Wide Open Doors – 1

Wide Open Doors – 1

Subject – How to Walk Through Those Doors

By Rick Welborne

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

Psalm 34:1 (NKJV)
¹  I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT2)
¹⁰  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
¹²  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 

--Everyone say “Challenges.” We all have them and we all (I hope) have doors that we want to walk thru and do great things for the Lord.

--Paul was saying there is a great opportunity that has presented itself to me but along with the opportunity is great opposition. 

--We, who are Pentecostals have a tendency to blame everything on the devil, and make no mistake, he is always trying to disrupt our lives.

--But sometimes, it is just life and sometimes we just make terrible choices.

James 1:14 (NKJV) ¹⁴ But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

–With life we have seen many who lost loved ones (funerals or memorial services) and hearts were broken...I know because I lost dear friends and church family.  

–Many were confronted with cancer and other serious physical needs and challenged with all the questions that go with it.

–Some have had incredible difficulty in their families, with their marriages and children. Some have lost jobs and been faced with losing their houses and all they own.

–Our encouragement to ourselves and to the flock of God has been to say: I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 

--Is that easy? Of course not but it is the only way that we will make it through the wide-open door God has for us. We can sit on the porch and cry or we can get up and go through the door.

1. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Means Dealing with Stuff.

2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (NLT2)
⁴  In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.
⁵  We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.
⁶  We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.
⁷  We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense.
⁸  We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.
⁹  We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.
¹⁰  Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.

–All this stuff is only commending us to be faithful ministers of God: blessing the Lord at all times! We put on the armor of God everyday...we must do it to be ready for the battles ahead of us.

–Some of you think that you got beat up pretty bad last year but just imagine with me the casualties we would have had without God’s armor. Sister Browne.

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT2) ⁹ There is a wide-open door for a great work here, although many oppose me. 

Adam Clark Commentary and Critical Notes. A wide-open door is opened to me; that is, God has made a grand opening to me in those parts, which I perceive will require much labor; and besides, I shall have many adversaries to oppose me. Door often signifies occasion or opportunity; but here, the apostle may allude to the throwing open of the great doors of the Circus Maximus before the chariot races began; and the many adversaries may refer to the numerous competitors in those races. God gave him a grand opportunity to preach the Gospel; but he was not to expect that either Satan or wicked men would leave him unmolested.   

2. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Requires Expecting It to Happen.

–I believe that the Circus Maximus is about to open up for everyone who is pursuing God, those who are worshiping no matter what, those who are putting on the armor of God every day. 

Luke 11:9-13 (NLT2) ⁹ “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
¹⁰  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
¹¹  “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
¹²  Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
¹³  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” 

Barnes Notes - That such a work of grace, the opening of Wide-open doors, is often the occasion of increased opposition to the gospel. Why do we get so surprised when we have opposition to our efforts of serving Christ with all our heart.

 

–Paul chose to stay in Ephesus even in the midst of great opposition...why should we hang in there?

A. The opposition was regarded by Paul as an evidence that the Holy Spirit was there.

B. It was proof that the enemies of God were alarmed, and that the kingdom of Christ was advancing. 

C. His presence also would be needed there, to encourage and strengthen the young converts who would be attacked and opposed; and he deemed it his duty to remain. 

D. A Christian should regard it as his duty to remain faithful thru trials when there is such opposition.  

E. His presence is needed to comfort and encourage the church; and when the minds of men are challenged, it is often the best time to present truth, and to defend the great doctrines of the Bible. 

Matthew Henry - True courage is whetted by opposition; and it is no wonder that the Christian courage of the apostle Paul should be emboldened by the zeal of his adversaries. They were bent to ruin him, and prevent the effect of his ministry at Ephesus; and should he at this time desert his station, and disgrace his character and doctrine? No, the opposition of adversaries only awakened his zeal. He was in nothing daunted by his adversaries; but the more they raged and opposed the more he exerted himself. Should such a man as he flees?

--Adversaries and opposition do not break the spirits of faithful and successful Christians, but only enkindle their zeal, and inspire them with fresh courage.

3. Getting Through the Wide-open Door Requires the Armor of God.

Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT2)
¹⁰  A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
¹¹  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
¹²  For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
¹³  Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.
¹⁴  Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.
¹⁵  For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.
¹⁶  In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
¹⁷  Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸  Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. 

