WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.120 We're going to continue in that same spirit. 00:00:02.879 --> 00:00:06.740 In Psalm 1, this is where we are studying in 00:00:06.740 --> 00:00:08.560 this series. This series, Planted, is based off 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:12.140 of Psalm 1. And as I mentioned, again, last Sunday, 00:00:12.220 --> 00:00:15.419 I invite everybody to meditate upon this psalm 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:19.260 in your devotion, in your prayer. Amen. I encourage 00:00:19.260 --> 00:00:21.879 you when you pray to have your Bible open. Amen. 00:00:22.559 --> 00:00:27.079 Or your app, whatever's convenient for you. And 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:31.179 then open up this psalm, Psalm 1. And then highlight 00:00:31.179 --> 00:00:33.719 certain things there that stick out to you. You 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:35.740 might end up highlighting the whole thing, but 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:39.920 amen. And I encourage you to meditate on it. 00:00:40.380 --> 00:00:43.820 I encourage you to memorize it. We might even 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:46.859 have some, like we used to do way back in the 00:00:46.859 --> 00:00:51.179 days, some of you were even around, have somebody 00:00:51.179 --> 00:00:54.659 come up and recite scripture. Maybe I might call 00:00:54.659 --> 00:00:59.820 on somebody. Come up and recite Psalm 1. Now 00:00:59.820 --> 00:01:02.280 I'm making you nervous. Praise God. We're not 00:01:02.280 --> 00:01:05.420 going to do that today. But if somebody memorizes 00:01:05.420 --> 00:01:07.060 it, then, you know, maybe we'll give you that 00:01:07.060 --> 00:01:09.799 opportunity. Amen? We're going to begin reading 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:16.959 today at verse 2. Psalm 1, verse 2. But his delight 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:22.659 is in the law of the Lord. And in his law, he 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:27.540 meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree 00:01:27.540 --> 00:01:32.359 planted by the rivers of water that brings forth 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:38.500 its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall 00:01:38.500 --> 00:01:43.280 not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:46.920 I'm going to speak today on the thought, what 00:01:46.920 --> 00:01:52.040 grows beneath. What grows beneath. I'm going 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.180 to ask God to help me today. If I sound a little 00:01:55.180 --> 00:01:57.260 congested, that's because the allergies have 00:01:57.260 --> 00:02:00.099 gotten the best of me the last few days. I don't 00:02:00.099 --> 00:02:02.939 know if anybody else there knows the struggle, 00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.459 but we're doing everything we can to curb that. 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.939 But we're going to ask God to help us today. 00:02:10.039 --> 00:02:11.419 How many are you going to pray for me right now? 00:02:12.139 --> 00:02:14.039 Amen. God gives me the strength. Let's pray. 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.719 Father, I thank you for your presence that has 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:22.400 come and sat upon us today, God. The kabod, the 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:26.319 weight of glory. But God, we're asking that you 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:29.800 would speak to us now from your word. Grant us 00:02:29.800 --> 00:02:32.219 the privilege, the opportunity, Lord, to receive 00:02:32.219 --> 00:02:35.699 from heaven that manna that will nourish us, 00:02:35.780 --> 00:02:39.580 that will strengthen us and edify us. I pray, 00:02:39.620 --> 00:02:42.020 God, that you would anoint the hearing of every 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:44.900 person in this place, Lord, and that you would 00:02:44.900 --> 00:02:47.500 anoint my lips of clay that I can speak this 00:02:47.500 --> 00:02:50.560 word as you gave it to me, God. Give me the strength 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:53.520 at this hour. I give you all the glory and all 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:57.080 the praise in Jesus' name. Someone say amen. 00:02:57.740 --> 00:02:59.900 Amen. God bless you. God bless you. You may be 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:03.280 seated. Last week, we began by comparing two 00:03:03.280 --> 00:03:09.680 kinds of soil. Spiritual soil, toxic and healthy. 00:03:10.939 --> 00:03:14.199 Toxic soil leads to decline. If I could just 00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:18.259 give you a quick recap. Whereas healthy soil 00:03:18.259 --> 00:03:24.229 fuels growth. But healthy soil comes at a price. 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:30.289 So we ended last week by looking at cultivation, 00:03:30.430 --> 00:03:37.169 which involves breaking up the hard ground or 00:03:37.169 --> 00:03:41.669 places in our hearts. But once soil is ready, 00:03:41.810 --> 00:03:46.969 a seed can then be planted and allowed to grow. 00:03:48.629 --> 00:03:53.979 A seed. not only represents the implanted Word 00:03:53.979 --> 00:04:01.460 of God that brings forth life, but it also represents 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:09.639 you and I. Verse 3 gives us an image. It says, 00:04:09.740 --> 00:04:16.480 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:23.420 of water. Amen. I want you to, with me today, 00:04:23.519 --> 00:04:27.660 as God helps us and illuminates our minds to 00:04:27.660 --> 00:04:33.480 see how a seed is developed. And first thing 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:37.980 I want us to begin to look at is the tree or 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:43.639 this image of this seed that is planted in the 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:48.040 psalm and what that represents. we see that this 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:52.120 tree was not growing there by accident. Did not 00:04:52.120 --> 00:04:55.459 appear there randomly. It was planted. Someone 00:04:55.459 --> 00:05:00.180 say planted. It was planted. Now the reason why 00:05:00.180 --> 00:05:04.139 that's important for us is because anything in 00:05:04.139 --> 00:05:11.560 God does not grow in the wild. God doesn't establish 00:05:11.560 --> 00:05:15.040 or God doesn't work that way. You might see something 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:17.379 in the natural world that's growing in the wild. 00:05:17.459 --> 00:05:19.040 You say, I wonder how did that apple tree get 00:05:19.040 --> 00:05:23.620 there? Now, it's possible that a seed may have 00:05:23.620 --> 00:05:28.100 just by chance landed in that environment and 00:05:28.100 --> 00:05:30.800 all of the conditions were ideal for it to thrive. 