Faithfulness

As you listen, you will be challenged to rethink what faithfulness really means, how to align your priorities with God’s and build your character so that you are able to stay consistent even when life becomes uncomfortable or unclear. This episode will help you examine your heart posture, strengthen your commitment in difficult moments, and embrace the kind of faithfulness that God desires of His children

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

So I want to take you to um to the book of Matthew. Matthew chapter two. I was studying a specific um topic. Well I have been studying a specific topic for a few weeks. Um but it's in line with with um what we've been looking at for the last couple of weeks. And I found that in the scripture we we can learn a lot from those we would call heathens, but the Bible also shows us their behavioral patterns and how they conducted themselves and whatnot. So if you look in the scripture, you will find, for example, the king of uh Moab, the Moabite king, King Mesha. And I gave you an example about King Mesha, and I told you that um King Mesha did a great thing that God considered to be a powerful thing. You know, he gave up his only son, and the Moabites God had intended on wiping them out because he was not happy with them. Amen. And they uh they went up against Israel, they fought against Israel, and the Bible tells us that Israel brought much destruction on them. You know, they were they were hurt, and King Misha looked and and said, you know, if I let the Israelites continue this way, they will rape our women, kill our women. Um my son, my descendants will have nothing to come back to. So he decided that he trusted so much in his own God that he would give his only son his first son. Amen. And so he did. And the Bible says that God, uh, the anger of God was kindled against Israel. Because Israel didn't apply such a principle. So due to that anger, the Bible says that Israel withdrew instead of continuing their pursuit on wiping out the Moabites, they withdrew, they took their army and they went back to their nation. Amen. So because of that act, all right, uh, the Moabites survived that war that they were meant to lose. The Bible is a gateway to winning every battle in your life. It's it's every battle you can fight is inside the Bible. Every battle, every single battle. It could be a battle of health, battle of mental health, financial battle, uh, family life, work, whatever it's in the scripture. Praise the Lord Jesus. So I gave you that illustration because there's a lot to learn from the pagans, the Moabites were pagans. Alright, King Mesha was a pagan, but yet there's some practices that he had that we could actually learn from, and by God's reaction, we can tell that God wants us to act in that manner, he wants us to behave ourselves in that way, praise God, forevermore. So I found another thing that moved me. It wasn't supposed to be part of my message, but as I as I read it yesterday or the or the day before that, I just you know, I told you there's different ways to study the scripture. Sometimes you just read. So I was reading and just reading, and I stumbled across this, so I decided I'll open with it, I will start with this with this scripture which moved me. So Matthew chapter two.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

Thank you, sir. Matthew chapter two from verse one says, Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. Verse two, saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his start in the east and have come to worship him. Verse three. When Herod the King heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Verse four, and when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. Verse five, so they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet.

