Overcoming the fear of giving God control involves a blend of trust, experience, community, and spiritual discipline. It is a gradual process that deepens as your relationship with God grows. Each step of trust makes the next one easier, as you repeatedly experience His faithfulness and love.
[00:00:00] Let us pray, bread together on our knees
[00:00:07] Let us pray, bread together on our knees
[00:00:14] When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun
[00:00:21] Oh Lord, never see all the need
[00:00:27] Welcome to the Bible Speaks with Elgin Carelock
[00:00:30] The Bible Speaks is a weekly ministry of Harvest International
[00:00:33] Our prayer is that the Bible Speaks will encourage you in your study of God's Word
[00:00:38] You will be able to contact Elgin at the address given at the end of this broadcast
[00:00:44] And now, here's Elgin
[00:00:46] Brothers and sisters, I welcome you in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit
[00:00:51] And thank God for your diligence in learning God's Word
[00:00:56] Today we are joined by a great friend and souljourner, Bishop John Jackson
[00:01:03] Bishop Jackson is an advocate, a pastor, a community leader, husband, father, author, and a powerful man of God
[00:01:15] And today we're going to have a discussion titled, Overcoming the Fear of Letting Go and Letting God
[00:01:23] Our scriptural inspiration comes from 2 Corinthians 10 verses 4 through 5
[00:01:31] And reading from the New International Version, it says
[00:01:35] The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world
[00:01:40] On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds
[00:01:46] We demolish arguments in every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God
[00:01:52] And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ
[00:01:59] The reason I chose this scripture and not what is commonly used to address fear, which is 2 Timothy 1 and 7
[00:02:08] For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind
[00:02:14] The reason I didn't choose that one is because I wanted us to address the things that we do to ourselves
[00:02:21] That cause apprehension to truly trusting God
[00:02:26] Letting go is especially tough when you've been a person of accomplishments
[00:02:32] When God has empowered you to accomplish great things in life or for the kingdom
[00:02:38] You naturally build a confidence in your ability to make things work
[00:02:43] Now this isn't about arrogance but the boldness that comes from understanding that you're more than a conqueror
[00:02:51] However, as you grow in your understanding of God's Word, God's character and his expectations of you
[00:02:58] You understand there will come a point when your talents, skills, and even gifts have to take a back seat to God's will
[00:03:08] Like Paul discussed in 1 Thessalonians 3 verses 6-7, reading from the English Standard Version
[00:03:17] I planted Apollo's water but God gave the growth
[00:03:23] So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything but only God who gives the growth
[00:03:32] A pastor may plant a church or take over a church and bring it to a higher level
[00:03:38] But at some point he or she will have to give it back to God
[00:03:42] Or as I like to say, take their hands off and let God make the church grow
[00:03:48] I'm reminded of Bishop T.D. Jakes discussing how he preached to less than 100 people in this church for 10 years
[00:03:57] Before God told him to move to where he is now
[00:04:01] And through his obedience and following God's directions all the way
[00:04:05] He now has over 10,000 people who attend his church regularly
[00:04:11] At a certain point God will allow us to use our gifts to make room for us
[00:04:17] But it is he who brings the increase
[00:04:21] That is because he then wants us to begin walking in our purpose at a higher level
[00:04:27] A level we've not encountered before and are not capable of attaining on our own
[00:04:33] It is this realization that can cause us to hold back due to fear
[00:04:39] This fear can range from uncertainty of an outcome that has serious consequences
[00:04:45] To our personal fear of not being able to control the outcome
[00:04:50] And with that I'll ask Bishop Jackson to share his thoughts on what we have said thus far
[00:04:57] Yes, good day to you sir. You know it's such an honor to have the opportunity to be with you today
[00:05:04] And you picked such a dynamic passage of scripture
[00:05:09] It's so needed in this hour
[00:05:14] The lives of individuals always has been
[00:05:17] But when you look at the scripture you read it out of the NIV
[00:05:21] And either the King James version of that it says
[00:05:25] You know the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds
[00:05:30] And there's just that first portion of that
[00:05:33] But it gives additional instructions to the life of an individual
[00:05:39] I'm one that uses the complete Jewish Bible as a scriptural reference guide that we teach out of generally
[00:05:46] And if you indulge me a moment I will go ahead and share that when it reads out of that
[00:05:51] And it states it says because the weapons we use to wage war are not worldly
[00:05:57] On the contrary they have God's power for demolishing strongholds
