#1025 Called to Grow

1025 Called to Give Transcription

When a normally healthy child is born, they come out and they cry. And from that point on they begin to grow. And within this process, they grow from year to year; and sometimes you can see them growing from day-to-day.

Gardens are like this. If you have a zucchini, which I do plant, and your zucchini may be the size of a banana on Monday. If it rains all day Monday into Monday night; when you come out on Tuesday that zucchini will be double in size. And now, that's hard for you to believe, but I know as a gardener that's true. Because it's hard for me to believe. They will actually double. And so they can grow that fast overnight and I'm sure that's not the only vegetable that that applies to.

As children of God, we are called to the family of God when we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, but that doesn't stop there. When we're called and we are born again, that's really just the beginning. That's how it just begins.

And then God continues to call us. He will call to us. And he will call to us to mature us when you respond to his call. And God calls to us in many ways. God calls us to speak his Word. And when you carry that out you will grow in that area of life. God calls us to serve. If God's called you to serve in a specific area; when you heed the call, hear the call, and act on the call; you'll receive the blessings of that calling.

God calls us to love. When you heed that call and act on it, you will receive the blessings of your call to love another person. You're called to love yourself. You are called to love the body. God calls us to forgive. When you heed that, you receive the benefits of forgiveness in your life; and so forth and so on.

For some God calls us to ministry. You will never receive the blessings of ministry or what God has available for you in that walk; unless you hear the call of God, and then you have to heed the call of God. You have to act on it.

If we are unwilling to act on what God has called us to do, then we are unwilling to grow. Because it's in the action of doing what God has called you to do that you will experience growth. That's the way it works. Like a young child that develops and grows from stage to stage, we too are called to grow from stage to stage.

Matthew 6:27-28 ²⁷Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? ²⁸And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

That's King James. What it means is "which one you guys by being so full of anxiety can make yourself grow; add a cubit to your stature". In other words, being full of anxiety is not going to help you accomplish anything. When he says, "Why take ye thought for raiment". In other words he means why are you so concerned about what you're going to wear?

Then he gives an example. God tells us to consider the flowers. See, you can learn from nature. There is always a lesson to be learned from nature if you're willing to go and look at nature.

When I came home tonight , I went and I looked at my tree in the backyard. I bought that Catalpa tree because when I was a little boy, my mother had a tree like that. If you take the time to go up to that tree and look at one of its flowers it's amazing. The greatest artist in the world cannot paint a beautiful flower like that. It has dots. It has lines. It has colors that you would not believe. And its design is just amazing.

When I was a little boy, I used to stand at that tree on the side of my house and I would just look at that tree. Then I would think, how can God do that with a flower? And there are hundreds of flowers on the tree. It's just starting to come out and it's beautiful; it's breathtaking.

And God just caused that tree to be like that. And he says here,"…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not…" They don't work real hard and get all exasperated about growing, "…neither do they spin:" In other words, they don't make their costumes.

Like a spinners wheel would spin out the thread and you can make a suit or tie out of it. They are adorned, but they didn't adorn themselves. In other words, think. That's what he's saying they don't toil and they don't spin.

Look at to "consider". He says to consider the lilies of the field. The word "consider" means to learn thoroughly, to learn about it; think about it. It means to examine carefully. Now how does a lily grow? You just don't walk out one day and it's there. A lily grows from stage to stage. They don't worry about it. They're not filled with anxiety.

And the word "grow" here in Matthew 6:28 how they grow, is a translation and it comes from the Greek word auxano. The word auxano means "to increase"; it means to cause to grow; to become greater.

Matthew 13:31-32 ³¹Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: ³²Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown (auxano), it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

God wants us to consider the lilies and how they grow, how they auxano. In Matthew 13:31 we're looking at our call to grow. God has called us to grow. That little seed grows, auxanos, to become a huge tree.

Did you ever go to a pizzeria and they put garlic out in a salt shaker? Do you see the little speck of garlic? It's so small. You need to really look to see it, or you're over-garlicing your pizza. That's what a mustard seed looks like. It looks like a speck of garlic powder. It's that small.

