WEBVTT 00:00.160 --> 00:04.060 How do we stay surrounded by holy all week long? 00:04.720 --> 00:07.280 Are you getting an atmosphere like this and a presence like this, 00:07.360 --> 00:12.540 and it's like the longer we dwell on it, the thicker it gets, the heavier it gets. 00:13.780 --> 00:16.640 But how do we do it when we're not here? 00:18.920 --> 00:21.820 And I believe the Holy Spirit wants me to emphasize some things, 00:21.880 --> 00:24.440 because some of us might be going through some difficult times, 00:25.340 --> 00:26.760 some of us might be hurting, 00:26.760 --> 00:31.360 some of us might be having challenges that we don't know how we're going to overcome. 00:31.720 --> 00:36.000 In this human life, Jesus said, in this world you will have trouble. 00:36.780 --> 00:38.820 It's just because this world's fallen. 00:39.440 --> 00:41.980 We're going to have problems here. It's just the way it is. 00:42.580 --> 00:45.600 But how do we stay surrounded by holy 00:46.420 --> 00:50.580 and not get pulled into the unholy 00:51.520 --> 00:53.600 that is so prevalent in this world? 00:56.940 --> 00:58.500 You ever think about this? 00:59.140 --> 01:06.600 Paul, the apostle Paul, was away from Jerusalem most of his ministry. 01:07.160 --> 01:09.860 He was on mission trips. He was... 01:09.860 --> 01:11.580 He wasn't... 01:11.580 --> 01:14.140 He didn't spend a lot of time in Jerusalem. 01:14.140 --> 01:17.620 He came there a few times and met with the church leaders, 01:17.860 --> 01:19.700 but that's not where he hung out. 01:23.310 --> 01:25.570 Paul had people trying to kill him. 01:27.550 --> 01:30.430 He was stoned and left for dead. 01:31.050 --> 01:33.310 He was beaten with rods, 01:34.710 --> 01:37.870 not not whips, rods several times. 01:38.010 --> 01:39.850 He was whipped several times. 01:41.570 --> 01:44.570 He was in continual opposition. 01:45.470 --> 01:51.990 There was a group of people that literally followed him around the world to oppose him. 01:53.230 --> 01:56.470 It's like they felt that was their calling from God. 01:57.790 --> 02:01.370 To just follow Paul around and declare this guy's nuts. 02:03.330 --> 02:05.210 Every time he had meetings, 02:06.190 --> 02:09.490 somebody was there shooting off their big mouth. 02:10.750 --> 02:11.870 He was wrong. 02:13.630 --> 02:18.570 How did Paul, who had people with him, 02:18.910 --> 02:20.290 but he was the one leading? 02:20.790 --> 02:22.330 Sometimes he had Timothy with him. 02:22.470 --> 02:26.050 Sometimes he had Titus, Silas for a while, Barnabas for a while. 02:26.370 --> 02:30.090 But it seems from Scripture that Paul was the one leading all the time. 02:30.270 --> 02:32.990 He was the one initiating. God asked him to do these things. 02:33.650 --> 02:42.090 How did Paul deal with his depression that tried to get on him? 02:42.710 --> 02:45.590 How did Paul deal with his discouragement? 02:46.770 --> 02:49.150 How did Paul not get a bad attitude? 02:50.390 --> 02:53.690 Over the continual opposition and persecution? 02:54.790 --> 02:58.270 How did he get back up and keep ministering 02:58.270 --> 03:03.230 after the third time of being left for dead and being whipped and being beaten with rods? 03:05.690 --> 03:11.930 How did he stay encouraged and focused and faithful and on track? 03:13.810 --> 03:20.910 There is no evidence that he ever had to go to someone to get prayed for. 03:22.170 --> 03:23.590 There's no evidence in Scripture. 03:25.730 --> 03:31.050 No, I'm not saying. The people that were with him didn't get together and try to encourage them and pray with them. 03:31.130 --> 03:32.170 I'm not saying that. 03:33.330 --> 03:36.150 But sometimes in the church the mentality is, 03:36.710 --> 03:40.690 if I can just get someone to pray for me, then I can get through this. 03:40.690 --> 03:46.070 How can you stay surrounded with holy the presence of God 03:47.110 --> 03:49.370 without getting prayed for all the time? 03:52.690 --> 03:55.790 Paul gave us a number of keys that he lived by. 03:57.350 --> 04:03.490 One is he prayed in tongues almost continually. 04:06.050 --> 04:11.390 We have got to learn how to discipline ourselves to pray in tongues 04:11.390 --> 04:17.350 not occasionally, not daily, almost continually. 04:18.950 --> 04:21.570 It is a huge key. 04:23.870 --> 04:31.410 Number two, he trained his mind not to get into the negative. 04:31.410 --> 04:35.950 He said whatever is honest, whatever is pure, whatever is just, whatever is righteous, 04:36.190 --> 04:38.190 think on these things. 04:40.850 --> 04:42.490 Guard your mind. 04:43.130 --> 04:47.390 Don't let it just go where it wants to go because it will go into a negative pity party. 