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Dufresne Ministries Podcast
6 Hindrances To Following The Spirit | Morgan Dufresne | World Harvest Church | Murrieta, CA
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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message.
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Turn with me, if you would, to Romans chapter 8. If you were not here, I'm going to continue a little bit different line, but I think the next couple of services we're going to stay in the kind of the same vein, but I want to go just a slight different direction. If you weren't here on Sunday, I would encourage you strongly to go back and to listen to Sunday's message because we're, we're building here on some foundational truths that I believe the Spirit of God wants us to make sure that we revisit before we start the new year, before we get any kind of new vision or new word or whatever it is that we think we want for our new year. Some of these things need to be really strongly rooted and established in all of us. And Sunday was so, so, so important. The Spirit of God had some very important things to say to us. And tonight I want us to continue again. We're looking at the very foundational truths of renewing the mind, disciplining the body and following the Spirit. So as much as we think we know, we can always look at our lives and really evaluate what we say, what we do, where we go, how we think, if we have really been proficient in disciplining the flesh, renewing our mind and following the Spirit. And so I want us to keep going in that direction. But tonight I administered on some things this morning in the Bible school. We had a wonderful time and felt led to bring some of those things out and continue a little further in that tonight. Romans, chapter 8, verse 14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Aren't you glad to be a son, a child? I'm so glad. The Bible, the scriptures talk about how the angels, they did not understand why God would send His Son. They were amazed at a. To. To send His Son to bring and purchase. And they didn't understand redemption, but that he would send all his most precious gift out of heaven. All that he had for a people that had struggled to walk the way he asked them to walk, worship the way he asked them to worship. Why would God do? Even the angels did not understand. They could not comprehend how much you and I meant to God. That's really what the scriptures talk about. They didn't understand how much we meant to Him. And that's what it says, you know, it's the, the scripture talks about they says they. They bent, they stooped to see what was going on. When Jesus came, they looked. They didn't understand the church. They didn't understand the concept of this family and that God was purchasing, that God was drawing back to himself. They understood maybe the laws and the principles for the people of God, the Jews, but God was interested in making the people the family. He didn't just want a people. He didn't just want a nation. He wanted a family. Amen. It wasn't about a nation. It was about a family, a fellowship. And so they did not understand how much you and I meant to God. They just didn't. They couldn't comprehend that. And so now they're seeing it play out through the church, the body of Christ, the family of God, those that are the sons of God. He has given us his Spirit to lead us. We're not by ourselves. We're not living this life in the family of God alone. Anytime you feel alone, that is not from God. That is not a position that God has placed you in to teach you something. You understand that anytime you feel alone, that feeling is tied to a spirit that's trying to separate you from the very love of God, the very presence of God. Don't yield to that. Don't give in to that. Because right here we're sons of God. And the Spirit always leads us into the fullness of God. And we'll look at that tonight. Romans 8. And if you look at verse 16, the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit. Spirit. That we are children of God. He will. Only the Spirit of God. Any spirit that leads you away from or makes you feel isolated is not a spirit that's bearing witness that you're a child. Because no good father. We can go look at the Scriptures. No good Father. God says he is so much more than a good earthly father. He's more than that. And no earthly father wants their child to ever feel alone. Amen. Unless it's time for time out, you know, But God. God disciplines us, us through His Word, not through loneliness. If you've missed it, you've made a mistake. And you feel alone, you know, and there's regret and there is isolation because I missed it. I missed the leading. I made a mistake. You are not supposed to. And nor do you have to go through any period of feeling alone. I can know I disappoint. I disappointed God. But when I'm pressing into the Spirit, and even if I've missed it, I'll never feel alone. You know what I'm saying, I know when I miss it. I know when I've disappointed my Father, but when I come quick in repentance and I get back into a place in the Spirit, talking about being in God's word because the Spirit authored. You can't say I'm in the Spirit, but you're not taking time to meditate in God's word. The Spirit authored God's word. Those men were anointed by the