Episodi
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What if declaring God’s promises in scripture could revive your hope, invigorate your faith, and release God’s power to cause breakthrough in your life? This video reveals how declaring God’s word over your life turns your struggles into strength, and your greatest trials into opportunities for God to show up for you in miraculous ways.
You could be in a dark place right now, caused by a painful failure, economic hardship, a devastating loss, a broken relationship, a debilitating illness or injury, or a situation that is entirely beyond your control.
Regardless of the circumstances, these times of darkness and desolation can leave you feeling drained, hopeless, and uncertain of the path forward. Ezekiel reveals God’s provision for you to overcome.
Link to “Igniting Hope in 40 Days” as promised: https://amzn.to/3XFSPjs . (This is an affiliate link)
00:00 Introduction
2:18 Dry Bones, hear the Word of the Lord
2:46 The Word and the Spirit
3:41 Speak to the Dead Areas of Your Life
4:21 Jesus Spoke Life to People and Situations
5:26 Speak God’s Promises to Your Problems
6:54 Why do we need to declare God’s promises?
7:50 Speak to the mountains (problems) in your life
9:32 Activation
Ezekiel 37: Dry Bones, Hear the Word of the Lord
Holy Spirit led Ezekiel to this valley filled with human bones, thousands and thousands of bones – old and dried out. As they walked among the bones,
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! 5 This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
How did the old, dead bones come together and human bodies be formed around them? Holy Spirit told Ezekiel to prophesy to the old, dry bones scattered throughout the valley: “Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord.”
An army of people was formed, but they were not yet alive.
What brought them to life? The “ruach” – the Hebrew word used in scripture to mean breath, wind, and the Holy Spirit of God.
Ezekiel prophesied to the wind and the Holy Spirit brought the army (the Hebrew people) back to life by breathing God’s life into them.
This is a also prophetic picture of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit bringing Christians to life and bringing to life the dead areas of our lives.
As we speak the Word of God over our lives, Holy Spirit brings life to the dead areas of our lives.
“You and I also must continually speak to dead areas in our lives and circumstances. A main method of God bringing change to a situation is for one of His children to speak His promises over people and circumstances. "God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did" (Romans 4:17).” Steve Backlund, Igniting Faith in 40 Days.
As a man, Jesus frequently spoke to problems, commanding them to submit to God’s word. John 6:63 NIV, 2 Timothy 3:16
You, too Have the Power to “Speak Life “ as You Speak God’s Promises Over Your Circumstances Proverbs 18:21, 1 Peter 1:23, Romans 10:10 NLT, Romans 10:17,
We live in a fallen world. John 16:33, 1 John 5:4
Jesus Told Us To Speak to The Mountains (our problems) Mark 11:23
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What can Nehemiah’s rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem teach you about how to rebuild the brokenness in your life? Nehemiah is an Old Testament story with a powerful New Testament application!
00:00 Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes
3:36 Types and Shadows
– Nehemiah (Holy Spirit)
5:06 - Rebuilding the Temple (Salvation – born again)
5:50 -Broken Walls and Burned Gates (damages of sin)
walls – Biblical principles and truths that protect and create safe boundaries
Gates – decision making (self government)
7:18 Rebuilding is hard
8:58 Satan Resists Us. We must fight back.
12:01 4 Key Take Aways from this Video
14:07 Activation
How Nehemiah enabled the people of Jerusalem to rebuild the destroyed walls and gates of the city in 52 days. The People had been trying to do that for almost 70 years!!! How did he do it?
Types and Shadows
Nehemiah’s name means “comforter or consoler.” Nehemiah is a type (a prophetic symbol) of the Holy Spirit, who was given to all men upon Jesus’ death and resurrection. Holy Spirit is the comforter Jesus promised to send to us in John 14:26.
Restoring the Human Spirit and Soul
The rebuilding of Jerusalem is a type (a model) of the restoration of a person.
The Temple Represents the Spirit of a Man
The rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem is a type of the spirit of a man being regenerated - born again.
The Broken Walls and Burned Gates Represent the Damage Done to Our Souls (minds, wills, and emotions) by Sin
The walls – are the boundaries (the principles and truths established by God) to protect us and keep us within God’s will. They keep us in a place of blessing and safety.
Gates in scripture represent government (it’s where the important decisions in a city were made). Gates are our ability to govern ourselves – our decision-making ability. Our gates must be rebuilt – our ability to make good, godly decisions about what to let in and what to keep out must be restored.
Nehemiah Empowered the People to Do in 52 Days what they Could Not Do in 66 Years
Nehemiah 6:15-16
So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days.
16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.
Key Points:
1. You can’t fix your brokenness. Only Holy Spirit can.
2. Holy Spirit directs the work. He initiates, He provides the materials to build (the Word of God, the power of God, and relationship with God and God’s people). Your role is to take the materials He provides and use them to rebuild the brokenness in your life as He directs..
3. If you don’t co-labor with Holy Spirit, you will not rebuild your personality. You will be saved, but living in the rubble of your past. Your gates will be down. You will be a broken Christian, saved but broken, open to ungodly influence, and unable to fulfill God’s purposes and plans for your life.
4. Nehemiah’s work required the King’s authority to get the job done. Satan will oppose every step you take to become who God created you to become. Jesus warned us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
1 John 5:4 This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Faith isn’t faith unless you act on it. Our actions solidify and strengthen our faith.
James 2:17 NLT
So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
ACTIVATION: Please see the video and do the activation!!
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Episodi mancanti?
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For years I was taught God was strict, harsh and just waiting to punish me if I sinned. Many years later, I came to know Him. And he is just the opposite – powerful, yet humble, loving, kind, understanding and wanting more than anything to have relationship with me.
Instead of doing a traditional teaching, I felt God saying to let His Word speak directly to you.
Let these words wash over you, renewing your mind, strengthening your faith, and drawing you into a revelation of the heart, power and purpose of God for you.
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17
7 Cornerstone Beliefs of a Biblical Worldview (1 of 7)
Cornerstone Belief #1 God is the creator of all things. He is all-powerful, knows everything, and is present in all places at the same time. He is loving, righteous, merciful, and he wants relationship with everyone.
