1 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:10,400 We welcome you to the We Are Zion sermon podcast. 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,160 We are a church based out of Chennai, India. 3 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,480 We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:20,200 be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear. 5 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,240 Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of 6 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:27,880 purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus. 7 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:32,759 This summer we are going deeper into heartwarming movies to find 8 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:36,400 gospel gems and Kingdom truths for our everyday life. 9 00:00:37,160 --> 00:00:40,160 As you listen in, we hope that through these familiar 10 00:00:40,160 --> 00:00:44,160 characters and sweet stories, you have a fresh revelation of 11 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:46,680 the victorious life we have in Christ. 12 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:53,560 We begin a brand new series called Actor Movies and what is 13 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,560 the series about where we're just going to take a couple of 14 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,360 movies through the summer. We are probably we're looking at 15 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:01,400 taking 2 movies over the next two months and justice looking 16 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,480 at what God wants to speak to us through these movies because, 17 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,560 you know, everything on the earth has redemptive potential. 18 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:12,760 Everything on the earth has some glimmers of the gospel story. 19 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:16,160 And sometimes the world twists it around for their benefit to, 20 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,480 you know, make a culture look better or to establish a 21 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,360 certain, you know, a new cultural norm. 22 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,680 But we look at it when we look at it through the gospel of 23 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,960 Jesus, when we put our gospel lens on, it changes how we 24 00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:31,120 perceive things. And the movie we're going to be 25 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,600 reviewing over the next three weeks and studying from and 26 00:01:33,600 --> 00:01:38,040 gleaning gospel truths from is the movie Zootopia Part 2, the 27 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,120 sequel. So Zootopia sequel, the Part 2 28 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:44,840 came out just last year and it was a beautiful movie because 29 00:01:44,840 --> 00:01:48,360 it's interesting. Zootopia always has a villain 30 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:53,920 was very unlikely. And this time they had a villain 31 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:59,000 who was actually a cat, a lynx cat, a wild cat, but what 32 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,080 seemingly looked like the villain was not. 33 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:06,000 And so the the hero of the show was actually a most beautiful 34 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:10,960 blue coloured pit wiper. OK, heat seeking pit wiper. 35 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,720 And when I was watching it with my kids a month back, I remember 36 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,560 I hate snakes. Just to give you a background, I 37 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:18,240 hate snakes, absolutely hate them. 38 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,680 Even when I go to the zoo, I avoid the snake enclosure. 39 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,480 I can't handle snake carvings. I just I don't like at all. 40 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:29,040 And most of my kids are like that as well. 41 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,280 My husband, on the other hand, is a bit more brave than us, but 42 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:34,760 snakes are a no no. And so I was watching this movie 43 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:36,520 with my kids. And as I was watching, I'm 44 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,880 sitting on the couch with my two younger ones. 45 00:02:38,880 --> 00:02:41,600 We were watching a movie and I kept exclaiming surprisingly. 46 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,040 Oh my gosh, what a cute snake. What a cute snake. 47 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,120 Look at it or the way you would do when you look at a little 48 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:49,600 baby. That was my expression because 49 00:02:49,600 --> 00:02:51,360 they had done the snake so beautifully. 50 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,120 The eyes, as always an animation nowadays, the eyes got your 51 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:57,760 attention adorable. The voice was sweet. 52 00:02:57,960 --> 00:03:01,200 The demeanor was sweet. He was so he caught your 53 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,120 attention because, you know, he seemed so pleading in the way he 54 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:08,520 was fighting for a just cause and and he was the the hero of 55 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,240 the of the story. He gets everyone to rally behind 56 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:15,960 him and save his land, right? And restore things to the way he 57 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:18,840 had his grandmother, great grandmother had desired. 58 00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,520 So that's how the story evolved. And as we were watching it, my 59 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:23,920 husband came out of his work room. 60 00:03:23,920 --> 00:03:25,760 He was just standing in the corner and watching it for a 61 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:28,800 while. And I happened to tell him he 62 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:30,520 did you see how cute the snake looks? 63 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:33,360 And he said, oh, wow. So basically they have 64 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,800 accomplished normalizing a Viper as a good guy. 65 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,680 They basically made it. They've dumbed down the whole 66 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,000 snake idea for children. So he said that and he walked 67 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:46,720 away. And that just didn't leave me. 68 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:50,000 So that night over dinner, when I was talking to my three 69 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,080 children, I was talking to them and saying, hey, guys, I know we 70 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,760 saw this movie. I know that, you know, the snake 71 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,360 looked really cute and it, it was doing all the right things. 72 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,480 But I just want to tell you that a snake, the serpent as per 73 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,960 Scripture, is a symbolism of the enemy. 74 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,560 He is the devil Incarnate, OK. And so I want you to be careful 75 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,600 because God a lot of times uses that symbolism in dreams and 76 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:17,519 visions to us to alert you to an attack coming or to some sort of 77 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:21,000 witchcraft or some kind of demonic oppression that you may 78 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,360 currently be facing. And so I was explaining this to 79 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:25,840 them. And as I was saying it, two of 80 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:29,560 my three children stopped me and said, what are you saying? 81 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:34,640 I said when will the snake that when we do, we thought this one 82 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,800 looked cute is not really that spiritually it symbolizes A 83 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,920 darker power. And the minute I said that both 84 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,800 our sons stopped me and said mom, you won't believe it. 85 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:49,280 We had bad dreams recently. Snakes were featured in it and 86 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:50,720 they went on to tell me their dreams. 87 00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,600 We went on to praying about the things they were talking about 88 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,040 very relevant to our season. And that's when I realized what 89 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,040 Geshom had said was almost like a prophetic warning that many 90 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,320 times what we see in a movie being portrayed can become a 91 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:09,000 reality. And the enemy so subtly comes in 92 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:13,280 to numb our reality, to to embellish what doesn't need to 93 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:16,520 be embellished. Here in this story, the snake is 94 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:21,920 portrayed as a sweet little charming, cute character who is 95 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,640 fighting for the right. But in reality, the enemy never 96 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:26,720 fights fair. And so today we're going to be 97 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:28,840 talking about how snakes are not cute. 98 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:33,720 So whatever you have pictured, whatever you have imagined about 99 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,200 if you want Zootopia to, you know what I'm talking about. 100 00:05:36,360 --> 00:05:39,400 But if you notice towards the end of the movie, this Viper, 101 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:43,200 which started out small and inconspicuous, in the last scene 102 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:45,680 when he's back in his grandmother's house, you should 103 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,840 see how big he looks. He looks really big. 104 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:54,160 And that is almost a symbolism to us of just how sneakily the 105 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:57,400 enemy enters our lives but leaves a big mark. 106 00:05:57,560 --> 00:06:01,320 He never stays the same. His influence in our life grows 107 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,440 and grows and grows if we are not careful. 