Several months ago, the Lord, you can be seated
for just a moment. The Lord laid Brother David
on my heart for this particular day. Veterans
Day is coming up. And I'd like to honor those
who have served and maintained, stood on guard
and stood their post. Ready, willing, at a moment's
notice, to protect us if necessary. Amen? So
if you're in this house today and you've served
in the military in any branch, would you just
stand and let us honor you this morning? Amen.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your service.
We invite you to eat lunch. We have a wonderful
meal prepared for you. We invite you to stay
and join us. You say, well, this is my first
time. This is the best time then. If it's your
first visit, you come on the right day. You get
to have lunch. We want you to stay with us. But
the Lord put Brother David on my heart for this
particular service this morning. I don't know
of a more humble individual than the man that's
coming to speak for us this morning and to share
whatever it is the Lord's laid on his heart.
I know it's burning very deeply and very intently.
And he's going to deliver what the Lord laid
on his soul this morning. Would you make Brother
David O 'Boyle welcome this morning? Thank you,
Pastor. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yep, take
it. Take it. It's my ADHD that comes out, and
I got to have my hands. And so when I found out
we had a speaker, and I was looking at Brother
Randy's mic, but I also want to give a special
thanks to Pastor Brian for working with me and
helping me on all this stuff. Because I got to
have visuals. That's just how I roll. But first
of all, let me say that I'm absolutely, I'm honored.
I'm so honored. And I just saw you, brother,
obviously. I wasn't nervous until I started seeing
everybody in here. I think that's you, Corey.
Corey's actually going through the Tennessee
State Trooper Academy. He's in week 12 now. So
thank you, sir, for watching. What you do. I
really didn't think y 'all would show up. That's
why I wasn't really nervous. But I'm totally
honored. And I absolutely do take this opportunity
very serious. And because when you're behind
the pulpit, there's pressure. Because I want
to honor God more than impress anybody else in
here. And that's the focus that I want to have.
So I'm totally honored, Pastor. Thank you. When
Pastor called me and asked me to speak, I originally
told him no. I said, sir, we got retired chaplains
in here. We got folks that is just more qualified
than me. And I said, so I'd appreciate if you
asked them. So I had my Moses moment, right,
where I, but I can't speak good. I'm not that
good. But Pastor's got a sneaky way of really
bringing you into. He said, well, I think it's
funny God didn't put them on my heart. I said,
well, roger that. Yes, sir. But I am honored
that I'm here and I got my prayer cloth. I'm
going to put it right there. But I'm honored.
I'm actually honored, too, to have my friends
and family, Pastor Michael and his wife. You
guys mean a lot to me. His daddy married me and
Nikki, so it's an honor. have y 'all here and
my in -laws and family and I just, I'm honored
and I'm glad to have my mama. Thanks for being
here, mom. If there's any amens, I know it's
going to get mama, so that's okay. That's why
I called her and said, you got to be there in
case I don't get one. But also, I'm also honored
to be among my heroes. One of them I definitely
want to call out is Sergeant First Class Moore.
He is a decorated combat veteran of Operation
Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom. Would
you stand, brother? Would you stand, brother?
Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. The Sarge is
my motivation at the gym. When I don't think
I got one more, he comes running around. I'm
like, oh, Lord, here comes Sarge. You better
get another rep, bro. But I also want to honor
Master Sergeant. Thank you, sir, for being here.
Your service to our country, and thank you so
much, brother. It's an honor. I also want to
call out, I call him my Sergeant Major, John.
Where's Sergeant Major John at? There he is.
Go ahead and stand, brother. Thank you so much,
sir. Yes. Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother.
So it's just an honor to be amongst these men
that I call my heroes. And it's just such a privilege.
And if it wasn't for these heroes who are here,
and there's some family members who have sons
or daughters that are out there, I thank you
because... I know what it was like to see my
son go off on some training. It's motivating,
but it hurts. But I also know there's family
members in here who's lost loved ones that served
our country. So thank you so much for what you
do. And because if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't
have the opportunity to live free, to speak free,
and to gather free. So I do honor that. Thank
you so much. So how do I show? How do I show
respect for the Urah? And also, how do I honor
the spiritual side of the hallelujah part? That's
where I was struggling, trying to figure out
how do I honor the day? How do I honor what it
stands for, what it represents? But also, how
do I feed the sheep, if you will? So with that
said, I would ask that you would stand for the
reading of the word of God. These two scriptures
out of 2 Timothy and then out of Ephesians, this
will be sort of the catalyst for our text today
and how we're going to roll here. So in 2 Timothy
chapter 2, 1 through 4 says, Therefore, my son,
be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
and the things that thou hast heard of me among
many witnesses. The same commit thou to faithful
men. Who shall be able to teach others also?
