Sunday Nov 18th 2018

We're going to have extended prayer tonight as we every second Sunday. We have our extended prayer and its from 6 to 8 tonight and it's going to be great because God has really been speaking through that prayer time. I'm telling you were moving mountains. The day will come where we will know what exactly is happening in those prayer meetings, but And you know what? I don't want to go on a book the book, but the that was started. That whole movement came because a couple of women. It was like a host a living room full of women.

pray for Revival and Seymour felt to go to Pasadena, California. You didn't know why God just told him to go give him an address. He went to the address. You didn't know what the address was. He never had a dime. He had just enough money to to get there by Kevin just enough money to get there and he's knocking on the door someone. He doesn't even know they knocked on the door and this woman opens the door and she said hello, and here's his black man in 1906 in Pasadena. What is a blind in one eye and he says God told me to come here. To bring the Revival. He didn't know who they were and they were in the living room praying for Revival.

I think that's what's called Divine appointment. and kaboom it went Kaboom. So don't don't underestimate. What a few people in a circle can do. Right there other people praying, of course, but still powerful times. I'm figure ditches in the desert many of you heard sermon the sermon on this about digging the ditches in the desert. If you have it talks play a little bit of it to you today many people have spoken about this piece of scripture. It's a very well-known interpretation of this piece of scripture, but I I took it with me to Cuba because I felt it for Cuba and then I was working on the down there in my room on the sermon for today in Working away on something and then God just did no do this. I rarely repeat messages, but this one is worth it. It's it's just so important today. It's just so important and I'll give you the context of what we're talking about. Holy Spirit pray you come. I know you'll come I thank you that you're here. I know you will give us illumination. I know you will cause his to be personal to each of us and you will show us what you were saying to each of us through this message. So we thank you ahead of time. Worrying a second Kings and chapter 3 and what's going on? Is that Israel and Judah they paired up by this time? The larger Israel have been broken into Israel the ten tribes of Israel and the two tribes of Judah and baked potato. Paired up together because they're going to fight against Moab who would revolted against Israel because Israel had the moabites paying taxes to them in the moabites. I'm not doing that anymore and they said well we need to do something about that. So they made a decision but it's very interesting if you read the context in the text. They make a decision without consulting the Lord. about how to attack Moab they not God decided that we should go up through the desert. That would be the best way to go up against Moab. Well in verse 9, I think I have it there on some problems. So the king of Israel set up with the king of Judah and the king of eat them after roundabout March of seven days. The Army had no more water for themselves or for the animals with them.

there's what doing something without consulting God looks like And we've all done this we've all done this in some way shape or form. So as soon as things start looking bad the king of Israel panics and inverse tan, he says explain the king of Israel has the Lord called three kings together only to deliver us into the hand of Moab instantly instantly Doats God. He instantly gives up no faith whatsoever now lucky for them. There was another king also involved with this by the lucky for them Joshua fat, who is the king of Judah was there and he had a spiritual response the king of Israel had a kernel response to a difficult situation. They all said, oh had their own idea about how things were going to go. Listen. We've all done it. We've all done it. And things get bad and the king of Israel falls apart, but Josh if that says and verse 11, is there no prophet of the Lord here through whom we may inquire of the floor. So he goes right back to what he probably knew he should have been doing in the first place is inquiring of God. We have to as a people of God. I'm telling you if we're going to do what God wants us to do. We need to know what it is. God wants us to do and they're very specific ways to find out what it is that God wants us to do and we have to really be a people that stop and ask God and listen. What you want us to do? It's so easy for us to just jump off into what seems like a good idea. I've done it. I'm I've been really bad for it. Thank God, please hallelujah. It's getting better. But it's sometimes it's presumption as it was in this case. They're just marching. No, we're going to go take these guys is presumption and God same way. You're not going to do much without me. America going to end up in the middle of the desert without me without any water or anything at all. And this piece of history is in the Bible to teach you something. It's not just so that we can have a nice story make a great movie actually, but if it's so it's contagious or something to say don't do this. sewing verse 16 Here's what God told them to do. And he said that's say if the Lord himself.

