Foundation Of Faith - Pt 3 (Holding On In Faith)

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[0:34] Hallelujah. I can't wait for the word. We've already been having some wonderful times in God's presence since Friday. Friday we spoke about the fundamentality of faith and how faith is fundamental in every spiritual question so long as God is concerned.

[0:55] We spoke about that and I spoke a lot more about how from the scriptures you can tell that everything is predicated on faith. The faith, and I said yesterday that heaven is loaded with the blessings, but the blessings of heaven can't find expression amongst men except through faith in the hearts of men.

[1:19] So when faith comes alive, heaven gets manifested. When faith comes alive, heaven gets manifested.

[1:30] So you could hear Jesus always was referring or always pointing his goodness or the goodness of God, the greatness of the things that he was doing when he was alive pointing it to the matter of faith.

[1:48] So Jesus could say to people, be it unto you according to your faith. Jesus could say to people, oh, you of little faith. And he could say to people, where is your faith? He could say to people, just have faith in God because he knows or he knew that faith is fundamental.

[2:09] It's foundational. When you go through trials, James chapter 1 verse 2, he says that count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials. Then he says that knowing this, verse 3 says that knowing this, that the trial of your faith, it's your faith that comes under trial.

[2:26] It's your faith. But he says that when your faith comes under trial, it doesn't break. It produces patience. And I explained that patience is not the ability to wait long. That's not what when the Bible says patience.

[2:38] Patience is the ability to hold on to God's word no matter what the situation is. So when your faith comes under attack, it's your patience that is being built, that is being developed, so long as you don't give up.

[2:54] All right, so faith is a necessary component for spiritual mastery. Faith is a necessary component, a necessary possession.

[3:11] You need to have faith for you to be in charge or be in command in matters of spirituality, which then tends to find expression in our physical lives.

[3:23] I see someone's faith coming alive. I said I see someone's faith coming alive. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. And yesterday, I just loved, I just enjoyed yesterday so much.

[3:37] And I know this morning we're going to enjoy it more. Yesterday I spoke about the four keys for sustained health. I discovered that you can choose to live in good health.

[3:51] Good health is a choice. Not based on what doctor you have. Good health is a choice. So yesterday, I took my time to extensively explain how you can have good health.

[4:05] Especially even if you are younger, then you have a better chance. So you can get yourself poised for a long ride in good health. Praise the Lord.

[4:16] However, if you are suffering setbacks in your health, I also explain based on Jeremiah chapter 18, 22, that there is balm in Gilead.

[4:28] Is there no balm in Gilead? God is a healer. He said, I am the Lord that healeth thee. Bible says in Psalm 107, verse 20, He says, He sends His word and heals them of their diseases.

[4:44] So God is a healer. In Psalm 103, verse 1, 2, 3, when He started to say, Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not His benefits. Who forgives thy sins?

[4:55] And then heals all your diseases. So God is a healer. He heals diseases. He says that if you follow me and serve me, He said, from the midst of you, I will take away sicknesses.

[5:08] So God is a healer. Let's say God is a healer. So the truth of the fact is that if you are here and you are suffering challenges in your health, you are in a good place. Because God is a healer, and that challenge is not going to be permanent.

[5:22] I said that challenge is not going to be permanent. Amen. But I said that it's all predicated on faith. Someone say faith.

[5:33] And I see your faith working for you. So it doesn't matter how many staff you've got, how many cards you've got. It doesn't define the quality of your life. Your cards will not define what your children will turn out to be.

[5:50] But I like that second part, not the first part. The second part, it says, who is not rich towards God? That means you can be rich towards God. Why won't you do that? That's what I'm spending my life doing.

[6:01] I'm getting myself busy to be rich towards God. To be rich towards God. On everything in my life, the biggest part of my life, before 20 years, I started headlong, all my hands and my legs, into the things of God.

[6:20] So a greater portion of my life has been in the things of God. And I've been busy myself being rich towards God. Bible says that, see the righteous man mark his end, his end is peace.

[6:31] That scripture really shook me. If you are not rich towards God, you have to be rich towards God. Tell somebody, be rich towards God.

