If we would just follow the rules...

If we would just listen and obey authority, we could get out of this.

The real issue in our lives today: You can trace everything back to authority. > We don't know where to run to for the rules. They keep being changed in the physical realm. What rules do we decide are going to be our authority? And who do they come from?

* Our authority is the Word of God. God is our sovereign God. He rules. He wrote it down at the foundation of time. He spoke by the Spirit of the living God to His prophets, to His patriarchs, to His men of God: "Thus saith the Lord."

You will be a blessing to Father God and those around you. Not that you won't have problems

We have removed ourselves from the principle of authority. We have become accustomed to being our own authority, independent, calling our own shots, but yet when we get in a mess, we want to run to God and we depend on God to bail us out. We can't have it both ways.

* God wants us to come before Him and ...

Reflect on what the day means, remember how the day came about, remember how Father God was involved in bringing it about -- that we would have a nation, that we would be free to worship Him. 

Use it as a lesson going forward to meet some of the needs -- the desperation -- our nation has today. 

Remember all the things that happened in the physical -- the battles, the commitment -- to fight for independence. 

Remember the things that happened in the the spiritual -- not just so we could be independent of a British nation but so that (being independent from them) we were totally free to be dependent upon the Almighty God. 

Are we living in the fullness of the Independence Day? Are we celebrating that our nation is living in total dependency upon the Almighty God?

Before the fireworks, there was a fire of the Holy Spirit that moved across our nation. It was the Spirit of the living God that was moving among men through leaders, everyday Christians, through preachers. 

But for God, ...

It was going to take me agreeing with Him to make the change -- to change the behavior so that my health would be better. Then I could have that blissful life. 

- But if I didn't, I would compromise my health. I would stay frustrated and defeated in these little habits. 

- But I was ready to make a change. 

Is there a "nuclear threat" in our own lives where we need to make a change? Where we need to listen to Him? God is sounding the alarm to get our attention.

Do you have a little bad habit? It could be defeating us, hindering our prayers.

"God, why aren't you moving? I'm standing on your promise!" Why don't we see the miracles? Why the wait?

In the wait, in the why, maybe God sees something in us. We're walking through a time of sanctification. Is God putting the light on our lives? 

I've confessed, but I need to be delivered of this wretchedness -- that I don't keep repeating these same sins. I'm ready to be delivered. It's time to repent, to change. 

God wants to remove all...

Life is not about me. 

Yet, we're running in circles to please ourselves. From God's point of view: Life is really all about pleasing God. 

Going forward, I want to keep that at the forefront of my mind. 

Four simple steps on how to make it real in our lives -- it's like getting up every day and how we prepare to go about the day.

STEP ONE: We get up and take a bath. We cleanse the body. We make ourselves presentable. * Spiritually: We get our heart ready, cleaned up.

Why? Because we are all going to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ and we will all give an account, will all be rewarded for good or evil deeds we have done. We want to purify our heart before God -- our motives should be pure, right, and righteous. Give God that opportunity -- to make the attitude of our heart pleasing to Him.

Acknowledge sin, confess. He forgives us.

This is how we can be strengthened in the Lord. We are motivated by the love relationship with God.

STEP TWO: Clothe yourself. Don't go out...

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

Don't we immediately want to jump into those prosperous plans? 

There are plans that lead up to "those" plans so that God can achieve His will for our lives.

Righteousness means to live a balanced life. And God is always righteous. 

You are/have been on God's heart, and He has plans for you. But He wants your heart to be on His plans. 

The first step is to recognize that God's ultimate goal for you is righteousness. He is all about righteousness. He desires for you to reflect Him. 

God wants to meet us where we are. 

He wants us to think righteously, to have a mindset of righteousness at all times. 

God knows what plans to put in place to get to the "plans" we have our focus on and to achieve His purpose of righteousness. 

We can become restful in the state of acquiring this desired result. Then, knowing the comfort of the...

What is a prayer request? It's us asking God for help. 

Know that God is the God who sees -- He's everywhere. He is the sovereign God. There is nothing too hard for Him. 

How do we bring this into our faith, into asking God for help and showing the glory of God in the midst of it?

