Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Welcome to the Kerma Chaj Podcast.
[00:00:07] I want to tell you a story about the third most important thing that ever happened in my life. Before I do that, I want to tell you about the first two. And I'll tell you those briefly.
[00:00:18] My father drowned when I was three and I was.
[00:00:22] My mother remarried when I was five and then a very violent man and divorced him when I was, when I was eight years later, when I was 13 years old, and then remarried when I was 15. So that two year span when my mother was unmarried, we went through a very huge trauma and we had like a, I don't know if you'd call him a prowler in England, like a burglar that got into our house. And he got into our house twice. We had the police out every night. This lasted for almost a year, 11 months.
[00:00:57] And my mother was a really beautiful woman and the stress was so bad she was covered in psoriasis all over her entire body. I actually never seen a person with so much psoriasis. And so we weren't raised to be like, I wasn't raised in an atheist home, but we weren't. We definitely didn't know the Lord and I didn't know anything about God. I'd never read the Bible. But when I was 15, this is probably nine or 10 months before my mother married, my mother was laying on the couch and sleeping on the couch with a shotgun, which by the way, is legal in America. I know you guys have sticks.
[00:01:42] And I was sleeping with a rifle because the burglar had gotten in our house twice. And so then one night, I don't know, 2, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning, the burglar came in through my bedroom window and I woke up and I yelled. And when I did, he jumped out the window and I took my rifle and I took a shot at him. Thankfully, I didn't hit him. But the next night I couldn't sleep. As you could imagine, my mother was laying on the couch weeping and covered in psoriasis. I have a younger brother and sister and I was just so stressed as a 15 year old. And in the middle of the night I said out loud, if there's a God, if you heal my mother, I'll find out who you are and I'll serve you the rest of my life. And an audible voice said, my name is Jesus Christ. You have what you requested. And I woke up the next morning, my mother's psoriasis was completely gone.
[00:02:40] And then the voice came back about a week later and he Said my name is Jesus Christ. She said that if I healed your mother, you'd serve me. And I'm waiting.
[00:02:49] So when I graduated from high school, I read on the third grade level, so I couldn't hardly read, so I didn't know anything about the Bible. And I started on this journey with God. And by the way, I'll back up and tell you the story. I met my wife when she was 12, we got engaged when she was 13. That tells you how dysfunctional our families are. And we got married when she was 17. And this is our 50th year of marriage this year.
[00:03:14] Yeah.
[00:03:17] So we began this journey with God and we were looking for God. And we would go sometimes to two and three churches and I would just sit in the back and I'd say, the God who spoke to me isn't here. Now in fairness, I didn't know what I was looking for. I didn't know anything about theology or God, but I just knew, I went to churches that I knew that he said his name was Jesus Christ, not Buddha, not Mohammed. So I was just going, I didn't know one church from another. I was just going wherever there was a church that I could get to in a 20 mile radius that said something about Jesus. So I would go and I would sit in the back of the church and sometimes I'd stay for a whole service, sometimes I'd leave and go to another church. And I was just on this three year journey to find the Lord. And I would say, the God who spoke to me isn't here. I raised my hand three times to receive Christ, you know, in an altar call. Nothing changed in my life. I was super disappointed because I'd heard the audible voice of God. It was years later that I heard people say, God doesn't speak anymore. And I'm like, well, I don't know who that was who spoke to me, but if it was the devil, he sure led me to Christ. Thank you Jesus.
[00:04:32] And so When I was 18 years old, Kathy was 15, I got invited to this Jesus people.
[00:04:39] I didn't know anybody, but I ended up in this Jesus people movement. And it was all hippies, former drug addicts. And they invited me to this house with all young people. And my friend who invited me said, we gotta get there early. Cause if you don't get there early enough, you have to sit on the lawn. And so we get to this house, there's about 120 young people, all long haired hippies, and they put speakers in the windows and open up the windows. Cause this house isn't very big. And people, kids sat on the lawn and they sat up the stairs and on the loft and in the kitchen. And we got there early enough to sit in the front room where they were actually doing worship. And so we got in there and it was just like, wow, I'd never seen Holy Spirit energy like this. And we sat down and, and all of a sudden they started singing Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. And as they sang, the kids stood up one at a time like, and gave five second testimonies. Jesus healed me of epilepsy. Jesus healed me of cancer. Jesus delivered me from heroin.
[00:05:57] And I said to myself, the God who spoke to me is in the room.