And yet the Bible says that when it's sown, and it's grown, it auxano, increases. It's the greatest among the herbs and becomes a tree, "so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

This is where you see the call grow to serve at work. Your call to serve is something that may be insignificant to the world. But to God and in the soil of God, when it's planted in the things of God, It can grow up to be a tremendous help.

Because when this little seed grows., do you know what it does? It stands there and then it supplies a need for the birds. They come and they what? They lodge in its branches. See? That's service - but that service can only be accomplished if that seed was planted and that seed grew.

Mark 4:8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased (auxano); and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

This is talking about the parable of the sower and the seed. Most of you are familiar with this parable. You can read it, if not. In talking about the parable explaining about where the seed was sown. He says in verse eight that the fruit "auxanoed". It grew; it increased. And once it increased, "…it brought forth, Some brought forth thirty, and some brought forth sixty, and some brought forth an hundred.

See, the point isn't whether it's 30, 60 or 100. The point is, whatever the capacity and the potential of that individual was or that seed was produced. But the individual is that that person - that individual - should grow, should increase, and should produce what they're called to produce.

If you're called to produce 30, then produce 30; and don't worry about the person whose producing 60. If you're called to produce 60, then produce 60 and don't worry about the person who's doing 30. That's way it works. God calls you and he equips you to do that which he wants you to serve.

Another point with the seed: you want to grow where you're planted. You can't pick up a seed or a plant and keep moving it from space to space to space to space to space. Because if you do, it doesn't get a root system down. And if you do it enough, you are going to shock the plant and it's going to die. Grow where you're planted. Grow right where you're planted.

See, you have everything you need to grow right where you're planted. Joe has everything that he needs to grow right where he's planted. That's the way it works. You grow where you're planted.

Luke 1:80 And the child grew (auxano), and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

We are talking about John the Baptist here. The child "auxanoed". Again, it's that Greek word. "And he waxed strong in the spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel." When you grow you become spiritually strong. And the opposite is just as true. When you don't grow, you are spiritually weak.

John 3:30 He must increase (auxano), but I must decrease.

Anyone who has been called to ministry, and has functioned in ministry, and continues to function in ministry gets to this verse in John chapter 3. And it's not a sad verse. it's a verse of joy and rejoicing and it's a verse that a mature minister must realize.

In John 3:30, John's talking about Jesus Christ. "He must increase. (He must "auxano") but I must decrease." In order for a ministry to continue this has to happen. Someone younger must rise up; someone who is called of God. And that individual must increase, and the elder, the one who has served for years, must decrease. That's just the way it works and it's great joy in passing the baton. Our opportunity is finding the one who wants to rise up; finding the one who has the heart to serve God.

Acts 19:13-20 ¹⁹Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. ¹⁴And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. ¹⁵And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? ¹⁶And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. ¹⁹Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So mightily grew (auxano) the word of God and prevailed.

Now there's a record in the Acts that applies to everyone of us in this room in one way or another. That's here in Acts chapter 19. In verse 13 we see these guys were exorcists. And what that means is that, at this point in their life, (I don't know what happened to them later) but at this point in their life, the way they would perform an exorcism was that they operated within the power of Satan; utilizing a larger devil spirit to cast out a smaller devil spirit. It just works just like in an army.

And that's what they were. They were vagabond Jews functioning in devil spirits. And so they saw Paul. They saw how Paul preached. They saw what Paul did and how Paul did it. And they noticed that Paul used this strange name that they have not used before. They were used to doing it a certain way, a religious way. But the way Paul did it, he did it in the name of the Lord Jesus.

So what they did is they said "Oh! I'm going to try this technique this time. Let's try this out." And so they called over them which had evil spirits in the name of the Lord Jesus, saying we adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.

It doesn't say that they were preaching Jesus. It doesn't even say that they knew Jesus. It said "who Paul preaches"; and they were seven sons of Sceva: a Jew, a chief priest which did so. These guys weren't just kids off the block. They were seven sons and their father was a chief priest. So that gets it pretty high up in the religious echelon. That's what these guys were.

