Bulldog Faith Part 1 – Lawson and Barbara Perdue

Praise the Lord, friends, and welcome to the broadcast. We’re so glad that you tuned in today. God is so good. We’re gonna actually be sharing, I have my wife, Barbara here today. We’re gonna be sharing from one of her teachings on Bulldog Faith. When she recently preached this message, I said, man, that is a fantastic message that is gonna help people, that’s gonna encourage people, that’s gonna help them move forward into what God has for them. So stay tuned. Friends, it’s so good to have you with us today and I’m glad to have Barbara with me. And we’re excited about sharing the Word of God. Recently we were in North Carolina and we were sharing at our first ever East Coast camp meeting with Pastor Brian and Ashley Clark at Grace Life Church in Greensboro. And it’s fantastic meetings, but Barbara taught a message on Bulldog Faith and it was really, really encouraging. So I asked her to share that. So we’re gonna be sharing it this week on television, on Bulldog Faith. Thank God, we can have faith that changes our life and you know, get ahold of something and hold on. Praise God until we get our answer. Praise the Lord.

Amen, you know, I came up with this title and this message. I love what we’re gonna be sharing on in 2 Timothy, but it was years ago when we lived out southeast that, you know, when we’re first married, that first year we’re married. And I love how someone came to our church and ministered to you.

Yes.

And said, you are like a bulldog. And you know, you read something in the Bible and you get ahold of it and you don’t let go of it. And so, you know, that’s a good encouragement and message for all of us,

Right.

To receive, you know, read the Bible, receive it, receive those promises and hang onto it no matter what your circumstances look like.

Right.

No matter how challenging. And keep your peace and keep your joy even in the midst of things that can seem kind of crazy here on Earth. But know that God is good,

Amen.

and that He is with us. And so today, again welcome, thank you for tuning in. I’m so glad to share a part of our day with you. This is gonna really pump you up. I hope you have a Bible with you. Get a notepad. You’re gonna love this. You can also check out our church website. We have a lot of helpful information, teachings that again, will really encourage you, your family and friends. So again, let’s start in 2 Timothy.

Yeah, let’s tell a little background on this, before you know, you were just talking about, we had a situation and-

I was gonna leave it as a cliffhanger and share a little as we went.

Well we’ll talk about it, so, but we had just been married. I was only, I got married, we were 19, you were 20. And then shortly after we got married, I turned 20. But we had a horse in an auction. There were some challenges and difficulties and these people were threatening to sue us. So we were getting these threatening letters really in the mail. And God woke me up in the middle of the night and gave me a word about no weapon formed against you shall prosper. And then every time I’d wake up and the devil try to get me caught up in fear, I would speak that word, “No weapon formed against me will prosper. And every tongue that rises against me in judgment, I will condemn for my righteousness is of the Lord.” That’s Isaiah 54:17. And it was a period of time after that that it all just went away. But they were threatening us. I mean, we were young, we really didn’t have anything as far as finances and different things. And they were sending registered letters in the mail threatening us to sue us for thousands and thousands of dollars. But you know, God gave me that word and that prophet of God came to our church and he gave me this word like, you got faith like a bulldog. And you just hold on to the Word of God. And you know, we held on and we got through it and it all went away and God took care of us.

Amen.

And, we’ve had lots of things over the years. You know, we had a thing with a challenge on our roof here at the church and millions and millions of dollars. And the insurance said, oh yeah, it’s damaged, but we don’t wanna pay. And it took us four years, but praise God, they paid and it was well taken care of. So God is so good to us

Like the scripture, thanks be to God. Who, what honey, what’s the word?

Always, always, always causes us to try it.

That’s a good word.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

God is for us. That’s just what I always like to remind people is there is a God, He is madly in love with you. He is faithful and He is working things out on your behalf. So don’t give up. Don’t quit. Keep that relationship with the Lord tight. He is not your enemy, He is not your problem. He’s your answer. So again, we’re just so excited to share this message

Amen.

today.

