 Okay, welcome back to our second lecture, second class. I noticed a question here by Christopher. So Christopher, your question was, is the similar to the battle belongs to the Lord? Sorry, Christopher, could you, I think I missed the question when you wrote it, so what would you, you said, is this similar? What was the, is this referring to? No, actually, I was just, this is the reference to the first point, you know, let Jesus guide them away. I was just going to, you know, relate this, that, that statement to, you know, the battle belongs to the Lord, you know, whether they could be some similarity in that, you know, and how we can, you know, how we can, you know, use that reference in a similar way. Okay, so the phrase of the battle belongs to the Lord. If we look back at scripture about the battle being the Lord's is there in different places, but when you're, when you're looking at it from a historical point of view, I think it's referred in two places. One is when David is fighting Goliath, and the second is when King Jehoshaphat is fighting, I think the Moabites and Moabite army, I think alongside with another, I think it's the Ammonites, I'm not sure about that detail, but these are the two times that scripture talks about it. And if we were to look at both the situations in David's, during, in David's part of the story, it says, he says, I do not come to you with spear and javelin. I'm sorry, I'm just going to take out that verse. Okay, yeah, it's in 1 Samuel 17 and verse chapter 17 verse 47. And it says, and all this assembly shall know that the Lord save it not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hands. So the, as he's fighting Goliath, he comes with spear and javelin, and that is his response, that Samuel's response that the Lord does not save by anything that is external, but he saves by his power and by his might, and he is the one. And so we do not win this battle because of the tools or of the strength of our army or of anything that we have, but because of the, because of the Lord. And the second reference is made in King Jeho Shaphat's thing. I'm going to pick up that verse as well. That is in 2, 2 Chronicles verse 20 and verse 15. Okay, so he said, he said, listen King Jeho Shaphat and all who live in Judah, Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says to you. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the vast army for the battle is not yours but God's. So what King Jeho Shaphat does over here is that with all the army that he's seeing, he responds with singing and with praise. So the way that if you look at these two, these two stories and these two events, the way that they responded was differently. One sang out with praise and one sang out with Thanksgiving, whereas the other kept to focus more on God being the source of every victory. So when we look at Jesus carrying our sins for us, sorry, when we're carrying our emotions for us, yeah, I think the way that you respond, especially when you are in a place of emotional difficulty to actually sing out in praise, to actually pray a song of Thanksgiving or burst out into song. Yes, the battle is the Lord's. He's the one who's going to help. Or at a place when there are such deep emotions that are there, maybe it's not the strength of counsellors. It's not the strength of counsellors that could help you but the council of the Lord. So I think you can associate it in whatever way taking it in the context of where we have, where it has been established from and it can be taken in there. I hope I answered that question. Yes, okay. So we'll move on. And so we said being able to guard our negative emotions. So we said the first point was that in Jesus carry it. Second, we said is to be able to live in the place of peace. One of the examples that we see of Jesus himself is when he was with the disciples on the boat. You see of how he slept in that middle, you know, in that storm. There was so much that was going on and yet just being able to stay rested and sleeping in the place during that storm. So this piece is not something that is natural. It can be very clear that it's not something that Jen is generated from within us. Yet we are to and I think the next two points actually helps us to see how do we walk in this piece? You know, what should we be doing to walk in this piece to understand that the peace of God? Yes, it's a supernatural one that's given to us, but yet we are to walk in it. We are to do something to bring ourselves to that place of absolute quietness and rest even in the midst of the storm around us. And the two ways that we walk in this piece is firstly is when we keep our mind stayed on the Lord. We keep our mind stayed on the Lord. And the second one is when we give all things unto God through prayer. When we release it with prayer with Thanksgiving. When we keep our minds on the Lord, Isaiah 26.3 says, you will keep him in perfect peace, him whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. So the word here, the word mind is to say anything that you reason, that you imagine, that you perceive, that you bring about things that you may be creating. All of that it is when you stay it on God, that is when you choose to not very simple words overthink and decide to keep looking upward rather than at the situation. He keeps you in perfect peace when your mind is stayed on him. The word stayed is to mean to depend on or to attach or to lean on or to hold up. I'm trying to give you an example. So if you have creepers in your home, these things that climb over creepers, the only way that it keeps growing is when it is stayed on a pole. Unless it has a support system, it may not be able to keep growing. It will probably just grow all over. But when it is propped up, when you take hold of it, it stands strong. So imagine that when your mind is stayed on God, when your mind is stayed and trusted on God, that is the standing you have. The perfect peace is what is given to you as you stand, as you keep your mind stayed on him. Continuously, no matter what the situation is, anything that comes back, your mind comes back to knowing that God is in control, that God is there through all of this. So he keeps in perfect peace those whose mind is stayed on him. So that's how you walk in peace. The second way that you walk in peace is by releasing all things to God in prayer and how? With thanksgiving, with a heart of thanks, with a heart of praise. And the familiar verse that we read in Philippians 4, 6-8, which I will read for you, is be anxious or nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things. So if you look at these verses, it says, give away every form, first of all, there's a command that's given you. Don't be anxious about anything. Be anxious for nothing. That means there is nothing that happens to you, requires your worry or your anxiety. That's what it means. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything, so you said, don't be anxious. There's no need to call, bring about anxiety. But what do you need? You need to do something there. In everything, by prayer and supplication, that is, present all your, whatever there is in prayer, or present all your requests to God with thanksgiving. So we are choosing to give thanks at that point of time. And let all of that which is bothering you, let those requests be made known to God. So a couple of things, don't be anxious for anything, absolutely. But you bring it all in prayer. Let him know what is bothering you, whatever is going on with thanksgiving. And which means when you do this, the supernatural peace of God will surpass all understanding. That is what is going to, what does it say? It says that is what's going to guard your hearts in Christ Jesus. Now, just to look back at that word again, that word which says peace over here. Again, the same word is used, the same Greek word is used of irony, which means the quietness of God, which means the peace and the rest of God will pass, all understanding will be given to you. And that's what's going to guard your hearts and mind through Jesus. And what is it, what does verse say? That there is something we need to do is to not clutter our minds with lies, not clutter our minds with filth, or things that are unjust, or things that are impure, or things that are unlovely, or things that are bad reports. It says, you shouldn't be doing that. You're making the effort to keep your thoughts true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report. That's what you're choosing to do. So, when you're being anxious, you are doing all that is the opposite of what is seen in verse 8. When you release everything to God in prayer with gratitude, with a heart of Thanksgiving, He gives you peace in turn. And when that continues, you continue to thinking about things as those virtues of how our thoughts need to be like. So, this is the way that we can walk in that peace. First of all, just having our minds and secondly, to release everything to God in prayer with Thanksgiving. So, we looked at point three where it says, where we guard our hearts, especially with these emotions. Now here's the challenge for this coming week. Now we are all going to be facing issues at home, little ones at home, maybe bigger ones, wherever we are. There are going to be times when people push you, prod you, push you to a corner, and these emotions are going to rise. So, we're going to come back next week, putting what we read in practice to see how God's peace will be supernaturally thrown to us when we choose to negate and come against or guard ourselves with these emotions. So, that's what we're going to remind ourselves as a learning and we're going to try to see to apply this in the week to come. The last discipline is the fourth one, which is to practice the power of forgiveness. Now, sometimes this can be an extremely hard one, especially when we are hurt deep, when we come to a place of, you know, when there is hurt that's gone on for a long time. We have discussed forgiveness very many times earlier, you know, I think in every, maybe in every course, the doctrine of forgiveness comes back to us. We bring it here again, because it has a lot to do with the way that we build, we grow emotionally whole and we stay emotionally whole, because forgiveness, unforgiveness is like poison, which you have eaten and hoping that it's going to kill somebody else. So, walking in that forgiveness is something that we need to practice, not just because we will be emotionally whole, but because it's also a commandment that's been given and it's also something that the Lord has shown us to do. He did for us and we do what He did for us. So Ephesians 4.31 and 32 says, let all bitterness, wrought anger, clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. You can see verse 32 has all of it all bunched up together and it says, and be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. So what God is calling you to do is not something that He has done. He has done that for us, even when we were sinners, when we were steeped in sin, when we threw our backs at God, He forgave us so that we could be bought back, even when we didn't deserve it, He bought us back because of the forgiveness that He showed us. So this way of keeping ourselves away from these negative emotions is to be able to do these things that you see in verse 32. It's being kind, it's being tender hearted and it's being forgiving. Now this we know as we have continuously learnt in red, that it's something you determined to do. It's a choice, it's a will that you take to do. You're the one who can make that choice to carry this in your heart, to come to a place of looking and deciding which way protects your emotions, which protects your heart against those feelings and those emotions that are written in verse 32. So you make that choice. So when something comes to you, you're deciding not to continue to carry that in your heart. Like I said, unforgiveness is eating the poison