In this sermon, the preacher uses the analogy of a little child wanting to fly to illustrate how many people feel when they desire to live a victorious Christian life but don't know how to achieve it. The preacher emphasizes that just like the child's father arranged for a pilot to help him fly, God has made a way for believers to live in victory through Jesus Christ. The preacher also shares a personal experience of struggling with bondage and inward struggles during Bible college, highlighting how Satan works to hinder believers from experiencing the fullness of God's blessings. The sermon concludes with the message that God loves and thinks of every individual, and through faith in Him, believers can access His power and experience victory in their lives.

across America, not across America, across the world actually. I sometimes when you, different places you preach, if there's 30 people in a 70-seated hall, then the 30 people generally sit at the back. And I came over to America and generally there's, the halls are reasonably full. And I came to one place and there's about 40 people, 70 people in a 150-strong seated hall. And they were all sitting at the back. I thought it's the same overseas as well. And then one day I used to speak to people about it. And I suppose you must pull the beam out of your own eye. And I came to this one church and I sat, I saw everybody sitting in the back and I thought, well here's the minister trying to give a Bible study. I'm going to sit in the front. And I came there and I was the only person sitting in the front. And that minister looked at the congregation and he said, I'd just like to tell you there's two type of people in the front in the meeting. And I was the only person in the front. He said, it's the ministers and the Pharisees. So I sat there, I knew he was speaking of me. Now it was a pleasure, a great pleasure to hear that testimony this morning, reminded me so much of myself. I remember I, as a young child, accepted Christ. But later on, about five years ago, I met with God. Hallelujah. Peace of God, the positive understanding. Not everybody has peace, but I met with God. The Bible became a new book to me. It was alive. I came as a sinner. When I gave up my good works, at that point when I gave up my good works and I came only with my sin, willing to give it up, but not knowing how. And I came to the blood of Jesus Christ. In one moment, God changed me forever. He gave me a love for God, which I never had before. Though I used to do many things for God, like he support the football club. I supported God with fire, but I didn't know him, that love. I loved him unto death. Oh, this book became my greatest book, but I would be a liar if I was to say that after I was saved, I never had struggles. I never had struggles in my Christian walk. And you know, Charles Spurgeon himself, after he got saved, he had this funny idea. He said that sin is dealt with. There's nothing left of sin. I can't fail. I can't be tempted. And he got into such bondage when he failed a little this way, failed a little that way, that he thought he wasn't saved. And when he got tempted, now temptation is not sin, the sin is sin. The temptation is not sin. He went to his grandfather and he said to, I think it was his grandfather, he said, I'm obviously not saved. I cannot have these thoughts. His grandfather with wisdom looked at him and said some wonderful words to a young Christian. He said, these are the devil's breaths. They're not yours. And that helped him find peace. Even though he had met with God in a wonderful way, he still had struggles, amazing struggles after his salvation. Today, before I begin, I'm just going to bring a few points. I'm in South Africa. We work across here. I love it. I believe some people say they're cool to the Muslims. And some people say they're cool to the little children. Some people, I love children's meetings. And I love speaking at old age homes. And I love speaking to families. But one thing I find about the children and the people, the old people are just grown up little children. And they've got the same spiritual struggles many times that their little child has. Only the child is willing to bring it out much faster. An older person is scared that people will know that I'm struggling. And you go around and we meet, our mission is 80 years old. And many people have been saved through the years, sometimes in wonderful revivals that are in books of our mission. And we go around and we visit people of all ages. In between our series of meetings, we do visitation to us to visit Christians, sometimes when they don't have a wonderful church to go to. And you go around and you visit these Christians, many times you find with the godly, they're going through struggles inwardly. And they think that they're the only people going through those struggles. And they don't realize that there's many people going through those struggles. And they don't know the answer sometimes. Now I'd love, I'm looking forward to preaching the sermon because I've seen people, one godly man came into the office with some tears. He said, I couldn't believe he was struggling, he just preached. He said, I'm struggling, this is what I've been struggling with. One person wrote to me and said, I'm just writing in tears, I found a victory in Christ Jesus, which has never left me. And I fear that it'll go like other times, but it hasn't gone. Now I can't do that. I've only preached a sermon three times. In the ones, nothing happened. The other two times, I believe God worked in a wonderful way, both times. So obviously it isn't the sermon on its own. It's not