[6:43] Sometimes not everybody will appreciate that. You're taking the time, coming to church, someone is resting at home, stretching their legs, watching some good shows on television. And they don't say, why you should be bothering yourself like that?

[6:58] Don't worry. Don't worry. Time will tell. Don't worry. All right, don't worry. Just get yourself busy, making yourself rich towards God.

[7:08] Look at verse 28. Interesting text. I was downloading a lot. All right. I like that bit. I like that bit. That's what is interesting, what I'm talking about this morning.

[7:22] If then, God so clothed the grass. Is it a grass in your lawn? Garden and all that. Some of us, we have dressed it well. It's not you. But what's the grass?

[7:34] God so clothed the grass. Which today is in the field, and tomorrow is thrown in. In other words, it doesn't have any proper lifestyle. And God is even concerned about the grass.

[7:48] How much more will he not clothed you? And then he dropped that phrase, oh, you of little faith. Why are you so worried that God can't take care of you? It's a faith problem.

[8:02] All right, you didn't get it. It's a faith problem. So he throws in that big word there, faith. Because, as I said the other time, it's your faith that defines your rating before God.

[8:16] Don't throw away your faith. The same faith that brought you this far will take you that far. Oh, you of little faith.

[8:30] I told you yesterday that I would talk about how to hold on to faith. Because faith is so important, we have to be able to hold. Every genuine faith will be tested. I was saying, it came to pass after this, is that God did test Abraham.

[8:47] The trial of your faith, the testing of your faith. It must be tested to be found substantial, to be found, where the, solid, authentic.

[8:59] Every authentic faith will go through this. So some of us are going through some tests, you say, God, why have you forsaken me God? Where? No, your faith is being tested.

[9:11] That's right. That's right. That's right. Oh, I remember last two years, Pastor Wu, faith seminar, December faith seminar, she taught something about patience, and she made a strong statement, it has never let me, about, stop putting the focus on yourself.

[9:29] It's your faith that is being tested, it's not about you. This battle is not about you, you are not that important, it's the faith you carry. They don't believe me, they don't believe me, they don't believe me, it's not you, brother, it's not you, it's the faith.

[9:43] And this whole battle is between, between God, or the enemy trying to fight the manifestation of God on earth. So, so long as you make room for God to find expression in your life, that they will say, hey, you want to be free?

[9:56] No, you got me free. It's like you're a prison break. All hell will lose on you. But Jesus said, I've prayed for you. Simon, Simon, he wants, Satan wants to shake you. Luke chapter 22, verse 31, I've prayed for you that your faith, it's not, he's shaking and shifting and sifting, it's not the problem, it's your faith.

[10:15] So, I've prayed for you that your, Satan has sought to shake you, has asked permission, sought, King James said, that he may sift you like wheat.

[10:28] Do it very closely. Some of you, you are feeling it. Sometimes, this morning, you are coming to church, you can't feel between you and your husband. Satan is shaking. No, the confusion is coming up, but the devil brings confusion between us, by the way, Sunday morning.

[10:42] Have you discovered that? Some of you will not behave like, you know, Sunday morning. Sometimes, they get to church, one is upset, the other one, they just go there, and then one will say, say hello, they say hello.

[10:54] But after church, sometimes, you calm down. If after church, you go and continue the battle, you have a problem, the one who brings the battle up. Because I said, don't let the sun go down by your anger. But Satan has been, he will shake you, vociferously, vigorously, shake you, shake you, shake you like wheat.

[11:13] But as long as your faith is intact, because you'll be like spring, shake and shake, you'll not be movable. Shake and shake and shake. I see someone, being strong, and stronger.

[11:26] The song we sang, he said, we've been singing, I'm stronger, I'm wiser, I'm better, so much better, when I look at, that all you brought me through, I realize, you are the one who brought me through, yeah, I never would have made it, oh, yeah.

[11:50] Now, how to hold, on, in faith, how to hold on in faith. Because I've been talking about, how the devil will test, your faith will be tested, things will come, but you need to hold on in faith.

