Running with Horses

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with

horses?

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the tickets by the Jordan?

If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with

horses?

If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the tickets by the Jordan?

So guys, the actual context of this verse is God saying to Jeremiah, listen, I know

you've been facing opposition from false prophets around you, but why are you getting so veered

out by false prophets that are resisting you, by priests that are resisting you?

Because there's something more that I need you to do and if you get veered out by the

human opposition you're facing right now, how in the world are you going to deal with,

in this case, horses actually means the military might of Babylon?

That's what he's actually talking about, that right now you're dealing with internal struggles

like false prophets and priests and that's beginning to suck your dry.

If that's the case, when I put you up against the military might of Babylon, the horses

of Babylon, what are you going to do?

And so this idea of running with horses is to muscle up so that God can be supernatural,

to muscle up so God can be supernatural.

The idea of running with horses is not that we run faster, but to muscle up so God can

be, hey there's too much of an echo, to muscle up so God can be supernatural.

Running with horses is natural, that's what God is saying, sorry, running with horses

is not natural, sorry, running with horses is not natural.

Everything about it is supernatural.

Everything about it is supernatural.

And so what God is saying is, can you muscle up Jacob so that I can be supernatural?

Because you're getting veered out by things that are pretty normal to human experience,

like sometimes lack in some areas, like sometimes small time fears, like sometimes trauma from

the past, like sometimes just being offended by people who may actually be causing real

offense, like sometimes a hostile boss or hostile environment.

These things are veering you out to the point where I can't put you up against anything

greater than these because this is a natural part of human experience.

So it's a very direct statement to Jeremiah, God used to deal with Jeremiah pretty strongly,

he would not give him much leeway.

This was a prophet who really served God well, but whenever he'd go off a little, God would

not give him space and I pray that the same thing be with us, that he doesn't give us

too much room to wiggle.

So if you look at Jeremiah 15 or 17 for instance, just go there for a second, you'll see Jeremiah

pretty upset with how things are working out and so he begins to complain.

When he complains, you would think God would say, oh poor Jeremiah, come let me take care

of you, not so.

Here's Jeremiah's words in Jeremiah 15 and here's what he says in verse 18 and this is

so typical of us and yet what Jeremiah was facing was far greater than what we are facing

but these words sound so similar.

You and I have said this before, Jeremiah 15 verse 18, why is my pain unending?

Jeremiah 15:18

Why my wound grievous and incurable?

Then he says to God, will you be to me like a deceptive brook, like a spring that fails?

That's what he's saying to God.

Now look at God's response.

If you repent, I'll restore you that you may serve me.

If you utter worthy not worthless words, you will be my spokesman.

Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

I will make you a wall to the people, a fortified wall of bronze.

They will fight against you, but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue

you and save you declares the Lord.

And so his response was, listen, stop talking nonsense.

Stop talking like a fool.

So he had a very short leash with Jeremiah and I pray that he has a short leash with

us so that there isn't much wiggle room when it comes to serving him because very often

what happens is the circumstances and the cares of life and the pains that we endure

choke out serving him.

Sometimes it's age, sometimes it's a pain, sometimes it's lack, sometimes it's work,

sometimes it's other commitments.

It chokes us out from running after him.

And yet his statement in Matthew 6.33 was, seek first and all other things shall be added.

So running with horses is not natural.

Everything about it is supernatural.

The question we have to ask is, do you have an appetite for the impossible?

And I deliberately use the word impossible because when we say, do you have an appetite

for the supernatural, we might say yes, but when we ask the question, do you have an appetite

for the impossible, that then throws a different spin on it.

Do you have an appetite for the impossible?

Because your God is like that, you're made in his image, your image has been restored

and he lives in you.

So do you have an appetite for the impossible?

And if I say yes, then a hungry man goes looking for it.

That's how you know someone has an appetite for something.

You have an appetite and not feed it means you don't have an appetite.

Everything about this God is supernatural and what often happens is we don't have this,

it is unnatural for us, which shouldn't be the case.

Why?

Because over a period of time, by subtle degrees, it's not a deliberate decision that we make,

but by subtle degrees, we pull away from your kingdom come, your will be done, here on earth

as it is in heaven.

Your kingdom come, your will be done.

On earth as in heaven, we pull away from this.

In this lies the work of the supernatural God.

We pull away from this, all of us.

When I first came to Canada 31 or 32 years ago, I remember I was like fresh off the Christian

boat and just had such a passion for everything that had to do with healing and miracles

and the supernatural.

I remember talking about it when I first came here and people would look at you strange.

People would look at you like, oh, you must be one of those Ramah faith guys and they

would keep a healthy distance from you because faith guys had developed a reputation here

so you couldn't talk openly about it because you would be branded as one of them.

And subtly it begins to take a toll because Western civilization and now all over the

world rationalizes things.

And you cannot rationalize the supernatural so subtly you begin to withdraw.

You begin to get quieter.

And the strange thing is though out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, when

you stifle the mouth, the heart begins to stop thinking that way.

On one hand, Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth will speak.

