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Date Posted: 07:55:12 02/10/17 Fri
Author: c
Subject: intouch.org radio 3

intouch.org radio 3 (edited portions of messages)

1/14/14


If you run from weakness, then you will elude the power of God. If you try to run from the valley of weakness, what you’re running from is a deep, abiding experience with Almighty God. And so, when you and I think about our circumstances and our situations we say: “well, I don’t like weakness. In other words, I just things to be right. I don’t want conflict in my life. Why can’t I live without conflict?” Because you’re a child of God.

4:43

Now listen, it looks like a contradiction. On the one hand, he’s saying: “be strong in the Lord”. On the other hand, he says in 2nd Corinthians chapter 12, look at that. he says in verse 5: “On behalf of such a man (speaking of himself) will I boast, but on my own behalf, I will not boast except in regard to my weaknesses”. He says: “you know want to know what I want to boast of?” He says: “I boast about my weaknesses”. Look in verse 9. He says: “he discovered that God’s grace is sufficient to him”. And he said again in verse 9: “most gladly therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses in order that the power of Christ may dwell in me”. And verse 10, he says: “when I’m weak, I’m strong”.

Now what kind of double-talk is that? I mean, wait a minute Paul - on the one hand, you’re commanding: “be strong in the Lord”. On the other hand, you’re saying: “but I love to be weak”. That doesn’t even make any sense. Until you understand – here’s what Paul is saying. Paul says: “here’s what I’ve discovered”. It’s the most amazing thing. He said: “I have discovered that when I am weak, and I get weaker, and weaker, and weaker, and weaker, and weaker, and weaker…” he says: “when I’m down here in my weakest moments”, he says: “here’s what I’ve discovered: it is in those moments, I feel the greatest surge of the supernatural, divine energy (either intellectually, either emotionally, morally, spiritually, physically)" - he says - “in that weakest moment in my life, that’s when I get the biggest surge of the power of God working in my life”.

So he says: “here’s what I’ve discovered: I’ve discovered instead of despising weakness and feeling out of control and helpless (which none of us like. None of us like to feel out of control. No one wants to feel helpless. Nobody likes weakness – I don’t like that anymore than anybody else. No one likes that). But you see, here’s what Paul discovered. He said: “here’s what I’ve discovered: if I am willing to experience great weakness, then I can experience great strength. To the degree I am willing to be weak, to the same degree I am willing to experience strength”.

Which says: I have to deal with the pride problem. Because you see, no one likes to admit: “I’m weak, I’m frail”. You see, today’s world says: “be strong, be beautiful, be handsome, be rich, be all of these things”. You know what God says? “Be poor in spirit – full of weakness, humility..” And the world hates that. They can’t stand that. They despise weakness. You know what God says? He says: “I love it”. Now, I don’t like it very well to be honest and probably you don’t either if you’re honest. None of us likes to feel weak, out of control and helpless.

But when you and I learn that it is in those weakest moments, when we cannot – we’re out of control – we can’t do anything about it – that’s when God is free to do His greatest work in empowering and strengthening us. That’s when we become the most equipped, the most enabled, to suffer, to experience, to endure no matter what the trial may be – we can walk through it. Not with a sad face. Not having a pity party. Not complaining and moaning and groaning - though sometimes we’re tempted to do that.

But he says: “no matter what’s going on. There is a power and strength available to the children of God.” And so, Paul said on the one hand: “be strong in the Lord”, but he said: “I want to remind you of something - here’s what I’ve learned: the prelude to great strength is great weakness”. He says: “the introduction, an introduction of your life into the greatest expressions of the power of God – it is always an introduction through the valley of weakness”.

10:08

You see, you can’t blame you circumstances on somebody else and say: “well, if so-and-so had done this and so-and-so had done that...” Um-hmh – I’m responsible to God for my reactions to the circumstances and how the situations in life I may have to face. And Paul says: “I want to tell you – it doesn’t make any difference if you’re pushed to the limit and beyond the limit”. He says: “it doesn’t make any difference if you’re despairing and you’re absolutely hopeless and helplessly caught, trapped”. He says: “there is a way to endure, to survive (not having pity parties and complaining and wanting somebody to feel sorry for you) triumphantly, victoriously with a perfect, abiding peace in your heart".

And that is through relying upon the Lord Jesus Christ to be your strength and totally your strength in that situation no matter what.

