Introduction
Good day, everyone. Today, I will be sharing on a very important topic, the second part of the “Mingding Destiny” series. Previously, we discussed “Mingding Series 1: All Things United in Christ.” Today, we will be discussing “Mingding Series 2: To Escape All These Things That Shall Come to Pass.” This matter is of utmost importance. Brothers and sisters must understand that these words are spoken to each of us. To escape all these things that shall come to pass, that is no small matter. God has a grand plan:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. (Ephesians 1:10)
That is to be united in Christ. Thus, we are a church with a very strong ecclesiology. It is a tragedy for a person to lack ecclesiology. Why are so many prayers ineffective? Because their understanding of the church is severely lacking. To be united in Christ, where does one go outside of Christ? Outside of Christ, one regresses to being “two.” So, the Chinese language is very interesting. When someone is described as being “two” (很二), this is a Northeast Chinese expression, meaning they are foolish, silly. This cannot be translated directly into English; otherwise, it might be assumed that this person won second place. Therefore, I often say “shǎ le bā jī” (傻了吧唧), also a Northeast Chinese expression, meaning very “two.”
If we divide it this way, where there is one, there is also two. Are you united in Christ, or are you returning to two? We must be wise. Today is not only the second part of the “Mingding Destiny” series, but also about being “two.” What is this “two”? It is escaping all these things that shall come to pass. These things probably are not good, so do not foolishly rush headlong into disaster. Disasters can strike without warning, and misfortunes may befall people unexpectedly. What can you control? Can you control your destiny?
Man is a strange animal. Why? Because when disasters strike, such as getting cancer, they begin to seek God and pray. Once they recover, they scoff at God: “What is God? Jesus? I have no time for Him.” Such a reaction is very “two”! When disasters strike, they pray fervently, becoming very active in prayer meetings. But once they recover, they say: “I have no time.” Later, disasters strike again. Why? Can disasters not come when people act this way? As a result, they are at a loss and have to turn to God again. People live their lives like this, which is what it means to be very “two,” very foolish, not understanding why they are so foolish.
I have ministered to many people, and there are many who are “two.” Today, brothers and sisters must begin to transform yourselves. Even if you try to change, you may not succeed. Without change, you are doomed. There was a sister whose child had scoliosis, a 38-degree curvature of the spine, requiring surgery. In desperation, she believed in the Lord. She flew a long distance to see me and was very zealous. Once everything passed, her child's spine healed, and another child's asthma gradually improved. However, as soon as she got busy, the first thing she neglected was serving, and she began to focus on matters from which she could not escape disaster, and her zeal for the Lord gradually waned, setting the stage for the next disaster.
I tell you, being a pastor is painful. Some people say: “Why do you always seem to be talking about me in your sermons?” If I do not mention you, I feel uncomfortable. Why? Because I do not want to see you rush headlong into disaster. Today's message is about escaping all these things that shall come to pass. If people are foolish, they will surely rush into it, rushing into disaster. Some people type: “Why do you keep bringing this up?” You must know that I minister to people with names and identities. A cancer patient, after being healed through prayer, I could no longer find him. When his cancer recurred, he came to me again. It was to no avail, and he later died.
Another cancer case came along. Prayer almost healed him. When I tried to contact him to pray for him, it was as if I was begging him. I could not reach him, and he died shortly after. Then there was another. I prayed and healed him; he was a brain cancer patient. It was not just any cancer; the things God did through my hands were also miraculous. My friend's wife knew that I did these things. After being healed through prayer, she started eating, drinking, and being merry. Three months later, she died. Why? What did you think you were doing? Are there many of these “two” people? There are too many.
I led some people in prayer, and they were about to close their eyes for the last time in six hours, yet they were still thinking about money. They all ended up in tragedy, truly lamentable! Can everyone learn a word today: very “two”? They are full of promises when things are not good, but soon return to normal life once they get better. That is why I told you that Jesus said to His disciples standing with Him: “You must escape all these things that are coming.” There are many “two” people standing with Jesus! Past ministry experiences are often painful. We see people rushing blindly into disaster, unable to stop them. This makes them “two” and unplanned.