108 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,760 So my question to you is this, since when did a snake become a 109 00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,640 good guy? Since when did a snake sound and 110 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:12,840 act adorable? Because the original snake was 111 00:06:12,840 --> 00:06:16,640 found in the Garden of Eden and in Genesis chapter 2 and three 112 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,640 talks about the fall of man caused by the serpent. 113 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,720 The enemy in the form of a serpent came and lured the woman 114 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,440 away from her destiny, causing both of them to lose communion 115 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:29,360 with God. He's been doing it for the 116 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:32,600 longest time. And even today you and I 117 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,960 experienced the, the poison of the enemy. 118 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,920 How do we experience the poison? How can his bite still affect 119 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:41,320 us? He's when we talk about the 120 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,840 snake, we're talking about a metaphysical thing between, you 121 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:47,760 know, the, the, the, the demon of hell, the, the, so the guy 122 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,680 who runs hell, we're talking about him in terms of the 123 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,240 serpent. How does he bite as well? 124 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:55,800 Let me give you a couple of scriptures to give you reference 125 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:59,360 to context. Psalm 140, verses one to three. 126 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:03,320 It says, O Lord, rescue me from evil people, protect me from 127 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,720 those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and 128 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,720 stir up trouble all day long. Their tongue sting like a snake. 129 00:07:10,720 --> 00:07:13,200 The venom of a wiper drips from their lips. 130 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,280 I'm reading Psalm 58, verses 1 to 4. 131 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,480 Justice. Do you rulers know the meaning 132 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,640 of your word? Do you judge the people fairly? 133 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:22,960 No. You plot injustice in your 134 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:24,960 hearts. You spread violence throughout 135 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,120 the land. These wicked people are born 136 00:07:27,120 --> 00:07:29,680 sinners. Even from birth they have lied 137 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:32,640 and gone their own way. They spit venom like deadly 138 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:34,680 snakes. They are like cobras that refuse 139 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:38,360 to listen. Doesn't that sound familiar? 140 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:42,480 Reading Romans chapter 3 verses 10 to 18 As the scriptures say, 141 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:44,600 no one is righteous, not even one. 142 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:48,040 No one is truly wise. No one is seeking God. 143 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,800 All have turned away. All have become useless. 144 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:53,440 No one does good, not a single one. 145 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,760 Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. 146 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,720 Their tongues are filled with lies. 147 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:00,600 Snake venom drips from their lips. 148 00:08:00,600 --> 00:08:02,760 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. 149 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,200 They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always 150 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,320 follow them. They don't know where to find 151 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,440 peace. They have No Fear of God at all. 152 00:08:12,640 --> 00:08:16,280 What did we just look at? We looked at the sources of 153 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,960 poison in our lives. The enemy will many times use 154 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:24,360 people's slander, people's malice, people's rage, people's 155 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:28,760 wickedness, people's injustice, their corruption to inject 156 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:32,280 poison into our lives. Many times you and I ourselves, 157 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:36,039 on a weaker day, have given room for the enemy to use our lips to 158 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:39,440 inject poison into someone else. When that one unjust thing you 159 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,400 did at office actually possibly injected poison into someone. 160 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:50,640 The enemy many times uses us and has used others to inject his 161 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,800 venom into our lives. It has corrupted parts of our 162 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:55,560 life. It has corrupted our hearts. 163 00:08:55,800 --> 00:08:58,160 It has messed up our minds many times. 164 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,640 We are wondering, when did I become such an overthinker? 165 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:02,520 When did I become so suspicious of people? 166 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,040 Why is my heart so darkened towards this particular person 167 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:10,240 or thing or or issue? It is possible that there's 168 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:13,520 poison that has entered somewhere and yet you know the 169 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,320 kindness of God, the graciousness of God is that He 170 00:09:16,320 --> 00:09:20,920 provides us an antidote. He provides us anti venom and 171 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:23,520 I'll get to that at the end. But right now I want to say you 172 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:25,160 and I don't have to be afraid of the serpent. 173 00:09:25,160 --> 00:09:28,000 You know why? In Psalm 91 he says you will 174 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:29,760 tread on the lion and the serpent. 175 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:32,160 You will trample upon the lion and the cobra. 176 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:36,560 He has given us power, and in Genesis itself, when the fall 177 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:39,560 happened, when the serpent caused the fall, he tells the 178 00:09:39,560 --> 00:09:43,280 woman and the man that under your heel you will crush the 179 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,600 serpent's head. He will strike your ankle, yes, 180 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:50,400 but he is under your feet. It was forecast even then that 181 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,720 he's a defeated 4. And even today, if you are going 182 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:57,000 to, as you walk through this 40 minutes, you might start to 183 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,360 recognize symptoms of snake bites in your life. 184 00:09:59,560 --> 00:10:03,080 You will start to recognize where venom has seeped in, but 185 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:07,160 you have power over all, the power of the enemy, and nothing 186 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:10,680 by no means will hurt you. That is what Mark chapter 16 187 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:14,080 verses 15 to 18 says. This is a different version of 188 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,640 the same Great Commission. It is again spoken by Jesus, but 189 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:19,720 this is recorded by Mark and this is what it said. 190 00:10:19,720 --> 00:10:23,360 He said to them, Go into all the world, preach the gospel to all 191 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,240 creation. Whoever believes and is baptized 192 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,760 will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned, 193 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:33,400 and these signs will accompany them who believe in my name. 194 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:36,720 They will drive out demons, they will speak in you tongues, they 195 00:10:36,720 --> 00:10:39,440 will pick up snakes with their hands, and when they drink 196 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,040 deadly poison it will not hurt them at all. 197 00:10:42,400 --> 00:10:45,920 They will place their hands on sick people and they will get 198 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:48,800 well. Isn't that amazing? 199 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:54,320 God knew that you and I would be victims of snake bites while on 200 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:56,920 earth. He knew that God that that we 201 00:10:56,920 --> 00:11:01,720 would be hit by the venom of the enemy through different sources 202 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,840 and he's provided a way out. He said you can handle these 203 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:08,360 snakes in the name of Jesus. Their poison will not harm you. 204 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,040 So we already have the promise of victory. 205 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,360 So you and I are fighting from victory, not for victory. 206 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,000 We got the victory. We celebrated Resurrection 207 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,600 Sunday to celebrate the victory we have in Jesus over all parts 208 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,120 of the enemy. But The thing is, the enemy does 209 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:30,760 not fight fair in recent times. My mate just came back from her 210 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,560 village and she was telling me she lost her cousin to suicide. 