Praise God. So you’re gonna begin reading, this is really your message, but right here in 2 Timothy, or I can begin reading 2 Timothy 1:1-4, this is Paul to his son in the faith. And really Timothy is being intimidated. And the reason he’s being intimidated is because he sees his mentor Paul thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. So he’s having second thoughts about it. But Paul is encouraging. So he says, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God according to the promise of life, which in Christ Jesus to Timothy, my dearly beloved son,” Timothy was his son in the faith, “grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God who I serve from my forefathers with a pure conscience that without ceasing I have remembrance of you in my prayers day and night, greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears that I may be filled with joy.” So go ahead.

Yeah, I just say, I like what you brought out that, you know, Timothy was really being intimidated. He saw his mentor, you know, his spiritual father thrown in jail for preaching the gospel. And isn’t it interesting that, you know, he is reaching out to him. Paul is reaching out to him to encourage him even though it’s challenging circumstances for Paul, he’s reaching out and I love what we’re gonna go on and read.

Yeah.

How he encourages and exhorts him and builds him up.

One thing, as I was reading this just really spoke to me. Paul was an apostle, that’s the highest office as far as ministry is concerned in the body of Christ, in the church. And just because you’re caught, you know, have a high call of God on your life, just because you’re in a high office, just because you’re doing the will of God doesn’t mean that you never face challenges. Many times Paul faced more challenges because he stepped out in faith and obeyed God. And so don’t think if you’re stepping out in faith and obeying God that you’re never gonna face any challenges. There’s challenges that just comes because we’re in a world that’s been affected by sin, by Satan, by people who maybe don’t love Jesus, like you love Jesus,

Right.

but keep believing God and keep going forward. And that’s really what Paul’s telling Timothy. So you can go ahead, Barbara and continue to move forward here.

So now we’re gonna go on with verses five, six and seven. And I love this ’cause it says, “When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwell first in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice, I am persuaded is in you also.” Isn’t that a good word?

Amen.

Like, that faith had been passed down. And I, years ago I had taught a message called faith that is, you know, taught and caught

Right.

Because, that’s what I see here, that you know, this is something that we can pass on to our sons and daughters

Amen.

and our family, you know, like you’re saying, even the spiritual family and he’s-

We really see faith from generation to generation.

Yeah.

And so Paul said, hey, I saw this faith in your grandma. I saw this faith in your mama. And I am persuaded that you got that same spirit of faith in you. And the spirit of faith again is something that’s not only taught, but it’s gotta be caught, so.

You know, we mentioned this to our sons. Our oldest son will testify with his own mouth, but was when also we were recently visiting our youngest son who has two little girls. We noticed something that they are doing with their children, the exact same thing we did. And that’s when they tuck their children, our grandchildren in bed, they lay hands on them, they pray over them, they speak the Word of God. And that’s exactly what we did. So it’s neat to see this faith that is, you know, taught and caught,

Amen.

like you said, going on from generation to generation. And it goes on in verse six. And I think this is a very powerful scripture. And I have some specific words underline, but it says, “Therefore I remind you.” And I have that underline, that word remind, isn’t it interested? We need to be reminded of some things.

Yes.

And so, what is it that we need reminded of? It says, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” But I like it. He’s saying, I’m reminding you.

Yes.

Keep those things stirred up and the only one that can keep us stirred up. I mean, we all can hear good messages, we can be around people, but ultimately I’m responsible for keeping myself stirred up.

Yes,

You’re an awesome husband and you’re full of a lot of faith and power, very high energy. But I’m the one that has to take that time again with God, my Father. I have to have that time, my relationship in worshiping Him and keeping myself stirred up.

Right, so he’s saying, you know, I’m reminded, you know, stay stirred up. How can we stay stirred up in the realm of faith?

Well, one of the ways I stay stirred up, I just mentioned it and I’ll bring out what I believe the scripture’s talking about. But again, spending time with God, the heavenly Father ourself, reading the words, spending time. But ultimately what I believe this is talking about, is when we had our, you know, when we came and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and someone laid their hands on us as that gift became to come forth. So it’s up to me to spend that kind of time and pray in the Spirit, sing in the Spirit, and keep myself stirred up.