SPEAKER_03 6:04

Verse six Praise God forevermore. Now when I was reading this, I came across I think it's verse three. Okay. Um the Bible says that Herod discovered that Jesus was to be born, and the Bible says it troubled him. He was so troubled. Amen. Well that sorry, that information came towards him, he was he was shaken, he was troubled. Yeah, and then it said something else that took me. It says, and all of Jerusalem with him. Mark that in your Bible. All of Jerusalem with him, and all of Jerusalem with him. So Jerusalem knew that there was a king that the prophet spoke about that was to be born. Instead of them doing what the Bible called, they they're called Magi. Alright, these are magicians, but they they were called Maggi at that time. So these magicians went to give offerings because they knew that there's a new king in town. But the Bible says Jerusalem was just as troubled as Herod. And God said, This is the kind of loyalty I'm looking for. That my children are as concerned as me, or more concerned about what I'm concerned about. Many years ago, I taught, I was teaching you guys, and I was saying to you that God is concerned about what you are concerned about. And I told you that to the tiniest thing, you may be concerned about what you will wear today. And because he loves you so much, he's also concerned about what you will wear today. Once your heart goes there, his heart is there as well. Amen. So God is concerned about what you will eat tomorrow. I didn't say he's afraid, I said he's concerned. Once you're concerned about how your children will grow, he's also concerned. It piques his attention. Praise God. Now that's a nice thing, isn't it? That's nice. But there's a place where you come to maturity where you are intentional. Write that down, intentional about what you care about. You pick and choose as a wise woman or a wise man what you care about. And you decide that I will care the most about what God cares about. Jerusalem did not bother with whether it is the right thing for them to care about such a thing. But the Bible says Herod was troubled and Jerusalem with him. Those were good children. Those were good children. I'm talking to you about faithfulness today, about being faithful to God. I know some of you have prayed and said, God, I want you to use me. God, I want you to build upon me. Build upon me, use me. But it's it's a difficult thing for him to do. It's a very difficult thing for him to do. Because you may just leave him when you get uncomfortable. And I will show you that in the scripture. You're not the first, there's many of them in the Bible. In the realm of the spirit, your character, all right. Uh, if I was to directly correlate it to electricity, light, watts, the strength of a conductor, all right. So you know there are some conductors that cannot take a certain amount of energy, it will blow, the fusel blow, right? Your character is the strength of your conductor, and you asking God for certain gifts, asking him to bless you, asking him for certain things, or asking for a particular type of relationship, maybe too much power. That if he gives that to you, you will leave him, and that's equivalent to you blowing. The fuse has blown because there's too much power going through. Job said, even though, this is in Job chapter 13, even though he has slain me, I will stay with him. That's what Job said. In Job chapter 12, Job's wife starts counseling him. She said, Curse God and die. And in Job chapter 13, he allowed her to go on a long soliloquy. He allowed it. And then in Job chapter 13, he turns around and says, Are you one of those foolish women? He asked a rhetorical question. He said, Are you one of because he knew she's foolish to say such a thing? You are a fool. So he said, Are you one of those foolish women? Then he says, Though God has slain me, I will stay with him. So effectively, what happens when you get uncomfortable? Tell me, what happens when you get uncomfortable? What happens, all right, when God is no longer functioning on your timetable. Faithfulness is a big thing. Because surely you will encounter situations where uh let me just put this out there, by the way. Write this down. God is a king spirit. Yeah, write that down. He's a king spirit, he cannot be controlled. Do you understand that? Say it, God is a king spirit. Yeah, he's a king spirit, so he moves at his own pace, at his own timing, in the fashion in which he chooses, and depending on relationship, God may move the way you want him to, highly dependent on relationship. So say God is a king spirit, and you cannot order him around. Another scripture has come into my spirit. Um I was reading the Bible and I was taken through the book of John. And Jesus at the wedding, he turned water to wine, he was healing the sick. Amen. And he was doing marvelous things, and the disciples were cheering him on. It was good, things were nice. Amen. Oh, yeah, things were good. He did miracles, and they and they they were saying to themselves, we're becoming more famous. This is nice everywhere they go. You know, in this time, people would ask them for pictures. Do you understand? So, but the question was, are you not, is it is that not Jesus of Nazareth? Is that not him? Is that do you understand that? So then we arrive at what I believe was John chapter 6, and you jump all the way down to 