211 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:37,360 Asked her what happened. The cousin was just in her late 212 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:39,680 30s. She had three children, the 213 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,080 first one in college, the next one doing her +2 and the 214 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,000 youngest 1 is in school. Family problems got too much, 215 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,000 she consumed poison and killed herself. 216 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:52,320 And you know, my maid is a mum of two. 217 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:55,920 I'm a mum and both of us were grieving combined with this 218 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:00,200 woman who gave up prematurely. She has missed seeing out, 219 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:02,760 seeing on what her children were going to accomplish. 220 00:12:02,880 --> 00:12:06,280 She's missed out on seeing them grow and and into amazing 221 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,400 individuals and, you know, accomplish things and have 222 00:12:08,400 --> 00:12:12,920 families of their own all because life got too much. 223 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:15,800 And as I was sitting there contemplating, my maid was 224 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,920 telling me, she said I couldn't handle standing at this burial, 225 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,000 at this at this cremation. She said watching the children 226 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:26,280 cry, I couldn't take it. And recently, another friend of 227 00:12:26,280 --> 00:12:28,360 ours said they lost a neighbor to suicide. 228 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,120 The person had been so severely, severely depressed, she couldn't 229 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,560 take it anymore. And she ended her life. 230 00:12:35,560 --> 00:12:38,360 And I remember her friends coming and telling all of us 231 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,680 about this in our leadership. And all of us carried grief with 232 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:43,520 them. Because you know what? 233 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:48,360 So many times we miss out on identifying the poison that has 234 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:52,600 seeped into our soul. Many times we have missed on 235 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:54,640 what has entered and corrupted our hearts. 236 00:12:54,760 --> 00:12:56,960 We think it's hopeless. We think, you know what, there's 237 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,240 no hope for me. There is no nothing is going to 238 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,080 change my situation. This is how I am. 239 00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:04,600 I'm drowning in my thoughts. No one wants me, no one loves 240 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,360 me. The lies mount up until I lose 241 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:12,080 my vision, I lose my hearing. I can't hear God, I can't see 242 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:14,360 hope. I can't see the future and I 243 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,800 decide life is over. That is the power of poison in 244 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,440 our lives. That is the power of poison. 245 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:23,800 When I was reading up on these pit wipers, on cobras and other 246 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:29,360 things, their poisons, their poisons are capable of 247 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:32,880 completely paralyzing people. They're capable of completely 248 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:36,480 bleeding dry. A person, especially the pit 249 00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:39,560 wiper, when it bites someone, it's called a hemotoxin. 250 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:42,040 What it releases, it breaks down blood vessels. 251 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:46,240 The person loses blood and dies. They hemorrhage, they bleed 252 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,160 internally, and they die. Cobras, on the other hand, 253 00:13:49,160 --> 00:13:51,960 release neurotoxins, and when they release it, it completely 254 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:55,240 causes muscle paralysis. The person's respiratory system 255 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:59,880 stops and they die. What is actually happening on 256 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,840 the internal on a spiritual level, when the enemy hits us 257 00:14:02,840 --> 00:14:05,680 with poison, is my heart gets blocked off. 258 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:08,960 I'm unable to love God the way I need to because I don't trust 259 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:11,000 God. I'm unable to trust people 260 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:15,560 because people let me down. I'm unable to function as I 261 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:17,200 ought to. I wake up and go through the 262 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,600 motions with no hope for tomorrow, with no hope that 263 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,200 things will change, because my vision is starting to go I 264 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,880 Without vision, people cast off restraint. 265 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,680 Without vision, people fail. I'm unable to look ahead. 266 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:33,920 I'm unable to look past my current despair. 267 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,040 I think you know what? Nobody cares for me. 268 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:40,120 Nobody loves me. One thing one person says, it 269 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,600 triggers off old poison and it piles up. 270 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:47,320 Recently, a friend came home and he lives in the north of 271 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,160 Chennai. And he was just telling my 272 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:52,640 husband and I how he has this Pretty Little house there in the 273 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:55,320 north of Chennai. And they had recently cleared 274 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,920 out some bamboo, and they hadn't really thrown it out. 275 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,640 It was still in the garden when they found a cobra in the midst 276 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:04,360 of the rubble. And the cobra had come out of a 277 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,440 hole to, you know, hunt for the rats. 278 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:08,880 And he said he called the forest officer. 279 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,080 They came on the second attempt. They caught the snake. 280 00:15:12,280 --> 00:15:14,960 But when he caught the snake, he put it in a bag and he was about 281 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,120 to take it. And so our friend said, hey, 282 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:19,160 aren't you going to kill it? This is a poisonous snake. 283 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:20,680 And he said, well, you know what? 284 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,680 If you had killed it on your own watch, without me around, you 285 00:15:23,680 --> 00:15:26,560 would have been safe. But the minute you involved me, 286 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:28,800 both of us are not allowed to kill the snake. 287 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,760 We have to capture it. We have to return it to the 288 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,840 officials, the forest officials, because there are laws 289 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,120 protecting the snake. He says, you and I will have to 290 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,440 pay a huge fine into the tune of LAX. 291 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,440 And if we kill it and someone observes it, we are caught for 292 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:46,200 manslaughter. We have to actually be put in 293 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,920 jail for a bit. And so as he was telling me 294 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:51,480 this, I said, oh, my goodness. Are you saying that snakes are 295 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,520 more protected in this land than humans, that our justice system 296 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:59,920 protects a serpent over people? There are so many people 297 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:02,760 languishing without justice. There's so many people who are 298 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:05,440 waiting for their case to be heard. 299 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:09,240 So many people have suffered injustices and justice has not 300 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,120 been served. And yet a snake gets so much 301 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:13,440 protection. And I realize there's a 302 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,520 spiritual reality to this, that the enemy doesn't fight fair. 303 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:19,520 When he hits your life, he is above reproach. 304 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,000 He will do whatever he wants, He will poison you, He will 305 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,560 suffocate you. But he gets away Scott free 306 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,560 because he has many more to go and hunt down and we are left 307 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:32,240 bogged down in the poisonous trap that he has left us in. 308 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:35,680 We are left here reeling from the after effects of the venom 309 00:16:35,680 --> 00:16:37,520 that he has injected into our souls. 310 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:42,160 The good thing is, in the Kingdom of God, justice is real. 311 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:45,440 The enemy is defeated. The enemy is wiped out. 312 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:49,840 His poison has been been made ineffective, but it's up to you 313 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:53,400 and me to live like we belong to the Kingdom of God, to live like 314 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,000 our King is the victorious one Who said I have triumphed over 315 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,040 every act of darkness? I have made a public spectacle 316 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:03,120 of them. I have taken the sting of death 317 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,040 away. I have to believe it. 318 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,599 I have to appropriate it in my life. 319 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:12,280 And I want to ask you today before we go further, can you 320 00:17:12,319 --> 00:17:16,440 identify poison in your life? Can you identify poison in your 321 00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:18,440 soul? How do you know? 322 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,880 Many times poison in our soul shows up by the things we're 323 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:26,400 triggered by, by the things that cause a knee jerk reaction of 324 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:30,240 anger, cause a knee jerk reaction of heat of of apathy. 