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:34.300 But for the most part, when you see a fruitful 00:05:34.300 --> 00:05:37.339 tree or you see a tree that is thriving, it's 00:05:37.339 --> 00:05:40.459 not there by accident, but it's there by intention. 00:05:41.870 --> 00:05:45.209 I want you to understand today that planting 00:05:45.209 --> 00:05:50.889 implies vision. That someone had an idea, had 00:05:50.889 --> 00:05:54.990 a dream, had a goal, had a vision in their mind 00:05:54.990 --> 00:05:58.370 of what would become one day. That tree that 00:05:58.370 --> 00:06:02.329 we see in this psalm is not there haphazardly, 00:06:02.329 --> 00:06:07.050 randomly. It's not a result of some spontaneous 00:06:07.050 --> 00:06:10.250 thing that took place. It is there on purpose. 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.759 And spiritually, the same is true for you and 00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:20.160 I. We, as the people of God, are not self -planted, 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:28.360 but we are divinely planted. God plants us. That 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.540 means that your existence, not only in this world, 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:34.879 but in the places that you may find yourself 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:38.139 in, the circumstances, are not on accident, but 00:06:38.139 --> 00:06:42.569 your existence is by divine... God orchestration, 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:46.810 that God orchestrated and ordained our lives, 00:06:46.930 --> 00:06:50.970 planted us where we are, even from the family 00:06:50.970 --> 00:06:53.589 that we grew up in, the street that we grew up 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:56.329 on. All of those things are not by accident. 00:06:56.430 --> 00:06:59.529 But if we truly believe that there is a sovereign 00:06:59.529 --> 00:07:03.740 God. who providentially places us in certain 00:07:03.740 --> 00:07:07.120 times and seasons, that we must recognize that 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.120 God must have planted us where we are. In fact, 00:07:10.139 --> 00:07:13.360 Isaiah says this about the people of God. He 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:16.480 calls the people of God trees of righteousness, 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:21.860 the planting of the Lord, that he may be glory. 00:07:22.019 --> 00:07:25.279 See, God wants to get glory out of where he plants 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.819 you. Amen, somebody. I said he wants to get glory 00:07:28.819 --> 00:07:31.439 out of where he plants. He plants you where he 00:07:31.439 --> 00:07:34.620 does so that ultimately he may be glorified. 00:07:35.139 --> 00:07:39.420 So when that seed eventually sprouts and becomes 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:44.339 the tree or the fruitful life that it is, God 00:07:44.339 --> 00:07:47.800 will look down at that life and say, look at 00:07:47.800 --> 00:07:53.160 what I did. Look at what I planted. Amen. And 00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:58.060 so God, he plants people. Amen. He plants people 00:07:58.060 --> 00:08:03.959 in places, in seasons, and environments where 00:08:03.959 --> 00:08:09.420 their calling or their lives can grow. This is 00:08:09.420 --> 00:08:13.540 essential for us to understand so that we can 00:08:13.540 --> 00:08:17.740 with more confidence appreciate where God has 00:08:17.740 --> 00:08:20.399 us. I want to tell you that you being here today 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:23.839 is not by accident. You're not at City Light 00:08:23.839 --> 00:08:27.689 by accident. And if you truly believe that at 00:08:27.689 --> 00:08:30.110 one point or another you walked through those 00:08:30.110 --> 00:08:33.750 doors and you got planted here, it's because 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:37.409 God ordained it. God planted you here. He ordained 00:08:37.409 --> 00:08:44.529 it. He ordered your steps. Amen. And that's encouraging 00:08:44.529 --> 00:08:48.309 to understand that God is not simply reacting 00:08:48.309 --> 00:08:54.190 to my life. God is not simply reacting or... 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:57.779 responding to the things that I do. If my life 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.860 is truly in His hands, then come hell or high 00:09:00.860 --> 00:09:04.399 water, despite whatever circumstances are surrounding 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:08.200 me, if I am here at this moment, at this very 00:09:08.200 --> 00:09:10.940 hour, then I've got to believe that it was the 00:09:10.940 --> 00:09:14.299 hand of God that prepared my life in order to 00:09:14.299 --> 00:09:18.019 plant me here in this soil. And once that seed 00:09:18.019 --> 00:09:21.919 is planted, something begins to happen beneath 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.879 the surface. There is a hidden process that is 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:31.360 taking place called germination. Germination. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:36.159 Germination is that moment where that dormant 00:09:36.159 --> 00:09:41.700 seed begins to wake up. It's that moment when 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:45.779 the seed finds itself deep beneath the soil. 00:09:46.659 --> 00:09:51.179 And with the right conditions, it begins to come 00:09:51.179 --> 00:09:56.659 alive. And life begins to form. The seed begins 00:09:56.659 --> 00:09:59.659 to crack open and the very first sign of life 00:09:59.659 --> 00:10:03.659 is not so much the leaf reaching up, but the 00:10:03.659 --> 00:10:09.480 root growing downward. In the kingdom of God, 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:13.580 your greatest growth happens in hidden places. 