As we gather around the proverbial table, let's celebrate wisdom, faith, and the transformative journey of belief. My sister Patrina Simpson's birthday serves as a poignant backdrop to our exploration of the book of Proverbs and the Acts of the Apostles, reminding us that life's teachings come wrapped in both perfect and imperfect bows. From the seven abominations to the enduring wisdom of our parents, every story shared in this episode is a testament to the intricate tapestry woven by the divine through our everyday experiences.
The narrative of Paul's unwavering conviction before King Agrippa resonates deeply as we navigate the trials and tribulations of our own faith journeys. His tale is more than a historical account; it's a living example of the power that lies in steadfast belief and the life-changing effects of a personal encounter with the divine. We dissect the layers of Paul's mission, discussing how his transformation from Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus serves as a blueprint for our own spiritual awakenings.
Join me, Stephanie, as we wrap up this episode with a heartfelt discussion on the very essence of righteousness, belief, and the compelling challenges faced by Jesus in his confrontations with the religious leaders of his time. We're reminded that the greatest commandment isn't a lofty ideal but a tangible practice of love towards God and neighbor. Let's carry the wisdom of Proverbs, the perseverance of Paul, and the lessons of Jesus into our daily lives, trusting in the peace that comes from seeking and knowing God's eternal support.
As we gather around the proverbial table, let's celebrate wisdom, faith, and the transformative journey of belief. My sister Patrina Simpson's birthday serves as a poignant backdrop to our exploration of the book of Proverbs and the Acts of the Apostles, reminding us that life's teachings come wrapped in both perfect and imperfect bows. From the seven abominations to the enduring wisdom of our parents, every story shared in this episode is a testament to the intricate tapestry woven by the divine through our everyday experiences.
The narrative of Paul's unwavering conviction before King Agrippa resonates deeply as we navigate the trials and tribulations of our own faith journeys. His tale is more than a historical account; it's a living example of the power that lies in steadfast belief and the life-changing effects of a personal encounter with the divine. We dissect the layers of Paul's mission, discussing how his transformation from Saul to Paul on the road to Damascus serves as a blueprint for our own spiritual awakenings.
Join me, Stephanie, as we wrap up this episode with a heartfelt discussion on the very essence of righteousness, belief, and the compelling challenges faced by Jesus in his confrontations with the religious leaders of his time. We're reminded that the greatest commandment isn't a lofty ideal but a tangible practice of love towards God and neighbor. Let's carry the wisdom of Proverbs, the perseverance of Paul, and the lessons of Jesus into our daily lives, trusting in the peace that comes from seeking and knowing God's eternal support.
New, new, new, everything new, new, new, new, new, everything new. I'm ready to go, ready for more. Hello, it's Stephanie, and you are now listening in. To Inside Beauty Inspires Will we motivate, encourage and inspire through biblical principles. I hope you guys have been enjoying this show as much as I have. This is jump right into it. But before we get started, I want to shout out my sister, patrina Simpson. It is your birthday 323. Happy birthday, big sis. I hope you have an amazing day on purpose today.
Speaker 1:I want to dedicate this word not just to my sister, but to all of us. We all need Jesus. We all need the Lord on our side. I want to step back. I want to go ahead and get into this word real quick. Also, I want to shout out my auntie, brenda. Her birthday was on Thursday, so happy birthday, auntie. I hope you guys have an amazing day on purpose. So let's just jump into this word.
Speaker 1:So we've been in the book of Proverbs. Well, let's just back up. We have been in the book of Proverbs from January to Revelations, then we are in Acts and now we are finishing up the book of Acts. But Acts is one of those books where the church begins. This is where you see the beginning of the church. This is where you are able to experience the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1:But before we jump into the book of Acts, just to give you a synopsis of it, I want to go ahead and jump into the book of Proverbs, proverbs 16 through 19. So the Lord hates. The Lord hates. These six things. The Lord hates yes, seven are an abomination to him A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who soars discord among brethren. This is Proverbs 6, verses 16 through 19. It says if you're wondering what God hates, here is your list. The false witness who discredits another person is at the top. Lovers of God speak truthfully when they are called upon to witness. The dissenter and manipulator is the second trait. God loves the world so much that he sacrificed his son, john 3.16. This leads to the third a heart that plans wicked things can't love the world. When we think about feet that are quick to run to evil, it's easy to consider the nosy neighbor who rushes out with gossip and pursues it.
Speaker 1:When God speaks to Job, he's brutal about the proud, there won't be a lot of grace for unrepentant, prideful people. God is passionate about righteousness, especially for the innocent. No person is without sin. Yet those who seek him and repent are lifted up. The devotional says Dear Lord, keep me from those things that you hate. I want to emulate your love in everything I do.
Speaker 1:Then this one. So I saw these two Proverbs and I was like you know what? I really do want to jump into Proverbs in the very beginning, because I want you guys to understand how important it is to have wisdom. It's going to show you who sent who. You know when God wants to do something in your life, he's going to send a person. And when the enemy wants to do something in your life, he's going to send a person. And if you don't have wisdom, you're not going to know who sent who. So this is why you should hide the word of God around your heart, in your heart. That's what the Bible tells us to do.
