WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:21.199 Jesus once said in this is in John chapter 10 verse 10 I have come so that they and and they as us by the way so that they may have life and have it to the full I have come so they may have life and have it to the full and it's it's interesting how how rarely you hear people describe their life as full. 00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:29.039 Like if you ask someone how life is going, much more often than hearing them say, man, my life is full, you're gonna hear the word fine, right? 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:32.079 That's kind of the word we're conditioned by culture to say about life. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:32.880 How are you doing? 00:00:33.039 --> 00:00:33.280 Fine? 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:34.000 How's your job? 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:34.479 It's fine. 00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:35.280 How are your finances? 00:00:35.359 --> 00:00:35.679 They're fine. 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:36.640 How's your marriage? 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:37.200 It's fine. 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:38.079 How are your kids? 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:38.640 They're fine. 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:40.159 Everything's fine. 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.000 But Jesus didn't promise fine, he promised full. 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:55.039 And as I think about my life, as I think about what I I would like life to be, what I hope life to be, I don't want a fine life. 00:00:55.359 --> 00:00:56.960 I want a full life. 00:00:57.280 --> 00:00:59.200 And don't get me wrong, I'm all about being content. 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:04.799 I'm all about understanding perspective and realizing that sometimes you know things are better than I think they are. 00:01:04.879 --> 00:01:07.120 That's fine, but I don't want fine. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:08.799 I want full. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:12.239 And I want full because Jesus promised me a full life. 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.840 We have this tendency sometimes to settle for far less than what Jesus promised. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:32.079 And if you're here today and and you're new to the whole Jesus thing or maybe you're just figuring that out, we want you to know first and foremost that Jesus made bold promises to people about what life would be like when we live our lives connected with him. 00:01:32.239 --> 00:01:44.799 He made very bold promises and he promised us that life would be full and as we walk with him and as we learn from him and as his spirit fills us and teaches us and makes us more like him we begin to live in the fullness that he promised. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:50.879 He's made you promises he wants your life to be full but sometimes it feels like something is holding us back from that. 00:01:52.560 --> 00:02:08.719 Sometimes it just feels like there's something something external sometimes something internal more often than not keeping us from that fullness that he's promised and and I don't know about you but I don't want to live that way I want to break through whatever is holding me back and live that full life that Jesus promised. 00:02:08.800 --> 00:02:10.080 I want to break through. 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:28.960 I need a breakthrough that's the name of the series that we're starting today where we're gonna spend our next five or six weeks talking about how to have a breakthrough in life how to move past whatever's holding us back and step into that full life that Jesus promised anyone here excited about a breakthrough in life? 00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:30.080 Anyone want that? 00:02:30.479 --> 00:02:35.360 Good good because here's here's my experience breakthroughs are kind of inevitable. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:41.759 They really are it's just a matter of are you going to have a breakthrough on the front end or the tail end of a breakdown? 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:46.319 Like sometimes you can have a breakdown and that breakdown leads you to a breakthrough. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:03:02.080 But I don't know about you I'd much rather have a breakthrough on the front end of a breakdown than the tail end and so we're talking about how to have a breakthrough how to move past whatever is holding us back and experience that full life that Jesus has because I want to experience everything that he's promised me. 00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:13.599 Breakthroughs are uh are pretty profound they're pretty pretty life changing I got to experience and witness a breakthrough in someone's life one week ago today actually it was really cool it was my son Liam. 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:19.439 He's seven just turned seven a few months ago and he's doing pretty well like to have a breakthrough at age seven that's a big deal. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.039 Like he's definitely ahead of the curve there. 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:27.360 It took me a lot longer to have a breakthrough in my life or even realize that I needed one but Liam had a breakthrough last week and I'm being serious. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:33.759 In order for you to understand the magnitude of this breakthrough for for both him and me you need to understand some things about my son. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:39.280 And just so you guys know I I brag on my kids a lot I talk about my kids a lot. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:44.080 I'm I'm that guy that makes people watch videos of my children. 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:50.000 I don't even ask I just pull out my phone and say hey watch this and sometimes I make you do that too. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:55.759 And so that's what I'm about to do but it has purpose okay you need to understand my son loves basketball. 00:03:55.919 --> 00:03:58.159 Like he loves basketball. 00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:05.599 I hoped he would like basketball I like basketball but I I created a monster and he loves basketball more than I I could ever want to love basketball. 00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:07.759 Like he just he's obsessed with it and he's really good. 00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:09.840 Like he's actually a really good player. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:15.439 And so here I'm gonna prove it I have clips okay I'm that dad and so this is Liam and me playing basketball. 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:23.839 You guys can put that up whenever you're ready and we've sped it up so it won't take forever okay so if it looks like he's moving real fast here in a second that's not his feet that's that's a that's a camera thing. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.240 So Liam and I will go outside and play all the time. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:29.839 And he just makes baskets like over and over and over again. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:05:14.319 He just turned seven and so sometimes he'll be like hey dad can you set up your camera and film me I want to see how many I can make in a row that's why I'm doing that okay that's why I'm filming him and it's just like one after the other he just makes it and he makes it and he makes it and he makes it and he makes it and he makes it and he makes it and then he makes it and then after he makes it he makes it and it's like that was that was 18 in a row by the way and he just turned seven thank you for your excitement because here's the thing if he keeps at this pace I can be that dad that lives vicariously through the athletic ability of my child and like puts pressure and expectations on him that that crush him and then I exploit him for my own personal gain. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:16.639 What I'm saying is I can become the next LeVar Ball. 00:05:16.720 --> 00:05:17.680 That could be me. 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:29.279 That could be me I'm so excited if you don't know who LeVar Ball is you can look it up but no I here's the truth if if I love my kids and if he was that excited about building Legos I would I would film him building Legos. 00:05:29.519 --> 00:05:32.240 I love my kids but Liam loves basketball. 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.920 You got to understand that that's the first part of this number two he loves God. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:43.199 Now if I had my priorities straight I'd probably film highlight clips of him praying and things like that to prove it to you I don't have any clips like that so you're just gonna have to trust me. 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:45.759 But Liam like loves loves God. 00:05:46.399 --> 00:05:52.879 He loves to pray he loves to learn about God he loves being here at church he loves he loves reading the Bible together he loves God. 00:05:53.199 --> 00:05:58.079 Every night when he goes to bed we have a routine and part of that routine the last part is is prayer. 00:05:58.240 --> 00:05:58.959 I pray for him. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:06.160 And uh and if you have young kids you understand that the moment your children are all in bed is one of the most glorious moments in life. 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:40.079 And it's not that you don't love your kids it's just that until that happens you haven't had you know a five minute string of time where you've been able to complete a thought without being interrupted right and so when they're all in bed like Megan and I if we had the energy to or if we weren't so afraid of waking them up we'd do a victory dance every night when our kids are in bed because we've got like an hour to just be and so because Liam's our oldest he's the last one to go to bed and prayer's the last thing we do and I'm just being honest sometimes I kind of go routine and I'm just trying to expedite that prayer right it's just like this hey God thank you for Liam bless him give him a great tomorrow at school amen. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:42.560 I kind of go through it just being honest. 00:06:42.879 --> 00:06:47.439 Last it was two weeks ago actually two weeks ago I'm praying for Liam and I'm doing that. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:53.360 He's going to bed and I say amen to this very routine wrote prayer and Liam adds to my prayer. 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.759 So I say amen and then Liam continues. 00:06:56.000 --> 00:07:02.800 And he says with with all sincerity in his heart he says and God please let me hear your voice I want to hear you speak. 00:07:03.519 --> 00:07:06.000 And I was so I was so touched by that that was really sweet. 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:26.319 And so you know we prayed the night was done Megan and I did our silent little victory dance and we went about our day last Sunday Liam comes up to me and he says Dad I heard God speak to me sometimes we have this tendency to view God things with kids as cute but they're powerful. 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.519 Like when we have young kids get baptized here it's not cute. 