60. And uh, you know, I might take you there in a second, and Jesus preaches a difficult message, he preaches a he said something that they didn't expect him to say. They said, What kind of man is this? Is this the man we've been walking with this entire time? Is this the guy? Now let me let me let me just hold open a bracket there, yeah? Okay, has it occurred to you that you're only loyal to God because he hasn't let you in? Many of you are too immature to see the the the inner courts, amen. You know, I I I heard a man of God look at he looked at one of his sons and said, Who who allowed you to marry? You are a boy now. Who allowed you to marry? And I was watching this video and he said, You are a boy. Who gave you woman? That's what he said. So who gave you a woman? You are a boy. So he continued, and he went on to say that the most intimate parts and sides of women are not beautiful. He said, if you have had children, you know the process is not nice, and for boys, it will make them run away when you have makeup and your hair done, they will stay. The moment you're in that room and you're pushing the baby and they see you crying, snort. Some women even you know, they they they release on themselves in such a place. Do you understand? The moment they see that, they say, I I didn't sign up for this. They leave. So he asked the question, he said, Who gave you a woman? You you are a boy, and I want to ask you a question: who gave you God? Because you are a child, sir. I want to submit to you that you are only interested in God because he fits your beauty standard. Wow, wow, wow, wow, it's because he fits your beauty standard for now, the moment God lets you in a little bit and you start seeing what looks ugly, you check out in John chapter 6. It happened, and if you look in that scripture, it was not the Pharisees that left him. The Bible said, Many of his disciples. Can we read it? Yes, sir, because I'm very interested in that verse. Many of his disciples left him. Because faithfulness determines longevity. Do you understand that? No matter what you see, you stay interested. Listen, let me open this bracket before we read here. A good follower is interested in what his mentors are interested in. Are you listening? You make it your mission to be interested in what your mentors are interested in, or more invested than they are in those things. That is a good follower. Likewise, if you're here, you're a man, you would want your wife to be interested in what you're interested in. Is that not so? And many a times we find that uh men uh start emotional relationships with other women because the person they are with has not done their due diligence. They're saying, Oh, this is not something I'm interested in, that's his thing. You see, when you start talking like that, it's a it's a it's a depiction of your lack of wisdom. If you're here and you're in a relationship, you're not married yet, there are things to learn. Get interested in what he's interested in, and close that door. Because trust me, the moment he finds someone that is as interested in what he's doing more than you, doesn't matter how pretty you are, you are in trouble, you're in trouble. If look, you you can grow with him, all right? If football is what he likes, you better go and study football. Find out all the rules, so you can watch it with him, talk with him about it, bond on football. Go and find out because that is a wise woman. They've told you in the West that it's it's it's uh relationships a certain way, but I will show you some things pre marriage. He chases you, but post marriage you chase him. I know you won't like that because of what you've been taught. I know you won't like it because of what you've been taught. Amen. Get interested in what your partner is interested in. If you find that he's so interested in food and cooking, then get in the kitchen. If he's very interested in chess, cardboards, whatever it is. Now, if you find that you're not liking, you're not impressed about what he's interested in, be interested in it just as much as he is, and help him grow out of there. Do you understand? And you do that via suggestions, a myriad of suggestions. Okay? But today isn't a marriage counseling session, but I thought to put that out there. You understand? Yeah. So that you can be wise enough to close that door. Close that door. This is where the culture of work wives have come in. And the last thing I'll say on this such a topic, yeah, is that for men, if a man emotionally cheats on you, it means more to him than physical, physical cheating. Because a man can lay with a woman and move on fast. He will lay with her, and right after he finishes, he's asking himself, What did I just do? I need to get out of here. It's like her face looks clearer. He's like he's seeing all the details. He's like, What is this? How did I arrive here? Amen. But women don't have that, but men do. Praise God. But on the other side, if a man sits with a woman and is talking to her genuinely, and he's not, you know, minded someone, he's talking and giving her his attention mentally. That guy's locked in. Men, is that so? Or maybe I'm talking about the man in my family. So when you find a man emotionally invested, yeah. So this is why I'm giving you that counsel. Okay? Praise God. I hope you appreciate it. Let's go to John chapter 6. John chapter 6.

