WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.720 We're gonna get into the word now. I just had 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.519 to share those wonderful things and gonna be 00:00:06.519 --> 00:00:10.820 reading just one familiar. I don't always get 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:13.599 to read a familiar verse. Sometimes I have to 00:00:13.599 --> 00:00:16.640 do a lot of explaining, but this is a familiar 00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:23.859 verse. It's found in Psalm 34, verse one. One 00:00:23.859 --> 00:00:27.780 that is quoted often, but I pray that... As this 00:00:27.780 --> 00:00:32.000 message is preached, we will gain a new understanding, 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:35.539 appreciation, and application for our lives. 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:40.399 Because I believe it holds a very profound mystery 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:46.719 and principle for the believer. It is the psalmist 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:51.679 David who writes, I will bless the Lord at all 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:56.039 times. I'm going to say at all times. His praise. 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:04.379 shall continually be in my mouth. Somebody say 00:01:04.379 --> 00:01:07.579 amen. I'm going to preach today on this very 00:01:07.579 --> 00:01:15.760 thought at all times. At all times. Join with 00:01:15.760 --> 00:01:17.680 me in prayer right now. Father, we love you. 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:21.359 We thank you for your spirit that is so evident 00:01:21.359 --> 00:01:25.510 in this place. But we know, God, that... As the 00:01:25.510 --> 00:01:27.730 word is being preached, the enemy wants to do 00:01:27.730 --> 00:01:32.069 everything he can to distract, to rob, to hinder 00:01:32.069 --> 00:01:34.689 someone from their blessing, from the word. But 00:01:34.689 --> 00:01:40.230 today, God, we bind and we come against every 00:01:40.230 --> 00:01:45.049 foul and contrary spirit to the spirit of God. 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:49.480 And we bind it in Jesus' name and we loose revelation. 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:52.659 We loose freedom because where the spirit of 00:01:52.659 --> 00:01:55.680 the Lord is, there is liberty, God. And I pray 00:01:55.680 --> 00:01:58.780 for a greater liberty to permeate and fill this 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:01.560 place, God. And let your word go forth with power, 00:02:01.819 --> 00:02:05.200 God. Anoint these lips of clay. Put your word 00:02:05.200 --> 00:02:08.460 in my heart, God. And do a work among us. Confirm 00:02:08.460 --> 00:02:11.610 this. with accompanying signs. We give you glory. 00:02:11.729 --> 00:02:15.710 In Jesus' name we pray. Everyone say amen. You 00:02:15.710 --> 00:02:18.270 may be seated in the presence of God. David is 00:02:18.270 --> 00:02:22.189 arguably one of the most prolific worshipers 00:02:22.189 --> 00:02:25.289 and warriors in the Bible, a man whose gift of 00:02:25.289 --> 00:02:27.830 music and courage and battle made him a legend, 00:02:27.909 --> 00:02:34.870 both in the religious and secular worlds. This 00:02:34.870 --> 00:02:39.259 summer, I had... the privilege to check off one 00:02:39.259 --> 00:02:41.900 of my bucket list items. I don't know if you 00:02:41.900 --> 00:02:44.680 have a bucket list of things that you would like 00:02:44.680 --> 00:02:48.060 to do or places you'd like to visit in your lifetime, 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.340 but I was able to check one of those things off 00:02:51.340 --> 00:02:54.560 this summer when I got to see up close and personal 00:02:54.560 --> 00:03:01.039 Michelangelo's statue of David in person. And 00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:05.139 doing so was kind of a dream come true, just 00:03:05.139 --> 00:03:11.219 being a I guess, a casual student of art and 00:03:11.219 --> 00:03:14.060 history and the Renaissance period. And so to 00:03:14.060 --> 00:03:16.819 be able to see the various sculptures, not just 00:03:16.819 --> 00:03:18.560 the one of David, but the various sculptures 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.759 and paintings was a delight. But this one was 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:27.439 breathtaking and inspiring for all the reasons 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:31.120 that the world has come to know. And while this 00:03:31.120 --> 00:03:35.719 statue is regarded as a perfect masterpiece by 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:40.259 many, Art enthusiasts, both expert and casual 00:03:40.259 --> 00:03:45.139 like, the life that inspired it was anything 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:49.840 but perfect. David's spiritual sculpting was 00:03:49.840 --> 00:03:55.960 more painful than the marble version that we 00:03:55.960 --> 00:04:01.520 see reflected today. His life was not as perfectly 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:08.460 polished and sculpted. Even the way that we, 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:12.719 the church, tend to talk about men like him and 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:16.620 other characters in Scripture, tend to put them 00:04:16.620 --> 00:04:21.560 on pedestals, tend to enshrine them, idolize 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:26.980 them even for their iconic feats throughout Scripture 00:04:26.980 --> 00:04:30.879 and the highlight real moments of their life. 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:36.319 Well, there's more to the story than that. without 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:39.379 belaboring this point too much, is a complicated 00:04:39.379 --> 00:04:43.519 person, really. It's a complicated figure. For 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:47.279 every highlight, for every shining or crowning 00:04:47.279 --> 00:04:51.220 moment in his life, you could parallel that with 00:04:51.220 --> 00:04:55.579 a less crowning moment, if I'm just going to 00:04:55.579 --> 00:05:00.180 be very kind about it, but with a dark and painful 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:06.819 and regretful moment in his life. quoted Psalms 00:05:06.819 --> 00:05:13.639 such as Psalm 3 and Psalm 22, Psalm 51 were not 00:05:13.639 --> 00:05:17.759 pinned on the pinnacle of success but in the 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:22.339 basement of affliction and failure. Not in the 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:26.120 courts of the palace but in the caves of the 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:31.560 wilderness. And this was the case in Psalm 34 00:05:31.560 --> 00:05:38.449 which is usually Not in its original context, 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:44.370 but just quoted in isolation. It is a verse that 00:05:44.370 --> 00:05:48.250 we have, if you've spent any number of time in 00:05:48.250 --> 00:05:50.629 church, attended a few services, if you've got 00:05:50.629 --> 00:05:53.009 a few apostolic services under your belt, amen, 00:05:53.269 --> 00:05:58.149 then you have heard this verse quoted. If you 00:05:58.149 --> 00:06:01.949 could put it back up. You've heard this uttered 00:06:01.949 --> 00:06:04.600 from... this pulpit