WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:02.430 If you could turn in your scriptures with me 00:00:02.430 --> 00:00:08.289 this morning to Deuteronomy chapter 28. I want 00:00:08.289 --> 00:00:11.630 to try to communicate something to you that I 00:00:11.630 --> 00:00:13.990 believe is going to break some things off of 00:00:13.990 --> 00:00:17.410 some people today, that is going to help some 00:00:17.410 --> 00:00:20.449 people. You might see some things that you've 00:00:20.449 --> 00:00:24.210 never seen before about relationships and about 00:00:24.210 --> 00:00:31.039 how they operate, but you and I know That God 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:37.359 wants us to walk in blessing Amen God wants us 00:00:37.359 --> 00:00:42.380 to walk in his blessing and Deuteronomy 28 I'm 00:00:42.380 --> 00:00:46.500 only gonna pull one verse out of this but Deuteronomy 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:52.740 28 is the chapter of blessing the first 14 verses 00:00:52.740 --> 00:00:59.000 and then the larger part of the chapter the curses 00:00:59.000 --> 00:01:03.420 for disobedience it's it's not really rocket 00:01:03.420 --> 00:01:11.659 science blessing for obedience cursing for disobedience 00:01:11.659 --> 00:01:14.379 you know it's just like when you when you were 00:01:14.379 --> 00:01:18.560 a kid if if you I guess I can't always say that 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:21.180 a blanket statement if you had a home that was 00:01:21.180 --> 00:01:25.349 functioning well then what did you get You got 00:01:25.349 --> 00:01:30.310 blessing for obedience and you got and you got 00:01:30.310 --> 00:01:35.069 corrected for disobedience. Right. And that's 00:01:35.069 --> 00:01:37.810 what God is saying. You're my sons and my daughters. 00:01:38.209 --> 00:01:42.549 There is blessing in the place of obedience and 00:01:42.549 --> 00:01:46.670 there is trouble in the place of disobedience. 00:01:46.709 --> 00:01:49.689 So I just encourage you read that whole entire 00:01:49.689 --> 00:01:56.019 chapter on your own. I want to read from verse 00:01:56.019 --> 00:02:01.640 13 and it says this and the Lord will make you 00:02:01.640 --> 00:02:08.080 the head and not the tail you shall be above 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:16.300 only and not beneath if You heed the command 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:20.379 of the Lord your God Which I commanded you today 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:26.259 and are careful to observe them. Hallelujah. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:29.159 Father, I just thank you for your word this morning. 00:02:30.259 --> 00:02:32.560 And I ask that it would just go down into the 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:37.180 deep places of our hearts in Jesus' mighty name. 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:45.439 Amen. Amen. Praise God. Wasn't the Hayride Saturday 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:49.919 night awesome? If you had an awesome time, just 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.879 clap your hands right now. Praise God we want 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:56.000 to thank Dennis and Linda for opening up their 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:02.580 home And it was an awesome awesome time we Had 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:06.180 in August and what made me think of this is Linda 00:03:06.180 --> 00:03:12.120 led in this as well, but we had a dog show and 00:03:12.120 --> 00:03:22.219 so a guy Sat down in a movie theater and noticed 00:03:22.219 --> 00:03:26.099 that the man in front of him brought his dog 00:03:26.099 --> 00:03:30.740 and was sitting in the seat next to him. He thought 00:03:30.740 --> 00:03:33.840 it was unusual but he liked dogs so he didn't 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:40.319 say anything. And the movie started and pretty 00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:44.120 soon there was a funny part and the dog made 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:52.219 some low woofing noises. the man was astonished 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:58.219 because it sounded like laughter and then there 00:03:58.219 --> 00:04:05.199 was a sad part and the dog started whimpering 00:04:05.199 --> 00:04:11.099 and it continued throughout the film the dog 00:04:11.099 --> 00:04:15.259 at all the right places gave all the right emotions 00:04:15.259 --> 00:04:21.519 and When the lights came up He tapped the owner 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.000 on the shoulder and he said I gotta say this 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.920 sounds weird but it seemed like your dog really 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:36.040 enjoyed the movie and The owner looked back at 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:38.720 him and nodded and he said yeah, it is really 00:04:38.720 --> 00:04:52.310 weird because he absolutely hated the book Oh, 00:04:52.470 --> 00:05:02.389 Dale even liked it. One time I watched my dog, 00:05:02.529 --> 00:05:08.629 I had a dog chase her tail for 10 minutes. How 00:05:08.629 --> 00:05:10.329 many of you had a dog that chased their tail? 00:05:11.209 --> 00:05:16.069 And I thought, what a dumb dog. And then I thought, 00:05:17.529 --> 00:05:20.050 well, I just watched that dog for 10 minutes. 00:05:32.300 --> 00:05:37.779 I want to answer a question today. I want to 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:51.899 ask you, are you chasing your tail? God has said 00:05:51.899 --> 00:05:59.000 that he has called us to be the head and not 00:05:59.000 --> 00:06:07.439 the tail. And I want to ask you, are you living 00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:14.639 as the head and not the tail? My commentary, 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.339 Jameson Fawcett Brown said that this phrase, 00:06:17.939 --> 00:06:20.620 the head and not the tail, came from, it was 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:24.699 an oriental form of expression that Moses incorporated, 00:06:26.420 --> 00:06:31.199 and it indicated the possession of independent 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:37.759 power and great dignity and acknowledged excellence. 