Bill shares with Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry students on the importance of sowing and investing into those around us, even in difficult seasons. This kind of investment is eternal, and we can have confidence in the nature of God to honor all that was done in His name. We can all stir up the courage to do good to one another, but true nobility is found in the way we think about those around us – everything starts with how we think.

nice nice to see you by faith I’m gonna

lower this thing thanks guys for

bleeding yeah I’ll keep it just in case

they get lazy you know I walk around too

much but I can’t walk anymore

they go in front of one camera alright

well happy happy virus day or whatever

we call this this is a most unusual

season for all of us I don’t remember

anything quite like this before but

whenever there’s an unusual season like

this there’s always the opportunity yeah

I can’t I can’t sit there’s always an

opportunity to to advance in ways that

you couldn’t advance before in

opportunities to grow in areas that you

never realized needed development

there’s always the opportunity to sow

into your future in a way that has a

tremendous benefit later I I know

through the years I’ve had moments where

I’ve realized that the Lord blessed or

rewarded me or honored me or did

something that was connected to

something that I did maybe twenty years

earlier and it’s it’s one of the most

sober sobering moments you can

experience I I’ve talked a bit about

this passage sewing with tears reaping

with joy and I remember a missionary

sent a letter out this is goodness

probably 35 years ago sent a letter out

to a lot of us pastors and he said for

the first time he understood with that

passage man and he was missionary in

Africa and he watched as women with

children strapped to their backs had

seed and they were hungry

and that seed would have provided a meal

for them for their child for their

family maybe for a day or two whatever

it might be but instead she realized

that if she didn’t plant it there would

be no harvest in the future and so she

hears this mom or a series of mothers

there are tears coming down their faces

as they have a baby strapped to their

back and they walking through the fields

planting seeds and my goodness what a

sobering picture that that there are

times where that’s the kind of sowing

that we do we we so when need to be

preoccupied with our own need our own

desires our own vision our own promises

whatever it is fill in the blanks but

the point is it’s there are times where

we face where we face moments or even

seasons where we have unusual amount of

attention on what we need and it’s in

those moments that are the most critical

because what we do with those moments in

our thought life our prayer life our

thought life what we entertain what we

think about our prayer life what we pray

into our our time the way we spend our

time with people there our comments our

contributions if you will that we make

into other people’s lives whether it’s

at a grocery store or whatever it’s

those moments that God gives us and all

of us have the ability to stir up the

courage to do all of us can do that all

of us know what it’s like to to really

stir yourselves up to do that noble act

of maybe giving something very valuable

away or maybe going way out of your way

to helping to serve somebody all of us

know how to turn that on but oftentimes

nobility is seen in the things that

nobody is measuring it’s it’s the way I

think of another person it’s my

willingness to go out of the way to make

sure things are well with them and it’s

just this lifestyle of generosity every

one of us are businesspeople in in a

sense we’re we’re all investors we

invest our time we invest our emotional

health or emotional strength we invest

money we invest possessions we just

invest we invest insight there are

there’s there’s a tendency in some to

even withhold insight if you could

imagine seeing something profound and

you want to wait for the right moment to

share it and I think there’s wisdom in

that but there’s times where where a

person can even withhold information it

would help somebody else just because

they’re they’re waiting for more

glorious moments and really what it

comes down to us we’re all investors and

we get to invest in people you know I’m

thinking about you know the person who

led Charles Finney to the Lord or led

Billy Graham to the Lord or these people

that we may never know their names you

could find them out in history but they

their names are not championed much like

our heroes of faith from Charles Finney

to wiglesworth to whoever Edwards all

these wonderful people were we’re not as

knowledgeable of the names of the people

that impacted them and yet those are the

ones that in many ways receive the the

greater glory from the Lord because they

invested in somebody they didn’t invest

because they thought well here’s a great

hero of the faith they invested simply

because that was their lifestyle so

here’s what I wanted to do today I I’ve

got to I’ve got kind of a strange

strange thing I want to do I want you to

go with me to proverbs 31 and I want to

encourage you I’m gonna if I remember

I’ve been encouraged although all of our

students today when you’re at home

especially it’s easy to think you can

multitask don’t give your full attention

to the Lord what he’s doing in a moment

that he gives you don’t oh don’t try to

keep this text going in this

