WEBVTT 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:03.463 Pick your Bibles up, wave them around, make Jesus glad, the devil mad. 00:00:03.463 --> 00:00:12.904 Let's say this together say, heavenly Father, thank you for the Holy Ghost, thank you for giving us the anointing to get past every obstacle. 00:00:12.904 --> 00:00:24.044 And, father, the secret of it all is the Word and the Spirit which I received tonight, fresh, for my benefit. 00:00:24.044 --> 00:00:27.963 I'm not listening for somebody else, I'm listening for me. 00:00:27.963 --> 00:00:30.887 I need what you have to say tonight. 00:00:30.887 --> 00:00:41.262 I'm gonna employ it, I'm gonna put it to work and I'm gonna get the victory in Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:41.301 --> 00:00:42.567 Hebrews 11, 6. 00:00:42.567 --> 00:00:56.070 Real, familiar verse of Scripture Hebrews 11, 6. 00:00:56.070 --> 00:01:18.599 And the King James says but without faith it's impossible to please God, for he that comeeth to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:24.215 He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. 00:01:24.215 --> 00:01:27.248 You know he's a rewarder, but what's the condition? 00:01:27.248 --> 00:01:39.670 Diligent seeking, it's just not a rubber stamp, okay, there's something tied to the reward, and that is what diligent seeking. 00:01:39.670 --> 00:01:44.548 So that's what I wanted to talk to you tonight about, give you a message on the diligent seeker. 00:01:44.548 --> 00:01:47.631 Everybody shout that's me, that's me. 00:01:47.631 --> 00:01:52.289 And God rewards those who diligently seek him. 00:01:52.289 --> 00:01:56.500 You know, be a diligent seeker. 00:01:56.500 --> 00:01:58.968 You know it says diligent there, but actually diligent. 00:01:58.968 --> 00:02:04.150 They didn't even need to put it there because the Greek word seek includes diligence. 00:02:04.150 --> 00:02:16.368 In fact, that word seek means this it means to scrutinize, to investigate, to crave or to require. 00:02:16.368 --> 00:02:22.199 See the intensity, you can tell the intensity. 00:02:22.199 --> 00:02:23.913 Seek, well, seek, you know. 00:02:23.913 --> 00:02:24.620 Seek and you shall find. 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:26.265 Jesus said seek and you shall find. 00:02:26.265 --> 00:02:30.759 Ask and you shall receive seek and you shall find Knock and it shall be open on you. 00:02:30.759 --> 00:02:39.610 But you know, really the Greek is not just ask, it's ask and keep on asking and you will receive seek. 00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:44.020 And keep on seeking and you shall find Knock and keep on knocking. 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:44.320 See. 00:02:44.320 --> 00:02:45.887 So there's your diligence. 00:02:45.887 --> 00:02:54.231 See, there's your diligence, and so the diligent seeker. 00:02:54.340 --> 00:03:00.969 I just wanna talk to you tonight about that because it's something that we should emulate. 00:03:00.969 --> 00:03:09.590 It's something that we should look in the Bible and see people that were you know, that did diligently seek God and God rewarded them. 00:03:09.590 --> 00:03:16.745 And you know, generally, you just have to stay before him constantly in the Word. 00:03:16.745 --> 00:03:27.111 I mean, we need his Word and we need, we need prayer, we need constantly being people of prayer, we need constantly going through life, god inside minded. 00:03:27.111 --> 00:03:35.490 We have to recognize every day, every step we take, the greater ones on the inside of us. 00:03:35.490 --> 00:03:41.687 He's not just hitchhiking, he's there to help us, he's our helper. 00:03:41.687 --> 00:03:44.913 He's our helper. 00:03:47.305 --> 00:03:49.891 I like Proverbs 22, 29. 00:03:49.891 --> 00:03:58.706 It says see a man diligent in his business, he shall stand before kings. 00:03:58.706 --> 00:04:07.647 He shall not stand before obscure men, he shall stand before kings. 00:04:07.647 --> 00:04:10.144 He shall not have to. 00:04:10.144 --> 00:04:13.808 You know trifle with flunkies. 00:04:13.808 --> 00:04:15.286 That's the Griner translation. 00:04:15.286 --> 00:04:19.826 We don't have to deal with flunkies. 00:04:19.826 --> 00:04:21.879 You know people that can't make the decision. 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:22.367 Well, I don't. 00:04:22.367 --> 00:04:24.910 I'll have to clear it with my general manager. 00:04:24.910 --> 00:04:26.600 Well, where is your general manager? 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:27.824 Well, he's in 10 buck two. 00:04:27.824 --> 00:04:34.709 He's on a month vacation, he's on a safari or whatever. 