Michael Youssef passionately proclaims uncompromising truth from God’s Word. Learn more at LTW.org.
#Religion
#Fruitful
#Pride
#Anointing
#Control
#Word of God
#First Love
#Reputation
#Supernatural
#Michael Youssef
#2 Kings 6:5-6
#Luke 12:15
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Michael Youssef | Experiencing Restoration | October 27, 2021
- [male whispering] Supernatural, supernatural,
- 00:00:01.317 --> 00:00:04.320
- supernatural.
- 00:00:04.320 --> 00:00:06.489
- male: "I was chopping a log for the new student house
- 00:00:06.556 --> 00:00:08.525
- for Elisha the prophet when the ax had flew off
- 00:00:08.525 --> 00:00:11.161
- into the Jordan River.
- 00:00:11.161 --> 00:00:13.563
- I shouted, 'Elisha, help.'
- 00:00:13.563 --> 00:00:16.833
- He threw a branch into the muddy water,
- 00:00:16.833 --> 00:00:18.701
- and the ax had floated to the top."
- 00:00:18.701 --> 00:00:21.171
- It was amazing.
- 00:00:21.171 --> 00:00:23.339
- God is supernatural.
- 00:00:23.406 --> 00:00:25.041
- ♪♪♪
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- male announcer: Coming up next.
- 00:00:27.844 --> 00:00:29.179
- ♪♪♪
- 00:00:29.179 --> 00:00:32.682
- Dr. Youssef: Preorder your book, "Empowered by Praise."
- 00:00:32.682 --> 00:00:36.653
- You will be blessed out of your socks
- 00:00:36.653 --> 00:00:39.355
- because I know the blessings that comes from knowing
- 00:00:39.355 --> 00:00:44.127
- how to bless the Lord,
- 00:00:44.127 --> 00:00:46.129
- how to praise the Lord, and the Lord taught me
- 00:00:46.129 --> 00:00:49.199
- that lesson 22 years ago
- 00:00:49.199 --> 00:00:51.267
- out of the crucible of suffering.
- 00:00:51.267 --> 00:00:53.369
- So I want you to preorder, "Empowered by Praise."
- 00:00:53.369 --> 00:00:58.208
- May you be empowered by praising God.
- 00:00:58.208 --> 00:01:01.077
- announcer: The world is seeming more on edge than ever.
- 00:01:03.213 --> 00:01:05.748
- Amidst discouraging cultural change,
- 00:01:05.748 --> 00:01:07.817
- it's easy to find ourselves dissatisfied,
- 00:01:07.817 --> 00:01:10.453
- perhaps even at a crossroad in our faith.
- 00:01:10.453 --> 00:01:13.089
- You may be missing out on the most thrilling
- 00:01:13.089 --> 00:01:14.824
- and most satisfying part of the Christian walk.
- 00:01:14.824 --> 00:01:17.627
- In this special 20th anniversary edition of his foundational book
- 00:01:17.627 --> 00:01:21.030
- "Empowered by Praise," Dr. Michael Youssef
- 00:01:21.030 --> 00:01:23.533
- will guide you into a richer understanding of God
- 00:01:23.533 --> 00:01:26.536
- that will forever change your relationship with him.
- 00:01:26.536 --> 00:01:29.672
- Filled with practical scriptural guidance
- 00:01:29.672 --> 00:01:31.374
- and stories from his own personal life,
- 00:01:31.374 --> 00:01:33.943
- Dr. Youssef's book explores the blessings, challenges,
- 00:01:33.943 --> 00:01:37.514
- and power of praise.
- 00:01:37.514 --> 00:01:39.015
- This 20th anniversary edition of Dr. Youssef's powerful book
- 00:01:39.015 --> 00:01:42.051
- will help you refocus and joyfully pursue God's glory.
- 00:01:42.051 --> 00:01:46.456
- For your gift of any amount, you can preorder your copy
- 00:01:46.456 --> 00:01:49.459
- of "Empowered by Praise."
- 00:01:49.459 --> 00:01:51.427
- Discover how praise can lift you above difficult circumstances
- 00:01:51.427 --> 00:01:54.931
- and transport you into God's presence and power.
- 00:01:54.931 --> 00:01:58.701
- Contact us today to get your own copy of, "Empowered by Praise."
- 00:01:58.701 --> 00:02:02.238
- ♪♪♪
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- ♪♪♪
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- Dr. Michael Youssef: One of the saddest things in life is to see
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- a once vibrant believer who is now going through the motions,
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- the Christian motions.
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- One of the saddest things in life is to see a person
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- who was once a light for Christ now an amber.
- 00:02:42.145 --> 00:02:45.715
- One of the saddest things for me to see is a believer
- 00:02:45.782 --> 00:02:50.453
- who confuses activities for effectiveness,
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- who confuses activities with fruitfulness,
- 00:02:53.389 --> 00:02:56.926
- who confuses activities for accomplishments.
- 00:02:56.926 --> 00:03:00.129
- Here is a biblical fact: God is not interested in activity
- 00:03:03.967 --> 00:03:08.271
- for activities sake.
