The Lord’s Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Is Light

The following is a prerecorded program.

You know the Lord's joke really is easy and his burden really is life stage for the line of fire with your host activist offer international speaker and theologian Dr. Michael Brown your voice of moral cultural and spiritual revolution Michael Brown is the director of the coalition of conscience have president of fire school of ministry get into the line of fire valves like always 866-34-TRUTH that's 866-34-TRUTH Georgia is Dr. Michael Brown, the friends welcome to today's broadcast on the line of fire.

This week is a special week. I am in Fort Worth, Texas attending the ETS Evangelical theological Society annual convention, several thousand evangelical scholars come together.

Theologians with different backgrounds but with the common denominator of loving biblical scholarship in theology and being evangelical believers and we come together for a few days I will participate in this for years and years and finally did again in recent years and you deliver papers back and forth you sure different viewpoints you have discussion sections people deliver plenary papers that everyone listens to all sorts is a good stimulating time.

Above all, is a time to catch up and see people you don't normally get to see so I'm presenting a couple of papers this week and for the most part what we've done is prerecord bran new broadcasts of this is not a previously aired this is not a best of show this is a brand-new broadcast but specially prepared for those days were not able to broadcast live and take your calls live so I really believe you to be enriched with the content along with the teaching today were also going to be talking through many reasons why people are leaving the faith, it's something we talked about a lot address it in my book.

Has God failed you. Finally faith me not even sure God is real, but I have to admit I was surprised when I posted on social media just earlier today and I said okay and your mind in your opinion, what are the main reasons why many people leaving the faith.

I have to admit I was surprised with the flood of comments people wanted to way and so we continue to address that and interact with some of your social media, similar able to broadcast live during the week we will absolutely be doing that and plan 100% to be back in studio or home studio. At the end of the week on Friday to hear questions and call sort about the phone number now, but as it prayed and sought about what would bless you and help you what you find practical again where here not just to deal with controversies and tackle difficult subjects, but once you healthy. Once you thriving to see you living in overcoming life in the Lord bearing much fruit, blessed by him being a blessing to others.

So if you're really rough state. Now we will get you healthier if you're strong we want to get you even stronger if you're running a race we want to put an even greater vision in front of you and in fusion was phased in truth, encourage that's why were here on the year and want to thank all of you, pray for us to thank all of you who share our broadcast with others want to thank all of you who give financially, especially who those who do so sacrificially. Thank you for giving your helping is making a great great difference. All right, you've probably heard these words before she been in church all over the years you've heard these words alone will resist you from Matthew chapter 11 issue is words as he's with his disciples.

He's just said that no one can know the father except the sea reveals knowledge and of the son was the father reveals aces. This Matthew chapter 11 beginning in verse 28 he says come to me all you who are laboring burden heavy laden, come to me in and I will give you rest.

Aces learn of me from meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls to hear from another translation. Then I become to me all you who are weary and burdened, now give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, so this is the image of an animal wearing a yoke. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, I'm gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light, and some would argue that the best understanding of the Greek word easy. There means it fits just right.

Think of it like that the Lord's yoke is easy, its meaning it fits just right, and his burden is light. Okay let me first give you cultural background that I want to give you contextual background and then I want to minister grace to you whether you are a believer and you been serving the Lord for 20 or 30 years.

Whether you are brand-new in Jesus. Whether you are a full-time minister of the gospel.

I believe you can get some really life-giving truth from the word of God today. Let me reach you what David Stern says in his Jewish New Testament commentary to these verses Judaism speaks of the yoke of heaven the commitment. Any Jew must make to trust in God, and the yoke of the tour. The cup can comment and commitment an observant Jew makes to keep the generalities and details of holler coming in Jewish law to take on you the yoke of heaven that is the responsibility to believe in and confess and follow the God of Israel, and then the yoke of the tour that is now taking on yourself the responsibility of following all of God's laws continue sure speaks of his own easy yoke and like burden.

