Allen Jackson - Dreams and Visions (Part 1)

July 15, 2025 | 28:35

Pastor Allen Jackson's mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

#Visions/Dreams #Trials-HardTimes #Challenges #WalkwithGod #Israel #War #Terrorism #Politics #SpiritualWarfare #Evil #Church #BodyofChrist #Calling

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Allen Jackson Ministries | Allen Jackson - Dreams and Visions (Part 1) | July 15, 2025

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Allen jackson: and i know you know, but we're living in
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A chaotic world, things are changing globally.
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There's wars, there's threats of war, a lot of stuff happening.
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But i wanna make a suggestion, don't focus on the negative,
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Don't get caught up in the uncertainty.
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That'll bring fear and anxiety and worry.
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It's not helpful.
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Let's determine to focus our attention on the lord.
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We've created a tool that i believe will make a difference.
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It's called, "awaken us."
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It's a 30 day plan.
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Each day is directed at a different topic
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That's a part of our current world.
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It gives us a verse of scripture, a little devotional
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Around that topic.
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And then a prayer for that specific thing.
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The idea is we're gonna give the holy spirit an invitation
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To awaken us to a new place of faith.
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You know, we need an awakening in the midst
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Of the people of god.
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And we wanna say, "well, i am awake."
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Well, i get that, but, you know, i was awakened yesterday.
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But this morning i was awakened again, and my prayer is
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Tomorrow i'll be awakened yet again.
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We need a daily awakening by the spirit of god
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To find his best for us in this season.
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And i believe this book will help you.
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♪♪♪
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Allen: we're working through a series under the theme of "let's
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Do difficult," and we've kind of agreed we did all the easy
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Yesterday, that what's next isn't easy, but the best things
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In life are on the other side are difficult.
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And so it isn't to me in any way a heavy topic or an intimidating
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Topic, it's really one, i think, of great freedom and liberty if
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We can allow the holy spirit to open our hearts.
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I was invited to travel this week, on tuesday, to the israeli
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Embassy in washington, dc, where a relatively small group of us
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Were asked to review or to watch a portion of the raw footage
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From october 7th.
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It was video footage that was captured from bodycams, several
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Of the hamas attackers wore "gopro" cameras, many of them.
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Some was taken from security footage, some was captured on
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Cellphones, some of it had audio.
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It was evil, in any way you describe it.
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The attack took place on simchat torah, it's one of the holiest
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Days and certainly one of the holiest shabbats of the year, so
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It was a time when the israelis were far more vulnerable.
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And they attacked the villages along gaza, there was a large
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Music festival going on, well more than a thousand israelis
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Were murdered, it was the worst attack on the jewish community
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Since the holocaust.
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But the true horror wasn't just in the murders, i saw parents
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Killed in front of their children, the truly horrific
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Part was the absolute glee of the people who were doing it.
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They loaded hostages in the back of pickup trucks,
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Sometimes with dead bodies.
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We heard the phone calls coming, "bring heads, we want to carry
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Heads through the streets so that people can celebrate."
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And when they drove back into gaza, thousands and thousands
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And thousands of people poured into the streets, celebrating
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With such unbelievable enthusiasm, it felt like you
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Were in neylandn stadium filled with people and somebody
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Announced you'd just won the national championship.
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I mean, unbridled enthusiasm.
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And if they could push through the crowds, they would begin
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Their own assault on the people in the trucks.
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Since then, i've listened to some interviews with family
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Members of the hostages, i've read the reports from some of
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The most celebrated intellectuals in our nation that
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Refuse to condemn it, i read the reports that the united nations
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Participated in it.
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And i thought about this simple little series that we're working
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Through as a congregation, "let's do difficult."
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I can tell you, for the decision-makers in israel,
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Today, there is no easy decision.
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The families who have loved ones that are hostages, they want
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Their family back.
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The people who live in the communities along gaza will
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Never go back until they're assured that the government will
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Protect them, as they failed to do on october 7th.
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And for that to happen, it means hamas has to be eliminated.
