WEBVTT 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:11.679 You're listening to the road by Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:17.839 Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.440 God starts to give us wisdom. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:33.679 That wisdom comes as we worship him, as we spend time in his word, as we're in relationships, as we watch our tongue, as we watch the conversations of our heart. 00:00:34.799 --> 00:00:37.920 That discernment is given to us with a wisdom. 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:44.479 At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:00:44.719 --> 00:00:49.039 For more information on the road, visit theroad.org. 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:54.320 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.359 Alright, look at Malachi chapter 3. 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:05.599 It's the last book of the Old Testament. 00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:09.840 And if you came without a Bible, there's Bibles usually in front of you somewhere. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:11.920 We have extra Bibles there. 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:14.239 And feel free to use that. 00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:18.319 And if you don't have one, you like the Bible that you're using, you can take it home with you. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:19.920 But look at Malachi 3. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:21.680 We're talking about the refiner's fire. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:26.719 God's been speaking to us as a staff team, as a church. 00:01:26.959 --> 00:01:33.200 And this is the fourth, this is actually the fifth events giving a message too on refiner's fire. 00:01:33.359 --> 00:01:36.159 I want to talk about God's honor today. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:45.439 So let's begin with Malachi 3 again, 1 through 3, which is the one place in Scripture that does talk about this refiner's fire. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:54.640 Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. 00:01:54.879 --> 00:02:02.799 Even the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:05.359 But who can endure the day of his coming? 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:07.840 And who can stand when he appears? 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:19.520 For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap, he will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:29.039 He will purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:41.759 Now, you can go back online and see the messages that I've given in relation to how silver is refined and that it's heated up to something like 1,764 degrees Fahrenheit. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:46.479 That's a lot of heat and that's a lot of discomfort to the silver. 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:52.479 And so God is not, listen, God is not a forest fire. 00:02:52.960 --> 00:02:55.120 He is a refiner's fire. 00:02:55.280 --> 00:02:59.680 He does not indiscriminately come into our lives and just burn everything up. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:11.840 He actually has a purpose for the work and the heat and the difficulties and the struggles in my class tonight for Outlier University, where I'm talking about spiritual formation. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.000 I'm going to be speaking on abandonment and wilderness. 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:17.919 Abandonment and wilderness. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.560 Every one of us in this room goes through abandonment. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.800 We go through wilderness times in our life. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:27.520 And that can be, here's what it can be, it can be a refiner's fire. 00:03:27.680 --> 00:03:34.639 In other words, it refines us and it purifies us, even when we're going through deep pain and betrayal in our life. 00:03:34.879 --> 00:03:39.360 But unfortunately, for many, even believers, it's a forest fire. 00:03:39.680 --> 00:03:42.080 It actually burns up their faith. 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.319 They give up, they quit. 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:45.680 They leave the church. 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:46.960 They leave the Lord. 00:03:47.120 --> 00:03:51.919 And in the process of that, their life just spirals downward out of control. 00:03:52.639 --> 00:03:56.879 God brings fires in our life, but it's not a forest fire, church. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:08.080 He's making something beautiful in your life through difficulties and hardships. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:09.520 Listen to this. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:10.719 It's amazing. 00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:15.360 Around the turn of the 20th century, a bar of steel was worth about$5. 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:21.439 Yet when forged into horseshoes, it was worth$10. 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:28.879 When made into steel needles, its value was$350. 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:37.839 When used to make small pocket knife blades, its worth skyrocketed to$32,000. 00:04:39.120 --> 00:04:46.160 When made into springs for watches, its value increased to$250,000. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.399 You see, that's what God does. 00:04:48.800 --> 00:04:59.040 He's forging you in an anointing and even a calling in your life, and it's usually not through, listen, you're not going to like this. 00:04:59.519 --> 00:05:01.120 Not through success. 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:03.759 It's often through failures. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:11.680 It's often through struggles in our life that we don't understand, and it's just baffling to us how God could do that. 