Sermon
303 ~ INHERITING THE RESURRECTION LIFE - Part 3
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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We welcome you to the We Are Zion sermon podcast.
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We are a church based out of Chennai, India.
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We are thrilled that you tuned in today and hope that you will
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be refreshed, revived, and energized by what you hear.
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Our desire is that you will live life with a renewed sense of
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purpose that stems from a vibrant faith in Jesus.
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Jesus is the giver of life and when we invite him into our
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heart, he brings new life into every aspect of our life.
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This Lent, we pray that you will experience this new life in
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amazing ways and carry its power into the world so that all may
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know the way, the truth, and the life.
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Just preaching today on this topic for me personally has been
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so encouraging. I'm going to be talking today
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about the power, the new life inheriting the resurrection
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life. The element of the power, new
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life we're talking about is the power of God and just being in a
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nation in a state where the river is the source of their
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power and realizing that's actually useless.
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Imagine we are in the we took the children on the gun, the
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Ganges boat ride. So all, like about 15 of us went
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on the Ganges to lighten the mood because there were bodies
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being burnt on the guts. We saw a dead body floating by
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with this belly swollen. It was a man.
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The smells all around, devotees dipping themselves in that
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eternal flame. There's one gut where there's a
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flame just constantly burning. And there these particular
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sadhus who are dressed a certain way, who eat flesh, they put
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ashes on themselves. These are the things that you're
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looking at to lighten the mood. We gave our children Geshom got
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a lot of chips and biscuits for all of them, just to kind of
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lighten it. But it doesn't escape you that
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for many, they think that river is the source of their power.
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We saw a woman, we were finishing the boat ride, getting
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off the boat. The the banks of the river are
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filthy. She's standing knee deep in it,
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drinking the water, pouring it on her head.
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And it breaks your heart. And so I was asking, Calvin,
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what did you learn out of this whole trip in the airport?
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And he said, people here are doing so much to please their
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God, to make him happy. I'm so glad we have Jesus.
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We are the most blessed. That's all I can say.
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And when we inherit this new life, we inherit power.
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Too many of us are living powerless lives.
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We're living lives as if we are, you know, completely on a life,
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on our ventilator, needing life support constantly.
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God is calling us into a place of living powerfully.
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Philippians chapter 3 verses 8 to 11.
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Indeed, I count. Everything is lost because of
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the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord.
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For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count
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them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in
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Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the
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law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the
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righteousness from God that depends on faith.
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That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and
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may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death,
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That by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the
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dead. It's very interesting.
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It says that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection
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and may share His sufferings. We want the power, but we don't
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want the sufferings. But the sufferings are the route
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through which he takes us when power is being generated.
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So for the Christian, there is no way of getting the power
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without the hardship. So if you're walking through a
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hard season, you're in great company.
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If you're in a good season, we thank God with you.
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But some of these things don't last forever.
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The Christian journey is is is almost like a road with
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wilderness. And then there's the seasons of
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promise, and then there's wilderness again.
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And in the through it all, the thing that is constantly
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growing, God willing, is the power of God in you.
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What does this power entail exactly?
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You might ask me, what does it look like?
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I get it, I get that there's power.
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What does it look like? Ephesians 118 to 21.
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I want you all to highlight these 3 verses.
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And if possible, if you can, I think on our screensavers now
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you can put a verse if you can put it as your daily declaration
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and read it. I've done it every day this
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week. I believe something is changing.
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Ephesians 118 to 21. It says, I pray that the eyes of
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your heart may be enlightened, in order that you may know the
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hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious
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inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power
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for us who believe that power is the same as the mighty strength
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He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at
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His right hand. In the heavenly realms, far
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above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every
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name that is invoked not only in the present age but also in the
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one to come. Now the word for power is many.
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The primary word in the New Testament is dunamis, which is
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like this creative supernatural power that births miracles and
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signs and wonders. But in this passage all the
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versions of that word are found, which is very interesting.
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But I want you to 1st get rid of any mental image you have of
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power. Those of you who watch Marvel
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movies, if you've seen The Scarlet, which you know how she
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just has to her whole acting is this.
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The guys who work behind the scenes do all the effects, but
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half the time she's only holding her hands like this.
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And then you see the Hulk, who has brute strength, You see Thor
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with his hammer. They all have something which
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attributes might and strength and power and all of that.
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But you need to get rid of those ideas for a time, because this
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power that God has given us through the resurrection power
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of Jesus is very, very dynamic. It is multifaceted.
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One of the meanings Dunamis comes with in the association of
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creation of life in the womb. Hebrews, 1111.
