It Will Work If You Work It | Pastor Paul Strong

Welcome to the Legacy Churches podcast. We are so glad that you get you

in us today. We praise that God speaks to you through his message and

through his work. Now let's tune into the message. Second King, chapter

three, verse A, give a big shout out to those that are watching

online. Then he said, which way shall we go up? And he

answered, by the way of the wilderness of Edom. So the King of

Israel went with the King of Judah and the King of Edom, and they

marched on that roundabout route seven days. And there was no water for the

army nor for the animals that followed them. And the King of Israel said,

at last, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver

them in the hand of the Moab. Now look at this. So the

King of Israel said, for the Lord has called these three kings together,

deliver them in the hand of the Moab. But joe Hoostva said, is

there no prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire the Lord by him?

So one of the servants of the King of Israel answered and said,

Elijah, the son of Jafat is here, who poured water on the hands

of Elijah and jehoseph Hat said, the word of the Lord is with him.

It's the King of Israel, and Jehosaphat and the King of Edom went

down to him. And then Elijah said to the King of Israel, what

I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and

the prophets of your mother's. Oh, Elisha just rebuked. The king said,

what are you doing here? Why aren't you serving the false gods that

you father and mother follow? But the King of Israel said to him,

no, for the Lord has called these three kings together to deliver them in

the hands of them over. And Elijah said, as the Lord of Host

lives before whom I stand, surely we're not that. We're not that.

I regard the presence of Jehosepha, a king of Judi. I will not

look at you, nor see you. But now bring me a musician.

It happened when the musician played that the hand of the Lord came upon him,

and he said, thus, say the Lord, make this valley full

of ditches for this, For thus says the Lord, you shall not see

when, nor shall you see rain. Yet that valley shall be filled with

the water. So your cattles, and your animals may drink. And this

is a simple matter in the side of Lord. And he will also deliver

the mother bites into your hand. Would you just bow your heads, Father,

we thank you, Thank you for the word of the Lord. Thank

your Father, God for your word. You said, the grass wither and

the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall abide forever. And

God, I pray today, God, you'd open up ears and hearts and

minds to receive your word in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen,

you can be seated today. As you're seated, just telling them it'll work

if you work it. I'm telling you this word today. I love to

be in connection. And last time we touched on the message of Greater and

the life of Elisha. My wife preached on borrowing the vessel, that there's

so much value in connection. In connection, Oh, I forgot middle school.

Sorry, y'all, if you are sixth or eighth grade, they're just

leaving. Praise the Lord. Just go on in Jesus' name, sixth or

eighth grade, get out in the middle of my message. I hain't never

had anybody walk out of my message. I first got offended. I was

like, what is going on? Wow? Is it bathroom break? What?

Sorry? Add just kicked in back to the message. If you didn't

know what was going on online, it's okay. But the dynamic of connection,

I just I like to have connections. I like to make sure I

don't burn bridges. And I sure don't want you to burn a bridge with

me, because you will see me. If you go to heaven, you

will see me because I'm gonna be there and I and I ain't going to

hell for nobody, Amen, just straight up. And so the dynamic,

I just love connections. I've got connections, and usually I've got a I've

got an eight I've got an hvac guy. I've got a plumber. I've

got an electrician. I got a drywall guy. I got I got something

for everything. You know what I'm saying. If landscape, I got a

landscape guy. You know what I'm saying. Doctor, I got a doctor

guy. Amen. Lawyer working on that, amen. I mean, I

just want to be in connection because you definite never know when you're in a

situation where you're gonna need somebody. You understand the value of relationship. And

I never forget. My wife and I we put our house up for sale

two years ago, and and we just went on this crazy thought that we

should just sell our house at the peak of the market. And so we

said, let's just go all in and sell our house, you know.

And so we decided to sell our house. And so during that process,

my wife went to Nashville for a week, and so I was at home

and trying to get the house prepared for open house. And if you know

anything about open house, that's kind of like the debut when people start coming

into your house and buyers and agents and brokers and they're all checking out your

property and so and I was just working really hard. And man, my

wife had given me a honey to do list. Any husband know what I'm

talking about. They give you a list so long you can't even read it

all. I mean, my wife's not here, she's not feeling good.

