David Lee Martin

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00:00:09.250]
This week on the podcast I’m going to be sharing from a preach I did a number of years ago in the Commonwealth Church in London. Amazing group of people, just so abundantly, creative and spirit filled. We had a wonderful time Larna and I fellowship there for several years under the pastorate of Rod and Julie Anderson. Again, magnificent man and woman of God. Deeply, deeply prayerful, honest people. And I shared there on the subject of quit hustling and start hearing. So what I’ve done this week is I’m going to be grabbing that preach and cutting it into bite size chunks for your enjoyment over the course of this week. So without further Ado, enjoy the message.

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I want to talk today. The title of my message is Quit hustling and start hearing. Quit hustling and start hearing. You know, there’s a lot of hustle goes on in London. A lot of hustle goes on everywhere. But London is like hustle with a capital H. Hustling means to force someone to move horridly. I would have quite liked to have been able to do that outside of Court Station this morning in the car, but there was none of that going on. So when you look at the speed things there’s 30 miles an hour and you just look and you think, if only it means to push one’s way or to bustle, to obtain illicitly or by forceful action to pressure someone into doing something. Anyone ever feel pressured into doing something? Yeah, we all do. Sometimes the pressure is internal. We want to either impress others. We want to kind of shape up. We want to look good. We want to conform in some manner. A state of great activity. My household is usually in a state of great activity of one kind or another. There’s rarely a time where there’s not some great activity happening.

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Father, I just want to thank you this morning that you do have a word for us. I really feel the Holy Ghost, actually, just now. Just as well. Hey, what a relief to hustle. Hustling for a dollar means to engage in prostitution. I didn’t make that up. That’s in the dictionary. How often do you think we prostitute ourselves to the ways of this world outside those doors? How many Christians and churches today are prostituting themselves to the ways of the world? This is actually one of my favourite verses ever. This was the first verse that I ever committed to memory. You have kind of those treasured verses that you carry with you throughout life that you can just keep coming back to. It’s like a watering hole that you can come and you can drink from again and again and again, and it never grows old. This is one of those watering holes for me. It’s in Ephesians, chapter 2 the verse 10 really? That’s the key verse for me. But it says, for by Grace that you save through faith that not of yourselves. It’s the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

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This whole deal is not about how hard you can work. It’s not about how good you can be. It’s about the Grace of God that brings us into a place of completeness and fullness and satisfaction aside from our own activity. Honestly, it is a truly finished work that we’ve been called to step into, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God has before ordained, that we should walk in them. Just really let that sink in that God is before ordained. He has already gone before you. He’s already laid the path, he’s already removed the obstacles. And you are called today to walk in those works where God’s own handicap recreated in Christ Jesus born and knew that we may do good works, which God is predestined and planned beforehand. He has planned beforehand for us, taking paths that he has prepared ahead of time, that we should walk in them, living the good life which he has prearranged. Now, seriously, just let these words sink in that God has already prepared and planned and provided for every step that you will ever take. Every step. And you know, the longer I go on, the more I realise, man, I want to walk in those steps.

00:06:26.230]
I think I’ve been kind of a bit like, oh, yeah, I’m in. And then, oh, wow, what’s that over there, man? Look at how shiny Emmanuel shoes are. I’m going to follow him. Oh, wow, this Church is doing this thing. We’ve got to be part of that. Or whether it’s the cell group thing or whether it’s the revival in Pensacola thing or whether it’s whatever it is, we really do have a tendency to be so easily diverted from the path that God has set for us. Now, I’m not saying that these things are not good. I’m not saying what better, worse. What I’m saying is, man, let’s walk in that which God has prepared for us as a Church and as individuals. And it’s really surprising what those works might be. You might be very surprised at what God has in store for you. Now, I was under the impression that if you wanted to be in Ministry, you got to either, like sing. So that was out for me. You’ve got to play an instrument. I’m out. You got a pastor at Church. I tried it for like 20 years. I got really small feet, like, embarrassed.