00:10:17.620 --> 00:10:21.769 Are you hearing what I'm saying so far? I'm talking 00:10:21.769 --> 00:10:24.950 about your greatest growth happens in hidden 00:10:24.950 --> 00:10:30.750 places. Places where nobody else can see. Places 00:10:30.750 --> 00:10:36.690 where no one else can evaluate and look at. It 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:42.590 begins underground. And this is what Psalm 1 00:10:42.590 --> 00:10:45.610 is describing. It's describing a germination 00:10:45.610 --> 00:10:49.870 process, a hidden growth. This is... Symbolic 00:10:49.870 --> 00:10:54.809 of the hidden growth of the believer. And what 00:10:54.809 --> 00:10:56.990 I want and what I believe the Holy Spirit wants 00:10:56.990 --> 00:11:00.490 his people to understand today about growth. 00:11:00.649 --> 00:11:02.490 Because everyone talks about growth. I want to 00:11:02.490 --> 00:11:05.529 grow. I want to grow in God. I want my ministry 00:11:05.529 --> 00:11:08.549 to grow. I want my marriage to grow. I want my 00:11:08.549 --> 00:11:11.070 life to grow. My career to grow. Everybody wants 00:11:11.070 --> 00:11:14.870 to grow. But, you know, but then they want to 00:11:14.870 --> 00:11:17.269 post Instagram stories about it along the way. 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:25.539 Check in at the gym. If you check in at the gym, 00:11:25.600 --> 00:11:28.980 God bless you. I don't check in at the gym because 00:11:28.980 --> 00:11:35.059 I'm not there. Now, I'm not saying there's something 00:11:35.059 --> 00:11:37.100 wrong with it. If you want to post your journey, 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:42.200 go ahead. But understand that true growth happens 00:11:42.200 --> 00:11:47.580 beneath the surface. Away from the crowds. Away 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:54.240 from the public eye. That's where growth happens. 00:11:54.279 --> 00:11:57.620 And so the idea that I want to cement in your 00:11:57.620 --> 00:12:00.320 hearts today is that if you want to grow, then 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:03.860 we need to commit ourselves to those things, 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:08.379 those spaces and places in God that are hidden. 00:12:09.019 --> 00:12:12.860 Because if we devote ourselves and we serve the 00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:16.419 Lord and we're committed in private, then he 00:12:16.419 --> 00:12:23.080 will one day reward us in public. But we have 00:12:23.080 --> 00:12:27.340 a generation that has reversed that concept and 00:12:27.340 --> 00:12:29.740 they want God, they want to work things out in 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:33.000 public. They want to become something overnight. 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:37.919 They want to be platformed before they've gone 00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:42.460 through a process. But the ways of God always 00:12:42.460 --> 00:12:47.019 requires us to go through a hidden period of 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:51.450 germination. So what does a seed... need to germinate 00:12:51.450 --> 00:12:53.669 because it won't just germinate simply because 00:12:53.669 --> 00:12:58.029 you put it in some dirt. It needs some elements 00:12:58.029 --> 00:13:02.309 in order to thrive. For a seed to germinate and 00:13:02.309 --> 00:13:06.450 thrive, first of all, it needs water. Somebody 00:13:06.450 --> 00:13:12.769 say water. It needs water to live. Without moisture, 00:13:12.889 --> 00:13:18.389 a seed will remain dormant. The outer shell. 00:13:19.100 --> 00:13:25.240 will never soften. And the life will never awaken 00:13:25.240 --> 00:13:29.419 inside of it. And the process of growth will 00:13:29.419 --> 00:13:33.659 never begin. This is why someone says that the 00:13:33.659 --> 00:13:41.899 tree was planted by the rivers of water. So that 00:13:41.899 --> 00:13:46.379 that seed can draw nourishment and moisture from 00:13:46.379 --> 00:13:52.460 the river underground. The seed doesn't go, doesn't 00:13:52.460 --> 00:13:54.919 climb out of the soil and go take a drink from 00:13:54.919 --> 00:13:59.299 the river. That's not how a seed is replenished 00:13:59.299 --> 00:14:02.799 or receives moisture. All the moisture that the 00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:07.220 seed receives comes from underneath the ground. 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:11.419 Because I guarantee that the river you see on 00:14:11.419 --> 00:14:14.340 a surface is only part of the story. There's 00:14:14.340 --> 00:14:20.309 usually an underground current happening. proliferating 00:14:20.309 --> 00:14:23.730 through the soil and reaching those plants and 00:14:23.730 --> 00:14:27.129 those trees and shrubs and flowers that are around 00:14:27.129 --> 00:14:30.730 it. And so the seed needs to draw nourishment 00:14:30.730 --> 00:14:35.070 and life from the water in order for it to grow 00:14:35.070 --> 00:14:40.409 into that stable, fruit -producing tree. It needs 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:43.389 to be planted. I want to tell somebody today 00:14:43.389 --> 00:14:46.379 that That if we are like that seed being planted 00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:49.620 in the purposes of God, then we must make sure 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:55.740 that our lives are connected to the river. Now 00:14:55.740 --> 00:15:00.539 unlike rainfall, a river speaks of continual 00:15:00.539 --> 00:15:05.240 supplies of water. I'm going to alert you to 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:08.759 something. The issue that I see that God began 00:15:08.759 --> 00:15:13.120 to show me about how people water their seeds 00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:17.539 today. In the Spirit. The issue that I see is 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.519 that many believers depend solely on spiritual 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:26.240 rainfall. Hear me today. Spiritual rainfall. 