Faith Conference 2026 • Sunday AM • Pastor Nancy Dufresne

0:00Hallelujah. Good morning everyone.

0:02Father, we're so grateful

0:05>> to be able to call you father today.

0:08>> The greatest honor of our life

0:11>> and that we belong to you.

0:14>> But the wonderful thing of it, you

0:16belong to us.

0:17>> And that was all your idea. And so we

0:20thank you. We're thankful for one

0:22another. We love our church family.

0:25We're grateful for one another. We honor

0:27one another. and to be family is a high

0:30honor. And so, Father, thank you for

0:32bringing us to this place today. And

0:34we've come ready. We've come expectant

0:37to hear, to receive, so that we can

0:40better know how to do. And Father, we

0:43thank you for not leaving us like you

0:45found us. But we've come to change

0:47today.

0:48>> Anything we see that needs to be

0:50adjusted, we we change. We agree with

0:53that because you reward change

0:56>> and you reward it with greater glory for

0:59we are changed from glory to glory.

1:02>> So we've come to adjust. We've come to

1:07make corrections. We've come to be

1:10corrected.

1:11>> We've we've come teachable.

1:13>> We don't know it all, but we're hungry

1:15for it all. Yes.

1:17>> And so this morning, we purpose to take

1:20in with ears that hear, eyes that see,

1:24hearts that are open to what you would

1:27deal with us about. And Father, I'm

1:29believing you to say things to them that

1:31doesn't even come out of my mouth

1:33because your spirit knows how to answer

1:36every to answer every question, supply

1:39every need this morning. And we thank

1:41you for it. And everybody said,

1:43>> "Amen."

1:43>> Amen. Turn around to three or four

1:45people this morning. Give them a great

1:47big God. Bless you. Then you can be

1:49seated if you would.

1:54>> Hallelujah.

2:10>> This is I'm so grateful for your

2:12pastors. They are precious, precious,

2:14precious. I get around them and I don't

2:17just get enthused, I get joyful

2:21>> because I mean they carry it and it is a

2:24sincere flow of their life and it'll

2:26change you to be around that

2:28>> and I'm so grateful to be here with you.

2:30Thank you so much pastors for inviting

2:32me. I'm grateful to be part of a faith

2:34conference. Why is that? Because without

2:36faith

2:38>> it's impossible to please God. We could

2:41also say this, without faith, it's

2:43impossible.

2:44>> And just stop right there. [laughter]

2:48>> Amen.

2:49>> Amen.

2:50>> Faith is the currency of heaven.

2:52>> Hallelujah.

2:52>> Faith isn't dealing in American

2:54currency. It's dealing in faith.

2:56>> Amen.

2:56>> Heaven, excuse me, isn't dealing with

2:58currency. It's dealing with your faith.

3:00>> Because your faith is your currency with

3:02heaven. That's why God won't bring up

3:05money as a condition for you receiving.

3:08He brings up faith as the condition for

3:10you receiving. And the wonderful thing

3:12about it, he supplies you with his own

3:14faith. So he gives you a measure of the

3:16currency of heaven and says, "Now grow

3:18it. Feed it.

3:20>> Cause it to be employed. Don't just

3:22leave it in the Don't just leave it in

3:24the wallet of your spirit. Get it out

3:26and spend it."

3:28>> Amen. And the more you spend it, more

3:30doesn't just magically appear. You have

3:32to put more in.

3:34>> Amen.

3:34>> How do you put more in? Faith comes by

3:37>> hearing and hearing by what God says.

3:41>> Amen.

3:42>> Yeah. Uh you can hear some people and

3:44faith come goes out of you.

3:47>> That's why he faith doesn't just come by

3:50hearing. It comes by hearing what God

3:52says.

3:54>> Because you can hear what people say and

3:55it'll take faith out of you. So you have

3:58to you have to be careful to guard your

4:00faith in this life

4:02>> because there are people that uh when

4:05when they give you their input, you

4:07don't get better for it. You lay down

4:08vision.

4:09>> Yeah.

4:10>> When you listen to some people,

4:11>> right?

4:12>> And uh find your faith friends and know

4:14who to call when you have somebody that

4:16you need to agree with you.

4:18>> Hallelujah.

4:19>> Because if you if you call some people,

4:21it'll they'll they'll talk you out of

4:23moving with God.

4:25>> Absolutely.

4:26Now, can I tell you how to always be a

4:28faith friend? When somebody calls you

4:30and says, "This is what this is what I'm

4:32looking at doing." A faith friend says,

4:35"What did God say to you?

4:36>> What did God put in your heart?" Not

4:39don't tell them, "Well, you know what?

4:40We've never seen that. Well, you know,

4:43we've struggled with Don't." No. Don't

4:44talk to people about your experience.

4:46Ask people, "What did God say to you?"

4:49Hold people true to what God said to

4:52them. That's what a faith person does.

4:54You remind them of what God said.

4:56>> Amen.

4:56>> Right?

4:57>> Because if you talk to them based on at

4:59your level of faith, you may talk them

5:01out of something because they may be in

5:02front of you in faith.

5:04>> So don't talk people out of something

5:06just because you you're choking over it.

5:12>> Well, I'm thinking of buying a house.

5:13You Well, you know, it's not a it's not

5:15a buyer's market right now. Everything.

5:17No. No. Don't talk to people at your

5:20measure of faith.

5:22talk to people about what God has said

5:24to them.

5:26>> That's the way you help people. You

5:28remind them of what God said

5:30>> because what you say doesn't really

5:31matter. It's what God says that matters.

5:34>> Amen.

5:34>> So, remind them of what God said to

5:36them.

5:37>> Then you're always giving spiritled uh

5:40answers and help and counsel to people.

5:42We're not authorized to take faith out

5:44of people. We'll answer to God for

5:47saying something to someone that causes

5:49them to back away from what God said to

5:51them.

5:51>> Yeah, that's right.

5:52>> Amen. God has to trust us with our

5:55words.

5:56>> Amen.

5:56>> Well, praise the Lord.

5:58>> Hallelujah. [laughter]

6:00[clears throat]

6:01>> Lord,

6:02>> faith uh faith uh has to show up in your

6:06mouth. Faith has to be in two places for

6:08it to work. It has to be in your heart

6:10and in your mouth. But can I say this?

6:12Faith has to be in your life. Amen.

6:15>> It's a life of faith. It's not just uh

6:18faith during church. It's not just d

6:21faith when you're listening to a good

6:23sermon. Faith is our life.

6:25>> The just shall live

6:28>> by faith.

6:30>> So, uh just know this. The way you're

6:33living today, that's your faith showing

6:35up. Y

6:37>> if you if if your if your spirit if if

6:40uh you're okay with going to places that

6:44you shouldn't go, that's what your faith

6:46is permitting you to do.

6:49>> If you're looking at something online

6:51that you shouldn't be looking at, but

6:53nobody saw you. That was what your faith

6:56permitted you to do.

6:59>> Yeah.

7:00Um, we need to come up to the kind of

7:04measure of faith.

7:06>> Amen.

7:07>> And live that faith every day.

7:10>> It's not just what we say when we're

7:12around uh Christians. It's how we live

7:15when nobody sees us.

7:17>> Amen.

7:17>> That's your faith.

7:19>> It was faith when Abraham would rescue

7:22Lot when he was carried off with the

7:24rest of the citizens of Sodom and

7:26Gomorrah by enemy kings. And Abraham

7:29went and rescued him with his own army.

7:31Abraham had his own army,

7:33>> fully stopped, fully equipped, fully

7:36trained, and went and defeated enemy

7:38kings and brought back the wealth. And

7:41then he didn't bring Lot back to his

7:44house. He took Lot back to where he got

7:46him. [laughter]

7:48Why? Abraham's faith would not let him

7:51hang out with uncle Lot.

7:55Lot was the uncle to to to Isaac.

7:59>> And he did not let Isaac go visit Uncle

8:01Lot. Why? Because Uncle Lot's standard

8:04of faith was too low.

8:07>> He lived in a way that wasn't pleasing.

8:10And Abraham said, "I'll rescue my

8:12brother, but I'm not living his

8:14standard, and I won't let my family

8:15around him."

8:18Faith will say if you're not renewing

8:20your mind with the word of God, you're

8:21not safe fellowship because you'll live

8:23just like the world with an unrenewed

8:25mind.

8:26>> That's right.

8:27>> Can I tell you this? Just because you're

8:29saved, your life isn't transformed at

8:30that.

8:32>> Your life is reborn, recreated, but

8:34you're transformed by the renewing of

8:36the mind.

8:38>> And there are people who they get saved,

8:40but they don't do anything with their

8:41mind. So their mind will allow them to

8:43go do things and say things and

8:45fellowship with things, but a renewed

8:47mind won't allow that.

8:48>> So always be someone that that someone

8:51of faith can hang around.

8:53>> How are you going to do that? Renew your

8:55mind. Come into God's kind of thoughts.

8:57>> A renewed mind takes on God's way of

9:00thinking. That if you see that you were

9:02raised with a certain way of thinking,

9:04but it's contrary to what God says in

9:06the word, you lay down the way you were

9:08raised. You lay down the way your

9:10parents taught you. If it's in con if

9:12it's contrary to the word of God and you

9:14say, you know what, higher thoughts have

9:16come, I'll take them. I'll make them

9:18mine.

9:21>> You see, aren't we glad God became an

9:23author?

9:25>> He could have just kept his thoughts to

9:26himself.

9:28>> He could have just kept his divine

9:30wisdom to himself. But he didn't. He

9:32wrote it down and said, "Here's my

9:34thoughts. Take them if you want them. I

9:37won't force them on you. You can take

9:39them if you want them.

9:41>> That's what the word of God is. It's the

9:43thoughts of God offered to you to come

9:45into his way of thinking. Isn't that

9:47something? And it's an unsound mind that

9:50says, "No, I think I'll stick with the

9:52way I was raised.

9:53>> No, I think I'll stick with my own

9:55thinking." That's unsound when divine

9:57wisdom is offered us.

10:01So take God's thoughts and make them

10:03yours

10:05>> and say, "This is the way I'll live.

10:07This is the way I'll run my household.

10:09This is the way I'll function in the

10:11earth. I'll be a I'll be a a credit in

10:13the earth and not a liability."

10:16>> Yeah.

10:17>> Praise the Lord.

10:18>> Hallelujah.

10:19>> And faith, see, uh uh uh faith will will

10:24produce a life that all the good

10:26intentions in the world will never

10:28produce.

10:28>> Right? That's so good.

10:31>> Uh, you were born for a plan and it and

10:35it and it it requires the faith of God

10:37to walk it out.

10:39>> You walk it out every day. Every day.

10:42Every day. Every day. And just know

10:44this, faith is the way you're to live.

10:47>> So, if you want to be a faith person, it

10:49needs to show up in the way you live

10:51daily.

10:52>> In the way you answer things, in the way

10:54you refuse to worry, in the way you

10:56refuse to fear, in the way you raise

10:57your children. When others just let

10:59their children go off this way because I

11:01got other things to do, faith says, "No,

11:03I keep my children here and close to

11:05me." Why? Then I know what they're

11:07doing. I know what they're saying. You

11:09know, it's not hard to be a good parent.

11:11You're just going to have to

11:12inconvenience yourself.