- 00:03:08.271 --> 00:03:09.806
- God is looking for effectiveness,
- 00:03:10.974 --> 00:03:12.842
- God is looking for fruit-bearing life.
- 00:03:12.842 --> 00:03:16.145
- God is looking to the heart first,
- 00:03:16.145 --> 00:03:19.816
- then the hand.
- 00:03:19.816 --> 00:03:21.184
- My greatest concern is for those believers
- 00:03:22.652 --> 00:03:26.022
- who have lost their effectiveness,
- 00:03:26.022 --> 00:03:29.959
- but they don't know it.
- 00:03:29.959 --> 00:03:33.229
- It's okay if you know it, but the ones--
- 00:03:33.229 --> 00:03:39.102
- that breaks my heart are the ones
- 00:03:39.102 --> 00:03:41.037
- who have lost their effectiveness,
- 00:03:41.037 --> 00:03:42.538
- but they don't know it.
- 00:03:42.538 --> 00:03:45.308
- Because, at that point of their religious activities,
- 00:03:45.308 --> 00:03:49.379
- it becomes a coverup for fruitlessness.
- 00:03:49.379 --> 00:03:53.082
- And today's message in the series, I am calling it,
- 00:03:55.018 --> 00:03:57.787
- "It Is Supernatural", we'll see an example
- 00:03:57.787 --> 00:04:01.491
- of a loss of effectiveness.
- 00:04:01.491 --> 00:04:04.460
- Oh, but more importantly, listen to me,
- 00:04:04.460 --> 00:04:06.496
- don't let the devil get your mind on the loss
- 00:04:06.496 --> 00:04:09.165
- of effectiveness and stay there,
- 00:04:09.165 --> 00:04:11.834
- because the most important part of what I'm going to tell you
- 00:04:11.834 --> 00:04:14.404
- today from the Word of God is,
- 00:04:14.404 --> 00:04:16.472
- how to get that effectiveness restored.
- 00:04:16.472 --> 00:04:19.008
- Turn with me to 2 Kings chapter 6,
- 00:04:20.743 --> 00:04:24.914
- verses 1 to 7.
- 00:04:24.914 --> 00:04:26.282
- 2 Kings.
- 00:04:26.749 --> 00:04:28.484
- Now, in the last message, I told you that I'm skipping
- 00:04:28.484 --> 00:04:32.422
- those seven verses deliberately, and I went into verses 8 to 23.
- 00:04:32.422 --> 00:04:38.828
- There is a method in my madness, and you'll discover it
- 00:04:38.828 --> 00:04:40.930
- at some point if you haven't already, heh.
- 00:04:40.930 --> 00:04:45.201
- But today, I said I'll come back to those first seven verses,
- 00:04:45.201 --> 00:04:49.372
- and I pray that this Word of God will lift you up
- 00:04:49.372 --> 00:04:53.609
- to the very portals of heaven as you leave this place, amen.
- 00:04:53.609 --> 00:04:59.949
- The prophet Elisha, in addition to his prophetic office,
- 00:04:59.949 --> 00:05:07.156
- he also was a president of a Bible college,
- 00:05:07.156 --> 00:05:11.627
- and that Bible college was having a large enrollment.
- 00:05:11.627 --> 00:05:15.832
- It was growing and growing fast, and with the growth,
- 00:05:15.832 --> 00:05:20.536
- numerical growth, came the need for expansion,
- 00:05:20.536 --> 00:05:23.840
- a physical expansion, extension for the students
- 00:05:23.840 --> 00:05:27.643
- who are coming into that Bible college.
- 00:05:27.643 --> 00:05:31.381
- In verse 1, we read, "They said, 'We need the place
- 00:05:31.381 --> 00:05:37.353
- to be enlarged, to care for the enlarged capacity
- 00:05:37.353 --> 00:05:41.624
- that we have in our growth."
- 00:05:41.624 --> 00:05:43.726
- Verse 3 and 4, "The president of the college, prophet Elisha,
- 00:05:43.726 --> 00:05:48.164
- organized a working program."
- 00:05:48.164 --> 00:05:51.701
- Verse 5, "One of them, he was cutting wood
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- for the building, when the iron ax head
- 00:05:56.606 --> 00:06:00.443
- fell in the murky water of the River Jordan.
- 00:06:00.443 --> 00:06:04.113
- But when the iron ax head got loose and it fell in that
- 00:06:04.113 --> 00:06:08.651
- murky water, the man cried out to the prophet of God, Elisha,
- 00:06:08.651 --> 00:06:13.956
- 'Master, it is borrowed.
- 00:06:13.956 --> 00:06:17.660
- It is not mine.
- 00:06:17.660 --> 00:06:20.096
- It was borrowed.
- 00:06:20.096 --> 00:06:22.131
- I have lost that which was entrusted to me.'"
- 00:06:22.131 --> 00:06:26.135
- And some of you are probably saying,
- 00:06:26.135 --> 00:06:27.470
- "Well, Michael, what is this nice story
- 00:06:27.470 --> 00:06:29.272
- from 3.000 years ago has to do with people who use the Internet
- 00:06:29.272 --> 00:06:33.209
- and smartphones, electronics, the electronic age,
- 00:06:33.209 --> 00:06:36.913
- and moving with the speed of lightning?"