00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:46.139 God wants his people to possess independent power 00:06:46.139 --> 00:06:52.339 and great dignity and walk with Excellent. Isn't 00:06:52.339 --> 00:06:55.779 that good? I like the message in this trans. 00:06:56.259 --> 00:06:59.699 It's a transliteration. It says God will make 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:02.000 you the head, not the tail. You'll always be 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:07.740 the top dog. Never the underdog. As you obediently 00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:12.199 listen to and diligently keep the command of 00:07:12.199 --> 00:07:16.079 God. Amen. You know, the counterpart is found 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.139 in verse 44. it's talking in fact if you if you 00:07:20.139 --> 00:07:25.920 read verse verse 12 it would it would talk about 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.860 lending you will be the one that lends and they 00:07:29.860 --> 00:07:33.339 will borrow from you but the counterpart says 00:07:33.339 --> 00:07:37.120 that you will always be borrowing that you will 00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:40.819 never lend because you're the tail and you're 00:07:40.819 --> 00:07:46.579 not the head when you disobey and so in the analogy 00:07:46.939 --> 00:07:51.379 Being the head is the blessing for obedience 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:56.779 Being the tail is the curse for disobedience 00:07:56.779 --> 00:08:03.480 and I just want to start by saying this if you 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:07.740 have sin in your life that you have not regarded 00:08:07.740 --> 00:08:12.899 before God that you know about and You have tolerated 00:08:12.899 --> 00:08:19.819 it in your life there is There is grace for a 00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:26.860 season for you to repent, but if you refuse, 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:31.379 if you refuse, then the blessing of God will 00:08:31.379 --> 00:08:35.519 begin to come off of your life. That's the way 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:40.960 that it works. The Word of God speaks to us. 00:08:42.279 --> 00:08:45.250 If you're the head, you're the leader. You are 00:08:45.250 --> 00:08:51.730 deciding where to go in life The tail gets dragged 00:08:51.730 --> 00:08:59.210 along always unprepared at the mercy of every 00:08:59.210 --> 00:09:05.230 situation never in control I Want to give you 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:09.929 some signs that you are chasing your tail? Number 00:09:09.929 --> 00:09:18.139 one You fear the opinions of man You fear men 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:24.700 rather than God We live in a culture right now 00:09:24.700 --> 00:09:29.120 that calls good evil and evil good and Some of 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.539 the things that you stand up for as a believer 00:09:31.539 --> 00:09:35.659 you will take ridicule for You post truth on 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:38.379 your Facebook page, and I'm not I'm not telling 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:40.259 anybody here, I don't think anybody here should 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:43.899 be obnoxious and be tearing others down. We can 00:09:43.899 --> 00:09:47.139 we can say right. We can say things that are 00:09:47.139 --> 00:09:51.080 true and still not be speaking the way Jesus 00:09:51.080 --> 00:09:53.980 wants us to be speaking. Do you hear what I'm 00:09:53.980 --> 00:09:58.200 saying? But there are truths that if you stand 00:09:58.200 --> 00:10:02.440 up for in this culture, you will be shot down. 00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:11.330 You will be crucified. on social media Because 00:10:11.330 --> 00:10:17.090 it isn't politically correct But you have a decision 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:22.350 to make Am I gonna fear God or am I going to 00:10:22.350 --> 00:10:27.730 fear man? Jesus said do not fear the one that 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:31.970 can only hurt your body He said I'll tell you 00:10:31.970 --> 00:10:34.970 whom you should fear and that means have great 00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:39.529 respect for even tremble for You should fear 00:10:39.529 --> 00:10:42.769 the one that when it's all said and done can 00:10:42.769 --> 00:10:46.350 cast you into hell That's the one you should 00:10:46.350 --> 00:10:51.870 fear and tremble before But when you fear man, 00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:56.610 you are chasing your tail You are not leading 00:10:56.610 --> 00:11:00.259 the way You are responding to what everybody 00:11:00.259 --> 00:11:03.279 else thinks. Some of you, when you're in a room 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:07.299 before you decide what to say, you stick your 00:11:07.299 --> 00:11:09.559 finger up in the air and see which direction 00:11:09.559 --> 00:11:12.639 the wind is blowing. How do the people in this 00:11:12.639 --> 00:11:16.080 room talk? Well, then you become a chameleon 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:18.559 and you begin to talk like everybody else in 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:22.299 the room. You come to church and you stick your 00:11:22.299 --> 00:11:25.059 finger up in the air. How do the people at church 00:11:25.059 --> 00:11:31.100 talk? and you can fit in wherever you go. But 00:11:31.100 --> 00:11:37.139 the truth is, you are living the life of a hypocrite. 