NOW Faith - Pt. 3: From Absent to Active Faith | Pastor Justin Simmons | September 1, 2024

[Music] [Music] he [Music] hey there friend Pastor Justin Simmons with Life Source Church Perry Hall coming to you with what I believe is going to be a message that brings hope and healing and restoration to your life I believe it's going to be a word that as it ministers to you as you listen it's going to draw you closer and closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I want to ask you to tune in through the duration of the word and at the conclusion of the word to meet me back here where we're going to to pray together and believe that God is going to do something powerful in your life I'll see you in a few moments so we're going to go to the Book of Luke Chapter uh 8 and I'm going to read a few scriptures starting at verse 22 and it says a following now it happened on a certain day that he got into a boat talking about Jesus with his disciples and he said to them let us cross over to the other side of the lake and they launched out out but as they sailed he fell asleep and a windstorm came down on the lake and they were filled with water and were in Jeopardy and they came to him and awoke him saying master master we are perishing then he arose and rebuked the wind and the Raging of the water and they ceased and they there was a calm but he Jesus said to them where is your faith and they were afraid of marveled saying to one another who can this be for He commands even the winds water and they obey him and I the question that I want us to think about Jesus said to his disciples where is your faith and today I want to talk about going from the absence of Faith to activated Faith father God I pray for the next few moments that in this room that you would activate the faith of every person in this place this morning Father God where we have uh had doubts and disbelief I rebuke doubt and I rebuke this belief today in the people of god father I pray Lord let Faith increase let Faith be activated for every circumstance and situation that anyone in this room is going through today I know and I still believe in you and your word Lord God and I choose today by fath Faith to stand on every promise that you have declared in your word can somebody say I choose I choose to stand upon to stand upon every promise every promise of the word of God of the word of God by Faith Lord we say this today in the name of Jesus Christ we pray amen and amen you be seated in the presence of the Lord when you look up the word faith in the Mariam Webster dictionary you'll find the definition of the word faith to mean uh Fidelity to one's promises or faithfulness to one's promises it means to believe to have belief and Trust in and loyalty to God and firm belief in something for which you cannot see and if you look at your dictionary faith will be listed as uh a noun does anybody still remember English class it might have been 40 years ago for some but does any anybody still remembering English do they even teach English still I don't even know if they do anymore but back when we had actually it was called English but really uh I think it was grammar anybody remember grammar classes right and they taught you what a noun was now what is a noun somebody say it it is a person a place and a thing or an idea is is uh is a noun but when you look up the word faith it has these definitions that I read just a moment ago and it says it's a noun but how many know that faith is not just a person place or a thing but faith is also an action faith is a verb if you know what a verb is you know from your grammar class back in high school that a verb is an action word that it what so when we say that Faith or the dictionary says that faith is having a Fidelity and faithfulness to one's promises that what we have to do is we have to put into action but believing uh in those promises we have to practice our belief and Trust in the and be uh and be loyal to God we have to put into action and practice our firm belief in something for which we cannot see raise your hand if you ever prayed for something and you didn't have it you didn't receive it you at that moment yet but you believe that you were they were coming to a day where that thing that you were hoping for and believing for that even if you're hand was empty in the moment you prayed prayers and you said things that sounded like you already had it in the palm of your hand raise your hand if you've ever prayed prayers like that before that's having an active kind of a faith and uh and I want to say this that raise your hand if you've grown up in church for a long time raise your hand if you've seen things for many different things that happen in churches and I've Been Around Church of God people Pentecostal Holiness people Assemblies of God people non-denominational people Lutheran people Methodist people Baptist people we've all up sure been around different uh people from different uh denominations and church circles but um if anybody if you're like me um I tend to be a very I try to be a very observant person when I'm hearing things that are coming out of the mouth of the people of God and one thing that I have kind of come to a conclusion us on and I came to this conclusion many different uh uh several years ago was that when I talk to people and I had hear conversations and people you know we're just being humans we're talking about uh things that we're struggling with we're talking about uh things that uh maybe we're battling about healthwise or we're talking about our finances we're just we're just you know being the people of God and and casting our burdens and our cares you know not just at the feet of Jesus but one to another why because we're looking for somebody to edifi edify us and to strengthen us and give us maybe a word of encouragement and a word of Hope but one thing that stands out to me as I have heard uh the words of many people over different circumstances and situations is that it seems that at times people's faith can be very selective based upon the circumstance and situation that they're facing that some