Grow

00:00 Amen. Let's do the confessions together. I believe in the Almighty God, our father and creator. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God and my Savior. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin. He suffered, died, and rose again. He ascended into heaven. He shall soon come again. I believe in God the Holy Spirit. >> I believe in holy fellowship, faithful giving, and service to God in this church. I believe the Holy Bible is the perfect word of God. I am what it says I am. I have what it says I have and I can do what it says I can do. Today as I learn the word of God here in my spiritual family, I'm blessed, healed, and anointed for a holy and victorious living. I will never again be the same in Jesus name. Amen. The Lord bless us. Please be seated. We've been studying on the word endurance this month from the Holy

01:03 Bible. And of course, October 1st, 2nd, and third, the first three days of the next month, we're going to be spending 3 days in fasting and prayer as a church, both in the morning and in the evening. About 1 and a half, 2 hours of prayer time. So see if you like to spend time with God on those holidays. If it's working day for you, make it a holiday. Remember endurance is not accidental. It's intentional. God is really not interested. God likes to make us comfortable. He happy when we are comfortable. But that's not his main goal. God's main goal is to make us complete. >> Amen. >> Not comfortable. We like to be comfortable. God likes us to be complete. And sometimes the only road to completion, the only road to being a finished product is not

02:05 bypassing challenges of life, but it is going through the challenges of life. And that's the part many times people come to God where they hope that God will become the bypass road. Many times God is not your bypass road to bypass. What's a bypass road? You know when you're traveling on the highway and uh you're traveling from one city to another but there are two cities in between. Okay. From your destination uh to your uh uh start of journey. There are two cities in between. Now a bypass road will make sure that when you're going to your destination you don't have to go through the two cities because once you enter the two cities at different times the traffic is going to affect you. You'll have to drive through the craze. So they provide you bypass road so you can go around those cities without going through those cities and so you reach your destination much

03:09 faster and more convenient. That's called a bypass road. Many people use God as a bypass road. [snorts] God, I want you so that I don't have to go through this uh through you somehow I can avoid this. God is not your bypass road. God is your co-journey assistant or leader who will assist you, lead you as you go through what you have to go through. Amen. Yes, he heals you. Yes, he delivers you. Yes, he gives you victory. And those things are true. And his presence is not there just for you to avoid the problem but his presence is there for you sometimes to avoid the problems but many at times to bring you out victoriously. >> Hallelujah. >> All of us we have asked God for something in life at some point or the other. God stop this rain. God please bring the sun up. Lord this is too much sun. I mean you would have prayed for weather. You would have prayed for your own body. God this pimple. God, you

04:12 know, when you're a teenager, that pimple is a life and death situation. I mean, does it have to come today? God, I want that cat. The other day, someone called me and said, "Pastor, I want you to pray for my cat." And I said, "Sure, I will pray." Then they said, "Uh, pastor, I hope you understand how serious it is." And I said, "No." And the person says, "Well, it's very, very serious. We're taking the cat for a surgery and uh I have decided, you know, I want to put my life savings on the cat. So I said, now I know it's serious. I think I'm going to pray more for you. God save the cat. And I pray, God save the person. Sometimes we've all asked God for things and God allows us to go through it not at our speed but at the speed he likes

05:16 at the speed that's better. You know, children sometimes are like, "Mom, give me the food fast. My friends are waiting. I want to eat. I want to eat and go. They're in a hurry." But mom feeds them at a certain pace. Why? Because you eat faster. You choke. you eat faster, it's not good for your health. Sometimes you are in a hurry, but God says, "I know what's better for you." >> Amen. >> Even if you don't say an amen, I will take my time and I'll do it in a way that you're going to be blessed. That's that's how God really God really see God is not really looking at just the outcomes, but he's looking at what is the formation we are making of ourselves in the process. Because the outcome, God can do a miracle. If you're looking for a job, if you're looking for a promotion, if you're looking for a marriage, if you're looking for whatever you're looking for, I mean, God can do it as a miracle that and God will. But what God doesn't do as a miracle is who you are becoming.

