ANNOUNCER: The Believer's
Walk of Faith is paid for by Bill Winston Ministry's
partners and viewers. ANNOUNCER: Up next
on The Believer's Walk of Faith. BILL: See,
when you're living what this Bible says, you're
going to have a whole bunch of evidence that you can't hide,
that you're living. You can't hide this mall. You can't hide
what God has given to me by faith because
faith brings God on the scene and God is
not a small God. BILL: Hello, I'm Bill
Winston and welcome to The Believer's Walk of Faith where
we walk by faith and not by sight. Well, today's message is
entitled, "Getting Into the Driver's Seat." This is an
example of the enemy as he tries to hitchhike. You know, you're
driving down the road and pick up a hitchhiker and next thing
you know, sits in the back, you know, and then as you keep
talking and discussing he wants to move to the front and sits on
the passenger's side. And then you keep driving and next thing
you know, he takes over the driver's seat. That's the way
Satan works. He just creeps right into people's lives and
the next thing you know, he's taken control. Well, we're going
to stop that, praise God! We're talking about God wants you in
the driver's seat. He wants you in control of your
destiny. Let's go into it and we'll show you how
to take control. It's called, "Getting In
the Driver's Seat." BILL: I think I've shared
with you before that Satan's a thief and that he'll
be on the road hitchhiking. And if you pick him up, he'll first
sit in the back. Then as you go, he'll ask to move into the
passenger's seat. And then if you keep him in that car, he
will eventually put you out, take your car, and he'll get in
the driver's seat. I think without faith, you are not in
the driver's seat. I don't care how you look at your situation,
how you look at yourself, if there is no faith there, you're
not in the driver's seat. Now, somebody else may be praying for
you, but God wants you in the driver's seat. Say amen.
CONGREGATION: Amen. BILL: And to put the devil out right along
beside the road, just stop the car and put him out. The Bible
warns us about in the last days, as a matter of fact, he says in
Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:1, "This know also that in the last days,
perilous times shall come." And these are times of great stress,
one Bible translation says that's the ginosko, that is the
Greek translation of it. Another says hard times, hard to deal
with. And so the Bible warns us that in the last days, wicked
will become more wicked. God wants us to build violent faith.
Now let's go over to Matthew 11:12, "And from the days of
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence and the violent take it by force." What do you think the
force is that we use? CONGREGATION: Faith. BILL:
Faith, praise God. Now why is faith such a force? Because when
you're in faith, you're in partnership with God. You're in
partnership with God. Faith releases God's ability. Now what
can stop God? So if it can't stop God, it can't stop ...
Can't stop me. Because God is in partnership with me. That's what
people say sometimes, you know, God is on my side. No, you are
on God's side. There ain't but one side and that's God's side,
and he wants us there. Well, this idea of faith, it puts you
in the driver's seat because it puts you in control over your
life. It virtually puts you in control over the affairs of this
life and in your life. And it is so powerful, it's an invisible
force from God and is capable of doing all kinds of things. Now,
I've got a lot of notes here 'cause God gave me a lot on
this. I felt an urgency from God to teach on faith. To teach on
faith. Now, what is my objective? What am I looking
for? I'm trusting that you will develop great faith. You will
develop great faith. Now, developing faith is both
nutrition and exercise. The Bible says man shall not live by
what? CONGREGATION: Bread alone. BILL: Bread alone. But by what?
CONGREGATION: Every word. BILL: Every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God. So, the Word of God is considered food. My
job is to prepare a meal for you. And your job is to eat it.
But Jesus, the Bible says, and if you look at Hebrews 12:2, it
talks about Jesus being the author and finisher of our
faith. If you look at that same scripture in the NIV
translation, let's put it up there please. In the NIV
translation it says, "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and
perfecter of our faith." So Jesus is with us in the person
of the Holy Spirit, perfecting our faith. So he is not allowing
you to eat and just sit there. That'd be against what he's
trying to do because it comes ... You just can't eat and not
exercise. I mean, I advise everybody, if you could just
walk down the street, you know, and so forth. If you can't walk
down your street, then walk here. Just come right here and
walk around the building. But some kind of exercise, 'cause
it's good for your muscles, it's good for your limbs, so forth
and so on. But as you exercise the Word, then faith comes to
fullness, it comes to its perfected state. It comes so
that it will do something for you that each time you work that
level of faith, then there's another level that God's going
to take you to. Let me show you who's watching you. Look at that
same verse, Hebrews 12:1 in the Message translation please. In
the message translation, okay? He says, "Do you see what this
means? All these pioneers who blazed the way, all these
veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with
it. Strip down, start running and never quit! No extra
spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus."
Are you following what I'm saying? My point to you is, is
even the Bible talks about trim down, get yourself ready. Now,
when he's speaking about that, true enough you need to do it
for the physical man, but he's saying the spiritual man, let's
go back to Ephesians again. In Ephesians 3, it's talking about
this spiritual man. Look what he says in verse 14 again, "For
this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
of whom the whole family in heaven and in earth is named.
