Participants:
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW210040S
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, Let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:52 Mending broken people 01:09 Hello, friends, and welcome to Friday Night Family Worship, 01:13 and the first one for 2022. 01:16 Wow. Can you imagine, Honey, we're in the New Year? 01:18 I'm excited 01:19 because it's bringing us one year closer to seeing our Lord. 01:23 That's right, and also happy Sabbath. 01:26 This is a time that we look forward to come into your home 01:29 in a casual but spiritual way. 01:31 And we're going to be talking about new beginnings 01:33 'cause right now people are talking about, 01:35 I think, discussing and thinking about 01:36 what to do differently for the New Year. 01:38 I know. 01:40 People are exercising, they're in the gym, 01:42 trying to lose weight and but you know what? 01:45 New beginnings are not just for the young. 01:47 It's for the old, it's for everyone. 01:49 Every day above the ground is a good day. 01:53 I like that. Amen. 01:54 If you can wake up in the morning, 01:56 and get a chance to take a new breath, that's a new beginning. 01:59 Amen. Wow. 02:00 Well, who do we have on our panel today? 02:01 Oh, I'm so excited about our panel. 02:03 We have Jasmine Carter, 02:06 and it's her first time being on our family worship. 02:10 Welcome, Jasmine. Thank you. 02:11 I'm excited to be here. 02:13 I'm not a part, I don't work at 3ABN, 02:15 but I'm a part of the family. 02:16 I'm a residential mortgage underwriter 02:19 and from the beautiful island of Jamaica. 02:22 I've been married 02:24 to this wonderful man for 18 years. 02:27 Oh, for 18 years. Amen. 02:31 And you are our neighbors. 02:33 You live across the street from us. 02:36 And when she said she's Jamaican, 02:38 my family is Jamaican also. 02:40 So hello, Jamaica. 02:43 And next to you is Ricky Carter, 02:46 your husband, who's half Jamaican, right? 02:48 Yes. 02:50 My father is Jamaican, my mom is Cuban, 02:52 and I work here at 3ABN. 02:54 I work for the Dare to Dream Channel. 02:56 I mostly do video editing 02:58 and I do a lot of computer animation 03:00 for the channel as well. 03:01 Oh, well, welcome. 03:03 Good to have you. Happy Sabbath. 03:04 That's right. Happy Sabbath. 03:06 That's right. 03:07 And across the table from me is Janelle Owen. 03:10 Welcome, Janelle. Thank you. 03:11 Thank you for having me. Tell us what you do? 03:13 I'm in the Publishing Department. Okay. 03:16 And I work on a lot of different things, 03:18 print and web, 03:20 I guess you could summarize it and say print and web. 03:22 And the main thing I work on is the World Magazine. 03:25 But there's so many projects 03:27 that come through our department 03:28 that I can't even think of all the different things, 03:32 but it's a blessing to use what God's given me there... 03:36 You are a busy woman. 03:37 You have deadlines and all of that. 03:39 Yes, deadlines. We live by deadlines. 03:40 Unfortunately, that's just part of it. 03:42 It's good to have somebody that knows 03:43 how to use the right text and fonts. 03:45 Yeah. 03:47 That's make all the difference when I look at print. 03:48 You do a great job. Praise the Lord. Thank you. 03:51 And you're also, you and your husband, 03:53 this is Donald Owen, 03:55 and you work in Pastoral Department? 03:57 Yeah, I'm just very, how can we say this, 03:59 very humbled that God would choose me 04:02 to be able to pray with people on the phone. 04:04 It's incredible and the stories you get to hear 04:06 and just the brokenness, 04:08 but to encourage folks to the Word, 04:09 that's what really speaks to me a lot. 04:11 So I've been very blessed, 04:13 and I'm just so thankful to be invited 04:14 and to be on this group today, this panel. 04:16 And the good thing is, 04:18 everyone here is busy at church. 04:20 That's right. 04:22 Everybody on this panel has something to do at church 04:23 and does an amazing job too. 04:25 Personal ministries... 04:27 Personal ministries and all different facets. 04:29 But there's something we need to say to our viewing 04:31 and our listening audience. 04:32 Oh, yeah. Let me just count to three, one, two, three... 04:34 There we go. Happy New Year. 04:37 Happy 2022. Wow! 04:40 When I was growing up, I used, you know, 04:42 in high school in New York or in elementary school, 04:44 there was a spatial came out space isle, 04:47 you know, 2001 Space Odyssey And I thought, 04:51 "Man, I wanna be in heaven way before that." 04:54 Here we are 21 years past 2001, 04:58 it is just hard to wrap our head around that. 05:01 I was listening to somebody just the other day 05:03 and one of our teachers at our school actually, 05:06 she said, "That was in the olden days 05:07 that was in the '90s." 05:09 And I thought, "What? 05:11 The olden days, the '90s..." It's just the other day. 05:14 That was just the other day as far as I'm concerned. 05:17 Imagine to the Lord a day is a year. 05:20 Yeah. 05:21 Oh, man, I tell you, time doesn't matter. 05:23 But we have a great program that we want to go ahead 05:25 and dive into. 05:26 Once again, it's new beginnings. 05:29 So while you're planning your new beginnings, 05:31 pause for a moment and begin to look at it 05:34 from a scriptural perspective. 05:35 Honey, would you begin with prayer? 05:37 Let's bow our heads. 05:39 Our precious Gracious Heavenly Father, 05:41 we come to You in the name of Jesus 05:43 giving You all praise, 05:44 honor and glory for You are worthy. 05:47 Lord, it's a new year, new beginnings for so many. 05:51 And, Father, every day is a new beginning. 05:54 We don't have to wait till January 1 to start. 05:58 Every day when You give us life, 06:00 health and strength, we can open our eyes and say, 06:03 "Lord, we dedicate our hearts to You." 06:05 And right now we do that. 06:07 We ask that You'll guide in this family worship, 06:09 give us wisdom, we ask that Your Holy Spirit 06:11 will abide in our hearts and minds in Jesus' name. 06:15 Amen. Amen. 06:16 Amen. 06:18 You know, let's talk about what we just came out of, 06:20 the Christmas season. 06:23 I just, you know, that I think differently. 06:25 And I thought rather than just the amount of money 06:27 spent on gifts, 06:29 how much wrapping paper was just throwing away? 06:32 Tons, thousands of tons. 06:34 And they look so pretty. 06:36 They look so pretty. 06:38 How long does it last? Few seconds burst. 06:41 Well, any kid I guess, but you know how it is. 06:42 You just rip them off... 06:44 If you get a gift bag you can recycle though. 06:45 Yeah. I'll do that. 06:48 And I've done that. 06:49 I still do it. I know it. 06:51 Listen, when we get stuff in gift bags and she say, 06:54 keep, don't throw it away. 06:55 Yeah. 06:57 But rip wrapping paper, I know growing up 06:59 and we go to the Christmas season. 07:02 There are those families that are OCD, 07:03 just take the tape off, it was like kids rip it open. 07:08 Yeah. 07:09 And here we took all that time that five minutes 07:11 they spit open and it was destroyed 07:12 in three seconds. 07:13 Yeah. My mother would say, "Fold it back up. 07:17 Put it away." 07:19 You know Jamaican accent, "Put it away." 07:21 And you see that wrapping paper 07:23 like on three separate occasions. 07:26 Oh, dear. 07:27 But the funny thing about that is we all go through 07:30 new cycles in our lives. 07:32 So let's talk about some of the things that are new, 07:34 not only just gifts, but some of the things 07:36 that people like that are often bring joy 07:39 and sparks to our lives that are new. 07:41 What are some of those things that come to mind 07:42 that people like to get excited about? 07:44 I want to new what? 07:46 Think about it. I think about food. 07:49 And for me, being an artist, I love... 07:53 And a chef. And a chef. 07:56 I love creating a new recipe. 07:58 So I get excited about if I'm thinking about, 08:02 "Oh, have had potatoes yesterday. 08:03 Oh, how can I make it new and different?" 