The Home-Field Advantage

Speaking of how angry we got we got some going out to Truth Network this can help the world not be so angry, just need God's word is please help to Truth Network send Bibles to Africa and we know that they they need God's word. We have until the end of the month, just five dollars gets a Bible in the hands of a poor, impoverished believers all over the African continent with the help of the Bible league, just five dollars.

Think about that Robbie just five dollars a please give you give more than five dollars and would love for you to do it in the number to call is one 800 yes word, one 800 yes word on 800 yes word. This is Stu Epperson from the truth. Talk podcast connecting current events, pop culture, and theology, and were so grateful for you that you've chosen The Truth Podcast Network it's about to start just a few seconds. Enjoy it and please share around all your friends. Thanks for listening and thanks for choosing the truth. Podcast network. This is the Truth Network has reminded us how fragile and unpredictable life is not about your loved ones in their financial security plan for the teacher what RC line 6 1873 the Polish Roman Catholic in America has been protecting its members and their families financially doing ERC like today of affordable life insurance community rate and additional member even lower your income in these to retirement income are like transferring their existing 3.75 why one year and $500 man on the PRC or how your level are a representative for our life, protecting life will not forgotten stories of hopelessness that turn to hope. Your host Mike Swift today if not for God with we have been very cool experience of sharing the weekend together and really read your boot camp Reimann that is correct and we had a we had a pot of I would call them breakthroughs and you said you said there was a couple people there was actually something he was talking about suicide.

Yeah, we had that from the stage like somebody shared vulnerable uniform ability of these are the things he struggling with and this is clearly a strong man of God and we didn't have as many campers as we normally boot camp; campers for their wonderful mentor God was interesting as it made it much more intimate group and a much more vulnerable group because of the intimacy and there were some really cool people there and so Mikey one of those guys shared something with you that literally your standpoint. If it was worth the price of admission. If you think of anything else other than what this gentleman share with. It was so cool he actually sent me. It was a little Corky gave me, and on this card it says you have entered the enemy's camp to tear down his strongholds.

The fighting will be intense at times, our victory is sure in and through Christ. It says invading the enemy's camp! I mean, that's what we want to do.

We say that we want to do that. But then we face opposition, you know. Are we sure that we really wanted to do this, you know, it's like Ephesians 610 through 12 it says. Finally, be strong, to the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places, or second Thessalonians 33 but the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Second Corinthians 10 four through five. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God. We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. First Peter 58 through nine.

The alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kinds of sufferings. James 47 submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee for you from from you and in Romans 837 through 39 no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, or any powers, neither height nor depth, or anything else in all creation will build a separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And I see in the times of the Bible that Jesus had these great victories and we can see the unit for doing the show her from witnessing other people are sharing the show with people, whatever were doing, sharing the good news we have these great victories, but in the midst of those great victories.

A lot of times we have stumbling blocks we have people who are trying to fight against what were doing and it almost makes me wonder Robbie if were not getting any opposition at all they were doing something wrong.

I don't know what you think.

What I think your enrollment is no doubt there something that you repeated time and again as you go through those verses, you know, I find it very near and dear to me because when I actually pray the Lord's prayer, emulate this in my own mind because of there is an open war. You have an enemy and he is coming against you. But the thing of it is is that he's also coming against everybody you know I and several what we offer in the gospel is this relationship with Jesus.

And so when you look at the word stand. One of the first funds places that you find it is in Exodus 820.

This concept of standing and what actually like this is a job from God.

He says God says to Moses, I want you to go stand before Pharaoh okay nothing about this. A minute now.

Moses subverted the guy is 80 years old. You know he you want me to go do what God tells them to go stand but Moses fortunately knew how to read Hebrew okay and he knew that the word stand in Hebrew is really really a significant thing because what it looks like if I could take you the picture of it is God's hand. Okay, so God's hand is coming down to grab yours and when you grab his hand. He imputes his righteousness to you because the second first letter is a unit which is God's hands and second letter is is added which is God's righteousness.

When you take his hand. When you take Jesus's hands and guess what you are righteous taken a nail scarred hand and so and it is your holding that you are now been imputed Christ righteousness so Moses you instead of there alone. You have to stand in front of Pharaoh without me, you have to take on the people that are coming against your the forces that are coming against you alone.