That he would grant you according to the riches of his
glory to be strengthened," with what? Might. By his what?
Spirit. In where? Your inner man. Your inner man. Now women,
don't have no problem with this. He said inner man, so just say
inner man, praise God. We know that we have two genders out
here, but he's talking about in the spirit. So this is the inner
person that he wants strengthened. Now, the state of
your inner man is that which determines the dimension of
faith that you can operate in. The state of the inner man is
that which determines the dimension of faith you're going
to be able to operate in. So I've got to develop the inner
man. I've got to get in here and develop it. Look what it says in
Romans, Romans 4:17. This is talking about Abraham. "As it is
written, I have made thee a father of many nations before
him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead and
calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who
against in hope believed in hope that he might become the father
of many nations according to that which was spoken. So shall
thy seed be. And being not," what in faith? Weak in faith.
"He considered not his own body now dead when he was about a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was,"
what? Strong in faith. "Giving glory to God. And being fully
persuaded that what he, God, had promised, he was also able to
perform." I read one man's book, he was talking about faith. And
he said something, he said faith in us should be so well built
and developed until if the doctor said this or that, not
that he doesn't make a proper diagnosis, but you would receive
it just like you would receive somebody telling you that this
man is going to have a baby. It would be that ludicrous. This
one man said they even told him that he had high blood pressure.
He said, "I can't have it." And it ended up he didn't. Now, my
point to you is, is that as you're going through this world,
wickedness becomes more wicked. Deception becomes more deceptive
and so forth. And I'm just saying, somewhere we gonna to
have to be strong in the Lord. And to be strong in the Lord
you're going to have to be strong in? CONGREGATION: Faith.
BILL: Faith. Because God is not going to move for you outside
the capacity of the faith of your spirit man. It should be
ludicrous when the enemy gives you some bad report. Let's look
over there, look at Genesis 37. Let's look at that. Now this is
when the story of Joseph and how Joseph was raised with his
brothers, and he had a dream, and he told his brothers, and
they were envious. And then took him, of course, they were going
to kill him at first, but decided not to and threw him in
a pit. But they took his coat, and they put blood from an
animal on his coat. And they brought the blood on the coat
back to his father. In verse 33 of Genesis 37, "And he knew it
and said, it is my son's coat. An evil beast has devoured him,
Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." Got it? Was that the
truth? CONGREGATION: No. BILL: No. Because you have to answer
every problem with the Word of God because it's just, when your
faith is strong. See, and look what he said in verse 35, "And
all his sons and his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he
refused to be comforted and he said, I will go down to my grave
and my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him." Now I want
you to see this because if you look here at chapter, glory to
God, in Genesis 42, you will see here, and it says, "Now when
Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons,
Why do we look one upon another? And he said, Behold I have heard
that there is corn in Egypt. Get you down thither and buy for us
that we may live and not die." Now notice what's happening.
What's happening is now where he is supposed to have faith to
produce whatever he needs wherever he was when he needed
it, now he has dropped his faith because he thinks his son has
been killed. When over here, coming back, glory to God, see,
I'm getting this thing now. I'm seeing that when God says
something about you, the enemy's job is to take that confidence
away. Why? So that he can remove and steal what God has provided
for you. Are you with me here? And I'm telling you folks, glory
to God, that faith moves the hand of God. Meaning that God,
when your faith is released, God goes into action. Now, when God
goes into action, is anything too hard for the Lord? Now, I'm
saying that 'cause even if Joseph was dead in pieces, God
could still put the pieces back together and bring that boy out
of the woods. Let's go over to Mark 5, please. If there's
nothing too hard for God, he means nothing. I'm saying
anything, anybody, whatever the case may be. Now, I'm going to
hit some things here and I hope I don't hit your favorite bumper
sticker, but I'm going to hit some things here. And you've got
to believe the Bible rather than, you know, whatever. What I
said here, I talked about six things that are steps to rising
to the top. And I said one of them is, do not adjust the Word
of God to fit your lifestyle. You adjust your lifestyle to fit
the Word of God. And then, also, I said that don't mistaken your
condition for your portion. Didn't I say that? Well, what
God said about you in terms of the blessing, you need to come
back to the blessing and find out what he say, 'cause whatever
he said for you, that's what he's going to do. Now the
enemy's job, of course, is to take away your confidence in
God. Take away your confidence in the Word, why? Because he
knows that without that, you can't get in the driver's seat.