325 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:34,880 Tremendous disregard for someone else's feelings or opinions is 326 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,320 usually something inside you which is triggering it. 327 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,080 And you know, psychologist can name it a whole bunch of things, 328 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,720 but on a spiritual front, it is usually because there was an 329 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:45,720 exposure to poison at some point. 330 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:49,840 The enemy, through someone else, has done something. 331 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:54,800 It could be abuse, it could be trauma, it could be abandonment. 332 00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,920 It could be neglect. It could be straight up abuse, 333 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:01,680 verbal abuse. It could have been the maligning 334 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,360 of your name, the slander, or the backstabbing that put poison 335 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,960 in for no fault of yours. You didn't deserve it. 336 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,200 Or maybe you deserved it, but you didn't deserve it at this 337 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,800 extent. So what do we do? 338 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:18,760 Maybe you're feeling constantly discouraged. 339 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:22,320 Maybe you're just unable to get up and and run at the with a 340 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,160 passion for, you know, God for yourself. 341 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:27,760 People are talking about doing this for the Kingdom that for 342 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:28,960 God. And you're just like, I can't 343 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:30,640 even get by. I can't get through the day. 344 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:33,880 I feel like I'm bogged down. It is possible that you've been 345 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,400 poisoned. It is possible that some venom 346 00:18:37,400 --> 00:18:39,200 remains. And today we're going to be 347 00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:42,200 looking at how we can actually live in victory over it. 348 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,400 And here's the truth, even if you think you don't have poison, 349 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:52,240 if you look deeper, you will find that somehow, somewhere 350 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,760 there was a leakage, a trickle of venom that got into your 351 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,040 bloodstream. That has affected maybe a part 352 00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:02,040 of your marriage, that affects a part of your parenting, that 353 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,320 maybe affects the way you work, your work ethic. 354 00:19:04,640 --> 00:19:08,560 It affects your relationships. You have a tendency to self 355 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:11,440 sabotage. That's possibly some poison in 356 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,840 the bloodstream. Maybe there's a way in which you 357 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:17,080 speak that completely puts people off, and maybe you have 358 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:19,840 to take that and say, Lord, what's the source of this 359 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:22,440 poison? And I can tell you who the 360 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,520 source is. It's the worst person in the 361 00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:28,760 world, the accuser of the brethren, the one who rules the 362 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:33,480 underworld. But thanks be to God, because of 363 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,640 him we walk as overcomers. We walk as victor, victors and 364 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,240 conquerors in Christ Jesus. So what is the remedy? 365 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,760 Everyone of us have been touched by this poison in some way or 366 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,240 the other. What is our remedy? 367 00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:53,240 And I want to direct us to Acts chapter 28 verses 1 to 10 where 368 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:58,040 Paul has a similar experience with another Viper, but not as 369 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,880 cute. OK Acts chapter 28 verses 1 to 370 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,600 10 it says. Fall ashore on Malta. 371 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:07,400 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called 372 00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:10,080 Malta. The Islander showed us unusual 373 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:12,120 kindness. They built a fire and welcomed 374 00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:14,000 us all because it was raining and cold. 375 00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:18,280 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood, and as he put it on 376 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,520 the fire, a Viper, driven out by the heat fastened itself on his 377 00:20:22,520 --> 00:20:25,640 hand. When the Islanders saw the snake 378 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,040 hanging from his hand, they said to each other, This man must be 379 00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:31,720 a murderer, for though he escaped from the sea, the 380 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:33,920 goddess Justice has not allowed him to live. 381 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,120 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no 382 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:40,560 I'll effects. The people expected him to swell 383 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,840 up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and 384 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,200 seeing nothing unusual happened to him, they changed their minds 385 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,400 and said he was a God. There was an estate nearby that 386 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,800 belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. 387 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:57,520 He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality. 388 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,280 For three days. His father was sick in bed, 389 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,320 suffering from fever and dysentery. 390 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,920 Paul went in to see him and after prayer, placed his hands 391 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,520 on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest 392 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:10,560 of the sick on the island came and were cured. 393 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:14,200 They honored us in many ways, and when we were ready to sail, 394 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:17,040 they furnished us with the supplies we needed. 395 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,160 What just happened? Paul had come through a 396 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,960 shipwreck, barely made it out with the skin on his back, comes 397 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:25,520 onto the land they're making. They don't. 398 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:27,480 They just figured out this is the island called Malta. 399 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,760 And then they're just putting together a fire. 400 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:33,520 A snake clasps on. And this is a bad omen in these 401 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:36,000 kind of circles. And yet he couldn't be bothered. 402 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:38,040 He just brushed it off into the fire. 403 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,280 And I want to ask us, Are you ready for the fire of God? 404 00:21:42,480 --> 00:21:46,480 Because only the fire of God will drive out the serpent from 405 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,040 your life. Only the fire of God. 406 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,840 And what is this fire of God? In the Bible we have heard many 407 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,480 times about, we've seen the fire of God demonstrated in different 408 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:57,440 ways. For example, Moses went up on 409 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,680 the mountain, he saw a burning Bush where the fire of God had 410 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,040 completely lit the Bush, but it was not consumed. 411 00:22:03,720 --> 00:22:07,080 And then we saw Elijah when he had gone up onto Mount Carmel 412 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:10,560 and he was going to challenge the prophets of Baal and Ashara. 413 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,480 He, he's told Jezebel, bring your prophets and we'll see who 414 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,440 the true God is. And the one who answers by fire 415 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:20,360 is the true God, he says, and he creates this altar, pours tons 416 00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:24,280 of water on it, calls down on Yahoo, on Yahweh God, and he 417 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:28,040 answers by fire. This fire literally licks up the 418 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,000 water that is soaking the altar, right? 419 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,320 We've seen how Aaron's sons in the wilderness offered 420 00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:38,040 unauthorized fire and fire from the altar consumed them, 421 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,280 charring them, leaving nothing. So we know that our God is a 422 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,320 consuming fire. Hebrews 12/29 says that worship 423 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:49,480 him with awe and reverence because our God is an awe. 424 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:53,000 He's a all consuming fire, right? 