These two are sometimes contrast in a way implying that in comparison with Judaism, Christianity offers cheap grace with the same issue was must be put alongside remarks such as 1038. So Matthew 1038 Luke 923 24 which is about deny yourself and take up the cross and follow him try to save your life, you lose it. If you lose you life you save Dr. Stern continues the Ezio consists in a total commitment to godliness, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

So it's not an easy way.

It's not a copout way sideways they will Judaism is rooted really difficult but Christianity is really easy, no, there is a supernatural empowerment and grace that God gives such strengths as it once requires both. No effort and maximal effort. No effort in that the necessary moment to moment faith cannot be worked up from within the gift of God. Ephesians 289 and maximal effort in that there is no pre-determinable level of holiness and obedience sufficient to satisfy God and let us rest on our laurels. I often say we come to a place of rest and then we run, we come to that place of acceptance, knowing that were loved by God and that we are a strength just what Dr. Craig Keener says in his Bible background commentary course comments much more extensively in his Matthew, commentaries he says, verse 28 God offered rest to the weary. Isaiah 4028 through 31 of the Osama the parallels. This was not the promise an ordinary teacher would make you don't find these words commonly among the early rabbinic teachers come to me and find rest, then verse 29, 30, when a man karaoke would carry it on his shoulders as in Jeremiah 27 with grandma does. That is, it is a demonstration is a sign Judaism applied this image of subjection to obedience. Jewish people spoke with Karen the yoke of God's law and the Okemos kingdom which when accepted by acknowledging that God was one by keeping his commandments. Matthew intends Jesus's words about rest is a contrast with Pharisees Sabbath rules in the following passage chapter 12 promise of rest for your souls comes from Jeremiah 616, where God promises to state his wrath. The people turned him instead of the words of the false religious leaders found elsewhere in the chapter.

So what other context. We know the background the cultural background, but taking the yoke upon you rights issues is my yoke. Not not the yoke of the Jewish traditions, not the yoke of the religious world, but my yoke so we are living in obedience to him relationally. We are sons and daughters vocationally. We are bond servants and slaves.

We live to serve him. We have been bought with a price we take his yoke. That yoke of obedience to him.

But he says it fits just right and that his burden is light.

Now, immediately after this we get into the 12 chapter Matthew positions this differently than Mark and Luke and here is where you have two incidents involving the religious leaders and while there's a man with a withered hand in in the in the synagogues was crippled in his hand, and Yeshua tells him the stretch out his hand and a dozen people are angry aces will or will. How is it is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath and and is of it. If you save a life on the Sabbath relief on the Sabbath shouldn't do it. Jewish tradition which is not adding to many of God's laws and something beyond what God had said that helping so medicinally or are bringing a practice drill.

You could theoretically do that on any other day was out of the emergency. It's like the persons dying. If you don't heal now. So do it another day not the Sabbath.

The singer missing the hope point to the Sabbath and then his disciples walking through the grain fields and their grabbing some grain to munch on in the religious leaders. The Pharisees that hate disciples are violating the Sabbath. This is not is not the case and then he is very pragmatic know that that David went to the temple and and he is in the tabernacle, and as it wasn't in and any needed Unita. The sword needed some bread. We got Goliath sword, the bread of the presence of sin over the priest will will give it to me in my memory needed nestling from Saul arguments us. We we needed and aces will some something greater than the temple is here and incessantly greater than David is here. That's the point of it that hate. It's is fine in my presence.

To do this and is just being practical. So on the one hand he's saying that his ways are different in the ways of religious tradition.

I love holiness. I hate legalism I love the conviction of sin. I hate condemnation, so there are big differences. I love the truths of God and the teachings of God and the laws of God.

I I utterly reject binding human tradition so you sure wants to set us free from that but but in what sense can he say that his burden is likely tell the apostle Paul, the bird not put on you is life you been flogged multiple times you been beaten with rods you've gone about naked homeless and been shipwrecked and hated and reviled in stone rotted in prison ultimately beheaded could could Jesus actually say that to Paul.

My yoke is easy, fits just right and my burden is light. Yes.

Yes he could he could.