many times and from other 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:08.180 pulpits, from worship leaders and psalmists and 00:06:08.180 --> 00:06:11.680 singers that we are to bless the Lord at all 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.540 times, right? And His praise shall continually 00:06:14.540 --> 00:06:18.300 be in our mouth. And I think one of the reasons 00:06:18.300 --> 00:06:20.519 why we like it so much is because it just cuts 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.860 straight to the point. You know, it just gets 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:26.459 right to the heart of the matter. We need to 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:28.720 praise God and we need to do it all the time. 00:06:29.160 --> 00:06:34.800 And so no wonder it's become... such a quotable 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.000 scripture for us, and it evokes such a joyful 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:43.560 response, and also it has become a bit cliche, 00:06:43.660 --> 00:06:47.439 something that rolls off the tongue without much 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:52.480 consideration for what it really means, and certainly 00:06:52.480 --> 00:06:56.699 from the place that it was written from. Despite 00:06:56.699 --> 00:07:00.459 its upbeat nature, this One Psalm and the rest 00:07:00.459 --> 00:07:07.019 of the verses that come after verse 1. All of 00:07:07.019 --> 00:07:10.180 these verses, despite their upbeat nature, was 00:07:10.180 --> 00:07:14.339 written in the aftermath of one of David's most 00:07:14.339 --> 00:07:20.220 disgraceful moments of his life. So I want you 00:07:20.220 --> 00:07:23.800 for a few moments, look at the background of 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:27.779 Psalm 34. And if God will allow, I may circle 00:07:27.779 --> 00:07:31.060 back to this psalm in a few weeks and preach 00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:34.319 a little more about what David writes because 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:37.560 there are just some layered and textured and 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:41.939 powerful things that he writes from such a raw 00:07:41.939 --> 00:07:46.860 place in his life. Behind Psalm 34 lies a disturbing 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:52.019 scene of terror and shame. One that you can read 00:07:52.019 --> 00:07:57.439 about in 1 Samuel 21. 1 Samuel chapter 21 is 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:03.319 the background story to Psalm 34. David wrote 00:08:03.319 --> 00:08:08.240 Psalm 34 in the aftermath of what he experienced 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:15.699 in 1 Samuel 21. So it's imperative for us to 00:08:15.699 --> 00:08:19.699 understand where he's coming from. And in 1 Samuel 00:08:19.699 --> 00:08:25.889 21, we find a desperate David. On the run from 00:08:25.889 --> 00:08:31.449 Saul, King Saul, and unwisely entering the hostile 00:08:31.449 --> 00:08:37.429 Philistine city of Gath. He's on the run. He's 00:08:37.429 --> 00:08:42.649 a fugitive. He's a marked man, David is, because 00:08:42.649 --> 00:08:47.370 King Saul is filled with rage and jealousy over 00:08:47.370 --> 00:08:51.149 the next best thing, which was David, the one 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:54.559 that God had anointed. to succeed the throne 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.980 of Israel. And now Saul is, he's on a rampage. 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.679 And he wants to find David and kill him. So David 00:09:02.679 --> 00:09:04.779 is forced to flee his homeland. And in doing 00:09:04.779 --> 00:09:09.340 so, he begins to act a little undavid -like. 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:14.120 He begins to act a little rash. His flesh gets 00:09:14.120 --> 00:09:18.700 the best of him. So he goes into enemy territory. 00:09:18.899 --> 00:09:21.779 He must have been desperate. to go into Philistine 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:26.000 territory, the city of Gath. The reason why he 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.659 must have been desperate was because Gath was 00:09:28.659 --> 00:09:31.519 a significant city in that it was the hometown 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:38.279 of Goliath. Gath was where Goliath was born and 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:42.740 raised. That was his hometown. And of all the 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:46.620 places that David, on the run, could have sought 00:09:46.620 --> 00:09:53.440 asylum, he goes into The town whose champion 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:59.440 he beheaded. He could not have picked a worse 00:09:59.440 --> 00:10:03.580 place to find refuge. But that's how desperate 00:10:03.580 --> 00:10:09.419 he was. He goes into Gath and he's looking for 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:12.639 something, some sort of refuge. But when he gets 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:15.879 there, he finds that, of course, his reputation 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:19.850 had preceded him. As he enters this area as the 00:10:19.850 --> 00:10:24.049 reputation of a giant slayer. Not only that, 00:10:24.230 --> 00:10:27.830 but the parallel story, the corresponding story 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:33.029 in 1 Samuel 21 tells us that he was also carrying 00:10:33.029 --> 00:10:40.049 the very sword of Goliath. He happened upon the 00:10:40.049 --> 00:10:42.509 sword of Goliath in that desperate moment on 00:10:42.509 --> 00:10:45.789 the run. He carries it with him. So picture this, 00:10:45.850 --> 00:10:49.340 if you will. David's on the run from Saul, already 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:52.779 a fugitive. He goes into the homeland, whom's 00:10:52.779 --> 00:10:55.960 champion he beheaded, and he's got his sword. 00:10:57.779 --> 00:11:02.600 Strike three, buddy. Could not get any worse. 00:11:02.639 --> 00:11:06.980 Talk about a risky move that David was making. 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:12.120 He was skating on the thinnest of ice as he goes 00:11:12.120 --> 00:11:14.980 into Gath. You see. Something I want to alert 00:11:14.980 --> 00:11:17.600 you to this afternoon, if I can preach this like 00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:20.799 I want to, somebody say, go ahead. That sometimes 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:24.659 life will bring you face to face with your past 00:11:24.659 --> 00:11:29.840 battles. But this time, the fight is different. 00:11:30.740 --> 00:11:33.740 It's not going to be like the last time David 00:11:33.740 --> 00:11:37.799 fought Goliath. Of course, we know that legendary 00:11:37.799 --> 00:11:40.700 story of how he took the stone, right? And he 00:11:40.700 --> 00:11:43.350 charged towards Goliath and he... Struck him 00:11:43.350 --> 00:11:46.090 with the stone, with the sling. What a powerful 00:11:46.090 --> 00:11:49.789 display of God's power. What a dramatic scene 00:11:49.789 --> 00:11:53.389 that was for David. And of course, it catapulted 00:11:53.389 --> 00:11:56.330 him to the highest of heights in his homeland. 00:11:56.549 --> 00:11:59.330 Made him a hero overnight. Overnight success. 