WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:00.462 All right. 00:00:00.462 --> 00:00:06.647 Well, if you've got your Bible out I pray that you do let's just lift them up and wave them around, make Jesus glad and the devil mad. 00:00:06.647 --> 00:00:17.329 And let's say this together say Heavenly Father, I've tuned in on live stream Wednesday night because my faith needs to be fed. 00:00:17.329 --> 00:00:22.629 I feed my faith so that it works for me. 00:00:22.629 --> 00:00:36.304 I know that I have victory through the shed blood of Jesus Christ and I will win out over every obstacle because he always puts me over. 00:00:36.304 --> 00:00:39.503 In Jesus name, amen, amen. 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:46.447 Let's turn to two places tonight First, second Corinthians, chapter four, and then also Hebrews 11. 00:00:46.447 --> 00:00:51.804 And I'll start with second Corinthians, chapter four, verse 17. 00:00:51.804 --> 00:01:10.686 And Paul says for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are unseen. 00:01:10.686 --> 00:01:21.831 Amen, for the things which are seen are temporal or temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 00:01:21.831 --> 00:01:30.748 And then, if we turn over to Hebrews 11, verse one, very familiar verses. 00:01:30.748 --> 00:01:37.849 Now, faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:42.409 Evidence of things not seen with a natural eye. 00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:49.207 See for by it, that is, by faith the elders obtained a good report. 00:01:49.207 --> 00:02:02.126 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen with the natural eye were not made of things which do appear to the natural eye. 00:02:02.126 --> 00:02:02.769 Amen. 00:02:02.769 --> 00:02:11.044 And so that's what we're talking about tonight the vision of faith, the vision of faith. 00:02:11.104 --> 00:02:13.545 Faith and vision you can't have one without the other. 00:02:13.545 --> 00:02:14.503 You've got to be able to see. 00:02:14.503 --> 00:02:23.072 You know, jesus said he's anointed me to to bring recovery of sight to the blind. 00:02:23.072 --> 00:02:25.286 And I think a lot of times people. 00:02:25.286 --> 00:02:26.021 But they're not. 00:02:26.021 --> 00:02:29.766 They're not physically blind, but they're blind to the things of the spirit. 00:02:29.766 --> 00:02:38.282 And you know, our spirits have senses, much like our flesh, as you know. 00:02:38.282 --> 00:02:44.147 We have sight and hearing and we have taste and touch and smell. 00:02:44.147 --> 00:02:48.449 And you have the same type of thing in the spirit realm. 00:02:48.449 --> 00:02:54.026 You know, you have, you know you have, you have spiritual senses. 00:02:54.026 --> 00:03:00.426 You know, galatians 3-2 says the hearing of faith Say you got it, you got, your spirit has ears. 00:03:00.426 --> 00:03:03.848 If we read tonight, your spirit has eyes. 00:03:03.848 --> 00:03:07.403 Mark 11, 24,. 00:03:07.584 --> 00:03:09.810 The Bible says that we can. 00:03:09.810 --> 00:03:13.983 When we pray, we believe we've received and we shall have. 00:03:13.983 --> 00:03:16.425 The word received means take with the hand. 00:03:16.425 --> 00:03:29.490 In other words, we can feel with our spirit, we have the sense of touch and and you know a second Corinthians 2, 15 says we're the savor of life, or the fragrance of life and to life. 00:03:29.490 --> 00:03:31.826 In other words, we have a sense of smell. 00:03:31.826 --> 00:03:35.407 I get tickled every time I think about this testimony. 00:03:35.407 --> 00:03:39.350 But we have a young lady that originated her. 00:03:39.350 --> 00:03:48.026 Her place of birth was in Africa and she, she shared with us that when she walked in the door she could smell the Holy ghost. 00:03:48.026 --> 00:03:55.967 That's the sense of smell that your spirit has, and so the vision of faith. 00:03:55.967 --> 00:03:58.728 You know, you can't have faith without vision. 00:04:00.139 --> 00:04:02.889 Faith sees what others don't see. 00:04:02.889 --> 00:04:11.945 You know, you've heard this, this this well, are you a half glass full person or a half glass empty person? 00:04:11.945 --> 00:04:14.667 You know, I'm a glass overflowing person. 00:04:14.667 --> 00:04:17.204 Neither one of those is going to fit me. 00:04:17.204 --> 00:04:19.725 I'm the overflowing cup person. 00:04:19.725 --> 00:04:20.987 How so? 00:04:20.987 --> 00:04:21.911 Well, that's what I see. 00:04:21.911 --> 00:04:22.903 I see overflow. 00:04:22.903 --> 00:04:25.026 I don't see half empty, half full. 00:04:25.026 --> 00:04:29.824 You know, whatever you constantly focus on, that's what you're seeing. 