WEBVTT - Staying Filled in the Spirit – Part 2 0:00:00.840 --> 0:00:03.560 Today on Bold Steps with Mark Jobe. We're learning how 0:00:03.560 --> 0:00:05.559 to stay filled with the spirit. 0:00:06.120 --> 0:00:08.719 Worship is the place that gets our heart ready to 0:00:08.720 --> 0:00:12.520 receive the word. And so when you skip worship you, you, 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:15.360 you make the word harder to get into your heart 0:00:15.360 --> 0:00:18.560 and your soul. When we worship, the spirit comes down 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:21.800 upon the praises of his people and starts doing His word. 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:37.960 Welcome to Bold Steps with pastor Mark Jobe. Mark is 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:40.879 the senior pastor of New Life Community Church and president 0:00:40.880 --> 0:00:44.680 of Moody Bible Institute here in Chicago. I'm Wayne Shepherd. Well, 0:00:44.680 --> 0:00:46.640 not many of us would consider taking a long road 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:49.360 trip without there being gas in the tank. So why 0:00:49.360 --> 0:00:52.840 do we sometimes live our lives without getting spiritually recharged? 0:00:53.280 --> 0:00:55.880 That's the question mark we'll address today on our program. 0:00:56.160 --> 0:00:58.520 This message is part of our series when you Believe 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.280 Everything Changes. And if you missed any of the lessons 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:04.240 so far, you can catch up online at Bold Steps. 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:07.559 But first, let's get started. Mark's going to be showing 0:01:07.560 --> 0:01:10.280 us how we can stay filled with the spirit. 0:01:11.920 --> 0:01:17.720 Real Christianity is about having a living spirit, the Spirit 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:21.959 of God living inside of you, where God begins to 0:01:22.000 --> 0:01:24.760 change you from the inside out, where the voice of 0:01:24.760 --> 0:01:28.120 the spirit begins to convict you, guide you, lead you, 0:01:28.120 --> 0:01:32.120 empower you. Where God has such an influence on you 0:01:32.240 --> 0:01:35.840 that you begin to talk different, walk different, live different, 0:01:35.840 --> 0:01:39.800 think different because you are being influenced by God, not 0:01:39.800 --> 0:01:42.920 trying to live up to some standards of perfection, but 0:01:42.920 --> 0:01:46.720 because God is in you, changing you from the inside out. 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:50.560 That is Christianity. That is God inside of you, the 0:01:50.560 --> 0:02:00.120 hope of glory. Too many people try religion and fail. 0:02:01.970 --> 0:02:07.290 Because the letter leads to death. Spirit leads to life. 0:02:07.890 --> 0:02:10.170 If you've ever tried to live up to standards that 0:02:10.169 --> 0:02:12.609 are too high that you cannot achieve, you will end 0:02:12.610 --> 0:02:15.889 up being discouraged and feel like a failure. And who 0:02:15.889 --> 0:02:18.610 wants to feel like a failure all of the time? 0:02:18.610 --> 0:02:22.970 You'll end up giving up and then you'll say, I 0:02:23.010 --> 0:02:27.050 tried church. It didn't work for me. No, you tried 0:02:27.090 --> 0:02:32.330 religion and it didn't work for you because Jesus always works. 0:02:32.330 --> 0:02:39.010 He's living alive inside of you, the spirit. And what 0:02:39.010 --> 0:02:40.890 he says here, he says instead, you need to be 0:02:40.889 --> 0:02:43.209 filled with the spirit. Now, what is the spirit? Is 0:02:43.210 --> 0:02:46.090 it a substance? Is it a liquid? Is it a power? 0:02:46.090 --> 0:02:49.050 Is it a wind? What is the spirit? Well, you 0:02:49.050 --> 0:02:52.209 need to understand that the spirit he's speaking of is 0:02:52.210 --> 0:02:55.930 referred to as the Holy Spirit. It's the third person 0:02:55.970 --> 0:02:58.930 of the Triune God. There is God the Father, God 0:02:58.930 --> 0:03:02.490 the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy 0:03:02.490 --> 0:03:07.010 Spirit is God Himself, the person of God that comes 0:03:07.010 --> 0:03:10.049 and lives inside of you. Once he's invited to live 0:03:10.050 --> 0:03:13.850 inside of you, as you yield your life to God 0:03:13.850 --> 0:03:16.609 and as you say, come inside of me, change me, 0:03:16.610 --> 0:03:20.210 make me new. I acknowledge Jesus as my Lord. I 0:03:20.250 --> 0:03:24.489 cannot live my life and control my life anymore. I 0:03:24.490 --> 0:03:27.290 want you to take possession and control of my life, 0:03:27.290 --> 0:03:29.930 and you invite the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through 0:03:29.930 --> 0:03:33.250 the washing and regeneration of the blood of Jesus Christ. 