Today Is Potentially Your Day for Change

Navigate further you need to investigate further. Welcome to the church today in his name to worship him. We worship Him in song. We worship Him and praise some are watching live and they are worshipping through that venue of a live telecast. Then we give God praise for that for years for years. I I worked hard to have a television Ministry and I'm going to tell you something television Ministry is expensive and I remember doing something that I saw some other minister do on television, you know by now if you write this week, I got real serious if you write this week, we have a very special gift for you just write and and and will send it to you and I I don't really remember what it was. It really matter must not have been very good because no one wrote in for

get you see what I'm saying. Right now. I want you to know that if the only people that we are touching are the people that respond by watching us on that live feed. We're doing better than I did by buying and paying for television time. Somebody say praise God praise God the Lord and I'm beginning to speak to others. I'm investigating what is going to take for us to make the leap from Facebook onto YouTube. And then after we get that figured out, then I'll ask. How to go somewhere else and I really like the fact that we believe in that we believe that it's God's will for us to sow the seed of righteousness and Holiness and the anointing of the Holy Ghost into a world that is dark and by Senna and they can have the light of God shine into their life. Amen break. What a great word faster. Thank you. I think I've already covered that Lord. And if so, if you would open your Bibles to the Book of Jeremiah chapter 22, as you're turning their I want to I want to take you on a little journey today of what my prayer life looks like and I grew up hearing loud prayers. Anyone here ever hear loud prayers that church I grew up hearing people get out of control in their prayers and not hit it scene. It's saying that the more out-of-control they became the more people were blessed by it. I don't know. I think we were programmed to that, you know.

I really believe with all of my heart that God is beginning to reveal some some things to me that are so simple so simple that it's I can't figure out why I haven't already ministered it. I don't understand why I haven't already told it. I think some of it has to do with a the time and the place that I was at and the time of the place we're at now, I think before I go any further, I want to talk a little bit about parental correction. Parental correction. I've studied parental correction, and there's a lot of a lot of various opinions about parental correction. You don't know what I'm talkin about printer correction what I'm speaking of right and if you were raised by a parent that believed in Corporal parental correction, and they weren't balanced and it they weren't balanced in it and they overdid it. There's a possibility just a possibility that you may need to investigate what their parental correction was like so I don't have much of a revelation on that until I watch the Christian / secular movie that was designed to reveal God to the to the masses of humanity that movie came was based upon a book called The Shack. And when I read that I read a story in it. I saw a young man who was the eldest son of a man who was an alcoholic and because he was an alcoholic. I almost every alcoholic sometimes when they are drinking too much do things that they later regret. I know very few alcoholics that don't regret spending their whole paycheck after it's spent. And they see their wife and their children doing without and the wife is crying and the children are crying at and what's really amazing about it is often when they have spent all on something that they shouldn't have spent it on and anyone brings it up. It causes them to have a bit of a rubber band effect and they will overreact to almost anything. They'll overreacting if a child says or does anything it'll cause this in person even though they're not drunk even though they're not drunk the the after effects of their behavior will cause them to do things that are out of control. That's what when a child misbehaves they'll snatch him up and down and I'll spank them or or whoop them or beat them without regard because of the guilt and they will continue to beat Despite their imma whip them until they have some sort of relief in their emotion. That guilt is an amazing propeller. It propels them. And it moves them at a direction that even now instead of just feeling guilty because they spent all their money on on alcohol now, they compound because they have behaved in such a way and not under the influence because when they're under the influence, of course, they have a bit of a crutch and they say what I was drinking at the head and I was out of control and I'm sorry about weeping they'll cry but now they're sober but the guilt of the way that they behaved is now causing them to do things and guess what happened, they filled more guilt and so as they walk in this guilt, sometimes then they have a bit of a rubber band effect and instead of spending all that money on I'll become extremely Frugal for a season. And the forest season they may even quit correcting the children. Batesville so guilty about the way that they corrected them, that they won't correct them at all that doesn't have to be alcohol. The ru Ru tracking their swimming. It doesn't have to be alcohol at the end of your life. So now let's just make a little Segway over to the church world. In the charts World there. There are tribes that people feel as if they always have to be jerked up and whooped. Because they often know how they're living and sometimes when we're not living as we should for the Lord, we will do things Howard Lee attempt to send a message that says I am living as I should and it causes conflicting signals this thing man. That was an alcoholic that would overreact concerning us finances and behavior of his children if in a matter of days would be a deacon in a church. Yep. He would be at home and drinking on the back porch. And the children are affected by all of this in the book The Shack one of the children become so upset about it that he loads the alcohol bottle with poison and kills his father. But later on you discover that this dad was so forceful. And so I'm out of control Betty beat the child to the point of literally not just causing bruises, but welts on his body and that put in the child a spirit of inferiority it put within the child of feeling that he was unworthy. But listen to me since some of us have been talked and the concept is great. As a father as the father we represent the heavenly father.

