Episode Transcript
[00:00:08] Speaker A: If you were here last week, you would have heard how we talked about running this race for a long time and how. One of my biggest concerns, I think, for the church at large right now is we don't have a belief system around hardship, suffering, theology around those things. So oftentimes we are one bad day away from shipwrecking our faith because we haven't created a theology where God can form us no matter what comes.
So the moment something gets wrong or something gets hard, we. We kind of turn our backs on the race that we actually called to run. And oftentimes I'll hear people like, if someone dismantles their Christian faith or deconstructs, which is a whole nother thing in itself, it'll often be because of a situation or a circumstance.
And I think us as leaders have to take accountability at some degree. We've probably sold a gospel which wasn't accurate for what people were actually signing up for.
If we preach a gospel where come to Jesus, everything will be perfect and people come to him and everything's not perfect, we could probably get better at really articulating what we're signing up for.
And when I was praying for this morning, the verses that kept reiterating in my mind, Hebrews, is this mic cutting in and out.
Okay?
The enemy out to get me today.
It's like, bro, that was not the enemy. That was the mic.
You know, when people like the enemy got a flat tie, I'm like, boy, that was a nail in the road, dog. Stop giving the enemy, okay?
Hebrews chapter 12.
This is my heart for our community is that we wouldn't be a people that just run this race in short stints or sprints, but we run the race with endurance, that for the years to come, we would be faithful in what God has called us to.
And this is what the writer of Hebrews says, starting in verse one of chapter 12. Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, I think even if we choose. Just pause there for a second.
The fact that we have many that have gone before us, that are watching our lives, watching how we live, watching how we steward a faith that's been handed down to us.
People have given their lives to protect what we have free access to today.
That people have literally been martyred so
[00:02:40] Speaker B: that we could protect the Scriptures and we could have the scriptures and feast on them, and that I'm actually. I've been past the baton.
[00:02:47] Speaker A: I'm not starting something fresh, and I'm
[00:02:50] Speaker B: actually called to build on the legacy
[00:02:52] Speaker A: of the generations that went before me.
[00:02:55] Speaker B: And even as a young person starting out, I should start with the end in mind.
[00:03:00] Speaker A: Reinhard Bonnke said this help me to mind in the beginning, what matters in the end.
My grandmother got saved.
[00:03:07] Speaker B: At 30 years old.
[00:03:08] Speaker A: She had bipolar and schizophrenia, was an atheist, and God saved her in a moment.
And she went to over 25 nations preaching the gospel. Her husband left her, turned his back on her and said, you either go back to how you were before or I'm leaving. And she said, there's no way I'm going back.
[00:03:24] Speaker B: See, every day when I live this
[00:03:25] Speaker A: life out, I'm walking in something that she paid a price for.
Then my dad in his late 20s, was a drug addict working in a
[00:03:34] Speaker B: bakery at 3 o' clock in the morning.
[00:03:35] Speaker A: And the Holy Spirit hit him to the floor and would send him to the nations.
[00:03:39] Speaker B: See, I feel a responsibility to steward
[00:03:41] Speaker A: something that somebody else has paid a price for.
[00:03:44] Speaker B: And that's not just maybe you in the room.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: And you're a first generation Christian. There's thousands of believers that have paid a price for what we have access to.
[00:03:52] Speaker B: So in this context, he starts out by saying, hey, we have a great cloud of witness. What a privilege is that they watching
[00:03:58] Speaker A: from heaven the race in which we are running.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: And then he goes on, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us.
And let us race the run with endurance and the race that is set before us. Can I tell you, every single one of us in the room have a
[00:04:16] Speaker A: race that is set before us.
[00:04:19] Speaker B: Whether you realize it or not, you are already in a race with an end destination.
And the end destination, of course, is that one day you will enter into glory.
[00:04:28] Speaker A: But the end destination is Christoformity, that
[00:04:31] Speaker B: each one of us would be formed into the image of the crucified Christ.
And we are each running this race.
But he says, hey, firstly, lay aside every weight.
And I think sometimes in this Christian walk, we're so eager to run the race. But I would implore us to look at the things that are holding us back from running the race. God has called us to, and often we know the things holding us back. Hey, every weight is. And every sin, lay it aside.