people will say well pray I have enough faith for God to save me and praise God how many of you know that it's by grace that you have been saved through faith and it is a gift of God not not by works lest any man shall boast is what Ephesians chapter 2 verse 89 has to say I thank God it's by faith that you are saved but when some people some people will say well I believe and I have faith for God to save me but how many of you ever been around people when you start to talk about things like healing in your body that all of a sudden you start to hear uh what sounds like people that will vasolate in their faith when I say vasolate I'm talking about they kind of go back and forth on their FA anybody know what I'm talking about in this place this morning ever been around people like that that they believe God is able to save they believe that God is able uh to do one thing but then when you start talking about something perhaps Supernatural and you're talking about the miraculous or you're talking about uh something that in the eyes of man looks like an impossible circumstance to overcome and you begin to talk by faith how many have you ever been around people that are like I don't know about all that that's right but I just want to say for the record that I believe that God wants us to have an activated faith not just a faith believing that he is mighty and able to save like the word of God says but but that we have the kind of faith that the Bible talks about where there is nothing impossible for our God does anybody still believe in this place today while you raise your hand right here right now in this Church of God in 20124 on September 1st that you still believe that there is absolutely positively nothing that is impossible for your God is there anybody in this place and when I say nothing I'm talking about that healing in your body I'm talking about that Financial breakthrough that you need for your family I'm talking about your addicted children that are on drugs that are running the streets homeless broken busted and disgusted that have been out of Psych homes that have been out of hospitals that have been on the methadone and have been on this program and that program that hasn't worked out but I want to tell you that I still believe that my God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or even think and I still believe that there is nothing impossible for our God Amen God doesn't want our faith to vacillate back and forth he wants you to trust in him in all times and in all circumstances not just for your salvation but what what he wants you to do is trust in him in every sector of your life every sector of your life that when you're sick and you get a bad doctor's report he wants you to activate your faith he when you when you get fired from your job that you trust and you believe God that not only is he going to give you another job but he's going to even give you better because he's a good good father but when you spend 18 years of your life raising up from the cradle to the 18year old age your children and you're instilling the things of God into their life and then when they get 18 and 19 and they walk away from it then it seems like that all the 18 years that you've spent I'm talking to a mom and dad that the 18 years that you spent putting the things of God into their life the Investments that you made and you might feel like that all those things have gone on to waste that he wants you and I to activate our faith and trust in him hope in him place your hope in him today that he is going to do what he said in his word that he would do he will if when you train up a child in the ways of the Lord that when they get old that they will not depart from it some of y'all have prodal children I'm with you I empathize with you but you got to choose to not believe believe the words of the enemy to believe the lie of the devil that there is no hope I want to say My Hope Is In Jesus I still believe I've not lost my faith that he's able to do what he said in his word that he's able to do and your faith will only go your faith will only go as far as your hope and him goes this is why we got to not lose hope in this hour don't lose your faith what the PSAL what did the psalmist he said put your hope in God for I will yet praise him some of y'all got to get a yet praise back you know what a yet praise is Clint Brown says it's a praise that makes no sense it's a praise that when you're going through hell in high water and the and the eyes of man should look at you and say oh they should be depressed they should be walking around like Eeyore with their tail tuck between their legs and their head hanging down to the ground that doesn't make no sense put your hope in God and have a yet praise praise him in the midst of the valley Praise Him in the M midst of the battle Praise Him in the midst of the dry season praise him when the enemy comes in against you and place your hope and trust in God but don't vasolate in your faith we got to have a faith that we stand strong no matter what comes our way that we say I will have a yet Praise My Hope Is in him my trust is in him don't lose your faith church and in Luke 8 where faith that we see this story and it's a remarkable story and you know I read it I read this story the other day and the Holy Spirit began to speak to me to the point where I actually had to write down what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me because as I was reading Luke chapter 8 in this story and we see a story of the disciples they're getting on a and Jesus is with them make note of that that Jesus is with them the Bible says that they launched out and that when the storm came when the waters began to rise and the waters began to come in the boat they went into a panic and a frenzy Terror was in their hearts but we know the story that Jesus was asleep and he was just rested on the boat and the Bible says that we just read it a moment ago that Jesus they that Jesus and said we're perishing we're dying and Jesus gets up he rebukes the wind he rebukes the waves he make and all of a sudden this Cal comes