Make this Valley full of dishes for that. Saith. The Lord You shall not see wind nor show you see rain so that you your cattle and your animals made drink and this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord. He will also deliver the moabites into your hand. So God saying he's got to do two things. He said I'm going to give you water to drink take care of you physically and take care of what you need nourishment was God saying to me today he saying I'm going to take care of you. You think that I can't take care of you. You think that the situation is never going to change you think that's the somehow the resources aren't going to show up. But God saying this morning listen to me. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to make sure you have water which is of course the symbolism for make sure you have what you need so that you survive money strength health. All of it. If we don't believe that why are we here? Why are we sitting here? I'm not that entertaining. There's got to be something more for why we come to church and if we only come to church to judge whether or not we like what's being said, then that's a horrible reason to come to but if we come expecting these kinds of things. not only will it happen, but it will make us live a better life much better to live in Hope then to live in no hope I'll tell you I kind of like the hope. Every time I put my pan to journal. Probably 80% of the time I said dad. What are you saying in the first word that comes over? Just hope he said have hope have hope I didn't know how much I didn't have it until he was telling me to have it but this is what God is saying to them but he says it in a very interesting way but it's interesting actually Jehoshaphat coming from Judah. He knew better. They all knew they should have consulted with God and they didn't just direct ignorance stupid disobedience. And we've done the same thing many times and the world's doing it because they don't know any better. It's more of a problem for us because we should know better but isn't it wonderful to know that when we make a mistake that God doesn't abandon us. Now we got to hear this you've made mistakes. I've made mistakes. Some of them are bad. Some of them are bad. And and they can haunt us they really can they can haunt us and they can say you are not eligible to do anything for God because you did this. And it could even be a small thing. But boy, oh boy, the devil has a way of making it pretty darn big. And all of a sudden you're stopped in your tracks because you feel Unforgiven and you feel that God has somehow stopping. His whole work with you because you did this. Well, that's tells us that apparently God doesn't do that. These guys were in rank disobedience. And so we just need to really remember this morning. I don't know what you came in with but you ain't leaving with it. Whatever you came in with that was telling you that you can't shouldn't have won't you leave it here and we'll sweep it up and we'll throw it in the garbage. Bin where belongs to just drop it on the floor. And God will sweep that away. Don't you walk out of here with that saying that I can't never will and it's not going to change because that's not God's mentality at all. So he's telling us In this situation, it's very interesting. So these four soldiers like the ones we have that are almost robots. Now, they have so much technology on them that they see anything before it hits them. They nothing can see them. I mean, they're almost like robots. There's very little hand-to-hand War anymore. These boys wear men. Of the type. That one could kill 300 men now you read the list of David's Warriors that piece of scripture one guy kill 600 with a stick. And somebody else killed 300 with some kind of a bone or something. I mean these guys were ferocious men. They were the kind of people that you you just don't fool around with because they would just go like that and your debt. They had that kind of strength and endurance. Can you imagine fighting all day and a half how many ever did wrestling in high school your wrestling, you know for 2 or 3 minutes and everyone's your you're dead. These guys would do it for hours and hours hand-to-hand with heavy like Implement swore. They were serious guys. They did not come out into the desert. Not fight they came over to fight, but God said instead of fighting used to dig ditches. Now you gotta understand. They're getting this this Prophecy in the head office with Kings the guys in the rank-and-file the soldiers. They don't know they don't hear this. They're just getting an order to dig ditches.

