WEBVTT - Under the Influence -- Part 2 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.920 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, we're discovering how 0:00:03.920 --> 0:00:06.479 to make decisions with the Holy Spirit. 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:09.760 If your personal life is out of the will of God, 0:00:09.760 --> 0:00:12.680 then chances are you'll make a lot of bad decisions 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.760 about the big things in life. But if your personal 0:00:15.760 --> 0:00:18.440 life is walking in the will of God, then you 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:22.560 will naturally begin to make the right decisions about the 0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:26.320 bigger things in life. Hello? Is anybody listening? 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:42.640 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. Mark is founding 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:47.280 pastor of New Life Community Church in Chicago. I'm Wayne Sheppard. Well, 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.159 life is full of tough decisions. Sometimes we come to 0:00:50.200 --> 0:00:53.720 a crossroad and we find ourselves stuck with uncertainty, wondering 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:56.480 which way to go. But as believers, we know that 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:59.160 we should always be seeking first the will of God. 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.120 The question is, how do we know what his will 0:01:02.120 --> 0:01:05.280 really is? How do we find certainty that the decision 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.800 we're making is the decision God wants us to make? Well, 0:01:08.800 --> 0:01:11.120 that's the question we're exploring today as we continue. A 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:15.199 message from pastor Mark Jobe. It's titled Under the Influence. 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:18.679 How do I Know God's will? I want to give 0:01:18.680 --> 0:01:20.720 you a quick insight into the will of God. I 0:01:20.720 --> 0:01:24.880 know God's will for your life. You say, pastor, you 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:27.680 do I? Absolutely. I want to give you this morning 0:01:27.680 --> 0:01:29.759 God's will for your life. If you came in this 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:32.720 place saying, I want to know God's will, then I'm 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:35.440 going to give you the first step in understanding God's 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:39.200 will for your life. Are you ready? It tells us 0:01:39.200 --> 0:01:44.120 in this passage, therefore do not be foolish. Foolish is 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:51.520 the opposite of wise, spiritually speaking. Don't be foolish, be wise, 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:59.000 but understand what the will of the Lord is. Don't 0:01:59.000 --> 0:02:03.170 be foolish. Understand God's will. The apostle Paul is saying, 0:02:03.170 --> 0:02:06.490 I want you to understand God's will for your life. 0:02:07.010 --> 0:02:11.329 Don't be foolish, don't pass it by. Understand God's will. 0:02:11.330 --> 0:02:15.730 And then he says this don't get drunk with wine, 0:02:16.770 --> 0:02:21.410 but instead be full of the spirit. Can I tell 0:02:21.410 --> 0:02:23.250 you this morning what God's will is for your life? 0:02:23.250 --> 0:02:26.250 God's will for your life today is that you be 0:02:26.250 --> 0:02:30.730 filled with the spirit. You say, well, pastor, I don't 0:02:30.730 --> 0:02:32.050 want to know about that. I want to know about 0:02:32.050 --> 0:02:41.450 buying a house. Here's the thing. If you get in 0:02:41.450 --> 0:02:47.770 the will of God personally, then you will find yourself 0:02:47.770 --> 0:02:49.970 in the middle of the will of God in your 0:02:49.970 --> 0:02:54.570 big decisions in life. Are you tracking with me? See, 0:02:54.570 --> 0:02:56.570 if I start stepping into the will of God and 0:02:56.570 --> 0:02:58.930 the things that I know, then then the things that 0:02:58.930 --> 0:03:01.650 I don't know, I will end up stepping into the 0:03:01.650 --> 0:03:04.530 right decisions at the right time because I'm filled with 0:03:04.530 --> 0:03:07.049 the spirit and I'm saying, God, I want everything