12:17

God doesn’t want you and me failing in the christian life. We all do at times. But He wants us to learn the truths, to know how to walk through difficulty. And as we said before, the only way we learn is to get thrown into it. Most people just want you to give them a book, give them a passage, preach a sermon – "got it". No, you haven’t. Because I’ve discovered in my own life, many truths that I learned, I thought: “well, I’ve got that one down”. And then the Lord sends me a big test along the way and I realize: “no, I don’t have it down. I thought I learned it. No, what I did is I heard it, and I understood it, and I believed it, but I didn’t learn it”. How do I learn it? By getting thrown in the fire – that’s how you learn it.

14:52

How do I get this strength and power released in my life? Acknowledging that I am absolutely, totally helpless: “God, if You don’t do it, it won’t work. You have to do it, Lord, I can’t do it”. The confession and acknowledgment of weakness and helplessness – and we don’t like to do that. Have you been willing to say to someone? “I feel so weak and so inadequate…”.

You see, listen to me careful now, you can tell God that in private but act strong in public and I don’t think it works. I think you have to say to someone – in other words: there is a requiring of a humbling of ourselves to say: “I am inadequate. I am weak. And God I can’t”. Listen, weakness, listen, for the growing child of God, weakness is invited. We understand the power of weakness. We understand the power of humility. I don’t mean some fake humbleness – I’m talking about genuinely relying upon Him. The acknowledgment of our weakness. And just saying to Him: “God, I’m relying upon You. I cannot. You, if You don’t do it, it’s not going to happen”.

And thirdly, simply believing that He’ll do what He said. He says: “my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory”. When? When I need it. How long? However how long I need it. How much? Ever how much I need. You want to know why God brings us to the point of weakness? You want to know why God brings us to the point of absolute helplessness? This is the reason. Because He wants to bring us to the point that we have to absolutely, totally rely upon Him. And my friend, there is no greater expression of trust in God than to say: “Father, I absolutely cannot, if You don’t, it’s not going to happen”.

And what does that do? It acknowledges our weaknesses and our inadequacies. We throw ourselves helplessly upon God. And we trust Him to do and to be what He says He’ll do and what He says He’ll be.


-------------


1/24/14

21:28

When God makes a surprise visit in your life, there are some things that are very clear and very definite. Number one, it is a surprise. And there is that awesome awareness that you are standing in the presence of holy God. You can’t really grasp it. You can’t really describe it. You don’t want to say anything. You don’t know what to say. You may break out crying and weep and weep and weep. It may be that you just want to praise Him and thank Him. You may stand. You may sit. You may fall on your knees. You may fall on your face. You just know that suddenly there is the awareness of the presence of holy God.

Not because you prayed. Not because you are even thinking about God. Not because of some plan that you had. It’s just that God shows up in His awesome way for His own divine purpose in your life. You can’t even grasp it. When you try to explain it to someone else, they don’t get it. And it’s not for someone else. It’s because God has something in mind. Sometimes in those times He will speak to you and tell you exactly what’s going on. At other times, God is silent.

So what is He up to? It just may be that in that instance what He’s up to is this: making you aware of His holiness, that He loves you enough to do something very special in your life. You didn’t plan it. You can’t manipulate it. It isn’t anything that you had in mind. You just know when that period of time (which more than likely will be brief) God came to you for some specific reason to speak to you or to make you aware of His presence.


--------


intouch.org radio 8/27/14

1:23

And one of the wisest things you can do when you find yourself going through difficulty is to ask God, number 1 - what He's saying to you. And number 2 - look for the ways that God wants to work in your life. And ask yourself the question: "God, what is Your purpose for all this?"

Now I can respond in several ways. I can say: "well, I don't deserve this" and I can rebel against God or I can sink down in depression and make all kind of excuses for what I feeling or where I'm going and so forth. We all go through trials, hardships, difficulties, pain, suffering - all different kind of things. Sometimes it's prolonged and sometimes it's short. But for a child of God there is always a reason He allows it in our life. We don't always understand what that is. Sometimes we understand it soon. Sometimes we understand it later. Sometimes we don't ever understand it.

But there's always going to be times of trials and pain and heartache and suffering, disappointment, disillusionment and all the rest. So the question is: how do you respond? Do you just despair and give up? Do you blame God? Do you look for someone else to blame? Or do you ask God: "Lord, what are You saying to me?" "What are You preparing me for?" "What are You up to in my life?" And I think that's always the right response: "God, what are You up to?"

Because remember this: Because He's God and you're one of His children, nothing can touch you in any way without God's permission. So if God has permitted you to go through some difficulty (maybe it's something you brought on yourself or maybe it's not) then there's a reason - He has a reason behind it.

