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Own Your Zone -- Joshua Generation
35 Plays24 days ago
Like! Share! Subscribe! If you want to achieve your destiny, you've got to own your zone! Tune in to find out how! And in May, we're having a REVIVAL Men's Conference. Get your tickets on Eventbrite, too: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ohm-rize-mens-retreat-ireland-2026-tickets-1978682463513?aff=ebdssbdestsearch The content used in this video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All rights to the images, music, clips, and other materials used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📘 Order My Books Read faith-filled adventure, fantasy, and science-fiction books to support Christian entertainment. 👉 https://www.amazon.co.uk/GHOST-UNSAID-ONE-PANOPTICON-Triumvirate/dp/1948581647 👉https://www.amazon.co.uk/GHOST-UNSAID-BOOK-RECKONING-Triumvirate/dp/B0CH2H6LSX 🎥 Watch More Videos: Teaching, encouragement, testimony, and biblical truth. 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@brendanthomasmarrett9868/videos 🧢 From Dublin to Cleveland – Official Merch: Wear the message. Support the work. 👉 https://www.bonfire.com/from-dublin-to-cleveland-shirt/?srsltid=AfmBOorvSsSmUI-oAQ9mC4uSVWhkPmZvaMkeouFcmZEM8G3eJAqNyGnT ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🤝 Support the Ministry: If this ministry blesses you and you’d like to help it grow, please consider becoming a monthly supporter or making a one-off love offering: 💸 PayPal: paypal.me/BrendanMarrett 💵 Revolut: https://revolut.me/brendanthomasmarrett ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 📬 Mail / Contact For letters, testimonies, or ministry-related mail: fromdublintocleveland@gmail.com ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🔗 Connect With Me Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendan.marrett Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendanthomasmarrett/
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Transcript
Introduction to Divine Teachings
00:00:02
Speaker
Looks like something interesting. Anything God downloads is interesting and it's our responsibility to let it pique our interest and hearken to his word. Absolutely, Ramis. Absolutely.
00:00:18
Speaker
So about nine days ago or so I i was praying and the Lord said my people need to own their zone.
00:00:30
Speaker
And This teaching is going to be quite different from the
Personal Responsibility and Co-Laboring with God
00:00:37
Speaker
normal Sunday. Every Sunday is different, let's be honest. But with this one, will be going Old Testament, New Testament, Old Testament, later in the Old Testament, early in the Old Testament, New Testament, later in the New Testament. We're going to be going all around the Bible, flicking through the pages like crazy.
00:00:55
Speaker
There's a lot in this. It will definitely benefit from a rewatch, from watching the replay on YouTube. um My advice is if you don't already see have one, make sure you got paper or notepad and a pen.
00:01:15
Speaker
Because Holy Spirit's going to start speaking to you all individually regarding how this teaching relates to your life.
00:01:27
Speaker
This teaching is not a Jesus did it all on the cross kind of teaching. In the abstract, that is true.
00:01:38
Speaker
Your salvation is assured. This teaching is about your destiny. This teaching is about how to make your earthly life and every aspect of that earthly life take on adopt, inherit heaven culture.
00:02:03
Speaker
This teaching is an
00:02:08
Speaker
you're in Christ, now what do you do teaching. This is a very practical teaching. This teaching puts the onus back on you.
Spiritual Authority and Human Responsibility
00:02:23
Speaker
Where God is super, And everything he does is super.
00:02:29
Speaker
But he wants us to co-labor with him. He made a physical realm to be ruled by physical people in step with him. This is how you apply your natural. He applied the super. He made supernatural.
00:02:43
Speaker
This teaching is not religious, but it is about personal responsibility.
00:02:51
Speaker
Today's teaching is not, if you don't do all of this, you'll burn in hell. It is if you don't do this, someone else might burn in hell.
00:03:02
Speaker
okay This teaching is not, oh my goodness, but is Brendan just really annoyed with us? Is this his ability or his attempt to to to manipulate us and into into coercion?
00:03:17
Speaker
What this teaching is, there are people in your life who are not in mine. And they are not waiting for me to come and save the day They're waiting on you to own your zone.
00:03:31
Speaker
There are people you will meet that I will never see side of eternity. Nothing that I do or say is going impact them one way or the other. Because there are people who have been entrusted to you.
00:03:47
Speaker
Because God trusts you to do what you need to do. God trusts you to help them
00:03:57
Speaker
So all the way back when the earth was first created, when the earth was young. Give me second.
00:04:16
Speaker
Adam and Eve were entrusted with the earth.
00:04:23
Speaker
Genesis 1, 28-29 says, God blessed them. Now, they weren't called Adam and Eve at the start. They were called the man and the woman. a God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful and multiply.
00:04:37
Speaker
Be fruitful means exactly what do you think it means. They were a husband and wife. But it wasn't just limited to their romantic life, important though that is. It was being fruitful, being productive in every capacity.
00:04:52
Speaker
And multiply. So, have babies. Have lots of them. and fill the earth. They were not supposed to stay in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was fine for a time. it was appropriate for a time.
00:05:07
Speaker
But there would come a point when they're going to have to branch out and spread out. You couldn't have six billion people competing for resources in one garden. but They were made to be risk takers.
00:05:20
Speaker
They were made to be adventurers. They were made to explore. They were made to do things that were unconventional, dangerous, risky, and exciting.
00:05:32
Speaker
Things that got their heart beating, that had adrenaline coursing through their body.
00:05:39
Speaker
Fill the earth and subdue it. Bring the wilderness of the earth into submission under the rule of righteous humans in step with God.
00:05:52
Speaker
and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Then God said, behold, I have given you every plant yielding seeds that is on the surface of all the earth and every tree that has fruit yielding seeds, it shall be food for you. So God is saying, listen, I'm gonna give you everything you need.
00:06:21
Speaker
The most important thing we need, of course, is him. In the natural, he provided everything.
00:06:29
Speaker
It was up to them to believe what he said, to take it by faith, to claim it by faith, and to move in step with his will in accordance with his word.
00:06:42
Speaker
And every tree that and had fruits in it was for them, with one exception.
00:06:54
Speaker
They had to tithe one tree to God. In the same way that God's people tithe or give money to the cause of Christ, to the pastors, to a charity, to a church family, to ministry.
00:07:10
Speaker
They say, God, gonna put this in your hands that you can do greater things with it, that it can go further and and multiply. They had to tithe one tree in the entire garden.
00:07:24
Speaker
And that tree was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
00:07:30
Speaker
For the day you eat of it, in dying you shall die. If you eat from this tree, your spirit man will die.
00:07:42
Speaker
Your soul will get jacked up, wounded, messed up. And even in the natural, you will begin decay.
00:07:54
Speaker
you'll begin to fall apart. Everything will begin to fall apart. Your hair will turn gray. Your strong back will suffer backache. Your lovely toenails will begin to turn bit yellow.
00:08:11
Speaker
Your super special, awesome eyes, well if they're not gonna work so greatly. You're gonna need glasses. That would be the consequence of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
00:08:24
Speaker
While they did everything in step with the Lord's command, things were great. The Lord looked and he said, things are very, very good.
00:08:35
Speaker
But you know, humans do have a tendency to look at the things that God has forbidden, to look at the things that God hates and say, o la la, and get attracted to it and desire it.
00:08:53
Speaker
So the enemy came along one day, the devil came inside serpent and he said, all right, eating this tree, it's not gonna kill you.
00:09:06
Speaker
God's liar, he is power hungry and he knows more than you do and he's got more power than you do and he knows that if you eat from this tree, you're gonna be on equal terms with him.
00:09:22
Speaker
God doesn't want to protect you This is a power play.
00:09:28
Speaker
God had made Adam and Eve his image. And then they returned the favor. They were like, yeah, God said if we even touch the tree, we're going to die.
00:09:38
Speaker
They began to make God the villain in their story. And so ate from the tree and she gave Adam the fruit as well.
00:09:51
Speaker
And suddenly their spirit died and the gradual decay began.
Spiritual Warfare and Vigilance
00:10:04
Speaker
Jesus is the only human who has ever lived beyond the age of accountability to an adult and not chosen wickedness.
00:10:16
Speaker
He never once chose to do evil.
00:10:21
Speaker
That's why at the Last Supper, just before the crucifixion, he said this to his disciples, John 14, 30.
00:10:31
Speaker
I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on me. He has nothing in common with me or in me.
00:10:45
Speaker
You see, Adam was given rulership of the earth.
00:10:51
Speaker
When he sinned, Jesus asked him, okay, what happened? And he said, the woman you created did it. He passed blame, responsibility, authority onto Eve.
00:11:06
Speaker
She was a coward. She said, surely not I, Lord. It was the snake. It was the devil. And the devil said nothing.
00:11:20
Speaker
She passed blame, responsibility, and the authority onto the devil. And the devil smiled and said, yes, this is exactly what I wanted.
00:11:35
Speaker
Authority of the earth. That's why Jesus called the devil the prince of this world. The earth was made for humans. It was given to Adam.
00:11:48
Speaker
He passed responsibility on to Eve, she passed on the devil, and the devil kept it. He seized it. And Jesus knows this.
00:12:00
Speaker
That is why everywhere you look, it looks like evil is having a field day. It looks like evil is having the last laugh.
00:12:11
Speaker
It looks like evil is in control and is winning and has such a grip on the world because it does. because humans gave it to the enemy.
00:12:23
Speaker
The only reason the devil never had power over Jesus is because Jesus had nothing in common with the knight with the enemy. He had no deception in him. He had no hatred of people in him.
00:12:37
Speaker
He had no murder in his heart. He had no adultery in his heart. He was perfectly, totally, completely holy.
00:12:54
Speaker
But the Lord's will is not that the world should stay like this.
00:13:00
Speaker
The enemy being the prince of this world, having total control over it. And humans always being subservient to the darkness.
00:13:12
Speaker
In submission to the darkness. Terrified of the darkness. Destroyed by the darkness. The Lord's will... is that humans would own their zone.
00:13:28
Speaker
In the book of Proverbs, which we looked at last week, chapter 24, verses 30 to 34, it says, I went past the field of a sluggard, a lazy bones, a person who did nothing, past the vineyard of someone one who has no sense,
00:13:50
Speaker
In Ireland we say they have no cup on.
00:13:55
Speaker
Thorns had come up everywhere. The ground was covered with weeds and the stone wall was in ruins.
00:14:09
Speaker
So he walks past a field, there's no grain, there's no barley, there's no wheat, there are no flowers,
00:14:21
Speaker
He walks past a vineyard and there are no grapes. Wine is not being produced. He looks at the wall the wall is broken down.
00:14:33
Speaker
Little foxes can get through the holes.
00:14:38
Speaker
Trespassers, burglars, criminals can climb over the wall. Wild animals can run on in.
00:14:47
Speaker
I applied my heart to what I observed. And I learned a lesson from what I saw.
00:14:57
Speaker
A little sleep.
00:15:00
Speaker
A little slumber.
00:15:04
Speaker
A little folding of the hands to rest.
00:15:11
Speaker
And poverty will come on you like a thief.
00:15:16
Speaker
And scarcity like an armed man.
00:15:22
Speaker
like a burglar who's got a gun, who's got a knife.
00:15:29
Speaker
The enemy is a thief. Jesus tells us in John 10, 10 that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
00:15:42
Speaker
What is the enemy looking for? He's looking for a field in which you are not planting seeds to grow food.
00:15:55
Speaker
He's looking for a vineyard in which you have no interest in growing grapes or producing wine.
00:16:06
Speaker
He's looking for walls, defensive measures, barriers, and borders that have broken down that you have no intention of fixing, that you're too distracted to repair.
00:16:27
Speaker
curse without a cause will not land. The enemy's looking for just cause. He's looking for an open door. He's looking for an open window.
00:16:40
Speaker
In legal terms, it's called a crime of opportunity.
00:16:47
Speaker
The enemy is looking at you and at your world to see if you have open passages in which he can come on in.
00:17:00
Speaker
And here's the thing. We're not talking about, you know, you murdered five children, a mother, and you have the husband held hostage in your cupboard.
00:17:13
Speaker
We're not saying, you you've committed adultery seven times and you may or may not be doing something online, which is very naughty, we're told it's a little sleep, a little slumber,
00:17:29
Speaker
in a little folding the hands to rest.
00:17:35
Speaker
Just a little, just a crack. This is where we have to be vigilant. This is where we have to be so attentive.
00:17:47
Speaker
This is where, with regards to sin, in our own lives, we cannot compromise at all. You have to be ruthless with the sin in your life. you can't You're not responsible for what everyone else does in their life.
00:18:06
Speaker
You are responsible for your own.
00:18:11
Speaker
So what the Lord told me nine days ago, and these are the scriptures he gave me, and then many, many more.
00:18:22
Speaker
He needs his people to own their zone. Well, what is your zone? For me, I'll just share some of them. My zone is Ireland, because I live here.
00:18:42
Speaker
Ireland is one of my ultimate passions. I love this country. I think about this country. I teach people about this country.
00:18:54
Speaker
I pray this country. i explore this country. I adore this country.
00:19:01
Speaker
And I abhor the fact that there are people who contentedly, deliberately, maliciously and ceaselessly try to destroy it.
Commitment to Faith and Community
00:19:20
Speaker
Governmentally, institutionally, religiously, criminally, all the other allies. So what do I do?
00:19:34
Speaker
I pray for this country. I pray for this land. Let me tell you time and time and time again, people, it's weekly. People tell me, Brendan, would you not just leave?
00:19:49
Speaker
Take your skills, take your gifts, take your professional talents to another continent, stay there for two years, three years, four years, come back a millionaire.
00:20:02
Speaker
And you know what I say, friends? The same response every time. Four words. And no, it's not God is absolutely good.
00:20:13
Speaker
I say I shouldn't have to.
00:20:19
Speaker
If I walk away, I'm not saying I'm the bee's knees of Christianity in this country, but if I walk away, there will be a gap. There are people in my life who are dependent on me to show up and show Christ to them.
00:20:36
Speaker
have to make a decision. Do I care more about their eternity with Jesus Or money. There was a time I would have said the money. It's not who I am anymore.
00:20:52
Speaker
The cause of Christ consumes me. So I stay. On social media, some people don't like it. Some people love it. And then they they never like what I share, but then they tell me in person if they see at a party or they're in the street. Brendan, your memes are so funny. Brendan, I hate the government too. Keep dude what you' doing doing.
