WEBVTT

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 Marjorie just wanted us to know that God was her rock and was very ever-present in her life

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 and this morning we explore God's presence in prophecy and the spiritual gift of prophecy is

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 listed amongst the gifts of the Spirit yet sadly for Christians so often it's one of the many gifts

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 that we don't explore because if you are like me maybe in life and in my Christian life

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 nobody really gave me a lot of teaching on prophecy it was all great it was brilliant but

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 it wasn't something that we were encouraged to do in the everyday and of course prophecy is for

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 forth telling it's it's not a crystal ball it's not sort of foretelling forth telling somebody's future

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 it is actually God speaking into our lives in an amazing way and for those of us who have

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 experienced that for those of us who practice that for those who have moved in the power of the Holy

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 Spirit in prophecy will know how powerful that has been for our life and our journey when God has spoken

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 directly into a situation Christians you me followers disciples whatever we call ourselves

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 here however as we encounter the presence of God we are called more and more into the power of the

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 Holy Spirit and what a difference in the Holy Spirit and what a difference in he can make and my goodness

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 does he need to make a difference at this time in us and through us I don't know about you I sense

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 along with many people there is a sense of urgency at the moment in this world of people wanting to know

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 God but maybe not through the ways in which we have expressed that in the past and so there is this

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 element of this experiential encounter with God that we read about not only in the Bible but also as well

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 we read about and we experience through our everyday life

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 Marjorie said to stand on that rock confident in his presence and his power that is given to us

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 given to us on the day of Pentecost not just for a few poured out for all people this is a gift that we can

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 use this is an amazing tool in our toolbox for those who wish to use it and prophecy is one of the many

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 tools that God has given us especially in evangelism and I don't know about you maybe you have tried that line

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 with people excuse me um do you believe in Jesus no thanks very much or we've got this amazing thing

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 happening at church do you fancy coming along to us um no thank you just or maybe you stood at the bar in a pub

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 and the person next to you you feel this pain down your leg and say excuse me if you just got pain in

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 your leg yeah how did how on earth did you know that that's amazing that's great do you mind if I pray

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 with you yeah I'd love you too you know see the difference that experiential move of the Holy Spirit

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 that is that burning bush that wakes people up that draws people's attention and comes to life

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 you know move in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit reply from many Christians how do I do that

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 we're going to talk about that this morning when it comes to spiritual gifts be qualified feel qualified

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 experience and use the gifts sadly among some areas of the Christian church moving in the prophetic

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 power of the Holy Spirit hasn't been um advertised well or practiced well it may be more

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 about ritual than about moving in the power of the Spirit and Christians have received very little

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 teaching that was mine but the prophetic can seize people's attention I want you to imagine really if

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 somebody gave you said oh here's a recipe for a cake that's really exciting isn't it all those lovely

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 ingredients but it's nothing like tasting it is it it's tasting taste and see that the Lord is good

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 and maybe as we move more and more in the prophetic I always remember the Old Testament prophets had a tough

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 job you know sometimes in prophecy we give a message that maybe is quite tough for people

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 you know I remember Jonah Jonah is one of my favorites you know it was all great wasn't it it's great

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 Jonah Jonah did this thing I'm happy to do this in my own setting but Nineveh

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 no you must be joking but God's way of seizing attention is the people of Nineveh used to worship fish

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 gods so how did God arrange for it God arranged for him to arrive in a fish spew him up on the on the

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 beach he said I mean job's half done isn't it really here I am God gives us the tools and we need to use

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 them his presence in his purpose pictures visions dreams words Mark Stibbe in his word in in prophetic

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 evangelism talks a lot about this of lives being changed powerfully changed in life and here we have

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 he says um Paul Paul had a vision to share the gospel that night Paul had a vision he saw a man

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 from Macedonia in northern Greece pleading with him come over here and help us so we just decided to

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 leave for Macedonia at once for we could only conclude that God was calling us to preach the good

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 news there have you ever dropped anything that you were doing to go and preach the good news because

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 God told you to and to be received what a great opportunity to do that trust in the Lord with

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 all your heart and lean not on your own understanding my experience was um having moved in the prophetic I

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 found this amazing move of God that God can do it anywhere that you want he wants to do it 24 7

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 one of mine happened to be at an eight o'clock communion book of common prayer God can work

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 through the book of common prayer believe me I didn't used to do the book of common prayer at

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 eight o'clock in the church where I was a curate but the faithful six came along they were there and

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 I was privileged that morning because my vicar had decided to go off and launch a boat and give me the

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 eight o'clock communion which was his little group and club that was great so fortunately having had a

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 bit of a past in high anglo-catholic I do know the book of common prayer so I think they were quite

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 impressed they looked a bit bewildered at the beginning but there I was in all my finery all

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 dressed up you can imagine this or try to imagine you may need prayer afterwards um so there I am in all