00:00 Introduction
56 Scriptures:
0:50 1. God is the Creator of All Things:
Isaiah 45:12, Colossians 1:16, Psalm 33:6, Revelation 4:11, Hebrews 11:3, Jeremiah 10:12-13
2:46 2. God is All-Powerful (Omnipotent):
Jeremiah 32:17, Isaiah 40:28, Matthew 19:26, 2 Peter 1:3,Job 42:2 , Luke 1:37,
Colossians 2:15 , 1 John 4:4, 1 John 3:8
4:32 3. God Knows Everything (Omniscient):
Proverbs 15:3, Hebrews 4:13, Isaiah 46:9-10, Isaiah 42:9, Psalm 139:1-4
5:56 4. God is Present in All Places at the Same Time (Omnipresent):
Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:24, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 139:7-10, Matthew 28:20, Matthew 6:6, Job 34:21
7:29 5. God is Loving:
Exodus 34:5-7, Psalm 136:26, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:4-5 , Romans 8:37-39,
1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:19
9:21 6. God is Righteous:
Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 145:17, Isaiah 41:10, Isaiah 5:16, Romans 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Timothy 4:8, Psalm 71:19
11:07 7. God is Merciful:
Lamentations 3:22-23, Psalm 103:8, Ephesians 2:4-5, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 23:6
12: 35 8. God Wants Relationship with Everyone
Jeremiah 29:13, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16, John 17:3, James 4:8, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, John 1:12-13
1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
I pray that this video strengthened your faith to know the power, the love, and the purpose that God has for you.
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“We get saved by believing in Jesus,
but we get free by believing like Jesus.”
Steve Backlund
00:00 Our worldview – hundreds of decisions each day
0:52 Biblical Worldview
1:51 American Adults Have Rejected a Biblical Worldview
3:01 Keep Yourself in the Love of God
6:56 7 Cornerstone Beliefs of an Unshakeable Christian Worldview
10:53 Activation
Introduction : Our Worldview determines the hundreds of decisions we make each day. It determines the direction of our lives. Without a core set of beliefs, a worldview, we would stumble over every decision.
Worldview is a lens through which we see the world. Through our experiences and influences of others around us (family, school, work, culture, media, social media, etc) we create a framework of core beliefs which become a mental, spiritual, and emotional filter through which we make choices. This filter determines what we believe is true, important, and appropriate.
Every decision we make goes through that filter. What we believe determines what we will do.
A Biblical Worldview.
A Biblical worldview is simply to think like Jesus. Thinking like Jesus will set you free to live like Jesus. Hebrews 4:2 AMP
Problem: Dr, George Barna ,The American Worldview Inventory 2024 reveals that American adults, including many in the church, have rejected a Biblical Worldview and have created their own ideas of what is true, important, and appropriate.66% of American adults self-identified as Christians. But only 6% had a Biblical Worldview.
Psalm 11:3 AMP
“If the foundations [of a godly society] are destroyed, What can the righteous do?”
What can we do to make sure we don’t fall victim to false beliefs that look and sound good? What can we do to believe like Jesus and live a godly life when we’re bombarded by so many conflicting ideas? When we’re pressured to go along?
Keep Yourself in the Love of God
Jude 1:20-21
by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love ...
We stay under the love, the protection and care of God by staying within the walls of protections he has created for us. The principles of the Word of God are the walls of protection that protect us, that give us life and defeat the schemes and destroy the works of the devil.
We " keep ourselves in the love of God" by
*Pray as led and empowered by the Holy Spirit and
*We build ourselves up in "our most holy faith." We believe what God says, and nothing else. His Word is truth. Everything in conflict with it is NOT TRUE. It doesn't matter what we think. It doesn't matter what we want or how we feel.
Dr. Barna’s 2024 Research
He found 7 cornerstone beliefs that were accurate indicators of a Biblical worldview. 83% (4/5) people who had a Biblical Worldview believed all 7 of these beliefs. Only 2% of people who rejected 1 or more of these 7 cornerstone beliefs had a Biblical Worldview. (American Worldview Inventory 2024)
The 7 foundational beliefs below are a starting place for us. They are a simple, yet powerful way to build your life on the solid foundation of God’s Word. They and 7 simple beliefs to teach our children and new believers. To give them a foundation that can’t be shaken. You know your children are going to be exposed to many conflicting ideas in school and throughout their lives. What if you could establish these as their worldview – their mental filters which would help them sort through and reject all the clever deceptions they will be tempted to believe? Wouldn’t that be powerful? And not just for your kids, but for you and I. And new believers!
See the podcast for the 7 Cornerstone Beliefs and the Activation
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Have you every been embarrassed, even ashamed because your personality or your behavior doesn’t measure up to your faith as a Christian? Be encouraged, the God who saved you will restore you. That process is in this podcast.
You are born again. You really do love God. And you know He loves you. But you may struggle with anger that erupts. Or lust that runs wild in your mind. You might struggle with insecurity, anxiety and fears, despair or depression or something else. After you’ve experienced failure in your weaknesses again and again you begin to feel helpless to change them.
You don’t want to be this way. You wonder, “Why am I so broken?” “Why can’t I be who the Bible says I am? You may blame yourself. You may start having doubts about God.
The God who saved you WILL restore you. Redemption includes salvation of your spirit and restoration of your soul (your mind, will, and emotions.) God regenerated your spirit and he will restore your soul. But it is a process and you need to get involved.
God’s plan is to restore us to the high destiny and purpose Adam and Eve had before the fall. To do that, he needs
1st to restore our relationship with Him as our Lord, our Father, and friend.
2nd God needs to restore our ability to rule the earth. This begins with the ability to rule ourselves.
1st Restoring Relationship. When we were born again, our spirits were regenerated. We became new creatures.
Our spirits were sanctified by God. Sanctified means “to make holy” and “set apart for God’s special purposes.”
2nd Restoring rulership.
Before we can effectively co-labor with God to establish His Kingdom here on earth, we need to rule ourselves.
The soul (the mind, will, and emotions) is the command center of man. Unless our souls are restored by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, our behavior will driven by what we think, feel, or want. We will live soulish lives, driven by our basest desires. We do whatever we want. See Galatians 5:17 NLT
We sometimes don’t do the right thing, the thing we want to do. We give in to our desires and emotions.
Unless we are healed and restored, the wounds and pain of our past will cause us to limp through life, born again but broken and causing ourselves and others great pain.
Only God Can Restore Our Souls.
Restoration is Called Sanctification in the Bible
See 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Sanctification is God’s process to restore us to be whole and complete – who God initially created us to be. Sanctification means “to be holy” and “to set apart for God’s special purposes.”
Our spirits are made holy and set apart for God’s special purposes when we are born again. Our spirits are regenerated. They are sanctified by God.
Our souls (our thoughts, beliefs, desires, impulses, drives, and feelings) are NOT sanctified when we are born again. They are sanctified over time, as we submit to Holy Spirit and renew our minds with the Word of God
Our bodies are not sanctified on this earth. But we can discipline them and develop good habits. We will receive new, sanctified bodies in heaven.