But I'm gonna talk about her. Amen, I hope you're not watching.

And so I was just and my wife is like she she is, She's

got we got like a lot of stuff. How many no, five kids.

You accumulate a lot of stuff. And when you're showing a house,

you gotta purge, you gotta put stuff away, and so one things I

was trying to do. I was trying to get things organized. And my

wife has got she's got a love for Christmas. M Jesus. I mean

we got more. We got more Christmas than hobby Lobby. Can I get

a witness? I mean hobby lobby calls us, Do you got a tree?

Gold? We got three? What size you need six foot, eight

foot, nine foot, twelve foot, fifteen foot, come on, skinny

fat, whichever way you want it, come on. It's just I was

like, oh Lord. So I was organizing. We actually made an extra

area of attic space. We put out some wood and put out some plywood,

and we actually made some space. And so because of that, because

there's makeshift, we did this. There was the landing and then there was

a step over, and then there was all this space. And I was

getting it organized. It was like nine o'clock at night. I was trying

to get everything and I was getting tired. So I was trying to get

all of the house beautiful, get all of the trees together, get organized.

If somebody opened up that door, they would see that it was organized.

And like I said, between the trees, the land of the trees

and the landing. There's a space and that space there's nothing. And I

was not paying attention and I just went shop. Yes, I stepped through

the sheet rock. Oh yeah, my foot was dangling. Put your right

foot in, put your right foot out. I was like, oh,

Lord, if I'm stepped through, I said, oh, and I caught

myself. I was like, oh God, story the praying said, Oh

please God, Please God, Please God. I look down and it's the

kitchen. It is like nine thirty at night and I had just stepped through

the kitchen. There's like a whole hole in the kitchen. I'm like looking

down, like, oh, there's the bar. I was like, oh

my God, Lord Jesus, I'm praying. I'm like, my wife's not

with me. I'm like, should I tell her? Y'all know, I

was thinking, no, I ain't telling her one thing. It's like,

oh God, I'm like praying. I'm like, Lord, what are we

gonna do? I don't know what to do. It's nineteen thirty at night

and I got a hole in my ceiling in the kitchen and open house is

tomorrow, and I'm just like and I'm tired. I'm like, I'm praying.

And so I called my realtor and I'm like, what do we do?

What do we do? And she's like, I don't know you know

anybody? You know any drywall people? And I just hit me. I

was like, oh, thank you Jesus, I gotta drywall. God Todd,

one of our board members here at the churches drywall. I call Todd,

I said, Todd, answer the phone in Jesus name, because how

many church members don't always answer your call. I know who you are.

So I called. He's like, hey, Pastor, it's awfully lady.

I'm like, yeah, man, hey, what you doing right now?

He said, I'm getting ready for bed. I'm like, well, could

you do me a favor? I said, because tomorrow I had to go

and do a funeral. I had no time to do anything. And of

course, how many know I shouldn't be doing any type of drywall work at

all. But I was like, I've got a funeral, We've got a

hole in the wall. Could you have me? Said, man, I'll

be there. What time do you leave. I'm like, I leave at

eight o'clock in the morning. He's like, I'll be there man By the

end of by two o'clock when open house was the hole was filled. It

already had been drywall, it already had been spackled upon, it already even

put a fresh coat of paint. Can I get a witness? Hallelujah.

You don't know how excited I was because of a connection. And I just

got to tell somebody today that you may not have a connection, but you

have the connection. You have the connection. And if you don't know anybody,

you know the one who knows everybody. And I want you to understand

there's such value in the connection that the covenant keeping God. We serve a

God not out of crisis, of a God, out of covenant, out

of relationship. That God is our first and he is our Abbah, He

is our father, he takes he's Alpha and Omega, He's beginning, and

in he is the one who sits on the throne. And I am so

thankful that when I don't have a connection, I have the connection. And

the connection can lead me into any connection I need. And I think it's

important that we recognize divine connection, and most importantly, the divine connection with

Him. And in the story, we see the text and the story the

backstory is is that Ahab and Jezebel have just died, and the King of

Israel believes Jotham or it could be Joram. Both of them were kings at

that time. It doesn't jop my memory as well. But the king had

just become king over Israel. He still was not serving the Lord. But

during that process the Molebites were continually giving tribute to the King of Israel.

