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Thanks for checking out the 
Anchor Faith Message podcast 

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from St. 
Augustine, FL. 

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Now enjoy this message. 
And this brings us to Part 2, A 

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Spiritual Growth. 
I did a started a series last 

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week, will conclude tonight. 
But God's will is for you to 

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grow up. 
Hallelujah. 

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So this is Spiritual Growth and 
Development Part 2. 

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I was blessed. 
I had several people that told 

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me they did their homework 
assignment and I like the 

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overachievers. 
Those that did, read it every 

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day and in multiple 
translations. 

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If you read it once, that's all 
that I was asking you to do If 

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you're with us last Wednesday. 
But Ephesians, chapter one or 

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chapter 4, verses one through 
16? 

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I ask you to read that. 
And so it was good to get 

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feedback. 
One person read it in the 

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Amplified Bible and he was just 
really, he actually had it 

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printed out and showed me 
tonight. 

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And he obviously, the Amplified 
Bible really magnified those 

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verses for him. 
So we're going to launch out 

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tonight from that verse since I 
gave it to you for homework 

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assignment, and just receive 
everything that God wants to 

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give us. 
I will say this before I start 

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reading is, you know, there's a 
lot of parallels in the Word of 

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God between the natural and the 
supernatural. 

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And Jesus gave, you know, simple
parables to relate things. 

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And when it comes to spiritual 
growth and development, it's 

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it's much like spirit. 
It's much like natural growth 

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and development. 
You start off as an infant, 

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right? 
And then you develop and grow 

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from there. 
I was thinking about this as we 

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was worshipping. 
I, you know, he said the way 

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maker. 
I want to say he's the growth 

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maker. 
Amen. 

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He is the way maker. 
But he wants you to grow up. 

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I was thinking about this. 
It's it's one thing when a baby 

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spits up on you when they're an 
infant. 

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You know it's not the greatest 
thing, but it's not disgusting 

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now if you throw up on your 
spouse at 42. 

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That's disgusting. 
God wants you to grow up. 

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So what I'm saying if you're 
spitting up gossip division, you

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know, we can we kind of kind of 
expect that from infancy to 

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childhood. 
But if you're 42 and 

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complaining, you're throwing up 
on somebody and that's gross. 

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Are you with me? 
Just smile. 

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God loves us, but he wants us to
grow. 

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Amen. 
He cares about us and He's given

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us this incorruptible word, this
love letter, which is Our Daily 

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Bread. 
What? 

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To help us to grow up. 
Amen. 

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So let's start off in Ephesians 
chapter 4, verses one through 

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16. 
It says I, therefore the 

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prisoner, Lord, I beg you or I 
beseech you to walk worthy. 

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We could say, to walk honorable,
distinguished with excellence of

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the calling of which you were 
called, right. 

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So there's a there is an 
individual call that 

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collectively and corporately 
advances the body of Christ. 

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And it is your personal 
responsibility to walk worthy 

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and and honorably towards God 
for the purpose and the 

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assignment that he's placed in 
your life. 

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I like verse two. 
It says, with all lowliness and 

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gentleness, with long-suffering 
bearing with one another and 

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love, endeavoring, endeavoring 
to keep the unity of the Spirit 

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in the bond of peace. 
You see, that's a mature verse 

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right there. 
I'm not trying to create 

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division. 
I'm endeavoring to keep what? 

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The peace. 
That doesn't mean I don't 

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confront, but I do it in love. 
Why? 

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For reconciliation. 
So we could be restored. 

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All right. 
If you don't repent, it'll lead 

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to root rebellion, which leads 
to ruin. 

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Meetings, communication and 
confrontation happen. 

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Why? 
To bring you to place of 

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repentance 'cause if you repent,
then guess what? 

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You can be reconciled. 
And you can be restored, and 

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that's God's heart. 
So a true man of God, a true 

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woman of God that's in love, is 
going to confront or challenge 

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some things if they see 
something out of alignment, 

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right? 
And that's that's not to bring 

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condemnation, that's to bring 
the conviction of love in the 

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Holy Spirit. 
You don't want to be on the 

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wrong pathway 'cause it leads to
death. 

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And so repentance is the first 
word in the Kingdom of God. 

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Repent, for the Kingdom of God 
is at. 

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And so God's saying, if you just
change, if you just take 

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responsibility, then guess what?
We can start the process of 

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reconciliation and there can be 
absolute restoration. 

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Now when a car's restored, you 
know, some of the older cars, 

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they're very valuable, right? 
And your life is very valuable 

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for God. 
So he wants to see it in a 

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constant state of restoration. 
Paul goes on to say in verse 4 

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there's one body, one spirit, 
just as you were called in one 

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hope of your calling 1 Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and 

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Father of. 
Above all, who is above all and 

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through all? 
And in you all? 

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And then it goes on verse #7. 
But to each one of us, to each 

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one of us, to each one of us, 
this is written to the spirit 

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filled church at Ephesus, right?
So to everyone of us there's a 

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grace given according to the 
measure of Christ's gift. 

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God has deposited something on 
the inside of you. 

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Amen. 
And there's a grace to do it. 

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Now Paul said in First 
Corinthians 15 that I labored 

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more abundantly in the grace of 
God. 

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So you realize the grace was 
there, but it's interesting, he 

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said. 
I labored in the grace. 

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So there's a grace on the inside
of you to do what he's called 

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you to do. 
So it's just not of your own own

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effort, your own energy, but 
it's through Christ that you can

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accomplish what he's put on the 
inside of you. 

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Therefore he says when he 
ascended on high, he led 

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captivity captive and he gave 
gifts to men. 

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Now that he that he that 
ascended, what does that mean by

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he also first descended into 
lower parts of the earth? 

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He who descended is also the one
who ascended far above all the 

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heavens, that he might fill all 
things, and he himself gave 

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some, not all. 
This is what we call the 

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fivefold ministry. 
There is parallel passages 

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within the Bible, and so in in 
Ephesians chapter 4, Romans 

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chapter Romans chapter 12 and 
then First Corinthians chapter 

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12, there is these are parallel 
passages if you read that in the

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Bible. 
Now, Ephesians 4 highlights a 

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little bit more of the fivefold 
ministry and the fivefold 

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ministry of those that God has 
called and graced and equipped 

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to actually be full time in the 
ministry to minister to his 

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church. 
Not everybody's called to be an 

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apostle. 
Not everybody's called to be a 

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prophet. 
Not everybody's called to be a 

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pastor. 
Not everybody's called to be a 

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teacher or an evangelist. 
But it's the grace of God. 

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It's the call of God, right? 
And there are no insignificant 

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members in the body of Christ. 
Matter of fact, in comparison to

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the whole body of Christ, 
there's a lot less of the 

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fivefold ministry than there is 
of the whole other body. 

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Think about the 12 tribes of 
Israel, right. 

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The Levites were the only one 
assigned to the Tabernacle, the 

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other 11 tribes. 
But we're doing duties right? 

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So you you have a great 
significance, matter of fact. 

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It should be a joy for you and a
journey for you because you're 

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going to get a a great download 
tonight and you get to go into 

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your world tomorrow and you get 
to be a representative of Jesus 

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Christ. 
You are ACIA agent, a Christian 

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in action when you go to work 
and there's an assignment there,

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and you need to be wise as a 
serpent, harmless as a dove. 

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I I like Devon Hicks. 
I like a lot of people, but I 

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love my wife. 
But he works at Carlisle, right?

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And and it's just amazing what 
God can do as you're following 

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him, he said. 
Seek first the Kingdom of God 

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and his righteousness and all 
things will be added to you. 

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Devon heard Devon is Pastor 
Brandon's brother. 

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If everybody knows Pastor 
Brandon, he and his wife are the

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youth pastors, right? 
They, and they all lived in 

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Kentucky. 
But obviously, Pastor Brandon 

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April moved to Florida, got 
connected with anchor Faith 

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Church, but then, you know, he's
telling Devin about it. 

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So Devin made a decision that, 
hey, and prayed about it, we're 

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going to move to Florida. 
He ended up getting a job with 

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Carlisle, right. 
And God just, I mean, it's just 

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amazing what God does when 
you're following him. 

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He worked hard. 
Obviously. 

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He was a giver to the church, 
still a giver today, but God 

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just promoted him. 
You know, he started kind of on 

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the ground level, worked his way
up, actually, They want him to 

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take over as plant manager even 
though he didn't have a college 

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degree. 
And they said we'll actually 

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position you as that and then 
you got to get the degree. 

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And I don't even think they made
him get the degree after a 

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while, if I remember right. 
I don't know if he's here 

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tonight, but when he's at work, 
he's ACIA agent. 

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I've had some conversations with
him because he's he's, he's 

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thinking obviously about doing a
good job for the Lord and how he

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can be a blessing to the 
company. 

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And that's why he's at where 
he's at the the pay has has 

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increased and the title has 
increased, but also the 

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influence has increased. 
And so he was talking one with 

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one of the employees. 
You got to be very careful in 

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the secular Society of what, 
preaching the gospel, you know, 

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somebody solicits you, That's 
one thing. 

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But a lot of companies have 
restrictions on you actually 

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saying something about Jesus. 
So he is ACIA agent, right? 

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Because one story was telling me
was that. 

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He went through Mighty Men 318 
Ed Cole has a lot of powerful 

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one line quotes so he uses he's 
in leadership without preaching 

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the Bible. 
He's using godly principles 

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right And so one of the guys 
coming he said man you got so 

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much good stuff where do you get
that from? 

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He said well it's from the 
philosopher I that I follow and 

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really what what philosophy who 
what's his name. 

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He said. 
Jesus, you open the door. 

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I'm coming in. 
So there's a calling on each of 

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us, but you get the you have the
excitement to go into your war 

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world tomorrow, Friday, 
Saturday. 

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Your job shouldn't Your job is 
where you go, but not who you 

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are. 
It's a place where you literally

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go and you get paid to really be
Acia agent. 

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You see what I'm saying? 
You got to change your your 

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perspective. 
I was reading over in Psalms the

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other day from the Passions 
Translation and it jumped off 

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the page to me. 
It said that the the distorted 

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perception had vanished. 
So if there's a distorted 

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perception in your life, truth 
will make that vanish. 

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And you need to get up with 
passion every day to the 

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assignment that God's called you
to and and tackle it with an 

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enthusiasm unknown to most 
mankind. 

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Amen. 
So there's a call. 

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On all of us. 
But some are in the fivefold 

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ministry, meaning they make 
their living by the gospel 

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right? 
So these are full time ministers

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assigned and why did God place 
him in the body? 

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Verse 12 is very important for 
your spiritual growth and 

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development. 
Verse 12 gives a threefold 

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reason or a threefold trajectory
of why the fivefold ministry was

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given by God. 
You could say this way. 

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It's God's love gifts to you. 
God loved you so much that he 

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called certain people. 
So we can collect together upon 

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the same place as a family of 
God. 

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But to be equipped is the first 
thing right? 

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Why is the fivefold ministry 
given? 

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You'll see in verse 12 for the 
equipping of the Saints, the 

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furnishing, the supply, the 
fitting. 

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A pastor may see a gift in you 
and say man, this would this 

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would be a great fit for you. 
So when you come to service on a

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Sunday or a Wednesday or a a 
men's discipleship or a women's 

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discipleship man, that's a great
time to get fueled. 

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Just 'cause you filled up your 
your tank yesterday doesn't mean

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you don't need to fill it up 
again in three days, right? 

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So this is like a this is like 
93 octane, let me go to ethanol 

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free that you're getting right 
for your for your journey and 

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00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,640
your race and life. 
And so it's for the equipping of

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the Saints, Why for the work of 
the ministry. 

230
00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:11,880
So all of us are called to a 
ministry in some capacity, 

231
00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:13,760
meaning there's a service that 
we do. 

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00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:16,160
Ministry is just not behind the 
pulpit. 

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00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:19,520
Ministry literally means 
serving, right. 

234
00:13:19,520 --> 00:13:22,320
So when you go to work, guess 
what you are serving the. 

