Embracing Death to Self for Spiritual Growth

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"so some of the things that you hear in a good church are not things that our flesh likes to hear for example what we just heard about death to self but most preachers the Bible also says like to tickle people's ears and keep them happy and that's how it was in the Old Testament false prophets the distinction between the false prophets and the true prophets in the Old Testament was the false prophets would always say something that'll keep people happy" [00:00:01]

"and 400 Prophets came before them said God's going to help you to win they were the prophets of Ahab and Jehoshaphat you know he was from Israel and he was from Judah and he felt a little uncomfortable about this and he said isn't there any other prophet and Ahab said there's another guy called Mike Micaiah but I don't like him because he always rebukes me and says things I don't like Josh about said that's the one we must listen to call him" [00:00:55]

"and somebody went to Micaiah and said see all these 400 prophets have said one thing you also please fall in line and say the same thing and he said the exact opposite it's an amazing story there of how to be a true servant of God to say something different what 400 others have already said before you the message of death to self is hardly ever preached" [00:01:34]

"if somebody were to ask you can you give me a what is one evidence of God's love make a list of the way God proves that he loves me there are many things we'd say like Christ died for me and if Earthly fathers know how to give good things to their children how much more will your heavenly father give but I wonder how many of you would choose to say I know the lord loves me because he rebukes me" [00:02:18]

"the ways of the Lord are so different from the ways of man human love is completely different from Divine love Revelation 3 19 Those whom I love I reprove or rebuke and discipline I remember as a young man once I read somewhere that when you read the Bible and you only get words of comfort and never any rebuke then the Lord is never speaking to you at all you're just imagining" [00:02:57]

"then God is speaking to you I I took that to heart that if I read the Bible and all I get is words of comfort Comfort Comfort but never rebuke correction then I'm imagining that God is speaking to me he's not speaking to me at all because those whom the Lord loves he not only rebukes he disciplines them" [00:03:35]

"what type of preachers would you like to listen to I mean if you go to YouTube which preachers do you listen to most preachers would like to preach smooth words to people it was like that in the Old Testament let me show you a verse in Isaiah chapter 30. even in the Old Testament the middle of verse 9 is Ayah 30 and verse 9 the Lord says these are sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord" [00:05:07]

"and who say to the prophets you must not see visions and they say to the prophets you must not prophesy what is right speak to us pleasant words speak smooth words to us Christendom is full of people who say to preachers speak smooth words to us don't speak strong words we won't hire you as a pastor anymore we'll turn you out and look for somebody else" [00:05:52]

"it's amazing whom the Lord rebukes elders does he rebuke elders the last message of Jesus Christ to the church is not going to the world and make disciples that was before he left the Earth the last message in the Bible of Jesus to his disciples is rebukes to the elders in Revelation Chapter 2 and chapter 3. those are his last messages to the church and how strongly he rebukes them" [00:06:48]

"and not only that the interesting thing I see here is you know we are so concerned about our we have learned such a lot of psychology that he said when we correct somebody make sure that nobody else knows about it and make sure you whisper to him in his secret in his private privately the Lord doesn't believe in that type of psychology you would think that a message to an elder should be sent to him privately" [00:08:37]

"he says in Revelation 1 and verse 11. write in a book all these things that you that I'm going to show you and these are all rebukes to the elders and let all the seven churches here about how the elders in other churches are being rebuked wow I would have thought that that church alone hearing it would be enough I tell you the more you humble yourself to read God's word you learn one thing God says my ways are not your ways" [00:09:09]

"and he told me three pieces of advice he says one never as when I was about 23 years old never in your life make your financial needs known to anybody ever even if you have nothing I followed that all these 60 years secondly he said live very simply don't waste your money what you need to buy a little toothpaste and a few clothes that's enough don't live a luxurious lifestyle if you want to be a servant of God" [00:13:47]

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