[00:06:01] And after the worship, the young man, he's probably four years older than me, that was leading the meeting, he said, does anyone wanna receive Christ? And for the fourth time I raised my hand. And of course my girlfriend raised her hand and we repeated a prayer like I had done three other times. And after the meeting was all over, that young man came and sat on the floor with us and he explained the gospel in really simple terms. I had never heard the gospel in simple terms. And he told me that when we received Christ, that we were born again and that we were like little children, we were children of God. And that we needed a father. And of course, I had been looking for a father my whole life because my father drowned. So he brought two young men over to us that again were like three or four years older than me. And they sat on the floor with us. And the leader said, which one of these men do you want to be your father? And I just chose the better looking one.
[00:06:54] And he became our spiritual father. His name was Art Kipperman. And I did his funeral 15 years ago. And he became our spiritual father. And he just poured into our lives and he loved us. He was super boring and that's exactly what I needed. But he loved us and he got married. And him and his wife, they led us for three years. We were every Friday we came to their house and there was five other couples.
[00:07:24] And Art changed my life. And from that day forward, we've never turned back. So that's the most impactful thing that's ever happened in my life. The second most impactful thing that's ever happened in my life is I got married. And that was awesome. Cause then you get to have sex anyway. That's in the Bible, by the way, in case you're wondering, the way you're looking at me, you're like, okay, we'll move on.
[00:07:49] I'll tell you about the third most impactful thing that ever happened to me. I came Kathy and I came to Bethel Church to start the School of Supernatural Ministry. And we got there and they gave me a pa, not a physician's assistant.
[00:08:06] And she was my assistant and her name was Nancy. And when I interviewed her for the job, she was crying. And I'm like, are you okay? And she's like, yeah, I cry all the time. Don't worry about it. And I'm like, well, I have a wife that doesn't cry. Like, I cry like I have menopause. I cry all the time. She does. She doesn't cry. By the way. My wife has Parkinson's, but she killed a bear last year with a bow. Oh, yeah, shot a bear. Actually killed one bear. And the arrow stuck in another bear's head. And yeah, she hunts. She killed a moose two years before that. She has a bass boat, she fishes, she rides horses.
[00:08:47] I don't do any of that.
[00:08:50] She's a bad woman. She don't cry. I cry. If someone breaks into our house, I wake her up, I'm like, go take care of that. I'll call, please.
[00:09:00] So I end up with this really wonderful person named Nancy. And she's a prophetess. So it's really kind of a strange relationship we have because, you know, I come in to work and she's like, you're good. How am I?
[00:09:13] I don't know.
[00:09:15] But she cried all the time. And I was always trying to figure out, like. Cause she cried when she was happy and then she'd cry when she was upset. And then, I don't know, she cried other times in the month and stuff. So she cried all the time. And like I said, I live with a non emotional woman. So I was always like trying to figure out something was wrong. So anyway, I come into work one day on Tuesday and Tuesday's kind of my Monday. So she lays out the week for me. And we're sitting there and she's kind of just doing this, practicing and laying out the week and she's crying and I'm always trying to figure out if it's okay. So finally I go, are you okay? And she's like, yeah.
[00:09:54] No, I said, oh, did I do something to offend you? No. Yeah, I said, oh, what did I do? And she said this to me. She says, you don't realize how valuable you are. And you don't carry yourself like, you know you're valuable and you Walk out of your office and you think you're being funny, but you're destroying with your words the very people you're supposed to be leading.
[00:10:18] And then I said, did I say something to hurt your feelings? And she said, yeah. And I apologized, gave her a hug, and we went on with the day. Honestly, like, we did that for six years, so it was like this was our.
[00:10:29] I didn't even tell Kathy about it. It was no big deal. And I get home that night, and about 3:00 in the morning, I have a dream. Have you ever had a dream where you can't remember the dream, but the emotion of the dream totally stays with you? Well, I wake up from this dream, 3:00 in the morning, and I feel like I lost my best friend. I can't remember the dream, but there's just a part of a verse running through my mind, and it's this part. It says, the earth cannot hold up under a slave or a pauper when he's become a king. And so I lean up against the headboard, I'm still trying to get awake, and I say, lord, Lord, are you speaking to me? He says, yes, you're a slave that's become a king, and it's time for you to change.
