WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:10.120 A religious mindset attempts to replicate results at the price of process. 00:00:10.120 --> 00:00:16.800 The religious mindset substitutes inspiration with imitation. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:21.560 It replaces revelation with repetition. 00:00:21.560 --> 00:00:30.440 Wow, people of God! Grace and peace to you all in Jesus’ mighty name. 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:32.240 Thank You, Lord. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:39.880 You're all very welcome to this Partner Service here at the God's Heart TV Studio. 00:00:39.880 --> 00:00:45.560 I want us to begin this time together in a moment of prayer. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:48.200 Let us pray right now. 00:00:48.200 --> 00:01:01.920 Lord Jesus Christ, we are connected here at this moment unto Your glory. 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:12.640 Help us to remain spiritually and mentally alert 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:20.440 in this time of fellowship, meditation and prayer. 00:01:20.440 --> 00:01:29.040 Manifest Your strength in our weaknesses. 00:01:29.040 --> 00:01:35.440 In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. 00:01:35.440 --> 00:01:42.760 And the people of God said, “Amen!” 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:49.160 I have a word of encouragement for you today, a word of exhortation 00:01:49.160 --> 00:01:57.200 about the dangers of a religious mindset. 00:01:57.200 --> 00:02:01.880 And this is going to be taken from a story in the Old Testament actually. 00:02:01.880 --> 00:02:11.200 It's contained in two passages - in 2 Samuel 5 and also in 1 Chronicles 14. 00:02:11.200 --> 00:02:16.400 But for today's message, I'm going to read the account from 1 Chronicles 14. 00:02:16.400 --> 00:02:24.400 So please, I would encourage you to turn with me in your Bibles to this portion - 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:35.880 1 Chronicles 14:8-17. 00:02:35.880 --> 00:02:40.400 And once again, I'm going to read the story and 00:02:40.400 --> 00:02:51.920 really highlight the dangers of a religious mindset. 00:02:51.920 --> 00:02:56.680 It is one thing to start in the Spirit, 00:02:56.680 --> 00:03:03.120 but it is another thing to stay in the Spirit. 00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.760 As we're preparing to read the Scripture, you can just say that to your neighbour, 00:03:07.760 --> 00:03:10.000 or speak it out right now: 00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:19.440 “Don’t just start in the Spirit; stay in the Spirit.” 00:03:19.440 --> 00:03:24.400 Let's keep that in our hearts as we read this portion. 00:03:24.400 --> 00:03:27.560 As we read the verses, I'm going to be emphasising some lessons, 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:29.400 practical lessons of life from this account. 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:31.040 This is about King David. 00:03:31.040 --> 00:03:42.200 1 Chronicles 14:8 - “Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king 00:03:42.200 --> 00:03:50.600 over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. 00:03:50.600 --> 00:03:54.760 And David heard of it and went out against them.” 00:03:54.760 --> 00:03:57.200 Okay, let's just pause the story here. 00:03:57.200 --> 00:04:00.080 Because there's already a very big lesson here. 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.720 I want you to think about this. 00:04:02.720 --> 00:04:15.960 God had been equipping David in private long before anointing him in public. 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:29.600 He was being prepared spiritually long before the battle broke out physically. 00:04:29.600 --> 00:04:37.760 Because anointing attracts attacks. 00:04:37.760 --> 00:04:45.840 Don't be surprised when blessings are accompanied by battles 00:04:45.840 --> 00:04:54.920 to remind us just how much we need God. 00:04:54.920 --> 00:05:05.120 Ammunition selected by your enemy is a clue to his fear of you. 00:05:05.120 --> 00:05:07.720 That’s a deep statement. 00:05:07.720 --> 00:05:12.440 I'm quoting Prophet T.B. Joshua there. I'll say it again. 00:05:12.440 --> 00:05:27.400 Ammunition selected by your enemy is a clue to his fear of you. 00:05:27.400 --> 00:05:34.480 The devil does not waste attention on those who don't threaten his kingdom. 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:38.600 Why am I pausing to emphasise this point, children of God, 00:05:38.600 --> 00:05:42.080 before we even get into the main focus of this story? 00:05:42.080 --> 00:05:46.720 This is a point of reflection because 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:58.560 there are many of us today who fall into the trap of attributing delay 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:05.680 to the blockage of the devil, rather than to the building of God. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:12.560 What many of us see as delay - ‘I'm praying for this, but it's not yet come to pass. 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.920 I'm expecting this in my career; it’s not yet happened. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:17.480 I'm expecting this to happen. 00:06:17.480 --> 00:06:21.560 I'm seeking God for this, but I have not seen the visible results.’ 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:32.160 What you see as delay is God building you, not the devil blocking you - as a Christian. 00:06:32.160 --> 00:06:40.080 It's common for people today to attribute their delay or their disappointment 00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:43.360 to the work of the devil - ‘The devil has blocked me. 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:48.040 The devil is behind this. The devil has stopped me from fulfilling my destiny.’ 00:06:48.040 --> 00:06:51.000 Whereas rather than the devil blocking you, 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:57.800 it is actually God building you, preparing you, equipping you. 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:05.800 But if you are so focused thinking about what is the cause of this blockage, 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:08.560 you may miss the process of building. 00:07:08.560 --> 00:07:12.920 Why must God build us? Why must God equip us? 00:07:12.920 --> 00:07:21.880 Because blessings are accompanied by battles. Anointing attracts attack. 00:07:21.880 --> 00:07:26.560 God's favour draws man's envy. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:29.520 That's why we must be equipped. 00:07:29.520 --> 00:07:38.080 The problem today is when, out of impatience or man's ambition, 00:07:38.080 --> 00:07:48.400 we take actions to jump ahead of God's time or try to skip ahead of God's process. 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:52.840 But in your skipping, you miss equipping. 00:07:52.840 --> 00:08:00.920 If you have skipped the building, then you are not equipped for the battle. 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:08.840 What many of us are passing through today is the process of God building us. 00:08:08.840 --> 00:08:14.040 You can say that to your neighbour right now or speak it out if you are alone. 00:08:14.040 --> 00:08:18.800 “I am being built, not blocked. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:23.680 I am being strengthened, not stopped.” 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:29.440 Say it again, “I am being built, not blocked. 00:08:29.440 --> 00:08:34.440 I am being strengthened, not stopped. 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:37.840 My delay is not denial.” 00:08:37.840 --> 00:08:48.160 Just as God was equipping David in private before anointing him in public, 00:08:48.160 --> 00:08:54.080 as a child of God, what you are going through is part of the process 00:08:54.080 --> 00:08:57.040 of building your character. 00:08:57.040 --> 00:09:01.480 A word of warning: 00:09:01.480 --> 00:09:13.040 If you rise by gift, you may fall by character. 