Fight The Good Fight of Faith 1

[0:00] Thank you for choosing to listen to today's message by Reverend Dr. David Etrie. We know you will be blessed as you seek and serve God. We believe that this message will stir up a desire for more of God even as you listen.

[0:13] Be blessed. Thursday, at church, I started teaching on a very important subject. This is a month of faith steps.

[0:25] And in this church, by God's grace, every month we trust God to be able to hear a message on faith.

[0:37] Because the Bible says that the just shall live by faith. Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 4. The just shall live by faith. Romans chapter 1 verse 17 says, The just shall live by faith.

[0:56] Galatians chapter 3 verse 11 says, The just shall live by faith. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 38 says, The just shall live by faith. And so, God can help you if your faith is gone out.

[1:13] God requires faith from us to be able to help us because the just shall live by faith.

[1:25] The Bible says in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7 that we walk by faith and not by sight. So, the Christian walk is a walk of faith.

[1:37] Shall we all say that together? The Christian walk is a walk of faith. Oh, can I hear you say it louder please? The Christian walk is a walk of faith. For the last time, louder. The Christian walk is a walk of faith.

[1:49] So, the Christian walk is a walk of faith. Without faith, you will be struggling in your Christian walk. You will be a struggling Christian without faith.

[2:05] It doesn't first start with head knowledge. Christianity starts with faith in the heart. Which now makes the information coming to the mind receivable, understandable.

[2:21] When you have faith in your heart, the information that, let me use the word information for the lack of better word. The information that comes to you or that comes to your mind becomes illumination.

[2:35] Becomes enlightenment. So, in the absence of faith, enlightenment from God doesn't happen. Why? The just shall live by faith.

[2:46] Your testimony is a function of faith. Your miracle is a function of faith. Your breakthrough is a function of faith.

[2:57] So, when your faith comes under attack, it's almost like a spiritual heart attack. Because you can't live without your heart. In the same way, the just only lives by faith.

[3:11] So, the just cannot live. The just will die without faith. Why? Because they just shall live by faith. So, when your faith comes under attack, it means that your spiritual heart is under attack.

[3:24] So, every Sunday, every month, it's good to have some spiritual cardiac exercise. To help, to do a faith inventory.

[3:38] That your faith is okay. It's like health check. We can be teaching and teaching and teaching. If your faith is low, we are teaching and it's going waste. So, every now and then, that's why cars do servicing.

[3:49] Every now and then, make sure the cars are in good servicing. And then, the car will keep going. Keep going. So, I'm just trying to help you come up in your faith.

[4:01] I'm just trying to help you stay washless. I like that one. Thank you, Holy Spirit. I'm trying to help someone stay in spiritual shape. You've got to stay in shape.

[4:13] Be in shape. Once you are in shape, you'll be fine. Praise God. So, it says the just shall live by faith. Now, according to 2 Timothy chapter, sorry, 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 12, he said, fight the good fight of faith.

[4:30] All right. So, Paul told Timothy, let's just read the first sentence there. Let's go. Fight the good fight of faith. Come on. Are you preaching with me?

[4:40] Let's go. Come on. Let's go. Fight the good fight of faith. Louder, please. Fight the good fight of faith. All right. So, Paul told Timothy, fight it. It's a good fight, but it's a fight of faith.

[4:53] It's not a fight for your human rights, but it's a fight for your faith. It's not a fight for your rights. It's a fight for your faith because spiritually, you don't have a right in the realm of Satan.

[5:11] He doesn't care about your human rights. He doesn't care about how things are, but he doesn't care about it. The enemies behind your problem will never relent because you have discovered human rights.

[5:24] No, no. It's your rights in Christ, and your rights in Christ can only be executed when your faith is in place. So, your spiritual rights gets executed based on your faith.

[5:41] I believe. This is what God... I like that lady's testimony. She said, when Pastor prophesied and he said somebody with a chest challenge or heart, she says, yes, this is mine.

[5:54] So, have faith because healing is her right. But until your faith is triggered into place, what is your right spiritually cannot become your actuality.

[6:06] Faith is what makes what Christ has attained for us. It makes it a reality by the power of the Holy Spirit.

[6:18] So, we have to fight it. If there is any fight, you have to fight. And some of you are very good at fighting. Some of you are very good. Some of you are good at fighting.

[6:35] You really can fight. One of our sisters here, I like her ability to fight. In fact, naturally, if you cross her wrongly, she will deal with you.

[6:51] Yeah. She will deal with you. But I actually like, you see, that fighting spirit. She took it in the realm of the spirit as well.

[7:02] Naturally, she doesn't just... She won't just give up. She will fight for anything. The doctor said, your child is not likely to live. He said, don't tell me what you are telling me. What do you mean by life? My child will live.

