 Awesome. Glad to sort that into your ministry. And yesterday I spoke on glory when heaven invades earth. Who can I give this copy to? It pays to sit on the front row. Okay. And today's message note, the Lord has changed my direction for this morning. So I'm going a different direction. God's still writing your story. It's the book that touches this one. Bro, I can't get Naomi off my mind. You're helping me. Thank you. That's going to help me right there. When you're reading the story, you're actually not reading a world story. You're reading Naomi's story. It's a redemption story. And Naomi is this woman who suffers incredible losses and then comes through a horrific grieving season and work on restores her fortunes. So that at the end of the book, Ruth is married to the rich guy. And they've produced it so bad. And oh, bad is being nursed. But at the end of her life at the end of the story. So it goes from that she has, she had, she loses her husband, she loses her two sons. So at the end of the story, she is nursing. Oh, it has given a son to Obed. And when you look at the story as a progress, as it ends, you're just like that one of a redemption story. I mean, she lost her husband, she lost her sons. And okay, so she's nursing Obed, you know, but, but not really a redemption story. 50 years later, they're 50 years later, somebody looks at David on the throne and they go, wait a minute, she's in the Bible and there's many in the room here that you have been, it's as you're looking at, you're like, you know, this just doesn't look so good right here. And life is over. Where is this going to see what God is doing pursuit has been in my tragedy. 77, my spirit goes into this diligent searching mode. God, what are you doing? What are, what, what, what are you saying here? What are you seeing? What are you speaking over my life? Where is this going? What is your purpose? Why have you allowed all these forces to wreak havoc in my life? And your spirit is searching diligently for divine person. It's been my journey for 27 years. And I'm just going to share some stuff from the overflow that see what's, see what God rewrites that narrative. Has anybody here think that happened in your family? Like they'll tell you, let me get you a little bit because you didn't really, you thought we were depriving you. Let me tell you about this, this, and this. We were protecting you, tight the story and giving praise for his God actually enters into the accusations of the enemy and speaks accusation against God. And so we want to pursue the faith. Paul said it twice to Timothy. He said pursue faith. Pursuit, I know that's your pursuit. We're in a violent pursuit of faith. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, as we come to the word of God today, I'm asking that you would give us eyes to see what you are doing or to your activity, to your purpose and to your heart. My circumstance in my job sent out to us as this. They gave the children of Israel, which we have gone. They step into Canaan. And now there's more funerals. God is already fighting for us. And they're going like, don't you remember what God promised us? He said that he would cut them off. He said that he would send hornets and God is all and so the eyes of faith, but is with us. God has forced on what is against us. This is the 10 in unbelief are going. God has set us up for failure. The two in faith are going. God has set us up for our inheritance through the tragedy, through the trauma was doing in Naomi's life until 150 years later. And we're going, oh, it really was a redemption story. Lord Jesus, give us eyes of faith. I'm asking Lord, would you help us to see what you're about your holy purpose, the trials and circumstances, how Joseph had to find us when you're in prison. Joseph was 17 years old. It's as though the Lord says, damn, way to go, bro. Man, you're separate from your generation. You're holding your heart before me. Joseph, congratulations, bro. You get a promotion to slavery. You go to prison. He's himself in slavery in Egypt and he's just faithful and both of these gifts and his talents and God comes to this young was Joseph. Good job, man. You're faithful to cultivate your gifts and talents. And you said, notable, you get another promotion in the kingdom to prison. You go in prison. Sure. This prison is definitely his God like, and so Joseph in his prison, he's like, you know what, I'm just going to study dream language, like dream interpretation through dreams because he's desperate to understand his dreams in the middle of his prison, but gets him out of prison when he's now able to interpret their dreams. And then when Pharaoh gets a dream, now he's able to interpret Pharaoh's dream. And the thing was knowing his God study at Joseph is in a prison where he's going deep into the heart of God because he just cannot, it's happening to him and he starts pressing deep that everything he touched turned to gold. You know, he's got the people skills. He's got the admin skills. He's got the money skills and the accounting skills. And he's got the brain power and he's got the personality and the