And the enemy has done everything in his power to corrupt the role of our Earthly fathers so that it will corrupt our understanding of who our heavenly father is. But there has to be some balance there has to be some correction. There has to be someone who's in charge because if we don't take a shower tea over the behaviors, then we are allowing children to discipline them self. How's that working? And if families don't correct themselves, then they will flip over to the place where we manifest the evil inclinations of Sam. How's that working? You see God wants to raise up a people, you know, I feel the spirit of God in this do you sense it? I said God is wanting to raise up a people that live a life that glorifies God as James said that we are a living epistle read of all men. My question is simple. What are they reading in your life? What are they reading in your life? But you might say to yourself or you might even say to me you don't understand and I don't

You say to me, I don't understand I say you're right because I'm not looking at your life through your eyes. I'm looking at your life through mine, but there are things in my life that you may not understand it because I have things that I have struggled with in my life that you might not understand when you say you don't understand what's going in my life. I can say no I'm not but there are other areas of my life that I do understand and I can be your friend in the midst of it.

Women look in the word of God and we look at the church. I go back in time and I remember a time in my life when every time we went to church the church service was concluded with an altar invitation.

Anda the sad truth was that the altar invitation was about people confessing sent.

And so every week the minister would Hammer Hammer Hammer, you have to live. Holy you have to live righteous not ask you a question. Please don't respond to this. This is one of those rhetorical questions house living holy working out for you because I'm going to admit to you that it is a bit of a struggle sometimes that there are times even though the enemy cannot read my mind that there are times when Unholy thoughts come into my mind. There are times when Unholy words are in my mouth there aren't there are times when Unholy Behavior seems to be all over me a man, but I thank God that even though I think about it that I don't have to talk about it. And even though I may think or have a thought That I don't have to speak about it. And even though I don't speak about it. I definitely don't have to walk it out. You said pastor? Where do I get help when you're going to get it today? Hey, man, that's what I'm here for. So I was raised in the church that beat people up. It's okay. You got to remember. I was raised in a Pentecostal church tonight drink too much. They were out of control. They would bounce off the wallz. They would fall on the ground. They would run around the building and then often times when they would sick behavior manifesting and children or and others. They would have a rubber band effect and it would go something like this. We are a Godly family and Company would that would be the belt of Correction being a child and saying to them about my life. I'm done about yours. Bear eating a child saying you will live right?

I've been in the pulpits. The preachers would saying do the same kind of things. It would be it would appear to be so angry all the time. And within moments after coming into a church service. Begin to feel the guilt of my inadequacy.

as a human

what's there to do? What can we do? What was the part of the generation that saw the Advent of the word of faith movement came in? I was apart of the generation that began to hear a man like Robert Schuller from the Crystal Cathedral. I didn't I did not hear Norman Vincent Peale, but I read his books and I read other books as well as I began to realize that people need to be encouraged and I believe that people need to be encouraged. How many of you from time to time? I need to be encouraged. Can I see your hands? Of course, but can I also say this is for later, but I'll say it right now. If you are doing incorrectly, you don't need to be encouraged in your behavior. You need to be encouraged to embrace a different Behavior. Well, that's a great point. You messed up by not responding. I said you don't need to be encouraged and your behavior. You need to be encouraged to embrace a different Behavior. But yet the church seem to want to live on a diet a spiritual died of always telling people that it's okay and Katie and I on 1976 we discovered Jim and Tammy Baker and always tell folks. We bought two membership. We weren't good for one. Actually. I think one was given to us and we bought one we had to memberships to the lifetime membership. You know, what do you need to supposed to only had one life. But anyway and and and their months raw what has you can make it. And I believe that Mike Murdock wrote a song you can make it. My car. Was a person that impacted my life. You can make it. You can read this trial you're going through God going to show you. Just what to do. You guys can make it you can. I don't care. What's going wrong. Done told you it won't last too long you time being raised on a diet of your getting ready to die and go to hell and you better hit this altar all of a sudden something given side of me lit up. I began to realize that I could overcome know folks in and of itself so far. You can agree with me on everything that I've said. I hope But the reality is at some point we have to be told. about