And that's when we share with you today. I want to talk about the importance of understanding what God gives you to do and what he calls you to do the fact we come back. I want to share an illustration role. Prayer is a this is my age as I guess in the 60s when I heard a preacher I was a teenager and I was amazed by his energy and passion in spiritual insights and vigor love by the same age. He was maybe an older valid feel for life. But from that perspective. I was amazed by the insights of this quote old man of God at all sure that with you want to share some things I've learned in my own life. So share this with a friend calls rental Mattoon in this my podcast or the podcast with someone I will administer this this word disgraced was many people as I can.

If you understand it. It really is life-changing. It really is like transcriptase, they were here will be right back where we will file the line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown get into the line of fire now by calling 866-34-TRUTH here again is Dr. Michael Brown different things returning in today is a special teaching broadcast will not take somehow you tuning in the midst of the show just driving a car happened to the do your best to catch all of it is I believe really bless you were talking about the Lord's words at the end of Matthew 11 recess to come to him will find rest, that they were to take his yoke on her shoulders and that his yoke fits us just right, and his burden is light. How can that possibly be. I was interacting with a friend of our ministry is been very generous with us over the years and he was explaining one of the reasons that he supports our ministry that he has Jewish background as well.

But he said it's it's not primarily that that drew him to me, but rather speaking the truth in love, tackling the diff the difficult issues.

The controversies challenging apologetic issues with doing it in a way it ran an angry railing on people that were tackling the controversies and speaking the truth but were were doing it in love and he said that's one of the reasons that he really gets behind redoing and and I'm grateful to say that many others stand with us and support us for those very reasons it is. Look, it's gotta be difficult to tackle what you tackle. Gotta be challenging to be a truth teller when so many don't want to hear the truth. And yes there is a price to pay. I do pay a certain price doing what I do. There is a certain pressure that comes my way.

There is demonic attack. There are many many challenges to overcome daily discipline is required.

Faith is required. Many doors have been shut my face because of stands we've taken and cruise we've spoken. Nonetheless, II can tell you overall in God regardless of my schedule and life. Everything I can tell you yes. Personally speaking, his yoke is easy and his burden is life that that I am made to do this and called to do this and graced to do this and if I get in my proper laying in the Lord and run the race that he said before me, there is grace to do it.

Yes it's challenging at times it can feel overwhelming. Yes, the attack can sometimes be ugly, but I'm telling you I've learned in the midst of it to find even more grace. I've learned in the midst of it to get even lower and lean on him even more and recognize what I mean.

His will and when I'm out and and when I'm in his will. I can say again is burden really is light.

I could list everything I carry you think that's impossible. Just you and your own life adjuster team that I could say with a smile destroy there's grace there's comfort there's encouragement there is hope, there is life. Yeah every single day. I can tell you is yoke fits just right so I reference this this Pentecostal preacher I heard us to remember sitting where I was. We had services in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York and Oceanside Long Island. So start in Springfield Gardens on the board property in Oceanside and Oceanside with me.

Go to building their referral we had. We had services in both places sometime. So when the doors were open.

I would go ultimately I be in church Sunday school Sunday service Sunday night service Monday night prayer meeting Tuesday night service Wednesday night service Friday night service and then sometimes on off days we visit people or evangelism knock on doors so you zealously going after it but I remember sitting there in the building that was in Oceanside.