charisma and the charm. And he's got the whole, he's even good looking if you know what I mean. He's just got the whole package and he's got it burning on all burners. And everything he's touched and turning to gold and God comes to this five-tailed kid who's got it burning on all burners and goes, Joseph, you're good, but you're not good enough. Leave you uninterrupted, ever discovered that here's the weakness of a service without the Holy Spirit. You know what I'm saying? Talent kid, then for you that goes beyond your talents and for you to find it, my friend, I'm going to have to shut your talents down. So he puts them in a prison where his talents are rendered useless. When you're in prison, I don't care what your brain power is, your smarts aren't going to get you out of prison. When you're in prison, I don't care what your people's skills are like. They're not going to get you out of this prison. I don't care how good of an accountant you are, Joseph. It's not going to get you out of this prison. I don't care about how strong your business skills are. They're not going to get you out of this prison. And Joseph finds himself in a context where every talent that he had ever cultivated and made fruitful in the kingdom of God. Well, God's like, son, you got to go deep. And there is a dimension in the Holy Spirit that is not by talent. It is not by gifting. It is not by strength. That is not by might. It is not by power, but it is by my spirit, says the Lord. Find the spirit, things that we rely on to force us to go deep into the heart of God that is beyond our giftings. Joseph, you're good. If I leave you alone, you'll just stay at the level of your giftings on you to become a feeder of nations. To that destiny, you've got to find a dimension that goes beyond your gifts and talents, not by might or power. Spirit, says the Lord. God's looking at Joseph's prison in a different way than Joseph is. And Joseph is trying to find one of the passages that really helps me with God's perspective on Joseph's prison is Psalm 105. I love this portion where God is giving his perspective. So it's prison, Psalm 105 or 16. Moreover, he called for a famine in the land. He destroyed all the provision of bread. He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. Verse 17, just yet, but verse 17 says that God sent Joseph ahead of the brothers and sold him as a slave. Now, when you read Genesis, it doesn't read like that. When you read the story in Genesis, his brothers did it to him. But when you read in Psalm 105, God goes, actually, it was me, Joseph, as long as you have your eyes on what your brothers did to you, you will remain a prisoner to their rejection. But if you can lift your eyes to what God is doing in your life and see from heaven's perspective, you will become a player in a drama that it's going to become the best, one of the best stories in all of scripture. I'm not sure. I think they're working to find it for her stream. Verse 18, they hurt his feet with fetters. He was laid in irons until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him. The ruler of the people let him go free. He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his possessions to bind his princess at his pleasure and teach his elders wisdom. I'm going to ask them just to keep that scripture on the screen for us. For Joseph came out of prison with the authority people in the very prison that he once was in. So when he imprisoned his brothers, he's putting them in the very prison that he was in himself. So I call it a theory. Joseph came out of prison. The case to that prison. Hey my friend, you're coming out. I'm in. He'll be staying in. Joseph came out of prison. He came out with authority over the very prison that held him. I believe God wants to give you the same experience in your imprisonment. Could it be that through your consecration, by the time you come out of this prison, you will come out with authority over the very prison that once held you. Never relent until you hold in your hand the keys to the prison that now holds you. Unbelief looks at Joseph's prison and goes, you know what? It doesn't even pay to believe. It doesn't even pay to cultivate your gifts and say no to temptation. You end up in prison anyways. Looks at the Joseph prison and goes, God's preparing a vessel who will become a feeder of Lord, give me eyes to see. When I'm telling you when you're in a prison, you need eyes of faith to see what God is doing. Lord, give it to us. We pray. Here's someone else that informs me on this. Caleb. Caleb is the God. The two of them. Caleb and Joshua were in faith. And so Caleb, he goes into the promised land. He comes back. He's like, guys, we can do this. God is with us. He's got faith to go in and take the land. Because of the unbelief of the people, Caleb does 40 years in a wilderness down fear. That's a raw deal. Caleb has the faith to go in, but because they don't, he's got to do 40 years in the wilderness with them. Don't you look at the Caleb story. I'm looking at the Caleb story a second time. They come through the 40 years in the wilderness. There's five years of taking