Faith Finds A Way - August 16, 2026

Over to Matthew chapter number 15.

Matthew chapter 15.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

I enjoyed the 9 a.m.

service.

I'm excited to be here.

I'm excited about what God's doing in our ministry.

Matthew chapter 15, and take a look at this in verse number 21.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

Jesus, he's doing his ministry and he's healing and helping people.

And the Bible says, And Jesus went thence and departed into the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

And behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coast.

So this is a Gentile woman, so she must have got word about this miracle maker, this way maker, this healer that's out there.

And she cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David.

My daughter is grievously vexed with the devil.

So she's giving him his title, Thou Son of David, indicating that this Canaanite woman understood that this is the Messiah.

This is the promised one that would come through the Davidic line.

And she's asking for mercy, and it's mercy not for herself, it's for her daughter.

And she also recognizes spiritual warfare.

She says, My daughter's messed up with a devil.

And you guys know that devils are still walking around and moving around and hurting people.

They come to lie, to cheat, to steal.

Anytime you start getting angry and cantankerous and selfish and self-centered, and your heart starts holding a grudge and you start getting greedy or lustful or whatever, all those emotions that start grabbing you, you need to be mindful.

There are devils all around.

They're fallen angels.

And their job is to get you sidelined and sidetracked and get you distracted so you're not focused on God.

They want you to have unhealthy eating habits and unhealthy drinking habits.

They want you to have unhealthy relationships.

And this daughter is vexed.

She's plagued.

It's destroying her.

Does anybody have a family or friend, a family member or friend that's being vexed and destroyed?

Maybe through alcohol or drugs or porn addiction or some sort of gluttony?

The devils are out there to destroy people.

That's why the Bible says in 1 Peter chapter 5, be sober.

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

In fact, turn to your neighbor and say, Be sober.

Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walketh around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Do you know how many times I have counseling phone calls and they say, Pastor, can you help us?

Well, what happened?

Well, we were drinking, we got drunk, and then we did this, X, Y, and Z.

It's like, well, there's your first stupid move.

You know, wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging, and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

There's a reason they call them spirits.

You open your mind up and it infiltrates into drunkenness, and before you know it, you're going to be vexed too.

And so you look here, I don't, I'm not saying that's what happened to this little girl.

I don't know.

Maybe this little girl, her daddy wasn't alive.

Or maybe he was gone, and maybe she has daddy problems, and now she's giving herself over to every other man who gives her attention.

The scripture doesn't say it, it just says she's vexed with the devil.

But I do know this when devils vex people, there's a physical manifestation of what happens when that body is plagued with the devil.

And this mama is upset about it, and she's coming to Jesus, and she's asking Jesus, please, can you come and help me?

But watch Jesus' response when she's crying out with a loud voice, but he answered her not a word.

Have you ever called or texted somebody and they just didn't respond?

And you're like, oh no, they didn't.

Have you ever prayed a prayer before and you're like, hmm?

He's not even answering me.

And you get a little bit selfish because you think people have to operate off your timeline, and so when they go quiet, you get upset?

Well, here, this is God Almighty.

It's not like he is unaware of the fact that this Canaanite woman's daughter is vexed with the devil.

It's not that he doesn't care, but no, God cares.

We know that God is love.

But he is silent on purpose.

And as it goes on, his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us.

It's almost like she's a bother.

Just get rid of her.

Please send her away.

Why are you letting her just kind of like nip at us and like a fly right there?

Just get her out of here.

Anybody have somebody like that?

You're like, just get him out of here.

Well, this lady's not backing down.

She's not going away.

But he answered and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

So he communicates what his mission is.

It's to the Jew first.

He has to go on to his own.

He's offering the kingdom to the Jew first.

He's going there and he's preaching the gospel to them.

And so what he's saying is, I'm on mission.

I've got a specific objective of what I must do first.

It's not that he doesn't care about the Gentiles, it's that he is going to the Jew first to fulfill his mandate.

And sometimes when you are on point and you're living on purpose, you can't answer every text and every call.

You can't serve every single person, every DM that slides into your messenger.

Sometimes you have to be able to say, This is what my job is, this is what I'm working on, this is who I'm going after.

And that's what Jesus is doing.

And so he's not communicating necessarily to her.

I think he's kind of now she's in the proximity, but he's telling his disciples, and he's telling everybody, I've got a job to do.