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:28.899 What is spiritual rainfall? They rely solely 00:15:28.899 --> 00:15:34.240 on occasional and seasonal showers. Downpours 00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:39.960 of the Spirit. And as a result, they go from 00:15:39.960 --> 00:15:43.840 experience to experience. From service to service, 00:15:44.100 --> 00:15:47.559 conference to conference, just waiting for the 00:15:47.559 --> 00:15:52.460 rain to hit them. And I love the rain. How many 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:55.460 of you love when God just rains on you? Come 00:15:55.460 --> 00:15:56.840 on now. I said, how many of you love when he 00:15:56.840 --> 00:16:03.220 just rains on you? I love the rain. I love the 00:16:03.220 --> 00:16:05.320 rain. And there's something about the rain that 00:16:05.320 --> 00:16:07.759 it comes at a moment where you maybe, you need 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.840 a boost of life. You need to be recharged or 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:13.279 you need just a reminder that God is with you. 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:16.419 And God is so good that he'll send the rain sometimes. 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:19.200 But I want you to understand something, believer, 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.820 child of God. I want you to understand that you 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:26.500 cannot be sustained in this life just waiting 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:31.360 for the rain to fall. Because if so, you will 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:35.840 die in the droughts of life. Because you will 00:16:35.840 --> 00:16:39.100 go through seasons of parchment and seasons of 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:44.000 dryness. It's not always raining. It's not always 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.879 coming down from, oh, when it happens, we love 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.799 it. Rain on me, you know, melodies from heaven. 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:53.159 We love when those things rain down on us. But 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:57.799 that's not life. Those are moments. Those are 00:16:57.799 --> 00:17:02.419 precious times. Those are seasonal times. But 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:04.980 if you're going to make it as a child of God 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:07.900 all the way and endure to the very end and be 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:10.380 fruitful throughout this life, you've got to 00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:14.440 be planted near a continual water source in the 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:20.460 spirit so that you can thrive. You cannot thrive 00:17:20.460 --> 00:17:23.460 on rain alone. And I have seen it time and time 00:17:23.460 --> 00:17:25.799 again. Christians who think that they can survive 00:17:25.799 --> 00:17:29.799 simply on the rain. And they think that they 00:17:29.799 --> 00:17:33.059 can survive simply on Sunday to Sunday. You won't 00:17:33.059 --> 00:17:37.420 make it if you go just Sunday to Sunday. Come 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:40.160 on, are you hearing me today? I said you won't 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:42.180 make it. Priest with me here today. You're not 00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:44.279 going to make it just going Sunday to Sunday. 00:17:45.309 --> 00:17:48.750 I'm just waiting for pastor. Man, I'm dry. I'm 00:17:48.750 --> 00:17:51.549 tired. I barely made it to the house of God. 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:53.890 Pastor, I hope you've got a good one for me today 00:17:53.890 --> 00:17:58.170 because I am dry. Well, what have you been doing 00:17:58.170 --> 00:18:02.430 all week? I mean, who have you been talking to? 00:18:02.569 --> 00:18:07.029 Whose advice are you getting? Where are you drawing 00:18:07.029 --> 00:18:13.230 your water from? And for many people, they're 00:18:13.230 --> 00:18:17.250 not drawing it from anything. And they show up 00:18:17.250 --> 00:18:21.170 and their seed is dry and brittle. And no wonder 00:18:21.170 --> 00:18:23.630 God can't touch you the way that he wants to. 00:18:23.730 --> 00:18:27.150 But if you get planted by the river of the spirit 00:18:27.150 --> 00:18:31.210 and you are sure, spend time in the presence 00:18:31.210 --> 00:18:35.309 of God. Why don't we just worship the Lord for 00:18:35.309 --> 00:18:38.549 a moment right now. Hallelujah. Somebody magnify 00:18:38.549 --> 00:18:43.109 Jesus with me here today. The Bible describes 00:18:43.109 --> 00:18:45.910 the Holy Ghost as a river. Jesus said, he who 00:18:45.910 --> 00:18:48.710 believes in me, as the scripture has said, out 00:18:48.710 --> 00:18:51.609 of his heart will flow rivers of living water. 00:18:51.849 --> 00:18:56.680 In this he spoke of the Spirit. I've got to be 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:59.700 planted near the river. And I've got a concern, 00:18:59.880 --> 00:19:03.180 especially for many of you here today. You're 00:19:03.180 --> 00:19:08.140 young in the Lord. Or you are maybe the next 00:19:08.140 --> 00:19:11.720 generation coming up. And you need to learn how 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:15.759 to get planted by the river. Because living for 00:19:15.759 --> 00:19:18.759 God is not all youth camps, brothers. It's not 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:22.220 all conferences. And it's not all revival services. 00:19:22.779 --> 00:19:26.440 And it's not all big moments. learning how to 00:19:26.440 --> 00:19:29.640 be sustained by the river each and every day. 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:32.079 Oh, but you say, but pastor, that's not easy. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.980 You better believe it's not easy. You better 00:19:34.980 --> 00:19:38.019 believe it's going to be a sacrifice every morning 00:19:38.019 --> 00:19:41.599 where you set your clock to 6 or 5 a .m. and 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.859 you get up and you forget everything else and 00:19:44.859 --> 00:19:47.960 you spend some time with the Lord in prayer and 00:19:47.960 --> 00:19:51.740 you let the river water your spirit. It's not. 00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:54.720 No wonder the devil fights you for that. No wonder 00:19:54.720 --> 00:19:56.799 he. He wants you to hit the snooze button. Because 00:19:56.799 --> 00:19:59.180 they know that if he cuts off the water supply, 00:19:59.420 --> 00:20:04.740 that he cuts off your life. I'm going to tell 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:06.420 you the reason why so many are defeated. It's 00:20:06.420 --> 00:20:10.440 not because that Jesus didn't die for them on 00:20:10.440 --> 00:20:12.119 the cross. Because the blood is not powerful. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:17.799 It's because people don't pray. They don't pray. 00:20:20.650 --> 00:20:24.369 Nothing is more concerning, nothing is more alarming 00:20:24.369 --> 00:20:32.329 in this hour than a prayerless church. I'm talking 00:20:32.329 --> 00:20:35.950 about being planted near the river. And we've 00:20:35.950 --> 00:20:37.910 got to pray. You say, Pastor, that's easy. You're 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:40.750 the pastor. Excuse me, I like to sleep in just 00:20:40.750 --> 00:20:46.230 like everybody else. Come on. But you do what 00:20:46.230 --> 00:20:49.210 you got to do. Someone say, just do it. Like 00:20:49.210 --> 00:20:53.730 Nike. Just do it. It's not easy. And you know 00:20:53.730 --> 00:20:55.789 what? If it was easy, then everybody would do 00:20:55.789 --> 00:21:04.829 it. But it's the hidden places. Rainfall Christians 00:21:04.829 --> 00:21:08.170 are sustained by moments, emotional highs. But 00:21:08.170 --> 00:21:10.950 river Christians are sustained by a connection, 00:21:11.190 --> 00:21:15.150 by being constantly fed, a continual supply of 00:21:15.150 --> 00:21:18.650 prayer. Amen. Worship. How many of you love to 00:21:18.650 --> 00:21:21.589 worship God? I said, how many of you love to 00:21:21.589 --> 00:21:25.109 worship him? You can't just worship him on Sundays. 00:21:28.950 --> 00:21:31.369 You know why churches are becoming more entertainment 00:21:31.369 --> 00:21:37.789 driven? Oh, it got quiet when I said that. No, 00:21:37.809 --> 00:21:39.450 no, no, just look around. Now, I'm not against 00:21:39.450 --> 00:21:42.730 all those. I mean, you know, if we had a certain 00:21:42.730 --> 00:21:45.029 kind of building, maybe I would. Don't get mad 00:21:45.029 --> 00:21:46.490 at me one day if we might have certain lights 00:21:46.490 --> 00:21:49.259 and things like that. But the reason why we become 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:51.640 so entertainment driven is because people by 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:53.619 and large have not spent time in the river all 00:21:53.619 --> 00:21:57.019 week. And so they show up to church and they 00:21:57.019 --> 00:21:59.019 need the rain to fall. They need you to create 00:21:59.019 --> 00:22:03.319 an environment for them. Excuse me? I read throughout 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:05.980 my Bible, hardly ever do you see it. Tell me 00:22:05.980 --> 00:22:08.319 what kind of environment did Paul and Silas have 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:11.490 when they were in that Philippian jail? Did they 00:22:11.490 --> 00:22:14.349 have smoke machines and fog machines and lights 00:22:14.349 --> 00:22:16.930 and all that? I mean, hey, I'm not here bashing 00:22:16.930 --> 00:22:19.150 on anybody. But did they have, what kind of, 00:22:19.190 --> 00:22:20.769 I'll tell you the kind of environment they had. 00:22:20.809 --> 00:22:22.809 They were getting ready to be executed. They 00:22:22.809 --> 00:22:25.369 were all chained up. But the Bible says at midnight. 00:22:25.609 --> 00:22:30.109 That's the type of river that you have when you 00:22:30.109 --> 00:22:32.450 are connected to the Spirit of God. I will praise 00:22:32.450 --> 00:22:35.150 you, God, on the mountain. I'll praise you in 00:22:35.150 --> 00:22:43.680 the valley. Hallelujah. I said, how many of you, 00:22:43.720 --> 00:22:46.019 I mean, how many of you really love your Bible? 00:22:46.079 --> 00:22:48.039 I love the Word. How many of you love the Word? 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:52.099 Take everything you want. Take my iPad. Take 00:22:52.099 --> 00:22:55.779 my iMac. Take my phone. But don't take my Bible. 00:22:56.700 --> 00:22:59.680 I love my Word. Amen. But I'm going to tell you 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:02.420 something. You can't make it if you just go preaching 00:23:02.420 --> 00:23:07.240 to preaching. You got to get your Bible, amen, 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:10.660 and you got to get connected to the river. The 00:23:10.660 --> 00:23:13.740 washing of the word. Amen, somebody. And spend 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:17.160 time and reading the word. And for you ministers 00:23:17.160 --> 00:23:19.319 here today, don't just read the word when you're 00:23:19.319 --> 00:23:20.819 getting ready to preach or give a Bible study. 00:23:22.559 --> 00:23:24.460 Amen. Deacons, ministers, are you hearing me? 00:23:24.619 --> 00:23:27.160 Everybody. There are some preachers that they 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:29.299 only study when they're getting ready for a message. 00:23:32.519 --> 00:23:37.200 No, no, no. You got to be in the word. Daily. 00:23:37.319 --> 00:23:40.599 Oh, every word that proceeds out of the mouth 00:23:40.599 --> 00:23:43.380 of God, that's what I'm living by. Your word, 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:50.539 that's my daily bread. Amen. What else does the 00:23:50.539 --> 00:23:53.119 seed need? I can stay on that even longer, but 00:23:53.119 --> 00:23:56.859 let me move on. The seed also needs roots. Someone 00:23:56.859 --> 00:24:02.579 say roots. It needs roots to survive. It's got 00:24:02.579 --> 00:24:05.440 to have roots. A root has got to grow out of 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:11.799 that seed. The first thing that emerges from 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:16.980 a seed through germination is the primary root, 00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:23.099 which anchors the seed into the soil and establishes 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:29.440 its stability. It grounds it. It establishes 00:24:29.440 --> 00:24:33.700 that seed firmly in its place, and it acts as 00:24:33.700 --> 00:24:40.660 an anchor to that seed. And that anchor, that 00:24:40.660 --> 00:24:46.140 primary seed, that anchor root is a picture of 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:54.039 Jesus Christ. Jesus is our primary root. In Isaiah, 00:24:54.220 --> 00:25:01.500 Christ is called the root of Jesse. And in that 00:25:01.500 --> 00:25:05.940 day there shall be a root of Jesse who shall 00:25:05.940 --> 00:25:10.920 stand as a banner. To the people, for the Gentiles, 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:15.519 that's you and I, shall seek him, and his resting 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:22.660 place shall be glorious. There shall be a root 00:25:22.660 --> 00:25:26.900 of Jesse, and it shall be glorious. The root 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:30.900 of Jesse, if you're not familiar with that biblical 00:25:30.900 --> 00:25:33.900 term, let me explain briefly what it represents, 00:25:34.160 --> 00:25:37.140 what it means. The root of Jesse is a title that 00:25:37.140 --> 00:25:43.880 speaks of the origin and lineage of Christ. Put 00:25:43.880 --> 00:25:51.220 the next slide up. Jesse was King David's father. 