SPEAKER_00 25:26

Thank you, sir. John chapter 6 from verse 60 says, Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying, who can understand it? Verse 61. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples complained about this, he said to them, Does this offend you? Verse 62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where he was before? Verse sixty three, it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life. Verse sixty four. But there are some of you who do not believe, for Jesus knew from the beginning who they were, who did not believe, and who would betray him. Verse sixty five, and he said, Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my father. From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more. Verse sixty seven. Then Jesus said to the twelve, Do you also want to go away? Verse sixty eight. But Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Verse sixty nine. Also we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Amen. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 27:06

But I want us to start back again from verse sixty. Okay? Read verse sixty again. Listen to what started the entire thing. Okay. Listen, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

Thank you, sir. John chapter six from verse sixty says, Therefore, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, This is a hard saying. Who can understand it?

SPEAKER_03 27:39

Did you hear that? This say this is a hard saying. Who can understand this? Okay, so I will tell you what they were actually saying. Okay? Because you know that translation over time can tweak the message slightly, ever so slightly. What they were saying is, who can practice what this man is saying? Is this practical? And they said, This religion is not for us, and they left him. And Jesus looked at the rest of his disciples and said, Are you not gonna follow them? They said, This is not practical. We we this is a hard thing. You know, Jesus said something that's even more interesting. He said, those of the world, they will betray each other and kill each other. Amen. We must be known differently that when things get tough or we get uncomfortable or situations are not consistent with what we want, we stick with our God. So we've asked you to fast multiple times. Okay, we ask you to fast multiple, multiple times a month. Some are murmuring. I pray for you so I know some are murmuring and asking themselves, is this practical? Can we do this for the next three, four years? And some next year will drop off, they'll say that church is too strict. Why? Because for you, it's not practical. So you're looking for a religion that has your face on it, it must suit your needs. Brother, if you're the B side of a relationship, you will not like 80% of what you're being told to do. But that's why you're the B side. Amen. What is this hard saying? Now God has asked you to do something difficult and you decide to abandon the faith. What you don't know is that at the end of the tunnel of that difficult thing, there's light. There's light there. Praise God forevermore. I remember somebody called me and asked me for money. And I had the money. The amount they needed. I always have the money.

unknown 31:33

I don't care.

SPEAKER_03 31:36

So they called me and asked me. Said, I haven't eaten for the day. I said, fast. I haven't seen the person for six months. Person's not here. But when they were calling and I was giving, they were here. As they called this time, I said no, fast. God is calling you into a fasting. I haven't seen them for six months. It's safe to say they're no longer a member. Praise God. Listen, your relationship with God is not meant to suit you. Please, please keep this in mind. Listen to what I'm telling you. Your relationship with God is not meant to suit you. And the day you begin to understand God, you know, understanding his methods is one thing. That's it's clear a path in the scripture. But the day you begin to understand God's every move, he's no longer God, he's your friend. Amen. And when I mean friend, because the Bible does say that to some of us, he's our friend, depending on relationship. But when I mean friend, I mean you and him are co-equal. As in you also have a throne where he's sitting, he is God, that's why you will not understand everything he asks you to do. He may ask you to cover very ugly things. In the same breath, he may ask you to give everything you have. Coming. There's rent. Yeah. Rent is around the corner. He says, empty your account and go and give it to this person. Amen. I also take instructions. So I may say something today, and then tomorrow I come back and I say, No, this is the instruction for today. Yesterday's instruction is not enough for today. Today is today. Amen. So the Bible tells us in John chapter 6 that uh whilst Jesus was preaching this very challenging thing. Okay, I also remember it wasn't in the same uh thing, but the disciples asking Jesus, um, we we followed you, we followed you this far. Um how we're gonna eat tomorrow? Amen. And practically what he said was, Why are you worried about what you will eat tomorrow? Don't worry about what you eat tomorrow. That's a difficult thing to do. But now look at the difference between a faithful son or daughter versus a unfaithful son or daughter, as the others left because of the degree of difficulty, they left because I understand Paul when he said there are some things that I saw in the spirit that I cannot speak of. Because if he spoke of it, you would lose faith.

unknown 35:49

Wow, wow.

SPEAKER_02 35:54

You you you would you would you would lose faith.

SPEAKER_03 36:01

I remember when I first discovered that God is both man and woman. I was shocked. He's both man and woman. How shocking. Praise God. And there's some revelations that I just can never give you. As he pulls me closer into the throne, there's more secrecy. There's more there has to be discretion and secrecy. And it's all because of your your perception. Paul said, When I was a child, I spoke like a child. What he's saying is, when I was a child, I saw things like a child. You know, there's there's a certain way I saw things which was not conducive. So let's read what Peter said. Okay. What did what did um what did the but what does the Bible say that he said? I'll try to end here because of time. Read on.

SPEAKER_00 37:16

Thank you, sir.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

It's nine o'clock, amen.

SPEAKER_00 37:21

Thank you, sir. John chapter six from verse sixty-eight says, but Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Verse 69. Also, we have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

SPEAKER_03 37:50

What verse was that?

SPEAKER_00 37:52

Uh verse sixty-eight, sir.

SPEAKER_03 38:04

What does uh your sixty-seven say?

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Oh, thank you, sir. Verse 67 says, Then Jesus said to the twelve, do you also want to go away?

SPEAKER_03 38:17

I think that's the question I want to put to you today. Okay, I want to put that to you, okay? Because some of you will go through tough times. In fact, all of you will go through tough times. You will go through tough times. Okay, you will go through tough times. So the question I want to ask you is do you want to leave as well? Now, let me explain to you the different ways of leaving because leaving is not just one way. Amen. There's level one, yeah. I think in 2 Chronicles chapter 2, let me see if I can find that verse. Because I like to back everything with scripture. Yeah, 2nd Chronicles. Where did I read this thing? Found it. Second Chronicles Chapter Twenty-Five.

SPEAKER_00 39:46

Thank you, sir. Second Chronicles Chapter twenty-five from verse one.

SPEAKER_03 39:55

Verse one.

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Thank you, sir. Second Chronicles Chapter 25 from verse 1 says, Amaziah was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoadan of Jerusalem. Verse two, and he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a loyal heart. Verse three.

SPEAKER_02 40:21

Did you hear that?

SPEAKER_03 40:37

He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign. And he reigned for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. It tells us his mother's name, and the Bible is clear. He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. But not with a why would the Bible mention it if it's not important? He did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Good for you. Good on you. Press on, brother. Well done, King. Not with a loyal heart. He did the right thing the wrong way. You read his story, you find that he did not benefit from all the things that God wanted him to benefit from. Which is what I'll take you into on Sunday a little bit. Just a little bit. Amen. He did the right thing with the wrong heart. Just imagine you say to your your wife or your partner, you say, Can you cook a meal for me? I'm coming from work, I'm hungry. And they're cooking it, but with attitude. Raise your hand here. Who will eat that meal?

SPEAKER_02 42:04

No, but they did it.

SPEAKER_03 42:09

No, they they did it. And they come and present it to you. Here's the meal. They they they put the meal on the table. I didn't say they threw it. I didn't say they threw it. I know my hand went like that, but let's say they placed it on the table. They placed it on the table. Who eats such a meal? I want to know why you will not eat such a meal. Tell me. Tell me why you will not eat such a meal. You said it's poison. Anyone else? I can tell you why you will not eat that meal. Because you were not hungry for food, you were hungry for love. Amen. You wanted your partner to love you in that manner. Because if it was just about food, all of us are tucking in. Amen. Because you can contextualize it. If you went to a restaurant and the maid did the same thing, you went to Nando's and she dropped the plate like that, you'd have an issue with her, but you will eat that food. You eat that food. I pay for it. Amen. But when it's someone close to you to your heart and they do that thing, the food doesn't even look good. You're not hungry again. Everything has evaporated. Praise God forevermore. It's like forcing someone to love you, forcing someone to obey you. There's no happiness in that. There's no joy in such a thing. Praise God forevermore. So level one is a terrible level. It's when you do the things of God with a corrupted spirit. When we ask for you to give in your pledges, you're murmuring. Every month. Yeah, no. We must address that. Every month they are asking for money for rent. Do they not know that I have food? I have things I need to do. So you're murmuring. Your spirit is corrupt. It is better for you to keep that money. The house of God doesn't depend on you. So I'm informing you, just in case you didn't know, if you think that it's your 50 pound that's keeping us here, keep your 50 pounds. It will not make you rich anyway. Alright? It was speaking to the Corinth church. And he says, God loves a what? Do you hear that? Do you hear that sentence? God loves a cheerful. Cheerful. It's the attitude that matters. How are you doing what He's asking you to do? Some of you have come to me, sir. Um, I've been on this level for a long time, and you're murmuring about where God has asked you to stay. You are a bad child. You're a bad child. And you're not investable. God cannot invest in you. It's better for me to tell you now so you become a good child. You're a bad child. You prayed, you fasted. God gave you a wife. And now you are chastising God, chastising him about her. Instead of praying for her. You're chastising God about her. Get your posture right. Is this message hurting you? If it's okay if it is, because it's changing you. Amen. It's changing you, it's helping you. If it is, it's helping you. But you must know if you're a bad child. And some of you, I can tell you, because I father you, you are a bad child. You're not an easy child to deal with, you're a bad child. There's some children that are difficult to deal with, but you look at them and say, This is a good child. Some are bad children, and to be called a bad child is a lot to do with your heart. You're just unfaithful in all your ways. In all your ways, you're just unfaithful. Listen, the way you deal with me, all right, directly, the way you handle the instructions I give you, the way you deal with the things that I say, and you know how I connect to you, the way you deal with me is a direct reflection of how you deal with God. That's right. 100%. And you do not love the person you can see with your eyes. Now, a lot of those who were around him did not understand what he was saying. They just didn't understand what he was saying. He was saying what I was saying to you in the very beginning. Stop saying you love God. He didn't come to save you because of your love for him.