But if one deliberately stifles one's mouth, then eventually what is inside the heart will

begin to die.

And that's why sometimes during worship, I made a statement earlier on before we were

singing.

I said, if my heart is aligned with God, my heart will begin to sing and my mouth will

speak and my body will respond.

I didn't elaborate it that way but that's what I was saying.

And when you decide that your mouth will not speak, the heart becomes dry.

It works both ways.

Yeah, so sometimes when the heart wants to speak, say something.

Sometimes when the heart wants to flip your elbows a little, flip them.

Don't go all the way up.

At least do this.

Na na na na na na na na na na na na.

So, pardon?

How do I know that?

I'm as old as you.

Oh, by the way, I wanted to take a poll on this question.

If someone is 54 years old and eight months, should they come or should they not come to

the event?

They should, right?

Yeah.

Dilna, you have to come.

I don't know if you remember but when I turned 55, Nick gave me a blow up of the Denny Senior's

menu.

He went and blew it up.

He made a big poster of the Denny Senior's menu and gave it to me.

I think it was Nick and Diana.

If you wonder why you've never been invited since.

Yeah, I'm only concerned about Dilna.

I don't care about anyone else.

Okay, guys, any questions on what we've said thus far?

Do you have an appetite for the impossible?

That's where I want to go.

And if it's missing, then there's something seriously missing in our lives, eh?

It's an aspect of God that we cannot avoid.

We may be jaded because we haven't seen things happen.

But being jaded about things that haven't happened shouldn't lead to the next thing

whereby subtle degrees we begin to withdraw.

Do you have an appetite for the impossible?

And then the next question is, what is the last impossible thing you attempted because

you felt the prompting of God?

What is the last impossible thing you attempted because you felt the prompting of God?

And if it is 10 years ago, 12 years ago, 6 years ago, then again, there's a lack of an

appetite.

What's the last impossible thing you attempted because you felt provoked by God?

Because he's the one who invites us into the impossible.

He's the one who drives up the brook chariot so that you have to go to a widow who has

a little bit of flour and oil.

Any questions before we move on?

Jesus felt that he needed to make sure that he was someone who believed in the supernatural

because your works, your works give evidence of your parentage.

As in, if you look at John 8, 39, or if you look at John 10, 37 and 38, you'll see that

Jesus says, hey, if I don't do the works of my father, don't believe me.

If I do not do the works of my father, don't believe me.

What a statement to make, hey?

What a statement to make, hey?

This church can't make that statement.

Now here, he's not talking about the works as in being friendly with each other, loving

each other, supporting each other.

This was in the context of the supernatural works of God.

And he makes the statement, if I don't do the works of my father, do not believe me.

That's what he says.

We won't be able to stand before anybody and say that.

We see occasional things happening, but it's not a normal thing for us as a church.

We shouldn't back off this, we should press more towards it.

Any questions?

Any comments?

Read John 10, 37 and 38.

If I do not do the works of my father, don't believe me.

But if I do them, even if you don't believe me, believe the works so that you might learn

and know that the father is in me and I am in the father.

Is your parentage evident?

As a church, the response is, not really.

I don't know how you would speak for yourself, but if I were to speak for the church, not

really.

Occasionally, yes.

Every so often, but not really.

Suddenly, running with horses is difficult, eh?

This is usually a ya-ya, ra-ra message and this is just going the other way.

Any questions?

Because I don't see, this is my answer, I don't see healings, signs, wonders, miracles

happening often in this church.

I see them occasionally, I hear healing reports and I see them happening in individuals' lives,

but it's not a commonplace occurrence.

Yeah.

And it's a, I don't want to say it's a shame, but I'm saying it's a shame.

No, it's not a shameful thing, but it's a shame.

Because God isn't into shaming us.

How we think will matter, therefore, so that's where we start.

How we think will matter.

Our minds inadvertently, our minds inadvertently become, our minds become the gatekeeper, our

minds become the gatekeeper of the supernatural.

Our minds become the gatekeeper of the supernatural.

Once I decide that this is not going to happen too often or this is not how God behaves anymore

or if I create a theology around miracles and signs and we're for the New Testament

time and not for us, you can do any number of acrobatics and make this a thing where

your mind now begins to guard the gate of the supernatural and as we do that inadvertently

our minds become gatekeepers of the supernatural and we do not now consider it, think about

it, expect it.

Most things in Christianity require expectation.

Another word for expectation is confident hope.

Hope.

The word hope means expectation.

So once the mind begins to not have an expectation, there is not necessarily hope that draws

you towards or faith that propels you towards this.

We all are entering that gray, foggy area.

Live in a reasoning society for a while and it'll happen.

Sometimes God sends revivals to save generations from this kind of a trap.

I take you back to the initial question.

Do we have a hunger, an appetite for the impossible?

And if we do, when was the last impossible thing that you attempted?

So to keep the mind from going that route, we have to train the mind to transform it.

And the operative word here is not trying but training.

The cool thing though is that the trainer is the Holy Spirit and he dwells, this is

your personal trainer who lives in the house, dwells in your house.

I think if I had a personal trainer living in my house, I would start, I don't know,

I'm not too sure.

