0:00:00 - 0:00:31 So someone wrote a comment uh on a video recently where they were talking about being discouraged and frankly, it was a very minor uh aspect of the comment. But um it got my mind spinning and my heart spinning because that word has special relevance to me. Uh One of the things that I've been asked to 0:00:31 - 0:01:08 do is to help people overcome discouragement. And uh the way it was shown to me is that the human family. Um and I, I'll just be explicit here that in, in what I'm about to say these comments are specifically for men. Um But of course, if you get value out of this, um please run with it, but I, I don't 0:01:07 - 0:01:38 want to be exclusionary in my language in the sense that um you know, I'm not implying these things don't apply to ladies. I'm just saying right now, right this second, I'm gonna describe this from a, a masculine perspective and uh to masculine audience, but the human family, the the half of it uh to 0:01:38 - 0:02:09 be a man is to choose a burden and then to walk as far as you can with it. And if God, if he touched your eyes so that you could see the world all at once. And the dimension of time was projected, mapped into some different space. And the projection or the dimension of space was projected into some different 0:02:08 - 0:02:38 dimension, some different uh I don't know what a word could be for this. But if you saw the entire world through time all at once and, and somehow you could see all the space. What you would see is a chain of men who each had a burden that they chose and then they walked with it as long as they could 0:02:38 - 0:03:17 . And when I say they could, what I really mean is, is as far as they knew how to walk because we're all born with divine potential but not divine actuality. And there's a, there's a process for reaching that and part of that process is knowing the way. So Jesus, one of his names is the way and um you 0:03:17 - 0:03:44 know, it's absolutely true. He's our example. He's the archetype of salvation and archetypes a, a very rich word. Uh Interestingly, if you look this up, there is a Greek word that's translated variously as uh witness testimony. And there are other words too. These ideas are actually all very tightly 0:03:44 - 0:00:00 coupled. The idea of an example, an archetype, a testimony or a witness. These words are very tightly coupled. And when you say attest to something or testify or witness, it's not the meaning of that is not in what you say, it's what you've experienced, that makes it what it is. So saying it is the, 0:00:00 - 0:04:44 the, the least the the most minor part of the whole um situation. It's the most minor attribute of the quality of, of, of that. So archetype, that's a really powerful one because it doesn't just mean example, it means one who went before it, it literally means the first person to do something that others 0:04:43 - 0:05:12 can then do, can, can do by following their example. And so this is all very powerful when it comes to things like understanding what it means to receive the testimony of Jesus. So maybe enough said about that, those are some rich thoughts and I hope they strike you as such because they're sacred to 0:05:12 - 0:06:26 me. So when it comes to discouragement, what I see when I think of that word, I see a friend with the burden, a burden that's too heavy for them to carry. I see them stumble and fall to the ground. And I want with, with all my heart, I want to pick it up for them and carry it for them. But you can't 0:06:25 - 0:07:02 because in the gospel, there are only so many things you can do for other people without harming them. So you do what you can up to that point in a big, a big chunk of that is understanding that when you choose to do certain things, you choose not to do other things and I don't want to be cryptic. So 0:07:02 - 0:07:38 uh I'm just here to explain what I mean with Jesus. Um I, if you've ever asked yourself why the father himself didn't come down. The reason is because what he did already in choosing to do that, he also chose not to come down because he can't anymore. Not in the way that Jesus did. So getting into the 0:07:37 - 0:08:07 metaphysics of this just a tiny bit, Jesus had a glorified body and he was in heaven with the father before he came here to live as a man. The father can't do that because what he has already done which Jesus has mostly done. Now, part of that part of the result of that is that it can't be undone the 0:08:07 - 0:08:46 union between body and spirit. So um he did the harder thing and then he called upon his son to do the next hardest thing and that itself was actually harder for him than what he sent the sun to do because he knew exactly what he was sending his son into. And he also knew there was nothing he could do 0:08:46 - 