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Good morning. This is an unusual Saturday morning kind of bonus, or was supposed to be a bonus. Last night, we were having a wonderful dinner with two beautiful friends of ours. And, and it was just one of those things that was just spontaneous and Tony and Jan and Valori and Tony got into a sharing of what the Lord was sharing with him on a day-to-day basis,
living active life in the spirit of working and being a parent of a beautiful dog, being a husband and all those things. Well, I said, impromptu, Hey, let's do a bonus session and we'll talk, we'll just have a discussion because it's going to be part of the weekend new format of, you know, it's morning inspirations. He was all excited about it.
So got everything set up, sending an announcement. Some of you got that and that's why you're here. And he couldn't make it. He happened to oversleep, but that happens as part of life in the spirit. So I'm going to take the Tony, the Lori off of my banner, and I'm going to still go on the show must go on.
So to say, and I want to really share with you what we were going to share, and we will we'll have him on again, near future. And if you have any interest in joining me on a discussion morning, discussion 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 of you, we can accommodate up to 10 and we plan to do that because again, instead of just my voice and just myself on the weekends,
it's great to have a little sharing, a study of what you're learning, what you're really feeling in the spirit or what you're struggling with. In fact, you don't, you want to put something in the comments, put down that only that you have an interest of joining me and I will send you a link and a date, but also what subject matter are you,
or what topic or what issue are you challenged by? You know, walking in the spirit and we're going to go there. And just a minute in first Thessalonians, chapter five, verses 16 through 22 in the message Bible, you know, living the life of a Christian Day to day is different than being a Christian in church. Would you agree if you agree?
Give me a, give me a yes, I agree here because so often we can be in our prayer time. And I know my sister, by the ways that her birthday today, would you all send her a happy birthday today, we're celebrating her birthday. That's Judith Maria. That's already on, you know, she goes into her per time, like I do each morning.
And you know, you feel that, that, that beautiful fragrance of the Lord, you feel the presence of the Lord. You feel good, you get through some challenges and difficulties, and then you go into the world and you get beat up or you get, you know, lost in the smoke of life. You know what I'm talking about? And,
and what do you do with that? Because we're not just the boast to go to church and be Christians and live in the spirit and church. We're not just supposed to go to our prayer closet and pray inhibitor devotionals, and read our Bible and, you know, be in the spirit then. But Christ wants us to be in the spirit 24 7. We've talked about that 24 7.
And it's so important to realize that, but how well, the scripture that I was going to share with Tony this morning, and first Thessalonians, as I said, 5 16, 3 22, turn your Bibles. There still just got a little bit more of a Bible study this morning, since I hope most of you don't have to go to work. I got my coffee.
It's filled to the brim, get your pencil on paper, your journal, and your Bible out and turn the first Thessalonians five, 16 and 22 through the message Bible. And I read it. And this is just a tip for you. When I on my Bible app. And I've told all of you about the Bible app, it's free life church,
a capacitor credit growth shell puts it out for free. It is everything from Bible searches to Bible versions, to devotionals, to you name it, it's there, and you can do it together. You can do it together. But in turn, when I read a scripture, I don't read it just from one translation. I generally start in my NIV because that's my basic of my,
my, you know, hard copy. And I read the search. The other ones that I go to so often, especially the amplified version. Why? Because it amplifies one sentence in the Greek or the Hebrew to really give you an in-depth understanding of that particular area of study. And then in my commentaries that are in my Bible, it's really another part of studying that scripture instead of just going through the scripture and knowing it.
