Sermon

Haggai: The Shaking and the Coming Harvest Pt 2 - Haggai: The Shaking and the Coming Harvest

The Road Church Podcast

Open publisher episode ↗

Publisher transcript

Transcript

View source ↗
  1. You're listening to the road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

  2. Church.

  3. God's allowing what is happening in our land right now.

  4. He's shaking us to wake us.

  5. What will it take?

  6. God wants to build his church.

  7. God wants a revolution, a harvest in our time and in our day.

  8. And he needs men and women that will intercede.

  9. At The Road, our mission is to empower people to change the world.

  10. For more information on The Road, visit theroad.org.

  11. We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

  12. So we looked at Haggai last week, and I want to look at it again.

  13. And look at Haggai chapter 2.

    Haggai 2 chapter mention

  14. And some of you are going, where is Haggai?

  15. Okay, Haggai is in the Old Testament, it's between the two Z books.

  16. There's a Zechariah and a Zephaniah right in there before Malachi.

  17. And God used this passage that I'm going to read to you in a mighty way during the quarantine time.

  18. It was during that time that God led me there and he spoke to me.

  19. I shared this last week.

  20. You guys can go back and listen to the recording of last week, so I'm not going to go into all the details of it.

  21. But Haggai's an interesting book.

  22. And here's why it's interesting.

  23. It's interesting because it's so particular about something that every one of us in this room struggles with, where God's told you to do something and then you don't fully do it.

  24. And we all struggle with that.

  25. And what happens in this case is that Cyrus, the king of Persia, had taken over Babylon, and because of the work of Daniel, who was kind of a prime minister for Nebuchadnezzar, he read, this is what Josephus, the great Jewish historian, tells us is that history and tradition tells us that, and you didn't have a Bible back then.

  26. So he didn't like, okay, I'm going to turn you now to Isaiah 45.

  27. But but he had the passages in a scroll, and the legend goes that Daniel read from the scroll to Cyrus the Great.

  28. Hey, you're mentioned a hundred years ago by one of our prophets named Isaiah and Daniel.

  29. And he read Daniel 25 and Isaiah 45 to him, and it says that God will raise up a man named Cyrus, who will release the Jews to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.

  30. Cyrus was so deeply moved, that's exactly what he did in his first year.

  31. So Israel comes back, about 49,000 Jews come back, they start to rebuild the temple, and then the Samaritans, which were a half-breed of Jews and Assyrians, began to oppose them and they quit the work.

  32. They just quit the work.

  33. And so now God raises up Haggai and Zechariah, actually, but we're just looking at Haggai right now, for four months.

  34. And God mightily uses them to shake Israel out of its stupor to get back to work and rebuild the temple.

  35. And I believe this is prophetic for our day.

  36. Look at chapter 2, starting at verse 6.

  37. This is the theme of the book, in my opinion.

  38. For thus says the Lord of hosts, once more, it is a little while, I'm reading out of the New King James Version, I will shake heaven and earth and the sea in the dry land.

  39. I will shake all nations.

  40. Circle that, underline that, highlight that.

  41. I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the desire of all nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts.

  42. The silver is mine, the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts.

  43. The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts, and in this place I will give peace, says the Lord of hosts.

  44. Here's what's happening, men and women.

  45. Never in my lifetime, and I think I know history enough to say, I know since the founding of the nation called the United States of America, and even before that, with the pilgrims, the Separatists, and the Puritans, never has there been an event like we're experiencing right now through the coronavirus that's shaken all the nations.

  46. World War II did not shake all the nations.

  47. World War I did not shake all the nations.

  48. The coronavirus is shaking all the nations.

  49. I believe this is prophetic for today.

  50. God is shaking the nations.

  51. Now don't miss this, and I said it last week, I'm gonna say it again, and you're gonna hear it, you're gonna get sick of me here, hear me say this.