425 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,160 So we know this. So how do I appropriate this 426 00:22:56,160 --> 00:22:59,800 fire of God in my life so that every serpent that has latched 427 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:03,880 on with its venom, with its fangs can be shaken off into how 428 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:06,280 do I do it two ways. I'm just going to leave two ways 429 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:08,440 with you. The first thing is that you 430 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,720 would enter and enjoy the presence of God. 431 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,200 You would enter and enjoy the presence of God, because if God 432 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,360 himself is fire, the best way to, you know, experience the 433 00:23:19,360 --> 00:23:22,760 fire is to be in His presence. But the problem is, for most of 434 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:25,560 us, entering and enjoying His presence seems to be the last 435 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:28,560 thing on our minds. We wake up, we have our alarms 436 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:30,760 which go off. Some of us work out, some of us 437 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:34,360 get our kids ready, send them off, maybe sit for a quick time 438 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:37,160 with the Lord, and then we get into our work. 439 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,320 Evenings are even worse. We're just running from pillar 440 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:41,480 to post. We come back home. 441 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,600 We're so tired, but I want to ask you, when was the last time 442 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,320 you enjoyed the presence of God? You just didn't, you know, enter 443 00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,760 it and get out of it just cursory out of, you know, a 444 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,880 need, a mandated need to do it. But when did was the when was 445 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,600 the last time you just enjoyed his presence? 446 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:02,800 You worshipped him. You sat and relished his 447 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,160 presence with you. Isaiah 66 verse 15 says, see the 448 00:24:07,160 --> 00:24:10,320 Lord is coming with fire when his Chariots are like a 449 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:11,920 whirlwind. He will bring down his anger 450 00:24:11,920 --> 00:24:14,600 with fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. 451 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,640 This is the God that we have read about South much God who 452 00:24:17,640 --> 00:24:20,880 came, He led with a pillar of fire, a pillar of cloud. 453 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:23,400 He led his people. But the beautiful thing about 454 00:24:23,400 --> 00:24:28,160 this fiery God is that the fire does not consume you, it 455 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,200 consumes the things that are consuming you. 456 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,440 So my question is, what is consuming you? 457 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,400 If the things of God are consuming you, if the rebuilding 458 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:39,560 of his thrown on the earth, if it's bringing of Kingdom to 459 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,440 earth, Kingdom of heaven to earth, then if that consumes 460 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,400 you, the fire of God enables you to do more. 461 00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:49,880 But if the fire of God finds out that there are certain things 462 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,560 which are devouring you, the fire of God will devour those 463 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:54,760 things. What are those things? 464 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:57,920 It could be certain addictions, it could be certain fancies, it 465 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,360 could be certain preconceived notions. 466 00:25:00,360 --> 00:25:03,280 The things that drive your life, the passions, the ambitions, the 467 00:25:03,280 --> 00:25:07,040 desires, the things that entice you. 468 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,240 One Peter chapter 4 verses one to five and verse 7 and the 469 00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:14,840 Passion translation says this. Since Christ, though innocence 470 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,640 suffered in his flesh for you, now you also must be a prepared 471 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:19,480 soldier, having the same mindset. 472 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,120 For whoever's died and his body is done with sin. 473 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,560 So live the rest of your earthly life no longer concerned with 474 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,680 human desires, but consumed with what brings pleasure to God. 475 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:32,200 For you have already spent enough time doing what 476 00:25:32,200 --> 00:25:35,680 unbelievers love to do, living in debauchery, sensuality, 477 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:38,640 partying, drunkenness while drinking, parties and the 478 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,760 worship of demons. They marvel that you no longer 479 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,280 rush to join them in the excesses of their corrupt 480 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,320 lifestyles and so they vilify you. 481 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:48,960 But one day they will have to give an account to the one who's 482 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:51,720 destined to judge the living and the dead. 483 00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:55,080 Since we are approaching the end of all things, be intentional, 484 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:59,880 purposeful self-control so that you can be given to prayer. 485 00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:03,280 And this is not a, a sermon about prayer. 486 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:06,920 It's a, it's a sermon about enjoying the presence of God so 487 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:08,760 much. You are consumed by him. 488 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,080 You are consumed, consumed by thoughts of him. 489 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,000 You're consumed by thoughts of his Kingdom and advancing his 490 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,800 purposes on the earth. You're consumed by living for 491 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:19,440 him. And if you're you're in a family 492 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:21,600 setup you desire, you're consumed with Lord. 493 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:25,280 How do I bring my children along and on alongside so that they 494 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:28,000 serve your kingdom's purposes, so that we live by Kingdom 495 00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:32,080 values? Is that what consumes you or are 496 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:35,360 you consumed by debauchery, sensuality, partying, 497 00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:39,240 drunkenness, wild drinking parties, and the worship of 498 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,120 demons? What is it that consumes you? 499 00:26:42,360 --> 00:26:46,520 The Spirit of God, the fire of God, it says, I think it's in in 500 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,120 the book of Luke chapter 3. It says I baptize you. 501 00:26:49,120 --> 00:26:51,640 John says, John the Baptist says I'll baptize you with water, but 502 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:55,200 after me is coming one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit 503 00:26:55,360 --> 00:26:59,360 and fire. So this fire of God is what will 504 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,600 literally kind of soak, gets us soaked into him when I'm in his 505 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,800 presence. He's revealing to me the things 506 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,640 that I said that morning to my spouse, which were ungodly. 507 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:11,960 He's reminding me of that expression on my face of 508 00:27:11,960 --> 00:27:14,040 contempt that didn't please his heart. 509 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:18,240 The fire of God will never leave me the same because anything the 510 00:27:18,240 --> 00:27:21,720 fire touches, it will change. The fire of God when it touches 511 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,360 me, begins to heat me up with a passion for His name. 512 00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:29,160 I can't leave his presence the same way I went and I I leave it 513 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:31,240 thinking, God, I want to do more for you. 514 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:33,640 How can I, how can I demonstrate my love for you Lord? 515 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,080 But it all begins when I enter and enjoy His presence. 516 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,560 So that's the primary thing. How do I enjoy the fire of God 517 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:43,880 in my life? So that every serpent that has 518 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,280 come near me, that has clashed onto me will have to go. 519 00:27:47,920 --> 00:27:50,400 I first enjoy the presence of God. 520 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:55,560 The second thing is that I need to open up and allow God, God's 521 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:59,160 people to enter in. So I have to first of all enter 522 00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:01,440 and experience the enjoy the presence of God. 523 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,560 Now I have to open up and allow the people of God in the thing 524 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:07,760 that the poison does. You know that that the enemy 525 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:11,520 unleashes through the wicked, through the harmful, through the 526 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:14,440 petty. These are humans that he 527 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:15,920 actually operates through, right? 