Does the reality of God appear to be absent from your life? Dan Mohler

The way that seems right to a man, it leads to death, destruction. There's a way that seems right. Is that Proverbs 14?

And then he says it again in 16. Is that right? When he quotes something twice in two chapters, he probably wants you to get it.

[laughter] The problem with the way that seems right to a man, it seems right. So, it's hard to recognize sometimes, but if it doesn't produce life, if it doesn't bring transformation, if it doesn't set your heart alive and on fire, it can't be the Lord. It's a good barometer for our thoughts because every everything about warfare and everything about strategies of the enemy and everything that takes place in your life has to pass through your mind.

Pass through your mind. [snorts] The goal of the enemy is to get to your heart. But he's trying to get through your mind.

It it actually works both ways. Like out of the abundance of your heart, your mouth speaks, right? But the things you embrace in your mind, rationalize that become beliefs begin to settle into your heart.

I actually believe a stronghold is more defined. It's not a mind thing. It's a heart thing.

It's it's it's when you start believing something with your heart. It becomes a stronghold and then something stronger has to come to overtake that. Sometimes we think it's just the anointing of God or God's power just boom and we feel better.

No, it's it's it's something stronger in the sense of truth that makes you free, a fresh illumination, an eyeopening understanding. It's you going, "Oh my goodness, I see it. " >> That's something stronger.

You'll never defeat a lie without the truth. The you you don't you don't you're not full of lies and you just need ministry and prayer and somebody to shout freedom over you. You need to start seeing different.

And the way that seemth right to a man is where a lot of people get tricked and start to live and rationalize and reason and and and and and hold conversation and it's very destructive. So when we look at the word, what we're looking at, we're seeing this man named Jesus who came in the flesh. It's fascinating to me.

I'll never get over it. I mean, I'm saved 30 years. I PREACH JESUS EVERY WEEKEND.

I live him. I'mma preach him on my You sang I love you, Lord. That I sang that song on my bed since I've been saved hundreds and hundreds of times when nobody's looking.

It's my song. You see what's wrong with me? See, I'm there right now.

I'm not even with you guys. I'm on my headboard right now leaning singing that song because there's nothing like it when nobody's in the room and you're just singing to him that you love him and there's none like him. And [snorts] that's where he becomes real.

People see my emotion, they see my passion, what he's passionate. God's real. >> He's not a theory.

He's not a theology. He's He's not a mindset. He's the living God and he lives in me and I'm excited about it.

Sorry. [laughter] [gasps] He fills you. He makes you complete.

You don't have emptiness, gaps, loneliness. I wouldn't even know how to be lonely. I could be in a room with no windows.

Shut the door. I wouldn't know how to be lonely. >> You just leave me in there.

I don't even need pictures on the wall. Forgive me to the painters and [laughter] because you got him. He's your all in all.

I think sometimes our hearts are so sincere. I'm on a Sunday morning. I am talking to God's children this morning.

I mean, every once in a while, a hypocrite might slide through the door, but I'm talking to his kids. We didn't wake up to miss him. We didn't wake up to do wrong today.

We didn't intentionally wake up and think, you know, something out out of the box. But I think what happens is we stay in personal sometimes and we're just trying to know the word and kind of we call it walk it out and live it. It's knowing him.

He's real. If God reality is lacking in my life, then I'm lacking knowing him. If I'm just praying to him to change circumstances and protect things and provide and he's out there somewhere, it's still mystical.

It's still kind of myth. It's he's there and we believe he's there, but but when you sit in your bedroom and the lights are off or the lights are on and you're all alone and there's nothing on, no phone, no screen, like do you know him? Like c do you know he's in you and he's there and do you have the understanding and ability and have you built the relationship to commune with him in that place?

Now, I'm not challenging you. I'm inviting you because that's the place our lives change. That's the place that we start seeing him as he is.

That's the place where he starts accessing us and moving in our hearts and we start yielding. We've got this man, Jesus. He's on the earth.

