Hallelujah. The Lord is good. Dancing on the
grave that I once lived in. He'll do it again
and again and again. He'll visit the mess that
we're living in. Cause us to come out of it.
Simon said he put me upon a rock. From where?
Up out of the miry clay. And he put me upon a
rock. And he established my goings. Amen? That
may feel like you've been wallowing in the clay.
You ever feel that way? You ever feel like you're
just kind of trudging through life and you're
just in that miry clay? There's a difference
between mud and miry clay. There is a sucking
phenomenon that accompanies miring clay. Mud,
you can walk through and trudge through the mud.
Miry clay, it just clings. It holds you. You're
stuck. That's miry clay. You can't... I can remember
a few occasions in Arkansas rice fields. That's
a different kind of stuff. It's black mud. you
go to stay up and your foot don't come and you're
on your face in waist -deep water because it's
wrapped around you. That's what the psalmist
is saying. He took me up out of the miry clay,
out of the mess I was in, and he put me on a
rock. I like it. I'm not preaching that today.
That one's free. Turn with me to the book of
Isaiah. Although it could preach, we might mention
it again. You never know. Thank you for being
in the house of the Lord today. I told them Wednesday
night, that big crowd that showed up. With all
this work and stuff that was going on, the original
plan was we were just going to give you the midweek
off, even though we'd already had one or so off,
but we had all this scheduled. not been in here
with the dust and the mess and all that stuff's
going on. I was just going to kindly go around
the midweek service. And then got to thinking,
well, it is the first of the year, and we done
been out one, so let's not lose any more momentum.
And then I said to them, I said, well, it's winter.
A good bunch of them are going to stay at the
house anyway. So we can just go ahead and have
it in the fellowship hall. Well, yeah, just about
there. If everybody would have showed up, eight
or ten regulars had things to do in places we
couldn't be here for the first one thing. It
would have really been full. We still had a 51
or 52, 51, 2, something like that in the fellowship
hall for Brother Randy's class Wednesday night.
And then I told them, I said, I think I'll preach
that last week message again. That six to eight
week rotation, I got some attention. So thank
you for being in the house of the Lord this morning.
Isaiah 43. It's just 1130. So we're in plenty
good time. Amen. Still got a good hour, hour
and a half. We're good. I've got. One little
page. There's not five or six. There's one little
page. And the revelation when it came on the
back of the cook's bill envelope, pest control
bill. That sits beside my chair. And just to
let you know, that's not chat GBT or whatever
that is. That's how it comes to me from time
to time. And so we might reference the envelope.
Isaiah 43 is a very important chapter in what
some would say of the 66 chapters of Isaiah,
which is in itself sort of like a small Bible.
It kind of gets you the scope and the span. But
it's like a turning point. It's a very positive
chapter to a people who are in captivity and
the Lord's speaking to them. Look at verse 11.
I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is
no Savior. I have declared and have saved. and
I have showed when there was no strange God among
you. Therefore you are my witnesses, saith the
Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was,
I am he, and there is none that can deliver out
of my hand. I will work and who shall let it
or who shall stop me or who can hinder me? Can
anybody do anything about it? Thus saith the
Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
for your sake I have sent to Babylon and have
brought down all their nobles and the Chaldeans
whose cry is in the ships. I am the Lord. Your
holy one, the creator of Israel, your king. Thus
saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters, which bringeth
forth the chariot and horse, the army and the
power, they shall lie down together and they
shall not rise. They are extinct. They are quenched
as towel. Focus now. Next two. Remember ye not
the former things, neither consider the things
of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it
shall spring forth. Shall you not know it? I
will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers
in the desert. Behold the new things. That's
our focus for 26. Behold new things. I want you
to look at that background because that's going
to make more sense to you here in just a little
while. I know it looks a little cute, right?
But there's emphasis here. An emphasis that I
did not share, nor did I tell, for the creating
of that background. I didn't do that. I ain't
got enough sense to do that. But I got folks
that can and do. And they sent that for my approval,
and I said, yeah, yeah, that'll work. And you'll
know why shortly. Behold new things. I'll pray
for you if you pray for me. Let's see what the
Spirit says to the church today. Father, I do
love you. So grateful. I am churning on the inside.
Lord, I feel your holy anointing in this house
today. Now, I ask God that you continue to touch
in hearts and minds. Those that are here, we're
not here by accident. We are actually in this
house because of choice. We chose to get up and
to be in your house today. And so here we are.