There are many terms in Chinese. I will teach you within the plan and outside the plan. In the past, China had a one-child policy. What was the one-child policy? It meant that one needed a permit to have a child, similar to Singapore's Certificate of Entitlement to buy a car. Outside the plan meant having a child without a permit, which resulted in a fine. There is also a term called within the system and outside the system. The key is whether you are outside God's plan or within God's plan. The previous message, “All Things United in Christ,” is within the plan and within the system. Being outside the plan and outside the system is troublesome. Some people were already within the system but later went outside; some were within the plan but later went outside. There are many tragedies in this world!
A few days ago, a friend talked to me about a matter. He did not know how to minister to that person. The family sounded terrible. The younger brother committed suicide by hanging himself at home, and his older brother took him down from the rope. It is said that the house later felt haunted; every day at that time, it was bone-chilling. Just like that, good days were disrupted by sudden events. Who likes these things? But these things happen in the world every day. Some people happily board a plane, but the plane does not reach its destination and crashes into the ground. The cemetery and the destination are very far apart; the person dies.
Today, everyone knows that the pandemic has passed for so many years in the blink of an eye. Those who died, died, and those who lived continue to live, seemingly without a solution. A few days ago, a sister came to me and said: Pastor, there was a high-speed train accident. The people inside were not wearing seatbelts, and there were no airbags. So, many times, we are truly without a solution. But today there is a solution; it is not that there is no solution. Disasters can be escaped and avoided.
Consider this: the high-speed train driver went to work and never came back because of the accident; some people drive to work and later do not need to return. Today, I encourage everyone not to think that these things will not happen. Do not have so much confidence: “This should not happen.” Who said? Where did you get the confidence? You do not know that you are outside the plan; you do not know that you are outside the system; you do not know that you are outside of Jesus Christ! Today, discerning good and evil, even if you are not afraid of discerning good and evil tomorrow, you might accidentally fall one day. Therefore, today we must be alert at all times and pray constantly, so that we can escape all these things that are coming.
Do you think this matter is important? I can tell you that it is so good to be able to escape all these coming disasters! Can you save yourself from future illnesses by walking well in God's will and becoming a blessed person? Is it not a tragedy if a person has no blessings? We can escape all these things that are coming. So, brothers and sisters, you must listen to this message carefully today, lest it be the end for you.
In this world, no one can deal with ghosts except one person, Jesus Christ. You may ask me: How do you know? I have dealt with many ghosts through Jesus Christ, and those ghosts are afraid of my name. This is not boasting. There is no point in boasting about this. If I boast here today and am tormented by ghosts tomorrow, that would be troublesome, wouldn't it? I cannot boast about this carelessly. But victory can be achieved through Jesus Christ; this is certain. Why? Because even to this day, ghosts cannot do anything to me.
Anyway, I must stay in Jesus Christ. I have dealt with so many ghosts. If I run outside of Jesus Christ, I would be courting death. These ghosts have been waiting for me for a long time. I do not want to go out; even if you beat me to death, I will not leave God. If I leave God, I would be courting death. Those ghosts hate me and are waiting for the day I come out of Jesus Christ, ready to crush me, glaring at me and saying: I have been waiting for you for a long time.
Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology that can escape all these things that are coming. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of victory. Chinese Mingding Destiny is a theology of striving, constantly sanctifying, and becoming like Jesus Christ. Therefore, brothers and sisters, you must know where these disasters come from. Can they be escaped? These disasters all come from God! Do not think that they are all caused by ghosts; even ghosts must listen to God. These judgments and disasters that God has prepared are not for His people, but whether people are God's people is a matter that needs to be questioned.
God's people should have the appearance of God's people and be able to escape all these things that are coming. This is the original wording of the Bible. When I preach, I do not like to choose my own topics. I often choose the original words from the Bible, so I do not make mistakes. So today, can Christians escape these things that are coming? Do you think Jesus was speaking to others? Jesus was speaking to us. It would be a tragedy if we cannot escape. These words are not spoken to the people of the world; let the people of the world stay inside. These words are spoken to the disciples, meaning the disciples must know what to do, what to hold on to, how to be alert at all times, and pray constantly.