To look at them sense knowledge wise, you would think they were wholly religious people. Verse 16 lets us know that the demonized man jumped them "and prevailed against them so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded." They were the original streakers. They got their butts kicked.

The man who the spirit was in he ripped their clothes off of them; he beat the heck out of them; they just ran around with their tails between their legs out the door. Do you see why? Because they weren't operating the power of God. They wanted to play religion.

The way they were termed exorcists because they operated devil spirits before, but they didn't operate devil spirits this time. They said we're going to try this new and improved version. We're going to use the name of the Lord Jesus whom Paul preaches. But the problem with that is that if you don't have the Lord Jesus inside or you don't have the Lord Jesus on your side, you can say his name all you want. Because there is another Jesus (you can read about it in Galatians) that people were preaching. And God says those people should be accursed. Another gospel, another Jesus in that gospel.

Well, This was known to all the Jews and the Greeks (verse 17) The word spread! Do you think that the news is anything new? The word spread back then just as fast as it spreads on the news today. This was known to all the Jews and the Greeks also dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.

What was the results? "Many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds." What was the key for them to come and confess and show their deeds? They believed. They believed. They just didn't say they believed; they actually believed.

And you know how you know that they believed? They did something about it. They came and they show their deeds. They confessed and they showed their deeds because God touched their hearts and because they saw the power of God. The name of Jesus was magnified.

Reverence fell on those people and they were awakened. They were smacked sober. Did you ever get smacked sober? That's what happened. (verse 19) "And of many of them also which used a curious arts brought their books together…" What are curious arts? That's horoscopes; that's their books on astrology; that's their books on witchcraft. That's their books on how to win at Ouija boards. That's what it is was: it was all of these things in the world that the world was teaching them.

The world was teaching them, "this is how you can manifest power. This is how you can get answers to your prayers. This is the potent you mix up to get the one you want to love. This is the thing you need to do to put the curse on so-and-so." There were curious arts. I want you to know something. There are hundreds of thousands of books written about curious arts; And it still is big today as it was back then.

It's taken on new fashions. It's taken on new forms. Curious arts now cover transgender manipulations. It covers homosexual things. All of these kind of things all tie in with this. It's all from the devil. You can read about how to become a woman if you're a man or where to go to have this certain operation done.

It's just garbage. That's what it is. and no self-respecting surgeon or self-respecting physician has anything to do with that kind of stuff. But because the love of money is the root of all evil; and they got themselves in a position where they've got a gun to their head: and four kids in college and six Mercedes payments to meet, and a $250 million home they got to pay for; they are at the beck and call of their God, the devil.

You live that kind of life, you gotta pay the piper. I know they're not easy words to hear, but that's the truth. That's the truth. You sell your soul to the devil and then you do the devil's bidding.

Well, those who use curious arts what did they do? "They brought their books together…" and what? They gave them away so their neighbor could read it and so their neighbor could get just as whacked as them? No. You don't do that.

But what did we do? We used to have a day set aside once a year we called the "burn the chaff" day. And during that day we would make a fire and you are able to take, or the minister would collect it up and was supposed to burn it. Sometimes we just have people write down on a little piece of paper what do they want to burn. "Hatred for so-and-so in my life, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, greed… you know whatever it is. You write it down. You hear the Word of God. You have a prayer. You seal it in an envelope. Then it is collected in a basket. And then I would take them out and I would burn them.

This is what they did. They burned it because it's no good to anybody. You give away things that radiate light and radiate a blessing, and then it's useful to someone else. But we never give away things that can be harmful to someone else. You know what we do? We burn them. We throw them out. That's what we do. That's what you should do.

When you give away something, you want to give away a blessing. You don't want to give away an opportunity to someone that's going to mess them up. "They brought their books together and they burned them before all men." They weren't ashamed. They came and they confessed and showed their deeds.

They weren't ashamed. They stood up and said, "I have done this, I'm wrong." They did it before the congregation and they did it before God. Now that's getting humble because most people are too prideful to let anybody know that they're in that type of situation. But the Word of God touched their hearts and the name of the Lord Jesus was so magnified.

