James A. McMenis | Faith in the Fire | Part 2

we read before the prayer in first Peter chapter 4 we read verse 12 I want to continue this down into verse 13 where he says beloved think it not strange think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though somewhat strange thing happened under use the Lord strange is used twice and it's in relationship to a trial I don't know what it is except just deception or confusion or maybe ignorance but so many of us allow a trial to shake up our world and get us out of the will of God and I believe that this verse the Spirit of God is addressing that it's not strange if you're going through something that that that's not abnormal and I'm not trying to say that this should be the story of our life but I do believe the way we view the fire will determine whether or not we can have faith in it and how you view your trial could determine its length and what you get out of it and so verse 12 here is addressing the trial and saying hey it's nothing strange but why then do we allow what we're going through to get us out of church out of the word out of prayer out of what we belong so many times we justify where we're not and not doing what we need to be doing by well I'm just really going through I'm just really going through I'm just having a hard time if I've heard that once I've heard it a million times and God's Word says it's not even strange the enemy wants to convince us that a trial is strange so that we take offense in the trial that we're getting something that we don't feel we had the right to expect and it and and then when the enemy can use the trial through a skewed view he's able to use that to get us out of the will of God but once what verse 13 says it says but rejoice he said not only do I not want you to view a trial as something strange but I actually want you to rejoice in the trial and as much as you are partakers of Christ's suffering he's saying just recognize that Jesus was hated Jesus was persecuted and you're just partnering with him Jesus himself said in John 15 verse 19 if you were of the world the world would love his own but because you are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore the world hates you Jesus went home to say if they hated me they'll hate you and so verse 13 is saying rejoice that your are protect you're a partaker of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed read that part out loud that when his glory shall be revealed a revelation a revelation is when something is present but you didn't see it you didn't acknowledge it you didn't know it was there a revelation is an unveiling of something that's always been there you just may not have known it and so the Bible says here that when you're going through a trial rejoice rejoice that you're partnering with Christ and know that when his glory shall be revealed you will be glad with exceeding joy what does that statement mean that I should rejoice in a trial and recognize that that that the glory of Christ is going to be revealed the word glory means manifestation so when the Lord is glorified he is manifested or he is made known John chapter 2 teaches that Jesus began to work miracles starting at a wedding in Cana and that beginning with his working of miracles the Bible says he began to show forth his glory the glory of God is the manifestation of God it's the revelation of God it's the unveiling of God it's the disclosing of God it's God saying Here I am and you didn't even know it come on somebody and so the word is saying that when we're going through a trial rejoice because there will come a time through that trial where we will see the glory of God revealed what does that mean we will look back on what we went through and see that we were not alone we will look back on that trial that we have gone through and seeing how the Lord was there and I want you to know that the word of the Lord is I will never leave you I will never forsake you I will be with you even unto the end of the world and right now you may be going through something where it appears like the Lord is not there that you are forgotten and that he has alienated you but sometimes you have to go through it before you can look back on it and say my god I can see clearly that you were there every step of the way you were in that process working that trial for my good and the Bible says that when the glory of Christ is revealed we will be glad with exceeding joy hallelujah in other words there will be amplified joy when you can see how the Lord used that trial for your advantage Church you can't always see it in the process you can't always see it in the flames but the Lord says I want to reveal to you my presence in your fire when I read that I thought about Shadrach Meshach and Abednego in the Book of Daniel in the third chapter where they would not comply and made a decision to keep Jesus as Lord of their lives and wouldn't waiver off the word and for their faith they were thrown into a fiery furnace but when the King looked into the furnace he said I thought we threw three men into the furnace I can just hear a little child reading the Bible story Shack rat mean cat and a billy goat were thrown into the fiery furnace no baby that wasn't a Shack rat and that wasn't a mean cat or a billy goat that was Shadrach Meshach and Abednego they were thrown in the fiery furnace but when they looked in after they had been thrown in they said I thought we threw three and I thought the three were bound I thought I had him in this thing but when the King looked in he said no actually we see four men in there and all of them are loose listen it is my prayer for you that Jesus revealed himself and make himself known in whatever fiery furnace you happened to be in today but it is the will of God to reveal himself in your trial and Church I'm a living witness you don't always see it when you're going through it that's why I gotta have faith in the fire can you say that out loud faith in the fire wanna hear you in Bossier City faith in the fire how can I have faith in the fire I've got to change the way I view the trial I've got to change my view of it so to