If we look at history, we will see that there are many tragedies in this world. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, do you know what happened? When the Israelites came out of Egypt, every Egyptian family lost one person; all the firstborn sons died. If we calculate based on a family of five, 20% of the people were gone. From Pharaoh above to the common people below, the disaster that God brought killed 20% of the Egyptians. You say: Why is God so ruthless? What? Do you want to argue with God? Do you want to sue God in court? Truly, there is no court that can judge God. You have no place to appeal your grievances. They were killed. So what? Anyway, I dare not challenge God. God said to me: What if I killed them? What qualifications do I have to manage this matter? Therefore, everyone must know that God does not really care about this matter. God only cares about the people of Israel. The problem is, if you are an Egyptian, then you slowly suffer the consequences.
In Noah's generation, only Noah's family of eight survived; everyone else died, which is much more than 20% of the Egyptians. It was 99.99999%. Who knows how many people were in that generation. Suppose there were one hundred million people in that generation. Out of one hundred million people, only eight people survived. Oh my God! Those were all outside God's plan and outside God's kingdom. God does not care about those outside. Do you think God cares about those within the plan? Neither is it so. Everyone must know God; we are not qualified to argue with Him. Anyway, I have learned a lesson: I do not argue with God; I argue with myself. I stubbornly have to twist myself around and twist myself into God's plan.
Chinese Mingding Destiny later discovered a very miraculous thing. When the Israelites came out of Egypt, God killed 20% of the Egyptians, and the people of Israel came out. As a result, in the wilderness, God struck down His people in the wilderness, one after another. Many people do not understand, but I understand; He is God! We are common people. Why should I argue with God? I still argue with myself. I say: God, You are the God who saved me; I want to enter into You. God is full of grace and full of mercy. The problem is what? Do not argue with God! Submit to Him, listen to the words of Jesus Christ, and escape all these things that are coming.
Later, those who died in the wilderness were a tragedy. Do not think: I have already been saved. Were those who died in the wilderness saved or not? Those were all people who displeased God. Later, I figured it out, but I do not know if you have figured it out. I said God is ruthless enough, but He is God, and I do not argue. I am determined to be a person who pleases God; I will not be a person who displeases God. My arm cannot twist my thigh. Why should I argue with God? Am I silly? Am I “two”? I should just be a good person. I know I am a person; I need God. I repeat this to everyone over and over again because I am afraid I have not explained it clearly.
The set of doctrines of Chinese Mingding Destiny that I founded is a theological system that strives for this. I am afraid of ending up outside, afraid of ending up outside of Jesus Christ, so I strive and desperately want to enter inside. As a result, yesterday, a sister told me: Teacher, you have the character of Jacob! I said: That is because I imitate Jacob, but I have not fully achieved it yet.
Everyone must know that God reveals Himself to all those who have the character of Jacob. So I hope that brothers and sisters can have the ambition to be people with the character of Jacob like Jacob. Some people are very interesting and say: Teacher, I cannot control myself. Cannot control what? If you were sent to Egypt to be a slave, you would control everything. Why can they not control themselves? Because there is a lack of fear inside! They are so dizzy and confused; they do not know what day they will fall.
Scripture
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36)
Prayer
God, open our hearts today so that we may truly know that we need You. God, open our hearts today so that we may know that we should strive to enter into Your plan, to enter into the destiny You have for us, so that we may escape all these disasters that are coming. God, disasters are rampant in this world. May You work in us today, so that we can be alert at all times and pray constantly, and escape all these things that are coming. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!
Background of This Scripture
This scripture is taken from the Gospel of Luke. The language of this book is very wonderful. After researching it, I wrote two books because putting it in one book would be too thick, totaling more than 200,000 words. The title is Many Will Rise and Many Will Fall. I feel that I am the best one who has researched this book in the world because the title is good—Many Will Rise and Many Will Fall. This is a summary I made of the Gospel of Luke.
The entire Gospel of Luke is actually Luke writing about many rising and many falling. This 21st chapter is no exception. As for rising or falling, it depends on your choice. In fact, Luke chapter 21 talks about a lot. If you read my book, the theme I gave to chapter 21 is Heaven and Earth Will Pass Away, but God's Word Will Last Forever. Verse 34 then says:
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.” (Luke 21:34)
This sentence is very interesting. Let us think carefully today. Do these disasters, illnesses, or various things that come upon us happen because of eating, drinking, living, or the cares of this life? They are all these things. If a person pursues loving God all day long, how can he have these things? What chemotherapy, electrotherapy, tumors, falling and breaking a leg one moment, and then breaking something else the next, there are too many.