0:09:26 to take upon himself that burden any more than he already had. And uh if you have Children, you know something of what this is like because of course you, you do anything for your kids. And if we feel that way, being fallen men, obviously, what the father feels is greater than that. So there's a cascade 0:09:25 - 0:09:53 and in choosing to do the hardest thing, the most valuable thing for others, you also remove yourself from the ability to do the lesser thing for others in different circumstances. The details are different, but that's the pattern and it cascades all the way down. So this is, you know, it's heartbreaking 0:09:52 - 0:10:30 when people say, I don't understand why God doesn't do this or doesn't do that for me, doesn't he love me? Um The good news is that there will come a time when no one asks that question anymore and knowing something of what that entails, a very profound part of me longs for that day, but there's a lot 0:10:30 - 0:00:00 that has to be done first so that it can accomplish its purpose so the Lord can accomplish his purpose in doing it. So back to the topic of burdens. There comes a point if, if we squish down all gospel topics into some single channel, some, if you imagine like an A number line or something, uh just, 0:00:00 - 0:11:35 just a single dimension, we just squished it all down. There comes a point on that number line where what is to be related to you cannot be done through words alone. And in reality, it's not like it's a line, a point on a a meter stick, it's a gradient, which means that it, it increases over time and 0:11:35 - 0:12:00 you'll get hit with these things little by little at first and then all of a sudden you're in it, you're in it. And it's the only thing and these uh experiential lessons because they, they can only be understood through experience. That is a real test of your trust in God and your faith in God because 0:11:59 - 0:12:30 you can't, no, you can't have any clue of why you're going through it or why it's worth it or how it could possibly be worth it until you're through it. And uh you know, as it's on a gradient, those properties are also on a gradient and they do get to the point or can uh if you go far enough where they're 0:12:30 - 0:13:04 full bore and that's all there is. And it's just maxed out, but you come into this little by little and uh at some point on that gradient, it becomes easy. Well, I guess uh with every step on that gradient, it becomes more tempting to set down your burden and, and that's sort of a different thing then 0:13:03 - 0:13:38 collapsing. But uh anyway, when it comes to discouragement, we're talking about something that's involuntary for the most part. Um So as the burdens fall, the imagery that comes to my mind is, is that well? OK. I, I referenced the burning bush in another video and how it, it wasn't a bush, it was a bramble 0:13:37 - 0:14:03 like like thorns. It was, it was like a thorny patch of plants which makes it all the more poignant as an, as a, as a. Um I mean, it's, it's literal, but we can think of it allegorically and it's a powerful pattern because it's the same pattern you're going to face even if you're not a shepherd in mountains 0:14:02 - 0:14:31 in uh in the Middle East somewhere. So, um turning in, that's a phrase that's used there. So Moses was doing his job, he was going through life and it's kind of like a pretty monotonous thing to be a shepherd. Right. Um There's actually a lot to this story, so I'm just gonna truncate here, but he saw 0:14:31 - 0:14:56 the fire and instead of running away and forgetting about it or even just running away and being scared of it, he turned in towards it and this is, uh what makes this more impressive is that to approach that fire, he actually had to press through a huge hedge of thorny plants. Now, I want you to think 0:14:55 - 0:15:20 about the Lord saying, take off your shoes because you're on holy ground. He said, take your shoes off before you approach further and um, the signs of holiness are usually hidden. But imagine how strange a person you would have to be to see something that's super scary and weird. And instead of freaking 0:15:20 - 0:00:00 out and running away, you actually turn towards it and walk towards it and then there's this huge thornbush mess. And instead of saying, well, that's interesting, but there's a giant thorn hedge in my way, I'm just gonna go, go back to what I was doing, do you push through all these thorns? And, uh, 0:00:00 - 0:00:00 I'm pretty sure you've done something like that because we were all kids once. Um, there's that, that book and movie. Uh, we were soldiers once and young. Um, we were all kids once and dumb and some of us outgrew our kid, our kid, uh, age but not our stupidity. Our kids stupidity anyway. Um, so, uh, 0:00:00 - 0:16:37 he pushes into the thorns, right? And then he takes his shoes off. So like, ok, uh, a voice is now talking to you and uh telling you to walk further into this bramble, barefoot. Anyway, I think this is hilarious because uh it's so far from what normal people would do and like we read the story and we're 0:16:37 - 0:17:09 just like, oh, yeah, you know, Charlton Heston 10 Commandments, I got it and that is not how it went anyway. Um, we pay a lot more attention to the, the shiny things, the shiny properties of the prophetic and we completely ignore all of the causes of the effects and that's weird. We've got some serious 0:17:08 - 0:17:41 uh selective vision there. So, um, he pushes through this bramble and obviously has this experience and then he goes out from that and he goes and does what he's known for doing. So what's interesting about that is he had to walk through a bramble twice and I've talked about the reason he did it the 0:17:41 - 0:18:07 first time, but then he also had to walk back through it after that experience. And on the return, it's not like God was hanging out on the other side. And therefore he had as much motivation to come back as he did to go. And he was still barefoot by the way, because he left his sandals over there. This 0:18:06 - 0:18:34 is massively illustrative of the way life actually works if you're doing it right. So, in the military, they have this stuff called concertina wire and it's, it's like coiled, barbed wire looking stuff, but instead of barbs, which are, you know, unpleasant enough, it, it's got razor blades on it. And 0:18:34 - 0:18:52 so you set this stuff out as a barrier and you can just kind of pile it on top of and you have to wear leather gloves when you're working with it because otherwise you, your hands will get all sliced open. And so, you know, in, in, in military situations where you have to go through an obstacle like 0:18:52 - 0:19:16 that, there are ways of doing it. So the best way is, uh, to clip this stuff with bolt cutters and you just cut a hole in the fence and you can go through. But, um, when people are shooting at you, there's really no time or place to do that, it's, it's not gonna be successful. That's the whole reason 0:19:16 - 0:20:00 it's used because it slows people down long enough to shoot them. So one of, um, the, the, the, a very effective tactic, all things considered to overcome an obstacle like that in a battle as if the first man to the fence lays down on it. And so by giving their life, they make a bridge that other people 0:20:00 - 0:20:35 can cross. So sometimes that's exactly what has to happen with the gospel and for a prescribed number of people in the end times, that's exactly what their mission is. And there's a lot more to say about that. But sometimes what has to be done is that somehow you have to crawl through this wire, you 0:20:35 - 0:21:07 get all sliced up, figure out what's on the other side and then come back and crawl through it again to tell people so that they know, and now they have a more, um, detailed is not even sufficient. They have a picture of what might be worth it on the other side, if this guy knows what he's talking about 0:21:07 - 0:21:46 so that they have the courage and faith to crawl through themselves. And so I hope you're making the connections with Moses. So when it comes to discouragement, there's two things I want to say. The first is as you realize, something is super, super hard. I think we all want to wish that it wasn't so 0:21:46 - 0:22:11 hard. And if we could, you know, rub a lamp and get a genie to come out, what we might wish is for it to be easier. And so when the guy comes back through the wire we want him to tell us. Oh, actually you don't have to go through the wire. There's this other way. There is a guy who will tell you, there's 0:22:11 - 0:22:59 another way, but it ain't the truth is, there is no other way. The truth is. It's actually a lot harder than you can imagine until you do it. So, how is that? Encouraging? That's point number two. Because it's worth it. It's worth it. And nothing else is, and that's the terrible truth. It's glorious 0:22:58 - 0:23:37 and it's terrible. There is no other way and Jesus is the way. So he gave his life by laying on the wire and we have to give ours by crawling through it and there is no other way. But if you do it, when you get to the other side of the wire, whether it's in this life because it can absolutely happen 0:23:37 - 0:24:12 in this life or whether you're appointed to die while trying. Yeah, you will see and know as I do that, it is absolutely worth it. So I hope that gives you a little bit more courage and strength to take another step or two as you're carrying that weight or to put a little more weight on yourself because 0:00:00 - 0:00:31 