Conversations : In The Press | Benny Perez

hey family welcome to church LV online it is so exciting that we're still able to meet asthma church community really this is a season that we're choosing faith over fear and wisdom over worry you want to welcome you you're joining us let us know that you're there you will comment or if you're new with us we want you to get connected go to the VIP link fill out the form and a member of our dream team would love to reach out to you send you a gift as our way of saying welcome you want you to get connected even during these times well hey I know today's gonna bless you it's the heart of church helping to lead people to be kind of new life in Jesus I actually believe that can happen right to open up your hearts lean in and let's watch oh now it says this verse 11 judges chapter 6 it says now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Oprah which belonged to Josh the a bruised eye while his son Gideon was beating out wheat or threshing weed in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him the Lord is with you o mighty man of Valor me Gideon said to him please my lord if the Lord is with us watch this if really God is with us then why has all this bad stuff happened to us and where are all the wonderful deeds or miracles that our fathers recounted a saint did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt but now the Lord has forsaken us and giving us into the hand of Midian and the Lord turned to him and said go in the might of yours and save Israel from the hand of medium do not do not I send you don't I send you and he said to him please Lord how can I save Israel behold my clan is the weakest and Manasseh come on I'm not really well known and by the way I am the least in my dad's house and Lord said to him I love this but I will be with you come on in the chat room somebody say but I will be with you come on say it right now in your living room but I will be with you this is what God is st. but I will be with you and you strike the Midianite says one man and then he said to him if now I found favor and rise and show me a sign that it is you who speak to me he's pleading out to part from here inside come and bring out my present and set it before you he said I will stay into you return and for the sake of time what happens as Gideon now goes and he prepares this offering it brings it back to the Lord and puts on a rock and the Bible says that this flame of fire comes up and takes takes the offering and Gideon says oh my goodness I've seen God face to face he's seen God face to face now let's go to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10 very quickly it says for we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them father thank you for your word in Jesus name come on everybody said amen amen amen amen thank you so much if you're taking notes I want you to write down the title of the messages in the press in the press we started a new series called conversations and I just begin to think about this and I begin to realize in my own life that I've noticed in my own life seemingly that things actually begin to change when I have the right conversations in fact when you have a conversation it's either gonna bring you up or it's gonna bring you down in fact I would submit to us today that your life is really a summation of the conversations you've had about the situation's you faced I mean think about some major conversations you had maybe it was with your mom maybe was with your dad maybe it was with your spouse maybe it was with your children I mean for those of you that are single those you they're dating you know the conversation you've been dating somebody for a little while and then you know something is kind of filling off a little bit and you pick up your girlfriend you've been dating maybe for about six months and things a little bit awkward and you sense in your gut man I think we're gonna have this conversation you know how the conversation goes you had dinner and all of a sudden she looks at you she says you know I've just been thinking Benny I think I just want to be friends that conversation is code for I'm breaking it off I don't want to ever see you again it's not working now when you have that conversation I guarantee you you're not leaving that place feeling up alive and excited you were feeling like down depressed and what did I do wrong now you say is that really a true story yes it is in my life it is a true story I was a true story so much so that it broke my heart many many years ago and I'm hanging on waiting for her to have another conversation with me that never came to pass but I am so grateful that I had that conversation because years later I had another conversation with a more beautiful woman inside and out a more gifted woman a more anointed woman I wish you'd give me a maker sitting here right now I'm telling you that was a glorious conversation that I had with Wendy Smith and it was that incredible conversation as we were dating and she chased me and she hunted me down people say how did you get that incredible woman I just stood still and she came after me I remember that conversation and I got ready and it was that night in Seattle and I had this whole night planned out and I remember that I'm gonna ask this woman to marry me and it was an incredible night and that conversation not only changed my life