I think I could end up with him putting on weight because he'd go to sleep and eat.

The operative word is training, not trying.

So if you go to 1 Corinthians 9, 1 Corinthians 9, 24 and 25, 1 Corinthians 9, 24 and 25.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?

Everyone in such a way as to get the prize, everyone who competes in the games goes into

strict training.

They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last

forever.

Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating

the air.

No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I preach to others, myself will

not be disqualified for the prize.

The trainer is the Holy Spirit, he dwells in you and he uses the word and people to

train you.

So that's the first thing when we, the moment you think of any area that you ask God to

train you in, these are seven or eight things that God will immediately start to do.

And here's the thing, guys, because God does not live in time, he's not living in your

past, present or future, he's living in the now, therefore, anything you have said to

him since you became a believer, anything you have said to him, he still holds it as

true and is faithful to it.

So if you said to him 10 years ago that, oh God, I will follow you to the ends of the

earth, I will live to serve you, even though you are not, he still remembers what you said

and he wants to be faithful to it, because when you said it, you meant it.

He doesn't live in time.

He knows your future and he knows your present-day failures, but he also knows the heart that

spoke five years ago, five months ago, five days ago, when you said, oh God, I want this,

I want you to take my heart and set it on fire, I just want to follow you at that moment

and that moment for him is not in the past, it's not in the present, it's not in the

future, it is right now.

He is faithful to it because he knows that when you said it, you were true.

So he stays faithful to it.

He doesn't back off from it.

One of the things about God, one of the words you have to add before anything God says is

the word relentless.

Whatever he does, he's relentless.

He's relentlessly kind.

He does not, at some point, stop being kind.

He's relentlessly kind.

He's relentless.

He just keeps at it, keeps at it, keeps at it, till the day that you go to meet him,

on which day you'll be perfect, but otherwise he's relentless.

So this is how he trains.

So in any area, once you say, oh God, do this, train me, he'll put these steps into action

and he won't back off.

You can back off, he won't.

He says that in Timothy.

He says, you may be faithless, but I will not be faithless.

I will be faithful.

This is why when he actually sees a spouse declaring his or her vows at a wedding and

heart, he actually believes it and will do everything till someone backs off.

That's how he does things.

He's a strange God.

He takes things at face value whenever they are sincere.

He takes things at face value whenever you're sincere.

The trainer is the Holy Spirit.

He uses people to train you.

So if today you said, oh God, train me to embrace the impossible, this process will

start.

The first thing he does is he'll help you study or divide, help you divide the word

or study it so you are approved.

That's the second thing he does.

First one is he dwells in you.

Second he begins the process.

He'll help you study the word in the area that you've asked for training.

And I pray God that before we leave here today, you ask God, oh God, in this area, I want

to be ready.

Can you train me?

And in that area, this process will kick in.

Why?

Because he does want you to run with horses.

It's his thing.

You see it in 1 Kings 18, Elijah is praying for rain.

Ahab has gotten into his chariot because Elijah said, I hear the sound of rain.

Ahab gets into his chariot.

Elijah prays.

The rain begins.

Elijah wraps up his cloak and he runs faster than the horses.

Yesterday I was at the airport in Ottawa and there's this really old lady.

She must be in her 85s or 90s and she comes back and she's grumbling to her husband.

She's saying, I don't know what the world is coming to.

There's signs on the washrooms.

The girl looks exactly like the guy.

I walked into the guy's washroom.

Cloak, robe, they all look the same nowadays on all these.

It doesn't relate, but it suddenly came to mind.

But here's another question.

No, let's not go there.

Help divide the word or study it so you're approved.

Next one.

Do you know the deposit?

Do you know the deposit of your inheritance?

Do you know the deposit of your inheritance as in?

Do you have an idea of God's main work for you over the next four to five years?

Because if you do, you'll have an idea of where God will want to train you.

What is it that you want?

Let's take the impossible.

Is your area of specialty finances?

Then the impossibility that God will bring you into will be in the area of finances.

Is your area of ability starting a business?

Then he'll do the impossible with your business.

Is it to do with singing?

Then he'll do the impossible in singing.

Is it to do with being a pastor?

Then he'll help you to do things impossible in terms of pastoring.

Is it in parenting?

What is your area of specialty?

Is it a particularly difficult nation?

Is it sports?

Is it counseling?

Is it being intelligent and highly intellectual?

What is it in the area that you kind of know God wants you to focus on for the next four

to five years, you'll find an area that he really wants to train you in so that you'll

be splendid in displaying his glory.

Fourth one.

This is a hard one.

Diligence.

Diligence is when you take custody of things and make a decision.

And make a decision.

It's when you take things into custody.

This is when you decide.

You will step up no matter what the cost.

And every decision does one simple thing.

It prioritizes.

All decision making starts with one simple thing.

I will step up.

And the moment you say you step up, how do you know someone stepped up?

They prioritize.

That's the first step.

And the moment you prioritize, what happens?

Your time, your affections move towards what you have prioritized.

Your time and your affections move towards what you have prioritized.