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:30.639 It's not like an it is cute. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:35.920 I mean we can't deny the cuteness but like a young child going all in with Jesus is not this aw this is cute thing. 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:49.360 No that's that's mighty that's powerful and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that so Liam tells me you know God dad spoke to me and I'm like awake sure he did and I said well what did he say? 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:54.560 And Liam said God told me he wants me to use my talent to tell people about him. 00:07:55.360 --> 00:08:12.720 Now when he said this I got chills because to you that that might sound like a very generic thing to say but when I was 16 years old I had an experience with God it was the very first experience I ever had with God where he spoke to me ever in my entire life. 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.319 I was brushing my teeth as I do. 00:08:16.639 --> 00:08:23.040 And that's probably the timing God chose to speak to me because that's one of the only times I'm not talking. 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:29.600 And uh I was brushing my teeth and I I remember this so distinctly because it was such a powerful moment in my life. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:33.120 I was brushing my teeth and I was thinking about what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do. 00:08:33.200 --> 00:08:34.159 You know I was 16 years old. 00:08:34.240 --> 00:09:19.440 You got to have your life mapped out by 16 right and so I was old enough to understand that professional sports were probably not you know in the equation anymore and so I uh so I was moving on to other things and talking has always been something that I have enjoyed doing um and certain people think I do it well certain people tell me to stop but it's always something that I've just done and and I was getting involved in in various talking related things at school I was doing drama I was doing speech and debate and I I was having some success and so I was thinking man maybe talking maybe that's something that I I want to I want to do in life I like to talk you know maybe I can maybe someone will pay me to talk one day and so I was thinking about news and being like a broadcaster and I was thinking oh how cool would it be to travel over the world and you know be on camera and and talk and tell people about everything happening. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:36.639 And I was brushing my teeth thinking about how awesome that would be and then I I heard God speak to me for the first time in my life it wasn't audible it was like a voice in your head as audible as your own voice in your head is you know how that is audible in a way but it was so clear that it was not me because it interrupted me. 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:50.159 I'm thinking about doing the news one day and and I hear this voice that says why would you use the talent I've given you to tell everyone about all the bad things happening in the world when you can use your talent to tell people about me. 00:09:51.679 --> 00:10:04.320 So my son, that's awesome but think it think about that that's the first thing God ever spoke to me was I want you to use your talent to tell people about me and then my seven year old son says Dad God spoke to me and I've never told him this story. 00:10:04.559 --> 00:10:05.840 And I'm like oh what did he say? 00:10:05.919 --> 00:10:18.320 And he says God said I want you to use your talent to tell people about me and I'm going that's why I got chills the first thing that God ever spoke to my son is the exact same thing that he spoke to me the first time he spoke to me. 00:10:18.879 --> 00:10:21.440 And I sat there and I just had a second. 00:10:21.679 --> 00:10:33.200 I was taken back to that initial moment I I like I said I got chills and I had to kind of collect myself and I said well son what what talent do you think he's talking about and Liam went basketball? 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:34.399 Duh. 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:36.240 Right? 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:39.759 Like that's a breakthrough. 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.320 Hearing God speak to you that that is a breakthrough. 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:49.759 Anyone who's followed God or even if you're just open to the idea of God I think you would admit that hearing God speak to you and being confident that he has, that is a breakthrough in life. 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:53.759 And Liam had that one week ago today and that's awesome and he's seven years old. 00:10:53.919 --> 00:11:01.600 Now I have to be honest again I feel like I'm admitting a lot of things as a parent that I shouldn't admit but openness and honesty is a big part of our culture here at his hands so why not? 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:11.679 I was kind of jealous of Liam like after the initial joy wore off of wow God you spoke to him and you said the same exact thing that you said to me that is so cool. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:14.080 Why did Liam get to here at seven? 00:11:14.480 --> 00:11:28.240 Like what what's so special about him that he got it at seven I got it at 16 and you know what some of us may be here saying I've never heard God speak to me look God speaks believe that but I'm asking myself like what why did he get that at seven? 00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:34.639 And the only thing that that I could think of was this very very simple simple thing. 