that 0:03:07.050 --> 0:03:09.290 you want. I put my life in submission to you. 0:03:09.290 --> 0:03:12.730 I live in your will now, so that therefore, in 0:03:12.730 --> 0:03:15.250 the big decisions of who I marry, where I go, 0:03:15.290 --> 0:03:18.049 what school I go to, I start falling into your 0:03:18.050 --> 0:03:23.610 will because personally, I'm living in your will. If your 0:03:23.610 --> 0:03:25.850 personal life is out of the will of God, then 0:03:25.850 --> 0:03:28.930 chances are you'll make a lot of bad decisions about 0:03:28.930 --> 0:03:32.010 the big things in life. But if your personal life 0:03:32.010 --> 0:03:34.570 is walking in the will of God, then you will 0:03:34.570 --> 0:03:39.089 naturally begin to make the right decisions about the bigger 0:03:39.090 --> 0:03:48.410 things in life. Hello? Is anybody listening? Some of you 0:03:48.410 --> 0:03:51.130 should be asking yourself this question. AM I walking in 0:03:51.130 --> 0:03:54.170 the will of God now? AM I living in the 0:03:54.170 --> 0:03:56.610 will of God now with my life? Because if I am, 0:03:56.610 --> 0:04:00.170 I'll start making the right decisions in the bigger areas 0:04:00.170 --> 0:04:03.220 of life. And it says, This is God's will, that 0:04:03.220 --> 0:04:08.340 you be filled with the spirit. This is not for missionaries, pastors. 0:04:08.380 --> 0:04:10.780 This is not for people that are going to go 0:04:10.820 --> 0:04:13.540 and this is this is God's will for everybody. This 0:04:13.540 --> 0:04:16.380 is God's will for the factory worker. This is God's 0:04:16.380 --> 0:04:21.860 will for the data input person downtown, for the university student. 0:04:21.860 --> 0:04:24.460 This is God's will for the stay at home mother 0:04:24.460 --> 0:04:27.779 who's taking care of her household. This is God's will 0:04:27.779 --> 0:04:30.460 for the teacher that's teaching at a public school. This 0:04:30.460 --> 0:04:34.140 is God's will for every person that is a follower 0:04:34.140 --> 0:04:36.779 of Jesus Christ. His will is that you be filled 0:04:36.779 --> 0:04:39.420 with the spirit. Listen to me well. If you are 0:04:39.420 --> 0:04:42.620 not filled with the spirit, you are not living in 0:04:42.620 --> 0:04:49.580 the will of God. God wants you to be filled 0:04:50.100 --> 0:04:54.779 so that you're in the center of his will. Now. 0:04:57.180 --> 0:05:01.140 What happens when you get filled with the spirit? Well, 0:05:01.140 --> 0:05:05.300 here's what happens. It says, therefore do not be foolish, 0:05:05.300 --> 0:05:08.620 but understand what God's will is. Don't get drunk with wine. Instead, 0:05:08.660 --> 0:05:11.100 be filled with the spirit. And when you get filled 0:05:11.100 --> 0:05:15.420 with the spirit, there's several things that are evidence that 0:05:15.420 --> 0:05:17.620 you are filled with the spirit. You want to know. 0:05:18.100 --> 0:05:20.020 You say, well, I want to know if I'm filled. 0:05:20.020 --> 0:05:21.860 I want to know how I know I'm filled with 0:05:21.860 --> 0:05:23.659 the spirit. How do I know if I'm filled with 0:05:23.660 --> 0:05:26.540 the spirit or not? Well, let me tell you some 0:05:26.540 --> 0:05:32.299 of the characteristics of being filled with the spirit. Number one. 0:05:34.380 --> 0:05:40.299 The filling of the spirit will stir within you an 0:05:40.300 --> 0:05:47.900 urge to praise God and worship God more. Notice what 0:05:47.900 --> 0:05:51.980 it says. Instead, be filled with the spirit. Speak to 0:05:52.020 --> 0:05:56.340 one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing 0:05:56.339 --> 0:06:00.750 and make music in your heart to the Lord. What 0:06:00.750 --> 0:06:03.990 happens when you get filled with the spirit is that 0:06:03.990 --> 0:06:08.350 you want to begin to worship and praise God. The 0:06:08.350 --> 0:06:12.470 desire to exalt his name, the desire to honor him 0:06:12.470 --> 0:06:16.469 and lift him up. It starts swelling up within you. 0:06:16.589 --> 0:06:20.910 I want to worship God. When you're not filled with 0:06:20.910 --> 0:06:24.390 the spirit, it's all about you. It's all about what 0:06:24.390 --> 0:06:26.910 you can do. It's all about your life. It's all 0:06:26.910 --> 0:06:30.630 about your name. It's all about your reputation. It's all 0:06:30.630 --> 0:06:38.030 about your progress. It's all about you. God bless me. 0:06:38.070 --> 0:06:43.909 God help me. God heal me. God make me happy. 