I remember this Italian Pentecostal preacher preaching and and he was talking illustrating something that happened as he was talking to a young lady on the plane and and talk about being a Christian living a holy life and she said to them, isn't it hard to be a Christian and and this fellow eddies Sal Aziz preaching around this a teenager maybe 1819, listen to this guy preacher thinking has got a lot of energy from old guy and he and he says truck pieces. I look at the bird in the sky. I look at that bird. It's flying it's darting it's just swinging here and there in its wings flapping, and cause higher and higher, and it glides down and I say look isn't it hard to be bird is not hard to fly like that is was no maybe a bird. It's my nature was that I look in the river and I see the fish swimming in the sea is placed on the gal on the pleasure was been blown away by his answer right and I look at efficiency and it's darting here and there and it's going in the deep, and it's just after breathing I said isn't hard to do that and the fishes. Now I'm a fish it's my nature any sister. Since I been born again. I have been nature of the Lord Jesus illuminates the hard it's my nature or advancement. What answer. Now I know on the one hand was still in this world was still in this body. Trust me, I've had battles with discouragement. I've had battles with demonic attack among some of them have lasted four months and it feels like your of your trading through modular trauma runs through knee-deep mud just to live a normal life and yes we been battered and and we've had losses in a bit of the same moral you live in, but ultimately I want to say again when you give yourself to what God fashioned you to do and to be you don't resist his calling. You make yourself available and then drawn his life drawn his strength drawn his ability to how you do it. I remember asking myself that question I was going to college. Remember this distinctly outgoing Queens College for classes one day I'm listening on the radio to the old. Let's talk about Jesus years before when mom on those New York we know about the original let's talk about Jesus and and this fellow who led the show before when mom he's talking about.

You know it's not I who live, it's Christ who lives in me and it's the resurrected Christ lives in me, that are members saying yellow. I wake up in the morning if feels like me. What I been tempted to send it feels like me, as I highly get that. But so is just spending quality time with God. Some of it is just being with him in his presence, some of it is is just living life with the Lord and walking obedience to him and begin to see him.

He made me to do this is some of you your budget kids, your mom's and eat it. You never really pictured yourself being married with kids and was at other ministry plans or work plans, but then he met the man that was right for you.

The two of you deeply love, got married and you want to have children and and so to this and now you like amazing and and your husband would see this honey. How to learn to be so good with the kids while major for gifted before he graced you for just like if you want you to preach 2 million people a day.

If you disgrace for that.

With that, whatever the calling is often will in order, calling us and were running like crazy to try to figure it out, and to please God only encourages step back. God never calls to to to walk in frenzy. God never calls you to walk in a sense of cause and appeal and just step back and worship even now some of you that are so stressed out. God never calls you to be stressed. He may call you into stressful situations, but who call you by his grace, he may call you into difficult situations, but he will empower you in the midst that is not what Jesus says in John 1633 the sister's disciples in this world will have tribulation will have trouble. Pressure, stress testing, but be encouraged of overcome the world that the tribulation, the difficulty that's not the end of the story the end of the story is that Jesus has overcome so how's encouragement he did it only but is not alone. We overcome with him. We we ride on his coattails never see in the elections. There's a massive swing for the president and his party just wins big visited one of the presidents coattails can happen in a statewide election. The same with it that they were on the governor's coattails is really popular as always, people just press one button Republican, Democrat, this one flout the press one button for it for the whole party so we ride in on Jesus coattails his victory is our victory.

He died to sin.

We die with them. Heroes re-rise with them.

See how you do that you renew your mind to pray for God to make it real you confess with your lips that with the word says is true, Lord. It is true. You said it through baptism and through faith. I've died to sin.

I can't live in it any longer board you said in your word. I'm not under law. I'm under grace. You said in your word.

Do not let sin have dominion over you, Lord, I will not by your grace by your power of a new creation in the Messiah you repeat these things not to create a false reality it in the realm of fantasy to take hold of real spiritual reality to your heart and mind to agree with it and take hold of it. Grace is there. Whatever situation you find yourself in but I want to find Tunis a low share some of my own personal life experience because I believe it's really going to help you, because many are just living stressed out, living under constant said sensor pressure constant sense of a falling short and and because of that, your whatever you're trying to do for God with God. There's not a sense of joy is that a sense of deep satisfaction. Please understand I'm an achiever by nature so I pretty much start every day with a with a fresh slate doesn't matter if I just finished traveling and preaching five times yesterday doesn't matter if I just finished the deadline on the latest book doesn't doesn't matter if if if a minister to individuals through the day or taught classes. The next day starts and I haven't done anything yet and and II still feel that way often until I finished writing late in the night now silk have done something so I'm not one is just sitting back showing and yet I want to say once more that you come to the Lord, and he gives you rest. There is rest from the striving rest from the struggle rest from this conservator work harder, fight more to somehow find a way to please God gives us that rest and we come to that place of rest knowing were accepted and loved plans by the blood of the Messiah.