And it's God's mercy. Even this afternoon, I feel like God is inviting people in to get free from the sin that's entangled us, the sin that's been holding us back. I often look and I feel like in the church, I'm actually more and more surprised the more I lead people and involved in lives, it's quite a sobering thought. But more of us are struggling with hidden sin than we realize.
And I'm not here to condemn anyone. I'm like, hey, let's deal with this.
Like, you cannot run this race and carry sin and entanglement of this world. That doesn't work.
So if I could implore us, like, let's deal with the sin, because it will weigh you down and it will stop you from running the race in which God has called you to run.
And you know what it's like to live free, and you're running the race, and then suddenly we back in the sin and those cycles, and we suddenly weigh down and suddenly. And we know what it's like to no longer be able to run that race because we weighed down.
And we'll go to every podcast and every book and ask questions to try to figure out how to run the race with the weight and the sin versus dealing with the weight and the sin.
If you know you have sin that is weighing you down, there's freedom available in the cross.
We were not designed to come in here and act free once a week.
We were not designed to live in shame and condemnation of our past. There's people in the room that think, no one will ever know this.
I'm going to the grave with this. That thing is weighing you down.
It's holding you back.
See, why am I passionate about this? Can I tell you that?
Your sin or my sin, we were part of the same family. We're part of the same body.
Your sin is also weighing me down. My sin will be weighing you down. This is the reality of, like. That's why the early church believed in public confession in safe places, because they realized, like, hey, if we all called to advance God's kingdom together, if we all called to walk this out, like, God's answer to the Pacific Northwest is you and I. But for the church to be bold, you have to be free from sin, because the righteous are as bold as lions.
So that means if we have a church that's bound by sin, we have a church that's not bold.
So now we're like, hey, God, move. And he's like, yeah, if people just deal with the hidden stuff, boldness would arise and people's lives would begin to be transformed.
So don't you dare for a second fall into the chat thinking, I'm. I say, this is me. No, no. We're a part of one body, you and I. The same body. That's why the early church was like, hey, I'm going to share this because your sin. I'm going to believe and pay the price for you to be set free.
And then certain sects of Christianity made confession one on one with a priest. Then us charismatics just removed it all together.
See, then we go, well, what if people knew about my sin? What would they think about me? I was meditating on this recently because it's fascinating. Like, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. So whenever you share on getting free from sin, everyone normally shares their experience, which is so valid.
[00:08:09] Speaker A: And I remember my experiences that I
[00:08:11] Speaker B: came forward to so many altar calls whenever experienced freedom.
Altar call after altar call. I finally experienced freedom when I told
[00:08:20] Speaker A: people why I was coming forward
[00:08:25] Speaker B: in a moment, wait, lift it off of me. Because we're really good at coming forward. And we're like, what do you need prayer for?
Temptation?
No, you need prayer because you partner with every temptation.
Okay.
[00:08:39] Speaker A: No, I thought that was funny. At least I love people like, bro,
[00:08:44] Speaker B: I struggle with lust. Tell me what lust?
[00:08:46] Speaker A: Oh, just lust.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Lust. I'm like, bro, we so good at acting. Tell me about your addiction.
Tell me about your struggle.
Let's go. We're like, no, no, because that would be too real. See, to me, I'm like, when I brought it into the light, I remember the weight lifted off of me.
The weight lifted off me. It's gone. People know. The enemy comes, says, what about this? What about it?
There's no what about it in my life. Because people know about it.
That's what freedom feels like.
You want to experience what Jacob was saying of being free from loneliness?
Open up to some people, share with
[00:09:25] Speaker A: some people, bring people in.
[00:09:27] Speaker B: We all in a room full of community. But have we opened up to others?
Have we allowed other people in? I remember the first time I shared that as God was setting me free, I had a guy living on my
[00:09:38] Speaker A: couch who was a meth addict. He was about 50 years old.
[00:09:40] Speaker B: And I was sharing this testimony with him about how God set me free. And he went to a friend and told that friend, for the first time ever how he had had a meth
[00:09:49] Speaker A: addiction for 15 years.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: And he said he felt a hand reach down into his throat and pull
[00:09:54] Speaker A: something out of him.