and he says and he looks at his disciples and he says where is your faith and when I read this story the Holy Spirit spoke to me immediately and I had to put this down and I'm gon to this is a prophetic word that I want to read to you for a moment I want you to follow me I had to write it down and type it down because the Holy Spirit began to flow and speak through this word and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said that this is the state of faith of many people in the body of Christ today that they let me in on the boat of their lives they launch out in their Christian life's journey with me present on their boat but when the storms and trouble Waters come in their life they begin to panic with fear and Terror and although I'm on the boat with them says the spirit of the Lord they only come to me to rescue them in their times of trouble and because of my goodness and my faithfulness says the spirit of the Lord when my people call upon me in times of trouble I will come and I will rescue them and I will be their Refuge says the spirit of the Lord but I do not desire for them to Simply enter into my refuge in their times of trouble but I says the spirit of the Lord am calling my people to enter into my rest rest for the journey rest for the troubles and the trials that lie ahead is there not anything that is too big for me says the spirit of the Lord therefore on this day I am calling my children my people to enter into my rest by faith and watch me bring you through says the spirit of the Lord hallelujah hallelujah this is the word that the L Holy Spirit spoke to me so clearly the other day because we see it time and time again where many people that they invite Jesus into their lives they're on the boat and people will launch out in their spiritual journey and in their faith but then when the troubled waters come their way they all of a sudden began to have fear began to panic there's Terror in their eyes there's uncertainty in their eyes they're get they get shaken in their boots but how many of you know that God wants you to have a faith that'll allow you to Never Be Shaken when the troubles come your way that when the waters rise around you when the when the wind of the storm begins to blow all around you think about it the wind and the waves and everything that was happening they're in a panic but Jesus is asleep that's right how is that possible let me let me let me actually back up a moment if you go back to Luke chapter 7 you'll see a story of where the disciples are with Jesus and they watch then as they see Jesus uh bring a a son of a widow back to life the son was dead they were carrying him in the streets and the Bible says that Jesus came over and brought that boy back to life brought that widow's son back to life Jesus they just the discip deciples just saw Jesus do this one chapter ago and then all of a sudden the next chapter they're on the boat and the storms are coming the waters are rising the waters are getting their boat and they're in a panic and a fear and they note in that story that they waited till their life was in Jeopardy to come to Jesus take note of that because and this is what how I feel based off of what I read in Luke chapter 7 with what happened with the Widow's son and the events happened in Luke chapter 8 I tend to believe this that the disciples had faith that Jesus was able to deliver them from Death because they saw a son of a widow be delivered from Death just a short while ago but they didn't have the kind of Faith to trust Jesus on the journey they didn't have the kind of Faith to trust Jesus while they were in the boat Jesus is resting on the boat and I want to tell somebody this morning that on this life Journey yes you're going to have troubles you're going to have Tri and although God is our refuge and he is our Strong Tower and he says if you'll come to me hey I'm going to bring you through I want to tell you this morning before you get in a frenzy before you get in a panic over the troubles that come your way I want to tell you that the spirit of God is inviting you to enter into his rest today resting that he is still Sovereign that he is still in control rest trusting in his word trusting his word this I'm speaking to somebody in this place this morning that needs to hear what I'm saying to you today I thank God that you and I that when we are in a panic and we are in trouble that we can come and we could run to him and he will deliver us I thank God but I'm wondering if there's anybody that would enter into his rest today amen resting about what Pastor resting that your circumstances situation that he is in control of it and no matter when the wind and the waves are blowing all around you and moving all around you and swallowing you up he wants you and I to rest look at your neighbor and say he wants you to rest neighbor he wants you to rest neighbor he wants you to rest in him Jesus is the only one listen to me that's right amen as the children of God we abide in him your Bible says in him listen to me in him we live we move and we have our being and we need to remember the word of God in him we live in him we move I take every step in him and I have my being in him why do we get ourselves in a frenzy and in a panic when all this stuff comes our way when all we have to do is rest and say in him I live in him I move and I in him I have my being enter into his rest today Church amen is what the spirit of the Lord is saying to you today let me break the news to you today he's got it listen to me listen I know hearts are heavy there we are all dealing with so much but how many even you know when the enemy R rushes in like a flood that God will raise up a standard I feel his spirit in this place thank you Lord when all these things come against us we got to look at the one who's resting on the boat yes come to him he's your Refuge but before you call on him to rescue you I want to challenge you to enter into his rest before you call on upon the name of the Lord and be saved and he's so good and he's so faithful that he will rescue you and he will save you and he will deliver