Well, go ahead and give him the best praise you brought in this house.
Hallelujah.
You can be seated for just a moment as you're preparing to worship the Lord in your giving
today.
I had not planned, but I really felt prompted just a few moments ago standing in worship.
Today's offering, I just really felt stirred by the Lord, I think.
It wasn't myself because it wasn't even in my mind.
We're going to make a donation to either, what is it, Folds of Honor or we're going
to find a worthy veteran's cause and I'll talk with Chaplain and Chaplain will steer
us in the right way.
We're just going to bless somebody.
All I know to do is what I get stirred to do.
Amen?
And I know there's a lot of attention recently brought to the forefront and should be all
the time for our servicemen.
I saw a stat the other day about the scores of thousands of our veterans that are homeless
for whatever the reason they're there.
The more I think about today and the more we're involved in this service, the more I'm
involved in it, the more I'm being stirred concerning our reason of being here this morning,
our focus of being, our reason is the Lord, but our focus on our veterans.
So if you'll just ask the Lord what he would have you give this morning, we're going to
pass it right along.
And we'll get direction as to where the best place for our seed, your seed, you're offering
your gift to me and we'll put it there and try to be a blessing, part of our mission
mandate.
Amen?
Father, I love you today.
I'm going to change our normal prayer just a little bit because I know some of you have
been finding money and God's still blessing and answering that.
I'm telling you, God's still doing that and it's just amazing what God's doing.
Government's still mailing out checks, believe it or not.
IRS is finding their mistakes and folks are still getting good sizeable amounts.
So that prayer remains over you, but let's just pray for those who have served our nation
whatever condition they may be finding themselves today that the grace of God sends someone
by to minister his love to them.
Is that okay?
Heavenly Father, we come to you this morning.
We honor you first and foremost and our soul does sing how great you are.
And Father, for what you did by sending your own beloved that he would give himself for
us.
On the other note, others have sacrificed time and health and sound minds for this nation.
Father, we pray you would bless this offering that we're about to receive in honor of those
our tithe belongs to you.
We honor you with that.
But we're going above and beyond this morning to give and may the seed that we sow touch
some life.
That who has sacrificed time and physical utility.
Bless them Father.
In the name of Jesus, amen and amen.
God bless you.
Let's stand and come together and let's worship in our giving today.
Praise the Lord.
Ain't God good?
You can be seated.
Praise the name of the Lord.
It is good to be here this morning.
It's good to see you this morning.
You can make me feel a little bit better if you do this.
Praise the name of the Lord.
You know, sometimes you meet people and say glad to see you and sometimes we look at them
and say I'm mad to see you.
But I am thankful for the privilege of being here this morning to preach God's word.
See, God called me to preach in a church in South Carolina.
I was looking back at my life a while back and I was thinking my life is full of I don't
want to.
I told you know, the honest with you, I never wanted to preach.
I was a preacher's kid.
I knew what it involved.
I didn't want to pastor.
I was a pastor's kid.
I didn't want to be a pastor.
I didn't want to go in the military.
I didn't have any idea what the military was about.
When I got out of the military, I told God I don't want to go back to South Carolina.
I don't want to go back to the pastoring.
I don't want to go to an old established church.
Don't ever tell God what you don't want to do because God will put you exactly where
you tell him you don't want to be.
But as I was looking back at my life, all those I don't want to's wound up to be a
wonderful life.
Praise the name of the Lord.
So if you do what God wants you to do, whether you want to do it or not, it will wind up
being a wonderful life.
I'd like to say welcome to my family sitting back here.
That's a good looking bunch of people.
I'm so glad to have them with us today.
My oldest son and his family, my sister, and my good looking wife.
Praise the name of the Lord.
Take your Bibles and turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 23, beginning reading at verse 8.
Second Samuel chapter 23, beginning reading at verse 8.
Now I didn't give them any stuff up here so y'all won't see nothing on the board unless
they figure it out for themselves and put it up here on their own.
First Samuel chapter 23, beginning at verse 8.
Give you a chance to find it.
I used to hate to be in church and they say turn with me to this pastor and start reading
this immediately.