08:07 So I'll find a little recipe for that 08:10 and make a little new curry potato 08:13 or some new flavor for the potatoes, 08:15 but that's what I'm gonna do. 08:16 Okay, new food. 08:18 I get excited about new books and new goals as well. 08:21 I like that. Yes. 08:22 You're goal oriented. That's right. 08:24 I like to do the same thing. 08:26 Every year, I challenge myself and my wife knows this. 08:28 I try to say, "What don't I know yet? 08:30 "And Janelle just to kind of appeal 08:32 to that's how I learned to do websites and... 08:34 Oh, yeah. He's always learning something new. 08:36 He says, "Angie, your mind can't be stagnant." 08:38 Right And he's always telling me to read more, 08:41 and I need to listen more. 08:43 That's true. 08:44 Yeah, do that for the New Year, a little more. 08:46 Wait a minute, you guys didn't hear that. 08:50 But, so what about you guys? 08:52 Well, I mean, it's not like, I guess anything tangible, 08:56 but just like, you know, in the New Year, 08:58 it's kind of clich, I guess, that everyone wants to exercise 09:01 and whether or not we stick with those goals, 09:03 it's you know, not always that doesn't always happen. 09:05 But I like finding new exercises because, 09:08 you know, like you're talking about challenging your mind. 09:10 It's good to challenge your body too, 09:11 because we do the same exercises all the time, 09:14 your muscles get used to it. 09:15 So just to challenge physically, 09:18 you know, new exercises. 09:19 Is that what they mean by muscle memory? 09:22 Probably, yeah. 09:23 Kind of get you. Yeah, they say confuse your muscles. 09:25 Yeah. Yeah. 09:27 I didn't think about that. 09:28 Maybe there's still help for me to look like Mr. Universe. 09:31 I love you just the way you are. 09:33 It's okay. 09:34 I love you just the way you are too. 09:35 It's all right. Just maintain that cuteness. 09:37 Okay, now. 09:39 Let's stop it. Donald? 09:40 I think for me, I'm a person and when I was young, 09:43 I never made relationships very well. 09:45 So I think for me, it's new relationships. 09:47 And the second thing is new ways to get the gospel out. 09:50 Amen. 09:51 I love to find new ways to get the gospel out. 09:52 Just incredible, God will open up doors 09:54 and just, watch what He does. 09:56 You're the tract guy. You always have a tract. 09:57 Oh, yeah, we have fun. You're always ready. 09:59 We have some new tracts we just got in a while back. 10:01 It was really neat, Black Friday tracts we had last year. 10:04 People like, "Oh." 10:05 They get excited, 'cause they think 10:06 we're giving them a coupon. 10:08 Right. Tracts of salvation, full tracts of salvation. 10:09 Oh, you have tracts of salvation. 10:10 I love it. 10:13 You think of these tracts, this is Black Friday 10:15 and it's about salvation. 10:17 You know what's nice about that it's a gift 10:19 that never stops giving. 10:20 Right. 10:21 Salvation is not like something that happens once a year 10:23 at a discount price. 10:25 It's free every day. Right. 10:26 Praise God. 10:27 He paid for it, but it's not free for Him, 10:29 but it's free through Jesus. 10:31 So let's talk about what we can find in Christ that's new. 10:37 I'd like to begin with one of my favorite passages. 10:39 And I'll start with Donald, you know, 2 Corinthians 5:17. 10:43 We'd like to think of new things. 10:45 But the one thing that I believe is an every day, 10:50 every moment opportunity 10:52 is what the Lord wants to do in your life. 10:55 Now, you might be sitting there with a new gadget, 10:57 trying to figure out how to turn the volume up 11:00 or you maybe have your new phone isolated, 11:03 so nobody could knock it over or you might be looking 11:06 through a new television. 11:07 But look at this passage with new eyes 11:10 if you've not seen it before. 11:12 2 Corinthians 5:17, Donald? 11:14 Sure, no, I wanna actually share 15, 11:15 you all go back there when we're done. 11:17 Sure. 11:18 Seventeen says, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, 11:21 he is a new creature, old things are passed away. 11:25 They're done away with. 11:27 Behold, all things are become new." Wow. 11:31 And I think that verse 15, and I was reading this, 11:33 I kind of backtrack a little bit. Sure. 11:35 And I thought about this, it says in verse 15, 11:37 that He died for all, obviously, we know it's Jesus, 11:40 "That He died for all that they which live 11:42 should not henceforth live unto themselves, 11:45 but unto Him, again, being Jesus, 11:47 which died for them and rose again." 11:49 So that new life should be really, 11:51 as it says here should be living for Him. 11:53 That's right. Amen. 11:55 I think that's really powerful mission 11:56 A new life living for Him, 11:57 but the new life also living in Him, 12:00 if anyone is in Christ. 12:02 So when we consider the New Year, 12:04 what does it mean, in the context of 2022, 12:07 all things new? 12:08 Let's just talk about that for a moment. 12:09 Yeah, what I think about is that we should strive 12:13 to no longer live life, 12:17 live a sinful life, 12:19 we should strive to, by God's grace, 12:23 live lives that are rooted in Christ. 12:28 Christ lives. 12:30 If He's living out His life within me, 12:33 He can cause me to walk in newness of life 12:38 and causing me to reflect 12:41 on a daily basis more on Him. 12:44 So, that's what I'm thinking about for, 12:46 to answering your question. 12:48 Okay. Jasmine? 12:49 I feel that if we surrender our lives to Jesus, 12:52 the reality we can find in Him is 12:53 that we can have victory over habits that no longer serve us. 12:58 For example, most people make resolutions 13:00 to start eating healthier, 13:01 to exercise at the beginning of the year. 13:03 How long does it last? 13:05 Most people fail, a very high percentage. 13:07 By February, I think it's 96%. 13:11 And it's because we are depending on our own selves, 13:14 we have to rely on God. 13:15 Amen. Yeah. 13:16 That is so true. 13:18 In the advertising companies, they start pumping that brake, 13:22 the gas pedal from November, December, 10% off, 25% off, 13:27 $1 a month until next month 1995. 13:30 And they really get you going and people start trying 13:33 to put their umpth into it when in fact human resolution 13:36 so often fail. 13:38 Yeah. 13:39 And they appeal to the mindset as well, 13:40 you know, the emotions get you... 13:42 And you find stuff in your email, 13:45 stuff in the mail just the manufacturers 13:48 in the retail department. 13:50 I've fallen for that, gotten treadmill, remember? 13:53 No payments, next year I'm paying for two years. 13:58 How long did I use it for? Have mercy. 14:05 Some people have the best gym in the world in their basement, 14:09 but has spider webs on it. 14:11 Right. Yeah. 14:12 Are you talking about me? 14:14 No. No, my gym? 14:16 Do you identify with that comment? 14:19 This is a fun family worship. It is. 14:22 You're revealing too much you guys. 14:26 I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that. 14:28 Oh, yeah. 14:29 You know, it's just life, they just happen and go. 14:31 You put your clothes on your treadmill. 14:35 You brush your spider webs off your barbell. 14:36 So you wonder, "When am I going to gain weight?" 14:39 And they are right in front of you. 14:41 And... But the Word of God is all. 14:43 But that's the past... New beginnings. 14:46 There you go. 14:48 The Word of God is what we need every day and prayer, right? 14:52 Communication. Oh, yes. 14:54 Think about that. 14:56 I like that verse that we read is a promise. 14:59 It says if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation. 15:03 It's a promise. 15:05 You know, if we choose Him, if He's in us, 15:08 He will make us new. 15:09 We don't have to, I mean, there, of course, 15:11 there's always a, you know, something that we, 15:14 role that we play, but He's the one that 15:17 renews us and creates that new desire in us. 15:21 I wanna piggyback off of what you said. 15:23 And when you read that it's actually a marriage. 15:25 Yeah. 15:26 It's a marriage, it's a covenant between two people. 