235
00:13:22,320 --> 00:13:26,720
Lord at that job on assignment 
to be a light and to be sold. 

236
00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,200
And then it says the third thing
that's going to happen is the 

237
00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:31,680
edifying of the body of Christ 
or the building up of the body 

238
00:13:31,680 --> 00:13:34,280
of Christ. 
Verse 13 says, Till we all come 

239
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to the unity of faith and the 
knowledge of the Son of God, to 

240
00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,600
a perfect man, to the measure 
the stature of the fullness of 

241
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Christ, that we should no 
longer, that we should no longer

242
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be children. 
There comes a point when you 

243
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need to grow. 
Up and develop. 

244
00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:59,040
He goes on to say, tossed to and
fro, carried about with every 

245
00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:03,040
wind of doctrine by the trickery
of men and the cunning 

246
00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:05,160
craftiness of deceitful 
plotting. 

247
00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:09,840
So guess what a children does? 
They're tossed to and fro. 

248
00:14:09,840 --> 00:14:15,400
Guess what A a pastor represents
a shepherd that's going to help 

249
00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:22,240
guard your your life. 
A real shepherd is going to 

250
00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,800
guard. 
A hireling's going to flee 

251
00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:27,800
because he doesn't care. 
A hireling's just about money. 

252
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:32,800
A true shepherd's going to say 
what you're listening to maybe a

253
00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:37,320
little bit off or or yourself 
talk, maybe a little off, 

254
00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:40,680
whatever the case is, what but 
children can be tossed to and 

255
00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:44,560
fro. 1st 15 says. 
But speaking the truth in love, 

256
00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:50,280
that we may grow up in all 
things unto Jesus or him who's 

257
00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,520
the head, Christ from whom the 
whole body. 

258
00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:55,520
Join and knit together by 
whatever joint supplies 

259
00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:57,880
according to the effect of 
working by which every part does

260
00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:04,000
its share, every part does its 
share, Hallelujah, every part 

261
00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:06,880
does it. 
It'd be a shame if your foot 

262
00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:11,400
wasn't working tomorrow. 
That's the part not doing its 

263
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,280
its job. 
Causes growth of the body for 

264
00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,600
the edifying of itself in love 
pastoral. 

265
00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:21,760
As says this during our vision 
partnership meeting. 

266
00:15:21,760 --> 00:15:25,840
There's no insignificant members
in the body of Christ and this 

267
00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:28,600
is what this verse is 
communicating and God's desire 

268
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:31,360
is for us to grow. 
So let's look at First 

269
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:33,880
Corinthians Chapter 9. 
This is review that I'm going 

270
00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,600
through. 
First Corinthians Chapter 9 

271
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:42,440
verses 24 through 27. 
Spiritual growth and development

272
00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,720
is much like much like natural 
growth and development. 

273
00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,720
Amen. 
So it says this. 

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00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:53,160
Do you not know that those who 
run in a race all run but one 

275
00:15:53,160 --> 00:15:56,400
receives the prize? 
Run in such a way that you may 

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00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:59,840
obtain it and everyone who 
competes for the prize is 

277
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,400
temperate in all things. 
Now they do it to obtain a 

278
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:06,080
perishable crown, but we for an 
imperishable crown. 

279
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,680
Therefore I run thus, not with 
uncertainty. 

280
00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,080
Thus I fight not as one who 
beats the air, but I discipline 

281
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:15,240
my body and bring it into 
subjection, lest when I have 

282
00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:18,960
preached to others, I myself 
should become disqualified. 

283
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,000
So what's he doing? 
He's doing a parallel between 

284
00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:26,120
their Olympic Games and 
spiritual growth and 

285
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,080
development. 
Let's look at this. 

286
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,520
In the message it says you've 
all been to the stadium. 

287
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,960
And seeing the athletes, 
athletes, race, everyone runs. 

288
00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:36,320
One wins. 
Run to win. 

289
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:37,560
I like that. 
Run to win. 

290
00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:40,440
You're in your own lane. 
There's no competition in the 

291
00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:42,120
body of Christ, First 
Corinthians says. 

292
00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,000
It's a You're a fool if you 
measure yourself against 

293
00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,600
somebody else. 
God's too creative and unique to

294
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,800
make everybody the same. 
There's nobody else like you on 

295
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:53,840
the planet, so don't compare 
yourself or measure yourself 

296
00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,240
with somebody else. 
But you're running your race and

297
00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,440
run to win. 
Run to win. 

298
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:02,880
All good athletes train hard. 
They do it for a gold medal that

299
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,560
tarnishes and fades. 
You're after one that's gold 

300
00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:08,000
eternally. 
I don't know about you, but I'm 

301
00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,720
running hard for the finish 
line. 

302
00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,359
I'm giving it everything. 
I've got no lazy living for me. 

303
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,319
I'm staying alert and in top 
condition. 

304
00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:21,720
I'm not going to get caught 
napping telling everyone else 

305
00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:23,960
about it and then missing out 
myself. 

306
00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:28,640
The New Living Translation says 
it like this. 

307
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,520
Don't you realize that in a race
everyone runs, but only one 

308
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,880
person gets the prize? 
So run to win. 

309
00:17:35,240 --> 00:17:37,400
All athletes are disciplined in 
their training. 

310
00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:40,480
They do it to win a prize. 
That will fade away, but we do 

311
00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,400
it for an eternal prize. 
So I I run with purpose in every

312
00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,200
step. 
I'm not just shadowboxing. 

313
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:49,560
I discipline my body like an 
athlete, training it to do what 

314
00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:52,680
it should. 
Otherwise, I fear that after 

315
00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:55,680
preaching to others, I myself 
might be disqualified. 

316
00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:01,320
So just like an athlete has to 
have a program in place what to 

317
00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:05,640
reach their potential, so do we.
So do we. 

318
00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:11,240
We need to have a program in 
place, a strategy in place, so 

319
00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,600
that we continue to grow. 
Now when it comes to the 

320
00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:19,800
natural, I've been training 
since I'm thirteen years old 

321
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,240
with weights turned 48 this 
year. 

322
00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:32,040
Amen. 
And feeling great, but I've 

323
00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:37,040
grown a lot over the years. 
Hosea 4/4 says people perish 

324
00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,640
because of a lack of knowledge, 
not just information. 

325
00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,160
Information may mean you Get the
facts, but knowledge in the 

326
00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:46,000
Hebrew mind meant that you 
actually applied it. 

327
00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:49,880
When you know something, you're 
intimate with it. 

328
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:56,320
You're experiencing it right. 
You know, when I was young I 

329
00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,320
used to read muscle and fitness 
books and you know, that was 

330
00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,320
obviously at that time and an an
encouragement inspiration. 

331
00:19:01,680 --> 00:19:04,120
But just reading those is not 
going to do anything for me. 

332
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:10,920
I actually had to what apply, so
I had to get a strategy in 

333
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,640
place, right. 
So I was thinking about this 

334
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:16,280
tonight with spiritual growth 
and development. 

335
00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:18,680
There's a lot of parallels 
between the natural and the 

336
00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,920
spiritual. 
And you know, my number one, I 

337
00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:24,880
have 5 pillars when it comes to 
getting in shape physically, and

338
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:30,320
I transferred those over to 
spiritually, #1 is nutrition. 

339
00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:35,680
I used to think I could just 
work out really hard, eat, eat 

340
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:38,240
whatever I want, do no cardio. 
And results would come. 

341
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:40,880
Well, you know what, That didn't
work out. 

342
00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:43,920
And it kind of was like, man, 
I'm working really hard but not 

343
00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:47,240
going anywhere. 
And we can say about God, I'm. 

344
00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,960
I'm applying your word. 
But I'm not getting the results.

345
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,160
Well, God's truth will always 
work. 

346
00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:59,520
The question is what? 
What don't you know that you're 

347
00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:04,840
not applying to get the results?
So I realized, you know, when I 

348
00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:09,320
started learning about nutrition
and macros, and you know 

349
00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,600
proteins and carbohydrates and 
fats. 

350
00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,480
And I started getting a 
knowledge base on that. 

351
00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:18,520
Guess what? 
It really helped my body 

352
00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,640
composition, my stamina and my 
energy. 

353
00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:23,080
And the results were more 
forthcoming. 

354
00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:24,760
Then I understood, you know 
what? 

355
00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:27,400
There's this thing called cardio
training or aerobics. 

356
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,600
Glory to God, who wants to run 
10 miles? 

357
00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,880
Not me. 
But I realized, you know what? 

358
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,400
That I realized there's 3500 
calories in a pound of fat. 

359
00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:45,240
Yes, 3500 calories. 
That means if I want to lose 

360
00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:47,920
£2.00 a week I need to be a 7000
calorie deficit. 

361
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,760
Hallelujah. 
The problem with that though is 

362
00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,880
you need to know some things. 
People go on yo-yo diets and we 

363
00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:04,320
do this spiritually and it's 
never going to set your 

364
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,400
metabolism, it's going to starve
you. 

365
00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:11,600
Where do I get my results from 
Michael Phelps? 

366
00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:18,480
Who knows Michael Phelps, Great 
Olympic swimmer, athlete, gold 

367
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:20,520
medalist. 
You know, when he was at his 

368
00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:24,280
peak training, he was eating 
10,000 calories a day. 

369
00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:35,000
But he he put such a demand on 
the regimen that if he didn't 

370
00:21:35,000 --> 00:21:38,120
eat that much, he was catabolic,
not anabolic, meaning his body 

371
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:42,160
was breaking down. 
Now, the recommended day 

372
00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:45,760
allowance by the United States 
is 73 grams of protein per day. 

373
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,760
That's for a sedentary person 
that's not doing anything but 

374
00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:58,720
playing video games. 
But when it comes to an athlete.

375
00:21:58,720 --> 00:22:02,160
And then Paul said, if you got a
what train like a athlete, if 

376
00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:04,760
you're putting a lot out but not
putting a lot in, guess what? 

377
00:22:06,480 --> 00:22:10,120
You may be missing your 
nutrition value spiritually if 

378
00:22:10,120 --> 00:22:12,840
you keep on running hard and not
reading the word of God. 

379
00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:16,280
Why do you think Pastor O Marcy 
are so passionate and and 

380
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,640
adamant about church attendance 
and reading the word of God, 

381
00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:22,040
church attendance and reading 
the word of God, church 

382
00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:24,240
attendance and reading the word 
of God, church attendance and 

383
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:25,480
reading the word of God? 
Why? 

384
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,960
Because you're never going to 
grow or be anabolic spiritually 

385
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:31,280
and being a perpetual state of 
growth if you're not getting the

386
00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:35,880
right diet. 
Think about if you eat one meal 

387
00:22:35,880 --> 00:22:40,680
a day physically. 
You could be grumpy and deplete 

388
00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:46,080
of energy, Hallelujah. 
But if you get, if you get the 

389
00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,640
right balanced diet, all the 
sudden what? 

390
00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:52,920
You have an infuse of energy? 
Well, spiritually speaking, if 

391
00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:55,720
you're feeling weary, if you're 
feeling down, do you have the 

392
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,160
right plan in place to continue 
to grow and develop? 

393
00:23:01,080 --> 00:23:03,880
And if you're putting out a lot,
guess what, You better put a lot

394
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:07,000
in. 
I took on more responsibility 

395
00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:11,400
this year. 
With the ministry and in that 

396
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:14,680
transition in May, I was just 
talking to God. 

397
00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:19,000
And I have a goal that I've set 
per year of study time, per 

398
00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:21,400
week. 
And when that transition 

399
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,120
happened, which meant more work,
he told me to double my study 

400
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:31,640
time. 
I said, OK, Lord, which is OK We

401
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,760
went from this to this. 
How am I going to do that with 

402
00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:35,560
more? 
But you know, I've steadily done

403
00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:39,920
that because he said it. 
And he realized that the more 

404
00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,920
that goes out, the more needs to
come in or I'm going to break 

405
00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:52,800
down, dry out or get weary and I
monitor and measure my Bible 

406
00:23:52,800 --> 00:23:54,600
reading. 
I just don't. 

