Revival In Our Minds : The Battleground Of The Mind | Pr Gloria Paul

You're listening to a message to go from axt church.

We hope this message will light up your day.

The title for today would be Revival in our Minds? Right,

the battle ground of the mind? Right, the battleground of

the mind. How many of you you see it here

and you're thinking about something else? I'm sure, right, lunch?

What should I eat? Or there's still things to be done?

Right? Oh?

I forgot this? You know how this is going to be.

There can be one hundred and one things running in

our minds when we are somewhere else sets it right,

And that's just how powerful God created our minds, our thoughts,

and if we know how to handle it, then we

are victorious in living our lives as well.

Yeah.

And so what we're going to study today from the

world is a lot about, you know, things that sometimes

we can.

Be a little bit nearin as believers.

Yeah, because if you think about this community around you,

if you turn to a person next to you, they'll

smile at you.

Right.

Everyone is so kind, Everyone is so nice.

We have the administ laughing people not nice to you.

He's too nice to all of us.

Yeah, you know we are, we're all I mean, church

is always a very comfortable place to be, right, because

that's just how it should be. We we muck on together,

we do life together, right, And the thing is that

sometimes with all this goodness, we may actually forget there

is such a thing called spiritual warfare, all right, spiritual warfare.

I mean I grew up in a in a in

a Christian family all my life, and my parents will

so past us, right, And so sometimes it's the ministry

that you do and the different exposure that you have,

you know. So I've seen my parents even doing deliverance

in church, you know, mean those who are attacked and

how they are set free. So you can see all

kind of of movement in the church. People come to

the front for altar call and then they're set delivered,

you know, because of the different backgrounds that they may

come from. Yeah, So spiritual warfare maybe sometimes a new

topic to some of us because of the kind of

exposure we have had, right, or the different community of

churches that we come from. Yeah, but I was just

reminded that we need to build our faith knowing that

there is such a thing called spiritual warfare and not

just be ignorant. Right, Sometimes when situations happen. We think, Okay,

it's a sin, it's a mistake that we have done.

But there's also such a thing as the temptation of

the enemy. Yeah, the temptation of the enemy. And that

is when he likes to mess without minds, right, he

likes to mess without thoughts.

He likes to put things.

That are there that may not necessarily supposed to be there,

but he likes to play around it.

You can just take you places.

Yeah, so when trials happen in it, it may not

always be sinned, but ignorance, the lack of knowledge. You know,

we tend to put the enemy into a we call

it a doctrinal box.

Akay, it's just there.

We know that there is such a thing as the enemy,

and we expect him to stay there. But do you

think he's going to stay there? The first person or

people that he's going to be disrupting is believe us

because you know what, because we know the truth, We

know that the truth will set us free. So he's

going to do every other thing to make us feel

that we're not going to be set free. What's the

point of doing what we're doing, right, what's the point

of you showing up church every other day. But God

is not answering your prayers, but He's going to put

those kind of thoughts in your mind. And if you

are not careful, we can fall for it.

Yeah.

And so I was just reminded to to preach today

about how we show up in our faith really met us.

Are we taking steps? That's why the Bible teaches us

about putting on the armor of God. Right, It's there

for a reason because if we don't put on the

armor of God, we're just making ourselves available to vulnerability

and the enemy can just attack us.

Right.

And so I just want to church to wake up

with this message. Yeah, to wake up, to rise up,

especially for extra us. You know, as we're stepping into

another year, there is troubles that will come our way, trials,

beat as a church, beat as a person, in your

own lives and your families. And that is why we

need to guard our lives. How do we guide it

with prayer, with the Word of God.

Yeah.

And so we're going to talk about what is spiritual warfare,

especially for those of you may be new to this.

Yeah. And then we're going to look at an example

in the Bible.

Of how no matter how strong you think you are

in the faith or how regular you could be in church,

you can still get attacked. Yeah, and we see that

in one of the disciples of Jesus himself. Yeah, so

we're going to study that, right. So the first thing

that we want to try to understand here is that

the spiritual warfare reality.

That is the reality. Guys.

As much as you want to live with rainbows and

sunshines every other day, in reality, that's not what it is. Yeah,

there's always another realm. The would have God reminds us,

you know, we're not just living with the flesh what

we see, but there's the spiritual aspect of things as well. Yeah,

and so that is the reality. And we can learn

this from Jesus himself. When Jesus was on earth, he

was actually preparing his disciples for everything, including spiritual warfare. Right.

The disciples actually saw Jesus casting out demons. Remember those

scriptures right in the Gospels. If you have not read it,

you can have.

A look at it.

They actually saw Jesus casting out humans. They actually saw

how Jesus stood firm despite the temptations that came his way.

In fact, Jesus himself went through temptation after his forty

days of fasting, who showed up on his door? Right,

Not another disciple, but the enemy who came knocking to

his door and tempting him.

