Blessings everyone and welcome to Spiritual Impact. I'm Senior Pastor Tim Parton of Abundant Life Worship Center. I'm Associate Pastor Steve Rose. I just want to say hi to all friends and partners to join us.
We're going to get into the Word of God and so glad that you can stop by. Hopefully we'll dig out all those wonderful nuggets that the Word of God is full of. You know, Steve, we live in a spiritual world. We either buy spiritual battles or we've been blessed spiritually through God.
And you know what? I'm glad that we're on the winning side if we put our trust in Jesus. May you mean, you know, it says that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God. To the pulling down of strongholds.
You know, when you think about the Word of God, it says the anointing destroys the yoke. You know, a lot of times we say the anointing breaks the yoke, but something broken back together. It's just an anointing destroys the yoke. That means once it's destroyed, they can't put that yoke back on you.
You know, and sometimes the move of God happens in a very small seed, maybe a dream or a vision. Yeah, and interesting you say that because I want to talk to you this morning about dreams and visions because I read some interesting words and says in Proverbs 29 and 18. The Word of God says this, where there is no vision, the people perish, but he that keepeth the law, happy as he. Now, that law we know is the Word of God.
And when we look here, where there is no vision, I start thinking about that, where there is no vision, does that mean a man made vision like something? I see and I want to go out and start a ministry. But when I start really start to look at that, it says, no, it's more of a revelation. That's true.
That is true. You know, I like saying that you said where God guides, he provides and that is true. And a dear friend of mine one time gave me a piece of information that I found very helpful down through the years. He said, Tim, there's a big difference between faith and ignorance.
So you know what? We have to trust God constantly. And I have learned through many mistakes to not move until God, you know that he's moving in the direction that you feel like you need to go. And that's where these dreams and these visions really come into play.
Yeah. You know, when you say that again, we got to wait on God. And that's one of the hardest things, because we're in a society where we want things, you know, this quick. When you get on your phone, you want to pull up information, you want to have it there that quick.
But you know, when you're dealing with the Lord, sometimes he's saying, wait. That's the hard thing. When you ask that question, you ask that prayer and he says, yes or no. And sometimes he says, wait.
That's the hardest part sometimes. God's waiting room. We've talked about that in the church many, many times. It's a lot of times a very uncomfortable place to be.
But you know what, if you're in the waiting room, you're not in trouble. That's good. And that's where we get the word patience. There you go.
That patience, how perfect work we're by the end will be entirely nothing. Amen. I know you've got a lot of information here on the dreams and the visions. So I'm going to just let you get into that.
First of all, I just want to know what is the dreams. I want to look up the definition of what we say dreams are. When I look at the definition here, it says, a succession of images, thoughts or emotions passing through the mind during sleep. And that's where we have those dreams where we sleep at night.
And you know, sometimes they may be a message from the Lord. Sometimes they may just be dreams. And we really have to look and search our spirit. And ask the spirit of God to guide us and say, was this something you're trying to tell me or speak to me through this dream?
I also look at the vision. It says, the act or power of sensing with the eyes. It says, sight, the act or power of anticipating that which we'll be or may come to be. It says, in the experience in which a personage thing or event appears vividly or creatively to the mind, although not actually present, often under the influence of divine or other agency.
I think that's where they're talking about one, the prophets of old and apostles. They would be praying and then all of a sudden they'd see a vision that God would be revealing something through those visions. But looking at that, I started thinking, well, where in the world would we find a vision or a dream? That we might be able to talk about.
And the first one that popped into my mind comes out of Genesis 41 chapter. And as Genesis the 41 chapter, you'll find it in one through four. I'm going to be reading out the New Living Testament today. It just helps us understand the word of God a little bit better.
Two four years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the banks of the Nile River. In his dream, he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass. Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the river bank.
And then the scrawny cows and the thin cows ate the seven healthy fat cows. At this point in the dream, the Pharaoh woke up. So now he's had a dream and it's a troubling dream I would assume to him. But it says he went back to sleep.
