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The Words of Faith (Part 4) · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Thank God for his word. Hallelujah.
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Now God has said something. that we equally might
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have something to say. Because of what God has
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said, we as well, you know, we have something
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to say because God has said something. Amen?
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So we must always take advantage of the Word
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of God. The Word of God has been given to us
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and, you know, when we put it to use, the essence
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of it is that we will see. For example, now in
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Luke chapter 4, we see where Jesus Christ was
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applying the Word. The written word of God, specifically
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in Luke chapter 4, when he was tempted by the
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devil. Luke chapter 4, from verse 3. And the
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devil said to him, if you are the son of God,
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command this stone to become bread. But Jesus
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answered him saying, it is written. It is written.
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So the response that Jesus gave. was a response
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of what has been written in the world. It says
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it has been written, man shall not live by bread
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alone, but by every word of God. Hallelujah.
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So Jesus Christ, who is God, came into humanity,
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came into the earth. He did not violate the principles
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that God has created this world to operate upon,
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which is his word. Especially for us believers,
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we see his response to Satan. was the written
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word. Then the devil, taking him up on a high
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mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the
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world in the moment of time. And the devil said
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to him, All this authority I will give you and
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their glory, for this has been delivered to me,
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and I will give it to you, whomever I wish. And
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Jesus responded, Verse 7, Therefore, if you shall
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worship me, okay, verse 7, before me, if you
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shall worship before me, All will be yours. And
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Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind me,
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Satan, for it is written, You shall worship the
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Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.
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Then he brought him to Jerusalem, set him on
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the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him,
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If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down
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from here, for it is written, He shall give his
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angels charge over you to keep you, and in their
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hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your
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foot against a stone. And Jesus also in verse
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12 will say, And Jesus answered and said, To
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him it has been said, You shall not tempt the
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Lord your God. Now when the devil had ended every
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temptation, he departed from him until an opportune
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time. Hallelujah. So we see that the victory
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that Jesus had in this place is founded on what
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has been said. It's founded on what God has inspired
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in the written word. So the written word is the
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believer's advantage. The word of God is our
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advantage. And this word of God must be on our
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lips. It must be on our lips because we have
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the word of God as we've prayed, as brother have
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led us to pray. You know, that we will have something
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to say. And what we will say is, it's not something
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coming from the blues. It's what God has given
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us, that we will apply and personalize what God
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has said. Proverbs 18 verse 21 says, Death and
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life are in the power of the tongue, and those
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who love it will eat its fruit. Those who love
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it will eat its fruit. Those who take advantage
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of words. Those who apply the words appropriately,
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those who apply the word, who applied, you know,
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the use of words appropriately, and we can apply
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the use of words appropriately by speaking life,
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by speaking, and life comes from the word of
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God. Hallelujah. So the believer is not without
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what? He's not without advantage. God has given
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us his spirit. Not only did he give us his spirit,
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he gave us his word. You know, he gave us his
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word and to guide us. To lead us, Joshua chapter
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1 verse 8. Joshua chapter 1 verse 8. He says
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that this book of the law, now in context here,
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is a written law that has been written by Moses,
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right? This book of the law shall not depart
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from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it
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day and night, that you may observe to do according
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to all that is written in it. For then, you will
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make your way what? Prosperous. So his way will
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become prosperous if the book of the law finds
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its dwelling place in his mouth. That is, he
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speaks the word of God daily, he teaches the
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word of God, he applies the word of God, and
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he meditates on the word of God. He observes
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to do according to what is written in the word
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of God. For then, he will make his own way prosperous.
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Not that God will come down and make your way
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prosperous, but by doing what God has said, your
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way will become prosperous. And then you will
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have what? You will have a good success. Hallelujah.
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So we have everything God has given us. And when
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we come to the New Testament, we'll see a verse
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that's similarly expressed in Colossians 3, verse
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16, talking about the word of God that expresses
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a similar idea. Colossians 3, verse 16. It says,
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let the word of God, let the word of Christ dwell
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in you richly in all wisdom. Let the word of
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God dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
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and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns
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and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your
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hearts to the Lord. Now this is, you know, this
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is seen in our relationship. All right. As the
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word of God dwells in us richly, we see that.
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In our relationship towards one another, we'll
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be able to say things that will edify one another.
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And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all
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in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
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to God the Father through him. Hallelujah. So
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in the previous teachings, we said that faith
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is seen expressed in our words. In the words
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we said, faith is expressed. And then biblical
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confession. That is, as we express in our words,
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is what we term as confession. And contextually,
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biblical confession, because there are different
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types of confessions. But when we speak of confession
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here, it's not merely positive thinking. All
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right? On Sunday, we saw that it's not just positive
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thinking or positive saying, because motivational
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speakers can motivate you with so many positives.
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And we are not saying that those positives are
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evil or they are bad. We are not saying that
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what they are saying are evil or they are bad
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per se. But when you want to see the kind of
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God's result, God's kind of result, then what
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will bring about God's kind of result in our
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lives is what God has said. Hallelujah. So, biblical
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confession is not merely positive thinking or
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repeating nice things. It is agreeing with God.