Holy Ghost to pen the very words of God, the very truths that we live by. So you have to be in fellowship with his word. And when we spend time worshiping, praying in the Spirit Spirit, then we will recognize. I may have disobeyed, but God is not. He's not displeased in the sense of he's making me go off in a corner by myself. He's always very quick to bring you back into the answers that he has for you because his success is tied to your success. And that's what people forget. I've missed it. I made a mistake. He's looking to get you back on victory's ground. You know what I mean? Because his. The body of Christ's success is tied to where you stand. So he's looking to get you back and going. Okay, let's keep moving forward. All right, two things real quick. Let's set this up. You have. When you get born again, you have the indwelling of the spirit, Spirit comes the Holy Ghost. He. I believe, you know, he was there when Christ Jesus was raised from the dead. So when you receive Christ, of course the Holy Ghost comes in, but it's different than the infilling of the Spirit. And there's. We. We were never meant to live without the infilling of the Holy Ghost. No Christian was ever meant to live a life in Christ without being in the Spirit. So the Holy Ghost. Yes. People get born again. There's many denominations. Why have the Holy Ghost? They do. I liken it to this. Have you ever answered your phone and been in your car and you. You know, they're online and you can hear that faint voice, but it's still on your phone, coming through the ear, you know, like where you'd put it up to your ear and you're like, I hear them. Why can't I? And then it clicks over to your Bluetooth and you go, oh, there, I got you. I can hear you much better now. That's the difference between the indwelling and the infilling. Okay? The power allows you. You know what happened? It went from the little bit of power that came through this way, you know, you can still be led. People, I have wonderful, dear precious friends and I know when they were, they were not filled, but I know when they were led, God was leaving. They, they, it took a lot more effort, you know, and a lot of asking around. And they, they knew the right direction, but they had no power to confirm and to help infill them to be confident. You know what happens when we hear clearly, we're confident. So that infilling of the Spirit is so important that we get filled up. That we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is the first sign that a believer is filled with the Spirit. So that we understand that. But we can't just desire the power of the Spirit and not want his leadings. This is the other ditch. People want all the power. They want God to show up in their lives, show up in their finances, show up in their situation, show up in their business. I want God to show up. I want his power. I want the miracles. And yet they're not taking time to get the leadings. He leads us into victory. He leads us. The scripture, he leads me into victory, right? He doesn't put me somewhere, you know, I mean, we don't snap our fingers. He leads us. We still live in natural. We must be led by the Spirit. You know, your greatest victories will come when you receive your greatest leadings. Oftentimes it's not an instant. We want an instant. We've gone to instant coffee. That's a poor substitute, folks. A poor substitute. I won't say who in my family drinks that sometimes, but there is somebody. It's a poor substitute for the kettle on the stovetop with the French press. And you know the time it takes, right? Am I right? It's your greatest cup of coffee. But we want instant. God doesn't work. The greatest victories and the most significant oftentimes are when we have taken time to be led. And it develops our faith, it develops our confidence as a believer. It develops who we are as a child of God. You cannot find victory and success and confidence in yourself as a child. If you're not finding success and victory and being led, they go hand in hand. Oh, I want to know who I am in Christ. I am a child. I'm loved by God. We can say that all we want. But if you're not taking time to being to be led, successful, you're going to struggle to understand who you are as a child. It's not about in word only your Sonship is about your fellowship and the ability to be led. Okay? Bears witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. So if you have not taken time, and you're not taking the time you to be led, you will have a great difficulty when you're faced with something that you need the father. You need a. You need a father to show up and deliver you out of. But if you haven't taken time to be led, how are you going to know your sonship? We become greater sons and daughters when we become greater hearers and obeyers. Amen. Amen. Walking in fellowship with God. This is a huge key. It's not just about the feel goods, fuzzies and warm feelings. You know, that's not what makes me know. According to this, that's not what makes me know I'm a child of God. I'm a son and I'm a daughter. That's not what makes me know by how I feel. It's by how I'm led. Understand that you young people, it's not about a sensation and a feeling. It's about a leading. That's how I know I am best in my place as a child of God, when I'm being led by the spirit, not when I feel some