407
00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:58,000
Check the box off. 
You know I I write down every 

408
00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:00,480
day on my daytime or what I've 
read. 

409
00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,520
I have a little more aggressive 
reading plan than one time a 

410
00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,920
year but I could tell if I'm 
getting off a little bit. 

411
00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:10,600
I could look back. 
I may have read a huge chunk 3 

412
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:14,840
days ago, but maybe I went two 
days and all of a sudden, OK, 

413
00:24:14,840 --> 00:24:18,240
all that's what's wrong. 
I'm not getting the spiritual 

414
00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,360
diet to natural to match the 
natural output. 

415
00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:24,520
Are you with me? 
So nutrition's the number one 

416
00:24:24,520 --> 00:24:26,400
factor. 
If if you're going to recover, 

417
00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,760
if you're going to have energy, 
just like naturally Michael 

418
00:24:29,760 --> 00:24:32,320
Phelps, he he recovered because 
he got a the right amount of 

419
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,320
protein, right. 
The right amount of 

420
00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,160
carbohydrates. 
You know he wasn't eating 

421
00:24:37,480 --> 00:24:47,600
Twinkies, Hallelujah and Ben and
Jerry's every night. 

422
00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:53,880
Hallelujah and and McDonald's. 
I guarantee you that wasn't in 

423
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:56,760
his diet, right? 
He would have been sluggish, 

424
00:24:57,480 --> 00:24:59,880
correct? 
So these these athletes, a lot 

425
00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:01,720
of them even hire a 
nutritionist. 

426
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:07,080
Why somebody who has more 
knowledge than they do that's 

427
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,080
feeding them what they need so 
they can grow and develop. 

428
00:25:09,280 --> 00:25:15,120
Kind of like coming to church 
feeding you so you can what grow

429
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:16,520
and develop? 
Did they win? 

430
00:25:18,160 --> 00:25:21,080
Hallelujah. 
Sorry. 

431
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:22,960
Sydney came in. 
The Flagler girls had a game at 

432
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:31,320
6:00 and they won. 
Hey, Speaking of that, there's a

433
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:36,800
game this Saturday. 
At six PMA home game, let's show

434
00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:38,800
up and show out. 
I don't like go, you know 

435
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,840
there's something when there's a
crowd in a sports environment 

436
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:44,400
and they're rooting you on. 
And I've been many times to 

437
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:47,480
Flagler where the girls game 
specifically is lower in 

438
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,680
attendance but we have enough 
vision partners on a Saturday 

439
00:25:51,680 --> 00:25:55,880
night it's free. 
If you're a Saint Johns County 

440
00:25:55,880 --> 00:26:01,600
resident it's a great day night.
Take your family. 

441
00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:05,840
You know, get out, show outlet's
support em. 

442
00:26:05,840 --> 00:26:07,920
Amen. 
And rally em on. 

443
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,520
So let's get there on Saturday 
night. 

444
00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,080
Amen. 
If you don't have any plans, 

445
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:17,120
plan to do that and then you 
can. 

446
00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,040
Yeah, right downtown you go. 
Night. 

447
00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:27,280
See, that works out perfect. 
So nutrition's the number number

448
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:28,920
one thing. 
Rest is another thing. 

449
00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,160
That's my second pillar when it 
comes to physical growth, but 

450
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,320
also spiritual growth. 
And I'm just not talking about. 

451
00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,360
I'm talking about the 
appropriate amount of sleep, but

452
00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:41,400
I'm also talking about a worry 
free life. 

453
00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:50,880
You know, there's stress. 
There's U stress, stress and and

454
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:55,400
and hyper stress. 
U stress is a positive stress. 

455
00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:00,280
It's like, you know when 
somebody has to make that last 

456
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,480
free throw shot at the end of 
the game to win it, they've 

457
00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:06,600
trained for it, they've 
practiced it. 

458
00:27:07,840 --> 00:27:10,840
You know if they're at the 
opponent's, you know, court, 

459
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:12,520
they're they're trying to be a 
distraction. 

460
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,360
But what they they block 
everything out and that that's a

461
00:27:15,360 --> 00:27:17,360
positive stress. 
But then there's stress which is

462
00:27:17,360 --> 00:27:20,640
a negative and then there's 
hyper stress, which at a 

463
00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,720
molecular level you're aging 
prematurely. 

464
00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:29,200
And first, Peter 5 says what? 
To cast all your cares on the 

465
00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:31,400
Lord. 
You realize you these I'm I'm 

466
00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,720
giving you some things that will
actually stunt your spiritual 

467
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,560
growth. 
If you're stressed out, it's 

468
00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:40,320
going to slow down your 
spiritual growth and stagnate 

469
00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:45,120
it. 
So not only resting, not 

470
00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:47,640
worrying, not fretting, resting 
in your mind. 

471
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,760
Jesus said, Come unto me, all 
you that labor and heavy laden I

472
00:27:51,760 --> 00:27:54,120
what? 
Give you rest? 

473
00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:55,840
He said. 
Learn of me. 

474
00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,440
Take my yoke upon you for its 
gentle and lowly in heart. 

475
00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:05,360
The next thing that I have in 
with my physical training is 

476
00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,640
anaerobics, which is resistance 
training. 

477
00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,280
Same thing spiritually, right? 
If you're going to get stronger,

478
00:28:12,280 --> 00:28:13,920
there's going to be some 
resistance. 

479
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,640
Hallelujah. 
And you got to know what you're 

480
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:19,840
doing. 
I've seen some weird things at 

481
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:25,200
the gym. 
You know your your purpose in 

482
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,480
life is where your passion and 
your pain intersect. 

483
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,960
And I've. 
I've seen some painful things at

484
00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:36,080
the gym. 
I mean they people have 

485
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:43,680
revelation on equipment that I 
don't That's actually an arm 

486
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:46,200
machine. 
No. 

487
00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:51,800
But you you got to you got to 
know some things right or you 

488
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:57,080
can get hurt if you miss train 
or try to take on too much too 

489
00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:58,720
quick. 
See spiritual growth and 

490
00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:01,600
development same as physical 
growth and development. 

491
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,080
I can't just if I just started 
lifting I can't throw 315 on the

492
00:29:05,080 --> 00:29:07,520
bar and try to bench it. 
I'm going to crack my sternum 

493
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,040
and be in the hospital, probably
be dead. 

494
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:12,760
But there's got to be gradual 
progress. 

495
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,440
You know, God gave the fivefold 
ministry, and Donald G made this

496
00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:17,880
powerful statement when it comes
to church, He said There should 

497
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,280
be steady growth within for 
powerful witness without. 

498
00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:24,240
So the fivefold ministry 
provides that. 

499
00:29:24,240 --> 00:29:26,960
You come to church, steady 
growth within, so you have 

500
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:33,040
powerful witness without. 
And it reminds me of Notre Dame.

501
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:34,560
Everybody's heard of Notre Dame,
right? 

502
00:29:35,240 --> 00:29:36,880
I'm a guy, so I'll do some 
football. 

503
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,440
I did this in my Ki class and a 
lot of ladies looked at me 

504
00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:41,760
blank. 
Well, actually just one. 

505
00:29:41,760 --> 00:29:44,880
I won't name her name, but so 
then I really mess with her a 

506
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,160
lot because I use a lot of 
analogies just to pick on her 

507
00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:49,880
butt. 
In the Notre Dame locker room, 

508
00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,480
they have a sign as you exit, it
says play like a champion today.

509
00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:57,960
You know, it's tempting not to 
put a sign on the door that says

510
00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:01,480
live like a Christian today. 
When you walk out, you know, 

511
00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,320
touch it, slap it, you're ready 
to go into the world. 

512
00:30:05,560 --> 00:30:08,960
The coach is just giving a great
pregame speech, right? 

513
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,560
You've had a pregame meal. 
You've been practicing all week.

514
00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:15,240
Now it's time to go out and do 
it right. 

515
00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:18,960
Hallelujah. 
So resistance training. 

516
00:30:19,680 --> 00:30:23,800
And then there's there's also, 
and my my fourth thing is 

517
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:27,400
aerobics, which is stamina. 
You know, you're not in this for

518
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:29,360
just a good time. 
You're in this for a long time. 

519
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,520
And so this is not a Sprint. 
This is a marathon journey, a 

520
00:30:34,520 --> 00:30:37,880
lifetime commitment with Christ.
And there's things for the long 

521
00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,160
haul that you need to take care 
of yourself, right? 

522
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,440
And then the the last thing I 
have is flexibility for my it's 

523
00:30:44,440 --> 00:30:46,560
something that I've just 
instituted a couple years ago 

524
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:48,240
literally for the physical side 
of it. 

525
00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,920
But the ability to adapt, you 
realize there's going to be 

526
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:52,720
interruptions and distractions 
in life. 

527
00:30:54,840 --> 00:31:00,040
Don't get, don't plan your your 
your time so strenuously and 

528
00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,640
strict that you don't leave a 
little time for interruptions. 

529
00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:08,080
There's 168 hours in a week and 
if you try to plan down to the 

530
00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:09,600
minute, you're going to be 
disappointed. 

531
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,480
Amen. 
So continue to grow. 

532
00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,960
God wants you to grow. 
Change is not change until it's 

533
00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,200
changed. 
This life is not static, it's 

534
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:23,960
dynamic. 
And change is the only constant 

535
00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:26,920
in life. 
You're either progressing or 

536
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,120
regressing. 
There's nothing that stays 

537
00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,760
static. 
Everything that happens to us as

538
00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:36,280
a result of choices we make. 
You either choose to 

539
00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:40,760
procrastinate, believe, or 
doubt. 

540
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,640
Help or hinder? 
Succeed or fail, but the choice 

541
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:49,680
is yours. 
Joshua said it this way in the 

542
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:56,280
24th chapter of his book. 
He said choose this day whom you

543
00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,920
going to serve As for me and my 
household, we choose to serve 

544
00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:01,400
the Lord. 
So guess what? 

545
00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:05,400
We're going to win the minute we
get rid of all excuses and kick 

546
00:32:05,400 --> 00:32:11,440
out self pity. 
The proverbs one translate says 

547
00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:13,800
if you wait for the perfect 
conditions, you'll never get 

548
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:17,800
anything done. 
There's another verse in the Old

549
00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:21,600
Testament says don't despise a 
day of small beginnings. 

550
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:23,920
God loves to see the work be 
begun. 

551
00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,240
So many times we're waiting for 
it to be built. 

552
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,520
Well, where your life is really 
built minute by minute, choice 

553
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:33,240
by choice, day by day, You're 
never going to arrive if you 

554
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:36,400
just don't, if you just don't 
choose to start. 

555
00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:40,240
Right. 
So the devil loved to steal your

556
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,800
identity, kill your destroy, 
kill your dream and destroy your

557
00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,680
life a little at a time. 
But God wants to build your 

558
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:48,960
life. 
He came to give us life and to 

559
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:53,360
give it to us more abundantly. 
I said this last week, if you 

560
00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:56,400
can continue doing in the next 
5-10 and 20 years what you've 

561
00:32:56,400 --> 00:33:00,120
been doing the last 5-10 and 20 
years, will you be pleased with 

562
00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:05,560
who you are and where you're at?
You know that we say insanity's 

563
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:07,200
doing the same thing over and 
over again. 

564
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,840
Expecting what different 
results? 

565
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,080
It brought me to this quote too,
that the average person goes to 

566
00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,400
work every day because that's 
what they did yesterday. 

567
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,960
If that's the only reason for 
going to work today, you'll 

568
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,800
probably be no more effective 
today than you were yesterday. 

569
00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:24,920
The sad thing is, many people 
have been with a company five 

570
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:26,720
years, do not have five years 
experience. 

571
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:29,600
They have one year's experience 
five times, and no specific 

572
00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,480
plans for making anything of a 
change. 

573
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,640
But next year is going to be a 
repeat performance. 