me preaching it. But let's agree, those of you who are truly Christians here, who have met with God, let's agree that this simple sermon, not going to be amazing things, but that God will use it as He can. Because only He can make one verse give life. Let us pray. Father, I love Thee. Thank You for that day five years back, day I will never forget, when Jesus came down and You met with Roy. And Roy was never the same. Thank You for those of us who have truly met with Jesus. And Father, we know that verse says in John 15, without Me, you can do nothing. And Father, I believe that verse with all my heart. I'd like to stand before You now and say, Father, I can do absolutely nothing without You. But thank You that You didn't leave us alone, that You sent a comforter, that You are in me, and I in You. And I can look to You for strength now and ask You, Lord, being here in this meeting, what nation is like unto our nation as God is near unto us, and all things which we call upon Him for. I call upon You now. Thank You that You are here. In Jesus Christ's name. Amen. I'd like us to turn in the Bible to Romans 8 verse 15. To me, one of the most precious verses in the entire Bible. Romans 8 verse 15. It's lovely getting excited about the Bible. As soon as I used to, when I got a verse, I used to just go to the front. I want to phone my grandfather. I want to tell him. Tell someone. Romans 8 verse 15. For ye, for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Which basically means, Father, Father. Do you know how precious that verse is? You know, I was reading in my bed a few months back, a little book, The Facts on Islam. And as I read through that book, there came a time when I started to cry. Tears. Because I started to realize what we have as true Christians. What is ours. I read there that they have 99 beautiful names for Allah, which they memorize to be able to worship with. But that not one of these names is love. God is such a sovereign God. A God of power. A God who sends certain people to hell and send people to heaven. God is a God out there. You cannot know God. He's such a sovereign God. They would never dare to call God Father. And yet here we read in Romans 8 verse 15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Father, Father. Bondage. No, the devil wants to bring Christians into bondage. You think Christians truly born again cannot go into bondage? Galatians shows us those who had started in the spirit, gone in the flesh. I've known people that had joy in their Christian experience. It is the part of knowing the fullness of the Holy Spirit. And then they went into bondage and darkness for years. I've met someone who for 10 years had joy in his Christian experience. Another man. And for another 10 years at least he was in darkness. Satan came. He was a terrifying enemy. He didn't convict like the Holy Spirit did. He accused. And he brought him into bondage and darkness. There was a preacher, a wonderful preacher. And Satan somehow brought him into bondage and he left the ministry after many years living in a hut on his own. Oh, we have a terrifying, terrifying enemy, the devil. And he knows how to bring Christians, sometimes Christians who are greatly used to God, into bondage, including myself for a few months, about five years ago. You know, when I got saved, it was wonderful. We went out to pray. I went in the streets and I remember one person came to the Lord with a few words that I said unto him. I was saved. And yet I'd be a liar to say that there wasn't a stage where I went into bondage and had inward struggles. How does Satan do this? I'd just like to give you a glimpse of how Satan works. And this might sound very simple to you, but I'd like you to give you a glimpse of how Satan works. When I was at Bible College, I remember being there and it's lovely being at Bible College, especially when you know many of the people around you are sane and they want to go out in the streets and win souls. And they're willing to pray and your time is for God. And I remember being there and there was a lovely ex-policeman who was also on fire for God, got saved out of drink and sin. And he came to that college and he was quite a good speaker and he read of Charles Finney. I love reading the life of Charles Finney. He read the life of Charles Finney and saw that Charles Finney did something very interesting. He took a verse. As a young preacher, he just took a verse and he went out in front of these crowds of people and he started to preach. He didn't prepare anything. And in the middle, people went brokenness. And this ex-policeman was amazed. He said, that's the way to do it. And he went to jail. Well, to preach. We all did. Never got locked in there. And he started to preach like this. And he told the other students, this is the way it's done. You're not anointed by God. Something like that. If you don't, just take a verse and fire. Like Finney. And you know, I saw a strange thing happen. Those students, quite a few of them, went into bondage and darkness. And they felt that they weren't right with God if they actually did a little bit of preparation for their sermon. I had one student come up to me and the person looked at me at one stage and said, you know, is it wrong? I've got to preach now, but I wanted to quote a little section from that book. Am I doing wrong? It's ridiculous. Do you know how D.L. Moody prepared his sermons? Have you ever read how D.L. Moody prepared his sermons? Also wonderfully used of God. Great survivalist, like Charles Finney. He used to, when he told the letter of God to have a topic, apart from soaking himself in the word of God, which