the land. It's now 45 years later, everybody and inheritance. You get a house in a field. There you go. Sis, God bless you. Hey, bro, house in the field. There you go. Go, go, go, hey, man. House in a field. There you go. God bless you. Hey, sister. House in a field. It's Caleb's turn. Caleb got a house in a field. Wanted a house in a field 45 years ago. Wanted 45 years ago. I've just come through a 40 year wilderness. Count them 40 years. Dust filled, viper enhanced, scorpion enriched 40 years. He says, I no longer want what I wanted 45 years ago because the wilderness changes what you ask for. He's like, I want more. I want a mountain. Somebody goes, well, who does Caleb think he is asking for a mountain? We just got a house in a field. Why does Caleb get a mountain? Actually, nobody complains. Caleb wants a mountain because he did the time 40 year wilderness. You are buying. You're buying authority with people and with heaven to take a home done of God. This Caleb, I love you, man. You're my kind of guy. I love your passion. I love your devotion. I love your faith. I love your, your, your diligence. Caleb, I want to give you, um, if I give it to you on this side of the wilderness, the nation will be in an uproar. So work with me here. Just do 40 years. If you will endure in faith for the next 40 years, then you have endured 40 years. You will have an authority with the entire nation and authority with heaven to ask for and to take wilderness and they go like this. Well, if you had more faith, you wouldn't still be in this wilderness. 40 year wilderness because of his faith and a share with you for keys to waiting on God from the life of Caleb. I find something to write this down. Okay, borrow a pan, borrow, get out a device, punch it into a, into a device or something. Find some way to write these four things down for keys to waiting on God from Caleb's life. You're going to want to keep this. Don't exist. Mothers and fathers are beyond Michigan at this conference. We need it in America. We need in this land today, men and women that will walk a journey with God that will endure a wilderness and will actually buy the authority in the kingdom so that they can take a whole mountain in the grace of God. God, give us some Caleb who will endure a wilderness so that they are so enriched that they have something to give to another generation. Do you look at Caleb's wilderness through the eyes of unbelief and you're looking at that thing going, yeah, it doesn't even pay to have faith to go in. You're still going to have to do 40 years. The eyes of faith look at it going, he's buying authority to take a mountain. A little bit distracted by the cross at this time of year. Easter Sunday morning does not quite scratch my itch quite enough. I just get distracted with the cross and it's on my radar. What do you see when you look at the cross, what the world sees? Cosmic child, if you believe the eye of cynicism looks at that through a critical lens, but we look at the cross through eyes of faith. We see the father giving his son a gift of cosmic purple cross. I see the balance beam of Christianity. Every imbalanced doctrine has moved away from the cross and the cross is always inviting us to come back to the center. When I look at the cross, I see the anchor of our faith because when your faith is being shaken in a storm, there's really only one thing that can anchor your faith in a faith crisis and that is the cross of Jesus Christ. When I look at the cross, I'm looking at my GPS because when I don't know my way forward, when I don't know which way to go, the cross tells me you walk the Via Dolorosa. The cross is the emblem of my faith. Now there are some, I had a brother one time, he said to me, I don't think we should make the cross the emblem of our faith. He said, I think we should make the empty tomb the emblem of our faith. He said, I don't think you should wear a cross around your neck. If you're going to wear something around your neck, he said, I think you should wear an empty tomb around your neck. And actually, I don't agree with that because for me, the compelling distinctive of our faith is not that God is alive. There are a lot of faiths. The distinctive of our faith is that God died. Where did this idea come from? I'll tell you right now, it did not come from planet Earth. This was not a man-made idea. This came from heaven. What other religion boasts in the death of its leader? There's a movement on today to minimize the cross. There are some that are like, let's not talk about the cross so much. Let's not talk about the blood and the wounds and the suffering and the gore and the horror. And there are some that think with that, but let's just not talk about that so much. But Jesus didn't quite see it that way. He said, and I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself. The cross has a gravity all its own. The cross, if you lift it up, it will draw people to Jesus Christ. You don't have to defend the cross. All you have to do is exalt the cross and the cross will draw people to Jesus. So I'm the kind of guy that goes, I think we should talk about