00:21:16
Speaker
i'll post memes on social media, on Instagram, Facebook, of just how ludicrous and stupid the Marxist, socialist, communist, leftist, progressive, whatever they want to call themselves, threat is this country, who are doing everything they can to destroy it, to steal, kill, and destroy it in the image of the evil one.
00:21:40
Speaker
When I'm talking to people who start complaining about Ireland, I don't tolerate those conversations. I shut them down. And I say, let me give you history lesson.
00:21:52
Speaker
Let me lower the veil and give some clarity to your ignorance.
00:22:00
Speaker
Another thing that's in my zone is a karate trophy. For those of you who do not know, I'm a black belt in karate. Physical health.
00:22:12
Speaker
You can sit around and complain that all the healthy food in the supermarket is expensive. You can sit around and complain that the government is making you fat. And you know what?
00:22:27
Speaker
That is partly true, but that's story for another day. You can sit around and say, oh, there isn't enough time in the day. I'm so busy. I don't have time for exercise.
00:22:39
Speaker
Bullcrap. Your physical health is your responsibility. Your fitness levels, your stamina is your responsibility. If you cannot walk up a flight of stairs without stopping gasp, that is your responsibility.
00:22:59
Speaker
Physical health, it's down to you.
00:23:06
Speaker
Technology. Before the lockdown, I was a technophobe. I had absolutely no interest in technology. I resented people telling me I should be a techie guy Brendan, you're so young. You're in your mid-twenties. You should know how to do this. I couldn't stand it.
00:23:28
Speaker
and And then every church building in the country closed, or just about all of them. And suddenly I had to shift to WhatsApp, WebEx, Zoom, and the likes.
00:23:41
Speaker
Still there. And suddenly I had to start saying, okay, people all around the world from different continents want dream interpretations from me for some reason. I don't know how to get my number, but they do.
00:23:54
Speaker
So I had to start using WhatsApp.
00:23:59
Speaker
The Joshua Generation was not a church back then. we were a ministry of another church fellowship. But I had to get used to teaching online to teach the word of God. And I would do it up to four times a week.
00:24:15
Speaker
Now that includes deliverances, which was not on my radar. It was not something I ever thought I would be doing. It was not something any interest in. i believed it was legit. I believed it was real. I believed it was for somebody else.
00:24:30
Speaker
So technology is my responsibility. You know, um some of you may have noticed the last few Sundays when I was teaching, you would see me going in the corner of the screen. That was me trying to fix my, well, I well i thought it was a broken charger.
00:24:50
Speaker
a um Or one day, you know, the Zoom chat ended and I had to go way back on my phone. That's because my other laptop was malfunctioning. I had to make a decision to get a new one.
00:25:03
Speaker
So this year, was a new one, um which some of you probably realized on Wednesday when ah it took me a while to get things up on the screen because I didn't know i had to function it, what I was doing because the controls look different.
00:25:19
Speaker
um But I had to say teaching the word of God is a priority. doing deliverances on those who are broken and needy and and are brave enough to trust me to help them.
00:25:32
Speaker
I need to have a functioning laptop. I had to prioritize this because all those people are part of my zone. Having the correct machinery to facilitate that, it's necessary.
00:25:49
Speaker
Family. This photograph is taken in cuffs. That is me. That's my cousin. That's my brother.
00:25:57
Speaker
Family is in my zone.
00:26:04
Speaker
Families are, it's a funny structure. They're crazy people. They can wreck your head like no one else can. Get under your skin and bug you.
00:26:15
Speaker
But they're in my zone. They're in my lane. And if I don't help them, too well. One second Skeletor on the iPhone. No, because your
00:26:30
Speaker
phone, it's not like it's an old phone. It's pretty good because you
00:26:41
Speaker
because your phone it's not like it's an oval phone certainly god you' have difficult be
00:26:49
Speaker
All right, then this was taken in London. This a photograph of friend and me. We went to the O2 Arena where you can climb up onto the roof.
00:27:02
Speaker
And we just said, when in Rome, why not? We'll do it for the crack. Friends are in your zone. And I'll be honest with you, it's not a zone I was ever particularly good at owning or looking after.
00:27:23
Speaker
and School or college was great because there were only set times of the day when you would see them, which was fine. um But actually the inconvenience, let's use the word, of carving out time or space, whether it's on the phone or meeting face to face other people, it's not always easy.
00:27:44
Speaker
There are always other things that we could do things that we would prefer to do or the ways we could spend our time. And actually having to cut out that time, it's so important. Just a couple days ago, God just put someone in my heart very, very strongly who I hadn't spoken to in 12 years.
00:28:02
Speaker
There had been no fallout, no grief, no bad feeling. We just were best friends and then just stopped talking to each other. And God just said to me a few days ago, reach out.
00:28:17
Speaker
He needs you. And I thought, God, are messing? was like, how do you start a conversation with someone after more than a decade? So I just said, I use Facebook Messenger. That's how out of touch we are. like Who uses Facebook Messenger in 2026, right? And I just said, hey, bud, I've been thinking about you lately.
00:28:41
Speaker
i didn't say I was thinking about him for only five seconds. I said lately. um Hope you're doing well. let's meet sometime or something to that effect. And I was surprised by how quickly a response came.
00:28:55
Speaker
And there are times someone responds and you think, yeah, okay, I don't, that's not an emergency. There are times someone responds and you say, okay. bed go to bed You can't get off until tomorrow. You have to be prioritized.
00:29:13
Speaker
So reached out to him and I just said, hey, listen, if you're free now, There's no point putting it off. Met up with him and we spoke for the entire day and up until five past three in the morning. but And it was so necessary.
00:29:31
Speaker
God just put him so strongly my heart and you just have to drop everything else and go for it.
Prayer and Spiritual Discipline
00:29:40
Speaker
Another thing that's in my zone is obviously the word of God. For... Tuesdays, for Wednesdays, for Sundays, and for every day.
00:29:52
Speaker
Nowadays, when I read it, God's normally like, oh, teach this, oh, share that with someone, oh, share this eventually. And then there'll be times I read it and he just shares something just for me. It is the number one way that God chooses to redeem himself.
00:30:07
Speaker
So whether you're just sitting there, we're reading it from cover to cover and for your own interest, Whether you're doing a study where you read it all in chronological order, itz are whether you're doing a devotional Bible study, whether you just look up the verses that we covered on a Sunday, that's always a great place to start if you don't know where to begin.
00:30:31
Speaker
But owning your time with the Lord, prioritizing it, putting it off, is inexcusable, saying, i cannot make excuses.
00:30:47
Speaker
And then another one for me would be being an author, being a writer. God told me in 2011 to write book series.
00:30:58
Speaker
First thing I wrote was basically in 2011, mind you, was that evil people were gonna take over the world, not let you leave your house, and they were gonna tell you they were protecting you.
00:31:11
Speaker
The sequel, which wrote in 2011, eleven was how that regime was going to be destroyed. This happened six years ago.
00:31:22
Speaker
This, we're pretty darn close to this happening.
00:31:28
Speaker
But again, i'm not responsible for what everyone in the world does. I am responsible for my zone. I am responsible for what I do.
00:31:40
Speaker
I am responsible for what I think. I'm responsible for what I feel. I'm responsible for what I say. And if you misspeak, if you're the wrong thing, if you have a bad day, it does not define you, but deal with it.
00:31:57
Speaker
Because even if you are apathetic, lazy, indifferent, you just want to have a little sleep, little snooze, little slumber, just a little, folding your hands to rest.
00:32:12
Speaker
A little bit of apathy. I'm not saying don't chill out. I'm not saying don't sleep. It's important for your body in the natural. I'm saying a little bit of apathy. A little bit of can't be bothered.
00:32:26
Speaker
A little bit of, sure, this is my life. My body, my choice. A little bit of, I don't need God in this part of my life. And poverty will come on you like a thief. And we know who the thief is. It's the devil. comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
00:32:45
Speaker
And scarcity like an armed man. Why is scarcity? Scarcity is lack. It means i don't have it. That's because he'll take it. Even if you're not interested in owning your zone, the enemy of your soul is He is very interested in owning absolutely everything that you have ever taken back from him.
00:33:12
Speaker
He's very interested. Well said, well said. And it's so, so good. If you even don't care, he does. Especially if you don't care.
00:33:23
Speaker
Especially. The people who frustrate you the most. The people that you dislike the most. the people that you would most easily push to one side and never see again. He is incredibly interested in them and invested in their destruction.
00:33:47
Speaker
Because all of us have been given a field. We've all been given a vineyard. We've all been given a garden. But it's our responsibility
00:34:00
Speaker
to nurture it.
00:34:03
Speaker
And sometimes it's uncomfortable. You need to have one of these mats that you kneel on in the garden while you're digging in the earth with your travel and scooping things up.
00:34:19
Speaker
Sometimes there will be things that need pruning and cutting. And it might require some backup support. They might be too high up for you natural, you need some help.
00:34:34
Speaker
Or they might be branches of trees that are too strong. They would need the added assistance, you the grit, the tenacity, the strength.
00:34:43
Speaker
But all of us, at the end of the day, have a garden. And it's up to all of us on an individual basis to put on our gardening gloves and pull those suckers up.
00:34:58
Speaker
You do not have to plant weeds. They're going to be there anyway. I visited a friend couple days ago who has a beautiful front garden and a beautiful back garden, and it was amazing.
00:35:13
Speaker
But what happens when you get really up and close and personal the flower bed? You see all the weeds, see the dandelions.
00:35:23
Speaker
Not things she planted there, but things that are there anyway. I was out in my own back garden today, bringing all these things in, the props, and I saw...
00:35:34
Speaker
Quite possibly the biggest nettles we've ever had on this property. They were not there last week. ah None of us planted them.
00:35:47
Speaker
None of us want them. But what happens if you take your eye off it for a second, the enemy can come and fill your garden with nettles.
00:36:00
Speaker
You don't have to plant thorns. In fact, most people don't. ah But give it a while. And you'll step into your garden at some point. And you're going to see them there.
00:36:11
Speaker
Because even if you're apathetic, even if you're lazy, even if you're doing a good job, an amazing job, we still have an enemy who wants that garden back.
00:36:27
Speaker
I remember it was one Sunday I shared this and I haven't stopped sharing it since. Ha ha ha. I think it was when I taught on the 14 Giants or something, so you can find the video on YouTube and and watch it if you haven't seen it.
00:36:40
Speaker
And I said, the promised land is not where you sit on a garden lounge, on a beach, it's like garden lounge, on a lounge on a beach, sipping margaritas, looking out at the blue sea, blue sky, listening the birds.
00:36:58
Speaker
The promised land is territory. The enemy has already stolen. He is the prince of this world. The world is in shadow for a reason, because he owns it.
00:37:12
Speaker
The promised land, the territory God gives you, the zones that God entrusts to here you, it's a place of warfare. It's a place of, not going to say stress, but perseverance is required.
00:37:31
Speaker
will find yourself breaking a sweat. There will be times you might start a off in a shirt and then going to put a t-shirt on. Or you put a t-shirt on and then there'll be claw marks and you take it off and put on something else.
00:37:46
Speaker
There'll be times when, like, you know, dressy boots are fine. There are times you're to have to wear boots more accustomed to a farm or a field. There'll be times you might get a little cut here, a little scab there.
00:37:59
Speaker
And sometimes a knife will do the job, sometimes going to need sword. It is a place of warfare to get that territory back from the enemy. So that your field grows food and your vineyard produces wine. I'm going to go into examples now, all biblical, of certain ways in which you can start to apply, and here's the beautiful thing,
00:38:27
Speaker
Like I said, this teaching today is not religious, it is practical. This is not to condemn you, it is to inspire you. Everything shared today is within the realm of possibility for you to begin doing today.
00:38:45
Speaker
To own your zone.
00:38:50
Speaker
And the wonderful thing with the Lord is he trusts you to own your zone, and to do it right. He trusts you to do well.
00:39:02
Speaker
And Jesus says in Luke 16, 10, whoever is faithful with very little, sometimes we think, well, God, I don't have zone. I know I never published a book. I don't like the country I live in. and I don't have a black belt in this or a medal or trophy in that.
00:39:21
Speaker
Whoever can be trusted with very little. These are Jesus words. So don't compare yourself to my examples. Don't compare yourself to people on social media. a lot Many of whom's lives are fake anyway.
00:39:37
Speaker
The people on social media that you think are living the best life possible, they're probably reading from a script someone else wrote them. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.
00:39:51
Speaker
And whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Jesus sees everything. Remember, it's a little sleep.
00:40:02
Speaker
It's little slumber. It's a little folded hands to rest. But if God looks at you and says you have a great prayer life, you don't have a lot else going for you. I've got a great prayer life.
00:40:14
Speaker
He will expand your territory. He will expand your zone.
00:40:25
Speaker
One of the most important things, and these are in no particular order, one of the most important things you can do is ready the soil of your soul.
00:40:39
Speaker
It might involve trowel. It might involve a wheelbarrow. It might involve putting on gardening gloves.
00:40:51
Speaker
But you have to make sure that the soil of your soul is in a receiving, receptive position.
00:41:04
Speaker
Jesus shared a parable, a story with a special meaning about a sower, about a farmer.
00:41:13
Speaker
As the farmer was scattering the seed, some fell along the path and birds came and ate it up. What is the path? Well, it's dry ground.
00:41:28
Speaker
This is when Jesus sends forth the word, either from the Bible or from a teaching in person, whether a teaching has been pre-recorded and put online, ah whether it's, and you're listening to worship and there are Bible verses in the worship, however he does it.
00:41:48
Speaker
And birds came and ate it up. As soon as the word of God is scattered and released, The enemy, because, you know, birds, we're talking about creatures with wings here, come and try to steal that word from you.
00:42:04
Speaker
They come and try to steal words encouragement from you to discourage you.
00:42:13
Speaker
If the teaching is on the love of God, you know, the father, they'll say to your own father and love you. so who how could a supernatural being love you? You're nothing.
00:42:25
Speaker
If the teaching is on forgiveness,
00:42:31
Speaker
what's happen? The enemy is going to try to put you in a situation, probably that same day or the the day later, where you're challenged with unforgiveness, where people come and start pounding your heart, taking you for granted, beating you up on the inside.
00:42:51
Speaker
And that doesn't have to happen 24 hours later, okay? Sometimes the birds come during the teaching.
00:42:58
Speaker
Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, enthusiastically. It all looked amazing. and You're like, wow, this person's life has been changed forever.
00:43:12
Speaker
But the soil was shallow. Was not deep. Only a couple inches.
