(Pure Testimony) Changing Our Way of Thinking — Zac Poonen

More Than Conquerors and Job’s Pure Testimony

The Christian life is one. The Christian life is one. Where? We are always to be more than conquerors No matter what happens. They couldn't do that in the Old Testament. I Mentioned to you yesterday about the book of Joel.

Did he preserve a pure testimony let's look at that for a moment God could boast about him. It's the first book of the Bible Writes about a man Whom God could boast about to Satan blameless upright fearing God turning away from evil and He was rich.

Wealth, Contentment, and God’s Impartiality

Some of God's people are rich. We don't seek to be rich. The love of money is the root of all evil. But some Christians feel That if you're wholehearted, you'll be poor usually because they themselves are poor and Then they can become jealous of Spiritually minded believers who have more than them.

There are people in our country Who are very fine believers perhaps better than many of us Who do not have the money To travel from their town to Bangalore for a conference and that's why they can't come.

Do you think they're gonna miss out on God's Plan and purpose for their life just because They don't have 200 rupees To travel here. There's no partiality with God. He'll probably bless them in a way that none of us will get blessed.

God loves his children. They're all equal to him. Think if you had children and somewhere and some of them were in a you had to isolate them in a room because they were sick. Wouldn't you care for them?

You probably care more for that child than the others who are healthy. God is like that. He's a father. He's a mother. He says even a mother may forget her second child. I will not forget you in my early Christian years, I Never lived with that assurance and I saw I was always tossed about.

I didn't know whether God. I always felt God was looking at me with a frown. And saying you're still not good enough. I lived under that misery as a child of God for many years and the trouble with that is.

Becoming Like the God We Worship

Listen to this we become Like the God we worship. There's a verse in the Psalms. It says that those who make idols become like them. It's in the Psalms those who make idols become like that. We become like the God we worship.

So if you've got a God who's always frowning at you. Do you know how you're gonna look at other people? So when you see some person who is supposed to be a believer frowning at you. Don't get angry. The poor guy is worshiping some idol in his mind not the real God of the Bible.

Not the Lord Jesus Christ. Whose face shines upon us? You know, there's a blessing that the Lord told. It's a beautiful verse. Let me turn that first. Numbers chapter 6 the Lord told Moses. Tell Aaron verse 22 read the Bible slowly.

You get so many blessings by reading the Bible slowly. I found that I'm not in a rush. I've heard said this many times. I'm not in a rush to go through the Bible 50 times in my life. If the Bible goes through me once that'll do so.

What do you get from this verse? The Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to Aaron. That's all just that much. The Lord spoke to Moses saying speak to Aaron. What do you get from that? What I get from that is that the Lord can speak to some people like Moses, but he cannot speak to other people like Aaron.

So he has to tell Moses listen that guy is spiritually deaf go and tell him. Elders in Laodicea and in the Revelation chapter 2 and 3 they were deaf. They couldn't see their true condition. God had to send a prophet and an apostle like John.

Say go and tell those elders. This is your condition. Were they under the old covenant where God had to speak to them through a prophet? No, they were in the new covenant. This is 65 years after the day of Pentecost new covenant believers.

Unable to hear God speaking to them about their real condition. I believe there are multitudes like that. Why do you have to wait until you come to a conference or a meeting to get your real condition exposed brother sister?

Daily Spiritual Examination and Hearing God

There is a better way Where you can hear God showing you your condition every day. It's like getting a free scan of Your inner life every day and it's much more serious these spiritual problems than cholesterol and blood pressure and diabetes and Other problems that scans can show you we are so careful about all these things people say.

After you cross a certain age, you must have a checkup every year, etc. A medical checkup. Well, I want to say as soon as you're born again, you should be having a checkup every day every day because there are things more serious than blood pressure and high cholesterol and Diabetes, etc that can destroy us much more than those things so We need to hear God speak to us.

We shouldn't have God to say okay God is to tell somebody go and tell so-and-so. Why should he tell him to tell you? Okay, read the Bible slowly and you get some challenges like that speak to Aaron anyway saying This is the way you must bless the sons of Israel.