00:12:00.230 --> 00:12:02.870 But you know, life isn't always going to be like 00:12:02.870 --> 00:12:07.029 that. I said, life's not always going to be like 00:12:07.029 --> 00:12:11.299 that. Your enemy's not always going to be. 12 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:14.940 feet tall or however tall Goliath was with all 00:12:14.940 --> 00:12:16.759 of his armor. It's not always going to be that 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:20.419 dramatic. And David was about to find out that 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:23.220 truth for himself. That the fight was going to 00:12:23.220 --> 00:12:27.240 be different. The enemy isn't a giant this time 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:31.179 in front of you. But David realized it's the 00:12:31.179 --> 00:12:37.860 fear within you. It's the fear that can rage 00:12:37.860 --> 00:12:41.360 within you. The battle. It's not with Goliath. 00:12:42.080 --> 00:12:44.080 But I want to tell somebody today, I want to 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.659 help somebody if I can. I want to preach to somebody 00:12:46.659 --> 00:12:49.019 about praise. You got to understand where David 00:12:49.019 --> 00:12:51.659 is writing this from. The battle is not always 00:12:51.659 --> 00:12:54.360 Goliath standing in front of you. It's not always 00:12:54.360 --> 00:12:57.820 a battle with Goliath. But sometimes it's a battle 00:12:57.820 --> 00:13:02.179 with yourself. Amen, somebody. I said amen, somebody. 00:13:03.080 --> 00:13:07.600 It's a battle with your own mind. Your own insecurities. 00:13:08.039 --> 00:13:12.120 Your own... perceived fears, your own doubts, 00:13:12.259 --> 00:13:14.679 and your own suspicions. It's a battle with your 00:13:14.679 --> 00:13:19.399 own flesh. And I've come to realize that many 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:24.000 saints are engaged in the wrong battle. They 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:26.620 think that their battle is to fight Goliath or, 00:13:26.779 --> 00:13:29.639 to put it in today's terms, to go toe -to -toe 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:31.779 with the devil every day. I got news for you. 00:13:31.879 --> 00:13:35.580 The devil is not omnipresent. He cannot be fighting 00:13:35.580 --> 00:13:37.720 you every single day of your life because he 00:13:37.720 --> 00:13:42.860 can only be in one place at one time. So he's 00:13:42.860 --> 00:13:45.000 got to pick his battles wisely and he's got to, 00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:47.740 you know, fight here and fight there more often 00:13:47.740 --> 00:13:50.440 than not. The thing that we are battling most 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:54.000 in our life is not a 12 -foot devil in our life 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.879 or a giant. It's the fear and the doubt and the 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:01.100 insecurities and the flesh and the deceptions 00:14:01.100 --> 00:14:03.840 and all these things that can come against us 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:09.519 in our own minds. Cornered by his fears and out 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.019 of options, David was reduced. Watch this now. 00:14:13.139 --> 00:14:15.419 You read it. Again, your homework. Everyone's 00:14:15.419 --> 00:14:17.019 got homework today. You've got to go back and 00:14:17.019 --> 00:14:21.779 read. So that you can match with this message 00:14:21.779 --> 00:14:26.539 in Psalm 34. Go back and read 1 Samuel 21. Because 00:14:26.539 --> 00:14:32.279 there you will see that the giant slayer, the 00:14:32.279 --> 00:14:38.399 kid who became a king, the anointed one, who 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:42.100 also killed lions and bears with his bare hands. 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:44.980 I mean, he was a, even though he was young, he 00:14:44.980 --> 00:14:49.649 was a man's man. This guy, who had done all these 00:14:49.649 --> 00:14:54.309 things, you read in 1 Samuel 21, this same David 00:14:54.309 --> 00:15:00.549 was reduced to scratching on doors and drooling 00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:06.929 on his beard in a sad attempt to spare his life 00:15:06.929 --> 00:15:13.429 from death. The same guy who charged Goliath 00:15:13.429 --> 00:15:18.259 with a sling and a stone, now, is foaming at 00:15:18.259 --> 00:15:21.320 the mouth, scratching on doors, pretending to 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:28.200 be crazy so that he can avoid being killed by 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:32.759 his enemies. It's almost like we're talking about 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:35.960 two different people, right? Amen, somebody. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:38.340 It's almost like we're talking about two. I mean, 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.399 wait a minute. Is this the same David? I got 00:15:40.399 --> 00:15:42.139 to go back to that passage where he killed God. 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:46.710 It can't be the same David. But in reality, we're 00:15:46.710 --> 00:15:48.929 talking about the same person. How many of you 00:15:48.929 --> 00:15:51.470 know you can be the same person but from one 00:15:51.470 --> 00:15:56.789 day to the next? Hmm. Depending on what the situation 00:15:56.789 --> 00:15:59.090 is, depending on what the problem is, depending 00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:01.149 on what's coming against you, depending on what 00:16:01.149 --> 00:16:03.970 was said, depending on where you are, an emotional 00:16:03.970 --> 00:16:06.269 state that you're in, a mental state that you're 00:16:06.269 --> 00:16:08.649 in, you can go from one moment to the next and 00:16:08.649 --> 00:16:11.769 find yourself just like David. Here is the reality. 00:16:11.870 --> 00:16:15.779 Church folks are not so different. You know why? 00:16:15.940 --> 00:16:19.960 Someone say why. Because it's easier to pretend 00:16:19.960 --> 00:16:23.220 to be somebody you're not than to face the war. 00:16:25.799 --> 00:16:28.179 I'm going to just make this plain and simple 00:16:28.179 --> 00:16:31.759 for you. It was easier for David to pretend not 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:35.100 to be the king that he was and to be a madman 00:16:35.100 --> 00:16:38.820 than it was to face the truth about where he 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:45.960 was and who he was. It's easier to pretend like 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:49.480 you have it all together than to admit you got 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:52.980 problems in your life. Hello, somebody. I said, 00:16:53.000 --> 00:16:58.519 hello, somebody. It's easier to pretend to be 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:03.379 somebody else, to put up a front, to act holy 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:07.880 rather than to face your issues. It's easier 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:13.319 to act ignorant. than to be responsible for what 00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:17.059 you know. It's going to get quiet here now. Hallelujah. 