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Please remain standing.

Welcoming you into this CBN and Regent University

Week of Prayer.

It's all about calling on the name, that mighty name

of Jesus, together.

Isn't it?

We're going to prioritize those that have reached out

to us by handwritten mail.

So would you take those in your hand right now?

People have contacted us by phone, by email,

by logging on to cbn.com.

It all works.

But we have these handwritten ones.

I'm going to ask you to literally hold those,

to move through them as I will.

And then we're going to pray together.

Here's a person that asks for healing on their left side

from the numbness in their arm, their hand, leg, and foot,

caused by a stroke five years ago.

"Doctors say I'll never heal.

It's caused by a stroke.

But by faith, I believe all things are possible."

I want to step into that.

"Pray for my cousin Nate.

One leg has been removed because of diabetes,

now he has sores and things on the other leg."

"Pray for me, pray for ovarian cancer that has smitten me."

"Pray for my spiritual walk."

"Pray for my mom.

Her health.

She needs healing.

Painful arthritis, and now she's depressed because of the pain."

Isn't that the way it is?

Just piles on.

"Pray for my mom, because she's depressed because of the pain."

I really want you to hear this one.

"I'm a grandmother bringing up four grandchildren.

10, 14, 18, and 21."

She goes on to say, "The 21 year-old's running the streets,

won't go to school, won't find work.

I'm a Christian.

I pray.

I go to services every Sunday.

Please, help me."

Doesn't God hear that?

"I'm 71 years of age.

I'm a woman.

And I'm leaving my home after 24 years.

Pray as I transition to my new home.

I've got all kinds of health problems,

but I like your show, the 700 Club."

While you're holding those, I'm going

to ask you to do something.

When I ask you to, with someone else, get a hold of theirs

beside you.

So we are literally going to touch and agree.

Just stretch out your hand.

You'll hold theirs as well.

Just hold those requests.

Jesus prayed out loud.

Hold them together.

Jesus prayed out loud before His followers.

Listen to 11:42.

"You always hear me, Father.

You always hear me.

But I said it out loud for the sake of these people standing

here, so that they'll believe."

He taught us that when we agree in prayer, Matthew 18 and 19,

when we believe that we'd have the things that we ask.

Would you join the great intercessor Lord Jesus?

We're praying Your kingdom come.

Keep coming, Messiah Jesus, in power and authority.

We're praying Your will be done.

The glory of the health and wholeness and salvation.

Lord, we're asking for deliverance

from every evil spirit.

We're asking for provision.

Those that ask about finances, that

have written and called and e-mailed and logged on.

Those that have deep needs of grieving.

They're wounded in spirit.

Jesus, come in Your power and authority

and make everything well.

Come in wholeness.

Lord, make us, as we suffer, that Your glory

would be magnified.

We're asking for every request.

We're asking for an answer, literally,

for every prayer request, and we join ourself

with the faith of these people.

For it's in the mighty name of Jesus

we have the things we ask.

We pray according to Your will, Jesus' name.

Amen.

You may be seated.

You'll see a slide for a moment or two.

This spring is the 50th anniversary

of the reunification of Israel, and there's a presentation.

You can just go to In Our Hands 1967.

In Our Hands 1967.

Calling to me today out of Shreveport, Louisiana,

all these other places.

Get into this web site.

Learn the real story about Israel at this beautiful event,

In Our Hands.

But today on the broadcast, well, this

is the book you want to get.

Giving It All Away.

Giving It All Away.

I'm telling you, this is amazing.

It was fabulous, as Dr. Robertson

shared with David Green.

He's here to give glory to God.

He has a beautiful and a loving family.

His wife Barbara, they have three children.

10 children.

Three children, 10 grandchildren.

And this is where it got to bragging rights.

11 great-grandchildren.

I just-- The Lord's led them to become Hobby Lobby,

as you well know.

The Lord's led them to become the largest retailer of arts

and crafts in the world.

Say, how big is that?