The Lord bless you and keep you and the Lord make his face shine upon you. You know, this is he said this is how you must bless the sons of Israel. What about today? This is the Lord's face shining upon me right now.

I believe that. You must believe it brother sister, but you see oh lord. I'm such a bad person. Well, you know you're aware of that because you have a sensitive conscience. Is that other guy who thinks he's a good person?

On whom perhaps the Lord is frowning. But you have a sensitivity in your conscience that says Lord. I think so guilty about little things I do praise the Lord. I pray that your sensitivity will increase to even smaller things to little words and little attitudes.

That disturb you because you want to be a burning pure burning bush for Jesus and It's not always by convicting convicting convicting that we get Spiritual we first need to see that the Lord's face shines upon us.

That he is really He loves us and he rejoices over us with singing. It says in Zephaniah 3 17 He rejoices over us with singing. Have you seen sometimes mothers singing to their little two-month-old babies who can't understand one little word of what the mother is singing.

There are doctors who now encourage mothers to sing to the babies inside the womb and there are mothers who do it. Sing to the baby put your hand over womb and sing and pray and talk to the baby and I believe they hear.

And can you can you when the Bible says God's like a mother and a father. I believe He sings over us. He's your choices over us. The favorite picture I have in my mind of God now not in the old days the old days I had this frowning God looking upon me.

But the picture I have now in my mind when it says can a mother forget her sucking child as I have 49 15. Even they may forget but I won't forget you is the picture of a Married woman who never had children for 15 years picture this in your mind a Woman who had no children for 15 years.

Faithful seeking praying something like Hannah in the Old Testament praying praying praying and I can imagine when Hannah got Samuel baby. How do you think Hannah looked at Samuel? This child I call him Samuel.

I asked of the Lord. I asked the Lord and he gave me a child. How when he picked up hat Samuel for the first time after many years of having no children. How do you think Hannah looked at? Guess He was so excited and she thought he said so many things to him which Samuel couldn't understand she was so excited.

That's how God looks at me. And believe it or not. That's how God looks at you. You have heard so many preachers tell you lies About how God looks at you and you believe them and on top of that when those preachers tell you lies about God frowning at you.

There are the devil comes along and says that's right. I Remember the years when I always used to feel that God's only message to me was You're still not good enough. If you want to destroy your children, I'll give you a prescription.

Don't take it. I'm just warning you How to destroy your children quickly. Whatever they do say still not good enough. You'll destroy them in no time and by the time they're 18, they'll run away from your home never to come back.

And probably it's good. They don't come back to a home like that. God is not like that. God's not like that if you have if you are Unfortunate enough to have a father and mother who only told you you were not good enough.

Or to say nothing good will come out of you. I Want to tell you God's not like that. He's very different. I remember once I've had a few dreams in my life, which were from the Lord very few. Every dream is not from the Lord.

Discerning God’s Voice from Satan’s Accusations

Maybe 1 or less. My dreams are from the Lord and one day I had a dream many years ago where I had been speaking in a meeting in the dream and I was walking back to The room where I was staying that conference site.

And I had poured out my heart at the meeting to this conference meeting and It wasn't here I think in the picture it was in some other country and I was walking back and as I was walking back. And I felt really I'd poured out my heart and I heard a voice behind me saying in the dream.

That wasn't good enough. You could have done better. My heart sank in my dream. And I said to the Lord in my dream. I Said Lord, why is it when I talk to you face to face? You always encourage me. But when I hear a voice Coming from behind me, it's always so discouraging.

The Lord said to me in my dream turn around and look and see who it is. I Turned around and looked. It was the devil Imitating God's voice. As soon as I turned around he fled. I Learned a lesson that day.

God spoke to me through a dream. He does speak through dreams sometimes that I'll never forget that the voice that says You're still not good enough. You think it's the Holy Spirit challenging, you know to press on to perfection like it says here.

Ah, this is the voice of the Holy Spirit. Challenging me to press on to perfection, but doesn't it discourage you? It's not the voice of the Holy Spirit. What is the meaning of a deceiver? That devil's called a deceiver.

A deceiver is one who tries to imitate the currency note exactly like that. Oh, he's trying to speak to you on a phone. He will try to imitate the voice of your Husband or wife who loves you so much or your father or mother imitated.