Diligence is when you take custody of things.

You decide I am going to grab this with both my hands and I have now decided that I will

prioritize this.

And the moment you prioritize it, your time and your affections are directed towards it.

How do you know someone's prioritized something?

Invariably time and affections change.

How do you know you are prioritizing your spouse?

Your time and affections are directed towards the person.

How do you know you are prioritizing chess, hockey, church?

Your time and affections are set towards it.

Diligence.

It is not possible to go to the next step, which is discipline, without diligence.

Yeah.

They are kind of sequential, but they can interchange, but it follows a certain way

of...

Discipline is putting the decision into practice.

Discipline is putting the decision into practice.

Discipline is putting the decision into practice.

And once you do that, a rhythm, God develops a rhythm for you.

And once a rhythm develops, your choices are consistent.

It's beautiful when this works.

Your choices are consistent.

And once your choices are consistent, you become successful.

It's very simple, guys.

But it's beautiful.

It's so simple and beautiful.

And I pray, God, that some of us are able to do this in response, that we actually do

this in certain areas of our life today.

So diligence is when you decide and your decision is easily visible through how you prioritize

And priorities, as soon as you prioritize, time and affections are channeled a particular

way.

Time, affections, money.

When time and affections are prioritized, money will be prioritized.

After that comes discipline.

Discipline is putting the decision into practice, as in, can I do this again and again and again

and again?

And what it does is, it creates a rhythm.

Now there's a rhythm.

There's a new rhythm of grace.

And when God is involved, it's gracious.

It's full of grace.

There's a rhythm of grace.

Once that rhythm of grace comes in, your choices are consistent.

It's always this, you're making godly choices consistently.

You're not going up and down.

Consistent godly choices.

And when consistent godly choices happen, you become successful.

The secret to successful Christian living is consistency, nothing else.

Anyone who's doing well in any area in Christianity is there, not because of anointing, not because

of gifting, not because of talent, not because of external pressures.

One thing, consistency.

Samson was talented, gifted, strong, and had the hand of God upon him.

But he did not have this.

He did not have discipline.

Because he would never take custody of things, even though he knew the deposit of God in

his life, even though he had the spirit of God dwelling in him.

You don't know how critical these two steps are, guys.

You can have the Holy Spirit.

You can have the anointing, the gifting, the talent.

You don't know the thousands and thousands of highly gifted, highly talented believers

who have the Holy Spirit, who know their purpose, that do not amount to what they need to because

steps are missing.

That's when you have to use smoke and mirrors so that it comes out well.

Consistent Christian living, nah.

Any questions?

Just imagine, God today will respond in these ways once we decide that, oh God, could you

train me in this area?

I mean, you ask any musician here whether they had to do this and they'll say yes.

Their fingers were sore, their wrists hurt, a whole lot of things went wrong.

Next one.

When it comes to God, it's impossible to train without dependence because he thinks

very highly of the body.

Dependence is training together.

Dependence is training together because we are one body and we are members of each other.

I can't train my elbow without getting my forearm and wrist and lower arm involved.

I cannot train just the elbow.

It's pointless training the elbow.

All you can get to do if you train your elbow is do that slam and like the wrestling thingy.

But other than that, the elbow doesn't help at all.

But if you train the entire arm, then it changes.

So the next step is dependence and these are steps that God will take over and he'll stop

when I resist any of these steps because he won't force me.

He'll create circumstances to help me, but he won't force me.

Dependence is training together so that you stand in formation or battle formation.

One of the reasons Roman armies were highly victorious was just because of this.

They used to take their shields, phalanxes, and then they would begin to create such formations

where if the arrows were coming, all the shields would go up and none of them would be hit.

If there were spears coming, they would all shut their shields together and just after

everyone's come, it would open for a second and there would be a thrust.

They had different formations.

Dependence is training together because we are members of each other.

The next one is demonstration.

Demonstration.

Demonstration is the visible evidence of training.

It's the visible evidence of training.

I think I've shared this before.

When you drive from LA to San Diego, at one point on the side of the road, right on the

beach, that's where the SEAL teams are trained.

If you look carefully, you'll see these mock-ups of houses in the desert or in some Eastern

European country or wherever they're supposed to go next, they set the whole thing up and

you can see them training on the beach there, but they set the whole thing up and the only

thing they don't use is live ammunition.

Everything else is real and so demonstration is the visible evidence of training and this

happens during training.

It happened in Daniel's life.

It happened in Joseph's life.

In all our lives, we don't realize how much God actually uses circumstances to train us

for the real thing.

When you struggle with things, always change the word from struggle to wrestle, guys.

It's not semantics.

It's important.

Whenever you're struggling with things, you're struggling with somebody, you're struggling

with an issue, you're struggling with your own sin, you're struggling with how you think,

then go the route of struggle, go the route of wrestle.

Change the word.

Struggle almost seems like self-defeating.

Wrestling is you're going to get through.

How you don't know, but God sees, my God, this boy wants to get through.

At present, he may be offended with someone.

At present, he may not like someone.

At present, he may be pressed down by this issue, but he is wrestling through it.