[12:02] I discovered, I'll give you maybe just, that's three points. Huh? I'll give you just three points, also if I can. Number one, your focus. Say focus.

[12:13] Say focus. Focus. Thank you, Jesus. Your focus. All right. Matthew chapter 14, you're gonna like this.

[12:24] Matthew chapter 14, verse 28. That's when they were on the sea, and Jesus came walking on the sea, and they were all scared, they thought it was a ghost, and Jesus said in verse 27, be of good cheer, it's I.

[12:42] All right, Jesus spoke to them saying, be of good cheer, it's I, do not be afraid. 28 says that, and Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you, on the water, you want to come on water?

[12:58] Yeah, yeah, if it's you. That was a nice challenge. If it's you, ask it test. Say, okay, God, if it's really you, if this man will marry me, and he's for you, when he comes, let him sit only on the chair, not on the bed.

[13:16] And he didn't come inside the room at all, and now you are saying, oh God, he disappointed me. He disappointed me. If it's, Peter said, Lord, if it's you, tell me to come.

[13:31] If it's you, just give me a word. The word is in. Please, do you get what I'm trying to say? And many people, many people, because they are lazy, they don't want to take responsibility for their Christian life.

[13:43] They want to use God. They want to use the church. So when they find, they see someone who looks like a man of God, powerful, they want to use him like magician or something, just to get what they wanted, they're gone.

[13:55] But God just needs a relationship with you, so that he can have an expression in your life. That's Christianity. That's Christianity. This whole thing, Jesus came to die, so that heaven can find an expression in humanity.

[14:11] That's what Christianity is about. That's what it's about. And then, but when that is in place, all the, and the Bible says, seek ye first, Matthew 6, 33, seek ye first the kingdom of God, and, and its righteousness, and the Bible says that, and all these things, shall be added, not replaced, they will be added.

[14:30] Amen. I see someone enjoying addition this month. Amen. I see someone enjoying divine addition this month. Amen. Praise God. Amen.

[14:41] So Peter said, God, if it's you, just give me a word. And your word is enough. This scripture seemed not to be able to leave me. It stays in my, it's still in my system.

[14:52] For a long time, it's not living. Matthew 8, 8, when that centurion said, Jesus, my servant is lying at the point of death. Jesus said, I'm coming. He said, you don't have to come.

[15:03] Only speak the word. He said, only speak the word, and my servant will be, just the word is enough. Bible says in Psalm 18, verse 30, that as for God, his way is perfect.

[15:16] The word of the Lord is tried. And he said, buckler to those who trust in him, the word of the Lord. Bible says in Psalm 105, that until the time his word came, the word of the Lord tried him.

[15:28] Psalm 105, verse 18, 19, 20, talking about Joseph. The word of the Lord tried him, but the word of the Lord, it brought him into his wealthy place. That's right. He said, only the word.

[15:38] Say, only speak the word. Only speak the word. My pastor, you know, all these things, just ask for the word. It's just someone's opinion, you know, someone's opinion. So, see, that you're talking about the letter.

[15:49] Jesus said in the book of John, chapter 6, verse 63, that the words that I speak unto you, they are lies. So, we are not talking about just theology, the intellectualism of God's word.

[16:00] Okay? Because the Bible is intelligible. Anybody at all who can read, will be able to read, and at least make some sense, to a certain degree.

[16:12] So, you don't have to be born again to see that, and Judas went to betray, hang himself, or Solomon married eight wives, or ten, or a thousand wives, and you understand what he's trying to say.

[16:23] So, you don't, you don't need to be born again to understand, because these are words written on paper. They are intelligible. But then, to understand the spiritual depth, for God to move from the page of the scripture, into you, for it to become food, for your spiritual nourishment.

[16:40] He said, I did find your word, and I ate them, and they became to me, the rejoicing of my heart. Jeremiah chapter 16, verse 15, or 15, verse 16. He said, I found your word, and I ate them. That's a different story altogether.

[16:51] You don't eat with your mind. But this kind of word, you can, you can, you can close your mouth, and be eating, and be eating. That's what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word.