you know Instagram going whatever

whatever is that you’re involved in give

him full attention and to put put the

stuff aside because he’s simply he’s

worthy of that I had a phrase that I

read from odd Annika howard-browne

rodney howard-browne wife she made a

comment on on the internet here maybe

two weeks ago and it really impacted me

I really I really loved it and of course

responded to her but she said um it’s

not how much money you have in the bank

it’s how much seed you have in the

ground it’s not how much money you have

in the bank it’s how much seed you have

in the ground and you understand that

concept of course she’s addressing

finances but it really is is about life

itself it’s it’s not how much I have

stored up for me for the for the

difficult time of the difficult day

it’s what have I invested in other

people and there’s this passage nehemiah

is as an individual that I admire so

much and I admire his I admire his his

approach to helping rebuild the walls of

Jerusalem and just the the incredible

profound picture of his servant to it in

his his wisdom his strategy his the way

he could use the resources of people

around him there are times where he

didn’t let anybody know what he was

doing he went secretly at night and

there’s just this brilliance that he had

and of course Nehemiah’s name means

comforter so he’s a wonderful wonderful

picture of the Holy Spirit but here in

this his is like the right hand guide to

the king and he’s released from that

king to come and rebuild Jerusalem and

and when he did so he chose not to

receive the governor’s allowance he

would have it would have naturally as

the one who was leading Israel and he’s

leading Jerusalem for the rebuilding he

would naturally have access to

tax resource an allowance to govern

govern and to lead that the people but

he chose not to do that and he took care

of all the expenses for his staff out of

his own out of his own resource and so a

Nehemiah I know I told you to turn to

proverbs 31 will go there next alright

there was I want I want to just read a

few verses here verse 15 of Nehemiah 5

you can just listen if you’d like but

the former governors who were before me

laid burdens on the people and took from

them bread and wine besides forty

shekels of silver yes even their

servants bore rule over the people but I

did not do so because of the fear of God

indeed I also continued to work on this

wall we did not buy any land all my

servants were gathered there for the

work at my table there were 150 Jews and

rulers now imagine feeding those folks

every three times a day besides those

who came to us from the nations around

us and now that which was prepared daily

was one ox six Joyce sheep also fowl

were prepared for me and once every 10

days an abundance of all kinds of wine

yet in spite of this I did not demand

the governor’s provision because the

bondage was heavy on this people but

here’s the point apart I want you to see

verse 19 remember me my God for good

according to all that I’ve done for this

people that’s an awkward way to pray it

may not be for you but this is a verse

I’ve honestly I started studying

Nehemiah goodness way back in 1974 I

into the season where I wanted to study

two books over and over and over again

Ephesians and Nehemiah so I did I took

on those two books and spent six months

to a year or forget now it’s been a long

time about six months to a year just

reading over those two books and just

asking the Lord to teach me so this

something that has stood out to me for a

long time but here’s this here’s this

this prayer where he says remember me my

God for good according to all that I’ve

done for this people sometimes real

faith in real confidence in God would

look like arrogance to anybody with

unbelief it would look like arrogance

and self-centeredness and all of that to

anyone who is outside of that divine

moment have you seen those those rocks

there geodes they’re just rough and ugly

on the outside you cut them open inside

is beautiful purple crystals and all the

stuff to me all the stuff for the

kingdom is like that it’s offensive on

the outside but once you get inside you

find the beauty revival is that way

every great move of God has an offensive

aspect from a distance but when you’re

in it you see the beauty of all that God

is doing this is one of those moments

that from a distance could look quite

arrogant where Nehemiah is demanding

something of the Lord because of his own

righteousness or his own goodness

instead what you have here is you have

this unusual confidence in God as a

father and here is a son who’s coming

before the father and he’s doing what

he’s been commanded to do to remind the

Lord of his own righteous deeds it’s

it’s an unusual approach to the Lord but

what it is is it’s a confidence number

one in God as our Father but number two

he is the reward er of those who seek

Him

he’s the reward er faith has two aspects

to it in Hebrews 11 verse 6 faith he who

comes to God must believe that he is so

there’s the confidence of his existence

and that he is number 2 the reward er of

those who seek Him so half of faith is

an understanding that he is a father who

rewards half of the issue of faith is

this confidence in the nature in the

heart of God to honor all that was done

right in his name we have this picture

in Corinthians of judgment and judgments

a scary thing but it’s also a very

beautiful thing

and in Corinthians you have this if you