00:43:22
Speaker
But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and they withered because they had no roots. This is when someone seems to be so enthusiastic for Jesus, but there's no depth to the relationship.
00:43:36
Speaker
There's a problem with the foundation.
00:43:40
Speaker
So as soon as the pressure of life comes, as soon as you apply the heat,
00:43:47
Speaker
where are they? They're gone.
00:43:51
Speaker
Other seed fell among that, here they are again, the thorns, the stress of life, the pressure, toxic family relationships, hello.
00:44:05
Speaker
Friends who are happy when you say and do what they want you to say and do. As soon as you start speaking differently, they hate you, they come against you.
00:44:17
Speaker
And the thorns grew up and they choked the plant, they choked the life out of them.
00:44:25
Speaker
Still, other seed fell in good soil where it produced a crop. A hundred, sixty or thirty times it was sown.
00:44:36
Speaker
This morning, in during that hour of worship, this is what I was praying over all of you. That the soil of your soul would be fertile ground good soil and ready to receive these words of life.
00:44:55
Speaker
The seeds would go deep into the soil of your soul and bear, in God's time, a healthy crop.
00:45:14
Speaker
One of the best ways for this to happen, to own your zone, is to be rooted and grounded in the word of God, in the scripture, in the Bible. Psalm 1 says this, blessed is the man or woman, man here in Hebrew literally means a person who loves God, who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners,
00:45:47
Speaker
Nor sits in the seat of scoffers, people who mock, people who always have something bad to say. They're negative nineties. But his delight is in the law of the Lord.
00:46:01
Speaker
And on his law, he meditates day and night, focusing on the Bible, morning, afternoon, evening, nighttime. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season.
00:46:18
Speaker
and its leaf does not wither.
00:46:22
Speaker
In all that he does, he prospers.
00:46:28
Speaker
Some of you need to start declaring that over yourself. In everything I do, I prosper. The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff that the wind drives away.
00:46:41
Speaker
Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners the congregation the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. If you are in the streams of living water, you're sitting in the word, you're meditating in the word, you're speaking the word, you believe the word, you will be evergreen. Another way to own your zone is prayer.
00:47:15
Speaker
I remember God gave me a dream many years ago at this point. And in that dream, I knew that Jesus was standing behind me.
00:47:28
Speaker
It was the first time i ever had a dream in which Jesus was there. And i remember thinking, oh my goodness, this is so, so exciting. What's he going to say? What's he going to do? and Because...
00:47:42
Speaker
I'd heard of other people having dreams of Jesus and it was always just phenomenal, the stories that they came back with.
00:47:50
Speaker
He was right behind me. He got closer and closer and closer and closer. And I was like, this looks like, what's going on? This is what happened. but like And I woke up.
00:48:06
Speaker
He coughed all over my back. I woke up livid. I was properly enraged. was furious. I was disgusted. I wanted to go back to sleep and get out to him.
00:48:20
Speaker
I just said, coughing? Coughing? What nonsense? And I said, no, God, there has to be something important there. There has to be. So I began thinking about coughing in the Bible.
00:48:35
Speaker
I could think of a boy who was brought back from the dead and sneezed. I could think of people who are blind, who are lame, who are mute, paralyzed. I could not think of one instance in the Bible of someone coughing.
00:48:51
Speaker
So I did what I don't always encourage people to do, but sometimes it's useful. I went to Google and I typed in coughing in the Bible.
00:49:01
Speaker
And I was surprised that a Bible verse did actually show up. And it was this one. 1 Thessalonians 5.17
00:49:11
Speaker
In most English translations, it says pray continually or pray without ceasing. In the Greek, it literally means pray like you have a hacking cough.
00:49:27
Speaker
Pray like you cannot hold it in. I'm not talking.
00:49:33
Speaker
I'm talking when it's uncontrolled, but you can't catch your breath. You're spluttering all over the place. That is what that translates as in Greek.
00:49:43
Speaker
Pray like there's a tickle in your throat and holding it in is impossible for you. Pray like you have to let it out. Pray like your life depends on it.
00:49:56
Speaker
You know when that cough is in your throat and you can't even breathe until it's out of you? is is the intensity with which God wants you pray. do apologize. Yes, is that the word prayer used there, or is that a how to pray translates into that?
00:50:12
Speaker
Sure, yeah, it's the adverb, that's how continually translates. How continually, right, thank you. You're all right, yeah, because some so some translations in English say pray without ceasing.
00:50:26
Speaker
Now, as a child, I was like, how can you pray and never stop? You have to live your life. It's going to be little bit smart, Alec. But that's just the description. God is saying pray all around the clock.
00:50:39
Speaker
Whenever you see a need. And there always needs. Whenever you feel that impression in your belly. Whenever... Whenever I see something funny.
00:50:52
Speaker
I'll just say, God, that is gas. That's hilarious. Whenever someone says something that I just think is really, really rude and disgusting. Not even to me personally, but I just hear them saying it.
00:51:03
Speaker
I'll say, God, put soap in that woman's mouth. Oh my goodness. How could you even think we're saying something like that? I'll just pray all around the clock with God.
00:51:15
Speaker
have a very open relationship with him. He knows everything anyway, as so there's no point holding anything back. It's part of your relationship with him and developing that real intimacy.
00:51:30
Speaker
Another way to own your zone. is knowing and living by the word. Some people are biblically illiterate. They don't know anything about the word and therefore they can't apply it.
00:51:46
Speaker
Some people have the head knowledge of the word and then choose not to apply it.
Bible Knowledge and Spiritual Life
00:51:52
Speaker
It's important that we know the word. So I mean, all of you right here, right now, this is you owning your zone with the word of God.
00:52:02
Speaker
The next step is putting it into practice in your life.
00:52:08
Speaker
And Deuteronomy 32, 47 says this. This is Moses teaching. Basically, the book is like a lot, is one long sermon.
00:52:20
Speaker
And his people had the chance to enter the promised land. They chose not to. Four decades passed, and now they are ready to cross in.
00:52:33
Speaker
And he tells them about their nation's history. He reminds them of God's will, God's word, God's law. And he tells them this because God is saying, Moses, even as you're speaking, their hearts are turning stone cold against you.
00:52:49
Speaker
Even as you are teaching the Bible, they have zero interest in doing what you're saying. And Moses says, these instructions are not empty, idle, hollow words.
00:53:04
Speaker
These words are your life. By obeying them, you will enjoy a long life in the land you will occupy, the promised land, when you cross the Jordan River.
00:53:22
Speaker
That's God saying.
00:53:28
Speaker
These are not empty, idle, hollow, dismissible words. These words are your life. They're not part of your life.
00:53:39
Speaker
They are your life. And if you obey them, you will live long when you enter the promised land where it is chosen to give you, that is chosen to entrust to you.
00:54:00
Speaker
But a big one that I see in the world today is apathy.
00:54:07
Speaker
Normally when you have a global crisis, people turn to the Lord in massive numbers and quickly.
00:54:18
Speaker
In Ireland, while we have made many, many crises, but probably the most infamous of them all would be the great Irish famine. where there was an agricultural disaster that came from North America and the
00:54:36
Speaker
culture created the decisions made by the British government who were and colonizing Ireland at the time. And our population, because of what happened in seven years, dropped from about 8.75 million, million,
00:54:57
Speaker
to 4 million. But 5 million people just not here anymore, emigrated or dead.
00:55:06
Speaker
Even after something that horrific, a revival broke out in Ireland where kids' churches, not the adults, kids' churches, had up to 1,000 attendees and participants.
00:55:23
Speaker
They're just a kid, and that's one congregation.
00:55:28
Speaker
You that other countries around the world have been genocides or ethnicides or wars or their or poverty and holy spirit explosions.
00:55:41
Speaker
COVID-19, whatever you think about it, is the only huge instance or global crisis where actually that hasn't happened.
00:55:55
Speaker
Yes, we can say there were revival fires here and there, but the idea that it's been this delayed, this slowed down, iss actually embarrassing by historical records.
00:56:10
Speaker
Why is that? Because before people were told you cannot meet with God's people, the apathy had already set in.
00:56:24
Speaker
People were already indifferent about their prayer life, indifferent about the gathering of the saints, indifferent about meeting together, indifferent about looking after each other, indifferent about caring for each other.
00:56:36
Speaker
They had already switched off. So when they were told, you cannot read, they said, okay, yeah, sure, but that makes sense. Happy days. Gordon, Brendan, sorry. Yep.
00:56:55
Speaker
We had teaching, you know, you know ah my old community, you know, they had many minuses, you know, because not be not grace taught.
00:57:06
Speaker
But we had a teaching that if government goes against the word of God, i am for the word of God. That was seeded in us.
00:57:17
Speaker
And regardless, you know, I know where my loyalties lay. and I might betray God, that's another story, but i know you know how to rightly choose it, so we need to just to put it, that if know that the government goes against the word of God, we are not with you.
00:57:40
Speaker
m Make sure you know we won't sell our you know life short, cheap, just for a little fiction. So... and you know fiction however Yeah, it's it's so true. I mean, the Bible does say, you know, to honor kings or governments, but there is absolutely no excuse ever given in the Bible for dishonoring God in favor of of what the government says. So even when they're they're righteous governments or evil governments, there's a certain amount of honor you can still give to or over you.
00:58:19
Speaker
But yet the Bible, you're right, it's full of stories of people who, well, they had to make decision. Do I do what the government says or do I do what God says? And the answer is always do what God says, especially when a government becomes God minded.
00:58:36
Speaker
Not that they have Jesus on their mind, but they see themselves as a God. That's when there is a very healthy level of civil disobedience. Yeah. Yeah. And going against the grain. Yeah.
00:58:49
Speaker
Amazing.
00:58:54
Speaker
First Thessalonians chapter five, five to 11, speaks to people who become apathetic and indifferent.
00:59:06
Speaker
There's the apostle Paul writing to a church first century AD Thessalonica. You are all children of the light and children of the day. Because we're citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
00:59:23
Speaker
We do not belong to the night or to the spiritual darkness. So then, let us not be like others who are again asleep, a little slumber, a little sleep, but let us be awake and sober.
00:59:40
Speaker
For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober. putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. You think God thoughts, God reality.
01:00:01
Speaker
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath. That is Paul saying you will not live under the antichrist or the apocalypse, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
01:00:13
Speaker
He died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. That's if you're alive or dead, you'll be with Jesus. Therefore, encourage each other and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
01:00:28
Speaker
So he's saying you're a child of the light, live like it. You're a citizen of heaven on the earth, live like it. You're an ambassador for Jesus on the earth, live like it.
01:00:39
Speaker
Don't be modeling what people who are spiritually dead do.
01:00:46
Speaker
Laziness. Not exactly the same, but related.
01:00:53
Speaker
Ephesians, which again Paul wrote, this time to a church in Ephesus in the first century AD, chapter 5, 15 to 17. Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.
01:01:18
Speaker
Therefore, it do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Sometimes we tell ourselves, well, I'll put that off until tomorrow. I'll put that off until next week. I'll put that off for a month. Well, that really a priority your concern. Maybe not.
01:01:35
Speaker
The days are evil. The devil is the prince of this world. He has no shortage of servants in the natural and supernatural aiding and abetting him.
01:01:47
Speaker
It goes down to God's people to own their zone. In the day that you have, are you maximizing your time? For instance, I wake up. I'm not, again, not telling people what to do. This is just for me.
01:02:02
Speaker
I wake up at 5.30 a.m. in the morning. Before 8 p.m., I've already put my clothes on. I've already prayed corporately.
01:02:14
Speaker
I've already done some exercise. i go for Walks around my time.
01:02:20
Speaker
Then I'll say, I've got some messages, and ill say, okay, so i've got three dream interpretations here, and someone's a call. Right, I'll try get through those before 11am.
01:02:32
Speaker
Then I might say, okay, I've got teaching to do on Wednesday, so I'll give two hours now to finishing the the preparation for teaching. That brings us, like, say, 1pm.
01:02:44
Speaker
Then I might say... okay, someone needs a deliverance, so I'll give maybe two hours for that, maybe three hours for that. Then I'll say, right, I want to do some writing, some book editing, and that might bring me to maybe four, half past four, I'll have some dinner.
01:03:01
Speaker
Then I might say, okay, I'm going to visit someone who I haven't seen in a while. Whatever it is, maximizing my time, getting the most out of the day.
01:03:13
Speaker
we all have a different flow to our lives, a different lane, different zones. So how I live will not be how you live. But we can all maximize our time regardless.
01:03:26
Speaker
We can all still choose to do what God has told us to do in the day that we have. I used to always say, oh God, there aren't enough hours in the day, but actually 24 hours is how we created it.
01:03:41
Speaker
That means 24 hours is sufficient to do what he wants you to do in that day.
01:03:55
Speaker
This is one that I considered omitting from the list because I know people can take it to an extreme. But I'm going leave it here.
01:04:07
Speaker
Process personal pain privately and appropriately. I am not saying if you're having a bad day, keep it to yourself. I am not saying don't reach out for help.
01:04:23
Speaker
I am not saying suffer in silence.
01:04:29
Speaker
But there are things
01:04:33
Speaker
that you have to go through with the Lord. There are things you're going go through in life. And actually you don't need 10 people sticking their nose in your business.
01:04:48
Speaker
There are things that you don't need to post on social media. I absolutely cannot stand. And I don't go to Facebook it regularly anymore.
01:05:00
Speaker
But i when i was on when I was a Facebooker, I couldn't stand low to people's status. And they would say things like, it was always women. um Oh my goodness, I've just had the most horrible day. I know what you said behind my back.
01:05:16
Speaker
Whoever I'm writing about, you know who you are And then, of course, the nosy people, nosy Facebookers were like, Oh my goodness, babes, so sorry you went through a hard time. What's going on? Here to talk. Love hurt.
01:05:33
Speaker
And the one who opposed the saddest were then both back. I don't want to talk about it. Full stop. I would think, clearly, chickatita, you do.
01:05:46
Speaker
And then there are those they'll go online or whatever and they'll just say, you know, this happened and this person said this and this person this. And it's like, this is a bit cringy. Calm yourself down.
01:05:57
Speaker
There are certain things that you're going to go through that will just be between you and the Lord. There'll be certain things you go through that you can share as a testimony after the test, that you can share as a message after the mess.
01:06:20
Speaker
But there are things that you don't need everybody being part of that area of your life, that part of your business. And there are times when you're going to have to put personal pain aside for a moment in order to do what God has for you to do.
01:06:38
Speaker
And I think such a beautiful and brave example of this is in Matthew 14, 13, where Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, was arrested by King Herod.