15:28 So it's beautiful. 15:30 You know, it's like that idea 15:31 that renewing our vows with each other. 15:33 Sometimes we get kind of complacent 15:34 and we just take each other for granted. 15:36 You know, we do that often. 15:38 It's like being excited and content with what you have. 15:42 There's a lot of people that want more and more, 15:44 something different, or something better, 15:45 what they think is better. 15:47 But really, you already have it right here. 15:48 It's next to you. Right. 15:50 I'm glad you brought that topic up 15:52 because we have three couples here. 15:53 Yeah. We're all married. 15:55 That's a very good approach 15:56 because you have to be in the right relationship 16:01 to experience the newness that comes in her heart every day. 16:04 I want to appreciate the new things in her life 16:07 and the new things in my life. 16:08 And I often ask her when she comes home from work, 16:12 "How was your day?" 16:14 You too. "And what was different for your day?" 16:16 And a lot of times I want to encourage couples, 16:19 you know, become interested in what your spouse does, 16:22 and your husband does. 16:23 'Cause sometimes some people think, well, 16:25 I don't have as many gifts as you have. 16:27 But that's why the Lord put us together. 16:31 He didn't want to put two people that are exactly alike, 16:33 because one of us will be unnecessary. 16:34 Right. It's true. 16:37 So, yeah, I appreciate that about my sweetheart. 16:40 And there're lot of things that are happening new in her life, 16:43 which I just get excited about. 16:44 Yeah. 16:45 And it's good as couples to love and appreciate each other. 16:48 You know, and you said it, 16:50 don't take each other for granted. 16:52 You know, so many people have lost their loved ones 16:54 last year, and it's a new year, 16:57 they don't have that spouse with them. 17:00 And it's so sad, there's a hole in their hearts. 17:03 And it's when you have the Lord, that's all you have. 17:07 You have to hold on till the resurrection, 17:09 because you will see that loved one again. 17:12 That's a promise. Amen. 17:13 That's a good point. 17:15 If we look at the 2 Isaiah 43:19, 17:18 you know, we talk about the past and light of the past. 17:21 But how can we look to the future with confidence? 17:25 Because right now we live in a world 17:27 that just is so unpredictable. 17:29 Let's not even talk about politics, 17:31 that's just a whole new ball of ground. 17:34 But the world is so different than it used to be. 17:37 And it's changing every day, 17:38 because that's the way the cycle of humanity. 17:41 Isaiah 43:19, how can we look to the future with confidence? 17:46 Go ahead, Janelle. Okay. 17:48 "Behold, I will do a new thing. 17:51 Now it shall spring forth, shall you not know it? 17:55 I will even make a road in the wilderness 17:57 and rivers in the desert." 17:59 I thought about those two roads, 18:01 those two phrases, a road in the wilderness. 18:04 Now the Lord is, I want you to listen to this. 18:06 He wants to do a new thing. 18:07 What do you think it means to make a road 18:10 in the wilderness and rivers in the desert? 18:13 Let's talk about those two words. 18:15 I think when I thought about that, 18:17 both these things are cutting through something. 18:19 They're cutting through like if you think 18:21 about the wilderness than the world we're in today, 18:23 and you mentioned as we talked about this last night, 18:25 it's just, there's so many things to boggle the mind, 18:27 talk about cell phones, TVs, all this distraction. 18:30 So it's like a wilderness, but God wants us 18:32 to be able to cut a road through that. 18:34 It's almost like a neurological type of response. 18:37 We've got, you know, like a neurological, 18:39 get so stimulated, 18:40 we're over stimulated with all these wilderness, 18:42 but God wants to get us kind of still with Him, 18:45 so we can hear Him. 18:46 I think that same with the river. 18:48 Rivers bend and cut, some are, you know, they're new, 18:50 and they're little, they kind of move, 18:52 but if they get older, they start really cutting 18:53 through your deepness. 18:54 I could see a imagery of cutting through 18:56 and God wants it to cut through to get to us. 18:57 Okay. In the wilderness too, I was... 19:00 I looked up the definition of wilderness 19:02 and it talks about how it goes into an area 19:05 that's uninhabited and wilderness, 19:09 you know, like we were talking about, 19:11 like, how wilderness like what I picture to look like 19:14 would be something like you don't even know where to start, 19:17 like where to go in because everything's like 19:19 so overgrown, or there's just like stuff everywhere. 19:22 But God just like He makes the path, 19:25 the road and He just smoothes it out 19:28 and gets everything out of the way. 19:30 And like Don's talking about these, like in our brains, 19:33 you know, the neuro pathways 19:35 that over the years that you know, 19:37 become cut into there 19:38 and they just become like our habits, 19:41 you know, but God makes those new roads 19:43 and it's just an awesome thing. 19:45 Amen. Yeah. 19:46 Okay. What do you think about that? 19:47 Beautiful. Let's keep bouncing that around. 19:49 Go ahead. 19:50 When I think of a road in the wilderness, 19:53 what song comes to mind? 19:54 God will make a way when there seems to be no way. 19:57 That's right. 19:58 He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me. Yes. 20:02 So God will create amazing opportunities for us. 20:05 And I recall when we were moving here, 20:07 and we had to leave our home because we hadn't sold it yet, 20:11 I was concerned about it, 20:12 you know, someone breaking in because we were like, 20:14 the house is nestled among trees far off the road, 20:18 perfect place for someone to break in. 20:21 And then later we got an offer, 20:23 we had a closing scheduled on a house there, 20:26 and we were going to purchase one simultaneously here, 20:30 closing fell through a week before. 20:32 And I'm thinking, "Okay, there's no way we can, 20:34 you know, just can't own two homes at the same time." 20:37 But then God made a way. 20:40 He came through in a miraculous way. 20:41 And we were able to close on our home here. 20:44 And then later, maybe a month or so later, 20:46 we sold our home in Michigan, 20:48 and it was so much better than the first offer. 20:51 Wow. 20:52 So we just got to trust God, 20:54 and know that He will create opportunities for us, 20:56 He will do what's best for us. 20:57 We may not see it now, but later we will. 21:00 Or maybe sometimes when we get to heaven, 21:02 we'll see what that was all about. 21:05 My mother used to say every disappointment 21:06 is God's appointment. 21:08 You seem disappointed, but like you said, the Lord made a way. 21:11 Yes. And what about rivers in the desert? 21:16 What does that mean? 21:18 Okay, should you find a river in the desert? 21:20 No, it's hard. 21:21 But I think that when I think about rivers in the desert, 21:25 the rivers bring water, water is life. 21:30 And I think of the desert being death. 21:34 And so God is bringing life into an area that's death. 21:39 So if we look at our life, and the past, 21:44 and if it looks like a wilderness, 21:46 like what you're mentioning, God has a way, 21:49 He's got the power to make, not just a road, 21:55 but a broad highway, 21:57 to help you get from point A to point B with easily. 22:03 That's right. Okay, anything? 22:06 'Cause when you're in the desert, you're thirsty, right? 22:08 He makes a road, He brings water to those who are thirsty, 22:13 and well, 22:15 I look at this thirsty for the Word of God, 22:18 a relationship with the Lord. 22:20 That's right. 22:22 Just what you said, made me think about like 22:24 how both of those are ways of transportation, 22:27 you mentioned that, and how God can flow through, 22:31 go through a road, go through water, 22:34 I mean, He can go through anything but, 22:35 you know, we think in human terms, 22:38 how we get somewhere by land or by water. 