Some people get to a certain point and think: I am already in my fifties. If something happens to me, who will take care of me? So they find a companion. Another person thinks the same way: I am also in my fifties. I have to find a companion, so someone can push me when I am in a wheelchair. Both sides think this way, but they forget that the other party does not want to push you. Do not get me wrong. They all hope that the other party will push them. You say, what hope is this? Hoping for this? I feel that the way people solve the problem of disaster is too crude!
Among the people we minister to, there are all kinds of people. Sometimes I think that people are thinking only of themselves. From whatever perspective, hoping to be in a wheelchair is not a good thing! Can you hope that you will be lively and healthy? If you are lively and healthy and have nothing wrong, do you need to find someone to take care of you? I am also very surprised that the cares of this life can make people uncomfortable. I tell you, if everyone loves God well today and puts aside these things of this life, nothing will happen, and living will become very simple!
This chapter talks about how heaven and earth will pass away, and you will also be abolished, but God's word will last forever. Those who rely on God's word can last forever! Today, we must ask, are you being abolished or lasting forever? This is the same thing; are you within or outside the plan? This chapter talks about God's great plan, and that God will give more disasters in the last days. Although it talks about the disasters of the end of the world, we must think carefully after listening to it today! This is two thousand years later. Two thousand years ago, talking about the end of the world to those people had little to do with them. However, that is not the case!
These things will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth, and no one can escape. Two thousand years ago, three thousand years ago, five thousand years ago, it is all the same. What was it like in Noah's time? What was it like when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt? What was it like for those who died in the wilderness later? It was probably all like this. It will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Everyone will not escape. So, people in that generation and in our generation, no matter what generation, must escape all these disasters that are coming.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, God has clearly shown us two paths: the path of blessing and the path of disaster. One is everlasting, and the other is being abolished. This is so for our generation and for that generation; it is so for all generations. How do we do it? The principle is very simple: be alert at all times and pray constantly! What should we pray for? We should pray to God! We should always trust in God, and not be so concerned about the cares of this life and the entanglements of this life that we live and forget that disaster will come. That is why I sometimes minister with great pain. I cannot just watch people run into disaster, but they stare blankly and run into disaster.
These past years, several have passed on. Before long, another dies, and then another. So, brothers and sisters, do not be entangled by the things of this world. There is no point in being entangled by the things of this life. Who are you living for when you come into this world? Are you not living for yourself? But living for yourself is not your own decision; it means living for God. Do not be entangled by the things of this life!
Those who marry should be as though they had not married, and those who are married should be as though they were not. Just live well and move forward! To know what is God's will, to know what endures. Even if you live with someone, it cannot stop you from pursuing these things, can it? Living on and on, you end up in disaster. Who is to blame? It is the absence of God's word, coupled with a heap of self-righteousness, and the words within are not systematic. People really need to be vigilant, people really need to be vigilant!
Today's churches are all talking about the cares of this life: what a good father should be, what a good son should be, what a good husband should be. Why can't they just be good children of God? Why can't they enter into God's plan? Why must they rush into disaster? Talking and talking, after a while, one is gone. Why don't people know to escape all these things that are about to come? The Bible speaks so clearly!
Once I said that disasters all come from God, and a Christian argued with me for a long time, saying they do not. I could not understand how he read that they do not. Can such a person get into university? Today, everyone must know that we must be vigilant at all times and pray always. Sometimes, as we live, we forget, and it is not even intentional, because as we live, we are entangled by the cares of this life. Brothers and sisters, can you emulate me, emulate me not being entangled by it? What is the point of being entangled by it? I put everything down.
Remember God's plan, become a person with Mingding Destiny. Know why you are living. Living for God is key. This is the second sermon in the Mingding Destiny series: to escape all these things that are about to come. People are deeply bound by money. We really do not know how much longer people can live. Living is just earning, earning, earning. Spending all day on these things, I am really impressed!