And at this time the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom were split. If

you don't know anything history about Israel, that there was a time that they

were all united. But after Solomon, and after Solomon a fu generations after

Solomon, they split in the Northern Kingdom was led in which we know now

as Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom was led in Jerusalem. And there was

a split, and because the Mobites had rebelled, the King of Israel gathered

the Kingdom, the Kingdom of Edom and the King of Judah, and they

began to gather. What's interesting in this text is as they began to gather

and go down they were going actually through Jerusalem down to the southern part to

Moab, they ran out of water. It's interesting that King of Israel was

blaming God for his situation. When he worshiped the God of rain, he

served the God of bail, which was the God of rain in fertility,

and yet he's blaming our God for what his God can't do. Sounds a

lot like the world how they always blame God in opportune situations when they don't

serve him. Don't talk about my Jesus, can I get awayness? Just

getting that off myo. But that's that's how the world they blame. And

and in this process the Jehosaph fact, who is a godly king of Judas

is is there not a prophet? Is there not a prophet in the area?

Is there not a word from the Lord? Because he still was in

divine connection, He was still uncovenant with the living God. He still was

from the lineage of David. He still had connection. And because of that,

he wasn't seeking God out of crisis, and he was seeking God out

of covenant. And the dynamic was when Elishah showed up, he says to

King of Israel, says, what are you doing here? If you were

even if you call on me, I wouldn't even answered to you. But

I'm here not because of you, but because there is a covenant keeping God

that's with God. And because you're with God, I'm with you. And

I love it because today we need to recognize the priority of our relationship.

Do we so God out of crisis or do we serve God out of covenant?

Nobody likes to be picked last. Hello. Nobody wants to play a

pickup game and get picked last. Nobody wants to be on the soccer field

and they start calling people's names and they don't call yours. Nobody. The

worst thing you ever went through in elementary, junior, high, and high

school was dodgeball, when they started calling everybody's name. Hayden what Hayden what?

He can't even throw nobody. Nobody wants to be picked in relationship last.

I remember when I was going through the process in college. And I

can bring this up because my wife knows about it. But there was a

girl that I was talking to and she was and we were having a conversation

and I was looking forward to, you know, missus strong, and she

started talking to me and she said, well, it's between you and the

other guy. And I said, guess what, you can already make your

decision because I ain't fighting for nobody. I'm not trying to compete with anybody.

You've already made your choice by Felicia. Can I get a witness?

And we need to reckon that God ain't trying to fight for your relationship.

God. He's supreme. He's king of kings, He's the Lord of lords.

He's not trying to divide between you and your other. God's no,

he reigns. You need to recognize he is king over all things. He

is sovereign, he is supreme, He sets priority, He rules over all.

He is the one, and it was, and is and is to

come. And you need to recognize that. We got to reset our priority.

We need to place Christ as the center of our homes. Christ needs

to be the center of our families. Christ needs to be the center of

our decisions. He's not our last resort. After we talk to our mom,

as we talk to our grandmother, aster we talk to our friends,

after we post it on Facebook and Instagram. What' should do then, tal

No, God first, God first in my life, God first in my

marriage, God first in my parenting, God first in my y'all not hearing

what I'm God first just tell your neighbors, say, put God first,

y'all, put him first. You'll be amazed what he'll do in your life

if you just put him first. You'd be amazed what your relationships would look

like if you would put him first. Put him first, Put him first.

Can I say it is prima? He's first, He's first, He's

the one. He is the only one that we need to follow in times

of situations of crisis. Y'all not hearing what I'm You're not used to preaching

like this. Y'all got tired on me. You better get your amen or

out. Y'all hearing what I'm saying. God first, God first, and

that's our problem. We put God in second, we put God in third,

we put God on the last. He's not our last resort. He's

our first responsor. God. I serve you, I worship you. I

didn't come for the crowd. I didn't come for the opinions of people.

I came. I'm preach this to myself. I came to serve a huge

You're the only one that brings life into my breath. You're the only one

that brings hope into my situation. You're the only one that can heal.

You're the only one that can deliver. You're the only one that can change.