Activation: Do this and be changed. See the video. (Not included because of space limitations)
As you do the process above, Holy Spirit will rebuild that part of your personality, healing old wounds and restoring you to become the person God created you to be – a new creation who thinks, looks, and acts like Jesus because you have the heart of Christ.
You will live life with joy and peace, purpose and power. Others will look at you and want what you have. That is God’s plan for your life.
“What the Holy Spirit is up to is bringing the whole life of Jesus Christ into the whole of our personalities so that the whole love of God can be relayed to the whole world.”
Jack Hayford
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Do you believe your present failures mean that God won't be able to complete his purpose in your life? Learn how to grasp God’s power to heal and restore you. The God who saved you WILL restore you!
00:00 Introduction
1: 17 Is that You? Are You Saved, but Feeling Inadequate to Be Used By God?
2:56 Only You Can Stop God’s Plan For Your Life
4:56 The Intent of Your Heart is Greater Than Your Failures
5:49 Activation: Take Daily Steps in the Right Direction
6:44 How to Pray
Pastor Jack Hayford, who pastored a church that grew to 10,000 people over 30 years, writes:
“I have spoken with thousands of people who view their present failures as guarantees that God will never be able to complete His purpose in their lives. For these people—indeed for most of us—a call to obedience seems a virtual seal against victory, because, they feel, perfect obedience eludes them.”
“Rebuilding the Real You, p 51”
Is that You? Are You Saved, but Feeling Inadequate to Be Used By God?
I had been an alcoholic for 10 years when I was born again. That’s exactly how I felt. I was ashamed of my outbursts of anger, the lust I struggled with, and I was discovering just how shellfish I had become. How could God ever use me?
John 10:10 AMP Jesus said:
The thief [Satan] comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
1 John 3:8 NASB
Pastor Hayford writes:
The Lord who saved you has a long - term purpose for you . You will be moved from being marginalized in life to finding the central purpose of your life .
you will come to know what “ holy ” really means — “ wholly whole , ” completely restored .
You are learning how God’s restoration program is included in His gift of redemption in Christ . He regenerated you; He will restore you . Redemption includes a reborn spirit and a restored soul — a certain recovery of all that’s been stolen in the past
Rebuilding the Real You, p 46
Only We Can Stop God’s Plan For Our Lives
If we get discouraged and quit, Satan wins.
Your heart’s desire is the only thing that will limit you. Are you willing to do whatever God wants you to? Is your heart set to please God in the time you have left on the earth?
Paul wasted 30 years of his life. He chased, imprisoned, and killed Christians. Paul became perhaps the greatest Christian to ever live. He wrote 2/3 of the New Testament. Despite his horrible beginning, Paul was able to say at the end of his life: “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7
How could God do so much through Paul? Paul’s heart desire was to complete everything God had planned for him. If that’s your heart, God will use you greatly too!
Your Heart For God is Greater than Your Failures
Your sins and failures have been forgiven and forgotten by God when you were born again. Isaiah 43:25 NKJV, Romans 8:1 NASB, 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
Pastor Hayford concludes:
‘…. The intent of your heart to obey the Lord counts far more than what kind of a personality or performance record you possess. First Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
Clearly, God is not as concerned with our perfection as He is with our direction. The praying heart that is intent on obedience may not immediately perfect those intentions, but God is set to respond to us according to our “heartset.” ‘Ibid p 51.
Activation: The Way Forward – Take Daily Steps in the Right Direction (see the video)
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What is more devastating than having your dreams, your hopes or expectations crushed? How can you recover from that? Declaring God’s Word will release His power into your situation and lift you out of the disappointment, doubt, fear, and discouragement you are experiencing.
00:00 *Know who we’re fighting.
02:34 *Take Heart, Jesus Defeated Satan!
3:02 *Our Faith in Jesus applies His victory over Satan to Our Lives
3:42 Jesus Spoke God’s Word to Defeat Satan – You Can Too!
5:10 The tongue has the power of life. How can that be?
7:18 Speak to the Mountain
7:56 DECLARATIONS
*Know Your Enemy
We have an enemy who hates us and is actively trying to destroy us. We need to fight back. He won’t leave us alone until we force him to.
Satan means “adversary.” Satan is God’s adversary. He opposes God, the things of God, and anyone God loves. He can’t touch God, so he comes after you and I – those whom God loves.
His common name is Devil which means “false accuser” or “slanderer.” He sows seeds of doubt, deception, confusion, discouragement, depression, temptation, and offense.
Somehow, he is able to place these seeds as thoughts in our minds.
Disappointment is one of his weapons to hurt us. He uses disappointment to create great pain in our lives. Pain that can drag us down and hurt us over a long time. Pain that causes us to give up on dreams and live defeated lives. It’s time to fight back .
Human beings are no match for Satan.
*But We Are Not Alone. We Have God – God is infinitely more powerful than Satan. When we unite our lives with God, through Christ, God makes His power available to us. Joshua 1:9, 1 John 4:4
*Take Heart, Jesus Defeated Satan!Satan is a Defeated Foe. Jesus completely defeated him for us. But we have to enforce Jesus’ victory.
Jesus said “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
*Our Faith in Jesus and the Work of the Cross applies His victory over Satan to Our Lives
1 John 5:4-5 NIV
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
God speaks things into existence. We do too!
Genesis begins with God creating things by speaking them into existence. God’s Words have creative Power.
Jesus Spoke God’s Word to Defeat Satan – You Can Too!
Satan came into the desert to tempt Jesus who was weak from 40 days of fasting.
Satan twisted scripture into lies to deceive and tempt Jesus. Jesus had the same answer to every temptation: “It is written” and a Bible verse. Speaking Bible truth defeated Satan every time. (John 4:1-11)
Jesus said: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.” John 6:63 NIV
This means The Holy Spirit is at work producing life through Christ’s words. All scripture is God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3:16 Speaking God’s word creates life.
Proverbs 18:21
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.The tongue has the power of life. How can that be?
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
Speaking God’s Word plants powerful seeds of life in us. John 8:31-32
Speak to The Mountains, The Problems in Your Life. Mark 11:23
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God has a very powerful way of dealing with difficult, even impossible people. It defies logic. Yet, the results are astonishing. Let’s explore God’s answer to the difficult people in our lives.
00:00 Frank’s Story
03:57 What is Agape?
05:31 4 Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape
David Wilkerson
06:26 Stephen,
06:43 Corrie ten Boom,
07:40 Elizabeth Elliot
9:10 Activation
Human love is transactional. If you love me, I’ll probably love you back. But if you are rude or do something I don’t like not only will I withdraw my love, but I’ll respond in kind.