And he gets set free from method
[00:10:00] Speaker B: because he brought it into the light.
What is the root of all sin?
Pride.
We can come forward, but protect our pride.
We can show up to life group but protect our pride.
No one will know.
What will they think about me? That thought holds so many people bound.
What will they think about me? Hold. So many people bound.
Imagine if they respected and honored you and your life was a ripple effect of multiplication because you opened up. Like, I get up here and I share my story. People like you, so, like, vulnerable. It's like, bro, this is not vulnerable at all.
It's real because I've shared it so many times. But you have to start somewhere. The first time, I was like, I was calling my dad on iPhone4, and I'm like, dad, I can't believe that. Like, I watched Paul, like, all. And I struggled all this. He's like, that's okay. I love you. And I was like, wait, what?
But then the weight lifts off me. But then I hear my story, like, vulnerability. And then I listen to, like, Ben Fitzgerald, who's going to be at par at conference this year. He's. He's preaching his story about how he got free from pornography, but his freedom was, like, different to mine. Number one, he struggled once every six months. That's still a struggle because he would say, if you took heroin once every six months, it would still be a problem.
Okay, too much for a Sunday morning.
Like, I only watch it once every six months.
It's a dangerous thought to play. It's a dangerous game to play. But Ben's response isn't so much living in the light where he finds freedom. His was like, God, I actually just got to be honest. I really want this, and I don't want to want it anymore. Like, I really want this pornography. And it's still an option to me. You know what I mean? Like, the options we have, like, that we save for a bad day,
[00:11:58] Speaker A: that
[00:11:58] Speaker B: when things get bad, I can look at this because I'm a victim. So now I have an option.
We keep the options tucked away for a rainy day or snow day. We keep those options in our back pocket, and then we. We justify the options.
So he's like, God, I actually don't want to want this anymore. Can you take it from me? So I'm like, okay, is it confession, or is it like, I don't want to want this anymore? And then someone else is like, well, you just need to pray, and if you just pray enough, you'll get set free, and it works for them. So I'm like, okay, now is it. Pray someone else? Like, you need a fast.
You go to fast to get free. Someone else, like, you need to worship.
You need to read the word. And eventually I'm like, okay, which one is it?
I'm trying them All. But when you look through the through line of every story that actually sets somebody free from sin, there will always be a common denominator, and that is lowliness and humility.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Always
[00:12:57] Speaker B: see our way.
Our roadmap to freedom is foolishness to the world.
I love it. It's foolishness to the prideful.
So First Corinthians, chapter one, I believe it's 16, says that the cross is
[00:13:12] Speaker A: foolishness to those who are perishing.
[00:13:15] Speaker B: Why is it foolishness if. If Paul's so strong and like, hey, this cross foolishness, surely we should know why it's foolishness.
Why is it foolishness to the world? One of the early church fathers said this, that the weakness of the cross is the cross's apologetic, which what that means, I'll rephrase for us. The weakness of the cross is the cross's defense.
The weakness of the cross is the cross's defense. What did he mean? Who in their right mind would make up a religion where weakness wins?
In what world does surrender, defeat the enemy?
In what world is weakness strength?
Like so Zeus. You have Zeus at this time, and all these Greek gods. And then Christianity comes in and it's like God wins through surrender.
Like that. Who would make that up?
See, so it's foolishness still to the world because most our podcasts that we love and share so much don't teach that.
They don't teach that the strongest one is the one who can surrender, who can yield, who is weak before God.
It's still foolishness to the world.
So what's the through line between all of these options? Humility.
Lowliness. That's how as we repent, which that's what that is. Repenting. Turning to a different way, a way of receiving the freedom that Jesus purchased for us. It will always require this lowliness and dependency on God.
The weakness of the cross is the cross's defense.
It confounds the wise, all of those things. So what does God really want to deal with? If you want to run this race, we have to firstly go low enough to be free.
Freedom.
If you want to run the race, don't be asking for every other way to how to run the race way down.
Deal with the weight that's weighing you down.
That's going to help us all.
Good word, Dylan.
Let us run the race with endurance. This is not a sprint, it's endurance. It's a marathon.