00:17:17.559 --> 00:17:23.140 It's easier to act strong rather than to admit 00:17:23.140 --> 00:17:30.319 your weakness. And while today there might not 00:17:30.319 --> 00:17:34.599 be anybody scratching on doors, drooling, I don't 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:36.059 see anybody drooling on your mouth today unless 00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:40.079 you're hungry, praise God. Nobody's... drooling 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:43.160 on their mouth today? You say, pastor, I'm not 00:17:43.160 --> 00:17:45.819 that extreme. Yeah, but have you been acting 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:50.900 less than who you really are? Have you been pretending? 00:17:50.980 --> 00:17:53.579 Have you been putting up a front? Have you been 00:17:53.579 --> 00:17:56.559 acting in a way that is less than the revelation 00:17:56.559 --> 00:18:00.609 that God has given you about your life? About 00:18:00.609 --> 00:18:03.549 what you're called to do. I've come today to 00:18:03.549 --> 00:18:06.589 help somebody. To tell you that you are greater 00:18:06.589 --> 00:18:09.190 than that. That greater is he that is in you 00:18:09.190 --> 00:18:11.490 than he that is in the world. I've come to tell 00:18:11.490 --> 00:18:14.450 you that that is not God's will for your life. 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:20.950 Hallelujah. But it's easier for us to act a certain 00:18:20.950 --> 00:18:25.369 way. To get us out of something. To get us to 00:18:25.369 --> 00:18:28.440 deliver ourselves. from whatever it is that is 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:31.140 vexing us, that is troubling us. David pretended 00:18:31.140 --> 00:18:35.279 to be less than the man that he was. And so this 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:39.000 is the very place in his life where he decided 00:18:39.000 --> 00:18:45.079 something has to change. He had a wake -up call. 00:18:45.839 --> 00:18:48.440 David realized, I can't keep going through my 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:52.460 life pretending to be somebody I'm not. You know, 00:18:52.480 --> 00:18:55.289 that's real misery. Real misery is not being 00:18:55.289 --> 00:18:59.750 in misery. Real misery is being, it's pretending 00:18:59.750 --> 00:19:03.309 that you're not in misery when you are. Real 00:19:03.309 --> 00:19:06.799 misery is living a lie. My God, I'm going to 00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:10.680 help somebody. Real misery is living a falsehood. 00:19:10.740 --> 00:19:14.420 Real misery is projecting one thing but living 00:19:14.420 --> 00:19:20.200 another. Real misery is having to project something 00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.319 to people or to play the part and yet be broken 00:19:23.319 --> 00:19:26.700 or hurting or defeated on the inside. And so 00:19:26.700 --> 00:19:29.259 David realized in this moment of his life that 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:32.720 I cannot spend another day. I cannot allow myself 00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:36.440 to degrade myself again. I can't allow myself 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:40.779 to fall, pray, and be a prisoner of the situation 00:19:40.779 --> 00:19:44.299 again. I cannot allow myself to fall into that 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:47.680 dark place again where I start acting less than 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:51.319 who I am in God. I cannot allow my mind to creep 00:19:51.319 --> 00:19:54.079 back to that place again. I cannot allow myself 00:19:54.079 --> 00:19:57.640 to forget who I am and how good God has been 00:19:57.640 --> 00:20:01.359 in my life. I cannot allow myself to ever regress 00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:04.279 into a place of depression and fear and anxiety. 00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:07.700 and panic attacks and allow the enemy to run 00:20:07.700 --> 00:20:11.420 roughshod in my life. I cannot allow myself to 00:20:11.420 --> 00:20:14.019 just live any old kind of way. I cannot allow 00:20:14.019 --> 00:20:18.079 myself to succumb to my fears and to cower at 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.559 the hand of the enemy. I cannot allow myself 00:20:20.559 --> 00:20:24.200 to go through my life not living in total victory. 00:20:24.420 --> 00:20:27.460 And so David comes into a cave and begins to 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:30.799 write down Psalm 34, and he begins this psalm 00:20:30.799 --> 00:20:33.700 by saying, From now on, I'm... I'm going to bless 00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:38.400 the Lord at all times. I'm going to bless the 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:41.650 Lord at all times. David had a reckoning with 00:20:41.650 --> 00:20:45.130 himself. David had a self -realization. He had 00:20:45.130 --> 00:20:48.490 an epiphany. He had an aha moment. And he realized 00:20:48.490 --> 00:20:51.269 that if I'm going to walk in my destiny, if I'm 00:20:51.269 --> 00:20:53.529 going to be the king that God has called me to 00:20:53.529 --> 00:20:56.329 be, then I've got to make up in my mind that 00:20:56.329 --> 00:20:59.650 come hell or high water, that come raging storms, 00:20:59.829 --> 00:21:02.730 that come problems and tribulation, I'm going 00:21:02.730 --> 00:21:06.170 to bless the Lord at all times. Hey, I've come 00:21:06.170 --> 00:21:08.609 to tell somebody. here today, you got to make 00:21:08.609 --> 00:21:11.710 up in your mind today, I will bless the Lord 00:21:11.710 --> 00:21:15.750 at all times. And his praises, come on, somebody 00:21:15.750 --> 00:21:18.549 ought to bless him today, shall continually be 00:21:18.549 --> 00:21:21.849 in my mouth. Why don't you take about 30 seconds 00:21:21.849 --> 00:21:28.250 right now and just give God glory. Somebody magnify 00:21:28.250 --> 00:21:32.509 the Lord. Somebody bless his name. I've got to 00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:37.240 make up in my mind. my problem. I got a makeup 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:40.720 in my mind that I will bless the Lord at all 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:45.880 times. And this is exactly where David found 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:48.480 himself. And I'm going to give you very briefly, 00:21:48.539 --> 00:21:50.539 just quickly. I don't have much time. But I'm 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:54.740 going to give you just some three brief declarations 00:21:54.740 --> 00:21:57.079 that will change your life. And we get these 00:21:57.079 --> 00:21:59.859 from David. David inspired these three declarations. 