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.959 Well, look now, turn to your right in your Bible to Hebrews 12. 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:21.839 So almost go to the end of the New Testament, and you're going to come to Hebrews 12. 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:23.120 And we've looked at it before. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:32.240 I want to camp on it again because it's just so powerful for us in our journey with Christ. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:35.279 And so Hebrews 12. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.480 Now, I'm going to start at verse 1 this time. 00:05:40.639 --> 00:05:47.839 I started at verse 3 before, but let me start at verse 1 because I think it captures the whole meaning of Refiner's Fire. 00:05:49.279 --> 00:05:54.879 And as a new believer, for me, I this is one of the first verses I memorized was Hebrews 12, 1 and 2. 00:05:55.040 --> 00:05:59.600 As an athlete, I just really loved it, and I didn't go to verse 3. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:05.920 And a lot of people memorize verses 1 and 2, but they forget there's a whole lot more to the whole context of the passage. 00:06:06.160 --> 00:06:20.959 Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. 00:06:21.360 --> 00:06:34.240 Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame that is set down now at the right hand of the throne of God. 00:06:35.120 --> 00:06:45.279 For consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:53.839 You've not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin, and you have forgotten the exhortation which he speaks to you as to sons. 00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:02.079 My son or my daughter, I do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you're rebuked by him. 00:07:02.800 --> 00:07:08.560 For whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and he scourges every son whom he receives. 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:17.040 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons or daughters, for what son or daughter is there whom a father does not chasten? 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:24.160 But if you're without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you're illegitimate and not sons. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:35.839 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect, shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:44.800 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but he for our profit that we may be partakers of his holiness. 00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:49.040 Now, verse 11, camp here, highlight it, underline it, circle it. 00:07:49.600 --> 00:07:55.439 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:03.120 Nevertheless, afterwards, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who've been trained by it. 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.800 To those who've been trained by it. 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:08.639 Everybody say that. 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:11.199 To those who've been trained by it. 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:18.240 It's not, listen, it's not the peaceable fruit of righteousness if you haven't been trained by it. 00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:28.160 And God, in his refining fire, sweeps in, and sometimes he has to discipline us, and he often does it through hardship. 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.199 When I was a kid, I was in trouble all the time. 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:35.039 And I had a very, very busy mind. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:45.279 And I remember dad in his church, my dad was a pastor, he had multiple services going at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Huntsville, Alabama. 00:08:45.759 --> 00:08:54.799 And what they would do is we'd go to the first service with mom at 8, get home about 9:30, and then we'd go play. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:09:03.440 And mom would often, I was about 11 or 12 years old, and then she'd go back to the church, do some stuff there, and then they'd all come back. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:15.600 And on one particular Sunday, which has been burned into my mind and heart, uh, quite a story that's gone around the family over the years. 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:17.679 I got out and there was a Sunday paper. 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:24.000 And the Sunday paper was out there, picked up Sunday paper, a bunch of the guys came over, we had a playhouse in the back. 00:09:24.240 --> 00:09:30.480 And this it was like a tool, it was like a tool uh shed that had been there when they were building the neighborhood. 00:09:30.559 --> 00:09:34.879 They left it on our property, we kept it, we fixed it up, put windows on it, now it was a little playhouse. 00:09:35.039 --> 00:09:37.519 And we had magnifying glasses. 00:09:41.679 --> 00:09:43.120 Fifth grade. 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:48.159 Fifth grade is when they introduced magnifying glasses. 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:53.840 And so we took the magnifying glass, we opened up the paper, and went to the funny page. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:55.840 Comic section. 00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:03.200 And we started burning, you know, Charlie Brown's head off with magnifying glasses. 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:05.279 And I had three. 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:09.440 I had three magnifying, and I don't know if they do this anymore, but they kind of opened up. 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:12.080 Remember, these kind of opened up and click close and open that thing up. 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:16.159 And that's why I gave them out to all the guys, and we're all just having fun. 00:10:17.600 --> 00:10:23.120 And somewhere in the adventure, the fire kept going. 