Now we can run a race. Not so as to gain his faith because we have already seen more specific error on the line of fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown, the voice of more cultural and spiritual revolution there again is Dr. Michael Brown thanks for joining us today on the line of fire.

I have specially prepared this report just for you to minister life in grace, strength and encouragement and hope, and I want to be as practical as possible. Jesus said, we come to him. We receive rest, we learn of him.

He's humble and gentle in heart we receive rest for our souls and this rest specifically consist in the fact that his yoke is easy, yoke fits just right in his burden is life. Even those who suffered for the Lord who been beaten for the Lord who been martyred for the Lord will ultimately say his grace is sufficient so not taking calls today to spend the entire time digging into the word and ministering to you here, so let me get very specific with you at work over Romans the 12th chapter Romans chapter 12 and and Paul calls us there and since therefore, this is in light of the mercy that's been poured out with which EE ends. Romans 11 therefore urge you, brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true improper worship or your reasonable service not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. I will work that out. Paul, what do next and how I okay I want to be fully obedient give my body my whole life to the Lord will one. Why do how I live this out. He continues for by the grace given me I say that everyone of you not think of yourself more highly than you ought rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God is distributed to each of you for just as each of us has one body with many members, these members do not all have the same function, so Messiah. We, though many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.

We have different gifts, let's say that together out loud. We have different gifts. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us to the grace that many unlimited unmerited favor here, but the empowerment given to each of us.

If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your face or in accordance with the faith if it is serving, then served if it is teaching, then teach, if it is to encourage and give encouragement if it is given generously then give generously if it is to lead to a diligently if it is to show mercy which carefully. Now here's the thing is we look at these verses. When you are functioning in your gift was hard for someone else is easy and natural for you and when you are functioning outside of your gift. There is not sufficient grace there is that chafing there is that feeling of something not being right okay the sit back and think about this in the late 80s early 90s I was leaving a messianic Bible school in Maryland Messiah Biblical Institute graduate school of theology prior to that, it just been more or less a mentoring program at college and grad level. I was able to develop develop it into a full-time school, college and grad school. Even though our student body was small. The big night classes we would have to draw as many as 150 people, but the overall program during the day was more dozens or scores of students.

It was like a regular college campus university campus. It would be like a small department specialized department within a school that's fine. That's what we were there to do and we were recognized by the state of of the Maryland to do what we were doing so I had this grace on me to develop all the courses to develop the guidelines and that and that you know everything and here's the number of the class and here's the need these credits to graduate. All is meticulous, stuff because God called me to help raise up the school and I taught led the school and started 87 but ended in 93 and I remember one year before I I gave the school overtook to others. I just felt something wasn't right in my life like I was carrying something I wasn't supposed to carry something just sums wrong. I can't figure out what it is or with your body with the vehicle or suspects sums just not right but can't figure out what was in earlier and here I thought maybe I'm not supposed to be leaving the school now. Maybe I'm I don't think especially the school now. Talk to Nancy about it and then talk to that, the leader of all the ministries so so we had several different ministries and organizations the school be one of them. So the we that oversaw all those talking about be felt most strongly. I was supposed to do it so I thought okay let me just continue to love doing this but specific sums not right so I continued to travel around the world and speak.

I continued to teach at the school and leave the school and do other things I was doing the whole year feeling something is just not right. What is it and then finally just got extra time to be alone with God in prayer and really seek his face slow down. I was doing and really seek his face and Boehm right from eyes, not supposed be leaving school anymore. All oh is only about a year earlier that I felt it but I didn't stop long enough to really pray it through and that's how it is with some of the stuff please. I'm not talking about shirking responsibility are not semi-copping out. Sometimes we just copout. We feel relief, but it's temporary relief. As a leader bring a greater pain.

You know like I can handle this. I can do it. We quit and we feel miserable afterwards and the thing still has to be done on talking about when you're outside of your calling you so I don't know what my real calling is that you really got a present to God. Yes we serve and often, as were walking with the Lord. It can take some years before really find out for the season of life or for all of her life. What our real calling is where real anointing is what we really have grace to do and and always.