[00:11:12] And immediately. I was taken back in the morning in a vision to Nancy, who said, you don't realize how much people value you. And you're not carrying yourself like you're valuable. And you think that you're being funny, but you're destroying the very people you're leading with your words. And then the Lord said to me that night, do you know why Moses had to be raised in Pharaoh's house? How many of you know that story of Moses? And I said, no, but I'll bet you're gonna tell me. He said, because a man who's in slavery internally cannot free people who are in slavery externally. So it was necessary for Moses to be raised as a prince so he could free my people. And then he said, but you were raised as a slave, and it's time for you to change. And immediately I was taken back into my childhood. And I told you my father drowned when I was three. My mother married a violent alcoholic. My first memory of him was, I stole some cookies. And he pulled down my pants and pulled off my underwear, took his belt off and began to beat me with his belt and blood running down my legs. And that scene repeated itself over and over. He used to say, you're the trash that came with the treasure. I didn't marry you, I married your mother. And we did that for eight years. And then two years later, my mother married another violent man. And the very first night he was with us as our father, he picked up our kitchen table and threw it at the wall. And that scene repeated itself over and over and over. He broke out the windows in our house, knocked down my bedroom door, woke me up with pouring cold water on me. And I was raised. The Lord said, you were raised to be a slave, but it's time to change, because I've made you a king. And I don't know how this works, because, you know, I believe in free will, but when God says, you're gonna change, it doesn't feel like you have much choice. And for the next year, I began this intense journey where the Lord began to show me that I was not a slave, but I was a love son. And I love the story. Actually, let me say it differently. I was reading the book of Genesis, and I relate it to the story of Jacob, because Jacob's father didn't like him. His brother didn't like him. His mother loved him. How many know your mother always loved you? You could be a drug addict. Your mother's like, he studied to be a pharmacist.
[00:13:26] My mother loved me, but I was in a very broken home. And so I was. I was reading and studying. Now this. The life of Jacob. And you know how this is when God is opening up a certain part of the scripture to you, The. It seems like it's all over. And I'm studying the life of Jacob and Jacob's name, by the way, in ancient Hebrew. Jacob in ancient Hebrew means liar, deceiver, or cheater. And actually, Jacob lived up to that. Jacob was a liar and a cheater. And he goes to this well, and he sees this woman named Rachel, and he's like, I gotta marry this woman. And he ends up talking to her father, whose name is Levan, and he says to Leaven, I want to marry your daughter. And Leaven says, fine, work for me. Seven years and you can have Rachel. So he works for him for seven years. And then at the wedding night in the honeymoon tent, he wakes up in the middle of the morning, early in the morning, and Leah, her older sister, is in his bed. Now, I don't know why it took him all night to figure out that was Leah, but I just want to say, thank God for Thomas Edison. You know what I'm saying? Thank God for electricity.
[00:14:32] Oh, you guys probably think someone else invented it, huh? Anyway, and so he comes out of the tent. He says to his father in law, did I not work seven years for Rachel? And that seems like Leah. And he said, oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, we always marry the oldest off first.
[00:14:50] And so his father in law said, well, listen, we'll give you Rachel now and you can work for her for seven more years. So he works for his father in law for 14 years and it's miserable. His wives don't like each other. Half the time they don't like him. His father in law doesn't like him. His father doesn't like him. And it's just this really stressful season in his life. So he finally tells Levin that he's leaving. And Levin says, listen, Levin's the great Jewish businessman, realizes that Jacob has making him a fortune. So he says, stay with me and I'll pay you whatever you ask. And Jacob says to him, you changed my wage 10 times. Like we make deals you don't keep. He said, listen, you tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. And Jacob says, fine, I'll take all the spotted and speckled shot. Shot. Spotted and speckled. Goats and sheeps. Sheeps.
[00:15:38] Sheep. By the way, you guys spelled favor wrong up there too. I want to tell you that.
[00:15:44] And by the way you spell mom wrong. So I was like, I don't know what you guys. I'm glad we left the English because you guys messed up the English language completely.
[00:15:54] We are the keepers of the English language. You guys have a really strange accent too. I don't know.
[00:15:59] Sorry, I was just trying to be funny.