It says, but he fell asleep again and had a second dream. It says, this time he saw seven heads of corn and all grain, which is translation you're looking at. It says, plump and beautiful growing on a single stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.
And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads. Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream. But this dream troubled him from that point on. I mean, he wanted to understand what this dream made.
I mean, he knew it was more than just a dream. And you know, when you look back at the story of Joseph and all these things and all the, you know, Joseph, the Lord loved Joseph, and he had these code of many colors. And he called the dreamer. Yeah, the dreamer here comes the dreamer.
And again, that's a good, that's a very good point. Here comes the dreamer. And he sits there and he had his coach strip from him. He was sold in the slavery, but he had to go to Potiphar's house.
And he became the one that controlled everything in Potiphar's house. Then what happened? He did the right thing and got thrown in the prison for him. But you know, eventually all those things through the years in the dreamer.
And what was his dream? He says, listen, one day you're all going to bow down to me and it made them mad. That's what made them mad. But you know, God was dealing with him in a dream.
And this dream here actually helped bring those dreams fast. That's a, I want to give a point right there that God given dreams will birth destinies. That's good. And we know that even though the way that Joseph began dreaming, even as a boy, was really leading up to the destiny that God would be calling him to.
And that's the way it is in our lives. God begins leading us because he knows the ending before the beginning ever happens. But that's why we need to be sensitive. We deal with a God that speaks to our heart.
And down through Joseph's life, God just kept leading. And sometimes the path didn't always lead to a road of comfort. And I'm sure you're going to get into some more of that here. But you know what?
He was faithful. And that's the way we've got to be. We've got to always be faithful to God. And while he places within our heart, we must realize and know that he's able to bring it to pass.
He'll make a way where there's Seemeth to be none. And we're experiencing that daily in our life, within our church, within our families, in our communities. God is faithful. Amen.
You know, I start thinking about this too, a vision. I don't know about it in your life. If you ever wanted to be something, God says, no, that's not what I want you to be. I remember when I first started out and he called me to preach.
I wanted to be the evangelist to go out, travel all over the place, preach to the Word of God. And I'd go places with evangelists to minister with them and to watch them. But you know, everywhere I'd go, people would come to me just a few minutes and start opening up everything about them. And you know, all this time I'm sitting here going, Lord, I don't want to be an evangelist.
And really we are evangelists, even pastors. But when we were sitting here, we're talking about being an evangelist. I wanted to be that evangelist, but he says, no, I want to pastor. And see, that's where we begin.
And when we really begin to see the blessings of God is when we begin to yield, the what God is telling us to do. That's where the blessing is. How many times have we said, well, I feel like God's calling me too. And this is the way I want to do it.
But it doesn't work that way. And like, you know, in Joseph's life, he experienced many hardships before the true destiny was ever revealed. But all when God began to reveal it, things changed. And that's the way God works.
When we're living according to Scripture, no matter what we're going through at a particular time in Paul could testify to that. How many words were written from the heart of the deepest parts of prison? But look how God used that. God used Joseph to fulfill and really save a nation.
But you know, waiting on that vision, that was probably the hard part when you had to wait on the vision. And you know, at our church, we've had to wait on the vision. Sometimes we have to stay strong in the faith and trust the Lord in all things. And what we do, and that doesn't just count in our church life.
And as we're talking to our friends and partners out there right now, you know, that talks about your life. He also has a plan for your own life. That's what the word of God tells us. But sometimes we grow weary sometimes in waiting for the vision.
I remember one time, and God has blessed us to travel many years in a lot of places around the country, and even out of the country. But when I was younger, I remember standing in a little country church that I was raised in. And I was singing one night. And I don't know why I did it.
But I just stopped on the congregation and I said, God's going to put me on TV. And they kind of looked at me and grand because, you know, we're just country people. But you know what God has been faithful. And I don't know why I said it.
It just came out. But God has fulfilled that time after time after time after time after time. Pastor, I can tell you why he said it because look where you're at today. And so you're waiting on the vision.