04:49.590 --> 04:51.790 Think on the things God has told you. 04:51.910 --> 04:53.950 Think on the things that are promises to you. 04:54.090 --> 04:56.090 Think on the things that he is asking you to do. 04:56.250 --> 04:58.970 Think on who you are in him. 04:58.970 --> 05:05.110 Think on your identity in him and what he is calling you and making you to be. 05:08.480 --> 05:12.780 Giving thanks in every situation. 05:14.530 --> 05:15.820 That is a key, Paul had. 05:17.960 --> 05:23.920 Rather than grumbling about the situation, thank God he is working in it. 05:24.800 --> 05:29.060 Thank you God, you see what is going on in my life. 05:29.060 --> 05:34.300 Thank you God, you love me beyond anything this world has to offer. 05:34.620 --> 05:41.120 Thank you God that you are directing my steps and your word will speak to me 05:41.120 --> 05:44.160 and your spirit is given to me to comfort me. 05:44.480 --> 05:51.320 Thank you God that the way out is already prepared because you will allow no temptation to take me 05:51.320 --> 05:57.160 but such as his common demand and with every temptation you make a way of escape. 05:57.160 --> 06:04.360 Thank you God, you are faithful and even when I am faithless, you are faithful my God 06:04.360 --> 06:11.640 and you watch over and you keep and you guard and you've given your angels to surround me 06:11.640 --> 06:16.100 and they will guard me lest I dash my foot against the stone. 06:16.480 --> 06:19.380 Thank you God for who you are to me. 06:20.640 --> 06:25.680 And thank you God the victory is at mine. 06:26.900 --> 06:29.420 The victory is mine. 06:30.580 --> 06:34.820 For all the promises and you are yes and amen. 06:36.580 --> 06:40.940 You are the one who leads me into triumph. 06:41.480 --> 06:47.040 Thank you God, it doesn't make any difference what it looks like today. 06:47.040 --> 06:49.740 Thank you for what you're doing. 06:50.600 --> 06:55.540 And praise him in the middle of the situation. 06:57.240 --> 06:58.660 Praise him. 07:00.160 --> 07:06.240 When they were in jail, when they were locked down, they had just been whipped, their bodies were aching. 07:07.020 --> 07:08.540 They praised him. 07:11.380 --> 07:18.460 We have to learn to surround ourselves with holy, to just stay in it. 07:20.040 --> 07:26.320 Use the spirit language God has given to you more and more and more and more. 07:26.860 --> 07:28.740 Guard your thoughts. 07:29.460 --> 07:34.580 They will take you negative if you don't do what Paul said. 07:34.580 --> 07:40.620 And guard your thoughts, guard your heart on what you allow yourself to think about. 07:43.220 --> 07:45.400 Thank him for what he's doing. 07:46.300 --> 07:50.220 You say my situation is horrible, I don't see a way out. That's alright, God does. 07:52.000 --> 07:55.820 You thank him for the way out. And he'll show it to you. 07:57.480 --> 08:03.600 He'll show it to you. He loves us too much to let us sit in a situation and be destroyed. 08:04.480 --> 08:06.600 He will show us the way out. 08:08.140 --> 08:13.880 And praise him in advance for what he's already working to make it happen. 08:17.550 --> 08:19.870 And to fit where me, I'd add one more thing on. 08:21.150 --> 08:22.930 Realize it's not all about you. 08:24.410 --> 08:29.750 He's working in other people's lives and hearts at the same time he's working with you. 08:29.930 --> 08:32.170 Because what you do has an effect on others. 08:32.970 --> 08:38.470 And sometimes our timetable is, OK, God, already? Come on. 08:38.670 --> 08:42.650 How long is it going to take for you to get your act together and get me out of this? 08:43.850 --> 08:47.790 Well, remember, there's others he's working with. 08:48.930 --> 08:52.390 And that might be why you're stuck in it a little longer than you like. 08:53.990 --> 08:57.290 Because he's working on them at the same time he's working on you. 08:57.290 --> 09:01.050 But there's always an end game. 09:01.410 --> 09:05.130 There's always a way of escape. Always. 09:06.190 --> 09:08.310 And you will come out victorious. 09:09.470 --> 09:14.990 But we have to learn to surround ourselves in holy. 09:19.210 --> 09:22.150 Listening to music, godly music is great. 09:23.370 --> 09:26.030 Listening to godly speakers is great. 09:28.310 --> 09:29.890 Paul didn't have either one. 09:32.250 --> 09:35.250 Stop and think about it. Paul didn't have either one. He didn't have a stereo. 09:36.370 --> 09:38.410 And there weren't any podcasts back then. 09:43.300 --> 09:51.880 The greatest, the greatest, is what we choose in ourself and what comes up and out of us. 09:51.880 --> 09:58.580 The Holy Spirit was given to make sure we walk through this thing. 09:59.020 --> 10:02.280 He is our comforter. He's the one called alongside us. 10:02.920 --> 10:05.440 Tap what is already in you.