you but before you even get to that point I my hope today is you'll enter into his rest am because he's still the one that is asleep on the on the boat he's on the boat let me let me get this in your head for a moment if your Bible says that he'll never leave you or forsake you that when you were on the boat and everything the boat boat is rocking and those waves are so hitting you hard and the wind is blowing you all over the place and you're taken upon water you've got to remember that Jesus is still on the boat you got to remember why because he'll never leave you or forsake you as a child of God he'll never I said he'll never leave you he'll never forsake you there's no man Left Behind when it comes to Jesus when he's on the boat with you never never forget that he is on the boat with you on this boat of Faith this boat of your life all you got to do this is what's so good is all you got to do instead of looking at the waves and the wind look at the one who's resting on the boat Turn Your Eyes to Jesus the author and the finisher of your Faith Church rest in him abide in him says the spirit of the Lord I just I feel his presence in this place I'm sorry church it's easier said and done to rest when hell is coming against you but this is why you can't do it in the flesh and you can't lean on the arm of your flesh this is why you must you must Look to Him set your eyes on Jesus never take your eyes off of him he's going to get you through it Church he's going to bring you through it can you just real quick right now in this room I want I because I feel his presence in this place can you just close your eyes and take a deep breath in your lungs right now just inh take inhale very deeply and just release it father I pray in the name of Jesus Christ every bit of stress and burden right now that there was a release right now in the spirit of those things right now and I'm speaking rest over every person in this house this morning that God has got it under control this is why you and I have to activate our faith in this day that we are in rest in him trust in him he's on the boat with you don't forget it church and this faith that we have to activate you know if you read about Hebrew I wish I had enough time to preach the entire chapter of Hebrews chapter 11 this is the chapter we know as the Hall of Faith all these names written Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and the Bible even says at the end of Hebrews chap 11 there that there the writer Hebrews says there's so many other names and so many other instances of faith that would that that could be written down and talked about it would take up probably the entire Bible just doing every bit of writing from all the people mentioned in the word of God about how Faith was experienced but what the spirit of the Lord wants to do today is to activate your faith in your circumstances act because how many of you know when you begin to activate your faith that what it does is it activates the power of God to move in your situation it activates the power of God so what I want to do real quick is I want to give you three quick things to hold uh to activate your faith if you're taking notes and the first thing I want to give you that the Holy Spirit gave me to tell you today about how to activate your faith number one is that you got to hold on to your confession if you know what the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 10 if we put up Hebrews 10:23 on the screen it says let us and this is the King James it says let us hold fast the profession or the confession of our faith without wavering and look what it says for he is faithful that promis hold fast to your confession let me ask you a question church have you ever had to say something even when you didn't feel it have you ever had to say and declare something even when you didn't feel it yeah every one of us in this room have you ever had to confess something even when you're not feeling that thing when you're if I could speak to your Humanity for a moment have you ever been downcast and discouraged and you had to look at self in the mirror and say self I know you look downcast and discouraged but I'm going to trust in God you ever had to do that before did you have ever had to confess something even when you didn't feel it I want to they ever had to declare things like as an example you got to tell yourself you ever said things like I'm strong but you're feeling weak right anybody ever said well I'm rich even though you can stick your hand in your pocket and all you can pull out his LM has anybody ever said I've got the victory but you feel defeated let me tell you do not let go of your confession is what the Bible says hold on to it because the Bible says that the one that made you a promise is faithful and that word profession it's a Greek word it's the Greek word homologia it's two Greek words the Greek word homo which is where we get our word homogeneous it's the Greek word homo is the word that means uh same kind and logos if you heard the word logos talked about before it's the Greek word and it means words let me teach this for a moment has anybody ever read a book before and as you're reading a book uh written by an author and you're reading those words that all of a sudden you stop and you say something like I agree with what he just said anybody ever done that before right we do it all the time we read something that is and and what it is is the author is writing by pen or typing up on their computer and what the author is doing is is that they are putting their thoughts and opinions and they are putting them down on paper they're putting down Revelations uh uh of scripture of what the scriptures uh says that the Holy Spirit has given them and have you ever read those words have you ever read them and said oh I agree with what this author is writing anybody done that yes I think we've done it all the time if is there anybody that reads by the I just want to check we're going to do a check anybody read in this place I just want to make sure reading hasn't gone extinct praise God okay when you read these things