0:06:43.910 --> 0:06:47.870 God answer my prayer. And God does that. It's okay 0:06:47.870 --> 0:06:52.430 to pray to God about those things, but listen, the 0:06:52.430 --> 0:06:54.990 Christian life is not about you. It's about God and 0:06:54.990 --> 0:06:57.230 His honor and his glory. And when you're filled with 0:06:57.230 --> 0:07:01.310 the spirit, you start realizing this is not man centered. 0:07:01.350 --> 0:07:06.670 This is not theological humanism. This is a theocentric, a 0:07:06.710 --> 0:07:11.270 God centric Christianity where our life and our Christianity revolves 0:07:11.270 --> 0:07:14.270 around wanting, wanting to give God the honor and the 0:07:14.270 --> 0:07:18.230 glory and the praise because our heart wants to worship him. 0:07:18.230 --> 0:07:20.990 He is high and lifted up, he is exalted, and 0:07:20.990 --> 0:07:23.790 we want to worship him and make sure that we 0:07:23.790 --> 0:07:26.950 exalt his name. And it's about Him and His glory, 0:07:26.990 --> 0:07:37.590 not about us and our comfort. And I'm not talking 0:07:37.590 --> 0:07:41.430 about just coming to worship service and praising. How many 0:07:41.430 --> 0:07:43.390 of you know it's fairly easy in a worship service 0:07:43.430 --> 0:07:48.390 to praise God. The music's going. Hands are waving. You know, 0:07:48.430 --> 0:07:52.630 people are worshiping God. It's pretty easy, pretty easy normally. 0:07:54.270 --> 0:07:59.550 But it's when you go home that it's harder. The 0:07:59.550 --> 0:08:03.120 husband has a nasty attitude. You go to work and 0:08:03.120 --> 0:08:06.800 the boss is demanding. The traffic is bad, the pay 0:08:06.800 --> 0:08:10.880 is low. But you need to be filled with the 0:08:10.880 --> 0:08:14.240 spirit means that your heart wants to praise. Now, I'm 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:16.360 not saying you go around singing all the time. Now 0:08:16.360 --> 0:08:19.880 some of you can. But what I like about this, 0:08:19.920 --> 0:08:23.320 it says singing and making melody in your heart. Some 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:27.320 of you do better just singing in your heart. You 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:29.600 know you're not really a singer. So it doesn't mean 0:08:29.600 --> 0:08:32.440 you worship you. You join the worship team. It doesn't 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:33.679 mean if you're filled with the spirit, you got to 0:08:33.679 --> 0:08:36.160 join the worship team. Uh, some of you, you know, 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:38.880 the Bible says, make a joyful noise. And some of 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:40.640 us are a little out of tune in our singing, 0:08:40.640 --> 0:08:43.079 and we don't know how to sing. So we make noise. 0:08:43.080 --> 0:08:45.000 We make a joyful noise. How many of you know 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:47.600 what I'm talking about? That's why they kick me off 0:08:47.600 --> 0:08:49.560 the worship team. They said, pastor, you make a lot 0:08:49.559 --> 0:08:55.280 of joyful noises. Um, so but but but it's the 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:59.800 idea of having a happiness in our heart that worships God. 0:08:59.800 --> 0:09:03.160 This idea that we're connected with God, that we want 0:09:03.200 --> 0:09:05.800 to praise him. A church that's full of the spirit. 0:09:05.800 --> 0:09:08.439 We don't come on Sunday mornings just to sing a 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.880 medley of songs. We come to worship the living God. 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:14.839 There's something about our heart that that is, that is 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:18.800 touched and revived about worshiping. We want to touch heaven. 0:09:18.800 --> 0:09:21.360 We want to bring God glory. We want to make 0:09:21.360 --> 0:09:24.480 sure Jesus is lifted up. We enjoy the glory of 0:09:24.480 --> 0:09:26.960 God and the presence of God. We want to make 0:09:26.960 --> 0:09:29.920 sure that his name is exalted, that he is high 0:09:29.960 --> 0:09:33.040 above any other name. And there's something inside of us 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:36.240 that wants to give honor and glory to God who 0:09:36.280 --> 0:09:39.960 saved us, changed us, delivered us, healed us, washed us. 