goosebumps in a service. All that is to do is to help get you back to being led on a daily basis. Does that make sense? Okay, so we can't just desire the power and not want his leadings. We can't want spectacular breakthroughs and opportunities without supernatural leadings. Supernatural leadings are first. Then come the spectacular breakthroughs and opportunities. Most believers that have any understanding of our authority and the word of God and faith, they want the spectacular breakthrough. They just want to confess them into being. But they don't want to hear we're led into victory. Don't just focus on what you want manifested. Focus on hearing from the one who's going to manifest it. Focus on hearing him. I just want to hear him clearly. He'll take care of it. Go with me. Second Corinthians, chapter two. Or excuse me, First Corinthians, chapter two. This helps us to see. This is taking time to get out of the natural. It's that natural man that gets in the way. We talked about that on Sunday. You know, the natural man is the what gets in the way from you being the light you're supposed to be. It's the natural man that gets you gets in the way from you being the best spouse you're to be. It's the natural man that gets in the way of you obeying God. It's this natural carnal mind and this natural carnal man. But we can put that down. We can be successful. Look here at First Corinthians, chapter 2 in verse 12. Now we in the amplified reads. Now we have not received the Spirit that belongs to the world, but the Holy Spirit, who is from God given to us that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly bestowed on us by God. Do you see the truths and the revelation of what God has provided for you come by the leading of the Holy Ghost? He's looking to not only lead you in everyday affairs in life, but he's also looking to lead you in the truths of what you have in Christ. It's his responsibility. It's his job. The more you know about the Holy Ghost, the more you become proficient in being led by him. What do you think happens? The more proficiently the blessings flow freely, the more lavishly God can work and operate in your life. Because you're on. Look at this. You're unhindered. You're not hindered by the natural man getting in the way. You're only cooperating with the Spirit man. If the more I learn to cooperate and be led by the Spirit man, then the more I'm learning to cooperate and work with the Holy Spirit. And he's the one that has come to teach me what God has provided for me. Even walking in the fullness of all the blessings of God gets easier when we walk in the Spirit. If you're struggling in any area in your life that you know God has already provided for you, go back to this foundational truth. Am I hearing from the Spirit? Am I being led by the Spirit? Now? I want to. I didn't say this this morning, but one of some of the Holy Holy Ghost said to me, I was laying in bed one night and he said, it's not always how to be led. How many know? That's one of my favorite books of dad Hagin's, how to Be Led by the Spirit of God. Students are reading that absolutely. Love, love, love that book. It will set you free. It will set your life on course. It will completely change who you see yourself and what you see yourself being able to do. How you. How you see that God has made you to be able to hear directly from heaven and fulfill great and wonderful things. You can hear. You don't need somebody else. You can hear from Him. But he said, it's not always how to be led, but allow to be led. That's what he said to me. It's not always about how to be led. Meaning he said, deal with your heart, you know, and really he was saying this in reference. I was teaching on it. And he was saying, teach them to allow themselves to be led, not just about how to be led. You can know the 54 steps of developing the spirit and. And how to be led. But that doesn't mean your heart is tender. That doesn't mean you've let the word you know, knowing principles, knowing 12 steps doesn't mean you've allowed God. Remember on Sunday, just because you've given him your heart doesn't mean you've given him anything. Right? You gave him your heart, but did you give him your will? If you give him, give him your will. What is your will? Right here? Your will is not here. Your will is here. Your will, your mind, your will and your emotions. That's what the soul is. When was the last time you consecrated your thought life in your mind to God? And that takes. That's not a prayer. That's an act of putting it on the Word. I'm gonna let y' all know, you know, we want to just pray and commit it and consecrating, you know, there's. It's always good to reconsecrate yourself to God, to his plan. You want his plan, you say, father, I consecrate. Jesus taught us this. If you're not consecrating yourself, you know, praying that prayer of consecration, you know, often you're not fully fulfilling a prayer life, you know, at any hard place. I always pray that prayer, you know, at any time of difficulty, especially because that's when the temptation to quit is going to come. Any great time of difficulty is when I pray that prayer of consecration to set my heart in the right direction. But we also need to set our mind in the right direction. And that's why we need to renew our mind with God's word. So it's not always about how