Well, $4.6 billion last year.

Zero debt.

They're adding 40 to 50 stores per year,

and all this is from a $600 loan in 1970.

I lived in Tulsa when I went to Oral Roberts University

in the early '80's.

I want to tell you, these people love God,

and they have a history of practicing it.

They trust him.

And they've experienced the Holy Spirit's leading so uniquely.

And finances, into unusual philanthropy,

all the way to the United States Supreme Court in a victory.

Would you welcome with me, David Green.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I appreciate that, and I appreciate

him reading my bio so I can just skip all of that Hobby Lobby

stuff.

I like to talk about Hobby Lobby,

but that's not what I'd like to talk about here today.

A few months back, I was reading a book,

and it kind of redirected some of the comments that I make

and what I talk about.

And it's really fun to talk about business,

and serving God, and watching Him bless you.

And that is a lot of the conversation that I have,

and being generous with what God gives you.

But I was reading this book by Christian,

and he says in this book, it said,

it's so important to be successful

even in lieu of your marriage.

And this was a Christian writer.

And it really disturbed me.

Of course, it took me about a second

to throw the book in the trash.

And so I thought, well, maybe we need

to think and talk first more about our foundation.

And our foundation should be in Jesus Christ,

in our relationship with him.

And of course, you know that here at this university.

And there are three things that I think as Christians,

once we become Christians, that we really

need to be foundational in.

And I think sometimes we skip them,

and think a lot about being successful in life.

But before we think in those terms,

I think we have to think about three things that I want

to talk to you about today.

And those three things that are very important in our life

is a great marriage, a godly family, and success at work.

So do we want to skip those things

and move right on, as this seems like this Christian business

man was doing in this particular book?

I just don't want to find myself doing the same thing.

I want to talk about our foundation.

So what if you have your billionaire

at the end of your life, and you've had a wrecked marriage,

your family isn't serving God, and you really

haven't done all you can do in your business

to serve God and do what he would have

you to do in your business?

And so that is the those are the things that God, I think,

has led on my heart to talk to you about today.

It's so vital that we set goals and markers.

I call them markers in life.

And these are the three important,

once you've accepted Christ, these

are the three areas in life that I think is most important.

And I call it like, we can do this when

we drive a stake in the ground.

A stake is a marker that shouldn't

be moved when life becomes difficult.

And life will become difficult. So I'd

like to prepare you to make decisions

about what kind of marriage you have, what kind of family

you'll have, and what kind of work you'll have.

And so that's what I would like to discuss this morning.

Marriage is so important to God.

The Bible says that what God has joined together,

no man should divide or separate.

Yet the statistics on divorce tell us that Christians--

we here, by the way, are Christians--

is not much better at marriage than non-believers.

And this is a travesty.

The Bible says God hates divorce.

Now I know that within a larger group like this,

there is inevitably someone here who has been hurt by divorce.

So this subject can really be hard.

At the same time, I want to acknowledge God's grace

and forgiveness in each of our hearts.

And no one needs God's grace more than I.

But just because many have been hurt by divorce

doesn't mean we should avoid speaking

about the subject of marriage.

Instead, those who have been hurt

should actually want encouragement

in this area of our lives.

Here's my advice.

Make a decision that you'll have a great marriage that

will be 'till death do us part.

Make a decision that you'll not separate

what God has joined together.

Make a decision that you'll be different from the rest

of the world.

Commit to a lifelong marriage.

A decision for a lifelong marriage

is something you decide in advance of marriage.

Too many people tend to take the approach of,

well, let's see how it goes.

The decision for a lifelong marriage,

next to receiving Christ, is the most important decision

in your life.

But also want to encourage you to make a decision

to have a great marriage, a beautiful marriage.

Not just one that lasts.

What does a beautiful marriage look like?

It's a relationship of mutual respect,

of endurance through hard times, and of forgiveness.

It's pretty simple.

Of course, there is no such thing as a perfect marriage.

It does, and it will, take hard work.