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If you can highlight that by faith, Tara herself received
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Dunamis power to conceive even when she was past the age, since
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she considered him faithful who had promised.
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When Geshram talked about hope last week, he talked about a
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regeneration. He talked many times on the
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online at least about regeneration of arteries and
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this and that. This week when I was preparing
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for it, the Lord was really asking me.
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He said doctors are saying fallopian tubes are stuck.
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I regenerate that my power does it.
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God is the doctors are telling you your ovaries have such and
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such issue. I will regenerate because that
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is the power. The one who created breathes
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life into wombs. Sara received Dunamis power.
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It is a creative energy. Mark 16 verses 17 to 18 says
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these miracle signs will accompany those who believe.
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They will drive out demons in the power of my name.
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They will speak in tongues. They will be supernaturally
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protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous.
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They will lay hands on the sick and heal them.
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Same word. Dunamis, science, wonders,
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miracles, speaking in tongues, healing the sick.
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Desire for these things. Do not mock those who speak in
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tongues. Desire for it.
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It edifies your soul. When you don't have words to
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speak in the physical realm, it connects you instantly to
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another realm. You are speaking secrets to your
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Father. Please, I encourage you to seek
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earnestly for the gift of tongues and its interpretation.
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Dunamis, there's another power that is mentioned in this, which
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is exusia. Exusia is the power that comes
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from delegated authority. God gave Jesus authority.
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Jesus gave us authority. You and I are people with
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authority. We've shared this before.
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You see the cops outside, they have authority.
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And then you have some volunteers who wear a luminous
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shirt and stand. They don't actually have
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terribly great authority, but they've got delegated authority
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to direct traffic. You and I are not even at that
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level. We are at traffic police level.
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God has given you authority to stand against the powers of
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darkness to take up what was stolen.
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You and I have that authority. Luke 10, verse 19.
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I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
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and to overcome all the power of the enemy.
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Nothing will harm you. This is this delegated
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authority. You and I, we have that
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authority our children carry. That authority doesn't have to
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go through us. Our children carry that direct
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delegated authority. The next that is mentioned is
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Iskus. Iskus is physical strength and
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might we talk about Samson having strength and power?
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That is this and interestingly it's mentioned by Jesus in Luke
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1027. He says ants.
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He said love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
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your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.
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Love is your and love your neighbor as yourself.
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God is asking people, will you love me with all your might?
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A lot of people hesitate to worship with their bodies.
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Loving Him with your strength. You know every time I worship, I
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make it a point to lift both my hands.
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You know why my daughter was asking me recently?
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Why do you always lift both hands, mummy?
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Because when I came out of my surgery, the doctor first
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checked whether I had a stroke by asking me to lift my hands.
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If my hands were unequal, I had suffered A yoke, a stroke.
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So every time I lift my hands, I'm telling God with all my
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might I will worship you because I almost lost this and I will
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never take it for granted. How many of you when during
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worship, decide this is a better posture?
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You may not be feeling it, but the enemy to our power is our
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feelings. Amen.
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I don't feel like it today. The enemy to your walking in
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power is your feelings. Your feelings are not a bad
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thing. They are important, but they're
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not all important. Too many of you are not living
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in the power of God. Because today I feel too tired.
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Today I'm having fatigue. Today I have this problem, today
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I don't have money. Your feelings are real, but they
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cannot be the driving force of your faith.
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It has to move past your feelings into a place or saying
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the living power of God is in me.
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Yes, I don't feel like worshipping, but I will worship.
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Yes, I don't feel like giving, but I will give.
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That is what God is calling. Will you love Him with all your
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might? And finally, the other word that
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is mentioned for power is Kratos, which is my favorite
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because in this season God has been impressing on us.
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The territory has arrived. Will you take Dominion?
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Last year we were positioned, this year we're taking it.
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It is your job to take back what the enemy stole.
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Dominion is yours. Hebrews 214 says since the
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children have flesh and blood, he too Jesus shared in their
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humanity, so that by his death he might break the power of him
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who holds the power of death. That is the devil.
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Picture a map and we always think, oh you know what?
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Varanasi is overrun by the enemy.
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But when I was in Ruth and Jeremy's house, when I went to
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that Mission Hospital, you know, you can feel that light has
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broken through because they're taking territory.
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Can I ask you, in your locations in Adyar, in Tambaram, in ECR,
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are you pushing back the darkness and bringing in the
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light? Are you someone who's saying I
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refuse to accept this mandate on this pin code?