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We say that confession is actually... Saying
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the same thing as has been said. Saying the same
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thing as God has said. Agreeing with what God
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has said. Agreeing with what God has done. So
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it is agreeing with God and speaking what he
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has said in his word. That is our confession.
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We are agreeing with God and we are saying what
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he has said in his word. So true confession flows
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from a heart that believes. and it's centered
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on Jesus Christ. So we, first of all, have to
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believe what God has said that is true concerning
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us. Then in agreeing in our hearts, what we believe
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in our heart, you know, we express in words and
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we speak it into existence in our lives. So the
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word of God must first dwell richly as we've
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read in Colossians 3, 16 and 17. It must dwell
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richly in us as we fill our hearts, and our minds,
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because it's important with scripture, God's
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word begins to shape our thoughts. That is what
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happens. When we fill our hearts with the word
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of God, we fill our minds with the word of God,
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we fill ourselves with the word of God, we see
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that God's word begins to shape our thoughts.
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We begin to think the way God will think. We
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begin to say things the way God will say them.
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We begin to, you know, have the kind of desire
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that are formed by the Spirit of God because
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we give ability to the Spirit of God to walk
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through us by filling our hearts with the Word.
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So God's Word begins to shape our thoughts. It
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shapes our attitudes. Attitudes, we don't see
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your thoughts, but we see your attitudes. All
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right? So from what we see in your, from what
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you have in your thoughts, we begin to see your
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attitude towards life, your attitude towards
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people. Your attitude towards the people of God
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and the things of God begins to change because
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your heart is filled with the word of God. Your
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decisions are influenced also by what fills your
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heart. And ultimately, your speech also will
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be significantly influenced by what fills your
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heart. So what fills your heart will find expression
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always through our mouth. So therefore, we must
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always... seek to, you know, fill our hearts.
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The way by which the word of God will be found
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on our lips regularly is when the word of God
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fills our heart and it is our meditation. And
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this is what we must consciously do. So we also
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saw that the believer's authority, the believer's
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authority in Christ is expressed through the
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words of faith. We saw this on Sunday that authority
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has been given to the believer. God has given
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authority to the believers. By his death, by
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His burial, by His resurrection and His ascension
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in the hearts of the believer, the believer has
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been given authority. And that authority is to
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be expressed on earth. And one of the ways by
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which we express that authority is by speaking.
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So when we don't speak, we cannot express authority.
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When we don't speak, we are not devoid of authority.
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But to express the authority, We must be believers
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that speak. Speak to situations. Speak to circumstances.
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Speak to ourselves. So, through our scriptures,
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God's power and purpose, we saw, are repeatedly
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expressed through spoken words. And what are
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the words we speak? We speak the word that God
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has said. Alright? Jesus commissioned his disciples
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to preach the gospel. And in preaching the gospel,
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he gave them specifics to say. They don't invent
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what to say that will bring about the salvation
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of souls. So we equally, we don't invent what
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to say when we want to preach to people. God
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has given us what to say that will save people.
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All right? God has given us what to say that
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will save people. So we have what to say that
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will save people. So we see authority, you know,
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is expressed in preaching. Authority is expressed
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in casting out demons. In ministering, healing,
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all these are actions that are done by the use
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of words we speak. Therefore, greater works require
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greater expression of faith. We are not saying
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that there's a greater faith. You know, we have
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all the faith that God has put in us. But for
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us to see a greater expression of such faith,
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you know, it requires that we speak often. God
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has given us His Word not simply to read, but
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to believe. And in believing, we speak and we
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live it. So our responsibility is to train our
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mouths to always agree with what God has said.
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We train our mouths to agree with God rather
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than with fear because we face a situation that
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will bring fear. We are faced with situations
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that are able to bring fear. We are faced with
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situations. Now, being afraid is not a sin. Sincerely,
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we must be honest that sometimes when we look
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at some situations, we are threatened, right?
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So it's normal for you to be afraid of situations,
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but the fear should not govern you, right? What
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should govern you is what? It's what God has
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said. It's the word of God. Okay? truly we'll
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encounter situations that will instigate fear.
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Sometimes there will be doubt in our hearts.
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Okay? So we don't side with the doubt. Doubt
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is a contrary opinion. We don't stand, we don't
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agree with doubt. We don't agree with fear. So
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we agree with God, not in unbelief, not in, we
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don't believe what a circumstance is saying.
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We believe what the word of God is saying. Hallelujah.
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So my desire or our desire as a leadership is
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that we will be trained in this church, that
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we will be trained in the life of faith, that
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our words will always be intentional about our
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words. Okay? We will be very selective of the
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things we say daily as we live our lives, as
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we speak to one another, as we fellowship with
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one another. I wish that we would have, maybe
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next time, we're going to look at how we can
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say things. How do we communicate one to another?
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Because sometimes it's what we say to one another
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that actually brings doubt. A believer, you are
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saying things that offends another believer.