the other side of the same point If both sides of the coin or the shame, there's not much value in. It's probably counterfeit or it's worthless. Weather is another side of the coin and this week. I was reading Jeremiah chapter 33, which is a powerful chapter. Did I tell you to turn to Jeremiah 23? I did you just stay there. You just stay there. I was reading in Jeremiah 33 and read this verse of scripture Jeremiah 33:3, which I believe is the exit number to go to Dalton, Georgia 333. I think it is all up on me in prayer and I will answer you somebody say God answers prayer. Yeah. Yeah, what is prayer that's when we talk to God. He answers prayer. Would you say God answers my prayers would you say that God answers my prayer now listen to me you you got to listen right now. This is critical. You have to be a Praying person. You need to be talking to God. I'm not going to shame you if you're not talking to God because you may not know the language of God yet. But here's a beautiful thing. Are you ready for this one little infants who have learned the language of their parents still make sounds on to their parents and their parents are able to discern what's going on. God wants you to make some kind of noise everybody stand up people are starting to yawn. Everyone stand up everybody stand up everybody stand up. I haven't even begun to fight yet. I need you to stay on the page with me here. I need you to hear what God is saying God wants you to pray said out loud. God wants me to pray. Why does God want you to pray because out of the abundance of your heart the mouth speaketh? Say it out loud out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, if you're willing to endure it. There's no reason for God to show up and do anything about it. But what's over your head a man watch over your head is under his feet watch over your head is under his feet. But if you hold on to it and say I've got to do something about this and you began to struggle with it and fight with it, but you're holding on to it. There's no room for God damn buddy Queen equation. I say to you today bro, a somebody's having a mad pray. Amen and turn loose of it to God. Release it to the Lord.

Rick James father help me to say exactly what you want me to say help me to impact the lives of these people that you trust me with those that are listening live right now. I ask you to minister to them and touch them and anoint them and I pray father that we will speak as the Lord wants us to speak in Jesus name and amen. Praise God you may be seated now listen to me if you were struggling with staying awake. I'm not going to call anybody out. But if you were struggling you might want to change your posture you might want to sit up straight and if you find yourself wanting to go to sleep just look at your neighbor, like if it was Jonathan, he could look over it to him and say pay attention to keep me awake here today. And Annie will now in Jeremiah chapter 23 after reading that verse of scripture. I thought to myself was bored. What do you want this say end of my spirit and I began to go through It was here in this chat in this book of the Bible and I didn't really like what the Lord began to say. Now here is the truth of the matter in this for me. Are you ready oftentimes? I don't pray about stuff that already know the answer to

because I'm quite confident that when I talked to God about things that already know the answer to he's probably not going to say anything to me about it. We've already talked about that. I know none of y'all this conversation, but often ktsa to me. What did I say? Sometimes I try to fake it. sometimes But if I'm smart if I don't know what she says, I I try to make an excuse and say will you know I was busy doing this?

how many of y'all know I'm not talking about Katie and I I said how many of y'all know? I'm not talking about Katie and I so God speak to a say God talks to me said God talks to me. God does speak to you God will speak to you. You don't have to make some decisions in your life what you're going to do when God speaks. What are you going to do? What is your response going to be now often times in our life? It's easy to pay attention to God when everything is going. Well. This is part of the pain. John jumped around in today when things are going well in our life. We didn't know. Actually we're just going to weaken note that if everything is going good in our life that that means that God is blessing our life how many of you know that that's not necessarily the truth that there are times when the hand of the blessing of God is taken off of what we're doing and it is a moment for us to cry out to God God is getting your attention.

God is getting your attention.

God has gotten my attention several times and he got it for a while and like a person in prison. I got jailhouse religion.