So someone wrote a comment uh on a video recently where they were talking about being discouraged and frankly, it was a very minor uh aspect of the comment. But um it got my mind spinning and my heart spinning because that word has special relevance to me. Uh One of the things that I've been asked to 0:00:31 - 0:01:08 do is to help people overcome discouragement. And uh the way it was shown to me is that the human family. Um and I, I'll just be explicit here that in, in what I'm about to say these comments are specifically for men. Um But of course, if you get value out of this, um please run with it, but I, I don't 0:01:07 - 0:01:38 want to be exclusionary in my language in the sense that um you know, I'm not implying these things don't apply to ladies. I'm just saying right now, right this second, I'm gonna describe this from a, a masculine perspective and uh to masculine audience, but the human family, the the half of it uh to 0:01:38 - 0:02:09 be a man is to choose a burden and then to walk as far as you can with it. And if God, if he touched your eyes so that you could see the world all at once. And the dimension of time was projected, mapped into some different space. And the projection or the dimension of space was projected into some different 0:02:08 - 0:02:38 dimension, some different uh I don't know what a word could be for this. But if you saw the entire world through time all at once and, and somehow you could see all the space. What you would see is a chain of men who each had a burden that they chose and then they walked with it as long as they could 0:02:38 - 0:03:17 . And when I say they could, what I really mean is, is as far as they knew how to walk because we're all born with divine potential but not divine actuality. And there's a, there's a process for reaching that and part of that process is knowing the way. So Jesus, one of his names is the way and um you 0:03:17 - 0:03:44 know, it's absolutely true. He's our example. He's the archetype of salvation and archetypes a, a very rich word. Uh Interestingly, if you look this up, there is a Greek word that's translated variously as uh witness testimony. And there are other words too. These ideas are actually all very tightly 0:03:44 - 0:00:00 coupled. The idea of an example, an archetype, a testimony or a witness. These words are very tightly coupled. And when you say attest to something or testify or witness, it's not the meaning of that is not in what you say, it's what you've experienced, that makes it what it is. So saying it is the, 0:00:00 - 0:04:44 the, the least the the most minor part of the whole um situation. It's the most minor attribute of the quality of, of, of that. So archetype, that's a really powerful one because it doesn't just mean example, it means one who went before it, it literally means the first person to do something that others 0:04:43 - 0:05:12 can then do, can, can do by following their example. And so this is all very powerful when it comes to things like understanding what it means to receive the testimony of Jesus. So maybe enough said about that, those are some rich thoughts and I hope they strike you as such because they're sacred to 0:05:12 - 0:06:26 me. So when it comes to discouragement, what I see when I think of that word, I see a friend with the burden, a burden that's too heavy for them to carry. I see them stumble and fall to the ground. And I want with, with all my heart, I want to pick it up for them and carry it for them. But you can't 0:06:25 - 0:07:02 because in the gospel, there are only so many things you can do for other people without harming them. So you do what you can up to that point in a big, a big chunk of that is understanding that when you choose to do certain things, you choose not to do other things and I don't want to be cryptic. So 0:07:02 - 0:07:38 uh I'm just here to explain what I mean with Jesus. Um I, if you've ever asked yourself why the father himself didn't come down. The reason is because what he did already in choosing to do that, he also chose not to come down because he can't anymore. Not in the way that Jesus did. So getting into the 0:07:37 - 0:08:07 metaphysics of this just a tiny bit, Jesus had a glorified body and he was in heaven with the father before he came here to live as a man. The father can't do that because what he has already done which Jesus has mostly done. Now, part of that part of the result of that is that it can't be undone the 0:08:07 - 0:08:46 union between body and spirit. So um he did the harder thing and then he called upon his son to do the next hardest thing and that itself was actually harder for him than what he sent the sun to do because he knew exactly what he was sending his son into. And he also knew there was nothing he could do 0:08:46 - 0:09:26 to take upon