[7:13] Because my pastor has professed and my child will live. The child was at a state where she shouldn't have lived. Wow. 23 weeks old baby.

[7:26] Thank God that husband is blessed because she had a fighting wife. That girl fought. That girl fought.

[7:37] I respect her for that. Sometimes she quotes me. She's telling me about a situation. She's telling me, but Papa, you said this.

[7:48] And it makes me stay in my tracks of how I'm going to advise her. Because sometimes there are times your faith can even be higher than your teacher.

[7:58] Yeah. It depends on... You know, when a doctor is sick, he believes his healing will not come quickly.

[8:10] Yeah. Because he understands the complexities and complications of the sickness. Unlike someone who doesn't have any medical... He'll tell you, I say, I'll give you...

[8:21] So he believes he'll take it. You give a doctor medication. I ask you, why this? Why am I adding this? Why? No, no, no. I don't want this. Take this out. Take this out. So it's very... Because he's so conversant with the complexities and possibilities of the situation.

[8:34] He reaches a lot into it. So when someone is very knowledgeable... For instance, someone tells me that they told me they have to change all my blood. And maybe the person passed.

[8:46] Another person passed. I've heard that three times. And now you are telling me, Master, when they say they have to change my blood. You know, naturally. Yeah. I know... It's like, Nicole, we have seen it happening.

[8:59] So I know this route is the route out. But you can say, Pastor, they said it, Bobby. Luther, Pastor, remember you said no one dies here.

[9:10] Yeah. Then, oh yeah, I remember I said that. I believe it. So that can even... Because I have just met the situation. So initial, natural reaction can come. Wow, this is a serious one.

[9:20] But the person can speak the word that they have received in their spirit. Do you understand what I'm saying? Receive the word with your spirit. And don't just let people be telling you what is supposed to be happening.

[9:31] No. Don't accept anything at all. When you have a word. If you don't have a word, then that's a different story. Your best bet is positive thinking and being very optimistic.

[9:44] There's no guarantee for that. God can back your optimism. He cannot... He's not... He can't back your positive confession. He can only back his word.

[9:56] So that lady fought. That lady fought. Today the child is living, doing well. How old is your child now? Huh?

[10:08] Sorry? 18 months. Wow. But I saw the child. Is she trying to walk or something? Yeah. Yeah. 22 weeks.

[10:19] 18 months. And from one complication after the other. Incubation in the incubator for so long. There were times that the health officials gave up.

[10:31] Wow. One of them, one particular doctor came and was giving bad news. She warned him, don't come and be saying this about my child. I won't take it. Wow.

[10:41] Wow. When she told me, I felt like, wow. Would I have been able to confront that person like this? See? So you have to learn to fight.

[10:52] Yeah. Yeah. Do you know there are people... In fact, sometimes when there's a news item about someone who was maybe attacked or stabbed or something, they said he's fighting for his life.

[11:03] Yeah. Life is a fight. You have to fight to live. In the same way, you have to fight for your faith. Fight.

[11:14] Don't let your faith go down. I know your watch. It's going down. No. Don't be tired. Fight. So I'm going to teach you how to fight for your faith. Fight for your faith.

[11:25] Because faith is not just a feeling. So for you to have a mood and feeling that, okay, I'm going to try it. No, no, no, no, no. There are certain factors that must be in place for you to be able to fight the fight of faith.

[11:38] Do you understand what I'm saying? So Paul told Timothy, fight the good fight of faith. Everybody say, fight the good fight of faith. Fight the good fight of faith. Say it again. Fight the good fight of faith. Fight the good fight of faith.

[11:50] In Jude 3, it says that contending for the faith. Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common faith, our common salvation, sorry, I found it necessary to write to you, exerting you to content endlessly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints.

[12:14] Content. You have to fight. All right. So believers are enjoined to fight. Not to fight people, but fight.

[12:25] Those of us who are good with fighting, use it to fight for your faith. Use it. If you have that tendency, you know some people have tendency of you don't cross them, they'll fight you.

[12:39] Fight. Use it for your faith. Use it for your faith. Use it to secure your child. Use it to secure your marriage. Use it to secure your health. You may hear something negative about your health and say, no, I'm not taking this.

[12:53] I'm fighting. I'm fighting. I'm enforcing. How do you fight for your faith? Number one, I said it on YouTube that fear not. Fear not. Someone scream, fear not.

[13:05] Fear not. Louder. Fear not. Fear not. In Mark chapter 5, verse 36, Jesus told Jairus.

[13:17] When Jesus heard the words that were spoken, he said to the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, by name, do not be afraid. Only believe.

[13:27] King James says, fear not. Only believe. There are 365 fear nots in the Bible. There's so everywhere in the Bible. 365.

[13:38] One for every day. One for every day. Because every day comes with a different challenge. Some of you are not aware. So, as you are nursing yesterday's wounds, it will distract you from preparing for tomorrow's issues.