and hoping that it will kill somebody else. It's only going to fester in your heart. So maybe I think even as we look at forgiveness, it's a willful commitment we make to let go of our resentment or the bitterness or even the need to have a revenge. And when we grant forgiveness, we're not in a place that we're waiting and we don't do that. We wait for ourselves to be healed before we do that. So it's not waiting for the time till all of your wounds are healed. Forgiveness is not keeping your anger, not harboring your anger, but resolving it by releasing this over to God. And we also see that forgiveness is unconditional. That is, it is given without expecting anything in return, without maybe expecting an apology or a reconciliation in return. And why? Because it's something that God has commanded us to do. And it's something that we, it is as part of our wills, not as part of our emotion. You may not feel like doing it, but you decide to do it. So it is extended even if we don't feel like it, because it's the act of your will. It's the act of your mind. It's a choice that you're making. When you forgive, what you're doing is you are exhibiting being a witness or being a testimony of the love of God. So when you give forgiveness or grant forgiveness to someone, what you're doing is you're stating that whatever that situation is, is no more. And you're giving up the right to dwell on, to cling back or to bring back that offense. So when you do this, you're also releasing your emotions, whatever that you are going through. You're also bringing about the, you're bringing about suggesting that you're not having the power of what happened take a hold on you. So whenever you forgive someone, you are being made whole. And the hurt that inflict, that they inflict loses the ability or that power to cause you that pain. Okay. Now, even when we are talking about forgiveness, so that this is probably in different ways that it will pan out that you may need to address or talk about things with someone who may be hurting you. And these conversations are difficult, but to be able to do that and then release the forgiveness that you have. Maybe there are times that it's not accepted, but yet you choose not to hold on to it because you know that it doesn't help you. It doesn't, doesn't work for you because of the emotions that it brings up, brings up of all the struggles that it brings up. So you come to a place of practicing that forgiveness because this very principle, when you forgive, you're making yourself whole. You're also choosing the right to give up all of those negative emotions that has been attached to the person attached to the event or attached to anything that person has done said worked on. So you are releasing that part of it, and thereby you have that is a discipline that you use that you, you forgive anyone who harm towards you. Okay. So, so what we looked at were these four points, these disciplines of how we can stay emotionally whole. Okay. I'm not going to be going on to the next chapter, but you know, there were there were a couple of things that has come on the chat that we can pray for. But before we do that, is there anything that any question or any, any comments, any, any thoughts, any suggestions, anything that we can, we can look to I think there's a, yeah, there's a question here. Sissy has asked, can we ask the Holy Spirit to help us when we are not able to remove these emotions? Yes, so the scripture says us that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit helps us in our times of weaknesses. Right. And yes, we asked the Holy Spirit to help us during those times of weaknesses, and give us the grace to deal with those negative emotions to bring joy, instead of the pain and the struggle that we are going through. Yes, so yes, you can ask the Holy Spirit to do that, because he is there as an intercessor, he is there as a guide, he is there as a counselor, who is there to, to help you at your time and place of need. Yes, Christopher. Yes, this is related to forgiveness. And it's more of a comment or, you know, something that actually happens where one can forgive one, you know, really forgives and, you know, you realize that, you know, that, you know, it does make a lot of sense going forward, they would forgive. But as I think I heard another pastor say, you know, you can forgive, but you cannot forget. And I think it's coming back to maybe living, sometimes living in the past, where maybe something can trigger off, trigger this past experience, whatever. And it's sort of sometimes, you know, just keeps a person down. So I just thought I'd make that comment that, you know, you forgive, but you still can't forget. That's why one needs to be able to forget also. Yeah, so you may not forget, but then you're choosing not to recall. So I think that's also something that we remember we choose not to recall. And that I think comes even in our place when we are, you know, like, let's say, when things are going on between, between two parties. And recalling is bringing back things that has already been forgiven, but you choose not to recall. Maybe you do remember it, but but you choose not to bring that up as an offense at all. Yeah. Yes. I think someone else has a question. I'm not so I'm not able to see who it is. Yeah, would you like to. Yes, Anita, you have. Yes, please. No, I just wanted to say mom, that there are sometimes it happens that we are ready to forgive, but the person who has actually done or hurt us or anything, they don't feel that actually they have done anything wrong. They're not at all aware that they have hurt us or we are sometimes it happens that the like in those cases. So we know that I have to forgive that person or I have to clear my side, but at the same time when we don't forget it so that next time we know that what is the attitude of that person and not to fall for it. Instead of that, like to be like to be stern in our attitude in whatever we have learned in that instead of