would look at all of our lives as is

just this big pile of debris so to speak

and the Lord comes and he lights that

pile on fire and everything’s the straw

the wood the hay the stubble all the

stuff that was not done in Christ all

the works that were not done for his

glory but actually done for ours all

those things burn up and all that

remains the silver the gold the precious

stones in other words the things that

cannot be harmed by fire they actually

remain and that which remains is the

basis for our reward it’s probably wise

that we start learning about this

concept of reward not so that we could

demand something from God in the sense

that he owed us anything but so that we

can move wisely into his economy

realizing he’s the covenant-keeping god

he’s a covenant-keeping god

so nehemiah gives himself really

unselfishly to serve the people of

israel to serve the city of Jerusalem

and he entertains all these

international gasps he’s got his own

group of a hundred and fifty servants

that work with him continuously and he

has everyday he has all this food

prepared by a whole nother group of

people cooks and chefs and what all and

they come and they serve this group of

people at the end of all that he’s been

doing this now for quite some time he

stands before the Lord and he says

father says please remember this for me

for my good it’s not that God forgets

it’s just not that God forgets and in

Corinthians no excuse me a book of Acts

book of Acts there was Cornelius and he

was a Gentile who gave generously to the

work of God and it says that his gifts

rose up before the Lord as a memorial

III know it’s a concept you’ve heard

before but listen let’s think over in in

this context he says the scripture says

here’s this guy he’s been doing acts of

kindness for the Jews he’s been sowing

into their faith he’s had this honor and

the fear

of God on his life for all these years

and and and it says that his alms his

giving rose up as a memorial before the

Lord the concept is repeat it’s a New

Testament repeat of an Old Testament

concept the Old Testament concept was

when Israel off the Red Sea when they

crossed the Jordan River on the other

side of the Jordan River

they took twelve stones out of the river

they put him in a pile on the bank of

the river so that in future in the

future when they’re walking you know and

father and son are on a hike mom and the

kids are walking around on the river

trail so to speak and they see this pile

of stones the kids gonna say hey what’s

that what’s that therefore then the mom

or the dad are reminded this is where

God brought Israel across this river on

dry ground into our promised land all

that we’ve inherited is because God

brought our forefathers through this

river on dry ground to this inheritance

now what we have is a result of God’s

provision so what was it it was a

reminder to the people of God of God’s

works now in the New Testament this

thing is reversed when we live honorably

when we live the generous lifestyle when

we live sowing into other people’s lives

the memorial stones are built in heaven

and they speak to God about our works I

don’t understand how this works because

I know that God doesn’t forget anything

and he doesn’t need reminding but

something happens to us when we step

into in line we sit with his thinking in

line with his values in line with his

commands to pray for specific things the

Bible tells us he knows what I need

before I even ask and yet

so it’s it’s not like my prayers ever

provide God with any new information

prayer is not for the purpose of

providing God with new information he

knows it all anyway it’s for the purpose

of bringing me in line with his heart

his covenant that I would have enough

faith to act upon and pray according to

what has been written father I ask you

to remember this that I’ve done remember

this for my good Nehemiah was investing

in his own future he had been sowing and

sowing and sowing he refused to take

income in this situation the people if

you read through the book you see were

chapter 5 is actually where there had

been a great famine an early part of the

chapter and the people were hit very

hard and he was moved with great great

compassion for the people so he chose to

pay for everything himself of his own

personal team expenses 150 people plus

so here’s the point is he

he was deliberate in his actions to give

on her deliberate in his actions to be

generous and deliberate in his actions

to stand before the Father and expect a

reward we don’t demand a reward in the

sense that I have rights

that’s just my approach I I don’t come

before him as though he owes me anything

even when there’s a promise I’ll bring

the promise before him but I he’s not my

servant I’m his but I will pray as a

father I ask that you remember this for

my good and that you would you would

reward my labor here in a way that most

honors you and in your best timing and

and then put it in his hands and this is

a profound thing here for me out of

Nehemiah life where he prays this prayer

remember me my god for good according to

all that I’ve done for this people

profound profound moment I hear in

history now I want you to go through

with me to proverbs chapter 31 and

proverbs 31 I don’t know if I’ve ever

spoken on proverbs 31 I don’t know if I

ever have it’s a great chapter about

the first part is on on ruling well and

the last part verse 10 on is about a

