Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Faith as a Divine Gift: Nurturing Hope Amidst Life's Trials (#695 - Elim)
Can faith truly be a divine gift, one that transcends human effort and remains steadfast in the face of life's trials? Join us in an engaging conversation with Mark, where we unpack the profound nature of faith as highlighted in Hebrews 11:1. We explore how nurturing faith through a deep connection with God's word can shield us from fear and doubt, emphasizing its immediate relevance in every moment and situation. Listen to our reflections on how faith is not just an abstract concept but a powerful and essential element of a believer's life that needs to be nurtured and protected from the distractions of materialism and consumerism.
Stay with us as we address the challenges facing the UK church today, discussing how true faith provides unwavering strength and hope. In a world often overshadowed by material desires, we stress the importance of maintaining focus on Jesus Christ as the ultimate source of hope. Through biblical teachings, we underscore the transformative journey of faith, encouraging believers to rely on God over worldly fears and desires. This dialogue aims to inspire a renewed commitment to faith, showcasing the resilience of the true church amidst contemporary challenges.
Our discussion then turns to the struggles of faith and self-denial, where we tackle the tension between spirit and flesh. We share insights on how to let go of worldly attachments and truly embrace God's strength to overcome personal trials. Finally, we invite you to seek God's will and purpose in life, offering guidance on asking for divine clarity. With heartfelt gratitude for Mark's contributions, we extend blessings to our listeners worldwide, urging everyone to keep faith alive and remain immersed in God's word.
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
Welcome to Reverend Ben Cooper's podcast. We are a radio and podcast ministry based here within the UK. Your support is vital through prayer and through sowing a seed of faith. We are so thankful to have so many people around the globe downloading and listening to our podcasts, whether you are on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google, Alexa, Amazon Music and so many other platforms. For more information about our ministry, please find us on pastorbencoopercouk. We would love to hear from you as you partner with us as we reach the world for Jesus Christ. Please send us an email through our contact form on pastorbencoopercouk. Also, you can find our latest books on Amazon under hashtag one, hashtag two and hashtag three under Christian Straight Talk hard hitting real life conversations taken from our podcasts.
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Speaker 2:Amen, hallelujah, god bless you wherever you are across the world. We thank you so much for joining us, you know, for these 30, 40 minutes, as me and myself and mark, of course you know, mark and myself, as we just gather across the other side of the mics, today we have just flipped open the word of god. We We've come in this studio with no notes, with nothing, and we just prayed God give us the scripture and we have come to the beautiful text of Hebrews 11, verse 1. Wherever you are across the world, we want to encourage you at this hour. Whatever your time is, whatever your day is, whatever your life is looking like at this moment in time, please, day is whatever your life is looking like at this moment in time. Please never give up hope, because there is always hope, there is always a way forward. The God that we serve, the God of yesterday, today and forevermore, is with you in all situations of your life. All things are possible to those who believe. Mark, how are you going?
Speaker 3:Hi Ben, yeah, keeping well. It's good to be here, as always.
Speaker 2:You know, we're in, aren't we? We're in. We're in For the first time. We've walked into this studio with no notes, with just pure faith, and I believe that's why the Lord's taken us to Hebrews 11, verse 1, now faith. I'm going to read this scripture out Wherever you are across the world we're in. Hebrews 11, verse 1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. There is so much to get from that text Faith.
Speaker 2:Faith is a very interesting word. What is it? Where does it come from? What does it look like? Where does what is? Where does where does it come from? Where does this faith come from? Faith can only come from god, because we can't engineer this ourself, can we? We can't bring this around ourselves. We can't bring this to the table without having the power of the holy spirit speak directly into us.
Speaker 2:But I just want to reference the scripture that I think is very critical to the church, to the, to the believer. The bible says faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of god. So my faith will rise, my faith will grow, my faith will accelerate when I hear the word of god if I am not in the word, my faith will not disappear, my salvation will not disappear we're not referring to that but my faith will just plateau. It will, it will hold its place.