falling for whatever situation is created by that person that will make you feel offended or something because it happens that we cannot change people's characters. Like for that also we have to remember right. Okay, so you're saying when when people are not willing to recognize their faults or their mistakes in it, and things happen again. We should be careful not to not to be in a place where we need to take the responsibility of dealing with what we are going through, whether you see a change in the other person or not. So yeah, you're right on that all because the other person does not reconcile or does not even understand that they are causing pain or affliction does not mean we can hold on to unforgiveness or hold on to harbouring that anger or resentment. That is our responsibility and for them it's their responsibility so we cannot ever be under the umbrella of somebody's fault. We need to look at ourselves and continue to be in a place of forgiveness yet also take the challenge of not recalling. Yeah, and one minute I forgot, one minute I forgot to recollect. You can take your time recollect what you want to say and then you can bring it here. Yeah, anybody else? Any other thoughts? Any other questions? Okay Prabhakar you've asked a question. Blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. What is the meaning of this word and how are we to apply this in our lives? What would be the wrong way of applying this word? Okay, so this is not in relation to maybe what we are studying and our subject here. When we're talking about blasphemy against the spirit is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That the conviction that the Holy Spirit brings for our salvation is something that is what we refuse and what we fail to accept. And it is something that is one part of it. Maybe I think we could probably take this up at a different point of time. Not sure if this relates to our discussion here Prabhakar. Or did you have anything else in mind Prabhakar as you thought about that question? Please unmute and say to speak. Thank you. So in regards to like if someone speaks bad about the spirit that we carry and hurt us and these things we are not able to take it up. Towards our spirit you say? Yes, first of like the spirit that we carry. Suppose we present what God says or something and in return we get back that is very blasphemous and hurting or something like that. So the context of this verse is to mean the Holy Spirit. I'll just take the scripture. Just give me a minute. Just taking the scripture. That's in Matthew chapter 12 verses 31 and 32. I'm just going to read that. Okay. So it says Matthew 12. It says, therefore I say to you every sin blasphemy will be forgiven but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven for given men. Now this spirit that you see is the reference that is given to this to the word spirit is the if you look at it in the KJV. In the KJV it's the Holy Ghost that is meant about the Holy Spirit, not the spirit of man. It's meant about the Holy Spirit, not the spirit of man. So we walk by the spirit of God and we are in a situation where we are inspired by the spirit of God to share something about someone. And in return we receive blasphemy and things like that. And we are unable to forgive or something. So in that situation, so how are we to apply this? Should we forgive that person? Because this word says blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. I'm finding it difficult. Okay. So when we are saying blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, it is that someone is consciously opposing the truth of God's word. It is a conscious decision or a conscious resistance to the truth. That means they are consciously moving away from a place of repentance. And that something without repentance is that cannot be forgiven. This is in perspective or in context to the Holy Spirit. Not what we say, but it is the truth that they stand opposed or hardened to that is considered here. And not what you're bringing out is the truth, but the actual absolute truth that they condemn or that is not taken. It is a conscious decision. It's a hardened opposition of that is what is considered in this. Because scripture shows about the spirit being the spirit of truth. So when that is being negated, that's what it mentions here. Yeah, I hope that's clear. Sissy has said, do all negative emotions hurt the Holy Spirit? And then he will leave us. What are such habits or thoughts or words? So you say negative emotions to the Holy Spirit or what we experience? Sissy? Yes, yes. He is in the Holy Spirit. So when we grumble or we complain, does such things hurt the Holy Spirit? Okay, so we are also operating from what God is like. So when we said that when the spirit, when we are born again, the spirit is what is renewed. But the soul is one that requires constant renewal or constant consecration. The soul is something that we, the mind, our emotions, our will is what we continuously are in a place of constant sanctification. So that's something that the Holy Spirit works alongside with us. So what we are going through is what really requires a renewal. And these, like you said, these thoughts and habits, the Holy Spirit brings it to our remembrance or shows us that there is a truth of God that we need to change or need to renew. Okay, so remember that even though the, yes, the Holy Spirit is within us, we still have our own spirits that we operate from that acquire a renewal that requires a transformation. And that's the journey that we are going through. I hope that answers your questions, Sissy. Thank you. Okay. Harrison, do you have a comment or do you have a question? I have a question. And my question is how do we manage ourselves in a place of offense? So we have a wonderful book, and I'll put that up in the stream of how do we manage offense. And it's a book that's written by Pastor Ashish, you know, to be how do we manage offenses. And you know, I think we must, if you