This is the Truth Network. Starting with Horses Podcast listening audience, we give you a special welcome.
So glad you're here. This is where we make a very big deal about the power of God. Many expressions of His power, this expression of His love is in the earth in ways that sometimes we do not even realize unless we stop, think about it, realize, hallow Him, honor Him, thank Him for the demonstrations of His power in our lives because there are many. And you know His is the kingdom, His is the power, and His is the glory. So all of that package is part of the prayer that we pray and it's what we fervently believe. I read somewhere once that if I know the Word and do not do the Word, it is because I do not believe the Word that I know. Say it again, if I know the Word and do not do the Word, it is because I do not believe the Word that I know. You know, think about it, it is the power of God in us, the presence of His Spirit working on the inside of us as we release our faith, stir up our faith, and are determined to take Him at His Word, to believe that every word from God is first of all pure and contains the same power, the very same power that raised Christ Jesus from the dead. We have His Word, you might say we have His Word on it. We have proof, we have a demonstration in our heart, in our mind, in our understanding. We keep it in our eyes, we keep it spoken in our own mouths.
You know the thing that we speak is the thing that we believe and it forms our theology, doesn't it? This is a powerful kingdom we are a part of, so vast it's more than we think. It's definitely more than we've experienced, so don't sell yourself short, definitely don't sell Him short, but believe Him for big, big answers to your very big prayers. You know, God is able to move supernaturally in our lives. He brings us supernatural interventions, divine connections, He intervenes in situations that we are not expecting. And from Genesis to Revelation, we read over and over again, the Almighty God is also all powerful. He holds everything, He is the kingdom, He is the power, and He is the glory.
You know, forever and ever, Amen, right? So the power of God, this emphasis on the power of God and the importance of, let's just say, that our eyes be wide open. We need for it to be said of us that our eyes are wide open. And the two places in Scripture that come to my mind immediately, actually two from the Old Testament, the first is 2 Kings chapter 6 verse 17, remember, Elisha prayed, he asked the Lord to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see, so that he could see. So in answer to his prayer, it says in verse 17, the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
You know, we're crazy about this idea of horses and chariots. You know, running with the horses, that we can run with the power of God, that he's releasing his power in answer to your most fervent prayer, and even sometimes your casual prayer. So in this verse in 2 Kings chapter 6, the prophet Elisha prayed that God would open his servant's eyes. You know, they were in a difficult position in the sense that they were surrounded by an enemy.
You can relate to that, I know I can. And the prayer was to open his eyes. The prophet said, open my servant's eyes, Lord, so that he can see what is really happening here.
Show him the spirit realm, as it were. God answered that prayer, and when he did, the eyes of the servant were open and he saw on the mountain all around them, not so much the enemy, the vast numbers of the enemy army, but the multitudes and the larger number of horses and chariots of fire. Chariots of fire, you know, power, the fire of God were all around. Elisha could see it in the spirit. He wanted his servant to see so that he wouldn't be fearful. You know, when the enemy is all around, and when it feels like he's taking over, fear is the next emotion that we typically have. But because of the Word of God, remember, if I know the Word, I can do the Word.
Because I believe the Word, so I can dispel fear. Another place, 2 Chronicles 32, two verses here, 7 and 8, be strong and courageous, don't be afraid or dismayed about this enemy king who is surrounding us, in this case, the king of Assyria, nor, now don't be dismayed about the multitude, the vast army, that is with him. For there are more with us than there are with him. There are more with us than there are with him. And verse 8, with him is the arm of the flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us.
See, that's the explanation. Here's why there are more with us than there are with the enemy that is vexing us, trying to press in on us, with him is the arm of the flesh. The enemy is limited by the arm of the flesh, but with the power of the Lord, you see, there is no limit.
It is unlimited, eternal. That is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever and ever, Amen. So the Lord is here to help us to fight our battles, the Word says. And here's the result of that verse. And the people rested themselves upon the words that the king spoke to them.
So two kings involved here, Hezekiah, king of Judah, and then the enemy king, Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who came to surround the city and to take over, the Word says, Judah. So the king of Judah, king Hezekiah, is working with the people here, see, to build up on the inside of them faith, so that they are not fearful. If that is you today, if you've been surrounded by the enemy army, and it's been a while, and you are weary in standing, I'm telling you, do not fear.
Do not. You know the Word, you can do the Word, be filled with faith, resist fear, because you believe the Word, you take God at His Word. If that's you, I'm saying again, do not fear. Be like king Hezekiah of Judah. Be like the prophet Elisha when they prayed, and as they led, they were able to marshal the people with this force of faith, you see. So what does this look like when we say, yours is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever? Well, what it looks like is what you and I look like when we do that, when we trust God. This is what we look like.