0:03:33.250 --> 0:03:36.850 Then you have the spirit inside of you. Now the 0:03:36.850 --> 0:03:42.369 spirit lives where you live. Someone says, where? Where is 0:03:42.370 --> 0:03:46.610 God's address here on earth? Is it the cathedrals in Europe? No. 0:03:49.090 --> 0:03:52.010 Is it the fancy churches with the stained glass windows? No. 0:03:52.610 --> 0:03:54.810 Is it the building on 51st and Keeler? No no 0:03:54.810 --> 0:03:57.730 no no no no, that's just the place where we meet. Where? 0:03:57.890 --> 0:04:01.900 What is God's address here on earth? God's address here 0:04:01.900 --> 0:04:05.900 on earth is you. Wherever you are. The Spirit of 0:04:05.900 --> 0:04:09.460 God dwells because His Spirit dwells inside of you. So 0:04:09.460 --> 0:04:12.820 if you're it's like a moving GPS. If you're on 0:04:12.820 --> 0:04:16.260 26th and Cal, the Spirit's there on 26th and Cal, 0:04:16.460 --> 0:04:19.300 if you're downtown and go to the loop, the spirit's 0:04:19.300 --> 0:04:21.380 there at the loop. If you go to the Sox game, 0:04:21.380 --> 0:04:23.740 he's at the Sox game. If you go to the 0:04:23.740 --> 0:04:28.260 Cubs game, yeah, he's even there. Um, so the spirit 0:04:28.260 --> 0:04:33.460 is hey, the spirit is wherever you go. Now you 0:04:33.500 --> 0:04:35.260 grieve the spirit. Of course, when you go to the 0:04:35.260 --> 0:04:38.060 Cubs game. Nah. Just kidding. I'm just. I'm messing with you. 0:04:38.060 --> 0:04:40.859 I'm messing with you. I know we have some Cubs 0:04:40.860 --> 0:04:44.500 fans here. Um, yeah. Okay. They made their way to 0:04:44.500 --> 0:04:50.300 the South Side. And what Paul is telling us is 0:04:50.300 --> 0:04:53.739 the problem is that we get filled with the spirit, 0:04:53.740 --> 0:04:56.340 and then we get emptied of the spirit. We get 0:04:56.339 --> 0:04:58.820 filled with the spirit and emptied with the spirit. So 0:04:58.820 --> 0:05:01.300 Paul is telling us that we need to learn what 0:05:01.300 --> 0:05:05.340 it means to stay full of the spirit. Now, I 0:05:05.380 --> 0:05:10.099 don't I don't try to get too technical with, with 0:05:10.100 --> 0:05:14.539 with Bible verses and go to the Greek, but sometimes 0:05:14.540 --> 0:05:16.940 you need to go to the Greek. The the New 0:05:16.940 --> 0:05:20.460 Testament was written in the Greek language, not the Greek 0:05:20.460 --> 0:05:23.940 language that's spoken in Athens today, but it was written 0:05:23.940 --> 0:05:27.500 in ancient Greek. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew 0:05:27.500 --> 0:05:31.060 and Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in Greek. 0:05:31.060 --> 0:05:34.980 Greek was the English sort of the equivalent to the 0:05:34.980 --> 0:05:38.460 English commercial language of the day. It's what people spoke 0:05:38.460 --> 0:05:40.860 when they did trade. It was written in the Greek 0:05:40.860 --> 0:05:43.900 because most people in those days spoke or at least 0:05:43.900 --> 0:05:46.820 understood Greek. And so it was the common language that 0:05:46.820 --> 0:05:51.580 people most commonly used in different places of the, of 0:05:51.620 --> 0:05:55.340 the empire of that time. If you look at this 0:05:55.339 --> 0:05:57.779 phrase in the Greek, where it says instead be filled 0:05:57.779 --> 0:06:02.150 with the spirit, you will realize that this verb tense 0:06:02.470 --> 0:06:07.469 is not just referring to a one time feeling like, hey, 0:06:07.510 --> 0:06:09.430 be filled and then it's over. You don't have to 0:06:09.430 --> 0:06:13.430 be filled ever again in your life. Literally, the translation 0:06:13.430 --> 0:06:16.789 of that would be better rendered if it said, keep 0:06:17.029 --> 0:06:23.110 being filled over and over and over and over again 0:06:23.110 --> 0:06:27.630 with the spirit. It's in the progressive form, continuous form. 0:06:27.630 --> 0:06:30.910 That means this is not a one time action. It's 0:06:30.910 --> 0:06:33.190 something that has to be done over and over and 0:06:33.190 --> 0:06:36.150 over and over and over again. Just like you have 0:06:36.150 --> 0:06:40.550 to keep filling your car up with gas. It's not like, hey, 0:06:41.150 --> 0:06:45.430 did you fill the car up with gas? Yeah, last 0:06:45.430 --> 0:06:49.350 July I did. Well, hey, it's not going to last 0:06:49.350 --> 0:06:51.630 you very long. I mean, I mean, you're going to 0:06:51.630 --> 0:06:54.030 run out of gas. You got to keep filling it 0:06:54.029 --> 0:06:59.390 up because the gas runs out, so you fill it up. 0:06:59.710 --> 0:07:02.990 And in the same way we get filled with the spirit. 