That's the hardest part of sometimes waiting on that vision. But you know, it says that when God gives us a word, we can believe it. And we got to move on that word. And it says to just live by faith, not by sight.
That means even though the situation may be saying, you know, this ain't going to work out for you. When God's giving you that word saying, yeah, it's going to work out. We got a whole to the word God for he is faithful that promised. And Pharaoh's people tried to interpret your dream.
But they didn't have the spiritual impact that Joseph had. You know, and there are some things that you're only going to get your answer from God. And when you look at that, that servant had met Joseph several years before. And Joseph says, when you go back to see the Pharaoh, don't forget me.
So what they do, they go right back and forget him. But then when you look at that, Joseph, even in the prison, it says he became basically the warden. He had such an excellent spirit. But he said there was nothing went on in the prison that Joseph didn't have the control over.
And that's it. And then when God's timing, not a moment before. Remember the servant says, wait a minute. I remember when I was in prison, there was a person who could interpret dreams.
And guess what? There's where he took Joseph from the pit to the palace. But he's waiting on that vision to take place. And sometimes again, sometimes that's the hardest thing.
You know, another thing I think a lot of times when we have a vision that's been revealed to us from God, how do we, and this maybe, how do we tell someone how that vision, or how do we explain that vision to somebody who's trying to say, that's one of the hardest parts I've found. When God's giving you the revelation, but yet now you're having to lead your people, having to guide your people someplace, so you have to share that vision. Amen. And in doing that, sometimes the flesh gets weary because we expect, you know, if God told me this, then it's going to happen tomorrow.
But sometimes tomorrow is a little ways away. But that's where the faithfulness and the trust comes in. But when it does happen, you know it was God because only God could have done it. And Pharaoh here, you know, the Egyptians started paging God.
So you can't really say that he was a believer, but God gave him the vision because he knew that Joseph could interpret the dream and what was going to take place. And the wisdom of God, the well and Joseph, and Joseph knew exactly, they didn't have to call the meeting and sit down and plan. Joseph knew exactly immediately once he interpreted the dream, what needed to be done. Again, but it's just amazing how God put all these things together.
And you know, some of our friends and partners out there that's watching right now, you know, they may have been giving a vision or word from God several years ago. And, you know, a lot of times when we talk to you, we're asking, you know, have you, and sometimes we know we go and ask people, how you doing? Sometimes I tell you. Maybe we need to go to people and say, how are you faith in?
You know, you may have had that vision of the dream years ago, give it to you by the Lord, and maybe you haven't seen it take place yet. Are you still believing? You know, even when the Lord told us this, when you pray, believe. And when you look at that, the real meaning of that is when you pray in that prayer.
You didn't say, pray, receive it and then believe. He says, when you pray, believe that you receive it. And then really when you look at it, it says, believe that you already have it. That already belongs to you.
That's already on the way. That's all we're supposed to look at these things. A lesson that I have been learning for the last few years is with faith in God. There's really no middle ground.
We either believe God completely or we doubt. There's only a place that can be. But if thou can't believe, all things, not just some of it, all things are possible. A lot of times when I read those verses like that, I'll read it.
And you know, the Lord says, some things are possible. So people look at the Word, no, no, no, wait, the Word says, all things are possible. And I was like, then what does it mean? What that means is then all things are possible when we believe the Word of God.
And take Him in His Word and stand upon it. A lot of people say, you know, I'm standing on the Word of God. I don't even get off of it and open it up and read it and really believe what the Word of God is saying. You know, a lot of people might look at Joseph and say, now wish God would use me like that.
Well, do you look what Joseph all he had to go through? See, there's a process. And I've always said that to have anointing, you're going to have to go through some trials. There'll be some struggles.
But if you're faithful in God, He will bring the destiny of your life to pass. And whether He's speaking to you in dreams, Joel said in the last days, your young men should dream dreams, your young men should dream dreams, your old men should receive visions. And on my servants on my hand, these will pour out of my spirit. Everything has to be God directed.