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I could shop in the children section. It was like wearing shoes, like just one size too small. I could just about walk. I could pass as a pastor. But oh, man, that whole pastoring thing not for me. Now, maybe if God says, who knows what he’ll say? I’m ready to move, I’m ready. But hey, you’ll be surprised at what God has in store. Who’s guilty of trying too hard, who knows that Jesus is the most relaxed dude in the universe. Like I’m naturally kind of a stressy character come across like not too stressy, but behind the scenes. Come here. Is it true? There you go. See? Sit back down. Now. I did not even know that. Sit down. Apparently they call me the bear. What she means is cuddly furry. I’m really guilty, man of trying too hard, thinking that I can do it. Thinking if I just put in more hours. Work harder, hustle some more. I do business online. I’m like supposedly an entrepreneur and I’m like this. It’s just hustle. I’m learning that quit hustling and start hearing is a much better Avenue to take. It’s a much better option. It works and I’m really learning well, I’m striving towards ceasing from my own works and really focusing in and stepping in real comfortable into his works.

00:10:41.530]
We’re right on track and we want to step into that where he ceased from his works, where we cease from ours. And this, I think, is the key, really. So I think when we hear what he has already said and already done and we follow that leading, we can accomplish a lot more than if we just multiply what we do, I think we can actually do less and achieve more. I really do. I just believe with all my heart I can learn to do less and accomplish more. I’m not looking for some new productive life method. I’m not looking for how can I pack 72 hours into 24 hours? I want to strip it right back down to okay, son, this is what I want you to do today. Don’t be diverted. Don’t run off to you. Don’t run off there. Don’t freak out because there’s another ten things need to be done. Just concentrate on this one and we’ll be good.

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Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do, please consider leaving a rating in a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can check that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows.

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00:00:07.510]
When I gave up pastoring, I had not a clue how to make money. Not a clue. Just like, man, help me, Jesus don’t want a job. I tried to get some jobs in London. I’ve been pastoring for 15 years. I’ve got like, 16 year old kids alongside me who knew ten times as much as me and were like, with kids. And I’m thinking, this ain’t happening. And then I found a scripture Deuteronomy that said, God has given my hand power to get wealth. And I thought, okay, I’ll have that one. That’s my one thing right now. But you know something? I needed to make a decision to learn how I knew some things I was good at, but I didn’t know how to monetize them. I didn’t know how to package them. I didn’t know how to turn them into a legitimate business. So I had to learn some things. The decision was not cut everything off, put myself in a stupid, bad situation where all I’ve got is prayer. My decision was, let’s keep open some avenues of income to the best of my ability. But in the meantime, let me learn some things that will take me where I want to go.

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We got to be real wise and real practical. Yeah, just real wise and real practical. There’s one thing, but a few things that are necessary. Yes. You know what they are. No one else can tell you what they are. You know, in your heart of heart, some of the things that God has designed and desired for you begin to make some decisions that will move you towards that. That may just be half an hour a day. That may just be an hour a day focused on that one thing. Do you understand what I’m saying? But as you do that, you’ll get to the place like, now. I started this publishing thing several years ago and made zero for too long with it. But I knew, man, this is my thing. I had words over my life about it. I had a sense in my heart that this is something that I really want. This is something I’m really good at. But it wasn’t just, oh, I make the decision. This is my one thing. Hallelujah. Monday. It was a lot of work to get to where I am now, but I’m going to reap the benefits of it, and I think you will as well.

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Now, I’m not saying money is not the measure, okay? There are lots of different things. It might be a prayer life. It might be your word life. You may want to be a preacher, whatever. May want to be a chef, learn to Cook, take some classes. You may want to be a teacher, go to University and do whatever is necessary for that. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as a manner of some is, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day approaching that word exhort let us exhort one another means to call near to invite or to call for? And I want to encourage you. It says, let us consider one another to provoke them to good works. I want to just put these things before you know this is we’re done. Encourage one another, help one another. Call for and invite your brothers and sisters to live up to their divine calling. Let’s not accept where we’re at. Let’s not just say, well, this is just the way it is. I’m stuck in this job or I’m stuck in this whatever.

