All right, welcome to dream enters. This is the end of class five and all of class six that we're going to be going through tonight. We are very excited about tonight because it is our opportunity to go through our diagrams and our diagrams really show you who you are in Christ. So we're going to start there with our diagrams, we're going to go completely through all the different processes of salvation from before you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, all the way through walking in the power of God and what that looks like. From a not only a biblical perspective, a spiritual perspective, but also a scientific perspective. How when you become born again, and affects every aspect of your soul in your body as well and so we're going to go to that The very first diagram, which is the unsaved, man.

But first we're going to pray because that would be really good to pray before we start talking about the unsaved man because the unsaved man needs to get saved. Right, Holly? So maybe our prayers will say, all the unsaved All right, Father, we just thank you so much, Lord, for being with us today as we discuss the end of class five. In class six, there are things you want to teach us and share with us. And so we're very excited to be able to step into that place of greater wisdom, Revelation, knowledge and understanding, as we position ourselves to not only be changed by this material, but to learn it so that we can help walk others through this process. And so we just asked you to speak to our hearts tonight minister to us as we learn what we need to learn to help others in Jesus name, amen.

Okay, so let's talk about the unsaved. Man, the unsaved man, we've all been unsaved at one point. We were without God, we were separated from him. We were under the curse. And now those of us who receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior are not in that place anymore. We are saved.

But let's take a look at what we used to look like before we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And so this is a is kind of an archaic drawing, but nonetheless one that I believe will help shed some light on what we look like in the spiritual realm from the aspect of being unregenerate. The word says we're unregenerate which means we're unspiritual we do not have any connection with the spiritual side of things. We are connected to the world. We are connected to getting our needs met. We Do have a connection with this second heaven with the demonic forces at this particular state we are without knowledge and understanding of God.

In this place of being unsaved our our brain is even different our brain activity, our relationships are poor. Our prefrontal cortex where our language in our control is, is different than what we are as a saved person, our limbic system which is the seed of our emotions, our emotions are very erratic. We are very connected to anxiety, fear, depression. We are not who God has intended us to be at this particular state. We have what's called a lack soul where our mind our will and our emotions are constantly in a state of lack always looking to get its needs met. As you can see Inside the picture of the head there of the person, that's the brain in the brain holds the mind.

The mind is the seat of memory, emotion and thought. It also encompasses the mind the will and the emotion. So your will and your emotions actually function from the state of your mind. So our mind is developed through genetics, but also through relationships and when we are unsaved, our relationships are poor, and why are they poor, they're poor, because everything is about us. Our whole focus is self centeredness. We are self centered on ourselves.

Everything is about what we can get. You know where we can go, what's going to feed our need, which means that this lack state is we have a constant need for provision, protection and acceptance. So this is who we are before we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. So you can see, we are in need, you know, people are in need when they come to the altar, they're in need. And a lot of times they come to the altar because they've been pressured by circumstances and other things where they've realized they cannot function in life without a savior, we all come to that place where we realize we're not living, right. And so we've all been there.

And this is our state, like I said, as, as in Adam, as in the first atom. And when we're living by that state of the curse, we're in a place where where this constant need is, it's very difficult for us because everything we look at in life just is not going to satisfy no matter what and a lot of times we cannot find our way out of our issues. So here again, is a little bit more detailed about the unregenerate man. What are some behaviors that are involved with the unregenerate man, the unregenerate man is one that has control issues operates the world out of manipulation, poor behavioral responses, deficits in communication with others. Also their metacognition metacognition actually means that you think about thinking, that's even impaired. And so when we're in this particular dead state, everything that happens in the spirit realm, okay?

Because remember your spirit, your spirit person and so you're born as a spirit that has a mind will and emotions that lives in an earth suit or a body. And to this, this unregenerate spirit or that's connected to the world that's connected to the influences of the second realm is constantly flowing into the brain and that's what creates that lack mentality that lack that gets us in trouble in every area that lack identity. So, our neurobiology is affected when we are unregenerate. Now, a lot of times people don't have the appearance even when they're unsaved that all of this is going on. But it's going on. It's their normal in life.

Okay, so that's their normal and until one of their normals cracks, they're not going to be asking Jesus to come into their life. And what I mean by that is, when we were born into this earth, and we are born under the curse, and we are born disconnected from relationship with God, then we had to make our own way. And so these are the ways that somebody that's not connected with God makes their own way. They manipulate they control they, they do they live in fear and anxiety and restlessness and they're not sure who they are. They're wondering, Is this all that it is, you know, they have a little Questions, but they still learn to function in life just like that. And for that becomes the normal.

And until something breaks in your normal system, you're not asking for it to get fixed. But God is very strategic because he will allow something to break. Because he wants to show each and every person on the planet. You can't live without me and you were not designed to live without me. This is a state that you're in at this moment, but I am your Savior, and I'm going to come save you from this state of being separated from me. And in doing so I'm going to give you under understanding that my son Jesus died on the cross was buried and resurrected that you and I might now be in union.

So each person starts out their life on Earth as unregenerate. So we're all in that category. All right, let's go to the next one. We're going to give you all an opportunity To ask some questions to hear after we go through some of these diagrams, I know some of them are intense. But we're going to we're going to give you a chance for that because we know the intensity of them. Okay?

So this is after you confess Jesus as your Lord and Savior, very simple. Romans chapter 10, verse nine and 10. You believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, that you believe Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, he has come to save you from yourself. He has come to save you from your separation from God. He has come to unite you in relationship with him and relationship with the Father. He is the one he is the bridge between you and the father.

And so when we receive Jesus in an instant change begins to happen. And you see the spirit picture now is no longer gray. Now it's purple and it has color. It is now you become alive in Christ. From the moment you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This spirit may On the inside that was dark now becomes alive, it was dead and now it's alive You are once dead and now you are alive.

Okay? That's what the Scripture tells us. So you're now alive in Christ. And now this Holy Spirit has a new container that he can come live in. See he couldn't come live in you when you were unregenerate because he can't live in something that's dead. He's only gonna live in something that has come alive.

So he makes you a live in Christ and then the Holy Spirit comes to take possession of your spirit comes to occupy your space. This is where he says I am Lord of your life and I'm going to come on the inside of you. Then the flow, you see the the arrow, the arrow is the H is the Holy Spirit coming to be deposited there and then the flow is now you have understand In this moment, you have cognitive recognition that you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. I now you have entered into that place where we call the BORN AGAIN experience. It's where all of a sudden you come to the realization I've been set free. I'm in something's been broken in my life, I'm now able to see that I was blind I lived in darkness.

But now I can see the veil has been removed, because literally the veil was removed from your mind. The connection now between your spirit man in your mind your pre your prefrontal cortex, and your limbic system is now being touched by God in that place where you are now going to go on a journey of being who God created you to be who he saw from before to foundation in the world before you pop down a mom and dad before you had their characteristics. You had their DNA Now you have the DNA of God. So now you have his spirit and now he's affecting every part of all the neurotransmitters, in your language, your emotion, everything has now become alive. So, you're on the very, very beginning stages of being emotionally connected to God at this point, you still have the same patterns that you had when you were unsaved.

