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Thank you to Kenneth Copeland Ministries for sowing the airtime for this broadcast.
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There's enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one that may be describing you. You may be in a sick room, you may be in a hospital room. And I want to remind you, power is present. That power is there to do a work, believe in what's not. Try to get something, but notice that he's already made it yours. It's present right where you're at. Say, I receive that power. I receive that power. I receive it right now. I receive it right now from the top of my head. From the top of my head. The soles of my feet. The soles of my feet. Welcome. We're so glad to have you with us today. For Jesus the healer, we invite you, get hold of your Bible, get a notepad or some device that you may want to take notes on, because we're believing God for you to have answers for your life. And the Word is our answer book, and it gives us the best life. And so we're not only believing for utterance that the Holy Ghost would speak through me, but can I say this? We're also believing God that you'll hear things that maybe don't even come out of my mouth. Do you know that just whenever you're in the atmosphere of hearing the word preached, that's also the atmosphere of hearing the Holy Ghost say something. So we're believing God that you hear clarity and you hear just further revelation that God has for you. Amen. Thank God for the Word. It changes our life and it makes everything come into God's flow. And we have been ministering for a while now in this series, we're just talking about what it means to be in Christ. And I just say this. We all look so much better in him than outside of him. And we have to develop the skill of seeing ourself as in Christ, as speaking as one in Christ and moving in line with one who's in Christ and Christ in us. And the wonderful thing about it all is it was God's plan. And he's just so good to us to make us one through the righteousness. That is a free gift. You know, to be right with God. You don't have to earn it. It's a free gift. And so the devil's always trying to, if I could say this, give us the mindset of, I'm trying to be better, I'm trying to do better. You know, we don't have to ever try to be in Christ. We are in Him. We have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, translated into the kingdom of his dear Son. I so appreciate that word translated. Why do. Why is that word so important? It means that there's no earning. We were picked up and translated into Christ apart from any actions that we would take. And this is not based on us, it's based on Him. And all we have to do is believe it and accept it. And I would say this. The Word does instruct us to establish ourselves in righteousness. What does that mean? It doesn't mean trying to have your own righteousness. It means to establish in you the truth and the revelation that he already made you righteous. So that's what we're doing in this series. We're just talking about what that looks like and what that means. You know, the word talks about. In Mark 11:22, Jesus made the statement. You'll remember. This was after Jesus had gone up to a fig tree expecting to take some fruit off of it. And even though it looked like it would have fruit, it didn't have fruit. And so Jesus spoke to that fig tree and said, no man eat fruit of you hereafter. And the next day. And the disciples heard him say it. And the next day, as they were walking by that same tree, Peter pointed out, he said, look, Jesus, the tree that you cursed, it's withered up from the root. Well, what was that? Jesus was showing them that things will obey you if you'll talk to them. So in Mark 11:22, Jesus begins to tell the disciples about this law of faith and the principles of faith and how they work. And in Mark 11:22, he said, have faith in God. Or the original says, have the faith of. Of God. Do you know that if you're born again, you have God's own faith in you. You did not have to go out and get your own faith. It's his very own faith that he gave you a measure of that. And we're to develop it and to become skillful with it. But then he goes on in verse 23, and he says, that whosoever shall say, into this mountain be thou removed, be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. That verse is teaching us this things will obey you. Talk to them. And then in the next verse, verse 24, he's telling us how to get our desires met. So he says, what things so ever you desire when you Pray, believe that you receive them and you shall have them. Now verse 25 is telling us what will keep all these previous verses from working. And that is if you have ought against any, it's talking about don't let unforgiveness in because Jesus is letting them know. You can have the faith of God, you can speak to things, and you can even speak for your desires to be filled, fulfilled. But the one thing that, especially one thing that is a primary thing that will keep people's faith from working is unforgiveness. And I quote verse 25 because let me just read it to you. It says when you stand praying, forgive if you have ought to against any. Do you know that you're included in that? Any that he's not just saying that if you have unforgiveness towards someone, it'll keep your faith from working. But if you have unforgiveness toward yourself, do you know this? Your faith won't work right? And I, in my Christian life, I've never really struggled with forgiving people. What I've struggled with is forgiving myself. And you, if you're going to receive all God has for you, you not only have to forgive others, but you have to forgive yourself. And how many of you know that? The accuser of the brethren, who's Satan? I mean the devil. The devil is called by name as the accuser of the brethren because the word is revealing to us his strategy. The devil is going to seek to accuse you. What, what does he want to do? He wants you to turn in up on yourself. What does that mean? Don't forgive yourself. Because if we don't, if we don't forgive