So you go through a couple of different versions to see the different angles. The message Bible is more contemporary. The amplified burden is very, you know, much more deeper. And the interview is just like that balancing bridge between all of my fine, but I read them and I read a little bit before and I read a little after. So just to kind of a Bible study tip,
it's really important. Why? Because you want the Bible to lead your life in the spirit. That's what we're talking about today. You want the words of God, the counsel of God, the illumination of your steps that come from the word of God to really, really lead you in the living everyday in the spirit. So that there's the good days,
the bad days, the rough days, the easy days, the fun days and not so fun days that's life, but Christ knew that when he said for us to live in the spirit. So go with me to first Thessalonians, excuse me. And let's take a look at the scripture and, and really just meditate on it for just a moment. Verse 16 through 18 says this be cheerful,
no matter what would you put in the commentary for yourself? This is not for me now. No matter what, put that in the commentary, would you be cheerful no matter what, pray all the time. Now, let me define that. If you went into the amplified version, you did a study on that word, pray. That's not like praying a recital of words or a script or a written prayer or a list of,
I want things. The prayer it's that there is communion, communion, communion, like dialogue. Be dialoguing with me all the time. Be cheerful, no matter what, pray all the time. I think it should be reversed. If I were writing this being communion with me all the time as John 15 seven says, remain in me and I will remain in you though,
my spirit and why were to remain in you? That premise will allow you to be cheerful no matter what, no matter what we go on, it says, thank God, no matter what happens, there is again, no matter what, if you haven't already put it in the comments, put it in the comments and no matter what, this is the way God wants you,
who belong to Jesus Christ to live the live in the spirit. Well, let's go back. Do we just read two verses, but let's go back. Be cheerful, no matter what does it mean? Like how hot somebody just got hit by a car? No, as you study the other translations, as you study commentaries, as you study the word and you stop and let the holy spirit counsel you on what this says,
you'll understand that this cheerfulness is a reference to being not conscious, be fully conscious. The God is in control. No matter what you're looking at, no matter what you're experiencing, no matter what you see, God is in control. That is worth being cheerful about the other part of it, which comes out of Romans 8, 28 through 30. He's working somehow all things together for the good of his children each and every one of us.
Now, here's what we talked about last night. And that's what really spearheaded me. Do you know that some of the things that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, you know, all of the prophets did or prophesized, or, you know, went through, performed a miracle and created a sense of change and transformation. Hundreds of years later, 400 years later,
200 years later, they never even saw the working all things together for the good, because the funnel of Adam and Eve, the funnel listen to the funnel of all of this was the focus on Jesus. The Redeemer coming to give us life everlasting and our life is still in the process because the story has been written. We haven't seen the end of the story until we walked through the pearly gates.
Do you want to see what I'm saying? So we can be careful, even if we don't see our prayers answered right now, we can be cheerful knowing that he knows what's best for us. We can be cheerful no matter what the government's doing, no matter what the circumstances, what the economics are doing, know what the health issues are. We can be cheerful because God is in control.
That's worth being cheerful for. So if you get that, if that comes across to you and put cheerful in the comments, put cheerful in the comments for us today. So the cheerful, no matter what print all the time, thank God, no matter what happens, this is the way God wants you and I to belong to Christ Jesus. And to live.
I look at 19 and 20 and 21 and 22. Don't suppress the spirit. Raise your hand. If you suppress the spirit, what does that mean? If you hear that quiet, whisper. If you hear that sense or you read that scripture and you know, that's for you and you walk away and ignore that you suppressed the holy spirit. When you are sensing in your spiritual consciousness,
this is not the way to go. I should, you know, and I'm not talking about the big things. It could be the very simple things, because as we do in the simple things we're going to do in the big things. And he says, don't suppress the spirit. And don't stifle. Those who have a word from the master. You know how many times that we may not listen to someone,
give you an example. My little Valentina, she's either Elijah's spirit in, in, in, in the flesh, but she is just amazing young girl. And especially both of them are of course, but she has the sense of the spirit. She has the sense of the spirit. And you'll say something, but because she's only nine years old, it would be easy to tell her what you should think.
It would be easy to be able to say, you don't know what you're talking about. It'd be easy because she may not be able to explain it in the amount of language that would be easy to, for an adult to communicate. But do we stifle them? What Jesus said, bring the little children to me, don't stay for them because that's worse than that thing.
You can imagine. He talks about, you know, throwing them in the sea with something around their neck and, and letting them drown. If you did this to the child, I mean, he really gets very visual in that situation. He says, bring these little shootings to me. Why from the, from the mouth of babes, great wisdom comes.
You've heard that thing. I'm sure before. So don't surpass the spirit and don't stifle. Those who have a word from the master. You know, so often someone you don't expect may have a really great word for you. So often if you're listening to the spirit, go back up to those first verses. And you're in communion with the Lord and it could be a bum on the street.
It could be a waitress. It could be. And they say something, they may be only a voice from God speaking through them. And they may not even be totally conscious of it. But the reality is, are we listening? Because we're hearing God's voice and listening. We definitely won't stifle that word. So again, don't suppress the spirit, listen closely in obey what he says to you.