Because what's not trained, your mind your welling, your emotions is not trained at this point. At this point, you are brand new baby, brand new you are born now for the very first time in God, you are now born of God, the Word says, you are born of God. And so therefore now, things are going to start looking up for you. What that means is you're going to start to develop that deep connection with God. It doesn't mean you won't be faced with difficult circumstances and trials and struggles. It just means that now you're going to do it in part worship with God.

So, here we see that you you began your journey relationships are going to start to get better because you're going to start to realize that the world doesn't revolve around you that you are not the end all be all you are indeed not God at this point. And you have realized that and and I think we all can attest to this during this process that is continuing right now, wherever we're at in our personal journey is we have history. And we we need to be honest about our history and the way we would approach our relationships many times before, are born again. Event are born again experience. We would approach our relationships with what can I get from this relationship? It's Just a truth and that continues.

But what will go on now, as you develop and renew your mind to what happened is you will start to recognize and acknowledge those inaccurate ways to use the giftings God gave you because you didn't even realize you had them is you are here for a bigger purpose, a greater purpose than what you thought about you. God has us here for a greater thing than just fulfilling us. And that is the dying to the self process that is understanding what your relationships are for and how you can be used by the Lord to feed others to pour into others. And that is something that we continue to To develop and understand, and, and it's all about this concept of serving of, of dying to the south. And that just continues. We there hasn't been a person ever, except for Jesus, who limited himself from being fully deity to come be fully a man, yet fully God at the same time, but he limited himself so he could show us that it can be done.

So we, because we've got to renew our mind struggle with how can I do the things of God? I'm not God. But when we're born again, God lives within us. He was a spirit were a spirit. So we have to get on that spirit train and get off the Soul Train. You What I'm saying and so it's a process just like in the natural we grow we got this young man in the front here he's a he's a preteen teenager we have an older teenager in the back most of us here above 18 or older we understand it took us some time to get to that maturity level physically.

It is the same thing spiritually and and in the process of developing it's a little remember how it was a little awkward when you're certain ages part of you might have grown faster new things develop you're like oh my gosh, I didn't know that was gonna happen there. Why is that? All these things? Those same kind of things develop spiritually and, and we will be a little awkward in it will be a little uncomfortable. We're be a little shy. We don't want to do it we'll be we'll let fear prevent us know.

We want to assist you in that process. And many times in that process, there will be awkward moments. It's worth learning how to develop spiritually. So, in these diagrams, we're walking you through what what did we what were we like, before we were born again. Then here we are at the BORN AGAIN stage. Now we're going to continue in this and show some other developments of how we haven't adjusted our thinking.

So that we understand what really happened to us. Okay, so, even at this stage are we do not know our identity in Christ, because identity in Christ is established through the transformation of the mind. So you don't really know who you are in Christ until you study the Word of God so that the word can began to transform your mind. It's through your spiritual senses, your ears, your eyes, your nose, your tastes, your touch that you come to know who you are, and and a baby doesn't know who they Are they have to get to a certain point where they finally begin to start asking the right questions, the right answers come, and you will come to a place of saying, Who am I, now that you're even a saved person, when you begin to start asking that is God giving you a greater revelation of who you are in Him, He wants you to then begin to search the Scriptures and find out who he created you to be.

So that is also part of the journey. So the there is a flow of relationship now with God. And this flow also provides what's called secure attachment. Every single one of us born into the world is born separate from God. And so we're born into a state of needing secure attachment to him, but we don't know him to have secure attachment with him. It's like a child that was born and separated from its mother and father in an instant and yet has no idea who it is and goes to live in the arms.

Someone who does not have the same DNA or the same connection. And that those arms might not even be a good person might be a good person. But even still, whatever it is that looks good is not the true birth of the Father. So you're always looking for that true connection with the Father always feeling like I'm not really sure who I am because I don't really know who my dad is. I don't really have that intense connection. And so it's missing these these areas, and we miss these areas of who we are.

We began to search for love in all the wrong places. And that's how we get mixed up in sin is because sin is always there to say I will love you and provide for you if you'll only do a little dance with me over here in this area. It's what are we it's really gets down to what are we worshiping. I mean, that's That's the deal. And it's just the deception of the demonic. And that's what the demonic did against Jesus and he didn't fall for it.

And he answered them, he answered the devil three times with Well, now the Word of God says this, you're twisting, you're twisting. And the devil goes, well just worship me, but onna me, and I'll give you all this and he's like so and we all will face those same three temptations. That's provision, protection and acceptance. It's right here in the Word of God. You know, I just love what you said there, Pastor Adam, it's it's the element of worship. We are born to worship something.

You are spirit being you will choose to worship God or you will choose to worship an idol. And when you're unsaved, you will worship idols because you do not know the one true God to worship, that when you come to know God and you find out the one true God to worship then you spend your life learning how to love him more and love all the other items. Last, let me just give you a little background about the Word of God in the Old Testament that came down to this in the Old Testament, okay, which was the, the old is the new contain. So we contained everything about the Messiah we were going to and the way God talked to the rulers of Israel. It came down to this will you? What are you going to do in the high places of your life?

What are those things you're putting up there and worshiping? And will you live righteously? It's no different than today. What are your idols and any any said, if you find out that you're worshipping an idol? The things that you'd read about in the Old Testament are a Shira poles. They were these false idols, they'd carve out a wood and they'd have those in the heart high places because at the high places Where the family of God resides on the mountaintops to rule over everything.

And so he wants to know, what are you going to do with those high places in your life? What are those things that you look up to? Are you looking up to me? Or what is your idle? And are you living righteously? And if the answer if we're honest, and the answer is, I'm kind of worshiping you, then there's sin involved and it's okay.

And he says, repent of that change your ways, renew your mind. turn aside from what you're worshiping. If it's not me. If you're worshipping your spouse, if you're worshiping your children, if you're worshiping your job, if you're worshiping money, if you're worshiping close, if you're worshiping, just fill in the blank. He says, once you're alerted to that, and I know and he's watching our heart, he's searching our heart and our minds. He's gone.

Don't come to the altar and try to trick me. Be honest. Just be honest. And he's like, I can work with you, regardless of what you've done, or if you're honest. Repent, and watch what will happen. And this is what's constantly going on throughout the Word of God from the beginning.

So again, Adam, where are you? Why are you hiding from me? It's checking his heart. You're gonna tell me the truth. You're gonna lie. Oh, we're, we're naked.

How do you know you're naked? Oh, that thing you told me not to do? Well, that woman you gave me she? She got she's. Well, I'm not talking about her. I'm talking about you, Adam.

Why are you hiding from me? I made you to fellowship with me. I'm here and you chose to lie to me. Okay, we'll do it your way. It's gonna be a little more painful. Do you relate to this?

