WEBVTT 00:00:07.679 --> 00:00:11.919 You're listening to The Road with Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:18.160 At The Road, our vision is to raise up wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ. 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:22.719 For more information on the road, visit theroad.org. 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:28.079 We hope you are encouraged by today's message from Pastor Teacher Steve Holt. 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:39.280 Tonight, I want to talk about, we've talked about different spirits, we've talked about an outlook that leads to breakthrough. 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:45.119 But tonight, I want to discuss this whole idea of an impossible situation. 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:59.119 What do you do, and we all have this from time to time in our life, when we come across something that is maybe health-wise or financially or relationally impossible. 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:04.400 You just don't see a way to get through this thing. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:09.760 And so I want to call it the way of impossible breakthrough. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.159 The way of impossible breakthrough. 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:28.480 That there's actually a way all through Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, through impossible situations that God wants to show up on, and as a matter of fact, he majors in it. 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:39.439 You could say that a thesis of the life of God in a man or a woman's life is how to help you break through impossible situations. 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:44.079 So last night we talked about the nevertheless spirit. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:49.840 And the nevertheless spirit is a little God with giant problems. 00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:55.040 And then there's a breakthrough spirit, which is a big God with pygmy problems. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:02:00.079 It doesn't mean that there aren't giant problems for the person who has a breakthrough spirit. 00:02:00.319 --> 00:02:04.239 It's just that their God is bigger than that problem. 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:08.240 And it and it kind of shrink, you know, who shrunk the kids? 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:09.919 Remember that movie who shrunk the kids? 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:11.439 Who shrunk the problem? 00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:12.400 God did. 00:02:12.560 --> 00:02:13.520 That's what he does. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.199 He shrinks problems. 00:02:15.520 --> 00:02:27.439 So today, I was with a person who was sharing his story of shame, of brokenness. 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:43.360 And in our discussion, he began to share about this thing that at times comes over him that's so despairing that it seems like the only way out is to commit suicide. 00:02:43.599 --> 00:02:47.599 It's just that depressive, it's that heavy. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:02:59.360 And immediately I could relate to that because back in the 90s, I went through a period of panic attacks and anxiety attacks that would just come over me. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:02.639 And in one particular situation, it was really bad. 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:12.560 Liz was with me, and we were in Southern California, and I literally balled up into a fetal position and wept for three or four hours straight. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:14.400 I was just overwhelmed. 00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:18.400 And then I could feel it coming in the years that followed. 00:03:18.639 --> 00:03:23.360 And it took about three more years before I was finally set free from this scene. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:29.439 Well, today he and I were relating because I could relate so much to what he was saying. 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:45.439 His was way worse than mine, so I didn't want to overly empathize like I had, oh yeah, I know what that's like, because I don't know what that level of attack and maybe even demonic presence is like, but I knew a little bit of what it was like. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.680 But today I had, I've got a new term. 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:52.560 I don't even know, it's probably not even the term. 00:03:52.719 --> 00:03:53.520 I'm gonna make it up. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:55.520 It's a Steve Holt term now. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.680 It was a shame attack. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:04:02.080 So I've never heard anybody say call something a shame attack, but it was a shame attack. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:11.120 And what I mean is it's, and you guys, everybody here, I think you're gonna know what I'm talking about, where you get diminished uh momentarily. 00:04:11.360 --> 00:04:14.159 You're just going through your day and you're doing just fine. 00:04:14.240 --> 00:04:19.120 And then suddenly something happens and you feel like, man, I'm a loser. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:22.000 I'm I'm just I'm such a shmo. 00:04:22.800 --> 00:04:25.360 Um I can't believe that happened to me. 00:04:25.600 --> 00:04:27.360 I can't believe I let that happen. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.360 I can't believe that that this person said this, but yeah, it's true about me. 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:34.160 That's the way I am, and that's a shame attack. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:44.000 And suddenly you just start spinning into kind of emotionally and psychologically and spiritually out of control, and nobody notices but you probably but you. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:52.879 But before you know it, you were happy, you were joyful, and then the shame attack comes, and you're just beating yourself up. 00:04:53.759 --> 00:04:58.399 You're not thin enough, you're not good looking enough, you're a failure. 00:04:58.560 --> 00:04:59.600 How could you be that? 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:02.319 I mean, how could a person, how could you be, what do you think? 00:05:02.480 --> 00:05:05.040 You call yourself a Christian and you did that? 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:07.759 I call that a shame attack. 00:05:08.399 --> 00:05:10.160 But I want you to know something. 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:20.000 That today I said to myself, I said, I'm a I'm a child of God. 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:26.079 I'm a disciple, I'm a wholehearted disciple. 00:05:26.319 --> 00:05:41.600 I'm called to be a pastor, I'm called to be a leader, I'm called to be a good dad, I'm called to be a good husband, I'm called to make a difference, I'm called to make an impact, I'm called to change people's lives. 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:42.879 I belong. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:55.680 And I'm right where God wants me to be, and I'm gonna press in, and I'm gonna reach in, and I'm gonna discover the power of the Spirit right now and lift it. 00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:11.279 The reason I say that is because sometimes those kind of situations are the impossible situations that we face that some of you, including myself, it gets the best of us and it drives us down. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:17.519 And if you have enough, if you string out enough of those, you can live in a state of despair. 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:27.120 And I want to say that it's possible to have shame resilience and shame anointing to break through that, but you have to renew your mind. 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:28.959 You have to say stuff to yourself. 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:33.120 You've got to say it and say it and say it until the spirits leave. 00:06:33.600 --> 00:06:47.600 So I want to look at a situation in Scripture, Mark chapter 9, which by anybody's estimation is an impossible situation, and Jesus comes through with a breakthrough. 00:06:47.839 --> 00:07:02.399 And I think we can see here this way of impossible breakthrough through the life of Christ, and he did this often, but this one's unique in what he teaches us about breakthrough. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:12.399 Because 90% of believers never experience impossible breakthrough because we give up too early. 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:19.199 It gets tough for us, and we kind of have that o serah serah sovereignty thinking. 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:24.240 O serah, serah, sovereignty thinking is, well, it must have been God's will. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:26.000 I'm so sick of hearing that. 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:36.000 And I guess if you put me on a scale of reformed, Calvinistic, Armenian free will, I lean more toward being a Calvinist. 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:38.079 So I believe in the sovereignty of God. 00:07:38.319 --> 00:07:45.680 I'm probably a four-point, not a five-point, it might be 3.7%, you know, on the five scale of the tulip. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:48.720 But the reality, most of you don't know what I'm talking about, so don't worry about it. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:53.519 I'm gonna teach systematic theology sometime, and you'll, oh, I know what he was talking about when he said that. 00:07:53.759 --> 00:08:09.920 But for now, it's this laxadaisical kind of lazy attitude toward things that are gonna take a fighter to get through, and we just say, well, it just must have been God's will. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:15.279 When God's saying, No, I want you to fight through that thing. 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:22.480 We can break through this thing, but we just would rather, you know, watch our TV than fight in prayer. 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:29.519 And so, and so we don't experience breakthrough in the impossible because it's so much easier not to. 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:39.360 So in Mark chapter 9, we have a boy that or a young man that's mute. 00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:43.440 And Jesus is off doing something else. 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:46.000 He's he's separated from his disciples. 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:51.279 The disciples have cast out demons before and been successful. 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:58.559 And so they're trying to cast out this spirit, this mute spirit out of this young man, and they cannot do it. 00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:00.799 And Jesus comes upon the scene. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:02.320 Verse 14. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:08.799 And when he came to the disciples, he saw a great multitude around them and scribes disputing with them. 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:20.080 Immediately, when they saw him, all the people were greatly amazed, and running to him greeted him, and he asked the scribes, What are you discussing with them? 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:36.639 Then one of the crowd answered and said, Teacher, I I brought you my son who has a mute spirit, and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:41.120 That's a pretty impossible, it's a pretty severe case. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:45.279 So I spoke to your disciples and they that they should cast it out. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.799 So I think the disciples thought they could, because they had. 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:51.840 They had a track record of success on this. 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:53.759 But they could not. 00:09:54.879 --> 00:10:00.559 He answered him and said, Oh, faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:02.879 How long shall I bear with you? 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:04.639 Bring him to me. 00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:12.559 So Jesus identifies faithlessness as the issue. 00:10:12.879 --> 00:10:16.639 And it seems like he's actually kind of exasperated by it. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:26.639 Then they brought him to him, and when he saw him immediately, the spirit convulsed him and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth. 00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:28.399 It's not getting better. 00:10:29.919 --> 00:10:33.759 So he asked his father, How long has this been happening to him? 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:36.320 And he said, From childhood. 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.080 So this has been a long time. 00:10:39.360 --> 00:10:45.519 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water, destroy him. 00:10:45.679 --> 00:10:49.759 But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:57.120 The operable word here is, but if you can do anything. 00:10:57.440 --> 00:10:59.919 So pretty impossible situation. 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:09.600 We've got, and this is the problem with demonization, is it's sometimes hard to know where demons end and mental illness begins. 00:11:09.759 --> 00:11:13.440 Where does mental illness end and demonization begin? 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:15.919 And I just think it's all true. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:25.840 It's all there because we're so closely tied up mentally, emotionally, uh, psychologically, and spiritually that it's hard to know. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:34.399 And so this spirit has enough control over the young man that wherever he goes, it could just happen to him haphazard. 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:47.919 But there's probably, I mean, there's probably some real trauma in this young man's life that created an avenue and an opportunity for this spirit to come upon him when he was a young man. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:12:04.399 When we were living in Okinawa, Japan, we came across this couple who, the Waita, Waeta-San family, who had a child who had spina bifida. 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:12.799 And so they had to carry this little child everywhere and had a very deformed face and was kind of like this and would never sit up. 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:21.440 And so the family would come, and even though what I was doing was a collegiate ministry, they were in their 20s, they would still come. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:28.159 They kind of became these groupies that hung out with us, and they'd always sit in the back with this child on a towel. 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:49.120 And the wife got pregnant, and Wade Sign came to us one day to show us a sonogram that showed from the sonogram that this child seemingly didn't even have a nose, and it was a it looked like it was going to be a repeat of what had happened with the last child. 00:12:50.240 --> 00:13:04.480 About 10 years ago, we were um we were living in Black Forest, we live right now, and I'm telling you, man, you have a lot of kids, uh, you got hasselt to know this. 00:13:04.639 --> 00:13:06.399 You never have enough money. 00:13:06.639 --> 00:13:11.679 I mean, you're always like there they eat way too much, you know, and it's like, whoa. 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:20.000 And I've been at their house when we've had a meal, and and it's like, seriously, two weeks worth of food, three weeks worth of food consumed in one night. 00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:21.360 So it's nothing. 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:25.120 I mean, for us, it's nothing but because we only had seven kids. 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:32.240 Um, and you know, there's a lot of things that can go out on you. 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:36.559 Your electricity can go out, okay, light candles. 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:41.279 You know, your water heater goes in, okay, cold showers. 