[00:06:02] We demolish arguments in every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God
[00:06:09] We take every thought captive and make it to obey the Messiah
[00:06:14] And when you have become completely obedient then we will be ready to punish every act of this obedience
[00:06:24] Now I did add verse 6 into that
[00:06:27] I felt that it was appropriate because of the fact that when we're looking at this as a whole
[00:06:33] We understand that this life as a Christian, child of God
[00:06:40] Whatever synonym you like to use is a life of faith
[00:06:45] And faith equals risk because it requires an extra amount of risk
[00:06:53] In other words trusting what you can't see, what you don't know out of the confines of your capability
[00:07:01] Your skills that as we use in the business where you will well
[00:07:05] Things of that nature to be able to stretch
[00:07:08] One of the greatest challenges we find is that as human beings because we were born in this world
[00:07:14] Now as the Bible says as we are in the world but we're not of the world
[00:07:18] But because we're born in the world we draw our experiences from the world
[00:07:24] Our education or we gain at the collegiate levels certain disciplines as we declare a major
[00:07:32] And that sets us on the course to for if you will mastery or get to doctoral levels
[00:07:38] That's why you write a master's thesis and why you do a doctoral dissertation
[00:07:42] So all of that is to guide you in a thought process where generally it's in the same vein of the things that are of the world
[00:07:51] It's also based on the institution in which that you study
[00:07:56] So it has to do with thought
[00:07:58] So it's how we think about things, how we view the things of the world, how we view God
[00:08:05] Walking by faith, living by faith is taking that risk to say I understand this, I've learned this
[00:08:14] But because I've been introduced to God I've learned that there's much more
[00:08:20] I've learned that the weapons in my warfare not carnival mighty include God
[00:08:25] So if it's through God then if there are weapons it is essential that I learn what those weapons are
[00:08:32] That as it is a change to me because my weapons may not be your weapons
[00:08:38] It may not be your family's weapons, it may not be the other parishioners weapons and so on
[00:08:44] Because we don't have the same exact path we can be within the same house or the church
[00:08:50] We can walk in certain covenant agreements and arrangements and what have you
[00:08:53] But we have varying callings and different things on our lives
[00:08:57] So therefore God has predestined a certain type or type of weapon for you to use
[00:09:03] And if we use, and I like to say that the body of Christ is like the military
[00:09:09] There are varying branches of the military and with these branches of the military there's very specialties in the military
[00:09:14] You know everybody can't be a marine although they want to put themselves through the type of training and discipline
[00:09:21] That is required to be able to be a marine and then you can have a marine but every marine is not going to be force recon
[00:09:28] Everybody can't be a Navy SEAL, so there's different things that is happening
[00:09:32] So when we look at the scripture that you're talking about it goes back to again your thoughts
[00:09:40] Your understanding of this relationship, 2 Corinthians 5 and 17 tells us
[00:09:44] If any man is in Christ he's a new creation, old things have passed away, all things have become new
[00:09:49] In the complete Jewish Bible also it says in him, so in him, him in you
[00:09:55] So what that says to me is that there is a level of intimacy of a relationship to understand
[00:10:02] Like today I've come into your presence
[00:10:06] But I was in your presence before I walked into this studio because I could see you
[00:10:11] But I got closer to you, I'm more in your presence and I have you based on the relationship that we have established
[00:10:19] So therefore there's a type of intimacy that is there in the relationship
[00:10:24] And in order for us to really embrace what the scripture says and walk into it where as we can experience it
[00:10:31] Those are the requirements because as we looked at the demolishing of strongholds
[00:10:38] What are the strongholds? The set things that have been in our lives that have held us captive or in bomb ditch
[00:10:46] To certain lifestyles or thought processes or those that came through the baby boomer generation
[00:10:52] There was groups of people that felt as though you can't be this, you can't go here, you can't accomplish that
[00:10:57] You can receive Christ and walk into it, however if you still have that stronghold in your mind
[00:11:05] You cannot walk into the blessings and the increase that he has for you
[00:11:09] There are no arguments, who are the arguments? Who are we arguing with?
[00:11:12] We argue ahead, and I'm sure we've argued with ourselves at time
[00:11:16] Yes I can, no I can't, yes I can, no I can't
[00:11:18] Well Auntie So-and-so said that I shouldn't
[00:11:20] Oh they told me I'll never be able to do this and what am I going to do?
[00:11:22] Okay well nobody believes in me, so but who do you believe in?
[00:11:27] Yes
[00:11:28] Who do you believe in?