00:25:53.759 --> 00:25:56.539 He was the father of King David. And from that 00:25:56.539 --> 00:26:00.740 family tree, ultimately, through generations, 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:07.819 would come the Messiah. So when Christ is referred 00:26:07.819 --> 00:26:12.039 to as the root of Jesse, it's talking about his 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:15.900 ancestral line. And that he came through the 00:26:15.900 --> 00:26:19.940 Davidic line, which started there with Jesse. 00:26:22.039 --> 00:26:25.180 But this prophecy reveals that the Messiah would 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:29.579 not simply grow from that line, but would be 00:26:29.579 --> 00:26:35.069 the root that sustains that line. Even to this 00:26:35.069 --> 00:26:38.450 day. Because of the kingdom of God, there is 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:45.630 no end. So what we have in Christ, in Christ, 00:26:45.730 --> 00:26:54.369 is an unmovable and unshakable root. A primary 00:26:54.369 --> 00:27:00.950 root. Christ then is the anchor to our soul. 00:27:01.430 --> 00:27:05.329 The chief. Cornerstone, as Paul put it. He's 00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:10.490 the same. See, to qualify as the root, the primary 00:27:10.490 --> 00:27:14.730 root of our life, it's got to be immovable. It's 00:27:14.730 --> 00:27:19.049 got to be unshakable. It's got to be in position 00:27:19.049 --> 00:27:23.250 at all times. It cannot deviate from where it 00:27:23.250 --> 00:27:27.849 is. That's who Christ is. Why? Because he is 00:27:27.849 --> 00:27:34.240 the same yesterday, today, and forever. God never 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:37.759 changes. Come on. Does somebody believe what 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:41.859 I'm saying here today? I said God never changes. 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:46.319 And so because God never changes, he is the primary 00:27:46.319 --> 00:27:50.880 root. He is fixed. He is solid. He is in place. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:52.900 Hallelujah. How many of you are thankful for 00:27:52.900 --> 00:27:56.740 the primary root? I can stand upon the rock of 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:59.740 the primary root. Oh. Things might change in 00:27:59.740 --> 00:28:02.099 this world, but one thing remains the same. The 00:28:02.099 --> 00:28:05.359 Word of God, Jesus Christ, never changes. He's 00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:09.019 the primary root. But from that primary root, 00:28:09.140 --> 00:28:15.099 obviously other roots start to grow and expand. 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:19.660 These are secondary roots that begin to spread 00:28:19.660 --> 00:28:30.089 out. These roots spread deeper. vein system into 00:28:30.089 --> 00:28:33.910 the soil they don't replace the primary root 00:28:33.910 --> 00:28:38.529 but they are extensions of the primary root and 00:28:38.529 --> 00:28:44.349 they just solidify strengthen and secure even 00:28:44.349 --> 00:28:47.970 more the placement of that seed and ultimately 00:28:47.970 --> 00:28:52.369 the growth of that tree what could those primary 00:28:52.369 --> 00:28:56.990 or secondary roots represent It can represent 00:28:56.990 --> 00:29:01.269 the relationships that we have. The relationships 00:29:01.269 --> 00:29:05.470 with the people of God. Amen. Roots in the word 00:29:05.470 --> 00:29:08.950 of God. It can represent commitment to Christ. 00:29:09.329 --> 00:29:13.130 Commitment to the church. These are all these 00:29:13.130 --> 00:29:16.430 secondary roots that come out of that primary 00:29:16.430 --> 00:29:21.710 root. Commitment to God. Commitment in being 00:29:21.710 --> 00:29:24.269 faithful to God and the things that he, the more. 00:29:24.670 --> 00:29:27.069 committed I am, the more faithful I am, even 00:29:27.069 --> 00:29:30.609 in my giving, in my tithing, financially, all 00:29:30.609 --> 00:29:33.750 of these things, the more roots extend from the 00:29:33.750 --> 00:29:36.410 primary. Those don't replace the primary root, 00:29:36.509 --> 00:29:40.329 but the more I extend from there, the more established 00:29:40.329 --> 00:29:47.130 I am where God has me. And so what many of us 00:29:47.130 --> 00:29:53.490 maybe not see is that we see a tree. We see maybe 00:29:53.490 --> 00:29:55.890 a small tree that's coming up. And we think, 00:29:55.890 --> 00:29:59.009 man, it must have shot. Little do you know that 00:29:59.009 --> 00:30:02.170 beneath that tree, it's got a root system that 00:30:02.170 --> 00:30:04.769 extends far. You don't know the price that that 00:30:04.769 --> 00:30:08.470 tree has been paid. You don't know the sacrifices. 00:30:08.490 --> 00:30:11.009 You don't know the commitments that that tree 00:30:11.009 --> 00:30:13.329 has made through all of these secondary roots 00:30:13.329 --> 00:30:16.769 that are spreading out and reaching into places 00:30:16.769 --> 00:30:20.589 that maybe it thought it could never go. But 00:30:20.589 --> 00:30:23.549 the more it begins to extend. God wants you to 00:30:23.549 --> 00:30:27.349 get more. Listen here today. He wants you to 00:30:27.349 --> 00:30:30.650 get more, not less, intertwined with the things 00:30:30.650 --> 00:30:37.470 of God. More intertwined. Because the more intertwined 00:30:37.470 --> 00:30:44.029 you get to the church, to the ministry, the harder 00:30:44.029 --> 00:30:51.730 it gets to backslide. It's easier to backslide 00:30:51.730 --> 00:30:54.549 when you have no roots, secondary roots into 00:30:54.549 --> 00:30:57.890 the things I'm talking about. It's easier to 00:30:57.890 --> 00:30:59.690 walk away from something when you have no skin 00:30:59.690 --> 00:31:05.079 in the game. But when you have invested of your 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:08.200 life and of your time and your resources, I can't 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:13.880 just walk away. I can't just because I have extended 00:31:13.880 --> 00:31:18.539 my root. I've got roots there. Sometimes people 00:31:18.539 --> 00:31:21.059 may offer you, you know, something over there, 00:31:21.119 --> 00:31:23.940 a job across the country. Come over here, you 00:31:23.940 --> 00:31:26.460 know, we'll hook you up, you know, give you the 00:31:26.460 --> 00:31:29.779 best offer you can imagine. And you got to think 00:31:29.779 --> 00:31:32.670 about, well. But how can I establish myself? 