virtuous wife and my goodness you read

through this through this chapter this

woman has to almost be superwoman to

accomplish the stuff that she’s a

businesswoman she’s a seamstress she’s a

you know the most amazing chef she’s

she’s she’s you know a million women

wrapped up into one so this is this is a

kind of a profound a profound chapter I

like it starts in verse 10 says who can

find a virtuous woman in in the

sidelines of my Bible it gives a

definition of this who can find the word

virtuous wife it says in the sense of

all forms of excellence which I love

excellent so much so that I just kind of

excited me when I when I saw that but

here’s here’s what I want you to look at

there’s this there’s this portion that

that says this if I can find it you real

quickly I apologize I thought I had it

here says when oops so sorry I lost my

verse

well maybe one of you can find it for me

I just tell you what it says but it’s a

bummer how do you lose a verse it’s

right here on the page oh well I’m gonna

have to just say what it says I

apologize for for losing oh here it is

verse 21 it’s kind of a strange verse

she’s not afraid of snow for her

household for all her household is

clothed with scarlet strange verse to

talk on I own but think about this for a

minute

here’s a woman let’s let’s just say that

she’s a type of the Bride of Christ I

think that would be a legitimate

comparison the Bride of Christ the

church here’s a woman you know I have

jokingly tell tell the women you know

you have to learn to be sons of God I

have to learn to be the Bride of Christ

so we all have some adjusting to do but

here she says it says I’ve heard says

she’s not afraid of snow for her

household for all her household is

clothed with scarlet it goes on to talk

about all that she had done for the sake

of her family she’s not afraid of snow

for her household all her household is

clothed with scarlet she prepared before

the devastation of winter came she

prepared her family her household where

everything that would need be needed

before the devastation of winter came

and shut down their capacity to harvest

to do all the things that would they

would normally do

I don’t know it’s just my imagination

but I was reading over this this morning

it just really has really left off the

page in fact it it really joins it links

in my heart at links this concept with

the concept with Nehemiah mentioned

earlier and the statement that Adamic I

heart Braun made last week or two it’s

not how much money I have in the bank

it’s how much seed of having the ground

here is a woman who prepares ahead of

time knowing that winter is going to be

a time not of going out into the field

and harvesting not in in the sense of

bringing in the kind of income or the

grain of the breakthrough that we would

normally have in certain seasons this is

a season where everything shuts down we

are facing that in strange ways right

now in ways I I’ve never even thought of

before what would it be like for cities

and nations literally just to shut down

all of our activities or travel or

business life schools everything it’s an

it’s an awkward season but here’s um

here’s something that really speaks to

me she’s not afraid of snow she’s not

afraid of a shutdown that happens

because of disease

she is not afraid of a loss because of a

fire that was last year or a year before

she’s not afraid of the difficulties

that come we can’t always stop the

difficulties from coming but when you

live in integrity you are constantly

investing in the people’s lives were

like Nehemiah you can stand before the

Lord and you can pray father please

remember me what I’ve done remember this

for my good this this strange verse

speaks to me in a lot of ways look at

the second part of says her household is

clothed with scarlet

you know I I would I would think you

would say her household is fully clothed

with warm clothing but instead it it

announces the color of the clothing in

other words she clothes her family in

festive colors in winter in other words

she’s not going to allow the season

around her to define the appearance the

well-being the expectation the hope of

her household there is a festive

approach to the season as though it were

springtime as though it were the

celebrations of summer as though it was

the great parties that you have during

harvest time honoring God for his

abundance near life instead she has

prepared ahead of time with a garment of

brilliance and of beauty for her

household so that when is cold and it’s

dark and there’s the snow all there’s

all the stuff there is this festive

approach to life I mean I like this so

much I think it’s the most amazing thing

it says in verse 22 it says she makes a

tapestry for herself her clothing is

fine linen and purple so here we’ve got

we’ve got let’s just say the body of

Christ we know that we live in difficult

times it shouldn’t surprise us when

things happen that are crazy that’s just

the hour that we live in we’ve been

privileged assigned by God to live in

perilous times I read a statement so

many years ago and it really it really

moved me it was a book on leadership and

it was it was from a former president of

the United States and he made this

statement he said some of the greatest

leaders the world has ever had we will

never know their names because they were

unfortunate enough to not live during

difficult times great leaders great

skills great abilities but they weren’t