00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:35.679 And it started burning up the other, it started catching the rest of the paper, and suddenly flames were licking up the side of this tool shed and starting to catch the tool shed on fire. 00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:38.480 And there was a Boy Scout master. 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:41.759 I remember he was a Boy Scout Master because he was wearing his uniform. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:47.519 He has a little Boy Scout outfit on, and I guess he had a meeting that day or something, and he was walking and he saw it. 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:52.000 He ran over and he got her hose and he started spraying it down. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:57.840 Billows of smoke coming up right when my mom drove up. 00:10:59.039 --> 00:11:00.639 Always that way. 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:09.279 And she chased me around the house once, and then I realized all the food's here. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:21.919 This is dumb, gave up, and she took a switch from a little limb and she switched my little bottom, and she said, wait till your comes home. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:30.480 My dad is one of the most loving, kind people you could ever meet. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:43.360 But that day, this, what I'm holding here, is called an American silver eagle. 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:48.240 It's 99.9% silver. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:52.159 It's a dollar. 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:54.399 It's a one dollar, but it's worth right now. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:59.919 I don't know the latest, but it's around$14 to$16 in value right now. 00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:08.720 And God has given each of you that are followers of Christ a grace coin. 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:10.960 I'm gonna call this a grace coin. 00:12:11.919 --> 00:12:19.440 And on one side is God's love, on the other side is God's discipline. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:29.519 And God lovingly disciplines us because of his grace, because he's forming solid silver in your spiritual heart. 00:12:30.639 --> 00:12:36.320 He's imprinting his face on that coin of your heart. 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:42.639 He's making us into the image of Christ and He's forming us. 00:12:42.879 --> 00:12:44.159 Does that make sense? 00:12:44.399 --> 00:12:52.639 And one of the ways he does that is through the fear of God and through the honor of God and through the glory of Christ in our lives. 00:12:52.879 --> 00:13:01.360 So that your actions and your attitudes and your relationships begin to reflect our Father in heaven. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:08.320 That's what the church, we haven't done a very good job through the years, but that's what the church is supposed to do. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:19.519 We're supposed to so impact our cities that people would come to us and say, we want to know the God you worship. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:25.759 We want to know the God you serve because our life and our lifestyle is so different. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:28.399 And it's full of God's grace and his love. 00:13:28.559 --> 00:13:31.759 And so God's forging that into us. 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:43.120 So go back to Malachi 3 and look where he goes in his description of how the refiner's fire works. 00:13:43.279 --> 00:14:08.320 So last week we looked at 7 through 12 and we talked about the refiner's fire flowing through the treasures of your heart, that we might be a people that begin to learn to give to the Lord's work because we're being set free from possessions into new life found through putting Christ in the center of our heart. 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:14.320 Then he moves on in verse 13 and he says, This, and let me just kind of entitle this. 00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:21.600 I would call this the honor of God, and what we're about to read would be the qualities of dishonor. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:26.159 The qualities of dishonor and the conversations of our hearts. 00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:26.960 Really interesting. 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:34.320 Your words, verse 13, have been harsh against me, says the Lord. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:37.759 Yet you say, What have we spoken against you? 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:42.799 Again, there's that rhetorical style of writing that Malachi brings. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:44.159 We talked about that last week. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:50.320 Your words have been harsh against me, says the Lord, yet you say, What have we spoken against you? 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:55.120 Well, you have said, It is useless to serve God. 00:14:55.360 --> 00:15:05.039 What prophet is it that we have kept, that we have kept his ordinances, and that we have walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:12.960 So now we call the proud blessed, and for those who do wickedness are raised up, they even tempt God and go free. 00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.799 And that Jesus is listening here. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:51.279 God is listening to the conversations of our heart. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:56.240 And he says, first of all, dishonor is through harshness. 00:15:56.960 --> 00:15:57.679 Harshness. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.080 There's a harshness to your tone. 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.240 There's a harshness to your way. 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:04.879 And anybody here been harsh before? 