I pray every heart be open, every ear be tuned
to the voice of the Lord. As your word is already
anointed and been broken for the nourishment
of our bodies and soul and spirit, fill us this
day. Help us this day. In Jesus' name. That's
your sin. Amen. Tell your neighbor it's something
new. Something new. Thus the reason for the transformation
before your eyes. All of this has purpose. It
has meaning. It has emphasis. It challenges us
not to remain in the status quo. It moves us
forward. And for those of you, and I already
heard one testimony, until it was pointed out,
didn't even see it. Need to be a little bit more
aware of our surroundings. Oh, boy, that'll segue
right in. If I wanted to jump like 30 minutes
in, where the Lord said in our text, I do this
new thing, shall you not know it? There's emphasis,
there's motive behind. Some of you have already
known, some of you will be figuring it out, but
I don't even have a pot moved or something shifted
without there's a purpose behind it. There's
purpose, there's reasoning. Amen? It's not all
about that it just looks better, but I think
it does. For me... It just looks like that's
the way it's always supposed to have been. Like
that's part of the puzzle that's been missing.
But when we stop to think about what great things
the Lord has done, that statement in itself is
wonderful, it's powerful, and for those who truly
know God's been good to them, There's a ready
praise that comes up just when you hear that.
What great things he has done. And my mind just
begins to whoo, whoo, whoo. Hallelujah. He has
done great things. Amen? But it's more than a
cliche. That statement for those who understand
that God is on their side, it stirs a very deep
resonance to glorify him. Because he's not just
done great things, he is a great God. We find
ourselves, if we're not very careful, focusing
on what God has done more so than what God is
trying to do in our personal lives, in our familial
lives, on our jobs, in our church. And if we're
so focused on what God has done, There is a danger
of forfeiting all that God is desiring to do
in our life. It is a reminder that God is fully
aware of what's concerning you. See, there's
segue, there's tie to what the Lord shared with
us, had us preach last week. What's concerning
you? He is fully aware, and we, us, you and I,
We must refuse to die in the memory of what was
and focus on what is and what God desires to
be in and through and for our lives. Amen? Say,
well, that's what my testimony is. Yes, but you
don't go back and relive the testimony. You proclaim
the testimony from where you were to where you
are. Because God didn't stop touching you when
he pulled you out of the miry clay. He hasn't
stopped blessing us since he transformed and
turned our lives around. Matter of fact, it's
just got gooder and gooder and gooder and gooder.
Salvation is the basic. Come on now. God doesn't
complete in salvation. He begins. What did the
apostle Paul write? He that hath begun a good
work in you is also able to complete it and to
keep you against the end and all the way to that
day. It was the beginning. It's not the ending.
So many folks are focused on what God has done.
They have failed to remember that that was only
the beginning. It gets better from the moment
of that wonderful transformation. It gets gooder.
and gooder, and gooder, and gooder. Every day
that comes and every day that goes by, the blessings
of the Lord, the redeeming of my lost soul, and
the cleansing and purging of my wretched sin
is the start to everything. We think that's the
fullness of it. No, that's just the beginning
of it. God has so many other new things that
he wants to bring into our life, but you and
I must refuse. To focus on that what was. As
we begin this new year, we do so with this emphasis,
behold new things. And like last week, the first
step toward those new things is that we must
break unbeneficial cycles which hinder our progress
in our faith and the blessings of God upon our
life. And those cycles are broken when faith
stops rehearsing what has been, what God has
done, and begins recognizing what God is doing
in the now, in the moment that he's preparing
for you. your blessed hope, and your blessed
future, understanding that cycles thrive on memory
without revelation. Cycles thrive on memory without
revelation. But I'm here to declare to you today
that God still reveals his will, his way, and
his word to his people. There is a reason that
the Bible says blessed are those who do hunger
and thirst after righteousness for they shall
shall be filled. You must move beyond the memories
of broken cycles and allow the grace of God to
get you to propel forward in your faith and trust
God because God has something new for you. It's
not a rearward faith. It's a forward faith. We
must concentrate on what God is endeavoring to
do in our lives now. Grateful for what he has
done, but what he is desiring to do now. Now
faith, now faith is the substance of things hoped
for, not already come through. Now faith, my
forward faith, begins to break the cycles of
unbeneficial things in my life. When I begin
to see God before me, not just God behind me.
