31.27\00:54:33.74
And there's various
opinions and ideas on that,
00:54:33.77\00:54:36.20
but we're gonna
stick as best to Scripture
00:54:36.24\00:54:38.17
as we possibly can.
00:54:38.21\00:54:39.54
Yeah.
00:54:39.57\00:54:40.91
Now something that as I
was studying these verses
00:54:40.94\00:54:42.28
for this specific topic here,
00:54:42.31\00:54:45.11
something that I
noticed in Scripture
00:54:45.15\00:54:47.92
is that a lot of
times our fear leads us
00:54:47.95\00:54:51.02
to faith and trust in God.
00:54:51.05\00:54:53.52
And we can see this
time and time again.
00:54:53.56\00:54:56.12
In the Bible, one verse,
00:54:56.16\00:54:57.49
particularly that I'm
thinking of is Psalm 56:3-4,
00:54:57.53\00:55:01.00
which says, "When I'm afraid,
00:55:01.03\00:55:02.56
I put my trust in
You," obviously meaning God,
00:55:02.60\00:55:05.87
"in God whose words I praise,
00:55:05.90\00:55:07.84
in God I trust, I
shall not be afraid,
00:55:07.87\00:55:10.31
what can flesh do to me?"
00:55:10.34\00:55:13.61
And then, of
course, there's this promise
00:55:13.64\00:55:15.18
in Isaiah 41 that says,
"Fear not, for I'm with you,
00:55:15.21\00:55:18.35
be not dismayed
for I'm your God,
00:55:18.38\00:55:19.95
I'll strengthen you
and I will help you.
00:55:19.98\00:55:21.98
I'll uphold you
with My righteous hand."
00:55:22.02\00:55:24.02
Amen.
00:55:24.05\00:55:25.75
So what I see in Scripture,
at least for this specific topic
00:55:25.79\00:55:29.46
is that regardless of
where we're at in our lives,
00:55:29.49\00:55:33.29
we may have fear and
we're gonna have fear.
00:55:33.33\00:55:35.70
There's a lot of
examples in Scripture,
00:55:35.73\00:55:39.13
even Jesus was fearful
in the Garden of Gethsemane,
00:55:39.17\00:55:43.71
when He was praying to
God, and He said, "Lord,
00:55:43.74\00:55:45.57
if it be possible, let
this cup pass from Me."
00:55:45.61\00:55:47.64
But He said, "Let
Your will be done,"
00:55:47.68\00:55:50.05
after that, regardless.
00:55:50.08\00:55:51.68
So He was putting His
faith in God and saying,
00:55:51.71\00:55:54.58
Lord, I'm about to go through
something that I'm not even,
00:55:54.62\00:55:57.32
in His human flesh, He
couldn't even comprehend.
00:55:57.35\00:56:00.82
But He still was able
to put His trust in God,
00:56:00.86\00:56:03.09
which is so amazing.
00:56:03.12\00:56:04.46
And Jesus is our
greatest example. Exactly.
00:56:04.49\00:56:06.46
So we have only
about a minute and a half.
00:56:06.49\00:56:07.83
So really
quick, short responses,
00:56:07.86\00:56:09.40
who's got a response?
00:56:09.43\00:56:11.93
I think fear is always
going to try to stop you.
00:56:11.97\00:56:15.47
It will always be there.
00:56:15.50\00:56:16.94
When God calls
you out for something,
00:56:16.97\00:56:18.87
fear is going to try
to be there to stop you.
00:56:18.91\00:56:21.01
A lot of the times
it does stop people.
00:56:21.04\00:56:22.64
Don't let it stop you.
00:56:22.68\00:56:24.21
Don't let fear stop you.
00:56:24.25\00:56:26.25
Fear is always going to
try to dirty your vision
00:56:26.28\00:56:28.45
for what God has for you.
00:56:28.48\00:56:29.82
But if you let
go, and you let God,
00:56:29.85\00:56:33.46
that fear will become the soil
in which your faith will grow.
00:56:33.49\00:56:36.99
So just remember that.
00:56:37.03\00:56:38.69
She is preaching.
I'm preaching, I'm here.
00:56:38.73\00:56:41.93
All right, anybody
else got something on that?
00:56:41.96\00:56:44.47
Faith over fear, anybody?
00:56:44.50\00:56:48.14
Just keep trusting in
God, no matter what happens,
00:56:48.17\00:56:51.27
just don't let fear control you,
00:56:51.31\00:56:53.21
just give it to
God, submit it to God,
00:56:53.24\00:56:55.51
and keep claiming
Jesus over your life
00:56:55.54\00:56:58.31
and He will take care of you.
00:56:58.35\00:57:00.52
Amen. That's powerful.
00:57:00.55\00:57:02.92
All right, guys, I
just want to thank you all
00:57:02.95\00:57:04.49
so much for joining us today.
00:57:04.52\00:57:05.85
Of course,
Jewlee and Tiara on set.
00:57:05.89\00:57:07.96
Then, of course, our
friends, Rachael and Michael,
00:57:07.99\00:57:10.99
who were joining us via Skype.
00:57:11.03\00:57:12.36
Just thank you guys
so much for being a part
00:57:12.39\00:57:13.93
of this program with us.
00:57:13.96\00:57:15.30
And we want to thank you
for joining us today as well.
00:57:15.33\00:57:17.40
Know we're praying
for you, and that we pray
00:57:17.43\00:57:19.83
that this program
has been a blessing
00:57:19.87\00:57:21.30
and hopefully you
got something out of it.
00:57:21.34\00:57:23.20
And if you're
struggling in your faith,
00:57:23.24\00:57:25.17
I just pray that
God will help replenish
00:57:25.21\00:57:27.18
that in your life
and help that grow.
00:57:27.21\00:57:28.91
Well, until next time, friends,
00:57:28.94\00:57:30.28
remember to keep
moving forward in Jesus.
00:57:30.31\00:57:32.65