I'm like whoa, whoa, whoa, I ain't got there yet.
First Samuel chapter 23, beginning at verse 8 and it reads like this.
These be the names of the mighty men whom David had.
The Tacomite that sat in the seat chief among the captains.
The same was Adino the Esnite.
He lifted up his spear against 800 whom he slew at one time.
And after him was Eliezer the son of Dodo the Ahohite.
One of the three mighty men with David when they defeated the Philistines that were there
gathered together to battle and the men of Israel were gone away.
He arose and smoked the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clave unto
his sword and the Lord brought a great victory that day and the people returned after him
only to the spoil.
After him was Shema the son of Agig the Haririte and the Philistines were gathered together
in a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils and the people fled from the
Philistines.
But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and slew the Philistines and the
Lord brought a great victory.
I want to speak to you this morning from the subject where victory comes from.
Where victory comes from.
Let's pray.
Jesus heavenly father as we come before you here today I thank you for your word.
I thank you Lord for all that you've given to us.
I thank you Lord for this day.
I thank you Lord for how you've blessed us and how you've moved in this service already
and I pray that you'd reach then and just let this word go forth.
Lord let it do the work that you want it to do.
Lord let me diminish until people don't even see me but they see what you want to say.
Let's move in a mighty way in this place today and we'll give you the praise and the honor
and the glory for it all.
In Jesus holy name we pray.
Amen.
In case you have not figured it out we are at war.
Brother String I ain't at war with nobody.
If your name is written in the name of the book of life if you're a Christian you are
definitely at war with Satan.
We are at war.
I love this passage of scripture because this tells us of mighty men of valor.
Today is veterans day.
We joined up.
None of us were drafted.
You see when I got to the point where they could draft me they stopped the draft.
I guess they said it ain't worth it.
So they didn't they did away with the draft.
But we joined the military.
We stood up we raised our right hand and we said I promise to defend the Constitution
and the officers you obey and defend the Constitution to the officer whatever it said I don't remember
what it was.
Those of you that did it you know what I'm talking about.
Then they put us in boot camp.
I was a Navy chaplain but before I went into the chaplaincy I joined the Army National
Guard because I wanted to see what the enlisted side was all about.
So I went to Fort Dix New Jersey and learned what the enlisted side was all about.
When I joined the when I became a chaplain I went to Newport Rhode Island and they had
kind of a wicked sense of humor because they put a Marine Corps gunnery sergeant over us
to give us some exercise.
There's a bunch of preachers now we come in all lazy and flabby and here's a Marine Corps
gunnery sergeant saying all right we're going to do some exercise.
We got to ask him sometime we said Gunny how many we're going to do he said we're going
to do a foo of them.
What that meant is that we're going to do them till he got tired.
So I did a lot of this kind of stuff but we are in a warfare.
We are in combat.
Some of you that served here today may have been in combat.
We just went through Desert Storm and all these kind of things but we are in a war.
Now as Christians we are definitely at war with Satan.
He wants to destroy us.
He wants to defeat us.
He wants to drain us of everything that we can come against him with.
Have you ever seen a Christian that says praise the Lord I'm glad to be here today.
I know the pastors in this place have.
You know I've had Christians come into churches I pastor and they've been like I'm so glad
that I'm a Christian.
I'm like what?
I began to develop a saying in the Navy I said if you ain't having fun you ain't doing
it right.
And as Christians that's especially true.
If you're not enjoying your salvation you are not doing it right.
You see because the scripture says the joy of the Lord is my strength.
Now that doesn't mean you always be happy.
That doesn't mean that you always have a smile on your face but you need to enjoy your
salvation and if you're not enjoying that you're doing something wrong you better go
back to your knees and find out what it is.
But there's a lot of Christians in our world today that are just surviving.
They're hunkered down in a foxhole hoping that the enemy don't send another barrage
their way.
They're just trying their best to squeak their way into heaven.
Anybody met anybody like that?
Oh yeah I got some Christian people that I know.
But I'm here to tell you today church God never intended us to survive.
God never intended us to just get by.
God never intended us to squeak our way into heaven.
You see God intended us to win.
God intended us to win.
You see that's why the scripture I read here in the title of my sermon is where victory
comes from because that's the way we're supposed to live.
We're supposed to live a victorious Christian life.
Bro's been I can't get my children to come to church to save my life.
Well if you don't if you grumble and complain about how the preacher's preaching and what
the singers are doing and all this kind of stuff duh surprise surprise.
You see if you go home say wow you should have been there today.
You should have heard the pastor he let loose.
That was good stuff.
You know if nothing else they may come to see how crazy this fellow is.
You see but God wants us to have the victory.
You see this passage kind of symbolizes David's reign.
His reign was known for his victories.
He defeated the Philistines everywhere he went.
He won battle after battle and he drew courageous men to him.
You know that's the way the kingdom of God is.
If we win battle after battle after battle then courageous men and women will follow
us.
They will say okay that's the church I want to be a part of.
That's the household of faith.
That's what I want to be a part of because God wants us to win the victory.
It's our heritage.
As Christians we have a heritage of victory.
God never intended us to live a defeated life.
God used men and the history of the Christian church to win victory after victory.
What are you talking about Brother Strickland?
Men like Enoch who walked with God and walked away.
Men like Noah who saved himself and his family.
Men like Joshua and David and Daniel and Peter and Paul all won great victories for God.
The message is loud and clear.
God didn't save us to bring us defeat.
I didn't join the Navy to go sit in the corner somewhere and wait until the cows come home.
I didn't join the Navy because I wanted to.
The boss said I had to.
But when I got in the Navy I was stationed in Sicily.
We had people come to Sicily and they stayed right on the base.
They had nothing to do here.
This is a miserable place to be.
I'm thinking are you crazy?
You in Sicily you can go right over yonder and visit Rome.
You can go right up there and visit Venice.
You can go all over the country.
You can go just a couple of days drive.
You can be in Germany and Austria and Switzerland and all this kind of stuff.
I can't do that.
God wants to give us the victory.
God has called us to victory.
In fact Romans 837 says, nay in all these things we are made more than conquerors through
him who loved us.
What does that mean?
More than conquerors.
That means we're going to win and win and win some more.
And Corinthians 2 14 says now thanks be unto God which always causes us to triumph in Christ.
Breast ring you don't know what I'm going through.
I don't know what you're going through.
But I know that he has promised victory.
He has promised us victory.
You got victory in the midst of the storm.
You got victory in the midst of the gale.
You got victory wherever you turn.
Breast ring I know I'm going through stuff and I can't find my way out.
You don't need to find your way out.
You just need to put one foot in front of the other.
And after a while God is going to move the clouds away.
After a while God is going to give you what you need.
After a while you're going to be victorious and you're going to say woo.
God has called us to victory.
You see God brings the victory.
John 16 33 said these things have I spoken to you that you might have peace.
In the world we have tribulation but be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world.
Praise the name of the Lord.
I don't care how black it looks.
I don't care how tough it looks.
I don't care how bad things are happening to you.
You can always hang on to Christ because Christ said I have overcome the world.
I have brought the victory.
You don't have to do it.
He's already done it.
Praise the name of the Lord.
Second Corinthians 12 and 9 said and he said to them my grace is sufficient for thee for
my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Brother Strangler I'm too weak to win the victory.
Pastor when we're weak he's strong.
When we can't win we got a big brother standing right behind us.
When we are not able he is more than able.
When we are just dragging along all we got to do is reach up and take him by the hand
because he said I will never leave you or forsake you but I'll go with you every step
of the way.
You know there's a lot of people that feel like act like the Lord has gone somewhere
gone on vacation.
Have you ever felt like God's gone on vacation in your life?
I don't know about you but I have.
God you're around there somewhere.
I don't see you.
I don't feel you.
I don't know you're there but your word says you are and your word is true.
Your word says you are and your word hadn't lied to me yet.
Your word says you are and I'm going to stand on the promises of your word.
Praise the name of the Lord.
Verse John 4 and 4 said year of God little children and have overcome them because greater
is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
You see great victories call us to do something.
God has already given us a heritage of victory but we have to do something.
Were you talking to Brother Strickland?
First of all victory comes from connection.