can take time to read that, it really describes it very, very strongly. But some of the points that have been bought in here is something that's there is to, I think I'll just bring up one point in which, you know, something that Paul says is that when we die to ourselves, it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. What does an offense do? And offense is something that hurts the inner self. It hurts the me or the I inside of me, right, the self. It attacks the self. But when as a believer, we begin to see that the I or the self of me is no more is dead and it is Christ who lives in me. And he's the one in my place has taken every offense that whatever has been said to me as an individual is something that is no more alive because I'm dead and Christ has taken in it. Now that, again, is a position that we understand that we take in that we believe that whatever is coming to us. It's no more me, but God is in that place of authority and position in my life and that he has taken it. So it's a form of, you know, I'm not assuming or I'm not absorbing the defend the offense. But it is, you know, like, for example, you know, when we say that if someone is dead, no matter what you give the person, no matter what you say, it doesn't make any sense to them anymore because they're dead. Right. So picturing that position that I'm dead. It's Christ who lives within me and and Christ's response to an offense is forgiveness. Christ's response is one out of love. So that's just one of the points, but I'll put that up in the stream for you or just if you can look up the website and the book on offense gives you a lot more details on how you can deal with that offense. I hope that's that helps Harrison, if you could go back to that to that it would be really helpful. Yeah, I'll go back to the book. Right. Thank you. Yes. Any, anybody else with a question. Otherwise, we can pray we had to request one was for Rupa son, and I think Susan also had written about her son, Timothy, who, you know, she wants us to pray for his board exam. Anybody would like to pray for, for them. Right. Anita, you have you have a question. No, my magic is to recollect what I have wanted to say that when we keep expectation from like people around us that's when we get offended very often we are expectation should be set with God, because he is the one who can fulfill that's what one I have learned. There was a time in my life where I was getting offended for every silly thing and there was a tears in my eyes, but now nothing affects me like that's the transformation. That's the testimony. Yeah, okay. All right, so there you have someone who's who said that. Okay, good. I'm just trying to get that book so that I don't forget it. Yeah, so would someone like to pray. These two, these two points, one is Rupa son that, you know, that the deception of the lies. You know, he would be able to see through that. That's one and secondly is Susan son. Anybody would like to pray. Okay, Harrison, I've put up the link over there. You could look, look up, look up that and yeah, anybody would like to pray. Thank you. Yes. Okay, this is too far. I've asked for credit requests, not answers to questions for Rupa son and for Susan son Rupa son for what he's going through and maybe the deception of the lies that that's that he's operating from and Susan son for Timothy for his board exams. Yes, Shay, please go ahead. Thank you. That was free. Dear Father in Heaven, we bless you. We give you praise and glory. We thank you Lord for your daughters who you have given the privilege Lord to be mothers of these wonderful children, these sons. We bless you because indeed you have a great future for them. Indeed you care for them and indeed their destiny Lord is securing you. We bless you because of what you will fulfill in their lives and that the enemy will not steal their destiny or steal the opportunities of Lord you have placed right ahead of them to walk into. And so Lord we pray you Lord for Rupa son in the name of Jesus at every deception that has taken his attention and focus away from you. We pray that Lord those skills of deceptions be left we removed from his mind from his eyes and that Lord his focus will be on you and that he will pursue after you. We pray against all those Lord who are distracting him all those who are a form of deception Lord to your son, your daughter son. We pray that Lord that he would disengage from those people and he will find people of the light to hang around with. We pray in the name of Jesus that he will be filled with your word and he will find you and seek after you all the days of his life. We pray Father you're feeding with your spirit and that he will begin to hear the voice of the spirit within telling him which way to go and the direction to follow in life. Thank you for bet on all of who is about to do his body exams. You are the one who grants us success. You're the one who grants us victory. Lord the horse may be prepared for but above victory belongs to you. We pray Father that as he goes for these exams grant him success. We join feet together in agreement to say that Lord he will come out victoriously and that Lord all that he studies Lord you remind him by the spirit. We pray Father against every form of attack in terms of fear, in terms of panic, in terms of forgetting all that he studied for. That all this Lord will not come to pass for Lord victory will be granted to him all for your glory. We bless you Lord for answered prayers. We thank you Lord we receive in joy answers to all this prayers. We believe that you will do exceedingly abundantly above all that we have asked for right now. So your glory O Lord for in Jesus name we have prayed. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Thank you Shane. Thank you so much. Thank you brother. Thank you all. Have a blessed week ahead. We shall meet next week. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you so much ma'am. Thank you. Thank you God bless you. Bye bye.