It fascinates me. I mean it to this day that God it it's actually overwhelming to me that God would come as a man, put himself in the womb of a woman and sit in her womb for 9 months and come as a man and do everything as a man legal to represent man. I mean, it's important that he did what he did.

He couldn't just beam into the wilderness and step out and be Jesus. He had to come through a woman and be a man. Now, HE'S STILL THE SON OF GOD.

NOBODY is saying he's not still the son OF GOD, BUT THE BIBLE'S CLEAR. HE CAME as a man. He laid down his glory, made himself of no reputation, AND TRUSTED GOD.

HE'S IN TOTAL FAITH, TRUSTING THAT GOD AND HIM WOULD BE IN COMMUNICATION even in a fetal position. Come on. I mean, IT THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS SO AMAZING.

WHEN ELIZABETH WALKS, MARY WALKS IN TO TELL ELIZABETH that she's PREGNANT WITH JESUS. JOHN IS FREAKING OUT IN HER womb and he's 6 months in HER WOMB. AND JOHN IS LIKE, "OH, I thought the baby moved.

" No, [laughter] THAT'S IN YOUR BIBLE AND IT'S POWERFUL. >> WHEN JESUS COMES OUT OF THE WATERS OF BAPTISM, WHAT DOES GOD SAY? THIS IS MY BELOVED SON IN WHOM I'M WELL, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD WITHOUT FAITH.

JESUS CAME BY FAITH. HE HAD TO LEAVE WHERE HE WAS AND WHO HE WAS AND BE PLACED BY HOLY SPIRIT IN THE WOMB OF A WOMAN AND BE WHATEVER BIOLOGY CALLS THAT PART OF THE PREGNANCY. That's where he started.

Like wherever conception takes place, Holy Spirit stepped in there because there was no man. and binkside Mary. [laughter] AND THAT'S THE SON OF GOD.

THE ONE WHO WAS AND IS AND IS TO COME. THE WORD THAT WAS FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT WAS WITH GOD AND WAS GOD. AND HE'S IN THE WOMB OF A woman with a heartbeat.

THAT'S INCREDIBLE THAT GOD DID that to be so legal and so EFFECTIVE AND BECAUSE HE MADE MAN. HE MADE US FOR A REASON. That reason got lost through sin.

It got so lost through sin. Man didn't just sin. I know I understand original sin.

We talk about original sin and there's a re reality there and there's a message there. But it was more than that. He didn't just he he morphed.

He dwarfed. He he TOOK ON THE NATURE OF GOD'S ENEMY. LIKE HE WAS MADE FOR GOD'S IMAGE AND WHEN HE SINNED HE GOT SEPARATED FROM GOD AND BECAME LIKE THE ENEMY.

I DON'T THINK WE UNDERSTAND THAT BECAME SELF-CENTERED FULL OF PRIDE. COULD CARE LESS ABOUT OTHERS BECAUSE HE LOVED HIMSELF MORE. DID ADAM DID YOU EAT THE TREE?

IT WAS THE WOMAN YOU GAVE ME. FOR SHE GAVE ME TO EAT. COME ON.

DID YOU EAT THE TREE IS A YES OR NO QUESTION. But sin can't say YES OR NO. SELF-CENTERNESS CAN'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY.

It has to be somebody's fault. I mean, IF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GAVE ME HER, I WOULDN'T HAVE PROBABLY DID IT. SO, DON'T LOOK AT ME.

DEAL WITH HER. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED TO MAN. IT'S THE first expression of man after sin is blameshifting and self-justification and self-defense and self-p protection.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, MAN DOESN'T LOOK ANYTHING, I'M talking anything like he was created to be. And the reason I'm such a madman over this IS BECAUSE WE SOLD THIS GOSPEL SO MILLION MILES CHEAP BY JUST MAKING IT A WAY TO HEAVEN. We just SELL IT AS A WAY TO HEAVEN ALL THE TIME.

That's our goal. THAT'S OUR PUNCHLINE. THAT'S OUR CARROT.

IF YOU DIE TONIGHT AND DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, EVERY EYE CLOSED [laughter] AND YOU WANT TO KNOW, RAISE your hand. I see you. I see you.