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No way, no way. There’s a way. Let’s call it out and let’s call it forth in each other? So right now I just call forth. In fact, if it’s okay, if you want to stand up, if something has spoken to you, maybe you want to become my gym partner. I would make any one of you look cool. If anything has spoken to you, you know what it is? There’s been a lot that we’ve spoken about. Then let me just call forth and invite you to stand up and come and just line up here and we’ll pray with you this morning? And we’ll just believe for divine clarity? That’s really what for me that was something that I saw really quite fervently is just a fresh clarity as to who I am really identity in some respects it wasn’t what shall I do? It was man. I’m so at rock bottom here. I’m so cumbered? But I don’t even know who I am in the midst of all this anymore. Help me to recognise who I am? So I can do what I’m supposed to be doing? Tell me to stop judging, measuring and shaping myself by what I’m doing or what others think I should be doing?

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And help me to understand Lord who I am? Help me to come and sit at your feet? So you can speak to me? So I’m not running after everything anymore? Thank you, Jesus. You pray with us as well? Yeah. Come. Let’s believe for that clarity right now. In the name of Jesus?

00:06:59.290]
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do, please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can check that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows you.

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The tyranny of the urgent. How true is this? How urgent things can crowd out the important things. See, what you’ve been called to do is important. Your one thing or your but a few things are really important because that bit in the machinery makes the whole thing work. Each of us are gifted differently. Each of us carry different graces. But we’re one body. And I’ll tell you, man, the body of Christ is going to kick the Devil’s butt in the last days. It’s going to rise up like the giant iron man in his big suit, not the little one. Your life is full of urgent things. And the important things, just like the Holy Ghost, are not going to demand that you give your time to them. They require you to make a choice. And if you’re a writer, write a musician, practise a schoolteacher, learn if there’s something that you know you want to do. You know, if you want to scuba dive, you’re not going to scuba dive. If you don’t go down to the pool and learn how or whatever it may be, Jimin. It’s so easy to just be so centric around our own life and our own experience.

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That’s one of the problems with a preacher thing. That often preachers preach from a preacher’s perspective. Do you know what I’m saying, Jimin? And yes, we get it. But, man, you’re 24/7. Of course you can do all of that stuff. Pray 3 hours a day, read the Bible 5 hours a day. I’ve got four kids, and my rent is enough to make your toes curl. Yeah, but there are things that God is asking of you, calling you to requiring of you dreaming over you, spoken over you. You know what they are. And yet, how often do you spill all of your time and put all of your focus on energy on the urgent things that demand your attention? Instead of saying, how can I carve out time? How can I carve out finance or whatever it may be to accomplish and move forward in my warranty? You got to let go of some stuff. Seriously. Every one of us, whether it’s internal, some bucket loads of unforgiveness, we need to just let go of that bitterness. Let go of it. Disappointment. Anyone here ever been disappointed? I could fill an ocean with my disappointments. Now it’s just last year.

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No. We live in reality. We abide in perfection, but we live in reality. And you know something? Sometimes things just do not work out the way you hope and the way you want and the way you dream and the way you desire. When I gave up pestering as much as I couldn’t stand doing it, when I was doing it, I never give up. I wept for days. I felt like such a failure that I could hardly drag myself off the floor. I had no plan B. But God sometimes allows us to go through things to bring us to the place where we finally discover. Oh, wow. This is okay. Actually. Jesus, I found something here in being forced to consider a little more carefully the direction that I was going in. It brought me to that Mary place where I needed to hear what Daddy was saying. And so sometimes you’ve got to let go of some stuff. You can’t be everything. You can’t be everywhere. You can’t do everything. Just swallow it. Get used to it. It’s all good. It’s better that way. You need other people. So the very word decision means an act of separating or cutting off an incision a decision.

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It means to cut something off. It means that a division or a detachment of a part every decision you make will mean you have to let go of something. And I want to put just forward to you today that there may be some decisions that need to be made in this room. I would just put it to you today that there are some people, more than a few, who are presently walking a path and going in a direction that they don’t want to go in, that they’re unhappy in, that they feel ill equipped for, that they feel out of their depths in that they know is just not their thing. Decision, decision, decision. Make a decision. Not a stupid one, but make a series of decisions that will move the vehicle in the direction that you do want to go in.

00:07:50.590]
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, faithful creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can check that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows you.

