Touched by an Angel [Part 2]

Allen Wright, pastor, Bible teacher and author of his latest book, the power to bless over and over and over. His word says fear not, why I am God touch the depressed that's Pastor Alan Wright welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light.

I'm Daniel Britt excited for you to hear the teaching today. In the series miracle man has presented at renewal. The church in North Carolina are not able to stay with us throughout the entire program I like to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now.

They can be yours for your donation this month to Allen Wright ministries as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you today's special offer. Contact Pastor Alan.org that's Pastor Alan.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860.

More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching years so there's a more interesting study came later.

They had participants to play a videogame, a little game that little monster showed up on the screen and you punch a button and try to zap monsters and afterwards they asked participants how many monsters did you kill, and that videogame the depressed participants they got it accurate within one or two percentage points of exactly how many monsters they kill, get this, the nondepressed people over estimated how many they had killed by 15 to 20 times in order to not be depressed in this world you gotta think that you've killed 20 times more monsters than you actually have strains but what does this say about how her design. It is saying that in one real sense if the only reality that you look at is the newspaper and all of the news and the bad news and all of the viruses that you could catch all of the viruses that you might not be able to defeat could kill you and all of the bad guys and all of the negative things that have happened to you and might happen to you in the future and how many car crashes there might be in earthquakes and storms and everything in your life is just focused on seeing that reality. Guess what, you get depressed because there is a reality that life is hard and there bad things in there and there bad people and and and you get to the end of it all and you die and if that's your reality. Welcome to the world of depression, that's so, how has God made us. He is made as to acknowledge without being in denial that there is this real thing called trouble in this world, but he said, take heart. I have overcome the world. He said yeah that story and when you die, but let me tell you the story gotten in there because it begins a new you.

Being given a new body living forever and ever, to see what happens when you are a Christian, what happens when you have a life-giving power ebbing and flowing in your very spirit in your life.

You see an additional reality. You see a reality that is not limited to the things you see with your naturalized what you see some things that are possible.

You see how God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above and beyond what you might see with your eyes right now and that is hollow and faith hollow that envisions life is going to get better and therefore I go through a difficult thing now, knowing that it will not stay like this forever, and faith believes that it will come to pass and so it is that if we're going to have encouragement in this world is going to come by the hope of the gospel in the real sense it is to say knowing what real is one of the things that psychologist teachers about depressed persons is that they tend to practice selective abstraction.

It is a psychological term to apply to the tendency to focus on a single negative event or condition to the exclusion of others. Selective abstraction. That is where maybe a young woman becomes discouraged that she's not in a romantic relationship and thinks about it so much that she begins to neglect the fact that she has good friends and a good family. It is in short a focus on the negative. It is when that negative becomes the central thought and sometimes it just can't go away only in our video capture this week.

One of the prayer ministers there with me.

I had a prophetic image as I was preaching this oppose of an apt image. Some of his orders to remember where kids we have these records. The smaller ones were co-45s and you just get a single on that and I had to put that little centerpiece in the turntable and player 45 and you get a 45 because there's a hit song on there that you love and on the other side. You almost forget about it. There is a done song that nobody liked, and I just throw one on the underside as he had this image.

What a beautiful, powerful, prophetic image is like seeing somebody who's playing that single at 45 over and over and over that can be like you gotta you like a song in your mind you can get it out you get a thought in your head and you can get it out just like a record and it's going over and over. But what she saw was so I was listening to the record over and over but there listening to the wrong side so you turning that over God, turning it over in your mind the hit songs on the other side. The good song is one that needs to be going over and over what would happen if that changed also. Depressed persons first selective abstraction, Elijah, who says that I'm doomed because now all is lost know you just got one more battle to fight herein.

One woman. This is the second thing that that psychologist doesn't depressed persons tend to have dichotomous thinking all of us have had some of this to know what it is all or none thinking right it's it's common doctor tells in hospitalized patients. Depressed persons in the hospital often might say some if he doesn't come see me today just means he doesn't love me know just means you have a lot of errands today is dichotomous, all or none, thinking we had a marital fight. This means we should get divorced as we did when on a future know you took every marriage you have spat every marriage got worse the things will fail the chemistry class so obviously I'm just not good enough, I will drop out of school and live on the street. No, no chemistry's is not your subject or maybe just a take it again you'll do better next time. Dichotomous thinking.