Speaker 1:The second Proverbs we're going to talk about is Proverbs 6, verses 20 through 21. It says my son, keep your father's commandment and forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them on your heart always and tie them around your neck. It says even those with unbelieving, sin-driven parents can, with wisdom and time, discern nuggets of truth and beauty in the way they were brought up. Because I mean honestly, if we can be real, we all grew up differently. Right, and God has His way and it's in His timing. God can leak into the hearts of parents for the sake of the children. God is loving, god is a loving God, and the lessons we take with us into adult life don't have to be all about negatives of our upbringing. The heart of God can override the bad memories and give believers grace For those who raise them. We can see the life lessons. When we look back. We can see the hand of God where once we would only see horrors. Every person is born into sin, but the teachings and rules of our parents can reflect the heart of God. Even if the teachings are a mess and the rules are based in selfishness, god can and will use those details to bring us into the kingdom and our stories can bring others with us. Dear Father, my one true Father, let me seek my earthly parents with your eyes and see them as your vessels for lessons and learning as I was growing up. As I was growing up, which leads me to this last proverbs that I want to read, verse 622,. It says when you walk, they will guide you. When you sleep, they will watch over you. When you wake, they will speak to you.
Speaker 1:Parents' impacts on a child's growth can't be underestimated. Whether mother and father are aware of it or not, they become a child's default Thoughts, often through adulthood. If these lifelong lessons are of God, they are a bomb to the soul, but they are more worldly in their intent. They can steal God in unexpected ways. God walks with his children, no matter their age, and, as our Father, he guides and directs us lovingly towards the path he has chosen for us. God has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell with us, no matter what we are experiencing, no matter where we are the earth he is to. What a blessing to know God has put us where we will be protected and guided. He has determined our families, both the ones we are given as children as well as the ones we have as adults. We will hear those guiding voices because of his direction. Lord, you are almighty and the one I love. Thank you for all the teaching and rules I had growing up. I know you used them for my protection, so let's jump into this word, because one thing that has my attention thus far is what the Lord hates. What the Lord hates. Now, of course, I told you guys we're going to talk about acts. I'm spirit led, so I want to let you know the Lord is going to lead me and tell me exactly what it is that he wants his children to know.
Speaker 1:First and foremost, we have got to understand that we are born into sin. We don't have to be a part of it. If we go to 1 John, it tells us about the world and the world's ways. Wisdom comes from our Father, who wrote the book of Proverbs. Solomon did. Solomon was one of the wisest men. He was David's son, according to Solomon. I think Solomon also wrote the book of Ecclesiastics as well. But listen at this. 16 is the Lord hates. Yes, seven are an abomination to him A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift and running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brotherings. Let's go to the commentary real quick, because I want you guys to understand what that looks like. So okay, I'm in my commentary and this is what it says.
Speaker 1:We know that God hates all sin, but Solomon says there are seven things that are especially distestable to him. Interestingly, all of them have to do with how we relate to others. Pride, or arrogant eyes, is first on God's list. It's the sin that led Satan to rebel against God and set up a rival kingdom. And if that's not reason enough to avoid it, know that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Pride is typically the headwaters of other sins. When we think too highly of ourselves, we are tempted to commit the other 16s that are distestable to God, steering up trouble among brotherings. This is no minor matter, because God responds to the unity of his people. That's why the devil loves to split believers apart, knowing that the power of God among them will be hindered. He knows this okay, and so these are the things that he dislikes, and it's important for us to know what the Word of God says. Okay, if we're not in the Word, how are we going to know it? How are we going to know what the says to the Lord? We want to know what God is speaking of. We won't know, so it's important for us to get into this word, so that we know what God is looking at how we are. You know self-control, the fruit of the spirit, you know.
Speaker 1:The second proverb that we talked about was my son, keep your father's commandments and forsake. And forsake not your mother's teaching. Bind them on your heart always tie them around your neck. What does the commentary say about this? It says here, in chapter 5, solomon pleaded with his son to avoid sexual morality, and he returns to the subject here. Dads must not assume they can have a talk one time with their boys and then forget the whole thing. Your sons need ongoing warnings and exhortation if he is to avoid giving in to the sexual corruption that everyone around him is indulging in. Tell him to wear your instructions like a necklace, so that it will always be a present source of guidance. A present source of guidance. That's what the word of God does.
Speaker 1:Okay, so again, like I told you, ladies and gentlemen, we've been in the book of Proverbs in January. The one thing that the one takeaway in January 2024 is that wisdom those who fear the Lord, they have wisdom. That's the first sign of wisdom is fearing God. The problem is, nobody is fearing our Father. Now, I fear God and I think it's important to fear him. Okay, you know, if you fear the Lord and if you allow wisdom to have her place and I do call wisdom a herb, because it's referred to in the Bible as she Proverbs 8, look it up but as soon as you start to, you know, see the worst. As soon as you start to get into the word, you start to see the word work for you. Okay, that's exactly what it's going to do.
Speaker 1:But you have to hide them in your heart. You know, I talk to you, ladies and gentlemen, a lot about all your heart postures, because out of your heart flows the issues of life. Whether we realize it or not, it comes from a heart space, and so what this scripture is telling us is to pretty much hide the word of God in our hearts, wear them around our neck so that we don't forget. All right. And then we talked about parenting, talked about parenting. The truth of the matter is that, you know, if you've ever had, you know, been under a head to supervise children or teach children, then you understand. You know how important it is, how important your voice matters.
Speaker 1:I tell the ladies on the prayer call, shout out to the ladies of ISI. You know, we get up each and every single morning at 6am to get into this word. You know I tell them. You know it's important for us to start talking to our children about the word of God. Okay, we don't know that they know the hour of his return, but if our kids are in school, they're going off to school, some are going off to college and we want to trust that they're going to have a better life than us. Or, you know, trust that God is going to.
