Unleashing the Power of 24 Hours | Jentezen Franklin

0:00 Hello, this is Jensen Franklin, and thank you so much for joining us for this week's podcast. Our goal is to provide you with biblically-based teachings that will challenge, inspire, and equip you to live for Jesus. If you haven't already, I'd love for you to go ahead and subscribe today to this podcast so you can get the latest updates from us and you don't ever have to miss a new message. Let's go right into the service. Record it at Free Chapel. I believe it's going to bless you today.

0:33 Psalms chapter 68. And I'm going to go to a verse, but I'm going to save it for the end. But if you want a verse, that's the one I want to really focus in on. Today, I want to preach on unleashing the power of 24 hours.

0:57 The power of daily. You know, yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And all you really have is today. destiny is a daily decision. It's not an accident. It's not happen chance. Your daily routine is the secret to failure or success. Success is hidden in daily routine is true in life. And it's true, especially in being a Christian. what was the expiration date on manna? God fed them every day when they were in the wilderness, and the Bible said if they didn't gather in a 24-hour time period, worms would fill it, and they couldn't eat it.

2:03 What is the deadline in the Bible on anger? The Scripture said 24 hours. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. 24 hours is the deadline on anger. And most of us have broken that one a lot. But I wonder what it does to our body. I wonder what it does to our health.

2:30 How often does God's mercy show up in your life? The Bible said morning by morning, his mercy is renewed. That's a Bible verse. Every 24 hours, God has new mercy. How often did Jesus say, take up your cross? The text said, take up your cross daily.

2:59 If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily. If you really want to be a New Testament Christian, it is not a Sunday thing that you go to church to prove you're a Christian. It is a taking up of denying the flesh daily. Daily, you take up your cross. when should we be glad and rejoice the scripture said this is the day the lord has made i will be glad and rejoice in it so this is the day the lord has made yesterday is over and tomorrow we're not promised all that you have really all that you can be sure of is your praise in this service. If this were your last service, if this were the last opportunity in this life, you were given to worship God. How passionate would you be?

4:12 Can we take a praise break? We just sung about Calvary, but have you thanked him for Calvary? and we just sung about the rapture, but have you thanked him that should it happen in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye, you would be taken. Hallelujah. Remember the 24 hour rule in the first day God created in creation. The scripture said he created evening and then there was morning. And that was the first day. That's completely different from how we think of a day and how we determine a day. We think the new day starts and in the morning and the evening. But God said, I started that evening and the morning were the first day. God says, I don't care how dark it is.

5:12 The day is not over. It's not over until the sun comes up. Matthew Barnett, who is the founder of the Dream Center. He was asked and he's helped tens of thousands of people with addiction. And he has a talk that he does. And in it, he says, can you do it for a day? That's the only question. If you want to be free from alcoholism, from drug addiction, from some problem. If you will focus on the day and say, I can't, I can't worry about a week from now. I can't worry about 10 years from now or a year from now. I have to focus on the day. Can you do it for a day? 75% of New Year's resolutions are over the first two months of the year.

6:13 that's why people join gyms and people are thrilled that own gyms because they know that by this time in a new year over 80 percent of the people will have dropped out of the routine of working out because we're not good at planning 12 year or 12 months, but we're good at dealing with today. How do you write a book? One sentence at a time. How do you do it? One paragraph at a time. Tim Ferriss is a New York Times bestseller. He writes thick books and he was asked, how do you do it? And he said, two crappy pages a day. And he said, I just keep writing, right? Two pages a day. That's a 200 pages book at the end of the year, read the Bible three chapters a day, and you will read it through 92%.

7:23 If you'll just do three chapters a day. Now listen to it. We are to live in daytight compartments, give us this day Jesus said in his prayer this day our daily bread don't worry about tomorrow you can't do anything about yesterday all you can do is win this day take up your cross daily this is the day the Lord has made today I will rejoice today I will be glad in it today I will forgive. Today, I will not let the sun go down on my anger. This is what Christians do daily. Don't worry about tomorrow, Jesus said. Sufficient is the trouble for tomorrow, but you can make it today if you will focus on the 24 hours you're in and be thankful and say, I don't need to worry myself sick about tomorrow, what could happen. This is the day and I'm alive and I'm good and I'm here and I'm thankful and I'm going to make it today. So that's all I've got to worry about is today. Do it for a day. The daily discipline, listen to this decades. There are decades that nothing happens and there are days that decades happen and the people who are doing things they don't always understand that the day that they're doing what they've been doing for day after day could be a day that changes decades do you know that this day in this church wherever you're watching me, it could be a day that changes decades in your family, in your future. Wow.