00:11:37.419 --> 00:11:40.919 Because in one crowd, you are saying all the 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:43.120 right things, and in the other crowd, you're 00:11:43.120 --> 00:11:45.279 saying all the things they want you to hear to 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:51.700 be accepted. God wants us to stand up for Him. 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:57.600 Amen? He wants us to not cave to the fear of 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:03.139 man, he wants us to live in the fear of God. 00:12:03.240 --> 00:12:09.639 Hallelujah. To not fear the opinions of man. 00:12:10.379 --> 00:12:13.399 This is where peer pressure comes in. Some of 00:12:13.399 --> 00:12:16.340 you young people, you're tempted to engage in 00:12:16.340 --> 00:12:19.220 life in ways that you never would have thought 00:12:19.220 --> 00:12:21.740 you would, but you're hanging with people that 00:12:21.740 --> 00:12:25.669 do those things. And the funny thing is, those 00:12:25.669 --> 00:12:27.990 people probably never would have done those things, 00:12:28.429 --> 00:12:30.909 but peer pressure works together to move the 00:12:30.909 --> 00:12:33.570 entire crowd where you never thought you would 00:12:33.570 --> 00:12:38.730 once go. I wanna call you back to standing up 00:12:38.730 --> 00:12:44.490 for Jesus. Hallelujah. Young people, take a stand. 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:49.669 It is good to say, no, I'm not gonna go there. 00:12:49.929 --> 00:12:52.710 I'm not going to speak like that. I'm not going 00:12:52.710 --> 00:12:56.169 to talk like that. I'm not going to engage with 00:12:56.169 --> 00:13:02.889 the world like that. Fear God. Number two, you 00:13:02.889 --> 00:13:13.330 are comfortable in chaos. In fact, chaos is swirling 00:13:13.330 --> 00:13:19.840 around you. Why? because you never draw a line 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:25.019 in the sand. You'd rather have the moment and 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:29.519 the situation make the decision for you because 00:13:29.519 --> 00:13:34.000 you're not comfortable making decisions. And 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:38.000 so you are led by every whim and fancy that comes 00:13:38.000 --> 00:13:42.620 along and life is always swirling around you 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:47.340 in a chaotic mess. Because you never draw a line 00:13:47.340 --> 00:13:54.460 in the sand But first Corinthians 14 33 says 00:13:54.460 --> 00:14:01.600 this God is not the author of confusion He is 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:07.320 the author of peace Isn't that good now Paul 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:11.679 was specifically addressing how Gathering should 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:16.320 flow when he said that But it is true nonetheless 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:21.419 for your own life that God is not the author 00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:25.759 of confusion when everything in your life is 00:14:25.759 --> 00:14:29.539 chaos when everything in your life feels feels 00:14:29.539 --> 00:14:32.580 like it is just controlling you and pulling you 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:37.919 here and there it is time to stop and It is time 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:42.600 to to lift up your eyes above the situation and 00:14:42.600 --> 00:14:47.110 say Jesus This situation, these situations in 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:51.169 my life, they are not from you. They are confusion 00:14:51.169 --> 00:14:54.750 and they are a wind that is blowing. But just 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:58.029 as Jesus spoke to the wind, you can speak to 00:14:58.029 --> 00:15:02.129 the confusion and you can say, peace, be still. 00:15:02.509 --> 00:15:05.149 And why can you do that? Because you are the 00:15:05.149 --> 00:15:10.009 head and you are not the tail. You are in control 00:15:10.009 --> 00:15:16.490 as the Holy Spirit is in control of you. Praise 00:15:16.490 --> 00:15:20.169 God. Is this speaking to where anybody is at? 00:15:20.769 --> 00:15:23.649 When your finances get pulled every direction, 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:27.169 you just need to stop a moment. And you need 00:15:27.169 --> 00:15:31.029 to say, God, I just thank you that you are in 00:15:31.029 --> 00:15:34.950 control of my finances. I have given you my tithe. 00:15:35.049 --> 00:15:41.250 I have paid. I have worshipped you with my financial 00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:46.889 life. I have put you first. And so God, I speak 00:15:46.889 --> 00:15:50.990 peace to my finances in the name of Jesus. And 00:15:50.990 --> 00:15:56.149 I thank you that you are in control in the name 00:15:56.149 --> 00:16:01.350 of the Lord. Oh, hallelujah. God is not the author 00:16:01.350 --> 00:16:09.000 of confusion. He is the author of peace. Glory 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:15.639 to God. Do you know that word for confusion could 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:22.259 be translated instability? God is not the author 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:29.519 of instability. He is the author of peace. I'm 00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:33.340 not preaching on finances this morning. but there 00:16:33.340 --> 00:16:37.899 is a prescription in the Word of God to bring 00:16:37.899 --> 00:16:44.539 peace to your finances and when we Obey the Lord 00:16:44.539 --> 00:16:49.139 in that prescription for our lives Then peace 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:53.039 comes in his peace comes in to our finances. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:16:57.059 Hallelujah. I want to say praise God for that 00:16:57.059 --> 00:17:05.170 glory to God number three You are prone to deception 00:17:05.170 --> 00:17:10.210 You are prone to deception you are chasing your 00:17:10.210 --> 00:17:16.650 tail if you are prone to deception in Luke chapter 00:17:16.650 --> 00:17:21.410 21 in verse 8 Jesus said take heed that you are 00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:26.710 not deceived deceived In fact, there are seven 00:17:26.710 --> 00:17:29.670 or eight times in the New Testament alone where 00:17:29.670 --> 00:17:34.529 the Bible says, do not be deceived. And one of 00:17:34.529 --> 00:17:39.309 the primary tools of darkness of the enemy is 00:17:39.309 --> 00:17:44.250 to deceive God's people. When we're prone to 00:17:44.250 --> 00:17:49.410 deception, it veers us away from the Word of 00:17:49.410 --> 00:17:54.029 God. Now, the enemy doesn't come in, you know, 00:17:54.130 --> 00:17:57.779 dressed up Dressed up with horns and a tail and 00:17:57.779 --> 00:18:01.920 say here. I am I'm trying to deceive you It doesn't 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.819 work that way the enemy masquerades the Bible 00:18:05.819 --> 00:18:10.400 says as an angel of light and he will speak something 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:16.920 to you that is partially true and partial truths 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:22.099 can lead you in the wrong direction and it's 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:28.180 why You and I need to know the word of God. Amen. 00:18:29.660 --> 00:18:33.119 Somebody shared with me last week that said, 00:18:33.940 --> 00:18:39.000 you're not supposed to seek gifts from God. You're 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:44.440 only supposed to seek the giver. How many of 00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:48.140 you have heard that? Did you know it's not true? 00:18:50.599 --> 00:18:58.940 It sounds good, but it is not true. I am seeking 00:18:58.940 --> 00:19:05.039 the giver. I'm in love with Jesus. But he came 00:19:05.039 --> 00:19:10.819 to give us gifts. And he wants his sons and daughters 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:15.430 to ask him for gifts. Every good and perfect 00:19:15.430 --> 00:19:18.529 gift comes from the Father of heavenly lights, 00:19:18.809 --> 00:19:22.430 who does not change like shifting shadows. Your 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:24.809 children don't come to you and say, I don't want 00:19:24.809 --> 00:19:29.529 anything from you, I just want you. No, they 00:19:29.529 --> 00:19:33.910 don't do that. I'm hungry, Mom. I'm hungry, Dad. 00:19:34.250 --> 00:19:37.069 I need some money. I need the car. When they 00:19:37.069 --> 00:19:39.589 get older, I need the car. You're like, get your 00:19:39.589 --> 00:19:48.230 own car. What do they do they ask you for things 00:19:48.230 --> 00:19:55.150 and did you know that that is not wrong? In Ephesians 00:19:55.150 --> 00:20:00.670 4 the Bible says that Jesus descended Specifically 00:20:00.670 --> 00:20:08.910 to give gifts to the church Gifts in first Corinthians 00:20:08.910 --> 00:20:12.609 in first Corinthians 12 it ends and it says it 00:20:12.609 --> 00:20:17.960 says covet that you should prophesy. That means 00:20:17.960 --> 00:20:22.119 you should want the gift of prophecy. Praise 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:26.079 God. Now, he goes on and he says, now I will 00:20:26.079 --> 00:20:28.079 show you a more excellent way. How many of you 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:30.680 appreciated the message Pastor Ben preached a 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:33.039 couple of weeks ago? Wasn't that awesome on love? 00:20:33.099 --> 00:20:35.740 If you are not here, you need to go and you need 00:20:35.740 --> 00:20:39.740 to listen to it on our YouTube channel on the 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:42.599 love of God. But how many of you would say, I 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:45.200 don't need your love, Lord. I just need you. 00:20:46.759 --> 00:20:51.799 That is ridiculous. We need the love of the Father. 00:20:51.880 --> 00:20:55.960 It is a gift from Him. We need everything that 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:01.740 He has. We need the giver. We need the gift. 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:05.700 When we don't know the Word of God, we're prone 00:21:05.700 --> 00:21:10.140 to deception. And we get on the wrong track. 00:21:10.220 --> 00:21:13.420 Oh, I'm not supposed to ask for healing. I'm 00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:18.019 just supposed to seek God. Well, you are supposed 00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:21.579 to seek God, but it is okay to ask Him for healing. 00:21:22.619 --> 00:21:25.460 It is okay to ask Him. In fact, He said that 00:21:25.460 --> 00:21:28.599 one of the gifts is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. 00:21:28.980 --> 00:21:33.519 And Jesus said that we should ask Him for the 00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:38.859 Holy Spirit. And He will give it to us. Praise 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:43.980 God. Don't be deceived. Deception can happen 00:21:43.980 --> 00:21:47.680 when some things are wrong in our life. Deception 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.380 can happen when we're in love with the spirit 00:21:50.380 --> 00:21:55.079 of the world. Deception can happen when we put 00:21:55.079 --> 00:22:02.480 our feelings above the Word of God. Our generation 00:22:02.480 --> 00:22:08.500 right now in America is proclaiming certain things 00:22:08.500 --> 00:22:13.599 to be good or evil based upon how they feel about 00:22:13.599 --> 00:22:21.299 them. When feelings are your basis, you are prone 00:22:21.299 --> 00:22:26.519 to deception. We need to learn the Word of God 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:32.359 because morality is never dictated by the feelings 00:22:32.359 --> 00:22:38.190 of a culture. Morality is dictated by what the 00:22:38.190 --> 00:22:45.049 Word of God says. And His morality through the 00:22:45.049 --> 00:22:48.890 Old and New Testament is consistent. He never 00:22:48.890 --> 00:22:53.910 changes. And so, friend, while I thank God for 00:22:53.910 --> 00:22:56.430 feelings, I love feelings. I love to feel His 00:22:56.430 --> 00:23:01.750 presence. I love to, you know what I love? I 00:23:01.750 --> 00:23:06.089 love... See, I leave here sometimes, and I like 00:23:06.089 --> 00:23:13.309 to watch movies where they shoot people. I'm 00:23:13.309 --> 00:23:18.490 sorry, it's just true. I like to watch movies 00:23:18.490 --> 00:23:25.869 where things blow up. Where people punch each 00:23:25.869 --> 00:23:30.809 other. Is that terrible for a pastor to admit? 