00:04:35.300 --> 00:04:47.927 So the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10, 11 that the Old Testament is written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age have come. 00:04:47.927 --> 00:04:56.547 So if for no other reason, you know, we ought to read the Old Testament, not to, you know, let's read it with New Testament eyes. 00:04:56.547 --> 00:05:06.228 But everything written there is for our warning, it's for our instruction, it's for us, you know, it's for us to observe how people succeeded and how people failed. 00:05:06.228 --> 00:05:07.089 A lot of failures. 00:05:07.089 --> 00:05:08.545 A lot of the kings were failures. 00:05:08.545 --> 00:05:17.307 And in Revelation 1 6, you know, it says that we are kings and priests unto God. 00:05:17.307 --> 00:05:24.704 The new birth brought us into kingship and so we're to. 00:05:24.704 --> 00:05:27.944 In Romans 5, 2, we're to reign in life. 00:05:27.944 --> 00:05:34.620 As kings, we should exercise dominion and authority over things we're. 00:05:34.721 --> 00:05:47.509 You know, a lot of times, people, when you're getting started in the Word of faith, you know, and you're coming out of the nomination of churches and even some Pentecostal churches, the tendency for most people is just pray and ask God to do everything under the sun. 00:05:47.509 --> 00:05:49.607 Give me this, give me that, do this, do that. 00:05:49.607 --> 00:05:54.166 But listen, we're kings, we're not God, but we're in the God class of being. 00:05:54.166 --> 00:05:55.725 God expects us to rule and reign. 00:05:55.725 --> 00:06:01.346 There's a lot of things that we don't even have to pray about, just speak to it. 00:06:01.346 --> 00:06:03.502 You know, kings didn't beg. 00:06:03.502 --> 00:06:08.567 Kings didn't wonder, they just issued commands. 00:06:08.567 --> 00:06:11.666 They issued edicts and people ran to get that done. 00:06:11.666 --> 00:06:18.704 If he said jump, they didn't even bother asking how high, they just jumped as high as they could. 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:26.204 So let's look at a couple of kings here, second Chronicles 17,. 00:06:26.204 --> 00:06:31.742 Way back there, jehoshaphat. 00:06:31.742 --> 00:06:35.329 You know, as a kid I read the comic page. 00:06:35.329 --> 00:06:38.348 The comic funny pages is what we called it. 00:06:38.348 --> 00:06:41.004 Do you ever read the funny pages? 00:06:41.004 --> 00:06:43.245 Funny papers, funny papers. 00:06:43.245 --> 00:06:43.848 I got it right. 00:06:43.848 --> 00:06:48.187 Snuffy Smith was one of my favorites. 00:06:48.187 --> 00:06:52.189 I read Snuffy Smith and he would say Jehoshaphat. 00:06:52.189 --> 00:06:54.927 So that was my first exposure to the Bible. 00:06:54.927 --> 00:06:56.043 I didn't know it was a Bible. 00:06:56.043 --> 00:07:05.975 Second Chronicle when is it? 00:07:05.975 --> 00:07:06.862 Is it in my Bible? 00:07:06.862 --> 00:07:07.244 Somewhere? 00:07:07.244 --> 00:07:08.362 I'll find it. 00:07:08.362 --> 00:07:09.185 I know it's here. 00:07:09.185 --> 00:07:15.168 There it is, kyle, I thought somebody had ripped it out of my, ripped the pages out. 00:07:15.168 --> 00:07:16.303 Second, what did I say? 00:07:16.303 --> 00:07:18.230 17, second Chronicles, 17. 00:07:18.230 --> 00:07:27.988 All right, first one Jehoshaphat, his son, that's Asa, and Asa was a crumb ball. 00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:32.110 Okay, asa was one of the failures, but he had a good son. 00:07:32.110 --> 00:07:33.682 It's kind of amazing really. 00:07:33.682 --> 00:07:39.947 Jehoshaphat, his son, reigned in his stead and strengthened himself against Israel. 00:07:39.947 --> 00:07:45.069 See, he's the king of Judah and Judah and Israel were an opposition to each other, two kingdoms. 00:07:45.069 --> 00:07:51.148 And that came out of result of, because of David's sin and you know things, that he disobeyed God. 00:07:51.148 --> 00:08:03.288 With it, there was consequences and he placed forces in all the fence cities of Judah and sent garrisons to the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa, his father, had taken. 00:08:03.288 --> 00:08:23.682 And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked, because everybody shout, because he walked in the first ways of his father, david, and sought not unto Balaam, no, idolatry. 00:08:23.682 --> 00:08:28.802 Idolatry, that was the kiss of death for most of them. 00:08:28.802 --> 00:08:31.117 They just worship the land of. 00:08:31.117 --> 00:08:34.607 They worship the gods of the land that they didn't drive out. 00:08:34.607 --> 00:08:40.615 They didn't drive out all the and now we're importing all these people from every corner of the globe. 00:08:40.615 --> 00:08:43.278 There's a push to import the Palestinians. 00:08:43.278 --> 00:08:44.755 Why would you want the Palestinians? 00:08:44.755 --> 00:08:45.914 They riot every day. 00:08:45.914 --> 00:08:46.692 They throw rocks. 00:08:46.692 --> 00:08:48.537 They've been throwing rocks for 50 years. 