9:22 That you could change the decades by one decision today. when you understand that that destiny is not a mystery that destiny is a decision and you're one decision away from a brand new life if you want a change you have to change your daily routine the secret to success is hidden in one's daily routine and when you when you get to that place that you begin to walk daily with God and I'm a pastor so I'm not here to thrill you necessarily with a sermon every time I get up here what I am here to do is to really encourage you to walk with Jesus I must decrease he must increase in your life. At some point, a pastor is not enough alone. You need a pastor, I think, I hope. But you know, there's internet sensations now that says everything. They're their own pastors. They don't have any ministries. They criticize every ministry that's growing. They don't have any fruit, but they criticize anybody fruitful. But let me say this, you do need your daily routine with God. And some of you are still, you know, that beautiful baby I just held.

11:02 She's growing daily. She's growing daily. Sometimes when I go off and preach and I come back, I did the other week and I just had a busy, busy time and I was gone for like three to four days in a row. And I came back and when I saw her, she had grown. You're supposed to be growing daily in your walk with the Lord. There are blessings for God's daily people that other people miss that are tremendous. Proverbs chapter 8 and verse 34 says this, Blessed is the man that heareth me watching daily at my gates, waiting at the post of my doors. You know what he's saying there? He says, God's wisdom can be gathered daily. And blessed is that man or that woman that comes to be daily and says, speak to me. I want to gather your wisdom. I'm listening for daily bread. I'm listening, God, for your direction. We get it daily by watching and by waiting at his door a little bit more day by day, month by month, year by year, decade by decade. There's a consistency of reading and spending time with God, putting on worship, listening to his voice. We can set the pace of our spirituality morality day by day. Matthew 6 and verse 11, Jesus said, give us this day our daily bread.

12:49 Matthew chapter four, he said, we don't live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So we eat daily is what he's saying. We eat food daily. And he said in the same manner you should be eating your daily bread that's why he called it daily bread I have it on the table it's prepared if you choose not to eat it that's on you but I have the bread waiting and blessed is the man who knocks at that door and gets that food so we eat it daily read through the Bible this year. Keep your nose in this book this year. Get back to this book if you want life in your praise and life in your relationships. This book is the key to life and life more abundantly. Luke chapter 9 and verse 23, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me daily. We're supposed to die to what we want and what we do. People who call themselves Christians, there's no cross in their life.

14:10 Many of them, they don't ever think of denying themselves anything, whatever they want. But when Christ is the center of your life, you take up your cross daily. I live for him. I live to please him. I live to honor him. I need to constantly be in his presence because he is my daily bread. Listen to this great verse, Luke 19, verse 47 and 48. And he taught daily in the temple. Jesus made it a point to teach daily. The same teacher in the temple in Bible days today, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. And he waits to teach you. You have a personal helper and teacher and instructor called the Holy Spirit. He shall teach you all things.

15:13 The Holy Spirit wants to teach you this book, teach you how to be the man God called you to be, the woman God called you to be, the family God called you to be, and the Holy Spirit waits in the temple. And he says, I am ready, but will you come and let me teach you daily? The same teacher is alive and well in our body, which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. I mean it's not like you you have to squeeze blood out of a turnip he wants to teach you he wants to be with you he wants it but you got to want it and you've got to do it daily the apostle Paul surrendered himself to God daily in first Corinthians 15 and verse 31 he said I die daily because he was walking in the spirit daily and teaching daily. Not all days are created equal trials and traumas come. And when they come, you don't have time to do, uh, you know, to hope you open up the book somewhere. That verse you read daily may mean nothing to you that morning. But when you get and hit that trial that afternoon, it may be the very thing you needed to know to stay steady because God already put it in you that something's coming today, but don't be afraid. Be strong and courageous. I'm with you and I'll see you to the other side. This is how, this is how Christians are to live their lives daily in God's presence.

16:59 You know, as we do that, as we hang in there, because we're daily worshiping him, then we get stronger. You don't go through the university of Jesus Christ and get a diploma to sit on the couch. And we're not going through trials and tribulations down here on earth. So we can sit on a cloud and strum a heart for all eternity. Jesus said, if you suffer with me, you will reign with me, especially those of you who are coming daily to me and getting my wisdom and getting my teachings. I will teach you.

17:52 I will lead you. I will cause you to grow daily. But you've got to walk this thing daily. if you suffer with me you will reign with me and of his government the increase there shall be no end the bible says that we are expected as christians to help and be ready to help others with encouraging words. Listen to this scripture.

