The psalmist declared, Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Bless the Lord. And forget not all of his benefits.
Mine iniquities he's removed. That's enough right
there. But the benefits, it's not a benefit.
It's plural. The goodness of God. Amen. Job 42.
Verse 10. And the Lord turned the captivity of
Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the
Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Then came there unto him all his brethren and
all his sisters and all they that had been of
his acquaintance before. And did eat bread with
him in his house. And they bemoaned him. And
comforted him over all the evil. Now understand
what's going on here. It's trial. That the Lord
had brought upon him. Every man also gave him
a piece of money. And every one an earring of
gold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job
more than his beginning. For he had 14 ,000 sheep,
6 ,000 camels, 1 ,000 yoke of oxen, and 1 ,000
she -donkeys. He had also seven sons and three
daughters. And he called the name of the first,
Jemima, that of the second, Keziah, and the name
of the third, Kirin -hapush. And in all the land
were no women found so fair as the daughters
of Job. And their father gave them inheritance
among their brethren. After this lived Job 140
years and saw his sons and his sons' sons, even
four generations. So Job died, being old and
full of days. For the next, I don't know, hour
and a half or so, I want to preach to you on
a thought. I give myself that much time. If I
stop earlier, you're blessed. On a simple thought.
Your comeback will overtake your setback. Well,
hallelujah. Your comeback will overtake your
setback. Again, we're still strolling through
the archives. This was preached in the previous
millennia. I'm getting old. The Lord is faithful.
I'll pray for you. You pray for me, and we'll
meet in the middle. Father, we love you. Thank
you so much for your goodness and your mercy.
What a wonderful atmosphere in this house today.
You are here, Lord. Your presence is here. We
have lifted our voices. We have worshipped you
in spirit and in truth. And Lord, the spirit
that causes it to be easy to preach, let it loose
in this house. Let your anointing fill this place
at even a greater level. For you are here. Let
your glory reign among us, Lord, today. That
when we leave here, Lord, we will know that we
have been in your presence. We that have ears,
may we hear as the spirit speaks to the church.
In this latter day. In Jesus holy and mighty
name. We ask and the church says. Amen. Just
tell your neighbor you're on your comeback. You're
on your comeback. There used to be a statement.
And it's probably still out there. It was a phrase.
You can sit down baby. I'm going to preach to
you. You don't want to stand up this long. There
was a phrase. You don't have to cut them eyes
like that. Just help me. When old head goes sideways
and get that eyebrow pick up, that's serious
business. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to call
you out. I love you. There's a phrase that was
stated, I'm set. I'm set for good. Maybe you've
uttered those words at one time. Everything's
going really well. The plan is working and whatever
you set out on, you've got there and it's all
good. Set for good. But how many knows that that's
just for a day or so? Amen. If we're not careful,
this phrase sometimes means that we've gotten
to a point where we find ourselves stationary.
I'm set. anchored, ready to not be moved anymore.
Too many times there's a variation to this statement
and this term and this phrase, and instead of
being set for good, sometimes we suffer a setback.
Has anybody ever suffered a setback? When we
look at Job's story, that is probably one of
the major, if not the most major setbacks. of
any person that I've ever known or ever read
about because of all that happened in his life.
And we understand that it wasn't God that caused
the evil, amen, but it was God who permitted
the evil one to test Job's life and faith. If
you remember the story early on in Job's life,
The angels in heaven are in a staff meeting with
God, and the devil presents himself before God.
And it was not that the devil asked permission
to come against Job. It was that God asked the
devil, have you considered my servant Job? And
to reply, yes, I've considered him, but I can't
even get at him. You've got a hedge wrapped around
him. You've got protection. There's no way that
I can. Isn't that wonderful to know that God
has the ability to raise up a hedge and the devil
can't. He's got better sense to even try because
he knows I can't get to him. But I'll tell you
one thing. If you didn't have him protected,
I think I could cause him to curse you and just
turn away from you. God says, well. I think I
know the character of my servant better than
you. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm
going to let the wall down a little bit, and
you have access to him, but here's where the
line is. My Lord, don't you, look, even though
God permits the enemy maybe to come against you
and try your faith, but aren't you glad that
he draws a line in the sand already, and there's
a marker where the devil can't cross? Aren't
you glad to know that God can build a hedge,
can't even get close, but if he allows him to
get close, there's a line that he cannot cross.