Okay. Now, when Adam and Eve chose to cover themselves, they sewed some fig leaves together and they did that, right? They covered themselves when they found out they were naked with fig leaves. Okay, now listen to me. They covered themselves when they found out they were naked. We cover ourselves when we don't know God with everything that we can pick up and put on ourselves as a mask to cover who we are.

So no one will see. And we choose all different ways to do that. We choose that with lying to ourselves and lying to others blaming others, choosing addictive behaviors and things of that sort. I'm even choosing emotional states like anger or other types of things that are covering so we don't have to look at ourselves when all you got to do in that moment and what do we teach you all the time is repent because repentance says I recognize I'm covering myself with something that is not God. I've walked away from the blood covering of Jesus now you'll still covered by his blood from a total salvation standpoint, but you just chose to walk away from his covering after you're saved even a kid just happens to be for your sake but after you're safe to pick up whatever it is that you want to to successfully cover yourself.

Right this is these are continuing issues but Patreon brought it up so I went in that area. Alright, let's go to saved me on. Let's go to the saved man as a carnal Christian, okay, because we can feed off some of this covering in that particular area. So you can be saved but be called a carnal Christian. What that means is you are are going to heaven when you die. But while you're here, you're acting like you're not saved, but you are.

Okay. Now, this comes in a lot of different phases because it means that you received Jesus. But what you haven't done is taking the time to cultivate relationship with the one who saved you. You've also determined to remain in some of your sinful patterns, you've given up some but you haven't given up all of them because some of them felt really comfortable. They've been nice masking coverings that you've been wearing for quite some time. And so you feel odd when that coverings not around, but it's still a substitute for him.

In other words, it's the worship of an idol. So saved you can be saved and still act like you're not. Now this we call people who have weak development. And oh, let me just be real practical here. This is where a lot of people in our culture get confused when they see another person that claims to be a Christian, and they wonder, how can they do that and be a Christian. And then this is when you get into theology when people say you can lose your salvation or some say you can't lose your salvation.

None of us can actually be 100% sure if any one of us is born again or not. But what we can see is what we do with what we claim. God's the only one who really knows if you really mean what you've claimed in believing in His Son, Jesus Christ, but what your neighbor and you know about yourself, is what you're witnessing. And this is you What we're talking about here, this carnality of when we don't act like what we've said, and all of us can understand this, all of us have challenges with this daily. And the way that you really can administer to somebody else is by admitting when you do something wrong. Because then no one has any ammunition to point out to others on social media right away or any other way is if you go, you know what?

I made a mistake that shuts it down. That's why I always like to use that story that that I share about the count who saw those all wanted to go see all this prisoners that are been in his estate. He went to visit the jailhouse, and he goes to every prisoner, and every prisoner says they're in innocent. Now they're in jail. They've been caught doing something by the guards. He gets to the last one.

And this guy says, I'm guilty. I did everything and I deserve to be in here. And that count. Now this is how I believe God responds to us. He goes to the guards, get this man out of here. How can this defiled man be around all these innocent people that are in jail claiming they were falsely accused?

Get them out of here. And that's exactly what Jesus says multiple times to the Pharisees who talk about how nice their robe is, how much they tie, how great they are, how righteous they are. All these great works I've done. And then you have somebody right next to him and going. I've sinned. Please forgive me.

Jesus refers to those people that admit their sin gone. You're welcome into heaven. The guy in the cross another great example, I'm just talking about some things, that we have quite an effect on how we dialogue on social media, as well as our personal witness. Because everybody's watching. So if we can just humbly say, you know, I I missed something there. I didn't get it, right.

I'm sorry. Or as you're talking to your brother and sister about something they're doing wrong. And as a Christian, you really need to care about them enough to go to them and talk to them about something they're doing wrong. And yes, usually the best way to approach that is, hey, john, hey, Jane, I kind of see that you're putting this stuff out on social media or you've heard you talking. Kind of No, that's not true about you. doesn't really give a good testimony for you claiming to be a Christian.

I struggled with that too. I kind of messed up many times that way. And that's why I'm here talking to you because I don't want that same thing to happen to you. Because that ministers to people. Sometimes it ministers in a way that people don't even want anything to do with Christianity, if that's what it means being a Christian, because that's the same thing I got out in the world. So that's what we're, that's really what we're talking about here.

And we're showing you these diagrams, so that we can kind of humble ourselves and realize the gift we've been given in salvation, and that we take it seriously, and that we just be honest with ourselves about our own personal walk. And that you can leave here tonight a little bit like You know what, I can do a little better, be a little more honest, not try to snow anybody and make myself look better than I really am. I'm securing god. I'm securing him. I need to start aligning my actions with the I don't need to put on a facade. I don't need to wear that mask anymore.

I don't need to be fake. I need to just say, I'm a work in progress. And I'm okay with that. This particular diagram is is someone who is attempting to grow but they're still stuck in in some, some very difficult patterns. This person would not be what the scripture says someone that is continuing and sin. What I mean by that is, as you know, as Pastor Adam said, you, you know when you've been saved because there is some level of fruit production, people who are asking God to help them people who are continuing to repent, people are continuing to go on the process of change, even though they may be stuck in severe habits is somebody who is an amateur Christian that has weak development.

Now they can get out of this business. ticular phase Okay, by simply learning to practice the spiritual disciplines and greater closeness and intimacy to God, okay in the spiritual disciplines, help drive that they help take you to that place of learning to really be intimate with God. This person also does not really know who they are in Christ. So they're still in that process of learning that and dealing with some very severe issues. But this person can pop the lid off the x, that X can come off at any point when they make the mental determination that they are going to repent of their actions really change their mind, repentance means change your mind and get on with the plan of God for their life and then God will continue to strengthen them at that particular point. But someone who continues in sin repetitively with no understanding of repentance is somebody that is not saved.

Okay? So don't get the two of them confused. Someone over Festus, Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and brings that forth boldly and loudly yet also says I struggle with some serious issues is basically saying, I need God to help me work through those and I'm learning to go through that process, okay? Now they're still in mature because they haven't yet gotten to that place of overcoming. They haven't yet been able to transform their mind and their spirit hasn't yet grown to that place of really walking in the transformative power of Christ. However, they are still on the pathway.

So, we are surrounded as a church with a lot of carnal Christians. There's also if you're not in a church that helps take you on to the next level of maturity. You're going to get stuck here. You're going to end your it's going to feel comfortable because you're going to church and you say, you know Jesus and everything's great, but because you're not growing, you're gonna be stuck in carnal actions and carnal responses. The bottom line You really do love God, you just have not gone to that place of growing. You haven't been challenged.

You haven't been practicing the spiritual disciplines. And so you're staying with these carnal actions. But if asked, Do you believe in Jesus responsibly? Yes, I do. And I love God, I'm just having difficulty in this area. At this time.