18:26 It says, but exhort one another daily. That's Hebrews 3 and 13. But exhort one another daily. Do you know what the word exhort means? It means lift up one another daily. Encourage one another daily. What about the husbands and the wives? encourage, lift up. Listen to this. Exhort one another. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit picking at scabs. Quit being negaholics. Amen. Quit looking for the faults and exhort. Build up one another. Get a word for your children and be ready to give the word of God in exhortation to build up and to encourage them. God has a plan for you.

19:23 And I was reading my Bible today and this scripture came up and I wanna give it to you. It's a powerful thing. Swim against the current of the whole world that's negative, negative, negative. Like that salmon that swims up the current. Be positive. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God help me to be positive. Stay positive. Turn to somebody and say, be positive. Stay positive. Exhort one another. Encourage one another. Call your brothers and sisters. Call your friends. Call people, God. The Holy Spirit will put people on your heart to pray for. Call their name out. And then pick up the phone and say, you're going to make it. exhort one another daily while it is called today don't wait till another day don't wait till tomorrow get it together for your kids get it together for your family get it together for your home today When you exhort, you encourage.

20:34 These are things daily God said to do. Do you know daily God set miracles in motion for his people? And he fed them in the wilderness. Daily, the temple plan had sacrifices continually. It was daily. It was morning and it was evening. There was no going to church. and hearing a sermon and don't think about God the rest of the week? I want to ask you a question. How many of you have your Bible? all these front row people that look so religious and about three Bibles on the front row. Hold your, I want all of you who have a Bible, stand up and just hold it up to your crowd around you. Do you understand? Do you understand there was a day? No, your little phone don't count. You need no sirree, you bunch of backslidden heathens.

21:37 You need a Bible. And if you don't have one, we'll get you one. but you know, these verses up here, these screens, when we put the Bible up there, that's for heathens. You're supposed to have your Bible, open it up and make notes while I'm preaching. That's how you grow. It used to be a time when I was growing up, you could look and I love to see men carrying their Bible to church. I'm packing. Psalm 68. I'm almost done.

22:41 But Psalm 68, throw it up for me, my verse. blessed be the Lord man I tell you if you don't get nothing else out of this sermon I want you to take this one home with you blessed be the Lord who daily loads us down what a good God what a mighty Savior what a faithful King who daily loadeth us with benefits even the God of our salvation and that word Selah means think about this it literally means take a praise break it literally means if you look up the word Selah I did a study on it one time and It means to get up, to get to when you get something from God to get up. Sometimes, you know, David would say, Selah, he would get something from God and he would have to get up.

23:40 He'd have to stop all his revelating and just walk off and just. Oh, come on, Selah. Take a praise break. He's loaded you down with benefits. You're sitting there where my back is aching and, you know, we're getting old. Oh, shut up. He's loaded you down with benefits. Didn't any of you ride a mule to church? Didn't any of you go hungry yesterday that didn't want to? Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

24:20 Do you know that if you're in the top 100% financially of the people in the earth, close to 8 billion, and I can't even ask the question because there's always a smart aleck that stayed over from the first service to answer my trick question. but you know what would you think you would need to make to be in the top one percent of the human population and i asked this morning somebody yelled out from this side 70 000 somebody else yelled out 50 000 and some went higher than that. But do you know that according to the global rich list, you're on it.

25:13 That's a real thing because if you make $32,000 a year, you're in the top 1% of the earth's population. If you only make $25,000 a year, you're in the top 2% of the earth's population in wealth. If you have hot and cold running water, air conditioned, a car, and clean clothes, you are highly favored and blessed. daily. We could have been born in some place lost and poor and pitiful, but every one of you, I'm looking at every one of you and you're more blessed than 98% of the human population.

26:19 and yet we gripe and complain. But Selah, think about this. He daily loads you down with everything you need. His hand provides. Clap your hands and praise him like a maniac. Hallelujah. Be thankful unto him. Oh, we all wish we had something. And then when you get it, it ain't what you thought it was. But boy, if you've got Jesus, he said, I'll daily load you down. I'll take care of you. I'll supply all your needs according to my riches and glory through Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. Listen to this. they continued Acts chapter 3 daily in the apostles doctrine.

27:16 What does it mean to be a Christian? You continue. You continue daily. Acts 3 said, Now when Peter and John went up into the temple at the hour of prayer being the ninth hour, it was 12 noon, they had a time set, a place set, and there was a lame man laying there.