- 00:06:36.913 --> 00:06:39.749
- Just be patient with me.
- 00:06:39.749 --> 00:06:42.185
- This ax head represented this man's effectiveness.
- 00:06:42.185 --> 00:06:46.589
- This ax head represented this man's cutting edge in serving.
- 00:06:46.589 --> 00:06:51.227
- This ax head represented this man's usefulness for God.
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- This ax head represented this man's fruitfulness
- 00:06:55.832 --> 00:06:59.469
- in serving God.
- 00:06:59.469 --> 00:07:01.270
- This ax head represented this man's equipping for service.
- 00:07:01.270 --> 00:07:06.576
- This ax head represented this man's productivity
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- in the work of God.
- 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:12.448
- Let me ask you this.
- 00:07:12.448 --> 00:07:13.783
- Please answer it yourself.
- 00:07:13.783 --> 00:07:15.117
- Please, please, have you lost your impact
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- for Christ among your peers?
- 00:07:18.354 --> 00:07:21.624
- Have you lost your effectiveness as a parent?
- 00:07:21.624 --> 00:07:25.928
- Have you lost your effectiveness for Christ in your workplace
- 00:07:25.928 --> 00:07:29.832
- or on your campus or in your neighborhood?
- 00:07:29.832 --> 00:07:34.370
- But, oh, yes, you might be still busy.
- 00:07:34.370 --> 00:07:37.039
- You may be engrossed in hyperactivities as ever.
- 00:07:37.039 --> 00:07:40.877
- Oh, you might be still spinning your wheels.
- 00:07:40.877 --> 00:07:44.146
- Oh, people might look at you, and they said,
- 00:07:44.146 --> 00:07:46.682
- "Oh, isn't she busy?
- 00:07:46.682 --> 00:07:48.351
- Isn't he busy?"
- 00:07:48.351 --> 00:07:49.685
- And they involve active serving, doing, but deep down,
- 00:07:49.685 --> 00:07:54.156
- when you're all alone with God, you know that you have lost
- 00:07:54.156 --> 00:08:02.098
- your anointing, that you have lost your power with God,
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- that you have lost your cutting edge,
- 00:08:06.536 --> 00:08:08.204
- that you have lost your effectiveness.
- 00:08:08.204 --> 00:08:10.973
- Well, as I said, I have fantastic news for you today.
- 00:08:10.973 --> 00:08:16.045
- You can regain your effectiveness.
- 00:08:16.045 --> 00:08:19.415
- You can regain your sharpness.
- 00:08:19.415 --> 00:08:21.617
- You can regain your cutting edge.
- 00:08:21.617 --> 00:08:24.587
- You can regain your anointing in whatever service
- 00:08:24.587 --> 00:08:28.591
- that God called you to do.
- 00:08:28.591 --> 00:08:30.393
- You can regain your ax head.
- 00:08:30.393 --> 00:08:32.929
- Look at verse 5, 2 Kings 6:5.
- 00:08:32.929 --> 00:08:36.332
- The man who lost his ax head immediately recognized
- 00:08:36.332 --> 00:08:40.269
- that he lost his cutting edge.
- 00:08:40.269 --> 00:08:42.138
- He didn't just keep going with the shaft, no.
- 00:08:42.138 --> 00:08:45.107
- And the next thing he acknowledged
- 00:08:45.107 --> 00:08:47.109
- that it was borrowed, that, really, it was not his.
- 00:08:47.109 --> 00:08:50.980
- Our greatest stumbling block, your greatest--
- 00:08:50.980 --> 00:08:53.282
- my greatest stumbling block is pride and hyperactivities.
- 00:08:53.282 --> 00:08:58.888
- What do I mean by that?
- 00:08:58.888 --> 00:09:01.057
- Admitting that hyperactivities is not the same
- 00:09:01.057 --> 00:09:05.328
- as effectiveness is half of the battle.
- 00:09:05.328 --> 00:09:09.632
- Willingness to be truthful with God and with yourself
- 00:09:09.632 --> 00:09:13.769
- is half of the battle.
- 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:15.905
- Willingness to face facts and be realistic is half the battle.
- 00:09:15.905 --> 00:09:20.576
- Please hear me right on this one.
- 00:09:20.576 --> 00:09:21.944
- It's very important.
- 00:09:21.944 --> 00:09:24.914
- The one thing that we all do-- listen to me--we all do,
- 00:09:24.914 --> 00:09:33.789
- including your pastor, is either we forget
- 00:09:33.789 --> 00:09:43.532
- or deliberately ignore the fact that everything we have
- 00:09:43.532 --> 00:09:49.305
- is borrowed.
- 00:09:49.305 --> 00:09:51.874
- Everything we have is, what?
- 00:09:51.874 --> 00:09:56.312
- Forgetting this is the greatest stumbling block
- 00:09:56.312 --> 00:10:02.652
- for effectiveness.
- 00:10:02.652 --> 00:10:04.487
- The cars that you drove in this morning,
- 00:10:04.487 --> 00:10:07.323
- they're borrowed.