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:05.039 And the first one is, I will not, I feel. Oh, 00:22:05.119 --> 00:22:08.019 I got to say that again. If you weren't on board 00:22:08.019 --> 00:22:09.779 with this message, now is your time to get on 00:22:09.779 --> 00:22:13.119 the train, friend. I will not. Someone say, I 00:22:13.119 --> 00:22:17.779 will. Come on, shout I will. Say not I will. 00:22:17.769 --> 00:22:21.130 I feel. David did not write that psalm and he 00:22:21.130 --> 00:22:24.910 did not say, I feel. So bless the Lord. No, he 00:22:24.910 --> 00:22:28.829 said, I will. Someone say, I will. There is a 00:22:28.829 --> 00:22:31.630 world of difference between what you feel to 00:22:31.630 --> 00:22:34.910 do and what you will to do. And if you're going 00:22:34.910 --> 00:22:37.309 to walk in victory, if you're going to rise above 00:22:37.309 --> 00:22:39.829 your problems, if you're going to walk in righteousness 00:22:39.829 --> 00:22:42.890 and be what God has called you to be, then you 00:22:42.890 --> 00:22:45.789 need to start telling yourself the truth and 00:22:45.789 --> 00:22:49.259 commanding yourself. to bless the Lord and say, 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:53.420 I will. Oh, my God. My spiritual life cannot 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:57.539 be dependent upon what I feel. It will be a result 00:22:57.539 --> 00:23:01.619 of what I will because I don't always feel to 00:23:01.619 --> 00:23:06.079 do it. But if I will to do it, my will will override 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:09.740 my feel. I need some help today. My will will 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:13.059 override my feel. I don't feel like praising, 00:23:13.220 --> 00:23:17.190 but I will. I don't feel like shouting, but I 00:23:17.190 --> 00:23:20.589 will. I don't feel like clapping, but I will. 00:23:21.210 --> 00:23:25.190 I don't feel like singing, but I will. I don't 00:23:25.190 --> 00:23:33.509 feel like praying, but I will. We've got to get 00:23:33.509 --> 00:23:39.549 back to an I will. I'm going to tell you the 00:23:39.549 --> 00:23:41.470 problem is that we've got too many that live 00:23:41.470 --> 00:23:45.460 with an I feel spirit. That's the problem with 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:46.779 the modern -day church. That's the problem with 00:23:46.779 --> 00:23:48.700 the modern -day believer. We've got too many 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:51.480 touchy -feely people nowadays. And they get bent 00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:53.960 out of shape. And, you know, a pastor can barely 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:55.880 say anything. Just, I mean, remotely controversial. 00:23:56.200 --> 00:23:58.700 Remotely stepping on one's toes. And then all 00:23:58.700 --> 00:24:01.059 of a sudden they get into a mood where they don't 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:03.460 feel like doing something now. Oh, they don't 00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:05.779 feel like praising now. Oh, they don't feel like 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:07.599 doing it. They don't feel like giving. They don't 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:10.819 feel like submitting. Oh, but come on. God didn't 00:24:10.819 --> 00:24:13.420 save you so that you can still be, you know. 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:16.660 doing what you feel. God said, I need somebody 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:21.480 with an I will spirit. Oh, how I wish that there 00:24:21.480 --> 00:24:24.380 would be a generation of believers here at City 00:24:24.380 --> 00:24:26.900 Light Church. I'm thinking about 12 years have 00:24:26.900 --> 00:24:29.480 we been established here, and I thank the Lord 00:24:29.480 --> 00:24:31.779 for it. But if we're going to survive another 00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:34.740 12 years, then we need some men and women of 00:24:34.740 --> 00:24:39.339 God who have an I will spirit in them. Oh, we 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:41.519 need some men and women of God that will not 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:44.160 take no for an answer. We need some men and women 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:47.079 of God that are really going to press in to the 00:24:47.079 --> 00:24:53.140 presence of God. We don't need deliverance from 00:24:53.140 --> 00:24:55.119 the devil. We need deliverance from that moody 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:59.579 spirit that robs us of our blessing. Come on, 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:03.140 someone say preach today. I'm not in the mood 00:25:03.140 --> 00:25:07.400 to praise him today. So they won't. I'm not in 00:25:07.400 --> 00:25:10.019 the mood to go to the altar and pray. So they 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:13.000 won't. I'm not in the mood to give or tithe. 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:16.299 Uh -oh. So they won't. I'm not in the mood to 00:25:16.299 --> 00:25:19.779 submit. So they won't. They serve God. based 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:22.940 on how they feel, what mood I'm in. Well, I'm 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:24.700 in a different mood this month than I was last 00:25:24.700 --> 00:25:28.160 month. I cannot serve God. I cannot live life 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:31.720 and direct my life based on what mood I'm in. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:34.220 You need to hear me today, believer, especially 00:25:34.220 --> 00:25:37.420 you younger one. You need to develop the spiritual 00:25:37.420 --> 00:25:42.140 habit of self -directed commands. If there is 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:45.019 anything you get from today's message, develop 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:49.619 the spiritual discipline of self -directed. command. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:53.700 Don't engage in a debate with yourself about 00:25:53.700 --> 00:25:57.099 what the Word of God says you ought to do. Don't 00:25:57.099 --> 00:26:01.500 engage in vacillating between two opinions. No, 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:05.279 you stand your ground and you say, I will do 00:26:05.279 --> 00:26:09.339 what God has called me to do. Oh, feelings are 00:26:09.339 --> 00:26:11.859 fickle. They can change from one moment to the 00:26:11.859 --> 00:26:14.559 next. They can change from one season to the 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:18.019 next. Oh, and that's why moody Christians, they're 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:20.380 so hard to please, so difficult to work. with 00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:23.420 and so impossible to understand and you surely 00:26:23.420 --> 00:26:26.380 cannot pin them down because they're always shifting 00:26:26.380 --> 00:26:28.539 and they're always shaking and they're always 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:31.019 moving around. You never know. Is it a good day? 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:32.180 You know, you've got to ask them for permission 00:26:32.180 --> 00:26:34.160 before you say hi to them because are they in 00:26:34.160 --> 00:26:36.180 a good mood today? Am I going to get the bad 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.039 Jacob or am I going to get the good Jacob today? 