27:41 Now I want you to think about this because Jesus had gone through that same gate over and over and over when he was alive. And I'm sure if that man was laid there daily, whom they laid daily, the text says in verse two, whom they laid daily. Jesus had passed him by over and over apparently but they kept laying him out and on this day Simon Peter and John come and the man says give me and he says silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give it to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk And here's my point. Had the man not kept showing up daily, you never know what day is the tipping point for your family.

28:45 A day can change decades. One day, one day, one day, one. you may be one hallelujah short of the heavens breaking open and the beam of God's light coming to the darkest area of your life. I close with this. and they'll come in a moment. but I read when I was writing the book, The Power of Short Prayers. I read again the story. of Adam and Eve. And I saw something I had not seen.

29:37 Adam and Eve were in the garden and every day at the scripture said, I think it's Genesis 2 or 3, in the cool of the day. Thank you. These guys are amazing. They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. why the cool of the day? Because anytime God starts walking with you, it's cool. No, I'm kidding. But it's in the cool of the day. And Adam and his wife on this day, because he would do it every day. I want you to imagine as the sun is setting, is what that means. The sun's on their back and here comes God in the garden. Oh, this is what he loves. daily. He would show up at the end of the day. and walk in the garden with them.

30:34 Look at the animals. Oh, daily I load you down, don't I? But on this day they had sinned. Just keep it up a moment. On this day they had sinned and they hid themselves from the presence of God. Thank you, that's good. And they hid themselves from the presence of God. Now watch this, watch this.

30:58 But the Scripture said, God showed up. You think he didn't know they had failed? You think he didn't know they that they had done evil, but God still showed up. and when you understand that on your worst day, he still shows up. on the day that you mess up the worst and the most, on the day that... you shamed yourself.

31:42 You want to hide from him. If you keep coming to him on the good days and on the bad days, you just keep coming and you keep saying, I'm here again. And I mentioned this in the book. I was thinking about it. And sometimes when I go to my prayer place and for years and decades, it's been woods and paths. I don't go in with a lot of words sometimes. And when I start walking, it's like everything else I try to tune out of my mind and I say, Lord, I'm here. Sometimes I've said these words. I don't even know what to say, but I'll be on this trail for about an hour and a half.

32:41 and I'm open, and I'm going to sing to you. Sometimes you wonder, where do these songs come from that when I'm preaching, I'll just start singing a song or flowing. It's because I've sung them to him a lot of times, and I'll just have a song come to me that I hadn't thought about in 30 years, and it's not about praying some kind of religious the thou thouest great almighty it's just he wants to be with us daily and when you start doing it daily he changes you more and more Enoch walked with God and was not because God took him. I'm going to tell you something.

33:36 If you're not walking with him daily, when he comes back again, he's going to come back in the moment. There is one day. There is one day that is stamped rapture. one night, we don't know, like a thief in the night. And I hear these people all the time say, well, I've heard that all my life. You know what that means? You know what the apostles preached? They preached Maranatha, the Lord cometh. They would end sentences or they would greet one of them. Maranatha, which means the Lord cometh. The Lord is coming. They were saying it 2000 years ago. And now 2000 years after that, people say, well, I've heard that all my life. I don't believe it. Yeah, but this is different. All you got to do is get a Bible and a newspaper or look online and you can see the prophecies lining up just like this world has no hope without Jesus. If you haven't figured that out.

34:34 But here's what I'm trying to get you to understand. One of these days, if you're walking with him, he's going to take you. And it's daily. Love him daily. Worship him daily. Set that discipline up. 10, 15, 20 minutes. Read his word. Take in prayer. Just talk to him. Talk to him. Say, this is our time. This drive time will become God time. And I don't know who you are and I don't know why you came to Free Chapel this morning, but I hear the Lord saying, today is the day of salvation. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.

35:30 You're not promised another day. All you have is the power of 24 hours. Right here, right now. Acknowledge him in all of your ways and he will direct your path. Don't you want a God-directed path? Don't you not want to miss God all your days of your youth? I'm talking to some young people in this room. And you just want to go out and do everything the world does. And you're not taking up your cross daily. And you think, oh, that old gospel mess. I'm tired of that stuff. My parents and grandparents, they don't know what they're talking about. But I'm going to tell you something. There is a price you pay. when you don't serve your creator in the days of your youth. There's a blessing attached to that.

36:25 there's direction, purpose, and a plan. I really want to say thank you for joining us this week. If you haven't already, make sure you click on the subscription button and leave us a review. It helps this podcast reach even more people when you comment, when you give us your feedback. For more messages and inspirational materials, download the Jensen Franklin app, or you can head over to jensenfranklin.org. I want to thank all of you who give generously to help us produce weekly content like this to reach the world with the message of Jesus. God bless you, and we'll see you next time.