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GYC Europe

Joakim Hjortland

Let Go and Let God

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for this morning, thank you for this opportunity.

I pray that you may lead my words in a special way.

That you may tell or make this message with your spirit.

God I pray that it will not merely be information that we will hear this morning, but by your Spirit that it will be a life-changing experience.

God I pray that we that are here today, we that maybe watch online or hear a recording of this message, that we will be able to look back to this moment, to this conference, to this, and that we may be able to say God spoke to me through that message and my life got a new direction for the better because of it.

Now in in northern Africa they have an interesting way to catch monkeys.

What they do is that they take pumpkins, they chain them to trees, they make a hole in the pumpkin, they put some nuts inside this pumpkin and then when a monkey, a curious hungry monkey comes by and sees this pumpkin and sees this, you know, the treasure inside this pumpkin, see the nuts inside the pumpkin.

He will come there and he will put his hand into the pumpkin and he grabs the nuts.

But the thing is this, the trick is this.

The hole in this pumpkin is big enough, it's just big enough for the monkey to stretch in, take in his hand and grab it.

But when he has the nuts in his hand, when he has his hand folded, he can't take the hand out.

And the thing is this, The monkey is not smart enough to let go of something he likes so much as these nuts.

So therefore, even though he just could let it go and go out, he is catched.

Now I believe this is a fitting picture of many Christians, or many times how it is in the Christian experience.

He tempts us, he allures us with all kinds of temptations, and he tries to present everything the world has to offer and and he tries to make us hold on to something that comes in the way for God's great plan for our lives.

But unless we let go, God cannot work in our life as He wants.

Unless we let go, He cannot work in the powerful way He wants in our lives and through our lives.

Unless we let go, we cannot truly be free.

We cannot truly experience joy and peace and meaning in life that He wants us to have.

Are you holding on to, is there something in your life that you are holding on to?

Is there something in your life that are maybe in the way or in the danger of being in the way for God's plan for your life?

Now in the Bible, the Bible is full of amazing stories.

We read about Elijah, yeah, that prayed and it stopped raining for 3 and a half years.

We read about Joshua that prays and the sun stands still until, you know, the Israelites are able to conquer the enemies.

We read about Jesus, right, that calms the mighty storm on the sea.

We read about how he is blessing, you know, a few bread and fishes So it's enough food for thousands of people.

We read about early church who see thousands being converted in 1 day.

We see, we read about how, you know, they are praying and the Holy Spirit comes powerfully on them.

Suddenly they can speak foreign languages they usually cannot speak.

We read about how, you know, Peter, when he's in prison, he's delivered by angels after the whole night prayer meeting from the church.

And we read about all these powerful stories.

We read about the sons of thunder being transformed into loving apostles, the stumbling Simon Peter into a solid rock in the early church, and not to talk about all the demons that is cast out, all the diseases that are healed, all the people that are raised from the dead.

We read so many amazing stories, right, in the Bible account.

I don't know about you but I went to church almost you know even before basically every Sabbath, even before I could walk.

And honestly I have to say What I hear there is not really the same thing.

Actually very, very seldom if you hear people talk about answers to prayer at all, it's usually on the level of someone losing their keys, praying and finding them again, yeah?

That's usually the level of, I'm sure, I believe God hears and wants to answer these prayers and He does, but if that is it, like, it seems to be a difference to me, you know?

Very, Very seldom you hear about someone telling of how God has helped them to gain the victory over a sin in their life or made progress in sanctification or changed a sinful habit in their life.

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that it's like we have a completely different religious experience many times.

It seems like, you know what we read in the Bible, if you compare these things, their experience with what we see in the church today, it seems to be almost like a completely different world.

Why don't we see more of the powerful workings of God in us and through us as we read in the times of the Bible.

Now, just to clarify, I believe not always necessarily you will see the big greatest miracle, though you do the right thing.

John the Baptist, for instance, you mentioned 1 miracle he did.

You don't necessarily always have to see it, but still it seems to be a big difference.

I think the question, I think it boils down to this.

Did God change or did His professed follower change?

Now I believe there is only 1 possible answer to that.

You know it says in Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 8, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

God is just as willing to work powerfully in us and through us and for us today as he ever was in this earth's history.

Why cannot he work so powerfully many times through his church today as he wants to?

Now I believe there are several answers to that question.

I believe 1 important answer to that question is that we do not pray as we should.

It says in ministry of healing, it says we do not value the power and efficiency of prayer as we should.

Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish.

I believe that's 1 answer to the question.

Now I believe another reason is that there is a lack of full surrender and unwillingness to to submit or to surrender our own ways or to clinging to our own way and sin.

It says in Isaiah chapter 55, it says, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.

Let them return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him.

We need to, when we come to God, we need to surrender our ways and our thoughts.

Jesus said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Now in the book Gospel Workers it says it like this, listen to this very interesting statement.

It says, why is it that some of our ministers have so little power?

It's asking basically the question we are asking this morning and and she has, Spirit of Prophecy has several similar quotes.

I think this quote is not only relevant for ministers but also members in general and several other quotes is clearly communicating that than this 1.

But anyway the question is this, listen to this, why is it that some of our ministers have so little power?

Because they have not made an entire surrender to God.

They do not see the sinfulness in clinging to their own way.

They have not made an entire surrender to God.

Let all who preach the truth and all who profess to believe it submit themselves fully to the workings of the Spirit of God, that the truth may refine, elevate, and sanctify them." Very interesting.

Now to be unhindered, in order for God to work in us and through us as He wants, we need to let go and let God.

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Let Go and Let God

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