help you do that I want to look at some things in the word if you would turn back with me to the Gospel of Matthew and I want to go to the 13th chapter Matthew chapter 13 I am convinced that if you can change the way you view what you are going through faith can be developed so last week I gave you five things that you could view your trial by and make a determination ok I'm going through the trial because of this and what I told you I would start to do today and was to begin to break down those five things that I gave you last week so today we're going to begin to break down the first reason why you might be going through a trial and that is persecution persecution the second thing we'll cover low will in next week is planting what are you planting no sense in you planting bad seed bad seed say like that bad seed you got to emphasize seed and then blame the devil well I lost my job why where the devil's busy well I heard he stole from the company well I did but the devil's business see don't blame the devil on your bad seed so your trial could be based on what you've been planting number three your trial could be God is purging you God's trying to get something out of your life that doesn't need to be there right number four God is proving you he's gonna use this thing to prove himself to you to prove his word to you our number five God's trying to produce something in you so these are the things we'll be covering over the next six years all right so but uh I'm kidding it is a lot right there but today I want to talk about persecution Matthew chapter 13 when you get there say Amen persecution could it be what you're going through is just persecution it is the enemy doing what he does and using people to do it because persecution is something that Jesus said we would have simply because of our faith you cannot know the Lord you cannot live by the Word of God and you cannot name the name of Jesus without the enemy putting a mark on you and he will use people to persecute us and I want to show you how to respond to that will start in Matthew chapter 13 and we'll look at it down in verse number 20 so in Matthew 13 Jesus has given this parable of a sword and how the sower sews the word and he says in verse 20 but when our but he that received the seed into stony places the same is he that heareth the word here is the word right now you're hearing the word and anon with joy receiveth it sometimes folk get saved but getting the word and to get happy to get joint all hallelujah hallelujah were starts doing this thing but but but but you got to watch out because verse 21 is gonna happen because two things always come when you hear the word Romans 10:17 says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and then jesus said the enemy comes when you hear the word of God so the enemy is going to test that word that we hear and we see in verse 21 hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while for when tribulation or what persecution arises because of what the word by and by he is offended he is offended go back with me to chapters 2 Matthew chapter 11 so Jesus is saying here that there are those that will hear the word and then persecution is going to come the enemy is going to attack he's gonna use people to rise up against you and he says there will be some that get offended they get off ended that's a good way of looking at being offended you got off ended an offense always breaks relationship and no matter who it is you might be offended toward the enemy will never stop working his that offense until he has you offended at God because ultimately that's who the enemy wants us offended at and that's why persecution seems to be so successful in believers lives to get them out of prayer out of the word out of church out of serving out of the will of God it is persecution because somewhere another we just believe that we should never go through anything and that everybody ought to love us and we ought to have one jillion likes on Facebook and so when we find out that not everybody loves us and we find out that somebody's been talking about us and we find out that everybody doesn't favor us and then we begin to face some mistreatment on the job or in the family or by a neighbor all of a sudden the persecution that's arising in our heart gets us offended and offenses always rooted in expectation in other words I can't be offended at you until I expected something different that when my expectations are not met that's when I get offended and so the enemy loves to use a vulnerable time like a trial when you're really going through it to say to you how your expectations are not being met where is your God where your saviors I thought Jesus came to give you an abundant life your life is getting worse see we praise him when it's right and we in the life but where is your praise when things look broken in your life where is your praise when you get word that there's gonna be a layoff where is your praise when the report comes in where is your praise when you're in the fire so let me show you a prime example of this Matthew chapter number 11 when you get there just say Amen and what started in verse number 1 and it came to pass when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities now when John this is John the Baptist now when John had heard in the prison in the prison in the prison when John had heard in the prison are you with me now sometimes based on where yah determines how you respond to what you hear now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ the works of Christ the works of which Christ Jesus Christ the same Jesus Christ that when John in the belly of his mother six months old in that pregnancy in Elizabeth's belly heard Mary say Jesus Elizabeth said to Mary when you just said that name this baby just leaped in my womb this John that's sleeping in the belly at the name of Jesus I don't know how many of us can can can can share the testimony where our momma told us hey you used to jump in my belly when you heard the name of Jesus my god what a testimony some of us only jump when momma age sweets I know that when my wife was pregnant we would