574
00:33:35,840 --> 00:33:39,720
Right, so we we need to be 
aggressive in life with getting 

575
00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:45,280
in a good spiritual game plan in
place and doing it be a doer of 

576
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,880
the word of God, James One says.
Blessed are those that do the 

577
00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:51,680
word of God. 
Time is an equal opportunity 

578
00:33:51,680 --> 00:33:56,880
employer. 
Each human being has exactly the

579
00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,240
same amount of numbers or same 
amount of hours per week. 

580
00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,400
So those that are doing the 
most, or the Kingdom of God, or 

581
00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,960
those that are doing the least, 
guess what the difference is how

582
00:34:05,960 --> 00:34:10,840
you use your time. 
Are you prioritizing your time? 

583
00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:15,239
Success depends upon using your 
your time wisely and planning 

584
00:34:15,239 --> 00:34:18,639
your time wisely, setting 
priorities. 

585
00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:24,440
The Bible likes time to money. 
You invest time and spend time. 

586
00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:28,840
You don't kill time. 
And time's really more important

587
00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:32,000
than money. 
So you need to be offensive in 

588
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:37,280
life. 20% of all the points 
scored in it in in the NFL 

589
00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,880
scored in the last two minutes 
of the 1st and 2nd halves of the

590
00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:48,449
game. 
And does the prevent defense 

591
00:34:48,449 --> 00:34:53,489
work? 
The answer The offense scores 

592
00:34:53,489 --> 00:34:57,650
three times as fast against the 
prevent defense as it does 

593
00:34:57,650 --> 00:35:01,170
against a regular defense. 
The point is, if you're playing 

594
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:04,320
but the offense is playing to 
win, the defense is playing not 

595
00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:07,560
to lose. 
Why am I telling this 'cause 

596
00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:11,400
we're to run to win. 
So you need to be offensive, not

597
00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,840
defensive. 
With God are you with me? 

598
00:35:17,280 --> 00:35:25,160
So let's go to 1st John chapter 
two, first John chapter two, and

599
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:29,280
first John chapter 2. 
The Apostle John really outlines

600
00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:37,600
3 stages of spiritual growth. 
So in First John chapter 2, 

601
00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,480
verses 12 through 14 he says 
this. 

602
00:35:42,480 --> 00:35:45,120
I write to you little children 
because your sins are forgiven 

603
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,000
for his name's sake. 
I write to you fathers because 

604
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,760
you have known him who is from 
the beginning. 

605
00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:52,360
I write to you young men because
you have overcome the wicked 

606
00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:53,640
one. 
I write to you little children 

607
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:55,280
because you have known the 
Father. 

608
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,280
I've written to you, fathers, 
because you have known him who 

609
00:35:57,280 --> 00:35:59,600
is from the beginning. 
I have written to young men 

610
00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:02,120
because you're strong and the 
word of God abides in you and 

611
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:05,920
you have overcome the wicked one
last week, the very first one 

612
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:08,200
that we covered. 
He talks about children, he 

613
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,280
talks about young men. 
He talks about fathers. 

614
00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:11,840
Same thing with spiritual 
growth. 

615
00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,040
There's children, there's young 
people, and then there's fathers

616
00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:17,360
or mothers of the faith. 
Right. 

617
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:21,040
And so the first one we talked 
about last week was children. 

618
00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:24,880
I will say this. 
Wisdom has taught us that 

619
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:29,080
mastery of fundamentals is 
critical to success. 

620
00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:35,360
Wisdom teaches us that mastery 
of fundamentals is critical to 

621
00:36:35,360 --> 00:36:39,560
success. 
You know, when it comes to 

622
00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,800
anything in life, it always 
comes back to fundamentals. 

623
00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,480
Guess what? 
Those that are in the NNFL and 

624
00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:51,960
in Peewee, guess what? 
They're still teaching them the 

625
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:55,640
Peewee league. 
Is fundamentals how to catch the

626
00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:59,520
ball? 
How to block your stance, Right 

627
00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:03,560
Fundamentals never go away. 
If you want to grow, you have to

628
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:05,400
apply fundamentals from the word
of God. 

629
00:37:06,720 --> 00:37:12,400
If you want to grow spiritual 
gifts, do not validate or 

630
00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:20,160
measure spiritual maturity. 
First Corinthians We read this 

631
00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:21,440
last week. 
Just because of time. 

632
00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,400
I'm not going to go through it 
again in the chapter, I'm going 

633
00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:26,600
to highlight some other ones. 
1st Corinthians 3 we talked 

634
00:37:26,600 --> 00:37:29,320
about. 
Paul called them carnal. 

635
00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:31,120
He said they didn't. 
He didn't say they're natural 

636
00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:33,000
men. 
First Corinthians 2, he talked 

637
00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:36,200
about the natural man receives 
not the things of God, but in 

638
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:37,400
verse three, their verb is 
changed. 

639
00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:40,160
It says you're yet carnal. 
So they're born again, but their

640
00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:43,320
flesh ruled and flesh dominated 
their babies. 

641
00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,360
And Paul, from the first time he
wrote this, the first time he 

642
00:37:47,360 --> 00:37:50,320
visited them and established the
church to the time he wrote the 

643
00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:52,680
letter was the scholars will 
tell us this period of between 

644
00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:56,400
four to seven years. 
So there was an expectation from

645
00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,320
the Apostle Paul. 
After four to seven years, you 

646
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:01,080
should be grown up. 
But you're not. 

647
00:38:02,480 --> 00:38:04,880
And he's basically saying I have
to still give you the bottle, 

648
00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:09,960
and it shouldn't be like that. 
But also in First Corinthians 

649
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:13,440
chapter 12 we get the gifts of 
the Spirit. 

650
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:17,080
You know the three power gifts, 
the three Revelations gifts, and

651
00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:20,720
the three Inspiration gifts. 
But in First Corinthians 14 he 

652
00:38:20,720 --> 00:38:22,880
starts talking about how to 
operate those in the body. 

653
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:25,520
But it's amazing because he 
identifies that church as 

654
00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:27,760
immature. 
So just because they were 

655
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,760
flowing in the gifts does not 
mean you're mature. 

656
00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:34,160
And just because you see a 
minister flowing in the gifts 

657
00:38:34,920 --> 00:38:38,320
does not validate or measure if 
they're actually mature. 

658
00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:46,920
You're Christ like character. 
Measures your maturity. 

659
00:38:49,440 --> 00:38:53,800
There could be wonderful people 
of God that are being used, you 

660
00:38:53,800 --> 00:38:56,920
know, sick bodies being healed, 
words of wisdom being given. 

661
00:38:57,200 --> 00:39:00,480
And sometimes a Christian Church
will flock thinking this is 

662
00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:05,640
somebody I want to emulate or 
follow, but their life is in 

663
00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:11,160
shambles. 
God will use people in his body 

664
00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:16,720
and any state of growth to help 
deliver other people, but it 

665
00:39:16,720 --> 00:39:18,760
does not mean that you're 
mature, just cause the gifts 

666
00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,720
flow through you. 
God used a donkey in the Old 

667
00:39:21,720 --> 00:39:26,680
Testament. 
Hallelujah. 

668
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:33,400
Just saying. 
So here's a couple positive 

669
00:39:33,400 --> 00:39:34,960
characteristics just to review 
of children. 

670
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:38,440
They're innocent. 
They're they're pure. 

671
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,640
And there's really nothing. 
No records are wrong. 

672
00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,400
I mean, when you think of an 
infant, it's a fresh start. 

673
00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:47,120
And that's how we are in Christ,
right? 

674
00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:50,760
Second Corinthians 517 says if 
anyone's been in Christ, he's a 

675
00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,080
brand new creation. 
Old things have passed away. 

676
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:55,920
Amen. 
So that's a brand new start. 

677
00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,520
I call it Etch A Sketch. 
You know, it's Etch A Sketch. 

678
00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:00,720
You have all these lines. 
But when you shake it with the 

679
00:40:00,720 --> 00:40:04,920
blood of Jesus, you get a brand 
new start in Christ and all the 

680
00:40:04,920 --> 00:40:08,920
squigglies are gone. 
Squiggly wigglies. 

681
00:40:11,560 --> 00:40:12,880
Are gone. 
But that's how it is. 

682
00:40:12,880 --> 00:40:15,200
You get a brand new start. 
There's an innocence, There's a 

683
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,080
belief in infants, right. 
They just believe. 

684
00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:21,600
And so there's some things as an
infant that we want to carry as 

685
00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:27,040
a fundamental as we grow, which 
is we want to be pure, We want 

686
00:40:27,040 --> 00:40:31,880
to believe, right. 
They're hungry too. 

687
00:40:33,400 --> 00:40:35,840
Amen. 
I mean, the bottle will get them

688
00:40:35,840 --> 00:40:37,640
quiet. 
Hallelujah. 

689
00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,280
So we need to be hungry too. 
But then there's some things 

690
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:43,120
that we don't want to carry over
from childhood, First 

691
00:40:43,120 --> 00:40:45,600
Corinthians, 1311, says. 
When I was a child, I thought 

692
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,120
like a child. 
I spoke like a child. 

693
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,320
You know, I acted like a child. 
So the the Bible promotes 

694
00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:56,320
childlikeness, but it condemns 
childishness. 

695
00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:02,040
Hallelujah. 
And so maturity don't come with 

696
00:41:02,040 --> 00:41:03,760
age. 
It comes with the acceptance of 

697
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:07,120
responsibility. 
And a child is just not very 

698
00:41:07,120 --> 00:41:09,200
responsible. 
Amen. 

699
00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:13,200
So some negative characteristics
of a child is #1. 

700
00:41:13,200 --> 00:41:17,160
They're selfish. 
They are the center of their own

701
00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:23,320
universe, right? 
If they don't get their way, 

702
00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:26,120
they will cry and throw a temper
tantrum. 

703
00:41:28,640 --> 00:41:30,680
A second thing I point out, 
they'll put anything in their 

704
00:41:30,680 --> 00:41:34,960
mouth. 
You know how it is with your 

705
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,040
first kid if the pasty drops on 
the ground and they go to pick 

706
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:42,280
it up, you know you you got to 
sanitize this by the 2nd kid. 

707
00:41:42,280 --> 00:41:46,840
You're just sticking in your own
mouth, putting it back in, 

708
00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:50,000
right? 
But they'll put anything in 

709
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:52,480
their mouth. 
And as a pastor A5 fold 

710
00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,880
minister, guess what? 
There is a guarding that takes 

711
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:56,960
place. 
We don't want you getting 

712
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,440
mesmerized with somebody who's 
healing bodies, but they're in 

713
00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:06,000
pornography and their 
credibility don't line up or 

714
00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:08,240
their character doesn't line up 
with their call. 

715
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,640
That's not somebody that you 
want to follow. 

716
00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:15,600
You want the gifts to flow 
through you, but that doesn't 

717
00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:19,920
mean you're mature. 
Another thing is they're 

718
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:25,440
unsteady, right? 
They need a lot of attention. 

719
00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:28,760
And so we understand coming in, 
there's going to be some people 

720
00:42:29,080 --> 00:42:32,400
that they're babies and guess 
what, those that are more mature

721
00:42:32,920 --> 00:42:38,200
in the faith. 
As time goes by, we'll start to 

722
00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:40,240
bring some correction gently. 
But they're going to say some 

723
00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:42,360
things and there's going to be 
some gentle correction along the

724
00:42:42,360 --> 00:42:46,400
way. 
But after time, you know the 

725
00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:49,400
accountability level is going to
go up, right? 

726
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:52,280
Because now you should know a 
little bit more and your speech 

727
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:56,440
should be changing and the way 
you think should be changing and

728
00:42:57,520 --> 00:43:01,720
your actions should be changing 
and there should be a better 

729
00:43:01,720 --> 00:43:04,600
steadiness about you. 
Another thing I said about kids 

730
00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:09,120
is, you know, infants and young 
children cannot reproduce. 