[13:58] For every day. The Bible, Jesus actually puts it this way. He said, sufficient for the day is the evil thereof. He said, there's enough evil in the day for you to be adding to it by worrying.

[14:09] Matthew chapter, I think, 12 or so. You know, Matthew chapter 6, rather. Luke chapter 12. 30. That was Matthew chapter 6. 30 somewhere. Jesus said, for tomorrow will take care of itself.

[14:22] Sufficient unto the day is the evil that there is enough evil in a day that you don't have to add to it by worrying about tomorrow. Today's problems are enough.

[14:33] So, if you worry about tomorrow today, you are adding to the stress of today. And he said, the stress, the challenges of today is sufficient.

[14:45] It's enough. So, if you don't worry about tomorrow, you can live longer. Why? Because you are taking a day at a time. And you have enough strength to handle today's problem.

[14:59] If you begin to fight tomorrow's problem today, worry by worrying about tomorrow today, now you have increased today's problem. Which will now make you incapable of dealing with it and it will carry over to tomorrow.

[15:13] And now you have brought future and past into today. That's what casts people's life short. So, Jesus said, sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.

[15:26] The evil in a day is enough for you. You can handle it. Look on your way to church. Maybe you have to dodge traffic or you have to jump on this bus.

[15:41] Someone where bus driver drove and left you and all that. It's sufficient for the day. That alone is so much. Why are you worried about next month? What's going to happen? So, fear not.

[15:55] Most of the time, fear is always about the unknown. It's about what is coming. What is ahead. Fear not. Fear not.

[16:07] Jesus said, so instead of fearing what you do, believe. So, you want to fight the fight of faith, choose that I will not be afraid. The psalmist said in Psalm 56 verse 3, he said, whenever I am afraid or what time I am afraid, I will trust in you.

[16:24] How many of you have feared before? How many of you have feared before? Sometimes, your bosses call you to come for a meeting and they have laid off a few of your folks and then they said, next week we have a meeting with you.

[16:39] You go fearing. You go fearing. Some of us don't open certain type of letters. Not because of smartness, but because of fear.

[16:53] You won't open the letter. Fear not. Okay. Okay. So, the Bible says that fear not, just believe. So, this is how to fight the good fight of faith.

[17:05] Don't be afraid. Keep believing. Just believe. Because fear will not add to you. Believing will not take from you. So, instead of fearing, fear will take from you.

[17:21] Believing can add to you. So, instead of fearing which is taken from you, why don't you believe which will not take anything from you? And the best is it will rather add to you.

[17:34] Fear never adds to you. Fear never adds to you. You can ruin your relationship because you were always afraid your man was going to cheat on you.

[17:52] Yeah, that's true. So, you ended up making him even, you saw the thoughts into his head. He's maybe not like that, but your former, your ex was like that.

[18:03] And now your ex has given you a worldview of men. That is not healthy for your current relationship. You are always afraid something will happen.

[18:16] Always afraid. Job said, what I feared has happened to me. You are always afraid. Somebody puts it this way, said, fear is F-E-A-R.

[18:27] False evidence appearing real. So, it's false. Don't be afraid. Most of the things we are afraid of never happen. Never.

[18:40] Remember, I'm just trying to, even when you are not a believer, you remember a while ago, some things that you thought you had lost your job, or you've lost your house, or if your husband was going to divorce you, or your wife was going to divorce you, because of the thing that came up, you knew that my marriage is over.

[18:55] You knew that this relationship will not happen, because this information has popped up. You were so worried, you lost sleep. You remember when you were fighting that visa battle?

[19:10] You knew that it was, you've lost it. And you were so much afraid, and you said, please, please, please. And actually, you were worrying unnecessarily. When they called you for a meeting, you thought they were going to sack you, not knowing they were going to give you other offers.

[19:26] May that be your testimony. Anybody who has been called for a meeting by your employers, I pray may it turn into a promotion for you.

[19:38] So, he said, whenever I'm afraid, I will trust in you. Fear not. I like the way 1, 1, 8, verse 6 says. It says that, the Lord is on my side.

[19:50] I will not fear. What can man do unto me? You must develop that attitude of confidence in God. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid.

[20:01] What can man do to me? What can man do to me? What can man do to me? At worst, they'll say, okay, we are taking your job. They can't kill you. Tell someone, fear not.

[20:13] Fear not. Trust God. Trust God. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 6. It says that, so we can boldly say, the Lord is my helper.

[20:24] I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Psalm 53, verse 6. It says that, all that the salvation of Israel will come out of Zion.

[20:38] Now, when Psalm 53, verse, I'm sorry, the other one. 56, I'm sorry, 56. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Verse 11. Verse 11, 56.