Speaker 2:And I would probably go a little bit further on saying that if I do not keep in the scripture, what what will happen is fear will grab hold of me, doubt will grab hold of me, and also, this can get a hold of us even when we are faithful and when we are reading, because climbing the climbing that ladder, climbing that ladder of hope, of goodness, of scripture, takes us to different levels and different places. Not saying anyone is greater than anybody else, but faith is such a powerful, a powerful instrument, a powerful rhythm in our heart. Now, faith, what is faith? Mark, how would you put the word faith? What is this substance? What is it?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'd say that faith is a gift of God and the Lord tells us in John 15, verse 5, that without him we can do nothing verse 5, that without him we can do nothing. So, true, saving faith is not like the world gives us, it's not like anything we can imagine. It's of God. And actually to receive saving faith there's a cost on our part. But there's always a greater cost. That was from God in the beginning. So faith is here the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen is what I have here the substance of things hoped for.
Speaker 2:Very interesting line, isn't it? Now, faith. I think the word now the writer is really emphasising, like now, right now, in all situations, in every level of life, in everything that is going on, it's now and that line, that word them, two little words now faith is applicable from when he wrote that, when he spoke it, when he penned it, when this came into existence from his heart, right through to now and forevermore. He's saying now, faith, wherever you are, world, it is. Now We've got to believe. Jesus said just believe. When he was on the shoreline of galilee, he said drop your nets, come and follow me and just believe. I love the fact that jesus was not requiring those fishermen to go and do an alpha course, to do this course, to do that course. I was. I love the fact that jesus just said come and follow me, don't go. He didn't mention church, he didn't mention the religious order and and all the stuff that goes along with the church in the west. He said. He just said to them guys, that was just living and without christ they was without christ. At that point he said drop your nets, come and follow me and just believe.
Speaker 2:I think that actually I'll change the word think to actually believe. I believe we are being stripped so far back from religion. Look what's happening in the Church of England today. Look what's happening in the Pentecostal movement. Look at all the carnage and the stuff. I believe God is stripping us back to the shoreline of Galilee. Mark and Jesus is saying drop your nets. Them nets represent everything they had. Drop everything you've got Ben and Mark. Drop everything you've got church. Come and follow me.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, you've got to be prepared to let go, and it's all easy thinking that you can do it, but actually that thing you hold dear in order to move forward, yes, into what god has planned for you it actually requires letting go and denying yourself faith and that's why why that rich man went away disappointed, when the lord told him, after he kept all the commandments, to just um sell what he had and he went away.
Speaker 2:Wow, disappointed, sad when you think about that. The rich man, the fisherman, the tax collector, all these people that christ spoke to. He required just the one thing follow me. It's so critical, wherever you are across the world, to be a jesus follower, to follow the living word from genesis to revelation. We know that the word of god is the father, the son, the holy spirit. We know that the Word of God is the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. We know that the Word of God, genesis to Revelation. We know that that Word is Jesus, is God. We know that, that Word.
Speaker 2:So how do I follow Jesus in the 21st century when he's not visible, when he's not touchable, when I can't sit around the Passover table and have a physical conversation because we know that he ascended on Ascension Day? How do I do this when I haven't got the physicality of Jesus in front of me? I read the word because he is the word. This is where my relationship, this is where my faith sits, this is where everything that I've got sits within the word of christianity. I follow jesus through genesis to revelation, from new testament to old testament.
Speaker 3:Now faith is being sure yeah it's being sure yeah, it's uh saving faith um the acceptance, intellect and affection and the will of god's favor extended to man through christ and we, we have to uh believe that his word, his scripture, um, his plan, everything about god is, is far better than we could possibly imagine amen I was thinking recently about the parable of the merchant that sold all he had to buy the patch of land for the pearl of great price.
Speaker 2:Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 3:I mean, we can imagine that there's a place where we go to after we die, but really, if we truly knew this in the depth of our hearts, what a treasure it is, we would give everything and um, I'm still learning just how much I need to give in order to enjoy the lord's benefits and, like jesus, it's a continual stripping back the lord's benefits and, like you say, it's a continual stripping back.
Speaker 3:The lord will strip us back if we allow him to, but it's it's quite hard because, um, you're right, mark it's hard yeah, it's hard because what is a strip back?
Speaker 2:in my language, a strip back is all flesh, is all earthly treasures, all this worldly stuff, this weak, woke, this materialism that I'm consumed by, that is around me Everywhere I look, from coffee to cars, from every area of life, this consumerism that is just exhausting and we can't keep up with it. And no one's got enough money and we're trying and we're consumed by this. I've got this. This needs to be stripped back. And to ask God to strip it back, you could look like a very strange person in the face of your family, your friends, your work colleagues. Because when you say I don't want none of these earthly possessions, I want faith, I want God, I want miracles, I want the signs, I want the wonders, you know you become an oddball. Because the world is hungry for materialism, for control, for greed. I've got to have. We're living in a world that is I've got to have, and the Bible says I've got to be stripped back.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, and our affections for God as they continue to grow. We desire more and more to live like him. Yeah, so we have to be in the world and not of it. We have to make sure that we're not with one foot in the world and one on our own path that we want. That's terrible. That's so terrible. That's so true.