00:26:38.160 --> 00:26:41.400 Oh, no. You've got to have an I will. I'm not 00:26:41.400 --> 00:26:43.720 telling you to be fake. I'm not telling you to 00:26:43.720 --> 00:26:46.440 just be phony, but what I'm saying is you need 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:49.569 to put your own flesh and spirit in check. And 00:26:49.569 --> 00:26:52.230 say, I don't care how hard it is today. I don't 00:26:52.230 --> 00:26:54.589 care what's going on in my life today. I don't 00:26:54.589 --> 00:26:57.009 care what's happening in my world today. I will 00:26:57.009 --> 00:27:00.789 bless the Lord at all times. I was glad when 00:27:00.789 --> 00:27:04.230 they said unto me, let us go into the house of 00:27:04.230 --> 00:27:06.970 the Lord. Anybody glad to be in the house of 00:27:06.970 --> 00:27:10.990 God today? Come on and clap your hands and give 00:27:10.990 --> 00:27:18.180 him some praise. That's why Jesus prayed in the 00:27:18.180 --> 00:27:23.559 garden, not my will, but it will be done. Because 00:27:23.559 --> 00:27:25.200 if I do it based on my feelings, I'm going to 00:27:25.200 --> 00:27:28.240 say, Lord, let this cup pass from me. Because 00:27:28.240 --> 00:27:32.720 I don't feel to go to the cross. Second thing, 00:27:32.779 --> 00:27:35.119 let me tell you briefly, is that David tells 00:27:35.119 --> 00:27:38.500 us, gives us the declaration that at all times, 00:27:38.680 --> 00:27:44.599 not sometimes. Someone say at all times. It's 00:27:44.599 --> 00:27:47.210 been said. by somebody, famous maybe, I don't 00:27:47.210 --> 00:27:49.769 know, it wasn't me, but that you cannot demand 00:27:49.769 --> 00:27:52.930 a full -time God while being a part -time Christian. 00:27:54.890 --> 00:27:56.430 Blessing the Lord, let me tell you, it's not 00:27:56.430 --> 00:27:59.490 a side job. It's not a side hustle. It's not 00:27:59.490 --> 00:28:02.190 a gig you do here and there. It's something that 00:28:02.190 --> 00:28:04.410 we don't just do when it's convenient or comfortable. 00:28:05.089 --> 00:28:08.549 And David, in that time, in that moment in Gath, 00:28:08.710 --> 00:28:12.190 he failed there because he forgot. What some 00:28:12.190 --> 00:28:15.720 of us forget sometimes is that God is sovereign 00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:20.559 in every season, not just the good ones. Can 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:22.720 I preach this like I want to for a few more moments? 00:28:23.859 --> 00:28:26.099 Just because you're going through a valley, brother 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:27.440 or sister, just because you're going through 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:29.640 a hard time, just because you're in an adversity, 00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:32.319 a trial, doesn't mean that God has stopped being 00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:36.500 God in your life. God promised to never leave 00:28:36.500 --> 00:28:41.019 us nor forsake us. He's the same yesterday, today, 00:28:41.180 --> 00:28:47.569 and forever. Hallelujah. is still God. He's still 00:28:47.569 --> 00:28:52.569 God. But David, he succumbed to the moment of 00:28:52.569 --> 00:28:57.630 his fear, of panic, of anxiety, and he failed 00:28:57.630 --> 00:29:01.230 to give God glory in that moment. Why? Because 00:29:01.230 --> 00:29:04.549 he did not see the sovereign hand of God in every 00:29:04.549 --> 00:29:07.930 season. Ecclesiastes 3 .1 reminds us that everything, 00:29:08.170 --> 00:29:11.970 there is a season, a time for every purpose under 00:29:11.970 --> 00:29:15.559 heaven. If you don't recognize that you're seasoned 00:29:15.559 --> 00:29:19.619 or you're seasoned in how God is revealing himself 00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:22.119 in that season, what's going to happen? You're 00:29:22.119 --> 00:29:27.480 going to become a prisoner of the moment. Think 00:29:27.480 --> 00:29:31.759 about this. The same man, David, the giant killer. 00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.660 David was ruthless. He didn't just knock him 00:29:37.660 --> 00:29:42.160 out. He cut his head off. That's gruesome. I 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:43.299 don't know if I would have had the stomach for 00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:47.579 that. Man, that is just a gruesome act. But that's 00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:51.900 just how bold, that's how decisive he was about 00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:56.059 that victory. Another chapter later in his life, 00:29:56.220 --> 00:30:00.099 that same man is now scratching at the doors, 00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:05.400 foaming at the mouth, not realizing that the 00:30:05.400 --> 00:30:09.380 same God who delivered him from the hand of Goliath. 00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:13.240 Was more than able to deliver him from the hand 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:17.759 of the king of Gath and his servants. But you 00:30:17.759 --> 00:30:21.160 know why he failed that test? Because he couldn't 00:30:21.160 --> 00:30:25.599 recognize how God, the same God, can move but 00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:29.019 in different ways. The problem that we have, 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:30.819 some of us, just give me a few more moments. 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:32.880 I'm almost done. With my introduction. Praise 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.920 God. Hallelujah. I got too much to preach today. 00:30:36.359 --> 00:30:39.099 The problem is, can I pinpoint where some of 00:30:39.099 --> 00:30:41.660 your frustration is? Someone say, go ahead. Your 00:30:41.660 --> 00:30:44.779 frustration is that you want God to do exactly 00:30:44.779 --> 00:30:50.920 the same way he did yesterday today. And because 00:30:50.920 --> 00:30:55.880 God isn't moving in the same velocity, in the 00:30:55.880 --> 00:31:00.500 same fashion that he did yesterday, today, that's 00:31:00.500 --> 00:31:03.859 causing you to have a panic attack. That's causing 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:09.009 your insecurities. To overshadow your faith. 00:31:09.750 --> 00:31:13.230 That's causing you to question everything. Look 00:31:13.230 --> 00:31:16.650 around. Feel sorry for yourself. That's causing 00:31:16.650 --> 00:31:19.210 you to second guess the very thing that God said 00:31:19.210 --> 00:31:22.410 he was going to do in your life. Because you're 00:31:22.410 --> 00:31:24.970 waiting for him to do what he did yesterday in 00:31:24.970 --> 00:31:28.730 the same fashion like he's doing today. This 00:31:28.730 --> 00:31:30.769 is the reason why I know David was struggling 00:31:30.769 --> 00:31:32.769 with this. Can I just take this a little further 00:31:32.769 --> 00:31:35.279 here? This is the reason why. Because he was 00:31:35.279 --> 00:31:39.759 carrying the sword of Goliath. David thought 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:42.599 he was going to swing the sword of Goliath again. 