Speaker 1:You know, do do the things that he's given. You know, give our children as much as he's given us, but we have to equip them. We have to equip them with the right things and one of the things, one of the most important tools that is important in equipping your children with, is the word of God. You know I want to brag on my son a little bit. Shout out to Tylen. You know Tylen has been studying the book of Proverbs for the month of March. You know his birthday he just turned 18 years old. I got him a commentary and you know it makes me proud. You know I'm very proud of him because I know that at the end of the day, if I don't give him anything else I have to God to give him the word.
Speaker 1:And I want to challenge you, ladies and gentlemen, you listeners out here. I want to challenge you guys to do the same thing and if you don't have children, share it with your friends, share it with your parents, share it with your loved ones. I mean, start to get into the word. It's going to do you a well of good. You just don't even understand we. You know we, we, we learn so much.
Speaker 1:It's one thing to go to church on Sunday and and read the word and study and meditate on that one scripture, but it's another thing to read it in its entirety. You know, studying the word of God is one of the most important things that you can ever do in your life. It's the thing that changed my life. This word changed my life. So I go really hard for God because I know that his words are true. I know that they're true.
Speaker 1:I think about the parenting and I think about the bringing up of of of Solomon, not Solomon, but of of Saul. You know, in the book of Acts we talked about Saul and we talked about how, before Saul became Paul, you know, and we talked about this other day and, and I want to read it this morning. I want to read it this whenever you guys get a chance to look at this, listen to this podcast, but I want to read this. So you guys go to Acts, chapter 26. Okay, and, and the reason why I want to go to Acts 26 is because we just came out of Acts and I thought that this was pretty interesting. All right, let's go to Acts 26. All right, so let me just kind of set it up and let you know what's going on.
Speaker 1:So Paul is in prison. Well, let's do that back up. Paul has been thrown into prison and it's because of his teaching about Jesus Christ. Okay, this is like out of the norm. It's not cultural for the people. He's you know, he's over here trying to give the words to the Jews. Now, he's a Jew himself. They've locked him up and he's still in prison. Now Jesus has appeared to him and told him that he's going to go to Rome, that he has to go and give this message to the Galatians. You know the? What is it? Daddy? The Gentiles, the Gentiles, the Gentiles. Okay, so let's just back up. Okay, let's go to Acts 25 first, so I can go to Acts 26 and so I can make make sense.
Speaker 1:It says three days after Thetis, thetis arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities. He left for Jerusalem where the leading priests and other Jewish leaders met with him and made their accusations against Paul. Now again, paul is essentially Saul, but he had an encounter and once Jesus came, and you know, blinded, it was like what are we going to hear about in just a moment? Just bear with me Verse three. They asked Thetis, they asked Thetis as a favorite to transfer Paul to Jerusalem, planning to ambush and kill him on the way. But Thetis replied that Paul was at Caesarea and he himself would be returning there soon. So he said those of you in authority can return with me. If Paul has done anything wrong, you can make your accusations. About eight or 10 days later, thetis returned to Caesarea and on the following day he took his seat in court and ordered that Paul be brought in.
Speaker 1:Then Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn't prove. Paul denied the charges. I am not guilty of any crime against the Jewish law or the temple or the Roman government, he said. Then Feastus, wanting to please the Jews, asked him are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there? But Paul replied no, this is the official Roman court, so I ought to be tried here, right here. You know very well I'm not guilty of harming the Jews. If I have done something worthy of depth, I don't refuse to die. But if I am innocent, no one has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar. I appeal to Caesar. Now you got to understand when he said I appeared to Caesar. This was all a part of God's plan. This was all a part of God's plan. And Acts 24, jesus comes to him in a vision and tells him that it's time for him to go and spread the gospel in another city. So Feastus conferred. Verse 12, feastus conferred with his advisors and then replied very well, you have appealed to Caesar and to Caesar you will go.
Speaker 1:A few days later, king Agripa arrived with his sister Bernice to pay their respects to Feastus. During their stay of several days, feastus discussed Paul's case with the king. There's a prisoner here, he told him, whose case was left for me by Felix when I was injurious from the leading priest, and Jewish elders pressed charges against him and asked him, asked me to condemn him. I pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict people without trial. They must be given an opportunity to confront their accusers and defend themselves.
Speaker 1:When his accusers came here for the trial, I didn't delay. I called the case the very next day in order Paul to be brought in. But the accusations made against him weren't any of the crimes I expected. Instead, it was something about their religion and a dead man named Jesus, who Paul insisted is alive. I was at loss to know how to investigate these things, so I asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem.
Speaker 1:But Paul appealed to have his case decided by the emperor. So I ordered that he be held in custody until I could arrange to send him to Caesar. I'd like to hear the man myself, Agripa said, and Feastus replied you will tomorrow. So the next day Agripa and Bernice arrived at the auditorium with great pomp, accompanied by the military officers and prominent men of the city. Feastus ordered that Paul be brought in. Then Feastus said King Agripa and all who are here, this is the man whose death is demanded by all the Jews, both here and in Jerusalem. But in my opinion, he has done nothing deserving death. However, since he appealed his case to the emperor, I've decided to send him to Rome. But what shall I write the emperor for? There is no clear charge against him. So I have brought him before you, before all of you, especially you, king Agripa, so that after we examine him, I might have something to write, for it makes no sense to send a prisoner to the emperor without specifying the charges against him.