You get a new job as the great shot in the whole world. My boss is fantastic as grace company. All of my coworkers. It's absolutely perfect.

Three months later you get corrected or criticized about something that you didn't need to be changed, and now is the worst most overworked company world worth coworkers I need to quit how to get that bad that quick salad right will have more teaching moment from today's important series like something is holding you back if you can important see what could change everything.

Is there someone you seen stack to help them out what's missing blessing on the base and spoken over you can learn how to embrace the practice of blessing to Pastor Ehrenreich's new book, which became an enzyme number one bestseller after its recent until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your demos is not only received a best-selling but also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers contact video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion.

Make your gift today discovered the power to bless the gospel is shared when you get to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer.

We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website.

Pastor Alan.work teaching now continues once again is one more thing you see in Elijah that is in in the thinking of depressed persons catastrophic thinking psychologist tells this is where you exaggerate the possible consequences of an event. My knee hurts. Oh no, I'm the one up in a wheelchair.

I will be a work I'll be on the street. I'm done. Know your knees just a little stiff today. That's all catastrophic thinking woman calls her husband need an answer he calls again he doesn't answer. Oh no, it's a catastrophe he's having an affair know his battery is dead on his phone, whom others had had some of these thoughts turn, this is Elijah the man of God sleeping under a broom tree ready to die one of God do my thing. God might send some judgment on the prophet bully him back into his senses shake and rattle a little bit as I pull yourself up. Who do you think you are sitting here when there's more work to be done doesn't say you ought not to feel that way doesn't club them over top of the head.

He doesn't say you shouldn't feel depressed look at. He doesn't get doesn't do that isn't come to a depressed person.

That way you know what because it doesn't work condemning a depressed person never left them out of depression. I promise you it doesn't even come to quote Bible verses to doesn't say you ought not feel that way.

Have you ever notice that when you are in a ditch and some I tell you ought not be in the ditch. It doesn't get you out of the ditch you got everything going for you Elijah. You will not feel this way. What we are really saying sometimes is it bothers me to come to the realization Elijah that you two are human and that you have low times and if even you can have low times. What is that say about me.

I only want to think about it, that's not what God does look at what God does verse five hold an angel touched him the power of touch, the power just finding out you're not alone.

The first thing is the primal thing. It's the most important thing you come into this world and you need to be touch me, to be held is how you know you're not alone. How you know you matters how you know that you love. It's how security is formed by unconditional love that is associated with touch of a mother and her baby is what build security into that baby and when we are at our worst, and when our lowest what we need most from God is what God most wants to give and that is his presence. He draws near. When you're at your lowest, God is not repelled by that he loves you when the prophet gives up on God. God doesn't give up on the prophet he comes near he touches him you need connection, probably more than you need correction, you might want God and you might think this is what you need God to do is to hurry up and take your Jezebel away hurry up God and get rid of the stone and everything a be okay carry out God.

Get that problem out of my way and you wonder why doesn't do it they got it in like a bottle alcohol. God didn't like a snort of some substance God in Laika like a quick fix is not a genie. He is your father and what God does is he promises he will never leave you nor forsake you. And when you most need to be touched. He comes near to you. This is the whole glory of the gospel is that God did not remain in the distance but the word became flesh and pitched his tent in our midst. God proved to you that he wants to be near you, through the gift of his own son Jesus Christ who is God and the flash, he proved it to you when you accepted Christ by giving to you his own spirit. He lives and abides with every believer mystically invisibly but palpably and forever abiding with you over and over and over. His word says fear not, why, for I am with you.

God touched the depressed path and he said to arise and eat companies for a before I'm going to give you your next assignment. I want you know I'm with you I want you to be nourished is nourished in a physical ways nourished in a spiritual way inside every command of God is a promise of God. So if he said to Elijah arise and eat and that's a command. It must be that there's a reason to eat, because if you're just going to die. You don't need to eat.

But if you're going to live, you're going to need to eat. If you're going to need to be nourished, there must be a reason that you're going to need to be nourished and if you're going to be nourished because there's a reason you're going to find out what the reason is, and so it is that we have an invitation. Likewise, to feed upon God's grace arise and eat my just be aware of the Lord to somebody here today that you have been touched by him and now he's saying before he gives you your next assignment feed on the grace of God feed on the word of God be nourished strengthening your inmost being there something wonderful that's coming. Verse seven angel Lord touched came again a second time and touched him.

Are you just are you overwhelmed by the persistence of this gracious God who comes a second time because the first time he touches Elijah. Elijah eats a little bit in the depression just puts them back into slumber again an angel comes a second time. He doesn't give up on him becomes a second time I think of Jonah, who was swallowed up by the wail of God's grace spewed out on dry land and the text says in the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Your failures, your depression has not revoked God's purposes in your life. Your discouragement has not dethroned God the limits that you see over your life and not incapacitated. God's vision for your life.

God doesn't give up because God sees what is coming. God doesn't give up because his love is unquenchable. God doesn't give up because he is not scared of your Jezebel.

God will not give up on you, no matter how much you seek to give up on him, the angel of the Lord comes a second time horizon needs for the journey is too great for you. The journey is too great for you know where energy comes from hope something else that's in front of you angels saying something that is powerful, good news. The journey is too great for you is to say, but is not too great for me.

Something happens.

This is one of the primal temptation something happens in Elijah's life that I understand where he is a tremendous victory on Mount caramel me.

What else is there. After that, right. You just landed in deathblow to idolatry in the land. That's what his ministry was about exposing the reality of God in the phoniness of the idols in demonstrating the power of those ministries that now it's happened now is still a threat coming against him. And all of a sudden it feels like it's over is not over, you got a great journey in front.

Oh, there is a great journey in front.

He's gonna go and find himself in the cave and 40 days and there he is going to experience something he had not experienced a still small voice of God. He is going to know this God of power in new intimacy. One of what God has next for you is not another great exciting God event where everybody knows about it on if you just saying, arise and eat because I will take you into the inner chamber and show you secrets of my grace would delight your soul so much that you would exchange all of the grand and grandiose events for this one moment of fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

He's got not just a still small voice in front of him. He has glorious hope. At the conclusion of his earthly ministry that is consummated with a world when in a chariot of fire and ascension, heavenward, and what he's got coming. No one could have forecast because he would be along with Moses transfigured next to Jesus. He still had a shimmering glory of God to position him next to the Messiah of the world arise and eat for the journey is too great for you heard of a seminarian who would always go around and tell his classmates. I will go far in the ministry. I will go far in the ministry thereby see out on what you I'm going to go far in the ministry and finally one of his friends and why do you say that all the time. Are you just arrogant. You think God's got some real special assignment. He said no. I'm just tell you what my professors always tell me they say you got a long way to go. If God tells you that you got a long way to go is the best news you could ever hear the girls wanted me that he is by no means done with you yet you got a long way to go.

Good, it means you got a great journey in front of you. That's how God brings us out of our discouragement. He touches us. He feeds us.

He loves us and then he says I got a journey still in front of and has hope. Well my Baylor Bears. They they had over time and Austin, Texas, and they didn't win, and that over time they one in the second overtime and that's the gospel I read these teaching touched by an Angel from the series miracle man. Alan is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in the final word.

Feel like something is holding you back if you lack an important scene that could change everything. Is there someone you love hissing stock to help them out what's missing blessing. We own the vision spoken over you can learn how to embrace who practice a blessing to Pastor Alan writes new book, which quickly became an Amazon number one bestseller after 370s until now the hardcover book has only been available through retail sales this month right ministries once send you the I thank you for your demos this night will not only receive the best-selling also receive a free session video place in which Pastor Alan teaches how to blast and covers kind of video course includes a detailed study guide perfect for personal growth or small group discussion. Make your gift today and discovered the power to blast the gospel is shared when you get Allen right ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanked him. Allen right ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor Alan.work Allen right hand, you couldn't have victory there without a sport double overtime. Sometimes, you know, we're talking about. You feel like you're in overtime. It's like like I should've won this thing by now it's right and now I gotta play some more, and every now and then is double overtime, but whether you are in regulation play overtime or double overtime. God can send an Angel for you to he really does love you and he provides for you. Do not despair, there's a journey in front of you.

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