Make God’s Word Your Foundation - Best of Bill Johnson Sermons | Bethel Church

0:11 everything about our walk with christ has its roots in what we do with what god says god spoke the worlds into being he literally spoke and it was there psalms 33 verse 6 says and by his word the heavens were made so god literally just speaks things into existence. It says faith comes from hearing. So faith itself even is a product of God's creation within our hearts. We are targets for him to deposit his own nature of faith into the life of every believer. His word holds everything together. In Colossians it says in him all things consist. Things are held together by the word of his power. So literally Everything that exists is held in place because God spoke and said it's to be so.

1:15 His word is what gives us life. We live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from his mouth. So we literally are alive, spiritually vibrant, because he speaks and we listen. What we do with what he says is vital. Now, God is sovereign. He can force anything upon us that he wants to force upon us. He's all powerful, all knowing everything. But he has chosen to write us into the story so that we actually have an effect on what happens. We know this from several places, but we know this specifically as it pertains to the word of God. We know this from the parable of the seed and the sower. We know that there is hard ground that doesn't receive seed. We know there's rocky ground, hard places that are not dealt with in the human heart that resist the word of God.

2:15 We know that there is the soil with thorns and other things planted in there. It's just basically people that not only entertain the word of God, but also entertain other ideas, entertain things that actually compete with what God has said. strangling the word and then there's the good soil but the effectiveness of the word God's all-powerful word is connected to the condition of the heart of the person so in other words what we do with what God has said actually has an impact on if I can say the success of what God has said in Mark chapter 7 Jesus addresses this concept when he's talking to the Pharisees and he rebukes them because of their value of tradition in other words man made values and concepts and ideas were held above what God said and he made this Jesus made this profound statement he was known for doing he said by holding to these traditions you have rendered the word of God of no effect.

3:28 So think with me. The word of God that is all powerful, most powerful thing in the universe, the word of God. He says, you, at least for this season, are able to render the all powerful, reduce it to no power at all. If I could illustrate it this way, if there were a guitar up here, it was cranked up extremely loud and the amplifier, and I walk over to the wall and I pull the plug out of the wall, I just rendered the electric instrument powerless. I rendered it of no effect. And God has actually given us this role as co-laborers that we can use for or against what he's saying. Now, I do want to add here that there are aspects of the will of God that you can vote yes on or you can vote no on. It doesn't make any difference whatsoever. He's going to accomplish what he's purposed to accomplish.

4:20 But there are other aspects of his will that your part is actually critical. And those are two sides of the same coin. Two issues that actually work in complement to one another. And our yes to what God has said is a huge part of the fulfillment of God's word. so this means then that what you and I do with what God has said plays a huge role in what is going to be produced through us what do you want to give birth to you will give birth to whatever you host in your heart what you value, what you treasure if it's fear if it's bitterness if it's jealousy if it's selfish ambition if it's you know all the other things outside of the purposes of Christ anytime that we embrace those kinds of things and we we treasure them in our hearts they actually influence what comes out of our mouth which is an indicator let me revert let me say this differently if you watch your heart you don't have to watch what you say Amen.

5:34 the trigger to knowing the heart needs help is by hearing what we say that comes out of our mouth i listen we are pro-life we just believe that every baby should live but yet we abort the word of god over and over and over again the life of god that is imparted to us through what god says is often aborted in the name of reason, in the name of not being gullible. amen I feel better giving place to God's word James 1 says in humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your souls in humility soil condition receive the word implanted seed carries God's DNA implanted and it's that seed that is able to save my soul.

6:38 You say, well, I'm already born again. Yeah, I was saved. I'm being saved, and someday I'm going to be saved. Those are the three dimensions of salvation, and that is just the way it works. So the Word of God is what enables us to be completely transformed, and it's by what we host and what we give attention to in our heart. It's evident by our meditation. It's evident by our prayers. It's evident by our confession, our proclamation.

7:05 I value the voice of God just more than anything in life, but my value for the voice of God has to be represented in my value for Scripture. If I value the voice above Scripture, then I'm very open to deception. The voice will never contradict the Word.