Laugh all you want but I've known most of you a long time and several of you have had a couple of seasons of jailhouse religion when the heat gets hot when the wife gets mad when the husband gets ill when the children are misbehaving pray in a different kind of way when we lose her job or when we don't have the money to pay the bills when the car breaks down. How am I doing out there today? When these things we going to have it was just another part of the pond that John was playing in today. It was wasn't it when these things are happening in our life. We begin to we we start off by saying oh God. Oh God, we don't know how to pray. We just cry out to God children do this. We don't know the words to say it. We cry out for Parental assistance it when these things begin to happen in addition to that like a child. We began to make promises nobody here, but Pastor has ever done that but you began to make promises to You write checks with your mouth in prayer that you have nothing on deposit that's going to be able to make those checks good. But God accepts them. Ho ho ho ho ho God accepts them because God expresses continual faith in your life. And when you like a promise that spiritually you're not able to walk out God is your father and he's anticipating that you were going to allow him to do. What are y'all ready for? This one? It makes perfect sense to make deposits into your spiritual bank account that enables you to fulfill the promise that you have made to help you. See you have to go ahead praise him for his good Revelation one that you see God expect you to make promises. Expect you to make a covenant with him, that you're not capable of fulfilling without him as a part of the equation. You can fulfill it without God's involvement. It's not a very spiritual promise is it?

It's okay to make promises that later on you realize that you are incapable of fulfilling.

That's when you ask God. for help Now in the charts world, we went through a season where we had the rubber band effect. Ava beating up on everyone every Sunday they came to church till we're all we did at church on Sunday was give them, my favorite ice cream Braum's triple scoop. I've backed off. I'm no longer a triple scooper on a double scoop kind of guy but I like hot fudge and real whipped cream and toasted almonds and cherries. But Katie and I are as we were coming out of Texas one time. We knew that on the road that we were on the last Braum's was in Paris, Texas and being adults being adults everyone saying man being adults. We knew that we should not go into Brahms and get a double scoop hot fudge sundae cappuccino mocha.

cappuccino mocha You don't sound good cappuccino mocha ice cream and raw raspberry dark chocolate truffle. Oh, my head is spinning just remembering it. Wait, I've got there yet. Let's not get ahead of this one. And and just before they go to scoop the ice cream out. I have a major production. It's a theatrical production Susan. I began to tell them that I suffer from wobbly legs. I suffer from food and be and that since they have fixed a diesel. They have done that they cannot afford to give me less than they gave my wife come on now and you'd be surprised that sometimes how those women get a big dose of

I'm not going to let this man tell me what to do and my Scoops comeback noticeably smaller than Katie's how far Katie then has to endure the table talk. Y'all know what goes on the table. Don't you? I mean, why are your scoop so much bigger than mine. I asked them to make sure that the scoop for the same but sometimes I get a sympathetic ear on the other red and when they go down for that scoop, man, I can tell they're loading it up and that bolts only this big and ice cream sticking out all around and then they began to pour the hot fudge on I tell him look she asked for extra hot fudge. I wanted to and they always look at me with some little Look that says. Hey, buddy. We just spilled your boat with ice cream. Where do you expect us to put the fudge? So I don't answer that question. I want all I can get it. I want it run it over the edges because I don't get Braum's Ice Cream very often. Do you want toasted almonds? Well, yeah. Do you want with pretty well? Yeah. Do you want a cherry? I want to I got two scoops. I want a cherry on each scoop. Come on. Now you're enjoying this because everybody likes it when we talk about food because all of us have that in common. We eat food now Katie and I go into Braum's and that's what I want what I just told you. I want the cappuccino mocha. I want the dark chocolate raspberry truffle with extra hot fudge and lots of whipped cream. Lots of almonds toasted toasted almonds taste so much better than just regular almond and I want to Whipped cream. I don't want the cherries cherries. Cherries. Did you get that? I want the cherries on top and and and and

did y'all see depression come over me just then.

Brother, it's worse than that.

Katie looks at me and she says, you know, we really should eat first.

I thought that's what we're getting ready to do.

I thought that's what we were getting ready to do. So, you know now sometimes I can be full of wisdom. Sometimes it's just full of it, but sometimes I'm full of wisdom and I thought well, let's just need a half a hamburger. You know a quarter pounder like, you know Whopper cut in half that should be enough and Katie Katie God love her. She's my wife. Now. This is the most recent trip there have been other times when it worked out differently, but she said no, I'm hungry. And I'm thinking I'm not.

I sure do. So we ordered the hamburgers. an hour. But we will not be denied.