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Okay? Either intentionally or unintentionally,
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you can say something that will offend your brother
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or your sister in Christ. And it will affect
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their faith. It will affect their walk with God.
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Alright? So, it is important that we are trained.
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in this that we are allowed always fit to speak,
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to be found expressed in our lips. And this is
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not just for a season, but it's something that
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we hope to see every part, every, for the rest
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of our lives, that always our lives, the things
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we say are things that edifies us, the things
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that God has said. And therefore we see the result
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of what God has said in our lives. Hallelujah.
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So then, but the other side doubts also. As we
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often say, doubt and unbelief, you know, when
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I was teaching us about the operations of faith,
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right? I say that faith operates in the heart.
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Doubt also operates in the heart. So in our words
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also, we can see doubt operate in the words that
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we say, right? Doubt can also be found in the
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words that we speak. Our words are carriers of
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spiritual forces. I also want us to maybe if
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you're writing like a subheading, maybe doubt
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or doubt can be expressed through our words.
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So our words, as we've seen, as we keep emphasizing
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for the past three sessions, our words are carriers
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of spiritual forces, of spiritual forces. When
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I mean spiritual forces, doubt is a spiritual
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force. Okay? Fear and worries, all these are
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spiritual forces. You can't see them, you can't
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touch them, but they do exist. So our words can
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be carriers of spiritual forces of doubt, worries,
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fears, etc. Therefore, our words must be trained.
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That is a need for us to train our words always
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to speak faith much more than what we see with
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our eyes. So in our words, When we're not careful,
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even as believers, our words can carry fear.
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Our words can carry doubt. And as a minister
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of God, you cannot be speaking fear and worries
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and doubts to people. All right? You yourself,
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you will not benefit from the word of God yourself
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because it will not profit you. You will not
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have good success in your own life because what
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you profess is contrary to the word of God. But
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equally, you cannot be a blessing to others.
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So your words or your speech can show either
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that you are walking in faith or in unbelief.
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Even before you take an action, firstly, we listen
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to what you say. All right? There are some people
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when they come around and I sit down, I begin
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to listen to them. And I begin to ask them, okay,
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what is your problem? And they begin to say,
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I don't want to even hear the remaining story.
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I shut them up quickly. Not because I don't want
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to hear, oh, you know, I don't want to give you
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a no. I want to counter, before you say the full
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sentence of unbelief, I want to counter it with
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the word of faith. If I now tell you what the
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word of faith is, believe me, you will not continue
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in the unbelief because by then you would have
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known that, ah, actually there's a solution and
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the solution is in the word of God. Hallelujah.
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So we can trace the operation or the activity
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of doubt and unbelief in a man's word. When we
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listen to what he says. and we hear what he says,
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we can discern whether this is coming from God
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or from faith or from unbelief. And let's see
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an example of, let's see an example in scripture.
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Maybe we'll just look at two examples today and
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then we, yes, then we close. Let's see the first
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example in 2 Kings 6. As we read this story,
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we'll find applications for our life. 2 Kings
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6. Let me read from verse 24. 2 Kings 6 from
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verse 24. And it happened after this that Ben
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-Hadad, king of Syria, gathered all his army
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and went up and besieged Samaria. Samaria and
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Syria are two different nations. And there was
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a great famine in Samaria. And indeed, they besieged
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it until a donkey's head. Look at the economic
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impact of this war. There was a great famine
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in Samaria. And indeed, they besieged it until
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a donkey's head was sold for 80 shekels of silver.
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That means there was inflation. And one -fourth
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of a cup of duff, duff droppings for five shekels
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of silver. Then as the king of Israel was passing
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by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying,
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Help my king, my lord, oh my king. And he said,
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If the lord... Does not help you. Where can I
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find help for you? From the threshing floor or
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from the wind press, wine press. Then the king
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said to her, what is troubling you? And she answered,
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this woman said to me, give your son that we
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may eat him today. I will eat my son tomorrow
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because of hunger. Look at what they've turned
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themselves into. They've turned themselves into,
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what do they say in English? Carnivores, right?
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They've started eating their babies because of
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hunger. So we bought my son and ate him. And
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I said to her on the next day, give your son
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that we may eat him. But she has hidden her son.
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Now it happened when the king heard the words
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of the woman that he tore his clothes. And as
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he passed by on the wall, the people looked and
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there underneath he had sackcloth on his body.
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Because this situation is... It's beyond shocking
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that people have started eating human beings.