22:41 And you know those ways, 22:42 like you have to have a road or a way, 22:45 you know, to get through, so it's transportation. 22:48 And the practical thing I saw was there're a lot 22:51 of people that are watching the program 22:52 that will say, you know, 22:53 "Look at me, I have nothing to offer. 22:57 My life is barren. 22:59 I have, this seems to be no life at all, 23:01 that I could even look at and boast about 23:03 because in the wilderness the stuff that grows out there 23:06 is not planted, it just grows wild." 23:09 You know, you got the bushes that will cut you the thorns, 23:12 the cacti. 23:13 And it just, nature just takes over. 23:16 And God says when your life looks barren, 23:18 when your life looks like there's nothing 23:20 that could happen with it, 23:22 when you think that before you for the new year 23:24 is going to be just like the last year, 23:26 the Lord says, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, 23:28 I'm going to open up a way into your life. 23:30 I'm going to show you that in your life, 23:33 there are things in your life that people need access to, 23:36 but how they're going to get it? 23:37 I'm going to make a road in the wilderness of your life 23:41 and people are going to find that in you there's life also." 23:44 Then also the dry places, some people say, 23:46 "I had you know my life is dried up. 23:48 I don't just have any spark, 23:50 I just seem to have lost my flavor for the Lord." 23:53 Last year dealing with COVID and the variance 23:57 and not being able to go to church, 23:59 many people still don't go as much as we do. 24:02 But the Lord is saying, this year, 24:04 I'm going to bring a new life into your life. 24:07 I'm going to pour water into the dry places of your life. 24:11 And so I'm looking forward, I don't know 24:13 what God has in store for me in 2022, 24:16 but I'm just excited about it. 24:17 Amen. Me too. 24:19 You know another thing that came to my mind 24:20 what I just really liked that verse, 24:22 and so we talked about it quite a bit, 24:24 Don and I, but just thinking of the contrast 24:27 between the two, there's everything 24:28 or there's nothing. 24:30 Like you've got everything in the wilderness, 24:31 like you're talking about the things that, 24:33 you know, can cut you 24:34 and then there's nothing in the desert. 24:36 So God can work through everything or nothing. 24:39 Amen. 24:42 He can work with anything or nothing. 24:45 I like that. That's good. 24:46 So when you... It seems impossible to us. 24:48 So we need to say, when you think 24:49 that there's nothing in your life 24:51 where everything is gone wrong, 24:52 God can work with everything and God can work with nothing. 24:54 With God all things are possible. 24:56 With God all things are possible. 24:57 Let's go to the third one. Okay. 24:59 Psalm 40:3. 25:01 Ricky, the question is, how has the Lord promised 25:04 to change the repeating tunes of our past failures? 25:08 That's the way I like to look at that. 25:10 All right, Psalms 40:3 says, 25:14 "He has put a new song in my mouth, 25:17 praise to our God. 25:20 Many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord." 25:26 Yeah. 25:27 I think about how encouraging God is. 25:31 He has given us many promises to let us know 25:35 that He will help us no matter what the circumstances. 25:40 I think about Joshua 1:9, 25:42 "Be strong and of good courage. 25:44 Do not be afraid nor be dismayed, 25:47 for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go." 25:50 Our goal in life should be to make it to heaven. 25:54 That's right. 25:55 And God is willing to give us all the resources of heaven 26:00 to help us to make it there. 26:02 And you think about all the angels, 26:05 you know, what was the job that they did before sin? 26:08 Well, now they're in full time work for us. 26:12 So I mean, that's, and that's and also I like 26:15 that promise that we read there, 26:17 because regarding God's promises, 26:20 there's power in God's Word. 26:23 The same power that was in His Word 26:25 that created everything, is the same power 26:29 that's in every one of those promises. 26:30 Amen. I'd like to jump on that too. 26:32 Because it says there many shall see and fear 26:34 and shall trust in the Lord. 26:36 You know, Moses was, and the Israelites 26:39 were erected in the sense to be a blessing. 26:41 Abraham has to be a blessing. 26:43 And I think when we have a new step, 26:44 and we're excited, and we have this new passion, 26:46 this new drive, has got Christ in us, 26:48 people are going to want that same peace we have. 26:50 We were at a restaurant I helped the other day 26:53 a while back and this guy is from Trinidad. 26:56 We started talking to him. 26:57 And you could tell he's this, he lit up, "Oh, yeah, 26:58 I remember talking to guys last time, it's good to see you." 27:01 You know, he's like, and he just wouldn't leave 27:02 our table 'cause he was like, just drawn there. 27:05 He wouldn't leave like, we might want to get back 27:06 to work or I would get in trouble. 27:08 But, just people are just drawn naturally 27:10 when you have some type of a joy 27:11 or something different they want for themselves. 27:13 Yes. I like that. 27:14 And the other thing is when He says 27:16 I will put a new song, 27:18 He will put a new song in my mouth. 27:20 Some people and I'm just intentionally trying 27:23 to zero this in on how some people may look at life. 27:27 Some people may say, and I heard somebody, 27:29 a pastor actually told me, somebody said, 27:31 "You don't have any more sermons left." 27:34 A pastor told me that, he said, he was, 27:36 has been in ministry for 40 years. 27:37 Somebody said to him, 27:39 "You don't have any more sermons left." 27:40 And as we were having a Bible study, 27:43 this pastor, he said to me, "I know why they said that, 27:45 because I didn't really fully understand the message 27:48 that the Lord want for peace, 27:49 but now I have some new sermons." 27:51 And what is in essence being said here, 27:53 because when the new song, 27:54 when people hear the new song, 27:56 when people hear the new things 27:58 that Christ is doing in your life, 28:00 they're going to say, "If He could do that for them, 28:03 that's why I need to trust. 28:05 If the Lord could give that person a new vision, 28:07 new ideas, new goals, new plans, 28:10 and begin to work it out in his or her life, 28:13 that's why I need to trust." 28:14 Because that when it says many will see it and fear, 28:17 it doesn't mean they'll be afraid, 28:18 they'll be astonished. 28:19 The word there fear is astonished. 28:22 I'm shocked, I thought he was washed up. 28:24 I thought there was nothing in that boy. 28:26 You know, some parents say, 28:27 "I never expect my kid to do anything." 28:29 The way you saw him last year, that's how you mean next year. 28:31 And all of a sudden, January he got a suit on. 28:36 You expect them to be in the bed, the bed is empty. 28:38 He comes back two o'clock in the afternoon. 28:40 "Where were you?" "Mom, I found a job." 28:43 "You found a job." 28:45 "I've determined not to be the way I was in 2021." 28:48 And what will happen? 28:50 His mother would say, "If the Lord could do that 28:52 to this lazy boy, what could He do for my life? 28:56 I could trust that person." 28:57 Amen. Yeah. 28:59 And going back to the question, how is the Lord promised 29:01 to change the repeating tune of our past failures? 29:04 When we think of past failures, 29:05 we have to pay attention to our thoughts. 29:08 You know, where's the thought coming from? 29:11 Is the devil trying to remind me of my past? 29:13 What's triggering those thoughts? 29:15 What can we do to dismiss them? 29:18 Claim Bible promises, pray. 29:21 The woman at the well is a great example 29:23 of what Christ can do to change the tune of our hearts. 29:26 Amen. Wonderful. 29:27 I like that, isn't that nice? 29:29 Yeah, she had a new beginning. 