John the Baptist spoke for us all when he said of Christ, “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The path to power is a relinquishment of selfish desires which hinder our Christian Walk. We must cast off the sin which so easily besets us and enter into righteousness, which Christ has already prepared for us. This takes commitment and sacrifice, the question is, are you willing to pay the price? Join Carl now for the second part of this three-part series…
Here is a complete transcript of the broadcast (below)…
Friend, we’re going to jump in swiftly to my second part of the message, Have You Surrendered All? Some of us are trying to be the man or the woman, but we need to let the Lord mold us and shape us into who we should be. It’s a yielding mentality. The older you get, the faster you make decisions or wrong decisions, the more impact they’re going to have, okay? That’s why as you get older, decisions are important, and that’s why we need to seek the Lord on those decisions. Even the smallest of things, sometimes trivial things, can have a big impact. We are bought with a price. We are not our own. God has a right to test personal rights. He has a right to burn up our idols. This is an ongoing process. It’s like an onion, okay? You started out, okay, you gave up booze when you’re saved or marijuana or whatever was immediate. Then there’s more peeling to do. As time goes on, it’s like, well, let’s deal with this issue now. I don’t really want to deal with that. No, it’s time to deal with that. 1 John 2:15 says, “love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” That word is cosmos, okay? It’s the world system, the godless world standards that are being inflicted upon us through media, okay, every day. Social media, the news, magazines, TV, film are putting their agenda, their values, their statutes on us, and we have to decide whether we want to agree with the homosexual lifestyle.
Is that something we should embrace? What does the Bible say about it? What about cross-dressing? What about transgender choices? Let’s compare it to God’s word. We’re not going to be molded and shaped by the culture, amen? We’re going to be molded and shaped by what the word says. So the world system, the people constituting the world whose values, beliefs, and morals are in distinction and rebellion to God’s. Friend, even if they don’t realize it, because they are not of his fold, they are in rebellion to God by default. John 15:19, “if you were of the world, the world would love his own, but you’re not of the world, but I’ve chosen you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you.”
Ooh, man, strong language. We’re in the world, we’re not of the world. We have a different value system. We have different beliefs. If we’re running with a crowd or going with culture, then that’s symptoms of loving this world. And the world is a mindset that needs to be resisted at all costs. The lust of the flesh is obvious. For single people here, it’s the temptation to fornicate, okay? I shouldn’t have to explain that. The lust of the eyes. What things are you drawn to? Are you… Sure, you can be believing God for, you know, a nice car and a big house and whatever else. You can put your faith there. You can put your faith to get out of debt. But there comes a point where we’re asking amiss. We’re asking for our own selfish desires. And that’s where the lust of the eyes come in. And then the pride of life. The pride of life. Oh, I’m going to get that promotion. I’m going to step on someone’s head. Forget about the ladder. I’m stepping on someone’s head to get there, okay? The pride of life. My lawnmower is bigger than your lawnmower. And my streamer is bigger than your streamer. And, you know, get into this comparison of the Jones’s. Forget it. The Jones’s went bankrupt years ago, all right? So, the cosmos, the world system is always pulling at us. Because we are not citizens of this world.
We’re actually citizens of heaven. The moment you were born again, you became a citizen of heaven, okay? And you simply have a visa or a green card or whatever typology you want to use while you’re on this earth. So let’s look at some areas of our life that we could surrender to the Lord. Let’s look at them right now. And Father, I thank you right now that the people’s hearts are going to be receptive. And that you’re going to reveal to them some areas that need to be dealt with tonight and in the coming week. Satan, you’re bound in Jesus’ name. And I thank you, Lord, that the truth is going to penetrate the hearts of the people. Our heart is already the Lord’s. When we’re born again, we are saved. Our spirit man goes into life. So that’s already dealt with. However, the mind, will, and emotions, again, we have to submit to the word and allow the Lord to sanctify it. Our finances, only 6% of the church ‘tithes’ in the United States. Just 6%.
Think about that. What could be done if 20% ties? Or 30%, okay? We’ll talk about that. Our desires. It’s imperative that you desire his perfect will. And if not, his goodwill. And if not, his acceptable will. Romans 12:2. Our physical body is something we lay down as a living sacrifice. And say, Lord, I don’t own my body. And I’m not going to use it for unrighteousness. Whatever that may be. And then sometimes we can get wounded with expectation. An expectation of something that hasn’t come in the right timing. Or soon enough. Or it didn’t occur the way that we wanted it. There’s wounding on the other side of expectation too. We have to be careful with our expectations. The marriage bed is to be honored, okay? Our sexuality as well. Whether we’re single or married is something that we honor God with. And then the reputation. Jesus made himself of no reputation. Philippians 2:7, okay? If you preach the word of God, you’re going to be attacked. You’re going to be attacked on social media. People, they call them, I guess, trolls.
They’ve got nothing better to do than just flip out. And just cuss you out like a psycho. And decide, you know what? I’m just going to attack this ministry for the next two days. Just for grins. And so the reputation is something that can be attacked. It’s something that we think we possess. I’ve got a reputation. I do good things. I’m of good moral character. Sure. But you can be slandered even if you do all the right things, right? Jesus was slandered. He did all the right things. They were accusing him of being a winebibber. They were accusing him of being a liar. Of casting out demons by Beelzebub. Jesus was doing all the right things. And he was maligned, right? So just because you’re getting attacked doesn’t mean you’re doing everything wrong. In fact, it’s probably that you’re doing everything right. And then Jesus took on the form of a servant. He wanted to serve other people. He counted his own life as nothing and said, You know what? I’m going to serve the people. And that’s our example. He’s the paragon of service. Very few people are about the Father’s business. We can come to church. We can worship. We can do all the right stuff. But very few people are actually on a Monday morning going, Who in this building where I’m working is not far from the kingdom of God? Who in this room could I sow into the word of God? Who in this room could I pray for? Who in this room is on the verge of committing suicide? Who has an alcohol issue? Always have your eyes open, friend, to bring Jesus into people’s lives. That is the Father’s business. There is no other business than getting souls saved.