What did the psalmist say? There's nowhere that
I can go. I can descend into the lowest parts
and thou art there. I can ascend to the highest
of the heavens and thou art there. I can look
to the right and thou art there. I can look to
the left and thou art there. I can look forward
and thou art there. I can look in the rear and
thou art there. There's no place that I can.
go and you won't be but glory to God his desire
is to take you from point A to point heaven and
everywhere in between is the goodness and the
manifest grace of God upon your everyday life
and the very moment that we refuse to focus on
the cycles of the past and begin to break them
with forward faith we usher ourselves and position
ourselves to a place where God can open up the
windows of heaven like I talked to you last week
about your giving if you I want God to keep blessing
you. Just keep on giving. Give more. Trust God.
Try God. He said, put me to the test and see
if I won't open up windows in heaven and pour
you out blessings that you cannot contain. And
this is another word. I didn't get on it. I should
have. And he declared that I will rebuke the
devourer for your sake. My God, for some of us,
it's not about getting more. It's about getting
the devourer, that which consumes my resource.
Rebuke. Just think about how much better we would
do with what God's given us if the devil wasn't
eating half of it. Devouring. Well, hallelujah.
I just preached myself happy right there. Forward
faith. God is reminding his people that he understands
he has history with them. And they can testify
about what he has done for them. However, God
instructs them, remember not the former things.
Refuse to allow yesterday to become the ceiling
of your today or your tomorrow. God said, remember
not the former thing. And if you go back from
verse 1 of this 43rd chapter, it's God declaring
himself. I am, I am, I am. I did this for you.
I've done that for you. But he's telling them,
I do not want you to reside in the former. Don't
stay in what I have done for you. I know you're
in captivity, but there's something that's about
to transpire in your captivity, and things are
about to change. And I want you to know I'm the
change agent. I want you to know that I still
understand where you are. I want you to know
that I understand because I have sent to Babylon.
Oh, come on now. He said, I've already sent dispatches.
They have fallen and don't even know it. Hallelujah.
Remember not the former things. Point number
one. Do not step in the trap of what used to
be. Do not step in the trap of what used to be.
Remember not the former things. The problem with
Israel and Judah, it wasn't a bad memory. It
wasn't that they had forgotten God. It's that
they remembered too well. And they wanted to
restrain God to what he had done. They remembered
the Red Sea. God's reminded them of all this.
They remember the Red Sea. That's where they
want to stay. Amen. They remember the manna falling
from heaven. They remember the quail fluttering
around their feet. They remembered a rock following
them through the wilderness and water coming
up out of the rock. It wasn't that they didn't
remember that. It's that that's all they wanted
to know and all that they understood God to be.
And if it wasn't coming out of a rock, it wasn't
God. God wasn't here and manna wasn't falling.
It wasn't remember not the former things is what
God said. God said, yes, I did that, but you
need to put that beside and don't just corner
me in the box of provision because I'm a. A whole
lot more than simply provision. Somebody needs
to understand today I know what God has done.
And it's not that we don't have a memory, but
that we step in the trap. Can I tell you the
devil wants you to be caught in the trap of yesterday's
blessings. He don't want you to understand to
the fullness of the capacity of God's promise
that everything he's declared is for you today.
It's not just he saved you and he's done with
you. No, he saved you and he walks with you.
and he leads you and he guides you. And if he
provided at a Red Sea crossing, if he provided
manna from heaven in the midst of a wilderness,
he wants you to know that he can do even better
than manna. So don't constrain him to the box
of yesteryear. See, let vision, let revelation,
the revealing actions of God be turned loose
into your faith. This is going to be a challenge
to your faith. Because when you get caught in
the trap of yesterday, it's comfortable. Once
you start or stop squiggling trying to get out
of it, the chafe heals and you're comfortable.
But I'm here to tell you the comfort zone is
a dangerous place. You cannot grow comfortable.
Do you realize in some churches, doing what I
did without telling you or asking you, there
would have been mutiny on the bounty? But what
a lot of them don't know is I'm catting blood.
I'll take the bounty. Raise up another flag.
For it's for the goodness and the glory of God.
It's to the edification of the kingdom and the
edification of the body of Christ. I've never
took anything that wasn't desired for me or to
me from a church ever. And I'm not starting now.
Amen. Everything that I do, my modus operandi
is for the glory of God and the edification of
the people in whom he's given me charge over
to serve. I want you to have beautiful things.