- 00:10:07.323 --> 00:10:09.492
- The clothes that you are wearing right now,
- 00:10:09.492 --> 00:10:11.894
- they are borrowed.
- 00:10:11.894 --> 00:10:13.996
- The houses that you live in, they are borrowed.
- 00:10:13.996 --> 00:10:17.099
- The man said to the prophet Elisha,
- 00:10:17.166 --> 00:10:19.001
- "Oh, Master, it was borrowed."
- 00:10:19.001 --> 00:10:23.172
- Here is the truth: Whether you have two pennies
- 00:10:23.172 --> 00:10:26.308
- to rub together or you have a million dollars,
- 00:10:26.308 --> 00:10:29.145
- it's borrowed.
- 00:10:29.145 --> 00:10:31.080
- Whether you live in a hut or in a mansion,
- 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:33.949
- it's borrowed.
- 00:10:33.949 --> 00:10:35.551
- Whether you are in excellent health or your body
- 00:10:35.551 --> 00:10:39.288
- is falling apart, it is borrowed.
- 00:10:39.288 --> 00:10:42.024
- Whether you have a string of degree,
- 00:10:42.024 --> 00:10:44.393
- academic degrees after your name,
- 00:10:44.393 --> 00:10:46.696
- or you never finished high school, it is borrowed.
- 00:10:46.696 --> 00:10:50.199
- Whether you sit in the executive suite or digging ditches,
- 00:10:50.199 --> 00:10:54.036
- it is borrowed.
- 00:10:54.036 --> 00:10:55.971
- And whether you minister to millions or to a dozen people,
- 00:10:55.971 --> 00:10:59.008
- it is borrowed.
- 00:10:59.008 --> 00:11:00.409
- "Oh, Master, it is borrowed."
- 00:11:00.409 --> 00:11:03.012
- Question: Can you discern the very first sign
- 00:11:03.012 --> 00:11:09.485
- of your loss of effectiveness?
- 00:11:09.485 --> 00:11:13.756
- Can you discern that?
- 00:11:13.756 --> 00:11:17.026
- Do you know the first time you began to lose your cutting edge?
- 00:11:17.026 --> 00:11:22.798
- You began to lose your fruitfulness for Christ.
- 00:11:22.798 --> 00:11:27.002
- You want to know how to recognize that first sign
- 00:11:27.002 --> 00:11:29.939
- of loss of a cutting edge in life?
- 00:11:29.939 --> 00:11:33.476
- Listen to me, do you want to know?
- 00:11:34.677 --> 00:11:37.713
- It's the moment you began to fall in the trap of thinking
- 00:11:39.014 --> 00:11:43.686
- that you are the owner, that you are the possessor,
- 00:11:43.686 --> 00:11:47.389
- that you're in charge, that you're in control.
- 00:11:47.389 --> 00:11:50.526
- The moment you fall in that trap of thinking that you own
- 00:11:50.526 --> 00:11:54.330
- your business, that you own your money, that you own your house,
- 00:11:54.330 --> 00:11:57.533
- that you own your family, that you own your health,
- 00:11:57.533 --> 00:12:00.035
- that you own your life, that's the beginning
- 00:12:00.035 --> 00:12:02.404
- of the downward spiral of ineffectiveness.
- 00:12:02.404 --> 00:12:06.642
- One of the main reasons why there are very people tithe
- 00:12:06.642 --> 00:12:10.880
- and give offering to the Lord, one of the main reasons
- 00:12:10.880 --> 00:12:14.150
- why believers are not truly generous with God and God's work
- 00:12:14.150 --> 00:12:18.754
- is precisely because they fall in that trap of thinking
- 00:12:18.754 --> 00:12:22.658
- that they are the owners, that they are in control
- 00:12:22.658 --> 00:12:27.029
- of the blessings that God is lending them.
- 00:12:27.029 --> 00:12:31.500
- "Oh, Master, it was borrowed."
- 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:34.336
- Can you say that with me?
- 00:12:34.336 --> 00:12:36.172
- "Oh, Master, it is borrowed."
- 00:12:36.172 --> 00:12:39.041
- Now, beloved, I know debt is a huge problem in our society.
- 00:12:39.041 --> 00:12:44.146
- I know that people borrow money that they have no way
- 00:12:44.146 --> 00:12:48.150
- of paying it back.
- 00:12:48.150 --> 00:12:50.286
- Such debt is a national cancer.
- 00:12:50.286 --> 00:12:53.222
- Such debt is a marriage destroyer.
- 00:12:53.222 --> 00:12:56.125
- Such debt is a killer of friendship.
- 00:12:56.125 --> 00:12:58.761
- Such debt can be disastrous.
- 00:12:58.761 --> 00:13:01.630
- Credit card companies e-mail you and mail you hooks
- 00:13:01.630 --> 00:13:06.235
- every day, and every 30 days they pull,
- 00:13:06.235 --> 00:13:11.473
- yank the chain, and that is why Jesus said
- 00:13:11.473 --> 00:13:14.844
- in Luke 12:15,
- 00:13:14.844 --> 00:13:16.645
- "Take heed and beware of the covetousness,
- 00:13:16.645 --> 00:13:20.983
- for man's life consists not of the abundance of things
- 00:13:20.983 --> 00:13:25.988
- we possess."