06:20 God will not touch any of you and suddenly you turn into father Abraham. No, doesn't happen. God will not touch you suddenly and you are like Peter walking on the water. Never happens. God will never change a person through a miracle in the sense of he will never change a personality. They have to make that choice and they must be willing to build that character because formation of who you are is what God is going to reward you for. >> There is no reward for healing the sick. Why? Because that's something God does. But when you form your character, there is a eternal reward for that because that's your effort in working with God Almighty. >> Amen. >> Many times when we ask God for a fruit, God, I like that fruit. The thing is God sometimes just gives you a seed. Plant it. Prepare the soil before you plant it. Allow the seasons to go through it. Only thing you ask for one fruit. But then

07:25 when this thing grows up, it's going to be giving you fruits every season innumerable and you're going to be having a fruitful forest around you. That's the difference. Hallelujah. Our God has got a way of doing things that is so different from how how how we like that's why people like to make idols. Gods of their own choice. People like gods of their Christian gods. There are so many prophetic gods, name it, claim it god, prosperity god. They create their own Jesus from the Bible. Why? Simply because we don't like God's timing. We don't like God's method. So we will create a God who we believe is functioning to our desire. And they when we worship him actually we are not worshiping God. We are worshiping the outcome of our own desire. And some of us are intellectually bereft and we don't understand that. But many

08:30 things that we call delay, God calls formation. >> Hallelujah. >> If any child says, "Oh, I'm just wasting time studying." Will you ever accept that? Studying is never wasting time. Exercise is never wasting time. That's not wasting time. Formation seasons are not wasting time. And now I'll tell you where this becomes serious. Apostle James is writing about waiting. He's writing about formation. He's writing about endurance to a group of people who are going through persecution. Somebody's father is in the jail for preaching the gospel. Somebody else's have been beaten up. They are hospitalized. They're undergoing treatment. But there is no one to work in the family. And so there's no money to pay up for the physical care and they're going through such terrible problems all because they are believers in Christ. And to such people, Apostle James is writing, if you don't see a sudden miracle, if persecution is taking time, if miracles

09:35 are not happening when you want, don't give up. Through it, there is something bigger and better God is forming in your life. Wow. These are guys who are going through huge challenges because Apostle James by the Holy Spirit is telling these guys and we'll get to that scripture in a minute. He's telling these guys, don't forget one thing. Your problems do not automatically make who you are. Your problems can destroy you. Your problems actually come to make you bitter. But if you take efforts to work with God, you will get better. What came to destroy you will become the platform for you to rise up to another level. >> God says, "I'll be with you, but don't waste your pain." Somebody say, "Don't waste your pain." >> Don't waste your pain. >> Don't waste your pain. Allow God to use

10:38 it in your life to make you something which is the biggest treble the devil never wanted you to be. But God is forming you into something that is worth his glory. Hallelujah. You know we are all we are all living in this uh uh fastpaced life. [snorts] We like any government that makes express highways. We want metro to go faster. We want airplanes to fly faster. We want software to work faster. We want everything to work faster. Everything. We like fast. We like speed. You know that that's who we are today. We get impatient when we type on the phone and the signal has to go to the tower and from the tower it has to hit the satellite thousand miles above the uh you know ground level and then has to come back from the server and if it takes more than 2 seconds we're angry and to that generation God says

11:45 wait we all want a Jesus which is like a microwave. God says, "No, I'm not the microwave God. I'm sovereign God." >> Endurance. Somebody shout endurance. >> Endurance. God sometimes allows us to go through whatever we are going through uh just because God is working in us and he's making things beautiful in our lives. We're like on the production line on the assembly line know we're going through stations of life and everywhere God is working on our life. We want the conveyor belt to move faster, but God says, "No, let it take its time so that the work will be complete." God [snorts] says, "Don't worry. I'm bringing you out good. So don't worry about it. It might not happen on your time. It'll happen on my time. And I'm a faithful God." And therefore, Apostle James is saying, look at chapter 1 and verse number two. He's

12:48 talking to the persecuted church. Count it all joy my brothers whenever you meet trials of the first thing apostle is saying is holy spirit is saying is if you think you faced a problem and it's over yeah that problem may be over but there are different kinds that will come a doctor only has to meet a patient and if it's a cardio doctor they only have to meet heart patients nephro doctor has to generally handle kidney patients A software engineer doesn't have to work on the building structure. They only have to look at the coding part of it. But a structural engineer doesn't have to worry about uh you know the coding software or any other engineer. They just have to make sure that the steel and the cement and the ratios and things are everyone has to deal with their struggle. But for a child of God various kinds, read that again. Count it all joy, my brothers. Whenever you meet trials of