00:04:29.824 --> 00:04:40.509 And when you constantly focus on the natural, when you constantly focus on what you don't have or what you wish you had and all that kind of stuff, well you're, you're not sitting with the eyes of faith. 00:04:42.127 --> 00:04:49.019 The Bible says here in Roman and Hebrews 11, faith is the evidence of things not seen with natural sight. 00:04:49.019 --> 00:04:50.223 See it's faith. 00:04:50.223 --> 00:04:54.442 Faith is all about your spirit seeing something, a vision of faith. 00:04:54.442 --> 00:04:57.492 Without a vision of faith you don't have any faith. 00:04:57.492 --> 00:05:02.620 So by this faith the elders obtained a good report. 00:05:02.620 --> 00:05:09.620 Or we could say it this way by this different way of seeing, you know, they saw things different. 00:05:09.620 --> 00:05:12.848 They saw things different than the natural man. 00:05:12.848 --> 00:05:14.785 They saw things different. 00:05:14.785 --> 00:05:18.807 So, for instance, in Hebrews 11, it talks about the hall of fame of faith. 00:05:18.807 --> 00:05:25.949 I love to read I just got through reading that recently and we could say the elders saw things differently. 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:27.545 So, in like in verse five, enoch. 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:30.547 Enoch walked with God and was not. 00:05:30.547 --> 00:05:32.403 You know why? 00:05:32.403 --> 00:05:35.869 Well, because he saw life and not death. 00:05:35.869 --> 00:05:39.562 He didn't see death, he didn't see dying, he saw life. 00:05:39.562 --> 00:05:41.526 That's all he focused on. 00:05:41.526 --> 00:05:43.110 And, sure enough, he just kept living. 00:05:43.110 --> 00:05:48.350 God took him, sapped him right out of the earth and took him to heaven. 00:05:48.350 --> 00:05:51.449 He's up in heaven right now and he's got a natural body. 00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:53.706 Man you talk about, blow your mind. 00:05:53.706 --> 00:05:54.920 I mean. 00:05:54.920 --> 00:05:56.406 You know God is God. 00:05:58.249 --> 00:06:01.584 Noah, nobody had ever seen a flood. 00:06:01.584 --> 00:06:03.060 There was no such thing as rain. 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:07.423 They didn't understand how a river that water could rise. 00:06:07.423 --> 00:06:08.947 There wasn't any rain, it was just water. 00:06:08.947 --> 00:06:13.180 The earth was watered with water vapor, but Noah saw a flood. 00:06:13.180 --> 00:06:14.701 He didn't see the way things were. 00:06:14.701 --> 00:06:17.201 He saw something that hadn't happened yet. 00:06:17.201 --> 00:06:18.899 Why did he see that? 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:21.663 Because God told him I'm sending a flood. 00:06:21.663 --> 00:06:28.779 So for 110 years he built an ark for a condition that never had existed. 00:06:28.779 --> 00:06:32.461 I thought what you talking about, that's a vision of faith right there. 00:06:33.918 --> 00:06:34.795 Listen about Abraham. 00:06:34.795 --> 00:06:37.074 Abraham saw a number of things that nobody else saw. 00:06:37.074 --> 00:06:46.963 First of all, he saw a future land, and then he saw a city not made with hands, and then he saw a resurrected son. 00:06:46.963 --> 00:06:59.814 I mean, he was ready to sacrifice his son and he knew that God was gonna raise him from the dead, and so that's why he had the courage to go forward with sacrificing his son. 00:06:59.814 --> 00:07:07.702 And, of course, right at the last second, right before the knife hit, the angel said no, no, no, and he got the ram in the thicket instead. 00:07:08.576 --> 00:07:12.055 So, sarah, sarah saw something different. 00:07:12.055 --> 00:07:30.584 She found, you know, here she is past child bearing age and had been bearing her whole life anyway, and she didn't focus on her bearing womb, she didn't focus on how old she was, she focused and saw a healthy womb and I mean she judged God faithful who promised. 00:07:30.584 --> 00:07:34.819 So you know, we see tankers full of cargo, I tell you. 00:07:34.819 --> 00:07:39.134 I see money coming into this church to fund the end time harvest. 00:07:39.134 --> 00:07:48.235 I see miracles of healing for people, that some chronically ill folks are getting their healing and they're gonna keep their healing. 00:07:48.235 --> 00:07:52.262 I tell you that's what I see, because the word says we can have it. 00:07:52.262 --> 00:07:55.958 In fact the word says we already have it, amen. 00:07:57.057 --> 00:07:58.634 Let's look at first Samuel 30. 00:07:58.634 --> 00:08:14.535 I want you to see some of these truths that we're talking about, the vision of faith and out of these verses I want us to get a few points here so that we can help ourselves and help our faith. 00:08:14.535 --> 00:08:15.880 First, samuel 30. 