to be led, but allowing yourself to be led. Have you taken your thought life and said, no, you're not running away with me in my life. I'm going to allow God. I want to. God created me, you know, a heart that wants what you want for me. I don't want to just be born again. I want the full plan that you have for my life. It's an allowing. Go with me to Colossians. This is probably one next to Ephesians. Prayer is probably one of my most favorite, and prayed every day for our family and my family and the Congregation and Colossians 1, verse 9. For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make special requests for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep and clear knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God and an understanding and discernment of spiritual things that you may walk and live and conduct yourself yourselves. We can all evaluate right here. This is a self evaluation prayer as well. That you may walk, live and conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Lord. I like this phrase. Fully pleasing to him and desiring to please him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God. With a fuller notice this fully desiring to please him in all things comes before bearing fruit. You have to desire to please him. You have to desire. You cannot bear fruit apart from a pure desire. Bearing fruit in every good work, steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God with a fuller, deeper, clearer insight, acquaintance and recognition. We pray that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory, to exercise every kind of endurance and patience, perseverance, forbearance with joy. So we see here you can pray and declare that I desire to please him in all things. I desire. I desire fully pleasing. I pray that oh conduct myself in a manner worthy of the Lord. Amen. I love this prayer, but that's not what I'm teaching on tonight, so. But I just wanted to show you. When the Spirit of God said it's not always how to be led, but allow to be led. This is what I'm talking about right here. This prayer right here. Okay? Now I'm going to give you six. And this isn't all, but I'm going to give you six obstacles that get in the way of us being led. Six things that get in the way. Okay. Number one and number two also. We will kind of. We can kind of put those together. Number one is. Can we. Can we guess? Anybody can guess. We have a winner. Somebody give that man a candy bar. No, don't. The flesh. Number one is the flesh and number two is the mind. We'll put those because we understand this. The mind is. Is in neutral until the stronger the spirit or the flesh makes the harder pull. Flesh is reverse. The spirit is when you throw it in, drive. People say I'm moving. But when they're yielding to the flesh. Let me tell you something. You're always going in reverse. Listen, the mind is neutral. And when you yield to the flesh, you are always throwing that stick in reverse. And you can feel movement. And this was what happens. People start feeling movement and it feels good, but they don't realize they're headed in the wrong direction, going in reverse. This is what happens in wrong relationships. Oh, they feel movement. Oh, suddenly somebody's interested in me. That feels good. But what happens is it feels good to the flesh, but because somebody's giving attention and that feels good, they don't realize you are take. That relationship is taking you in reverse, and you can't see what's even behind you. That doesn't come with a backup camera. But as soon as you get in the spirit and that mind, you take that mind. Instead of the spirit pulling on that mind, throwing it, taking it out of neutral into reverse. Once you get in the spirit, that's drive. That's the Holy Ghost drive. And he has a full plan. He knows right where you're going. He doesn't wonder about what streets to take. He knows right where you're going. And that's the danger of living carnal. We read that in Coloss or Corinthians, you know, that natural man getting in the way. So the flesh and the mind. The mind can also. If it's not renewed, what happens is it's even through reasonings or your past, it will get thrown off and try to get relief. And I talked to the students about this morning. Try to get relief. And it's looking for relief in the midst of a test or a difficulty or being unsure. And it always searches. The mind always searches for some relief. But I want to be led and not just led into victory. Not just relief, man. So the. The flesh, the mind. Notice this. When the children of Israel were off the plan of God, we think about it, when they were in the wilderness, they were off. God was able to lead them here and there and bless them as far as he could. But we know this. That wasn't God's plan. His plan was, you come out of Egypt and you go through the desert and you cross the Jordan and start laying hold and taking ground for that nation in the land that he said was there, ordained and promised to them. But what happened was they spent 40 years wandering. And when the time came, Moses died and the time came and they needed to what, Switch into drive? What did Joshua have to do renew his mind? Joshua 1:8. So if you're Struggling, you say, I'm going in reverse. Listen, you can pray in the spirit all you want. That's fine. And that lays out. But you still