Participants:
Series Code: IIW
Program Code: IIW019196S
|
00:19 >>John Bradshaw: This is It Is Written.
00:20 I'm John Bradshaw. Thanks for joining me. 00:23 On a Friday afternoon in October of 1967, 00:27 two men horseback riding in a remote area 00:30 of northwestern California 00:33 had an encounter that they would never forget. 00:36 They claimed that they saw a Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. 00:41 Now, what was different about this encounter 00:44 is that the men videotaped it. 00:47 The Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot tape is still famous today 00:51 in certain circles. 00:55 The largest number of Bigfoot sightings have occurred 00:58 in the Pacific Northwest, but there have been sightings 01:01 claimed throughout the United States, 01:03 with a large number allegedly occurring 01:05 in the Ohio River Valley, the Sierra Nevadas, 01:08 and central Florida. 01:10 Of course, the question is, is it legitimate? 01:13 Or is this all just an elaborate hoax? 01:18 There have been some well-known hoaxes over the years. 01:22 As far back as 1958, people claimed to have found 01:25 Bigfoot tracks in the Six Rivers National Forest area 01:29 in northern California. 01:30 That's about the same area 01:32 as the famous Patterson-Gimlin movie was filmed. 01:36 But not too terribly long after that, 01:38 somebody said that those footprints had been faked, 01:42 put there deliberately by a man who had a, a sense of humor. 01:46 To this day, people debate the veracity, the truthfulness, 01:50 of that famous short film shot in which the Bigfoot walks 01:54 and, and looks warily back over his shoulder. 01:58 You see, some years after that, 02:00 a man came forward claiming he wore an ape suit in the movie. 02:03 But of course people now question whether or not 02:06 he was telling the truth. 02:08 Today there are Bigfoot festivals held in various places 02:12 around the United States, such as western North Carolina 02:15 and eastern Oklahoma and northern Oregon. 02:19 Television programs such as Finding Bigfoot 02:22 have added fuel to the Sasquatch fire. 02:26 Unsurprisingly, after 11 seasons of Finding Bigfoot, 02:31 Bigfoot was never found. 02:33 ♪[Mysterious music]♪ 02:34 If he had been, 02:35 here's likely what he would have looked like, 02:38 according to the experts. 02:39 A large hairy ape-like creature, 02:43 standing upright, walking on two legs. 02:48 Word is, they're between 6 feet and 9 feet tall, 02:51 sometimes even taller. 02:54 There are equivalent legends or theories in multiple cultures. 03:00 In the Himalayas, they speak of the "yeti." 03:02 It's been referred to as the "abominable snowman." 03:07 In the United States, it's "Sasquatch" or "Bigfoot." 03:16 Now, of course, something like this, 03:18 you'll find people everywhere who think it's a hoax at best 03:22 or a lie at worst. 03:24 But then there are true believers, 03:26 and today we're going to meet one of them. 03:29 And here's why. 03:30 This is part one of a five-part It Is Written series 03:34 called "Conspiracy, More Than Just a Theory." 03:38 You see, there is a massive conspiracy playing out 03:40 on Planet Earth right now. 03:42 a conspiracy that involves everyone living on the earth, 03:45 a conspiracy where the stakes are high, 03:48 in fact, as high as they possibly could be, 03:52 and in which the conspirators are at the top of their game. 03:56 Consider the world in which we live. 03:58 It's wracked with social challenges 04:00 and political challenges 04:02 and health and environmental and emotional and just about 04:05 every other kind of challenge imaginable. 04:07 Of course, you could make the case 04:09 that it's always been this way. 04:11 The son of Adam and Eve killed his brother, after all. 04:14 Wars date back millennia. 04:16 Life expectancy today is much longer than it was 04:19 several hundred years ago. 04:22 But no one seriously believes that this is business as usual. 04:26 No, there's something going on, 04:28 and we're about to find out what. 04:32 But first, here in the Chattahoochee National Forest, 04:35 about an hour and a half from both Chattanooga and Atlanta, 04:39 there's a place called Expedition Bigfoot. 