go get to what do you call that thing where they look in and see the baby ultrasound we'd always stop and get a candy bar on the way cuz she'd eat that candy bar full of sugar in the blood and Men and then babies will come alive but Jaime of us came alive when we heard the name of Jesus John the Baptist did John the Baptist was Jesus's forerunner he's the one that went out into the streets and said hey y'all there's one coming after me that was preferred before me and when he gets here I'm gonna decrease that he might increase he was the forerunner of Jesus he was the show opener like going to a concert and you got to the group you ain't never heard of it comes out front and then you have to leave tolerate this stuff until the main the main one comes out what Jesus was the main event and John the Baptist was the forerunner and when Jesus showed up at John's baptism John said I can't baptize you I need to be baptized of you you baptize me Jesus said no I can't argue with you let it be done for righteousness sake John look back at this Jesus and said I'm not even worthy to unlace your shoes and he baptized him when he did he heard a voice from heaven and said this is my son and whom I'm well pleased and then a dove lid on Jesus's shoulder that Christ let's don't act like you don't know him that Christ that saves you at the age of 18 that Christ that was there for you when you were gonna take your life one night that Christ that met you at an altar that Christ that met you in the midnight hour that Christ they saved your mama that Christ that healed your daddies that Christ had answered prayer that Christ that got you through things you never would have got through on your own sometimes when you get in a bad situation you act like you don't know the one that brought you to the place that you are right now see John in prison all of a sudden is gonna start questioning Christ so when John in prison had heard the works of Christ he sent two of his disciples verse 3 and then said unto them art thou he that should come or do we look for another that was the message he sent to Jesus read that message with me out loud want to hear you in Bossier City ready read all right now he that should come or do we look for another all of a sudden he's ready to look for another you want another that'll make you leap in your mother's belly you want another that you will hear the voice of God speak out in heaven and say this is my son you one another that you would spend your days preaching and preparing his way and all of a sudden now you act like you don't know this one that's what offense will do offense if it gets in your marriage it will tell you this man is not the one I need to look for another offense will tell you this woman is not the one I need to look for another yes your own pastor can't offend you and you'll be saying I got to leave world of God and find me another church find me another preacher find me another job that's what offense does it always leads you to separate Shreveport gets hard I got to find me another city beause it gets hard I got to find me another City y'all quiet he said are you or you the one or do I need to look for another shocking just I can imagine myself as John James a Mac ministers John I'm not saying John did this I said I can imagine me doing this please set the record straight somebody got mad at me one time said I was cast in John and a negative light oh my gosh I'm reading the scripture but I can imagine James Mack minutes being John sitting in that prison soon no I'd be wouldn't he sitting and I paced a lot y'all notice I'd be pacing I can just imagine his first sermon my first sermon he came to set the captives free [Applause] captives free I'm his first cousin nobody knew it Jesus till I came out then told him he was coming won't leave me in this prison you say John didn't say I didn't say John I said I said that I could imagine James they saying it but I'm approved to you he's offended in that prison I will prove to you he's offended because when they came to Jesus and said are you the one or do we need to look for another Jesus in verse four said go and show John again again go show John again again see sometimes you forget what the Lord has already revealed to you don't let your trial make you forget how he's already shown himself to you go and show John again those things which you do hear and see the blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the Deaf hear the dead are raised up the poor have the gospel preached unto them read verse six out loud wanna hear you in bows already read and blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me Jesus a tell him tell him telling the debtor getting up tell him the blind that never saw see tell him to death that never heard hear tell him tell him that the mute who can't talk speak tell tell him tell him that the poor who didn't think there was a way out of no way a way has been made for them don't go tell him that tell him that again he already seen it one time don't tell him again remind him he said oh by the way one more thing tell John blessed is he that won't be offended in me what's he saying John you've gotten offended and by being offended you have forgotten Who I am you've let your offense change your view of me and that's what the enemy wants to do in our lives he wants to use persecution and trial to get us to change the way we view our God he wants you to be in that broken state and in that poor state and in that depressed state to say where is the Lord where is God if God is so why is this happening to me because that's what he's after that's what he's trying to do can I get you to change your view of who Jesus is based on what's going on in your life but Jesus gives a promise here we cannot overlook he said blessed is the man that won't get offended now that's a heavy word when you talk about being blessed he said blessed is he that will not be offended in me that means if I can go through a trial and not allow that trial to get me offended at God the Lord will bless me in that trial now let me let me back it up with some more scriptures we've got to get an understanding