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I refuse to believe that this pin code is going to be shrouded
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in darkness. I have come in, so the power of
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God has come in with me. We are changing things.
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That's up to us. Kratos is yours.
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What you do with it matters. Why do we need this power?
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One Corinthians chapter 4 verse 20 for the Kingdom of God is not
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a matter of talk, but of power. I can't keep talking about what
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I think about it. I can't keep coming up with
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strategies if I don't get down to doing things in the power of
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God. Jesus is the supreme example of
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walking with this power constantly.
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And so when I was asking God, Lord, show me what it is we take
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back with us. Yes, we all of us unanimously
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know we have power, but many of us are not walking in it for
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reasons known only to us. But what do I, why do I really
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need this power? Because if I know the why,
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hopefully I will start walking in the fullness of it, right?
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But before I get into the three points and I want to leave with
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you as the reasons why we need this power.
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I want us to look at Jeremiah 12 verse 5 because I believe we are
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in a shift as a church, not just us, but the entire church.
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God is moving us. Jeremiah chapter 12, verse 5, if
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you can all read it, because if this is your mandate, if you
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have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can
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you compete with horses if you stumble in safe country?
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Next verse, where's that? Can somebody put verse 6 up?
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Also, if you stumble in safe country, how will you run in the
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tickets by the Jordan? That's what it says.
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OK, that's the verse. What is he talking about?
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Jeremiah has gone to God in saying you're so quiet.
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I don't know if you're just, I've done this, I question God's
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justice. I question God's timing.
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Lord, when people are waiting for so long, why are you not
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coming through? Lord, are you not just those
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people are having this miracle? Why are these people not having
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it? And he just silences Jeremiah
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with this answer. He says you're running with men
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and you're tired. I'm calling you into a season of
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running with horses. What does that mean?
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In the Bible, horses represent battle kind of strength.
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Horses usually drew Chariots. So he's saying it's typically
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possession, language, inheritance, possessing
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language. When the Israelites moved from
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wilderness to promised land, they were no longer just
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treading through the wilderness on on foot.
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No, they were going to take up Canaanite land.
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The Canaanites had iron Chariots.
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The the Hittites lived in different places.
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They were huge, the Amorites, the Jebusites.
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God is saying I'm shifting you to a season of increase, but the
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increase won't come easy. It comes with battles, it comes
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with giants, it comes with iron Chariots.
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He's saying, will you now run with horses?
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And so I'm going to bring you 3 imageries today of horses.
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You know, when you look at an engine or something with power,
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they have a unit there. What is the unit called?
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Horsepower, and when you understand why they named it
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that, because if horses were to pull some weight, the kind of
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power that is generated is so great.
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Therefore they used it as a standard unit.
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And so that there are three reasons you and I need this
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power. When I say power, let's not
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split heads. Whether you need exusia dunamis,
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it doesn't matter. You need the power of God in its
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wholeness. But the first reason you need it
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is you need power to endure. You need power to endure
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anything. You stretch a rubber band, you
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can see it's about to RIP, but it doesn't.
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At that maximum strength. It's been designed to stretch.
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Endurance is built in. You like that.
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You first. In the first few years of work,
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you have certain setbacks. The next few years you're doing
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great. But with it comes a pressure
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that's completely new. You have one child, You have one
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pressure, two children. It's a little increased 3 Max.
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You have one set of in laws to look after.
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Suddenly God moves us with the two sets of in laws to look
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after. Resilience is built in the
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stretching and God is saying you need power to endure.
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Colossians chapter one verse 11. I'm reading from the amplified.
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It says we pray that you may be strengthened and invigorated
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with all power according to his glorious might to attain every
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kind of endurance and patience with joy.
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I didn't know there were kinds of endurance, all kinds of
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endurance. So if you want a Khushi life in
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Christ, you may not have it. In the times we're living in,
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how dare we ask for a Khushi life when half the world is
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aching? We need to be asking God.
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God, give me endurance. Teach me how to be strong.
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Teach me how. Lord, no matter what storm hits
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to, there's a word in the equestrian circles, horse riding
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circles, which is very, very important to understand our
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posture as Christians. And the word is ectenos.
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Ectenos is basically when a horse rider is the jockey is
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riding the horse. The horse knows it's trained to
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reach the finish line. And so the horse, as the jockey
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is riding it, the horse stretches its neck forward and
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the muscles will get very accentuated.
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And that's stretching is what actually gets it to win ahead of
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others. Can we have the first picture of
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that horse that is stretched out, Ethanos?
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It denotes endurance. Look at the muscles on the neck.