13:53 many kinds. Hallelujah. Just when you thought your spouse is too much to handle, comes the baby. Now this is another kind. Just when you're getting used to that one comes the next one. You know trials of many kinds is a reality of life and God says count it joy. God is not saying it is joy. Babies are joy. Spouse is joy but trials are not joy. Trials are trials. That's why it's called trials. I'm saying count it joy. Count it joy. Why do you God? How can I count it joy? Well, you don't look at what it is. You look at what it is producing. That's when you count it joy. >> When you start looking at what it is producing, then you you know when an athlete is training in the gym, they're kind of happy not because their body is

14:57 hurting. They're kind of happy because they know what it is going to produce. Amen. when a student is studying and working hard and skipping parties and really you know making efforts to pick up and the only place they go out apart from studies is coming to church to worship now you know that's that's kind of focus God and my responsibility and are you enjoying it well a lot of times they're not enjoying IT BUT THEY COUNT IT A joy because they know where it's going to take them >> God is saying count it a joy don't keep looking at your circumstance and your trial and keep writing down your pain. No, write your pain on the sand. Let the next wind blow it away, but write your blessings on the rocks. Let it remain for generations. Count it a joy. Look at what it is producing. >> Amen. In other words, look at what God is looking for. Look at what God is looking for. Trials are external challenges and

16:01 temptations are internal challenges and these both work like crazy. Trials are external challenges. You know, uh they come from outside. Temptations are internal challenges. Temptations are usually based on what we fear and trials are usually based on what we don't like. Trials come from the area of what makes us uncomfortable and temptations come from the area of what makes us comfortable. Sometimes getting angry makes us very comfortable. If you don't get angry, you're like, "Oh man, I lost it." For some people being lustful on the inside makes you pleasurable. You feel nice about it. And the problem for a believer is because Holy Spirit is there inside, you're not able to enjoy it fully. That's a condition of many believer. I always tell believers, don't go to hell, please, for two reasons. Number one, if you're going to hell, you should have enjoyed the earth. So going to hell is worth it. But here you couldn't enjoy. Why?

17:04 Because Holy Spirit was inside you telling you don't do, don't do. So even though you're enjoying, you're not fully enjoying. You're saying sorry and enjoying. Sorry. You know what I'm saying? Come on. You have to act like you don't know what I'm talking. I understand your situation. And the second reason you shouldn't go to hell is all the devils are angry with you. Because most of the guys going there already have an understanding with them. And you and I have cast it out of our lives forever. And now you go to hell and they're like, "Here comes the real enemy." You know, don't you want to go to hell? Live a 100% life where you say, "God, I love you AND YOU'RE THE ONLY THING I LOVE." >> AMEN. >> Cancel your ticket to hell. >> Your reservations are in heaven. Amen. Amen. >> Look at chapter 1 and verse number three. Next verse. Because you know that the testing of your faith. >> So when you go through trials and

18:07 temptations internal and external, what is being tested? [clears throat] Read that again please. Because you know that the testing of your >> ah that's the core. It's your faith that is being tested when you're jobless when your promotion is delayed. When your marriage is not working out when your education is going through a struggle what really comes under challenge for a child of God deep inside you're beginning to wonder is God really listening? Is God really? Faith is what is getting tested. The faith gets challenged. Look at what is going into the fire. It's not your competence. It's not your relevance. It's not your temperament. It's not just your resolve. What is getting tested is your faith. Faith is tested. And that's why God allows some of that fire. Why? Because faith is getting developed.

19:10 >> Faith is getting developed. Faith is getting stronger. Faith is getting developed. Development requires hurdles. Resistance leads to strength. We all like to have a life without resistance. We don't want resistance. But even the most powerful computers are built on the basic concept of resistance. The best lives are built on how you handle resistance. The whole of the aircraft flying, you know, the whole of aerodynamics is built on understanding how you handle resistance. God is saying don't give up. You're handling resistance because your faith is being tested. Confession I believe in Jesus is free of cost. Conviction comes at a price. That deep faith come. Confession is easy. Confession you can confess anything because so far there is no taxation on words. Oh, I hope nobody in the politics is listening. So you know words are free to go and still some people can't say hallelujah.