Why? Because you are giving and your faithfulness
is before you. And I want you to see it. I want
you to know. I want you to understand. And when
you tell people you need to come to see our church,
look what the Lord is doing at Hopewell. I want
you to see the blessings of God both tangibly
and the unseen. as he pours out from heaven when
the windows open in your life and upon this church.
And it is our challenge to even do more for the
kingdom of God in 26 than we did in 25. We're
going to build more churches. We're going to
allow the ministry of the gospel. It's not for
us to allow. What we are going to do is to help
facilitate the gospel to go around this world.
We're going to give to those who are going and
building. Build where other structures need to
be built. I know there are charlatans in the
church. I know that. I know there's thieves in
shepherd's robes. better sense than to know that
I know that's true but what you need to know
is I'm not one of them hello rest assured of
that I'm not saying and I tell young ministers
that I have to instruct from time to time I say
I do not recognize or recommend for you to apply
my style of leadership A hit may not work for
you. You know. You actually have to have the
backbone to go with it. Which the Lord has happened
to instill me with. Ain't nobody hates the devil
more than your shepherd. I better move on. I
felt that mad thing come up I was talking about
last week. Let's get on point number. We have
to take great care and not only shout about how
he has healed and how he has delivered and how
he has done this or he's done that. God says,
if you can celebrate in what I was, and if that
is all you can celebrate in is what I was, then
you're going to miss what I am. The danger of
nostalgia is that it forfeits the blessings of
today. Nobody loves nostalgia more than I do.
I love the nostalgia feel. I love it. I thrive
on it in my own personal devotions, amen, and
in my own personal worship. But there is a balance
and a blend that must go forward because God
is always. God says this, I am not going to change
my nature, but I am going to change my strategy
for you. I'll always be faithful. I'll always
be loving. I'll always be all that I am. That
will never change. But the strategy that I have
for your life within my. nature and character.
I'm going to reveal myself to you in different
ways. Hallelujah. And my strategy for your faith
is going to be different than it's ever been
before because I've got some new things for you.
Remember not the former things. Don't get stuck
back there. I want to do something great for
you today. I want to do something great for you
tomorrow. I want to usher you into my goodness
and grace every day of your life. Do not pigeonhole
me in the box of yesterday and nostalgia. God
proclaims blessing in your future. Behold. Stop.
Pay attention. Look. Don't just see. I want you
to look. Behold. I will. Not maybe. Not potentially.
Potentially, not possibly. I will do a new thing.
Not a refurbishing. Not a recycling. Not a sequel.
A new thing. Red Sea faith won't get you far
in a wilderness wandering. You've got to have
a faith for the wilderness. A man of faith won't
supply in Canaan. Because when they went in,
the manna stopped. Did it not? They ate the last
of the parched corn. And the manna stopped. And
the quail stopped. And they were flat -footed
in the promise of a land that's flowing with
milk and honey. A new thing. It's a new thing.
God desires to bring it about. And we must allow
our faith. And you've got to know this. The Lord,
Jeremiah 29, 11. For I know the thoughts concerning
you toward you. you, saith the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected
end. that, God knows already what he's got in
store for you. And he just wants you to get to
a place where you can believe him, follow him,
obey him, and trust him so that he can dispatch
it into your life. He won't do it without your
forward faith. He won't do it without your total
100 % obedience and trust in him. This thing
isn't half -hearted and that's what the problem
with much of the religious world today. There
are very few who are totally sold out and committed
to God and loved God above and beyond any and
every other thing in this world. You must understand
the depth of your being when Jesus answered the
accusatory question of the Pharisees, which is
the greatest of the law? They were trying to
really get him where they could crucify him and
put him to death, but he really turned it on
them. He said, this is the crux of the law, that
you should love the Lord your God. God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind. You've got to love him with everything
that's in you. And second unto this is you've
got to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
I'm telling you, we don't love ourselves enough
because if we did, we would truly understand
that we must love God. You've got to love him
more than you love your spouse. You've got to
love him more than you love your children. You've
got to love him more than you love your grandchildren.
You've got to love him more than you love a little
ship that's at your feet or in your lap. You've
got to love him more than Fluffy the feline.