[20:50] In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do to me. Look at verse 4. Verse 4. In God I will praise his word.

[21:01] In God I have put my trust. I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. Don't fear, okay? Don't fear. Especially when people threaten you. Don't fear. Just put your trust in God.

[21:12] Can you imagine you work somewhere and this particular person has determined that you will make sure you lose this job. Don't fear if God is behind you.

[21:23] Do you understand what I'm saying? Don't fear. They will go and you'll still be there. And all their cohorts or accomplices or their supporters, they will all go and you'll still be there. Praise the Lord.

[21:36] Psalm 27, verse 1. It said, the Lord is my light and my salvation. Who shall I fear? Who shall I fear? You see that? Let's already, I think this is a good confession to me. Let's read it.

[21:46] Let's go. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Who shall I be afraid? I need you to read it with confidence, okay?

[21:58] I'm just trying to train you to let the word of God come out of your mouth. Enter your heart and release it from it. That's how God works to help us. Right? So read it out loud again.

[22:08] Let's go. The Lord is my light. For my salvation. Who shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Don't be afraid.

[22:19] Thanks, Lord. Trust God. Bible says that Psalm 27, some trust in chariots, others trust in us. But we will remember the name of the Lord, our God.

[22:30] Trust God and fear not. Number two. Number two. Create and maintain a word-filled atmosphere.

[22:42] Create and maintain a word-filled atmosphere. What's a word-filled atmosphere? An atmosphere where, you know, the word of God. Things that are bringing the word of God to you.

[22:54] So like church, like at home playing, preaching message in your car, some of the songs we listen to, it must be bringing the word to you.

[23:05] It must be bringing the word. This song, for instance, is such a nice song. A lot of the songs are nice. But Savior, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save.

[23:16] It's telling you about what God can do. You know, a word-filled, that's why if you want to enjoy music, why don't you enjoy and build? Listen to music, that will be building you.

[23:29] That will be, it's like building your heart, spiritual heart. So you can, you'll be able to take on whatever the enemy brings you. Sometimes your faith is so weak because your faith has been starved.

[23:43] You haven't created an atmosphere that, you know, when you are in a certain atmosphere, naturally, your faith does better. How many of you know what I'm talking about?

[23:53] There are some atmospheres you go in, you can realize that you feel lifted. You feel uplifted. You feel, well, I can handle the weak. I can handle the issue I had.

[24:06] You know, so when you create or allow a word-filled atmosphere, faith feeds on the word.

[24:17] Actually, Bible puts it in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 17. Faith comes by hearing. So what you hear matters. What you hear will determine the quality of your faith.

[24:32] Amen. Jesus told them, be careful what you hear. What you hear will set the pace for your faith.

[24:42] It will determine the quality of your faith. So, it is necessary to create an atmosphere where the word of God keeps coming in.

[24:54] If you are believing God for a miracle, create a word-filled atmosphere. Praise God. Hallelujah. It's necessary. How do you create a word-filled atmosphere?

[25:05] Generate it. When you are not in church, create a kind of church atmosphere around you. Yeah. In your car. Especially those of us who have cars that can play music or...

[25:18] Yeah, create it. You understand it? Create it. And nowadays, because of smartphones and stuff like that, earphones.

[25:31] Yeah. I was... I mean, practically all phones, I guess so. I might be wrong. Many phones come with earphones. Yeah. So when it comes, just plug in.

[25:43] Use it when you are in town. Listen to message. Listen to... You're on the train. You're reading. Then be listening to some spiritually uplifting songs. Don't waste your ears.

[25:58] Always take advantage of them. And get something going in. Get something going in. Create the atmosphere. You can be in the pub.

[26:11] At the pub. Have a meeting with maybe your boss. And yet, you have a wet atmosphere. Whilst you're waiting for him, you're creating a wet atmosphere. So wet atmosphere, you can generate it by yourself.

[26:22] A wet-filled atmosphere. And by God's grace, because of technology and smartphones, you can download all the messages.

[26:34] Get them on your system. Listen. Because faith comes by hearing. You see, you have to take conscious steps to fight the good fight. So when you are doing that, someone may think that, why are you always playing this kind of music?

[26:46] Let the person know. Some of them, you don't have to answer them. But you have to know that you are fighting the good fight of faith. I'm showing you how to fight. Don't wait until crisis. The doctor says, we have to chop your legs.

[26:56] Say, God forbid. We have to. And then he says, no, I believe. It is a bit too late. Don't wait for crisis to come before. Because faith is not a spare time to use in time of crisis.

[27:09] Faith is a lifestyle. Not a spare time. Don't wait for crisis. Then, oh, I'm going to go. Faith. Oh, I need faith. I need faith. It will be too late. When doctors tell somebody that this is a crisis and we have to do something about it, and you may live with a certain condition for the rest of your life.