alive at a time when there was a crisis

and so we’ll never know who they are

well guess what you and I live at a time

where

there seems to be an acceleration of

crisis well we have to keep in mind is

there’s also an acceleration of good

there’s also the acceleration of

breakthrough there’s the acceleration of

increase there’s all that we’ve seen in

past revivals are starting to accumulate

almost almost like they’re there a team

is coming together all these different

aspects of outpourings of God throughout

history they’re all beginning to rally

together for a great great wave of

revival the billion soul harvest of

youth of just abuse and all of that that

is all approaching us right now

and and here is this here is this

god-given confidence that I don’t know

what’s coming I had no idea of viruses

coming maybe some prophets did I heard

I’ve heard of some that I know who

announced that it was coming that’s fine

I don’t know what’s coming what I do

know is I’ve been planting for the last

forty some years in difficult times

I don’t plant just in abundance I plant

when there’s a famine I plant it’s not

just money it includes that but that’s

just the tip of the iceberg

the generous lifestyle means when I’m

hurting when I’m suffering I’m still

going to try to find somebody that I can

to encourage it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t

be the one to receive encouragement or

strength or help or whatever that’s

that’s a given they’re in relationships

that happens but the point is is the the

one part of my life that I have absolute

control of is that is how I’m going to

react to the different devastating

situations how am I going to respond

what is my hope like what is my what is

my hope of the future in this particular

store which I just think is so so

profound she she she’s not afraid of the

snow that she knows is coming she’s

she’s not concerned she has done all

that she has known to do to make sure

that she sews into her own future

there’s a story that Paul men wearing

sure I won’t get all the details right

but the story really really really has

moved me and it’s a it’s a story it’s a

story about a friend of his that many

years ago was was attending a conference

and he was staying at somebody in the

church or the ministry staying at their

home and on the last day of the

conference the hostess who whose home he

was staying at asked him when you’re

when you clean up your room please fold

the sheets of your bed and put them

central so anyway as the story goes he

went about the morning eat breakfast he

left he went to the conference and while

he was in the conference he remembered

he didn’t fold the sheets and so he

actually left a meeting that he had just

assumed be out he was there for that

reason he went back to that home went

into the room took the sheets folded the

sheets and left him as the hostess had

had requested and then went back to the

conference fast forward many years later

he is he received some sort of a

notification a phone call something that

a very dear friend of his was very close

to death and if I remember Riots fourth

stage cancer is in very very very very

rough shape and very very close to

breathing his last and he goes in there

and he prays for his friend and there’s

a dramatic dramatic healing dramatic

instant turnaround

dramatically healed everybody knows it’s

the work of God it’s the grace of God

and and he was praying I don’t remember

if it’s the same day or if it’s a week

later but sometime short he’s just a

fellowship in with the Lord and the Lord

spoke to him and said do you know why I

could trust you with that without

healing and he said why says cuz you

folded the sheets

oh man that messes me up I mean I just

makes me want to sit on a cry the Lord

the Lord gave him a simple

tasks to test the heart to see if he

could trust him with a noble task see

all of us know how to psych ourselves up

for the noble event it’s it’s the little

ones it’s the little moments you know

it’s it’s the things that nobody’s

looking at the things that nobody would

measure nobody would fault him if he

forgot to fold the sheets it wasn’t that

it was it was that he wanted to honor

the one who allowed him to stay in their

home and so he went back and he folded

the sheets the miracle life’s lifestyle

that we’ve asked for the Lord’s allowed

us to taste it we see it we have if

you’re anything like me you have seasons

where there seems to be just dramatic

breakthrough breakthrough breakthrough

and then there’ll be kind of a reprieve

for a season where there’s breakthroughs

but they’re much more occasional and

then there’s other times it just seems

to come one after the other end and I of

course I that’s what I want all the time

but the the Lord miracles create

attention in our lives miracles create

miracles create obligation miracles

create a sense of demand upon our life

that the absence of miracles do not

there’s expectations when you walk into

a room when you’re at a particular event

if if you’re known as somebody who prays

for the sake of praise for finances

whatever might be but there’s

breakthrough when you pray there’s

additional demands and there’s extra

weight of glory on your life and

learning how to to carry that well is is

such a significant thing learning how to

carry that glory in a way that he is

truly honored and we don’t take it to

ourselves

learning how he’s looking for people we

can trust his desire for planet Earth is