We ordered the double dip. Sunday cappuccino mocha, dark, dark dark chocolate raspberry truffle how to say it right or not at work, you know with extra hot fudge and almonds on top and I'm eating it. I thought it's going to throw up on the table.

I have never in my life had to force myself to eat and I thought to myself. This is a good-looking one. I can't dare leave it behind and I can't take it with me to Alabama because I don't have a refrigerator in the back of the car. And I'm think I'm got to eat it. Not stop. I stopped. I stopped and she looked at me and said know when my wife turns down. I assure you that she's full. Alright, she's full and I'm pondering to myself. What am I going to do? And I sat there and said there and eat another bite that I have another bike and I want I'm happy to announce. I'm happy to announce that I ate it. All somebody say praise God. There's nothing to praise God about it made me so sick.

Have y'all know stories should have a meeting? So we we we sprung from. beating people And correcting them. The every time they came to church we gave them double dip. SSundee's cappuccino

chocolate dark chocolate raspberry truffle

all of the above

and it's not healthy. That's good place saying man. I said, it's just not healthy. And so this is kind of all in the introduction. That's about all I ever get to.

God takes me to Jeremiah chapter 22.

And I began to read this chapter of the Bible in the more. I read it the more I want to rip the pages out of the Bible. Because even though I would never confess because I don't believe that I sprung from there to there. But I believe that there are there is a spirit that's in the world today that we fear address sing the obvious.

Amen, We Fear addressing the obvious. And an end because we're up we fear that someone will think that were talking about them and what an absurd this so many times but maybe this time you'll hear me what kind of Shepherd would not address sickness and disease in the life of one of his sheep. What kind of Shepherd would that be? And so and then then we're afraid that someone will think that we're being harsh and because we're afraid of someone thinking that we will be hard or be abusive or that were picking on people and I have to tell you I I'm at a place where I know my spirit II know my spirit everybody. Look at me look at me. I am going to get y'all. I'm going to get you all and then I'm going to get you also wake him up. Look at me everyone. I know my spirit. I know everyone on this side of the building by name every one of you I know by name. I know my spirit. I know everyone on this side of the building by name also know you're also know your life. You say will Pastor how do you know my life? You don't hang out with me all I do you just don't know it. You see I've got a list of all the names of the people of this church. And even though you may think that when you get that text message from me on Saturday that it's part of a big what I'm trying to think of one of those engines that pushes text messages. It's just not true. I send each one of them to you individually and sometimes I write things on the top of it like dear Grace, right and sometimes and Kayla's Robert solder not this week, but last week dear Kayla. Do you remember that? I put it on the top of your texts and usually when I do that I put something I did that to you yesterday, and I think sometimes you fail to realize that I know all of you by name. I know all of you by name. And I visit with you in the spirit. In the altar of God yet. I don't scream and holler at God because he doesn't scream and holler at me. I don't I don't lose control of my prayer life and and fall down on the ground. I used to there was a time when I did and I'm not discounting that there are times. I burnt a blister on the end of my nose trying to figure out if I was supposed to live and Pastor a church in Bonham, Texas or if I was supposed to live in pastor at church in Oak Cliff outside of Dallas, Texas and when it all came down to the end, I promise you that when I look back on it the Lord basically said, what do you want to do your you're my child and I'll be with you. I will be with you wherever you go. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee you are in my Ministry and I will Crown your efforts with success and part of the issue that we have is that we've gotten to the place where we have forgotten that God can move Minister and change the live. 50 adults we have forgotten that God can't move change and impact the lives of 500 or five thousand, but even more than that, he can touch and impact the lives of 5 or 1 or not. If we don't do what are if we do not play.

What's your job? No. You can't pay me to pray. If you pay me to pray then I become a Harley.

I talked to the father.

Because he's my father.

He talks to me because I'm his son but guys. You can talk to him also. He's your father and you're as chop out. So let me just quickly read some scriptures and who knows what I may. Do you never can tell about me after John is already preached. Please laugh. One you need to understand that when you read script. There's always going to the nuance of the scripture and that's the the shade of meaning. So the first two words that you might want to remember is nuance and shade. the meaning then there are the allusions. Illusions are things that the scripture may say without mentioning it specifically.

