Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001936A
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00:02 I'm John Carter in Moscow.
00:04 In Havana, Cuba. 00:07 Now in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. 00:10 I'm John Carter in Petra. 00:13 Right here in Communist China. 00:16 Reporting from India. 00:18 Hi, I'm John Carter in the Solomon Islands. 00:21 I'm John Carter in Soweto. 00:24 From El Salvador. 00:26 I'm John Carter in Sydney, Australia. 00:29 John Carter will help you today in discovering God's will. 00:36 Welcome back. 00:38 This is a continuation of the first part. 00:42 We are talking today about 00:43 discovering the will of God in your own life. 00:47 And in the last segment, we were talking about 00:49 watching for the providences of God, 00:52 that God opens doors, God closes doors. 00:56 And I was telling the folks about some amazing things 00:58 that happened in Russia, 01:00 amazing things that happened in Ukraine. 01:03 But amazing things also happen 01:05 here in the United States of America. 01:08 We have been hiring for more than 10 years 01:11 of building in Glendale and paying a lot of money. 01:14 We couldn't buy anything, because every bean we got, 01:19 every dollar we got, 01:21 we put it into evangelism in Russia and Ukraine. 01:24 So we had no money left for ourselves. 01:27 But we were having problems, we needed a place to worship. 01:32 So I got a realtor 01:33 and he told me to come over to Pasadena. 01:35 And he said, "I've got a great place for you 01:37 to see in Pasadena." 01:39 I went there all expectant. 01:42 And he said, "Oh, oops." 01:44 He said, "I forgot the key. 01:46 Can you come back tomorrow?" 01:48 I said, "Most unlikely." 01:51 He said, "Well, maybe 01:52 would you be interested in going over to Arcadia." 01:54 He said, I know, it's another 10 miles. 01:57 I said reluctantly. 01:58 He said, "You might like it." 02:01 So I went over there and we had no money. 02:04 I'm telling you folks, 02:06 you talk about not having money for God's will. 02:08 We didn't have a dime. 02:10 And this place was going to cost a lot, a lot of money. 02:14 And he said, "I'll need this deposit. 02:16 Have you got it?" 02:17 I said, "But have it very soon." 02:20 I'm serious, we'll have it very soon. 02:23 Then he said, "You'll have to raise so many millions. 02:25 Can you do it?" 02:27 I said, "By God's grace, we will." 02:31 And we got this building. 02:32 This magnificent building 02:34 that became the headquarters for The Carter Report 02:37 for many, many years, 02:38 and we kept it for a long time 02:40 until God told us in His providence, 02:43 we had to move on. 02:45 That was hard for us to our hearts out. 02:48 But we moved on and we sold this property. 02:52 And then, we didn't know 02:53 where to try to get another property, 02:55 but my son David and I got in his car 02:57 and we drove around Los Angeles 02:59 and we came at to Moorpark, we came out here. 03:03 When we came to this building, we found out it was for sale. 03:07 When we came through the front door, 03:09 a lady came out and she said, "Don't come in here. 03:11 This is a terrible place. 03:13 You don't want to get this place, it's terrible." 03:18 This place was owned by the bank. 03:21 The property had gone bankrupt. 03:23 And then the people from the bank 03:25 came and talked to me. 03:27 And the guy said, "What do you do?" 03:28 I told him what we did by the grace of God. 03:30 He said, "My brother is a pastor." 03:34 He said, "These other people are offering $100,000 03:39 more than you are prepared to offer, 03:42 but we're going to accept your offer." 03:45 Because the bank believes that you would have it. 03:50 You see. 03:51 So, folks, I believe in the providence of God. 03:55 I have this saying, "Watch for the providences 03:59 and God honors faith." 04:01 So we've gone through two of the ways 04:03 you can discover the will of God 04:04 and you need to see this 04:06 in the first part of the program. 04:08 Now here we come to number three. 04:10 God reveals His will through the counsel. 04:13 Now wait for this, of wise friends. 04:18 You know the story of Moses and his father-in-law, 04:20 and Moses was just working so hard. 04:24 He didn't have a moment, hardly to himself, 04:27 hardly he had enough time to sleep, 04:29 because people were coming to him 04:30 all the time. 04:32 And then the father-in-law gave him some good advice. 04:35 You read this in Exodus 18:14, 19, and 21. 04:40 "So when Moses' father-in-law saw 04:42 all that he did for the people, 04:44 and he said, 'What is this thing 04:46 that you are doing for the people? 04:49 Why do you alone sit, 04:51 and all the people stand before you 04:53 from the morning until evening?'" 04:55 He said, "What on earth, why you're doing this for?" 04:58 He said, "It's just too much for you to do." 05:02 And then you've got verses 19 and 21. 05:05 "Listen now to my voice, 05:08 I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: 05:10 Stand before God for the people, 05:12 so that you may bring the difficulties to God." 05:16 So he said to him, 05:18 "You've got to get a bunch of other people to help you." 05:21 "Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, 05:25 such as fear God, men of truth, 05:28 hating covetousness, 05:30 and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, 05:34 rulers of hundreds, 05:35 rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." 05:38 Was this counsel, good counsel, 05:40 and where did it come from? 05:42 It came from the father-in-law of Moses, 05:45 but I'm here to tell you something today. 05:47 God spoke through that old man. 05:51 God reveals His will 05:53 through the counsel of wise friends. 05:56 Now listen to this. 06:00 You need to seek out a person, 06:03 a wise man or a wise woman 06:05 who knows God. 06:08 The Book of Proverbs talks about 06:10 avoiding the counsel of fools. 06:15 And the world today, 06:17 I'm afraid to say is full of people 06:22 who are not wise. 06:24 Find people who have spiritual discernment. 06:29 Not like Job's friends. 06:32 Now, they were bad counselors. 06:34 The world and the church are full of people 06:38 who are bad counselors, 06:40 but you got to find somebody 06:42 who was like Moses' father-in-law. 06:45 When Beverley and I were going to buy a house 06:47 in the Southland in Southern California, 06:50 we met a man by the name of Pastor 06:52 Lloyd Wyman, 06:54 and I found that he was a wise man. 06:56 He said, "Come out here 06:58 to where I live in Thousand Oaks." 07:00 He said, "You know, 07:01 there are lots of airplane captains, 07:02 who buy their houses here." 07:04 I said, "Why?" 07:05 He said, "It's the only place around here 07:07 that doesn't have smog." 07:09 He said, "As they fly over Thousand Oaks, 07:12 it's the air is clean, as they go further south, 07:16 it gets bad, bad, bad." 07:20 And so we listened to him. 07:22 We bought a house in Thousand Oaks, 07:25 because we listened to the counsel 07:27 of a wise friend. 07:30 I say, "Seek wise counselors 07:31 not those who will tell you what you want to hear." 07:34 Did you get this? 07:36 Have you seen the series on TV called, "Pawn Stars?" 07:42 I'm probably saying it wrong. 07:44 I told all my friends, "Hey, I got a great program 07:47 that I watch on television. 07:49 It's called Pawn Stars." 07:52 Because Australians when they say P-A-W-N, 07:56 they say porn. 07:59 They said, "Goodness me." 08:00 You told what? 08:04 Pawn, P-A-W-N. 08:07 I was watching Rick on Pawn Stars the other day. 08:09 This is a pretty good story. 08:12 A man comes along 08:13 and he's got Abraham Lincoln's chair. 08:18 Rick says to him, "How do you know 08:20 it's Abraham Lincoln's chair?" 08:21 He says, "Well, I'm sure it is." 08:22 "Oh, are you sure it is?" "Yeah." 08:24 So they get a picture of Abraham Lincoln's chair 08:26 and they compare it with this chair 08:28 or one like it. 08:30 And they say, "Well, it's different." 08:31 You know what the man says? 08:33 He says... Now you won't believe this. 08:36 He says, "We all believe what we want to believe." 08:42 And he said, "I happen to believe 08:45 this is Abraham Lincoln's chair." 08:49 Well, Rick said, "I'm just not gonna buy it," 08:52 because Rick is a smart guy. 08:55 A lot of people say, "I believe it 08:58 because I want to believe it." 09:00 Most folks, my friend, listen to me. 09:02 Most... Can I say this? 09:05 Most Democrats believe what they want to believe, 09:10 most Republicans believe what they want to believe, 09:14 most Independents believe what they want to believe, 09:20 which is the highest form of dumbness 09:27 among the sons and the daughters of men. 09:29 Am I telling you the truth? Yeah. 09:32 Listen to me, seek counselors 09:35 who will tell you the truth 09:39 and that's sometimes mighty hard, you see. 09:43 Seek counselors who will tell you the truth, 09:47 not people who are going to as the Bible says, 09:51 "Scratch your itching ears." 09:58 There still are people who are wise, 10:01 but they are few and far between." 10:05 Here's another way you can find the will of God. 10:07 Point number four, seek God's glory, 10:10 not your own. 10:12 I want you to turn to Matthew 6:31-33 10:15 and Jesus is talking here. 10:17 "Therefore do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' 10:20 or 'What shall we drink?' 10:23 or 'What shall we wear?' 10:24 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. 10:27 For your heavenly Father knows 10:29 that you need all these things.'" 10:31 Please look at this text. 10:32 "But seek first the kingdom of God 10:35 and His righteousness, 10:38 and all these other things will be added to you." 10:41 The Bible says, 10:43 "Seek the glory of God." 10:49 Now the Jesuits, 10:56 they had one good thing, they had a good motto, 10:59 for the greater glory of God. 11:03 Go beyond... 11:05 Listen to this my fellow ministers. 11:08 Shown mediocrity, 11:10 shown mediocrity and conformity. 11:15 The sins of the small minded, 11:17 go beyond, do more, 11:19 climb the highest mountain, reach for the stars. 11:25 Years ago, it is my privilege to get to know 11:27 Colonel James Irwin, the pilot for Apollo 15. 11:32 He walked on the moon. 11:35 I've walked with him around nameless valley ranch 11:39 down in Texas. 11:42 One night he said to us, 11:43 "Would you like to see some pictures? 11:46 Like a home picture show?" 11:47 Yeah, well, here I'm getting off the lunar module, 11:50 here I'm walking around, you know. 11:54 This man because of his going 11:59 beyond developed a relationship with God. 12:03 He said, "There's got to be a personal God." 12:06 He founded an organization called 12:09 "High Flight Foundation." 12:11 I say to every person, 12:14 "Go beyond, aim higher, think bigger, 12:20 shun the terrible sin of mediocrity, 12:25 of small mindedness. 12:27 And remember this, 12:29 the path of conformity is always, 12:33 the path of conformity always leads to mediocrity. 12:39 And there are some organizations 12:42 that turn out little baby robots mediocre. 12:47 Yes, man. Yes! 12:48 Yes, my finger up. Yes, yes. 12:54 That is terrible cowardice 12:57 and so much against God, so go higher. 13:01 In 1991, we received a call to go to Russia. 13:05 Pastor Bob Spangler called me from Washington D.C. 13:08 He said, "We want you to go to Moscow, 13:10 run an evangelistic campaign and see if it works." 13:14 We asked God to reveal His will, 13:16 did Beverley and I. 13:18 God opened doors. 13:20 It was part of His gospel plan. 13:22 It was in harmony with Scripture. 13:25 People say, "Should we go into all the world 13:27 and preach the gospel? 13:29 Why don't you read the scriptures?" 13:32 You don't need to pray about this. 13:34 A church board should not pray about, 13:37 "Shall we go into all the world and preach the scriptures." 13:41 That's blasphemy to pray about that. 13:44 Jesus said, "Go into all the world 13:46 and preach the gospel." 13:48 What's wrong with you? 13:50 Oh, we don't know what... 13:51 Well, why don't you start believing? 13:55 So we took God at His word 13:57 and we saw the glory of God. 14:01 We saw the largest baptism in the Volga River 14:08 in the history of Russia. 14:10 It was so amazing that Russian television, 14:14 national television sent a television crew 14:18 and they made a movie out of The Carter Report 14:22 in Russia, and they showed it 14:24 around the ex-Soviet Union, 14:28 and they put the most wonderful music to it. 14:31 People say, "No, those things don't happen." 14:33 No, they may not happen to you, because you don't believe. 14:37 But if you believe and if you go higher, 14:40 you will see the glory of God. 14:42 Now let me tell you something. 14:43 When you seek the glory of God, 14:45 you're going to have lots and lots of problems, 14:49 and we have seen the problems. 14:52 Now we come to another method, 14:55 we can call it, 14:56 another way of discovering the will of God for your life. 14:58 Number five, 15:00 you can tie this up with my first talk. 15:02 This is the second part of discovering 15:05 the will of God for your life, and here's point number five. 15:08 So get both and watch it. 15:11 When you're seeking to do God's will, 15:13 you need to ask this question? 15:15 "Is this the work or the calling 15:18 that God has given to me to do?" 15:20 Has God actually call me to do this work? 15:23 Look at Mark 13:34. 15:26 Mark 13, "It is like a man going to a far country, 15:32 who left his house 15:33 and gave authority to his servants, 15:35 and to each his work, 15:39 and commanded the doorkeeper to watch." 15:42 So God has given to each man his work. 15:48 Now what on earth does that mean? 15:51 Well, each person has a special work to do 15:54 and you can do something far better than I can do. 15:58 And each person has been given a work to do 16:00 that nobody else can do quite as well. 16:05 I don't need to pray that God will show me 16:07 if I should become a doctor. 16:10 It's not my work, or a rocket scientist, 16:14 or a farmer, et cetera, et cetera. 16:19 One needs to look inside his heart 16:21 and see what God has given him 16:23 or given her to do. 16:26 Then, let it grow for His glory 16:28 and don't be put down by authority figures 16:32 who are afraid of success. 16:37 A young man came to see his pastor. 16:39 He said, "I'm praying that God will show me 16:41 whether I should be a minister." 16:43 The pastor said, "Do you like public speaking?" 16:46 Now he said, "I hate it." 16:48 Do you like talking to people?" "No." 16:50 "Do you like people?" "Not really." 16:52 "Do you like studying?" "No." 16:55 The pastor said, "It sounds like 16:56 you've been called to be a monk. 17:00 You haven't been called 17:02 because God hasn't given you this work." 17:06 Now point number six, 17:07 discovering the will of God for your life. 17:09 Now, my friends, 17:11 let these things get into your minds, 17:14 let them sink down 17:15 into the molecules of your mind. 17:20 Point number six, 17:23 God reveals His will through the deep 17:26 movings of the Spirit. 17:30 This is listed last, 17:33 because it is the most perverted. 17:36 Romans 8:26-28. 17:38 Romans 8:26-28, 17:42 "Likewise the Spirit also helps us 17:44 in our weaknesses." 17:45 Why? Because we are weak. 17:48 "For we do not know 17:50 what we should pray for as we ought." 17:51 We can't even work out what we ought to pray. 17:55 "But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us 17:58 with groanings which cannot be uttered. 18:01 Now He who searches the hearts knows 18:04 what the mind of the Spirit is, 18:06 because He makes intercession for the saints 18:09 according to the will of God," according to the will of God. 18:13 "And we know that 18:15 all things work together for good," 18:17 a better translation is that God works in all things. 18:20 "For the good of those who love Him, 18:23 who are the called according to His purpose." 18:29 And so, God leads 18:31 through the deep movings of the Spirit. 18:34 Now, listen carefully to this. 18:36 We need to be careful 18:38 and not mistake the voice of the Spirit 18:40 for what I want to do. 18:43 Have you heard this? God told me. 18:46 Why are you going to do this? God told me. 18:48 Oh! 18:50 I've heard this a thousand times. 18:51 God told me to get married. 18:54 Oh, okay. 18:55 So why are you getting a divorce now? 18:57 Hmm. God told me. 19:00 God told me to leave my job and start up a new business. 19:03 God... I've had people say this to me. 19:05 I had a multimillionaire come to me and say, 19:08 "Should I take my money and invest in this scheme." 19:11 He said, "I believe you're a man of God. 19:13 Tell me what you think. Give me your counsel." 19:16 Got him to tell me what it was. 19:20 I said, "I don't think you should do it." 19:23 You're gonna lose your, maybe your home, everything. 19:27 But he said, "God has told me to." 19:29 I said, "Then, why on the earth you're asking me?" 19:32 Come on, why are you asking me? 19:34 So you made up your mind? 19:35 Yes. So God is... 19:37 Are you sure? Yes. 19:38 So he went ahead and did what he wanted to do 19:40 and lost everything. 19:42 Got turned out of his house. 19:44 And don't say, "Oh, God, why did you do it?" 19:50 We must not confuse what we want to do 19:52 with the voice of the Spirit. 19:56 When I was a young minister, 19:58 I was send to a place in the outback of Australia, 19:59 on the outer Bourke where the churches are few, 20:03 and men of religion are scanty, that's a poem. 20:07 On a path seldom crossed say by folks that are lost, 20:10 One McGinnis McGee had a shanty, 20:12 but that's a big poem. 20:14 So I was sent to a place by the name of Broken Hill 20:17 and I was working with Pastor Todd Naufer 20:19 a great evangelist. 20:21 We are preaching the great truths of the Bible, 20:23 and I was visiting a family and the lady said, 20:27 "We made up our minds not to follow this." 20:29 I said, "Why?" 20:30 She said, "A little bird came down, 20:33 and fluttered down and sat on my windowsill." 20:38 And the little bird was a sign from God, 20:41 not to keep His commandments. 20:44 Now, why it's not a sign to keep." 20:47 No, God has spoken to me. 20:51 For many people, 20:53 this is a total, 20:56 total delusion. 21:00 But God does give deep convictions 21:03 as we yield to His Spirit, He does. 21:07 So the misuse should not cancel out 21:10 what they use. 21:14 In Russia and Ukraine, as in most places 21:17 I have gone we have had great opposition 21:20 from all sorts of places. 21:23 People love to play politics 21:26 and it doesn't pay to be too successful, 21:33 because some people will get as crazy as a hornet 21:38 if you're too successful. 21:41 But we were going to Russia. 21:45 And I said, "I'm going to invite my old friend, 21:48 Danny Shelton, who has stood beside us 21:51 when nobody else would support evangelism. 21:55 But one person said, "No, don't do that." 21:59 But I had a conviction down deep in my belly. 22:06 And Danny came, he supported the campaign, 22:10 and today we have the largest Protestant building 22:16 in the whole of Russia, 22:18 because somebody could dream big dreams. 22:24 The greatest hindrance to the work of God, 22:28 the greatest hindrance, pious people, 22:31 who are full of religious platitudes, 22:35 who are standing in the way of God. 22:39 So think about that, are you one of those people? 22:43 Then, we went to Kiev and the opposition intensified. 22:48 These were the people 22:49 who couldn't get inside the meetings. 22:51 No, no. 22:52 No, 100,000 people outside who couldn't get in. 22:56 People said, "It can't be done." 22:58 That is the cry of the man 23:01 who has never seen the face of God. 23:04 That is the cry of the bureaucrat, 23:08 but not the cry of the prophet. 23:10 Something amazing happened, there was a man there, 23:12 who was the patriarchate of the great state church, 23:15 the most powerful religious man in Ukraine. 23:19 He said this, "John Carter will preach here 23:22 only over my dead body." 23:27 And that's exactly what happened. 23:30 Don't laugh about it, it's not funny. 23:32 The terrible death of a man, 23:34 who's opposing the work of God is not a laughing matter. 23:36 He's buried on the sidewalk, because the government said, 23:40 "You can't bury him inside the church." 23:43 The man who said, 23:45 "John Carter will preach here only over my dead body." 23:49 I would be afraid to hinder 23:53 or oppose the work of God. 23:56 I've seen too many die. 23:58 I'm not joking. 24:01 I would be afraid to do it. 24:03 I would say this to you. 24:07 We must have deep convictions 24:09 because if you don't have deep convictions, 24:11 you're not going to do anything. 24:13 You're going to be a failure with God. 24:16 Three thousand five hundred and thirty souls 24:19 baptized in the first baptism in the Dnieper River. 24:23 Why? 24:24 Because God is great and God honors faith. 24:27 And the problem with most of us and most Christians, 24:31 and most people in churches is that they think so small. 24:36 Their great unreligious talk, but no action. 24:41 It's not the person who talks, 24:43 it's the person who does. 24:45 Now, a summary, Discovering God's Will. 24:50 Write it down, number one, 24:52 according to His Word and His commandments. 24:54 God never says, 24:56 "You don't have to pray about 24:57 whether you will commit adultery or not. 25:00 God says, "No, you don't do that. 25:01 You don't have to pray that you're going to have a job 25:04 where you're going to steal and you're going to tell lies." 25:07 Liars will not get to heaven. You hear this. 25:10 People say, now I've had people say to me, 25:12 "In Los Angeles, everybody lies, 25:14 what's wrong with you?" 25:17 Liars will not get to heaven. 25:19 I don't care who they are. 25:23 Number two, 25:24 God opens and closes doors, Providence. 25:27 Number three, He speaks through wise counselors, 25:30 but find a wise counselor, who will tell you the truth, 25:33 not what your itching ears want to hear. 25:37 Number four, for His glory, not ours. 25:41 Number five, God appointed every man his work, 25:45 what are you doing? 25:47 And number six, 25:49 the movings of the Spirit of God 25:52 lay by when you're in harmony with all these other things 25:56 you say, "I must go ahead, I can do none other." 26:00 And when all are in harmony, you will be in God's will. 26:04 And remember this, my dear friends, 26:07 the will of God will never, never take you 26:13 where the grace of God cannot keep you. 26:17 Amen and amen. Amen. 26:24 Time, it takes only a minute to have eternal life. 26:28 How can you get saved in a minute? 26:30 It's simple. 26:31 First believe that Jesus was the Son of God. 26:34 Second, accept His free gift of eternal life, 26:37 and then you're saved. 26:39 It's not hard. It doesn't take any time. 26:42 You can be saved in a minute right now. 26:44 Pray with me, Lord God, I realize that I am a sinner. 26:49 My sin has separated me from You. 26:51 I accept that Your Son Jesus Christ died for me. 26:54 I ask Jesus into my heart. 26:56 If you prayed this prayer, you are saved. 26:59 The next thing to do is tell someone, 27:02 fellowship with other followers of Jesus, 27:04 get baptized, read your Bible and pray. 27:08 Choices, we make them every day all day. 27:12 The most important choice you will make in your life 27:15 is whether to choose eternal life 27:17 or let it pass you by. 27:18 If you'd like more information about your new life, 27:21 call the number and visit our website. 27:26 In this series, John Carter will provide the answers 27:29 to life's most interesting questions. 27:31 Seven great signs of the apocalypse. 27:35 If the dead are unconscious, 27:37 who are the beings that pretend to be the dead? 27:42 Is there such a person as the devil? 27:48 What is the essence of Antichrist? 27:55 What is the root cause of this deadly malaise? 28:01 America was founded by people 28:03 who were opposed to the union of church and state. 28:08 But if there's a God who loves us, 28:10 then the future is bright was promised. 28:15 For gift of $100 US or $140 AUD, 28:18 this 13 DVD series Prophecy Speaks will be yours. 28:23 Call the number or visit our website. 28:29 For a copy of today's program, 28:31 please contact us at P.O. Box 1900, 28:34 Thousand Oaks, California 91358. 28:38 Or in Australia, 28:40 contact us at P.O. Box 861, 28:43 Terrigal, New South Wales 2260. 28:48 This program is made possible 28:50 through the generous support of viewers like you. 28:52 We thank you for your continued support. 28:56 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2019-12-12