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You don't bargain with evil or negotiate with evil, you don't,
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There is not a humanitarian offer you make to evil.
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There are no easy decisions, but for them to live in freedom, for
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Their children and their grandchildren and themselves,
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They have to face the difficult decisions and move forward.
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And i thought of those choices in contrast to the ones we're
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Making, and really, i almost felt like i either needed to
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Change the title or apologize, because if i call what i'm doing
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Difficult then i need a completely different vocabulary
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For my friends in israel.
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Pray for them.
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I quote scriptures pretty glibly sometimes, "the one who watches
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Over israel will never slumber nor sleep."
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That's true, but they still stay the watch, and they live in
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A difficult part of the world.
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Life comes with challenges, folks.
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And for too long, in contemporary american
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Evangelicalism, we have fallen prey to kind of an easy
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Believism, almost it's like a religious
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Self-promotional program.
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And i believe god's blessings enrich our lives, i have lived
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That out, i share those testimonies, i will do my best
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To teach you how to believe what the word of god promises for you
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And your children, but we live in a fallen world, and if we
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Avoid difficult, we will avoid much of the assignment god has
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For our lives.
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In this particular session, we're going to talk about,
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"please continue to pray for the leaders of israel and for the
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Families of those hostages," october 7th is a long time to be
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In the hands of the people that i saw in those videos.
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In this particular session, i want to talk a bit about
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"dreams & visions," and i want to start in isaiah 29.
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I read this verse and i thought it was about as an accurate
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Description of our particular setting as any single verse i
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Could think of.
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It's not a new idea, it's one that we've talked about a bit.
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It says, "the lord has brought over you a deep sleep: he has
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Sealed your eyes," and then the parenthetic inserts here are not
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From me, they're a part of the text.
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"he sealed your eyes (the prophets); and he's covered your
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Heads (the seers)."
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The prophets give us a god perspective, the seers were
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Imagined to help us understand where god was leading us.
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And isaiah describes to the people as if they're in a coma,
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As if they're in some unconscious state, "a deep
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Sleep," he says, that our eyes have been sealed and our heads
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Have been covered so that we can't really gain a god
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Perspective and we can't see with clarity what's going on
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Around us.
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And i would remind you that isaiah is giving that message to
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The people of god.
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Now, i believe we're more awake than we were a few years ago, i
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Believe we have a more clear vision, and i don't mean to
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Simply step back to that, but i think until we see the purposes
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Of god break forth around us with great clarity and
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Authority, we have to continue to humbly say to the lord, "give
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Me an understanding heart," because we are living in a
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Confusing season.
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I'll give you three simple snapshots from very recent
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History that i think displays to us how confusing the world we're
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Living in is, and how easy it is for us to remain asleep and
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Say nothing.
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That's my concern for the church, we're called salt and
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Light by the lord himself, and we're reminded more than once if
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The salt loses its saltiness it really has no value.
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So, to be called salt and light means we have to be on display
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And having an impact, that's our assignment in the world.
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And sometimes that's difficult, it will cause you to be
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Disinvited, left off some lists.
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It'll have an impact, you'll lose some opportunities, you'll
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Be shunned in some settings.
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All those things are not only possible, i would submit to you
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They're probable, in fact, they're probably necessary in
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The current circumstances.
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We have the courage to take our biblical worldview and our faith
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And share it someplace beyond the walls of a congregation, but
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Just a casual glance at some current events, to me, shout at
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Us that our eyes are sealed and our hearts are covered, for
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Whatever reason, we have trouble focusing.
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It seems to me we're almost in a stupor of self-gratification, we
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Know what we wanna do or what we want to happen to the people we
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Care about, and then we would really just prefer not to
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Be bothered.
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I took the topic of borders and the sovereignty of nations.
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It was september the 11th, 2021, not very long ago, september the
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11th is an important day to us.
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And it was september the 11th, 2021, when the united states
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Withdrew from afghanistan.
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We abandoned bagram air force base, which was a strategic
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Point for us security, we abandoned our us citizens and
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Personnel who had been our allies, breaking our commitment
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To people who had supported us for a 20-year war.