  52. Is that there's a harvest before us.

  53. And that harvest, listen, that harvest is for young people.

  54. God is hungry for young people.

  55. I was down on Saturday with some pastors and some leaders, and we prayed with 500 people at Acacia Park.

  56. We prayed for the unrest.

  57. We prayed for God to come.

  58. We prayed for a mighty revival to come to our city and to come to our region and to come to our country.

  59. And we were down there, and these were committed people, and we were fired up and we were excited.

  60. And then Liz and I walked all over downtown.

  61. We walked through along the shops and we went over to City Hall and we prayed with different groups of people we didn't even know.

  62. It was unity, you guys.

  63. It was incredible unity.

  64. There were Catholics and there were Protestants and there were probably Methodists and there were Pentecostals and there were cessationist Baptists.

  65. I mean, we were all together and we were loving each other.

  66. And there was so much love and it was multiracial, and that's the beginning of a kingdom revolution.

  67. And so as we're leaving, as we're leaving there, here come uh black folks, Hispanic folks, white folks with their signs to protest, and they're young people.

  68. And they're young people.

  69. And Liz and I's heart was for them.

  70. We love them, we want them.

  71. And as we think toward racial reconciliation, the reason I did that video and watch it, go to my Facebook, go to the church's Facebook and watch the video that I did with Henry Allen and Gabe Baye.

  72. It was beautiful.

  73. It went better than I ever expected.

  74. All of us are like, whoa.

  75. And on Wednesday, there we're coming back to pray together.

  76. Could it be?

  77. Could it be that God's using one of the most shaking times that's creating so much fear in our country to bring us to faith in Christ on a whole nother level?

  78. And my heart goes out to our young people.

  79. God is shaking the nations, and he's shaking America.

  80. And guess what?

  81. More than anything else, he's shaking the church.

  82. And let me just say this, and I'll say it again and again in the message today, and I'll hit it again next week.

  83. That if we don't pray, it's not gonna happen.

  84. America stands in the balance.

  85. And you got you got several choices.

  86. One choice is just to say, oh, it's all gonna work out, everything's gonna fine, Jesus is sovereign, God is sovereign, and America always has these things happen, and we work through these things.

  87. That's I mean, that's that's a I guess that's an okay attitude.

  88. But I think it way, way misses the mark.

  89. The other side is I hate America, I hate everything about America, and I want to see the whole thing destroyed and just burned up.

  90. To me, the right response is a kingdom of God revolution.

  91. Because we love people, and a kingdom of God revolution is loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourself.

  92. And so when we start doing that, and then we start hitting our knees and praying, and that's what we're gonna do on Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

  93. We're gonna hit our knees, we're gonna pray, and we're gonna worship.

  94. There are, guys, listen, there are principalities and powers over the land.

  95. I won't tell you the pastor because he may be coming on, you know him, you know who he is in the city, but he'll probably be here on Wednesday night.

  96. I asked him to come on Wednesday night and share this vision.

  97. And this is from a friend, it was either New Zealand or Australia, who said he had a vision of a dog, an attack dog of anger, and an attack dog of hatred coming to rip our country apart.

  98. And there was a small remnant in the middle of this battle, there was a remnant of believers that were praying.

  99. That's what's happening.

  100. I choose faith.

  101. I choose Jesus and I choose love.

  102. And our heart goes out of the Floyd family.

  103. No but a parent should ever have to have that happen to their child.

  104. It's wrong.

  105. It's demonic and it's evil.

  106. What are we gonna do?

  107. I'm working toward I we sometimes talk about a pandemic of fear, right?

  108. We talk about a pandemic of fear.

  109. And we've talked about systemic.

  110. Do y'all know the word systemic?

  111. It means systems.

  112. Systemic of racism.

  113. Is there a system or systemic of racism in America?

  114. Of course there is.

  115. In every country it's there.

  116. I I lived in Japan.

  117. You want to talk about systemic racism?

  118. Japan's probably one of the most ethnocentric countries in the world.

  119. But what if we started believing God for systemic reconciliation?

  120. What about systemic?

  121. What if the systems of the church were always based on the ministry of reconciliation, and we began to work hard at that.