[27:29] Listen. What you don't want is some terrible illness. God forbid. A doctor tells you that you've got cancer. No, listen. Say, God forbid. God forbid. If you don't, if you know you hear something like that, say, God forbid.

[27:43] God forbid. Amen. And it will be according to your confession. Jesus. And not even anyone who didn't say it, it will happen. Because you catch good things. Even if it is in your blood, it's about to happen.

[27:56] The fact that you are in this atmosphere, I kill that thing in the name of Jesus. But doctors tell you something negative. The problem is because, okay, like you are pregnant.

[28:07] And they tell you that the pregnancy is, who is this? God forbid. You know. Now. You now need to find how you can encourage yourself.

[28:19] Because they have told you something negative already. And you know it. And it's hard to think otherwise. Do you know? So the battle is intense. Years ago, my pastor said this in church.

[28:31] Years ago. He said, they told you, when you started feeling the pain, the doctors told you, we suspect this. Come and let's check. And then you went. They checked it. And they told you, no, this thing is looking serious.

[28:43] And you kept it very private. In spite of the crisis in your hands, you kept it private. And then it kept going on. And then they said, now the thing gets to a level where it's now out of hand.

[28:55] It's become the, is the, then you come to us. Can you please pray with me? It's too late now. We may pray, but it's a bit, very late. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah. Tackle something.

[29:09] Tackle something. Don't hide things. Some of us are so, images. Your image is so important than your safety. So you will borrow a shoe to go to prison.

[29:24] Your image is so important to you. You want it to, you want, you want to look like your marriage is working.

[29:35] So instead of crying out for help, your family is in crisis. Your son is messing up. Instead of crying out for help, you want to look like me.

[29:46] I've got everything okay. You don't have money. And they're about to repossess your house. Instead of crying out, please, do you know where I can get a job?

[29:57] I said, I know, I heard about your testimony that you are not a recruiter. Is there a possibility? You ask. You know, me, no. God will provide for my job, you know. Don't die quietly.

[30:10] Don't die quietly. Even if you die, die screaming and kicking. No, don't go down quietly. There's an African proverb, which I'm trying to paraphrase it.

[30:29] There's an African proverb, which says that if you sell your sickness, you get medication for it. Yes, yes, yes. I hope you understand. It's like, but if you keep your sickness private, people who have even medicinal help, remedies, who didn't even know you have that sickness.

[30:48] Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes. They won't say, oh, this is, but if everybody knows that this or you, people can, can I help? Oh, I know this person, he knows, he treats this, I know that especially, he treats this kind of, I know, you understand what I'm talking about?

[31:02] I'm not supposing that go around telling people your sickness, but what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you must be able to speak out. Yeah. To places where you can receive help.

[31:13] Mm. Because we will get to know eventually. Mm. Yep. Yep. You'll get to know. Mm. Or we'll get to see the pregnancy eventually. You can't hide it. You can't hide it.

[31:24] You can't hide it. You'll get to know. There's, I told some people sometimes, there's nothing like a private divorce. Mm. People will get to know that you are divorced.

[31:34] Right. So why don't you seek help from people who can help you? And then between you and them, escape, edit me, your marriage will survive.

[31:45] No one knew that you were almost divorced. Yeah. Yeah. You are keeping yourself like, hello, in public. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm. Yeah. You're on the road to divorce.

[31:56] That will not be your testimony. So create a well-filled atmosphere. Number three. Oh, wow. Focus on what you are expecting.

[32:08] Focus on that's how to fight the fight of faith. Are you expecting God to do something for you? What are you expecting? Keep your mind on that. Focus on what you're expecting. Focus on it.

[32:19] Because you will see things that will make you feel like it will never happen. But focus on it. Focus on it. 2 Corinthians 4, verse 18 says that, While we look not at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen.

[32:36] What are we supposed to be looking at? What are we not supposed to be looking at? So current things you are seeing, experiencing, don't focus on those things.

[32:49] Look is not just talking about just physical, with your eyes. Talking about you. Focus on. Put it back, please. So whilst we look not on the things which are seen, for the things which are seen are passing away.

[33:05] Your situation, that negative situation is passing away. Amen. Would you believe that before the end of this year, there are people here who are not in relationships, but will be married by the end of the year.

[33:20] They are not in relationship as I speak. They don't even know. There's nobody on the horizon. But before the end of the year, you will be married. Amen. Amen. Amen. Shout amen.

[33:31] Amen. So focus on what is. Bible talks about, Hebrews chapter 11, verse 3, by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God.

[33:41] So that, I like the so that bit. So that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. So if you are only basing your future on the things that are seen, you will miss major potentials from God, potential opportunities from God.

[33:58] Because things that are not seen, things that you can see, are not, were not made but generated by things that appear. So ignore just what you are seeing and begin to focus on the supernatural realities by God's word.

