WEBVTT 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:09.039 Well, to catch you up to date, Prince Harry and Princess Megan did not go on a honeymoon right away. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:11.119 I'm not sure if you're aware of this. 00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.119 They decided to take a little break, so they're still in London. 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:21.839 In case you haven't been reading us weekly, just to be caught up on our Our Princess, sort of, right? 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:23.120 Like it's sort of our princess. 00:00:23.519 --> 00:00:24.239 She's American. 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:25.839 So she was raised in LA. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.879 She was raised in Hollywood and raised mostly by her mom. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:31.920 She attended private school in Hollywood. 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.320 And then she went to Northwestern University there. 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:37.600 She double majored in theater and international studies. 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:39.920 She served an internship in Argentina. 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.719 I mean, by the time she's like 22, she's done, she's already like, well, she's done more than I have. 00:00:44.960 --> 00:00:49.840 And then she began acting, and then she began waitressing to pay the bills, right? 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:51.280 Like she's done a lot. 00:00:51.439 --> 00:01:01.600 And at the same time, what's really clear is she is worlds away from royalty, from being royalty of the British monarchy. 00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:08.079 Finally, she lands a role on General Hospital, worlds away from royalty, right? 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:15.680 And then her big break comes in 2011 when she gets a regular role on the TNT show Suits. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:17.280 A good job. 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:19.439 Like she's making good money. 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:21.599 She's a humanitarian. 00:01:22.159 --> 00:01:28.719 But she is worlds away from being the royalty of the British monarchy. 00:01:28.879 --> 00:01:35.040 Along the way, she gets married, she gets divorced, and then she goes on a blind date with the prince. 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:39.359 Because isn't that what life how life works after you get a divorce? 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:44.079 Like you get a divorce and then you go on a date with a prince. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:45.599 That's how it works. 00:01:45.840 --> 00:01:48.640 I mean, this lady's done amazing work. 00:01:49.280 --> 00:01:53.519 I mean, if if anybody can earn something here, I mean it's pretty much this lady. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.560 I mean, she has she's spoken around the world on gender equality and modern-day slavery. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:00.480 She's spoken at the UN. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:04.879 She was a global ambassador with world vision for clean drinking water. 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:08.159 She's traveled to India to raise awareness on women issues. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:10.719 I mean, this lady could work it. 00:02:11.039 --> 00:02:12.719 She could earn. 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:20.080 But what's clear is no matter what, royalty had to come by a gift. 00:02:21.759 --> 00:02:22.080 Right? 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:23.199 And they stood in St. 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:28.319 George's Chapel in Windsor, and she's no longer Megan Markle, right? 00:02:28.479 --> 00:02:34.319 Like her name, her literal name is Meghan, Duchess of Suxus. 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:37.039 And I don't know how that works on a driver's license. 00:02:37.280 --> 00:02:38.159 That's her name. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:39.280 There's no last name. 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.240 It's just Megan, Duchess of Success. 00:02:42.719 --> 00:02:45.039 A princess of the British monarchy. 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:54.159 She was a commoner, and then by gift imputed upon her, she became royalty. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:54.719 Right? 00:02:54.879 --> 00:03:02.400 There was a change of identity and direction, and it had nothing to do with what she earned or worked. 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:07.520 It had to come by imputation, gift upon her. 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:09.120 There was a conversion. 00:03:09.439 --> 00:03:10.800 There was a conversion. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:13.840 Now there's a religious word, right? 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:15.439 To be converted. 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:20.879 All it really means is a change of position or identity or direction. 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:25.280 I was that and now I am this. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.719 I was headed this direction, now I'm headed that direction. 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:31.360 I didn't believe, and now I believe. 00:03:31.520 --> 00:03:34.240 Conversion, conversion, conversion, is what that is. 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:39.520 And what we see in Acts 9 is we see the conversion of Paul earlier in the book of Acts. 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:41.439 It's Saul, same guy. 00:03:41.759 --> 00:03:46.240 He's murdering people, he's threatening people, he's rounding up anybody who's a believer in Jesus. 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.199 He is shutting that down with all he can. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:54.159 And he's shutting it down to him out of religious conviction. 00:03:55.759 --> 00:03:57.520 And he has this extreme story. 00:03:57.599 --> 00:03:58.879 I mean, this is unbelievable. 00:03:59.120 --> 00:04:02.159 Walking down the street, you see a light, you go blind, I mean, you hear a voice. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.639 I mean, this is a radical conversion story. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:08.479 Now, I doubt maybe many of you have a conversion story. 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:10.240 I've heard a lot of conversion stories. 00:04:10.319 --> 00:04:27.839 I've done probably over 200 like one-on-one meetings with people over the last eight to ten years where I hear people's journey of faith or conversion story, and I would say about half of them have some sort of like particular moment in time. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:30.319 I was hearing this happen. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.600 I walked denial, I raised a hand, I prayed a prayer. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:37.920 I was in a particular time at a particular moment, and something broke in. 00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:39.519 God broke in. 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:41.519 Probably half the stories. 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:48.079 The other half are like, you know, I grew up in it, I came to a growing awareness. 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:51.519 Yeah, there was this time in high school when this happened, you know. 00:04:51.680 --> 00:04:54.959 Like it, like kind of like walking into an ocean in July. 00:04:55.040 --> 00:05:00.720 Like it's not cold, you know you're going in, but like you're just walking in a little at a time. 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:04.000 I don't know where your story's at in that. 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:07.839 I doubt you're like Paul and we're blind for three days. 00:05:07.920 --> 00:05:09.839 It's probably not that extreme. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:15.920 But all the stories, all the stories have one commonality: belief. 00:05:17.519 --> 00:05:19.279 Like belief right now. 00:05:19.839 --> 00:05:21.519 That's the commonality. 00:05:22.079 --> 00:05:24.560 Some point along the way, unbelief turned to belief. 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:25.680 Maybe we can figure that out. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:30.399 Maybe we can't, but the true thing is, is like right now, there's belief. 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:33.360 Belief has been born inside of you. 00:05:34.319 --> 00:05:36.000 This is what's going on with Paul. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:38.879 And Paul was incredibly content with his life. 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:40.720 He was actually proud of his life. 00:05:41.040 --> 00:05:42.399 He was a member of the elect race. 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:43.600 He was in the elite group. 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:45.360 I mean, he was he was doing things. 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.600 He was at the top of the ladder. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:49.920 And then something happens. 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:56.560 Suddenly that bright light, God's initiative into his life, interrupts his life. 00:05:56.800 --> 00:06:02.959 So Acts 9, 4 through 8, and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:04.480 And he said, Who are you, Lord? 00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:10.480 He said, I'm Jesus, whom you're persecuting, but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:14.079 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. 00:06:14.160 --> 00:06:17.920 So Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:24.000 So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus, and for three days he was without sight and neither ate nor drank. 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:24.959 So a few points. 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:33.040 Point number one the process of coming to belief in Jesus always involves facing your own darkness. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:37.600 The process of coming to belief in Jesus always involves facing your own darkness. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:42.160 It took blindness for Paul to face his own personal darkness. 00:06:42.240 --> 00:06:46.639 I mean, often for us it takes some measure of suffering, but we all have to face it. 00:06:46.720 --> 00:06:56.079 And it is by God's grace we are gifted with the painful but freeing process of seeing your own darkness. 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:04.399 How do you know what binds you until you see what binds you? 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:08.399 How do you know what binds you until you see what binds you? 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:21.920 And so for three days, Paul's in this darkness, and finally he sees all that religious zeal and that self-effort and that just toxic moralism that's turning into anger. 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:28.879 And he's forced to see what's true in the world, and that is that by merit and self-effort and works, he will never be enough before God. 00:07:29.040 --> 00:07:32.959 Megan Markle could never make herself a princess. 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:35.600 It had to be imputed upon her. 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:44.319 So maybe you've been driving with your sweet someone to a birthday party, your friend Cindy Joe, he lives way out in Paulding County, right? 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:49.920 Like way down Whitlock, and it turns into another road and to another road, and the names keep changing. 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:52.399 And you've been to her house a few times. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:56.240 So you feel pretty confident on how to get to Cindy Joe's house. 00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:01.920 So you and your sweet someone, you'll get in the car and you head out and you leave your phone at home at the end of the neighborhood. 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:02.800 I'm not turning back. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:03.439 She has her phone. 00:08:04.079 --> 00:08:06.160 I'm the pull-up ways and see how to get there. 00:08:06.240 --> 00:08:08.959 And you say, oh, let's can't we just do anything without a phone? 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:10.959 And so she's like, okay, that's fine. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:17.360 So you sit in an additional 20 minutes on Whitlock for no reason at all, but you're fine with it because you're going without a phone. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:22.959 You are free, and you roll down the windows and you put on the beach boys, and you're having a great time. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:24.959 You've been there several times. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:26.399 You can find your way there. 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:28.480 You're very confident about this. 00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:49.200 And so you keep driving and you make a few turns and you get out there, Whitlock turns to the whatever highway, the whatever highway, and you're getting out there, and there's more land and a few turns, and time's clicking away, and you're starting to feel that little bit of feeling like I don't quite know where I'm at, but I don't want to confess it to her. 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.120 She's sort of aware of that. 00:08:53.440 --> 00:09:00.799 Party's about to start, you're not at the house, her phone dies, your car charger's broken. 00:09:00.960 --> 00:09:03.039 She reminds you your car charger's broken. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.360 You remind her of a few things that you've been holding back. 00:09:05.519 --> 00:09:06.639 That doesn't go well. 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:08.240 So now you're without music. 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.639 She wants the windows up, you want the windows down. 00:09:10.799 --> 00:09:12.320 It's not going well. 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.120 And then you have the bright idea, right? 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.360 At this point, you know you're lost. 00:09:17.519 --> 00:09:20.159 You know you can't work your way out of this lostness. 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:22.559 You don't know where you're at. 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:24.000 The phones are dead. 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:26.159 You are at your end. 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:31.120 And you look at her and you go, Yeah, I think I'm gonna pull into the quick trip here and get directions. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.519 Like it was your idea, your brilliant idea. 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:36.720 Like she hadn't had this idea for the last 30 minutes. 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:44.320 And the point is this you don't change directions until you see the direction you are headed simply doesn't work. 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:45.120 You just don't. 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:45.840 We don't. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:46.960 None of us do. 00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:49.440 You don't change directions when it all works. 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:55.200 You only change directions when it doesn't work, when you see it's not working. 00:09:55.440 --> 00:10:01.919 And what we need is we need the light to take us into the darkness so we can deal with the darkness we don't even see. 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:04.240 Now that's metaphorical talk to say this. 00:10:04.480 --> 00:10:15.519 By God's grace to us in Jesus, we see that our lives of escaping and earning and proving will are always ultimately darkness. 00:10:16.559 --> 00:10:25.600 By God's grace to us in Jesus, we see that our lives of escaping and earning and proving are always ultimately darkness. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:28.240 But the light of Jesus takes the darkness away. 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:36.720 But listen how Paul, he's working out his conversion as he writes all these letters later in his life, after his conversion, and he says this in Ephesians 2, 8 and 9. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:40.559 Maybe you've heard these verses, for by grace you have been saved through faith. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.840 So he's understanding what happened at Damascus. 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:50.720 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing. 00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:58.000 You imagine him, a religious zealot, coming to these conclusions about his faith? 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:08.000 For by grace I've been saved through faith, it's not by my own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of my work, so that no one may boast. 00:11:09.039 --> 00:11:10.720 And that's simply point number two. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:17.759 The whole self, your whole self is redeemed by God's grace in Jesus. 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:23.679 The pursuit and the power always originates with the loving, gracious Heavenly Father. 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:28.639 Incarnate in Jesus, our sin put upon him, his righteousness is given to us. 00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:34.960 It's not a little bit of grace and a little bit of self-effort, and they meet in the middle. 