Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): You've tuned in to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast. Thanks for joining us today. Reverend Paul Cannings is the founder and president of Power Walk Ministries and senior pastor of Living Word Fellowship Church in Houston.

Today, Pastor Cannings starts a series titled "Don't Run Aimlessly." Friends, life presently finds us in especially tough situations, and through this series, Dr. Cannings challenges us to consider using our time wisely and living our lives in light of eternity. Let's listen now as he brings us the message, "The Crown of Life."

Dr. Paul Cannings: If there's anything I've learned playing sports years ago, sometimes it's frustrating when you're out there. I played soccer, I didn't play football or basketball, I played soccer and I enjoyed it. But there's times when you're young and immature that people are shoving you. Sometimes people use their elbows to hit you in the ribs, and sometimes people trip you. Sometimes you get stepped on and sometimes you know people did it purposely.

In the midst of all of these different things that can happen, you're tired sometimes. You start to push somebody or shove somebody, and sometimes you're the one caught because they're doing it sneaky and you're retaliating. In the midst of all of this and you're playing, you forget sometimes why you're playing. Sometimes you forget your purpose is to win.

Many times when we are living our lives each and every day, the marriage goes this way. Single life can be lonely. It could be stressful trying to manage the kids and the bills and all the different situations the kids may do at school. Can't take off work. You've got a car that is not working well. In the midst of all that is happening can cause us to forget why we run this race. What are we aiming at? What is God's plan?

When we forget that, it's just a day-to-day struggle. We're just looking for encouragement from the Lord this way. We're just looking for a great verse to keep us going. We're just looking for these little nice little nuggets so that we could make it through the day. That's running aimlessly.

We need to run with a plan that God is constantly telling us about. Many times when we're running, we act as if this is life, this is it, this is all that is going to take place in this life when we know that the time will come when we will take our last breath and be with God. It's forever and forever. That's the reason why when we are running, we cannot run aimless.

I want us to look at that as we go to the book of James and walk our way through what we should do when we are running the race in the manner that God has designed it. No matter how we function, God is the one who determines how we finish this race, what we achieve because of what he has done for us in the midst of this race.

Let's go to James chapter 1, verse 12 and we will work our way to Revelation chapter 3, eventually, so that we run this race and we don't run aimless. Here's what he's saying when it comes to trials and the difficulties the trials can bring to us. In verse 12 of James chapter 1, he says, "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation." How in the world could that be blessed?

Here's the first thing we need to learn in this process when something is blessed. First, he's saying because we are committed in verse 2 through 4 to stay through the trial. We're staying through it. This is a person who has endured the trials, who have stayed focused in it and found a way to serve in the local church even when they were at home and locked down at home.

The person who's said, "Even though it is difficult because I'm a homemaker, I'm going to do devotions. I'm going to have this time and I'm going to endure this process even though my house is in chaos." I don't like this process of them being home all day where I've got to do homework on top of everything that we're doing here.

Parents who now have to do the work, homework, and do their jobs, and make sure that the kids are in school and paying attention while they're doing work on internet and while they're doing their jobs. In the midst of all this, the person is still staying focused. This is a chance for me to invest in my children's life. This is a chance for me to do things with my kids I've never had a chance to do with them while they're in school and spend time in a different way because I don't have to go drive, pick them up, go to the bus stop. None of these things are there.

So now it's different. But yet, there are some advantages to this and the person that approach it that way. In other words, no matter how the situation worked itself out, the person remained focused and kept pressing. The Bible says that that person, verse 3 says, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience, worketh long suffering.

The person has now found the strength of God to be able to endure something that they have no power to change, no power to adjust. They can't do anything about it. They are under the directions of a governor and now they are saying, "This is what I have to endure and I'm going to approach it the way God tells me to approach it." There are going to be some tough moments. There's times when I'll put these kids to bed early because I need to get a break. Those times will come.

We're human beings. But in the process, the parent is still organizing and making sure that the day is going forward. Still going to the job, but I'm going to go into work and I'm going to study the word of God as to how to make it through this wilderness experience. The Bible says what that does, it ignites the Holy Spirit. It gets the Holy Spirit to become so strong and powerful in them that they end up with the gaining a fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is long suffering.

They find this inner strength because the spirit of God that is in us keeps increasing so that we learn endurance. It says that let that long suffering strength that we find from the spirit of God working inside of us have its perfect work. Continually we're doing this. There are lonely moments, there are tired moments, there are frustrating moments.

We don't give up though. The Bible says we do not become weary in well doing because we know the season is coming. He says in verse 4 that they may be perfect, entire, wanting nothing. So this person comes to a point where they're complete. It doesn't matter what you bring them. It doesn't matter what you hit them with. It doesn't matter what difficulty situations may be. They've learned to respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit in their life. Where there is conviction, where there is illumination of the word of God, where there is a remembrance of the word of God.

John 14:26, the spirit of God will bring it back to our remembrance. The spirit of God will provide them with what he is saying in verse 5, wisdom, spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians chapter 1, verse 9 through 11 talks about we end up with a spiritual wisdom, spiritual understanding because the Holy Spirit is functioning us. He starts to guide us because we practice the word of God.

In Hebrews chapter 5, verse 14, he teaches us what is good and what is evil, what is wicked. He gives us discernment so we end up with discernment out of it. And that's why when you get to verse 12, he says this person is blessed. So the person is blessed. They find a more powerful, productive, advantageous way of living this life because they've become more fine-tuned to how the Holy Spirit works.

As a result of that, the person learns to depend more on the spirit than on their flesh. That's what makes them strong. That's why Paul would say, "I have become stronger. He who is in me is greater than he who's in the world," John would say. That person, the Bible says, is blessed. Even Job in his worst scenario, because he still had a relationship with God, says, "I am blessed because God still remembers me. I know he would listen to me. So I'm blessed."

Folks, we look at blessings as, "Oh, I got a car. I got a house. Oh, God blessed me in the city, blessed me in the field, blessed me when I come and when I go." And we want to be touched and laid on hands, all these different things to be blessed. Blessed in the Bible is literally, I can learn to be content in whatever state I'm in. I can be anxious for nothing, no matter what I'm dealing with.

In verse 12, he says, "Blessed is the man who endureth temptation." Testing is another word for this. Testing meaning there's a trial that is outside, there's a trial that is inside. In verse 12, the trial is inside. The person who endures this emotional drag on them, this mental duress that is on them when they hear about cancer in their body, when they hear they have diabetes, when they hear something they're going to have to deal with for a long time to come.

This person, he says, will receive a crown. This person that just kept applying the scriptures, just kept doing what the word of God instructed them to do, no matter what they faced, no matter what difficulties they experienced. The Bible says because this person is functioning this way, they have a crown of life.

Now understand, James is writing to people who, because of Paul's persecution, have been just dispersed all around the world and they're struggling. They're dealing with all kinds of issues throughout this book. And that's why you can't use earthly wisdom in chapter 3. You have to use heavenly wisdom. Because if you use earthly wisdom, it's destructive and it becomes demonic. They're going to common sense rather than the scriptures.

And that's why he's writing this verse to them. You could get so caught up with, "This is happening to me today. It's just so many things happening." Jesus Christ is constantly telling us, "Don't be surprised when you experience many trials as if something strange is happening to you," 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 12. Because we're living on earth, that's why he talks about the armor of God, because we are dealing with fiery darts that come against us.

A person can have peace when things are bad because it's a fruit of the spirit within them. A person can have joy when things are bad because of fruit of the spirit in them. The person can have the ability to still talk to people with kindness and gentleness because the spirit of God is within them. The Bible is saying these things can happen because the person in the midst of hard times, difficult times, painful times, stressful times, they kept running the race with their eyes fixed on Christ.

He says, "Guess what I have for you? A crown of life. I'm going to put this crown on you. You're going to be able to walk around heaven forever with it and you will be able to live out this crown even on earth with a sense of life in you." It's the fruit of the Holy Spirit life. That brings this person to a level of strength that no matter what you do to them, they stay the course.

That's why Paul, you couldn't kill Paul because he's already dead. Paul would say, "Okay, kill me. I'm going to heaven. Okay, beat me. There's a reward for me in heaven to endure this. Paul, we're going to take everything you got. Okay, I'm content in whatever state I'm in." Paul said in Colossians chapter 3, "I have died. I live a new life in Christ."

So I'm not trying to think for myself anymore. I'm not trying to win things for me anymore. I'm not trying to sit up here every day and try to become the richest person on this earth anymore. I'm simply trying to be like Christ and to press towards the mark he sets before me. And when trials come, cast my load. But I'm not getting off the road that I'm running this race on because the Lord is able to do exceedingly abundantly all I could ever ask or think.

Understand, life is distracting. I'm with you. I'm not landing from heaven to come share this with you. I'm here. I understand. I understand how distracting it could be. But in the midst of it, I've learned, let God continue to be our teacher and the Holy Spirit our guide. Stay focused. It's been a blessing serving you.

Guest (Male): It's true. Paul learned contentment in whatever state he was in. So may we also be surrendered to God so that we also can be content in him, no matter what life brings us. Now, if this message has been a blessing to you and you'd like to obtain your own copy, then please visit us online at powerwalkministries.org. And when you're there, look for the series "Don't Run Aimlessly." You can also call us at 281-260-7402. That's 281-260-7402.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Hello everyone, this is Pastor Cannings. It's been a pleasure coming into your home, maybe your car. It's been a blessing to serve you. And I hope that you will become a partner as we seek to continue to serve God in an effective manner. Many times he opens up so many doors, but what we lack is resources to get it done. You can't go through every door, but you know the ones that are a great fit for our ministry to touch lives. So I pray that you would become a Power Walk partner as we power walk together to impact lives. Thank you for listening. It's been a blessing serving you.

Guest (Male): Once again, our web address is powerwalkministries.org. Our mailing address is PO Box 920517, Houston, Texas, 77092. This series, "Don't Run Aimlessly," will continue through these next two weeks. So be sure to join us each weekday. And now remember, when we allow the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us through God's word, we will find strength for our journey and truly come to a place of being content in life.