[00:16:02] And so Jacob makes a deal for all the spotted and speckled goats and sheep. And then this really strange thing happens. He goes down to the watering hole where the sheep and goats mate. And when the strong sheep and goats are mating, he takes branches and carves spots and speckles in them. You can't make this stuff up, folks. And here's what happens. Whatever the sheep see when they're at the watering hole, that's what they reproduce. And consequently, all the strong sheep and goats are spotted and speckled. They're jacobs. And all the ones like got a bad eye dragging a leg. They're all Lebanons. And Jacob becomes super wealthy. And one day I'm reading that during this whole transformation in my life, and I realized that this is not a lesson in agriculture like this. God is showing us the way his people, his sheep, reproduce. Whatever you see at the watering hole of your imagination, that's what you reproduce. Listen, you don't become what you want to become. You become what you see at the watering hole of your imagination. And there's two ways to live. You can react to what you don't want to be, or you can respond to the vision God's given you for your life. Here's the challenge. If you react to what you don't want to be, the challenge is that you have to imagine what it is you don't want to be. So. So you don't wanna be it. And the challenge is that you don't become what you wanna become. You become what you see at the watering hole of your imagination. And reacting to what you don't wanna be, you end up becoming like the very person you don't wanna be. Are you following me?
[00:17:35] There's a saying, you are not what you think you are, and you're not what others think you are. But you become what you think others think you are. And John Maxwell said that's not exactly true. The great leadership teacher in our country, he said, John said, you're not what you think you are, and you're not what others think you are. But you become what you think the most important person in your life thinks you are. And I think that's true. If the most important person in your life is God, then you become what you think God thinks of you.
[00:18:04] But here's the challenge. If what you think God thinks isn't what he's thinking, then you're not becoming what God thinks of you. You're becoming what you think he thinks, which isn't what he thinks.
[00:18:15] And therefore you're not becoming. You're not becoming a manifestation of his imagination. You're becoming a manifestation of your imagination. Because what you think God thinks isn't what he thinks.
[00:18:26] So the only way to become what God thinks of you is to actually be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So what you think is what God thinks. So that what you become is what God actually thinks of you. Are you with me? And I want to point out that one of the greatest, one of the greatest lies in Christendom is that you are a sinner saved by grace.
[00:18:51] I want to tell you more about that. Jacob goes down to. I told you this part. But Jacob finally says after about 20 years, he's like, I'm leaving. And now Jacob is really wealthy. He. He's wealthy, but he's miserable. How many know it's better to be wealthy and miserable than poor and miserable? Cause at least you can go shopping. That's Proverbs 32, by the way.
[00:19:14] And so he takes all his flocks and his servants and his wives and his children. And he leaves. And he tells his wives, you guys go on to this other city. I'll catch up to you. And Jacob goes down to Jabbok, a city named Jabbok. And Jabbok means empty and alone. Anyone ever visited that city.
[00:19:37] And he goes down to Jabbok and he prays for God to help him. And God sends him an angel that wrestles with him. You know you're having a hard life when the angel is sent to help you. He don't like you either.
[00:19:50] And he wrestles with the angel all night. And the angel finally says, let me go. My shift is over. And Jacob says, I'm not letting you go till you bless me. And the angel dislocates his leg and he walks with the limp the rest of his life. And finally the angel says to him, what is your name? And Jacob says, my name is Jacob. Remember ancient Hebrew, Liar, cheater, stealer, deceiver. And the angel says to him, no longer shall your name be Jacob, but your name shall be Israel. Israel means a prince with God. And Jacob lets him go. Would you let an angel go if you wrestled with him all night? You broke your dang leg and all he did is call you by a nickname.
[00:20:29] Well, you would if you realized that sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will take away your future.
[00:20:34] I'd like to point out that that woman never had a child till her name was changed to Eve, the mother of the living.
[00:20:41] Abram had to be changed to Abraham so he could be the father of many nations. And Sarai to Sarah and Simon to Peter. And how many know that Saul to Paul. I'm pointing out there there's something powerful in a name. When Adam named the living creatures, he did not call them Spot, Fifi, and Trigger.
[00:21:00] He was actually giving them a name. And whatever name he gave them. Are you with me? He was making prophetic declarations over the creatures. And the Bible says that whatever he called the name, that's what it became. I understand he didn't speak English, but just go with me. He sees a creature and he says, lion. And it takes on the DNA of his declaration. Are you with me? And I'm telling you the greatest.
[00:21:22] How many know that Christians live often under an alias name, a name that God did not give us? And I started to tell you that the greatest lie in Christendom, or at least one of the greatest lies in Christian, is that you're A sinner saved by grace. That's not true. Paul said in Romans 5, 8 that we were. That while we were sinners, Christ died for us. While we were sinners, while we were past tense, sinners, Christ died for us. How many know once you receive Jesus Christ, you are a new creation. The Greek word new. There, there's two words in the Greek for new. One is new, like you got a new car. But the other word is new, like it's the word prototype. When you received Christ, you became a prototype. You became a creature that had never before graced the planet.
