Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Don’t run aimlessly. That’s the name of our current series here on the Power Walk Ministries broadcast, taught by Reverend Paul Cannings. Thanks for joining us today. It’s so easy to get caught up in the temporal, isn’t it? Relationships, health, job, finances. Yet through this series, Dr. Cannings is seeking to get our focus off the temporal and to the eternal. Today, through the story of the man who wasted his talent, Dr. Cannings challenges us with this message, "Run for what will last." Let's listen.

Dr. Paul Cannings: One of the stories in the Bible that always grips me is a story about the talents because the guy that buries his talent is thinking that he’s trying to find a secure way of doing it. The Bible calls him lazy. He didn’t want to work. He didn't really want to do. He calls God tricky when he’s the one tricky. He’s lazy. He doesn’t really want to put in the effort, and at least I could give him back what he gave me, and that’s it.

That story bothers me because he says that he would take from that guy and give it to the one that has five. Same thing happened in Luke chapter 17 when he would say a person comes in and they’ve done all they can to serve the master. And then when they come in, the master gives them no big reward because they have done what they were supposed to do. You know, to arrive in heaven, which we know we’re going to do one day—we could jog, eat health food, do all this other stuff—one day by and by that morning is going to come. It’s going to happen.

So earth compared to heaven? Yeah, there’s really no comparison in terms of time, in terms of quality, in terms of quantity. There’s just no comparison. You don’t even want to put the two on the same scale. So when we are living this life, if you say, "God, I was a good husband, I was a good provider," well, that's exactly what you're supposed to be. "God, you know, I sought to be a great wife and raise my kids," you're supposed to be that. I chose to make you a mother. Every child is a gift from God. I chose to make you a mother and therefore this is what’s expected of you.

"God, God, you don't understand, I went to church faithfully. I went, I faithfully attended and I gave," you were supposed to do that. But what did you do that would last forever? That it doesn’t just be, well, you came to heaven and you know what, you did what you were supposed to do, so there’s no reward here for you. Or a person who just says, "Man, you know, I’m enjoying my life. I got a good job, I got good benefits. I'm happy with where I'm at in my life. You know, all I got to do is make sure I do a great job and get to retirement and I’m done, then I can go fishing." Bible says you buried that talent.

So when we know all of this is ahead of us and we understand what the scriptures are saying, or maybe today we learn what the scriptures are saying, then what are we doing as we run sometimes aimlessly? See, the folks in Philadelphia, there’s one of the two churches in the book of Revelation that is not criticized by God. But they’re going through a lot, a lot of struggles that we’ve discussed the last couple of days as we continue this series for this week, "Don't run aimlessly." And here is a church that can help us so that when we are moving forward each day, we're focused like Paul would say, in what God has for us in heaven so earth becomes irrelevant in terms of it doesn’t distract us so that we don’t do what God called us to do.

Here’s where they are. In verse 10 is where we parked yesterday, and we’re going to pick up today from verse 10 through verse 12 in Revelation chapter 3. This is what he says, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience." Watch this carefully. It sounds like he’s saying that I’m being patient with you when you read this in the King James, but that’s not what he’s talking about. What he’s saying here is the word perseverance, which means because you have kept my perseverance, you have stayed steadfast. Because I have strengthened you to stay steadfast because you kept the word.

He says that in John 15, we bring it up again, same author, John says, "If you abide in me, you bear much fruit," right? Paul defines what some of that fruit is. So when we come to this word perseverance, he’s talking about the fact that you abide, you were unwavering. That he talked about they kept the word in verse nine. You kept the word, you’re unwavering, you were committed, no matter what, to endure adversity and let me solve it when I’m ready. These folks will eventually become your footstool. Right now you’re powerless, but you keep the word in spite of the fact that you’re powerless.

So as a result of that, you kept my perseverance. You decided to stay in the midst of adversity, as James would say, allowing me to perfect you, allowing me to make you complete. You stayed the journey. You maintained the Christian character through it. You continued to do what the Bible said to do no matter what they did. You kept the character of Christ, so you kept my perseverance. What is this perseverance? The model is Jesus Christ. He kept the perseverance. He’s saying the person maintained who Christ looks like in it, and therefore it was his perseverance.

And that’s why he’s saying, because you have done this, it puts a level of responsibility on Christ to fight for them. Because no matter what they encountered, they approached it from where the word of God led them. And that’s why he says, "I will keep thee." You kept the word; I will keep thee from the hour of temptation. Now many people believe that what he’s talking about here is that you will experience the rapture of the church and you will not go through the tribulation period. That’s what I believe he’s talking about here as a flip back to Daniel.

So he’s saying here that you will not go through the tribulation period. "I will keep you from the hour of testing." This church will be raptured before Satan has the power to rule the earth and do whatever he wants. And he says, "which shall come upon all the world." That’s why I believe it’s the tribulation period. "To try them that dwell upon the earth." And look at this, "Behold, I come quickly." You know, quick is like seconds later? I’m there? No. In God's eyes, one day is like a thousand years, so quick is not quick as we call quick. We don’t get to determine what the word quick means. And that’s why perseverance comes before quick in this passage of scripture.

He says, "Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast." Christ is saying hold fast. There’s times when you just hold to the word of God because he promises he’ll never leave me nor forsake me, so you just hold to that word. There’s times in the Bible he’s saying to us, he is in us, he is greater than he who is in the world. So God, I know you will give me the strength to make it through. I just hold on. You know, there’s times in the Bible he would say pray for wisdom and I’ll bless you with wisdom. And I say, "Okay God, I know that you will guide me and direct me and cause me to think through this situation so that the wisdom of God becomes a blessing in this situation." So I just trust you, God, to provide me wisdom. So I’m going to go to it, I’m going to remember your word, I’m going to gain knowledge from what’s happening around me and pray for understanding, Colossians chapter 1, verse 9 through 11, so that in verse 12, I’ll experience the power that is within me.

And we believe and we hold fast. That’s why I’m saying you cannot run aimlessly. You lose out on this blessing. Look at the blessing. He says, "that no man take thy crown." There’s three crowns I’ve researched in the scriptures: a crown of life, a crown of righteousness, and the crown of glory. So it could be any of these crowns. So he’s saying that no one can take it. No one can shut the door when I open it, and no one can take the crown when I give it.

So no one can take your crown. They’re not the one sitting at the Bema seat deciding how I bless you. I will be the one at the Bema seat. It doesn’t matter how the world looks at you and think how powerful, how great, or wonderful you were. It’s irrelevant. We’re going to be shocked who’s blessed in heaven because we have determined who are the giants on earth. So we got all these people we’ve put on pedestals that we believe is all—sometimes I believe is that simple senior woman that was faithful, that served, that like a Dorcas, that woman to be blessed. Like an Anna in the temple that faithfully served God. Only one that could say here is the Messiah; nobody could see it.

That’s the person that we may not look at. Oh no, there’s the high priest, we need to look at the or the prophet. No, no, no, it’s Anna. You know, sometimes I think of my mom who would pack up a whum-pump organ and put it in the back of her car. She would drive all the way to the country because she found out that nobody could play for the ladies in the country that were trying to have a great day for ladies and women's ministry, and she didn't do that for two days. It took them months to plan that and she would put that organ in the back of her trunk.

I'd come home, I say, "Where is Mom? Dinner is ready." I can't think of anything she didn't do, it just was Mom wasn't there. See, sometimes we forget the Dorcases, the people who serve. He says, "No, this is not a church that had any notoriety, but they stayed focused, and no one will take your crown." In verse 12, he says, "Him that overcometh," don't forget Laodicea people didn't overcome it, "make a pillar in the temple of my God." You see in Philadelphia they had these huge pillars and the people who serve in the major places and would be honored and looked at with high esteem, they would write their names on the pillar to never be forgotten. Your name would be on the pillar in the temple of God. Don't forget the open door he said earlier on, the New Jerusalem will take place, and when they come into this New Jerusalem and the new temple, they would see their names of these insignificant people written on the pillars in the temple of God. "And the name of the city of my God, which is the New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from God, and I will write upon him them my new name."

I will show that these people kept the word in persecution when people talk bad about them. Kept the word when they were powerless. Kept the word when there was nobody to ever fight for them. They stayed the course. They didn’t run aimlessly. They ran the race that was set. They endured the journey and the adversity and they pressed towards the mark of the high calling, these people. I will so identify with. That’s what matters when we are standing in his glory and his majesty and angels are bowing before him. And we’re going to be there forever and forever and forever. What is earth that we are killing ourselves for? What is keeping us so distracted as we fight for what? I pray that we come out of it looking for this reward, this greatness that God has for us, and not just go back to doing whatever we once did that kept us aimless. Fight for the earthly things that will come and go. Fight for the things that will last. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen Reverend Cannings. Let no man take your crown. Friends, there are so many examples in scripture through which God encourages us to not be aimless but to go about the work that he calls us to do. And how about you? Do you feel like you’re going through life focused on the things that just don’t matter and you’d like to grasp something that’ll last for eternity? Then call us and let's talk about giving your life to God and latching onto what will last. Our phone number is 281-260-7402. Again, that's 281-260-7402. You can also visit us online at powerwalkministries.org to obtain a copy of this message series or any of our other ministry resources.

Dr. Paul Cannings: We do need you to partner with us folks. You could do that in several ways. Yes, please pray for us. We travel, we train pastors and their wives and do much in ministry. So pray for us God keeps our health and strength and continues to bless this ministry by providing us his wisdom and knowledge and opportunities to serve him. So pray for us.

But we also can become involved in the ministry by participating on our website by buying books. It's a secure place, don't have to worry about anything being stolen from you. And I pray that you would participate that way. Another way you could just become one of our partners, our supporters, and join with others who partner with us to see this ministry be what God wants it to be and desires it to be and has blessed it to be in the few years that God has allowed us to serve you. So I pray you will become our partner and be active in what God is doing in Power Walk Ministries.

Guest (Male): Once again, our web address is powerwalkministries.org. 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. And now as we leave you, remember: he who is in us is greater than the people, the situation, the obstacles, and distractions that are in the world. So let's focus our eyes on him and run for what will last.