04:42 It's run by David and Belinda Bakara, 04:44 who are Bigfoot researchers. 04:47 Look on their website and you'll find Proverbs 25, verse 2, 04:50 which says, "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: 04:55 but the honour of kings is to search out a matter." 05:00 David, thanks for your time. I appreciate it immensely. 05:02 Let me ask you this: What's a Bigfoot researcher? 05:07 >>David Bakara: So, actually most Bigfoot researchers 05:09 start off as, uh, Bigfoot witnesses. 05:11 You're a, a young man fishing in Kentucky, 05:15 and you run into one of these things, 05:16 and then that progresses on to trying to find more 05:19 about these creatures, 05:21 and that's how usually you become a Bigfoot researcher 05:24 because you're trying to find out more 05:25 about something you've already seen. 05:26 >>John: So, clearly you're convinced that Bigfoot exists? 05:29 >>David: I certainly am. 05:30 I, I've seen two in Alva, Florida, back in 2010, 05:33 but that was on investigation, 05:34 but I've been at this since I was about 12 years old. 05:36 >>John: Describe what you saw. 05:38 >>David: So I saw a, a large one, 05:40 about 7 1/2 feet tall, 05:41 and one slightly smaller, 6 1/2, 7 feet tall, 05:44 standing next to it, 05:45 both hiding behind trees, peeking at us from behind trees. 05:49 Um, we were actually at a commercial fisherman's property, 05:51 so we were there where we knew they were already there, 05:55 and we watched them for about 11, 12 minutes 05:56 before they finally turned and walked off 05:58 back down into the swamp. 05:59 >>John: So where we are here in rural Georgia, 06:01 Chattahoochee National Forest, 06:03 you'd say there are big Bigfoots nearby? 06:06 >>David: Oh my goodness, yes. 06:07 When I moved up here five years ago, 06:09 uh, the evi--or the, uh, information was scant. 06:12 There wasn't too much out on the internet, 06:13 which is pretty much we all, um, depend on now. 06:16 When we opened up this place and put the graphics on the front 06:19 of the building, the reports from the police officers, 06:22 farmers, the sightings up here in north Georgia are numerous. 06:27 Many, many sightings. But it's not just here. 06:30 If you opened up one of these places in Tennessee or Kentucky 06:33 or North Carolina, it'd be the same. 06:34 >>John: And if you look at the map of Bigfoot sightings, 06:37 they're seen pretty regularly. 06:39 >>David: Certainly, so if you look online, 06:41 you'll see fairly regular sightings in, uh, wooded areas. 06:45 But, uh, when you become a magnet for Bigfoot sightings, 06:49 you become overwhelmed with the amount of unreported sightings, 06:54 and you begin to realize that these things are seen every day 06:57 in every state, and there's nothing rare about them at all. 07:00 >>John: So everybody's going to want to know, 07:01 if they're seen so regularly, 07:03 why isn't there more concrete evidence for their existence? 07:06 >>David: There is concrete evidence, 07:08 other than a body. 07:10 We have footprints, uh, fresh footprints, hundreds of them. 07:14 Many that have been studied and deemed as legitimate 07:18 by a professor of anthropology, also fingerprint experts. 07:22 Uh, we have films that cannot be faked. 07:26 We have hair samples, 07:28 thousands and thousands of eyewitness reports. 07:31 But why we don't have a body? 07:33 There's something more at play there, 07:35 and I think it's a good idea if we don't have a body 07:38 because I don't think the general public should be aware 07:42 of their existence. 07:43 >>John: You've been quoted as saying-- 07:44 it even says on your website-- 07:46 Bigfoots everywhere, even in the suburbs. 07:48 Do you think that? 07:49 >>David: Certainly, yeah, they do come into the suburbs 07:51 in the evening, at nighttime; they get into our gardens. 