0:07:02.990 --> 0:07:05.870 But if we don't keep filling ourselves with the spirit, 0:07:05.870 --> 0:07:08.670 what happens is we start operating in the flesh, we 0:07:08.670 --> 0:07:11.910 start in the spirit, and then with time, we go 0:07:11.910 --> 0:07:15.030 to the flesh. And so many of us find ourselves 0:07:15.030 --> 0:07:17.390 living and walking in the flesh when we need to 0:07:17.390 --> 0:07:20.070 be filled with the spirit over and over again. So 0:07:20.710 --> 0:07:23.590 the Apostle Paul is saying, I want you to learn 0:07:23.790 --> 0:07:27.510 to be filled over and over with the Spirit of God. 0:07:27.630 --> 0:07:30.390 The spirit is not a liquid. It's not a power, 0:07:30.390 --> 0:07:33.350 it's the person. So when I'm filled with the person 0:07:33.350 --> 0:07:36.510 of God, it means that God is influencing my life. 0:07:36.510 --> 0:07:39.510 I'm yielding to God, and he's influencing my life so 0:07:39.510 --> 0:07:43.310 that when I'm filled with the spirit, I talk different, 0:07:43.310 --> 0:07:46.350 I walk different, I operate different. How many of you 0:07:46.390 --> 0:07:48.470 know when you're filled with the spirit and when you're not? 0:07:52.070 --> 0:07:55.670 You can feel it. Have you ever said, man, I 0:07:55.670 --> 0:07:59.630 was in the flesh as your wife ever said, man, 0:07:59.630 --> 0:08:04.239 you were in the flesh. When you're in the flesh, 0:08:04.240 --> 0:08:06.320 it means you do what you would do in the 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:14.680 old days. You operate your way. When you're in the spirit, 0:08:14.680 --> 0:08:17.600 it alters the way you operate. That's not how. That's 0:08:17.600 --> 0:08:20.160 the old you. But when you're walking in the spirit, 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:26.520 you operate under the new you. You respond different. You 0:08:26.520 --> 0:08:29.320 react different. You do things different. Why? Because you're full 0:08:29.320 --> 0:08:35.560 of God. Now, this is not just this high spiritual experience. 0:08:35.559 --> 0:08:38.240 What Paul is saying. This is how your normal life 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:43.080 should be. You should learn to live day by day, 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:46.119 full of the spirit. By the way, this is a command, 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:49.800 not a suggestion. It's in the imperative form, which means 0:08:50.040 --> 0:08:53.760 this is a command be filled with the spirit. Now 0:08:53.760 --> 0:08:55.600 you say, well, pastor, how does that happen? How do 0:08:55.600 --> 0:08:58.080 we stay filled with the spirit? Well, he explains to 0:08:58.080 --> 0:09:03.280 us in the next verses how to continue to refuel ourselves. 0:09:03.440 --> 0:09:08.640 Verse 19 through 21 speak to one another in psalms 0:09:08.640 --> 0:09:12.520 and hymns and spiritual songs. Number two sing and make 0:09:12.520 --> 0:09:15.760 music in your heart to the Lord. Number three always 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:18.160 give thanks to God the Father for everything in the 0:09:18.160 --> 0:09:20.560 name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, I'm about to 0:09:20.559 --> 0:09:23.280 give you here. This is really, really important. I'm about 0:09:23.280 --> 0:09:32.160 to give you three very practical steps to stay refueled 0:09:32.160 --> 0:09:36.040 in the spirit when you when you keep getting emptied. 0:09:37.360 --> 0:09:42.600 Number one, it says, speak to one another in psalms 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:49.160 and hymns and spiritual songs. What is a psalm? Well, 0:09:49.640 --> 0:09:52.640 it's found in the Book of Psalms. David wrote the Psalms. 