You've got to love him more than the hobby that
brings you the greatest stress relief and pleasure
of your life. You've got to love him more. You've
got to love him more than you love you. And the
only way to do that is to fully understand the
God of the yesterday is declaring in your now
and present that he desires you. You read that
whole 43rd chapter, you'll see that's what God's
telling them about their sin, their iniquity,
and everything that he's done for them. And you
didn't really love me like I loved you. If you
want the new things in your life for 26, you've
got to stop loving some of the stuff you love.
More than you loving him. I'll digress from the
Bed Springs Church of God. I could preach on
Bed Springs Church of God. Or Lazy Boy Bible
Study on Sundays. I could talk about those things,
but... I really want to, but the Lord ain't gonna
let me. Any given Sunday. We should be over 200
people. Over. Over. And that's subtracting those
who are sick and unable or out of town or visiting
to watch a grandchild be baptized. See, I'm good
with that. We should be there. That's not what
I'm talking about. I'm talking about them unexcused
absences. And I only, look, it's not the number.
Are you hearing me? I always want to know the
number. Numbers represent. If God wasn't concerned
about it, there wouldn't be a whole book called
Numbers. He knew how many was in every tribe.
The number represents how many heard and sat
under where the Holy Ghost could move upon their
lives. I am somewhat fully convinced that a lot
of what happens in our lives, we wouldn't be
so dramatic about it if we were in getting filled
up consistently. We would know that it is an
attack from hell and that the devil is a lie
and greater is he that's actually in us. prophesy
in your future. I'm going to do a new thing.
Third, we got one more after this. Don't dismiss
small beginnings. Behold, I will do a new thing.
Now, we've talked about now a little bit already.
It shall spring forth. Now, you and I, when you
think of spring, you think of boing. The word
is chodesh in Hebrew. It doesn't mean boing.
Does it mean explosive action? It means a sprouting.
You see it? It means a sprouting. It means an
emerging. It means a breaking forth. The Lord
said, I'm going to do something new. It's not
going to be a Red Sea. It's not going to be a
rock following you around with millions of gallons
of water. This thing's going to ease up. But
it's working. John's Gospel, I think chapter
12, Jesus began to give them a parable about
it. Unless a corn, a kernel corn of wheat falls
into the ground and dies. I want to read it.
I don't want to miss it. I can't remember it
all. Verily, verily. That's like a behold. That's
like a Isaiah. Behold! the corn of wheat fall
into the ground and die and abideth alone but
first die it bringeth forth much fruit I don't
know what's about to spring up inside of you
because I know there's some stuff dying. There's
some stuff dying. That's the struggle you feel.
That's the wrestling that you've been going through.
God's getting ready to do some new stuff in you
and you're uncomfortable about some stuff that
you feel like dying out. There's some old interests
that don't appear to interest you as much as
they used to. Why? Because you see, when the
kernel goes in the ground, the light, sun, shine,
rays warm up the soil. And while it's warming
up, that old kernel begins to get moistened up.
My God, when the light of glory begins to shine
and illuminate, and you're dark, covered up places
of life, and you're in the miry mess, and yet
you're dying. out to what's going on around you.
God is stirring. The Holy Ghost is drawing. He's
convicting you away from sinful pleasures and
things that are not beneficial, and you're dying.
My God, 26 is the year that it's going to spring
forth. The Lord desires. It is His will to cause
it to break forth. It's got to be groundbreaking.
Where are my gardeners in the room? Where are
you at? Raise your hand. Proud of it. Doesn't
matter if it really works good or not, but you
grow it. Try to. Were you like me? I'd go. I
knew it was going to take longer than it did,
but I'd go out there every morning after I put
that in the ground. Every morning, early. I'm
looking for it. You know what I'm saying? That
one right there? No, it's just a weed. That's
got three little leaves, not two. Two's corn.
I know that much. So I go out there every morning
looking. Because I know something's going on
under the dirt. Something's going on down there.
There's a transformation going on. You know you
ain't nothing but a clump of dirt. Shall we go
back to Genesis 1? He took the dust of the earth
and he made him a good mud ball. But he didn't
just leave it dirt. He breathed into that creature's
nostrils. And according to the word of God, it
became a living soul. He ruach. He instilled
life inside it. And that dirt come up from there.
I love that illustration. The scientists are
saying they can now create life. And they approach
God and say, God, we now have the knowledge and
the understanding of how to create life. And
God says, okay, make me one. And they begin to
gather up their own dirt. God says, time out.
Get your own dirt. When you make dirt, talk to
me about making a man. Light begins to shine.
