Defending a Lion, Part 3

Learn the keys to spiritual endurance. Overcome spiritual burnout and train up the next generation to stand firm on biblical truth with Dr. Yusef's new book Never Give Up. Dr. Michael Yusef unpacks Paul's rich words of encouragement found in 2nd Timothy. Words that will help you endure flourish and thrive in the midst of doubt danger and despair. In this encouraging book Dr. Yusef unveils four unique aspects of what it means to never give up biblical truth. A timely message as Christians around the world face mounting pressure to compromise their faith and abandon their biblical values. Pre-order your copy today for your gift of any amount and receive two bonus resources exclusively from Leading the Way.

Be empowered to live for Christ and learn how to leave a lasting legacy of faith for the next generation. Pre-order your copy of Dr. Yusef's newest book Never Give Up by giving a gift of any amount. Contact us today.

Get ordering information from a ministry representative when you call eight six six six two six four three five six. Now you can also learn more and get a peek inside Never Give Up when you go to ltw.org. Thank you for joining listeners all around the world for Leading the Way. In a few moments a life-changing message from Dr. Yusef challenging you to open your Bible, read it, heed it, and obey it. These simple steps will inch you closer to experiencing healing from life's wounds and peace in the face of unrest. Before Dr. Yusef begins let me also mention that if anytime you'd like to have a conversation about your faith or your lack of faith we have compassionate people who would love to talk or to listen and you can do that by phone or text or email whatever you're most comfortable with. Just begin by visiting ltw.org slash Jesus.

Fill out the short form right there and check out the FAQ section. Once again ltw.org slash Jesus. Now though let's pause and listen carefully as Dr. Yusef begins his teaching time. Beloved I'm going to tell you something that is common to all of us. You cannot tell me that you are in love with someone and you never opened the letter that that beloved sends to you. You cannot claim that you love someone and when you receive a letter from that loved one you leave it unopened.

Why? Because an open letter means this person whom you love is speaking to you but by the same token an unopened letter means that you do not want to know or hear from that person and when God speaks he reveals himself to us in his word and he's telling us some things telling us what he's telling us not only the truth about himself but he's telling us the truth about us. I wonder is that why all statistics show that less than 18% of the Christians read the Bible on a regular basis.

They don't want to face the truth about themselves. I just wonder I'm just wondering Hebrews 4 verses 12 and 13 the question is this why is the Word of God described as double-edged sword? I believe with all my heart that had the Bible writers are writing today they would have said the Word of God is sharper than a surgeon's couple. I believe that. Beloved when your body needs a surgery the scupper is your best friend.

It really is. The writer to the Hebrews said that the Word of God is alive. What does that mean? It means it's not merely words on paper that these words of God have God's authority in them. That these words have God's power in them. That these words have God's strength in them. That these words have God's command in them. That these words have God's will in them.

That is why it is alive. So what does it mean to be active? Listen carefully. It means that it produces results. That it bears fruit. It produces results.

It can change lives. Listen to what Peter said in 1st Peter chapter 1 verse 23. We are born again by the Word of God which lives and abides forever. Therefore when the Word of God acts, God acts. When the Word of God delivers, God delivers. When the Word of God heals, God heals. And that is why I want to come very quickly to three things that I want to share with you from those two verses.

Hebrews 4 12 and 13. The author here through the power of the Holy Spirit who inspired him to write is saying that when you read and heed and obey the Word of God, three things are going to happen. You're going to find that that Word of God stretches you on the surgeon's table. And secondly that Word of God is going to operate on you and cut out all of the things that don't belong there.

And thirdly thank God thank God it shows you back up and heals you completely and restore you fully. First the Word of God stretches you on God's operating table. If the Word of God takes you and stretches you before the surgeons, the great surgeon Yawah Rafi stretches you right in front of him.

Couldn't that be one of the reasons why very few people, very few Christians actually read the Word of God regularly. They don't want to go through surgery. They don't want to get on God's operating table. Now I am told, I don't have any first-hand personal experience with physical surgeries, but I am told by doctors and surgeons and people who really know their stuff, is that when you are on the operating table, this is for physical operating table, I know the spiritual one I'm going to tell you about it. I have first-hand experience with that. But I'm told that when you are on the physically on the operating table, that time the person on that table is most susceptible to all sorts of microbes and germs. Why do you think they scrub so much?

I mean they'll scrub their hands bare. Now I know that to be true in the spiritual realm. I've experienced that on a regular basis. When I open the Word of God, Satan and the flesh work over time to neutralize the impact of the Word of God. The first thing they try to do is to keep you away from the Word of God.

That's what they try. Keep you away from the Word of God. If they fail to keep you away from the Word of God and you, by God's power and strength, you make a decision that you will read, heed and obey the Word of God. If they fail to keep you away, they will distract you.

Some of you know exactly what I'm talking about. I mean all of a sudden you think of things that you never thought about for years you needed to do. Oh, all of a sudden you start thinking of, you know, what you can, what needs to be done.