Amen. So we need to stay filled with the Holy Ghost and keep praying in tongues. You know, I was filled with the Holy Ghost when I was just 14 years old in 1978 in Andrew Wommack’s Bible Study. That’s 46 years ago. And did you know what, I still am stirred up and if I haven’t prayed in tongues every day in the last 46 years, I’ve prayed in tongues nearly every day. And I read my Bible, I haven’t maybe read it every day, but I’ve read it nearly every day for the last 46 years. And I just keep filling myself with the Word of God and filling myself, Amen. Praying in the Holy Ghost and stay in fellowship with other believers of like faith. Praise God. I stay connected in the local church. You say, well you’re a pastor. Well I wasn’t always a pastor and you know what, I just kept, you know, kept myself filled up and you know what, the devil will give you every excuse in the world not to take time in the word, not to take time, pray it in the Holy Ghost and fellowship in with God, not to have good godly friends and spend time with them and not to be connected in a good local body of believers. But you know what, excuses don’t cut it. And so, you know, if you wanna move forward in faith and not deal with a bunch of burnout, you know, that’s a sorry excuse. Amen. I’ve never been burned out. I’ve been loving Jesus, serving Jesus. And I’ll tell you what, I work circles around most people and I am not burned out. I am filled with the Holy Ghost, filled with the love of God, filled with the good things of God. And so if you need prayer today, if you wanna receive the Holy Ghost, make sure you could call in on this break or call in at the end of the program. But we have ministers here today who are ready to minister to you and you can move forward. And you don’t have to just deal with that. We’re gonna be back right after a short break, blessings. Praise the Lord, friends. I am so glad that you’ve been watching today. We’ve been sharing on Bulldog Faith and we actually have a lot more to share on this. This is my wife Barbara’s message. I believe it’s one of the best messages that I have ever heard. So go to our website and download these other messages plus many more, free of charge at CharisChristianCenter.com. It doesn’t happen by osmosis. The will of God is not just automatic, it takes faith to believe God. And you know what, when you pray in the Holy Ghost, the Bible says that you build up your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost. You just can’t put yourself in neutral and think you’re gonna go anywhere. Friends, I’m so glad that you stayed with us. We’re talking about staying stirred up. Amen. So you keep your faith, the spirit of faith. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:13, “We then having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed and therefore I have spoken. We all so believe and therefore we speak.” You know, I got, I learned something from my good friend Mark Hankins years and years ago. And that was the spirit of faith will make you swing out over hell on a cornstalk and spit in the devil’s eye. Amen. And so if you got the spirit of faith, you’re gonna say some things, you can’t help say some things, amen. And so we’re talking about a spirit of faith from generation to generation. I believe we’re sharing this spirit of faith nation with the nations of the world, nation to nation, generation to generation. But at the same point in time, you just talked about how we’ve gotta stir ourselves up, stir the gifts up by praying in the Holy Spirit, by staying in the word, by staying in fellowship, by having good, godly friends. But the next verse there, verse seven-

Well I was gonna share another story for you.

Oh, go ahead and share a story

Because I think it’s good when we’re talking about these scriptures to give you an illustration. You know, it’s saying, we had read how, it says, “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” And so it’s saying you’ve got to do that. And so it was when we were married, the first three years we were married, we lived out in rural America. So we weren’t right in town. We were out in the country and I had decided I was gonna make a really delicious meal. I was so excited and I thought, well I gotta, I need to add a little dessert. And of course the best kind of dessert everyone knows is something chocolate. And so I checked our pantry ’cause there wasn’t time to drive into town from the country. And the only thing I had was this box that cook and serve chocolate pudding, which, you know, nowadays most people just buy pudding already made. But you know, out there, you know, you have some longer lasting shelf life products. So I saw that I had this cook and serve chocolate pudding. So I looked on the box and it said, you need a pot, you need a spoon. I thought, praise God, I got all that. And the only other ingredient I needed was milk. And so I had milk. And so I got everything out. I was so excited. I put everything together, you know, the little packet and the milk. And I stirred it up like it said, and then it said, you know, turn the fire, turn that heat up and get it bubbling. Well then I got distracted. We’re gonna be talking about that too, going on in this teaching this week. But I got distracted doing other things and had left that pot unattended. And it wasn’t too long, I started smelling something burning. And so I ran over there to check it and the pudding was sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. And so as I picked that box up again and followed more specific directions, it said, yes, mix it, get it bubbling, but then you are to stir that pudding, stir that mixture,

Yes.

continually with consistency. And so that’s what we see here. His spiritual father is encouraging Timothy, you’ve gotta do this on a consistent basis. This can’t

Amen.

just be something you do at Christmas time or Easter time, you know, once or twice a year. You know, we’re talking about a passionate relationship with the Lord and staying stirred up in praying and speaking in tongues. This is something that needs to be done on a regular basis.