in the moment it changed my life for a lifetime conversations could it be that the best and most important conversation you could ever have is with God himself could it be that God wants to have a conversation with you in a conversation with me could it be that Jesus as you looked at his life over and over again that his life was nothing more than so many conversations to so many individuals and in those conversations we have the scripture and in that scripture we begin to learn more things about Jesus and learn more things about ourselves conversations I call your attention in the book of Judges chapter 6 because it is about this man named Gideon and we pick it up in the story is that Gideon now is in this winepress Gideon is in this press and he's in this press why because he is in watch me in quarantine he is isolated he's in fear he can't go outside and the Bible says that in this place called the press where you would now crush grapes and make wine but it was not a place for you to thresh wheat now in this place this quarantine this confined space we see that this angel of the Lord shows up to change the Lord we will later find out is literally Jesus in the Old Testament it is Jesus himself coming as a theophany and he's coming to have a conversation with this man and named Gideon Gideon Hal is in this place and and now he's in this low place confined place right called the press and now he's throwing up this wheat trying to separate the wheat from the chaff this is not the place that you should be doing this thing called threshing wheat you should be on a high heel you should be out in an open place and when you would throw the the wheat up the wind would separate the wheat from the chaff in other words the wind would do the work the wind would do the work your job was just taken and thrown up and the wind would do the work but now he's in quarantine now he's in fear and now he's having to do the work and he's not being that successful by doing it the way that he's doing it I want to just begin to share something with you now we have to be careful that we're not led by fear we're not led by this quarantine because then we try and do things our own power we try and we'll power it out we try and do bootstrap God I'm gonna make this but I'm here to tell you the wind in the Bible is synonymous with the Holy Spirit and we have to let the Holy Spirit come on do the work we have to let the Holy Spirit do something in our life we have to say no I'm gonna do it I'm out come on I need to win to do the work and there he is and I love this because it's not very practical in fact it's impossible for a gideon to do what he's doing in the press he was using the press for the wrong purpose he was using the press not for wine but for threshing the wheat we have to be careful that this quarantine watch me that we don't use it for the wrong purpose that we don't use it to get depressed and get discouraged and get down and get confused if you're not careful you will allow your places to be used for the wrong purpose you need to write that down if we're not careful we're gonna allow our places our presses to be used for the wrong purpose the quarantine is not to be used for the wrong purpose it's not so you can get more depressed and get more down it's not for you now to somehow come out a worse than you went when you went into this quarantine because Gideon is in this press and we get in that press and what happens we get in that press if we're not careful we begin now to let thoughts and we have conversations with ourselves that begin to shape the rest of our life life I say to you this way the quarantine wants to tell us about our condition it wants to tell you look at your condition look you don't have a job look you lost this look you lost that it screams to you about your condition as if your condition watch me tells you who you really are a crisis watch moves you many times in the direction that you would not normally move into unless God allowed a crisis to come i was asked recently what do you think is gonna happen when this crisis is over i said you know what it's done it's caused me to move in a direction i wouldn't normally have not moved I would not have normally shut down my buildings shut down my campuses and gone online campus only but God allowed something to happen to move us in a direction that we would not normally go I know of a lady if I said her name you would know who she is and she makes the best cakes on the planet and for years we've been saying you need to start a cake business for years we've been saying that and guess what because now of this crisis it has moved her in a direction she would not normally move into can I say to you this way don't allow the crisis to make you step back don't allow this crisis or this condition to get you to believe something you should not believe it's not the crisis that's doing it it's Jesus in the crisis that's gonna move you we have to be careful because what happens is is that we become conditional and how we live a crisis God uses a crisis watch me to accelerate a change that that was needed before this happened you see it was all I don't know if I don't know about this okay how about a guy named Moe you know him is Moses there was a crisis and what happened is that crisis watch me accelerated his movement to become the deliverer that God destined him to be if we