Dwelling Place

Guest (Male): Today, on the Dwelling Place.

Al Pittman: It's not in knowing God's will, but doing the will. We know you know you ought to love that person. You know you ought to forgive that person. You know what the word of God says. And how many times we sought out people like, hey, I just want to get your opinion on something. I'm just wondering how you know you think you know and after you listen to them and then you share that person shares with you you go yeah, I knew you'd say that. Because God had already told you. Amen. It's not knowing the will of God, but doing doing the will that we know.

And what is he showing you? If you don't know anything, he has shown the old man what is good and what the Lord requires of you. But to do justly, to love mercy. You know anybody need mercy? And walk humbly with your God.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are my dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow. To support this ministry financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Your donations keep this radio ministry going. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here's Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: Galatians chapter 5. Galatians 5:22 and 23 says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, kindness, you know, against such there is no law. In other words, the fruit of the spirit is not according to some rules and regulations, it is something that is born out of heart, something that is of the Holy Spirit, but it is the fruit of the spirit. Now, let's all be honest, some of us got some fruit that's more ripe than others. Amen. That's all right. We're in the process of sanctification. God is still working on us.

We're still being sanctified. We haven't arrived yet. Amen. Even Paul the Apostle said I have not arrived. So, I got some fruit God still needs to work on. Amen. But we should be bearing the fruit of the spirit. And Paul actually bears witness to the fact that they are truly fruitful in the Lord. He bears witness to the fruitfulness fruitfulness. You say well where does he do that? Well, verse 8 he says who that is Epaphroditus has given us a report. And he declared to us your love in the spirit. I love that. Paul says we can attest to the fact that you you're Epaphroditus came back and said you got these people they they love the Lord.

And testimony to the the their love in the spirit. The love of God is in the church is universal, man. I I've been places where, you know, the Israel, the other places and and I tell you just when you meet believers, there's a coin in there, is there not? There's a love that happens when you're in the assembly of God's people where Jesus Christ is the motivation, not building somebody's kingdom or some other deal, but when they just love the Lord, man, there's an instant coin in there. And sometimes we don't even know each other's languages and they're praying, you know, and I've been in in to Africa and I've I've been in services where they were speaking, you know, and in a language I didn't understand or whatever, but man it was a I got sensed the love and the spirit of God in that place.

What is that? That's the Holy Spirit. It's love in the spirit. Now, it's not love according to the world because the world talks about love. And love that you see in the world can be miss is misguided many times because a lot of times it's it's conditional love, you know. I mean people say you know well we just we just love we just love people, you know. And so if you really love them, if they're living a lifestyle of whoever that, you should never say anything. You should just love them. Now, yeah, we should love people, but the reality is that true love speaks the truth.

And the Bible says speak the truth in love. Amen. And so, you know, if you you come to Pastor Al and you want to ask me something, I want to tell you the truth. And I you know if your feelings get hurt, you say well Pastor Al is a bigot, Pastor Al is you know he's this, he's that. You know what? No, I just love you. I'm just going to tell you the truth. If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have nothing to say to you. Amen. But love speaks the truth. And so, you know, when we talk about God's love or the love in the spirit, we're not talking about this gooey gooey kind of you know whatever, you know.

It's no it's love. Listen, according to the word and the will of God. That's true love. Because God is love. Amen. The Bible says God is love and God will tell you the truth so that you can be healed, so that you can be delivered. Where Christ is the motivation, love in the spirit abounds. Where we are the motivation, where self is the motivation, you won't find the love of God. But where Jesus is our motivation, our focus, the love in the spirit will abound. Now, in verse 9 Paul says for this reason. What reason?