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That is how hunger has entered the land. That
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is how, you know, luck has reached. And this
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luck is not just individual luck, it's a national
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luck. Then he said, God do so to me and more
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also. See, he became angry with God. God do so
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to me and more also. If the head of Elisha, The
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son of Shaphat remains on him today. But Elisha
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was sitting in his house, and the elders were
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sitting with him, and the king sent a man ahead
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of him. But before the messenger came to him,
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he said to the elders, Do you see how this son
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of a murderer has sent someone to take away my
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head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the
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door, and hold him fast at the door. It is not
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the sound of his master's Is it not the son of
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his master's feet behind him? And while he was
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still talking with them, there was a messenger
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coming down to him. And when the king said, surely
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this calamity is from the Lord. Why should I
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wait for the Lord any longer? Because the situation
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was contemplating, why should I wait unto the
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Lord any longer because of this situation? Now
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let's move to chapter 7, which is where I want
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us to look. Then Elisha said, hear the word of
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the Lord. Thus says the Lord, tomorrow, this
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is the word of God, right? Tomorrow, about this
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time, a seer of fine flour shall be sold for
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a shekel and two seers of barley for a shekel
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at the gate of Samaria. Imagine, in this Cyprus
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economy. Right? The things are so difficult that
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a man of God comes to you and say, by tomorrow,
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house rent, how much do we pay? 400, 500 pounds.
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Say tomorrow, by tomorrow, house rent will be
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50 pounds. That's what God is saying. Not in
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the next five years. Say by tomorrow, house rent
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will be 50 pounds. Four bedroom apartment will
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be 50 pounds. Kebab will be one tier. And what
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again? What are the common things we use? Egg
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make will be 50 kurush. Once upon a time, it
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was 50 kurush, right? And I know that none of
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you will believe. All right? So let's not crucify
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somebody here because he didn't believe. Okay?
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But let's learn from it. But listen, this word
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is coming from God. It's coming from the prophet
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of God. Look at the next verse, verse 2. So an
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officer on whose hand the king leaned answered
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the man of God and said, Look, if the Lord will
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make windows in heaven, could this thing be that
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even if God will open heaven and then you will
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rain down food from heaven? Because of the context
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of the situation, because of the difficulty of
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what they are experiencing. Imagine you are just
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coming together with your boss, the servant,
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and you see a situation where a woman eats her
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son. And then the prophet, the word of God is
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coming and he's saying that by tomorrow, everything
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will be reversed to the direct opposite. So an
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officer on whose hand the king leaned, answered
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the man of God and said, look, if the Lord will
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make windows in heaven, could this thing be?
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And he said, in fact, you shall see it with your
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eyes. But what? But you shall not eat of it.
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You shall see it with your eyes. But what? But
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you shall not eat of it. Verse 18 and verse 20.
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Verse 18 to 20. So it happened just as a man
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of God has spoken to the king, saying, two seers
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of barley for a shekel and a seer of fine flour
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for a shekel shall be sold tomorrow about this
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time. in the gate of Samaria. Then that officer,
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then that officer had answered the man of God
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and said, Now look, if the Lord will make windows
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in heaven, could such thing be? And he said,
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In fact, you shall see it with your eyes, but
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you shall not eat of it. And so it happened to
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him. For the people trampled him in the gate,
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and what? And he died. And we see in this story,
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it's a practical example of a man that choose
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to live in unbelief. So firstly, we saw that
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Samaria was under severe siege, right? The context
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is the extreme hunger, the famine, the hunger,
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the desperation among the people and all that
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we see. And the situation appeared completely
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hopeless. The situation appeared completely hopeless,
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making it difficult for anyone to imagine. In
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fact, it's impossible for you to imagine any
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form of deliverance or abundance. Okay? And sometimes
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situations present themselves equally to us in
26:29
this way. When we look at, sometimes when we
26:32
look at our countries, where we are coming from,
26:34
we look at our lives, we look at the families
26:36
we are coming from, we look at the situation
26:39
of our pocket, we look at the impossibilities
26:42
that surrounds us. it becomes difficult for us
26:46
to believe what God is saying. Now, we are not
26:49
here to eliminate the experiences that are happening.
26:53
We are not shutting down the fact that these
26:55
things are happening. Okay? Faith is not ignoring
26:59
the facts on ground. Faith is not ignoring the
27:02
facts on ground. Faith is believing the word
27:05
of God against the facts. Are we together? So,
27:10
We could look at Africa, we could look at our
27:12
countries, the situation of our countries, and
27:15
then we see clearly, if it's by man's making,
27:19
there's no hope. Actually, let me tell you this.
27:23
Many African countries, if it's left onto our
27:25
leaders, our countries will be sold. We will
27:28
not have a place to call home. Many of our countries
27:32
are existing because it's because of the grace
27:34
of God. Not because, you know, people have been,
27:37
you know, disciplined in managing our economy
27:39
or managing our systems. It's because God has
27:41
decided to hold on to, you know, our systems
27:44
and not allowing them to collapse. So the practicality
27:49
of these situations, you know, are very, very
27:53
important. But much more than that, the word
27:56
of God supersedes or is above every single experience.