01:06:53
Speaker
He was beheaded. he was put in jail and his head was chopped off at a dinner party.
01:07:01
Speaker
Men came to Jesus and they said, Jesus, that cousin you love so much? It's so... His head was chopped off and put on a silver platter before royals and everyone in the royal circles. You have to listen to that. Very important.
01:07:23
Speaker
i Yeah, absolutely, Priya. um And then Jesus then says, sorry, goes on to say, as soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.
01:07:38
Speaker
But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. All he wanted was a quiet moment to grieve the death of his cousin.
01:07:56
Speaker
All he wanted was a moment to cry a few tears, probably many tears, that someone who he had known his whole life Someone who had been put in prison for speaking God's word.
01:08:15
Speaker
And someone who had now literally been dismembered. His head cut off his neck. He just needed to catch his breath. He just needed some alone time.
01:08:27
Speaker
And all these people came running to him. Looking for a teaching, looking for a miracle, working for a breakthrough.
01:08:37
Speaker
And he was filled with compassion for them.
01:08:42
Speaker
So he put his personal issues to one side, put his private pain to one side.
01:08:49
Speaker
He taught the crowd. He spoke life over the crowd. And after they left, I'm sure he went back to his private grief.
01:08:59
Speaker
And there'll be times, and it's not fun, and it's not nice, There will be times when you will be expected to put aside your grief or your processing of your pain that other people can get their breakthrough.
01:09:23
Speaker
And if Jesus had to do it, it's to be part and parcel of all of our walk as well at some point or another. Mm-hmm.
01:09:40
Speaker
Another massive one is discerning, understanding, knowing the difference between what is and is not the voice of God.
01:09:57
Speaker
The best way to do this
01:10:02
Speaker
is to read the Bible and know what God's opinion is.
01:10:08
Speaker
Jesus says that his people would know his voice in the same way that sheep know a shepherd's voice. If you're not spending time with the shepherd, you can have no expectation of knowing what his voice is.
01:10:24
Speaker
But Jeremiah 29a. Jeremiah is a very interesting guy. He was a very young prophet when the Lord called him. And he was given words for his nation and international empires that his people did not want to hear.
01:10:41
Speaker
in Jeremiah's day, he was a very young prophet, and he would share the word of God. And then there were other prophets who were older, who would come alongside him, and they sounded very convincing, but they were false prophets.
01:10:54
Speaker
And then there were prophets who actually were diviners. They would they had might have had a prophetic gift, but they were working for witchcraft. For this is what the Lord of hosts...
01:11:06
Speaker
The angelic host, heaven's army, the God of Israel says, do not be deceived with the prophets and diviners among you. God's talking to his nation here.
01:11:17
Speaker
Even among God's people, the enemy will plant witches, warlocks and deceivers. And do not listen to the dreams you elicit from them. Other the translations say the dreams that you caused yourself to dream.
01:11:36
Speaker
There are people who so desperately want to hear from God, or they desperately want people to assume that they hear from God, that they will manufacture their own prophetic words, not from Holy Spirit, but from their own imagination or demonic sources.
01:12:00
Speaker
And it is a skill and it is a game changer. to be able to discern God's voice, and to know when you're being hoodwinked, when you're being manipulated, when it's a liar, a charlatan.
01:12:17
Speaker
i remember once going to a church meeting, not the Joshua generation, of course, and there were two prophets on a stage. And, yeah know, the pastoral team had obviously given them permission.
01:12:32
Speaker
And I said, okay, if anyone wants a Word from God, come forward. And I mean, there's no Bible teaching this church. Getting this prophetic word was getting your daily bread, apparently.
01:12:47
Speaker
So i e I didn't know too much about prophecy at the time, I'll be honest. But I said, okay, I'll i'll go up and we'll see what happens. So I went to one of the guys and he kind just looked at me and he just said,
01:13:03
Speaker
God tells me you're wearing a clown mask.
Prophetic Guidance and Discernment
01:13:09
Speaker
And i was thinking, yeah. I was probably very early 20s.
01:13:17
Speaker
And he said, God tells me you're wearing a clown mask. Now,
01:13:24
Speaker
God wasn't talking to me in dreams or visions back then. i didn't understand how he speaks in metaphors or whatever else. So I i was like, yeah. And he says, you're wearing a false face.
01:13:35
Speaker
God says you're inherently deceptive. You're a this, you're a that, you're a blah, blah, blah. And I was like, uh... So you know what? i turned back at him.
01:13:51
Speaker
I walked away. And I was convinced that that was God's opinion of me. That God looked at me, God was like, Ben, you're a snake. You can't be trusted. You're deceptive. You're a deceiver. You're a Jacob.
01:14:08
Speaker
Pastors had let these two prophets on the stage, had given them a platform, literally, that they were lifted up. I just assumed this was legit.
01:14:21
Speaker
Now, years later, and I mean years later, after i had realized that that was not God's word over my life, I spoke to one of those pastors and I said, well, listen, remember the day when you had two very particular prophets on your stage and that pastor looked very embarrassed and said a lot of people complained that the word that was spoken over them was not from God.
01:14:55
Speaker
I was very annoyed. I thought, okay, so, You made a decision to trust someone and they have used your trust. That can happen. That happens to me too.
01:15:07
Speaker
You trust the wrong person, it is what it is. Or you trust the right person and they do wrongly.
01:15:14
Speaker
But people complain and you knew you had had a false prophet on that stage. here And you didn't think to message everyone there and say, we are so, so sorry. Please come to us if I don't get offended or hurt or wounded. We want to give clarity.
01:15:31
Speaker
We promoted the wrong individual. we gave microphones to the wrong voices. We are so sorry. This bad call. Didn't think to do that. And I was all clapped hush hush.
01:15:43
Speaker
And I wondered, okay, God, I was wounded for a time, but eventually, you know, I actually do read the Bible. So I knew what your opinion for me is. How many more people actually sat under deception and lies that day are still carrying brunt of the wound, carrying the daggers in their heart because of it?
01:16:03
Speaker
You need to know that you know that you know what the word of God is over your life. And the best way to do that is by reading the words and, of course, gathering of the saints like this.
01:16:21
Speaker
Brendan, can I ask a question, please? as far ofre yeah and This is so ironic that you're teaching this teaching because i had a situation in work on Tuesday night.
01:16:37
Speaker
and It's like you're saying ownership is you know, taking ownership of ah of yourself and and Christ within you.
01:16:49
Speaker
went into work on Tuesday night and the place was an absolute mess. n And and i was the girls come in the next morning and they say, well, dear, how was your night? I said, don't even go there. I said the place was an upside down when I came in. Mm-hmm.
01:17:08
Speaker
laundry was there from the daytime. I said I had to do all the daytime washing and drying. And I said that the staff had nothing done when I came in.
01:17:20
Speaker
But there's two particular girls that I work with. and One of them, as you said, I thought was my friend. she had messaged I had messaged her I said Sandra would you mind filling the fridge up for me were cop with the water so it's cold when I go in tonight and I forgot to do it this morning because we had very busy nights Brendan one of the little residents was very sick and we were very very busy now and and she texted me but
01:17:58
Speaker
She said, oh ah oh, I'm only seeing your text now, Deirdre. I'm so sorry. a i I'm only seeing this now. And she said, how was last night? So I proceeded to tell her.
01:18:10
Speaker
And because it was herself and her friend, Sinead, went out on the bus and didn't arrive back with the residence till a quarter past eight at night.
01:18:22
Speaker
and I went down and all the laundry, the place was upside down. They deliberately put a wash on for two hours, one night a minute. Now, I'm not going to lie, Brendan, because I have to be honest and I have to be honest with God and God's people.
01:18:38
Speaker
I lost the plot. I lost the plot. And and I said it to her in a text message. So what she done was she ran and told Sinead what i had said in the text message.
01:18:54
Speaker
I walked in on Thursday night and Sinead was giving it that that loads about the washing and the whole lot. And the nurse that was on duty with me said, Deirdre wasn't annoyed at the fact that the beans were full of washing. She was annoyed of the fact that there was nothing done in the laundry room that there was washing there from the day staff that she could do along with our own laundry from the residence that we were putting into bed. Plus there was two items put on the machine, in the machine for two hours on a two hour wash cycle because it was done on purpose. And that's what the Lord was telling me. It was done in spite, Brendan, because...
01:19:40
Speaker
When the Leinster rugby match was on there the last Sunday I worked before I went on nights, the room didn't get back till quarter to nine. Now, I would never leave that building and leave work for anyone. I make sure everything is done for a night staff coming in because it's tough in there when someone's sick.
01:19:58
Speaker
I said, girls, I'm very, very sorry. I said, the two machines that fold are only literally back from the Leinster match. And I had everything done, but there's two machine loads down there full of clothes that I'm only have to put on.
01:20:14
Speaker
And one of them just turned around and and said to me, oh, right, like that, you know. But as a result of me speaking the truth to Sandra, she is now unfriended on friended and Facebook.
01:20:30
Speaker
and and is not speaking to me, which is fine with me, Brandon. I will not. ah i am I'm speaking the truth, both the truth.
01:20:41
Speaker
And it's it's just ironic, this teaching this morning is so relevant to what happened to me on tuesday night plus another thing i was listening to when i was on nights brandon i just want clarification on this yeah i can't remember it was um it was a pastor now don't ask me who i was listening during the night and he said when you when you're called to prayer at 3 a.m in the morning um when you are woke up by the Lord and called to prayer, that's the time that apparently he was crucified at, at 3 a.m. in the morning. Is that right or wrong?
01:21:21
Speaker
Okay, so
01:21:25
Speaker
the reality is we have we weve got different time zones. Right. So he died, Jesus died on the cross. in the nation of Israel just outside the city gates Jerusalem yeah at 3pm in the afternoon Jerusalem time okay so you have to look at it through that lens and it would have been like during their their Passover feast at that time of the year so what will sometimes happen is someone might say oh that's 3am maybe it is in their country yeah
01:22:01
Speaker
not necessarily in the country that you're in. You know what I mean? So is it possible that there are countries where, you know, for he died at 3 p.m. and another country it's 3 a.m. that time?
01:22:15
Speaker
Sure, why not? Of course. But what happens sometimes is someone takes that and then they start supplanting on every country and every continent. And then they end up just saying something that's geographically not true.
01:22:29
Speaker
yeah But what I will say is for those who serve the enemy, midnight to 3 a.m. are very active hours for them.
01:22:42
Speaker
A lot of people serve the devil and know it or don't know it to varying degrees. um But for those, let's say, who are in witchcraft circles and warlock circles, and for very many of them, their sweet spot would be between 12 and 3 a.m. So there will be times when you will wake up in the dark hours of the morning.
01:23:04
Speaker
And I'm not just saying, like, yeah you know, your your your brother comes in late at night or something, in a book falls off the shelf, or the fridge is making a funny noise. I'm talking like you wake up and you're like, think this is important. I think I'm awake because there's something special or important.
01:23:25
Speaker
In those moments, just pray. Something like your head straight away. a And if it doesn't, just say, God, if there's anything nefarious happening against me around in my world, I'll lift it up to you right now in Jesus' name. Because I think of one instance where one of my cousins um was at a club but one night.
01:23:50
Speaker
Or outside of it, sorry, she outside. And a street fight broke out. and She got home anyhow, didn't tell anyone. you know, it happened. She moved on. She had on with her life.
01:24:02
Speaker
But the next day, my aunt asked her, what happened at, I think, 3am, for example? And my cousin goes, wait, what? Who told you? Who have you been talking to?
01:24:15
Speaker
And my aunt said, no one. I just woke up and Holy Spirit told me to pray. oh And then she was like, well, actually, yeah, a street fight broke out. So there'll be times when Obviously, God knows what's happening and he'll wake someone up to own their zone, to pray protection over themselves or someone in the world. And you won't always know why.
01:24:39
Speaker
Sometimes you won't know until you're in heaven. And God is like, here's a book. and you watch you open the book and you see like a movie of your life, all all all all the hot spots, all the good times.
01:24:51
Speaker
and And sometimes like that, you'll find that a day later, well, actually, you prayed for me and look what God did. Someone prayed for me only couple weeks ago. and And at a time that inconvenienced me, at a time when I was like, okay, I i need to get off the phone. I don't have time for this. I was going to do. was like, no, Brandon, I need to pray protection over you. I said, fine.
01:25:15
Speaker
Okay. Well, two hours later, a jeep. Ran into me. Yeah. And what happened? Okay, in the second I felt my skeleton jump out of my skin and back in again.
01:25:29
Speaker
No bruises, no scratches, no harm. It was totally fine. In the end, I was calming the driver down. Probably the other way around. Why?
01:25:40
Speaker
Because someone chose to own her zone and pray for me. Yeah. At a time that inconvenienced me. At a time when I said, not available. But she did it anyway. Um... So when you feel that unction from Holy Spirit, that push to pray, don't stop. just Yeah.
01:25:58
Speaker
And sometimes you have to just do it instantly there and then. Yeah, because most mornings I'm walking at 3am and I pray. and but Amen.
01:26:10
Speaker
And after I pray then, I put on rush of music. Amazing. Now, that's very ironic that you were nearly hit by a Jeep as well, Brendan.
01:26:21
Speaker
I was coming home Wednesday morning and I was coming by the Ballinock County College. and If I had have been seconds earlier, 191 black Jeep swerved out in front of me and didn't even look right or left. I would have the i had the right way.
01:26:41
Speaker
I would have been sandwiched in my car. Right. Praise God. do that You're okay. Literally. Amen.
01:26:51
Speaker
So we did. And I said, thank you, Jesus. Amen. i let He put it literally. i would my My car would have been sandwiched, Brendan. Because he just flew around the corner.
01:27:03
Speaker
And I would have been blown over the other side of the road.
01:27:07
Speaker
Well, praise God for his hand protection of you, Deirdre. That's all I'll say. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. A super testimony. Amen. Thank you. And guys, if ever you do have testimonies like this during the week, stick them up in the group there and then, okay? It's always so encouraging to hear what God's doing in real time.
01:27:28
Speaker
Amen.
Communal Worship and Forgiveness
01:27:31
Speaker
All right. Another way that we can own our zone, preaching to the choir here, is communal prayer. worship.
01:27:42
Speaker
God loves when his kids come together as one. There are no lone wolves in the body of Christ. He wants his people to be a family. Psalm 92, 12 to 15.
01:27:59
Speaker
The righteous, people who are right but God, flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. Lebanon prophetically represents the Garden of Eden.
