[0:00] Well, it's good to be with you. I had a real longing to come with Jeff.! I felt it was the Lord giving me that desire.
[0:15] But then, I guess it was just last week, I had a fairly rough night and just didn't think I, just wasn't sure how.
[0:31] I told the Lord I can't go to Montana this way. I think I had a little bit of a complaining spirit maybe, but I repented of that.
[0:44] And I'm glad to be here. It's very good to be with you all. Just, you know, that song channels only. Every time we sing that song, I think of our irrigation pipes.
[1:05] You know, if one of those pipes would decide it doesn't want to be where it's at, doesn't want to be connected with the other pipe that's decided, it wouldn't work very good.
[1:26] And that's the way with us. We are channels. We're not the life. We're the channels for the life. But we are also the life, in a sense.
[1:37] But we're not what's important. We are a channel for the life of Christ to flow through.
[1:51] And that's the important thing. I want to just read a verse in Colossians before I go on.
[2:02] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching, and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
[2:16] And whatsoever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Let's pray.
[2:26] Heavenly Father, we desire to glorify and honor you. Lord, we are here before you, and I just pray that what I share would bring honor to you, would bring glory to your name.
[2:46] Because you are worthy. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the way that you lead our lives, direct our steps. Thank you that you are, your word is a light to our feet, and a light to our path, and a lamp to our feet.
[3:01] And I just praise you for that, Lord. I thank you for what you're doing in each one of our hearts. Lord, you continue to work. You don't give up.
[3:13] And we thank and praise you for that, Lord. Even when we get weary sometimes, you're still there. You pick us up, and you take us on, and we just praise you for that.
[3:26] Just pray, Lord, that your will would be accomplished, as I share, and that your name would be lifted up. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. I, actually, back in, I might have been here, I think, in 2023.
[3:47] I think that was the year the ministers' meetings were here. Not quite sure on that. But anyway, I started with prostate cancer back in 2023.
[4:00] And, it's a little rough at times. I've had a lot of pain through it, and just a lot of complications. And, I took treatments for that, and thought I was overt, and thought I was doing well.
[4:19] and then, at the beginning of last year, 2025, I, I developed a lump on my head. Kind of on the back of my head.
[4:31] And, didn't bother me, so I didn't do anything for a couple months. And, and after a while, I did start getting headache from it. And so, I went to the doctor, and, of course, they did, they right away did all kinds of tests.
[4:46] And, here my, the cancer was spread throughout my body. And my, through my, in my bones.
[5:00] Different, different places in my bone, my spine, and ribs, and, and, I leaned over against something, just put my elbow on, and, had my side against, and all of a sudden, something snapped in here, fractured a rib, that, from, from, the bones being brittle.
[5:21] Had a lot of back pain, and, literally, I thought this is, and, and the doctor told me, the doctor didn't give me much hope. But, he said, my back pain is from, from the cancer, and, and, just one of those things that, will probably not go away.
[5:42] And, but, right away, when, when I knew that, the cancer was spread throughout my body, God gave me Psalm 103. And, I read Psalm 103, over, and over, and over, and over, still do.
[6:07] And, I could not be discouraged. I started rejoicing. And, I want to just read it, before I go on.
[6:20] Psalm 103. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not, all his benefits.
[6:34] Then he starts in on the benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy diseases, who redeems thy life from destruction, and I, I put my own name in there, usually.
[6:51] Who crowns thee with loving kindness, and tender mercies, who satisfies thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagles. Amen. The Lord executeth righteousness, and judgment for all that are oppressed.
[7:10] He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful, and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
[7:25] He will not always chide, neither will he keep his anger forever. He hath not dealt with us, or me, after my sins, nor rewarded me according to my iniquities.
[7:47] For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
[8:07] Like as the father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are just.
[8:18] As for man, his days are as grass, as a flower of the field, so he flourishes, for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and the place thereof shall know it no more.
[8:32] But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. And his righteousness unto children's children, to such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
[8:49] The Lord hath prepared his throne, his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, heartening unto the voice of his word.
[9:06] Bless the Lord, all ye his hosts, ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places, of his dominion.
[9:18] Bless the Lord, O my soul. Can someone be discouraged with such a promise like this?
[9:33] I started rejoicing. I knew this song long before this, but it never meant as much to me as it did when I knew that my life might not be long here on earth.
[9:58] But I started rejoicing in those benefits. I told the church at home, I can't be discouraged.
[10:11] How could I be discouraged with such a promise as this? when my past is under the blood of Christ and my future is as bright as it can get, whether here or there.