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Within days, hours honestly, the taliban was in control
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Of afghanistan.
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We had young men and women spill their blood, sacrifice their
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Lives, families disrupted, and we walked away from that,
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Billions of dollars in weapons were under taliban control
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Within hours of the last flight leaving that airport.
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Within a few short months, february of 2022, not long,
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Russia invaded ukraine.
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Can you believe it's only been two years?
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It feels like we've lived with that narrative forever.
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Well, since then, and for fairness, the russian invasion
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Of ukraine had a great deal to do with our provocation, or at
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Least our stubborn refusal to defuse the provocation.
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Well, since that time, the united states has provided more
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Than $75 billion in support to ukraine, $75 billion, and these
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Are conservative numbers, i purposely chose the most
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Conservative numbers available.
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There have been more than 500,000 casualties in two years,
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And those are not hamas numbers, those are numbers reported from
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People who want to understate what's happening there.
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There's an entire generation of ukrainians that are lost.
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Even if you could snap your fingers and rebuild the
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Buildings and put the infrastructure back in place,
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They've lost a whole generation of people.
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And step forward two more years, february of 2024, this year,
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We have millions of people who have invaded our own country.
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We'll spend $75 billion enforcing a border halfway
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Around the world that most of us probably couldn't find on a map
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Without a little bit of help, and some of the estimates i
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Read, not extraordinary estimates, suggest that more
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Than 8 million people have poured into our country in
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The last three years, illegally, illegally.
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We have methods for legal immigration that have been voted
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On and agreed upon.
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We are facilitating, encouraging populating our nation who have
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No hesitation in doing what is illegal.
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You don't need to be a prophet or discerning or aware
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To understand what that will foster.
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Allen: hey we have a tool that i think will help you
00:13:14.509 --> 00:13:16.211
Overcome some of the chaos in the world
00:13:16.211 --> 00:13:17.946
And stay focused on the good things that god is doing.
00:13:17.946 --> 00:13:21.382
It's called, "awaken us."
00:13:21.382 --> 00:13:22.817
It's a 30 day plan.
00:13:22.817 --> 00:13:24.719
Each day's got a scripture, a little devotional,
00:13:24.719 --> 00:13:27.355
A prayer that goes with a specific topic
00:13:27.355 --> 00:13:29.858
To awaken us to god's promise and provision in this season.
00:13:29.858 --> 00:13:34.896
God's moving in the earth, i wanna move with him.
00:13:34.896 --> 00:13:37.365
And i believe this tool will help you be prepared
00:13:37.365 --> 00:13:40.001
To capitalize on god's invitations in your life.
00:13:40.001 --> 00:13:43.838
Female announcer: "awaken us" delivers 30 days
00:13:43.905 --> 00:13:45.773
Of prayer, scripture and insight from pastor allen
00:13:45.773 --> 00:13:48.810
On relevant topics.
00:13:48.810 --> 00:13:50.478
Each day is designed to sharpen your focus
00:13:50.478 --> 00:13:52.747
As you ask god to show you his heart
00:13:52.747 --> 00:13:54.916
And his truth in a new way.
00:13:54.916 --> 00:13:57.185
With the holy spirit's help, this book will awaken you
00:13:57.185 --> 00:14:00.054
To the impact your life has on the world
00:14:00.054 --> 00:14:02.290
And those around you.
00:14:02.290 --> 00:14:03.858
Start your journey today by requesting "awaken us,"
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When you donate any amount at allenjackson.com
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Or by calling ...
00:14:09.664 --> 00:14:14.369
Allen: so i wanna take a moment and go back to some fundamentals
00:14:14.435 --> 00:14:18.539
On instructions for spirit-directed activity on the
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Part of the church because we're gonna have to extend beyond just
00:14:21.409 --> 00:14:26.547
Our worship services, it's gonna require of us a little
00:14:26.547 --> 00:14:29.717
Different response.