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:06.720 So let's all just get that one straight. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:08.399 Raise your hand if you've ever been harsh. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:11.120 Okay, so we're all we all struggle with harshness. 00:16:11.200 --> 00:16:14.320 That, because as soon as I say that, I'm thinking, oh my goodness. 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:15.120 You know. 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:17.360 It's not unique. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:26.399 It's the part of the package of being a human, but but this harshness really bothers God. 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.919 It bothers God in my life, it bothers God in your life. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:35.120 He's saying, I want you to fear me, and that's the theme of Malachi, fear me. 00:16:35.200 --> 00:16:42.000 And the first thing he says is, look, I actually listen into the conversations of your heart and your conversations with others. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:46.639 And your words can defile you. 00:16:47.679 --> 00:17:00.240 And harshness is defined as the quality of being cruel or severe, the quality of being unpleasantly rough or jarring to the senses. 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:07.200 My father wasn't harsh, but he did discipline me. 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:16.079 God's not harsh, listen, God's not harsh, but he's severe. 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:21.680 God's not harsh, but he is severe. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:26.160 And God wants our hearts. 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:34.559 And he wants to so build a culture of honor within our own hearts that. 00:17:36.480 --> 00:17:36.799 Okay. 00:17:39.599 --> 00:17:40.880 I think this is water. 00:17:41.200 --> 00:17:42.240 I hope it is. 00:17:44.799 --> 00:17:50.240 I can shake this water and you don't know what's in it. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:53.279 It might be Jack Daniel's frog. 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:54.480 I mean, I don't know what's in it. 00:17:54.799 --> 00:17:54.960 Okay. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:58.880 But how would I know? 00:17:59.200 --> 00:17:59.839 Talk to me. 00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:03.759 How do I know what's in the bottle? 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:10.559 This is called difficulties and struggles. 00:18:12.240 --> 00:18:23.359 You see, what God's doing is he's kind of unscrewing us through struggles and battles in our life, because then when he shakes us, we find out what's in us. 00:18:24.559 --> 00:18:34.640 So, how many don't like what you see when you're going through severe times and you get shaken a little bit? 00:18:37.359 --> 00:18:47.359 So God is saying to Israel, and he's speaking to us at the road, look, I don't like the harshness. 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:54.640 Then he says, look at verse 14, you've said it's useless to serve God. 00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:59.039 What profit is it if we even if we keep his ordinances? 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.519 We've walked as mourners before the Lord of hosts, there's no difference. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:05.920 I would call that disrespect. 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:07.920 Disrespect. 00:19:08.319 --> 00:19:12.720 That it's saying, you know, I'm just, you know, we go to church, we're going to go to church. 00:19:12.799 --> 00:19:13.359 That's what we do. 00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:16.319 We go to church and we don't engage our hearts. 00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.319 It means nothing. 00:19:18.559 --> 00:19:20.319 It's a religious spirit. 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:28.319 We get a religious spirit when we're just going through the motions and not for the honor of God. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:32.880 And so he's saying, look, that's disrespect to me. 00:19:33.680 --> 00:19:35.599 So how do we conquer that? 00:19:35.759 --> 00:19:40.480 How do we begin to get set free from our harshness and some of our disrespect? 00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:52.720 I think Jesus said it best, take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you'll find rest for your souls. 00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:55.440 So I was distraught. 00:19:56.559 --> 00:20:00.000 I was distraught on Thursday night. 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:01.359 I couldn't sleep. 00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:03.279 Lots of things were on my mind. 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:04.880 I was worried about stuff. 00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:06.319 I had things on my heart. 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:11.759 And I went up into my study and I went to Psalm 51. 00:20:13.039 --> 00:20:14.720 Read Psalm 51 today. 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.960 Read Psalm 51 this week sometime. 00:20:17.200 --> 00:20:22.240 And where I landed was God create in me a clean heart, oh God. 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.960 And renew a right spirit within me. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.359 Cast me not away from thy presence. 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:29.759 Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:35.119 And if you're old enough to remember the old um Keith Green song. 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:37.759 And so, man, it's so nice now. 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:40.960 You can just go YouTube, boom, Keith Green, bam. 00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:43.920 And just worship for like 30 minutes. 00:20:44.880 --> 00:20:48.640 Create in me a clean heart. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:51.200 Oh God. 