[10:32] you know, sometimes when things all go well and we have no problems and no struggles, the word of God doesn't mean quite as much as it does when we really need it.
[11:21] To this day yet, I have no worries and I think I'm honest with that.
[11:34] I do not worry. I know the Lord knows me better than I do. But I believe I'm honest when I say that.
[11:49] I have no fear because when you can face or we can, when you can look at death in its face and have no fear, there's very little the enemy can do.
[12:13] Or I should say nothing he can do. Do I have my trials?
[12:26] Yes, I do. There's times throughout the last year that I struggled with a lot of pain.
[12:37] but even in the middle of pain, when the presence of God is with you, you can go through most anything.
[13:00] I wish I could tell you that the presence of God was always as precious to me as it is and was since I knew that cancer spread throughout my body and that the doctor doesn't give me much hope but he's not God.
[13:22] But God does give me hope. Praise God. But I just want to tell you that I think I've learned what Paul meant when he said therefore I rejoice in my infirmities because when I'm weak he's strong.
[13:59] We don't learn that very easy, do we? We don't learn when everything goes well.
[14:17] But just to know the presence of God and to know the presence of God and to know that every day of my life I get up in the morning and I thank God for the gift of life every morning.
[14:42] I don't know how long I have to live and neither do you but it really doesn't matter.
[15:02] when you are when you are at a place where you can't lose and I'm not saying I'm not tempted I'm not saying the enemy doesn't try different angles but when you are at a place where you can't lose in life there is very little the enemy can do.
[15:43] Amen. I think I've found the joy of the Lord more real than I've ever experienced it before.
[16:23] So I don't know what you're going through I was so blessed last night Marty Weavers were here and I started telling him a little bit what I'm going through and how much and how precious Psalms 103 is to me and he said that's exactly where I'm at I read Psalms 103 every single day and even more than once a day sometimes.
[16:57] it's just a tremendous blessing and a confirmation to me I would encourage you if you struggle with discouragement claim that claim it for yourself those benefits are out of this world wow just the reality that my sins are forgiven I knew that a long time ago but it didn't really become that real as real as it did when my life so to speak hung on the balance but praise God
[18:16] I can tell you today I'm here without with very very little pain I do get pain in my side my left side especially and the doctor said that's because of my kidneys when one thing starts failing it causes another thing to fail and my I have a hard time going to the bathroom and sometimes it backs up and my bladder it affects my bladder and then my bladder affects my kidneys and and so he said my kidneys are enlarged because of that and that's what's causing the pain but I've learned you can take it you can take pain you can live with some pain we don't like that and I don't either but with the presence of God you can rejoice in the middle of severe pain and so
[19:43] I don't know I am I was on medication for quite a while I don't know how long now probably at least six months and it didn't seem to be doing much and so and I've been on natural things too so the doctor asked me if I if I consider going on clinical trial and I don't know why but I just said yes I felt I just felt the Lord yes came out of my mouth before I knew what why I even said yes and so right now I'm not on anything for 21 days to get rid of all the medication that I was taking and then they'll try whatever I don't know but I will say I guess one of the reasons that I that I felt I may as well do that is because
[20:44] I have so little confidence in medication and in what the doctors prescribe if I wouldn't have more hope than that I'd be a miserable man but my hope is in God my hope is in his goodness my hope is in his faithfulness and I can live in the joy of the Lord every moment of my life I think I can still work I still go over in the farm and do things there stock the self-serve shed there that we have and I enjoy and I enjoy talking with people
[21:46] I've had more opportunity to witness for the Lord in the short time that I've been battling this cancer than ever before and there's there's a lot of people come to the self-serve building there and we have we sell eggs and baked goods and pindle beans goat cheese and different few different things and I have I have just been rejoicing in the fact of being able to witness of the goodness of God everybody or not everybody but a lot of people know me that come to the shed and I just not long ago talked with a lady that was there her husband is a banker and we know him very well he's an almost neighbor to us there he does some farming too and I would have
[23:04] I would have never thought that they're Christians and I don't think he is and I'm not sure where she is but I've met her a number of times there and every time she sees me she just the last time I saw her she just she said Alvin every time I see you I get energized she said there's just something about your face and your expression that just draws me to the Lord that's not that's just one person there's just a lot of people that that just marvel that