00:23:32.870 --> 00:23:35.589 I'm just being honest with you. Why? Because 00:23:35.589 --> 00:23:41.630 I like how it makes me feel. I like it how it 00:23:41.630 --> 00:23:47.910 makes me feel when the Cubs win. I don't like 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:55.450 how I feel when the Cubs lose. But I thank God 00:23:55.450 --> 00:24:02.119 for feelings. God has feelings. We have feelings 00:24:02.119 --> 00:24:04.240 because God has feelings and we're made in His 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:12.059 image. But we are not led by our feelings. We 00:24:12.059 --> 00:24:17.700 are led by the eternal Word of God. And if you 00:24:17.700 --> 00:24:20.079 want to be blown about by every wind of doctrine 00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:23.700 and every internet teacher that comes along, 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:30.549 you will be prone to deception. In the end times, 00:24:30.589 --> 00:24:34.849 Jesus said that many teachers will come and they 00:24:34.849 --> 00:24:38.849 will preach things that are not of God. They 00:24:38.849 --> 00:24:41.549 will get you majoring on things that God does 00:24:41.549 --> 00:24:45.849 not major on. They will get your life in the 00:24:45.849 --> 00:24:49.029 wrong direction and it will steal from your calling. 00:24:50.890 --> 00:24:53.109 The enemy really doesn't care if you're deceived 00:24:53.109 --> 00:24:55.730 or not. Do you know what the enemy cares about? 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:01.559 whether you are effective or not and He wants 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:05.660 to deceive you so that you're no longer effective 00:25:05.660 --> 00:25:10.160 in your calling Get you focused on the wrong 00:25:10.160 --> 00:25:17.720 things If you're deceived you're chasing your 00:25:17.720 --> 00:25:22.799 tail You find yourself trying to convince people 00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:34.230 of things that don't even matter Ephesians 4 00:25:34.230 --> 00:25:37.710 Right after he talks about the fivefold ministry 00:25:37.710 --> 00:25:41.930 apostle prophet pastor teacher evangelist He 00:25:41.930 --> 00:25:45.609 says that the church should be trained up no 00:25:45.609 --> 00:25:50.220 longer children tossed to and fro and carried 00:25:50.220 --> 00:25:53.500 about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery 00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:56.880 of men in the cunning craftiness of deceitful 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:00.759 plotting. But speaking the truth in love may 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:05.079 grow up in all things into him who is the head, 00:26:05.259 --> 00:26:08.670 Christ. from whom the whole body joined and knit 00:26:08.670 --> 00:26:11.630 together by what every joint supplies according 00:26:11.630 --> 00:26:15.829 to the effective working by which every part 00:26:15.829 --> 00:26:19.990 does its share causes growth of the body for 00:26:19.990 --> 00:26:24.950 the edifying of itself in love. Hallelujah. Isn't 00:26:24.950 --> 00:26:30.069 that a good word? And so he wants you to grow 00:26:30.069 --> 00:26:34.130 up in Christ. Amen. How many of you have got 00:26:34.130 --> 00:26:36.670 growing up to do in Christ? My hand is up. I'm 00:26:36.670 --> 00:26:38.750 going to grow up in Christ. I'm going to learn. 00:26:38.990 --> 00:26:41.630 I'm going to give myself to the Word of God. 00:26:42.430 --> 00:26:45.349 I'm going to become what God wants me to be. 00:26:45.609 --> 00:26:48.250 You need to know the truth, not because the pastor 00:26:48.250 --> 00:26:52.509 said it, not because somebody on Facebook said 00:26:52.509 --> 00:26:55.390 it. You need to know the truth because God said 00:26:55.390 --> 00:27:00.809 it and His Word said it. Amen? Number four, this 00:27:00.809 --> 00:27:05.440 is the one. This is my last point on chasing 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:08.059 your tail, and then I've got a few remarks to 00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:13.079 conclude with. You're chasing your tail when 00:27:13.079 --> 00:27:19.579 you subject yourself to the control of others. 00:27:23.539 --> 00:27:37.049 The spirit of manipulation. Manipulation is a 00:27:37.049 --> 00:27:47.390 demonic tool to get others to do your will. It 00:27:47.390 --> 00:27:53.869 is power hungry. It's rooted in deception, often 00:27:53.869 --> 00:28:02.809 fear -based. Manipulation manifests relationships 00:28:02.809 --> 00:28:11.730 of all kinds. God has not called us to be manipulated. 00:28:14.589 --> 00:28:21.450 I always cringe when I... See certain people 00:28:21.450 --> 00:28:24.069 receive the offering because I believe in generosity 00:28:24.069 --> 00:28:26.690 and I believe in tithing and I believe in giving 00:28:26.690 --> 00:28:29.769 But sometimes the people taking the offering 00:28:29.769 --> 00:28:35.170 are operating in a spirit of manipulation Trying 00:28:35.170 --> 00:28:40.130 to manipulate people into giving Does anybody 00:28:40.130 --> 00:28:46.480 here appreciate being manipulated? No If you 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:49.279 give, you wanna give because you're a cheerful 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:52.980 giver. And it is out of the abundance of your 00:28:52.980 --> 00:28:58.160 own heart and generosity, amen? Because nobody 00:28:58.160 --> 00:29:03.700 likes being manipulated. If you are the tail 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:07.480 and not the head, you will open yourself up to 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:15.529 being manipulated. Romans chapter 12. Verse 9 00:29:15.529 --> 00:29:25.049 says let love be without hypocrisy Let love be 00:29:25.049 --> 00:29:29.809 without hypocrisy some translations say let it 00:29:29.809 --> 00:29:38.910 be genuine Marriage is often a breeding ground 00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:47.650 for manipulation Am I telling the truth? But 00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:51.869 God wants love that we have for one another to 00:29:51.869 --> 00:30:01.589 be genuine, to be sincere, to be open. My wife 00:30:01.589 --> 00:30:04.109 and I joke about each other a lot from the pulpit. 00:30:04.150 --> 00:30:08.730 I hope that you don't take that as if we despise 00:30:08.730 --> 00:30:14.559 each other. It's our it is actually a form of 00:30:14.559 --> 00:30:21.740 wonderful affection Love is genuine and honest 00:30:21.740 --> 00:30:28.259 and that's what marriage should be free communication 00:30:28.259 --> 00:30:33.099 Perhaps you are in a situation where you feel 00:30:33.099 --> 00:30:36.960 like you are always walking on eggshells and 00:30:36.960 --> 00:30:42.579 I cannot communicate in my own marriage. It might 00:30:42.579 --> 00:30:49.000 be because of a spirit of manipulation. You are 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:53.140 afraid that you are going to offend your partner. 00:30:56.079 --> 00:31:00.140 God wants us to have open and honest sharing. 00:31:01.779 --> 00:31:10.079 I am not afraid to say anything to my wife. She 00:31:10.079 --> 00:31:16.240 is not afraid to say anything to me The peanut 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:25.660 gallery speaks again Love is to be without hypocrisy 00:31:25.660 --> 00:31:32.099 First John 418 says there is no fear in love 00:31:32.099 --> 00:31:39.140 I Want to say that again there is no fear love. 00:31:39.140 --> 00:31:42.980 I want to call the husbands in the room to foster 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:47.200 an atmosphere where your wife never is afraid 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:53.819 to speak. Somebody say amen. Foster an atmosphere 00:31:53.819 --> 00:31:59.279 in your home where there is a freedom of expression. 00:31:59.380 --> 00:32:02.799 Hallelujah. In fact it goes on and says perfect 00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:09.019 love casts out fear. Because fear involves torment 00:32:09.019 --> 00:32:13.980 He who fears has not been made perfect in love 00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:18.539 if you operate in a spirit of manipulation You 00:32:18.539 --> 00:32:21.579 are operating in the spirit of fear and the enemy 00:32:21.579 --> 00:32:28.279 is actually using you He who fears has not been 00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:35.839 made perfect in love I Read a children's track 00:32:36.119 --> 00:32:40.400 Actually, my wife read it to me. She said, this 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:47.380 is a children's track. It said this, if you haven't 00:32:47.380 --> 00:32:50.019 prayed the prayer to receive Jesus Christ, you're 00:32:50.019 --> 00:32:55.359 going to burn in hell forever. It said that on 00:32:55.359 --> 00:33:00.940 the children's track. Remember when I said you 00:33:00.940 --> 00:33:06.019 can say true things? But not be sharing the heart 00:33:06.019 --> 00:33:13.279 of God Jesus doesn't want us to serve him because 00:33:13.279 --> 00:33:21.960 we're afraid He has went to the cross inviting 00:33:21.960 --> 00:33:30.400 us to come to deliver us We cannot manipulate 00:33:30.400 --> 00:33:37.759 people into the kingdom of God Well, how does 00:33:37.759 --> 00:33:39.880 manipulation what does it look like what does 00:33:39.880 --> 00:33:47.059 manipulation look like guilt -tripping Now I 00:33:47.059 --> 00:33:51.119 know none of you have ever been guilty of this 00:33:51.119 --> 00:33:57.019 Guilt -tripping putting a guilt trip on people 00:33:57.019 --> 00:34:04.539 for not doing what you want them to do Silent 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:11.590 treatment That is the spirit of manipulation. 00:34:12.710 --> 00:34:18.269 Silent treatment. Some of you are laughing. Some 00:34:18.269 --> 00:34:28.150 of you are squirming. Belittling. Constantly 00:34:28.150 --> 00:34:42.519 tearing down. The withholding of affection. It's 00:34:42.519 --> 00:34:48.599 the spirit of manipulation The withholding of 00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:56.400 affection Talking about your spouse with your 00:34:56.400 --> 00:35:03.360 friends So that you can have more ammunition 00:35:03.360 --> 00:35:11.800 Am I telling the truth this is the spirit of 00:35:11.800 --> 00:35:19.840 manipulation. Blame shifting and never taking 00:35:19.840 --> 00:35:25.239 personal responsibility. It is all manipulation. 00:35:25.440 --> 00:35:29.059 Now, if you have ever been used in manipulation, 00:35:29.920 --> 00:35:33.280 then I call you to come under the conviction 00:35:33.280 --> 00:35:37.699 of the Holy Spirit and repent in Jesus' name. 00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:43.360 Honey, I am sorry for the way. I treated you 00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:48.159 isn't that an awesome thing to say Okay, everybody 00:35:48.159 --> 00:35:53.559 repeat after me honey. I am sorry for the way. 00:35:53.559 --> 00:35:58.119 I treated you That is an awesome thing to say 00:35:58.119 --> 00:36:01.159 You know what we need we need marriages that 00:36:01.159 --> 00:36:05.079 have freedom and open communication Do you know 00:36:05.079 --> 00:36:07.199 that my wife does not believe everything that 00:36:07.199 --> 00:36:11.860 I believe? I know it's hard for you to believe 00:36:11.860 --> 00:36:18.179 that, but it is true. There are things that we 00:36:18.179 --> 00:36:23.440 can have very nice discussions about that we 00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:26.760 don't see eye to eye on. And do you know what? 00:36:26.960 --> 00:36:32.280 She is free to believe differently than me about 00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:36.619 some things. We're not talking about major things 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.239 our people is you know our people saved through 00:36:39.239 --> 00:36:41.820 the name of Jesus Of course she believes that 00:36:41.820 --> 00:36:43.960 do people need to be filled with the Holy Spirit 00:36:43.960 --> 00:36:46.420 of course she believes that but there there are 00:36:46.420 --> 00:36:50.099 some things That that I consider to be important 00:36:50.099 --> 00:36:54.000 that she does not consider to be important imagine 00:36:54.000 --> 00:36:59.260 that Do you know what we are still in love with 00:36:59.260 --> 00:37:11.800 each other? and it's good. I've only had one 00:37:11.800 --> 00:37:17.659 person ever come to me and say, pastor, thank 00:37:17.659 --> 00:37:20.699 you for preaching on manipulation. Do you know 00:37:20.699 --> 00:37:23.340 the master manipulator in the Old Testament was 00:37:23.340 --> 00:37:30.320 Jezebel? She controlled her husband Ahab. He 00:37:30.320 --> 00:37:37.690 had no spine. He was he was in stable insecure 00:37:37.690 --> 00:37:45.110 and She is the queen manipulator of the Old Testament 00:37:45.110 --> 00:37:49.130 and Only one time in my whole ministry of 30 00:37:49.130 --> 00:37:51.369 years has anybody ever come up to me and say 00:37:51.369 --> 00:37:54.190 Thank you pastor for preaching on that because 00:37:54.190 --> 00:37:57.829 I have been a manipulator Would you pray for 00:37:57.829 --> 00:38:07.070 me? That I would be free manipulation. Normally, 00:38:08.269 --> 00:38:12.030 when we hear this kind of a message, we're thinking 00:38:12.030 --> 00:38:19.469 of somebody else. But who in here will say, God 00:38:19.469 --> 00:38:27.489 search my heart. God deliver me. God have your 00:38:27.489 --> 00:38:37.219 way in me. Want to go to one verse It's not in 00:38:37.219 --> 00:38:41.980 my notes That I believe the Lord has dropped 00:38:41.980 --> 00:38:48.260 in my heart in first Corinthians chapter 7 Would 00:38:48.260 --> 00:38:50.340 you go there with me and I'm gonna close with 00:38:50.340 --> 00:38:55.000 this this is an awesome passage for married couples 00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.179 Not just married couples, this is Paul talking 00:38:59.179 --> 00:39:06.369 about marriage Commandments that he gives to 00:39:06.369 --> 00:39:12.889 single people, to married people. But let's look 00:39:12.889 --> 00:39:24.389 at verse 10. Now to the married I command, yet 00:39:24.389 --> 00:39:27.349 not I but the Lord, a wife is not to depart from 00:39:27.349 --> 00:39:31.449 her husband. But even if she does depart let 00:39:31.449 --> 00:39:34.469 her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her 00:39:34.469 --> 00:39:38.929 husband The husband is not to divorce his wife 00:39:38.929 --> 00:39:43.889 But to the rest I not the Lord say now listen 00:39:43.889 --> 00:39:47.469 to this It's in the Word of God. I believe it's 00:39:47.469 --> 00:39:50.190 very important even though Paul Paul is saying 00:39:50.190 --> 00:39:54.750 this is more my feeling but listen to this If 00:39:54.750 --> 00:40:01.510 any brother has a wife who does not believe and 00:40:01.510 --> 00:40:05.289 She is willing to live with him let him not divorce 00:40:05.289 --> 00:40:12.250 her and so Men if your wife is not a believer 00:40:12.250 --> 00:40:19.710 and she's willing that the the Gist of what Paul 00:40:19.710 --> 00:40:27.340 is saying is she is willing to allow you to live 00:40:27.340 --> 00:40:35.320 the lifestyle of a believer without contingencies. 00:40:37.460 --> 00:40:42.280 It means she's not going to put pressure on you 00:40:42.280 --> 00:40:48.920 when you go to church, when you put God first. 00:40:50.300 --> 00:40:56.969 If she's willing to live with you, as you follow 00:40:56.969 --> 00:41:02.309 Christ, even though she doesn't, then the two 00:41:02.309 --> 00:41:08.869 of you are to walk together through life. And 00:41:08.869 --> 00:41:14.630 then vice versa. If a woman has a husband who 00:41:14.630 --> 00:41:23.250 does not follow Christ, if he is willing to live 00:41:23.250 --> 00:41:33.659 with her Let her not divorce him Now I ask you 00:41:33.659 --> 00:41:40.880 who in this situation is the head The believer 00:41:40.880 --> 00:41:48.639 is the head The believer is the one that sets 00:41:48.639 --> 00:41:53.219 the tone Honey, I gave my life to Christ last 00:41:53.219 --> 00:41:55.320 night. I know you're not ready to follow Jesus 00:41:55.320 --> 00:41:58.239 yet But I want you to know that Jesus is now 00:41:58.239 --> 00:42:01.739 first in my life I'm gonna be gathering with 00:42:01.739 --> 00:42:04.719 God's people. You're gonna have to be okay with 00:42:04.719 --> 00:42:08.800 that I'm gonna lay my life down for Jesus. He's 00:42:08.800 --> 00:42:12.760 first When he speaks to me, I'm gonna follow 00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:17.239 him You have to be okay with that. Are you okay 00:42:17.239 --> 00:42:25.670 with that? And if your spouse says no, are you 00:42:25.670 --> 00:42:30.070 supposed to just do what the spouse says? No, 00:42:30.070 --> 00:42:34.730 you are supposed to follow Jesus with your whole 00:42:34.730 --> 00:42:39.010 heart. Your spouse is free to go. It's difficult. 00:42:39.230 --> 00:42:43.849 It's tough. But you are a follower of Jesus Christ. 