29:31 And she left her water pot. Yes. 29:35 Everybody's got a water pot they carry around 29:37 with them every day. 29:38 You know, what is your water pot? 29:40 She didn't just tell one person. 29:42 No. She told more than one person. 29:43 That's right. She told the whole town. 29:46 Who is this Messiah? 29:47 Amen. Wow, that's very good. 29:49 That's awesome. What about... 29:51 So why is it imperative then not to live 29:54 the old life expecting new results? 29:57 Jasmine, let's look at Matthew 9:17, 30:00 and that's the question, why is it so necessary 30:02 not to try to live the old life expecting new results? 30:07 You know that years ago, there was a lady named Susan Powter. 30:11 And remember the definition of insanity? 30:13 Do you remember what that is? 30:14 Yes, you're doing the same thing expecting... 30:17 Expecting different results. 30:18 She had an amazing story. 30:20 I'm going way back some of you young folk could handle. 30:22 But it was a lady whose husband left her, 30:25 she was overweight, she had no money, 30:27 she had no job, he left her, just her life. 30:31 She said when he left, he took everything. 30:33 And she says, I, once she said one day something clicked, 30:39 and she became an international name. 30:42 She lost her weight. 30:43 Susan Powter lost her weight, got in fitness, she was like, 30:46 her husband probably saying... 30:48 Fitness guru. She was, that's right, that's right. 30:49 She was, and I'm sure after he saw what happened to her. 30:54 He said, "And I left her. 30:57 Nobody knows who I am, 30:58 but my wife is on every magazine 31:00 and on the fitness covers of, 31:01 and she's on television weekly." 31:04 And that was the quote that she says the definition 31:06 of insanity is doing the same thing expecting 31:09 different results. 31:10 So why is it that we should not try to live the old life 31:13 expecting new results? 31:15 Matthew 9:17. 31:16 "Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins 31:19 or else the wineskins break. 31:21 The wine is spilt and the wineskins are ruined. 31:25 But they put new wine into new wineskins 31:28 and both are preserved." 31:30 So what do you think that means? 31:33 Wineskins represents, I believe, our lives. 31:37 Wine represents teachings, 31:41 and new wine or fresh grape juice 31:44 represents God's truth. 31:47 Fermented wine or fermented grape juice 31:50 represents false teachings. 31:52 That's right. 31:54 Skin, the skin bottles were used back in this time 31:58 as vessels to contain the new wine 32:01 or the fresh grape juice. And after time, 32:04 though, these skins would... 32:07 The skin bottles would become dry and brittle 32:11 and then they would burst 32:13 and pouring all the grape juice to the ground. 32:16 So the old skin would be worthless to be able 32:20 to hold fresh grape juice again. 32:23 So, the old life of sin 32:27 is not going to be receptive 32:30 to holding on to Christ's centered teachings. 32:35 I'm going to share too, 32:36 the Lord opened to me this really big. 32:37 So if we go in verse 14, it says, 32:41 and then came to Him the disciples of John saying, 32:44 "Why do we and the Pharisees fast off 32:46 but thy disciples fast not?" 32:49 We're actually talking about and Jesus goes on to talk 32:51 about this wineskins with this fasting idea. 32:54 And so I started thinking about verse 15. 32:56 It says, "And Jesus said unto them, 32:58 'Can the children of the bride chamber mourn 33:00 as long as the bridegroom is with them?'" 33:02 So we realize that Jesus is talking about Himself. 33:04 But the days will come when the bridegroom 33:06 shall be taken away from him, and then they shall fast. 33:09 I was like, I started thinking about that 33:11 and my mind went to John 16:7, 33:15 it talks about in there how he's, 33:16 it's expected that he goes away. 33:19 If it's expected, he comes and sends the comforter. 33:21 So He poured out this Holy Spirit. 33:24 And then the Lord brought me into Isaiah 58. 33:27 And it talked about how Israel was fasting in the first, 33:30 I think it's Chapter 3, verses 3 through 5. 33:33 To me, it represented the old wineskin 33:34 because they're just beating each other up, 33:36 debating, striving with one another. 33:38 And then if you look in verses 6 through 8, 33:40 it was actually talking about how God was, 33:42 Jesus saying, "This is the fast that I've chosen: 33:44 to loose the bands of wickedness 33:45 under the heavy burdens, let the oppressed go free, 33:48 break every enslaving yoke." 33:49 And so we see all these things that they're doing, 33:51 and then we see they're fulfilled in Acts, 33:53 when the disciples were just filled with the Holy Spirit. 33:57 So when I see this, I just see that these wineskins, 33:59 the old wineskins, the old traditions 34:00 of the Pharisees, and the teachings, 34:03 the Pharisees and all that, and the new wineskins 34:05 as Jesus said, "No, this is going 34:06 to be the new way I'm gonna do this." 34:07 Amen. This is the new gospels with Me, Don. 34:09 Yes. 34:11 And those who refuse to accept the new gospel 34:12 represented the old wines. 34:14 Right. Yep. They were not pliable. 34:17 They were not, 'cause you know, one of the things 34:19 I want to talk about the wineskin will break, 34:22 because even new grape juice, 34:24 it has a process where it still is starting a new fermentation 34:28 and the gas is expand when you seal it. 34:31 Well, what will happen if the gospel starts 34:33 expanding in your life, 34:34 and your old is going to break you. 34:37 It's going to break you. 34:38 I've told people one of the greatest dangers 34:40 of Christianity is trying to live the Christian life 34:42 without Christ, because it will break you. 34:45 Because you've just been living by rules and regulations, 34:48 I can't do this, can't do that, can't do this, don't wear that, 34:50 don't eat that. 34:52 And that'll be frustrating. 34:53 But if the new wine is in there, 34:55 you could expand with the growing understanding 34:58 of God's Word, but on a more practical level. 35:01 Think about it, how many people are saying, 35:04 "I want a new life, 35:07 but I don't want to change the way I used to live?" 35:10 That's what I want to bring this out. 35:13 I would say that what people maybe can relate to is again, 35:16 in the New Year, they have new goals. 35:18 And to get those new results, 35:20 it's really a two part principle, our part, 35:23 God's part. 35:24 So let's say someone wants to lose weight, 35:28 I would say they have to be intentional 35:30 about the weight, and they have to ask God 35:32 to empower them. 35:34 I find it helpful to ask yourself questions like, 35:37 "Who do I want to become?" 35:39 And through God's grace, assume that identity. 35:43 Let's say, I want to become healthier person. 35:46 You could ask yourself, 35:47 what would a healthier person eat for breakfast? 35:49 Cake? Oatmeal, but berries. 35:53 What would a healthy person do? 35:55 Sit on the couch, or go for a walk? 35:59 And so just keep assuming the identity of the person 36:02 you want to become. 36:03 Could be I want to be a godly woman. 36:05 What does that look like? 36:06 What does a godly woman do? 36:07 And start assuming that role with God's help. 36:10 That's really, I love that. Action plan. 36:13 Yeah, action plan, because you're talking about, 36:15 you know, what if someone wants a new life, 36:17 but they don't want to change the way they're living? 36:20 So really, it's kind of like, do they really even want it? 36:24 'Cause like if you don't, you know, if you don't know 36:26 what you want to be, what your goal is, 36:28 and you don't want to take those steps to get 36:30 to where it's just, 36:31 there's really no motivation there. 36:34 And, you know, as Christians, 36:35 our motivation should be to be more like Jesus. 36:39 And what does that look like? 36:40 You know, like you're talking about, you know, 36:42 what does it look like to be like Jesus? 36:43 I was thinking too, this is always what I say, 36:45 misery loves company. 