[24:14] I'm even still here and so I don't know I don't know my future neither do you but it's just a wonderful place to be to not have to worry not have to have fear to be able to have such a confidence in my God my Lord there's another man in the community he had been coming to church for a while his wife passed away a number of years ago we rent some ground from him farm some of his ground and used to be a man that worried tremendously feared about the government and what's going to happen and what the government is going to do and just on and on had a lot of fear and a lot of worries and I just started talking with him and he went through a period of prostate cancer too as far as I know he's pretty well over it but but to see that man change
[25:50] I never dreamt when I first met him just just a just a bitter man to be honest with you but to see him change from day to day never thought he'd end up coming to church but now he professes Christ and I believe he knows Christ and he calls me almost every week just to see how I'm doing yeah just to we live in a community when we moved out there I think it was the second time we ever were in Colorado or at least to look about moving there somehow
[26:55] God just gave me a real love and a desire to minister to those people I went from trying to get out of moving to Colorado to not not barely could wait till we get there because of the love that God put on my heart for those people we have another family that started coming to church young family two children used to work for us on the farm when we soon after we moved out there his parents are divorced and remarried I don't know how many times her parents the same but they see something and they made up their mind they're going to break that curse that generational curse so they start coming to church just a precious family
[28:20] God's doing a work in our community I don't know I just want to say it it takes sacrifice it takes time it takes a lot of time when you start working with community people we used to have church when we moved out there I think we started having church at least once a month was it twice a month at the beginning I'm not sure anymore and in the evening but we quit I'm not telling you to do that but we felt almost every Sunday night after we moved there for a long time when we quit church we had community people over for a meal takes time takes commitment when the youth meetings were there and we we went out to different groups of youth went out to sing for different people and we went along to our neighbors there again ungodly as rough as can be language when we met him first was just terrible today you don't hear a word out of his mouth a bad word or cuss word or whatever we went along to sing with some youth and just to see them tears in their eyes knowing that
[30:37] God's doing a work in them I don't know if they'll ever come to the Lord or not and we're not there trying to get people to the church we're there to minister to people Christ and so since the cancer they came over and wanted to encourage me soon after they found out the cancer had spread through my body and I felt sorry for him he did not know how to encourage me he had nothing to encourage me with and I just started sharing with him I said Charlie I don't know how long
[31:40] I'm going to live but it really doesn't matter I'm ready to go home with my Lord I have a relationship with my Lord and he's become sweeter and sweeter to me than ever before you know sometimes years ago when we sang that song sweeter gets a journey as we go I used to sing that song with a little bit of guilt because I wasn't sure if that's true different times I know now I know now that that is really true the journey does get sweeter and so anyway when I shared with him my hope in Christ and the hope of my future he didn't know what to say he just sat there dumbfounded but
[32:52] I'm amazed that was just about a year ago probably not much more than a year ago and to see him now he's opening up more and more and just is is okay with me sharing about the goodness of God with him and so may God just continue to be glorified that was one thing that the very first time I knew that the cancer had spread through my body my prayer was and is today yet that God can be honored and glorified that his perfect will can be accomplished I have a longing and a desire for that whatever God does is right with me praise his name good morning amen are we okay with
[34:05] God doing in our lives whatever he wants to do so that his life can flow it was really appreciated the worship this morning that song channels only no we looked last night at Romans 7 self life and it's a bit like I was going to ask James for one this morning I forgot I didn't bring a surge protector along her cord but what good can that do in itself nothing when we're plugged into ourselves that's what comes out of us self life when we trust in ourselves our own righteousness our own ability we depend on ourselves self confidence and we looked at the life of Peter self willed man Lord will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel he had his own agenda he had his own thoughts we saw how
[35:10] God broke him when Jesus was speaking to him and said how the son of man must suffer Peter took him and began! to rebuke him Lord be it far from you this must never happen been there right when we protect something we hold on to something we declare I'll never do that this must never happen it it's miserable to be there holding on we're either like this holding on to our life and we're not in control anyhow so we'll always be frustrated or we can open like this and surrender to the one that is in control who is only good and we can experience his blessing as Aaron read cursed is a man that trust in man when I hold on to something I'm trusting in to work out my life and I can never work out my life but when I surrender to God I trust him to work it out we saw how
