Questions And Answers | Discipleship And Faith | Zac Poonen

so this is going to be a question answer time based on the questions that have been sent to me by by all of you go through them you have to go through them quickly because there are a number of questions the first one is when a responsibility is given in the church to me I'm very happy to do it alone but when I am asked to share that responsibility with others I feel uncomfortable and become Restless first of all I want to praise the Lord for someone who's so honest as to admit that you know the first step to deliverance from any bad habit or sin is to be honestly acknowledge that unlike that if you don't acknowledge it you know the problem with Adam when God asked him did you eat this tree should have said yes I'm sorry I did it instead of that he said no my wife so the moment you don't maybe but all that we've all got that habit of putting the blame on somebody else but if you can acknowledge Lord there's something wrong with me he can be delivered from it the one who confesses his sin will get deliverance so the reason why you get uneasy and uncomfortable me when you are asked to share responsibility with others is two things one the glory will be belong to everybody and not only to use you know you feel well I want the whole the credit for myself for what I did so that's one thing and the second thing is if you're doing it yourself you can have your own way you don't have to deny yourself in anything because if you work with another person you'll say hey let's do it like this and you have to sort of compromise not compromise in terms of your convictions but you have to yield in some areas when you work together and see this is the big problem in married life there's a lot of people who were thought they had a wonderful spiritual life when they were single they thought it was spiritual you get married and discovers all of a sudden they're not spiritual it's not that this suddenly became carnal no the thing is when when you are single and you have a problem with people outside you can pull away from them and go to your room and retreat and be by yourself and you're okay but when you get married and you have a problem outside and you pull back to your room there's somebody else in your room your wife and you can't get away from her then you discover that you're utterly selfish see one of the great discoveries that people make in when they get married is how thoroughly selfish they are if they are honest and if they are willing to put that self to death and say lord thank you I never knew how selfish I was till I got married I want to put it your death to follow Jesus see a lot of people who are single will never married I tell you they'll never discover how selfish they are never I mean you've gotta have really be radical and wholehearted like Jesus and Baal to see selfishness and fight it but the average single person never discovers it so when you have to work together with other people you'll get a lot of discovery of your own selfishness and if you're interested in becoming like Jesus you'll be thanking God that you work with somebody else and that's why many churches they like to have one pastor nobody questions and there are some elders also behave like pastors they're useless God has made multiple elders in a church because we have to yield to one another I've always all these forty-five years I've always worked with others and that's been a very good experience for me where I you what I think I should do and I say let's do it your way and that's the way so learn to if you're really interested in sanctification you'll be delighted to work with others if you are only interested in yourself and your own gain and your own honor you will not work with others so judge yourself in that area okay the next question is concerning sexual temptation see the sexual urge God is blinded in such a way a little to three-year-old does not tempted sexually but once they come to teenage years when same around 13 years old or so and little year older the sexual urge becomes stronger in men and women more in men than in women and yet they cannot get married for another 1012 years at least some another 15 years perhaps so why is God allowed this urge the sexual desire to spring up why didn't he wait till we are 25 before we are get that desire until 25 we just play like little children why did he start putting that desire when he had club 13 years old when he knows we can't get married for another 10 15 years well I think it is because he wants us to overcome it not through marriage but through battling it as a single person that's why he allows it so that before we get married we battled this and conquered it otherwise I'll tell you this even after you get married you'll be defeated by it and you'll probably be unfaithful to your wife and I probably sin in many other ways so that's why God has put this desire earlier on so that we can overcome it before we get married and that's God's will some people never overcome it except through getting married but the ideal thing is so we should be careful once a child gets to that age where you know that desire is coming up we have to be careful in boys and girls mixing too closely I'm not saying they cannot play together I'm not saying they cannot talk together you can always play talk together but there must be a certain restraint but we must teach our children when they come to a certain age now this is not from now on you shouldn't be touching other children of the opposite sex you had a little older boy or a girl now be careful for that and you know when that ages you don't know there's no particular age we can say but certainly about them they're on 12 you've got to be careful and dirty thoughts we can overcome only if we battle every time it comes up you say no and the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 flee from immorality that means run away from immorality the Bible doesn't say flee from the devil James 4 it says resist the devil he will flee from you but in 1 Corinthians 10 you find out the words yourself it says you must run away