Right.

And if Jesus himself can go through those kind of temptations,

what about you and me?

Right? What about you and me humans? Yeah? And that

is the reality, guys. And that is why when Jesus was.

Preparing his disciples, he was, you know, showing them. First

of all, he demonstrated to them what it means, you know,

spiritual welfare, what it means. And he also told them

in Matthew ten sixteen, behold, I send you out as

sheep in the midst of wolves.

Why is sheep? Because he's a shepherd? Were sheep? Right?

But we know that there's wolves out there, right? Therefore,

be wise as serpents and harmless as delves. This is

the very saying what Jesus tells to be careful, So

you need to be wise. A serpent is always known

as a wise animal.

Right. At the same time, be harmless as doves.

And that's when we need grace, We need wisdom that

God gives us. So there's a balance that God is

wanting us to have not just too much of something. Yeah,

So this is what Jesus says. So we need divine

wisdom and christ like wisdom to gain spiritual victory. We

can defeat the enemy, but wisdom must precede.

Warfare and virtue meaning the right spirit.

And we shouldn't become ignorant and overly confident that you know,

this is not going to.

Happen to me. Yeah.

And you know, sometimes, like I say it, as believers,

we can be in this fantasy land, the spiritual fantasy land,

thinking that it's all going to be always fine. Right,

But we can see in the characters of the Bible, right,

few characters of the Bible.

And where did they actually fall?

For example, we had Solomon, Right, Solomon wrote three books

of scriptures. He gazed upon the glory of God. Right,

I mean he wrote some of these books that we're

actually reading. Yet he fell, didn't he fall?

Right? He had his own temptations. He fell.

And then we have Adam. Adam was the very first

creation of God himself. And where did he fall? In

the paradise itself, in the garden of Eden, right, in

the very presence of God. He fell for temptation, the

serpent could still come.

Yeah.

And then of course we have Lucifer. You know the

story of how he was the closest to God, the

one who was worshiping, the greatest worshiper, and he fell, Yeah,

and he fell. So what I'm trying to teach us

here today church is that it can happen to any

of us if you're not careful enough.

Yeah.

So we've got to guard our lives not only when

trouble hits us, but every other day. What are we

doing to God our faith? What are we doing with

a constant communication.

With the Lord? Yeah? And what kind of life are

we living?

Because when we look at the world around us, there

can be drifven trials and tribulations can hit us. But

we must take courage from the word of God and

be reminded, you know what, there is such a thing

as the enemy. You is going to try to take

away this peace or this joy that God is giving me.

And if you ever feel yourself that way, like I

have no peace in my life, what's the point of happiness?

I am not worthy of all this.

That is, when the enemy is messing up with your minds,

you should say enemy get away right, because God has

promised me eternal life. God has promised me a abundant life.

This is what He is given to us. So no

matter what you go through, the peace of God should

always guard our hearts.

Amen.

Now let's see what Jesus himself wanders in Matthew to

any form right, if you have your Bibles, you can

turn with me. Okay, Matthew twenty four versus three on verds. Right,

are we there? Okay, okay, let's look at this and

let's read a couple of verses. Here he says, here

from verses three, Now, as it said on the mount

of our leaves, the disciples came to him privately, saying,

tell us when will these things be? And that will

be the sign of your coming end of the end

of the age. Do you all have those kind of questions?

Right? We wonder when is God coming? Eh? And Jesus answered,

and say to.

Them, take heed that no one deceives you, for many

will come in my name saying I am the Christ

and will deceive many.

And you will year.

Of wars and rumors or wars, see that you are

not trouble, for all these things must come to pass.

But the end is not yet Versus seven. For nation

will rise against nation, and kingdoms against kingdom, and there

will be famine, pistolens, and earthquakes in various places.

All this are the beginning of sorrows.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you,

and you'll be hated by all nations for my namesick.

And then many will be offended, will betray one another,

and one hte one another. Then many false prophets will

rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound,

the love of many will grow cool. But he who

endures to the end shall be safe. And this Gospel

of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world

as a witness to all the nations. And then the

end will come. Yeah, there's a lot of things in

this scripture that you need to take in. Some are

things that may not be so pleasant.

Right.

It says that people will betray each other, You will

be hated because you know me, right, And that is

what many Christians around the world are going through persecution

because of their faith.

Right.

There are people are you know, holding on to their

bibles because it's just so hard to bring a bible

to their country. Right, That is just how it is

in so many parts of the world. But the good

news is that it ends with a promise in this

very scripture, right, it says he who endures to the

end shall be saved. So if you and I can

just endure, you and I can save God our faith.

Then there's the good news.

Kingdoms will be safe because at the end of the day,

we know who want this battle? Right?

Do you know who want this battle? Is there a

winner already? Yes? Who's the winner? Yes, Jesus himself he

is the winner, guys.