Yes, you're standing there with your hand. Yes, taking hold of Jesus's righteousness. Now the third letter which is absolutely beautiful from my perspective that really helps me in this is a bet and want to bet is that means house, but it really means you have the home field advantage yeah yeah okay right your Duke fan right like where you do not want to play basketball. It is is in the Duke dome right I may make if you're the opponent you might try to play it on your when you have the home field advantage because in the Duke dome and things get loud from whatever yeah and Cameron indoor Stadium. It certainly will you think about it that when you member when the woman was caught in adultery and Jesus said to her, you know woman warrior accusers nine.

She was on the home field advantage right because your when when you're with Jesus right here in the kingdom. I mean, you're literally in the kingdom and you have the home field advantage now not only do I have all the God's hands.

Not only do I have his righteousness, but but I also have the home field advantage that when you read Ephesians 6 is as you know your battles not against flesh and blood is not against you know that it is be with my neighbor over where the grass was to be mowed of this went on for about six months. There's a strip of grass. During Robbie's house my neighbors my wife was like you need to go talk to him right now. It was my battle against my neighbor no okay don't want my my ballasts against the spiritual force that did know he needs to get I can tell you exactly where the property line is that I don't need to mow his grass. That was Robbie's excuse. Okay, my wife kept being the holy voice of the Holy Spirit.

Robbie need to go talk to yeah and you know I get along really good with my neighbor now you and I credit completely the Holy Spirit because it battle was not against my neighbor wrote it was against spiritual forces and one when Jesus has your hand and is telling you your righteous because of him yet. It's okay to be wrong. That's right.

And I'm Sam II actually I still believe my mowing his yard when I move it yet.

Is that what I really do I but I bet it's okay because that is what really really way more important than that strip of grass or my effort to have to mow that whatever really is, how would I ever share the gospel with my neighbor if I you know if we can stay in this dispute over stupid in a little patch of grass. I mean it. It's just, however it's extremely practical to me in an absolutely beautiful when it comes to will I enter MMI good friend and producer and Bethann greatly. She is a great lady.

Her sister apparently as a counselor and she has the saying that says no.

In order to get out of something you have to go through it so that meant that as bad as I did not want to go talk to my neighbor about this graph situation. You know I was long lines of get over mow it on that grass could get taller and taller. My wife was like really you go to church and and the grass but the only way I got through that right.

I had to go to. I mean, I had to go into it with him and and begin to deal with it and and as a result. Wow. I mean I live.

I sleep a lot better at night knowing that my name is not mad at me or my grass yeah I mean one of the things that I'm thinking of is is when you're talking about this is that you know is is so many times in life and in this order talk about before is that you just have to keep going. You have to persist.

You have to go through it like you were say back in 2007 September 2007 Brett Favre one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, broke the all-time record for touchdowns for 421 touchdowns past Dan Marino. A few weeks later he broke another record know that was most interceptions.

I remember when when I first started when I first started selling books door-to-door the summer before I would talk to my student manager Kevin Johnson and he said Mike.

He says he's a leading scorer the in the and I said it with that term if he was Allen Iverson. You're right, he said, you realize he misses more shots than anybody else.

Mrs. in the hole in the middle were TE scores the most, but he does it by missing more shots than anybody else… And and part of I think success in the Christian life.

We talked about this again and again and again is something called resiliency where as it says in Scripture it says a righteous man falls down seven times gets up again seven times or something that we used to read it was by augment Dino from the book, the greatest salesman in the world all yeah and I love it it said hits the scroll. I think it's more two or three, but it says I will persist until I succeed. I was not delivered unto this world and defeat mortise failure course in my veins. I'm not a sheep waiting to be prodded by my shepherd, I'm a lion and I refuse to talk to walk to sleep.

The sheep will here.those who weep and complain for their disease is contagious, let them join the sheep. The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.

I will persist until I succeed. The prizes of life are at the end of each journey, not near the beginning and it is not given to me to know how many steps are necessary in order to reach my goal failure. I may still encounter the thousandth step yet success hides behind the next bend in the road, never will. I know how close it lies until I turned the corner, always will I turn another step that is of no avail. I will make I will take another yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult. I will persist until I succeed. Henceforth I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against my yoke. The first blow may not cause a tremor in the wood nor the second nor the third each blow of itself may be trifling and seem of no consequence yet from childish swipes. The oak will eventually tumble so it will be with my efforts of today I will I will be like into the raindrop which washes away the mountain the ants which the ant which devours a tiger, the star which brightens the earth the slave to build a pyramid, I will build my castle one brick at a time. For I know that small attempts repeated will complete any undertake.