528 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:18,600 Some of these people may have been in a church for you. 529 00:28:19,120 --> 00:28:21,520 Some of the people who hurt you the deepest may have been in a 530 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,200 church, may have been leaders themselves. 531 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:30,000 And the, the interesting thing is that the fire of God, the 532 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,240 method of that healing that we experience in the presence of 533 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:39,920 God is then translated into community, right? 534 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:44,520 And in the body of Christ, we are not perfect, but we have 535 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:46,640 been sanctified. We are continually being 536 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:48,840 sanctified into the likeness of Christ. 537 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:54,600 So when you allow people in right fellow people who are 538 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,160 being filled with the Spirit of God, who are also being baptized 539 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,440 with fire, there's something radically different that begins 540 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:04,120 to happen. Let's read Acts chapter 4 verse 541 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:06,760 31. It says as they prayed, the 542 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,160 earth shook beneath them, causing the building they were 543 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,200 in to tremble. Each one of them was filled with 544 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:14,880 the Holy Spirit and they proclaimed the word of God with 545 00:29:15,000 --> 00:29:18,040 unrestrained boldness. Now, why have I picked this 546 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,040 verse? So this Acts chapter 4, this is 547 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,200 happening after they have been threatened, couple of the 548 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,480 disciples were taken into custody and said listen, you 549 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:27,640 can't preach about Jesus. And then they I think they 550 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,080 flogged them and they sent them home. 551 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,200 They came back rejoicing and said we are so happy that we're 552 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,200 getting persecuted for the name of Jesus is the least we can do 553 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,160 to tell them how grateful we are for saving us. 554 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,080 And so they come back and the whole crowd of disciples begin 555 00:29:41,080 --> 00:29:45,520 to pray and worship and they're asking God give us more of you. 556 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,000 And you know, the Spirit of God doesn't disappoint. 557 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:51,520 He comes, fills all of them up. The place is shaken. 558 00:29:51,520 --> 00:29:54,600 Signs and wonders are done. And it's interesting. 559 00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:57,200 It says they proclaim the word of God with unrestrained 560 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:58,840 boldness. Now I always thought when it 561 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,800 said that, that they were ready to share more of the gospel, but 562 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:07,920 the actual word for boldness in the original text in Greek is 563 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:11,120 parasis. Parasis actually is not just 564 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:14,240 speaking out the word of God. It is actually more than 565 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:17,160 boldness. It is free flowing, unrestrained 566 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,520 boldness, meaning it cannot be held back. 567 00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:23,240 There is no filter on it. There is no tampering with it to 568 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:24,760 speak something that someone likes. 569 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:27,320 Many times it will be something that you don't like because it 570 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:30,000 will actually touch a nerve, right? 571 00:30:30,680 --> 00:30:32,520 And it is meant for public speaking. 572 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:35,920 It is meant to indicate speech that is not tailored to make 573 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:39,080 everyone happy, but is necessary because it will be speaking the 574 00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:41,360 truth and love. The motivation will be love. 575 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,120 The what is being delivered will be the truth because in this, in 576 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,120 Jesus, there is no falsity. The Holy Spirit is called the 577 00:30:48,120 --> 00:30:50,920 Spirit of truth. So when he moves people to speak 578 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,160 in peresis, he's actually going to make them speak exactly what 579 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:57,520 is on his heart. It will hurt a bit because the 580 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:02,440 truth hurts, am I right? And so this word was actually in 581 00:31:02,440 --> 00:31:06,280 its original context, was reserved by for use only by high 582 00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:10,200 high-ranking Greek officials. But it's brought into this 583 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,720 context because here, when the Holy Spirit gave utterance, it 584 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,800 enabled people to speak to each other. 585 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:18,440 The word of God. This is the word of God to you. 586 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:22,080 God is calling you out from this, this net that you find 587 00:31:22,080 --> 00:31:23,720 yourself and he's calling you into freedom. 588 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,840 God is saying he loves you so deeply. 589 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:28,800 Why are you entrapped in that? That was what it looked like. 590 00:31:28,800 --> 00:31:31,040 These are not people who were saying what somebody's itching 591 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,880 ears wanted them to hear, but they were speaking the truth and 592 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:38,200 love. Recently, I think it was just a 593 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,880 week back, we were out for dinner with a couple of friends, 594 00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:44,400 couple friends like us, pastors as well. 595 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:45,960 So we were all out. We came back home. 596 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:49,120 Geshom and I were driving. As we were driving, there's an 597 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:53,240 apartment close to our house and we saw two Watchmen standing 598 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:54,800 outside. And the interesting thing is 599 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,320 usually I'm the one who's, you know, usually just sightseeing 600 00:31:57,320 --> 00:32:01,000 and stopping at the, the sight of lambs and, you know, dogs and 601 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,480 things like that. Geshom doesn't do that. 602 00:32:02,480 --> 00:32:04,880 But that night it was very interesting. 603 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:06,560 These two Watchmen were standing outside. 604 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:10,040 One of the Watchmen held a long stick at the end of which 605 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:13,080 something was hanging. And the other watchman was had 606 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:15,800 lit a bag on fire. He seems to have doused it with 607 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:18,760 kerosene and he's lit it. So it was a blazing fire. 608 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:21,880 And then when we went, as we drove closer, we knew what they 609 00:32:21,880 --> 00:32:23,360 were doing. So they seemed to have hit the 610 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,680 snake on the head. So the snake was what was on the 611 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,000 snake catcher's rod, and it was a limp and hanging there. 612 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:31,880 And this man lit his bag up completely on fire. 613 00:32:32,320 --> 00:32:35,840 And after it was blazing, he kept down on the on the floor. 614 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,000 It was muddy. The, the road was muddy. 615 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,240 He laid it down and the man carrying the snake took it and 616 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:45,280 placed it on the fire. And at first, I think it was 617 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:47,520 just, you know, immobilized. It was not a dead snake. 618 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:51,160 The snake was riding like crazy and then eventually caught on 619 00:32:51,160 --> 00:32:53,960 fire. And I watched it. 620 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:55,480 I'm thinking the whole time this weird. 621 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,360 Why should we have seen that? I don't like snakes. 622 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:00,440 It didn't look nice to look at. But both of us were standing and 623 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:01,720 watching it for a bit in the car. 624 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,640 We were seated. Those men, after lighting it up, 625 00:33:04,640 --> 00:33:06,320 finishing their job, looked at us weirdly. 626 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:07,520 They're like, what? What's going on? 627 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,080 But I realized as I was watching it that we were seeing something 628 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:14,240 that was very, very important. It's a reality we need to pick 629 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:19,120 up on that you and I cannot do the snake catching alone. 630 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,720 We need each other. We need the body of Christ. 