God is our Helper. Apart from His help, we cannot walk this sanctified life sufficiently. 

We might even ask: When am I going to see an answer? (Refer to the book of Habakkuk.) 

Step 1: In your specific need, ask God for help. Ask God first. (Be specific to trace the hand of God.) 

When we ask God, we allow Him to speak to us, to give us the Scripture to pray -- how He wants to move and be our Helper. Listen for Him to speak to you. It will take patience. Lean in. 

Step 2: Trust God for that word. Believe that God is your Helper and believe God as you pray that word back to Him. Trust God for that next step. 

* Before you pick up the phone to call a friend to agree with you

Step 3: Keep your heart in...

God is moving and manifesting Himself in response to prayer. 

People are refusing to remain silent. They are willing to get in the fight. They are stepping into the moment. 

Esther didn't just pray; she stepped into the moment. 

"If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise but from someone else." (Esther 4:14a)

Esther was challenged. 

Step 1: Pray. 

Step 2: Step into the action. 

God's response was relief and deliverance. 

Silent means to plow foward; to engrave, to leave a mark. 

Do what God has called you to do - don't miss the moment. Be a willing vessel. 

* Let God lead you to do something where you can make a difference for the Kingdom. 

Pray for spiritual awakening. Why? Because revival is always preceded by prayer. 

   Why spiritual awakening? Because in revival, in the time of spiritual awakening, it's when we come back to God with true repentance -- a godly sorrow that we've turned our backs on God. And during that repentance there's a true ...

- We are on our way to eternity, but while we're passing by, we're going to make this life count for eternity. 

- Stay in the fight. Don't throw in the towel. Don't let this opportunity of life pass us by. 

* Remember we are part of God's inheritance and He is using us to go out and bring in more of His inheritance. 

1) We are to work out our salvation. 

Work out = go out by faith to bring about an accomplishment, to bring about your purpose.

- Use our faith, use our gift, use the power of the Holy Spirit to bring them about

- With fear and trembling...because you've submitted to God, surrendered everything to Him (fear is holy reverence). You're His disciple, used for His purpose, yielding to His call. 

* Remember, we exist for God, to bring Him pleasure, for His name's sake. 

We don't complain so that we can be light so that others will come to salvation, so that others will come back to God. 

If you're in a weak moment, press on because you're not laboring in vain. It will ...

We need all of God to enable us to please Him in our actions, words, attitudes to reflect the heart of righteousness as we set our hearts on God. 

We have been reconciled to God. We have favor with God.

When we received Jesus, we exchanged that old life -- that sinful, habitual life of sin -- we exchanged it for a new life. So, all things about us are from God. That's what it is to live in Christ. 

How do we activate the role of the three persons of God in our everyday lives? 

(1) God the Father > Authority

(Authority is one of our greatest issues in our world today.) 

Before you turn it off, see how good it is. 

As our Authority, He's our protector and provider. 

Calling on Him, submitting to Him, is what helps bring order to your life. 

We can obey Him because we trust Him. And we trust Him because we know how to love Him. We have a love relationship with Him. 

Take the truth that God is your spiritual Father. 

When He speaks, He speaks through His Word and it will be trut...

God is moving to bring us back to Him. 

Why would He linger in bringing a new heaven and new earth? Because of His mercy. Because we are His inheritance. He desires all of us -- all of creation -- to be with Him. 

x Romans 8:17

I believe God would say redemption is the greatest need and spiritual awakening is what moves that into action. 

Action plan to be part of God's Redemption Team (How we prepare ourselves):

#1 - Offer Yourself to God. Pray Romans 12:1-2 and ask the Lord to direct your steps. 

#2 - Be Intentional. Ask God to show you today how to exist for Him and be involved with what is on His heart. 

#3 - Obey. Be careful not be focused on our tasts/to-do list but on the prayer we just prayed. (See #2)

       The key: My heart must first be established on what is on the heart of God. See the need. 

       Do you remember the vision from the previous podcast? God can use the lifelines to save those who are drowning and drifting. Get a heart for them. 

x Psalm 43:4

So,...