7:28 In a day when it's so easy to have the Bible in print and various translations, there's no excuse for biblical illiteracy so we give ourselves to the study of scripture but it is a voice that brings causes things to come alive the scripture, or excuse me, the word of God is the seed. The heart is the soil. Tender soil receives a word deeply, and the life of God then brings about the change that God intended. In Thessalonians, Paul uses this phrase. He says that the word of God actually carries in the Greek word actually represents the energy of God, that the word of God has the energy of God in it. So when God speaks to you, it comes in seed form to produce in us through the energy of God functioning in us, bringing about the fruitfulness that he intended. So the heart is the soil, The seed is the word of God.

8:40 Jesus gives us an illustration, a parable, if you will, in Mark 4, it's also Matthew 13. And this parable is to help us to understand the process and purpose for the word of God being deposited in our life. Open your Bibles with me to Hebrews chapter five. And then we're also going to read out of James chapter one. By the way, I found a quote this week that I love so much. It's from Martin Luther. He says, we need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day. We need to hear the gospel every day because we forget it every day. And hearing the gospel is what recalibrates the compass of the heart, so to speak, as to where is true north, why we're alive, what we're on the earth to do, what is important in God's eyes, what is to become important in ours.

9:34 And all of that stuff becomes defined in hearing the simplicity, the purity, the power of the gospel every day. Hebrews chapter 5, verse 12. How many of you have your Bibles? Let me see them. Say this with me. I love my Bible. Oh, I do. I love my Bible. All right. verse 12. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. This tells us two things. The word of God comes to us in several forms, or the word carries several different roles or assignments. One is the milk of the word. The milk of the word is that which comforts and encourages. The meat of the word, he identifies here as the word of righteousness.

10:41 The meat of the word is that which provokes and brings about change. It's the transformational word of God. It provokes us to recognize what God is saying needs to happen, and it brings us into a place where we yield to that which God has purposed. So there's the milk, that which comforts, that which gives encouragement, and then there's the meat, that which confronts, exhorts, and provokes us to change. But the third area that is going to be especially important for this morning is the area of promise. There are over 7,700 promises of God in the scriptures, in the word of God. And what happens is the Lord with his word deposits promise in us to describe our hope-filled future. What is possible for us should we embrace what God has said over our life. And we're going to go over that process in a moment here. So we've got the word of God comes it may come in dozens of forms, but there's three that I understand clearly. One is the comfort of the words, the milk. It's that which soothes, gives peace, gives comfort, encourages me. The word of righteousness, that which exposes what's in me that needs to change, and it gives me the motivation, if you will, to pursue the transformation that is the result of the word of God. And the third is that which gives hope. It's a promise for a hope-filled future. All right, three things. Now, I want you to look at James chapter 1 got one verse to read here and then we're going to end up in Mark 4 and read that parable alright James chapter 1 verse 21.

12:24 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul. Receive with meekness the implanted word. Okay, it's a wonderful picture that James is giving us here. New American Standard puts it this way. In humility, now that's a condition of heart. in humility receive the word implanted which is able to save your soul the ability is in the word of god the life is in the word not the soil the soil creates the condition, the atmosphere, but the energy of God is in what he said.

13:14 The energy of God takes root in a person to illustrate who God is. It's always to reveal him. So he says, in humility, so that's heart condition, receive the word implanted. And here's the phrase, which is able to save your souls. You say, well, Bill, I was already saved. I was saved 20 years ago at a camp meeting. That's awesome. You were saved, but you're also being saved, and someday you're going to be saved. There's those three realities all through scripture. I was saved the moment I received Christ. But Paul exhorts the disciples of Jesus. He exhorts them to work out their salvation daily with fear and trembling. Daily work out your salvation. So that's the right now process. So there was yesterday when I received Christ, there is today, and then there is the future when Jesus returns, or I die and I go to meet the Lord, then I will be saved. Salvation will be complete for me. Past, present, future. This word, in humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls is present tense. It is the transformation that takes place in any person's life because of our yes to whatever God says. It's our ability, our willingness, our desire to hear and to receive what God says and his very life and power come into the heart of a person to bring about the transformation they could not bring about for themselves.