00:08:15.880 --> 00:08:21.267 And I want to read about David and Ziklag. 00:08:21.267 --> 00:08:29.019 This was a very big challenge to David and his mighty men. 00:08:29.019 --> 00:08:33.982 You know he had 600 mighty men, started with 400 and wound up with 600. 00:08:33.982 --> 00:08:36.744 So he was a growing concern there. 00:08:36.744 --> 00:08:41.307 First, samuel 30, verse one. 00:08:41.414 --> 00:08:54.166 It came to pass when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag and smitten Ziklag and burned it with fire. 00:08:54.166 --> 00:08:56.149 Just think about it. 00:08:56.149 --> 00:09:03.339 And this is where they live, this is where their stuff is, this is where their children, their wives, are, and it's destroyed. 00:09:03.339 --> 00:09:12.822 And they had taken the women captives that were there and they slew not any, neither great or small, but they carried them away and went on their way. 00:09:12.822 --> 00:09:20.681 And then so David and his men came to the city and, behold, it was burned with fire and their wives and their sons and their daughters were taken captives. 00:09:20.681 --> 00:09:28.003 And then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and they wept until they had no power to weep. 00:09:28.003 --> 00:09:31.081 I mean, that's having a pity party. 00:09:31.081 --> 00:09:34.442 And David's two wives were taken captives. 00:09:34.575 --> 00:09:38.419 I, henna, whom the Jeserlitus, and Abigail, the wife of Naples the Carmelite. 00:09:38.419 --> 00:09:49.721 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spake of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters. 00:09:49.721 --> 00:09:54.062 But but See, david didn't stay in the pity party. 00:09:54.062 --> 00:10:06.702 David encouraged himself in the Lord, his God, and David said to Abithor, the priest, a Himalek son, I pray thee bring me hither the Ephod. 00:10:06.702 --> 00:10:17.659 And Abithor brought thither the Ephod to David and David inquired at the Lord, saying shall I pursue after this truth Shall I overtake them. 00:10:17.659 --> 00:10:26.686 And he answered him pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake them and, without fail, recover all. 00:10:26.686 --> 00:10:36.381 So David went, he and the 600 men that were with him, and came to the Brook Bezor where those that were left behind stayed. 00:10:36.381 --> 00:10:43.388 And so you keep reading there. 00:10:43.388 --> 00:10:44.270 He recovered all. 00:10:44.270 --> 00:10:48.419 He recovered everything and all the wives and children and the stuff. 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:52.606 So I wanted you to see that, david. 00:10:53.530 --> 00:10:56.289 Initially he saw some things that were disturbed him. 00:10:56.289 --> 00:11:01.956 He heard some things with hearing that disturbed him about stoning him and all that. 00:11:01.956 --> 00:11:05.554 Leaders always the first one to get blamed when things go wrong. 00:11:05.554 --> 00:11:13.590 And but he eventually saw with the eyes of faith. 00:11:13.590 --> 00:11:17.525 You know, 1 Corinthians 16, 9 says you know. 00:11:17.768 --> 00:11:23.255 Paul said you know, a great door and a factual is open unto me and there are many adversaries. 00:11:23.255 --> 00:11:29.356 He didn't know this, but I believe the devil knew it and demons knew it, angels knew it. 00:11:29.356 --> 00:11:46.239 But 72 hours after this occurrence he became the king of Judah and then, seven years after that, the king of the whole Israel, and so there was a tremendous opportunity that he wasn't aware of. 00:11:46.239 --> 00:11:49.230 But the devil, see, sometimes the devil doesn't know everything. 00:11:49.230 --> 00:11:53.798 He's not omnipotent, omniscient and all of that he's not all knowing, all seeing. 00:11:53.798 --> 00:11:56.793 But he does have indications in the spirit realm. 00:11:56.793 --> 00:12:00.614 He's got demons that spy on us and let us let him know what's going on. 00:12:00.614 --> 00:12:11.022 And just think if he had stayed in that pity party, just think if he had given up. 00:12:11.022 --> 00:12:16.240 It's possible that he but wouldn't have attained the crown. 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:22.585 But thank God he did, and so he did wind up seeing clearly. 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:24.549 He had the vision of faith. 00:12:24.549 --> 00:12:32.368 So I have one, two, three, four, five things to share with you that I get out of this, this wonderful testimony. 00:12:32.368 --> 00:12:32.789 That's what this is. 00:12:32.789 --> 00:12:40.750 It's a testimony, it's a testimony of victory and I believe that it'll help you. 00:12:40.750 --> 00:12:51.840 So the first thing, the first key to seeing clearly, that is, having a vision of faith, is inverse for control your emotions. 