you may, and using the word of God, he started to get quotes from many books and bring them all together, as many as he could on that topic. As much as he could, he gathered together on the topic and brought it all together, I suppose, on his big day. And then he used to, and please don't do this, but he did it, he cut out of one of his Bibles, the verses, so that he could paste it down in his sermons, so that there was flowing as he preached. And God didn't look down at D.L. Moody and say, D.L. Moody, you're not like Charles Finney. You must take a verse and preach it. I'm not going to use you. Oh yes, D.L. Moody had to have a meeting place with God. D.L. Moody had to pray much. D.L. Moody had to soak himself in the word. But God didn't say, you're not like Charles Finney, I'm not going to use you. And praise God, he was used in an amazing way. George Miller, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful man. Praise God for his testimony, an inspiration for prayer. Started off with the little things and suddenly his faith grew like Elijah. George Miller had steps that he took before he took decisions, any big decision. Specific steps that he took that you'll read of, before he knew what is the will of God. And that is good. But someone, a godly boy I know, read that and he went into bondage. To the point that he was scared to walk over the street to get out of tract. Because he was scared he wasn't doing the will of God. Satan is no little enemy. I mean if you look at Samuel Morris, loved his book as well. Praise God for that man, believed the word of God as it was and prayed much. And he, when he heard, say there was a cannibal tribe or something, when he heard there was someone in America, there was an expert on the Holy Ghost, probably some professor or something. He was so excited, he prayed a lot obviously, but very soon with impulsively ran or walked to the seesaw sign. And the first ship he could find, he asked if he could go on board and then he prayed because they said no. He prayed for a day or so, I can't remember. And he was on that ship and he was off the way for three months and eventually got to America and he was there. You know God didn't look down and say, Samuel Morris you're not like George Muller. You're impulsive, I'm not going to use you. When Samuel Morris sometimes walked to the front of a meeting just to pray, as he prayed God came down and people broke before God. He didn't even preach. You see people differ in personality and ability. And the best example I think of this in the entire Bible is the difference between Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra, when he saw this evil of the people marrying with the Moabites and other nations, the Daughters, when the people of God married with the wrong nations who were idol worshipers and so on, he did something very strange. He tore his garments and I can understand that, but then he began to tear out his hair. I don't know if you've ever done that. I haven't. But it must have been sore. And the people repented, praise the Lord. But you know about 50-70 years later, Ezra wasn't there, I don't think, and Nehemiah was there. And the same thing happened. The people were marrying the Daughters of Moab and another nation. But you know he acted in a little different way. He didn't pull out his own hair. He ran among the people and started pulling out their hairs. With the same result, they repented. And God used two different personalities in two different ways. With the same result. I'd just like to say before I go on though that there's liberty in Christ. There's a liberty in Christ which is so wonderful, but it's not a liberty to sin. No. But there's a liberty which the devil would keep you from. He would bring you into bondage. As a Christian. He knows how. And he's done it with many Christians on different degrees. You see the devil is a murderer. He's like a person who hates you with a great and terrifying hatred. And he's standing there with a machine gun or something. A gun. And he wants to shoot you. He wants to hurt you in your spiritual life. But he hasn't got ammunition. And he's waiting. As soon as you give him ammunition, he's gonna shoot you. He won't wait a moment. He hurts you in your spiritual work. 1 Peter 5 verse 8. Be sober. Be vigilant because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion. Walketh about seeking whom he may devour. And I've seen Christians, though they later found peace, there were times when they allowed the devil to devour them. For times. Now one of the most dangerous ammunitions that I believe, one of the most dangerous pieces of ammunition that I believe you can put into the hands of the devil to allow him to shoot you with, is your feelings. Your feelings. I believe there's two things in the Bible which are as far as the east is from the west. And that's your sins from God once he's forgiven you. Hallelujah. But also your faith from your feelings. Your faith from your feelings. And the devil wants you to do something. And if you can get this right, the results are bad. He wants you to connect your faith to your feeling instead of to the Word of God. And if he gets that right, when your feelings go up, you'll feel God is there. And your feelings go down, you'll feel bad. You don't have faith. If you do that, allow the devil to allow you to connect your faith to your feelings. You'll go through inward struggles you never ever ever had to go through. I'd like to praise the Lord and pray. And I went for a walk. Lovely to go for a walk for a long time just to praise and pray. And I went out and I had this desire to praise and pray. And