07:55 They're interested in our dogs and cats; 07:58 our pets are an ample food supply for them as well. 08:02 Um, not that they're vicious, but since each animal requires 08:06 approximately 10,000 calories a day, 08:09 it takes a lot of food to get, to keep these things going, 08:12 and, uh, where there are humans, there is food. 08:14 >>John: Should people fear them? 08:16 Are they a danger to human beings? 08:17 >>David: Uh, generally speaking, no. 08:19 Um, they don't want to be seen. 08:21 They work actively to not be seen by us. 08:25 So there's an unspoken rule amongst themselves 08:27 to stay away from us, and we're not supposed to see them, 08:30 but they do come close to us at night. 08:31 >>John: So, if somebody wanted to see a Bigfoot, 08:33 wanted to find one, where do you start to go about that? 08:37 >>David: What a great question. 08:38 The easy answer to that is that you don't find them; 08:42 they find you. 08:43 So you really have to go into the areas 08:46 where they've been seen, which is many--it's not very hard-- 08:49 and you've got to make yourselves approachable. 08:51 So, uh, brandishing a weapon, that's not going to help you. 08:55 Uh, actually, swinging around night vision, 08:58 that's not going to help you. 08:59 Usually, going out-- and they smell food-- 09:02 laughing, if they hear you laughing and having a good time, 09:05 they know you're distracted, 09:07 and that's when they'll actually come in and check you out. 09:09 And if you go into your tent at night, and they can smell food-- 09:12 unfortunately, bears are the same way-- 09:14 uh, these things will come into your campsite and check out, 09:17 and sometimes they'll rub their hands along the side 09:19 of your tent, 09:21 and you'll hear them speaking amongst themselves. 09:22 And when you hear these things speaking, 09:24 you know what you're dealing with. 09:26 You know you're not dealing with a bear. 09:27 >>John: So what are you dealing with? 09:29 Describe a Bigfoot for me. Just what is it exactly? 09:31 >>David: So they're primarily described as running anywhere 09:34 from the small ones, 2, 3 feet tall when they're children, 09:38 all the way up to 8, 10, 12 feet tall. 09:41 A variety of colors, light-colored, white, 09:43 uh, with very light Caucasian-like skin, 09:45 all the way up to the deepest black 09:47 with extremely dark weathered skin. 09:50 Some reported as having blue eyes, green eyes, 09:53 but the most-reported color, believe it or not, are red eyes, 09:56 and, uh, I don't understand that. 09:59 >>John: Is there a connection between the phenomenon 10:04 of Bigfoot and something like, say, Loch Ness monster? 10:09 >>David: What a great question, 10:10 and, and I think there's a lot of researchers that I work with 10:14 that think Bigfoot's it, 10:15 when in fact, that people see other things. 10:18 They don't understand how could we have the Loch Ness monster, 10:20 which is clearly some sort of, um, leftover marine reptile, 10:25 but they should have been dead a long time ago. 10:27 They see things like the Mothman. 10:29 We get reports of large creatures that resemble 10:32 the, a dog-man or a werewolf. 10:35 Lot of sightings and, uh, of course, UFOs. 10:37 There's a whole thing going on around us 10:41 that we're not supposed to know about. 10:42 And there are agencies actively making sure that these things 10:46 remain in the realm of myth for the general public. 10:48 >>John: Now, let me pick up on something you said. 10:51 You believe there are agencies that are committed 10:53 to keeping people from knowing about this. 10:54 Explain that for me. 10:56 >>David: Over the years, stories have evolved about government, 10:59 government officials visiting either Bigfoot witnesses 11:03 or witnesses that have seen unusual flying craft in the sky, 11:07 and these agencies are there to strongly suppress 11:12 this information getting out to the general public. 11:14 Very little harm comes to these witnesses, 11:17 but they're, it's impressed upon them 11:18 that it's best for you to keep your mouth shut, 11:21 and that's normally what they do. 11:22 >>John: You'd call it a conspiracy? 11:24 >>David: Oh, certainly, yeah. 11:25 I'm sure that's not the only conspiracy that's out there. 