It's for your very best. And don't stifle. Those who have a word for the master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. I mean, don't just chase every word down. Don't be like a fool. And you know, this is the way it going in and that's the way and go at it. And it talks about that in the,
in the old Testament house. Sometimes we just go into the left and right. And we're just running around in circles from every word. What would Jeff, how would I know which one, how do I know which one's right or wrong? Glad you asked that question. The word, because if somebody brings you the word, the Bible says, test everything by the word,
test everything by the word. When Paul went to Athens and he went to the teachings and he went to, to the, you know, to Berea and he, he listened to all these philosophies for the whole day. I mean, he honored and respected their beliefs. Why? Because after he had done that, they respected him to give his testimony and his understanding of God and his understanding of the gospel.
What did they do? Did they believe right away? No, they were wise individuals, probably the wisest around at that point, they all went home and examined what Paul said against the scriptures. And the next day multitudes had come to Christ because they had seen what Paul shared was from the spirit and was from God and his word, not from Paul,
not from Jeff, not from anybody else. Are you following me? So in turn, on the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, check out everything B be wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove, the scripture says, and keep only what is good dispense with whatever else is, is thrown at ya throughout anything tainted with evil.
Now, what are we talking about today? We are talking about the relationship of living life, life, real life, male, female child, student worker, retiree in the hospital, hospital life real life, no matter where you have been placed in this story, no matter where you've been placed in this relationship of life, living life, the way the spirit leads.
And the only way to do that without getting twisted up is to truly listen to the holy spirit, truly be in that community. And that, that will forever first versus talk about really being in consciousness. Do you want to listen to the spirit more? Do you want to take the spirit out of your per time and devotional time in the morning, inspirational time,
put it in the, in the comments again, I want to hear the spirit, put that in the comments. I want to hear the spirit, put that on the, on the alter right now and allow that fragrance to go up in the spirit of God, because you know who wants that more than you is God, because he wants his children to be guided,
cared for, watched over alert. Knowing ahead, before the circumstances take place and being conscious of being cheerful, knowing that he's working all things together for good. He wants that for you. So if you want that, if you want to really hear the spirit, if you really want to understand the spirit, if you really want to be conscious of the spirit so you can live life in the spirit,
then the relationship is this five words that I use since the first days that I came to the Lord, the first word is stuck stuffed. In fact, I think I got that today. My journaling today. Yes, I did. I even showed you one of the words you shared with me. Stop. You see that stop and stop. Stop all the chatter.
Stop all the doing. Stop. All the, the processing. Stop. All the electrical calling and dings and beings really stop. I put that in the, in the notes, stop capital letters, put it in stop. And for those that are like eight type, let me put an explanation point after that, stop really stop. If you really want to live life in the spirit,
you really want to hear the spirit. The first of five keys to transformation that Lord has put in my heart and I've taught for over 45 years now and live, try to live every day. Stop. I could be in the busiest day and I know it's going downhill. I know I'm in a tailspin and I'll go bury myself to just stop. Just stop,
stop thinking, stop trying stuff. Stop. And in the stillness, Psalms 46 10 says be still and just know that I'm God, I'm here with you. I'll never leave you or forsake you. I've told you that I am in control. I'm working all things together for the good. And I like what he's been telling me recently, he'll say to me now,
listen, I got this. I got this. So the reality to that is, is that you have to stop. What's the second word. Listen, once you get into that state, listen, don't just buzz in and buzz out. Stop. Bring that stillness to know that he's God that he's with you, bring their consciousness, bring that, that atmosphere around you,
of the, of the kingdom of God that it's talked about throughout the scriptures. And then, and then take the time to listen. What is he saying too? I got this. I'm working all things together for the good I haven't lost control. I don't care what the news media says. I don't care what the pandemic is. The numbers are.
I don't care. I don't care. I'm in control. Been here, done this already. Jeff, after you've listened change, transform. And you know, you don't have to do anything except surrender. Your thinking of before there was running around and everything's going upside down. You're conscious of the task that you got to get through. And the time is getting passed to what you all that you change because he said,
when you stopped, he's got this, he's working on things together. And if you come out of your closet or you come out of the bathroom or we're coming wherever you were at stopping you change, you're transformed you Romans chapter 12, verse two, you've been transformed by the renewing of your mind. God's in control. Me and I was getting scared.
I thought I was in control. Oh my God, I am so grateful. I am not in control. And then obey. That's the fourth word? Obey. Obey means to believe what he said. When he was walking gyrus to go heal his daughter and the woman stopped him and the woman with blood, anytime Jesus took the time to hear and dialogue with her and then heal her.
That was for him for Jaris. That was so long and a child was dying. And by the time the Jesus turned back to him, his servant says, don't bother the master. Your daughter's dead. Oh my gosh. What a, what an impact? What does Jesus say? Jesus says, cheers. Jared's Jaris. Stop. Listen to me changed from thinking how they're thinking.