[00:11:29] So let me ask a question, I mean you bring up a really really good point
[00:11:33] You know I think that people think of strongholds as things that are exterior
[00:11:39] But strongholds could easily be something that's interior
[00:11:43] And it can be a self-confidence issue
[00:11:48] So the saying is if you think you can or you think you can, you're absolutely right
[00:11:54] Okay and so part of letting go and trusting God is the willingness to put aside what may seem illogical
[00:12:05] Because my old pastor used to say if it don't make sense, might be God
[00:12:11] And so us not having the ability to recognize things that are internal
[00:12:18] That comes from tradition, from training, from things that happened in your past
[00:12:24] That have created a point where you won't go past
[00:12:28] An interesting side thought is I listen to a psychologist say that you should never tell a child that they're smart
[00:12:36] And the reasoning is if they internalize that as some sort of praise or alcholate
[00:12:44] They will never do anything that would cause that into question
[00:12:48] So they won't take risk, they'll only do those things that they're sure that you will continue to say that they were smart
[00:12:58] And I thought that was a very interesting perspective simply because when you say people, you know, you should have faith and trust God
[00:13:07] If there are things that are difficult and they are afraid that if they don't have the outcome that you expect
[00:13:17] Then they'll hold back and they won't try and they won't really put it out there
[00:13:23] You said yourself earlier that faith is about risk at points
[00:13:28] And the Bible backs that up on so many levels, whether it's God telling Abram to leave his father's house
[00:13:36] Or even if you think about when the spies came back from the promised land
[00:13:42] And Joshua and Kaila were like we need to go take this, I mean, you're not worried about no giants
[00:13:48] Interesting, you know, Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God
[00:13:54] So what happens is that when you have had a certain amount of experience and you have overcome something
[00:14:04] Now you have the faith to overcome it again, it can be a different set of circumstances
[00:14:10] But your faith is built or your confidence in God is built up
[00:14:14] And where I'm going with that is because there are different levels of faith
[00:14:18] Everybody doesn't walk on the same levels of faith or exposed to God in the same ways
[00:14:23] So just where someone else might, you know, can believe God for, so now using an example
[00:14:28] There was a person that came to me once and said oh pastor, you know, I believe in God for $10,000
[00:14:34] And when I get that $10,000 and well I'm gonna solve this in the ministry and so on
[00:14:39] And they were so excited about sharing that and I said wow, that's great
[00:14:44] I don't believe in killing people's dreams and what they're saying in their faith
[00:14:48] I asked questions, so I said to the individual, I said well let me ask you a question
[00:14:53] What is the largest amount of money that you believe God for and you received it?
[00:14:59] So they said something we're like $100
[00:15:03] Now there's a great distance between $100 and $10,000
[00:15:09] It does not change God's ability to do it because he's the creator of all creation
[00:15:16] So therefore it does have to change something in the individual
[00:15:20] So faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God
[00:15:23] So now that person has zero experience with receiving $10,000
[00:15:29] They have to go get faith, so they have to grow their faith in order to come to that particular place
[00:15:36] It may be through and I promise you that it is going to be through trials and tribulations and testings
[00:15:44] When God sets a capacity for you to walk in
[00:15:49] You're like when you're talking about the Garden of Eden from creation
[00:15:52] He did everything before he put man in
[00:15:54] So he said before he had an allowable rain to come into the ground because I had no one to kill it
[00:15:59] So when he finally put man into that, the capacity was already there
[00:16:03] So he wanted him to kill the ground, he wanted him to be a steward over
[00:16:07] There was accountability, there was a charge for him to be there
[00:16:11] We have a charge in our life that when God gives us something, even if it's a dream
[00:16:15] An idea whether it's a business or a future or ministry or whatever it is
[00:16:20] Everything starts with an idea which is external
[00:16:25] The spiritual realm that comes internal by the God that lives inside of you
[00:16:30] That makes you go there, so therefore you have to increase your competency
[00:16:36] To operate within the capacity that God has set for you to walk in
[00:16:41] Now I want to add to that man is a tripart creation
[00:16:47] And we've been teaching this for years in our works is that with our body we are world conscious
[00:16:55] With our soul we're self-conscious and with our spirit we're God conscious
[00:16:59] So man's soul is comprised of your mind, your will and your emotion
[00:17:05] But it's not often taught that your spirit has its own composition
[00:17:10] It's your consciousness, your intuition and your communion
[00:17:14] So it's intuitively that we receive the things from the Lord and it comes into our spirit
[00:17:21] Our consciousness because of the relationship that we have with him will increase our sensitivity to that voice
[00:17:29] To know that this is the voice of God that I'm listening to and the one that I'm experiencing
[00:17:35] I said that to say this, because our soul we are self-conscious