No matter how hopeless the world looks like, with whatever

we see around us, whatever we read in social media

and the news, there is hope. And I think that

is what you and I want, right, no matter what

I can't see with my physical eyes. You know what,

there is hope And it's not just anyone saying it,

but God himself says it. Right, And that's the beautiful ending,

living happily ever after. Right, that's the kind of story

that we all want in our lives. And it can

be possible with God because of his coming one day. Yeah,

but of course for that to happen, all that in

Betuy in is happening already. I'm sure when you hear

the news, you know what's going on. Right, And then

it says the love of many will grow call. Right,

the love of many will grow call. Now, think about

the people that's in your life. Sometimes even believe us.

Sometimes we make certain decisions, or we choose to listen

to some parts of the Bible, and maybe some not

some parts of the Bible we choose not to. But

those are the things where we choose to give room

and without us realizing, our love can grow cold. Yeah,

but I pray and hope that all of us here

will never grow cold. But for something to not grow coal.

Just like how when you're in a campfire and you

want the fire to keep burning, what you need to do.

Fan it?

Those good camping can know that add the chuckle. Right,

If you don't do that, fire goes off, you're all

feeling cold and shivering. Right, And the same thing is

without faith, And this chuckle can be added by believers

in your life, people that you are mixing around with,

who is going to say, hey, sister, it's okay, it's

going to be all right, don't give up. Yeah, And

of course you building up that fire within us. Well,

so let's just you know, make sure as we look

at the people around you, let's not let our fate

grow call. All right, if you see your sister a

brother feeling called, then maybe put the chuckle a little

bit more in their lives. Okay, fan a little bit

more and say, okay, do you want a bit more

of chuckle? Right, let's let's talk. Let's fellowship, let's do life.

Let's pray for each other, because we can't leave this

life alone.

Yeah.

Our faith is not meant to just be by ourselves.

That is why Jesus the very first thing he did,

one of the first few things he did, was to

have disciples with him. He himself will not go places alone.

He always had disciples to go with him. And that

is how we are called to do ministry. That is

how we are called to leave our Christian faith as well.

Yeah.

So when when Jesus himself says this meaning these things

are about to happen, Yeah, and we cannot presume that

it cannot happen to us because the enemy has been

deceiving mankind for thousands of years.

Yeah.

Even a preacher or a pastor or a leader, anyone

can form because we're all human. Yeah, if you're not

right before the Lord, and at the end of the day,

we are only unsireable to Jesus himself.

Yeah, but this is the.

Promise that I want all of us to hold on to.

It says in Romans eight thirty eight. I'm sure some

of you remember this scripture. For I'm persuaded that neither death,

nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,

nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any

other created thing should be able to separate us from

the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our lot.

So the enemy can try all that he can to

you know, affect us, to pull us down. But the

word of God is the promise that nothing can separate

us from the love of God.

The love of God is within you.

No one else can take that right, no one else

can take that So no matter how unhappy you are

with the lives and the situation around you, the love

of God is always going to be the same. That

is not going to change. The love of people around

may change. People might be there one day, they may

not be there another day. But God's love remains. And

so now do you know how important it is to

hold on to the anchor so that even in the

ways of life hits you, you are firm. Even if

warfare comes upon your life, the attacks of the enemy,

you're not going to be shaken because you are holding

on to what is constant.

Yeah, what is constant? Amen?

And many of you here will be instrumental in turning

your comming.

It is Stuart Scott. Your family is toward Scott, right.

And that is why wisdom, truth and discernment is very important.

I was just speaking to a friend a couple of

weeks ago, and she's the only believer in a family.

Her parents are not believing, pre believers of siblings, they're

all not and you know, and recently her mom has

been unwealth she's hit with cancer and it's got a

bit of a shaky time for the family, right, And

then you know, and I was spraying for her, and

then she realized and she said, you know what, Now

I know how and why God actually saved me as

the only believer, so that I can now be a

blessing to my family. And so she recently could pray

for the for a mom. You know, but they've always

been against the faith. They've been very sponge in their

Taoism faith.

Right.

But then now she's praying for them, and now they

are seeing her as a living testimony.

Right.

And so there's a reason why sometimes some of you

could be the only believer in your family, or could

be the only one who is just all out for

the lot and everyone else who are just playing church.

But you are there all out. There's the reason why

God placed you in that family. Or you could be

the only believer in your school, in your community, in

your workplace. Right, you could be the only one who

is serving the lot, and that's because God wants to

use you as an instrument to win that save community.

Or you could be a parent, the only parent who

is saying, let's do this, let's pray together, let's come

together as a family. Yeah, but do not give up

because you are called to do that for your children.

One day, who's going to rise up knowing the lot?

Yeah.

So you are instrumental. And the thing about being instrumental

doesn't mean you've got to be all loud all the time,

always in the front. You can also be behind the

scenes doing something. You could be just always the one

in your room praying down in your knees for someone

in your family. Right, and your prayers are heard from

the Lord. God heres, even if it takes time to change.