I'd like to open it up if anyone has a question, wants to share a quick, you know, Revelation. I encourage you to come up to the microphone. I just got to believe there's somebody that has, you know, manifested some kind of change in your life by learning about this stuff and seeing it so if you, you know, if you feel you want to share that with us, we'd love to hear from you right now. If not, we'll keep going. If you feel at any time you want to we have only a few more of these slides. Just come on up and we'll stop what we're doing and listen to what you have to say here.

All right, the next slide is saved me on who's living in power. In other words, this this person is really moving toward development. And this is somebody that we would say is a growing Christian one that could confess I am growing in the Lord, I'm walking in more of his power. I have a source of power flowing through me. I'm feeling more attached to God every day I'm practicing the spiritual disciplines now my prayer life is getting better I'm I'm fasting more I'm connecting with God in a lot of different ways I'm feeling healed. I'm learning to know my identity in Christ.

And and while you're walking through this process, literally your brain structure is changing. Depression is leaving you anxiety is leaving you fear is leaving you different ways that your your mental capacity was minimized is now beginning to expand. You're actually beginning to be a help with When you're around, you're somebody that can be an encourager, now you're somebody that can lift somebody up, if they fallen down, you're not the entirely needy person all the time, you're able to start to move into that place of giving, not giving in every respect, time, talent, testimony and treasure, you're being transformed. This is part of that process of knowing Jesus is your Lord and Savior. And one of the one of the things that Paul talks about when you're moving on to maturity. So this is someone moving on to maturity and let me just give us some real practical things.

This is talking about things where you're going to learn, we're sacrifice service, giving up everything starts to take a priority in your life. If you're not doing those things, I'm telling you, you're still in a carnal state. That's just where this is being real. If you're not sacrificing with your time, with the gifts God gave you to give to somebody else, your time to somebody Else, your, your, your gifts to somebody else, your finances to somebody else other than you. It's okay. I'm just saying you're still an infant at best.

You're an infant, spiritually, it's okay. If it's all about you still and you're giving financially, it's all about you. It's okay. If the only reason you're serving is to get noticed, it's okay. You're an infant. It's all about you.

That's the truth. That's what we're talking about these things. Okay? But there has to be some giving of yourself to not be noticed. you're serving when you're treated like a servant, which means you're not appreciated. Will you continue doing it?

This is you don't find this out unless you get playing the game. So why you have to be trained up. That's why there needs to be some training. So you're gonna understand and people come to me, I go, Okay, you ready for the game? Let's put you out there and then you come back. Oh, my gosh, they're beat me up.

Yeah. Because it's okay. But that's what Christianity is. Some people run from that. They'll say you guys are too Hard here. Well, I said, well, we're not playing games.

This isn't to make you feel good. This is to make you grow. This is to to challenge you. This is to make you ready for the battle. And so what carnal Christians are they're the ones getting injured and it takes a couple more soldiers to pick them up and they can't go through the battle. That's a truth.

I'm a military guy. I got 22 years experience in this. When somebody is injured, that's a carnal Christian. Two other three other people have to go help them to pick them up. They're constantly a consumer when you're not the consumer, and so it's like you're on a cruise ship. A lot of churches or cruise ships.

This church is trying to train you to be part of a battleship. Where you serve, there's a battle. There's a war. The whistle goes off. All hands on deck. There's a battle.

This is him, pull out the beach chair and get your son Because that's what a lot of them they people will come to church. You might be sitting out there right now going, Oh my gosh, I didn't realize that you'll come in church. What can they do for me today? This wasn't right. The words weren't on there. Right?

The lighting, it's cold in here today. My kids weren't taken care of properly, just named the litany of things. The toilets weren't cleaned. There was garbage at the front. I didn't get greeted properly. Okay, sorry, want to be a part of helping us fix that?

I challenge people with that. I'm telling you people will I don't see them again. They'll tell me I go Hey, thanks for that information. Can you help us fix that? Do you want to serve here? Do you want to be a part of this ministry?

We want to use your gifts. What? Yes. We want to make you part of the team part of the family have a commitment. I know many of us have problems with commitments, because we've been hurt. But that still doesn't mean the Word of God isn't inaccurate.

We're supposed to be committed. So I made the comment yesterday about the ring. A lot of people claim they're married, but they don't wear the ring. There's different reasons for that. But you would never want to do that with your spouse because that means you're not committed. So these are just some real practical things I'm trying to show us so you can see where you're at.

And it's okay if those things I described are you, but you want to you got to have a desire to get beyond that, to move to more than that. And a real loving parent will point that out. will point that out because you don't want to stay an infant. I don't want you to stay an infant Christian, I want you to grow. So we're going to challenge you on giving up your time, giving up your talent, giving up your finances, giving sharing your testimony, and you do it to give glory to God not to give glory to yourself. Okay, the last slide is the saved man living in power.

This is a mature Christian understands their wholeness and Christ. They really do think on right things in accordance with Philippians chapter four, eight, think on right things good things pure, excellent holy, their mind is has been healed and sees and responds to right things this person does not get easily offended because this person can see certain situations and instead of obtaining an offense, they turn and they ask the question, why would I feel any way that could be offensive, the way they analyze things are from the from the standpoint of their righteousness in Christ. They're there they're the key here is they know who they are in Christ and they know they stand in his righteousness therefore they cannot get easily knocked off of knocked off their chair every every word that goes forth every every doctrine that comes first they do not get tossed to and fro.

They walk in holiness, they walk in their giftings, when there's a need for their gift to be there, and they know they have that gift, they immediately step into that place because they're so full of God that they can't do anything, but just give God out, and they're not willing to receive anything that is going to stop that flow. They understand that offense will stop that they understand that control and manipulation will stop that they understand that fear, anxiety and worry will stop that they have recognized and learn to live in a world with God where they feel safe and protected by him. And so therefore, they don't need people's approval. They're here to give they're not here to get if somebody walks away from them and somebody doesn't talk to them as somebody ignores them. It's not a big deal to them, because they know who they are.

They know what they're called to do. They know where they're going. They have a confidence that Is God confident? And what? What we're really focusing on here in our culture, this is extremely important. This shows us that EQ, your emotional quotient is a lot more important than IQ.

Which is your intelligence question if you can get your emotions in check. And that's what our culture has to work at. I use the example in the military or if you saw that remember that scenario about seven years ago with that plane that crashed in the Hudson that famous they solly they made the movie which by the way, the movie is inaccurate in the sense there was never a battle with the with the investigation. They just made that look at the real thing did happen, but there was never a battle against Sally doing the wrong thing landing that plane in the Hudson. So totally fabricated ly totally fabricated to make the movie real emotional. There was no issue.

But that still doesn't mean what he did was amazing. But see he's trained for that. Training took over. When the when it all went south, they lose two engines stayed calm. This is what we do. I've practiced this in the simulator for 30 years.

Oh my gosh, I didn't expect it today. But here it is, what do I do? The training took over the spiritual disciplines in other words took over. When we're talking about a spirit, and you have to train at this, you have to work at this. You have to understand there is a part in the natural to grasp the spiritual to train yourself. You deny yourself you fast, you pray, you, you serve, you do this.