00:09:13.040 --> 00:09:15.960 Or let me put it even clearer. 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:24.600 If you only rise by gift, you will surely fall by character. 00:09:24.600 --> 00:09:33.680 Don't get carried away by your gift to a place your character cannot carry you. 00:09:33.680 --> 00:09:38.960 Your gift can lead to greatness of man. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:42.800 But it takes character to have greatness of God. 00:09:42.800 --> 00:09:45.840 Your gift can entertain men. 00:09:45.840 --> 00:09:49.800 It takes character to entertain angels. 00:09:49.800 --> 00:09:56.480 This is just a pause in this story to think about this point. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:10:06.160 The moment the Philistines learned that David had been anointed, the attack started. 00:10:06.160 --> 00:10:11.720 Don't be surprised when what you are praying for 00:10:11.720 --> 00:10:17.240 attracts the attention of what you are praying against. 00:10:17.240 --> 00:10:20.640 God must build your character. 00:10:20.640 --> 00:10:27.760 Because what is being built in private will equip you to face the attacks in public. 00:10:27.760 --> 00:10:30.880 Anointing attracts attack. 00:10:30.880 --> 00:10:34.760 Let's read on - this story: 1 Chronicles 14:9. 00:10:34.760 --> 00:10:44.760 “Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. 00:10:44.760 --> 00:10:50.480 And David inquired of God...” - this is very important. 00:10:50.480 --> 00:10:55.760 Before anything else, before setting up his military tactics, strategy and plans - 00:10:55.760 --> 00:11:00.840 ‘How are we going to face the Philistines’ - his first source was God. 00:11:00.840 --> 00:11:07.280 “David inquired of God, saying, ‘Shall I go up against the Philistines? 00:11:07.280 --> 00:11:09.280 Will You deliver them into my hand?’ 00:11:09.280 --> 00:11:17.280 The Lord said to him, ‘Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.’” 00:11:17.280 --> 00:11:18.640 Thank You, Jesus. 00:11:18.640 --> 00:11:25.480 “So they went up...” - in accordance with that instruction, that direction. 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:31.600 “They went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:37.600 Then David said, ‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand 00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:39.960 like a breakthrough of water.’” 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:44.120 He did not say, ‘I have defeated my enemies by my hands. 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:46.720 My tactics have defeated these enemies. 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:50.920 My superior military strength has defeated these enemies. 00:11:50.920 --> 00:11:56.880 The skills and gifts of my men and myself have defeated these enemies.’ 00:11:56.880 --> 00:12:00.520 Even though they, of course, will have played a part in the victory. 00:12:00.520 --> 00:12:02.080 But David did not say that. 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:12.640 He said, “‘God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.’ 00:12:12.640 --> 00:12:18.160 Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim” - 00:12:18.160 --> 00:12:22.120 which literally means, ‘Master of breakthroughs’. 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:28.480 1 Chronicles 14:12 - “And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:32.560 and they were burned with fire.” 00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:36.560 There's a lot to think about here. Let’s pause a moment. 00:12:36.560 --> 00:12:44.880 The evidence of the genuineness of David's relationship with God 00:12:44.880 --> 00:12:53.160 was shown in his attitude before battle and after victory. 00:12:53.160 --> 00:13:00.280 Before the battle, David sought God's face. 00:13:00.280 --> 00:13:06.200 After the victory, David glorified His name. 00:13:06.200 --> 00:13:13.360 The intensity of the battle and the immensity of the victory 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:23.840 did not take his focus from God or his dependence on God. 00:13:23.840 --> 00:13:30.880 This is a very big lesson for all of us today. 00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:34.760 When a battle comes, who do you seek? 00:13:34.760 --> 00:13:37.480 Whose opinion do you seek? 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:40.640 Whose direction do you seek? 00:13:40.640 --> 00:13:44.560 Whose counsel do you seek? 00:13:44.560 --> 00:13:49.520 To whom do you entrust your heart when the battle comes? 00:13:49.520 --> 00:13:53.120 Look, at this time, we know we are talking about a physical battle. 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:59.920 I am, of course, referring here to the battles that life can bring. 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:06.400 Not just physical - emotional battles, financial battles, marital challenges, 00:14:06.400 --> 00:14:15.280 challenges in health, work, career - just name it. Battles. 00:14:15.280 --> 00:14:17.880 Who do you seek before? 00:14:17.880 --> 00:14:22.440 When you know a battle is coming, who do you seek? 00:14:22.440 --> 00:14:27.600 And when victory comes, who do you ascribe the glory to? 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:32.520 The evidence of David's relationship with God - 00:14:32.520 --> 00:14:37.240 how God had equipped him in private before anointing him in public - 00:14:37.240 --> 00:14:42.200 was his attitude before battle and after victory. 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:45.120 Also, I want you to take note. 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.720 He did not attribute the victory to his strength. 00:14:49.720 --> 00:14:54.400 He did not attribute the victory to his skills. 00:14:54.400 --> 00:15:02.320 He did not attribute the victory to the strength of his men or himself. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:05.960 He took no credit for the victory. 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:12.280 The spoils of success did not spoil his spirit. 00:15:12.280 --> 00:15:16.960 His conquest did not give rise to compromise. 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:22.440 That is why, immediately after the victory, he glorified God. 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:29.360 But not only that, he burned the idols rather than keeping them as trophies. 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:35.520 Some of us are busy toying with what is meant to be burning. 00:15:35.520 --> 00:15:40.640 David knew the source of his victory was God. 00:15:40.640 --> 00:15:48.920 So that is why he didn't give any space to the devil after the victory 00:15:48.920 --> 00:15:55.800 by collecting those idols as trophies. 00:15:55.800 --> 00:16:02.320 He acknowledged God, glorified God for the victory, 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.720 did away with any form of idolatry, 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:11.720 and the result of this is reflected in what happens next. 00:16:11.720 --> 00:16:14.320 So let's read on - 1 Chronicles 14:13. 00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:20.880 “Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley.” 00:16:20.880 --> 00:16:23.280 People of God, this is an interesting story. 00:16:23.280 --> 00:16:25.840 They had just been defeated. 00:16:25.840 --> 00:16:31.560 David had won the victory by the hand of God after seeking God's opinion. 00:16:31.560 --> 00:16:39.320 But the Philistines attacked the very same area. 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:46.800 Don't think that victory today automatically assures you of victory tomorrow. 00:16:46.800 --> 00:16:50.440 That you overcame today 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:54.680 does not automatically qualify you to overcome tomorrow. 00:16:54.680 --> 00:16:57.160 God gives grace for each day. 00:16:57.160 --> 00:17:01.160 You must depend on His grace each day. 00:17:01.160 --> 00:17:05.600 I hope you follow what I'm saying here, children of God. 00:17:05.600 --> 00:17:08.680 They attacked the very same area. 