How to Behave in a Cave I Letters From Jesus I Frank Santora

``Actually, a better translation would be, he's all I need. Not I shall not want, but I shall not want in essence because he's all I need. Because how many of you know when you get Jesus, you get everything? You don't really need anything else because in him, he said, go tell him I am sent you. I am what? Whatever you need him to be. You need healing? I am healing. You need provision? I am provider. You need peace? I am peace. You need safety? I am safety. You need emotional relief? I'm emotional release. Whatever you need God to be, he is not the great maybe, he's the great I am. Whatever you need. You get Jesus, you have everything. So [00:29:37] (37 seconds)  #JesusIsAllINeed

See, there's many young people here, maybe some old people as well who who feel this way. I'm gonna make my own way. I'm gonna cut my own path. I'm gonna blaze my own trail. And many of the young people that are here, you're trying to figure out, how do I make it? How do I make my mark? How do I do all those things? And you're trying to figure it out in your own strength and in your own power. Can I tell you're wasting energy? Not that you shouldn't be ambitious, not that you shouldn't work hard, not that you that you should expect God for good things, but can I tell you the greatest way to get where you wanna go? Follow Jesus. Why? Because he's already made the way. And so Jesus says, whether you're young or whether you're old, don't worry about blazing your own path. Follow me. Why? Because he's already made a path. Don't worry about doing this. Follow me. I'll already take you to places that you never thought you can be in. I'll take you where you wanna go. Follow me. So many times [00:32:36] (52 seconds)  #FollowJesusPath

singing and worshiping god. Can I tell you something? Worship your way through. No matter what your circumstance is, no matter what your situation is, when you worship, when you give him praise, the chains that seem to bind you will drop powerless behind you. God inhabits the praises of his people. Sometimes you gotta praise him in the middle of every cave of life. And that's exactly what John did. And so John is now exiled or he he's he's exiled to Patmos because they couldn't kill him, and so we'll look at that in a second. But here's what I want you to see. When you are faithful, when you refuse to bow, as they say, you will not burn. [00:16:31] (42 seconds)  #LettersFromJesus

Today, we are beginning again a brand new series, letters from Jesus based upon the letters, the seven letters that he wrote to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. And here's our guiding question behind this entire series. If Jesus were to write you a series of letters today, what would he say to you? What would Jesus write to you personally? [00:02:22] (26 seconds)  #HoldToTheWord

Most people in this room have pre decided that you are gonna pay either your mortgage or your rent, and you're gonna do that before you go on vacation. I have a lot of people who rent for me. Some of them don't decide that, by the way. Then they're like, yo, I'm behind on my rent because you wait fifteen days. Yeah. But you just went on vacation with you. Anyway, most of you have predecided that you are gonna pay your rent or your mortgage before vacation, before you buy yourself a new outfit, before you go out to dinner, before any of those things. Right? You've pre decided those things, and so you just live that way innately. Now you should pre decide that the first thing that you're gonna do before you do anything else is honor the Lord with your tithe. [00:08:41] (46 seconds)  #GodPreparesAShelter

Let me explain it to you this way. Everybody in this room has pre decided certain things in your life. It's not a new concept. It's something that that innately happens when something is really important to you. And and so for exam example, most people in this room who are parents, I hope all, have pre decided that if your child is in harm's way, you will give up your life for your child. K? You've pre decided that. That that's not something that you have to think about in the moment. When the moment arrives and there's danger about to confront your child or kill your child, you will step in the middle of that danger. You won't even think about it. You won't even ask twice about it, you will step in the middle of it, and if you die, you die as long as your child is safe. You've pre decided that because if you're a parent and you hesitate in that moment, it could mean the death of your child. And so there's no hesitation, it's absolute boom, amen. [00:07:45] (55 seconds)  #FaithTurnsFireToFuel

Right? And we don't wanna we wanna be in here's a messiah complex. When we take control of our own life. When we put our will, our desire on the throne of our own life, that's a messiah complex. You don't need to be a king. You don't need to be an emperor. You don't need to act out in the ways that we see this. But when you say to God, no, I'm doing it my way and not your way, you're saying, I'm king of my heart. I'm king of my domain. I'm savior of my life. You're not on the throne. For now, just stay aside. I'll call you when I need you. How many of you know god is not looking for a call when we need him? Thank god he always picks up the phone whether we call him when we need him or don't but that god is looking for more. God is looking for an ongoing, living, lasting relationship with you. In him, you move and live and have your being And so because Domation can't kill him, he sentences him. He exiles him to Patmos. And here's the second thing we have to resolve. I resolve here's the second way to behave in a cave. I resolve to remember that Jesus has gone before me. [00:20:25] (60 seconds)  #GodSpeaksInYourStory

They were allowed to just roam free over the whole island. Anyway, think, that's wonderful. That's great. Except they were given no food. They were given no water. They were given no clothes. They were given no shelter. They were given no anything. And Patmos was an area on that side of the island that was subject to really high, weather kind of movements. It could be really cold, it could be really hot, and so most people who are a political prisoner that was sent to Patmos would die. They would die in the elements, they would die of starvation, they would die of all of these things. And it was not something that was good for a young man, let alone an old man. By the time John goes there, John is about 90 years old. [00:23:43] (42 seconds)  #GodGivesHisLife