beyond everything every one of us could

have made

he said beyond beyond all you could ask

or think beyond all you could ask the

reach of your prayer life or you could

think the reach of your imagination

that’s where God has committed himself

is to work in that in that realm of

beyond but the next phrase in Ephesians

3 says according to the work of God

within you according to the the depth of

the work of the Spirit of God in me

in other words he will go beyond my

reach in the same measure

he works deep within me folding sheets

picking up piece of trash

I remember yours years ago I don’t do my

taxes in fact I’ve never done my taxes I

always pay someone to do them but I

remember in my in the early the early

years you know I used to do a lot of

weddings and funerals now sort of thing

and I travel so much now it’s it’s

pretty rare event but and it would be an

honorarium given for doing a wedding

honorarium given for doing a funeral and

I would keep record of all those things

and come to the end of the tax season I

would look at my list all right I I made

$20 here and $50 there and add it all up

and you know include that obviously as

my as my income and for for many years I

knew it was I knew it was possible and

now we have everything on record but I

knew it was possible I may have

forgotten the one and so just for

illustration sake let’s just say I added

it all up and it was you know fifteen

hundred dollars of additional income and

I reported on my tax but I would for

years I would add like a hundred dollars

I said well you know I might have made

more I don’t remember I think it’s

accurate but I may have made more and so

just in case my records are not as

perfect as they should have been

I’m gonna I’m gonna say I made more

money than I did so that in a month from

now if I remember something that I

forgot to record I won’t feel guilty or

shameful and I will know that I’ve

already covered it some sometimes it’s

those it’s those little tiny moments

where you you you you strive so much to

honor the Lord with a little actions

those little thoughts the little

investments of time the comments that

you make to a person all of that starts

with how you think all of it starts

there it doesn’t start with the check it

doesn’t start with the compliment to the

cashier at the store

it doesn’t start there it starts when

you’re by yourself what do you think

about how do you think of other people

how do you think of your future this

said she wasn’t afraid of snow she

wasn’t afraid why because she had

already sewed all the clothing that

wouldn’t be needed in a difficult time

she had already set up everybody to be

successful in the coming challenge or

difficulty she wasn’t afraid

and I I believed that the Lord is taking

the church he’s taking you and he’s

taking me into a lifestyle where we are

confident that we have said yes to all

that God’s called us to doing to be and

we’ve said we’ve said yes to sowing into

our own future that we prepared

ourselves as much as we know how when

I’m not afraid of winter coming I don’t

know what’s coming next year you know it

was the fire now it’s this crazy plague

who knows what it’s gonna be next year

but I am sowing now I’m not retreating

in fear

I’m putting seed in the ground I’m

making sure that my thought life is not

one of an fear about the future but

instead it’s it’s an approach of

investment I am a business person I am

functioning with Kingdom business and

I’m investing words that change lives

I’m investing touch I’m investing time

I’ve been investing money I’m investing

inside council words of wisdom whatever

it might be I’m investing in people’s

lives because they know that it’s gonna

be helpful for them number one but

number two I know it’s how I ensure that

my future is safe

it’s how I it’s how I ensure that my

future is secure here’s a woman she’s

not afraid let’s just take the Bride of

Christ not afraid of the difficulties

that come why because of the people

we’ve been continuously investing in not

just survival but we’ve created clothing

for each other that is festive in nature

even though it’s dark and it’s cold I’m

wearing purple you’re wearing red the

point is we are moving into celebration

at the most Awkward time and we’re going

to honor God for what he’s provided for

what he’s done and we’re gonna close

ourselves with the righteous acts of the

saints we’re gonna do so in such a

triumphant overcoming way starts with

how we think there’s a lot of anxiety

you know I don’t get to talk to you so I

don’t know what’s going on with you but

but I do get a chance to talk to

different friends I’ve had goodness I’ve

had more zoom calls and conferences and

stuff I’m not traveling now but I’m

traveling through the airwaves they’ll

tell you I’ve got two more conferences

this week and things that we’re doing

online we’re speaking into a camera like

this and I know from talking to friends

the anxiety the the the pain that people

are in I don’t ever want to downplay the

severity of this virus

anybody who has it we keep hearing news

of loss of life and suffering and and I

never want to minimalize that that’s a

that’s a great tragic tragedy one loss

is too much so when it’s hundreds and

it’s actually now several thousand

it’s great great tragedy the scripture

says the thousand may fall at my side

ten thousand at my other side it will

not come near me at some point

there has to be a confidence in God that