In the old days, sisters looked for partners who were tall, rich, and handsome. Now, the tall is gone, the handsome is gone; wealth is the most important thing. Is that how it is? A little ugliness does not matter, a little shortness does not matter, a little old age does not matter, as long as they are rich. That is how it is now. People are deeply bound by money! Many people have fallen into the eyes of money. Maybe at fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, maybe even teenagers who do not understand anything want it all. Teenagers dating is all about Dalian and Six Brother.
The other day, I met a man who was very interesting! I said, Are you married? No. I said, What happened? It fell through. How did it fall through? It's a long story. The woman bought an apartment and said to the man, We can get married, and you can live here, but you have to pay rent. Oh my, can you marry her? You cannot marry her. How can you live like that? It's novel! Everything is measured by money. Later, this man realized, I need money, so he speculated in stocks or Bitcoin or something, anyway, he wanted to make money. Can that stop disaster? It cannot! People who play with that stuff are all short-term speculators.
Today, we talk about being vigilant at all times so that we can escape the things that are to come. I had a friend who died in his forties, still busy making money before he died. What I just said is the background of this passage, mixed with some stories. What does it highlight? It is how heavy the entanglement of the cares of this life is! That we need to be vigilant at all times! Be vigilant at all times and pray always. Carelessly, you run into disaster; carelessly, you get cancer or something; carelessly, you break a leg or something. What are you all busy with?
Be Vigilant at All Times
Someone typed, Teacher, do you love money very much? I do not love money. Not loving money does not mean not understanding it. Do not be a fool. You must be vigilant at all times. Vigilant about what? I specialize in studying this thing called living. Living is a very simple thing. That's a good sentence! The problem is that you make living complicated. Many people make living very complicated. I study this thing very deeply. Be vigilant at all times. We must be vigilant about this thing called living. If you are not vigilant, you will make it very complicated!
Some people say, I am old, I need a companion. As a result, the companion gets sick. After getting sick, the companion is no longer a companion. After the companion leaves, they take his money too. Later, this person said to me, Look how immoral this person is. I was looking for a companion, but she does not care about me. I said, She did not plan to care about you when she came. See how you have really made living very complicated!
There are so many things like this! There used to be a girl that I pastored who always wanted to get married. As a result, she got married. After getting married, she had three children. As a result, the children's hands were rotten, their feet were rotten, and their butts were rotten, causing distress. Later, she developed depression, and her husband did not care about her. A whole bunch of messy things. No ability to make money, but great ability to cause trouble, making living extremely complicated. I will give everyone an idea to simplify things. Luke chapter 21 begins by saying:
And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had. (Luke 21:2-4)
Casting in all the living that she had, do you think this widow is stupid? This widow is extremely smart. She cast in everything. Did she cast in everything the day before yesterday? She did. Then how did she live from the day before yesterday to today? Today Jesus is sitting there, and this widow comes and casts in two more mites. There is more money to cast in. Then I ask you, can she live to tomorrow? Yes! She can live to tomorrow. Then can she live to the day after tomorrow? Maybe the day after tomorrow, she will have two more mites to cast in.
This thing is very interesting. Someone said to me, God is ruthless enough to swallow even two mites. I said, You fool, the widow is very smart. The widow had only these two mites left ten years ago, and she cast them in! After casting them in, what happened? She was able to live for ten years. Living is a simple thing. God wants to provide for someone He wants to provide for. God wants to provide for a widow. Is this not a simple thing? Is that not so!
Going out and picking up a lot of money, is that possible? Everything is possible. Later, after she used it up, she realized that it was worthwhile to cast it in, so she continued to cast it in. Did this widow find a companion? No. Why? What if she found a companion and my two copper coins were swallowed too? What if she found a companion and had to push him around in a wheelchair? How annoying! Do not make living complicated.
How many cares does a person have in their life? Everything becomes simple with me. Children and grandchildren have their own fate. What does it have to do with me? Is that not so? I have fulfilled the responsibilities I should. The rest is my own fate. What does it have to do with me? I do not freak out. I do not go crazy because it is useless. The widow simplified this thing called living. We make it complicated by thinking about it. You must be vigilant at all times. I ask you, does this widow have a son? I do not know. Does she have grandchildren? I do not know. Anyway, it is good that one person is full and the whole family is not hungry!