somehow I forgot to eat. I forgot about breakfast. So I went down the street. And you know, even though your brain forgets, your stomach starts to speak to your brain at some stage. And I remember trying to praise the Lord. And it was stomach, as I said, was speaking to my head. It said there's something wrong. And of course, the devil came and he said, Roy, you don't feel wonderful, so the Lord isn't here. And there's something wrong with your faith. You're doing this in the flesh. And then after a while, I suddenly remember, I've forgotten to eat. So I went back after I'd prayed and so on. And I got to the camp meeting, I started to eat. Now it was a wonderful feeling that went through your body when you eat. But you know what I believe? God was there when I didn't feel He was there, because He said He would be there. I remember a night of prayer we had in Africa one time with a lovely brother. And we were praying. And it was wonderful. But the third hour or so, we weren't broken. There was tears over the souls of men. That's precious. There's nothing wrong with it. But I think about the five hours later or so, at about three o'clock in the morning, I wasn't in tears. I was trying to keep my eyes open. And it was just bringing the Word before God. And I could hardly read the Bible actually. But I believe that God answered the prayers at three o'clock in the morning as much as He answered the prayers when I was in tears. Because He made me that way. And He said He would. R.A. Torrey, the great preacher said, do not look at your feelings, but at God's promise. The Almighty writes, do you think you can control your feeling? That's the question. Bear in mind, Satan may change your feelings 50 times a day, but he cannot change the Word of God. You know, Neil Mealy gave me one of those wonderful illustrations on salvation. But I believe it applies to the entire Christian walk. He said that there was a person drowning. Now this is concerning salvation. And it's in the sea now. He said if people are drowning in the sea, Satan will come to you with a plank called feeling. And he'll say, stand on that. And you'll stand and the plank will go underneath you. And you can do that many times. But he said something lovely. He said, dear me, I've got something I want to give to you. Not feeling, he said. Something you can put your feet on to stand. The Word of God. The rock of God's Word. Charles Spurgeon, he was a wonderful preacher. The principle is I told you he went through struggle. And many times you think these people will always have an oozing, wonderful feeling power coming out of them as they preach from the pulpit. And they're driven up into the pulpit with this amazing feeling. But Charles Spurgeon says I do not always feel saved. But I know I'm saved because God says so. Because of God's Word. Because of his fruit in my life. Many people think because they do not have a wonderful feeling, that they do not have faith. And even if they know that you mustn't link your faith to the feeling, they still do it. And they think that because they do not have faith, the devil tells them God is disappointed in them. You know, the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please him. And then you sit with your quiet tongue. You've truly been saved if I wasn't. The time comes and you start reading your Bible and after a while you don't feel this bubbly, oozy, wonderful feeling coming out of you. And you think the devil comes to you and he says there's something wrong brother. You don't feel the presence of God. God's not going to speak to you today. And you know then they have short quiet times because of this. You will be surprised how many people have short quiet times on their own, not when they're in groups, on their own because of this one thing. Not because they weren't saved, but because they're looking subconsciously for a feeling. I'd like to ask a question about a verse. 1 John 5 verse 14 to 15. You know this verse, it's a lovely verse. You all know the parable. And this is the confidence that we have in him. That if we ask according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we receive, we have the petition that we desired of him. Hallelujah. Now let me ask you a question, does it say and this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we have an oozing, lovely, bubbly feeling coming out of our ears, we know he hears us. And that he, we have the petition because of this wonderful, bubbly, oozy faith. No. He says, this is the confidence that we have in him. If we ask according to his will, we know, we know. It's a confidence. We know that we have the petition that we ask. Now I know there's times you have wonderful peace, and there's a peace of God which passes understanding, and it's through faith that you have that peace. And he can give that to you in most troubling times, but there are other times when you're on your knees and there's nothing. And it's when you have to come to God and he has to teach you to learn to live by faith. Now what is it in us that wants to feel before we believe? What is it in us that wants to feel before we believe? It's the flesh. The flesh. Norman in the Old Testament, he was an interesting person. He had leprosy. He heard from his servant girl that there was a person in Israel who could heal him. He went through the king first. The king tore his hair or something, I don't remember. And eventually he came out to Elisha, and Elisha sent out Gehazi. And Gehazi was there. And he said to him, I've got a message from my master that you must go down to the Jordan and wash yourself seven times, and you will be clean. And what did