00:11:34.799 --> 00:12:04.879 He asked Liam heard God speak to him at seven years old because at seven years old Liam asked God to speak to him and I I don't remember all of age seven too well I remember asking for things at age seven I was not asking God to speak to me at age seven over the next several weeks we're gonna talk about all these different ways that we can experience breakthroughs in our lives but I want to start here with a concept of of asking God for what you need. 00:12:06.720 --> 00:12:12.080 If you need a breakthrough in life ask God for a breakthrough start there. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:26.639 Because the break the the greatest breakthroughs in life are God given not man-earned the greatest breakthroughs in life are things that God gives to us not epiphanies or realizations that we have as we we do our thing. 00:12:26.799 --> 00:12:35.440 The greatest breakthroughs are from God and so if you need a breakthrough in your life today start by asking God for a breakthrough. 00:12:35.759 --> 00:12:45.679 Start by asking the one who has the power to give you what you need I said earlier that Jesus has promised us many things. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:53.759 Jesus makes very bold promises to us and one of the things that he makes very clear to us is that is that our God is generous. 00:12:54.240 --> 00:13:00.399 The Bible speaks over and over again about the generosity of God that he is a gift giver that he gives to his children what they need. 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:13.679 So that's why in James chapter 1 verse 5 the Bible says if any of you lack wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to you that is a promise God gives to us. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:24.240 That's why Jesus said in John 1413 you can ask for anything in my name and I will do it so that the Son can bring glory to the Father yes ask me for anything in my name and I will do it. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:26.159 That's a bold promise. 00:13:27.120 --> 00:13:35.600 Now some people will take scripture like this and twist it into to making God out to be some kind of vending machine where you just want something, you go, you hit the button, you get it. 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.120 And Jesus was was talking about something a little bit more nuanced than that. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:46.000 He's talking about about this as if we're going to desire the things that God desires for us that what we want is lining up with God's will for our lives. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:54.240 The closer we get to God the closer we we get to Jesus as we grow in our relationship with him the more what we desire starts to match what he desires. 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:59.440 That's a very good thing by the way when you want what God wants that's a good thing because God tends to get what he wants. 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:08.080 But in James chapter 4 verses 2 through 3 it gives us a little more clarity on this it adds to that it says yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. 00:14:08.399 --> 00:14:11.200 And even when you ask you don't get it because your motives are all wrong. 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:28.000 You want only what will give you pleasure and so in other words if we want what God wants God desires for us God wants to give it to us and if you want what God wants ask for it. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:33.039 And so you have to ask yourself does God want you to have a fulfilled life the answer is yes. 00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:35.360 Does God want you to have a successful marriage? 00:14:35.519 --> 00:14:42.480 The answer is yes does God want your life to be surrounded with with fulfilling and amazing life-giving relationships? 00:14:42.559 --> 00:15:16.879 The answer is yes does God want you to have a great relationship with your children yes does God want you to be a good dad yes does God want you to be a good mom yes does God want you to to live the life you're called to live the answer is yes God wants that and so if you want what God wants ask him for it ask him if you want a breakthrough ask the God who gives breakthroughs it's it's interesting because asking is actually kind of hard for us like one of the reasons that Liam is good at asking for things is because he's a child. 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:22.240 Children are amazing at asking for things my daughter is three she is so good at asking me for things. 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:33.039 And her reasoning is really simple she'll say daddy I want this and I'll say no and then she'll say but I want it and to her that's all that I need to know I want it. 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:40.240 You can give it to me I want it my son Judah he's even better at asking for things he doesn't really even ask he just points and demands. 00:15:40.480 --> 00:16:06.559 He loves to eat cheese he goes to our refrigerator and he just knocks on the refrigerator and looks at us and goes cheese you know he's a good ask but as we get older we get less good at asking our asks become more subtle we talk ourselves out of asking we get disappointed in life and so we we try to protect ourselves from further disappointment from rejection and so sometimes the asks in our life just get less and less and less and less. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:23.440 And we do the same thing with God sometimes we sometimes we just don't ask or when we do ask we we ask these very very small things because we're just nervous or worried that God's going to be offended for some reason I've heard people actually say this. 00:16:23.519 --> 00:16:34.720 I've heard people say to me that you know I struggle with with praying because I know God's got so many you know big things going on and I just I don't want to I don't want to ask him for something there's so many other people in the world that have greater needs than mine. 