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You and I, as Christians were built for running.
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We were built to run the race, am I right?
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We're built to run a race that Paul says you're running, you're
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running it for the long haul. But if you don't have endurance,
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if I don't have endurance, we will not make it.
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It breaks my heart when people check out of marriages
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prematurely, when you don't fight for it.
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It breaks my heart when people check out of having children
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prematurely. You know how many women I prayed
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for in Hyderabad who came and said, my husband and I have
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decided not to have children? And I said, you know what, I'm
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not going to lecture you, but you need to start reading your
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word, read the Bible. Ask God if that's a command for
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you as a believer. Don't check out prematurely.
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He is building endurance in his church.
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He's building you will go through stuff you never thought
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you will go through, but through it.
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The endurance you build will be so powerful.
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It will generate a power that others around you will be
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vibrating with. That power that's coming off
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you. I keep telling you guys is make
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yourself open to sitting at tables with overcomers.
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Stop sitting with those who will sit with you in your grief and
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cry and cry and whine. Move to the tables of
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overcomers. Move to the tables of those who
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have built endurance over 20 years, 30 years.
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Sit with those people so that you learn of them how to endure.
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Every morning this week I sat with Jeremy's mum.
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Aunty has had two strokes. If you look at her, you will not
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believe it. Endurance is built into her.
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She's hard wired for it. She comes down, she goes for a
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walk. One hour.
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She's not supposed to eat Pani Puri.
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She eats pani Puri comes and she is evangelized to everyone on
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her prayer route. She told me, Tina, I think I
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scare people into coming into the Kingdom of God, but I don't
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know how much time I have left. Two strokes, tons of blood
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thinners, endurance. What are we complaining about
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today? What are you checking out of?
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Don't quit that job in a hurry. God has put you there to train
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you. Stop complaining about the
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things you're walking through. God has trained you.
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He's equipped you more than you know.
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Ethanos means a strained stretching, saying Lord, I will
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hold on till the finish line. It's the picture of Jesus in the
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Garden of Gethsemane, crying tears that were like drops of
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blood when the Angel was strengthening him.
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That is the picture of Ethanos. When you are at your weakest,
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you stretch your hands. When you are at your wit's end,
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you don't give up. You say, Lord, I'm here, I don't
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know what to do, I'll raise my hands.
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It is that persistent prayer. It is that fasting that you do.
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It is the lament that you bring before the throne.
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Don't stop. Power to endure.
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That's the first reason you need this power.
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The second power is the power to overcome.
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Because my question when I was sitting with this was, you see
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people suffering in hospitals and you're not.
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How can at that point be telling them, oh God, he'll give you
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power to endure. The truth is, God, this does
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give you the power. Those of you who have walked
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through seasons of loss and sickness, after you come out of
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it, you wonder, how did I do that?
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That is the power of God in you. That is what it enables you to
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do. How did I walk through that
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season? My God?
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When I think about it now, it feels heavy.
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That's the power of God. But this power to endure or
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overcome and the next one which I share is a lifelong thing
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because you know what? God is in it for the long haul.
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He plays the long game. The enemy does not play for the
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long haul always. He wants quick returns, quick
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dunk in in the demonic God's not like that.
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He's in it for the long haul. One Corinthians chapter 15
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verses 56 to 57. I'm reading it from the passion
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because it's so beautiful in that it says it is sin that
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gives death its sting and the law that gives sin its power.
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But we thank God for giving us the victory as conquerors
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through our Lord Jesus the anointed one.
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We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus and I.
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We will see not just a conqueror, you're more than
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that. So overcoming is a go to
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position. When we are hit with a ton of
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breaks, my response will usually be one of fear and anxiety.
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That's OK, we are human, but we should be quick to pivot to the
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position of an overcomer. Don't stay in the position of
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weakness. Move to the position in Christ
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which is that of an overcomer. Why do I give up that position?
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Maybe there's sin. Maybe the opposition is
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tremendous, but it doesn't mean you stay underwhelmed,
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overwhelmed. It doesn't mean you feel
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completely cowed down. You move to your position in
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Christ, which is more than an overcome. 1 John chapter 5 verse
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5 says who is it that overcomes the world?
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Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
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You and I overcome when our trust is completely on Jesus,
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completely. We look at Jesus.
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He overcame death. Why?
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Completely trusted his Father's heart.
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He knew the plan. He knew what was going to
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happen. Did he struggle with it?
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Yes, he said, Lord, if possible, take this cup away from me, but
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not my will yours be done in that moment.
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He pivoted from the grief and the sorrow and the fear to a
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place of God. But I'm surrendered.