Speaker 1:Now let's pause for a minute here. This is Acts 25. Paul is being accused of something he didn't do, all because of Jesus. Did not Jesus tell them that they would be slandered? They would be persecuted? So everything that Jesus said, what happened, is happening. We're watching this happen, watching this take place.
Speaker 1:Now, in the chapter previously, jesus appears to Paul and he lets him know hey, your assignment is up here, it's time for you to go to Rome. Did he question him on how he was going to get there? Did he know the details? There's something for us to understand within that. He just trusted the word of the Lord. He trusted the word of Jesus. Okay, so if we, if we, if we can take anything away from that, we can see Abraham's story in the same sentence.
Speaker 1:Why do I say that? Well, abraham, go to a place and I'll tell you where to go when you're good, when you get there. I don't. I'm not giving you any directions or anything. The problem is with us, in this world that we live in. We need direction, we need details, we need to know how we're getting there, who's driving, who's taking us. We want to know all, we want to know every aspect of, in detail, of wherever we're we're asked to go. Okay, but God wants our trust, All right. So I say all of that to say this Jesus, let him know off gate.
Speaker 1:So he wasn't surprised by any of the things that were happening, even though the people that was doing this to him they weren't. They didn't know that they were following God's orders, they didn't know that they were in alignment with God's divine plan. They were just doing what they felt. That's why all things were to the good of those who love the Lord. Let's go over here to verse, to chapter 26. Acts 26. Cause I want you guys to hear what they said to Paul. It made me laugh so hard, other than when I was reading. It says All right, verse one.
Speaker 1:Then a gripe. I said to Paul, you may speak in your defense. So Paul, gesturing with his hands, started his defense. I am fortunate, king of gripe, that you are the one here in my defense today against all these accusations made by the Jewish leaders, for I know you are an expert on all Jewish customs and controversies. Now please listen to me patiently. As the Jewish leaders are well aware, I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people in Jerusalem. Paul's childhood, his earliest childhood Jewish training. Okay, don't miss that.
Speaker 1:If they would admit it, they know that I have been a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion. Now I am on trial because of my hope and the fulfillment of God's promise made to our ancestors. In fact, that is why the 12 tribes of Israel zealously worship God night and day, and they share the same hope I have. Yet, your majesty, they accused me for having this hope. Why does it seem incredible to you, to any of you, that God can raise the dead? I used to believe that I ought to do everything I could to oppose the very name of Jesus the Nazarene. Indeed, I did just that in Jerusalem, authorized by the leading priest, I caused many believers there to be sent to prison, and I cast my vote against them when they were condemned to death. Many times I had them punished in the synagogue to get them to curse Jesus. I was so violently opposed to them that I even chased them down to foreign cities.
Speaker 1:One day I was on such a mission to democracy, armed with the authority and commission of the leading priest. About noon, your majesty, as I was on the road, a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shone down on me and my companions. We all fell down and I heard a voice saying to me in a ramic Saul, saul, why are you persecuting me? It is useless for you to fight against my will. It is useless for you to fight against my will. Who are you, lord, I asked, and the Lord replied I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet, for I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me. Tell them what I will show you in the future and I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people who are set apart by faith in me.
Speaker 1:Who is speaking? Jesus? Was this not the message? Is this not the message? Is this not the good news? Is this not where we're supposed to be spreading the gospel and doing? Paul was about his father's business. Okay, he gave a description, gave a whole illustration on what happened.
Speaker 1:Remember, if we go back to Acts I believe it was six or seven we see Stephen filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Because he was speaking on Jesus, they called. They said it was blaspheming Moses. He wasn't doing no such thing. If we go back, we see that he tells the story and at some point you gotta understand. These are the men that God put in place to give the Word. These are the men that he chose. Why wouldn't they believe? Was it because they were about their own agenda and not his? I mean, isn't that the reason why Jesus sent God's and his son to save us? Yet we're still in the book of Acts today, in the 21st century. We really are. The Holy Spirit is alive. Very well, god is who he says he is. This is Paul, and if we know anything about Paul, we're gonna learn more about him, about the books that he wrote.
Speaker 1:Let's keep going, and so, king Agarfe, I obey that vision from heaven. I preach, first to those in the markets, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judah, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God and prove that they have changed by the good things they do. Some Jews arrested me in the temple for preaching this and they tried to kill me, but God has protected me right up to this present time, so I can testify to everyone, from the least to the greatest. I teach nothing except what the prophets and Moses said would happen, that the Messiah would suffer and be the first to rise from the dead. And in this way I announce God's light to Jews and Gentiles alike.
Speaker 1:Listen at what Feastus said. Suddenly, feastus shouted Paul, you are insane. Too much study has made you crazy. Too much study has made you crazy. I was like what? And why did I say that? Because I studied a word, like I've read, I studied and I can only imagine how Paul was. Because I get excited as well. You know, when you know him, if you've had an encounter with God, you've had an encounter with your brother Jesus, then you know how real the light is. You know how real the scriptures are. You know you don't play with that. And so Paul was about his father's business because he wasn't playing Before he knew the scripture.
Speaker 1:It's not like he didn't know the word. It's not like the Pharisees or the Sadducees did not know the word of God. They knew it, but they was misdirected when it came down to the word. They were talking about the outer. They wanted to make sure they looked apart, but their hearts were so far from God's heart, they didn't have his heart, so their hearts were full of corruption. That's why he sent his son. There's a story about that as well.
Speaker 1:Let's go to verse 25, though. It says but power applied. I am not insane. Most excellent, excellent, excellent thesis. What I am saying is the sober truth, and King of Gripe knows about these things. I speak boldly, for I am sure these events are all familiar to him, for they were not done in a corner, in other words, they weren't done in secret. He knows what's up.
