R1283 Prodigals

We watch how people behave and how people succeed and how people make money and where people go popularity. The desire for popularity. Can you understand that to be accepted desire to be accepted well in order for me to be accepted, you know I'm going to go and do this business, and list them there from accepted bids. The Louis the pool of the world.

If I did into this or if I go to that or if I take part in the syrup I eat that smoke. The soul drink this, then I'm going to be on the in crowd the lure of the world times we drift or even run from God our heavenly father is ready to receive the product talk about today.

This is The Encouraging Word featuring the Bible-based breaching of Dr. Don Wilton well-known author evangelist Pastor and today his message on prodigal could be the very thing that you and I need to hear the one make sure that we as parents or grandparents.

Don't fall into a trap helps create a prodigal.

More importantly, if that is happened outside of our control, because our children and grandchildren to have free will. What can we do about it.

How can we praise them home to Jesus will talk about it will connect at 866899 word is like to have a spring with you right now. Call 866899673B. This online@theencouragingword.org. Now Dr. Donald all across America. There are people who need to hear the word that I'm about to share with you. God put this word in my heart I can say that with confidence. There is not one person today who is listening to the sound of my voice is doing so by accident how father in the beauty of your presence. We bowing our heads today because we desperately need a word from you, Lord, I know that you instructed me to preach this message is not a doubt in my mind everything over the loss several weeks every time I've open the Bible every devotional. I seem to read letters I received from around the country through The Encouraging Word broad cost ministry have constantly been a word from you to my heart and I am going to obediently share this great word of hope because father, your heavenly father. There so many people who need to come home and there are so many people who at this very moment are about to turn around and come back to the father's house coming back home to your warm embrace.

Lord I'm trying today you going speak powerfully and clearly I'm asking the Lord that I would not get in the way that my voice the sound of my voice. The inflections of my voice my speech movements my face my expressions might not get in the way hide me behind the cross.

We just want to see the love of the father.

Our heavenly father who loves us so much. We we want to understand that we can come back home. Lord, it's time so please speak today. In Jesus name, amen. This is what Jesus said I didn't say this. Your mother and father didn't say this your best friend didn't say this Jesus said this, I'm going to read to you from Luke chapter 15 in beginning in verse 11 and he said there was a man who had two sons in the younger of him said to his father. Father give me the share of property that is coming to me and so he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and he took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living when he had spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need and so he went and hired him self out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs and he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate but no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself. He said how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread but I perish here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father and say to him.

Father, I have send against heaven and before you.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants and so he arose and he came to his father while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran out toward him and embraced him and kissed him, and the son said to him, father, I have send against heaven and before you, and I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, bring quickly the best road and put it on and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet and bring the fattened cough and kill it and let us eat and celebrate for this my son was dead and is alive again. He was lost but now is found, and so they began to celebrate. Is there any more beautiful story in the Bible. Is there any greater bed and use for you and me, for I to was once a prodigal, but I came home. It seems to me, when you look at this issue of products that there are three groups of prodigal side like to share them with you.

Group number one all those who are prodigal's I know that I'm talking to you this morning.

Our world is so food with prodigal that are all around us. They are best friends. There are sons and daughters are our neighbors.

They people we go to church with the you and me subgroup number one of prodigal's there are those who are products number two. There are those who were products you're looking at one no question in my mind that I was a prodigal someone told me one time.

That's why left Africa and moved to America so I could start all over again.

That's not exactly true. But I'm going to tell you that there are many people who were I would submit to you today that you can gather any group anyway and it would be certainly sure that you are going to find many many people who would say Yep, I was I was a prodigal, you are thinking right now.

Back in looking back sometime in your life might even be as recently as a week ago. I don't know. It might be 50 years ago, but you were prodigal. There's 1/3 group of prodigal's and that's the group who may be, you know that baby that was just born.

That's who I'm talking about Jesus didn't tell us this, because he he just wanted to share a very nice story with a group of people. Jesus told us about this prodigal because he knew what was in the heart of people he knows he's our heavenly father. Major everybody of you every bit of me and he loves us very much.