But if you make a decision for this kind of marriage,

you can show the rest of the world what

God's love looks like.

Two people who show love and respect for each other.

Some of you may say this kind of marriage is impossible.

But it's true, that with man it is.

But with God that we serve, all things are possible.

So make a decision.

Plant a stake in the ground for that great marriage.

In the book of Joshua, the second thing

that I want to discuss is to have a godly family.

In the book of Joshua, Joshua says, "As for me and my family,

we will serve the Lord."

When Joshua says these words, he was

speaking not only for himself, but his entire household

as well.

He was making a commitment for his entire family

that they would serve the Lord.

Today, you can make the same commitment,

that you and your family will serve the Lord.

Like a marriage, it is a decision

you make in advance of having a family,

because it will take commitment and a lot of hard work.

In making the commitment for a godly family,

there are three important priorities.

First, your children need to see that you've made

your marriage a first priority.

Keep your spouse first.

Keep going on dates with your spouse,

even when you're got little kids.

And you know what?

When your children see what you've

made your spouse a priority, then your children

will be at peace.

That kind of love is attractive to our children,

and they're going to want to follow your example.

After you've made your marriage a priority,

the second big thing is live your faith as a family.

Live what you believe.

Pray together, worship together, forgive together.

Apply God's principles in your home.

There is nothing that drives our children

from further from Christ than people who

don't live what they believe.

On the other hand, there's nothing

that drives children closer to God

than a couple who live an authentic faith.

The third thing a family needs to do

is to pay their tithe, to give to the Lord.

Even at a very beginning of your marriage,

make that commitment to tithe.

It is sad to say, but the average amount a Christian give

is less than 3%.

Really, how can we say we are people of faith?

It's not even close to a tithe.

Tithing shows our children what we believe.

It tells them that we believe God's word,

that he will provide for us.

It tells them, we believe we'll receive blessings

from the windows of heaven when we tithe,

and those blessings can be more than money.

Paying tithes, the first 10% of our income,

tells our children that God comes first in our lives.

I challenge you, as God does in his word,

to give your first 10% and watch God bless you in many ways.

So let me repeat.

Commit to having a godly family by making

your marriage a priority, by living your faith

with your family, and by tithing as a family.

Third, let's talk about work.

God put us on Earth to work.

Adam and Eve were put here to work the garden.

This was even before the fall.

Our work should be seen as worship and to love the Lord.

God went so far as to say a person

shouldn't eat if he doesn't work.

I believe God meant for everyone to work, even millionaires.

I'm told of a pastor who was approached by a woman

after church, and requested prayer for her son.

He had just finished college and was

trying to find the will of the Lord for his life.

The pastor replied, "Well, sure.

I'll pray for him.

What is he doing?

Is he working?"

The woman replied, "No, he's just taking some time off,

waiting for the Lord to show him his will."

The next question the pastor asked was, "Is he eating?"

The woman replied, "No, he's staying

at our place for the time."

The pastor replied with a grin, "Oh.

Well, you go home and tell him he's already

out of the will of the Lord."

God has a call for your lives.

I know that some of you are questioning your calling.

But the Bible has already told us your calling.

It's whatever.

The Bible says, whatever your hands find to do,

do it with all your might.

Your job is to be faithful with whatever

God has put in front of you.

If it's flipping hamburgers, do it with all your might.

If it's being an executive or a pastor,

do it with all your might.

Or it may be a mother, which is probably

the most important job of all.

But do it with all your might, whatever your task.

God has a plan for our lives.

He may want us to be a king, but He may require

that we be a shepherd first.

We will, for our lives, His will for our lives

could lead to many different types of jobs.

Maybe we need a lesser job so God can deal with our pride.

Or maybe it's to see if we can trust,

He can trust us for a higher position.

But we may never get to the higher position

if we are not faithful with the job He has put in front of us

right now.

So we should be more concerned about how

we do our work, what specific work we have,

than how we do it.

We should be more careful about how we do it.