[00:17:40] He will not violate our free moral agency or our soul belief until we by act of our will come into agreement with what's happening in our spirit
[00:17:50] So once that happens then the spirit is released to impact our soul around which will ultimately impact our world
[00:17:58] So this is why a lot of times that people have the challenge of letting go and letting God
[00:18:04] There are processes that one must live and go through and it comes through experience
[00:18:10] It doesn't happen overnight so you have to demolish those things
[00:18:13] You got to take not some thought, not most thoughts but every thought captive
[00:18:17] That is contrary to the word of God, contrary to what your expectations is
[00:18:24] And this is what some of the faith movement has did for the many years and what have you
[00:18:29] It is all scriptural, it's in there but they established their movement and what have you
[00:18:34] And that was something that they taught on there
[00:18:36] So when we look at the Bible this is something that is applicable to all areas particularly in relationships
[00:18:44] We're in a very challenging time in this world
[00:18:48] Those of us that are in business things are not the same as they have been
[00:18:54] There are challenges but then you go back to what did God say
[00:18:58] Then God put me in the business, in other words was there an impression inside of us that we get that strong feeling that this is the way to go
[00:19:08] Because we trust it, trust is the highest level of faith
[00:19:12] Trust is being able to, and this is what your Abraham is, this is where your Moses was
[00:19:18] It's that kind of trust that you can walk off the end of a cliff on a tightrope without a net
[00:19:25] And there's at least a hundred foot drop that is underneath that and you walk across
[00:19:30] Now most of us, I have both hands and both feet up in case anyone has listened to this broadcast and wondering
[00:19:36] I'm saying that I am not one of those people, I'm working on that
[00:19:41] Because this is why even in people's singleness
[00:19:46] I tell them you have the ability in your singleness to focus on God and take risks that you can't take when you're married
[00:19:55] When you're in a family life, you have to increase your competency to handle the capacity because you're going to have to handle your entire family
[00:20:04] So when they talk about leadership, everything rises and falls on the shoulders of a leader
[00:20:10] So when you're talking about letting go and letting God, it's been a great message
[00:20:16] It's been preached from many years and many pulpit, I've heard more folks shouted out holler it out, hoop it out, dance it out in the whole nine yards
[00:20:24] And it's wonderful, but there is a walk that is corresponding to that if you're going to experience God in that way
[00:20:34] Absolutely, and that level of trust that the Bible describes surpasses all understanding
[00:20:45] At least here on earth because I think it's really for me the intersection of what you believe and who you see God as
[00:21:00] Because if you see a little God, you get a little God
[00:21:05] You see a big God, you get a big God because it's trust means that I believe that the word is true
[00:21:16] But that takes maturation, that takes deliverance
[00:21:22] So you talked about the mind on several occasions, but I really like the fact that you talked about growth
[00:21:33] That you asked the Lord to make you a millionaire and he said, you can't even manage $500
[00:21:40] Why would I give you a million dollars? You have my name on you
[00:21:45] Okay, and until you're ready, I'm not going to do that
[00:21:50] That's it, that's my name, alright? And I think that us being prepared and us understanding the trials that we go through generally are about growth
[00:22:07] Even in chastisement, it's about growth
[00:22:11] And as we begin to move toward that, but understanding that it doesn't come without resistance
[00:22:18] Right? So first Peter 5 and 8, we read, be sober minded
[00:22:24] Be watchful
[00:22:26] Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour
[00:22:33] So the imagery of a roaring lion looking for someone to devour vividly illustrates his destructive intent
[00:22:43] In the natural world, a lion roars both to proclaim its territory and to paralyze its prey with fear
[00:22:52] And it chooses victims it perceives as vulnerable or isolated
[00:22:58] So similarly Satan aims to isolate and overwhelm individuals seeking to destroy their faith, their morale, and their spiritual vitality
[00:23:11] See that's the powerful part about what you said is that, you know, it's an attack against the mind
[00:23:16] And this is what's happening and you know, some of us if we see a Rottweiler and some people get scared of a Chihuahua
[00:23:25] And as it starts looking at the nipping and carrying and getting terrified
[00:23:29] Never mind the fact that there was a roaring lion coming at you and he wants to devour you
[00:23:36] That would make you petrified
[00:23:39] So I think that we put things in perspective, we realize the seriousness of that
[00:23:44] Satan says liken unto a roaring lion and therefore what we look at that is that a scripture says he is a formidable foe
[00:23:53] Having the skill set to destroy you
[00:23:58] We teach about the spirits of destruction and spirits of delay
[00:24:02] So there are things that get programmed towards the lives of the individual
[00:24:07] And it seems the pattern starts getting set up because again we go back to the mind, you know, we talk about the mind and the will and the emotion
[00:24:14] So when something happens externally comes in through one of the gates of the body and then it heads to the mind area