00:14:29.717 --> 00:14:31.085
Remember the topic, "let's do difficult," not difficult in the
00:14:31.085 --> 00:14:35.156
Terms of the israelis today or the ukrainians, i'm not talking
00:14:35.156 --> 00:14:39.327
About that kind of difficult, difficult in comparison to
00:14:39.327 --> 00:14:41.963
The way we prefer.
00:14:41.963 --> 00:14:44.365
We prefer a parking place next to the door, we prefer our
00:14:44.365 --> 00:14:48.836
Favorite seat with the people we like to sit with, we prefer
00:14:48.836 --> 00:14:52.640
Shorter sermons.
00:14:52.640 --> 00:14:57.078
I understand.
00:14:57.078 --> 00:14:59.380
Ephesians chapter 6, it's not an unknown passage, it's familiar
00:14:59.380 --> 00:15:02.717
To many of us, paul's writing to the church at ephesus, he's
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Writing to believers, a group of people he's invested a great
00:15:06.821 --> 00:15:09.924
Deal in.
00:15:09.924 --> 00:15:11.459
And it's a concluding portion of this letter, in fact, the
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Passage begins by, "finally, be strong in the lord and in his
00:15:13.995 --> 00:15:17.832
Mighty power.
00:15:17.832 --> 00:15:19.167
Put on the full armor of god so that you can take your stand
00:15:19.167 --> 00:15:23.371
Against the devil's schemes."
00:15:23.371 --> 00:15:24.806
Now, we've rewritten that, we want to elect somebody or choose
00:15:24.806 --> 00:15:27.308
Somebody or nominate somebody to take the stand that needs to be
00:15:27.308 --> 00:15:30.078
Taken against the devil's schemes.
00:15:30.078 --> 00:15:34.949
"for our struggle," again, it is implied, it's just, directly,
00:15:34.949 --> 00:15:39.887
We're going to struggle, there is no life without struggle,
00:15:39.887 --> 00:15:42.323
There's no faith without struggle, there's no
00:15:42.323 --> 00:15:43.992
Discipleship without struggle, we're not unique.
00:15:43.992 --> 00:15:49.831
It doesn't mean there aren't triumphs and victories and
00:15:49.831 --> 00:15:52.000
Blessings and wonderful things and incredible freedoms and
00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:55.436
Abundance, i'm not saying that, but in the midst of all of
00:15:55.436 --> 00:15:59.140
Those, the struggles continue.
00:15:59.140 --> 00:16:03.878
And i don't see any place we're given the option of raising my
00:16:03.878 --> 00:16:06.481
Hand and saying, "i'm stepping out of the struggle."
00:16:06.481 --> 00:16:11.986
"our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the
00:16:11.986 --> 00:16:15.723
Rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
00:16:15.723 --> 00:16:18.993
World and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
00:16:18.993 --> 00:16:22.563
Heavenly realms."
00:16:22.563 --> 00:16:23.898
Paul is describing for the church at ephesus a hierarchy of
00:16:23.898 --> 00:16:27.268
The kingdom of darkness.
00:16:27.268 --> 00:16:29.837
The living bible says that our struggle is, "against persons
00:16:29.837 --> 00:16:34.475
Without bodies."
00:16:34.475 --> 00:16:36.677
I think it's a pretty good description, it's describing a
00:16:36.677 --> 00:16:39.914
Spiritual conflict.
00:16:39.914 --> 00:16:42.383
Satan is the great imitator, i believe he took the structure
00:16:42.383 --> 00:16:45.420
That he'd seen in the kingdom of god and he repeated it when he
00:16:45.420 --> 00:16:48.756
Organized or structured the kingdom of darkness.
00:16:48.756 --> 00:16:52.093
Now, i understand, in many segments of the body of christ,
00:16:52.093 --> 00:16:54.262
We just kind of fold our arms and go, "you know, i just don't
00:16:54.262 --> 00:16:56.130
Believe that."
00:16:56.130 --> 00:16:57.899
Well, bless your heart, i appreciate your opinion, and
00:16:57.899 --> 00:17:02.603
You're certainly entitled to one, but the refusal to believe
00:17:02.603 --> 00:17:05.506
Something does not change reality.