0:09:52.640 --> 0:10:00.570 It's scripture. I love scriptures. I love the Psalms. The 0:10:00.570 --> 0:10:04.689 Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. That's one 0:10:04.690 --> 0:10:08.050 of the Psalms. There are tons of psalms that are prayers, 0:10:08.050 --> 0:10:11.890 and we sing those Psalms to God sometimes. So Psalms 0:10:11.890 --> 0:10:16.130 are Scripture that we sing. Then there's hymns. Hymns are 0:10:16.170 --> 0:10:18.450 other people's songs. We just sung a bunch of songs 0:10:18.450 --> 0:10:21.569 today that other people had written that we sing to God. 0:10:21.650 --> 0:10:24.450 And then spiritual songs, I believe, are songs that you 0:10:24.450 --> 0:10:27.610 make up yourself to God. As you're worshiping God, your 0:10:27.610 --> 0:10:31.010 own words start coming out to God. Now let me 0:10:31.010 --> 0:10:33.689 just pause for a second and say, some of you 0:10:34.410 --> 0:10:38.850 view Sunday morning and you come in late because you think, well, 0:10:38.850 --> 0:10:42.689 all they're doing is karaoke. And so I'm coming just 0:10:42.690 --> 0:10:44.850 for the teaching time. You know, they're singing. I'm not 0:10:44.850 --> 0:10:46.770 a real singer. So I wait till the singing is 0:10:46.770 --> 0:10:48.929 over and I come for the word. Okay. Hold on, 0:10:48.929 --> 0:10:54.610 hold on, hold on. Pause. We're not doing karaoke. We're 0:10:54.610 --> 0:10:58.970 doing worship. You say? Well, I've never been a singer. Well, 0:10:58.970 --> 0:11:02.089 let me tell you something. You're a Christian. You better 0:11:02.090 --> 0:11:09.490 start learning to sing, because part of worshiping God involves 0:11:09.490 --> 0:11:16.410 expressing ourself through music and worship and singing. And what 0:11:16.410 --> 0:11:18.890 happens is, when we come to a place like this, listen, 0:11:18.929 --> 0:11:23.130 the reason that we worship first was song and singing 0:11:23.250 --> 0:11:26.290 is that there's something that happens when we are worshiping 0:11:26.290 --> 0:11:30.170 God and expressing our devotion to God, and it's spirit 0:11:30.170 --> 0:11:33.689 filled worship. It begins to soften our heart. It begins 0:11:33.690 --> 0:11:36.850 to open up our spirit. It begins to prepare us 0:11:36.850 --> 0:11:40.890 to receive the seed of the word planted in our soul. 0:11:41.370 --> 0:11:48.250 And yeah, some of you skip the worship. Drive into 0:11:48.250 --> 0:11:51.210 the parking lot. You're all hurried, yelling at your wife. 0:11:51.250 --> 0:11:54.410 You sit down, you get in here just for the word. 0:11:54.490 --> 0:11:56.370 The word is preaching. You said I didn't get anything 0:11:56.370 --> 0:12:01.420 out of it today. I wonder why you walking in 0:12:01.420 --> 0:12:04.580 the flesh? You're just starting to loosen up. Starting to 0:12:04.580 --> 0:12:08.100 get ready to receive something by the end. What would 0:12:08.100 --> 0:12:11.420 happen if, first of all, you softened your heart and worshiped? 0:12:11.420 --> 0:12:15.380 You said, here I am, God, empty me. Speak to me, God, 0:12:15.540 --> 0:12:18.860 make my heart fertile for the word. Whatever you have, 0:12:18.860 --> 0:12:20.940 I want to hear it. What would happen if you 0:12:20.940 --> 0:12:23.700 let the Holy Spirit speak to you during worship? What 0:12:23.700 --> 0:12:26.340 would happen if you allowed the spirit to fill you? 0:12:26.340 --> 0:12:28.460 And then as soon as the word came, man, you're 0:12:28.460 --> 0:12:31.500 like all over the word. It's planting in. The seeds 0:12:31.500 --> 0:12:34.500 are falling. Listen, before the seed can hit the ground, 0:12:34.500 --> 0:12:37.420 you gotta soften up the ground. Worship is the place 0:12:37.420 --> 0:12:40.740 that our heart is softened up towards God. Worship is 0:12:40.740 --> 0:12:44.059 the place that gets our heart ready to receive the word. 0:12:44.059 --> 0:12:47.060 And so when you worship you, you, you make the 0:12:47.059 --> 0:12:50.300 word harder to get into your heart and your soul. 0:12:50.340 --> 0:12:53.700 You need worship because it softens you for the word. 0:12:53.700 --> 0:12:56.940 And God inhabits the praises of his people. When we worship, 0:12:56.940 --> 0:13:00.220 the spirit comes down upon the praises of his people 0:13:00.220 --> 0:13:01.660 and starts doing his word. 0:13:07.980 --> 0:13:10.500 You're listening to Mark Jobe right here on Bold Steps, 0:13:10.500 --> 0:13:13.820 and