[00:24:21] And it depends on the walk in relationship a person has with God or without
[00:24:26] It's going to be determined whether that's going to be a from a soulish perspective is going to be an emotional experience
[00:24:34] And I'm going to scream and cry, get upset and get depressed and go through what have you
[00:24:38] Or, and that's pulled from one of the levels of consciousness in the mind
[00:24:44] Pulled from the experiences that you had or had some failures of things happening to your life in the past
[00:24:51] You know, this is why some people don't excel in business or trying to start businesses, what have you
[00:24:58] They've tried it before they heard someone else try it before somebody in their family tried certain things
[00:25:03] It wasn't even the same business but it doesn't matter. It was the fact that they tried to start something and it failed
[00:25:08] And it never occurred to them necessarily that they would not be the ones to fail
[00:25:13] Particularly if they learn how to yield by their will to the spirit of God inside of them
[00:25:19] And trusting him that he knows all things and he can infuse you with the knowledge that you need to be able to accomplish
[00:25:30] So that has to be addressed. That's another argument that's inside of the person that has to be addressed in their lives
[00:25:38] If they're going to realize certain things again, it takes faith to be married
[00:25:43] You know, you gotta let go and let God, you know those who have been married a lot of years
[00:25:47] You got two imperfect people that come to share one life together
[00:25:52] And you know, it's easy to stand there and put married folks and talk about and tell them the tween shall become one
[00:25:59] But there's a whole lot more to it than that. God is expecting a couple to connect on spirit soul and body levels
[00:26:06] More than times than not, people are connecting on one of the three levels possibly on the second level
[00:26:13] So that growth that is essential is a development of a maturity
[00:26:19] And when you break 10 years, 15 years, 20 years and so on
[00:26:23] You start finding out things and you start understanding things if it's working and why it's not working
[00:26:29] There has to be an examination when you bring God into that
[00:26:33] Even if God was in it from the beginning, you still have to know how to give it back to God
[00:26:38] How to give the business back to God, how to give the children to God
[00:26:42] Let go and let God, now you go back to him and I use this in prayer
[00:26:46] As I share with individuals, he says, here's what we do. We have something that we want to pray about
[00:26:51] We pray it out to God
[00:26:53] Then he receives it and then he puts back in us what he wants us to pray specifically about the thing that we're starting to pray about
[00:27:02] So that we don't be praying amiss
[00:27:04] And then he responds to that and operates on that side of it so to bring it to pass
[00:27:09] To have the answers that comes
[00:27:11] But again, it's all about processes
[00:27:13] Got to trust in his ability to take you from where you are to the place where he wants you to be
[00:27:22] But tell us to raise up a child in the way they should go
[00:27:25] Not that you want them to go
[00:27:27] You create core values, you have it in your household, you set it in their lives
[00:27:32] You set them on a path, you learn to let go
[00:27:35] And there's parents, I'm sure
[00:27:37] There were times that I did certain things and I covered my eyes and I covered my face and I had one eye peeking through
[00:27:44] Because I made a decision and I'm like, oh God, oh God, oh God
[00:27:48] And then I let this one go ahead and do this, oh God, oh God, oh God help me
[00:27:52] Because I trusted the process
[00:27:56] I trusted him in what he said that I felt that I heard his voice
[00:28:01] Because I have relationship with him
[00:28:04] It's a thing where as even with individuals that we're dealing with and with God, we have that relationship
[00:28:12] Over a period of time that you will know the voice
[00:28:16] He said my sheep shall know my voice and no other voice shall they follow
[00:28:20] So that comes through that
[00:28:23] My children knew my voice right away, they knew with my keys jingled
[00:28:27] They knew when I was coming in and so on
[00:28:30] Same thing, our mates, we can tell
[00:28:33] As anything changes in my mate's face or eye or whatever the case of her walk and her sound
[00:28:39] I know because I have that kind of history with that particular
[00:28:44] And it takes focus
[00:28:48] That's why Add of verse 6 is not to be controversial or anything of that nature
[00:28:54] Or to add anything on this wonderful broadcast
[00:28:57] We don't hear about total obedience
[00:29:01] We don't hear about the essentials of being completely obedient
[00:29:04] After you've done the will of God, then you enter into the promise
[00:29:10] That's right, that's right
[00:29:12] Because not enough houses of God teach
[00:29:20] There is a difference between preaching and teaching
[00:29:24] And part of the reason I agreed to take over this ministry
[00:29:30] Is so that we can have conversations that help us grow
[00:29:36] And some of them aren't very comfortable
[00:29:40] It's not about the breeze blowing on your face
[00:29:44] Some of it is you're standing in the hole you dug
[00:29:48] Okay, God say I will help you
[00:29:52] But he's not going to do it for you
[00:29:55] God is perfectly powerful to do everything that we can't
[00:30:00] He will not step in on things that we won't
[00:30:04] That we know better but don't do