Don't be afraid. He says just believe don't be afraid. Just believe don't be afraid that the world's in control. You're in control the S the health issues. The disease is in control, just believe. And the fifth word that I'll close on is trust. And although you may know this verse, study it because after you have stopped after you've listened,
after you have changed and been transformed by the renewing of your mind, and you obey and believe what you have sensed and felt and heard in the spirit, then it is an absolute must that you trust. That's the fifth word trust in the Lord. Proverbs chapter three, verse five and six, read it eat. And if you could recite it word for word,
read it slower, read it in every translation. You can get your hands on or get in your app. Trust in the Lord and lean, not on your own understanding. Stop trying to be God and let God be God, stop trying to fix it and let him restore, renew and replace it. If necessary, understand to trust in the Lord is the highest level of surrender,
because we have to re surrender that we're in control. We know better. We are smarter, just like a child who thinks that they're smarter than their parents. And they're not, no matter what digital things that they have and all that intelligence of electronics, they're not smarter than the wisdom of life of the parent that may give them them the life itself.
How are we thinking we're better or smarter than God? Would you say Jeff? I never, never feel that way. Every time you take your life in your own hands, you are seeing without words, but with action, I am in control. I am God in this circumstance. Oh yes. Check the scriptures out. But every time I surrender,
I say, Lord, this is not what I want. This is the prayer to disseminate. This is not what I want, but I will be done Lord, that I will be done because your will, your power, your strength, your love for me is greater than anything else. And that's why in first, John chapter four verse 16 says,
rely and depend on this love that God has for you. So living life in the spirit, you may want to review over this, this session this morning. It's really the most important part of our walk, living in the spirit. For two reasons, it makes it a whole lot easier for you and me to live life in the spirit and not trying to fix our lives and take control of our lives.
But it's also the illumination that is in the world of our life, weight, eating to others. When something happens to you, your testimony that you look to them and say, you know, God's got this, guy's working all things together for the good. And I'm not just seeing words. I'm not just saying, make those words come out of your mouth.
I've seen from your soul that you believe in him, that sense that all things are working together for the good. I may not even see all those things work together for the good, I mean that see the result of this. But I will from heaven. I will, from my eternal position of my life. Wow. You ready to live life in the spirit then in the comments say,
yes, I'm ready. Yes. I'm ready. Yes. I'm ready. And then do me a favor, please. Listen to me, share this message with your finger and click share. Send it out. I'm going to check afterwards if you've done that, because if you really got something from today and I'd love you to put in, in the,
in the comments, what you got out of this, what's one thing, one thing that you, you are extracting from this Mo this time of what look like, listen to this, look like it was going to be a discussion with my dear friend, Tony Valori. It was going to be, it was improv. I sent out a post and an early post I got already in and found out he couldn't make it.
I could have just canceled. I could have just said, you know, you know, postpone, but the Lord had better idea. Cause when I went there, I said, what am I supposed to do? Or, you know, when somebody doesn't show up, what do you do? These live in the spirit, share with them. What I've shared with you.
You don't have to make things up. So as you go through this day, every time you find yourself playing God, and that sounds harsh, but it's true. Every time that you are playing God, fixing and maneuvering, people are maneuvering. Your life are trying, and you're going faster than you think you're going to catch up sooner or later. You know what that's like?
It's like the hamster wheel say, stop, listen, change, obey and trust that moment of pause. That moment of listening. That moment of believing that moment of trusting would change your life. That I can guarantee that I can guarantee. So let me know your thoughts in the, in the commentaries. Let me know your, your challenges. Tell me,
but most of all of anything, please let me know. Let me know. One thing that today spoke to you that whoever's on now or later on the replay that an unexpected teaching, an unexpected circumstance that caused the event, not the happen, turned out to be this sharing with you 27 minutes. What did you personally get out of this from the Lord?
Take the time to really put it in there in the comments. Not for my good, but for you to be able to express as how Baca chapter two verses two through four says when you have had revelation, write it down, write it down because as you write it down, Habakkuk says it will Herald you. It will remind you, it will encourage you.
It will sound the trumpets for you to remember when you're faced with that moment to take control again, to take control again, to fix your wife, to fix your husband, to fix your kids, to fix the world, to fix, fix, fix, fix, fix, fix your granddaughters, whatever it is you step back, step back and let God be God and work all things together for the good.
Have a beautiful, beautiful weekend. Looking forward to reading some of your comments. See it Monday.