20:18 Did I make you feel guilty? Hallelujah. Confession is free. Conviction sometimes takes a price is costly. And and that's really the question. Can you trust God even when you don't see results? And that's that's really not easy. That's hard. I I have to tell this bad example. It's coming to my mind again and again. I didn't want to say it, but it's a true story, but it's not my story. And they will not be listening, I'm sure. So, I will tell you. One man came from abroad. He's not Indian. He came from another country. He stayed in Bangalore for a few days. I happened to be with him at one point you know he's calling his wife. So I told him I mean won't your wife feel disturbed you're calling her every 2 three hours actually not even two three hours every 30 minutes to 1 hour you're calling repeatedly he did it for many times then he said to me young man you have no idea you know those days

21:20 I'm in my school college days so I kind of don't know much about this thing I just know my dad and mom and the people we live with right and [snorts] uh you know in our communities we don't have to keep calling to figure out if we are still married right but this is consider then he said you have no idea brother I said what happened sir well you can't be too sure out of sight is out of mind what a condition now this is between couples sometimes this is between people and God I can't hear you so make me an idol that I can see sounds like a joke but that's what Israel told Moses brother Aaron Moses has gone to pray 40 days over what to do Make some god we can worship. We want to worship. Make one god we can see. And interestingly they are called church in the wilderness and we are called church in the city. Will we trust God when we don't see God

22:26 working at the time we want him to work or will we go searching for something else? True worship is to say, "God, whether you perform on my time or no, you are still my God. You're my heavenly father, and I bow to you." That's worship. All of you who are finding it hard to clap, put all your muscles and give the Lord the best hand clap you want to give today. An act of worship that says, "Yes, Lord, I honor you. Hallelujah. Amen." In Malaki chapter 3 verse uh 3 onwards the Bible says as a refiner clears up the silver refineses the silver so will I allow fire to pass over just so that you are refined how silver is refined you know uh it it's so beautiful one of the ways of now they have lot of technology and stuff but back in the days when they do when they used to do it more mechanically even today fire is required

23:29 But they depend more on chemicals and things like that. But back in the day only fire was available. They would the the silver smiths if if that's the right way of saying it. The silver smiths would would blow fire onto the silver till the draws is oxidized. Now how do you know the silver has become really pure? One of the ways that the silver smith knows the silver is really pure is as he's as he's carefully passing fire on the silver and the silver becomes clear. It's so clear it becomes like a mirror and and the silver smith can see his face in the silver and he knows okay now it's reached a point of purity that's close to 100%. And that's exactly what God is saying. I want to purify you till Christ is visible. >> Amen. >> God is in the work of purifying us. Amen. Go ahead. Give God a big hand. Man, this is so true. Hallelujah. Fire looks like the enemy, but when God

24:36 is holding your life, fire becomes meaningful resource to make your life better. Amen. And now go to verse number four. James 1:4, "Let endurance have its full effect that you may be mature and complete lacking in." >> How many of you want a life where you're not lacking anything? >> Ah, you're very clever. Not everybody said an amen. Only the ones who have the faith to go through what we want to avoid. >> Some of us are still praying for a bypass road even. I mean that's not a sin to pray that because our Lord Jesus prayed that prayer. Remember the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed father if it is possible please show me the bypass road. Take this cup away from me yet not my will but >> it's not wrong to ask God for a bypass road. But don't switch off the engine and sit in a local dhaba saying till

25:39 bypass road is not open I will wait for every other prophet who will show me bypass road. No. If God is taking you through the traffic of life, say, "God, I'll hold your hand. Maybe I'm a little unhappy, but I'll count it a joy and I'll go through what you want me to go through." Hallelujah. >> Amen. >> Amen. And let endurance have its full effect. That means on some people it's only having little effect, some effect. If you want to be complete, mature, then you must let endurance have its full effect. >> Amen. >> Sunday is little effect. Monday onwards, if you allow God to be with you and take you through life, don't journey alone, my friends. Let's allow the Holy Spirit to lead us through, you will have endurance having its full effect. So the better question and trial is not how do I get through this faster? No, I mean I think it was Ron Canoli who sang if

26:42 you're going through hell don't hold it and don't stop just go through fast. Now I think I think that's true to a lot a lot of uh uh you know desirable extent but really the question is not about how long I have to go through this. It is how soon am I being finished product? How soon are being am I being made complete? Because sometimes you can delay in the process. Remember children of Israel in the wilderness 11 days journey the guys made it 40 years. Sometimes we can make God's plan longer than God planned it. You not a nice thing. H God wanted to bless Abraham and give the promised land to his descendants but the way he handled the sacrifice God said 400 years delay so sometimes we can delay that's the beauty about the Lord Jesus he didn't allow delay he kept time [clears throat]