  122. That's what I believe Haggai is alluding to in his ancient way.

  123. So look at chapter 1, verse 1.

  124. And we're actually going to get through chapter 1 today.

  125. I promise.

  126. The second year of King Darius, so it appears that Cyrus has died in the sixth month, on the first day of the month.

  127. The word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet to Zerebel, the son of Shateel, governor of Judah.

  128. Very interesting political position.

  129. And to Joshua, the son of Jehosadak, the high priest, saying, It's a spiritual position.

  130. Men and women, sometimes the political leaders and the spiritual leaders work together, and sometimes they're opposed.

  131. Here's what's interesting: Cyrus is not a believer.

  132. According to Isaiah 45, Cyrus is not a believer, but God used Cyrus to get the Jews back to Jerusalem.

  133. It's amazing.

  134. God works through secular leaders, God works through political leaders.

  135. That's why Liz and I, every morning together and every evening together, we pray for President Trump, we pray for Governor Polis, and we pray for Mayor Southers by name.

  136. So when you saw that interview we did on TV recently where they had us on TV and stuff, and then Liz mentioned that, that's totally what we do.

  137. We pray for Mayor Southers to have wisdom.

  138. We pray for our county supervisors to have wisdom.

  139. We pray for Governor Polis to have wisdom.

  140. We pray for President Trump to have wisdom.

  141. God can use secular leaders.

  142. God can use non-believers to accomplish his goals.

  143. And right here, and we we know from history, Zarebabel is a Jew, but he's also a political leader.

  144. God leads Haggai to direct his prophecy to the leaders first.

  145. You heard me last week saying, leaders are thermostats.

  146. Leaders are thermostats.

  147. We set the bar.

  148. You show me a church that's dead in the pew, I'll show you a church that's dead in the pulpit.

  149. You show me a church that's fired up in the pulpit, they'll drive all the dead people out of the pews, and fired up people will come.

  150. If you're dead in the pew, you're not going to like this church.

  151. Let me just tell you.

  152. Go somewhere else.

  153. My job, my biggest responsibility is to make you so excited about Jesus that you drink it, you live it, you love it, and you want to change the world.

  154. That's what we're here to do.

  155. We had a group of people come forward in the first service because they're giving their heart to Christ.

  156. Some of you in this room today, you've never fully given yourself to Jesus, and I'm going to give you that opportunity.

  157. Because you can't do it in the flesh.

  158. You have to do it in the spirit.

  159. And it's the most exciting, wonderful, awesome life you could ever have.

  160. But it begins, oftentimes in culture at least, with leadership.

  161. It starts with pastors and leaders and even political leaders.

  162. Verse 2.

  163. Thus says the Lord of hosts, saying to the people, the time has not come.

  164. You say, you say the time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built.

  165. So he's challenging them.

  166. You quit when the Samaritans got tough with you and you started having political reactions to the fact that you're rebuilding the temple.

  167. And by the way, remember, they had laid the altar, they had laid the foundation, and then they quit.

  168. How many times have we done that in our lives?

  169. Where you feel like God's told you to do something, and as soon as opposition comes, you go, well, God didn't tell me to do that.

  170. God must be schizophrenic sometimes.

  171. Because, you know, we well, God spoke to me.

  172. This is what I'm supposed to do.

  173. And then as soon as hard times come, well, God didn't tell me to do that.

  174. Or I was supposed to move there, and then you move there, and then things get tough.

  175. When I planted Mountain Springs Church 25 years ago, there were 18 church plants at the same time just in Briargate in 1994 and 95.

  176. 18 church plants.

  177. Only Kelly and I, that would be Vanguard and myself, are the only ones left.

  178. So 16 out of 18 didn't make it.

  179. So here's the question: Was God leading them to do it and then it got tough and they quit?

  180. Or did God never call them to do it and then they realized it got tough and they quit?

  181. I don't know.

  182. I don't have an answer to that.

  183. I just know that in the body of Christ, there's a lot of us, right?

  184. And I've done it too.

  185. God's told me to do something, that as soon as opposition comes, we back off.

  186. Well, Haggai is saying, look, don't back off.

  187. That actually, listen, that actually might be an indicator that you're exactly where God wants you to be because it's hard.