God’s love – agape is God loving us because of who He is, not who we are or what we do. God commands us to give love to people.
Mark 12:30-31
Real Life Examples of Overcoming Evil With Agape
Agape is David Wilkerson, a small town minister whose heart was broken by the lives of gang members in New York City. In 1958, Wilkerson met Nicky Cruz, leader of the most violent gang in New York. Wilkerson told Nicky: “God has the power to change your life.” Nicky cursed, hit Wilkerson, spit in his face, and told him, “I don’t believe in what you say and you get out of here.” Wilkerson replied, “You could cut me up into a 1000 pieces and lay them in the street. Every piece will still love you.” Nicky couldn’t stop thinking about Wilkerson’s words of love. Nicky Cruz’ life was radically transformed by God’s love flowing through David Wilkerson. Nicky not only gave his life to Christ, but he became an evangelist.
Agape is Stephen, as the mob stoned him to death. Acts 7:60: Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” Then he died. He loved and forgave his murderers with his dying breath.
Agape is Corrie Ten Boom forgiving Jan Vogels, the paid informer, who sent her family to concentration camps for helping Jews escape the Nazi’s in Holland. Her sister, father, and brother all died as a result. Vogels was convicted of war crimes and sentenced to death.
God told Corrie to forgive him. She couldn’t. God gave her Romans 5:5 so she could forgive him.
“ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
She prayed and Holy Spirit poured God’s love into her heart. She forgave Jan Vogels with the love God gave her. She wrote a letter to him saying she forgave him. He wrote back. If you could forgive me by God’s love, there is hope for me. He gave his life to Jesus.
Agape is Elizabeth Elliot returning to the Waorani Indians in the jungles of Ecuador who killed her husband and 4 other missionaries with spears. She and others brought many of the isolated Waorani to Jesus.
Agape is selfless, unconditional, sacrificial love. It is love that only comes from God. This the love God commanded us to have for others.
Agape is love that flows from who you are in Christ, not who the other person is or what they do. So their response to you is irrelevant. God’s love never fades, never fails, and is never withdrawn. David Wilkerson, Corrie ten Boom, and Elizabeth Elliot all learned to move and live in that bottomless, unconditional love of God. You can too!
God wants us to come alongside people and show them the possibilities of life. He wants us to show them what it looks like to be loved by Jesus and to be changed by Jesus' love. We are His message, written on human hearts.
John 13:35
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Activation – Go love a difficult person
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How can you possibly trust God in the times you are drowning in hardship, suffering and heartache?
Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, remained a slave in Egypt for 11 years, then his life went from bad to worse. He was falsely convicted of rape and put in prison. How could anyone trust God after all that? Joseph’s life reveals 4 keys to trusting God despite the circumstances of your life.
00:00 Joseph’s Story
4:08 Key #1 to Trusting God. God causes all thing to work for your good.
6:03 Key #2 To Trusting God. God is Greater than anything you face!
7:02 Key #3 to Trusting God. God’s plan is greater than your understanding.
8:29 Key #4 to Trusting God. God’s Love for You is Real, It’s tangible.
10:14 Activation
Promised Link: Chuck Colson’s great book: “Born Again” https://amzn.to/3WCCiNY This is an affiliate link.
Joseph’s Story (see the video)
*Key #1 to Trusting God. God causes all thing to work for your good.
How God turned everything that happened to Joseph into something amazing – he became #2 in all Egypt. Chuck Colson’s story of redemption.
Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Ephesians 2:10
*Key #2 To Trusting God. God is Greater than anything you face!
Genesis 29:20-21 tells us “the Lord was with him”, was kind to him and gave him favor.
Even more so, the Holy Spirit is always with us to help us and be with us forever:
John 14:16-17: Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. … he lives with you and will be in you.
1 John 4:4
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
God, the Holy Spirit who is always with you, is infinitely more powerful that Satan, the fallen angel and all his minions combined.
*Key #3 to Trusting God. God’s plan is greater than your understanding.
First, God has a plan. A great and wonderful plan to redeem mankind. God’s primary goal is to save us and transform us to be like Jesus.
There will be things we don’t know or can’t understand about God’s greater plan and what is happening to us. What is happening in our lives may not make sense. For 13 years, Joseph’s life didn’t make sense. Then, suddenly, it did! Joseph’s life was lived to save the lives of everyone in his family, the Israelites.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
In the prison, at the lowest point of his life, God was working in Joseph. It may have felt like God had forgotten him, but God had great plans for Joseph.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God’s plans for you are good! God is the redeemer – who turns bad into good in our lives.
*Key #4 to Trusting God. God’s Love for You is Real, It’s tangible.
What God did for Joseph, he will do for you. He will use your greatest struggles to grow your character, then lift you out of those struggles when you are ready to do the things God has planned for your life.
Isaiah 59:14 is a precious promise.
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
See Activation. #davemilford
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By the end of this video, you will have 7 keys to help you tune into God’s voice and to be confident that you hear him clearly. I’ve taught others to hear God in online and face to face courses. I believe nothing will improve your life more than hearing God clearly.
00 7 Keys to Hearing God Clearly
3:06 1. God still speaks to people today.
4:02 2. God speaks from His dwelling place, our hearts.
4:39 3. God gives us the privilege and the responsibility of hearing His voice.
5:30 4. If you want to continue to hear from Jesus, do what He told you to do.
6:39 5. Silence other voices.
7:31 6. Does it sound like Jesus?
8:52 7. Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
9:51 ACTIVATION
Links Promised
The Purple Pig and Other Miracles, Dick Eastman https://amzn.to/3zXXC7r
Questions for Jesus, Tony Stoltzfus https://amzn.to/3WtqYDx
These are affiliate links.
I’m looking for You, Jesus
I went all over Beijing asking missionaries, “Do you hear God?” “How do you experience Jesus?”
I began to have precious times with Jesus, all alone, in my room at a small college over an hour north of the heart of Beijing. I felt His presence. He talked to me. Not long conversations, but I began to “hear” Him more and more.
Over time, I learned to know His voice and the ways He “spoke” to me. I realized he had been “talking” to me for years. I just had not realized it was Him.
My Sheep Know My Voice
If you are a Christian, You hear Jesus.
John 10:27 (NLT)
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."
You are a Christian today because you heard His voice. Keep listening. He's still speaking.
7 Keys to Hearing God Clearly
1.God still speaks to people today.
To hear God, you need to believe that God speaks to people today.