It's a long run. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured cross I love this looking unto Jesus as we run the marathon. How do we run this marathon successfully? Looking unto Jesus.
I want to get really practical this afternoon and hopefully give us some real
[00:16:01] Speaker A: tools for how to walk this out, because there are some practicalities.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: So firstly, I shared about it a few months ago. I want to reiterate it this morning. One of the church fathers said this quote which has stuck with me and reiterated with me because I see so many people that start the race and then stop, stop, start the race and then stop because we haven't been equipped for how to run out this race. What do I mean by that? You come into one service or conference and your heart is excited, but then you don't know how to steward that excitement.
Like you don't know how to walk down as a lifestyle. So then that momentum that you feel for a moment. I remember last year in January, I felt so much momentum and my cry became like, God, I just don't want to lose this.
Like, I will do anything I can, God, to. To not lose the momentum of the spirit that I feel in my life.
And how do we walk this out? I don't want to be someone that my heart gets excited or agitated and then I'm back to the start, excited, back to start. I want to steward what you're doing in my life.
And I think one of the best examples of this in scripture is the one out of Matthew 18, when the kingdom of heaven comes and gives talents to people.
Remember the story says, the kingdom of heaven comes and to one man he gives one, to one he gives two, to one he gives five, which is beautiful. We all have different callings, different things, we stewarding in the kingdom.
But the one common denominator is when heaven gives you something, how you steward it determines what you get next.
So to the one who has two and makes two more more is given to the one who has five and has five more more is given to the one who has one but buries that even what he has is taken from him.
Can I tell you, today, in the kingdom, there's no such thing as staying stagnant.
It's impossible to just maintain what you've already fought for.
You will always be either going further into the kingdom or backsliding. You will never protect what you've already worked for.
This is important because there'll never come a day where you retire from spiritual growth.
There'll never come a day where you tap out and go, I'm done forever. Like retirement, I'm done, I'm done. Just laying low now. No, no, you will lose what you had. Have you ever noticed that, like, when you fall into sin, even the revelation stuff that you had, suddenly it lacks authority and weight.
At one time it. It carried weight and authority, and now it no longer does. Because there's no such thing as staying stagnant. You want to keep progressing. In the kingdom, a leader prayed this over me and it forever changed my life. He said, lord, I pray that the road gets narrower and narrower for him.
I didn't know how dangerous that prayer was.
Narrower and narrower, meaning this. Like, even what I have will be taken if I don't steward it. So what does it look like to steward it? Because in the kingdom, nothing stays the same. Everything starts as seed form, but nothing stays there.
That's why sin is so dangerous, because it will not start. You just think it's that one little lie. Give it 10 years.
Because you're going to have to protect that condemnation and shame somehow, which means you run further into darkness and to protect it. So nothing stays in seed form.
That's a word for someone. You're like, it's just one lie I'll take to the grave.
Nothing stays in seed form.
[00:19:13] Speaker A: Deal with it.
[00:19:13] Speaker B: Expose it. Today is a day of mercy where you can deal with it and not let that thing sprout up in your heart.
But the same way as it is in the darkness, it is in light that, like a little bit, leavens the whole thing. It expounds. The kingdom of God comes and it expands through you.
But it cannot stay stagnant because it's forever expanding.
So it expands through. So, okay, so we can't stay the same. We either pressing in or we aren't. So then it becomes a journey like, hey, how do I do this? So I said this quote a few months ago, and it's still on my mind, which is, if anyone wants to go on this journey, the spiritual journey, but doesn't have these four virtues, he excites his heart whenever he goes on the journey.
And I see a generation that has excited hearts but doesn't know how to walk out the journey.
Like, when God moves in our heart, it's just the seed for what he wants to do.
But how we handle the seed determines. The fruit of that seed bears in our life.
So this early father said, if he doesn't have these four virtues, he just agitates whenever goes firstly, vigilance.
Vigilance. You don't hear sermons on vigilance very often, but the early church talked about it over and over. And over again because they understood something. Let's look at first Peter, chapter 5, verse 8.
Be sober, be vigilant.
Be sober, be vigilant. Why you adversely. The devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
The enemy wants to destroy your life.
And can I tell you, the enemy is not like they've painted him in the movies. He's not red with horns. He looks a lot more like an angel of light.