I will persist until I succeed I will never consider defeat no will remove from my vocabulary search words and phrases is quit cannot unable impossible out of the question. Improbable failure, unworkable, hopeless and retreat, for they are the words of fools. I will avoid the spirit of this disease of the mind should infect me and I will work on in despair. I will toil and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles that my feet and keep my eyes on the goals above my head, for I know that were dry desert ends green grass grows, I will persist until I succeed. When I see that I look at I think about the resiliency of the Christian falling down seven times in getting up seven times also want to talk a lot more than that challenge. I have about actually listen to.

Gently times the guy says I met and there's this sense it's called self-righteousness. Okay, it's the biggest oxymoron in all of Christianity words, how can we be self righteous because my going to strive my way and again I forgive give a sheep a bad rap therapist is what the Christians for the view know sheep is a good thing and not you and I and and I noticed that but I think the principal what he's talking, never giving up. There's a principal that's involved about never giving up, but his faith. It sounds like is in his effort, and that will lead to destruction. Now not seen it. It is, but we gotta be careful to make sure that our faith because we don't want to do do do do do because in Christianity, the deal is done.

All I agree. Having been a salesperson right and having taught many, many, many salesperson that while your unit have to get back up, you're going to get knocked down seven times, but here here's the real reason I can get back up because when I stand I'm standing holding his hand and he is my shepherd even made reference like dear dear dear you're going off off the ramp was a little bitter because you know what is more precious than the 23rd Psalm that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He you know it's the one that leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake does not allow eyes in that passage so the challenge for all of us that came through all that believe me 40 years in the car business.

Mike, I heard a few sales talks and a and I certainly have sat under a great deal of teaching along those lines that the cool thing is that when you begin to realize that it was Jesus.

Efforts that actually one the deal and now yes I can get up but I can get up and realizing that it doesn't depend on me and you even say that think the freedom that's involved in. You're the one that's guiding me you're my shepherd, and because of that I'm not in a long his freedom so yes I get it, but there is a real challenge for the self-righteous to grab hold of that and think what I've got. I have got to do this all I got news for it, he gets done. He didn't want things get great news is the best news ever. That song goes, but you know it's funny. Pastor Marty actually came in here one time and he said told the story about the two boats in the helicopter for this or not but this guy sitting in the in the church and and all of a sudden there's a flood and the flood comes in.

The boat comes by and they say hey we got about here for you will to save yet of the flood. He said no.

The Lord is gonna take care of me. So he keeps on sitting there and this time that the water gets a little bit higher so he gets up on the second story and he's sitting there and another boat comes by bigger boat and they say what you gotta get out of here. We got a boat for you. We want to save you and I got to know the Lord is gonna save so all of a sudden the water gets so high that he has to sit on top of the chart and I helicopter comes by. This is where you said you said no don't know. He said the Lord is good to save me and so the guy dies, he drowns goes to heaven meet the Lord in and he says the Lori said.he said why didn't you save me.

He said I cried out to you and I wanted you to save me and he and God said to me says I thought you wanted to come to heaven I sent you two boats and helicopters do not owe you. I think with anything else in there. There are extremes to both sides of this.

There are people who you know say why just cannot depend on the Lord and all knocking to do anything. I'll give you an example, I met a guy probably 15 years ago to start some insurance and he said while I'm doing this business.

He says I'm not getting any business. I'm not going out there doing anything.

But he says I'm just sitting here and praying that the Lord is good to bring me some best sit there thinking I like man you got you got to do something you're sobbing the Lord. He will meet you halfway many times many time you know if you go to the church that it is the Lord's house, but when you see the people who were holding the cameras. The video cameras last time I saw is not God holding this video cameras are people there who are actually doing the work so I believe that God works with us and through us. But I've seen so many times this is where I agree with you that if we just take the first step. I mean if we just open our mouth half the time and it's amazing what the Holy Spirit will do once were willing because apart from him. It says unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain. We can work as hard as we want, we can still miss. Yeah it's it's the beauty of it is, you can't do it on your own right. So there is such a fine line between legalism and grace is such a fine line between self-righteousness and Christ righteousness like what is my role in that is going to require constant prayer require constant study and you and I both have different right and we seen them on missions lately where they felt like God was totally behind him and working working working toward something and then all of a sudden I feel like God called back and actually was extremely devastating to them at the time. However, he was building their faith and in they come out stronger and you go out.