God heres, right, God, here's your prayers, it says in

Exuciss this chapter nine, verse thirteen. This wisdom I've also

seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

There was a little city with few men in it,

and a great king came against it, besieged it, and

built great snares around it.

This is what the great kings did.

Now there was found in it a poor wise man,

and he, by his wisdom, delivered the city. So you

don't need to be a king. You don't need to

be having all the money in the world. You don't

have to be the most outspoken and speaking so well.

You can just have wisdom, like what the Word of

God says, wise right as a serpent. If you can

just have that wisdom of the Lord, if you can

have the peace of the Lord, wherever you go, you're

going to be attracting people because they can say, hey,

this guy Tyrol seems to be so calm and cool

even when the buildings around are falling down, but he's

still walking so steady, right, what is that that.

You have that I don't know? Can you share with me? Right?

The peace of God? The peace of God?

And you know, in especially in the church context, you

always talk about peace. It can be something very very

often commonly here, right, but do you know that not

many people have actually fell peace? I had a friend sometime,

a good Yet actually what what true piece actually feels like?

People can actually be in that state of their lives?

You know that?

Yeah, Trisia, she had a very powerful testimony at homes

You can ask her a story later, peace of God

that allowed her to make decisions in life.

Right.

To be effective in our spiritual warfare, we need to

learn that warfare is the battle ground of our minds,

and therefore our minds needs to be renewed because if

you think of the last time you did something, your

actions was always because of what you thought first, Right,

because you thought of it, then it's translated either through

your words or it's translated to your action. And that

is why our minds is the battleground. That is where

that spiritual warfare happens takes place. And if you can

guard our minds, if you can receive temptation, victory is

ours yeah, is ours. So you know some debate, you

know that the enemy or the devil is on the

earth or in the hell.

But the fact is the devil is in the darkness.

And wherever there is spiritual darkness, that's where it's going

to be. Right, And we talk about spiritual darkness, right.

It's not like scary places or eerie moments like watching

you know, horror movies. It's not that, But it is

actually just if we make room of little darkness in

our heart, that itself makes room for the enemy. You

know that it can be a simple lie, a jealousy,

it could be pride. All these things could also mean darkness. Yeah,

so now let's go to the next point to understand

what does darkness actually mean?

Here? Yeah, it says here.

In Tecod Peter two four for if God did not

spare the angels sinned, but cast them down to hell

and delivered them into chains of darkness, the devil and

the fallen angels have been regulated to live in darkness.

So the word of God itself teaches us.

The meaning of where the enemy leaves, he lives in darkness.

Or it says here change of darkness, right, because darkness

is usually changed. Right, we're not set free, you know,

the past heard or unforgiveness or sometimes sin. If you're

not set free, then it is a chain that we

are just crippled in.

Yeah.

So does darkness here does not mean areas of not

having light, but it means the moral darkness in life, Yeah,

meaning absence of God because God is light. So if

there's an area in our life that we don't have

God in it, then it just means that there is

darkness if you think about it, all right, because sometimes

we can leave our lives like, Okay, this part I

give for the Lord, but this part is mine. It's

my way of doing things, or it's the way the

world has told me to do things. So when you

have that kind of a speed personality, it's very tiring

to live that kind of a life. And at the

same time, who are you truly worshiping?

Right?

Is it the Lord or is it the darkness? Yeah?

But you know, it.

Says in coalitions one tree one point thirteen, Yeah, collisions

one thirteen, it says He has delivered us from the

power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of

the Son of His Love. So meaning the moment we said, yes,

I want to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and savior.

When we walk with him and we pray, when we

read the word, we are set free from this darkness.

No matter what fate or whatever background you came from,

you are set free. That is what the Word of

God promises is. But at the same time, the moment

you have made that decision to accept Jesus, but when

we don't change certain patterns of the way we leave,

then there is still going to be room for darkness.

If you think about it, yeah, there's still going to

be room for that. It sometimes comes from the willful

disobedience of the Word of God.

Right.

We know the Word of God tells us something, honor

your father and mother.

But if we don't do that, then we're making room. Right.

Or it says that you shall worship the Lord your God.

That should be your first. But if we have other

idols in life, then that's going to be something else. Right,

Or the Word of God says to not be unequally yoke.

But if we do that, then we are making room

for everything else. Because you know what compromise. We begin

to compromise, We begin to say it's okay, yeah, and unequally,

Yokia doesn't just mean in relationships, but also the choices

that we make, the people that we mix around, you know,

the things that we do on a daily basis. If

you know, we shouldn't be watching something, but we still

watch it anyway, right, Or we tend to use certain

words when we shouldn't be using those kind of words,

those kind of things would also be the same, right.

It says in Duke eleven thirty five. Therefore take heat

that the light which is in you is not darkness.

