WEBVTT 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:02.940 We're going to read out of Psalm 1. This series 00:00:02.940 --> 00:00:06.500 is going to be going through the book of Psalm 00:00:06.500 --> 00:00:10.679 chapter 1. And so what I would like is for all 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:14.980 of us, members and friends, everyone is welcome 00:00:14.980 --> 00:00:20.980 to meditate on this psalm, to study it, to let 00:00:20.980 --> 00:00:26.100 it speak to you. Amen. And over the course of 00:00:26.100 --> 00:00:29.719 the next few Sundays, we're going to go. verse 00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:33.859 by verse, and just see what God is wanting us 00:00:33.859 --> 00:00:37.500 to understand about his ways in our life. And 00:00:37.500 --> 00:00:40.920 so this is all about being planted. So I'm inviting 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:43.280 each and every one of you, make this your prayer. 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:45.840 Amen. You know what would be great is if you 00:00:45.840 --> 00:00:48.140 were to meditate on this psalm throughout this 00:00:48.140 --> 00:00:53.000 series and even memorize it. Amen. Amen. Memorize 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:56.619 it. We have lost the art of memorizing scripture. 00:00:57.450 --> 00:01:00.170 And we need to reclaim that. Amen, somebody. 00:01:02.549 --> 00:01:05.370 I know we're living in the AI generation and 00:01:05.370 --> 00:01:08.329 we're living in, you know, Bible apps and audio 00:01:08.329 --> 00:01:10.489 books and all that. And those are great tools, 00:01:10.629 --> 00:01:15.269 but I encourage us to get back to memorizing 00:01:15.269 --> 00:01:19.569 scripture. It's not that long, this chapter. 00:01:20.519 --> 00:01:22.739 If you dedicate yourself to it, you might be 00:01:22.739 --> 00:01:25.000 able to memorize it before this series is over. 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:27.719 Amen. But we're going to begin reading verses 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:31.439 1 through verse 3, just the first part of verse 00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:54.129 3. It says, meditates day and night. He shall 00:01:54.129 --> 00:02:00.030 be like a tree. Someone say, like a tree. He 00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:05.450 shall be like a tree planted by the rivers. Amen. 00:02:05.969 --> 00:02:08.750 I'm going to begin this series today with this 00:02:08.750 --> 00:02:12.069 thought, talking about soil. And I'm going to 00:02:12.069 --> 00:02:16.009 entitle this message, Check Your Soil. Amen. 00:02:16.069 --> 00:02:18.889 Turn to somebody and tell them, check your soil. 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.979 Amen. You may be seated once you have done that 00:02:22.979 --> 00:02:25.659 in God's presence. Amen. Somebody say amen today. 00:02:26.280 --> 00:02:32.759 Check your soil. Agriculture is a prominent metaphor 00:02:32.759 --> 00:02:38.080 in Scripture, often used to explain or illustrate 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:43.719 how God grows his people. And it's powerful. 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:48.689 It really is when you consider. all of the nuance 00:02:48.689 --> 00:02:54.569 and the interesting facets involved in cultivation, 00:02:54.930 --> 00:02:58.090 that process. When we talk about growth, however, 00:02:58.370 --> 00:03:03.289 we typically start at the surface level, looking 00:03:03.289 --> 00:03:07.229 at fruit, looking at branches, leaves, all that 00:03:07.229 --> 00:03:11.250 the eye can see when we talk about growth. Perhaps 00:03:11.250 --> 00:03:14.830 that's because we live in a very results -oriented 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:20.080 world. Amen? We live in a very productivity -driven 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:22.979 world. We live in a world that says, you know, 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:27.639 show me something, right? And certainly there 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.680 is a place, there is a time where we ought to 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:36.699 see some visible display of growth. But in the 00:03:36.699 --> 00:03:39.460 Word of God, what we find is that the outward 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:42.280 is not where growth begins, but it actually grows 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:46.819 behind the scenes. And so this is going to require 00:03:46.819 --> 00:03:51.199 some of us today to rethink how we measure our 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:54.539 lives, our spiritual lives and how we grow. Because 00:03:54.539 --> 00:03:57.460 today I'm not going to talk about fruit. That's 00:03:57.460 --> 00:03:59.360 coming at a later time in this series. So we 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:01.680 have to keep coming back to hear what God's going 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:04.379 to say about that. But we're going to go deeper. 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:06.840 We're going to go deeper because true and lasting 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.419 growth does not begin on the surface. It begins 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:14.289 beneath the surface. Amen. You know, before there 00:04:14.289 --> 00:04:18.430 are trees, there are roots. And before there 00:04:18.430 --> 00:04:21.689 are roots, there is soil. Somebody say soil. 00:04:23.009 --> 00:04:26.610 Soil is the ground where roots take hold, where 00:04:26.610 --> 00:04:32.629 life begins. And if you have ever, just in a 00:04:32.629 --> 00:04:35.230 very amateurish way, like probably all of us, 00:04:35.290 --> 00:04:39.110 looked at soil and ground and have had anything 00:04:39.110 --> 00:04:43.069 grow around your home or the places where you... 00:04:43.290 --> 00:04:45.689 where you visit the parks, or if you've ever 00:04:45.689 --> 00:04:48.350 been out in the fields, you'll notice that that 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:51.269 ground plays an important part in what you see 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:56.569 on the outside. And that ground is there to provide 00:04:56.569 --> 00:04:59.709 the nourishment, to provide the stability, to 00:04:59.709 --> 00:05:04.290 give the right environment for that plant or 00:05:04.290 --> 00:05:07.129 that tree to grow. And if the ground is good, 00:05:07.310 --> 00:05:10.449 if the soil is good ground, then you can expect 00:05:10.449 --> 00:05:13.920 the roots to grow deep. And if the roots grow 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.980 deep, then it will support great light. It will 00:05:16.980 --> 00:05:21.079 support strong and vibrant trees. And I think 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:24.699 this is some basic knowledge for all of us here 