01:28:15
Speaker
They are planted in the house of the Lord. They flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age.
01:28:27
Speaker
They are ever full of sap and green. They're evergreen. To declare that the Lord's upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. There's no evil in him.
01:28:43
Speaker
How do you live a life that flourishes? In the courts of our God, in the house of our God planted. You put down roots, committing to a God's people.
01:28:57
Speaker
So when we've got church on Sunday, when we've got retreats, when we have revivals, open houses which are coming sooner than you might realize, you put down roots.
01:29:13
Speaker
And in the putting down the roots, in the stabilizing, in the not backing down, in the not running away, in the I'm staying put, that is where you flourish even into old age.
01:29:38
Speaker
Now let's look at how you deal with your enemies.
01:29:42
Speaker
Bad attitude. unwilling to be corrected and unforgiveness. Three major ones. If you do not own your attitude and you tolerate these in your life, it is going to have massive consequences and effects on your own.
01:30:06
Speaker
I shared a story a moment ago about when Jesus found out John the Baptist, his cousin was dead, And he just wanted to be alone and to cry and to grieve. And people were Jesus, Jesus, give us a word, Jesus. And he said, okay.
01:30:22
Speaker
The story of how he died is told in Matthew 14, 3 to 12.
01:30:30
Speaker
Herod, there are a lot of King Herods in the New Testament, but at some point but we'll go through all of them. Herod decided to marry a woman named Herodias. Herodias.
01:30:42
Speaker
However, Herodias was not a single and available lady. Single and raised mingle. Herodias was actually married to Herod's brother, Philip.
01:30:54
Speaker
You might say he's keeping it in the family. So he's sleeping with a woman who's already married to his brother. And she ah has a daughter that she's already got a family of her own.
01:31:08
Speaker
John the Baptist is a prophet. And prophets talk politics. A lot of Christians don't want to hear that today.
01:31:20
Speaker
They're afraid that if you talk about politics, the tithes and offerings will stop coming in.
01:31:27
Speaker
They think that if you talk about politics in a way that's nasty, yeah true, your charity, i am church charity, might stop getting money from the government.
01:31:40
Speaker
Taxpayer money.
01:31:43
Speaker
They think, oh, we might offend people who are voting for all the wrong things, and we just want people coming, even if they're doing wickedness and evil have evil opinions. So a lot churches try to sign into the whole political thing.
01:31:56
Speaker
If you're a prophet, God's going to talk to politics. It's seen the whole way through the Bible, all the New Testament. And John gets a word for Herod and Herodias, and he complains prophetically about Herod's sex life.
01:32:14
Speaker
The fact that his brother is very much alive and well, and Herod is doing the do with his brother's woman. So what do they do? They arrest John and they put him in prison.
01:32:27
Speaker
One night, it's Herod's birthday party. And everyone's in full spirits. The alcohol is flowing wildly, at least that is the only excuse for what happens next.
01:32:40
Speaker
And Herodis' daughter puts on this dancing performance. And Herod is so overcome with how wonderfully she danced that he promises an oath to give her whatever she asks for.
01:32:58
Speaker
Imagine that daughter had been a woman of God. She could have said, well, actually, we've got a big poverty crisis in this country. I want to create a big homeless shelter.
01:33:12
Speaker
She could have said, well, you know what? and the Bible teachers, the Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees are not fit for purpose, and they're coming into man called Jesus, we need to get rid of them and put actual people love God in those positions.
01:33:29
Speaker
She could have said, well, actually, women in this country don't know how to write their own name. Let's create schooling for women. Up to half the kingdom, she could have asked for anything.
01:33:44
Speaker
Instead, she goes to her mother, Herodias, and says, Mother dearest, whatever should I ask for? What shall I do?
01:33:54
Speaker
And Herodias, the things people say reveal what's the forefront of their thoughts. Who they are. Who they are, that's it. And then someone shows you who they are, believe them.
01:34:08
Speaker
Herodias doesn't say anything. Well, my dear, you should ask for an entire section this called a region, all for yourself. Herodias does not say, well, darling, we should set up um a university catered to women or middle-class families or working-class families.
01:34:30
Speaker
Herodias says,
01:34:34
Speaker
I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And I want it here and now at this birthday party.
01:34:48
Speaker
The daughter could have gotten up to half the kingdom.
01:34:53
Speaker
But because offense,
01:34:58
Speaker
because of bad attitude, due to unforgiveness, she turns to Herod and says, you know that man of God you have in prison?
01:35:10
Speaker
Well, I want the upper part of his body in this room, and I will take it on a silver tray, please. And Herod had John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin, decapitated.
01:35:28
Speaker
She could have had up to half the kingdom, but she settled for a head. If you entertain unforgiveness in your life, you will settle for a head rather than all the territory God would gladly give you.
01:35:49
Speaker
It is that serious.
01:35:57
Speaker
Lust. Another one I considered removing from the list, but I felt very strongly to include it. If you want to follow Samson's story, Samson is a Hercules of the Bible.
01:36:08
Speaker
You can start in Judges 13 through 16. I'm just going to look at a few verses here.
01:36:16
Speaker
Samson was a man of God. But he was not a godly man. He believed in God.
01:36:28
Speaker
And he did things God told him to do. However, if you didn't know him, you would not see God in him. Because he also did a lot of things God hated.
01:36:43
Speaker
Especially in relation to his libido. His love life.
01:36:49
Speaker
Samson went down to Timnah. And to Timnah, he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. Now, we started looking at 1 Samuel several months ago, back in June or July last year.
01:37:02
Speaker
Samson was the judge of Israel just before Samuel. So it's very, very close the life of Samuel and David and Saul. The Philistines are the enemies.
01:37:13
Speaker
These are the ones who, you know, murder people and scare people and oppress people. And they're already in the Iron Age and they're killing God's people every chance they get. Samson goes down to those people.
01:37:29
Speaker
Then he came up to his father mother. I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines of Timnah. Now, get her for me as my wife. Imagine speaking to your parents like that.
01:37:40
Speaker
this household, you'd get a clip around the ear. But his father and mother said to him, Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives? Now, we're not saying sisters or cousins necessarily, mean, like, for the tribe, the region you're living in.
01:37:55
Speaker
Or among all of our people, that you must go and take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines. People who in their hearts have not submitted to God.
01:38:09
Speaker
What Samson said to his father, get her for me, for she is right in my eyes.
01:38:15
Speaker
This woman was like the fruit on the tree the knowledge of good and evil. It was all about what he saw, just the external. And spoiler alert, that relationship does not go particularly well.
01:38:31
Speaker
And eventually he ends up with a woman named Delilah, who is also a Philistine woman. And she tries to find out the secret to his super strength, his God-given supernatural abilities.
01:38:47
Speaker
She wears him down. And eventually she has him wrapped in ropes, gouges out his eyes,
01:38:58
Speaker
and has him chained to pillars in a demonic temple, dancing like a jester.
01:39:06
Speaker
Basically.
01:39:10
Speaker
He did not control his own feelings. He did not control his own heart. He did not control his body, his urges, and his urges.
01:39:22
Speaker
So the story of Samson ends with him blind,
01:39:29
Speaker
bound as prisoner, and a roof collapsing on his head, squishing him.
01:39:37
Speaker
It is a dramatic story, but it is a very real warning about what happens if you do not control your heart, if you do not own your zone.
01:39:58
Speaker
Another one. is having a flight response.
Biblical Stories of Faith and Decision-Making
01:40:03
Speaker
A few Wednesdays ago, we looked at Ahab, is sorry, Abraham, his wife Sarai, and her servant Hagar.
01:40:13
Speaker
Abraham, more popularly known as Abraham, and Sarai, more popularly known as Sarah, were struggling to have a child. So Sarai says, well, listen, I have a servant, Hagar, an Egyptian.
01:40:27
Speaker
How about... You sleep with her. She will get pregnant and have a child. And will tell everyone that by extension it's actually my child. It's crazy. You wouldn't see this crap on EastEnders.
01:40:41
Speaker
Those of you in Britain know what I'm talking about.
01:40:45
Speaker
And... Hagar sleeps with Abram. Gets pregnant. And then Sarai begins to treat her very badly. You s slept with my husband, you slag, you total slag.
01:41:01
Speaker
And Hagar runs away.
01:41:06
Speaker
Hagar's name means flight. And I don't mean Ryanair, I mean running away, fleeing, getting the heck out of Dodge.
01:41:20
Speaker
So when hard times came, when trouble came, When difficulties came, she ran.
01:41:33
Speaker
When you're in a pressure pot situation, you can fight, you can take fright, you're too afraid to move, or you take flight, run away.
01:41:44
Speaker
That was her name. So that is what she did. And in the end, Jesus, know, he came and and in a guise called the Angel of the Lord, but it's Jesus, came to her and Look at this question he asks here.
01:41:59
Speaker
Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from? And where are you going? I believe Jesus is asking some of you that question today. It's like that Cotton Eye Joe song, you know, where have you come from? Where do you go Where do you come from? Cotton Eye Joe. He's asking, where have you come from? And what's your destination?
01:42:24
Speaker
Well, she speaks fear. Sarai, my mistress is oppressing me. She's bullying me. She's treating me like a but villain. now Hello, Hagar slept with this woman's husband. Let's keep that mind.
01:42:38
Speaker
She doesn't have an answer to where she's going. She's in the middle of nowhere. Parked up with her pot belly. Probably thinking she's going to give birth in the wilderness and then just die and get eaten by animals.
01:42:54
Speaker
She can think of fear. the trauma of her past. She doesn't think she has a destination. She doesn't know where she's going. So when she speaks, all she speaks of is her trauma, her anxiety, her fear, her stress, her aches and her pains.
01:43:13
Speaker
She's not thinking of a destination.
01:43:17
Speaker
And for us, it is so, so important, yes, to think of where you've come from, but to know where you're going with the Lord.
01:43:28
Speaker
And Jesus' response to her actually is, go back and submit to your mistress. He doesn't say submit to bullying. He does not say a submit to being oppressed.
01:43:42
Speaker
He does not say submit to the iron fist of the quarrelsome Sarai. But he says, go back. You're pregnant. the boat The boy's father is over there and and wants to raise a son.
01:43:56
Speaker
Go back.
01:43:58
Speaker
Now, eventually, there would be a separation, but that was then when the time was right. In that moment, she needed stability. In that moment, she needed a family.
01:44:12
Speaker
She needed connection. Running away with no one, with nothing, to a place called nowhere was not going to help her out.
01:44:21
Speaker
And... She says says here, so she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her. You are a God of seeing.
01:44:33
Speaker
For she said, truly have I seen him who looks after me. Therefore the well was called Bir Lohai Rol, Eladshin Kadesh, and Bered. So in her anxiety, in her trauma, in her fear, the Lord saw her. The Lord was with her.
01:44:55
Speaker
And instead of taking flight, she had to put down roots.
01:45:05
Speaker
Another thing you need to overcome to own your zone is indecision. It's a cliche, but not making a decision is making a decision. Choosing not to make a decision is deciding to stay in that place of indecision.
01:45:24
Speaker
And Proverbs 6.4 says, don't put it off. Do it now Don't rest until you do. There are things that God has told you to do, and he does not need you sitting around waiting for 10 Bible verses, three angelic visitations, and a poem.
01:45:43
Speaker
He needs you to move. He needs you to say, I've got to do this. I'm the arm of the knowledge. I need to just run with it. Make decision, commit, see it through.
01:46:03
Speaker
Another major one. Again, I've got to put this the top of the list. There are no particular order. Is to trust and have faith in the name of Jesus.
01:46:19
Speaker
That his name is above every other name.
01:46:25
Speaker
I grew up for the first five years or so in a Catholic church and they were praying the of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. And I was like, okay, fair enough. Now I started going to a Baptist church and they would only pray in the name of Jesus. And I said, oh, that's different.
01:46:41
Speaker
And I never knew why anyone was praying in any of these names. It never really meant anything to me. I thought it was just a fancy thing to say.
01:46:55
Speaker
And then one night when I was 15, I was very, very lonely. I'd been very broken by life. I was very traumatized.
01:47:07
Speaker
and And I was just done. I was just fed up of living. i thought that being alive just meant being in pain.
01:47:20
Speaker
So I said, you know what? God, I'm done. I can't do this. This is too hard. So I picked up this Bible, which is held together now by Merry Christmas sellotape, inside and out.
01:47:35
Speaker
And I said, i'm going to open this. And you have to speak into my situation on the first line of the first page I look at. Or so help me go.
01:47:46
Speaker
I can't do this anymore. And I opened it up. And again this is the verse on the very first line ah the very first page I saw.
01:48:01
Speaker
this is John 14, 14. anything in name and I will do it.
01:48:11
Speaker
it you may ask anything in my name and i will do it
01:48:21
Speaker
Well, I slammed the chest through it through the bathroom. I was convinced I must have had a hallucination. So then I opened it up again, just to make sure it actually was there.
01:48:35
Speaker
And I could not for the life of me remember what the Bible verse was. so I paused and I was okay, I was John. And then I knew it was the same number twice.
01:48:47
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so I was like, was it 16, 16?
01:48:50
Speaker
So kind began looking for that and I was like, oh no, 16, 16, that's not at the top of my Bible, that's not the first page, ah! I had a panic attack and I said, no. it was 14. Turn it back.
01:49:01
Speaker
It was still there. And I said, Jesus, in your name, I need a life change. I didn't know what that meant.
01:49:13
Speaker
I just knew that that's what I felt. I said, Jesus, in your name, i actually need friends. because didn't have any. Jesus, in your name, I need a reason to get out of bed in the morning, because I don't have one.
01:49:30
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I need purpose in Jesus' name. a man I mean, I gave a good long list. I don't know how many things are on the list. At present, I think there's only one thing I'm still waiting on.
01:49:40
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Everything else he's given me, and I have to say, their haste and speed and acceleration at which he answered his prayers, was phenomenal.
01:49:53
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Some of them literally began changing within a week.
01:49:59
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Again, it's very practical lesson today. Very different. I was going to teach on David and Bathsheba. but And God said, do that again. Own your zone today. The next one is make a plan.
01:50:13
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Yes, you can have supernatural experiences like my John 14, 14.
01:50:18
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But that's don't become so supernaturally focused that you actually want to put all responsibility on God and have none of it yourself. Because we're co-laborers here. He wants us to work together with him.
01:50:35
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At the end of 1 Corinthians 16, the Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian church, who I've been to this church, actually. and i went to Athens...