Thou therefore endure hardness. Everybody say
endure. Endure. You're going to learn that word
today. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No
man engaged. in warfare, entangles himself with
the affairs of this life that he may please him
who hath chosen him to be a good soldier. Let
me jump over here to Ephesians 6 .12, something
that we're all familiar with. We've all been
taught it. We've all been preached to at it.
We've all heard it in some way, shape, or form.
But it is in line with today, and it says this.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Now I was
raised up on the word wrestle when wrestling
was real. Not this fake stuff that we got today,
but when wrestling used to be real. But in wrestling,
The Greek word for wrestle is pele, and it means
to battle. We're in a battle. As pastor says,
you pray for me, and I'll pray for you, but today
I'm going to ask you to pray for me, and I'm
going to pray for me. Gracious Heavenly Father,
Lord, I love you, and I thank you. It is such
an honor, God, Lord, to be able to read your
word today. And Father, I pray right now, Lord,
as the enemy is now encircling around people's
hearts and people's minds, and they're being
reminded today of the battle that they're in,
what they're wrestling with, Father God. And
I pray in the mighty, mighty name of God, my
Savior, Jesus Christ, that I bind you, Satan,
into the authority. of the blood of Jesus Christ.
I don't have that authority, but that same spirit
that raised Jesus from the dead is the same spirit
that resides in me today. And it's with that
power, it's with that authority that I don't
boast, but I proclaim the Holy Spirit settles
itself upon the house today and that we get reminded
that we are Christian warriors. We are in a battle.
And I pray, Father God, Lord, that whatever battle
it is today, it will be broken by the blood of
Jesus Christ. It's in the mighty name of Jesus
I pray these things. And the whole church says
amen. And you may be seated. And, yes, I did
ask Scott to stay up in here. I didn't know I
was going to get serrated the whole time. But
that's good. I like it, brother. It's more of
a comfort for me. And I got my brother and my
sister as backup. So if anybody charges the stage.
It's on. They got you. They got me. But I want
to remind the church today as it's no surprise,
just as military members prepare to fight for
battle, there is absolutely no difference with
each and every person in this house today that
we're in a battle. But hear me, you are the victor.
You are. The victor. If you're unsure of your
salvation today and you're unsure that if you
was to die today and you stood before God Almighty,
are you sure? That wasn't in the note, but your
salvation is more important to me than impressing
anybody in this house today. So I beg you, if
you don't know Jesus Christ as your Savior, it's
your day. Because when you step into heaven,
you're going to hear only one of two statements.
Welcome in thou good and faithful servant. Or
you're going to hear what I think are the most
damaging, scariest 11 words in the Bible. Depart
from me, you worker of iniquity. I never knew
you. What are you going to hear? I want you to
be thinking about your salvation today. And for
the Christian warriors out there, I want to try
to speak a little bit about the Christian mindset,
that warrior ethos that all military members
know what I'm talking about. And I'm going to
cover some of those, but I also want to give
honor to my flag. This flag here, there is a
rich history of sacrifice under the banner of
this flag. I get it. I served the flag. I fought
for the flag. I see brothers. Go down from this
flag. I've seen the coffins draped with this
flag. So there's something special about this
flag that just, when I hear the star -spangled
banner done right, I can't help but get a little
moist in my eyes because of the respect that
I have for this flag, the history of this flag.
I visited Fort McHenry, and I listened to the
history of Francis Scott Key, wrote the song,
and then how the flag was inspired and how this
flag is withstood. And yes, we live in the most
messed up country right now, but we're still
free. It's messed up, but thank God we're still
free because we still have a remnant. There's
a remnant that's holding this country together,
and this remnant is in this house today. But
as much honor and respect as I want to bring
today to this flag and what it stands for, the
same holds true for the Christian flag. And there's
pledges to each flag. We all know the pledge.
We've said it. We've restated it. It used to
be a staple in our school systems, which that
has died out now. But it's the ethos of the flag
that I want to honor today, but it's also the
Christian flag that I also want to bring honor
to as well today. We all know the Pledge of Allegiance.
I would remind you to learn the Pledge of Allegiance
to the Christian flag. It's actually a lost heart,
if you will. But I want to remind you today about
a Christian ethos, a warrior mindset. So what
is a warrior? What is a warrior? A warrior means
someone who's courageous. They're disciplined
in battle. They demonstrate great vigor. They
demonstrate courage and determination in any
struggle. A warrior embodies qualities like...
Bravery, persistence, honor, integrity. A warrior
will defend the truth. A warrior will defend
principles. A warrior will defend their faith.