That's what they did and they counted the price of them, and found 50,000 pieces of silver. That's a lot of money. That's even a lot of money today. That must have been a lot of books! That must have been a lot of curious arts, artifacts, amulets and whatever else they burned. That's a lot of money.

You see how the world sucks people in? And where do you think they got that stuff from? They didn't get it from the synagogue. They got it from the world. They got it from the peddlers. They got it from the people who say such and such and are teaching garbage. 50,000 pieces of silver! That was a big book burning. Well, look at the result of acting on the call of God to come clean in your life.

Verse 20 "so mightily, mightily grew (auxano) the word of God and prevailed." What was stopping the Word of God from growing and prevailing in those people's lives? That garbage. They had other gods before them. The curious arts: the world had stolen their minds.

And when they heard the word of God, they were so inspired by the word of God. The Word of God just so cut through all that garbage and touched their hearts. They said, "This is it. I'm done with this crap. I'm committing my life to the Lord. I don't want this junk anymore." and they burned it. They stood up.

And then Joe stood up and said, "Yeah, that's right. I don't want it either." And then Bill stood up… And before you know, it was this big burning. And the result was, "so mightily mightily grew (auxano) increased the word of God". And it didn't just grow it prevailed! What changed? Has the word of God changed? God's word is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Those people changed.

They saw the truth. They sold their hearts out, they committed to the one true God. And because they accepted it, they acted on the Word (this is what I want you to see). They acted on the word; the call to cleanse themselves. They acted on it. They didn't say "I'm going to cleanse". They didn't say "I'm going to go into a prayer vigil for two weeks." They didn't say "I'm going to fast for a month." They didn't say none of that religious garbage.

Now if there is a purpose for that in a specific need in certain circumstances, yes. But most of the time, that's an excuse for not wanting to face reality and come clean. That's what it is. I'm going to act religious. I'm going to say religious things; but I don't want to face reality and come clean.

What did these people do? They faced reality. They came, they confessed, and they showed their deeds. And what happened? They got the result of that. They got the result. And it says the people that did this were the people who believed. See, you don't have to convince me you believe. You don't have to convince me to believe and neither do you.

I don't listen to people when they tell me "I believe" as a matter of fact. Just to be honest with you, I look at people and I can see if you believe. You can be miserable. You can be whatever. But I know that you're a believer. You're just having a bad day.

See, when you have to try to convince someone you're a believer, 90% or more of the time you're hiding; you're covering things up. You don't want to come clean. You don't want that individual to get close enough to you, to see the muck in your life so that they could help you. So you'd rather cover it up and say, "Oh I'm doing this. I'm doing that. I'm doing the other thing."

When I hear that from people, it goes in this ear and goes out that ear. because I don't listen to sermons, I want to see a sermon. See, this is what I told my wife just tonight at dinner. People just don't get it. They do not renew their minds and walk out on the Word of God. And it is so simple, it just so simple, but people will go this far, and when it gets this close; and they get to see what's going on in their life. When they're confronted with that, and they don't want to change: that's when the religion comes in. And that's when the excuses comes in. And that's when they hurt themselves.

Do you know why? You're not growing. You can't grow unless you get that junk off of you. You have to have an environment to grow. That stops a person from growing. That's a sad road to travel.

Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up (auxano) into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

You want to grow? Speak the truth in love. You want to help someone else grow? Speak the truth in love. That will help them grow. Do you understand?

But if you hold back; If you don't confront when you're supposed to confront; if you don't speak the truth in love when you're supposed to speak the truth in love; then you have just failed God. And you have just missed your chance to plant the seed to help that person. I said plant the seed. Your seed may not help that person at that moment, but that seed may grow.

1 Corinthians 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase (auxano).

I plant, Apollo watered but who gave the increase? God! But God needs some help. So if you didn't plant the seed… See? It doesn't lie on your shoulders. Do what God tells you to do. Plant the seed. Someone comes along and where is it? Now God's got something he can give an increase to. Right? But you had your part in it. Kabish?

You're supposed to be God's worker. You work together. that's what you do. And if you don't speak up, you not going to help anybody that way. I'm going to teach you the easiest way in the world to recognize in your own life if you are growing, or if you are stagnant. Okay? That's your choice. You grow or you're stagnant.