27:44 >> huh mother Mary came and said do fast he said ma wait [snorts] he didn't say ma he said woman but anyway wait [laughter] because I don't want to delay In between Peter came and took out the sword in the garden of Gethsemane to chop off. Jesus said, "Wait, don't delay. Already I have to go through 3 days of excruciating stuff. Now you come and don't make it one week. Just wait." Hallelujah. >> Tell your attitudes. Don't make it delayed. Tell your mindset now. Don't stretch it more than what it should be. Don't hang around in the wilderness more than what you're supposed to. >> Amen. >> Amen. Hallelujah. Just finish it fast in Jesus name. >> Amen. >> Some of you are fighting the same devil from the last 20 years. For God's sake, win that one. Next one is waiting. >> End. Hallelujah. Process cannot be shortened but it can

28:46 be abandoned. Don't abandon. That's why God told Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 32, I think it's vers 11, God said, "Like a eagle stirth up the nest of her little ones, so I have stirred up their nest and taught you to fly." So the mother eagle has got an amazing way, the champion of the sky. You know, we are all enamored by eagles. The way they are able to have the precision focus, the way they're able to move at such high speeds with less efforts, they're able to fly high. What what a sparrow and a crow will count a big challenge, they count the good opportunity. So eagles are used in leadership as a classic example worldwide. They're used in warfare mechanisms as um as tutorials for how to handle um battles and things like that. But the Bible is talking about another aspect of how God handles us like how eagles handle their little eaglets. I think baby eagles are called eaglets.

29:48 Let's name it eaglets. So [snorts] when the baby eaglet is formed, the mother eagle picks up food and puts in its mouth. Those days are the initial days of experience of walking with the Lord. I just thought in my heart and God provided. Hallelujah. I just prayed and God did it. Oh my God is so good. Wait, baby. God is good. But not just by your terms of understanding goodness. >> Hallelujah. >> Now the bird is a little bigger. Is becoming little fatter. There are nice feathers and they're beginning to take positions and they're asking each other how do I look? Uh brother and sister are walking around in the nest and the mother is watching. Uh-huh. [laughter] Uh-huh. Uh-huh. One baby singing in G major. Another is singing in F minor and asking which is singing better, which worship is better. God says you need some training. You need to fly.

30:51 It's not about how long you can pray. It's not about how many memor how many verses you can memorize. All that is nice, but it's about how you can fly. I have created you for something greater than what you're doing in the nest. M hallelujah. [laughter] That's when That's when the mother eagle comes and starts breaking the nest. >> Amen. >> Mother is breaking the nest. >> Mom's gone mad. Mother is breaking the nest. Some mothers are throwing the baby out. One baby is telling the other baby that one deserved it. Something was wrong. There was some secret sin in its life. We don't know. We are children. But mama knows that one needs it. So don't give up. Just be full of faith and pray so you don't get thrown out. [snorts] This one is thrown out. This one is crying. This one only knows hallelujah. This one is crying hallelujah mama.

31:55 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Tumbling down. Tumbling down. Just before it can hit the rocks way at the bottom, the mother comes and zoops it up and takes it high up. Oh, now now this baby, he's saying hallelujah differently. Hallelujah, mama. Hallelu, I knew you would do it, mama. I knew. Hallelujah. And on the way up, it is saying hi to the brothers and sisters. Not bad. Hi. You sit there. I'm going up. My testimony is great. Nobody came to pray with me. I was alone. But God scooped me up. Look at God. Testimony is saints. But mama goes really high about 1,000 ft in the sky and drops it again. Now prayers are not working. Visions are not there like before. No prophet is answering. Even pastor's appointment is not available. Again the hallelujah are

33:00 croaking. The hallelujah are like hallelujah mama where are you? And it is bad. The scientists tell us, the botonists tell us about the seventh or the eighth time the wings begin to work and she begins to fly with her mama and she knows, hey, I know how to handle [laughter] this thing. And God is saying like a eagle trains its little ones. I trained you in Refidim and Mara. I trained you at Horeb and I trained you at the Red Sea. I'm a God WHO WILL NOT DROP YOU. I WILL MAKE SURE YOU IN ENDURANCE WILL PICK UP. YOU WILL FLY HIGHER [screaming] THAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN. This morning, God is telling somebody that devil is not a champion. You are the champion. You may go through high and low, but you're coming out victorious. You're coming out successful. You're coming out powerful. No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. Hallelujah. Oh, somebody give God a few

34:04 minutes of praise. Endurance. God is at work in your life. ENDURANCE. HALLELUJAH. >> HALLELUJAH. >> HALLELUJAH. They say if you improve 1% a day for a whole year, you're already about 37 times better than people around you. So don't despise, don't mock small improvements and repeated faithfulness. What feels utterly ordinary actually leads to supernatural results. That's why Galatians chapter 4, the Bible says, Galatians 4:1 and 2. Let's read. Now [snorts] I say that the hire, as long as he's a child, defers nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time >> appointed of the father. Everyone say this with me. Ownership requires formation.

