Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): This is the Power Walk Ministries broadcast with author and speaker Reverend Paul Cannings. Thanks for joining us today as Reverend Cannings brings us the final message in his series titled The Impossible. He's been challenging and equipping us to be victorious in our journey through life by exercising our faith. We all want to be blessed in life, yet it's easy to enjoy and give priority to the blessings but lose sight of the one who is giving the blessings. Urging us to honor and seek the glory of God above all else, here's Pastor Cannings with today's message, "Be a Slave."

Dr. Paul Cannings: When tested, who do we prove to be? The issue wasn't releasing the people from Egypt back in the Old Testament days or getting them through the Red Sea. He could do the impossible. The issue is: could they enjoy the Promised Land based on who they are? It's not who God is. God? 400 years, they're out. No matter what Pharaoh thinks he is, they're out. A man walking around with a stick called Moses? A stick? Against the most powerful nation in the known world, he brings a stick to the party? That's right. Open up the Red Sea, and the soldiers are gone. The issue wasn't whether or not He can get them to the Promised Land. The issue was: are they ready for the Promised Land? Are they willing to believe Him in the wilderness to get to the Promised Land? And the wilderness exposes who they are as the wilderness exposes who He is.

We're in the same place. We didn't go get saved. The Bible says He drew us to Himself. No one seeks God. No "goody-goodie" person can ever get it within themselves to believe in God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags to Him. In Romans 3:10, He says, "No one seeks me." Nobody seeks Him. He draws us to Himself. John 6:44 says He does that. All good and perfect gifts come from above. Every day He puts air in our lungs to breathe. Every day when we pump gas, He's the one developing the oil reservoirs. When we sit on leather seats, He's the one with the cow. When we actually drive on tires, He's the one producing the material from trees. When we are operating every second of every day, He is the one that sends the rain so that we could drink water. He is the one that causes the animals to multiply. He is the one that sustains and keeps everything every day. So, what's the difference between them and us? When we look at them coming into the wilderness, God is constantly showing He's God. It's not about who He is in this wilderness of life before we go to the Promised Land in heaven. The issue is who we are in the midst of it.

So this week, we've been dealing with that. He says all you needed is a mustard seed of faith. It is not the quantity of faith that you have; it is the vitality of the faith that you have. It is how you work with that. Like James would say, just to hear the word of God and do nothing with it, in James chapter 2, that's not faith. Even demons have that. What's the difference? They believe in God. Satan quoted a scripture verse when he was tempting Jesus Christ. They've got the Word. Faith is not just knowing; all that does is lead to arrogance where people argue about the Bible to prove this and prove that, according to 1 Corinthians 8:1-2. The Word is a word for life. It literally, because they walked in the Word of God in the wilderness, God constantly showed them His grace and His mercy. When they disobeyed Him because of the difference in their structure in terms of the covenant of God, which was conditional for them but it's unconditional for us, God showed them that He is serious about His commitment and that they need to respond.

Jesus Christ is constantly showing who He is. The issue is: we just need a mustard seed in us. The issue is: are we willing to put this faith to work? Because once we do, He could go from a rhema to a logos. In verse 8, when He is talking about this in Luke chapter 17, as we've been working our way from verse 3 all the way to verse 10, we're in verse 8 today. We discussed yesterday, in case you missed it, sometimes this is a laborious job. Every day is just doing what God is saying to do, finding the support and the sustenance of God. It's laborious like the person in verse 7 who has to go plow the fields, who has to then feed the cattle, and then on top of that, come in and take care of the person who is their master. And they're doing that every day as a servant.

In verse 8, He says, "And will not rather say unto him, 'Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me'?" In other words, go clean up. You've been out in the fields; it's a dry, dusty climate. So clean up yourself before you come serve me. "Till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink." That seems like He's just talking about a servant and that's what's expected of a servant. No, it's deeper than that. They're in an environment where you've got the Romans, and the Romans are hiring Jews. When the Romans hire Jews, they're servants. Do the Romans like the Jews? No. Do the Romans feel they have power over the Jews? Yes. So they can understand this vividly—how difficult this is.

He's saying here that when everything that this master has commanded to get done is done, then you get your blessing. So, what is He backing up into? I said to you, 70 times 7. You're saying within your culture, that's ridiculous. Peter thought he was being great when he said seven in Matthew chapter 18. Peter thought he was going from three to seven, and that's awesome. Christ is saying, no, you can never hold a grudge. You can never return insult for insult. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 on, he's saying no, you can't return insult for insult. You can't do wickedness against wickedness. You can't have revenge. You can't do any of these things. But if you say I'm Lord and you say that is impossible and you can't do it, then the issue isn't whether or not you have enough faith to do it. You're asking Me to increase your faith. But if I'm Lord, you have the seed.