[00:22:14] How many of you know the Lord gave you a new heart and a new mind? You're not even getting where I'm going, are you? I'm pointing out that you became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That he. He. That you're like, well, you know, I'm saying you're not a sinner, you're a saint. And some people are like, well, it's semantics. It's not semantics, it's a name. If you believe you're a sinner, you're a sin by faith.
[00:22:40] Because the truth is, is that you got righteous by faith. Are you with me?
[00:22:48] Here we go.
[00:22:50] That's a good point.
[00:22:53] So many of us live under alias name, a name that God didn't give us.
[00:22:58] You know, Jesus said Matthew, chapter 22. He said, Love your neighbor. Do you know the rest of it as you love yourself?
[00:23:11] I don't know if what it's like in England, but I was taught that feeling good about yourself is arrogance. But I'd like to point out that you can't even love your neighbor if you don't love yourself.
[00:23:26] How many know that all Christians need to have a big as, because I can't love you until I love me.
[00:23:35] And if I don't love me, I can't love you. And by the way, I'd like to point out that you won't let someone love you more than you love you.
[00:23:46] Let me just say one more thing. You tell people how to treat you by the way you treat you. If you don't love yourself, you tell people you're not valuable.
[00:23:56] It's very difficult to get people to like you when you don't like you.
[00:24:01] Some people say this like no one likes me. Well, let me say this. If you love God, there will be people who don't like you. Jesus said, love your enemies, which means you should have some.
[00:24:13] But if no one loves you, it's not because it's not a response of people It's a response of you. Like, if you don't love you, you tell people how to feel about you.
[00:24:25] If I go over your house and your house is a total disaster, there's junk everywhere. There's, you know, the place is a mess. I may not put my feet up on my coffee table, but I probably will on yours. You know why? You told me how to treat you by the way you treat yourself.
[00:24:44] If you come over my house and you live in that junky house, and you come over my house, and maybe I'm not wealthy, but my house is clean and neat. You might put your feet up on your table, but you probably won't on mine. Why? Because I teach you how to treat me by the way I treat myself.
[00:25:00] Are you following me?
[00:25:03] And God wants us to love others the way we love ourself. And I want to tell you that you were born to be amazing.
[00:25:15] You were born for glory. Have you ever heard someone sing a great song and you go, that's amazing song. And they're like, it wasn't me, it was Jesus. I always want to say, it wasn't that good.
[00:25:27] People are like, well, I don't want to steal the glory of God. I point out, you can't steal it. You're not that big.
[00:25:33] And secondly, how Many know John 17. Jesus prayed, Father, the glory you've given me, I want to give them that. They may be one. How many know you can't steal what God gave you?
[00:25:45] Are you guys okay?
[00:25:47] I'm pointing out that you were born for glory.
[00:25:51] Romans 8. All things work together for good. For those who love God and are called according to his purposes. How many have ever quoted that verse? Have you ever thought about why all things work together for good? The next verse says, for whom he foreknew, he predestined. Whom he predestined, he called. Who whom he called, he justified. And whom he justified, he glorified. You know why everything works out for good in your life? Because whom he called, he justified. And whom he justified, he glorified. You were created for glory. Are you with me? You are children of God. Every time you think bad about yourself, how many know you were made in the image and likeness of God?
[00:26:29] God was the artist, Jesus was the model, and you're the painting.
[00:26:33] Every time you think bad about yourself, you're speaking bad about the artist and the model. Like you can't think bad about yourself and not insult the person who made you cause you didn't make you. I'm not talking about being Arrogant. I'm just talking about being confident in who God made you to be. Cause you were made to be amazing. You were created to be amazing. You know, the disciples, every time Jesus got about 100 yards for them, you know, they all argued about the same thing. 12 guys from 12 different backgrounds. Well, probably five different backgrounds. But when they. Different personalities. But when they got a hundred yards from Jesus, says they all argued about who's the greatest. Is that strange? Like, would you put 12 friends in a room and think you're gonna walk in the room and they're gonna be arguing about who's the greatest? I'd like to point out that something happens when you meet Jesus because you were made in his image and in his likeness. And when you meet Jesus, it's like looking in a mirror and you realize that you were made to be amazing. Do you remember the argument got so bad that Peter and John got their mother involved, and their mother came to Jesus and said, grant me one wish that my sons would sit at your left and right hand in the kingdom. And the Bible says that the rest of the disciples were indignant. You know why they were indignant? They didn't think about getting their mother involved.