00:08:48.537 --> 00:08:54.057 Why do you want to have people that are rock throwers come into our country and riot? 00:08:54.057 --> 00:08:59.197 They had something worse than January 6th just at the DNC the other day. 00:08:59.197 --> 00:09:00.696 And oh no, nobody's arrested. 00:09:00.696 --> 00:09:06.239 Oh no, well, they're just protestors, but when we do it, we're insurrectionists. 00:09:08.850 --> 00:09:11.778 Aren't you glad that I speak of the house? 00:09:11.778 --> 00:09:12.620 I'm wondering about him. 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:16.775 I'm kind of I'm stepping back and wondering if he's gonna make the grade. 00:09:16.775 --> 00:09:19.576 But one thing is so far that he's done. 00:09:19.576 --> 00:09:26.221 The other thing I hate that he rubber stamped Pelosi's budget and didn't stand for anything. 00:09:26.221 --> 00:09:29.738 He just went ahead and let it go, and all the Democrats are just overjoyed. 00:09:29.738 --> 00:09:31.456 They got all their spending that they wanted. 00:09:31.456 --> 00:09:37.794 Everybody seems to be so afraid of shutting down the government. 00:09:37.794 --> 00:09:39.957 You know, I wish they'd shut it down. 00:09:39.957 --> 00:09:41.215 How about about a year? 00:09:41.215 --> 00:09:42.494 Shut it down for a year. 00:09:42.494 --> 00:09:44.375 We're, you know, we'll make it. 00:09:44.375 --> 00:09:48.037 Anyway, I had that social security. 00:09:48.037 --> 00:09:48.572 What's about the? 00:09:48.572 --> 00:09:49.917 Well, we'll get our check. 00:09:49.917 --> 00:09:54.096 I don't care if Ravens have to feed me. 00:09:54.096 --> 00:09:56.850 Praise God, anyway. 00:09:58.033 --> 00:10:00.620 But he did release the true. 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:03.618 He released the videos of January 6th. 00:10:03.618 --> 00:10:06.972 It's just looks like a, it's like a picnic, it was nothing. 00:10:06.972 --> 00:10:12.535 Every one of those people ought to be hung, starting with Cheney. 00:10:12.535 --> 00:10:18.717 All right, so let's get back to 17 here. 00:10:19.590 --> 00:10:33.899 So he, he was, lord was with him, with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father, david, and sought, not unto Balaam, but sought to the Lord, god of his father. 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:44.855 See, he's seeking, and if we've already determined what seeking is, it's not just a casual glance, it's not just a little you know, look this way and wonder about it. 00:10:44.855 --> 00:10:52.033 No, he investigated, he scrutinized the ways of David Are you with me now? 00:10:52.033 --> 00:10:56.717 And walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel. 00:10:56.717 --> 00:11:02.821 Therefore, see, there's benefits, there's rewards. 00:11:02.821 --> 00:11:14.802 The Lord established the kingdom in his hand and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presence and he had riches and honor in abundance. 00:11:14.802 --> 00:11:19.039 He's already rich, he just got a whole lot richer. 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:22.710 Well, you're one of those prosperity people. 00:11:22.710 --> 00:11:24.929 Well, yeah, I just preached what the word says. 00:11:24.929 --> 00:11:35.509 The word said, there was a reward, and it's prosperity, it's riches and honor, because he sought the Lord, he sought after his ways. 00:11:35.509 --> 00:11:38.428 He didn't just pay lip service to her. 00:11:38.428 --> 00:11:42.143 Are you getting this now, diligent seeker? 00:11:42.143 --> 00:11:43.750 And so God established his reign. 00:11:43.750 --> 00:11:46.866 He reigned 25 years. 00:11:46.866 --> 00:11:53.009 25 years, not too bad, all right, let's go to chapter 26. 00:11:57.005 --> 00:11:58.270 Turn over to another king, uzziah Verse three. 00:11:58.270 --> 00:12:05.950 16 years old was Uzziah when he began to reign? 00:12:05.950 --> 00:12:34.267 Oh, I think back when I was 16, I don't know man, 16, he began to reign and he reigned 52 days, 52 years. 00:12:34.267 --> 00:12:44.149 He set the record there's no king in Israel or Judah either, one that reigned that long, 52 years. 00:12:44.149 --> 00:12:45.634 Talk about longevity. 00:12:45.634 --> 00:12:49.753 His mother's name she must have done something right, jackaliah. 00:12:49.753 --> 00:12:52.749 She must have been a pretty good mama. 00:12:53.996 --> 00:13:00.735 Verse four and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father, amaziah, did. 00:13:00.735 --> 00:13:03.863 And he sought God in the days he sought God, he sought God. 00:13:03.863 --> 00:13:11.812 See, he's a diligent seeker In the days of Zechariah, who had undergone the reign of the Lord. 00:13:11.812 --> 00:13:18.312 He sought God In the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God. 00:13:18.312 --> 00:13:27.693 And as long as he sought the Lord, god made him to prosper, you could say, as long as he sought the Lord, god rewarded him. 00:13:31.009 --> 00:13:35.236 Now, this is written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age have come. 00:13:35.236 --> 00:13:40.190 See, we need to pay some attention to seeking the Lord. 00:13:40.190 --> 00:13:59.163 We need to seek him out, we need to seek him and if we're gonna reign in life as kings Now, some of these people started off pretty good, but they didn't end up so good, let's end up. 00:13:59.163 --> 00:14:00.230 See, the end is on us now. 00:14:00.230 --> 00:14:06.269 We don't have time to foul up, we don't have time to have a shipwreck. 