00:12:53.173 --> 00:13:14.918 Do not allow yourself to have a pity party, do not allow your mouth to rattle off a bunch of unbelief when you have a situation, a challenge, a circumstance, a doctor's report, a financial report, anything, whatever it is, whenever you have an attack, listen, you've got to control your emotions. 00:13:14.918 --> 00:13:17.958 This is why we have authority. 00:13:17.958 --> 00:13:23.538 The main authority that God gave us is the authority over our own flesh. 00:13:23.538 --> 00:13:32.697 Fear, grief, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy you just name it all these emotions. 00:13:32.697 --> 00:13:38.654 If we don't control those things, we might initially have something like that come across our thinking. 00:13:38.654 --> 00:13:44.436 You know, initially he cried, initially he was concerned, but you know he didn't stay there. 00:13:44.436 --> 00:13:45.994 He didn't stay there. 00:13:45.994 --> 00:13:48.336 So control your emotions. 00:13:48.336 --> 00:13:51.318 Stop focusing on what the devil brings. 00:13:51.318 --> 00:13:53.635 We can do that over this nation. 00:13:53.635 --> 00:13:56.999 We can focus and focus and focus on all the bad news. 00:13:57.730 --> 00:14:02.696 You know, I tried to watch Victory News the other night on the Copeland Network. 00:14:02.696 --> 00:14:06.019 I watched it for about two minutes and I flicked the channel. 00:14:06.019 --> 00:14:06.511 You know why. 00:14:06.511 --> 00:14:08.404 It's all true and I don't want to hear it. 00:14:08.404 --> 00:14:09.333 I already know. 00:14:09.333 --> 00:14:11.576 I don't want to meditate on what's wrong. 00:14:11.576 --> 00:14:14.658 I already knew all this stuff about the Supreme Court. 00:14:14.658 --> 00:14:16.798 I already knew all what the Democrats were saying. 00:14:16.798 --> 00:14:19.619 I knew how they were going to take advantage, lie their way. 00:14:19.619 --> 00:14:22.258 It's been lying ever since it happened. 00:14:22.258 --> 00:14:25.558 They're the ones that broke this precedent. 00:14:25.558 --> 00:14:27.410 There was some liberal on the court, some. 00:14:27.410 --> 00:14:33.307 It shouldn't be hard to find out who it is and it's all regardless. 00:14:33.307 --> 00:14:34.674 See, it doesn't matter. 00:14:34.674 --> 00:14:40.976 I'm telling you, I've read the end of the book and I just believe God's not through with America and I believe that our prayers avail much. 00:14:40.976 --> 00:14:43.557 That's all I'm gonna stand on right there. 00:14:44.409 --> 00:14:50.038 So the second thing that he did was he encouraged himself and the Lord, his God. 00:14:50.038 --> 00:14:54.996 You've got to realize no matter what the devil is doing, has done, god is greater. 00:14:54.996 --> 00:14:56.756 The greater one lives on the inside. 00:14:56.756 --> 00:14:59.330 God's got a great plan, see. 00:14:59.330 --> 00:15:01.879 Let's focus on the one that's on the inside of us. 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:03.475 Let's look at him. 00:15:03.475 --> 00:15:04.831 You know. 00:15:04.831 --> 00:15:07.517 Jude 20 said build yourself up on your most holy faith. 00:15:07.517 --> 00:15:13.123 Pray it in the Holy Ghost, instead of talking and crying and whining, start praying in other tongues. 00:15:13.123 --> 00:15:15.014 Build yourself up. 00:15:15.014 --> 00:15:20.769 And you know, let's look back at second Corinthians four. 00:15:21.051 --> 00:15:27.538 We were just there in our reading and let's read verse 13. 00:15:27.538 --> 00:15:30.909 I want you to see something that you have. 00:15:30.909 --> 00:15:34.592 The Bible says you have it, verse 13,. 00:15:34.592 --> 00:15:40.929 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written. 00:15:40.929 --> 00:15:43.216 I believed and therefore have I spoken. 00:15:43.216 --> 00:15:48.053 We also believe and therefore speak, see. 00:15:48.053 --> 00:15:51.330 So that spirit of faith that we discovered with David. 00:15:51.510 --> 00:15:57.769 You know David, initially he cried, initially he was concerned, but he encouraged himself and the Lord, his God. 00:15:57.769 --> 00:15:59.379 He said bring me that, bring me that. 00:15:59.379 --> 00:16:02.929 He thought I'm gonna find out what the strategy is. 00:16:02.929 --> 00:16:06.716 I'm a winner, I've always been a winner and I'm gonna continue winning. 00:16:06.716 --> 00:16:08.783 I didn't say he said that. 00:16:08.783 --> 00:16:09.784 Well, that's what he's saying. 00:16:09.784 --> 00:16:11.154 That's really what he's saying. 00:16:11.154 --> 00:16:14.755 That's what he says that all the time he had a spirit of faith. 00:16:14.755 --> 00:16:18.019 And it says we having the same spirit of faith. 