So the word of God has wander us.

Yeah, if then your whole body is full of light,

having no part duck, the whole body will be full

of light, as when the bright shining of a lamb

gives you light.

Ye. In Provs.

Twenty twenty seven, it says, the spirit of a man

is the lamb of the lot, searching all the inner

depths of his heart. So time after time the Word

of God talks about light, talks about lamb, right, And

this is how it searches. God searches what's within our hearts.

So there is a holy radiance surrounding a true spirit

felt Christian. But when you harbor sin. The light which

is in you is darkness. We're all seeing all these

light bright lights. But the moment one or two of

this light is switched off, there's gonna be darkness in

this part of it. Right, So it's gonna still affect

some part of your life. But what God wants is

full brightness, because if God lives in us, he is light. Right,

he is light. There shouldn't be a void of darkness. Yeah. Now,

to help us understand deeper, what does this mean, let's

try to study about the life of Peter himself. Okay,

what do your member about Peter? Who is in the Bible

a disciple?

Yes?

What did he do? It's a fisherman. Any miracles he did?

Anything wow about him?

Yes?

He was the water walker, right, he walked on water.

I mean, I think one of the only ones in

the Bible. So I think there's something fascinating about him.

Anything else he denied Jesus, that's right. Okay, Now let's

try to study what the word of God tells us

about him. Yeah, because when we talk about darkness and light,

it could also come from a place of how we

give access to it. And for Peter's life, it was pride. Yeah,

it was pride that took hold of his heart. Now,

Jesus warned in Luke twenty two. Right, Luke twenty two

says thirty one, it says, and the Lord said, Simon Simon, Simon,

Peter is his name is Simon Simon. Indeed, Sithan has

asked for you that he may sift you as wheat.

But I prayed for you that your faith should not

feel and when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.

But he said to him, Lord, I am ready to

go with you, both to prison.

And to death.

Then he said, I tell you, Peter, the roster shall

not proud this day before you will deny three times

that you know me. So this friend of ours, Peter,

is going all out, saying, I'll go to prison with you.

I'll go to death. I will do all out for you,

the heights and bounds. Right, I'll go.

Then, he says, but you know what, you'll actually deny

me the next hour, Right, he will deny me. And

what happened that happened? How many times he denied Jesus

three times? And this was the very is saying Peter,

who was walking with Jesus, all his life, I mean

not all his life, but on earth when Jesus was there, right,

one of the chosen ones? Or what do you think

made him to say no? I don't know Jesus. Yeah,

we may think that he was saying no because of fear, right,

because I'm fearful that people are going to also crucify

me because I'm one of Jesus fall over right, or

people are not gonna like me. But if you think

about it, right before this incident, do you know who

was the one when the people were trying to come

and arrest Jesus who was going to try to take

the sword and chop off the year of the Soldier?

Which disciple was that? Peter?

So do you think it was a skeady can Do

you think it was a fearful person because of all

of them, he was so fast to take out a

sword and just hit him, right, So I don't think

that's fear he did that. But the very next hour

he denied Jesus. Think about it for a while, right,

How a person like him who had Jesus ride in

front of him and yet the next day we deny him.

Kind of saddled?

Sorry, and Nick, you have a friend who's so nicely

talking to you the next day. Wh I don't know, Nick, right,

I mean, of course, Jesus being Jesus, I'm sure he

he knew it. But for Peter himself, Yeah, what happened

here is that Peter gave access to Satan to enter

into his heart. You know how this started if you

look at Luke twenty two that first all the chapters

are a storyline to it. Right in Luke twenty two

to twenty four it says now there was also a

dispute among them as to which of them should be

considered the greatest. So this was the conversation that all

of them had in the table when before Jesus said,

you know, it's the final hour, they were all arguing

and debating among themselves who is the greatest. And of

course Peter being who he is as the Bible described,

he's a very outspoken person. He was a very brave person,

you know who like a lawyer lane right, talk and

talk can he can debate and win things. And he

was also one of them who was very prideful that

conversation saying I am one of the greatest.

That was at very hour that he gave room for pride.

Because you can you imagine Jesus is having a final

supper with the disciples, telling you know, the hour is

about to come. He's about to be crucified. And then

we have our disciples here talking about who's the greatest. Irrelevant, right,

I have my Jesus is going to be crucified. And

then here we are talking about I mean white, didn't

it matter to God? I mean, would God actually think

of who's the greatest? All of them were chosen, all

of them are loved by Jesus himself. But can you

see where we are going? The heart condition? Right at

a place of such they could actually think about who

is the greatest? Pride started coming into his heart without

him realizing. And that is why when Jesus said that

you're going to do this, he was denial. Is that

I'm going to go you know, the extra mouth for you.