And a warrior will defend their family. And a
warrior will defend their community. It's in
line with what we all know as a... prayer warrior.
What's a prayer warrior? It's a lost art. But
it's somebody that intercedes on the behalf of
others during spiritual battles. They encourage
you through prayers. Anybody ever heard somebody
pray and say, I wish I could pray like that?
I used to listen to my papa and I would just
be in awe of his prayer because it's like heaven
stood still. And I thought, how did you do that?
He said, it's easy, son. You got to pray. You
want to be a prayer warrior? Pray. Prayer is
declining in the church. At a recent two Christian
organizational conventions, it was asked, do
you pray daily? Only 32 % said they do. They
asked if they pray once a week. This is at Christian
organization conventions. 44 % said they only
pray weekly. You're not going to be a Christian
warrior if your prayer life's weak, folks. What's
an ethos? I'll keep that short and sweet. Ethos
is Greek for character. It's Greek for character.
What is character? It's one's habits. and actions
and your responses to life. So there's the warrior
ethos principle. The soldier in 2 Timothy 2,
1 -4 compares the Christian life to military
service. If you're a Christian, a true Christian,
then you're a soldier in battle. It requires
the need for discipline, single -minded focus,
endurance through hardship. Because we are to
please the commanding officer, Jesus Christ.
A military warrior avoids the distractions of
the civilian life so they can focus on the battle.
And that's exactly the same as parallel. And
that's what Paul is saying. And he says, the
affairs of this life, Paul puts it and he says,
Avoid what's going on in this world. Endure the
battle. Now, am I a Christian warrior, David?
Well, if somebody walked in here right now in
full, we call it dress blues. We call it service
dress uniform. If somebody walked in right now
decorated in their class A service dress uniform.
There's an automatic respect there. There's a
little bit of an awe when they're here and they're
standing. You see them out in public. You see
commitment. You see loyalty. You see discipline.
You see identification. You see identification
and authority and distinction. You see the rank.
You see the hash marks. You see the medals. You
see the ribbons. You see the pins. You see the
campaign medals and you see the stripes. But
you also as a Christian are to be in uniform.
There must be a bearing and a clothing about
you as a Christian warrior. So are the traits.
So you may not have all the battle dress uniform
stuff, but do people see you in your Christian
uniform? So are the traits of what a Christian
warrior looks like and acts like and carries
him or herself like. In John 13, 34, 35, Jesus
makes it clear of how people will know if you're
a Christian warrior. And it says this, a new
commandment I give you that ye love one another
just as I have loved you, you also are to love
one another. By this, all people. will know you
are my disciple if you have love for one another.
Now, I want to make sure you're crystal clear
that Jesus is love and we preach love, but I
want to make sure that as a church, our biblical
truth is understood that love does not mean we
accept sin. Love means that we address sin from
a biblical perspective. perspective. The world
has taken the word love and twisted it to where
we now are looked at as bigots and racist and
narrow -minded folks. But we love you because
we tell you the truth. Because as I mentioned
earlier, I know there's a soul in here that's
struggling and you got to make that decision.
So folks, do people know if you're in service
to him? I know you're in the service by your
uniform, by your standards, how you carry yourself.
But listen, does the world know that you're in
his service? By your testimony, by your language,
by your walk, by your prayer life. By your praying
life, do they see Jesus in you? Check this out.
This has got to be one of the coolest stories
in the Bible. And it's out of Acts chapter 19.
There's these seven dudes. Their daddy is named
Sceva. And they're following Paul. They're following
Paul all around. And here's my point. Even the
demons know if you're not a Christian. They know.
They know. So what's going on in Acts chapter
19? And it says this in 11. Now God worked unusual
miracles by the hands of Paul so that even handkerchiefs
and aprons were brought from his body to the
sick and the disease left them and evil spirits
went out of them. A .K .A. the prayer cloths.
I had somebody ask me, what do you guys do with
that cloth? It was an honor to tell them. But
it says on, then some of the traveling Jewish
exorcists took it upon themselves to call the
name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil
spirits, saying, we exorcise you by Jesus, whom
Paul preaches. And also there were seven sons
of Sceva. Now, Sceva was a Jewish priest who
did so. These seven sons thought, well, my daddy's
a four -star general, and they're making money
here, so let's go out and start casting out demons,
right? This ought to be embarrassing. And the
evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know,
Paul I know, but who are you? Even the demons
know if you got it or not. They know. That would
have freaked me out. That a demon says, yeah,
I know Jesus for sure, Paul. I got it. But dude,
who are you? And immediately the evil spirit
jumps out of the man, puts a WWF beat down on
these boys. Matter of fact, so much of a beat
down, they left Buck naked and wounded and scarred.