Because you have this hope in Christ. Paul prays a fourfold prayer. A fourfold a praise for, I should say, a fourfold manifestation of the high life or the abundant life within the church in Colossae. And so, in verse 9 you read with me verses 9 to 12. He says for this reason we also since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding and that you may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long suffering and joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Amen. God has called us to the kingdom, his kingdom of light, and called us out of darkness. Amen. He says for this reason and Paul prays for them. And in this prayer I I see or you know a manifestation of the high life. There are four things three things that we we note here that Paul prays for. First, he prays that they would be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Be filled with the knowledge of God 's will. Verse 9 that you will be filled with the knowledge of God's will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

Now, that word knowledge is an interesting word because the knowledge is not just information, not just getting a degree, you know, or or MDiv, a Master of Divinity or something like that. But the knowledge being filled with the knowledge of God implies intimate, life-changing knowledge that only the Holy Spirit can give. In other words, you got to be in relationship to have this knowledge with God. And the Holy Spirit gives us this knowledge. And then he says be that you would be filled. The word filled suggests a filling out to completeness. I I liken it to a flat tire on your car.

When your your tires aren't filled, you can't get very far. Amen. And sometimes Christians spiritually, metaphorically speaking, are riding around on all tires that are flat on the rims and wondering in their lives what's that scraping noise? Need to get out and put some air in the tires or change the tires or whatever. Amen. God wants us to be filled to completeness. And really in reality if we are not filled with the knowledge of God, your faith will be flat like a flat tire. If we're not being filled with the knowledge of God's will, that word flat I you know I like to play with acrostics and that word flat could stand for faithless, lazy, apathetic testimony.

Amen. A lot of Christians are faithless. And quite honestly, spiritually lazy. They want to be spoon-fed. They want to come to church and you tell me how to do everything and if you don't tell me how to do you know address when I'm going through then I'm out of here. I walk out early or whatever. Well, I'm still mad. Look, God says work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. He doesn't want to be spoon-fed. He wants you to know how to feed yourself. Amen. So, God you know if if you if you're flat then maybe it's because you're you're not feeding yourself with the knowledge of God's word, with knowing the will of God.

And well how do Pastor okay you you you bust at me, man. How can I be filled? Well, the Bible tells us it's by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12 verse 2 and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and perfect what an acceptable and perfect what? Will of God. And how do I do that? I renew my mind. It's through the word of God. By being in his word, being a disciple of the word of God. Now, notice the knowledge of his word, the knowledge of his will, it impacts every area of our lives.

And we just prayed for teachers and those who are whether your custodians or administrators or your homeschooling when we prayed for you. And when you walk according to the knowledge of God's will, God's word, whether you're in the educational system or you're engineer or whatever you're doing, when you give yourself to the word of God, do you know that it enhances you in all wisdom and understanding, the knowledge of his will in your life. It'll make you a better teacher. It'll make you a better custodian. Hey, I mean I was a guy who was awarded janitor of the year award when I was going to Bible college.

People laugh at me when I tell them that. I say yeah, I got janitor of the year. It was presented to me by a a Tuskegee airman. This is history. Amen. The first four-star black general in the Air Force, General Chappie James. Amen. I got the picture at home. I got my afro on. I got the wide lapels. Amen. I got my safari suit on and my platform shoes. Chappie James was a big man. So, I look like a little twig standing next to him. And the reason I got that award because I walked in the wisdom and understanding of God.

When we started this church, I had no idea what I was doing. I still don't know. Amen. But God gave us wisdom as we moved into this old building. The old building, the roof was leaking, electrical. Uh listen, some of you electricians understand what I'm talking about here when they had Romex wiring running through the power panel. Uh the carpets were all stained. It was Pentecostal red and they were all stained. Amen. It would rain and and and the ceiling tiles would fall down during my Bible studies. You know we had buckets all around the place catching the water.

Amen. The parking lot looked like Beirut with all kind of part potholes and stuff in it. I didn't know what I was going to do. I actually had a couple of pastors I took to the church and I walked them through there and and was giving them the tour and I was all excited and they walked out shaking their head going I don't know how you're going to do this. It's going to take at least $100,000 to repay the parking lot. And I thought God you didn't bring me here to fail. Amen. And so, God gave me wisdom to consolidate two loans that we had, to get a lower interest rate, to be able to borrow the money and all this kind of stuff.