I'm saying it's not you that needs to increase the faith; it's how you surrender to the faith you already have and do whatever I say, no matter what I say, no matter how long it takes, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how stressful it is. Will you so trust me that you keep doing it? When you keep doing that, I'm the one supplying the cattle in the field. I'm the one supplying the field for you to plow. I'm the one saying to the people in Samaria, "The harvest is ripe but the laborers are few." I provided the church for people to come into. I'm the one that is giving the spiritual gifts. I'm the one that is providing food on your table. I'm the one that's giving you food to eat. So feed my lambs. That's what He's going to say to Peter in John chapter 20. "Feed my lambs."

And when you have done all you're supposed to do, then I will let you eat. Then I will bless you with crowns for your faithfulness in God. He tells them this in Matthew chapter 19:24-31. He says, "This is all that I have for you, but this will not be there for you if you're not committed to just take what I'm saying and do it." Because the person who supplies it all is Jesus the Christ, the Lord you say that I am. I just need you to start doing it there, and the impossible situation that I'm sending you to will become possible. I'm sending you to Gentiles. I'm telling you to go into all the world. Where are the maps? Where are the ships? Where's the donkey? At least give me a little chariot with an Arabian horse, something. Give me a ship. Come on now. Nothing. "Silver and gold have I none," Peter said. You will be able to move forward and say, "Such as I have give I thee." Because you are committed to still go help the weak, take care of the fainthearted, and do what I say, you believe that. When you tell the man to get up and walk, I was your source that made that happen. And that's why all it took was a mustard seed, and there you go: he is walking.

You see, we're not weak because we're weak. We're weak because we want to have this massive conviction about everything. When God is saying, "Let's work on just what is in front of you right now," that's what you find in verse 9. He says, "Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded of him?" Watch this carefully. The things that he ordered him to do? Is that something I'm supposed to bless him with? I'm commanding you; you call me Lord. You tell me that you are willing to do what I say. I'm the authority and the power over your life.

Why is it that you have to be blessed before you serve? Why is it that I can send you out into the worst of situations that He knows He's going to send them to, and I have to give you everything before you do it? Many people are like that today. God, I want to serve you, but bless me first. God, I come and I want to bless the church and do what you tell me to do, but there's so much going on in my life and I'm trying to do the right thing. God is saying, no, just start off where you are. That's the mustard seed. Keep believing in me. You don't control results; I control results. Your job is to just follow what I say and do what I say. Don't look for me to so bless you before you feel so encouraged to keep doing it. The Word of God, because it says what it's going to do, and we continually commit to do exactly what that one thing says we need to do, He says when we keep moving forward, we could literally say, "I expect God to do that."

David, I expect you to be dead. Daniel says, "Say what you have to say. I am going to do what God says I'm going to do in Daniel chapter 1 verse 8. Put me in a lion's den. I expect God to shut the lion's mouth." Paul bitten by a snake? "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. There's a prize ahead for me to win." That's why he says, "So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you," verse 10 says. "We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." We only did what was commanded of us to do. We did not do what is beyond that. When I say, "Go into all the world," you went to Samaria and you quit. Do you just go as far as you feel you can go, or do you go as far as the needs of that person demand that you go?

See, that's a slave that is moving the mulberry tree, getting the impossible things done. Even in the life of Christ, I must be about my Father's business. Foxes have holes, birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. "We're going to beat you." Okay, beat me. It doesn't matter. You can't do anything that will encumber the will of God getting done. So do what you have to do. I'm getting it all done so that on the cross, it is finished. All of us seem to be running around serving God, waiting for that major blessing to come. We don't just go through it routinely. No, we go through it passionately so that the vitality of our faith blesses us forever, and we do the impossible and bring glory to God. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen, Dr. Cannings. May the vitality of our faith in loving, serving, and honoring God against all else bring Him glory. Friends, we hope this series will really encourage and challenge you to increase your faith. You'll find this and all of our other ministry resources at PowerWalkMinistries.org. That's PowerWalkMinistries.org. You can also call us at 281-260-7402.

Dr. Paul Cannings: You know, Power Walk Ministries seek to support itself by the books and the materials that God has blessed us to be able to minister to your life and to strengthen and equip you spiritually to be productive. And that's the way we develop support for this ministry. We feel that if we touch your life, then that will lead to us touching other lives. So go to our website at www.PowerWalkMinistries.org and participate in our ministry because when you do so, it goes to serving other people—not just on radio, but around the world in conferences in terms of equipping pastors and their wives, etc. So join us, partnership with us, and be blessed at the same time by going to our website and becoming a part of our ministry.

Guest (Male): Would you prayerfully consider joining us in fulfilling our mission to share the Gospel and equip believers by becoming a Power Walk partner? You can make a one-time or ongoing contribution by logging on to PowerWalkMinistries.org or call us at 281-260-7402. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 920517, Houston, Texas, 77092. We'd love to hear from you. And if you live in the Houston area or you're planning a visit, please join Reverend Cannings at Living Word Fellowship Church this Sunday. For church location and service times, visit LWFellowshipChurch.org. As we close now, remember we could not have a greater impact than Jesus Christ, who came to do the will of the Father and fulfilled His purpose. So let's also commit above all else to fulfill God's purpose for our lives.