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I'll do what you say, and God is calling us into a season of
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overcoming where we will. We will feel afraid.
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When you have to run with horses, it is scary.
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When territory has to be taken, it is so fear inducing.
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But the call is to pivot to your position as an overcomer.
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Can you put the second picture of the horse?
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You know war horses. The word for War Horse is Prowse
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praus. It is the same word that Jesus
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uses in the Beatitudes when he says blessed are the meek.
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Can you believe a War Horse is trained for battle?
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So basically horses. If you read the book of Job, he
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talks about how this horse is impatiently pawing at the ground
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because it can smell battle in its nostrils.
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These are animals that were bred and born for war.
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If this horse is not broken into, it will create havoc on
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the battlefield. It will turn against the master.
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It can trample him. So if you watch any of these
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Wild West shows on TV, they first take a horse into a
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paddle, into a field which has got a boundary, and they let it
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run. It will run hours on and they
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don't have energy issues. They feed it a bit and it'll run
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in circles, and then the cowboy gets into the rink with it.
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He starts training it with a lasso.
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It doesn't like the lasso. It struggles to be held down.
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It struggles to submit. It was born to be free.
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These stallions were meant to run free in canyons, but in the
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hands of the trainer, they have to submit.
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Over months they will train it. It will kick the owner off.
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When he puts the saddle, he'll push it off.
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It's angry with the one training.
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But eventually you should watch how they break the horse.
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Do they break the strength? No, they break the will.
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The strength is harnessed. Jesus, at a word at the cross
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could have summoned legions of angels to change the scenario.
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One word. He could have just said, I can't
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do this. Sorry.
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If it was us today, we would have said that.
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Lord, I changed my mind. Sorry.
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Sorry. I can't do this.
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They're pulling my clothes. They're spitting on me.
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Sorry. God, I back off, meekness said.
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I will submit this is hard, but I will submit.
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God, I don't deserve this this season, I don't deserve this
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hardship, but I will submit to your correction.
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He will break our will. That hard hearted stubborn will
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the Lord will break. He likes teachable people, not
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because he's a narcissist, but because He's sovereign.
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He will correct us in that place.
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He will let us run around in circles.
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How many of you have been gone through that?
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I cannot wait. God, I cannot wait.
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He'll say run for some time. You burn that energy off.
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Eventually He will bring us into a place of meekness.
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That's the work of the Lord in US.
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Prowse is strength under control.
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War horses can be controlled with just a bit, because the
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minute the owner climbs on it knows I need to do what he tells
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me to do. And the War Horse is not scared
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by shield and spear and battle and guns raging.
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It's built for that. The endurance you got will build
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you for battle. Battle won't scare you.
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When I say battle, I don't mean warring in the flesh with
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people. I mean warring in the heavenlies
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against the things that are trying to take over your life.
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Don't fight your spouse after this because Tina said we should
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go fight with them. No, we are battle is against not
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against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers.
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And if you are currently under attack, you need to ask God give
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me discernment. Like Abby said, we pray, we
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lament, then we discern. What am I fighting right now?
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Is it a spirit of lust? Is it a spirit of greed?
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Is it a spirit of usurping God? I come against that spirit in
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the name of Jesus. Don't fight flesh.
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They are not your enemy. There's an enemy behind them.
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War horses were built for battle and they exhibit meekness.
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You and I as sons and daughters, we are equipped with the armor
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of God for battle. And let me tell you, the battles
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never stop as when I watch my parents leading old age from at
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this age, I see the battles they have to fight and I'm like, I
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feel tired thinking of that age 70 plus God, what are you
-
training them for? They're closer to eternity than
-
all of us. Why do they need training?
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Then you see people in their 80s battling health issues.
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You go again, God, why? He loves us too much to let us
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be lethargic about our faith. You can never take your armor
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off. I just want to tell you that.
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Teach your children every morning to put on the armor of
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God and to cover themselves with the blood of the lamb.
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Teach them they're going into war zones.
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Schools are war zones. Teach them to walk in.
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Teach your children so that when they grow up, they walk in the
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power of God. Your battle armor can never be
-
removed. It has to be dented.
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You come back to the Lord, He replenishes.
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This is a battle that has been waged for millennia.
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You're not alone. I think it was Peter who writes
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that you're not alone. All around the world, brothers
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and sisters are going through this thing and so you're not
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alone, but you need to be battle ready all the time.
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And the beautiful thing is this. The world talks about
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positivity. Oh, you can overcome.