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:48.960 Look you can read the Bible you will never find any moment in scripture where God says hey I'm busy I've got a lot going on right now there's needs much greater than yours so here take a number and I'll call you when your need is most relevant to me. 00:16:49.120 --> 00:17:17.200 That is not anywhere in scripture we have a God who is generous a God who wants to give to us but still we struggle to ask and so I say that because today if you need a breakthrough in your life in some aspect of your life you need to move forward you need to step into some new place with God you need a breakthrough you got to ask for a breakthrough but you got to ask how do I ask sometimes we need to be reminded how to ask for things. 00:17:17.599 --> 00:17:31.279 And so as we wrap up today I want to give you four aspects of asking four four ways to ask that are just that are effective according to what God says number one be bold. 00:17:32.319 --> 00:17:37.680 The biggest miracles belong to those with the boldest prayers be bold. 00:17:38.319 --> 00:17:43.440 Hebrews 416 says let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God I love that verse. 00:17:43.519 --> 00:17:55.759 I share it pretty often let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God now I've never physically walked up to a throne but a throne is where a king is sitting and people don't tend to approach kings boldly. 00:17:56.400 --> 00:18:03.119 You approach the throne timidly nervously unless of course you are the child of the king. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:22.480 And then you can go as boldly as you'd like to and God tells us to approach him boldly and the reason is because we are his kids like there's kind of two contexts to that number one we can say that you know everyone is God's kid because God created everything and that is true and that's like that warm fuzzy nice sounding like we're all God's kids. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:29.039 But but the Bible says that anyone who has given their life to Jesus has been adopted into the family of God. 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:36.400 That God has adopted us into his family so much so that we can call him Abba Father and Abba was the word they used for daddy in their culture. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:19:02.400 When Jesus talked to God when Jesus said father he's saying Abba he's saying daddy it's very very informal it's very relational so if you've given your life to Jesus you have been adopted into the family of God you can call him daddy if you want to that's how boldly you can come to him he is not this distant demanding ruler he's a loving father and because we're his kids when we have something that we need we can go to him boldly and ask. 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:06.000 So be bold when you pray. 00:19:06.720 --> 00:19:23.039 Number two, be specific I have this tendency sometimes to let my prayers become extremely general you know and and there's more to prayer than just asking God for things that's a part of prayer but but worship is prayer and and praising God and thanking God and confession. 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.480 There's all these different aspects to prayer but part of prayer is is asking for things. 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:47.119 And sometimes my prayers are so general I just say things like God bless me you know God favor me help me but but like be specific be specific there's a story in Mark chapter 10 of this blind man who comes to Jesus and he actually comes very boldly he just shouts Jesus' name and stops Jesus as he's going somewhere. 00:19:47.359 --> 00:19:53.920 And then Jesus calls him up and in Mark 10 51 we get this interaction what do you want me to do for you? 00:19:54.079 --> 00:20:16.160 Jesus asked my rabbi the blind man said I want to see and Jesus said to him go for your faith has healed you and instantly the man could see and he followed Jesus down the road now if the man had simply said Lord heal me Jesus could have looked at him and said where because Jesus knows that we need a lot more healing than we often think right like do you does your heart need healing? 00:20:16.240 --> 00:20:44.319 How about your mind the way you think how about the hurt that you've experienced what your soul your spirit heal is a very general term for Jesus and Bartimae says I want to see fix these specifically my eyes and Jesus goes oh okay and he heals them God obviously knows what we need he does not need us to tell us what we need because he's unaware there's no moment where God's like hey I'm not quite up to speed on what's going on in your life so just be specific. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:53.759 That's not what it's about but when you pray specific prayers and God answers them specifically it grows your faith so so much. 00:20:54.640 --> 00:21:00.079 So don't only be bold when you pray but be specific I have a good friend who's working to sell a business right now. 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:05.119 And he sent me a text a couple weeks ago and he said pray that it sells for this much by this day. 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:10.559 I'm so grateful that he asked for that because now when I'm praying I get to pray this very specific prayer. 00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:17.440 You know not just God do this for him but God do this by this date here's your deadline God and uh this is what we're going for. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:19.920 So you know do that. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:40.160 Be bold when you ask be specific number three be persistent my daughter three years old frustratingly persistent she she struggles to to know when not to say things and if she has something on her mind she has to has to tell you I don't know where she got it from. 00:21:40.400 --> 00:22:03.119 And uh and so there there's often times where I'm like on the phone and I'm talking to someone and Lily will walk up to me and she'll just be like Dad she's very loud dad and I'm on the phone and I'm like honey just give me a minute dad Lily I'm on the phone dad Lily I'm talking Dad and and and she'll say that like five or six times eventually I have to pull the phone Away from my you know my ear because there's a mute button, but I don't know how to use it. 00:22:03.200 --> 00:22:09.839 So I just go like that, like it's an old wired phone or something, and I just go, Lily, I am on the phone. 00:22:10.640 --> 00:22:12.400 You need to wait until I'm done. 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:17.200 And she'll just like stand up really straight and look at me and go, Dad. 00:22:17.839 --> 00:22:19.279 Like she does that every time. 00:22:19.440 --> 00:22:22.559 She just like pauses for a second and then a whisper. 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:24.960 And then and then she wins. 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:27.440 Because at that point, I'm just like, what? 00:22:27.759 --> 00:22:28.160 What? 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:28.960 What? 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:32.640 Um, and then she'll say something, and I give her what she needs. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:34.160 Her persistence pays off. 00:22:34.400 --> 00:22:36.480 She wins those battles, like every time. 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:37.839 Jesus once told a story. 00:22:37.920 --> 00:22:45.039 It was a parable about a widow who had this injustice done to her, and she goes to this judge and she asks this judge to render a just verdict. 00:22:45.119 --> 00:22:49.119 And the judge is a wicked guy, he doesn't care about her, so he just says, Yeah, I'm not worried about it. 00:22:49.279 --> 00:22:52.799 He goes on his way, and she just keeps bugging him and bugging him and bugging him. 00:22:52.880 --> 00:23:00.160 And eventually, this judge, this wicked judge, says, fine, and he just gives her what she wants because of her persistence. 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:07.359 And Jesus, after telling this story, said this learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 00:23:07.599 --> 00:23:09.519 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:14.319 So don't you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:15.680 Will he keep putting them off? 00:23:15.839 --> 00:23:18.240 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly. 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.440 In other words, persistence pays off, even with God. 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:26.480 So when you have something that you're asking for, when you're asking for a breakthrough, ask. 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:28.319 Ask. 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:30.319 And then ask and ask and ask. 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:30.880 Keep asking. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:35.200 Jesus says this in Matthew 7 7: keep on asking and you will receive what you asked for. 00:23:35.359 --> 00:23:39.599 Keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 00:23:39.839 --> 00:23:40.640 Be persistent. 00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:43.920 And finally, believe. 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:48.319 We've got to be bold when we ask God. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:51.839 We've got to be specific, we've got to be persistent, but we've got to believe. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:56.559 We've got to believe in the power of the one that we're going to. 00:23:58.000 --> 00:24:01.440 Faith is this very, very powerful and very interesting thing. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:05.119 If you study the Bible, you see that faith actually affects God. 00:24:06.480 --> 00:24:10.079 There's two times in Jesus' life where the Bible says he was amazed. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:16.559 Two times in Jesus' time on this earth where he was amazed and shocked, surprised. 00:24:16.720 --> 00:24:18.640 And they both had to do with faith. 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:24.880 One of the instances it says that Jesus was amazed at the lack of faith at a group of people. 00:24:25.440 --> 00:24:30.480 The other time it says Jesus was amazed at the amount of faith that this one man had. 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:35.839 Faith leaves an impression on God's heart, it affects him. 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:42.880 Paul was reflecting on Abraham when he was writing a letter to a church at Rome. 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:47.920 And Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation, and Paul was kind of thinking about what it was that made Abraham so special. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:53.519 And in Romans chapter 4, Paul writes, Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:56.319 But what did he discover about being made right with God? 00:24:56.480 --> 00:25:01.039 If it was his good deeds that had made him right and acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:07.920 But that was not God's way, for the scriptures tell us Abraham believed God and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:10.640 Belief. 00:25:11.599 --> 00:25:12.480 It's very powerful. 