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:13.880 That an area of your life is attacked and by the grace of God you overcome 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:19.360 does not mean you are automatically immune from attacks in that same area. 00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:24.760 If David had attributed the success to himself, 00:17:24.760 --> 00:17:29.920 or he was busy toying with the trophies of past victories, 00:17:29.920 --> 00:17:34.240 he would not have had the sensitivity to recognise 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:37.560 the needed revelation for the present decision. 00:17:37.560 --> 00:17:40.440 Because if we read what happens, 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:48.080 David did not just assume that the tactic he used last time would work this time. 00:17:48.080 --> 00:17:54.120 He didn't just conclude, ‘Well, the Philistines attacked here. God said I should do this. 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:59.240 And so let me repeat the same process and the same victory will ensue.’ 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:01.320 No! What did he do? 00:18:01.320 --> 00:18:09.800 Let's read 1 Chronicles 14:14 - “Therefore, David again inquired of God...” 00:18:09.800 --> 00:18:20.560 People of God, don't think that the approach of yesterday will work today. 00:18:20.560 --> 00:18:25.720 You need to depend on God daily. 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:31.360 This is the danger of a religious mindset 00:18:31.360 --> 00:18:42.600 because a religious mindset attempts to replicate results at the price of process. 00:18:42.600 --> 00:18:48.560 ‘We did it like this. It worked. We will continue to do it like this.’ 00:18:48.560 --> 00:18:56.160 The religious mindset substitutes inspiration with imitation. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:19:02.400 It replaces revelation with repetition. 00:19:02.400 --> 00:19:05.840 David did not repeat the same approach to battle. 00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:10.640 He repeated the same approach to God. Take note of this. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:14.120 He still ran to God for guidance. 00:19:14.120 --> 00:19:19.000 He still ran to God for wisdom of how to manage this battle. 00:19:19.000 --> 00:19:21.120 He still sought God’s opinion. 00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:26.600 He didn't just conclude that the guidance he received in the last battle 00:19:26.600 --> 00:19:30.040 would automatically be the same for the next battle. 00:19:30.040 --> 00:19:35.680 In fact, if we read on, God gave him a different tactic. Let’s read. 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:40.520 “Therefore David inquired again of God...” 00:19:40.520 --> 00:19:46.360 Did God say to him, ‘I have already told you what to do. Follow the same path...’? 00:19:46.360 --> 00:19:54.760 No. God said to him, ‘You shall not go up after them.’ 00:19:54.760 --> 00:20:00.600 In the first battle, the instruction from the Spirit of God was to go up. 00:20:00.600 --> 00:20:04.440 If David had succumbed to a religious mindset, 00:20:04.440 --> 00:20:09.680 he would have taken the same approach and expected the same result. 00:20:09.680 --> 00:20:14.120 But what did he do? He sought God again. 00:20:14.120 --> 00:20:18.480 And this time “God said, ‘You shall not go up after them; 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:27.280 circle around them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 00:20:27.280 --> 00:20:33.280 And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, 00:20:33.280 --> 00:20:39.480 then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:44.000 to strike the camp of the Philistines.’ 00:20:44.000 --> 00:20:49.720 So David did as God commanded him, 00:20:49.720 --> 00:20:57.240 and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. 00:20:57.240 --> 00:21:01.360 Then the fame of David went out into all lands, 00:21:01.360 --> 00:21:05.840 and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.” 00:21:05.840 --> 00:21:10.320 People of God, I hope you understand the lesson 00:21:10.320 --> 00:21:13.640 I'm bringing forth from this passage. 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:19.000 It’s a practical lesson for each and every one of us today. 00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:37.400 Look, the religious mindset subtly seeks to disconnect your daily dependence on God. 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:42.960 If David had been overwhelmed by the spoils of success 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:47.480 or busy toying with the trophies of his past victories, 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:53.800 or attributing the results to his own efforts, rather than God's grace, 00:21:53.800 --> 00:22:01.920 he would not have been sensitive to seek God's direction when the next battle came, 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:05.840 even though it was in the same battleground. 00:22:05.840 --> 00:22:08.520 What am I saying here, people of God? 00:22:08.520 --> 00:22:15.240 We must be careful of anything that tries to interfere 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:20.120 with our total dependence on God for everything. 00:22:20.120 --> 00:22:24.920 We need God each and every moment. 00:22:24.920 --> 00:22:29.720 That you are in the right place with God today 00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:35.560 does not give you the space to relax in the spirit. 00:22:35.560 --> 00:22:41.000 If you relax in the flesh, don't relax in the spirit. 00:22:41.000 --> 00:22:45.560 Victory should not give room to complacency. 00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:52.960 Your victories today should not breed complacency tomorrow. 00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:57.640 ‘Everything was fine. We overcame this. I can relax.’ 00:22:57.640 --> 00:23:01.640 If you relax in the flesh, don't relent in the spirit. 00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:05.720 You need God each and every day. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:09.560 This is the danger of the religious mindset. 00:23:09.560 --> 00:23:13.000 We reduce the things of God to a formula 00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:17.880 that we can apply irrespective of the state of our hearts. 00:23:17.880 --> 00:23:25.160 The religious mindset does not recognise the importance of the heart. 00:23:25.160 --> 00:23:33.080 That's why we can just follow a plan of man, even if initially it was inspired by God. 00:23:33.080 --> 00:23:38.240 We now turn it into a blueprint that we adopt irrespective of the heart. 00:23:38.240 --> 00:23:42.640 You may look at this message and say, ‘Brother Chris, can you be more practical? 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:46.800 How do I apply what you're talking about? I don't think I have a religious mindset. 00:23:46.800 --> 00:23:51.680 Be more practical with what we are talking about here.’ 00:23:51.680 --> 00:23:57.680 If reading the Bible just becomes a routine... 00:23:57.680 --> 00:24:02.840 Every day I must read my verse, read my chapter. 00:24:02.840 --> 00:24:16.200 If prayer just becomes a ritual - I say the words but I don't mean them - 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:23.920 then the heart is no longer required and the Spirit can no longer inspire. 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:29.360 Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. 00:24:29.360 --> 00:24:34.640 Relationship lies in the heart. 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:45.280 Without the help of the Holy Spirit, your prayers can just impress man, not reach God. 00:24:45.280 --> 00:24:48.600 Without the help of the Holy Spirit, 00:24:48.600 --> 00:24:54.440 you will read the Bible just to be informed, not to be transformed. 