00:14:06.269 --> 00:14:10.160 I mean, jesus is coming at any moment. 00:14:10.160 --> 00:14:15.187 I don't think it's any moment like in the next 10 seconds, but I just know we're near. 00:14:15.187 --> 00:14:24.087 I don't have a date, but he's coming and you can see if you take an exit when you should have gone straight. 00:14:24.350 --> 00:14:26.710 I mean, it's possible that you be out of the will of God. 00:14:26.710 --> 00:14:30.470 I want him, when he comes, finding me doing what I've called to do. 00:14:30.470 --> 00:14:33.970 I want him finding me faithful to what he said to do. 00:14:33.970 --> 00:14:43.523 And that takes some seeking, diligent seeking, and of course, diligence is kind of. 00:14:43.523 --> 00:14:48.625 You know, it's see, that Greek word seeking has got diligence in it. 00:14:48.625 --> 00:14:54.784 So God rewards you. 00:14:55.716 --> 00:14:57.304 Isaiah 556,. 00:14:57.304 --> 00:15:00.600 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he's near. 00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:10.634 He said for my ways are not your ways, my thoughts not your thoughts, but you can find out what his ways are and what his thoughts are. 00:15:10.634 --> 00:15:13.315 I like Psalm 25, four and five. 00:15:13.315 --> 00:15:14.567 Lord, teach me that ways. 00:15:14.567 --> 00:15:15.355 Lead me in that truth. 00:15:15.355 --> 00:15:18.659 Teach me for that, the God of my salvation on thee Do I wait all the day. 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:20.421 I pray that almost every day. 00:15:20.421 --> 00:15:23.697 I want him to show me. 00:15:23.697 --> 00:15:40.980 I want him to help me stay in his perfect will so that I not just because of the reward, but the reward is important because it's what we have going forward it's gonna take a lot of riches to do what we're called to do. 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:51.092 So now let's look at Psalm 50,. 00:15:51.092 --> 00:16:17.955 Now let's look at Psalm 50, talking about the diligent seeker, psalm 50. 00:16:18.054 --> 00:16:25.677 Now God is rebuking Israel and going over a list of things that they've done wrong. 00:16:25.677 --> 00:16:26.902 I'll just read a couple of them. 00:16:26.902 --> 00:16:38.261 Verse 17, seeing thou hateest instruction and casteth my words behind thee when you saw a thief, then you consent with him and he'd been partaker with the Belchers. 00:16:38.261 --> 00:16:41.982 You give your mouth to evil and your tongue frames deceit. 00:16:41.982 --> 00:16:44.822 You sit and speak against your brother. 00:16:44.822 --> 00:16:46.822 You slander your own mother's son. 00:16:47.355 --> 00:16:52.006 These things have you done and I kept silence. 00:16:52.006 --> 00:16:56.259 I kept silence. 00:16:56.259 --> 00:17:00.322 I call it the silence factor. 00:17:00.322 --> 00:17:12.244 You thought that I was altogether such as one as yourself, but I will reprove thee and set them in order before your eyes. 00:17:12.244 --> 00:17:15.525 I mean, it's pretty heavy, heavy, heavy rebuke. 00:17:15.525 --> 00:17:21.781 But what I wanted you to see there is they were misbehaving and God wasn't in a hurry to say anything about it. 00:17:21.781 --> 00:17:29.479 He kept silence and his silence meant to them oh well, god hadn't said nothing. 00:17:29.479 --> 00:17:31.884 Guess he cares? 00:17:33.555 --> 00:17:34.979 There's a whole lot in the church like that. 00:17:34.979 --> 00:17:39.122 They're not anywhere where they can hear a rebuke. 00:17:39.122 --> 00:17:43.178 All they hear is that they're going to get a participation trophy. 00:17:43.178 --> 00:17:55.443 All they get on them is slobber and atta boys and you're doing great and all of that, and they don't hear the full counsel of the word of God. 00:17:55.443 --> 00:18:24.415 I mean, I don't want to fuss at people, but you need the word so that you can measure up against it and make sure you're lined up with it, because it takes diligence seeking, and so if we fail to seek the Lord diligently, we can walk in ways that are contrary to his plan for our lives. 00:18:24.415 --> 00:18:31.739 We can make wrong decisions, we can have wrong timing when we make those decisions. 00:18:31.739 --> 00:18:40.423 We can have wrong associations when we're not busy about diligently seeking the Lord. 00:18:40.423 --> 00:18:45.662 He will stay silent and let us make a choice. 