And you'll hear a scripture here or you'll have someone say something else there or you'll

read something and slowly the pieces begin to come through and you get through.

God uses circumstances continuously to train us so that we can demonstrate the area.

Joseph, right from when he was a kid, he was being trained for?

Princip.

Every situation in his life.

David, the guy had to learn not to slay Saul so that he could be a legitimate king without

taking Saul's life into his own hands.

Joshua and Caleb trained 40 years ahead for a glorious 40 years later.

It's happening every day.

Our God takes what you asked for at face value.

That is what we mustn't forget.

He remembers everything I have said from day two of me being one again to day before yesterday.

And he knows the failures in between, but he remembers each of them as if it just happened

because he lives in now, not in the past or present or future.

He remembers.

This is why sometimes when you go for a meeting or in your prayer meeting or you're listening

to 106.5 or something, you'll hear something and immediately you'll remember,

ah shucks, I said this 20 years ago.

It just so happens that it happens that God is such a master orchestrator.

I was sitting on a bench in Central Park the day before yesterday, and I'm telling the

Lord that Father, I messed up in this area.

I really messed up.

One, I want you to just forgive me for not obeying, for messing up, and two, I need a

new break.

Give me a new start.

My words, I was writing a psalm, so I write there, bring me new.

As in, you're the only one who can give me new.

I want to start again because I didn't obey you in this area and messed up.

Bring me new.

I finished that, and a guy comes and sits right next to me on the bench.

He had so many benches to choose from, but he sits right next to me in the bench, and

he's got a bag in which he has his lunch, and he pulls out his lunch.

On the bag are just the simple word, Naya.

Now, it doesn't mean anything to anyone who doesn't speak Hindi, but Naya in Hindi is

just the simple word, new.

I said to him, can I take a picture of your bag?

He said, sure.

I took a picture of his bag, and then I continued with my psalm, how do you keep doing this?

You just love me so much.

I just dedicate my entire life to you.

You buy me a bag to set me free, but even if you set me free, nail my ear to the ear

all because I want to be a slave for life.

You can ask me anything.

Why?

Because I just asked him to bring me new, and he turns up, a guy turns up with a bag

that has the word Naya in it, which is basically another word for new.

Why share the story?

Because he will do this to remind you of the things that you want, and that he's continuously

training you towards, and he will be faithful even when you are faithless, but the great

thing about him being faithful is you can run back and start again.

You can run back and start again.

You can run back in the next two minutes with just a whispered word saying, I want

to start again.

That's all.

And he begins the process.

See, the thing with God is he likes words, but he knows heart.

So he recognizes the heart immediately, and then he waits for your words.

You know why he waits for your words?

Because he wants you to express yourself.

It's important to him that you hear the desires of your heart, because he knows your heart.

As you speak, your desires get expressed.

When people don't talk, their desires don't get expressed, both in worship and in prayer.

When people don't talk, you do not express your desires.

If you do not express your desires, you actually do not have a framework for your desires.

They're like those tweety birds that spin around in your head.

They have to be put into words.

Demonstration is the visible evidence of training, and it's a measure of your faithfulness during

the process.

See?

It's a measure of your faithfulness during the process.

And if you're not faithful, God will just keep training, because he ain't relenting.

Remember, he is relentless.

He is relentless.

Last one, demand.

That's the last, for now, maybe you can add more to it later, demand.

He begins to place a demand once he trains.

He places a demand once he trains.

He places a demand once he trains.

And why?

So that you may be stretched, and you can shrink back, but he will stretch you.

You can shrink back, but he will stretch you.

Why does he stretch you?

Because you have to die to be fruitful.

And when he places a demand, it is always to bring you into the unfamiliar, because

unfamiliarity brings new life.

Beautiful again.

Anyone who wants to be trained to go back into the familiar is one who has to start

over and over again.

It will be Groundhog Day for you, only the heavenly variety.

It will just go on and on, it will be a repeat.

But once he trains, he will demand, he places a demand on those that he trains.

And the demand is always stretching, always stretching.

And when it stretches, we usually back off, we have excuses.

When there's a possibility of us being stretched, we come up with excuses.

And the intent of stretching is fruitfulness is impossible without dying.

Something has to die for fruit to happen.

And so demand will always bring you into the unfamiliar, and the unfamiliar always brings

out new life.

So should you ask today in an area to be trained, these are the things that will begin

to kick in.

Any questions on this?

But please ask, because it's a highly enjoyable product, like fruitful process.

And this is what you were made for.

So even while I'm talking, think of an area that you want to be trained in.

If you don't move into, what happens is when God places a demand, put things to work.

If we don't, we lose the opportunity and the power that was there.

When God places a demand, put it to work.

Otherwise opportunity and power is delayed or lost.

Because one of the things Satan loves doing, and it's from Matthew 13, verse 19, when

Matthew 13:19

the seed of the word is scattered into your life, if you let it lie there, then the birds

come in, take them away.

So when something is given to you, don't delay it, either say no or say yes, that is better.

But don't let it lie, because when you let it lie, the birds come in, pick it, and the

opportunity is lost.