And usually when you're around, folks that have been around a while, you can see that they do a lot of the key things that make a ministry go. They're just behind the scenes. They're not looking for recognition. They just do it. They just know, this is what we do. This is how this works.

It's actually this. They're the biggest givers they just give up their time. They give up their finances because this is it. This is what it takes. And they're trying to pass that on to the next generation and the next generation and etc. So, try to grasp this that you have to discipline yourself, renew your mind to this.

It's okay to be a spiritual infant. What's not okay is to stay there. That's all it's okay. When we start this out there's a sees there's times of this that we you naturally progress, but what you should do is not want to be satisfied with staying there. staying there and saying it's okay to stay here is abusing the gifts God gave you and He will hold you accountable. It's gonna go What did you do with the gifts?

Why did you stay that way? You were taught this you didn't do I mean? It's not talking about your salvation. It's talking about where am I going to place you in the new heaven in the New Earth? Or am I going to place you with what you did? You're not a very good steward of what I gave you while your time on earth when the this was the preseason game.

Ready for the real season for eternity? Those kind of analogies are true according to what the Word of God says Jesus talks about this all the time. What are you going to do with what I gave you? So that's what we're trying to, you know, there's steps here there's levels. So, understand you should be encouraged to go, Hey, I'm not fully there yet. Hallelujah.

This person is also has a very balanced view of God, self relationships, their flesh is controlled by their spirit, it's not the other way around, okay. Then this person is a strong tower. In other words, they know how to say no to their flesh, also their emotions are coming forth from Galatians chapter five verses 22 and 23. Which means they are revealing the fruit of the Spirit because you see how big the spirit man power righteous identity is in their, their fruit of the Spirit is coming out of them. Love joy, peace. Patience kindness, gentleness, self control that is in being emitted through their mind will and emotions and through their flesh at this particular point.

And so this is where we're all headed these this is the abundant life God tells us to live the abundant life the abundant life comes from a soul that is operating in a state of abundance seeing the other thing this person has a handle on is they understand their needs their their personal needs for provision, protection and acceptance but because they understand their righteousness in Christ, they understand that they have all things in him so when they don't get what they're hoping to get, you don't find them in the corner freaking out crying throwing a little conniption fit. They're not doing that. They're saying all right, it's not in God's will plan for my life. I need to move on what's the next direction here God we we every boundaries, the boundary that God sets up and they happily live. Within that boundary, they're not fighting God at every turn.

It's not that they don't have a struggle, because their struggles are viewed from the aspect of abundancy. Which means when they have a struggle, they realize it's God trying to take them to the next level, and to change their thinking so that they can become more like God and to step into a new area. So you always have a struggle, but it's how you formulate that struggle, if you view that struggle from the aspect of God's taking me to a new place of knowing him and knowing who I am and him. And so therefore, he's broadening my thoughts about myself. He's giving me greater abundance in him. And so I have to go through the struggle in order to get to that place.

So let's take at this time, let's have a few people come up, share any thoughts, comments, anything that you have about these particular diagrams, anything that you might not understand that you want clarification on because we're not going to come back to these in the in the class, you want to make sure that we cover what needs to yes Okay, sometimes I feel like I'm really stuck. And I'm not sure how to get unstuck. I mean, I do well in a lot of things. I go days and I feel, and then something comes up and I just feel this lack. I feel like I'm not good enough. I feel like I don't have enough I need to go buy something.

And I just feel like where does that come from? And I mean, I know that it's because I'm stuck. And I just cry out, what do I need to do? What do I need to do to stop going back there? instead of moving forward? Have you found in your life with a trigger points are for for that lack, you say you're going along just fine.

And then all of a sudden you get to that place? Have you been able to identify what that place is? No. Okay. So so then since you don't have identification for that yet, what you need to pray for is ask God when you go to that place What is the trigger point that takes you there? What is it in your environment?

What is it in your heart that takes you to that place of lack? Then here's a way where you can stay in increase all the time, even when you're in a struggle. What you need to do is you need to continue to prophesied over your mind will in your emotions and over your flesh, you can you need to declare and decree the Word of God over your life and you need to be speaking abundancy scriptures all the time. If you find that your weakness is one day you wake up and somehow or another now you're sitting in lack, it's because that's who you were before you knew the Lord. Okay? And so now that you know him when you recognize that you begin to start ministering scripture to yourself, and not to fall into it, administer scripture every day, even on the best days, has said, you come out the gate and you're ministering at that high of a level to yourself, Lord, I thank you.

There's no enemy formed against you will prosper. I am an overcomer in the Lord I am victorious in Christ. I thank you Today is going to be a beautiful day, I think you're going to face struggles, but I'm an overcomer. These are kind of things you say to yourself and you say them. And before you know it, your brain waves begin to function like that. Okay?

But let me even give you, that's wonderful. And I totally encourage you to do that. But let me just give you what the Word of God says. In line with that, because you might not remember exactly what you just heard, but you should remember this. Go to Ephesians and read Ephesians to yourself, when you start to feel that just go to go to just read chapters one through three, just read them. And that'll remind you, Paul lists all these things.

I'm victorious now in Christ, I've got the up all these things. And so you don't all you have to remember is the next time and you haven't figured out your trigger points yet. But you're all Gosh. Bingo, I feel I'm going back to Egypt. No. You're in the promised land.

Remind yourself you're in the promised land. Go to a thesis chapter one. Read that read Ephesians One, two and three, and then you go Ah, There I am. I was right here. I lost myself. But I'm right here.

This is what the Word of God says about me. That's where I am. I love that song that says, I lost myself. But you knew where I left me. There you go, like I totally Connect. And that's, that's kind of what Ephesians saying.

So that way, you're getting the word, you're feeding yourself the word and and you're starting to put that in your mind. And that'll come out a couple times. And you'll start to speak that even before you get because that's what you're going to have in your heart. And that's what you do, you you you memorize those. You you work at this. That's training.

We're training for raining, we're raining with him, but we don't know it. It's like we've been given an inheritance of a gazillion dollars and we act like we got nothing. So you are very honest, a lot of us are to have those same things which you just ask, read Ephesians there's other scriptures to I've just immediately came to me read Ephesians first three chapters. thing, amen. Okay. What I love the most I think about dream mentors is when I first took it, learning all these things, it actually gave me eyes to see exactly where I was.

And it helped me to understand that while that was normal, first of all, and so to stop beating myself up for being where I was at, and it also said something about the growing pains like it doesn't it's just like how it is natural and unnatural. With Growing Pains growing in Christ it it's painful, because it's uncomfortable to take the next step and it seems unnatural, but it is unnatural for the natural because it's spiritual. So and then you can celebrate when you get to that next place going wow, I can remember acting like this in a certain situation, and I Still, there's still some ways that I can find myself even being, you know, in a certain stage, but then I have to remind myself that that's not who I am anymore. I'm, I'm here, I took this step to here. So stop acting like this, and get in line, and you learn to start to speak to yourself, just like you're saying, like with Ephesians.