Because the demons knew, he ain't no warrior.
He ain't no warrior. Nah, he comes to church
on Sunday. He puts on the show. He'll raise his
hand. He'll sing a hallelujah. He'll do his thing,
but boy, I got him Sunday night through Saturday
night, and he's nothing. He's nothing. So are
you truly a Christian warrior? It doesn't matter
who your daddy is on here on earth. It doesn't
matter if you were raised in church. It doesn't
matter what religion you are or what you claim.
It's 100 % about a relationship with him. That's
all it is. Do you have a relationship with him?
That is a Christian warrior, folks. Listen, listen.
We are in a war. Wake up, church. Quit patty
-caking around. We are in a war. If you're a
blood -bought man, woman of God, congrats. You're
in a war. How many here have a prayer request
today in need? Seriously, how many have a need,
a prayer request, something going on? If you
didn't raise your hand, I'm going to call it.
I won't call it that word, but you're lying.
We all have a need. We all have a request. We
all are in a battle. We all need an intervention.
We're all in a struggle. There you go. Battle
up, Christian. You're in a war. But you got to
read the book because we win, we win, we win,
and we win. Where did this battle begin, David?
Let me tell you, it didn't start in the garden.
The battle didn't start in the garden. Sin didn't
start in the garden. You know where it started?
Heaven. Started in heaven. Out of the leagues
of angels, there's three distinct angels. You
got Michael, who's the angel of war. Gabriel,
who's the angel of communication, the message
deliverer, and you got Lucifer. Lucifer was responsible
for what? Worship. Loves music. As a matter of
fact, he still loves music to this day. Let that
sink in. Lucifer was a unique angel. He had beauty.
He had talent. He had high status. He had radiance.
He began to see himself as God. He began to go
to one -third of the angels and began to whisper
in their ears, that should be me. Of course,
God knows this. He sees this. And God Almighty
says, I saw Satan cast out of heaven like lightning
to earth, and his tail, according to Isaiah and
Revelation, took one -third of the angels with
him. And guess where they're at? They're here.
They're here on this earth. These demons today
are whispering in your ears, you're a failure.
These are demons today listening to your fussing,
your cussing, your moaning. You're groaning.
These are the demons today causing confusion
in the skies. These are the demons today causing
Sister Nay -Nay and Brother No -No to get all
up into your skin. These are the demons that
whisper in your ear when you go to your psychic
and you start hearing what I call prophelying.
These are the demons today whispering, don't
forgive them. That brother, that sister, that
family member, if you forgive them or ask for
forgiveness, you're weak. You're weak. And on
that note, I think forgiveness is the hardest
thing for a Christian to do. It's hard. And we
all got some stories about that hard. But as
pastor calls it, these nymphs of hell. will keep
you back. They'll keep you frustrated. They'll
keep you angry. And worst of all, they'll keep
you lukewarm. Because lukewarm, Jesus says, I
will. That's a rejection, folks. Either you're
in or you're out. Either you're a Christian warrior
pressing through the fight or you're just standing
back, letting the enemy lie. These one -third
demonic angels and their commander, they're here
on this earth warring against your home, warring
against your family, warring against yourself,
warring against your faith. So wake up, warriors.
We're in a war. Well, I don't feel like I'm in
a war. Oh, just wait. You will be. Or for most
of us, we are now. You mean I've got to go through
some tough times as a Christian? I can't name
it. I can't claim it. There's no immediate health.
There's no immediate wealth. Free of charge?
No, sir, no, ma 'am. John 16, 33 says, these
things have I spoken to you, that in me you may
have peace, but in this world ye shall have tribulation.
But be of good cheer. I've overcome it. It's
all good, warriors. It's all good. It's all good.
Now, I want to share this because this may bring
back a little PTSD for some of us. But in boot
camp, it's meant to change you. It's meant to
make you uncomfortable. It's to forge out weakness.
It develops you physically. It develops you.
to have a resilience in your life. It pushes
recruits to their limits through challenging
and stressful situations. It builds confidence
and character. You are taught a warrior ethos
that stands out from the rest of the civilian
world. You're different. You're different. You
learn to act. and be a part of a team. It teaches
recruits to work as a cohesive unit, relying
on each other to succeed and instilling a do
or die attitude to mission accomplishment. You
are taught a warrior ethos, principles of conduct,
self -bearing, and a war victory mindset. The
same holds true for the Christian warrior. Now
hear me. Listen. When God wants to make a man
spiritually powerful, he doesn't crown you first.