I'm going to die for you. But Jesus knew, because

Jesus knows our hearts. You can tell all you want,

but God knows what's in your heart. Yeah, and this

is what I mean by spiritual warfare. It comes in

the slightest way, It comes in the smallest way that

the least expected way, right, and we are thinking that, no,

I'm showing up. I'm still in front of Jesus, or

in our context, I'm still serving the Lord. But you

know what, the moment you have a small thought in

your mind of pride, I'm good for I'm the best,

or the moment you woke up this morning and when

you're preparing to serve God, and if there was a

thought in your mind thinking, Hi, why am I doing this.

Right?

And I'm saying these guys because I think I've been

long enough in ministry serving sometimes you know, Christians can

actually fall because of this. We can show up every

other Sunday, but yet just one day with you know what,

I'm just gonna not because it's not just because that

Sunday did not show up, but because days before that

or weeks before that, you're already battling with this in

your heart. You know we are forgot and why we're

doing this? Why are we serving God? Why are we

who are we honoring? Why are we doing church right?

And Peter had that same moment, and that is why

pride took over his heart. Yeah, from attitude of shock,

they moved on to pride. Yeah, think about that. That's

just an example of Peter himself. So there, if you

look at the thought point, let's try to understand repentance. Okay,

that is why God is gracious enough, who opens doors

for us, who is always there waiting for us for repentance. Yeah,

he wants us to submit to him, He wants us,

He wants.

Victory for us. Yeah.

The areas we had in darkness are the areas of

our future. Defeat you and I, I mean I wouldn't

know what's in your heart. You wouldn't know what's in

my heart. Only you know what's in your hearts? Right,

and the battles we face will not cease until we

discover and repent having a heart check. That's what I'm

trying to say, Right, If only Peter had a heart

check at that moment during the sub and say, hey,

you know why am I talking about pride when an

important hour is about to come. If we only had

that heart check, maybe you have not betrayed Jesus. Yeah.

How many of us actually have that heard check on

a regular basis, asking the Lord God am I doing this? Right?

Who am I doing this for? Yeah?

And that is something that I've learned along the years

to do regularly, because sometimes we can get so caught

up doing giving, you know, being there for people, and

then we think that, hey, you know, things can run

without me. I'm the important person. You know what, when

you start saying those things, you're allowing pride to take place.

Right.

Or we can go on doing and doing things and

no one is seeing me. I'm don't feel like I

appreciate it. But then, you know what, when I go

back and say, God, I'm doing it for you, then

we don't need that, right, We don't need that. So

are we ready to submit to God?

Right?

Maybe it's a good time for us to have a

heart check in whatever seasons you could be. And I'm

using a lot of examples of church and ministry, but

it could also be in our personal lives. In our workplace,

we can go on and on doing something in a

certain role and people don't see us. Right, Our boss

don't appreciate us. Teachers keep teaching, but students don't. Not

easy to take care and then they forget teacher at

lend teacher at eway.

Teachers Day is coming up? Is it today? Oh? Next week?

Okay, next week, let's appreciate our teachers esther So yeah

for teachers, Yeah, yeah, it could be there, or it

could be a parent at home, and you keep showing

up for your kids. You keep showing up for your family,

but no one sees. But if we don't have a

heart check, if we don't talk about it, if we

don't bring it to the lot time after time, it's

going to just feel more hurtful. Right, and you don't

realize that he why am I doing this? Am I

doing it out of just duty? Or am I doing

it out of love? Because God gave me this calling

to be a mom or a dad, a sibling or

a brother or a sister. Right, heart check is very important. Yeah,

let's submit to the Lord, it says in James four seven.

Therefore submit to God. Receies the devil, and he will

flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will

draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, your stinness, and

purify your hearts. You double minded the word of God?

Else is double minded. Sometimes we can have both two

sides of things, right, but God just wants us to

be one focus. That is why God is called to

be at the center of our lives. If he is

in the center. He touches everything else, right, it touches

everything else in our lives.

Satan can only cause.

That that trouble. It can make you feel you're not

good enough. We can do that, but you know what,

the word of God itself tells us. He has no

power to destroy us, especially when we are in the

hands of the lot. That is something we must take courage,

must take comfort in. Yeah, trials can hit us in

every other direction, but we are still in the hands

of God. Yeah, and that is why even with Peter.

Remember the scripture before that, as we read, okay, it

says in Luke twenty two thirty one, Simon, Simon, indeed,

Sittan has asked for you that he may sift you

as weeds. Right, but I prayed for you. So sometimes

in our lives there are things that you know that

the enemy would try to come and you know, cause

us to feel shaky and make us to question the doubt.

But then at the end of the day, God himself

has the authority. Yeah, he can see that I can

do all this, but then I'm not going to allow

you to destroy my child, my son, my daughter. Yeah,

you know it's like this, you know, if you can

see this image that we have here, right wat you know,

we all know what whitti is. You know when you

when you eat your odds or when you eat braid. Right,

that's the final product that we have. But most of

the I mean, but the first part of this waki,

it has this thing called the puff and the husk.