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:56.079 And renew a right spirit within me. 00:20:56.640 --> 00:20:59.920 And I just sang that and I sang that and I sang that. 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.599 And the spirit came. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:03.119 Not on the first verse. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:09.839 I think even the Lord was probably awakened by this raspy voice coming out of Colorado. 00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.000 But but he came. 00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.000 He came. 00:21:15.440 --> 00:21:23.759 So God wants to create in us a clean heart and renew our reason for serving, our reason for doing ministry. 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:28.640 Some of you in this room are incredibly anointed by God. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:35.359 You have such a mighty work of the Spirit within you. 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:38.480 And sometimes we get old. 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:41.680 Sometimes we get hard. 00:21:42.319 --> 00:21:44.160 And sometimes we get cold. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:48.720 Here's what he says he wants to do in us. 00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:51.119 Look at verse look at verse 16. 00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:52.480 The qualities of honor. 00:21:52.559 --> 00:21:55.839 I see these as the as the refiner's fire. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:21:59.519 Then those who fear the Lord. 00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:02.799 Spoke to one another. 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:05.119 And the Lord listened and heard them. 00:22:05.200 --> 00:22:06.079 Isn't that neat? 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:13.680 That when we're speaking to each other, the Lord is actually listening in on our conversations. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:25.440 So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:38.240 Men and women, I can't tell you anything more important in growing in honor of God than to meditate on his name. 00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:41.279 Meditate on his name. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.000 And he was dealing with a demonized man. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:07.440 Probably the leading district of criminality and criminal activity, and one of the leading criminals in the city he was talking to. 00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:11.839 And the guy said that he wanted to receive Christ. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:15.759 They began this dialogue, and this demon manifested. 00:23:27.920 --> 00:23:29.440 He would not leave. 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:47.200 He said, Most of the pastors in the city do not have a clue about the power of the name and the blood. 00:23:48.319 --> 00:23:50.720 And he could not cast out the demon. 00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:56.720 Church. 00:23:57.680 --> 00:23:59.599 Meditate on his name. 00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.640 That means study the name of Jesus. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:09.519 You know, just do a do a lit go through a list of the names of God and all the different Hebraic meanings for God. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:10.799 It's beautiful. 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:15.039 I remember when I was being, uh I was learning to pray the Lord's Prayer many years ago. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:19.920 I began, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. 00:24:21.039 --> 00:24:26.720 And in my Bible, I don't have that Bible with me now, but in my Bible I had in the uh in the opening page. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:29.119 You know how you have blank pages a lot of times in your Bible? 00:24:29.279 --> 00:24:35.680 And so in this one, it was like a study Bible and had like blank pages, and I wrote all the names of God that are in Scripture. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:43.359 And so each time I prayed the Lord's Prayer, I prayed, Jehovah Roche, Jehovah Yahweh, uh Shalom. 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:51.599 And I went through those lists and I would pray one or two each time I prayed, and I would worship that part of God, that aspect of his character. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:25:07.359 So he's first of all, he says, meditate on the name, that they shall be mine, verse 17, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I make them my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:12.079 You know, I read verse 17, I think about how beloved we are. 00:25:13.519 --> 00:25:15.200 We're his church. 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:17.440 God loves you. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:19.759 God loves us. 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:22.400 God loves his church. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:28.799 He's got plans and strategies in his heart that we haven't even touched yet. 00:25:29.119 --> 00:25:34.240 He's got plans and strategies for your life that you haven't even experienced yet. 00:25:34.400 --> 00:25:52.240 But as you learn to fear him, as you learn to love him in intimacy with him, he begins to give us glimpses and open doors that no man can shut for the work of his spirit through you. 00:25:55.039 --> 00:25:57.200 Then you shall again discern. 00:25:58.400 --> 00:26:03.440 Proverbs says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:07.119 God starts to give us wisdom. 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:19.519 That wisdom comes as we worship him, as we spend time in his word, as we're in relationships, as we watch our tongue, as we watch the conversations of our heart. 00:26:20.400 --> 00:26:23.680 That discernment is given to us with a wisdom. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:31.359 And then he says, between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. 