28:01
And we see here that fear... frustration and
28:05
unbelief filled the atmosphere because of what
28:07
they are passing through. With even the king
28:09
himself blaming God, he blamed Elisha for the
28:12
crisis, right? But then, in the midst of it,
28:16
the word of God comes. And the expectation of
28:20
everyone is to act on the word of God. You always
28:23
believe the word of God. And in chapter 7, when
28:27
Elisha promised the abandoned foot, by the next
28:30
day, we see the officer's response reflect what
28:33
he saw rather than what God has spoken. You know,
28:37
it's a comparison between what he has seen, the
28:40
experience of the people, the experience in the
28:42
land, and bringing it on the same level with
28:45
what God has said. You know, he chooses to elevate
28:49
the experience above what God has said. That
28:52
means that he's in unbelief. He didn't believe
28:54
what God said through the prophet. He didn't
28:57
believe what God said through the prophet. So
29:00
God gave a clear promise. God gave a clear promise.
29:04
Elisha declared that food will become abundant
29:07
in Samaria by the next day. The officer, on the
29:11
other hand, did not believe the word of God.
29:13
His unbelief, right, was only in his heart. His
29:18
unbelief was expressed in his words. Okay? His
29:23
unbelief was expressed in his words. Thereafter,
29:26
he could not partake in the blessings that came
29:29
upon the land. Look at verse 2 again. Look at
29:32
the officer's response in verse 2. So, chapter
29:35
7, verse 2. So an officer, on whose hand the
29:41
king leaned, answered the man of God and said,
29:45
Look, if the Lord will make windows in heaven.
29:49
Please, is it possible to give us NLT of this
29:52
verse 2? Yes. The officer assisting the king
29:55
said to the man of God that that couldn't happen,
30:00
right? That couldn't happen. Even if the Lord
30:04
opened the windows of heaven, that this thing
30:06
cannot happen. Even if God himself opened the
30:09
windows of heaven, what the prophet said is almost,
30:13
in Turkish, it's impossible, right? It cannot
30:17
happen. That couldn't happen. Even if the Lord
30:21
opened the windows of heaven, But Elisha replied,
30:25
you will see it happen with your own eyes, but
30:29
you won't be able to eat any of it. Hallelujah.
30:33
So his words reveal his heart. Okay. His words
30:38
reveal his heart. Perhaps he shouldn't have even
30:42
said something. All right. He should have just
30:47
remained silent and trust the process to overcome
30:52
his unbelief. But his words reveal his heart.
30:56
His statement was not merely a question. Okay?
31:00
It expressed doubt. It's a declaration. It's
31:05
a declaration. His statement is a declaration.
31:08
It expressed doubt that God could, that God,
31:13
that God cannot fulfill what he has said. All
31:17
right? But then we see in this story that God
31:21
fulfilled his words. The promise and the abundance
31:25
came exactly as Elisha said. When we read the
31:27
entire chapter 7, we'll see. As Elisha declared
31:30
the word of God by speaking the counsel of God,
31:33
you know, exercising authority that he has as
31:36
a prophet over the nation, declaring that this
31:39
is what will happen by words. Okay? So even the
31:43
action of the prophet himself is a function of
31:46
words. He declared what will happen. So the word
31:50
is not limited. The word of God. It's not limited
31:53
by human reasoning. Okay? You cannot use your
31:57
human reasoning and then limit the power of what
32:01
God said will happen no matter how you reason
32:04
the situation. As you are calculating the impossibility
32:07
of the situation, the word of God supersedes
32:10
your reasoning. Our words can reveal whether
32:15
we agree with God's promises. Or we're expressing
32:18
unbelief towards it. And it thereafter affects
32:21
our experiences in life, generally speaking.
32:24
Okay? It affects and influences our experiences
32:27
in life. So regardless of the fact, in the circumstance,
32:31
in our circumstances, in our situations, we must
32:35
always agree with what God has said. Because
32:40
God has said things concerning us. We must believe
32:45
what the word of God is saying. And our confession
32:48
and what we speak must be what God is saying
32:52
concerning our matters all the time. All the
32:56
time. Our words must not be an expression of
33:00
the facts of the situation. The situation, the
33:04
facts surrounding the situations are there, but
33:07
our anchor is not in the reality of the situation,
33:10
but it's in what God has said. That is what will
33:13
make people look at you and they'll see you as
33:15
a crazy and a stupid person. Because outwardly,
33:18
they can't see you measuring up to what you are
33:20
holding on to. Alright? People are saying there's
33:23
a casting down and then your own confession is
33:26
what? Is there reason lifting up? Because that's
33:30
what the Word of God says. Evidently, everybody
33:33
is condemning things. It's saying evil about
33:37
situations. It's saying evil about the nation.
33:39
It's saying evil about the systems. about the
33:42
system, even about your bosses, about where you
33:45
are working, about your lecturers, about whatever.
33:48
But what comes out of your mouth are words of
33:52
blessings and the word of God. Hallelujah. That
33:56
is your identity. That is your nature. And that
33:58
is who you are. And that is what God wants us
34:01
to be at all times. Right? That we don't speak
34:05
things that are evil, but we speak things that
34:08
are blessings. And we don't speak the circumstance.
34:12
We speak what the word of God is saying concerning
34:14
our circumstance. Amen? So regardless of your
34:18
experience, I want you to see the word of God
34:20
above your experiences. I want you to see the
34:22
word of God above what is happening in your life.