That's what happens sometimes. Are y'all are y'all good with with with us today? Are you good with it? It really doesn't matter, but I thought I'd just take a break and ask. the illusion of a message That that happens sometimes while I'm preaching. And you have a thought that goes along with that that causes your imagination to get the specific of what's being said singularly about yourself. Are you still with me? So the same thing that I'm saying here can impact these folks One Way impact these folks differently are these folks be supposed to be at all across the building. Those are the illusion scriptures. I like to call them the does this dress make me fat.

question

I don't know if y'all have ever had that question and it's been a long time since Katie's asked me that question. But but but you can take and change the question. Anyway, you want to when the word of God speaks that often causes questions to come up in you. Amen. It causes questions to come up in you and you already know the answer. No, I'm not being disrespectful to ladies. All right, so I just thought about guys like if you wear if you wear a size large t-shirt, and you're a double X, dude. You know, it would be kind of silly to say does this t-shirt make me look fat.

Because the answer is no the T-shirt does not make you fat you're fat with it or without it.

I'm doing pretty good, huh? Makes perfect sense. I have a friend that when we changed I shared this story several times, but you might not have heard it. I have a friend and we changed uniforms when you dirty south side me the horse saddle up for something. That's pretty good. And he asked me a question and I makes me look fat and I just had a stroke of Genius and I said no Danny. It doesn't. And I left it at that. Okay, somebody say you are a smart guy. You're smart guy when the obvious questions come up this this t-shirt make me look fat or does this shirt make me look fat or if I'm out walking with a limp or am I saying things I shouldn't say or am I going places? I shouldn't you see it's easy for me to set up here and start doing the Litany of things that you should and should not do but how many of you would say that it will mpact you greater if the holy spirit of God and packed you a question and you know, the answer instantly when the spirit of God puts the question in you I agree with you. I don't even know why did why ask the question? Why didn't you ask ask you earlier? So I wouldn't have spent all that time talking about it. So there are things that the word of God says the new one of them are the shades the shades. You need the light of God to come down and illuminated so that you will understand its meeting. Then there are all those nuances, you know, the without mentioning something specifically the convicting power of the Holy Spirit just touches you.

Just touch issue. Maybe we should preach more about Val shalt not lie. But you know in this house how many of y'all know it that? Thou shalt not lie Raise your hand. How did y'all know that there are a lot of people in this house including myself sometime said struggle with

do you understand what I'm saying? Sometimes it's just and you you just it just your Calvert. I am anyway. And the question is asked and I just I just want to say what they want to hear. Then I found Jeremiah 22.

Surpass. Are you going to read it? I'm thinking about it. I just don't know if you're ready for it. I'm not really sure that I'm ready for it. But we need God bring some clarity into our life. We need God to bring some clarity in our life to the place. Where when he speaks. We understand what he speaks. We pay attention when he speaks. We understand his perspective and quit trying to tell him hours.

Is pretty good, huh? You'd be surprised how this came to me. Are you waiting? Because you believe me the Holy Spirit began to speak to me. I said Lord. What can I do?

It was rhetorical. I I I thought I knew because when the church is going well, I figure I'm doing everything right. And when the church isn't doing well, I figure I'm mucking it up somewhere and if I don't believe in enough on my own usually somebody will show up and say the reason y'all listen to cuz I'm getting ready to tell you something that's going to rock your world. It's amazing how quickly the enemy can have someone come into my life and announce to me. The church would be doing blank if you were doing whatever. Are you with me? So I I just want you to know that it happens in my life. And because it happens in my life, I figured habits in yours to changing changing it from church to family to live to Parenting or whatever. You want to say. It happens to all of us. So I asked God I said

And he said what do you want help about I'll address that in a few moments.

And I said, well Lord, I'm desperate for you. You know that song. I'm desperate for you Jesus. Desperate for you and the Lord spoke and he said you don't need to be desperate for me. You're okay.

Talk about a monkey. I'm going what? He said you need to get desperate for them.

Well, that was big. I see it all so now I kind of feel like the person that walked into my life and and said well if you were doing the right thing this would be happening in your life up because you're doing the wrong thing these things are happening in your life and I read the book of job. So I understand this type of spirit I'm asking God. What do you mean? He said I want you become desperate for them that they will know me. in a personal way challenge them and so I'm going to challenge you the same way that God challenge to meet first. He told me to quit crying. He told me to quit crying now doesn't mean I'm not going to cry I Wanna Cry anytime. I feel like crying. I guess it's good therapy. But he said I want you to quit crying.