- 00:13:25.988 --> 00:13:27.356
- How are you managing?
- 00:13:28.657 --> 00:13:31.293
- The blessings of God lets you borrow from him.
- 00:13:31.293 --> 00:13:35.965
- How are you managing all of the things
- 00:13:35.965 --> 00:13:40.536
- that he lets you borrow from his storehouse?
- 00:13:40.536 --> 00:13:43.973
- "Oh, Master, it is borrowed."
- 00:13:43.973 --> 00:13:47.509
- This was the cry of this man.
- 00:13:47.509 --> 00:13:50.679
- It indicates that he recognized that he was under obligation.
- 00:13:50.679 --> 00:13:55.684
- He faced his sense of responsibility.
- 00:13:55.684 --> 00:14:00.756
- This man recognized that he is responsible,
- 00:14:00.756 --> 00:14:03.692
- not only for the task but also for the tools.
- 00:14:03.692 --> 00:14:07.830
- This man did not lose his cutting edge
- 00:14:07.830 --> 00:14:11.066
- because of laziness, no, no.
- 00:14:11.066 --> 00:14:18.641
- This man did not lose his effectiveness
- 00:14:18.641 --> 00:14:20.910
- by staying home or playing golf on Sunday
- 00:14:20.910 --> 00:14:23.612
- instead of going to church.
- 00:14:23.612 --> 00:14:25.714
- Now, that will do it.
- 00:14:25.714 --> 00:14:27.650
- It will do it.
- 00:14:27.650 --> 00:14:29.418
- But this man did not lose his impact just for doing nothing,
- 00:14:33.656 --> 00:14:39.695
- no, no, no, no, no.
- 00:14:39.695 --> 00:14:41.096
- Probably he was the busiest in the bunch.
- 00:14:41.096 --> 00:14:44.199
- Probably he was the master of hyperactivities.
- 00:14:44.199 --> 00:14:49.605
- Probably people pointed out to him and said, "Look at him,
- 00:14:49.605 --> 00:14:53.509
- how active he is, how involved he is, how prominent he is."
- 00:14:53.509 --> 00:14:58.180
- Oh, be very careful.
- 00:14:58.180 --> 00:15:02.952
- What I'm gonna tell you is not gonna come as news
- 00:15:02.952 --> 00:15:06.822
- to any of you, so I'm basically stating the obvious.
- 00:15:06.822 --> 00:15:13.062
- There are churches all over the world, all over this place,
- 00:15:13.062 --> 00:15:18.801
- that are now hub of activities, but there is no Gospel light.
- 00:15:18.801 --> 00:15:25.341
- There are churches all around that are filled
- 00:15:26.809 --> 00:15:29.278
- with social activities, but not the Word of God.
- 00:15:29.278 --> 00:15:33.849
- There are churches all around us that have lost their spiritual
- 00:15:33.916 --> 00:15:37.987
- and biblical effectiveness, oh, yeah,
- 00:15:37.987 --> 00:15:40.789
- but they're marching around, and around, and around,
- 00:15:40.789 --> 00:15:43.392
- like the caterpillars around the rim of the flower pot.
- 00:15:43.392 --> 00:15:47.429
- Oh, but they did not start this way.
- 00:15:48.998 --> 00:15:51.233
- They did not start this way.
- 00:15:51.233 --> 00:15:52.868
- They all started with wanting to change the world for Christ.
- 00:15:52.868 --> 00:15:55.671
- They all started by wanting to be effective for Christ.
- 00:15:55.671 --> 00:15:58.240
- They all started by wanting to make a difference for Christ,
- 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:00.776
- but then slowly but surely,
- 00:16:00.776 --> 00:16:05.347
- they've lost their biblical sword,
- 00:16:05.347 --> 00:16:07.816
- the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
- 00:16:07.816 --> 00:16:11.353
- This man was so actively busy that he did not take the time
- 00:16:11.353 --> 00:16:17.826
- to notice that the ax head was getting loose.
- 00:16:17.826 --> 00:16:23.265
- I wanna show you.
- 00:16:23.265 --> 00:16:26.468
- This looks like the one that he used.
- 00:16:26.468 --> 00:16:29.505
- It's old.
- 00:16:29.505 --> 00:16:33.409
- This thing was slackening.
- 00:16:33.409 --> 00:16:36.812
- It was getting loose, obviously, for a long time,
- 00:16:36.812 --> 00:16:40.349
- but he didn't take time to check it out.
- 00:16:40.349 --> 00:16:43.986
- He did not take time to realize or pay attention
- 00:16:43.986 --> 00:16:48.690
- to the slackness between the ax head and the shaft.
- 00:16:48.690 --> 00:16:58.667
- He probably lost his anointing long ago.
- 00:16:58.667 --> 00:17:05.107
- See, he did not heed the warning that the ax head
- 00:17:05.107 --> 00:17:09.578
- is getting loose.
- 00:17:09.578 --> 00:17:11.747
- No, no.