The second thing: Be vigilant at all times, telling yourself every day that heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will last forever. Heaven and earth will pass away. What am I doing here? Doing this and doing that, exhausting myself. Is that not so? It is better to learn from the widow and simplify the thing called living. If you have money, invest it. If you do not invest well and get scammed, you feel bad. After feeling bad, you get sick. After getting sick, you treat the illness. Originally, it was a very simple thing. Like the widow, just finish the matter. Living is very simple.
You say the church needs money. Nonsense! God supports widows. Will God not support the church? So heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will last forever. Today, brothers and sisters, are you living by money or by God's word? If you are living by money, then I wish you good luck. Do you think it is good luck? Wishing you good luck is not necessarily good luck. Brothers and sisters must know what God is going to do in the future.
And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said, As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. (Luke 21:5-6)
Do you see that? Do you trust in God's word to live? If you do not trust in God's word to live, if you are not building the church based on God's word, the church will also be torn down. God is going to tear down His temple and church. Why? Because these are not built on God's word; they are not God's will. God will make all things pass away, but God's word will last forever. Today, we are building God's church. I can tell everyone that we are so serious about God's word that you really do not see many others like us.
Brothers and sisters, be serious about God! Know what God says. If you do not know what God says, how can you be vigilant? Relying on your little brain, a brain like a walnut, a heart like a peanut, how can you be vigilant? A little thing and you get upset. It's always money, then you start freaking out. Do you think the money you save can last forever? God will make everything pass away. Even the temple, even the church, God will still tear it down.
Today, brothers and sisters must know what God's great plan is: God's great plan is to make these things one in Jesus Christ. Not to return to two. Is it not troublesome to return to two? So there will be death, famine, plague, war. This is the four horses of the Apocalypse, the last days mentioned in Revelation. These four horses have already been released. So let's not be troubled by these things.
For example, serving God. If persecution really comes, some people worry about me, but I do not worry. Why are you worrying about me? If the Antichrist really comes and persecution comes, the Bible says, Do not think about saying this or that for yourself. It is useless! If I am in that situation, I do not need to say anything. If they say they want to kill me, I will thank them. Why? Because I am tired of living in this life.
Many people do not have this mentality. They always want to live. Someone like me, who never wants to live, always has to live. You might wonder, What is that supposed to mean? Living has been simplified by me. Not a single hair will be damaged. So today, everyone does not need to care so much about your own life. You must be vigilant. What is vigilance? You need to know to love God well, and nothing will happen. Why will not even a single hair be damaged? Because God is the one who damages hair. Love God well. If God does not want to damage your hair, who can damage it? God will not allow it either.
Many things that happen in the world, do you think the four horses of Revelation came out on their own? God released them. Do not make the cares of living in this life so complicated. Children are just children. How do you manage a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old child? If some among us are still saying, My child is sixteen or seventeen years old, then you cannot manage them. You did not manage them when you could. If you want to manage them when you cannot, it will be troublesome. What is the point of managing them? Retirement is not a problem. Money is not a problem. Do not be afraid. What you fear will come.
So, you must be vigilant at all times. After being vigilant, what do you do? After being vigilant, you must live according to God's word! Only by living according to God's word can you live well. If God does not allow it, not a single hair will fall. See how detailed God's management is! Brothers and sisters, no matter how great the future disasters are, it has nothing to do with us. No matter how strict the future matters are, it does not matter because we live by God's word. What should we do then? Be vigilant at all times. Do not be deceived. If a demon comes and deceives you, and you follow the demon, you will end up miserable. Live easily. Does everyone feel relaxed? Have you let go of your children? Have you let go of your husbands? Let go of everything, shake and move your shoulders, as if very relaxed, right? Manage what you can manage, do not manage what you cannot manage, and manage yourself well.
Pray Always
The Bible does not tell us to ask, but I also said to pray always. These are the words of the Bible. Actually, when I cast out demons, I never say, God, please let the demon leave! God, please heal this brother! God, I kowtow to you, I kneel to you! After hearing these words, why does it seem like the taste here is very strange? It seems like God is not willing to heal us. Actually, it is not like that. Quite the opposite, God is willing to heal us. If you think God is not willing to heal you and then ask God, how can it be effective? Actually, until today, many Christians pray like this. What I invented is: command the throat pain to go away, and it goes away.