So you think it is your father. It's not your father. It's the devil. We need to identify the voice of the devil. For example a voice that says come on do it quickly. Don't wait. Don't wait. Obey God immediately.

It is always the devil. God never speaks like that. He gives us time to be sure. If you're not sure You're not disobedient. I hope that liberate many of you. Sure, I'm not doing what God has told you.

Are you sure God has told you to do that? No brothers. I'm not sure. I'm still considering then. Don't do it. When you have perfect peace in your heart. That's the time, you know, that's really the Holy Spirit.

You consider a course of action and you don't have peace in your heart a little disturbance. It's not the Holy Spirit. That's the Holy Spirit telling you that's wrong way. He disturbs us in our heart.

Because there's a beautiful verse remember this Romans 8 verse 6. The mind of the Holy Spirit is always life and peace. The mind of the Holy Spirit is life and peace. It's a beautiful verse. That's how we know the will of God.

Today in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit was outside people. He came upon people from outside. So he spoke to people from outside and so they had to hear God through this year. But the wonderful thing about the New Covenant is that the Holy Spirit has come inside.

So once he comes inside, he doesn't speak through this year, but speaks from inside. So if somebody comes to me and tells me sometimes you read testimonies like that and they are true. Like the Apostle Paul on the Damascus Road.

I heard the audible voice of God with this year. I Say great, but I've got something better. I hear the voice of God inside. There are many people who think that to hear with the this year is better Than to hear inside you really believe that how many of you believe that it's better to have the Holy Spirit outside you than inside You you've got to be off your head.

To think that it's better to have the Holy Spirit outside you than inside you. Now why in the world do you think that the Holy Spirit speaking outside you is? Better than the Holy Spirit speaking inside.

I'll tell you when you hear the voice of God. If ever you hear it, by the way I've never heard the voice of God with this year and I'm not so keen on Hearing it either one day I will when I see him face to face.

But when I hear somebody saying that it doesn't excite me. When I was young and immature and I thought like a child. Great. Usually that feeling comes so that I can get up and give a testimony. I heard God with this year so that I'm a big man.

A lot of things is for testimony. It's for the honor of me forget. If you forget about seeking the honor of man, you know the will of God pretty quickly. So the Lord make his face shine upon you lift up his face upon you and give you peace.

Number 626 that is how we know we're going in the right direction. Peace in our heart confirmed in Romans 8 6 the mind of the spirit is Peace. And that's why when it comes to finding the will of God it says in Romans 12 and verse 2 That it's by the renewing of our mind.

That we are transformed into the likeness of Christ. I want to read Romans 12 to very slowly with you and explain it. I don't want to be conformed to this world. I Want to be transformed into the likeness of Christ and how does that happen by the renewing of my mind?

Renewal of the Mind and True Spirituality

Now that verse teaches me some things. It teaches me that being conformed to this world is in the mind. My brothers and sisters, please understand this when a sister dresses In a worldly way copying the models on television and in the movies.

Her problem is not her dress. Her problem is her mind. You can change her dress and force her to wear some modest clothes. You have not made her spiritual. You have just made her a better Pharisee. You've got to change the mind because Worldliness read this words being don't be conformed to the world in your mind, but be transformed in your mind.

It's the mind and The devil is not after your dress. He's after your mind if you can get your mind. He can make you worldly even with modest clothes. You know, I once shocked people in CFC by saying I Would rather have in our church a number of sisters who wear jeans short hair don't cover their head and sleeveless blouses and Lipstick and mascara and rouge and I don't know what all of the other things they use nowadays.

There's a few things they used in the olden days. Don't I'm not up-to-date in these things whatever it is sitting there. But who never does it? Never backbite against others or who are helping the poor caring for others serving others and praying for God's work and burden for the work of the Lord and who never speak evil of others and Who have overcome anger?

I Would rather have a hundred sisters like that and all these holy sisters who come covering their heads and very modest clothes and go home and backbite and gossip and lose their temper and Romantic read romantic novels and all that type of stuff any day.

Any day. Those are Pharisees. Who would judge these people like that, of course, I'm not saying that I it's That we should dress like that. I'm comparing that. It's like saying if I have to lose one hand, I'd rather lose my left hand because I use my right hand much more.