00:42:44.469 --> 00:42:49.449 You are the head and you are not the tail. Married 00:42:49.449 --> 00:42:53.820 couple. If your spouse backslides, it is not 00:42:53.820 --> 00:42:57.500 permission for you to backslide with her, with 00:42:57.500 --> 00:43:02.400 him. You keep pressing into God. Why? Because 00:43:02.400 --> 00:43:05.039 you are the tail. Do you know how many husbands 00:43:05.039 --> 00:43:09.920 and wives I've seen backslide together? They 00:43:09.920 --> 00:43:14.320 move away from God together. They influence each 00:43:14.320 --> 00:43:17.079 other. But I guarantee you this, if I backslide, 00:43:17.099 --> 00:43:23.000 my wife will not. If I backslide, she will keep 00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:27.099 serving God. I guarantee you this, if she backslides, 00:43:27.119 --> 00:43:31.019 I will keep serving God. I will keep going after 00:43:31.019 --> 00:43:35.019 God with my whole heart because Jesus is first 00:43:35.019 --> 00:43:38.539 in my life. I'm not going to become the tail 00:43:38.539 --> 00:43:45.639 and chase everything around. God has made me 00:43:45.639 --> 00:43:52.769 the head because I'm following Him. You are the 00:43:52.769 --> 00:44:01.090 head and not the tail. I'm sorry that serving 00:44:01.090 --> 00:44:07.250 Jesus upsets you, honey. But you're gonna have 00:44:07.250 --> 00:44:11.789 to find a way to deal with it because I'm gonna 00:44:11.789 --> 00:44:16.469 keep serving Jesus. Come on, somebody give God 00:44:16.469 --> 00:44:22.710 praise. I'm going to keep putting Him first. 00:44:22.809 --> 00:44:24.829 Now does this mean there's never any reasonable 00:44:24.829 --> 00:44:29.949 compromise? I'm not saying that. But in general, 00:44:30.750 --> 00:44:38.510 you go after God. Is this okay this morning? 00:44:41.429 --> 00:44:43.269 How many of you want to be the head and not the 00:44:43.269 --> 00:44:59.500 tail? We've got to embrace it. We've got to start 00:44:59.500 --> 00:45:06.800 rising up in who's God called us to be. We've 00:45:06.800 --> 00:45:14.119 got to become the men and women of God. He's 00:45:14.119 --> 00:45:28.599 giving us that opportunity. To follow Jesus I 00:45:28.599 --> 00:45:43.139 have decided To follow Jesus I have decided To 00:45:43.139 --> 00:45:57.900 follow Jesus No turning back Though none go with 00:45:57.900 --> 00:46:10.039 me Still I will follow Though none go with me 00:46:10.039 --> 00:46:20.880 Still I will follow Though none go with me Still 00:46:20.880 --> 00:46:38.389 I will follow turning back the cross before me 00:46:38.389 --> 00:46:50.309 the world beyond me the cross before me the world 00:46:50.309 --> 00:47:13.679 behind me the cross before me the world Now if 00:47:13.679 --> 00:47:19.019 you want to be the head and not the tail, it 00:47:19.019 --> 00:47:21.739 starts with obedience. It doesn't mean you're 00:47:21.739 --> 00:47:28.059 perfect. It doesn't mean that you will never 00:47:28.059 --> 00:47:32.909 fail. It just means that with everything in me, 00:47:32.909 --> 00:47:38.369 I'm gonna be a follower of Christ. I want you 00:47:38.369 --> 00:47:40.550 to just stand up, join these that are standing 00:47:40.550 --> 00:47:46.130 all over this place. And just say, God, that's 00:47:46.130 --> 00:47:52.329 my desire. Lord, all over this place, as people 00:47:52.329 --> 00:47:57.190 are standing before you, they're wanting to step 00:47:57.190 --> 00:48:03.969 into the call. call of God in their lives to 00:48:03.969 --> 00:48:11.489 please Jesus. Lord, deliver us from the fear 00:48:11.489 --> 00:48:17.050 of man. If you've been under the fear of man, 00:48:17.809 --> 00:48:20.250 just repent of that right now in the name of 00:48:20.250 --> 00:48:24.289 Jesus. If you've been under the fear of your 00:48:24.289 --> 00:48:26.969 friend, you've been under the fear of your spouse, 00:48:27.050 --> 00:48:31.289 you've been under the fear of anybody, just repent 00:48:31.289 --> 00:48:34.690 of that in the name of Jesus. God, you're the 00:48:34.690 --> 00:48:39.090 one that I should fear. I'm gonna live for you. 00:48:39.809 --> 00:48:45.250 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. God, just put your hand 00:48:45.250 --> 00:48:48.929 over your heart right now. Lord, I am asking 00:48:49.260 --> 00:48:53.519 that you would keep us from deception. You said 00:48:53.519 --> 00:48:57.179 for us to pray, deliver us from the evil one. 00:48:58.199 --> 00:49:00.719 And he speaks the language of deception. We don't 00:49:00.719 --> 00:49:03.840 have to be afraid that somehow we're gonna be 00:49:03.840 --> 00:49:06.360 deceived. We just have to keep our eyes on Jesus, 00:49:07.139 --> 00:49:11.940 keep our heart in the word of God, and keep our 00:49:11.940 --> 00:49:15.750 lives. Moving your direction God and so I pray 00:49:15.750 --> 00:49:18.550 that you would deliver us from deception and 00:49:18.550 --> 00:49:22.730 keep our hearts clean and pure God in this world 00:49:22.730 --> 00:49:25.929 where everybody is so hardened by the deceitfulness 00:49:25.929 --> 00:49:30.630 of sin Keep our hearts pliable and moldable in 00:49:30.630 --> 00:49:35.670 the name of Jesus and soft before you God keep 00:49:35.670 --> 00:49:43.000 us tender hearted toward you in Jesus name God, 00:49:43.000 --> 00:49:47.039 I ask right now that you would set this church 00:49:47.039 --> 00:49:51.780 free from manipulation Hallelujah. Oh my god. 00:49:52.099 --> 00:49:55.900 I pray that you would set homes free in Jesus 00:49:55.900 --> 00:49:59.019 name I pray that you would set marriages free 00:49:59.019 --> 00:50:03.119 in the name of Jesus. Hallelujah God, I thank 00:50:03.119 --> 00:50:07.159 you that we are that we are free as sons and 00:50:07.159 --> 00:50:10.969 daughters We don't use our freedom as an opportunity 00:50:10.969 --> 00:50:14.829 to indulge in the flesh, but we use it to to 00:50:14.829 --> 00:50:20.349 choose to serve one another God I thank you for 00:50:20.349 --> 00:50:27.969 freedom in conversation and how we feel God I 00:50:27.969 --> 00:50:32.469 thank you for atmospheres of freedom in our homes 00:50:32.469 --> 00:50:40.260 God I pray in Jesus name That the spirit of manipulation 00:50:40.260 --> 00:50:47.960 will come off of your church Hallelujah God you've 00:50:47.960 --> 00:50:51.320 called your people to be the head and not the 00:50:51.320 --> 00:50:57.579 tail engaging in triumphal procession Going about 00:50:57.579 --> 00:51:05.000 from victory to victory In Jesus name we give 00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:12.400 ourselves to you And everybody said, Amen. Friends, 00:51:12.739 --> 00:51:15.260 the work of God is happening in hearts around 00:51:15.260 --> 00:51:20.440 this room right now. Embrace His Word. Let His 00:51:20.440 --> 00:51:27.019 Word get inside of you and set you free. In Jesus' 00:51:27.260 --> 00:51:27.460 name.