So drive a stake in the ground that you'll do great

at your whatever, and allow God to show

you the future from there.

In conclusion, I've talked about three important areas

of our lives.

Even though we are here at a Christian university,

I don't want to assume that everybody here has

the most important decision of their life, and have made that.

And that is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

And to those that are listening, I

would like to say that if you've not done so,

that you can do that right now.

God has sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

If you ask forgiveness of your sins, and accept Him,

you will have eternal life through Jesus Christ.

And so those that's within the sound of my voice and that's

those here, I think that sometimes the difference

between whether we make it in our marriage,

whether we make it in our family,

is about decisions that we make.

We make a decision.

And I'm going to ask you, if you would,

to make a decision with me today.

Drive a stake in the ground, and make a decision.

And I think that can be the difference

in your lives and your future.

We are here are Christians.

We're all Christians.

Does that mean that we're going to have half of us not

having marriages that last?

We're all here as Christians.

I'm one of you.

Does that mean that we're going to pay 3% or less

on our tithes?

This is something for us to think about.

And how do we move away from that?

How are we going to be different ?

How is our marriage going to work?

How is our families going to serve God in the future?

How are we going to be faithful in tithe paying?

I think it's a decision.

It's about a stake, a stake in the ground, a decision.

And that's what I'm going to be asking you to do today,

if you have not done so already, is

to make three stakes in the ground,

assuming that you start with the foundation of Jesus Christ.

So you don't want to be rich at the end of your life,

and have things that are crumbling on you,

like your foundation.

And your foundation, of course, is built in Christ.

And then after that, it's your marriage that is so important.

And then after that, is raised in a family that serves God.

And God is with you.

And if God be with you, who can be against you?

So right now, by the grace of God, and by His power,

will you first along with me drive a stake, with God's help,

to have a great marriage, and even a beautiful marriage?

And secondly, will you along with me,

say as Joshua says, "As for me and my house,

we will serve the Lord"?

This is a decision to be intentional, and make

a decision.

And we can make that today.

And thirdly, will you along with me drive a stake,

that no matter what your work, how menial

or how great, that you'll do it with all your might,

and you will do it as unto the Lord?

If we know the Lord, and follow through on our decisions,

and drive these stakes in the ground, at the end

we can say as Paul said, "I have fought a good fight.

I have finished the course.

I have kept the faith."

And in doing so, we will change this world.

With me, will you pray?

Father, we are coming to you today, asking that

all of us that are listening, all of us that are Christians.

And if we're not, Lord, we just ask

that those that have not accepted You, will.

But secondly, we're just asking that each one of us

will make a decision, God, that's where it starts.

Make a decision right now that we will never forget.

We will never forget the decision that we made today.

And that is we are going to get alongside You,

and alongside Your help.

Because all things are possible with You,

but we're going to have a beautiful marriage

as You intended it.

And you're on our side.

And we're also going to ask, Lord Jesus, that we

can say as Joseph said.

Joshua, Joshua said.

He said, as for me and my family,

God help us to plant that stake.

So that stake that Joshua planted,

and to say the same thing, we will serve the Lord.

God, we can speak for our family.

When we come alongside and do those things

that You ask us to do, and be a faithful example

for our family.

And we just ask that You'll do that.

And then we'll make that decision,

that we will serve the Lord, and that we will bring

a family up that serves You.

That we can have generations and generations that have a legacy.

A legacy in You, not a legacy in big dollars and things

of that nature.

But then thirdly, God, whatever, whatever you have for us,

no matter, that we will say, I'm going to do

this job the very best I can.

And in that, and in that faithfulness,

in that obedience, it is You, not

man, that gives us these promotions,

and will lift us up to where You would have us to be.

And without that obedience, Lord,

I'm not sure we will get there.

But God, we're asking for each one

that's hearing this today that we'll plant those three stakes.

And we'll do these things in Your name,

and we ask it in Your name.

Amen.

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Praise be to the Lord.

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