[17:06] So, that is different. We are talking about the rammer word, the spoken word, the word that jumps from the page into your heart. That's right. John, John 1, 14, and the word became flesh, and we beheld the glory of it.

[17:19] So, until the word takes on flesh, we can see the manifestation of God. Say, give me a word. Give me a word. The word of God is more powerful than anything you can think of.

[17:30] If I were you, desire more of the word. You need to work. The word works. The word. The word. The word. The word works.

[17:43] Write that down. Put it on your mirror. The word works. Put it on your fridge. The word works. Put it on your dashboard. The word works. Put it on your computer. The word works.

[17:55] You don't like that one? Yeah. The word works. Say, the word works. The word works. So, Peter said to Jesus in Matthew chapter 14, verse 28, that if it's you, just say to me to come.

[18:09] And Jesus said what? Come. All right? And verse 29, so he said, come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.

[18:23] Hey, Peter too. Why is he walking? I taught you that he wasn't just walking on water because you can't walk on water. This is common science. Can you walk on water?

[18:34] No. Maybe try it. Or you go and fill your bath. Fill your bath with water. And then, say Jesus, say, come.

[18:46] And I begin to go. You know, phenomenon. Phenomenon. As it appears to the naked eyes. Okay? Phenomenon. What we mean is, as it appears to the naked eyes.

[18:59] Right now, if a lady comes here and manages to pack some nice, what a pillow or stuff, and canvas it well, and it's working like this, you'll be convinced that she's pregnant.

[19:11] She's actually not. But as it appears to the naked eyes, she looks like this. That is phenomenological language, which is anthropomorphic. Now, that's amongst men.

[19:24] That's how men see it. Okay? Now, so, phenomenologically, Peter was walking on water. But in effect, he was walking on the word.

[19:35] That is why he said, give me the ladder. If it's you, just give me the ladder. So the word became the ladder he was using to climb, towards Jesus, to walk. So, but what happened was, the Bible says in the next verse, when he saw the winds were boisterous, he was afraid.

[19:54] Okay? So when he saw, say when he saw. How do you hold on to faith? First of all, your focus. What are you looking at? What are you focusing on? When he saw, that the winds were boisterous, because there are always things you can see.

[20:10] Oh yeah! There are so many things. There are a thousand and one reasons why you shouldn't be in church today. There are always things you can see that will threaten you.

[20:22] It will threaten the faith out of you. Yeah! You jump out. So there are always things you can see. That is why the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, verse 7, that we walk by faith and not by what we see, sensual perception.

[20:39] because if you depend on what you see, you get stuck. Or you can't make any progress when it comes to faith. Right? So, Peter saw, he took his eyes off the word and focused on his surroundings.

[20:55] You remember, in Romans, chapter 4, Bible says, from the verse 19, how Abraham, he, against hope, believed in hope and did not consider his own body.

[21:06] Bible said, he was not weak in faith. Okay? He not being weak in faith. You see, faith, faith, faith, faith. Faith disregards some stuff. In other words, every strong faith disregards or chooses not to focus on the physical negative circumstances.

[21:22] Strong faith does that. So, Abraham was not, not being weak in faith. He did not consider his own body already dead since he was about 100 years old. and the deadness of Sarah's womb, he didn't consider.

[21:37] So, that wasn't his focus. Hey, Abraham, are you sure how can you give birth since you are 100 years and your body is dead? How can you give birth? He said, I can't, I won't consider that.

[21:47] That's not part of the story. Brothers and sisters, be careful what you are considering if you want God to help you. Stop saying you can't marry.

[22:00] Rather than that, you won't marry. Stop saying you cannot be death free. Other than that, you will remain in debt and pass it on to your children if you have something.

[22:12] You understand what I'm saying? Stop saying that. Stop believing it and stop believing that you know you are coming out. You know you are coming. Act like this. Act like it. Believe it. Talk it.

[22:23] And know you are coming out. Amen. But always make sure you have a word. A word. That's right. You need to, it starts with a word. You got a word. And then focus on, because you can't, you can't say I'm not focusing on anything.