Because David lived in a world based on connection with God.
He worshipped watching the flocks as a boy.
He used his connection to defend the flock from attackers.
He faced the enemies based on his connection.
David came to visit his brothers one day and they were kind of doing army stuff.
You ought to be in the military you know what army stuff is.
You know they may have been cleaning their weapons.
They may have been doing something and all of a sudden this big old ugly fellow stepped
out on the hill on the other side and said who is going to come and fight against me?
And the Israelites did.
He bigger than me.
He's stronger than me.
He's taller than me.
I can't defeat him.
I like this little shepherd boy he said.
You ain't going to go fight him?
I'll go fight him.
I'll go out and face this rascal and when he did he turned down the king's armor.
He turned down the king's weapons.
He went out to fight him with his staff and a slingshot and he walked across the river
and Goliath was like huh.
This is the best you got?
This little run of a boy you sending him to me.
I'm going to chew him up and spit him out.
Now that's how Kalein interpretation folks.
One fellow said the Israelites thought that Goliath was too big to defeat but David thought
he was too big to miss.
God wants to give us the victory and victory comes from connection.
Victory has always been a result of our connection.
Joshua began and ended his ministry with connection.
He stood for God when everybody else failed.
The twelve spies that went with him said we can't go in.
Joshua and Caleb said let's go.
We got him.
And then the very last thing he did he called Israel together and he said choose this day
whom you're going to serve.
But as for me and my house.
As for me and my house we're going to serve the Lord.
As for me and my house we're going to do what God has called us to do.
You see God has called us to stay in connection with him.
We can't win if we're not connected to him.
We can't win if we don't ever pray.
Brother String I pray once a week whether I need it or not.
Lord have mercy you better pray more than that because the enemy is going to pray.
P-R-E-Y.
Pray on you if you let him do it.
But if we spend time on our knees spend time making the connection sure spend time drawing
close to God then God will give us a victory based on our connection.
You see Jesus told her that our victory is based on our connection.
John 15 said if you abide in me and my words abide in you you shall ask what will and it
shall be done to you.
He didn't ask what you want.
He didn't say there's a line of limitation right here.
He said if you abide in me and my words abide in you the sky's the limit.
If you abide in me if you draw close to me I'm gonna tell you something some of the weakest
times in my life the bad the boss has been there.
Some of the hardest times in my life the master has showed up.
Some of the times that I didn't deserve him to show up he showed up.
I know y'all probably don't believe it but I was I faced judgment one time.
Preachers admitting that.
I faced judgment but what I found is that mercy goes hand in hand with judgment.
And the boss was there and he lifted me up and he gave me so very much but it's important
for us to understand that we must stay in contact with him because if we want to win
we got to stay in close contact with him.
Secondly victory comes from determination.
These men refused to give up.
Verse 8 they had unthinkable odds.
Verse 9 they had to fight all by themselves.
Verse 11 said they were fighting a losing battle.
One part of the scripture says that Adeno the Azenite lifted up his spear against 800
men at one time.
You know how many people will fit in this sanctuary?
Maybe 600.
That means if you filled this house to a gill then Adeno faced more than that.
So why didn't he lose?
Because he was fighting for God.
Brother Stringer I don't believe I can win.
There are too many out there against me.
Let me tell you something.
You until you face 800 at one time you ain't faced nothing that God can't do.
God wants to give us the victory and it comes when we are determined to take a stand.
This has always been the case.
Aaron and her refused to allow Moses hands down and the victory was won.
Joshua and Caleb refused to be discouraged and they alone entered the promised land.
Jesus refused to be defeated in the Garden of Gethsemane and he purchased our salvation.
Paul refused to quit and he brought the gospel to the western world.
God commands us to hold on.
I have witnessed to a lady one time she was saying everything was going wrong with her
life and she said I know preacher you are going to tell me all I have to do is give
my heart to the Lord and everything is going to be hunky and dory.
I am like nope that wasn't what I was going to tell you.
Because let me give you a secret church.
You are going to face tribulation.
Jesus said if they hated me they are going to hate you too.
So just because you got smooth sailing right now don't mean it is always going to happen.