631 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:26,880 One held the snake, the other lit the fire. 632 00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:32,920 And together in teamwork, they demolished this creature that 633 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:34,680 was going to cause harm to someone else. 634 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:39,200 Many times we are trying to deal with the issues in our life 635 00:33:39,200 --> 00:33:43,040 privately, secretly keeping it under wraps or trying that one 636 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:46,960 method, doing this particular trick or going for this kind of 637 00:33:46,960 --> 00:33:50,000 counseling. We're doing all these things, 638 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:53,600 but they In the episodes, you will hear the apostles talk a 639 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,160 lot about confessing to one another, laying hands on one 640 00:33:57,160 --> 00:34:00,280 another, praying for each other, loving each other. 641 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,960 Don't fall in sin because of what the other confesses. 642 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:07,480 Pray for them, uphold them. We are not meant to do this 643 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:12,320 alone. You and I are called to proclaim 644 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:17,239 the word of God boldly to each other and this is not some sort 645 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:19,480 of feeling based thing here. I feel like I should tell you 646 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:21,480 today, stop lying. That's what I feel like I should 647 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:23,400 tell you. That's not what it is because 648 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:28,080 that has been misused so much. I pray that we are so soaked in 649 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,960 the fire of God in the presence of God ourselves that when we 650 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,920 come into connection with others, the Holy Spirit nudges 651 00:34:33,920 --> 00:34:35,760 and says just tell them how much I love them. 652 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:38,360 They're feelings so unloved, but tell them how much I love them 653 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:43,520 because this the the testimony of Jesus spirit of prophecy is 654 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,360 the testimony of Jesus. When you prophecy over someone, 655 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:48,880 when you speak a word of knowledge, you are actually 656 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:52,000 giving testimony to Jesus and Jesus is the way he's the truth. 657 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,159 He's the life. Your words will bring life to 658 00:34:55,159 --> 00:34:58,200 someone else. It may not be what they need to 659 00:34:58,200 --> 00:34:59,520 hear. They may not need to know if the 660 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:03,040 poison operating in your life, but if you can say, hey, I just 661 00:35:03,040 --> 00:35:06,360 want to tell you how much you are loved and how much God wants 662 00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:12,120 to speak to you in this moment. Many of us are checking 663 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:14,920 ourselves out of community, checking ourselves out of church 664 00:35:14,920 --> 00:35:16,400 because oh that person said this. 665 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:19,160 This person said some of us are so easily offendable. 666 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:21,880 Oh I will not talk to them because they said this. 667 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:24,200 What if you needed to hear that hard truth? 668 00:35:24,480 --> 00:35:26,360 What if you needed to be reminded of that? 669 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,280 I love that in our lives and get room in my life. 670 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:33,120 Even in our own church, we have older, younger, same age people 671 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:36,520 who call it like it is, who say, you know what, I think that 672 00:35:36,520 --> 00:35:38,360 thing you said may not have been necessary. 673 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:40,440 You know that thing you're talking about, that's an old 674 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:42,040 thing. Why are you still thinking about 675 00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:45,720 it? It will hurt at the time, but 676 00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:51,400 it's the anti venom we need. And so I want to ask you, are 677 00:35:51,400 --> 00:35:55,280 you OK with someone in the body of Christ who themselves have 678 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,160 come from the presence of God, filled with the fire of God to 679 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,280 come alongside you and say, hey, let's get rid of that poison, 680 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,400 Let's pray, let's believe God is setting you free. 681 00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:08,840 Can I just encourage you today? Will you be that kind of person? 682 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:10,920 Will you allow someone like that in? 683 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:13,960 Because you first have to enter and enjoy the presence of God 684 00:36:14,120 --> 00:36:19,040 and then you have to allow the people of God in so that 685 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,520 together you get rid of the serpent's attack. 686 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:27,400 As I close, like I was saying, snake venoms are hemotoxins, 687 00:36:27,400 --> 00:36:30,800 then neurotoxins and the Viper that we were looking at in the 688 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,120 beginning, Gary, the wiper in this movie, adorable to look at, 689 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:37,920 but he's a heat seeking wiper. And there's this one scene where 690 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:43,120 he says hug, can I hug you? And he comes to the the 691 00:36:43,120 --> 00:36:45,840 protagonist, the hero, and he hugs her and he gets warmer 692 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:49,440 because of her. And well, it's a very sweet and 693 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:53,360 heart warming image. It's a very disturbing reality 694 00:36:53,360 --> 00:36:56,200 for many of us. For many of you, you have 695 00:36:56,200 --> 00:37:01,160 allowed the enemy to wrap you in a hug, fill you with this venom. 696 00:37:01,160 --> 00:37:03,840 You don't even know it. All you know is that you're 697 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,560 feeling progressively more desperate. 698 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:09,720 You feel lifeless. You feel like you don't have 699 00:37:09,720 --> 00:37:13,200 much to go on. You feel exhausted most of the 700 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:16,000 time. Praying is something that is a 701 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:18,760 distant reality. You've almost given up on life. 702 00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:23,280 There's a word that is associated with snake venom. 703 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:27,800 It's called exanguination. It basically means that when 704 00:37:27,800 --> 00:37:32,520 these wipers strike someone, they bleed the person, right? 705 00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,800 Because the blood vessels, the hemotoxin, it breaks down the 706 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:40,520 blood vessels and they just bleed out. 50% blood loss in 707 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:44,480 certain terrible cases. How will the person survive if 708 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:46,360 50% of their blood has been lost? 709 00:37:47,720 --> 00:37:52,800 And many of us are running on 50% blood loss, successive hits 710 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:57,160 by people. You lost a marriage, You lost a 711 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:00,040 child. Grief upon grief, hope deford 712 00:38:00,760 --> 00:38:03,440 delays. You're at your last rung of the 713 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:04,840 ladder. You're saying I'm just hanging 714 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,480 on by a thread. God, I'm ready to give up on 715 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,200 life. I'm ready to give up on this 716 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:10,840 marriage. I'm ready to give up on this 717 00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:12,480 child. I'm ready to give up on this 718 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,800 friendship. This job may not be it because I 719 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:16,400 don't think I'm ever going to get a better job. 720 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:21,120 You are at the end of your rope. And when you feel completely 721 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:24,400 exanguinated, I want to remind you that you have a blood donor, 722 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:28,600 a blood donor who's a perfect sacrifice. 723 00:38:28,840 --> 00:38:33,040 His blood. His blood washes us clean. 724 00:38:33,720 --> 00:38:37,760 His blood neutralizes every toxin because it's the blood of 725 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:41,360 Jesus. The most powerful weapon in our 726 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:45,520 arsenal is the blood of Jesus. And so today I want to lead us 727 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:49,000 in a time of appropriating that blood over our hearts, over our 728 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,520 minds, the parts that the toxin has gone and hit most. 729 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:54,920 I was recently talking to a friend of mine. 730 00:38:54,920 --> 00:38:57,160 Both of us are overthinkers. So we've been joking about how 731 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,280 our husbands have to deal with our overthinking and they have 732 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:02,160 to put a pause button. And I realized I was telling 733 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:03,280 her. I said, you know what, babe? 734 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:06,040 We both need to become thinkers. We don't have to be 735 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:10,480 overthinkers. Many times the enemy floods our 736 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:13,480 mind with thoughts that literally drag us down. 737 00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:15,760 Most of the battles are lost in our head. 738 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:18,000 We don't even have to go into any kind of action. 739 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:22,800 It just it happens here. Dreams die there, envisioning 740 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:28,080 stops, fear takes over, clouds us, we lose vision. 741 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:31,840 But today we're going to ask God, Lord, will your will you 742 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:35,320 bring your blood and just kind of wash my mind clean? 