It’s the primary business. Then we get into equipping. We get into power and all the other things. But we need to be looking out individually for people who need help. And we’re the ones who bring it. Amen? Amen? Good. Which one of these is the Lord dealing with you about? Well, there’s some definitely there that he’s dealt with me about in the past week, in fact. When I was an engineer, I had a good paying job. And he said, leave your job and start DHOP. I’m like, yeah, OK. But that’s going to require like a 70% reduction in finances. That’s correct. That’s correct. The point is, it was an idol, OK? Are you going to do what God asks you to do? If God tells you to drain your bank account tomorrow, you should have the guts to do it. Salty word, but true. Why? Because you don’t own anything anymore, friends, OK? You don’t own your life. You don’t own your wife. You don’t own your bank account. You don’t own your golf clubs. They’re mine. They’re my precious. No, I let them go too. I let them go too. The point is, we need to say, Lord, whatever you want, we’ll do it. Now, I’m using an extreme example. The chances of you being asked by the Lord to drain your bank account are probably very, very slim, OK? But there’s a couple of times when he’s pushed me in areas to give very large amounts, and it took a sacrifice. But when I did, oh, the blessings were on the other side of it. The blessings were on the other side of it. Because when we obey, he’s ready to pour out a blessing. Amen? So just look at this list right now.
And later on, we’re going to ask the Lord, which area are you just not giving up? Some people have been wounded in their sexuality. Some people have been wounded, OK, in their past history. And they may require special prayer. They may require counseling. If you’re in that category, come and see me later. But when we’ve been hurt, we are going to cover that wound and say, don’t touch that, Lord. Don’t touch that wound. I’m going to put my own bandage over it. You’re not going to touch it. But the thing is, friend, God wants to heal you. And he wants you to take your hand off your arm and let him touch that wound. But the longer we keep a hold of it, the more it’s going to build up gangrene, and everything else is going to hurt us, right? It takes guts to go, Lord, do open-heart surgery on me.
OK, the power of being meek, the strength of meekness. I just did a quick word study. It’s amazing what’s in there about meekness. To be meek is to be unpretentious, to not be arrogant, to not be prideful, OK? To be reverentially submitted to the Father. Just like Moses, who said he was the meekest man in all the earth. We covered that last week. Irony. But the meek will have good judgment, OK? The meek will he guide in judgment. They will learn the way of God, OK? So, if you’re submitted to his authority, you’re going to learn his ways. You will inherit the earth. How could that come to pass literally? In the thousand-year millennial reign, you’re going to rule and reign with him on this earth. Then he’s going to create a new heaven and a new earth after that.
The meek will respond to the gospel. He came to preach good tidings to the meek. The meek will have special joy. They will understand Christ’s nature. Jesus said, I’m meek and lowly in heart. I choose not to elevate myself. I allow men to elevate me in God’s timing. That’s a word for someone on their job right now. You’re going to be elevated in God’s timing, OK? Because you choose to submit to him. In 1 Peter 3:15, it says, “be ready to give an answer with meekness.” It’s the right attitude of sharing your faith. Hey man, you need to get saved or you’re going to die and go to hell, OK? That doesn’t always come off right, OK? People are like, ooh, that’s a little intense. That’s not a meek spirit, OK? You’re sharing the love of God with people, firstly. Making them aware of sin also, but it’s the way we do it. OK, just a quick word. While I was going through this, I was thinking, OK, but the mentality of surrendering everything is not surrender everything to anybody, OK? In James 4:7, it says, “submit to God and resist the devil.” Some people have it the other way around, OK? God is not good and evil, OK? This isn’t a pantheistic belief system where we have the yin and the yang and it all works together. No, no.
God doesn’t use evil, OK? We’re submitting to him and resisting the devil. We don’t surrender to sickness, poverty, or depression. We don’t surrender to something that he has redeemed us from, Galatians 3:13. We’re not passive or apathetic. We submit to God with humility and then use our delegated authority in Christ and power where and when applicable, right? So the idea that we’re surrendering everything is fatalistic. That is incorrect doctrine. That’s fatalism. Everything that happens must be God’s will. No, it isn’t. No, it isn’t. Is it God’s will that man fell and got into bondage? No, they chose it, but it wasn’t his will. Is it God’s will that they chose kings instead of judges? No, it wasn’t, but they chose anyway, OK? So be very careful of this idea of just submitting to everything. No. That’s why we have the gift of the discerning of spirits. So, we can discern the spirits of men and discern evil spirit, OK? And then make a decision. So, let’s talk about money and the heart for a minute.
Matthew 6:19-22 says, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through or steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” There’s a couple of takeaways from this passage. What’s the only treasure that will make it to heaven? Souls, right? Because you’re not going to take your money with you when you die, right? You never saw a hearse pull a U-haul, right? Oh, there he goes. There’s the rich man. Well, how rich is he? Well, he ain’t rich now because he don’t have any money, right? And he’s not pulling all of his goods behind him and burying it with him. Souls, friend, are what you win for Christ Jesus. And they’re precious. Amen. We want to have souls when we get to heaven and say, Lord, here’s my treasure.
https://carljosephministries.com/podcast/faith-hope-love-part-1-live/
https://www.wisdomonline.org/blog/surrender/
Title: Have you Surrendered all? Part 2 (LIVE)
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