What dig ditches Road here in the middle of the desert? We got no water and now they're telling us to dig ditches for some reason and not only that. These guys wanted to fight. But yet with a sword. For your car to take your shovel, which was used to dig their latrines. If you read the Old Testament, they would go outside the camp dig a hole relieve themselves covered. So God was saying I don't want you to fight the way you fight. I want you to fight the way I'm telling you to fight and I'm telling you to fight with this stupid shovel. And sometimes what God tells us to do doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense. It doesn't make a lot of sense for the situation. You think we should be doing this and I think I should be doing this and God say no. No. No, I don't think you should be doing that at all. I want to pick up a shovel very humbling for these guys the gorillas right there digging in the desert in the hot sun water whatsoever. They wanted to conquer and get The Spoils of War now. They wanted all of the stuff now the money the riches the houses the field because that's what came after they eat. They beat the enemy. They took everything they had they wanted it right now, but God said no and they want it the way they get it like fighting you to know. I should take some dishes and there's no water inside. Not at all. The wide dig ditches for water when there's no clouds and nothing to tell them that the rain was coming. But God said dig ditches because he's going to send rain he's going to send rain. Or else why dig the ditches? Keep building the church because I'm going to send conference keep building the church because I'm going to send conference keep praying because I'm going to answer those prayers. Those prayers are going to be answered keep believing because I will build my church and the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against it. We keep bleeding keep giving financially because we believe our reward is coming it is coming. I need if we're having a problem with our finances to paying with him and problem with your finances check on how much you're given to God because I guarantee you anyone in financial struggle. I mean Perpetual poverty. I know we have high points and low points and sometimes you're going okay how we going to do this, but when you're in Perpetual financial problems, I guarantee you will be somewhat connected to the amount of money. You're giving God. People say well that's you know, that's that Prosperity thing and everything. And yeah it is it is because God guarantees that he will prosper you. He guarantees that he will take care of all your needs and I've never seen God take care of Annie. Just enough for knows what's so, but what God does it's always up and about I didn't write the book he did. So I'm just saying what usually happens. There's always a little bit more with God is a little bit more right. Sometimes. There's a whole bunch more But I guarantee that your financial prosperity your financial stability what you're able to do in your life with your finances will be directly directly correlated to how much money you give God and you cannot give them and I mean they say 10% 10% That's the start that is the start. We should be giving 10% of what week bring in on a yearly basis weekly monthly. However, it works. I'll be the same while I'm on social assistance. So what? Give 10% of that. I'm on a pension give 10% of that it's whatever you have and then up and above that there's offerings. I'm telling you want to be blessed financially be a blessing to God the Bible says also but the pori says those who give to the poor loan to God. Lend to God and God pays back with an awful lot of interest off a lot of interest keep speaking the gospel because your words will have fruit some of us have given up on speaking to people that we believe God's calling cuz nothing happens. Keep going. Keep going. Keep going says to the woman who is bugging the judge in the New Testament that she's saying listen, I got this guy and I want Justice against this I want Justin bang bang and Jesus said, you know what won't give it to you because you're a great person. I'll give it to you because you're so persistent and you're driving me out of my mind. So if I got Jesus was he said the end of that? But when the Lord returns will he find faith on the earth and he was directly correlating Faith to our persistence and believing for what we are asking for directly related and some of us have given up on some things given up believing things about ourselves believing maybe things about church giving out maybe believing things about our future but our families about our children and got it saying no no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, you're this far away from the open door. Don't give up yet. Right the doors right there. Don't give up yet. The first 20 tells us why to keep digging the next morning about the time for offering the sacrifice there. It was water flowing from the direction of Edom in the land was filled with water. I said this so explain this when we're down to Cuba, but when we were in Israel, I was down in this park where this miracle took place in the foothills of Moab the if you can actually still see it's all it's crazy. It's called something else now, but and you can see in this in this very dry desert area and there's quite high heels going down into the Jordan Valley and you can see these great carvings in the size of the hill where obviously great floods water came through And what happens Jerusalem's up here the Jordan valleys down here. It's about a 20-minute half hour ride up. That's why you'll hear them say they went up to Jerusalem because I didn't know how high it was what will happen is up here and in the land of Galilee and up in that upper foothills of Judea, it will rain. And Rain flows downhill. And it could be didn't you could be in the Jordan Valley and it's clear as today. But all the sudden is gushing River will come out of nowhere and it's because the rain will come down from the Foothills and it will come down to make its way to the Jordan River and then to the Dead Sea the lowest point on the earth. So you can stand there and all the sudden there's like, I mean a flood like a huge River coming at you and it happened often soldiers didn't know that it was raining up in Jerusalem. I didn't know it was raining in the Foothills. We don't know what God is preparing. We don't know we can't see if we can't see what he's up there working in the heavenlies. We can't see it but he's saying take your ditches because the rain is coming dig your pictures because the rain is coming. And whatever it is that you were believing for and how it is that you believe about that. He's saying keep on doing that because the rain is coming weeping may stay for the night but rejoice and comes in the morning. This is God says that for a reason he doesn't say that the night is going to go on forever. It isn't going to go on forever. There is going to be a morning in your life. You many of you have already had them great mornings where you God answers prayer and things work out and things go the way you never thought they would go God saying it again this morning to somebody he's saying don't give up. I know you've been working hard. I know you've been struggling. I know that you've been faithful and that you've been praying and that you've been sacrificing your life and you've been shedding tears over the situation don't give up because the morning is coming. The morning is coming. The morning is coming in whenever you're in the morning is coming and it doesn't matter how old you are. It doesn't matter how young you are. It doesn't matter. How weak you are. It doesn't matter how in some cases even I'm believing you are God is saying the morning is going to come the sun rises whether or not we're ready for it or not. Just seems to come up all by itself. We don't we can't stop it. There's nothing we can do and God is going to move on his church. He's already been doing it and he's going to continue doing it and we're here this morning because we believe the morning is coming the morning of the prayers for our children the morning of the prayers for families in mourning for the prayers of our city in our country and all the things that we want and it's going to be far more than even what we pray for. So we do all of this and here's the other thing about it.