I see you. AND WE'RE SENDING PEOPLE TO HEAVEN IS WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS SAYING. WHAT ABOUT HEAVEN GETTING INTO YOU?

WHAT ABOUT GOD'S NATURE COMING INTO YOU? WHAT ABOUT TRANSFORMATION? WHAT ABOUT PUTTING OFF THE OLD AND PUTTING ON THE NEW?

WHAT ABOUT DYING TO YOURSELF AND LIVING TO GOD? >> He Oh man, I'll get in trouble for this one. I will.

It won't matter. I don't You're wrong. Not everybody does social media.

I do zero. And I don't even read emails. I have somebody who reads them and screens them and shields them and they don't even send me anything and give me anything that I don't even read emails.

So, so don't even send them to me. You'll just maybe [snorts] grieve the lady that helps me. There's no remission of sin without the shedding of blood.

There's reasons behind that. You can go through culture. You can do a long teaching on the blood and why it's the blood and because sin costs life.

takes life to restore life, replace life, forgive sin was through animals and all that stuff in the Old Testament. All those animals, just think about all them animals got sacrificed and all it did was just buy time and cover sin. But the blood of Jesus takes it away.

Now, unfortunately, the larger part of the church doesn't believe that and fights against that message. But the blood of Jesus takes away sin. I did not wake up sinful in the sight of God.

Yeah, but brother, you sin. See, you're deceived and you're still living with a sin mentality. I'm not even thinking, "Yeah, brother, but you sinned.

" I'm not expecting to. I'm not waiting to. And if I would, I would know it immediately because of where my life is here.

And it would have no permission to remain. It would be crushed in a moment. Are you seeing We get so deceived with this thing.

Why did Jesus do what he did? It was imperative. Because God made man with intention and he gave him purpose and destiny.

And he gave him a body, not for you to be mad at, not for us to idolize and compare against. And people that are blessed with the genetics the world has made amazing and the genetics that the world has made not amazing. To have highs and lows and depression and why did I get this body?

Why do I have these ears? Some of us are on the third set of lips. We're still not happy.

[laughter] >> No, it's true. We've tried four different noses and it's just not right. See, it's not about outward appear.

The only reason you have a body is to act out what's inside. And we've made it all about outward. We've made it all about comparison.

You got young girls under pressure from the time they're old enough to understand. >> And it's painful and it's tragic because it has nothing to do with truth. >> Peter's crying out to you women.

It's nothing wrong with looking pretty. It's nothing wrong with being nice. It's But he says, "Don't you let it be the outward adorning.

Don't let it be all the stuff we do. Just let it be that quiet, gentle, inward person of the heart that's pleasing in the sight of God. Cuz I've seen some women that are they really got the barn decorated and painted and they ain't gentle and quiet in spirit.

[laughter] WOW. [laughter] But man, they look good to society. >> [snorts] >> The reason you have a body, the reason God gave man a body because he formed man, it's intimate.

He spoke to everything, but he knelt down and formed man. And then he gave him mouth to mouth and man became a living soul or being in the image of God. That doesn't make us God.

That just makes God in us in the image of God like God. Now watch. It has nothing to do with appearance or facial features because God's a spirit.

God doesn't have a body. But we do and we're made in his image. SO HE'S NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE LOOKS like or WE'D ALL LOOK THE SAME.

It would be uniformity, not unity. It would be Hitler. We all know that was a bad idea.

He put who he is inside a man and gave man a body to act out who God is in the man. And that got lost through sin and the man changed. And the enemy heard the first law, seed time and harvest time and each seed after its own kind.

And he hears, "Be good. This is good. Be fruitful.

" And so what's the enemy do? Okay, I'm on it. I'm going to multiply myself.

I'm going to deceive her. Get her to share my message with her husband. Get her my language to be her voice.

Because God's charge to Eve was or to Adam was because you heeded the voice of your wife. What's that mean? The devil tricked her.

She was deceived. Tricked her into the lie. She ate the tree, took the tree, the fruit of the tree to because people say, "Well, Adam was in the garden with her.