00:31:32.849 --> 00:31:35.170 And sometimes people say, well, I can't leave 00:31:35.170 --> 00:31:41.950 because all of my roots are here. But people 00:31:41.950 --> 00:31:48.109 with shallow roots are like tumbleweeds. You 00:31:48.109 --> 00:31:52.829 ever seen a tumbleweed? Just drive down Highway 00:31:52.829 --> 00:31:57.549 5 one of these days or 99 and you'll see some 00:31:57.549 --> 00:32:04.200 of them going across the highway. A tumbleweed 00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:10.759 has got a lot going on on the top, right? It 00:32:10.759 --> 00:32:13.579 makes a lot of movement, but it's got no roots. 00:32:17.660 --> 00:32:20.660 And people can become like that. You know why? 00:32:20.720 --> 00:32:22.940 Because they get blown away with every wind of 00:32:22.940 --> 00:32:26.930 doctrine. Blown away with every rumor. Blown 00:32:26.930 --> 00:32:29.190 away with everything. With every circumstance. 00:32:29.369 --> 00:32:31.809 Blown away with every trial. Blown away. Now 00:32:31.809 --> 00:32:33.930 you see me. Now you don't. They get blown away 00:32:33.930 --> 00:32:36.329 and blown away because they're not rooted. They're 00:32:36.329 --> 00:32:38.990 not founded. They're not grounded in the things 00:32:38.990 --> 00:32:41.150 of God. But the more rooted you are, the more 00:32:41.150 --> 00:32:47.289 stable you become. Amen, somebody. I don't want 00:32:47.289 --> 00:32:50.049 to be a tumbleweed. I don't want to be going 00:32:50.049 --> 00:32:53.809 with every drift and every wind. in every trend, 00:32:53.970 --> 00:32:56.829 in every fashion. I want to be established where 00:32:56.829 --> 00:32:59.170 God has me. I don't want to be a tumbleweed. 00:32:59.250 --> 00:33:01.549 But this is how some people are. They're tumbleweed. 00:33:01.630 --> 00:33:04.990 They've got no roots. But God is calling us today 00:33:04.990 --> 00:33:08.509 to grow not just upwards but down. You can't 00:33:08.509 --> 00:33:15.529 grow up until you first grow down. And the further 00:33:15.529 --> 00:33:19.309 down I grow in hidden places. Now, see, people 00:33:19.309 --> 00:33:21.930 don't get too excited about this sometimes because... 00:33:22.089 --> 00:33:24.349 Again, we live in a world that just wants to 00:33:24.349 --> 00:33:30.650 see everything. But God does his greatest work 00:33:30.650 --> 00:33:38.230 in hidden places. So it needs water. The seed 00:33:38.230 --> 00:33:42.950 to germinate needs roots. And thirdly, before 00:33:42.950 --> 00:33:50.569 I close, the seed needs darkness to grow. Somebody 00:33:50.569 --> 00:33:56.450 say darkness. Most seeds germinate in darkness. 00:33:57.789 --> 00:34:03.170 Once the seed is planted, it disappears beneath 00:34:03.170 --> 00:34:11.210 the soil. It is buried, covered, hidden from 00:34:11.210 --> 00:34:14.530 the light. And for a while there's no evidence 00:34:14.530 --> 00:34:20.829 that anything is happening. No leaves, no fruit, 00:34:21.050 --> 00:34:27.349 no outward sign. just darkness. And that dark 00:34:27.349 --> 00:34:32.869 period of germination is the hardest part because 00:34:32.869 --> 00:34:40.489 there is no visible progress. The most discouraging 00:34:40.489 --> 00:34:44.610 part of the seed planting and growth process 00:34:44.610 --> 00:34:48.750 is that period where nothing seems to be happening 00:34:48.750 --> 00:34:54.429 because nothing is sprouting. Nothing is breaking 00:34:54.429 --> 00:35:00.230 the surface. After time and work, labor and effort, 00:35:00.429 --> 00:35:05.670 we live in a world that celebrates the visible. 00:35:05.869 --> 00:35:08.969 We live in a world that wants immediate evidence, 00:35:09.289 --> 00:35:12.989 instant results. But that's not how God works. 00:35:14.050 --> 00:35:20.489 God works in dark places. God works in hidden 00:35:20.489 --> 00:35:24.369 places, in secret places. And if you ever, if 00:35:24.369 --> 00:35:28.989 you want to understand what the secret is to 00:35:28.989 --> 00:35:34.110 a blessed life, to a fruitful life, then you 00:35:34.110 --> 00:35:41.250 need to get comfortable with the darkness. You 00:35:41.250 --> 00:35:45.590 need to understand the purpose of darkness. I 00:35:45.590 --> 00:35:51.449 feel the Spirit of God right now. Purpose of 00:35:51.449 --> 00:35:58.039 darkness. Not everything about darkness is bad. 00:36:00.400 --> 00:36:02.800 I know we think darkness is, ooh, man, must be 00:36:02.800 --> 00:36:09.460 evil. No. Not always bad. I've learned that that's 00:36:09.460 --> 00:36:13.400 where God really forms you and reveals his glory. 00:36:14.460 --> 00:36:16.599 Let me point you to a verse that recently has 00:36:16.599 --> 00:36:19.239 spoke to me, and I pray that it ministers to 00:36:19.239 --> 00:36:25.829 you. Isaiah 45 and verse 3. Says, and I will 00:36:25.829 --> 00:36:36.289 give you the treasures of darkness. And the hidden 00:36:36.289 --> 00:36:42.610 riches of secret places. So that you may know 00:36:42.610 --> 00:36:47.349 that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, 00:36:47.630 --> 00:36:51.630 am the God of Israel. How many think that's a 00:36:51.630 --> 00:36:58.469 powerful verse? Can I tell you that there are 00:36:58.469 --> 00:37:02.489 treasures in darkness? I said there are treasures 00:37:02.489 --> 00:37:08.429 in darkness. There are some things that you won't 00:37:08.429 --> 00:37:10.469 see in the light, you can only see in the dark. 