[00:27:56] You know, John is the only. John's Gospel is the only gospel that calls John the disciple who Jesus loved.
[00:28:05] And he wrote it.
[00:28:08] All the other gospels call John John.
[00:28:11] John calls himself and the disciple whom Jesus loved. You know, the Bible says that Peter and John ran to the tomb. John, chapter 20. You know, that's the only gospel that tells you who got to the tomb first. John, I wrote the side of my Bible, and who really cares?
[00:28:31] I'm just pointing out that you were made in the image and likeness of God. In Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 1, it says, Be imitators of God as beloved children. Be imitators of God as beloved children. Do you know when you're imitating God, you're being yourself, brother, I'm not supposed to imitate God. I'm supposed to be like Jesus.
[00:28:52] Well, you should think about that. Because Jesus is God.
[00:28:56] And the goal of our Christianity is that I'd be Christlike.
[00:29:01] You know why you're supposed to do signs and wonders? Because he does signs and wonders. You know, he said, I'm the light of the world. Then he said, you're the light of the world. He says, I'm the righteousness of God. Then he said, you're the righteousness of God. Are you with me?
[00:29:14] How many know? I was taught in. When I first got saved, I was raised by the Jesus people, who were wonderful people. I just told you about them. But they didn't know the Bible very well. And I was taught that there was a black dog and a white dog inside of me. The black dog was the old man and the white dog was the new man. And whatever dog I fed, that was the dog that led my life. I'd like to point out that was a great analogy. It just happens to not be scriptural. Cause the Bible said that when I received Jesus Christ and I got baptized, the old man died.
[00:29:48] Do you know that baptism is not a symbolic act? Do you know that baptism is a prophetic act? You know what a prophetic act is? A symbolic act is an act of remembrance. Jesus said about communion, do this in remembrance of me. How many know we take communion to remember what side of the cross we live on.
[00:30:06] But baptism is not a symbolic act. Baptism is a prophetic act. What's a prophetic act? Well, there's a story in the Bible where this leper, this. This. This leper commander covered in leprosy, goes to Elisha's house. And Elisha tells him to dip seven times in the Jordan river. He goes to the Jordan river, he dips seven times. And when he gets out of the river the seventh time, his leprosy is clean. How many know that's not a symbolic act, That's a prophetic act. And how many know that you come to the baptismal tank with the. With the. With a cross? Cause Jesus said, anybody who wants to follow me must pick up his cross and follow me. You come to the baptismal tank with the cross, and we take you and we put you under the water. The first part of baptism is the prophetic act is that we die with Christ. Romans chapter 6 says that if we are buried with him in baptism, then surely we shall be. If we are crucified with him in baptism, surely we should be raised with him in resurrection. So the first part of the prophetic act is we put you under the water. What's happening? You die with Christ. What's the second part? Listen, this is the part we hardly ever emphasize. The most powerful part of baptism isn't when we put you under, it's when we pull you up. Because when you pull you up, when we pull you out of the water now it says, and you are now raised with Christ. How many know Christ didn't just die for you, he died as you. The Bible says that when Christ was raised from the dead, that we rose with Him. Do you know that you're already seated in heavenly places in Christ.
[00:31:40] Do you know that? You are. Listen, you may be here in Lester. I was going to say Lester California. Whoa. Fro. Lot more like Joe Biden than Donald Trump anyway.
[00:31:54] Do you know that you live here in Leicester, England.
[00:32:01] There it is.
[00:32:04] But you also live in heavenly places, and that God's desire for you is to rule and reign with him. And by the way, you're not seated in chairs in heavenly places, you're seated on the throne in heavenly places. You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation.
[00:32:23] You know, I have 11 grandkids and two great grandkids, by the way. I like grandkids a lot better than children.
[00:32:32] I would have just had grandkids if I knew how wonderful they are.
[00:32:36] I remember when three of my grandkids were young. There were Elijah, who was the oldest, I think he was like 7. And Isaac, his cousin, was 6. And Elijah's sister Riley was about 5 years old. And they were in the front room, Elijah and Isaac were wrestling. And Elijah said, I'm spider Man. Shoots him with spider web. And Isaac said, I want to be the spider Man. Says, you can't be the spider Man. I'm the Spider Man. He said, you could be Superman. He goes, all right, I'll be the Superman. So there they were in the front room.