[00:21:02] Speaker A: That's very deceptive.
[00:21:06] Speaker B: We have a very incorrect view of Satan. He was an angel of light that gets cast down. He's very good at deceiving. Did God really say he normally actually entices you and you go, that's not actually that bad. It's just one video.
It's just one website.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: You.
[00:21:20] Speaker B: It's just one.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Whatever.
[00:21:23] Speaker B: Did God really say, you can't ever do that, but God would still love you if you did? He's really good at deceiving us and drawing us in. That's why he's like, hey, you better be vigilant and aware of his tactics.
And if he comes, what are you going to do? It says, resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings. I tell you, he's marrying sufferings and resisting Satan.
A part of suffering is saying no to temptation.
We miss a lot of like. Even when Paul's writing about ministry, one of the things that, that you will face in ministry is sleeplessness.
Read it for yourself. Corinthians and Ephesians.
Meaning like, hey, there's going to be temptation. Are you going to stand strong or be like, woe is me.
One night of no sleep and back. He's like, you haven't even resisted to bloodshed.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: I'm like, God, help me. Can I get an amen?
[00:22:17] Speaker B: We like, I missed three hours of sleep. He's like, are you bleeding?
[00:22:20] Speaker A: Yet
[00:22:22] Speaker B: resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. That's helpful. It's not just you and I.
We are on our own journey. There's millions that are in this with us.
But may the God of all grace. That's good news in this context. The God of all grace who called us to his eternal glory with Jesus Christ, after you've suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you.
You're going through something hard. You want to be perfected, established, strengthened and settled. He'll do it after a little while.
And I sense in our community right now, there's a shaking taking Place there's some storms, God wants to settle you and establish you and strengthen you.
Stand firm, resist the enemy. So we need to be vigilant. Like when God plants a seed in your life and the enemy comes, be vigilant to protect that seed.
Be vigilant to protect that momentum.
Secondly, he said the second virtue that you need a self control.
Why was self control so big? Because if you don't have self control, the flesh will lead you, the flesh will rule you and the flesh puts to death the spirit.
Okay, we got quiet, which is okay, I get it. But like if the flesh is ruling me, I'm in trouble because the flesh wages war on the spirit.
That's why the early church was so big on the verse. It says, make no provisions for the flesh.
Like make no provision, starve the flesh. Like maybe it's not sin, but are you making a provision for the flesh?
Good word, Dylan.
[00:24:03] Speaker A: I'm preaching to myself, it's okay.
[00:24:05] Speaker B: Self control. Because a lack of self control will take us out.
So vigilance, self control. Third one, Long suffering.
Long suffering.
Not a lesson we really want to learn, but the fruit of it is a character and joy in long suffering.
Meaning no matter what comes, I've decided where I'm going.
No matter what comes, I know where I'm going.
Now hardships are going to come and I'm going to need God, but I know where I'm going.
Long suffering.
And lastly, humility.
I'm going to go low. If I want to yield to God, I'm going to go low. I'm going to be dependent upon God. And this idea of humility, I love it because I'm not just saying that we defensive on this journey.
There is a piece where I'm going to protect and be wise and the enemy's coming and I want to set myself up for success with self control to the spirits leading me. So vigilance, so the enemy can't snuff out what God's doing in my life and long suffering. So I don't change directions. But humility, meaning, hey, I'm this act. This is actually a very practical journey.
Like I love what Jesus says at the end of Matthew chapter seven.
He goes, if you listen to my teachings and do them, you'll be like a house built on the rock.
If you listen to my teachings and don't do them, you'll be like a house built in the sand. Both people heard the teachings.
This is my fear sometimes on a Sunday morning is that sometimes even for myself I feel like, we can go so deep into thoughts, but I feel like we just need to slow down and look at some practicalities for a moment.
Are you okay with that?
Because when I look at people that walk this, people I look up to that walk this or run this race.
Their lives are actually very replicatable, and you can learn a lot from them. But sometimes it's so simple that we run from it.
Because Jesus goes, hey, if you hear these words and do them, you'll be like a house built in the rock when the storms come. Number one, the storms are coming to both foundations.