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00:00:04.870]
See in the culture that we live in. Some people wear business, especially here in London. They wear business like it’s the badge of honour. I mean, I’m certainly guilty of this. How are you? I’m busy. Oh, busy, busy, busy, busy. Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you’re accomplishing much necessarily. You’ve got to be busy with the right things. And that’s why it’s so important for us to begin to Hone down. And sometimes the more we need is less. What we need is less. We need less things pulling for our attention. We need less things demanding our money. We need less things demanding our emotional input. We need less things plaguing our brain with triviality. Because the measure of success is not the measure that the world is putting before you. It’s not the measure that London is placing before you. It’s not. And we can be so driven by that old saying, you know, be careful if you’re climbing the ladder, because when you get to the top, you might find it’s leaning against the wrong wall. And that doesn’t mean we should cease from ambitious plans. I have very ambitious plans for 2016 and 2015.

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We’ve still got a few months yet. Come on. And I’m seeing the fruition of some of those plans. And one of my one things is publishing books. I’ve published 40 books in the last three months. Christian fiction. I’ve never published fiction in my life. I can’t even write. I write other books. I’m good at writing, teaching and stuff like that. I come up with stories. I pay other people to write them for me, I publish them. And within 90 days, I’ve gone from zero to $9,000 this month. Just for this month. I got another eight books ready to go, six next week. But that’s my one thing. That’s not your one thing. Don’t go try. Do it unless it really is. And then I’ll help you. Do you understand one thing? But if I didn’t have a focus on what I’ve discovered, I’m actually quite good at this. I’ve actually got a bit of a clue. I’m never going to run a gym. I know what is not my thing, but when you begin to discover what your thing is, don’t try and be and do everything else as well. Find that one thing and give your heart, give your passion, give your focus to it, and you’ll begin to see great fruit.

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I really believe that this is really interesting. When was the last time you read the Book of Ecclesiastes? Really? Homework if you want. Read the Book of Ecclesiastes. What an incredibly insightful book that is. And in the Amplified Bible, Ecclesiastes four, four says. Then I saw all the painful effort in Labour and all skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbour, Let the Holy Ghost dig in and get down to some of the motives behind why you do what you do. Let them get down there in the deep affections of your heart and find out if maybe those affections are attached to things that are dragging you back and dragging you down instead of being attached to something that’s moving towards life, I beseech you. Therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your body as a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service and do not be conformed to this world. Don’t be conformed. Don’t be squeezed into its mould. Don’t think that the pressure that the world is putting up on you to look a certain way, drive a certain car, speak a certain way, whatever it may be.

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I don’t know, Jimmy. We’ve all got our things that we’re susceptible to, but don’t be duped. You can run after those things for your entire life and come to the end of your life and think, what have I spent my life chasing? We have an opportunity now to just David, David, you are cumbered about many things. Come sit at my feet and let me talk to you about some of the things that I have prepared for you. The way we close the door on the world. Go this, wear this, drive this be like this. Do this, go there. There was no Prophet died and went to heaven came back again to tell the story he said he was standing in a queue And Jesus was up ahead and as they went down the queue Jesus would just ask one question and the question was simply this. Did you learn to love? I fall so far short in this matter Jesus is not going to go. Did you preach a really cool sermon when Rod was in America? Did you impress everyone? He’s not going to ask that. There are a lot of the questions and a lot of the things that we put our confidence in are not the things that Jesus is going to be asking about.

00:07:56.210]
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you. If it was do, please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book, Faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo Code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first. Everything else follows.

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What’s the one thing or the few things that I need to tend to right now, Lord? Because if I try and do everything right now, I’m going to be welcome. Cumber man. See, Jesus knew what he was about. Twelve years old in the temple. Mom and dad are freaking out. I mean he really did deserve a smack backside. I don’t care what anyone says. Jesus. I bet he got a hiding, wouldn’t you? If you were Mary or Joseph, would you have given Jesus a hiding mate for running off and not telling you where it gone? I don’t mean to be rude, but if my kids did that, son of God or not. But he said, how is it that you what’s up? Why are you looking for me? Don’t you know I need to be about my Father’s business? He knew what he needed to do. He knew who he was and what he should be doing. I want to just put before you that God has things that he wants you to do. He doesn’t want me to do them. He wants you to do them. And he doesn’t want us all doing the same thing.

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The one thing for me may be very different to the one thing for you. And if you got any doubt about what the one thing is, take some advice from Mary. Go sit until you hear. And then when he says this is the one thing right now, then do it. Jesus said in John chapter 17, in that incredible prayer that he prayed, he said, I finished the work which you gave me to do. And sometimes we can look at this and we can think, yeah, his work was the Salvation of all the universe and the Salvation of mankind. But Jesus was very clear what work he was referring to here as to what he knew he was here to accomplish during his time on Earth. We’re not talking about the work of redemption. That’s not what he’s talking about here. He said, I have manifested my name to the man which you gave me out of the world. I’ve done that. I’ve completed that mission. I knew what I had to do and I’ve done it. I’ve manifested your name not to a multitude. How many men did the Father give him out of the world?

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How many men? Twelve men. Everything else was about this. Everything he did, everywhere he went, every miracle that took place was to train these twelve men. I believe that now that makes things much clearer and much more focused. I’ve got twelve men. The Father has commissioned me to manifest his name unto them. I got to train up these men and then by golly, I’m out of here. Praise the Lord and he completed that work. And sometimes again we can fall into the trap of thinking we have to be and do everything. When I first got saved, I got saved out of a really hippy background and I finally got a job and they said what do they call those things? Pensions. Do you want a pension? And of course I said no. I said by the time I’m 60 we’ll be long gone. Why should I waste money in a pension plan? I’m not suggesting that that was wisdom but the way I figured it man, I’m saved. Now this world is going to be ready to go anytime soon. Move over Apostle Paul. And as I’ve grown older and wiser. Hey look, the Salvation of the entire planet is not your responsibility, okay?

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Let me just release you from that one. Yeah, you’ve got a part to play but only one or, but a few things are necessary. If you’ll fulfil your one, if you’ll feel your but a few then we might just get there. This chap, he honours me. I will honour. When I run I feel his pleasure. For Eric Little one of the one things was running. What? Not praying, not preaching, not leading, worship, not doing the sound. Running. One of the one things for my daughter is rhythmic gymnastics. She knows her one thing man and I tell you it consumes her. When I run I feel his pleasure. That was definitely Eric Little. That was not David Martin. This is one thing that needs to change in my life. The last time I went to the gym it was a long time ago because I’m embarrassed to go back. I put my earphones on, I’m on one of those running machine things, put my earphones on and there’s this great album called Wide Wide World by what’s the guy? I can’t even remember the guy’s name but it’s like just one of those songs that just makes you just feel like a Superman.

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And so I put this song on, I’m like man, so I’m turning up speed on this machine like oh man, I’m going to take the world. I’m just so awesome. The problem was I got so excited running that my ipod jumped out of the little thing, hit the thing and of course without thinking my eyes followed the ipod and then I followed it and I was thrown about six foot six. I mean I tell you I was like doing 500 kilometres an hour on this thing. Six foot like right across me and everyone else is in the gym. What do you do? How do you save your ego in that kind of situation? It’s actually impossible, okay? You cannot. You’re a twist whether you like it or not. And there’s no coming back. Of course I got back up and just got back on the machine, pretended nothing happened and everyone else there must have been British because they pretended nothing happened as well. Thankfully the only problem was when I got back home. Oh no, that was another stupid thing I did. No, anyways I need to get back in the gym. That was Eric Little’s thing what’s your thing?

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What is it that you do that when you do it you feel God’s pleasure. That is definitely one of the ways that you can begin to pinpoint the one thing. This is what I’m born for. This is what I’m here for.

00:08:46.610]
Thanks for listening to today’s episode. Hopefully it was a blessing to you if it was do please consider leaving a rating and a review on whatever platform you are listening on. I also would love to encourage you to cheque out my new book Faithful Creative. We’ve got a package of resources designed specifically to encourage you in your Christian creative call. You can cheque that out at faithfulcreativebook.com and if you choose to pick it up, use the Promo code podcast for 50% off so you’ll get it for half price. Have a great rest of your day and God bless Jesus first everything else follows.