Say no, it's better, it'll come back.

Remember he's relentless and he heard your honest desire 20 years ago or 20 minutes ago.

But say yes or no, don't leave it lying.

You don't need to understand everything, understanding comes as it unfolds.

You don't need to understand everything.

You don't need to understand the whole process, it comes as it unfolds.

It comes as you walk.

Here's a scary thing.

When God says something to you, if you don't move into it, into that experience, the word

he said is locked in your mind and you think it's active.

You think it's active when actually it's rusting.

That's a subtle thing.

You hear this, I've done this, you may have done this, where you say, you know, God said

to me that he's going to do this and God said to me he's going to do this and God had a

prophetic word and he said he's going to do this.

And then you realize that four years have gone by and you're still saying the same thing

to different people.

Why?

Because it was received and it's locked in your mind and because it's locked in your

mind and you're playing around with it, you think it's active when really it's rusting.

Because nothing's been done with it.

God said this.

If you don't move into the experience, the word he said is locked in your mind and you

think it's active when actually it's rusting.

There'll be a special crown for you guys for reading this, sir, when you get to heaven.

Go ahead, Vivian.

I can't hear you.

Where does God's timing come into play?

You begin the walk and then see how God works it out.

Because if God has said something, then I must begin the process.

Then how it happens, how long it takes, not in my hand.

Mine is only to obey.

And delayed obedience is not obedience.

The question is, how do you know that you're doing what God asked you to do?

God asked you to do the right way.

Let's assume that it's the wrong way, okay, that you're doing it.

Who is he?

He's your father.

What does he see in you?

A desire to obey.

What does a father do when a child wants to obey and is getting it wrong?

He?

Correct.

That's the worst case scenario.

And should I fail?

He has the opportunity to help me restart again.

Why?

Heart.

He can bring a guy to sit next to me saying, I bring new, start again.

Kind God.

Relentless in his kindness.

You can't remove the fatherhood of God from anything he does.

Go ahead, James.

Yeah.

Anytime God says something and I take...

If a word is spoken by God and if I don't put it into practice, what happens?

Anytime I hear something from God and I let it lie, and let's say I take it up five years

from now, I have less time to fulfill it.

God can accelerate it, but why even delay it?

Step into it right away.

The longer I take, the lesser time I have to do what I had seven years for.

So now I get...

I mean, God can accelerate things, but why?

Go through that.

Go ahead, Amari.

Emily, go ahead.

I didn't hear you.

Just pull down your mask.

How do you know...

If it's happening in my mind...

If you think it's active in your mind, how do you know whether it's working or not?

Yeah.

What action have you taken?

Whenever something is said to you, what action have you taken?

The question was, if it's in your mind, how do you know whether you're working it out

or not working it out?

My response is, if something is said to me, what action have I taken?

Have I initiated an action?

Have I obeyed the first step?

I may not know any other step, but have I obeyed the first step?

It's all God wants.

Either obey the three steps I told you or the one step I told you or show your faith

by the way you see, the way you speak, the way you act.

Two things.

One, did you obey the steps that I asked you?

Two, let's say I didn't give you any step, but you believe what I said.

How are you looking at life now?

What are you confessing and how have you acted on it?

Even if there was nothing to go on, God didn't say do this or do that, but He said something

to you.

How do you see now?

What is the lens you use?

How do you speak now based on what you've heard and how are you acting?

That's how we go about it.

When there's no steps to obey, you still are able to do that.

Sometimes we have to accept the fact that when you put things into practice, when you

put things into practice, let's even forget receiving a word from God.

Let's take a word that already exists in the Bible, like go pray and the sick will be healed.

Go cast out demons and the demons will be cast out.

Let's take the simple things.

Let's not even go to the other side.

The things that are already established that we are still struggling with.

So let's take Mark 16, 16-18 that we are still struggling with, which is why I said I cannot

say that this church thinks or behaves supernatural.

So if you went with what Jesus said, when you put things He said into practice, you

may not get it right 100%.

We better accept that.

I would like to get it right 100%, but you may not get it right 100%.

But you will learn every time you try it.

And you can press him because he is faithful.

There may be some of us here who tried things when God said something, tried things that

were written in the Word and it did not work and it's kind of jaded you.

It's kind of pushed you back.

It's kind of made you think, I don't want to try this again.

Two responses to that.

Yes, God understands how you felt in terms of being let down and yes, you need to repent.

It's both.

Yes, He understands how you felt when you went out and did what He said and it backfired

or you're gun-shy now, once bitten, twice shy kind of a thing.

On the other hand, repent because He is faithful.

He is true.

He is holy.

Repent.

It's both.

It's not one or the other.

Janelle, is that a hand up or just a hand on your head?

Hand on your head, okay.

So you might not get it 100% right.

You might start praying for people that are sick and only hit 30%, but you will learn

and you can press in further till you get to 40, 50.

What's the ultimate bar?

Jesus.

Real likeness is so precious and if you still have it, hold on to it for dear life, eh?

