Power Walk Ministries

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Power Walk Ministries broadcast, and thanks for joining us today. We hope you'll join us for the entirety of this series, Don't Run Aimlessly, which goes through to the end of next week.

Reverend Cannings is teaching from the book of Revelation on how we can fix our eyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Dr. Cannings calls for us to be encouraged and keep our eyes on the finish line. Let's listen now as he brings us the message titled, "The Prize."

Dr. Paul Cannings: As we continue this series on "Don't Run Aimlessly," I'd like for us to turn to Revelation chapter three, and we start in verse eight about the church of Philadelphia. It helps us in the midst of difficulties and hardship and times that are unstable, times that have really tested people to the core. There are difficult times and lots of questions about God, the church around us, and our day-to-day lives.

How do we stay focused and not run aimlessly? How do we not become so despondent we're just going from day to day like what they call a sober alcoholic? We are drunk with the situations that we're facing but trying to make it through soberly, meaning what is right today? What do I have to get done today? We are overwhelmed by what's taking place. Some can hardly sleep because there's so much anxiety about tomorrow.

How do we live in times that will continue to come from time to time? In the city of Houston, we've dealt with a flood not too long ago and then the flood before that not too long ago, like a hundred-year flood. Somebody's not counting right. We've dealt with these things over and over again. While we're going through the situations around the world, Kenya has dealt with the locusts and the locusts destroying their crop, which they totally depend on for themselves and their animals.

How do we deal with these times? He's saying that during these times, the love of God that people once had that was excited to serve God and worship God—where they couldn't get enough when they came to church and had music in their car—that love will grow cold because of the pain of the last days in Matthew chapter 24.

A church that we could learn from is the church of Philadelphia. We're going to walk through this passage for the next three days. Verse eight is where we would start. He says in verse eight, "I know thy works." That's one of the things that comforts my heart. No matter whether or not what you do is appreciated or looked up to or rewarded with a pat on the back, the Bible is saying that's not why you run this race. If we serve God for our own selfish reasons, He says it brings us no reward in 1 Corinthians chapter three, verse 10 through 15. There is no reward for this.

The world looks at us and says we're the best preacher ever and you have the biggest church, and He's saying, "I'm not blessing you for the quantity in that passage. I'm blessing you for the quality." It doesn't matter how large something may be. You might have the biggest house, but we learned yesterday that if my heart isn't right about it, He says, "I look at you and you're naked, wretched, and poor." We have to look at the person who knows our works.

The word "know" here literally refers to a full understanding. It's complete in His understanding of everything He needs to know about everything that needs to be known. There is a full, accumulative understanding of everything that is taking place inside of us, including our thoughts. He says we will give an account for our thoughts. We'll give an account for every word that we speak in the book of Colossians. He knows what we're doing as we serve Him, the reason for which we serve Him, and the motive behind why we're serving Him. He knows all of our works. He knows it because He's going to reward us for our labor in heaven.

We have a reward. 1 Corinthians chapter three, verse 10 through 15 says so. In verse 15, He says He will reward you for your work that you've done, whether good or bad. "Bad" in the Bible means worthless. "Good" means it is productive and advantageous to the kingdom of God because it advanced the kingdom. It made the kingdom of God achieve things because of what you've done. He says, "I bless you for that. I'll give you a reward for that."

He's watching everything, whether it's the church, our thoughts, our words, or everything that we're doing. In Matthew chapter 25, He's saying, "When I look at you, I see that you helped the person who was naked, you helped the person who was sick, you took care of the person who was in prison." He knows everything. He knows everything.

This church of Philadelphia stands out, and one other church in the Bible stands out as a church that God is looking up to, and this church will be rewarded for what they have done. When He looks at them in verse eight, He says, "I know everything. I know your works. I know all the accumulative efforts that you're doing." He says, "Behold, I have set before thee an open door."

Many people believe it's an open door to the new Jerusalem that would take place. In other words, "I'm welcoming you home. I can't wait." When you come to heaven, there's no knocking to get in, no going to some pearly gates and hoping it opens, like all these different stories we've heard. He's saying it's open for you because He watched and knows the quality of what you're doing. And no man can shut it.

There is nobody that can ever do anything because of His power to put any obstacle in the way of you going through that door. It's set for you. There is no way we can live this life aimlessly. There's just way too much available to us that we could lose sight of. We could become lost and distracted in all these things rather than being focused. He's saying this is available to you and nobody could shut it. Nobody could get in the way of this. When you read Revelation and talk about how Jesus Christ will be established and get to the Bema seat, who can stand up to Him? Throughout the book, you'll see that nobody can stand up to Him.

That is why He says this: "For thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word." What a powerful thing here. You would think after all of that, this church would be a group of people that are strong and mighty and they have all this inner strength to do great things. But He said, "No, when I look at you, even though you are doing all this great work within this city of Philadelphia, you don't have political influence. You don't have the kind of power to move anybody from stopping anyone from doing anything against you." You are at the mercy of everybody. That's what He's saying. He recognizes that.

He's not talking about spiritual strength here. What He's talking about is the capacity and the capability to overcome the obstacles that the Jews and Satan are putting against them. They had no power to stop them. That's how people feel sometimes. There's just no power to be able to stop what is coming against them on their job or stop the health issues that their body projected. There is no power to stop different issues that are taking place in our world with crime and wars.

He says, "I recognize you for all of your achievements. I have a door open for you, but I understand that you are in a situation that is a crisis because you have no power to overcome it." You cannot be aimless when this happens. You cannot think that God isn't concerned and doesn't know what's taking place or that God has just forgotten about you. He says, "No, I know what you're dealing with. I know what is taking place." How could God not know when He lives inside of us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and is everywhere all at the same time? How could God be everywhere all at the same time and not know anything?

He knows everything. He's so engaged with us that He knows the numbers of hairs on our head. He says, "I understand the obstacles that you face." He says, "Behold, I will make them a synagogue of Satan which they say are the Jews and are not, but do lie." Satan is the father of all lies. They're coming to the synagogue and they think they could pick up the scrolls and read them and do their festivals. They come in believing that they are close to God with all of their piety. But when He looks at them, because they've excluded Christ from their lives, they are a synagogue of Satan and they're liars.

He says, "I understand that that group of people are against you, and attached to their gathering is Satan." He says, "I will make them come and worship before thy feet." He'll make your enemies your footstool "and to know that I have loved thee." Here is the victory that we cannot lose sight of. He keeps the door open. Nobody could shut it. He knows everything. He understands that this is a church that is so willing to do what He wants them to do, and He's fighting for them. He's telling them, "Don't take your eyes off the prize. Run the race and press towards the mark." No matter what we're doing, don't forget the mark. These people that you think are so powerful when you don't feel you have power, He will make them your footstool because they don't have any power over Him.

You can see this over and over again in the Bible. Saul was powerful and David had to run everywhere. Footstool. David was taking care of his kids and being gracious to his kids. David became powerful. God has a way of bringing someone down faster than they can take their next breath, no matter how much noise they make or how much power they seem to have. He says, "Listen, stop stressing over those who have power. I have a door open for you and nobody can shut it."

God is talking about respecting your boss who doesn't like you and treats you bad when you go to work. Dealing with that day in and day out. Maybe it's a husband or a wife that just makes the marriage miserable. Maybe it's a child that has just become a pain. You love the child, but the child will not listen, would not respond to Christ, would come to church but just sit there and not care to hear anything about the Bible, and it breaks your heart.

He says, "Don't give up. I'm fighting for you. The time is just not now. I will bring that time to pass." Your job is to just run the race that is set. Press towards the mark, or at least walk worthy or stand when the darts are coming your way wearing your armor. Understand that these situations may seem impossible, but God says with Him, all things are possible because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. Stay focused.

Guest (Male): Amen, Dr. Cannings. God knows and understands every obstacle and heartache we carry. Yet He promises His joy and peace in the midst of it. Please visit us online at powerwalkministries.org for a copy of this message series or any of our other resources. Again, that's powerwalkministries.org.

And maybe you have a friend or family member who is in need of encouragement. Please be sure to browse through Pastor Cannings' books or message series, and we trust you'll find a resource to meet that person's need. You can also call us at 281-260-7402. Again, that's 281-260-7402.

Dr. Paul Cannings: Power Walk Ministries seeks 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. 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. 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 in partnership with us and be blessed at the same time by going to our website and becoming a part of our ministry.

Guest (Male): Once again, our web address is powerwalkministries.org. And as we leave you, remember, no matter how busy our schedules get, it is the time we spend in reading God's word and in prayer that will give us the much-needed wisdom, strength, and peace to go through each day.