of this come over with me to Matthew chapter 5 Matthew chapter 5 now when you use the word blessing all my goodness you're talking about a powerful word I don't want you taking that word lightly the blessing of God is not a new car the blessing of God is not a new house the blessing of God is not a suit the blessing of God is not a tangible thing now I know some of you might say pastor I beg to differ with you I know this house was a blessing know that house was the result of the blessing the blessing of God is a spiritual endowment proverbs 10:22 says the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich I'm gonna get stirred up here in a minute proverbs 10:22 says the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich say like that an emphasis maketh the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich the blessing of the Lord will make things happen in your life it will make breakthrough coming your life it will make prosperity come in your life it will make breakthrough come in your life the blessing of the Lord it maketh the blessing of the Lord it makers say that out loud the blessing of the Lord it maketh the bless he law will make something happen in your life it should not be taken lightly when you talk about the blessing we ought to be like Jacob wrestling with God wrestling with dangerous I won't let you go till you bless me if we understood the magnitude of the word blessing we wouldn't trade anything for it did he were to say if we understood the magnitude of the word blessing we wouldn't trade anything for it so if Jesus said blessed is he that doesn't take offence in me then no matter what I'm going through I'm not gonna blame God because blessed is he that won't take offense at God in this blessed blessed blessed the Bible says no man can curse whom the Lord has blessed no bank can curse whom the Lord has blessed hey I may have the two guys mixed up but but but but but correct me on the front row if you know the right one but but was it was it Balaam that paid Balak or Balak that paid Balaam to curse Israel Bailey paid Balaam alright taking it from brother with him so Bailey paid BAM Balaam he said I want you to curse Israel paid him good money he got out there and set him on the Mount and he went to speak curses over Israel and blessing came out his mouth he said hey wait I told you to curse some of you didn't miss right and bless them maybe you pointing the wrong way you've been ain't facing north little in heaven let's place let me face West trying again he opened his mouth and a blessing came out he said oh he done messed up again - remember face south let's try this away and he went to open his mouth and a blessing came out he was a prophet of God he said he's still getting it wrong let's try east and he point him a different direction and another blessing came out and finally the Prophet said look I'm a prophet I can't prophesy set by God's Spirit and I know you told me to speak a curse but I can't speak except that which the Lord gave me and the Lord don't gave me a blessing and I know you wanted him cursed but the Lord Wilson bless and man can curse whom the Lord hath blessed so if I understood that you can't curse me you ain't big enough to curse me you don't have enough authority to curse me I don't care what you said on Facebook I have faced this book I don't care what you said behind my back I know what God has already put in my heart you ain't big enough you ain't got enough power just hurts my life no man can touch the Lord already bless if we really believed that we wouldn't worry about what folks say all right watch this in Matthew 5 verse 10 blessed blessed this reminds me of that old-school album by Fred Hammond and radical for Christ I think it was the first album they might have put out blessed blessed best best blessed if you don't have Fred Hammond in your playlist you better get in there you won't have your moments of Hillsong and all that but there's some moments when you're in the fire you need some Freddie he said blessed are the peacemakers to attend blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake you've got to be able to look through and realized sometimes you're gonna be persecuted just because of who you belong to and whose name you call for theirs is the kingdom of heaven blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake I don't be doing for wrong and then they say something you see well I'm blessed no you know you did it he said for my sake let it be for Jesus's sake for Jesus sake for Jesus sake he said you bless if you're persecuted for my sake now here's the thing I got to start viewing my persecution and say you've positioned me to be blessed you've positioned me for the blessing of God now let me show something to you go with me to Luke chapter number 17 I got two more places I wants to turn and we'll be done here a few minutes but watch this in Luke 17 but both are in Luke want to go to Luke 17 then Luke 6 the only reason we get persecuted let me say it another way the objective of the enemy and the persecution is offense and you get a folk they brag about being offended I am offended offense is translated trap it's Satan's trap don't be bragging about being offended that's saying I said I am in handcuffs I mean we shouldn't be bragging about being in a trap offense is a trap set by the enemy and no matter who it is that's persecuted you that you might be offended at the enemy will never stop until you're offended at God that's what he's working toward now focal gonna do us wrong cuz focal is gonna be folk y'all didn't saying there now whether y'all saying Amen or well you know we're yet but I want to show you something in Luke 17 how many of you have ever been done wrong by somebody lift your hand up there there like it just don't care how guess everybody anybody handing out up right now is asleep alright and we wouldn't be offended if it didn't mean something Zechariah 13 6s and one show saying them what are these wounds in your hands then he shall answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends a stranger can do your own you think not another but when folk