[34:16] Does that make sense? There is a higher reality. There is a greater reality that you have, you haven't tapped into yet. So what am I teaching you the word?

[34:28] I'm teaching you God's word so you can see your future or pictures of your future in the scriptures. Once you can see it, you can now begin to go in the future and focusing on it.

[34:42] I think in Genesis chapter 13, verse 14, God told Abraham, lift up your eyes. And the Lord said to Abraham, after the Lord had separated from him, lift up now your eyes and look from the place where thou art.

[34:59] Look at the next verse, verse 15. For all the land which you see, to you will I give it and to your see.

[35:10] So what you are going to possess is a function of what you are going to see. God said the land that you see, lift your eyes. Brother, sister, lift your eyes.

[35:20] You are always looking just around you. There are untapped potentials ahead of you. He said lift up your eyes. Tell someone, lift up your eyes. Lift up your eyes.

[35:32] Look beyond where you are. Look, I know that things are financially very tough. But come on, look beyond where you are. Things are maritally not the best.

[35:44] Look beyond where you are. Things health-wise are not the best. Career-wise are not the best. Look beyond where you are. People who don't even have God, things change.

[35:56] So you who have God, things cannot remain the same. Look beyond where you are. So don't make your, don't start making your will now based on just the situation you are in.

[36:08] Look beyond, make your will if you have to, based on what is ahead. Plan with the future in mind. Look ahead. So God told him, look ahead.

[36:19] And what, he said, what you see, north, south, eastward. That's what I will give to you. So I'm waiting for you to tell me what you have seen. Then I'll give it to you.

[36:30] God, Bible said, Jeremiah, he asked him, what seeth thou? He said, I see an almond tree. God asked him first. Jeremiah chapter 1 from verse 10. He said, what seeth thou?

[36:41] What are you seeing? And then he said, I see an almond tree. I see this. And then God told him that you have seen well. Verse 12. For I watch over my way to perform.

[36:52] He said, thou hast seen well. Thou hast well seen. So some sins are necessary. God requires you to see. What you have seen in your future cannot be robbed of you.

[37:05] You remember, those of you who have been around, I always made reference to this. When, before my wife got pregnant, over five years into marriage without pregnancy, I told the church, I have seen myself in the labor world carrying the baby.

[37:19] I saw it. I saw it. What you have seen. Jesus says that, he says, blessed are they who have not seen but believe.

[37:29] Now watch this. But believe. And then Thomas came. Thomas who doubt so much. When he saw Jesus, he couldn't doubt. You can't doubt what you have seen. You can't say, oh, Pastor, I was not in church today.

[37:44] If you were in church. You saw it. No one can convince you against that. What am I holding? How can someone convince you that, oh, Pastor was holding an iPad? Why?

[37:56] Because you can see it. You know that this is, this is, this is not African print. So someone can tell you that, oh, he's always wearing. No, it's not African print. So what I'm trying to say, when you see it, it is, it is absurd to not to believe.

[38:11] Because when you see it, it says, believing is natural. So you have to see it with the eye of the spirit. See it ahead. I get what I'm saying.

[38:26] See it ahead. Okay. Oh. I thought today I would do very well. Romans 12, 12. What are they saying?

[38:41] Rejoicing in hope. Let's all say that together. One more time. One more time. Rejoicing in hope. You know it's coming. You know it's coming.

[38:54] Rejoice in hope. This thing is going to happen. So take your eyes off. What you are. The Bible says Abraham did the same thing. Romans chapter 4. From verse 19. He did not consider.

[39:06] Abraham, being not weak in faith, considered not his own body, which was now dead. An old man who was supposed to get his wife pregnant, he was dead already. His body.

[39:17] His body was dead. But Abraham said, because God said, I'm going to have a child, I'm not considering my body. Sarah, let's go. Sarah said, Abraham, how? So don't worry.

[39:27] Let's go. But Sarah said, okay, anyway, maybe you want to, you're fine. But my womb is dead. Don't worry. Let's go. He did not consider his body which was dead. Neither did he consider the deadness of his wife's womb.

[39:41] But he concluded that we are going to have a child. At the age of, why? You see, what you are considering would defeat your faith or empower your faith. Be careful what you are considering because faith is not just a positive thinking, mental projection.

[39:56] Faith is more complex than that. Faith is a spiritual, it's a state in the spirit. Let me show you one more scripture. You like this scripture. Very powerful. 2 Kings chapter 6. I like this.

[40:07] Is somebody learning something? Yes. 2 Kings chapter 6. Thank you, Jesus. Look, I want us to read.

[40:18] It's a very open in my Bible. From verse 15, Bible says that. All right. From verse 14. Therefore, he sent horses. That's the king sent horses. Verse 15. And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots.