  188. Because life's hard.

  189. And if you have any doubts about it, get married.

  190. And if you still don't believe it, have kids.

  191. And if you still don't believe it, have a bunch of them.

  192. And if you still don't believe it, adopt kids.

  193. Life's hard.

  194. How many of you have started your own business before?

  195. And we have a church full of entrepreneurs.

  196. Because it's hard, right?

  197. It's hard to get started.

  198. It's hard to get inertia.

  199. Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet saying, Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses and this temple to lie in ruins?

  200. Now therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, consider your ways.

  201. So he's saying, look, you're so, you Jews have been so occupied with just doing your thing that you've forgotten how to do God's thing.

  202. God wants you a part of a great move of his spirit, and let's rebuild this temple.

  203. He's told you to do it, he'll empower you to do it, he'll show you how to do it, but he can't use you if every time it gets tough, you run back to mama and quit.

  204. By the way, guys, quitting is highly overrated.

  205. I'm not a big fan of quitters.

  206. All of us have quit, by the way, from time to time.

  207. Sometimes it's a good thing to quit.

  208. But when it's God who's behind you and he's inspired you and he's spoken to you and he's guiding you, guess what?

  209. He'll use you to get the job done.

  210. But it's always going to be tough.

  211. It's always hard.

  212. And the problem is disobedience.

  213. The problem's disobedience in our lives.

  214. It's easy to follow when we obey and everything just goes our way.

  215. It's a little tougher when things aren't going our way, and we have to learn how to fight.

  216. Learn how to fight.

  217. In prayer, in believing, in hanging out together, not letting your buddy run away.

  218. Go get him.

  219. Bring him back.

  220. Bring him back into the fold.

  221. And fight together, arm in arm.

  222. That's called blood-stained allies.

  223. We need blood-stained allies.

  224. I'm convinced that over half of the half of the marriages that end in divorce probably would not have ended in divorce if that man or that woman had some blood-stained allies.

  225. Some other men and women who say, no, I'm not going to let that happen.

  226. I'm going to hang with you.

  227. I've got your back.

  228. And we can work through this.

  229. Verse 6.

  230. You've sown much and you bring in little.

  231. You eat, but do not have enough.

  232. You drink, but you're not filled with drink.

  233. You clothe yourself, but no one is warm.

  234. And he who earns wages earns wages to put into a bag with holes.

  235. Thus says the Lord of hosts, consider your ways.

  236. How many times have how many of you have ever said, I've got a lot of bad luck?

  237. Anybody ever said I've got a lot of bad luck?

  238. Okay.

  239. You know, a lot of bad luck is just disobedience.

  240. In other words, we're just thinking, man, I tried, it doesn't work for me like it does for Joe or for Mary or whatever doesn't work for me.

  241. And the reality is, it's because of our own unwillingness to follow what God's told us to do that it seems like everything we touch doesn't quite work out.

  242. And I learned this a long time ago with tithing, with my finances.

  243. At 22 years old, I figured out, man, it says in Malachi that if I'll give 10% to the Lord, he'll put a protection over my finances, he'll watch over my finances, and I was kind of smart on that one.

  244. I thought, you know, finances kind of is important.

  245. It's just a little bit of stuff you think about like every day, like all the time, your finances.

  246. It seemed to me that obeying God would make all the difference in the world such that what I put into savings, what I put into my checking account, would not have holes in it.

  247. And I've tested God for all these years, and I can tell you it works.

  248. It works, folks.

  249. It's exciting.

  250. Sexual areas.

  251. Young man, just like some of you that are young here, not married, all the sexual desires that go with that.

  252. Reading God's word and reading that God's called me to purity, God's called me to purity, and so I began to believe God for that.

  253. And so I lived that.

  254. And then I met a woman who lived that.

  255. We have no regrets.

  256. No regrets.

  257. How many times things are opened up to us that are actually almost dark, demonic powers because we're not obeying Him just in the basics of following Him.