God often speaks to us when we are reading the Bible. The Bible is the Holy Spirit talking to us. God sometimes talks to us in a “still, small, voice” See 1 Kings 19
2.God speaks from His dwelling place, our hearts.
The Holy Spirit lives in us once we are born again. So, it is only natural we would hear Him within ourselves. See 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJ)
When God speaks to us it is often a quiet thought or impression that flows out of our hearts and into our minds.
3. God gives us the privilege and the responsibility of hearing His voice.
Jesus calls us His flock. He doesn’t drive us like you drive cattle. He walks ahead of us, and we follow Him. How can we follow Him and not someone else? We know His voice. John 10:27 NLT
4.If you want to continue to hear from Jesus, do what He told you to do.
Once Jesus tells you something, act on it. If you don’t, He may just quietly wait for you to obey. Quietly. I’ve had times when I couldn’t hear Him. I asked why and suddenly I remembered that He told me to do something. Once I did it, I could hear Him speaking to me again. Jeremiah 11:5 (TLB,) Psalm 66:18 – NIV
5.Silence other voices.
There are 3 voices we can hear in our heads: our own voice, Satan’s, and God’s.
Our path to silencing other voices is: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7 NIV
6. Does it sound like Jesus?
Everything Jesus says to you will always be consistent with the Bible, with Jesus’ character. Jesus will sound like the Jesus you find in the Bible. Just as you and I have unique voices. Jesus still has the same “voice.”
7. Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Nothing helped me hear God more than this deeper yielding to God, which is what the 2nd bapti
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Testimony in Hebrew Means “to do again.” As we share what God has done for us, God plants seeds of faith in the hearts of people to grow that testimony. Testimonies of salvation often lead to others being saved. Testimonies of healing give others faith to reach out and receive the same healing from God. There are many, many examples of this happening.
00:00Your Testimony has tremendous power!
4:00 Your Testimony is Personal
4:52 You Must Earn the Right to Share Your Testimony
5:28 What did Jesus think would transform nations?
5:59 Jesus’ Strategy Works!
9:28 We Overcome By the Blood of the Lamb, the Word of Our Testimonies & Courage
10:20 ActivationActs 1:4-5, 8-9 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
Don’t leave! Wait! For What? The gift Father God promised.
5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
What is the gift? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit and power. What was the power for?
Acts 1:8 continues:
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Jesus’ mandate to the early church was to be his witnesses: to tell the world what they had seen Jesus do and heard Him say.
Your Testimony is Personal
To testify about something in court, a person needs to have personal knowledge. Only what a person saw or heard is admissible. Only their personal experience will be heard. Their ideas, speculations, what they heard others say, etc. is NOT admissible because our courts believe that information is not as reliable as a witness’ personal experience.
We are most credible when we are telling others our experiences with Jesus and what God has done for us. People can argue with your theology (what you think is true about God), but it is hard for them to deny your experience.
What did Jesus think would transform nations?
This was Jesus’ plan – Holy Spirit empowered believers all sharing their testimonies throughout the world. And Christianity going viral!
Can you see it? Can you see the power of your testimony multiplied by untold thousands of thousands of people. Imagine the impact on America (or your nation) if all Christians openly and freely told their stories of what God has done in their lives. And their experiences with Jesus!
Your testimony is not just how you were born again. Your testimony is how God touches every aspect of your life. How Holy Spirit leads you, gives you wisdom, convicts you of sin, and loves you into wholeness. How you hear God speaking to you. How God set you free from addiction, provided for you during tough time financially, etc. God helps us every day. We have so much to testify about.
Your Testimony is Powerful!
Jesus met and talked to a Samaritan woman with her scarlet reputation, but what happened when she told her personal testimony about her experience with Jesus?
John 4:39 NIV
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
Her testimony created faith in their hearts.
How We Overcome
Rev 12:11 NKJV
And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.
Activation – see the activation
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This podcast exists for the purpose of transforming people to be like Christ and to equip them disciple nations.. Today’s video reveals how to receive God’s power to serve others – the power to transform nations through Christ.
00:00 What Made Jesus Credible?
03:26 The Disciples Receive Salvation
04:13 The Disciples are Give Authority and Commission to Disciple Nations
06:19 The Disciples Receive Power to Disciple Nations
07:07 My Story
09:50 Activation
What Made Jesus Credible?
Many men have claimed to be a god. In Jesus’ time, the Roman Emperors did. What made Jesus different?
Acts 2:22 NIV
The signs and wonders Jesus performed gave Him credibility. The works He did announced clearly that He was the Savior - the Messiah.
Jesus said: "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves." John 14:11
The Disciples Receive Salvation
The first time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was resurrected, he breathed the breath of life into the disciples and they were born again and filled with the Holy Spirit.
John 20:22 “And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
God did the same thing when He created Adam See Genesis 2:7
So the disciples were born again.
Jesus Gave The Disciples Authority and a Commission
Matthew 28:18-20
The authority God gave to Jesus, Jesus gave to us. He gave us the right to use His name. And He gave us His mandate - disciple nations.
Jesus’ Final Instructions
Acts 1:4-5, 8-9
4 … he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
Like Jesus, we need the power of God to do the work of God on the earth.
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell on everyone who was there, in the upper room, waiting, praying, and praising God. The received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and power.
The signs and wonders God performed through the disciples drew people to the Gospel and quickly grew the church. They had “favor” with all the people. See Acts 2:47
Jesus’ instructions to the first disciples are His instructions to you and I. Wait for the power to do God’s work in God’s way.
My Story
Activation: Receive the Power of the Holy Spirit for Service.
Over 600 million Christians have responded to Jesus’ call to wait for power. They prayed and received what Jesus called the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is the power of God to do the work He has planned for you to do while on this earth. Pray the prayer with me.
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Today, I want to take you step-by-step on a journey to be still and “know” God in a deeply personal way. Learn to hear His voice. This changed my life. It will change yours too.
Dutch Sheets, national prayer leader and author writes:
"Spending time with God through prayer, worship, and quiet meditation tunes the soul and awakens the heart, enabling us to hear Him. Life is loud - make it quiet down once in a while. Everything else will scream for your attention, but He will not. Holy Spirit refuses to shout above the clamor and dissonance created by other voices and activities. For those who have grown to love the pleasure of His company enough to make time for Him, for those who truly listen, however, the still small voice of Holy Spirit becomes easily discernible."
Leadings from Holy Spirit are often gentle, like the “still small voice” to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:12. The Message Translation calls it “a gentle and quiet whisper,” and the NASB says “a sound of a gentle blowing.” The point is clear: God’s voice often comes to us gently. Sometimes, it isn’t a voice at all, but just a nudge, a prompting.