Why do I have pumps in my fountains out there? Because if I don't have pumps in my fountains out there, it looks like the birdbath. You know what I do to the birdbath every other day? I've got to wash it out because it's stagnant water. Now the birds don't care, but I care. You've got to keep moving.

James 1:21-22 ²¹Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. ²²But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Here is the easiest way. Verse 21, "…and receive with meekness. (That's the key: You've got to be meek) the engrafted word which is able to save your souls." Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." That's the key to growing.

If you're a doer of the word you will grow. But if you're a hearer of the word, and God puts it on your heart to act on it, and you don't act on it; you're only hurting yourself. And you're not going to grow that way. And it may be out of your comfort zone.

Growing, you might have to stretch a little bit. You might not think you can do it. But God will never call you to do something that you are not equipped to do. And he'll help you along the way.

If you ever had a child and then you put them on the bicycle for the first time? Even with the training wheels, they were scared. "I'll be right there. I'll hold the handlebar and I'll help you along." And then the day comes where what? you take the training wheels off. And what are they? Scared again. Then you go with them. And you're right there. And they're pedaling; and before they know it, you let go and they're 20 feet away. And they look back, and the first thing they do is fall. That's why you take them on the grass. They were doing fine until they saw you abandoned them, but that helps them grow. and before you know it, you're yelling at them because they're driving their bikes over ramps and everything else. That's how much they've grown.

So what have we learned? We saw that a normal healthy child will grow from stage to stage throughout their life. Likewise, as born-again sons and daughters of God we should do the same. We saw the God doesn't stop calling us with the new birth. That is not the end. That's the beginning. He continues to call us and he continues to challenge us to rise up. He calls us to serve, to love, to forgive etc. And for some, he calls us to ministry. But we will never experience any the any of the blessings of these callings unless we are willing to grow and step out.

Peter stepped out. There was nothing there. When he was walking for that little bit of time, do you think he grew? Do you think it helped him later on in his life have confidence and trust? Sure did. God told us to consider the lilies of the field and how they grew. We were to look at them. We were to think about them. And we saw the lily grew from stage to stage and it wasn't full of anxiety or worry about how it's going to grow.

And then we briefly began to consider the Greek word "auxano", which means to grow or to increase. We looked at the parable about the mustard seed and how it starts out small, but when it grows it grows to a purpose and it can produce a place where needs could be met. A big tree, see… but it started out small. You too maybe are small, but a lot of you guys, you are only small in your own mind. you hold yourselves back. To God, you're a righteous Goliath. See? Because Jesus Christ made you that way.

We looked at the parable of the sower and the seed. And we saw that we should grow where we're planted. And then if we're given this 30 responsibility, we should function in the 30 responsibility; 60 so on and so forth. And then we looked at the verse in John where the successful transfer of a ministry is where someone has to increase and the elder has to decrease. And then it's their chance at start time. It's their ministry and they are the ones who are responsible to run it, not anybody else.

We looked at the record in the book of Acts. And we saw that the people who believed were the ones came and confessed. They were the ones who came and showed their deeds. They were the ones who came and burned their books… burned their books. See, if you like hearing the teaching from the Word of God today with a bunch of just people.

Okay, I could go into Peppers or any other place. I am going to take Peppers: and because I got a good crowd in Peppers that I know gets high all the time; okay, or gets drinking all the time. And I could talk about the Word of God and I could show those people. What they would do is they might get up, take their drugs, take their needles, take their pills, come forward, confess, show their deeds, throw them in the fire, and change their lives. That's what the Acts taught us.

But to see Acts 19 in our day and time today. It may not be curious arts. It may not be Ouija boards, because they are a thing of the past pretty much. They are still around But what the devil has replaced the pharmakeia, the witchcraft, the pharmaceuticals (and that's the Greek word) that's we get our word pharmakeia, which is drugs. That's what he uses today. That's the curious arts. That's the witchcraft today and people get high and people get drunk.

I'm not talking about having a drink with dinner. I'm talking about people get high and people get drunk on a daily basis. They hear the Word of God, they would come and the Word would cleanse them, but you see the word would only cleanse that person if they would confess it, show their deeds, and get rid of that junk.