let you go to church would do you wrong with folk that are in your family do your own when folk you've been working with but 13 years do your own then now you get offended because you wouldn't have expected that an offense is rooted and unmet expectation all offended people have either been done wrong or thought they had been done wrong now watch what Jesus said about offense in Luke 17 verse 1 you get there say men then said he under the disciples it is impossible but that offenses will come read that part out loud ready read it is impossible but that offences will come so he's saying you cannot avoid it the potential for offense is going to always be there if you think otherwise it's impossible and offense doesn't need anybody's help now watch what he says next verse verse 1 but woe unto him through whom they come read that part out loud but woe unto him through whom they come so jesus said if you think that you will live a life where there's never the potential for offense that is impossible but I will say this woe to him through whom that means in our life search please hear me please hear me in our lives there are going to be people that are carrying on offense that they want us to receive does it mean that means we like people to to bear our offense so you just keep looking at Susy and you just think Susie hung them in but you don't know three weeks ago of Susan i headl tissue so I ain't gonna let you just keep applauding Susie no I'm gonna pull you to the side on a lunch date and I'm only gonna tell you this because I know you're a person of Prayer but let me tell you what I know about Suzy mm-hmm because I don't want to be alone in my fence so I need to pull somebody in and let them know how this person offended me so that maybe they will view that person like I'm viewing that person and then I won't feel so alone in this they matter of fact that one ain't enough let me let me invite somebody else over to another evening dinner and then say today let me tell you about Suzy and I only tell you this because I know you pray for me I'm not telling everybody this you know told three people today but you're trying to build a team of a fence and Jesus said not you ought not do that no he said woe unto him through whom they come if you're trying to deposit your offense and somebody else's hard jesus said woe to you on because you are falling right into the trap of the enemy not only has the enemy got you caught up in a fence you're trying to pull other people in there with you I have witnessed people get offended at me offended at this church offended in our school and it was just a one-on-one thing maybe a misunderstanding but what they would do is they would go around to other members and other families was in the school and pull them in and pull them in until they had deposited their offense in their heart and they think I know that whole group is out of church that whole group even today not in church anywhere completely out of the will of God because of the one that made a decision to be the carrier of offense well let me bring this on home where it fits us go back with me to Luke 6 so you've been raised and baby boy on your own and your baby's daddy ain't been there couldn't get me paid child support but you you you you the woman you the mother had to man up and bless your heart because you held on that job with the school still had that baby in church there's some single Mama's really fighting the fight and doing an awesome job though a men but listen to this Malachi prophesied that in the last days God would would restore the heart of the father's back to the children and so he's come back around maybe he got in church maybe he got saved but he's come back around he spent some time with baby boy he'd been there for six years I guess the boy needs a daddy I'm gonna let this happen so he comes home one day and you meet you meet him and and you pick up baby boy and y'all make the exchange and he's been with daddy this weekend baby boy got a new football you look over there football that he did get you the football ain't paid child support in six years he ought to have enough money for a football but who kept a roof on your head and who bought them Jordans on your feet so don't get caught up and daddy's football don't forget it with your momma now single mama been raising this boy you might be justified in your anger you might be justified in your hurt but what you're not justified in is if you're taking your offense and trying to make your seven-year-old boy have your offense he's not old enough or mature enough to understand what you've been going through all he knows is the debt is that ain't been there is now there don't don't mess that up I know I just made somebody mad somebody just got offended that I would even say but I'm trying to show you that if you can just change the way you view the trial this thing might turn to a blessing for your life see watch this in Luke chapter 6 when you get there see him in verse number 22 blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company hmm get them and put out the crowd unlight and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake folk act like they don't know you all because of your position I've lived that I've seen that it's a reality but jesus said if you look at that right it'll bless you if you if you changed the way you view that I can bless you I'm gonna show it to you in just a minute just stay with me he says in the next verse what verse of Man 23 he said rejoice ye in that day and you eat for joy you ought to be decent in the church for behold your reward is great in heaven for in the like manner did their fathers under the prophets now drop down with me for times sake 2 verse 27 but I say unto you which hear but I say unto you which hear that means if you can hear this he stopping to you love your enemies do good to them which hate you bless them that curse you pray for them which despitefully use you drop down to verse 35 but love your enemies do good Lyne hoping for nothing again and your reward shall be great now saying if you let it go your reward will be great but if you hold on to