have to make movement. You still have to hear the leading in order to keep going on those railroad tracks. He can't move you without your permission, your agreement, and your mind to going. That is what God is asking me to do. You still have to hear from him. And in order for your mind to not talk you out of what you're hearing, that's what God said to Joshua, take this book of the law, meditate on it day and night. And what happened was, when he stood before the walls of Jericho and God said, okay, now shout. His mind was so renewed, it didn't go. That sounds silly. You understand? Your mind still has to be renewed to God's word. So when up comes the leading, it doesn't talk itself out of it. So when all of a sudden we got to hit that gas pedal and you say, you know what? I haven't. I've been in neutral. Or I've been going in reverse and I need to hit that gas pedal. The one of the very first things you need to do is get your mind in the word of God. Renew your mind. Don't be looking for a prophecy. Don't be trying to get somewhere in the spirit. I gotta pray in tongues, you know. Listen, that's why Smith Wigsworth, 30 minutes in the Word. 30 minutes praying in the Spirit. 30 minutes in the Word. You need to have equal time to. In order to be successfully led, you need equal time in the word, in the spirit. Now, there are seasons where maybe you'll sense to pray more in the spirit. There are seasons where God's trying to teach us something. And you may sense more time to read, but it's always a balance. Do you understand that the Holy Ghost authored this very book? So when we say we're word and spirit people, you're only getting half of his help. It's only half. We want all of his help. And so God. God didn't say, oh, come bow before me, Joshua. Come get into my presence. He said, joshua, get your nose in that book day and night for the next few days. Because when I give you a leading, your mind cannot get in the way of that. That was so important. So you say, I want to be led. I'm allowing myself to be led. Then you're going to have enough time in the word of God to show God I'm ready to hear what you have to say. I'm ready Amen. Number three. A lack of honor is a hindrance to being led. A lack of honor, because as I teach the students, one of the most important ways that the Holy Spirit will talk to you is through your pastor, through the pulpit. You're not anointed to hear everything for yourself now. The specifics of your life, the details. But there are truths of the word of God that will help you to receive the specifics much easier. You know, when the Spirit leads you specifically, for instance, when you're sitting under the Word and you're hearing the word taught to you, and you go home and you are tempted to just lash out in anger. You've. You've had a bad habit of saying anything that comes to your mind. And all of a sudden, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit, to minister on disciplining the flesh, you can want to be led and say, holy Ghost, show me how to handle this situation and how to talk to them. And he did. While you were sitting in that seat and you're wanting some specific sign and a word, you know, we have to have honor through the avenue, one of the primary avenues that we are learning. When you're sitting in that seat, you're also developing and learning how to hear from the Holy Ghost. Amen. You know, in. In. In sincerity, when I go, if I'm facing something or I'm making. And I've prayed this a few times, and I'm not trying to pass the buck. I'm not trying to pass off my responsibility, but there has been many a time I, you know, I sensed a leading. I was maybe learning, developing. It was something. There will be times that you'll need to hear a. Get a leading for something you've never faced before. God knows that and the Holy Ghost. But I. I will. I will pray this and I'll say, father, you know, there's no specific prayer. Maybe there is, but I just knew it came up, you know, in my heart, and I've learned this from Pastor Nancy. I would say, father, I have a pastor, and I'm gonna move in a certain direction. And I trust that if I am just not hearing, you love me so much, you gave me a pastor, and my heart is open, my ears are open, I'm attentive. And if I am just so dense, you know, or just if I'm really off, my heart is pure, my heart is sincere. I have no other desire or will see that matters. You have to come with a sincere heart. And I'll say, I trust you will speak to me through my pastor. Holy Ghost, you will speak to me through the voice in my life. But a lack of honor for that voice, that. That removes an avenue that the Holy Ghost is always looking to flow through. He's always looking to flow through this pulpit and minister to your heart and lead and guide us. So lack of honor, number four, wrong influence. Nothing will get you away from the voice of the spirit faster than a human voice. It's true. Right, look real quick, go to John. John, chapter 10, verse 3. The watchman opens the door for this man and the sheep listen to his voice and heed it. And he calls his own sheep by name and brings them. Brings, leads them out. When he has brought his own sheep outside, he walks on before them and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. This is Jesus speaking. I always say over my family, my children, the Dufresne