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It's so interesting. Dolly talked about this in our
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first service. Good vibes only.
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You know how many people in the Hyderabad, the people met me and
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said I just love the vibe on you.
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How do you tell them that's the Holy Spirit?
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That is not me. My vibe, if you get to know me,
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is not great. Living like an overcomer is not
-
about positive thinking. It's about promise based
-
thinking. What does that look like when
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your marriage is hit? You don't believe the lie of the
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enemy who says in your ear it's over, it's not going to happen.
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You say no A3 chord strand is not quickly broken.
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You are declaring you shut the enemy down with the promise.
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When your children are hit, you will say it out loud.
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You will contend with him who contends with me, and he will
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save my children. Great shall be their peace.
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When your finances are hit, you will believe that Jehovah Jaira
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is my provider. I will not want.
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When you have been attacked and left alone and isolated, you
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will believe God. You have said you will never
-
leave me nor forsake me. I believe that when yourself
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worth is hit, you remember you're the beloved of God.
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I am so loved. The overcomer knows their
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posture, knows their position. Yes, I feel like I'm getting
-
thulped in the field of life, but in the spiritual realms, I'm
-
an overcomer. So how do I think like it?
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How do I behave like it? I change it from positive
-
thinking to promise based thinking.
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And finally, the last kind of reason that we need this power
-
is the power to reign in life. Power to reign in life.
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Romans 5 verse 17 it says, For if by the trespass of the one
-
man death reigned through that one man, how much more will
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those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift
-
of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus
-
Christ? God's abundant provision of
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grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life.
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This word reign is like taking dominion.
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Too many of us have given room for the enemy to come and rain.
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In certain spaces, our flesh has rained.
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In certain places, the enemy has taken pockets and so our raining
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capacity has decreased. Oh, you know what?
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I'm not able to control the thoughts of my mind.
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I'm able to control my work, but my mind is overrun.
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I'm, you know, I go downhill in my mind.
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That is the problem. You need to start raining in
-
your mind. Maybe your body has been hit so
-
much you've given in to lethargy and lying on that bed and you're
-
refusing to get up and say, hey, this body is the body of the
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it's the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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Nothing will overrun it in Jesus name.
-
I'm getting up and working. What is it that you are allowing
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to drive your life to the point of defeat?
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God is asking us to reign in life.
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What does it actually physically mean to reign in life?
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I want that picture, that last picture up of the horse.
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This is the image that never left my head.
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The enemy. As long as you leave him near
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your face and head, you'll keep hearing his sly whispers.
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He's the accuser of the brethren.
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He will tell you lies about yourself.
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He will tell you lies about your spouse.
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He will tell you lies about life.
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He will tell you lies about lies about God.
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He belongs under your feet. He has no business wrapping
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himself around you or your head. When you reign in life, you put
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him where he belongs. He belongs under your feet.
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Those who are overcomers, those who have understood what it
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means to build endurance, know where the enemy belongs.
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Don't give the enemy a seat at your table.
-
He should not have the benefit. When I say enemy, not again
-
human, it is the the Prince of darkness.
-
Many of us have allowed him into our homes in the guise of an
-
exercise program, in the guise of a book we have read, in the
-
guise of people we have engaged. When habits we are indulging in.
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He is seated at our table, driving the culture of our
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homes, our marriages, our children's lives.
-
Many times it's nothing lustful or greedy.
-
It could be simple demonic entry of fear.
-
I've heard myself many times say don't do that, don't do that.
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You might fall. Oh my gosh, you might.
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They won't be doing anything, just be running around like
-
kids. But my fear, which I've invited
-
into my life, is seated at the table and driving the narrative
-
of my home. I think it was Lisa Bevier who
-
said some of you are so fearful of something happening to your
-
child that you're not letting anything happen for them.
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What is sitting at your table that belongs under your feet?
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If he said I have given you all authority to trample snakes and
-
scorpions, they belong there. They don't belong at our tables.
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They don't belong in our ears. They definitely don't belong on
-
our phones or iPads. Get it out.
-
Trample it. One of the things that I have
-
found is I, like I've shared many times, fear is something
-
I've grappled with of late. I'm finding that fear is almost
-
like a shadow. It's nothing.
-
Many of our fears are irrational.
-
Many of our feelings that we are feeling are driven by fear.
-
Go to the root. Put it under your feet.
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Remind yourself, this is under my feet.
-
You don't have a hold on me. I'm going to do the thing I was
-
created for. I'm going to do the thing that I
-
feel most terrified about because God, if you are in it, I
-
will trust you. You were built for backing.