[00:30:08] And our ability to let go and let God
[00:30:12] Really becomes an accumulation of things
[00:30:15] I figured we would spend the last part of the conversation
[00:30:19] Talking about how do you overcome that fear
[00:30:23] And one of the things that I have written here
[00:30:27] You just alluded to which is trust in God's goodness
[00:30:32] The foundation for surrendering control to God
[00:30:37] Is to trust this character believing that God is good
[00:30:41] And that his plan for us are for our own benefit
[00:30:45] Which he talks about in Jeremiah 29 and 11
[00:30:49] And he can alleviate those fears by us understanding his intention
[00:30:54] And just as you said earlier
[00:30:57] Regularly reading scripture and reflecting on God's past faithfulness
[00:31:02] In your life or in the lives of others
[00:31:06] Can reinforce this trust
[00:31:08] You know I'll never forget as long as I live
[00:31:12] We had a family member in hospice
[00:31:15] And she had lost so much weight due to cancer
[00:31:19] And one of her best friends came to see her
[00:31:24] And they used to sing together and acquire
[00:31:27] And she was so frail that she could barely pull breath
[00:31:32] But I listened to her sing as long as I have King Jesus
[00:31:36] And she wiped that room out
[00:31:38] You hear me? What nobody in there not crying
[00:31:41] I mean nobody else
[00:31:43] I mean when you have that kind of trust
[00:31:46] She said I know what the doctor says
[00:31:49] But I know what my God says
[00:31:52] And when she reflected on her life
[00:31:55] In the fact that all of her children were there
[00:31:58] And everyone who loves her were there
[00:32:00] Okay that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen
[00:32:03] In my entire life
[00:32:05] But it really underscores
[00:32:09] How we when we move to trusting God
[00:32:13] That no matter what is in front of us
[00:32:17] Right she has tubes coming out of everywhere
[00:32:20] But yet she's singing and praising God
[00:32:23] When we have that level of trust
[00:32:26] And I'm not saying that that is a requirement
[00:32:28] That everybody should have
[00:32:31] Okay I'm saying that if you want to
[00:32:34] Experience the fullness of the relationship with God
[00:32:38] When you have the ability to take that step
[00:32:41] When you don't see what's next
[00:32:43] Watch what happens
[00:32:45] Walking out on that tightrope
[00:32:47] You know the scripture comes in mind
[00:32:49] Cast not their way from your confidence
[00:32:51] Which has great recompense of reward
[00:32:53] The thing is about that
[00:32:55] Is that you don't know what the reward is going to be
[00:32:57] Just like you had your relative
[00:32:59] I had my grandmother
[00:33:01] Who had tumor after tumor over the years of her life
[00:33:03] And nobody can explain where we're coming from
[00:33:06] Why and ever since I was a child
[00:33:09] I could hear about her going into the hospital
[00:33:12] And having this operation
[00:33:14] Having that operation
[00:33:16] And then in the final years
[00:33:18] Last time she was in the hospital
[00:33:20] And my brother and I went up there to see her
[00:33:23] And I walked in there
[00:33:25] And I was scrapping to your teenager
[00:33:27] And so you know it was like
[00:33:30] I'm looking at her lying there on the bed
[00:33:33] He's standing there, he's being compassionate
[00:33:35] His grandma, you know, I'm looking at
[00:33:37] So I'm going, grandma
[00:33:40] I'm going, how come you keep getting sick?
[00:33:43] What is it about this God that you keep believing in
[00:33:46] And that doesn't help you
[00:33:48] You can't, and you keep getting sick
[00:33:50] And I'll never forget
[00:33:52] She had her Bible laying on her chest
[00:33:54] Upside down
[00:33:56] And she had her glasses, he tilted her glasses up
[00:33:58] On her head and she looked at me
[00:34:00] And she said, boy let me tell you something
[00:34:04] And she said, my God is a healer
[00:34:08] She said if he don't heal me here
[00:34:11] I'll be healed there
[00:34:13] On the other side
[00:34:15] And shut me down
[00:34:18] I had no further questions
[00:34:21] Examination is over, I'm going to the class
[00:34:24] My brother was my brother
[00:34:26] He's my older brother, he was popping me up
[00:34:28] I was like, what's wrong with you?
[00:34:30] Kind of a situation
[00:34:32] Because I was sad that
[00:34:35] She was going through what she was going through
[00:34:39] But as soon, and this happened in the 70s
[00:34:41] And for so many years that have gone by
[00:34:44] I've come to understand that
[00:34:47] You know, you get what you expect
[00:34:50] And it's based on that level of confidence
[00:34:54] Some people don't expect levels of success
[00:34:59] Certain levels of prosperity or wealth
[00:35:02] You know, they don't understand how to create wealth
[00:35:04] They don't understand that God, you know
[00:35:06] What God has already done on the earth
[00:35:08] They don't understand certain things about relationships and so on
[00:35:10] So it doesn't mean that they don't love God
[00:35:13] That they don't serve God
[00:35:15] There's just certain things that they're not going to be privy to
[00:35:18] In the earthen realm
[00:35:20] And it is the responsibility of those who are supposed to decipher them
[00:35:28] In this world, discipleship happens at various levels
[00:35:33] Discipleship happens to the new believer
[00:35:36] To acclimate them into the body of Christ
[00:35:38] To help them understand the tenets of faith and so on
[00:35:42] But as they grow, there's different levels of discipleship
[00:35:45] It's like the same thing with children
[00:35:47] You don't expect the child to sit up