family, along with the Colossians prayer, the Ephesians prayer, you know, that we know the voice of our Father and another we will not follow. And because wrong voices will show up, they will try to influence. They will speak, and they will speak loudly. But I believe I know the voice of my Father and another I will not follow. And again, when I'm honoring and fully engaged in receiving from the voices that God has also could see, you know, Jesus didn't stand in front of me, but he gave me a pastor. He lives in me, but he gave me a pastor to be, you know, over a shepherd, an under shepherd, over my life. So I count it as I am yielding to Jesus. I am following him directly when I'm following what they're saying. So, you know, these things go hand in hand. I need the right influences. I need the divine influences to be the greatest influences. It'll make the leadings much easier. Following the leadings much easier. Number five. Habits. Habits. Habits will get in the way of leadings. One of the examples I used, I talked to the students this morning. I said, you know, those in business, we have many business owners in here. And I said, you know, if you're a business owner especially, you'll develop habits and, you know, a plan for your business. And, you know, there's. There's much influence, you know, there's many things you can learn naturally to have a good business, you know what I'm saying? Like good natural habits. But you cannot let those habits get in the way of the leading of the Holy Ghost. The. This, you know, the example I gave them. I said, when Peter, in fact, go with me real quick. 14 Matthew, chapter 14, Found this interesting when The Holy Ghost showed this. Matthew, chapter 14 and verse 25. And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit. And they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, come. And when Peter was come out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid and began beginning to sink. He cried, saying, lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him and said to him, oh, thou of little faith. Wherefore this thou doubt? Now, in talking about developing right habits, because your habits, lazy habits, overworking habits, there's two ditches on that, that, that, that subject. You know, you got people that are working themselves right out of a leading, and you got people too lazy to get one. You know, Holy Ghost has got some form, but they won't get up off the rear end to, you know, put themselves in a position to be led. You know what I'm talking about? You know, he doesn't take the first step. You do, man. He did take the first step that was sending Jesus. We always take the next one. And so here's Peter, and we're talking about habits. You know, what habits? And I said, you businessmen, you business people, you need to remember that your habits, your spiritual habits must always come first. Because what was Peter? Peter was a fisherman. What is a fisherman's habit? To check the weather before they go out. So Peter looking at the wind and the waves was within his realm of his habits. That. That was perfectly within. So we can't fault Peter and go, why would he do that? Jesus said, come. Oh, I don't know. For the same reason that when God is calling us before you go out on the business, he gave you to spend time in his word. Why wouldn't you do it? Because your habit is, get to work, get on the grind, call the customers, listen to a podcast. If you're listening to podcasts where you listen to the word, you're out of step. It's out of order. So it was perfectly within his realm of his habits as a fisherman to get up every day and to check the weather. It was second nature to him. To do this. We have to make his nature his nature must be our first response, our first. Our first habit in the morning. Pastor Nancy's taught us that. How to turn our attention, our direction towards God. So you see here, Peter was a businessman with good habits hanging out the water. We ain't going out there today, boys, you know? But when the leading came, what was the leading come? And he had faith to obey that leading. What got in the way? Habits didn't mean they were bad habits. Watch your habits. They can interrupt leadings. Okay? And number six, last one, desires. What you fellowship with, what you spend time with, you will desire. Folks, let me tell you true story. I told my husband we didn't have sushi when I met him. And when I grew up, where I grew up, there's no such animal there. Now they have sushi everywhere, all kinds. We have. We have barbecue and hamburgers, folks. That was it. And one token Mexican place with white cheese queso, which is not Mexican, okay? We didn't have a lot of diversity. The only diversity was if whose barbecue sauce you like better, you know? And so which would be, like, Mexican places around here, right? Or sushi. And so my husband, I came out to visit. He's like, I'm gonna take you to sushi. I said, I like sushi. I like sushi. Okay, well, I want you to try it, all right? You know, So I try it. You know, I think it took me, what, two times? Going about two times. I like sushi now. I love sushi. And why? Because the more I went with him, because I loved him and I wanted him to be happy, I started desiring the same stuff he did. I was like, oh, this stuff's good. Before you know it, he's just getting the