could look at what's happening with this quarantine and if we could begin to say okay it's painful yes yes yes I I've lost some stuff and there's some things that are going on in my life right now but if we could allow our God to have a conversation with us right in the middle of it if we can invite Jesus in the middle of this and here's the crazy thing Gideon didn't invite Jesus in Jesus just showed up I love it when God interrupts I love it when God shows up I love it when God in the midst of when we're down and depressed and it doesn't look good what does Jesus do Jesus shows up into this place called the press and begins to speak to Gideon in the middle of his pres he begins to speak to him in the middle of his condition and like Gideon we are all in a press right now call it a quarantine and some of us are dealing with fear and depression and discouragement and some of us are living in a limited life and some of us is because of bad choices but most of us it's because of what's happening in the world today and I want to encourage you that the same thing that Jesus says to Gideon when he shows up here's what he says he calls Gideon in the midst of his condition and he says Gideon you're a mighty warrior Gideon you're a man of Valor this is who you are Gideon notice that Jesus does that deal with the condition Jesus does not say oh I know you got it tough I know about the Midianites I know you're in fear I know it doesn't look good what does Jesus do he begins to speak to him of who he really is he says you're a mighty warrior and you're a man of Valor and by the way God is with you I love this because the first thing God does he says I won't let you know something you're a mighty warrior and God is with you now why is this important the order because we could think wow Gideon's a mighty warrior and and he's a man of Valor but that's not what the scripture says it says getting let me tell you something the Lord is with you now you're a mighty man of Valor so so what does that mean well I want to read this to you because God spoke this to me listen to what I wrote down because it's important the first thing is God is with you somebody say God is with me say it louder say God is with me now in the chat I watch you write down God is with me and then he says mighty man of Valor so what is the significance of this God is with you in spite of not because of you God is with you in spite of not because of you so let me see this way if I was a mighty man of Valor if I was a mighty warrior doing great exploits certainly people are saying oh because he's this God is with him so now the onus is put on me it's put on my ability my performance that's why God is with no but Gideon is not mighty Gideon is afraid Gideon is timid Gideon is stepping back and so what God is saying is no no I with you in spite of you not because of you this is so powerful and profound because it's going to just deliver a lot of us from things that come into our head because watch if God is with us only when we're powerful only when we have Valor only we're doing everything right then the enemy comes and says oh when you do the wrong and you're not doing life the way you should do life thank God isn't with you I want to say it again I'm going to keep saying it and saying it and saying it God is with you watch me in spite of not because of you this is so good can you just sit in that for a second I want to break a spirit of performance off of you right now I want to break this thing off of you that says if you do this this this this this then God is not with you I'm gonna tell you the devil is lying to you you're lying to yourself I ain't grateful when I am NOT powerful when I feel weak when I feel timid when I don't add up and do everything God has called me to do I am grateful aren't you grateful that God is with me in spite of me and not because of me oh I listen I want to do my best I want to be a mighty man I would be a man of faith but honestly if you're honest there are days for some of you weeks for some of you months is you don't feel that but God is with you just because he is with you Jesus shows up has this conversation with this guy named Gideon and he says the Lord is with you mighty man of Valor God always write this down point number two God always speaks to your position not your condition right that's how God always speaks to your position not your condition why because your condition changes not daily it could change literally hourly for some of us that are Moody every minute our conditions literally can change so what is God saying God is saying listen Jesus saying I'm speaking to your position I'm speaking to who you are I'm speaking to what I have done for you God calls us as he sees us not as we see ourselves he calls us what we are not how we feel this is who we are he says listen God is with you and you're a mighty I'm speaking your position not your condition why because conditions come to distract you and distractions on the inside watch me they bring now Distortion distractions on the outside bring distortion to the inside distraction distraction distraction I get got so many distractions I got all these distractions distractions distractions distractions in fact I tell the staff I said don't get up and move around when I preach in why because I get easily distracted distractions on the outside start bringing distortion to the