Speaker 1:Listen to what King of Gripe say, though. Do you believe the prophets? He said no. No, this is what he said. He said, king of Gripe, do you believe the prophets? I know you do. Listen to what Gripe says. Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian so quick? I mean, that's why I say get into the word man. This is the new living translation version. But get into it. You start to understand that there is nothing. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun. Nothing new under the sun. It says power applied, whether quickly or not. I pray to God that both you and everyone here in this audience might become the same as I am, except for these chains.
Speaker 1:Then the King of the governor, bernice, and all the others stood and left. As they went out, they talked it over and agreed this man hasn't done anything to deserve death or imprisonment. And a gripe said to thesis he could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar. But he had to appeal to Caesar why? Because whose plans were he operating under? Was he operating under his plans or was he operating under the plans of Jesus, under the plans of the Lord? That's why in book of Proverbs it says many plans that you have right, but God does laugh. Right, god laughs because it only the plans that are going to prevail are the ones he has for you.
Speaker 1:Like you know, I really wish people would get into their word and understand, because our steps are ordered. The Bible says the steps of a good man is ordered right. So even on our worst day, we're in alignment. Or even on our worst day, we're in alignment. But listen to how they still didn't believe him, like even King Agrafe. You know they're looking at each other. Paul was looking at him like yo, I know, you know. I mean, we didn't do this stuff in secret. I know you've heard about all of these things. I know you know who I am. He said would you think you can convince me to be a believer in just this little bit of time? Well, I'm hoping. I'm hoping whether it's today or tomorrow, whether it's next week or next year, at some day, at some point.
Speaker 1:The Bible tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue shall confess. So it's going to happen. It's going to go down Like. That's why I understand why people don't really get in their word or read the word the way that they're supposed to right. The Bible tells us to study, study the word, though we're without excuse when Paul comes on the scene telling people how to get right. We ain't got no excuse.
Speaker 1:God used the worst of the worst. Okay, sometimes we might be like you know, I don't think I can do it, I don't know if I can walk that walk. You can walk that walk, it's easy, because guess who's the perfector of your faith? Jesus. Jesus is the perfector of your faith. God doesn't expect for us to be perfect. He knows that we're not. But progression is a must. We must be progressing, we must continue to press on, we must continue to get the guidance that we need. Where are we going to find the guidance? In God's word. In God's word, the word will not return void.
Speaker 1:You know, I'm often on TikTok and I was scrolling through some of the videos and I came across this, this one video, with this guy. He had ended up passing and he had a visitation to hail and he spoke about it, spoke about the reality of hail and how, you know, it's hot and it's torment. It's like a tormenting place and you know, you feel thirsty, you want, you want something, but you can't and all you, all you can do is reflect on the things of this world, of this world. See, we, we have to understand that there's a whole new world out there that we can definitely be a part of. Only by the belief in his son, only by the belief in his son. My life did not start to change until I got into this word. That's why I'm always shouting out the ladies of ISI, because I know that this was the plug. It was the plug for me. It was the plug for me.
Speaker 1:God wants to give us so many things. He said that you know, I sent my son and who my son says free is free. Indeed, this is real. Why aren't people experiencing their life in Jesus Christ? Why are they not experiencing his hand on their life? I'll tell you why because they don't prioritize him. They don't prioritize the father. They treat him like he's a genie in a bottle. They treat him like, you know, the second hand. Information is going to suffice, and I'm here to tell you that it's not at the end of the day, when it's all said and done. Every person that's under the under the sound of my voice will have to give an account for how they live, how they lived.
Speaker 1:Fortunately for this young man, he was granted to come back to earth, which he also said, that he wished that he could go back. He said that you know it was an experience. It made things very real for him. But when I get into this word, he makes it very real for me. It's very real. See, I had an encounter. I had a real live encounter Luke 24. Nobody can take that away from me. I know who lifted my hand, I know who directed me, I know, I know, and ever since you know, I've always been like drawn to it, been drawn to the word for a long time. And people, people are drawn to you. But God allows that as well, because we need one another. That's why Proverbs 27, 17 is one of my favorite scriptures as well, because we have to sharpen each other through the word of God, not the wisdom of this world. Yeah, this world has a wisdom, there are worldly ways, but you also have a decision, like we all have one.
Speaker 1:And Paul didn't have a choice. Okay, let's just talk about it. Paul didn't have a choice in the matter. I mean, he got knocked off his high horse. Okay, he did. He was blinded for three days and he was told what he was going to do. And guess what? From that day forth, he continued to do what we're reading today.
Speaker 1:He wrote half of the Old Testament, I mean the New Testament, and now I understand why because the Spirit of the Lord was on him. Think about it. I know this last week, but God is making it even more a reality to me, because it's the Spirit of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. I know this. God will show itself mighty. He does this for own purpose. If we go to 1 Corinthians, we can see it, and he tests you too to see what you're building it on, because every last one of us are going to go through a test. Let's go to Romans, chapter two. Let's go to Romans, chapter two. Now, when you get a chance, get into the book of Acts. You know this was towards the ending of it, and so he did end up getting shipped off, and you know they didn't kill him or anything like that, and he was able to go to the destination where God had sold him. He was going to go anyway. So if you guys would, for me, turn to Romans, let's go to Romans, chapter three, because I want us to understand something. So we're going to read Romans three and four.