So they three groups of prodigal's those who are those who were in those who yet.

Maybe some of you parents to have 8 to 9-year-olds. I'm talking to you and you may be doing everything right. I don't know a single thing the heavenly father did that was wrong.

You do prodigal's come out of good families are just not good for prodigal's come out of the very best families.

So here's the question what is a prodigal who is a prodigal. How do you define a prodigal side like to give you a definition of a prodigal a prodigal is someone who leaves home and then comes back prodigal is someone who leaves her and then comes back, our heavenly father wants you to come back so the operative issue when we study what Jesus said was to ask the questions that we really don't want to ask you know you and I are like that we say will what causes a prodigal to be a prodigal is that a fair question. Why do people become prodigal.

You see when you do everything that's that you think is right, nobody's claiming perfection.

You are not not the heavenly father, but many times we all ask the question. I just don't understand why my son would do this or you know we brought her up differently or just think of all those mission trips we sent them on and now look at them all. I remember the day when when they walk down that I remember at vacation Bible school. When they gave their heart and life to Jesus. I don't understand. Sometimes the great hood that we feel is born out of such incredible love when love gets hurt. It really hurts, you know it's it's when you're in love with a boy or a girl and you really love that person and then that person breaks up that relationship. It really hurts when you really love somebody and they break a relationship. It really hurts the stronger the love, the more the hurt.

This is as much a picture of the father's heart how much our heavenly father loves us and hurts for us and wants us to come back home because he loves us so much he only wants the very best, not next week I'm going to be speaking to those who are the ones who love the prodigal's parents and frame.

I'm gonna be speaking specifically from God's word to people who are parents, friends, loved ones of prodigal.

Does God have anything to say to such people, but I'm getting all ask this question and by the way off, coined the phrase I'm going awesome. What courses prodigal is how convicting words for me as a father and grandfather your listening Dr. Don Wilson this is The Encouraging Word if you just two men were in a message on prodigal and Dr. Don coming back with a complete message in just a minute, but he insisted I interrupt because it's important for us to realize that we are not in this struggle alone.

Perhaps you are dealing with a situation that's prodigal like in your family. We would love to pray with you, pray for a heart change. Pray for a direction change for a 180 to see your family reunited the see the prodigal come home again. We love to pray with you at 866899 word that's 866899673, and that number will connect with one of us 24 hours a day I get to take some of those calls and it's my joy to pray with you and for you. Just know that we're here for you now.

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I'm getting all ask what courses prodigal is I'm not sure that that's in the English dictionary prodigal is him is my new word and I'm going to share that with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News even though I may be opining prodigal is what courses the baby to cry.

I mean prodigal is what courses now folks, when I talk to you about the course of prodigal's I want you to tell the Lord right now that you are going to accept whatever it is that God seems to everyone. Every person in this within the sound of God's voice will find God speaking to you and me right there where we find ourselves so I'm going to list some thoughts about what courses I prodigal to become a prodigal rating number 17.

Go to start out with certain back to Tolson. Let's not tiptoe around seven let's call a spade a spade. Charlie anything that causes you and me to become separated from the father's house and his love is number one cause of prodigal's sin is sending number two friends. Bad company.

The influence of other people is a very significant factor in the life of prodigal's the influence of bad friends. I I've said many times, and you've heard it said be very careful about the company you keep.