we're pausing today's program, staying filled with the spirit 0:13:13.820 --> 0:13:15.220 to let you know that we have a number of 0:13:15.220 --> 0:13:18.579 resources and tools available to help you stay recharged and 0:13:18.580 --> 0:13:21.180 reconnected to God. To learn what's available, just go to 0:13:21.220 --> 0:13:24.540 Bold Steps. Org. Now, I'd like to extend a special 0:13:24.540 --> 0:13:27.179 invitation on behalf of Bold Steps to join our growing 0:13:27.220 --> 0:13:31.819 international ministry by becoming a bold partner through monthly support. Remember, 0:13:31.820 --> 0:13:34.380 it's not about how large your gift is, but your 0:13:34.380 --> 0:13:37.699 commitment to give faithfully each month. So these messages and 0:13:37.700 --> 0:13:40.540 resources can reach as many people as possible across the radio, 0:13:40.580 --> 0:13:43.740 the internet, and mark our social media platforms as well. 0:13:43.940 --> 0:13:47.140 Yeah. Wayne. That's exactly right. You know, we are expanding 0:13:47.179 --> 0:13:51.540 to many different countries. Many of those countries really can't 0:13:51.860 --> 0:13:58.020 help us economically, but yet our reach is just incredible 0:13:58.020 --> 0:14:02.510 in terms of growing into the millions. And so I 0:14:02.510 --> 0:14:05.550 thank you for giving on behalf of those that can't give. 0:14:05.590 --> 0:14:08.990 And by the way, just, uh, I'm always so encouraged 0:14:08.990 --> 0:14:13.350 by people around the country like Linda from Bloomington who 0:14:13.350 --> 0:14:17.750 gave online, Adela, who's a first time giver out of 0:14:17.750 --> 0:14:21.030 Long Beach, Jessica, who's a first time giver out of 0:14:21.070 --> 0:14:24.670 La Puente, California. Helen, who's a first time giver out 0:14:24.670 --> 0:14:30.870 of Illinois. Also Helen and Gray's Lake James in Florida 0:14:30.910 --> 0:14:35.910 gave over the internet. Angela kin Wanda, who's in San Diego, 0:14:35.910 --> 0:14:40.110 gave as well. Lori in Chicago. Regina. She's a monthly giver. 0:14:40.110 --> 0:14:43.590 Thank you, Regina, for signing up for that. By the way, 0:14:43.590 --> 0:14:47.390 the monthly gifts are really helping us out because they're 0:14:47.390 --> 0:14:50.430 much more consistent. And so all over the country, people 0:14:50.430 --> 0:14:55.350 are giving Tennessee. Charlie, thank you from Hixton. So there's 0:14:55.390 --> 0:14:59.630 a sometimes one time givers you can give over online. 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:03.600 you can give over the phone. But like I've said often, 0:15:03.600 --> 0:15:06.880 monthly giving really helps us out. So thank you. 0:15:06.920 --> 0:15:09.600 Yeah, these are great friends, aren't they? Thank you to all. 0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.240 And thank you to those of you who are responding 0:15:12.240 --> 0:15:15.600 by becoming a bold partner today. Sign up online at 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:23.360 npr.org or call us at (800) 800-3566 639. Now let's get 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.560 back to your message, mark, and address us on how 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.720 our attitudes can make all the difference. 0:15:32.960 --> 0:15:36.960 You get filled with the spirit by worshiping with other people. Secondly, 0:15:38.440 --> 0:15:41.400 you get filled with the spirit when you sing and 0:15:41.400 --> 0:15:46.720 make music in your heart to the Lord. Now why 0:15:46.720 --> 0:15:50.240 does it say in your heart? Well, because we can't 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:54.160 always go around singing out loud. People are going to 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:58.840 think you're kooky. Have you ever had a melody in 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:04.160 your heart? You know what I'm talking about, right? Sometimes 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.640 you don't even want it there. It's a commercial melody. 0:16:08.000 --> 0:16:10.400 Some silly jingle that you heard in your walk throughout 0:16:10.400 --> 0:16:13.000 the day, and you start humming the little melody and 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:14.520 someone says, what's that? I don't know, I can't get 0:16:14.520 --> 0:16:19.000 it out of my mind. When you sing and you 0:16:19.000 --> 0:16:23.960 start making melody in your heart, it means that you 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:29.000 are worshiping. There's this undercurrent of worship that's happening throughout 0:16:29.000 --> 0:16:32.840 the day. Oh, you may not be there at work going, Hallelujah, 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:35.440 thank you Jesus, but in your heart you're like, Hallelujah! 