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:42.600 There's something about it that makes us want to love 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:46.880 God and exalt the name of the Lord. That's why 0:09:46.880 --> 0:09:49.319 you'll never run into a spirit filled church. That's not 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:53.679 a worshiping church. Spirit filled churches, people that are full 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.000 of God. They're worshiping churches. They love to worship God. 0:09:57.000 --> 0:10:00.090 They want to worship God. They enjoy the Joy, the 0:10:00.090 --> 0:10:02.770 worship of God. That's part of who they are. That's 0:10:02.770 --> 0:10:05.170 part of what it means to be full of the spirit. 0:10:06.850 --> 0:10:10.449 But it doesn't end there. He says, speak to one 0:10:10.450 --> 0:10:13.410 another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and 0:10:13.410 --> 0:10:16.290 make music in your heart to the Lord. Verse 20. 0:10:16.330 --> 0:10:21.410 Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in 0:10:21.410 --> 0:10:23.570 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not only does 0:10:23.570 --> 0:10:26.810 it make us a worshiping people, a people that likes 0:10:26.809 --> 0:10:29.530 to lift up the name of God. But when you 0:10:29.570 --> 0:10:32.610 know you're filled with the spirit, when you start getting 0:10:32.610 --> 0:10:38.050 an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving towards God, this is 0:10:38.050 --> 0:10:41.929 what it says, always giving thanks to God the Father 0:10:41.929 --> 0:10:48.770 for everything, everything, everything. Hey, that doesn't give a lot 0:10:48.770 --> 0:10:52.410 of wiggle room, does it? That means you give thanks 0:10:52.410 --> 0:10:57.690 and the good and the bad. Sometimes your Thanksgiving is 0:10:57.730 --> 0:11:02.130 a sacrifice. How about it? Have you ever had to 0:11:02.170 --> 0:11:06.330 give God a sacrifice of praise? I mean, there's times 0:11:06.330 --> 0:11:08.690 when it's. Hey, it's easy, man. Something just happened. It's 0:11:08.690 --> 0:11:11.929 a good news. Yeah. Thank God. God, you are good. 0:11:13.490 --> 0:11:15.930 Other times, it's. I'm. I'm going to force myself to 0:11:15.970 --> 0:11:18.170 thank God right now because I really don't feel like it. 0:11:24.970 --> 0:11:27.570 You're listening to the Bible teaching of Mark Jobe here 0:11:27.570 --> 0:11:31.170 on Bold Steps. We're pausing today's message just to remind 0:11:31.170 --> 0:11:33.410 you that we're always happy to hear from listeners like 0:11:33.410 --> 0:11:35.730 you about your own journey of faith and how God 0:11:35.730 --> 0:11:38.090 is using this program to make a difference in your life. 0:11:38.090 --> 0:11:40.450 Just like the message we got from Mindy in Reno 0:11:40.690 --> 0:11:42.970 who said, pastor Mark, thank you for your great work 0:11:42.970 --> 0:11:46.130 with the Lord. You give me inspiration every time I 0:11:46.130 --> 0:11:48.170 listen to you. Stay on the path the Lord has 0:11:48.170 --> 0:11:52.010 me on. Thank you and God bless you. Well, thank 0:11:52.010 --> 0:11:54.490 you for sharing that, Mindy, and to share your story 0:11:54.490 --> 0:11:56.690 with Mark and the Bold Steps team. Feel free to 0:11:56.690 --> 0:12:00.010 reach out to us anytime through our website, bold steps.org. 0:12:00.740 --> 0:12:03.540 Now let's push into the final half of our message 0:12:03.540 --> 0:12:06.859 under the Influence. Here's Mark Jobe once again. 0:12:12.580 --> 0:12:15.540 You see, there's something about Thanksgiving. Let me tell you, 0:12:16.220 --> 0:12:18.100 the Bible says that people that are full of the 0:12:18.100 --> 0:12:22.780 spirit give thanks to God for everything through Jesus Christ. 0:12:23.500 --> 0:12:28.460 If right now you're a critical discontent, unhappy, always looking 0:12:28.460 --> 0:12:30.819 for the bad type of person, I'm going to tell 0:12:30.820 --> 0:12:37.100 you you're not filled with the spirit. Filled with the spirit. 