Speaker 2:Mark, isn't it? So faith in Hebrews 11, faith to me is believing in this beautiful God that is sovereign. I believe, I believe. But faith as we take it a little bit further is believing for the impossibles of the world to be possible with god. So when we look at our lives and we see everything that's going on and we see that, lord, I need change, but I cannot change this world that I'm in around me. If I do not get this change, this world is going to consume me and wipe me out.
Speaker 2:Faith is believing beyond the natural vision of a human being and seeing what we have on the other side of the table. See what we have with our eyes as you look whatever is in front of you at this moment. Do you really want the life that you are living? Do you really want to continue to live the way you are? Do you really want to live that way, by by your retina, by your eye? Because we live by what we see, by what we hear, through sound, through vision, through vision, and it's natural we are programmed by the world to be these robots of this world. And what you have in front of you, that is it. But the Bible says now faith is being sure of what we hope for. Has the UK church lost all hope? I believe it has Mark in a massive area.
Speaker 3:Well, yeah, there's a lot of darkness and issues that they've taken in, but yeah, when things look terrible on the outside, God is doing something else.
Speaker 2:Amen. Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 3:And I was thinking how the Lord said that he is the vine and we are the branches. Yes, lord, and the true church will always stand. The world is not any stronger than us. No, church will always stand. The world, amen, is not um any stronger than us. Um, no, the lord said as well um, the foxes have their holes and birds of the air have their nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head, and so we see um, like the, the, the woke church in this land, full with all darkness and hypocrisy and evil. But the true church still stands.
Speaker 3:We ought not to let our faith be troubled by the issues in this world, in this world, and that's a great temptation of the enemy to get us to look and give attention to what he's up to. But the Lord, jesus Christ, he said he had nowhere to lay his head and he was poured out, so dependent on the will of God. And yet the Lord provided for the foxes and the birds, but the Lord himself, he was obedient unto death and he lives and reigns forever.
Speaker 2:So yes Lord. Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 3:Everything is turned on its head. When we look at the world, it's hopeless. But if we look at the world, it's hopeless, but if we look at the lord jesus christ and look for him by faith, then we have a glorious hope. And and it is a faith in one man. Um the substance of things. Hoped for? Who? Who hoped for it? In the old testament there were. There were forefathers abraham um the old testament, israel.
Speaker 3:They hoped for these things that's right but faith through christ is yeah, we're in the gospel age and we have the spirit of God dwelling in us. If we're born again and we find faith to look through these things and we desire Christ more.
Speaker 3:We desire to be more like him and he'll strip things back from our lives. And yeah, the Lord commands us to daily carry our cross and it can feel like a burden, but we have to learn to appreciate the cross and the sufferings of this life and everything is turned on its head. But actually, as we grow in faith, we find that things make more sense and it's a journey that far exceeds anything outside of him in this world.
Speaker 2:Faith. There you go, wherever you are, it's now faith. So we've got to see ourselves outside of ourselves. We've got to see ourselves walking in a different direction as well. I cannot walk in this robotic way of this consumerism and this weak, woke church that is in the UK that is so alive and so strong but so weak within itself. You know, we've got to walk by faith. We've got to pick up the word of God. You've got to be a warrior. You've got to be set aside. You've got to be like Jonathan and his armor bearer, where they looked over the hedge of the rock face and they went. We're going to take back this half acre. We're going to take back what the devil has stolen and we've got to be careful of these strap lines that the church uses. You've got to be so careful, but we're going to take back territory. We're going to stand up for Jesus. We're going to believe because I'm hoping for change.
Speaker 2:I want change in my life. Is there anybody out there that wants to change? I want to change. I don't want to stay the same. I want to see the glory, the power. I want god to strip me back, but I'm scared because when you're in a full strip back. It's nothing, you, you. There's no control anymore. We are in control of our lives in many, many ways.