himself that burden any more than he already had. And uh if you have Children, you know something of what this is like because of course you, you do anything for your kids. And if we feel that way, being fallen men, obviously, what the father feels is greater than that. So there's a cascade 0:09:25 - 0:09:53 and in choosing to do the hardest thing, the most valuable thing for others, you also remove yourself from the ability to do the lesser thing for others in different circumstances. The details are different, but that's the pattern and it cascades all the way down. So this is, you know, it's heartbreaking 0:09:52 - 0:10:30 when people say, I don't understand why God doesn't do this or doesn't do that for me, doesn't he love me? Um The good news is that there will come a time when no one asks that question anymore and knowing something of what that entails, a very profound part of me longs for that day, but there's a lot 0:10:30 - 0:00:00 that has to be done first so that it can accomplish its purpose so the Lord can accomplish his purpose in doing it. So back to the topic of burdens. There comes a point if, if we squish down all gospel topics into some single channel, some, if you imagine like an A number line or something, uh just, 0:00:00 - 0:11:35 just a single dimension, we just squished it all down. There comes a point on that number line where what is to be related to you cannot be done through words alone. And in reality, it's not like it's a line, a point on a a meter stick, it's a gradient, which means that it, it increases over time and 0:11:35 - 0:12:00 you'll get hit with these things little by little at first and then all of a sudden you're in it, you're in it. And it's the only thing and these uh experiential lessons because they, they can only be understood through experience. That is a real test of your trust in God and your faith in God because 0:11:59 - 0:12:30 you can't, no, you can't have any clue of why you're going through it or why it's worth it or how it could possibly be worth it until you're through it. And uh you know, as it's on a gradient, those properties are also on a gradient and they do get to the point or can uh if you go far enough where they're 0:12:30 - 0:13:04 full bore and that's all there is. And it's just maxed out, but you come into this little by little and uh at some point on that gradient, it becomes easy. Well, I guess uh with every step on that gradient, it becomes more tempting to set down your burden and, and that's sort of a different thing then 0:13:03 - 0:13:38 collapsing. But uh anyway, when it comes to discouragement, we're talking about something that's involuntary for the most part. Um So as the burdens fall, the imagery that comes to my mind is, is that well? OK. I, I referenced the burning bush in another video and how it, it wasn't a bush, it was a bramble 0:13:37 - 0:14:03 like like thorns. It was, it was like a thorny patch of plants which makes it all the more poignant as an, as a, as a. Um I mean, it's, it's literal, but we can think of it allegorically and it's a powerful pattern because it's the same pattern you're going to face even if you're not a shepherd in mountains 0:14:02 - 0:14:31 in uh in the Middle East somewhere. So, um turning in, that's a phrase that's used there. So Moses was doing his job, he was going through life and it's kind of like a pretty monotonous thing to be a shepherd. Right. Um There's actually a lot to this story, so I'm just gonna truncate here, but he saw 0:14:31 - 0:14:56 the fire and instead of running away and forgetting about it or even just running away and being scared of it, he turned in towards it and this is, uh what makes this more impressive is that to approach that fire, he actually had to press through a huge hedge of thorny plants. Now, I want you to think 0:14:55 - 0:15:20 about the Lord saying, take off your shoes because you're on holy ground. He said, take your shoes off before you approach further and um, the signs of holiness are usually hidden. But imagine how strange a person you would have to be to see something that's super scary and weird. And instead of freaking 0:15:20 - 0:00:00 out and running away, you actually turn towards it and walk towards it and then there's this huge thornbush mess. And instead of saying, well, that's interesting, but there's a giant thorn hedge in my way, I'm just gonna go, go back to what I was doing, do you push through all these thorns? And, uh, 0:00:00 - 0:00:00 I'm pretty sure you've done something like that because we were all kids once. Um, there's that, that book and movie. Uh, we were soldiers once and young. Um, we were all kids once and dumb and some of us outgrew our kid, our kid, uh, age but not our stupidity. Our kids stupidity anyway. Um, so, uh, 0:00:00 - 0:16:37 he pushes