ourselves, it will hinder our faith from working. Now as I've said, people that have, you know, if there's been any kind of conflict with people, people have said things or done something against me that's not really ever landed in me. Not because I'm above it all, but I'm just saying this, I just, I just don't let what people say get in. And so I don't struggle with that. But I have had to pay attention to make sure that I forgive myself because I can tend to be hard on myself. And so many others are like that because the accuser of the brethren is there to put you under condemnation. What is condemnation? It's being mindful of your past, mindful that you miss it. You condemn yourself. Well, we have to forgive ourself if our faith is going to work. So many times when it says in First John 1:9, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This letter is written to Christians. He's talking to believers that if we miss it, we have to confess that why? So our faith will keep working. Right now, one of the greatest acts of faith that you can take is that once you confess it, once you confess where you missed it, faults, failures, sins, weaknesses. Once you confess that, believe that the blood of Jesus cleanses you and you get up from that place as though you never missed it, because you not only believe the Word, you forgive yourself, you believe the Word enough to forgive yourself. And so that's one of the things I've had to pay attention to, is that I don't turn in upon myself, because that's what condemnation is designed to do. And how many of you know that's absolutely the flow of the enemy tries to heap condemnation on us through accusing us of our faults, failures, weaknesses, past wrong decisions, wrong steps we've taken. But we have to realize this, that he's wanting us to get into condemnation because he's trying to get us to see ourselves outside of Christ instead of in Christ. In Christ. I'm righteous now. I remember something. This happened to me years ago. Have you ever been through seasons? And hopefully you have in the sense of. Because we're all growing and all developing spiritually in our spiritual walk, there will be seasons. It seems like I've had it to where it seems like a particular seasons. God's dealing with me about one correction right after another. I mean, it's just like one thing right after another. And if you're not careful, you can draw back from God. But the Word tells us this. Whom the Lord loves, he corrects. Correction is a flow of the divine love of God. Never become defensive against the correction of the Word or correction of the Holy Spirit. When he would point out something, when God would correct you by His Spirit. Because it is a flow of the love of God. God loves us too much to leave us like he found us. And so we always want to be maturing, growing up and developing. And part of that growing up process is making corrections. But there have been seasons. In fact, when you know, I know this. If I go for very long and I don't sense God correcting me on something, I go, what's wrong with my hearing? I'm talking about my spiritual hearing. Because I know I'm not all that I want the correction needed to progress. And every season of our life, God is offering us more. And the way to move into more is to correct things that would hold us back. But there have been times that I've missed it. And, you know, God would deal with me about something, maybe a decision I made, maybe about a certain thing, you know, that's just I need to address in life. And during those seasons, it seems like one correction right after another. I remember that one particular time, the Spirit of God coming on me. And you could sense his presence. But he would speak to me something corrective. And it's almost like from then on, I would approach God as though, what have I done wrong? What have I done wrong? Rather than seeing it as I ought to see it. And one day God said something to me because I had been through this time. It seems like one thing after another he's addressing. Now, let me say this. For the rest of our life, God's always dealing with us about something. Why? Because he's bringing us into the fullness of. Of the stature of Christ. And that is a process. The Word tells us this. It's first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. The Word is showing us spiritual things, even believing God, receiving things from God, even receiving healings, advancing in the plan of God. It's a process. That's what that verse means. First the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. We have to embrace the process if we want to embrace advancing advancement. And during this season of correction, it would seem like God's dealing with me one thing after another. If you're not careful, you can. I don't want God to not be pleased with me, you know. And so his presence came on me one particular time, and he corrected me. And I thought every time I would sense his presence, I go, what have I done now? And it was almost like I was waiting for the other shoe to fall. I don't know if you know what I mean by that phrase, but it's almost like he's correcting me about something now. What else do I need to be corrected on, you know? And you almost get. I didn't mean to. I didn't realize I was doing it. But I'd get defensive in the presence of God. And one day, I remember I was walking through my bedroom at home, and God said, I want to talk to you about something. And I said, okay. And he said, I don't appreciate how you've responded to me. Now, isn't that something? I said, in what way? And he said, when you get in my presence, it's almost as though you're waiting for something less than good to be said to you. And he said, if I correct you, that's my goodness. I said, yes, sir. I know that you're being good to me because you love me too much to leave me in the wrong place or the wrong way of thinking. And he said, you have been responding to me much like Adam and Eve did. And I go, what do you mean by that? And he took me over to Genesis. When the Word talks about how God would come down, remember, in the cool of the day, and he would