I know I left a stove on or, you know, something happened. Distract you. If that does not work, what they do, they bring doubt to your mind as to the authenticity of the Word of God. They'll bring doubt in order to neutralize the impact of that Word, the power of that Word working in you. The surgery that only God's Word can accomplish is what the devil tried to keep you away from, and if he cannot keep you away from it, he neutralizes you.

Why? Because when you are on God's operating table, it is the time when you are wide open. Everything is bare before him. Nothing is hidden from his sight.

Look at verse 13, Hebrews 4. The Word of God, probably I would say this, again it's an improvisation on my part, is like an x-ray machine. It reveals who you are, and it separates reality from fiction. You say, well, how does this work in my life? Oh, I'm glad you asked. I want to tell you.

I want to tell your first-hand experience. Listen to me. You can go along in life for a long time pretending that you are just fine. Everything is just fine. Everything is great.

You and I can go along Life's Highway for a long time thinking, oh, we're healthy. I don't have anything wrong with me. I'm fine.

Look at all these people. I'm just fine. I'm healthy. I'm not suffering from any symptoms that will make me worry about my health. I mean, why worry? But when you go to the doctor, and he looks at the results and looks at the x-ray, and he would say, we need to operate immediately.

How does this work? Well, when you compare yourself with others, somebody else who's in worse shape than you are, and say, man, I'm fine. You look at somebody who's struggling in certain areas of their lives that you don't struggle with, and you say, oh, I'm really much better than they are.

Or you compare yourself with somebody who has more issues at dealing with than you do, and you say to yourself, I am super-duper. I must be God's gift to humanity. God is lucky to have me.

Isn't it wonderful that he's got a wonderful person like me? I can only tell you my testimony because in the early hours of every morning when I have that x-ray machine on my lap, and I'm reading the Word of God, praying ahead of time for the Spirit of God to open my eyes and empower me and help me to listen, whether it be rebuke or encouragement. When everything is bare before him who can see all things, when nothing is hidden from his eyes, when hidden issues in my life become wide open before him, when things I don't want to deal with confront me head-on, when pride and smugness and self-satisfaction hit me in the face, when God's x-ray machine confronts me with his standards, not others, when doors I have sought to keep bolted for a long time bust open, when I'm being laid bare before his eyes, I am often forced to conclude with the Apostle Paul, nothing good dwells in me in my flesh.

I'm forced to conclude that the only good thing about Michael Yusef is Jesus. And so the Word of God stretches us on God's operating table and that's why we we don't do it. And secondly, the Word of God cuts us like a surgeon's cobble. It cuts us where we need to be cut. And my beloved friends, as your pastor I tell you, this is the double-edged sword. The Greek word for Sharper means to cut or to dissect with precision. This is not just waving that knife everywhere.

No, no, no. He pointed that scuffle on the area that needs to be pointed to. It doesn't mean divide spirit and soul and marrow and joints. It doesn't mean separation. Listen carefully please.

This is very important. As a matter of fact, in the human body, joints and marrow are not in contact. So you say how they're separated, I want you to listen carefully. Here's what it means. The Word of God cuts through to the bones. That's what it means. The Word of God penetrates so deep into the recesses of your spiritual being. And so the separation, not dividing one from the other, but it means to penetrate every single cell in your spiritual nature. It means the Word of God stops at nothing until it brings it out in the open and deals with it. Now, my precious friends, take it from me. When you're lying on the table of the great surgeon, on his operating table, there can be no pretense.

There can be no pretense in any area. But there's more. There's more. The Bible said that the Word of God judges not only our thoughts, but our motives. Some translations said attitude. It's the motives. The Word of God not only judges our activities, but even the hidden motives behind these activities. The secret motives. The real reason for saying and doing what we say and do. Beloved, listen to me.

There are times when I sense that I have a mixed motive, and the many times I'll pray, and I'll fast, and examine my heart, examine myself, and then when I still have convoluted mixed motive, and I cry out to God, I said, sanctify my motives. You know, there are so many lies that our culture disseminates in schools, in the media, everywhere. So many lies. But one of the biggest lies, the big kahuna of them all, is this.

Do what you feel is right. I want to say, give me a break. Are you kidding me?

Feelings are so subjective, and they cannot be totally reliable. And that is why the Word of God is the only power that sorts things out. This is right.

This is wrong. This is of the flesh. This is of the Spirit.

Let me just give you an example. When you're driving alone in your car down the highway, and someone cut in front of you, and you react the way you react, it's between you and God, because you're alone in the car, right? That some people use sign language, or retaliate, or whatever. And then you get on God's operating table, the x-ray machine is open, and there you confronted, what does God's Word do? It judges your reaction to that motorist. Now I need to move on, because I'm getting under conviction now.