00:05:24.699 --> 00:05:28.720 today about how trees grow. And you probably 00:05:28.720 --> 00:05:32.779 have learned this in a biology class or seen 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:35.439 this just with your own eyes. If a tree is not 00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:38.180 growing, I want to tell you that the problem 00:05:38.180 --> 00:05:42.470 is not with the seed. If a tree doesn't grow, 00:05:42.649 --> 00:05:47.350 it's not the seed's fault. It's the soil. No 00:05:47.350 --> 00:05:51.170 matter the type of seed, whether it's an orange 00:05:51.170 --> 00:05:58.430 seed or a redwood, sequoia tree seed, no matter 00:05:58.430 --> 00:06:01.930 the type of seed, its growth is determined by 00:06:01.930 --> 00:06:07.089 the soil it's planted in. Amen. Jesus illustrated 00:06:07.089 --> 00:06:09.889 this truth in the parable of the sower or sometimes 00:06:09.889 --> 00:06:13.329 called the... Parable of the four soils where 00:06:13.329 --> 00:06:17.949 growth depended on the quality of the soil, the 00:06:17.949 --> 00:06:20.250 quality of the ground. And he talked about the 00:06:20.250 --> 00:06:22.990 thorny ground and the stony ground and the hard 00:06:22.990 --> 00:06:26.550 ground and then the good ground. So that in itself 00:06:26.550 --> 00:06:29.329 is a great illustration Jesus taught about the 00:06:29.329 --> 00:06:32.569 kingdom of God and how a seed, no matter how 00:06:32.569 --> 00:06:35.050 much potential it has, no matter how great it 00:06:35.050 --> 00:06:39.550 can become, no matter what is locked inside that 00:06:39.550 --> 00:06:45.000 seed, It will only produce based on the soil 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.459 that it's in. Good soil is going to contribute 00:06:48.459 --> 00:06:53.399 to a good tree. Bad soil or unhealthy soil is 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:57.500 going to limit or stump the growth of that seed. 00:06:57.660 --> 00:07:00.939 So soil is, in Scripture, very important. What 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:04.980 does it signify? It signifies the condition of 00:07:04.980 --> 00:07:09.189 your heart or your environment. This is what 00:07:09.189 --> 00:07:12.910 soil signifies. So when we talk about soil today, 00:07:13.029 --> 00:07:15.790 we're not talking just about the ground that 00:07:15.790 --> 00:07:18.829 is outside these doors, maybe out here where 00:07:18.829 --> 00:07:21.509 the trees are at, but we're talking about spiritually 00:07:21.509 --> 00:07:24.850 our hearts or the environment that we put ourselves 00:07:24.850 --> 00:07:28.490 in. It speaks of what you absorb, what influences 00:07:28.490 --> 00:07:31.569 you, what you surround yourself with, who you 00:07:31.569 --> 00:07:35.389 surround yourself with. And for better or worse, 00:07:35.410 --> 00:07:38.509 the condition of your soil, that environment, 00:07:38.550 --> 00:07:42.310 will decide the direction of your life. This 00:07:42.310 --> 00:07:44.850 is very important. The soil that you're planted 00:07:44.850 --> 00:07:47.810 in, or the condition of your soil, will determine 00:07:47.810 --> 00:07:50.949 the direction of your life. Doesn't matter how 00:07:50.949 --> 00:07:54.680 much you water it. Doesn't matter how much you 00:07:54.680 --> 00:07:57.220 tend, how much sunlight you give or other things 00:07:57.220 --> 00:08:01.680 you may do to create a beautiful or positive 00:08:01.680 --> 00:08:05.300 environment. That seed. It's only going to grow. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.420 That potential will only produce what the soil 00:08:08.420 --> 00:08:12.920 supports it to do. So it is, the word today for 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:16.439 us is going to help us understand the good from 00:08:16.439 --> 00:08:19.100 the bad. And we're going to go back to Psalms 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:21.540 1 here because in this psalm, we see something 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:25.040 very interesting. Now, Psalm 1 is the beginning 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:29.449 of a very long book of... poems and prayers and 00:08:29.449 --> 00:08:32.110 songs of worship. When you think about the book 00:08:32.110 --> 00:08:34.710 of Psalms, that's generally what comes to mind. 00:08:34.809 --> 00:08:39.250 It is filled with lamentation and prayers and 00:08:39.250 --> 00:08:42.870 pleas and cries. It is very personal, intimate, 00:08:43.070 --> 00:08:45.970 depending on who the writer is. Most of the time, 00:08:45.990 --> 00:08:48.549 just David, but there were other writers in the 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:51.029 book of Psalms. Some of them are unknown, but 00:08:51.029 --> 00:08:53.610 that's generally what you think about when you 00:08:53.610 --> 00:08:56.940 think of the Psalms. But Psalm 1. The beginning 00:08:56.940 --> 00:08:59.960 of all of these prayers and songs of worship 00:08:59.960 --> 00:09:03.700 and poems and cries does not begin with a prayer, 00:09:03.899 --> 00:09:06.639 doesn't begin with a poem, doesn't begin with 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:12.039 a lament, but instead the first chapter of this 00:09:12.039 --> 00:09:15.940 book begins with a lesson about being planted. 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.840 Somebody say planted. Think about that for a 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:22.639 moment. Of all the ways in which this majestic 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:26.230 book could have begun, It began with a lesson 00:09:26.230 --> 00:09:30.009 about being planted. And this is essential. This 00:09:30.009 --> 00:09:32.490 is key. And I believe one of the reasons it's 00:09:32.490 --> 00:09:34.850 key is because many believers have learned to 00:09:34.850 --> 00:09:37.289 do all of those other things. They've learned 00:09:37.289 --> 00:09:40.309 how to praise God. They've learned how to clap 00:09:40.309 --> 00:09:42.710 their hands. Some on beat, some on not. Praise 00:09:42.710 --> 00:09:46.309 God. Hallelujah. They've learned how to sing 00:09:46.309 --> 00:09:48.909 the songs. They know the lyrics of the song. 00:09:49.009 --> 00:09:51.210 They've learned how to worship. Some have even 00:09:51.210 --> 00:09:54.259 learned how to pray. And some pray very good. 00:09:54.620 --> 00:09:57.360 They've learned how to pray, but they have never 00:09:57.360 --> 00:10:02.720 learned how to be planted. And my concern today 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:05.159 as the preacher of this message, as the pastor 00:10:05.159 --> 00:10:07.120 of this church, is that there is a generation 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.000 that has learned how to do all of those outward 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.600 things, singing and praying and dancing and shouting, 00:10:12.679 --> 00:10:15.059 and they haven't learned how to be planted in 00:10:15.059 --> 00:10:18.970 the right soil. And so before we can grow up 00:10:18.970 --> 00:10:21.330 into the things of God, before we perfect our 00:10:21.330 --> 00:10:23.850 praise and perfect our worship and perfect all 00:10:23.850 --> 00:10:25.610 of these other elements of Christian living, 00:10:25.730 --> 00:10:28.549 we've got to learn how to be planted and rooted 00:10:28.549 --> 00:10:31.789 in the right godly soil. Somebody say amen today. 