So if you would've if I was examining my own heart when I was a teenager when I really became a prodigal, I I have to include that in my list because I hung around with some pretty rough customers and I became a pretty rough customer friends company number three churches it it really hurt me to put that in the but do you know that churches can cause some people to become prodigal or can be a contributing factor attitude in churches. Let's just can we just be honest because in churches. You can find some very self-righteous people. People who look down their noses at anybody else and can make other people feel very uncomfortable because of the way they dress something they say didn't do you know they took the wrong time or they sat down to slowly you'll they ran down the corridor door and the Lord knows you don't run down the corridor door inch birch and they brought a cup of coffee into the wrong place, folks. You understand what I'm saying you know you and I might say well I'm just telling you churches see II I'm sorry to say this but very much in mind. I'm on the preacher's kid. Do I need to say anything else. Man I can still see some of those people. They just had an attitude all the time. Or I guess the next one number for parents. Parents can be a major contributing factor to a prodigal becoming a prodigal that you and all the Bible says don't you fathers, do not provoke your children. So moms and dads you know I think we've got to just accept the fact that there are things that we do as parents that I know not always the best thing you know they're all their actions and activities that we do. You know, there are parents who go out and spend a lot of time drinking and getting drunk and then I have a real problem understanding why the kids at the age of 13 start doing the same thing you know, attitudes, critical spirits, I mean we could go on. That's not my purpose but could we agree today that when we try to study what Jesus said about coming home we not just throwing up our hands and saying to a person who has left home get a laugh and come back. These things are very real folks a very real prodigal's are people most likely to themselves are experiencing great pain. I just handling it in the wrong way and the pain is getting worse. The of the world. Number five, the lure of the world world is very attractive. You know it's it's hard not to look at the world and want some we watch all the time.

Television bowl games we watch how people behave and how people succeed and how people make money and where people go popularity. The desire for popularity. Can you understand that to be accepted desire to be accepted well in order for me to be accepted, you know I'm going to go and do this this this and this.

Then there from accepted.

It's the Louis the pool of the world. If I did into this off I go to that or if I take part in the syrup I eat that smoke. The soul drink this, then I'm going to be on the in crowd the lure of the world it it's a it's a tough deal in the world out there is got and a lot out there that has a lot of glitter to you know you cannot, you who doesn't want to make a lot of money, you doesn't want to be popular. Who doesn't want to be invited to older happening events.

Who doesn't want to be on the stage who doesn't want to succeed you got all schoolers, questions they not just figments of our imagination.

They very real balloon of the world it Charlie.

Tough folks to live in a manner that is pleasing to the love of the father a lot of a lot of young people today. I mean, they find it so restrictive that the oldest someone get you did in those between age years and and mom and dad are still saying well you know you need to be in at this time another no, we don't want you to go then and and and there's a there's the lure of the world. I want to do that on time and they and slowly it begins to build up and eventually that person starts sneaking out and starts going here and start doing that. One thing begins to lead to another.

Sometimes it begins just very small. The lure of the world. What a powerful message were just halfway through, will finish the message tomorrow on prodigal Dr. Don Wilton, but you need to know we're here for you.

We would love to pray with you and for you. It could be that you're dealing with a prodigal in your family and you are the one on your face before rising Lord, bring my end home. My child my grandchild, 866899 word that's 866-899-9673 or perhaps it's you. The need to make a decision you need to come home to Jesus. Please hear these heartfelt words for a pastor Dr. Don Wilton next are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that wanted to pray this prayer with me today.

Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin.

I confess my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith in Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that prayer.

Let me be the first want to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey.

And in just a moment I'm in a come back with the final word message is plain and if God has spoken to you respond let us talk with you. Perhaps you prefer going keyboard to keyboard. We understand that you can draft an email or connect with us in our chat portals all the ways to connect social media and more are on our website The Encouraging Word.org, but I would challenge you to reconsider the concept of a conversation we have so few of those, at least I do use my phone to search the web to to listen to Dr. Don. The text to my family and friends. But every once in a while the opportunity to have a conversation to hear someone speak to me and pray for me is a great blessing. That's what we love to do, to pray for you at the other end of 86689, consider giving us a call right now and letting us pray you through what's going on in your life. That's 866-899-9673 is online, we connect that way as well. It The Encouraging Word.org no online you see a great deal about this fresh perspective on Dr. Don's book totally secure as an affect. Here's Dr. Don Wilton more details.

You know, in all my years of sitting at the feet of Dr. Billy Graham. He said this to me.

He said Don the most important thing in life is to know that you belong to Jesus and then he said the second most important thing is that no that you belong to Jesus.

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