00:24:54.440 --> 00:24:58.400 You may read the Bible. The Bible will not read you. 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:05.360 Without the help of the Holy Spirit, our fasting is just a hunger strike. 00:25:05.360 --> 00:25:15.000 You must be careful to not fall into a religious mindset 00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:22.720 that sets the mind or the mode above the heart. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:29.640 We just follow tradition, convention, ceremony. 00:25:29.640 --> 00:25:33.560 This is a word that calls for self-examination. 00:25:33.560 --> 00:25:39.280 Even in churches today, when we go to the house of God, 00:25:39.280 --> 00:25:43.040 from the perspective of you that are attending, 00:25:43.040 --> 00:25:45.880 are you just going because it's traditional? 00:25:45.880 --> 00:25:52.600 ‘On Sunday, I must go to church’ - even if your heart is not in church. 00:25:52.600 --> 00:25:54.440 That's religious. 00:25:54.440 --> 00:25:56.840 We may tick the box that we have attended church. 00:25:56.840 --> 00:26:00.520 We will not truly receive what will change our lives. 00:26:00.520 --> 00:26:07.920 Even from the perspective of those leading church, ministries, the work of the Lord - 00:26:07.920 --> 00:26:16.400 if everything is pre-planned, the heart is no longer required. 00:26:16.400 --> 00:26:22.240 If the script is already written, the heart can be missing. 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:28.320 If the script is present, don't be surprised the heart is absent. 00:26:28.320 --> 00:26:30.200 It can become a ceremony. 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:33.760 If everything is prepared before in a script, 00:26:33.760 --> 00:26:38.360 what's the difference between a service and a show? 00:26:38.360 --> 00:26:44.400 I'm not in any way discouraging godly routine or regularly attending church. 00:26:44.400 --> 00:26:50.120 But that something is regular does not mean it should become religious, 00:26:50.120 --> 00:26:58.600 where we just go through the form, the motions without taking care of the heart. 00:26:58.600 --> 00:27:02.080 We need inspiration from the Holy Spirit, not imitation of man. 00:27:02.080 --> 00:27:07.000 We need revelation from the Holy Spirit, not repetition of what has worked in the past. 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:12.680 We need relationship with God, not religion. 00:27:12.680 --> 00:27:17.000 That is a message I take from this story of David. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:22.200 This is a reflection of David's relationship with God. 00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:26.160 He sought God before the first battle. 00:27:26.160 --> 00:27:29.120 He glorified God after the victory. 00:27:29.120 --> 00:27:33.480 And when another battle came, he didn't automatically conclude 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:35.360 that the same approach would work. 00:27:35.360 --> 00:27:42.960 He still went back to seek God, and this time the approach was given differently. 00:27:42.960 --> 00:27:48.240 Because David knew the military tactics were not the source of his victory. 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:50.880 It was the Source of those tactics. 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:54.320 It was the Source - God. 00:27:54.320 --> 00:28:00.040 The source behind it determines the force behind it. 00:28:00.040 --> 00:28:13.800 This is why we need God every day, every moment. 00:28:13.800 --> 00:28:21.480 That you took a wrong step in the past does not disqualify you, 00:28:21.480 --> 00:28:25.800 and that you took the right step in the past does not qualify you. 00:28:25.800 --> 00:28:29.640 Many who are first will be last, and last will be first. 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:34.760 There is grace for each day. 00:28:34.760 --> 00:28:43.080 That I was right with God yesterday does not mean it’s guaranteed I am right with God today 00:28:43.080 --> 00:28:45.760 because each day has its own battles. 00:28:45.760 --> 00:28:47.800 Each day has its own challenges. 00:28:47.800 --> 00:28:50.160 Each day has its own trials. 00:28:50.160 --> 00:28:53.960 That's why I need God each and every day. 00:28:53.960 --> 00:29:05.720 The religious mindset is so dangerous because it uses seemingly godly things 00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:14.600 while disconnecting our daily dependence on the Source, God. 00:29:14.600 --> 00:29:17.240 As I said at the beginning of this message, it’s a word of encouragement, 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:24.120 but it’s a word of exhortation, a word that calls for reflection, people of God. 00:29:24.120 --> 00:29:27.040 It’s not about the way you overcome. 00:29:27.040 --> 00:29:29.800 It's about the One who overcomes. 00:29:29.800 --> 00:29:32.480 It's all about Jesus. 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:40.880 We must be very careful of anything that attempts, whether directly or indirectly, 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:49.400 to cut off our dependence on God, our communion with God and our duty to God. 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:51.680 That's the religious mindset. 00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:54.720 ‘This approach worked. Let's stick with it.’ 00:29:54.720 --> 00:30:01.120 Your approach to battle may change. Your approach to God will not. 00:30:01.120 --> 00:30:07.520 Approach God and let His Spirit direct your approach. That's the answer. 00:30:07.520 --> 00:30:12.120 So people of God, this is the message I wanted to 00:30:12.120 --> 00:30:19.480 share with everyone in today's meeting - the danger of the religious mindset. 00:30:19.480 --> 00:30:23.000 We must break free from the spirit of religion. 00:30:23.000 --> 00:30:27.720 How? Daily dependence on God. 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:37.160 Daily dependence on God requires daily settlement of the heart - 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:42.280 daily checking your heart, 00:30:42.280 --> 00:30:48.280 so that we are not toying with things we are meant to be burning. 00:30:48.280 --> 00:30:54.000 David gave the instruction to burn those idols. 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:58.440 Don't try to build bridges with what is meant to be burned. 00:30:58.440 --> 00:31:04.600 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off (Matthew 5:30). 00:31:04.600 --> 00:31:09.120 Some of us are taking trophies of past victories as if, 00:31:09.120 --> 00:31:12.240 ‘This will help me to understand the world better.’ 00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:17.080 It will help the world to overcome you, not you understand it. 00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:19.920 I will bring this message to a close at this point. 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:23.800 I know there is a lot of food for thought in this message, 00:31:23.800 --> 00:31:30.360 and we are going to have an opportunity now for questions, comments. 00:31:30.360 --> 00:31:34.200 If you have something from today's message you'd like to ask about, 00:31:34.200 --> 00:31:38.360 or you have a lesson that you would like to share with fellow people of God 00:31:38.360 --> 00:31:42.400 here in God's presence, this is an opportunity for you to do so. 00:31:42.400 --> 00:31:54.520 And I pray that the message you have received today will sink deep into your hearts 00:31:54.520 --> 00:32:04.600 to root out every religious mindset, in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:11.480 Thank you so much, Brother Chris. 00:32:11.480 --> 00:32:15.760 This sermon really touched me. 00:32:15.760 --> 00:32:26.520 Because I think I've fallen in that rut of depending on past victories. 00:32:26.520 --> 00:32:31.040 And I would say that in the past I would probably call them principles. 