01:50:49
Speaker
in 2018, 2019, and I drove out to Corinth. I've been at the site and where this church was. It was a phenomenal property. it was outdoorsy and ancient architecture, just so, so beautiful, and the sun just pouring down the place, phenomenal.
01:51:07
Speaker
And while being amazing, this church did wreck his head. This church was a mad place. So he comes out all these plans and promises. And he says, i will visit you after passing through Macedonia.
01:51:25
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So that's the start that's a guarantee. I intend to pass through Macedonia. It's my plan. Will it happen? Maybe it's my plan. And perhaps I'll stay.
01:51:38
Speaker
That's a me. That's 50% with you. Or even spend the winter. Again, 50% possible. So that you may help me on my journey wherever I go. For I do not want, this is how he feels right now, to see you now just in passing.
01:51:57
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We have a lot to discuss and we need to talk about it properly. I hope to spend time with you. It may be will happen, maybe it won't. If the Lord permits, that's just making your indecision or your indecisiveness sound holy.
01:52:11
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But I will stay in Ephesus, that's a guarantee. When Timothy comes, not if, when, a guarantee. I'm expecting to see him, how he feels right now.
01:52:23
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His head is a very busy place. He has his present moment feelings. He has his intentions. He has his guarantees. He has his maybes. Do you have all those, or do you only have maybes?
01:52:38
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If your plan for the future is 100% built on maybe, i need to sit down with a pen and paper and start reassessing some things. Have your wills. Have your maybes, have your intentions. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, I'll survive.
01:52:55
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he knows how he feels in a given moment. I don't want, I'm expecting. He knows what he's planning. He knows what's definite. He knows what's maybe.
01:53:07
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And he's gonna let the Lord permit the maybes. The Lord can decide if the maybes are part of his will or not. But i have a plan, have a game plan.
01:53:23
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Well, that's great for the future. In the here and now routine is what's important.
01:53:33
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Psalm chapter five, verse three. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning means every morning. How does God hear his voice?
01:53:45
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Because he's praying every morning. In the morning, I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. I anticipate God doing something amazing.
01:53:57
Speaker
And this is his part this is his routine. It's a given. Have a prayer routine. Have a read the Bible routine. Have a physical exercise routine.
01:54:08
Speaker
Have a eat healthily routine. Have a talk to one person from outside your house at least once a day routine.
01:54:22
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This might sound like a contradiction. Two things can be true at once. Be spontaneous.
01:54:30
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You might remember a few months ago when we looked at 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. David was told by his father to bring his brother some cheese sandwiches, bread and cheese.
01:54:44
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David just happens to turn up when Goliath is insulting God, blaspheming God and his people, threatening his people with slavery. And David is disgusted by this.
01:54:59
Speaker
So David goes to Saul and says, your servant has struck down both lions and bears. He is learned he's on by himself. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.
01:55:17
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And David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine. And Saul said to David,
01:55:31
Speaker
Go, may the Lord be with you.
01:55:36
Speaker
Then Saul closed David with his armor, helmet on his head, chainmail, yadda yadda yadda, sword. And David goes and picks five stones.
01:55:47
Speaker
One for Goliath and one for each of Goliath's brothers. He just knows he needs one stone for each of them. And he marches on battlefield. That was not part of David's to-do list.
01:55:59
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That was not his agenda. He had not received a prophetic dream in advance. All he knew was to go the battlefield and give his brother cheese sandwiches.
01:56:11
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But when destiny comes calling, you have to rise to meet the moment.
01:56:23
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Here's a big one. Don't be afraid.
01:56:30
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It is not easy not to be afraid, but it gets easier the more you choose to be brave and courageous in his strength, in his courage.
01:56:45
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Isaiah 22, 1 to 14 is a chapter called The Valley of Vision. When you just can't see God's perspective, how one thing leads to another, to another, to another, to another.
01:57:00
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One of the biggest problems about the Valley of Vision is fear. It says all your leaders have fled together. Without the bow, they were captured. All of you who were found were captured, though they had fled far away.
01:57:17
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If you run away out of fear,
01:57:21
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There is no guarantee you will run away successfully.
01:57:27
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Because fear means you have more faith in the enemy enemy's power to destroy you than God's power to protect and save you. And what you fear, you empower.
01:57:41
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So if you're moving in fear, even running away the other direction, the enemy is going to everything you can to overpower you, outrun you, and overtake you.
01:57:56
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You have to build borders and protective walls. We're not saying build a wall to keep people out. You build a wall to keep the right things in and the wrong things out.
01:58:10
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Verse five says, for the Lord God of hosts has a day of tumult and trampling infusion in the valley of vision. A battering down of walls and a shouting to the mountain.
01:58:22
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You have to have the right kind of defense up.
01:58:27
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If you have the wrong defenses, the wrong walls, they're gonna have come down eventually.
01:58:36
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And put pride to death. Don't hold on to arrogance, pride, conceitedness, superiority come and as a superiority complex.
01:58:49
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In the same chapter, it says, and you saw that the breaches of the city of David were many. You collected the waters of the lower pool and you came to the houses of Jerusalem and you broke down the houses to fortify the wall.
01:59:07
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You made a reservoir between the two walls, the walls of the old pool, but you did not look to him who did it or to see him who planned it long ago. This is when you think your way is better than God's way.
01:59:21
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Your understanding is higher than God's understanding. You know best
01:59:28
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If that is the mentality that you have, those who exalt themselves will be humbled and brought low.
01:59:44
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Humility is so important.
01:59:48
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In that day, the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for boldness and wearing sackcloth. In the Old Testament, the people would put on sackcloth because it was really uncomfortable, it was itchy, it was rough against the skin.
02:00:03
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It was a picture of the condition of the nation. That you felt itchy and uncomfortable because your nation was going through something itchy and uncomfortable.
02:00:15
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And God would humble the people in the hope, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, in the hope. that they would say, I need to be about God's business. I need to take on God's opinion and God's perspective here. And if they did, he would save them and rescue them.
02:00:36
Speaker
Still in the same chapter of Isaiah, the Valley of um Vision, is fatalistic defeatism. Fatal something that kills you. It takes you out.
02:00:52
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People who always assume the worst case scenario. They're sitting around waiting for death.
02:01:01
Speaker
And behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine. Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die.
02:01:14
Speaker
the Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears. Surely this iniquity will not be atoneful until you die, said the Lord God of hosts.
02:01:27
Speaker
They knew death was coming, and they chose to embrace it. Not to resist, not to fight back, not to see things from God's opinion. if you're sitting around waiting for death, that shows that your expectancy is in the enemy, not in God.
02:01:44
Speaker
And it's very, very easy to find yourself in that, especially you've been beaten down by life more and more and more, bit by bit. And it has been hacking you at the knees. But it's so, so important that you make a decision or an act of your will to have a the victory is the Lord's and I'm more a conqueror mindset and mentality.
02:02:09
Speaker
If you sit around waiting for the enemy to have a field day and take you out, he will.
02:02:18
Speaker
Another one, very practical. Hone your skills. In Judges 20, 16, it says, among Benjamin's elite troops, 700 were left-handed, and each of them could sling rock and hit a target within a hair's breadth without missing.
02:02:44
Speaker
How do you do that? but With lots And lots and lots of practice. God has given us all gifts.
02:02:59
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Hone those gifts the best of your ability.
Spiritual Readiness and Timing
02:03:03
Speaker
In general, skills are acquired. Be the best in your field with those skills.
02:03:11
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Some people have a natural ability with things. They can pick up an instrument and within 30 minutes but become a pro. Become the best there is at what you do. Onto the glory of God.
02:03:29
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Premature promotion. It is one of the best ways to lose your zone. Because you're trying to go too far too fast, or you're trying to stick your nose in someone else's.
02:03:48
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I remember during February 2020, the lockdown was just about to be announced. i think it was like two days away from being announced or something like that.
02:04:02
Speaker
I was at a young adults event and they were having um a rap off or whatever they called it. So you'd sing a song or do a rap, you did it, then someone else did it, and then whoever the crowd loved and moved on to next round until eventually you had you know the the winner, the the the rap artist.
02:04:23
Speaker
And my song was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. grew up, when that was on TV, I genuinely had never watched a single episode. As soon the lockdown I was like, I need to learn this song forever and always. So I watched every episode.
02:04:41
Speaker
But the song is, now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down. I'd like to take a minute just here right there. I'll tell you how we became the French, sorry, became the prince of town called Belair.
02:04:55
Speaker
In West Philadelphia, born and raised on the playground is where I spent most of my days chilling out, maxing, relaxing, all cool, and all shooting some b-ball outside the school, yadda yadda yadda. Well, the first line I sang was in West Philadelphia, born and raised, I accidentally skipped the first five lines.
02:05:17
Speaker
And the music, the backtrack was still playing. then I was like, so then I had to try to get through the first five lines really, really quickly to catch up with the backtrack. It was an absolute joke. And I could not remember any of it I was mortified.
02:05:34
Speaker
ah And needless to say, i lost in like round one.
02:05:42
Speaker
But what happened, i was up on a stage, was unprepared, and when i was supposed to open my mouth and sing the song, nothing came out of my mouth correctly.
02:05:54
Speaker
There's a Bible story for this. I'm not gonna look it in too much detail, because we're gonna guess it in a few weeks, part of 2 Samuel. But there's a young man called Ahimaz.
02:06:06
Speaker
And Ahimaz sees something important. Or at least, part of something important. And he says to David's commander, Joab, can I tell the king? i want to tell the king. i'd love to tell the king. Let me tell the king.
02:06:23
Speaker
And Joab says, Ahimaz, this is... This is not the kind of news David wants to hear. This is not the kind of news that you're going to get any thanks for. This is sad news. This bad news.
02:06:40
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Whoever brings this news... David's going remember their face in this interaction forever. It will not bring him joy. This is a sad day for this country.
02:06:52
Speaker
And Joab sends someone else. He sends a foreigner, basically. And Ahima says, I want to do it. I want to do it. And he wears Joab down. And eventually Joab says, listen, go go follow that guy.
02:07:06
Speaker
But Ahima knows the shortcut. And he... runs all the way to David, and David's like, wow, this Ahimaz, oh, he must have good news. This young man has a brilliant reputation. He's amazing. He only ever builds you up. You feel encouraged after you meet this guy.
02:07:24
Speaker
And Ahimaz is like me, standing on that stage, trying my best to sing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme tune. And David asks him questions.
02:07:38
Speaker
Is this person alive? Is that person dead? What happened here? What happened there? How'd the war go? How's the enemy doing? And Ahimaz is like, in West Philadelphia, born and raised in the... but days Can't speak.
02:07:59
Speaker
He has nothing to say worth hearing. He is Brendan, the non-Fresh Prince of Bel-Air singer style. And David says, get him away, stand over there.
02:08:13
Speaker
And all of a sudden, this young man who had such a great reputation, who had pushed himself forward, who had promoted himself, who had put himself before the king, before authority, on the city gate, before the actual legitimate messenger could get there,
02:08:40
Speaker
his reputation gets destroyed because of premature promotion. Pushing himself forward before God's timing.
02:08:52
Speaker
Owning your zone is the lifelong. Owning your zone requires patience and process. So even though everything today, i know this is very different kind of teaching, and I'm throwing a lot at you, and you might be like, where are the heck do i start with this?
02:09:07
Speaker
You start it somewhere. like i mean I can feel the vibrations. The question marks. ah You start somewhere, but it's a process.
02:09:23
Speaker
You start somewhere, but it has a procedure. You start somewhere, but thank you. I'll
02:09:37
Speaker
wait.
02:09:40
Speaker
But you do not self-promote. If you're doing it to be seen, if you're doing it to get a certain reaction, if you're doing it to be around someone else in particular, if you're doing it because you just want to be circling leadership,
02:10:01
Speaker
wrong motivation. And either God will stop you before you embarrass yourself, or he will let you get there. And you will find that you're on stage in a rap battle with literally nothing them to sing.
02:10:19
Speaker
I was humiliated. Never went back to that church again. True story. St. Marks in Dublin. Wonderful church, lovely people. I never went back. Okay, we've got a few more.
02:10:35
Speaker
this is a serious one now. Don't downplay excuse or make room for sin. So often we say, well, you know, I will stop this, but but this is my thing.
02:10:55
Speaker
This is okay. I will stop all those vices, but this is the one thing that I'm going to continue on doing. And I've spoken to God and it's fine. It really isn't.
02:11:06
Speaker
It might be fine for one of you. It's not fine for him.
02:11:10
Speaker
Romans 12.9 says love must be sincere. number one love is God. If you were married, you wouldn't be doing things to tick off your spouse. So why do we treat God with such contempt?
02:11:23
Speaker
Love must be sincere, honest, and true. Hate what is evil. And cling grasp onto what is good.
02:11:38
Speaker
God hates sin. So much he sent Jesus to take on himself, die, and bury it in hell.
02:11:46
Speaker
That is how much Jesus hates in Sometimes people think God and Jesus have different opinions. They don't want, they're okay offending God, but they don't want to offend Jesus. Two persons, they're the same deity.
02:12:01
Speaker
Jesus hates evil. So much he took on himself. and said this cannot stay in the world, and he buried in hell. If that is Jesus' opinion, we have absolutely no right to be cavalier about it, to make room for it, to excuse this in our lives.
02:12:25
Speaker
Here's a nice one. Be generous with kind words. There are some people who are very generous with their opinion. They're very generous with their criticisms.
02:12:39
Speaker
They're very generous with, well, I wouldn't have done it that way. They're very generous with, why didn't you do it this way? You know, 10 days later sorry when there's nothing you can change.
02:12:53
Speaker
But actually kindness, it's free. It costs you nothing. And Proverbs 15, one says, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
02:13:09
Speaker
Don't hold back from sharing gentle words. Don't hold back from sharing kind words. Don't hold back from sharing God's reports, God's opinion, had God sees someone, God's love for them.
02:13:30
Speaker
There are enough wicked words that get thrown around the atmosphere all day long in everyone everyone's life. Throw some good seed.
02:13:40
Speaker
You also own your zone with preparedness, being prepared.
02:13:48
Speaker
In Mark 11, 12 to 17, Jesus walks past a fig tree.
02:13:54
Speaker
He's hungry, he wants some food, some free food, but there's no food on the tree. So he curses it and he says, may no one ever eat the fruit from you again.
02:14:11
Speaker
When he looks at a tree, he expects to see fruitfulness. He expects to see it in season. In season, even when it is out of season. Growing and blooming, even when weather conditions are unstable.