There's the hard part of it, right.

And you know in olden days, if you've watched movies

and all, you know, how do they get the wait?

They hit it right, They hit it to allow that part,

the first two parts to actually fall off. Only then

you get the wait that they can actually go through

the next process. Yeah, And the same thing is with

our lives as well. God sometimes allows that shift, that

that's shifting to happen, you know, so that whatever that

needs to be removed can be removed. First, then you

have what's inside right, that that is soft, that is

able to actually produce what we can have bread, right, pastry,

all the nice food.

That you're enjoying.

It all comes first with the shaking that has to happen, right,

the removing of the outer parts. And some of us, yeah,

I know, when we go through certain paces in life,

we may have developed some characteristics or qualities that may

try to kind of like we think it's protecting us, right.

For example, sometimes you know, we choose not to allow

people to come into allow us because of past you know,

past disappointments. Right, so we put this shell around us

and Okay, everything is okay in my life.

I just it's just me. It's just me, right.

Or it could be pride because in the past people

have you know, cause trouble, a cause bully, and now

you are just wanting to show that I'm capable, I'm

strong and mighty. Pride would have come. So sometimes different

situations in life could have caused that kind of a

character been developed, right, and it just covers it puts

a shell around us. But God can only use you

and I when that shell is taken off, because God

wants to see what's within you. The softness right to

be used to be molded. Only what is soft can

be molded into something. And that is why we always

use the reference of Jesus God being the potter and

we are the clay.

Right.

But if you only have the pot what does the

potter do? Sometimes you have to if it's funny shape,

you have to break it and then make it again.

Some of us may need to go through breaking a

few times. It can be painful, but it has to

happen for God to develop that pot that is so

beautiful in the eyes of God. And if the pot

himself is doing this means you're precious. He does it

with his very own end, right, his very own end.

It's not an easy process, but God does it. Yeah,

God does it for us. If Peter's pride was not

taken off, he wouldn't have been able to do and

accomplish what God called him to do. Yeah, even if

it felt painful like betraying. When we read that scripture

about him betraying Jesus will be thinking what kind of

a guy this is?

Right?

Who had to do that?

But he had to go through that process even if

it seems, you know, bad, or seemed sinful, like how

can you do it? But sometimes why these things happen

because only after that betrayal he realized, oh, no, I

actually did this. How could I betray Jesus? He had

to come to the realization. And that is why we

can look at the final point. Right, Peter went through

his own transformation, right, and that is when we can

read from the book of X. Let's look at a

scripture here, and this is the new Peter, after the

pride has been taken off. So in the book of

X we see how disciples now was doing the great

commission across the churches. They were building churches, they were

saving souls and lives. Now, it says here in Verses

eleven x three eleven. Now as the lay man who

was healed held on to Peter and John, all the

people ran together to them in the posch call, which

is called Solomon's greatly amazed. So when Peter saw it,

he responded to the people men of Israel, why do

you marvel this? Or why do you look so intently

at us? As though by our own power of godliness

we made this man walk. The God of Abraham, Isaac

and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified is servant Jesus,

whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of

Pilot when he was determined to let him go. But

you denied the Holy One and the Just and asked

for the murderer to be granted to you, and killed

the Prince of Life, whom God raised from the death

of which we are witness, and his name, true faith

in his name has made this man strong, whom you

see is referring to himself. I am Peter, I am strong.

Now this is the person you see. Yes, the faith

which comes through him has given him this perfect soundness

in the presence of you all. So Peter is saying,

you know, the crowd saw Peter and John performing this miracle.

Of course they all gathered around him and say, wow,

you're so good, you can do this. But you know what,

Peter referenced it back to God. He says, you know,

this is the very same Prince of Peace that you

actually chose to crucify. You told them that the summary

of what happened in the crucifixion, right, and he said,

this is the very same God who actually performed. And

I'm just an instrument. And in fact, the person you

see me now is who God made enabled me, and

that is why I'm able to do this miracle. If

you heard of the Peter before this with pride, what

you think you would have said, Oh, yes, thank you,

thank you. Right, But now pride was removed. He went

through the thrashing. All those outer parts were removed and

That is why he could stand and say, you know,

I'm just a servant of the Lord and it's to

him all the glory, right, And to say that in

front of a crowd takes a lot of humbleness. It

takes a lot lot of humility. And Peter got there right.

He had his own fashare of spiritual warfare. Enemy tried

to mess him down. You know, Peter could have gone

both ways after denying Jesus. He could have just said, okay,

you know what, I'm good for nothing. I can't be

a disciple. I'm just going to walk out and do

something else. Or he could have stayed on with the

Lord in repentance humbleness. And then we have the Book

of Eggs to read today of all the miracles he

has done for the churches. Right, So the same thing

with our lives. We can go through spiritual warfare, we

can go through troubles, persecution, whatever trials it could be.