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:40.480 No, it's by grace, through faith, not of your word. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:45.840 It's the imputation upon Megan Markle to be royalty. 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:49.279 It had to be imputed, it had to be gift. 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.159 Now we get to the second part of the story. 00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:56.799 This is what's interesting because the first part of the story is all about like a conversion of belief, unbelief to belief. 00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:02.559 And then we get to the second part of the story, that the second character, Ananias, he's already a believer. 00:12:02.879 --> 00:12:04.720 He's already a follower. 00:12:05.039 --> 00:12:08.320 But it's like a conversion of fear to love. 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:13.039 It's like after you're converted as being a Christian, now what do you deal with? 00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:16.559 Well, what you deal with is fear, is what we deal with. 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:23.919 And I know a lot more Christians who are afraid, or just as many who are afraid as non-Christians who are afraid or not afraid. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.000 Being a Christian doesn't mean you're not afraid. 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:33.919 It just means being a Christian, maybe perhaps, hopefully, you can appropriate your conversion of belief into that fear and be free of the fear. 00:12:36.639 --> 00:12:48.399 So this disciple Ananias, he's living in Damascus, and this vision comes to him about this guy, Saul of Tarsus, who's now in his city, and the vision says, Hey, go to this man, go to him and lay hands on him. 00:12:50.799 --> 00:12:52.399 Acts 9, 13 through 15. 00:12:52.480 --> 00:13:00.320 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:04.720 And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name. 00:13:04.879 --> 00:13:12.000 But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and children of Israel. 00:13:12.320 --> 00:13:15.440 Can you imagine what this probably felt like for Ananias? 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:17.519 Right? 00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:30.080 To go toward the very man that's your worst nightmare, who literally he's thinking, this guy is a good chance he's just gonna, he's gonna handcuff me. 00:13:30.799 --> 00:13:31.840 He's gonna take me in. 00:13:32.080 --> 00:13:33.200 It'll be the end of my life. 00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.879 I'll be leaving my family. 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:37.279 I mean, you imagine that. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:43.279 It's so easy just to read through the story and forget the actual human reaction that would be going on inside of this guy. 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:48.159 There'd be such fear to go walk to your enemy. 00:13:48.799 --> 00:13:51.039 How could Ananias do this? 00:13:52.720 --> 00:13:56.320 Just would seem a lot easier to me, just not just don't deal with them. 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:57.919 Nah, I'm good. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:13:59.120 I'm good. 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:05.120 Point number three is this after belief arrives, we have to deal with our fear. 00:14:06.559 --> 00:14:10.559 This man was already a believer, but he still had this fear, this hesitation. 00:14:10.720 --> 00:14:11.840 Go do this act of love. 00:14:12.240 --> 00:14:12.720 I don't know. 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:13.440 I've heard about them. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:13.919 Don't know. 00:14:14.000 --> 00:14:14.879 Don't know if I want to do that. 00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:17.360 Don't know if I want to face that. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:20.159 Right? 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:27.440 It's so easy to know your position with God as a child of God, but not have to integrate it into a fear. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:41.679 But integrating it into your fear is what transformation or growing in grace is all about or sanctification is all about, is integrating the conversion that's been given to you as a child of God and pulling that and putting that into your fear. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:43.600 What does it mean for your fear? 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:47.519 Many of our fears are centered around our hurt. 00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:51.039 We're afraid we'll be hurt, hurt again. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:55.120 So we're defensive or possibly swing the other way and we're aggressive. 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.519 Maybe we're just distant in general. 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:05.200 Or we're afraid we'll hurt someone else, or we'll let someone down, or we'll not receive their approval, so we're needy or exhausted. 00:15:06.320 --> 00:15:07.440 It's all darkness. 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:12.399 Maybe, maybe, maybe fear of not being enough. 00:15:13.759 --> 00:15:23.039 Fear of failure, fear of being ordinary, fear of being useless, fear of being betrayed, fear of being uncomfortable, fear of being weak, fear of conflict. 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:27.519 And either fear will run your life or love will run your life. 00:15:28.080 --> 00:15:29.759 It's always gonna be one or the other. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:33.759 And point number four is this love is greater than fear. 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:37.200 So we recognize the fear, right? 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:38.960 Because you know when fear is going on, right? 