Learn to listen, to feel, to sense Him.
GiveHim15.com 6/26/24
As I read this, I heard that still, small voice: “Be Still and Know that I Am God.” Psalm 46:10. I began to meditate on this verse for myself. As I wrote down what came to mind as I mediated on this familiar verse, I realized God was talking to you too. He wanted me to write what He revealed to me so you could benefit from it as well.
(070 My video: DO YOU HAVE A TEACHABLE HEART?) shows that meditating on scriptures is Biblical. See the activation in that video. https://youtu.be/3Ju7_vkbm6U
I am going to share what God showed me as Meditated on this verse. You will get the fruit – the insights of my meditation and also learn the process of Biblical meditation
Meditate - To contemplate. To think about deeply. To reflect
hagah – Hebrew – to mutter,
**One way to meditate is to Read a scripture emphasizing one word each time you read through it. The next time read through it emphasizing the next word.
**As I meditated on this, God revealed new depths of meaning of this verse. Sometimes I heard things, other times something just came to my mind. Most of those thoughts were new, sometimes they surprised me. That’s one of the ways you know it is God and not your rational mind – thoughts that surprise you. God also speaks to us using images or impressions and repetition (i.e. seeing the same verse again and again.
See the vide or the transcript for details about this meditation.
Activation – Be Still and Meet With God Every Morning
Carve out some time every morning to spend time with God through worship, quiet meditation and prayer. Make an appointment and keep it. Let God awaken your heart. Expect to hear Him. He has been waiting for you to come to Him in this way. Come, be still and listen and you will hear Him. He invites you Be still and you will come to really know me.
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The condition of our hearts greatly affects how we think, what we say and what we do. Who hasn’t done something you regret because you were angry or hurt?
Jesus gave us a quick way to examine and correct the attitudes of our hearts.
This video will show you how to do a quick 2 minute attitude test. The test is in the activation at the end of the video. Please do it. I believe it will really help you.
0:00 What is the True Condition of Your Heart?
2:41 The 4 Attitudes of the Heart
6:21 Activation - Declaration
7:08 2 Minute Attitude of Your Heart Test
In Psalm 26, David is telling God how he tries to live a blameless life and how much he loves God. Yet, he asks God to examine his heart. “Test me and try me,” he says. “Examine my heart and mind.” David knew that we are often unaware of the true condition of our hearts. See Jeremiah 17:9-10.
The attitude of our hearts greatly affects how we think, what we say and what we do.
Jesus gave us a way to quickly test the attitude of our hearts in a parable.
Your heart is the soil in which God’s Word is planted.
Parable of the Sower and the Seed.
Mark 4:3-9
Jesus is Showing Us The 4 Attitudes of Our Hearts
“The four kinds of soils speak of four kinds of hearts: hard hearts, hollow hearts, half hearts, and whole hearts. With the first soil we see the activity of Satan,
the second, that of the flesh, and the third, that of the world. Bearing fruit is never a problem with what is sown but with the soil it falls upon.” (TPT Footnote)
I review Jesus’ explanation of this parable:
God’s Word never fails. Isaiah 55:11
There is always power in God’s Word. But without faith, we can’t receive from God. Our faith is what activates God’s Word in our lives. (See Hebrews 11)
James 1:6-8 NIV
Guard Your Heart Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Activation – Do a 2 Minute Heart Attitude Check1st Daily Declaration
2nd A Quick “2 Minute” heart attitude check
A. Ask yourself:
Am I feeling or acting: hard-hearted, hollow-hearted, half-hearted, or whole-hearted toward Jesus and Father God right now?
*Hard Hearted – Am I feeling: hatred, offended, angry, cold or indifferent, or unforgiving. Am I rebelling against God, intentionally sinning, disobeying God, or resisting what he has told me to do?
*Hollow Hearted – Am I being a casual, passive Christian? Am I a hearer, but not a doer of God’s Word? Do I walk away from God when trouble or persecution comes because of my faith? Do I have a relationship with Jesus?
*Half Hearted – Am I distracted, pursuing human desires instead of God?
For example: pride of life (wanting to be my own god, to do whatever I want), sexual lust, greed, envy, strife and division, selfish ambition, drug abuse, or idolatry (making something greater than God in my life)? See Galatians 5:19-21.
*Whole Hearted – Am I loving God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength? Am I all in! Living for Jesus and receiving His love?
B. Repent and Replace that influence with God.
Mark 12:30 NIV
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. And Matthew 6:33
C. Renew Your Mind: Read scripture that promises what you want or need. And let God fill it.
Use this quick test to discover the true condition of your heart. Then Let God fill your deepest desires as you renew your mind.
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101 Mickey Cohen, Christian Gangster?
**The link to “Loving God” by Charles Colson as promised: https://amzn.to/3z1ryzd This is an affiliate link.
**“The Basics of Christianity for New Christians” from the Graham organization. Course: https://tinyurl.com/4s2m69bj and PDF: https://tinyurl.com/3nhmftyd
0:00 Mickey Cohen’s Story
4:38 Why can’t I be a “Christian” Gangster?
5:28 Jesus’ Requirement to Go to Heaven: Obedience
6:39 We Love God Because He First Loved Us
8:47 Obedience is the Measure of Our Love for God
10:02 Activation: Make Jesus the Lord of Your Life
Mickey prayed the sinner’s prayer. Then friends sent him to Billy Graham where he and his people explained Christianity to him. Upon returning to L.A. he avoided the man who led him to Christ, Bill Jones and went back to his mob friends. Jones contacted him to see what was wrong.
“Jones,” Mickey replied, “you never told me that I had to give
up my career. You never told me that I had to give up my friends.
There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes, Christian businessmen. So what’s the matter with being a Christian gangster?
“If I have to give up all that—if that’s Christianity—count me out.” [from Loving God by Charles Colson and Wikipedia.]
It’s an outrageous idea – a Christian Gangster.. Yet, many people have the same thought. They want to be a Christian, but continue to do what they used to do.
Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus said:
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Jesus’ requirement for genuine repentance and salvation is clear. Obedience. There is no salvation without obedience to God.
Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
The saving relationship God offers is adoption as sons and daughters. Everyone in heaven will be a son or daughter of God. No one is grandfathered in. No one is there because what they did. No one is a servant. Everyone will be there for one and one one reason - their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
1 John 4:19 NKJV We love Him because He first loved us.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NIV
For Christ’s love compels us, …15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
Our relationship with God, is measured by our obedience to Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” John 14:15 NLT
Jesus said that the first and greatest of all the commandments is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 NIV.
The obedience God desires is heartfelt – obedience because we love Him and want to please Him.