We have to serve in other ways. I mean, to this day, leaving our ministry and having a great team that carries so many things I can't carry the silly things I can't do or that if I did than they just completely weigh me down and they take so many things off my plate so I can give myself to what I'm called to do there always little things afterward rather not do them as much as I love to travel to minister the respites of traveling all effect didn't have to sit there always is burden to carry. But I'm saying there's wit my overall life is infused with grace because I'm doing what he made me do so. I can almost guarantee you if you spent a week in my shoes doing what I'm doing and maybe in the midst of it having to do a really difficult debate and then get a tonic hate mail.

One week and maybe some death wishes coming your way and then all the deadlines that I have to meet in all the responsibilities I for most all of you. I can almost guarantee a strong is your you would make it through week pretty much guarantee that for most all of you discussed made me uniquely and grace me uniquely. But let's turn this around. I could almost guarantee you that if you are really in the center of God's will and doing what he called you to do and grace to do and anointed you to do that you are doing it, and thriving in it and if you put me in your shoes I probably wouldn't make it for a week.

That's what we always look at other people think.

How do they do it because God is given and the grace to do it cases given them the calling to do if you're calling a service you service love to servant for me. If I'm just helping people. It's a in the parking lot and and and I'm going 05 services on Sunday and were getting people are setting that Sunday and on their vow and overseeing the parking crew, and getting people in and out like okay I'm happy to help it like a legal right or puncture-I will be on the regular meeting I will be traveling, preaching is that's yet we all serve in different ways right now with the airport yesterday. Find back from from where I was and and get on the escalator and the woman's walking solutions. Go ahead because I'm about to die so we can get to the bottom of the esculin addresses are you okay this is because below ground for an hour. I can find a baggage claim and unaware of this. I said okay listen to. We came in to stop what I was doing as a let's walk over. Let's find out that she spotted a solo because we all serve work with decent people right but God is not primarily called me to do those things and you know you go through the list that Paul gave them a menu when you give yourself to what he made you to do right and and and and don't try to be something else.

Don't compare yourself to somebody else try to function in someone else's gifting or someone else, anointing or measure yourself by that look we we love our daughters and loved raising our daughters. Challenges we had over the years. We always do, especially with her with all the drawers joke with her about it or it was a great mom and and and why she is today. But there challenges but we were devoted parents and Nancy was a very devoted mother that the girls are two doors are very close to her today so she was a devoted mother but she was not a homeschooler and I was on a homeschooler. It is much as I'm teaching and training others. I was on a homeschooler. She was on a homeschooler and for some years of their lives. We honed skills and and this was before you had so much curriculum available and destroy my computer. All this and that's not who she was wheeled his other moms I know 11 kids in their homeschooling seven at the time and changing diapers like I we are stun like how can somebody do that but Nancy was a super devoted, super involved mother that really cared for what was best for our daughters and would take difficult stands do difficult things because she knew it was in their best interest, but boy is a homeschooler others a look at her and her moral courage and her integrity and her her unbending convictions in this how you do it they just gave up.

You can't compare yourself to someone else.

The fact that when I was 18 years old.

I was memorizing 20 verses a day, 17, 18 years old I was doing that month in month out without ever missing a day. Don't compare yourself that if God has given you that same grace and that same discipline to do it in the same way. Trust me I look at many other people think that's amazing. I look at pastors that you hours and hours of difficult counseling. I think how you do it.

I look at others that that they do detail work and inlets. The accounting type thing that you are counting every dime and penny.