and you're like well I agree with them we do it all the time and we read or hear the words someone has spoken and stated and what happens is is when we agree with those words do you know what happens is when you read something you're like oh I agree with that then all of a sudden what happens is is the words that are written by that author and you come into agreement with those words that all of a sudden what happen happens is is that that word written by that author all of a sudden then becomes your word because you come into agreement it becomes your opinion it becomes your train of thought and how you think when you read the Bible and you see what the writer of a book of the Bible has to say and you're like well amen I agree with it that what that happens inside of you is that all of a sudden that word written by Paul or whoever it is it all of a sudden becomes your word are you following me church and what happens is is what this scripture in Hebrews chapter 10 is saying is hold on to your confession meaning this that we let us come into agreement with God and begin to speak what he has already spoken and hold tight to what we confess without wavering what God is looking for is for you and I to come into agreement with his word when that scripture says hold fast to your confession or in the new King James it says hold fast to your confession of Faith what go what the writer is trying to say to you and I today is that let us come into agreement with what God has already said in his word and make his word my word Let It Be dwelling in my heart and this is what happens when you come into agreement with the word of God and his word becomes your word that when you begin to pray and you begin to decree the word of God that what happens is those words are not empty and without power because you've come into agreement with his word and his word is now your word this is why you get into a prayer meeting and people will begin to pray and decree the word of God like the book of Jeremiah says that I will give them a heart to know me and I will be their God when you hear things like like that prayed in a prayer meeting that what the people are saying is is God has given the word and I'm coming into agreement with his word and his word is now my word because his word is full of power and I'm GNA speak it I'm going to prophesy it I'm going to declare it over my circumstance over my situation because how many of you know that there is power that is within the words of that Bible he says hold fast to your confession hold fast and he says do not waver I was thinking about something recently the Bible talks about in Romans chapter 4 talks about the story of Abraham a little bit and if we could put up Romans 4: 20- 21 the Bible says this and this should be good news this could to be good news for somebody with what I'm going to say the Bible says this about Abraham him that he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief I'm going to stop there for a moment because can I be completely transparent about this this scripture right here I read this many many years ago and do you know that this is one of those scriptures that I read and I had trouble with when I read it because if you know the story of Abraham look I mean this is what he did he was he was given a promise by God and he got another woman pregnant why because he was TR trying to bring up fulfill the promise of God by working and leaning on the arm of his flesh and we would look at that and we would say well I think looks like to me that Abraham wavered in his faith because he tried to bring about the promise of God F the Fulfillment of the promise of God by acting in the flesh and we would look at that real quick and say well you know he it looks like he wavered in his faith but Paul wrote to the in Romans chapter 4 that Abraham didn't waver at the promise of God through unbelief but strengthened in faith giving glory to God so the question that we have to ask ourselves well was Abraham strong and he didn't waver or did he waver in a moment of weakness did God is the Bible lying to us when the Bible says that he did not waver when I read in the Book of Genesis that it looks like to me that there's a bit of wavering and this is what the Holy Spirit spoke to me how how many of you are thankful that when you have moments of wavering in your faith that God does not call you unfaithful how many we are this is good news for you today because raise your hand if you've had moments of actual wavering in your faith raise your hand if you've had struggles and you've had stumbles and Falls but how many could thank God today that he doesn't look at that time when you fell and you were unfaithful to him and say well he's not he or she is not faithful to me no it's the same thing that uh that God applied to Abraham that God applies to you and I today we ought to thank God that he says although he stumbled although he fell although he had a moment where it looked like he wavered that that I'm going to say this I'm going to say no he did not waver he's a man of faith I thank God because this is how you and I are church amen this is why you can't believe the lie of the devil that when you Stone and you have a moment of weakness in the flesh that all of a sudden that you're Unfaithful and all of a sudden you start buying and believ in the LIE of the enemy I want you to look at that what God said about Abraham he called him faithful he said it counted unto him as righteousness aren't you glad this morning that when you mess things up and your life gets crazy for a season and a time that God doesn't look at you and identify you by your past but he looks at what you are doing even now and he looks at your heart he sees your heart for Him Your Love for him your faithfulness to him and he says she and she she's faithful he's faithful we ought to thank God for that church amen and not buy into the LIE of the enemy to believe that a moment of where I go CRA raise your hand if you've ever gone crazy before done something stupid I did it yesterday I'm sure my wife tells me all the time that's just dumb like yeah