the cross on the job to our neighbors, with our family, with our friends. Let's let the cross become again the centerpiece of our conversations. At the cross, I denied him. I betrayed him. I tried him. I handed him over to Pilate. I beat him. I spat upon him. I put thorns in his brow. I drove nails in his hands. And then I rammed a spear into his side. And here's what he did back. He washed me off. He changed my name. He gave me a brand new robe. He put a ring on my finger. He put sandals on my shoe, on my feet. He pulled me up to the family dinner table. And then he gave me the family fortune. I am in love with the cross of Jesus Christ and the lavish love that he has shown on the cross. I've been, I'm speaking of my voice now, the vocal affliction that has afflicted me for 27 years and the suffering through that journey. When you're suffering, you go to the cross. So suffering has made me a friend of the love Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of the Christ. Has anybody seen that movie, The Pat Lover? Every Good Friday I'm like, let's watch it again. I love to get up close. But the scripture that I want to come to about that is not up close. It's looking and not is speaking to the cross. And this is actually Moe. And here's what the father says to Satan, Genesis 3.15. He, that is Christ, shall bruise your head thick. And you shall bruise his heel as God the cross with eyes of faith from an eternal perspective. This heel, he's gonna bruise your head. Jesus was on the cross, nails in his feet, nails in his hand, thorns on his brow, lacerations all over his body. When he was on that cross, my friends, I promise you, it did not feel like a bruising of his heel that felt like a crushing of every molecule in his being because it was. And it's true for you, when you're in the vortex of your trial, you feel like you're being pulled apart molecule by molecule. And you probably are. But there is an eternal perspective to be found on your trial to Jesus today, right now, and ask him, Jesus, talk to us about the cross, like what was it like for you? He might say something, or Siri has been suggesting that the Lord wants to give you the same perspective in your suffering, in your crucifixion, as you endure in this trial. There will come a day when you are gonna look back on the excruciating trial that you're in right now, and you're gonna see it from a totally different perspective. The eyes of faith, you're gonna be going, I took that one in the heel, right? But my adversary has been bloodied in the head. I believe that God wants to use your trial to train you in spiritual warfare so that you can lay a blow to the head of your adversary. Satan regretted taking Job on. He regretted taking Jesus on at the cross. May he also regret taking you on. May God do more through your trial than if the trial had never happened. And Jesus went at it, and they were both Satan hit the heel. Jesus made his mark, learned spiritual warfare. Don't go to the adversary. He's not that good. Do the master who will teach you how to head of your adversary. I'm preaching to myself right now, my brother. I'm like, I am in this thing, Lord, to be your pad of one runner. Would you show me how to so endure in this crucifixion that by the time the story is over, I will have laid a blow to the head of my adversary. When I look at the cross of Jesus, and I'm thinking, I've got I've got scenes of Mel Gibson's movie flashing in front of my eyes right now. When I visualize the cross of Christ, I see blood on his head, blood on his cheeks, blood on his neck, blood on his shoulders, blood on his chest, blood on his back, blood in his arms, blood on his hands, blood on his legs, blood on his feet, there's blood on the cross, there's blood on the ground. It's just a spectacle of blood everywhere. Listen, Satan was more bloodied by the cross than Jesus Christ. Jesus was wounded by the cross. Satan was destroyed by the cross. Is there anyone in the room this morning that has the desire to do damage to the kingdom of darkness? I've got a couple friends in the house. Okay. You may take something in the heel. Victories come at a price. Jesus couldn't destroy Satan without incurring scars. What makes me think I can? If you have no scar, were you even in the battle? Bars, we incur in this warfare. He dignifies them. They become the emblems of our marriage bed, where now we reach our hand into his side and caress the scars that brought us the love of God. And then he reaches his hand into the side of his bride, and he caresses her scars for she now bears in her body the marks of Jesus Christ. And our scars become the tokens of our intimacy with Jesus. If you're going to do damage to the kingdom of darkness, don't be surprised. If you take it in the heel, but Lord, give me eyes of faith to see that what I am enduring right now is but a wounding of my heel in contrast to what I'm going to do to my adversary. Teach me how to lay a blow to the head of my adversary. I'm finished with the message. Lord, I'm asking, give us eyes of faith. Help us to see what you are doing. Help us to see what's in your heart. Lord, I'm