34:25
I want you to see the word of God above the trials
34:28
that you are facing. Listen, what I'm saying
34:31
is you may not understand the implication of
34:33
the things we are teaching you now. There's one
34:36
thing we are sure. If you are not passing through
34:39
trial now, Tomorrow you will be in one. It's
34:43
guaranteed as a believer. So if you are passing
34:46
through now, what I'm saying is for your help.
34:48
If you're not passing through one now, what we're
34:51
saying is for your safety for tomorrow, that
34:54
you will pass through trials. In the scripture,
34:57
it's a promise. It's a certainty that you will
35:01
pass through trials. Hallelujah. But your faith
35:05
will not fail. Amen. Because you know what? You
35:08
know the secret. The secret is to hold on to
35:10
God's word. See, if we begin to tell you our
35:13
story as pastors, sometimes I could be weak in
35:16
my faith and I hear how Pastor Kosti is saying
35:19
when we come together to pray, to talk, immediately
35:21
faith comes to, I come alive. I hear Pastor Chidi
35:25
encouraging himself in the word, I come alive.
35:28
Hallelujah. So our anchor is always in what God
35:32
has said. We must know this. This is a secret
35:35
to excel in. This is a secret for thriving in
35:39
our lives and to live life that will please God,
35:42
that will honor God at all times. This is a secret
35:44
of the Christian life. If this is a secret, that
35:48
the Word of God becomes our anchor. You will
35:51
be tested. Some of you, the reason that you are
35:53
not feeling the heaviness of life is because
35:55
your life is being sponsored. Okay? Your life
35:58
is being sponsored by someone, by your parents.
36:02
But by the moment you become independent, And
36:06
you look at your salary and you look at your
36:08
expense. It's not equal fraction. It's not, what
36:12
do you call it in mathematics? It's not adding
36:14
up. Improper fraction, right? It's 1 over 10.
36:21
10 over 1. Okay. You see what you need. Your
36:27
salary can solve and you trust God for the rest.
36:32
Hallelujah. You just look at the vision that
36:35
God has given you. Look at the income you have.
36:37
You just trust God for the rest. Hallelujah.
36:40
So we must learn to put the word of God. Believe
36:44
the word of God. I am telling you the situation
36:46
will test your faith. This is normal. Hallelujah.
36:51
It will look so impossible. You look at the word
36:54
of God and look at the situation. It doesn't
36:56
make sense. But hold on to God's word because
36:59
the word of God is true. Hallelujah. Let me say
37:03
after, yes. So, unbelief cannot or should not,
37:08
you know, shift us away from the word of God.
37:13
And let's look at another example in the New
37:15
Testament, in Mark chapter 5. Mark chapter 5,
37:19
a story of the woman with the issue of blood.
37:22
Mark chapter 5, the story can be found in Mark,
37:26
can be found in Luke, can be found in Matthew
37:29
rather. But let's look at Mark chapter 5 verse...
37:32
25, and then we'll move to the story in Luke.
37:35
Just picking some important information. Now,
37:39
a certain woman had a flow of blood for 12 years.
37:43
Okay? She had an issue with the flow of blood
37:46
for 12 years. Let's continue the reading from
37:48
Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8, the same story,
37:51
Luke chapter 8, verse 43. Because of time, I
37:54
can't read all of it. Chapter 8, verse 43. Yes.
38:00
Now, a woman having a flow of blood for 12 years,
38:04
who had spent all her livelihood on physicians,
38:08
that means she has gone to different hospitals,
38:10
she has gone to L .A.'s hospital, she has gone
38:14
to Dr. Buwan, she has gone to the one in Maguza,
38:16
she has gone around all the physicians, she has
38:18
come to nearest hospital, the Oga of all of them,
38:21
and could not be healed by any. So it means that
38:26
her situation has become impossible. It means
38:28
that she has not found solution. There's no solution
38:31
for our problem. Verse 43. Now a woman having
38:37
a flow of blood for 12 years who had spent all
38:40
her livelihood on physicians and could not be
38:43
healed by any. Verse 44. Came from behind and
38:48
touched the border of his garment. That is Jesus.
38:50
Because she heard about Jesus and she believed
38:53
in Jesus for her healing. Okay? And immediately,
38:58
her flow of blood stopped. Immediately, her flow
39:02
of blood stopped. And Jesus said, who touched
39:05
me? Then all denied it. Peter and those with
39:10
him said, Master, the multitude thronged and
39:13
praised you. And you say, who touched me? Verse
39:16
46. But Jesus said, somebody touched me, for
39:19
I perceived power going out from me. Now, when
39:24
the woman saw that, she was not hidden. She came
39:28
trembling and falling down before him. She declared
39:31
to him in the presence of all the people, the
39:34
reason she had touched him and how she was healed
39:38
immediately. 48. And he said to her, daughter,
39:44
be of good cheer. Your faith has made you well.
39:49
Go in peace. Now let's look at the story in chapter
39:53
nine. Matthew chapter 9, verse 20. She heard
39:58
about Jesus and she believed that Jesus could
40:01
heal her. She knows that only Jesus can solve
40:06
this problem. It's no longer a scientific issue.