unknown 49:01

Come on now.

SPEAKER_03 49:02

He came to save you because of his love for you. Now, you are saying you love God, you haven't seen the whole of him. It's better that you say, I love people. That's why the Bible says, Nothing shall separate me from the love of God. Nothing shall separate me from the love of God. So I said that to open up your mind. Stop making crazy statements. Yeah, stop making crazy statements. I love God, I love God. You don't know him. Say, I'm gonna be faithful for his love for me. But if you faithful, yeah. We've already read in the book of Zechariah, Ezekiel, we've seen some already a strange side to God. That there's some beings that he's created that that are very, very interesting looking beings. There's a lot about God we don't know. But the side that he's shown us, he's asking us to be faithful, be faithful, even if he slays you, you will stay. Of course, we're not wishing this on anyone. You lose your family, you stay. You're not the first, it happened to Job. He didn't lose one child, two child, three, he lost multiple, all of them, and his business, and then in that God left the woman beside him to nag at him. He was probably thinking, You should have taken her as well. Praise God, you should have taken her as well. Praise God. Work on your loyalty. We are not heathens, they will end up killing each other, those out there they will kill each other because they are loyal to their bellies and their appetites. Amen. I'll close on this. Alright, you are not doing the work of God because remember, I started earlier on and I said, be interested in what God is interested in. Okay, be interested in, and he is ultimately interested in souls, so be interested in what he is interested in, be deep about it. You're not picking this ministry to attend as convenience. Do you understand? You don't pick a church based on convenience, you don't pick a pastor based on convenience. Do you understand? Because there's a lot of unconvenient things about me. It's just you're not close enough. You're not close. Praise God. Father is a representation of God on earth, as the Bible also tells us that your biological parents are your gods on earth. How much more your spiritual parents? So if you call me dad, that that's what I am. I am God's representation to you on earth. Do you understand that? Yes, and that means just as God, you will get to heaven and see some things that don't look good, you you may get close to me and see things that you don't you don't particularly like or you're fond of, but it's not for your convenience, amen. It's not for your convenience, and as a son, you respond the way Peter responded. Said, I realize that you have the word of life, you have the word of life in your mouth, you have the word of life in your mouth. Where will I go? Where else? Where can I go? Where else will I go? Praise God. I'll I remember two there were two people that I wanted to start actively training, um, you know, to bring into my office, two individuals, and uh as I was preparing myself to call them and say, okay, I want to admit you, so you can get closer to me so I can train you and stuff like that for the work of the ministry. Um that night I fell asleep and I had a dream. And in the dream, the person was so rude to me. Ha! You know, I I was thinking, how you know, is this is this happening? Is this it was the person was so rude, I thought, ah, this is this is a high level of rudeness. You know, there's there's frustration rude where you can tell the person is flustered, irritated, and it may not be even to you. Do you understand? But it's it's you can feel it, right? But it's not to you. But this individual no, no, no, no. This was a high level of rudeness. And I woke up, I sat on my bed, and I said, And God said, I'm telling you the content of their heart. The person is these two people are here right now today. God said, I'm telling you the content of their heart, don't bring them close to you. Don't bring them close to you. So some of you have been crying and screaming, God, I want to have a deeper relationship with you. He's keeping your arm's length to protect you. Yeah, he's like this. He's saying, You are not allowed to get closer. He says, I know you, I know your heart. If