I'm here to tell you that ought to build your
faith right there. If nothing else, you may feel
like you're under attack right now, but no, there's
a line that the devil cannot cross. You can touch
everything the man's on. You can take all of
his possessions. You can do everything, but his
life belongs to me, and it's not yours, and you
can't take it. Hallelujah. You need to know today
by faith that a setback may enter. into your
life. But God has a line drawn in the sand at
the debarker where your setback has to stop.
And I'm grateful to know that the Lord is on
my side. Setbacks are times of hardship. They're
times of loss. They're times of causing... We
as people sometimes want to give up. We just
want to stop. We just want to say it's over.
It's done. This is where I quit. But you can't
quit. You cannot quit. What are you going to
quit for? Well, you're going to quit too. There's
nothing any better than God's grace that will
give you sufficiency of every day of your life.
What is there to quit to? What is there to quit
for? To go back into sin? Really? You want to
go back out and do that mess again and get down
in the pit that he pulled you out of? Really?
That's better? You wake up puking your guts out.
You don't even know where you're at. You're in
a gutter somewhere, and you really think that's
better than God's sufficient grace entering into
your life? Yes, it may be hard. Yes, it may be
hard. It may be difficult, but I can tell you
one thing. It can be a whole lot worse with God
on your side who can be against you. Amen. Well,
you say, well, Job's life proves that things
can get difficult. Yes, there's loss that enters
your life. Yes, there's hardship that enters
your life. Sickness may enter your life. But
the thing about it is God has a line drawn that
the enemy cannot cross and sickness cannot cross
unless he permits it to do. I know the Bible
declares there's a sickness unto death, but every
sickness. does not result in death. You may feel
like you're about to die. You may feel like you're
about to leave this world, but the mighty hand
of God will swoop down on the deathbed and raise
up. Or the mighty hand of God will swoop down
and bring a redeemed soul unto himself. Nevertheless,
it is God who raises us up. When the setbacks
occur in our lives, we have to maintain our faith
in God. We who are serving God, you can look
for setbacks in your life because the enemy will
test and try and tempt your faith. But understand
that setbacks are merely setups. Setbacks are
merely setups. Setups for what? Your next encounter
with God. Your next revelation from His Word.
The next touch of His mighty hand. It's a setup
because, look, God's not going to leave you down.
Are you hearing me? God's not going to leave
you down. He's going to pick you up. He's going
to raise you up. I don't know. I tried to find
what scholars would say about the length of time
of Job's trial. It had to be several months most
likely, possibly up to a year, or it could have
been sooner, or it could have been longer when
you read. We know travel takes a while, and how
long did it take those three wonderful friends
of Job to get there and stare at him for seven
days over a fire and never say a word? That's
what we need, amen? When we're in a setback,
we need people that are supposed to care for
us and love for us, and all they want to do is
look at you. And then when they finally open
their mouth, it's like, what'd you do? What sin
did you commit? Well, you don't have to commit
sin to have a setback. Hello? It could be that
you're faithfully serving. You're giving every
week. You're tithing. You're giving, offering.
You're serving. It could just be that you're
being faithful to God and the trial has come
to see if you will set off and not just set back.
But God is still on the throne of eternity. And
when setbacks enter into our lives, there must
be a determination in our heart that we're not
going to give up. We're not going to quit. We're
not going to turn around because setbacks are
setups. for a revelation, for a blessing, so
that he, God, can move closer and move us closer
to his purpose and divine plan for our life.
You do know, according to Jeremiah, that God
has a plan for you. I know the plans that I have
for you, saith the Lord. They are good and not
evil, and they have a hope with an expected end.
What does that mean? I've got a plan for you,
and this setback is not going to deter the divine
plan that I have for you. So there must be determination
in your heart, mind, soul, and all of your being
to keep on keeping on, keep on trusting God.