–It is time that we lay hold of the promises of God...is there opposition...yes...put on the armor...will there be challenges...bless the Lord at all times...are there people who need to be set free? Fight!

–Again I reiterate to you there are wide-open doors in your future and probably even now. Remember God is for you!

Romans 8:31 32 (NKJV) 

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 

–This is our year church...pursue Him, trust Him, worship Him, love Him, and fight for Him. This will be a year to remember at Life Church Assembly of God...get ready!

–What if the enemy continues to attack? I can guarantee it but hear your Pastor:

Romans 8:37 39 (NKJV) 

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

–Put on the armor of God every day, pray in the spirit, worship no matter what is going on, fast, pray, and fight with us, and believe with us that this will be the year of victory!

It’s Time – 2

It’s Time – 2

Subject – It’s Time to Move

By Rick Welborne

1 Kings 19:1-8 (NLT2)
¹  When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.
²  So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”
³  Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
⁴  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
⁵  Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!”
⁶  He looked around and there beside his head was some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again.
⁷  Then the angel of the LORD came again and touched him and said, “Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you.”
⁸  So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. 

--Sometimes, after serving God for a while, we find ourselves in a place much like Elijah.

--He had been greatly and miraculously used by God but now his life all of a sudden appears to be dark and empty. Before he felt he was headed for a specific destination but now he seems lost. 

--Someone was sharing with me the other day their frustration with life and how empty they felt. I knew their story so I took the liberty to do an evaluation of where they were.

--This person (older than me) had been very successful in their career, had plenty of finances to retire, surrounded by family and friends, and had a miraculous encounter with Jesus…this person was healed. 

--I told this person…you have felt so blessed in so many ways…you have even felt successful in ways you could have only dreamed, ninety percent of your life absolutely could not be better. 

--The problem is that 10% that you cannot ever seem to get where you want it to be. You pray, you fast, you beg God, you read books, you do everything, yet that part of your life is sucking the life out of you.

--How did I know? I knew because I have had the 10% syndrome also making me feel the same way. 

--Why is human nature that way, 90% of our lives can be wonderful but we can’t seem to enjoy it because the 10% keeps us pre-occupied with hurt and frustration. Emptiness and pain.

--Where am I going? What does all this mean? Why has this journey with Jesus turned into a wearisome journey? When will I find tranquility and peace again? 

--I think Simon Peter was in the middle of one of those dark road experiences when he said, “I am going fishing.” My guess is Peter was on the edge of physical, spiritual, and psychological burnout.

--Too much was happening too fast in his life and he was struggling to process it all. Judas betrayed Jesus, he denied Him, the trial, the crucifixion, and rumors of Jesus’ resurrection was taking its toll.

--The inner personal world of Peter could only absorb so much. He retreated to the only thing he knew he could do with certainty…go fishing. What’s your default?

--When things do not go well for us we all have a default mechanism that we run to…hopefully it is God, but many times, that is not the case. Porn, drugs, relationships, alcohol…maybe you go fishing.

--Peter’s struggle, Elijah’s struggle with all this weariness did not go on forever. Jesus showed up for Peter and the angel of the Lord (the pre-incarnate Christ) shows up with loving kindness for Elijah.

--The similarities are amazing…they show up with food, water, and hope. Jesus is doing the same thing for you and me today, He is showing up with food (the Word), water (Holy Spirit), and with hope of a future.

--Jesus shows up to encourage…He dealt with the pain in Peter’s life of guilt and shame, the embarrassment of failure, the confusion of mixed motives and goals. He comes to restore us. To heal us.

--This encounter…this wonderful encounter, whether it is here at our altars, in your car, or next to your bed …the mission of Jesus is to get us to the place where we say, “It’s Time to Move On!”

--We think we can arrive at this place of contentment by doing more, and doing more, faster. I must admit that there is no fatigue like this. End up under a broom tree.

1 Kings 19:4 (NLT2)
⁴  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 

--We have all seen people on this journey who seemed to be going full blast toward destiny only to crash and burn. Spiritual and physical exhaustion.

--We have all had well-meaning Christian friends who have given us the plan, the formula, the teaching, the conference, the evangelist, or whatever that guaranteed would bring us out of our valley. It didn’t.

--What I quickly discovered was that there are no shortcuts, no gimmicks, no easy ways to cultivate an intimacy with God and attain the resulting passion that should carry one through life’s journey.