40:09
And suddenly a woman who had flow of blood for
40:11
12 years came from behind and touched the harm
40:14
of his garment. For she said to herself, all
40:18
right, her faith led her to speaking to herself.
40:24
If only, okay, if only I may touch his garment,
40:30
I shall be made whole. But Jesus turned around
40:34
and when he saw her, he said, Be of good cheer,
40:37
daughter. Your faith has made you well. And the
40:42
woman was made well from that very hour. Hallelujah.
40:47
So, her faith was expressed in words. She said,
40:53
Contextually, when we gather the reading together,
40:55
we'll see the whole story. If I may touch, if
40:59
I may but touch his clothes, I shall be made
41:02
whole. I shall be made whole. Mark 5, 28. I shall
41:07
be made whole. She acted on her confession. She
41:11
acted on her confession. She reached out endowment.
41:16
And of course, Jesus confirmed. He confirmed
41:19
her faith. He told her, daughter, your faith.
41:23
has made you whole. So we see that faith is expressed
41:27
through words. And in her words, she doesn't
41:30
just believe that Jesus is able to heal her from
41:32
what she has been passing through. We could paint
41:35
a good picture of her experience and how she
41:36
has suffered and how she has gone from physician
41:38
to physician and how, you know, all have tried,
41:42
but they could not, they were not able to solve
41:45
her need until she heard about Jesus. And she
41:49
believed. that Jesus will heal her. All right?
41:54
So she didn't just believe that Jesus will heal
41:56
her. She said to herself, because I don't think
42:00
there's any scripture that she might have read
42:02
and said, ah, there's an example that I can touch
42:05
the hem of somebody's shit and then I will be
42:07
made whole. But she said to herself that what?
42:11
That if I can just hold on to the hem of his
42:14
garment. So her faith is seen in what? in her
42:19
words, first and foremost, not to somebody, but
42:21
to herself. Okay? That is to say, what she believed,
42:25
she spoke what she believed to herself. All right?
42:28
So it's an example for us of what we believe
42:31
about God, what we believe about what Jesus is
42:33
doing, or what we believe about what Jesus will
42:36
do in our lives. We must always say it to ourselves.
42:42
Okay? We must always speak the word to ourselves.
42:46
The words of faith, we must always speak it to
42:49
ourselves. It has an impact on our actions. And
42:53
when she had an opportunity, she acted on what
42:55
she has been saying to herself. And there and
42:58
then the Bible says at that very hour, she was
43:01
made whole. So faith is expressed through words
43:04
and corresponding actions. What we believe in
43:09
our hearts can find expressions through what
43:11
we say and what we do. When we speak words of
43:14
faith with our mouths, but also don't believe
43:18
in our hearts, we will have no result. Okay?
43:21
Because from the abundance of what is in our
43:23
hearts, it's expected that our mouth will speak
43:26
and there must be an alignment between what is
43:29
in our hearts and what is in our mouths. Give
43:31
me Matthew chapter 15. Matthew 15 verse 8 to
43:35
9. Yes. It's a quotation of Isaiah. The possibility
43:41
of people drawing to God. Alright? But their
43:44
hearts. is not with God. He says, these people
43:49
draw near to me with their mouth. At least they
43:52
say beautiful things about God. They say the
43:55
word of God and honor me with their lips. But
43:58
their heart is what? It's far from me. And in
44:03
vain they worship me, teaching as doctrine the
44:06
commandments of men. The commandments of men.
44:10
So, there's a possibility that we can be saying
44:13
things, alright, that our hearts are not in alignment
44:17
with what he was saying. So we are not like these
44:20
people because he's talking about the Pharisees.
44:22
All right? We are people that will say with our
44:27
lips and also believe in our hearts because that
44:30
is how we'll benefit from the word of God. Hallelujah.
44:33
Mark chapter 7 verse 6 and 8. I think it's the
44:36
same text. I'm not mistaking. Yes, yes. Isaiah,
44:41
prophets of Isaiah, yes. So, It's important for
44:45
us to understand that the Word of God, the Word
44:50
of God is powerful. The Word of God is important
44:55
that everything God says, He has a responsibility
44:59
to ensure that His words come to pass. Because
45:02
the character of God, the character of God, the
45:05
integrity of God are in His words. Okay? So why
45:10
do we say, Why do we believe that the word of
45:12
God will come to pass? We believe that the word
45:14
of God will come to pass because his character
45:16
is in his word. So that is why we believe the
45:20
word of God. Because the word of God expresses
45:24
the character of God. It shows the integrity
45:27
of God, who God is. God's character is in his
45:31
word. Since our confession is the word of God,
45:35
right? Our confession is in the word of God.
45:37
God's word always comes to pass. God's Word always,
45:41
if you see the way the Word of God fell, it's
45:43
not with God. It's with the actions of men. Alright?