Some years ago, somebody asked me the question, he said, why do you have all these accountability things, accountability about your finances, and accountability with your prayer partners, and pastors about your personal life, and an accountability about your time, and where you are, and so forth. He said, you don't trust yourself. I said, bingo.

You got that right. I don't trust myself. Here's a fact. You and I are experts in self-deception. You and I are experts in rationalization. You and I are experts in deluding ourselves. You and I are experts in trying to project an image of ourselves that we want others to see, believe about us, and sometimes we even try to believe it ourselves.

I used to have a professor at graduate school, a wonderful gentleman. He would say, you know, publicity is okay as long as you don't inhale it. I've not been inhaling ever since. Jeremiah cries out and said, Oh Lord, the heart is deceitful above all things corrupt. Beloved, what we cannot do, the Word of God does for us. So the Word of God stretches you and God's operating table. The words of God is like a surgeon's couple and cuts where it needs to be cut, remove what needs to be removed, but thank God. Can you say thank God? Had we started with putting on the operating table and removing what needs to be removed and stop there, that would be a disaster.

It really is. It would be like a surgeon who scrubs and he cuts, removes, and then before he could saw the patient back again, he says, Hey, I'm going to lunch. Bye. But thank God.

Thank God. In fact, I read recently about this surgeon who's invited into a neighborhood party and the host was one of those people that always shoot through his mouth. You know what I'm talking about? Kind of big blubber mouth and he was kind of carving the meat and he said, How am I doing, doc? And would you like my technique, doc? And would I make a good surgeon, doc?

And the man kept quiet, kept quiet. Finally, when he stopped shooting through his mouth, the doctor said, Anyone can cut them open, hurry. But let's see if you can put it back together again. See, that's what a great surgeon does. Jehovah Raphae, he's a great surgeon.

He's a great physician. He cuts and removes the bad stuff and then he puts that person back together again for complete healing. See, the longing of the Word of God is to heal us, not to wound us. If we do get hurt in the process, it's for our good and for our healing. Listen, I know by nature we like to run away from people who know so much about us.

I know that. Even if people start to run away from God because they think he knows too much about them, you know, we always like to run away from people who know too much about us. But God knows everything that is to be known about you and he still loves you.

Nowhere to hide from his eye. Please hear me right. When you get to this thought that you keep in your heart, when you really grasp that God knows what nobody else knows, when you understand that God only removes and wants to remove the bad stuff and then bring you healing, not partial healing, but complete healing. Once you know that our God is the God who heals us, who restores us, who fulfills us, who blesses us, who enriches us, who strengthens us, and yes, he forgives us. Once you understand that, he wants to pour out more grace, more grace. You'll walk out of your presence with God on cloud nine. And that is why Hebrew 4 16, listen carefully, it tells us, let us therefore, after what we just heard, he said, let us therefore approach the throne of grace with confidence, not cockiness, with confidence, not in us, but in him, in his mercy, and in his grace, so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in the time of needs. My beloved friends, when the Word of God reigns supreme in our lives, when we allow the Word of God to rule our lives, we will always experience peace in his presence, always. It never fails.

Why? Because the Word of God has the same characteristic as God. Did you know that? Read Psalm 19, you'll see the same characteristics of the Word of God as God himself, perfection, faithfulness, righteousness, purity, and truth. Father, we thank you that you have, in the past, in the present, and will in the future, have our best interest at heart. The lie of the devil is that you want to hurt us.

Father, I pray that you neutralize this lie from the pit of hell. We trust you with all of our hearts, and we trust your words as your full expression of yourself. Speak to our hearts, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen. Thank you for listening to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef, and if you're unsure about your spiritual journey, we have pastors who would love to speak with you. You can start the conversation at ltw.org slash Jesus.

Hey, were you challenged to dig deeper and walk a little straighter in your faith today? Is it your heart's desire to see others in your neighborhood and around the world experience a richer walk with Christ? Well, you might want to consider taking steps to help expand the reach of Dr. Youssef and the ministry of Leading the Way. One way to do that is by becoming a frontline mission partner. These are friends of Leading the Way who give on a monthly basis, equipping those right there on the front lines of spiritual battle to share the gospel boldly.

So learn about how you can stand with Dr. Youssef. Give us a call 866-626-4356 or at ltw.org. Now as a frontline mission partner, you'll get a nice discount in the online store. Dr. Youssef will send you a special gift.

That's if you're a new partner. Plus, you'll be the first to get ministry updates. That's 866-626-4356 and ltw.org. And you know we love hearing from you, so jot us a note. You can write to Leading the Way, post office, Box 201100, Atlanta, Georgia 30325.

That's post office, Box 201100, Atlanta, Georgia 30325. Alrighty, when we hear the music, it's time to say goodbye for now. Thank you for being with us. And I have just enough time to invite you back next time for another edition of Leading the Way.

See you then. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. Connect with us through our YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter and all of our social media networks. Learn more at ltw.org.