[40:37] And his servant said to him, Alas, master, what shall we do? So the guy woke up early in the morning. Who? His servant. His servant.

[40:49] The man of God's servant woke up early in the morning. It wasn't the man of God who had to go and do that. His servant. His servant. His servant. Some of us go to work later than our bosses.

[41:05] And you don't understand why they are not promoting. You are making it a racial issue. Or gender issue. No. It's an attitudinal issue. You be the one to, if it's a shop, be the one to go and open the shop.

[41:21] You don't have the key. You go, you know the other guy who opens, so on the way you call them, let's go. Can you imagine every time your boss realizes that you are always there? You are always on time.

[41:31] When they want someone who to take over something. The guy in the army I'm talking about. Where is he, my friend? Why? Oh, he's gone. He's on duty.

[41:43] He got promoted in the army very early. He kept rising. He kept rising. And people couldn't understand why. He said one day his boss went for some meetings with the officers for promotion.

[41:56] They were choosing between one or two of them. One had to be promoted. He said, and there's a guy whose officer said, was commanding him that this guy is very aggressive.

[42:10] And then his, our brother's officer said, let's go for this guy. He's good. He does the job well. But he's not aggressive. And then so they said, no, this guy is more boisterous and so let's promote him.

[42:25] And so it became back and forth. And he said, the boss came and told him later. He said, I told them that, do we want someone who can do the job or someone who is just boisterous?

[42:36] And he said, someone who can do it. He said, I can leave. If I can, this is one guy who has, one guy who has served under me, who I can go for six months and leave him to handle the troops.

[42:48] And I won't have worry to look back because I know once this guy is there, it's fine. This guy has delivered that on every occasion. Why don't you promote this one and you want someone because he's calm. But he can do the job.

[43:01] His promotion in the army was based on delivery. Delivery. Delivery. I'm preaching kind of two messages.

[43:13] I'm trying to lift our people from a certain state. Because most of our people, where we are is attitude now. The attitude is what's keeping. That's why I felt like I should have been in the army to even go and learn some extra hardness.

[43:28] Not for people, but for myself. Extra hardness. Some of us are so soft towards ourselves. When they turn up, they hit a little bit of work. You say, I'm quitting. I'm quitting. I'm quitting. You can't work under pressure.

[43:42] You can't work under pressure. And yet you have this deceptive mindset that you'll be a celebrity. It's a very easy. Celebrities suffer for their fame. They suffer.

[43:55] Footballers suffer. Pressure. You have been developed. You have been allergic to pressure. Wow.

[44:05] Please, let's raise our hands to be able to take pressure. Yes. Take pressure. Greatness has a lot to do. And then he was sharing with me about how in the army, they don't promote you because you have been there for long.

[44:20] They promote you because of an ability or an attitude you have developed. Not ability to shoot, but how you can react under certain conditions. So if you have, so they take them for some training and some dangerous, they intentionally design the training to make you see how you react under pressure.

[44:41] That is what determines your ranking. So rankings now have been left for long. The way you react quickly, leadership attributes. And so most of the army officers, when they finish their army career, they get big jobs in the city.

[44:56] Because they are trained to be good leaders. I have a burden for our people. When I say our people, I mean British.

[45:09] You know what I'm talking about. Our people, you are a teacher. You can see some of the boys, they are potential by the way this attitude won't go anywhere. But it's not an alarming issue at all for him and his family and his community.

[45:23] Because it's normal. We need to really believe God. Some of us need some strictness around us. So people have a certain attitude and they don't know that this is the attitude that is blocking your future.

[45:40] You will know. Because so long as you are concerned, it's very normal. It's very normal. Some of us won't do well in the city. At all. Because of our attitude.

[45:52] We don't work hard. Listen. People who earn big work hard. Absolutely. You want to earn big, but you don't want to work hard. You couldn't finish any course properly.

[46:04] Some of us should go back to school. And this time, stop failing. Pass. Stop passing. Yeah.

[46:17] Tell someone, fear not. Who can imagine? You have to pray for me. I think I have to end. I have to end. Let me. The scripture recorded.

[46:27] Let me finish that. You see, I have a burden. Because as I'm growing, I'm realizing why people don't make it. And instead of just preaching, let me address some of the issues.

[46:42] Some of the issues is just, it's a community problem. It is. It is. Some of the issues are upbringing problems. Yeah. And so it's normal for you, but you don't know that this one in your life won't go anywhere.

[46:54] So as I'm growing, I'm discovering a lot. I'm discovering a lot. And I'm feeling I should have known some of these things very early. There's a reason why some churches don't grow.

[47:06] It's not because they don't pray. There's a reason why we are not a thousand yet. This year will be a thousand. But there's a reason why.