You're the only one that can break. Yolks, You're the only one

that can make ways out of no ways. You are the first pre may

first. My God, He's first. You gotta know him as first before

you know him as last. He's first, God seeking first, the Kingdom

of God and all his righteousnes, and all these things shall be added unto

you. We gotta recognize He's got to be first. And that's the divine

connection that we have when we recognize who we are and whose we are.

Just tell your neighbors, I'm a child of the King. I'm a child.

Don't you know who you're sitting next to. You're sitting to somebody that

knows the King. You in a situation. I may not be able to

help you, but I got a direct line to the King. I got

a direct line. I can pass the President, I can pass the Prime

Minister, I can pass the Vice. From here, I can pass all

of the world leaders. I can go straight to the King of kings,

the one who is reign. He is the sovereign one, he is the

righteous one, he is the Holy one. He is the king, he

reigns, He was, and he is and he is to come. He

is the King. Somebody, give God a praise. If you know what

I'm talking about, Give him praise. If you know what I'm talking about,

My God, My God, I'm telling you, it's the divine connection.

And in this process we see a divine invitation. Because right now Elisha

is just agitated because the King of Israel is around. He's like, this

is a joker. He needs to go back on. But because Johs the

facts there, because you've inquired of the Lord, get me a musician.

And I think it's important that we recognize that music is a medium that brings

us into places. There's something powerful about music. In fact, the University

of Central Florida, the Universe of Central Florida, actually did a whole study

on how the brain is changed by music. The limbic system in your brain

literally begins to become shifted that it actually actually brings healing through music. People

that actually have dementia or Alzheimer's disease that if they start playing music, it's

amazing. The music that they learned as a five year old, They can

start singing even though they don't even know their spouse's name because of the power

of music. It's just so powerful. Music. Music is music is an

instrument that creates ambiance and atmosphere and shifts moods. You be going through hell

and just turn on music and then to until change your perspective and alter your

mood. It's literally been documented. They watch your brain light up as music

begins to get played. If you're on an MRI, they have that.

And they're talking about how that the oldest instrument has been found so many thousands

of years ago was a flute. And I just had to differ with the

guy because I recognize that Psalms one fifty says that everything that half breath,

And he started out by praising God with the timbrel and changing God with the

song, and praising God with the sounding of the symbols, and praising God

with the strings, and praising God with the harp, and praising God with

the with the sound of the trumpet, and praising God. But then he

said, let everything that hath breath. If you've got breath, you were

you were the first instruments that you are the you are the first instrument that

you have Two hands and true vocal quarter to begin to do there the praises

of God, the praise. You are the instrument that you can create a

melody, a melody that will change the atmosphere of you. Recognize, Heaven,

Heaven is singing right now. Heaven is declaring the holiness of God.

Heaven is declaring the worthiness of God, worthy, worthy, worthy, worthy.

It's the lamb that was slaying. Holy Holy holy holy holy Holy Holy

Holy Holy Holy Holy holy holy Holy. I can hear the angels we're joining

with the whole service up in heaven declaring. Yet, you see, it's

not that we invite God's presence into us. Actually we get invited into His

presence. That's the invitation. It's not us we have a por theology when

we say God, come into my house. I no, No, We

actually get transported into His presence invitation. God begins to change our attitudes,

something about worship, something about when we worship him. It brings inspiration.

God begins to breathe, God begins them. You know, God, the

presence of the Lord is in this room right now. It's moving speaking in

hearts. It's like right now, there are all types of radio waves going

through all types of radio waves. And in fact, we deal with radio

waves all the time, our f frequencies that alter our microphones, and sometimes

we have we have gaps, and because of that we have to conture.

I'm not trying to be prophetic today, but the dynamic of the RF that

was an RF. There was something happening in the atmosphere that was colliding with

my sound. And that's sometimes how the enemy works. He tries to bring

all types of noises and all types. But if you ever tune your ear

to the voice of God, God is speaking right now. He's speaking.