[00:33:12] Then Riley, who was like a little blonde haired, she looked like he had a Brillo pad over her eyes. She walks in and she says, I want to play. I want to play. I want to be the spider Man.
[00:33:21] And Elijah says, you can't be Spider Man. I'm Spider Man. And just then I walk past and she says, papa. I pick her up, she's crying. I'm like, what's wrong, Riley? I want to be the spider man who won't at me. I said, well, why don't you be Wonder Woman? Because Wonder Woman could whip Spider man any day. How many of you men are married? You understand the deeper things of God? She said, okay, I'd be the Wonder Woman. There they were, three superheroes in front of him.
[00:33:48] I walked away and I had this thought, you know, no child is asking to be a loser.
[00:33:59] It takes about 12 years of religion to teach you that being a loser is somehow spiritual. Because when you were a child, you knew you wanted to be the princess. You wanted to be the prophet, you wanted to be the president, you wanted to be the superhero. Listen, is what I'm getting at is that becoming childlike means, you know, that you were born for greatness. Something has to happen in you, for you to lose the sense that I was born to be amazing. I don't know if you're getting where I'm going. I'm trying to say false humility is killing the body of Christ.
[00:34:34] False humility is killing the body of Christ. I want to say this. I said this in the conference, but there's something about. Do you know that the British people ruled a third of the world from this little island?
[00:34:47] It got quiet like I'm saying it.
[00:34:51] Yeah, that's part of the problem. You still feel bad about it. I'm pointing out there was a time when you knew who you were. And what's happening in this new era is the Lord is restoring. I know you're not gonna like this, and you're gonna think I'm making a political statement, but I came here the week that they voted Brexit in, and of course, a bunch of the people I was with were like, that's terrible.
[00:35:14] And that night I went to bed and the Lord said, I did this. I said, why did you do this? He said, I needed to separate the British people away from the.
[00:35:26] Away from their neighbors so that I could reidentify them because they lost their identity in the European Union, and I'm separating them so I can restore them.
[00:35:40] I'd like to prophesy to you that you're in the process, the same process I just outlined why I'm telling you this story this morning. Because you're in this process where you've lost your identity. And the Lord's saying, I am restoring your identity both individually and as a nation, that you were called to be a great nation. You were actually a nation that was rooted in Jesus Christ. But you have lost your identity and the Lord had to separate you so he can actually re identify you. He's given you back your name of greatness. And yes, you may have abused it. And yes. Did you get what I said? Yes. You know, you colonized people. You did things maybe you didn't think you should do. I'm not making any judgments. I'm pointing out that you may have done some things wrong. And when we react instead of respond, we end up being a whole different person. Are you with me? You know the difference between condemnation and conviction? Condemnation's from the devil. Condemnation says you. You lied. You're a liar.
[00:36:38] Condemnation always attaches. Your bad, your bad. Action with your identity.
[00:36:44] And how many know. Once you believe you're the thing he calls you. Once you believe you're. You're a liar. Once you believe you're a hater. Once you believe that, how many know? Whatever you believe. Whatever you believe, you'll reproduce the environment you believe you have within you, you'll reproduce around you. I didn't say the environment you have within you, you'll reproduce. I said the environment you believe you have within you, you'll reproduce. When condemnation says you lied, you're a liar. But conviction says you're way too awesome to be acting like that. Are you with me? Did you hear what I just said? I said condemnation connects your bad action with your identity and tries to re identify you as the person that you hate. But conviction says you're way too awesome to be acting like that. When you lie, conviction says, wait a second. You're a royal son. You're a royal daughter. Princes and princesses do not act like that. When you be. When you do something immoral, God goes, you're better than that.
[00:37:47] When you act jealous or you act in some way that's offensive, God goes, you're better than that. Are you with me? And I'm pointing out that if you take a pauper and you put him in a palace, he'll make the palace a prison.
[00:38:04] But if you take a prince or a princess and you put him in a prison, they'll make the prison a palace.
[00:38:12] That's the story of Joseph. Joseph, they put him in prison. And what happens when he's in prison? God says, and he was a successful man and he becomes the head of the prison. What I'm getting at is you will always reproduce the environment around you that you believe you have within you. How important is it that you know who you are? When you know who you are, you'll produce that environment around you. What's the best way to bring the kingdom? First of all, you gotta know it's in you. First of all, you have to know who you are and whose you are.