You may find yourself as a Job. You may find
yourself sitting in ashes and pot shreds and
scraping boils. and sores and scabs off, letting
dogs try to lick your wounds to bring some kind
of ease in your life. But know this, even though
you may be going through hardship, doesn't mean
that God has forgotten you. Doesn't mean that
God has forsaken you. But what it does mean is
that every single day that you wake up, God supplies
the sufficiency of his grace to enable you to
endure the trial that you're in. And can I tell
you, it's more than just enduring. You can do
something. so with joy unspeakable and filled
with his glory and knowing that this day will
pass and another day will pass. But one thing
I know, heaven and earth may even pass, but the
word of the living God is declared forever. And
he said, though he slay me, Job said, yet will
I serve him. Hallelujah. When the time comes
and you're down and you're out and you're set
back, let the grace of God empower you, instill
within you, and put a hope in you. your setback
is not going to take you out, but your setback
is setting your comeback will be greater. So
as we are being set up for God's divine will
and purpose to be fulfilled in our life, we must
do so in believing and knowing that God is in
control. And that we are trusting him without
reservation. Do you trust him when you get set
back? I need to trust him more when a setback
comes. Amen. But see, in our human nature, we
puff up, pout up, and whine. Don't we? That's
just our nature. That's just the way we are.
It's the fallen nature of our flesh. But shouldn't
it be so for the born again, blood bought, sanctified,
Holy Ghost filled child of the living God? Should
it be even so that when we are set back that
we understand that the set back is the set up
and God is going to reveal himself in some way,
some form and fashion and we ought to let our
hope be residing in him that we believe him and
we trust him without reservation. The psalmist
said in 37, 23 through 5, the steps of a good
man are ordered by the Lord. and he delighteth
in his glory. Amen. Though he fall, he shall
not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth
him with his right hand. I have been young and
now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. We
know in Hebrews 11 and 6, amen, that it is impossible
without faith to please God. But we know without
it, it's the impossibility. But for those that
come unto God, they must believe that he... and
that he is the rewarder of those who diligently
seek him. When you're in your setback, you cannot
allow your faith to be off -put and put off in
setback, but let your faith rise. Let your trust
arise in God. Why? Because now, now faith is
the substance of things hoped for, and it is
the evidence of things not seen. And faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing comes by the declaration
of the word of the living God. In other words,
if God said it, Then apply it to your life. You've
got to keep on believing and trusting through
the setback. Faith is knowing what you believe.
Knowing is founded in the mind. So you've got
to have your mind made up. You've got to have
your mind made up. I mean, 38 years ago when
I proposed to Sister Kathy and she said, yeah.
No, that ain't what she said. I was on one knee,
had her hand. I said, will you marry me? She
looked through me and said, I guess. I said,
you guess. Okay, we've been on a guess for 38
years. But I know, right? It's in our knowing.
knowing that God cares, knowing that God loves,
and you have to be committed in your mind. And
if you're sitting in here, and I know some of
you ain't got a whole lot to play with, but I'm
going to help you. I know some of you are, you
know, struggling with the capacity to get a grip.
A setback will do that to you, won't it? A setback
will have your head spinning, won't it? And you
can't make up your mind when your head is spinning.
Are you hearing me? You can't make up your mind
when the devil's done slapped you and you're
laying flat on your back and your head's going
around and stars are in your eye. You've got
to have your mind made up when he draws his hand
back that no matter how bad this hurts, no matter
what kind of condition it puts me in, I have
my mind made up. You've got to be like an apostle
Paul who said, I am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against
that day. There must be a persuasion in your
life. middle into your mind. You know the reason
half the people backslide is because they didn't
have their mind made up to leave sin to start
with. Let me tell you on that seventh dip, actually
it was on the fifth dip I'd made up my mind when
I had that fifth baptism. Amen. That's when I
made up my mind I'm not going back anymore. I'm
done with it. I'm done with sin. I'm done with
the world. I'm done with it all and I turned
my back on it and I had my mind made up. Come
what may I've had my mind made up and what I
went to tell you a while ago when I got lost
in her eyes about having your mind made up and
committed for the future. There's a word that
we said would never enter into our relationship
and it starts with a D and we've never uttered
it since and it has never been spoken in our
home and it never will be spoken in our home.
Why? Because I had my mind made up. My heart
was captivated. This was the woman I was going
to live the rest of my life with come hell or
high water and I told her two things that will
never happen in our home. One, that word be spoken
to you ever go home to your mama just stay now
this was BSC backslidden before Christ BSBC that's
me right then I know and I meant everywhere you
asked her I meant what I said if you go Don't
bother coming back, and I'm not coming after
you. Hello? She never left, and I ain't had to
try to break my word and go get her. Oh, Lord.
You got to have your mind made up going in. You
got to have your mind made up that your sins
have been forgiven you. And there's no other
help and no other hope for your life. That even
though you have been set back, God has a comeback
ordered for your life. None greater than what
we've read here in the scripture with Joe's rendition
of his trial. But with a made up mind, you'll
have in 2 Corinthians 7, 7, you'll have a fervent
mind. 2 Corinthians 8, 12, you'll have a willing
mind. That's part of the problem with a lot of
people today. They don't have a willing mind.
Their mind's not. willing to follow. Their mind's
not willing to quit. Their mind's not willing
to give up on the world and turn their back on
it and turn toward their gaze, a risen Savior
who is the help and the hope and the deliverance
of their life. They don't have a willing mind.
Their mind is too set with the world. In 2 Corinthians
8, 19, you've got to have a ready mind. In Ephesians
4, 23, you have to be renewed in the spirit of
your mind. Philippians 4 and 2, you have to have
the same mind, the mind of Christ. Amen. In Colossians,
Colossians 2 .18, you have to do away with a
fleshly mind. In Colossians 3 .12, you have to
have the humbleness of mind. 2 Thessalonians
2 and 2, be not soon shaken in your mind. You
cannot be shaken to give up and turn your whole
loose on the grace that is sufficient for your
life. You've got to have your mind made up. In
2 Timothy 1 .7, you know it declares the soundness
of mind. Why? Because you have not been given
the spirit of fear. but of power and of love
and the soundness and the sureness and the firmness
of your mind. God has transformed your way of
thinking. Don't turn back on it. Don't give up
on it. Your comeback will overtake your setback.
Don't give the devil the satisfaction that you're
going to give up and quit and turn around. There
is no give up. There is no turning around. There
is no going back. My God before me, the cross
is there and I'm marching over, marching forward.
Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't get weak in
your mind. So as believers, it's our responsibility
to not allow the setback to determine the outcome.
We do this by refusing to submit to the thing
Satan brings against us. It's right here in your
mind. You've got to get a grip on it. You've
got to get set in it. And you have to refuse
the thing that the enemy brings against you.
You have to refuse to be identified with the
label that the enemy is trying to place on you.
Hebrews 11, 24. By faith, are you hearing me?
You see where we're at? By faith, I'm talking
about knowing, trusting, believing. By faith,
Moses, when he was come to years, refused to
be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What
are you saying? I am saying there is a refusal
when there's an innate understanding of who you
are, and it has had nothing to do with the label
that the enemy's trying to put on you. It took
Moses quite a while. It took him. some trials,
some tribulation. But when the time fully come,
when it was get down to business, he refused
to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Well,
why did he do that? Because he was not Pharaoh's
daughter's son. He was the son of promise. He
was the deliverer who was sent to get the people
out. Hallelujah. And when the time come and he
understood, when Moses finally got it down and
he knew that he knew that he knew, or you could
say, I know that I know that I know that I know
that. It is God who's called me and set me and
ordained my steps. I am not Pharaoh's daughter
because Pharaoh was the enemy of God's people,
and I will refuse to be identified with the enemy
of God's people. When he came of age, you've
got to get of age. You've got to get your faith
up to where you know who you believe. Isn't that
what Paul said? I know in whom I have believed.
I know in whom I have believed and whom I have
trusted and the setbacks of life. God, I'm not
going to be derailed because I know the comeback
trail is grand and great and glorious. It's difficult.
It's hard. It's trouble. But I know the sufficiency
of his grace and the power of the Holy Ghost
is going to meet me every day. He enables me
to overcome. Reject the labels. Tried to call
Moses Pharaoh's daughter. What's he try to call
you? Depressed? Lonely? Hopeless? What's he try
to label you with? Useless? Unloved? What's he
try to put on you? Doesn't matter what he tries
to put on you. Refuse it because that's not who
you are. Well, let me just say, take the labels
of Christ. You are joint heirs. We are joint
heirs. What's that mean? We get what big brothers
got. You are forgiven. If you've been to Calvary
and you've confessed your sin and you've invited
Christ into your heart, you are forgiven. It
doesn't matter what the devil tries to tell you.