00:32:31.040 --> 00:32:37.840 But my question to you is this - 00:32:37.840 --> 00:32:44.320 when we find ourselves in that state, 00:32:44.320 --> 00:32:51.640 what is the best way that we can settle our hearts? 00:32:51.640 --> 00:32:54.760 You said that we first of all need to settle our hearts. 00:32:54.760 --> 00:32:59.480 What's the best way that we can do that? 00:32:59.480 --> 00:33:03.200 Okay. Thank you very much, brother. 00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:09.120 All of us can know - if we are sincere. 00:33:09.120 --> 00:33:14.360 You can know when your heart is not settled. 00:33:14.360 --> 00:33:17.080 Because no one knows you better than you know yourself. 00:33:17.080 --> 00:33:22.640 You may attempt to attribute it to other factors or forces, 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:25.160 but no one knows your heart better than you. 00:33:25.160 --> 00:33:27.440 If your heart is not settled, your heart is disturbed, 00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:30.800 first of all, we have to identify what is causing that disturbance. 00:33:30.800 --> 00:33:34.800 What is behind that ‘unsettlement’? 00:33:34.800 --> 00:33:46.800 And if we are to be direct, the thing that disturbs our spirits as Christians is sin, 00:33:46.800 --> 00:33:52.880 in whichever way, shape or form it manifests itself. 00:33:52.880 --> 00:34:00.040 If we recognise that the source of our disturbance spiritually is sin, 00:34:00.040 --> 00:34:04.640 we must equally recognise that the solution is spiritual. 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:11.040 Sometimes we try to mask our disturbance by 00:34:11.040 --> 00:34:16.040 engaging ourselves in other activities to try and just forget about it 00:34:16.040 --> 00:34:22.480 or take our mind away from it or try to postpone dealing with it. 00:34:22.480 --> 00:34:24.680 But the answer is spiritual. 00:34:24.680 --> 00:34:34.720 And the answer is not too far from repentance and seeking God’s face for forgiveness. 00:34:34.720 --> 00:34:38.360 That's the answer, my brother. There's no formula here. 00:34:38.360 --> 00:34:40.720 That's the answer. No one is perfect. 00:34:40.720 --> 00:34:46.520 That's why we depend on the Blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary for us. 00:34:46.520 --> 00:34:51.720 But I think one of the big problems people have today is that they delay 00:34:51.720 --> 00:34:54.840 in settling the issues of their hearts 00:34:54.840 --> 00:35:01.560 because they're not truly ready to deal with the sin that has caused the disturbance. 00:35:01.560 --> 00:35:05.000 Maybe because there's a fleeting enjoyment of that sin, 00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.680 or maybe because they have not been alert to recognise what it truly is. 00:35:09.680 --> 00:35:18.760 I so often talk about, for example, this issue of unforgiveness, bitterness. 00:35:18.760 --> 00:35:21.960 It's such an easy trap to fall into because you can be deceived 00:35:21.960 --> 00:35:26.280 into thinking you are justified in harbouring it because of the wrong done to you. 00:35:26.280 --> 00:35:29.240 But what you don't realise is that by harbouring it, 00:35:29.240 --> 00:35:34.640 you are violating the very command Jesus Christ gave us to release forgiveness. 00:35:34.640 --> 00:35:40.000 So even though it is the wrong done to you, not that you've knowingly done wrong 00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:42.080 to someone else, but the wrong done to you - 00:35:42.080 --> 00:35:46.760 by harbouring it, you're going to cause a disturbance in your heart. 00:35:46.760 --> 00:35:52.000 So that's an example of something that we often are not alert to recognise. 00:35:52.000 --> 00:35:57.960 We don't realise that that's the cause of our disturbance because we are clouded by 00:35:57.960 --> 00:35:59.800 the pain of the wrong done to us, 00:35:59.800 --> 00:36:06.040 or the feeling that such a response is justified because of what has happened. 00:36:06.040 --> 00:36:11.480 So the light of God's Word opens our eyes to where we need to repent 00:36:11.480 --> 00:36:15.920 and reconcile with God, and that is why we hear a message like this. 00:36:15.920 --> 00:36:22.640 You hear the Word of God and it brings you to the place of reflection, examination. 00:36:22.640 --> 00:36:26.240 And the beautiful thing is that when we turn to God with all of our hearts, 00:36:26.240 --> 00:36:32.680 He’s ready and willing to welcome us, to forgive us and the past is over. 00:36:32.680 --> 00:36:38.320 That's why I said the wrong steps you took yesterday don't disqualify you. 00:36:38.320 --> 00:36:41.800 Satan tries to use guilt from the past 00:36:41.800 --> 00:36:45.680 to paralyse us in the present from taking the rightful actions. 00:36:45.680 --> 00:36:50.360 But if you hear a message like this today and right here, right now, 00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:56.000 identify where you have gone wrong, ask God for forgiveness, reconnect with Him - 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:59.920 the heart can be settled and you continue your journey. 00:36:59.920 --> 00:37:05.480 But if you delay settlement, then you are building disturbance. 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:07.760 It's only going to build up. 00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:14.120 It's not going to be solved by trying to cover it with hard work or 00:37:14.120 --> 00:37:19.360 recreational activities or schemes of blaming. 00:37:19.360 --> 00:37:21.200 It's not going to work. 00:37:21.200 --> 00:37:23.480 You have to get right with God. 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:27.920 And to conclude, brother, I really can't emphasise this enough. 00:37:27.920 --> 00:37:32.240 My brothers and sisters in Christ, I cannot emphasise this enough. 00:37:32.240 --> 00:37:36.360 We are living in a world where there is no shortage 00:37:36.360 --> 00:37:41.880 of temptations and distractions everywhere. 00:37:41.880 --> 00:37:44.640 And this flesh is weak. We are weak. 00:37:44.640 --> 00:37:53.440 So we must take actions actively to help us spiritually. 00:37:53.440 --> 00:37:59.360 Have a place in your house set aside for prayer. 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:04.360 When your heart is troubled, go there. 00:38:04.360 --> 00:38:08.200 When your heart is disturbed, go there. 00:38:08.200 --> 00:38:10.720 Go on your knees before God. 00:38:10.720 --> 00:38:16.560 I tell you, if you seek God sincerely, you will identify what is causing that trouble. 00:38:16.560 --> 00:38:21.680 And as you bring it before God's presence, the peace and joy will be restored. 00:38:21.680 --> 00:38:28.640 But so many times something disturbs us and everything around us 00:38:28.640 --> 00:38:32.760 contributes to that disturbance, rather than helping us to settle it. 00:38:32.760 --> 00:38:36.400 Sometimes we need to set aside a place. 00:38:36.400 --> 00:38:39.520 Look, I talked today about the danger of religion. 00:38:39.520 --> 00:38:44.680 I am not saying, ‘If I go to that prayer room, automatically my heart will be settled.’ 00:38:44.680 --> 00:38:50.120 I'm saying find a place on the outside that will help you reconnect on the inside. 00:38:50.120 --> 00:38:57.680 Have a place which you can set aside for prayer. Life is full of distractions. 00:38:57.680 --> 00:39:00.640 Life is full of temptations. 00:39:00.640 --> 00:39:09.840 There's no shortage of things trying to shift our focus, take us away from God. 00:39:09.840 --> 00:39:13.120 But you know yourself. You know your heart. 00:39:13.120 --> 00:39:18.280 Everyone listening right now - we know our hearts. 00:39:18.280 --> 00:39:22.920 You can know if something's disturbing you. 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:25.640 You can know if your spirit is not settled. 