it and fight over it and be offended for it your reward won't be great that's a blessing if you let it go that's a blessing if you'll forgive there's a blessing if you're walking on that's a blessing if you'll release the offense don't hold on to the persecution that led to the offense and forfeiture blessing and you shall be called the children of the highest for he is kind under the thankful end of the evil be ye therefore merciful as your father also is merciful judge not and you shall not be judged condemn not and you should not be condemned forgive and you shall be forgiven just hang on for a minute so all come together I promise verse 38 give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom for with the same measure that you meet with all it shall be measured to you again what's he saying he's saying whatever it is that you give including your enemy it's what you're gonna get back so if you love your enemy you're gonna get love back good measure pressed down shaken together and running over if you give mercy you're gonna get mercy back good measure pressed down shaken together and running over but if you choose to give judgment then you're gonna get judgment back good measure pressed down shaken together and running over if you choose to condemn foe then you're gonna get condemnation back good measure pressed down shaken together and running over but if you choose to forgive you'll get forgiveness back good measure pressed down shaken together and running over I don't know about you but I know there are some things in my past that I would love forgiveness of so if somebody does me wrong they have set me up thank you for doing me wrong because now I can forgive you and as I choose to forgive you the Lord will forgive me all that stuff in my life when somebody does me wrong and I'm tempted to judge them and condemn them I can say wait a minute in my mind you're worthy of judgment and condemnation but I know in my own life I've done some stuff worthy to be condemned and judged for so I'm not gonna give it to you because I don't want to walk in it therefore how I treat my enemy is a setup for the blessing of God on my own life I'm saying to the one persecuting me my God is bigger than you you cannot alter my destiny with your words or your actions because my God is the author of my destiny therefore I will not give weight to what you have said or what you have done as if you have altered my future it might look like you've cost me my job but I was looking for one when I got this one and the Lord will bless me with a better job with better people and better pay that one day I'll look back at me losing that job and say thank you Lord I didn't belong there anyway [Applause] hello glory to God if you can just change the way you view the trial I can't change the trial but I'm going to change the way I view it because I am convinced that God can take this thing and turn it for my good but if I let the persecution and the offense drive me into so in bad seed then I got caught in the trap but I won't tell the enemy will say no I know what you're doing here you're trying to get me offended you're trying to get me out of my blessing you're trying to get me to curse this guy you're trying to get me to get bitter and angry no I'm not gonna do it I'm gonna choose to walk in forgiveness I got some lowlife I need forgiveness for anyway thank you can you not walk in a fence can you choose not to walk in a fence the Bible says great peace have they that love thy word and nothing shall offend them I'm choosing Lord to walk in your word and to trust you and I will not be a carrier of a fence let me pray for you today glory to God father we thank you today for your word we thank you for the gift of your spirit and altering the way we view our trials Lord I pray if there be one person here one person in Bossier watching this live feed that's walking in an offense offended at a loved one offended and a friend offended at a fellow brothers sister in Christ Lord if there be one of us just one walking in a fence may this be the day of freedom may this be the day that we choose your blessing over that offense and forgive and release and let it go [Music] Church no man has the power to alter your destiny no matter what it may look like Jacob's brothers Joseph brothers sold him out he went from the pit from the prison to the palace and the Bible says when he looked back on what had been done he told his brothers he said what she meant for evil God turned for good what you meant for evil God turned for God has gotten is big enough to turn that thing around for your good but don't disqualify yourself from him blessing you because you acted just like your enemy it was dr. Martin Luther King that said hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that those are his words hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that so father we ask today that you would keep these words and our remembrance and we think of that in the midst of our trial we will see your glory we will see how you took something that was intended for our bad but yet you turned it for our good we trust you that you're able to do that I invite you to pray with me Heavenly Father thank you for your word thank you for the gift of your spirit and I ask that she would keep me in remembrance of what I've heard today and I would not only be here but that I'd be a doer I believe Jesus died for me and that forgiveness is available to all so I ask forgiveness I believe you raised Jesus from the dead [Music] and then you sent your spirit and I receive the fullness of your spirit empowering me to walk in freedom freedom from my past freedom from offense and walking the power of a new life that my life would bring you glory even in the trial that my life would advance your kingdom so by your spirit and through your word help me to see the trial I'm going through righteously in Jesus name Amen [Music]

Channel: WOGM

Views: 4,678

Rating: 4.9663863 out of 5

Keywords: offense, jamesamcmenis, persecution, trial, faith

Id: fp3sQ3GI06Y

Length: 46min 41sec (2801 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 03 2019