11:17>> Yeah.

11:18>> Yeah. And to be a good parent, you're

11:20not just raising children. You're

11:21raising you. Amen.

11:24>> If you don't raise you, it'll show up in

11:25your children that you didn't raise

11:27yourself.

11:29>> Well, you're welcome. [laughter]

11:33>> But let's before I go too far that

11:35direction, let's back up and go another

11:37one. [laughter]

11:40Yeah. My children have my children uh

11:43have never given me a day's worth of

11:45heartache. Why? Because I kept them

11:48close. I kept them where I kept them in

11:50the local church. I kept them around the

11:52anointing. I kept them around people

11:54renewing their minds and I kept my eye

11:56on them and I listened on the other end

11:58of the phone and I listened on the other

12:00end of the conversation. Well, my

12:02children need privacy. Well, they took

12:03all mine when they were born. Why should

12:05they have it? [laughter]

12:07There's no such thing as my children

12:09need privacy.

12:11>> No.

12:13>> Well, they need to learn to make

12:14decisions until they pay for for

12:16everything they're wearing. Until they

12:18pay for everything they're eating. It's

12:20my decision. [laughter]

12:24[cheering]

12:26>> Well, they need their own space. Well,

12:28what devil taught you that? [laughter]

12:31>> What scripture were you reading?

12:34>> See, to be scriptural, you need

12:36scripture.

12:39>> Well, they need their own space. Yeah.

12:41The only thing is they've taken everyone

12:43else's space. They own nothing. They've

12:46been using and living off my space. paid

12:48for space and then they call it theirs.

12:52[laughter]

12:53>> No, my children, you're wearing my

12:54clothes in your size.

12:57[laughter]

13:00>> I bought those. Those are my clothes.

13:04>> Hallelujah.

13:06>> They're just in your size, but they're

13:08mine.

13:11[laughter]

13:14>> Yeah. If you want to have good children,

13:16somebody's got to be boss and it's not

13:18them.

13:18>> That's right.

13:20>> That is right.

13:21>> If you don't learn that, the world will

13:23teach you stupid stuff

13:25>> and you'll end up with stupid home.

13:27>> Yeah, that's true.

13:28>> And you'll end up with parents asking

13:30the children for permission.

13:34>> No, no, no. I I can't go I can't go that

13:38way today. [laughter]

13:39I mean, I could, but let's not.

13:44>> [laughter]

13:45>> When Stephen, our oldest son, Morgan's

13:48husband, uh he got his first his first

13:51truck, we told him, "We'll we'll pay

13:54half, you pay half."

13:56>> And then he had to b buy his gas, you

13:58know, and his insurance. Why? Because

14:00we're not trying to dismiss him from the

14:01need of faith.

14:03>> If you step in and you pay for

14:04everything, and when your children are

14:06are growing up, well, I'm helping them.

14:08No, you're not. You're crippling them.

14:10>> That's right. If they don't know how to

14:11believe God, you created a a

14:14spiritual leaning on everybody,

14:16leaning on everything. You teach them to

14:18have faith.

14:20>> I'm not talking about being not being

14:22generous with them, but you better know

14:24where generosity ends and crippling

14:26begins.

14:27>> Yeah.

14:30And you don't step in when the kids sow

14:33something they need and you get and they

14:34they did something and you step in and

14:36and keep them from receiving the

14:39punishment on that. You're crippling

14:41them. You've taught your children that

14:43they won't receive a harvest on their

14:44seed.

14:47>> Well, praise the Lord.

14:52>> Wow. But Stephen one day uh he seemed to

14:55take he seemed to have this idea that

14:57his truck was all his.

15:02So Ed and I went out one day, climbed up

15:05in it, and drove off with it and watched

15:08him run down the driveway chasing

15:09[laughter] us

15:12because he was twisted.

15:15Oh, he was twisting over. That's my

15:17truck. Uh no, no, no, it's really not.

15:20It's parked at my house. I paid for this

15:22driveway.

15:24And I said, "And I'm not I'm not driving

15:26your half of the truck. I'm driving my

15:28half of the truck." [laughter]

15:30And I can't help it that your half had

15:32to come with my half.

15:35And he would he's so impeccable,

15:37[laughter]

15:37you know, with how he keeps stuff. He

15:39wasn't impeccable with his room, but

15:41he's impeccable [laughter]

15:42with that. And and so he would just get

15:45all, you know, all twisted in a w. So we

15:48went down to Dariner Schnitle.

15:51And we got us a chili cheese dog.

15:54>> And we opened up all the papers and left

15:57them all OVER THE TRUCK [cheering] with

15:59everything just made a mess in there and

16:02brought it back home. And he said, "You

16:04messed up my truck." I said, "Not my

16:05house." [laughter]

16:09Because now we see what you do to my

16:11house and my bedroom and all that. So

16:14we're just giving YOU [cheering]

16:17[applause]

16:18>> parent be boss.

16:20And then you'll have children you can

16:22live with instead of children you can't.

16:24Okay.

16:26>> Uh now let's get on to faith. How about

16:28it?

16:29>> That is faith. How you raise your kids,

16:32what you demand of them. That's why our

16:35children are working with us in the

16:37ministry and they've never given us a

16:38day's worth of heartache. Are they

16:40perfect? No. But the word is.

16:44>> And uh we just bring keep bringing them

16:46into that and we teach them everything

16:48is God. It's not yours.

16:50>> And don't oversp speak. Don't overstep.

16:52I'll kick you back.

16:54>> You're my child. Just because you're my

16:56child, I will not call you right. If

16:58you're wrong, I'll get on you so quick

17:01because I will not give you permission

17:03to disobey God and dishonor this family

17:05just because you're blood.

17:08>> I deal with you first.

17:12>> Amen.

17:13And God, if if God sees that, he sees

17:15faith in you that you won't lay down

17:17your standard because you have children,

17:20>> right?

17:20>> No, you you enforce that standard with

17:23your children.

17:24>> You don't lay it down and give them

17:26permission to dishonor the family.

17:29>> Let me just say there's there there's

17:30some mess going on today in society. And

17:33that is people taking everything public

17:35to social media. It's a complete

17:37dishonor to post things of your family

17:40business and taking it public and

17:41thinking that the world has a right to

17:43your family business.

17:45>> You're a fool. You are a fool to

17:48dishonor your family publicly.

17:51>> You're a fool. And God sees that and he

17:54can't promote that.

17:56>> God does not dishonor his family.

17:59>> And he will not endorse someone taking a

18:01social media and and airing the family

18:04faults in that.

18:06Well, that needs to be corrected.

18:08Corrected within the family, not within

18:10society.

18:12>> Amen.

18:13>> And you got no fault with your local

18:15church. And you got no fault with your

18:17pastor. Cuz without them, you're going

18:20to be a sheep without a shepherd. And

18:22what happens to sheep without a

18:23shepherd? They die young.

18:27>> Why? Because the enemy picks them off.

18:30>> Never dishonor the place God's

18:32protecting your life and raising young.

18:34Amen.

18:35>> Amen.

18:37[applause]

18:37>> Praise the Lord.

18:40>> Never put something on social media that

18:43showed your dishonor

18:45>> because you start people start getting

18:47on. I don't know why I'm off on this,

18:49but people start getting off and getting

18:52public with their opinion. That's the

18:53problem with social media. It gave

18:55people a platform who should be silent.

18:59[cheering]

19:02>> A voice is earned.

19:04I said a voice is earned

19:07>> and social media gave a voice to people

19:09who have not earned

19:11>> the place

19:12>> to take up word to take up airspace with

19:15their words.

19:18>> Wow.

19:20>> So social media if if that's your

19:23platform um that doesn't mean that God's

19:27given you much.

19:28>> Amen.

19:29>> I'd rather God give me something.

19:31>> Amen.

19:32>> Amen.

19:32>> Amen. Amen.

19:33>> Praise the Lord. What are we saying?

19:35Faith is a lifestyle. When you're a

19:36person of faith, you won't allow the the

19:38world's standard to be yours.

19:40>> That's right.

19:41>> And it's faith that says that that's not

19:43coming in our home. And children aren't

19:45uh my mother used to say this. My my my

19:48family was a wonderful family. Not a

19:50perfect family, but a wonderful family,

19:53a safe family, a sound family.

19:56>> My parents were loaded with common

19:57sense, and it gave us a a good start in

20:00life. Yeah,

20:01>> but my mother would say, "You go out and

20:03you tell our family business to

20:04somebody, I'm going to skin you."

20:07[laughter]

20:10>> And brother, she meant it. We knew if it

20:13happened in our house, it was for our

20:15house and nobody else. You better learn

20:17that.

20:18>> I said, "You better learn that because

20:20faith people know how to honor what

20:23ought to be honored."

20:24>> Amen.

20:25>> Yeah. It's a flow of honor.

20:27>> That's right.

20:28>> Praise the Lord.

20:29>> Praise the Lord. Faith is a life. That's

20:31what I want you to see. Faith is not

20:33just what you say in the face of a need.

20:35>> Come on.

20:36>> Faith is the way you live.

20:39>> It's way you allow what you allow your

20:42mind to think on

20:44>> because uh we're to please God not just

20:46in our our words and our actions, but in

20:48our thoughts. He knows what we're

20:50thinking. And what we're thinking will

20:52qualify or disqualify us for where he

20:54wants to take us.

20:55>> You better know that. You can't just sit

20:57and harbor things and and and let

20:59yourself just think on offended things

21:02and let think on how somebody did you

21:05wrong and just sit and fester over it.

21:07It'll break down your faith.

21:10>> Yeah.

21:11>> And you can't just say anything you want

21:13even though it's within the confines of

21:15the wall of your home.

21:18>> You can't do it. God hears it

21:20>> and he knows whether or not he can trust

21:22you.

21:23>> You want God to be able to trust you.

21:25God doesn't trust us by faith. He trusts

21:28us by works.

21:30>> Wow.

21:31>> You understand that?

21:33>> God can be trusted, but man has to be

21:35proven.

21:36>> Amen.

21:38>> Amen.

21:39>> Just know that.

21:41>> Well, praise the Lord. See, you went

21:43real quiet then. [applause]

21:46First Thessalonians 3:10. I've got to

21:49get through a lot this service. So, uh,

21:52I took 20 minutes to get through that.

21:54So let's

21:57So let's sail through the rest. How

21:59about it? 1 Thessalonians 3:10, Paul is

22:03writing. He said, "Night and day,

22:06praying exceedingly

22:08that we might see your face and might

22:11perfect that which is lacking in your

22:14faith." You can have a faith that lacks

22:16something. Can you have a home that

22:18lacks something? Sure. It can lack a

22:20paint job. It can lack it can lack

22:23something uh in its structure. Uh you

22:26can have something but lack something.

22:28It doesn't mean you don't have it

22:29anymore. It just means it can be it

22:31means it can be made better.

22:33>> Your faith can be bettered.

22:35>> You see? And to where it doesn't lack

22:37anything. And so notice he said that we

22:41might see your face. I think this is

22:44very particular to this generation

22:46because uh online you can see the

22:49preacher's face but it's not enough for

22:51the you to see the preacher's face. Paul

22:53said that we might see your face not you

22:55see our face.

22:56>> Amen.