00:26:31.759 --> 00:26:35.119 So there's a discernment that happens in our life. 00:26:39.839 --> 00:26:43.119 Reading an author recently, this is what he said. 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:46.960 He says, Cancer is not the problem. 00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:49.359 This is a doctor. 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:53.039 Cancer is not a disease. 00:26:54.799 --> 00:27:02.640 Cancer is only a symptom of impediments in your body. 00:27:04.079 --> 00:27:10.480 In other words, church, our physical bodies were meant to function in a healthy way. 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:23.279 And then he begins to describe what are those qualities that we might inaugurate in our lives that would make us not hopefully get cancer. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:36.880 And he says, maximize mindset, maximize nerve supply, maximize quality nutrition, maximize oxygen and lean muscle, and minimize toxins in your blood. 00:27:37.119 --> 00:27:42.960 So I was reading that, I'm going, wow, that's a pretty good description of the church. 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:46.480 That's a pretty good description of my life spiritually. 00:27:47.440 --> 00:28:05.680 That the more we fear God and we love God and we go after God and we worship Him, the more our bodies, I'm talking about our spiritual bodies, are maximized with the impediments driven out, we start to have discernment and wisdom that we never had before. 00:28:05.839 --> 00:28:08.319 That's where fasting and prayer comes in. 00:28:08.960 --> 00:28:20.559 That's the power of fasting and prayer, is that when we fast and pray about something in our life, how many of you have ever fasted and prayed about something in your life? 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:22.079 Okay, a lot of you. 00:28:22.400 --> 00:28:39.119 So you come to these roadblocks, there's something that you're fasting and praying about, and something about not eating for a while, that tunes in your mind, might be for three days, it might be for 10 days, it might be for 21 days. 00:28:39.440 --> 00:28:41.680 Some of you fasted and prayed, I know, for 40 days. 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:45.200 I've never fasted and prayed that long, full fast. 00:28:46.000 --> 00:28:47.759 But I have done 21 days. 00:28:47.920 --> 00:28:51.359 And I'll tell you, man, you get tuned in. 00:28:52.319 --> 00:29:03.599 Because that shows the Lord, and I think it gets God's attention that this guy is really serious. 00:29:04.319 --> 00:29:08.480 And so we're spending quality time with him, maybe an inordinate amount of time with him. 00:29:08.640 --> 00:29:10.720 Maybe that's all you're doing during that time. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:14.799 And so what you're doing is you're cleansing, creating me a clean heart. 00:29:14.960 --> 00:29:20.640 You're cleansing your heart and mind, and you start to have discernment. 00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:25.759 The first time, first time I ever fasted, never even heard anything about fasting. 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:27.200 I'm 21 years old. 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:35.039 I go to Fountain Valley, California to train with athletes in action, their gymnastics team, and all the guys are into fasting and prayer. 00:29:35.440 --> 00:29:37.359 And I'm like, this is weird. 00:29:37.519 --> 00:29:39.599 And I said, they said, man, you've got to do it, Steve. 00:29:39.680 --> 00:29:40.079 You gotta do it. 00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:43.839 It'll just change your gymnastics life, it'll change your Christian life. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:45.759 And I went, okay, I'll do three days. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:50.400 And I remember that was the hardest three days ever in my existence as a kid. 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:54.559 I mean, I couldn't believe I didn't eat for three days, but here's what I do remember. 00:29:55.039 --> 00:29:58.079 And then I mean, I didn't do anything but drink water. 00:29:58.400 --> 00:30:00.960 So it was a complete three-day fast and nothing. 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:06.720 We went to McDonald's afterwards to celebrate. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:10.799 And I threw up in the parking lot. 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:31.599 So sometimes our biggest struggle in this cleansing work of God in this refiner's fire is that God's actually trying to get stuff out so that we can maximize our walk with God. 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:40.640 Because what happens is the cleaner we get, the more quickly we notice those things that are not clean. 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:55.759 So the more we start getting away from those areas and we start to walk in purity and have God cleanse our heart, the more we hate those things that we know hurt God's heart in our life. 00:30:56.160 --> 00:30:58.240 And that's what he's saying here, church. 00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:03.359 He's saying to us, I'm listening to the conversations of your heart. 00:31:03.680 --> 00:31:05.359 Let me cleanse you. 00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:10.720 Let me work my let me work that bitterness out and that anger out. 00:31:12.880 --> 00:31:17.279 You've been listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:31:17.680 --> 00:31:20.400 We hope you have been blessed by today's message. 00:31:20.559 --> 00:31:24.400 To connect with us further, visit theroad.org. 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:28.480 If you are walking through a difficult time, we want to pray for you. 00:31:28.720 --> 00:31:35.680 Go to theroad.org, click on the ministries tab, and go to our prayer page to send us your prayer request. 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:43.839 Thanks again for tuning in today, and be sure to listen to the next edition of The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt.