Television

TV Transcripts

“Holy Boldness” Conclusion
Broadcast #1403
August 25, 2019

Transcript of message from TV Broadcast 1403 -- taken from Closed Captioning Text

— Brother Phil Enlow: How many of you think that God wants us to have that kind of a boldness with Him? I’ll tell you, God wasn’t offended by this. This is really what God was looking for, was that sense of, I have got to have You! If I don’t have You, I am a goner! I want You above all else, God! I need You!

And there’s this holy boldness to say, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” And God blessed him! Isn’t there a lesson in that? There’s a boldness that you and I need to have with God. Oh, how timidly we approach Him. Oh, pretty please, God. Pretty please, help me with this. And then, if we don’t have feelings within a certain time, oh well, I guess I’m not one of the ones. I guess it’s not for me. I just…oh, me. 1,001 different ways we get turned aside.

I tell you, the obstacle is not God. God’s gonna allow all kinds of things to come our way. In this case, it was fear. But whatever it is, God is looking for people who are gonna have that kind of a spirit. And He doesn’t despise that. That’s what He’s looking for from you and from me today is a heart that not only says thank God for this grand, wonderful, perfect provision for salvation. Thank God for it. But I will not rest until I possess that.

Don’t look at me that way! Am I telling you the truth? Is this truth, or do we just sort of, I’m not so sure about that? What does God think about me? Who am I to talk to God like that? I tell you, God’s not the problem. God is looking for people who are bold enough to say, that is mine.

I don’t come because I deserve this. That issue’s gone. I’m not just trying to command God to come and serve me. This is not about me and what I want in the world, and I’m just gonna command God to come and be my servant. This is me wanting to be His, wanting to enter into what He has provided and be unwilling to say no and unwilling to be turned aside.

I tell you, God loves that kind of a person. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” (NV). There’s plenty of times when God will allow circumstances. He will allow time. He will allow the devil to talk to us. He will allow every…and all of our nature will rise up and say, no. You can’t have this. I will not let go.

That’s the time when we need to learn how to take a stand in our spirits and say, I will not let go. I will not back down from what I am asking, because there it is in the Word of God. God has said it’s mine. It’s my inheritance. I will not simply walk away from it and say, oh, well. This is good enough.

I’m not gonna ask how many people have done that. I’d have to be the first one to raise my hand. Oh, God has given us so much. I know there’s people here who have done what I’ve talked about. You backed down. You get excited about something, and you’re gonna claim it, claim the promise and stand on it. Then, it kind of fizzles out over the next few days, and you’re right back where you were.

But I know that there’s people here who have taken a stand in your spirit, and you kept standing. You kept standing, and you kept standing, and God answered, didn’t He? That’s what God is looking for.

If we’re gonna grow as a people, if we’re gonna experience what we sing about, we’re gonna experience these changes in our hearts and in our lives, this is the pathway. God’s done His part.

I realize we can’t tackle it all at once. Thank God. But I know the…I mean, we sang about God leading us on a pathway, God leading us through this life. Thank God, He does.

I tell you, He’s gonna lead us to places of battle. He’s gonna lead us to places where we’re gonna have to take a stand in our hearts and say, wait a minute. I know what the issues are here. I know where I stand because of what Jesus has done. That’s my hope. It’s not in me. And I will not be deterred from laying hold of what He has provided for me whether it comes easy or it comes hard. Thank God!

Sometimes, He gives us things that are very smooth and very easy. Other times, there is a pitched battle that has to be fought. But oh, what we gain in that victory and how faith grows and becomes stronger. That’s what God is looking to build in every single one of us.

I tell you, the church throughout all of it’s history has just lived in this marginal life, marginal level of life in terms of laying hold of the provisions of God. I believe, in this last hour, God is going to bring His people to a higher place, don’t you?

I had to argue with the Lord. I said, who am I to preach this? I need this more than this worse than they do. Somebody’s got to stand up here and speak the truth. And I’m trusting it’s not me. I’m trusting that God is getting something in this. His heart is toward you right now. He cares about your life. He cares about the issues that bother you, that hold you captive. He cares about every little thing, and He’s gonna lead us.

But oh, we need to recognize when He leads us to a mountain, He doesn’t mean for us to just throw up our hands and stay where we’re at but begin to challenge that and say, wait a minute. Who are thou great mountain before…you know, Zerubbabel. That was one prophesy in one of the prophets. You’ll become a plain.

We have the right, not because we are anything, not because we can do anything in ourselves. But we have the right to stand upon the promise of God and expect to see it fulfilled in our lives. The more we will learn to live like that, the more we’re gonna experience what Jesus died to give us.

You’ve got to go back to the beginning. That’s the only way to become a Christian to begin with. We’re gonna have to stand against whatever obstacles arise from our putting our…laying down our lives, turning from sin and trusting in Him as our Savior. We’re gonna have to fight through those things to get to that. We’re gonna have to do exactly the same thing the rest of the way home. But I’ll tell you, we have a God that’s gonna be with us in every single battle. Praise God!

There’s so many places in the scripture where you see that kind of a spirit. Abraham who was, you know, went out that one day to…God told him to make a sacrifice, and he did all the prescribed stuff, and time went by. What happened? The birds came, fresh meat. Sure. The birds came. What did he do? Said oh, well. God didn’t mean what He said. I’m just gonna have to go back to the way things were. No, he beat off the birds, didn’t he?

How many of you have had to beat off birds to get some place spiritual? Yeah, birds are gonna come. The question is what do we do when they come? Do we have that sense in us that this is a cosmic battle? This is something where I am, I’m trying to serve God, and He is greater than everything, but I am gonna have to fight my way through.

Of course, the picture of the Israelites we’ve used so many times. They had the promise of the land. It was there. Not only did they hear about it, when they went there, the spies went over, and they brought back a bunch of grapes that was so big, it took two men to carry it.

So, now they’re in a position of being able to taste and see yes, this is exactly what God said it was. It’s an awesome place. It’s worth anything to possess it. God has said we can do this, and that was the spirit of Caleb and Joshua. We’re…lets go up at once. We’re well able.

Well, on what ground could you say such a ridiculous thing? Do we have hope here because our army is greater, more experienced? Are we more? Are we smarter, or are we what? No! There’s only one answer. God is behind us.

And the whole rest of the nation threw up their hands at the sight, at the thought about the giants, and the giants trumped God. Well, how many giants in our lives, for all practical purposes, trump God and trump His promises?

I don’t want to say that to condemn. I believe God wants us to wake up and think straight and be encouraged. God doesn’t condemn His people, but He sure does know how to admonish and encourage us, point us in the right direction.

You know, I thought about so many things, I guess. I thought about, you know, something Brother Thomas used to say a lot about faith. Many of you will remember. He said faith starts where it’s at, and it starts where it’s not with what it doesn’t have. It starts where it’s at with what it has and without what it doesn’t have. Anyway, that’s the general thought. It just starts.

And wherever any of us is today, this is all God is looking for. We could look at this and say, oh, my God. I should be down the road, and just can’t even imagine getting there. Well, lets just start here. Where are you at? What’s the pressing issue? What is the thing?

Sometimes for me, it’s the ‘want to’ that I need help with. Yeah, but I tell you, we have a God who can help our want to. He knows how to bring us to a sense of need and teach us and bring us up against something time and time again until we cry out and we say, oh, God, this cannot go on. And I’m sick and tired of giving in and blaming You in effect.

Isn’t that what we’re really doing? If we’re making any kind of excuse for ourselves, we’re saying, God, You just haven’t given me enough. It’s Your fault. It’s not His fault. He holds out His hand, and He says, you take the step, and I’ll be with you.

You know, when they went into the land, the strategy was different, every city, every town. But every place the Israelites stood upon the promise of God and went against the giants, God backed them up, and they won a complete victory. Every place they backed down in fear, and they just didn’t have what it took, when they got in the battle down and just didn’t believe God, they were defeated.

Many of the tribes wound up, had heathen people living among them, and it became a snare. You know that happens in our lives? This is the territory God’s wanting me to conquer. This is the land, not a piece of geography. This is the land that needs conquering. God is looking to replace me with Jesus to live in here and to help me to be the kind of a person that He wants me to be.

Man, I need Him every day. I have no hope of that happening unless He has mercy upon me. His provision is there. What is my attitude when I come against a need, when I say, oh, there we go again? It’s hopeless. It’s…I’ve been here before. Dadadadada. All those kinds of stupid things that we say.

We say, oh, God, You have provided the answer, and His name is Jesus. And I am not gonna back down. I am not gonna let go until You help me in this area.

I tell you, do we have a God who values brassiness? That’s not exactly the word, but you know what I’m talking about. This is not where I’m ordering God around. This is somebody where…this is a case where I’m coming to Him because He has the answer to my need. I know it’s mine because of His Word and His promises, and I am not backing down. I’m not leaving without it. And if it takes six months of praying, I’m gonna stand.

How many times are told that in the scriptures? Having done all give up, right? No, having done all, stand. You’re gonna meet the devil who comes with, you know, like a roaring lion. Stand against him. He’ll help every one of us. Take hold of this side of the truth.

What a perfect example we have in Philippians 2, one of my favorite scriptures, where he says to, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” There is a effort that we put forth, but we put forth that effort in the understanding that is God who works in me to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Always, when I…when my will and my heart are aligned with God to do what He wants, to seek what He desires, and I engage that faith, am I on my own? Does He send me into the battle and say, well, good luck? He immediately comes on the scene, and there is an inflow of divine help and divine life. That’s the Christian life.

And I sense in my own life, and I’m betting I’m not alone, betting that’s why the Lord allowed some of this, there are areas where you and I need to start getting bold. We need to start saying, God, I will not let You go unless You bless me. You haven’t promised this in Your Word, and I’m sick and tired of just sitting here and just singing about it and not experiencing it.

We sing that wonderful song HE IS ALL I NEED. He’s all I need. ALL THAT I NEED, that’s the second verse. Yeah. Does that sound familiar? Maybe I’ll hope that He’ll, you know. I WILL TAKE HIM NOW. That sounds pretty positive to me, doesn’t it? I’m gonna engage my will here. This is a kind of exercise of will God loves. That’s what He’s looking for from me, from everyone of us.

God’s not just gonna dump His blessings on people who don’t care or people who just sort of just hang back in unbelief, fear and all of that. God is gonna let those things happen so we can overcome them, and in overcoming them, we become what He wants us to be, and His life flows.

God is looking for His people to have a holy boldness. I don’t know what else to say. Anybody here need that? Anybody here need some more holy boldness in your life? You really think God just says it’s okay? You can just kind of muddle along, and we’ll take care of it someday, somehow, some way?

God has given us everything in Christ. There is a part that we play in laying hold of that and actually possessing it. And God is waiting on us many times, and we’re waiting on Him. One issue at a time, you and I face this or face that or face the other.

We need to learn, I say we need learn to go to God with that kind of holy boldness and say, Lord, this is what You said. I will not let You go until You bless me and help me in this area. I’m gonna stand here, and I’m not gonna back down because I don’t get the answer, I don’t have a feeling in five minutes. I’m gonna stand, and I’m gonna put my faith and my hope and my trust in Your promise.

And I believe with all my heart that that’s my only hope. I’m all in, Lord. I need grace. Every part of my being is in on this one. I just need You, and He will continue this work in every single one of us. There’s more territory for us to take, folks.

( congregational amens ).

It’s not God’s fault. On the other hand, I don’t want to get condemned and think, oh, I need to be way down the…no. I need to be here, taking, putting one foot in front of another, doing what Paul said, pressing toward the mark.

( congregational amens ).

Forgetting what’s behind, thank God we can do that. But reaching forth to what is before, putting one…that’s the lifestyle that God has called us to.

But I tell you, we can press forward in confidence, can’t we? Do you think Paul went to the Lord and said, well, pretty please, Lord? Won’t you take pity on me? I’m so poor, and I try so hard. Or did he rather say God, I know what Your will is, and the devil and my flesh are fighting against it, and I will not yield to them. I am laying hold of what You have promised me.

That’s what…there’s gonna be opposition. That’s why we use the word press, but we have a God who will honor holy boldness. Praise God!

Return to TV Transcripts