  258. Verse 8 go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified, says the Lord.

  259. God used this verse.

  260. Two and a half years ago, this coupled with Psalm 96, 6, God said, Steve, beautify the sanctuary.

  261. Beautify the sanctuary.

  262. And so that's what we're doing here, gang.

  263. That's what we're doing with all of this wood that we're putting in, and we're gonna recarpet the place, and we've got some repainting that's going on.

  264. Each time you come in, there'll be probably a few changes here and there.

  265. And for all of you that love Aztec Southwest, I'm sorry.

  266. You can have that at your house, but this uh this look is gonna change as we go with the wood look.

  267. Okay?

  268. By the way, I think Aztec Southwest is really super cool.

  269. I just wanted something different in here, okay?

  270. I'm like no architect or anything, but I will say this God said to do that.

  271. You know, God cares about beauty.

  272. And I hope, men and women, that you beautify your homes.

  273. I hope you beautify yourself.

  274. And I say it to all my singles the best looking women and the most handsome men are at the church, not in the bars.

  275. Come here and find your mate, and I will marry you.

  276. And then have many, many children, and I will baptize them all.

  277. Great joy in my heart to do that.

  278. The only beautiful men and women in bars are usually on Budweiser commercials.

  279. Okay?

  280. Where they really are is right here.

  281. You know why?

  282. Because this is what's happening.

  283. I want you to go with me here.

  284. Go up to the mountains, bring wood, build the temple that I may take pleasure in it and be glorified.

  285. God wants you as his temple to beautify yourself.

  286. Beautify yourself within.

  287. The most beautiful women, the most handsome men are men and women who are living an honest life of integrity and holiness, and it shines through.

  288. It just shines through.

  289. And we're getting some married.

  290. Like you guys.

  291. Getting a lot of marriages coming on around here.

  292. I like it.

  293. Let's get them married, boys and girls.

  294. Verse 9.

  295. You looked for much, but indeed it came to little.

  296. And when you brought it home, I blew it away.

  297. Why?

  298. says the Lord of hosts.

  299. Because of my house and it is in ruins while every one of you runs to his own house.

  300. Therefore, the heavens above you with, this is important, I want you to circle, I blew it away in verse 9.

  301. Circle in verse 10.

  302. Therefore the heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit.

  303. Verse 11, for I called for a drought on the land and the mountains, on the grain, and the new wine and the oil on whatever the ground brings forth on men and livestock and on all the labor of your hands.

  304. Church.

  305. God's allowing what is happening in our land right now.

  306. He's shaking us to wake us.

  307. What will it take?

  308. God wants to build his church.

  309. God wants a revolution, a harvest in our time and in our day, and he needs men and women that will intercede.

  310. 2 Chronicles 7.14, very prominent verse that many of us have quoted for years and years in America, but we forget verse 13.

  311. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send a plague among my people.

  312. If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sin, and I will heal their land.

  313. Let's look at it another way.

  314. When I shut up the heaven so that there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, that means economics, to send a plague or a virus among my people.

  315. If my people, meaning the church, who are called by my name, choose not to humble themselves, choose not to pray, choose not to seek my face, and they don't turn from their wicked ways, then I will not hear from heaven, I will not forgive their sin, and I will not heal their land.

  316. It's up to us.

  317. It's no different than Haggai at that time saying, look, nobody's gonna go outside their homes and start building the temple but you.

  318. Nobody's gonna rebuild America where it needs to be rebuilt but the church.

  319. We are the leaders in the vanguard against principalities and powers of greed and arrogance, racism across the land, that God wants to heal our land and he wants to release the greatest revival the world has ever seen.

  320. And it's gonna get darker and it's gonna get brighter.

  321. It's gonna get darker and it's gonna get brighter.

  322. So that's the world we're living in, gang.

  323. So the only way I can describe it is that you know, there's a river, and the river's getting faster and faster and faster.

  324. I've been I've been at 11 Mile Canyon fly fishing before when they decide to open up the dam.

  325. Nobody told me.

  326. And I remember I was there with one of my pastors, and we're flying, we're just having a great time, we're laughing, we're catching fish, we're netting them, we're releasing them, just a good day.