When trusting God, even though we are powerless and totally limited, unless God intervenes, this is what we look like. This is how we come across, you might say, this is what our testimony looks like. We become one with the Lord. His is the kingdom, the power, the glory forever, and we are with Him. See, we are in Him.
We disappear in Him. That's why the testimony that comes off of our life at a time like this, you know, the essence, the beauty, the fragrance of our lives at a time like this is because we are totally transmitting the essence that is His, the aroma of His presence. His is the kingdom, therefore mine is the kingdom. His is the power, therefore mine is the power. His is the glory, therefore mine is the glory.
And this is forever. If my battle has been long, years and years and years with no end in sight, you see, I don't look at that. My eyes are on the Lord. The prophet said, I beheld His glory. You know, I beheld His glory. And you know, some of the descriptions of His glory, like a blazing fire, glowing like the sun, radiant in every way. This is what we look like.
You don't feel like you look like that, but I'm telling you, you do, because God is working through your life. And let me just throw in here, there's such a thing as enduring faith, enduring faith. There are crowns awaiting God's people when we step into that part of eternity, where we are with Him forever throughout eternity. There are crowns awaiting you for the way you lived your life here on earth.
There are rewards. So this is important to grasp, that enduring faith, without faith, it is impossible to please Him, but there are rewards awaiting, waiting for you, because you have endured against all odds. Enduring faith, thank God, thank God. So what to avoid in this process? What do we want to avoid?
Well, I'll just be blunt here. Don't let the enemy vex you. Cast the care that is vexing you over onto the Lord's shoulders.
He can carry that weight, you cannot. And then give no place to the enemy. See if you're not carrying the weight, if you're not responsible for the plan, if you realize and really, really believe that God has a plan, then you step into that and you roll the care of everything the enemy torments you with, you give him no place.
What would be an example of giving place to the devil? Well, one example would be to consider the things as possible, the very things that I say I don't believe, I'm really thinking about those and what am I going to do when those things actually materialize, when I'm faced with those things. As I step into my day, and I'm threatened by all that I have to face, what about those things? Well, if I'm considering those, I am now vulnerable. I'm opening myself up to the enemy. And I hope this doesn't sound impossible to you or too grandiose.
I'm telling you, both from the Word and from my own personal experience, if you stop to consider as the most powerful thing, the very thing that is anti-Christ, anti-God, if you start to give place to that, then you are really giving place to the enemy. You want to avoid that. Another example of giving place is when I fear, genuinely fear, what's coming next. Like I'm anticipating the next straw to break and the next shoe to drop.
You know, you start thinking about those things and get caught up there. Listen, you can't do anything about it anyway. You might as well just roll that care right over onto the shoulders of the Lord Jesus Christ. He careth for you. He'll take the care.
The government is on His shoulders, not mine, not yours. And thank God. And because we know that we can have our eyes wide open, we understand the kingdom and the power and the glory, we know what to avoid, there is just two things to think here, two things to recognize that are happening side by side. First of all, my confidence in the principle that I know from the Word, while at the same time I'm confused by the absence of the presence of God, which would be like a demonstration of the thing that I believe. So while I'm confident in the principle, remember what I said, when I know the Word, but do not do the Word, it is because I do not believe the Word. Well sometimes we have confidence in the principle in the Word more than we have confidence in the Word. So confidence in the principle, you can realize that you're trusting the principle and not the presence when you realize that there's confusion.
And like you're a little bit half-hearted, and maybe a lot half-hearted, maybe double-minded, because you see the principle is supposed to yield this certain outcome or certain result, and that is not happening. And when we are in a time of delay, remember I talked about enduring faith, when there is delay, we're especially susceptible right here. Because we wonder where God's presence is. And I've even said, God where are you, where are you? Listen, you know the Word, you can do the Word, because you sufficiently believe the Word. Every day you're growing in your faith, the more that you meditate in God's Word, and you choose to believe Him over everything, more than anything, you choose to take Him at His Word.
So see that is the plan, repeat after me, my Father, who is in heaven, has a plan for me, I choose to believe Him, and I trust in His plan. Every detail, every outcome, no matter what. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode and you'd like to help support this podcast, please share it with others, post about it on social media, or leave a rating and review.
Don't forget to check out the show notes, or visit acleartrumpet.org, where you can subscribe to Shirley's email list, download the ministry app, and purchase your very own copy of Shirley's 365-day devotional, Running with Horses. Thanks again, and we'll see you next time. Bye. We'll see you next time.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-10-07 03:25:49 / 2023-10-07 03:32:08 / 6