36:47 Do you really want to just stay miserable all the time? 36:50 I think about that, 36:51 especially when dealing people on prayer line. 36:53 And I may get the same repeat call or saying the same thing 36:56 over and over. 36:57 And just... 36:59 Well, just like what JD says all the time, he says, 37:00 "Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?" 37:01 Yeah, like are you going to keep doing 37:04 the same thing over and over, it's not going anywhere, 37:06 you talked about insanity is expecting different results. 37:09 It doesn't work. 37:10 But if you want to make just that little change 37:12 in your life, and I think it helps too 37:13 to have support group. 37:14 Yes. 37:16 I really think you need a support group, 37:17 somebody can hold you accountable. 37:19 You know, we did that Conquer series in the church 37:20 and we had a lot of interesting feedback, 37:22 a lot of negativity, some things we heard, 37:24 but some people like, "Well, I just got God, 37:26 I got God and its good." 37:27 But you have to... 37:29 God also says you need earthly people to support you as well. 37:32 So I think you really need support to be encouraged 37:34 to follow with your plans. 37:36 I think another key question is why? 37:38 Why do you want to be healthy? 37:39 Just keep answering and keep going to the deep root because, 37:42 "Oh, I want to get help. 37:44 I want to lose 10 pounds, 37:45 so I can fit in my clothes better." 37:46 That's not a good reason. 37:48 You're going to fall off when you see the cake. 37:50 Just keep asking and get to the real root 37:52 cause of why you want to be healthy. 37:55 Maybe you want to be around for your grandchildren. 37:57 Right. That's a good reason. 38:00 One of the exercise videos, the series that I watched, 38:04 sometimes he always says, like halfway into the workout, 38:07 "Remember why you came here. 38:09 Remember why you came here." 38:11 So, it's helpful to remember that. Yes. 38:14 We're going to go to Mark 2:21. 38:16 And what happens if we try to live the new life 38:20 without a new walk? 38:21 This is really good. 38:23 But why do we, what happens if we try to live 38:24 the new life without a new walk? 38:26 Like you're saying, Jasmine, 38:28 we have to ask ourselves these deep questions. 38:31 Why am I finding myself in the same place over 38:35 and over asking for the same results? 38:37 And just before Angie reads that, 38:39 people have to be intentional, not only intentional, 38:41 but you have to hold yourself responsible 38:43 for what am I going to do to make this happen? 38:45 Right. Don't just say I want to. 38:47 What are you doing? What's your action plan? 38:49 Right. 38:51 Because I always say a goal without a date is not a goal. 38:52 Right. Yeah. 38:54 So why is it ridiculous trying to live a new life 38:57 without a new walk? 38:59 Look at Mark 2:21. 39:00 Action speaks louder than words. 39:02 That's for sure. 39:03 And that same text in Mark 39:05 is also in Matthew 9:16. 39:10 But in Mark 2:21, it says, 39:12 "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth 39:16 on an old garment, 39:17 or else a new piece pulls away from the old 39:21 and the tear is made worse." 39:23 I want you to grab that. 39:25 Okay, let's break that down. 39:26 What do we think the new piece of the garment 39:29 would represent in a spiritual sense? 39:31 I think, kind of, for some reasons came to me 39:33 the seed falls on certain ground, it's like, 39:36 it kind of gets there, but it's like, I don't know, 39:39 just that new garments. 39:41 It's yeah, it's fresh, shrunk as it says, smaller but... 39:44 Yeah. I like what you said. 39:46 Does he get a new walk? 39:47 Okay. New ways? 39:49 Okay. New relationship? 39:50 The new piece, if you say, 39:55 what's the most important piece people should add 39:57 to their lives for the New Year, 39:58 what would you say? 40:00 I'm using that word piece intentionally try 40:01 to throw you off, in Christ, right? 40:04 Yes. 40:06 But what happens if you try to add Christ to a person 40:09 who just wants to live the old ways? 40:11 It won't work. 40:13 Read the last part of that what happens? 40:14 Just the middle to the last part, 40:16 or else that part as well... 40:17 Or else, the new piece pulls away from the old 40:21 and the tear is made worse. 40:23 Wow. Have mercy. 40:25 So what happens if somebody says I want Christ in my life, 40:29 but I don't want to change the way I'm living? 40:31 You just going to keep going back to your old habits. 40:33 Yeah. 40:34 But not only that it gets harder, yeah. 40:36 Harder. Your heart, it's harder. 40:39 You don't want to return 40:43 to that life of living in Christ. 40:46 And it's harder to accept it if you come back, 40:50 try and come back to it again. 40:51 So think about the tear now, 40:53 because the text says the tear gets worse. 40:56 So somebody might come to Christ with just a tear, 40:59 I'm just using an example, the tear is about that big. 41:02 And they say, I need to fix that tear in my life, 41:05 whatever that may be. 41:07 So I need to add Bible readings, 41:09 I need to do this, do that too. 41:11 They get involved in the things of Christianity without Christ. 41:16 So they start adding all these things 41:17 of Christianity in their lives that new diet, 41:20 I want to be a vegan, because you know, 41:22 I like the Adventist lifestyle, 41:23 I want to have a day of worship off. 41:25 So I'll pick the day because Saturday seems 41:26 to be good, it fits into my schedule. 41:28 They're doing all the things without Christ. 41:30 They're adding this new piece 41:31 of unshrunk cloth to an old life. 41:37 And all of a sudden, 41:38 that new piece starts pulling away 41:41 because it didn't find a new life to connect to. 41:44 And what happens? The tear gets... 41:45 The tear gets worse. Yes. 41:47 It's kind of like my dad, when my dad got 41:49 some major health problems. 41:50 He said, "That's it. I'm done smoking cigarettes. 41:53 I'm not going to do that anymore." 41:54 My mom was, "Oh, don't do that." 41:56 You know, my mom kind of encouraged him 41:57 to go the opposite way. 41:59 It was just, yeah, I really felt I was like, oh, man. 42:02 Anyways, just the fact that you know, when we do that, 42:03 then like you said, it gets worse because now 42:05 you go further into it. 42:06 And you have even more of a struggle to quit. 42:08 You know, there's a huge, hard end. 42:10 Okay, you just whispered something. 42:12 I want you to say that. 42:13 It's like seven demons coming back. 42:15 Yeah. That's what I was going to say. 42:17 Yeah, that's a good one. 42:18 Yeah, if you try to, you want to expound on that? 42:20 No, go ahead. 42:21 If you try to live your life with Christian things 42:24 without Christ, 42:26 it's going to get worse for you. 42:30 Oh, see, honey, you bring all these gems, 42:33 because what she's talking about is storing the Bible 42:35 where the demons, the man no longer had demons. 42:39 It's like the house was swept clean 42:42 and empty. 42:45 That's a good life. 42:46 I've swept all the old things out of my life, 42:49 my life is clean, 42:51 but the demons say, "But it's empty." 42:55 You got rid of all that stuff, 42:56 but did you replace it with Jesus? 42:58 That's the danger. 43:00 Some people get rid of things they don't, they say, 43:02 "I conquered smoke 43:03 and I'm not smoking anymore in 2022. 43:05 I finally kicked the bottle. 43:07 I'm not going to drink anymore in '22. 43:08 I got rid of this that, I put all this stuff away, 43:10 and I'm going to be in church." 43:12 And like two weeks later, they're gone. 43:13 The demons come in, take over. 43:15 Because they never do it with Christ. 43:16 There's a scripture in Romans 12:2, it says, 43:19 "Be not conformed to this world, 43:20 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 43:22 So... And you do it daily. 43:24 Yeah. It's not just, you know, once a year, every day. 43:28 And that visual of the rooms, sweeping the room clean, 43:31 it's like they're just putting it in the side closets 43:33 and the side closets are getting full 43:34 and eventually burst open. 43:36 It's like everything comes back into the room worse 43:40 This reminds me of Judas's life. 43:43 Oh, yes. 43:44 So he had a new life as one of the disciples. 