00:17:05.506 --> 00:17:10.912
You know, i can fold my arms and say, "i just don't believe the
00:17:10.912 --> 00:17:12.847
Doctor's weight charts are correct," it doesn't make
00:17:12.847 --> 00:17:17.852
Me skinny.
00:17:17.852 --> 00:17:19.921
And sometimes, christians, we got this rather naive, stubborn,
00:17:19.921 --> 00:17:25.493
Determined refusal to believe what the bible clearly invites
00:17:25.493 --> 00:17:29.263
Us towards.
00:17:29.263 --> 00:17:31.299
So, we are called, we're to engage, that we are in a
00:17:31.299 --> 00:17:34.368
Struggle of a spiritual nature.
00:17:34.368 --> 00:17:38.473
Now, if you're in a struggle, it would be important to understand
00:17:38.473 --> 00:17:41.676
How that impacts you, what the tools that are available to you
00:17:41.676 --> 00:17:44.545
Are, what your weapons even might be.
00:17:44.545 --> 00:17:49.684
Verse 13, "therefore put on the full armor of god, so that when
00:17:49.684 --> 00:17:52.620
The day of evil comes," again, the assumption is the day of
00:17:52.620 --> 00:17:55.990
Evil is coming, "you'll be able to stand your ground, and after
00:17:55.990 --> 00:17:59.961
You've done everything, to stand."
00:17:59.961 --> 00:18:02.363
There's seven specific instructions in that passage, i
00:18:02.363 --> 00:18:05.199
Broke them out, i don't think i listed them in your notes, but
00:18:05.199 --> 00:18:08.269
The instructions we're told.
00:18:08.269 --> 00:18:09.604
"to be strong in the lord," it's not a suggestion, it's a
00:18:09.604 --> 00:18:11.606
Direction, "be strong in the lord."
00:18:11.606 --> 00:18:17.411
"no, i don't like to workout, it makes me sore."
00:18:17.411 --> 00:18:21.782
Being strong in the lord will make you sore too, in fact, you
00:18:21.782 --> 00:18:26.154
Don't gain strength until you exercise to the point of
00:18:26.154 --> 00:18:28.289
Exhaustion, and until you've been exhausted spiritually
00:18:28.289 --> 00:18:32.226
You're not gaining any spiritual strength.
00:18:32.226 --> 00:18:35.129
So, if you're hearing this and to yourself you're thinking,
00:18:35.129 --> 00:18:38.432
"you know, i'm really spent," you're about to gain
00:18:38.432 --> 00:18:42.136
Some strength.
00:18:42.136 --> 00:18:44.205
When you come to the end of ourselves, we find that god is
00:18:44.205 --> 00:18:46.707
There in a whole new way.
00:18:46.707 --> 00:18:48.676
I don't like those places, i'm not volunteering for anymore of
00:18:48.676 --> 00:18:51.445
Them, i'm just telling you.
00:18:51.445 --> 00:18:53.748
Thirdly, "take your stand against the devil's schemes,"
00:18:53.748 --> 00:18:57.285
"take your stand," not just spiritual stands.
00:18:57.285 --> 00:19:00.154
Paul's writing this to a community of faith, believers,
00:19:00.154 --> 00:19:03.324
Men and women with earth suits, he's asking them to stand
00:19:03.324 --> 00:19:07.128
In ephesus.
00:19:07.128 --> 00:19:08.496
They've seen millions of dollars of things burned in the public
00:19:08.496 --> 00:19:12.934
Square that had been used to cultivate demonic things,
00:19:12.934 --> 00:19:18.172
They've seen riots because of the impact of their faith, and
00:19:18.172 --> 00:19:22.910
Paul's reminding them that they're going to have to take
00:19:22.910 --> 00:19:24.812
Their stand.
00:19:24.812 --> 00:19:26.414
It isn't just a spiritual state, it isn't just a polite prayer.
00:19:26.414 --> 00:19:30.151
In this community, there is some reluctance to remove
00:19:30.151 --> 00:19:32.720
Pornographic books from the libraries of our elementary
00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:35.523
Schools, it's evil, they have to go.