into the thorns, right? And then he takes his shoes off. So like, ok, uh, a voice is now talking to you and uh telling you to walk further into this bramble, barefoot. Anyway, I think this is hilarious because uh it's so far from what normal people would do and like we read the story and we're 0:16:37 - 0:17:09 just like, oh, yeah, you know, Charlton Heston 10 Commandments, I got it and that is not how it went anyway. Um, we pay a lot more attention to the, the shiny things, the shiny properties of the prophetic and we completely ignore all of the causes of the effects and that's weird. We've got some serious 0:17:08 - 0:17:41 uh selective vision there. So, um, he pushes through this bramble and obviously has this experience and then he goes out from that and he goes and does what he's known for doing. So what's interesting about that is he had to walk through a bramble twice and I've talked about the reason he did it the 0:17:41 - 0:18:07 first time, but then he also had to walk back through it after that experience. And on the return, it's not like God was hanging out on the other side. And therefore he had as much motivation to come back as he did to go. And he was still barefoot by the way, because he left his sandals over there. This 0:18:06 - 0:18:34 is massively illustrative of the way life actually works if you're doing it right. So, in the military, they have this stuff called concertina wire and it's, it's like coiled, barbed wire looking stuff, but instead of barbs, which are, you know, unpleasant enough, it, it's got razor blades on it. And 0:18:34 - 0:18:52 so you set this stuff out as a barrier and you can just kind of pile it on top of and you have to wear leather gloves when you're working with it because otherwise you, your hands will get all sliced open. And so, you know, in, in, in military situations where you have to go through an obstacle like 0:18:52 - 0:19:16 that, there are ways of doing it. So the best way is, uh, to clip this stuff with bolt cutters and you just cut a hole in the fence and you can go through. But, um, when people are shooting at you, there's really no time or place to do that, it's, it's not gonna be successful. That's the whole reason 0:19:16 - 0:20:00 it's used because it slows people down long enough to shoot them. So one of, um, the, the, the, a very effective tactic, all things considered to overcome an obstacle like that in a battle as if the first man to the fence lays down on it. And so by giving their life, they make a bridge that other people 0:20:00 - 0:20:35 can cross. So sometimes that's exactly what has to happen with the gospel and for a prescribed number of people in the end times, that's exactly what their mission is. And there's a lot more to say about that. But sometimes what has to be done is that somehow you have to crawl through this wire, you 0:20:35 - 0:21:07 get all sliced up, figure out what's on the other side and then come back and crawl through it again to tell people so that they know, and now they have a more, um, detailed is not even sufficient. They have a picture of what might be worth it on the other side, if this guy knows what he's talking about 0:21:07 - 0:21:46 so that they have the courage and faith to crawl through themselves. And so I hope you're making the connections with Moses. So when it comes to discouragement, there's two things I want to say. The first is as you realize, something is super, super hard. I think we all want to wish that it wasn't so 0:21:46 - 0:22:11 hard. And if we could, you know, rub a lamp and get a genie to come out, what we might wish is for it to be easier. And so when the guy comes back through the wire we want him to tell us. Oh, actually you don't have to go through the wire. There's this other way. There is a guy who will tell you, there's 0:22:11 - 0:22:59 another way, but it ain't the truth is, there is no other way. The truth is. It's actually a lot harder than you can imagine until you do it. So, how is that? Encouraging? That's point number two. Because it's worth it. It's worth it. And nothing else is, and that's the terrible truth. It's glorious 0:22:58 - 0:23:37 and it's terrible. There is no other way and Jesus is the way. So he gave his life by laying on the wire and we have to give ours by crawling through it and there is no other way. But if you do it, when you get to the other side of the wire, whether it's in this life because it can absolutely happen 0:23:37 - 0:24:12 in this life or whether you're appointed to die while trying. Yeah, you will see and know as I do that, it is absolutely worth it. So I hope that gives you a little bit more courage and strength to take another step or two as you're carrying that weight or to put a little more weight on yourself because 0:24:11 - 0:24:12 it's worth doing.