California roll and avocado roll, and I'm getting all the crazy stuff, everything raw, you know, and with the soy sauce and the wasabi and the whole. I mean, doctor used to take that wasabi and put it in that soy sauce and go like this. And it'd be. Half of it would be on the table, man, because he was so excited, remember that? He'd put it in that thing and then it'd split everywhere. He didn't care. He was just so happy to be at sushi with preachers and his family, you know? And I haven't gotten this sashimi boat yet. I have had sashimi, and it's very good. But I haven't gotten that big boat he used to get. I haven't gotten that yet. I need to do that. We need to go do that. But my desires developed the more I was around it. And this is what Happens when people miss a leading in marriage and jobs and business and things because they have started developing. They get around the wrong thing and they start gaining a desire. More you're around it, the more you'll desire it. The flesh has an appetite too. You feed that, you give it a taste. And this is oftentimes, you know, good hearted people end up in wrong places and in, you know, bad relationship decisions, you know, on the other hand, you know, we got people, like I said, I didn't know to like sushi. You got a lot of people that say, I don't like that. Well, you never taken that out either. You know what I mean? Don't look at me. Y' all are real quiet and y' all know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't like that. And we're just friends, you know, you never took them out and tried out them on something other than hi, how are you doing at church, you know, or let's go out in the group. Pastor Nancy's talking about this. So I'm not preaching anything new. This is no new. No new. You know, how do you know? Because God said that to the prophet and I've always taken that. If God said that to the prophet, then that's good enough for me and that's good enough for you. When God said to doctrine, he said, God, she's not my type. And he said, you don't know your type. Y' all better take that as a word from the Lord. God speaks to the prophets and when he does, it's for the rest of us. Y' all hearing me? So when he says, I don't think that was just for Ed Dufresne. I think that was for the human race in general. You don't know your type. I don't like sushi. Mm. It's the same response. The Holy Ghost can't lead you if you don't even give him a chance. Can't lead you. You've made a decision based off of a certain setting. You've not given him an opportunity. See, that's what the children of Israel did. They stood on the other side of the river and they go, yeah, they brought back the grapes, but I prefer oranges. And y' all didn't bring back any oranges. So we're not going in. That's what people do. God's got somebody for them. They stand back and go, and there's this wonderful, precious gift that God has. And they, they stand back on the other side of the river and wait around in the wilderness for a while. Because they decided, well, they're offering grapes, but I prefer strawberries. How do you know? How do you know what you're going to enjoy 20, 30 years from now? How do you know? Those grapes get awfully sour, right? And that's what they decided. Oh, there's too many giants. Grapes aren't really our thing. We're not going in. Even that couldn't draw them. You better make sure, young people, that you're letting God and you can't. God isn't going to lead you from a distance in the pews. He's not doing that. Just like he's not going to tell you what job to take. And you didn't even apply or you didn't even, you know, you didn't even shop or you didn't go around. God, we think that's foolish. God, where do I go? Where do I go? Where do I go? Show me where to get a job. Show me where I need to drive today. Where we think somebody was foolish. And yet you have people in the church going, God, should I marry them? Should I take them out? Should I do this? It's the same thing. It's the same thing. You know, they want a leading for marriage before they'll get out of their bad habits of just texting in DMs and go talk to somebody and take them on a date. That is. It's a bad habit, and it's getting in the way of people being led. It's a bad habit, this business all the time. And that's the only way you know how to communicate with anybody. You can't even have an adult conversation because you're too busy being a child on the Internet. Leadings don't. Leadings come to sons. And you want to grow up, then put yourself in a position where God can talk to you as a grown up. Take somebody out, ask them on a date, and don't say, yeah, we're just good friends, or I don't think that's gonna work. Because some of you, your bestest friend is gonna be the person that's gonna stay the sweetest in your life for the longest anyway. I mean, it's true. After 14 years. Over 14 years. And we got married very young, so there's a lot of people in here. You're a lot older. You had a lot more time than my husband and I had, and we were much younger, and we were, you know, we were kids. But I knew the moment we started talking on the phone. And when I came out it took us a month to talk on the phone and a week of being together, spending time together. He was nothing what I ever thought I would ever marry, but I knew I enjoyed his company. He made me