Well, look what you've done. That was what I'd
done, but look what I'm doing. It makes, there's
a big difference. What you've done, once you've
been to Calvary, man, there may be some repercussions
of sin that you have to deal with, but one repercussion
of sin you will not have to deal with is the
judgment of Almighty God because your sins have
been forgiven. Hallelujah. I know how the devil
works with condemnation. He begins to work in
your mind. He said, you done this. You can't
do that. You can't be this. You can't. Yes, I
can. Why? Because the I am. tells me who I am.
The I am tells me who I am. That's why he's declared
to me I am a royal priesthood. I am a chosen
generation. I am a peculiar type of person. I
am righteous. I am holy. I am who he declares
that I am, a joint heir, a son of the living
God, adopted, engrafted into the wonderful family
whereby I cry, I have a father. Now, What do
you want to be? Depressed? Get your mind made
up. Get your head out of the darkness. It's a
choice, you know. Get off the couch. Get your
head out among the pillow at noon and get out
of the bed. Unless you work nights, she'll sleep
till 2. But if not, get out to bed. A made up
mind will get up. I better get along. Refuse
to label. Your comeback will overtake your setback.
Don't be identified with how the enemy identifies
you. Secondly. to know, and this is how we overcome,
and we keep our mind made up, and we make it
through the comeback. Do not allow Satan to get
a hold on you. In Genesis 39 and 7 and 8, it's
the story of Joseph. You know, he had a setback.
Huh? Joseph had a setback, didn't he? He was
daddy's favorite little boy. He had a robe Daddy
made just for him. Many colors. Gave it to him.
He's the dreamer, right? But he was also the
chosen one out of that bunch of knotheads to
deliver everybody. Huh? How do you know there's
knotheads? Hey, let's kill him. It's their brother.
Well, we can't kill him. Daddy ever finds out.
None of us will get any goats. About all they
had was goats, cows, sheep, donkeys, camel or
two. We won't get anything. Well, let's throw
him in a hole or something. He's walking around
telling these dreams he's having. We'll show
him. So here comes little Joseph, whistling his
little tune. Brothers are working, they're out,
and he's just lollygagging with his pretty coat.
They take hold of him. They beat him nigh unto
death. So much so, they'd taken his coat and
dipped it in some animal's blood and took it
to dad. Let me show you how the mind works. Let
me show you how the enemy will get a hold of
you. Isaac sees the coat, and he plays out the
last scene in his mind. Surely a wild beast.
That's destroyed my little boy Joseph. And he
let the scene play out in his mind. They didn't
have to do anything. He played it out. He wrote
the end of the story himself. You ain't going
to make me preach that, are you? There's too
many of y 'all got your pen and quill in hand
and you're sitting in front of the ink fountain
and you're writing your own end. Oh, because
you've had a setback. You've had a setback, and
so you're trying to see how. We always imagine
the worst, don't we? Don't we? We always imagine
the worst, and when you get there, there's nothing
like you imagine. You say, oh, it's not as bad
as I thought it was going to be. Do I have to
tell you that God is on your side? It's never
going to be as bad as you think it's going to
be because his favor is working in your life.
Yes, he got through in the pit. Yes, he got sold
into slavery. Yes, in this story that I've read
to you here, here in 39, yes, he was accused.
of trying to take advantage of his boss's wife.
But notice what he did. When she took hold of
him, he left another coat. boy, but just like
some of your young 'uns, he's left coats laying
everywhere. He left a coat there. He left it.
Why? Because he ran from the very influence that
the enemy was trying to get a hold of him with.
I'm here to tell somebody this morning, you're
lollygagging around where the devil's got you
playing way too long. It's time you get out of
dodge. You can't play with sin. You can't play
around. Are you hearing me this morning? You
cannot play around with sin. Do not allow the
devil to get another hoe. on you. Son, that right
there is pretty good preaching, even if I did
do it. I'm telling you, too many of us are too
wishy -washy in our mind and in our faith. You
can't have God and the world. Bitter and sweet
water cannot come out of the same fountain. If
that's you, wash your mouth out. Straighten up.
Boy, howdy, our preacher's on it today. Get away
from the sin that so easily besets you. What's
that mean? Sets you back. Lay aside the weight.
Some of you trying to drag the weight all the
way to Calvary. You can't do it, honey. You can't
have your sin weight and the cross too. Yeah,
you, you, uh -uh, uh -uh, uh -uh. You're going
to have one or the other one. And you always
know what straddling the fence does. Tears the
seat out of your britches. That's it. That's
all. I just had a flashback of said occasion.
Got a second? I'll tell you. 35, 40 in my iron
eye. We took the kids to school one morning.
And we had our camouflage on. It just so happened
to be Brother David turkey season. Hallelujah.
God's good. And the Lord had so fit that even
in the wilderness, when you think you're in a
wilderness, a good place to hunt is in the wilderness.
So. In the middle of a season, a pastoral season,
the Lord put me in one of the most populated
counties in this state for turkeys. And oh, what
joy. Oh, what joy. So we took the kids to school
one morning. Sister Kathy used to go run the
ridges with me. And we're driving down the road
back out in the country. And just across this
here fence stood what I call a magnum. He had
red, white, and blue. And instantly, stop in
the middle of the road. I'm thinking, how can
I get to him? Unless you hunt, you have no clue
what I'm saying, but just know this. Getting
there was half the battle. So there's a trailer
right on the side of the road. So we went back
up and pulled down in there. And I beat on the
door. It's early now. Here comes this lady to
the door. It's back when they still used the
curlers, you know, the steam rollers. She had
them up. And so I point toward the truck. I said,
ma 'am, there's a big turkey right over there,
and I'd like to get my wife over there. You use
whatever you can, kids. It don't matter. I said,
I'd like to get my wife over there. I said, would
you mind if I cross? You right here and go up
there. He's just on the other side of that fence.
She said, why sure, honey. It's all right. Y
'all go on ahead and shut the door. So I run
to the truck and get all the paraphernalia you
need. So here we go. And I'm crossing this fence.
And I've got one leg on the other side, barbed
wire, three -strand. And I'm holding it down
and doing one of these. And I look out my right
eye, David, and there he stands. It ain't 20
yards. And I'm doing this. And I'm reaching for
Kathy to get my gun. Standing at that fence.
She hands me my gun, and I'm a -weebling and
wobbling and just hit it just right. Oh, there
he rolled, flopping feathers going everywhere.
So there's some blessing that may happen on a
straddle fence, but not in sin. That's not going
to help you. Turkey hunting, you might get by
with it. But in sin, you'll not get by with it.
I did tear the inside of my British legs out,
and she had to patch that up. But other than
that, no life was lost other than the turkey.
But I'm here to tell you it'll be a different
story. If you think that you can straddle the
fence with sin and come to church and do your
thing and then listen to me preach and you laugh
and juggle at my funny little stories and miss
the whole principle of the point I'm trying to
tell you, you cannot mess around with sin and
make it to heaven. Thus the reason the word declares,
lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily
besets you. And then he says, having your eyes
fixated on Jesus who is the author. You cannot
look at Jesus and focus on the world at the same
time. You've got to get your mind made up and
your gaze set. Run from sin. Do not give in to
the pressure. In the middle of your setback,
do not give in to the pressure to quit. Job was
pressured. To give in. To give up. I'll have
to apologize to Sister Jobe one of these days.
I used to give her a hard time. Until I began
to understand the pain she was going through.
Huh? Her old man sat in the gate. Richest man
in all the east. They had a beautiful family.
Ten children. And then all this calamity of their
setback, all those children died at the very
same moment in the same building. Devastated.
Right? You carry these young 'uns. They're part
of you. That's the reason us dads, it's easier
for us to have that tough love. We didn't carry
them. They didn't kick our ribs blue from the
inside out. That was you. When all this is going
on, she's ready to just give up. But you can't
quit. You can't give up. You can't give in. You
can't give in to the pressure. Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego, Daniel 3, 15 through 20, you know
that story. The king's before him says, I'm going
to play the song one more time, and you're going
to bow. If you don't bow, they're already throwing
wood in the furnace, and I'm going to heat it
up seven times hotter than it's ever been. In
other words, you're going to die when you get
to the door, boys. You're going to bow when the
music plays. Let me tell you something. Don't
give in to the pressure when the devil starts
playing his tune. Amen. Don't dance to his fiddle.
Don't dance to his tune. You do not have to give
in to the peer pressure. Well, pastor, you don't
know what it may cause me. It'll cause you grief
if you give in. And what they declared was this.
They said, we do not care. answer you in this
manner or this matter. Here's the thing. Our
God is able. Our God is able to deliver us out
of your hand, but then they make this wonderful
power. powerful declaration of faith, and they
declared to the king, but if not, but if he does,
great. If he don't, we are still resolved in
our faith, and we will not bow. So, oh, king,
you go ahead and just do your best and take your
best shot. If we leave, we're still going to
leave on God's side, and we will refuse your
order today. And what did they do? They struck
up the band, and the music played, and they stood
resolute and resolved. The king was so angry.
He was so angry that they dared refuse his order.
And he said, throw them in. And so they take
them by the arms. They bind them up and they
threw them in. And the old boy that opened the
door fell over dead from the heat blast. And
they themselves walked on in. What are you saying?
My God, when you refuse and the devil, he may
fall by you, but you walk on in because the declaration
of the word of God for you is this. You'll walk
through the fire. and you shall not be burned.
If it's a river, he said, you'll go through the
flood and the waters will not overtake you because
I'm going to make a new way. I'll make a highway
even for you. Don't give in. After you got your
mind made up. and you've been set back, and you're
resolute, and you're still going, you're still
trusting, you're still believing, then don't
allow the devil to rob you of your praise. Huh?
Remember what Jesus told them about fasting?
He said, wash your face. Don't go out like you're
just all, oh, and don't go tell them, oh, I've
been fasting for 20 minutes. It's 1130 and you
started at 7. My Lord, I'm about to go down.
It's almost lunch. What's the matter with you?
I'm fasting. No, no, no, no. You might as well
go ahead and eat the hamburger, the bologna.
You done let the cat out of the bag. It's over
with. Huh? Don't let your countenance be that.
Pick up your countenance. Put a little smile
on your face. Why? Because you may need grace
to make it to supper. Hello? Push that plate
on back. Do your diligence, but do not allow
the enemy to rob you of your praise. A powerful
story of a setback was old David. You remember
when he went and got the Ark of the Covenant
from Obed -Edom's house, right? And they're on
their way back. David thought he was doing a
good thing. He built a brand new cart. He got
a cow that had never been yoked up, and he got
them in there. And they're bringing the Ark of
the Covenant, and he's shouting. That'll even
let you know you can shout out of order. You
can shout out of order. Woo! That's a sermon
for another day. But they're shouting. They're
bringing the Ark of the Covenant back. The old
cow runs over a rock in the road of all places
over there in that part of the country around
Jerusalem. A rock was in the road. He hits it.
The Ark teeters. And the old boy, as I reached
up to stabilize the presence of God, and when
he'd done so, God struck him dead, and he fell
off the wagon. Right there is where they stopped.
Right there is where they parked the Ark. Right
there. And David went and discovered the right
way to do it. Discovered the right, what do we
got to do? You got to get some golden stabs and
you got to get some priests. Hallelujah. And
they got to bear the presence of the Lord. My
God, I'm feeling one coming on. You got to bear
the presence of the Lord upon your shoulder.
Can I tell somebody you are a royal priesthood
in the house today? And if you want the presence
of the Lord in this house, then I want you to
bear your shoulder up and bring it in. And they
stopped every few feet and they offered up bullock
and they offered up burnt offerings all the way
into the house. the city. And David took off
his kingly robe. He laid his crown aside and
he danced before the Lord. The Bible says that
he did so and worshiped undignified. And when
he gets in, he's got a cross -eyed woman looking
at him out the window, the daughter of King Saul.