Right, you know, something was coming to me as you were sharing. Some of you think that maybe you’ve lost the gifts, so on and so forth, but the Bible says in Romans 11:29, “That the gifts and callings of God are without repentance.” In other words, you haven’t lost it, that maybe you’ve left it or you haven’t kept yourselves stirred up. I believe when you’re born again and baptizing the Holy Spirit as a believer, the ministry, you know, on the inside of you is full grown. Now it takes a lifetime to walk those things out.

Or like I mentioned, you can become distracted even with good things.

Right, so you just need to just keep praying. You need to, if you haven’t been praying in the Holy Ghost, if you haven’t been regular in the Word of God, regular in fellowship, you know, regular in relationships, godly, good, godly relationships that help you move forward, you need to stir those things up. And you know what, that you have not lost that anointing. You have not lost that gifting. You just need to stir yourself up.

Amen. That’s a good word.

Amen. So he goes on and he says in verse seven, for, we’re in 2 Timothy 1, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear or intimidation.” You know, Satan is the devil, is the original terrorist, and he wants to intimidate you and keep you outta what God has for you. But he said, God didn’t give you this spirit of fear, this spirit of intimidation, “but of power and love and a sound mind.” So you got a spirit of power, a spirit of love, and you have a sound mind. A mind that’s well instructed and corrected in the Word of God. Again, you gotta stay in the Word, stay praying in the Holy Ghost. Amen, stay in fellowship with other people that’ll help you think right. Amen. Glory to God.

So that’s a good word too. I like that. You know, isn’t it funny, again, we need to reminded of this, that God doesn’t give any spirit a fear to anybody. He says that

No.

He has given us all authority over, you know, darkness and the devil, the deceiver is the defeated foe. And too many times people make too big of a deal about him. But I like what you said, you know, power and of love, and I like that a sound mind. We have a sound mind.

Amen.

And we do know what to do and how to do it.

Amen.

And when we do it to God, leads us and guides us, and we can walk in godly wisdom in every area of our life.

Amen. You know this word for a sound mind and the Greek is the word sophronismos and it means self-control, moderation a disciplined mind. But you know, the scripture talks about having a renewed mind. And if we’re gonna walk in what God wants us to walk in and accomplish what God wants us to accomplish, we’ve got to keep our mind, you know, renewed and refreshed in the things of God. Hallelujah. And in the word of God.

And I just feel to really encourage parents right now, it’s just to me troubling. You’re talking about keeping our minds renewed and being careful what you put in our minds and let absorb, and parents, you need to really be watchful of what your children are reading, listening to, how much social media they’re on that needs to be on a very strict time limit. Even those games, it’s alarming to me how many children are full of anxiety or full of depression. And so they’re getting that from somewhere,

Right.

And so as parents, you really need to guard over your home. Some things we told our children, and especially as they became teenagers, we’re like, look, this is our home. You get to live here. So we make the rules here someday when you’re adult and you’re on your own and you have your own home, you can do whatever you want. But as long as you’re in our home, these are some specific boundaries, perimeters and rules we have. In other words, we’re the parent, we care about you and we’re gonna look over you for safety. And you know,

Oh, yeah.

too many times parents let the children wear the authority. And again, they’re children and you need to watch over them, guard over their heart, soul, and mind. And it’s really for their good,

Right.

that we have these very healthy boundaries and perimeters. And some of those things really need to be on a very strict time limit and make sure they’re filling those, their soul and mind with positive things.

Yes, and you know, here’s something that I was just heard yesterday, and you know, it’s shocking the number of young people that are dealing with suicide thoughts or suicide itself.

That’s what I was thinking of too. But it’s everywhere.