--Listen to Elijah’s words (the guy who just called fire down from heaven and killed 850 false prophets), I have had enough, Lord. Take my life. I am no better than my ancestors who have already died. 

--How many of you are glad that God has not answered all of our prayers…I’ve had it, God, so just kill me! We probably do not want to ever confess the times we asked God to kill others in our lives. 

--What I do know about being in this valley of the shadow of death is this…It’s Time to Move. I need something, someone who can bring me out and renew the passion that will carry me through.

--We feel as though one more criticism from our spouse, one more negative thing from a church member. We hear about a wonderful breakthrough:

Gordon MacDonald – It dawned on me that I and scores of others were paying a terrible price for this search for some magical breakthrough. We were trying harder, working longer, breathing heavier, and getting wearier. And it was an unpleasant journey when it should not have been. We would have never admitted it, but we were tired of God, of faith, and faith’s people. Now, how could a call to abundant living turn into such dullness of spirit. That we should tire of Him was not God’s fault. Rather this weariness calls into question the system of spirituality many of us have been taught. 

--The Bible is filled with story after story about great breakthroughs that people have experienced, but if you think like I do, you ask what happened during those times that are not recorded in the Word?

--The person I have thought about most in this regard has been Joseph…when he was a teenager he was given great promises. Best estimates say that it was about a 15-17 years to get him to the prize.

--I have asked the question (at least in my mind) how did he handle the meanness of his brothers, Potiphar’s wife lying, and being forgotten in prison. How was he processing all this stuff?

--Yes, we have glimpse of his heart and endurance but we do not see it all. Just like with each other, we get small windows into each other’s lives but we do not know what the whole story is.

1. It’s Time to Realize Between the Promise and the Prize is a Process

--You see; it is during the process where the battle is won or lost. We can all come and worship God on Sundays or Wednesdays, but it is a long lonely time from one service to the next.

--It’s time to become transparent about the alone times and the struggles, it will be hard for us to find healing and wholeness in our lives. We all have been hurt or we have hurts we are dealing with now.

Luke 4:18 (NCV)
¹⁸  “The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly…oppressed.  

--There it is…God sent Me to free those who have been treated unfairly. During the quiet times we try to process why people and even why God is treating us unfairly. It hurts. 

--It’s time to be willing to get past our stage face and be honest with ourselves, honest with others, and honest with God. Between the promise and the prize there is a process and it hurts. 

2. It’s Time to Deal with Our Own Pits.

Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV) ¹ I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry.
²  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
³  He has put a new song in my mouth-- Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. 

--Our Christian-eze makes us rush past where the psalmist was to where God brought him. He is in a time of waiting (a time of process), a time of crying, a time in a horrible pit, and a time of being stuck. 

--The psalmist is dealing with his own stuff and he cries out to God. God inclined to him and bends down low to make sure He hears the heart of the person hurting. 

--As we walk through this process together…It’s Time to Move…I want to assure you that no matter where you are in this process, your Heavenly Father is bending low to hear the faintest whisper. 

--The purpose of “It’s Time” is to make sure you know you have a God Who wants to bring you out of your pit, to set your feet upon the Rock (Jesus), and to put a new song in your heart. Many need a song.

3. It’s time to Move from Here.

--So why am I preaching this series? I believe there is a real group of American Christians who are growing more and more weary as they continue on this journey. It’s time for an awakening.

MacDonald – We have tried the gimmicks, the programs, the promises of a thousand and one gurus of the faith. Here and there one view or another seems to catch on. But for many, the journey is a bore-some task, but we can’t turn back, but we’re almost too tired to go on. 

1 Kings 19:4 (NLT2)
⁴  Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.” 

--Elijah had had it and many of you, many of us, have had it too. I see it in your faces. Elijah was physically, spiritually, and emotionally worn out…burn out. God had a word for him and for us!

It’s Time to Rise Up and Go to the Mountain of God. It’s Time!

It’s Time We Bless Israel

It’s Time We Bless Israel 

Subject – Israel: The Blessing to the World

By Rick Welborne

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--Today, again we are praying for Israel and the Jewish people. We bless them with our prayers, our words, and our support. God says to bless them so we do.

--We continue to pray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for protection, wisdom, and success in this war defending their country and their people. 

--Hamas is refusing to let hostages leave and are still firing rockets into all parts of Israel trying to do as much carnage as possible. Remember God has a hook in their jaw.

--I hope and pray daily that Holy Spirit will come upon you with a call to intercession. Souls of men, women, children, babies, the elderly are slipping into eternity. Many without God.

--And, no, there will not be 70 virgins waiting for those who are killed or martyred for Allah in paradise. What a deceptive sick religion. Without repenting this is what they can expect.

Hebrews 10:27 (NLT2)
²⁷  There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.

--Please do not forget that God will take care of Israel and though things look bleak for that tiny nation, God will keep His Word and they will survive.

Zechariah 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  This message concerning the fate of Israel came from the LORD: “This message is from the LORD, who stretched out the heavens, laid the foundations of the earth, and formed the human spirit.
²  I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah.
³  On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. 

--God keeps His Word and today I want to show you that what God promised Abram about the Jewish nation has, in fact, come to pass. 

1. All the Families on Earth Will Be blessed

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--As you study history, you learn that the indestructible Jew has left his indelible mark upon history. The Jewish people are not great in number. 

--Of the world’s population, they are only 0.2%. That’s not two percent. That’s less than one-fourth of one percent. 

--Yet did you know that 22% of Nobel Prize winners have been Jews? In 2013, six of the 12 laureates were Jewish. Think of that. God said He would make them famous.

--Abraham’s descendants consistently win high percentages not just of Nobel Prizes but other awards in medicine, health, music, and public life. What a mark they've made upon our world.

--Did you know it was a Jew who financed Christopher Columbus when he set sail for the west? Of his crew members, the first to set foot on American soil was a Jew. 

--Did you know that a Jew, Haym Salomon, financed General George Washington in our Revolutionary War?

--Have you ever taken an aspirin? Friedrich Bayer, whose company developed aspirin, was a Jew. 

--Were you vaccinated for polio as a child? The injectable and oral polio vaccines of Salk and Sabin were so effective; the disease has been all but eradicated.

--Has the dentist ever deadened your tooth before he started to drill? Alfred Einhorn, who developed Novocain, was a Jew. 

--If you're an anti-Semite, the next time you go to the dentist, why don't you say, “Just drill away, don't deaden my pain.” Have you ever had local anesthesia? Its inventor, Carl Koller, was a Jew.

--When you developed an infection, the doctor prescribed streptomycin, developed by Waksman, a Jew. 

--Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew. Are you a student of philosophy? Spinoza was a Jew. Do you appreciate the Salvation Army? Its founder, William Booth, had a Jewish mother.

--It's amazing to study the mark God's chosen people have made on the world. God said I will make you a blessing to others and that all the families of the earth will be blessed through them.

--Jews can be thanked for the discovery of electromagnetic waves, the transistor, the first laser, oral contraceptives, antihistamines, anti-leukemia drugs, the electron microscope.

--They can be thanked for vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague, the camera phone, nuclear fission reactor, sound-on-film technology.

--Also we can thank them for the discovery of neurotransmitters, the process by which we do MRIs, the Hepatitis-B vaccine, the first exact map of the moon.

--And do you like American music? Thank George and Ira Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Leonard Bernstein, Lerner and Lowe, and Stephen Sondheim, to name only a few.

--All history has been dramatically impacted by six Jews: Moses, the Apostle Paul, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and above them all, the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. God’s Promise to Israel

--We think Ezekiel 37 was just written so Pentecostals could shout but it was a promise to Israel.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 (NKJV)
¹  The hand of the LORD came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones.                                                                                                    ²  Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry.
³  And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know."
⁴  Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
⁵  Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.
⁶  I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD." ' "
⁷  So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to bone.
⁸  Indeed, as I looked, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over; but there was no breath in them.
⁹  Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." ' "
¹⁰  So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.
¹¹  Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, 'Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!'
¹²  Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.
¹³  Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves.
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' " 

--Dry bones, Israel, hear the Word of the Lord, "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live… Then you shall know that I am the LORD." Israel will be saved.

Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV)
¹⁰  "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 

--There is a rattling, there is a noise but the bones are coming together. God is doing with Israel what He prophesied a long time ago.

Zechariah 13:9 (NLT2) ⁹  I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

--They will be a great army because God will be fighting their enemies and they will win.

Zechariah 12:9 (NKJV)
⁹  It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 

Ezekiel 37:14 (NKJV)
¹⁴  I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken it and performed it," says the LORD.' "