Dwelling Place

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

Al Pittman: 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.

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 program financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here's Pastor Al.

Al Pittman: 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 kind of get a little break. I got a little time. I I'm a summer Christian. I'm a Christian 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 first Thessalonians, as it is the word of God. Amen. It's not the opinions of men, it's the word of God. Ephesians chapter two tells us that we should be fruitful in every good work because God has called us to bear fruit to his glory. Ephesians two 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 hasn't opened 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, in 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 questions are 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 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 the 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 strengthened 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 given 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 I 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 is 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 note takers, 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. 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. How are we strengthened in the Lord? Well, Paul tells us in our text. How we strengthened him? How we strengthened his might? That word might kratos. It means power that overcomes resistance. The devil is resisting you right now.

You have the power to overcome that resistance. The devil resists you in your life. You have the power to overcome that resistance. How do you do it? He's given us four ways in our text. Look at the latter part of verse 11. Number one is patience. Number two is long suffering. Number three is joy. Number four is giving thanks. Wow, what? Well, that's not how my daddy taught me to fight. No. Or your mama. But this is how your heavenly Father teaches us to overcome through patience, long suffering, joy and thanksgiving. Wow, why is that?

Because through patience that is endurance. That's what patience means here, endurance. The Bible says this. Hebrews 12 1 and two and let us run the race or run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto who? Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. The reason a lot of Christians run out of gas is they stop looking to Jesus and looking to the church and they looking to this and they looking to their job and looking at at to TV or everything else. But are you looking to Jesus? He's the author. He started it and the finisher of your faith.

You can't have endurance without looking to him. You can't have patience and and and here's the deal. As I have patience, you know, I'm able to withstand the attacks of the enemy because I'm patiently waiting on the Lord. My expectation is in God, not in man. And I'm waiting on God. And I got my eyes set on Jesus. Are you running with your eyes set on Jesus? When God empowers us, when he talks about empowering us, I'm always thinking about, you know, God empowered me, you know, empowered me to cast curses on people, you know, going for raise and and they don't give you the raise you want and you say, I rebuke you.

Amen. Tell your boss that next time he gives you I rebuke you. You know, you should give me 50%. Okay, I'll give you 50%. That's the power of God. Amen. That's what I'm talking about, Pastor. I want that kind of power, power to just, you know, speak to anything and all this kind of stuff. Now, God has given us power and God has given us authority and all of that. I get it. But the reality is that if we truly want to be in it for the long haul, when you talk about God strengthening you, you something God give me bigger muscles, give me no God says I'll give you patience.

I don't want patience. Amen. And then God says not only I'm going to give you patience, I'm going to give you long suffering. You know what long suffering is? Amen. Just by the word, you know what it is. It literally literally means be long tempered, having self restraint. Listen, people with short fuses never last long in a fight. People with short fuses never last long in the church because they don't have the patience and long suffering to wait to see what God can do because they're focused on what they can do. Long suffering with one another.

God will enable you to outlast your enemies. Amen. Uh you know, I've had a couple of enemies. I've had a couple of people not for me but against me since I've been here. You know, we're in the other building over there. There are some folks who just kind of all, you know, murmuring, complaining, all this kind of stuff. Now, they got to drive by here every day probably and look at this building and see what God has done. Amen. Because you just let people talk and you just trust in Jesus and your long suffering. You ain't got to respond to everybody.

Amen. I don't respond to every email. I'm telling you. Because some of it, you know, God says don't respond. Some of it God says let them think what they want to think. He's my PR agent. He's your PR agent. And people can talk about let them talk, be long suffering, long tempered. Why? Because I'm waiting on Jesus, not on you. Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. We hope you're enjoying today's message so far. We wanted to take a quick break to thank you for supporting the Dwelling Place. Because of you, this message and many more will reach the whole world. If you like to support this ministry, please visit us at alpittmanministries.com or mail a check to PO Box 505 84 Colorado Springs, Colorado 809 49. That's PO Box 505 94 Colorado Springs, Colorado 809 49. Again, thank you for supporting the Dwelling Place. Now, let's get back into the message.

Al Pittman: Be long suffering. So you want the strength of God, you I want the power of God according to his glorious power. God says I got you. Here's some long suffering. Amen. And then joy. Why joy? Well, you know, let's be honest. Joy is the first thing to go when you going through a trial. The devil wants to rob you of joy. I love what Paul said. He said I want to finish the race God has called me to run and that with joy. Listen to the last part and that with joy. Some of us are running the race and we're just slogging along.

I'm going okay, I'm going to church. I read my Bible But if you don't do it with joy, Amen. Did I just describe some of you? Amen. But if you're not doing it with joy, what does it mean? You can't do it without with joy unless you do it with Jesus. Paul said I want to finish my race with joy. Amen. When you live the high life, when Jesus is your focus, you can finish with joy. Nehemiah tells us that for the joy of the Lord is our strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength.

And here's the last thing to say, oh God, I need power. I need power. Amen. God says okay, I'm going to give you patience. I am going to give you long suffering. I'm going to give you joy and then I'm going to give you thanksgiving. Why thanksgiving? Well, Paul tells us here why you should be thankful. Because the father has qualified us. He has qualified us. It literally means he has made us competent or capable. This I was talking to a friend of mine who's a who's a scholar in Greek and Hebrew and all that.