How do they walk through the you know how do I walk through a job loss.

How do I walk through cancer, how do I will walk through the loss of a child like you know, think of me and my friend Bob Young and you know we talked about that when you when you go to boot camp.

You're gonna invade the enemy's camp and I can remember sitting there with his son and Bob at the camp and I said be careful guys when you leave this camp, you have a new target that's on your back, but you did not have before because the enemy memos that you're very aware of him and he's going to come after two half months later I was at his son's funeral and he was looking at me saying you weren't kidding. There was a big target. There is a big target and and and it's real in the enemy is real real and he's real ruthless. However, God has plans that way exceed anything that we can understand and you know it's going to take phenomenal courage but the courage actually is to reach up and grab hold of his hand and and let him okay let's go make this call you. Let's go reach out to this neighbor let's go reach out to our wife or our son worked, or that nephew that you know this got some issue with you that you been in Alaska to take this committee courage for me to stand there was God in God's hand in his righteousness with a home-field advantage feel that you and in one of the things that I think about is that how hard it is to go through silly things in life like a loss of the summer lost parent or just the day-to-day mean that the rough things that happen don't care how good things are how much money that whatever everybody has put everybody has tough times and when I think about going through that stuff without a Savior, that sucks on her JD Greer actually talk about this a while back and he said in a psychologist and psychiatrist have been able to kind of work through all the different problems that people have pieces but there's one problem that they are really able to fix and are not able to really help people with nets.

The fear of death because unless you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and less you unless you've taken the burden off of yourself and you let him take it for you and I don't care how good or how bad this life is a mean it's it, there's a depression there. I mean you first talk about some he was think about suicide but mean apart from Christ. Apart from having faith and that you know you can have eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ. There is no real purpose of you can try to help people out you can do a few things you can do this or that, but at the end of the day it all means nothing in all means nothing and and it's like the old song we sing, what can wash away my sins nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again nothing but the blood of Jesus, and in it so it's just maybe you're sitting out there. Your your your listening in the car you're listening at home or wherever it is in your saying will. Gosh I want to have this piece I want to have this hope you can all you have to do is cry out to Jesus trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you take that step and you start to follow him and it's like a whole different life. It's not like you won't have any problems. I mean, Robbie and I knew we talked about this ever since we started doing the show. I've had a whole Lotta problem since I did the show and I think Rob you had a few problems since you started. The show was well right now that target. It's it's going to be placed, but the good news.

Target practice yeah be target practice. However, it is the God asked you if I give you this opportunity grosser with him.

Of course this can be opposition like you talked about the fact that you got opposition should rejoice because you know your treasures in heaven, but the real joy is is like man.

Have you experienced reaching up and grabbing hold of that nail scarred hand and taking on the fact that wow you know all those things that I did that I couldn't believe I did pray to be forgiven and all you have to do is reach up for that nail scarred hands right and say Jesus, forgive me. Yes, I believe you are who you set your you are the son of God and I believe that you did, which is shed your blood for me that I could live in righteousness and that I would have a home-field advantage because what happens is is is you take hold of that mascara hand you let go of Satan's grip. A few then you now have the home-field advantage mean you you and you win for eternity and you win with all those people that have gone before, yet, so right now you could just pray and say Jesus forgive. Help me to come under your blood and into your kingdom. Help me to have truly the home-field advantage of living with you in heaven for and I asked this in Jesus name and think about that.

My can help but say I imagine having these turbulent times. Peace of mind may be the most valuable lessons feeling secure in your financial future is worth its weight in gold and liberty bankers insurance can help provide you with that most precious life-affirming sense of security. We work hard to create smart and innovative like health and financial plans that help ensure your family if not trust the stability of certain future potential desire to create a generational legacy of peace of mind liberty bankers insurance life. Not all products available in all states. Visit LBI G.com for additional terms and conditions.

This is the Truth Network