00:31:43.579 --> 00:31:46.039 That's why he had it with him. He's like, he 00:31:46.039 --> 00:31:50.700 was probably sharpening it. He was probably like 00:31:50.700 --> 00:31:54.119 polishing it. Sword of Goliath. He had that baby 00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:55.420 so polished, he probably was looking at himself 00:31:55.420 --> 00:31:57.000 in the mirror just like that. Man, the sword 00:31:57.000 --> 00:32:00.220 of Goliath. He was already envisioning. Man, 00:32:00.279 --> 00:32:02.200 if I got to use this baby again, I don't know 00:32:02.200 --> 00:32:03.900 how, practicing this sword. I don't know what 00:32:03.900 --> 00:32:08.240 he was doing. Practicing his moves. Last time 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:09.660 I cut from the left to the right. This time I'm 00:32:09.660 --> 00:32:10.920 going to cut from the right to the left. I'm 00:32:10.920 --> 00:32:13.579 not sure what he was talking himself about with 00:32:13.579 --> 00:32:16.039 that sword. But the one thing I know is that 00:32:16.039 --> 00:32:19.000 his faith was more attached to the sword than 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:22.640 it was to God in that moment. Some of you have 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:25.559 more faith in the things of God than you do in 00:32:25.559 --> 00:32:28.180 the God of the things. Y 'all ain't hearing me 00:32:28.180 --> 00:32:30.500 today. I'm blowing right over some of your heads 00:32:30.500 --> 00:32:33.779 right now. You got more faith in the system than 00:32:33.779 --> 00:32:36.779 you do in the God of the system. You got more 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:39.420 faith in the structure than you do the God of 00:32:39.420 --> 00:32:41.940 the structure. You got more faith in the economy 00:32:41.940 --> 00:32:44.519 than you do the God of the economy. And what 00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:47.180 I'm trying to tell you today, it's not man. It's 00:32:47.180 --> 00:32:51.519 not this. It's not that. It's God. I wish I had 00:32:51.519 --> 00:32:54.599 a witness today. I wish somebody would realize 00:32:54.599 --> 00:32:58.119 that the power is not in the sword of Goliath 00:32:58.119 --> 00:33:01.619 of yesterday. The power is in the faithfulness 00:33:01.619 --> 00:33:05.880 of God. Come on up here, brother. The power is 00:33:05.880 --> 00:33:08.099 with God. Somebody give the Lord some praise 00:33:08.099 --> 00:33:11.420 today. Somebody clap your hands. Somebody bless 00:33:11.420 --> 00:33:16.640 his holy name. Hallelujah. Remember, David was 00:33:16.640 --> 00:33:19.980 carrying the sword. But the sword was not for 00:33:19.980 --> 00:33:24.960 him to swing again. The sword was for him to 00:33:24.960 --> 00:33:30.720 remember the faithfulness of God. To remember 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:36.839 that God hasn't changed. His methods do, but 00:33:36.839 --> 00:33:41.480 his character doesn't. Oh, my God. His methods 00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:45.900 do. That's why the children of Israel, the majority 00:33:45.900 --> 00:33:48.180 of them didn't. enter the promised land. You 00:33:48.180 --> 00:33:51.980 know why? Because they couldn't adjust their 00:33:51.980 --> 00:33:57.519 faith. They wanted God to part the seas for them 00:33:57.519 --> 00:34:00.480 again instead of learning how to cultivate the 00:34:00.480 --> 00:34:03.839 land. They wanted manna from heaven instead of 00:34:03.839 --> 00:34:06.859 learning how to grow carrots and potatoes. It's 00:34:06.859 --> 00:34:11.099 the same God. Someone say, same God. New season. 00:34:13.539 --> 00:34:20.170 David is there. And he's struggling. Why? I wonder 00:34:20.170 --> 00:34:21.949 if that's your struggle today. Can you see an 00:34:21.949 --> 00:34:24.570 area of your life right now where God is teaching 00:34:24.570 --> 00:34:30.130 you to trust him in a new way? Huh? Why is he 00:34:30.130 --> 00:34:34.230 doing that? So that you will learn how to bless 00:34:34.230 --> 00:34:44.130 the Lord. At. Why aren't things clicking now 00:34:44.130 --> 00:34:47.000 the way they did before? Why are you having to 00:34:47.000 --> 00:34:49.039 pray ten times harder this time than you did? 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:58.300 Why are you not seeing results sooner, better 00:34:58.300 --> 00:35:00.599 than you did yesterday? Could it be that God 00:35:00.599 --> 00:35:04.699 is teaching you, training you how to bless the 00:35:04.699 --> 00:35:12.300 Lord? Anybody can bless them on the mountaintop, 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:17.909 brother. Anybody can bless them. When a check 00:35:17.909 --> 00:35:20.889 arrives in the mail and you got a bonus at work. 00:35:21.630 --> 00:35:23.670 Anybody can bless them when things are going 00:35:23.670 --> 00:35:27.750 your way. Things are happening on your timetable. 00:35:29.329 --> 00:35:32.889 But David realized, if I'm going to survive, 00:35:33.010 --> 00:35:35.250 if I'm going to make it, if I'm going to rise 00:35:35.250 --> 00:35:37.730 up and be the man that God wants me to be for 00:35:37.730 --> 00:35:41.210 my family, for this nation, I need to learn how 00:35:41.210 --> 00:35:53.000 to bless the Lord. Gives us this final thing. 00:35:53.639 --> 00:35:56.579 This will be my altar call. If you want to call 00:35:56.579 --> 00:35:58.019 it that today. This is how we're going to end. 00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:01.559 The final declaration he gives us is with my 00:36:01.559 --> 00:36:11.460 mouth. Not just my heart. He said I will bless 00:36:11.460 --> 00:36:14.780 the Lord at all times. And his praise. Someone 00:36:14.780 --> 00:36:19.780 say his praise. Shall continually be with me. 00:36:22.090 --> 00:36:27.969 Notice he didn't say in my heart. Had he said 00:36:27.969 --> 00:36:31.750 in my heart, I've got no problem with that. It 00:36:31.750 --> 00:36:34.570 actually sounds good too. But that's not what 00:36:34.570 --> 00:36:39.210 he said. He said in my mouth. Why? Because the 00:36:39.210 --> 00:36:43.329 key to blessing the Lord and living a life of 00:36:43.329 --> 00:36:47.769 blessing and victory is learning how to exercise 00:36:47.769 --> 00:36:52.780 the power that's in your mouth. Because if you 00:36:52.780 --> 00:36:57.639 can speak it, if you can declare it, if you can 00:36:57.639 --> 00:37:01.360 use your tongue for the glory of God, if you 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:07.159 can train your lips how to praise God. Oh, I 00:37:07.159 --> 00:37:10.000 feel the Holy Ghost right now. How to bless God. 00:37:10.380 --> 00:37:16.480 How to make a joyful noise. How to break the 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:19.280 silence. You know why? Because the devil wants 00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:23.500 you to shut up. The devil knows that if you open 00:37:23.500 --> 00:37:26.260 up your mouth and you begin to declare and confess, 00:37:26.559 --> 00:37:29.860 he knows that it's the end for him. He knows 00:37:29.860 --> 00:37:32.000 you're going to rise up. He knows that you're 00:37:32.000 --> 00:37:34.000 going to get the victory. Why? Because the Bible 00:37:34.000 --> 00:37:36.500 teaches us that death and life are in the power 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:39.159 of the tongue. Oh, I wish somebody would get 00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:42.480 that revelation today. Why must we praise him 00:37:42.480 --> 00:37:46.159 with our mouth? Why must clapping is good and 00:37:46.159 --> 00:37:49.510 stomping is wonderful? waving of our hands is 00:37:49.510 --> 00:37:52.769 nice. All those things are complimentary to giving 00:37:52.769 --> 00:37:55.570 God praise and glory but none of those things 00:37:55.570 --> 00:37:59.570 can replace nor substitute the power of that 00:37:59.570 --> 00:38:02.769 spoken praise that comes out of your lips. No 00:38:02.769 --> 00:38:08.010 wonder God chose the mouth to be the physical 00:38:08.010 --> 00:38:11.650 manifestation of the indwelling of his spirit. 