- 00:17:11.747 --> 00:17:13.248
- Now, my beloved friends, listen to me: If I stop here,
- 00:17:13.248 --> 00:17:18.053
- I would be sinning against you and sinning, above all,
- 00:17:18.053 --> 00:17:20.889
- against God.
- 00:17:20.889 --> 00:17:22.825
- But thank God the story does not end here.
- 00:17:22.825 --> 00:17:26.428
- The man recovered his loss.
- 00:17:26.428 --> 00:17:30.799
- I cannot tell you how many times I recovered my losses.
- 00:17:30.799 --> 00:17:39.341
- I praise God every day for a new day
- 00:17:42.511 --> 00:17:46.014
- in which I could recover whatever is lost the day before.
- 00:17:46.014 --> 00:17:50.552
- The first thing this man did was to recognize
- 00:17:50.552 --> 00:17:53.555
- that he lost his effectiveness.
- 00:17:53.555 --> 00:17:56.325
- First, he came to the point of recognition
- 00:17:56.325 --> 00:17:59.862
- that he is going through the motions without the ax head.
- 00:17:59.862 --> 00:18:03.966
- Look at verse 6.
- 00:18:03.966 --> 00:18:05.901
- Can't miss it.
- 00:18:05.901 --> 00:18:07.736
- 2 Kings 6:6, very easy to remember.
- 00:18:07.736 --> 00:18:11.206
- "Elisha asked him, 'Where did it fall?
- 00:18:12.641 --> 00:18:17.613
- Where did it fall?'"
- 00:18:17.613 --> 00:18:19.114
- Beloved, listen to me, always go back to where you have fallen.
- 00:18:19.114 --> 00:18:22.651
- Always go back to where you began to lose
- 00:18:24.119 --> 00:18:26.388
- your effectiveness.
- 00:18:26.388 --> 00:18:28.257
- Always go back to where you have lost your first love.
- 00:18:28.257 --> 00:18:31.026
- Always go back to the beginning when you had moved
- 00:18:31.026 --> 00:18:34.930
- from effectiveness to hyperactivities.
- 00:18:34.930 --> 00:18:39.468
- Oh, caring for your reputation
- 00:18:39.468 --> 00:18:42.304
- more than the reputation of Jesus.
- 00:18:42.304 --> 00:18:45.908
- You know what I'm talkin' about?
- 00:18:45.908 --> 00:18:49.845
- The man showed Elisha.
- 00:18:49.845 --> 00:18:53.081
- I'm sure it was proximate because that water is so murky,
- 00:18:53.081 --> 00:18:58.220
- you certainly not see it, yet he should show him
- 00:18:58.220 --> 00:19:02.124
- the approximation.
- 00:19:02.124 --> 00:19:03.859
- That's the title of this series, "It Is Supernatural,"
- 00:19:03.859 --> 00:19:07.896
- and just like the folks in Israel at that time
- 00:19:07.896 --> 00:19:11.233
- in their history have lost the awe and wonder of Yahweh,
- 00:19:11.233 --> 00:19:16.205
- have lost their fidelity to God's Word,
- 00:19:16.205 --> 00:19:20.375
- they have lost their commitment to their God,
- 00:19:20.375 --> 00:19:23.579
- the God of miracles, who brought them out of Egypt,
- 00:19:23.579 --> 00:19:28.150
- we in this 21st century are coming into that age,
- 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:33.422
- and we need to go back to our God of power and might.
- 00:19:33.422 --> 00:19:38.060
- Can I get an "Amen"?
- 00:19:38.060 --> 00:19:40.829
- May he renew every one of us today
- 00:19:40.829 --> 00:19:43.765
- with his supernatural power.
- 00:19:43.765 --> 00:19:46.068
- Here's the supernatural act of God.
- 00:19:46.068 --> 00:19:48.870
- Here's the supernatural work of God in this situation.
- 00:19:48.870 --> 00:19:53.976
- This is important.
- 00:19:53.976 --> 00:19:55.310
- Don't miss it. Don't miss it.
- 00:19:55.310 --> 00:19:57.512
- "Elisha took a branch of tree."
- 00:19:57.512 --> 00:19:59.848
- That's the literal translation, that he cut it down,
- 00:19:59.848 --> 00:20:04.319
- and he placed it on the surface of the water where the man
- 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:07.122
- lost his iron.
- 00:20:07.122 --> 00:20:13.362
- And here is the supernatural:
- 00:20:13.362 --> 00:20:15.831
- The iron floated above the water.
- 00:20:15.831 --> 00:20:18.967
- You say, "Every scientist will say it's impossible."
- 00:20:18.967 --> 00:20:21.637
- I agree, but our God is a supernatural scientist.
- 00:20:21.637 --> 00:20:27.442
- Our God is above the science.
- 00:20:27.442 --> 00:20:30.245
- Restoration is like salvation.
- 00:20:30.245 --> 00:20:33.282
- It is always supernatural.
- 00:20:33.282 --> 00:20:35.684
- It cannot happen in the flesh.