00:25:14.880 --> 00:25:16.640 James chapter 5. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:19.200 James is making some bold promises about prayer. 00:25:19.279 --> 00:25:21.119 And he says, Are any of you suffering hardships? 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:21.839 You should pray. 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:23.119 Are any of you happy? 00:25:23.200 --> 00:25:24.079 You should sing praises. 00:25:24.240 --> 00:25:25.039 Are any of you sick? 00:25:25.119 --> 00:25:29.119 You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 00:25:29.200 --> 00:25:33.279 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. 00:25:33.680 --> 00:25:35.839 If you've committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:38.480 And notice that he says, the prayer offered in faith. 00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:45.440 There is something special, something powerful about a prayer, an ask, that has belief behind it. 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:48.720 Sometimes it's hard for us to believe. 00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:52.799 Sometimes we need help believing. 00:25:52.960 --> 00:26:00.000 There was a man who once came to Jesus for Jesus to heal his son, and he was struggling to believe that it even could be done, and he told Jesus, help my unbelief. 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:04.240 So if you struggle with belief, ask God. 00:26:04.480 --> 00:26:05.920 Ask God to help you with belief. 00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:09.119 And I'll tell you though, what will help you with belief more than anything else? 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:19.759 If you pray very bold, very specific, very persistent prayers, and you see them answered as boldly and as specifically as you pray them, you will have belief. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:21.680 You will grow in your faith. 00:26:22.000 --> 00:26:23.039 But believe. 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:28.240 Our God, He's generous and He loves you. 00:26:28.400 --> 00:26:28.880 He loves you. 00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:31.519 If you're here this morning, you don't realize that, God, He loves you. 00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:32.400 He invented you. 00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:34.880 The Bible says He knows how many hairs are on your head. 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:38.799 Some of you, that's a very easy count, but for others, it's very difficult. 00:26:39.920 --> 00:26:41.279 It's very difficult. 00:26:41.759 --> 00:26:49.200 And I have to think to myself, like, how how crazy in love with someone would you have to be to even care how many hairs are on their head? 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:53.119 That is how passionate God is about you. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:58.079 We have a generous God who loves us. 00:26:59.279 --> 00:27:00.559 He's so, so good to us. 00:27:00.640 --> 00:27:08.000 That's why in James 1.17, the Bible says, whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God, our Father, who created all lights in the heavens. 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:10.000 He gives us good and perfect gifts. 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:15.279 And I'm telling you this morning that if you need a breakthrough in your life, we have a God who wants to give you a breakthrough. 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:27.119 So, but before we start worrying about what specific practices to use in life, what strategies we can employ in our lives to experience breakthroughs, we've got to start by realizing that the greatest breakthroughs come from God. 00:27:27.359 --> 00:27:35.039 The greatest breakthroughs are gifts given to us by our generous God, and we've got to be people who boldly ask God for what we need. 00:27:36.160 --> 00:27:38.079 So this morning, what do you need? 00:27:39.839 --> 00:27:42.400 What part of your life needs a breakthrough? 00:27:44.960 --> 00:27:46.559 Maybe it's a relationship this morning. 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:49.200 Maybe it's maybe it's job related. 00:27:49.599 --> 00:27:52.400 Maybe there's just this one aspect of your life and it just stuck. 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:54.559 It's not going the way it's supposed to go. 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:57.279 Whatever it is, I'm telling you, God cares. 00:27:58.079 --> 00:27:59.279 He cares so much. 00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:03.839 So ask him for the breakthrough that you need this morning. 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:08.559 The worship team, if you guys want to come out, we're gonna wrap up. 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:10.480 I want to say one final thing. 00:28:11.440 --> 00:28:15.839 The easiest questions are the ones that you already know the answer to. 00:28:16.240 --> 00:28:22.480 Like I remember when I first started dating Megan when we were in in high school, we were high school sweethearts. 00:28:22.640 --> 00:28:33.359 Um I didn't have a lot of confidence with girls, which was very, very much backed up by my experiences up to that point in life, right? 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:39.839 And uh, like you don't need to know this, but once I I this is in high school, I had three girls that I asked out. 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:41.200 Not at once, that'd be weird. 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:43.440 Um, you know, backup plans, you gotta have a back. 00:28:43.759 --> 00:28:51.200 No, I asked in three separate instances, I asked three girls out, and they all said yes, and then the next day they told me they thought about it and they changed their mind. 00:28:51.440 --> 00:28:53.119 And I didn't really understand that. 