Storms are coming. But then what does he teach? He's not like, he's very specific. Here's what. If you do this, you'll be like a house built on the rock. Keep your eyes single.
Okay, so you mean that my actions determine my foundation?
Yes.
Your actions don't contribute to your salvation, but they certainly contribute to your formation and your foundation.
Keep your eyes single.
He goes, hey, if you look wrong and lust, you've committed adultery.
Okay, so now it's not just like, hey, I can't watch photography. It's, am I aware of my eyes? He goes, hey, if your eye is single, your whole body is filled with light.
Are our eyes single?
Are we careful over what we watch?
This is not legalism. This is Jesus teachings.
You want what we would call legalism? If your right hand calls you sin, cut it off.
That's not even me now. I'm like, don't cut off your right hand. Just delete Snapchat, delete Netflix, delete Instagram. Like, you don't have. Basically, it's like, if something's causing you to sin, why are we playing games with it?
And then we kind of surprised, oh, I sinned again. God, I don't understand why. I do. You're making a provision for the flesh.
So cut the provision out. Stop giving the flesh a chance. Drown the flesh.
[00:27:41] Speaker A: So I forgot, I already have one.
[00:27:44] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:27:44] Speaker A: Soup.
[00:27:46] Speaker B: See, now you guys got me sweating.
Make no provision for the flesh. He's like, hey, you want to have a house built? Like, it's so practical.
He teaches us how to fast in this passage.
Like, he's like, hey, you want to have a house built in the rock? Here's how you fast.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: You're like, wait, that works.
[00:28:08] Speaker B: Yes.
Building a foundation that stands storms requires our action.
He's like, hey, you want to pray? Go into your room, close your door.
We will try everything else except room with the door closed.
Like, I just don't understand that it's like, hey, I've tried everything. Have you tried fasting? No, no. Like, I mean, not. Not like, I don't want to do what Jesus taught. I want something that's easier.
But fasting's hard. Exactly.
Die.
Help.
Or we like secret place. No, no, not me. Like, I prefer it when I'm driving and distracted.
Yeah, that's a part of the problem.
Not me. Like, my mind's freezy distracted. I know. So be still. A no.
Like to be still and know that I am God. Can I tell you that he's waiting. It promises he's waiting for you in the secret place.
And he's like, hey, when you fast, stop telling everyone you fast.
The only place that really tells you to act in the Bible, when you're fasting, act like you aren't.
It's actually quite profound. He's like, hey, be very authentic until you fast. And when you fast, act like you aren't fasting.
The one place is like, you can act fasting.
What about prayer? Go seek a place. Stop telling everyone you pray. See, this is where the secret place is. Beautiful because it removes every measuring stick.
Who am I doing better than?
Why is prayer so hard? The secret place. Because there's no one to impress.
That's why it's hard. You know why it's easier here? Because there's people to impress.
It's just you and God. And God's like, now what?
[00:29:58] Speaker A: Like God, help, please, with something. I don't really know what.
[00:30:03] Speaker B: See, like, it's specific, though. Can I tell you? Like, if I could give us one takeaway. Let's learn to spend time with God every day.
Uninterrupted time with him.
Learning what it looks like to close your door.
Learning the scriptures, memorizing the scriptures.
If we don't memorize scripture when the enemy comes, what are we going to use? Because Jesus used scripture.
If we don't memorize scripture, what are we going to renew our minds to?
If I could just have a humble call or implore us, let's learn to get in the Word.
Maybe we can get even more practical for a moment. You wake up in the morning, you get your coffee, you sit down, you wait for Jesus to sit down with you.
A healthy tool is just saying his name, Jesus.
You wait for him to come. Now, when he's there, he can open up the scriptures to you.
Once you experience and you start to read the scripture, you go, what if you don't feel like it? That's okay. I've already decided.
I'm a disciple which comes from the word discipline.
I beat my body into subjection.
The flesh doesn't rule me. The flesh is not my owner. The flesh is not my Lord.
If you wake up and you always feel tired, eat better and go to bed earlier.
No, like, like. Have you ever noticed how when you eat better, the secret place is easier?
What if you built your life around the secret place?
What if everything you did was around holding him? And you're like, what about my family?
[00:31:52] Speaker A: Your family will be grateful for it.
[00:31:56] Speaker B: What about my business? You will be able to steward your business better.
It's his to begin with anyway.
Learn and be with the One who gave it to you.
People like, I'm too busy for a Sabbath or to rest. You're too busy.
So we go into our room, we close our door, we open the scriptures, we start to feast here. If we want to walk this out for the long run, we have to do what he Hebrews 12:2 says, the keys can come out. Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus.
That's what it looks like to look unto Jesus, to spend time with him in the secret place. One of my greatest worries is that we only go to God when things get hard.
And why that's a worry is because then when things get good, we no longer need Him.
How do you know you do that? Well, you only fast when things get hard, which means you aren't stewarding what he's given you in defense.
The best time to fast is when you're doing well. Because I want more.
I'm not in survival mode.
Do you have enough?
I want more of Him.
The best time to see God is when you're crushing it, because that's when you need awareness of him anyway, lest you think that you crushing it.
The best time to seek out, like, if you really look at Jesus life when he fasts, Satan comes. I would fast when you're doing well.
[00:33:32] Speaker A: Okay, some of you caught that, some of you didn't.
[00:33:35] Speaker B: If Satan's going to come your way, probably fast when you're doing well.
[00:33:40] Speaker A: Although there is a place. Humbled myself, praying, fasting, I get it.
[00:33:44] Speaker B: But let's not just wait for a bad day. Let's choose that no matter what comes, I'm gonna need him, I'm gonna be with him, I'm gonna humble myself.
Because my heart for all of us is that when we feel the spirit moving, like some of you feel the spirit moving in you to protect it. And one of the ways you do that is humility by going, God, I need You.
What about every day we're spending time with him? We in his word.
This is going to help us live free from sin too. Because David said in Psalm 119, I hid your word in my heart that I may not sin against you because you don't know what temptation is coming tomorrow. But I know I'm putting the word in me today.
I'm going to memorize the scripture so when Satan comes, I'm using Jesus's game plan. Here's a verse for you.
So what verses are we standing on? Are we actually equipped for when he comes?
What about implementing daily or like weekly a day of fasting?
I would highly encourage you to pray. The early church fasted normally twice a week.
He said, I humbled myself. This is what David said. My prayer might return to me.
Fasting is a way that you. You humble you people like, life's moving too quick. Try fasting.
You don't even normally eat breakfast, but from breakfast till lunch feels like 24 days.
And you normally do intermittent fasting either way. But life suddenly slows down a lot.
Or people are like, life moves so fast. Try a Sabbath.
You go, well, well, how will everyone else survive?
That's why you need a Sabbath.
The world don't revolve around me.
Pride stops us back. I tell you, hustle isn't this thing to be celebrated. Never taking a day off is not to be celebrated.
[00:35:34] Speaker A: In our kingdom, we like hustle.
[00:35:38] Speaker B: Never take a day off. Hebrew says, rest like he rested from works.
[00:35:44] Speaker A: We're like, not me.
[00:35:46] Speaker B: You'll rest just to just. Will it be your choice or not your choice, but you're gonna rest.
So let's build these habits in. Because I want. Thank you. You can start playing.
[00:35:57] Speaker A: Otherwise I'm gonna. I'm never gonna stop.
Shay said, I got another hours. You guys are in for a treat today.
Some of you are like, shay's not speaking for me.
[00:36:10] Speaker B: I just desired this with my whole heart. We would be a people that decide that we're gonna walk this out for the long run.
And I specifically wanted to. To get more practical. Can I tell you that all the men of God I look up to, they have two things in common.
They all have a daily secret place.
I haven't met one that I look up to that doesn't have that.
So we either decide today and humble ourselves and go. I need a daily secret place like the scriptures teach, or try your other stuff and one day find out you
[00:36:39] Speaker A: need a daily secret place.
[00:36:41] Speaker B: I'll be strong enough to say that and the other thing that they all do is is they all live before an audience of one.
You go, that sounds like a good quote. No, no, what I mean by that is that they care more about the Holy Spirit moving in their life than any person's opinion.
That looks very practical. It looks like, hey, bro, an hour ago on the phone call, I shouldn't have said this about that person. Forgive me, because why the Holy Spirit convicted them. Can I ask you a question? When was the last time you apologized without being confronted?