  327. And then I look over and I go, Hey, Alan, I think the waters rose a little bit.

  328. And he goes, What?

  329. I said, look over there.

  330. Remember when we first got in, there was that brown spot on that huge rock.

  331. There's no brown spot over there anymore.

  332. He goes, Oh yeah.

  333. And then like 15 minutes later, it's another three inches.

  334. 15 minutes later, it's another three inches.

  335. And suddenly this river that was about here is here, and it's roaring.

  336. And we get out of there.

  337. Because some somebody, you know, up there at 11 mile, between 11 mile, the reservoir and the canyon, they're they're uh taking some water off of it.

  338. That's what's happening today.

  339. The river's rising, and I'm warning you.

  340. I'm I'm warning you, it's rising.

  341. So if you're not stable in your walk with God, this could be really scary for you.

  342. But if you're stable and you're getting stronger in your walk with him, this could be the most exciting thing you've ever been a part of.

  343. You get to inflate a raft and have some fun because God's going to be saving souls, healing the sick, setting people free.

  344. Verse 12.

  345. Then Zerebel gets it.

  346. He gets it.

  347. The son of Shateel and Joshua, he gets it, the son of Jehosadak, the high priest.

  348. With all the remnant of the people, they obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God.

  349. And the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people feared the presence of the Lord.

  350. Guys, there is a move of God, a a revolution of the fear of God upon us.

  351. I was in a Zoom call with John Bevere, and John said, I believe that the next move of God will be a fear of God move of God.

  352. A fear of God.

  353. Now, what's the fear of God?

  354. The fear of God is such a closeness with the Lord that you fear being out of his will.

  355. The only way I can describe that is if you were um, well, regular life would be that when you leave here, you're gonna come to stop lights and stop signs.

  356. Something causes you, let me just say this.

  357. Something causes me, even at 5.30 in the morning, on my way to aim on Tuesday mornings at 6 a.m.

  358. to sit there with the light red forever.

  359. Just forever.

  360. What's it called?

  361. It's the fear of the law, it's the fear of the camera.

  362. That's right there.

  363. Well, the fear of the Lord is a desire to be where God wants you to be, and it keeps you where he can have a relationship with you because you're under his umbrella of protection in your life, and then you actually have a fear of being outside God's will because you know that's dangerous ground.

  364. It's actually demonic territory.

  365. Verse 13.

  366. Then Haggai the Lord's messenger spoke the Lord's message to the people saying, I'm with you, says the Lord.

  367. So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerebel, the son of Sheteil, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua, the son of Jehosedak, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people.

  368. And they came and they worked on the house of the Lord of hosts.

  369. Men and women, I want to challenge you.

  370. Let God stir your heart in this day.

  371. This is not a time of peacetime.

  372. This is not a time to just sit on our hands.

  373. This is not a time as church as usual.

  374. This is not a time for America as usual.

  375. God's calling us to a higher standard.

  376. God's called us to a passion for people, a love for people, all races, all colors, all socioeconomic differences to begin to break through those barriers with love, the revolution of Jesus' love to our world like we've never seen before.