And we repaired the roof and we we rewired the place and we we repaved the parking lot and we you know put the new carpet in and did all these things. And I don't know jack about real estate or banking. That's God. It's not to my glory, it's to his glory. God will enhance whatever your occupation is if you give yourself to his word and walk in the knowledge of his will. He will give you wisdom. What is wisdom? Divine know-how which comes from God. What is spiritual understanding? Is analysis and decision making and applying the knowledge of God to various problems.

Amen. In other words, listen, the Bible tells us in James chapter 1 verse 5 if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. You know sometimes we don't ask God because we know what he's going to say. And we're trying to find somebody who will agree with ours with our reasoning rather than going to God and saying God my wife and I were having struggles. Lord, is it me? Yeah, it's you. We won't ask God that because we know he's going to say yeah, it's you.

Amen. Lord, my my husband and I Lord, is it me? Yeah, it's you. And God began to work on us, but he does it not to condemn us, but to heal us. Amen. But he'll give you wisdom if you ask him. We just don't like his answer sometimes. Listen, God wants us to behave wisely, not foolishly. And when you're not walking in the wisdom and the knowledge of his will, you'll behave foolishly. He wants you to behave wisely, not foolishly. Ephesians 5:15 says see then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil.

And I don't need to tell you, but the days are evil. And we need to know how to we need to be filled with the knowledge of God's will. Now, here here's the deal and I I indict myself here with this statement, but often times our problem is not in knowing God's will, but doing the will we know. It's not in knowing God's will, but doing the will. We know you know you ought to love that person. You know you ought to forgive that person. You know what the word of God says. And how many times we sought out people like, hey, I just want to get your opinion on something.

I'm just wondering how you know you think you know and after you listen to me and then you share that person shares with you you go yeah, I knew you'd say that. Because God had already told you. Amen. It's not knowing the will of God, but doing doing the will that we know. And what is he showing you? If you don't know anything, he has shown the old man what is good and what the Lord requires of you. But to do justly, to love mercy. You know anybody need mercy? And walk humbly with your God.

Amen. And if in the stuff you don't know, don't worry about it. He'll reveal it to you in his time. But do the will that you know. The high life is being filled with the knowledge of God's will and walking in it. Now, Paul's second prayer request is that they walk worthy. Paul says here's another aspect of the high life. Verse 10 that you walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. Walk worthy. What is it to walk worthy? Fully. Not 99% not 50% but fully pleasing the Lord.

I love that. We can fully please God. You can't fully please people. Stop trying to. You can't fully please people. You you'll never do enough. You'll never show up at the right time. You'll never it's just never. You know and then if you're happy one day next day they're mad at you. But we can fully please the Lord. And how do we fully please the Lord? Being fruitful in every good work. Did he not say that in verse 10? Pleasing him being fruitful in every good work. I I love that the Greek word for being fruitful means to be fertile.

What does that mean? How do you apply that? Well, it's as you're hearing the word of God, as you're reading the word of God you see that the word of God finds fertile soil in your heart. The seed of his word finds fertile soil in your heart. And you bear fruit as you are walking with the Lord. Your heart, you know, is fertile and longing for his truth. And when you receive this truth, you don't reject it, you don't reason it away, you receive it and you bear fruit. Amen. Being fruitful that means being fertile 24/7 365 days a year.

All year long. God did not call us to be seasonal Christians. I just bear fruit in the summer, Pastor. So, I got to get a little break. I got a little time. I I'm a summer Christian. I'm a Christmas a Christmas Christian. You know I get there on Christmas. Oh, I'm I'm an Easter Christian. You know I come uh of course twice a year, Christmas and Easter. You know I'm dedicated. Amen. God did not call us to bear seasonal fruit, but continually 24/7 all year long. That we keep our hearts fertile. The only way you can keep your heart fertile is to walk in faith.