-
You are an overcomer. You are being.
-
You are being trained to endure, and what belongs under your feet
-
should stay under your feet. Now, this is the interesting
-
thing. When I was preparing this, I was
-
like, but Lord, OK, I'll you've trained me in this.
-
I know for 42 years. And I realized that when I was
-
reading Jeremiah 12 that more is coming.
-
The battles never end. The snakes never end.
-
When we were leaving Varanasi, Jeremy prayed over us and he
-
told us both. I see a gate.
-
There's a transition season. You're entering into something
-
new. You're entering paths no one has
-
walked before. And I received it excitedly.
-
And this morning during worship, the Lord was like, you remember
-
what a new path looks like. Picture a road.
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There's no Rd. It's just a field, tall grass.
-
When you step into it, you don't know what's in the grass.
-
You see new snakes, new opposition, higher level of
-
battle. It's never the same.
-
I want us to go back to Jeremiah that chapter.
-
I want the next verse up on the screen as well, which is about
-
the tickets of Jordan, Jeremiah 12, five and six.
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If you have raced with men on foot and 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?
-
The Jordan was so luscious in water it would overflow its
-
banks that there was such thick vegetation on either side.
-
But the thick vegetation meant it hid lions, it hid all kinds
-
of reptiles. So it was a land of promise, but
-
it had higher level of backing. So you're going to face
-
unexpected things. You're going to have surprise,
-
not such a great surprise. You're going to have attacks
-
from different directions. But you would have got endurance
-
built from the previous season. You know your position as an
-
overcomer. It's not going to intimidate you
-
because you know what? Now you're stepping into a place
-
of inheritance. Hey, this part, this thing that
-
I've been fighting is mine for the taking.
-
Now you become understanding of that.
-
You've come discerning of that. So the war does not scare you.
-
The battle doesn't scare you because you're now prepared to
-
run with horses. And so I want to encourage you.
-
I want us to go back to that first verse, Ephesians 119 to
-
23. I'm reading it from The Passion
-
this time. I pray that you will continually
-
experience the immeasurable greatness of God's power made
-
available to you through faith. Then your lives will be an
-
advertisement of this immense power as it works through you.
-
This is the mighty power that was released when God raised
-
Christ from the dead and exalted Him to the place of highest
-
honour and supreme authority in the heavenly realm.
-
And now He's exalted as first above every ruler, authority,
-
government and realm of power in existence.
-
He is gloriously enthroned over every name that is ever praised,
-
not only in this age, but in the age that is coming.
-
And He alone is the leader and source of everything needed in
-
the Church. God has put everything beneath
-
the authority of Jesus Christ and has given Him the highest
-
rank above all others. And now we, His Church, are His
-
body on the earth, and that which films fills Him who is
-
being filled by it. I love this.
-
Your lives will be an advertisement of this immense
-
power as it works through you. Are you prepared for that?
-
Because when you say yes to being grown in endurance, when
-
you say I'll stand as an overcomer, when you say Lord, I
-
want to reign in Christ, He will fill you with this power and
-
it'll be made evident to all around you.
-
Let's face it, we're entering a global season when there's so
-
much hate against Christians globally, be it America, be it
-
Europe, be it Asia, the Christians are looked at like,
-
you know, the scum of the earth many times.
-
And then there's our brethren who are in the Muslim tribe.
-
They are looked down on. And then there are other tribes
-
and people who are also image bearers, right?
-
And there is a season now which is coming where there will be so
-
much persecution. But the revival will happen
-
because the Church of Jesus stays faithful to their mandate
-
and allows the power of God to course through them.
-
Because it is only when people see the power of God in us, they
-
will be saved. Its words are not going to be
-
enough. Our spoken words may not do it,
-
but it's going to happen. When believers in ordinary homes
-
and colleges and offices just say can I pray for you?
-
And when you pray, when the transference of power happens,
-
something will shift, lives will be changed.
-
We need the power if we are going to make a difference in
-
the rooms we enter. So even as I close, when we
-
walked into their house, they have a house in Varanasi which
-
is like actually 3 apartments put together.
-
The owner lady built it for her children.
-
She and the kids are not there. So they took up the whole thing
-
and can we put up the picture on the gate?
-
And this was the picture that they they had set up an
-
enterprise and behind which to do all their work.
-
And this was the picture, it said Mighty River Adventures.
-
So it would have been like a travel agency through which they
-
get people and then they would work and they would evangelise
-
through it. That was the plan.