731
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,400
They don't have everything's 
there, but they're not mature 

732
00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:19,440
enough to be able to produce. 
And gods in his Kingdom, he's 

733
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:22,240
said to be fruitful and to 
multiply. 

734
00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,120
So this is one stage. 
And guess what? 

735
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:30,720
There's no shame at all about 
being born again, man. 

736
00:43:30,720 --> 00:43:35,600
I started my journey in 1997 and
I remember there I didn't have a

737
00:43:35,600 --> 00:43:38,120
cell phone at that time, you 
know, but taking notes, just 

738
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:40,080
like a sponge, absorbing 
everything. 

739
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:44,120
I was so frustrated in one 
service because I came out of a 

740
00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:46,960
religion, a Catholic Church, 
where we didn't really, you 

741
00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:52,800
know, open the Bible, you know, 
And so I come into a Pentecostal

742
00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:56,000
church and in Columbus. 
OH, and thank God for that. 

743
00:43:56,000 --> 00:43:57,680
Were they really taught? 
That's one thing I'm really 

744
00:43:57,680 --> 00:44:00,560
thankful for is God always, 
always assigned me to a good 

745
00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:02,880
Bible, believe in spirit filled 
church. 

746
00:44:03,480 --> 00:44:05,520
And I remember sitting there one
Wednesday night taking notes. 

747
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:08,400
I was just so frustrated, like, 
where's this been my whole life?

748
00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:10,880
I couldn't write fast enough. 
I literally stopped writing, you

749
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,200
know, 'cause it was like I was 
trying to keep up. 

750
00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:15,720
And, you know, your, your, your 
hand can't keep up with the with

751
00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:18,080
the mouse. 
So it was kind of frustrating. 

752
00:44:18,080 --> 00:44:24,680
But, I mean, I had cassettes 
back then, cassette tapes, and I

753
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:26,400
would buy those out of the 
bookstore. 

754
00:44:26,400 --> 00:44:29,840
And then, you know, I there's 3 
by 5 index cards on my in my 

755
00:44:29,840 --> 00:44:32,840
car, you know, on my my bathroom
mirror. 

756
00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:34,240
I'm listening to tapes 
constantly. 

757
00:44:34,240 --> 00:44:37,440
I'm in the word, well, that's 
fundamentals. 

758
00:44:39,760 --> 00:44:42,000
You can stagnate your growth if 
you get away from that. 

759
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:43,880
But there was a hunger there, 
and that's a good thing. 

760
00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:48,280
We always want to continue to 
grow in and to develop in, Amen.

761
00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:52,120
But then we get after after 
you're growing, guess what? 

762
00:44:52,120 --> 00:44:55,440
You become a young person. 
We could say a young man or a 

763
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:59,200
young woman. 
And there's a couple things that

764
00:44:59,280 --> 00:45:04,320
the apostle John points out 
about young men, or we'll say 

765
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:07,720
young women too. 
He says #1. 

766
00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:09,080
They're learning how to 
overcome. 

767
00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:12,840
You know, when you're an infant,
guess what? 

768
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:14,600
Somebody's got to do everything 
for you. 

769
00:45:15,200 --> 00:45:18,680
Change the diaper, get the get 
the bottle ready right. 

770
00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:22,080
Make sure they're put proper 
boundaries around the house. 

771
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,000
You know, put the things in the 
outlet so the the baby doesn't 

772
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:26,640
stick their finger in the 
outlet, All that stuff. 

773
00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:29,200
You know, you put the locks on 
the on the cabinets, right? 

774
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:30,640
So they don't get into things 
right. 

775
00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:34,240
And good parenting is going to 
get them to start responding to 

776
00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:39,600
a word. 
No Amen. 

777
00:45:40,160 --> 00:45:44,960
You realize you start young. 
New construction is always 

778
00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:49,520
easier than reconstruction. 
If you train them from when 

779
00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:53,640
they're young, then they're not 
going to depart from the faith. 

780
00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:59,160
Amen. 
So And the husband and wife need

781
00:45:59,160 --> 00:46:04,480
to be unified to have the 
greatest success in the home. 

782
00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,480
So one of the characteristics of
a young man is they start to 

783
00:46:08,480 --> 00:46:13,520
learn how to overcome. 
I I'm you know obviously in 

784
00:46:13,520 --> 00:46:15,560
pictures I was picturing 
Superman. 

785
00:46:15,560 --> 00:46:17,120
Anybody's seen the movie 
Superman before. 

786
00:46:18,400 --> 00:46:21,800
No some have. 
So when he's learning how to fly

787
00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:24,720
he's he's got these fine now 
he's got this great power on the

788
00:46:24,720 --> 00:46:27,600
inside of him and he doesn't 
know all the capacity or 

789
00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:29,680
potential but he's starting to 
tap into it. 

790
00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:34,000
So young person's starting to 
understand, man, I'm developing.

791
00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:37,680
There's some things I can start 
to do and overcome, right? 

792
00:46:38,040 --> 00:46:41,480
And so the great thing about 
young people is they're 

793
00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,320
developing, They're strong, 
they're getting stronger, 

794
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,680
they're passionate and they're 
energetic. 

795
00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:50,800
The apostle John says that 
they're not only overcomers, but

796
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:52,840
they're becoming strong too, 
right. 

797
00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:55,480
So young people in the church 
are those that are. 

798
00:46:55,720 --> 00:46:59,360
They're energetic about serving.
You can see the strength and the

799
00:46:59,360 --> 00:47:01,120
potential starting to be 
developed in them. 

800
00:47:01,240 --> 00:47:05,000
You're starting to see them win 
some victories and overcome, and

801
00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:06,600
you're excited. 
But it's kind of like riding a 

802
00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:10,640
bike sometimes. 
They're guys. 

803
00:47:10,640 --> 00:47:13,480
You're training a, you know, a 
child how to ride a bike. 

804
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:15,720
There could be an accident or a 
wreck, right? 

805
00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:17,400
So what do you do? 
You help pick them back up, but 

806
00:47:17,400 --> 00:47:19,200
you don't stop. 
You keep going, right? 

807
00:47:19,720 --> 00:47:22,040
So a young person's going to 
bring that passion, bring that 

808
00:47:22,040 --> 00:47:24,480
strength. 
The negative side is there's a 

809
00:47:24,480 --> 00:47:29,720
thing called self-awareness. 
As body parts start to develop 

810
00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:39,040
along with raging hormones, 
short sighted vision, and they 

811
00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:43,600
start to think they know it all.
That's true. 

812
00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:46,040
Hallelujah. 
You know, when it gets to the 

813
00:47:46,040 --> 00:47:52,920
teen years and the natural, 
there could start to be some 

814
00:47:52,920 --> 00:47:58,240
resistance against mom and dad's
guardianship and parental 

815
00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:03,920
authority, right? 
They start to think that they 

816
00:48:04,360 --> 00:48:11,360
know it all so they can start 
questioning some things, right? 

817
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,440
Well, they don't have the 
reality of what it takes to 

818
00:48:17,440 --> 00:48:22,240
survive. 
We have our own life support 

819
00:48:22,240 --> 00:48:24,200
system at the house. 
It's called the refrigerator. 

820
00:48:28,000 --> 00:48:31,880
And if you're under my roof, 
you're going to follow my rules.

821
00:48:33,720 --> 00:48:35,760
Or if you think you're that, 
great, go ahead and try. 

822
00:48:37,280 --> 00:48:40,520
It's going to be a JOB, right? 
A job. 

823
00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:44,120
And are you going to do, you 
know how much insurance cost? 

824
00:48:46,840 --> 00:48:48,720
But I mean, they, the great 
thing is they think they can 

825
00:48:48,720 --> 00:48:51,640
tack with the world. 
But one thing with they, they 

826
00:48:51,640 --> 00:48:54,440
think they know everything too, 
is they're really lacking 

827
00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:58,080
knowledge and experience. 
They really don't know. 

828
00:48:59,160 --> 00:49:01,960
You know, I was when I was 
younger, I did some pretty 

829
00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:05,400
stupid things, and you kind of 
think you're immortal When 

830
00:49:05,400 --> 00:49:09,000
you're young. 
You can't die, won't die, and 

831
00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:10,320
you're not. 
Subject to death, right? 

832
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:12,400
I mean, it's like doing 100 
miles an hour in the car like 

833
00:49:12,400 --> 00:49:15,840
I've done. 
Well, this seems fun. 

834
00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:22,960
No, that's stupid, right? 
When you start to mature, you 

835
00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:25,000
realize, oh that wasn't the best
choice. 

836
00:49:25,640 --> 00:49:27,720
And a lot of parents say wait 
till you get my age cuz then 

837
00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:29,360
you're gonna realize what I'm 
telling you is true. 

838
00:49:30,920 --> 00:49:33,200
Just like the pastor says, keep 
growing. 

839
00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:36,240
Where you're at is not where 
you're gonna stay, but stay 

840
00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:39,920
teachable. 
If you come from the children's 

841
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,280
stage to the young Men's stage, 
with all that passion, all that 

842
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:44,800
development, you start to 
overcome. 

843
00:49:44,800 --> 00:49:46,760
You're starting to learn your 
authority in Christ. 

844
00:49:47,200 --> 00:49:50,240
You're starting to, you know, 
learn about confession, right? 

845
00:49:50,240 --> 00:49:53,200
You're starting to learn about 
the gifts of the spirit, right? 

846
00:49:53,400 --> 00:49:55,040
You don't. 
You don't put a novice in office

847
00:49:55,040 --> 00:49:57,800
before it's time because they 
get lifted up in pride. 

848
00:49:57,800 --> 00:50:01,160
So you can become proud at that 
age, thinking I know it all and 

849
00:50:01,160 --> 00:50:04,560
I could do it all by myself. 
And really, it's short sighted 

850
00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:08,640
because you're not long term and
a lot of a lot of kids in that 

851
00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:11,240
age, they really don't have a 
long term vision and a lot of 

852
00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:13,280
them don't know exactly what 
they want to do. 

853
00:50:13,280 --> 00:50:16,840
They have a thought, but they 
really don't have that long term

854
00:50:16,840 --> 00:50:19,800
vision to sustain. 
How am I get going to get from 

855
00:50:19,800 --> 00:50:23,640
where I'm at to where I need to 
go with God, right? 

856
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:29,240
So at this stage, you need to 
make sure that you stay humble. 

857
00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:31,480
If you start saying things like,
well, I've heard that word 

858
00:50:31,480 --> 00:50:36,080
before or I've heard that 
subject before, watch out. 

859
00:50:36,080 --> 00:50:40,200
That could stunt your growth. 
The word of God is alive and 

860
00:50:40,200 --> 00:50:44,840
active and a a lot of what's 
received or given during service

861
00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:49,320
is based upon the congregation 
pooling on whoever's 

862
00:50:49,320 --> 00:50:52,160
ministering. 
It's not about a person, it's 

863
00:50:52,160 --> 00:50:54,440
about the word of God. 
Jesus and John four said if you 

864
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:58,160
would have known the gift of 
God, you would had AI would have

865
00:50:58,160 --> 00:51:02,120
given you living water. 
But so don't get familiar. 

866
00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:08,080
Some teenagers take for granted 
their parents. 

867
00:51:08,080 --> 00:51:12,040
I know when my my son went to 
the Florida Youth Challenge and 

868
00:51:12,040 --> 00:51:14,400
we were telling him a lot of 
things about discipline and life

869
00:51:14,800 --> 00:51:17,040
and man, he was real resistant 
to us. 

870
00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:19,960
And this is like a military 
style program. 

871
00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:22,960
And you know, he's not liking us
when he's at the house, 'cause 

872
00:51:23,320 --> 00:51:27,080
you guys put so much 
restrictions on me, you know, I 

873
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:32,360
I'm just bound up in chains. 
Give me a break. 

874
00:51:34,040 --> 00:51:35,680
Go to India and eat some chicken
Curry. 

875
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:42,480
Well, one week at the Florida 
Youth Challenge, when he's 

876
00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:45,600
having to get up at 5:00 AM, 
five AM, and they're making make

877
00:51:45,600 --> 00:51:47,080
his bed military style. 
Guess what? 