[36:12] Peter broke and how he repented and what a changed man Peter was when the Holy Spirit came upon him we read in Peter a strong self will Peter said blessed what what the ornament he talks about the ornament of a me and quiet spirit he talks about the sufferings of Christ arm yourself with the same mind the man that said no Jesus you must never suffer this must never happen what happened to him I want to just begin in Ezekiel chapter 36 channels only that's all we are we can be a channel for the self life to be lived through or we can be a channel for the Christ life to flow through I want to look today at the power of the
[37:13] Holy Spirit if we believe on him then rivers of living water will flow out of our most being I want to say those rivers it's Christ it is the beauty of Christ the love of Christ the holiness of Christ the power of Christ and we can go on and on the glory of Christ let me say it's just the presence of God we have nothing to give in ourselves we have nothing to minister in ourselves but those that minister life are only those who bring to others the presence of Jesus I have nothing to offer but Jesus but as God deals with us and breaks us and we submit and we surrender to the Christ life and sometimes he does it through different things in our life he may do it through financial difficulties he may do it through a struggle with sin he may do it through health difficulties
[38:15] God is ever wanting to seek to make a way for his spirit to flow out of our lives and if you and I could see the beautiful plan of God and the heart of God and the thoughts of God I could never number them his good thoughts if you and I could see with spiritual eyes the purpose of God in every situation in our life we would never have a problem trusting him but we don't walk by sight we can't see that with these eyes we walk by faith do you believe in the goodness of God in the love of God in the faithfulness of God in the power he's perfect in goodness I have a father that's perfect I've gone through difficult things but he's never made a mistake never once can we trust him and if we would trust him in every situation it will not always be easy but that
[39:27] Christ life will flow out of us and again we minister as that life flows out of us it is only the presence of Jesus that brings life outside of that there's no point of being here this morning I'm not interested in religion I'm interested in the presence of Jesus that's true religion the presence of Jesus is the answer and if I'm broken and God allow God to deal with the self life where his Holy Spirit can now live the life of another through me I'll minister Jesus to my spouse to my children I'll minister to him in prayer I will touch people I can touch people I can bring the presence of Jesus to people all around this world by praying and interceding for them and my purpose goes from like we said last evening a little caterpillar!
[40:37] that is so earthbound to a butterfly that has a much greater purpose a purpose that goes far beyond this earth here when all this present world is passed away and all the temporary things only what's done for Christ will last only the Christ life and should I not I want to maybe paraphrase that not so much what's done for Christ but what Christ has done in me it's not what I can do for God it's what God can do through me if I yield myself to him the power of the Holy Spirit the power of the new covenant again the old covenant was based on I we look at Romans 7 I me you will find that I think I did count it I think it's maybe 40 times and you find the word law caterpillar bound by the earth the laws of earth bound by the law of gravity and in
[41:42] Romans 8 instead of law you find the word spirit over and over and over and again I will just say we are under one law or the other and we're not under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus we're under the law of sin and death it cannot be otherwise but the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes me free from the law of sin and death there's a law of sin and death I guess look at dad's life but the presence of Jesus the law the spirit of life in Christ Jesus takes him beyond that law that works in his earthly body takes him beyond that Ezekiel 36 and I'll begin reading in verse 24 and I want you to look at this in light of last evening last evening maybe was a bit heavy we focused a lot on the weakness of self the self life self confidence and how
[42:52] God ever has to break us and bring us to the end of self and if we would only look at that we would maybe view God in a wrong light but if we would see the end of God and what he has in mind because God never asks you to give something up God never asks you to lay something down ever that he does not have something better it may better for you but notice all the word of I I in Romans 7 we looked at that last evening now there's another I here but it's not referring to me to Paul to the life of Peter Paul struggle there in Romans 7 but this I is God I will and this is a new covenant that it is no longer I it's Christ it's no longer what I can do it's what God can do it's no longer my power but it is his power it's no longer my life but it is his life it's no longer who
[44:00] I am but who God is in me through the power of the Holy Spirit the indwelling Spirit of God and verse 24 says for I will take you from among the heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you into your own land then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you a new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh!