Faith keeps your heart fertile. So, when you hear the word of God, you receive it as it is as Paul wrote to the first in 1st Thessalonians as it is the word of God. Amen. It's not the opinions of men, it's the word of God. Ephesians chapter 2 tells us that we should be fruitful in every good work because God has called us to bear fruit to his glory. Ephesians 2 says for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. You know there's a good work God has prepared for you.

Yeah, but you know I I know I'm trying to get to that good work. He's called me. I want to be a missionary in Maui. And uh I'm trying to get there, but God just has it open the door. Well, you know, where are you now? Where are you now? Bear fruit. He has a good work for you to do right there. He has a good work for you to do in your marriage and your family. He has a good work for you to do in this church. And if God should move you to Wyoming or wherever, he has a good work for you to prepared before the foundation of the world there.

So, the question is that I'm trying to get to the good work. No, where are you now? That's where you ought to start the good work because God has something prepared for you in the place where you are. And this as we exercise our faith being fruitful in every good work, we increase in the knowledge of God. That's why he says bearing fruit or in every good work increasing in the knowledge of God. I increase in the knowledge of God as I exercise my faith in God in every good work. And here's the deal. As we walk in the Lord, as we increase in the knowledge of God, then then our walk becomes a reflection of his worth because we're walking worthy of him.

What do people think Jesus is worth based on how you live your life? Do we show the worth of Christ through the way I live? And and know this that when we when you walk worthy is really an act of worship. We're displaying to the world as we walk worthy that he is worth it. Amen. And the world's watching us. Paul said walk worthy. Live high life, the abundant life so that Jesus Christ can be glorified through your life. This is the high life. This is the abundant life. Walk worthy. Thirdly, Paul says strength be strengthened by might.

He prays that they be strengthened by might. Verse 11 strengthen with all might according to his glorious power for all patience and long suffering with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers in the inheritance of the saints in the light. Paul's prayer is that is that they be strengthened with all might. For us as believers to live the abundant life, to live the high life is to be strengthened. God wants to strengthen you each and every day. We are not in this on our own or by ourselves. Well, I don't feel that he's near.

Well, we don't walk by feelings, we walk by faith. And he was he's there, excuse me, to strengthen you with all might. Strengthen here also means dominion. In other words, God is giving you dominion. Dominion over the enemy. Dominion. In whatever situation that you're in, God has granted you his strength according to his glorious power, Paul says here in verse 11. According to his glorious power, he's granted you dominion over the devil with all might in every situation. You have dominion. Now, the devil doesn't want you to believe that. The world doesn't want you to believe that.

The spirit of this age, the spirit of Antichrist that's in the world, that is that the world is under its sway, does not want you to believe that. But as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have dominion over the devil. You have dominion over your situation. It's through the strength of God by the his glorious power. Amen. The devil doesn't want you to believe that. He wants you to think oh, you know, somehow you know if I had even even had Christians come. I remember a lady coming to me some years ago and she was like well, I want to pray about this and and but I don't want the devil to hear it.

What up with that? What kind of theology are you living by? She was really literally afraid that the devil would hear it and devil would come after her. Greater is he that is in me than he that is in this world. We are more than conquerors through Christ. The victory is of him. We have dominion over the enemy. The problem is as Christians we don't take that dominion. We walk in doubt and fear and unbelief. And God has not given us a spirit of fear, but that of power and of love and of a sound mind.

In fact, Deuteronomy chapter 28 tells us this if you're taking notes, you're a note taker, it's Deuteronomy 28 verse 13. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail. And you shall be above only and not be beneath. Now, I'm under my circumstances somebody should say why are you there? God has called us to be above the circumstances through faith in him. We don't need to be under anything. We're under Christ. And nothing is over Jesus. Amen. He's called you to be the the head and not the tail. You shall be above only and not beneath if here's the condition.

If you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today and are careful to observe them.

Guest (Female): Dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place. You are my dwelling place, dwelling place, dwelling place.

Guest (Male): Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at PO Box 50584 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949 or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info at alpittmanministries.com. That's info at alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless.