1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,320 This is Pastor Daniel Stevenson. 2 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:03,140 I'm director of the SolidSide Life Station 3 00:00:03,140 --> 00:00:04,960 and pastor of New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church 4 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:05,880 of East Toledo. 5 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:07,200 And you're receiving this message 6 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,040 because you opted in to be encouraged. 7 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:11,680 I'm thinking today of Ezra 3.1. 8 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:13,520 And Ezra and those who've gone home 9 00:00:13,520 --> 00:00:16,080 to rebuild the temple after the exile 10 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:17,840 in the land around Jerusalem, 11 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:19,480 and they're thinking about getting started, 12 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:20,560 and they look out and they see 13 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:22,040 that they're surrounded by enemy. 14 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:24,380 There's all kinds of people who wanna cause a problem 15 00:00:24,380 --> 00:00:26,000 for God's people as they're trying to do the things 16 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:26,840 they're supposed to do. 17 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,740 And so they've gotta make a plan, 18 00:00:28,740 --> 00:00:30,560 take a course of action, take some steps. 19 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:31,400 What am I gonna do? 20 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:32,220 You know what they do? 21 00:00:32,220 --> 00:00:35,360 They turn, they build the area of worship in particular, 22 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:37,600 the altar, and begin sacrifices to God. 23 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,280 They begin holy worship to God, the best they know how. 24 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:42,400 That's a lesson for us. 25 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,600 When things look tough, when things look down, 26 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,200 when there's enemies all around, what's our priority? 27 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:48,040 What are we gonna do? 28 00:00:48,040 --> 00:00:50,040 We're gonna get our crawl up, defend ourselves, 29 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,380 attack our enemies, train ourselves, 30 00:00:52,380 --> 00:00:53,380 build better defenses. 31 00:00:53,380 --> 00:00:54,720 No, that's not it. 32 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,200 What we're going to do is turn toward the Lord 33 00:00:57,200 --> 00:00:58,180 and do the things of the Lord. 34 00:00:58,180 --> 00:01:00,200 Do the thing that the Lord sent us to do, 35 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:01,440 which is to worship him. 36 00:01:01,440 --> 00:01:04,720 God is looking for worshipers in spirit and in truth. 37 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,080 John 4, he's looking for people who will put their lives 38 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,760 on the line for him, who will focus on him, 39 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,400 sing his songs, do his work, serve him, study, 40 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:15,400 be the church. 41 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:18,160 And if you put God first, he'll take care of all the rest. 42 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:19,600 When you see your enemies encroaching, 43 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:21,520 remember to put God at the center. 44 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:22,820 Be encouraged today. 45 00:01:22,820 --> 00:01:25,540 If you need growth, look for plenty of opportunities 46 00:01:25,540 --> 00:01:28,600 coming from the Life Station very soon and from New Heights. 47 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:30,520 And then at the same time, I would encourage you, 48 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:31,600 download our app. 49 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,280 That is gonna be a great way in the future 50 00:01:33,280 --> 00:01:34,840 that you're gonna be able to keep track 51 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,840 of what's going on through these ministries. 52 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:38,840 If you don't have a smartphone, don't worry, 53 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,060 we're gonna try not to leave you out. 54 00:01:40,060 --> 00:01:42,080 Make sure that you're in our texting group for updates. 55 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:42,900 What's that? 56 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:43,740 You don't text? 57 00:01:43,740 --> 00:01:45,080 Don't worry, we'll try not to leave you out. 58 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:47,560 Give us a call, let us know you wanna be kept abreast 59 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,280 of everything that's going on to the Life Station 60 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:50,800 and through New Heights, and we'll do our best 61 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:51,960 to keep you in the loop. 62 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:56,960 And we'll see you soon.