[44:31] and I will give you a heart of flesh! that heart of self will self confidence self seeking and I give you a heart of flesh that is soft and tender towards me that you can know my presence and be soft and tender the working of my spirit the voice of my spirit and my presence in your life and I will put my spirit within you praise God and will cause you to walk in my statutes and you shall keep my judgments and do them and you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers and you shall be my people and I will be your God and I want to just say the promised land
[45:32] I want to say that place of rest that inheritance that God has given to us and when God puts his spirit within us we love God we obey him because we love him not because we have to but because we want to in verse 29 I will also save you from all your uncleanness and I will call for the corn and will increase it and lay no famine upon you and I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field and you shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen and I know maybe this is referring even to physical but I want to look at this even in a spiritual light when God says I'll make you fruitful my life will flow out of you my love will flow out of you my spirit will flow through you you will be a channel to bring my presence and my healing and my life to those around you again self cannot do that the self life needs to be broken in
[46:35] Zechariah 4 we will just turn there and then we'll come back to Ezekiel 37 we will not lean and depend upon the Holy Spirit until our self will and self confidence is broken and God says I will I will I will I will but our self will is in opposition to God's will let me ask you which will is better which one is life which one is death do you know every problem in this world is caused by I will self this self has cost our government billions and billions we look at crime we look at drugs we look at everything that happens because life is centered around me it's all about me the devastation the curse it has brought such a curse the life of
[47:53] Jesus God longs to bless us and again what is the key to the blessing of God the key to the blessing and power of God is absolute surrender and I do not want to differentiate surrender from the word faith if you believe on me rivers of living water will flow out of your innermost being and again this he spake of the spirit the spirit of God that is within us that believing is just a complete and total commitment to Christ trusting him to do in my life what I could never do realizing I am nothing I can do nothing it is only the power and grace of God and therefore submitting to him trusting him completely Zechariah 4 I read verse 1 to 7 and the angel that talked with me came again and waked me as a man that is waken out of his sleep and before this God is speaking about what he's going to do the glory of the latter house shall be greater than that of the former that's in
[48:56] Haggai but it's in the same time frame as this! and God is speaking to the children of Israel and he's telling them what he's going to do and now he says how he's going to do it and said unto him what see it and I said I have looked and behold a candlestick all of gold with a bow upon the top of it and his seven lamps are on and seven pipes to the lamps which are upon the top thereof and that candlestick all of gold pure gold simply represents God it is all of God and God wants to strip us of ourselves of our own life that is the work of the cross to deal with all that itself so that it can be only Christ and he wants to make a vessel that he can live in and the two olive trees by one upon the right side of what are these my Lord then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me knowest thou not what these be and I said no my Lord then he answered and spake unto me saying this is the word of the
[49:56] Lord unto Zerubbabel saying not by might not by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts! will self seeking pride could we say and when we rely on the arm of flesh when we rely on anything of ourselves it greatly hinders God that is not how God works it is by my spirit God doesn't have a plan B it's by his spirit and his spirit works through the work of the cross the cross before Pentecost the deep work in our lives he wants to empty us of the self life again to fill us with the Christ life if we trust or rely on anything else our own power our own ability our own wisdom our own righteousness our own programs whatever it may be we limit
[51:03] God and self sufficiency is the first step toward pride and again we humans love to be self sufficient we don't like to be out on the limb where we got to trust God we just do not like that place but let me tell you that's where the power of God works we heard that already this morning and our weakness his strength is made perfect and this affects our attitude and prayer do we know that it's only by his spirit then I am completely dependent upon him we sing that song in Christ alone my hope is found in Christ alone not by might not by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts who art thou O great mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain the amplified says a mole hill hallelujah what is to us mountains impossibilities to
[52:09] God is a mole hill you know what I do with a mole hill and it's gone do you know every mountain impossibility in your life is just that to God it's just that to God it is just that to the power of the Holy Spirit again what did we read last night with men it's impossible but with God all things are possible and as long as we are still self willed and live the life of the flesh it's impossible we will face impossibilities!
[52:50] now Ezekiel 37 you know the more we learn to lean and depend and rely on God the more we will experience his presence and his power and I just say the presence of God it changes our prayer life it takes church from a mere formality and form to something much greater it takes a word of God from a dead letter to a living reality and a fountain of life a word that we can live by and we can stand upon in the storms of life the presence of
[53:50] God without it we're nothing and there's no reality of the presence of God without the Holy Spirit it is the Holy Spirit within and the Holy Spirit in our midst that brings the reality of the presence of Jesus the Holy Spirit makes Jesus real and I know by experience I know what it is to look at a situation through these eyes and be fearful and be discouraged and be frustrated and be angry and I know what it is to come in the presence of Jesus and God speaks and I hear his word and I see the situation through a completely different light and it's life the one before was death it was taking me down the presence of Jesus makes all the difference that is the power of the Holy Spirit I don't want to separate the two because they are one in the same there may be a false there may be a counterfeit out there today but the true working of the
[54:59] Holy Spirit the true power of the Holy Ghost it is the presence of Jesus that is what Satan fears he would do anything he can in your life to take you out of the presence of Jesus he'll do anything he can in your life to get your eyes off Jesus to make you doubt to make you try in your own strength because he knows he knows that when you are in Christ and Christ is in you the battle won it's over we have the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord as we read last night who shall deliver me from the body of this death oh thank God he will he will through Jesus Christ through the presence of Jesus made real to us by the power of the Holy Ghost in Ezekiel 37 I want to just really encourage you as a church with this I know you but
[56:01] Ezekiel says this the hand of the Lord was upon me is the hand of the Lord upon you if you would trust in him it will be again as that song says a vessel of honor I am longing to be as clay to the potter may I be to thee you may have to break down resistance at times but Lord please keep shaping and molding my life shape me dear father please make me like you mold me completely that I may be true and if you have to break me may I understand you're still loving and holding my life in your hand it would be such disservice results would be nil if clay rejects potter and seeks how many times do we do that could only be cast out to the old potter's field please don't cast me out master put me back on your wheel to realize if
[57:09] I trust the Lord he will use every situation in my life and he can redeem it he can redeem my stupidity and my foolishness and my worst mistakes and when I bring it to him and place it in his hand and total trust and surrender he takes all of that all of my horrible past all of my life and today every trial you face every battle you face every difficulty you face every time something comes against you can you just say Lord what do you want to do do you believe God's word word of God says all things not 90% of things all things work together for good to those that love God to those who trust him and know his love and if I love God it's because I trust him and I see his love towards me he uses every situation for his glory and his honor he can bring life out of every situation and
[58:22] I believe the devil again has to be one of the most frustrated beings there is when every time he brings something against us and we turn to God and God uses the very things the devil meant to destroy us to glorify and honor his name and minister life but God does that again and again and again if we trust him if we believe him Romans 7 we just see failure again and again and it goes from Romans 7 to this glorious deliverance of trusting God and realizing there's no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit yielded to God just trusting!