00:19:35.523 --> 00:19:45.099
It's not the banning of books, that isn't it, it's recognizing
00:19:45.099 --> 00:19:50.871
That there is developmentally appropriate and inappropriate
00:19:50.871 --> 00:19:54.342
Material for children.
00:19:54.342 --> 00:19:55.743
We understand that, it's why we don't sell alcohol in the
00:19:55.743 --> 00:19:58.346
Elementary schools, it's why we don't pass out driver's
00:19:58.346 --> 00:20:02.049
Licenses, we wait for physical and emotional maturity to create
00:20:02.049 --> 00:20:07.288
Some of those opportunities for them.
00:20:07.288 --> 00:20:09.056
Children should not be, at those young ages, being sexualized in
00:20:09.056 --> 00:20:12.760
A context beyond their parents, it's wrong.
00:20:12.760 --> 00:20:21.302
The fourth thing paul encourages the church at ephesus is to join
00:20:21.302 --> 00:20:24.272
The struggle.
00:20:24.272 --> 00:20:25.606
Don't just watch, don't just nod your head, he said everybody's
00:20:25.606 --> 00:20:29.677
In, he didn't just appoint the leaders or some
00:20:29.677 --> 00:20:32.313
Specialized group.
00:20:32.313 --> 00:20:35.016
Fifthly, he said engage on the day of evil.
00:20:35.016 --> 00:20:37.652
When you recognize something is evil, when you get that
00:20:37.652 --> 00:20:40.488
Awareness, that's your call, you've been mustered, you've
00:20:40.488 --> 00:20:44.659
Been recruited.
00:20:44.659 --> 00:20:46.294
When you say, "oh, wait a minute, that's evil, i don't
00:20:46.294 --> 00:20:48.229
Have another description," find the place, stand there.
00:20:48.229 --> 00:20:54.468
If you can't see anything happening in the world that's
00:20:54.468 --> 00:20:56.470
Evil yet, pray that the lord will give you an
00:20:56.470 --> 00:20:59.373
Understanding heart.
00:20:59.373 --> 00:21:02.910
Then we're told, number six, to do everything possible, "after
00:21:02.910 --> 00:21:08.683
You've done everything," he said do everything possible.
00:21:08.683 --> 00:21:11.852
Whatever you've got, whatever influence, whatever voice,
00:21:11.852 --> 00:21:15.456
Whatever opportunity, however you could turn it back, however
00:21:15.456 --> 00:21:19.760
You can take your place, do everything possible.
00:21:19.760 --> 00:21:27.168
And then he repeats, number seven, and maybe it's the least,
00:21:27.168 --> 00:21:30.071
He says hold your place, after you've done everything you know
00:21:30.071 --> 00:21:34.041
To do, then you stand there.
00:21:34.041 --> 00:21:37.278
I'm not moving, you stand.
00:21:37.278 --> 00:21:42.450
Now, that's our assignment.
00:21:42.450 --> 00:21:45.252
I'll give you just some quick reminders about
00:21:45.252 --> 00:21:47.688
Spiritual conflict.
00:21:47.688 --> 00:21:50.191
Spiritual conflict and activity is the fabric of scripture, it's
00:21:50.191 --> 00:21:53.494
Not some subtle subtext, it's not something hidden away in
00:21:53.494 --> 00:21:57.998
Original-language nuance, it isn't subtle, it's the story.
00:21:57.998 --> 00:22:03.804
The assyrian army that marched on jerusalem, hezekiah is the
00:22:03.804 --> 00:22:06.707
King, they have no military hope, they cannot defeat the
00:22:06.707 --> 00:22:10.478
Enemy, and god sends a message to the king.
00:22:10.478 --> 00:22:14.582
I mean, some of you have been to jerusalem, you've walk through
00:22:14.582 --> 00:22:16.350
Hezekiah's tunnel, it's a lot of fun, if you're not afraid of
00:22:16.350 --> 00:22:19.754
Dark, wet places.
00:22:19.754 --> 00:22:22.256
It's not one of those straight tunnels, you know, some of those
00:22:22.256 --> 00:22:24.425
Tunnels you go through are just a straight shot, hezekiah's
00:22:24.425 --> 00:22:27.294
Tunnel is serpentine.
00:22:27.294 --> 00:22:30.030
And the spring in jerusalem is a pulsating spring, which means it
00:22:30.030 --> 00:22:33.434
Releases water episodically.
00:22:33.434 --> 00:22:36.971
So, while you're in the dark, and the people who dug
00:22:36.971 --> 00:22:38.973
Hezekiah's tunnel were not as tall as i am and they're more
00:22:38.973 --> 00:22:45.379
Narrow than i am, so a lot of the time in hezekiah's tunnel
00:22:45.379 --> 00:22:48.182
You're like, and then the spring releases and the water
00:22:48.182 --> 00:22:52.486
Gets higher.
00:22:52.486 --> 00:22:54.155
And if something were to grab your ankle in that dark, then
00:22:54.155 --> 00:22:58.893
You could go to jerusalem and walk through allen's tunnel
00:22:58.893 --> 00:23:00.928
Because he would create a new one.
00:23:00.928 --> 00:23:08.169
But isaiah went to hezekiah and said, "you don't have to be
00:23:08.169 --> 00:23:11.272
Afraid of the assyrians, they have mocked me, they have mocked
00:23:11.272 --> 00:23:15.676
The god of israel, and i'll send them home."
00:23:15.676 --> 00:23:18.379
180,000 of them died in one night, that's a spiritual impact
00:23:18.379 --> 00:23:24.685
In a very physical world.
00:23:24.685 --> 00:23:26.086
You see, we separate them, we try to create this wall,
00:23:26.086 --> 00:23:29.990
That we're not gonna deal with spiritual things until our earth
00:23:29.990 --> 00:23:31.959
Suit wears out and we step into eternity.
00:23:31.959 --> 00:23:34.094
No, folks, your eternity is being defined today by
00:23:34.094 --> 00:23:37.264
A spiritual conflict, mine and yours, it's all through
00:23:37.264 --> 00:23:43.337
The scripture.
00:23:43.337 --> 00:23:46.540
Jesus said he could call legions of angels, he wasn't in
00:23:46.540 --> 00:23:50.344
Gethsemane with a bunch of frightened disciples who
00:23:50.344 --> 00:23:53.647
Couldn't stand up because he had no options, he had options, but
00:23:53.647 --> 00:23:58.819
That wasn't the objective.
00:23:58.819 --> 00:24:00.154
Peter was released from prison, i mean, the doors swung open,
00:24:00.154 --> 00:24:04.291
His chains fell off, he was led by an angel through these doors
00:24:04.291 --> 00:24:08.262
As they're swinging open.
00:24:08.262 --> 00:24:09.597
Luke doesn't describe the other angels in that scene for us in
00:24:09.597 --> 00:24:12.533
The book of acts, but it seems very clear to me that there's a
00:24:12.533 --> 00:24:15.669
Whole squad, a whole group of angels that have been released
00:24:15.669 --> 00:24:18.672
To get peter out of that cell.
00:24:18.672 --> 00:24:21.275
They've already killed james.
00:24:21.275 --> 00:24:25.713
Gabriel, the angel that came in the gospel.
00:24:25.713 --> 00:24:28.382
We just celebrated the christmas season not too long ago, with
00:24:28.382 --> 00:24:31.352
Messages for mary, for joseph, for zechariah, i mean, their
00:24:31.352 --> 00:24:38.225
Physical lives, the course of their lives, the birthdays they
00:24:38.225 --> 00:24:41.562
Celebrated for the rest of their existence under the sun were
00:24:41.562 --> 00:24:44.365
Shaped because of a message from an angel.
00:24:44.365 --> 00:24:48.202
The demons knew who jesus was, time after time, setting after
00:24:48.202 --> 00:24:52.206
Setting, "we know who you are."
00:24:52.206 --> 00:24:56.243
The high priest couldn't figure it out.