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:43.360 Um, and I could go down the line. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:49.440 But there's one thing that's pretty important, and it's your septic tank. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:54.080 And when your septic tank goes out, that's not good. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.600 It's really not good. 00:13:55.840 --> 00:14:04.159 And uh, even though and we live in the woods, so we do have more options than suburban people have. 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:11.600 But we ran out, our septic busted, if we found out it's like a million years old. 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:17.200 It was like there was a car down there that whoever was there before used to use. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:27.279 I guess they just drained the pipes right into the, you know, the dashboard, and then it rolled down the dashboard in the front two seats, then it took up the back seats, and then there's no more. 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:30.000 Um there was no more room. 00:14:30.399 --> 00:14:34.000 Trunk, you know, drill into the trunk, we can fill up the trunk. 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:36.879 Oh, something like that. 00:14:37.120 --> 00:14:40.480 It wasn't a car, but that that's not a bad idea. 00:14:40.799 --> 00:14:48.399 You know, if you've seen one of those things, man, I mean, a car would work great, you know, just run it out some windows and stuff into the field. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:50.240 But we had no money. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:56.720 We were we only had$1,000 and it was going to cost$5,000 to fix, and we needed to fix it. 00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:06.799 So we come across these situations, men and women, these impossible situations where we don't have resources to fix it. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:10.240 This father doesn't have any resources. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:19.279 He's probably tried everything, and he comes now to Jesus and he says, if you can do anything. 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:30.480 And I like what Jesus says in verse 23, because it's not, the English isn't fair to what he's actually being facetious about. 00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:33.120 Here's what it says in your English Bible. 00:15:33.279 --> 00:15:39.360 Jesus said to him, if you can believe, comma, all things are possible to him who believes. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:42.000 Here's what it really means in Greek. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.200 What he's saying is, are you saying to me? 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:50.799 Are you saying to me, can I believe? 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:52.559 Is that what you're saying to me? 00:15:52.720 --> 00:15:54.159 Are you kidding me? 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:58.399 With God, all things are possible. 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:23.120 Can you imagine Jesus is in here and you've got a child that's got a cancer or is missing a limb or is convulsed all the time with epileptic seizures, as we would call it today, epileptic seizures, and you say to Jesus, Jesus, if you believe, you can heal him. 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.399 Here's our first point tonight. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:35.759 To to break through faith, break through impossible situations, and number one is faith. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.480 You've got to have faith. 00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:49.519 Jesus is saying, is that, if I heard what you said to me, I can't believe you said that to me, but you must believe. 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:53.279 And if you believe, I can do anything. 00:16:53.440 --> 00:16:54.399 That's what I do. 00:16:54.480 --> 00:16:55.679 That is my MO. 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:58.080 Well, there's two kinds of faith. 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:06.240 There's salvation faith, which it took to get saved, but then it's impossible breakthrough faith that has to be developed. 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:17.519 So, so salvation, faith, listen now, it's a gift of God, but but faith that breaks into the impossible is developed. 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:23.839 You have the gift already, but now it has to be developed in your life. 00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:28.799 So turn back in Mark to Mark chapter 5. 00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:40.079 And I think of Mark as one of the great faith, signs and wonders, faith, and possible breakthrough books of the Bible. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:42.720 This is a book of anecdotes. 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:46.559 This is a book of living examples of how faith works. 00:17:46.720 --> 00:17:50.160 So look at Mark 5, verse 25. 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:57.920 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things for many physicians. 00:17:58.160 --> 00:18:02.559 She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 00:18:02.880 --> 00:18:07.200 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:11.599 For she said, If only I may touch his clothes, I shall be made well. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:21.920 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of this affliction, an impossible situation. 00:18:22.160 --> 00:18:30.400 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power had gone out of him, turned around in the crowd and said, Who touched my clothes? 00:18:30.640 --> 00:18:38.160 But his disciples said to him, You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, Who touched me? 00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:41.440 And he looked around to see her, he who had done this thing. 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:49.599 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 00:18:49.920 --> 00:18:51.200 Verse 34. 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:59.200 He said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:03.119 Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. 00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:08.079 He didn't say God healed her, though God did, Jesus did. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:16.160 He said, Your faith is what made this healing happen. 00:19:16.799 --> 00:19:21.359 Now go to chapter 6, verse 4. 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:35.359 Jesus, speaking to those in Nazareth, said, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house. 00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:44.319 Now he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 00:19:44.480 --> 00:19:47.920 And he marveled because of their unbelief. 00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:58.480 Now, in some of our houses and in some of our families and some of our lives, God cannot work in you. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:01.519 God cannot work in your marriage. 00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:03.519 God cannot work with your kids. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:05.599 God cannot work in your family. 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.640 There's churches. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:10.720 God can't work in those churches because of their unbelief. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:14.319 Because of the lack of faith, God's knocking at the door. 00:20:14.559 --> 00:20:17.759 You realize that Revelation 3.20, behold, I stand at the door and knock. 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:20.480 If anyone hears my voice and opens that door, I will come in him. 00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:24.400 Is written to Jesus knocking on the door of the church. 00:20:24.720 --> 00:20:27.359 We often use it as an evangelistic passage. 00:20:27.519 --> 00:20:30.400 I know I do, but that's not primarily the context. 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:34.000 The context is that Jesus is knocking on the door of the church. 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.000 He wants to get into the church. 00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:39.519 He's knocking on the door of your house and he wants to get into your house. 00:20:39.759 --> 00:20:41.279 He wants to rule over your house. 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:46.319 He wants to do miracles and impossible things in your heart. 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:51.680 But because of our lack of faith and because of our unbelief, he can't do any works there. 00:20:53.200 --> 00:21:12.160 And so here's this woman who's so desperate with this hemorrhaging, this flow of blood, that she breaks all protocol, fights her way to the front, grabs the tassels of his robe, and the power of God comes through because of that little bit of faith that she had. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:16.720 That desperation faith, that fighting faith that's within her. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:18.640 So here's the first thing faith. 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:20.480 Faith. 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:25.200 Gotta develop faith for God to do the impossible. 00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:28.640 So we ask, how do we develop this kind of faith? 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:29.839 I think it's two things. 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.000 There's probably ten, but I'll give you two. 00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:34.720 One is the word of God. 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:45.119 We develop faith by reading and reading and reading and meditating and studying God's word, being in God's word. 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:49.680 Men and women, be in God's word as much as you can every day. 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:51.359 Got problems at work? 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:52.720 Be in God's word. 00:21:53.519 --> 00:21:54.799 Got problems in your marriage? 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:56.000 Be in God's word. 00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:58.720 Got problems in your dating relationships? 00:21:58.880 --> 00:21:59.759 Be in God's word. 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.240 Got problems with your finances? 00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.279 Be in God's word. 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.480 Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. 