Have you ever stopped to think why Saul gave
her to be married to David? Because he knew that
McCall had the same heart of disobedience and
rebellion that he did and wanted to dilute David's
faith, but they did not fully understand that
David had his mind made up. He was the harpist
and the psalmist of Israel. He was the one in
whom was birthed the songs of glory and Zion,
and he danced and he shouted, and she said, you've
made a fool of yourself today. That's all right,
woman. Watch me tomorrow. I'm going to dance
before the Lord. If you think I was undignified
today, honey, you ain't seen nothing yet, for
I know. I know him. Wouldn't that have been a
good place for him to look her right now and
say, the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not
want. Hallelujah. And he rejoiced. Do not allow
the devil to rob you of your praise in the middle
of your setback. Somehow, sometime, you have
to praise your way out of the valley. Especially
if you've got your mind made up. Don't let grief
and sorrow well out the joy of the Lord. Blessed
are those who mourn, for they shall. Isn't that
beautiful? And all them little beatitudes. Blessed
are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Isn't that powerful? Nowhere in that book does
it say for you and I not to mourn. Matter of
fact, we're encouraged to do so. But not in so
in allowing the grief to rob us of the joy that
we have because we... shall be comforted. Paul
told young Timothy, he said this, we don't mourn
as those who have no hope. We mourn differently.
But you see, we mourn, but we do so differently
because we have a hope. We have a hope. You have
a hope. Matter of fact, Paul told Timothy again,
he said, Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Wow.
You have hope. Setbacks come in life. Hardships,
trials, tribulations enter into our lives. But
God is faithful. And if you're in the middle
of one of those right now, hold on. Don't quit.
Don't get mad. Let resolve and resolution stand
in your heart. Knowing that God understands it.
And that God knows the pathway that you take.
I almost forgot. You stand while I turn. I'm
going to read this one to you. One of my favorite
of the Old Testament prophets. One of the minor
prophets. One of my favorite verses is in Micah
7. Verse 7 says, therefore I will look unto the
Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation.
My God will hear me. Rejoice not against me,
O mine enemy. When I fall, not if, are you hearing
it? Not if, possibly. When I fall. I shall arise.
When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light
unto me. It's not a matter of if trouble comes,
it's when it gets to you. Setbacks are coming.
Because it's the trials of our faith that works
patience. And that patience works in our lives
so that we are diligently waiting for the Lord.
Joyfully so. Now, I know every circumstance in
life does not bring happiness. I know that. I
know this. But it's not the circumstances in
life. That reassure me. What reassures me is
knowing that God has not forsaken me. And he
hasn't forgotten me. Now I know what the devil
tries to make us feel. I know how he tries to
make us think. I know all the deceptive works
and the lies and the plots. I know how he does
that. But if you've already resolved in your
mind and your mind is made up, he's just wasting
his breath. Because you know that through it
all, God's going to do something great in your
life. And your comeback will be like that of
Job's. Job's, he was really blessed, wasn't he?
He received a double portion of everything that
he had. You know what I'm wondering? I'm reading
that. And I'm thinking, well, where were y 'all
at for a few months? You want to bring him an
offering now? Now that he's back on track, now
that everything's good and here y 'all showing
up for picnic, you want to give him an offering?
You want to give him a gold earring of honors?
Where were you just a few months ago when he's
sitting in the ashes and the dog's trying to
give him? Here's the thing, folks. It doesn't
matter where people are. It matters that God
is seated in the ashes with you. Because when
it's all said and done, he's the only one that
can change anything about our situation. Father,
I love you today. I thank you so much. Help me,
Lord, to wind this down. Help me to bring this
to a close today. I've said a lot of things this
morning. All I know to tell you is this, is if
the Lord has spoken to you about some situation,
some dilemma, some trial, and he's just reaffirmed
his presence to you today, that he knows where
you are, he knows your plight, he knows your
trouble, he knows your trial, he knows the fire
that you're about to enter into or the flood
that you're coming out of, he knows because he's
there with you. Your setback is not meant to
take you out. It's meant to set you up for God's
grace and God's goodness. Say, Pastor, that's
me. The Lord spoke to my heart this morning for
reassurance. If you need prayer this morning,
I want you to make your way to one side of this
baptistry or the other. I want to pray for you
today if you need it.