says it’s not coming to my house it’s

not coming to my house and should

somehow it’s sneaked past my shield of

faith and afflict someone in miles it is

not taking anyone out it is not taking

he is the one who delivers me from the

snare of the Fowler Psalms 91 is filled

with such revelation knowledge such

understanding here’s here’s what happens

in Psalms 91 we’ve got this promise of

safety we have this favor of God this

blessing of the Lord on an individual

this person in Psalms 19:1 does several

things number one they make this decree

I trust in him it’s a confession

it’s a proclamation it’s a confession

and it’s a prophetic proclamation he is

my refuge he’s my strength he will

deliver me there’s that confidence

it’s a proclamation of something some

things just need to be spoken they don’t

serve well just as happy thoughts it has

to it has to volcanic ly erupted me i

I’ve dwelt on the provision of the Lord

through his word so deeply that it

erupts in me into this prophetic decree

in Proclamation and throughout this

Psalm which I believe is very key for

all of us I’ve been I’ve been trying to

read it every day and just meditating

praying over that song here’s this this

incredible stream of Revelation on the

safety and protection of the people of

God but the thing that just messes me up

is that towards the end of that Psalm of

great protection and deliverance he

makes this statement he says he will

protect you so that you don’t dash your

foot against a stone so here’s here’s

the picture he’s going to protect you in

fact this is a verse that Satan quoted

to Jesus to try to get him to act

inappropriately outside of what

was saying doing and so he the devil

uses the word against Jesus who is the

word which is a bizarre concept and it

says the angels of the Lord protect us

so that we don’t stumble we don’t dash

your foot against the stone the very

next verse says and you will trample on

the lion and the Cobra the serpent the

scorpion you will trample on all these

powers of darkness so here’s the picture

is the angelic realm protects us so we

don’t hurt our feet why because we have

something to trample on it protects us

so we aren’t injured why because we have

an assignment that protected become the

protectors that delivered become the

deliverers the healed become the healers

the restored becomes the restores God

doesn’t protect us and bless us so that

we can sit comfortably in our easy chair

and do nothing he protects us to equip

us with an understanding of his nature

an understanding of his covenant an

understanding of his heart for people so

that in that place of safety

we’ve been protected and now it’s time

to trample now it’s time it may be since

we can’t get together it may be walking

around your house sometimes I will do

physical things like that I will walk

and I will I will trample I will just

declare the powers of darkness are under

the soles of my feet in every place that

the sole of my feet treads God has given

to me and you you make these statements

that you find throughout scripture I

will not be afraid of the winter of the

snow that is coming I will not be afraid

of the changing of seasons why because

I’ve been sowing into the ground and I

know my household is not just well

clothed they’re clothed with festive

colors because in the darkest seasons is

still a season where I get to celebrate

the kindness and the goodness of God I

am moving into that realm where I refuse

to fear the changing of seasons I don’t

know what it’s going to look like I

don’t know what’s going to happen but I

do know who I am with and he is ensured

that I get to pray in this way father I

done this through these seasons I’m sure

I haven’t done everything perfect but I

know I’ve said yes to you and I’ve done

these things for your honor for your

glory

I asked now that you remember those

things for my good that my family would

benefit from your safety your blessing

because I have sowed into their lives I

remember I each my children many years

ago now and it was soon after they were

married and I I told them I felt as

prophetically I told them they would not

struggle with some that financially in

ways that Benny and I struggled and we

were blessed because of my parents and

their parents every generation sets the

stage for a new level blessing so I

remember meeting with my kids and I said

you’re not gonna have the same struggles

I did but I want you to know why it’s

because I have lived generously David

lived with extreme generosity in a set

the stage for Solomon to come into a

level of breakthrough that had never

been known before and I remember

announcing that to my children that

there would be levels of breakthrough

and blessing on their life because of my

yes why would I do that certainly not to

be praised or honored I I want them to

know how it works I want them to know

that they now have the responsibility of

doing the same things to set the stage

for their children to enter into realms

in God that that that they didn’t have

time to go that they would have

opportunity to see my children would

have a chance to see their grandchildren

come into blessing and for me blessing

is a material things it includes that

sometimes but that’s that’s not

Jesus says if you don’t know how to

handle unrighteous mammon who will

entrust you true riches to riches is not

more unrighteous mammon true riches are

the things that’s why you’re at the

school that’s why I’m here so why I’m