00:39:25.640 --> 00:39:33.360 And if you are sincere and go deep, the cause of that disturbance is sin. 00:39:33.360 --> 00:39:38.600 But the Blood of Jesus is enough. Run to Him. 00:39:38.600 --> 00:39:40.280 To quote Prophet T.B. Joshua again, 00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:46.040 “If you make a mistake, as we all do, don't run from God; run to Him.” 00:39:46.040 --> 00:39:51.520 And that mistake will become a tool to teach you, 00:39:51.520 --> 00:39:56.080 to mature you, to improve you as far as you run to Him. 00:39:56.080 --> 00:39:59.440 But that's the issue - running to Him. 00:39:59.440 --> 00:40:04.160 That's the lesson from David - he ran back to God. 00:40:04.160 --> 00:40:08.240 In the victory, he ran to God. In the battle, he ran to God. 00:40:08.240 --> 00:40:13.760 When the battle happened the second time, he ran back to God. 00:40:13.760 --> 00:40:18.840 It was the consistency of his running to God that was the source of his victory, 00:40:18.840 --> 00:40:21.760 not the strategy that God gave him. 00:40:26.400 --> 00:40:33.120 Blessings! My name is Fabiola from Honduras living in Kentucky, USA. 00:40:33.120 --> 00:40:37.600 Thank you very much for this message, which has really filled my heart. 00:40:37.600 --> 00:40:42.560 What happens when we go to God as David did... 00:40:42.560 --> 00:40:48.240 Because David asked God what he had to do and God’s answer was clear. 00:40:48.240 --> 00:40:52.760 The first time He said, ‘Go’ and the second time He said, ‘Don’t go’. 00:40:52.760 --> 00:40:58.840 So, the problem I have is that I ask God but I don’t hear His answer, 00:40:58.840 --> 00:41:03.440 or I cannot distinguish the answer He has to my question. 00:41:03.440 --> 00:41:05.600 I’m going to give a simple example. 00:41:05.600 --> 00:41:09.320 I have been living here in Kentucky for four years 00:41:09.320 --> 00:41:13.040 and I desire with all my heart to go to live in Florida. 00:41:13.040 --> 00:41:17.680 It seems like it is something simple but I want to ask God if it’s His will 00:41:17.680 --> 00:41:20.280 but I don’t hear what His answer is. 00:41:20.280 --> 00:41:21.920 This is the first question: 00:41:21.920 --> 00:41:25.840 How can I recognise God’s voice when He answers me? 00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:31.520 The very first question you asked is a very common question. 00:41:31.520 --> 00:41:36.240 And at its root it is - how do I hear the voice of God? 00:41:36.240 --> 00:41:41.440 Because it is easy to read this portion and say, ‘Well, it was very easy for David. 00:41:41.440 --> 00:41:47.240 David just inquired of God. The instruction came. He acted on it. 00:41:47.240 --> 00:41:49.280 Why is it not so easy for me?’ 00:41:49.280 --> 00:41:54.240 Some of us would just like to pray and then we would love a voice from the heavens 00:41:54.240 --> 00:41:58.400 to come and say, ‘Go this way’ or ‘Don't go this way.’ 00:41:58.400 --> 00:42:07.400 And I think it's important to emphasise that this is why we talk about relationship. 00:42:07.400 --> 00:42:21.440 Because the closer you draw to God, the clearer His voice becomes in your spirit. 00:42:21.440 --> 00:42:27.800 God is able to speak to us in multiple ways. 00:42:27.800 --> 00:42:35.840 We cannot restrict God in the way He speaks to His people. 00:42:35.840 --> 00:42:40.760 Yes, I used the example that people would like to hear a voice. 00:42:40.760 --> 00:42:46.640 Some people - you can hear a voice audibly. It can happen. 00:42:46.640 --> 00:42:55.800 Some people may receive a message from God in a dream, a revelation, a vision. 00:42:55.800 --> 00:43:01.880 Sometimes God may send someone to you with a message that you needed to hear 00:43:01.880 --> 00:43:05.920 at that moment - God can use someone to convey. 00:43:05.920 --> 00:43:13.720 Sometimes the circumstances of life are themselves a message to us. 00:43:13.720 --> 00:43:24.440 Often, it’s the still, small voice of God’s Spirit in our hearts. 00:43:24.440 --> 00:43:28.760 What I can say to you, sister, is very clearly this. 00:43:28.760 --> 00:43:35.120 Although we cannot determine how God speaks to us 00:43:35.120 --> 00:43:39.560 or the way God will choose to answer us when we pray, 00:43:39.560 --> 00:43:47.240 what we can do is take care of the heart to whom God will speak. 00:43:47.240 --> 00:43:52.760 Prayer is not just about talking. 00:43:52.760 --> 00:43:55.560 It’s a two way conversation. 00:43:55.560 --> 00:44:03.280 It's about talking to God, listening to God not with these ears, but with the heart. 00:44:03.280 --> 00:44:07.160 If I go back to the answer I gave my brother earlier, 00:44:07.160 --> 00:44:13.160 the best way to position yourself to hear from God is to settle your spirit. 00:44:13.160 --> 00:44:20.600 If your heart is disturbed, your heart is troubled, your heart is weighed down, 00:44:20.600 --> 00:44:26.520 you will likely be insensitive to what His Spirit is telling you. 00:44:26.520 --> 00:44:36.080 This is why we reduce to desiring for our ears to hear the audible voice. 00:44:36.080 --> 00:44:39.640 Because we want to bypass the process of settling our spirits. 00:44:39.640 --> 00:44:47.040 Or we want to go to a man of God and just receive a prophecy - ‘You must do ABC.’ 00:44:47.040 --> 00:44:52.720 God can speak through His servants. Prophecy is real. 00:44:52.720 --> 00:44:56.960 God can direct people through prophetic words. 00:44:56.960 --> 00:45:00.640 But we should not see prophecy as an avenue 00:45:00.640 --> 00:45:04.960 to bypass God's processing of settling our hearts. 00:45:04.960 --> 00:45:09.680 I can just go to church and receive a prophecy that I should do this. 00:45:09.680 --> 00:45:14.200 Even if God speaks to you in prophecy, there must be a confirmation, 00:45:14.200 --> 00:45:19.200 which is why you must settle your own heart, settle your own spirit. 00:45:19.200 --> 00:45:25.840 I would love to say to you today, sister, ‘It's as easy as following this formula. 00:45:25.840 --> 00:45:28.760 Do this and you'll hear the voice of God.’ 00:45:28.760 --> 00:45:33.720 Look, the ways of God are higher than our ways. 00:45:33.720 --> 00:45:37.400 God sees the bigger picture always. 00:45:37.400 --> 00:45:40.960 And the way in which he communicates to us as His children 00:45:40.960 --> 00:45:43.840 can often be mysterious to these senses. 00:45:43.840 --> 00:45:50.640 But what I can tell you, God does not leave us without direction. 00:45:50.640 --> 00:45:54.320 If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him. 00:45:54.320 --> 00:45:57.920 He does not leave us without guidance. 00:45:57.920 --> 00:46:02.320 If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find it. 00:46:02.320 --> 00:46:05.760 You focus on the seeking and the direction will come. 00:46:05.760 --> 00:46:10.400 You focus on caring for your heart and 00:46:10.400 --> 00:46:15.520 sometimes events beyond your control will be supernaturally orchestrated 00:46:15.520 --> 00:46:20.000 from above to take you to where He wants you to be. 00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:22.160 But take care of your heart. 00:46:26.320 --> 00:46:29.480 So my question, I think it's pretty straightforward, 00:46:29.480 --> 00:46:36.840 but for me, sometimes it tends to be a challenge in the practical sense. 00:46:36.840 --> 00:46:45.720 So my question is, how do you depend on God in a practical way, on a day-to-day basis? 00:46:45.720 --> 00:46:55.440 And then what example do you have of how you do this yourself daily? Thank you. 00:46:55.440 --> 00:47:01.800 All of us need to examine ourselves - ‘Okay, I hear this message. 00:47:01.800 --> 00:47:10.840 How does this apply in my life, situation, family, marriage, workplace - everything?’ 00:47:10.840 --> 00:47:17.480 I think it all comes down to what we prioritise in life. 00:47:17.480 --> 00:47:21.960 If you prioritise your relationship with God, 00:47:21.960 --> 00:47:27.280 then you will structure your daily schedule around time with Him. 00:47:27.280 --> 00:47:32.440 It doesn't mean you neglect your other assignments and responsibilities. 00:47:32.440 --> 00:47:34.120 Of course not! 00:47:34.120 --> 00:47:39.600 I am sure you are a working man and I believe brother, you have a family, right? 00:47:39.600 --> 00:47:43.560 You have a divine responsibility to care for your family when you're at work, 00:47:43.560 --> 00:47:47.040 as you give your best at your work for the glory of God. 00:47:47.040 --> 00:47:52.440 These are not things that you neglect, but you must structure 00:47:52.440 --> 00:47:59.520 your time management around the principle of your relationship with God first. 