The sun rays begin to warm the moistened soil,
and that which has been put in must die even
further. The parchment's breaking out because
of the seed. Inside the seed kernel begins to
sprout forth because life is coming forth. And
when it comes forth, it'll bring much more fruit.
That breaking up, you feeling on the inside?
I hope and I'm praying that you're so uncomfortable
with yesteryear's celebrations and blessings
that there is an anguish starting inside your
soul. Your inconsistency in your worship and
with your worship and your prayer. Those inconsistencies,
I'm praying, Lord, let it die in them. Let it
die in them. because if it doesn't die alone,
it can't come forth. So some of that stuff that
you feel like is being cut away out of your life,
God's trying to kill some of that stuff so that
new things he can do for you in your heart and
in your life. What's dying in you? God says,
shall you not know it? Is this going to catch
you so by surprise that you don't even realize
what I'm trying to do in your life? I need to
clarify some things this morning. God is good.
Diablo is bad. How deep was that? I think I have
to really simplify. For those of you, that's
the devil. Diablo. Well, that was awful sarcastic,
Pastor. I meant for it to be. Because I wanted
the statement to land with the shock of a sledgehammer.
Because it seems as though in Christendom we've
forgotten that. That. The devil's just simply
out to kill, steal, and destroy. So if that is
trying to be done in your life, you hear me,
child of God, that ain't God. Pardon the grammar,
but it's still true. I know the thought. Was
that Jeremiah 29, 11 we just read a while ago?
For I know the thoughts that I have towards you,
saith God. What was that next part? Good and
not evil? Look here. Look right here. If it's
evil, it ain't God. So quit blaming it on God.
Get your head up. Take the authority that has
been given unto you. Me? Yes, you. He has given
it unto you. Let me quote it one more time. Greater
is he that is in you than he that is in this
world. Start releasing some of that that's in
you and quit complaining. I saw a little meme.
I started to copy and see where we could put
it up here. It's in front of the desert, dry,
and the little sign said, there's no whining
in the wilderness. I thought, that's good right
there. You need to know that God hadn't left
you. He didn't stop at the border of the wilderness
and say, I'll pick you up on the other side.
That's not what he said. That's not what he does.
The very moment your foot hits solely in the
wilderness and the desert, he's standing right
beside you. Matter of fact, he's going before
you. He'll never, ever leave you or forsake you.
So would you please? Let's let 26 be the year
of I'm a believer. Yes, I am. That just popped
in my head. And now that rhythm of that's in
my head. I mean, wouldn't it be, wouldn't it
be a sight to see people truly know when the
devil's trying to destroy them and God's trying
to bless them and stand in the authority that's
been given to each of us. By Christ who is in
you. It's not you. It's not me. It's Christ in
us. Paul says which is the hope of glory. That's
the reason he would declare further. He's going
to do, I have not seen, ear have not heard, neither
has it entered into the heart of man what God
has in store and what he has laid up for those
who love him. Do you see the importance of you've
got to love him before you love yourself, before
you love your spouse, before you love your children?
And trust me, I've got five of them others. I
know what it means to love grandchildren. But
granny, grandpa, what greater love than you can
drag their hide into church, make them sit down,
behave the best you can, You can't. And demonstrate
for them, first of all, honey, you've got to
love God first. Shall you not know it? Is this
going to happen to you and you not even realize
it? It won't happen to me because I'm up every
morning. I'm going out looking. And I stood down
that row, and the morning when they all started
coming up, I said, there it is. Why? Because
it's weeds going like this. That was my row.
I said, there ain't no weeds can grow like that.
That's my row. Hello? It's kind of indistinguishable.
Sometimes those plants, green beans, stuff like
that, a little bit indistinguishable until they
grow up. Unless you're Brother George and you
know it on sight at 50 yards. That's okra. At
this tall. I had to go look. Was that green beans
or that grass? What is this coming up here? Then
when I could see. Brother Ron wouldn't come lay
my rose. I'd say, yeah, that's my stuff right
there. It didn't come on me by surprise. I was
out there every day looking for it. So that little
bitty plant right there means a lot to you or
should. I'd take that bulletin and put it on
my refrigerator. And every morning I'd look at
that when I opened that door and say, what's
new today, Lord? What's breaking up today? I'm
dying daily. Shall you not know it? Number four,
if all seems lost, don't give up now. Don't quit
now. God says, I will. Not maybe, not possibly,
not a suggestion, not potentially. He said, I
will. I'll make a way in the wilderness. Rivers
in the desert. You've got to know that all things
are possible to those who believe. How can you
say that, Pastor? Because with God, nothing shall
be impossible. Nothing. What's that mean? That's
like all. What does all mean? Well, all. What
does nothing mean? Well, that. Nothing. There's
no exception. No exception. What are you dying
out to today? What's going on? What wilderness
do you feel like you're wandering through? He
said, I'm going to make a highway right there.