02:14:30
Speaker
And then it says that they came to Jerusalem and they entered the temple that Herod had built. Herod was a wicked, evil man, but he knew that if he built a precious, beautiful temple, the Jews would yeah they he then pac they'd be pacified. They'd be okay him.
02:14:49
Speaker
And he went in there and he saw the place was full of pigeons. The place was full of animals, it was full of livestock. Think of if you go to the airport.
02:15:02
Speaker
I... Don't worry about sweeties, but and when I'm on an airplane I do like to have a bag of Haribos. I remember as a child i was told, make sure you're sucking a sweet before takeoff, otherwise your ears will pop.
02:15:17
Speaker
So i just kind of developed this little airport routine of having a bag of Haribos, the tang-tastic fizzy sweets. So I'm on the plane, and I'm there sucking so my ears don't pop.
02:15:31
Speaker
And...
02:15:35
Speaker
If you have not been to an airport recently, everything is grossly expensive. Extortionately so. If you buy your sweets in your local supermarket, Lidl for instance, before you go, you might pay 1 euro 20, 1 euro 50, 2 euros, it's fine.
02:15:52
Speaker
If you wait since you're at the airport, you'll pay twice as much. And probably for less. Why? Because you chose not to come prepared. So financially, they fleece you.
02:16:06
Speaker
At the temple before the cross of Jesus, people had to sacrifice animals, their own animals, perfect without blemish. It was a picture of Jesus being the perfect lamb killed for us. It was it was a foreshadow of that.
02:16:25
Speaker
But when Jesus was on the earth in the nation who wanted him to be their king,
02:16:33
Speaker
all he saw was apathy. indifference, disinterest, people didn't give a toss about their own salvation. They went to the temple because it was their religious thing to do.
02:16:47
Speaker
It was that time of the year. Think of in the West, people celebrate Easter and Christmas for the sake of having a fancy dinner. But actually, they zero interest in Jesus the rest of the year.
02:17:00
Speaker
In fact, at the Christmas dinner table, he's only ever mentioned... as like a cuss word, Jesus effing Christ or whatever.
02:17:09
Speaker
That's what it was like when he was on the earth.
02:17:13
Speaker
People were turning up with this religious festival unprepared with no real heart conviction, no interest. They did it to be religious, but they didn't have relationship a relationship God and they did not want one.
02:17:30
Speaker
So therefore, because they came without their their offering, their sacrifice. The animals are being sold for an extortion.
02:17:41
Speaker
There was no worse for God happening to this temple. It was all about the money. Dead religion and money.
02:17:53
Speaker
So Jesus gets absolutely livid. He's infuriated.
02:18:00
Speaker
and it says he overturned the tables. He got their furniture and began throwing their furniture all over the place.
02:18:09
Speaker
Of the money changers, and the seats of those still pigeons, so if you're sitting down, you ended it up on the floor, and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple, because they hadn't brought what was theirs. There was no, I will sacrifice this unto God. It was all store-bought.
02:18:31
Speaker
And he was teaching them and saying to them, is it not written My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.
02:18:44
Speaker
The people the unprepared to participate with religion with no relationship. They were there because with the time of year. They were nowhere and near God the rest of the year.
02:18:59
Speaker
And Jesus said, your hypocrisy will not stand. who owned his A
02:19:11
Speaker
ah major one. Get over offense quickly. This might feel like I'm just like, you know, giving you a hundred different rules for for living.
02:19:22
Speaker
i Apply each of these if and when necessary, but my goodness, this is a major one. People who get offended. miss out on the expansion of their zone because they're too busy being upset and offended over stupid nonsense.
02:19:39
Speaker
In Mark 7, 24 to 29, Jesus went to the land of Tyre and Sidon and he entered a house and did not want din anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden.
02:19:52
Speaker
The more people there were running around Jesus, the less he could do. If he went incognito, he had more movability more freedom of travel. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit, a demon, heard of him and came and fell down at his feet.
02:20:12
Speaker
Now the woman was a Gentile, Syrophoenician by birth. She came from the same land as the evil queen Jezebel.
02:20:21
Speaker
She was not a Jew, she was not an Israelite. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. This is very interesting response from Jesus. He said to her, let the children be fed first, for it's not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.
02:20:40
Speaker
Jesus was sent to the nation of Israel, first and foremost, to save Israel. The job back then was for Israel to get saved and then spread out around the world to tell people about Jesus. That was his plan.
02:20:53
Speaker
Didn't happen. That was his plan.
02:20:57
Speaker
So it's almost you're having a dream and you see different like pictures and they all mean something. In this, the children is Israel, the dogs is Gentiles. In dream language, in prophetic language, Jesus has just called this woman a dog.
02:21:13
Speaker
But look at the faith she has. But she answered him, yes, Lord. Now she knew he was the Lord. She's not saying, yes, sir, or yes, prophet, yes, nice guy, yes, hippie with your long hair and your sandals. She recognizes that this man is God.
02:21:31
Speaker
Yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. You can focus on everyone you want to focus on You can do everything you want to do today. i know I'm skipping the queue.
02:21:44
Speaker
But I want your leftovers for the sake of my daughter. And he said to her with the biggest smile on his face, for this statement, you may go your way.
02:21:54
Speaker
The demon has left your daughter. Sometimes we get offended with God. He gives us a dream and he says something we didn't want him to say. he gives a prophetic word and it infringes on what we wanted. We read the Bible and he says something that we like, that we don't like.
02:22:14
Speaker
He says he hates gossip and we love gossip, for instance. There's Bible verse that speaks into your love life and you don't want God it. There's Bible verse that says,
02:22:25
Speaker
aim not to slander and to control your tongue, and you actually like being a busybody, getting thrown at everyone else's life, and you get offended at them. But if you get over your offense, and quickly, that is where there's breakthrough. That is where you own your zone.
02:22:42
Speaker
All right, we're nearing the end of the name.
02:22:46
Speaker
Durability. Having stamina. Having strength. Persevering.
02:22:54
Speaker
Galatians 6.9 lets us not become weary in doing good. For at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
02:23:09
Speaker
So often people give up too soon. They give up when on the cusp of something amazing. Stay strong. Stay in the fight.
02:23:21
Speaker
The law of attraction. Some Christians don't like this expression. the idea is biblical. You are responsible for what you focus on.
02:23:33
Speaker
Job 3.25. Job was a rich man. he was a blessed man. he loved God. But one day, satan attacked him. His marriage got severed.
02:23:45
Speaker
All of his children were killed. He lost all of his wealth. And his health went to the dogs. People might say, oh my goodness, how'd this happen? Job was so great.
02:23:58
Speaker
This is how it happened. What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. Even when he was the richest man in the country in which he lived, he spent his life dreading the day he would wake up and lose it all.
02:24:21
Speaker
And that is exactly what happened. What you fear, you empower.
02:24:29
Speaker
That is why 366 times the Bible says fear nothing. Don't be afraid. Don't be anxious about anything. Because God knows that every day of the leap year, if you're terrified, you're afraid, you're anxious, you're empowering your spiritual enemies.
02:24:53
Speaker
Another one, this is what I have to learn the hard way. For many, many years, I didn't know this. I learned this when I was in my late teens, early 20s. If I'd known this when I was younger, it would have changed my life entirely.
02:25:08
Speaker
Your heart is your responsibility.
02:25:12
Speaker
There are people in your life who have our responsibility to protect your heart, to build up your heart, to encourage your heart. you're responsible for guarding it.
02:25:27
Speaker
Proverbs 4.23, above all else. This is your first priority in terms of living righteously and owning your zone.
02:25:39
Speaker
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. All the issues of life flow from your heart.
02:25:53
Speaker
On my phone, I have my WhatsApp messages. I have my deliverance calls scheduled. um I have my online banking. That is not information I want people stealing.
02:26:07
Speaker
So should someone try to steal my
Physical and Spiritual Well-being
02:26:10
Speaker
information and they go zero, zero, zero, zero.
02:26:19
Speaker
Wrong pin, access denied.
02:26:23
Speaker
And then they go zero, zero, zero, one, wrong pin, access denied. and I could go all the way to nine, nine, nine, nine.
02:26:38
Speaker
People put more emphasis and time into protecting their phone than their own heart.
02:26:50
Speaker
That to me is tragic.
02:26:54
Speaker
If someone says to you, i was when I was a play a child on the playground in primary school, I remember my best friends walked up to me. I had just been at a karate competition in Italy, um and I came back with a medal or trophy or whatever it was And my best friends in the school came up to me and they said, we wished you would die in that plane. if There'd be a plane crash and you'd never come back.
02:27:19
Speaker
I was like, Like, a horrific thing like for an eight-year-old to hear from his besties. And you know what?
02:27:29
Speaker
I let in a massive rejection. Of abandonment. Of being forsaken.
02:27:37
Speaker
What would happen now is if someone said, Brendan, I wish you would die. Nowadays, i would say, zero, zero, zero. zero Access denied.
02:27:50
Speaker
Brendan... You have an ugly smile. People are always obsessed with insulting my smile when was younger. I don't know why. I'd be like, 0001. Access denied.
02:28:03
Speaker
If someone says, Brendan, you have come from nowhere. You've arrived nowhere. You're going nowhere. I'd be like, 9999. Access denied. If someone says, Brendan, you're really good at encouraging people.
02:28:21
Speaker
Thanks. I'd be like, 7762. Pin correct. Access granted. Don't steal my phone. It's not my real pin number. This is going to need you.
02:28:32
Speaker
I'm here. here.
02:28:38
Speaker
It be in my bag. It's like his online bank is there. i would have been the same pin.
02:28:49
Speaker
That is how militant you have to be with your heart. And this is hourly. This is minute by minute.
02:29:01
Speaker
You could be sitting in a room full of people having a conversation and they're not even speaking to you. And they might just say something like, Asher, look, there's always something going on. There's always trouble. Asher, look, everyone's like this. Everyone is struggling for money.
02:29:19
Speaker
Everyone is speaking poverty and debt, that whatever it is You just say access denied. No. The Lord wants me to prosper. My soul's going to prosper. My finances will prosper.
02:29:31
Speaker
If someone says how hated you are, thank you God that you love me. someone says, sure, no one loves you. no one would mourn you if you died. No one cares about you.
02:29:42
Speaker
The Bible says, i will never leave you nor forsake you, says the Lord. you yeah You hang on to that. If someone says you have no purpose in life, You say, I am an ambassador for Jesus Christ because he's the mediator between God and man. And I am here to evangelize the earth before the coming of Christ.
02:30:05
Speaker
Whatever it is, you combat it all with scripture and you only let in what is of God. If someone goes to zero zero, zero, zero, access denied.
02:30:22
Speaker
Okay, physical health, I've touched on this one already. 1 Corinthians 6, 19 to 20 says, don't you know your body's a temple of Holy Spirit within you, whom you've received from God?
02:30:39
Speaker
I know society says, my body, my choice, that's not biblical. You are not your own, for you are bought to the price, so glorify God in your body. When Jesus bought you with his blood and a sacrifice in the cross, he bought your whole life.
02:30:56
Speaker
So live like you're owned by Jesus.
02:31:04
Speaker
Be trigger aware. Trigger conscious. Not trigger combustible. Know what your triggers are. Do not let them Ignite and destroy your life every five seconds. Psalm 119 has verses. of them focus on god
02:31:37
Speaker
forty of them focus on your enemies twelve of them focus on your own sin This is what we looked at like last week ourselves.
02:31:48
Speaker
Now you might think 170 plus 40 plus 12 is not 176. Some of them have multiple themes. Have an awareness of your sin. Deal with it and move on.
02:32:01
Speaker
Be aware of who your enemies are. Pray against them. Pray against their attacks and move on. You keep your focus on God. If you're always looking at your past or the enemy,
02:32:15
Speaker
You will live under the thumb of the enemy and enslaved to your past.
02:32:25
Speaker
Godly counsel.
02:32:28
Speaker
Such an important one.
02:32:31
Speaker
Proverbs 11, 14. For a lack of guidance, a nation falls. But victory is won through many advisors.
02:32:45
Speaker
We're not called to live as lone wolves. No one person knows everything about God. He wants us to live together, to work together, to co-build his house and the world together.
02:32:58
Speaker
And we need each other. Invite other opinions from the right people. Invite advice from the right people. Invite advice.
02:33:14
Speaker
Counsel. Counseling. Help. Deliverance. Experience. Wisdom. Hard-earned experience. Lived experience. But from the right people.
02:33:29
Speaker
Not people who will speak into your life through the lens of their offense. Not people who will speak into your life through the lens of their politics. Not people will speak into your life through the lens of...
02:33:44
Speaker
Their goal, which is to be superior and make everyone, which includes you, inferior. Godly cancel.
02:33:54
Speaker
And sadly, you might find that they're in the minority, but they are right there. They do exist. Okay, I'll do the minion in a second.
02:34:07
Speaker
This, believe it or not, is by no means an exhaustive list. I could have given you more, but I felt that they were the principles that God wanted me to hone in lean into, and press into for today.
02:34:29
Speaker
These are the tools,
02:34:36
Speaker
like a trowel, the gardening gloves,
02:34:45
Speaker
The mat for your knees.
02:34:49
Speaker
Whatever this is called. of course Thank you. but These are the tools that the God wanted me to lean in on today to equip you to own your zone.
02:35:05
Speaker
To be about the Father's business. To take territory back from the enemy in your world.
02:35:15
Speaker
And to inject heaven culture in there. And as you are faithful with very little, he will expand your territory and entrust you with more territory that the enemy has already taken.
02:35:30
Speaker
The enemy has already stolen. Because we were born into a world at war and we will fight that war until we're dead. And then you move into that territory.
02:35:43
Speaker
And again, you'll apply these tools and principles to own your zone.
02:35:50
Speaker
And you'll send more people alongside you to help you take care of that territory. And as you're faithful with little, he'll entrust you with more. And more and more. And as you're faithful with much, he'll entrust you with much more.
02:36:06
Speaker
And you don't have to go looking for it. And you don't have to push yourself in its direction. He will give you that territory himself at just the right time.
02:36:20
Speaker
But you are responsible for owning it. For pulling up what needs pulling up. Adding weed killer where it's necessary, was out of control.
02:36:33
Speaker
For digging up the stones
02:36:38
Speaker
where the soil is shallow.
02:36:43
Speaker
Deepening it.
02:36:46
Speaker
And with that, incredible blessing will come to you, every aspect of your life, and the people that is entrusted to you who make up your life.
02:37:01
Speaker
And it's not easy. Some of these are very practical and they seem very easy. In total, it's not easy. Because every person was made of the destiny.