laugh. He. We had a great time. We so enjoyed. And we just cut up and we just. I thought, you know what? I think this is going to work. We didn't talk about pastoring. We didn't talk about ministry. We didn't talk about any of that. Nothing. We just enjoyed each other. And you know what? The leading came. And not only that, it came to his pastor, came to my pastor and my parents, but we had to put ourselves in a position. And so young people, you're desiring. A lot of times they're desiring all the wrong things because of this, you know, or they. They see there's so much put in front of them. We have so much stimulation, you know what I'm saying, visually, and so much resources with the Internet that they think they know what a good relationship looks like or what falling in love. God bless movies. My gosh, they've ruined reality and what it means to endure with somebody, to not quit with somebody, you know, when there's no love in the middle of the night. But you need to get up and pray for your spouse or your, you know, you don't need to take something personal because you need to be praying for them because they're dealing with something, you know, and you put them above yourself. You better find somebody who do that for you. And God will lead you to somebody. He'll lead you. But just as we think it, a fool does somebody go, I need a job. And they get up in the morning and sit in their car, pray, pray, pray. God could lead them that way. But, you know, we have a lot more opportunity than that now. There's the Internet. There's going in, in person, you know, there's a lot there's asking. You put your feet to that ground and you start looking, and God will show you. Amen. And the same can be with. With relationships. And then because you have number three, you have honor in your life. Other people will help confirm and help in the guiding, you know, and because you got your mind and your flesh out of the way, you didn't keep asking for the, you know, the oranges. You realize, I think. I think I might like strawberries. This person is nothing, but I think I like them. Amen. Okay. All right, all right. I hear what you're not saying. He's got the Holy Ghost. If we could just Receive and hold fast to knowing. The Holy Ghost knows the full, full plan that God has for us. And his sole purpose is to lead us and guide us into the Father's plan through Jesus Christ. That's his. That's the whole reason he's here. We need to get to know him. We need to put these things down, get them out of the way. So we're. We're being led unhindered. Just a. Just a flow. I told the students this. This morning. I said, you know, the Holy Ghost is like water. He's, you know, the type of water. That's what the word compares him to. And I said, you know what your thoughts are? They're dirt. And the Holy Ghost is always flowing. But when you get your thoughts and you start thinking too much about, is that the one or should I date this person? And it's like my husband says, perfume. You smell one, you smell two, you don't smell anything anymore. You can't tell the difference between anything. So you just gotta walk out of the store and say, I'm just sorry, I can't buy anything. I don't even know if I like any of that. What happens? You've muddied the waters. There's a flow. The Holy Ghost never stops flowing. He never stops endeavoring to enlighten your mind. But what happens is, because we get our thoughts in the way, we let our thoughts in the way, and it muddies the waters of the leading, of the spirit. Now the waters aren't clear anymore. They're dirty. And it's your thoughts, it's my thoughts that muddy that. So what happens when we. We need to make a decision? Oh, Pastor Nancy taught me this years ago, so skillfully, when you don't know what to do. And my husband would say, you've heard him. If you have to ask yourself, I don't want to do you know more than twice, and you don't know what to do. Leave it alone. Leave it alone and ask God, stop asking, what do I do? Because the more you handle it mentally, the harder it is to discern the leading. What happens? All that silt from your mind, all that dirt from your mind, that clutter from your mind has now flown in, and the Holy Ghost gave you a leading, and then you start thinking about it, and here comes that dirt, and then you can't see clearly anymore. You got to give it time, let those thoughts settle and that leading get clear again. Does that help? You know, and that's the analogy he gave me, is the leading is still there. He didn't take it away. He didn't change his mind. But my thoughts have muddied it. Step away from it. Let those thoughts settle. Get back in the word. You don't go into new. Just get in the Word. Just read God's word. Just meditate on his word. And you have to be about your situation. If you've realized I've muddied a leading, Just start meditating in the word. Get back in the word. Because the Holy Ghost is there, too. He's there, too. And then let those thoughts settle. So that the water of the Holy Ghost, the flow of the Holy Ghost gets clear again. Amen. He's so good. We were not. We're not left by ourselves. You are never alone. Okay? Don't ever think you're alone. You don't know what to do. Don't ever say that. We always know what to do. He always causes us to triumph. Amen.
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