asking for my friends that are in a trial right now in this room, some in this room, that Lord, we just were overwhelmed by the natural data. We're overwhelmed by the things that we're feeling and seeing and experiencing and the voices of unbelief are so strong. Lord Jesus, I'm asking, would you open our eyes to what you are doing? Open our eyes like you open Elisha's servant's eyes to see the armies of heaven. Open our eyes to what you're doing. We ask in Jesus' name. You know what? I'm going to just do one more. I've got five minutes. Let me just do one more thing for five minutes. How do you get eyes of faith? I'm going to do this from the life of David. I think I can do it in five minutes. This is how to get eyes of faith. First Samuel 16 verse 13. I don't know if they've got it on the screen. First Samuel 16, 13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the midst of his brothers and the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. This verse explains the life of David. You cannot understand the life of David without this scripture. When Samuel anointed him with oil, the Holy Spirit came on David from that day forward. It was a remaining anointing, and when the anointing of the Holy Spirit came on David and stayed upon him, it transformed his glasses. I want to show you how it changed his glasses. The next chapter is First Samuel 17, and I'm looking at verse 26 if they can help us on the screen. First Samuel 17, 26. I'm going to show you how the abiding anointing of the Spirit changed David's glasses. Then David spoke to the man who stood by him saying, what shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine? And takes away the reproach from Israel. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine? That he should defy the armies of the living God. Go back just one phrase back to uncircumcised Philistine. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? When David looked at Goliath, he didn't see a champion of darkness. He saw an uncircumcised Philistine. And I'm going, David, what kind of glasses do you have on? And David's going, I'm not quite sure. But ever since Samuel did that to me, something's come on me and I don't see things the way I used to. Now when I look at a champion of darkness, I see an uncircumcised Philistine and I'm going, can I get some of that anointing on my life please? Because I want to have the spirit resting upon my life so that when I look at the challenge, when I look at the mountain, when I look at the obstacle, when I look at the problem, when I look at the culture, I don't see a champion of darkness. I see an uncircumcised Philistine change my glasses. And then the next frame, the last part of the verse, that he should defy the armies of the living God. David looks at the armies of Israel and calls them the armies of the living God. When Saul looked at his armies, he got depressed. Rag tag, bunch of underfit, under-equipped, under-staffed, under-prepared, under-monitised, under-everything. Bunch of losers. Saul got depressed by his army when the army looked at themselves. They got depressed. When David looks at those armies, he sees the armies of the living God. David, what kind of glasses do you have on? David's going, I'm not quite sure, but ever since Samuel did that to me, something's come on me and I don't quite see things the way I used to now. When I look at the people of God, I see the armies of the living God. When you look at your home group, what do you see? The most dysfunctional random group of people in our whole city. When you look at your worship team, what do you see? You can never find their Bible. All was late to practice, tough to get them in a consistent schedule. When you look at your congregation, what do you see? Show up two weeks out of four, can't hard to get a tithe out of them, won't ever volunteer for anything. Or do you see the armies of the living God? Holy Spirit, would you come on me like you came on David? Would you change my glasses so that when I'm looking at the enemy, I'm not seeing a champion of darkness? I want to see an uncircumcised Philistine and Holy Spirit come upon me in power and change my glasses so that when I look at the people of God, I see the armies of the living God. This is what changes our glasses. This is what gives us eyes of faith. It's the abiding, anointing presence of the Holy Spirit on our lives. Go ahead and just pray one more time with me. You can stand if you want to. Have any father? I'm asking that you would anoint me in your Holy Spirit. I'm asking of change my glasses, open my eyes. Help me to see what others don't see. Help me to see what you're doing. Help me. Lord, when I look at my family, give me eyes of faith to see what you're doing in my family. When I'm looking at my church, oh Lord Jesus, give me eyes to see the armies of the living God. I'm asking, Lord, in my job, in my neighborhood, and in my place of employment, Lord, would you grant to us such a resting grace of the Holy Spirit on our lives that we would see what you're doing? In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God give you eyes of faith.