00:18:45.662 --> 00:18:49.515 He'll. 00:18:49.515 --> 00:18:50.277 Let us make a choice. 00:18:53.694 --> 00:18:54.698 Look at Mark, chapter six. 00:18:54.698 --> 00:19:00.980 I know you can hear a pen drop in here right now, but I don't mean for this to be heavy. 00:19:00.980 --> 00:19:10.347 I'm just saying let's be diligent in our seeking of Him because there's a reward. 00:19:10.347 --> 00:19:12.438 He wants to reward you. 00:19:12.438 --> 00:19:15.517 Mark, chapter six. 00:19:15.517 --> 00:19:21.957 This is after the. 00:19:21.957 --> 00:19:30.018 He fed the 5,000, 5 loaves and 2 fish. 00:19:30.018 --> 00:19:33.567 Verse 45, straight way. 00:19:33.755 --> 00:19:40.419 He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, go to the other side before Him, unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. 00:19:40.419 --> 00:19:42.961 And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. 00:19:42.961 --> 00:19:46.439 And when the evening was come, the ship was now in the midst of the sea and he alone on the land. 00:19:46.439 --> 00:19:54.842 And he saw them toiling and rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them. 00:19:54.842 --> 00:20:03.479 And about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. 00:20:03.479 --> 00:20:14.317 I mean, he's bebopping across the water, walking on the water, and he's not walking to them, he's going to walk right past them. 00:20:14.317 --> 00:20:23.135 He knew they were toiling, he knew they were struggling and then. 00:20:23.778 --> 00:20:27.480 But then they saw Him walking upon the sea and they supposed they'd been a spirit. 00:20:27.480 --> 00:20:41.839 In other words, I guess it was Halloween, I don't know and they cried out, for they all saw Him and were troubled, and you know he's so merciful. 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:47.218 He immediately went to them and talked with them and said unto them Be of good courage, it is, I be not afraid. 00:20:47.218 --> 00:21:01.343 And he went up unto them into the ship and the wind ceased and they were soar, mazing themselves beyond measure, and they wondered and they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. 00:21:01.343 --> 00:21:07.517 So don't you know that Jesus knew their heart was hardened before all of that? 00:21:07.517 --> 00:21:24.561 I mean, you know he knows them like the back of His hand and they're out there and they're not having any success because they're not using their faith, and so he's going to go right past them, because there's no reward. 00:21:24.561 --> 00:21:35.394 It's impossible to please God without faith, and when you don't exhibit faith, he's going to go right past you. 00:21:35.454 --> 00:21:40.865 The silence fact One time that Jesus would now, well, you know they had to at least acknowledge Him. 00:21:40.865 --> 00:21:42.420 At least they acknowledged Him. 00:21:42.420 --> 00:21:44.401 And you know he did have mercy on them. 00:21:44.401 --> 00:21:48.396 But he wouldn't have if they had kept on doing that and ignored Him. 00:21:48.396 --> 00:21:52.122 He would have ignored them and all the way over there and they'd been still struggling. 00:21:52.122 --> 00:21:53.656 Are y'all with me now? 00:21:57.355 --> 00:21:59.901 Look at Luke 24. 00:21:59.901 --> 00:22:10.135 This is after His resurrection, on the road to Emmaus. 00:22:10.135 --> 00:22:26.881 And well, I won't go through the whole thing, but we know the deal. 00:22:26.881 --> 00:22:32.201 I mean, there's two guys walking along and Jesus starts walking with them, and this is after the resurrection. 00:22:32.201 --> 00:22:35.621 They didn't recognize Him and he looks just normal to them. 00:22:35.621 --> 00:22:38.818 You know he's not glorious or anything, he's just walking along with them. 00:22:38.818 --> 00:22:43.986 And why are you so sad? 00:22:43.986 --> 00:22:44.718 What's wrong? 00:22:44.718 --> 00:22:50.377 Oh, haven't you heard Jesus when we supposed to be the Messiah was crucified? 00:22:50.377 --> 00:22:51.842 And da da, da, da, da da. 00:22:53.375 --> 00:22:57.237 In verse 25, "'o fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken? 00:22:57.237 --> 00:23:00.519 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? 00:23:00.519 --> 00:23:06.980 And, beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expanded unto them and all the Scriptures and things concerning Himself. 00:23:06.980 --> 00:23:10.682 And they drew nine to the village. 00:23:10.682 --> 00:23:13.919 Whether they went, he made as though he would have gone further. 00:23:13.919 --> 00:23:24.961 He made as though he would have gone further" Because he didn't really get the proper response out of them. 00:23:24.961 --> 00:23:28.942 So he's just gonna keep walking. 