00:10:33.190 --> 00:10:37.230 And the soil is important. And the psalm opens 00:10:37.230 --> 00:10:40.129 up not by comparing forms of worship and prayer. 00:10:40.210 --> 00:10:44.549 It begins by comparing two types of soil. Toxic. 00:10:45.210 --> 00:10:48.350 And healthy. So let's look at the first type 00:10:48.350 --> 00:10:51.429 of soil that we read. Or that is illustrated. 00:10:51.929 --> 00:10:56.809 And that is toxic soil. Which this type of soil 00:10:56.809 --> 00:11:01.370 leads to spiritual decline. Verse 1 it says, 00:11:01.470 --> 00:11:03.769 blessed the writer says. And the writer is unknown 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:05.710 here. We don't know who it was. Could have been 00:11:05.710 --> 00:11:09.289 David. But he begins by saying, blessed is the 00:11:09.289 --> 00:11:13.450 man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. 00:11:13.470 --> 00:11:16.720 Nor stands in the path. of sinners, nor sits 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.179 in the seat of the scornful. Now, notice, if 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:21.600 you will, everybody pay attention to this. Notice 00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:28.259 the downward progression from walking to then 00:11:28.259 --> 00:11:32.000 standing to ultimately sitting. Everybody see 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:37.740 that? Notice the decline. It is a downward progression 00:11:37.740 --> 00:11:41.639 from walking, which probably represents ultimate 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:46.129 mobility and strength, to just standing and then 00:11:46.129 --> 00:11:50.690 sitting. Now, this describes for us a spiritual 00:11:50.690 --> 00:11:54.309 decline. It describes, there are actually three 00:11:54.309 --> 00:12:02.429 stages here of spiritual decline. Spiritual depravity, 00:12:02.549 --> 00:12:05.909 spiritual declining and regression. In fact, 00:12:05.909 --> 00:12:08.250 you can even say that what we have is a three 00:12:08.250 --> 00:12:14.590 -step process to backsliding. People don't just 00:12:14.590 --> 00:12:18.289 backslide overnight. Hello? We don't just backslide 00:12:18.289 --> 00:12:20.309 overnight. Somebody just doesn't go from Sunday 00:12:20.309 --> 00:12:24.330 to Monday and they totally backslid. No. It's 00:12:24.330 --> 00:12:27.210 a process. Just like it's a process to get more 00:12:27.210 --> 00:12:29.570 of God and to grow in the things of God, it's 00:12:29.570 --> 00:12:32.950 also a process to spiritual decline. Now the 00:12:32.950 --> 00:12:36.610 first stage is the walking. He tells us about 00:12:36.610 --> 00:12:41.059 the walking. And I have, I've tried to... Bring 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:43.940 it together on this very simple sort of no frills 00:12:43.940 --> 00:12:47.120 graph for you to see these spiritual stages. 00:12:47.500 --> 00:12:50.679 He starts with walking. And walking, theoretically, 00:12:50.860 --> 00:12:54.200 this person, the walker in the scene here, is 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:58.840 somebody who still has mobility, control over 00:12:58.840 --> 00:13:02.860 his actions and his location. Somebody who can 00:13:02.860 --> 00:13:06.919 casually change spaces. Somebody who can move 00:13:06.919 --> 00:13:10.500 around at will. Somebody who is walking is someone 00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:13.299 who is, for the most part, in control of their 00:13:13.299 --> 00:13:16.779 location, where they are, where they go, where 00:13:16.779 --> 00:13:19.299 they choose to be on any given moment. If you're 00:13:19.299 --> 00:13:22.279 able to walk, you can get around, right? You 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:23.919 can get around. It might take you a little while. 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:27.179 It's not as fast as a car, right, or a bike or 00:13:27.179 --> 00:13:29.539 a scooter, but you can get from point A to point 00:13:29.539 --> 00:13:33.000 B while you're walking, right? This is what walking 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:36.440 can do. And when you can walk, you can change 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:39.590 your space and... But the thing about the man 00:13:39.590 --> 00:13:44.289 who is perhaps not godly or is regressing, who 00:13:44.289 --> 00:13:47.590 is spiritually declining, is that for some reason 00:13:47.590 --> 00:13:52.129 or another, he cannot resist the counsel of the 00:13:52.129 --> 00:13:56.110 ungodly. The walker stage is somebody who is 00:13:56.110 --> 00:14:00.350 unable to resist the ungodly. Now, what I think 00:14:00.350 --> 00:14:04.370 is interesting is that the psalmist describes 00:14:05.129 --> 00:14:08.110 Not just a place. He doesn't say an ungodly place. 00:14:08.210 --> 00:14:10.929 He's talking about a group of people. So a lot 00:14:10.929 --> 00:14:13.129 of what we're going to look at here today is 00:14:13.129 --> 00:14:15.629 not simply, oh, I walked into the wrong place. 00:14:15.889 --> 00:14:19.490 This is the wrong building that I'm in, or I 00:14:19.490 --> 00:14:22.429 walked into the wrong neighborhood. No, it's 00:14:22.429 --> 00:14:25.070 not just physical buildings and locations. Most 00:14:25.070 --> 00:14:28.269 of these places are about the people that you 00:14:28.269 --> 00:14:33.039 associate with. Amen. The ungodly represents 00:14:33.039 --> 00:14:35.639 a group of people. Now, I know some of you might 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:38.139 be thinking, ungodly? Well, I don't spend a lot 00:14:38.139 --> 00:14:40.700 of time around ungodly people. You know, most 00:14:40.700 --> 00:14:42.000 of the people are pretty good. They're pretty 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:43.860 solid. They're pretty legit. They're pretty good. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:46.899 Pretty godly, if that's the case. But to be clear, 00:14:47.059 --> 00:14:50.899 ungodly people are not simply evildoers. He's 00:14:50.899 --> 00:14:54.340 not talking about outright evildoers, blasphemers, 00:14:54.360 --> 00:14:58.940 and sinners. Ungodly is this. An ungodly thing 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:02.889 is anyone or anything that doesn't act or think 00:15:02.889 --> 00:15:07.169 like God. I'm going to tell you something that's 00:15:07.169 --> 00:15:08.789 going to blow your mind. Someone will say, whoa. 00:15:10.250 --> 00:15:16.669 Even Christians can be ungodly. I know you can 00:15:16.669 --> 00:15:20.070 talk in tongues until you get cut in mouth and 00:15:20.070 --> 00:15:26.850 still be ungodly. Ungodly, the only criteria 00:15:26.850 --> 00:15:29.649 to be ungodly is that you think and act unlike 00:15:29.649 --> 00:15:36.279 God. That's it. And so the walker is constantly 00:15:36.279 --> 00:15:39.379 being drawn to the ungodly people who don't think 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:42.840 and act like God would, who don't love like God 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:46.700 would, who don't think like God would. Now, of 00:15:46.700 --> 00:15:48.179 course, none of us are perfect and are going 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:51.600 to be like God all the time, but... The ungodly 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:53.679 folks are those who have just made up in their 00:15:53.679 --> 00:15:56.559 mind, their intent on not doing that. So why 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.440 does the walker continue to go back? Why would 00:16:00.440 --> 00:16:02.419 he do that? Well, this is the rationalization. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:06.139 The walker says, at least I don't stay there. 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:12.299 This is how the walker justifies him or herself, 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:15.840 constantly going back to this ungodly atmosphere. 00:16:16.750 --> 00:16:19.450 He tells himself or herself, well, at least I 00:16:19.450 --> 00:16:21.669 don't live there. I can walk away whenever I 00:16:21.669 --> 00:16:25.409 want. I can walk in and I can walk out. And so 00:16:25.409 --> 00:16:31.429 that's their justification for doing that. At 00:16:31.429 --> 00:16:35.549 least I don't stay there. Well, you may not stay 00:16:35.549 --> 00:16:39.289 there, friend. You may not live there, but what's 00:16:39.289 --> 00:16:41.710 happening is that every time you walk into that 00:16:41.710 --> 00:16:46.679 environment, You're tracking into that environment. 00:16:46.779 --> 00:16:49.320 And when you come back, you're tracking all of 00:16:49.320 --> 00:16:54.399 that dirt back into your life. You may not live 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:57.039 there. So, well, I don't stay there. I just talk 00:16:57.039 --> 00:16:59.549 to them every once in a while. I just hang out 00:16:59.549 --> 00:17:03.210 with them, or I just entertain what it is they're 00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:05.890 telling me. Yes, but eventually you start to 00:17:05.890 --> 00:17:08.549 track in, and just like dirt gets caught in the 00:17:08.549 --> 00:17:11.970 soles of your feet, and because we don't wipe 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:14.250 our feet every time we go, you know, you take 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:17.470 those things into your life, and now you're wrestling 00:17:17.470 --> 00:17:19.789 with doubts. How did that doubt get there? Who 00:17:19.789 --> 00:17:23.980 have you been talking to? Why did I become so 00:17:23.980 --> 00:17:26.660 suspicious of the church and of the leader? Who 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:29.240 have you been talking to? How is it that I've 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:32.680 become so jaded and so rough around the edge? 00:17:32.779 --> 00:17:35.640 Who have you been around? Whose advice, whose 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:39.079 counsel have you been sitting under unknowingly? 00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:42.480 What carnal arguments have you now entertained? 00:17:42.759 --> 00:17:45.819 What lies now are you accommodating? What imaginations 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.460 are you allowing your mind to get carried away 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:52.000 with? And why is it that your thinking is stinking 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:54.680 now? And I can tell you that more than likely 00:17:54.680 --> 00:17:57.420 it's because you've been walking towards the 00:17:57.420 --> 00:18:00.180 ungodly and you're allowing those things to sort 00:18:00.180 --> 00:18:02.759 of stick to your mind. And even though you can 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:04.539 walk away and say, well, at least I don't live 00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:06.460 over there. At least I'm not there. Eventually 00:18:06.460 --> 00:18:08.720 it begins to affect your spirit. And now you 00:18:08.720 --> 00:18:12.819 can't seem to get rid of those thoughts. Hear 00:18:12.819 --> 00:18:16.099 me. Hear me today. You say, well, what's wrong 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:18.359 with that? Because you will eventually stand 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:24.210 in the places you keep walking to. It progresses. 00:18:24.849 --> 00:18:28.750 It starts off as walking. Eventually, it becomes 00:18:28.750 --> 00:18:35.150 standing. Now I'm stuck here. Now I'm standing. 00:18:36.130 --> 00:18:39.910 And now notice the progression. He's standing. 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:45.670 If you can go back to verse 1. He said, okay. 00:18:46.690 --> 00:18:52.549 Now I'm standing in the path. of of sinners he's 00:18:52.549 --> 00:18:55.190 not walking anymore he's standing there he's 00:18:55.190 --> 00:18:58.829 lingering now in a place watch this that he only 00:18:58.829 --> 00:19:05.410 used to visit now he's standing there in a place 00:19:05.410 --> 00:19:09.289 that that now he's comfortable in a sinful or 00:19:09.289 --> 00:19:14.069 backwards ungodly environment you see this is 00:19:14.069 --> 00:19:17.819 what begins to happen Toxic soil, it starts to 00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:23.619 normalize sin and ungodliness. It makes it normal 00:19:23.619 --> 00:19:27.099 for you, and it normalizes. Watch this. What 00:19:27.099 --> 00:19:30.259 used to convict you no longer convicts you anymore. 00:19:30.460 --> 00:19:34.960 Hello. It used to convict you, and now you have 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:38.730 become desensitized. to what that is being said. 00:19:38.789 --> 00:19:41.190 You used to be repulsed, offended even by what 00:19:41.190 --> 00:19:43.250 you would hear, see, but now you've become so 00:19:43.250 --> 00:19:47.410 used to it, you're standing in it. It used to 00:19:47.410 --> 00:19:50.170 drive you to an altar. That one sin, you'd be 00:19:50.170 --> 00:19:52.509 the first one at the altar the next night, bawling 00:19:52.509 --> 00:19:54.630 your eyes out before God. But the longer you 00:19:54.630 --> 00:19:56.589 stand there, it doesn't affect you the way it 00:19:56.589 --> 00:20:01.230 used to. And now you just clap your hands, flailing 00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:03.809 your hands. Oh, hallelujah. Meanwhile, there's 00:20:03.809 --> 00:20:06.450 sin in your heart. And there's something that 00:20:06.450 --> 00:20:08.329 has to be dealt with. And you're standing in 00:20:08.329 --> 00:20:11.089 a place that used to convict you, that used to 00:20:11.089 --> 00:20:13.490 trouble you. Oh, but this is what the standard 00:20:13.490 --> 00:20:15.569 says. The standard begins to rationalize it. 00:20:15.589 --> 00:20:19.809 Well, I can walk back whenever I want to. I'm 00:20:19.809 --> 00:20:23.529 here because I want to be here. I choose to be 00:20:23.529 --> 00:20:26.390 here. Oh, it's not that simple because now you're 00:20:26.390 --> 00:20:28.789 compromised. Now you've adopted the ways of the 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:32.150 soil. And you're not just thinking wrong, you're 00:20:32.150 --> 00:20:37.099 doing wrong. You used to just hear what they 00:20:37.099 --> 00:20:42.420 say. Now you're talking like them. Oh, hallelujah. 