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 my finery eight o'clock communion singing all the responses oh lord open thou our lips and they

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 replied those great I was doing well and then we came to communion and the faithful six came along

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 Julie came up for communion I didn't know these people at all totally separate congregation as the

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 eight o'clock often is and there they were all definitely in the position to receive I start off at

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 this end um the body of Christ keep you in eternal life and no I think actually the words are so I get

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 them right here we go the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee preserve thee and thy

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 soul into everlasting life isn't that nice a long thing until I get to this lady in the middle and the world

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 stops and I sense the Lord saying tell her that her son is held in my arms

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 hmm is there any more no that'll do just do it so I just said I just sensed that the Lord's saying

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 that your son is held in his arms to which case she flooded at the altar rail totally flooded the other

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 five were like meerkats this doesn't happen when the vicar does this oh my goodness so we just had a

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 short time of ministry there and we continued along I was told that you have to go to the door to shake

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 everybody's hand on the way out at the eight o'clock apparently that is the formal thing that you do at

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 eight o'clock thank you very much vicar very nice very good when is Nick back you know um and she makes

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 her way to the end of the line and I said sorry I just don't know you I don't do this at all she said

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 I haven't been to church for 40 years my son was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and I sensed the

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 Lord saying you need to go to church on Sunday and I will speak to you and she said I was faithful

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 you're the first church I came to and she said the Lord is faithful and I know that he's held it in

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 God's arms and that's my prayer and I felt the Lord tap me around the air and say so you don't think

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 I can work through the book of common prayer

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 the good thing was is I was then called into the vicar's office on Monday morning and told I

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 should never ever do that at the altar rail because it spoils worship and that's why I'm here

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 thank you

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 the prophetic move of the word of God is powerful and I would really encourage you

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 that to move in that to move and exercise the gifts to operate and grow in confidence in the

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 gifts of prophecy and of the Holy Spirit and here's just three pointers as to how we do it

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 the first one is prayer build that relationship with God get to know him get to know his voice do that

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 24 7 we've been talking about prayer immerse yourself in prayer know that relationship with him so that

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 when the prompting comes you know you know where it's coming from I often question myself and say

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 you know is is this of me or is this of you Lord in that relationship that we build in prayer 24 7

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 we know the prompting of God we know that relationship that closeness that he wants for it

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 and Jesus speaks truth and he is the truth I am the way the truth and the life he's not going to speak lies

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 into somebody's life that's somebody else's job to do that that's the evil one that tries to do

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 but this is truth that we speak in and especially true when we operate in the gifts of prophecy

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 I want to be the sure as we used to say in the past job you know I promise to tell the truth the

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 whole truth and nothing but the truth or as one of my colleagues said and nothing like the truth once

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 but it was um you know that's what we want isn't it we need to do that is to move in truth and have

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 that confidence dear friends do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they

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 are from God because many false prophets have gone out into this world this is how you recognize the

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 spirit of God test it to see that it comes from God be adventurous do that so my desire is to ensure

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 that I minister and who receives that brings comfort hope love maybe even in my case when people have

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 spoken into my life a strong word of direction

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 one of the moments that um God spoke really clearly was um when the collar was coming along and I can tell

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 you I put up a really good fight you know you can run but you can't hide as they say but we were

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 Mandy and I had taken some time away we were just testing this Lord is this really of you is this what

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 you're asking of us and with that we were there and on this retreat and a guy comes past looks in

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 through the door we didn't know him at all sort of looked in came past and then came back again and said

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 excuse me I don't I don't know I don't know you both but I've just had this picture for you both

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 and it's amazing yacht in a harbour is most fantastic boat ever he said and you mate pointing at me he

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 said you're manic he said you were all over this thing he said ready for it to go and then pointed to

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 Mandy and said but you're the anchor of love and it's not going until you're ready

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 and that was amazing for us that's what we needed to hear

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 because we needed to do this together and not just Clive thinking that it was something that

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 was really exciting God speaks into the situations ask and you will receive maybe you're here this

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 morning maybe you're listening on the podcast and you are wanting the Lord to speak into a particular

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 situation that you are in ask if you have a picture for somebody if you have a

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 word for somebody if you sense for somebody don't hold back on it test it and go and share it because

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 it will probably be life-changing for you as it was for us as it was for the lady at the altar rail

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 and it is for thousands of other people who receive a word or or prophecy in various different ways

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 operate in the gifts of prophecy is for prayer we read in the bible we reveal words for us

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 this week our young people have been focusing on prayer and prayer ministry it was so exciting you

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 know things were just bubbling up it's really great when you've got that freedom but maybe as we get a

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 little bit older maybe in a little bit stilted and oh we better be a little bit careful with this

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 maybe we need a new freedom that the Lord wants to give us for this time to share with the people who we