35:07 >> Ownership requires formation. It may be belonging to you. It may be your inheritance. [clears throat] But if you have to own it, you have to allow formation in your life. You may be owning it. But unless you go through the school and the liturgy and the studying and and handling your emotions and learning to manage, you can't really own it. It may belong to you but you can't benefit from it. And therefore every good parent puts their child through education of handling life because otherwise you can't own the future God wants you to have. You know when I was studying this portion something hit me very strong and and I want to say this. Sometimes God will anoint you before he appoints you. And this is something very very important. There's a gap between God empowering you

36:11 and God empaneling you. He empanels you for a work but before that he empowers you. Many a times look at look at Moses. He was anointed by birth but God started to use him only at the age of 80. Look at Joshua. The guy was anointed early in life but God used him only at a later stage. Look at David as a young boy. God anointed him but he came to the throne only after about 15 20 years of battle. God anoints you in advance and then gives you a gap before he appoints you to the service. And many times when we are anointed, we think, "Oh, I got it. Let me start." Uh-uh. Anointed means start working on your character. >> Amen. >> You're going to learn endurance. Appointment comes later. Many thing God promised you today, he's anointed you for it. You feel the anointing for it. You have the vision for it. Then God, why is it not happening? You're being prepared for it. >> The appointment will come later. Elijah takes his coat and puts on Elisha.

37:16 Elisha was an agriculturist. He was in the field. The anointing came on Elisha. But Elijah continued to be the prophet. It's only after a few years when Elijah was taken up into heaven by chariots OF FIRE THAT HE TOOK OFF HIS CLOAK and threw it down again. And Elisha got the appointment to serve in the office. Many of us, we run with the anointing way before God has given us the appointment. And that's where the danger is. That's where and that's why Galatians chapter 4 is saying, "Hey, don't give up. Just because God anointed you, you feel it and you don't feel the results. Don't give up. Endure it. Endure it because your appointment will happen for sure." >> Hallelujah. If you sense the vision, if you sense the anointing, it means God will do it. >> God will do it. >> God will do it. It will happen through

38:19 your hands, little Babel. Your hands began it. YOUR HANDS WILL FINISH IT. Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit, say the Lord. >> Hallelujah. >> I feel like preaching, but I'll talk to you. The capacity to wait is measured even in small children and it's predictable in teenagers who held together under stress stood on their own pursuit their own goals even through difficulty and such people statistically in later years of life have proven to be self-disciplined and their predicted outcomes were far more higher than their raw intelligence could say because these are not talents. These are attitudes that built capacities from childhood by just learning. Don't give up. Keep getting better. Keep trying because God is not slow. He's thorough. So don't interrupt him. Let endurance do its

39:25 work. >> Amen. >> Hallelujah. >> Okay, I'll do one more scripture. Hebrews 12:1. This is what I skipped last Sunday. Hebrews 12:1 and 2. Let's read together. Therefore, since we are Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Look around you. If your neck is turnable, just look around you. You [snorts] know what you see, let's read again. Therefore, what you just saw is a cloud of witnesses. Everybody got same story. Hallelujah. Everybody is enduring something or the other in life. No pastor, you have no idea. Everybody's enduring the same or different various kinds of stuff. We are all living in the same world. [snorts] Hallelujah. But their problems are better. You have no idea. You're sitting in the nest and comparing. Let your turn come. I'm not cursing you. I'm blessing you. Let's read again. Therefore, since we

40:28 are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which so cling so closely and let us run with endurance >> looking to >> the founder and we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. This attitude of I don't like great cloud of I want a small cloud of witnesses not from the Bible. Big church is God's idea. Great cloud is a beautiful thing. That's what God wants. Hallelujah. >> You need to be a part of a big family. [snorts] So you can lay aside every weight. Weight and sin. What is weight? Weight is external. Sin is internal. Weight comes from external. Weight comes to slow you down. Sin is internal. It also comes to slow you down. Both have only one target. Slow you down and stop you from your destination. So God is saying sin that comes and wait that comes avoid both. Avoid both because they have a way of how do I say this? You know, [clears throat]