inside that you begin to see yourself not the way God sees you but the way the conditions are telling you because if you get distortion on the inside then then you can't deal what God has called you to do because you only could release what what you realize if you if you if you don't realize what you really have you cannot release what God has given to you this is so important because the enemy knows he can't change your position because Christ has already eternally made that secure but what he could do is get you to look so much at your condition not your position that you live life conditionally not positionally so I could lose my job I've lost my job I've lost jobs before I've been let go before I've lost relationships my conditions have changed and if I live conditionally what happens I live up I live down but if I live positionally aiya metal may have lost my job but I'd lose my provider you know what if somebody walked out of my life they weren't meant to be with me and so I begin to live watch me positionally what does Jesus say about my life what is God saying about my life Gideon he doesn't feel mighty he doesn't look mighty he doesn't fit the role or the script of a deliver some of that God's gonna use as a judge in Israel so what does God do God simply says to him listen it doesn't matter if you feel it it doesn't matter if the kitchens say it because faith sees what is true and faith sees what's really going on who you are is not based on what you have or don't have who you are is based on what God has said about you so we need to stand up in the middle of this quarantine in the middle of an uncomfortable situation and in Nevada now we're now we're back in shelter in place for another two weeks and maybe it's gonna be the end of the month people are coming in me saying man what do you think about it what do you think about as if what I think about it is gonna change what the governor says I don't have any pool with the governor maybe the governor right now since Allah is looking and watching me speak right now with such passion maybe maybe just somebody anybody knows Sicily I would love I fly up up we're in quarantine I would zoom with Sicily and talk to him but really I'm not gonna get swayed by what the government does I will abide by it because I believe I'm supposed to do that but what I want to do is quit looking at men and women I want to quit looking at what's happening conditionally and begin to say you know what it doesn't matter if I'm in quarantine if I'm in my house because there's a God in heaven that is still working things out on my behalf I want to prophesy and speak to people right now you are not in a limited place because if you don't see something that right way if you don't frame something the right way if you frame it the right way you won't feel it the right way because how you frame it is how you feel it let me say to this way Gideon was in a winepress but he was in a place of preparation that God allowed her to be there to have a conversation to Gideon and could it be that Gideon had no other option Gideon couldn't walk out Gideon couldn't leave can he consent to busy right now no he was in confined place and could it be that the quarantine maybe just maybe is an opportunity to have conversations with Jesus you've never had before could it be that God has allowed certain things to happen that how much can you binge on Netflix how much can you been you know how much of the middle that I've watched I mean I've asked my kids how many how many times you've seen that episode they can't even count how many times I mean how many times are we gonna watch this you know what we did last night we had a family and we watched Pirates of the Caribbean it's like 10 years old I'm like is this what life is coming to and could it be that some of the distractions in our life have been taken away so we can have a conversation with God maybe the conversation isn't when you're gonna think you're gonna have with him because we think God's gonna come and judge us and God's gonna come and say where you're not adding up and and and man you made a mistake here and look what you're not doing here and you're not doing this right here isn't it interesting to note that God never pointed out the deficiencies of Gideon he never said Gideon you're afraid you're a coward what's wrong with you Gideon don't you know better come on Gideon in fact let me just go so far to say this that Jesus never ever mentioned the Midianites he never said yeah they're really strong yeah whoo many nights bad people yeah you should feel sorry for yourself Gideon no what does Jesus do in the conversation he in condemn Gideon he doesn't put Gideon down in fact let me say to you this way this is a picture of grace under the Old Covenant Jesus shows up and gives us a picture of grace and what is Grace God doing something that you cannot ever do for yourself he's saying to Gideon Gideon I know that places her in Gideon I know you don't feel it Gideon I know you're afraid I know Gideon that you feel like everything is against you but I gotta tell you something I am here and because I am here it changes now who you are my presence changes who you are and eventually it will change the condition but right now you've got the cement who you are positionally Gideon the conversation with Jesus is so profound because he does not point out the deficiencies