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 are seeking to reach who need to hear that experiential expression of the power of God

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 presence we're talking about presence know the presence of God in every situation whether that's

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 in the workplace whether wherever you are during the day know the presence of God practice the presence

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 of God imagine you can imagine being a disciple waking up in the morning you're waking up with Jesus

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 thinking what on earth is he going to do today what are we going to see what has changed people

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 nothing has changed when we wake up with Jesus in the morning what are you going to show us Lord

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 what what what are you going to lead us to do who are we going to meet who are we going to speak to

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 who are you going to lead me to pray with are you going to give me a word for somebody it's exciting

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 know and work in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit God responds to the prayer of faith

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 and in his presence we know him Jesus showed us his prime purpose purpose was to be closely connected

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 with the father and we should too inseparable to know that presence and to be ready ever ready

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 to respond knowing God getting to know him for his sake not just for ours learning discernment as well

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 to discern say Lord is this yes it is of me because I recognize your voice you've heard me say I I I

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 I I sense God you know when and you know don't don't go for that thus says the Lord stuff

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 you know scares people off you know God has told me this is for you whoa maybe I just sense the Lord is

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 saying this for you I sense the Lord you know give yourself a bit of a safety net and let them weigh up

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 and discern what God is saying to them

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 this reflects back to the earlier point about the prophets that that you know that it's not only the

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 prophets that hear from the Lord we we all hear nobody can tell me you didn't look in the in your

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 Bible in your Bible reading there was a word that leapt out at you it's Margaret Redd you know a word

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 maybe that you felt you had to share with people a word that embedded itself in your heart for today

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 maybe go home and read it again

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 and the last one is persistence you know I'm expecting to go to the 10 30 this morning and I

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 will move in the presence of God but then that ends at 11 30 no we are equipped empowered enabled

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 people enthused and excited for a world that needs to hear at the moment a people who are totally lost

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 who are fearful who need to know are searching for something else because everything else is falling

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 around them and what do they need Jesus but maybe it's that experiential move of the Holy Spirit

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 that people will actually wake up that thing of maybe a word or something maybe something you've

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 read something maybe that thing where you get drawn to people I always remember on a youth alpha

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 there we we did this about prophecy on the Holy Spirit day has anybody done a Holy Spirit day

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 in alpha you don't know what you're missing if those people with the hands up tell them bring your

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 friends it's absolutely amazing you know this sense of people I've done this thing for ages as a

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 Christian or something new but I didn't know there was this power element and I remember on a youth

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 alpha there was a kid called Foxy and he came along and he said the next alpha that he came on he said

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 do you know what he said that really worked he said I felt I had to smile at this woman at the bus stop

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 he said that's all I had to do he said I'm stood there and he said I was praying and saying this stuff

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 that Clive's been talking about on alpha how does it work on and he said I just want you to smile at

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 that woman and so he said I gave her a nice big beam as I was waiting for the bus and she came over and

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 she said to me thank you so much she said I've had a lousy a lousy few weeks but your smile has just lit up

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 my life and given me hope is it that difficult people is it that difficult when the Lord asks you

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 to do something prayer presence and persistence be persistent seek the gifts stir up the gifts

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 in the power of the Holy Spirit finally

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 do you not quench the spirit

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 do you not treat prophecies with content but test them all hold on to what is good

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 you know don't quench the spirit don't dampen it down it's alive and it is alive to be fed as we

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 move more and more in the presence of God it sort of flows out of you when you move in the supernatural

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 presence of God and maybe more and more there are those here maybe if you're listening on the podcast

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 you're saying Lord I want to do that I want to move more and more in the presence and power of your Holy Spirit

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 in prophecy I want to bring that to people's lives I want to bring them good news

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 I'll finish with a very quick story from Mark Stibbe in his book if you can get hold of it now it's a very old

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 one but here and demonstrations of God's power

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 and he tells a story of here of

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 a friend of mine was sitting in the back of a taxi

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 the Lord spoke to her and she lent over and said to the man in front you're not a taxi driver

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 you're a surgeon and you're from Ukraine the man was amazed because that is exactly what he was

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 he asked her how she knew and she said because Jesus told me at that moment a picture dropped into

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 her heart of a young girl with the name called Anna she shared with the man that he had a daughter

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 called Anna the man became very moved at this point he had left his daughter behind in the Ukraine

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 and missed her greatly she was called Anastasia Anna for short

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 needless to say this revelation opened the door to the gospel between my friend and a taxi driver

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 she had never ever met

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 God is good

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 do we want to make a difference in people's lives

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 I think somebody nodded at me then

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 do we want to make a difference in people's lives

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 please as part of this series

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 explore more and more the prophetic

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 do the things that we

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 we are called today

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 let's

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 maybe let's just take a moment before

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 we continue in our worship

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 now

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 you

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 be

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 you

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 you