00:22:07.119 --> 00:22:32.960 The pre-incarnate Christ coming in the form of a soldier, in the form of a general, with a sword and probably a shield, looking awesome, comes before Joshua before he's going to go into the promised land at Jericho and commands him to bow down before the Lord. 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:50.960 This is the guy he says, this book of the law, Joshua 1.8, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:56.319 For then you will make your ways prosperous, and then you will have good success. 00:22:56.559 --> 00:22:58.480 Success comes from God's word. 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.200 God builds up your faith. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:06.319 God builds up your confidence in Christ as you spend time in God's word. 00:23:06.799 --> 00:23:13.200 It's the most important thing we can do is to pray God's word, is to read God's word. 00:23:13.519 --> 00:23:18.160 To read a passage like we read tonight with this woman with the hemorrhage. 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:24.319 It says, verse 34 again in chapter 5, he says, Your faith has made you well. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:29.839 Oh God, would you give me the faith to be made well? 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:31.920 That's praying God's word. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:35.039 You read the passage, you pray it back to the Lord. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:38.240 You don't just read and go, wow, that's an amazing lady. 00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:40.240 But you say, I want that. 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:43.519 Daughter, your faith has made you well. 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:48.799 God, I ask that you would give me this kind of faith. 00:23:48.960 --> 00:24:07.599 Would you download this kind of faith into me that I would be made well, that my wife would be made well, that my husband would be made well, that my son and my daughter would be made well, that my son that's at college and my daughter that's in her new job, God, that they would walk in wellness and health, body, soul, and spirit. 00:24:07.759 --> 00:24:10.160 Give me faith to pray that way. 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:12.319 That's praying God's word. 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:16.720 And then the passage says, Go in peace and be healed of your affliction. 00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:18.640 God, I need peace right now. 00:24:18.960 --> 00:24:24.480 Would you give me that kind of peace that I could walk in peace and break through affliction in my life? 00:24:24.799 --> 00:24:29.519 Man, men and women, we start praying that, and you know, I mean, nobody does it every day. 00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:38.400 But if you do that almost every day, you think God's not gonna start to build up your faith and strengthen your faith with that kind of prayer? 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:47.039 You're gonna start being faced with situations where you're gonna break through and you'll just be, ah, can't, I did that? 00:24:47.759 --> 00:24:49.839 Yes, your faith did that. 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:51.680 That's the first thing. 00:24:51.920 --> 00:24:56.160 Second thing, the second thing that builds up faith is experience. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:59.599 Putting yourself in situations where you don't quit. 00:24:59.759 --> 00:25:02.480 You don't give up, but you push through. 00:25:02.960 --> 00:25:05.119 Finances are low, and you don't quit. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:07.279 You don't give up, you push through. 00:25:07.839 --> 00:25:09.359 Got some conflicts in your life. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:13.359 You work it out, you press in, you fight for it. 00:25:14.000 --> 00:25:25.039 Because it's only through these small victories that we start being allowed by God and elevated in the school of faith to bigger things. 00:25:25.279 --> 00:25:36.079 I remember learning to raise support as a missionary, and and the first time I went to Newport Beach, California with Campus Crusade, and I needed$800. 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.160 And I was like, oh, and then and then raised$800. 00:25:40.640 --> 00:25:49.839 And then later it was uh it was an opportunity to um to go into Eastern Europe and smuggle Bibles, and I needed$3,000, and we raised$3,000. 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:53.440 And I could go on into hundreds of thousands of dollars. 00:25:53.599 --> 00:26:08.400 And and I've probably raised over a million dollars over the years financially, but it started with that first$800, just starting there, you know, asking people if they'd be willing to support us to go do this mission and stuff. 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:10.720 Um, and same with our jobs. 00:26:10.880 --> 00:26:17.599 There's situations where we have fear about a certain kind of job, but but you know, God's called you to that. 00:26:17.680 --> 00:26:18.799 So you press in. 00:26:18.880 --> 00:26:24.880 You ask God to give you courage to overcome that fear in your life. 00:26:25.039 --> 00:26:26.480 So it's experience. 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:28.720 And too many of us cut and run. 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:31.519 Don't cut and run. 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:33.519 Press in. 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:36.559 And like I said that first night, we need bloodstained allies. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:41.920 We need some men, like David had in that valley, the valley of breakthrough. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:42.960 He had men with him. 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:44.720 He couldn't have done it alone. 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:47.200 And so, men, you need some men. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:49.440 Women, you need some women in your life. 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:51.039 Who are not quitters. 00:26:51.279 --> 00:26:52.079 They'll press in. 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:53.839 He said, You know what, we'll do this together. 00:26:54.000 --> 00:26:55.839 We'll pray about this together. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:26:57.359 So, faith. 00:26:57.680 --> 00:26:59.680 The first thing is faith. 00:27:00.559 --> 00:27:04.240 And then Jesus presses in. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:07.119 Verse 24 of Mark 9. 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:15.519 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. 00:27:15.759 --> 00:27:17.759 So this is a really loving father. 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:22.480 He really cares about his son, and he really wants to believe. 00:27:22.799 --> 00:27:30.400 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, Deaf and dumb spirit. 00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:38.000 It's interesting that it's talked about a mute spirit, but then he calls out a deaf and dumb spirit. 00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.599 I find that interesting. 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:44.960 I command you come out of him and enter him no more. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:52.880 So, you know, they do say that it's pretty hard to speak if you haven't heard anything. 00:27:53.440 --> 00:28:02.160 So I don't know if he was misdiagnosed or if Mark just doesn't put that in, the deaf and dumb spirit. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:05.440 Then the spirit cried out, so now we know it's a demon. 00:28:05.680 --> 00:28:15.119 And it convulsed him greatly and came out of him, and he became as one dead, so that many said, He is dead. 00:28:16.319 --> 00:28:20.000 But Jesus took him by his hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:27.119 And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could we not cast it out? 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:35.440 And so he said to them, This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:38.319 Here's our second point tonight. 00:28:39.359 --> 00:28:46.559 That the second way of impossible breakthrough is faith through prayer. 00:28:47.599 --> 00:28:51.759 Or another way we could say it is faith through asking. 00:28:53.680 --> 00:29:00.400 Charles Spurgeon was the one who said, whether we like it or not, asking is the rule of the kingdom. 00:29:00.720 --> 00:29:12.160 If you may have everything by asking in his name, and not listen, and nothing without asking, I beg you to see how absolutely vital prayer is. 00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:16.400 So everything comes through asking. 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:20.240 Nothing happens without asking. 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:27.839 So the kingdom belongs to the violent. 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:31.519 The kingdom belongs to the passionate. 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:37.599 The kingdom belongs to the bold, who want all of God's blessing. 00:29:37.759 --> 00:29:46.319 Jesus said it this way: if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 00:29:46.559 --> 00:29:52.160 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you will be my disciples. 00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:55.759 Jesus said, Ask and it will be given to you. 00:29:56.000 --> 00:29:57.519 Seek and you will find. 00:29:57.759 --> 00:29:59.440 Knock and it will be open to you. 00:29:59.519 --> 00:30:06.240 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be open. 00:30:06.799 --> 00:30:11.440 Jeremiah 33, 3 is considered the phone number of the kingdom. 00:30:12.160 --> 00:30:17.279 Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you do not know. 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:20.240 Mark 11, 24. 00:30:20.400 --> 00:30:27.599 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, I believe that you receive them and you will have them. 00:30:27.839 --> 00:30:33.759 Matthew 21, 22, whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:42.319 Let me encourage you with your journals, start a list of asking God for stuff. 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:44.559 What do you want from God? 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:45.279 John R. 00:30:45.440 --> 00:30:52.319 Rice was one of the great old-time radio preachers back in the 20s and 30s. 00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:57.519 And I came across a book called Prayer, Asking and Receiving. 00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:59.519 Years ago, it's out of print now. 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:08.640 And I remember last time I checked on like Amazon, which was like five or six years ago, I found three copies in the United States, and I got them. 00:31:08.880 --> 00:31:10.079 And they're really old. 00:31:10.160 --> 00:31:12.319 They're like, they're from the 1940s. 00:31:12.400 --> 00:31:13.920 So they're like vintage. 