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:46.180 You used to just accommodate it. Now you're repeating 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:51.740 it. You used to just observe it. Now you're mimicking 00:20:51.740 --> 00:20:56.779 it. Come on now, somebody. Hallelujah. This is, 00:20:56.900 --> 00:21:00.259 and if it sounds like the word coming forth today, 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.500 this is the word of God, it's a bit confronting. 00:21:03.579 --> 00:21:06.920 It is. It's intended to be that. It's designed 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:09.319 to be that way. Because what it's trying to do 00:21:09.319 --> 00:21:13.599 is alert God's people, alert us to the subtle 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:16.799 ways that we slowly drift from where God wants 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:20.160 us to be. It doesn't happen overnight, but now 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:23.460 you're there. And the place where you eventually 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:29.660 stand, you'll be sitting. You will eventually 00:21:29.660 --> 00:21:32.769 sit in the place where you're standing. Now you 00:21:32.769 --> 00:21:35.430 see the man, he's not walking anymore. He's not 00:21:35.430 --> 00:21:39.569 standing anymore. He is completely at rest. He 00:21:39.569 --> 00:21:44.849 is sitting now in the seat of the scornful. He's 00:21:44.849 --> 00:21:47.710 sitting now in scorn. And you know what's happening? 00:21:47.869 --> 00:21:53.819 He's planted, but in the wrong soil. He's planted, 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:56.579 but in the wrong environment. He's planted, but 00:21:56.579 --> 00:21:59.259 among the wrong people and among the wrong things. 00:21:59.480 --> 00:22:03.240 He's planted there. And this is the final stage, 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:07.500 you could say. It's gone from curiosity, watch 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:10.039 this, to compromise. Now he's not just compromised. 00:22:10.140 --> 00:22:13.700 He's not just curious, or she, okay. We'll be, 00:22:13.819 --> 00:22:16.140 you know, we'll keep this for everybody. We'll 00:22:16.140 --> 00:22:18.380 be equal opportunity here. It could be a he or 00:22:18.380 --> 00:22:22.519 a she. And hallelujah. And, but. Now there's 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:30.420 contempt. Now there is scorn. Now there is resistance. 00:22:30.740 --> 00:22:34.839 Now he's resisting correction. Soil that resists 00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:39.380 correction, that mocks what is good, mocks what 00:22:39.380 --> 00:22:46.079 is wholesome, what is right. And what begins 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:49.960 to happen is that the heart begins to harden. 00:22:51.529 --> 00:22:58.109 It grows callous. It grows unmoved and cold and 00:22:58.109 --> 00:23:03.829 hard and empty. And this is the stage that somebody 00:23:03.829 --> 00:23:06.430 might be in, maybe even here today, but there 00:23:06.430 --> 00:23:08.490 is hope for you if that's the case. Hallelujah. 00:23:08.589 --> 00:23:12.789 But this is where one could end up in this decline, 00:23:13.190 --> 00:23:16.609 this spiritual decline. You think, well, surely 00:23:16.609 --> 00:23:18.509 if somebody gets to the point where they're sitting 00:23:18.509 --> 00:23:20.289 in the seat of the scornful, they're going to 00:23:20.289 --> 00:23:21.910 want to get out of that place. Surely they're 00:23:21.910 --> 00:23:23.650 going to open up their eyes and they're going 00:23:23.650 --> 00:23:25.450 to have an aha moment. They're going to realize, 00:23:25.710 --> 00:23:27.670 oh, I need a change in my life. But it's not 00:23:27.670 --> 00:23:30.509 that simple. Because when you're finally in the 00:23:30.509 --> 00:23:33.109 seat of the scornful, you are sometimes the hardest 00:23:33.109 --> 00:23:35.329 person to reach. You know why? Someone say why. 00:23:36.789 --> 00:23:39.650 Because you also rationalize where you're at. 00:23:39.910 --> 00:23:42.470 And you know how you rationalize it? You say, 00:23:42.470 --> 00:23:51.400 well. At least I'm not as bad as they are. Pastor 00:23:51.400 --> 00:23:55.539 cannot be talking about me today because he's 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:57.400 probably talking about that sister over there 00:23:57.400 --> 00:24:01.819 on the side of my eye. Don't look around. He's 00:24:01.819 --> 00:24:03.980 probably, oh, I know, he's talking about the 00:24:03.980 --> 00:24:06.339 person who's not here today because same on them, 00:24:06.380 --> 00:24:08.539 they should have been at church. No, it's always 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:13.200 somebody else. And it's always the other person. 00:24:13.339 --> 00:24:16.799 And so the sinner rationalizes it. Well, at least 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:20.259 I'm not as bad as the folks down the road. They 00:24:20.259 --> 00:24:24.039 got it worse. And that's the wrong measurement 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:26.700 tool, my friend. Listen, the measurement that 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:29.940 we ought to use for our lives is not against 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:33.019 other people. The true measurement of our lives 00:24:33.019 --> 00:24:36.839 is the word of God. I need to measure my life 00:24:36.839 --> 00:24:40.839 by his standard and not by how better I am compared 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:43.859 to those that are around me. That's a false measurement 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:47.680 in our life. Hallelujah. But the sinner is comparing. 00:24:47.740 --> 00:24:53.839 His comparison is discomfort. And from this point, 00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:57.539 it gets urgent. It gets critical. Now, there 00:24:57.539 --> 00:24:59.579 is still hope for anybody, no matter what stage 00:24:59.579 --> 00:25:01.960 that you might find yourself in or no matter 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:06.289 what. what phase of the spiritual decline you 00:25:06.289 --> 00:25:08.890 find yourself in there is hope for you amen there 00:25:08.890 --> 00:25:11.589 is a way but you must understand you must know 00:25:11.589 --> 00:25:14.430 that the ungodly man or woman will never produce 00:25:14.430 --> 00:25:17.130 the kind of fruit that god wants from your life 00:25:17.130 --> 00:25:20.329 as we will see in later in a later message in 00:25:20.329 --> 00:25:23.049 this series uh that you will not be able to but 00:25:23.049 --> 00:25:25.269 you'll be like the shaft that is driven by the 00:25:25.269 --> 00:25:28.309 wind as we see in verse four you won't have the 00:25:28.309 --> 00:25:30.849 stability and the roots that you need but most 00:25:30.849 --> 00:25:34.119 of all you won't produce the kind of fruit that 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:37.559 is consistent with a Bible believing Christian. 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.779 That is consistent with a child of God that is 00:25:40.779 --> 00:25:43.980 growing in the things of God and producing life 00:25:43.980 --> 00:25:46.420 for the kingdom of God. How many of you want 00:25:46.420 --> 00:25:49.480 to be that kind of believer? I want to be flourishing. 00:25:49.519 --> 00:25:53.519 I want to grow. I want to expand into the things 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:56.740 of God. Why don't we give God a hand praise today. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:02.390 Say God I want to produce. I'm ready. Well, here 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:04.769 comes a sharp contrast. If you'll give me a few 00:26:04.769 --> 00:26:07.190 moments of your time because I've got to shift 00:26:07.190 --> 00:26:10.329 gears. Today's message, I must confess, is almost 00:26:10.329 --> 00:26:13.250 like two messages combined into one. Hallelujah. 00:26:13.390 --> 00:26:16.410 It's a double -decker message. Praise God. Because 00:26:16.410 --> 00:26:18.549 both of these can be good just on their own. 00:26:18.650 --> 00:26:20.849 Amen. But I don't know about you, but when I 00:26:20.849 --> 00:26:22.849 go to In -N -Out, man, I like a double -double. 00:26:22.849 --> 00:26:26.650 I like two patties in there. Praise God. I got 00:26:26.650 --> 00:26:28.069 you. How many of you hungry? I know you're going 00:26:28.069 --> 00:26:32.289 after church now. Well, here's the second patty, 00:26:32.289 --> 00:26:35.009 all right, is that I don't just want to talk 00:26:35.009 --> 00:26:37.569 about the unhealthy toxic soil, but let's talk 00:26:37.569 --> 00:26:40.650 about the healthy soil. How do we get back to 00:26:40.650 --> 00:26:42.910 that place? Or how do we maintain that place? 00:26:43.190 --> 00:26:46.650 How do we make it better? Verse 1 shows us what 00:26:46.650 --> 00:26:51.250 to avoid. But verse 2 shows us what to embrace. 00:26:51.470 --> 00:26:54.670 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and 00:26:54.670 --> 00:27:00.160 in his law he meditates day and night. Notice 00:27:00.160 --> 00:27:02.640 the contrast between the first picture and the 00:27:02.640 --> 00:27:05.180 second picture. The blessed man. How many of 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:07.859 you want to be blessed? I'm going to ask you 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:10.559 again. How many of you want to be blessed? I 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.039 want to be blessed. The blessed man is not just 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:15.700 avoiding the ungodly and the scornful. Listen, 00:27:15.839 --> 00:27:18.779 Christian living, successful, victorious Christian 00:27:18.779 --> 00:27:21.240 living is not simply about pulling the weeds. 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:26.539 It's also about planting what's right. Amen. 00:27:26.700 --> 00:27:30.160 It's also about planting in good soil. And so 00:27:30.160 --> 00:27:32.259 he's not just avoiding the ungodly. He's not 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:33.599 just avoiding the scornful. He's not saying, 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:35.400 you know, I'm not going to look at anybody. I'm 00:27:35.400 --> 00:27:36.539 not going to do anything. You know, the best 00:27:36.539 --> 00:27:38.420 thing to do is just stay home, lock the doors, 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:40.740 close the blinds, and, you know, avoid the world. 00:27:41.720 --> 00:27:43.980 No, that's not what God is calling us to do. 00:27:44.059 --> 00:27:47.259 That's not the life God has for us. But he's 00:27:47.259 --> 00:27:50.259 cultivating. Now reading between the lines, it 00:27:50.259 --> 00:27:53.119 seems that the man, this shadowy figure here 00:27:53.119 --> 00:27:58.130 in the psalm, has gone through a process where 00:27:58.130 --> 00:28:03.029 the word can produce growth in his life. And 00:28:03.029 --> 00:28:06.049 that process is cultivation. That's a big word, 00:28:06.069 --> 00:28:10.769 but somebody say that word, cultivation. Cultivation 00:28:10.769 --> 00:28:17.549 is key. It's the process that starts by breaking 00:28:17.549 --> 00:28:22.890 up the hard places in your heart and then allowing 00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:28.190 the word of God. To be planted and formed in 00:28:28.190 --> 00:28:32.210 you until Christ is formed in you. Cultivation 00:28:32.210 --> 00:28:36.130 is not something that can happen quickly. Just 00:28:36.130 --> 00:28:39.569 like spiritual decline doesn't happen overnight. 00:28:39.670 --> 00:28:42.430 Dear friend, hear me today. Spiritual growth 00:28:42.430 --> 00:28:46.509 doesn't happen overnight. You know, some think 00:28:46.509 --> 00:28:49.289 that the pastor just preaches a good enough message. 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.039 and I get a little oil on my forehead before 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:53.960 the service is over, man, I'm going to grow leaps 00:28:53.960 --> 00:28:56.400 and bounds in the Lord. I'm going to walk out 00:28:56.400 --> 00:29:01.539 of here a sequoia tree. No, you're going to walk 00:29:01.539 --> 00:29:06.160 out of here more encouraged, more edified, more 00:29:06.160 --> 00:29:09.319 nourished and enriched. But growth still takes 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:14.559 time. It takes time. It takes intentionality. 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:18.240 It takes God's word being formed in you. but 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:22.880 it also takes a good and a healthy dose of cultivating 00:29:22.880 --> 00:29:26.319 that ground that has become hard in our hearts, 00:29:26.319 --> 00:29:29.799 in our spirits. Jeremiah, in Jeremiah, the Lord 00:29:29.799 --> 00:29:33.180 said these words, speaking to his people who 00:29:33.180 --> 00:29:35.480 needed to get right and get back on track. He 00:29:35.480 --> 00:29:38.119 writes in chapter four, verse three, break up 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:43.960 your fellow ground and do not sow among thorns. 00:29:44.599 --> 00:29:47.829 God tells his people, If you're going to experience 00:29:47.829 --> 00:29:51.349 growth, a harvest, new life in your life, new 00:29:51.349 --> 00:29:53.569 trees of righteousness, this is what you got 00:29:53.569 --> 00:29:56.210 to do. You got to break up the fallow ground. 00:29:56.450 --> 00:30:00.470 Fallow ground. Fallow ground is hard ground. 00:30:01.869 --> 00:30:04.789 Uncultivated ground. Fallow ground represents 00:30:04.789 --> 00:30:11.109 dry, empty, hard dirt. Not the kind of ground 00:30:11.109 --> 00:30:13.990 that is ready to receive the seed of the word. 00:30:14.470 --> 00:30:17.650 Ready to receive. that seed, whatever kind of 00:30:17.650 --> 00:30:21.970 seed that it is. So the ground has to be tilled 00:30:21.970 --> 00:30:26.559 and plowed and cultivated. So that the seed can 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:29.799 penetrate the ground. It's the same in the spirit. 00:30:30.079 --> 00:30:33.119 It's the same in the kingdom of God. The seed 00:30:33.119 --> 00:30:37.700 of the word cannot take root in a hard or complacent 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:40.279 or calloused heart. I don't care how good the 00:30:40.279 --> 00:30:41.920 preacher is. And I think this preacher is not 00:30:41.920 --> 00:30:44.579 too bad. Amen. But even a better preacher than 00:30:44.579 --> 00:30:47.079 me, it doesn't matter who, the greatest preacher 00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:50.559 in the world could be standing by here and preach 00:30:50.559 --> 00:30:54.000 your socks off. And you still wouldn't make one 00:30:54.000 --> 00:30:56.319 change in your life. life until that ground, 00:30:56.440 --> 00:31:00.200 that place has been cultivated, broken up to 00:31:00.200 --> 00:31:04.460 receive the word of God. And likewise, the boringest 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:07.279 preacher on the earth who, you know, who just 00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:10.299 preaches until the paint dries on the wall can 00:31:10.299 --> 00:31:13.279 have an effect in your life if the ground isn't. 00:31:13.319 --> 00:31:16.220 It's not the preacher. It's not the platform. 00:31:16.599 --> 00:31:19.480 It's not the music. It's not the paint on the 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:22.779 walls. It's our hearts being ready to receive 00:31:22.779 --> 00:31:25.920 what God is. wanting to do in our life. Come 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:32.200 on, give God some praise here today. But this 00:31:32.200 --> 00:31:36.539 process is difficult. today. Hallelujah. Oh my 00:31:36.539 --> 00:31:40.079 God. My heart is just pulsating today for somebody 00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:42.599 under the sound of my voice. Somebody who may 00:31:42.599 --> 00:31:45.839 listen or watch this message this week. Hallelujah. 00:31:46.099 --> 00:31:49.180 People, I've been burdened to pray for. You've 00:31:49.180 --> 00:31:51.779 got to understand that until the ground is broken, 00:31:51.960 --> 00:31:55.640 all it is is dirt. The difference between dirt 00:31:55.640 --> 00:32:00.039 and rich soil is cultivation. And some of us 00:32:00.039 --> 00:32:03.099 won't grow because we've got nothing but dirt. 00:32:03.789 --> 00:32:06.549 We don't have soil. And there is a big difference. 00:32:06.650 --> 00:32:10.730 Dirt is dead. It's lifeless. It cannot support 00:32:10.730 --> 00:32:15.109 growth. It's just dust and rock and debris. But 00:32:15.109 --> 00:32:18.130 we've got to allow the Holy Ghost. We've got 00:32:18.130 --> 00:32:21.769 to allow the hand of God to dig down into the 00:32:21.769 --> 00:32:25.089 depths of our soul and our hearts and begin to 00:32:25.089 --> 00:32:28.170 break up the fellow ground that's been calloused, 00:32:28.289 --> 00:32:31.369 that's been jaded, that's been bittered, that's 00:32:31.369 --> 00:32:33.500 been angered, that's been missed. mistreated, 00:32:33.519 --> 00:32:36.680 for whatever reason, that ground is hard. But 00:32:36.680 --> 00:32:40.680 if we allow God to cultivate the ground and break 00:32:40.680 --> 00:32:44.140 up the ground, then we are ripe for a harvest. 00:32:44.200 --> 00:32:48.559 We are ready to receive the promises of God, 00:32:48.759 --> 00:32:53.259 the word of God, the glory of God. God, I want 00:32:53.259 --> 00:32:57.240 you to cultivate me at this time. I want you, 00:32:57.279 --> 00:33:01.759 God, to work deeply in my life. Come on, why 00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:04.259 don't we give him some praise right now? I feel 00:33:04.259 --> 00:33:12.180 the Holy Ghost moving in this place today. You're 00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:15.430 not going to grow in dirt alone. but broken soil 00:33:15.430 --> 00:33:19.349 the man that we see this shadowy figure and someone 00:33:19.349 --> 00:33:21.809 is a man I don't know we don't have the full 00:33:21.809 --> 00:33:24.910 backstory but evidently he went through a process 00:33:24.910 --> 00:33:28.710 evidently he allowed God to to break up the ground 00:33:28.710 --> 00:33:32.529 in his life and and because of that that broken 00:33:32.529 --> 00:33:36.730 soil is now alive it's enriched there's been 00:33:36.730 --> 00:33:40.470 nutrients that have been mixed around oh and 00:33:40.470 --> 00:33:43.640 God can even take some of the bad stuff Turn 00:33:43.640 --> 00:33:46.420 it into fertilizer. Oh, I don't need that. Some 00:33:46.420 --> 00:33:48.880 of you, maybe you grew up somewhere near a farm 00:33:48.880 --> 00:33:52.619 or around some ranch animal, farm animal. I'm 00:33:52.619 --> 00:33:54.980 here to tell you that sometimes they take even 00:33:54.980 --> 00:33:57.599 the waste and the dung and the droppings of the 00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:00.240 animal. I know that sounds disgusting, but they 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:04.039 will take that to create a fertilized soil, a 00:34:04.039 --> 00:34:06.480 compost. They'll even take trash and garbage 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:09.420 and leftover food, the things that you think 00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:11.760 have no value, the things that you think have 00:34:11.760 --> 00:34:14.400 no truth. The things that you think God couldn't 00:34:14.400 --> 00:34:17.840 possibly use in your life, he will use when he 00:34:17.840 --> 00:34:21.360 cultivates the ground. He'll take even the smelly 00:34:21.360 --> 00:34:24.019 stuff. Come on. He'll take even the dirty stuff. 00:34:24.179 --> 00:34:26.840 He'll take even the messed up stuff. And you 00:34:26.840 --> 00:34:28.920 say, it doesn't matter what your life looks like 00:34:28.920 --> 00:34:32.059 on the outside. I've got a seed I want to plant. 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:34.539 Come on, somebody here today. I've got a seed 00:34:34.539 --> 00:34:37.679 I want to plant in your heart so that you can 00:34:37.679 --> 00:34:41.880 grow up into the Lord and become a tree of righteousness. 00:34:59.719 --> 00:35:01.619 Because the first thing you've got to do is you've 00:35:01.619 --> 00:35:04.840 got to repent. Hello, I lost you now, praise 00:35:04.840 --> 00:35:09.320 God. You've got to repent. That's part of the 00:35:09.320 --> 00:35:11.880 cultivation of the ground. I've got to repent. 00:35:12.159 --> 00:35:16.159 Hallelujah. Amen. And I've got to humble myself. 00:35:16.860 --> 00:35:20.699 Ooh, Jesus. I've got to humble myself and let 00:35:20.699 --> 00:35:23.119 the ground be broken up. Some of you are going 00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:25.309 through a breaking right now. You're going through 00:35:25.309 --> 00:35:27.510 a breaking in your relationship, going through 00:35:27.510 --> 00:35:29.690 a breaking in your family, going through a breaking 00:35:29.690 --> 00:35:32.429 in your finances, a breaking in your spirit, 00:35:32.510 --> 00:35:34.429 emotionally. You're going through a breaking 00:35:34.429 --> 00:35:37.090 mentally. But I'm here to tell you that if you 00:35:37.090 --> 00:35:39.570 just let God continue to do what he needs to 00:35:39.570 --> 00:35:44.349 do, he's preparing the ground for optimal growth. 00:35:44.409 --> 00:35:47.349 He's preparing the ground to receive. Because 00:35:47.349 --> 00:35:49.949 until the breaking, you're not ready to receive 00:35:49.949 --> 00:35:56.829 what God wants to do in your life. Fresh anointing, 00:35:56.829 --> 00:36:00.409 that fresh word, that fresh move of God in my 00:36:00.409 --> 00:36:03.449 life until that ground has been broken. And so 00:36:03.449 --> 00:36:05.650 if I'm going through a breaking right now, I 00:36:05.650 --> 00:36:07.869 feel like I'm talking to somebody, like I'm ministering 00:36:07.869 --> 00:36:10.170 to somebody here today. If I'm going through 00:36:10.170 --> 00:36:13.849 the breaking, God will use all of it. He'll allow 00:36:13.849 --> 00:36:17.010 trials and tribulation. He'll allow pain and 00:36:17.010 --> 00:36:20.030 failure, discomfort. He'll even have to do it 00:36:20.030 --> 00:36:23.269 through correction if he has to. But these things 00:36:23.269 --> 00:36:58.360 will. You avoid hitting rock bottom. You know 00:36:58.360 --> 00:37:02.000 God will let you hit rock bottom. God will wait 00:37:02.000 --> 00:37:04.619 until you're left with absolutely nothing. So 00:37:04.619 --> 00:37:07.659 all you do is cry out unto God. I don't know 00:37:07.659 --> 00:37:10.980 about you, but I don't want that to happen. Hello, 00:37:11.039 --> 00:37:13.639 somebody. I don't want to have to wait until 00:37:13.639 --> 00:37:19.139 I lose it all. Before I finally look to heaven 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:24.900 and say, God, here I am. I'm ready, Lord. I've 00:37:24.900 --> 00:37:28.590 tried it, mouth. and my way didn't work. I got 00:37:28.590 --> 00:37:31.590 a taste of the world and the world, it chewed 00:37:31.590 --> 00:38:10.360 me up and it spit me out. That they may be called 00:38:10.360 --> 00:38:14.139 trees of righteousness. The planting of the Lord. 00:38:14.320 --> 00:38:17.360 That he may be glorified. I've come to tell you 00:38:17.360 --> 00:38:20.679 right now that God takes the ashes and he turns 00:38:20.679 --> 00:38:24.239 them into soil. God takes the bad and he turns 00:38:24.239 --> 00:38:26.440 them into a planting. I don't know if there's 00:38:26.440 --> 00:38:29.780 somebody here right now that needs to get real 00:38:29.780 --> 00:38:33.840 with God and say, Lord, have your way. I invite 00:38:33.840 --> 00:38:36.360 everybody to stand in this place at this time. 00:38:36.500 --> 00:38:44.000 I feel God. At this altar, there needs to be 00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:47.199 a breaking of the ground. At this altar, there 00:38:47.199 --> 00:38:49.940 needs to be a breaking of the soil. At this altar, 00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:52.980 we need to say, God, I don't want to be like 00:38:52.980 --> 00:38:56.440 the ungodly man. I don't want to walk in the 00:38:56.440 --> 00:39:00.679 path of the ungodly. I don't want God to stand 00:39:00.679 --> 00:39:48.429 in the path of sinners. Rise up from that seat 00:39:48.429 --> 00:39:50.690 in the name of Jesus. You're standing in the 00:39:50.690 --> 00:39:53.050 wrong path. You need to walk back with humility. 00:39:53.530 --> 00:39:56.309 Oh, somebody in this place needs to come and 00:39:56.309 --> 00:39:59.210 prepare their heart before God and say, here 00:39:59.210 --> 00:40:01.989 I am, Lord. Here I am. I invite every hand to 00:40:01.989 --> 00:40:04.110 be lifted in this place. Come on. All over this 00:40:04.110 --> 00:40:07.969 place. Oh, there's just a handful of us today. 00:40:08.050 --> 00:40:10.010 But all over this place, I invite you to extend 00:40:10.010 --> 00:40:15.429 your hands to heaven. I'll feel the Holy Ghost. 00:40:28.809 --> 00:40:31.030 Some of you are dealing with some stuff, heavy 00:40:31.030 --> 00:40:33.530 things, and things are getting broken apart. 00:40:58.349 --> 00:41:00.510 we begin to talk to the Lord right now. I wish 00:41:00.510 --> 00:41:02.309 somebody out there in this building would begin 00:41:02.309 --> 00:41:05.010 to talk to Jesus. Somebody begin to talk to the 00:41:05.010 --> 00:41:09.829 Lord. Somebody begin to open up your heart. I 00:41:09.829 --> 00:41:15.269 feel the Holy Ghost. Oh, God, let thy word. Have 00:41:15.269 --> 00:41:23.730 I heard it in my heart? Listen, listen, listen, 00:41:23.829 --> 00:41:28.989 listen. The psalmist said in Psalm 119, he said, 00:41:29.070 --> 00:41:32.489 Thy word have I hidden in my heart that I might 00:41:32.489 --> 00:41:35.849 not sin against you. The reason why some of you 00:41:35.849 --> 00:41:38.730 are still struggling with that sin is because 00:41:38.730 --> 00:41:41.469 you haven't hidden His word in your heart. And 00:41:41.469 --> 00:41:43.389 the reason why you haven't hidden His word in 00:41:43.389 --> 00:41:45.449 your heart is because your ground has been too 00:41:45.449 --> 00:41:51.409 callous and hard and fallow. So no matter what 00:41:51.409 --> 00:41:54.190 mental... exercise you do, no matter what podcast 00:41:54.190 --> 00:41:56.510 you listen to on Monday morning, no matter what 00:41:56.510 --> 00:41:59.110 Monday motivation you have, no matter what radio 00:41:59.110 --> 00:42:01.469 station you listen to, all those things can be 00:42:01.469 --> 00:42:04.050 nice. But until you get to the root of the issue, 00:42:04.190 --> 00:42:07.570 until you let the ground break up in your spirit, 00:42:07.730 --> 00:42:12.630 then when the word gets planted, you can hide 00:42:12.630 --> 00:42:16.250 it in your heart. It gets buried in your heart. 00:42:16.269 --> 00:42:18.869 And you now say, I'm going to walk on another 00:42:18.869 --> 00:42:19.230 level.