22:57>> It's not enough to watch online. You

23:00have to let a preacher see your face

23:02because when he sees your face then the

23:04Holy Ghost can diagnose to him what your

23:07need is. Amen.

23:10>> I mean, you can walk into a doctor's

23:12office and sometimes they'll say, you

23:14know, let me listen to your heart.

23:16They'll let let into your ears. Open

23:18your mouth. Let's look at your throat.

23:19Why? Because they can see things when

23:21you're in proximity just and they

23:23diagnose just by seeing you.

23:26>> That's true. Even so, God the has

23:29equipped the pastoral office to diagnose

23:32your help just when they see your face

23:35because your face carries something.

23:37Your countenance carries something. It

23:39can carry faith. It can carry fear. It

23:41can carry worry. It can carry offense.

23:44It can carry lots of things. And a and a

23:46pastor is anointed to and equipped to

23:49see your face and know what you need.

23:51>> Yeah. So he said that we might see your

23:54face and might perfect that which is

23:56lacking in your faith because uh if we

23:59have imperfect faith we get imperfect

24:01results. But if we have perfected faith

24:04we get perfect results every time. Our

24:06faith works every time. Aren't we after

24:08that?

24:09>> That every time we believe, every time

24:12we pray, every time we release our

24:14faith, we always receive. Not just hit

24:16or miss, but we always receive. And we

24:19shouldn't be okay with not receiving

24:21every time we release our faith. If we

24:24don't receive every time we release our

24:26faith, we missed it somewhere.

24:28>> So, we're we're invited to perfect our

24:30faith.

24:31>> Amen. And I talked last night a little

24:34bit about Abram. His faith wasn't

24:36perfected.

24:38>> But it took 24 years for him to add this

24:41element of calling. And once his faith

24:44was perfected in that arena, the word of

24:46God was fulfilled to him.

24:48>> Amen. So, it's not it's not bad to need

24:51to have your faith perfected. It's part

24:53of the process.

24:54>> Amen. Now, [clears throat] go with me if

24:57you would. Let's go to second Peter

24:59chapter 1. Second Peter chapter 1. I'm

25:02going to read out of the King James

25:03translation.

25:05[clears throat] Second Peter chapter 1

25:07and verse two. [snorts]

25:10Second Peter 1 verse two. Peter is

25:14writing and he said, "Grace and peace be

25:16multiplied unto you." The grace that you

25:18walk in can be multiplied. The peace

25:21that you experience can be multiplied.

25:24How is it multiplied? Through knowledge.

25:26>> You have to know something.

25:29>> When we're ignorant of what the word

25:31says, we lose we we we give up peace.

25:34>> When we're ignorant of what the word

25:36says, we start operating in our ability

25:38instead of God's ability, which is

25:40grace.

25:41>> Right?

25:42So it says that grace and peace be

25:44multiplied unto you through the

25:45knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord

25:48according as his divine power has given

25:52unto us all things that pertain unto

25:55life and godliness. And how are we going

25:58to experience that? Through the

25:59knowledge of him

26:01>> that has called us to glory and virtue

26:03whereby are given unto us exceeding

26:06great and precious promises. I like this

26:08word exceeding. That the promises that

26:11you that belong to us in Christ exceed

26:14every test, exceed every opposition,

26:17exceeds everything the devil would do

26:19against you. The power that's for you is

26:22far out in front of any power working

26:24against you.

26:26>> Thank you.

26:26>> Amen.

26:28>> And it says that by these you might be

26:30partakers of the divine nature, having

26:33escaped the corruption that is in the

26:35world through lust. Look at verse five.

26:38This is important for you. And besides

26:41this,

26:42besides all this that belongs to you,

26:45the grace of God, the peace of God, the

26:47promises of God that God has bestowed

26:50upon you, now you're going to have to do

26:52something. He brought something to the

26:54table. Now, you bring something to the

26:56table. And it says this, "And besides

26:58this, look at this." Giving all

27:00diligence. What's this mean? You're

27:02going to have to you're going to have to

27:03show some interest in this.

27:05>> Why? because you're going to have to put

27:07forth some effort.

27:09>> Not some earning, some effort.

27:12>> And besides this, giving all diligence,

27:16add to your faith. Ah, look at this.

27:19He's telling us that we have to add

27:21something to our faith. If faith was

27:23enough, why add to it?

27:27>> Faith performs its function. But faith

27:29doesn't perform what is assigned to

27:31someone else, something else to be the

27:33function.

27:35You have to add to your faith. Uh do you

27:37know something? God adds fellowship to

27:40your life. He adds divine supplies to

27:42your life. He adds pastors to your life.

27:45He adds a church family to your life.

27:47Why? Because you can't stand alone and

27:49fulfill all that God has. You need

27:51someone around you.

27:53>> Amen.

27:54>> That's helping you.

27:55>> Amen.

27:56>> Well, I want you to know faith needs

27:57something around it to help it. If faith

28:00doesn't have the right things around it,

28:01faith will give up and quit because

28:03faith needs supports.

28:06>> I said faith needs supports. Just like

28:08you need encouragement around you, faith

28:11needs things around it. And I want you

28:13to know faith has companions it runs

28:15with.

28:16>> You better know it. And if if uh if

28:19faith won't run around with it, you got

28:21no business using it.

28:22>> Amen.

28:23>> What does faith not run around with?

28:25Well, faith doesn't know anything about

28:27a companion called worry.

28:29>> Uh faith and worry don't run together.

28:31Faith and fear don't run together. Faith

28:33and offense don't run together. If

28:36you're going to pick up offense, you

28:37have to lay down faith because faith

28:38will not be found running around with

28:40offense.

28:41>> That's right.

28:42>> Yeah. Because the faith of God is a holy

28:45thing.

28:46>> And it won't run with unholy companions.

28:49>> Amen. If you want your faith to work,

28:51you can't be in unforgiveness because

28:53faith knows nothing about fellowshipping

28:55with unforgiveness because that's the

28:57flow of the devil. The flow of God, you

29:00have to understand this. Faith is the

29:01flow of God. It's a force of God.

29:04>> And it won't it won't find its

29:06companionship around things that came

29:08out of the kingdom of darkness.

29:11>> Anything that's of the devil, faith

29:12won't faith won't make contact with.

29:14>> Right? you to pick up anything that the

29:17devil has offered you is to lay down

29:19your faith

29:21>> because faith refuses to be a companion

29:24of things that came out of darkness.

29:27>> Amen.

29:27>> Yeah. So, you don't have a luxury of

29:30just holding on to unforgiveness,

29:32>> right?

29:33>> Because you're exchanging it for

29:34something called your faith.

29:37>> And unforgiveness is not a worthy uh

29:40exchange for faith.

29:42>> You understand? You need your faith more

29:44than you need your feelings.

29:49>> You understand that?

29:51>> Yeah.

29:52>> You need you need you need to guard your

29:54faith above all else. Think think before

29:57you choose to be offended with somebody.

30:00Say, "Uh, do I want to have faith that

30:04doesn't work for me anymore?"

30:07And I I would tell our congregation uh

30:10in pastoring, I'd say, husbands and

30:12wives, before you get in that strife and

30:14start fussing with one another, ask

30:15yourself, do I have enough money to fund

30:18this strife? [laughter]

30:21>> Because when I get in strife, increase

30:23stops.

30:26>> Because increase doesn't flow where

30:27strife lives. Because see, anything

30:29that's a flow of God will not function

30:31when the flow of the devil is given its

30:34is given its way in your life. That's

30:36why I'm saying faith is alive.

30:39>> You understand? Faith is alive.

30:41>> Quit. Don't allow any flow of the devil

30:44into your life because then you're

30:46saying faith, you're going to have to

30:47leave because I've let something else

30:49come in and take the seat.

30:51>> Sacrifice.

30:52>> It's it's you just have to know this.

30:55You're only going to get your needs met

30:57by faith, not by fear, not by

30:59unforgiveness, not by offense, not by

31:01protecting your feelings. Oh, they hurt

31:03my feelings. Get your feelings out of

31:05the way. Quit letting your feelings lead

31:07your life because they will keep you a

31:10spiritual immature

31:12>> believer. You'll be touchy all your life

31:15and no one wants to do walk on eggshells

31:18around you for the rest of their life

31:20because they don't want to upset you.

31:24Yeah.

31:25>> If you're hurt, some you gave someone

31:28permission.

31:31>> I'm not saying they didn't do hurtful

31:33things, but they that hurt doesn't get

31:35in unless you welcome it.

31:36>> That's right.

31:37>> No one can hurt me.

31:39>> I said no one can hurt me.

31:41>> Why? Because I I I'm not going to let

31:43anything they do upset my walk with God.

31:46>> That's right.

31:47>> I need God's approval more than my

31:49feelings heard. Amen.

31:52>> People will say, "I see you. I don't

31:54need to be seen.

31:56>> I'm in Christ."

32:00>> You know, that's that psychology mess.

32:02Oh, you don't see me. I I don't care if

32:05anybody ever sees me.

32:07>> Hallelujah.

32:08>> There you go.

32:09>> Because I'm either Listen, you're in f

32:11full view of the devil or God. Which one

32:13you want working for you?

32:14>> Hallelujah.

32:17>> Well, they don't notice me. Well, see,

32:20you need to get out of your feelings

32:22>> and you need to realize who you are in

32:24Christ and recognize he's already given

32:26you everything you need in this life.

32:27Quit using how people treat you as a

32:29crutch of whether you're happy or not.

32:31>> Amen.

32:32>> My God.

32:33>> Well, praise the Lord.

32:35>> HALLELUJAH.

32:37>> You can take it. I preached it for 25

32:40years to our congregation and they took

32:42it. [laughter]

32:44But they grew up. They grew up. They

32:47grew up. You put a demand and an

32:49expectation. Quit coddling your

32:51feelings. They will keep you behind and

32:54out of the plan of God.

32:57>> Amen. It's not about you.

32:59>> It's not about you.

33:02>> It's not about you. I taught my kids,

33:05uh, the world doesn't revolve around

33:07you. You're not the most important thing

33:09in this world.

33:10>> Amen.

33:11>> And I had a life before you.

33:17They're part of the plan. They are not

33:19the center of the plan of my life.

33:23>> So whether you're happy with me or

33:25displeased with me doesn't matter to me.

33:29>> Amen.

33:30>> Because my I I'm not centered on you.

33:33>> I'm centered on what I'm born for.

33:36>> Yeah.

33:37>> Well, praise the Lord.

33:41>> All right, let's go on because I keep

33:43drifting. [laughter]

33:47So verse five, and besides this, giving

33:50all diligence means you're going to have

33:52to be interested in this.

33:54>> You're going to have put forth some

33:55effort.

33:56>> What are you going to have to do? Add to

33:58your faith.

34:01>> You add God gave you faith. Now add to

34:03it.

34:04>> And then we get a divine checklist

34:06through Peter here. It's not often you

34:09get a divine checklist so clear in

34:11scripture, but when it is given, you

34:13better pay attention to it.

34:14>> Amen. And so add to your faith virtue,

34:18and to virtue knowledge, and to

34:21knowledge temperance, or self-control,

34:24self-restraint, and to temperance

34:26patience, and to patience godliness, and

34:28to godliness brotherly kindness, and to

34:30brother kindness charity. For if these

34:33things, what things? These seven things

34:35that are to be added to your faith.