If asked their religion, most Americans say they are Christians. Yet, millions know about God, but no real love for him. Jesus makes it clear: obedience is the yardstick which measures our love for God. Without loving relationship, Jesus has no choice but to say: “depart from me. I never knew you.” Without loving relationship, their destiny is not heaven with God, but hell, separated forever from God.
See James 1:22
Activation
Make Jesus the Lord of your life, pray the prayer on the video from Billy Graham. Then read “The Basics of Christianity for New Christians” linked above.
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Things are really tough right now. How can you have joy? You can. God created you to live in joy. The joy Holy Spirit gives you isn’t human, it doesn’t depend on circumstances. God’s joy makes even your worst days better. Let God restore His joy in your life. Here’s how.
As promised, here is the link to Demos Shakarian’s book, “The Happiest People on Earth.” https://amzn.to/3X9Y3Ft This is an affiliate link.
0:00 Joy Restored
1:42 Joy is the normal condition of a son or daughter of God.
2:38 Do You Struggle to Live in Joy
Joy No Matter What
6:02Joy comes from the presence of God.
7:21 Joy From Following God’s Path for Your Life
8:38 Joy Comes From Renewing Your Mind with God’s Word
9:33 Joy is contagious
9:50 Activation
Joy Restored
You are born again, a son/daughter of God. But it will take time for God to restore the ravages of sin in your life. Your soul has been wounded.
After David committed adultery, he repented and wrote: “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12
Restore - to bring back to a former, original, or normal condition
Joy is the normal condition of a son or daughter of God.
Psalm 16:11 “in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Adam and Eve were made to be like God – full of joy. So were you.
Christians should be the happiest people on earth. People should be running to us because we are filled with joy.
Do You Struggle to Live in Joy?
Paul wrote: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
Rejoice simply means renew your joy. Renew your joy always. Always? In all circumstances? Yes!! Paul was in jail when he wrote these words.
Think of God’s joy as a river that constantly flows through you. It’s true! Joy is always available. You can drink any time you want. It is always there. The choice is yours, but God’s river of joy never dries up. Rejoice!
This is a key that can unlock joy in your life.
Joy No Matter What
I give 2 examples of Christians showing great joy while in prison (Paul and Silas, Acts 13) and persecuted believers in Philippi (Acts 16).
Joy comes from the presence of God.
Psalm 22:3 and Psalm 16:11
Joy From Following God’s Path for Your Life
Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence, there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
In the path God prepared for you, there is fullness of joy – God’s joy. Deep abiding joy. See John 15:10-11
Joy is Restored by Renewing Your Mind with God’s Word
Romans 12:2
Emotions follow thoughts. Have you noticed? Change your thoughts and you change your emotions.
James 1:17 tells us that all good things come from God. Think on these things. Fix your thoughts on the good things and joy will fill your hearts. (see Philippians 4:8)
Joy is contagious. Hang out with people who are filled with God’s joy and you will catch their joy and learn how to carry it. We become like those we spend time with.
Proverbs 13:20
Spend time with the wise and you will become wise,
but the friends of fools will suffer.The same is true of joy, of peace, of love, etc. We literally become like the people we are with.
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0:00 Facing the Impossible
4:20 Hezekiah’s Prayer
5:30 God’s Answer to Hezekiah’s Prayer
7:35 Activation
7:58 1st Don’t respond to the bad news. Be still. Be quiet.
8:26 2nd Take your bad news and lay it before the Lord.
8:45 3rd Don’t begin by praying the problem. Praise and declare who God is. This will
8:59 4th Ask God for His answer!!
There is always an answer:
Faith comes from hearing Jesus. And you can hear Jesus.
Your world is falling apart. You just got bad news, gut wrenching, hand wringing news. What do you do? This video has 4 powerful steps to take when you need God most. Do the step by step activation at the end of this video and invite God into your darkest times.
It was 701 BC. The Assyrians (under King Sennacherib) had just arrived with an army of 185,000 men outside the walls of Jerusalem. King Hezekiah, of Jerusalem, had an army of less than 10,000 soldiers. The Assyrians demanded that Hezekiah surrender the city or be starved by a long siege and destroyed. This story is found in Isaiah 36-37.
Hezekiah prayed that even through it looked like an impossible situation, that God would be glorified. He prayed the whole world would that God did it. God saved them.
After he prayed, he received God’s answer from Isaiah, the prophet.
Isaiah 37:33-5 NIV
God said there isn’t going to be a battle! Not one arrow will fly. No siege ramp. No starvation. God, Himself will defend the city. For his sake. Through this God would be glorified.
God’s Promise Fulfilled
Isaiah 37:36-38
Activation
Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV
When you get a bad report: a “dear John letter”, a foreclosure notice on your house, notice you are being sued, or whatever the bad news, do what Hezekiah did.
1st Don’t respond to the bad news. Be still. Be quiet. Immediately reacting and talking about bad things opens emotions of fear and anger.
Psalm 27:1
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
You got the bad news, now wait for God’s reply.
James 1:20
2nd Take your bad news and lay it before the Lord.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you
Isiaiah 37:14-16
3rd Don’t begin by praying the problem. Praise and declare who God is. This will bring new perspective to your situation, push back fear and activate your faith.
4th Ask God for His answer!!
Hezekiah asked the prophet, Isaiah to hear God for the people. Today, we hear God. He speaks directly to us through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Ask “God, what is your provision for me in this.”
There is always an answer:
Isaiah 65:24 NLT
I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!
Jeremiah 33:3 NIV
Faith comes from the experience of hearing Jesus.
Romans 10:17 NKJV
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
“Word” here is “rhema” – which means “the spoken word of God.” Rhema words are the messages Jesus gives us by “quickening” scripture, impressions, pictures, the still small voice we hear at times, and the other ways He speaks to us.
Isaiah received a rhema word from God in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer.
You have been given the gift of hearing Jesus.
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
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Walking in the authority Jesus gave you, releases God’s power over demons and influence with people. Learn to walk in your authority as a believer.
Authority means “power to command” devils. It also means “the ability to influence thought, opinion, and behavior.” (Merriam Webster Online Dictionary) Jesus gave you His authority to have power over devils and influence with people.
0:00 Walking in Jesus’ Authority Releases God’s Power
0:45 The Day Demons Came to Church
3:54 What the Bible Says About Your Authority
5:03 Even The Winds And The Waves Obey You.
6:19 Agatha’s Intercessors and the Typhoon
7:44 Activation
The Day Demons Came to Church
I tell the story about the morning a demon possessed woman came to our small, country church and how through using the authority Jesus gave us, she was delivered and born again. This scene wasn't in Hong Kong or China, where I had several encounters with demons, but in a small, country church in the Northeastern U.S.