14:52 All right? Yes, Bill. Now, in chapter 5 of Hebrews, verse 14 says, solid food belongs to those who are of full age. That is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. That's a favorite verse for me for a lot of reasons. One is just because it's so strange. It so violates Western culture. It'd be a lot easier in an Eastern culture to adapt to this particular word.

15:26 He says, he basically says this, your maturity as a believer is going to be measured by your ability to train your own senses to recognize the difference between good and evil. Your senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, senses. look at it this way. Everything about you was perfectly designed to recognize and fellowship with God. Everything about you, every sense, every personality trait, everything in you that God put in you was designed so that you can recognize him and commune and fellowship with him. your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you I can still hear my mom's mom my grandma quoting this verse I think she was trying to help me she would quote this verse for me you know how can a young man cleanse his way and then she'd go into this one your word I've hidden my heart that I might not sin against you let's stop and look at that that concept for just a moment. Your word I've hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. Do you know what happens when you worry? You're actually planting a lie into your heart until the roots grow down and affect your soul. They actually impact thinking, values, emotions. All those things come under the influence of whatever it is you're worrying about. Anxiety, fear, resentment, jealousy, suspicion, offense, all of those things, when they're held dear, the longer you hold it, the deeper the roots get. That's why repentance has to be so deeply felt when we turn things over to Jesus. It's not a mere, you know, oh, by the way, forgive me, sorry about that.

17:28 when it's a lifestyle for many years where the roots have gone down deep and they've actually affected my personality, my soul, then that thing has to be deeply dealt with. I don't mean through self-abuse. I mean just through deep, deep confession. God, I see the impact of my sin, of this way of thinking. It has affected who you've made me to be, and it has been wrong. and I've held to this thing for 20 years. God, please forgive me and deliver me from this way of thinking. Repentance has to be deep, especially to uproot those things that we've held onto so dear for so long. What happens is with offense and jealousy is the book of James actually calls jealousy wisdom. It's one of the craziest things you'll ever see. The book of James calls jealousy wisdom, but it calls it inferior wisdom, that which is natural and demonic. So why call it wisdom at all? Because what it's saying is by acknowledging that it is wisdom, jealousy is kept alive by information. Jealousy, suspicion, resentment attracts information to reinforce the position of offense. You will attract more information to make you feel secure and your conclusion.

18:49 But it does not exist in the heart of Christ. And that's why we keep the word of God in our heart. Why? That we might not sin against God. If our reaction is anything other than love, it will lead to sin. If our reaction leads, comes from any other place than love, it will lead to sin. Jesus is very serious about having him well represented in the earth for how we deal with the things that come our way. There's only two responses in life, fear and love.

19:37 There's only two places from which we speak, fear or love. There's only two places from which we act and make decisions, fear or love. And there's a lot of believers that get confused in this area and they think they're discerning something when they become suspicious, resentful, or filled with offense at another person. And that offense actually attracts information to keep them locked into that place. And so the scripture says, your word I have hid in my heart. I've kept it there so that I might not sin against you. It's your word in me, releasing its spiritual nutrients, if you will, that helps me to stay center in an accurate and authentic representation of who Jesus is. Jesus was talking to a crowd in John 5, and part of that crowd was a group of Pharisees, and he looks at the Pharisees and he says, you don't believe me because my word was not in you.

20:34 So think about this. Here's the Pharisees doing their routine, reading scripture, studying, doing all this stuff, but they never let it get into their heart. It only was in their head. They had the concepts so they could debate, they could argue, they could accuse. But it was never transformed their heart. So Jesus shows up. Here's the Messiah. He shows up on the scene and they do not believe. And he says, the reason you don't believe is because the word wasn't in you. You didn't put it in your heart. So the implication is what? The word of God in my heart sets me up to believe for whatever he's about to do next. Verse 11 again.