[00:35:49] So you teach that child how to sit up
[00:35:51] You teach the child how to hold his bottle
[00:35:53] You prop it up against a pillow and put it in there
[00:35:55] The kid falls asleep until the kid gets one hand or two hands on it
[00:35:58] And then he's taking the bottle and then they're ripping the nipple off of it
[00:36:02] Then you've got a teacher coming in and you go, okay, you need a sippy cup
[00:36:04] And then you start moving, you know, gradually
[00:36:08] When the kid's a teenager, we still looking for a sippy cup
[00:36:10] We've got issues, okay
[00:36:12] So these are the things that the progressive steps
[00:36:16] It's hard for someone to let go and let God
[00:36:21] When it's God they don't really know
[00:36:24] Yes
[00:36:25] So these are the challenges, you know
[00:36:28] You mentioned something you said about how did we do this
[00:36:32] There was a note that I had from before
[00:36:35] I was sharing with someone and I put it down
[00:36:38] The spirit of the law
[00:36:40] The progressive levels of surrender
[00:36:43] And concentrations that are required by God to walk in higher levels
[00:36:49] Of the anointing of his presence of experiencing it
[00:36:53] The closer you get to him, the more sensitive you are to his voice
[00:36:56] The greater amount of anointing and what we say oil
[00:36:59] Is released into your life
[00:37:01] And then you can move in
[00:37:02] This is why we should never be jealous
[00:37:04] Or any of us have been accomplishing certain things
[00:37:07] You know, you don't know how the price of the oil in their alabaster box
[00:37:12] You just don't know that on the good side
[00:37:14] We see the dark side
[00:37:16] We're seeing what is happening all over the world
[00:37:18] And people who did anything that they could
[00:37:21] But if we wanted the right way and we wanted God's way
[00:37:24] There is a price
[00:37:26] You're going to pay a price for godliness
[00:37:28] You're going to pay a price for ungodliness
[00:37:30] And if we're going to pay the price for godliness
[00:37:32] We have to give him what he wants
[00:37:34] When he wants it the way he wants it
[00:37:36] He sets the terms and the condition because he's the boss
[00:37:39] That's it
[00:37:40] And you know what? That is one of the keys I had down here
[00:37:44] Is acknowledging his omnipotence
[00:37:47] Recognize that God's understanding and power far exceed our own
[00:37:53] Yes
[00:37:54] You know, scriptures such as Isaiah 55, 8-9
[00:37:58] Remind us that his ways and thoughts are higher than our own
[00:38:02] Accepting that God sees the whole picture
[00:38:06] And knows what is ultimately best
[00:38:08] Can help in letting go of the desire to control every outcome
[00:38:13] And also we need to seek comfort and guidance
[00:38:18] That we can communicate our fears to God through prayer
[00:38:22] We can ask for comfort, we can ask for clarity
[00:38:25] And a willing spirit
[00:38:27] Philippians 4-6-7 encourages us to present our request to God
[00:38:34] And his peace will guard our hearts and minds
[00:38:38] And then finally, step by step
[00:38:42] That we have to understand
[00:38:44] You know, we can start with small acts of obedience and faith
[00:38:48] Maybe we don't go out on that full wire just yet
[00:38:52] Right?
[00:38:53] But we stretch a wire across the two chairs that's only three feet off the ground
[00:38:58] And take those smaller steps
[00:39:02] And understand that greater is he that is in me
[00:39:06] Than he that's in the world
[00:39:08] And as we begin to really embrace that
[00:39:11] And let God show us the relationship
[00:39:15] It is so amazing
[00:39:16] And you alluded to this a little earlier
[00:39:19] In that God said, He will give you the desires of your heart
[00:39:25] Which means he's not going to give you what you want
[00:39:29] He's going to give you what he wants you to have
[00:39:32] But when our desires align
[00:39:37] So I'll give you the desires
[00:39:39] His desires, his desires become your desires
[00:39:41] And then he'll give them to you
[00:39:43] Right?
[00:39:44] And then he'll give them to you
[00:39:45] And that is so amazing when you think about that
[00:39:49] It's almost like a wife
[00:39:50] It makes you think that you thought of it
[00:39:52] Go ahead, honey
[00:39:55] You know, I thought about that
[00:39:57] And when that was actually came from them, it's okay
[00:39:59] No, you're absolutely right
[00:40:01] You're absolutely right
[00:40:02] So I will let you give the closing thought before we close out
[00:40:07] And thank you once again for your unbelievable wisdom and sharing
[00:40:13] But in the years that I've known you
[00:40:17] And the stories that you share with me
[00:40:20] You're a great man of faith
[00:40:22] And I just wonder when that person comes to you
[00:40:26] When life is fully life-in
[00:40:29] And they say, I know I should trust God
[00:40:32] But...
[00:40:36] You know, and it happens more times than I can count
[00:40:42] But how the dollar is, it's safe for everyone
[00:40:45] People desire
[00:40:49] Especially in this generation
[00:40:50] It's the microwave generation
[00:40:51] And what everything quick in a hurry
[00:40:54] And I tell people, I say, you got to understand something
[00:40:57] I got over 45 years of certain things
[00:41:01] And people like to hear you say that
[00:41:02] You know, it's like, oh, you're bragging on your boasting
[00:41:04] We're not bragging or boasting
[00:41:05] I'm talking to you about how many times that we have had wilderness experiences
[00:41:14] No matter what you desire in this life
[00:41:18] Even if it's God ordained
[00:41:21] He's going to send you...