[59:12] His hand the hand of the potter to go and he goes from Romans 7 to Romans 8 being more than a conquer not just a conquer more than a conquer and I say it's more than a conquer when God takes our every defeat and whether it's the things where I failed or the things that are coming against me that look impossible but if I will turn to God with all my heart he uses everything to make me more than a conquer and when I want to just say more than a conquer is simply when the life of Jesus can flow out of me when I can bring the presence of Jesus to those around me in the midst of my battles and trials in the midst of my pain but I can still bring the presence of Jesus and minister his life and be a!
[60:04] that's being more than a conquer but Ezekiel here says the hand of the Lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and sent me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones and caused me to pass by them round about and behold there were very many in the open valley and lo they were very dry you talk about impossibilities I don't know what Ezekiel saw here and perhaps he saw the holocaust when after those bodies had gone through the gas chambers they brought them out and they stacked the bones in huge piles I don't know if that's what he saw but one thing it was impossible it was a great impossibility there were very many in the open valley and lo they were very dry dead bones dry bones and you know that's what you and I are without God without the indwelling spirit of
[61:06] God without the presence of Jesus we're nothing but a dry bone there's no life I can't of mine own self do nothing in myself there dwelleth no good thing but Ezekiel was able to hear the word of God in this great impossibility and he said unto me son of man can these bones live and I answered O Lord God thou knowest you know I don't know but you know again he said unto me prophesy upon these bones and say unto them O ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord does a dry bone have an ear can it hear the word of the
[62:11] Lord is powerful and that's why sometimes we need to speak it out loud God's word God's promises prayer I want to say there's something about speaking them out loud because I don't believe the devil can read my thoughts like God can God knows everything but when we speak them the powers of darkness around us hear them when I speak it in faith the word of God spoken in faith is powerful when you and I hear so Ezekiel heard and this is the importance of prayer we must hear from God it's the importance of opening our heart to God's word it's the importance of having a connection with God in prayer and when God brings us into desperate situations where I just know
[63:11] I have to hear from God God I need you those times God comes through and if you will hear God's word whether it's this word you don't need feelings your feelings doesn't change God's word there's times in prayer I have a lot of feelings there's times God's presence is so real there's times I know it's not coming out of me but I know what's coming out of my mouth the spirit of God is just praying through me flowing through me but you know there's times it's not like that that doesn't change God doesn't change his word doesn't change the fact that I'm a child of God unless I have willful sin in my life doesn't change anything and sometimes in those times I stand on this word
[64:11] I don't have to feel anything it doesn't change God's word God is bigger than my feelings can you hear the word of God and if it's this word or if it's the word that the Holy Spirit speaks into your heart and if it's this word the Holy Spirit has to make it alive but when the Holy Spirit gives you a word you stand on that and Ezekiel heard the word of the Lord and he stood on that word he spoke it in faith could the bones hear the bones could not hear but I want to say there was a deeper element here and we need to see that behind every situation there's principalities and powers so many times it's much deeper than what we see these were just dry bones but Ezekiel heard the word of God if Ezekiel would have spoken his own word it would have done nothing but he heard the word of
[65:15] God and he spoke the word of God thus saith the Lord God unto these bones behold I will cause breath to enter into you and ye shall live and I will lay sinews upon you and will bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put breath in you and ye shall live and ye shall know that I am the Lord God can still do that today hallelujah out of every situation out of every life he can take a dead dry bone clothe it with skin make it beautiful and put his life in it he can do that again the power of the Holy Spirit the power of the presence of Jesus I don't want to separate those two