He breaks you. Did you hear me? Being a Christian
warrior is not easy. You're going to go through
stuff. But when you're going through that stuff,
he's preparing your crown. You are either going
through a forge, been through the forge, or you're
headed to the forge. That's our mountains and
that's our valleys. It's like boot camp. When
you're in a spiritual battle, your comfort is
stripped away. Your pride and your plans. succumb
to the greater will. To all that's left is the
real you. And that's all Jesus wants. He wants
the real you, brother. He wants the real you.
It's not punishment that you're going through
stuff. It's training. You see, pain doesn't come
to destroy you. It comes to move out what's weak
inside of you. That's why you go through your
stuff. That's what makes a prayer warrior. James
1 through 2 says, my brethren, this is a tough
one, count it all a joy when you fall into various
trials. That's tough. Knowing that the testing
of your faith, produces patience. And then you
go to Romans 5 .3, it says, not only so, but
we also glory. This is tough. We glory in our
sufferings because we know that suffering produces
perseverance. Perseverance produces character.
Character produces hope. Go read your Bibles.
These testings, your battles, they grow you so
you can carry the weight of your testimony. Your
testimony. We all got a testimony. Revelation
12 .11 says this. You want to overcome the enemy?
There's two ways to do it. The blood of the lamb
and the word of your testimony. Did y 'all ever
used to have testimony services? Remember those?
It just broke out because people began to overcome
the enemy because of the word of their testimony.
Every bad day, every setback, every heartache,
every trial, that is God molding you piece by
piece. Listen, listen. You do not grow in comfort.
You grow in chaos. Make sense? You're growing.
If you're going through a spiritual battle right
now, listen up, Christian warrior, you're growing.
I don't feel like I'm growing. I get it. But
you're growing. Pressure is a privilege. That
pressure that's breaking you now is the same
pressure that will grow you, make you unstoppable
for the kingdom of God. So when you're down on
your knees, it's not the end, it's the rebuild.
And when you see me on my knees, it's not because
I'm weak, I'm getting stronger. Most Christians
quit when it hurts, when it gets too tough, but
the Christian warrior goes through the fire.
A Christian warrior goes through the fire until
their purpose starts glowing, starts shining.
Every tear, every sleepless night is just proof
God isn't done yet. As the song said, he never
promised that the cross would not get heavy and
the hill would not be hard to climb. He never
offered victories without fighting, but he said
help. would always come just in time. Hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah. On October 12th, 2025,
the Department of Defense changed their name
to the Department of War. I personally love it.
Matter of fact, I think the church needs to take
on this same banner, the Department of War. Here's
the Department of War motto. Peace through strength.
Man, that hit me. You want peace in your life?
Strengthen your prayer time. Prayer strengthens
you. You want peace in your life? Strengthen
your Bible reading time. This book strengthens
you. There's life in this book. There's hope
in this book. Every question you have, there's
an answer in this book. It's not the book, folks.
Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the
life. No man comes by me, but I am the word.
When you read this book, you're talking to Jesus.
There's something empowering to it. You want
peace through strength? Start praying. Start
praying. You want peace through strength? Start
reading. Start reading. You want peace through
strength? Start worshiping. I stand up here and
watch you. Oh, yeah. And if I watched you too
long, you'd bring me down. So I really don't
pay much attention to you, but I see it. I'm
like, good Lord. This puppy must have got run
over this morning. It's just, what is up with
that? And then I'll switch over to, it's not
about you. I'm here to build up my Christian
warrior mentality. You want peace through strength?
Worship. Sing a song. Y 'all hush up in here,
but when you get in your car, when you get in
your shower, you let it rip, Tater Chip, right?
But you start singing, our God is an awesome
God. He reigns from heaven above with wisdom,
power and love. Our God is an awesome God. Sing
it. Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from
heaven above with wisdom, power and love. Our
God is an awesome God. Sing it. Our God is an
awesome God. He reigns from heaven above with
wisdom, power, and love. Our God is an awesome
God. And when you start to worship, here come
the demons. Here come the demons. They don't
like you worshiping. Oh, no. Here come the demons.
Listen. The demons will say, do you really think
that works? Do you really think your worship
is going to chase me off? Do you really think
this works on me? You're still a loser. You need
to quit. You have no worth. You have nothing
left. So give it up. Give it up. Well, that's
when you break in. So I lift up my hands and
praise you again and again. Because. through
strength. When you start reading, when you start
praying, and when you start worshiping, demons
can't handle it. You are enacting a Christian
warrior ethos within you. You can be seated.
You can be seated. Are we really in a war, Brother
David? I just read Ephesians 6, 12. Yes, you
are. Yes, you are. So listen here. Listen here.
Listen. And I'm going to say this to the men
of the church. It's time you get off of your
blessed assurance and you wake up, you're in
a war. So get your Christian warrior attitude
checked up, Holy Ghost filled up, and start fighting.
Start fighting. If you're not in a war, then
why did Paul go on? Why did Paul go on in Ephesians
6 .13? He says, Boys, put on the whole armor.
Put on the whole armor. You're in a war. And
in verse 18, it says, praying always with prayer
and supplication in the spirit and watching there
unto all perseverance and supplication for all
saints. Paul says, watch. You look that up and
translate that into Greek, it means to stand,
to battle. So I'm going to call you out, men.
Watch for your family. Watch for your children.
Watch for your church. Watch for your community.
Watch for your soon coming king. I want to go
through these pretty quick, but I want to touch
just on a few warrior principles that as military
members are taught, the same holds true for the
Christian warrior. Here's one. I will always
place the mission first. The military mindset
is always mission first, get it done by any means
necessary, get results, keep moving forward no
matter what, be resilient. All throughout the
Bible, we see examples of mission first folks.
Job, Joseph, the woman with the issue of blood,
Abraham, Moses, you get into Jesus himself and
even David. Let me tell you about a mission first.
It's about a man who was an usher. The rest of
the world will never know his name. But he had
the most spiritual significant impact on this
world about mission first. There was a preacher
named Mordecai Ham in 1934 who was preaching
a tent revival in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mordecai Ham is preaching this revival, and two
young 14 -year -old boys are walking past the
tent and get a little curious. They walk in and
see there's no seats available. It's packed out,
and the two boys start to walk off. This usher
sees these two boys walking off and goes back
and says, hey, boys, boys, where are you going?
You need to hear about this Jesus. The boys go,
well, sir, there's no seats. He said, oh, I'll
find you a seat, son. Both of you. Come on in.
Let's go. You got to hear about this man named
Jesus. So the two 14 -year -old boys go into
the tent revival. They're getting the message
from Pastor Mordecai Ham. These two boys end
up giving their hearts to Jesus Christ. And as
we know them today, one of them boys was the
Reverend Billy Graham. who's absolutely changed
the world, and his buddy, Grady Wilson, who organized
all of Billy Graham's crusades and was his number
one man. Listen, he changed the world. Not Billy
Graham, not Mordecai Ham, not Grady Wilson, the
usher. That one man saw two 14 -year -old boys
walking away from the faith and said, not on
my watch. Not on my watch. I'm committed that
these boys will hear the word of God. And look
what it did. Mission first. Mission first. Listen,
your job is not to change the world. Your job
is to change somebody's world. And then when
you change somebody's world, it'll have an impact.
on the world. Even little David, little David
had a mission first mindset. David's coming out
into the field to feed his brothers. He hears
this big old giant mocking and defiling the armies
of Israel. He's like, what's the deal here? Little
David, man, I can't wait to meet him. But little
David said, well, I don't get this. We got a
mission, boys. We got a mission here. What's
your problem? Little David runs into the breach,
stands firm to the big giant. The giant's balking
him. We all know the story. But then David said
to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword
and with a spear and with a shield, but I come
to you in the name of Jesus Christ, the God of
Israel, whom thou hast defiled. This day. Will
the Lord deliver thee into my hand and I will
smite thee and I will take thine head from thee
and I will show all the earth that there is a
God in heaven. That is a mission first mentality.
Is there a heater up here? Man, I don't know
how you do it, Pastor. The other one is, I will
never accept defeat. In all the branches of the
military, you're taught, I will never accept
defeat. It means a refusal to give up when you're
facing stuff, adversity, loss. Don't give up.
Never quit. It's not worth it. We're more than
conquerors through Jesus Christ. I got to share
some of my folks who remember Grandma Goldie.
Grandma Goldie was from Harlan, Kentucky, Brother
Warren. Now we all know in Harlan, Kentucky,
nothing good comes out of Harlan, Kentucky, but
Grandma Goldie. Grandma Goldie was an encouragement
to me as... As a child, as things were going
on in my life, the Grandma Goldie would tell
me, she called me Little David. She called me
David Paul. She liked to say David Paul. Little
David Paul, keep a victor's heart. I didn't know
what that meant then. Little David Paul, you're
a little warrior for Christ. Don't ever forget
there is nothing too hard for Jesus. Grandma
Goldie was a fighter against spiritual strongholds.
Grandma Goldie understood what a victor's heart
looked like. I would put Grandma Goldie up against
any airborne Navy SEAL, Ranger, you name it,
I would put Grandma Goldie up to her spiritually
and be like, get you some of that, trooper boy.