You have to repent of being jaded and hesitant and apprehensive about stepping up and doing

things God has clearly said in the Word or doing things that God has spoken to you.

You need to repent of it as in, say, I am sorry, O God, that in my experience I now

distrust you because you are holy, faithful, good, perfect and you do not fail and you

do not let me down.

But this has colored my psyche now and it is how I live.

So on one hand, God is saying, I understand how you felt.

On the other hand, God is saying, stop saying nonsense.

But again, like I said, it's Jeremiah 15.

When we were new Christians, failure didn't seem to bother us.

When I prayed for a blind man and he didn't get healed, my immediate response was to go

read the Word.

Why didn't he get healed?

Now when a blind man doesn't get healed, you won't pray for the second blind man who comes

along.

Child likeness is precious.

Oh, what a shame that our children grow up into people.

It's precious.

All of us still have it.

It's just covered with layers, man.

When a young Muslim boy died, I took the pastor of the church and we are standing over his

grave.

Oh God, he's dead and they buried him because they wouldn't allow me to pray for him in

the mosque.

Now that he's buried, oh God, after everybody's left, could you wake him up because you know

I live in Goodabia.

You can direct him home and I'll take care of him.

Absurd, silly, ridiculous, but childlike prayer.

And the pastor standing beside me saying, yes, Lord, yes, Lord, I'm thinking of myself.

For him to encourage childlike faith.

But I wish we could go back there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Use reason for everything and know that when it comes to science, miracles, wonders and

the supernatural, it always is beyond logic and reason.

So it's like two separate worlds literally.

One world you use reason, and by the way, do you think if the fall hadn't happened,

reason and speculation would have happened?

No, because there would be no doubt.

Reason entered with doubt.

There was no need to reason before doubt entered.

When doubt entered, reason entered, speculation entered.

I'm sorry, guys, I don't know why I can't hear.

Why when God has given you science and you are walking close to God, but everybody else

doubts the science, that's the beauty of walking in faith.

Everybody else doubts it.

Now show me your faith.

You think people didn't doubt Joseph?

You think people didn't doubt Jesus?

You think people didn't doubt Moses?

They were going to stone the poor guy.

You didn't think people doubted David?

This is the beauty of science and wonders.

You are standing saying, God is going to do this, and the entire world is laughing and

saying, Noah, we don't even know what rain looks like, and you're going to say that it's

going to flood the earth?

Faith ain't faith if it's not challenged.

I remember this guy who saw an episode of Faith in My Life, and at the end of the day,

he was a Muslim, and this is what he said, tell me something, Jacob, how does your God

speak because mine does not?

Why?

Because Psalm 40 kicks in.

Many will see and many will fear and put their trust in the Lord.

But what is the process?

I waited patiently for the Lord.

He turned and heard my cry.

He lifted me up from the miry clay.

He set my feet on the rock to stay.

Now many will see and many will fear and put their trust in the Lord.

God proves your metal, M-E-T-T-L-E, and if you stick with him, it'll smell of Yahweh,

and the aroma of Yahweh is life-giving.

Next time we'll talk about how do we deal with disappointment?

How do we deal with disappointment?

How do you deal with the signs that didn't come to pass?

How do you deal with the things you stood for and they didn't happen?

How do you deal with things you're presently standing for that haven't come to pass?

How do you deal with the number of people that you prayed for, some dear to you, your

dad, your mom, your sister, your brother, your child, and nothing happened?

How do you deal with that disappointment and not sweep it under the carpet?

How do you actually deal with it so that you can run with the horses?

Because sometimes these things that happen in our lives literally hamstring the horse

from running.

It literally breaks the kneecaps of the horse, and so you have horses that are hobbling around

but not running, and so next week we'll deal with that.

How do we deal with that?

Because we have to, eh?

Otherwise we will be afraid of embracing the impossible.

So before we break bread, I want you to begin to think of one area that you need training

in.

One area.

Yeah?

Can you just think of it for a minute or two?

One area that you want to be trained in.

The area that I want to be trained in is, Father, how, oh God, can I embrace the impossible?

Can I embrace the life that you lived of signs, miracles, and wonders?

And how, if I can do that, can we all as a church begin to embrace it?

That's my cry.

Train me, oh God, in that.

What do you need to train me in?

Not take the glory, be more humble, learn more of the word, be bolder, go out.

What is it?

All of it.

What is yours?

What are you calling out to God to train you in?

Just ask, eh?

And then he'll begin this process.

Why?

Because if you're sincere, oh my God, he is faithful.

And if you're not sincere, he helps you become sincere.

Can you turn with me to Exodus 12?

And the Lord begins to give instructions to Moses.

The first instruction is in verse two.

This month is to be for you the first month.

The first month of your year.

Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month, each man is to

take a lamb for his family, one for each household.

That's the second instruction.

The third instruction is in verse five.

The animals you choose must be a year old male without defect, and you may take them

from the sheep or the goats.

The fourth instruction is from verse seven.

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames

of the houses where they eat the lambs.

Next one, verse 11.

This is how you are to eat it.

With your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in hand.

Eat it in haste, it's the Lord's Passover.