Speaker 3:Well, that's what we think, I know well, you know, yeah, yeah fear of tomorrow, what will happen on the morrow, but the lord commands us to to so trust him like if, if the lord, uh, if he clothes the lilies of the field Amen. Yeah, how the Lord will provide. Do we truly know that we can depend on the Lord for everything? And fear is such a my God shall supply all my needs.
Speaker 2:So what you're saying is that complete dependency for food, for clothing, for water, for financial helps, complete dependency is complete faith.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm not saying that we ought to just sort of sell everything we have and be homeless or live in a tent, but I think we worry too much about tomorrow. We look at what's going on around us, and fear is a stumbling block.
Speaker 2:Yes, big. So Because when you look about consumerism and what we have mortgages, cars, hp, credit cards, overdraft systems, all this sort of stuff we've been caught into this culture of you've got to have it. As Mark has said in the scripture, that Jesus owns everything. But he owns it, but he hasn't bought it from man, he hasn't been caught by a mortgage company that has strapped us for 25 years. And it's such a difficult subject to talk about.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everybody needs a home, everybody needs a vehicle, everybody needs a van, but it's how do I acquire these? Because they're just instruments, they're just areas, they're just, they're just, they're just areas of our lives that we, we. It's just a home, but we put so much weight into the home, it becomes our castle, it becomes the place that we worship, it becomes higher than god. The car I've got to get a new mercedes, I've got to get a new b BMW. We start to worship the practical stuff and the materialism that is around us, and then we take our eyes off of Jesus and then suddenly there is no faith, it is fear, and suddenly we swap faith for fear over time, and fear drives us because of the fear of if I lose my house, if I lose my car, if I lose my job, I can't go to church on Sunday. I've got to work the fear of man rather than the fear of God, and having the faith to stand on the scripture. You know it's an enormous subject.
Speaker 2:Faith Now. Faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are we hoping for, world? What are you hoping for? Are you hoping for a business? Are you hoping for a new car? Are you hoping for a job promotion? Are you hoping for that loft conversion, that bigger house that is of the world? I've got to be hopeful in the scripture because my God shall supply. So I've got to see with eyes of faith. Yes, I need a home. Yes, I need a vehicle. Yes, I need to pay the bills. But where do they sit in my faith? Walk with Jesus. The Bible says do not store up for yourself treasures on earth.
Speaker 3:This is the thing, isn't it? Yeah, we're often rust, corrupt, so critical, mark. Yeah, we've got to store treasures in heaven. And uh, proverbs 22, verse 4, says by humility and fear of the lord, our riches and honor and life. And uh, and that's that's, that's the blessings of the lord, the riches and honour and life from God will far outweigh anything, any amount of material attainment in this life.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 3:Because he'll richly bless you and you'll be content. You'll have peace in your heart, you won't be worrying about those things that the world desires to snare you with.
Speaker 2:And that's important. You said a very interesting word snare when we understand what a snare is, a snare is probably one of the most dangerous trappings that an animal could get in. Just one leg, one foot, gets caught in a fowler's snare. It's a piece of wire that is staked in the ground. It goes through the loop. It's a very simple thing. As you put your foot in that trap and as you pull, as you pull against it, it cuts into the skin. You know whether you're an animal, you've got four legs or if you're a human being, as you have that snare around your ankle, as you pull against it it cuts deeper, it holds you, it gets tighter and tighter. You know the foul of snare is a deadly thing to be in.
Speaker 3:And I believe that's why we can't do this in our own strength.
Speaker 2:Completely right.
Speaker 3:You can't just pull yourself out from this world. You need the help of the Holy Spirit, amen.
Speaker 2:And that's why it's so important. It says here now. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And it's critical. World, mark and myself and everybody that's under the sound of this podcast, wherever you are, see yourself outside of yourself. Don't allow the commute that you're in, don't allow the M25, the Dartford Tunnel, the A2, the M20, all the local motorways to dictate to you. Don't allow the world, the ivory towers in London, wherever you, dictate to you. Remind yourself who you are in Christ and who am I.
Speaker 2:I'm a Bible-believing believer. I'm a born-again, spirit-filled brother or sister. I'm a sinner saved by grace, and every place that the sole of my foot shall tread upon is my territory. Soul of my foot shall tread upon is my territory. Do not be trapped by the four walls and the fences that we incarcerate ourselves with.