  377. And it needs to be led by the church.

  378. And it needs to be led by pastors, and it needs to be led by leaders.

  379. We need leaders who will proclaim it and say it and believe it and trust it.

  380. And oh, God, we ask you for a move of your spirit.

  381. God, we ask you for a move of your spirit.

  382. We ask you, Lord, for a kingdom revolution.

  383. God, we pray for young people to get saved.

  384. We pray for young people to come into the church.

  385. This, young people, listen to me, all of you that are that are 35 and under, this is your watch.

  386. This is your country.

  387. And this is your church.

  388. We need men and women who are strong and courageous.

  389. Men and women who are leaders.

  390. Men and women who will get equipped and trained.

  391. Men and women who love Jesus with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength.

  392. May God stir your heart.

  393. This word stirred up is to rouse up.

  394. It's the idea of an eagle landing in her nest and her taking the branches and just stirring up the nest.

  395. God is stirring up our nest, is He not?

  396. To stir up our hearts.

  397. He's stirring up our nest to stir up our hearts.

  398. He's shaking our conventions to make us ready for his unconventional love.

  399. Liz, would you come up and grab that mic?

  400. This is my wife Liz.

  401. Isn't she awesome?

  402. My beautiful white Liz.

  403. And Liz had a encounter with the Lord.

  404. Yeah, I had an experience with the Lord, and I was telling Steve about it, and he asked me to share it with you.

  405. So this has been a challenging time for all of us.

  406. I was asking the Lord, where do I go now that I have finished one book, I want to go to another book?

  407. And he said, Go to, I felt like in my spirit, read Revelation.

  408. Now, if you know me a little bit, you know that I can be a great conspiracy theorist.

  409. And you know what?

  410. Conspiracies are a real thing.

  411. If you read the book of Esther, Daniel, the Gospels, there's conspiracies in here.

  412. So they are real.

  413. Anyway, so I'm like, okay, well, I'm sure God wants me to know more about all the evil in our land and what could happen and all that.

  414. So I'm reading through, and I was up really early, no one was up, and as I'm thinking, I know what God's I know what God's doing.

  415. That's that's a really funny thing to say to God, isn't it?

  416. But this is what got me.

  417. It was a surprise.

  418. He said in Revelation 2, 2, I know your works, your labor, your patience, that you cannot bear those who are evil, and you have tested those who say they are apostles and they're not, and have found them liars.

  419. And you have persevered and have patience and have labored for my namesake and have not become weary.

  420. I'm like, ooh, that sounds like me.

  421. And then I get to the next verse, verse 4.

  422. Nevertheless, I have this against you.

  423. That you've left your first love.

  424. And um I just felt so convicted because I just haven't sewed into my relationship with Christ the way I should be.

  425. Sometimes I go to the news first, or sometimes I'm seeing what this leader says or that person says.

  426. Um, I'm thinking, like, what did the police do now, or what did the, you know, this entity of government do now?

  427. And you know, um, God just said, why don't you invest in me?

  428. And so, you know, I just want to encourage you, if you're like me, you need that little push to say, I want to have my first love.

  429. I want to guard that.

  430. I want to, I want to do all I can to keep that every day.

  431. Worship him, get a worship song on, get sing till your heart feels happy about him.

  432. Um, part of a love relationship is listening.

  433. Listen to him, take time to listen.

  434. And you know what?

  435. Since I've started doing that, the sweetness has come back into my life.

  436. The sweetness in my spirit.

  437. And having a sweetness is how we can minister out of that, is so beautiful as the body of Christ.

  438. And then, so I was walking around my property, which I like to do when I, especially when I'm like new things, I'm like, Lord, help me to just just have that relationship with you.

  439. Um, we're cleaning up our property right now, and I saw this little bottle.

  440. It's just a broken bottle on top of it.

  441. I felt like the Holy Spirit said, You've got a relationship that's broken, this one.

  442. And if you can't take care of the little relationships that you have in your life that are broken, how are you going to be a part of this huge thing I'm asking you to do as far as reconciliation between races, between just bigger groups?

  443. How are you gonna do those big things?

  444. And so today I have a hard phone call to make for me.

  445. Because I have to humble myself and say, hey, I think I hurt you.

  446. And by the way, it's not someone in this state, but if I hurt you, let me know.

  447. You can definitely let me know.

  448. I'm up for cleaning right now.

  449. But I just want to encourage you.

  450. This is our time.

  451. And we have to have all our relationships really good, especially the first two commandments, loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, so mind, and strength, and our neighbors ourselves.

  452. Then we can be used.

  453. Thank you.

  454. You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.

  455. We hope you have been blessed by today's message.

  456. To connect with us further, visit theroad.org.

  457. If you are walking through a difficult time, we want to pray for you.

  458. Go to theroad.org, click on the ministries tab, and go to our prayer page to send us your prayer request.

  459. Thanks again for tuning in today, and be sure to listen to the next edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.