[00:41:22] If he sent his son into the wilderness
[00:41:24] What makes us think that we're not going to go into wilderness?
[00:41:28] And at each...
[00:41:29] You know, people like to say this
[00:41:31] They coin this phrase
[00:41:32] It's kind of religious phrases like
[00:41:33] New levels, new devils, ha ha ha
[00:41:35] But it's real
[00:41:36] And it's real because the challenges that come
[00:41:39] The obstacles that come against you
[00:41:42] The formidable foe
[00:41:44] The adversaries that are adversarial to your advancement
[00:41:50] To your progress
[00:41:52] Because there's a pure hatred against the things that are of God
[00:41:57] As we suppose walking in the pure love of God
[00:42:00] Those that are walking in the pure hatred of the things of God
[00:42:04] So there is going to be contention
[00:42:07] There are going to be the gatekeepers
[00:42:09] That have held certain things
[00:42:11] We teach a lot about the seven mountains of society now
[00:42:14] And a number of different things that are happening
[00:42:17] That God has really put us in a time
[00:42:20] Where we're coming out of church walls
[00:42:23] Church is not going away
[00:42:25] It's going to be what it's supposed to be in the hour
[00:42:28] But we're agents of change
[00:42:31] We're going to affect change in every sector of society
[00:42:35] And the only way we can do that
[00:42:37] Is having a prayed up, consecrated life in God
[00:42:42] And what am I saying?
[00:42:43] The separation unto God
[00:42:45] Where that consecration means that
[00:42:47] I know how in the midst of the storm
[00:42:50] Or storms because what we're seeing now
[00:42:53] Is people are going through myriads of things at one time
[00:42:58] There used to be a time they had one or two things happening to you
[00:43:01] But now there's like 10, 12 things coming at the same time
[00:43:03] And if you don't have, you know, they said
[00:43:05] The intestinal spiritual fortitude
[00:43:08] To be able to withstand that
[00:43:11] Because I submit to the Lord
[00:43:15] We do what we say
[00:43:16] We submit our spirit, souls and bodies to the Lord, Shabadjit
[00:43:18] And we resist the devil
[00:43:20] So we're immediately by the act of our confession
[00:43:24] That we're saying this is what we believe
[00:43:26] Because the mouth has a lot to do with letting go and letting God
[00:43:29] You're telling everything that's adversarial
[00:43:31] That I'm letting go of this and giving it to God
[00:43:33] Because I don't know what I'm doing with this
[00:43:35] I can't handle this
[00:43:36] Sometimes, you know, I've dealt with a person
[00:43:38] That's recently not only had financial failure
[00:43:41] Now their health has failed
[00:43:43] And cancer is involved in relationship issues
[00:43:45] And lost a child and lost a spouse, a parent
[00:43:49] And number of things in succession
[00:43:51] And you know, some people will sit back and go
[00:43:54] Oh, that person must be cursed or whatever the case may be
[00:43:56] No
[00:43:57] How do we get the word to them?
[00:44:01] This is what relationships are all about
[00:44:03] Covenant relationships
[00:44:05] We're talking beyond membership
[00:44:07] We're talking
[00:44:08] Because to me, just the basic ideas of just membership
[00:44:11] It's an infatuation
[00:44:14] It's not a love thing
[00:44:16] Because a love walk is a walk of commitment
[00:44:19] It is there
[00:44:20] It's like that covenant that I'm stepping into your life
[00:44:23] You're stepping into mine
[00:44:24] And everything is
[00:44:26] The terms and conditions of this relationship are established
[00:44:29] Based on prayer and based on the word of God
[00:44:31] And that's why we believe it
[00:44:33] Because we need each other
[00:44:34] Without each other, we don't make it
[00:44:38] So brothers and sisters
[00:44:40] Overcoming the fear of giving God control
[00:44:43] Involves a blend of trust, experience, community
[00:44:48] And spiritual discipline
[00:44:50] It's a gradual process that deepens as your relationship
[00:44:54] With God grows
[00:44:56] Each step of trust makes the next one easier
[00:45:00] As you repeatedly experience His faithfulness and love
[00:45:04] I thank you once again for joining us
[00:45:07] And I look forward to our conversation on tomorrow
[00:45:11] Until then, God bless
[00:45:30] The next episode of the series
[00:45:32] Helps to keep the good news on the air
[00:45:34] We look forward to hearing from you
[00:45:36] And invite you to write us at
[00:45:38] Harvest International
[00:45:40] Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:45:45] Again, that's Harvest International
[00:45:48] Post Office Box 6690 Ocala, Florida 34478
[00:45:54] Coming Home
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