Now that doesn't mean that a person that is a heroin addict has to get rid of that junk right away. Because there may be a period of time where that person may need help. Or, I know of people that got cleaned up on heroin just like that. It depends between you and God. The point is this: people say this, they let God only this far; "But this is my Friday night. This is where I party. This is what I do. You can't come on Friday night, I'll see you on Sunday morning. Do you understand? But it's Friday night and I'm getting high and I'm going to go get laid."

Sorry about the French, but that's way it works. Because I'm being bold and honest and sober. That's the way it works and they don't want to let God in on their Friday nights. They want to let God in their Sunday mornings. "I got a hangover. I'll sit there and listen, but don't come touch my Friday nights."

You don't get nowhere on Friday nights. You don't grow that way. Do you know what that's called? That's called playing religion. That's called lying to yourself. And then this is what happens. This is what happens. Listen! Thus saith the Lord, "your life is a wreck. Now you put your façade on all you want, but I have news for you. Your façade is only going to last so long. Your life is a wreck and sooner or later the devil will knock at your door and he's going to ask for payment for all your Friday nights." He's going to exact payment for all your Saturday nights. He is going to say. "Remember, this? I'm here to collect." and that's what's going to happen. You can't fool God and you can't fool the devil.

The people in the book of Acts were just like people that are today. You understand? They had their séances. They gathered about by their whatever. They had their drinks. They had everything. They are the same kind of people. they are just a different scenario. It's just a different culture.

But the people in the book of Acts 19, when they heard the Word of God it did something to them. It cleaned them up and they knew they were brought to a point. Whatever that preaching was, whatever happened, he was able to bring them to a point where they realized, "I can't live like this anymore."

People, I don't live like the way I used to live before I got into the Word of God. Do you understand? My life is changed 180°. I don't do those things no more. I realize the Word convicted me. I can't do this. I'm a hypocrite. I'm only kidding myself. If you knew me before, and you know me now; you wouldn't recognize me. And you know what? That should be the same about you.

Maybe not that it should be same about you; because a lot of you are goody two shoes. I wasn't. I was a goody bad shoes, right? But I changed! No one told me to change. I just couldn't look myself in the mirror and live like that anymore. I changed and that's what happened in Acts 19.

Acts 19:18-20 ¹⁸And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. ¹⁹Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.

They heard the word. They confessed it. They showed their deeds, and then you know what they did? They got rid of the junk in their house. They got rid of the stuff that was keeping them captive. They got rid of their Playboy magazines and their Playgirl magazines and their booze and their drugs and got rid of all that stuff. Because everybody has a bad day sooner or later. And that temptation is going to be there. Why not remove the temptation?

Why do you want to help the devil? Do you understand? Remove it. It's going to be hard enough without the temptation. Amen? Then to have it there; but that's what they did. And as a result, you know what they were blessed back with? The word of God grew mightily and prevailed; that area switched.

It turned from an area that was affected and ran by the courses of this world, by curious arts, by all that junk. To an area where the Word of God then replaced it. And the Word of God then prevailed. And how did it prevail? It must first and foremost prevail in the mind of the believer. When the Word prevails in your mind and you choose the Word over something else; that's with prevail means. It wins over something else. Okay?

When you choose the Word and the Word's way; and I'm going to do it the Word's way over the world's way; or over your friend's way; or over this way. See? That's when the Word of God will prevail in your life.

And we saw finally, that if you want to grow, you speak the truth in what? Love. And if you want someone else to grow, you speak to them the truth in what? Love. Because it's actually very loving to speak the truth to someone you want to help. I didn't say it was going to be comfortable. And sometimes it's hard; and sometimes you have to just sit down and pray and ask God, when and what should I say to this individual; so that I can get to their heart; so they know I'm not attacking them. I'm not judging them. I just want to help them. And you know what? If your heart's to help, God will give you that answer. So we're called to grow. You have the invitation. Don't ignore the invitation from God, because the rewards are for all eternity. And don't let the devil cheat you out of growing.

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