41:35 okay, you're struggling with smoking. Don't say I'm trying to quit smoking. Somebody offered you a cigarette. Don't say uh I'm trying to stop so I don't want. No. Say I'm not a smoker so I don't want your identity is the issue here. The first one says I'm trying to stop. Why? I am a smoker. I'm trying to stop. No. First correct your identity. You're a child of God. You're not a smoker. You're not a pornographer. You are not an adulterer. You're not a lustful thinker. You're not a sinner. You are the child of the living God washed by the blood of Jesus. Hallelujah. Connect with your identity. Amen. >> Amen. >> You are born again of God by his holy spirit. And and therefore look to him because in endurance, it is a scientific fact. In endurance, you're not sustained by your willpower, but you're sustained

42:40 by by what you focus on. This is scientific. This is psychiatry. According to medical mental health sciences, what you focus on has more influence on you than your own willpower. So if you say I'm going to win, but you keep looking at failure, chances are your willpower is weaker. But your attention being on failure, you will fail. Therefore, science tells us focus on success because willpower is not enough. Now they're telling us that now 2,000 years ago God wrote it and gave. Read again Hebrews 12:1 and2. Therefore since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which so clings. Cling means even if you leave it, it won't leave you. H that's why you have to block that number. And let us good preaching today. And let us Hallelujah. See some people are not laughing. They're actually crying. Let us run. Let us run. Let us run.

43:43 Everybody say run. >> Run. Let us run with endurance. Endurance. Endurance. The race that is don't run in others track. Run in your own track. There's a rest race. God has g God has given you grace to be you. >> Don't use that grace to be somebody else and become a failure and say God why I am like this. God says I gave you a race to run. Run that race. And when you run that race, you have a cloud around you. But look to Jesus. Somebody say Jesus. Because he is perfecting your faith. The whole thing is trying of the faith. He's perfecting your faith. Amen. >> Many times we are rejected by people around us because they think we are unwanted. They overlook us. They cast us out. But look to Jesus. Many times our circumstances we are in poverty we never have sufficiency and the daily weight of not having enough is very painful but keep looking to Jesus don't focus on

44:45 your poverty sometimes we struggle with anxiety the constant stress of what we don't know the assumption of what can go wrong but try to focus more on Jesus not on your fears amen Amen. Amen. That's why the Bible says pray for wisdom. Let's close. James chapter 1 and verse 5. I'm feeling so happy today. I finished my sermon. Took 3 minutes extra. But it's okay. No, those are all pardonable sins. Let's go on. [clears throat] James 1:5. If any of you, we started, hold on, hold on. We started with verse number two. Let's do the whole thing. No. 2 3 4 5 uh for conclusion. Yeah. Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you meet trials of many kind. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect that you may be mature and complete lacking in. Next verse. If any of you lacks wisdom. >> Ah.

45:50 Ah. This is where wisdom comes. Not only for neat exams and civil services. or to choose whom to marry or which house to take. Wisdom's concept comes here in endurance. Lord, how do I handle the situation? Give me wisdom that I will know how to handle it and for wisdom that I should know what outcome I should expect on how I deal with issues, what choices I make, what feelings to handle. Give me wisdom Lord and God will give an abundance when you pray. And the prayer condition is written there. Pray without doubt. >> Pray looking at Jesus. Pray knowing that our God is a prayer answering God. >> This month of September, some of you going to come out like flying high with your mama eagle. Hallelujah. Why? Because your God is working on you. You're developing wisdom. You're developing wisdom. Go ahead, give him a

46:53 praise. Give him a thanks. Hallelujah. Close your eyes and shout out your thanks to him. Heavenly Father, this beautiful day, we really want to thank you for the truth. We want to thank you for the reality. You are a faithful God. And we ask for wisdom, Lord. how we all like to have wisdom but give us more wisdom especially when we don't see the bypass road and we have to pass through the traffic of life and we have to pass through what we sometimes feel is outside the comfort zone and we have to pass through a variety of trials and temptations which come from within and without and it's our prayer today holy spirit that we will walk in your miracles we will walk in your healings, we will walk in prosperity. So that as we reach where you want us to reach, we'll also have become who you want us to become. So that when we are appointed where you wanted us, we'll also have used the anointing to be who you want us to be.

47:59 Thank you Lord that in the gap between ownership and formation. In the gap between anointing and appointment, we will not turn bitter. You will give us wisdom to turn better. Hallelujah. You are a good God. We worship you today in so much of noise that happens around us. [music] Help us Lord to hear the whispers that you speak. Help us, Father, to stay calm and hear you, to love you more than loving everything [music] else. To you be all the glory and honor. This month we thank you. Week after week as we continue to learn more, you are building us for your glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Somebody shout an amen. >> Amen. >> Shall [music] we stand? We'll sing a song and we'll pray and close. What a friend we have in Jesus. Oh, our [music] sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry [singing]

49:13 everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace [music] we often for. Oh, what needless [music] pain we bear. [singing] All because [music] we do not care to God [music] in [singing] prayer. Have [music and singing] trials and temptations [music] and troubles. Just take it to the Lord in [singing and music] prayer. Can we [music] find a friend so

50:19 faithful? [singing] Oh, [music] with all our sorrows. [singing] Jesus [music] knows thy reve [singing] to the Lord in [music and singing] prayer. Are we [music] weak and heavy laden [music] with a load of care? Preium Savior still our reu. Take [music] it to the Lord in prayer. [singing] Do thy [music] friends despise forsake. [music] Just take it to the Lord his

51:23 friend. My Jesus, [singing] he will >> he will [music] he will take me. Oh yes, he will. Thou will find a soulless day. Blessed [music and singing] Savior, thou has promised. Thou will hold our burdens bear. May [music and singing] we ever Lord be breaking all to thee earnest [music] pray. Shall we lift our hands? Oh yes, >> our Lord Jesus, [music and singing] he's going to come back very soon. >> Yes, Lord. Thank you for that wonderful rapture of [music] the church. >> [singing]

52:24 >> to praise and endless worship with the a sweet portion there. Go ahead. Let's take a few minutes to open our mouth. Everybody praise [music] him for some time. Come on. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Whatever. Whatever. Whatever. You're going to [music] fly high in the name of Jesus. Endurance. Come on, take a [music] few minutes to praise him. Just praise him with all your heart. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank you, [music] Lord. Thank you, Lord. Come on, church. Worship him. Praise him. [music] Every bondage

53:27 is broken by the blood of Jesus. [music] And sickness is healed in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. [music] Thank you, Jesus. Heavenly Father, we just want to thank you Lord for your word that came alive this morning. [music] Thank you that you are with us that you are holding our hands and leading us oh God in every journey that your presence oh God will [music] continue to lead us Lord we thank you as it says in your word blessed is the man who find us strengthen you Lord Lord you are the one who provides [music] our strength in this journey that you will lead us and you will never leave us nor forsake us oh God and we [music] just want to thank you that we're going to rise higher fly higher oh God the coming weeks of endurance [music] that your grace will continue to build our lives for your glory. We just want to thank you and we receive your word this morning, [music] oh God. Lord, at this time we especially pray for those who are celebrating their

54:29 birthdays [music] and marriage anniversaries this week. Thank you, Lord, for adding it another year into their life. Bless them abundantly, Lord. The family shall be blessed and prosperous [music] for your glory. We thank you that this year be a blessed year compared to all the other years put together, Lord. [music] Father, we pray for those who are traveling this week. your journey. Mercies will go with them. We pray for those who have come to the church for the very first time. [music] Their life will never be the same again. You will meet all of their needs according to the riches in glory. Lord, we pray for the tithes and the offering that your blessing be upon all those who stretch their hands towards oh God your kingdom. That you [music] will bless them and you be their provider. Oh God, that you will continue to lead them in victories. Father, we pray this week as some of them has gone through pain, [music] through suffering, the loss of their loved one. We ask oh God that your healing presence, [music] that your comfort will fill their heart and mind. Lead us oh God in your plans, in your ways. [music] Send us with your peace this morning. Lord, we give you glory.

55:31 We give you honor. In Jesus most holy name we pray. Amen. Now may the grace of [music] Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the heavenly father, and the sweet abiding presence of the Holy Spirit rest and abide upon each one of us from now and forever more. And the people of God say, "Amen. Amen." We want to take a minute to welcome all those who are here for the very first time. Thank you for joining us this Sunday morning. As you step out, please to go into the guest launch. There is a team waiting to meet with you and talk to you. All those who require prayers, the pastors are here in the front as well as in the overflow. Have a wonderful balance of the day and a wonderful week ahead. God bless you. Thank you and bye-bye. >> [music]

56:50 >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> Heat. Heat.