I know I know I'm I'm a guy what can I say honey sorry this is how God Made Me but guess what I thank God that he looks at me he says that man is still faithful that woman is still faithful I thank God isn't it good to know how he sees you and I today he sees you through the same lens he saw Abraham and you gotta you got to hold on to your confession that's the first point a second point to activating your faith sorry my mouth's a little dry just because of dealing with this cold I rebuke sickness and colds in Jesus name I rebuke that and here's the thing I went all week long feeling fine and then I get to the weekend and I start to feel miserable I rebuke that devil in the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke the enemy in the name of Jesus Christ no place no position No Authority and the weapon his weapons against me they shall not Prosper amen second thing to to activating your faith is you got to open your mouth and speak it's one thing to think that God is able to do it it's another thing to speak that God is able to do it I know that there are people in this church that will say well I know that in your mind you'll say I know that he's able to heal me no start declaring the healing over your body in Jesus name well you sound a little Word of Faith to me yeah let me tell you I don't care what the label is that the world tries to put out there or religious people try to put well this is Word of Faith and you're speaking All That Word of Faith stuff let me tell you what this is what the enemy does with all the stereotypes that are going back and forth in the church these days understand what the enemy is trying to do he's trying to steal your hope that's right can you look past all of that argument on the surface for a moment and realize the strategy of the devil is trying to steal your hope in this hour and people were like well you know I'm not all into all that word of faith stuff and everything like that no I have faith that that what the word of God says that it shall come to pass for me for my family for my household for my nation for my church and so on and so forth and you're not going to take my hope because you're wrapped up in a religious argument in some circle somewhere I just went on a tangent somewhere but I just had to get that out but you got to open up your mouth and speak why because words are powerful when you declare a thing decree a thing it shall be established the other day I was watching you remember I think 13 years ago or so it was a Christian movie came out called Facing the Giants anybody know that movie football movie right I was watching this movie I'm in I'm by myself by the way and the Holy Spirit just started moving in my basement I started crying I'm like why am I crying Lord don't I don't understand why I'm crying but this is but the Holy Spirit began to speak to this movie because these young men these young boys in high school they were in a locker room they were on the field and they were getting ready to go into a game three days later and the Bible or I'm sorry and the movie shows that these kids began to already speak defeat and losing that game and they weren't even in the game in that moment the game was three days away and they were already speaking with a defe mentality and the coach had to get a hold of them and put some sense into them and said well if you have an attitude like that it is going to happen we are going to lose I believe that people in the body of Christ you need to get an attitude check today and check the words that are coming out of your mouth today over your circumstance and over your situation because your words have power Jesus said in Mark 11 he said have faith in God for assuredly I say to you whoever says to this mountain be removed and be cast into the sea and watch what he says after that and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things he what says will be done and he will will have whatever he what says therefore I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray believe that you will receive them and you will what have them you've got to understand the power of the tongue and the power of your words amen the writer of Proverbs Solomon said in chapter 6 I believe in verse two he said that you've become entrapped and snared by your words when you begin to speak doubt and disbelief and failure over your situation what you are doing is you are allowing your words to entrap you from exercising and activating the faith in God that he is able to do all things amen it's time that you get that trap off of you set yourself free by the grace and the power of God through the spirit of God get out of that trap stop speaking words of Doubt disbelief and death over your situation and begin to speak words of faith and life that God is able to do what he said he's able to [Applause] do he also said this in Luke 17 he said if you have faith as a mustard seed you can say to this malberry tree be pulled up by the roots and be planted by the Sea and would obey you and you know what the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said some people have been trying to cast out mountains out of their situation when it's not a mountain that is in front of you but it's a malberry tree we all get into I'm speaking to that mountain that shall be moved rarely you ever hear anybody say I'm speaking to that malberry tree that it shall be moved you know what the difference between a mountain and a malberry tree if you look at a malberry tree their root system is evasive and destructive that bush that's out there that godforsaken bush that's outside the church that's from hell I'm I'm telling you right now that's a somebody said that that's a malberry bush and no matter how many times I cut that down two weeks later that thing is growing back up and I have had people drill holes into the stump pour down poison and kill her and that thing still will not stop coming maybe what I need to do is go after church and go lay hands and anoint that thing with oil and rebuke it in the name of Jesus Christ and say get into the sea and get out of my [Applause] soil