But Grandma Goldie taught me to have a Christian
warrior's heart. The other ethos. that we're
taught, is never quit. It's the commitment that
we have. We're trained under an acronym of Charlie
Mike. Charlie Mike means continue mission. It's
tough out here, Sarge. Charlie Mike, continue
mission. We've lost this, we've lost that. Charlie
Mike, continue mission. But you don't understand
what's happening out here, sir. Charlie Mike,
continue mission. But you don't understand, I
just lost a loved one. Continue the mission.
But you don't understand what I'm going through
this week, Brother David. Charlie Mike, continue
the mission. But you don't understand what I'm
fighting. Charlie Mike, continue the mission.
In 2 Chronicles 15, 7, it says, but as for you,
be strong, do not give up, for your work will
be rewarded. It'll be rewarded. I want to go
into the second one, is never leave a fallen
comrade behind. It's a tough one. From a Christian
warrior perspective, never leave a fallen comrade
behind means showing active love and support,
which includes spiritually restoring and caring
for those who have fallen or are struggling.
Just as God promises never to leave you or forsake
you, we have that same hope that we are not to
do that to our brother and our sister. When Moses...
was going through his stuff in the Battle of
the Amlekites, and it started getting bad. His
brothers, Aaron and Hur, propped his arm up,
and victory started to show. This principle is
applied to the church community where members
are called to be soldiers of Christ, looking
out for one another. We are to have each other's
back. But it's like today we applaud failure.
When we see another brother or sister struggling,
we talk about it, we gossip about it, instead
of going into the breach and praying with them
and for them and interceding on their behalf.
You start gossiping and fussing. Did you see
Sister Yeo? Did you see Sister Nay? You're leaving
a fallen comrade behind. Never leave a brother
or sister behind, and I'm going to be very straight
with you. And if this upsets you, talk to the
pastor. But when there are folks up here praying,
and they are seeking a miracle, seeking healing,
seeking salvation, and half of the church beat
feet out of here, you are leaving a fallen comrade
behind. When we have baptisms, and people are
demonstrating their commitment to public for
Jesus Christ, half of the church walks out. You
are leaving a brother and a sister behind. If
that was your mama, if that was your daddy, if
that was your son, if that was your daughter,
you'd be right up here. That's your brother and
your sister. Don't leave them hanging. Get into
the breach with them. Because when you're praying
and you feel the touch of a brother or sister
and they start praying, there's something that
rises up in you with encouragement. And then
when two or three or more start to gather, you
get a little bold. You start saying, I think
I got this. I think I can do this. I think I'm
going to have a breakthrough. And then everybody's
up here praying. That is never leaving a fallen
comrade behind. You learn to go pick them up.
Just like this picture. This is my oldest son.
When he was going through his marine training,
he was taught, you don't leave another brother
behind. Go get him. If they're down, if they're
hurt, if they're going through stuff, go get
them. Go pick them up. Go get them. And lastly,
hold the line. Hold the line. Military members
are taught a warrior ethos principle of you hold
the line. You stand fast. At all cost, defend
the cause. It's courage. Listen, you are commanded
as Christian warriors. To be of good courage.
Joshua 1 .9 says, have I not commanded you? Be
strong and courageous. Don't be afraid. Don't
be discouraged. For the Lord your God will be
with you wherever you go. In the courtroom. In
the boardroom. in your house, in the church,
for your family, for your sickness, for that
diagnosis. Be strong and courageous. Hold the
line. Three men in the Bible, Hananiah, Azariah,
and Mishael, you know them as Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego. They held the line. They held the
line. Nope, won't do it. Hold the line. Be it
known unto thee, O king, hold the line, that
we will not bow down, hold the line, before your
golden image. Hold the line. But if God, hold
the line, chooses not to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, hold the line, we're not
going to do it. Mission first. Never give up.
I'm not leaving my other brothers here. I'm holding
the line. Remember, folks, we do have a loving,
gentle, saving Jesus. Jesus held the line. He
exemplified courage. Jesus wasn't only soft.
He is a warrior. He cast out demons. He rebuked
the leaders. He flipped tables. He was gentle
with the broken. but ruthless with evil. He didn't
come to please the world. He came to save it.
He's not tamed. He's a consuming fire, a righteous
judge, a lion, and a lamb. My friends, you are
called. You are called to be Christian warriors.
You must have the spine, the courage to stand
against sin. Anything that is against this book,
You must hold the line and you must stand. You
have to learn to fight for your home. Hold the
line. You've got to fight for your family. Hold
the line. You've got to fight for yourself. Hold
the line. Hold the line. Because at the end of
the day, here's what it boils down to. Men, I
want to especially call you out. Men, listen
to me. Up top, below, listen to me. As for me
and my house, we will serve the Lord. Hold the
line, men. As for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord. Hold the line. Show some courage, men.