And there are two directions that we can choose to go.

Either we can drown in guilt, in frustration and away

from the Lord, or we can choose to rise up

and say, you know what, God forgive me. I want

to come before you with humbleness, Could he just use

me once again? And that is exactly what Jesus did

with Peter. Isn't that powerful? His pride was replaced with

Christ's likeness. He was like Jesus, because we're all called

to be like Jesus and this is our journey from

pride to life, from self to Christ.

Yeah.

And you know, I just reminded of thinking of what

kind of encounter Peter would have had because we read

that in Luke right, and Luke was the whole story

gospel before X before he could actually you know, perform

these miracles and all, there was a Book of John. Right,

what happened in the Book of John. Let's read the

final chapter of the Book of John as we slowly

close from here. How did Jesus actually minister to Peter

who went through his battle?

What did Jesus do with him?

How many of you know the story about the breakfast

that Jesus had with the disciples. Okay, so we look

at the Book of John chapter twenty one. Yeah, this

is when this give you a summary. You can read

the whole chapter later and you have the time. You know,

Jesus will come and say, children, if you catch any fish.

And they say no, They've been trying the whole time, right,

And there was no fish caught. So then Jesus says, cast.

The net on the other side.

And that's the scripture we always refer to when we're,

you know, doing ministry. And we said, okay, let's cast

the net. Let's see who God brains.

Right.

But you know what, Jesus was also more concerned here, right,

it says year in verses four right, chapter twenty one

of John. But when the morning had now come, Jesus

stood on the shore. Yeah, the disciples did not know

that it was Jesus. Then Jesus said to them, children,

have you any food? They answered him no, And he

said to them, cast the net on the other side

of the boat, and you will find some. So they cast,

and now they were not down. They were not able

to draw in because there were so many fish. Therefore,

that disciple, whom Jesus loved, said to Peter, it is

the Lord.

Now.

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he

put on his outer garment and plunged into the sea.

But the other disciples came in the little boat, dragging

the net with fish. Versus nine then as soon as

they had come to the land, they saw a fire

of holes there and fish laid on it and bread. Now,

Jesus is not so not so much consent of just

the fishes that they caught. But what did Jesus say,

Bring some of the fish you have just caught, Simon?

Peter went up dragged the net to land full of

large fishes, one hundred and fifty three, so precise Jesus

said to them, come and eat breakfast. Right, he said,

come and eat breakfast. I'm sure all of us know

the comfort of food and fellowship. And I can't help

but to think about how Jesus was more concern of

the time with Peter, the time with these disciples to

minister to him, because this was right after the denial,

after denying Jesus right, and Peter would have still been

having this in his heart.

It was just human. Why did I do that? How

did this happen?

And the first thing that Jesus as she did, was

to have breakfasts with him, to minister to him. And

that is how he was worn, and that is when

we have the Book of Acts. After that, because Jesus

was more concerned about the person that is in front

of him. He could have made mistakes, he could have

forgotten the Lord. He would have denied the Lord. He

could have had pride in his life. But the part of,

you know, the part of what we saw the wheat,

the part of how God works in us. It's not

always just painful, but it's just sometimes God calling us

to say, hey, Nick, let me have Can I have

breakfast with you?

Right? Can I breakfast with you?

And Jesus was actually cooking for hear them, And that's

a love language by itself. And someone cooks for you

when someone wants to have fellowship with you. Jesus was

so concerned of first Peter's healing, Peter's restoration so that

he can be you know what, okay, Jesus for good,

forgiven me and I'm ready to do this again.

Yeah.

And to me that is just so comforting how Jesus

restores Peter.

Right.

We sometimes think about the heart way life tross. You know,

we go through trials and situations in life, but it's

okay to sometimes come before the Lord down at your

feet and God just wants to speak to you. God

wants to minister to you. He wants to encourage your

heart and say it's okay, I've forgiven you.

I am here.

Don't carry your guilt all your life. Don't allow that

darkness to just remain in darkness. I am here, I'm

coming to you. I am light. And if I am light,

then there's light in you. The spirit of God lives

in you. Yeah, and so there's some of us is

I was just you know, this final part of the

message is something I just was reminded this morning, and

I felt God reminding me different ones that God is

just wanting to have breakfast with you once again. Maybe

it's been a while, right, and it's just for us

to answer the call and say, okay, God, I'll come.

I'll come to you just as I am. And if

you do that, you'll be amazed with what God is

going to do in your life, not just for yourselves,

but even in your community. That no matter what the

enemy shows us, we don't be ignorant. We don't be

too arrogant thinking it's not going to happen, because it

happened to anyone. He's very own disciple. But we be watchful,

watchful every other day, putting on the armor of the Lord, praying,

seeking the Lord, and we're protected by the blood of Jesus.

Amen.

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hit for you. God bless