Gehazi do? Now what did Norman do? I thought he would come out and he would stand before me, and he would call upon the name of his God, and he would smite his hand over the place. No, no, no, no. I'm going out. And his servant said to him, but master, if it was the big thing of you, would you not have done it? We always love to do the big thing before we believe. Why can't you just wash and be clean? Why do you have to make it complicated? You see, the flesh wants to feel before it believes. The flesh wants a sign before it believes. The flesh wants to understand before it believes. I want to repeat that. The flesh wants to feel before it believes. The flesh wants a sign before it believes, and the flesh wants to intellectually understand before it believes God would. And that's the reason why many people don't get saved, everyone. Many people don't get saved. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 21-22 we read that the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom. Oh the Jews say before I'm going to believe you're going to have to show me a sign and the Greeks say before I believe you're going to have to explain it to me very much. And these are the unsaved but you know it's funny Christians do exactly the same in going forward in their Christian experience. They look for a sign before they go on and they look for to understand it perfectly before they can accept it and look to Jesus in faith. Christians do exactly the same many times. And it's about this point I'd like to bring a little illustration. I remember I was still a boy at heart I said little children only grow up. They said the difference between a small boy and a big boy is the size of the toy. But I remember I was kicking a ball and the ball went on the roof and of course I had to climb up and get it. This was this year. And an illustration came to my head. I thought of a little child and he kicking the ball and suddenly the ball goes on the roof. And his father comes to me and his father says to him my child I want you to get that ball from the roof. And by the time I get back in about half an hour I want that ball off. And he goes away but he didn't show him where the ladder is or anything and the boy looks and he doesn't know how to get up. And he wants to get the ball. His father wants him to get the ball from the roof. He knows that's where I want to be I want to get the ball but there's no ladder. And so he starts to tumble. And he doesn't know what to do and his father comes back and his father looks at him and says my child why haven't you got the ball from the roof. And the little boy looks up and he says daddy but you didn't show me how to get up. There was no ladder. And you know that's what happens in many people's experience as a Christian. That you must rejoice in the Lord always. That you must be more than conquerors. And you have people who pray for six hours or whatever. And they see the stand and they say daddy wants that for me. Daddy wants me to get on the roof. But where's the ladder? How do I get up there? And they don't know how. I guess I'd like another little illustration. A little child. A little child. Another little child is like me with a big imagination going around. And he's heard he wants to fly like the birds. And he goes brrrrrrrrrrrr and he's flapping his wings. And he wants to fly. It's his imagination. And his daddy comes and he looks down at this little boy and the little boy says daddy I've been trying to fly but I can't fly. It's not fair. And the father looks down at the child and the daddy, how can I fly? And one day the daddy comes home and he knows this little heart's desire of his child and he wants to treat the child. So he says, child, come in the car. And they get in the car and they start driving away. And all the way they go in that car. And eventually, they get to the airport and they get out and he's arranged with a pilot. And they're up the big gangway, the child walks, and he's excited and his father said, you asked me how to fly, I'll tell you how, in the airplane. And into the airplane he gets and there the big airplane goes, onward, onward, onward, and up into the sky. You know, if someone comes to me and says, I want to have victory, faith, I want to claim the promise of God, I want to have boldness in approaching God, as a Christian, those have really been safe. But I don't know how, how can I? You know what I'll tell them? In Jesus, in Jesus, I want to have faith, victory, claim promises, approach God with boldness. In Jesus, you see, the devil wants to keep us ignorant of our position in Christ, once we've been saved. Colossians 2 verse 6, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Now, this is a standard, but there's something more to this verse. 1 John 2 verse 6 says, you must walk as Jesus walked. But this verse says, walk in him. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. You don't know that Paul uses the words in Christ, the related words, more than 70 times in the New Testament. Paul the Apostle uses the words in Christ, the related word, more than 70 times in the New Testament. This was Paul's message in Christ. I'd just like to read a few of these verses. Ephesians 1 verse 11, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance. Ephesians 1 verse 7, in whom we have redemption through his blood. Ephesians 2 verse 18, for through him, we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 3 verse 12, I love this verse. In whom we have boldness, to access with confidence by the faith of him. Not our faith, God's faith. Read carefully, you know, it doesn't say we have to run around the world 500 million times, after we've been saved. Do a million things and then, we have, it says, these words, before we can have boldness, it says, we have, we have, we have, we have, received. And I'd like to take that verse, which we've just read, as you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. And I'd like with reverence to say, it's almost like a little child who got a bicycle. His father saw his child and gave him a lovely bicycle. And one week later, his father came back to the house and gone on a journey. And he said, son, why aren't you using that bicycle? Have you ridden it? And his son said, no. Well, then as you have received the bicycle, so ride on it. And with all reverence, I'd like to say, as you have received Christ Jesus, so use what you have received. Walk in him. Are you using your position in Christ Jesus? Colossians 1 verse 3 says, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 1 verse 19, for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell. In Christ Jesus. Now at this point, I'd like to talk about Mr. Bramwell. I don't know if any of you have read of the great preacher Mr. Bramwell of the 1800s or 1700s. Reverend Mr. Bramwell, one of those godly old people who prayed six hours a day. Wow. And you know, he preached and hundreds of people were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Wonderful. Do you know what he said? I read it. He said, I always go to secret prayer reluctantly. Six hours a day and he goes to secret prayer reluctantly. He said, I have to pull myself up to it. Surely this is an ungodly man if he has to pull himself up to it. He says, I went through dry seasons many times. I felt nothing. Many times he was praying for six hours a day, he felt nothing. Now how could he discipline himself? How could he know that God would answer his prayer? He didn't feel anything. How could he do that? Well I think he knew the secret of Ephesians 3 verse 12. In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of Him. His boldness was not in his feeling. He knew God would answer because His Word, He came in Christ Jesus not in his feeling. Though he prayed for six hours. Now obviously I believe he had wonderful times of joy in the presence of the Lord but other times he felt nothing. His boldness was in Jesus not his feelings. Stand on that verse. Even if you feel nothing, come in Jesus and God will bless you as He has blessed me. You know often when I'm walking down the street, oh it's lovely, this morning I had wonderful peace as I was sitting in front of the world. But sometimes when I'm walking down the street and I'm praying to God I feel absolutely zilch, nothing. And I'm praying to God and I'm talking to Him. And of course the devil will come and say you're feeling nothing so you haven't got faith. And God doesn't honour people who don't have faith. And I just say to God these words. God, even though I feel nothing, dear Father, in Jesus I have boldness to access with confidence by the faith of Him. And as I lay these requests before you at Thanksgiving, I know you're going to answer them because you said so. And because I come in Jesus. And you know the more I do that, the more I ignore my feelings. And simply come in Christ Jesus, the more God sometimes miraculously answers my prayers. And I don't come looking for a feeling. And if you do the same I can guarantee you, there's obedience, there's not a liberty to sin. But if you ignore your feelings and you come in Christ Jesus, God will honour you. Now there's a lot that is ours in Christ that we must find and claim it for ourselves. There's a lot that comes through obedience, hallelujah. God manifests Himself unto those that obey Him. But there's a lot that comes through us claiming the promises of God and waiting upon them. 2 Peter 1 verse 4. I love that verse. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. This is by the knowledge of Jesus, if you see the previous verse. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Oh there's precious promises, hallelujah. Now read 2 Corinthians 1 verse 24. You all know this verse. For all the promises of God in Him are yea, not in your feelings, and in Him are men. Unto the glory of God by us, hallelujah. Charles Wesley, the brother of the great reviver, John Wesley wrote a little hymn. He said, faith, mighty faith, the promise sees and stands on that alone. Laugh at impossibilities and cries, it shall be done. There are so many people who get into bondage and darkness over this. And then after they look for a feeling and it doesn't come sometimes. And yes there's peace that God gives. But at the moment when they should have been just seeking God in simple faith. They start thinking there's something wrong in my life. And the devil brings a rule into their life. And they start making legalistic little rules. And they go into bondage trying to become self-righteous as Christians. Many people have done it. The devil is a fearful foe. But oh there's a victory in Christ Jesus that is there for every single one of us through faith. And it's not a little unpowerful victory, it's a wondrous victory. There's sin and death and hell. And it's yours. You have received him and have you received grace for grace. Hallelujah. But the devil will keep you from it if you keep on looking to your feelings and don't simple come in Christ Jesus. And I'd like to end off with this before I sing. Do you know how God thinks of every single one of us? What a man that thou art mindful of him. Many people going through spiritual struggles think that God knows about them but he's not the main... God's not thinking about any particular area. Yes God does. He thinks about you every second of the day and he longs to give you victory. He longs for you to serve him with all your heart. He longs to make your life a joy on this earth. I remember once I went to that lady. As I walked past her I told you she came to the Lord among the others that came to the Lord. It was at a village of these poor folk. And I just said a few words, I think I've mentioned this before, to this lady and she turned to God without me knowing it. On sin and drink. She became a prayer warrior. I remember a few months later we came there, me and Glenn. And we were looking around this place and this is how God thinks of one person. One poor little drunk. Who will never make much as a great speaker. This lady. Or anything like that. We sat in the car. And we asked God for guidance. We didn't know she'd come to the Lord. Which of these houses of this whole village should we go to? Without any feeling we chose that house. And we walked up to the door of the lady who had met with God. And she said that before she got saved. Long before in this drunken state, in this state of darkness. Where people rejected her all over. Where she thought no one loved her. She had seen a vision of two white people coming. And those two white people came. Little Roy and Glenn. And she met with God. God thinks of you. Today. He loves you. And this is the one once you receive Christ. Who you can call Father. And in Him you can have boldness. To act with confidence by the faith of Him. And in Him you have victory. You fight. I'd like to sing a little song. You might have heard it before. You might have sung it last year. I don't know. I'd like to sing it again. Something God gave to me in Namibia. Of Africa. I'd like you to close your eyes. I'm not going to make any appeal. There's no appeal to be made. But. I'd like to say. There's two reasons. With your eyes shut. Why? If a person knows the standard on the roof. Why you won't go up and get the ball. The one is that there's not a ladder. And you want to go up but you don't know the way up. You're looking at your feelings. Not coming in Christ Jesus. But the other. Is if you know the way but you don't want to. Do it. You don't get up on the roof. Once you know the way. And that is inexcusable. Now that you know. If you knew before even. You don't have to look to your feelings at all. You can come in Christ Jesus. You spend much time with God on your knees. Who longs to spend time with you. I believe it agonizes God that we don't spend more time with him. Because he's longing with a grief and love. To spend time with his children. I'd like to sing this song. Before I pray. Like a child in the hands of its father. I'm safe in the hands of my Lord. Through the storms and the trials I may pass through. I can stand on the rock of his word. Precious hands, precious love of my Jesus. Same hands that were pierced for my sins. They're the hands that will hold me and keep me. As I live for my Savior and King. When I think of the way that he suffered. On Calvary's crude tree long ago. Of his blood that was shed to save me. Of his love never ceasing to glow. Precious hands, precious love of my Jesus. Same hands that were pierced for my sins. They're the hands that will hold me and keep me. As I live for my Savior and King. When I think of his hands that were pierced there. How worthless my hands seem to be. Oh how little that they have been folded. In fervent prayer to my King. Precious hands, precious love of my Jesus. Same hands that were pierced for my sins. They're the hands that will hold me and keep me. As I live for my Savior and King. Oh Lord thank you for what is all ours in Christ Jesus. Thank you Lord that you want it with a desperate love. To be part of our lives. In truth. Father if there's anybody here who's tampering with sin. Which is not thy liberty. I ask you to work in their lives. To throw it away. To turn to God with all they are. Lord if there's others that are struggling. And I believe they are. In their quiet times. For victory and feelings. Then I ask you to open up this message to them. Which I can't. What it is the joy, the greatness, the loveliness. Of coming to God alone in Christ Jesus. And the blessings of this. And all that is theirs in Jesus. Help them to walk in Him whom they have received. Those that are saved. In Jesus Christ's name. We ask this together. Knowing that you love to answer prayer. In Christ I have boldness to act with confidence by the faith of Him. I stand before you now. In Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen. Now what is the time? 11.35 Well. You can go except for one little thing. I love talking. I'm not like one of those revivals. I can't remember his name. But I was once at Glenville Bible College. And you might be sitting here like this. And I had fallen from God's standard. Not only in these things. But probably in wrong areas of my life. And I'd lost a lot of ground. And I sat there not knowing what to do. I could either go and try to do a million things to please God. To get right with Him. And I didn't know what to do. I couldn't work myself up to be right with God again. And then I opened up my Bible. And I cried. Because I opened up to Psalm 23 which says. He. Restoreth my soul. And in one moment God restored my soul. You don't have to run around the world 15 million times to be restored. If you're backslidden child. Just be willing to give it up. And come to Him who restores you perfectly as you were before. And won't even remember it. And then go on in Christ Jesus. Spending much time with Him. And looking in faith for victory in Him which is there. OK. Thanks so much.