Some people will struggle with this story because I openly talk about demons and some Christians really don't believe in them or that we have authority over them. They are real. But we don’t need to run away from them. We have authority over them. The Bible says so.
Matthew 10:1, 7-8 NIV
1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, a drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
Luke 10:19
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
And after Jesus rose from the dead, he told his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18Then he told them to go in that authority and make disciples of all nations.
Even The Winds And The Waves Obey You.
Jesus was sleeping in a small boat as he and the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. A violent storm hit them. The disciples were terrified the boat would sink. They woke Jesus up.
Mark 4:39-40 completes the story. “Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Jesus expected them to take authority over the storms of life. Us too.
Agatha’s Intercessors and the Typhoon
Dick Eastman tells the story of Agatha Chan, a prayer leader in Hong Kong, whose intercessors took authority over a typhoon which turned away from Hong Kong at the last minute. They were praying to Dick’s prayer conference could be held. I was at that prayer conference.
God’s plan from the very beginning was to give you and I the authority of Jesus, to be used for God’s glory and to destroy the works of the devil. God has never changed His plan. You have Jesus’ authority.
ACTIVATION:
You need to believe that your simple faith brings all the authority of Jesus rushing to help you. When you exercise this authority, you release God's power. Go, walk in the authority Jesus gives you. Be bold. Command the storms in your life to go away. Walk in Jesus’ authority, releasing God’s power into your life and the lives of those you love.
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Jesus’s Word, the supernatural Word of God, literally goes into the darkness, finds you, opens your eyes to the truth, lights your way out of the darkness, and fills your life with light so you can see and know God. In this video, we will define the Biblical concept of “abiding” and you will see How Abiding In God’s Word Brings You into the Light and Sets You Free.”
0:00Abiding in Christ
2:41 Abiding in Jesus’ Word, His Love, and His Joy
3:45 Abiding in Jesus’ Love
4:45 Abiding in Jesus’ Joy
6:12 How Abiding in Jesus’s Word Will Set You Free
6:31 *Understanding
7:16 *Wisdom to Make Good Decisions
7:40 *Power to Set You Free
Jesus used grape vines to explain the Biblical concept of “abiding in Christ.”
John 15:5 NKJV
Jesus said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
This is a beautiful picture of our relationship with Jesus. He draws everything we need from God. Even though we are connected to the vine (to Jesus), it is our heart hunger, our desire that reaches out and receives what we need from Christ.
Abide– to stay, to remain, to wait, to continue in a place, to live in a place
Abiding is drawing from Jesus; it is receiving and trusting Jesus to provide everything we need.
John 15:4 NIV
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:6 NLT
Abiding in Jesus’ Word, in Jesus’ love, and in Jesus’ Joy
John Piper points out that John 15 specifically mentions three things that we are to abide in as we abide in Christ:
1. Abide In Jesus’s Word
John 15:7 NIV
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
2. Abide in Jesus’ Love
John 15:9-10
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love;…
Abiding is relational. This isn’t just discipline. It is romance.
3 Abide in Jesus’ Joy
John 15:11
These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.
Psalm 16:11Let's focus on:
How Abiding in Jesus’s Word Will Set You Free
1. Satan keeps men in darkness by blinding them to the truth
2 Corinthains 4:4 NIV
2. God’s Word Brings Light of Revelation – Understanding from God
Psalm 119:130 KJV
The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV
3. God’s Word is a Light to Guide our Choices and Decisions in Life
Psalm 119:105 NKJV
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.
4. The Word of God Has Power to Save Your Soul
James 1:21 AMP
John 17:17 NIV
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
5. Daily Living God’s Word Sets You Free
Satan’s authority over the earth was stripped from him over 2,000 year ago, but he still deceives us today.
John 8:31-32 AMP
Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Abiding – Jesus’ personal promise to you is that as you abide (as you live daily in His Word, reading, memorizing, declaring, obeying, and praying His Word) you shall know the truth.... and the truth will set you free. Satan’s deceptions will be broken and revelation light will flood your life.
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Why do you get out of bed in the morning? What makes your life meaningful, rewarding? We all have questions about the meaning and purpose of our lives. Only God has compelling answers. This video reveals a surprisingly simple way to know God’s purposes and His plans for your life.
0:00 God’s Plans for You are Personal and Specific
1:12 How to Know the Specific Works God Has For you
3:16 “Watch to see where God is working and join Him in His work.” Henry Blackaby
6:08 Paul & Silas Example
8:21 In My Life
9:17 Daily Assignments From God
As promised, here is a link to Henry Blackaby’s life-changing book: “Experiencing God.” https://amzn.to/4bmoDiS This is an affiliate link.
God Has Plans for You – Specific, Detailed Plans
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
God’s plans for you are specific and personal to you.
Ephesians 2:10 NIV
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
How Can You Know What These specific Works are?
1st we need to surrender our lives to God so He can give meaning and purpose to our lives. We need to be born again and we need to surrender our daily lives to Him.
2nd The next step is to pray and ask God for direction.
Like many people, I wanted a big vision and detailed plans for what to do and how to do it. God doesn’t give us that. He gives us the next step..
Finding God’s Plan Once You Have a General DirectionPastor Henry Blackaby’s church felt God called them to establish a student ministry on a local college campus. There were thousands of students on this campus. Yet for almost 2 years they tried and failed to establish a Bible study in the dorms.
He writes, “One Sunday, I pulled our students together and said, “This week I want you to go to the campus and watch to see where God is working. If God shows you where He is working, immediately join Him!” They asked me to explain. God had impressed on my heart two Scriptures: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God” (Rom. 3:10–11) and “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).
I explained, “According to these passages, people do not seek God on their own initiative. When you see someone seeking God or asking questions about Christianity, you are witnessing God at work.”
3 days later a young woman approached one of the students from Blackaby’s church and asked if she could help them lead a Bible study. From this a vibrant student ministry grew that impacted the lives of hundreds of college students.
From “Experiencing God,”
We see this in the lives of Paul and Silas
In Philippi, they looked to see where God was working.
Acts 16:13-15, Luke writes:
1”3 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.
Paul looked for people who already believed in God, but did not yet believe in Jesus because they didn’t know about him. Lydia became a Christian and helped them launch the church in Philippi.
Look to see What God is Doing.
Wherever you are, look to see what God is doing.
We get our assignments from God daily.
God guides us step by step.
Psalm 37:23, Proverbs 20:24, Jeremiah 10:23
Do the Activation
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