And I think that people who go through difficult times in their life and don't profit from it and complain and moan and groan and spend their time blaming others is because they never stop to think: "God, what's Your purpose for this? Why are You letting this happen?" And sometimes you may never understand why but the issue is this: how am I going to respond? What are You saying to me, Lord?

And what I want to talk about in this message is: A cry for comfort. Because many people are crying for it, don't know how to receive it, don't know where it comes from, and often times give up - give up on God, give up on ever getting through the hurt that they're going through.

5:55

So let's think about what do we mean by comfort? Well, in the Old Testament the word "comfort" means to encourage, primarily - and that's what that whole 40th chapter of Isaiah was about: God encouraging His people and speaking about all the things God had created and reminding us that the grass withers, the flower fades, there's seasons and changes, but the Word of God does not change, it's His eternal Word.

9:12

The work of the Holy Spirit in our life is awesome. Every aspect of our life is included in the ministry God has given to the Holy Spirit. And one of those is that He is our Helper, our Comforter, He's our Encourager. He's the one that you and I can turn to because He says He's going to be with you and He's going to be upon you and there's not going to not be a single time in your life - once you trust Him as your Savior - that He's not there.

Somebody says: "when I go through difficulty and hardship and pain and suffering and hurt, I don't feel like God's anywhere around." Are you listening? Say Amen. Feelings have nothing to do with it. You can't go by feelings. It's reality - what is the truth? Living within you is God the Holy Spirit and He is there for very specific reasons. And He names them: to teach you, to give you understanding - right interpretation, to encourage you.

And He says for example, to sort of settle it all, He says the Holy Spirit will come to seal you - no one can break the seal of God. The devil can't break it - no one else can break it. You can't break it. Once you've trusted Him as your personal Savior, He is your Savior. He is your Comforter. He's your Seal, your Teacher, your Instructor. He's the one to enable you and me to walk through this life courageously and fruitfully in our lives - not wasting our time.

And what an awesome encouragement that no matter what you and I go through - watch this carefully - you cannot go through it alone if you've trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior. That's His word. That's His pledge to you. That's what that seal is all about. God sealed you as one of His children once you go to the cross, confessing and repenting of your sins, and asking Him to forgive you on the basis of what He did at the cross. You accept Him as your Savior. Sealed as a child of God forever.

And of all the ways He seals us, He seals us with the Holy Spirit Who is our Teacher, our Guide, our Helper, our Encourager, our Refresher, our Invigorator - that is - you have within you someone to enable you to become and to achieve everything God has in mind for you. So being down in the dumps does not fit who you are. And somebody says: "well, you know, things are so bad". I understand things can get that bad, but do you want them to stay bad? Well, you say: "well, they're going to bad be a long time". Well, let me ask you this: you may not be able to change them - your sense of the awareness of His presence and His power and His promise in your life - nobody can change that.

You may have to go through a long period of difficulty and hardship and hurt and pain and suffering and sickness, but the issue is this: how are you going to respond? If I believe the Spirit of God lives within me (which God says He is) and He's allowing this in my life for a purpose, then I'm going to ask Him to give me the Holy Spirit's enabling power to enable me to go through it and to come out a child of God that's been polished - been in a furnace - but now polished and looking more like Him and sounding more like Him than ever before. God has a divine purpose.

13:00

If you're going through some difficulty - it makes no difference what it is - if it's physical pain, emotional pain, somebody's hurt you very deeply - when suffering of whatever sort comes, what is the wisest thing you can do immediately? So I want to give you what God said: 119th Psalm verse 50: "This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your Word has revived me". The first place you turn is not to your friends (though that's important) the first place you turn is to the Word of God. Listen carefully: God in the Bible has exactly what you need to hear when suffering and hurt and pain come your way.

15:10

The Word of God revives us. And what does that mean? Gives us new life, a new outlook, a new spirit, a new sense of confidence and assurance and energy - in other words it's the Word of God. Listen to this - doesn't this all fit? Because God the Holy Spirit is living inside of you. He inspired the writing of His Word. Therefore whatever I need the Spirit of God is going to guide me to read and see what I need.

17:00

The Word of God: it's eternal omnipotent truth. It always works every single solitary time because the God Who inspired it knows all about us - knows every need. He knows every single aspect of our life. He knows exactly what it takes to comfort us.

23:00

What's your favorite verse? Or put it this way: when you see trouble coming, what's your favorite verse? You say: "well, I don't have one". You better get one. I'll tell you why: because you're going to need it.

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