0:12:37.100 --> 0:12:42.740 People become positive people because they look for things to 0:12:42.740 --> 0:12:48.020 thank God for. Part of walking in the spirit is 0:12:48.059 --> 0:12:54.620 we become grateful. Hey Lord, my car door may be 0:12:54.620 --> 0:13:00.700 a little rusty, but thank God my wheels still turn. Hey, 0:13:00.700 --> 0:13:03.700 there may be a little in my room, but thank 0:13:03.700 --> 0:13:08.460 God I have a roof. I might not be paid 0:13:08.460 --> 0:13:10.300 as much as I want to be paid, but thank 0:13:10.300 --> 0:13:14.100 God I got food on my table. Thank you, Lord Jesus, 0:13:14.100 --> 0:13:18.980 that you are good. You see, there's something about being 0:13:18.980 --> 0:13:22.979 filled with the spirit that looks for opportunities to thank God. 0:13:22.980 --> 0:13:25.780 It's part of the nature of God, part of the 0:13:25.900 --> 0:13:29.420 part of the, uh, driving of the Holy Spirit. He 0:13:29.420 --> 0:13:32.300 drives you to give thanks. He looks for reason, to 0:13:32.340 --> 0:13:36.540 give thanks. One of the first signs of carnality are 0:13:36.540 --> 0:13:40.500 when we stop giving thanks, when we start murmuring and complaining, 0:13:40.500 --> 0:13:43.060 when we stop looking for the good, when we stop 0:13:43.059 --> 0:13:46.980 being positive because faith makes us positive, it causes us 0:13:46.980 --> 0:13:51.260 to say, thank you Lord. I am grateful and humble 0:13:51.300 --> 0:14:03.590 before you. Amen. So. It's a sacrifice of praise. I, 0:14:03.750 --> 0:14:05.510 the people that I know that are most full of 0:14:05.510 --> 0:14:07.910 the spirit are people that are just humble and thankful 0:14:07.910 --> 0:14:12.910 for things in life. Just just this, this steady thankfulness 0:14:12.910 --> 0:14:16.150 to God. That trial hits him and it's like they 0:14:16.190 --> 0:14:19.190 get up and I still thank God that I'm standing. 0:14:19.990 --> 0:14:24.510 Thank God for his goodness. Just this deep seated thankfulness 0:14:24.510 --> 0:14:28.710 to God. The third thing. So not only does it 0:14:28.750 --> 0:14:31.590 cause us to want to praise God. The third thing, 0:14:31.630 --> 0:14:34.670 the second thing it does is it causes our attitude 0:14:34.670 --> 0:14:37.830 to have an attitude of thanksgiving begins to flow out 0:14:37.830 --> 0:14:40.190 of us where we begin to thank God. And then 0:14:40.230 --> 0:14:43.870 the other thing that we see is verse 21. It says, 0:14:43.870 --> 0:14:46.830 submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. And 0:14:46.830 --> 0:14:52.190 then from verse 22 to 2033, it talks about family, relationships, 0:14:52.190 --> 0:14:56.070 husbands and wives. Listen, when you're filled with the spirit, 0:14:56.110 --> 0:15:00.800 the Spirit of God begins to alter and it begins 0:15:00.800 --> 0:15:04.160 to affect the way we relate to other people in 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:07.520 our lives. It begins to affect the way we walk 0:15:07.520 --> 0:15:11.040 in harmony with other people. We make things right. We 0:15:11.040 --> 0:15:14.840 ask for forgiveness. We settle things with other people. We're 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:20.720 peacemakers with other people. We're not prideful and conflictive, but 0:15:20.720 --> 0:15:23.480 we try to make things right. It causes us to 0:15:23.520 --> 0:15:25.760 begin to look at other people and their needs and 0:15:25.760 --> 0:15:27.760 be sensitive to other people. That's part of what it 0:15:27.760 --> 0:15:32.640 means to walk in the spirit. Hey, I'm glad you 0:15:32.640 --> 0:15:35.160 went to the altar and I'm glad someone prayed for you. 0:15:35.160 --> 0:15:39.680 And you got so full of the spirit that you say, whoa, man, 0:15:39.720 --> 0:15:42.000 someone was praying for me. My hands started shaking. I 0:15:42.000 --> 0:15:44.400 felt a tingling all down my back. My legs started 0:15:44.400 --> 0:15:48.440 moving like this. Man, I was filled with the spirit. Hey, 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:50.720 I'm saying that's okay, but if you get up and 0:15:50.720 --> 0:15:53.480 go to your wife and start hollering at her, criticizing her, 0:15:53.520 --> 0:15:57.920 kicking the kids around, cussing, hey you, that Philip that 0:15:57.920 --> 0:16:00.920 was just tingling down your spine that wasn't filled with 0:16:00.920 --> 0:16:04.000 the spirit. Because filled with the spirit alters the way 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:07.800 you live. It's the control of the Spirit of God 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:13.400 on our lives. It's integrated Christianity. It affects us. It 0:16:13.400 --> 0:16:17.560 overcomes us, but it empowers us to begin to affect 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:23.360 our relationships as well. Filled with the spirit causes the 0:16:23.360 --> 0:16:26.560 Spirit of Christ inside of us to live and begin 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:29.280 to emerge. Listen, I want to live my days filled 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:35.000 with the spirit. And here's the thing. The moment you 0:16:35.040 --> 0:16:37.160 