00:47:59.520 --> 00:48:05.120 In other words, time with God is non-negotiable. 00:48:05.120 --> 00:48:13.240 It’s not like I can adjust my way of life to manage without investing time with God. 00:48:13.240 --> 00:48:17.920 It's essential. Now, how does that work out for you? 00:48:17.920 --> 00:48:23.320 You may say, ‘Okay, because of prioritising my relationship with God, 00:48:23.320 --> 00:48:27.840 I need to get up earlier in the morning and have some time of prayer 00:48:27.840 --> 00:48:29.920 or time to read the Scriptures.’ 00:48:29.920 --> 00:48:35.600 Maybe it means in certain areas recognising there will be some sacrifices - 00:48:35.600 --> 00:48:39.880 time I would ordinarily spend perhaps in leisure or recreation, 00:48:39.880 --> 00:48:43.560 I rather want to give that time for the things of God. 00:48:43.560 --> 00:48:51.040 That’s why I can't begin to share with you today specifically for you - ‘This is how to do it.’ 00:48:51.040 --> 00:48:53.880 You asked me the question - you should give an example of your own life. 00:48:53.880 --> 00:49:02.240 And for myself, I am, by God's grace, in full time ministry. 00:49:02.240 --> 00:49:06.680 Everything about me and everything surrounding me 00:49:06.680 --> 00:49:10.520 are things that redirect me to God, which is an incredible privilege. 00:49:10.520 --> 00:49:16.920 But you can't compartmentalise your life to think, ‘Well, I have my time at work, 00:49:16.920 --> 00:49:18.600 which is just for making money, 00:49:18.600 --> 00:49:22.000 and then I have my time with family, which is to enjoy fellowship with family. 00:49:22.000 --> 00:49:23.640 Then I have my time for God.’ 00:49:23.640 --> 00:49:29.520 No, our relationship with God influences and impacts everything about that. 00:49:29.520 --> 00:49:32.480 So when my relationship with God is my priority, 00:49:32.480 --> 00:49:37.800 how I navigate marital issues is informed by my spiritual principles. 00:49:37.800 --> 00:49:42.640 As husband and wife, you have a clash, marital misunderstanding. 00:49:42.640 --> 00:49:45.520 The evidence of what you prioritise in your life 00:49:45.520 --> 00:49:48.440 is reflected in how you react to that misunderstanding. 00:49:48.440 --> 00:49:52.400 So if my relationship with God is the most important thing to me, 00:49:52.400 --> 00:49:56.880 I cannot afford to remain in a state of marital disagreement. 00:49:56.880 --> 00:50:03.600 So even if I have to lower my pride, I must do so for the sake of settling that issue 00:50:03.600 --> 00:50:05.760 so my heart can be right with God. 00:50:05.760 --> 00:50:13.720 Oftentimes, marital misunderstandings are prolonged because we, at that moment, 00:50:13.720 --> 00:50:21.960 are more concerned about proving ourselves before man rather than being right with God. 00:50:21.960 --> 00:50:29.880 So if my relationship with God is my priority, love God above all else, 00:50:29.880 --> 00:50:35.840 everything else flows from that principle. 00:50:35.840 --> 00:50:39.880 So I could talk about time with God, reading the Bible, prayer. 00:50:39.880 --> 00:50:42.880 These are not things that should just be seasonal or circumstantial. 00:50:42.880 --> 00:50:44.240 They should be daily. 00:50:44.240 --> 00:50:47.280 But even that, it’s not - ‘Well, I’ve got my...’ 00:50:47.280 --> 00:50:49.120 That's why I talked about a religious mindset. 00:50:49.120 --> 00:50:53.080 ‘I’ve read my five verses. Let me get on with my life. 00:50:53.080 --> 00:50:55.720 I have offered my prayer. Now let’s get back to business.’ 00:50:55.720 --> 00:51:00.400 No! What I read in those verses guides me through life. 00:51:00.400 --> 00:51:06.560 What I pray to God guides me in business, family, marriage, 00:51:06.560 --> 00:51:13.560 guides me in how I respond when I take a wrong step as we all do, how I handle mistakes. 00:51:13.560 --> 00:51:15.960 So there is no formula, my brother. 00:51:15.960 --> 00:51:19.760 But I would still - you know, you asked me to be personal. 00:51:19.760 --> 00:51:25.080 I really encourage everyone to have a place set aside for prayer. 00:51:25.080 --> 00:51:26.720 I can't emphasise it enough. 00:51:26.720 --> 00:51:31.320 On a personal note, when I wake up in the morning and before I go to bed at night, 00:51:31.320 --> 00:51:35.800 I will go to a place of prayer. 00:51:35.800 --> 00:51:39.760 Whether it's for one hour, whether it's for one minute - it’s not about length. 00:51:39.760 --> 00:51:45.880 It’s about making sure our heart is right with God. 00:51:45.880 --> 00:51:50.520 That does not depend on being in a physical area. Our heart is the prayer room. 00:51:50.520 --> 00:51:55.680 But sometimes setting aside a place can be very beneficial, 00:51:55.680 --> 00:51:59.640 so you are surrounded by things that remind you of God. 00:51:59.640 --> 00:52:08.360 Even if the heart disconnects - when you walk by and see it, you are reminded. 00:52:08.360 --> 00:52:15.360 So I hope my brother, you take a message from this. 00:52:15.360 --> 00:52:18.600 So let me even ask you. This is a good opportunity. 00:52:18.600 --> 00:52:28.360 I want to ask you, do you have a place in your home set aside for prayer if you can tell me? 00:52:28.360 --> 00:52:31.800 So, I pray in the living room. 00:52:31.800 --> 00:52:37.920 I try to be consistent waking up in the morning, but sometimes it's a challenge. 00:52:37.920 --> 00:52:41.960 And the reason why I was also asking this question was - 00:52:41.960 --> 00:52:44.120 when the Bible says pray without ceasing... 00:52:44.120 --> 00:52:46.920 I think there was also a message where T.B. Joshua was saying 00:52:46.920 --> 00:52:49.320 you need to pray in your heart all the time. 00:52:49.320 --> 00:52:54.400 So, sometimes I pray in my car. I pray when I wake up. 00:52:54.400 --> 00:52:57.720 Sometimes, I forget. I get carried away by work. 00:52:57.720 --> 00:53:03.120 So, that's why I was asking - how do you keep that engaged? 00:53:03.120 --> 00:53:07.280 But I think your answer has been very insightful. 00:53:07.280 --> 00:53:08.560 Thank you, my brother. 00:53:08.560 --> 00:53:13.600 Look, living room is for living. Dining room is for eating. Bedroom is for sleeping. 00:53:13.600 --> 00:53:18.120 Find another place for prayer. Don’t combine it. 00:53:18.120 --> 00:53:22.440 I understand that not everyone may have the rooms available, 00:53:22.440 --> 00:53:27.720 but what I mean is - have a place set aside, not a place that you combine. 00:53:27.720 --> 00:53:30.400 Today it’s like this; tomorrow it’s like that - no. 00:53:30.400 --> 00:53:35.640 Even if it's a space within a room, have it dedicated - if you need to corner it off. 00:53:35.640 --> 00:53:40.080 Even if it's a small space - ‘Oh, this is an altar. This is a place for God.’ 00:53:40.080 --> 00:53:44.760 Not that you go there and pray today but tomorrow you are relaxing, watching something. 00:53:44.760 --> 00:53:50.600 Don't combine the two. Set it aside - even if it’s just a small part of the room. 00:53:50.600 --> 00:53:53.880 It’s a principle. It’s important. 00:53:53.880 --> 00:53:59.280 And the question you are asking about - how do we pray all the time in our hearts? 00:53:59.280 --> 00:54:03.200 As I said, the closer we draw to God, the more we prioritise Him, 00:54:03.200 --> 00:54:09.160 the more time we spend with Him, you will find that spontaneously, 00:54:09.160 --> 00:54:15.520 your spirit is engaging in godly things without your mind even being conscious of it. 00:54:15.520 --> 00:54:20.040 It’s a process. It doesn't happen overnight. That's why we have to persevere. 00:54:20.040 --> 00:54:25.560 We have to press in, and we have to disconnect from those things that contaminate us. 00:54:25.560 --> 00:54:31.720 The problem we have today is that we easily give room to things that contaminate our spirits. 00:54:31.720 --> 00:54:35.200 And then we wonder why our spirits begin to disconnect. 