Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): We're glad that you're joining us for this broadcast of Power Walk with founder and president Reverend Paul Cannings. Each weekday, Reverend Cannings seeks to provide clear biblical teaching with practical applications for our lives.

Our current series is titled Endurance for a Time Like This. As we go through a tumultuous time in our country, where does our security lie? While we ought to be grateful to God for our blessings, is He truly the one that we rely upon in the midst of such trying times? Pastor Cannings encourages us to hold on to God in the message titled "Remain." Let's listen.

Dr. Paul Cannings: If there's anything this crazy time that this world has been going through has brought us to, is the fact that man shall not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. You see, what God is forcing us to do is the very thing He's always taught us to do. And that is the most important things that He's going to show us in this text today as we walk away through this process that creates a need for endurance because it's not the popular thing. It's not the thing that will help us sometimes to feel such a sense of significance.

Because going through this process that the word of God is going to guide us through today calls for endurance because those things are demanding. On every side of the issue, they're all demanding. They all take time. I've been there. All require sometimes stressful experiences, intense situations, uncertainties, anxieties, sometimes very low moments. So what is Christ saying relevant to this when we talk about one of the words as we've been going through this subject on endurance? We now are at this word that has to do with the word abide.

It means to remain. It's the word found in John chapter 15 verse four. In John chapter 15 verse four, he talks about this word to remain, to stay. The person who remains, the person who stays is the person who bears fruit. The person who walks away is the person who ends up accomplishing in life nothing. It turns out to be nothing. So when we look at this and you look in the context of John 15, the disciples, he's walking them through what is going to take place after his death and he's saying to them what is going to be required of them as they go through this process after his death.

Because he knows they're going to have tribulation. He's already told them that. In John chapter 16 verse 33, he's going to say, you will have much tribulation. He explains it to them. He doesn't hide it. He tells them their ministry is going to end tough. He understood where they were going. So in order for them to be able to be productive, they had to learn to remain focused on whatever race he sets before them. And he's explaining to them, he says if you remain in me, abide in me, and I in you. In other words, how I guide you, how I direct you, when the word of God stands up in front of you, you don't bring up you. You bring up me.

Because you denied yourself to pick up this cross, this cross, this cross to follow me. So you deny yourself. So it's about I in you, not you in me. It's I in you. So I lead you. You don't lead you. That's what you abide in. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. Why? Next verse is going to tell us. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me, you can do nothing.

He's not saying that you can't do something. You get in your car, you can buy a car, you can do these different things. But he's said at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, because we cannot control results, we can't. I don't care how hard we try. That's why some people end up with heart attacks and blood pressure because we trying to make something happen, trying to make this person do this, make this happen, and we can't. We can just do all we can and trust God to bring the results. It really releases us to faith walk with God when that takes place.

Moses can decide to walk with God, but he can't get Pharaoh to respond the way he need him to. He can't get the Red Sea to open up the way he want him to. He can't make the people submit to God and go into the promised land, but he can still be their leader. So understand, he is saying that when a person abides in him, he determines the results. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. So he determines the results. If the person who can make the impossible possible is not the one who I am abiding in in terms of staying with his word, submitting to the guidance of his Holy Spirit, responding to him when he convicts me, allowing the when the word of God illuminates allowing it to transform my mind so that I do his perfect will.

When that is not taking place and I'm going about doing what I want to do because I can't control results, just like the people who decided Moses we going into the promised land anyway. We don't care what you say. We're a mighty army, man. We could go in here and get this knocked out. Watch us. They took off. Guess what happened? They came back because they can't do nothing. When God sets up the giants in the land and the walls and all these different things and allow it to be what it is, we come to need him and without him, we cannot ultimately arrive at anything.

Can't determine what happens in the long run. We can't control the results. That's why it ends up being nothing. Nothing also means when I arrive in heaven, I sent nothing up there. I didn't focus on ever just doing me as some people say, man, I just do me. That's what people say. No problem. When we arrive in heaven, he says you didn't send anything up here. The talent I gave you, you buried it. You spent more time at jobs and came to church complaining about the clock and I got to do things, I got to get back home, I got some work to finish up, I got all this stuff. You didn't serve. When you gave you complained. Nothing is here.

You buried it. So when you come to heaven, there's no crown for you to wear. Nothing. Yes, in heaven, regretfully, eternally, not. There's no purgatory. Stop believing that. It doesn't exist. There's no building up in heaven to now be able to share the throne with Jesus Christ of Revelation chapter three verse 21 and 22. That's not happening. He determines the results. He determines how we're blessed. So folks, it's nothing. So that's why he knows we's bringing us to this point of to get from abiding and producing and leaning on me will take you into places that require endurance. That's why he has to say, remain, remain, abide, stay, focus, run the race that set before you because he knows there's tons of distractions every second of every day that can get our hearts, get our emotions in different directions, get our stress points going in different places.

So that's why he's saying, remain, abide. He's saying that to the disciples. What happened with the disciples when the crucifixion came? Where were they? Did they remain? No. Did they leave? Yes. So in the midst of that stressful situation, where were they? Couldn't be found. Found them in the upper room. Found them hiding, scared. They didn't remain. So guess what? Nothing. Peter was out fishing when he talked to him and say, do you love me? When we come to this scenario here, Jesus Christ takes us on a journey that we want to walk through this week. Do we ever come to a point where we reflect and keep that reflection focused? And what could we do better?

How could the church become this pillar of truth he says it is in First Timothy chapter three? How could the church be an impact to the world where it dominates the world because Christ is the only thing he's committed to is the church? Only thing he's the head of. He's not head of Republican, Democrat, whatever party. He's not. He's focused on the church being the stamp that impacts the world. And we can't become like the Jews and start leaning on kings to solve our problems.

The church is what's going to impact the world. Ephesians chapter one verse 22 through 23. He's not impacting the world through political leaders. He's impacting the world through the church. So how do we come back into this? Well, the first point we're going to make today through this process of remaining in the focus that Christ has called us to be so we don't end up with nothing. This is what Christ said when his disciples were listening to him, he looks at them and he says this verse. He says, do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.

Here's the dilemma we conclude. How do I do that verse? And then in Second Thessalonians chapter three verse 10 he says if I don't work, I don't eat. How do I balance that? I balance that by first realizing the emphasis that Christ has for me and that is, I must see that what he has placed in me as a spiritual gift, he's given me a physical ability to go do a job. Matthew 24 verse 14 on is an ability meaning an ability to go work a job, but he's also given me a spiritual gift. He's also given me a desire for family if that's what God has called us to.

So God has also given me responsibility in this society. So when I look at all of these things that he has given me the ability for, he is saying how I go about that is what I find purpose from, is what I find significance from, is what I find my drive from, my passions from. That's my food. That's where I concentrate my efforts. And I want to pick this up tomorrow as to how do I concentrate my efforts that way because it's a constant balance. We can't say, well, I got to work to eat. He never said that you're working to eat in the sense that when I work, that's the only way I eat because Luke chapter 12 is saying the opposite. When we come back to look at Second Thessalonians chapter three verse 10, we have to figure out is he saying I have to work to eat and if I don't work I don't eat meaning I just got to work, got to work because I got to eat? Is that the mindset I must have? If I have that mindset, then what we are talking about today is not food. What is this food that I must focus my life on? Because he said man shall not live by bread alone. Man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God because that food is eternal. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen, Dr. Cannings. If we remain, we will bring forth fruit, and when we walk away, we have much tribulation. So let's not lose sight of this. For any of our ministry resources, please visit us online at powerwalkministries.org. That's powerwalkministries.org. You can also call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402. And now Pastor Cannings would like to share a brief word with you.

Dr. Paul Cannings: I am so excited about the pastor's conference coming up April the 23rd through the 25th. You cannot miss it. There's going to be such a great group of teachers teaching, well-trained, well-prepared, practice what they're teaching in their local churches. Here's some examples. Pastor and deacons functioning under the lordship of Christ. The biblical approach to resolving conflict in the church. Traits of successful leaders. Effective teaching methods for children. Social media, how could you make it very positive for your children? Developing a counseling ministry. Dealing with mental health issues in the local church. Marketing, moving from traditional ministry to bibliocentric ministry. How do you grow the church through evangelism? You cannot miss this conference. April the 23rd through the 25th, 2026 at 7350 TC Jester Boulevard, right here at Living Word Fellowship Church. I pray you'll go to powerwalkministries.org. Powerwalkministries.org. Be a part of this. You will not be disappointed. April the 23rd through the 25th. Look forward to seeing you.

Guest (Male): That's powerwalkministries.org. 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. And now remember, God is the only one who is able to make the impossible possible in our lives. So let's loosen our grip on the temporal and build our confidence in him alone.