Unless you're crying out to me, which is entirely different than crying. He said it's not about your peers this about your appeal. So let me ask you this. Dre's your hands. But is there anything going on in your life that that has brought you to tears? I mean, you know, I don't know many people who haven't had something happen in their life that hasn't brought him to tears and I just want to prophesy over you today that I want to give you the word that God gave me it it's time for you to quit shedding tears and cry out to God it's time for you to quit shedding these tears and cry out to God say Amen to that. You need to write yourself a little note and you need to look something like this. I need God's help blank you fill in the blank and then I'm going to give you the answer and I haven't of you would say that there are some areas of your life that you do need God's help to say a man. That's fine. You don't have to raise your hand. So I'm are you ready for this time? If you would say, I'm ready say I'm ready. I'm ready repent. That that's the ticket. It's repent it. If you're struggling with your children, if you're struggling with your children and your relationship with them repent and then go to them and don't say everyone say don't say say it with some passion. If I've done anything wrong by Ned, I promise you you dumb things wrong. Okay, so don't don't make yourself an escape Clause right up front if I've done anything to offend you. Pardon me. I don't want to say ball hockey in the in the house of God, but you know, that's really bull hockey. You know, if I've done anything to offend you I promise you. I know I've done things to offend everyone here and hundreds of others and maybe thousands of others. But if the Lord deals with you to go to a person that you need relationship with leave your gift in the altar leave your gift in the altar you've repented now leave your gift in the altar go to that person say I have offended you I've repented of it to the Lord. But I need to repent of it to you.

I don't know if I can do that. Okay, then just keep crying.

I'm out of breath.

Oh, you don't know my wife. I know and you don't know mind if I find out that you do. I'm going to hurt you bad.

You don't know her husband, and I promise you if she finds out you do she'll hurt you bad. You don't know what I go through know and you don't know what I go through. But haven't you are ready to give up those excuses? Let's try that one again. How many of you are ready to give up those excuses? I've got it just done blank. You know, it's that's not what it's all about. God's already done everything that needs to be done when he sent his son. His son. There's a word New Testament. I believe it. You can check this when I'm doing this one off the top of my head. There's a word that appears in the New Testament think it only appears three times its the word propitiation to use word and I'll teach on it one day one day but not today, but it basically lets us know that Jesus takes care of it all takes care of it all. So I realize that sometimes we build into our walk with God excuses. Go to say a man. It's a good play your own me. I don't care which you know, we build into our walk with god. Oh me so I heard John say of you ever been fired and Gary called you out right in the church service. I mean how embarrassing if it was enough of the pre. She said it to you know, I mean help us dear God but let me tell you I got up on airplane from Barbados in the in the British West Indies teaching about how to successfully Pastor a church and when I got into the the car with my youth pastor, my youth pastor handed me a paper that basically told me that my administrative superintendent over the denomination that. Was it needed to see me and I knew what was coming. I knew what was coming. I had been fired I had been fired a successful Pastor. How can this happen? You don't want me to go through that John's got a book to write I do too. But I hate giving the enemy ammunition. But anyway, here's what I'm concerned about is if we're very very effective at creating our list of things that keep us from crying out to God will never cry out to God will just cry.

I know you don't pray this prayer but I do oh God. Oh God. What did I do? I know what to do. repent repent just say that word out loud repent. I haven't started reading the scripture yet. The Lord says the leaders of my people are sure to be judged. They were supposed to Watch Over My People Like a Shepherd. NC double dipped Braum's Ice Cream with extra hot fudge and almonds and whipped cream and two cherries on top of it doesn't say that. October my people like Shepherds watch over their sheep, but they are causing my people to be destroyed because they are feeding that imma Say Amen double-dipped. Hot fudge ice cream every time and it's scattering them people will scatter. Who have a genuine relationship with God because they just can't stand another double dip. hot fudge ice cream that's presuming that they're growing. Because I have a feeling if you ask that Wonder Curtis what he likes to eat. He'll tell you sugar. He likes sugar. Hey man, Katie, and if you like if you ask him what he likes to drink now his mom is standing there to probably say water.

Which is okay water is good. If I shave my head the side gate and I drink water about 97% of the time we eat. but if his mom's not standing there, he'll say I like

drink dog That's Mug Root Beer. Do you like sugar and he likes dog drink? But we love him more than he likes sugar.