Our sacrifices and your sacrifices. They're not only for what God is going to do. Now. You may not even see what it is. You may be praying and believing and struggling in prayer and holding and being faithful for something that may come after you die. We may be doing stuff for our children. I guarantee you that we are at the hard work that we do today that deliver to the prayer in the the desire and the sacrifice and the getting into prayer meetings and all those things. We are doing that not just children and our grandchildren God willing if they're still on Earth here for them to be on but that they were also praying for them and we're praying for what God is going to do in their life and that it's not just about us either. So the hard work I've got almost asked a question. Will you sacrifice now? So your children will have a blessing then? Or do we just want the blessing now? We just want it now and we want everything now and that's it. But no a lot of what we pray for is in the future for our children. And I think that's a pretty good reason to be praying in and of itself, but we need to dig our ditches cuz God will fill them with answered prayers. He's going to do it. So it's it's a matter of what we believe and what we want to believe right? God has not brought you here this morning so you could come and kind of and I know what happens right? I know it happens, but we kind of goes off, right? Right. They want to see you then or when you have the little head ball and go home. I haven't. Or God forbid like Lance used to do we used to sit there and actually snore. I take your snoring.

But God has brought you here this morning because he wants to see something to you. He wants to tell you. You stay with him and he'll stay with you. and if God before you Who can be against you? Never said that they wouldn't try. Like the Bible says holy I don't try but it's what I say about the weapon. No weapon formed against you. Will prosper doesn't say that won't be formed against you doesn't say that you're not going to come up against that sword, but it's not going to prosper. I mean, they killed the Saints. They tried to imprison Paul. They tried to the devil tried to shipwreck them beat him to death do everything you could but the Gates of Hell will not Prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ. And you and I are the Church of Jesus Christ. We got understand who we are. When you walk out that door. There's a whole Legion of demons that are going or I hope they didn't get that. And I'm going to do everything I can to take away the seed that's been laid on the path. Some seed has been leading you it's been laid in me and when you walk out that door Wendy's in the devil's figuring out how he can take that seat away from you. And that's how we have to it's like a pregnant woman. It's in there and it's growing and we have to take care of it we have to nurture it but there's a day it's born Right and it's always the most uncomfortable just before the baby is born any woman who's had a baby knows that the last month or 3 weeks. I know from my wife's experience. You just kind of went okay, just leave her alone, right because all they want to do is get this baby out and got tested on purpose so that she'll want the baby out and that the baby will be born but it's always toughest. Before the dawn it's always darkest right before the dawn. How many been going through some dark times Dark Times? Wondering where is God what's going on? Why isn't it happening? Did I believe a lie is the church just dying around me is God still on the throne are miracles for today. Can I still be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? And the answer is yes. God is working. It's a very exciting day. So we ask God this morning with your Holy Spirit. Come and speak to us come and show us your divine plan for our life and father right now. I would ask that you would just show everybody here.

The blessing you have for them. Show them what it is that you want them to believe for. Reading their mind right now, whatever. God shows you but every showing you. There might be other things that are more important to you, but God's going to show you what he wants you to believe for today. Because that's where God is working. And that is what he's doing. The father's we have those images in our head. It could be for a new job. It could be for the Salvation of somebody could be for any Myriad of issues. It doesn't matter. God will put his finger on what he wants to pray about and father if we hold anything against anybody today. We ask that you would forgive us. If we are holding any kind of situation if we have done anything that needs repenting of Alaska to bring it right now so that we can give that to you before we dare. Ask for your gift. father God Holy Spirit to show us at right now. We just want to clear the temple father God. The Lord knows all you have to do is say God forgive me. I give this to you I ask your forgiveness and it's all God's looking for his honesty. That's always looking for honesty and willingness to trust him. So we give that to you this morning Father. And we thank you that they're covered under the blood of Jesus Christ. There is now no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus that we are washed and cleansed and forgiving So father is we think about that thing you want us to believe for we are saying yes to it right now. Yes Father God two new jobs. Yes to intercession for those people that you want to come to the faith. We believe for them right now. Yes for healings father God. Yes for the infilling of your Holy Spirit for direction about what I should do next and what we should be doing next. Father I just pray right now. Come and fill us with your great expectations, and Phyllis Holy Spirit and cause has to rise up in the power of Jesus Christ cause has to walk out of this place today knowing that we walk with the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and that father there is no force that can stop us. There is nothing as we stay close to you and you stay close to us bother you have victory in the lives of your people today. You have great great expectation for your people today. We are the Church of the Resurrection The Church of the Living Christ. So father God we thank you today for what you're doing in our midst that you were stirring the spiritual pot and you're causing father. God your ingredients of Faith to be stirred up Lord there a great days ahead. This is a great day to be in your presence father God. We thank you for it in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen.