Day 44 (2011)
Building Love, Identity, Security
1:15 - 2 Peter 1:1 and reading - 2 Peter 1:1 -
2:20 - Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith - He authored faith in our hearts by manifesting - by showing us what God is like so that we could believe. He gave us a hope, an understanding that we didn’t have. He revealed a truth that was always there but which was hidden and now it is revealed.
2:50 - So the judgement of God (the way God sees you) ignites faith in our heart. Now if He authored it the Bible says, He is going to finish it. One way He is going to finish it is that He is never going to change His mind about you. That is a big deal.
3:20 - Todd sleepwalking. Most people would have been mad.
4:10 - Continue in the truth that He sees us as righteous - It invokes intimacy with God - God will never change His mind about us. It’s very, very important that we continue in truth. It’s very important that we stay hooked up to the fact that God sees us made right through the blood of Jesus. It will keep you from growing weary in well doing - from guilt, condemnation and shame - from looking in the mirror and seeing less than what He sees. It’s on the wall over here, I see it every time I teach, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” The kingdom is released to us through that righteousness. That’s a big deal. It’s the way God sees you. And it invokes intimacy in relationship.
5:00 - So where does faith come from? The righteousness of God. Where did the righteousness of God come from? His love. Faith works through love. He was willing to make you right through His Son. He seemed to think the death of His Son was worth your life lived.
5:20 - Stand firm in adversity through clear perspective - Don't let the trial mold you - Don’t ever forget this - even when trials and troubles come. Have amazing vision and perspective in the face of trial. Have clear rooted and grounded perspective. Don’t let the trial drive you - mold you - shape you - and you become a product of what you are going through. Some people go through extreme stuff and you wouldn’t know it. And others go through stuff and it is so apparent. And the only difference in the two is what they were believing. It’s not that it is wrong to have moments or to weep or feel like you want prayer for things. I’m talking about when it drives you, when it determines what you see and don’t see.
6:30 - v.1 - Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: - So the righteousness of God is proclaimed here. It has stirred faith in us. We are rooted and grounded in love. We are not just positioned in Christ. We are rooted and grounded in love.
6:45 - v.2 - Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, - Increase in the knowledge of God should increase grace and peace.
7:00 - v.3 - According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: -
"All things" are available - So let's go deeper -This thing is to be sought out and searched out and lived out, not questioned, challenged and debated. A childlike heart should be seeking Him in the secret and be hungry to know Him because He just gave us all things that pertain to life and godliness through Christ. I want to understand that and walk in that. I don’t have to have a head knowledge of what that really means because that is deep.
7:35 - There is no limit to His provision especially with regard to life and godliness - All things that pertain to life and godliness - That means that grace is available to cause my life to be Godly. Grace is available to form me and make me like the heart of God because I am willing. And I don’t want to draw the line intellectually as to how possible that is and where that line is. I don’t want to determine how high I can fly. I don’t want to determine how much I can look like Jesus. I want grace to decide that. So I put myself in position for God to fashion me through relationship.
8:20 - Intimate communion is crucial to knowing God - People are seeking to know God through the Bible, through teaching, through conferences and a lot of people don’t have strong intimate relationship, communion, fellowship receiving the love of God - and thanking Him that He loves them. A large percentage of God seeking people don’t seek Him when they are all alone in the place of His love for them - and asking Holy Spirit to have His way and appreciating the person of Holy Spirit in their life and… God I thank you that you would love me so much to send Your Son.
9:10 - The greatest impartation happens when you are alone with Him - A lot of people don’t have that at all. They just pray about stuff and read their Bibles and ask for prayer and impartation a lot. The greatest impartation you will ever receive is when Jesus comes into your bedroom and touches you when no one else is there.
9:50 - Maintain relationship even when pressed for time and attention - I’m so pursued I don’t know what to do. Everybody says that all they want is a minute. And I don’t even feel like I have a minute. Message machine gets full quickly.
10:15 - But I live a certain way that keeps me a certain way. People are crying out wanting answers and they gravitate toward me because they see something that is alive. My heart cry is: It’s not just a gift. I am in relationship with almighty God. It’s not just a gift that I am supposed to pass on to you (through impartation). It doesn’t work like that. You come to know Him by spending time with Him. Forcing yourself to shut down your mind, if you have to, and start living from your heart.
11:20 - Thinking that keeps you from Him - Push out of those ways of thinking - If what you are thinking isn’t edifying and taking you to Him, then it probably a good thing to push out what you are thinking. “Yeah buts” are keeping us from Him. He loves you. He sent Jesus for you. And He is calling you home into His presence not to just learn about Him but to sit with Him - to be with Him - to let Him consume your mindset - your understanding - the way you see.
12:00 - "All things" are available - So let's go deeper - Most believers don’t feel like they are walking in all things pertaining to life and godliness. But He gave us all things, so it is there. I’m not scolding you. I’m saying, let’s go deep into relationship with God.
12:45 - God reality is as close as your prayer closet - People are hungry for God reality. And God reality is just communion with God away - just a step away.
13:05 - v.4 - Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. -
Promises of provision for transformation towards the image of His Son - He is not talking about meeting the needs of your day here but transforming you from within. The promises guarantee that Christ will fashion you from the inside out. That His nature will become your nature. The promises reveal that God wants to give you Himself, not just bless you.
13:40 - Bless me mentality can lead to frustration, anxiety, discouragement - We’ve got this mindset that we need God to bless us and that we are in this for God to move in our lives. You hear those terms all the time. And do things that we need. And answer our big prayer lists. What I want before I even think of any of that stuff is His divine nature so that I can see all that other stuff clearly. And so that stuff doesn’t determine who I am and where I am living from. Because that is not true in a lot of cases, (Because many are in Christianity for how God can bless them and make their day better,) there is frustration, anxiety, discouragement, despair, (when all of their wishes don’t come true) and yet the whole time He is Lord. He is a good Daddy.
14:35 - Promises of provision for transformation towards the image of His Son - Before I want anything I want His divine nature. That’s what the promises are for. That I be conformed to the image of His Son. That’s my first priority in life. It’s pretty interesting that God wants us to have that because that is how He created us. His intention for man was the image of God.
15:05 - Isn’t it interesting that all of the promises pertain to partaking of Him? So He hasn’t changed His mind, has He? Who has ever thought that they went too far and lived foolishly. Isn’t it amazing God never changed His mind. He says, I know who you are. That’s not you at all. There is something so powerful about receiving the love of God.
14:40 - People sometimes get paralyzed and obsessed with their physical condition - Letters received. Some people get paralysed by their condition and all they do is have time to think about it and feel about it. So when they write, it’s a long letter. They are not bad people. They have need. And it captivates them and all they have time to do is think about it and express it and it becomes your story because it is real.
16:50 - They feel like they can't receive the love of God until their condition changes - But the truth is you can - Every time I am writing back the same thing. Every time I talk to them about receiving God’s love. You can hear in every expression, what is missing is the ability to receive His love, because they are identified through their problem. And their problem becomes who they are. And until their problem changes, they can’t receive the love of God. But the truth is, Yes, you can. Receiving the love of God is first. Always.
17:30 - Keep a clear perspective even when you are having health problems - This is everyday life stuff in this chapter. This isn’t just healing the sick. You want to live healthy. You want to have a clear perspective.
18:00 - The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is single, your whole body is flooded with light. It never says unless of course you are faced with challenges and issues. Because we all are. If you focus on your problems, from that place you are trying to reach Him. And He has already come. And it’s backwards.
18:40 - Healthy perspective keeps you from emotional cycling even when your condition doesn't seem to change - I just want to cry out these things because even if we don’t see change it will keep us from dipping and climbing, dipping and climbing. (cycling) Doing that makes people really tired. Running a hilly course takes way more energy. When a Christian thinks (cycling up and down) is the normal course, they are tired before they begin. But up and down is not the normal Christian life.
20:30 - v.4 - Escaping corruptions - self-centered view - He is talking about a self-centered view - living for yourself - self-desire. Lust. The flesh and the spirit have a certain desire - at odds with each other. Biggest trap - thinking for yourself. Mordecai told Esther, think not of yourself. She typified Christ. Went into 3 day fast. And on the third day approached the king on behalf of all people at the risk of her own life. If she didn’t do that everyone would have been lost.
21:45 - Does that sound like a familiar love story? Three days in the tomb. Rising from the dead. Going into the presence of the King. And now everybody lives. It’s just amazing. He is in every story.
22:10 - Think not of yourself. Deny yourself. You overcome the enemy by the blood and the word and you love not your own life.
22:30 - We have preached a self-centered gospel that results in frustration, disappointment - The way that we have preached the gospel for years has been damaging. We’ve tried to draw crowds, accommodate people’s sentiments, promise them blessings for their families and then when things don’t go right we are a mess - Where is God? - I thought He loved me. We’ve done that to ourselves. We’ve made it all about Him providing for us - Him taking care of us - Him keeping us - Him doing good things for us.
22:55 - When He said - Deny self, take up cross, follow Him - And He has already done more than we can imagine by sending His Son and we don’t understand the message. It’s so that we step in and follow Christ in the face of a twisted, obstinate, perverse world - where nothing is fair. That’s why you have to carry your cross or you will never follow Him. We’ve missed that for generations, probably.
23:35 - We focus on being provided for and protected instead of dying and loving not our own life - And we’ve made it a wholesome gospel of God providing and God taking care of us. And we know all of the scriptures that promise comfort, protection and peace. We have them posted all over our houses. But you don’t have the scriptures posted that talk about dying, and being crucified with Christ and loving not your own life - come hell or high water, I’m not changing my mind. We just have bless me Lord.
24:15 - It's important to understand this so that we don't get discouraged and don’t draw back - This stuff is so important because if you don’t perceive what the gospel is saying you won’t see life clearly. And then somewhere along the line you are going to get hurt, discouraged, deceived and draw back. So understand and settle in your heart why you are here - why Christ came. He came to get inside of me so that I am no longer alive, so Christ lives in me.
25:00 - Gal. 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. - Paul’s triumphant statement - Do you hear that triumphant statement? He is saying I have arrived - I am in Christ now - I’m what I was created to be. I am in the position that God foreordained for me before the foundation of the world. I’m in that place.
26:00 - Paul stays out of despair in adversity by not living for self - And it is not him who lives - not Paul who lives. Now you understand why he is struck down but not destroyed. He’s perplexed but not in despair. Why? Because he is not loving his own life unto death. And even though he is perplexed, he is not in despair because to be in despair you have to consider yourself. You have to get your eyes off of trust and truth and purpose and destiny to be in despair. You have to pick back up your life, to be in despair.
27:00 - He was pressed on every side. So he knew what he was talking about. We get pressed on one side and until that changes, we think we can’t be free. It becomes our issue - our major prayer list topic. And it has to change or else. It’s just not true.
27:30 - v.5 - And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; - There is so much purpose - so much destiny wrapped in verses 2,3,4. God’s will and intent is so revealed in those verses. It’s so foundational. And we get caught reading our Bible for what it says instead of taking your time and seeing what it really means and giving yourself to faith and prayer and exchange with God. You can talk to God for 45 minutes on those three verses and not repeat yourself, if you let the word inspire your heart to pray.
28:20 - So he is saying because this is true - because we have been partakers of the divine nature and escaped the corruption that was destroying us - that self-centered view - that self-focus - that selfish thing...
28:40 - Be diligent to stay out of self-centeredness and in Christ - Keep the flesh crucified - All diligence - Weariness is not even in the picture. Set your mind on this. Why? Because your mind and emotions want to be weak and wander and cater to the flesh. You’ve got to crucify that and say no, absolutely not. Get militant. Set your mind.
29:10 - Satan will take you into the playground of your emotions. So now you don’t feel loved. That is not the way it is.
29:45 - We are giving all diligence to stay in this place. We are selling out. We have nothing else to live for. The reason we are here is His great name - to manifest Him. Even when it feels like you are losing, you can look like and shine like and reveal the Son of God. The only way we are losing is when that gets lost. And He is still God - still the same - and there is still redemption.
30:40 - Satan’s deceptions don’t change how God sees you - He doesn't change His mind - The devil can’t stop God’s mercy. The devil can mess with your head and get you to believe every lie on the planet and God still knows who you are and the door is still open for you to sit on His lap and be fathered no matter what. You cannot change the heart of God - no turning - no shifting. His mercy endureth forever.
31:15 - A million years from now He will still be the same - We will worship - A million years from now we will be in His presence and nothing will have changed. We will still be honoring the blood because we will fully understand. And the worship will be amazing. We won’t be trying to labor our way through our crisis and emotions to reach Him and plowing the ground. No worship leader will have to get the right song to touch the corporate whole. There won’t be a need to get the people activated and get a breakthrough in worship.
31:50 - Breakthroughs in worship are needed because we get distracted - Do you know why we need breakthroughs in worship? Because we have our eyes on a million other things. If we need a breakthrough, it proves that we are distracted and have our eyes on things outside of truth. If we keep our eyes on truth, hearts will always be ready for worship. With the average Christian, if the rent gets supernaturally paid they are up front waving two flags but four weeks later if the rent doesn’t get paid they are in the back in tears hoping someone comes and ministers to them. It proves that we don’t understand why we are in this thing. And you make yourself an easy target for the devil. He loves when he locates those targets. He will keep punching you, your whole life.
33:00 - Sacrament of communion - All that is Yours is mine - He held nothing back - We are just trying to take communion today (eventually). This is going to be a one of those “all that is mine is yours” days, because “all that is yours is mine.” What did He hold back? What did He reserve?
33:20 - Look at the bread - the body. What does this mean? What does this represent? What did it cost? What did He give? What did He go through? What does this actually mean? You tell me what He held back. You tell me what He is asking of you that He didn’t already walk through and fulfill. You tell me if there is one thing that He is asking you to give yourself to that He didn’t already follow. Not one thing. There’s not one commandment that He put on you that He didn’t walk through. He said, “Follow me guys. If I gave all that I am…” You show me what else there is to give. What else is there to give? There is nothing, is there? So all that is His is ours.
34:00 - The sacrament of communion is like a marriage covenant. I give myself to you, to honor you. And you go, “I do.” But it is more than a starry eyed “I do.” There’s a response in covenant that turns around and says because of the first love (God’s love for us revealed through the cross), the first loved turns around and says, “I love you.” And all of the sudden, this (sacrament of communion) is you - your expression of love - back to Him. “I’ve been crucified. I’ve just looked into your love and it has caused something to die in me so that something can truly spring up and live - for real and forever. I love you. And I give myself to you, like you gave Yourself to me. Your body for my body. I give it back to You. Your blood for my blood. I give it back to You. And love not my own life unto death. All that is mine is Yours. I set my mind on You.” The sacrament of communion is more than goose bumps and the comfort of a sweet atmosphere.
35:55 - v.6 - And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; - Heb 10:35 - enduring to fulfill the will of God comes before receiving the promise. We’re Christians to fulfill the will of God. And in fulfilling the will of God the promise is here. It’s God who works in you to will and do His good pleasure.
37:45 - v.7 - And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. -
Forgive because you have already been forgiven. Legalism says, I better forgive so that I am forgiven. Grace says, I forgive because I am already forgiven.
39:00 - Read the word for yourself - Holy Spirit will bring understanding - Books - Importance of reading the word for yourself as opposed to depending on someone else’s interpretation. A lot of people grab a book because they don’t believe that they can understand the Bible. If you believe that you won’t get alone and open your Bible. But the just live by faith. Holy Spirit will bring understanding. Seek Him and He will reveal.
42:00 - Read your Bible without a bias - You will say that God is leading you. But it is your motive filtering your view.
42:45 - God doesn’t contradict Himself - I know that God’s wisdom is multifaceted but God is not contradictory. He does not shoot Himself in the foot.
43:15 - Get alone and seek Him for one reason and one reason alone - not to fix things - but to know Him. I promise He will meet you there. He said He would.
43:45 - v.8 - For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. -
Be a good tree to bear good fruit - Don't strive (works) - Barren - useless, idol, ineffective. Some of us feel ineffective and then it makes us strive and drive to be better Christians and we get trapped in works. The Bible is saying, just appreciate the love and mercy of God and just put on the truth and you will be absolutely effective. We try to bear fruit instead of be a good tree.
45:20 - Diversity in the body, yet unity - makes us unique - be the best you. The why behind your life brings unity in the body. Hitler tried to create uniformity - superrace. What makes us a superrace is love, not liking all the same things.
➡ 46:20 - v.9 - But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. - This verse is why I turned you here before taking communion and I thought the chapter is just too good not to read. Lacks these things - diligence, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness, love.
47:00 - Don’t forget you are cleansed from your old sins - He is saying you forget that you were cleansed from your old sins. You forget what started this whole thing and authored it. It’s the righteousness of God. And you are forgetting the beginning so you can’t reach the end. And you are coming up with a reason why you can’t be free, or why you can’t pray or have joy. And He is saying, you forget who you are because of me. That’s the only thing He is saying.
47:50 - There is no other reason for lacking - He doesn’t have a list (of other things that would keep us from the good things that make us productive. God lists only one reason that we lack these things - that we are blind to the fact that our old sins have been washed away.) We have our own lists - that cater to our flesh and our feelings and our emotions. But God in His word says, if you don’t add these things it’s because you forget who you are through Him and don’t see that you are clean. You’ve forgotten that you’ve been washed of your old sins.
48:30 - Don't cling to excuses for not seeing the truth of what has been done for you - Yeah but you don't know what it was like growing up. What does that have to do with anything. You are 52 years old and you are still using that (excuse). I’m sorry for the way we all grew up. But Christ has come. The truth is here. What does that matter. You are forgetting. You are short sighted even to blindness, sometimes even willfully so. Because you want somebody to make up for that. They already did. Jesus died and rose again and washed away all sin. So why are we letting sin against us produce sin in us.
49:30 - You forget to see who you are through my cross. And you are letting something else define you so that is why you are not motivated. That’s why there is not gas in your tank. You must be compelled by the love of God. So you are not seeing through the love of God and that’s why you are where you are. That’s what He says in verse 9.
51:10 - He who lacks these things has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins. That must be important to God. God made it the only thing on the list. Anything else becomes an excuse for no faith. Because you have to believe this (free from sin) and start in faith. The just shall live by faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And faith works through love. God revealed His love through Christ. We ought to be really pumped.
52:00 - We minister to feelings instead of imparting truth - Excuses to not believe. We minister to that person - accepting that excuse. We try to accommodate that unbelief and we teach them to stay trapped in their feelings.
53:15 - That childhood is gone - But the word is above excuses. What does that have anything to do with now. Your childhood is not going to go away unless you see new life through the blood. And then that child has already died. That child is supposed to be dead. The one they molested - dead. The one they didn’t love - already dead - died when Christ hung on the cross. I just wonder when the Son of Man returns to the earth, will He really find faith.
54:45 - Parable of the persistent widow - Be persistent and established in your faith - a contrast parable - of an unjust judge - a widow who would not back down or change her mind and she demanded justice. The judge said this is wearying me, I’ll just vindicate her. I’ll get her off my back. God turns the table to a merciful, loving God and says, how much more will the Father vindicate and come to those who cry out day and night. It talks about not changing your mind. Being established in truth - not up for grabs - not up for sale - not a multiple choice mentality. Then he says - I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? - Luke 18:8 Will He really find faith or will He find people in church - that they believe are a product of whatever?
55:50 - What did Jesus mean by saying, “...will He find faith?” People that believe and see who He is, period, and see who they are through Him and who don’t let go and who are not weary in well doing and discouraged... Will He find people who believe and are manifesting the fruit of believing or will He find people who have become the fruit and product of life lived instead of Christ and His life lived. He’s talking about identity and perspective and where you are living from.
56:25 - Enter through the narrow way - death to self - transformation - Here in 2 Peter 1 - I am so glad that there is not a list of four or five things (that keep you from productivity and fruitfulness). I like that there is a narrow way. Here is the cool thing. When you go through the narrow way called Christ, you squeeze through. Few are those who find it. Why? Because it’s a death to self - a death to former feeling and emotion - a renewing of your mind - it’s going through Him and Him alone where you become one with His heartbeat, His nature, perspective, mentality. Well the lie crept in a long time ago that we are just people and He is God. “Well that was Jesus, brother, who do you think you are?” That lie has been on the earth for a long time. But this is becoming one with Him. And you come through the narrow way, but when you squeeze through, it’s a broad place - you can’t see any walls - it’s huge - it’s full of freedom.
57:20 - How do you respond to teaching to find the “inner child” that was hurt?
58:10 - Childhood memories - Father, there is a memory of a little girl, that I have always called me - way back there with so many memories and none of it is fruitful and productive. The truth is You came and showed me my value. People didn't see who I was. People didn't understand my destiny. People didn't know the truth about my life. But You showed me the truth about my life. And I call that dead. That is powerless. And I thank You that Your blood has washed away everything that was suggested and said about me. I'm Your daughter. I'm a queen. I'm married to You. My life is worth living because You shed Your blood for me... People aren't doing that because their feelings say, "Naauh" - their feelings say, not true. But let your heart cry that out.
59:15 - Prayer for a participant.
101:45 - Feelings are fun, you just don’t live by them.
102:20 - v.10 - Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: - Make it sure - where it is not just your confession - where it is not just words but life bearing and fruit bearing. Do these things - He’s not talking about works. He is saying if you add these things to the truth of your life - if you give yourself with all diligence by prayer and surrender and submission. When he says do these things it doesn’t mean you have to do to be. What it means is, if you are walking in this way of faith, this way of believing who you are now because of Him, and begin to let righteousness and being clean put integrity and diligence into your heart, and virtue and perseverance, because of what you see…
103:40 - v.11 - For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. -
You can live free from offense, the fall and stumbling - Wait I missed the most important part - you shall never fall - Wait that’s blasphemy. Because you all have issues and you are always going to have issues and you are always going to stumble.
104:20 - Father do not let one drop of your grace fall to the ground and miss my life due to wrong thinking. Because He is telling me that I can live free from offense and free from the fall of the flesh and stumbling. And He is telling me that if I live this way that I will be effective through love.
104:50 - The goal of our instruction - Become love - the reason we are alive - where my conscience is crystal clear - my faith is sincere. Sounds like the recipe for the goal of our instruction is love - through a pure heart, a clear conscience and a sincere faith. What is the goal of our instruction? To arrive at love. Not to arrive at being loved. But to become love. The goal of our instruction is the reason we are alive.
105:30 - You are not alive to find the perfect spouse, have the perfect house, go on the dream vacation. You’re not alive for all that stuff. All that stuff is fun and it can be a part of life in Christ. But the goal of our instruction is love. The reason you are alive is to be found in love. That is the reason He made man. Don’t ever forget that, or you will let something trivial drive your life.
106:00 - Stand firm in chaos - You can still be love - When all hell is breaking out around you, and when the things you say you believe are not happening, when life is not making sense, you can still be love. That’s what will take you to the answer and to the victory. When everybody is cheating and robbing and compromising and even your friends are talking “the way that seems right to man” and telling you you are out of balance and you don’t need to be so extreme… You just need to accept reality and chill. Who has ever heard that? Don’t get mad at them, just smile and keep walking because they are wrong. Don’t get mad and let your heart get hard.
107:10 - Always and never - If you do these things you will never stumble. I was always taught to never say “always” and “never.” Because it is never “always” and “never.” And yet the Bible is full of “always” and “nevers.” He will always love you. He will never forsake you. He will never change His mind. He will never turn and shift. God is bold enough to use them in His book.
108:30 - An entrance into the kingdom - it’s through seeing - not doing - seeing. Like an electrical cord plug.
109:30 - The love of Christ is the fuel for life - A picture of the love of Christ compels me. Staying filled and fueled in love. Pulling over at love station. Filler up. What’s driving him? Not need. Not people. Not circumstances. What is giving him life and causing him to live is love.
110:40 - Baptisms - prophetic sprinkles and glimpses then immersed.
110:10 - Beautiful hair - water bottle poured over beautiful hair and started prophesying. Condemnation - storm - what are you doing out here, you are being driven from truth, driven from the message. You’re being deceived. Go back in. Clean / washed. During the next session I poured a water bottle over her and prophesied - the Lord says, you are washed and clean.
115:15 - 15 yr old - neck injury - diving accident - hurts to turn - move it right away - total mobility - tears - God’s love for you personally - This changes everything. Next time hangs out with Dan. Boy prays for mother. No pain.
118:30 - v.12 - Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. -120:10 - v.13,14 - Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. - He knew that his time was near and that he was about to be martyred. And isn’t it amazing he wasn’t discouraged. Here he is knowing that he is a sojourner, a pilgrim, seeking a homeland.
120:45 - v.15 - Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. - He did a pretty good job if we are reading it today - 2000 years later.
121:05 - I’ve often wondered what he meant by, “I’ll be careful to ensure…” I wonder what he prayed - what he cried out to God? How could he ensure other than writing it all down for them and keeping it in front of them and trusting God with it after he died.
122:00 - Jesus prays for Peter. Satan had something in mind but I have prayed. You have confidence because you know God and know the will of God for that for which you have prayed.
123:10 - Sacrament of Communion - give all of you to Him - we are one with you.
128:45 - BREAK
130:50 - Faith is not a hit/miss, win/lose, plug that we put in and pull out. Faith is the position of your heart to receive what He accomplished. Faith is something to live. You live by faith. You don’t try faith.
131:15 - Faith - when there seems to be no reason to believe - There are a lot of misconceptions about faith. A lot of times faith is located when you have already prayed and it gets worse and you continue to not budge. Faith is found in that place. Anybody can pray when they have need. Anybody can read the Bible, see what it says and then try to act on it.
131:40 - Faith doesn’t lose heart - When you lose heart quickly it reveals that you were just trying faith out - a method of prayer to get help. Faith doesn’t change it’s mind.
Approaching People - Motives
➡ 132:15 - So what we were doing before I went out of town was to establish the will of God towards people. And we looked at the life of Jesus. Jesus is the will of God revealed. I want to talk about just loving people as you go. Everything I shared before the break leads you to what I am going to talk about because it builds love in you, it builds identity, it build security.
132:40 - You can handle rejection because you already know who you are - All of the sudden what people say and project has nothing to do who you are. You can’t even be rejected because you are not doing anything for identity to be established - you already are established. So even when people are rough with you, your heart just hurts for them because they just don’t understand your intention.
133:10 - Approach people for their sake - If I walk up to someone in public and mean well, and they speak rudely to me, I’ve lost nothing. I approach them for them. If you feel rejected - boy, I’m never going to do that again - I feel foolish then you are stepping out for all kinds of wrong reasons. You are just stepping out to do the Christian thing. Or you are just saying man I should probably do this. This is what they teach me I should be doing.
133:45 - Rejection doesn’t change love - There is a place to be moved by love, that when you approach people, and purpose to encourage people and purpose to love people, that even if they don’t receive it, it doesn’t change love. You’ll find that if they don’t receive it, it will actually increase the love you feel in your heart for them. You’ll find yourself walking and interceding and you might be amazed how you will find that that little encounter with somebody that didn’t understand or treated you roughly…
134:20 - Don’t trust first impressions - It's not who they really are - There are a lot of things that are determining people. It’s not even the real them. It’s what life fashioned. So when you approach somebody and they treat you that way, we tend to read a book by it’s cover and say boy they are this or that. But you might be amazed who they are through Christ. The only reason they are that way is because of all these things that have fashioned them. So you have to be careful that when you look at people, you see them through that truth and you are not moved by any of that because we have lived our whole life by first impressions. And we read books by their cover. We have to be careful in the way we are seeing people. The way we see people is going to determine how we are going to live towards them and how we handle some things.
135:40 - Healthy identity makes us more ready to love - The more identity we receive through relationship with God, the more healthy we see ourselves, the more we are going to love our neighbor as ourselves.
136:00 - God’s love for you - He loves who He created you to be - You have to understand that God didn’t come and love you because you were doing everything right. God loves you because He knows who He created you to be. He is pursuing the fulfillment of who He created you to be. And He loves who He made you to be. And He paid a price to redeem that truth.
136:30 - Receive and become love - Once we fully receive that truth, then what? Then we can begin to see others through that very truth.
Loving with Finances
136:45 - 2 Cor 5:14 - God didn’t just tell us to teach men to pray a prayer to go to heaven, He wants us to minister to their life. Encouraging people out in public… I’ll give you an example.
137:20 - Waitress - didn’t even smile a little - broke my heart. If you aren’t careful you will think that she is in the wrong profession. Giant tip. I want her blessed. Pain in legs and feet and liver disease. Prays. Another lady comes over with cancer.
144:50 - It’s not just healing, it’s loving people - no strings - People just need hope. When you turn and walk away there are no strings on that tip. Maybe a week goes by and you are not back and she realizes that there really are no strings attached, that tip might speak louder yet. It’s not just healing, it’s loving. We talk about healing a lot because Jesus healed. But it is loving people.
145:40 - Honoring / compensating the speaker - Buying lunch for hosts - Dan turns the tables on them. They feel like they need to take care of you. Spending money allowance for Power and Love.
147:30 - [Prayer for participant.]
149:00 - Receiving finances - one of the weakest areas of my life. I’m not thinking finances. I am not looking for them. I’m not asking for them. People want to bless me.
150:00 - Never let go of faith - I am not against doctors but never let go of faith. You don’t do one or the other. You live by faith. Everything you do, you do by faith and we are growing along the way. I don’t believe that everyone has to die in the process. And when people die we make up more theology, instead of continue the process of growing. Let’s just be in faith in all things.
151:10 - Finances - Expense reimbursement for Power and Love - Early Power and Love conferences - giving Jesus to the world - going out onto the streets. It freaks most Christians out and they won’t sign up. Tom funded early conferences out of pocket.
153:00 - Not using the gospel to make a living - ministering a kingdom. Don’t go some place just for an honorarium. Dan would not accept honorarium for early Power and Love.
154:10 - Expense reimbursement - forgot to give reimbursement. I’ll just give it away. Give it to the cleaning ladies. It didn’t have anything to do with healing but love and seeing people for their value. God put you on my heart. Not from me, from Jesus. That stuff speaks so loud. Really thankful. Zero strings.
200:50 - Love through finances - give - At Power and Love, lady got healed in the grocery store and then they paid for her groceries - icing on the cake. Then you are not just pushing a doctrine - you are loving them. In the world it doesn’t make sense to live that way. But in the kingdom it makes total sense to live that way - to give.
201:30 - You might not feel like you have that much to give. But you might be amazed what you do have when He tells you to give, because of the way He works and blesses. Look for opportunities to give.
201:40 - Man walks up to me while I am blessing waitresses - Jesus told me to give this to you.
202:25 - Todd in restroom. Man comes in and starts talking. Getting free to talk in the bathroom. Gives him money. The Lord said bless him in return. Todd is not giving because he is going to get. Todd gives because of love.
205:00 - Participant’s story - Mohawk Reservation - necklace given.
208:30 - Tip generously - doesn’t have to be huge every time. I tip well because by the time I leave people usually know that I am a Christian and I don’t want them to remember the Christian that doesn’t tip. I don’t want to tell them that Jesus loves them and they need to get right with God and then rob them at the table. I want them to see the proof in the pudding. One way that I can tell wait staff that they are important and loved is through a tip. I wish the church were the biggest tippers on the planet, just because we are making a statement that it is not every man for himself - it’s not a percentage - it’s a heart.
209:20 - Tipping waitress - wrote on bottom of check - first waitressing job - perfect for the job. Tipped more than the meal. Wrote special note of encouragement on the bill. Slipped out of the restaurant. That’s just one way to encourage people.
Speak Encouragement - Stay Encouraged
210:30 - Speak words of encouragement - Love people - Just telling people how much you appreciate what they are doing. Just love people and something could open up. Love people and be genuine. No agenda - your goal is love.
211:20 - Evangelism can become so rigid that you can evangelize people without even loving people. You are just trying to accomplish a goal. But the goal of our instruction is love.
211:35 - Sow - Water - Reap - And some sow, some water and God gives the increase. Some of you are going to reap where you haven’t even sown. Why are you going to reap? Because someone else did sow.
211:55 - Even rejection can be used - preparing the way for someone else - So if somebody doesn’t let you pray for them, and it looks like a defeat and someone else goes up to them and asks them to pray. You know what, you are the third person that has asked me in two weeks that has approached me and wanted to talk to me about the Lord and pray for me. I told the other two no but it seems like God must be saying something to me.
212:40 - Stay in grace despite rejection - So if you ask to pray for somebody and they are mean and you stay in grace - “No, that’s ok, I am sorry you heard it that way, I had no desire to offend you, I just wanted to bless you. Well have a good day.” And you just walk away. If someone else approaches them at a later date, maybe more of the dots are connected. And all of the sudden, God is doing something in their heart. People change.
213:30 - Participant’s story - Islamic lady at booth in mall - fasting - the next day she let others pray for her.
215:00 - See the bigger picture - You're not doing it for you but to love - There is no failure even when someone says no, because you are not doing it for you. Our simple point is if you are not encouraged, you are not seeing something clear. If we are not encouraged to step out in love - we must be taking rejection personally - we are not seeing a bigger picture.
Approach in Love - Keep it Simple
215:20 - If someone rejects your offer to pray and you see them later, should you ask them again? - You don’t have to. But if you bump into them a couple of days later, what’s wrong with saying, “Hey do you remember the other day… You look like you are still really hurting. Just know that I would love to pray for you.” Leave it up to them and just walk away.
216:00 - Testimony of that happening on the street and there was a neat move of God.
216:20 - So don’t just assume that it is not possible.
216:35 - Participant’s story - opposite situation - many people have prayed over her.
217:25 - Lady in grocery store - third person in a month.
217:55 - Participant’s story - Granddaughter prays for granddaughter’s friend.
218:35 - As we live this way around our little ones, it just becomes normal thought for them.
218:40 - Todd’s kids - Zoe says, daddy says we can pray for anyone with an ouwie.
219:40 - Approach in love - Don't overthink it - Thinking about approaching people - think about it more. Take steps of faith. Just begin to approach people at the simplest levels. Don’t let your agenda be anything but love. Don’t get caught up in what you see and get ahead of yourself - seeing an arm brace or a crutch or back brace - thinking about how the situation might play out… and you end up continuing to eat and drink and never approach them. Just let your agenda for walking over to them be love. You have nothing to lose.
220:30 - Get your hands on them - The Bible doesn’t say that the first sign of a believer is that they are healed but that they lay their hands on them. A lot of times we fail to go do the first things first.
221:00 - Most are receptive - Be sincere and ask - Most people are receptive when you ask them about a physical issue going on with them. They will tell you their whole story. Just be sincere. Ask to pray.
221:20 - Ask for a hand - Todd just asks for their hand. “Can I just see your hand for a minute?” What do you want my hand for? What are you going to do? “Oh it’s alright…” He will just take their hand and start praying.
221:35 - Don't give too many opportunities to say no - I didn’t have the same confidence to do that because I felt like I was setting them up. And I just had a different view. I felt like I just wanted to be honest with people. I just wanted to let them know exactly what I was up to and exactly why I was talking to them. And I felt like some things in the past, we weren’t up front with people and I just needed to be up front. But I noticed that I was giving people a lot more opportunity to say, no thank you, or debate, or bring up theology. And Todd used to say, “I’m telling you dude, just take their hand. Once you’ve got their hand it’s too late.”
222:20 - Every situation is different - It's not a method - I have confidence in some situation to take their hand. But not in others. None of it is a method. They are all unique and God knows every one. So you learn to grow in discernment and love. It’s not a technique. It’s not 1, 2, 3 steps. It’s you being the best you and the most sincere you.
222:50 - There are some people I can say, “Let me see your hand. You are going to love this.” And it just flows. There are other people, I tell them straight up what I am doing.
223:00 - Man with a foot problem. What happened to your foot? I’m just going to be honest with you. I don’t know how you are going to take this but I would just like the honor… Jesus loves us. And I am growing in healing and praying for the sick. I have actually seen God heal folks. And I believe that He can heal and wants to heal. So it is really hard for me to just sit there and act like you didn’t walk by. Granddaughter. Prayed for foot. Better. I use to think being a Christian was about going to services but now I know that it’s about loving people.
226:00 - Participant’s story - blood pressure - totally shot down - Lord said you need to renew your mind. So I prayed out loud - Thank you Lord for the privilege of praying for the sick. This is who you made me to be. Not about feelings. Dealing with rejection. Normally people are so open. Following around the store.
228:30 - Testimony from Power and Love - Two lions following the herd of gazelle. The lame, sick one branched off and went down the aisle all alone. Lions pounced.
229:30 - War in your mind - I feel like I am stalking people. No your heart is realizing that their is a need that Jesus can take care of and there is a war in your mind. You are not a stalker.
230:20 - There were counterproductive thoughts, emotions - rejected twice in a row - strike three and I am out. So she is fighting all of that away, saying it is right to love.
230:40 - People are conditioned not to receive love - Don't let that change your love - We’ve been conditioned not to receive love. So if people aren’t in a position to receive love does it change love. No. That’s why we are all saved. (Because Jesus didn’t change in the face of insults, mockery, etc.) God’s love never fails.
231:25 - Participant’s story - Fellow from their church prays for people at the grocery store. The grocery store gave him his own room.
232:10 - Todd delivering ice on a schedule - people would find out his schedule and line up at the ice box.
Visuals
233:00 - Mentally handicapped facility. My heart was shaken. Thoughts came through that were not God..
We are growing - building - We see a drastic need and let it cut off the smaller things that are taking us to that bigger thing. Increase, growth and building on what He is doing. Because we are growing to a place.
234:30 - Visuals - What happens with Jesus? Healed every time - We can see with our eyes, things beyond where we have grown spiritually. What we see is way above where we have arrived spiritually. It exceeds the revelation in our life. If Jesus walks into that room He is not one bit move by what He sees. He’s the Lord. He knows it. He is right with God and the Father is always with Him. There is zero identity crisis. He takes their hands and they straighten up. Is it possible for us? Absolutely.
235:30 - We are growing in healing - It’s not that I felt helpless. It’s just that I felt such a need for more of God in my life. With the lady at the restaurant I had the confidence to say, if we pray that pain is coming out of your feet. I have grown to be in that place to be able to say that. It’s just as possible for that to happen in that mental facility. We are on this spiritual journey where what we know becomes way bigger than what we see. Where the God in our hearts is exploding such a capacity that it trumps everything in our eye gate (what we see).
236:30 - Jesus was not shaken or challenged by anything. It was sobering, humbling. I just laid on my bed and talked with God. I just need more of you. I began to appreciate all of the healings that I have seen. God help me to see like you see. I went and talked to them like they could hear.
* * *
➡ 238:45 - I want to cover this more - loving people, talking to people and make it as simple as possible - because our goal is love.
239:00 - Be concerned about the risk of not believing rather than failure - If every promise is to the believer, then we should not be concerned about failing but about not believing. Love never fails. So it’s not about failing but about loving. So if two people reject you, it’s just where they are at. It’s not that you did anything wrong - what should I change - what did I do wrong? We get this impression that if I do everything right, it will just flow smooth. What Jesus did right - He loved. And you are here today because He did not change.
239:50 - Being yelled at in the middle of a restaurant. Arthritis. God does not want you just doing the stuff but loving.
240:30 - That leg is coming out. I had never seen one not come out - except one. Didn’t budge. Don’t you ever again turn someone into a number. I had let my statistics motivate me instead of His love. And I just turned him into a person on a list of testimonies instead of a person Jesus died for. It looks like God’s mercy would have overridden the situation.
242:00 - Closing prayer - build us in the expression of your heart - simple, authentic expression of Your heart.