43:47 But did he have a new walk? 43:49 No, he did not surrender his life to Jesus. 43:51 No, he didn't. Correct. 43:53 He didn't, he sure didn't. 43:55 And so what I want you to think about now, 43:57 which is the next question, 43:58 I want you to read the next one, 44:00 also Ezekiel 36:26 under our sixth point, 44:03 because the question is then so what do you do? 44:05 How do you gain access 44:08 to the spiritual possibilities before you? 44:12 Not just, I don't want you just to hear that question. 44:14 But in other words, what empowerment 44:16 are you going to get for this 2022 year? 44:20 How are you going to empower your prayer life, 44:22 your study life, your relationship with Christ, 44:25 your relationship with your spouse, 44:26 with your family? 44:28 How are you going to be different when you go to work? 44:29 Are you going to walk through the door 44:31 and people going to say, "Oh, he's here again? 44:32 Get to your desk real quick, the manager is here. 44:35 You know what he's going to do if he sees us in the hallway?" 44:37 You want to be a different person for 2022 but how? 44:41 What's the first imperative thing to do? 44:42 Ezekiel 36:26, read that for me, Honey. 44:45 "I will give you a new heart 44:48 and put a new spirit within you. 44:52 I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh 44:56 and give you a heart of flesh." 45:00 Wow. That's beautiful. 45:01 I was going to say prior before they actually go to verse 25. 45:04 Okay, read that. Read that. 45:05 It says, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you 45:08 and you shall be cleaned from all your filthiness 45:11 and from all your idols, I will cleanse you." 45:13 I think that God wants to cleanse us first, 45:16 He wants us to give all the junk to Him, 45:17 like we're talking about the closets full of junk, 45:20 give it to Him, so He can clean us first. 45:22 And then He'll do verse 26 and onward. 45:26 And kind of like the Christmas in people's lives, 45:28 they just add more stuff. 45:30 They don't get rid of the old stuff. 45:32 That's usually what the seasons' holidays just do. 45:35 Just add more stuff, and in matter of time, 45:37 that thrill is gone. 45:39 And that thrill is gone because you got 45:41 that gift just before version three came out, 45:44 I knew, iPad Pro 2. 45:47 And that joy is gone, is like, I just got this... 45:50 A new MacBook. New MacBook, yeah, move on. 45:54 Hit home run. Here we go. 45:57 You know, just thinking about this, 46:00 you know, I think sometimes we just fall into that, 46:04 like, we just we want this like, hi, 46:06 or this, like, you know, like sometimes people want, 46:08 yeah, people want that. 46:10 Like, I think Ellen White talks about ecstasy of feeling. 46:13 And instead of like a constant, consistent, you know, like, 46:18 when we have that new heart, 46:20 it means we're going to be walking with Him. 46:22 And it is a consistent thing that is not 46:24 where we're not going to have these. 46:27 Yeah. 46:28 Because like sometimes you go to certain events 46:30 or whatever and you get like this really spiritual high, 46:32 you know, and it's that's not the normal Christian walk. 46:36 And to expect that is really going to be disappointing. 46:39 And so, but that's not how it's supposed to be. 46:42 What would you call it, Honey? Mountaintop experience. 46:44 You got to go down into the valley. 46:46 The mountaintop and valley experience in the Bible, who? 46:49 Moses. And Elijah. 46:51 Elijah. Okay. 46:52 He was, he had that experience. 46:54 Wow, God just burned up all the wood, all the stones, 46:58 all the dirt. 46:59 He did all that in front of all of these people 47:01 that was standing against me. 47:03 Then the next day. Wow. What a God! 47:05 Next day... Running from jail. 47:07 Running from a woman, as if... Have mercy. 47:10 And then the Lord comes to him and says, 47:12 I like the King James Version, 47:14 "What doest thou here?" 47:17 He finds him under a bush. 47:19 "Who's that? 47:21 "What doest thou here, Elijah?" "Who's asking?" 47:25 "God's asking." 47:26 He's like, put that in your mind, 47:29 and there are some people that are that way. 47:31 They live for the highs, but the lows are there. 47:34 One of my favorite writers Oswald Chambers says, 47:36 "We live our lives in the valley. 47:38 Most of our lives are lived in the valley, 47:40 not on the spotlight." 47:41 Or where is all the life at? In the valley. 47:44 And probably doesn't water runs down creeks, 47:46 the creeks and streams and value where the life is. 47:49 The God of the mountain is still the God of the valley. 47:51 Right. Okay, that's right. 47:53 Because all that water is coming from the high places, 47:56 coming down to nurture us in the valley. 47:58 That's a beautiful connection. 48:00 So I want to encourage our audience, 48:02 because if God by His grace gives us, 48:08 you know, I don't want to go to 2023 in my mind yet. 48:11 But we have a lot of days ahead of us. 48:13 We don't know, remember when 2020 came, 48:16 and we thought, "Wow, Happy New Year." 48:18 And then all of a sudden, the tragedy of Kobe Bryant, 48:21 and then COVID hit, and it was like, 48:24 what could be worse than losing such a prominent athlete 48:28 at the prime of his life? 48:30 And then when COVID hit, it's like Kobe who? 48:33 It's like the disaster has got worse. 48:35 And then the loss of life was exponential. 48:39 And the world got shut down, 48:40 in stores the shelves were bare. 48:42 And we asked ourselves, "Lord, 48:43 how can You sustain us through this?" 48:46 Churches were shut down, too. Churches were shut down. 48:49 Many people were shaken spiritually. 48:52 So we have to live our lives in the way. 48:53 Let's go to Philippians 3:13-14, 48:57 I'm going to read that one. 48:58 I want you to look at your life, 49:00 not in the sense of year by year by year by year, 49:03 but not as a runner, not as a pilot, 49:06 not as a swimmer, but as a person 49:08 who just simply walks. 49:09 And, Jasmine, 49:11 I know you into a lot of fitness stuff here 49:12 and maybe some of others of us are. 49:15 What's the most, what's the exercise 49:17 that everybody can do? 49:19 Walking, stretching. 49:23 Walking, even if you can't stretch, you could walk. 49:26 And the Bible likens the Christian life to a walk. 49:30 Look what it says in Philippians 3:13. 49:34 And 14. And 14. 49:35 Thank you, Honey. 49:37 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended." 49:39 Meaning I'm not there yet. 49:41 But one thing I do, 49:42 and this is an encouraging thing for the New Year, 49:46 forgetting those things which are where? 49:49 Behind. Behind. 49:51 What do you need to forget from 2021 49:53 or 2020 or 2019? 49:55 How far back? 49:57 Forgetting those things which are behind 49:59 and then what happens? 50:00 They just say looking forward? 50:02 Reach. Reaching forward. 50:04 Just saying stop looking forward 50:06 and start reaching forward, that's the action right there. 50:08 A lot of people look for, I'm looking forward 50:10 to the New Year. 50:11 No, are you reaching forward to the New Year? 50:13 That's a difference altogether. It's true. 50:15 Looking forward and reaching for it are not the same thing. 50:17 Reaching forward to those things which are where? 50:20 Ahead. 50:21 And then look at the next action word, 50:24 together, I press toward the goal 50:30 for the prize of the upward call 50:33 of God in Christ Jesus. 50:36 That's why Philippians is my favorite book. 50:38 Oh, yeah. You love it. 50:39 The words are action, athlete, passion, pressing, 50:43 moving, going upward, forgetting, laying aside, 50:47 I love that, you know, that's my favorite book, right? 50:50 Philippians. 50:51 So when people are downtrodden, I say, "Read Philippians." 