from immorality so you see the picture you don't run away from the devil you confront him and he flees from you but when you're tempted to be immoral you don't fight it you run away flee from him or but resist the devil and will flee from you I'm the example in the Old Testament is if she's Goliath go and attack him if it's Bathsheba coming towards you run that is a mistake David maim he went towards Goliath and he went towards Bathsheba he should have run away from Bathsheba so that's the point but I this is a picture of the devil resistant will flee from you but she was a bitter amoral temptation run away from it so if you recognize that you know and keep doing it when God sees that you want to run away from sin he'll help you another question is concerning 1 Corinthians 10 in verse 31 turn to 1 Corinthians 10:31 in your Bible there it says even your eating and drinking whatever you do do all for the glory of God now eating and drinking is the most normal thing that we are doing every day and even that it says do for the glory of God that means don't live to eat eat to live many people live to eat that God is their belly you read about that in Philippians in chapter 3 verse 18 19 you read there there's some people whose God is their stomach that means they worship their stomach the stomach says I want this I want this I want this they will fight to get it they'll get argue and fight even as children as they grow up and they're not different they will never learn to keep that God under control just like we put gold under our feet we must put food under our feet that's why Jesus said there are times when we must fast you know in Matthew chapter 6 he you read there in verse love was 16 onwards downwards when you fast don't let other people know about it Matthew 6 and he did not say if you fast if he had said if you fast then it is optional he said when you fast and in the end of Luke chapter 5 also he said after the bridegroom has gone away that mean Jesus gone out to heaven these disciples will fast so fasting is something I know it helped me when I was in the Navy fasting is what helped me to conquer the lust for food we all have a lust for food and if you don't conquer it it'll enslave you and it'll hinder your following the Lord so what I used to do when I was 21 22 years old I would just while I was working on a ship I would just live on liquids for a whole day and fast from solid food for a whole day and say Lord I didn't have couldn't pray all the time but because I was working but I said Lord I want to conquer my this desire for food and I did that regularly and for many many years all my younger days once a week I would fast at least miss three meals a week and say Lord I'm gonna conquer the lust for food and because I say Lord if I want to serve you I don't want food to be my master the same way I sought to conquer the lust for a comfortable life and even though I had a soft bed in my room in the ship I would sometimes lie down on the floor just say I want to get used to sleeping on a rough surface and not look for comfort so conquer these things when you are young and then today I can sleep anywhere and I can eat any food because I discipline myself when I was young and I want to encourage you all to do that when you're young don't become a slave do everything for the glory of God so what about recreation like playing games or watching sports you can do that for the glory of God because you know we need our body and mind is such that needs relaxation sometime you can't be studying your mathematics in science 24 hours no you need to take a break from man you can't be working on your computer in the office the whole time or doing some work in the factory the whole time and now you need a break from that and when you take a break you need some relaxation and for some people that relaxation is watching a football game or a cricket match nothing wrong in that we need that relaxation to take our mind off there's nothing sinful about watching a cricket match or watching a football game I wouldn't recommend your watching boxing and wrestling where they are hurting each other but games of you know flying together and enjoying it or actually playing such a game that's a good form of relaxation and if it's a very clean there are a lot of Christian movies that are clean not all Christian movies are also clean to relax with that is also fine and you've got to be very careful before you play any movie nowadays even so-called good movies I've got a few seconds of uncleanness in it and I'll tell you this I've seen this in this matter of watching movies sometimes 10 seconds of uncleanness in a two hour movie and that 10 seconds is what remains in your mind and produces dirty dreams and all that's why you've got to be very very careful even about watching so-called clean movies because always these producers put something in it to stimulate people and you can pollute the minds of your children so be very very careful we must do everything with a glory of God seek for purity in every area but relaxation is important and we can relax for the glory of God okay how can we give glory and honor to God in the way that he deserves well we'll never be able to do it perfectly but we can seek to by putting him first in every situation for example when you're considering marriage say Lord I will not look for physical beauty and money our education first I'll look for spirituality that's how we honor God or when you're looking for a job when you find a job is something where you've got to do something unrighteous you can offer you a lot of money but I say I'm sorry I'm not gonna do that because I have to do unrighteous things or if you can't make money in someone righteous way say no I will not do it I want to honor God I remember when I was in the Navy and some of my senior officers would ask me to do something wrong and I would say I'm sorry sir I can't do that I'm a Christian and what is the result I didn't get the promotion's that I could have got they would not give me the good recommendations so I realized that in the name you can't get a promotion infront less you willing to please your bosses and do certain things which are unrighteous I decided to honor God and I believe that's why God called me out one day to servant that is the greatest honor that I could ever get so most of the time I take the presence of God lightly how can I be more aware of his presence well you got to read the Bible more and see how holy God is and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the holiness of God and our times and I've seen something of the holiness of God that I've felt Oh Laura and the fiftieth sinner in the world you know when you come into the blazing light of God's glory you feel like what Paul said I'm the chief of sinners happens automatically so ask God to show you something of his holiness in different portions of scripture like the Cuban seed in the Garden of Eden for once in Adam and Eve were turned out of the Garden of Eden for sin the Son of God was forsaken on the cross meditate on these things and you see how holy God is and then he will take the presence of God seriously even though I'm born again and baptized I still get doubt about my salvation sometimes well assurance of salvation can only come from Scripture I was tossed about for many years in my younger days wondering whether I'd be saved right from the age of 13 onwards finally when I was 19 and a half I read a verse just I was reading it my normal Bible reading John 6:37 Jesus said him that cometh to me I will never cast out and I said lord I come to you many times the Lord said I never taught you from that verse and that day I just believe that verse I dropped anger never drifted in all these 61 years so put your trust in the Word of God and takes on words you'll not give me a word I can hang on to how to be under the anointing of the Holy Spirit 24 hours a day seven days a week well I would say two things first of all ask God if you hunger and thirst jesus said if anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink if you're not desperately thirsty if you're not willing to give up everything for it you can't be filled with the Holy Spirit see it's like thirsting for water see thirsting for water right now we may all feel a little thirsty and say yeah I'd like a glass of water I'm not talking about that type of thirst because supposing I say a glass of water is gonna cost you ten thousand dirhams or ten thousand dollars do you want it obviously I'm not that thirsty sorry I can do without you for a few hours but supposing you had been walking in a desert for seven days without water and you're dying and somebody says one water ten thousand dimes or ten thousand dollars for this bottle you'd say sure take it I will there's I'd be dying we'll see you this money when you get that thirsty that you are willing to pay any price could be filled with the holy spirit give up anything to be filled with the Holy Spirit give up friendships give up plans to marry an unbeliever give up jobs which are unrighteous then give up telling lies to get jobs and to get entrances into college and things like that and he's absolutely honest I'm willing to pay any price I tell you he'll be filling the Holy Spirit pretty quickly so you must be clean must thirst and once you the Holy Spirit fills you remain filled with the Holy Spirit because a lot of people are filling the Holy Spirit and then they leak probably fear leaves them one hole in a vessel is enough to empty the vessel of all the water in it and the reason the way to keep our heart filling the Holy Spirit is I'd say two things simply one keep a good conscience always always always as soon as your conscience convicts you of something confess it forsake it believe that the blood of Jesus has cleansed you and secondly humble yourself at every opportunity some situation comes up where you have to humble yourself take it grab it it's like people grab money in the world oh here's an opportunity for me to humble myself great take it you remain filled with the Spirit 24/7 and here it says another question I've taken many stands for the Lord but still my so difficult circumstances are not changing I don't see spiritual growth well if you're hoping to have a comfortable life by following Jesus forget it the Bible says in second Timothy three all those who live godly in crisis will suffer persecution God allows trials says in Isaiah 53 concerning Jesus it pleased the father to bruise to crush him God allows us to come through difficult circumstances to spiritual growth God kept Paul humble through giving him a sickness a thorn in the flesh that's what kept for humble throughout his life so trials are necessary for us to become strong well see when if a person wants to become strong physically he goes to a gym what are they doing a gym they don't make them sit back and have some entertainment watching a movie that's not how they become strong they have to exercise and subject their muscles to resistance whether it's running or pulling or stretching it's always subjecting your muscle to resistance that makes them strong in the same way we have to go through trials for us to become strong otherwise you'll never become strong so trials are important so if you have difficult circumstances praise the Lord trust the Lord and help him he'll help you to stand through in the midst of that and remember 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 always if you're a child of God he will never never allow you to be tested beyond your ability even if you go to a gym the people who run the gym and say hey don't do this that's too much for you wait a little get a little practice before you go to that instrument that machine so in the same way God will not allow you to face a trial which is too strong for you that ruins you yeah just like in a gym you can pick on something too big for you and strain yourself God will not allow it he every trial he sends into you is something you can handle and if you're facing a difficult circumstances oh praise the Lord that means you're actually in a higher class than you thought you're being tempted you're getting a tougher examination praise God you're in a higher class God will help you to overcome and His grace is sufficient for every need and if you're if you're humble and faithful there say Lord I trust you you will see spiritual growth over a period of time okay here it says another question in the beginning of my Christian life had a lot of zeal but after many years my zeal is gone how to maintain that first love and I've seen I've fallen in many areas I'm repenting but I lack that power I'll tell you we fail only because we stopped looking at Jesus like Peter walking on the sea stop looking at Jesus but then immediately cried out on the Lord help them so if you have slipped up cry out and the Lord will hold your hand and help you but there's absolutely no way to grow spiritually except by looking at Jesus all the time every morning when I get up in the bed before I get out of bed I talk to the Lord I say Lord I want to look at your face now I wanna talk to you you're right here you're with me begin your day like that and whenever you get an opportunity through the day say Lord speak to me remind me of something I read today already yesterday even if you have to rush to work in the morning without reading the Bible you've got something in your mind meditate on that that's meditating on Scripture and ask the Lord to remind you of something but keep looking at the Lord that way and then and when you look at Jesus constantly you will not lack power you'll keep growing and also the next question is how to remain in humility yes the way to remain in humility until the end of your life is by looking at Jesus if you live with with proud people you'll become proud if you walk with a humble man you'll be humble look for the humblest man you can find and walk with him that is Jesus Christ there was no-one humbler than him walk with him every day look at this example in scripture look at ask God to show you the humility of Jesus in various situations in Scripture and for example was washing the feet of people another time when people called him the Prince of Devil's said ok you are forgiven that's humility in the Old Testament if you fought with Moses or accused him you'll get leprosy like Miriam God or if you made fun of Elijah's bald head they got eaten up by bears but when they made fun of Jesus he they got forgiveness didn't get leprosy they got forgiveness next a Lord make me like that humble recognizing Lord I'm a nobody and then you remain humble always looking at Jesus in the scriptures to see how he humbled himself another question is if I don't encounter a suffering like job loss poverty sickness does it mean that I'm not following the Lord no God measures the trials you need I don't have to be perpetually sick in order to know that I'm following the Lord I mean when I look at my life by hearting in sick in my whole life I've never been hospitalized for a sickness and almost my entire life what does that mean God's not happy with me why do you have to be sick in order to please God no and why do you have to face trials I've faced many trials my life but God determines when I need a little rest from that in but I need to take another promotion and when other trial comes in so God decides that and leave it to God to decide don't try and create troubles yourself after becoming born-again I've wasted so many years not walking in the Lord now and I look back and wasted well you can't do anything about wasted life as it's saying in the world also don't cry over spilt milk if you are carrying a vessel full of milk and you shake a bit in some of the milk spills and you keep on crying over that that you're wasting time you spill more milk forget it you can't pick that up from the ground ok I'm going to move on at least take care of the rest of them look to take it where I should take it to the table so in the same way it's a good proverb don't cry over spilt milk so I'm not gonna waste my time looking back over the things we don't forget the things that are behind forget the good things and the bad things if you meditate on the good things you become proud you meditate on the bad things you've become discouraged so forgetting the things that are behind like Paul says in Philippians 3:13 I press forward to the things that are ahead and put the past under the blood of Jesus Christ forgive those who arm you and forget the past and move on otherwise you waste the rest of your life another question is how can I be disciplined in personal Bible study see you got to see that you're going to get some value out of it see why why do you for example all of you gone to the Gulf countries to work why did you go there why didn't you live in India why did you look for a job with so much salary because you felt there's so much benefits from it sure I agree there you you could educate your children better you probably build a house for yourself and home this all that is perfectly okay but because you saw you could get some benefit from it you worked hard and was willing to do anything get up fill up all the forms and try it right right finally you got it in the same em and you realize that personal Bible study will enrich you enrich you a million times more than going and working in the Gulf countries you really work at it and that's what I did I started studying the Bible when I was twenty-one years old that's when I got baptized and I said for the next 7 years I'm a single I spend all my spare time studying the scriptures and that's given me a foundation for the last 50 years of my ministry so there's a tremendous blessing personal life is helping me in my family life it's helped me in my ministry it's healthy to face different situations itself me to forgive people who are evil towards me tremendous benefits when you see the benefits you will do something you'll do anything just like you did anything to get a good job okay how do I know whether I'm on the right track or that I'm receiving myself well if you're walking with a clear conscience lord I want to keep a clear conscience all the time the Holy Spirit will tell you you read that in Isaiah chapter 30 verse 15 onwards 15 to 21 read those verses your ears will hear a word behind you saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the left or right the Holy Spirit will convict you here you're going wrong and listen to that voice immediately if you don't listen to it the Holy Spirit stops speaking to you he carefully obey the Holy Spirit whenever he prompts you in your conscience and then that's how you know you're on the right track look at that passage in Isaiah 30 that I told you how do I know whether something I'm reading in the Bible and I'd get some thought from it is a revelation from God or not yes it changes your life it's a revelation it is just a bright idea which you can preach in the meeting it's not a revelation it's just to get honor many people get something scripture sick huh that's something I can preach in the next meeting that's not a revelation you're just seeking honor forget about preaching when you read the Bible read the Bible in order to get to know God not to find some message to preach Lord I want to know you and when I know you all have something to share with people many people study the Bible to get a good clever message that people will be impressed and say oh what a fantastic message that person gave do you want that reputation brother forget it you will not build the body of Christ with that you build your own reputation in your name you say Lord I want to share things that will help people to live a godly life not that will help them to admire me as a great Bible teacher so see God for revelation that'll change your life okay some other questions relating family life sometimes I get irritated from angry for small things at home with my husband wife children is it an immediate reflex or deeply rooted anger well it doesn't matter whether it's deeply rooted or immediate reflects our response it is wrong Jesus never got angry when it concerned him when he saw people making money in the name of religion he got angry and chased them out I get angry when I see people making money in the name of religion and with my words I try to drive them out but when they slapped him spat on his face Jesus he forgave him and they killed him he said Father forgive them so what I learned from that is anger is right when it concerns the glory of God if you can watch a Christian TV program and see a fellow pleading for money from poor people and you don't get angry you're not Christ like how can you watch that TV program where that preacher is trying to get money from poor people and you sit and watch it and you're not disturbed I get angry when I see it I feel like using a whip there but if people call me the devil or all types of bad names or spit on my face I will forgive them or set some false story about me behind my back I'll forgive them anything that concerns me personally I have to die but when it concerns the glory of God I've got to stand up for the truth you do both then you'll overcome anger you must have the right type of anger and get rid of the wrong type of anger then you'll never have the wrong type of anger the trouble with many Christians is they never get angry for things they should get angry about which is the glory of God and they get angry about silly things like the food is not up to the mark or some stupid thing like that or some relative didn't give me my share of the property what does it matter you remember one man came to Jesus and said tell my brother to divide the property with me and Jesus said don't come to me with that I'm not Moses if you want to live under the law go and ask him but when you come to me if somebody steals your property just allow say well God allowed it God will give me what I need to get I'm not gonna fight with them and God will always give you what you he plans for you I decided that my life I will never fight for anything I'll never fight for position for you know there are people who fight to be an elder there are people who fight to remain an elder there are people who fight because they want to have an opportunity to preach all the wretched things that to fight for the best is to give up and gotta give you the best I tell you remember the story of Abraham and lot read it in Genesis 13 Abraham was the senior person huncle and is there was a fight among their servants and Abraham told a lot listen they are fighting about the pasture for the Sheep okay you choose first imagine an uncle telling his nephew you choose first II God called Abraham they're not a lot but he came up his right and lot looked at the Fertile field of Sodom and he said I'll choose it and Abraham I told him you go to the right I'll go to the left you know you go to the left go to the right and he gave a lot and lot took it and the Lord from heaven saw that transaction and as soon as lot went away you read there the Lord the Lord came to Abram and said as it were Abraham I saw what you did take my world in the future days your children will possess all this land look north south east west it'll all be your children not Lots today 4,000 years later you know who's living in that land not the children of Lord the children of Abraham that is God's Way you give up your rights he'll give you the best don't fight and then you won't get angry you believe that anger is a terrible sin Jesus equally they do it murder in you read in Matthew 5 verse 21 onwards it's equal to Old Testament murder I mean you see it like that you want to get rid of it don't say well I just murdered once or twice yesterday no that's serious anger is serious another question here's an honest person who says after Mary I'm still attached to my own family instead of my spouse how can I overcome that well you've got a respect Scripture Genesis 2:24 says when you get married leave your father and mother and cleave to your wife and the wife is told in Isaiah 45 verse 10 forget your father's house and honor your husband as your king husband and wife are supposed to break away from their terms and get married and love each other and put each other first God first and each other next they'll have a happy marriage don't do that you'll have perpetual problems I decided that the day I got married and my wife too then we will put each other next to God we put each other first in our life and not our parents we will not allow our parents to come between us if they put some pressure on us it'll be pressure from the outside which brings both of us closer to each other so and we've had a very happy life because we took that position and he never altered from that my father gave us ideas we loved him respected him but we didn't do what he said her father gave her opinions and we loved him respected him but we never did what they said we discussed ourselves and said we will do what we decide now if you make that decision at the beginning of your Marron light it's much easier but if you wait 20 years to do it it's very difficult the tree has become so biggest difficult to bend it now okay I'm not able to have a good relationship with my spouses family members well for that you are to be a true Christian who puts spiritual things a lot of material things a lot of fights are about ugly things about rights and all that it's every particularly in India every family member interferes in their children's lives every one or tries to you got to just make it clear from the beginning we love you dad we love you mom even if your wife's parents or husband's parents but please let us live our life now you lived your life no let us but they may say yeah but we obeyed our parents well that you didn't obey Scripture the Bible says we must leave our parents and join each other so if you take that stand from the beginning it's easy and if you haven't taken it till now at least take it now otherwise it'll become worse and worse and worse and if they've treated you badly your families my spouse's relatives forgive them there's a wonderful thing in forgiveness pray for them pray that they'll be saved pray that there will be eternally with God pray for their spiritual lives that way you can love them okay when I discipline my child my spouse disagrees with me with her husband or wife in front of my child that is evil to disagree publicly with your spouse when he's did he or she is disciplining a child is wrong you must support your wife or husband and if they did it wrongly or to strictly after the child is gone away you call them aside and say hey I think you were too hard there or perhaps he didn't do it that value such as quick punishment by all means you can correct it but not in the presence of the child and then I believe if you're a humble Christian you'll go to your child and say hey I'm sorry I think I was a bit hard on you I want to know that you have to know that I love you daddy loves you mommy loves you I'm sorry that we put hard on you humble yourself I believe you go well in your relationship with your child sometimes when I discipline my child it leaves marks on the body that should never happen never never never we don't punish our children to hurt and we punish our children to correct them and so if you are careful you should not it's enough to hurt them not only marks on their body no and if you've done that repent and say Lord let me do it in a milder way next time because of after marriage because of financial difficulties are not even stay with my family for a long time how to know what is God's will in this area well in some situations you know particularly those working with many and then can afford to bring their families there you have to decide whether you can get a job with your families where your family is that's the best but sometimes you may not be able to some people don't have the qualifications to get that then they must be willing to accept those circumstances and say okay I'll have to bear with this for the time being and ask the lord lord please help me to be with my family as soon as possible and I'll leave it to God to decide when he can allow that but as far as possible try to be with your family but if it's not possible for a time in the world in which we live unfortunately it's like that it's not only you working the girls people who work in the military getting away from their family for a long time on different jobs also there are people even in secular jobs I'm trying to get transferred and the Chilean town gave us cool education in some place did it be away from the family then you money just discipline yourself is one of the realities of modern life ask God to give you a grace in the past another question my relative did something very bad to me I've forgiven them but sometimes I'm reminded of that and I lose my joy you cannot help being reminded of it you don't have a control over your memory you have a control over your attitude towards that person that's all you will never be able to forget the evil that other people have done to you but whenever it comes to your mind you say Laura I've forgiven that person I love that person pray for something good Lord what I pray is Lord I pray and do something good for that person and I pray you Lord give me an opportunity to serve that person and do some good to him to help him to know that I don't have anything against it but I love him that's a wonderful thing to pray Lord please give me an opportunity to serve that man would be so much evil to me there you show the love of Christ you know like jesus healed the year of that Marcos who came to capture him in the Garden of Gethsemane it says overcome evil with good so pray like that and you don't get rid of your memory but you can choose what you're going to think of and what you're going to your attitude towards that person that's important know what I'm gonna forget it I'm gonna love him I'm gonna pray for it best for him I'll never be happy if something bad happens to him Sarah okay can you explain justification by faith in connections romans 4 2 and 3 and james - 22 23 in romans emphasis is on justification by faith and in James it says your faith is dead if it doesn't networks both are true there's a balance in Scripture you know once when the devil quoted scripture saying it is written that his angels will take care of you in the temptation Jesus said it is also written you shall not tempt the Lord your God so both it is written and it is also written brings the balance of Scripture so it is written in Romans justification is about faith it's written in James that faith without works is dead put them together you get the truth for example what he's trying to prove is a faith that is only in your head which you think is Romans for faith is not real faith that's why James 4 is James chapter 2 is given to balance it out it does it produce results in your life does it produce a changed attitude towards sin that's one of the tests of faith if you really believe that Jesus Christ was for second by the father because of your sin because of your anger because of your lust and because of your love of money that's why he was forsaken boy if you really believe that you don't want to eat those things and turn from those things in your life if you don't turn from it your faith is a dead faith faith without works is dead it's like you say I believe this is a good seed okay plugged it let's see whether it produces some fruit he doesn't then it was a dead seed don't deceive yourself wake up and get a living seed of faith so it's good that James two balances our province for when it speaks in mark 13 14 about the abomination of desolation appearing and with those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains see in Matt mark 13 and Matthew 24 when it speaks about when Jesus spoke about the future he was referring to two periods of time one was when the Jews would have to flee from Israel that is about 40 years after the crucifixion of Christ when the Romans came and destroyed the temple and they I heard that they sacrificed a pig on the altar to despise the temple and that was the abomination of desolation and those who are in Judea who's in Judea the Jewish people they're not you and me we're in some other country so those aren't Judy Hills referring to the Jewish people which is that's going to be the time when you're going to be scattered and you know from that day onwards the Jews were scattered around the world for more than 1800 years so that's what it was referring to but it is also a lot of things in the Bible have got a double fulfillment at one particular time and then later on again so a lot of things refer also to the time of the Antichrist you know how it will be then well then we won't be in Judea but we must be faithful in the time of the Antichrist we won't have any place to flee but we have to be faithful to the Lord and stand up for the Lord and Mark 13 20 says if the Lord had not shot shot in those days no life would have been saved but for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen he has shortened those days so can we pray that we should shorten those days no that's in God's hands he decides how much that period of trial should be he will not allow us to be tested beyond our ability so even that period of time even a trial today that you go through God will determine how many days it should be or how many months it should be and even the time of tribulation will also be determined by God so we don't have to pray about that that is in God's hands the other question is concerning isaiah 14 it says Satan fell from heaven but in Revelation 12 it says we see him in heaven fighting on the angel and then cast out to the earth are these two different scenarios well we need to recognize there are three heavens Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 12 he has caught up to the third heaven the first heaven is what we see around us when I see Psalms it says Psalm 8 so 19 you know when I see the heavens the work of our hands that's the universe 4 we call the universe huge space that's the first heaven beyond that right up on top is the third heaven where God dwells so it must mean that between the first and third and there's a second heaven and that is referred to in Ephesians 6 as the heaven is where the demons and where Satan installed his headquarters savings not in hell he's in the second heaven and from there he comes down to the earth and the demons come down to the earth they've got freedom to go there they were cast out of the third heaven to the second heaven and one day in Revelation 12 they'll be cast down from the second heaven to the earth and and them from there in Revelation 20 they'll be cast to the bottomless pit and then one day a thousand years later from the bottomless pit they'll be cast into the lake of fire that's the destiny of Satan one last question how to be a witness for Christ well that is first of all by our life as you get enough first of all I must live the life people must see Christ in my life and then through my words my life must back up my words otherwise it'll be like the man who said your life speak slow so loudly that I can't hear the words you're speaking your life speaks so loudly something different from the words you're speaking about the gospel then my words will have no value my life must back up milah words so concentrate on your life a life of holiness and goodness and kindness to others and then our words will have value I often think of Joseph in the prison even though he was suffering so much he saw two people discouraged and he went up to them and said why are you looking so sad I said you may see somebody in the office like that one day why don't you go up to him and be friend in and say are you having some problem can I pray for you or help you in some way and because of that active story of Joseph that's how he finally got contact with Pharaoh and became a ruler in Egypt you know it's amazing how God will open up doors for you when you're just kind to other people so we have primary primarily a witness by our life and next by our words that's the last question there are other questions ask the Lord and I'm showing you around you the answer by the holy spirit let us pray Heavenly Father we pray you'll make things clear to those who have asked questions and these things are still not here please help them to understand by revelation from you to their hearts I pray in Jesus name on it

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Length: 46min 3sec (2763 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 24 2020