0:16:35.440 --> 0:16:38.920 Thank you Jesus, because you are good. Blessed be the 0:16:38.920 --> 0:16:41.840 name of the Lord because he he he is good. 0:16:41.840 --> 0:16:44.200 Praise be to the name of God. And it's kind 0:16:44.200 --> 0:16:47.240 of it's kind of in there. It's kind of in there. 0:16:47.240 --> 0:16:49.000 And once in a while it just kind of pops 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.800 out a little bit. Yeah. Thank you Lord, you, I 0:16:52.800 --> 0:16:54.400 bless you. Then you get back to work and then 0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:56.760 as soon as it surfaces, you're walking down the hallway. 0:16:56.760 --> 0:17:00.080 Jesus is good. Praise his name for you. It just 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:03.440 kind of comes out of you. Why? Because you are 0:17:03.440 --> 0:17:06.920 singing this melody in your heart. You are worshiping God. Now, 0:17:06.920 --> 0:17:09.200 now you're still a good worker and you're not sitting 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:14.200 behind your computer saying, Celebrate Jesus, celebrate. No, no, no, no, 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:16.720 you're not singing out loud because I don't think your 0:17:16.720 --> 0:17:18.520 boss would like it. And if you have a voice 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:22.480 like me, your co-workers wouldn't like it either. But, but, 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:25.840 but it's in there. You're worshiping God. You have this 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:30.920 God consciousness, this God presence throughout the day because your 0:17:30.920 --> 0:17:34.320 heart is there. You're being filled with the Spirit of God. 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:37.560 And then he says, the third thing is listen. He says, 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:44.600 verse 20, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. 0:17:45.800 --> 0:17:47.120 You're trying to tell me I get a flat tire? 0:17:47.119 --> 0:17:52.359 You want me to thank God for it? Well, yeah. 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.560 I mean, you're not saying. Wow, praise God I got 0:17:57.560 --> 0:18:03.050 a nail in my tire. But while you're changing the 0:18:03.050 --> 0:18:07.050 tire or calling up the triple A, you're saying thank you, Lord, 0:18:07.770 --> 0:18:10.730 that you're good. Because listen, here's what the Bible says. 0:18:10.730 --> 0:18:15.850 All things work together for the good of those that 0:18:15.850 --> 0:18:18.250 are called according to his name. So God can even 0:18:18.250 --> 0:18:20.610 take the bad and turn it into good. Listen, you 0:18:20.609 --> 0:18:22.890 know that when bad thing is happening, that good things 0:18:22.890 --> 0:18:25.850 are being squeezed out of it. It means you maintain 0:18:25.850 --> 0:18:29.930 an attitude of thanksgiving and praise throughout every aspect of 0:18:29.930 --> 0:18:34.810 the day. Because, listen, it's really easy to start getting critical, negative, 0:18:34.810 --> 0:18:38.210 pessimistic in life, isn't it? It's really easy to start 0:18:38.210 --> 0:18:41.929 thinking the worst. It's really easy to get that, start 0:18:41.930 --> 0:18:45.649 becoming a nitpicker about things. It's really easy for our 0:18:45.650 --> 0:18:49.170 spirit to get polluted. But listen, it's hard to complain 0:18:49.170 --> 0:18:52.409 and be negative when you're being thankful. It's hard to 0:18:52.410 --> 0:18:55.170 be critical when you're saying, bless you, Jesus. Thank you, 0:18:55.170 --> 0:18:57.890 I pray. I thank you, God. Thank you for my husband. 0:18:57.890 --> 0:19:01.619 He's not always the He's gotta work on his encouragement skills. 0:19:01.619 --> 0:19:03.780 But thank you that he's there, Lord. I bless you 0:19:03.780 --> 0:19:05.660 and thank you for this car. I know it's rusted. 0:19:05.660 --> 0:19:07.459 I can't open this door, but thank you. I can 0:19:07.460 --> 0:19:10.700 still get in the other door, Lord. And I know, Lord, 0:19:10.700 --> 0:19:14.220 this window doesn't go down. But praise God that that 0:19:14.220 --> 0:19:17.220 window does go down. And thank God it's paid for. 0:19:17.260 --> 0:19:19.500 I know I paid 500 for it, but thank God 0:19:19.500 --> 0:19:22.899 it's paid for. Praise God, you know. You begin to 0:19:23.100 --> 0:19:28.740 find things to bless God over and listen when you start. 0:19:28.740 --> 0:19:33.260 Here's here's how it works. There is a connection between 0:19:33.260 --> 0:19:38.980 the spirit and joy. The Bible tells us. For example, 0:19:38.980 --> 0:19:42.300 in acts chapter 13, verse 52, it said the disciples 0:19:42.300 --> 0:19:46.420 were full of joy and the Holy Spirit. In Nehemiah 0:19:46.420 --> 0:19:47.979 chapter eight verse ten, it says, the joy of the 0:19:47.980 --> 0:19:53.140 Lord is your strength. There's a connection. The kingdom of 0:19:53.140 --> 0:19:57.100 God is made of righteousness, peace, and joy in the 0:19:57.100 --> 0:20:00.860 Holy Spirit. There's a connection. Let me tell you what 0:20:00.859 --> 0:20:05.180 the connection is. You cannot be filled with the spirit 0:20:05.180 --> 0:20:10.060 without being filled with joy. You cannot be filled with 0:20:10.060 --> 0:20:15.380 joy without having energy in God to accomplish the purposes 0:20:15.380 --> 0:20:19.659 that God has called you for. Listen, if you have 0:20:19.700 --> 0:20:22.220 if you're not filled with the spirit, then you won't 0:20:22.220 --> 0:20:25.340 be filled with joy. And if you have no joy, 0:20:25.460 --> 0:20:28.940 you will have no energy. And if you have no energy, 0:20:28.980 --> 0:20:31.300 you will not be able to accomplish the things that 0:20:31.300 --> 0:20:34.500 God has called you to accomplish. And some of us, 0:20:34.500 --> 0:20:37.740 because we're not filled with the spirit, we have no joy. 0:20:37.900 --> 0:20:40.540 And since we have no joy, we have no energy. 0:20:40.540 --> 0:20:44.060 And since we have no energy, we drag ourselves through 0:20:44.060 --> 0:20:48.740 life moaning and complaining about how tough life is. And 0:20:48.740 --> 0:20:51.580 then when we try to tell people about Jesus, are 0:20:51.580 --> 0:20:57.820 you surprised they don't want your Jesus? Yeah. Why don't 0:20:57.820 --> 0:21:03.580 you come to church with me? Life is so tough 0:21:03.580 --> 0:21:11.780 and tough. Yeah. Come on. I think you really enjoy it. Really? 0:21:13.420 --> 0:21:15.340 And you say. I don't understand why they don't come. 0:21:15.340 --> 0:21:18.820 They must be really dark and lost. No, no, no, 0:21:18.859 --> 0:21:20.859 they're not dark and lost. They look at you and say, 0:21:20.859 --> 0:21:25.899 I don't want to be like them. Listen, when you 0:21:25.900 --> 0:21:31.100 don't have joy, it's hard to drag yourself out of bed. 0:21:32.100 --> 0:21:34.780 It's hard to face the problems that you have because 0:21:34.780 --> 0:21:39.300 you feel like, man, I'm just surviving. When you don't 0:21:39.300 --> 0:21:42.260 have joy, it seems like one other thing just tips 0:21:42.260 --> 0:21:45.460 you over the top. It's like I just can't handle it. 0:21:45.780 --> 0:21:50.700 When you don't have joy, then you start just getting 0:21:50.700 --> 0:21:56.020 into survival mode. You don't touch anybody, help anybody, empower 0:21:56.020 --> 0:21:59.910 anybody because you just become real self focused. Because you could. 0:21:59.950 --> 0:22:05.030 All you could do is manage to survive yourself. No joy, 0:22:05.190 --> 0:22:10.990 no energy, no energy, no opportunities, no opportunities, no impact, 0:22:11.030 --> 0:22:17.750 no impact, no significant work for the Kingdom of God. Oh, 0:22:17.790 --> 0:22:19.230 you may you may say, well, I just need a 0:22:19.230 --> 0:22:25.670 vitamin B6 pill. Maybe you do take multivitamins, but you know, 0:22:25.710 --> 0:22:28.070 the body, soul and spirit are connected, and maybe it's 0:22:28.070 --> 0:22:31.869 more than just a multivitamin. Maybe part of your problem 0:22:32.030 --> 0:22:34.430 is that you have you're not filled with the spirit 0:22:34.430 --> 0:22:38.750 because you're worried and negative in thinking about this. You're 0:22:38.750 --> 0:22:41.470 not inviting God into it. You're not filled with him, 0:22:41.470 --> 0:22:43.950 so you have no joy. Listen, the kingdom of God 0:22:43.950 --> 0:22:48.149 is made up of joy. There's something about the joy 0:22:48.150 --> 0:22:51.750 of God that gives you power to overcome any trial. 0:22:52.510 --> 0:22:54.710 Or I'm not saying that you don't have problems because 0:22:54.710 --> 0:22:57.989 you can. You'll have the same problems even when you 0:22:57.990 --> 0:23:01.350 have joy. But there's something about joy that just kind 0:23:01.350 --> 0:23:04.470 of pushes you over that problem. Like it can become overcome. 0:23:04.470 --> 0:23:06.590 This is not the end of the world. God is 0:23:06.590 --> 0:23:10.230 in control. He's still on the throne. He will give 0:23:10.230 --> 0:23:13.150 you the power. What happens is, when you're filled with 0:23:13.150 --> 0:23:16.830 the spirit, you're filled with the fruit of the spirit. Love. 0:23:16.990 --> 0:23:19.470 Joy is the second fruit of the spirit. And there's 0:23:19.470 --> 0:23:22.710 something about joy that gives you hope in the future 0:23:22.710 --> 0:23:25.190 and gives you power to be able to move on. 0:23:25.390 --> 0:23:27.669 I believe that we need a church that's full of 0:23:27.670 --> 0:23:29.990 the spirit, because a church full of the spirit is 0:23:29.990 --> 0:23:31.510 full of joy, and a church full of joy is 0:23:31.510 --> 0:23:32.350 full of power. 0:23:41.030 --> 0:23:44.270 You're listening to Bold Steps, the Bible teaching of Mark Jobe, 0:23:44.430 --> 0:23:47.750 encouraging and equipping you to maintain an attitude of thanksgiving 0:23:47.750 --> 0:23:50.190 so that you can share that with others in your life. 0:23:50.390 --> 0:23:52.990 That's what we're all about here. So let me ask 0:23:52.990 --> 0:23:56.630 you right now, how full is your spiritual tank right now? 0:23:56.910 --> 0:23:59.320 Do you need to put some more gas in the engine. 0:23:59.720 --> 0:24:02.240 If you could use a top off or recharge, let 0:24:02.240 --> 0:24:04.520 me invite you to go online to our website at. 0:24:06.359 --> 0:24:08.640 You can explore all the resources and tools we have 0:24:08.640 --> 0:24:11.520 available for you, like our latest Bold Step Gift, a 0:24:11.520 --> 0:24:15.400 special book by pastor Mike Fabares titled envy. If you're 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:18.880 feeling spiritually drained but can't figure out why, perhaps the 0:24:18.880 --> 0:24:21.640 hidden sin of envy is stealing your joy. In his 0:24:21.640 --> 0:24:25.840 compelling book, pastor Mike reveals how resentment toward others blessings 0:24:25.840 --> 0:24:29.280 becomes a corrosive force in our hearts. This bold step 0:24:29.280 --> 0:24:33.359 gift offers practical, biblical wisdom for finding contentment in Christ 0:24:33.359 --> 0:24:36.440 regardless of your circumstances. And we'll send you a copy 0:24:36.440 --> 0:24:39.280 today when you give a donation of any amount. So 0:24:39.320 --> 0:24:43.439 ask for the book when you call 800 Moody. That's 0:24:43.440 --> 0:24:51.160 (800) 356-6639 or give online at Bold Steps. And you can 0:24:51.160 --> 0:24:53.120 also send a one time gift to the mail. Just 0:24:53.160 --> 0:24:58.320 address your envelope to bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:24:58.359 --> 0:25:03.480 Illinois 606 ten. Well, tomorrow, Mark, we'll be continuing this 0:25:03.480 --> 0:25:06.280 series when you believe everything changes and will be taking 0:25:06.280 --> 0:25:08.520 a look at Ephesians chapter six. 0:25:08.880 --> 0:25:12.560 Yeah, in chapter six is very practical. It talks about 0:25:12.560 --> 0:25:17.719 parenting and you know, and I know that children don't 0:25:17.720 --> 0:25:21.040 come with a manual attached to them. 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:22.200 Oh, that they would, oh. 0:25:22.240 --> 0:25:25.560 That they would. And so I think every parent struggles 0:25:25.560 --> 0:25:27.439 through this. But, you know, the Bible has a lot 0:25:27.440 --> 0:25:33.280 of concrete, very practical instructions for both children and parents. 0:25:33.280 --> 0:25:35.080 And this is a powerful passage. 0:25:35.280 --> 0:25:37.440 Well, we look forward to that message, Mark. Thanks. But 0:25:37.440 --> 0:25:39.639 right now, that's all the time we have for today. 0:25:39.960 --> 0:25:42.560 Thanks for joining us. Come back Wednesday to hear more 0:25:42.560 --> 0:25:47.160 bold steps with Mark Jobe. Bold steps is a production 0:25:47.160 --> 0:25:50.400 of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.