00:16:18.019 --> 00:16:20.116 In other words, we have this attitude. 00:16:20.116 --> 00:16:25.782 You know, we've got to have an attitude of belligerence. 00:16:25.782 --> 00:16:28.399 You know, let's not melt under pressure. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:41.423 Let's rise up and tell the devil what far let's kick him, let's stick him with the sword of the spirit and let's not be all whiny and, all you know, victim minded. 00:16:41.423 --> 00:16:42.172 Amen. 00:16:42.172 --> 00:16:44.077 That spirit of faith, that attitude. 00:16:45.490 --> 00:16:59.933 You know I was watching the Texan draft last week and I think Saturday they drafted a running back from Florida and I don't remember the young man's name, but they had some. 00:16:59.933 --> 00:17:00.956 He's a running back. 00:17:00.956 --> 00:17:01.980 We need a running back. 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:06.815 We haven't got a decent running back on the Texans football team, haven't had for I don't know how long. 00:17:06.815 --> 00:17:18.436 And this kid they drafted, I think in the fourth round, I think, and he played at Florida, which is an SEC school, and they had some tape, video tape. 00:17:18.569 --> 00:17:20.155 And you talk about an angry runner. 00:17:20.155 --> 00:17:25.217 That guy runs with an attitude I mean you do not want to get in front of him. 00:17:25.217 --> 00:17:26.535 He has going to run over you. 00:17:26.535 --> 00:17:28.755 He's a big guy, he's a 6'2" 220. 00:17:28.755 --> 00:17:31.277 I mean, he has the ability to run over you. 00:17:31.277 --> 00:17:39.778 So, anyway, it showed one place where he ran into a bunch of blockers and they ripped his helmet off of him and he ran for another 10 yards without a helmet on. 00:17:39.778 --> 00:17:46.035 He was just running right into the other players on the opposing team. 00:17:46.035 --> 00:17:48.498 He didn't even care whether he had a helmet on. 00:17:48.498 --> 00:17:50.897 See, that's an attitude. 00:17:50.990 --> 00:17:55.519 See, we've got to have that kind of fighting out of that spirit of faith that you know. 00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:57.237 I'm going to show you a thing or two. 00:17:57.237 --> 00:17:59.096 Devil, I'm going to teach you not to mess with me. 00:17:59.096 --> 00:18:00.775 You jumped on the wrong, donkey. 00:18:00.775 --> 00:18:04.616 Amen, let's get that. 00:18:04.616 --> 00:18:07.536 We encourage ourselves, let's get ourselves built back up. 00:18:08.529 --> 00:18:17.200 And then, number three, then we inquire of the Lord after we've gotten that initial mess off of us. 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:21.076 See, you know why, if we don't do that, we're going to pray wrong. 00:18:21.076 --> 00:18:22.615 We're going to inquire wrong. 00:18:22.615 --> 00:18:23.674 We're going to beg God. 00:18:23.674 --> 00:18:28.980 We're going to amen, amen, amen, if you forgot where I live amen, amen, amen. 00:18:28.980 --> 00:18:30.516 You know that's just a bunch of junk. 00:18:30.516 --> 00:18:31.614 It's praying like that. 00:18:31.614 --> 00:18:36.074 I know you don't, but somebody listening probably prays like that. 00:18:37.551 --> 00:18:39.798 So let's find out what is the strategy. 00:18:39.798 --> 00:18:44.354 I know you've got a strategy for me to win, I need to know what it is. 00:18:44.354 --> 00:18:45.217 Tell me what to do. 00:18:45.217 --> 00:18:47.976 And so he inquired of the Lord. 00:18:47.976 --> 00:18:49.998 He said bring me hither the Ephod. 00:18:49.998 --> 00:19:00.678 So in the Old Testament the Ephod was this girdle that the priest wore around him next to his heart, and it had the umum and the thumum. 00:19:00.678 --> 00:19:09.202 These were stones that were and the one really understands exactly how they work. 00:19:09.202 --> 00:19:19.359 But they seemed to indicate the answer to prayers by changing colors and somehow it was a supernatural manifestation. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:21.817 You're talking about people that are spiritually dead. 00:19:21.817 --> 00:19:24.037 I mean, david is not born again. 00:19:24.037 --> 00:19:27.258 He does not have the Holy Ghost living on the inside of him. 00:19:27.258 --> 00:19:29.336 He is not yet King. 00:19:29.336 --> 00:19:37.518 So the you know he's been anointed King, so he has an anointing upon him, but that doesn't help him hear from God. 00:19:37.518 --> 00:19:44.794 So he's asking the priest to come and bring the tools of prayer and he's going to inquire. 00:19:44.794 --> 00:19:52.016 As soon as he inquired he heard you know, in the New Testament we do have the Holy Spirit. 00:19:52.190 --> 00:19:53.894 Bible says in Philippians 4-6. 00:19:53.894 --> 00:20:01.176 In the message it says don't worry about anything and pray about everything and don't forget the thanksgiving to go with it. 00:20:01.176 --> 00:20:10.834 James 1-5 says when you lack wisdom, ask for wisdom and don't be double-minded about it, nothing doubting. 00:20:10.834 --> 00:20:12.358 Don't you dare be double-minded. 00:20:12.358 --> 00:20:18.417 Once you've asked God for wisdom, believe you receive it and take it with your hand. 00:20:18.417 --> 00:20:23.055 That's what Mark 11-24 says, and don't be double-minded. 00:20:23.150 --> 00:20:25.878 A double-minded man is unstable in all these ways. 00:20:25.878 --> 00:20:29.780 He's not going to receive anything from the Lord when he's double-minded. 00:20:29.780 --> 00:20:30.090 You know? 00:20:30.090 --> 00:20:31.537 Well, I don't know. 00:20:31.537 --> 00:20:32.954 Oh, I don't know what I'm going to do. 00:20:32.954 --> 00:20:37.012 Oh, you know, you got to watch what you're saying out of your mouth. 00:20:37.012 --> 00:20:44.473 So, encourage yourself and the Lord, inquire of the Lord, and he will ask and you shall receive. 00:20:44.473 --> 00:20:45.798 Seek and you shall find knocking. 00:20:45.798 --> 00:20:46.773 It'll be open unto you. 00:20:46.773 --> 00:20:48.917 God's not holding anything away from you. 00:20:48.917 --> 00:20:50.820 He's your helper. 00:20:50.820 --> 00:20:54.769 So we're talking about the vision of faith. 00:20:54.769 --> 00:20:56.750 How can I have a vision of faith? 00:20:56.750 --> 00:20:59.769 How can I see clearly when the devil's attacked me? 00:20:59.769 --> 00:21:05.497 So, control your emotions, encourage yourself in the Lord, inquire of the Lord. 00:21:06.070 --> 00:21:07.896 And then the fourth one is go to church. 00:21:07.896 --> 00:21:09.834 Go to church. 00:21:09.834 --> 00:21:16.742 Now, you know this is kind of what their version of it was when he called the priest. 00:21:16.742 --> 00:21:25.769 The priest came over there with the ephod and the ephod had the umum and the thumin, those stones, those that would glow, different colors and all of that. 00:21:25.769 --> 00:21:31.769 That was the Holy Spirit talking to the king and through the priest. 00:21:31.769 --> 00:21:33.750 So it was all basically got going to church. 00:21:33.750 --> 00:21:36.769 You know, I like Psalm 7317. 00:21:37.112 --> 00:21:52.769 When I came into the sanctuary of God then I understood I can't count the times when I've been seeking the Lord, even before we started this church, way back in my Lakewood days, when I would go to church and I had some things that I was seeking God about. 00:21:52.769 --> 00:22:06.730 It just seemed like when I got in that atmosphere, when I got into that place, all of a sudden the heaven opened and I would know, I would know something had happened and I would know that I had that thing that I was looking for. 00:22:06.730 --> 00:22:09.769 I remember one time things were really tough. 00:22:09.769 --> 00:22:22.375 I'd been laid off and you know, here's a guy that's lost a business and now you know bouncing around and now I had a job and now I've been laid off. 00:22:22.375 --> 00:22:24.115 And you know my wife. 00:22:24.175 --> 00:22:32.276 I felt so bad for her because here she is, she's trying to trust her husband, she's trying to follow the leader and she's really discouraged. 00:22:32.276 --> 00:22:38.750 And I said, god, I'm not discouraged, but I need help with Gladys and she's not listening to me right now. 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:41.769 She just I don't have any credibility with her right now. 00:22:41.769 --> 00:22:43.709 You know, would you trust me? 00:22:43.709 --> 00:22:47.026 I mean, she doesn't understand what's going on. 00:22:47.026 --> 00:22:48.719 I don't know what you're going to do, but you've got to do something. 00:22:48.740 --> 00:22:55.669 When we go to church tonight it's Wednesday night I'm not asking for anything spectacular, I'm not asking for an angel. 00:22:55.669 --> 00:23:12.681 I'm just somehow, some way during this service, somehow, I want you to touch her and give her confidence that we're going down the right road, and that's all I said. 00:23:12.681 --> 00:23:17.769 So, you know, we went through praise and worship and everything was normal. 00:23:17.769 --> 00:23:19.769 And then Brother Osteen started preaching. 00:23:19.769 --> 00:23:21.750 It was a good message. 00:23:21.750 --> 00:23:31.721 It seemed like everything was normal and I couldn't identify anything in particular that, like you know, ministered to her and helped her. 00:23:31.721 --> 00:23:33.769 And I'm just kind of under my breath. 00:23:33.769 --> 00:23:35.769 I'm just saying, well, Lord, it's not over yet. 00:23:35.769 --> 00:23:38.695 He's about to close the service, but it's not over yet. 00:23:38.695 --> 00:23:39.663 It's not over yet. 00:23:39.663 --> 00:23:43.198 I just know, lord, I just know. 00:23:44.313 --> 00:23:47.769 And so he was up on the platform and he clapped his hand. 00:23:47.769 --> 00:23:49.769 Well, are you glad you came on a Wednesday night? 00:23:49.769 --> 00:24:05.817 And then he kind of turned and he started going away from us and toward the other side of the sanctuary, and he was facing the other direction and suddenly he stopped and he whirled around and he said, ooh, something touched me. 00:24:05.817 --> 00:24:15.198 And he said something touched me and he whirled around and I said immediately, I said that's my angel tugging on his coat. 00:24:15.198 --> 00:24:17.736 That's what I said out of my mouth. 00:24:17.736 --> 00:24:30.836 And he whirled around and he stopped and he pointed right at Gladys and he couldn't remember her name and he said woman in purple, she had a purple dress on and I mean he had a word for her. 00:24:30.836 --> 00:24:32.491 And she said you know? 00:24:32.491 --> 00:24:36.730 Later on she said I didn't hear him, I just heard Jesus. 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:37.861 I just heard Jesus encouraging me. 00:24:38.789 --> 00:24:47.553 Oh, I tell you, glory to God, when you go to church, you put yourself in position, you get there under the open heaven Almost. 00:24:47.553 --> 00:24:51.208 I mean everything is out of the way now. 00:24:51.208 --> 00:24:58.619 Praise God, don't ever miss church unless you have to, especially when you are in a need situation. 00:24:58.619 --> 00:24:59.040 Amen. 00:24:59.040 --> 00:25:01.730 That's why I tell people give me a year of your life. 00:25:01.730 --> 00:25:06.608 It takes me that long just to share the truth that I take for granted. 00:25:06.608 --> 00:25:10.701 And even then I mean if you only come once a week, you're not going to get it all. 00:25:10.701 --> 00:25:12.972 So it takes more than a year actually. 00:25:12.972 --> 00:25:24.626 But so I'm talking about having being able to see clearly, having the vision of faith and the last one I'll share with you is found in verse 24. 00:25:25.615 --> 00:25:28.084 Let's go back to first Samuel. 00:25:28.084 --> 00:25:32.019 I pray you're getting something out of this. 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:33.243 We all go through things. 00:25:33.243 --> 00:25:35.196 They don't knock. 00:25:35.196 --> 00:25:39.623 You, don't, don't beat yourself up just because you're going through a trial, because it comes with a territory. 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:52.959 And so when they got back from the victorious battle, you left 200 behind. 00:25:52.959 --> 00:25:55.324 200 of the men. 00:25:55.324 --> 00:25:57.488 The great, mighty men were too weak to go. 00:25:57.488 --> 00:26:01.102 They were too weak, they couldn't do it. 00:26:01.102 --> 00:26:10.665 They had a long battle campaign, and this is their wives, this is their children, and yet they couldn't go along and be part of the battle. 00:26:10.665 --> 00:26:12.840 And so they stayed behind. 00:26:12.840 --> 00:26:18.008 And when they got back, the other men talked of not letting them have their stuff back. 00:26:18.008 --> 00:26:23.480 We're going to keep all the goods, we'll let them have their wives and kids, but we're going to keep all their wealth. 00:26:24.915 --> 00:26:35.963 And verse 23 then said David, you shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord has given us, who have preserved us and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. 00:26:35.963 --> 00:26:38.095 For who will harken under you in this matter. 00:26:38.095 --> 00:26:45.886 But as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that terrieth by the stuff they shall part like. 00:26:45.886 --> 00:26:57.047 So my last point about having, uh, being able to see clearly and having the vision of faith is to fellowship with your own company. 00:26:57.047 --> 00:27:09.933 I mean, if you count yourself a member of glorious way church, fellowship with the people here, fellowship with the people who sit under the same ministry that you do, because they can, you know, listen, they can encourage you. 00:27:09.933 --> 00:27:14.426 They can, they can, they can be a blessing to you. 00:27:15.356 --> 00:27:18.787 And I've seen people you know they just don't know how to have. 00:27:18.787 --> 00:27:26.445 They think they, they're better off having all these friends that they've had all of their lives that go to dead churches. 00:27:26.445 --> 00:27:28.924 You know some people, you know. 00:27:28.924 --> 00:27:30.734 It's not that we ought to just turn our back on people. 