And I find that it's easier for me, I have better days if I get up first thing in the morning, and I remind myself to put on my armor. And I literally have to say, like, I have to do it, I have to think it. And that's helped a lot. I mean, I still have my moments, you know, being a mom and a wife, but, you know, so I'm just thankful. I'm thankful because this has given me kind of like a roadmap to understand the growth and to not beat myself up when I fall short. So thank you, amen.

No, that's so true. And that does. The armor is again another wonderful thing to remind ourselves and and and i will We'd like to focus on the armor the helmet of salvation. It's around your mind. Because many times when we do what was described about how I, I go into go back to old ways, is then we think, Oh my gosh, is God with me? Did I do something wrong that he's, you know, I'm not saved.

Oh my gosh, I made a mistake. Well, that's that carnality coming in, put on the armor, the helmet of salvation. That guards the mind, renew the mind to that. And then it's okay to admit you made a mistake. It's called repentance. It's a great tool he gave us It's okay.

Yes, ma'am. Pastor Adam said something about Humble yourself and accept the gift that you have been given and how important it is to repent, repent and move forward. I shared a couple weeks ago that I've been through this by Study last year was like very hard, very hard for me to do. And in one of those days we were asked to Reiner scenes in a pieces of paper. So there are quite a few. I wrote them that you know, I wrote them down, and then we were given a little box.

Put your things in this box. So we did. Then cane, another paper. That's that paving for ontology. Clothes a little box, wrap it up in red paper. Nice red bowling.

I was stuck with forgiving myself. I thought I would make a great analogy for you to think about it. Hi. She's a gift from me, once you're gonna do it, are you gonna accept it or not? You know, so I thought it helped me so much because once I got that, and then I was told that, you know, I was speeding on the cross by not accepting the, you know, my that I was forgiving. I was able to realize that I was and it felt like so much later after that, that I could actually accept and move on.

Amen. Hallelujah. been showing to these days that I can see the difference. This time on notice is not the first time I've came to God and tried to walk but this time yells teachings have made it more personal for me, because before it was just he just doing what everybody else did now I want an intimate intimacy with God before it was just just because everybody's everybody's doing now it's not that now is a personal level. And now I just want to get as close as I can. And you know, everything you're talking about it you can see the change, obviously the things he took away from me that didn't belong anymore.

And I can just see the things that he's putting in me now. You know, I'm just giving me things that I didn't realize he was going to give me so. Amen. Thank you. You know, I think it's wonderful. To see how much God loves each one of us, and really is just drawing us into that intimate relationship with Him.

And when we show these slides, they're really to try and give a visual of what's taking place in the spiritual realm. You know, people talk about being born again, but most people don't even know what got born again. And so these visuals helps us understand that what gets born again is your spirit man, you know, and then that well and what what if you were here yesterday, the title to do you understand? And I think what happens for a lot of us that have gone through this class is when you see these things, we can honestly ask, you know, and it's okay to like, do you understand it's okay. And so we try to assume that we also are starting and we didn't understand what's going on and this way it's it gets us all at the same place to go. This is what happened.

When you said I need you She says, I need you. I can't do this. I'm I'm broken. I'm torn. I'm messed up. I making wrong decisions.

I need you. Okay, hang on. Because the Holy Spirit's gonna come he's gonna be writing the rest of your life. Okay, and as much as you're willing to submit to the leading, it can be quite the ride. Okay, because it's all about sacrificing serving and and that's just, oh my gosh, that'll take you to places you probably never thought you could go physically. Okay, now we're going to move on actually.

Oh, please come on up. one more comment. I came to your service yesterday for the first time. And I want everyone everyone's net. When I walked in, I was a little apprehensive. It was dark.

Soon as I stepped in, I got chills. I felt the holy grail Stein came to my house. And my son wasn't home yet. And I was like, this is a good kit. This is bad anyway. Okay.

All right. His son yesterday, but his mannerism is stuck with me and it's always stuck with shame. So that's why we came here because we he knows Nick and I admit Nick. I just can't describe what I felt yesterday and what your message and help everybody was so nice And mustn't we went home. He goes, I need to leave. I'm gonna go find Nick.

He said, I want to know what kind of classes they have prayer group anything. And then he met go but my whole point and my question is I'm, I'm saying, I mean, I'm a Christian and I was the server I was financial I was I did everything I was supposed to do. I was growing. But then when we moved I stopped. So five years you know, I've hidden miss going to church. So can you be in the moving stage but regressed back to the carnal because y'all just hit him.

I mean, I want to hang my head and shame Okay. Okay. Okay, what's just gone on is you've reverted back to your old tendencies. You haven't lost your salvation, but what you've delayed because you're still here in the, in this stage because we're a spirit being, you're still here. God's giving you an opportunity. And your, your your admission right here in front of these people that don't even know you, ma'am.

Is proof that God's with you because you're humble enough to say I want more. What you're saying is, I want more. I want to get back on that track. And I want to get on the road less traveled. That's all you're saying. Yeah.

And so that's the Holy Spirit. So what's going on is your soul is submitting to the spirit gone. Come on, there's more for you. God's got more for you. Very hard. Yeah, well, he knows we all are, ma'am.

And so So, and he showed us, he showed us through the Hebrews. How hard headed they were after being in captivity for a 400. And some years, getting out complaining every step of the way, watching miracle after miracle after miracle and still going, what are you gonna do for me next? Then Moses goes up to meet God, they're invited to come, they're too afraid of him because of the thunder and lightning, which is a precursor to the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is come. Because it's kind of wacky and it looks really like oh, my gosh, it's it's loud. It's it's can be frightening the way we look.

No, that's, that's power. But we have to learn how to harness that and tap into that, and submit to that. And so I just would, I would just share to you, you need to hear more about what this dream mentors class was, which is our discipling class to teach you more and we we've just started this four week we shared with your son yesterday, and we told them Hey, tell your mom to come tomorrow. We're in the fifth class. This goes until May, on Monday nights. And it's just the beginning for you to understand because then we have to have one.

And some of these people you've heard talk have done the other ones, which even takes us further, because we have to get a good foundation to understand so we can build upon it. And so I just want to let you know, God's going, welcome back. Thank you, because He cares for you. He's got so much for you. And right now, here's what you need to understand. The demonic is ticked off.

And I know it for different ways. And so what you need to do quickly, is start to, to make sure you come to find some people you can, you can make friendships with because that's it. All these people here are lovely, but you're not going to like them all and they're not going to like you. Let me just be real. Here's the deal. Here's the deal.

There's gonna be some people that you're going to learn to hang out with. You need to come, you need to come to this class, you need to get involved in the different groups we have for the different ages. We have groups for the 20s 30s 40s 50s and beyond. I'm not in the 50s. Okay. But our 40s and 50s group meets and stuff.

So I'm just letting you know that that would be a wonderful group to get involved with because then you can start to meet some people that have the same kind of experiences you do, and can help you and you can help that, like I said yesterday, many people don't understand you have something for somebody, even though the devil is telling you you've been doing this, you're living wrong or whatever. No, God can use that. If you're humble enough to say, I just got to get right back on and that's what you just confessed to all these people. And I know what I need to do there. I just don't know. Am I back to week, week week?

Or am I in the middle media? You know why? Get where you're trying to get at. I don't think that's what's important. I think what's really what you need to focus on is I've acknowledged, and to do it publicly, ma'am, is rare. Like you just did all these people, you said, I've been living, I'm doing wrong things.

You didn't have to name anything. That's why you are in an environment where people were so nice to you. Because those people have understood that that's how God treats us even though we've done wrong things. And we've got a community here of people that understand I've made mistakes, but God can still use me and I want to honor him with what I have, which is today. That's all we know, we have today. And let's be the best one person I can be today because he created me in his image.

I've submitted myself to following his son. Maybe I haven't done it real well. Well, today I'm acknowledging I want to do it better. I just want to be better than I was yesterday, and he's got this cycle. We call it a day. start afresh.

Every day is a new opportunity if you're here, he's got something for you. Well, y'all had something for me. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Well, we look forward to getting to know you, man. You know, I just want to share with you real quick. Here was, here's the same demand as a colonel Christian. But if you are moving toward this, and you got stock, just imagine the x just came in right where you were at. Okay? So the x just stopped you up, where you were at in your movement, and all it takes to remove the X is repentance.

It's just, it's just admitting, I have not done the things I needed to do. And Lord, I repent of that, and I want to have a fresh start. I want to recommit my life to you and I want to win To begin to move forward, and then he jumps starts you back on that track, again, of being learning to be intimate with him and working through these needs that you have or habits and things of that sort that you might have acquired during this time. So it's just like getting right back on the bike and writing again. So you had an ex come in there and stop the flow. But repentance removes that.

And you know, it's so interesting, as you said, you came in here and you felt the presence of God. It's this is really important for everybody. It's the love of God that draws us to repentance. It's when we feel his love that we then decide we've gone awry. But in two, we come in contact with his love. We can stay in that place for a really long time time trying to figure it out ourselves.

So you felt his love for you. And that's what caused you to say, timeout I need to get moving again and I need to repent and many of us here have the same experience. Do they just that's one of the things you're, you're going to find people here that you're going to go, Oh, my gosh, that's what I did. Like, oh my gosh, and you're gonna find out why you're just like me. And then you're going to feel more safe. You're going to start to trust people again.

And we're going to find out what like we told your son yesterday, we need to find out what your spiritual gifts are. So that your giftings can Yeah, and you probably think I don't have any gifts. That's a hot. Okay, well, well, we got a spiritual gift test we want to give you like we gave your son and we want you to bring that back. And, and and, and then we'll you know, anyway, and if I think we can get you on tonight to take home. Yes, ma'am.

All right, that was beautiful. So, so here at the end of class phi. We really just want to let you all know that. We have these ethics codes for dream mentors if you're going to be involved and be credentialed with us and actually walk through the course of the ministry. trainer, they're going to take you through the proper ethics of helping another person. All right, so we're not going to go through those ethics here in this particular class, but if any of you are interested in being credentialed, or those of you who are watching this tape your mentor coach trainer will walk you through the ethics of for helping others and you know, what kind of boundaries do we have for that?

In dream mentors we follow along with the international coaching Federation, but we just have everything in the language of biblical life coaching and transformational life coaching. Okay, let's go forward to class six. I don't know how far we'll get tonight with class six. But this is literally how to practice a spiritual disciplines that help you become intimate with God. And the closer you get with God, the more you want of him, and the more you position yourself to, to go to that state of abundancy and ham where your spirit grows big on the inside of you and you begin to Move into the the depths of knowing him but the depths of knowing yourself and the plans and purposes of God. So the spiritual disciplines are tools that God uses to transform your soul, your mind, your will and your emotions into the likeness of Christ.

We really like the book the celebration of discipline, from Richard Foster, and it defines 12 spiritual disciplines. There's four disciplines that are broken into three categories inward, outward and corporate. Tonight we're going to talk about the inward disciplines, which revolve around meditation, prayer, fasting and studying. Then we'll get next week into the outward disciplines which is simplicity, solitude, submission, and service. And we'll talk about the corporate disciplines, which happens in a corporate setting, confession, worship, guidance and celebration. So the disciplines are for you, and for those people that you're helping.

When you know how to practice them, you can teach them to others. The understanding of the disciplines helps us as God's kids position. ourselves for soul transformation. Everyone is on the path of sanctification or soul transformation. We need these disciplines so that we can get really close to God on consistent time so that he can transform but just want to make sure everybody understands what sanctification. sanctification is a fancy word for us continuing to grow spiritually, that's that's all.

It's just we're continuing to grow spiritually. You'll hear this word, sanctification. So the spiritual disciplines are not just steps their way of life. They're an attitude. They position you for God to change within you to make those changes. They are not to be diminished to a law or rule.

They are not just something that we do. They are for spiritual growth. They position us in the presence of God so that he can change our hearts. We begin to learn that we are righteous in Christ and then we begin To do righteous works, okay, so you change, and you become a new being that is righteous that then does righteous works. Do not turn the disciplines into external laws, because then you will despise doing them. That's what the word talks about.

It talks about how how the law is good and is holy, it's righteous. But when the law began to start convicting me of everything I could not do to meet it, then it became a hindrance to me. Okay, so we as people always turn things into laws and rules. And when we do that, then we're actually serving at a lower level. laws and rules are designed to keep people in place at a lower level. They're never designed to raise people up, okay?

And so we want to make sure that we position ourselves not to despise spending time with God, we're to do these things, because we love him and we know their pathways to help us connect with him. Your entertainment transformation is God's work. within you, this is what we call the grace of God. The grace of God works within you when you do the spiritual disciplines. The Pharisees practice the disciplines but they use the practice of doing as their righteousness. In other words, they used to let everybody know all the righteous things they did.

Matthew chapter six says that they would say when I pray, the word says, Matthew six, five, when I pray, do not be like the hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners should be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full This is what Jesus says. And then he says, But listen, when you go and pray, go into your room, close the door, pray to your Father who is unseen. And then your Father who sees what is done in secret will then reward you so prayer is not supposed to be done like the Pharisees in verse seven. Do not keep on babbling like pagans for these kinds of people think they'll be heard, but their words are Many In other words, what they do is for outward expression, they want everybody to say, Oh, what a good prayer you are, can I just stand next to you, you holy person?

No, you have your reward and fall at that point. I don't mean you honey, you know. So, so this is what we're trying to get at is that spiritual discipline should be heart they should not be external. Okay, so one of the disciplines is meditation. So meditation is the ability to center on the Spirit of God within you and to hear his voice in your mind. Okay?