[66:15] God was present here and that's what made all the difference we can get together and have church we can preach God's word we can sing songs never do nothing won't do anything God's not present but if his spirit and his word work together if his presence is there God's word is powerful so I prophesied as I was commanded we don't like we live in a world today that we want to do what we want to do we don't want to do as we're commanded but I'm just saying the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes us free from the law of sin and death here was the command and I'm just saying to obey the promptings of the spirit when we disobey the promptings of the Holy Spirit it is disobedience it is stubbornness it is rebellion and it's being an enemy against
[67:18] God it's enmity! with! the carnal mind is enmity with God and be carnally minded is death it's serious it's serious to disobey the promptings of the spirit we've all done that thank God for his mercy he's long suffering when he's prompted me again and again and I resisted and I resisted and I resisted and finally I broke down thank God he didn't just stop once or twice but I will obey but
[68:20] Ezekiel did as he was commanded and when you and I can somehow hear the voice of the Holy Spirit the working of the Holy Spirit within is always to set us free from self and the result of that it's not always going to be easy it takes the work of the cross it takes surrender it costs but the result of that would always be the presence of Jesus again the reality of the presence of Jesus in your everyday walk of life where throughout the day you find God ministering to you where songs that we sing don't just become a song but they're a living reality in your life throughout the day and you pour your heart out to God and God speaks to you and I'm saying we have nothing to offer this world outside of the presence of Jesus nothing I'm not saying that other things are not important morals honesty and business and work ethics we know character is important the fruit of the spirit is important but if you separate that from the presence of
[69:36] Christ it's not going to do anything it might benefit us on this earth but it's not going to bring forth eternal fruit it's only the presence of Jesus the reality of a living Christ within the power of the Holy Spirit he gives the Holy Spirit to those that obey him and we need the Holy Spirit number one to hear his voice but as you will yield yourself to the promptings of the Holy Spirit your life will change from a self centered life to a Christ centered life it'll change from being a channel that self is always being manifested through and when people touch you what do they touch again if you yield to the promptings of the Spirit instead of self flowing through you being manifested through you Christ will flow through you and be manifested through you what do people touch what does your spouse!
[70:37] touch what do your children touch what do your brothers and sisters in Christ touch the work your co-workers the world around you as you go about your week what do they touch when they touch you self a religious self or a living Christ they touch something and brothers and sisters we need to realize that I am nothing and I have nothing outside of Jesus when we come to a place of total dependence upon the Holy Spirit that I know I need the Holy Spirit and lately in my life for the last two three months God's just been doing a deeper work and there's times I just tell God I never needed you as much as I need you now we sang that song yesterday's blessings are past and gone thank God for experiences thank God for good times thank God for when he works in our lives!
[71:38] but I need God in a fresh way today I need him and that's the reality that Christ longs to bring to us and I know what it is to touch him and be in his presence and go out from there and just be free and when I am free from self his love can flow through me and it changes the way that I respond to situations I know how I respond to situations in myself I have experienced that and I have also experienced responding to situations with the grace of God with the presence of Jesus it's a very different outcome what do people touch when they touch you many years ago I was going through a very difficult situation yes due to situations that were outside of my control and in that verge of dealing with things and
[72:55] I knew that unforgiveness was right there if I would allow it I remember God speaking to me very clearly that you cannot blame anyone else for where you are spiritually my grace is here for you and it really convicted me God's grace is here he can fill we sang that song channels only we sang about a full surrender hearts at full surrender now his blessing his power and the fullness of his spirit so I prophesied as I was commanded wow can we just obey the promptings of the spirit the outcome of that will be life the outcome of that is that the impossible will become possible for the glory of
[74:00] God it's not about us and as I prophesied there was a noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together bone to his bone and when I beheld lo the sinews and the flesh came up upon them and the skin covered them above but there was no breath in them some of us would be satisfied to stop there right and again I know what it is to see!