It's like that would wear me out steal my face, but there like I love doing this. I love balancing the books like Bill talked about the books. Find your Lane. It doesn't mean you don't serve but finally God made you to do. Finally, God graced you to do. Find what God anointed you to do find what he uses you in most effectively run so I supposed to be preaching or not spiritual for my praying six hours a day, while not a good mom. If I'm not a homeschooler or I'm not a good dad. If I'm not a super aspect of don't compare yourself some of us yield yourself wholly to God, with every fiber of your being. Lay your life out before God, I belong to you. You are my God my Savior, my strength, my entire life is devoted to serving you and living for you to live for self and other, please. You then out of that fund your Lane by number and by Expo light a fire with your host Dr. Michael Brown of your voice and more cultural and spiritual revolution. Here again is Dr. Michael Brown (the broadcast Michael Brown here voice moral sanity and spiritual clarity, confusion with faith and truth and courage you can run your race. You can be strong for the Lord you get my emails. No right we get some gifts to send you. Okay so go to ask Dr. Brown.org so you have a moment ASK DR Brown.org and sign up for our emails will immediately send you a free gift and e-book a mini book 7 secrets of the real Messiah. I took him out many years of study condensed in this little eye opening book you get that you also get some neat email sharing more about my own testimony from LSD. The PhD sharing more about the vision of our ministry.

The 3Rs revival in the church gospel baseball cultural revolution in society and redemption in Israel and then every week will let you know your latest articles religious videos is a free resources your special packages. We put together is her latest book release so you want to get these tell your friends together we can be strong and make a difference right as were talking today about the Lord's yoke being easy or fitting just right is burden being life again. It's by doing what he called you to do years ago I was in Texas and sharing a suite with one of my closest friends and she literally morning noon and night. He was meeting with people having meals with people in this was a conference Rose about to deliver a paper and it was an academic event and and delivering a paper I believe from the book of Isaiah saw was really studying it in writing carefully and digging into this and he said to me he said he don't have breakfast with us also sit on the sorrow again to place them on hey Mike, you have lunch was so so I said no, not a tell. I'd love to see them but not I go work on this paper and get ready and and of he said to me a certain point. This is my case a man is that I was at a mind like yours a severe mind like mind you it would be meeting with people to think is a smart guy.

But those were wired differently OR differently for him being with people in his life and brings life because I do that as well but has to be in a very very different schedule is I've got to be alone. I got to be with God of God to be his presence. Mom got to be writing more so if he compares himself to me. Ramos Mars, Mike bottle right away.

Mike writes out that I compare myself to him is like like a loner of distance. Many people with people loving people don't compare yourself to someone else. You know the famous line, Eric Odell and chariots of fire when his sister asked him why he's going to the Olympic Games before he goes on the mission field right what is he say God may be fast when I run feels pleasure when I'm writing an article I feel God's pleasure here went. When I am annotating a book you can get very tedious when I'm filling in.

And the references footnotes detail stuff.

I often feel God's pleasure. Prof. Craig Cano of the world's most prolific and brilliant New Testament scholars in a dear brother and friend indexes his volumes. I cannot imagine indexing a volume he indexed his acts contrary 6000 pages of material in all the indexes and the books you get CDs with the additional indexes I I cannot imagine doing that effect was doing indexing he catches up on past broadcasts of the modified Kreger for listening to that payment. Buddy buddy said, what indexing one thing he felt the pleasure of the war that the Lord suggests this world wants you to do is not amazing ability. Somebody's got to do this and somebody's got to do that and it's through you and me because Gorka sometimes we don't feel grace because were were pushing against God's will not surrender to sometimes we don't Salgado feel grace or feel grace because we haven't crucified that self life that wants to do its own thing and is not willing to yield to God. Sometimes the reason for lack of grace as we haven't surrendered to the purpose of God. But I will state again. If you are in God's will, even through difficult times.

He will give you grace to endure and although you probably go through a crisis is true on the way. I've been through quite a few, and you think is that can't do it. I'm in over my head, you get to this point where your inability becomes his ability.

It's it's almost like the picture of your underwater and you can get your breath and the less sooner you pass out and soon enough you just swimming underwater because you taken on God's supernatural ability. So sometimes what I don't like it. I wish I could learn to avoid it even more. Sometimes in order to get to the resurrection life you have to go through the stress crucifixion.

But as the years of Ghana.

Realistically, this is good this is healthy.