00:38:11.769 --> 00:38:15.769 No wonder it was tongues of fire on the day of 00:38:15.769 --> 00:38:19.139 Pentecost that sat upon each of them in the upper 00:38:19.139 --> 00:38:22.920 room no wonder it was the Lord who told Satan 00:38:22.920 --> 00:38:26.219 in the wilderness man shall not live by bread 00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:29.619 alone but by every word that proceeds out of 00:38:29.619 --> 00:38:32.719 the mouth of God I've come to tell somebody right 00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:35.760 now as you stand to your feet that the blessing 00:38:35.760 --> 00:38:39.500 and the miracle and the glory and the promise 00:38:39.500 --> 00:38:44.280 is in your mouth if you will learn as a child 00:38:44.280 --> 00:38:55.519 of God Open up your mouth. The devil wants to 00:38:55.519 --> 00:38:58.579 silence your mouth. He wants to silence you. 00:38:58.599 --> 00:39:01.000 You know why? Because he never forgot what happened 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:04.019 that day at Jericho when the people of God lifted 00:39:04.019 --> 00:39:07.099 up a voice of shout unto the Lord. He never forgot 00:39:07.099 --> 00:39:11.820 what happened on that day. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 00:39:12.239 --> 00:39:14.860 He never forgot what happened on that day when 00:39:14.860 --> 00:39:18.300 the people of Jericho, when they heard the shout 00:39:18.300 --> 00:39:21.159 of God's people and at the shout of God's people 00:39:21.159 --> 00:39:23.760 of praise, those walls can't see. The devil knows 00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:25.579 that when you pray, Praise God. The walls come 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:27.960 down. I don't know what walls you've got in your 00:39:27.960 --> 00:39:30.039 life, my friend. I don't know what walls are 00:39:30.039 --> 00:39:32.300 circling your promises. I don't know what walls 00:39:32.300 --> 00:39:34.260 are circling your miracles and your blessings. 00:39:34.579 --> 00:39:37.219 But if you learn how to bless the Lord at all 00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:40.480 times, and his praise shall continually be in 00:39:40.480 --> 00:39:42.840 your mouth, if you really learn how to praise 00:39:42.840 --> 00:39:46.000 him, if you really learn how to bless him, those 00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:48.820 walls won't be able to stand much longer. Those 00:39:48.820 --> 00:39:51.440 walls will start to tremble. Those walls, I wish 00:39:51.440 --> 00:39:54.309 I had somebody. I wish I had a believer. Is there 00:39:54.309 --> 00:39:56.869 a believer in the house of God today? Is there 00:39:56.869 --> 00:39:59.949 a believer in the house of the Lord today? Who 00:39:59.949 --> 00:40:02.710 understands that when you begin to open up your 00:40:02.710 --> 00:40:10.800 mouth, those walls begin to come down. He knows. 00:40:10.880 --> 00:40:13.739 He knows. He knows. Somebody right now, you better 00:40:13.739 --> 00:40:16.159 begin to praise the Lord. Somebody right now, 00:40:16.179 --> 00:40:18.280 you better begin to lift up your voice unto God. 00:40:18.619 --> 00:40:21.539 Lift up your voice unto the Lord. I want everybody 00:40:21.539 --> 00:40:25.099 in here. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah. 00:40:25.119 --> 00:40:26.880 I don't want nobody leaving the service yet. 00:40:27.000 --> 00:40:29.400 I don't want nobody walking out yet. I want to 00:40:29.400 --> 00:40:31.739 stay right here in the spirit of the Lord. I 00:40:31.739 --> 00:40:34.280 want to stay right here where God is doing. This 00:40:34.280 --> 00:40:36.519 is where God is moving. God. is moving among 00:40:36.519 --> 00:40:42.559 us right now. Oh, I want my ministers to get 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:44.760 ready. Oh, get ready, Brother David. Where's 00:40:44.760 --> 00:40:48.079 Brother Kevin? Hallelujah. Get ready. Oh, hallelujah. 00:40:48.219 --> 00:40:51.099 Hallelujah. Get ready. I want the ministers to 00:40:51.099 --> 00:40:54.019 get ready. Oh, hallelujah. It was Paul and Silas. 00:40:54.239 --> 00:40:57.070 Oh, hallelujah. The devil never forgot what happened 00:40:57.070 --> 00:41:00.650 in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas were bound in 00:41:00.650 --> 00:41:03.429 a Philippian jail and they were shackled together. 00:41:03.750 --> 00:41:06.989 But the Bible says at midnight they began to 00:41:06.989 --> 00:41:10.210 pray and sing praises unto God. Oh, I don't know 00:41:10.210 --> 00:41:12.809 who I'm talking to right now. But as they began 00:41:12.809 --> 00:41:16.130 to lift up their voices, as they began to sing 00:41:16.130 --> 00:41:19.630 praises unto God, oh, as they began to worship, 00:41:19.869 --> 00:41:23.150 the Bible says that the prison began to shake 00:41:23.150 --> 00:41:26.869 and the doors were opened. and everybody's chains 00:41:26.869 --> 00:41:29.650 were loose. Don't you tell me there's not power 00:41:29.650 --> 00:41:32.349 in your praise. Don't you tell me there's not 00:41:32.349 --> 00:41:37.909 power in your worship. Oh my God. I will bless 00:41:37.909 --> 00:41:46.190 the Lord. I don't know if there's somebody right 00:41:46.190 --> 00:41:49.949 now. Listen, hallelujah. I don't want to sing. 00:41:50.030 --> 00:41:52.170 I don't want the praise team to sing yet. The 00:41:52.170 --> 00:41:54.510 musicians are here. That's all right. But if 00:41:54.510 --> 00:41:57.420 I I almost was going to say don't even play yet, 00:41:57.519 --> 00:42:00.119 but keep playing. That's okay. Because what I 00:42:00.119 --> 00:42:02.980 don't want anybody to do, don't you fall into 00:42:02.980 --> 00:42:05.639 the same routine where you wait for a certain 00:42:05.639 --> 00:42:08.880 song. Don't you wait for the music today. Don't 00:42:08.880 --> 00:42:11.300 you wait for the praise team today. Don't you 00:42:11.300 --> 00:42:14.900 wait to feel something in your spirit. I dare 00:42:14.900 --> 00:42:18.619 somebody right now under the sound of my voice 00:42:18.619 --> 00:42:29.880 to say I will bless you. We're always waiting 00:42:29.880 --> 00:42:32.679 for the atmosphere to change. We always want 00:42:32.679 --> 00:42:35.639 the atmosphere to change. But I've come to prophesy 00:42:35.639 --> 00:42:39.239 and tell you, God has given you the power to 00:42:39.239 --> 00:42:42.559 change the atmosphere. If you don't like what 00:42:42.559 --> 00:42:45.400 you feel, why don't you praise him differently? 00:42:49.980 --> 00:42:53.119 Why don't you praise him differently right now? 00:42:53.820 --> 00:42:57.659 Come on. Right there where you are. Why don't 00:42:57.659 --> 00:43:01.500 you lift up your voice? Lift up your hands. Open 00:43:01.500 --> 00:43:15.159 up your mouth. And give God the glory. Hold off 00:43:15.159 --> 00:43:16.860 on the song. Hold off on the song. I feel something 00:43:16.860 --> 00:43:20.340 happening right now. Come on. Hallelujah. You 00:43:20.340 --> 00:43:21.960 want to step out of your aisle? Step out of your 00:43:21.960 --> 00:43:24.099 aisle. Oh, hallelujah. There's plenty of space 00:43:24.099 --> 00:43:29.699 throughout this building right now. I'm here 00:43:29.699 --> 00:43:32.980 to tell you, it's not complicated. It's simple. 00:43:33.360 --> 00:43:37.059 It's basic. It's elementary. We just got to put 00:43:37.059 --> 00:43:39.579 our flesh. The problem is not that it's difficult 00:43:39.579 --> 00:43:42.039 or complicated. The problem is that we don't 00:43:42.039 --> 00:43:44.969 want to do it. That's all it is. But once you 00:43:44.969 --> 00:43:47.829 win the battle in your mind today, once you get 00:43:47.829 --> 00:43:50.570 over your mind today, once you get over your 00:43:50.570 --> 00:43:55.130 feelings today, you say, I will bless the Lord 00:43:55.130 --> 00:43:59.949 at all times. Is there anybody right here right 00:43:59.949 --> 00:44:03.449 now that said, I'm going to bless him? Come on.