of this man named Gideon but rather he begins to tell him that I am with you that I am for you and then he says listen because I am with you you can now go and take care of the Midianites as if you're one man I mean Gideon because I am with you you are gonna do some great exploits now here's what Gideon does get it is with me and you do he goes back now to default he's oh oh oh whoa whoa whoa it's back up just for a second let me just retrace this if God is with us then why has this happened it's conditional let me say to you this way again just because something bad happens doesn't mean God is against you just because things don't work out your way doesn't mean that God has abandoned you and then he begins to ask out all these questions he begins to question God's presence God's provision God's power and and I love God I love Jesus because he just he just looks at him and says I get it but I'm with you I get it but I'm here I get it that all what you're saying is may be true but I'm here what would happen if we just acknowledge the presence of God in our lives you're gonna go and strike meeting him as one man but here's what Gideon does Gideon says well how can I do that do you know that my family is the least do you know that that now I'm the least in my family other words I am the bottom of the bottom like you chose the wrong one I mean maybe you should have chose my older brother you chose the wrong one but I love it because what does Jesus say to him Jesus says to him later he says you know what no no go in the power that you have go in the might that you possess right now in other words listen to me you have all the power you need right now you have everything that you need right now you may feel weak but your feelings don't determine who you really are he says Gideon I want you to know something you have the power already you have the strength already we need to quit praying for power and acknowledge the power that God has given to us we need to begin to say god I thank you that you give me the grace today I think you should give me the power today I thank you Lord God you've given me the strength to get through this day and not just get through this day but Lord God I'm gonna make a difference we need to begin to acknowledge what God has said over us so we're powerful we're not weak come on we can do all things through Christ Jesus can I get an amen in the chatroom right now we can do what God has called us to do you have the power you have been given the power you have the power of the Holy Spirit you have the power of God working in you and through you to do his good pleasure conversation the conversation this conversation is life altering and life changing not just for Gideon but for the nation because Gideon now we know later on as you read a few more chapters that Gideon now is gonna rally the nation this man who was hiding in ur press this man that allowed his condition to begin to bring distortion to his inside because he was distracted on the outside and now what does God do God shows up in his press God shows up in the middle of his mess God shows up it does point out his deficiencies but begins to declare who he really is this is how I see you in the midst of the presence of God in the midst of the power of God in the midst of God's purpose he sends him out to make a difference I want to say to you this way we are not in a quarantine we're in a cocoon we're not in a quarantine we're in a cocoon wait a second I've no no no no we're in a cocoon what is it cocoon a cocoon is watch it is in enclosed space it is a protected space where transformation is taking place we are in a place called a cocoon that God is allowing us to happen right now and I don't know about you but I'm being transformed I'm gonna come out a transform man I'm going to come out a transformed person I need to come out of transform husband I'll transform father you need to declare no I am NOT in a quarantine I mean in cocoon and God's presence is with me and God is doing something in my life and I am NOT weak and I am NOT helpless and I'm not depressed and I am NOT down no my God is bringing me through this and I'm gonna come out a transform person that's how you frame it and if you frame it the right way you feel it the right way what has God speaking to you what's God speaking to you in the press I'm pastoring this church if you would have told me in January you will not have Church in a building for possibly eight to twelve weeks I would have bet everything that would never happen if you would have told me that the Las Vegas Strip would be closed down for a few months I would say nope your lie I give you and whatever happened I give it to you all right now I'm gonna put it all on read right now and little do we know now what has happened in the world is reshaping his restructuring mindsets manners methodology and movements that God quite possibly he's doing something that we don't even comprehend at this moment if I actually believe that I am in a cocoon see he thought he was in a press a winepress but it was actually a place of transformation because before Jesus showed up he was timid scared afraid after Jesus shows up Jesus has a conversation with them it's the angel Lord Gideon in just a few chapters has all these men and then God says you have too many you know the story and he gets down to 300 men and Gideon and 300 men