the roots of that malberry tree are invasive and they're destructive to the soil but here's the thing about the malberry tree that's uh incredible if a malberry tree or a malberry bush is growing around a building that has a foundation the malberry tree will not penetrate the found Foundation it will just destroy the soil that lies around the foundation until the foundation becomes weak and it begins to buckle and what the Holy Spirit spoke to me is that there's many people speaking the mountains but you've got something deeply rooted in your soul and in your life and God is not calling you to speak to the mountain he's calling you to speak to the malberry tree because that thing is taken root and it is tried to be destructive to your faith destructive to your hope destructive to your peace destructive to your joy and the spirit of the Lord is has given somebody the power to recognize that it is not a mountain that is in your way it is a malberry tree that can that has taken root The Roots have gone out they have gone deep but the Bible says all you need is just a little tiny bit of Faith the size of a mustard seed and you can speak to that mberry tree and it shall obey you and be cast into the sea father God I'm speaking the malberry trees in this place in Jesus name things that have taken root that have gone deep to destroy hope destroy peace and Destroy people's faith I declare that thing be plucked out and derooted in the name of Jesus Christ amen good I hate that malberry tree I mean I I'm telling you right now that thing I mean I can't I I literally it it right now that thing it's testing every bit of my my my faith right now I'm gonna tell you right now but I'm gonna tell you right now you just need that grain of a mustard SE kind of a faith I'm speaking to that thing in the name of Jesus Christ that that thing's coming out of the ground there's something prophetic about that thing right now by the way with what I'm saying to you in this church this morning I mean that thing gets cut back and then 2 days later it's eaten the whole entire side of the church the sidewalk is gone you can't even walk on the sidewalk anymore you can't park your vehicle over there you can't even you can't even walk uh uh on the sidewalk to get to this Doorway to get into the church you got to walk out in the street in the parking lot Dodge people's cars and everything I rebuke that malberry bush in Jesus name and I rebuke the malberry bushes that have taken plant in your life in the name of Jesus Amen there's power that is in your words speak to the mountain speak to the malberry tree you know it was the preacher Kenneth Hagen that he wrote a book he said how to loose your faith and I feel that we got to just take the limits off take the shackles off and loosen our faith in this hour you know the Bible says this in 2 Corinthians 4:13 he says and since we have look this is what he said to the Church of Corinth since we have the same Spirit of Faith do you know that the same spir even if you have a Measure of Faith I believe everybody in this room has a Measure of Faith but although you might have a different Measure of Faith from this preacher or the person sitting next to you we have the same Spirit of faith that is in this room and on every believer in this place and he says and since we have the same Spirit of Faith look at what Paul wrote and this is powerful according to what is written I believe beli D and therefore I spoke so there we also believe and therefore speak what is he saying he's saying if you believe it speak it if you believe the Bible say it don't let the devil rob you of your faith by saying I don't know if he's able to do it no if the Bible says that he is able to do what he said in his word that he would do that you believe it and therefore you speak it in the name of Jesus Christ I hope this is a good word for somebody today I want to I'm going to wrap this up today Lord help me if you can stand up to your feet because I'm closing and it's a short point that I want to make in closing and before I say that point let me say this one more thing about your words that the measure your Measure of Faith is weighted by the power of your words your measure faith is waited by the power of your words are you hearing what I said when you begin to declare the word of God even when you don't see it even when you don't feel it when you feel opposite of it but you stand upon the word of God and you declare it am I saying it's going to happen instantaneously no I'm not but what I am saying is what will happen instantaneously it your faith will begin to increase your faith will begin to to grow and you'll step into a greater Measure of Faith than you have before and the last thing I want to give very very quickly to activate your faith is you got to walk by faith and not by sight you can't walk by faith in accordance to what you're seeing in the natural when you get a Bad Doctor report and you go into the doctor's office I said it a couple weeks ago I dare the next time you go into a doctor's office and the doctor say here's the doctor's report that you look your doctor Square in the eye and you say well I'm going to believe in the report of the Lord that by his son's Stripes I'm Healed am I saying that it might hap it's going to happen instantaneously or it might happen no but the Bible says in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 that they believe at the end of it it says that they believed in all the promises of God but didn't receive all of them that's what the Bible says they believed what does that mean they believed and they spoke they believed and they spoke just as the Apostle Paul said even when they didn't receive it and some people leave this world and they don't receive their healing in the natural but I want to tell you and I was thinking about sister Judy just yesterday as I was thinking about this word that although she suffered in her body in the end and People Prayed sister Sharon prayed and we believe for a healing in her body I want to tell you although it didn't happen here on this Earth she is healed today and