" It just means he was in the garden with her. It doesn't mean he stood there and was listening to the serpent. He was listening to Eve.

Eve replayed what the serpent said to her and her language became his. So she he had a disciple immediate disciple that was speaking his language. And you have to understand it was the first time that they heard a voice outside of God.

So if it's not God, it can't be truth. You see where the way that seemth right to a man came from. People say, "Well, YEAH, BUT WE WE HAVE RATIONALE.

We have I mean, I'm a very analytical PERSON. " NO, NO, THAT'S NOT A GIFT. >> ANALYTICAL IS NOT a gift.

NO, NO. GOD DIDN'T GIVE YOU THE GIFT TO THINK LONG AND HARD ENOUGH TO TALK YOURSELF OUT OF HIM. >> IT CAME FROM THE GARDEN.

IT'S WHEN IT'S WHEN THE TRUTH IS SET AND GOD SAID AND THE VOICE SAYS, "DID GOD REALLY SAY? " WELL, God just knows that if you eat the tree, you'll be enlightened. You'll know the knowledge of good and evil.

YOU'LL BE LIKE HIM. THEY WERE ALREADY MADE IN HIS IMAGE. There's this reasoning that starts taking place and Eve goes, "Hm, wow.

" Yeah. You heeded the voice of your wife, which is another voice if she's not saying what God's saying. And that's what we have on the earth right now.

And unfortunately, I could cry my eyes out. It's going to be hard to hold this one back. It's what we have in the church, unfortunately, in a mega huge way.

We got man's opinions all laced through the word, arguments over theology, all kinds of We got camps. We got churches on every street corner because we can't agree, not cuz God's called us to build them all. Let's just be real.

and camps against camps and they're going to heaven and and we're not and we are and they're not and they're wrong and we're right and all this stuff's going on and it's all interlaced and all intermixed and yet we have this man named Jesus in the womb of a woman for a reason because [snorts] when he comes out of that womb into life he is going to model from day one of birth till day of crucifixion what we were created to If that's not true, he'd never say follow me. If it wasn't true, we he wouldn't be firstborn among. If it wasn't true, we wouldn't be predestined to be conformed to his image.

We've turned it into blessings, provision, protection, and God making my life go better hopefully. And we've made it all about what he can do for me. Instead, how he can absolutely transform me through new life and the born again experience by putting off the old and putting on the new.

By being transformed by my hard work and ingenuity. No, by the renewing of my mind. By thinking like I never thought before.

This thing is so real. Jesus says, "Follow me. You got to deny yourself.

" Adam became self-centered, self-focused. When he gets separated from God, he becomes a god to himself. But you, we don't understand.

He takes on the nature of God's enemy because Satan wants to reproduce the earth after his own kind. Could care less if you go to church. He just wants you to think like him, manifest him, act like him, do things in secret.

That's why there is things in secret because we already have conviction and wouldn't do it openly because we already know it's not God. Come on. [snorts] And there is a place to [snorts] understand this thing and be alone and sit on that headboard and sing I love you Lord with all your heart and he meets [laughter] you there and you understand you don't ever want to live for yourself.

You don't want to live for the devil in any way. You don't want to find you were deceived and embracing a mindset that comes from hell or something that doesn't belong to you like self-centeredness. Cuz I'm telling you, it's wretched and it's destructive.

It's where every argument, every pain, every unresolved conflict, every animosity, every anger, hurt, frustration, every murder, every adultery, and everything has come from men seeking their own. That's why people can't even disagree without intense animosity because you're you're taken back that they don't agree. Especially in marriages, it's crazy how we flare up and don't agree and now there's tension in the room and everybody stops talking and there's a quiet tension.

Then you leave for work in the quiet tension, but there's no resolve in the conflict. And that takes a toll in time. And all of a sudden, we think living that way is normal and everybody's doing it.

But it's stealing, killing, and destroying. And there ain't no life. So the mindset behind it can't be God.

Because you got to look at what it's producing to find the fingerprints that are on it. >> Are you all with me?