He's telling you, I'm Jehovah Jirah. I'm the God the table. I'm

I'm Jehovah Elion, I'm I'm Jehovah Rafa, I'm I'm Jehovah Shama, the

God that I am. That I am that I am, I am Jesus,

the one he told us all the one that I'm you persecute. I

am Alpha, I am the Righteous One. I am the living of the

valley. I am the Bride and mornings star Hm. And he begins to

speak to us, brings life, hope, nothing like inspiration then, like

with it being in the presence of God. Don't you wish sometimes you could

just take the worship team with you, like you go into your if your

work in your workplace and it's chaotic. Don't you just wish you could just

come on and they have that, They begin to go, I trust in

God, my save, You're the one who will never My voice of the

week, he will never. I trust in God. Come on to clear

it, my save, thee who will never, he will never fail.

The Lord. Hassap the law heard? Had he had so? Come on?

Hass up the law? Had he heard? Handy answer? Hass up

the law? Had he heard? Handy answer? That's why I trust him.

That's why I trust him. That's up the law, Handy. There's

something about the presence of a Godo, hass up. Something about the music

that begins to shift attitude. Hass up the love handy Handy, that's my

trust. Yes, you may be watching online, you may be in this

room, but you need anything, even praise. He will never fail.

Something about the inspiration of the Holy spit, how he begins to shift our

attitudes and our hearts. I'm in a worship can get you to hear a

word from the Lord God began to give you crystal. See some of you

are in this room. Your ears are clogged because you've listened to the noise

of the enemy. But I'm telling you God can speak to you. He

can speak through the chaos. You may be in this shroom today and you

say, I don't even believe in God. I'm gonna tell you he can

speak to you. Your heart's beginning to beat a little bit faster. Here's

something going on inside of you because God's dealing with you. He's letting you

know I am real, i am living. I'm not just a mystery.

I'm not just a story. I am who I said I am today.

You may be in this shriom today and you just need God to bring inspiration

and he begins to change us and shift us. But here's the dynamic.

And we all want inspiration, but inspiration without instruction leads to frustration. Or

I say it like there's inspiration sometimes inspiration. See, God doesn't just inspire

us so we'll just feel good. God in spring breathe on us, so

he'll give us instruction. How may gonna have a situation in your life and

you say, I don't know how to fight this battle. I don't know

if I should go left or I should go right. And the word that

the Lord gave Elionsha to the people of God, the kings of Israel and

the kings of he said, go dig ditches. How maybe know that wasn't

the word that I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear him say,

well, I'm about to open up the gates and I'm about to pour out

the blessing and I'm about to do this, and I'm about to fight your

battle. Just be still and see the hand of the Lord. No,

he said, go dig ditches. And there's a lot of people that like

inspiration, but they don't follow instruction. There's a lot of people that want

God to move, but they don't want to move with God. They want

God to move, but they won't move with God. And God has given

us instruct and he said, dig some bitches. I want you to go

ahead and do something that looks foolish to prepare for what I'm about to pour

out for your life. I know it's gonna be sweaty, I know it's

gonna be work, but you're gonna put some work behind your faith. Faith

without work, faith without a shovel. Faith without digging is dead. And

if you're gonna see the miracle, if you're gonna see the greater, you're

gonna have to put your faith to work. It will work, but you're

going to have to work it. Just tell your neighbors say it will work,

but you're gonna have to work it. You're gonna have to work it

in your home. You're gonna have to work it in your family. You're

gonna have to work it in your finances. You're gonna have to work it

at your job place. You're gonna have to work it with your decision.

Make it. I need some people that can dig with me. I'm tired

of people watching other people dig. I need somebody to dig with me and

say I'm ready to dig pastor I'm ready to see the miracle that God has

from my life. I want to see it for myself. I'm tired of

talking about it. I'm talking. I'm tired of us prophesy. I want

to see it happen. So give me a shovel and let's dig. Let's

dig this out. Let's dig this out in a home, Let's dig this

out in our marriage, Let's dig this out in our family. Let's dig

this. We're getting ready to launch a Spanish service, and I don't know

where all the Spanish families are gonna be at, but I'm going ahead to

dig a surface. I'm gonna dig some trenches up. I'm gonna dig some

things up. God, you can trust me. I wanna be do my

parts, and you're gonna do your part to God, I think of today.

We're gonna launch another campus in about a year. But God, you

wonna dig. If I'll dig, If you'll dig it, We're gonna dig

together. Anybody wanna dig with me this morning? Anybody want to see God

do something that's impossible. I want to see God heal marriages and store homes.