If you can't remember, I would propose you aren't living before an audience of one.
It's a very simple way. When was the last time you went, hey, I'm sorry. I said this because I'm sure you would admit that you aren't perfect.
So we've probably made some mistakes. When was the last time we allowed the Holy Spirit to convict us? Hey, you were late. Did you apologize?
Hey, you said this and it was rude. Did you apologize? Hey, did you really need to say this?
This is how we protect the momentum of the Holy Spirit. Because we learn to not grieve him.
We learn to not quench Him. So as we're going on this journey, that's what vigilance looks like. I'm aware of my walk with him, so I care more about his opinion. I care more about grieving and quenching him than any person.
And then what this daily life actually looks like as I go into my room. Like Psalm 91 says, I dwell in the secret place.
Then once I dwell, I come out abiding.
And my life goal becomes, how long during the day can I stay aware of Him?
Can I abide in his presence? I do anything I can to abide, which means I obey, I repent. My number one goal is abiding in his presence. Can I tell you? Even when I come in to preach today, it's more so. Am I abiding? Am I aware of Him? Am I doing what he's saying?
And if it's helpful to you, great. But your applause will never satisfy me. Only abiding in him will satisfy me.
But we have access to that every day, secret place, daily learning to dwell in secret, and from that place, learning to abide in public.
That's why the Bible says, if you go into your secret place, your Father who is there will reward you openly. That open reward is Himself.
The reward of you learning in secret to host him is that he will rest on you in your workplace.
Is that not a better game plan for our businesses and Our family, that God rest on us.
I feel like that's so much better. Like, that he would be on you and with you. People get around like, hey, there's something different about you.
There's no shortcuts to that. It's found in private. And then he rewards you openly.
[00:39:27] Speaker A: Can we stand.
[00:39:35] Speaker B: First service? Got a totally different sermon.
[00:39:37] Speaker A: So, God, I hope that was helpful.
I prefer second service, though, to be honest.
As far as the sermon goes, not as far as the room. I love everyone.
[00:39:48] Speaker B: Can we close our eyes? Jesus, we love you.
We love you, Lord.
Thank you, Jesus.
[00:39:58] Speaker A: I just sense the Holy Spirit giving
[00:40:01] Speaker B: momentum to people, even as we repent for not stewarding momentum in the past.
I'm a sense it's an invitation with some of us at conferences or different events. God's tried to spark something in our heart. He's tried to sow seed, but we haven't known how to bring that seed to fruition. What I mean by that seed is Christlikeness, walking this out in his presence.
And today I feel like the Holy Spirit has laid out a roadmap that we could walk this out, that we wouldn't just have moments of excitement in our heart, that we would form a life around Christ crucified, that we would form a life around surrendering and becoming like Him. The ministry team can come forward.
If there's any way we can partner with you in prayer. We would love to partner with you this afternoon.
[00:40:41] Speaker A: No matter what it is, whether something
[00:40:44] Speaker B: from the sermon touched you, whether you need prayer, whether you feel the momentum.
[00:40:48] Speaker A: Maybe you haven't experienced the Holy Spirit before.
[00:40:52] Speaker B: Maybe you've neglected the secret place and
[00:40:54] Speaker A: you just want a fresh grace to seek his face.
[00:40:57] Speaker B: Maybe you're in the room and you've had that hidden sin like we talked about. You feel weighed down.
Why not deal with that this afternoon? Come and share with somebody, outroot that pride by going, hey, I've struggled with this. Don't take it to the grave.
He took her to the grave so you wouldn't have to.
You can begin to respond right now if you need prayer for anything. Jesus, we love you.
There is none like you, Lord.
Do it in our hearts. Lord, we want to be found. Faithful stewards of your talents, faithful stewards of what you give us.
[00:41:31] Speaker A: God.
[00:41:32] Speaker B: Lord, we want your presence to rest on us, Lord. We want to live before an audience of one.
[00:41:44] Speaker A: Thank you for joining King Movement online. I pray and hope that that sermon impacted you deeply. I would love if you shared this with a few friends and family and before you go. Don't forget to subscribe. See you next week.