Of course, the best is to have both hands. So I'd say the best is if you are dressed modestly and well also, but the mind is fundamental. I Hope you understand this. True spirituality is in your mind.

So often that's why Jesus said Never judge a person according to his outward appearance. Do you know what is the most according to my understanding the most disobeyed command among spiritually minded believers not among all believers the most disobeyed commandment among Legalistic believers, let's say I'll show it to you John chapter 7 and verse 24.

John 7. Verse 24 where Jesus said a very clear do not but believers do. Do not judge according to the appearance but judge. With righteous judgment, I am convinced that is the most disobeyed commandment by holy Legalistic believers who are doing everything right on the outside who look so holy and always talk holy words.

But who judge by what they see? Jesus said never do it the same God who said do not commit murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not judge according to the appearance. Now which of these commands are important and which are unimportant.

You've got to be a conceited snob. To think that you can determine which do not of God is important in which is not important. How many of you would go and commit murder when God said do not commit murder?

How many of you would commit adultery if you say don't commit adultery. How many of you would judge according to the outward judge according to the outward appearance? You who judge another person for committing adultery.

You say the commandment says do not commit adultery. He can turn around to you and say the commandment says do not judge according to the outward appearance. Your mouth is shut. He who is without sin.

Let him cast the first stone. You know why we don't see these things because we don't read the Bible slowly. People fight about versions. Which version is important. You take any version it says don't judge according to the outward appearance.

It's a crazy thing. You know how the devil's got Christians fighting about versions instead of disobedience. Disobedience. I've had arguments with people who talk about King James Version in the United States.

I said, do you know that in India we have 20 at least major languages and 300 dialects and Bibles in many of those languages and none of them are King James Version. What do you do? Tell them not to read the Bible.

None of them are from the same manuscript as the King James Version. Not even one of those translations. The trouble with a lot of people who argue about these things is they've never lived in India. They've never lived in a third world country.

They never know the problems here. If you go to the Bible you realize that obedience is more important. Obedience. There are many Old Testament verses quoted in the New Testament. Compare them you find they are completely different.

You say hey, this doesn't look like that Old Testament verse. That's right. Because this verse is not quoted from the original Hebrew. It's quoted from a Translation called the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

Which is about a hundred and twenty years before Christ and from that they quote and sometimes there's a difference and the Holy Spirit takes it. There's some people who got terribly upset with me because I use some paraphrases like the Living Bible in the Messianic Bible.

I tell you the tribe of legalists will never die. In Christendom, they'll always be there. Who are occupied with versions and versions and instead of being occupied with obedience. Obedience which version says you should not take up the cross.

Which version is there which says you can follow Jesus. Without dying to yourself daily show me one in any version in the Bible. Every single version says you cannot follow Jesus unless you take deny yourself every day and take up the cross every day.

You cannot follow Jesus. I mean, that's the one of the most important commands in Jesus and. So we got to be very careful about these things. It says about Jesus in Isaiah chapter 11. Beautiful verse that many times comes to me that teaches me.

The Holy Spirit, Reverence, and Righteous Judgment

What is the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit? And what is the mark of the fear of the Lord? You have two very important things. Let me show you from Isaiah chapter 11. There's a lot of people say it's speaking in tongues.

Is the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I beg to disagree. Jesus never spoke in tongues and great men like deal Moody and Charles Finney were baptized in the Holy Spirit never spoke in tongues.

I speak in tongues, but that's that's not the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit. I'm thankful for it. But I say that's not the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit. When you're filled with the Holy Spirit Romans 5 to me is the mark of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The love of God is shed abroad in your heart. You love Jesus with all your heart and you love other people like Jesus up. Then you're filled with the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, you're not no matter which tongue you speak in now, Isaiah 11.

It says here about Jesus the Spirit of God being upon Jesus in verse 2. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon. It's referring to Jesus in verse 1. From the stem of Jesse who was the father of David and Jesus called the son of David.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him. There's a spirit of wisdom, it's a sevenfold Holy Spirit described in Revelation. Here is the sevenfold Holy Spirit that you'll read off in Revelation. The Spirit of Jehovah.