And if we're focused on the spirit and the power of God and trusting in the way that He's leading, and that's where the faith comes in. Because sometimes you look at the path that maybe God is taking you down. And you say, well, I know what God spoke to my heart. He showed me this in a vision.
Or I had a dream about this and I really feel strongly that God's calling me to do this. But this doesn't look like the path I need to go down. But we don't know what God has in store. Sometimes you're going to have to walk through a valley.
You're going to have to climb them out. You may be cast aside by the world. You may be put in prison like Joseph was. But in all things, the Bible tells us, Joseph remained faithful.
And if in situations that we find ourselves in, we have to remain faithful because life is a struggle. And we fight against spiritual wickedness in high places. So but the God that we serve, we walk by faith and not by sight. And the Spirit of God, when it wells up on the inside and you begin to feel and you know, we got to be like Paul said, Paul said, I am persuaded that what He has promised, He has also able to perform, you know, in our church for a long time.
We've been trusting Him believing God. And we've had some people come, some people go, some people, not everybody's going to share and embrace your vision. But you know what? If God gave it, hang in there.
It's going to birth something. There's going to be a harvest because God doesn't just do things, just to kind of lead you a little while and drop you. But sometimes we get discouraged. But the Bible says to not be weary in what, in a well, doing, for a new season, do season, we'll reap if what we faint, not.
Do many people faint in today? That's true. You know, when you're talking about, you know, we battle against those principalities and those powers, it reminds me of Ephesians chapter 6, which says, you know, you got to put on that whole armor of God. And that's not a physical armor you're putting on there.
That's a spiritual armor you're putting on there. It says, why do you do that? That you'll be able to stand against all the wiles of the devil. Our devil, and when you see that, he says, wiles are carefully devised schemes.
So he's got a plan to try to bring you down. But you know, we can do all things across who strengthens us and greater is he than us. And he is as in the Lord. We've got to find our strength in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen. I'm glad that he's a friend that sticks closer than a brother. Amen. And there have been many times in my life where, you know, I've been discouraged.
We all get that way. We're in a fleshly body. But I have learned, Pastor Steve, what that spirit is. And I refuse to remain there and dwell there.
We have to rise above that. So I know that in whom I have believed and that his word will come to pass. Bible says that his sheep know his voice. So we know when it's God speaking to us.
So therefore, if we know when it's God speaking to us, then we shouldn't know when it's the voice of the enemy, shouldn't we? Absolutely. Because he said the sheep know his voice. And when you start talking about that, you know, being discouraged, it seems like a lot of times, you know, we go to that Elijah moment.
And we've got the Elijah moment in there. What are we doing after a great victory? Something's spoken or something's done. And before we find ourselves in a cave.
You know, I love it when God says, just like like, what are you doing here? He never meant for him to go there, but he ran there to hide in that cave. You know, growing up, we both grew up in little country churches. And I remember you'd have a good service and somebody toward the end of the service to say, better watch out.
We've had a good service so that devil's going to be fighting us this week. Well, I'm thinking, well, he's going to fight with you. He had a good service or not. You might as well prepare for that battle.
But you know what? This should encourage us to know that we win. You said earlier, if God before us, who can be against us. Joseph did not hesitate.
That's something, you know, he just came out of a prison. And this is Pharaoh. This ain't some Johnny come lately. He's talking to Pharaoh, the most powerful man in Egypt.
And he doesn't bad enough. Pharaoh, this is what the dream is. This is what God is saying. And this is what God is saying that we need to do.
And so even through that, Pharaoh sees the excellent spirit. That's the great thing. He sees that excellent spirit. And he says, hey, who better be in charge than one who understands what's going on?
Pharaoh, he obeyed what Joseph said and even told the people. He's second only to me in the land of Egypt. I'm telling you, that's such a great story when we look at it. We talk about it and we always talk a lot of times, pits from the pit to the palace.
But really, it was a struggle the whole time. But pastor Tim, like you said, you know, he stayed true to what God had called. And that wasn't the path he went to go. I'm sure, but you know what?