Look what he said, this is in Mark 5:22. He said, "And behold,
there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jarius by
name; and when he saw him," toward Jesus, "he fell at his
feet and he besought him greatly saying, My little daughter lieth
at the point of death. I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on
her, that she may be healed; and she shall live." Now watch this,
"And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and
thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of
blood and had suffered many things of many physicians, and
had spent all that she had, she was nothing better, but rather
grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, she came in the press
behind and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but
his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of
her blood was dried up; and she knew in her body that she was
healed of that plague." "And Jesus, immediately knowing in
himself that virtue went out of him, turned about and in the
press and said, Now who touched my clothes? The disciples said
unto him, Master, you see the multitude thronging you and said
thou, Who touched me? And he looked around about to see her
that had done this thing. For the woman fearing and trembling,
knowing what was done in her, came and fell down at his feet
and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter,
thy," what? "Faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be whole
of thy plague." He didn't even say God's power made you whole,
did he? Because God's power is available for you right now, but
you plug in by what? CONGREGATION: Faith. BILL: By
faith. And look what he said, verse 35, "While he yet spake,
there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which
said, Thy daughter is dead: don't trouble, why trouble the
Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard this word that was
spoken, he said unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not
afraid." Be not afraid. Be not afraid. Only what? Believe. Now
this is, what he's saying, because he's saying, wait a
minute, wait a minute. First of all, you've got to believe that
with God all things are possible here. I don't care whether she's
dead or not. Look at John, John 11, please. Over in John 11,
this is when Jesus raised Jairus from the dead. Now I'm
just speaking of dead folks now because people think when you're
dead you're gone. Hold on! Wait a minute. Look what he says
here, it's in John 11:39, "And then Jesus said, Take ye away
the stone. And Martha, the sister of him that was dead,
said unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh." Meaning that
his body is decomposing. So what? I believe you can get
folks up from the grave. I believe in these last days,
people are going to be develop faith to such a degree that when
Satan has destroyed somebody and killed somebody and they use
their faith and it's powerful enough, that person gonna show
up for dinner that next night. Now, what you do with this kind
of talk is you go beyond people who are not looking to develop
great faith. They are looking for positions, they are looking
for there be a teacher for you and a preacher for you, but not
living for you what this Bible says. See, when you living what
this Bible says, you're gonna have a whole bunch of evidence
that you can't hide that you're living. You can't hide this
mall. You can't hide what God has given to me by faith,
because faith brings God on the scene and God is not a small
God! It is too much people that are pontificating but not living
by faith. And what we got to do is we got to hold everybody
accountable. If you're in the kingdom, where is it? Let me see
what you got, come on. Let me see the evidence of what you
have done that your faith has pulled off so that we could
validate the fact, that man's got faith. That woman's got
faith. It's not enough that show up. It's enough that you
demonstrate because the world is waiting on it, plus the fact,
how many things that are still left in the invisible realm that
are not here yet because the church has not developed the
proper faith? And I'm telling you, if we had that kind of
witness, a bunch of people would come in the church saying, "My
God! This is what we need." Now, even Jesus in Mark 6, he could
no mighty works. He could no mighty works in his own hometown
because of one reason. Why? CONGREGATION: Unbelief. BILL:
They wouldn't believe what he said. And I'm telling you, if
you sit around this long enough, and you don't act on it, you can
feed on it but you don't exercise it, you will eventually
be unpersuadable. That's called unbelief. Two kinds of unbelief,
one is that you never heard it. Second is that you heard it, but
you never want to act on it. And I'm saying to you and to all the
body of Christ, it is time for us, if you are saved, show me
your faith. And you do it by your works. And it's time for
that. Folks, we got to cut out all this stuff. Church going is
not going to get it today. You got church going, and the world
is getting worse. Turn to Mark 4, this is going to be good,
'cause this is going to get you up off your rusty dusty. It
really is, 'cause it's gonna convict you. "I'm using my
faith, and I'm the only one using my faith." Wait, wait a
second, that ain't the way it's supposed to be. Everybody up in
here got faith. All right, let's keep going. I tell you, hey. I,
I, I'm, mm-mmm. We're gonna walk by faith and that's why I have
the people that are here, who are here for faith conference
because I need people with evidence. If your faith has no
proof, it is a fake, and you are perpetuating
religion. And religion can cause people to come in here
and go out. The faith will cause people to
change the world. BILL: Well, praise
God. I trust that your faith was ignited by today's
teaching. Now here's a powerful point to remember, there are two
kinds of unbelief. The first type of unbelief is when a
persons have never heard the Word of God. They have unbelief
lingering in their thinking and in their actions. Unbelief,
never heard the Word of God. But the second is those who have
heard the Word of God, but have never acted on it. They've
failed to engage themselves or put into practice what they've
heard. And that's a kind of unbelief. So it's not enough
just to hear the Word, you must act on the Word. You must be a
doer of the Word. You must exercise your faith if you want
the benefit of that Word. Isn't that powerful? Well, this is
Bill Winston, until next time, we'll see you then.
Keep walking by faith. ANNOUNCER: In this
powerful faith lesson, Dr. Bill Winston encourages
you to bring your faith to another dimension
by wholeheartedly trusting in God. Through faith, you can
overcome obstacles, detours and anything that's trying to block
or slow your progress. Bring faith to its fullest by
exercising the Word and tap into God's ability, not your own. To
order your copy of today's message in its entirety, contact
us online at billwinston.org, or call us at 1-800-711-9327. Get
in the driver's seat of faith and change your life forever.
Order this message today. ANNOUNCER: Doctors Bill and
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