45:47
So, whatever God has said concerning us, whenever
45:50
we go through Scriptures and we see the realities
45:53
of the believer, whenever we go through Scriptures,
45:55
we see promises that are for the believer. We
45:59
see God saying things concerning our lives. We
46:03
see revealed, because the Word of God reveals
46:05
us. It reveals our identity. It reveals our Our
46:10
blessings, our blessedness, it reveals what God
46:14
is doing right now in our lives. Even if our
46:16
lives might not look like what the Word of God
46:19
is saying, but we believe that that's what God
46:21
is doing in our lives. Hallelujah. We believe
46:23
that that's what God is working out of us. With
46:25
time, it will speak. We will become that thing
46:28
that God is working out of us. We will become
46:30
just the kind of man and the kind of woman that
46:33
God wants us to become. Our characters will be
46:35
transformed. Sometimes we have to be patient
46:37
with ourselves. And keep believing the word of
46:40
God. Keep studying the word of God until you
46:43
see your life aligning with the word of God.
46:46
Until you see yourself strengthened by the word
46:49
of God. Because the word of God is powerful.
46:53
Isaiah 55 verse 10 talks about the integrity
46:58
of God's word. For as the rain comes down and
47:02
the snow from heaven. and do not return there
47:06
but water the earth and make it bring forth and
47:09
birth that it may give seed to the sower and
47:12
bread to the eater. So shall my word be as goes
47:16
forth from my mouth. So Isaiah here is using
47:20
the rain and as the rain comes down and the effect
47:22
of rain is seen on the land, so shall my word
47:25
be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not
47:28
return to me empty. The word of God will not
47:31
return without executing its cost. It shall not
47:35
return to me void, but it shall accomplish what
47:39
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for
47:44
which I sent it. That is to say that whatever
47:46
God has said concerning us, concerning his work,
47:51
concerning his plan, it will come to pass. It
47:55
will come to pass. Do we read verse 12? For you
47:58
shall go out with joy. and be let out with peace.
48:02
The mountains and the hills shall break forth
48:04
into singing before you, and all the trees of
48:07
the field shall clap their hands. So there's
48:09
a context to what Isaiah is saying. But what
48:12
we draw from here, the principle we're seeing
48:14
from this verse, is that the word of God is not
48:17
just for fun, right? It's not just for saying's
48:21
sake. Of course, it's for our comfort, but much
48:25
more than that, it comes to pass, all right?
48:28
It encourages us, but we look forward to see
48:30
what happens as God has said. As we align ourselves,
48:35
as we keep trusting the word of God, as we keep
48:37
aligning ourselves to what God has said, we keep
48:40
seeing the result of what God has said in effect
48:42
in our lives. Hallelujah. So, as I put a pause
48:46
to this conversation on the issue of the faith
48:48
and our words, it's important for us to conclude
48:52
or to remind summarily that faith is... is expressed
48:57
in our words. So I want you to leave this place
49:00
intentionally. Alright? Speaking the words of
49:04
faith. Speaking the words of faith against all
49:07
odds. Speaking the words of faith. You know,
49:12
your confession is a confession of faith. Means
49:15
you are agreeing with what God has said in your
49:18
heart and you are saying it with your lips. Hallelujah.
49:23
And as you go, your heart, must be filled with
49:28
the word of God. What fills your heart influences
49:31
your mouth. What fills your heart will definitely
49:34
influence your mouth. So as God's word dwells
49:37
richly in us, it should shape our thoughts, our
49:40
attitudes, our decisions, and our speech. And
49:45
we establish that God's word or words that generally
49:47
can reveal faith or unbelief. So we see from
49:51
the story of the officer in 2 Kings, he spoke
49:54
according to the circumstance he saw. While the
49:57
woman with the issue of blood spoke according
49:59
to what she believed about Jesus. So we must
50:03
always speak faith. We must always speak faith.
50:08
Our words must agree always with God's words.
50:12
Faith is not merely speaking. It is believing
50:15
and speaking. Therefore, we must train our mouths
50:19
to speak faith rather than fear, rather than
50:22
doubt, rather than unbelief. Because... We are
50:26
men of faith. We have faith in us. Hallelujah.
50:28
We have the ability to believe God's word. We
50:31
have the ability to understand God's word. Every
50:33
time we come, we pray that our eyes will open
50:35
their senses and we will understand God's word
50:37
and we will understand God's word and we will
50:39
believe God's word and we will do God's word.
50:41
Amen. I just want to, a few minutes we have,
50:44
to just speak to God concerning your life. These
50:49
two weeks has opened us to a certain reality
50:53
about Reigning in life. About reigning in life.
50:57
About reigning in this life. In this earth. And
51:00
we reign by our words. We live by our words.
51:03
We excel by our words. And I want you to pray
51:06
to yourself. Pray for yourself. That your words.
51:10
That you are intentional about what we say. That
51:13
we are intentional about what we say. To ourselves.
51:17
We are intentional about what we say to ourselves.
51:20
Always. or follow us on social media. If you
51:25
were encouraged, share this message with someone
51:27
you care about. Until next time, stay blessed.