But he's saying, you know, this this enablement is ongoing. Not because of who we are, but because of who he is in us. It's ongoing. that that if we we that that work of qualification. And so we ought to always have praise on our lips and and a attitude of gratitude toward the Lord because he has qualified us. He's made us competent. In other words, you know, I know in track that in field that you know, track uh and I didn't run track in school or anything but I my my brother did but you know, and he was great at it but you know, when you're in track I I know you have to you have to qualify but Jesus Christ you know, we look at it metaphorically speaking, Jesus and when it's talking about salvation, Jesus qualified us and then won the race for us and then gave you the trophy.

Amen. That's what he did for. That's what salvation is about. And what does the Bible say? How does the Bible put it? It says that he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. There is your trophy. Amen. You are the righteousness of God if your faith is in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul exhorts us in first Thessalonians chapter five verse 18 in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Thanksgiving is probably the most offensive thing that you could do to the flesh.

Thanksgiving is the most offensive thing that you can do to the flesh. We don't want to give thanks. I don't feel like giving thanks. But some of you know what I'm talking about in your living room, your den, wherever you are in your house, times you've got on your knees and you didn't know what to do and you just said, God, I'm going to praise you anyhow. And you raise your hands and the devil was saying, you look foolish. You say, I'm going to praise him. And you began to sing a song. You are off key and everything else but you said Jesus.

You began to praise him and the atmosphere is transformed. Amen. Through thanksgiving. Because what you're saying, you're saying I'm giving you thanks in everything. I'm recognizing that you are sovereign in everything. I'm not giving him thanks for everything but in everything. Recognizing God, you are sovereign no matter what is going on in my life. Give thanks in everything. Oh, what is God's will for me? Give thanks in everything. Recognize his sovereignty in everything. Amen. Because we are now partakers in the inheritance. That's why we ought to thank him. On your worst day, you still got to praise.

On your worst day, you still have a praise. You can still be thankful because he has an inheritance stored away for us. We have a glorious inheritance in Jesus Christ not just when we get to heaven but even now. The promises of God. And of course, that's what Peter was writing about in first Peter chapter one verses three to five and we just read that uh sometime ago. The high life if there's an inheritance awaiting me in Jesus Christ is a high life only gets higher. It gets better. He gets sweeter and sweeter. Amen. As today goes by.

Here's the conclusion of the matter. A couple of things I want to leave with you. Number one is this. And that is that the high life is not just for your life but it's for other lives around you. The high life enables God to use us to lift up people in low places. God is equipping you and calling you to the high life so he can use you to lift other people up from low places. The other day I had a knock on the door in the morning and quite frankly it got me out of bed and it was my neighbor.

She She's weeping. Her daughter who was pregnant and gave birth the night before died in childbirth. How do you deal with that if you're living in low places? If you're not walking in the high life and it's not me, it's the Holy Spirit. I didn't know what to say. What do you say? You pray. You give to them the same comfort God has given to you when you've gone through your hard times. But you can't do that if you're not living the abundant life, you're not living the high life. You know, the world just looks at those kinds of situations and says, well, let's have a moment of silence.

Really? Now, God has equipped us for all things for life and godliness so that we can minister to people in low places to bring them up, to encourage them in the Lord. So the high life enables us to be used by God. He wants to use you this week to reach somebody in a low place. Amen. It's not just about us, it's about others. You know, Garth Brooks used to sing I've got friends in low places. So you didn't think I knew that one, did you? Amen. I get over to the country in Western Dial sometimes.

Amen. But I'm glad I need somebody in high places when I'm down, somebody who can help encourage me in the Lord and lift me up. Amen. That's what I need. And here's a glorious thing. We have a friend in Jesus who's in high places. Amen. Seated at the right hand of the throne of God. We are never hopeless. Amen. We've got a friend in high places. Amen. Here's the second thing I want to leave with you and that is that Paul wanted this letter to the church in Colossae, read to the church of Thessalonica or Laodicea as well.

The church of Laodicea chapter two verse one testifies to that very point. He wanted it read to the church in Laodicea and rather than pursue the high life, Laodicea the high life, the intimacy and relationship with the Lord, the Laodiceans sought the low life of religion. And in Revelation chapter three, Jesus rebukes them, the church of Laodicea. Revelation chapter three verse 14. And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write these things says the Amen and faithful and true witness, the beginning and the creation creation of God. That is Jesus. Verse 15, I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot.

I would wish I could wish you were cold or hot. So then because you were lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, the biggest church in town, all these different things, and have need of nothing and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Look, man's perspective and yet God sees things differently. He says in verse 18, I counsel you to buy from me gold that is that which is true and tried, refined in fire in the fire that you may be rich with in in white garments.

The righteousness of Jesus could be equated there that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. And anoint your eyes with eye salve that you may see. In other words, open your eyes. As many as I love, listen to this. I rebuke and chasten therefore be zealous and repent. What's the solution? To repent. Repent of living, of professing that live the high life but we're living in low places. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. People say, oh, this is for the people who are not Christians. No, he's writing here to the church.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock and if anybody hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him. Then he with me. I have fellowship with him. To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my throne as I also overcame and sat on my father on on my with my father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit is saying to the churches. Amen. It's time to open the door. It's time for us in the church to not profess high places while living in low places but to step up to the high life in Jesus, to be filled with the knowledge of God.

Amen. To be strengthened by the power of God and to walk worthy to the glory of God.

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 505 84 Colorado Springs, Colorado 809 49 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@alpittmanministries.com. That's info@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.