21:36 I will not forget your word. You can see statement after statement after statement is to draw our hearts into an affection for Scripture. The Scripture says, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by what? The Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word. The Scriptures set us up to hear so that we can believe. Faith comes from hearing. Hearing comes. The capacity to hear comes from Scripture. There's two words in the New Testament regarding the Word of God that would be wise for us to know. One is the word logos, and the other is rhema. Some of you have heard these words used in the past. Logos generally refers to the printed or written scripture. Rhema generally refers to that which is freshly spoken by God in a given moment. You may be reading, for example, out of the book of Ephesians, all of a sudden this phrase just leaps out at you and it just brings comfort to your soul or direction or wisdom or insight or faith or whatever it might be.

22:41 But he just breathes on that which is written. And so there's the Logos, which is printed, but the Rhema is that which is freshly spoken of God. In the anointing, the line between Logos and Rhema disappears. It all becomes empowered to feed us, to empower us, to direct us, to correct us. I return to the scriptures frequently for so many, well, every day. I just don't miss a day. I missed a day 37 years ago because I got kidney stones. You know, those are way overrated. It wasn't near as fun as they said it would be.

23:22 Middle of the night, I had the boys. Leah wasn't born yet, so however long ago, that was 38 years ago, I guess. And I was in such pain. I thought hell had come. I was in pain. It was unbelievable. I called, Benny wasn't there. She was at a women's retreat. And I called my doctor, who was a personal friend. And he said, I'll meet you at the hospital. Come down right now. I said, I can't. I can't move. I was, oh, goodness gracious. I was so doubled over with pain. And he said, all right, I'll come to your house. So I called Chris next. I said, Chris, I need help meet me at the hospital I need you to take my boys because there was no one to take them so Chris comes down he's in the lobby with my boys and I was there in such pain and I just want to give praise to God for whoever figured out Demerol is magical Demerol as far as I'm concerned is an absolute gift from God they gave me however many shots I needed of that stuff until I was in La La Land and until that thing passed.

24:27 And the next day I was fine. But I didn't read that day. I didn't read it that day but unless it's something like that I'm going to start my day I'm going to end my day and if I have the chance I will during the day read Wigglesworth I think it was said of him if he wasn't speaking or in a meeting or doing something he wouldn't go 15 minutes without reading the word he had a little New Testament in his back pocket he'd just bring it up sit at a bus station sit on a park bench wherever he's at just stop and would read Keeping ourselves connected to what God's saying is a life source. It is not optional. It is life itself. I live because he talks.

25:15 The power of his word. Way back day of creation, he spoke. He said, let there be light. Do you know that at this moment, the universes are expanding at least at the speed of sound, if not the speed of light. They're continuously being formed and created. Why? because he never called his word back. How powerful is his word? What he declares, he enables, he empowers and he makes possible. And he wants us to delight in the privilege of having him speak to us. Go to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and we'll wrap it up with this one. Are you alive? Everybody alive?

26:01 I wrote just a quick list this morning, things I could recall from the Bible, what it said about the Bible. It said the word instructs, corrects, directs, inspires, empowers, gives faith, heals, and gives promise. if you want to know what divine health looks like, study the book of Proverbs and look at every time you can find life and health and find out how often it's actually connected to the Word of God. The Word actually inspires health in the human body. It's the gospel.

26:46 That was bad. That was bad. That was pretty stinky. All right, let's hurry and get on to the scripture. 2 Timothy chapter 3. Here's a promise for you to put on your refrigerator. Verse 12. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Let me read it again. This is one of the tart verses that helps the rest to be enhanced. Cleanse your palate. You ready? All right, here we go. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Evil men, impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.

27:46 And that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. Wise for salvation. Interesting phrase. Wise for salvation. You say, well, Bill, I'm already saved. Yeah, I believe that. I believe the moment you received Christ, you were saved, you were born again. But Paul talks about working out your salvation daily. So there's this threefold dimension of salvation. I was saved at such and such a time, but I am presently being saved. And when Jesus returns or I die in a period before him, I will be saved. There's that triune dimension of salvation. He's talking here about the word of God as being that which enables us to work out our daily salvation.

28:36 In other words, we'd be more saved today than we were yesterday. That should have excited you much more than it did, but we'll just move on. I'll pretend it was a good response. Verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. It is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, or the woman of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. Here's the deal. The word of God equips me, spirit, soul, and body, intellectually, emotionally, mentally, which is different than intellectually. It's the state of my mind, physically, in the natural, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

29:30 In other words, any challenge that comes before me, I am ready to represent the king with adequate service to invest into that situation so that Jesus is well represented. It's the word of God. The word of God working in and through my life equips me to be adequate and successful in any opportunity I have to represent the king in a given situation. I love the Bible. I love my Bible. I love stuff like that. Even he, whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away. That's not fair. Don't talk to me about that.

30:20 Our job is to read what he says and say amen. And if it offends you, adjust. because he's not changing. You do not want a God that fits your approval because you will have a mirror that reveals you. I do not read the Word to study the Word. I read the Word because it studies me. it's a relational journey it's living it's living i i there's so many years of reading this now and i'm so thankful for faithfulness over time just pays off you just got to understand there's there's something about just doing the right thing for a long time.

31:21 You just start cashing in on investments from 20 years ago, and you didn't like the investment 20 years ago, but you're really going to like it 20 years from now. It's like the guy who says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. the second best time is now. You just pay whatever price you need to pay because you're investing into your future. And there's something about this word that just comes alive. I remember years ago, I was in the old Bethel over on Bocelli Lane. My dad was pastoring. I was in the library and I was just starting to read the Bible for myself. As strange as that may sound. I hated reading anything. I like pictures in my hunting magazines, but the reading part, I just wasn't into. And I remember just standing there talking to a friend and I took a book off the shelf. I can still see it. It was small. It was white, kind of those embroidered type or texture covers. I forget what you call them. Embossed. It was kind of an emboss thing.

32:26 So I picked this book off and I just opened it. I started to read. I thought, man, this guy's good. I was reading and reading and reading. I came to the end and I just randomly opened. And when I came to the end, I realized I was reading scripture. because I wasn't familiar with it. I was not familiar with these passages. The point I'm trying to make is it was bringing life in me. I could feel it take place. I could feel it. I thought, man, this is so good. And then I kept reading and I turned the page and went, oh, no wonder it's so good. It's actually God's talking. That's pretty cool. I like that. when you go to a nice restaurant, and as I love doing, and you get one of these amazing meals, you eat a meal that has, oftentimes, a very elaborate and sometimes complicated recipe and procedure to make this particular meal. And probably for most of those meals, if you've ever been to one of those kinds of restaurants where you have that aha moment, like I just got born again, again, after eating this meal.

33:42 When you have that moment like that, truth be told, if you were to see what was in the recipe, probably half the ingredients you would not eat on their own. Don't just read the parts about Jesus that you like. Read the parts that bother you. Why? Because it's all put together into one amazing meal. All right.

34:15 I just feel better having said that. Go with me to James chapter 1. James chapter 1. We've got a couple more verses here that I would like for us to read. I just feel this urge urge and urgency I don't feel urgency in the sense of panic but I feel urgency in the sense of opportunity to hear what the Lord is saying because it will be life to us in this next season James chapter 1 verse 21 therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness that's a good plan right there lay that all aside and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save your soul and receive with meekness the implanted word New American Standard, I believe, says, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. Goodness, 500 years ago, during the protest reformation, for which we are very thankful, many wonderful things took place in that period of time.

35:43 But one of the things that happened is they were breaking off from the Catholic Church, and I'm not trying to take sides, I'm just trying to say, they were trying to break off from the Catholic Church to do their own thing, it was a protest, and the Catholic Church believed in supernatural, in the signs and wonders, in miracles. And so to make a distinction, they rejected miracles, except for conversion. And so salvation to the Protestant church was an invitation to be born again. But the original language, which many of you have heard us use this word sozo around here for the last 20 some years, the word sozo is a word that actually means, refers to being born again, forgiven of sin, but it also means a deliverance from torment and healing of disease. So when a person gets born again, the opportunity is there for them to be healed and for them to be delivered of any torment. It's supposed to be one package. We've spent 500 years trying to crawl out of that hole that was dug for us so many years ago. I don't say that in accusation or resentment. I say to help clarify why we face some of the struggles that we face in our own maturity.