11:27 So, you don't have to be a conspiracy nut 11:29 to think there are conspiracies out there. 11:32 You know, it's just a group of people conspiring to keep 11:34 a secret from you, 11:35 and there's plenty of that, evidence for that out there. 11:37 So, sure, but just some conspiracies are much bigger 11:41 than others. 11:42 >>John: Do you see there being a time when one day 11:45 there'll be some type of great reveal, 11:48 what everybody would call irrefutable evidence, 11:51 and the nation or the world will say, 11:55 "This actually is real"? 11:58 >>David: Wow, so, if you asked me that question 20 years ago, 12:01 I would have said, "Yes, it's going to come." 12:05 But as I've gotten older and wiser, 12:08 I realize that that kind of evidence probably 12:11 would not be good for a lot of people. 12:15 It would create a lot of fear. 12:16 So that kind of revelation would have to come 12:20 with additional information, 12:21 but I don't think it's going to happen in my lifetime. 12:24 >>John: So when somebody says, "Man, you must be crazy," 12:28 what's your response? 12:29 >>David: Doesn't happen. 12:30 You would think people would be going, 12:32 "You're crazy to think about this," 12:34 and I'm waiting for that guy to come in here, 12:36 but he hasn't showed up yet after three years, 12:38 so I think a lot of that worry about the negativity 12:41 was unwarranted. 12:43 I really, I was convinced that was going to happen as well, 12:45 and I was going to take it on a, uh, a case-by-case basis, 12:49 but I really haven't had an argument with anybody yet. 12:52 >>John: David, thanks very much. 12:53 It's been great talking with you. I appreciate it. 12:55 >>David: Thank you, sir. 12:56 >>John: Immensely. 12:56 >>David: Nice meeting you. 12:57 >>John: God bless you. 12:58 [Traffic noise] 13:02 >>John: So, does Bigfoot exist? 13:05 Well, you will not be surprised to learn that the vast majority 13:08 of Americans think the answer to that question is "no." 13:12 But there are people who believe they do exist, 13:15 and plenty of people, it seems, 13:17 who will tell you they believe so from experience. 13:21 Are they confused? Are they lying? 13:24 Have they been deceived? 13:27 Does it really matter? 13:28 Well, maybe yes, maybe no. 13:31 But transfer this over to the spiritual realm. 13:35 You look into the Bible and you'll come face to face 13:37 with the mother of all conspiracies. 13:41 ♪[Music]♪ 13:50 >>Announcer: As we look around the world, 13:51 it appears this planet is spinning wildly out of control. 13:54 The world now is a far cry from the world 13:56 of even just a few years ago, 13:58 leaving many people wondering if there's hope. 14:00 Our free offer today is "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 14:04 To receive this free DVD, 14:05 call 800-253-3000, 14:09 go online at iiwoffer.com, 14:12 or write to the address on your screen. 14:14 Get "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 14:16 Visit iiwoffer.com. 14:21 >>John Bradshaw: Thanks for joining me today 14:23 on It Is Written. 14:25 The Bible opens with these words: 14:27 "In the beginning God created." 14:30 The world that God created was perfect. 14:32 He called it "very good." 14:35 But it didn't take long and the world fell into disarray. 14:39 Adam and Eve ran from God. 14:42 One of their very own children killed his brother. 14:45 And while there are 1,189 chapters in the Bible, 14:51 it's in the Bible's fourth chapter that we meet 14:54 the first adulterer, a man named Lamech, 14:57 who also happened to be a murderer. 15:00 In the seventh chapter of the Bible, 15:01 the earth is so wicked God destroys it with a global flood. 15:05 In Genesis 6:5 we read, 15:08 "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, 15:12 and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart 15:15 was only evil continually." 15:18 Verse 11 says, "The earth also was corrupt before God, 15:22 and the earth was filled with violence." 15:25 Now, that's a rapid descent into sin. 15:27 Get over to just Genesis 11-- 15:29 the people endeavored to build a tower 15:31 that will reach up to heaven. 15:33 That's where God confused the languages of the people 15:36 to restrict their wickedness. 15:39 So you have to ask yourself how all of this was possible. 15:42 What was it about human beings that they were capable 15:45 of such a rapid descent into wickedness? 15:48 And what's been the trend from that day to this? 15:52 Well, we've certainly not changed course. 15:55 Whether it's the big-ticket items, such as genocide, 15:58 such as happened in Bosnia or Rwanda or Burma/Myanmar 16:01 or Cambodia, or terrorism or other oh-my-goodness events, 16:06 or whether it's intolerance and incivility 16:09 and the mental health crisis that much of the planet faces, 16:13 it's not difficult to see that the earth 16:16 is in a really tough place. 16:18 ♪[Soft melancholy music]♪ 16:19 Church membership is down, now at an all-time low. 16:23 Millennials are leaving the church in droves, 16:25 according to the Pew Research Center. 16:27 There are now more people who profess no religion 16:30 than there are Catholics or Protestants 16:33 in the United States. 16:34 I don't mean they're all atheists, 16:36 but there's an increasing number of people 16:38 who believe there is no God. 16:40 So why is that? 16:42 Now, it's one thing to believe in 8-feet-tall ape-men 16:45 roaming around dense forests in northern California, 16:48 but it's another thing to believe that there's no God, 16:51 or that in spite of the Bible being the bestselling book 16:53 in the world, that there's no way to know. 16:57 There's been a shift in society's collective belief 17:00 away from the traditional "There is a God in heaven" 17:04 and towards a more "I'll make my own decisions; 17:06 I don't need the God of my parents or my grandparents." 17:09 We're in a time right now where society is more and more 17:12 tilting away from Christianity and Christ. 17:17 And the Bible helps us understand the reason for that. 17:20 It's the biggest conspiracy of all time. 17:24 When we come back, we'll dive a little deeper into the reason 17:27 that this conspiracy is more than just a theory. 17:30 ♪[Music]♪ 17:40 >>John: Thank you for remembering 17:41 that It Is Written exists 17:42 because of the kindness of people just like you. 17:45 To support this international life-changing ministry, 17:48 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 17:53 You can send your tax-deductible gift 17:54 to the address on your screen, 17:56 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 17:59 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 18:02 Our number again is 800-253-3000, 18:07 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 18:11 >>John: It's one of the great stories of the Bible: 18:13 a shepherd boy against a giant. 18:15 It's a story that speaks to your story, 18:18 human beings weakened by years of sin 18:20 up against an enemy with years of experience in sin. 18:23 I'm John Bradshaw. 18:25 Join me on location in Israel for "David and Goliath." 18:28 We'll go to the Valley of Elah, 18:30 where the conflict between Judah and the Philistines took place. 18:33 We'll visit the stream where David selected five stones 18:36 and see the hillsides on which Israel 18:38 and the Philistines camped. 18:40 The Bible comes alive in "David and Goliath." 18:43 Faith in the face of darkness, 18:45 faith in the midst of faithlessness and failure, 18:48 and reliance upon God when all other hope is gone. 18:52 "David and Goliath," filmed on location in Israel. 18:55 Hope in the midst of trials, the power of a mighty God, 18:59 deliverance when deliverance is needed. 19:02 Don't miss "David and Goliath," 19:05 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 19:11 >>John Bradshaw: Welcome back to It Is Written. 19:12 We're talking about the biggest conspiracy of all time. 19:16 And I want to pick back up in the book of Revelation, 19:18 where we read these words, Revelation 12, verse 7: 19:22 "And there was war in heaven: 19:24 Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; 19:27 and the dragon fought and his angels." 19:31 A war in heaven. 19:33 Now, why would that be? 19:35 Earlier in the same chapter you read that Satan, 19:38 represented by a dragon with seven heads and 10 horns, 19:42 deceived a third of the angels in heaven, 19:46 that his purpose was the destruction of the Man Child 19:50 who was to be brought forth. 19:52 His purpose was the destruction of Jesus. 19:55 Revelation 12:9 says that Satan was cast out of heaven. 19:59 He came then to the earth. 20:01 The passage tells us that there will be those who triumph 20:04 over the enemy, but that at the end of time 20:07 the devil will wage war against the church 20:10 and against God's people who keep the commandments of God. 20:15 And look at how sin got started here on earth. 20:19 Satan came to the earth. 20:20 Adam and Eve had been told they could eat anything they wanted 20:23 in the Garden of Eden-- 20:24 just not the fruit that grew on the tree 20:26 of the knowledge of good and evil. 20:29 Look with me at how Satan lured Eve into sin. 20:33 Genesis 3, verse 1: 20:35 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast 20:37 of the field which the Lord God had made. 20:40 And he said to the woman, 20:42 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree 20:47 of the garden"?'" 20:48 Eve affirmed that it was so. 20:50 She was not to eat of the fruit that grew on that tree. 20:54 She stated that God had told her they would die 20:56 if they ate that fruit. 20:58 But Satan said this: "You will not surely die." 21:03 Now, as bad as that was, he added the following: 21:06 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it 21:09 your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, 21:13 knowing good and evil." 21:15 Don't skip past that. 21:17 Analyze that. 21:18 What was it that Satan was actually saying? 21:21 He was saying, "God didn't really mean what He said. 21:25 God doesn't want you to eat that fruit, not because you'll die, 21:29 but because you'll have knowledge 21:31 that He doesn't want you to have." 21:33 In other words, "God is unfair. God can't be trusted. 21:38 God is playing games with you. 21:40 God doesn't want you to know what He knows." 21:44 That was the first time Adam or Eve had ever heard 21:47 anyone suggest that God was unjust or dishonest or unfair. 21:54 Take a look at Eve's response: 21:56 "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 21:59 that it was pleasant to the eyes, 22:01 and a tree desirable to make one wise, 22:03 she took of its fruit and ate. 22:06 She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." 22:10 And that's the first human sin recorded in the Bible, 22:16 Eve distrusting God, based on what the devil had told her. 22:22 Now, of course, she could have, 22:23 she should have checked this out. 22:25 She could have gone to God and asked Him, 22:27 "The serpent says this. That doesn't seem right. 22:29 What do You say?" 22:31 If she had, history would have turned out very differently. 22:34 But that's not what she did. 22:36 Genesis 3, verse 7 says: 22:38 "Then the eyes of both of them were opened, 22:41 and they knew that they were naked; 22:43 and they sewed fig leaves together 22:44 and made themselves coverings." 22:47 And when they heard God walking in the garden, 22:50 they hid from God. 22:52 For the first time ever, they were afraid of Him. 22:56 And this misunderstanding of the character of God 22:58 plagues the human family today. 23:01 Why do people blame God for tragedies that happen? 23:04 Because Satan has filled their minds with lies 23:06 about what God is really like. 23:08 Why do people say God is unfair? 23:10 It's a misunderstanding of the character of God 23:12 begun in the first place by Satan and perpetuated by him 23:16 ever since. 23:18 But what's God really like? 23:19 The Bible says in 1 John 4 that "God is love." 23:23 The Bible tells us in Exodus 34:6 and 7, 23:27 "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, 23:31 longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 23:35 keeping mercy for thousands, 23:37 forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, 23:39 [and] by no means clearing the guilty." 23:42 God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love" 23:45 in Jeremiah 31:3. 23:47 Again and again God speaks for Himself in the Bible, 23:50 and when He does, 23:52 you'll see He does everything He can to convince us 23:56 that He is worth living for, that He can be trusted. 24:00 ♪[Soft mysterious music]♪ 24:02 Today, fewer people trust God. 24:06 Why is that? 24:07 I'll tell you. 24:08 It's because of a conspiracy, a giant conspiracy, 24:11 meticulously planned, 24:13 orchestrated over thousands of years, 24:16 adding up to where we are today. 24:18 Why do people say the Bible can't be trusted? 24:21 It all started long ago when there was a war in heaven. 24:24 It's taken a long while, 24:25 but now people don't think about the Word of God 24:27 like they used to. 24:29 Societal standards we used to cling to in years gone by, 24:33 some of them have changed for the better, 24:35 but others have certainly changed for the worst. 24:40 Where do you stand on God? 24:42 Is your God good? 24:44 Is your God a God of love? 24:46 Can you say, "I trust the Bible to be the Word of God"? 24:52 Or has this great cosmic conspiracy affected you, too? 25:00 >>Announcer: As we look around the world, 25:01 it appears this planet is spinning wildly out of control. 25:04 The world now is a far cry from the world 25:06 of even just a few years ago, 25:08 leaving many people wondering if there's hope. 25:10 Our free offer today is "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 25:14 To receive this free DVD, 25:16 call 800-253-3000, 25:18 go online at iiwoffer.com, 25:21 or write to the address on your screen. 25:24 Get "Hope for a Planet in Crisis." 25:26 Visit iiwoffer.com. 25:30 >>John Bradshaw: I'd like to encourage you 25:31 to trust the God of heaven, 25:33 the One who sent His Son Jesus to this world to die for you, 25:37 the One who has done so much to demonstrate to you 25:39 that He is good. 25:40 Where do the lies come from? 25:42 Well, first, they are lies, and they come from an enemy, 25:45 the enemy, the enemy of souls. 25:48 You are not going to find any evidence anywhere 25:50 to suggest that God is not good. 25:53 Think about His character. 25:54 God is good, God is love, and when He's your God, 26:00 when your heart is open to Him, 26:01 when you have surrendered to Him fully, 26:05 you'll understand that experientially. 26:07 Your love for God will grow and grow and grow, 26:12 and throughout eternity you'll love God even more. 26:18 Can you make a decision to allow that God, 26:21 that good God, to be your God? 26:24 ♪[Music]♪ Let's pray together now. 26:26 Our Father in heaven, 26:29 we understand better that there is a conspiracy afoot 26:32 to turn our feet out of the pathway of heaven, 26:35 to turn our hearts away from Your heart. 26:39 We want to trust You. 26:41 For so many people, there's baggage; 26:43 there's a past; there is hurt; there is misinformation. 26:48 There's a lack of trust. 26:49 There's a belief that You're harsh and tyrannical 26:53 and unkind and unfair. 26:55 We know where that began. 26:56 It began with a devil who spoke to Eve and said, "Really? 27:01 You think God wants the best for you? No, He does not." 27:04 Thank You that Calvary demonstrates 27:06 You want the best for us. 27:08 Thank You that Jesus lived and died so we could believe 27:11 You want the best for us, 27:12 and we want the best You have, not selfishly, but to honor You. 27:16 Friend, would you accept from God the best He has? 27:19 Would you do that now? 27:21 And accept that God's character is a character of love 27:24 and kindness and concern and goodness. 27:27 Lord, our hearts are open to You. 27:29 Be our God. 27:30 Let Jesus be our Savior now and forever. 27:33 In Jesus' name we pray. 27:36 Amen. 27:37 Thanks so much for joining me. 27:39 I'm looking forward to seeing you again next time. 27:42 Until then, remember: 27:44 "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, 27:49 but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 27:55 ♪[Theme music]♪ |
Revised 2020-08-05