I gotta shovel. Anybody want dig? I just hear God. Faith.

Dig it out, dig it out, dig it out, dig it

out, dig it out. Dig How can stay with me this morning?

Stand with me this morning? Dig it out? Dig it out in your

home. You don't like what's going on, dig it out, you don't

like the direction you're in. Dig it out, put your faith into action.

I'm afraid. Let me tell you something. Faith is not the absence

of fear. Faith is the power to overcome it. Oh, y'all didn't

hear what I said. This is faith is not the absence of fear.

It's nothing. It's the power. Do you know how many times there's times

that God asked me to do something that my hands are shaking and I am

trying in my head to figure it out. But I'm saying, God,

it's my job to be obedient. It's your job to do the supernatural.

It's my job to pray. It's your chop to work it. It's my

job to do what you told me to do. It's your job to bring

the answer. I'm gonna do my part. You bring the rain, but

I'm gonna got the shovel I'm gonna bring. I'm gonna bring the rain,

but you're gonna have to dig this out because it won't work if you don't

work it. Church, This is the year that God's gonna separate the people

that know how to work it and the people that are gonna sit and watch

it. I just refuse to be somebody that watches somebody else get a miracle.

Let me say that. I just refuse to watch somebody else get a

miracle when I could have got my own. Come on now, I refuse

to see God's blessing on somebody else, and I miss it because I wasn't

willing to put it into action. Some of us have got decisions that we

gotta make, and God's just saying, you gotta dig it out. You

gotta dig it out. You got to put it into action. Some of

you are making decisions based on convenience and not based on pond what God's instruction

is. And you're waiting for God to move. And God's looking at you

say, I already told you what to do. I'm talking to somebody right

now. You already know the answer. What You're gonna put more importance on

your convenience or covenant? Hello, come on, Today is the day God

digs begins. You begin to dig things out, because inspiration without instruction leads

to regression. Anytime you get inspired, God's gonna give you a word that's

gonna make application to the situation of your life, and it's gonna cause you

to be in some level required for obedience. How many the Bible tells,

if you're willing and obedient, you'll eat the good of the land. Bow

your heads with me, Father, thank you right now, Jesus be glorified

in this house. Godther people right now that are needing to hear your voice

all across this room today. There are people God that are in situations and

today God, they need to know that you are a covenant keeping God.

And there's people right now that are not in covenant relationship with God. Can

I just tell you, my friend, God's not trying to make you a

bad person into a good person. He's not trying to make you an okay

person into a better He's trying to make you a dead man into a living

man. He's bringing complete transformation and he's coming into relationship with God. And

most of us know Jesus as one who washes away our sins. But he's

more than just your savior. He is your abba father and he's gonna bring

you into adoption to be children of the Most High God. Your life is

going to change. If you are not in right relationship with God. Have

you've been playing church and religion. Today is your day to surrender your life

to Him and say today I'm making covenant with the Living God. And if

that's you, with every head bowt and everybody close, no one looking around,

those are the watching on line. You just say yes that' to me.

Just come on, just raise your hand, come on, come on,

come on, come on quickly, thank you, thank you, Come

on. I want to be in covenant, real relationship with Jesus. I'm

tired. I'm telling your life is gonna change. Just say this. My

life is going to change. Come on, Church, say my life is

going to change. The power of the Gospel is transformative. It's not just

saying a prayer. It's gonna change your nature. It's gonna change your destiny.

It's gonna change your identity. You are no longer what you were.

You are now a child of God. When you make this prayer, something

is going to shift. You're gonna be translated from darkness into the marvelous light.

You're no longer gonna be a slave, but you're going to be an

air and joint air with Christ. Jesus. Say this with me. Say

Jesus today, I believe you are the son of God. I believe you

died on the cross from my sins, and I believe you rose again on

the third day. And I believe you have the power to change my life.

Today. I asked you right now to forgive me of all my sins,

everything I've done wrong, to myself, to others, and to you.

I ask you forgive me. I repent, I turn away from sin,

and I turn towards you, and I confess you as my savior,

and I make you my lord. From this day forward, I choose to

follow you. I think it Jesus, because today I am your child.

I give you praise and glory in Jesus' name. Come on, give him

praise in this house. Come on, come on,