This is bringing me to the end of myself in the beginning of God's grace of share this before but will share it again when I got saved, long after I was saved heard people in the church saying the others are calling on your life. Pastor sees this a calling on the life which meant to preach. So basically we knew you could be a pastor to be an evangelist.

Now you can teach your teacher the body with the idea be like a Bible school teacher really really like seminaries or Bible schools in those church. I God save this account of the traditions so that even losing my being a writer so the main ways you can serve if you were called to preach. This is our way of thinking that this is a pastor or an evangelist, and the pastor was just in one place and preach certain kinds of messages and ended teach right and evangelist would travel and speaking more like another intense message and and then your miracles and that soul.

I remember talking to the pastor begun preaching in the church I was 18 and talked about that. The sense of calling. I said Hager evangelist and even said look you know when you're around some of the ministers or things of that.

Ask about preaching just have a car to get with your name and number evangelist Mike Brown so I did that and I and or promoted myself. In fact, if I was run a bunch of pastors and some meeting somewhere. I kinda went the other way a little bit rather than push myself so that it if if it was God than to be invited because they were really inviting and started to travel, not by playing it was all places where I could drive so different parts of New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut oh state sells press pretty much it travel and speak a went when Nancy and I were engaged.

She sometimes travel with me and they put us up in different rooms and things like that but I test something didn't feel right at an area still remember remember the name of the church's brother begged its church, about 100 people, which is that a lot of people for me to preach on a Sunday morning and I give a call for first surrender to the Lord, and 100 out of 100 came forward hundred hundred and are I remember talking to Nancy afterwards.

Think you can possibly get a better result is a traveling speaker and yet feel right minute night at those evangelist must pray for the sake of this post, miracles and I pray for people us of the repeal. I got home that night Mike, if there really healed test on love really happened. Some just didn't feel right and, eventually, lost some of that zeal, the preach and found a great gifting with teaching and a great gifting with academic study and that flowed so naturally in me that I just got caught up next become an idol in my life and Nancy agreed always resist some of the academic thrust my life, not because she didn't believe I was called academics, but because she saw become an idol that was take me away from my first love.

But that's hardly for years and I and I just skip my PhD in your sneer is languages and literatures, New York University after my first couple classes there had full scholarship didn't have to pay for any of the classes in a stipend of a couple thousand a year.

So full academic scholarship in a 4.0 all the way through the through grad school and and loving it and thriving in it, but it's because I also left my first love, and wasn't intimate with God during the time as it should've been when he reignited the fire in the lead academics down, that he gave it back to music tool rather than as an idol is been a tool to this day. I love using it to this day. So today, my life was part of my life in Jewish apologetics and other things it's it's it's been so important.

So was it was the Lord's will, but I just let it get out of balance. But when the fire started to burn and and when I start to understand my calling, not primarily evangelist not primarily someone seeking to win the lost. I do that Jewish ministry when I travel and speak.

I don't speak as an evangelist Mike overseas, I don't speak as an evangelist, primarily speak to the body speak to the adjuster.

The believers when I when I recognized the calling on my life in terms of preaching and traveling was more of a revivalist to wake up the sleeping church disturbed people towards repentance to be revived and renewed in God and that since the prophetic calling to wake up the church not call myself a prophet but the prophetic calling that burden to to address sin to confront culture to turn people to God when I gave myself to that all now I could say this joke fits just right now I could say is I've literally traveled to over 30 nations of the world over hundred 50 trips overseas brought thousands of messages overseas, spent several years of my life overseas in several years and alive on planes, all while going day and night writing over 40 books publishing over 2000 articles during 13 years of daily talk radio. Leading schools for years teaching at schools for years debating doing everything we do on thriving in the midst of it, but the hate mail, the resistance, the challenges, the obstacles come I'm not speaking foolishly.

I'm saying whatever happens, God's grace is there. And yes, I can tell you with everything that I carry from the heart is joke fits just right, and his burden is light. Even if it means serving him with my last drop of blood will be able to say is no. Chris just right.

His burden is light. Friends not just for me, for you so let him help you adjust to give you grace grounded in his love round acceptance letter. Now go run your race rest and run calling another program powered by the Truth Network