02:37:12
Speaker
to fulfill.
02:37:15
Speaker
Demons don't have one. Well, they have one, and it's the lake of fire at the end of all things.
02:37:23
Speaker
But because they don't have a destiny, they are determined to steal yours, to steal ours.
02:37:35
Speaker
Some of them are probably arrogant enough to believe that they can beat the Bible. and script for themselves a different ending than what the Bible has given them, I believe some of them know very well that their time is shorter than they can possibly imagine.
02:37:52
Speaker
And before they know it, they will be burning in that dimension forever and ever and ever.
02:37:59
Speaker
The only revenge they can get on God is dragging as many people there with them.
02:38:09
Speaker
But if... You own your zone. Your field can be full of wheat and barley. Your vineyard can be full of grapes and wine.
02:38:25
Speaker
It requires discipline. It requires dedication.
02:38:32
Speaker
It requires occasionally sleepless nights.
02:38:37
Speaker
It requires a lot of inconvenience,
02:38:44
Speaker
allowing God to use you in the margins of your day, to infringe on your free time.
02:38:54
Speaker
But we were made for this war. We were made for this battle. We were sent to the earth for this time. We were made for these days.
02:39:10
Speaker
And we're told that God is love in 1 John.
02:39:14
Speaker
And 1 Corinthians 13 says that God, sorry, says love always trusts. If God is love, that means God always trusts you to own your zone.
02:39:34
Speaker
And to achieve what he sends you to the earth to do.
02:39:40
Speaker
Amen.
Gospel of Grace and Personal Faith
02:39:43
Speaker
All right, guys. Any comments, queries, questions? and Then we'll have communion in just a moment. I know that there was a lot there and you might have to take time to process it all. but But any...
02:39:57
Speaker
Any comments or observations in real time? Yeah, yeah. I think i think all that's all in time, you know, because um lately, by as well, you know, he had the words about Kingdom because it basically goes to the basic. Laura, lara she was talking about basics, isn't it?
02:40:17
Speaker
Wireless, you know, and we go, but if you seek first, you know, it's righteousness and it's kingdom and a kingdom always about territory, language and territory and authority, you know, so it's always about these things. That's the right thing, actually. As I said, if you don't do these things, you know, which which are called, you know, pray,
02:40:47
Speaker
ah fast, you know, um find what the word says about you, not what you think, don't lean about you on your own understanding, but so on the Lord. So it's like changing your mind and depending on what the word says, but not what you, you know, because every time, you know, or the enemy will try to to hit you out of that line.
02:41:13
Speaker
You know, oh, you are this and that, but the Word of God, you are the righteousness of Christ. Is that it means you're perfect? No, very, very imperfect. But for some reason, he calls that before it happened.
02:41:28
Speaker
Now, prophecy, and like you said, trust and love, actually, trusting all things. I thought, that's what love is about, trusting all things, you know. And not not having that list of your iniquities or iniquities of others, you know, but love somehow has got that future, it's got that trust that that's going to happen.
02:41:52
Speaker
now and And not love, it means that you're so negative, you are so loaded with crap and negativity that you don't see the future. That's what the demons are. a like Like you mentioned, you know, so if you don't see the future,
02:42:07
Speaker
then you are completely living you know you lost your life yes yeah just living in an endless present yeah yeah so whether negativity creeps in it means the demonic creeps there's no love in there because because demons don't have love they would just have envy murder hatred Because they don't have a purpose, and if you don't have a purpose, you don't have love, isn't it?
02:42:35
Speaker
Maybe we'll go for the Packers, actually. Maybe, yeah. Maybe we'll go for the Packers. Sorry. What was wrong with it? Is it one of my hair? No, is it the no it's it's not true. I think it's a miracle. day or two long. a Yeah, no, absolutely, I promise. Very, very true.
02:42:51
Speaker
what are you looking at? yeah yeah might just be there for one day you mean? yeah no so so true and and it's
02:43:07
Speaker
we we were sent here for a reason we were and the reality is God trusts that we can deal with it we can win the fight But it's about having the discipline, the tenacity to see it through and not back and done.
02:43:25
Speaker
I think it's the more of what you believed and what you did because, you know, what you believe is what you do. It's really external, yeah. Like I said, what the man thinks in his heart, so he is. Like I said, if you dread, then you believe the wrong message that you can't do. it And if you can't do, actually facing the failure because everything will align, you know, and within you, you know, whatever you believe, you know. If you can say, well, am and the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then you are the righteousness of God.
02:44:02
Speaker
But if you fail somewhat in some, you know, like... ah fields of your life to believe it, that's what he's going to have. An enemy will be barking and, you know, will try to persuade you differently and you will always be attacked. Like you said, to ah minute to minute, you know, you've got to fight to your identity in Christ Jesus. It will because the the world is just completely lost, completely oblivious, you know, completely, you know, ruined.
02:44:34
Speaker
And they will try to project it on you. That's right. Yeah. No, 100%. I think that's why in these days, the enemy is doing such
02:44:49
Speaker
a monumental amount of work into chatting with people's sense of identity. and
02:45:00
Speaker
There are people And if I look at the I am expressions that they've come out with, they might say, I am a vegetarian.
02:45:11
Speaker
I am a bisexual. I am Latinx. I don't know what that means, but they seem to think it's a real thing. I don't know these people's first name.
02:45:23
Speaker
But they're telling me about what they will eat or won't eat, although it's an identity. They're telling me what they do in the bedroom and who they do with.
02:45:33
Speaker
ah They're telling me, again, i do not know what Latinx is, but the general vicinity of the world that they come from, before we even know their first name or how old they are.
02:45:47
Speaker
And people, they're looking for this identity their actual sense of self is fractured. Because if your identity is not in Christ, you will believe any lie in the enemy tells you.
02:45:59
Speaker
Or you'll begin looking for purpose, looking for belonging, and you'll accept any anything that gets thrown your way, any mud that gets slapped on you. But if you actually know that you know that you know who you are, exactly, the being comes before the doing.
02:46:18
Speaker
And that's because if it's doing, doing, doing, teaching like this becomes religious. Yeah, it's true. This becomes behavioral therapy. A teaching like this becomes, oh, Brendan's just fed up that people always call him and now he's telling them, sort your own life.
02:46:35
Speaker
If you're doing-minded rather than being-minded, that's what this teaching gets me embedded into. But if you know that you know that you know that you're the Lord's child, adopted into his family, yeah all of this becomes the overflow of knowing who you are.
02:46:54
Speaker
And yeah, it's massively different. Yeah. Very, very important. And that actually leads very nicely on the communion because something that I've been good in doing and deliverances recently is asking people a question that confuses them.
02:47:15
Speaker
And sometimes you have to confuse people to find out where people are at.
02:47:20
Speaker
The most important starting point for owning your zone is do you know the gospel.
02:47:33
Speaker
The gospel of grace. That's correct. I have to say I've been doing this sorry in deliverances this week but a last number of months I've been doing this to different people in different groups.
02:47:47
Speaker
You get a wide variety of answers. and you rarely get the right one. When people hear what is the gospel of grace, what's the gospel of peace, they'll typically tell me, God loves me.
02:48:03
Speaker
It's nice, but it's not the answer.
02:48:07
Speaker
They'll say, oh, Jesus is the king. um Jesus is many things, it's not the answer. yeah No, it's not. They'll say, oh, God's fighting my battles He is, but it's not the answer. It's not the gospel. It's not the gospel.
02:48:26
Speaker
I'm going to put two verses on the screen that I want you all to know that you know you know, that you know, that know, which is the answer.
02:48:35
Speaker
And this is 1 Corinthians 15, 1-4.
02:48:40
Speaker
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I, Paul, preach to you. Which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
02:48:53
Speaker
Why is he reminding them? ah but Because they believed it and then someone told them something different. And they got confused. They believed it and they got saved.
02:49:05
Speaker
And then someone else said, that's not the gospel. And then they had two things in their head at once. That are polar opposites. They believed they got saved.
02:49:17
Speaker
And then time went on. They didn't think about it for a while. And then they just got wishy-washy and their theology got all over the place. By this gospel, you are saved.
02:49:30
Speaker
If you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. So you're saved if you believe this, but you have to go on believing it.
02:49:41
Speaker
Don't believe it once and forget it. Don't believe it once and then just believe. Believe it and believe it forever. For what I passed on to you, I passed on as of first importance.
02:49:55
Speaker
This is the single most important thing the Apostle Paul has ever said. That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.
02:50:07
Speaker
okay That he was buried. That he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures. What of the gospel of grace? is that Jesus died for your sins and he rose again.
02:50:23
Speaker
What do we do with that? This goes very nicely with Romans 10, 9 to 10, also written by Paul. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord.
02:50:38
Speaker
That means Jesus is the master. Jesus is master. Jesus is God. Jesus is in charge of my life. Yeah. and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead.
02:50:53
Speaker
You'll be saved. There are people who believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. But they do not live like he is their Lord.
02:51:06
Speaker
I was in a church yesterday that I hadn't visited in a very long time. and It came and time to communion. They celebrate communion differently than we do. I'm okay with people doing things differently, so long it's done correctly.
02:51:21
Speaker
And the man facilitating the church service said, let's take a moment to reflect on our lives and see if there are any sin issues that we need to deal with before communion. And I said, gosh, that's an amazing prayer.
02:51:41
Speaker
Well, I might steal that for some Jotter Generation Sunday. And then, maybe being a professional teacher, I look at things differently than other people do.
02:51:54
Speaker
Some people say, that's nice. I don't do that. Whenever the deciles are posed, I count.
02:52:05
Speaker
And he said, let's take a moment to reflect. If you're already finished in your life, you can deal with it now. Let's pray.
02:52:16
Speaker
All right, everyone, please comment to the front. Four seconds. Four seconds. I could not say my name in four seconds if I went with my full name.
02:52:28
Speaker
Middle as well. And yet... People were expected to have a moment of the Lord and say, Search my heart and know me. Know all my inmost thoughts. Reveal to me anything that you despise that I will deal with. I lay at your feet. I kneel at the cross. I choose to live. rice Four seconds.
02:52:48
Speaker
Oh, crap. It was said to sound holy. It did not happen. And then next thing, about 100 people were up at the front, you know, looking for communion. And I just sat there and I said, God, i
02:53:04
Speaker
I'm not going participate in that because firstly, I'm not convinced that many people here actually believe that the cross and the grave happened.
02:53:16
Speaker
a and a man Secondly, I'm not convinced everyone here believes Jesus is Lord. And secondly, there's no way that they're taking this communion in a posture of holiness and reverence because no one analyzed their life.
02:53:31
Speaker
and said, God, there are things I need to change in four seconds. It did not happen. I said, this is communion for the sake of a performance, for the sake of routine.
02:53:42
Speaker
This is not communion for the sake of I am right with God. And this is a physical picture of what's true in the heart. So if you declare it with your mouth, Jesus is Lord.
02:53:55
Speaker
jesus And believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead and he'll be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and justified, not your head.
02:54:08
Speaker
Where did Jesus come from? Israel. Was he ah good man? Yeah. What was ah He was a good person.
02:54:20
Speaker
Did he die Historical records say yes. Did he come back to life? ah I suppose so. Head knowledge does not cut it. If you believe in your heart, you're justified. If someone put a look to your head and said, is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the one who lived, died, and rose again, and now he's Lord of the universe, say yes, and I will shoot you dead, would you say yes?
02:54:50
Speaker
That is how you know if you believe your heart or not. Yeah. And are justified. You become right with God. It's just as if you never sinned. He looked at you as if you're sinless. Amen, amen.
02:55:01
Speaker
month And it is with your mouth that you profess your faith or saved. You believe in your heart and and you speak it out. And may I say something? Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame. Amen. You can perish in hell.
02:55:20
Speaker
God's not looking at you, wagging the finger. He'll give you a clip around the ear when you and you misbehave. But he's not shaming you in the ways that the demons and devils do. Amen. Amen.
02:55:32
Speaker
The number one thing you do, Paul wrote both these verses and he said, regard this with first importance. Christ died for your sins.
02:55:47
Speaker
Some people say he died for spiritual warfare. That's not what it says. Some people say he died to make me better. That's not what says. It's not he he died to put my life back together. All those things are true. That's not what it says.
02:56:03
Speaker
First importance is he died to save you from your sins. Everything else, even if true sin. Amen, amen, amen.
02:56:14
Speaker
So we're going to have communion now. But regarding it with first importance, focus your eyes now on Christ crucified, Christ resurrected,
02:56:35
Speaker
Your sins on his body. Your sins burning in hell.
02:56:43
Speaker
He came a new life. Resurrected life. So that you would never have to know shame again. And then this time, i want to really meditate on that even before you put the communion elements in your mouth.
02:57:06
Speaker
And say, God, if there's anything I need to do away with, if there's anything I need to stop, how I need to own my zone, speak to me.
02:57:19
Speaker
Speak and be heard. You don't have to share it publicly. This between you and God.
02:57:30
Speaker
And after you've done that, after you've assessed yourself, and I'm going to play a song that goes on for eight minutes. I'm giving you a lot more than four seconds. Take this time the Lord. You're in no rush.
02:57:44
Speaker
No rush. You take that time to the Lord. You're not in competition with anybody else. Even those of you are on the on the screen, I'm going to cover over my camera. Okay, so don't lockstep your communion with me.
02:57:55
Speaker
You do this with Jesus.
02:57:58
Speaker
You and him.
02:58:02
Speaker
He's with you. He's for you.
02:58:06
Speaker
If there are any other requests in your heart for healing, for restoration, for breakthrough, lay all these things at his feet right now in your heart. Believing in your heart that if God could raise him from the dead, God can raise dead situations in your life to life.
02:58:26
Speaker
He can protect you. he can restore you. You make this your intimate time the Lord where you pray over yourself. who declares goodness over your life, if there's anyone else who comes to mind, just pray. You might not know what it is, just pray.
02:58:44
Speaker
Because even in whatever fire you're currently going through, there is another one in the fire. And his name is Jesus.
02:58:56
Speaker
He is for you. He is passionate about you.
02:59:01
Speaker
And he wants you to step into the absolute fullness of the life he died to give you.
02:59:10
Speaker
So again, we're not lock a step in this. You take your communion elements when you're ready.
02:59:16
Speaker
and met
02:59:38
Speaker
There's a grace when the heart is under fire. Another way when the walls are closing in.
02:59:52
Speaker
When I look at the space between where I used to be and this reckoning, know I