00:23:30.136 --> 00:23:31.560 But they constrained Him. 00:23:31.560 --> 00:23:49.134 Say it, abide with us for this torred evening, and the day is far spent and he went in to tarry with them and he came to pass, as he sat and meet with them, he took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them and their eyes were open and they knew him and he vanished out of their sight. 00:23:49.134 --> 00:23:56.252 Oh man, now let's just go back on this thing. 00:23:56.252 --> 00:23:57.189 Let's think about it now. 00:23:57.189 --> 00:24:06.608 Think about if they had just been casual, you know, and just let him go. 00:24:06.608 --> 00:24:09.430 Oh, okay, all right, well, been nice visiting with you. 00:24:09.430 --> 00:24:12.872 But no, they constrained him. 00:24:12.872 --> 00:24:26.093 And then, after he left, he disappeared and they said this verse 32, they said one to another did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us, by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 00:24:26.093 --> 00:24:30.454 So there you've got two more witnesses of the resurrection. 00:24:30.545 --> 00:24:33.834 Pretty important to be a witness of the resurrection. 00:24:33.834 --> 00:24:38.535 They added their voices to the witnesses early on. 00:24:38.535 --> 00:24:40.428 Are y'all getting this now? 00:24:40.428 --> 00:24:51.097 So really, diligently seeking the Lord and responding to him cancels the silence factor. 00:24:51.097 --> 00:24:56.426 The silence factor, what do you mean? 00:24:56.426 --> 00:24:57.089 The silence factor? 00:24:57.089 --> 00:24:57.646 What do you mean? 00:24:57.646 --> 00:25:02.950 Sometimes we just we don't know what to do, doesn't seem like he's speaking to us. 00:25:02.950 --> 00:25:08.972 Maybe when I say speaking, I don't mean a voice, I just mean we're not receiving, ramah, we're not receiving. 00:25:09.744 --> 00:25:22.795 We can't identify the leadership of the Holy Ghost sometimes, and instead of being offended and instead of being kind of flustered, let's look at the diligent seeker. 00:25:22.795 --> 00:25:31.271 I've got three things about the diligent seeker that you can identify with and you can turn that around and not get into that habit. 00:25:31.271 --> 00:25:36.973 I've heard people say well, I haven't just like brass, I can't hear from God. 00:25:36.973 --> 00:25:37.968 Well, don't say that. 00:25:37.968 --> 00:25:43.705 He's not that hard to talk to, all right. 00:25:43.705 --> 00:25:45.772 So number one, the diligent seeker. 00:25:45.944 --> 00:25:52.884 Number one continues in the Word, john 831. 00:25:52.884 --> 00:26:00.368 If you continue in my Word, then are you my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. 00:26:00.368 --> 00:26:03.686 Jesus said that. 00:26:03.686 --> 00:26:07.592 So you've just got to stick with the Word. 00:26:07.592 --> 00:26:12.852 I know I sound like a broken record, but I run up against people all the time and take little many vacations. 00:26:12.852 --> 00:26:13.826 They have a. 00:26:13.826 --> 00:26:16.894 They're just like this, like a grasshopper. 00:26:16.894 --> 00:26:19.830 When pressure's on, they're in the Word. 00:26:19.830 --> 00:26:24.130 When pressure's eased, they leave it aside, going along their merry way. 00:26:24.130 --> 00:26:24.992 God told me this way. 00:26:24.992 --> 00:26:27.789 He said many just tip their hat and go along their merry way. 00:26:27.789 --> 00:26:28.667 Don't be like that. 00:26:28.667 --> 00:26:29.989 Be consistent. 00:26:29.989 --> 00:26:36.249 Be consistent, be a person of the Word, get in, be in the Word all the time. 00:26:36.249 --> 00:26:39.686 That's His thoughts, isaiah 55,. 00:26:39.686 --> 00:26:40.829 His thoughts are His Word. 00:26:44.345 --> 00:27:01.490 And the thing is, sometimes, you know, what I've noticed is that revelation and Ramah words and God communicating to you, like what Brother Hagin said one time, you can tell as much about what God doesn't say is what he does say when God doesn't say anything. 00:27:01.490 --> 00:27:04.491 Just keep on taking one step at a time, honey. 00:27:04.491 --> 00:27:07.670 Quit looking for something. 00:27:07.670 --> 00:27:09.451 Quit looking for snakes under a rock. 00:27:09.451 --> 00:27:10.951 Just keep walking. 00:27:10.951 --> 00:27:15.411 If he's not talking, if he's not telling you anything, you're just going along. 00:27:15.411 --> 00:27:16.848 Fine, Don't worry about it. 00:27:16.848 --> 00:27:18.587 He expects you to walk by faith. 00:27:18.587 --> 00:27:27.165 He doesn't want to have to just micromanage you, amen. 00:27:30.045 --> 00:27:34.535 So with revelation, I've found that it comes in waves. 00:27:34.535 --> 00:27:38.512 I look back, especially spectacular guidance. 00:27:38.512 --> 00:27:41.453 You know you don't have to wait for spectacular guidance. 00:27:41.453 --> 00:27:45.092 I don't look for it, but when it comes it seems like it comes in waves. 