[22:35] I'm not, I'm focusing on nothing. Okay, I'm focusing on nothing. No. Then you are there dreaming. You are looking but you are not there. You got to focus. You got to focus on God's word.

[22:47] That's how to keep you strong. Second Corinthians chapter four verse 18. I like that text very much when it comes to faith. So serious. It says, whilst we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

[23:00] Did you see that? So don't look at, don't focus on the current circumstances, the situations that have surrounded you. Don't focus on, I said, whilst we look not, I've always mentioned this point, but it's very interesting that it says that you look not at things that, you look not at things that are seen and look at things that are not seen.

[23:21] It sounds like a moronic. Sounds like, it's a tautology, but it doesn't make sense. Logically, you can't tell me to, not to look.

[23:33] He said, whilst we look not at what we see, and we look at what we don't see. So sometimes when you want to encourage people in God's word, they are focusing on what they are seeing so much, and you don't know.

[23:48] You don't know. It's not so much the sight, as I taught you some time ago. That's he's talking about sensory perception, what you can perceive with your eyes, you can perceive with your skin, touch, taste, smell, auditory, hearing.

[24:03] These are the five senses. What your natural senses can pick up. Bible says that we don't make decisions based on that. When God speaks, you have to look at God's word, because sensibly, naturally, no man in his right senses will want to walk on water.

[24:22] So focus, say focus. Focus. You want to remain strong in faith. Because focus is so important, you have to be careful who is speaking into your ears. Because they will distract you.

[24:34] Yeah. Sometimes they'll say, I don't believe, I don't believe. Later, see, Mike Medoff said, whatever you keep hearing, you eventually believe. So we have to be careful who speaks into our ears.

[24:48] You see, watch this please. Some of us, that is what we will get. Because of what we expose ourselves to, instead of seeking God, searching for God, going after God, we go after, Bible says that in the last time, people will turn their ears away from the truth, first one, chapter four, and turn into fables.

[25:06] They will like things because they have itchy ears. They want to hear, hear, hear, hear, hear. All right? And if you become like that, you become vulnerable to all sort of people.

[25:17] They will tell you all kinds of things and sometimes you really wish you didn't hear that. Second thing I would want to say, brothers and sisters, it's very important. How do you hold, hold on in faith?

[25:28] Say conscience. Say conscience. First Timothy chapter one verse 19. In effect, what I want to say about conscience is that faith and conscience go together.

[25:45] Faith and conscience do what? Go together. Having faith and good conscience. Did you see that? Having faith and good conscience, which some having rejected concerning faith have suffered shipwreck.

[26:00] Is that in the Bible? Oh, yeah. If you put away conscience, if you put away faith, one of them, good conscience, if you put good conscience aside, you will suffer shipwreck so long as faith is concerned.

[26:13] And then all of a sudden you say, this thing doesn't work. I've been deceived. No. It's because something was put aside. So good conscience is good for your work of faith.

[26:27] Now, in First Timon chapter three, look at chapter three, verse nine. First Timon chapter three, verse nine. Holding the mystery of faith, of the faith, faith is mystery.

[26:42] Holding the mystery of the faith with what? How do you hold on to faith? With pure conscience. Pure conscience because your conscience can be defiled. Now, listen to me, brothers and sisters.

[26:53] The truth of the fact is that conscience is an installation by God to help us to be able to stay away from wrong and stay with good. So even when you are not born again, conscience still works.

[27:08] So in Romans chapter two, verse 14 and 15, it talks about those who didn't even have the word of God, the Gentiles who did not have the law, by nature do the things of the law. These also having not the law, are a law to them.

[27:20] Verse 15 talks, let's look at verse 15. It says, who show the works of the law written in their hearts? They are conscience also bearing them witness. So you don't have to be born again to have conscience.

[27:31] That's why the issue of atheism, when someone says don't believe there is God, one of the biggest questions they can answer is what do you do with your sin? If you don't believe there is God, what do you do with your sin?