And they have done tests and kids that spend too much screen time, and for some it’s any screen time,

Barbara Mm-hmm.

it really leads to them being depressed because that screen, a lot of this new videos and different things, it’s just changing constantly. And so if they spend too much time on it, then they think they have to have that constant, you know, stuff. And if they don’t,

That constant stimulation,

stimulation and if they get away from it, they seem like they’re depressed. But we had a granddaughter, and our son and daughter-in-law, they were wondering why she was being, you know, acting up a little bit in school and stuff. And they took her completely off television, completely off any screen time, any kids’ movies, all this junk. And immediately there was immediate change, like a new person. And you know what, I think a lot of this stuff, it’s very negative. You know, when our kids, we never bought our kids video games when they were, we’re different time, but somebody else gave them, you know, when they got a little older, an Atari, but we still list, we limited them to like 15 minutes a day. And we said, you get outside and play and get fresh air and do things, you know, with building blocks, with Lincoln logs, all these things that help them be creative. And our sons are all very successful and very productive in life. And you know, there’s a lot of practical sense that goes with some of this. So those things can lead. So if you’re not going the right direction, get going the right direction.

Yeah.

God is not giving you this spirit of fear, intimidation. And he goes on and says this, verse eight, “Do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord nor of me his prisoner, but be a partaker of the affliction of the gospel according to the power of God.” So again, Paul’s been in prison. Just because you’re called by God, have a high call of God in your life and moving forward doesn’t mean that you’re never gonna face any challenges. And so Paul tells Timothy, don’t be ashamed.

Amen.

Praise God. He said, “We know who saved us, called us with a holy calling, not according to our purpose, but according to His grace.” And he goes on, he says, “This was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world begins.” So we’re moving into our, you know, divinely appointed purposes of God that God purpose for us from the foundation of the world. And he says, “Listen, I know I’m suffering these things because I’m moving forward into this high call of God in my life.” But he says, “I know,” in verse 12, “who I have believed in, I’m persuaded.”

Amen.

“He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to him against that day.” So he says, “Hold fast to the form of sound words and the good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Ghost that’s been given to you.”

Hallelujah. That is a good passage.

Amen. So, you know, stay in the word of God. Amen. Keep praying in the spirit. Stay in fellowship. Keep some good godly friends, godly relationships, people that help you move forward in your faith and stay in a good church. Praise God that teaches the word of God, that that’s a spirit-filled place.

Amen.

Praise God, it’ll help you. Amen. I thank God. You know, when I got baptized in the Holy Spirit and God in a powerful meetings, I said, I’m never gonna go to a dead church. And I grew up in kind of a dead church. Thank God I got saved there. But you know what I said, if I have to drive a hundred miles, I’m gonna go to a church where they preach the Word of God, where the spirit of God is moving. And you know what, we got people regular drive, a hundred miles coming to church. We got numbers of families and people are being ministered to, people are being filled with the Holy Ghost, good children’s ministry, good youth ministry, good worship, good word. And it’s changing people’s lives.

Well, praise the Lord. If you need prayer today, if you’d like to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we just wanna invite you to call that number. We have prayer ministers waiting to talk to you. There’s so many helpful information on our website. We hope someday you can come here. If you’ve never visit us here Charis Christian Center, we would love to see you on Sundays or Wednesdays.

Or you can check us out on the web where we’ve got hundreds of free downloads of this material and teaching. God bless you. We’ll see you soon. Blessings.

Narrator Are you ready to strengthen your faith like never before? Pastor Barbara’s Bulldog Faith series teaches you how to hold onto God’s promises, overcome challenges, and live victoriously. We’d like to bless you with a digital copy of Bulldog Faith, a $25 value free of charge. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow in your faith and experience God’s power in your life. Visit CharisChristianCenter.com today.

Friends, I want to thank you for being with us today. It’s our pleasure to share with you the word of God. We believe it changes lives and because of that, we’re broadcasting all around the world. It costs me right now around $2 million a year just for my staff and paying for our broadcast costs. But if you wanna become a partner and help us share the message all around the world, we would love to hear from you today. Hey everyone, I want to invite you today to subscribe to the Caris Christian Center YouTube channel where you can get hundreds of hours of teaching and different materials absolutely free. We live stream all of our services there and so check it out. Charis Christian Center on the YouTube channel. Thanks so much and have an awesome day.

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