00:27:45.092 --> 00:27:49.653 I'll have two or three dreams, or I'll have two or three dramatic things all happen. 00:27:49.653 --> 00:28:00.431 Of course I know things are fixed and come unglued, or he wouldn't be showing those things to me, but it's the same with the rainbow word. 00:28:00.431 --> 00:28:05.273 I mean, many times these rainbow words come and they just they come in groups. 00:28:05.273 --> 00:28:13.513 They come to where you can get charged back up and maybe make a little bit of an adjustment if need be. 00:28:13.513 --> 00:28:19.595 And that'll bring me to the second thing that the diligent seeker does. 00:28:20.025 --> 00:28:23.911 The diligent seeker continues in prayer. 00:28:23.911 --> 00:28:28.016 Continues in prayer. 00:28:28.016 --> 00:28:50.987 James 514, the Amplified, the earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of the righteous person with the most tremendous power available, dynamic in its working, hallelujah. 00:28:50.987 --> 00:29:02.832 And so you know, it's just good to be a person of prayer, it's good to have a prayer life, it's good to have a good confession. 00:29:02.832 --> 00:29:08.949 Part of my prayer life is my confession, because he's my high priest, so he's listening to my confession. 00:29:08.949 --> 00:29:22.151 I'm not asking Him for anything, I'm declaring what is, and he's my high priest and he's executing and causing it to happen. 00:29:22.151 --> 00:29:27.288 I don't have to hear back from Him, I already heard from Him. 00:29:27.288 --> 00:29:36.257 But if I'm a person of the Word, a person in prayer, I'm primed and ready for Him to then apply guidance. 00:29:36.257 --> 00:29:53.527 If it's the witness of the Spirit or it's a rama word out of the Scriptures, or you're still small voice speaking to you, a diligent seeker. 00:29:57.305 --> 00:30:02.557 Number three continues being filled with the Holy Ghost Takes time. 00:30:02.557 --> 00:30:03.906 All these things take time. 00:30:03.906 --> 00:30:08.488 Ephesians 5, 18,. 00:30:08.488 --> 00:30:10.074 Be not drunk with wine, where is the next? 00:30:10.074 --> 00:30:23.530 But be being filled, be filled, be being filled, be continually and habitually filled with the Holy Ghost Speaking to yourself in Psalms and hymns, spiritual songs, singing, making melody in your heart to the Lord, continually and habitually filled. 00:30:23.530 --> 00:30:42.806 When you're filled, you know His ways, we need to know His thoughts and we need to know His ways, and sometimes you know when we kind of don't know what's next. 00:30:42.806 --> 00:30:53.815 You know, tonight we brought a word for those that had come up to a raging stream and couldn't get across it and didn't know what to do. 00:30:53.815 --> 00:30:57.776 So the anointing came to give you the answer. 00:30:57.776 --> 00:31:00.933 Now you're going to complete the thing. 00:31:00.933 --> 00:31:07.346 You're going to do the rest of it You're going to cross that river, get over on the other side. 00:31:07.346 --> 00:31:16.773 A few years ago told the story, but bears repeating. 00:31:19.885 --> 00:31:48.632 We had, well, in 2008, I kid, and you know, we were in the process of, you know, doing phase two of this church and we had some plans drawn and we were talking to our lender, and then, you know, there was a lot of economic after Obama got in and all of that there was just a lot of economic turmoil and the economy turned around. 00:31:48.632 --> 00:31:51.470 Interest rates started climbing, like they always do with Democrats. 00:31:51.470 --> 00:31:58.314 You can always bet on Democrats interest rates go up, taxes go up and economy goes down. 00:31:58.314 --> 00:31:59.470 That's what they always do. 00:31:59.470 --> 00:32:01.425 Why do you ever vote Democrat, I don't know. 00:32:01.425 --> 00:32:08.192 Sometimes a Republican just as bad, I know that, but they're not as bad as a Democrat. 00:32:08.192 --> 00:32:15.472 Anyway, so you know. 00:32:15.593 --> 00:32:17.875 So here we are and you know we're. 00:32:17.875 --> 00:32:23.251 We got the figures all together. 00:32:23.251 --> 00:32:29.346 We had a plan drawn, we put money on that we had. 00:32:29.346 --> 00:32:31.493 We knew what we were going to do. 00:32:31.493 --> 00:32:33.752 We did not use this type of construction. 00:32:33.752 --> 00:32:34.627 We used a metal building. 00:32:34.627 --> 00:32:44.188 Because this type of construction went crazy with Obama, because the dollar fell against the Canadian dollar and this building was way expensive, still is. 00:32:44.188 --> 00:32:46.109 It's not a bargain anymore. 00:32:46.109 --> 00:32:49.255 So that's why we quit doing tours and recommending it. 00:32:49.255 --> 00:32:50.689 And they were really upset with us. 00:32:50.689 --> 00:32:52.848 Well, I'm sorry, it's not my fault, it's yours. 00:32:52.848 --> 00:32:56.070 You should have come say why didn't you move to America? 00:32:56.070 --> 00:32:59.070 You're still in Calgary. 00:32:59.070 --> 00:33:04.140 That's your problem with a goofball as a prime minister. 00:33:04.140 --> 00:33:10.000 God, I don't know if I don't know which one's worse, anyway. 00:33:11.282 --> 00:33:16.394 So, uh, and then our lender. 00:33:16.394 --> 00:33:19.605 I mean the lender had gotten burned. 00:33:19.605 --> 00:33:25.123 He had come to Houston on the heels of the election and he had lent. 00:33:25.123 --> 00:33:27.557 And this is this is preachers. 00:33:27.557 --> 00:33:29.630 It's a preacher's retirement fund. 00:33:29.630 --> 00:33:35.218 I won't say who and I won't say what, because I'm not trying to besmirch them, but I'm just saying it's run by a bunch of preachers. 00:33:35.218 --> 00:33:36.566 They're not lenders. 00:33:37.310 --> 00:33:41.275 I had dealt with a lender that they had hired when we first did this building. 00:33:41.275 --> 00:33:46.019 He knew me and he knew what we could do and he was easy to work with. 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:47.589 But once they got he got rid of. 00:33:47.589 --> 00:33:50.732 You know, he left and they're left with these ex preachers. 00:33:50.732 --> 00:33:53.295 They don't know what they're doing, they don't know anything about lending. 00:33:55.282 --> 00:34:07.837 And they came to town and lent money to all kind of people that got the idea that it was reparations time, that they were going to get the money for their churches and they're not going to pay the mortgage. 00:34:07.837 --> 00:34:10.463 So help me, god. 00:34:10.463 --> 00:34:12.197 That's what they did. 00:34:12.197 --> 00:34:19.561 And so they got in trouble because they had all this mortgage money out, built all these churches and they weren't paying the. 00:34:19.561 --> 00:34:21.635 So they're got to go for clothes on them. 00:34:21.635 --> 00:34:31.186 Try selling a church when there's six or eight of them in town about the same size for sale. 00:34:31.186 --> 00:34:34.494 And so they started. 00:34:34.494 --> 00:34:45.108 They hired an outside bunch of underwriters that are they're just from the world, they don't care about the kingdom of God, and they started turning the screws on us. 00:34:45.108 --> 00:34:51.641 Instead of being so easy to work with, they just like overnight, went opposite. 00:34:53.266 --> 00:34:54.572 So I began to go to the Lord. 00:34:54.572 --> 00:34:57.481 I said, lord, I don't know, this is like a raging stream here. 00:34:57.481 --> 00:35:03.052 I mean, this is the interest rate is 8% on this next refinance. 00:35:03.052 --> 00:35:15.418 We're going to refinance the original mortgage here and then add to it it's going to be a $5.7 million mortgage at 8% that the payments went way up. 00:35:15.418 --> 00:35:23.132 And I'm looking at that and I said you know, lord, I'm going to have to pray about this. 00:35:23.132 --> 00:35:24.619 Maybe it's not time to do it. 00:35:25.320 --> 00:35:27.918 And I waited and of course they're calling me, pressuring me. 00:35:27.918 --> 00:35:29.436 When are you going to sign the papers? 00:35:29.436 --> 00:35:31.262 I said, well, I'm praying about it. 00:35:31.262 --> 00:35:31.643 You know you. 00:35:31.643 --> 00:35:33.382 You guys went way up on me. 00:35:33.382 --> 00:35:38.824 Well, you know we've got other people standing in line and we're going to have to give this. 00:35:38.824 --> 00:35:41.103 You know they forgot who they're dealing with. 00:35:41.103 --> 00:35:46.115 We're not Kmart, walmart, we're not Target, we're the kingdom of God, or what are you? 00:35:46.115 --> 00:35:47.179 What are you doing? 00:35:47.179 --> 00:35:49.606 Who do you think you are? 00:35:49.606 --> 00:35:52.581 Where do you think your money comes from Buzzy Buzzy? 00:35:52.581 --> 00:35:57.436 Never again. 00:35:57.436 --> 00:36:03.090 I'm done with church finance companies. 00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:05.858 They don't know what they're doing. 00:36:07.222 --> 00:36:17.027 So anyway, and I'm a guy that borrowed a lot of money in my life I've borrowed a lot of money I know a little bit about the process, so anyway, so we, uh, I went to the Lord and you know what he said. 00:36:17.027 --> 00:36:20.940 He said it's time to examine the cost of doing nothing. 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:28.679 It's time to examine the cost of doing. 00:36:28.679 --> 00:36:32.862 It wasn't wrong for me to count the cost of what we were about to do. 00:36:32.862 --> 00:36:44.195 I'm fixing to sign my name to a note, and God let me know that if I didn't, there's a cost. 00:36:44.195 --> 00:36:53.242 His, his will for this church was that building to get built as we had designed. 00:36:53.242 --> 00:36:58.335 In fact, it wound up being bigger because we got a better price on a metal building than we did this. 00:36:58.335 --> 00:37:01.527 So we built more square footage. 00:37:01.527 --> 00:37:04.596