come to Christ, you have the spirit inside of you. 0:16:37.160 --> 0:16:38.360 But how many of you know you can have the 0:16:38.360 --> 0:16:41.800 spirit and not be filled with the spirit? It's one 0:16:41.800 --> 0:16:43.440 thing to have the spirit, it's another thing to be 0:16:43.440 --> 0:16:47.320 filled with the spirit. And if you're a believer in 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.240 Jesus Christ, you cannot be a believer in Christ without 0:16:50.240 --> 0:16:52.600 having the Spirit of God inside of you. But you 0:16:52.600 --> 0:16:54.720 can walk around not filled with the spirit. If you're 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:57.760 not filled with the spirit, you're filled with yourself. And 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:02.520 that's called carnality. So as you walk down the Christian life, 0:17:02.520 --> 0:17:08.080 sometimes you walk in the flesh and sometimes you walk 0:17:08.080 --> 0:17:12.679 in the spirit. Can you tell when you're walking in 0:17:12.720 --> 0:17:16.240 the flesh and walking in the spirit? Can you tell 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:21.719 I can in my life. Some of you this morning 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:25.640 getting ready for church. You walked into this auditorium in 0:17:25.680 --> 0:17:29.920 the flesh. You know, Sundays is tough for families sometimes, 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:33.080 isn't it? You know, you've been knocking on the door 0:17:33.080 --> 0:17:36.400 of your bathroom because your 13 year old daughter's been 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:41.080 in there working on her hair for 55 minutes, and you're. Honey, 0:17:41.119 --> 0:17:44.840 how straight can you get your hair? And then you 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:47.560 get to about ready. And your other son, he's not ready. 0:17:47.600 --> 0:17:50.120 He forgets something. You get to the car, but he's 0:17:50.119 --> 0:17:54.479 crabby and whining, and by the time you get to church, 0:17:54.480 --> 0:17:57.000 you walk in here and the whole family's in the flesh. 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:01.530 They're just all fleshly. Sunday mornings can be tough, you know, 0:18:01.530 --> 0:18:04.250 because think about it. When is the only time that 0:18:04.250 --> 0:18:06.649 as a family, especially if you have small kids, that 0:18:06.650 --> 0:18:09.690 everybody gets ready at the same time and everybody goes 0:18:09.690 --> 0:18:13.090 to the same place. Normally you're sending your kids off 0:18:13.090 --> 0:18:16.290 to school and you don't all have to come together. 0:18:16.290 --> 0:18:18.410 But Sunday morning, everybody has to be there on time. 0:18:18.410 --> 0:18:20.970 It's in the morning, everybody has to get ready. So 0:18:20.970 --> 0:18:23.450 sometimes we're not used to it and it gets really fleshly. 0:18:24.050 --> 0:18:25.550 Some of you have to sit through the first ten 0:18:25.550 --> 0:18:29.449 minutes just getting the flesh out of you. Everybody singing 0:18:29.450 --> 0:18:33.610 and praise and you're like, oh, it takes you about 0:18:33.609 --> 0:18:36.010 a half hour. That's why we have longer worship, because 0:18:36.010 --> 0:18:37.730 we know some of you. That takes you a half 0:18:37.730 --> 0:18:40.369 hour to finally get out of the flesh and start 0:18:40.369 --> 0:18:43.290 to get in the spirit just a little bit. And 0:18:43.290 --> 0:18:45.210 hopefully by the time we're in the message, you got 0:18:45.210 --> 0:18:47.050 a lot of flesh out of your system, and you're 0:18:47.050 --> 0:18:50.250 starting to go in the spirit and releasing some of that. 0:18:50.250 --> 0:18:52.090 But you know what? We can go the first half 0:18:52.090 --> 0:18:54.450 of the day in the spirit and the last half 0:18:54.450 --> 0:18:56.930 of the day in the flesh. We flip in and 0:18:56.930 --> 0:18:59.530 out of walking in the spirit. You can walk in 0:18:59.660 --> 0:19:02.500 the flesh and walk in the spirit. Something can trigger 0:19:02.500 --> 0:19:04.740 something and set you in the flesh. Does that happen 0:19:04.740 --> 0:19:07.220 to you? You get a phone call, something happens at work, 0:19:07.220 --> 0:19:09.580 and suddenly you're in the flesh. Don't get in my way. 0:19:09.580 --> 0:19:11.060 I'm going to do this, and I'm going to tell 0:19:11.060 --> 0:19:13.220 you that just in the morning you were oh, Jesus 0:19:13.260 --> 0:19:15.380 is so good. Praise