00:27:30.734 --> 00:27:41.654 I'm just saying that there are people in your life, most likely, that have no godly, uh, they have no godly purpose for your fellowship. 00:27:41.654 --> 00:27:46.615 I mean, they drag you down, if the truth be known, they drag you down. 00:27:46.615 --> 00:27:48.015 You're always trying to pick them up. 00:27:48.537 --> 00:28:05.404 Look, fellowship with people that come to church with you, because that is God's plan, that that's God's strength, these mighty men of valor, listen, they, they were out of order and, thank God, david said no, we're not going to do it, I'm not going to. 00:28:05.404 --> 00:28:07.811 I'm not listening to you about this at all, you can forget it. 00:28:07.811 --> 00:28:11.474 We're going to part alike because we're one. 00:28:11.474 --> 00:28:13.111 See, that's what this church is. 00:28:13.111 --> 00:28:18.240 We're part and, like I'm telling you, we all have different things that we do, we have different gifts, we have different, uh, anointings. 00:28:18.240 --> 00:28:22.013 But let me tell you something we're going to part alike one day. 00:28:22.013 --> 00:28:24.954 The rewards are passed out, amen. 00:28:24.954 --> 00:28:33.375 And so it really matters in your vision of faith and how you're able to see clearly your, your fellowship that you need to have. 00:28:34.159 --> 00:28:44.038 You know, bible says in Hebrews 10, 25, neglect not the assembling of yourself together, as the manner of some is, and that's talking about coming to church, but it's also talking about fellowship. 00:28:44.038 --> 00:28:48.469 Uh, neglect not the assembling of yourselves together as puzzle pieces. 00:28:48.469 --> 00:28:53.763 So, if you're going to have a puzzle piece that goes to a dead church over here, well, what? 00:28:53.763 --> 00:28:55.273 What have you got in common other than G? 00:28:55.273 --> 00:28:59.207 Yeah, I know he, they're saved, you're saved, okay, great, but that's not really. 00:28:59.207 --> 00:29:05.428 Listen, the kingdom of God is about relationships and they've got to be people that are. 00:29:05.428 --> 00:29:09.894 You know, if you're in the army, you don't have any fellowship with the next battalion over the hill over there. 00:29:09.894 --> 00:29:17.233 You're, you're, you're, you're, you're barracks, you're, you're sleeping with a, with a company, you're, you're in one tent, you're in one place. 00:29:17.233 --> 00:29:19.633 You, you eat together, you fight together. 00:29:19.633 --> 00:29:23.480 You, you see, that's the way a church should be Church. 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:32.067 You know, this is really important for our, for our well-being, and being able to see clearly the fellowship with your own company. 00:29:32.067 --> 00:29:33.569 Praise God. 00:29:34.618 --> 00:29:39.778 Uh, I heard somebody quote a man who was a Holocaust survivor, victor Frankel. 00:29:39.778 --> 00:29:42.307 And uh, he said this. 00:29:42.307 --> 00:29:49.015 He said the last of all human freedoms is the ability to choose one's own attitude in any set of circumstances. 00:29:49.015 --> 00:29:53.934 You know, I mean, here they were, they were, he's a Holocaust survivor. 00:29:53.934 --> 00:29:55.534 So he went to a concentration camp. 00:29:55.534 --> 00:29:56.540 Somehow he survived. 00:29:56.540 --> 00:30:04.374 Uh, he didn't get burned in the oven, he was in a, in a camp that most people died of exposure and starvation. 00:30:04.374 --> 00:30:06.430 Somehow he survived it. 00:30:06.430 --> 00:30:12.065 And he's saying he lived through it by not allowing them to come into his mind and tear his way of thinking out. 00:30:12.065 --> 00:30:16.646 He chose, he chose to try and find a way to do it. 00:30:16.646 --> 00:30:19.583 He chose to trust God. 00:30:19.583 --> 00:30:22.364 He chose his own attitude. 00:30:22.364 --> 00:30:26.365 Uh, he, he chose a better, a better way of going. 00:30:27.515 --> 00:30:32.461 You know, you can't always choose your circumstances, but you can choose to have an attitude of the spirit of faith. 00:30:32.461 --> 00:30:34.038 You know that attitude I was talking about. 00:30:34.038 --> 00:30:40.203 You can choose that attitude that will produce the corresponding vision of faith. 00:30:40.203 --> 00:30:42.288 Amen, the vision of faith. 00:30:42.288 --> 00:30:44.041 Come on, lift your hands and receive tonight. 00:30:44.041 --> 00:30:51.306 I pray this message will help you and no matter what you're facing, I always know you have the victory. 00:30:51.306 --> 00:30:52.394 Amen. 00:30:52.394 --> 00:30:55.945 He's always causes us to triumph in Christ Jesus. 00:30:55.945 --> 00:31:02.032 Let's just keep that attitude of a spirit of faith and we'll always have the vision of faith. 00:31:02.032 --> 00:31:02.654 We'll see clearly. 00:31:02.654 --> 00:31:03.721 Amen.