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:44.480 What I've heard said before is uh anxiety is like a tiger in a cage with a room with you. 00:15:44.559 --> 00:15:45.759 That's what anxiety is like. 00:15:45.840 --> 00:15:46.639 That's that feeling. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:48.399 It's bound, but it's in the room with you. 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.480 I mean, I'm anxious about that. 00:15:50.720 --> 00:15:52.480 Hope the cage is enough. 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:53.279 Right? 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:57.440 Fear is you're in the room with the tiger with no cage. 00:15:57.679 --> 00:15:58.960 That's what fear is. 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.039 So we know these feelings. 00:16:01.279 --> 00:16:02.080 We know them. 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:05.279 Now, what we do when we feel them is something different. 00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:08.799 That's the process of growing in grace. 00:16:10.720 --> 00:16:20.559 Freedom is freedom is choosing not to be dominated by the tiger that's in the room with you, but by another source of life. 00:16:21.200 --> 00:16:24.000 And this is where that conversion means everything. 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:25.679 That belief means everything. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:29.600 That new identity and the acceptance and absolution means everything. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:33.360 So we recognize the fear of feeling this, this is real. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:36.480 And then we remember the belief. 00:16:36.639 --> 00:16:46.320 I'm saved by grace, I'm accepted, I'm already accepted, I'm already absolved, I don't have to feel ashamed, I don't have to be afraid of whatever, wherever I'm running in my mind, I don't have to be afraid of that, I'm already a child of God. 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:48.480 But fear comes in. 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:50.480 I'm gonna be hurt again. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.720 I'm gonna keep hurting. 00:16:52.879 --> 00:16:56.960 I'll never be like her, I'll never be like him, I'll never have that. 00:16:57.440 --> 00:16:58.960 The tiger's loose. 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:09.200 So we recognize the fear, we remember the belief, and now we have to abide out of that belief, out of that gift. 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:14.640 Paul words it this way. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:20.240 Toward one of his last letters, Romans 8, 15 and 16. 00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:32.079 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons. 00:17:32.400 --> 00:17:36.799 We could say sons and daughters, by whom we cry, Abba Father. 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:43.519 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:48.640 We just have a greater source to live from. 00:17:49.200 --> 00:17:53.359 We're already accepted, we're already absolved because of the work of Jesus. 00:17:54.079 --> 00:17:58.960 So when we fear all that fear, we come back and we go, I remember the conversion of belief. 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:00.960 I believe I'm a child of God. 00:18:02.160 --> 00:18:05.759 I know I'm putting a lot on this story with Ananias, right? 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:08.240 But we see it with him. 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:12.000 Somehow he gets over this fear, somehow he gets out of it. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.720 He goes. 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:20.400 Maybe he's afraid the whole way, but but this call of love somehow, somehow overcomes his fear. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:26.319 And he gets there and he places his hands on his greatest fear, and the man sees. 00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:31.839 And when the man sees, his greatest fear does not threaten him back. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:34.160 They become brothers. 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:41.519 So, my brothers and sisters, may your belief in Jesus strengthen and may you walk by love and not fear. 00:18:41.759 --> 00:18:43.119 Let's pray together. 00:18:44.559 --> 00:18:50.799 God, we thank you for the stories in this room of conversion of belief. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:19:09.119 For those of us that can remember, we were with our parents, we were with our grandparents, we were at camp, we were in a church, we were in the privacy of our own bedroom, we were driving in a car and we did not believe, and then we heard something, we saw something, we thought something, and our hearts and our minds were flooded with belief. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:14.960 By grace, through faith, we have been saved. 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:25.839 We thank you for the stories of conversion of belief for those of us that it has been a growing awareness, and somewhere along the way, we believed. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:30.079 By your grace, through faith, we are saved. 00:19:31.920 --> 00:20:05.200 And now we believe and we are believers of the way of Jesus, and yet we walk around with a lot of fear, hearing the call of how we should live, to love neighbor, to love our families, love our enemies, face our fears, and it's so easy for us to escape, to numb ourselves, rather than to face that darkness, that we might move greater into freedom. 00:20:06.559 --> 00:20:21.039 Would you help us to remember who we are, as your children, that we might cry out, Abba Father, and remember we have not been adopted to walk around in a spirit of slavery, of fear. 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:25.839 But we are adopted as your sons and your daughters. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:29.839 Put this in our hearts in greater ways, in Jesus' name. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:30.559 Amen.