34:38>> We're not going to include faith in that

34:39number because you're adding seven

34:41things to your faith.

34:43>> Amen. And if these things be in you and

34:46abound, it doesn't say they have to be

34:48perfected. You don't have to be perfect

34:49in these things, but they do have to be

34:51growing.

34:53>> You do have to be increasing in your in

34:55these seven things, taking dominance in

34:57your life.

34:58>> Amen.

34:59>> So, they need to be making movement. And

35:01notice this, it says they make you

35:05that you shall neither be barren nor

35:08unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord

35:10Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these

35:12things, these seven things that are

35:14missing from his faith, he's blind.

35:17>> Yes.

35:17>> See, faith won't make up for the absence

35:19of these things.

35:20>> Good.

35:22>> Because uh he that lacks these things is

35:24blind. What's that mean? He can't see

35:26the way to go. He can't He doesn't know

35:29what the plan of God for his life

35:30because he's blinded himself.

35:33>> Not the devil. He blinded himself by not

35:36giving diligence to add to his faith.

35:40He lacks these things as blind and

35:42cannot see a far off and has forgotten

35:44that he was purged from his old sins.

35:46What's that mean? He goes back to his

35:48old way of living.

35:49>> He his life just looks like it did

35:51before it was he was born again. Verse

35:5410, wherefore the brethren, brethren,

35:56give diligence to make your calling and

35:58election sure. How are you going to do

36:00it? You're going to add these seven

36:01things to your faith, right?

36:03>> Then you make your election and your

36:05calling sure. You come into line with so

36:07God can promote you.

36:09>> Many are called,

36:12>> many called. God intended many to

36:15fulfill, but only few do.

36:18>> Why? Because only few will build these

36:20seven things into their faith.

36:22>> That's good.

36:23>> Yeah.

36:25>> So he said, "Give diligence to make your

36:27calling and election sure." So know

36:29this, just because you're called to

36:30something, that's not your success. You

36:32can fail with a calling on you.

36:36Yeah. And every one of us are called to

36:38something.

36:39>> Yeah.

36:40>> Give diligence to make your election and

36:43calling sure. For if you do these

36:45things, these seven things, what

36:47happens? You shall never fall.

36:52>> Wow.

36:53>> You talk about never falling.

36:56>> Yeah. So Paul, Peter tells us that these

37:00seven things. Note this.

37:03Um, [clears throat] you go to make a

37:05cake, ladies. I'm talking a real cake,

37:07not this

37:08>> weirdness that they call cake.

37:10[laughter]

37:12No eggs, no milk, no no flour, no I

37:14don't know what's in there.

37:17>> I know. I mean, well, don't call it a

37:19cake. Call it a poor substitute.

37:22[laughter] I'm teasing. I'm teasing. But

37:25we talk about just a regular cake like

37:27we grew up with. [laughter]

37:30And [clears throat] so, uh, a lady's

37:33making a cake and she goes, "M,

37:36that calls for milk, calls for eggs,

37:39calls for flour. I don't have any eggs.

37:41I tell you what, I'll double up on the

37:43flour

37:45>> as a substitute.

37:48[laughter]

37:49You have a pan of flour and you put it

37:51in the oven and it comes out and what?

37:53You got a pan of flour. [laughter]

37:56Why? Because because flour was no

37:59substitute for eggs.

38:03>> Faith is no substitute for these seven

38:05things. You can't throw more faith at it

38:08>> and think that you're going to arrive at

38:10what these things are called for.

38:14>> They don't substitute for one another.

38:16Uh for look at this. When you don't know

38:19the word, well, I'll just throw more

38:20faith at it. No, no, no. You're going to

38:23have to know something. Well, you know,

38:24I I know I don't walk in love. I'll just

38:26throw more faith at it. But your tornado

38:28in your home and you say, "Father, I'm

38:30just going to increase my saying." No,

38:31because love has a support here. And if

38:34love is absent, you can't just double up

38:36on your faith and get your answer. Won't

38:38happen.

38:39>> You better know this in the life of

38:41faith. Faith is no substitute

38:44>> for the other virtues of God.

38:47>> So good.

38:47>> You better have them.

38:49>> That's good.

38:50>> Amen.

38:51>> Well, I'm a faith person. then you

38:52better be a faith person that runs

38:54around with seven companions here

38:57>> because faith has companions. It doesn't

38:59live alone. It can't live alone.

39:02>> Just like flower can't live alone when

39:04it comes to a cake. It has to have other

39:06ingredients or it won't work.

39:09>> Your faith won't work without these

39:11seven companions.

39:13>> It won't work

39:15>> without these seven companions.

39:17>> You understand that?

39:19>> Praise the Lord.

39:20>> Hallelujah.

39:22[clears throat] People say all you need

39:23to do is have faith. Well, you have to

39:26have faith, but faith has supports

39:27around it because without these

39:29supports, faith is not capable apart

39:32from these supports,

39:33>> right?

39:34>> It's like when Moses held his arms up

39:36during battle,

39:38>> but his arms needed support,

39:40>> right?

39:41>> And if he didn't have the support, the

39:43God on their side was not enough without

39:46the man doing what God said. Keep your

39:48arms up. Yeah,

39:50>> they needed support.

39:52>> Your faith needs supports.

39:55>> And the supports are not unforgiveness,

39:58offense, unbelief, fear, and worry.

40:04>> Well, praise the Lord. I want you to see

40:07it this way. Faith is a bridge.

40:10>> That's right.

40:11>> What's a bridge? Uh you have a you have

40:14a land mass over here. there's water,

40:16something in uncrossable, a cavern,

40:20something, and then you you have land

40:22over here. You want to get from one side

40:24to the other. Faith lets you bring

40:26what's on God's part to your need.

40:29>> Amen.

40:29>> And so faith is a bridge

40:32>> that the power of God can travel across

40:36to get from his ability to reach your

40:39need.

40:40>> So faith, we could call it a bridge.

40:44And uh what do we see with bridges?

40:46There are supports

40:48>> under bridges.

40:50And so you're can I tell you this? Faith

40:52does not heal you. Faith does not save

40:55you. Faith does not meet your need. It's

40:58God's power that saves you. It's God's

41:01ability that meets your need. It's God's

41:04power that heals you. But your faith

41:07gives access so that the power of God

41:09can reach your need. We could say it

41:11this way. Faith is a pipeline.

41:14>> It's not the It's not the power that

41:17that meets your needs. It's the pipeline

41:19that God's grace flows through. God's

41:21power flows through to meet your need.

41:23Does that make sense?

41:25>> So, we are saved by

41:28>> grace through

41:30>> faith. Through the pipeline of faith,

41:33grace flows

41:35>> and meets your need. Amen.

41:37>> You understand that faith is an open

41:40door, but faith does not raise you. It's

41:43God's power that does the work. God

41:45Jesus said, "The Father in me, he does

41:47the work." He didn't say, "My faith did

41:50the work." He said, "My father in me

41:52does the work." And it was Jesus's faith

41:54in his father that opened the door for

41:56God to work.

41:57>> See, faith is just a door opener. Faith

42:00is a pipeline. But the you have to have

42:02a pipeline in faith in place so that

42:04God's power has access.

42:07>> Without faith, the faith pipeline, God's

42:10power doesn't have a conduit to flow

42:12through.

42:14>> Your faith has to be in place.

42:17>> Then God's power can reach your need.

42:20>> You understand that?

42:22>> He wants to reach our need. That's why

42:24without faith, it's impossible to please

42:26him. Because without a pipeline, he

42:28can't get his power to your need. And it

42:30it displeases him when he has all power

42:33but no access to your need.

42:36>> And your faith pleases him because your

42:38faith gives him access.

42:40>> Does that make sense? He's not mad at

42:42you when you don't have faith. He's

42:44disappointed for you because he cannot.

42:47He's got all the power to change that

42:49situation. But if you don't have any

42:51faith giving him access, he has power

42:54and he watches you suffer.

42:57And it displeases him because he knows

42:59I've got the power if you'll just give

43:01me access.

43:03>> And your faith is is his access. You

43:06understand that? Every day he needs

43:08access.

43:10>> Yeah. So here we could say this, faith

43:13is a bridge. Uh what happens in a time

43:16of war? The enemy will bomb bridges.

43:19>> They bomb access to cut off equipment.

43:22Right? Well, see the devil is after your

43:24faith. He wants to bomb your faith. How

43:27will he try to undo your faith? He won't

43:30just be after your faith because I need

43:32my faith and you're aware of your faith

43:33and you're feeding your faith. So, he'll

43:35go after one of the supports,

43:36>> right?

43:38>> Under this bridge of faith because if a

43:41support is missing, the bridge is

43:42unusable

43:45>> you understand that.

43:47>> So, these seven things, we could call

43:48them supports to your bridge of faith.

43:50>> That's great. And if you're you can tell

43:54how much weight can go across a bridge

43:57by looking at the supports.

43:59>> And they only build a bridge as long and

44:02as wide as the supports will allow.

44:07>> Isn't that right?

44:09>> Well, if you have if your supports are

44:12are are small, the bridge can only be

44:16small. But if the supports are massive,

44:18you can broaden that bridge. If you will

44:21enlarge these seven things in your life,

44:23your bridge your bridge of faith gets to

44:26go wider. And what happens with a wider

44:28measure of bridge? You can get more

44:29across it.

44:31So

44:32>> yeah. Well, years ago, we we built a my

44:36husband wanted a swimming pool. I I'm

44:38not much of a swimmer. Uh, in Oklahoma

44:41our beaches were pretty bad. [laughter]

44:45So, I didn't grow up around water. I'm a

44:47mountain person. But my husband loved

44:49the water. He loved mountains, but he

44:51liked the water. So, he wanted to build

44:52us a pool. Well, we were all uh the kids

44:55were young and we were anxious for that

44:57pool to get finished because summer was

44:59coming to a close and so they wanted to

45:01get in it and swim and we were so glad

45:03when they finally finished it. But I was

45:05I was so glad they didn't say, "Give me

45:07your garden hose.

45:10Because would a garden hose fill up a

45:12pool? Yes. But how long would it take?

45:16Why? Because of the size of the

45:18pipeline,

45:20>> the conduit. It's small.

45:23>> Can P can water get through it? Yes. But

45:26when you have a need so large as a pool,

45:30it's going to take so long to meet the

45:33need that that pool calls for with a

45:35small

45:36>> pipeline. But I was so glad when they

45:39drove up with a water truck and a and a

45:41hose this big and they just flooded it

45:43because it was full within a couple of

45:45hours. Why? Because the size of the

45:49conduit matters as to how long it'll

45:51take for your need to be supplied.

45:55>> That's why you want to enlarge these

45:57seven supports because then your faith

45:59is it has the capability to go wider and

46:02you can get more through it quickly.

46:04>> Hallelujah. and things won't take

46:06forever to get done

46:08>> that they can be done quickly based on

46:10the measure of faith.

46:13>> Well, the measure of faith is dependent

46:15upon the size of supports under it. You

46:18understand that?

46:20>> So, can you can we go in the next few

46:22minutes through these seven real quick?

46:24>> Every one is a whole series.