878
00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:49,160
A week later, we're the best 
parents on the planet. 

879
00:51:50,880 --> 00:51:53,360
He got rid of that distorted 
perception real quick. 

880
00:51:54,120 --> 00:51:56,280
When he's got somebody in his 
face, tell him what to do, 

881
00:51:58,120 --> 00:51:59,520
right. 
So by what? 

882
00:51:59,640 --> 00:52:01,800
There was a resistance. 
You start to get hard, you start

883
00:52:01,800 --> 00:52:05,040
not to receive. 
So we want to make sure that we 

884
00:52:05,040 --> 00:52:09,760
don't get in that position. 
We can see this in the story of 

885
00:52:09,760 --> 00:52:12,800
Jacob. 
Jacob comes on the scene in 

886
00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:15,880
Genesis 25 through about chapter
35. 

887
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:20,240
But obviously, you know Jacob 
has, as he's growing from his 

888
00:52:20,240 --> 00:52:22,520
infancy to his childhood to his 
teenage years. 

889
00:52:22,520 --> 00:52:25,880
Obviously he has some hard 
relations with his brother Esau.

890
00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:29,080
Remember, he steals the 
birthright and then he steals 

891
00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:32,360
the blessing, and then his own 
brother wants to kill him. 

892
00:52:33,320 --> 00:52:38,200
And then mom, mom intercedes, 
sends him off to her relative's 

893
00:52:38,200 --> 00:52:42,320
house, right? 
Well, there. 

894
00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:44,680
There's a lot of maturity that 
happened with him because he 

895
00:52:44,680 --> 00:52:47,360
responded to God and didn't 
react to the situation. 

896
00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:54,200
And in Genesis 32, he, after 
he's gone for 21 years, he's 

897
00:52:54,200 --> 00:52:56,360
coming back. 
And when he left, Esau wanted to

898
00:52:56,360 --> 00:52:58,560
kill him, his brother, he's 
having to come back in that 

899
00:52:58,560 --> 00:53:01,040
situation here. 
He, he heard that Esau's coming 

900
00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:05,840
at him with 400 men. 
So in his mind, he's really, you

901
00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:09,120
know, obviously concerned that 
he's going to annihilate him 

902
00:53:09,120 --> 00:53:11,280
because the last time he left, 
he wanted to kill him. 

903
00:53:12,080 --> 00:53:15,000
So he starts devising a plan. 
He starts separating the tribe, 

904
00:53:15,000 --> 00:53:17,560
the flock, and, you know, put 
certain people in certain 

905
00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:19,000
places. 
But then he spent one night 

906
00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:23,280
alone with God, and it's the 
Bible said he wrestled with God 

907
00:53:26,240 --> 00:53:29,080
and and he said, I'm not going 
to let go unless you bless me. 

908
00:53:30,680 --> 00:53:33,520
And in that verse in Genesis 32,
then in chapter, God said you're

909
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:37,400
no longer be called Jacob, which
means trickster or con artist, 

910
00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:41,240
but your name will be Israel. 
For you have prevailed with man 

911
00:53:41,240 --> 00:53:45,400
and with God and Jacob to us. 
Abraham's the father of faith. 

912
00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:49,280
Isaac's the son of submission. 
But Jacob's the son of of 

913
00:53:49,280 --> 00:53:53,360
transformation. 
And you, you transform as you 

914
00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:56,840
grow and your identity becomes 
more secure. 

915
00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:00,360
Amen. 
The parable of the prodigal. 

916
00:54:00,360 --> 00:54:02,200
We know this story in Luke, 
Chapter 11. 

917
00:54:02,440 --> 00:54:05,840
Remember, there was two sons, 
the younger one, that thought he

918
00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:09,400
knew it all, he said. 
Father, give me my inheritance. 

919
00:54:09,400 --> 00:54:12,400
Now I know how to use this 
thing. 

920
00:54:12,400 --> 00:54:16,640
You don't, Right? 
So the Bible says that he went 

921
00:54:16,640 --> 00:54:18,480
away to a far country and guess 
what? 

922
00:54:18,760 --> 00:54:23,640
He squandered all the resources 
because he left before the time.

923
00:54:25,200 --> 00:54:27,560
And the Bible says he found 
himself in the pigpen or the 

924
00:54:27,560 --> 00:54:31,160
slop and he finally cave him 
came to himself. 

925
00:54:31,400 --> 00:54:34,120
You know the four powerful words
in that story for you to 

926
00:54:34,120 --> 00:54:37,400
continue to grow and develop #1 
if you always have a give me 

927
00:54:37,400 --> 00:54:39,280
attitude because that's what he 
said. 

928
00:54:39,280 --> 00:54:43,280
Give me, give me, give me. 
You're not going to grow like 

929
00:54:43,280 --> 00:54:46,080
God wants you to grow. 
When he got to the position, 

930
00:54:46,080 --> 00:54:50,640
when he said in the pot, in the 
in the pig slop, he said, make 

931
00:54:50,640 --> 00:54:53,800
me, he said I'll go back to my 
father's house. 

932
00:54:53,800 --> 00:54:57,240
He had a humble heart and a 
willingness to learn. 

933
00:54:58,040 --> 00:54:59,520
Amen. 
And that'll make all the 

934
00:54:59,520 --> 00:55:02,800
difference in your spiritual 
growth if you stay hungry and 

935
00:55:02,800 --> 00:55:05,000
humble. 
Ignorance is the most 

936
00:55:05,000 --> 00:55:08,640
destructive force the world 
knows. 

937
00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:10,760
It's the number one enemy of 
life. 

938
00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:17,000
It's defined as the quality of 
condition, of little knowledge, 

939
00:55:17,000 --> 00:55:19,120
education or experience or 
unawareness. 

940
00:55:19,120 --> 00:55:21,480
And that's where the prodigal 
was that he thought he knew a 

941
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:24,840
lot and can make it on his own. 
But the fact was he needed more 

942
00:55:24,840 --> 00:55:28,440
training before he was released 
to do his assignment. 

943
00:55:28,880 --> 00:55:32,560
I was in Nautilus, I think it 
was last year, and actually 

944
00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:39,640
Titus Clay quoted me this verse.
Proverbs, chapter 12, verse #1 I

945
00:55:39,640 --> 00:55:42,040
thought, surely out of the mouth
of babes and sucklings, there's 

946
00:55:42,040 --> 00:55:45,000
perfected praise. 
He said Whoever loves 

947
00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:47,600
instruction and correction loves
knowledge, but he who hates 

948
00:55:47,600 --> 00:55:50,000
reproof as like a brute, be 
stupid. 

949
00:55:51,880 --> 00:55:54,000
He said if you don't like 
instruction, you're stupid, is 

950
00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:59,640
what he told me. 
And indiscriminating. 

951
00:56:00,320 --> 00:56:02,360
Why do I bring this up? 
Because as in the young man 

952
00:56:02,360 --> 00:56:04,400
development or young woman 
development, if you start to 

953
00:56:04,400 --> 00:56:06,560
think you know it all, guess 
what? 

954
00:56:06,760 --> 00:56:11,400
Don't be stupid. 
Continue to learn and grow to 

955
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:13,200
learn. 
You must want to be taught. 

956
00:56:14,680 --> 00:56:16,600
When you through learning, 
you're through. 

957
00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:21,400
Hebrews chapter 12 Starting to 
verse #6, the Amplified says 

958
00:56:21,400 --> 00:56:23,160
this. 
For the Lord corrects and 

959
00:56:23,160 --> 00:56:26,600
disciplines everyone whom He 
loves, and he punishes even 

960
00:56:26,600 --> 00:56:29,040
scourges. 
Every son whom he accepts and 

961
00:56:29,040 --> 00:56:32,200
welcomes to his heart and 
cherishes you, must submit to 

962
00:56:32,200 --> 00:56:34,760
and endure correction for 
discipline. 

963
00:56:35,560 --> 00:56:37,720
God is dealing with you as with 
sons. 

964
00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:42,080
For what son is there whom his 
father does not train and 

965
00:56:42,080 --> 00:56:43,440
correct in discipline? 
Now? 

966
00:56:43,440 --> 00:56:46,120
If you are exempt from 
correction and left without 

967
00:56:46,120 --> 00:56:50,000
discipline, in which all of 
God's children share, then 

968
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:52,720
you're an illegitimate 
offspring, and not true sons at 

969
00:56:52,720 --> 00:56:55,200
all. 
Moreover, we have had earthly 

970
00:56:55,200 --> 00:56:58,680
fathers who disciplined us, and 
we yielded to them and respected

971
00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:00,920
them for training us. 
Shall we not much more 

972
00:57:00,920 --> 00:57:04,840
cheerfully submit to the Father 
of spirits, and so truly live 

973
00:57:05,160 --> 00:57:07,880
for our earthly fathers, 
discipline us for a short time 

974
00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:11,400
or period of time, and chastise 
us to seem proper and good to 

975
00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:13,600
them. 
But He disciplines us for our 

976
00:57:13,600 --> 00:57:17,080
certain good, that we may become
shares in His own holiness. 

977
00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:22,320
For the time being, no 
discipline brings joy, but seems

978
00:57:22,320 --> 00:57:24,480
grievous and painful, but 
afterwards it yields the 

979
00:57:24,480 --> 00:57:26,320
peaceable fruit of 
righteousness. 

980
00:57:26,640 --> 00:57:30,120
To those who have been trained 
by it, a harvest of fruit which 

981
00:57:30,120 --> 00:57:33,360
consists in righteousness and 
conforming to God's will and 

982
00:57:33,360 --> 00:57:35,560
purpose. 
Thought action, result in a 

983
00:57:35,560 --> 00:57:37,840
right living and right standing 
man. 

984
00:57:37,840 --> 00:57:40,760
Discipline and instruction is 
necessary for growth. 

985
00:57:42,280 --> 00:57:44,760
We are we are very independent 
in America, but don't be 

986
00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:47,720
independent in the Kingdom. 
We need one another. 

987
00:57:48,280 --> 00:57:50,240
I talked about spiritual 
spotting last week. 

988
00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:52,640
Listen, we need somebody to say 
you can do it. 

989
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:55,080
We need somebody to help us get 
through the sticking points. 

990
00:57:55,360 --> 00:57:57,120
We need somebody to help our 
technique. 

991
00:57:57,280 --> 00:57:59,200
We need somebody to help our 
fundamentals. 

992
00:57:59,440 --> 00:58:03,240
You don't want to get hurt. 
I've seen people squat horribly,

993
00:58:04,720 --> 00:58:07,680
knees past their toes. 
I know it's going to cross a lot

994
00:58:07,680 --> 00:58:13,600
of pain longevity wise. 
Really, the way the PT tells you

995
00:58:13,600 --> 00:58:16,880
to squat is to face your your 
put your face against the wall 

996
00:58:16,880 --> 00:58:18,640
with your knees against it. 
So your knees. 

997
00:58:19,040 --> 00:58:22,320
Have to your your your glutes 
have to go back first, not your 

998
00:58:22,320 --> 00:58:25,120
knees forward. 
But these are the kind of things

999
00:58:25,120 --> 00:58:26,280
that you can get coached 
through. 

1000
00:58:26,280 --> 00:58:27,920
Why? 
So you don't hurt yourself or 

1001
00:58:27,920 --> 00:58:30,600
injure yourself. 
Amen. 

1002
00:58:31,800 --> 00:58:34,640
So we need to lead. 
We need to be willing to receive

1003
00:58:34,640 --> 00:58:40,440
correction and to be trained. 
The greatest state of growth is 

1004
00:58:40,440 --> 00:58:42,680
coming to a fatherhood or a 
motherhood state. 

1005
00:58:43,880 --> 00:58:45,400
How far do you want to go with 
God? 

1006
00:58:46,520 --> 00:58:48,720
I tell you how far God wants to 
take you. 

1007
00:58:49,400 --> 00:58:50,960
He wants to take you to 
fullness. 