she is walking in her perfected body without any sickness any disease any suffering because she's in the presence of the Lord but just because you don't receive it on this Earth at times doesn't mean you stop believing it and you stop saying it you continue to say and to continue to speak and hold on to your confession and walk by faith in the Amplified 2 Corinthians 5:7 says for if we walk by faith meaning we regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things with trust and holy fervor thus we walk not by sight or by appearance you've got to put your faith not just in your put in your speech but also in your steps in what you do James wrote a whole bit about this in the Book of James chapter 2 he he questions somebody he says you say you're going to show me your faith through your works I'm going to show you your faith my faith by my Works Bible says that Abraham's Faith was justified by what he did the Bible says that faith without works is dead Faith what does that mean that you have got to walk and carry yourself in a manner on this Earth as if you believe every word that the God said in the Bible every promise that he said for you and your family and you've got to not just speak it you got to not just hold on to the confession of it but you got to carry yourself in a manner and walk this thing out every day as if you believe it and when you do that your faith will be activated and the Bible says I was thinking about this Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5 he said let your light shine in in the dark in the Dark World before all men and he says they will see your good works and they will give glory to the father there's something powerful in alignment with what James said because if faith without works is dead in this world as we shine our light Jesus is saying you're going to shine your light in this Dark World by the way you carry the works of faith in your life and the Bible says that that is going to be a light in the darkness the way you carry your works by faith and the Bible also says that when the PE when people see those faithful works in your life that people will look at that and that they will give glory to God for what they see being done before them we've got in this hour to walk by faith and not by what we see happen this is why I haven't lost hope for my nation that I love yeah there's a mess going on yes there is so much chaos that's going around so much division going on around but that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop speaking by faith that God has not done with America that doesn't mean that I'm going to bow my knee and give in and worry and allow my ship and my boat to be rocked and everything like that I'm resting in him knowing that he's got this under control amen what is going on in our nation the polarization the divis divisiveness what is going on with our children in this hour I'm going to choose by faith to rest in him church this is me exercising and acting activating my faith in him in this hour yes it looks dark yes it looks gloomy yes on the outside it looks hopeless I have literally had somebody in this church a couple years ago after a Sunday morning service came up to me and looked me Square in the eyes and said I believe that there is no hope for our children in our public school systems that is a person full of doubt and disbelief and a person that lacks faith and I'm just going to say it as I see it it might look like that on the outside but I am standing on the word of God because his word shall never return void his promises still stand he is still faithful to his word like the writer of the scripture said I read a little while ago that he is still faithful to his word and we got to remember that he is faithful to his word no matter what happens and comes our way church I want you to look at your neighbor right now I felt this because I was thinking about Kenneth Hagen and I promise I'm going to pray and we're going to let you guys go in a moment I want to tell every person in this place loose your faith Lo loosen your faith loose it and let it just go and see what God is able to do is it going to be nerve-wracking prend possibly depending on the circumstance yes it will but my prayer is that you get rest because he's still on the boat with you he's still going through it with you and he's not going to leave you he's not going to abandon you he's not going to forsaken you he's still with you rest in him abide in him trust in him but I want you to look at a neighbor real quick and I I want you to say over your neighbor say neighbor neighbor let your faith loose let your faith loose in this place hey welcome back I'm believing that message that you just listened to a moment ago has changed your life forever I'm believing that the Holy Spirit moved upon you while tuning into that word and that today is a day where you are ready to make a decision to make Jesus Christ as your lord and savior if you've never made that decision to make him the Lord and savior of your life but today is the day where you want to say yes to Jesus I want to invite you just to pray this prayer with me to just say Jesus I thank you for saving me I thank you for redeeming me me and I believe that you are the Son of God I believe that you have risen from the grave and that you are coming again and today Jesus I repent and I turn away from my Wicked Ways the old things have passed away and today I'm stepping into a new way of life through you Lord so come and be the Lord and savior of my life on this day and I thank you for saving me and forgiving me in your name we pray amen and amen hey I am excited that you may have prayed that prayer for the first time today and if you have prayed that prayer I want to invite you to connect with us through our website search for Life Source Church Perry Hall on our Facebook and Instagram subscribe to our YouTube channel we would love to hear from you that you prayed that prayer today for the very first time and just welcome you into the family of the kingdom of God God bless you and have a wonderful rest of your day may the Lord be with you