[00:38:42] When you know who you are and whose you are, 90% of your temptation is gone. How many know that fear is a sign that you've forgotten who you are?
[00:38:56] Do you know that?
[00:38:58] Do you know that fear is faith in the wrong God?
[00:39:01] You can't have fear without faith. Like if a little boy comes up here and says, I'm gonna beat you up, I don't feel afraid. You know why? I don't believe him.
[00:39:10] But if some gangster comes up here and says, I'm gonna beat you up, and I get afraid, how many know fear means I believe him?
[00:39:18] And I'm pointing out that it's important for Us to know who God is, that he's our daddy.
[00:39:28] How many of you are fathers or mothers in here? How many want good things for your kids? Yeah, how many? How many? Some of you didn't raise your hand. I'm a father. How many want good things for your kids?
[00:39:43] You don't know my kids.
[00:39:50] I just want to finish with his last thoughts.
[00:39:56] God created you to be amazing.
[00:40:01] Genesis chapter one.
[00:40:03] He made you in his image and his likeness. Then he said, be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth.
[00:40:09] Then Jesus said, make disciples of all nations. I'd like to point out it's kings and queens who disciple kings and queens. Peasants don't disciple kings. And I'd like to point out that it's really important that we figure out who we are over this next few years because God's called us to, to make disciples of nations. And we're not going to disciple nations if we don't actually know who we are. And so I'm praying for God, for each of us to go on this journey where the Lord would reveal to us the sons of God. You know, it says, all creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God.
[00:40:47] And so I'm praying for you right now. In fact, why don't you stand, put your hand on your heart, say this out loud. Jesus, show me who you are.
[00:41:02] Jesus, show me who I am in you.
[00:41:07] Jesus, show me who you are through me.
[00:41:12] Now I'm going to pray for you. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to every single person in here the way that you view them, the way that you see them. And God, I break off low self esteem.
[00:41:30] I break off condemnation, Lord, and I break off this shame that comes with failure.
[00:41:40] And Lord, I thank you that you came to forgive us of sin.
[00:41:46] You came to wipe away our sin.
[00:41:50] But Lord, I thank you that your blood didn't just save us, it transformed us into a new creation.
[00:41:57] And Lord, I pray that we begin to relate to one another.
[00:42:05] We begin to know each other after the Spirit.
[00:42:08] And Lord, I pray that you said, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is worthy of the kingdom. And Paul said, he said, forgetting what lies behind and pressing forward into the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Lord, I pray that we would forget as a people, as a person, as a nation, that we've repented now. We would forget what lies behind and we would press forward in the high call. Lord, I thank you that England is going through a transformation, Lord, that you have isolated them to yourself. And Lord, you are shaking off all the old identity. You're breaking the shame of a generation, Lord, you're breaking the shame of condemnation. And Lord, you are bringing royalty back to this nation. And Lord, I thank you that these are a people who have known royalty. And Lord, I pray that you would bring a royal perspective of who they are and what they're called to be to the rest of the world. Lord, I thank you for this country that actually brought freedom to so many nations and to so many people. Lord, I thank you that you've raised up so many great leaders out of this nation.
[00:43:37] And Lord, I pray that you would restore this nation to its former glory, that you would restore this nation back to. You know, I mean, I'd offend you if I said make UK great again. But anyway, don't worry, I didn't wear the hat or anything like that. But I just pray, God, that you would restore this nation to its former place in you and that. I saw the Lord just digging a well and I'm like, what is that? He's like, I'm re digging the wells of their forefathers. And I believe. And I saw, you know, I was in the palace some years ago and you know, and walking around and looking at all of the art and all of the things that like everything. So much of it was talking about the roots of your country and some of the verses of the Bible written around the different places of government offices that we went through. And it was like. And I just had this vision of it all being covered with like dust and dirt where you couldn't read it anymore. And I just saw the Lord going and. And blowing all the dust and the dirt off of all of that, all of that foundation. And I believe the Lord is restoring that foundation. I believe he's restoring the Christian roots of this country. And so I bless that in you in Jesus name. And I pray that you guys would be princes and princesses and kings and queens that would actually see yourself as powerful people who've come not to build an empire, but to build the kingdom of God. I bless you in Jesus name. Thanks for listening. God bless you.
[00:45:27] Thanks for listening to the Coma Church podcast. If you enjoyed this message, you can like and subscribe. You can also join us in person or online every Sunday at Croma Church. For more information about us, including our ministries, events, worship and how to donate, visit our website at Cromer Church.