1008
00:58:51,560 --> 00:58:52,960
He wants to take you to 
maturity. 

1009
00:58:53,880 --> 00:58:57,640
His desire is for everybody to 
grow up and fulfill their 

1010
00:58:57,640 --> 00:58:59,400
purpose and plan that he has for
your life. 

1011
00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:04,880
But it's going to take a 
regimented plan, discipline and 

1012
00:59:04,880 --> 00:59:06,960
instruction to get where God 
wants you to be. 

1013
00:59:08,960 --> 00:59:13,240
Fathers know that life is about 
significance and not just 

1014
00:59:13,240 --> 00:59:16,280
success. 
A father's not just thinking 

1015
00:59:16,280 --> 00:59:18,400
about themselves, they're 
thinking about pouring out for 

1016
00:59:18,400 --> 00:59:22,080
the next generation. 
You know, Goodman leaves an 

1017
00:59:22,080 --> 00:59:24,760
inheritance to what is 
children's children. 

1018
00:59:25,160 --> 00:59:28,560
Inheritance is what you leave. 
But a legacy is who you leave. 

1019
00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:33,640
And a father's is pictures 
himself in a in a relay race and

1020
00:59:33,640 --> 00:59:36,440
he wants to pass the baton off 
to the next generation. 

1021
00:59:37,480 --> 00:59:40,520
An immature selfish person is 
only thinking about my life and 

1022
00:59:40,520 --> 00:59:43,560
my time. 
And they're not planning for or 

1023
00:59:43,560 --> 00:59:45,640
preparing to pass off what God 
has put. 

1024
00:59:45,760 --> 00:59:48,680
We want others to get 10,000 
where you got 1000. 

1025
00:59:49,200 --> 00:59:53,480
That's the mentality of a father
is to pass off to the next 

1026
00:59:53,480 --> 00:59:56,080
generation and to those of the 
discipline so they can go 

1027
00:59:56,080 --> 01:00:00,600
further and there's no jealousy.
Saul became jealous because 

1028
01:00:00,600 --> 01:00:04,280
David was said to have killed 
10s of thousands where he was 

1029
01:00:04,280 --> 01:00:07,560
only attributed to thousands. 
And that's immaturity. 

1030
01:00:08,480 --> 01:00:12,200
A father says, man, you go for 
it and gets excited when they 

1031
01:00:12,200 --> 01:00:14,600
see you advancing further than 
what they ever did. 

1032
01:00:15,240 --> 01:00:17,440
And we're called to ignite the 
city, impact the nation, 

1033
01:00:17,440 --> 01:00:20,000
influence the world. 
So what are you doing to grow 

1034
01:00:20,000 --> 01:00:22,760
and develop? 
So you cannot not only be part 

1035
01:00:22,760 --> 01:00:25,480
of that, but help develop others
in that. 

1036
01:00:27,560 --> 01:00:28,880
You know what the father Paul 
said? 

1037
01:00:28,880 --> 01:00:33,280
A father knows this is an the 
greatest attribute of a father. 

1038
01:00:33,720 --> 01:00:36,320
They he, they said they they 
have known the father. 

1039
01:00:38,800 --> 01:00:42,960
They have known the father. 
That means you have such an 

1040
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:47,320
intimacy with God. 
Through long association of 

1041
01:00:47,320 --> 01:00:50,640
time. 
Fathers develop because they 

1042
01:00:50,640 --> 01:00:53,680
meditate on the word. 
They do the fundamentals. 

1043
01:00:53,840 --> 01:00:58,120
They practice the word listen, 
another attribute of a father. 

1044
01:00:58,120 --> 01:01:01,720
They have resources. 
That's a problem with young 

1045
01:01:01,720 --> 01:01:03,120
people. 
They think they know it all, but

1046
01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:07,880
they don't have the resources. 
And that's just not money, 

1047
01:01:07,880 --> 01:01:11,000
although that includes money. 
That's wealth. 

1048
01:01:12,760 --> 01:01:17,360
Wealth is wisdom, understanding 
and knowledge working together 

1049
01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:23,880
to produce transgenerational 
solvency, security and 

1050
01:01:23,880 --> 01:01:28,520
stability. 
So resources include wealth, 

1051
01:01:28,800 --> 01:01:32,280
which means I have godly wisdom,
understanding and knowledge to 

1052
01:01:32,280 --> 01:01:36,720
produce transgenerational or 
multi generational solvency, 

1053
01:01:36,720 --> 01:01:40,480
security and stability. 
So a father has resources. 

1054
01:01:40,480 --> 01:01:44,000
They may point you to good 
books, they may point you to 

1055
01:01:44,000 --> 01:01:48,480
good patterns in life, they may 
point you to good disciplines. 

1056
01:01:49,240 --> 01:01:53,640
A Father's patient, too. 
Amen. 

1057
01:01:53,840 --> 01:01:57,040
There's a steadiness about them.
They could be counted on. 

1058
01:01:57,360 --> 01:01:59,440
An immature person you can't 
count on. 

1059
01:01:59,640 --> 01:02:05,000
I'll be there at 8:00. 
But the Father, guess what? 

1060
01:02:05,000 --> 01:02:08,640
He keeps His word. 
Just like Jesus. 

1061
01:02:08,640 --> 01:02:11,840
He's the same yesterday, today 
and forever. 

1062
01:02:13,000 --> 01:02:16,240
So there's a steadiness. 
They have developed character, a

1063
01:02:16,240 --> 01:02:18,240
Father. 
There's a purity about them. 

1064
01:02:19,120 --> 01:02:21,120
They've been tested. 
They've been tried. 

1065
01:02:21,560 --> 01:02:22,800
They've gone through some 
things. 

1066
01:02:22,800 --> 01:02:26,200
I don't want to read about 
somebody who thinks they know 

1067
01:02:26,200 --> 01:02:30,680
something about lifting 
Hallelujah. 

1068
01:02:31,120 --> 01:02:34,160
I've read some articles about 
standing on a a bouncy ball with

1069
01:02:34,160 --> 01:02:40,320
1 foot and barking like a dog. 
I added that. 

1070
01:02:40,880 --> 01:02:48,360
I'm thinking, what does that do?
I go back to fundamental squat 

1071
01:02:49,160 --> 01:02:51,560
bench press. 
Deadlift have worked for 

1072
01:02:51,560 --> 01:02:53,560
generations and they're going to
continue to work for 

1073
01:02:53,560 --> 01:02:58,680
generations. 
Confession, forgiveness, mind 

1074
01:02:58,680 --> 01:03:01,040
renewal has worked for 
generations, is going to 

1075
01:03:01,040 --> 01:03:02,720
continue to work for 
generations. 

1076
01:03:04,920 --> 01:03:08,400
You getting somebody laying 
hands on you is not going to 

1077
01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:12,720
transmit spiritual maturity. 
Is laying hands a doctrine? 

1078
01:03:12,720 --> 01:03:15,640
Yes, but it does. 
It's not a fundamental As far as

1079
01:03:15,640 --> 01:03:19,680
you growing church, attendance 
is never going to go away. 

1080
01:03:20,240 --> 01:03:22,840
Devotional guess what? 
Fundamental. 

1081
01:03:26,120 --> 01:03:30,440
First Corinthians chapter 4, 
verses 14 through 17 says. 

1082
01:03:31,000 --> 01:03:33,240
I do not write these things. 
This is the Apostle Paul to 

1083
01:03:33,240 --> 01:03:35,640
shame you. 
But as my beloved children, I 

1084
01:03:35,640 --> 01:03:38,840
warn you for though you have 
10,000 instructors in Christ, 

1085
01:03:39,160 --> 01:03:41,880
you don't have many fathers or 
mothers. 

1086
01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:47,320
I will say, listen, there's 
10,000. 

1087
01:03:47,480 --> 01:03:49,120
There's so many ministries out 
there. 

1088
01:03:49,120 --> 01:03:52,040
Some of them are great, but 
there's so many ministries you 

1089
01:03:52,040 --> 01:03:55,720
can run to my question are they 
really fathers and mothers in 

1090
01:03:55,720 --> 01:03:58,520
the faith? 
Are they growing to that great 

1091
01:03:59,200 --> 01:04:03,120
or they do they just want the 
title and the praise of the 

1092
01:04:03,120 --> 01:04:05,960
title? 
I'm not criticizing or judging, 

1093
01:04:05,960 --> 01:04:07,280
but you need to have 
discernment. 

1094
01:04:07,280 --> 01:04:09,720
There's many. 
Voices in the world, right? 

1095
01:04:10,320 --> 01:04:12,040
But there's one voice where to 
be fallen, he said. 

1096
01:04:12,040 --> 01:04:14,080
You have 10,000 structures but 
not many fathers. 

1097
01:04:14,400 --> 01:04:16,480
For in Christ Jesus, I've 
begotten you through the gospel.

1098
01:04:16,480 --> 01:04:17,880
Therefore, listen to what Paul 
says. 

1099
01:04:18,160 --> 01:04:23,320
I urge you, imitate me. 
That's one thing a father, 

1100
01:04:23,320 --> 01:04:28,040
mother can say is your What if 
it is your life worthy of being 

1101
01:04:28,040 --> 01:04:33,040
imitated? 
Can somebody come and follow you

1102
01:04:33,040 --> 01:04:40,440
in private and say this is a 
person that's mature and I can 

1103
01:04:40,440 --> 01:04:44,120
literally follow them around and
learn a great testimony like 

1104
01:04:44,120 --> 01:04:48,640
Pastor Marcus and Josh who came 
from Oklahoma with pastor when 

1105
01:04:48,640 --> 01:04:50,480
they started. 
The vision is they not only they

1106
01:04:50,480 --> 01:04:53,480
get to see him do sermons on 
Sunday, but they will testify 

1107
01:04:53,880 --> 01:04:56,040
they pastor and Marcy opened 
their house when they moved to 

1108
01:04:56,040 --> 01:04:58,800
Florida. 
They got to see them in the 

1109
01:04:58,800 --> 01:05:01,480
private setting and watch them 
live it out. 

1110
01:05:03,800 --> 01:05:06,680
And so a real father and mother 
said, you can actually imitate 

1111
01:05:06,680 --> 01:05:11,000
me, not emulate me, because you 
have your own God-given 

1112
01:05:11,000 --> 01:05:16,160
personality, but you can follow 
the pattern of my life and the 

1113
01:05:16,160 --> 01:05:20,200
disciplines of my life and the 
model of my life, and that 

1114
01:05:20,200 --> 01:05:23,200
qualifies you and vets you to be
a father and mother. 

1115
01:05:23,200 --> 01:05:25,840
Somebody could actually imitate 
and grow. 

1116
01:05:25,840 --> 01:05:28,600
So Paul said, imitate me. 
For this reason I sent you 

1117
01:05:28,600 --> 01:05:31,120
Timothy, who is my beloved and 
faithful son and Lord, who will 

1118
01:05:31,120 --> 01:05:33,480
remind you of my ways. 
What does Timothy do? 

1119
01:05:33,720 --> 01:05:38,560
He reminds him of his ways, not 
his message necessarily, but how

1120
01:05:38,560 --> 01:05:41,560
he conducted himself, how he 
carried himself, how he lived 

1121
01:05:41,560 --> 01:05:44,560
the journey that he was on. 
Right. 

1122
01:05:45,320 --> 01:05:49,000
So he said you need to be able 
to be imitated as we close. 

1123
01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:53,480
I want to go to Hebrews chapter 
5, verses 12 through 14. 

1124
01:05:54,520 --> 01:05:59,520
The word says this and this is a
sad indictment, because what? 

1125
01:05:59,520 --> 01:06:02,320
Guess what? 
God wants us to grow and we need

1126
01:06:02,320 --> 01:06:05,240
the right plan and right goals 
and place to to to grow. 

1127
01:06:05,600 --> 01:06:09,360
But the author Hebrews says this
starting to verse #12 of Hebrews

1128
01:06:09,360 --> 01:06:11,360
5. 
He says for though by this time 

1129
01:06:11,360 --> 01:06:14,840
you ought to be teachers. 
You need someone to teach you. 