fellowship with them, and after they had eaten of the tree of life, you'll remember God told Adam, he said, don't touch it, don't eat of it, because the day you do is the day you'll die. He didn't mean physically die, but he meant spiritually die. You'll be separated from God. And what happened? Adam and Eve were hanging out around that tree. You know something, if something's not yours, get away from it. You know, that's what you need to learn. Don't play around or don't get as close to something that is not for you. That tree was not for them because God said, don't touch it. Well, if they hadn't have been near it, they couldn't have touched it. So they touched it because they were near it. You don't want to play with the wrong thing. You don't want to play. If you know something will not bless your life, don't even get near it because you don't want it to pull on you wrongly. And so, of course, Eve ate of the fruit, then she handed it to Adam. They both partook of it. And then after that, when they heard God, as he would before, come in the cool of the day and have fellowship with them, they went and hid themselves this time. Now, God said to me, he said, when had I ever been anything but good to them that it warranted them hiding from me? He said, what action had I ever taken that would tell them they needed to hide from me and from my presence? And I said, you had never done anything to them or against them that would warrant them hiding from you. And he said, well, when you draw back from me in my presence, you're accusing me of the same thing they did. And he said this to me. He said, the reason they hid from me is because they who they had been listening to. He said they had just been listening to the serpent. And they carried that mindset into my presence so that when my presence Came in, they hid from me. And it wasn't because of me. It was because they had been listening to the wrong one. He said, when you draw back from me, it's because you're listening to the wrong one. He said, you're not listening to me. And then drawing back because he said, I have done nothing but deal with you in goodness. And I said, you're completely right. And you know what? That was a correction. But he corrected my thinking in the sense of, there's never any reason for me to draw back from his presence. There's never any reason for me to step back from fellowship. So I learned this when I miss it, press hard into him. Don't pull back from him. And so many young Christians, this is what they do in their earlier spiritual life. They think God's mad at them, and so they hide from him. They don't come to church. They draw back from their Christian fellowship. They draw back from feeding on the Word. And this is what in Christ belongs to us, is restored fellowship. If we miss it in Christ, right, fellowship belongs to us. That means God will never meet your approach with hardness, only with goodness. Amen. And so we have to forgive ourselves when we miss it, because we know this. When we repent to God, he will do nothing but be good to us. At that point, he will not point out, well, see, you deserve a little bit of this, or you deserve some hardship. The Lord is good. Listen, it doesn't just say, the Lord does good. Yes, he does do good. But it says, the Lord is good. His essence is nothing but goodness. He can never respond on the basis of anything but goodness. So know this. Anything that has happened in your life, life that was not good, God had nothing to do with that. And so many people will blame God, blame heaven for the things that have been done to them. When it's really people's actions and they're blaming God for people's actions, they may be, maybe a relationship went wrong, something financially went wrong, a business went wrong, a marriage went wrong, or something with sickness and disease. And people will, if I could say this, almost unconsciously, they'll carry this attitude in the back of their mind toward, well, God let that happen. No, God didn't let it happen. Sometimes we have to just take the responsibility. We let some things happen. Why did we let it happen? Not using our authority, not why. Can I tell you this? You know who let the devil in the garden? Adam and Eve let him in. Adam had the authority to keep him out. And the temptation they face, they wouldn't have had to face if they'd have kept the door shut. And sometimes we just have to realize the responsibility is ours to walk in the light of the Word. And too many times, if people don't understand their place of authority and don't use it, they blame God for what things went wrong, or they blame God for other people's actions. You know, God is not running people's lives for them. They have a choice to do anything they want, whether it's good or whether it's bad. And God's not going to stop them. Why? Because we are. We are free will, moral agents. God is not running us like we're computers or robots, right? It's up to people and the actions that they take. And people will say, well, why did God let that happen to me in that relationship? God didn't. Whoever did it to you, they're the ones that let it happen. And this is what we have to understand about in Christ. We can carry no or harbor no unforgiveness toward God or toward ourself. If we're going to function as fully in Christ as we should. And we have to know this, only goodness can come out of God. And every time God has corrected us, adjusted us, anytime he's dealt with us, it's only on the basis of goodness. And the devil always wants to paint God in a negative light in your life. He always wants to accuse God of wrongdoing when it's the accused of the brethren that doesn't just accuse us. Do you know the accuser of the brethren accuses God to us? Meaning why did God let this happen? Why did God let that sickness happen or that tragedy happen to you? God didn't. Jesus made it very clear in John 10:10 when he said the things comes not but for to steal, kill and destroy. But I've come that you might have life. What does a thief do? He accuses God of his own evil works. And so why? Because he wants us to have a faulty image of the one