Men are being defamed nowadays. Men are being
pushed back. I'm going to tell you what a real
man is. A real man. Here it is. Here it is. Sarge,
I love working out when you're in the gym and
you push me beyond anything. But that doesn't
make me a man. What makes me a man is I pursue
righteousness. That makes you a man. Men, you've
got to stand in the gap. Everybody stand with
me, stand with me, stand with me. Word to music,
word to music. Men especially, look at me, look
at me, listen to me. I'll say it again. Get up
off of your blessed assurance, grow some courage,
and hold the line. Pray, surrender, seek God.
It takes guts to be a man. It takes guts to be
a man. Christianity is not for the weak -hearted.
I want every man, I want every teenager, I want
you to come up. I'm going to call you to hold
the line. I'm going to tell you to man up today.
I want you to come here. I don't care if you're
up top, I'll give you time. I want every man,
and I don't mean to single out anybody else,
but this group here today is what the enemy is
attacking the most. I was telling my brother
earlier, I'm proud of you, bro. I'm proud of
you, man. I've watched you, brother. I've watched
you go from zero to hero. And I mean that in
a way because I'm watching you worship, dude.
You encourage me. That is a Christian warrior.
I'm super proud of you, brother. Men, listen,
listen to me. You got to get battle focused.
Hey, listen, God doesn't want to turn bad men
to good men. He wants to turn dead men into alive
men. That's what he wants to do. That's my God.
We're all here in a battle, a battle for your
mind, a battle for control of your soul. Some
of us in here today got battles going on with
our homes, our families, our sons, our daughters,
just things. We all, we all got needs. We all
got battles. But men, listen, I'm here to tell
you, I'm here to tell you under the authority
of Jesus Christ, the battle is not yours, says
the Lord. And God has not given you a spirit
of fear, but of sound mind. So be of courage.
And it's time to man up. Hold the line. When
you're in a battle and it's chaos, it's hectic,
and you're here today and you want peace through
strength, we're going to do two of the three
things today. Number one, we're going to pray.
You want peace through strength? We're all going
to pray as brothers today. You want peace through
strength? We're going to worship. And I better
not see y 'all leaving. There are souls at stake
up here. There are battle lines being drawn in
the sand today going, enemy? Satan? No. No. No
more depression. No more heartache. No more sucking
me back into the life I'm trying to leave. No
more of this weakness. No more of the trials.
No more Satan. Right up here is where we draw
the line and we hold the line. That's what Christian
men do. And it's that military mind. Listen,
you're in God's army. Whether you enlisted for
real or not, you are now. You are in God's army.
You're in the army. I want everybody to. I want
everybody to lock arms with a brother beside
you, whether you know him or not. I want you
to lock in because right here locks in unity.
Right here locks in, I got your back, brother.
I will never leave a fallen comrade behind. If
you have a need, tell your brother, this is it.
You let him know, I've got a problem here. I'm
struggling here. This is where we hold the line.
This is where you hold the light. This is where
you let the enemy know no more. This is where
things are going to change. This is where things
are going to change, folks. So get ready. Get
ready because you're going to walk out a Christian
warrior. You're going to have a new attitude
and your mentality is going to change because
you've been encouraged. and you got your comrade
right behind you. Let's pray. Father, God, Lord,
in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Father, I
pray over each man. I pray over each situation.
I pray, Father, God, Lord, over everything that
has them bound, Father God. I pray, Lord, that
the Holy Ghost, Father, Lord, would infiltrate
their life. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus
that a new change, God, Lord. Father God, I pray,
God Lord, that you would move in a mighty way.
Oh, God, I pray, Father God, Lord, that you would
move, Father God, Lord, and that you would break
chains today, Father. You would move the mountains,
God, and that you would cause, Father Lord, these
men to stand up, to stand up in battle and say,
as for me and my house, we will serve. the Lord.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
God, I love you, Jesus. I love you, Father God,
and I thank you, Jesus. Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Hallelujah. Touch my brothers in the mighty name
of Jesus, God. Raise a standard in them, God.
Lord, let that Christian warrior mentality and
attitude, Lord, be birthed out of them in the
mighty. Mighty, mighty name of Jesus today. Father,
we love you. We thank you. And Lord, I give you
honor today as my commander and my chief. I love
you, Lord, and I thank you, Jesus. In the mighty
name of Jesus, we pray these things, Father God.
Give the Lord a hand clap of praise, God. Thank
you, Father. Yes, Lord.