00:54:35.200 --> 00:54:40.720 Look, it can reach a point where your mind can be at work solving a problem 00:54:40.720 --> 00:54:43.040 or engaging in a conversation with someone, 00:54:43.040 --> 00:54:46.880 and at the same time, there's a song going on in your heart. 00:54:46.880 --> 00:54:49.960 There's a prayer going on in your heart. 00:54:49.960 --> 00:54:54.600 Your brain may not even be conscious of it but your spirit is at work. 00:54:54.600 --> 00:55:01.600 Just like when you sleep, this body is dead, but the heart is active, alive. 00:55:01.600 --> 00:55:06.080 At the beginning, it may be your mind being conscious 00:55:06.080 --> 00:55:10.160 and repeating words or meditating consciously on words 00:55:10.160 --> 00:55:13.120 but a time will come where it just becomes part of you. 00:55:13.120 --> 00:55:17.800 Your spirit unconsciously goes to God for wisdom, for guidance. 00:55:17.800 --> 00:55:21.360 But we have to be careful of what contaminates our spirits. 00:55:21.360 --> 00:55:25.720 What are we watching? What are we giving attention to? 00:55:25.720 --> 00:55:28.240 What are we feeding our spirits with? 00:55:32.200 --> 00:55:33.600 Grace and peace to everyone. 00:55:33.600 --> 00:55:39.720 My name is Patricia and I am speaking with you from the United States of America. 00:55:39.720 --> 00:55:43.120 And I'm in the state of Minnesota. 00:55:43.120 --> 00:55:48.000 Thank you. So I have two questions. 00:55:48.000 --> 00:55:55.280 So one of them is in regard to the Scripture that we read today. 00:55:55.280 --> 00:56:05.200 So I want to ask - if King David did not hear a clear message from God, 00:56:05.200 --> 00:56:10.920 telling him to either move forward or not to move forward, 00:56:10.920 --> 00:56:18.840 he had been living right with God - would he change his prayer point? 00:56:18.840 --> 00:56:23.640 For example, if he didn't hear that he should go and fight the Philistines, 00:56:23.640 --> 00:56:26.760 would he have to change his prayer point? 00:56:26.760 --> 00:56:32.640 Or would he just assume - ‘Since I’m living right with God, I’m good to go. 00:56:32.640 --> 00:56:41.040 Silence is not denial. I can go, overtake them and win the battle.’ 00:56:41.040 --> 00:56:49.920 So that’s one question and then, my second question is - 00:56:49.920 --> 00:57:00.120 for example, I'm praying about something and I hear from God, ‘Soon, you will have this’, 00:57:00.120 --> 00:57:05.280 does it mean that in the meantime while I wait to hear from Him, 00:57:05.280 --> 00:57:08.960 can I go ahead and do other things? 00:57:08.960 --> 00:57:15.760 Or is He saying, ‘Soon but I want you to remain in prayer. Don’t move anyhow.’ 00:57:15.760 --> 00:57:19.200 So I was wondering if you could help me with that. 00:57:19.200 --> 00:57:28.120 Ok, thank you, sister. So, the key principle here is the fact that David, 00:57:28.120 --> 00:57:33.960 before concluding on a course of action, chose to seek God and approach God. 00:57:33.960 --> 00:57:39.120 Now, if we begin to say, ‘What would happen in Scenario A 00:57:39.120 --> 00:57:42.400 if he did not hear from God or there was not a clearcut message 00:57:42.400 --> 00:57:44.400 or what would happen in Scenario B?’ 00:57:44.400 --> 00:57:48.760 There's so many different scenarios that you could talk about. 00:57:48.760 --> 00:57:53.040 That's why we need spiritual sensitivity because situations change. 00:57:53.040 --> 00:57:56.400 We need wisdom for each situation, which is why we need God. 00:57:56.400 --> 00:58:01.520 So I don't think it would be particularly beneficial to the general message 00:58:01.520 --> 00:58:06.040 if we began to say, ‘Well, if it was Scenario B where he did not do this, 00:58:06.040 --> 00:58:07.120 David would have done that’, 00:58:07.120 --> 00:58:11.400 because if an answer does not come in the way you expect, 00:58:11.400 --> 00:58:14.320 then there will be another way in which God speaks to you. 00:58:14.320 --> 00:58:17.640 I really believe that God will not leave us without direction. 00:58:17.640 --> 00:58:22.560 It's not a formula that says, ‘Right, if you don't get Answer A, then let's look for B, 00:58:22.560 --> 00:58:25.600 and if it’s B, that means you should do this.’ 00:58:25.600 --> 00:58:29.760 No. That's why we talk about relationship with God. 00:58:29.760 --> 00:58:36.120 So it's not like when the battle comes - ‘Let me quickly bring out my book. 00:58:36.120 --> 00:58:39.920 Ok, let’s try A. If that doesn’t work, then we go to B. 00:58:39.920 --> 00:58:43.400 If the answer is B, then we try C’ - like it’s a chart. 00:58:43.400 --> 00:58:46.840 No, it's about the overflow of relationship with God. 00:58:46.840 --> 00:58:50.920 That's why I talked about David being equipped before this battle. 00:58:50.920 --> 00:58:55.080 The attitude he had in the battle was a reflection of the relationship he had 00:58:55.080 --> 00:58:57.680 before the battle - relationship with God. 00:58:57.680 --> 00:59:01.200 So we need to prioritise caring for that relationship. 00:59:01.200 --> 00:59:04.240 Okay, maybe this brings us to the second question you had. 00:59:04.240 --> 00:59:09.760 And I want to quote something I said in a recent message that waiting on the Lord 00:59:09.760 --> 00:59:14.640 is not a justification for laziness or mismanagement. 00:59:14.640 --> 00:59:17.760 If you are seeking something from God and it's not yet come, 00:59:17.760 --> 00:59:21.200 and you have that prompting of the Spirit that it’s going to come soon, 00:59:21.200 --> 00:59:23.800 it doesn't mean you sit back, just relax and say, 00:59:23.800 --> 00:59:26.480 ‘Well, when that soon comes, it will come’. 00:59:26.480 --> 00:59:29.840 You have to make use of whatever is in your hands today 00:59:29.840 --> 00:59:34.120 to do what is right and work hard towards what you believe God has put in your heart. 00:59:34.120 --> 00:59:40.640 So, in your particular example, although we don't know specifically the area you're referring to, 00:59:40.640 --> 00:59:43.360 what I would just say very simply is this - 00:59:43.360 --> 00:59:48.360 satan will do anything to try and stop us from acting faith in the present. 00:59:48.360 --> 00:59:50.440 Waiting should not be an idle time. 00:59:50.440 --> 00:59:55.720 Waiting is an active time because waiting is also part of preparing. 00:59:55.720 --> 00:59:59.200 God is building us, but we have to pay attention to the lesson. 00:59:59.200 --> 01:00:04.240 We all know if you go to school but you don't pay attention, you're not going to pass. 01:00:04.240 --> 01:00:05.920 You have to pay attention to the lesson. 01:00:05.920 --> 01:00:10.680 So the period of waiting may be more about paying attention to what God is teaching you. 01:00:10.680 --> 01:00:14.600 Maybe there's an area of your character that needs to be adjusted. 01:00:14.600 --> 01:00:17.960 Maybe there's a bad habit that currently you're engaged in - 01:00:17.960 --> 01:00:22.480 that ‘soon’ will come when you deal with that habit. 01:00:22.480 --> 01:00:27.800 But it's all about recognising, when it comes to the things of God, 01:00:27.800 --> 01:00:30.040 we cannot bypass His process. 01:00:30.040 --> 01:00:34.080 And as I said, God is more interested in our character than our gift. 01:00:34.080 --> 01:00:38.640 So if God sees you are not yet ready for what He's prepared to release to you, 01:00:38.640 --> 01:00:44.640 He will rather wait until you are ready spiritually and your character is equipped. 01:00:44.640 --> 01:00:50.520 So your focus should be on that, rather than saying, ‘Well, if it's not yet there, let's jump ahead.’ 01:00:50.520 --> 01:00:54.160 That's why I said we shouldn’t jump ahead of God. 01:00:54.160 --> 01:00:56.360 Vision waits for God's time. 01:00:56.360 --> 01:01:00.000 Ambition does not wait for God's time. Vision waits for God's time. 01:01:00.000 --> 01:01:05.600 That is why we have to make sure that in our period of waiting, we are not mismanaging. 01:01:05.600 --> 01:01:11.280 We are not being idle. We are not just expecting it to fall from Heaven 01:01:11.280 --> 01:01:13.880 into our plates without playing our part. 01:01:13.880 --> 01:01:17.720 So thank you very much, sister. I hope you understand. 01:01:17.720 --> 01:01:19.600 Thank you.