Spirit of wisdom spirit of understanding spirit of counsel spirit of strength spirit of knowledge spirit of the fear of the Lord. Then you have all seven. These are all characteristics of one Holy Spirit and Then he expands on the last characteristic.

The Spirit of God bring if you're filled with the Holy Spirit will bring within you a tremendous fear of God tremendous reverence for God. And When a tremendous reverence for God comes upon you here is one way to know it.

He will delight. He will delight in reverencing God. A Man who's filled with the Spirit will delight in reverence for God. He will not be moved by all these flippant these flippant courses written by half converted cowboys.

This emotional type of Oh Lord. Jesus. Hold me close and all that type of stuff. He like he delighted in reverence for the Lord and Then one mark of his life will be that he will not judge Anything by what he sees or what he hears.

Verse 3. But but he will still judge he's not a zombie walking around saying I don't have any opinions. He's got some very strong opinion. Jesus had strong opinion. He called the Pharisees a generation of vipers.

Sure. He called Herod a fox. He wasn't a man without opinions. When I say it's no longer I my thoughts have died. Christ lives in me. Christ will have some opinions. The Christ who lives in me will look at certain people and see that they are a generation of vipers.

He will look at certain people and see their foxes. He will tell me don't throw your pearls before swine. He will tell me who the swine are. I won't call them that but he'll tell me to avoid throwing my pearls to them.

He'll tell me don't give that which is holy to the dogs and then he will show me who the dogs are. I won't call them dogs. No, that's not my business. But I won't give what is holy to them. I don't go around giving holy things to people who don't appreciate them.

Now what she was putting a Bible in front of a dog. He just tear it apart. It's useless giving the word to people who don't appreciate so. It says here that he will Judge righteously, but it will not be by what he sees and hears.

Let me tell you brothers and sisters I'm talking about having a pure testimony. This purity has to come from inside and it comes with a reverence for the Lord. It comes by not judging. According to what we see and hear a lot of pollution a lot of pollution that prevents the bush from burning.

It's because we are judging with the wrong system. You know, they say if you put red glasses everything looks red even the grass is red. Because your glasses are red you take it off and then you will see properly and we are all born as Children of Adam with sort of colored glasses.

Prejudice, Gossip, and the Flesh

We look at everybody with prejudice. We can never believe that anybody does anything with a good motive. We can never believe that a preacher doesn't that there are a few preachers in the world. We're not interested in money.

I Know the number of Accusations I have faced when I say we never ask for money. We never send reports and I never made my needs known to anyone in 70 years. And we have never made our needs known to our church for 35 years.

People can't believe it. Yes, it can't be true. There cannot be such human beings in the world. They always Believe the worst about others if you will look into your mind. You will see that you prefer to believe something bad about someone than something good.

You rejoice to hear something bad. About other people's children not about your own children. Other people's particularly some people you don't like than about your own children. Because we have this corrupt thing called the flesh in which dwells nothing good.

You hear some little rumor about something happening in some group you say and you spread the story before the day is over. There's a worldly proverb that says Lies and errors go right around the world.

Why true truth is still putting on his shoes. Hasn't even started walking but lies and errors have already traveled the world by the time truth is put on his shoes so this is how it is and the race of Adam is like that because they talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and talk and most of Their talk is some gossip.

Which doesn't help them to become holier doesn't help anybody else to become holier and to have. Try and have the worst possible opinion about believers whom you don't like. You know what you need brother?

You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. All you're speaking in tongues is garbage if the Holy Spirit is not able to Stop you from judging according to what you see and what you hear. I would advise you please listen to me seriously stop speaking in tongues and concentrate on your mind and say Lord I'll start speaking in tongues again after I get my mind and my thoughts right because otherwise you fool yourself.

That you're filled with the Holy Spirit. You're not. You're not. Yeah, we have problems like that the problems in churches problems with elders and problems all because The mind the mind they think too much of themselves.

They judge according to what they see what they hear. See the entire race of Adam, you know all the information that we have today in our mind. Most of it not all of it. It's all comes through our five senses, you know by taste and touch but most etc, but most of our information in our mind has come through our eyes and Years, I would say almost 95 of the information we have in our mind is by what we see and read and hear.

Television, Temptation, and Guarding the Mind

See that's why television is such a powerful tool much more powerful than radio. Radio never corrupted people as much as television because in television you have sight as well as hearing and Hearing is bad enough, but sight added to it.

Oh Pollutes you Thoroughly and all the worldly Advertising media and psychologists and all know that. That's why we got to be very careful about what you watch on television. You got to be careful about watching.

You know the commercials that come in between these pure sports programs that you're watching the commercial that's I tell you two seconds is enough to pollute your mind two seconds. Because you know people who say that there was I watched a very good movie.

There was only two seconds of some dirty sex scene, you know 20 years later. You won't remember the story in the movie, but you will remember that two seconds that you saw that's the power of evil and That's why we've got to be careful about our mind.

Watch your mind guard it with all diligence but all the children of Adam have Got their information by what they see and what they hear. I Remember very clearly the Lord speaking to me through this verse many years ago and saying If you want to think like I think Romans 12 to be renewed in your mind by the transformation of your mind.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. You have to deliberately discipline yourself. It's a discipline. You know discipline is very difficult to get up in the morning and Do certain things at a particular time and to read the Bible regularly or do some physical exercise regularly.

It is extremely difficult. It's a discipline, but those who do it They get the benefit of it you see people are fit and healthy because they keep that discipline. People get to know the scriptures and get to know God because they Discipline themselves.

There's no spiritual progress without discipline. So the being filled in the Holy Spirit is not a substitute for discipline because the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 1 7 God has given us the spirit not the spirit of fear, but the spirit of discipline spirit of love and power and Discipline that's one translation of it.

God gives us a spirit of discipline and he wants us to cooperate with him in that discipline and one of the disciplines we need is I see something and I say Lord, I don't know that could be another reason for it.

I don't know. I hear something I Say well, I don't know if it's true or not. Now. I made numerous mistakes in this. Even as an elder I've sometimes acted as soon as I heard something And afterwards regretted it.

Because I discovered I didn't have all the facts. I've heard one side. You know that in every situation or argument there are three sides. What one side says and what the other side says and the truth?

Which is Neither what this brother says or what the other brother says who's against him. The truth is somewhere in between what these folks say. Because we all have a tendency unless you become more Christlike when you present your Version of a particular problem you had with a brother or with your wife or husband.

You won't tell a lie. But you will only tell that which puts you in a favorable light like if you have two children and They fought with one another and one says dad. He hit me absolute truth. What he won't say is the how he hit him first that part he won't say.

He didn't tell a lie. He said my brother hit me correct. Then you to ask him Did you hit him first? Yes, you know there are 50 year old believers like that. Who will not tell the whole truth and Because they don't love the truth God allows them to be deceived in a hundred other areas.

Loving Truth and Rejecting Self-Justification

If you want God to save you and make you more Christlike love the truth. I Have almost never found a believer in my life. There are a few perhaps but very rare. Who when they face a problem with another person will come and tell the whole truth brother Zack.

This is a situation. This is what I did. I want to tell you what I did what I didn't do which I should have done with the various things and this is what He did boy. I Love to have such brothers and sisters in the church.

Rarely find them. I get emails from even elders telling me all the things that somebody else did. Not one sentence about the wrong. They did they are like God. God is the only one who never does any wrong.

And I'm sorry to say I've met some elder brothers who acted as their God spirit of the Antichrist by the way. The Antichrist what does he do second Thessalonians 2 he sits in the temple? Acting as God.

John said there are Antichrists in our churches. They went out from among us. He says in 1 John 2. It couldn't stand there because of the fiery preaching of the Apostle John. What was one mark of these Antichrist?

They would never acknowledge an error. They would never say Yeah, brother. You're right. I was totally wrong there. Why don't they say that because they are God. I'm sorry to say we have had some elder brothers when we have had to remove in our churches because they were God in the temple Spirit of the Antichrist and we didn't want to put up the whole church with the spirit of the Antichrist.

We had to tell them to step down. We want elder brothers in our churches who will not be God. Who never makes a mistake. But who will be humble enough to say it was my mistake, I'm sorry, it was totally my mistake.