Next one, verse 12.

On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn, both men

and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.

I am the Lord.

Next one, verse 13.

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I

will pass over.

No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

Next one, verse 14.

This is the day you are to commemorate for generations to come.

You shall celebrate it, celebrate it, celebrate it as a festival to the Lord, a lasting ordinance.

Next instruction, verse 15.

For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast.

Next instruction, verse 17.

Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread because it was on this very day that I brought your

divisions out of Egypt.

Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for generations to come.

Next one, verse 22.

Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin.

Put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the door frame.

Not one of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.

Next one, verse 25.

When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.

Next one was a response in verse 27 and 28.

Then the people bowed down and worshipped.

The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded, Moses and Aaron.

Then the last one is verse 29.

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt from the firstborn of Pharaoh who

sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon and the firstborn

of all the livestock as well.

Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night and there

was loud wailing in Egypt for there was not a house without someone dead.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, up, leave my people, you and

the Israelites.

Go worship the Lord as you have requested.

Take your flocks and your herds as you have said and go and also bless me.

The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country for otherwise they said

we will all die.

A million people, held captive for 400 years, delivered in a night.

This is, the God we serve is a supernatural God of the impossible who likes rolling up

his sleeve and showing his mighty right hand.

Where is that God?

Where is that God?

He must be seen in our midst because he is the one we worship.

Hunger for it guys, hunger for it, yeah?

And so as we eat bread, oh God, we say, we welcome you supernatural, delivering miraculous

I Am.

We welcome you.

Use us, show us, train us so that the world may see the lion of Judah and not some domesticated

cat.

The lion of Judah and the lamb of God.

And so as we eat this, we are reminded of Revelations 5.

I looked up and I saw the lion of Judah and I looked again and I saw the lamb of God.

We celebrate both today.

We celebrate it.

We don't eat this solemnly.

There'll be a shout in the camp, oh God.

The shout of the king is in the camp.

That's how we lead the sabbath.

Hearts charged.

I remember the scene from Braveheart where the people begin to gather themselves together

because they know that victory can be theirs.

Rally us Holy Spirit around the Christ, around the Christ.

Rally us oh God.

He is our champion.

He is the one that rides the white horse with a sash across his chest which says King of

Kings and Lord of Lords.

This is who we celebrate today.

We eat as an army will eat.

We eat as an army will eat.

In Jesus name, Amen.

We eat and drink, guys.

Tony, can you do that song, Counselor, Mighty God, the last one you had?

I saw the notes there.

Sing that one.

This one.

This is the song, right?

So we thank you Father as we eat.

We eat and drink your body and blood.

We want to be followers of the divine warrior.

Guys, remember to confess with your mouth what you think of God this week, eh?

Become tired of the coping mechanisms that Christians preach.

Be defiant.

Follow the line of Judah.

When you are sick this week, go to him.

Ask him, the healer, the divine warrior, to touch your body.

When you are in need, call out to him.

Let him be strong on your behalf.

Beautiful words.

The eyes of the Lord roam to and fro looking for someone on whose behalf he may show himself

strong.

He is not even asking you to be strong.

He is saying show me a loyal heart so that I may be strong on your behalf.

He wants to be the doer.

Go ahead.

So eat and drink.

I won't be saying the rest.

Eat and drink.

Eat and drink with the king.

Let there be a shout of the king in our midst as we sing this song, eh?

The shout of the king.

There's only one strong enough to save.

There's only one who overcame the grave.

There's only one who's worthy of all praise.

In his hands, the keys of dead and hell.

And in his name, a power that can heal.

By his blood, our sins are washed away.

His name is Jesus.

His name is Jesus.

His name is wonderful, counselor, almighty God.

The nations kneel and glorify the Lord.

Let all the earth tremble before he comes.

He will judge the living and the dead.

The Son of Man coming on the clouds with trumpet sound.

And every knee will bow and tongue confess the name above all things.

His name is Jesus.

His name is Jesus.

His name is wonderful, counselor, almighty God.

He's counselor.

He's mighty God.

He's the prince of peace.

The omnipotent.

He's wonderful.

He's radiant.

The almighty God.

His name is Jesus.

His name is Jesus.

His name is wonderful, counselor, almighty God.

He's counselor.

He's mighty God.

He's the prince of peace.

The omnipotent.

He's wonderful.

He's radiant.

The almighty God.

We worship you.

We give our lives to you.

Oh, we sing out.

Oh, we cry out.

We worship you.

We give our lives to you.

Oh, we sing out.

Oh, we cry out.

His name is Jesus.

His name is Jesus.

His name is wonderful, counselor, almighty God.

If you need prayer, there'll be people here to pray with you.

Otherwise, thank you, church.

Otherwise, thank you, church.

We will get to where we need to, yeah?

This is a heart's desire.

I know it's your desire.

And tomorrow, remember?

Hi.

What's your name?

Andy.

Hi, Andy.

Welcome.

I wasn't sure if you had been here before.

Welcome.

He's Prashanth's friend, and so go say hi to him.

And tomorrow, 7 p.m., turn up, eh?

Yeah.