I bring you in, you blow like a fuse. Now, if you desire to get close to God, very close to God, then let your faithfulness know no bounds. Do you understand? Let it know no bounds. I I want to end, but I'm inspired to give you one more illustration. Just one more. Yeah, there's a guy called A.A. Allen. Yeah. Evangelist A.A. Allen. All right. This is a man whom you can go on YouTube and see for yourself. Yeah. He's pulling legs. There's one leg is shorter than the other. This is in 1960 something. So the tapes are black and white. He's pulling people's legs out. One is shorter than he's pulling them, healing, walk, laying hands. You know, the healings are ridiculous. There was a tumor that fell off someone. I saw it on YouTube. It this this was uploaded years ago, like 200 maybe 9, 10, whatever. Yeah. So you can miss me with all that AI stuff. You just look at when it was uploaded. Now, AA Allen had an undercover issue. He was an alcoholic. And he will drink, and he will drink, and he will drink, and nobody knew bar his right-hand man. If you read what his right-hand man wrote, yeah, he is the one that will get rid of the bottles. Sometimes A.A. Allen would drink and get so drunk and fall asleep, and he would come and take the bottles, wrap them, and throw them away. Now, A.A. Allen died in a hotel. Yeah. And when they done an autopsy, it was his liver, I think. I read this years ago. It was his liver. Alright. And he died because of the alcohol, I think. It was kidney or liver, one of the two. Yeah. It was a terrible death. His insides were rotten. And this was after a program. And in his programs, thousands of people would turn up. Thousands of people would turn up and get healed. Whilst at the background, he was drinking alcohol and getting drunk regularly. Now, the interesting thing about this uh this story is when A.A. Allen, on the day he died, his right hand man knocked the hotel room. There was no answer. He knocked, he knocked, he knocked. He went in, forced his way in, found him dead. I think on the bed or on the floor. One of the two. Again, don't quote me because I read it years ago, but you can go and read it for yourself. It is said, because I read it from him himself. He cleaned up the bottles, sprayed the room, cleaned everything, took the alcohol bottles, everything out. Then he called the police because he didn't want his father to die in shame. That is a son. God doesn't call men, all right? Because they're perfect. He doesn't. Alan wasn't perfect. He was drinking from a young boy, from twelve. Amen. He doesn't call them because they're perfect. He calls them after he anoints them. Amen. That is a son. That is what you call faithful. And that's the question I want to ask you tonight. Are you faithful to God? Are you faithful to your father? And are you faithful to the house? It's good to say, oh yes, God, I love you. Oh, Pastor, you're my spiritual father. Love you forever when things are good. Until I shout at you in public. Am I your father then?

unknown 1:00:33

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:37

No, from some of you, I'll hear. How can you do that? I'm older than you. Do you know my age? You start highlighting all the things that you apparently, you know. No, because there's I think 40% of the room is older than me. I think. Yeah, you don't know my age, so you know you wouldn't know. 40% of the room is older. So you might bring that up.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:02

Do you praise God? You may bring, I've been in the workplace. Well, I've been in the workplace.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:22

Amen. So it is amusing some of the stuff that I'm saying, but I'm I'm I'm I'm ministering to your soul. Because this determines how far you go with God. It really, really does. It determines how far you go with him. He expects you I'll put it this way. Um TL Osborne said it this way. Um God can clean up his own mess, but he expects you to do it. You hear that? God can clean up his own mess. He can, but he expects me to do it. And I pledge my allegiance to him. Praise God. Let's pray. Thank you for listening to Pastor Max's teachings. Make sure to subscribe and for more information, find us at Faith and Victory Wallace.