00:24:56.243 --> 00:25:01.515
Satan understands the authority that he held over the kingdoms
00:25:01.515 --> 00:25:06.353
Of this world better than the high priest did.
00:25:06.353 --> 00:25:11.325
That gives me pause.
00:25:11.325 --> 00:25:13.694
You can be steeped in religious tradition and training and
00:25:13.694 --> 00:25:16.263
Learning, and spend your life in those professional settings, and
00:25:16.263 --> 00:25:19.466
Be amazingly unaware, if not just completely ignorant.
00:25:19.466 --> 00:25:23.337
I don't wanna do that.
00:25:23.337 --> 00:25:25.806
The demons understood jesus's authority, they said, "have you
00:25:25.806 --> 00:25:28.275
Come to destroy us?"
00:25:28.275 --> 00:25:30.811
Again, the fabric of scripture is about this kind of a
00:25:30.811 --> 00:25:34.014
Spiritual conflict.
00:25:34.014 --> 00:25:35.382
So, if you and i have been invited into some sort of a
00:25:35.382 --> 00:25:37.751
Christianity that doesn't make space for this, we've been
00:25:37.751 --> 00:25:42.990
Sitting in the church, basking in the glow, looking for
00:25:42.990 --> 00:25:50.197
A little shade from the heat, completely unaware of the power
00:25:50.197 --> 00:25:56.604
That's been invested in us, that is needed in our world to take
00:25:56.604 --> 00:26:00.107
Our stand against evil.
00:26:00.107 --> 00:26:04.612
Let's do difficult.
00:26:04.612 --> 00:26:06.480
Allen: hey we have a tool that we think will help
00:26:07.615 --> 00:26:10.117
Strengthen you in this season.
00:26:10.117 --> 00:26:11.919
A lot of confusion and chaos in our world,
00:26:11.919 --> 00:26:13.687
A lot of fear.
00:26:13.687 --> 00:26:15.089
I hear from people every day battling in their minds,
00:26:15.089 --> 00:26:18.025
In their lives with the uncertainty of our world.
00:26:18.025 --> 00:26:21.328
Well, it's a booklet called "awaken us."
00:26:21.328 --> 00:26:22.896
It's a 30 day plan, every day has a theme with a scripture,
00:26:22.896 --> 00:26:26.033
A little devotional, and a prayer for that specific theme.
00:26:26.033 --> 00:26:29.536
The idea is that every day we're gonna ask the spirit of god
00:26:29.536 --> 00:26:32.306
To awaken us to a new aspect of god's provision in our lives.
00:26:32.306 --> 00:26:37.277
You know, hopefully we wake up everyday to the opportunities
00:26:37.277 --> 00:26:40.147
And the challenges of that day.
00:26:40.147 --> 00:26:42.249
Well, this is gonna correspond to that.
00:26:42.249 --> 00:26:43.651
We're gonna ask the spirit of god to awaken us
00:26:43.651 --> 00:26:45.686
To what god is doing in this season.
00:26:45.686 --> 00:26:48.489
We're not alone and we don't have to be overcome by fear.
00:26:48.489 --> 00:26:51.759
Let's pray.
00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:53.093
Father, i thank you that there's nothing
00:26:53.093 --> 00:26:54.762
That confronts us that intimidates
00:26:54.762 --> 00:26:56.730
Or threatens you.
00:26:56.730 --> 00:26:58.132
That you have made provision for complete victory
00:26:58.132 --> 00:27:00.601
In every aspect of our lives.
00:27:00.601 --> 00:27:02.636
Lead us now as we turn our faces to you
00:27:02.636 --> 00:27:05.372
To a season of peace and hope and wholeness
00:27:05.372 --> 00:27:08.008
In jesus's name, amen.
00:27:08.008 --> 00:27:10.477
This book, it'll be a blessing.
00:27:10.477 --> 00:27:12.479
♪♪♪
00:27:12.479 --> 00:27:24.925
Cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.aberdeen.io
00:27:22.489 --> 00:27:29.963

Allen Jackson - Dreams and Visions (Part 1)

July 15, 2025 | 28:35

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