In other words, God speaks to your spirit, but it comes into your mind. And he talks to your well he talks to your emotions and and you want to learn to obey His voice, hear his voice and obey it. Jesus used to go into solitude and retreat there. And the Merton who is a monk used to say that words lose their power and concepts as escape their grasp when we are in a place of Christian meditation. Christian meditation is a form of contemplative prayer. It's a prayer of the heart.

It's very quiet. It's very silent. It's not wordy and intellectual, it's quiet and submissive. So you might say, well, is this something that we should be doing? Yes. Go to Genesis chapter four verses 62 and 63.

Because here we find Isaac, and he had come to beer law. Hi, Roy. He was living in the Negev. And he went out to the field one evening to do what he went out there to be with God to meditate. And as he looked up, he then saw camels approaching Okay, now that word meditate in the Hebrew means to Muse pensively, oh, what is Muse pensively and actually means to meditate in silence on a subject and or to comment thoughtfully or ruminate upon it ruminate means to repeat. Now, I just want to comment on this because you can find out a lot of things that would talk extremely negatively about this because of Eastern mysticism, okay, like the Guru's do, and Hindu and all these things, we're talking and that's not what we're talking about.

That's not what we're advocating at all. we're advocating what you find in the Word of God, where it talks about this is a practice to meditate on God, not Hindu mysticism, or any of that kind of nonsense that, you know, would get into other things like yoga and all these just repetitive things. I mean, it's a it's a, it's a thin line that people cross over many times and don't realize because they're not doing it with the heart of God intent. They may think they are. So so I just need to say that because there are lots of people that would tell you right now, oh my gosh, they just said meditate that's Hindu, get get away from them. They're false teachers.

That's not what we're saying. That's not what we're saying. So you understand, actually those who are called the ancient fathers The first century fathers, the ones that became to know Jesus, in the very, very beginning have started our church that started the Church of Jesus Christ. This is how they learn to connect with God which was in silence, and is sitting there pondering the Word of God pondering the word and speaking it over and over and over again. Okay? So ruminate means to ponder over and over again.

For the law of the world, the I'm sorry, before the law of the Lord before the law came in the men and women of God would ruminate and contemplate on God, and this type of men meditation was pure intimacy with God and hearing his voice. Merton, one of the monks says that one reason the law of the Lord was given was the fact that men and women were afraid to speak directly to God. You can see that in Exodus chapter 20, verses 18 and 19. The people of God saw smoke in a mountain thunder and lightning, they would stay away from God, they wouldn't get closer To him, but then it was spoken to Moses, speak to us yourself and we will listen but do not have God speak to us or we will die. That's what I was just saying earlier that people were all afraid to see it and then, you know, the Holy Spirit comes, God spoke 500 saw Jesus only 120 obeyed and went to the upper went to that room on the day of Pentecost 500 saw Jesus resurrected, he told him this.

And 20% listen. Did you know that 500 people saw the resurrected Jesus Christ, were followers of Jesus Christ. 500 Psalm were given this instruction and only 120 obey. They saw Jesus crucified. They might not have seen it, they heard about it and then he's resurrected. They see him.

Oh my gosh, they see the marks just like Doubting Thomas. Oh my gosh they see it. He tells them hey, I gotta leave soon he's going through the town he's bopping everywhere right around the area, go to Jerusalem and wait the words out only 120 a bit. Only hundred 20 men and women obeyed 20% after the resurrection Christ, the Messiah 20 bucks 20% of it just telling you the facts. Here we got people miracles, the Jews 400 years in bondage waiting to be released to get released miracle after miracle parting the Red Sea stopping the Egyptians feeding them all this stuff are you gonna do for us they can't even wait 40 days for the coming down with the with the rules on how to live. They made an idol.

So don't beat yourself up too bad. The Jews didn't do a very good job either. And they actually were face to face. Okay. Okay. So the ancient fathers, the patriarchs, of the faith used to have intimate familiarity with God and they used to be a special joy for them until the law of the world, the law of the Lord came in.

And now that that practicing the law through meditation, then became their way to get close to God. Okay, so so before the law, they used to have that and then they became afraid of God. And so then the the actual law, the law of Moses came in and then they had to learn to meditate on that law, and the fruit of meditation on the law that was given to Moses brings about courage and spiritual strength. And we see that in Joshua chapter one, verses seven and eight, where the Lord says, Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this book of the law and this is a law given to Moses, depart from your mouth but meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it, then you'll be prosperous and successful in that word meditate means to murmur in pleasure or anger, ponder, study, imagine talk or other.

So we combined both the law of the Lord and His word with the quiet simplicity of intimate union with God. And that's the totality of meditation. That's what we're saying, say the word over and over again, simply, I like about yourself. Like, I'm like, let's say you're struggling with does God love me? Well, you know that the word says God is love and that He sent His only begotten Son, that we should have eternal life. So we would say over and over again.

God is love. God loves me He sent His Son therefore I am loved or or we just heard two people amongst you that came forward. One was told read Ephesians when she's experienced and the other one says she already speaks to herself most mornings, or every morning and says, Put on the full armor of God today. That is a form of meditating that they both they both are going to do. One has been doing it and the other one's going to start doing it and hopefully all of us are pastor Candice just shared. These are things to meditate.

Don't make it all. All wacky and weird. No, it doesn't. Don't make it wacky and weird word being spoken the word over yourself. Look at yourself in a mirror when you're putting on makeup or you're shaving? Come on, talk to yourself and go Do you know who you are today?

Do you know who you are in Christ? Let's act like it. Let's go out and show the world today. Let's do greater things for the world than we've ever done before. I'm serious, like try something different. Try something different and speak to yourself with the word says about you.

When you meditate on the Word of God, it changes your brain waves. If you began to think about God's love for you, and you sit there in that quiet place and you you speak his love every year Life and you think about his love for you, then you began to love yourself. things in your brain begin to change and you begin to accept the fact that he loves you. Now, the monks practice this type of meditation with the Psalms, they practice with the Psalms because it centers them on the love and compassion of God. This is what Martin speaks about, in his book, the Psalms form the mind in the heart of the monk and why are we talking about monks because monks have nothing else to do but just spend time being intimate with God and serving Him, okay? So they represent kind of the ultimate in the world of those people who have the greatest opportunity to be in the presence of God on a continual basis.

And so we know that meditation can help form the mind in the heart of God on the inside of us. The outcome is divine union and love in Christ. Okay, we're going to stop right here. We'll talk more about meditation next week when we come back together, and then we'll talk about the other disciplines. ferrite I'm gonna close this down in prayer. Father, I thank you, Lord for this opportunity tonight.

I thank you for the words that were shared the participation from the people being stirred Father God, I thank you, Lord, that these words will not fall down void, that people will leave here with a greater understanding than when they came in. They will understand more about what you've done for them, how you created them, the assignment you have for them, and the opportunities that you give each one of us Father, we thank You, Lord for this. And as for your continued blessings upon everybody who's hearing this word right now, we come to you in the mighty and match the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.