743 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:38,480 Will you wash my broken heart with your blood? 744 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:42,160 Because the poison of the enemy through people would have 745 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:45,720 touched your heart, the very base seat of your affections, of 746 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:49,120 your emotions, your will. Everything gets corrupted when 747 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:53,480 poison floods the system for many of us, offence upon offence 748 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:56,800 is, you know, kept piling up till all we can look at people 749 00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:58,800 and think they're the enemy. They're not the enemy. 750 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:03,440 The enemy is the enemy. God has set people in our lives 751 00:40:03,640 --> 00:40:06,720 to be the ones who stand beside us and hold that bag with fire 752 00:40:06,720 --> 00:40:08,480 and say you're not able to pray, I'll pray with you. 753 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,240 You're not able to worship, I'll hold your hands up while you 754 00:40:11,240 --> 00:40:12,920 can't. But we're going to get rid of 755 00:40:12,920 --> 00:40:16,640 this thing together. And I want to ask you today. 756 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,840 As your heart stop burning with the fire for Jesus, I want to 757 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,960 ask if you will once more choose to enter and enjoy the presence 758 00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:26,320 of God. Can you imagine? 759 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:29,040 The presence of God is where you don't need to perform, you don't 760 00:40:29,040 --> 00:40:30,840 need to know an instrument, nothing. 761 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:35,160 You just go as you are. You can sit on the floor of your 762 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,400 living room. His presence floods the place. 763 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:39,680 You can sit down at the floor of your kitchen. 764 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:43,480 You can meltdown in your bedroom. 765 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,360 He his presence floods the place and for you to just sit there 766 00:40:47,360 --> 00:40:48,920 and say, Lord, I'm going to enjoy you. 767 00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:52,280 No performance. I don't have to do anything to 768 00:40:52,280 --> 00:40:53,760 earn your love because you love me so much. 769 00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:57,600 I was worth dying for. And as you do that, I'm going to 770 00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:00,440 ask you to lay your hand upon your heart right now. 771 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:04,960 And Lord Heavenly Father, we just pray that as we are 772 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,000 listening to this, I'm sure Spirit of God, you were working 773 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:12,560 overtime to reveal areas of poisonous infiltration in our 774 00:41:12,560 --> 00:41:15,280 lives. You are revealing the venom that 775 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:19,400 was injected into our soul. And Lord, I pray for those who 776 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:22,440 because of the poison in their soul, their bodies are 777 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:24,720 suffering. We speak, release upon them in 778 00:41:24,720 --> 00:41:27,320 Jesus name. And I pray the blood of Jesus 779 00:41:27,320 --> 00:41:31,000 will sanctify us this morning. I pray the blood of Jesus will 780 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:33,560 touch us right now. I pray it'll wash our 781 00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:37,760 consciences, clean our minds, will not overthink the blood of 782 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:40,160 Jesus has washed us from all unrighteousness. 783 00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:43,360 I pray that our hearts will be purified by your precious blood. 784 00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:47,640 We pray, Lord, that bodies, spirits and souls will be set 785 00:41:47,640 --> 00:41:52,680 free by the blood of Jesus. I pray for those who have not 786 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:57,400 enjoyed your presence thus far. I pray from this moment, this 787 00:41:57,400 --> 00:41:59,880 moment, they will begin to enjoy your presence. 788 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:03,000 I pray for those who have cut off friends who carry the fire 789 00:42:03,000 --> 00:42:07,200 of God in them, that they will invite them back in, say the 790 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:08,600 Lord. They will have people who walk 791 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:10,720 with them, who journey with them, who pray with them, who 792 00:42:10,720 --> 00:42:16,200 laugh with them, who hold them accountable, who lift them up 793 00:42:16,200 --> 00:42:18,160 when they've fallen. 2 are better than one. 794 00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:22,200 Your word says, Lord, forgive us for getting rid of those people 795 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:26,440 that matter the most. We thank you, We invite you, 796 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:29,320 God, we invite you. I pray for those who are running 797 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,920 on blood loss because of the level of venom in their lives, 798 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:34,680 those who've gone through childhood traumas and those who 799 00:42:34,680 --> 00:42:36,880 have walked through neglect and abandonment, those who have 800 00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:38,360 walked through abuse and marriages. 801 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:41,640 Lord, those who have lost parents, Lord, who have grown up 802 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:46,160 orphans, for every poison that has seeped into their soul, I 803 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,600 pray that Lord, they will right now appropriate the blood of 804 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:52,560 Jesus into their hearts, into their soul. 805 00:42:52,760 --> 00:42:54,480 And that Lord, you will bring a release. 806 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:58,080 You will bring healing. We thank you for what Jesus 807 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:01,840 promised us, that we will handle serpents and no harm will befall 808 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:04,480 us, that we will consume poison. It will not harm us. 809 00:43:04,640 --> 00:43:06,760 I pray for those who are struggling with suicidal 810 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:09,280 ideation right now. In the name of Jesus. 811 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:13,280 Every thought will that is being held captive by poison and 812 00:43:13,280 --> 00:43:16,960 toxins will be released by the blood of Jesus so that they will 813 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:19,040 realize how valuable they are to you. 814 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,120 I pray for those who are thinking their life is 815 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:26,440 meaningless, that those lies will be completely diluted by 816 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:29,160 the blood of Jesus flowing through their minds and their 817 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,160 bodies. I pray for those who are 818 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:34,200 struggling with chronic pain in different joints, who are 819 00:43:34,200 --> 00:43:37,200 thinking of giving up on life because the pain is too much. 820 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,320 God, I asked for a blood covering and washing over their 821 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,600 bodies right now at a cellular level. 822 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:47,080 I pray for healing, Lord. And we believe that you are 823 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:50,120 going to do it. We believe that your blood, the 824 00:43:50,120 --> 00:43:53,280 blood that was shed on the cross, by your stripes, we are 825 00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:54,920 healed. We are believing that. 826 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:59,840 And so we thank you. We ask all of this in your 827 00:43:59,840 --> 00:44:02,800 mighty name, Jesus, Amen. Amen. 828 00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:05,040 God bless you even as you get into this week. 829 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:08,040 Would you every day, every day, enjoy the presence of God? 830 00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:11,280 Would you on the weekends, if you're a person who works 831 00:44:11,280 --> 00:44:15,600 constantly, make your way into the body of Christ on a Sunday? 832 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:18,760 Don't do it alone. You can have 10 excuses why you 833 00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:21,520 can't be in church, but you need to find your way to a church. 834 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:26,080 Plant yourself there, grow with the rest of the body of Christ. 835 00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:28,840 No church is perfect. The minute we enter it, it 836 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:31,200 becomes imperfect. But the one who called us, the 837 00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:35,080 one who is the returning bridegroom of the church, he is 838 00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:38,200 perfect and He is perfecting His church every single minute. 839 00:44:38,720 --> 00:44:41,120 So I would urge you that you will not try to do this alone. 840 00:44:41,120 --> 00:44:43,480 You cannot. You need others. 841 00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:47,240 You need the community of believers to hold you up. 842 00:44:48,120 --> 00:44:51,280 Remember this that whoever finds Jesus finds life. 843 00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:53,120 Have an amazing week, God bless you. 844 00:44:54,160 --> 00:44:56,960 We hope you enjoyed today's message and we're blessed. 845 00:44:57,680 --> 00:44:59,280 If. You liked what you heard and 846 00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:01,040 want to hear more messages from us? 847 00:45:01,320 --> 00:45:05,520 You could rate US and subscribe to our podcast channel for more 848 00:45:05,520 --> 00:45:08,920 content from We Are Zion or if you would like to get in touch 849 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:14,640 with us, you can go to We Are Zion dot In or follow us on 850 00:45:14,640 --> 00:45:17,160 Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 851 00:45:18,080 --> 00:45:23,240 Most importantly, remember that whoever finds Jesus finds life.