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:53.839 You know? 00:28:54.000 --> 00:28:56.400 I was like, what changed? 00:28:56.559 --> 00:28:59.119 What they went home and I don't know. 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:00.720 So that was kind of my experience. 00:29:00.880 --> 00:29:08.240 And so uh so when it came to asking Megan out, this beautiful girl, I uh I did what most high school guys did. 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:16.079 I made 100% sure that she was interested by uh harassing her friends and anyone else who knew her and getting the inside scoop. 00:29:16.160 --> 00:29:21.200 So like I had these in-roads and I was talking to Megan's friends, and I'm like, hey, if I asked her to prom, would she say yes? 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:26.880 And one of her friends literally got to the point where she said, She will say yes to her, to you, just ask her. 00:29:27.200 --> 00:29:28.559 She will say yes, just ask her. 00:29:28.640 --> 00:29:30.880 And I was like, that's the sign I needed. 00:29:31.119 --> 00:29:32.960 And then I did, you know. 00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:38.079 But it's nice when you ask a question and you already know the answer. 00:29:38.160 --> 00:29:39.200 I was still a little nervous, though. 00:29:39.440 --> 00:29:40.559 For some reason, I was still a little nervous. 00:29:40.640 --> 00:29:42.079 I want you to know this this morning. 00:29:42.240 --> 00:29:46.079 And this is for those of us that maybe haven't decided where we stand with Jesus yet. 00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:50.640 There is no breakthrough greater than the moment that God steps into your life in a powerful way. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:53.839 There's no greater breakthrough than having God with you. 00:29:56.160 --> 00:30:01.519 And that's a question that you get to ask that you can already know the answer to. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:06.400 And so if you need the breakthrough of a relationship with God, ask him. 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:09.359 Ask him to come into your life this morning. 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:17.200 Ask him to literally move into your heart and make your life his home and to start working with you and doing all the things that he's promised to do for you. 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:23.359 Just put your trust in him and ask him, but know in advance that the answer to the question of will you have me is yes. 00:30:23.920 --> 00:30:26.640 The answer to the question of God, will you be okay with me? 00:30:26.799 --> 00:30:27.759 Will you accept me? 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.359 The answer is yes. 00:30:30.559 --> 00:30:31.920 Ask him into your life. 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:36.000 He's already given you his yes this morning. 00:30:37.359 --> 00:30:44.640 But for all of us, for all of us, let's be people who boldly ask our God for what he's promised to give us. 00:30:44.799 --> 00:30:48.720 Let's be people who have a breakthrough and step into that full life that Jesus promised us. 00:30:48.799 --> 00:30:50.000 Will you please pray with me? 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:52.720 Jesus, thank you so much for this morning. 00:30:53.039 --> 00:30:56.079 Thank you so much for the extra minutes of sleep. 00:30:57.839 --> 00:31:02.559 Lord, we just we're grateful that we have you in our lives. 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:04.640 That we have a God who is generous. 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:06.559 We have a God who wants to bless us. 00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:09.279 We have a God who wants to give us the breakthroughs in life that we need, Lord. 00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:11.440 And sometimes, God, we just need your help to believe. 00:31:11.519 --> 00:31:15.680 We need your help to have boldness and to actually ask you for the things that we desire. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:27.039 So, God, please get us over our holdups when it comes to going to you and asking for what we really need and give us the faith that is needed to say, God, this is what I need. 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:32.480 Make us people, God, who ask you for everything that you've promised to give us. 00:31:33.599 --> 00:31:42.240 God, I just pray that there was anyone here this morning that needs to know how much you love them, that you would make that clear, that you would stir in their heart, they would just feel you, God, they would feel your love. 00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:47.920 I pray, Lord, if there's anyone here right now that's never given their life to you, that they would do that right now, because there's no ritual that we have to go through. 00:31:48.160 --> 00:31:51.519 We just have to say in our heart that we want you and know that you want us, God. 00:31:51.599 --> 00:31:52.720 So I pray that that happens. 00:31:52.799 --> 00:31:54.720 And I pray that you bless all of our weeks this week. 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:55.519 Just be with us. 00:31:55.680 --> 00:31:57.839 Help us be a light to the world around us, God. 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:00.799 Help us love the people in our community, in our homes, in our jobs. 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:03.359 God, just help us be like you everywhere we go. 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:04.079 We love you, Lord. 00:32:04.160 --> 00:32:05.200 We ask all this in your name. 00:32:05.359 --> 00:32:05.759 Amen.