- 00:20:35.684 --> 00:20:37.653
- No matter how much you tried, no matter
- 00:20:37.653 --> 00:20:40.155
- how you promise yourself you're gonna do better,
- 00:20:40.155 --> 00:20:42.591
- no matter what you try with your own efforts,
- 00:20:42.591 --> 00:20:45.527
- it does not work.
- 00:20:45.527 --> 00:20:46.928
- It has to be the work of the super--
- 00:20:46.928 --> 00:20:48.964
- What? Natural.
- 00:20:48.964 --> 00:20:51.433
- Are you carrying bitterness in your heart, in your life,
- 00:20:51.433 --> 00:20:56.505
- and walking around feeling victimized?
- 00:20:56.505 --> 00:21:05.747
- Are you carrying jealousy, envy or greed,
- 00:21:05.747 --> 00:21:09.184
- or whatever it may be?
- 00:21:09.184 --> 00:21:11.119
- You're walking around with it and you say,
- 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:12.788
- "Oh, no, no, I've taken care of this."
- 00:21:12.788 --> 00:21:14.456
- Are you covetous of what somebody else has?
- 00:21:14.456 --> 00:21:18.527
- Are you withholding what belongs to God?
- 00:21:18.527 --> 00:21:20.929
- Listen to me, listen to me, the only answer is this:
- 00:21:20.929 --> 00:21:28.870
- The place of departure is the place of recovery.
- 00:21:28.870 --> 00:21:36.712
- Is there a phone call that you need to make?
- 00:21:36.712 --> 00:21:40.649
- Make it today.
- 00:21:40.649 --> 00:21:43.919
- Is there a letter that you need to write?
- 00:21:43.919 --> 00:21:46.221
- Write it today.
- 00:21:46.221 --> 00:21:48.457
- Is there a visit that you need to make?
- 00:21:48.457 --> 00:21:50.292
- Make it today.
- 00:21:50.292 --> 00:21:52.227
- Whatever it takes, whatever you need to do, do it.
- 00:21:52.227 --> 00:21:57.966
- Do whatever it takes so that God can begin to restore
- 00:21:57.966 --> 00:22:01.503
- your effectiveness, begin to restore your anointing,
- 00:22:01.503 --> 00:22:04.873
- begin to restore your cutting edge.
- 00:22:04.873 --> 00:22:07.576
- But there's something else of vital importance here.
- 00:22:08.844 --> 00:22:12.581
- See, long time ago, I realized that words that I speak
- 00:22:12.581 --> 00:22:20.956
- cannot move you, and it will not move you.
- 00:22:20.956 --> 00:22:23.191
- Now, when I was a young preacher,
- 00:22:23.191 --> 00:22:24.760
- like a lot of young preachers, my goodness gracious,
- 00:22:24.760 --> 00:22:26.795
- I thought people hanging on every word I say.
- 00:22:26.795 --> 00:22:30.132
- Oh, you get older, and you're like, "Uh-uh."
- 00:22:30.132 --> 00:22:32.734
- Ha-hah, doesn't work that way.
- 00:22:32.734 --> 00:22:35.070
- Long ago, I realized that only God can move us.
- 00:22:35.070 --> 00:22:42.544
- Only the Holy Spirit can return us to effectiveness.
- 00:22:42.544 --> 00:22:46.681
- Only the Holy Spirit can restore the lost joy in the service.
- 00:22:46.681 --> 00:22:52.220
- And that is why Elisha placed the branch of the tree
- 00:22:55.357 --> 00:23:00.262
- on the water, and that's where the ax head floated.
- 00:23:00.262 --> 00:23:07.669
- Why?
- 00:23:07.669 --> 00:23:09.171
- Because only Jesus Christ, the branch of David,
- 00:23:09.171 --> 00:23:13.508
- can perform miracles.
- 00:23:13.508 --> 00:23:15.577
- Only Jesus Christ, the branch of David,
- 00:23:15.577 --> 00:23:18.480
- can make the ax head of our effectiveness,
- 00:23:18.480 --> 00:23:21.650
- possibility to float again.
- 00:23:21.650 --> 00:23:24.186
- Only the tree upon which the Lord Jesus Christ,
- 00:23:24.186 --> 00:23:28.123
- the cross where he hung, only there, there's redemption.
- 00:23:28.123 --> 00:23:32.527
- Only there, there's forgiveness.
- 00:23:32.527 --> 00:23:34.262
- Only there, there's restoration.
- 00:23:34.262 --> 00:23:36.364
- It is only the branch of David, who had died on that tree,
- 00:23:36.364 --> 00:23:40.669
- can restore the loss of fruitfulness.
- 00:23:40.669 --> 00:23:43.905
- Only the cross of Christ can lift the heavy metal
- 00:23:43.905 --> 00:23:47.843
- of your effectiveness and make it float again.
- 00:23:47.843 --> 00:23:51.980
- When you have lost your effectiveness for Christ,
- 00:23:56.017 --> 00:23:58.787
- go back.
- 00:23:58.787 --> 00:24:01.056
- Go back, say, "Lord Jesus, the branch of David, I confess.
- 00:24:01.056 --> 00:24:07.395
- Lord Jesus, the branch of David, I acknowledge.