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:16.050 Some things you'll never see in the light, you 00:37:16.050 --> 00:37:21.670 only see in the dark. Treasures. Now to the outside, 00:37:21.929 --> 00:37:26.000 it may not look as so. But when you find yourself 00:37:26.000 --> 00:37:30.500 there, you realize that in that dark place, and 00:37:30.500 --> 00:37:32.300 there might be somebody here today that finds 00:37:32.300 --> 00:37:36.500 himself in that dark place somewhere in your 00:37:36.500 --> 00:37:38.800 life, in that dark place. You need to know this, 00:37:38.820 --> 00:37:43.900 that God has not forgotten about you. God placed 00:37:43.900 --> 00:37:50.820 you where he did for a purpose. Remember, God 00:37:50.820 --> 00:37:54.440 doesn't do anything by accident. Come on now, 00:37:54.440 --> 00:37:57.639 somebody. He didn't put you in that family by 00:37:57.639 --> 00:37:59.679 accident. He didn't put you in this church by 00:37:59.679 --> 00:38:01.460 accident. He didn't put you in your marriage 00:38:01.460 --> 00:38:03.639 by accident. He didn't put you in your ministry 00:38:03.639 --> 00:38:06.139 by accident. You're there because God wanted 00:38:06.139 --> 00:38:09.440 you there. Now it's dark and there's no light 00:38:09.440 --> 00:38:12.300 and it feels like you're being buried. No, you're 00:38:12.300 --> 00:38:18.619 not being buried. You're being planted. Come 00:38:18.619 --> 00:38:25.170 on now, somebody. It's not a funeral. It's a 00:38:25.170 --> 00:38:28.630 celebration of what God is going to do in your 00:38:28.630 --> 00:38:31.309 life. Would you stand with me at this hour? Hallelujah, 00:38:31.389 --> 00:38:41.309 God. Oh, my Jesus. Hallelujah, God. I need a 00:38:41.309 --> 00:38:43.030 minister here for a moment. I don't want you 00:38:43.030 --> 00:38:45.230 to play too much or too loud yet. I need a minister 00:38:45.230 --> 00:38:48.269 here for a moment. I feel the Holy Ghost moving 00:38:48.269 --> 00:38:52.500 in this place right now. Can I talk to you for 00:38:52.500 --> 00:38:55.760 a few more moments? Is that all right? I've got 00:38:55.760 --> 00:38:58.599 to share some things with you right now in my 00:38:58.599 --> 00:39:04.579 spirit. Put the verse back up. I need everybody 00:39:04.579 --> 00:39:07.679 to see this again. Put it back up. Isaiah. The 00:39:07.679 --> 00:39:12.340 one right before that. I can preach a message 00:39:12.340 --> 00:39:15.199 just on this one verse. Listen. I will give you 00:39:15.199 --> 00:39:19.980 treasures of darkness. You know why? Because. 00:39:20.510 --> 00:39:25.750 Nobody puts a treasure in a visible place. What 00:39:25.750 --> 00:39:30.710 makes it a treasure, Brother Kevin, is because 00:39:30.710 --> 00:39:34.789 it's buried somewhere. The moment that it's not 00:39:34.789 --> 00:39:36.710 buried, it's no longer a treasure. It's free. 00:39:40.070 --> 00:39:42.110 Some of you have been praying for the treasures 00:39:42.110 --> 00:39:47.489 of God, but you won't let him plant you. What 00:39:47.489 --> 00:39:49.289 is that treasure for you? For some of you, it's 00:39:49.289 --> 00:39:52.150 a new job, a new relationship, a new ministry, 00:39:52.210 --> 00:39:54.849 a new blessing. Let God plant you. It might get 00:39:54.849 --> 00:39:57.150 dark. But watch what it begins to say. In the 00:39:57.150 --> 00:40:01.230 hidden riches of secret places. The secret place 00:40:01.230 --> 00:40:05.349 of prayer. Oh, where nobody's seen. It's not 00:40:05.349 --> 00:40:08.050 postable. It's not Instagram worthy. But that's 00:40:08.050 --> 00:40:12.869 all right. God's forming you. When you're practicing 00:40:12.869 --> 00:40:14.289 in the secret place. Where are the musicians 00:40:14.289 --> 00:40:17.269 at, brother? When you're practicing. You're preparing 00:40:17.269 --> 00:40:20.730 yourself in the secret place, right? You don't 00:40:20.730 --> 00:40:22.150 got the cameras on while some people do, but 00:40:22.150 --> 00:40:26.190 you know, you're preparing yourself. You're getting 00:40:26.190 --> 00:40:33.429 ready in the secret place. But watch this. There 00:40:33.429 --> 00:40:35.969 comes a point where you're in that dark place, 00:40:36.070 --> 00:40:38.170 the seed, where I think the seed starts wondering, 00:40:38.389 --> 00:40:42.570 like, okay, okay. Like, I get it. I get it. You're 00:40:42.570 --> 00:40:45.030 trying to teach me something. Obviously, I'm 00:40:45.030 --> 00:40:48.329 not learning. Here I am again. I'm back in the 00:40:48.329 --> 00:40:50.429 same place emotionally. I'm back in the same 00:40:50.429 --> 00:40:52.670 place spiritually. So what is it? And so you 00:40:52.670 --> 00:40:55.010 get to a point where you're almost about to lose 00:40:55.010 --> 00:40:57.969 your mind. You're like, okay, God, how much more 00:40:57.969 --> 00:41:01.230 can I do? How longer could it be? And then you 00:41:01.230 --> 00:41:03.929 almost start to entertain these thoughts in your 00:41:03.929 --> 00:41:07.090 mind. Like, well, maybe God has just bypassed 00:41:07.090 --> 00:41:15.369 me. Maybe. Maybe he's moved on. It gets to a 00:41:15.369 --> 00:41:18.650 point when you're serving and you're working 00:41:18.650 --> 00:41:21.230 and you're doing things behind the scenes with 00:41:21.230 --> 00:41:24.969 no credit, with no applause of men, and you're 00:41:24.969 --> 00:41:27.210 striving and you're forming and you're building 00:41:27.210 --> 00:41:29.269 and you're in the workshop and you're in the 00:41:29.269 --> 00:41:31.650 garage or you're in your room and you're not 00:41:31.650 --> 00:41:34.550 getting any kind of attention for it and you're 00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:36.949 just serving. Sometimes it's week after week. 00:41:37.170 --> 00:41:40.789 Sometimes it's year after year. And you're just 00:41:40.789 --> 00:41:43.510 working, and you're in that dark place, and you 00:41:43.510 --> 00:41:47.510 begin to wonder, did you ever, did you really 00:41:47.510 --> 00:41:54.789 call me, God? Did you really call me? But I want 00:41:54.789 --> 00:41:57.070 you to know, brothers and sisters, I feel this 00:41:57.070 --> 00:42:00.230 in the Holy Ghost, that while you're up in your 00:42:00.230 --> 00:42:04.909 house cleaning and doing, on the job, commuting 00:42:04.909 --> 00:42:07.650 back and forth to work, and maybe you don't feel 00:42:07.650 --> 00:42:09.219 a appreciated, or maybe you feel like you're 00:42:09.219 --> 00:42:10.800 wasting your time, you're grinding your wheel. 00:42:10.900 --> 00:42:12.500 Maybe you feel like you're not getting where 00:42:12.500 --> 00:42:14.519 you need to go. Maybe you feel like God has forgotten 00:42:14.519 --> 00:42:16.840 about you. Maybe you feel like time has passed 00:42:16.840 --> 00:42:19.880 you by, and it's too late now. I've come to tell 00:42:19.880 --> 00:42:22.639 you that even in those dark moments, you've got 00:42:22.639 --> 00:42:27.340 a God that still knows your name. I said God 00:42:27.340 --> 00:42:32.000 knows your name, and he still calls you, and 00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:33.239 he still loves you.