But when I am facing troubles and hardships and struggles I keep looking behind me because
I got a big brother.
They ain't afraid of me but they are afraid of him.
They come against me like a flood but when it comes against him they know better.
The scripture says when they come against you like a flood he will raise up a standard
against them.
I never knew what that meant until I went into the military.
Military service has got a standard.
They got a flag that has battle streamers.
Anybody know what I am talking about?
They got battle streamers around it.
So when they march it is not just the American flag but it is those streamers flowing in
the wind.
It says we won this battle, we won this battle, we won this battle, we won this battle, we
won this battle and we can win the next one too.
See God has called us to stand in his power and his might because he is able to give us
the victory.
He is able to help us to overcome.
Thirdly victory comes from courageous abandon.
You see these men understood that victory requires more than just willingness.
Verse 9 said they defied the Philistines.
Verse 16 says they broke through to Bethlehem to get David a drink of water.
Now I didn't read that in the scripture but if you read a little bit further on that thing
you find that David said oh that I could have a drink of water from Bethlehem.
So these fellows said yes sir and they stepped out and went into the enemy's camp and they
got a glass of water and they brought it back to David.
You see it takes courageous abandon sometimes.
Sometimes you don't know what's going on.
When the Lord called me into the military I was praying one night and I said Lord what
you want me to do?
And he spoke to me and told me I want you to go into the military.
But then after a little while the devil jumped on my shoulder and said you don't know nothing
about the military.
There ain't nobody in your family ever been in the military.
You crazy as a loon if you think you're going to be successful in the military.
And like any good Christian I listened to him.
You can look at me that way if you want to but I know several of you have done the same
thing.
And I began to pray and said Lord show me what I'm supposed to do.
I believe you call me to the military but I'm not sure about this thing.
Show me that you call me into the military.
And the Lord spoke to me and he said something really simple.
He said trust me I know what I'm doing.
You see I just got finished telling him Lord I don't know nothing about the military.
Lord I don't know anything about being in the military.
I don't know whether I should be there or not.
He said trust me.
I know what I'm doing.
God has called us to victory.
God has led us to victory.
God has anointed us for victory.
And sometimes we got to just say OK Lord here I go.
Now I will say something to you.
Just cause brother so and so or sister so and so said you supposed to do something.
That don't mean you supposed to do it.
But if you pray and then God impresses you to do something you follow God and don't worry
about it.
But God wants to wants us to be willing to step out.
Jesus came walking on the water one night and the disciples said Lord have mercy.
There's a ghost on the water.
Know what he said.
There's a ghost out there.
Jesus said calm down boys.
It's just me.
And Peter said if it's you Lord let me come to you.
Walking on the water.
Brian if anybody should know what water work like Peter should know what water work like.
Peter was a fisherman from the from being a little teeny boy.
So Peter knew that you don't walk on the water.
So Peter began to debate.
Hmm.
That's not what he did.
What do you do.
He got out of the boat.
Can you imagine his thrill when his foot hit the water.
And he didn't sink.
You know he only got in trouble when he took his eyes off of Jesus.
But for a while he was walking on the water.
God has called us to courageous abandon.
Sometimes it calls us to do stuff that we don't think will work.
Sometimes it calls us to do stuff that we don't imagine we can survive in it.
And sometimes we only win when we abandon ourselves.
You see there's a song that says let go and let God.
Sometimes we got to let go and let God and then God will step in and do the rest.
And finally victory comes from praise.
Now when David mentioned that he wants some water from Bethlehem and his three heroes
went and got him some water and brought it back to him.
It always puzzled me.
What David took the water and poured it out and on the ground.
I looked at that thing many times in my life said what in the world is he doing.
Don't he know he just insulted the three men that put their lives on the line to get him
that water.
Then I realized one day that what he was saying is Lord this water is yours.
You see when all else fails praise the Lord.
When everything else doesn't work for you praise the Lord.
When you come against a battle you can't win.
Praise the Lord.
When you come against something that the devil says I got you I'm going to cheer you up and
spit you out.
Don't worry about it just praise the Lord.
I was pastoring a church several years ago and one of my leading men, one probably the
leading man in the church, the devil was attacking him left and right.
He was fighting him tooth and nail and this man was having a tough time.
When I get something solved something else happens.
When this has resolved something else is resolved.
He was hurting physically, mentally, emotionally.
He was hurting and I went over to visit him one day and I'm not the smartest preacher
in the world but the Lord spoke to me and said tell him to praise me.
What?
Lord did you get the doctors report on this fellow just the other day?
Did you hear what the doctors told this fellow just the other day?
He said tell him to praise me.
You see when we come against the enemy and we need victory in the worst kind of way then
all we got to do is lift up our hands and say Lord I'm going to praise you.
Lord I'm going to glorify you.
I'm going to magnify you.
Brothers strictly I don't feel like praising the Lord.
There ain't nothing in the book that said you got to feel like praising the Lord.
I'm one of those people that drive on the freeway and I do not like people to drive
slow in front of me.
And I used to get really really really mad and I'd be driving gripping the steering wheel
and I'd be like get out of my way you sorry rascal.
I didn't cuss at him but I'd come awful close.
But then one day the Lord said you got to start praising me.
And so I did.
The first time I did that I'm driving along.
Get out of the way you sorry rascal.
Praise the Lord.
But then I did it again.
Praise the Lord.
After a while my hands started relaxing.
Praise the Lord.
After a while I can drive with one hand again.
Praise the Lord.
Nothing changed in this circumstance.
There's still a sorry slowpoke in front of me.
But something changed in here.
You see sometimes God doesn't have to change the situation.
Sometimes God has to change us.
And when we get to the point where we can praise him whether the circumstance changes
or not then God will move in our lives.
Praise the name of the Lord.
God has called us to victory.
Because the enemy wants to defeat us and if there was ever a time in our world when the
enemy is attacking a church this is the day.
If there's ever a time when the enemy is attacking your family this is the day.
If there's any time that Satan is attacking you this is the day.
And he wants us to believe that there is nothing we can do about it.
But he's a liar.
And a prince of liars.
And God has said claim the victory.
Stand in the victory.
Let's stand.
Musicians if you can come.
Praise the name of the Lord.
Victory is mine.
You see that's what you got to say.
When the enemy comes in like a flood the scripture says he's going to raise up a standard against
him and he might be able to defeat us but he can't defeat those standing behind us.
You see we've got to realize that being a Christian is all about going from victory
to victory.
The bloodstream can make it sound too easy.
It ain't easy folks.
I can tell you right now it is not easy.
Sometimes you stand up and the devil smacks you back down.
What do you do?
I'm going to just lay on the floor and go oh I don't want to be here this is too hard
for me.
God said get up.
Raise your hands.
Praise me.
Go forward.
Victory is mine.
Victory is yours.
Victory is ours.
We can win the victory.
Brothers Strickland this is 2024.
That doesn't work anymore.
Don't tell me it doesn't work anymore.
I've seen it work.
Time after time after time again.
Victory is ours.
Now that doesn't mean you got to walk around looking like this all the time.
Anybody ever met people like that?
Me I want to smack them.
But God said we can have the victory.
As I was preparing for this and as I was thinking about this I was thinking about how I should
close and I thought there may be some people in this house that are almost defeated.
And the enemy has come in like a flood and they don't know whether they can stand anymore
or not.
I don't know whether I can take another day of this.
I don't know whether I can take another hour of this.
The scripture says Jesus said come unto me all you that labor under heavy laden and I
will give you rest.
I'm not going to prolong this but if you need victory these altars are open.
There are people here that will pray with you and for you.
Victory is ours.
That's a promise from the word.
You don't have to go from defeat to defeat.
We can go from victory to victory.
So if you need a victory today these altars are open.
Gracious Heavenly Fathers we come before you here today.
We thank you for this day.
Father this day is dedicated to warriors.
Lord warriors in the United States, warriors in the military.
But dear Lord and Master there are warriors standing here today.
Warriors in the household of faith.
And I pray that you would help us to realize and to lay hold on the claim that victory
is mine.
Move in this place today and give us that that only you can give.
In Jesus' holy name we pray.
Amen.