Speaker 1:It says then what's the advantage of being a Jew, is there any value in the ceremony of circumcision? Yes, there are great benefits. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. The Jews were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. True, some of them were unfaithful. But just because they were unfaithful does that mean God will be unfaithful? Of course not. Even if everyone else is a liar, god is true, as the scriptures say about him. You will be proved right in what you say and you will win your case in court.
Speaker 1:But some might say our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn't it unfair, then, for him to punish us? This is merely a human point of view. Of course not. If God were not entirely fair, how would he be qualified to judge the world? But someone might still argue how can God condemn me as a sinner if my dishonesty highlights his truthfulness and brings him more glory? And some people even slander us by claiming that we say the more we sin, the better it is. Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.
Speaker 1:So this is what Paul is saying. He's saying this is what they say about the believers of Christ, verse 9,. It says Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin.
Speaker 1:As the scriptures say, no one is righteous, not even one. No one is truly wise, no one is seeking God. All have turned away, all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all. Now remember what I say the seven things, the six things that the Lord hates. Well, this is really sitting here telling you that if you're on the other side of the fence, you know the proud look a lion's song, cancer shed blood, a heart that divides its wicked plans, feet that swift to run to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brothers. In other words, they have no fear of God at all. In verse 19,.
Speaker 1:Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for. Its purpose is to keep people from having excuses and to show that the entire world is guilty before God, for no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we really are. Now I want you to really think about that, because in the Old Testament, when you start to read, you see there were laws, but they were not a body. Even if they were a body of a law, they were treating people in fear. They were doing the most.
Speaker 1:It says here in verse 21,. But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, and this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. You see how your faith matters. You see how your belief matters. It's what you believe. It's what you believe. It says in verse 23,.
Speaker 1:Romans 3, verse 23,. For everyone has sinned. We all fall short of God's glorious standard. For everyone has sinned and we all fall short of God's glorious standard, yet God and His grace freely makes us right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins, for God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. The sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in time past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for he Himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. When they believe in Jesus.
Speaker 1:Now listen at what Paul says. Okay, because he's talking about his belief, right? Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Absolutely not, in fact. Only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. Only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law. You know, a while back I had someone that challenged me on these things and you know the Old Testament and the way of living, and you know I wasn't neglecting or negating the Old Testament, but what I was saying was we are under a new covenant, which we are the fulfillment. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. That goes to show how real and true the Old Testament is.
Speaker 1:A lot of people say that the Bible has contradictory in it. Well, if you read it in its entirety, you won't see the contradiction. It makes sense. But the problem is we read one scripture, two scriptures, three scriptures don't get any understanding off of that and then go into these word battles and the word tells us not to argue or go back and forth about words. Why we're supposed to be about our Father's business. It says we don't get wrapped up in civilian war, civilian affairs. Jesus was about his Father's business. I see pure Paul is about his. Let's go to verse one, romans 4.
Speaker 1:Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him susceptible to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way, for the scriptures tells us Abraham believed God and God countered him as righteous because of his faith. Period Period. We can't add to that, we can't take away from that. It was because of his faith.
Speaker 1:When people work, their wages are not a gift but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous not because of their work but because of their faith in God, who forgives sinners. David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it. Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin. Now, is this? Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for the uncircumcised centaurs? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith. But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised or was it before he was circumcised. Clearly, god accepted Abraham before he was circumcised. Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised.
Speaker 1:Clearly, god's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God. That comes by faith. If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is pointless, for the law always brings punishment on those who try to obey it. The only way to avoid breaking the law is to have no law to break. So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift and we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham, for Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the scriptures mean when God told him I have made you the father of many nations. This happened because Abraham believed in God, who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Who creates new things out of nothing?
Speaker 1:Even when there was no reason for hope, abraham kept hoping, believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him that's how many descendants you will have. And Abraham's faith did not weaken. Even though at about a hundred years of age he figured his body was as good as dead, and so was Sarah's womb, abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger. In this, he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.
Speaker 1:And because of Abraham's faith, god countered him as righteous. And when God countered him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, to assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Right, he's the way, the truth and the life. He's the way, the truth and the life.
Speaker 1:We really don't have an excuse, people, we don't, we don't. But guess what gets in the way, guess what gets in the way of our belief? The world, the world. No, we got to be honest. You know, if I go, let's see here, go to John 14 with me, john 14.
Speaker 1:Now this is Jesus speaking. Okay, it says don't let your hearts be troubled, trust in God and trust also in me. There's more than enough room in my father's home. If this were not so, what? I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you. When everything is ready, I will come and get you so that you will always be with me where I am and you know the way to where I am going.
Speaker 1:No, thomas said we don't know. We don't know the way you're going. We have no idea where you're going, and so how can we know the way? Verse six Jesus told him I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my father is From now on. You do know him and have seen him.
Speaker 1:Philip said Lord, show us the father and we will be satisfied. Jesus said have I been with you all this time, philip? And yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the father. So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don't you believe that I am in the father and the father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my father, who lives in me, does his work through me. Just believe that I am the father and the father is in me, or at least believe because of the work you have seen me. Do you see, even in the father, he's given it to us. He's given it to us in the scripture. All we got to do is read it. All we got to do is read it. But the problem is we don't get into our word. We'll go back and forth with people about the word and not have the full understanding of it. Okay, god is who he says he is. He is All right. So let's go to Matthew 16. All right, verse one.
Speaker 1:One day, the Pharisees in the Sadducees came to test Jesus, demanding that he showed them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied you know the saying red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow. Red sky in the morning means foul weather all day. You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the time. Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. Then Jesus left them and went away.