- 00:24:07.395 --> 00:24:11.600
- Lord Jesus, the branch of David, I admit.
- 00:24:11.600 --> 00:24:14.603
- Lord Jesus, the branch of David, who hung on that tree, help me,
- 00:24:14.603 --> 00:24:22.244
- and help my life to be effective for you.
- 00:24:22.244 --> 00:24:26.047
- Let the ax head of my effectiveness float again.
- 00:24:26.047 --> 00:24:29.718
- Help me get the cutting edge of my life reestablished again.
- 00:24:29.718 --> 00:24:34.022
- Let your anointing fill me again.
- 00:24:34.022 --> 00:24:37.659
- Let the unction from heaven fill me again."
- 00:24:37.659 --> 00:24:41.196
- And once you make that confession
- 00:24:44.165 --> 00:24:46.468
- and whatever restitution you need to make, watch out.
- 00:24:46.468 --> 00:24:50.939
- Watch out.
- 00:24:50.939 --> 00:24:52.440
- I know this is not just only my testimony.
- 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:54.142
- I had testimony of many people here.
- 00:24:54.142 --> 00:24:56.578
- God is gonna move.
- 00:24:56.578 --> 00:24:58.947
- ♪♪♪
- 00:24:58.947 --> 00:25:09.224
- Billy Elliott: My name is Billy Elliott.
- 00:25:09.291 --> 00:25:10.625
- I've been pastoring for a number of years.
- 00:25:10.625 --> 00:25:12.794
- I'm originally from Belfast, livin--
- 00:25:12.794 --> 00:25:16.264
- As a family, we were going through a very difficult time.
- 00:25:16.264 --> 00:25:20.669
- My son is severely disabled with cerebral palsy,
- 00:25:20.669 --> 00:25:24.205
- and we couldn't get out to worship.
- 00:25:24.205 --> 00:25:26.207
- I couldn't minister other than to minister to my family.
- 00:25:26.207 --> 00:25:29.644
- I didn't know if I could continue in the ministry.
- 00:25:29.644 --> 00:25:32.647
- I didn't know what was going to happen.
- 00:25:32.647 --> 00:25:35.483
- We were pulled by members of my congregation.
- 00:25:35.483 --> 00:25:38.486
- Michael Youssef and I were on a similar way,
- 00:25:38.486 --> 00:25:40.956
- and they encouraged us to listen to,
- 00:25:40.956 --> 00:25:43.458
- "Leading the Way" broadcast.
- 00:25:43.458 --> 00:25:45.160
- Dr. Youssef: My beloved friends,
- 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:46.628
- when we allow the Word of God to rule our lives--
- 00:25:46.628 --> 00:25:49.798
- Billy: Michael believed the Word of God was the Word of God
- 00:25:49.798 --> 00:25:52.467
- and that, clearly, the Word of God not only saved,
- 00:25:52.467 --> 00:25:55.570
- but the Word of God provided a way of life and abundance.
- 00:25:55.570 --> 00:26:00.508
- And even though life was difficult and hard,
- 00:26:00.508 --> 00:26:03.278
- I have Christ, and that was what was all important.
- 00:26:03.278 --> 00:26:07.048
- Dr. Youssef: Are you discouraged and despondent?
- 00:26:07.115 --> 00:26:08.917
- The Word of God will make you victorious.
- 00:26:08.917 --> 00:26:11.786
- Are you sad?
- 00:26:11.786 --> 00:26:13.121
- The Word of God will give you joy unspeakable
- 00:26:13.121 --> 00:26:15.957
- in the midst of your sadness.
- 00:26:15.957 --> 00:26:17.759
- Are you lost?
- 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:19.227
- Well, the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet
- 00:26:19.227 --> 00:26:21.463
- and will guide you to salvation.
- 00:26:21.463 --> 00:26:23.465
- Billy: The Word of God is not only the part of God
- 00:26:23.465 --> 00:26:26.401
- unto salvation to everyone who believes, but the means
- 00:26:26.401 --> 00:26:29.204
- whereby we live, following salvation,
- 00:26:29.204 --> 00:26:32.374
- and that really spoke to my heart and encouraged us.
- 00:26:32.374 --> 00:26:36.244
- male announcer: "Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef,"
- 00:26:36.311 --> 00:26:38.680
- passionately proclaims the truth of the Gospel
- 00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:41.483
- all over the world,
- 00:26:41.483 --> 00:26:43.251
- encouraging and strengthening believers' faith
- 00:26:43.251 --> 00:26:45.787
- with the powerful Word of God wherever you are
- 00:26:45.787 --> 00:26:48.957
- across every major form of media.
- 00:26:48.957 --> 00:26:51.259
- "Leading the Way" is there to provide good news
- 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:54.229
- you can build your life on.
- 00:26:54.229 --> 00:26:56.464
- To hear more encouraging stories, like this one,
- 00:26:56.464 --> 00:26:59.034
- or hear powerful messages from Dr. Youssef,
- 00:26:59.034 --> 00:27:02.103
- contact us today.
- 00:27:02.103 --> 00:27:03.772
- ♪♪♪
- 00:27:03.772 --> 00:27:03.772