Speaker 2:There are many people in prisons that we have created ourselves and not under the hand of his majesty's pleasure. In a prison that is concrete, with a jail door, a prison door. We create ourselves external prisons with invisible walls and we allow the invisible walls known as fear to pin us down to what we live. Such a small, parochial stretch. But the bible says go into all the world, preach and teach. Teach the gospel. The world is yours. Every place, every area, every area of this world belongs to the believer that is faithful enough to step out and go. I'm on a journey. I'm going to live for Jesus. I'm going to travel for Christ. I'm going to live for Christ. I'm going to go where the Holy Spirit takes me. Don't live inside the four invisible walls that we create. Don't be fearful. Be faithful.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely yeah, the evidence of things not seen. I've got here the proof, indication, evidence like a legal testimony.
Speaker 1:A.
Speaker 3:Christian believer has a testimony. And we live in this world and, like as you were talking about the four walls I was thinking of, like the electronic prison, like with the phones and technology, it can be a snare as well. It can trap us with with our focus we can be glued to the screens and not find that we're captivated by it all. But the lord desires to set the captive free yes and he that is free is free.
Speaker 2:Indeed, that's a beautiful scripture, isn't it?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah, but we, if you're free, if the lord has set you free and he stripped you back, you've allowed. You've allowed something in your life to be stripped back and you can see the fruit of it please god. That's evidence of of faith and really, when you start to see, oh, there were like 10 different things that I wanted to buy, there can be desires for things in life that are of ourselves.
Speaker 3:Yes, but actually, if you're daring enough to really let go of those desires, what's at the root of it the Lord can so quickly set you free. Amen, but we're reluctant. The flesh wars against the spirit.
Speaker 2:It does, it really does.
Speaker 3:And it doesn't want to let go of certain things.
Speaker 2:It's quite frightening. It is frightening. We have to be completely open and honest. Fear and faith run together. Fear and faith, they run very close together. You only got to look at the disciple that jumped out of the boat. He jumped out in faith. Then he looked at the size of the storm around him and then he became fearful and he began to sink. So they run very close together. They're in the same breath, they're in the same heartbeat, but we've got to be faithful, we've got to do everything, and the temperature at the moment and the spiritual temperature and the heaviness of life can almost push faith out of you.
Speaker 2:And this government that we've got in the uk is so anti-christ, so against the gospel of peace, so for every other world religion and not for jesus christ of nazareth. Wherever you are across this world, brothers and sisters we've got just a few moments left of this recording, this podcast and wherever you are across this amazing earth that God has brought in, be faithful, be steadfast, trust in the Lord and do not lean on your own understanding. Lean on your own understanding. Sisters and brothers, we've got about nine minutes left and we want to encourage you around the world. Don't be hemmed in by the walls that we create. Be faithful and look outside of the fence of life and say Lord, I want to be. I want to be recognized as a faithful believer in scripture, in Jesus, I want to be remembered. I want people to see me now trusting in God and his unfailing love.
Speaker 2:What does life look like in your eyes, wherever you are across the world? What is your life reflecting at this moment? Are you trapped by socialism, by the world's trappings, or are you free? Because who the sun sets free is free. Indeed, there's a great scripture that the Pentecostal movement loves to bounce about on a church day who the sun sets free. We're free.
Speaker 2:And then we walk out the church doors and we get in the car that's bought on hp, and then we drive back and we put fuel in the car on credit card, and then we might use a debit card, but then we realize that the money that we're earning isn't enough and then it goes into overdraft. And then we get home and we live in a house that is really not ours. It belongs to the mortgage company. Are you really living? Are you really living how you want to live? Are you really tired of life? At this moment in time. We want to encourage you, find out who you are in Christ. Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for. What are you hoping for? Are you hoping that God is going to shape you and mould you, or are you hoping for that promotion? Are you hoping for the new house? Are you hoping to be healed? There's two types of hope. There's the worldly hope, or you can be in the gospel of hope. There's only one place.
Speaker 3:We need to be mark yeah, that's right, and I think, uh, as, as you were speaking, just reminded me of how the world, how do we see ourselves and how does, how do we feel in this world are or do we feel that something's not right? Are we defined by the world? Because if Christ strips us back and gives us life, he'll show us who we really are, and there's a lot that we have to let go of.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 3:And we just can't even see it. We might go to church on a Sunday and think that everything's great and not really give much attention to certain ways of thinking that we just have, that we just covet more riches or lust for someone or numerous other issues anger.