God for this. And I went 0:19:15.380 --> 0:19:17.900 to church and pastor Mark said this and that in 0:19:17.900 --> 0:19:19.940 the afternoon. It's like, you better not get in my 0:19:19.940 --> 0:19:21.380 way because I'm going to tell them this and they're 0:19:21.380 --> 0:19:24.139 going to, they're going to hear me know better and wait, 0:19:24.140 --> 0:19:28.260 what happened? We got a little Jekyll and Hyde going 0:19:28.260 --> 0:19:30.500 on here. We got a little flesh and spirit going 0:19:30.500 --> 0:19:33.300 on here. What? I tell you what happened? You got 0:19:33.300 --> 0:19:36.700 knocked out of the spirit and knocked into the flesh 0:19:36.700 --> 0:19:40.179 real quickly. And so now you're not operating under the 0:19:40.180 --> 0:19:43.540 fullness of the spirit. You're operating under the fullness of you, 0:19:43.780 --> 0:19:47.060 and you're not doing the will of God when you're 0:19:47.060 --> 0:19:50.500 operating under you. Now we go back to what it 0:19:50.500 --> 0:19:52.300 means to be filled with the spirit. Here's what the 0:19:52.300 --> 0:19:56.020 Bible says. Be continuously filled with the spirit. Now you 0:19:56.020 --> 0:19:58.460 ask me, how do I get filled with the spirit? 0:19:58.460 --> 0:20:06.620 Let me give you one clear way. You pray and 0:20:06.619 --> 0:20:13.300 you yield. God, fill me with your spirit. I really 0:20:13.300 --> 0:20:16.619 need it. And I yield to you, God. And if 0:20:16.619 --> 0:20:20.699 there's anything in my life that's an obstruction to be 0:20:20.700 --> 0:20:23.540 filled with the spirit, I want to deal with it. 0:20:25.260 --> 0:20:29.020 When you start finding yourself going into the flesh, you 0:20:29.020 --> 0:20:31.659 need to pause and say, God, I'm in the flesh 0:20:31.660 --> 0:20:38.580 right now. Fill me with your spirit once again. Fill me, Lord. 0:20:39.859 --> 0:20:41.699 And you know what the spirit does? The spirit comes. 0:20:41.700 --> 0:20:47.060 There's three things that characterize the spirit power, love, and 0:20:47.060 --> 0:20:53.500 a sound mind, power, love, and a sound mind. God 0:20:53.500 --> 0:20:56.100 has not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, 0:20:56.100 --> 0:20:59.860 and of a sound mind. So my challenge to you 0:20:59.859 --> 0:21:02.780 today as as as I wrap up this message, my 0:21:02.780 --> 0:21:06.220 challenge to you is this. I want to challenge you 0:21:06.260 --> 0:21:11.260 that over this next week that you determine in your heart, God, 0:21:11.780 --> 0:21:17.379 I want to stay filled with the spirit when I 0:21:17.380 --> 0:21:19.020 go to work. If I find myself in the flesh, 0:21:19.020 --> 0:21:20.900 I'm going to pause and say, fill me, Lord, with 0:21:20.900 --> 0:21:25.620 your spirit I yield once again. Fill me, Lord, with 0:21:25.619 --> 0:21:30.020 your Holy Spirit. Just take a moment and just ask 0:21:30.020 --> 0:21:32.219 for the filling of your spirit. If you need to. 0:21:32.220 --> 0:21:34.979 Take a little time to begin to thank God. Begin 0:21:34.980 --> 0:21:37.540 to praise God. If there's anything you need to fix 0:21:37.540 --> 0:21:40.660 with other people, start fixing it because the very thing, 0:21:40.820 --> 0:21:43.580 the very, the very evidence of being filled with the 0:21:43.580 --> 0:21:45.460 spirit is the very thing that keeps us filled with 0:21:45.460 --> 0:21:48.460 the spirit as well. If you start getting into negativity 0:21:48.460 --> 0:21:51.219 and complaining, then you start getting out of filling the 0:21:51.260 --> 0:21:53.700 filling of the spirit. If you stop praising, then you 0:21:53.700 --> 0:21:56.940 stop getting filled with the spirit. If you have anger, hatred, 0:21:56.940 --> 0:21:59.710 jealousy towards someone, you start getting filled with the spirit. 0:21:59.710 --> 0:22:02.470 You keep in praise, you keep in thanksgiving, you keep 0:22:02.510 --> 0:22:05.950 things well and you keep asking, fill me with the spirit, God. 0:22:05.950 --> 0:22:10.750 And I believe that it can revolutionize your life. Fill 0:22:10.790 --> 0:22:12.790 me with the spirit. Some of us have a tough 0:22:12.790 --> 0:22:15.070 time because we're not walking in the spirit. Most of 0:22:15.070 --> 0:22:16.910 the time. We go in and out of being filled 0:22:16.910 --> 0:22:19.590 with the spirit. My challenge is to start living filled 0:22:19.590 --> 0:22:33.109 with the Spirit of God. Amen. So there you've heard 0:22:33.109 --> 0:22:37.550 the challenge. Be filled with the spirit. And in case 0:22:37.550 --> 0:22:41.790 you're thinking that this is just some powerful moment at 0:22:41.790 --> 0:22:46.030 a retreat or a conference, the challenge is be filled 0:22:46.030 --> 0:22:49.270 with the spirit every day. So I want to pause 0:22:49.510 --> 0:22:53.070 right now. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you 0:22:53.109 --> 0:22:56.270 cannot be a believer without the Holy Spirit inside of you. 0:22:56.630 --> 0:23:01.469 He's the agent of regeneration. But you can be a 0:23:01.470 --> 0:23:04.990 believer and not be walking in the fullness of the spirit. 0:23:05.630 --> 0:23:08.870 So father, I pray right now for that listener that 0:23:08.869 --> 0:23:11.550 knows that they're walking more in the flesh than in 0:23:11.550 --> 0:23:15.350 the fullness of the spirit. I pray in Jesus name 0:23:15.710 --> 0:23:18.830 that right now, God, by your power, they would be 0:23:18.830 --> 0:23:22.190 an infilling of your spirit. As we yield to your 0:23:22.390 --> 0:23:26.790 lordship and sovereignty today, and ask that you would fill 0:23:26.790 --> 0:23:31.230 us with love, power, and a sound mind, that you 0:23:31.230 --> 0:23:35.430 would fill us with that spirit that causes us to say, ABBA, Father, 0:23:35.630 --> 0:23:38.230 that you would fill us with that spirit that causes 0:23:38.230 --> 0:23:40.750 us to love people in ways that we would not 0:23:40.750 --> 0:23:43.790 be able to love them on our own. Fill us 0:23:43.790 --> 0:23:48.070 right now. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. 0:23:48.430 --> 0:23:51.590 Yes, Amen. You can hear more Bible based messages from 0:23:51.590 --> 0:23:54.630 our current series Under the Influence, when you visit us 0:23:54.670 --> 0:23:58.070 online at bold steps.org, or if you'd like to listen 0:23:58.070 --> 0:24:00.479 to another series from our growing archive. Be sure to 0:24:00.480 --> 0:24:03.359 subscribe to the Bold Steps podcast. You'll find us on 0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:06.240 your favorite podcast platform when you search for Bold Steps 0:24:06.240 --> 0:24:09.160 with doctor Mark Jobe. And while you're there, we'd love 0:24:09.160 --> 0:24:11.560 for you to leave us a review or comment. Your 0:24:11.560 --> 0:24:14.919 feedback helps others discover the program and encourages us as 0:24:14.920 --> 0:24:18.560 we continue sharing God's Word. And before we sign off, 0:24:18.560 --> 0:24:20.960 I want to remind you of the unique resource we're 0:24:20.960 --> 0:24:24.200 offering as this month's Bold Step gift. It's the case 0:24:24.200 --> 0:24:27.600 for Faith by New York Times best selling author Lee Strobel. 0:24:28.040 --> 0:24:31.399 Lee was once an investigative journalist and a committed skeptic 0:24:31.680 --> 0:24:34.800 who set out to disprove the Christian faith. But he 0:24:34.800 --> 0:24:37.840 discovered instead not only changed his life, it gave him 0:24:37.840 --> 0:24:42.080 eight carefully researched answers to the toughest objections to Christianity, 0:24:42.119 --> 0:24:45.040 from the problem of suffering and the existence of evil, 0:24:45.200 --> 0:24:47.800 to the question of hell, to the bold claim that 0:24:47.800 --> 0:24:51.080 Jesus is the only way to God. Lee takes every 0:24:51.080 --> 0:24:54.840 hard question seriously and follows the evidence wherever it leads. 0:24:55.359 --> 0:24:58.400 This is a resource that will strengthen your own convictions 0:24:58.400 --> 0:25:01.720 and equip you to have a gracious, confident conversation with 0:25:01.720 --> 0:25:04.520 the skeptic in your life. Request your copy of The 0:25:04.520 --> 0:25:07.160 case for Faith today. When you give a donation of 0:25:07.160 --> 0:25:10.760 any amount to support Bold Steps, just visit us online 0:25:10.760 --> 0:25:16.160 at bold steps.org/give or call us at 800 D.L. Moody, 0:25:16.200 --> 0:25:22.560 that's (800) 356-6639. You can also ask for this book and 0:25:22.560 --> 0:25:26.080 send your gift by mail. Our address is Bold steps 0:25:26.280 --> 0:25:32.639 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60,006 ten. Well, I'm 0:25:32.640 --> 0:25:35.520 Wayne Sheppard. That's our program for today. Be listening tomorrow 0:25:35.520 --> 0:25:38.080 for our next message and how to spot the difference 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:42.840 between true and false spirituality. It's Tuesday here on Bold 0:25:42.840 --> 0:25:47.280 Steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production of 0:25:47.280 --> 0:25:50.400 Moody Radio, a Ministry of Moody Bible Institute.