[27:43] The guilty conscience, every human being has that. We were born in sin. Every human being has that. Okay? So, conscience.

[27:53] Now, when you become born again, God does not take away your conscience. Actually, in Hebrews chapter 9, verse 14, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself with his support to God cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.

[28:11] So the blood of Christ, when you become born again, the blood of Christ works on your conscience because watch this, the fact is, you need good conscience for your faith to be intact. Conscience.

[28:23] Sometimes your conscience is not right before God. You feel guilty. There are people who come to church and they don't want to come anywhere close because they will hide on their body because of conscience. And the devil likes that.

[28:35] The devil likes that. God will forgive you your sins once you confess your sins, but the devil will use your conscience and try and use your guilt, guilty conscience against you. So he tells you, do you think God will forgive you all that you've done?

[28:47] He may forgive you a little bit of it, but not everything. So stop that. God, that's why you are sick. You are about to die because God is upset with you. And sometimes you come before the presence of God and you still feel that maybe I'm not quite forgiven.

[28:58] It's the devil. Conscience. He uses your guilty conscience. Now, so that's why the blood of Jesus also purges us. All right? Helps us so that gives us good conscience to serve the living God.

[29:11] Praise the Lord. So conscience is important. You can't marginalize conscience and claim to be in good faith. So you can be doing some stuff.

[29:22] Say stuff. You can be doing some stuff which you know is affecting your relationship with God and say God is a God of mercy anyway. But you know in your heart you are not happy.

[29:34] This thing is wrong. Something is not right. It will deflate your faith. You can't be, because if you put away conscience, you make a shipwreck of your faith.

[29:45] Holding faith in good conscience. Holding on the mystery of faith in good conscience. Good conscience is good for your faith. Say amen. Conscience is necessary.

[29:57] So please. And now, let me say this. When you become born again, the Holy Spirit does not take your conscience away. But what it does is he uses your conscience to guide you. To talk to you.

[30:09] Because conscience is of God. Hallelujah. Man is made up of soul, spirit, and body. Through apartheid. Soul, spirit, and body. Your body is made up of what we all see.

[30:23] Your soul is made up of your will, your intellect, and your emotions. That's where your soul is. Your spirit, watch this, brothers and sisters. Your spirit, which is a bit technical. Your spirit, the component of your spirit is fellowship, life, and conscience.

[30:40] So when you are not born again, you don't have life. So your spirit is dead. That's why we say those who don't have Jesus, they are dead. So Jesus comes into your life and then gives, it gives your spirit life.

[30:53] Once your spirit gets life, all of a sudden, fellowship is restored with God. Okay? And it all happens in your spirit. Your life, fellowship, and conscience, it happens, it's in your spirit.

[31:07] So conscience is actually spiritual. So when the Holy Spirit wants to talk to you, he appeals to your conscience, which is in your spirit. So sometimes you can convince your mind, but your conscience in your spirit will be talking to you.

[31:21] The way you are talking to your wife, the way you are treating that lady, the way you are treating that man, you feel that it's justifiable, but deep in your heart, the Holy Spirit will be telling you, you can't do that. You can't do that.

[31:31] But the problem is that, brothers and sisters, listen to this. The problem is that, sometimes, it's like Sad Nav. we override the instructions. Turn left, turn right, turn, you know.

[31:43] So what I'm trying to say is, watch this, watch this, this is very important. First Timothy chapter four, verse two, conscience, it says, speaking lies, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with hot iron.

[31:54] So sometimes, you can sear the conscience to the extent that, now Holy Spirit is speaking, you don't hear it. I don't know how many of you have been born again and have fallen into some kind of habitual sin and you stay in it and after a while, when maybe you fall into the first time, you feel very uncomfortable when you come to church and you don't like it.

[32:11] The second time, you feel a bit uncomfortable and the third time, you say, oh God, kill me if I do it again. I stop, stop. Oh Lord. You come and cry and cry. Now you stop crying and you are doing it.

[32:23] And now you have been dancing on top of it. Show your power. Conscience has been seared. Seared conscience. So then Holy Spirit speaks to you and guess what, brothers and sisters, that is what is affecting many people's faith.