That's not a Gavin Newsom high -speed rail. I
could not resist that. That was just too easy.
That just popped right in there. Yeah, we're
not spending billions and not even have the station
built. God said, I will. Like a highway there.
How many lanes you need? Atlanta needs at least
two more and 20 more years of construction. I
need a way. Don't you? I love what the Lord said.
He didn't say, I'm going to cut you a path. He
said, I'm going to make a highway down there.
Where there are no obstructions for you as you
journey through. And when that highway's going
through the desert, don't worry about being thirsty.
I'm going to put you a river over there. You
know what the psalmist said about that tree,
don't you, that's planted by the river? We sing
it. I shall not be, oh, I shall not be moved.
Oh, I shall not be, oh, I shall not be moved.
Like a tree planted by the waters. No, I shall
not be moved. Instead of singing this verse.
Well, that preacher wore that striped shirt he
knew I did not like. I wish I had stayed at home
for gun smoke zone tonight. I'll sit right here
and tend to those around me. Oh, I shall not
be moved. Oh, I shall not be, oh, I shall not
be moved. Oh, I shall not be moved. Though the
spirit moves again. Oh, I shall not be moved.
I don't want to be that. There's a couple more
verses and I'll digress. One talks about, and
when they pass the offering plate, I'll act like
I don't see. So you say, I'm going to go on.
I won't even do that. What's dying in you so
that new things can break forth? It's going to
have to break. You hear me? got a break for it.
I looked at some of those plants as they were
trying to get some of them were still kind of
like bent over and the little leaf hadn't got
up yet and the little stem was trying to grow
up high enough to pull it free. Are you getting
this? And the little green leaves were still
kind of under and you have to resist. So you
can see your leaves. You have to resist it. You've
got to let it break forth. That's like when you
see the little moth or butterfly trying to come
out of the cocoon. Resist everything that's in
you to help tear it. Because that tearing, that
pushing away. Because it's strength. My God.
See, what's dying in you and God is trying to
spring forth new. It's pushing away the hindrance.
And you get strong because you've got a forward
faith now. I can see ahead. I can see forward.
And what I thought was trying to kill me, I was
just simply dying out to. Because I am refusing
to be held by the nostalgia of the past blessings.
Remember not the former things. Behold. Stop.
Look. Take notice. I want to do something different
in you. What's that mean, Pastor? It means the
way you've been doing it needs to be done different.
Needs to be done different. God wants to do something
else in you. Stand with me. I'm going to shut
her down right here. Faith. Overcomes the status
quo. Remember, status quo is the same old same
old. It just is. Some of you have to make a decision
to die to some of those things. Whatever it is
that's trying to hold you, you've got to let
it go. You've got to spring up past. And you'll
do that with strength in his grace. What does
the Bible say? Let the weak say, I am strong.
Let the weak say, I am strong. We used to sing,
of course, it's a new season. It's a new day.
You better play it, whatever they're going to
sing. Don't drive. Coming my way. It's a season
of power and prosperity. It's a new season coming
for me. Let's sing it. I want you to just close
your eyes and think about the Lord and what he's
trying to speak into your heart today. It's a
new day. Fresh anointing is flowing my way. Season
of power. It's a season of power and prosperity.
That one too. It's a new season coming to me.
What's dying in you? What's dying in you? If
there's an internal wrestling match that's been
going on with you and you've not understood,
we're going to get to the envelope probably next
week. The theme of new things is all in the Scripture,
and we're going to look at some of those. But
today it's important what's dying out, that old
self, some of that old nature, some unbelief.
some inconsistency in whatever way, shape, form,
or fashion. How many of you feel some of that
stuff going on inside you? Come on down here
with me. The rest of you, how many want a new
day? You want something fresh from the Lord.
You don't want to leave anything. You don't want
to forfeit any goodness that God has for you
in your life. If that's you, why don't you just
come and let's just stand in these altars today.
I don't want to lose out on anything that God
has.