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:21.279 But I love that book because every chapter, it's this thick, is all about asking and receiving from God. 00:31:21.599 --> 00:31:23.279 And he says, that's what prayer is. 00:31:23.440 --> 00:31:24.319 Prayer is asking. 00:31:24.400 --> 00:31:25.200 It's funny. 00:31:25.680 --> 00:31:29.759 I was putting in, I was trying to find another good quote on asking from God today. 00:31:29.920 --> 00:31:34.160 And you know how when you put in like quotes and stuff, you'll get these images. 00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:35.599 You know what I'm talking about? 00:31:35.759 --> 00:31:38.559 Where it's got it like people made posters out of them. 00:31:38.799 --> 00:31:42.240 And I saw this one that said, prayer is never asking. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:43.359 And da-da-da-da. 00:31:43.519 --> 00:31:45.200 And like, who said that? 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:46.799 And it was Gandhi. 00:31:47.440 --> 00:31:50.720 You know, so okay, so the Hindus say, don't ask. 00:31:50.880 --> 00:31:52.640 As Christians, you're supposed to ask. 00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:54.880 You ask for what God. 00:31:55.039 --> 00:32:00.480 You go to God and you ask for stuff, and do not be shy about it. 00:32:00.720 --> 00:32:02.960 But cry out to God for your finances. 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:04.720 Cry out to God for your marriage. 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:06.319 Ask, ask, ask. 00:32:06.480 --> 00:32:07.359 Jesus says it all the time. 00:32:07.519 --> 00:32:16.400 So then he says, thirdly, third way of impossible breakthrough is faith through prayer and fasting. 00:32:16.880 --> 00:32:18.400 Prayer and fasting. 00:32:19.599 --> 00:32:22.240 Now, for many of you in this room, this seems impossible. 00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:25.440 How in the world could you ever even miss a meal? 00:32:25.759 --> 00:32:27.359 I hate fasting. 00:32:28.559 --> 00:32:32.079 But I discovered fasting back in 1978. 00:32:32.400 --> 00:32:38.160 In 1978, on the gymnastics team with athletes in action, I was training with them. 00:32:38.400 --> 00:32:40.079 Several of them were Olympians. 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:42.000 They introduced me to fasting. 00:32:42.079 --> 00:32:48.880 They were using it more from the perspective of a physical training and gymnastics and stuff. 00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:54.640 But then later, over time, began to discover the spiritual value of fasting. 00:32:54.799 --> 00:32:56.240 Jesus fasted and prayed. 00:32:56.400 --> 00:32:58.079 The disciples fasted and prayed. 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:01.680 The Old Testament saints fasted and prayed. 00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:04.880 The early church fasted and prayed. 00:33:05.279 --> 00:33:10.000 It is a formula for breaking through impossible situations. 00:33:10.240 --> 00:33:11.519 Fasting and prayer. 00:33:11.680 --> 00:33:14.000 Do not ask me how it works. 00:33:14.799 --> 00:33:16.480 I don't have a clue how it works. 00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:21.119 I remember being around a bunch of Koreans years ago and they fast and pray about everything. 00:33:21.920 --> 00:33:31.279 And I met some people that were like 80 and 90 years old that were, it just finished 40-day fasts and uh and beaming, just happy as a June bug in spring. 00:33:31.440 --> 00:33:32.640 They were just so happy. 00:33:32.799 --> 00:33:35.279 And they were praying for relatives to get saved. 00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:36.400 Fasting and prayer. 00:33:36.559 --> 00:33:42.480 Koreans are just, Koreans are just animals for the kingdom. 00:33:42.720 --> 00:33:43.519 They really are. 00:33:43.680 --> 00:33:48.799 And I remember they used to put me under the pile all the time on my team in Japan because they were always fasting about something. 00:33:48.960 --> 00:33:54.240 I see, well, we'd be having all this food, you know, at staff meetings, and my Koreans aren't eating. 00:33:54.400 --> 00:33:56.160 Okay, what are you guys fasting about now? 00:33:56.319 --> 00:34:00.559 I'm just, I'm fasting for uh Yuko to get saved. 00:34:00.960 --> 00:34:02.319 And okay. 00:34:02.559 --> 00:34:06.640 Um, and the next week, you know, it's that that Kazu would get saved. 00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:13.360 And I'm like, I feel like such a bloated, you know, soft American. 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:17.599 And these these Koreans, they're they're getting everybody saved left and right. 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:21.679 Um, but fasting and prayer, there's something powerful about it. 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:27.679 It's it's um, I don't know, it's the key of the kingdom. 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:34.000 So there's this family, and they've got this this baby who's got spina bifida. 00:34:34.320 --> 00:34:42.320 They've just uh they come up and they show us, Liz and I, the uh the sonogram that shows it looks like they don't have a nose or anything. 00:34:42.480 --> 00:34:44.079 So would you pray? 00:34:44.880 --> 00:34:47.360 And so we decided to fast and pray for them. 00:34:47.519 --> 00:34:53.280 So the whole ministry began to fast and pray for the the Weda-San family. 00:34:54.320 --> 00:35:00.880 And the day came for that baby to be born, and that baby was totally healthy in every way. 00:35:02.159 --> 00:35:06.400 And Waita San tal, when that baby came out, they started weeping. 00:35:06.559 --> 00:35:08.400