I'm going after the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Then came she, and look what she does, worshiped him, saying, Lord help me.

Notice that she didn't get a bad attitude.

She didn't get the chicken thing going, and you better listen to me, you know.

She didn't get the head going and, you know, the, you know, and really kind of get at it.

She didn't do that.

She didn't let his silence expose a bitter heart inside of her.

You know, sometimes silence from others really exposes a bitter, controlling nature inside of us.

Well, I called, I texted, I wanted this, and you didn't do it.

And now you have a bad attitude.

Here's what happens: the silence is exposing what's on the inside.

Well, when Jesus is silent and then when Jesus addresses and says, I'm doing this, notice she gets low.

Notice she worships while she waits.

She's worshiping.

Worship is when your heart is surrendered to God and your soul is prostrate before Him and you're venerating Him and you're saying, Your will be done, your kingdom come.

However, you want to do this, God, your timing, God.

And she worships him, saying, Lord, please help me.

Notice the humility and notice the persistence still.

Is she giving up?

No, she's she didn't get a bad attitude and she didn't give up.

Verse 26, but he answered and said, It is not meat to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs.

Now she could have got upset about this.

Oh, you're saying I'm a dog?

You ever work with somebody that every word you say, they're gonna find a way to get upset and kind of turn it against you and make them the bad guy?

Jesus is doubling down on this thought.

No, I've I've come to give the bread of life, but I've got to give it to the children first, to the Jew first.

I'm coming to my own, but we know according to the Gospel of John, he came unto his own, but his own would not receive him, right?

And so he's communicating what he's doing, and he says it's it's it's it's not for the dogs.

The dogs are an indicator of Gentiles.

The Gentiles are heathens.

By the way, many of you and I were dead dogs.

We're gentiles, we're heathen.

We don't have, we didn't have any seat at the table with God.

We lived in paganism and heathenism and materialism and secularism, all these wicked things that we would uh go into.

And so I just want to remind you, you're a dog.

You say, What did the preacher talk about?

I'm a dog.

Yeah, without without Christ, you will split hell wide open.

All of us are sinners.

All of us didn't have a seat at the table, all of us need to be grafted in.

And so Jesus is saying, It's not meat for me to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs.

Now notice how she responds.

She says, truth, Lord.

Yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the their master's table.

You know what she's saying?

Yeah, you're right, I am a dog.

But even the dogs, they get the scraps.

They get the scraps.

You know, I have a little I have two dogs at home, Max, I like him a lot, and Pepper, she's crazy.

She's a crackhead dog.

But one of the things I noticed about well, both these dogs, was when I get home, they're right away at the door.

And they're happy and they're wagging their tail.

They're not saying, Where were you?

They're and Pepper, she wants to lick.

You know, she's a face licker and she wants to try to get in your face.

She wants to be in your skin if you could let her.

And it's like, but I got to thinking about these dogs.

Like, they're always so happy and humble and gracious and and want to be there.

And and then, oh, when I when we eat food and I'm at the table, they're right there.

And we got the feast out, and everybody's eating, and my Max and my Pepper, my good, you know, they're right there.

And and and typically, if they're being good, and we're all eating, I'll pull off a little crumb, a little bit of piece of bread or something, the corner of a bread, and I'll go, now Pepper, you don't get it first.

Max gets it first.

Max, I love Max.

You know, he's like my little Jew.

To the Jew first, right?

And then I go to Pepper, she's like the Gentile.

And she's a little bit crazy and chaotic and has issues.

And and then I go, good Pepper, and I give her her crumb.

And they're both so happy, and they wag their tail, and and they stay at at the feet of the master's table when there's food.

And what this woman is doing is she's saying, Yes, Lord, true.

I am a dog, I I I don't deserve to sit at the table, but I'll I'll sit under the table, and I'm happy with the scraps.

Like I'm not trying to go away, I'm not trying to get a bad attitude, I'm not trying to get bitter, I'm not trying to get upset, but I'm I'm I'm happy with just the little that you give to me.

And by the way, this lady, in her worship and her humility, it's not even for her.

Did you notice that?

It's for her daughter to get healed and to kick the devils off of her daughter.

And Jesus sees this in verse 28, and he answers and says to her, Oh woman, great is thy faith.

Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.

And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Her daughter was made whole just like that.

All because of her attitude, her spirit.

And I got to thinking and reading on this, and I thought, you know, faith finds a way.

And if you want to take some notes, number one, faith cries out when God is silent.

She's crying out even though he's not answering her a word.

She didn't interpret silence as rejection.

She just kept seeking.

It reminds me of the passage in Luke 18.

Remember the woman when the disciples say, Hey, teach us to pray, and he said, Men ought always to pray.

And he gives the example of the widow woman who goes to the unjust judge.

And the unjust judge is like, Yeah, I'm not answering her.

Get her away from me.

And then finally, she just keeps hounding the guy.

And then he finally says, You know what?

Because of your importunity, because you keep coming, you know, go ahead, let's just let's just solve the issue.

And Jesus uses that example to teach, that's how I want you to pray.

I don't want you to get bitter and upset.

I don't want you to stop crying out when I don't answer you.

I want you to have persistency.

I want you to have consistency.

I want you to have this spirit of fervency inside of you that even when I'm silent, you're still actively seeking.

Number two, faith presses on when others say, Go away.

You're gonna have a lot of people that should say, Don't go to church, don't try this, don't do that, go away.

You're just a bother to them.

The disciples were dismissive, but she refused to let people keep her from Jesus.

Can I remind you, don't let anybody get between you and Jesus.

Amen.

You just keep pressing it on.

And I'm not saying be mean about it, I'm not saying be rude and ungodly and unkind and vicious about it, but I am saying, I am saying have a stick ability to you to you that you say, I'm not, I'm not gonna go away.

Like I'm I'm I'm here.

I'm I'll get low, I'll get humble, I'll pray, I'll fast, I'm I'll stay at the foot of the table.

I'm just, I just, I'm here.

And I got to thinking about this level of consistency and persistency.

This is what God blesses, this is what God loves.

In fact, I'll take you to another passage of scripture just to show you a pattern of how he likes it.

Look over at Mark chapter number 10.

Mark chapter number 10.

And look what it says in verse 46.

And they came to Jericho, and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples, a great number of the people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of uh Timaeus, sat by the highwayside begging.

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And many charged him that he should hold his peace.

Shut up, shut up, blind Barometus.

Quiet, quiet! But he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me.

And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called, and they called the blind man, saying unim, Be of good comfort, rise, he calleth for thee, and he casting away his garment rose and came to Jesus.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?

The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

And Jesus said unim, Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole.

And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus in the way.

Notice how Jesus saw Blind Bar Matis and heard his spirit of, I am not going away.

Hey, when's the last time somebody said, Just go away?

Just stop going to church.

Maybe you had a spiritual leader that kind of pushed you away a little bit.

Can I tell you, this is a good spiritual tactic sometimes?

Sometimes to qualify somebody's thirst and hunger for God, you must try to push them away a little bit.

I always tell people that say they're called to preach.

If you're called to preach, if you could do anything else, go do it.

The ministry is radically hard and difficult.

People will stab you in the front, stab you in the back.

Go somewhere else.

And if you can't go do something else because God is consuming you, then good.

You say, what do you mean it's a pattern in the Bible?

Oh yeah, not just Jesus where he's not answering to check resolve.

Remember Elijah with Elisha in 1 Kings chapter 2?

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

He's like, just go away, go away.

And we see he says, No, I'm not going away.

Wherever you go, I'm going.

That's the type of resolve that you have to have inside your spirit if you want double portion power in your life.

We live in a very weak, wimpy society where people are like, oh, the pastor didn't say hi to me.

Oh, this person didn't follow up with me.

Listen, you need to stop making it all about you and your selfishness and what you think needs to take place and realize.

You're a dog, and if you're gonna get blessed by the master, you too must get humble and sit at his feet.

Amen.

It's a pattern.

Remember when uh when Naomi, her husband, died?

Remember when her husband died and her two sons died in the book of Ruth?

And Naomi said to her two daughters, Ruth and Orpa, go away.

I have nothing else to give.

I'm going back to Bethlehem, Judah.

She pushes them away.

Orpah kissed her and said goodbye, but Ruth said this, I am not gonna leave thee.

No, your God is my God, where you go, I will go.

And she cleaved to her.

Here's what I'm saying to you.

Sometimes the silence and the pushing away is a good spiritual tactic and strategy to find out truly what's in someone's heart.

I practiced this a little bit with Pastor Abe about a year ago.

He said, I want to kind of work with the teens a little bit, preacher.

And I said, Oh, that's great.

And I pushed him.

Remember, I pushed you away a little bit.

Just to check the resolve in the heart.

He came back after praying about it, not long.

He said, No, I really feel like this is what God wants me to do.

And I said, Oh, good.

See, because if somebody can push you away through a trial, through through words, you didn't really want it.

Why?

Because love believes all things, endures all things, hopes all things.

Love never fails.

And when you're led by God to do something, you will not quit, you will not give up, you will not fall out by the way, you will stick and stay and go all the way.

And so sometimes we have to test it.

And we see Jesus with his silence testing the resolve, staying on point.

It's the same thing when I'm out greeting people.

Sometimes I'm talking with people, and then occasionally there's an emergency.

No, I must get the help right now.

Listen, if someone like that comes up, it's got I'm gonna take that appointment over somebody that's like, oh, my toe hurts, or let's talk about the weather.

I don't care that your toe hurts, I don't care about the weather.

I must be about the works of my father.

And so while you're on point on mission, it's not like you say no to everything all the time.

Sometimes you have to have these divine interruptions where the Holy Spirit of God is interrupting your life so that he can do a greater work.

And so back in Matthew chapter 15, we see faith cries out when God is silent.

Matthew 15 · chapter mention

We see number two, faith presses on when others say go away.

Number three, we see faith persists when the answer seems to be no.

He says, I'm not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Faith doesn't quit when the door appears closed.

Hey, do you got any closed doors in your life?

Something you really want to take place, something you want to have happen and it's not appearing yet?

You need to be persistent.

You need to be consistent.

You need to have this type of spirit.

Look at Matthew chapter 7, Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention Matthew 7 · chapter mention

Look what he says here in Matthew chapter 7.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

In verse number 7, he says this Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find.

Knock and it shall be opened unto you.

For everyone that asketh receiveth, and to he that him that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

He's basically saying, This is what I want inside of you, this asking, this seeking, this knocking.

It's living with the spirit of belief, and even though I don't find a way, I don't see a way, by faith I know there's a way.

Let me show it to you in another place.

Go over to Luke chapter number 18, Luke chapter number 18.

Actually, Luke chapter number 11, Luke chapter number 11, Luke chapter number 11.

You're listening well?

Isn't it good to be in the Bible?

Turn to your neighbor and say, I'm glad you're here today.

Luke chapter number 11.

Look what it says right here in Luke 11.

He says this.

He gives the model prayer, and he says it in verse number 5, Luke 11, 5, which of you shall have a friend and shall go in him at midnight, say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves.

For a friend of mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.

And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not, go away.

The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed.

I cannot rise and give thee.

I say unto thee, though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

And I say unto you, ask and it shall and it shall be given, seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be open unto you.

For everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and him that knocketh, it shall be opened, it shall be it knocketh, it shall be open.

Here's what he's saying.

I want you to be so consistent, knocking on the door, not going away, because you have such a great need.

Have you ever been in a spot where you listen, you can't go anywhere else.

You have no other options.

You must see Jesus answer this prayer request.

And that's what he's saying.

That's what I want your prayer life to be.

I want you to be so fired up and fervent that that you're knocking on a closed door, and even though the guy who's up in bed won't answer, because you're just not going away, because of your resolve, he's gonna get up and say, What do you want?

And he hooks you up.

This is a spirit of God.

Look over in James chapter number five.

James chapter number five.

Look what it says right here as far as prayer goes.

James chapter number five.

He says this in James chapter number five.

In verse number 15, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick in verse 16.

Confess your faults one to another, pray one for another that ye may be healed.

Then it says this the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man, what does it say?

Availeth much.

Hey, when is the last time you were effectual and fervent and consistent and fired up in your prayer life?

Where you had to have an answer.

You weren't quitting, you weren't backing down.

It wasn't rubba-dub dub, thanks for the grub.

It was, I'm not going anywhere.

I esteem this you and the words of God and this prayer request more than my necessary food.

I want you, God, I'm not going anywhere.

This is a fervency.

This mama who was praying for her daughter was not backing down.

She was living by faith.

And by the way, if you're not praying for anything, your faith is dead.

Your faith is dead.

Faith requires you ask, you seek, you knock.

You have a heart that says, I must see the unknown, the invisible, come into the tangible, into the side life.

This is faith.

Look at Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11, the great hall of faith chapter.

He says in Verse 1.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith believes that there's something there even though it doesn't see it.

There's a pulling, there's a tugging, there's a yearning, there's a belief that God can and he's able to.

In verse 6, it says, But without faith, it is impossible to please him.

For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and he's a rewarder of them.

What's that word say?

Diligently seek him.

Hey, question how are you doing with seeking God?

Are you diligent?

Are you on fire?

Are you consistent?

Are you fervent?

Are you are you crying out to God?

Or have you got apathetic and lethargic and slothful in your prayer life?

Because God wants faith.

And faith has fire to it, faith has conviction to it, faith has this thought that says, No, I won't be silent.

No, I won't back down.

No, I don't care what people say.

I'm going to God.

That's the faith that God blesses.

It's faith that puts you way out.

When people are telling you to shut up and sit down and don't do it, you say, I don't care what you say.

I gotta have this request.

I gotta have it.

My family's depending on it.

My daughter's hurting.

When is the last time you were so stirred up in faith?

That you went to God and you claimed to him.

You said, Yes, Lord, I'm a dog.

I don't deserve the answer.

You can be silent, but I'm gonna stay under the table.

I'll worship you while I wait.

You're so good, you're so wonderful.

Truth, Lord, you're working.

Go take care of what you need.

I'm gonna be right here whenever you're ready.

I'm not going anywhere.

Faith persists when the answer seems no.

Number four, faith worships while being tested.

The Bible says that she came and worshiped him, saying, Lord help me.

The test didn't drive her away, it drove her closer.

See, like I said, whatever's on the inside, when you're tested, it's gonna come out.

It's gonna come out.

That's why, for us, those of us who are really born-again believers, I'm not talking about the goats in here.

I'm not here to entertain you as goats, I'm here to feed the sheep.

And there's a distinct difference.

When somebody is born again, they are a child of God and they are a sheep of God, amen.

And the good shepherd feeds and nourishes the sheep.

The goats in here are not born again, amen.

And they just want entertainment, they want tickling of the ears.

I'm not here to entertain the goats, I'm here to feed the sheep.

The thing with us who are born again, when the affliction comes, I'm not following Jesus just for the success and the prosperity of the moment, just to make my life better.

I'm following him because he's my savior, he's my Lord, he is God Almighty.

There's a difference.

For those of you who are not yet born again, listen, you're here, you're enjoying preaching, but listen, as soon as temptation and affliction comes, you'll endure for a while, but then when life gets hard, you'll fall out by the way because you were only following the Master Christ for yourself.

You weren't following for him.

There was no denial of self.

There was never going to be a picking up the cross.

It was always about you having your best life and your comfort and your pleasure.

And so when hell comes at you, you run the other way like a hireling.

Only in it for the money or for the limelight or for the success.

But to the children of God, the born-again believers, we will endure hardship and suffering and all kinds of wiles against us.

We are not going anywhere.

Because we are not serving Jesus for our own selves.

We're serving him because he is the master, he is God, he is the one who came, who saved us, he rescued us and purchased our ransom.

We follow him because he is God.

There's a difference, right?

There's a difference.

And when the persecution comes, just like it will in the future, just like it did in the past.

When all those who called themselves Christians and the communist agenda and the evil tyrants come in, you must get a shot.

You must wear a mask.

You must do this.

You can't buy or sell in the future with the one world organization that comes.

All the fake phony Christians will just follow along.

I've been reading a book called Torture for Christ about what happened in Romania under the communist regime.

And I was just humbled at finding out the persecution and the affliction and the beatings that they went through under such wicked, evil uh leadership from the communists.

And yet their hearts were still open and godly and sweet and testified to Christ anyways, and kissed their shackles and preached and loved the communists but hated the communist program and platform.

You can love the people but hate the ideology.

I was just humbled looking at that and thinking, I wonder about us, I wonder in our church, five, six hundred people, how many of us are truly born-again Christians?

How many of you are here that you're truly a born-again believer?

That when the affliction comes, and it will come, friend, will you be somebody that says, I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live yet, not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God.

See, the affliction will expose what's on the inside of you.

The more you get afflicted as a Christian, the more you cleave to God.

So the affliction is good.

Bring it.

God lets the affliction on the church, just like he did with Christ, if they persecuted and crucified your master Jesus.

What do you think they'll do to you?

Of course they'll do it to you.

The servant is not above his Lord.

So stop with all the feelings, mumbo jumbo, and I don't like this, and I don't feel this, and start realizing this Christian life has a cross in it.

And there's a crown, and you can win it, but not if you don't carry that cross.

You must carry the cross.

No pain, no gain, friend.

And we see that faith worships while it's being tested.

Hey, are you going through a trial right now?

Good.

I pray not you get out of the trial.

I pray you learn how to worship God in the midst of the trial.

You learn to say, no, no, I'm not leaving this until I maximize the praise of God in the middle of this torment.

This affliction is good for my spirit.

I choose it.

It's not happening to me.

I choose it.

Woo!

That's a whole different mindset, isn't it?

It's not, I'm not talking about weak Christianity.

I'm talking about you being a man of God or a woman of God.

And worship while you're being tested.

Listen, in the book of Acts, when they were beaten and flogged, they came back praising God that they were worthy to suffer for his name.

I love what Job said.

You know how I love the book of Job.

He said this though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.

Though he slay me, listen, everything can fall apart.

Everything.

Your health, your finances, your marriage, your children.

But your identity is not in all of those things.

It's in God.

Your identity is in Christ.

That's why the Bible says this.

Go over in your Bible to Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

Colossians chapter 3.

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

Aren't you glad you came to church today?

We come to get fed from the Word of God, don't we?

We come to magnify Christ.

We come to grow as disciples of the Master.

We want to bear fruit for his glory.

Colossians chapter number three.

Look what it says here.

If ye then be risen, verse 1, with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.

Set your affection, your heart on the things above, not on things of the earth.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Mortify, crucify, kill therefore your members which are upon the earth.

Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry, for which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience, in the which ye also walk sometimes when ye lived in them.

But now ye also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, fill it filthy communication out of your mouth.

Lie not one to another, seeing that ye put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

Where there is neither group Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all.

Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another.

If any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called into one body, and be ye thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord, and whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Isn't that good to get in the Bible?

Get our minds and our hearts washed with the word.

He says, Listen, stop seeking the things of this world.

Set your affection on the things above.

You know all this stuff is gonna burn away one day, right?

And the affliction that you're going through is light.

It's a light affliction.

You're not supposed to be serving just for this world.

Don't we sing the song that we're pilgrims and strangers just passing through this wearisome land?

This world is not my home.

I'm just a passing through.

My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.

The angels beckon me, and they beckon you too.

We're not serving for this world.

So don't hold on to all the stuff in this world.

Put on Christ.

Faith worships while it's being tested, but then let me give you number five.

Faith finds a way to yes, especially in matters of spiritual warfare.

She said, yet the dogs eat the crumbs.

Hey, are you happy with the crumbs that fall from the master's table?

I'm happy to be with Jesus.

I'm happy to call myself a dog.

I'm happy to know my position.

I'm happy to realize I shouldn't even be here.

I was a sinner, lost and undone.

I should have been thrown into hell.

But God, who's so gracious to me, says, Hey, come into my house.

Be with my family.

I love you.

I care about you, washes and cleanses and feeds and nurtures us.

Jesus said, Go back over to Matthew 15 once again, and we'll end the message shortly.

Lord willing.

She said in verse 27, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the master's table.

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith.

She knew who he was, and she recognized who she was.

She did not try to force or manipulate the answer.

She was willing to be patient, gracious, and worship the Lord in the middle of it.

And God was like, Wow.

Great is your faith.

And because of her faith, he says, Be it unto thee, even as thou wilt.

This is a often phrase he would use.

According to your faith, be it unto you.

According as you've believed.

See, she she must have really surrendered in her heart that no matter what he says, I am just gonna worship right here in this moment.

I'm just gonna stay right here.

And the Bible says, because of her faith, her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

In closing, silence couldn't stop her.

People couldn't stop her, a seeming no couldn't stop her, testing couldn't stop her.

Faith found a way.

And Jesus called her faith great.

Today, stir up your faith.

Let's go to God for whatever we need for our families with a fervent, fiery diligence.

And let's watch what He can do.