[32:40] And so we can be teaching faith and teaching faith. Someone is dealing with unclear conscience, a defiled conscience and so the thing is not working. It says, even this faith thing, Pastor, this thing you are teaching is gibberish.

[32:50] I don't get it. Pastor, can you pray for me so that I can have more faith? It doesn't take prayer. The word with a good conscience. That's right.

[33:01] You can't be cohabiting with a man you are not married to and be coming to, come to church, okay? Because gradually we are helping you. Got it? It's not me.

[33:12] I can't judge you. I can't judge you. If you think it's working for you, go ahead. When you are in trouble, just come. We will help you. We will pray for you and then you go back. But the point I want to make you, sometimes when you are doing something that is wrong and you come to the presence of God, you realize that it's there.

[33:29] There are people who can't get deeper into the things of God because you have a seared conscience. And your conscience is defiled. You are getting this. That's why you really can't sing but you're hiding yourself because you don't want to go into the choir because of your issues.

[33:44] And guess what? He said, in case someone sees your picture on Facebook, say, hey, this guy is in the choir. So you don't want to appear anywhere on Facebook before you want to know you go to church.

[33:58] See, but the truth of the matter is that if we don't, thank you, Jesus, if you don't receive grace to clear your conscience, it will plague you and faith life will not work for you.

[34:12] And it's better in church than out of church. Don't say, okay, now I'm giving up. If you give up, it's worse from frying pan to fire. Don't wait till you got swallowed by a whale before you find out that church is better for you.

[34:27] Consciousness. Consciousness. Say conscience. Let me give you the last thing. Revelation. Focus, conscience, revelation. Faith works based on revelation.

[34:40] Your understanding in the things of God. That's why if there's a prayer, you should pray. Say, God, open the eyes of my understanding that I may behold one trust in your word. Paul prayed for the Ephesian church in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 14.

[34:53] He says, since I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and your love towards the saints, I did not cease to make mention of you in my prayers, giving thanks to you and making mention that God will grant unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

[35:05] Then he said that your eyes being enlightened, you may know the hope of his calling. All right? And so, we need the spirit of wisdom and revelation. It takes revelation. Brothers and sisters, it takes revelation.

[35:17] When you are working in faith based on your insight, then you cannot be shaken by heart. All right? But most of us, what we call revelation is information. Reading, reading books, books, and thinking, I know, I know.

[35:31] Listen, stop. It's not head knowledge. It's revelation that is born in the heart. Cook the food of God in your heart, not in your mind. Bible talks about how the kind of mind cannot receive the things of the spirit because they are spiritually designed.

[35:48] They are foolishness. 1 Corinthians chapter 2, verse 14. It says, 1 Corinthians 2, 14, talks about how the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit. Why? Because, but the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness to their natural mind.

[36:06] Nor can he know them. Why? Because they are spiritually designed. So, if your discernment is not sharp, your faith will be questionable.

[36:16] And, what people call faith most of the time sometimes is wishful thinking. Wishful thinking and believing that to be okay to be.

[36:28] But, faith is born of the heart based on revelation. I keep referring to this. The very day I knew in the scriptures. Before I married I knew that there's no way I can have a child.

[36:39] I can't stop talking about this. I mean, there's no way. I knew based on inside that it's a matter of time. He said, I've been young and now I'm old.

[36:51] Never have I seen the righteous forsaking noise. Now, watch this. It depends on how you see that text. You can read it. Hey, I've never seen the righteous forsaking noise. You can read it like that or you can key into it.

[37:05] That's deep. The righteous cannot be forsaken. God will take care of me. I will not be a laughing stock. They can laugh over me. You can't take it with your mind. It takes your spirit.

[37:16] But we said, because they are spiritually disowned. So, if your faith is growing weak, check your discernment and your conscience. Did you receive God's word today?

[37:31] Hallelujah. Let's give God some praise. Thank you for listening. For more resources, please visit charis.org or call us on 0207-740-9960.

[37:42] God bless you. God bless you. Thank you.