He never lost sight of who gave him a promise. And he stayed strong through no matter what situation he was going through. Even though those situations were not ideal. And when we're looking at their friends and partners, you want through those same things right now, they have this hard situation they're going through.
And when we look at this, they have hope in Christ. Amen. You know, and pastor Steve, there may be somebody out there that's watching the program today. And you can relate to a spiritual warfare.
Maybe there's a struggle going on in your life today. And you feel like no one understands that no one cares. But you know, we're here today to tell you that the great God of glory, the Creator, the universe, he cares. He knows.
He understands completely everything that you're going through. And maybe you've been looking for that dream to come to pass. And maybe it's been many, many years. And maybe you're just about to give up hope.
But we're here today to tell you, don't ever give up. Because it will come to pass. God says His word will not return void. Whatever God has promised you, He's going to fulfill it in your life.
And pastor Steve, I just think we need to go to the Lord in prayer. And I'm going to ask you to pray for those that may be struggling today, that maybe need to be encouraged and lifted up, that their dream, their destiny is just a moment away. Amen. Father, as we come to you Lord, I praise you and thank you Lord for the word of God.
But we only Father, that's where we find strength in our hardest times of life. But we only Father, sometimes, let's be honest, we grow weary and well doing. But Father, the word of God says be not weary and well doing. For we shall reap if we faint not.
Father, I'm asking Lord of the power of your Holy Spirit to feel our friends and partners and those out there right now. You're only Father, that may be weary Lord, that you're given that strength that comes from the power of the Holy Spirit. For the word of God says the joy of the Lord is our strength. Father, help them.
Father, joy once again. And Father, I believe that Father, when we pray, you hear us. And Father, I believe right now your answering prayers. I believe right now people are being touched by the hand of God.
I believe right now they're being encouraged in the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Father, I just praise you and thank you that I can stand and trust in the promises of your word. And the Father today to God be the glory for all things. For I ask these things in Jesus name.
Amen. Amen. You know, today if you're struggling, be like King David. There was a time he said, I'll encourage myself.
You know, sometimes you just got to think good things. Paul said, whatever things are lovely and true and pure, think on these things. They're good things in life because there's always going to be something negative. But we don't want to focus that way.
We want to stay positive because the God that we serve is always in control. You know, Pastor Steve, it's been a pleasure and a joy and we just want to thank our audience today for stopping by and joining us. And we like to encourage them just to get into the word, to find out all those promises that God has said that we can have. And he said they are yea and amen.
So we can truly believe that what he has promised he's also able to perform. We would like to also invite people to our church. And you know, we're just a bunch of country people that love God and we live here in these beautiful, smoky mountains. And I know there's a lot of people that come and visit our area.
And we would love from coming visit with us. We just love God and we love people. And we just look forward to every time that we come together because we have the promise that he said when we gather in his name that he would be in the midst. I get excited about church.
You know, today I want to ask a question. Are you excited when it's church time? David said I was glad when he said it to me. Let us go to the house of the Lord.
There should be joy. And if you don't have joy in your heart and life, pray for God to restore that. But you know what? It's been a pleasure and we look forward to seeing the people again next week right here on Spiritual Impact on WVLR.
Until then, this is Pastor Tim, Pastor Steve, the Bundo Life Worship Center saying go with God, trust in God, live it, believe it, receive it, embrace the vision that God has placed within your heart and life, trust what he's speaking to you. Because only you know exactly what it is that God has called you to do. Until next week, God bless, walk with God and we'll see you then. Hello everybody.
This is Pastor Tim Parton of Abundant Life Worship Center. For those of you that live in the Subrural area, or maybe you just visit from time to time, we'd like to take a moment and invite you to come visit us at the church. We're located at 923, Dolly Parton Parkway right here in Subrural. Our service times are Sunday morning at 11 a.m.
Wednesday evening at 6.30. We just love sharing the Word of God and we're just a family church. So we invite you to come, grow with us. God bless.
We can overcome with just a little faith. We are never alone. So this battle I won't fear, cause I can hear the sound of heaven's drawing near. I'm preparing for rain, gonna plow my field.