wipe out hundreds and thousands of Midianites he didn't do it by his strength he didn't do it by his power he didn't do because he had a good plan he did it because he had the right conversation what conversations are you having what conversations are you having with yourself what conversations are you having with others what kind of conversations are you having with God as we get ready to close and and I'm gonna begin to just speak over you I want you to hold just said he just for a moment and think what conversations am i allowing in my head in my mind right now am i believing what the conditions are saying to me or I'm gonna believe what Jesus is saying to me can I believe that I'm seated with Christ watch this in heavenly places when I'm in a low place in my life can I believe that as pastor when he was saying that the joy of the Lord is my strength and I can wrap myself up in the presence of God and begin to realize that he is enough can I in the midst of my pain and the darkness and my despair just for a moment have the right conversation with Jesus and Jesus would begin to speak something to my soul and to my mind as we'd say in the building - somebody comes to the keyboards it starts playing yeah it is III often think in the Bible this is a whole pattern that's played out remember the conversation got half with Abram he changed him to Abraham remember the conversation that God had with Jacob changed him to Israel remember the conversation that Jesus had with a guy named Simon and his name means read but she says the conversation it says now that's who they say you are but I'm gonna tell you who you really are you're Peter your rock what conversation are you having in the press and the quarantine my conversations and have elevate elevated me and other conversations as has taken me down processing the loss of one of my family he was a family member pastor Paul treichel and when I have the right conversations I feel ok when I had the wrong conversations I feel down conversations in the press in what the world is calling a quarantine but I want to declare to you it's a cocoon I want to declare to you coming out transformed I want to declare to you that what you think you've lost you didn't need that God wants to do something brand new in your life Gideon Benny Wendy no not with you and you're gonna strike back against the enemy I feel that you're gonna you're gonna strike back and what darkness is trying to do that's what we're doing every week at church Elvie Pastor Eric's giving me the report Pastor Ivan's giving the report you know we're doing no we're striking back we're striking back against fear can I hear an amen we're striking back against anxiety we're striking back against depression we're striking back and saying no there is still light in the middle of the darkness and I will not allow the media I'm gonna allow Democrats and Republicans I will not allow a spirit of fear to frame what I see I'm allowed the Word of God can I hear an amen come on frame what I see I'm not denying the fact that we're in the press I'm not denying the fact that there's crazy things that are happening but what I am saying is that Jesus is here and he's having a conversation and he tells you who you are and he tells you that he's for you and he tells you that you have all the power that you need it's been given to you already can you just acknowledge what you already have you already have it just acknowledge it I want to pray for you today try to get out this message it was so much in my mind in my heart of my spirit might have to come back and do version 2 because I wanted impact so much but I think the Holy Spirit is speaking to you you're in your press I know some marriages are on the rocks right now I've been praying for some individuals in our church and even outside of our church people have lost loved ones and people are fighting this virus and they're fighting so many other things that I'm here to tell you that Jesus is coming in the middle of your press and a new version of you is gonna be revealed not just because of crisis did it because the Christ in Christ is showed up and begin to speak to you I believe I'm gonna be Roberts a better leader I believe that our church is gonna be a better Church when we emerge because we're gonna see the transformation take place what a great day in church today the first ways to pray if you need prayer of any kind go to the crater link fill out the prayer request the member of our team will reach out to you personally via text phone call we want to make sure you know somebody is standing with you during these times the second way is by joining the small group you can actually join a virtual small group to see some people face to face if you want to be a part of that go to church I'll be calm slash groups last way to kick is follow us on Instagram for daily content encouragement prayers worship playlists and updates but it was a great day at church today we declare some God truth over our lunch today God you are in control we cast our anxieties on food because care for us you are our provider you are our healer you are fighting our battles I pray peace of God that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus in the Lord bless you may the Lord

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Id: 4Xpkif4PT-4

Length: 39min 2sec (2342 seconds)

Published: Mon May 04 2020