doing what I’m doing is because I’m

after the true riches I’m after the

favor of God I’m after the grace that

I’ve seen on men and women throughout

history to shape the course of history I

am after that I’m after the true

blessing of bringing to him a reward

that he deserves the harvest that he

deserves I’m in it for that the true the

true wealth and so here we are we we say

yes we sacrifice we pour our lives out

why because we’re pursuing a true

blessing we’re pursuing the true riches

the things that really make a difference

and with it come the car and the home

and all this stuff but once that becomes

my focus one once that consumes my my

appetite I’ve just I’ve just cut off the

sense of eternity in and the whole the

whole privilege of bringing to him a

harvest and something that brings him

honor it’s I I don’t want all these

things you know I like this night things

as much as anybody I’m thankful you know

if it’s crazy how the Lord provides for

me sometimes it’s embarrassing sometimes

it would be periods of time they’re very

difficult great lack great need never

announce it but it’s there and then

there are other times it’s it’s just

crazy

he’ll just provide in ways that are it’s

sometimes almost embarrassing the point

I’m trying to make is he knows what he’s

doing

and it’s it’s important for you and for

me to live as this woman a proverbs 31

read this is a 31st today this is when

this one is do read this with this in

mind how can you live in a way that does

not fear tomorrow but you’re doing

everything you know how to do you’re

using all your resources of time you’re

investing in people investing maybe it’s

up maybe you’re in business investing in

this situation that situation you’re

investing who you are the grace that God

has given to you so that you can look at

winter and say you don’t scare me

in fact everybody I’m involved with is

wearing red or purple because we are

going to celebrate we’re going to be

festive in the time that it’s dark and

cold we’re going to celebrate the

goodness of God because it remains in

any and every season and so I want to

invite you into into that strangest

teaching I have ever done it now it’s

probably not true but anyway the I want

to invite you into this season shifting

approach what do you think about what do

you dwell on what do you anticipate how

does your thought life not just your

prayer life your prayer life is where we

control our thoughts and we direct them

to the Lord how does your thought life

represent him how does your thinking

reveal what you anticipate in the days

to come I really I’ve said it I’ve said

the last few weeks I I mean it’s so

strong I this is this is a weird season

for all of us this whole shutdown of the

nation the economy everything is just

it’s just there’s so many questions and

I don’t have answers but I but I’m very

close to the one who does and and so my

my approach is I’m not going to Alette

my questions about tomorrow destroy my

answers for today I’m not going to let

my

wonder about what’s coming

destroy the piece that I carry right now

I’m gonna protect what I have because he

gave it to me and and I I want to I want

to pray I feel like I what I’ve said

before many times is I feel like this

could be the most important month in our

schools history that’s crazy to think

that because we’ve had so many you know

outwardly great moments you know where

Randy comes and imparts on all of us

which is just an incomparable time the

missions trips that have shaped all of

our lives through the years all those

things I never want to undervalue those

things but knowing how God works this

could be the time where you get scarlet

clothing ready where you refuse to bow

to that to that thing that wants to come

in and press upon you the fear the

anxiety those small thinking that exists

all around us even sometimes even in the

church so here’s what I want to do I

swung pray I’m gonna pray and I want to

wrap this up and and then I’ll turn it

turn the door father I ask that this

this team of students of servants this

wealthy wealthy group of people wealthy

and the things of God wealthy in time

that gets to be focused on you and you

alone you’ve made us rich rich with

heritage rich with testimony rich with

experience rich with encounters that you

take every single one of us every one of

us and that you would close us in

scarlet that this season we’d look back

in ten years and say we accomplished

more we understood more we grew more and

the final weeks of this school year in

2020 than we did any other season of our

life father I’m asking that you’d put a

spirit of breakthrough a mantle of

breakthrough upon us as a school as a

church family effect as a city that this

city would find acceleration in hope

acceleration and the things of God but

they’re very things the enemy meant for

evil again you would reverse their

effects reverse their effects so that

great faith comes out of trial great

purity of values in thinking would come

out of this challenging season instead

of anxiety people would together we

would think creatively and imagine and

prepare ourselves for the great

breakthroughs that are coming I ask all

of this for the honor of the name Jesus

and lord please help us in our thinking

so that our values truly are your values

I ask this in Jesus name Amen amen well

thanks for patiently listening I bless

you and I look forward to the day soon

when I can actually hug you and it’s

legal all right