[47:17] It's not lack of the move of the spirit. It's not lack of the move of the spirit. It's attitude now. It's a certain situation. It's an approach to life that bars you from going further up.

[47:33] Greatness is an approach, an attitudinal approach. So I'm preaching two messages. I think you have to see your future and take first steps, don't you?

[47:46] All right. Let's read our scripture and then I'll close my Bible. The servants went to fetch water. And then he saw the soldiers. He saw the servants of the man of God.

[47:57] Is it verse 15 I'm reading? Uh-huh. So the servant of the man came. He said, alas, master, what shall we do? Because soldiers, trained soldiers with chariots surrounded the city and coming for the man of God.

[48:12] And so he was very worried and afraid. And verse 16. So the man of God answered, do not fear. Tell someone, do not fear.

[48:23] Do not fear. Say it again, please. Do not fear. Why? Why? Why? That is your word.

[48:33] That is your word. That is your word. Why should you not be afraid? And you know what the servants said?

[48:47] What? Boss. No, you can't say that. Can't say that. I'm very intelligent, man. He was going to fetch water. He came.

[48:57] Master. Master. Master. Master. Master. Master. Prophet. What is it? Daddy prophet. Master. Daddy prophet. Master. What is it? Calm down. Calm down.

[49:08] I'm sure they gave him something to drink to calm down. What is it? He said, we are dead. Alas, what shall we do? So just, they are coming after us. Sounded.

[49:18] And then the master said, fear not. Those who are with us are more than those. He said, I don't think, I think you come out.

[49:33] Come and see. Maybe you have underestimated what I'm talking about. And so he pulled his. Come, come, come, come. He took him. Master. And the master said, don't worry.

[49:47] Say, my son, calm down. And he realized the guy will not calm down. So he said, I think you need a change of focus. You have to change your lens.

[49:59] So you can see what I see. So what happened? Let's read. Verse 17. And he not shut the prayer and said, Lord, I pray.

[50:13] Open his eyes that he may see. One more time. Lord, I pray. Open his eyes that he may see. What was the prayer? Open his eyes that he may see.

[50:23] See what? He saw the soldiers already. He's not blind. He also prayed. Open the open. What kind of prayer is this? Because there is another unseen reality.

[50:34] Come on. You will not be sick. Amen. Do you understand what I'm saying? Come on. You're only looking at only one side.

[50:46] The human side. There's another unseen reality. It's a reality, but you don't know. He said, open your eyes. Then the Lord opened the eye of the young man. And he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses.

[50:58] And chariots of fire around Elisha. Amen. When did they come? When they opened their eyes? No. They've always been there, but he never knew.

[51:10] Never knew. He never knew. What makes you think that your reality is already not there? Amen. Amen. Amen. It's pretty good.

[51:21] How you get it? It is not that now don't believe it and God will go and manifest. It is already there. The reality of your testimony is already waiting for you.

[51:34] It's already waiting. It's just what you are seeing. What you are seeing is not a problem. You are so... You have become so erratic. You are so stressed because of what you are seeing.

[51:48] What you are focusing on. What you are watching. What you are considering. What you are looking. He said, while we look not at the things that are seen. But you are looking at the things that are seen.

[51:58] You are looking at the things you can perceive with your natural senses. That is what is determining your decisions. But hey, there is a higher reality. There is a higher reality.

[52:12] Am I talking to someone? Listen. This year, it doesn't matter what you have not seen yet. This year will end with you smiling more than you have done. Yes.

[52:27] Somebody is coming out of trouble. Somebody is coming out of trouble. Somebody is coming out of crisis. In the name of Jesus.

[52:40] There is a higher reality. Something, a testimony is waiting for you. You are at a certain stage when it looks like it's not possible. But a testimony is waiting for you.

[52:52] So, take your eyes off the complications. Take your eyes off the complications, the impossibilities. And start seeing the possibilities. He said, as far as you can see, I will give it to you.

[53:06] Start seeing. Start seeing. Focusing on where you are going. Focusing on what God is doing. Focus on that. Start seeing your colorful future. Start seeing your wonderful marriage. Start seeing your healthy babies.

[53:17] It is your turn. I said, it is your turn. The word will work for you. The word will work for you.

[53:30] And release the supernatural reality into your life. In the name of Jesus. I stand here as a prophet of God. I stand here as a servant of God.

[53:42] I stand here as a messenger of God. And I prophesy over your life. It is working for you. Your story is changing. Your story is changing.

[53:53] Your story is changing. Your story is changing. In the name of Jesus. We thank God for using this servant, Reverend Dr. David Entry, to share this awesome word.

[54:05] If this message has blessed you in any way, please spread the word by sharing it. And send us an email to amen at karis.org. Remember to stay connected with us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter for regular updates on what God is doing here at Karis Ministries.

[54:21] Stay blessed. Thank you.