[74:27] God move and see God work and we just kind of want to relax now this is a continual walk it takes a life of daily denying self taking up my cross and following Christ you know what that means something has to die daily every day something has to be given up it's a daily walk maybe not stop short there was no breath in them then said he unto me prophesy unto the wind prophesy son of man and say to the wind thus saith the Lord God come from the four winds oh breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live so I prophesied as he commanded me and the breath came into them and they lived and they stood up upon their feet an exceeding great army out of a valley full full of dead dry bones hallelujah is anything too hard for
[75:30] God we limit him when we don't trust him when we don't surrender when we don't obey he's looking for vessels that will simply be led by the spirit of God follow the promptings of the spirit we are so dependent upon him because if we do not have the holy spirit that's where we're going to end up a valley full of dead dry bones it's all it's going to be but let the word of God and the spirit of God work together Genesis 1 this earth was void dark without purpose no life in it God spoke the spirit of God moved upon the face of the deep let the word of God the spirit of God work together and God can bring into existence out of nothing something beautiful he speaks of the things how does it say can't get the can someone help me
[76:33] Romans on Abraham against hope believed in hope God speaks of the non existent things as though they were God and that can apply to situations in our life if it's God's will again we can't use God and prayer is not so much me getting from God what I want but prayer is more God getting from me what he wants and when I take prayer serious in my prayer life of aligning with the will of God and trusting!
[77:10] best and if I know that his will is best I will not have a problem laying down my will for his will if I'm convinced his will is better and if my prayer life and my reading God's word is more about me lining up with God than God blessing me again is prayer about God blessing me blessing my will and what I want to do or is it God using me for his glory but if our heart will line up with the will of God I just say if you will be serious about aligning your lives with the will and the purpose of God here am I Lord and we do that and again God is so gracious if the desire!
[77:58] is not there you can pray! for the desire that is not there what a blessing it was mentioned earlier this weekend blessed are those that hunger and thirst they shall be filled God never lied not once if you seek him with your whole heart he will be found of you hung up on these things he will be found of you do you doubt that does he lie God is faithful we can stand on his promises we can stand on his word if we're willing to line up with his will and if our lives align with God we can expect his blessing and his power and his presence the presence of Jesus the disciples walked with Jesus three and a half years still argued who was the greatest they all forsook him and fled when
[79:01] Jesus was arrested three and a half years walking with Christ did not do what the indwelling spirit of God did but when the presence of Jesus was in their lives and that river was flowing out of them people took notice these men have been with Jesus there's something different here it's not Peter anymore it's a living Christ and this can affect every area of our lives it can transform my personal life my prayer life I just know that if God's presence is real and I'll just say this there's times we have to battle through things there's times that God I think intentionally allows us to not have feelings so that we learn to walk by faith but
[80:02] God's presence makes all the difference all the difference whether it's in my family in my marriage whether it's in my prayer life whether it's together as a church God's presence makes all the difference and the more we learn to lean depend and rely on God the more we will experience his presence and power and this is the work of the cross that everything else should die so that we would look to God that we would look to and lean on nothing but God and I tell you if we're looking at nothing but God trusting hoping and relying on nothing but God prayer becomes our life I have to hear from God I need God to come through they stood on their feet an exceeding great army then he said in verse 11 son of man these bones are the whole house of Israel behold they say our bones are dried our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts therefore prophesy and say unto them thus saith the Lord
[81:07] God behold all my people I will open your graves and cause you to come out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel and I believe I'm not sure if this isn't speaking of the 1940s after the holocaust when all of a sudden God brought the children of Israel the Jews from all over the nations where they were scattered and in one day a nation was born if he does that physically for his people how much more spiritually how much more spiritually he's still the same God today and he shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves oh my people and brought you up out of your graves and shall put my spirit in you and he shall live and I shall place you in your own land then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord the church must again realize the potential there is in an absolute dependence on the
[82:12] Holy Spirit Psalm says cursed are those that trust in idols and then it says those that trust in them are like them do you know we're like what we trust in and my trust is in myself that too I'll be like but if our trust is in the Lord God and the power of the Holy Spirit nothing's impossible because it's his life that now will be within us not our own and so that is really the dealing of God I just want to say that in all the difficult things that we go through in life if only God could give us a revelation of his great love he's ever seeking to bring us to the end of ourself so that we will lean and depend on nothing but God and just realize
[83:13] God it has to be you I need thee oh I need thee every hour I need thee my one defense my only righteousness Lord God how I need you and when we lean on him in that way God so to speak he begins to roll up his sleeves he gets ready to work his eyes run to and fro throughout the face of the horse he's looking and he's longing to show himself strong to heal to restore to revive to bring life he loves to do that that is our God he loves to do that he's looking for those whose hearts are perfect what is a perfect heart one that believes in him again I hope that this word he that believeth on me as the scripture has said out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water
[84:17] I just trust that word believing on him has taken a new meaning in your life that is the truth if we rely on him that river of life will flow and that river it's nothing more it's nothing less than the presence of Jesus Christ and that is what will make a difference in this world when people see Jesus that is the only thing we have but that's all we need!
[84:43] He is! He been time to time has to time to to him his life his life a time get him to his and his will be to his and his