1130
01:06:14,840 --> 01:06:18,320
Again, you should be teachers, 
but guess what? 

1131
01:06:18,880 --> 01:06:20,200
You should be a father or 
mother. 

1132
01:06:20,200 --> 01:06:22,320
But you need someone to teach 
you the first principles. 

1133
01:06:22,320 --> 01:06:30,640
Again, you've come to need milk.
Milk's good as a baby, but when 

1134
01:06:30,640 --> 01:06:32,520
you're adult you can't live off 
that alone. 

1135
01:06:34,040 --> 01:06:37,040
And not solid food for everyone 
who partakes of milk is 

1136
01:06:37,040 --> 01:06:39,840
unskilled in the word of 
righteousness. 

1137
01:06:39,840 --> 01:06:43,240
As long as you stay an infant or
in the young man stage, there's 

1138
01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:48,040
an unskilled character about 
you, which unskilled means 

1139
01:06:48,040 --> 01:06:50,440
you're without experience. 
There's still an ignorance about

1140
01:06:50,440 --> 01:06:52,160
you. 
You understand you're growing, 

1141
01:06:52,160 --> 01:06:54,640
there's you're learning the word
a little bit, but you're still 

1142
01:06:54,640 --> 01:06:56,760
not skilled in the word of 
righteousness. 

1143
01:06:57,000 --> 01:07:00,160
And Paul says the remedy of that
is to get solid food. 

1144
01:07:00,440 --> 01:07:03,120
And how do you do that? 
Everyone who partakes of or he 

1145
01:07:03,120 --> 01:07:06,680
says for, he's a babe. 
Everyone but solid food belongs 

1146
01:07:06,680 --> 01:07:10,320
to those who are of full age. 
That is to by reason of use, by 

1147
01:07:10,320 --> 01:07:14,160
reason of use, by reason of use.
Use means. 

1148
01:07:14,160 --> 01:07:16,520
There's a habit. 
There's a practice. 

1149
01:07:17,640 --> 01:07:19,640
You're practicing the word of 
God. 

1150
01:07:20,320 --> 01:07:23,560
You're practicing what you 
what's being communicated and 

1151
01:07:23,560 --> 01:07:26,200
sermons. 
On Monday or on Wednesday and 

1152
01:07:26,200 --> 01:07:28,960
Sunday, you're practicing what 
you're learning in your 

1153
01:07:28,960 --> 01:07:31,280
devotional time. 
Listen. 

1154
01:07:31,280 --> 01:07:34,320
If you sow a thought 
continually, you reap an action.

1155
01:07:35,640 --> 01:07:38,200
You sow an action continually. 
You reap a habit. 

1156
01:07:39,120 --> 01:07:41,320
You sow a habit. 
Continually you reap a 

1157
01:07:41,320 --> 01:07:45,800
character, you sow Character. 
Continually you reap a destiny. 

1158
01:07:48,320 --> 01:07:50,760
But it's by reason of use. 
It's the habit. 

1159
01:07:50,960 --> 01:07:54,720
It's the practice. 
Listen, I didn't work out three 

1160
01:07:54,720 --> 01:07:57,200
times when I was 13 and said 
that did it for the rest of my 

1161
01:07:57,200 --> 01:08:01,240
life. 
You realize if I stop, I lose 

1162
01:08:01,240 --> 01:08:05,440
everything. 
You quit coming to church. 

1163
01:08:06,720 --> 01:08:10,120
You lose a lot. 
You quit reading your Bible. 

1164
01:08:10,320 --> 01:08:12,520
You go to atrophy, which is 
loss. 

1165
01:08:15,680 --> 01:08:18,880
So, so don't have the American 
mindset to put your life on 

1166
01:08:18,880 --> 01:08:22,200
cruise control or to go in to 
prevent defense. 

1167
01:08:22,560 --> 01:08:24,319
We need to continue to grow and 
develop. 

1168
01:08:24,520 --> 01:08:27,160
And how do we do that? 
We exercise our senses. 

1169
01:08:27,160 --> 01:08:30,120
We practice them. 
We exercise them to discern both

1170
01:08:30,120 --> 01:08:36,200
good and evil, right and wrong. 
There's a purity about a father 

1171
01:08:36,200 --> 01:08:39,319
and mother man. 
They stay away from a young man.

1172
01:08:39,319 --> 01:08:42,080
I got this today as as I'm 
closing right now can get into 

1173
01:08:42,080 --> 01:08:46,600
be setting sins. 
What I mean about that? 

1174
01:08:46,800 --> 01:08:49,160
They could get hooked up on the 
wrong things. 

1175
01:08:49,920 --> 01:08:52,760
You know, a born again believer 
could get into drugs or 

1176
01:08:52,760 --> 01:08:56,319
pornography or wrong thought 
patterns. 

1177
01:08:57,040 --> 01:09:00,439
But guess what? 
As you grow there's a repentance

1178
01:09:01,160 --> 01:09:03,960
and a seriousness and a psalmist
that says I want to live a holy 

1179
01:09:03,960 --> 01:09:05,800
life to God. 
That's when you start maturing. 

1180
01:09:05,800 --> 01:09:10,000
We take acceptance of 
responsibility and you repent. 

1181
01:09:10,399 --> 01:09:15,160
Sins will keep you from 
developing, and I'll close with 

1182
01:09:15,160 --> 01:09:21,160
this my final close. 
They're sins of Commission, but 

1183
01:09:21,160 --> 01:09:27,880
they're sins of omission. 
Which means you know what to do,

1184
01:09:27,880 --> 01:09:30,359
but you're not doing it, and 
that'll stunt your growth. 

1185
01:09:31,080 --> 01:09:34,800
Commission is easy to point out.
I'm doing the wrong thing. 

1186
01:09:34,800 --> 01:09:38,160
I'm I could be cussing, I could 
be thinking the wrong thing, 

1187
01:09:38,160 --> 01:09:41,000
right? 
But omission means I know what 

1188
01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:42,279
to do. 
But I'm not doing it. 

1189
01:09:42,279 --> 01:09:44,960
Which means I should have a 
daily confession. 

1190
01:09:47,279 --> 01:09:50,240
One of the things that stunts 
growth and the devil is a master

1191
01:09:50,240 --> 01:09:53,479
at this more than anything, is 
unforgiveness. 

1192
01:09:57,600 --> 01:10:03,200
That'll stunt your growth. 
You choosing not to forgive Luke

1193
01:10:03,200 --> 01:10:06,800
17, one says woe to offenses, 
for they will come. 

1194
01:10:07,400 --> 01:10:11,040
Woe to who they come through. 
But all of us are going to be 

1195
01:10:11,040 --> 01:10:13,640
tested in this. 
This could be a great time for 

1196
01:10:13,640 --> 01:10:17,440
you to develop your spiritual 
muscles, and the one thing that 

1197
01:10:17,440 --> 01:10:20,400
overcomes offense is a thing 
called love. 

1198
01:10:24,160 --> 01:10:30,320
Love never fails 1st Corinthians
13 and the agape love of God 

1199
01:10:30,320 --> 01:10:36,360
that keeps no records of wrongs.
So. 

1200
01:10:36,360 --> 01:10:41,320
So don't let the devil 
infiltrate your mind or your 

1201
01:10:41,320 --> 01:10:45,960
life and get you into a place 
where you get offended. 

1202
01:10:48,680 --> 01:10:52,320
Make that a time where you 
actually can strengthen your How

1203
01:10:52,320 --> 01:10:54,080
do you do that? 
How do you strengthen your 

1204
01:10:54,080 --> 01:10:56,080
spiritual muscles when things 
happen? 

1205
01:10:56,080 --> 01:10:59,720
How do you think a divorce 
happens because you get offended

1206
01:10:59,720 --> 01:11:02,080
or in unforgiveness with your 
spouse? 

1207
01:11:03,480 --> 01:11:06,240
How do you think an employee or 
an employer? 

1208
01:11:06,560 --> 01:11:09,160
An employee leaves an employer 
because it becomes an offense or

1209
01:11:09,160 --> 01:11:13,320
they get sideways? 
How do you remedy that? 

1210
01:11:13,560 --> 01:11:18,320
You go to prayer and Matthew 5 
it says pray for those, not only

1211
01:11:18,320 --> 01:11:22,600
those that like you and love 
you, but those that talk about 

1212
01:11:22,600 --> 01:11:26,920
you, that persecute you, that 
mean to do you harm. 

1213
01:11:28,440 --> 01:11:32,680
The Bible says to pray for them.
That's how you flex your 

1214
01:11:32,680 --> 01:11:35,960
spiritual muscles. 
So to speak is when you can on 

1215
01:11:35,960 --> 01:11:38,520
your on your knees say father I 
forgive so and so. 

1216
01:11:38,720 --> 01:11:42,800
Ephesians chapter 4 says be 
angry but sin not. 

1217
01:11:43,280 --> 01:11:46,880
There's a humanity to us. 
You're going to have emotions, 

1218
01:11:46,880 --> 01:11:50,800
but don't let emotions dictate. 
A teenager does that. 

1219
01:11:50,800 --> 01:11:58,920
They are led by their emotions. 
I feel like I'm in love you. 

1220
01:11:58,920 --> 01:12:03,080
You know this, in adulthood, 
there's a feeling to love, but 

1221
01:12:03,080 --> 01:12:09,160
there's a lot more action to it,
'cause you could feel in love 

1222
01:12:09,160 --> 01:12:10,760
and then you can fall out of 
love. 

1223
01:12:11,760 --> 01:12:14,640
So there's emotions, but don't 
let emotions be the deciding 

1224
01:12:14,640 --> 01:12:18,440
factor, determination of 
ultimately how you handle the 

1225
01:12:18,440 --> 01:12:24,000
situation. 
Mark 1122 through 25 says to 

1226
01:12:24,000 --> 01:12:27,080
have the the God kind of faith 
and to speak to the mountain. 

1227
01:12:27,360 --> 01:12:29,160
You can tell it to be removed, 
but it goes on. 

1228
01:12:29,160 --> 01:12:31,920
In verse 25, it says when you 
stand praying, if you have 

1229
01:12:31,920 --> 01:12:38,400
anything against anyone, drop 
it, release it, let it go. 

1230
01:12:38,920 --> 01:12:42,760
I'm ending with this because God
wants you to grow up, and 

1231
01:12:42,760 --> 01:12:46,600
there's some in this sanctuary 
tonight that have become 

1232
01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:52,720
stagnant just in this one area 
of forgiveness. 

1233
01:12:55,680 --> 01:12:59,840
And let me qualify this too. 
You may think that and have 

1234
01:12:59,840 --> 01:13:03,120
forgiven others, but here's 
another question. 

1235
01:13:03,120 --> 01:13:10,320
Have you forgiven yourself? 
Psalms 103 says that he's able 

1236
01:13:10,320 --> 01:13:13,560
to remove your transgression or 
your your your failure. 

1237
01:13:13,560 --> 01:13:16,360
As far as the East is from the 
West and when you repent of it, 

1238
01:13:16,640 --> 01:13:22,720
meaning it'll never touch again,
if God can release it and let it

1239
01:13:22,720 --> 01:13:25,040
go, then you need to release it 
and let it go. 

1240
01:13:32,360 --> 01:13:34,480
Thank you so much for listening 
to this message. 

1241
01:13:34,600 --> 01:13:37,960
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1242
01:13:38,080 --> 01:13:40,120
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1243
01:13:40,280 --> 01:13:42,720
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1244
01:13:42,720 --> 01:13:44,440
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1245
01:13:44,960 --> 01:13:47,240
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1246
01:13:47,240 --> 01:13:50,480
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1247
01:13:50,480 --> 01:13:52,640
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1248
01:13:52,640 --> 01:13:54,520
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1249
01:13:54,520 --> 01:13:57,040
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1250
01:13:57,040 --> 01:13:59,600
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1251
01:13:59,600 --> 01:14:00,760
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