Why did I talk about praying always in point six? Later, I studied the Bible more deeply than the average person. Did everyone know that? I have to tell you, otherwise, you will know even less. In the Bible, I found that what we are asking for is the Holy Spirit. Remember, the Holy Spirit is asked for. The Holy Spirit is a very honorable Spirit. If you do not ask well, He will not come! You do not need to ask for evil spirits and they will come, but the Holy Spirit is very honorable, so you must pray always. So the thing to ask for in the Bible is to ask for God's Spirit.
Why ask for God's Spirit? Because we live by God's Spirit. God's Spirit can become our strength; God's Spirit can lead us to know God's word; God's Spirit can let us understand God's will. There are too many things that God's Spirit does. God's Spirit is God. God's Spirit filling us is God filling us, and we become a God-man, do you understand?
Therefore, brothers and sisters can understand God's will and God's word because of the Holy Spirit. This is called revelation. The Christian faith is a faith of revelation. Some people like to hear me examine the Bible, like the 101 lessons and the books of Genesis and Luke. I have to tell everyone that examining each book of the Bible is very difficult because I do not understand it and I have to explain it to everyone. Do you think it is painful? Fortunately, God is a God of revelation.
The other day, a sister said, Pastor, as I listen to you examine the scriptures, I find that you have a lot of revelation inside you. That is right! Without God's Spirit, without God's revelation, there is no way to go on, so we often pray. For example, when I read Genesis and do not understand it, I kneel down and pray, and suddenly I understand. This is God's revelation. Reading Luke, Matthew, and Proverbs, when I do not understand, I pray there, asking God to reveal, asking for God's Spirit. This matter is crucial. Can you simplify living? You need God's word. If there is no way to understand God's word, you must pray to God often.
So, a person must be vigilant at all times, not be deceived by demons, pray always, constantly deepen, constantly climb, and know God's word as the sea fills the ocean. Think about it, how can disaster come to such a person? Surely not, because he has God's guidance and God's revelation. How good is that! Today, start knowing that we very much need God, to the point of praying always.
Conclusion: To Be Able to Stand Before the Son of Man
A person must have a hope in this life! Is your hope to be able to stand before the Son of Man? To be able to stand before the Son of Man is not to come before the Son of Man, to come before Jesus Christ and say, Oh, I am embarrassed! I did nothing but eat, drink, and be merry all my life. Then you receive judgment. How can you stand? You cannot stand! So, if a person hopes to stand before the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, and give an account, saying, God, I have come! Look, I have done all that you have entrusted to me, according to your word. God will say,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matthew 25:21)
Do you know how useful this expectation is? This expectation can help you reduce many disasters. Today, your disasters, whether they are illnesses, stubborn diseases, or other unlucky things, are because you do not have this expectation. You only expect to stand before your wife. You only expect to stand before your son. You only expect to stand before your boss, but you have never expected to stand before the Son of Man.
Brothers and sisters, why am I grateful to God? Because God has helped me avoid countless unseen and unavoidable disasters. Because if you have not encountered it, you will not know how much there is, but walking safely all these years has been walking with an expectation. This expectation is to be able to stand before the Son of Man, before our Lord Jesus Christ. Not expecting any benefits? Only receiving disaster. This is the second sermon in the Mingding Destiny series. This is our Mingding Destiny.
Are you really a person with Mingding Destiny? Do you really have a pursuit? Do not miscalculate. God once let you almost encounter disaster. That was not avoiding disaster; that was giving you a small warning not to be too smug too soon. We must know that God is our pursuit. Start expecting to enter into God's Mingding Destiny. If you say how can you know if you have entered into God's Mingding Destiny, then take a look, see what you have done in the past week. You have done a lot of bullshit things but not much serious business. That is not called having an expectation, do you understand?
Let us put our hope no longer on money, but put our hope in Mingding Destiny, become a person with Mingding Destiny, walk in God's will, be vigilant at all times, pray always, obtain Mingding Destiny, so that one day in the future, we can stand before the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness and obtain rewards. I think money is not a problem. Good luck will come. Because our God will be gracious and add grace to such people. May God bless everyone!