who's in us. And so this is something we have to be on guard against. Because sometimes people have harbored something against God of why did he let that happen as a child? Why did God let that happen to me? When it wasn't God who let it happen, others let it happen. And the Word tells us that God reigns on the just and the unjust. What's that mean? God's good to everyone whether they're good to him or not. Why? Because God is good. He can't be anything but Good. So I want to say this to you, is that. Recognize that anytime God's dealing with us, he's being good to us. Amen. You know, I remember years ago, early on in my marriage. Oh, my goodness, it was 30, 35 years ago now. I went to bed one night and I had a dream. And in the dream, I saw myself laying in a coffin. And I. I saw myself dying prematurely. And you say, well, that sounds like the devil would show that. Well, he could show something like that. But I knew that God was showing me that my life was headed down a certain road. And if I didn't make a correction, this is where I would end up. Now, let me say this. How do you know if a dream is from God? Because the devil, he will try to give you dreams and try to pass them off as God. Why? Because if he gives. If the devil gives you a dream and you believe it's from Go, you'll open the door for the devil to work that dream against you. And so how do we know if a dream is from God? Number one, when you wake up, you'll sense the presence of God. When it's from God. Number two, there will be no fear with it. I don't care what that dream would show you. There will be absolutely no trace of fear. And number three, you'll know the meaning. If you don't know the meaning, forget it. Don't run around and ask people, what's this dream mean? No, if God showed it to you, he's an intelligent being, you're an intelligent being, and he can get the meaning over to you. And you, if you have to go ask somebody what your dream means, God's not giving it to you because God knows how to communicate to his people. And so I knew that this dream of me seeing myself die prematurely, I knew that God was showing me. He wasn't saying, it's my will that you die prematurely. He was saying, the road you're going, this is where you'll end up if you keep doing this. And so when I woke up from the dream, God told me some corrections to make so I didn't end up in that direction. Can I tell you what that's the goodness of God warning me, protecting me. And I want you to know in Christ, what belongs to you is divine correction. And that ought to be good news for you, that God will help us to recognize what's tripping us up. And that's his goodness. For years in pastoring, I told my congregation this. It's not what you're doing right that harms your life. It's what you're doing wrong. And, and God will help us to recognize where we're missing it. So we don't keep tripping up in our lives and opening the door to the devil, but in Christ belongs to us. God's loving correction that he will show us where we've been missing it. And when God corrects us, it's not because he's angry at us. It's because he loves us too much to leave us like he found us. And you know, people will say, well, God loves me the way I am. Yes, God loves you the way you am, but he won't leave you the way you am because he loves you. Amen. And people will use that sometimes as a license not to change. Well, God loves me just like I am. Well, he wants us to come into the flow of what the Word shows us, of how we're to live, how we're to think, and how we're to respond. But know this. One flow of the love of God, one flow and benefit of being in Christ is he will not leave us like he found us. Divine correction belongs to us because that's what helps us to keep the door closed to the devil. Because God knows if we don't make some corrections, the door can be swung wide open to the enemy. So thank God when God corrects you, he's not being hard on you. He's loving you so that the devil can't be hard on you. Amen. And so the devil will try to paint that when God corrects you, he will try to paint God as something moving negatively in your life. When it's whom the Lord loves, he corrects. Correction is a flow of the love of God. And I cannot tell you how many times I've said to God, thank you for showing me that dream. Because if you hadn't corrected me, I don't know if I'd even be alive on the earth today. But thank you for you loving me enough to not leave me like I was. Amen. Thank God for his goodness. Praise the Lord. Well, we're going to keep going this direction in upcoming episodes, and you don't want to miss it. And until next time, remember this, Jesus is the healer. God bless you.
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To watch or listen to today's message and other messages by Nancy Dufresne, visit dufresneministries.org.
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In this important book by Nancy Dufresne, following the Holy Spirit, you will learn how to recognize and follow the leading of the Spirit. And receive God's help in every arena of your life. Order this book now@dufresneministries.org.
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We invite you to join us at World Harvest church, home of Dufresne Ministries in Marietta, California. Located at 23109 Palomar Street, Marietta, California, this is a Word and Spirit Church. Join us in person or online Sunday mornings at 10am and Tuesday nights at 7pm Pacific Time. For more information, go to defrainministries.org.
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We'Re excited to announce a new worship album called in youn Glory by Grant Dufresne. For more ways to listen to in youn Glory, scan the QR code on your screen, but I Believe youe Died so that yout Could Provide.
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We trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us@DefrainMinistries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings, share your testimony, submit a prayer request, or visit our online store. Thank you to the friends and partners of defrain Ministries for making this production possible.