Speaker 2:Pride, yeah, the pride of life, mark. The pride of life is so, so corruptive and we can forget that one, can't we? The pride of man, the pride of life, when that gets in us, that gets in us, you know, through business, through life, through ministry, through every area. Lord, I think the prayer for me is take arrogance away if I'm arrogant, take pride away, take all these worldly things away and increase my faith, increase my faith, jesus.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think the crux of it is that our flesh wars against the spirit.
Speaker 2:Yes, it does, so we expect… Completely, doesn't it?
Speaker 3:We expect the spirit to just cleanse us. Romans 5,. We are justified by faith, but are we being sanctified? Such a difference are we allowing the old life to be stripped back, and that means daring to let go of things that hold us back. Um, like you say, arrogance or certain things. I don't think god, I don't think the spirit just takes it away.
Speaker 2:No.
Speaker 3:Mark, I think we, if we go long enough in the flesh, we'll find ourselves being chastened.
Speaker 2:Completely.
Speaker 3:And then we'll recognise it.
Speaker 2:You'll really feel the sword of the Lord.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we'll recognise what we have to let go of.
Speaker 2:Please God but sometimes that's a big drum to beat.
Speaker 3:Even as you grow in the faith, substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. What faith would it take to say I know, lord, that you have power and your ways are good and I need to let go of this. And by faith I'm going. I want to let this go. My flesh doesn't. My flesh wants to hold on to all sorts of bitterness and I'm not even going to grip my teeth. If I forgive someone, I'm genuinely going to have the peace to truly love them.
Speaker 2:Wow, as my neighbor and then that great new testament writer writes why do I do the things I hate and why can't I do the things I know that I should do? So there's that, that war, as you're saying, mark that war. As you're saying, mark that war of skin and bone. There's that war of self. There's that war that rages against the commands of God. There is that fleshly suit that is completely wanting everything of the world. But we've got to recognize that. We've got to die to self and pick up your cross. And that takes faith. That takes faith to say die to self, lord, I've got to give this, that up, this them, that, this Lord, I tell you, brothers and sisters, being a Christian and we are not just talking about, because that word is very, very loosely used being a Bible-believing believer, a John 3, 3, born again.
Speaker 2:Wow, what a journey. It will be like a yo-yo journey. It will be like a rollercoaster journey. There'll be peaks, there'll be troughs, there'll be mid-places, there'll be mountain experiences, there'll be halfway experiences. 'll be halfway experiences, lord, please, jesus, mark, we've literally got three minutes yep we're there at the door.
Speaker 2:How are we going to bring this to some form of a full stop? Just a comma, maybe, just a?
Speaker 3:yeah, I mean, if we, if we want blessings in life, if we really want to see the fruit of God in our lives and in our families, there is something we have to let go of self. And letting go of self can lead us into places where we could have never imagined. Maybe you're holding a grudge against a family member or family issues, and the Lord can open a way.
Speaker 3:Yes, lord please, Because he gives you peace. He gives you peace to go into a place and love your neighbour and not, yeah, to let go of things. Yeah, there's. There's a lot of hurts in life and every, every believer has, has their trial and and we all have to pick up our cross and if we ask of the Lord, he'll give us the sustenance we need.
Speaker 2:He'll give us the strength. Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 3:And as we pray and ask for that strengthening, then we'll see it, we'll appreciate it, rejoice in it and yeah it's….
Speaker 2:It's so important, mark, isn't it, to ask god to strip us back of everything, absolutely everything, and say, lord, show us your will and your purpose and your plan. It is critical critical that we seek the face of the father, the power of the word and the holy spirit, and wherever you are across this world. We're're just going to read out Hebrews 11, verse 1. As we come to a close, we thank God for Mark, for bringing to the table everything that God has placed on his heart today. We thank God for your lives, wherever you are across the world, and we're just going to read this last scripture from Hebrews 11, verse 1. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, verse 1,. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for. Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Speaker 2:Sisters and brothers, we thank you for joining us today, whatever your time zone is around this world. May God strengthen you and bless you in the mighty name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and never give up the faith. Keep pressing into the word of God. God is with you wherever you are. Stay safe, stay in the word of God. God loves you. Christ loves you. The Holy Spirit is with you. The Holy Spirit is your comforter. God bless, we'll see you soon. Take care, every blessing to you and your family, or just yourself. Wherever you are, stay safe. Stay in the word In Jesus' name.