-
Now the Cafe has happened. So Jeremy said we're not going
-
to stick with this name anymore. But when I was preparing this
-
from Monday onwards. This really stuck with me, so I
-
took a picture because I don't know what God was trying to tell
-
me. And on Wednesday evening as I
-
was preparing, I was asking God. Lord, I know there are areas in
-
my life I live powerlessly. I complain instead of raining,
-
you know, there are areas I'm weak.
-
Lord, can you help me? How do I access this power?
-
And he reminded me of Ezekiel chapter 47.
Ezekiel 47 chapter mention
-
So when you go home, you're not going to read it.
-
It's a beautiful chapter of the river of God flowing from the
-
Tabernacle. And he talks about, I'm just
-
going to give you a paraphrase. You can read it for yourself
-
when you go home. Ezekiel 47 this, this Angel is
-
measuring the cubits and saying 1000 cubits.
-
He measures an ankle depth river.
-
It's trickling out of the temple, but it's magnifying when
-
it's flowing right And it's first, first thousand cubits,
-
it's just ankle depth. Then he measures the next 1000
-
cubits, 1000 cubits is about 1500 feet.
-
He next measures the next thing, it's waist depth and then it's
-
above him. He has to swim through it.
-
And then he quick, the Angel brings Ezekiel back to the
-
banks. And then he says, did you see
-
what just happened? And I don't know.
-
Ezekiel was like us. He's a bit slow.
-
He didn't get it. Then he pointed out the whole
-
river and said, look at this river.
-
Luscious trees bearing fruits around the year are found on the
-
banks and the river is so filled with life.
-
Fish is growing in abundance. And then there are fishermen
-
standing at different places. The names of the places are
-
mentioned who are fishing and catching these different
-
varieties of fish. Now we can interpret it in a
-
million ways, but anytime the river of God is mentioned, it's
-
talking with the Spirit of God. If you and I do not go in and
-
stand in this river, we are not going to get the power of God.
-
Many of us want the power. I read the Bible, I pray great.
-
How much time do you spend standing in the river of God?
-
What is this river of God? Jesus said in John Chapter 7.
John 7 chapter mention
-
If anyone thirsts, come to me. Out of Him will flow rivers of
-
life, which means when I sit every day as a discipline with
-
the creator of the world, when I'm sitting there with him, I am
-
telling him spirit of God just flood my soul, flood my life.
-
Take everything that's not of Maine and Washington it you've
-
seen when you spray a horse things that don't have to be the
-
go and when God fills you up, then you come into the House of
-
God Southern. Many people have told us both we
-
sense a river flowing here. I want to ask you, are you
-
someone who's contributing to the flow of the river here, or
-
are you a dam that's blocking up the flow of God?
-
Because it may be time to undamp some of those things in our
-
lives. It could be sin, it could be
-
anger, it could be hate. It could be a secret life that
-
no one knows. It could be an agenda that no
-
one understands or knows, but you know, that is preventing the
-
flow of God. The river flows, yes.
-
When you come here, you contribute to the flow because
-
you've received Jesus, you're receiving from him, you're
-
pouring out. So when we are speaking, when
-
Andrea encourages me, it's like the river gushes towards me,
-
fills me up when I speak over Joyce, it pours out towards her
-
when she speaks to you. See how it works?
-
No wonder the Spirit is gushing because each of you are conduits
-
for the power of God. But you and I will miss out on
-
that if we are not finding ourselves in the river
-
regularly. And when I say regularly, I mean
-
all day, every day. Imagine what it would look like
-
if our homes were just rivers in itself, where we're soaked in
-
the presence of God. People walk in there washed by
-
the Spirit of God. They are encouraged by the
-
Spirit of God. They are blessed.
-
We don't have to say a word. The Spirit of God does his work.
-
And so even now as we close, we are going to pray for that power
-
to be unleashed in your life. That is what we have been
-
praying for this whole week. Mighty river adventures.
-
You want an adventurous life, you need the Holy Spirit in it.
-
You need to get rid of those. You know those hang ups you have
-
about the Holy Spirit and say God, I'm here in abandoned,
-
ready to receive whatever you are giving me, ready to go where
-
you are asking me. You asked me to pull up my
-
stakes and move to another place.
-
I'll do it. You're asking me to do this new
-
thing in my job. I will do it.
-
When life is lived in the river, it's adventurous, it's exciting.
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We hope you enjoyed today's message and we're blessed.
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If you liked what you heard and want to hear more messages from
-
us, you could rate US and subscribe to our podcast channel
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for more content from We Are Zion or if you would like to get
-
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-
Most importantly, remember that whoever finds Jesus finds life.