50:53 Yeah, he does. You always tell them. 50:54 And you know, "And he who has begun good work 50:56 will complete it, for it is God 50:58 who works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 51:01 I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me." 51:03 All right. 51:04 So it's in there, you know, whatever things 51:06 are lovely and true and honest and pure, 51:08 think on these things. 51:09 It's the athlete's book, it's the person 51:11 that wants to do something. 51:13 And so for the New Year, don't just say it, 51:16 get up off your couch and say, "You know what? 51:19 I'm tired. 51:20 This couch knows me so well 51:22 that it's even shaped the way I sit. 51:25 It looks for me to sit there 'cause it's even shaped 51:27 the way I sit." 51:29 And the armrests are worn out 51:30 because all I do is sit on this chair. 51:32 You might want to get rid of that chair and get a new one. 51:35 All right? You got crumbs in it. 51:36 Crumbs in it. Changing it. 51:38 You know what? 51:40 And I've seen situation where people have passed away 51:41 and somebody come and say, "I bet you that was his seat." 51:45 The sunken, you know, ashtrays all around it, 51:48 everything within reach, laziness. 51:51 Get rid of that laziness for the New Year 51:53 and start reaching forward instead of looking forward. 51:56 Stop pressing instead of thinking 51:58 and start going up instead of sitting down. 52:01 I want to be different. 52:03 I want my life to change. 52:05 I don't want to be the same person, get a new outlook. 52:09 Focus on the prize. 52:11 Focus on the prize. 52:12 Focus on the prize. 52:14 You know, sometimes things can be, 52:15 yes, they can be sad days, 52:18 we can have sad days, 52:20 bad things can happen to us, yes. 52:22 But no, just stay settled in that. 52:26 We can, God has gone to prepare a place for us. 52:30 If we focus on that prize, focus on that, 52:33 that's going to be another helpful thing to get us there. 52:35 Honey. 52:37 Yeah, okay, no pun intended, but you need a sharper focus. 52:42 It's good. I like that. 52:44 Thank you, Honey, for that. 52:45 Thumbs up. Shaper Focus, Wednesday night. 52:47 Well, you led me there. 52:50 But, you know, I want to also emphasize 52:52 the negative impact of looking back 52:53 and I'm going to have Ricky read Genesis 19:26. 52:57 A lot of people, you know, when Paul says, you know, 52:59 forgetting those things which are behind you, 53:00 look at the negative impact of looking back. 53:03 People don't think there's any negative impact, 53:05 but Genesis 19:26 53:09 shows us the negative impact of looking back. 53:14 Ricky? 53:16 "But his wife looked back behind him, 53:19 and she became a pillar of salt." 53:22 Wow. Now, what does that mean? 53:24 We know whose wife said it. 53:27 Is that Lot's wife? Yes. 53:29 Rhetorical question. So what was the problem? 53:34 Was it what she saw? What was the problem? 53:36 Why do you think she didn't have him? 53:38 Yeah, direction of her heart. 53:40 I think we got to be cautious of this too, 53:42 because there's a lot of people that have suppressed 53:44 a lot of stuff from the past. 53:46 And it's in there and they don't realize 53:47 and are struggling with something, 53:49 they don't realize that there's a trigger 53:50 or root to that. 53:51 So we really got to find, I think you mentioned earlier, 53:53 Jasmine's, there's a root and we got to find that root. 53:55 You know, maybe someone's abused as a child, 53:57 they just suppressed it over years. 53:59 So they're always struggling with like, 54:00 the one guy just talked on the phone just recently, 54:02 you know, his parents left when he was five, 54:04 throwing around from aunt, to grandmother, 54:06 and he's always angry, bitter to God. 54:09 So I can understand why now. 54:10 So I think you know, obviously, yeah, 54:11 we don't want to look behind. 54:13 But we do want to deal with those things 54:14 that we've suppressed in our minds 54:16 that God wants to clean us up so He can, 54:18 so we get rid of the old roots, 54:19 so we can bear new fruit. 54:21 That's right. 54:22 And it's, I think you're talking about also 54:23 like the direction of Lot's wife, 54:25 the direction of her heart. 54:27 And she wanted to be back there. 54:30 And what you're talking about is reviewing things 54:33 that maybe we need to deal with. 54:35 And I'm also thinking about how sometimes 54:37 we need to remember how God has led us. 54:41 And I think that would be the only situation 54:43 that I would say that would maybe, 54:45 you know, be beneficial. 54:46 Not living back there but reviewing 54:48 'cause God always, through the Bible, 54:50 always tell His people like, you know, 54:52 remember how I lead you 54:54 and right so it's not like we're not living there, 54:57 our heart is not back there, but we know 54:59 that God has brought us from that point, 55:01 but we don't stay back there, 55:02 like she wanted to stay back there. 55:04 Okay, you're hitting a point that I'm so glad 55:06 you brought up because this is the reason 55:07 why she became a pillar of salt because she wanted to be back. 55:11 So I'm going to challenge you, 55:12 how many of you want to live your past 55:15 over and over and over and over again? 55:16 Some people want to be back there, 55:18 because it's a predictable place in life. 55:21 Psychologically, some people... They're comfortable there. 55:23 It's a comfort zone of sitting by the pool for 38 years, 55:27 saying, "Nobody is here to help me." 55:29 You got to help yourself sometimes. 55:31 You know, sometimes people are not going 55:34 to come along, and just always get into your pity party. 55:36 They're going to say, like, Jesus, 55:38 "Take up your bed and walk." 55:39 Do something different. So don't sit at that... 55:41 Forget those things that are behind. 55:43 Say that again, Honey. 55:44 Forget those things that are behind like Lot's wife behind. 55:48 That's right. Leave it behind you. 55:49 She kept focusing on what was behind her. 55:51 God is saying, look at the plain before you. 55:54 And there's some people... But look at you. 55:55 You were abandoned. 55:57 Well, look at me now. 55:59 Praise God. Yes, you know. 56:03 We all come from brokenness. 56:05 Every one of us has faced brokenness... 56:06 As a baby, when I say abandon, you were abandoned as a baby. 56:09 That's right. 56:10 I think too, though, we can also hold on 56:12 to bitterness and anger and unforgiveness. 56:15 And those things really, overtime can destroy us. 56:17 Because I mean, it really ultimately affects 56:19 your total health. 56:20 That's right. Yeah, you have to deal with those things. 56:24 You have to deal with those things, 56:25 but I wanna hit two very quick points before we shut down. 56:27 Okay, go ahead. 56:28 Before we say Happy New Year and Happy 2022. 56:31 It says, don't do like the Israelites did, 56:33 they selected a new leader to go back. 56:36 Friends, let me encourage you, the only leader 56:38 that should be in your life is Jesus. 56:40 That's the only way that 2022 56:41 is going to be a successful year. 56:43 Keep focusing on Him. 56:45 Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus, 56:47 the author and finisher of your faith." 56:48 In this very last quote, listen to this. 56:50 "In reviewing our past history, 56:53 having traveled over every step of our present standing, 56:56 I can say praise God." 56:57 Amen. 56:59 "As I see what God has wrought, I am filled with astonishment 57:01 and with confidence in Christ as leader. 57:03 We have nothing to fear for the future, 57:06 except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us 57:10 and His teaching in our past history." 57:12 Amen. Have we all had a past? 57:13 Oh, yes. Is He saying go forward? 57:15 Amen. 57:17 Can we say Happy New Year one more time? 57:18 Happy New Year. 57:20 I tell you and, Honey, thank you for being with me, 57:23 2022, we're still together. 57:25 Praise God. 57:27 And for the New Year, we're encouraging couples, 57:29 those of you who are Christians, 57:31 if you're single, bereaved, continue trusting God 57:34 and 2022 will be a blessing. 57:36 Amen. Amen. |
Revised 2022-01-31