37:07 What does this say? In humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to sozo your souls. Receive the word in humility, receive the word implanted. You know, you want to find an exciting read, just take a proverb a day, a chapter of Proverbs every day, and just try to find every time it talks about health or healing, anything to do with physical strength, and you will find a continual flow of information about the word of God, that which God speaks in our healthy, our condition, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. It's all connected. Listen to this. My son, give attention to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. Why? They are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh.

38:05 What God says is health to all your flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence. Out of it flow the issues of life. The book of Proverbs is from one end to the other. It talks about this life-giving word that God gives to us. But when you approach the word as something you're going to dissect instead of something that's going to dissect you. we often study looking for information to reaffirm what we believe. instead of reading the word to be transformed. It's a living word.

38:48 It's alive. This is Jesus' imprint. parts of the recipe are for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten psalm and another part of the recipe is if you don't die you can't follow me i mean it's it's that's the way it is pick up your cross then come In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your soul. Interesting, in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 13, he said, the word of God carries... the word it uses here is effective. It's the effective word of God in your heart. The word for effective is the energy of God.

39:43 So picture it this way. God's energy, and he doesn't run out. When it's windy, he doesn't shut it off. Fires don't scare him. The energy of God is contained in the word that he speaks. This is Jesus in print. Some of it I understand. Some of it is mysterious. And that's the fun of the journey. Is it's a relational journey. but he's challenging me and he's challenging you you say you believe in the death of christ yeah i do i really do and you say you believe in the resurrection i do equal to that is what that made possible.

40:49 And that when you received Christ, you became a new creation and you're dead to sin. As everybody in this room knows, that when you got born again, he didn't remove your ability to sin. Just removed your ability to enjoy it. You get angry and you say what you shouldn't have said and you're driving your car down the road and you can't get it out of your mind because the hound dogs of heaven.

41:21 And it's a wonderful gift, let's be honest. Otherwise, yeah, we'd just build air on air. So this wonderful Holy Spirit is in us to make us like the Christ resurrected, seated at the right hand of the Father. glorified. and when he gives us assignments like disciplinations. It's because he sees who he's made us to be. He assigns us that which is equal to our identity. so when we fall short in identity it's not a time for guilt and shame it's a time to re-engage with what jesus says about us i can't manufacture strength i can't somehow make myself different than i am but if i truly have the resurrected christ living in me the holy spirit himself living in me, then this lifestyle of triumph and victory is not only possible, it is probable.

42:46 the way the way you come into these truths being more than just a point of theological agreement but actually becoming a part of who you are the way that happens is through engagement with this living word you find that he says something oh he says I'm dead to sin and man, I do not feel dead to sin at all. So what do you do? I know you're right. And I'm not. So I want you to teach me. You take the word. You read it. You pray it. You write it out.

43:32 You put a three by five card in your pocket if you need to. You bring it out throughout the day. Oh yeah, I'm to think of myself that I'm like that dead corpse that has no ability to sin. that is the reality of his conversion in my life that has made that a reality that is not only possible it is probable and you pray it you you meditate on the word you run it over in your heart and mind until it becomes just a part of your reaction and this is really the key to just about every victory you and i can think of you want to be used in healing you want to have greater health in your own body. It's discovering what God has said. You don't feel forgiven, but are you? You don't feel healed, but are you? Why would he say, let the weak say I'm strong? He's not trying to keep us busy with positive attitude. He's not trying to keep us busy with some kind of pretend activity. There's something profound and powerful about the effect of our own confession.

44:37 I don't care who has abused that concept. It's in the Bible. abuse by another doesn't legitimize misuse in me or no use life and death is in the power of the tongue and some this is a voice activated faith and it's it's through the decree that we make over our own lives at the time when does let the weak say i'm strong when is that person supposed to say they're strong is when they're in the worst part of weakness. In other words, it's the opposite to the way I feel in the moment. So I'm going to confront that with not just a soft-hearted positive thought, but a proclamation that comes out of my mouth that says, No, I am strong. All right.

45:39 Help us again. Help us again. Father, I do pray for that grace to see ourselves the way you do and to actually think of ourselves as dead to sin.