46:28So, I mean, we're just touching and

46:30going,

46:32>> but it says in 2 Peter 1:5, giving all

46:36diligence, add to your faith. Look at

46:38this. What's this word? First word,

46:40>> virtue. Notice number six and number

46:44seven in the list is brotherly kindness

46:46and love.

46:47>> Brotherly kindness and love. Notice that

46:50the Holy Ghost separated out brotherly

46:53kindness separate from love.

46:55>> Why? because uh because it matters how

46:59you treat everybody, but especially

47:02those of the household of faith.

47:04>> Amen.

47:05>> Uh we're to honor all men, do good to

47:08all men, but especially

47:11those of the household of faith. So in

47:13heaven's terms, how you treat the church

47:15is more important than how you treat the

47:17world.

47:19>> How you treat your local church is more

47:21important than how you treat your

47:22school. How you treat the local church

47:25is more important than how you treat

47:27your workplace. How you treat your

47:29pastor is more important than how you

47:30treat your boss in God's terms. Because

47:33how his church and body is treated is

47:35higher than how the world is to get your

47:38your preference.

47:40>> You understand that?

47:41>> I would tell our congregation, I had one

47:43little gal, she hadn't been saved too

47:45long and her mind wasn't fully renewed

47:46and living out of her emotions still

47:49dominated by emotions. and she came to

47:51me and she was crying and she said,

47:52"Pastor Nancy, there was just a homeless

47:54person and I gave on the corner and I

47:57gave them money and I was just so

47:58blessed." I said, "Honey, that's good

48:00that you're generous. It matters that

48:01you're generous, but let me help you

48:03with something,

48:04>> right?

48:05>> It's good to be generous outside the

48:07church, but not until you've given tithe

48:09and offerings in the church first."

48:11>> Amen.

48:11>> You teach them. There's a there's a

48:13divine order.

48:14>> Come on.

48:16>> There's a divine order. And in this

48:18list, we see God singles out brotherly

48:20kindness above love for every human.

48:23>> So good.

48:24>> So what's that mean? It matters if

48:26you're a tornado in your home own home,

48:28but you're nice to the clerk in the

48:30store.

48:31>> Something's out of order.

48:33>> Your family deserves the best version of

48:35you, not the public. The your your

48:37family deserves respect, deserves honor.

48:40You shouldn't be a tornado in your own

48:42home. And even the the dog runs and

48:44hides when you you drive up the

48:46driveway.

48:47>> [laughter]

48:48>> If you're a tornado in your home own

48:50home, God doesn't appreciate that you're

48:51kind to the clerk in public

48:53>> because he saw how you treated your

48:55spouse and how you talked to them.

48:57>> Because and I would tell I would tell

48:59our congregation, it's good if you want

49:01to serve at the school. Some, you know,

49:03it's in school there's functions and

49:05they invite the parents to be involved.

49:06That's perfectly appropriate. It's

49:08perfectly right. But it's not right for

49:10you to be involved in the school and

49:11you're not serving in this local church.

49:13>> Come on.

49:14>> You got things out of order. Yeah.

49:16>> Because how you treat the body is more

49:18important to God than how you treat the

49:20unsaved.

49:21>> Amen.

49:21>> We walk in love and honor with

49:23everybody, but only after we've honored

49:25those that we are jointly fit together

49:27with.

49:29>> Yeah.

49:29>> Well, you're awfully quiet, but this is

49:31called the life of faith.

49:32>> Hallelujah.

49:35>> This is growing up stuff.

49:37>> I said this is growing up stuff.

49:40>> Well, I want my miracle. Then you better

49:41get this right.

49:43>> Amen. Because all of this is connected.

49:45And don't you think it's not?

49:48>> It's all connected. This is a faith

49:50conference, isn't it? We're telling you

49:51how to have your faith working all the

49:53time

49:55>> so that your faith is perfected and not

49:57lacking in something.

50:00>> Amen.

50:01>> Then it says here, notice six and seven

50:04are brotherly love and kind and and

50:07brotherly kindness and love. They're not

50:08number one.

50:10>> They're not listed in the first order.

50:13What's listed first? Right up next to

50:15faith. It says, "Giving all diligence,

50:18add to your faith virtue."

50:20Virtue is listed. That's bumped right up

50:23against that word faith. That we need to

50:26take note of that. Now, in in many

50:29places in scripture, the word virtue is

50:32power.

50:34But in this passage, it's not power. The

50:37word virtue uh the the Greek definition

50:40in this in this passage is moral

50:43excellence.

50:44>> Yep.

50:46>> Add to your faith moral excellence

50:48because if you're going to live immoral,

50:49forget your faith.

50:51>> There you go. Come on.

50:53>> Because faith doesn't live with

50:54immorality. God is a God of morality.

50:57And you better know it. And I don't care

50:58what government legislates sin and calls

51:01it permissive. If the word doesn't call

51:02it right, it's not right. No matter who

51:05passes a law,

51:08>> WE DON'T FIGHT PEOPLE. WE DON'T BECOME

51:10unloly about it, but we don't lower our

51:12standard because the government is

51:14unnowledgeable.

51:16>> They're not our savior.

51:18>> Why would we look to a government to set

51:20the standard of our thought life and of

51:23what we approve in our homes? God's word

51:26is our standard.

51:29>> Yeah. You don't be a fool about it and

51:31you don't go out and and broadcast and

51:33and try to pick fights, but just know

51:35these things are stated for your

51:37standard.

51:38>> Now, you can choose whatever standard

51:40you want, but as for me and my house, we

51:41serve the Lord

51:44>> and we serve his standard. God is a God

51:47of morality. And I don't care if one of

51:49your children chooses to live an immoral

51:51lifestyle, you call it right, it'll hurt

51:53your faith.

51:55>> Well, I love my children. That doesn't

51:56mean you lay down the standard of the

51:58word because you love your children. If

52:00you love God, you hold to you you be you

52:03be an unflinching standard to your

52:05family.

52:05>> That's right.

52:06>> That's right.

52:07>> Because they're going to need to be

52:08rescued one day. And what if you've

52:10joined their side and called them right?

52:12You're no rescue for them because you

52:14caved.

52:16>> You lowered your standard because well,

52:18I love my children. Then if you love

52:20your children, hold to God's standard.

52:22>> Amen.

52:24Give them a safe place to land.

52:28>> Amen.

52:30>> Well, you're making me choose. No, they

52:33chose to walk away from your standard.

52:35They chose. You didn't You didn't change

52:37a choice. They chose.

52:40>> And it's amazing to me how Christians

52:42are cloudy on this. You want to know

52:44why? Because their minds are unrenewed.

52:50>> I'm not against anybody. I'm for God.

52:53I'm for his standard and where he stands

52:56me, I know clearly who my opposition is.

53:00>> So good.

53:01>> Amen.

53:02>> If you want your faith to work, you have

53:04to have God's standard of morality.

53:06>> And if you mock morality, you'll suffer

53:09in this life and you'll suffer in

53:11eternity.

53:13>> Because heaven says without holiness, no

53:16man will see the Lord. Preach that in

53:19some of these churches.

53:22All right.

53:26>> Because God is a holy God. We have to we

53:28have to remember who we are dealing

53:30with. He is not our chum.

53:33>> He's not our our buddy that we just are

53:36so casual around. He is holy and we

53:38should deal with him at his standard,

53:41not at our standard.

53:43>> Yeah.

53:44[applause]

53:44>> People are too casual

53:47>> around this holy God. Yes.

53:49>> Well, he's my best friend. He's more

53:51than that.

53:54>> Amen.

53:56>> One day, uh, my youngest son came in. He

53:58was probably about 14, and he'd, you

54:01know, been hanging out with the kids at

54:02church. He walked in and said, "Hey,

54:04boo." I said, "I'm not your boo.

54:07I'm not your buddy. I'm not your best

54:10friend. I am your mother. Don't you dare

54:12address me like I'm some chum on the

54:14field."

54:16What I say goes.

54:18>> You don't need a best friend and your

54:20mother. You need a mother.

54:23>> And I'm not here to be your best friend.

54:25And I don't care whether you like me or

54:27not. I'm your mother. They're your

54:29buddy. Talk to them like a buddy. You

54:31have to know how to talk around

54:32greatness. You have to know how to talk

54:34when you're around someone above you.

54:36That's why God God can't bring up some

54:39people cuz they treat people like

54:40they're chums.

54:42>> Yes, sir. You get around greatness, you

54:44better come up to that room.

54:47>> Don't be carnal and natural and act

54:49immature in that room. You have to know

54:51how to be around greatness or God won't

54:53give you the opportunity.

54:55>> You have to know God's opened some

54:57wonderful doors. We got to be around

54:58Brother Hagen. We didn't act the fool

55:00and sit there and tell jokes around him.

55:03>> That's acting the fool. Well, I'm just

55:04being myself. Well, you need a better

55:06version

55:08[cheering]

55:09>> because there are versions of you and

55:12you better know what version to bring to

55:13what room. You don't say anything you

55:15want to your pastor. You don't say

55:16anything you want to your boss. Just cuz

55:18you say it in the lunchroom at work

55:20doesn't mean you better say it to your

55:22boss.

55:24>> Yeah.

55:25>> Well, praise the Lord, pastor. We Okay.

55:27You're not mad at me. Okay.

55:29>> We're good. We're happy. We love it.

55:31We're good.

55:31>> Because we want to be faith people. then

55:33get on board with all of it.

55:37>> You don't get to pick and choose.

55:39>> It's a package deal.

55:41>> Yeah.

55:41>> And if you don't want the package,

55:43you'll never have the kind of faith that

55:44gets results with God.

55:46>> Yeah.

55:47>> Dr. Summer made this statement. He said,

55:49"The love of the world is the barricade

55:51keeping the church out of the

55:52miraculous."

55:53>> Oh, wow.

55:55>> He's exactly right. Why? We live by a

55:57different standard. And God is a God of

55:59morality. And I don't care that you're

56:01my cousin. I don't care that you're my

56:02son. I don't care you're my daughter. I

56:03don't care you're my uncle. If you live

56:05clean, you're not going to be my

56:06fellowship. I will love you and I'll be

56:08kind to you at gatherings, but I'm not

56:10seeking out your time

56:14>> because I need my faith to work. And God

56:16is a God of morality and I will not

56:18compromise my morality by somebody who

56:20plays with sin and calls it

56:22entertainment.

56:25>> And some of you need to get out of some

56:26of these movie theaters that are vile.

56:29Nothing wrong with watching movies, but

56:30your standard needs to come up.

56:32>> Amen.

56:34>> You need to come up

56:36>> and what you call entertainment, what

56:37you allow in your home. And you wonder

56:39why your children are carnal

56:41>> because of what movies you watch, what

56:43you allow in your house, and you call it

56:45entertainment because you lack moral

56:46excellence. You see, come up. Come up.

56:49If you want to move with God, you got to

56:51change to fit him. He's not going to

56:53change to lower himself to us.

56:55>> We change to come up to him. And in

56:58Christ you are in him. So live like it.

57:01Have the standard of one in Christ.

57:04>> Glory to God.

57:05>> Well, praise the Lord.

57:09>> See, if you sincerely love God, you want

57:11to know these things.

57:13>> You want to know these things because

57:15it's not what you're doing right that

57:16messes up your life. It's what you're

57:17doing wrong. And it and it's a help when

57:19your pastors tell you where it's wrong

57:22so that you can say, "I'm changing that

57:23because I want my life to please God. I

57:26want God to be able to use me as a

57:28vessel.

57:30>> Yeah.

57:31>> Praise the Lord.

57:32>> Hallelujah.

57:32>> So, moral excellence.

57:35>> I had I had a man come into my come into

57:37my office years ago. He was like in his

57:40mid-40s. He was not a new Christian.

57:42He'd been saved for years. He said,

57:44"Pastor," he brought a girl to to church

57:46and she had started attending with him

57:48and said, "I brought my my girlfriend to

57:50church because I need you to pray for

57:52her." Well, what I need to pray for her

57:53about? was she's got a trans a sexually

57:56transmitted disease. Well, where did she

57:58get it from? Me.

58:02[laughter]

58:04>> And I said, he said, I don't understand

58:07how she got it because every time before

58:09we would have sex, said we would pray

58:12that she wouldn't get it. And I

58:17please don't tell people you go to my

58:18church. Please, please, please. Were you

58:22not embarrassed

58:24to have that conversation with your

58:27pastor? Does that not embarrass you? You

58:29are so morally deficient that you were

58:32able to say that without any kind of

58:33embarrassment or shame.

58:38>> But I want you to know that kind of

58:39thinking is prevalent because the world

58:41calls it freedom.

58:45>> This is my own life. I'm living my own

58:47life. When you belong to God, YOU'RE

58:49BOUGHT. THEY don't belong to you.

58:52>> You don't get to choose your standard.

58:54The word is your standard. YOU ARE

58:56BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.

58:58>> HALLELUJAH.

58:59>> How dare you think this is my life. I

59:01can live anyway I want. Parent get out

59:03of it. You're bought.

59:06>> Amen.

59:07>> This is faith, people. This is faith.

59:10Faith chooses God's standard.

59:12>> Yes.

59:14[applause]

59:15>> Hallelujah.

59:17>> Hallelujah.

59:17>> Well, praise the Lord.

59:20I'll just quote it for time sake. Jesus

59:22was anointed with the oil of gladness

59:26above his brethren because he loved

59:30righteousness and he hated iniquity.

59:33>> Amen.

59:34>> You don't hate sin, you'll struggle with

59:36it.

59:37>> You want to know why people held in

59:39addictions and perversions? They don't

59:41hate it yet.

59:42>> That's right.

59:42>> They haven't decided they're done with

59:44it.

59:44>> That's why they're held by it. You have

59:46to hate it. And you get up every day

59:48when the body cries out for and you say,

59:50"No, I hate that. I hate that. I hate

59:52that. I hate that. I will not

59:55participate in that which God hates. I

59:57choose to hate it." So body, you come in

59:59line. You will not go with what I hate.

1:00:01>> Amen.

1:00:03[applause]

1:00:04>> You see, you got to learn to quit

1:00:06playing with it and entertaining it.

1:00:08>> You stay near it and it keep it'll grab

1:00:11your hand and pull you right on in.

1:00:13>> Well, praise the Lord. Thank you.

1:00:15>> And we are not left with our own ability

1:00:17to live right. You're empowered by

1:00:19divine power to live right.

1:00:22>> You have the Holy Ghost on the inside of

1:00:24you. Power to live right.

1:00:27>> Right.

1:00:28>> To live clean. If you'll pray in the

1:00:30Holy Ghost, you won't have so much

1:00:32trouble and need so much prayer in your

1:00:35life

1:00:36>> from others to help pull you through

1:00:38because praying in the Holy Ghost will

1:00:41in it empowers and strengthens your

1:00:44spirit to say no to the temptation to do

1:00:46wrong.

1:00:48>> Amen.

1:00:49>> Praise the Lord. You're not left to

1:00:51yourself. And can I tell you this? You

1:00:54don't try to You don't get rid of wrong

1:00:56by trying to get rid of wrong.

1:00:59Did you hear that? You don't get rid of

1:01:01wrong things out of your life by trying

1:01:02to get rid of wrong things. What What do

1:01:04you do? You pour in the right thing. And

1:01:07the right thing washes out the wrong

1:01:09thing.

1:01:10>> If you're struggling with something,

1:01:12pour the word in. Pour the word in. Pour

1:01:14the word in. And the word will wash it

1:01:16out. You are made clean through the word

1:01:18which I spoken unto you. Is what Jesus

1:01:20said in John 15. You are made clean

1:01:23through the word. You're not made clean

1:01:25through trying. Yeah.

1:01:27>> You're made clean through the word. Pour

1:01:30in the word. If you're struggling with

1:01:32an addiction, you're struggling with

1:01:33something in your mind, you're

1:01:34struggling with depression, pour in the

1:01:36word. It'll wash it on out.

1:01:39>> And and and the thing is, if you're

1:01:41trying to get rid of it, you become so

1:01:42mindful of it. And the more you think of

1:01:44it, the more it becomes entrenched in

1:01:46you. Get your attention off of that. Get

1:01:48your attention on the word. Get your

1:01:50attention on pouring in the word. And

1:01:52the word will wash it out. And you won't

1:01:54even have to give it any of your

1:01:55attention because the word dealt with

1:01:57it.

1:01:59>> This is not by human willpower.

1:02:02This is by divine ability.

1:02:04>> That we live moral lives. James 1 chap

1:02:07verse 4 the Philips translation said be

1:02:10men of integrity with no weak spots.

1:02:14>> See the devil gains entrance at weak

1:02:16points. But if we remove all the weak

1:02:18points the door is closed to him. He

1:02:20runs into a wall man.

1:02:23Right.

1:02:24>> Well, praise the Lord. Number two, add

1:02:27to virtue knowledge. What's this mean?

1:02:29You're going to have to learn the word

1:02:31for yourself. It's not enough that your

1:02:32pastor knows it. If you don't learn the

1:02:34word for yourself, the devil can pick

1:02:36you off. And don't you forget about it.

1:02:38>> You have to renew your mind. What does

1:02:40it mean to renew your mind? You feed on

1:02:42the word of God and you say, "If that's

1:02:44what God says, that's what I choose to

1:02:46live by. I bring myself in line with

1:02:48that." And your mind isn't renewed

1:02:50because you can confess the word. The

1:02:52mind is renewed when you're living that

1:02:53word daily. That's right.

1:02:55>> Until you're living it, your mind's not

1:02:57renewed. No matter how much you can

1:02:58quote it, if you don't live by it, your

1:03:00mind is not renewed.

1:03:04>> Your mind is renewed when it becomes

1:03:05your lifestyle.

1:03:07>> Hallelujah.

1:03:08>> Amen.

1:03:09>> So, you have to add knowledge of the

1:03:10word. Why? Because God has no fellowship

1:03:12with ignorance.

1:03:14>> God doesn't run around with ignorance.

1:03:16He is all wisdom. You have to know this.

1:03:19God has certain certain guidelines for

1:03:22his own self. So what's he do? He sent

1:03:24his word to run out ignorance. Renewing

1:03:26the mind, you're running out ignorance.

1:03:28When you come to church, you're running

1:03:29out ignorance.

1:03:30>> Amen.

1:03:32>> And my people are destroyed for lack of

1:03:34knowledge. What Hosea 4:7. It's not the

1:03:37devil mentioned there. It's ignorance.

1:03:40>> When you're when you're ignorant of what

1:03:42God's made yours, the devil takes

1:03:44advantage of you. And it's not the

1:03:45devil's fault. He saw ignorance.

1:03:48God, the devil is counting on your

1:03:51ignorance to work his plan.

1:03:54>> Where ignorance is, the devil goes

1:03:57without restraint.

1:03:59>> So run out ignorance.

1:04:01>> Amen.

1:04:02>> Don't Don't I I I'm just telling you, if

1:04:04you just come to church and that's the

1:04:05only time you sit under the word, you're

1:04:07going to be susceptible

1:04:09>> to what the enemy wants to do

1:04:11>> every day. Get the word. Keep keep the

1:04:14word going in. and you have all the

1:04:15technology today to help you. While

1:04:17you're getting dressed, have it going.

1:04:19While you're in the car, have it going.

1:04:21Let God know that his word has a place

1:04:23in your life.

1:04:24>> Amen.

1:04:26>> Yeah. My son Grant, who's now the pastor

1:04:28of our church there in California, he

1:04:30said this. He said, "I'm not talking

1:04:32about 24 hours a day." He said, "I'm

1:04:34talking about your waking hours." He

1:04:36said, "To come to church, and you spend

1:04:39maybe two hours twice a week in church,

1:04:41that's four hours." He said, "That's a

1:04:43total of 3.2% of your week. Can you not

1:04:47give God 3.2%

1:04:49of your week?" Well, I want you to know

1:04:513.2% of your week will not keep the

1:04:54devil off your back.

1:04:55>> That's right.

1:04:57>> You better learn something.

1:04:59>> Grow up. That's our privilege to grow

1:05:01up. People in the world don't know what

1:05:03to do with their minds. We do.

1:05:05>> We have the word. We know what to do

1:05:07with our minds.

1:05:09>> You can't ever get away from your mind.

1:05:11So, you might as well have a mind you

1:05:13can live with instead of one you can't

1:05:15live with.

1:05:16>> You can't just take off your mind and

1:05:18lay it on the counter as you walk out

1:05:19the door and say, "I'll pick you up

1:05:20later. You're a little bit troubled

1:05:22today." [laughter]

1:05:24>> No, you live with your mind. You can't

1:05:26get away from it. So, don't have a mind

1:05:28that's troubled and tormented and

1:05:30harassed. Gain some knowledge.

1:05:33>> Quit getting in every healing line for

1:05:35my mind. Get the word in. Get the word

1:05:37in. Get the word in.

1:05:41Because the ignorance is no substitute

1:05:44for faith.

1:05:46>> You just can't throw faith at ignorance

1:05:49and receive your answer met.

1:05:51>> You have to know something.

1:05:52>> Yeah.

1:05:54>> Faith requires revelation before it will

1:05:57work.

1:05:59>> Well, praise the Lord.

1:06:01>> Come back tonight. We'll be sweet.

1:06:03[laughter]

1:06:05Why? Why? Why are you saying this?

1:06:07Because you can't carve granite with a

1:06:08butter knife. I'm trying to get some

1:06:10things in you. [cheering]

1:06:13[applause]

1:06:15>> The next one, we'll go real quick. We'll

1:06:17go real quick and add to and add to

1:06:20knowledge. Temperance.

1:06:22>> What's temperance? Self-restraint.

1:06:24Self-control.

1:06:26Aren't we glad that God is temperate?

1:06:30>> If he weren't If he weren't

1:06:31self-restraint, we'd all be crispy

1:06:33critters.

1:06:36[laughter]

1:06:37>> Yeah. Because ever since man has been on

1:06:40the earth, they've been falsely accusing

1:06:41God.

1:06:42>> Adam began it. Eve carried it on and it

1:06:45went from there.

1:06:47>> The sin nature accuses God. Blames God

1:06:50for everything that's wrong. Why did God

1:06:52let this happen? To get mad at God is

1:06:55the height of ignorance.

1:06:56>> Y

1:06:58>> well, God let this happen. No, people

1:07:00let it happen and you turn around and

1:07:01blame God for what people allowed.

1:07:04>> God's not living people's lives for

1:07:06them. They choose what they want. And

1:07:08then people in ignorance say, "Well, why

1:07:10did God let them?" You have to learn

1:07:11this. It's why did people do it?

1:07:13>> Yes.

1:07:14>> Because God didn't do it. God empowers

1:07:16us for a life of peace and joy. And if

1:07:19somebody won't choose that, he can't

1:07:20help that.

1:07:21>> That's right.

1:07:22>> Cuz he's he's not dealing with us as

1:07:24robots forcing his will. His honor is so

1:07:26great. He will not force his best upon

1:07:28anyone.

1:07:30>> Amen.

1:07:31>> Amen. Uh so we have to have temperance

1:07:34restraint in every area. If you're not

1:07:37temperate, you're going to have issues.

1:07:40>> Yeah. Because your body will run off

1:07:42with you. And if you let your body lead

1:07:45your life, it will ruin your life. If

1:07:47you let your body take the lead, let me

1:07:49just tell you this real quickly. You are

1:07:51a three-fold being. You're not part

1:07:54spirit, part soul, part body. You're all

1:07:56spirit. You're all soul and you're all

1:07:58body. You have a complete each one of

1:08:00those are complete. They're not parts

1:08:03there. You are threefold being three

1:08:06layered if I could say it that way.

1:08:09>> Your spirit is where the life of God is.

1:08:12Your spirit is where God speaks to you

1:08:14and guard your heart with all diligence.

1:08:16Your heart and your spirit are used

1:08:17interchangeably in the word. When it

1:08:19sees talks about your heart, it's not

1:08:21talking about the organ. It's talking

1:08:22about the center of your being, which is

1:08:25your spirit man. That's where God

1:08:27resides in you. So your spirit is to

1:08:29take the lead. When God talks to you, he

1:08:31talks to you through your spirit. He's

1:08:32not talking to your mind. He's talking

1:08:34to your spirit. And then what your

1:08:36spirit knows floats up and enlightens

1:08:38your mind. But God didn't speak to your

1:08:40mind. He spoke to your spirit. And your

1:08:42mind then catches what the spirit said

1:08:44to your spirit. You understand that?

1:08:46Know this. You're to be spiritled. And

1:08:48if you're body led, your life will be in

1:08:50ruins. And if you're and if you're

1:08:54soulled, your mind, your will, and your

1:08:56emotions, your intellect, if you're led

1:08:59by that, you're be confused your whole

1:09:01life because the devil's working in that

1:09:02arena.

1:09:04>> He can outthink you. And don't you

1:09:05forget it. He'd love to hold you in the

1:09:07sooulish arena cuz he can outthink you.

1:09:10>> Oh yeah.

1:09:11>> But we hold him in the faith arena, the

1:09:13spirit arena. Your spirit is to be

1:09:16master.

1:09:17>> Your spirit makes the call. Your spirit

1:09:20is in charge. Your spirit is following

1:09:22God. Your spirit is the residence of

1:09:25heaven.

1:09:26>> Yeah. You are the temple of the Holy

1:09:29Ghost. That's your spirit. Why? Uh God

1:09:31gave you your soul, but not to lead you.

1:09:34>> He gave you your soul. Your soul is to

1:09:36be your servant.

1:09:38>> It's to serve you.

1:09:40>> Amen. If you renew your mind, see

1:09:43there's no faith in your mind. Don't you

1:09:45forget that. There's no faith in your

1:09:47mind.

1:09:48you. That's why people they try to

1:09:50believe God and they get overwhelmed. If

1:09:51you had that overwhelming feeling, it's

1:09:53because you're trying to believe God

1:09:54with your mind

1:09:55>> and you're overwhelmed because there's

1:09:57no faith in your mind. Your faith is to

1:09:59be renewed. Your faith doesn't have your

1:10:01mind doesn't have faith. Your mind is to

1:10:03be renewed. The renewed mind will agree

1:10:06with the faith that's in your spirit.

1:10:08The unrenewed mind will argue against

1:10:10the faith in your spirit. That's why you

1:10:12have to turn your mind into your servant

1:10:14and renew it.

1:10:15>> Yes. So it doesn't argue against the

1:10:17faith in your spirit, but it agrees with

1:10:20the faith in your spirit. And that's why

1:10:22so many Christians live troubled because

1:10:24they have an unrenewed mind and they go

1:10:25to bed in their heart. They know one

1:10:27thing. They know what God's dealing

1:10:28with, but their mind is arguing. Their

1:10:30mind is arguing and holds them out

1:10:32>> because they've not turned their mind

1:10:34into their servant yet.

1:10:36>> Your spirit is to be master. Your soul

1:10:39is to be servant. And your body is to be

1:10:41slave.

1:10:42>> Amen.

1:10:42>> A slave has no voice. You do this. You

1:10:45do that because if you give your body a

1:10:47voice, it will lead you right into ruin.

1:10:50>> It'll take your life off course. That's

1:10:52why we're to be temperate. Amen. We keep

1:10:56those things in proper place. Then the

1:10:58next thing is patience. Are you still

1:11:00with me? We'll go through real real

1:11:01quick.

1:11:03>> The next thing is patience. If you're

1:11:05not patient, see, God's going to train

1:11:07you. He's going to prepare you for what

1:11:09you're born for. If you're impatient,

1:11:11you'll quit before training is done.

1:11:14>> And you'll run off and start something

1:11:16that you're not qualified to fulfill

1:11:17yet. Preparation. Jesus did it for 30

1:11:21years.

1:11:22>> He only lived 33. Do you think the devil

1:11:24was giving him the countdown?

1:11:26>> You're only going to live 33 years. You

1:11:29think Jesus knew how long he was going

1:11:30to live? I believe he did. I believe he

1:11:32grew into that knowledge. He knew his

1:11:34time. He knew the seasons of his life.

1:11:36He's not ignorant. But know this, the

1:11:39devil at 19 would have loved to push him

1:11:40out. Go ahead, be the savior. Go ahead,

1:11:43work miracles. No, Jesus didn't try. He

1:11:46didn't even endeavor to step out till

1:11:47the anointing came on him at 30 years

1:11:49old. The devil would have loved to

1:11:50pushed him out before the anointing

1:11:52came. The devil would have loved for him

1:11:54to do something in his own ability and

1:11:56in his zeal for God.

1:11:58>> God doesn't anoint zeal. He anoints

1:12:00preparation. Amen.

1:12:04>> You can get real excited about what

1:12:05you're born for and go out with that

1:12:07zeal and the devil will applaud you

1:12:09because he'll watch you fail because

1:12:11zeal is not empowerment.

1:12:13>> Zeal can lead you out of the plan of God

1:12:16because you got more excited than you

1:12:17were prepared.

1:12:20>> Praise the Lord. How many times I've

1:12:22seen in pastoring 25 years somebody come

1:12:25in with a call, but they were too

1:12:26anxious to go out and get their church

1:12:28started, get their ministry going. They

1:12:30wouldn't sit in patience and be

1:12:32prepared.

1:12:33>> And they went out prematurely and they

1:12:35they led their family from one mess to

1:12:37another and they just ended up on the

1:12:39spiritual junk heap because they refuse

1:12:41to be prepared. It takes patience to be

1:12:44prepared.

1:12:45>> And if you're not patient, you'll marry

1:12:47the wrong one because you'll think

1:12:48there's not another one coming and

1:12:50you'll settle.

1:12:52>> But you be patient for what God has for

1:12:54you.

1:12:55>> Amen.

1:12:55>> Amen. Once Jesus was prepared 30 years,

1:12:59he went and he was baptized by John the

1:13:02Baptist in the River Jordan. And a voice

1:13:03came out of heaven. This is my beloved

1:13:06son in whom I'm well pleased. Hadn't

1:13:08worked a miracle. Hadn't raised any

1:13:09throne from the dead. Had no sermon that

1:13:11we have recorded.

1:13:14>> Why? Why was God well pleased? Because

1:13:16he took 30 years to allow God to build

1:13:18him.

1:13:19>> God was building him. He had to grow in

1:13:23wisdom and stature. He had to grow just

1:13:26like you and me. And he went through

1:13:27that process. And it's patience that

1:13:30held him there when the call within him

1:13:32would have compelled him out if he

1:13:34didn't have patience to hold himself in

1:13:36place to be prepared.

1:13:38>> And God said, "I'm well pleased." He

1:13:40prepared.

1:13:41>> And then once he was prepared, only

1:13:44three years.

1:13:46And he was out manifesting what a

1:13:48redeemed life looks like. He was out

1:13:50manifesting the will of the father for

1:13:52three years. It didn't take it didn't

1:13:54take 30 33 years to save humanity. It

1:13:57took three days.

1:13:59Three days to save humanity, rescue

1:14:02humanity. Why? Because he was skilled in

1:14:05preparation. He knew how to go to hell

1:14:07and win. He knew how to go to hell and

1:14:09let his father raise him when he had

1:14:11never seen that done. But his skill with

1:14:14his faith in God

1:14:16>> led him to hell and says, "I'll go there

1:14:19without any terror and I'll come out."

1:14:20He wasn't down there fighting the devil

1:14:22to see who would win.

1:14:25>> You know what he was doing down in hell

1:14:27for three days? He was doing what

1:14:29Jehoshaphat's army was doing. They were

1:14:32three days gathering up the spoils. He

1:14:34was down there getting back everything

1:14:36that Adam lost for humanity. [cheering]

1:14:38He was down there gathering it all back.

1:14:41Gathering it all back. Not seeing who

1:14:43would win.

1:14:46>> He was gathering it all back. Three

1:14:48days. It took him three days to in

1:14:50divine ability gather back everything

1:14:53Adam lost. And he came back and he says,

1:14:55"I got it. I got the keys of hell and

1:14:57[cheering] death." YEAH.

1:15:01>> He wasn't down there seeing Don't ever

1:15:04believe a song. Devil took a strike and

1:15:06hit him and then Jesus struck back. No,

1:15:08no, no. That's human. That's human

1:15:10thinking. He was down there

1:15:12demonstrating, illustrating the devil's

1:15:15defeat, marching them through the the

1:15:17regions of the damn. He was spoiling

1:15:19principalities and powers. MADE A SHOW

1:15:21OF THEM OPENLY. HE WAS DOWN THERE

1:15:23LEADING THE PARADE. I'VE COME DOWN HERE

1:15:26TO defeat you and gather it all back.

1:15:28And that's what he did. AND PARADED

1:15:29THERE'S PARADED THEIR FAILURE through

1:15:32the region of the damned.

1:15:34>> Yeah. He's leading this whole thing.

1:15:37He's not down there under the bottom of

1:15:39a dog pile.

1:15:42He is conqueror.

1:15:44>> He is victor.

1:15:46>> How was he able to do that? Because he

1:15:48patiently prepared on earth for what he

1:15:51had to do in that region.

1:15:52>> Y

1:15:54>> well praise the Lord. This is faith

1:15:56people at its at its highest.

1:15:59>> Hallelujah.

1:15:59>> Faith at its best is patient while it's

1:16:02being prepared because without patience

1:16:04faith will quit.

1:16:06>> You have to add to your faith patience.

1:16:10So your faith doesn't make you look like

1:16:12a quitter.

1:16:14>> Yeah. Praise the Lord. I'm patiently

1:16:16waiting for God to build me. I'm

1:16:18patiently waiting for God to work in me

1:16:21because once I'm built, it won't take

1:16:22long.

1:16:23>> Amen.

1:16:24>> I can manifest the the plan of God

1:16:26quickly when I'm built. Amen.

1:16:28>> Amen.

1:16:30>> Then godliness. Number five, godliness.

1:16:33We could say this. God likeness.

1:16:37>> God likeness. like God. What's this

1:16:41mean? That when you're like God, you're

1:16:44interested in what he's interested in.

1:16:46>> If you're not interested in what God's

1:16:48interested in, you lack some godliness.

1:16:51You need to be like God. You have to

1:16:54choose that what interests him interests

1:16:56me. If Can I tell you this? God's

1:16:58already done all he's going to do for

1:17:00the world.

1:17:01>> He sent Jesus. He's got nothing else to

1:17:03send. He's not working with the world

1:17:05anymore. He's not working for the world

1:17:07anymore. He's given them Jesus. That's

1:17:09all they need.

1:17:10>> But now what's he working with? His

1:17:12body.

1:17:14>> He's He spends now all of himself. Jesus

1:17:17is the great intercessor interceding for

1:17:20his body.

1:17:21>> Yeah.

1:17:22>> He's up He's up in heaven now working

1:17:24for the body,

1:17:25>> working for those who are his, working

1:17:27for those who choose him and honor him.

1:17:30That's who he's working for. Now, you

1:17:32need to have that same interest to not

1:17:34care about the local church, to not care

1:17:36about the body. You lack godliness

1:17:38because you're not like God in that. You

1:17:40see, it matters to you how the church is

1:17:43doing. Know this, you are a part in his

1:17:46body. You are to be a functioning part.

1:17:48And to not show up to function is to not

1:17:50care about the body. When you're absent,

1:17:53everybody else is going to feel that.

1:17:55And you say, "Well, I can't tell it."

1:17:56Well, whether you know it or not, in the

1:17:58spirit realm, God sees. It says he puts

1:18:00us in the body as it pleases him. We

1:18:03don't get to we don't get to choose. He

1:18:05puts us in the body as it pleases him.

1:18:08So since it pleases him to put us there,

1:18:09we need to be pleased to be there.

1:18:13>> Yeah. Instead of when you get the when

1:18:15you get the calendar handed out and

1:18:16you're and you're to serve in

1:18:17children's. Oh my gosh, I don't want to

1:18:19serve in children's. I had to serve last

1:18:20week in children's or last month in

1:18:22children's. What what what happens? God

1:18:25set you as it pleased him. And to

1:18:26complain against that is to complain

1:18:28against God. David said, "I'd rather be

1:18:31a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord

1:18:32than to dwell in the tents of the

1:18:34wicked." If I can do anything for God, I

1:18:37am honored that he allows Well, that's

1:18:40beneath me. Nothing's beneath you in the

1:18:41body. Nothing is beneath anybody in the

1:18:44body.

1:18:45>> Amen.

1:18:46>> The day my husband got saved, he was 25

1:18:49years old. He went to church on a Sunday

1:18:51morning and he got saved. That night he

1:18:53went to the pastor and said, "Pastor,

1:18:54I've been serving the devil for 25

1:18:56years, but now that I I'm I belong to

1:18:59Jesus, I want to do something for him.

1:19:01Can I do something for him?" He said,

1:19:03"Well, we don't have anyone to clean the

1:19:05toilets." Notice he had a whole

1:19:07congregation, but no one in the

1:19:09congregation would do it. Why? They

1:19:11thought it was beneath them.

1:19:13>> If you have this mentality, you're too

1:19:15good for that, then you're going to make

1:19:16yourself off limits to God.

1:19:19>> Y

1:19:20>> But he said, "That's my job. I'll do it.

1:19:23>> And he cleaned the toilets for years. He

1:19:25didn't think it was beneath him. Why?

1:19:27It's not the task that m that makes you

1:19:29honorable. It's the honor you bring to

1:19:31the task.

1:19:35>> People want something public. They want

1:19:37something seen. That won't make you more

1:19:39honorable in your life.

1:19:41>> It's your level of honor that you bring

1:19:43to the task. That's what elevates the

1:19:45task. The task doesn't elevate you. You

1:19:48elevate the task. Amen.

1:19:51>> And my husband for years cleaned the

1:19:53toilets in the church. Then he got to be

1:19:55the janitor. He got to clean the whole

1:19:57building. And then he got to be a door

1:19:59greeter. And then he got to be a deacon.

1:20:01And then God promoted him to be a pastor

1:20:04in another location. And then God sent

1:20:06him all over the world with a carrier of

1:20:08the healing anointing. It didn't begin

1:20:09in a great public place. It began when

1:20:12he saw nothing was beneath him.

1:20:16[cheering]

1:20:17Yes. Glory to God.

1:20:19>> This is called godliness.

1:20:21>> Like God, if it God if it has anything

1:20:24to do with God, I'm honored to get to do

1:20:26it. It doesn't matter, pastor. Wherever

1:20:28you put me, I'm glad to be there and

1:20:30I'll show up.

1:20:32>> Amen.

1:20:33>> I'll show up. God told me when I was

1:20:35pastoring one time, we would we had to

1:20:38assign people to child to child care

1:20:40because we just had a handful that were

1:20:42doing it. And I said, "It's not right

1:20:43for you as a church family be okay with

1:20:4520 back there doing it while 500 of you

1:20:48or 400 of you sit out here and not doing

1:20:51it. It's not right. You're not treating

1:20:53one another right

1:20:54>> because I've got I've got people missing

1:20:56three out of four Sundays serving while

1:20:59you while you don't do anything." I

1:21:00said, "That's not right in the family."

1:21:02See, parents have to teach what's right

1:21:04in a family.

1:21:05>> And a pastor is a parent. So I said, "So

1:21:08those of you that I would select to work

1:21:10with children's," I said, "I'm going to

1:21:11assign you because sometimes people just

1:21:14don't know where to go."

1:21:15>> Amen. [laughter]

1:21:19>> So I said, "If everybody does, if

1:21:22everybody serves once, everybody only

1:21:23has to serve one time out of two months

1:21:26instead of a handful serving three out

1:21:28of four Sundays." That's not right.

1:21:30>> Preach it. It's godliness, godlikeness,

1:21:33that you do unto others as you would

1:21:35have them do unto you.

1:21:37>> And in a church family, that's so

1:21:39important.

1:21:41>> I said, that's so important.

1:21:42>> Hallelujah.

1:21:43>> And then one time I I would say, if for

1:21:45some reason you cannot meet the

1:21:47schedule, then you're required to find

1:21:49someone to substitute for you.

1:21:50>> Amen.

1:21:51>> And people would come up and say,

1:21:52"Pastor Nancy, I'm sorry. I can't do

1:21:54it." And I said, "That's okay. We'll

1:21:55find somebody to fill the place." And

1:21:57God said to me one day, he said, "Just

1:21:58cuz you dismissed them didn't mean I

1:22:00did.

1:22:02He said, "I expected them to be there

1:22:03even though you told them they didn't

1:22:05have to."

1:22:06>> He said, "Because when I'm when I

1:22:08appoint someone to something, they're

1:22:09not authorized to say, "Sorry, won't do

1:22:11it."

1:22:12>> Well, praise the Lord. God set those in

1:22:15the body as it pleased him. If he's

1:22:18pleased to find a place for me, I'm

1:22:20pleased to show up and be in that place.

1:22:23>> Can I tell you where miracles begin?

1:22:25Showing up.

1:22:28Miracles began in the showing up. People

1:22:31who don't show up don't get them.

1:22:34>> The woman with the issue of blood, she

1:22:35got out of her house. That's where her

1:22:37miracle began. She showed up where the

1:22:39man of God of power was.

1:22:41>> The way to get your miracles, show up

1:22:43around your pastor. Show up every week

1:22:45and you'll get miracles as a lifestyle.

1:22:48>> Amen.

1:22:49>> Praise the Lord. And then we have this

1:22:53uh we already referred to the last two.

1:22:56So see we're already done with our list.

1:22:58[laughter]

1:22:59>> Brotherly kindness and love. Are you

1:23:01helped today?

1:23:02>> Yes.

1:23:03>> These seven things have to be added to

1:23:05our faith.

1:23:06>> Because we can't just say, "Well, I got

1:23:08faith." And if we say we're faith

1:23:10people, we have to say we're morally

1:23:12excellent people.

1:23:13>> If we say we're faith people, we have to

1:23:15say, "Then I have a renewed mind and I'm

1:23:17renewing my mind." Every for the rest of

1:23:18your life, you got to renew your mind.

1:23:20You'll never arrive at a renewed mind

1:23:22total. Every day you have to keep keep

1:23:25that mind in place. Then if you say, "I

1:23:27I'm I'm a faith person," then you have

1:23:29to say, "I'm temperate."

1:23:31>> Yeah.

1:23:32>> My spirit's in the lead. I'm not letting

1:23:34my body boss me around. I'm not let my

1:23:36emotions boss me around and keep me a

1:23:38spiritual baby

1:23:39>> because it's all about me and my

1:23:41feelings.

1:23:42>> If I'm a If I'm a faith person, I'm a

1:23:44patient person. I'm letting God build

1:23:46me. I'm not mad when the preacher

1:23:48preaches something that corrects me and

1:23:50I take my marbles and go play someone

1:23:52else because my feelings got hurt.

1:23:56>> Yeah. I I I told congregation members, I

1:23:59said, "If you'll just go out at the

1:24:00foyer and say, "Wasn't that a great

1:24:02sermon?" No one will know that he was

1:24:04talking about you. [laughter]

1:24:08But people go out and say, "I don't they

1:24:10don't walk in love here." All you're

1:24:12advertising is that that sermon nailed

1:24:13you.

1:24:16>> [laughter]

1:24:16>> No, just go and say, "That was a great

1:24:18sermon." Then go in the car and say,

1:24:19"Father, I'm so sorry. I repent. I'm

1:24:21bringing myself in line.

1:24:23>> I am bringing myself in line because you

1:24:25love me too much to let me have faults

1:24:27in my life that are going to hold me

1:24:29back. I love it when I get corrected

1:24:32because it is my safety. It It keeps me

1:24:35from being what I used to be and going

1:24:37back to the way I used to be."

1:24:39>> If we're faith people, we love it all.

1:24:41>> I said if we're faith people, WE LOVE IT

1:24:44ALL. WE LOVE IT ALL. WE LOVE IT ALL. WE

1:24:46LOVE IT ALL.

1:24:48>> AMEN.

1:24:49>> AMEN.

1:24:49>> Thank you, pastor. Thank you,

1:24:51CONGREGATION.

1:24:53[applause]

1:25:00>> HEY, thanks for stopping by our YouTube

1:25:02channel today. We hope that you were

1:25:03blessed. If you were, share this video

1:25:05with [music] someone, like and

1:25:07subscribe, and leave us a comment. Let

1:25:09us know where you're watching from and

1:25:11how we can be praying for you. Hope to

1:25:12see you back soon.