Speaker 1:Later, after they crossed the other side to the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. Watch out. Jesus warned them beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. At this they began to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread, and Jesus knew what they were saying. So he said you have so little faith? Why are you arguing with each other about having no bread? Don't you understand even yet? Don't you remember the 5000 I fed with five loaves and the baskets of leftovers you picked up? Or the 4000 I fed with the seven loaves and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up? Why can't you understand that I'm not talking about bread? So I said again beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Now again. Earlier we just saw something very similar.
Speaker 1:Okay, he questioned. Like you don't see me do all of these things and you still don't get it. I mean, I feel like that too sometimes, because it's like you know, you don't get to pick and choose. You know once, it's like Jesus never switched up on these people, like at all. He never changed. He's the one constant. Yet they're still questioning him. He's like Yo, where's your faith? I mean, you know, at the end of the day, that's what we need. At the end of the day, it's in our belief.
Speaker 1:Go to verse 12. It says Then, at last, they understood that he wasn't speaking about the yeast and the bread, but about the deception, the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. You do understand. This is why we're, this is why Jesus is on the scene, this is why the Holy Spirit is here. Because of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. Okay, why do I say that? Because, even though they knew the scripture, they didn't know, they didn't have the heart. Their hearts were not in the right place. Verse 13.
Speaker 1:When Jesus came to the region, he asked the disciples who do people say that the Son of man is? Well, they replied Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. Then he asked them but who do you say I am Simon? Peter answered you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus replied you are a blessed Simon's Son, with John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, which means rock, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. Then he sternly warned the disciples not to tell anyone that he was a Messiah.
Speaker 1:From then on, jesus began to tell the disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests and the teachers of the religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised again from the dead. But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. Heaven forbid, lord. He said this will never happen to you, verse 23,.
Speaker 1:Jesus turned to Peter and said Get away from me, satan. You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God. Let me tell you guys something out there that's listening you are seeing things merely from human point of view and not from God, and it's time that you start to ask your father his point of view on the matter, instead of taking matters in your own hand. That's the problem that we have.
Speaker 1:Okay, peter was just given a revelation of who Jesus is. Peter was just given praise and told that on this rock I will build my church. So Peter essentially has the keys right. Because who revealed who Jesus was to him? His dad, his dad. That's why he said no human being has revealed that to you. Okay, but we see in another place, where you know, satan has asked to sift you like. Wait, why did he ask to sift Peter? Because Peter had the keys. Peter had the keys. He said on this rock, on this rock, what Peter's name mean? Rock. His name mean rock. His name means rock Verse 24,.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus said to his disciples If any of you wants to be my followers, you must give up your own way, take up your cause and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain a whole world but lose your very own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? For the Son of man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth Some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. So you see, jesus left us with instructions. He left the disciples with instructions. He came to see Paul and gave him straight up, gave him, changed his name from Saul to Paul and said here are the instructions.
Speaker 1:God gives instructions, right? He speaks to his children. He lets us know what's up, whether we're paying attention or not. He gives it to us. Let's go over here real quick. Go with me to Mark 12. And I'm going to wrap it up here, mark 12. And I'm giving you these scriptures, right, so that you can understand the Word of God even more. But I need you to understand why we need wisdom, why it's imperative that we have wisdom. Okay, so verse one, mark 12, verse one.
Speaker 1:Then Jesus began teaching them with the story Story time. A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for it, pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop, but the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up and sent him back empty handed. The owner sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head. The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed, until there was only one left, his son, whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking surely they will respect my son. But the tenant farmer said to one another here comes the heir to this estate. Let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves. So they grabbed him, murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard. What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? Jesus asked Now, first of all, he's talking to the Pharisees and the Sadducees and he's telling them, in essence, about they sell, and he want to know, what do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? I'll tell you, he will come and kill those farmers. In least the vineyard to others. Didn't you ever read this in the scripture? The stone that the builders rejected has now become the corner stone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful to see.
Speaker 1:The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them and they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away. Let's keep going. Later, the leaders sent some Pharisees and supporters of Herod to trap Jesus and say something, that which, for which he could be arrested. Teacher, they said we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don't play favors. You teach the way of God truthfully. Now tell us, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them or shouldn't we?
Speaker 1:Jesus saw through their hypocrisy and said why are you trying to trap me? Show me a Roman coin and I'll tell you. When they handed it to him, he asked whose picture and title are stamped on it, caesar? They replied well then, I love. When Jesus said well then. Well then, give the season what belongs to Caesar and give the God what belongs to God. His reply completely amazed them. I don't see how I mean. It was just the truth. It was just the truth.
Speaker 1:Jesus manless. And Jesus was that guy. I don't know, I love him. I love him. He was that guy. He didn't cut the corners, he didn't try to persuade, he wasn't conniving, he wasn't trying to be sneaky, he just told him straight up because he was a man of integrity. When the spirit of truth comes upon you, that's something that you operate in integrity. You tell the truth, you're honest, you don't try to get dishonest gains. God sees and knows everything. Nothing, nothing goes unnoticed.
Speaker 1:Verse 18, it says and Jesus was approached by some sadrity religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question. Teacher Moses gave us a law that if a man dies leaving a wife without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who would carry on the brother's name. Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died without children. Then the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them and still there were no children. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife was she being in the resurrection? For all seven were, seven were married to her, and remember, I told you guys about the visitation. He also had a visitation of heaven too. That's why God sent some back. This is the guy that I was talking about on Tiktok, it says.
Speaker 1:Jesus replied your mistake is that you don't know the scripture. Did you hear what Jesus said? Your mistake is that you do not know the scriptures and you don't know the power of God. You do know that. That's our mistake too, right? Yeah, that's our mistake that we don't know the scriptures and that we don't know the power of God, for when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect, they will be like the angels in heaven.
Speaker 1:But now, as to whether the dead will be raised, haven't you ever read about this in the writings of Moses? In the story of the burning bush Long got the Abraham, isaac and Jacob had died. God said to Moses I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error, did you Okay, okay, did you catch it? Did you just catch it? He said, he said this. He said but now as to whether the dead will be raised, haven't you ever read about this in the writings of Moses? In the story of the burning bush, long after Abraham, isaac and Jacob had died, god said to Moses I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error. The Holy Spirit, don't die, we multiply. You don't die, we multiply. Why say that? Why say that? Because what is the word? What are we supposed to be here doing? Spreading the good news, spreading the gospel. Let's go to verse 28.
Speaker 1:One of the teachers of the religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered. Well. So, yes, of all the commandments, which is the most important? This is something you guys want to know too, right, I know Well. Let's listen, verse 29. The most important commandment is this Listen, o Israel, the Lord, our God, is the only, it's the one and only Lord, and you must love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength. The second is equally important Love your neighbor as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these the teachers. The teacher of the religious law, replied well, said, teacher, you have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other, and I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law. Realizing how much the man understood, jesus said to him you're not far from the kingdom of God. And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. Verse 35.
Speaker 1:Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple, he asked why do the teachers of the religious law claim that the Messiah is the son of David? For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said the Lord, said to my Lord sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet. Since David himself called the Messiah my Lord, how can the Messiah be his son? The large crowd listened to him with great delight. Jesus also told beware of these teachers of religious law, for they like to parade around in flowy robes and receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and how they love the seats of the honor in the synagogue and the head table at Banquas. Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.
Speaker 1:Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins. Jesus called his disciples to him and said I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions, for they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on. She has given everything she had to live on.
Speaker 1:Let that be a lesson. Let that be a lesson I mean, you know, whenever you get a chance, I really do want my listeners to understand how important it is to get into the Word. I want you guys to understand that this Word is real, this Word is truth, if we want to know the way to God. We got to go through Jesus, we got to know his Son, and his Son has a way about himself, he has characteristic, he has a standard. He was about that life, meaning that he was very direct, he had wisdom, he had the Spirit of God. And here's the thing, what we realize and what we see even in Acts, paul had the Spirit of God and Paul had the Holy Spirit and he was being led and fed by the Spirit of God. Right, but everybody's not going to believe. They didn't believe Jesus, they didn't believe Paul. They were divided. They were divided.
Speaker 1:When you get a chance, go to 1 John, 2 John, you can read all about it. He talks about lovers of the, lovers of themselves and lovers of the world. There's a difference. The bottom line is that we all need God, we all need guidance, we all need, we all need to know the Word and we need wisdom more than anything. And these, in the season of all of our lives, we're going to need to operate from a place of wisdom, because God does want to take us somewhere. He wants to. He wants his children to have more and have it abundantly. He wants us to know that he is, who he says, is Because really and truthfully, at the end of the day, he wants to use us as his instruments, as people can see our life and know that our dedication is to him and he's able to shine his light through us. So, by following the Word of God, it's not going to lead you to a dead end. It's actually going to creating you a new life, a new world, a whole new world, and we have experiences of this.
Speaker 1:That's why I've been bringing some of the ladies from Iron, sharp and Zion onto the show so that they can give you the testimonies of what God has been doing in their lives since they started prioritizing their Father. I want to challenge you listeners out here. If you're listening to me, leave me a review. If you're listening to me, reach out Facebook. Stephanie Harrison on Facebook and on Instagram is Carolina Beauty. Reach out to me. I want your thoughts. I want to hear from my listeners. I want to know what do you think? I want you guys to start prioritizing the Word of God, start making time for your Father and watch your life change, watch God do those things that you need to do, and I'm going to tell you it won't take you as long as it took others, because what God on your side, you can't lose.
Speaker 1:I'm going to leave you guys with something that I heard before I came in here, and it might have been on TikTok too, but it was a young lady and she said that she was talking about dating, and she was posed the question why aren't you dating? Or why don't guys open the doors for women anymore? And she was just like I put my trust in God and why would I require an open door from a man when I have open doors from God? I want you guys to get that Word the door. It is written, it is written, it is written. He said I will open doors for you that no man can close, and close doors for you that no man can open. This is a true saying. He said test me and see if I won't pour out a blessing that you won't have room enough to receive. His Word will not return void. I'm just sick and tired of people trying to act like. Manifestation is where it's at, where really the scripture is, as a man think is. So is he, and it's written. It's in the Word of God. He wants his children to know that he is who he says he is and that this Word will not return void.
Speaker 1:Listen, I hope you guys have. I hope you guys were paying attention today. I hope this Word has blessed you in a way that this Word is going straight to your heart, that you're hiding the Word of God in your heart. I'm pray that this Word allows you to really start seeking God's face. Matthew 6 of 33 says Seek first the kingdom of God, and all of these things shall be added unto you. Okay, it is very true. I am. I'm a testimony, I can testify to seeking first the kingdom of God and watching him add to my life, and so if he did it for me, I know that he'll also do these things for you. You guys have an amazing day on purpose. Be blessed and always remember you have more fighting for you than against you. Peace.